Title: History of Friedrich II of Prussia
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Author: Thomas Carlyle
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History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Thomas Carlyle
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Table of Contents
History of Friedrich II of Prussia......................................................................................................................1
Thomas Carlyle ........................................................................................................................................1
Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712............................................................................................6
Chapter I. PROEM: FRIEDRICH'S HISTORY FROM THE DISTANCE WE ARE AT. ....................6
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH. ......................................................................................................15
Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. ..............................16
Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. .....................................................................................................21
Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. .........................................................................................................25
BOOK II. OF BRANDENBURG AND THE HOHENZOLLERNS. 9281417. ................................29
Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER. ...........................................................................30
Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT. ...................................................................................33
Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG. ........................................................................36
Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR. ......................................................................................................38
Chapter V. CONRAD OF HOHENZOLLERN; AND KAISER BARBAROSSA. .............................41
Chapter VI. THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER. ....................................................45
Chapter VII. MARGRAVIATE OF CULMBACH: BAIREUTH, ANSPACH. ..................................51
Chapter VIII. ASCANIER MARKGRAVES IN BRANDENBURG. .................................................55
Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV. .........................................................................................58
Chapter X. BRANDENBURG LAPSES TO THE KAISER. ...............................................................62
Chapter XI. BAYARIAN KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG. ........................................................64
Chapter XII. BRANDENBURG IN KAISER KARL'S TIME; END OF THE BAVARIAN
KURFURSTS. ......................................................................................................................................67
Chapter XIII. LUXEMBURG KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG. .................................................69
Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI. ......................................................................................71
BOOK III. THE HOHENZOLLERNS IN BRANDENBURG. 14121718 ........................................77
CHAPTER I. KURFURST FRIEDRICH I. ..........................................................................................77
Chapter II. MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE. ..................................................................................79
Chapter III. KURFURST FRIEDRICH II. ...........................................................................................82
Chapter IV. KURFURST ALBERT ACHILLES, AND HIS SUCCESSOR. ......................................85
Chapter V. OF THE BAIREUTHANSPACH BRANCH. .................................................................89
Chapter VI. HOCHMEISTER ALBERT, THIRD NOTABLE SON OF FRIEDRICH. ......................96
Chapter VII. ALBERT ALCIBIADES. ..............................................................................................100
Chapter VIII. HISTORICAL MEANING OF THE REFORMATION. .............................................103
Chapter IX. KURFURST JOACHIM I. ..............................................................................................105
Chapter X. KURFURST JOACHIM II. ..............................................................................................107
Chapter XI. SEVENTH KURFURST, JOHANN GEORGE. ............................................................113
Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF PREUSSEN. .........................114
Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND. .........................................................117
Chapter XIV. SYMPTOMS OF A GREAT WAR COMING. ...........................................................120
Chapter XV. TENTH KURFURST, GEORGE WILHELM. .............................................................126
Chapter XVI. THIRTYYEARS WAR. ............................................................................................127
Chapter XVII. DUCHY OF JAGERNDORF. ....................................................................................131
Chapter XVIII. FRIEDRICH WILHELM, THE GREAT KURFURST, ELEVENTH OF THE
SERIES. ..............................................................................................................................................132
Chapter XIX. KING FRIEDRICH I. AGAIN. ...................................................................................140
Chapter XX. DEATH OF KING FRIEDRICH I. ...............................................................................143
BOOK IV. FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP, FIRST STAGE. 17131728. ................................148
CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD: DOUBLE EDUCATIONAL ELEMENT. ..........................................149
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Chapter II. THE GERMAN ELEMENT. ...........................................................................................152
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH WILHELM IS KING. ...............................................................................155
Chapter IV. HIS MAJESTY'S WAYS. ..............................................................................................161
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR. .........................................................................164
Chapter VI. THE LITTLE DRUMMER. ............................................................................................171
Chapter VII. TRANSIT OF CZAR PETER. ......................................................................................173
Chapter VIII. THE CROWNPRINCE IS PUT TO HIS SCHOOLING. ..........................................177
Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN. .......................................................................................................184
Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. ..........................................................................187
Chapter XI. ON THE CROWNPRINCE'S PROGRESS IN HIS SCHOOLING. ............................193
Chapter XII. CROWNPRINCE FALLS INTO DISFAVOR WITH PAPA. ...................................197
Chapter XIII. RESULTS OF THE CROWNPRINCE'S SCHOOLING. .........................................198
BOOK V. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT, AND WHAT ELEMENT IT FELL INTO.
17231726. .........................................................................................................................................200
Chapter I. DOUBLEMARRIAGE IS DECIDED ON. .....................................................................200
Chapter II. A KAISER HUNTING SHADOWS. ...............................................................................208
Chapter III. THE SEVEN CRISES OR EUROPEAN TRAVAILTHROES. ..................................213
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE TREATY CANNOT BE SIGNED. ........................................219
Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. .....................................220
Chapter VI. ORDNANCEMASTER SECKENDORF CROSSES THE PALACE
ESPLANADE. ....................................................................................................................................227
Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT. .......................................................................................232
Chapter VIII. SECKENDORF'S RETORT TO HER MAJESTY. .....................................................241
BOOK VI. GOING ADRIFT UNDER THE STORMWINDS. 17271730. ...................................243
Chapter I. FIFTH CRISIS IN THE KAISER'S SPECTREHUNT. ..................................................243
Chapter II. DEATH OF GEORGE I. ..................................................................................................245
Chapter III. VISIT TO DRESDEN. ....................................................................................................250
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT IS NOT DEAD. ....................................................258
Chapter V. CONGRESS OF SOISSONS, SIXTH CRISIS IN THE SPECTREHUNT. .................263
Chapter VI. IMMINENCY OF WAR OR DUEL BETWEEN THE BRITANNIC AND
PRUSSIAN MAJESTIES. ..................................................................................................................270
Chapter VII. A MARRIAGE: NOT THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE: CROWNPRINCE DEEP
IN TROUBLE. ....................................................................................................................................283
Chapter VIII. CROWNPRINCE GETTING BEYOND HIS DEPTH IN TROUBLE. ....................286
Chapter IX. DOUBLEMARRIAGE SHALL BE OR SHALL NOT BE. ........................................288
BOOK VII. FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT.
FebruaryNovember, 1730. ................................................................................................................295
Chapter I. ENGLAND SENDS THE EXCELLENCY HOTHAM TO BERLIN. .............................295
Chapter II. LANGUAGE OF BIRDS: EXCELLENCY HOTHAM PROVES UNAVAILING. .......299
Chapter III. CAMP OF RADEWITZ. .................................................................................................313
Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE. ............................................320
Chapter V. JOURNEY TO THE REICH. ...........................................................................................326
Chapter VI. JOURNEY HOMEWARDS FROM THE REICH; CATASTROPHE ON
JOURNEY HOMEWARDS ...............................................................................................................333
Chapter VII. CATASTROPHE, AND MAJESTY, ARRIVE IN BERLIN. ......................................345
Chapter VIII. SEQUEL TO CROWNPRINCE AND FRIENDS. ....................................................350
Chapter IX. COURTMARTIAL ON CROWNPRINCE AND CONSORTS. ...............................352
BOOK VIII. CROWNPRINCE RETRIEVED: LIFE AT CUSTRIN. November,
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1730February, 1732. .........................................................................................................................357
Chapter I. CHAPLAIN MULLER WAITS ON THE CROWNPRINCE. .......................................357
Chapter II. CROWNPRINCE TO REPENT AND NOT PERISH. ..................................................359
Chapter III. WILHELMINA IS TO WED THE PRINCE OF BAIREUTH. ......................................362
Chapter IV. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN PREUSSEN AND ELSEWHERE. .......................................365
Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. .......................370
Chapter VI. WILHELMINA'S WEDDING. .......................................................................................384
BOOK IX. LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN RUPPIN.
17321736. .........................................................................................................................................389
Chapter I. PRINCESS ELIZABETH CHRISTINA OF BRUNSWICKBEVERN. .........................389
Chapter II. SMALL INCIDENTS AT RUPPIN. ................................................................................401
Chapter III. THE SALZBURGERS. ...................................................................................................404
Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER. ............................................................412
Chapter V. GHOST OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE RISES; TO NO PURPOSE. .......................422
Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND. ..........................425
Chapter VII. CROWNPRINCE'S MARRIAGE. ..............................................................................427
Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. ............................................431
Chapter IX. KAISER'S SHADOWHUNT HAS CAUGHT FIRE. ..................................................436
Chapter X. CROWNPRINCE GOES TO THE RHINE CAMPAIGN, ...........................................440
Chapter XI. IN PAPA'S SICKROOM; PRUSSIAN INSPECTIONS: END OF WAR. ..................457
BOOK X. AT REINSBERG. 17361740. .........................................................................................465
Chapter I. MANSION OF REINSBERG. ...........................................................................................465
Chapter II. OF VOLTAIRE AND THE LITERARY CORRESPONDENCES. ................................472
Chapter III. CROWNPRINCE MAKES A MORNING CALL. ......................................................487
Chapter IV. NEWS OF THE DAY. ....................................................................................................492
Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO. ...............................................................................................................497
Chapter VI. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG; JOURNEY TO PREUSSEN. .....................................503
Chapter VII. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG: TRANSIT OF BALTIMORE AND OTHER
PERSONS AND THINGS. .................................................................................................................510
Chapter VIII. DEATH OF FRIEDRICH WILHELM. .......................................................................516
BOOK XI. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE REINS IN HAND. JuneDecember, 1740. .........................522
Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION. ...........................................................523
Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. ........................................................................................................537
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH MAKES AN EXCURSION, NOT OF DIRECT SORT INTO THE
CLEVE COUNTRIES. .......................................................................................................................543
Chapter IV. VOLTAIRE'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH FRIEDRICH. ............................................555
Chapter V. AFFAIR OF HERSTAL. ..................................................................................................563
Chapter VI. RETURNS BY HANOVER; DOES NOT CALL ON HIS ROYAL UNCLE
THERE. ...............................................................................................................................................570
Chapter VII. WITHDRAWS TO REINSBERG, HOPING A PEACEABLE WINTER. ..................573
Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH. ............................................................................................577
Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE. ............................580
BOOK XII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, AWAKENING A GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE,
BEGINS. December, 1740May, 1741. .............................................................................................589
Chapter I. OF SCHLESIEN, OR SILESIA. .......................................................................................589
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES ON GLOGAU. .......................................................................592
Chapter III. PROBLEM OF GLOGAU. .............................................................................................601
Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. .......................................................................607
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Chapter V. FRIEDRICH PUSHES FORWARD TOWARDS BRIEG AND NEISSE. .....................610
Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED. ...........................................................................................614
Chapter VII. AT VERSAILLES, THE MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY CHANGES HIS
SHIRT, AND BELLEISLE IS SEEN WITH PAPERS. ....................................................................618
Chapter VIII. PHENOMENA IN PETERSBURG. ............................................................................624
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. .........................................................................629
Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. .............................................................................................644
Chapter XI. THE BURSTING FORTH OF BEDLAMS: BELLEISLE AND THE BREAKERS
OF PRAGMATIC SANCTION. .........................................................................................................656
Chapter XII. SORROWS OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY. ............................................................671
Chapter XIII. SMALLWAR: FIRST EMERGENCE OF ZIETHEN THE HUSSAR
GENERAL INTO NOTICE. ...............................................................................................................682
BOOK XIII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, LEAVING THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE
ABLAZE ALL ROUND, GETS ENDED. May, 1741July, 1742. ...................................................684
Chapter I. BRITANNIC MAJESTY AS PALADIN OF THE PRAGMATIC. ..................................684
Chapter II. CAMP OF STREHLEN. ..................................................................................................689
Chapter III. GRAND REVIEW AT STREHLEN: NEIPPERG TAKES AIM AT BRESLAU,
BUT ANOTHER HITS IT. .................................................................................................................704
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD AGAIN, INTENT ON HAVING NEISSE. ...........706
Chapter V. KLEINSCHNELLENDORF: FRIEDRICH GETS NEISSE, IN A FASHION. ...........713
Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH. ..............722
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH PURPOSES TO MEND THE KLEINSCHNELLENDORF
FAILURE: FORTUNES OF THE BELLEISLE ARMAMENT. .......................................................725
Chapter VIII. FRIEDRICH STARTS FOR MORAVIA, ON A NEW SCHEME HE HAS. .............732
Chapter IX. WILHELMINA GOES TO SEE THE GAYETIES AT FRANKFURT. .......................735
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH DOES HIS MORAVIAN EXPEDITION WHICH PROVES A MERE
MORAVIAN FORAY. .......................................................................................................................742
Chapter XI. NUSSLER IN NEISSE, WITH THE OLD DESSAUER AND WALRAVE. ...............750
Chapter XII. PRINCE KARL DOES COME ON. .............................................................................752
Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF CHOTUSITZ. ........................................................................................754
Chapter XIV. PEACE OF BRESLAU. ...............................................................................................760
BOOK XIV. THE SURROUNDING EUROPEAN WAR DOES NOT END. August,
1742July, 1744. .................................................................................................................................763
Chapter I. FRIEDRICH RESUMES HIS PEACEABLE PURSUITS. ..............................................763
Chapter II. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS ARE ON THE MOUNTING HAND. ........................................769
Chapter III. CARNIVAL PHENOMENA IN WARTIME. .............................................................785
Chapter IV. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS MOUNT TO A DANGEROUS HEIGHT. ...............................791
Chapter V. BRITANNIC MAJESTY FIGHTS HIS BATTLE OF DETTINGEN; AND
BECOMES SUPREME JOVE OF GERMANY, IN A MANNER. ...................................................797
Chapter VI. VOLTAIRE VISITS FRIEDRICH FOR THE FOURTH TIME. ...................................811
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH MAKES TREATY WITH FRANCE; AND SILENTLY GETS
READY. ..............................................................................................................................................820
Chapter VIII. PERFECT PEACE AT BERLIN, WAR ALL ROUND. .............................................824
BOOK XV. SECOND SILESIAN WAR, IMPORTANT EPISODE IN THE GENERAL
EUROPEAN ONE. 15th Aug. 174425th Dec. 1745. .......................................................................837
Chapter I. PRELIMINARY: HOW THE MOMENT ARRIVED. ....................................................837
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG. ....................................842
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH, DILIGENT IN HIS BOHEMIAN CONQUESTS,
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UNEXPECTEDLY COMES UPON PRINCE KARL, WITH NO FRENCH ATTENDING
HIM. ....................................................................................................................................................847
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH REDUCED TO STRAlTS; CANNOT MAINTAIN HIS MOLDAU
CONQUESTS AGAINST PRICE KARL. .........................................................................................853
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH, UNDER DIFFICULTIES, PREPARES FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN. .....861
Chapter VI. VALORI GOES ON AN ELECTIONEERING MISSION TO DRESDEN. ................872
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN SILESIA; UNUSUALLY BUSY. ....................................................878
Chapter VIII. THE MARTIAL BOY AND HIS ENGLISH VERSUS THE LAWS OF
NATURE. ...........................................................................................................................................883
Chapter IX. THE AUSTRIANSAXON ARMY INVADES SILESIA, ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS. ....................................................................................................................................890
Chapter X. BATTLE OF HOHENFRIEDBERG. .............................................................................897
Chapter XI. CAMP OF CHLUM: FRIEDRICH CANNOT ACHIEVE PEACE. .............................900
Chapter XII. BATTLE OF SOHR. ....................................................................................................909
Chapter XIII. SAXONY AND AUSTRIA MAKE A SURPRISING LAST ATTEMPT. ................915
Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF KESSELSDORF. ..................................................................................922
Chapter XV. PEACE OF DRESDEN: FRIEDRICH DOES MARCH HOME. ................................927
BOOK XVI. THE TEN YEARS OF PEACE. 17461756. ..............................................................932
Chapter I. SANSSOUCI. .................................................................................................................932
Chapter II. PEEP AT VOLTAIRE AND HIS DIVINE EMILIE (BY CANDLELIGHT) IN
THE TIDE OF EVENTS. ...................................................................................................................938
Chapter III. EUROPEAN WAR FALLS DONE: TREATY OF AIXLACHAPELLE. ...............950
Chapter IV. COCCEJI FINISHES THE LAWREFORM; FRIEDRICH IS PRINTING HIS
POESIES. ............................................................................................................................................956
Chapter V. STRANGERS OF NOTE COME TO BERLIN, IN 1750. .............................................958
Chapter VI. BERLIN CARROUSEL, AND VOLTAIRE VISIBLE THERE. ..................................969
Chapter VII. M. DE VOLTAIRE HAS A PAINFUL JEWLAWSUIT. ..........................................978
Chapter VIII. OSTFRIESLAND AND THE SHIPPING INTERESTS. .........................................991
Chapter IX. SECOND ACT 0F TEE VOLTAIRE VISIT. ................................................................996
Chapter X. DEMON NEWSWRITER, OF 1752. ............................................................................1010
Chapter XI. THIRD ACT AND CATASTROPHE OF THE VOLTAIRE VISIT. .........................1017
Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL. ..............1026
Chapter XIII. ROMISHKING QUESTION; ENGLISHPRIVATEER QUESTION. .................1034
Chapter XIV. THERE IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER WAR AHEAD. ............................................1039
Chapter XV. ANTIPRUSSIAN WARSYMPTOMS: FRIEDRICH VISIBLE FOR A
MOMENT. ........................................................................................................................................1045
BOOK XVII. THE SEVENYEARS WAR: FIRST CAMPAIGN. 17561757. ............................1050
Chapter I. WHAT FRIEDRICH HAD READ IN THE MENZEL DOCUMENTS. ........................1050
Chapter II. ENGLISH DIPLOMACIES ABROAD, IN PROSPECT OF A FRENCH WAR. ........1057
Chapter III. FRENCHENGLISH WAR BREAKS OUT. ..............................................................1063
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH PUTS A QUESTION AT VIENNA, TWICE OVER. ............................1067
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH BLOCKADES THE SAXONS IN PIRNA COUNTRY. .........................1075
Chapter VI. BATTLE OF LOBOSITZ. ............................................................................................1082
Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS. .................................1087
Chapter VIII. WINTER IN DRESDEN. ...........................................................................................1095
BOOK XVIII. SEVENYEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 17571759. .................................1099
Chapter I. THE CAMPAIGN OPENS. .............................................................................................1099
Chapter II. BATTLE OF PRAG. ......................................................................................................1107
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Chapter III. PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE. ........................................................................1119
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KOLIN. ...................................................................................................1131
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES COMING ON. ..........1140
Chapter VI. DEATH OF WINTERFELD. .......................................................................................1155
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL COME. ............1158
Chapter VIII. BATTLE OF ROSSBACH. .......................................................................................1180
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR SILESIA. ...................................................................1195
Chapter X. BATTLE OF LEUTHEN. ..............................................................................................1202
Chapter XI. WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD CAMPAIGN OPENS. ...........................................1213
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF OLMUTZ. .................................................................................................1222
Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF ZORNDORF. .......................................................................................1233
Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH. .....................................................................................1244
BOOK XIX. FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED IN THE SEVENYEARS
WAR. 17591760. ............................................................................................................................1262
Chapter I. PRELIMINARIES TO A FOURTH CAMPAIGN. .........................................................1262
Chapter II. GENERAL DOHNA; DICTATOR WEDELL: BATTLE OF ZULLICHAU. .............1278
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH IN PERSON ATTEMPTS THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM; NOT
WITH SUCCESS. .............................................................................................................................1283
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KUNERSDORF. .....................................................................................1291
Chapter V. SAXONY WITHOUT DEFENCE: SCHMETTAU SURRENDERS DRESDEN. .......1305
Chapter VI. PRINCE HENRI MAKES A MARCH OF FIFTY HOURS; THE RUSSIANS
CANNOT FIND LODGING IN SILESIA. ......................................................................................1323
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH REAPPEARS ON THE FIELD, AND IN SEVEN DAYS AFTER
COMES THE CATASTROPHE OF MAXEN. ...............................................................................1338
Chapter VIII. MISCELLANEA IN WINTERQUARTERS, 17591760. .....................................1346
Chapter IX. PRELIMINARIES TO A FIFTH CAMPAIGN. ...........................................................1367
BOOK XX. FRIEDRICH IS NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED: THE SEVENYEARS WAR
GRADUALLY ENDS. 25th April, 176015th February, 1763. ......................................................1373
Chapter I. FIFTH CAMPAIGN OPENS. .........................................................................................1373
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH BESIEGES DRESDEN. ...........................................................................1382
Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ. .............................................................................................1391
Chapter IV. DAUN IN WRESTLE WITH FRIEDRICH IN THE SILESIAN HILLS. ...................1404
Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. ................................................................................................1413
Chapter VI. WINTERQUARTERS 17601761. ...........................................................................1429
Chapter VII. SIXTH CAMPAIGN OPENS: CAMP OF BUNZELWITZ. ......................................1446
Chapter VIII. LOUDON POUNCES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ ONE NIGHT (LAST OF
SEPTEMBER, 1761). .......................................................................................................................1460
Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH. ..........................................................................................1464
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH IN BRESLAU; HAS NEWS FROM PETERSBURG. ............................1469
Chapter XI. SEVENTH CAMPAIGN OPENS. ...............................................................................1491
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF SCHWEIDNITZ: SEVENTH CAMPAIGN ENDS. ................................1497
Chapter XIII. PEACE OF HUBERTSBURG. ..................................................................................1506
BOOK XXI. AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF FRIEDRICH'S LIFE. 17631786. ...................1512
Chapter I. PREFATORY. .................................................................................................................1513
Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. ......................................................................1516
Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. ...........................................................................................1533
Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. .........................................................................................1554
Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES. .............................................................................1580
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Chapter VI. THE BAVARIAN WAR. .............................................................................................1615
Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. ..............................................................................1630
Chapter VIII. THE FURSTENBUND: FRIEDRICH'S LAST YEARS. ..........................................1643
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. .........................................................1664
APPENDIX. ......................................................................................................................................1672
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Thomas Carlyle
Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712.
Chapter I. PROEM: FRIEDRICH'S HISTORY FROM THE DISTANCE WE ARE AT.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH.
Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION.
Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER.
Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I.
BOOK II. OF BRANDENBURG AND THE HOHENZOLLERNS. 9281417.
Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER.
Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT.
Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG.
Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR.
Chapter V. CONRAD OF HOHENZOLLERN; AND KAISER BARBAROSSA.
Chapter VI. THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER.
Chapter VII. MARGRAVIATE OF CULMBACH: BAIREUTH, ANSPACH.
Chapter VIII. ASCANIER MARKGRAVES IN BRANDENBURG.
Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV.
Chapter X. BRANDENBURG LAPSES TO THE KAISER.
Chapter XI. BAYARIAN KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG.
Chapter XII. BRANDENBURG IN KAISER KARL'S TIME; END OF THE BAVARIAN KURFURSTS.
Chapter XIII. LUXEMBURG KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG.
Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI.
Book III. THE HOHENZOLLERNS IN BRANDENBURG. 14121718
Chapter I. KURFURST FRIEDRICH I.
Chapter II. MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE.
Chapter III. KURFURST FRIEDRICH II.
Chapter IV. KURFURST ALBERT ACHILLES, AND HIS SUCCESSOR.
Chapter V. OF THE BAIREUTHANSPACH BRANCH.
Chapter VI. HOCHMEISTER ALBERT, THIRD NOTABLE SON OF FRIEDRICH.
Chapter VII. ALBERT ALCIBIADES.
Chapter VIII. HISTORICAL MEANING OF THE REFORMATION.
Chapter IX. KURFURST JOACHIM I.
Chapter X. KURFURST JOACHIM II.
Chapter XI. SEVENTH KURFURST, JOHANN GEORGE.
Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF PREUSSEN.
Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND.
Chapter XIV. SYMPTOMS OF A GREAT WAR COMING.
Chapter XV. TENTH KURFURST, GEORGE WILHELM.
Chapter XVI. THIRTYYEARS WAR.
Chapter XVII. DUCHY OF JAGERNDORF.
Chapter XVIII. FRIEDRICH WILHELM, THE GREAT KURFURST, ELEVENTH OF THE SERIES.
Chapter XIX. KING FRIEDRICH I. AGAIN.
Chapter XX. DEATH OF KING FRIEDRICH I.
BOOK IV. FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP, FIRST STAGE. 17131728.
CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD: DOUBLE EDUCATIONAL ELEMENT.
Chapter II. THE GERMAN ELEMENT.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH WILHELM IS KING.
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Chapter IV. HIS MAJESTY'S WAYS.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR.
Chapter VI. THE LITTLE DRUMMER.
Chapter VII. TRANSIT OF CZAR PETER.
Chapter VIII. THE CROWNPRINCE IS PUT TO HIS SCHOOLING.
Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN.
Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS.
Chapter XI. ON THE CROWNPRINCE'S PROGRESS IN HIS SCHOOLING.
Chapter XII. CROWNPRINCE FALLS INTO DISFAVOR WITH PAPA.
Chapter XIII. RESULTS OF THE CROWNPRINCE'S SCHOOLING.
BOOK V. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT, AND WHAT ELEMENT IT FELL INTO. 17231726.
Chapter I. DOUBLEMARRIAGE IS DECIDED ON.
Chapter II. A KAISER HUNTING SHADOWS.
Chapter III. THE SEVEN CRISES OR EUROPEAN TRAVAILTHROES.
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE TREATY CANNOT BE SIGNED.
Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS.
Chapter VI. ORDNANCEMASTER SECKENDORF CROSSES THE PALACE ESPLANADE.
Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT.
Chapter VIII. SECKENDORF'S RETORT TO HER MAJESTY.
BOOK VI. GOING ADRIFT UNDER THE STORMWINDS. 17271730.
Chapter I. FIFTH CRISIS IN THE KAISER'S SPECTREHUNT.
Chapter II. DEATH OF GEORGE I.
Chapter III. VISIT TO DRESDEN.
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT IS NOT DEAD.
Chapter V. CONGRESS OF SOISSONS, SIXTH CRISIS IN THE SPECTREHUNT.
Chapter VI. IMMINENCY OF WAR OR DUEL BETWEEN THE BRITANNIC AND PRUSSIAN
MAJESTIES.
Chapter VII. A MARRIAGE: NOT THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE: CROWNPRINCE DEEP IN
TROUBLE.
Chapter VIII. CROWNPRINCE GETTING BEYOND HIS DEPTH IN TROUBLE.
Chapter IX. DOUBLEMARRIAGE SHALL BE OR SHALL NOT BE.
BOOK VII. FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT. FebruaryNovember,
1730.
Chapter I. ENGLAND SENDS THE EXCELLENCY HOTHAM TO BERLIN.
Chapter II. LANGUAGE OF BIRDS: EXCELLENCY HOTHAM PROVES UNAVAILING.
Chapter III. CAMP OF RADEWITZ.
Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE.
Chapter V. JOURNEY TO THE REICH.
Chapter VI. JOURNEY HOMEWARDS FROM THE REICH; CATASTROPHE ON JOURNEY
HOMEWARDS
Chapter VII. CATASTROPHE, AND MAJESTY, ARRIVE IN BERLIN.
Chapter VIII. SEQUEL TO CROWNPRINCE AND FRIENDS.
Chapter IX. COURTMARTIAL ON CROWNPRINCE AND CONSORTS.
BOOK VIII. CROWNPRINCE RETRIEVED: LIFE AT CUSTRIN. November, 1730February, 1732.
Chapter I. CHAPLAIN MULLER WAITS ON THE CROWNPRINCE.
Chapter II. CROWNPRINCE TO REPENT AND NOT PERISH.
Chapter III. WILHELMINA IS TO WED THE PRINCE OF BAIREUTH.
Chapter IV. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN PREUSSEN AND ELSEWHERE.
Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN.
Chapter VI. WILHELMINA'S WEDDING.
BOOK IX. LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN RUPPIN. 17321736.
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Chapter I. PRINCESS ELIZABETH CHRISTINA OF BRUNSWICKBEVERN.
Chapter II. SMALL INCIDENTS AT RUPPIN.
Chapter III. THE SALZBURGERS.
Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER.
Chapter V. GHOST OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE RISES; TO NO PURPOSE.
Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND.
Chapter VII. CROWNPRINCE'S MARRIAGE.
Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE.
Chapter IX. KAISER'S SHADOWHUNT HAS CAUGHT FIRE.
Chapter X. CROWNPRINCE GOES TO THE RHINE CAMPAIGN,
Chapter XI. IN PAPA'S SICKROOM; PRUSSIAN INSPECTIONS: END OF WAR.
BOOK X. AT REINSBERG. 17361740.
Chapter I. MANSION OF REINSBERG.
Chapter II. OF VOLTAIRE AND THE LITERARY CORRESPONDENCES.
Chapter III. CROWNPRINCE MAKES A MORNING CALL.
Chapter IV. NEWS OF THE DAY.
Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO.
Chapter VI. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG; JOURNEY TO PREUSSEN.
Chapter VII. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG: TRANSIT OF BALTIMORE AND OTHER PERSONS
AND THINGS.
Chapter VIII. DEATH OF FRIEDRICH WILHELM.
BOOK XI. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE REINS IN HAND. JuneDecember, 1740.
Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION.
Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH MAKES AN EXCURSION, NOT OF DIRECT SORT INTO THE CLEVE
COUNTRIES.
Chapter IV. VOLTAIRE'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH FRIEDRICH.
Chapter V. AFFAIR OF HERSTAL.
Chapter VI. RETURNS BY HANOVER; DOES NOT CALL ON HIS ROYAL UNCLE THERE.
Chapter VII. WITHDRAWS TO REINSBERG, HOPING A PEACEABLE WINTER.
Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH.
Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE.
BOOK XII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, AWAKENING A GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE, BEGINS.
December, 1740May, 1741.
Chapter I. OF SCHLESIEN, OR SILESIA.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES ON GLOGAU.
Chapter III. PROBLEM OF GLOGAU.
Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH PUSHES FORWARD TOWARDS BRIEG AND NEISSE.
Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED.
Chapter VII. AT VERSAILLES, THE MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY CHANGES HIS SHIRT, AND
BELLEISLE IS SEEN WITH PAPERS.
Chapter VIII. PHENOMENA IN PETERSBURG.
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ.
Chapter XI. THE BURSTING FORTH OF BEDLAMS: BELLEISLE AND THE BREAKERS OF
PRAGMATIC SANCTION.
Chapter XII. SORROWS OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY.
Chapter XIII. SMALLWAR: FIRST EMERGENCE OF ZIETHEN THE HUSSAR GENERAL INTO
NOTICE.
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BOOK XIII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, LEAVING THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE ABLAZE ALL
ROUND, GETS ENDED. May, 1741July, 1742.
Chapter I. BRITANNIC MAJESTY AS PALADIN OF THE PRAGMATIC.
Chapter II. CAMP OF STREHLEN.
Chapter III. GRAND REVIEW AT STREHLEN: NEIPPERG TAKES AIM AT BRESLAU, BUT
ANOTHER HITS IT.
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD AGAIN, INTENT ON HAVING NEISSE.
Chapter V. KLEINSCHNELLENDORF: FRIEDRICH GETS NEISSE, IN A FASHION.
Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH PURPOSES TO MEND THE KLEINSCHNELLENDORF FAILURE:
FORTUNES OF THE BELLEISLE ARMAMENT.
Chapter VIII. FRIEDRICH STARTS FOR MORAVIA, ON A NEW SCHEME HE HAS.
Chapter IX. WILHELMINA GOES TO SEE THE GAYETIES AT FRANKFURT.
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH DOES HIS MORAVIAN EXPEDITION WHICH PROVES A MERE
MORAVIAN FORAY.
Chapter XI. NUSSLER IN NEISSE, WITH THE OLD DESSAUER AND WALRAVE.
Chapter XII. PRINCE KARL DOES COME ON.
Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF CHOTUSITZ.
Chapter XIV. PEACE OF BRESLAU.
BOOK XIV. THE SURROUNDING EUROPEAN WAR DOES NOT END. August, 1742July, 1744.
Chapter I. FRIEDRICH RESUMES HIS PEACEABLE PURSUITS.
Chapter II. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS ARE ON THE MOUNTING HAND.
Chapter III. CARNIVAL PHENOMENA IN WARTIME.
Chapter IV. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS MOUNT TO A DANGEROUS HEIGHT.
Chapter V. BRITANNIC MAJESTY FIGHTS HIS BATTLE OF DETTINGEN; AND BECOMES
SUPREME JOVE OF GERMANY, IN A MANNER.
Chapter VI. VOLTAIRE VISITS FRIEDRICH FOR THE FOURTH TIME.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH MAKES TREATY WITH FRANCE; AND SILENTLY GETS READY.
Chapter VIII. PERFECT PEACE AT BERLIN, WAR ALL ROUND.
BOOK XV. SECOND SILESIAN WAR, IMPORTANT EPISODE IN THE GENERAL EUROPEAN
ONE. 15th Aug. 174425th Dec. 1745.
Chapter I. PRELIMINARY: HOW THE MOMENT ARRIVED.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH, DILIGENT IN HIS BOHEMIAN CONQUESTS, UNEXPECTEDLY COMES
UPON PRINCE KARL, WITH NO FRENCH ATTENDING HIM.
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH REDUCED TO STRAlTS; CANNOT MAINTAIN HIS MOLDAU
CONQUESTS AGAINST PRICE KARL.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH, UNDER DIFFICULTIES, PREPARES FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN.
Chapter VI. VALORI GOES ON AN ELECTIONEERING MISSION TO DRESDEN.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN SILESIA; UNUSUALLY BUSY.
Chapter VIII. THE MARTIAL BOY AND HIS ENGLISH VERSUS THE LAWS OF NATURE.
Chapter IX. THE AUSTRIANSAXON ARMY INVADES SILESIA, ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF HOHENFRIEDBERG.
Chapter XI. CAMP OF CHLUM: FRIEDRICH CANNOT ACHIEVE PEACE.
Chapter XII. BATTLE OF SOHR.
Chapter XIII. SAXONY AND AUSTRIA MAKE A SURPRISING LAST ATTEMPT.
Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF KESSELSDORF.
Chapter XV. PEACE OF DRESDEN: FRIEDRICH DOES MARCH HOME.
BOOK XVI. THE TEN YEARS OF PEACE. 17461756.
Chapter I. SANSSOUCI.
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Chapter II. PEEP AT VOLTAIRE AND HIS DIVINE EMILIE (BY CANDLELIGHT) IN THE TIDE OF
EVENTS.
Chapter III. EUROPEAN WAR FALLS DONE: TREATY OF AIXLACHAPELLE.
Chapter IV. COCCEJI FINISHES THE LAWREFORM; FRIEDRICH IS PRINTING HIS POESIES.
Chapter V. STRANGERS OF NOTE COME TO BERLIN, IN 1750.
Chapter VI. BERLIN CARROUSEL, AND VOLTAIRE VISIBLE THERE.
Chapter VII. M. DE VOLTAIRE HAS A PAINFUL JEWLAWSUIT.
Chapter VIII. OSTFRIESLAND AND THE SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Chapter IX. SECOND ACT 0F TEE VOLTAIRE VISIT.
Chapter X. DEMON NEWSWRITER, OF 1752.
Chapter XI. THIRD ACT AND CATASTROPHE OF THE VOLTAIRE VISIT.
Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL.
Chapter XIII. ROMISHKING QUESTION; ENGLISHPRIVATEER QUESTION.
Chapter XIV. THERE IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER WAR AHEAD.
Chapter XV. ANTIPRUSSIAN WARSYMPTOMS: FRIEDRICH VISIBLE FOR A MOMENT.
BOOK XVII. THE SEVENYEARS WAR: FIRST CAMPAIGN. 17561757.
Chapter I. WHAT FRIEDRICH HAD READ IN THE MENZEL DOCUMENTS.
Chapter II. ENGLISH DIPLOMACIES ABROAD, IN PROSPECT OF A FRENCH WAR.
Chapter III. FRENCHENGLISH WAR BREAKS OUT.
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH PUTS A QUESTION AT VIENNA, TWICE OVER.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH BLOCKADES THE SAXONS IN PIRNA COUNTRY.
Chapter VI. BATTLE OF LOBOSITZ.
Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS.
Chapter VIII. WINTER IN DRESDEN.
BOOK XVIII. SEVENYEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 17571759.
Chapter I. THE CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Chapter II. BATTLE OF PRAG.
Chapter III. PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE.
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KOLIN.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES COMING ON.
Chapter VI. DEATH OF WINTERFELD.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL COME.
Chapter VIII. BATTLE OF ROSSBACH.
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR SILESIA.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF LEUTHEN.
Chapter XI. WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF OLMUTZ.
Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF ZORNDORF.
Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH.
BOOK XIX. FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED IN THE SEVENYEARS WAR.
17591760.
Chapter I. PRELIMINARIES TO A FOURTH CAMPAIGN.
Chapter II. GENERAL DOHNA; DICTATOR WEDELL: BATTLE OF ZULLICHAU.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH IN PERSON ATTEMPTS THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM; NOT WITH SUCCESS.
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KUNERSDORF.
Chapter V. SAXONY WITHOUT DEFENCE: SCHMETTAU SURRENDERS DRESDEN.
Chapter VI. PRINCE HENRI MAKES A MARCH OF FIFTY HOURS; THE RUSSIANS CANNOT
FIND LODGING IN SILESIA.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH REAPPEARS ON THE FIELD, AND IN SEVEN DAYS AFTER COMES
THE CATASTROPHE OF MAXEN.
Chapter VIII. MISCELLANEA IN WINTERQUARTERS, 17591760.
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Chapter IX. PRELIMINARIES TO A FIFTH CAMPAIGN.
BOOK XX. FRIEDRICH IS NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED: THE SEVENYEARS WAR
GRADUALLY ENDS. 25th April, 176015th February, 1763.
Chapter I. FIFTH CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH BESIEGES DRESDEN.
Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ.
Chapter IV. DAUN IN WRESTLE WITH FRIEDRICH IN THE SILESIAN HILLS.
Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU.
Chapter VI. WINTERQUARTERS 17601761.
Chapter VII. SIXTH CAMPAIGN OPENS: CAMP OF BUNZELWITZ.
Chapter VIII. LOUDON POUNCES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ ONE NIGHT (LAST OF SEPTEMBER,
1761).
Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH.
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH IN BRESLAU; HAS NEWS FROM PETERSBURG.
Chapter XI. SEVENTH CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF SCHWEIDNITZ: SEVENTH CAMPAIGN ENDS.
Chapter XIII. PEACE OF HUBERTSBURG.
BOOK XXI. AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF FRIEDRICH'S LIFE. 17631786.
Chapter I. PREFATORY.
Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA.
Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND.
Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND.
Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES.
Chapter VI. THE BAVARIAN WAR.
Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT.
Chapter VIII. THE FURSTENBUND: FRIEDRICH'S LAST YEARS.
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.
Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712.
Chapter I. PROEM: FRIEDRICH'S HISTORY FROM THE DISTANCE WE
ARE AT.
About fourscore years ago, there used to be seen sauntering on the terraces of Sans Souci, for a short time in
the afternoon, or you might have met him elsewhere at an earlier hour, riding or driving in a rapid business
manner on the open roads or through the scraggy woods and avenues of that intricate amphibious Potsdam
region, a highly interesting lean little old man, of alert though slightly stooping figure; whose name among
strangers was King FRIEDRICH THE SECOND, or Frederick the Great of Prussia, and at home among the
common people, who much loved and esteemed him, was VATER FRITZ,Father Fred,a name of
familiarity which had not bred contempt in that instance. He is a King every inch of him, though without the
trappings of a King. Presents himself in a Spartan simplicity of vesture: no crown but an old military
cockedhat,generally old, or trampled and kneaded into absolute SOFTNESS, if new;no sceptre but one
like Agamemnon's, a walking stick cut from the woods, which serves also as a ridingstick (with which he
hits the horse "between the ears," say authors); and for royal robes, a mere soldier's blue coat with red
facings, coat likely to be old, and sure to have a good deal of Spanish snuff on the breast of it; rest of the
apparel dim, unobtrusive in color or out, ending in high overknee military boots, which may be brushed
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Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712. 6
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(and, I hope, kept soft with an underhand suspicion of oil), but are not permitted to be blackened or
varnished; Day and Martin with their sootpots forbidden to approach.
The man is not of godlike physiognomy, any more than of imposing stature or costume: closeshut mouth
with thin lips, prominent jaws and nose, receding brow, by no means of Olympian height; head, however, is
of long form, and has superlative gray eyes in it. Not what is called a beautiful man; nor yet, by all
appearance, what is called a happy. On the contrary, the face bears evidence of many sorrows, as they are
termed, of much hard labor done in this world; and seems to anticipate nothing but more still coming. Quiet
stoicism, capable enough of what joy there were, but not expecting any worth mention; great unconscious and
some conscious pride, well tempered with a cheery mockery of humor,are written on that old face; which
carries its chin well forward, in spite of the slight stoop about the neck; snuffy nose rather flung into the air,
under its old cockedhat,like an old snuffy lion on the watch; and such a pair of eyes as no man or lion or
lynx of that Century bore elsewhere, according to all the testimony we have. "Those eyes," says Mirabeau,
"which, at the bidding of his great soul, fascinated you with seduction or with terror (French)(portaient, au
gre de son ame heroique, la seduction ou la terreur)(end French)." [Mirabeau, (French) Histoire Secrete de la
Cour de Berlin, (end French) Lettre 28?? (24 September, 1786) p.128 (in edition of Paris, 1821)]. Most
excellent potent brilliant eyes, swiftdarting as the stars, steadfast as the sun; gray, we said, of the azuregray
color; large enough, not of glaring size; the habitual expression of them vigilance and penetrating sense,
rapidity resting on depth. Which is an excellent oombination; and gives us the notion of a lambent outer
radiance springing from some great inner sea of light and fire in the man. The voice, if he speak to you, is of
similar physiognomy: clear, melodious and sonorous; all tones are in it, from that of ingenuous inquiry,
graceful sociality, light flowing banter (rather prickly for most part), up to definite word of command, up to
desolating word of rebuke and reprobation; a voice "the clearest and most agreeable in conversation I ever
heard," says witty Dr. Moore. [Moore, View of Society and Manners in France, Switzerland and Germany
(London, 1779), ii. 246.] "He speaks a great deal," continues the doctor; "yet those who hear him, regret that
he does not speak a good deal more. His observations are always lively, very often just; and few men possess
the talent of repartee in greater perfection."
Just about threescore and ten years ago, [A.D. 1856,17th August, 1786] his speakings and his workings
came to finis in this World of Time; and he vanished from all eyes into other worlds, leaving much inquiry
about him in the minds of men;which, as my readers and I may feel too well, is yet by no means satisfied.
As to his speech, indeed, though it had the worth just ascribed to it and more, and though masses of it were
deliberately put on paper by himself, in prose and verse, and continue to be printed and kept legible, what he
spoke has pretty much vanished into the inane; and except as record or document of what he did, hardly now
concerns mankind. But the things he did were extremely remarkable; and cannot be forgotten by mankind.
Indeed, they bear such fruit to the present hour as all the Newspapers are obliged to be taking note of,
sometimes to an unpleasant degree. Editors vaguely account this man the "Creator of the Prussian
Monarchy;" which has since grown so large in the world, and troublesome to the Editorial mind in this and
other countries. He was indeed the first who, in a highly public manner, notified its creation; announced to all
men that it was, in very deed, created; standing on its feet there, and would go a great way, on the impulse it
had got from him and others. As it has accordingly done; and may still keep doing to lengths little dreamt of
by the British Editor in our time; whose prophesyings upon Prussia, and insights into Prussia, in its past, or
present or future, are truly as yet inconsiderable, in proportion to the noise he makes with them! The more is
the pity for him,and for myself too in the Enterprise now on hand.
It is of this Figure, whom we see by the mind's eye in those Potsdam regions, visible for the last time seventy
years ago, that we are now to treat, in the way of solacing ingenuous human curiosity. We are to try for some
Historical Conception of this Man and King; some answer to the questions, "What was he, then? Whence,
how? And what did he achieve and suffer in the world?" such answer as may prove admissible to
ingenuous mankind, especially such as may correspond to the Fact (which stands there, abstruse indeed, but
actual and unalterable), and so be sure of admissibility one day.
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Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712. 7
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An Enterprise which turns out to be, the longer one looks at it, the more of a formidable, not to say
unmanageable nature! Concerning which, on one or two points, it were good, if conveniently possible, to
come to some preliminary understanding with the reader. Here, flying on loose leaves, are certain incidental
utterances, of various date: these, as the topic is difficult, I will merely label and insert, instead of a formal
Discourse, which were too apt to slide into something of a Lamentation, or otherwise take an unpleasant turn.
1. FRIEDRICH THEN, AND FRIEDRICH NOW.
This was a man of infinite mark to his contemporaries; who had witnessed surprising feats from him in the
world; very questionable notions and ways, which he had contrived to maintain against the world and its
criticisms. As an original man has always to do; much more an original ruler of men. The world, in fact, had
tried hard to put him down, as it does, unconsciously or, consciously, with all such; and after the most
conscious exertions, and at one time a deadlift spasm of all its energies for Seven Years, had not been able.
Principalities and powers, Imperial, Royal, Czarish, Papal, enemies innumerable as the seasand, had risen
against him, only one helper left among the world's Potentates (and that one only while there should be help
rendered in return); and he led them all such a dance as had astonished mankind and them.
No wonder they thought him worthy of notice. Every original man of any magnitude is;nay, in the
longrun, who or what else is? But how much more if your original man was a king over men; whose
movements were polar, and carried from day to day those of the world along with them. The Samson
Agonistes,were his life passed like that of Samuel Johnson in dirty garrets, and the produce of it only some
bits of written paper,the Agonistes, and how he will comport himself in the Philistine mill; this is always a
spectacle of truly epic and tragic nature. The rather, if your Samson, royal or other, is not yet blinded or
subdued to the wheel; much more if he vanquish his enemies, not by suicidal methods, but march out at last
flourishing his miraculous fighting implement, and leaving their mill and them in quite ruinous
circumstances. As this King Friedrich fairly managed to do.
For he left the world all bankrupt, we may say; fallen into bottomless abysses of destruction; he still in a
paying condition, and with footing capable to carry his affairs and him. When he died, in 1786, the enormous
Phenomenon since called FRENCH REVOLUTION was already growling audibly in the depths of the world;
meteoricelectric coruscations heralding it, all round the horizon. Strange enough to note, one of Friedrich's
last visitors was Gabriel Honore Riquetti, Comte de Mirabeau. These two saw one another; twice, for half an
hour each time. The last of the old Gods and the first of the modern Titans;before Pelion leapt on Ossa;
and the foul Earth taking fire at last, its vile mephitic elements went up in volcanic thunder. This also is one
of the peculiarities of Friedrich, that he is hitherto the last of the Kings; that he ushers in the French
Revolution, and closes an Epoch of WorldHistory. Finishing off forever the trade of King, think many; who
have grown profoundly dark as to Kingship and him.
The French Revolution may be said to have, for about half a century, quite submerged Friedrich, abolished
him from the memories of men; and now on coming to light again, he is found defaced under strange
mudincrustations, and the eyes of mankind look at him from a singularly changed, what we must call
oblique and perverse point of vision. This is one of the difficulties in dealing with his History;especially if
you happen to believe both in the French Revolution and in him; that is to say, both that Real Kingship is
eternally indispensable, and also that the destruction of Sham Kingship (a frightful process) is occasionally
so. On the breakingout of that formidable Explosion, and Suicide of his Century, Friedrich sank into
comparative obscurity; eclipsed amid the ruins of that universal earthquake, the very dust of which darkened
all the air, and made of day a disastrous midnight. Black midnight, broken only by the blaze of
conflagrations;wherein, to our terrified imaginations, were seen, not men, French and other, but ghastly
portents, stalking wrathful, and shapes of avenging gods. It must be owned the figure of Napoleon was
titanic; especially to the generation that looked on him, and that waited shuddering to be devoured by him. In
general, in that French Revolution, all was on a huge scale; if not greater than anything in human experience,
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at least more grandiose. All was recorded in bulletins, too, addressed to the shillinggallery; and there were
fellows on the stage with such a breadth of sabre, extent of whiskerage, strength of windpipe, and command
of men and gunpowder, as had never been seen before. How they bellowed, stalked and flourished about;
counterfeiting Jove's thunder to an amazing degree! Terrific Drawcansir figures, of enormous whiskerage,
unlimited command of gunpowder; not without sufficient ferocity, and even a certain heroism,
stageheroism, in them; compared with whom, to the shillinggallery, and frightened excited theatre at large,
it seemed as if there hsd been no generals. or sovereigns before; as if Friedrich, Gustavus, Cromwell, William
Conqueror and Alexander the Great were not worth speaking of henceforth.
All this, however, in half a century is considerably altered. The Drawcansir equipments getting gradually torn
off, the natural size is seen better; translated from the bulletin style into that of fact and history, miracles,
even to the shilling gallery, are not so miraculous. It begins to be apparent that there lived great men before
the era of bulletins and Agamemnon. Austerlitz and Wagram shot away more gunpowder,gunpowder
probably in the proportion of ten to one, or a hundred to one; but neither of them was tenthpart such a
beating to your enemy as that of Rossbach, brought about by strategic art, human ingenuity and intrepidity,
and the loss of 165 men. Leuthen, too, the battle of Leuthen (though so few English readers ever heard of it)
may very well hold up its head beside any victory gained by Napoleon or another. For the odds were not far
from three to one; the soldiers were of not far from equal quality; and only the General was consummately
superior, and the defeat a destruction. Napoleon did indeed, by immense expenditure of men, and gunpowder,
overrun Europe for a time: but Napoleon never, by husbanding and wisely expending his men and
gunpowder, defended a little Prussia against all Europe, year after year for seven years long, till Europe had
enough, and gave up the enterprise as one it could not manage. So soon as the Drawcansir equipments are
well torn off, and the shillinggallery got to silence, it will be found that there were great kings before
Napoleon,and likewise an Art of War, grounded on veracity and human courage and insight, not upon
Drawcansir rodomontade, grandiose DickTurpinism, revolutionary madness, and unlimited expenditure of
men and gunpowder. "You may paint with a very big brush, and yet not be a great painter," says a satirical
friend of mine! This is becoming more and more apparent, as the dustwhirlwind, and huge uproar of the last
generation, gradually dies away again.
2. EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
One of the grand difficulties in a History of Friedrich is, all along, this same, That he lived in a Century
which has no History and can have little or none. A Century so opulent in accumulated falsities,sad
opulence descending on it by inheritance, always at compound interest, and always largely increased by fresh
acquirement on such immensity of standing capital;opulent in that bad way as never Century before was!
Which had no longer the consciousness of being false, so false had it grown; and was so steeped in falsity,
and impregnated with it to the very bone, thatin fact the measure of the thing was full, and a French
Revolution had to end it. To maintain much veracity in suoh an element, especially for a king, was no doubt
doubly remarkable. But now, how extricate the man from his Century? How show the man, who is a Reality
worthy of being seen, and yet keep his Century, as a Hypocrisy worthy of being hidden and forgotten, in the
due abeyance?
To resuscitate the Eighteenth Century, or call into men's view, beyond what is necessary, the poor and sordid
personages and transactions of an epoch so related to us, can be no purpose of mine on this occasion. The
Eighteenth Century, it is well known, does not figure to me as a lovely one; needing to be kept in mind, or
spoken of unnecessarily. To me the Eighteenth Century has nothing grand in it, except that grand universal
Suicide, named French Revolution, by which it terminated its otherwise most worthless existence with at
least one worthy act;setting fire to its old home and self; and going up in flames and volcanic explosions,
in a truly memorable and important manner. A very fit termination, as I thankfully feel, for such a Century.
Century spendthrift, fraudulentbankrupt; gone at length utterly insolvent, without real MONEY of
performance in its pocket, and the shops declining to take hypocrisies and speciosities any farther:what
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could the poor Century do, but at length admit, "Well, it is so. I am a swindlercentury, and have long
been, having learned the trick of it from my father and grandfather; knowing hardly any trade but that in
false bills, which I thought foolishly might last forever, and still bring at least beef and pudding to the favored
of mankind. And behold it ends; and I am a detected swindler, and have nothing even to eat. What remains
but that I blow my brains out, and do at length one true action?" Which the poor Century did; many thanks to
it, in the circumstances.
For there was need once more of a Divine Revelation to the torpid frivolous children of men, if they were not
to sink altogether into the ape condition. And in that whirlwind of the Universe, lights obliterated, and the
torn wrecks of Earth and Hell hurled aloft into the Empyrean; black whirlwind, which made even apes
serious, and drove most of them mad,there was, to men, a voice audible; voice from the heart of things
once more, as if to say: "Lying is not permitted in this Universe. The wages of lying, you behold, are death.
Lying means damnation in this Universe; and Beelzebub, never so elaborately decked in crowns and mitres,
is NOT God!" This was a revelation truly to be named of the Eternal, in our poor Eighteenth Century; and has
greatly altered the complexion of said Century to the Historian ever since.
Whereby, in short, that Century is quite confiscate, fallen bankrupt, given up to the
auctioneers;Jewbrokers sorting out of it at this moment, in a confused distressing manner, what is still
valuable or salable. And, in fact, it lies massed up in our minds as a disastrous wrecked inanity, not useful to
dwell upon; a kind of dusky chaotic background, on which the figures that had some veracity in thema
small company, and ever growing smaller as our demands rise in strictnessare delineated for us."And
yet it is the Century of our own Grandfathers?" cries the reader. Yes, reader! truly. It is the ground out of
which we ourselves have sprung; whereon now we have our immediate footing, and first of all strike down
our roots for nourishment;and, alas, in large sections of the practical world, it (what we specially mean by
IT) still continues flourishing all round us! To forget it quite is not yet possible, nor would be profitable.
What to do with it, and its forgotten fooleries and "Histories," worthy only of forgetting?Well; so much of
it as by nature ADHERES; what of it cannot be disengaged from our Hero and his operations: approximately
so much, and no more! Let that be our bargain in regard to it.
3. ENGLISH PREPOSSESSIONS.
With such wagonloads of Books and Printed Records as exist on the subject of Friedrich, it has always
seemed possible, even for a stranger, to acquire some real understanding of him; though practically, here
and now, I have to own, it proves difficult beyond conception. Alas, the Books are not cosmic, they are
chaotic; and turn out unexpectedly void of instruction to us. Small use in a talent of writing, if there be not
first of all the talent of discerning, of loyally recognizing; of discriminating what is to be written! Books born
mostly of Chaoswhich want all things, even an INDEXare a painful object. In sorrow and disgust, you
wander over those multitudinous Books: you dwell in endless regions of the superficial, of the nugatory: to
your bewildered sense it is as if no insight into the real heart of Friedrich and his affairs were anywhere to be
had. Truth is, the Prussian Dryasdust, otherwise an honest fellow, and not afraid of labor, excels all other
Dryasdusts yet known; I have often sorrowfully felt as if there were not in Nature, for darkness, dreariness,
immethodic platitude, anything comparable to him. He writes big Books wanting in almost every quality; and
does not even give an INDEX to them. He has made of Friedrich's History a widespread, inorganic,
trackless matter; dismal to your mind, and barren as a continent of Brandenburg sand!Enough, he could do
no other: I have striven to forgive him. Let the reader now forgive me; and think sometimes what probably
my rawmaterial was!
Curious enough, Friedrich lived in the Writing Era,morning of that strange Era which has grown to such a
noon for us;and his favorite society, all his reign, was with the literary or writing sort. Nor have they failed
to write about him, they among the others, about him and about him; and it is notable how little real light, on
any point of his existence or environment, they have managed to communicate. Dim indeed, for most part a
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mere epigrammatic sputter of darkness visible, is the "picture" they have fashioned to themselves of Friedrich
and his Country and his Century. Men not "of genius," apparently? Alas, no; men fatally destitute of true
eyesight, and of loyal heart first of all. So far as I have noticed, there was not, with the single exception of
Mirabeau for one hour, any man to be called of genius, or with an adequate power of human discernment,
that ever personally looked on Friedrich. Had many such men looked successively on his History and him, we
had not found it now in such a condition. Still altogether chaotic as a History; fatally destitute even of the
Indexes and mechanical appliances: Friedrich's self, and his Country, and his Century, still undeciphered;
very dark phenomena, all three, to the intelligent part of mankind.
In Prussia there has long been a certain stubborn though planless diligence in digging for the outward details
of Friedrich's Life History; though as to organizing them, assorting them, or even putting labels on them;
much more as to the least interpretation or human delineation of the man and his affairs,you need not
inquire in Prussia. In France, in England, it is still worse. There an immense ignorance prevails even as to the
outward facts and phenomena of Friedrich's life; and instead of the Prussian nointerpretation, you find, in
these vacant circumstances, a great promptitude to interpret. Whereby judgments and prepossessions exist
among us on that subject, especially on Friedrich's character, which are very ignorant indeed.
To Englishmen, the sources of knowledge or conviction about Friedrich, I have observed, are mainly these
two. FIRST, for his Public Character: it was an allimportant fact, not to IT, but to this country in regard to it,
That George II., seeing good to plunge headforemost into German Politics, and to take Maria Theresa's side
in the AustrianSuccession War of 17401748, needed to begin by assuring his Parliament and Newspapers,
profoundly dark on the matter, that Friedrich was a robber and villain for taking the other side. Which
assurance, resting on what basis we shall see by and by, George's Parliament and Newspapers cheerfully
accepted; nothing doubting. And they have reechoed and reverberated it, they and the rest of us, ever since,
to all lengths, down to the present day; as a fact quite agreed upon, and the preliminary item in Friedrich's
character. Robber and villain to begin with; that was one settled point.
Afterwards when George and Friedrich came to be allies, and the grand fightings of the SevenYears War
took place, George's Parliament and Newspapers settled a second point, in regard to Friedrich: "One of the
greatest soldiers ever born." This second item the British Writer fully admits ever since: but he still adds to it
the quality of robber, in a loose way;and images to himself a royal Dick Turpin, of the kind known in
ReviewArticles, and disquisitions on Progress of the Species, and labels it FREDERICK; very anxious to
collect new babblement of lying Anecdotes, false Criticisms, hungry French Memoirs, which will confirm
him in that impossible idea. Had such proved, on survey, to be the character of Friedrich, there is one British
Writer whose curiosity concerning him would pretty soon have died away; nor could any amount of unwise
desire to satisfy that feeling in fellowcreatures less seriously disposed have sustained him alive, in those
baleful Historic Acherons and Stygian Fens, where he has had to dig and to fish so long, far away from the
upper light! Let me request all readers to blow that sorry chaff entirely out of their minds; and to believe
nothing on the subject except what they get some evidence for.
SECOND English source relates to the Private Character. Friedrich's Biography or Private Character, the
English, like the French, have gathered chiefly from a scandalous libel by Voltaire, which used to be called
Vie Privee du Roi de Prusse (Private Life of the King of Prussia) [First printed, from a stolen copy, at
Geneva, 1784; first proved to be Voltaire's (which some of his admirers had striven to doubt), Paris, 1788;
stands avowed ever since, in all the Editions of his Works (ii. 9113 of the Edition by Bandouin Freres, 97
vols., Paris, 18251834), under the title Memoires pour servir a Vie de M. de Voltaire, with patches of
repetition in the thing called (italic) Commentaire Historique, which follows ibid. at great length.] libel
undoubtedly written by Voltaire, in a kind of fury; but not intended to be published by him; nay burnt and
annihilated, as he afterwards imagined; No line of which, that cannot be otherwise proved, has a right to be
believed; and large portions of which can be proved to be wild exaggerations and perversions, or even
downright lies,written in a mood analogous to the Frenzy of John Dennis. This serves for the Biography or
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Private Character of Friedrich; imputing all crimes to him, natural and unnatural;offering indeed, if
combined with facts otherwise known, or even if well considered by itself, a thoroughly flimsy, incredible
and impossible image. Like that of some flaming Devil's Head, done in phosphorus on the walls of the
blackhole, by an Artist whom you had locked up there (not quite without reason) overnight.
Poor Voltaire wrote that Vie Privee in a state little inferior to the Frenzy of John Dennis,how brought
about we shall see by and by. And this is the Document which English readers are surest to have read, and
tried to credit as far as possible. Our counsel is, Out of window with it, he that would know Friedrich of
Prussia! Keep it awhile, he that would know Francois Arouet de Voltaire, and a certain numerous unfortunate
class of mortals, whom Voltaire is sometimes capable of sinking to be spokesman for, in this world!Alas,
go where you will, especially in these irreverent ages, the noteworthy Dead is sure to be found lying under
infinite dung, no end of calumnies and stupidities accumulated upon him. For the class we speak of, class of
"flunkies doing saturnalia below stairs," is numerous, is innumerable; and can well remunerate a "vocal
flunky" that will serve their purposes on such an occasion!
Friedrich is by no means one of the perfect demigods; and there are various things to be said against him with
good ground. To the last, a questionable hero; with much in him which one could have wished not there, and
much wanting which one could have wished. But there is one feature which strikes you at an early period of
the inquiry, That in his way he is a Reality; that he always means what he speaks; grounds his actions, too, on
what he recognizes for the truth; and, in short, has nothing whatever of the Hypocrite or Phantasm. Which
some readers will admit to be an extremely rare phenomenon. We perceive that this man was far indeed from
trying to deal swindlerlike with the facts around him; that he honestly recognized said facts wherever they
disclosed themselves, and was very anxious also to ascertain their existence where still hidden or dubious.
For he knew well, to a quite uncommon degree, and with a merit all the higher as it was an unconscious one,
how entirely inexorable is the nature of facts, whether recognized or not, ascertained or not; how vain all
cunning of diplomacy, management and sophistry, to save any mortal who does not stand on the truth of
things, from sinking, in the longrun. Sinking to the very mudgods, with all his diplomacies, possessions,
achievements; and becoming an unnamable object, hidden deep in the Cesspools of the Universe. This I hope
to make manifest; this which I long ago discerned for myself, with pleasure, in the physiognomy of Friedrich
and his life. Which indeed was the first real sanction, and has all along been my inducement and
encouragement, to study his life and him. How this man, officially a King withal, comported himself in the
Eighteenth Century, and managed not to be a Liar and Charlatan as his Century was, deserves to be seen a
little by men and kings, and may silently have didactic meanings in it.
He that was honest with his existence has always meaning for us, be he king or peasant. He that merely
shammed and grimaced with it, however much, and with whatever noise and trumpetblowing, he may have
cooked and eaten in this world, cannot long have any. Some men do COOK enormously (let us call it
COOKING, what a man does in obedience to his HUNGER merely, to his desires and passions
merely),roasting whole continents and populations, in the flames of war or other discord;witness the
Napoleon above spoken of. For the appetite of man in that respect is unlimited; in truth, infinite; and the
smallest of us could eat the entire Solar System, had we the chance given, and then cry, like Alexander of
Macedon, because we had no more Solar Systems to cook and eat. It is not the extent of the man's cookery
that can much attach me to him; but only the man himself, and what of strength he had to wrestle with the
mudelements, and what of victory he got for his own benefit and mine.
4. ENCOURAGEMENTS, DISCOURAGEMENTS.
French Revolution having spent itself, or sunk in France and elsewhere to what we see, a certain curiosity
reawakens as to what of great or manful we can discover on the other side of that still troubled atmosphere of
the Present and immediate Past. Curiosity quickened, or which should be quickened, by the great and all
absorbing question, How is that same exploded Past ever to settle down again? Not lost forever, it would
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appear: the New Era has not annihilated the old eras: New Era could by no means manage that; never
meant that, had it known its own mind (which it did not): its meaning was and is, to get its own well out of
them; to readapt, in a purified shape, the old eras, and appropriate whatever was true and NOT combustible in
them: that was the poor New Era's meaning, in the frightful explosion it made of itself and its possessions, to
begin with!
And the question of questions now is: What part of that exploded Past, the ruins and dust of which still
darken all the air, will continually gravitate back to us; be reshaped, transformed, readapted, that so, in new
figures, under new conditions, it may enrich and nourish us again? What part of it, not being incombustible,
has actually gone to flame and gas in the huge worldconflagration, and is now GASEOUS, mounting aloft;
and will know no beneficence of gravitation, but mount, and roam upon the waste winds forever,Nature so
ordering it, in spite of any industry of Art? This is the universal question of afflicted mankind at present; and
sure enough it will be long to settle.
On one point we can answer: Only what of the Past was TRUE will come back to us. That is the one
ASBESTOS which survives all fire, and comes out purified; that is still ours, blessed be Heaven, and only
that. By the law of Nature nothing more than that; and also, by the same law, nothing less than that. Let Art,
struggle how it may, for or against,as foolish Art is seen extensively doing in our time,there is where the
limits of it will be. In which point of view, may not Friedrich, if he was a true man and King, justly excite
some curiosity again; nay some quite peculiar curiosity, as the lost Crowned Reality there was antecedent to
that general outbreak and abolition? To many it appears certain there are to be no Kings of any sort, no
Government more; less and less need of them henceforth, New Era having come. Which is a very wonderful
notion; important if true; perhaps still more important, just at present, if untrue! My hopes of presenting, in
this Last of the Kings, an exemplar to my contemporaries, I confess, are not high.
On the whole, it is evident the difficulties to a History of Friedrich are great and many: and the sad certainty
is at last forced upon me that no good Book can, at this time, especially in this country, be written on the
subject. Wherefore let the reader put up with an indifferent or bad one; he little knows how much worse it
could easily have been!Alas, the Ideal of history, as my friend Sauerteig knows, is very high; and it is not
one serious man, but many successions of such, and whole serious generations of such, that can ever again
build up History towards its old dignity. We must renounce ideals. We must sadly take up with the
mournfulest barren realities;dismal continents of Brandenburg sand, as in this instance; mere tumbled
mountains of marinestores, without so much as an Index to them!
Has the reader heard of Sauerteig's last batch of Springwurzeln, a rather curious valedictory Piece? "All
History is an imprisoned Epic, nay an imprisoned Psalm and Prophecy," says Sauerteig there. I wish, from
my soul, he had DISimprisoned it in this instance! But he only says, in magniloquent language, how grand it
would be if disimprisoned; and hurls out, accidentally striking on this subject, the following rough
sentences, suggestive though unpractical, with which I shall conclude:
"Schiller, it appears, at one time thought of writing an Epic Poem upon Friedrich the Great, 'upon some
action of Friedrich's,' Schiller says. Happily Schiller did not do it. By oversetting fact, disregarding reality,
and tumbling time and space topsyturvy, Schiller with his fine gifts might no doubt have written a
temporary 'epic poem,' of the kind read an admired by many simple persons. But that would have helped
little, and could not have lasted long. It is not the untrue imaginary Picture of a man and his life that I want
from my Schiller, but the actual natural Likeness, true as the face itself, nay TRUER, in a sense. Which the
Artist, if there is one, might help to give, and the Botcher (Pfuscher) never can! Alas, and the Artist does not
even try it; leaves it altogether to the Botcher, being busy otherwise!
"Men surely will at length discover again, emerging from these dismal bewilderments in which the modern
Ages reel and stagger this long while, that to them also, as to the most ancient men, all Pictures that cannot be
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credited arePictures of an idle nature; to be mostly swept out of doors. Such veritably, were it never so
forgotten, is the law! Mistakes enough, lies enough will insinuate themselves into our most earnest
portrayings of the True: but that we should, deliberately and of forethought, rake together what we know to
be not true, and introduce that in the hope of doing good with it? I tell you, such practice was unknown in the
ancient earnest times; and ought again to become unknown except to the more foolish classes!" That is
Sauerteig's strange notion, not now of yesterday, as readers know:and he goes then into "Homer's Iliad,"
the "Hebrew Bible," "(terrible Hebrew VERACITY of every line of it;" discovers an alarming "kinship of
Fiction to lying;" and asks, If anybody can compute "the damage we poor moderns have got from our
practices of fiction in Literature itself, not to speak of awfully higher provinces? Men will either see into all
this by and by," continues he; "or plunge head foremost, in neglect of all this, whither they little dream as
yet!
"But I think all real Poets, to this hour, are Psalmists and Iliadists after their sort; and have in them a divine
impatience of lies, a divine incapacity of living among lies. Likewise, which is a corollary, that the highest
Shakspeare producible is properly the fittest Historian producible; and that it is frightful to see the
Gelehrte Dummkopf [what we here may translate, DRYASDUST] doing the function of History, and the
Shakspeare and the Goethe neglecting it. 'Interpreting events;' interpreting the universally visible, entirely
INdubitable Revelation of the Author of this Universe: how can Dryasdust interpret such things, the dark
chaotic dullard, who knows the meaning of nothing cosmic or noble, nor ever will know? Poor wretch, one
sees what kind of meaning HE educes from Man's History, this long while past, and has got all the world to
believe of it along with him. Unhappy Dryasdust, thriceunhappy world that takes Dryasdust's reading of the
ways of God! But what else was possible? They that could have taught better were engaged in fiddling; for
which there are good wages going. And our damage therefrom, our DAMAGE,yes, if thou be still human
and not cormorant,perhaps it will transcend all Californias, English National Debts, and show itself
incomputable in continents of Bullion!
"Believing that mankind are not doomed wholly to doglike annihilation, I believe that much of this will
mend. I believe that the world will not always waste its inspired men in mere fiddling to it. That the man of
rhythmic nature will feel more and more his vocation towards the Interpretation of Fact; since only in the
vital centre of that, could we once get thither, lies all real melody; and that he will become, he, once again the
Historian of Events,bewildered Dryasdust having at last the happiness to be his servant, and to have some
guidance from him. Which will be blessed indeed. For the present, Dryasdust strikes me like a hapless Nigger
gone masterless: Nigger totally unfit for self guidance; yet without master good or bad; and whose feats in
that capacity no god or man can rejoice in.
"History, with faithful Genius at the top and faithful Industry at the bottom, will then be capable of being
written. History will then actually BE written,the inspired gift of God employing itself to illuminate the
dark ways of God. A thing thrice pressingly needful to be done!Whereby the modern Nations may again
become a little less godless, and again have their 'epics' (of a different from the Schiller sort), and again have
several things they are still more fatally in want of at present!"
So that, it would seem, there WILL gradually among mankind, if Friedrich last some centuries, be a real Epic
made of his History? That is to say (presumably), it will become a perfected Melodious Truth, and duly
significant and duly beautiful bit of Belief, to mankind; the essence of it fairly evolved from all the chaff, the
portrait of it actually given, and its real harmonies with the laws of this Universe brought out, in bright and
dark, according to the God's Fact as it was; which poor Dryasdust and the Newspapers never could get sight
of, but were always far from!
Well, if so,and even if not quite so,it is a comfort to reflect that every true worker (who has blown away
chaff were his contribution no bigger than my own, may have brought the good result NEARER by a
handbreadth or two. And so we will end these preludings, and proceed upon our Problem, courteous reader.
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Chapter II. FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH.
Friedrich of BrandenburgHohenzollern, who came by course of natural succession to be Friedrich II. of
Prussia, and is known in these ages as Frederick the Great, was born in the palace of Berlin, about noon, on
the 24th of January, 1712. A small infant, but of great promise or possibility; and thrice and four times
welcome to all sovereign and other persons in the Prussian Court, and Prussian realms, in those cold winter
days. His Father, they say, was like to have stifled him with his caresses, so overjoyed was the man; or at
least to have scorched him in the blaze of the fire; when happily some much suitabler female nurse snatched
this little creature from the rough paternal paws,and saved it for the benefit of Prussia and mankind. If
Heaven will but please to grant it length of life! For there have already been two little Princekins, who are
both dead; this Friedrich is the fourth child; and only one little girl, wise Wilhelmina, of almost too sharp
wits, and not too vivacious aspect, is otherwise yet here of royal progeny. It is feared the Hohenzollern
lineage, which has flourished here with such beneficent effect for three centuries now, and been in truth the
very making of the Prussian Nation, may be about to fail, or pass into some side branch. Which change, or
any change in that respect, is questionable, and a thing desired by nobody.
Five years ago, on the death of the first little Prince, there had surmises risen, obscure rumors and hints, that
the Princess Royal, mother of the lost baby, never would have healthy children, or even never have a child
more: upon which, as there was but one other resource,a widowed Grandfather, namely, and except the
Prince Royal no son to him,said Grandfather, still only about fifty, did take the necessary steps: but they
have been entirely unsuccessful; no new son or child, only new affliction, new disaster has resulted from that
third marriage of his. And though the Princess Royal has had another little Prince, that too has died within the
year;killed, some say on the other hand, by the noise of the cannon firing for joy over it! [Forster,
Friedrich Wilhelm I., Konig von Preussen (Potsdam, 1834), i. 126 (who quotes Morgenstern, a contemporary
reporter). But see also Preuss, Friedrich der Grosse mit seinen Verwandten und Freunden (Berlin, 1838), pp.
379380] Yes; and the first baby Prince, these same parties farther say, was crushed to death by the weighty
dress you put upon it at christening time, especially by the little crown it wore, which had left a visible black
mark upon the poor soft infant's brow! In short, it is a questionable case; undoubtedly a questionable outlook
for Prussian mankind; and the appearance of this little Prince, a third trumpcard in the Hohenzollern game,
is an unusually interesting event. The joy over him, not in Berlin Palace only, but in Berlin City, and over the
Prussian Nation, was very great and universal;still testified in manifold dull, unreadable old pamphlets,
records official and volunteer,which were then all ablaze like the bonfires, and are now fallen dark enough,
and hardly credible even to the fancy of this new Time.
The poor old Grandfather, Friedrich I. (the first King of Prussia),for, as we intimate, he was still alive, and
not very old, though now infirm enough, and laden beyond his strength with sad reminiscences,
disappointments and chagrins,had taken much to Wilhelmina, as she tells us; [ Memoires de Frederique
Sophie Wilhelmine de Prusse, Margrave de Bareith, Soeur d FredericleGrand (London, 1812), i. 5.] and
would amuse himself whole days with the pranks and prattle of the little child. Good old man: he, we need
not doubt, brightened up into unusual vitality at sight of this invaluable little Brother of hers; through whom
he can look once more into the waste dim future with a flicker of new hope. Poor old man: he got his own
back halfbroken by a careless nurse letting him fall; and has slightly stooped ever since, some fifty and odd
years now: much against his will; for he would fain have been beautiful; and has struggled all his days, very
hard if not very wisely, to make his existence beautiful,to make it magnificent at least, and regardless of
expense;and it threatens to come to little. Courage, poor Grandfather: here is a new second edition of a
Friedrich, the first having gone off with so little effect: this one's back is still unbroken, his life's seedfield not
yet filled with tares and thorns: who knows but Heaven will be kinder to this one? Heaven was much kinder
to this one. Him Heaven had kneaded of more potent stuff: a mighty fellow this one, and a strange; related
not only to the Upholsteries and Heralds' Colleges, but to the Sphereharmonies and the divine and demonic
powers; of a swift fardarting nature this one, like an Apollo clad in sunbeams and in lightnings (after his
sort); and with a back which all the world could not succeed in breaking!Yes, if, by most rare chance, this
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Chapter II. FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH. 15
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were indeed a new man of genius, born into the purblind rotting Century, in the acknowledged rank of a king
there,man of genius, that is to say, man of originality and veracity; capable of seeing with his eyes, and
incapable of not believing what he sees;then truly!But as yet none knows; the poor old Grandfather
never knew.
Meanwhile they christened the little fellow, with immense magnificence and pomp of apparatus; Kaiser Karl,
and the very Swiss Republic being there (by proxy), among the gossips; and spared no cannonvolleyings,
kettledrummings, metal crown, heavy clothofsilver, for the poor soft creature's sake; all of which,
however, he survived. The name given him was Karl Friedrich (Charles Frederick); Karl perhaps, and
perhaps also not, in delicate compliment to the chief gossip, the abovementioned. Kaiser, Karl or Charles
VI.? At any rate, the KARL, gradually or from the first, dropped altogether out of practice, and went as
nothing: he himself, or those about him, never used it; nor, except in some dim English pamphlet here and
there, have I met with any trace of it. Friedrich (RICHinPEACE, a name of old prevalence in the
Hohenzollern kindred), which he himself wrote FREDERIC in his French way, and at last even FEDERIC
(with a very singular sense of euphony), is throughout, and was, his sole designation. Sunday 31st January,
1712, age then precisely one week: then, and in this manner, was he ushered on the scene, and labelled
among his fellowcreatures. We must now look round a little; and see, if possible by any method or exertion,
what kind of scene it was.
Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION.
Friedrich Wilhelm, CrownPrince of Prussia, son of Friedrich I. and Father of this little infant who will one
day be Friedrich II., did himself make some noise in the world as second King of Prussia; notable not as
Friedrich's father alone; and will much concern us during the rest of his life. He is, at this date, in his
twentyfourth year: a thickset, sturdy, florid, brisk young fellow; with a jovial laugh in him, yet of solid
grave ways, occasionally somewhat volcanic; much given to soldiering, and outofdoor exercises, having
little else to do at present. He has been manager, or, as it were, ViceKing, on an occasional absence of his
Father; he knows practically what the state of business is; and greatly disapproves of it, as is thought. But
being bound to silence on that head, he keeps silence, and meddles with nothing political. He addicts himself
chiefly to mustering, drilling and practical military duties, while here at Berlin; runs out, often enough, wife
and perhaps a comrade or two along with him, to hunt, and take his ease, at Wusterhausen (some fifteen or
twenty miles [English miles,as always unless the contrary be stated. The German MEILE is about five
miles English; German STUNDE about three.] southeast of Berlin), where he has a residence amid the woody
moorlands.
But soldiering is his grand concern. Six years ago, summer 1706, [Forster, i. 116] at a very early age, he went
to the wars,grand SpanishSuccession War, which was then becoming very fierce in the Netherlands;
Prussian troops always active on the Marlborough Eugene side. He had just been betrothed, was not yet
wedded; thought good to turn the interim to advantage in that way. Then again, spring 1709, after his
marriage and after his Father's marriage, "the Court being full of intrigues," and nothing but silence
recommendable there, a certain renowned friend of his, Leopold, Prince of AnhaltDessau, of whom we shall
yet hear a great deal,who, still only about thirty, had already covered himself with laurels in those wars
(Blenheim, Bridge of Casano, Lines of Turin, and other glories), but had now got into intricacies with the
weaker sort, and was out of command,agreed with Friedrich Wilhelm that it would be well to go and serve
there as volunteers, since not otherwises. Varnhagen von Ense, Furst Leopold von AnhaltDessau (in
Biographische Denkmale, 2d edition, Berlin, 1845), p. 185. Thaten und Leben des weltberuhmten Furstens
Leopoldi von AnhaltDessau (Leipzig, 1742), p. 73. Forster, i. 129.] A CrownPrince of Prussia, ought he
not to learn soldiering, of all things; by every opportunity? Which Friedrich Wilhelm did, with industry;
serving zealous apprenticeship under Marlborough and Eugene, in this manner; plucking knowledge, as the
bubble reputation, and all else in that field has to be plucked, from the cannon's mouth. Friedrioh Wilhelm
kept by Marlborough, now as formerly; friend Leopold being commonly in Eugene's quarter, who well knew
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Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. 16
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the worth of him, ever since Blenheim and earlier. Friedrich Wilhelm saw hot service, that campaign of 1709;
siege of Tournay, and far more;stood, among other things, the fiery Battle of Malplaquet, one of the
terriblest and deadliest feats of war ever done. No want of intrepidity and rugged soldiervirtue in the
Prussian troops or their Crown Prince; least of all on that terrible day, 11th September, 1709; of which he
keeps the anniversary ever since, and will do all his life, the doomsday of Malplaquet always a memorable
day to him. [Forster, i. 138.] He is more and more intimate with Leopold, and loves good soldiering beyond
all things. Here at Berlin he has already got a regiment of his own, tallish fine men; and strives to make it in
all points a very pattern of a regiment.
For the rest, much here is out of joint, and far from satisfactory to him. Seven years ago [1st February, 1705.]
he lost his own brave Mother and her love; of which we must speak farther by and by. In her stead he has got
a fantastic, melancholic, illnatured Stepmother, with whom there was never any good to be done; who in
fact is now fairly mad, and kept to her own apartments. He has to see here, and say little, a chagrined
heartworn Father flickering painfully amid a scene much filled with expensive futile persons, and their
extremely pitiful cabals and mutual rages; scene chiefly of pompous inanity, and the art of solemnly and with
great labor doing nothing. Such waste of labor and of means: what can one do but be silent? The other year,
Preussen (PRUSSIA Proper, province lying far eastward, out of sight) was sinking under pestilence and black
ruin and despair: the CrownPrince, contrary to wont, broke silence, and begged some dole or subvention for
these poor people; but there was nothing to be had, Nothing in the treasury, your Royal Highness:Preussen
will shift for itself; sublime dramaturgy, which we call his Majesty's Government, costs so much! And
Preussen, mown away by death, lies much of it vacant ever since; which has completed the CrownPrince's
disgust; and, I believe, did produce some change of ministry, or other ineffectual expedient, on the old
Father's part. Upon which the CrownPrince locks up his thoughts again. He has confused whirlpools, of
Court intrigues, ceremonials, and troublesome fantasticalities, to steer amongst; which he much dislikes, no
man more; having an eye and heart set on the practical only, and being in mind as in body something of the
genus ROBUSTUM, of the genus FEROX withal. He has been wedded six years; lost two children, as we
saw; and now again he has two living.
His wife, Sophie Dorothee of Hanover, is his cousin as well. She is brother'sdaughter of his Mother, Sophie
Charlotte: let the reader learn to discriminate these two names. Sophie Charlotte, late Queen of Prussia, was
also of Hanover: she probably had sometimes, in her quiet motherly thought, anticipated this connection for
him, while she yet lived. It is certain Friedrich Wilhelm was carried to Hanover in early childhood: his
Mother,that Sophie Charlotte, a famed Queen and lady in her day, Daughter of Electress Sophie, and Sister
of the George who became George I. of England by and by,took him thither; some time about the
beginning of 1693, his age then five; and left him there on trial; alleging, and expecting, he might have a
better breeding there. And this, in a Court where Electress Sophie was chief lady, and Elector Ernst, fit to be
called Gentleman Ernst, ["Her Highness (the Electress Sophie) has the character of the merry debonnaire
Princess of Germany; a lady of extraordinary virtues and accomplishments; mistress of the Italian, French,
High and Low Dutch, and English languages, which she speaks to perfection. Her husband (Elector Ernst)
has the title of the Gentleman of Germany; a graceful and," W. Carr, Remarks of the Governments of the
severall Parts of Germanie, Denmark, Sweedland (Amsterdam, 1688), p. 147. See also Ker of Kersland (still
more emphatic on this point, soepius )] the politest of men, was chief lord,and where Leibnitz, to say
nothing of lighter notabilities, was flourishing,seemed a reasonable expectation. Nevertheless, it came to
nothing, this articulate purpose of the visit; though perhaps the deeper silent purposes of it might not be quite
unfulfilled.
Gentleman Ernst had lately been made "Elector" ( Kurfurst, instead of Herzog ),his Hanover no longer a
mere Sovereign Duchy, but an Electorate henceforth, new "NINTH Electorate," by Ernst's lifelong exertion
and good luck ;which has spread a fine radiance, for the time, over court and people in those parts; and
made Ernst a happier man than ever, in his old age. Gentleman Ernst and Electress Sophie, we need not
doubt, were glad to see their burly Prussian grandson, a robust, rather mischievous boy of five years
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Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. 17
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old;and anything that brought her Daughter oftener about her (an only Daughter too, and one so gifted)
was sure to be welcome to the cheery old Electress, and her Leibnitz and her circle. For Sophie Charlotte was
a bright presence, and a favorite with sage and gay.
Uncle George again, " Kurprinz Georg Ludwig" (Electoral Prince and HeirApparent), who became George
I. of England; he, always a taciturn, saturnine, somewhat grimvisaged man, not without thoughts of his own
but mostly inarticulate thoughts, was, just at this time, in a deep domestic intricacy. Uncle George the
Kurprinz was painfully detecting, in these very months, that his august Spouse and cousin, a brilliant not
uninjured lady, had become an indignant injuring one; that she had gone, and was going, far astray in her
walk of life! Thus all is not radiance at Hanover either, Ninth Elector though we are; but, in the soft sunlight,
there quivers a streak of the blackness of very Erebus withal. Kurprinz George, I think, though he too is said
to have been good to the boy, could not take much interest in this burly Nephew of his just now!
Sure enough, it was in this year 1693, that the famed Konigsmark tragedy came ripening fast towards a crisis
in Hanover; and next year the catastrophe arrived. A most tragic business; of which the little Boy, now here,
will know more one day. Perhaps it was on this very visit, on one visit it credibly was, that Sophie Charlotte
witnessed a sad scene in the Schloss of Hanover high words rising, where low cooings had been more
appropriate; harsh words, mutually recriminative, rising ever higher; ending, it is thought, in THINGS, or
menaces and motions towards things (actual box on the ear, some call it),never to be forgotten or forgiven!
And on Sunday 1st of July, 1694, Colonel Count Philip Konigsmark, Colonel in the Hanover Dragoons, was
seen for the last time in this world. From that date, he has vanished suddenly underground, in an inscrutable
manner: never more shall the light of the sun, or any human eye behold that handsome blackguard man. Not
for a hundred and fifty years shall human creatures know, or guess with the smallest certainty, what has
become of him.
And shortly after Konigsmark's disappearance, there is this sad phenomenon visible: A once very radiant
Princess (witty, haughty minded, beautiful, not wise or fortunate) now gone all ablaze into angry tragic
conflagration; getting locked into the old Castle of Ahlden, in the moory solitudes of Luneburg Heath: to stay
there till she die,thirty years as it proved,and go into ashes and angry darkness as she may. Old
peasants, late in the next century, will remember that they used to see her sometimes driving on the
Heath,beautiful lady, long black hair, and the glitter of diamonds in it; sometimes the reins in her own
hand, but always with a party of cavalry round her, and their swords drawn. [ Die Herzogin von Ahlden
(Leipzig, l852), p. 22. Divorce was, 28th December, 1694; death, 13th November, 1726,age then 60.]
"Duchess of Ahlden," that was her title in the eclipsed state. Born Princess of Zelle; by marriage, Princess of
Hanover ( Kurprinzessin ); would have been Queen of England, too, had matters gone otherwise than they
did. Her name, like that of a little Daughter she had, is Sophie Dorothee: she is Cousin and Divorced Wife
of Kurprinz George; divorced, and as it were abolished alive, in this manner. She is little Friedrich Wilhelm's
Auntinlaw; and her little Daughter comes to be his Wife in process of time. Of him, or of those belonging
to him, she took small notice, I suppose, in her then mood, the crisis coming on so fast. In her happier
innocent days she had two children, a King that is to be, and a Queen; George II. of England, Sophie
Dorothee of Prussia; but must not now call them hers, or ever see them again.
This was the Konigsmark tragedy at Hanover; fast ripening towards its catastrophe while little Friedrich
Wilhelm was there. It has been, ever since, a rumor and dubious frightful mystery to mankind: but within
these few years, by curious accidents (thefts, discoveries of written documents, in various countries, and
diligent study of them), it has at length become a certainty and clear fact, to those who are curious about it.
Fact surely of a rather horrible sort;yet better, I must say, than was suspected: not quite so bad in the state
of fact as in that of rumor. Crime enough is in it, sin and folly on both sides; there is killing too, but NOT
assassination (as it turns out); on the whole there is nothing of atrocity, or nothing that was not accidental,
unavoidable;and there is a certain greatness of DECORUM on the part of those Hanover Princes and
official gentlemen, a depth of silence, of polite stoicism, which deserves more praise than it will get in our
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Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. 18
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times. Enough now of the Konigsmark tragedy; [A considerable dreary mass of books, pamphlets,
lucubrations, false all and of no worth or of less, have accumulated on this dark subject, during the last
hundred and fifty years; nor has the process yet stopped,as it now well might. For there have now two
things occurred in regard to it FIRST: In the year l847, a Swedish Professor, named Palmblad, groping about
for other objects in the College Library of Lund (which is in the country of the Konigsmark connections),
came upon a Box of Old Letters,Letters undated, signed only with initials, and very enigmatic till well
searched into,which have turned out to he the very Autographs of the Princess and her Konigsmark;
throwing of course a henceforth indisputable light on their relation. SECOND THING: A cautious exact old
gentleman, of diplomatic habits (understood to be "Count Von SchulenburgKlosterrode of Dresden"), has,
since that event, unweariedly gone into the whole matter; and has brayed it everywhere, and pounded it small;
sifting, with sublime patience, not only those Swedish Autographs, but the whole mass of lying books,
pamphlets, hints and notices, old and recent; and bringing out (truly in an intricate and thricewearisome, but
for the first time in an authentic way) what real evidence there is. In which evidence the facts, or essential
fact, lie at last indisputable enough. His Book, thick Pamphlet rather, is that same Herzogin von Ahlden
(Leipzig, 1852) cited above. The dreary wheelbarrowful of others I had rather not mention again; but leave
Count von Schulenburg to mention and describe them, which he does abundantly, so many as had
accumulated up to that date of 1852, to the affliction more or less of sane mankind.] contemporaneous with
Friedrich Wilhelm's stay at Hanover, but not otherwise much related to him or his doings there.
He got no improvement in breeding, as we intimated; none at all; fought, on the contrary, with his young
Cousin (afterwards our George II.), a boy twice his age, though of weaker bone; and gave him a bloody nose.
To the scandal and consternation of the French Protestant gentlewomen and courtdames in their stiff silks:
"Ahee, your Electoral Highness!" This had been a rough unruly boy from the first discovery of him. At a very
early stage, he, one morning while the nurses were dressing him, took to investigating one of his shoe
buckles; would, in spite of remonstrances, slobber it about in his mouth; and at length swallowed it
down,beyond mistake; and the whole world cannot get it up! Whereupon, wild wail of nurses; and his
"Mother came screaming," poor mother: It is the same small shoebuckle which is still shown, with a
ticket and date to it, "31 December, 1692," in the Berlin Kunstkammer ; for it turned out harmless, after all
the screaming; and a few grains of rhubarb restored it safely to the light of day; henceforth a
thricememorable shoebuckle. [Forster, i. 74. Erman, Memoires de Sophie Charlotte (Berlin, 1801), p. 130.]
Another time, it is recorded, though with less precision of detail, his Governess the Dame Montbail having
ordered him to do something which was intolerable to the princely mind, the princely mind resisted in a very
strange way: the princely body, namely, flung itself suddenly out of a thirdstory window, nothing but the
hands left within; and hanging on there by the sill, and fixedly resolute to obey gravitation rather than
Montbail, soon brought the poor lady to terms. Upon which, indeed, he had been taken from her, and from
the women altogether, as evidently now needing rougher government. Always an unruly fellow, and
dangerous to trust among crockery. At Hanover he could do no good in the way of breeding: sage Leibnitz
himself, with his big black periwig and large patient nose, could have put no metaphysics into such a boy.
Sublime Theodicee (Leibnitzian "justification of the ways of God") was not an article this individual had the
least need of, nor at any time the least value for. "Justify? What doomed dog questions it, then? Are you for
Bedlam, then?"and in maturer years his rattan might have been dangerous! For this was a singular
individual of his day; human soul still in robust health, and not given to spin its bowels into cobwebs. He is
known only to have quarrelled much with Cousin George, during the year or so he spent in those parts.
But there was another Cousin at Hanover, just one other, little Sophie Dorothee (called after her mother), a
few months older than himself; by all accounts, a really pretty little child, whom he liked a great deal better.
She, I imagine, was his main resource, while on this Hanover visit; with her were laid the foundations of an
intimacy which ripened well afterwards. Some say it was already settled by the parents that there was to be a
marriage in due time. Settled it could hardly be; for Wilhelmina tells us, [ Memoires de la Margrave de
Bareith, i. l.] her Father had a "choice of three" allowed him, on coming to wed; and it is otherwise
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Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. 19
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discernible there had been eclipses and uncertainties, in the interim, on his part. Settled, no; but hoped and
vaguely prefigured, we may well suppose. And at all events, it has actually come to pass; "Father being
ardently in love with the Hanover Princess," says our Margravine, "and much preferring her to the other two,"
or to any and all others. Wedded, with great pomp, 28th November, 1706; [Forster, i. 117.]and Sophie
Dorothee, the same that was his pretty little Cousin at Hanover twenty years ago, she is mother of the little
Boy now born and christened, whom men are to call Frederick the Great in coming generations.
Sophie Dorothee is described to us by courtier contemporaries as "one of the most beautiful princesses of her
day:" Wilhelmina, on the other hand, testifies that she was never strictly to be called beautiful, but had a
pleasant attractive physiognomy; which may be considered better than strict beauty. Uncommon grace of
figure and look, testifies Wilhelmina; much dignity and soft dexterity, on social occasions; perfect in all the
arts of deportment; and left an impression on you at once kindly and royal. Portraits of her, as Queen at a later
age, are frequent in the Prussian Galleries; she is painted sitting, where I best remember her. A serious,
comely, rather plump, maternallooking Lady; something thoughtful in those gray still eyes of hers, in the
turn of her face and carriage of her head, as she sits there, considerately gazing out upon a world which
would never conform to her will. Decidedly a handsome, wholesome and affectionate aspect of face.
Hanoverian in type, that is to say, blond, florid, slightly PROFUSE;yet the better kind of Hanoverian, little
or nothing of the worse or at least the worst kind. The eyes, as I say, are gray, and quiet, almost sad;
expressive of reticence and reflection, of slow constancy rather than of SPEED in any kind. One expects,
could the picture speak, the querulous sound of maternal and other solicitude; of a temper tending towards the
obstinate, the quietly unchangeable;loyal patience not wanting, yet in still larger measure royal impatience
well concealed, and long and carefully cherished. This is what I read in Sophie Dorothee's
Portraits,probably remembering what I had otherwise read, and come to know of her. She too will not a
little concern us in the first part of this History. I find, for one thing, she had given much of her physiognomy
to the Friedrich now born. In his Portraits as PrinceRoyal, he strongly resembles her; it is his mother's face
informed with youth and new fire, and translated into the masculine gender: in his later Portraits, one less and
less recognizes the mother.
Friedrich Wilhelm, now in the sixth year of wedlock, is still very fond of his Sophie Dorothee, "Fiechen"
(Feekin diminutive of Sophie ), as he calls her; she also having, and continuing to have, the due wife's regard
for her solid, honest, if somewhat explosive bear. He troubles her a little now and then, it is said, with whiffs
of jealousy; but they are whiffs only, the product of accidental moodinesses in him, or of transient aspects,
misinterpreted, in the courtlife of a young and pretty woman. As the general rule, he is beautifully
goodhumored, kind even, for a bear; and, on the whole, they have begun their partnership under good
omens. And indeed we may say, in spite of sad tempests that arose, they continued it under such. She brought
him gradually no fewer than fourteen children, of whom ten survived him and came to maturity: and it is to
be admitted their conjugal relation, though a royal, was always a human one; the main elements of it strictly
observed on both sides; all quarrels in it capable of being healed again, and the feeling on both sides true,
however troublous. A rare fact among royal wedlocks, and perhaps a unique one in that epoch.
The young couple, as is natural in their present position, have many eyes upon them, and not quite a paved
path in this confused court of Friedrich I. But they are true to one another; they seem indeed to have held well
aloof from all public business or private cabal; and go along silently expecting, and perhaps silently resolving
this and that in the future tense; but with moderate immunity from paternal or other criticisms, for the present.
The CrownPrince drills or hunts, with his Grumkows, Anhalt Dessaus: these are harmless
employments;and a man may have within his own head what thoughts he pleases, without offence so long
as he keeps them there. Friedrich the old Grandfather lived only thirteen months after the birth of his
grandson: Friedrich Wilhelm was then King; thoughts then, to any length, could become actions on the part
of Friedrich Wilhelm.
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Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. 20
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Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER.
Friedrich Wilhelm's Mother, as we hinted, did not live to see this marriage which she had forecast in her
maternal heart. She died, rather suddenly, in 1705, [1st February (Erman, p. 241; Forster, i. 114): born, 20th
October, 1666; wedded, 28th September 1684; died, 1st February, 1705.] at Hanover, whither she had gone
on a visit; shortly after parting with this her one boy and child, Friedrich Wilhelm, who is then about
seventeen; whom she had with effort forced herself to send abroad, that he might see the world a little, for the
first time. Her sorrow on this occasion has in it something beautiful, in so bright and gay a woman: shows us
the mother strong in her, to a touching degree. The rough cub, in whom she noticed rugged perverse
elements, "tendencies to avarice," and a want of princely graces, and the more brilliant qualities in mind and
manner, had given her many thoughts and some uneasy ones. But he was evidently all she had to love in the
world; a rugged creature inexpressibly precious to her. For days after his departure, she had kept solitary;
busied with little; indulging in her own sad reflections without stint. Among the papers she had been
scribbling, there was found one slip with a HEART sketched on it, and round the heart "PARTI" (Gone): My
heart is gone!poor lady, and after what a jewel! But Nature is very kind to all children and to all mothers
that are true to her.
Sophie Charlotte's deep sorrow and dejection on this parting was the secret herald of fate to herself. It had
meant ill health withal, and the gloom of broken nerves. All autumn and into winter she had felt herself
indefinitely unwell; she determined, however, on seeing Hanover and her good old Mother at the usual time.
The gloomy sorrow over Friedrich Wilhelm had been the premonition of a sudden illness which seized her on
the road to Hanover, some five months afterwards, and which ended fatally in that city. Her death was not in
the light style Friedrich her grandson ascribes to it; [ Memoires de Brandebourg (Preuss's Edition of
OEuvres, Berlin, 1847 et seqq.), i. 112.] she died without epigram, and though in perfect simple courage, with
the reverse of levity.
Here, at first hand, is the specific account of that event; which, as it is brief and indisputable, we may as well
fish from the imbroglios, and render legible, to counteract such notions, and illuminate for moments an old
scene of things. The writing, apparently a quite private piece, is by "M. de la Bergerie, Pastor of the French
Church at Hanover," respectable EdictofNantes gentleman, who had been called in on the
occasion;gives an authentic momentary picture, though a feeble and vacant one, of a locality at that time
very interesting to Englishmen. M. de la Bergerie privately records:
"The night between the last of January and the first of February, 1705, between one and two o'clock in the
morning, I was called to the Queen of Prussia, who was then dangerously ill.
"Entering the room, I threw myself at the foot of her bed, testifying to her in words my profound grief to see
her in this state. After which I took occasion to say, 'She might know now that Kings and Queens are mortal
equally with all other men; and that they are obliged to appear before the throne of the majesty of God, to
give an account of their deeds done, no less than the meanest of their subjects.' To which her Majesty replied,
(I know it well ( Je le sais bien ).'I went on to say to her, 'Madam, your Majesty must also recognize in this
hour the vanity and nothingness of the things here below, for which, it may be, you have had too much
interest; and the importance of the things of Heaven, which perhaps you have neglected and contemned.'
Thereupon the Queen answered, 'True ( Cela est vrai )!' 'Nevertheless, Madam,' said I, 'does not your Majesty
place really your trust in God? Do you not very earnestly ( bien serieusement ) crave pardon of Him for all
the sins you have committed? Do not you fly ( n'atelle pas recours ) to the blood and merits of Jesus
Christ, without which it is impossible for us to stand before God?' The Queen answered, ' Oui (Yes).'While
this was going on, her Brother, Duke Ernst August, came into the Queen's room," perhaps with his eye
upon me and my motions? "As they wished to speak together, I withdrew by order."
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Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. 21
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This Duke Ernst August, age now 31, is the youngest Brother of the family; there never was any Sister but
this dying one, who is four years older. Ernst August has some tincture of soldiership at this time
(Marlborough Wars, and the like), as all his kindred had; but ultimately he got the Bishopric of Osnabruck,
that singular spiritual heirloom, or HALFheirloom of the family; and there lived or vegetated without noise.
Poor soul, he is the same Bishop of Osnabruck, to whose house, twentytwo years hence, George I., struck
by apoplexy, was breathlessly galloping in the summer midnight, one wish now left in him, to be with his
brother;and arrived dead, or in the article of death. That was another scene Ernst August had to witness in
his life. I suspect him at present of a thought that M. de la Bergerie, with his pious commonplaces, is likely to
do no good. Other trait of Ernst August's life; or of the Schloss of Hanover that night,or where the
sorrowing old Mother sat, invincible though weeping, in some neighboring room, I cannot give. M. de la
Bergerie continues his narrative:
"Some time after, I again presented myself before the Queen's bed, to see if I could have occasion to speak to
her on the matter of her salvation. But Monseigneur the Duke Ernst August then said to me, That it was not
necessary; that the Queen was at peace with her God ( etait bien avec son Dieu )."Which will mean also
that M. de la Bergerie may go home? However, he still writes:
"Next day the Prince told me, That observing I was come near the Queen's bed, he had asked her if she
wished I should still speak to her; but she had replied, that it was not necessary in any way ( nullement ), that
she already knew all that could be said to her on such an occasion; that she had said it to herself, that she was
still saying it, and that she hoped to be well with her God.
"In the end a faint coming upon the Queen, which was what terminated her life, I threw myself on my knees
at the other side of her bed, the curtains of which were open; and I called to God with a loud voice, 'That He
would rank his angels round this great Princess, to guard her from the insults of Satan; that He would have
pity on her soul; that He would wash her with the blood of Jesus Christ her heavenly Spouse; that, having
forgiven her all her sins, He would receive her to his glory.' And in that moment she expired." [Eerman, p.
242.]Age thirtysix and some months. Only Daughter of Electress Sophie; and Father's Mother of
Frederick the Great.
She was, in her time, a highly distinguished woman; and has left, one may say, something of her likeness still
traceable in the Prussian Nation, and its form of culture, to this day. Charlottenburg (Charlotte'stown, so
called by the sorrowing Widower), where she lived, shone with a muchadmired French light under her
presidency,French essentially, Versaillese, Sceptico Calvinistic, reflex and direct,illuminating the dark
North; and indeed has never been so bright since. The light was not what we can call inspired; lunar rather,
not of the genial or solar kind: but, in good truth, it was the best then going; and Sophie Charlotte, who was
her Mother's daughter in this as in other respects, had made it her own. They were deep in literature, these
two Royal Ladies; especially deep in French theological polemics, with a strong leaning to the rationalist
side.
They had stopped in Rotterdam once, on a certain journey homewards from Flanders and the Baths of
AixlaChapelle, to see that admirable sage, the doubter Bayle. Their sublime messenger roused the poor
man, in his garret there, in the Bompies,after dark: but he had a headache that night; was in bed, and could
not come. He followed them next day; leaving his paper imbroglios, his historical, philosophical,
antitheological marinestores; and suspended his neverending scribble, on their behalf;but would not
accept a pension, and give it up. [Erman, pp. l1l, 112. Date is 1700 (late in the autumn probably).]
They were shrewd, noticing, intelligent and lively women; persuaded that there was some nobleness for man
beyond what the tailor imparts to him; and even very eager to discover it, had they known how. In these very
days, while our little Friedrich at Berlin lies in his cradle, sleeping most of his time, sage Leibnitz, a rather
weak but hugely ingenious old gentleman, with bright eyes and long nose, with vast black peruke and bandy
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Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. 22
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legs, is seen daily in the Linden Avenue at Hanover (famed Linden Alley, leading from Town Palace to
Country one, a couple of miles long, rather disappointing when one sees it), daily driving or walking towards
Herrenhausen, where the Court, where the old Electress is, who will have a touch of dialogue with him to
diversify her day. Not very edifying dialogue, we may fear; yet once more, the best that can be had in present
circumstances. Here is some lunar reflex of Versailles, which is a polite court; direct rays there are from the
oldest written Gospels and the newest; from the great unwritten Gospel of the Universe itself; and from one's
own real effort, more or less devout, to read all these aright. Let us not condemn that poor French element of
Eclecticism, Scepticism, Tolerance, Theodicea, and Bayle of the Bompies versus the College of Saumur. Let
us admit that it was profitable, at least that it was inevitable; let us pity it, and be thankful for it, and rejoice
that we are well out of it. Scepticism, which is there beginning at the very top of the world tree, and has to
descend through all the boughs with terrible results to mankind, is as yet pleasant, tinting the leaves with fine
autumnal red.
Sophie Charlotte partook of her Mother's tendencies; and carried them with her to Berlin, there to be
expanded in many ways into ampler fulfilment. She too had the sage Leibnitz often with her, at Berlin; no
end to her questionings of him; eagerly desirous to draw water from that deep well,a wet rope, with
cobwebs sticking to it, too often all she got; endless rope, and the bucket never coming to view. Which,
however, she took patiently, as a thing according to Nature. She had her learned Beausobres and other
Reverend EdictofNantes gentlemen, famed Berlin divines; whom, if any Papist notability, Jesuit
ambassador or the like, happened to be there, she would set disputing with him, in the Soiree at
Charlottenburg. She could right well preside over such a battle of the CloudTitans, and conduct the
lightnings softly, without explosions. There is a pretty and very characteristic Letter of hers, still pleasant to
read, though turning on theologies now fallen dim enough; addressed to Father Vota, the famous Jesuit,
King'sconfessor, and diplomatist, from Warsaw, who had been doing his best in one such rencontre before
her Majesty (date March, 1703),seemingly on a series of evenings, in the intervals of his diplomatic
business; the Beausobre champions being introduced to him successively, one each evening, by Queen
Sophie Charlotte. To all appearance the fencing had been keen; the lightnings in need of some dexterous
conductor. Vota, on his way homeward, had written to apologize for the sputterings of fire struck out of him
in certain pinches of the combat; says, It was the rough handling the Primitive Fathers got from these
Beausobre gentlemen, who indeed to me, Vota in person, under your Majesty's fine presidency, were
politeness itself, though they treated the Fathers so ill. Her Majesty, with beautiful art, in this Letter, smooths
the raven plumage of Vota;and, at the same time, throws into him, as with invisible needlepoints, an
excellent dose of acupuncturation, on the subject of the Primitive Fathers and the Ecumenic Councils, on her
own score. Let us give some Excerpt, in condensed state:
"How can St. Jerome, for example, be a key to Scripture?" she insinuates; citing from Jerome this remarkable
avowal of his method of composing books; "especially of his method in that Book, Commentary on the
Galatians, where he accuses both Peter and Paul of simulation and even of hypocrisy. The great St.
Augustine has been charging him with this sad fact," says her Majesty, who gives chapter and verse; ["Epist.
28*, edit. Paris." And Jerome's answer, "Ibid. Epist. 76*."] "and Jerome answers: 'I followed the
Commentaries of Origen, of'"five or six different persons, who turned out mostly to be heretics before
Jerome had quite done with them in coming years!"'And to confess the honest truth to you,' continues
Jerome, 'I read all that; and after having crammed my head with a great many things, I sent for my
amanuensis, and dictated to him now my own thoughts, now those of others, without much recollecting the
order, nor sometimes the words, nor even the sense.' In another place (in the Book itself farther on
[ "Commentary on the Galatians, chap. iii."]), he says: 'I do not myself write; I have an amanuensis, and I
dictate to him what comes into my mouth. If I wish to reflect a little, to say the thing better or a better thing,
he knits his brows, and the whole look of him tells me sufficiently that he cannot endure to wait.'"Here is a
sacred old gentleman, whom it is not safe to depend on for interpreting the Scriptures, thinks her Majesty; but
does not say so, leaving Father Vota to his reflections.
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Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. 23
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Then again, coming to Councils, she quotes St. Gregory Nazianzen upon him; who is truly dreadful in regard
to Ecumenic Councils of the Church,and indeed may awaken thoughts of Deliberative Assemblies
generally, in the modern constitutional mind. "He says, [ "Greg. Nazian. de Vita sua." ] No Council ever was
successful; so many mean human passions getting into conflagration there; with noise, with violence and
uproar, 'more like those of a tavern or still worse place,'these are his words. He, for his own share, had
resolved to avoid all such 'rendezvousing of the Geese and Cranes, flocking together to throttle and tatter one
another in that sad manner.' Nor had St. Theodoret much opinion of the Council of Nice, except as a kind of
miracle. 'Nothing good to be expected from Councils,' says he, 'except when God is pleased to interpose, and
destroy the machinery of the Devil.'"
With more of the like sort; all delicate, as invisible needle points, in her Majesty's hand. [Letter undated
(datable "Lutzelburg, March, 1708,") is to be found entire, with all its adjuncts, in Erman, pp. 246255. It
was subsequently translated by Toland, aud published here, as an excellent Polemical Piece,entirely
forgotten in our time ( A Letter against Popery by Sophia Charlotte, the late Queen of Prussia: Being,
London, 1712). But the finest Duel of all was probably that between Beausobre and Toland himself (reported
by Beausobre, in something of a crowing manner, in Erman, pp. 203241, "October, 1701"), of which Toland
makes no mention anywhere.] What is Father Vota to say?The modern reader looks through these chinks
into a strange old scene, the stuff of it fallen obsolete, the spirit of it not, nor worthy to fall.
These were Sophie Charlotte's reunions; very charming in their time. At which how joyful for Irish Toland to
be present, as was several times his luck. Toland, a mere broken heretic in his own country, who went thither
once as Secretary to some Embassy (Embassy of Macclesfield's, 1701, announcing that the English Crown
had fallen Hanoverwards), and was no doubt glad, poor headlong soul, to find himself a gentleman and
Christian again, for the time being,admires Hanover and Berlin very much; and looks upon Sophie
Charlotte in particular as the pink of women. Something between an earthly Queen and a divine Egeria;
"Serena" he calls her; and, in his highflown fashion, is very laudatory. "The most beautiful Princess of her
time," says he, meaning one of the most beautiful: her features are extremely regular, and full of vivacity;
copious dark hair, blue eyes, complexion excellently fair;"not very tall, and somewhat too plump," he
admits elsewhere. And then her mind,for gifts, for graces, culture, where will you find such a mind? "Her
reading is infinite, and she is conversant in all manner of subjects;" "knows the abstrusest problems of
Philosophy;" says admiring Toland: much knowledge everywhere exact, and handled as by an artist and
queen; for "her wit is inimitable," "her justness of thought, her delicacy of expression," her felicity of
utterance and management, are great. Foreign courtiers call her "the Republican Queen." She detects you a
sophistry at one glance; pierces down direct upon the weak point of an opinion: never in my whole life did I,
Toland, come upon a swifter or sharper intellect. And then she is so good withal, so bright and cheerful; and
"has the art of uniting what to the rest of the world are antagonisms, mirth and learning,"say even, mirth
and good sense. Is deep in music, too; plays daily on her harpsichord, and fantasies, and even composes, in an
eminent manner. [ An Account of the Courts of Prussia and Hanover, sent to a Minister of State in Holland,
by Mr. Toland (London, 1705), p. 322. Toland's other Book, which has reference to her, is of didactic nature
("immortality of the soul," "origin of idolatry," but with much fine panegyric direct and oblique: Letters to
Serena ("Serena" being Queen ), a thin 8vo, London, 1704.] Toland's admiration, deducting the highflown
temper and manner of the man, is sincere and great.
Beyond doubt a bright airy lady, shining in mild radiance in those Northern parts; very graceful, very witty
and ingenious; skilled to speak, skilled to hold her tongue,which latter art also was frequently in
requisition with her. She did not much venerate her Husband, nor the Court population, male or female,
whom he chose to have about him: his and their ways were by no means hers, if she had cared to publish her
thoughts. Friedrich I., it is admitted on all hands, was "an expensive Herr;" much given to magnificent
ceremonies, etiquettes and solemnities; making no great way anywhither, and that always with noise
enough, and with a dust vortex of courtier intrigues and cabals encircling him, from which it is better to
stand quite to windward. Moreover, he was slightly crooked; most sensitive, thin of skin and liable to sudden
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Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. 24
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flaws of temper, though at heart very kind and good. Sophie Charlotte is she who wrote once, "Leibnitz
talked to me of the infinitely little ( de l'infiniment petit): mon Dieu, as if I did not know enough of that!"
Besides, it is whispered she was once near marrying to Louis XIV.'s Dauphin; her Mother Sophie, and her
Cousin the Dowager Duchess of Orleans, cunning women both, had brought her to Paris in her girlhood, with
that secret object; and had very nearly managed it. Queen of France that might have been; and now it is but
Brandenburg, and the dice have fallen somewhat wrong for us! She had Friedrich Wilhelm, the rough boy;
and perhaps nothing more of very precious property. Her first child, likewise a boy, had soon died, and there
came no third: tedious ceremonials, and the infinitely little, were mainly her lot in this world.
All which, however, she had the art to take up not in the tragic way, but in the mildly comic,often not to
take up at all, but leave lying there;and thus to manage in a handsome and softly victorious manner. With
delicate female tact, with fine female stoicism too; keeping all things within limits. She was much respected
by her Husband, much loved indeed; and greatly mourned for by the poor man: the village Lutzelburg
(Littletown), close by Berlin, where she had built a mansion for herself, he fondly named Charlottenburg
(Charlotte'stown), after her death, which name both House and Village still bear. Leibnitz found her of an
almost troublesome sharpness of intellect; "wants to know the why even of the why," says Leibnitz. That is
the way of female intellects when they are good; nothing equals their acuteness, and their rapidity is almost
excessive. Samuel Johnson, too, had a younglady friend once "with the acutest intellect I have ever known."
On the whole, we may pronounce her clearly a superior woman, this Sophie Charlotte; notable not for her
Grandson alone, though now pretty much forgotten by the world,as indeed all things and persons have, one
day or other, to be! A LIFE of her, in feeble watery style, and distracted arrangement, by one Erman,
[Monsieur Erman, Historiographe de Brandebourg, Memoires pour servir a l'Histoire de Sophie Charlotte,
Reine de Preusse, las dans les Seances, (1 vol. 8vo, Berlin, 1801.)] a Berlin Frenchman, is in existence, and
will repay a cursory perusal; curious traits of her, in still looser form, are also to be found in Pollnitz: [Carl
Ludwig Freiherr von Pollnitz, Memoiren zur Lebens und RegierungeGeschichte der vier letzten Regenten
des Preussischen Staats (was published in French also), 2 vols. 12mo, Berlin, 1791.] but for our purposes
here is enough, and more than enough.
Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I.
The Prussian royalty is now in its twelfth year when this little Friedrich, who is to carry it to such a height,
comes into the world. Old Friedrich the Grandfather achieved this dignity, after long and intricate
negotiations, in the first year of the Century; 16th November, 1700, his ambassador returned triumphant from
Vienna; the Kaiser had at last consented: We are to wear a crown royal on the top of our periwig; the old
Electorate of Brandenburg is to become the Kingdom of Prussia; and the Family of Hohenzollern, slowly
mounting these many centuries, has reached the uppermost round of the ladder.
Friedrich, the old Gentleman who now looks upon his little Grandson (destined to be Third King of Prussia)
with such interest,is not a very memorable man; but he has had his adventures too, his losses and his gains:
and surely among the latter, the gain of a crown royal into his House gives him, if only as a chronological
milestone, some place in History. He was son of him they call the Great Elector, Friedrich Wilhelm by name;
of whom the Prussians speak much, in an eagerly celebrating manner, and whose strenuous toilsome work in
this world, celebrated or not, is still deeply legible in the actual life and affairs of Germany. A man of whom
we must yet find some opportunity to say a word. From him and a beautiful and excellent Princess Luise,
Princess of Orange,Dutch William, OUR Dutch William's aunt,this, crooked royal Friedrich came.
He was not born crooked; straight enough once, and a fine little boy of six months old or so; there being an
elder Prince now in his third year, also full of hope. But in a rough journey to Konigsberg and back (winter of
1657, as is guessed), one of the many rough jolting journeys this faithful Electress made with her Husband, a
careless or unlucky nurse, who had charge of pretty little Fritzchen, was not sufficiently attentive to her duties
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Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. 25
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on the worst of roads. The everjolting carriage gave some bigger jolt, the child fell backwards in her arms;
[Johann Wegfuhrer, Leben der Kurfurstin Luise, gebornen Prinzessin von NassauOranien, Gemahlin
Friedrich Wilhelm des Grossen (Leipzig, 1838), p. 107.] did not quite break his back, but injured it for
life:and with his back, one may perceive, injured his soul and history to an almost corresponding degree.
For the weak crooked boy, with keen and fine perceptions, and an inadequate case to put them in, grew up
with too thin a skin: that may be considered as the summary of his misfortunes; and, on the whole, there is
no other heavy sin to be charged against him.
He had other loads laid upon him, poor youth: his kind pious Mother died, his elder Brother died, he at the
age of seventeen saw himself HeirApparent;and had got a Stepmother with new heirs, if he should
disappear. Sorrows enough in that one fact, with the venomous whisperings, commentaries and suspicions,
which a Court population, female and male, in little Berlin Town, can contrive to tack to it. Does not the new
Sovereign Lady, in her heart, wish YOU were dead, my Prince? Hope it perhaps? Health, at any rate, weak;
and, by the aid of a little pharmacy ye Heavens!
Such suspicions are now understood to have had no basis except in the waste brains of courtier men and
women; but their existence there can become tragical enough. Add to which, the Great Elector, like all the
Hohenzollerns, was a choleric man; capable of blazing into volcanic explosions, when affronted by idle
masses of cobwebs in the midst of his serious businesses! It is certain, the young Prince Friedrich had at one
time got into quite high, shrill and mutually minatory terms with his Stepmother; so that once, after some
such shrill dialogue between them, ending with "You shall repent this, Sir!"he found it good to fly off in
the night, with only his Tutor or Secretary and a valet, to HessenCassel to an Aunt; who stoutly protected
him in this emergency; and whose Daughter, after the difficult readjustment of matters, became his Wife, but
did not live long. And it is farther certain the same Prince, during this his first wedded time, dining one day
with his Stepmother, was taken suddenly ill. Felt ill, after his cup of coffee; retired into another room in
violent spasms, evidently in an alarming state, and secretly in a most alarmed one: his Tutor or Secretary, one
Dankelmann, attended him thither; and as the Doctor took some time to arrive, and the symptoms were
instant and urgent, Secretary Dankelmann produced "from a pocketbook some drug of his own, or of the
HessenCassel Aunt," emetic I suppose, and gave it to the poor Prince;who said often, and felt ever after,
with or without notion of poison, That Dankelmann had saved his life. In consequence of which adventure he
again quitted Court without leave; and begged to be permitted to remain safe in the country, if Papa would be
so good. [Pollnitz, Memoiren, i. 191198.]
Fancy the Great Elector's humor on such an occurrence; and what a furtherance to him in his heavy continual
labors, and strenuous swimming for life, these beautiful humors and transactions must have been! A
crookbacked boy, dear to the Great Elector, pukes, one afternoon; and there arises such an opening of the
Nether Floodgates of this Universe; in and round your poor workshop, nothing but sudden darkness, smell of
sulphur; hissing of forked serpents here, and the universal alleleu of female hysterics there;to help a man
forward with his work! O reader, we will pity the crowned head, as well as the hatted and even hatless one.
Human creatures will not GO quite accurately together, any more than clocks will; and when their dissonance
once rises fairly high, and they cannot readily kill one another, any Great Elector who is third party will have
a terrible time of it.
Electress Dorothee, the Stepmother, was herself somewhat of a hard lady; not easy to live with, though so far
above poisoning as to have "despised even the suspicion of it." She was much given to practical economics,
dairyfarming, marketgardening, and industrial and commercial operations such as offered; and was
thought to be a very strict reckoner of money. She founded the Dorotheenstadt, now oftener called the
Neustadt, chief quarter of Berlin; and planted, just about the time of this unlucky dinner, "A.D. 1680 or so,"
[Nicolai, Beschreibung der koniglichen Residenzstadte Berlin und Potsdam (Berlin, 1786), i. 172.] the first of
the celebrated Lindens, which (or the successors of which, in a stunted amdition) are still growing there.
UnterdenLinden: it is now the gayest quarter of Berlin, full of really fine edifices: it was then a sandy
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Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. 26
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outskirt of Electress Dorothee's dairyfarm; good for nothing but building upon, thought Electress Dorothee.
She did much dairyandvegetable trade on the great scale;was thought even to have, underhand, a
commercial interest in the principal Beerhouse of the city? [Horn, Leben Friedrich Wilhelme des Grossen
Kurfursten von Brandenburg (Berlin, 1814).] People did not love her: to the Great Elector, who guided with a
steady bridlehand, she complied not amiss; though in him too there rose sad recollections and comparisons
now and then: but with a Stepson of unsteady nerves it became evident to him there could never be soft
neighborhood. Prince Friedrich and his Father came gradually to some understanding, tacit or express, on that
sad matter; Prince Friedrich was allowed to live, on his separate allowance, mainly remote from Court.
Which he did, for perhaps six or eight years, till the Great Elector's death; henceforth in a peaceful manner, or
at least without open explosions.
His young HessenCassel Wife died suddenly in 1683; and again there was mad rumor of poisoning; which
Electress Dorothee disregarded as below her, and of no consequence to her, and attended to industrial
operations that would pay. That poor young Wife, when dying, exacted a promise from Prince Friedrich that
he would not wed again, but be content with the Daughter she had left him: which promise, if ever seriously
given, could not be kept, as we have seen. Prince Friedrich brought his Sophie Charlotte home about fifteen
months after. With the Stepmother and with the Court there was armed neutrality under tolerable forms, and
no open explosion farther.
In a secret way, however, there continued to be difficulties. And such difficulties had already been, that the
poor young man, not yet come to his Heritages, and having, with probably some turn for expense, a covetous
unamiable Stepmother, had fallen into the usual difficulties; and taken the methods too usual. Namely, had
given ear to the Austrian Court, which offered him assistance, somewhat as an aged Jew will to a young
Christian gentleman in quarrel with papa,upon condition of his signing a certain bond: bond which much
surprised Prince Friedrich when he came to understand it! Of which we shall hear more, and even much
more, in the course of time!
Neither after his accession (year 1688; his Cousin Dutch William, of the glorious and immortal memory, just
lifting anchor towards these shores) was the new Elector's life an easy one. We may say, it was replete with
troubles rather; and unhappily not so much with great troubles, which could call forth antagonistic greatness
of mind or of result, as with neverending shoals of small troubles, the antagonism to which is apt to become
itself of smallish character. Do not search into his history; you will remember almost nothing of it (I hope)
after never so many readings! Garrulous Pollnitz and others have written enough about him; but it all runs off
from you again, as a thing that has no affinity with the human skin. He had a court "rempli d'intrigues, full of
neverending cabals," [Forster, i. 74 (quoting Memoires du Comte de Dohna); what?
One question only are we a little interested in: How he came by the Kingship? How did the like of him
contrive to achieve Kingship? We may answer: It was not he that achieved it; it was those that went before
him, who had gradually got it,as is very usual in such cases. All that he did was to knock at the gate (the
Kaiser's gate and the world's), and ask, "IS it achieved, then?" Is Brandenburg grown ripe for having a
crown? Will it be needful for you to grant Brandenburg a crown? Which question, after knocking as loud as
possible, they at last took the trouble to answer, "Yes, it will be needful."
Elector Friedrich's turn for ostentationor as we may interpret it, the high spirit of a Hohenzollern working
through weak nerves and a crooked backhad early set him athinking of the Kingship; and no doubt, the
exaltation of rival Saxony, which had attained that envied dignity (in a very unenviable manner, in the person
of Elector August made King of Poland) in 1697, operated as a new spur on his activities. Then also Duke
Ernst of Hanover, his fatherinlaw, was struggling to become Elector Ernst; Hanover to be the Ninth
Electorate, which it actually attained in 1698; not to speak of England, and quite endless prospects there for
Ernst and Hanover. These my lucky neighbors are all rising; all this the Kaiser has granted to my lucky
neighbors: why is there no promotion he should grant me, among them!
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Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. 27
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Elector Friedrich had 30,000 excellent troops; Kaiser Leopold, the "little man in red stockings," had no end of
Wars. Wars in Turkey, wars in Italy; all Dutch William's wars and more, on our side of Europe;and here is
a SpanishSuccession War, coming dubiously on, which may prove greater than all the rest together. Elector
Friedrich sometimes in his own high person (a courageous and high though thinskinned man), otherwise by
skilful deputy, had done the Kaiser service, often signal service, in all these
wars; and was never wanting in the time of need, in the post of difficulty with those famed Prussian Troops of
his. A loyal gallant Elector this, it must be owned; capable withal of doing signal damage if we irritated him
too far! Why not give him this promotion; since it costs us absolutely nothing real, not even the price of a
yard of ribbon with metal cross at the end of it? Kaiser Leopold himself, it is said, had no particular
objection; but certain of his ministers had; and the little man in red stockingsmuch occupied in hunting, for
one thinglet them have their way, at the risk of angering Elector Friedrich. Even Dutch William, anxious
for it, in sight of the future, had not yet prevailed.
The negotiation had lasted some seven years, without result. There is no doubt but the Succession War, and
Marlborough, would have brought it to a happy issue: in the mean while, it is said to have succeeded at last,
somewhat on the sudden, by a kind of accident. This is the curious mythical account; incorrect in some
unessential particulars, but in the main and singular part of it wellfounded. Elector Friedrich, according to
Pollnitz and others, after failing in many methods, had sent 100,000 thalers (say 15,000 pounds) to give, by
way ofbribe we must call it,to the chief opposing Hofrath at Vienna. The money was offered,
accordingly; and was refused by the opposing Hofrath: upon which the Brandenburg Ambassador wrote that
it was all labor lost; and even hurried off homewards in despair, leaving a Secretary in his place. The
Brandenburg Court, nothing despairing, orders in the mean while, Try another with it,some other Hofrath,
whose name they wrote in cipher, which the blundering Secretary took to mean no Hofrath, but the Kaiser's
Confessor and Chief Jesuit, Pater Wolf. To him accordingly he hastened with the cash, to him with the
respectful Electoral request; who received both, it is said, especially the 15,000 pounds, with a Gloria in
excelsis; and went forthwith and persuaded the Kaiser. [Pollnitz, Memoiren, i. 310.] Now here is the
inexactitude, say Modern Doctors of History; an error no less than threefold. 1. Elector Friedrich was indeed
advised, in cipher, by his agent at Vienna, to write in person to"Who is that cipher, then?" asks Elector
Friedrich, rather puzzled. At Vienna that cipher was meant for the Kaiser; but at Berlin they take it for Pater
Wolf; and write accordingly, and are answered with readiness and animation. 2. Pater Wolf was not official
Confessor, but was a Jesuit in extreme favor with the Kaiser, and by birth a nobleman, sensible to human
decorations. 3. He accepted no bribe, nor was any sent; his bribe was the pleasure of obliging a high
gentleman who condescended to ask, and possibly the hope of moothing roads for St. Ignatius and the Black
Militia, in time coming. And THUS at last, and not otherwise than thus, say exact Doctors, did Pater Wolf do
the thing. [G. A. H. Stenzel, Geschichte des Preussischen Staats (Hamburg, 1841), iii. 104 (Berliner
Monatschrift, year 1799); Or might not the actual death of poor King Carlos II. at Madrid, 1st November,
1700, for whose heritages all the world stood watching with swords half drawn, considerably assist Pater
Wolf? Done sure enough the thing was; and before November ended, Friedrich's messenger returned with
"Yes" for answer, and a Treaty signed on the 16th of that month. [Pollnitz (i. 318) gives the Treaty (date
corrected by his Editor, ii.589).] To the huge joy of Elector Friedrich and his Court, almost the very nation
thinking itself glad. Which joyful Potentate decided to set out straightway and have the coronation done;
though it was midwinter; and Konigsberg (for Prussia is to be our title, "King in Prussia," and Konigsberg is
Capital City there) lies 450 miles off, through tangled shaggy forests, boggy wildernesses, and in many parts
only corduroy roads. We order "30,000 posthorses," besides all our own large stud, to be got ready at the
various stations: our boy Friedrich Wilhelm, rugged boy of twelve, rough and brisk, yet much "given to
blush" withal (which is a feature of him), shall go with us; much more, Sophie Charlotte our august
ElectressQueen that is to be: and we set out, on the 17th of December, 1700, last year of the Century; "in
1800 carriages:" such a cavalcade as never crossed those wintry wildernesses before. Friedrich Wilhelm went
in the third division of carriages (for 1800 of them could not go quite together); our noble Sophie Charlotte in
the second; a Margraf of BrandenburgSchwedt, chief Margraf, our eldest HalfBrother, Dorothee's eldest
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. 28
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Son, sitting on the coachbox, in correct insignia, as similitude of Driver. So strict are we in etiquette;
etiquette indeed being now upon its apotheosis, and after such efforts. Six or seven years of efforts on Elector
Friedrich's part; and six or seven hundred years, unconsciously, on that of his ancestors.
The magnificence of Friedrich's processionings into Konigsberg, and through it or in it, to be crowned, and of
his coronation ceremonials there: what pen can describe it, what pen need! Folio volumes with copperplates
have been written on it; and are not yet all pasted in bandboxes, or slit into spills. [British Museum, short of
very many necessary Books on this subject, offers the due Coronation Folio, with its prints, upholstery
catalogues, and official harangues upon nothing, to ingenuous human curiosity.] "The diamond buttons of his
Majesty's coat [snuffcolored or purple, I cannot recollect] cost 1,500 pounds apiece;" by this one feature
judge what an expensive Herr. Streets were hung with cloth, carpeted with cloth, no end of draperies and
cloth; your oppressed imagination feels as if there was cloth enough, of scarlet and other bright colors, to
thatch the Arctic Zone. With illuminations, cannonsalvos, fountains running wine. Friedrich had made two
Bishops for the nonce. Two of his natural ChurchSuperintendents made into QuasiBishops, on the
Anglican model,which was always a favorite with him, and a pious wish of his;but they remained mere
cut branches, these two, and did not, after their haranguing and anointing functions, take root in the country.
He himself put the crown on his head: "King here in my own right, after all!"and looked his royalest, we
may fancy; the kind eyes of him almost partly fierce for moments, and "the cheerfulness of pride" well
blending with something of awful.
In all which sublimities, the one thing that remains for human memory is not in these Folios at all, but is
considered to be a fact not the less: Electress Charlotte's, now Queen Charlotte's, very strange conduct on the
occasion. For she cared not much about crowns, or upholstery magnificences of any kind; but had meditated
from of old on the infinitely little; and under these genuflections, risings, sittings, shiftings, grimacings on all
parts, and the endless droning eloquence of Bishops invoking Heaven, her ennui, not illhumored or
offensively ostensible, was heartfelt and transcendent. At one turn of the proceedings, Bishop This and
Chancellor That droning their empty grandiloquences at discretion, Sophie Charlotte was distinctly seen to
smuggle out her snuffbox, being addicted to that rakish practice, and fairly solace herself with a delicate
little pinch of snuff. Rasped tobacco, tabac rape, called by mortals rape or rappee: there is no doubt about it;
and the new King himself noticed her, and hurled back a look of due fulminancy, which could not help the
matter, and was only lost in air. A memorable little action, and almost symbolic in the first Prussian
Coronation. "Yes, we are Kings, and are got SO near the stars, not nearer; and you invoke the gods, in that
tremendously longwinded manner; and IHeavens, I have my snuff box by me, at least!" Thou wearied
patient Heroine; cognizant of the infinitely little!This symbolic pinch of snuff is fragrant all along in
Prussian History. A fragrancy of humble verity in the middle of all royal or other ostentations; inexorable,
quiet protest against cant, done with such simplicity: Sophie Charlotte's symbolic pinch of snuff. She was
always considered something of a Republican Queen.
Thus Brandenburg Electorate has become Kingdom of Prussia; and the Hohenzollerns have put a crown upon
their head. Of Brandenburg, what it was, and what Prussia was; and of the Hohenzollerns and what they
were, and how they rose thither, a few details, to such as are dark about these matters, cannot well be
dispensed with here.
END OF BOOK I
BOOK II. OF BRANDENBURG AND THE HOHENZOLLERNS. 9281417.
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BOOK II. OF BRANDENBURG AND THE HOHENZOLLERNS. 9281417. 29
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Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER.
The Brandenburg Countries, till they become related to the Hohenzollern Family which now rules there, have
no History that has proved memorable to mankind. There has indeed been a good deal written under that title;
but there is by no means much known, and of that again there is alarmingly little that is worth knowing or
remembering.
Pytheas, the Marseilles Travelling Commissioner, looking out for new channels of trade, somewhat above
2,000 years ago, saw the country actually lying there; sailed past it, occasionally landing; and made report to
such Marseillese "(Chamber of Commerce" as there then was:report now lost, all to a few indistinct and
insignificant fractions. [ Memoires de l'Academie des Inscriptions, t. xix. 46, xxxvii. 439, This was "about the
year 327 before Christ," while Alexander of Macedon was busy conquering India. Beyond question, Pytheas,
the first WRITING or civilized creature that ever saw Germany, gazed with his Greek eyes, and occasionally
landed, striving to speak and inquire, upon those old Baltic Coasts, north border of the now Prussian
Kingdom; and reported of it to mankind we know not what. Which brings home to us the fact that it existed,
but almost nothing more: A Country of lakes and woods, of marshy jungles, sandy wildernesses; inhabited by
bears, otters, bisons, wolves, wild swine, and certain shaggy Germans of the Suevic type, as good as
inarticulate to Pytheas. After which all direct notice of it ceases for above three hundred years. We can hope
only that the jungles were getting cleared a little, and the wild creatures hunted down; that the Germans were
increasing in number, and becoming a thought less shaggy. These latter, tall Suevi Semnones, men of blond
stern aspect (oculi truces coerulei) and great strength of bone, were known to possess a formidable talent for
fighting: [Tacitus, De Moribus Germanorum, c. 45.] Drusus Germanicus, it has been guessed, did not like to
appear personally among them: some "gigantic woman prophesying to him across the Elbe" that it might be
dangerous, Drusus contented himself with erecting some triumphal pillar on his own safe side of the Elbe, to
say that they were conquered.
In the Fourth Century of our era, when the German populations, on impulse of certain "Huns expelled from
the Chinese frontier," or for other reasons valid to themselves, began flowing universally southward, to take
possession of the rich Roman world, and so continued flowing for two centuries more; the old German
frontiers generally, and especially those Northern Baltic countries, were left comparatively vacant; so that
new immigrating populations from the East, all of Sclavic origin, easily obtained footing and supremacy
there. In the Northern parts, these immigrating Sclaves were of the kind called Vandals, or Wends: they
spread themselves as far west as Hamburg and the Ocean, south also far over the Elbe in some quarters; while
other kinds of Sclaves were equally busy elsewhere. With what difficulty in settling the new boundaries, and
what inexhaustible funds of quarrel thereon, is still visible to every one, though no Historian was there to say
the least word of it. "All of Sclavic origin;" but who knows of how many kinds: Wends here in the North,
through the Lausitz (Lusatia) and as far as Thuringen; not to speak of Polacks, Bohemian Czechs, Huns,
Bulgars, and the other dim nomenclatures, on the Eastern frontier. Five hundred years of violent unrecorded
fighting, abstruse quarrel with their new neighbors in settling the marches. Many names of towns in Germany
ending in ITZ (Meuselwitz, Mollwitz), or bearing the express epithet Windisch (Wendish), still give
indication of those old sad circumstances; as does the word SLAVE, in all our Western languages, meaning
captured SCLAVONIAN. What longdrawn echo of bitter rage and hate lies in that small etymology!
These things were; but they have no History: why should they have any? Enough that in those Baltic regions,
there are for the time (Year 600, and till long after Charlemagne is out) Sclaves in place of Suevi or of
Holstein Saxons and Angli; that it is now shaggy Wends who have the task of taming the jungles, and
keeping down the otters and wolves. Wends latterly in a waning condition, much beaten upon by
Charlemagne and others; but never yet beaten out. And so it has to last, century after century; Wends, wolves,
wild swine, all alike dumb to us. Dumb, or sounding only one huge unutterable message (seemingly of tragic
import), like the voice of their old Forests, of their old Baltic Seas: perhaps more edifying to us SO. Here
at last is a definite date and event:
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Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER. 30
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"A.D. 928, Henry the Fowler, marching across the frozen bogs, took BRANNIBOR, a chief fortress of the
Wends;" [Kohler, ReichsHistorie (Frankfurth und Leipzig, 1737), p. 63. Michaelis, Churund Furstlichen
Hauser in Deutschland (Lemgo, 1759, 1760, 1785), i. 255.] first mention in human speech of the place
now called Brandenburg: Bor or "Burg of the Brenns" (if there ever was any TRIBE of
Brenns,BRENNUS, there as elsewhere, being name for KING or Leader); "Burg of the Woods," say
others,who as little know. Probably, at that time, a town of clay huts, with dithand palisaded sodwall
round it; certainly "a chief fortress of the Wends,"who must have been a good deal surprised at sight of
Henry on the rimy winter morning near a thousand years ago.
This is the grand old Henry, called, "the Fowler" (Heinrich der Vogler), because he was in his Vogelheerde
(Falconry or Hawkestablishment, seeing his Hawks fly) in the upland Hartz Country, when messengers
came to tell him that the German Nation, through its Princes and Authorities assembled at Fritzlar, had made
him King; and that he would have dreadful work henceforth. Which he undertook; and also did,this of
Brannibor only one small item of it,warring right manfully all his days against Chaos in that country, no
rest for him thenceforth till he died. The beginning of German Kings; the first, or essentially the first
sovereign of united Germany, Charlemagne's posterity to the last bastard having died out, and only
Anarchy, Italian and other, being now the alternative.
"A very high King," says one whose Notebooks I have got, "an authentically noble human figure, visible
still in clear outline in the gray dawn of Modern History. The Father of whatever good has since been in
Germany. He subdued his DUKES, Schwaben, Baiern (Swabia, Bavaria) and others, who were getting too
HEREDITARY, and inclined to disobedience. He managed to get back Lorraine; made TRUCE with the
Hungarians, who were excessively invasive at that time. Truce with the Hungarians; and then, having
gathered strength, made dreadful beating of them; two beatings, one to each half, for the invasive Savagery
had split itself, for better chance of plunder; first beating was at Sondershausen, second was at Merseburg,
Year 933;which settled them considerably. Another beating from Henry's son, and they never came back.
Beat Wends, before this,'Brannibor through frozen bogs' five years ago. Beat, Sclavic Meisseners
(Misnians); Bohehemian Czechs, and took Prag; Wends again, with huge slaughter; then Danes, and made
'King Worm tributary' (King Gorm the Hard, our KNUT'S or Canute's great grandfather, Year 931);last
of all, those invasive Hungarians as above. Had sent the Hungarians, when they demanded tribute or
BLACKMAIL of him as heretofore, Truce being now out,a mangy hound: There is your blackmail,
Sirs; make much of that!
"He had 'the image of St. Michael painted on his standard;' contrary to wont. He makes, or REmakes,
Markgrafs (Wardens of the Marches), to be under his Dukes,and not too HEREDITARY. Who his
Markgraves were? Dim History counts them to the number of six; [Kohler, ReichHistorie, p. 66. This is by
no means Kohler's chief Book; but this too is good, and does, in a solid effective way, what it attempts. He
seems to me by far the best Historical Genius the Germans have yet, produced, though I do not find much
mention of him in their Literary Histories and Catalogues. A man of ample learning, and also of strong
cheerful human sense and human honesty; whom it is thricepleasant, to meet with in those ghastly solitudes,
populous chiefly with doleful creatures.] which take in their order: "1. SLESWIG, looking over into the
Scandinavian countries, and the Norse Seakings. This Markgraviate did not last long under that title. I
guess, it, became StadeandDitmarsch afterwards. "2. SOLTWEDEL,which grows to be Markgraviate
of BRANDENBURG by and by. Soltwedel, now called Salzwedel, an old Town still extant, sixty miles to
west and north of Brandenburg, short way south of the Elbe, was as yet headquarters of this second Markgraf;
and any Warden we have at Brandenburg is only a deputy of him or some other. "3. MEISSEN (which we
call Misnia), a country at that time still full of Wends. "4. LAUSITZ, also a very Wendish country (called in
English maps LUSATIA,which is its name in MonkLatin, not now a spoken language). Did not long
continue a Markgraviate; fell to Meissen (Saxony), fell to Brandenburg, Bohemia, Austria, and had many tos
and fros. Is now (since the ThirtyYearsWar time) mostly Saxon again. "5. AUSTRIA (OEsterreich,
EasternKingdom, EASTERNREY as we might say); to look after the Hungarians, and their valuable claims
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Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER. 31
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to blackmail. "6. ANTWERP ('AttheWharf,' 'Ont'Wharf,' so to speak), against the French; which
function soon fell obsolete.
"These were Henry's six Markgraviates (as my best authority enumerates them); and in this way he had
militia captains ranked all round his borders, against the intrusive Sclavic element. @@@@ "He fortified
Towns; all Towns are to be walled and warded,to be BURGS in fact; and the inhabitants BURGhers, or
men capable of defending Burgs. Everywhere the ninth man is to serve as soldier in his Town; other eight in
the country are to feed and support him: Heergeruthe (Wartackle, what is called HERIOT in our old Books)
descends to the eldest son of a fighting man who had served, as with us. 'All robbers are made soldiers'
(unless they prefer hanging); and WEAPONSHOWS and drill are kept up. This is a man who will make
some impression upon Anarchy, and its Wends and Huns. His standard was St. Michael, as we have
seen,WHOSE sword is derived from a very high quarter! A pious man;founded Quedlinburg Abbey,
and much else in that kind, having a pious Wife withal, Mechtildis, who took the main hand in that of
Quedlinburg; whose LIFE is in Leibnitz, [Leibnitz, Scriptores Rerum Brunswicensium, (Hanover, 1707), i.
196.] not the legiblest of Books.On the whole, a right gallant King and 'Fowler.' Died, A.D. 936 (at
Memmleben, a Monastery on the Unstrut, not far from Schulpforte), age sixty; had reigned only seventeen
years, and done so much. Lies buried in Quedlinburg Abbey:any Tomb? I know no LIFE of him but
GUNDLING'S, which is an extremely inextricable Piece, and requires mainly to be forgotten.Hail, brave
Henry: across the Nine dim Centuries, we salute thee, still visible as a valiant Son of Cosmos and Son of
Heaven, beneficently sent us; as a man who did in grim earnest 'serve God' in his day, and whose works
accordingly bear fruit to our day, and to all days!"
So far my rough Notebooks; which require again to be shut for the present, not to abuse the reader's
patience, or lead him from his road.
This of Markgrafs (GRAFS of the Marches, MARKED Places, or Boundaries) was a natural invention in that
state of circumstances. It did not quite originate with Henry; but was much perfected by him, he first
recognizing how essential it was. On all frontiers he had his GRAF (Count, REEVE, G'REEVE, whom some
think to be only GRAU, Gray, or SENIOR, the hardiest, wisest steelGRAY man he could discover)
stationed on the MARCK, strenuously doing watch and ward there: the post of difficulty, of peril, and
naturally of honor too, nothing of a sinecure by any means. Which post, like every other, always had a
tendency to become hereditary, if the kindred did not fail in fit men. And hence have come the innumerable
Markgraves, Marquises, and such like, of modern times: titles now become chimerical, and more or less
mendacious, as most of our titles are,like so many BURGS changed into "Boroughs," and even into
"Rotten Boroughs," with Defensive BURGhers of the known sort: very mournful to discover. Once Norroy
was not all pasteboard! At the heart of that huge whirlwind of his, with its dusty heraldries, and phantasmal
nomenclatures now become mendacious, there lay, at first, always an earnest human fact. Henry the Fowler
was so happy as to have the fact without any mixture of mendacity: we are in the sad reverse case; reverse
case not yet altogether COMPLETE, but daily becoming so,one of the saddest and strangest ever heard of,
if we thought of it!But to go on with business.
Markgraviates there continued to be ever after,Six in Henry's time:but as to the number, place,
arrangement of them, all this varied according to circumstances outward and inward, chiefly according to the
regress or the reintrusion of the circumambient hostile populations; and underwent many changes. The
seawall you build, and what main floodgates you establish in it, will depend on the state of the outer sea.
Markgraf of SLESWIG grows into Markgraf of DITMARSCH and STADE; retiring over the Elbe, if Norse
Piracy get very triumphant. ANTWERP falls obsolete; so does MEISSEN by and by. LAUSITZ and
SALZWEDEL, in the third century hence, shrink both into BRANDENBURG; which was long only a
subaltern station, managed by deputy from one or other of these. A Markgraf that prospered in repelling of
his Wends and Huns had evidently room to spread himself, and could become veiy great, and produce change
in boundaries: observe what OESTERREICH (Austria) grew to, and what BRANDENBURG; MEISSEN too,
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Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER. 32
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which became modern Saxony, a state once greater than it now is.
In old Books are Lists of the primitive Markgraves of Brandenburg, from Henry's time downward; two sets,
"Markgraves of the Witekind race," and of another: [Hubner, Genealogische Tabellen (Leipzig, 17251728),
i. 172, 173. A Book of rare excellence in its kind.] but they are altogether uncertain, a shadowy intermittent
set of Markgraves, both the Witekind set and the NonWitekind; and truly, for a couple of centuries, seem
none of them to have been other than subaltern Deputies, belonging mostly to LAUSITZ or SALZWEDEL;
of whom therefore we can say nothing here, but must leave the first two hundred years in their natural gray
state,perhaps sufficiently conceivable by the reader.
But thus, at any rate, was Brandenburg (BOT or Burg of the BRENNS, whatever these are) first discovered to
Christendom, and added to the firm land of articulate History: a feat worth putting on record. Done by Henry
the Fowler, in the Year of Grace 928,while (among other things noticeable in this world) our Knut's great
grandfather, GORMO DURUS, "Henry's Tributary," was still King of Denmark; when Harald BLUETOOTH
(Blaatand) was still a young fellow, with his teeth of the natural color; and Swen with the Forked Beard
(TVAESKAEG, Doublebeard, "TWASHAG") was not born; and the Monks of Ely had not yet (by about a
hundred years) begun that singing, [Without note or comment, in the old, BOOK OF ELY date before the
Conquest) is preserved this stave;giving picture, if we consider it, of the Fen Country all a lake (as it was
for half the year, till drained, six centuries after), with Ely Monastery rising like an island in the distance; and
the music of its nones or vespers sounding soft and far over the solitude, eight hundred years ago and more.
Merie sungen the Muneches binnen Ely Tha Cnut ching rew therby: Roweth enites near the lant, And here we
thes Muneches saeng.
Merry (genially) sang the Monks in Ely As Knut King rowed (rew) thereby: Row, fellows (knights), near the
land, And hear we these Monks's song. See Bentham's History of Ely (Cambridge, 1771), p, 94.] nor the tide
that refusal to retire, on behalf of this Knut, in our English part of his dominions.
That Henry appointed due Wardenship in Brannibor was in the common course. Sure enough, some Markgraf
must take charge of Brannibor, he of the Lausitz eastward, for example, or he of Salzwedel
westward:that Brannibor, in time, will itself be found the fit place, and have its own Markgraf of
Brandenburg; this, and what in the next nine centuries Brandenburg will grow to, Henry is far from
surmising. Brandenburg is fairly captured across the frozen bogs, and has got a warden and ninthman
garrison settled in it: Brandenburg, like other things, will grow to what it can.
Henry's son and successor, if not himself, is reckoned to have founded the Cathedral and Bishopric of
Brandenburg,his Clergy and he always longing much for the conversion of these Wends and Huns; which
indeed was, as the like still is, the one thing needful to rugged heathens of that kind.
Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT.
Five hundred miles, and more, to the east of Brandenburg, lies a Country then as now called PREUSSEN
(Prussia Proper), inhabited by Heathens, where also endeavors at conversion aregoing on, though without
success hitherto. Upon which we are now called to cast a glance.
It is a moory flat country, full of lakes and woods, like Brandenburg; spreading out into grassy expanses, and
bosky wildernesses humming with bees; plenty of bog in it, but plenty also of alluvial mud; sand too, but by
no means so high a ratio of it as in Brandenburg; tracts of Preussen are luxuriantly grassy, frugiferous, apt for
the plough; and the soil generally is reckoned fertile, though lying so far northward. Part of the great plain or
flat which stretches, sloping insensibly, continuously, in vast expanse, from the Silesian Mountains to the
amberregions of the Baltic; Preussen is the seaward, more alluvial part of this,extending west and east, on
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Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT. 33
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both sides of the Weichsel (VISTULA), from the regions of the Oder river to the main stream of the Memel.
BORDERINGONRUSSIA its name signifies: BORRUSSIA, B'russia, Prussia; or some say it was
only on a certain inconsiderable river in those parts, river REUSSEN, that it "bordered" and not on the great
Country, or any part of it, which now in our days is conspicuously its next neighbor. Who knows?
In Henry the Fowler's time, and long afterwards, Preussen was a vehemently Heathen country; the natives a
Miscellany of rough Serbic Wends, Letts, Swedish Goths, or Dryasdust knows not what; very probably a
sprinkling of Swedish Goths, from old time, chiefly along the coasts. Dryasdust khows only that these
PREUSSEN were a strongboned, iracund herdsmanandfisher people; highly averse to be interfered with,
in their religion especially. Famous otherwise, through all the centuries, for the AMBER they had been used
to fish, and sell in foreign parts.
Amber, science declares, is a kind of petrified resin, distilled by pines that were dead before the days of
Adam; which is now thrown up, in stormy weather, on that remote coast, and is there fished out by the
amphibious people,who can likewise get it by running mineshafts into the sandhills on their coast;by
whom it is sold into the uttermost parts of the Earth, Arabia and beyond, from a very early period of time. No
doubt Pytheas had his eye upon this valuable product, when he ventured into survey of those
regions,which are still the great mother of amber in our world. By their amberfishery, with the aid of
dairyproduce and plenty of beef and leather, these Heathen Preussen, of uncertain miscellaneous breed,
contrived to support existence in a substantial manner; they figure to us as an inarticulate, heavy footed,
rather iracund people. Their knowledge of Christianity was trifling, their aversion to knowing anything of it
was great.
As Poland, and the neighbors to the south, were already Christian, and even the Bohemian Czechs were
mostly Converted, pious wishes as to Preussen, we may fancy, were a constant feeling: but no effort hitherto,
if efforts were made, had come to anything. Let some daring missionary go to preach in that country, his
reception is of the worst, or perhaps he is met ou the frontier with menaces, and forbidden to preach at all;
except sorrow and lost labor, nothing has yet proved attainable. It was very dangerous to go;and with what
likelihood of speeding? Efforts, we may suppose, are rare; but the pious wish being continual and universal,
efforts can never altogether cease. From Henry the Fowler's capture of Brannibor, count seventy years, we
find Henry's greatgrandson reigning as Elective Kaiser,Otto III., last of the direct "Saxon Kaisers," Otto
Wonder of the World;and alongside of Otto's great transactions, which were onoe called MIRABILIA
MUNDI and are now fallen so extinct, there is the following small transaction, a new attempt to preach in
Preussen, going on, which, contrariwise, is still worth taking notice of.
About the year 997 or 996, Adalbert, Bishop of Prag, a very zealous, most devout man, but evidently of hot
temper, and liable to get into quarrels, had determined, after many painful experiences of the perverse
ungovernable nature of corrupt mankind, to give up his nominally Christian flock altogether; to shake the
dust off his feet against Prag, and devote himself to converting those Prussian Heathen, who, across the
frontiers, were living in such savagery, and express bondage to the Devil, worshipping mere stocks and
stones. In this enterprise he was encouraged by the Christian potentates who lay contiguous; especially by the
Duke of Poland, to whom such nextneighbors, for all reasons, were an eyesorrow.
Adalbert went, accordingly, with staff and scrip, two monks attending him, into that dangerous country: not
in fear, he; a devout hightempered man, verging now on fifty, his hair getting gray, and face marred with
innumerable troubles and provocations of past time. He preached zealously, almost fiercely,though chiefly
with his eyes and gestures, I should think, having no command of the language. At Dantzig, among the
SwedishGoth kind of Heathen, he had some success, or affluence of attendance; not elsewhere that we hear
of. In the Pillau region, for example, where he next landed, an amphibious Heathen lout hit him heavily
across the shoulders with the flat of his oar; sent the poor Preacher to the ground, face foremost, and suddenly
ended his salutary discourse for that time. However, he pressed forward, regardless of results, preaching the
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Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT. 34
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Evangel to all creatures who were willing or unwilling;and pressed at last into the Sacred Circuit, the
ROMOVA, or Place of Oaktrees, and of Wooden or Stone Idols (Bangputtis, Patkullos, and I know not
what diabolic dumb Blocks), which it was death to enter. The Heathen Priests, as we may conceive it, rushed
out; beckoned him, with loud unintelligible bullyings and fierce gestures, to begone; hustled, shook him,
shoved him, as he did not go; then took to confused striking, struck finally a deathstroke on the head of poor
Adalbert: so that "he stretched out both his arms ('Jesus, receive me thou!') and fell with his face to the
ground, and lay dead there,in the form of a crucifix," say his Biographers: only the attendant monks
escaping to tell.
Attendant monks, or Adalbert, had known nothing of their being on forbidden ground. Their accounts of the
phenomenon accordingly leave it only half explained: How he was surprised by armed Heathen
Devil'sservants in his sleep; was violently set upon, and his "beautiful bowels ( pulchra viscera ) were run
through with seven spears:" but this of the ROMOVA, or Sacred Bangputtis Church of Oaktrees, perhaps
chief ROMOVA of the Country, rashly intruded into, with consequent strokes, and fall in the form of a
crucifix, appears now to be the intelligible account. [Baillet, Vies des Saints (Paris, 1739), iii. 722. Bollandus,
Acta Sanetorum, Aprilis tom. iii (DIE 23; in Edition venetiis, 1738), pp. 174205. Voigt, Geschichte
Preussens (Konigsberg, 18271839), i. 266270.] We will take it for the real manner of Adalbert's exit;no
doubt of the essential transaction, or that it was a very flaming one on both sides. The date given is 23d April,
997; date famous in the Romish Calendar since.
He was a Czech by birth, son of a Heathen Bohemian man of rank: his name (Adalbert, A'lbert,
BRIGHTinNobleness) he got "at Magdeburg, whither he had gone to study" and seek baptism; where, as
generally elsewhere, his fervent devout ways were admirable to his fellowcreatures. A "man of genius," we
may well say: one of Heaven's bright souls, born into the muddy darkness of this world;laid hold of by a
transcendent Message, in the due transcendent degree. He entered Prag, as Bishop, not in a carriage and six,
but "walking barefoot;" his contempt for earthly shadows being always extreme. Accordingly, his quarrels
with the SOECULUM were constant and endless; his wanderings up and down, and vehement arguings, in
this world, to little visible effect, lasted all his days. We can perceive he was shorttempered, thin of skin: a
violently sensitive man. For example, once in the Bohemian solitudes, on a summer afternoon, in one of his
thousandfold pilgrimings and wayfarings, he had lain down to rest, his one or two monks and he, in some
still glade, "with a stone for his pillow" (as was always his custom even in Prag), and had fallen sound asleep.
A Bohemian shepherd chanced to pass that way, warbling something on his pipe, as he wended towards
looking after his flock. Seeing the sleepers on their stone pillows, the thoughtless Czech mischievously blew
louder,started Adalbert broad awake upon him; who, in the fury of the first moment, shrieked: "Deafness
on thee! Man cruel to the human sense of hearing!" or words to that effect. Which curse, like the most of
Adalbert's, was punctually fulfilled: the amazed Czech stood deaf as a post, and went about so all his days
after; nay, for long centuries (perhaps down to the present time, in remote parts), no Czech blows into his
pipe in the woodlands, without certain precautions, and preliminary fuglings of a devotional nature.
[Bollandus, ubi supra.]From which miracle, as indeed from many other indications, I infer an irritable
nervoussystem in poor Adalbert; and find this death in the Romova was probably a furious mixture of Earth
and Heaven.
At all events, he lies there, beautiful though bloody, "in the form of a crucifix;" zealous Adalbert, the hot
spirit of him now at last cold;and has clapt his mark upon the Heathen country, protesting to the last. This
was in the year 997, think the best @@@@@ Antiquaries. It happened at a place called FISCHHAUSEN,
near Pillau, say they; on that, narrow strip of country which lies between the Baltic aad the Frische Haf
(immense Lake, WASH, as we should say, or leakage of shallow water, one of two such, which the Baltic has
spilt out of it in that quarter),near the Fort and Haven of Pillau; where there has been much stir since;
where Napoleon, for one thing, had some tough fighting, prior to the Treaty of Tilsit, fifty years ago. The
placeor if not this place, then Gnesen in Poland, the final burialplace of Adalbert, which is better
knownhas ever since had a kind of sacredness; better or worse expressed by mankind: in the form of
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Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT. 35
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canonization, endless pilgrimages, rumored miracles, and such like. For shortly afterwards, the neighboring
Potentate, Boleslaus Duke of Poland, heartstruck at the event, drew sword on these Heathens, and having (if
I remember) gained some victory, bargained to have the Body of Adalbert delivered to him at its weight in
gold. Body, all cut in pieces, and nailed to poles, had long ignominiously withered in the wind; perhaps it was
now only buried overnight for the nonce? Being dug up, or being cut down, and put into the balance, it
weighedless than was expected. It was as light as gossamer, said pious rumor, Had such an excellent odor
too;and came for a mere nothing of gold! This was Adalbert's first miracle after death; in life he had done
many hundreds of them, and has done millions since,chiefly upon paralytic nervoussystems, and the
element of pious rumor;which any Devil'sAdvocate then extant may explain if he can! Kaiser Otto,
Wonder of the World, who had known St. Adalbert in life, and much honored him, "made a pilgrimage to his
tomb at Gnesen in the year 1000;"and knelt there, we may believe, with thoughts wondrous enough, great
and sad enough.
There is no hope of converting Preussen, then? It will never leave off its dire worship of Satan, then? Say not,
Never; that is a weak word. St. Adalbert has stamped his life upon it, in the form of a crucifix, in lasting
protest against that.
Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG.
Meanwhile our first enigmatic set of Markgraves, or Deputy Markgraves, at Brandenburg, are likewise
faring ill. Whoever these valiant steelgray gentlemen might be (which Dryasdust does not the least know,
and only makes you more uncertain the more he pretends to tell), one thing is very evident, they had no
peaceable possession of the place, nor for above a hundred years, a constant one on any terms. The Wends
were highly disinclined to conversion and obedience: once and again, and still again, they burst up; got
temporary hold of Brandenburg, hoping to keep it; and did frightful heterodoxies there. So that to our
distressed imagination those poor "Markgraves of Witekind descent," our first set in Brandenburg, become
altogether shadowy, intermittent, enigmatic, painfully actual as they once were. Take one instance, omitting
others; which happily proves to be the finish of that first shadowy line, and introduces us to a new set very
slightly more substantial.
END OF THE FIRST SHADOWY LINE.
In the year 1023, near a century after Henry the Fowler's feat, the Wends bursting up in neverimagined fury,
get hold of Brandenburg again,for the third and, one would fain hope, the last time. The reason was, words
spoken by the then Markgraf of Brandenburg, Dietrich or Theodoric, last of the Witekind Markgraves; who
hearing that a Cousin of his (Markgraf or Deputy Markgraf like himself) was about wedding his daughter to
"Mistevoi King of the Wends," said too earnestly: "Don't! Will you give your daughter to a dog?" Word
"dog" was used, says my authority. [See Michaelis Chur und Furstlichen Hauser, i. 257259: Pauli,
Allgemeine Preussische Staats Geschichte (Halle, 17601769), i. l182 (the "standard work" on Prussian
History; in eight watery quartos, intolerable to human nature): Kloss, Vuterlandische Gemalde (Berlin, 1833),
i. 59108 (a Bookseller's compilation, with some curious Excerpts):under which lie modern Sagittarius,
ancient Adam of Bremen, Ditmarus Merseburgensis, Witichindus Corbeiensis, Arnoldus Lubecensis, to all
lengths and breadths.] Which threw King Mistevoi into a paroxysm, and raised the Wends. Their butchery of
the German population in poor Brandenburg, especially of the Priests; their burning of the Cathedral, and of
Church and State generally, may be conceived. The HARLUNGSBERG,in our time MARIENBERG,
pleasant Hill near Brandenburg, with its gardens, vines, and whitened cottages:on the top of this
Harlungsherg the Wends "set up their god Triglaph;" a threeheaded Monster of which I have seen prints,
beyond measure ugly. Something like three whale'scubs combined by boiling, or a triple porpoise dead
drunk (for the dull eyes are inexpressible, as well as the amorphous shape): ugliest and stupidest of all false
gods. This these victorious Wends set up on the Harlungsberg, Year 1023; and worshipped after their sort,
benighted mortals,with joy, for a time. The Cathedral was in ashes, Priests all slain or fled, shadowy
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Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG. 36
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Markgraves the like; Church and State lay in ashes; and Triglaph, like a Triple Porpoise under the influence
of laudanum, stood (I know not whether on his head or on his tail) aloft on the Harlungsberg, as the Supreme
of this Universe, for the time being.
SECOND SHADOWY LINE.
Whereupon the DITMARSCHSTADE Markgrafs (as some designate them) had to interfere, these shadowy
Deputies of the Witekind breed having vanished in that manner. The Ditmarschers recovered the place; and
with some fighting, did in the main at least keep Triglaph and the Wends out of it in time coming. The Wends
were fiercely troublesome, and fought much; but I think they never actually got hold of Brandenburg again.
They were beginning to get notions of conversion: well preached to and well beaten upon, you cannot hold
out forever. Even Mistevoi at one time professed tendencies to Christianity; perhaps partly for his Bride's
sake, the dog, we may call him, in a milder sense! But he relapsed dreadfully, after that insult; and his son
worse. On the other hand, Mistevoi's grandson was so zealous he went about with the Missionary Preachers,
and interpreted their German into Wendish: "Oh, my poor Wends, will you hear, then, will you understand?
This solid Earth is but a shadow: Heaven forever or else Hell forever, that is the reality!" SUCH "difference
between right and wrong" no Wend had heard of before: quite tremendously "important if true!"And
doubtless it impressed many. There are heavy Ditmarsch strokes for the unimpressible. By degrees all got
converted, though many were killed first; and, one way or other, the Wends are preparing to efface
themselves as a distinct people.
This STADEANDDITMARSCH family (of Anglish or Saxon breed, if that is an advantage) seem
generally to have furnished the SALZWEDEL Office as well, of which Brandenburg was an offshoot, done
by deputy, usually also of their kin. They lasted in Brandenburg rather more than a hundred years;with
little or no BookHistory that is good to read; their History inarticulate rather, and stamped beneficently on
the face of things. Otto is a common name among them. One of their sisters, too, Adelheid (Adelaide,
NOBLENESS) had a strange adventure with "Ludwig the Springer:" romantic mythic man, famous in the
German world, over whom my readers and I must not pause at this time.
In Salzwedel, in Ditmarsch, or wherever stationed, they had a toilsome fighting life: sore difficulties with
their DITMARSCHERS too, with the plundering Danish populations; Markgraf after Markgraf getting killed
in the business. "ERSCHLAGEN, slain fighting with the Heathen," say the old Books, and pass on to
another. Of all which there is now silence forever. So many years men fought and planned and struggled
there, all forgotten now except by the gods; and silently gave away their life, before those countries could
become fencible and habitable! Nay, my friend, it is our lot too: and if we would win honor in this Universe,
the rumor of Histories and Morning Newspapers,which have to become wholly zero, one day, and fall
dumb as stones, and which were not perhaps very wise even while speaking,will help us little!
SUBSTANTIAL MARKGRAVES: GLIMPSE OF THE CONTEMPORARY KAISERS.
The DitmarschStade kindred, much slain in battle with the Heathen, and otherwise beaten upon, died out,
about the year 1l30 (earlier perhaps, perhaps later, for all is shadowy still); and were succeeded in the
Salzwedel part of their function by a kindred called "of Ascanien and Ballenstadt;" the ASCANIER or
ANALT Markgraves; whose History, and that of Brandenburg, becomes henceforth articulate to us; a History
not doubtful or shadowy any longer; but ascertainable, if reckoned worth ascertaining. Who succeeded in
Ditmarsch, let us by no means inquire. The Empire itself was in some disorder at this time, more abstruse of
aspect than usual; and these Northern Markgrafs, already become important people, and deep in general
politics, had their own share in the confusion that was going.
It was about this same time that a second line of Kaisers had died out: the FRANKISH or SALIC line, who
had succeeded to the SAXON, of Henry the Fowler's blood. For the Empire too, though elective, had always
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Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG. 37
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a tendency to become hereditary, and go in lines: if the last Kaiser left a son not unfit, who so likely as the
son? But he needed to be fit, otherwise it would not answer,otherwise it might be worse for him! There
were great labors in the Empire too, as well as on the Sclavic frontier of it: brave men fighting against
anarchy (actually set in pitched fight against it, and not always strong enough),toiling sore, according to
their faculty, to pull the innumerable crooked things straight. Some agreed well with the Pope,as Henry II.,
who founded Bamberg Bishopric, and much else of the like; [Kohler, pp. 102104. See, for instance,
Description de la Table d'Aute1 en or fin, donnee a la Cathedrale de Bale, par l'Empereur Henri II. en 1019
(Porentruy, 1838).] "a sore saint for the crown," as was said of David I., his Scotch congener, by a
descendant. Others disagreed very much indeed;Henry IV.'s scene at Canossa, with Pope Hildebrand and
the pious Countess (year 1077, Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire waiting, three days, in the snow, to kiss the
foot of excommunicative Hildebrand), has impressed itself on all memories! Poor Henry rallied out of that
abasement, and dealt a stroke or two on Hildebrand; but fell still lower before long, his very Son going
against him; and came almost to actual want of bread, had not the Bishop of Liege been good to him. Nay,
after death, he lay four years waiting vainly even for burial,but indeed cared little about that.
Certainly this Son of his, Kaiser Henry V., does not shine in filial piety: but probably the poor lad himself
was hard bested. He also came to die, A.D. 1125, still little over forty, and was the last of the Frankish
Kaisers. He "left the REICHSINSIGNIEN [Crown, Sceptre and Coronation gear] to his Widow and young
Friedrich of Hohenstauffen," a sister's son of his,hoping the said Friedrich might, partly by that help,
follow as Kaiser. Which Friedrich could not do; being wheedled, both the Widow and he, out of their
insignia, under false pretences, and otherwise left in the lurch. Not Friedrich, but one Lothar, a stirring man
who had grown potent in the Saxon countries, was elected Kaiser. In the end, after waiting till Lothar was
done, Friedrich's race did succeed, and with brilliancy,Kaiser Barbarossa being that same Friedrich's son.
In regard to which dim complicacies, take this Excerpt from the imbroglio of Manuscripts, before they go
into the fire:
"By no means to be forgotten that the Widow we here speak of, Kaiser Henry V.'s Widow, who brought no
heir to Henry V., was our English Henry Beauclerc's daughter,granddaughter therefore of William
Conqueror,the same who, having (in 1127, the second year of her widowhood) married Godefroi Count of
Anjou, produced our Henry II. and our Plantagenets; and thereby, through her victorious Controversies with
King Stephen (that noble peer whose breeches stood him so cheap), became very celebrated as 'the Empress
Maud,' in our old HistoryBooks. Mathildis, Dowager of Kaiser Henry V., to whom he gave his
ReichsInsignia at dying: she is the 'Empress Maud' of English Books; and relates herself in this manner to
the Hohenstauffen Dynasty, and intricate German vicissitudes. Be thankful for any hook whatever on which
to hang half an acre of thrums in fixed position, out of your way; the smallest flintspark, in a world all black
and unrememberable, will be welcome."
And so we return to Brandenburg and the "ASCANIEN and BALLENSTADT" series of Markgraves.
Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR.
This Ascanien, happily, has nothing to do with Brute of Troy or the pious AEneas's son; it is simply the name
of a most ancient Castle (etymology unknown to me, ruins still dimly traceable) on the north slope of the
Hartz Mountains; short way from Aschersleben,the Castle and Town of Aschersleben are, so to speak, a
second edition of Ascanien. Ballenstadt is still older; Ballenstadt was of age in Charlemagne's time; and is
still a respectable little Town in that upland range of country. The kindred, called GRAFS and ultimately
HERZOGS (Dukes) of "Ascanien and Ballenstadt," are very famous in old German History, especially down
from this date. Some reckon that they had intermittently been Markgrafs, in their region, long before this;
which is conceivable enough: at all events it is very plain they did now attain the Office in SALZWEDEL
(straightway shifting it to Brandenburg); and held it continuously, it and much else that lay adjacent, for
centuries, in a highly conspicuous manner.
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Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR. 38
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In Brandenburg they lasted for about two hundred years; in their Saxon dignities, the younger branch of them
did not die out (and give place to the Wettins that now are) for five hundred. Nay they have still their
representatives on the Earth: Leopold of Anhalt Dessau, celebrated "Old Dessauer," come of the junior
branches, is lineal head of the kin in Friedrich Wilhelm's time (while our little Fritzchen lies asleep in his
cradle at Berlin); and a certain Prince of AnhaltZerbst, Colonel in the Prussian Army, authentic PRINCE,
but with purse much shorter than pedigree, will have a Daughter by and by, who will go to Russia, and
become almost too conspicuous, as Catharine II., there!
"Brandenburg now as afterwards," says one of my old Papers, "was officially reckoned SAXON; part of the
big Duchy of Saxony; where certain famed BILLUNGS, lineage of an old 'Count Billung' (connected or not
with BILLINGSgate in our country, I do not know) had long borne sway. Of which big old Billungs I will
say nothing at all;this only, that they died out; and a certain Albert, 'Count of Ascanien and Ballenstadt'
(say, of ANHALT, in modern terms), whose mother was one of their daughters, came in for the northern part
of their inheritance. He made a clutch at the Southern too, but did not long retain that. Being a man very swift
and very sharp, at once nimble and strong, in the huge scramble that there then was,Uncle Billung dead
without heirs, a SALIC line of emperors going or gone out, and a HOHENSTAUFFEN not yet come in,he
made a rich game of it for himself; the rather as Lothar, the intermediate Kaiser, was his cousin, and there
were other good cards which he played well.
"This is he they call 'Albert the Bear ( Albrecht der Bar );' first of the ASCANIEN Markgraves of
Brandenburg; first wholly definite MARKGRAF OF BRANDENBURG that there is; once a very shining
figure in the world, though now fallen dim enough again. It is evident he had a quick eye, as well as a strong
hand; and could pick what way was straightest among crooked things. He got the Northern part of what is
still called Saxony, and kept it in his family; got the Brandenburg Countries withal, got the Lausitz; was the
shining figure and great man of the North in his day. The Markgrafdom of SALZWEDEL (which soon
became of BRANDENBURG) he very naturally acquired (A.D. 1142 or earlier); very naturally, considering
what Saxon and other honors and possessions he had already got hold of."
We can only say, it was the luckiest of events for Brandenburg, and the beginning of all the better destinies it
has had. A conspicuous Country ever since in the world, and which grows ever more so in our late times.
He had many wars; inextricable coil of claimings, quarrellings and agreeings: fought much,fought in Italy,
too, "against the Pagans" (Saracens, that is). Cousin to one Kaiser, the Lothar above named; then a chief stay
of the Hohenstauffen, of the two Hohenstauffens who followed: a restless, muchmanaging, wide warring
man. He stood true by the great Barbarossa, second of the Hohenstauffen, greatest of all the Kaisers; which
was a luck for him, and perhaps a merit. He kept well with three Kaisers in his time. Had great quarrels with
"Henry the Lion" about that "Billung" Saxon Heritage; Henry carrying off the better part of it from Albert.
Except that same Henry, head of the Guelphs or Welfs, who had not Albert's talent, though wider lands than
Albert, there was no German prince so important in that time.
He transferred the Markgrafdom to BRANDENBURG, probably as more central in his wide lands;
SALZWEDEL is henceforth the led Markgrafdom or MARCK, and soon falls out of notice in the world.
Salzwedel is called henceforth ever since the "Old Marck ( Alte Marck, Altmarck );" the Brandenburg
countries getting the name of "New Marck." Modern NEUMARK, modern "Middle Marck" (in which
stands Brandenburg itself in our time), "UCKER Marck" (OUTSIDE Marck,word UCKER is still seen in
UKRAINE, for instance): these are posterior Divisions, fallen upon as Brandenburg (under Albert chiefly)
enlarged itself, and needed new Official parcellings into departments.
Under Albert the Markgrafdom had risen to be an ELECTORATE withal. The Markgraf of Brandenburg was
now furthermore the KURFURST of Brandenburg; officially "Archtreasurer of the Holy Roman Empire;
"and one of the Seven who have a right (which became about this time an exclusive one for those Seven) to
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Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR. 39
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choose, to KIEREN the Romish Kaiser; and who are therefore called KUR Princes, KURFURSTE or
Electors, as the highest dignity except the Kaiser's own. In reference to which abstruse matter, likely to
concern us somewhat, will the uninstructed English reader consent to the following Excerpt, slightly
elucidatory of KURFURSTS and their function?
"FURST (Prince) I suppose is equivalent originally to our noun of number, First. The old verb KIEREN
(participle ERKOREN still in use, not to mention 'ValKYR' and other instances) is essentially the same
word as our CHOOSE, being written KIESEN as well as KIEREN. Nay, say the etymologists, it is also
written KUSSEN (to KISS,to CHOOSE with such emphasis!), and is not likely to fall obsolete in that
form.The other Six Electoral Dignitaries who grew to Eight by degrees, and may be worth noting once by
the readers of this Book; are:
"1. Three Ecclesiastical, MAINZ, COLN, TRIER (Mentz, Cologne, Treves), Archbishops all, with
sovereignty and territory more or less considerable;who used to be elected as Popes are, theoretically by
their respective Chapters and the Heavenly Inspirations, but practically by the intrigues and pressures of the
neighboring Potentates, especially France and Austria.
"2. Three Secular, SACHSEN, PFALZ, BOHMEN (Saxony, Palatinate, Bohemia); of which the last,
BOHMEN, since it fell from being a Kingdom in itself, to being a Province of Austria, is not very vocal in
the Diets. These Six, with Brandenburg, are the Seven Kurfursts in old time; SEPTEMVIRS of the Country,
so to speak.
"But now PFALZ, in the ThirtyYears War (under our Prince Rupert's Father, whom the Germans call the
`WinterKing'), got abrogated, put to the ban, so far as an indignant Kaiser could; and the vote and KUR of
Pfalz was given to his Cousin of BAIERN (Bavaria), so far as an indignant Kaiser could. However, at the
Peace of Westphalia (1648) it was found incompetent to any Kaiser to abrogate PFULZ or the like of Pfalz, a
Kurfurst of the Empire. So, after jargon inconceivable, it was settled, That PFALZ must be reinstated, though
with territories much clipped, and at the bottom of the list, not the top as formerly; and that BAIERN, who
could not stand to be balked after twenty years' possession, must be made EIGHTH Elector. The NINTH, we
saw (Year 1692), was Gentleman Ernst of HANOVER. There never was any Tenth; and the Holy
ROMISCHE REICH, which was a grand object once, but had gone about in a superannuated and plainly
crazy state for some centuries back, was at last put out of pain, by Napoleon, '6th August, 1806,' and allowed
to cease from this world." [Ms. penes me. ]
None of Albert's wars are so comfortable to reflect on as those he had with the anarchic Wends; whom he
now fairly beat to powder, and either swept away, or else damped down into Christianity and keeping of the
peace. Swept them away otherwise; "peopling their lands extensively with Colonists from Holland, whom an
inroad of the sea had rendered homeless there." Which surely was a useful exchange. Nothing better is known
to me of Albert the Bear than this his introducing large numbers of Dutch Netherlanders into those countries;
men thrown out of work, who already knew how to deal with bog and sand, by mixing and delving, and who
first taught Brandenburg what greenness and cowpasture was. The Wends, in presence of such things, could
not but consent more and more to efface themselves,either to become German, and grow milk and cheese
in the Dutch manner, or to disappear from the world.
The Wendish Princes had a taste for German wives; in which just taste the Albert genealogy was extremely
willing to indulge them. Affinities produce inheritances; by proper marriagecontracts you can settle on what
side the most contingent inheritance shall at length fall. Dim but pretty certain lies a time coming when the
Wendish Princes also shall have effaced themselves; and all shall be GermanBrandenburgish, not Wendish
any more.The actual Inhabitants of Brandenburg, therefore, are either come of Dutch Bogfarmers, or are
simple Lower SAXONS ("AngloSaxon," if you like that better), PLATTTEUTSCH of the common type;
an unexceptionable breed of people. Streaks of Wendish population, extruded gradually into the remoter
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Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR. 40
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quagmires, and more inaccessible, less valuable sedgy moors and seastrands, are scattered about;
Mecklenburg, which still subsists separately after a sort, is reckoned peculiarly Wendish. In Mecklenburg,
Pommern, Pommerellen (Little Pomerania), are still to be seen physiognomies of a Wendish or Vandalic type
(more of cheek than there ought to be, and less of brow; otherwise good enough physiognomies of their
kind): but the general mass, tempered with such admixtures, is of the PlattDeutsch, Saxon or even Anglish
character we are familiar with here at home. A patient stout people; meaning considerable things, and very
incapable of speaking what it means.
Albert was a fine tall figure himself; DER SCHONE, "Albert the Handsome," was his name as often as
"Albert the Bear." That latter epithet he got, not from his looks or qualities, but merely from his heraldic
cognizance: a Bear on his shield. As was then the mode of names; surnames being scant, and not yet fixedly
in existence. Thus too his contemporaries, Henry THE LION of Saxony and Welfdom, William THE LION
of Scotland, were not, either of them, specially leonine men: nor had the PLANTAGENETS, or Geoffrey of
Anjou, any connection with the PLANT of BROOM, except wearing a twig of it in their caps on occasion.
Men are glad to get some designation for a grand Albert they are often speaking of, which shall distinguish
him from the many small ones. Albert "the Bear, DER BAR," will do as well as another.
It was this one first that made Brandenburg peaceable and notable. We might call him the second founder of
Brandenburg; he, in the middle of the Twelfth Century, completed for it what Henry the Fowler had begun
early in the Tenth. After two hundred and fifty years of barking and worrying, the Wends are now finally
reduced to silence; their anarchy well buried, and wholesome Dutch cabbage planted over it: Albert did
several great things in the world; but, this, for posterity, remains his memorable feat. Not done quite easily;
but, done: big destinies of Nations or of Persons are not founded GRATIS in this world. He had a sore
toilsome time of it, coercing, warring, managing among his fellowcreatures, while his day's work
lasted,fifty years or so, for it began early. He died in his Castle of Ballenstadt, peaceably among the Hartz
Mountains at last, in the year 1170, age about sixtyfive. It was in the time while Thomas a Becket was
roving about the world, coming home excommunicative, and finally getting killed in Canterbury
Cathedral;while Abbot Samson, still a poor little brown Boy, came over from Norfolk, holding by his
mother's hand, to St. Edmundsbury; having seen "SANTANAS s with outspread wings" fearfully busy in this
world.
Chapter V. CONRAD OF HOHENZOLLERN; AND KAISER BARBAROSSA.
It was in those same years that a stout young fellow, Conrad by name, far off in the southern parts of
Germany, set out from the old Castle of Hohenzollern, where he was but junior, and had small outlooks, upon
a very great errand in the world. >From Hohenzollern; bound now towards Gelnhausen, Kaiserslautern, or
whatever temporary lodging the great Kaiser Barbarossa might be known to have, who was a wandering man,
his business lying everywhere over half the world, and needing the master's eye. Conrad's purpose is to find
Barbarossa, and seek fortune under him.
This is a very indisputable event of those same years. The exact date, the figure, circumstances of it were,
most likely, never written anywhere but on Conrad's own brain, and are now rubbed out forevermore; but the
event itself is certain; and of the highest concernment to this Narrative. Somewhere about the year 1170,
likeliest a few years before that, [Rentsch, Brandenburgischer CederHein (Baireuth, l682), pp.
273276.See also Johann Ulrich Pregitzern, Teutscher Regierungsund EhrenSpiegel, vorbildend des
Hauses Hohenzollern (Berlin, 1703), pp. 9093. A learned and painful Book: by a Tubingen Professor, who
is deeply read in the old Histories, and gives Portraits and other Engravings of some value.] this Conrad,
riding down from Hohenzoliern, probably with no great stock of luggage about, him,little dreams of being
connected with Brandenburg on the other side of the world; but IS unconsciously more so than any other of
the then sons of Adam. He is the lineal ancestor, twentieth in direct ascent, of the little Boy now sleeping in
his cradle at Berlin; let him wait till nineteen generations, valiantly like Conrad, have done their part, and
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gone out, Conrad will find he is come to this! A man's destiny is strange always; and never wants for
miracles, or will want, though it sometimes may for eyes to discern them.
Hohenzollern lies far south in SCHWABEN (Suabia), on the sunward slope of the RauheAlp Country; no
great way north from Constance and its Lake; but well aloft, near the springs of the Danube; its back leaning
on the Black Forest; it is perhaps definable as the southern summit of that same huge old Hercynian Wood,
which is still called the SCHWARZWALD (Black Forest), though now comparatively bare of trees. ["There
are still considerable spottings of wood (pine mainly, and 'black' enough); HOLZHANDEL (timbertrade)
still a considerable branch of business there;and on the streams of the country are cunning contrivances
noticeable, for floating down the article into the Neckar river, and thence into the Rhine and to Holland."
( Tourist's Note. )] Fanciful Dryasdust, doing a little etymology, will tell you the name ZOLLERN is
equivalent to TOLLERY or Place of Tolls. Whereby HOHENZOLLERN comes to mean the HIGH or Upper
TOLLERY; and gives one the notion of antique pedlers climbing painfully, out of Italy and the Swiss
valleys, thus far; unstrapping their packhorses here, and chaffering in unknown dialect about TOLL. Poor
souls;it may be so, but we do not know, nor shall it concern us. This only is known: That a human kindred,
probably of some talent for coercing anarchy and guiding mankind, had, centuries ago, built its BURG there,
and done that function in a small but creditable way ever since;kindred possibly enough derivable from
"Thassilo," Charlemagne, King Dagobert, and other Kings, but certainly from Adam and the Almighty
Maker, who had given it those qualities;and that Conrad, a junior member of the same, now goes forth
from it in the way we see. "Why should a young fellow that has capabilities," thought Conrad, "stay at home
in hungry idleness, with no estate but his javelin and buff jerkin, and no employment but his hawks, when
there is a wide opulent world waiting only to be conquered?" This was Conrad's thought; and it proved to be
a very just one.
It was now the flowertime of the Romish Kaisership of Germany; about the middle or noon of Barbarossa
himself, second of the Hohenstauffens, and greatest of all the Kaisers of that or any other house. Kaiser fallen
unintelligible to most modern readers, and wholly unknown, which is a pity. No King so furnished out with
apparatus and arena, with personal faculty to rule and scene to do it in, has appeared elsewhere. A
magnificent magnanimous man; holding the reins of the world, not quite in the imaginary sense; scourging
anarchy down, and urging noble effort up, really on a grand Scale. A terror to evildoers and a praise to
welldoers in this world, probably beyond what was ever seen since. Whom also we salute across the
centuries, as a choice Beneficence of Heaven. Encamped on the Plain of Roncaglia [when he entered Italy, as
he too often had occasion to do], his shield was hung out on a high mast over his tent;" and it meant in those
old days, "Ho, every one that has suffered wrong; here is a Kaiser come to judge you, as he shall answer it to
HIS Master." And men gathered round him; and actually found some justice,if they could discern it when
found. Which they could not always do; neither was the justice capable of being perfect always. A fearfully
difficult function, that of Friedrich Redbeard. But an inexorably indispensable one in this world;though
sometimes dispensed with (to the huge joy of Anarchy, which sings Hallelujah through all its Newspapers)
for a season!
Kaiser Friedrich had immense difficulties with his Popes, with his Milanese, and the like;besieged Milan
six times over, among other anarchies;had indeed a heavyladen hard time of it, his task being great and
the greatest. He made Gebhardus, the anarchic Governor of Milan, "lie chained under his table, like a dog, for
three days." For the man was in earnest, in that earnest time: and let us say, they are but paltry shammen
who are not so, in any time; paltry, and far worse than paltry, however high their plumes may be. Of whom
the sick world (Anarchy, both vocal and silent, having now swoln rather high) is everywhere getting
weary.Gebhardus, the anarchic Governor, lay three days under the Kaiser's table; as it would be well if
every anarchic Governor, of the soft type and of the hard, were made to do on occasion; asking himself, in
terrible earnest, "Am I a dog, then; alas, am not I a dog?" Those were serious old times.
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On the other hand, Kaiser Friedrich had his Tourneys, his gleams of bright joyances now and then; one great
gathering of all the chivalries at Mainz, which lasted for three weeks long, the grandest Tourney ever seen in
this world. Gelnhausen, in the Wetterau (ruin still worth seeing, on its Island in the Kinzig river), is
understood to have been one of his Houses; Kaiserslautern (Kaiser's LIMPID, from its clear springwater) in
the Pfalz (what we call PALATINATE), another. He went on the Crusade in his seventieth year; [1189, A.D.;
Saladin having, to the universal sorrow, taken Jerusalem.] thinking to himself, "Let us end with one clear act
of piety:"he cut his way through the dangerous Greek attorneyisms, through the hungry mountain passes,
furious Turk fanaticisms, like a gray old hero: "Woe is me, my son has perished, then?" said he once, tears
wetting the beard now white enough; "My son is slain!But Christ still lives; let us on, my men!" And
gained great victories, and even found his son; but never returned home;died, some unknown sudden
death, "in the river Cydnus," say the most. [Kohler (p. 188), and the Authorities cited by him. Bunau's
Deutsche Kaiserund ReichsHistorie (Leipzig, 17281743), i., is the express Book of Barbarossa: an
elaborate, instructive Volume.] Nay German Tradition thinks he is not yet dead; but only sleeping, till the bad
world reach its worst, when he will reappear. He sits within the Hill near Salzburg yonder,says German
Tradition, its fancy kindled by the strange noises in that Hill (limestone Hill) from hidden waters, and by the
grand rocky look of the place: A peasant once, stumbling into the interior, saw the Kaiser in his stone
cavern; Kaiser sat at a marble table, leaning on his elbow; winking, only half asleep; beard had grown
through the table, and streamed out on the floor; he looked at the peasant one moment; asked him something
about the time it was; then dropped his eyelids again: Not yet time, but will be soon! [Riesebeck's Travels
(English Translation, London, 1787), i. 140, Busching, VolksSagen, (Leipzig, 1820), i. 333, He is winking
as if to awake. To awake, and set his shield aloft by the Roncalic Fields again, with: Ho, every one that is
suffering wrong;or that has strayed guideless, devilward, and done wrong, which is far fataler!
CONRAD HAS BECOME BURGGRAF OF NURNBERG (A.D. 1170).
This was the Kaiser to whom Conrad addressed himself; and he did it with success; which may be taken as a
kind of testimonial to the worth of the young man. Details we have absolutely none: but there is no doubt that
Conrad recommended himself to Kaiser Redbeard, nor any that the Kaiser was a judge of men. Very earnest
to discern men's worth and capabilities; having unspeakable need of worth, instead of unworth, in those under
him! We may conclude he had found capabilities in Conrad; found that the young fellow did effective
services as the occasion rose, and knew how to work, in a swift, resolute, judicious and exact manner.
Promotion was not likely on other terms; still less, high promotion.
One thing farther is known, significant for his successes: Conrad found favor with "the Heiress of the
Vohburg Family," desirable young heiress, and got her to wife. The Vohburg Family, now much forgotten
everywhere, and never heard of in England before, had long been of supreme importance, of immense
possessions, and opulent in territories, and we need not add, in honors and offices, in those Franconian
Nurnberg regions; and was now gone to this one girl. I know not that she had much inheritance after all; the
vast Vohburg properties lapsing all to the Kaiser, when the male heirs were out. But she had pretensions, tacit
claims; in particular, the Vohburgs had long been habitual or in effect hereditary Burggrafs of Nurnberg; and
if Conrad had the talent for that office; he now, in preference to others, might have a chance for it. Sure
enough, he got it; took root in it, he and his; and, in the course of centuries, branched up from it, high and
wide, over the adjoining countries; waxing towards still higher destinies. That is the epitome of Conrad's
history; history now become very great, but then no bigger than its neighbors, and very meagrely recorded; of
which the reflective reader is to make what he can.
There is nothing clearly known of Conrad more than these three facts: That he was a cadet of Hohenzollern
(whose father's name, and some forefathers' names are definitely known in the family archives, but do not
concern us); that he married the Heiress of the Vohburgs, whose history is on record in like manner; and that
he was appointed Burggraf of Nurnberg, year not precisely known, but before 1170, as would seem. "In a
REICHSTAG (Diet of the Empire) held at Regensburg in or about 1170," he formally complains, he and
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certain others, all stanch Kaiser's friends (for in fact it was with the Kaiser's knowledge, or at his instigation),
of Henry the Lion's high procedures and malpractices; of Henry's League with the Pope, League with the
King of Denmark, and so forth; the said Henry having indeed fallen into opposition, to a dangerous
degree;and signs himself BURGGRAF OF NURNBERG, say the old Chronicles. [Rentsch, p. 276 (who
cites Aventinus, Trittheim, The old Document itself has long since perished, I conclude: but the Chronicles
may be accepted as reporters of so conspicuous a thing; which was the beginning of long strife in Germany,
and proved the ruin of Henry the Lion, supreme Welf grown overbig, and cost our English Henry II.,
whose daughter he had married, a world of trouble and expense, we may remark withal. Conrad therefore is
already Burggraf of Nurnberg, and a man of mark, in 1170: and his marriage, still more his first sally from
the paternal Castle to seek his fortune, must all be dated earlier.
More is not known of Conrad: except indeed that he did not perish in Barbarossa's grand final Crusade. For
the antiquaries have again found him signed to some contract, or otherwise insignificant document, A.D.
1200. Which is proof positive that he did not die in the Crusade; and proof probable that he was not of
it,few, hardly any, of those stalwart 150,000 champions of the Cross having ever got home again. Conrad,
by this time, might have sons come to age; fitter for arms and fatigues than he: and indeed at Nurnberg, in
Deutschland generally, as Official Prince of the Empire, and man of weight and judgment, Conrad's services
might be still more useful, and the Kaiser's interests might require him rather to stay at home in that juncture.
Burggraf of Nurnberg he continued to be; he and his descendants, first in a selective, then at length in a
directly hereditary way, century after century; and so long as that office lasted in Nurnberg (which it did there
much longer than in other Imperial FreeCities), a COMES DE ZOLRE of Conrad's producing was always
the man thenceforth.
Their acts, in that station and capacity, as Burggraves and Princes of the Empire, were once conspicuous
enough in German History; and indeed are only so dim now, because the History itself is, and was always,
dim to us on this side of the sea. They did strenuous work in their day; and occasionally towered up (though
little driven by the poor wish of "towering," or "shining" without need) into the high places of Public History.
They rest now from their labors, Conrad and his successors, in long series, in the old Monastery of
Heilsbronn (between Nurnberg and Anspach), with Tombs to many of them, which were very legible for
slight Biographic purposes in my poor friend Rentsch's time, a hundred and fifty years ago; and may perhaps
still have some quasiuse, as "sepulchral brasses," to another class of persons. One or two of those old buried
Figures, more peculiarly important for our little Friend now sleeping in his cradle yonder, we must endeavor,
as the Narrative proceeds, to resuscitate a little and render visible for moments.
OF THE HOHENZOLLERN BURGGRAVES GENERALLY.
As to the Office, it was more important than perhaps the reader imagines. We already saw Conrad first
Burggraf, among the magnates of the country, denouncing Henry the Lion. Every Burggraf of Nurnberg is, in
virtue of his ofice, "Prince of the Empire:" if a man happened to have talent of his own, and solid resources of
his own (which are always on the growing hand with this family), here is a basis from which he may go far
enough. Burggraf of Nurnberg: that means again GRAF (judge, defender, manager, G'REEVE) of the
Kaiser's BURG or Castle,in a word Kaiser's Representative and ALTER EGO,in the old Imperial
FreeTown of Nurnberg; with much adjacent very complex territory, also, to administer for the Kaiser. A
flourishing extensive City, this old Nurnberg, with valuable adjacent territory, civic and imperial, intricately
intermixed; full of commercial industries, opulences, not without democratic tendencies. Nay it is almost, in
some senses, the LONDON AND MIDDLESEX of the Germany that then was, if we will consider it!
This is a place to give a man chances, and try what stuff is in him. The office involves a talent for governing,
as well as for judging; talent for fighting also, in cases of extremity, and what is still better, a talent for
avoiding to fight. None but a man of competent superior parts can do that function; I suppose, no imbecile
could have existed many months in it, in the old earnest times. Conrad and his succeeding Hohenzollerns
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proved very capable to do it, as would seem; and grew and spread in it, waxing bigger and bigger, from their
first planting there by Kaiser Barbarossa, a successful judge of men. And ever since that time, from "about
the year 1170," down to the year 1815,when so much was changed, owing to another (temporary) "Kaiser"
of new type, Napoleon his name,the Hohenzollerns have had a footing in Frankedand; and done
sovereignty in and round Nurnberg, with an enlarging Territory in that region. Territory at last of large
compass; which, under the names MARGRAFDOM OF ANSPACH, and of BAIREUTH, or in general
MARGRAFDOM OF CULMBACH, which includes both, has become familiar in History.
For the House went on steadily increasing, as it were, from the first day; the Hohenzollerns being always of a
growing, gaining nature;as men are that live conformably to the laws of this Universe, and of their place
therein; which, as will appear from good study of their old records, though idle rumor, grounded on no study,
sometimes says the contrary, these Hohenzollerns eminently were. A thrifty, steadfast, diligent,
clearsighted, stouthearted line of men; of loyal nature withal, and even to be called just and pious,
sometimes to a notable degree. Men not given to fighting, where it could be avoided; yet with a good swift
stroke in them, where it could not: princely people after their sort, with a high, not an ostentatious turn of
mind. They, for most part, go upon solid prudence; if possible, are anxious to reach the goal without treading
on any one; are peaceable, as I often say, and by no means quarrelsome, in aspect and demeanor; yet there is
generally in the Hohenzollerns a very fierce flash of anger, capable of blazing out in cases of urgency: this
latter also is one of the most constant features I have noted in the long series of them. That they grew in
Frankenland, year after year, and century after century, while it was their fortune to last, alive and active
there, is no miracle, on such terms.
Their old big Castle of Plassenburg (now a Penitentiary, with treadmill and the other furnishings) still stands
on its Height, near Culmbach, looking down over the pleasant meeting of the Red and White Mayn Rivers
and of their fruitful valleys; awakening many thoughts in the traveller. Anspach Schloss, and still more
Baireuth Schloss (Mansion, one day, of our little Wilhelmina of Berlin, Fritzkin's sister, now prattling there in
so old a way; where notabilities have been, one and another; which Jean Paul, too, saw daily in his walks,
while alive and looking skyward): these, and many other castles and things, belonging now wholly to
Bavaria, will continue memorable for Hohenzollern history.
The Family did its due share, sometimes an excessive one, in religious beneficences and foundations; which
was not quite left off in recent times, though much altering its figure. Erlangen University, for example, was
of Wilhelmina's doing. Erlangen University;and also an OperaHouse of excessive size in Baireuth. Such
was poor Wilhelmina's sad figure of "religion." In the old days, their largest bequest that I recollect was to the
TEUTSCHE RITTER, Order of Teutonic Knights, very celebrated in those days. Junior branches from
Hohenzollern, as from other families, sought a career in that chivalrous devout Brotherhood now and then;
one pious Burggraf had three sons at once in it; he, a very bequeathing Herr otherwise, settled one of his
mansions, Virnsperg, with rents and incomings, on the Order. Which accordingly had thenceforth a
COMTHUREI (Commandery) in that country; Comthurei of Virnsperg the name of it: the date of donation is
A.D. 1294; and two of the old Herr's three RITTER sons, we can remark, were successively COMTHURS
(Commanders, stewardprefects) of Virnsperg, the first two it had. [Rentsch, p.288.]
This was in 1294; the palmy period, or culmination time of the TEUTSCHES RITTERTHUM. Concerning
which, on wider accounts, we must now say a word.
Chapter VI. THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER.
Barbarossa's Army of Crusaders did not come home again, any more than Barbarossa. They were stronger
than Turk or Saracen, but not than Hunger and Disease; Leaders did not know then, as our little Friend at
Berlin came to know, that "an Army, like a serpent, goes upon its belly." After fine fighting and considerable
victories, the end of this Crusade was, it took to "besieging Acre," and in reality lay perishing as of murrain
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on the beach at Acre, without shelter, without medicine, without food. Not even Richard Coeur deLion,
and his best prowess and help, could avert such issue from it.
Richard's Crusade fell in with the fagend of Barbarossa's; and it was Richard chiefly that managed to take
Acre;at least so Richard flattered himself, when he pulled poor Leopold of Austria's standard from the
towers, and trailed it through the gutters: "Your standard? YOU have taken Acre?" Which turned out ill for
Richard afterwards. And Duke Leopold has a bad name among us in consequence; much worse than he
deserves. Leopold had stuff in him too. He died, for example, in this manner: falling with his horse, I think in
some siege or other, he had got his leg hurt; which hindered him in fighting. Leg could not be cured: "Cut it
off, then!" said Leopold. This also the leech could not do; durst not, and would not; so that Leopold was
come quite to a halt. Leopold ordered out two squires; put his thigh upon a block the sharp edge of an axe at
the right point across his thigh: "Squire first, hold you that axe; steady! Squire second, smite you on it with
forgehammer, with all your strength, heavy enough!" Squire second struck, heavy enough, and the leg flew
off; but Leopold took inflammation, died in a day or two, as the leech had predicted. That is a fact to be found
in current authors (quite exact or not quite), that surgical operation: [Mentzel, Geschichte der Deutschen
(Stuttgard and Tubingen, 1837), p. 309.] such a man cannot have his flag trailed through the gutters by any
CoeurdeLion.But we return to the beach at Acre, and the poor Crusaders, dying as of murrain there. It is
the year 1190, Acre not yet taken, nor these quarrels got to a height.
"The very Templars, Hospitallers, neglect us," murmured the dying Germans; "they have perhaps enough to
do, and more than enough, with their own countrymen, whose speech is intelligible to them? For us, it would
appear, there is no help!" Not altogether none. A company of pious soulscompassionate Lubeck
shipcaptains diligently forwarding it, and one Walpot von Bassenheim, a citizen of Bremen, taking the
leadformed themselves into a union for succor of the sick and dying; "set up canvas tents," medicinal
assuagements, from the Lubeck shipstores; and did what utmost was in them, silently in the name of Mercy
and Heaven. "This Walpot as not by birth a nobleman," says one of the old Chroniclers, "but his deeds were
noble." This pious little union proved unconsciously the beginning of a great thing. Finding its work prosper
here, and gain favor, the little union took vows on itself, strict chivalry forms, and decided to become
permanent. "Knights Hospitallers of our dear Lady of Mount Zion," that or something equivalent was their
first title, under Walpot their first GrandMaster; which soon grew to be "German Order of St. Mary"
(TEUTSCHE RITTER of the MARIEORDEN), or for shortness TEUTSCHES RITTERTHUM; under
which name it played a great part in the world for above three centuries to come, and eclipsed in importance
both the Templars and Hospitallers of St. John.
This was the era of Chivalry Orders, and GELUBDE; time for Bodies of Men uniting themselves by a Sacred
Vow, "GELUBDE"which word and thing have passed over to us in a singularly dwindled condition:
"CLUB" we now call it; and the vow, if sacred, does not aim very high! Templars and Hospitallers were
already famous bodies; the latter now almost a century old. Walpot's new GELUBDE was of similar intent,
only German in kind,the protection, defence and solacement of Pilgrims, with whatever that might involve.
HEAD OF TEUTSCH ORDER MOVES TO VENICE.
The Teutsch Ritters earned character in Palestine, and began to get bequests and recognition; but did not long
continue there, like their two rival Orders. It was not in Palestine, whether the Orders might be aware of it or
not, that their work could now lie. Pious Pilgrims certainly there still are in great numbers; to these you shall
do the sacred rites: but these, under a Saladin bound by his word, need little protection by the sword. And as
for Crusading in the armed fashion, that has fallen visibly into the decline. After Barbarossa, CoeurdeLion
and Philippe Auguste have tried it with such failure, what wise man will be in haste to try it again? Zealous
Popes continue to stir up Crusades; but the Secular Powers are not in earnest as formerly; Secular Powers,
when they do go, "take Constantinople," "conquer Sicily," never take or conquer anything in Palestine. The
Teutsch Order helps valiantly in Palestine, or would help; but what is the use of helping? The Teutsch Order
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has already possessions in Europe, by pious bequest and otherwise; all its main interests lie there; in fine,
after less than thirty years, Hermann von der Salza, a new sagacious TEUTSCHMEISTER or
HOCHMEISTER (so they call the head of the Order), fourth in the series, a farseeing, negotiating man,
finds that Venice will be a fitter place of lodging for him than Acre: and accordingly during his long
Mastership (A.D. 12101239), he is mostly to be found there, and not at Acre or Jerusalem.
He is very great with the busy Kaiser, Friedrich II., Barbarossa's grandson; who has the usual quarrels with
the Pope, and is glad of such a negotiator, statesman as well as armed monk. The usual quarrels this great
Kaiser had, all along, and some unusual. Normans ousted from Sicily, who used to be so Papal: a Kaiser NOT
gone on the Crusade, as he had vowed; Kaiser at last suspected of freethinking even:in which matters
Hermann much serves the Kaiser. Sometimes he is appointed arbiter between the Pope and Kaiser;does not
give it in the Kaiser's favor, but against him, where he thinks the Kaiser is wrong. He is reckoned the first
great Hochmeister, this Hermann von der Salza, a Thuringer by birth, who is fourth in the series of Masters:
perhaps the greatest to be found there at all, though many were considerable. It is evident that no man of his
time was busier in important public affairs, or with better acceptance, than Hermann. His Order, both Pope
and Emperor so favoring the Master of it, was in a vigorous state of growth all this while; Hermann well
proving that he could help it better at Venice than at Acre.
But if the Crusades are ended,as indeed it turned out, only one other worth speaking of, St. Louis's, having
in earnest come to effect, or rather to miserable noneffect, and that not yet for fifty years;if the Crusades
are ended, and the Teutsch Order increases always in possessions, and finds less and less work, what
probably will become of the Teutsch Order? Grow fat, become luxurious, incredulous, dissolute, insolent;
and need to be burnt out of the way? That was the course of the Templars, and their sad end. They began
poorest of the poor, "two Knights to one Horse," as their Seal bore; and they at last took FIRE on very
opposite accounts. "To carouse like a Templar:" that had become a proverb among men; that was the way to
produce combustion, "spontaneous" or other! Whereas their fellow Hospitallers of St. John, chancing upon
new work (AntiTurk garrisonduty, so we may call it, successively in Cyprus, Rhodes, Malta, for a series of
ages), and doing it well, managed to escape the like. As did the Teutsch Order in a still more conspicuous
manner.
TEUTSCH ORDER ITSELF GOES TO PREUSSEN.
Ever since St. Adalbert fell massacred in Prussia, stamping himself as a Crucifix on that Heathen soil, there
have been attempts at conversion going on by the Christian neighbors, Dukes of Poland and others:
intermittent fits of fighting and preaching for the last two hundred years, with extremely small result. Body of
St. Adalbert was got at light weight, and the poor man canonized; there is even a Titular Bishop of Prussia;
and pilgrimages wander to the Shrine of Adalbert in Poland, reminding you of Prussia in a tragic manner; but
what avails it? Missionaries, when they set foot in the country, are killed or flung out again. The Bishop of
Prussia is titular merely; lives in Liefland (LIVONIA) properly Bishop of RIGA, among the Bremen
tradingsettlers and converted Lieflanders there, which is the only safe place,if even that were safe without
aid of armed men, such as he has there even now. He keeps his SCHWERTBRUDER (Brothers of the
Sword), a small Order of Knights, recently got up by him, for express behoof of Liefland itself; and these,
fighting their best, are sometimes troublesome to the Bishop, and do not much prosper upon Heathendom, or
gain popularity and resources in the Christian world. No hope in the SCHWERTBRUDER for Prussia; and
in massacred Missionaries what hope? The Prussian population continues Heathen, untamable to Gospel and
Law; and after two centuries of effort, little or no real progress has been made.
But now, in these circumstances, in the year 1226, the Titular Bishop of Prussia, having well considered the
matter and arranged it with the Polish Authorities, opens a communication with Hermann von der Salza, at
Venice, on the subject; "Crusading is over in the East, illustrious Hochmeister; no duty for a Teutsch Order
there at present: what is the use of crusading far off in the East, when Heathenism and the Kingdom of Satan
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hangs on our own borders, close at hand, in the North? Let the Teutsch Order come to Preussen; head a
Crusade there. The land is fruitful; flows really with milk and honey, not to speak of amber, and was once
called the TERRESTRIAL PARADISE"by I forget whom. [Voigt, (if he had an Index!) knows.] In fact, it
is clear, the land should belong to Christ; and if the Christian Teutsch Ritterdom could conquer it from
Satanas for themselves, it would be well for all parties. Hermann, a man of sagacious clear head, listens
attentively. The notion is perhaps not quite new to him: at all events, he takes up the notion; negotiates upon
it, with Titular Bishop, with Pope, Kaiser, Duke of Poland, Teutsch Order; and in brief, about two years
afterwards (A.D. 1228), having done the negotiatings to the last item, he produces his actual Teutsch Ritters,
ready, on Prussian ground.
Year 1225, thinks Dryasdust, after a struggle. Place where, proves also at length discoverable in
Dryasdust,not too far across the north Polish frontier, always with "Masovia" (the now Warsaw region) to
fall back upon. But in what number; how; nay almost when, to a year,do not ask poor Dryasdust, who
overwhelms himself with idle details, and by reason of the trees is unable to see the wood. [Voigt, ii. 177,
184, 192.]The Teutsch Ritters straightway build a Burg for headquarters, spread themselves on this hand
and that; and begin their great task. In the name of Heaven, we may still say in a true sense; as they, every
Ritter of them to the heart, felt it to be in all manner of senses.
The Prussians were a fierce fighting people, fanatically Anti Christian: the Teutsch Ritters had a perilous
neverresting time of it, especially for the first fifty years. They built and burnt innumerable stockades for
and against; built wooden Forts which are now stone Towns. They fought much and prevalently; galloped
desperately to and fro, ever on the alert. In peaceabler ulterior times, they fenced in the Nogat and the
Weichsel with dams, whereby unlimited quagmire might become grassy meadow,as it continues to this
day. Marienburg (MARY'S Burg), still a town of importance in that same grassy region, with its grand stone
Schloss still visible and even habitable; this was at length their Headquarter. But how many Burgs of wood
and stone they built, in different parts; what revolts, surprisals, furious fights in woody boggy places, they
had, no man has counted. Their life, read in Dryasdust's newest chaotic Books (which are of endless length,
among other ill qualities), is like a dim nightmare of unintelligible marching and fighting: one feels as if the
mere amount of galloping they had would have carried the Order several times round the Globe. What
multiple of the Equator was it, then, O Dryasdust? The Herr Professor, little studious of abridgment, does not
say.
But always some preaching, by zealous monks, accompanied the chivalrous fighting. And colonists came in
from Germany; trickling in, or at times streaming. Victorious Ritterdom offers terms to the beaten Heathen;
terms not of tolerant nature, but which will be punctually kept by Ritterdom. When the flame of revolt or
general conspiracy burnt up again too extensively, there was a new Crusade proclaimed in Germany and
Christendom; and the Hochmeister, at Marburg or elsewhere, and all his marshals and ministers were
busy,generally with effect. High personages came on crusade to them. Ottocar King of Bohemia, Duke of
Austria and much else, the great man of his day, came once (A.D. 1255); Johann King of Bohemia, in the
next century, once and again. The mighty Ottocar, [Voigt, iii. 8087.] with his extensive far shining
chivalry, "conquered Samland in a month;" tore up the Romova where Adalbert had been massacred, and
burnt it from the face of the Earth. A certain Fortress was founded at that time, in Ottocar's presence; and in
honor of him they named it KING'S FORTRESS, "Konigsberg:" it is now grown a bigdomed metropolitan
City,where we of this Narrative lately saw a Coronation going on, and Sophie Charlotte furtively taking a
pinch of snuff. Among King Ottocar's esquires or subaltern junior officials on this occasion, is one RUDOLF,
heir of a poor Swiss Lordship and gray HillCastle, called HAPSBURG, rather in reduced circumstances,
whom Ottocar likes for his prudent hardy ways; a stout, modest, wise young man,who may chance to
redeem Hapsburg a little, if he live? How the shuttles fly, and the lifethreads, always, in this "loudroaring
Loom of Time!"
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Along with Ottocar too, as an ally in the Crusade, was Otto III. Ascanier Markgraf and Elector of
Brandenburg, greatgrandson of Albert the Bear;name Otto THE PIOUS in consequence. He too founded
a Town in Prussia, on this occasion, and called it BRANDENBURG; which is still extant there, a small
Brandenburg the Second; for these procedures he is called Otto THE PIOUS in History. His Wife, withal,
was a sister of Ottocar's; [Michaelis, i. 270; Hubner, t. 174.]which, except in the way of domestic felicity,
did not in the end amount to much for him; this Ottocar having flown too high, and melted his wings at the
sun, in a sad way, as we shall see elsewhere.
None of the Orders rose so high as the Teutonic in favor with mankind. It had by degrees landed possessions
far and wide over Germany and beyond: I know not how many dozens of BALLEYS (rich Bailliwicks, each
again with its dozens of COMTHUREIS, Commanderies, or subordinate groups of estates), and Baillies and
Commanders to match;and was thought to deserve favor from above. Valiant servants, these; to whom
Heaven had vouchsafed great labors and unspeakable blessings. In some fifty or fiftythree years they had
got Prussian Heathenism brought to the ground; and they endeavored to tie it well down there by bargain and
arrangement. But it would not yet lie quiet, nor for a century to come; being still secretly Heathen; revolting,
conspiring ever again, ever on weaker terms, till the Satanic element had burnt itself out, and conversion and
composure could ensue.
Conversion and complete conquest once come, there was a happy time for Prussia: ploughshare instead of
sword; busy seahavens, German towns, getting built; churches everywhere rising; grass growing, and
peaceable cows, where formerly had been quagmire and snakes. And for the Order a happy time? A rich, not
a happy. The Order was victorious; Livonian "SwordBrothers," "Knights of Dobryn," minor Orders and
Authorities all round, were long since subordinated to it or incorporated with it; Livonia, Courland,
Lithuania, are all got tamed under its influence, or tied down and evidently tamable. But it was in these times
that the Order got into its wider troubles outward and inward; quarrels, jealousies, with Christian neighbors,
Poland, Pommern, who did not love it and for cause; wider troubles, and by no means so evidently useful
to mankind. The Order's wages, in this world, flowed higher than ever, only perhaps its work was beginning
to run low! But we will not anticipate.
On the whole, this Teutsch Ritterdom, for the first century and more, was a grand phenomenon; and flamed
like a bright blessed beacon through the night of things, in those Northern Countries. For above a century, we
perceive, it was the rallying place of all brave men who had a career to seek on terms other than vulgar. The
noble soul, aiming beyond money, and sensible to more than hunger in this world, had a beacon burning (as
we say), if the night chanced to overtake it, and the earth to grow too intricate, as is not uncommon. Better
than the career of stumporatory, I should fancy, and ITS Hesperides Apples, golden and of gilt horsedung.
Better than puddling away one's poor spiritual gift of God (LOAN, not gift), such as it may be, in building the
lofty rhyme, the lofty ReviewArticle, for a discerning public that has sixpence to spare! Times alter
greatly.Will the reader take a glimpse of Conrad von Thuringen's biography, as a sample of the old ways
of proceeding? Conrad succeeded Hermann von der Salza as GrandMaster, and his history is memorable as
a Teutonic Knight.
THE STUFF TEUTSCH RITTERS WERE MADE OF. CONRAD OF THURINGEN: SAINT ELIZABETH;
TOWN OF MARBURG.
Conrad, younger brother of the Landgraf of Thuringen,which Prince lived chiefly in the Wartburg,
romantic old HillCastle, now a WeimarEisenach property and showplace, then an abode of very earnest
people,was probably a childinarms, in that same Wartburg, while Richard CoeurdeLion was getting
home from Palestine and into troubles by the road: this will date Conrad for us. His worthy elder brother was
Husband of the lady since called SAINT Elizabeth, a very pious but also very fanciful young woman; and
I always guess his going on the Crusade, where he died straightway, was partly the fruit of the life she led
him; lodging beggars, sometimes in his very bed, continually breaking his night's rest for prayer, and
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devotional exercise of undue length; "weeping one moment, then smiling in joy the next;" meandering about,
capricious, melodious, weak, at the will of devout whim mainly! However, that does not concern us. [Many
LIVES of the Saint. See, in particular, Libellus de Dictis Quatuor Ancillarum, is, Report of the evidence got
from Elizabeth's Four Maids, by an Official Person, Devil's Advocate or whatever he was, missioned by the
Pope to question them, when her Canonization came to be talked of. A curious piece):in Meuckenii
Scriptores Rexum Germanicarum (Lipsia, 17281730), ii. dd.; where also are other details.] Sure enough her
poor Landgraf went crusading, Year 1227 (Kaiser Friedrich II.'s Crusade, who could not put it off longer);
poor Landgraf fell ill by the road, at Brindisi, and died,not to be driven farther by any cause.
Conrad, left guardian to his deceased Brother's children, had at first much quarrel with Saint Elizabeth,
though he afterwards took far other thoughts. Meanwhile he had his own apanage, "Landgraf" by rank he too;
and had troubles enough with that of itself. For instance: once the Archbishop of an Mainz, being in debt, laid
a heavy tax on all Abbeys under him; on Reichartsbronn, an Abbey of Conrad's, among others. "Don't pay
it!" said Conrad to the Abbot. Abbot refused accordingly; but was put under ban by the Pope;obliged to
comply, and even to be "whipt thrice" before the money could be accepted. Two whippings at Erfurt, from
the Archbishop, there had been; and a third was just going on there, one morning, when Conrad, travelling
that way, accidentally stept in to matins. Conrad flames into a blazing whirlwind at the phenomenon
disclosed. "Whip my Abbot? And he IS to pay, then, Archbishop of Beelzebub?"and took the poor
Archbishop by the rochets, and spun him hither and thither; nay was for cutting him in two, had hot friends
hysterically busied themselves, and got the sword detained in its scabbard and the Archbishop away. Here is a
fine coil like to be, for Conrad.
Another soon follows; from a quarrel he had with Fritzlar, Imperial FreeTown in those parts, perhaps a little
stiff upon its privileges, and high towards a Landgraf. Conrad marches, one morning (Year 1232) upon
insolent Fritzlar; burns the environs; but on looking practically at the ramparts of the place, thinks they are
too high, and turns to go home again. Whereupon the idle women of Fritzlar, who are upon the ramparts
gazing in fear and hope, burst into shrill universal jubilation of voice,and even into gestures, and liberties
with their dress, which are not describable in History! Conrad, suddenly once more all flame, whirls round;
storms the ramparts, slays what he meets, plunders Fritzlar with a will, and leaves it blazing in a general fire,
which had broken out in the business. Here is a pair of coils for Conrad; the like of which can issue only in
Papal ban or worse.
Conrad is grim and obstinate under these aspects; but secretly feels himself very wicked; knows not well
what will come of it. Sauntering one day in his outer courts, he notices a certain female beggar; necessitous
female of loose life, who tremulously solicits charity of him. Necessitous female gets some fraction of coin,
but along with it bullying rebuke in very liberal measure; and goes away weeping bitterly, and murmuring
about "want that drove me to those courses." Conrad retires into himself: "What is her real sin, perhaps,to
mine?" Conrad "lies awake all that night;" mopes about, in intricate darkness, days and nights; rises one
morning an altered man. He makes "pilgrimage to Gladbach," barefoot; kneels down at the churchdoor of
Fritzlar with bare back, and a bundle of rods beside him. "Whip me, good injured Christians for the love of
Jesus!"in brief, reconciles himself to Christian mankind, the Pope included; takes the TeutschRitter vows
upon him; [A.D. 1234 (Voigt, ii. 375423).] and hastens off to Preussen, there to spend himself, life and life's
resources thenceforth, faithfully, till he die. The one course left for Conrad. Which he follows with a great
strong step,with a thought still audible to me. It was of such stuff that Teutsch Ritters were then made;
Ritters evidently capable of something.
Saint Elizabeth, who went to live at Marburg, in HessenCassel, after her Husband's death, and soon died
there, in a most melodiously pious sort, [A.D. 1231, age 24.] made the Teutsch Order guardian of her Son. It
was from her and the Grand Mastership of Conrad that Marburg became such a metropolis of the Order; the
GrandMasters often residing there, many of them coveting burial there, and much business bearing date of
the place. A place still notable to the ingenuous Tourist, who knows his whereabout. Philip the
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Magnanimous, Luther's friend, memorable to some as Philip with the Two Wives, lived there, in that old
Castle,which is now a kind of CorrectionHouse and Garrison, idle blue uniforms strolling about, and
unlovely physiognomies with a jingle of iron at their ankles,where Luther has debated with the Zwinglian
Sacramenters and others, and much has happened in its time. Saint Elizabeth and her miracles (considerable,
surely, of their kind) were the first origin of Marburg as a Town: a mere Castle, with adjoining Hamlet,
before that.
Strange gray old silent Town, rich in so many memories; it stands there, straggling up its rocky hilledge,
towards its old Castles and edifices on the top, in a not unpicturesque manner; flanked by the river Lahn and
its fertile plains: very silent, except for the delirious screech, at rare intervals, of a railway train passing that
way from FrankfurtonMayn to Cassel. "Church of St. Elizabeth,"high, grand Church, built by Conrad
our Hochmeister, in reverence of his once terrestrial Sisterinlaw,stands conspicuous in the plain below,
where the Town is just ending. St. Elizabeth's Shrine was once there, and pilgrims wending to it from all
lands. Conrad himself is buried there, as are many Hochmeisters; their names, and shields of arms, Hermann's
foremost, though Hermann's dust is not there, are carved, carefully kept legible, on the shafts of the Gothic
arches,from floor to groin, long rows of them;and produce, with the other tombs, tombpaintings by
Durer and the like, thoughts impressive almost to pain. St. Elizabeth's LOCULUS was put into its shrine here,
by Kaiser Friedrich II. and all manner of princes and grandees of the Empire, "one million two hundred
thousand people looking on," say the old records, perhaps not quite exact in their arithmetic. Philip the
Magnanimous, wishing to stop "pilgrimages nowhither," buried the LOCULUS away, it was never known
where; under the floor of that Church somewhere, as is likeliest. Enough now of Marburg, and of its Teutsch
Ritters too.
They had one or two memorable Hochmeisters and Teutschmeisters; whom we have not named here, nor
shall. [In our excellent Kohler's Muntzbelustigungen (Nurnberg, 1729 et seqq. ii. 382; v. 102; viii. 380; are
valuable glimpses into the Teutonic Order,as into hundreds of other things. The special Book upon it is
Voigt's, often cited here: Nine heavy Volumes; grounded on faithful reading, but with a fatal defect of almost
every other quality.] There is one Hochmeister, somewhere about the fiftieth on the list, and properly the last
real Hochmeister, Albert of HohenzollernCulmbach by name, who will be very memorable to us by and by.
Or will the reader care to know how Culmbach came into the possession of the Hohenzollerns, Burggraves of
Nurnberg? The story may be illustrative, and will not occupy us long.
Chapter VII. MARGRAVIATE OF CULMBACH: BAIREUTH, ANSPACH.
In the Year 1248, in his Castle of Plassenburg,which is now a CorrectionHouse, looking down upon the
junction of the Red and White Mayn,Otto Duke of Meran, a very great potentate, more like a King than a
Duke, was suddenly clutched hold of by a certain wedded gentleman, name not given, "one of his domestics
or dependents," whom he had enraged beyond forgiveness (signally violating the Seventh Commandment at
his expense); and was by the said wedded gentleman there and then cut down, and done to death.
"Lamentably killed, jammerlich erstochen," says old Rentsch. [P. 293. Kohler, ReichsHistorie, p. 245.
Holle, Alte Geschichte der Stadt Baireuth (Baireuth, 1833), pp. 3437.] Others give a different color to the
homicide, and even a different place; a controversy not interesting to us. Slain at any rate he is; still a young
man; the last male of his line. Whereby the renowned Dukes of Meran fall extinct, and immense properties
come to be divided among connections and claimants.
Meran, we remark, is still a Town, old Castle now abolished, in the Tyrol, towards the sources of the Etsch
(called ADIGE by Italian neighbors). The Merans had been lords not only of most of the Tyrol; but Dukes of
"the Voigtland;"Voigtland, that is BAILLIELAND, wide country between Nurnberg and the Fichtelwald;
why specially so called, Dryasdust dimly explains, deducing it from certain Counts von Reuss, those strange
Reusses who always call themselves HENRY, and now amount to HENRY THE EIGHTIETH AND ODD,
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with sidebranches likewise called Henry; whose nomenclature is the despair of mankind, and worse than
that of the Naples Lazzaroni who candidly have no names!Dukes of Voigtland, I say; likewise of
Dalmatia; then also Markgraves of Austria; also Counts of Andechs, in which latter fine country (north of
Munchen a day's ride), and not at Plassenburg, some say, the man was slain. These immense possessions,
which now (A.D. 1248) all fall asunder by the stroke of that sword, come to be divided among the slain man's
connections, or to be snatched up by active neighbors, and otherwise disposed of.
Active Wurzburg, active Bamberg, without much connection, snatched up a good deal: Count of Orlamunde,
married to the eldest Sister of the slain Duke, got Plassenburg and most of the Voigtland: a Tyrolese magnate,
whose Wife was an Aunt of the Duke's, laid hold of the Tyrol, and transmitted it to daughters and their
spouses,the finish of which line we shall see by and by: in short, there was much property in a
disposable condition. The Hohenzollern Burggraf of Nurnberg, who had married a younger Sister of the
Duke's two years before this accident, managed to get at least BAIREUTH and some adjacencies; big
Orlamunde, who had not much better right, taking the lion's share. This of Baireuth proved a notable
possession to the Hohenzollern family: it was Conrad the first Burggraf's greatgrandson, Friedrich, counted
"Friedrich III." among the Burggraves, who made the acquisition in this manner, A.D. 1248.
Onolzbach (On'zBACH or "brook," now called ANSPACH) they got, some fourscore years after, by
purchase and hard money down ("24,000 pounds of farthings," whatever that may be), [A.D. 1331: Stadt
Anspach, by J. B. Fischer (Anspach, 1786), p. 196.] which proved a notable twin possession of the family.
And then, in some seven years more (A.D. 1338), the big Orlamunde people, having at length, as was too
usual, fallen considerably insolvent, sold Plassenburg Castle itself, the Plassenburg with its Town of
Culmbach and dependencies, to the Hohenzollern Burggraves, [Rentsch, p. 157.] who had always ready
money about them. Who in this way got most of the Voigtland, with a fine Fortress, into hand; and had,
independently of Nurnberg and its Imperial properties, an important Princely Territory of their own.
Margraviate or Principality of CULMBACH (Plassenburg being only the Castle) was the general title; but
more frequently in later times, being oftenest split in two between brothers unacquainted with primogeniture,
there were two Margraviates made of it: one of Baireuth, called also "Margraviate On the Hill;" and one of
Anspach, "Margraviate Under the Hill:" of which, in their modern designations, we shall by and by hear more
than enough.
Thus are the Hohenzollern growing, and never declining: by these few instances judge of many. Of their hard
labors, and the storms they had to keep under control, we could also say something: How the two young Sons
of the Burggraf once riding out with their Tutor, a big hound of theirs in one of the streets of Nurnberg
accidentally tore a child; and there arose wild mother'swail; and "all the Scythesmiths turned out,"
firebreathing, deaf to a poor Tutor's pleadings and explainings; and how the Tutor, who had ridden forth in
calm humor with two Princes, came galloping home with only one,the Smiths having driven another into
boggy ground, and there caught and killed him; [Rentsch, p. 306 (Date not given; guess, about 1270).] with
the Burggraf's commentary on that sad proceeding (the same Friedrich III. who had married Meran's Sister);
and the amends exacted by him, strict and severe, not passionate or inhuman. Or again how the Nurnbergers
once, in the Burggraf's absence, built a ringwall round his Castle; entrance and exit now to depend on the
Nurnbergers withal! And how the Burggraf did not fly out into battle in consequence, but remedied it by
imperturbable countenance and power of driving. With enough of the like sort; which readers can conceive.
BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH III.; AND THE ANARCHY OF NINETEEN YEARS.
This same Friedrich III., Greatgrandson of Conrad the first Burggraf, was he that got the Burggraviate made
hereditary in his family (A.D. 1273); which thereby rose to the fixed rank of Princes, among other advantages
it was gaining. Nor did this acquisition come gratis at all, but as the fruit of good service adroitly done;
service of endless importance as it proved. Friedrich's life had fallen in times of huge anarchy; the
Hohenstauffen line gone miserably out,Boy Conradin, its last representative, perishing on the scaffold
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even (by a desperate Pope and a desperate Duke of Anjou); [At Naples, 25th October, 1268.] Germans,
Sicilian Normans, Pope and Reich, all at daggers drawn with one another; no Kaiser, nay as many as Three
at once! Which lasted from 1254 onwards; and is called "the Interregnum," or Anarchy "of Nineteen Years,"
in German History.
Let us at least name the Three Kaisers, or Tripleelixir of NoKaiser; though, except as chronological
landmarks, we have not much to do with them. First Kaiser is William Count of Holland, a rough fellow,
Pope's protege, Pope even raising cash for him; till William perished in the Dutch peatbogs (horse and man,
furiously pursuing, in some fight there, and getting swallowed up in that manner); which happily reduces our
false Kaisers to two: Second and Third, who are both foreign to Germany.
Second Kaiser is Alphonso King of Castille, Alphonso the Wise, whose saying about Ptolemy's Astronomy,
"That it seemed a crank machine; that it was pity the Creator had not taken advice!" is still remembered by
mankind;this and no other of his many sayings and doings. He was wise enough to stay at home; and
except wearing the title, which cost nothing, to concern himself very little about the Holy Roman
Empire,some clerk or two dating "TOLETI (at Toledo)," did languidly a bit of official writing now and
then, and that was all. Confused crank machine this of the German Empire too, your Majesty? Better stay at
home, and date "TOLETI."
The Third false Kaiserfutile call him rather, wanting clear majoritywas the English Richard of
Cornwall; younger Son of John Lackland; and little wiser than his Father, to judge by those symptoms. He
had plenty of money, and was liberal with it;no other call to Germany, you would say, except to get rid of
his money;in which he succeeded. He lived actually in Germany, twice over for a year or two:Alphonse
and he were alike shy of the Pope, as Umpire; and Richard, so far as his money went, found some gleams of
authority and comfortable flattery in the Rhenish provinces: at length, in 1263, money and patience being
both probably out, he quitted Germany for the second and last time; came home to Berkhamstead in
Hertfordshire here, [Gough's Camden, i.339.] more fool than he went. Till his death (A.D. 1271), he
continued to call himself, and was by many persons called, Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire;needed a
German clerk or two at Berkhamstead, we can suppose: but never went back; preferring pleasant
Berkhamstead, with troubles of Simon de Montfort or whatever troubles there might be, to anything Germany
had to offer him.
These were the Three futile Kaisers: and the LATE Kaiser Conrad's young Boy, who one day might have
swept the ground clear of them, perished,bright young Conradin, bright and brave, but only sixteen, and
Pope's captive by ill luck,perished on the scaffold; "throwing out his glove" (in symbolical protest) amid
the dark mute Neapolitan multitudes, that wintry morning. It was October 25th, 1268,Dante Alighieri then
a little boy at Florence, not three years old; gazing with strange eyes as the elders talked of such a
performance by Christ's Vicar on Earth. A very tragic performance indeed, which brought on the Sicilian
Vespers by and by; for the Heavens never fail to pay debts, your Holiness!
Germany was rocking down towards one saw not what,an Anarchic Republic of Princes, perhaps, and of
Free Barons fast verging towards robbery? Sovereignty of multiplex Princes, with a Peerage of intermediate
Robber Barons? Things are verging that way. Such Princes, big and little, each wrenching off for himself
what lay loosest and handiest to him, found it a stirring game, and not so much amiss. On the other hand,
some voice of the People, in feeble whimperings of a strange intensity, to the opposite effect, are audible to
this day. Here are Three old Minstrels (MINNESANGER) picked from Manesse's Collection by an obliging
hand, who are of this date, and shall speak each a word:
No. 1 LOQUITOR (in cramp doggerel, done into speech): "To thee, O Lord, we poor folk make moan; the
Devil has sown his seeds in this land! Law thy hand created for protection of thy children: but where now is
Law? Widows and orphans weep that the Princes do not unite to have a Kaiser."
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No. 2: "The Princes grind in the Kaiser's mill: to the Reich they fling the siftings; and keep to themselves the
meal. Not much in haste, they, to give us a Kaiser."
No. 3: "Like the Plague of Frogs, there they are come out; defiling the Reich's honor. Stork, when wilt thou
appear, then," and with thy stiff mandibles act upon them a little? [Mentzel, Geschichte der Deutschen, p.
345.]
It was in such circumstances, that Friedrich III., Burggraf of Nurnberg, who had long moaned and striven
over these woes of his country, came to pay that visit, late in the night (1st or 2d of October, 1273), to his
Cousin Rudolf Lord of Hapsburg, under the walls of Basel; a notable scene in History. Rudolf was besieging
Basel, being in some feud with the Bishop there, of which Friedrich and another had been proposed as
umpires; and Friedrich now waited on his Cousin, in this hasty manner,not about the Basel feud, but on a
far higher quite unexpected errand,to say, That he Rudolf was elected Kaiser, and that better times for the
Holy Roman Empire were now probable, with Heaven's help. [Rentsch, pp. 299, 285, 298.] We call him
Cousin; though what the kindred actually was, a kindred by mothers, remains, except the general fact of it,
disputable by Dryasdust. The actual visit, under the walls of Basel, is by some considered romantic. But that
Rudolf, tough steelgray man, besieging Basel on his own quarrel, on the terms just stated, was altogether
unexpectedly apprised of this great news, and that Cousin Friedrich of Nurnberg had mainly contributed to
such issue, is beyond questioh. [Kohler, pp. 249, 251.] The event was salutary, like life instead of death, to
anarchic Germany; and did eminent honor to Friedrich's judgment in men.
Richard of Cornwall having at last died, and his futile German clerks having quitted Berkhamstead
forever,Alphonso of Castille, not now urged by rivalry, and seeing long since what a crank machine the
thing was, had no objection to give it up; said so to the Pope,who was himself anxious for a settled Kaiser,
the supplies of Papal German cash having run almost dry during these troubles. Whereupon ensued earnest
consultations among leading German men; Diet of the Empire, sternly practical (we may well perceive), and
with a minimum of talk, the Pope too being held rather well at a distance: the result of which was what we
see. [29th September, 1273.] Mainly due to Friedrich of Nurnberg, say all Historians; conjoining with him the
then Archbishop of Mainz, who is officially President Elector (literally CONVENER of Electors): they two
did it. Archbishop of Mainz had himself a pleasant accidental acquaintance with Rudolf,a night's lodging
once at Hapsburg, with escort over the Hills, in dangerous circumstances;and might the more readily be
made to understand what qualities the man now had; and how, in justness of insight, toughness of character,
and general strength of bridlehand, this actually might be the adequate man.
KAISER RUDOLF AND BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH III.
Last time we saw Rudolf, near thirty years ago, he was some equerry or subaltern dignitary among the Ritters
of King Ottocar, doing a Crusade against the Prussian Heathen, and seeing his master found Konigsberg in
that country. Changed times now! Ottocar King of Bohemia, who (by the strong hand mainly, and money to
Richard of Cornwall, in the late troubles) has become Duke of Austria and much else, had himself expected
the Kaisership; and of all astonished men, King Ottocar was probably the most astonished at the choice made.
A dread sovereign, fierce, and terribly opulent, and every way resplendent to such degree; and this threadbare
Swiss gentlemanatarms, once "my domestic" (as Ottocar loved to term it), preferred to me! Flat insanity,
King Ottocar thought; refused to acknowledge such a Kaiser; would not in the least give up his unjust
properties, or even do homage for them or the others.
But there also Rudolf contrived to be ready for him. Rudolf invaded his rich Austrian territories; smote down
Vienna, and all resistance that there was; [1276 (Kohler, p. 253).] forced Ottocar to beg pardon and peace.
"No pardon, nor any speech of peace, till you first do homage for all those lands of yours, whatever we may
find them to be!" Ottocar was very loath; but could not help himself. Ottocar quitted Prag with a resplendent
retinue, to come into the Danube country, and do homage to "my domestic" that once was. He bargained that
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the sad ceremony should be at least private; on an Island in the Danube, between the two retinues or armies;
and in a tent, so that only official select persons might see it. The Island is called CAMBERG (near Vienna, I
conclude), in the middle of the Donau River: there Ottocar accordingly knelt; he in great pomp of tailorage,
Rudolf in mere buff jerkin, practical leather and iron;hide it, charitable canvas, from all but a few! Alas,
precisely at this moment, the treacherous canvas rushes down,hung so on purpose, thinks Ottocar; and it is
a tent indeed; but a tent without walls; and all the world sees me in this scandalous plight!
Ottocar rode home in deep gloom; his poor Wife, too, upbraided him: he straightway rallied into War again;
Rudolf again very ready to meet him. Rudolf met him, Friedrich of Nurnberg there among the rest under the
ReichsBanner; on the Marchfeld by the Donau (modern WAGRAM near by); and entirely beat and even
slew and ruined Ottocar. [26th August, 1278 (Kohler, p. 253.)] Whereby Austria fell now to Rudolf, who
made his sons Dukes of it; which, or even Archdukes, they are to this day. Bohemia, Moravia, of these also
Rudolf would have been glad; but of these there is an heir of Ottocar's left; these will require time and luck.
Prosperous though toilsome days for Rudolf; who proved an excellent bit of stuff for a Kaiser; and found no
rest, proving what stuff he was. In which prosperities, as indeed he continued to do in the perils and toils,
Burggraf Friedrich III. of Nurnberg naturally partook: hence, and not gratis at all, the Hereditary
Burggrafdom, and many other favors and accessions he got. For he continued Rudolf's steady helper, friend
and firstman in all things, to the very end. Evidently one of the most important men in Germany, and candor
will lead us to guess one of the worthiest, during those bad years of Interregnum, and the better ones of
Kaisership. After Conrad his greatgrandfather he is the second notable architect of the Family
House;founded by Conrad; conspicuously built up by this Friedrich III., and the first STORY of it
finished, so to speak. Then come two Friedrichs as Burggrafs, his son and his grandson's grandson, "Friedrich
IV." and "Friedrich VI.," by whom it was raised to the second story and the third,thenceforth one of the
high houses of the world.
That is the glimpse we can give of Friedrich first Hereditary Burggraf, and of his Cousin Rudolf first
Hapsburg Kaiser. The latest Austrian Kaisers, the latest Kings of Prussia, they are sons of these two men.
Chapter VIII. ASCANIER MARKGRAVES IN BRANDENBURG.
We have said nothing of the Ascanier Markgraves, Electors of Brandenburg, all this while; nor, in these
limits, can we now or henceforth say almost anything. A proud enough, valiant and diligent line of
Markgraves; who had much fighting and other struggle in the world,steadily enlarging their border upon
the Wends to the north; and adjusting it, with mixed success, against the WETTIN gentlemen, who are
Markgraves farther east (in the LAUSITZ now), who bound us to the south too (MEISSEN, Misnia), and who
in fact came in for the whole of modern Saxony in the end. Much fighting, too, there was with the
Archbishops of Magdeburg, now that the Wends are down: standing quarrel there, on the small scale, like
that of Kaiser and Pope on the great; such quarrel as is to be seen in all places, and on all manner of scales, in
that era of the Christian World.
None of our Markgraves rose to the height of their Progenitor, Albert the Bear; nor indeed, except massed up,
as "Albert's Line," and with a History ever more condensing itself almost to the form of LABEL, can they
pretend to memorability with us. What can Dryasdust himself do with them? That wholesome Dutch
cabbages continued to be more and more planted, and peatmire, blending itself with waste sand, became
available for Christian mankind, intrusive Chaos, and especially Divine TRIGLAPH and his ferocities
being well held aloof:this, after all, is the real History of our Markgraves; and of this, by the nature of the
case, Dryasdust can say nothing. "New Mark," which once meant Brandenburg at large, is getting subdivided
into MidMark, into UCKERmark (closest to the Wends); and in Old Mark and New much is spreading,
much getting planted and founded. In the course of centuries there will grow gradually to be "seven cities;
and as many towns," says one old jubilant Topographer, "as there are days in the year," struggling to count
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up 365 of them.
OF BERLIN CITY.
In the year (guessed to be) 1240, one Ascanier Markgraf "fortifies Berlin;" that is, first makes Berlin a
German BURG and inhabited outpost in those parts:the very name, some think, means "Little Rampart"
(WEHRlin), built there, on the banks of the Spree, against the Wends, and peopled with Dutch; of which
latter fact, it seems, the old dialect of the place yields traces. [Nicolai, Beschreibung der Koniglichen
Residenzstadte Berlin und Potsdam (Berlin, 1786), i. pp. 16, 17 of "Einleitung." Nicolai rejects the
WEHRLIN etymology; admits that the name was evidently appellative, not proper, "The Berlin," "To the
Berlin;" finds in the world two objects, one of them at Halle, still called "The Berlin;" and thinks it must have
meant (in some language of extinct mortals) "Wild Pastureground," "The SCRUBS," as we should call
it.Possible; perhaps likely.] How it rose afterwards to be chosen for Metropolis, one cannot say, except that
it had a central situation for the now widened principalities of Brandenburg: the place otherwise is sandy by
nature, sand and swamp the constituents of it; and stands on a sluggish river the color of oil. Wendish
fishermen had founded some first nucleus of it long before; and called their fishing hamlet COLN, which is
said to be the general Wendish title for places FOUNDED ON PILES, a needful method where your basis is
swamp. At all events, "Coln" still designates the oldest quarter in Berlin; and "Coln on the Spree" (Cologne,
or Coln on the Rhine, being very different) continued, almost to modern times, to be the Official name of the
Capital.
How the Dutch and Wends agreed together, within their rampart, inclusive of both, is not said. The river lay
between; they had two languages; peace was necessary: it is probable they were long rather on a taciturn
footing! But in the oily river you do catch various fish; Coln, amid its quagmires and straggling sluggish
waters, can be rendered very strong. Some husbandry, wet or dry, is possible to diligent Dutchmen. There is
room for trade also; Spree Havel Elbe is a direct waterroad to Hamburg and the Ocean; by the Oder, which
is not very far, you communicate with the Baltic on this hand, and with Poland and the uttermost parts of
Silesia on that. Enough, Berlin grows; becomes, in about 300 years, for one reason and another, Capital City
of the country, of these many countries. The Markgraves or Electors, after quitting Brandenburg, did not
come immediately to Berlin; their next Residence was Tangermunde (MOUTH of the TANGER, where little
Tanger issues into Elbe); a much grassier place than Berlin, and which stands on a Hill, clayandsand Hill,
likewise advantageous for strength. That Berlin should have grown, after it once became Capital, is not a
mystery. It has quadrupled itself, and more, within the last hundred years, and I think doubled itself within
the last thirty.
MARKGRAF OTTO IV., OR OTTO WITH THE ARROW
One Ascanier Markgraf, and one only, Otto IV. by title, was a Poet withal; had an actual habit of doing verse.
There are certain socalled Poems of his, still extant, read by Dryasdust, with such enthusiasm as he can get
up, in the old Collection of Minnesingers, made by MANESSE the Zurich Burgermeister, while the matter
was much fresher than it now is. [Rudiger von Manesse, who fought the Austrians, too, made his Sammlung
(Collection) in the latter half of the fourteenth century; it was printed, after many narrow risks of destruction
in the interim, in 1758,Bodmer and Breitinger editing;at Zurich, 2 vols. 4to.] Madrigals all;
MINNESongs, describing the passion of love; how Otto felt under it,well and also ill; with little
peculiarity of symptom, as appears. One of his lines is,
"Ich wunsch ich were tot,
I wish that I were dead:"
the others shall remain safe in Manesse's Collection.
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This same Markgraf Otto IV., Year 1278, had a dreadful quarrel with the See of Magdeburg, about electing a
Brother of his. The Chapter had chosen another than Otto's Brother; Otto makes war upon the Chapter.
Comes storming along; "will stable my horses in your Cathedral," on such and such a day! But the
Archbishop chosen, who had been a fighter formerly, stirs up the Magdeburgers, by preaching ("Horses to be
stabled here, my Christian brethren"), by relics, and quasimiracles, to a furious condition; leads them out
against Otto, beats Otto utterly; brings him in captive, amid hooting jubilations of the conceivable kind:
"Stable ready; but where are the horses,Serene child of Satanas!" Archbishop makes a Wooden Cage for
Otto (big beams, spars stout enough, mere straw to lie on), and locks him up there. In a public situation in the
City of Magdeburg;visible to mankind so, during certain months of that year 1278. It was in the very time
while Ottocar was getting finished in the Marchfeld; much mutiny still abroad, and the new Kaiser Rudolf
very busy.
Otto's Wife, all streaming in tears, and flaming in zeal, what shall she do? "Sell your jewels," so advises a
certain old Johann von Buch, discarded Exofficial: "Sell your jewels, Madam; bribe the Canons of
Magdeburg with extreme secrecy, none knowing of his neighbor; they will consent to ransom on terms
possible. Poor Wife bribed as was bidden; Canons voted as they undertook; unanimous for ransom,high,
but humanly possible. Markgraf Otto gets out on parole. But now, How raise such a ransom, our very jewels
being sold? Old Johann von Buch again indicates ways and means, miraculous old gentleman:Markgraf
Otto returns, money in hand; pays, and is solemnly discharged. The title of the sum I could give exact; but as
none will in the least tell me what the value is, I humbly forbear.
"We are clear, then, at this date?" said Markgraf Otto from his horse, just taking leave of the Magdeburg
Canonry. "Yes," answered they."Pshaw, you don't know the value of a Markgraf!" said Otto. "What is it,
then?""Rain gold ducats on his warhorse and him," said Otto, looking up with a satirical grin, "till horse
and Markgraf are buried in them, and you cannot see the point of his spear atop!"That would be a cone of
gold coins equal to the article, thinks our Markgraf; and rides grinning away. [Michaelis, i. 271; Pauli, i. 316;
Kloss; poor Archbishop, a valiant pious man, finding out that late strangely unanimous vote of his Chapter
for ransoming the Markgraf, took it so ill, that he soon died of a broken heart, say the old Books. Die he did,
before long;and still Otto's Brother was refused as successor. Brother, however, again survived; behaved
always wisely; and Otto at last had his way. "Makes an excellent Archbishop, after all!" said the
Magdeburgers. Those were rare times, Mr. Rigmarole.
The same Otto, besieging some stronghold of his Magdeburg or other enemies, got an arrow shot into the
skull of him; into, not through; which no surgery could extract, not for a year to come. Otto went about,
sieging much the same, with the iron in his head; and is called Otto MIT DEM PFOILE, Otto
SAGITTARIUS, or Otto with the Arrow, in consequence. A Markgraf who writes Madrigals; who does
sieges with an arrow in his head; who lies in a wooden cage, jeered by the Magdeburgers, and proposes such
a cone of ducats: I thought him the memorablest of those forgotten Markgraves; and that his jolting
Lifepilgrimage might stand as the general sample. Multiply a year of Otto by 200, you have, on easy
conditions, some imagination of a History of the Ascanier Markgraves. Forgettable otherwise; or it can be
read in the gross, darkened with endless details, and thricedreary, half intelligible traditions, in Pauli's fatal
Quartos, and elsewhere, if any one needs.The year of that Magdeburg speech about the cone of ducats is
1278: King Edward the First, in this country, was walking about, a prosperous man of forty, with very LONG
SHANKS, and also with a head of good length.
Otto, as had been the case in the former Line, was a frequent name among those Markgraves: "Otto the
Pious" (whom we saw crusading once in Preussen, with King Ottocar his Brotherinlaw), "Otto the Tall,"
"Otto the Short (PARVUS);" I know not how many Ottos besides him "with the Arrow." Half a century after
this one of the ARROW (under his GrandNephew it was), the Ascanier Markgraves ended, their Line also
dying out.
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Not the successfulest of Markgraves, especially in later times. Brandenburg was indeed steadily an
Electorate, its Markgraf a KURFURST, or Elector of the Empire; and always rather on the increase than
otherwise. But the Territories were apt to be much split up to younger sons; two or more Markgraves at once,
the eldest for Elector, with other arrangements; which seldom answer. They had also fallen into the habit of
borrowing money; pawning, redeeming, a good deal, with Teutsch Ritters and others. Then they puddled
considerably,and to their loss, seldom choosing the side that proved winner,in the general broils of the
Reich, which at that time, as we have seen, was unusually anarchic. None of the successfulest of Markgraves
latterly. But they were regretted beyond measure in comparison with the next set that came; as we shall see.
Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV.
Brandenburg and the Hohenzollern Family of Nurnberg have hitherto no mutual acquaintanceship whatever:
they go, each its own course, wide enough apart in the world;little dreaming that they are to meet by and
by, and coalesce, wed for better and worse, and become one flesh. As is the way in all romance. "Marriages,"
among men, and other entities of importance, "are, evidently, made in Heaven."
Friedrich IV. of Nurnberg, Son of that Friedrich III., Kaiser Rudolf's successful friend, was again a notable
increaser of his House; which finally, under his Greatgrandson, named Friedrich VI., attained the Electoral
height. Of which there was already some hint. Well; under the first of these two Friedrichs, some slight
approximation, and under his Son, a transient express introduction (so to speak) of Brandenburg to
Hohenzollern took place, without immediate result of consequence; but under the second of them occurred
the wedding, as we may call it, or union "for better or worse, till death do us part."How it came about?
Easy to ask, How! The reader will have to cast some glances into the confused REICHSHistory of the
time;timid glances, for the element is of dangerous, extensive sort, mostly jungle and shaking bog;and
we must travel through this corner of it, as on shoes of swiftness, treading lightly.
CONTESTED ELECTIONS IN THE REICH: KAISER ALBERT I.; AFTER WHOM SIX
NONHAPSBURG KAISERS.
The Line of Rudolf of Hapsburg did not at once succeed continuously to the Empire, as the wont had been in
such cases, where the sons were willing and of good likelihood. After such a spell of anarchy, parties still ran
higher than usual in the Holy Roman Empire; and wideyawning splits would not yet coalesce to the old
pitch. It appears too the posterity of Rudolf, stiff, inarticulate, proud men, and of a turn for engrossing and
amassing, were not always lovely to the public. Albert, Rudolf's eldest son, for instance, Kaiser Albert
I.,who did succeed, though not at once, or till after killing Rudolf's immediate successor, [Adolf of Nassau;
slain by Albert's own hand; "Battle" of Hasenbuhel "near Worms, 2d July, 1298" (Kohler, p. 265).] Albert
was by no means a prepossessing man, though a tough and hungry one. It must be owned, he had a harsh ugly
character; and face to match: bignosed, looselipped, blind of an eye: not Kaiserlike at all to an Electoral
Body. "Est homo monoculus, et vultu rustico; non potest esse Imperator (A oneeyed fellow, and looks like a
clown; he cannot be Emperor)!" said Pope Boniface VIII., when consulted about him. [Kohler, pp. 267273;
and Muntzbelustigungen, xix. 156160.]
Enough, from the death of Rudolf, A.D. 1291, there intervened a hundred aud fifty years, and eight
successive Kaisers singly or in line, only one of whom (this same Albert of the unlovely countenance) was a
Hapsburger,before the Family, often trying it all along, could get a third time into the Imperial saddle.
Where, after that, it did sit steady. Once in for the third time, the Hapsburgers got themselves "elected" (as
they still called it) time after time; always elected,with but one poor exception, which will much concern
my readers by and by,to the very end of the matter. And saw the Holy Roman Empire itself expire, and as
it were both saddle and horse vanish out of Nature, before they would dismount. Nay they still ride there on
the shadow of a saddle, so to speak; and are "Kaisers of AUSTRIA" at this hour. Steady enough of seat at
last, after many vain trials!
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Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV. 58
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For during those hundred and fifty years,among those six intercalary Kaisers, too, who followed
Albert,they were always trying; always thinking they had a kind of quasi right to it; whereby the Empire
often fell into trouble at Electiontime. For they were proud stout men, our Hapsburgers, though of taciturn
unconciliatory ways; and Rudolf had so fitted them out with fruitful Austrian Dukedoms, which they much
increased by marriages and otherwise,Styria, Carinthia, the Tyrol, by degrees, not to speak of their native
HAPSBURG much enlarged, and claims on Switzerland all round it,they had excellent means of battling
for their pretensions and disputable elections. None of them succeeded, however, for a hundred and fifty
years, except that same oneeyed, looselipped unbeautiful Albert I.; a Kaiser dreadfully fond of earthly
goods, too. Who indeed grasped all round him, at property half his, or wholly not his: Rhinetolls, Crown of
Bohemia, Landgraviate of Thuringen, Swiss Forest Cantons, Crown of Hungary, Crown of France
even:getting endless quarrels on his hands, and much defeat mixed with any victory there was. Poor soul,
he had sixandtwenty children by one wife; and felt that there was need of apanages! He is understood
(guessed, not proved) to have instigated two assassinations in pursuit of these objects; and he very clearly
underwent ONE in his own person. Assassination first was of Dietzman the Thuringian Landgraf, an
AntiAlbert champion, who refused to be robbed by Albert,for whom the great Dante is (with almost
palpable absurdity) fabled to have written an Epitaph still legible in the Church at Leipzig. [Menckenii
Scriptores, i.?? Fredericus Admorsus (by Tentsel).] Assassination second was of Wenzel, the poor young
Bohemian King, Ottocar's Grandson and last heir. Sure enough, this important young gentleman "was
murdered by some one at Olmutz next year" (1306, a promising event for Albert then), "but none yet knows
who it was." [Kohler, p. 270.]
Neither of which suspicious transactions came to any result for Albert; as indeed most of his unjust graspings
proved failures. He at one time had thoughts of the Crown of France; "Yours _I_ solemnly declare!" said the
Pope. But that came to nothing;only to France's shifting of the Popes to Avignon, more under the thumb of
France. What his ultimate success with Tell and the Forest Cantons was, we all know! A most clutching,
strongfisted, dreadfully hungry, tough and unbeautiful man. Whom his own Nephew, at last, had to
assassinate, at the Ford of the Reus (near Windisch Village, meeting of the Reus and Aar; 1st May, 1308):
"Scandalous Jew pawnbroker of an Uncle, wilt thou flatly keep from me my Father's heritage, then, intrusted
to thee in his hour of death? Regardless of God and man, and of the last look of a dying Brother? Uncle worse
than pawnbroker; for it is a heritage with NO pawn on it, with much the reverse!" thought the Nephew,and
stabbed said Uncle down dead; having gone across with him in the boat; attendants looking on in distraction
from the other side of the river. Was called Johannes PARRICIDA in consequence; fled out of human sight
that day, he and his henchmen, never to turn up again till Doomsday. For the pursuit was transcendent,
regardless of expense; the cry for legal vengeance very great (on the part of Albert's daughters chiefly),
though in vain, or nearly so, in this world. [Kohler, p. 272. Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, oder Leben
und Bild nisse, (12 Bandchen; Wien, 1807,a superior Book), i. 65.]
OF KAISER HENRY VII. AND THE LUXEMBURG KAISERS.
Of the other six Kaisers not Hapsburgers we are bound to mention one, and dwell a little on his fortunes and
those of the family he founded; both Brandenburg and our Hohenzollerns coming to be much connected
therewith, as time went on. This is Albert's next successor, Henry Count of Luxemburg; called among
Kaisers Henry VII. He is founder, he alone among these NonHapsburgers, of a small intercalary LINE of
Kaisers, "the Luxemburg Line;" who amount indeed only to Four, himself included; and are not otherwise of
much memorability, if we except himself; though straggling about like wellrooted briers, in that favorable
ground, they have accidentally hooked themselves upon World History in one or two points. By accident a
somewhat noteworthy line, those Luxemburg Kaisers:a celebrated place, too, or name of a place, that
"LUXEMBOURG" of theirs, with its French Marshals, grand Parisian Edifices, lending it new lustre: what,
thinks the reader, is the meaning of Luzzenburg, Luxemburg, Luxembourg? Merely LUTZELburg, wrong
pronounced; and that again is nothing but LITTLEborough: such is the luck of names!
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Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV. 59
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Heinrich Graf von Luxemburg was, after some pause on the parricide of Albert, chosen Kaiser, "on account
of his renowned valor," say the old Books,and also, add the shrewder of them, because his Brother,
Archbishop of Trier, was one of the Electors, and the Pope did not like either the Austrian or the French
candidate then in the field. Chosen, at all events, he was, 27th November, 1308; [Kohler, p. 274.] clearly, and
by much, the best Kaiser that could be had. A puissant soul, who might have done great things, had he lived.
He settled feuds; cut off oppressions from the REICHSTADTE (Free Towns); had a will of just sort, and
found or made a way for it. Bohemia lapsed to him, the old race of Kings having perished out,the last of
them far too suddenly "at Olmutz," as we saw lately! Some opposition there was, but much more favor
especially by the Bohemian People; and the point, after some small "Siege of Prag" and the like, was
definitely carried by the Kaiser. The now Burggraf of Nurnberg, Friedrich IV., son of Rudolf's friend, was
present at this Siege of Prag; [1310 (Rentsch, p. 311).] a Burggraf much attached to Kaiser Henry, as all good
Germans were. But the Kaiser did not live.
He went to Italy, our Burggraf of Nurnberg and many more along with him, to pull the crooked
GuelfGhibelline Facts and Avignon Pope a little straight, if possible; and was vigorously doing it, when he
died on a sudden; "poisoned in sacramental wine," say the Germans! One of the crowning summits of human
scoundrelism, which painfully stick in the mind. It is certain he arrived well at Buonconvento near Sienna, on
the 24th September, 1313, in full march towards the rebellious King of Naples, whom the Pope much
countenanced. At Buonconvento, Kaiser Henry wished to enjoy the communion; and a Dominican monk,
whose dark rateyed look men afterwards bethought them of, administered it to him in both species (Council
of Trent not yet quite prohibiting the liquid species, least of all to Kaisers, who are by theory a kind of
"Deacons to the Pope," or something else [Voltaire, Essai sur les Moeurs, c. 67,?? Henri VII. ( UEuvres, xxi.
184).]);administered it in both species: that is certain, and also that on the morrow Henry was dead. The
Dominicans endeavored afterwards to deny; which, for the credit of human nature, one wishes they had done
with effect. [Kohler, p. 281 (Ptolemy of Lucca, himself a Dominican, is one of the ACCUSING spirits:
Muratori, l. xi. ?? Ptolomaeus Lucensis, A.D. 1313).] But there was never any trial had; the denial was
considered lame; and German History continues to shudder, in that passage, and assert. Poisoned in the wine
of his sacrament: the Florentines, it is said, were at the bottom of it, and had hired the rateyed
Dominican; "O Italia, O Firenze!" That is not the way to achieve Italian Liberty, or Obedience to God;
that is the way to confirm, as by frightful stygian oath, Italian Slavery, or continual Obedience, under varying
forms, to the Other Party! The voice of Dante, then alive among men, proclaims, sad and loving as a mother's
voice, and implacable as a voice of Doom, that you are wandering, and have wandered, in a terrible
manner!
Peter, the then Archbishop of Mainz, says there had not for hundreds of years such a death befallen the
German Empire; to which Kohler, one of the wisest moderns, gives his assent: "It could not enough be
lamented," says he, "that so vigilant a Kaiser, in the flower of his years, should have been torn from the world
in so devilish a manner: who, if he had lived longer, might have done Teutschland unspeakable benefit."
[Kohler, pp. 282285.]
HENRY'S SON JOHANN IS KING OF BOHEMIA; AND LUDWIG THE BAVARIAN, WITH A
CONTESTED ELECTION, IS KAISER.
Henry VII. having thus perished suddenly, his Son Johann, scarcely yet come of age, could not follow him as
Kaiser, according to the Father's thought; though in due time he prosecuted his advancement otherwise to
good purpose, and proved a very stirring man in the world. By his Father's appointment, to whom as Kaiser
the chance had fallen, he was already King of Bohemia, strong in his right and in the favor of the natives;
though a titular Competitor, Henry of the Tyrol, beaten off by the late Kaiser, was still extant: whom,
however, and all other perils Johann contrived to weather; growing up to be a farsighted stouthearted man,
and potent Bohemian King, widely renowned in his day. He had a Son, and then two Grandsons, who were
successively Kaisers, after a sort; making up the "Luxemburg Four" we spoke of. He did Crusades, one or
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Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV. 60
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more, for the Teutsch Ritters, in a shining manner; unhappily with loss of an eye; nay ultimately, by the
aid of quack oculists, with loss of both eyes. An ambitious man, not to be quelled by blindness; man with
much negotiation in him; with a heavy stroke of fight too, and tomper nothing loath at it; of which we shall
see some glimpse by and by.
The pity was, for the Reich if not for him, he could not himself become Kaiser. Perhaps we had not then seen
Henry VII.'s fine enterprises, like a fleet of halfbuilt ships, go mostly to planks again, on the waste sea, had
his Son followed him. But there was, on the contrary, a contested election; Austria in again, as usual, and
again unsuccessful. The late Kaiser's Austrian competitor, "Friedrich the Fair, Duke of Austria," the
parricided Albert's Son, was again one of the parties. Against whom, with real but not quite indisputable
majority, stood Ludwig Duke of Bavaria: "Ludwig IV.," "Ludwig DER BAIER (the Bavarian)" as they call
him among Kaisers. Contest attended with the usual election expenses; warwrestle, namely, between the
parties till one threw the other. There was much confused wrestling and throttling for seven years or more
(13151322). Our Nurnberg Burggraf, Friedrich IV., held with Ludwig, as did the real majority, though in a
languid manner, and was busy he as few were; the Austrian Hapsburgs also doing their best, now under, now
above. Johann King of Bohemia was on Ludwig's side as yet. Ludwig's own Brother, KurPfalz (ancestor of
all the Electors, and their numerous Branches, since known there), an elder Brother, was, "out of spite as men
thought, decidedly against Ludwig.
In the eighth year came a Fight that proved decisive. Fight at Muhldorf on the Inn, 23th September,
1322,far down in those Danube Countries, beyond where Marlborough ever was, where there has been
much fighting first and last; Burggraf Friedrich was conspicuously there. A very great Battle, say the old
Books,says Hormayr, in a new readable Book, [Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, ii. 3137.] giving
minute account of it. Ludwig rather held aloof rearward; committed his business to the Hohenzollern
Burggraf and to one Schweppermann, aided by a noble lord called Rindsmaul ("COWMOUTH," no less),
and by others experienced in such work. Friedrich the Hapsburger DER SCHONE, Duke of Austria, and
selfstyled Kaiser, a gallant handsome man, breathed mere martial fury, they say: he knew that his Brother
Leopold was on march with a reinforcement to him from the Strasburg quarter, and might arrive any moment;
but he could not wait,perhaps afraid Ludwig might run;he rashly determined to beat Ludwig without
reinforcement. Our rugged fervid Hormayr (though imitating Tacitus and Johannes von Muller overmuch)
will instruct fully any modern that is curious about this big Battle: what furious charging, worrying; how it
"lasted ten hours;" how the blazing Handsome Friedrich stormed about, and "slew above fifty with his own
hand." To us this is the interesting point: At one turn of the Battle, tenth hour of it now ending, and the tug of
war still desperate, there arose a cry of joy over all the Austrian ranks, "Help coming! Help!"and Friedrich
noticed a body of Horse, "in Austrian cognizance" (such the cunning of a certain man), coming in upon his
rear. Austrians and Friedrich never doubted but it was Brother Leopold just getting on the ground; and rushed
forward doubly fierce. Doubly fierce; and were doubly astonished when it plunged in upon them,
sharpedged, as Burggraf Friedrich of Nurnberg,and quite ruined Austrian Friedrich. Austrian Friedrich
fought personally like a lion at bay; but it availed nothing. Rindsmaul (not lovely of lip, COWMOUTH,
socalled) disarmed him: "I will not surrender except to a Prince!"so Burggraf Friedrich was got to take
surrender of him; and the Fight, and whole Controversy with it, was completely won. [ Jedem Mann ein Ey
(One egg to every man), Dem frommen Schweppermann zwey (Two to the excellent Schweppermann}:
Tradition still repeats this old rhyme, as the Kaiser's Address to his Army, or his Head Captains, at supper,
after such a day's work,in a country already to the bone.]
Poor Leopold, the Austrian Brother, did not arrive till the morrow; and saw a sad sight, before flying off
again. Friedrich the Fair sat prisoner in the old Castle of Traussnitz (OBER PFALZ, Upper Palatinate, or
Nurnberg country) for three years; whittling sticks:Tourists, if curious, can still procure specimens of them
at the place, for a consideration. There sat Friedrich, Brother Leopold moving Heaven and Earth,and in
fact they said, the very Devil by art magic, [Kohler, p. 288.]to no purpose, to deliver him. And his poor
Spanish Wife cried her eyes, too literally, out,sight gone in sad fact.
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Ludwig the Bavarian reigned thenceforth,though never on easy terms. How grateful to Friedrich of
Nurnberg we need not say. For one thing, he gave him all the Austrian Prisoners; whom Friedrich,
judiciously generous, dismissed without ransom except that they should be feudally subject to him
henceforth. This is the third Hohenzollern whom we mark as a conspicuous acquirer in the Hohenzollern
family, this Friedrich IV., builder of the second story of the House. If Conrad, original Burggraf, founded the
House, then (figuratively speaking) the able Friedrich III., who was Rudolf of Hapsburg's friend, built it one
story high; and here is a new Friedrich, his Son, who has added a second story. It is astonishing, says
Dryasdust, how many feudal superiorities the Anspach and Baireuth people still have in Austria;they
maintain their own LEHNPROBST, or Official Manager for fiefcasualties, in that country:all which
proceed from this Battle of Muhldorf. [Rentsch, p. 313; Pauli; Battle fought on the 28th of September,
1322:eight years after BABBOCKBURN; while our poor Edward II. and England with him were in such a
welter with their Spencers and their Gavestons: eight years after Bannockburn, and fourandtwenty before
Crecy. That will date it for English readers.
Kaiser Ludwig reigned some twentyfive years more, in a busy and even strenuous, but not a successful way.
He had good windfalls, too; for example, Brandenburg, as we shall see. He made friends; reconciled himself
to his Brother KurPfalz and junior Cousinry there, settling handsomely, and with finality, the debatable
points between them. Enemies, too, he made; especially Johann the Luxemburger, King of Bohemia, on what
ground will be seen shortly, who became at last inveterate to a high degree. But there was one supremely sore
element in his lot: a Pope at Avignon to whom he could by no method make himself agreeable. Pope who put
him under ban, not long after that Muhldorf victory; and kept him so; inexorable, let poor Ludwig turn as he
might. Ludwig's German Princes stood true to him; declared, in solemn Diet, the Pope's ban to be mere spent
shot, of no avail in Imperial Politics. Ludwig went, vigorously to Italy; tried setting up a Pope of his own; but
that did not answer; nor of course tend to mollify the Holiness at Avignon.
In fine, Ludwig had to carry this cross on his back, in a sorrowful manner, all his days. The Pope at last,
finding Johann of Bohemia in a duly irritated state, persuaded him into setting up an AntiKaiser,Johann's
second Son as AntiKaiser,who, though of little account, and called PFAFFENKAISER (Parsons'
Kaiser) by the public, might have brought new troubles, had that lasted. We shall see some ultimate glimpses
of it farther on.
Chapter X. BRANDENBURG LAPSES TO THE KAISER.
Two years before the victory at Muhldorf, a bad chance befell in Brandenburg: the ASCANIER Line of
Markgraves or Electors ended. Magniloquent Otto with the Arrow, Otto the Short, Hermann the Tall, all the
Ottos, Hermanns and others, died by course of nature; nephew Waldemar himself, a stirring man, died
prematurely (A.D. 1319), and left only a young cousin for successor, who died few months after: [September,
1320 (Pauli, i. 391). Michaelis, i. 260277.] the Line of Albert the Bear went out in Brandenburg. They had
lasted there about two hundred years. They had not been, in late times, the successfulest Markgraves:
territories much split up among younger sons, joint Markgraves reigning, which seldom answers; yet to the
last they always made stout fight for themselves; walked the stage in a high manner; and surely might be said
to quit it creditably, leaving such a Brandenburg behind them, chiefly of their making, during the Two
Centuries that had been given them before the night came.
There were plenty of Ascanier Cousins still extant in those parts, Saxon dignitaries, Anhalt dignitaries, lineal
descendants of Albert the Bear; to some of whom, in usual times, Albert's inheritance would naturally have
been granted. But the times were of battle, uncertainty, contested election: and the Ascaniers, I perceive, had
rather taken Friedrich of Austria's side, which proved the losing one. Kaiser Ludwig DER BAIER would
appoint none of these; AntiKaiser Friedrich's appointments, if he made any, could be only nominal, in those
distant Northern parts. Ludwig, after his victory of Muhldorf, preferred to consider the Electorate of
Brandenburg as lapsed, lying vacant, ungoverned these three years; and now become the Kaiser's again.
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Kaiser, in consequence, gave it to his Son; whose name also is Ludwig: the date of the Investiture is 1323
(year after that victory of Muhldorf); a date unfortunate to Brandenburg. We come now into a Line of
BAVARIAN Markgraves, and then of LUXEMBURG ones; both of which are of fatal significance to
Brandenburg.
The Ascanier Cousins, high Saxon dignitaries some of them, gloomed mere disappointment, and protested
hard; but could not mend the matter, now or afterwards. Their Line went out in Saxony too, in course of time;
gave place to the WETTINS, who are still there. The Ascanier had to be content with the more pristine state
of acquisitions,high pedigrees, old castles of Ascanien and Ballenstadt, territories of Anhalt or what else
they had;and never rose again to the lost height, though the race still lives, and has qualities besides its
pedigree. We said the "Old Dessauer," Leopold Prince of AnhaltDessau, was the head of it in Friedrich
Wilhelm's time; and to this day he has descendants. Catharine II. of Russia was of AnhaltZerbst, a junior
branch. Albert the Bear, if that is of any use to him, has still occasionally notable representatives.
Ludwig junior, Kaiser Ludwig the Bavarian's eldest son, was still under age when appointed Kurfurst of
Brandenburg in 1323: of course he had a "STATEHOLDER" (Viceregent, STATTHALTER); then, and
afterwards in occasional absences of his, a series of such, Kaiser's Councillors, Burggraf Friedrich IV. among
them, had to take some thought of Brandenburg in its new posture. Who these Brandenburg Statthalters were,
is heartily indifferent even to Dryasdust,except that one of them for some time was a Hohenzollern: which
circumstance Dryasdust marks with the due note of admiration. "What he did there," Dryasdust admits, "is
not written anywhere;"good, we will hope, and not evil;but only the Diploma nominating him (of date
1346, not in Ludwig's minority, but many years after that ended [Rentsch, p. 323.]) now exists by way of
record. A difficult problem he, like the other regents and viceregents, must have had; little dreaming that it
was intrinsically for a grandson of his own, and long line of grandsons. The name of this temporary
Statthalter, the first Hohenzollern who had ever the least concern with Brandenburg, is Burggraf Johann II.,
eldest Son of our distinguished Muhldorf friend Friedrich IV.; and Grandfather (through another Friedrich) of
Burggraf Friedrich VI.,which last gentleman, as will be seen, did doubtless reap the sowings, good and
bad, of all manner of men in Brandenburg. The same Johann II. it was who purchased Plassenburg Castle and
Territory (cheap, for money down), where the Family afterwards had its chief residence. Hof, Town and
Territory, had fallen to his Father in those parts; a gift of gratitude from Kaiser Ludwig:most of the
Voigtland is now Hohenzollern.
Kaiser Ludwig the Bavarian left his sons Electors of Brandenburg; "Electors, KURFURSTS," now
becomes the commoner term for so important a Country;Electors not in easy circumstances. But no son of
his succeeded Ludwig as Kaiser,successor in the Reich was that PfaffenKaiser, Johann of Bohemia's son,
a Luxemburger once more. No son of Ludwig's; nor did any descendant,except, after four hundred years,
that unfortunate Kaiser Karl VII., in Maria Theresa's time. He was a descendant. Of whom we shall hear
more than enough. The unluckiest of all Kaisers, that Karl VII.; less a Sovereign Kaiser than a bone thrown
into the ring for certain royal dogs, Louis XV., George II. and others, to worry about; watchdogs of the
gods; apt sometimes to run into hunting instead of warding.We will say nothing more of Ludwig the Baier,
or his posterity, at present: we will glance across to Preussen, and see, for one moment, what the Teutsch
Ritters are doing in their new Century. It is the year 1330; Johann II. at Nurnberg, as yet only coming to be
Burggraf, by no means yet administering in Brandenburg; and Ludwig junior seven years old in his new
dignity there.
The Teutsch Ritters, after infinite travail, have subdued heathen Preussen; colonized the country with
industrious German immigrants; banked the Weichsel and the Nogat, subduing their quagmires into
meadows, and their waste streams into deep ship courses. Towns are built, Konigsberg (KING Ottocar's
TOWN), Thoren (Thorn, CITY of the GATES), with many others: so that the wild population and the tame
now lived tolerably together, under Gospel and Lubeck Law; and all was ploughing and trading, and a rich
country; which had made the Teutsch Ritters rich, and victoriously at their ease in comparison. But along
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with riches and the ease of victory, the common bad consequences had ensued. Ritters given up to luxuries, to
secular ambitions; ritters no longer clad in austere mail and prayer; ritters given up to wantonness of mind
and conduct; solemnly vowing, and quietly not doing; without remorse or consciousness of wrong, daily
eating forbidden fruit; ritters swelling more and more into the fattedox condition, for whom there is but one
doom. How far they had carried it, here is one symptom that may teach us.
In the year 1330, one Werner von Orseln was Grandmaster of these Ritters. The Grandmaster, who is still
usually the best man they can get, and who by theory is sacred to them as a GrandLama or Pope among
CardinalLamas, or as an Abbot to his Monks,Grand master Werner, we say, had lain down in
Marienburg one afternoon of this year 1330, to take his siesta, and was dreaming peaceably after a moderate
repast, when a certain devilridden mortal, Johann von Endorf, one of his Ritters, long grumbling about
severity, want of promotion and the like, rushed in upon the good old man; ran him through, dead for a ducat;
[Voigt, iv. 474, 482.]and consummated a PARRICIDE at which the very cross on one's white cloak
shudders! Parricide worse, a great deal, than that at the Ford of Reuss upon oneeyed Albert.
We leave the shuddering Ritters to settle it, sternly vengeful; whom, for a moment, it has struck broadawake
to some sense of the very questionable condition they are getting into.
Chapter XI. BAYARIAN KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG.
Young Ludwig Kurfurst of Brandenburg, Kaiser Ludwig's eldest son, having come of years, the Tutors or
Statthalters went home,not wanted except in cases of occasional absence henceforth;and the young man
endeavored to manage on his own strength. His success was but indifferent; he held on, however, for a space
of twenty years, better or worse. "He helped King Edward III. at the Siege of Cambray (A.D. 1339);"
[Michaelis, i. 279.] whose French politics were often connected with the Kaiser's: it is certain, Kurfurst
Ludwig "served personally with 600 horse [on good payment, I conclude] at that Siege of Cambray;"and
probably saw the actual Black Prince, and sometimes dined with him, as English readers can imagine. In
Brandenburg he had many checks and difficult passages, but was never quite beaten out, which it was easy to
have been.
A man of some ability, as we can gather, though not of enough: he played his game with resolution, not
without skill; but from the first the cards were against him. His Father's affairs going mostly ill were no help
to his, which of themselves went not well. The Brandenburgers, mindful of their old Ascanier sovereigns,
were ill affected to Ludwig and the new Bavarian sort. The Anhalt Cousinry gloomed irreconcilable; were
never idle, digging pitfalls, raising troubles. From them and others Kurfurst Ludwig had troubles enough;
which were fronted by him really not amiss; which we wholly, or all but wholly, omit in this place.
A RESUSCITATED ASCANIER; THE FALSE WALDEMAR.
The wickedest and worst trouble of their raising was that of the resuscitated Waldemar (A.D. 1345): "False
Waldemar," as he is now called in Brandenburg Books. Waldemar was the last, or as good as the last, of the
Ascanier Markgraves; and he, two years before Ludwig ever saw those countries, died in his bed,
twentyfive good years ago; and was buried, and seemingly ended. But no; after twentyfive years,
Waldemar reappears: "Not buried or dead, only shamburied, shamdead; have been in the Holy Land all
this while, doing pilgrimage and penance; and am come to claim my own again, which strangers are much
misusing!" [Michaelis, i. 279.]
Perkin Warbeck, POSTMORTEM Richard II., Dimitri of Russia, Martin Guerre of the CAUSES
CELEBRES: it is a common story in the world, and needs no commentary now. POSTMORTEM
Waldemar, it is said, was a Miller's Man, "of the name of Jakob Rehback;" who used to be about the real
Waldemar in a menial capacity, and had some resemblance to him. He showed signets, recounted
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experiences, which had belonged to the real Waldemar. Many believed in his pretension, and took arms to
assert it; the Reich being in much internal battle at the time; poor Kaiser Ludwig, with his Avignon Popes and
angry Kings Johann, wading in deep waters. Especially the disaffected Cousinry, or Princes of Anhalt,
believed and battled for POSTMORTEM Waldemar; who were thought to have got him up from the first.
Kurfurst Ludwig had four or five most sad years with him;all the worse when the PFAFFENKAISER
(King Johann's son) came on the stage, in the course of them (A.D. 1346), and Kaiser Ludwig, yielding not
indeed to him, but to Death, vanished from it two years after; [Elected, 1314; Muhldorf, and Election
COMPLETE, 1322; died, 1347, age 60.] leaving Kurfurst Ludwig to his own shifts with the PfaffenKaiser.
Whom he could not now hinder from succeeding to the Reich. He tried hard; set up, he and others, an
AntiKaiser (GUNTHER OF SCHWARTZBURG, temporary Anti Kaiser, whom English readers can
forget again): he bustled, battled, negotiated, up and down; and ran across, at one time, to Preussen to the
Teutsch Ritters,presumably to borrow money:but it all would not do. The PfaffenKaiser carried it, in
the Diet and out of the Diet: Karl IV. by title; a sorry enough Kaiser, and by nature an enemy of Ludwig's.
It was in this whirl of intricate misventures that Kurfurst Ludwig had to deal with his False Waldemar,
conjured from the deeps upon him, like a new goblin, where already there were plenty, in the dance round
poor Ludwig. Of which nearly inextricable goblin dance; threatening Brandenburg, for one thing, with
annihilation, and yet leading Brandenburg abstrusely towards new birth and higher destinies,how will it be
possible (without raising new ghosts, in a sense) to give readers any intelligible notion? Here, flickering on
the edge of conflagration after duty done, is a poor Note which perhaps the reader had better, at the risk of
superfluity, still in part take along with him:
"Kaiser Henry VII., who died of sacramental wine, First of the Luxemburg Kaisers, left Johann still a boy of
fifteen, who could not become the second of them, but did in time produce the Second, who again produced
the Third and Fourth.
"Johann was already King of Bohemia; the important young gentleman, Ottocar's grandson, whom we saw
'murdered at Olmutz none yet knows by whom,' had left that throne vacant, and it lapsed to the Kaiser; who,
the Nation also favoring, duly put in his son Johann. There was a competitor, 'Duke of the Tyrol,' who
claimed on loose grounds; 'My wife was Aunt of the young murdered King,' said he; 'wherefore'! Kaiser,
and Johann after him, rebutted this competitor; but he long gave some trouble, having great wealth and
means. He produced a Daughter, Margaret Heiress of the Tyrol,with a terrible MOUTH to her face, and
none of the gentlest hearts in her body:that was perhaps his principal feat in the world. He died 1331; had
styled himself 'King of Bohemia' for twenty years,ever since 1308;but in the last two years of his life he
gave it up, and ceased from troubling, having come to a beautiful agreement with Johann.
"Johann, namely, wedded his eldest Son to this competitor's fine Daughter with the mouth (Year 1329): 'In
this manner do not Bohemia and the Tyrol come together in my blood and in yours, and both of us are made
men?' said the two contracting parties.Alas, no: the competitor Duke, father of the Bride, died some two
years after, probably with diminished hopes of it; and King Johann lived to see the hope expire dismally
altogether. There came no children, there came noIn fact Margaret, after a dozen years of wedlock, in
unpleasant circumstances, broke it off as if by explosion; took herself and her Tyrol irrevocably over to
Kaiser Ludwig, quite away from King Johann,who, his hopes of the Tyrol expiring in such dismal manner,
was thenceforth the bitter enemy of Ludwig and what held of him."
Tyrol explosion was in 1342. And now, keeping these preliminary dates and outlines in mind, we shall
understand the bigmouthed Lady better, and the consequences of her in the world.
MARGARET WITH THE POUCHMOUTH.
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What principally raised this dance of the devils round poor Ludwig, I perceive, was a marriage he had made,
three years before Waldemar emerged; of which, were it only for the sake of the Bride's name, some mention
is permissible. Margaret of the Tyrol, commonly called, by contemporaries and posterity, MAULTASCHE
(Mouthpoke, Pocketmouth), she was the bride:marriage done at Innspruck, 1342, under furtherance of
father Ludwig the Kaiser: such a mouth as we can fancy, and a character corresponding to it. This, which
seemed to the two Ludwigs a very conquest of the goldenfleece under conditions, proved the beginning of
their worst days to both of them.
Not a lovely bride at all, this Maultasche; who is verging now towards middle life withal, and has had enough
to cross her in the world. Was already married thirteen years ago; not wisely nor by any means too well. A
terrible dragon of a woman. Has been in nameless domestic quarrels; in wars and sieges with rebellious
vassals; claps you an iron cap on her head, and takes the field when need is: furious shebear of the Tyrol.
But she has immense possessions, if wanting in female charms. She came by mothers from that Duke of
Meran whom we saw get his death (for cause), in the Plassenburg a hundred years ago. [Antes, p.102.] Her
ancestor was Husband to an Aunt of that homicided Duke: from him, principally from him, she inherits the
Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria; is herself an only child, the last of a line: hugest Heiress now going. So that, in spite
of the mouth and humor, she has not wanted for wooers,especially prudent Fathers wooing her for their
sons.
In her Father's lifetime, Johann King of Bohemia, always awake to such symptoms of things, and having very
peculiar interests in this case, courted and got her for his CrownPrince (as we just saw), a youth of great
outlooks, outlooks towards Kaisership itself perhaps; to whom she was wedded, thirteen years ago, and duly
brought the Tyrol for Heritage: but with the worst results. Heritage, namely, could not be had without strife
with Austria, which likewise had claims. Far worse, the marriage itself went awry: Johann's CrownPrince
was "a softnatured Herr," say the Books: why bring your big shebear into a poor deer's den? Enough, the
marriage came to nothing, except to huge brawlings far enough away from us: and Margaret Pouchmouth
has now divorced her Bohemian CrownPrince as a Nullity; and again weds, on similar terms, Kaiser
Ludwig's son, our Brandenburg Kurfurst,who hopes possibly that HE now may succeed as Kaiser, on the
strength of his Father and of the Tyrol. Which turned out far otherwise.
The marriage was done in the Church of Innspruck, 10th February, 1342 (for we love to be particular),
"Kaiser Ludwig," happy man, "and many Princes of the Empire, looking on;" little thinking what a coil it
would prove. "At the high altar she stript off her veil," symbol of wifehood or widowhood, "and put on a
JUNGFERNKRANZ (maiden'sgarland)," symbolically testifying how happy Ludwig junior still was. They
had a son by and by; but their course otherwise, and indeed thiswise too, was much checkered.
King Johann, seeing the Tyrol gone in this manner, gloomed terribly upon his CrownPrince; flung him aside
as a Nullity, "Go to Moravia, out of sight, on an apanage, you; be CrownPrince no longer!"And took to
fighting Kaiser Ludwig; colleagued diligently with the hostile Pope, with the King of France; intrigued and
colleagued far and wide; swearing by every method everlasting enmity to Kaiser Ludwig; and set up his son
Karl as PfaffenKaiser. Nay, perhaps he was at the bottom of POSTOBIT Waldemar too. In brief, he raised,
he mainly, this devils'dance, in which, Kaiser Ludwig having died, poor Kurfurst Ludwig, with Maultasche
hanging on him, is sometimes near his wits' end.
Johann's poor CrownPrince, finding matters take this turn, retired into MAHREN (Moravia) as bidden;
"Margrave of Mahren;" and peaceably adjusted himself to his character of Nullity and to the loss of
Maultasche;chose, for the rest, a new Princess in wedlock, with more moderate dimensions of mouth; and
did produce sons and daughters on a fresh score. Produced, among others, one Jobst his successor in the
apanage or Margrafdom; who, as JOBST, or Jodocus, OF MAHREN, made some noise for himself in the
next generation, and will turn up again in reference to Brandenburg in this History.
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As for Margaret Pouchmouth, she, with her new Husband as with her old, continued to have troubles, pretty
much as the sparks fly upwards. She had fierce siegings after this, and explosive procedures,little short of
Monk Schwartz, who was just inventing gunpowder at the time. We cannot hope she lived in Elysian
harmony with Kurfurst Ludwig;the reverse, in fact; and oftenest with the whole breadth of Germany
between them, he in Brandenburg, she in the Tyrol. Nor did Ludwig junior ever come to be Kaiser, as his
Father and she had hoped; on the contrary, King Johann of Bohemia's people,it was they that next got the
Kaisership and kept it; a new provocation to Maultasche.
Ludwig and she had a son, as we said; Prince of the Tyrol and appendages, titular Margraf of Mahren and
much else, by nature: but alas, he died about ten; a precocious boy,fancy the wild weeping of a maternal
Shebear! And the Father had already died; [In 1361, died Kurfurst Ludwig; 1363, the Boy; 1366,
Maultasche herself.] a malicious world whispering that perhaps she poisoned them BOTH. The proud
woman, now old too, pursed her big coarse lips together at such rumor, and her big coarse soul,in a
gloomy scorn appealing beyond the world; in a sorrow that the world knew not of. She solemnly settled her
Tyrol and appendages upon the Austrian Archdukes, who were children of her Mother's Sister; whom she
even installed into the actual government, to make matters surer. This done, she retired to Vienna, on a
pension from them, there to meditate and pray a little, before Death came; as it did now in a short year or two.
Tyrol and the appendages continue with Austria from that hour to this, Margaret's little boy having died.
Margaret of the Pouchmouth, rugged dragoonmajor of a woman, with occasional steel cap on her head,
and capable of swearing terribly in Flanders or elsewhere, remains in some measure memorable to me.
Compared with Pompadour, Duchess of Cleveland, of Kendal and other highrouged unfortunate females,
whom it is not proper to speak of without necessity, though it is often done,Maultasche rises to the rank of
Historical. She brought the Tyrol and appendages permanently to Austria; was near leading Brandenburg to
annihilation, raising such a goblindance round Ludwig and it, yet did abstrusely lead Brandenburg towards a
far other goal, which likewise has proved permanent for it.
Chapter XII. BRANDENBURG IN KAISER KARL'S TIME; END OF THE
BAVARIAN KURFURSTS.
Kaiser Ludwig died in 1347, while the False Waldemar was still busy. We saw Karl IV., Johann of Bohemia's
second son, come to the Kaisership thereupon, Johann's eldest Nullity being omitted. This Fourth
Karl,other three Karls are of the Charlemagne set, Karl the Bald, the Fat, and such like, and lie under our
horizon, while CHARLES FIFTH is of a still other set, and known to everybody,this Karl IV. is the Kaiser
who discovered the Well of KARLSBAD (Bath of Karl), known to Tourists of this day; and made the
GOLDEN BULL, which I forbid all Englishmen to take for an agricultural Prize Animal, the thing being far
other, as is known to several.
There is little farther to be said of Karl in ReichsHistory. An unesteemed creature; who strove to make his
time peaceable in this world, by giving from the Holy Roman Empire with both hands to every bullbeggar,
or readypayer who applied. Sad sign what the Roman Empire had come and was coming to. The Kaiser's
shield, set up aloft in the Roncalic Plain in Barbarossa's time, intimated, and in earnest too, "Ho, every one
that has suffered wrong!"intimates now, "Ho, every one that can bully me, or has money in his pocket!"
Unadmiring posterity has confirmed the nickname of this Karl IV.; and calls him PFAFFENKAISER. He
kept mainly at Prag, ready for receipt of cash, and holding well out of harm's way. In younger years he had
been much about the French Court; in Italy he had suffered troubles, almost assassinations; much blown to
and fro, poor light wretch, on the chaotic Winds of his Time,steering towards no star.
Johann, King of Bohemia, did not live to see Karl an acknowledged Kaiser. Old Johann, blind for some time
back, had perished two years before that event;bequeathing a Heraldic Symbol to the World's History and
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to England's, if nothing more. Poor man, he had crusaded in Preussen in a brilliant manner, being fond of
fighting. He wrung Silesia, gradually by purchase and entreaty ( pretio ac prece ), from the Polish King;
[13271341 (Kohler, p. 302).] joined IT firmly to Bohemia and Germany,unconsciously waiting for what
higher destinies Silesia might have. For Maultasche and the Tyrol he brought sad woes on Brandenburg; and
yet was unconsciously leading Brandenburg, by abstruse courses, whither it had to go. A restless,
ostentatious, fargrasping, stronghanded man; who kept the world in a stir wherever he was. All which has
proved voiceless in the World's memory; while the casual Shadow of a Feather he once wore has proved
vocal there. World's memory is very whimsical now and then.
Being much implicated with the King of France, who with the Pope was his chief stay in these final
AntiLudwig operations, Johann in 1346, PfaffenKaiser Karl just set on foothad led his chivalry into
France, to help against the English Edwards, who were then very intrusive there. Johann was blind, but he
had good ideas in war. At the Battle of Crecy, 24th August, 1346, he advised we know not what; but he
actually fought, though stone blind. "Tied his bridle to that of the Knight next him; and charged in,"like
an old blind warhorse kindling madly at the sound of the trumpet;and was there, by some English lance
or yew, laid low. They found him on that field of carnage (field of honor, too, in a sort); his old blind face
looking, very blindly, to the stars: on his shield was blazoned a Plume of three ostrich feathers with "ICH
DIEN (I serve)" written under:with which emblem every English reader is familiar ever since! This Editor
himself, in very tender years, noticed it on the Britannic Majesty's wardrums; and had to inquire of children
of a larger growth what the meaning might be.
That is all I had to say of King Johann and his "ICH DIEN." Of the Luxemburg Kaisers (four in number, two
sons of Karl still to come); who, except him of the sacramental wine, with "ICH DIEN" for son, are good for
little; and deserve no memory from mankind except as they may stick, not easily extricable, to the history of
nobler men:of them also I could wish to be silent, but must not. Must at least explain how they came in, as
"Luxemburg Kurfursts" in Brandenburg; and how they went out, leaving Brandenburg not annihilated, but
very near it.
END OF RESUSCITATED WALDEMAR; KURFURST LUDWIG SELLS OUT.
Imaginary Waldemar being still busy in Brandenburg, it was natural for Kaiser Karl to find him genuine, and
keep up that goblindance round poor Kurfurst Ludwig, the late Kaiser's son, by no means a lover of Karl's.
Considerable support was managed to be raised for Waldemar. Kaiser Karl regularly infeoffed him as real
Kurfurst, so far as parchment could do it; and in case of his decease, says Karl's diploma farther, the Princes
of Anhalt shall succeed, Ludwig in any case is to be zero henceforth. War followed, or what they called
war: much confused invading, bickering and throttling, for two years to come. "Most of the Towns declared
for Waldemar, and their old Anhalt line of Margraves:" Ludwig and the Bavarian sort are clearly not popular
here. Ludwig held out strenuously, however; would not be beaten. He had the King of Denmark for
Brotherinlaw; had connections in the Reich: perhaps still better he had the REICHSINSIGNIA, lately his
Father's, still in hand. He stood obstinate siege from the Kaiser's people and the Anhalters; shoutedin
Denmark to help; started an AntiKaiser, as we said,temporary AntiKaiser Gunther of Schwartzburg,
whom the reader can forget a second time:in brief, Ludwig contrived to bring Kaiser Karl, and Imaginary
Waldemar with his Anhalters, to a quietus and negotiation, and to get Brandenburg cleared of them. Year
1349, they went their ways; and that devils'dance, which had raged five years and more round Ludwig, was
fairly got laid or lulled again.
Imaginary Waldemar, after some farther ineffectual wrigglings, retired altogether into private life, at the
Court of Dessau; and happily died before long. Died at the Court of Dessau; the Anhalt Cousins treating him
to the last as Head Representative of Albert the Bear, and real Prince Waldemar; for which they had their
reasons. Portraits of this False Waldemar still turn up in the German Printshops; [In Kloss ( Vaterlandische
Gemalde, ii. 29), a sorry Compilation, above referred to, without value except for the old Excerpts, there is a
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Copy of it.] and represent a very absurd fellow, much muffled in drapery, mouth partially open, eyes wholly
and widely so,never yet recovered from his astonishment at himself and things in general! How it fared
with poor Brandenburg, in these chaotic throttlings and vicissitudes, under the Bavarian Kurfursts, we can too
well imagine; and that is little to what lies ahead for it.
However, in that same year, 1349, temporary quietus having come, Kurfurst Ludwig, weary of the matter,
gave it over to his Brother: "Have not I an opulent Maultasche, GorgonWife, susceptible to kindness, in the
Tyrol; have not I in the Reich elsewhere resources, appliances?" thought Kurfurst Ludwig. And gave the
thing over to his next Brother. Brother whose name also is LUDWIG (as their Father's also had been, three
Ludwigs at once, for our dear Germans shine in nomenclature): "Ludwig THE ROMAN" this new one;the
elder Brother, our acquaintance, being Ludwig simply, distinguishable too as KURFURST Ludwig, or even
as Ludwig SENIOR at this stage of the affair. Kurfurst Ludwig, therefore, Year 1349, washes his hands of
Brandenburg while the quietus lasts; retaining only the Electorship and Title; and goes his ways, resolving to
take his ease in Bavaria and the Tyrol thenceforth. How it fared with him there, with his loving Gorgon and
him, we will not ask farther. They had always separate houses to fly to, in case of extremity! They held out,
better or worse, twelve years more; and Ludwig left his little Boy still surviving him, in 1361.
SECOND, AND THEN THIRD AND LAST, OF THE BAVARIAN KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG.
In Brandenburg, the new Markgraf Ludwig, who we say is called "THE ROMAN" (LUDWIG DER
ROMER, having been in Rome) to distinguish him, continued warring with the Anarchies, fifteen years in a
rather tough manner, without much victory on either side;made his peace with Kaiser Karl however,
delivering up the REICHSINSIGNIA; and tried to put down the domestic Robbers, who had got on foot,
"many of them persons of quality;" [Michaelis, i. 282.] till he also died, childless, A.D. 1365; having been
Kurfurst too, since his Brother's death, for some four years.
Whereupon Brandenburg, Electorship and all Titles with it, came to Otto, third son of Kaiser Ludwig, who is
happily the last of these Bavarian Electors. They were an unlucky set of Sovereigns, not hitherto without
desert; and the unlucky Country suffered much under them. By far the unluckiest, and by far the worst, was
this Otto; a dissolute, drinking, entirely worthless Herr; under whom, for eight years, confusion went worse
confounded; as if plain chaos were coming; and Brandenburg and Otto grew tired of each other to the last
degree.
In which state of matters, A.D. 1373, Kaiser Karl offered Otto a trifle of ready money to take himself away.
Otto accepted greedily; sold his Electorate and big Mark of Brandenburg to Kaiser Karl for an old
song,200,000 thalers (about 30,000 pounds, and only half of it ever paid); [Michaelis, i. 283.] withdrew
to his Schloss of Wolfstein in Bavaria; and there, on the strength of that or other sums, "rolled deep as
possible in every sort of debauchery." And so in few years puddled himself to death; foully ending the
Bavarian set of Kurfursts. They had lasted fifty years; with endless trouble to the Country and to themselves;
and with such mutual profit as we have seen.
Chapter XIII. LUXEMBURG KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG.
If Brandenburg suffered much under the Bavarian Kurfursts for Fifty years, it was worse, and approached to
the state of worst, under the Luxemburgers, who lasted for some Forty more. Ninety years of anarchy in all;
which at length brought it to great need of help from the Fates!
Karl IV. made his eldest Boy Wenzel, still only about twelve, Elector of Brandenburg; [1373 (born 1361).]
Wenzel shall be Kaiser and King of Bohemia, one day, thinks Karl;which actually came to pass, and little
to Wenzel's profit, by and by. In the mean while Karl accompanied him to Brandenburg; which country Karl
liked much at the money, and indeed ever after, in his old days, he seemed rather to busy himself with it. He
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assembled some kind of STANDE (States) twice over; got the Country "incorporated with Bohemia" by
them, and made tight and handy so far. Brandenburg shall rest from its woes, and be a silent portion of
Bohemia henceforth, thinks Karl,if the Heavens so please. Karl, a futile Kaiser, would fain have done
something to "encourage trade" in Brandenburg; though one sees not what it was he did, if anything. He built
the Schloss of Tangermunde, and oftenest lived there in time coming; a quieter place than even Prag for him.
In short, he appears to have fancied his cheap Purchase, and to have cheered his poor old futile life with it, as
with one thing that had been successful. Poor old creature: he had been a Kaiser on false terms, "Ho every
one that dare bully me, or that has money in his pocket;"a Kaiser that could not but be futile! In five years'
time he died; [King of Bohemia, 1346, on his Father's death; Kaiser (acknowledged on Ludwig the BAIER'S
death), 1347; died, 1378, age 62.] and doubtless was regretted in Brandenburg and even in the Reich, in
comparison with what came next.
In Brandenburg he left, instead of one indifferent or even bad governor steadily tied to the place and in
earnest to make the best of it, a fluctuating series of governors holding loose, and not in earnest; which was
infinitely worse. These did not try to govern it; sent it to the Pawnbroker, to a fluctuating series of
Pawnbrokers; under whom, for the next fiveandthirty years, Brandenburg tasted all the fruits of
Nongovernment, that is to say, Anarchy or Government by the Pawnbroker; and sank faster and faster,
towards annihilation as it seemed. That was its fate under the Luxemburg Kurfursts, who made even the
Bavarian and all others be regretted.
One thing Kaiser Karl did, which ultimately proved the saving of Brandenburg: made friendship with the
Hohenzollern Burggraves. These, Johann II., temporary "STUTTHALTER" Johann, and his Brother, who
were Coregents in the Family Domain, when Karl first made appearance,had stood true to Kaiser Ludwig
and his Son, so long as that play lasted at all; nay one of these Burggraves was talked of as Kaiser after
Ludwig's death, but had the wisdom not to try. Kaiser Ludwig being dead, they still would not recognize the
PFAFFENKAISER Karl, but held gloomily out. So that Karl had to march in force into the Nurnberg
country, and by great promises, by considerable gifts, and the "example of the other Princes of the Empire,"
["Halloweve, 1347, on the Field of Nurnberg," Agreement was come to (Rentsch, p. 326).] brought them
over to do homage.
After which, their progress, and that of their successor (Johann's son, Friedrich V.), in the grace of Karl, was
something xtraordinary. Karl gave his Daughter to this Friedrich V.'s eldest Son; appointed a Daughter of
Friedrich's for his own Second Prince, the famed Sigismund, famed that is to be,which latter match did not
take effect, owing to changed outlooks after Karl's death. Nay there is a Deed still extant about marrying
children not yet born: Karl to produce a Princess within five years, and Burggraf Friedrich V. a Prince, for
that purpose! [Rentsch, p. 336.] But the Burggraf never had another Prince; though Karl produced the due
Princess, and was ready, for his share. Unless indeed this strange eagerlooking Document, not dated in the
old Books, may itself relate to the above wedding which did come to pass?Years before that, Karl had
made his muchesteemed Burggraf Friedrich V. "CaptainGeneral of the Reich;" "Imperial Vicar,"
(SUBSTITUTE, if need were), and much besides; nay had given him the Landgraviate of Elsass
(ALSACE),so far as lay with him to give,of which valuable country this Friedrich had actual possession
so long as the Kaiser lived. "Best of men," thought the poor light Kaiser; "never saw such a man!"
Which proved a salutary thought, after all. The man had a little Boy Fritz (not the betrothed to Karl's
Princess), still chasing butterflies at Culmbach, when Karl died. In this Boy lie new destinies for
Brandenburg: towards him, and not towards annihilation, are Karl and the Luxemburg Kurfursts and
Pawnbrokers unconsciously guiding it.
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Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI.
Karl left three young Sons, Wenzel, Sigismund, Johann; and also a certain Nephew much older; all of whom
now more or less concern us in this unfortunate History.
Wenzel the eldest Son, heritable Kurfurst of Brandenburg as well as King of Bohemia, was as yet only
seventeen, who nevertheless got to be Kaiser, [1378, on his Father's death.]and went widely astray, poor
soul. The Nephew was no other than Margrave Jobst of Moravia (son of Maultasche's late Nullity there), now
in the vigor of his years and a stirring man: to him, for a time, the chief management in Brandenburg fell, in
these circumstances. Wenzel, still a minor, and already Kaiser and King of Bohemia, gave up Brandenburg to
his two younger Brothers, most of it to Sigismund, with a cutting for Johann, to help their apanages; and
applied his own powers to govern the Holy Roman Empire, at that early stage of life.
To govern the Holy Roman Empire, poor soul;or rather "to drink beer, and dance with the girls;" in which,
if defective in other things, Wenzel had an eminent talent. He was one of the worst Kaisers, and the least
victorious on record. He would attend to nothing in the Reich; "the Prag white beer, and girls" of various
complexion, being much preferable, as he was heard to say. He had to fling his poor Queen's Confessor into
the River Moldau,Johann of Nepomuk, Saint so called, if he is not a fable altogether; whose Statue stands
on Bridges ever since, in those parts. Wenzel's Bohemians revolted against him; put him in jail; and he broke
prison, a boatman's daughter helping him out, with adventures. His Germans were disgusted with him;
deposed him from the Kaisership; [25th May, 1400 (Kohler, p. 331).] chose Rupert of the Pfalz; and then
after Rupert's death, [1410 (ib. p. 336).] chose Wenzel's own Brother Sigismund, in his stead,left Wenzel
to jumble about in his native Bohemian element, as King there, for nineteen years longer, still breaking pots
to a ruinous extent.
He ended, by apoplexy, or sudden spasm of the heart; terrible Zisca, as it were, killing him at secondhand.
For Zisca, stout and furious, blind of one eye and at last of both, a kind of human rhinoceros driven mad, had
risen out of the ashes of murdered Huss, and other bad Papistic doings, in the interim; and was tearing up the
world at a huge rate. Rhinoceros Zisca was on the Weissenberg, or a still nearer Hill of Prag since called
ZISCA BERG (Zisca Hill): and none durst whisper of it to the King. A servant waiting at dinner
inadvertently let slip the word: "Zisca there? Deny it, slave!" cried Wenzel frantic. Slave durst not deny.
Wenzel drew his sword to run at him, but fell down dead: that was the last pot broken by Wenzel. The
hapless royal eximperial Phantasm selfbroken in this manner. [30th July, 1419 (Hormayr, vii. 119).] Poor
soul, he came to the Kaisership too early; was a thin violent creature, sensible to the charms and horrors of
created objects; and had terrible rhinoceros Ziscas and unruly hornedcattle to drive. He was one of the worst
Kaisers ever known,could have done Operasinging much better;and a sad sight to Bohemia. Let us
leave him there: he was never actual Elector of Brandenburg, having given it up in time; never did any ill to
that poor Country.
SIGISMUND IS KURFURST OF BRANDENBURG, BUT IS KING OF HUNGARY ALSO.
The real Kurfurst of Brandenburg all this while was Sigismund Wenzel's next Brother, under tutelage of
Cousin Jobst or otherwise;real and yet imaginary, for he never himself governed, but always had Jobst of
Mahren or some other in his place there. Sigismund, as above said, was to have married a Daughter of
Burggraf Friedrich V.; and he was himself, as was the young lady, well inclined to this arrangement. But the
old people being dead, and some offer of a King's Daughter turning up for Sigismund, Sigismund broke off;
and took the King's Daughter, King of Hungary's,not without regret then and afterwards, as is believed. At
any rate, the Hungarian charmer proved a wife of small merit, and a Hungarian successor she had was a wife
of light conduct even; Hungarian charmers, and Hungarian affairs, were much other than a comfort to
Sigismund.
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As for the disappointed Princess, Burggraf Friedrich's Daughter, she said nothing that we hear; silently
became a Nun, an Abbess: and through a long life looked out, with her thoughts to herself, upon the loud
whirlwind of things, where Sigismund (oftenest like an imponderous rag of conspicuous color) was riding
and tossing. Her two Brothers also, joint Burggraves after their Father's death, seemed to have reconciled
themselves without difficulty. The elder of them was already Sigismund's Brotherinlaw; married to
Sigismund's and Wenzel's sister,by such predestination as we saw. Burggraf Johann III. was the name of
this one: a stout fighter and manager for many years; much liked, and looked to, by Sigismund. As indeed
were both the Brothers, for that matter; always, together or in succession, a kind of righthand to Sigismund.
Friedrich the younger Burggraf, and ultimately the survivor and inheritor (Johann having left no sons), is the
famed Burggraf Friedrich VI., the last and notablest of all the Burggraves. A man of distinguished
importance, extrinsic and intrinsic; chief or among the very chief of German public men in his time;and
memorable to Posterity, and to this History, on still other grounds! But let us not anticipate.
Sigismund, if apanaged with Brandenburg alone, and wedded to his first love, not a King's Daughter, might
have done tolerably well there;better than Wenzel, with the Empire and Bohemia, did. But delusive
Fortune threw her golden apple at Sigismund too; and he, in the wide high world, had to play strange pranks.
His Fatherinlaw died in Hungary, Sigismund's first wife his only child. Fatherinlaw bequeathed
Hungary to Sigismund: [1387 (Sigismund's age then twenty).] who plunged into a strange sea thereby; got
troubles without number, beatings not a few,and had even to take boat, and sail for his life down to
Constantinople, at one time. In which sad adventure Burggraf Johann escorted him, and as it were tore him
out by the hair of the head. These troubles and adventures lasted many years; in the course of which,
Sigismund, trying all manner of friends and expedients, found in the Burggraves of Nurnberg, Johann and
Friedrich, with their talents, possessions and resources, the main or almost only sure support he got.
No end of troubles to Sigismund, and to Brandenburg through him, from this sublime Hungarian legacy! Like
a remote fabulous golden fleece, which you have to go and conquer first, and which is worth little when
conquered. Before ever setting out (A.D. 1387), Sigismund saw too clearly he would have cash to raise: an
operation he had never done with, all his life afterwards. He pawned Brandenburg to Cousin Jobst of Mahren;
got "20,000 Bohemian gulden,"I guess, a most slender sum, if Dryasdust would but interpret it. This was
the beginning of Pawnings to Brandenburg; of which when will the end be? Jobst thereby came into
Brandenburg on his own right for the time, not as Tutor or Guardian, which he had hitherto been. Into
Brandenburg; and there was no chance of repayment to get him out again.
COUSIN JOBST HAS BRANDENBURG IN PAWN.
Jobst tried at first to do some governing; but finding all very anarchic, grew unhopeful; took to making
matters easy for himself. Took, in fact, to turning a penny on his pawnticket; alienating crown domains,
winking hard at robberbarons, and the like;and after a few years, went home to Moravia, leaving
Brandenburg to shift for itself, under a Statthalter (VICEREGENT, more like a hungry landsteward), whom
nobody took the trouble of respecting. Robbercastles flourished; all else decayed. No highway not unsafe;
many a Turpin with sixteen quarters, and styling himself EDDLE HERR (noble Gentleman), took to "living
from the saddle:" what are Hamburg pedlers made for but to be robbed?
The Towns suffered much; any trade they might have had, going to wreck in this manner. Not to speak of
private feuds, which abounded ad libitum. Neighboring potentates, Archbishop of Magdeburg and others,
struck in also at discretion, as they had gradually got accustomed to do, and snapped away
(ABZWACKTEN) some convenient bit of territory, or, more legitimately, they came across to coerce, at their
own hand, this or the other Edle Herr of the Turpin sort, whom there was no other way of getting at, when he
carried matters quite too high. "Droves of six hundred swine,"I have seen (by reading in those old Books)
certain noble Gentlemen, "of Putlitz," I think, driving them openly, captured by the stronger hand; and have
heard the short querulous squeak of the bristly creatures: "What is the use of being a pig at all, if I am to be
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stolen in this way, and surreptitiously made into ham?" Pigs do continue to be bred in Brandenburg: but it is
under such discouragements. Agriculture, trade, wellbeing and welldoing of any kind, it is not
encouragement they are meeting here. Probably few countries, not even Ireland, have a worse outlook, unless
help come. [Pauli, i. 541612. Michaelis, i. 283285.] Jobst came back in 1398, after eight years' absence;
but no help came with Jobst. The NEUMARK part of Brandenburg, which was Brother Johann's portion, had
fallen home to Sigismund, Brother Johann having died: but Sigismund, far from redeeming old pawntickets
with the Newmark, pawned the Newmark too,the second Pawnage of Brandenburg. Pawned the Newmark
to the Teutsch Ritters "for 63,000 Hungarian gold gulden" (I think, about 30,000 pounds): and gave no part of
it to Jobst; had not nearly enough for himself and his Hungarian occasions.
Seeing which, and hearing such squeak of pigs surreptitiously driven, with little but discordant sights and
sounds everywhere, Jobst became disgusted with the matter; and resolved to wash his hands of it, at least to
have his money out of it again. Having sold what of the Domains he could to persons of quality, at an
uncommonly easy rate, and so pocketed what ready cash there was among them, he made over his
pawnticket, or properly he himself repawned Brandenburg to the Saxon Potentate, a speculative moneyed
man, Markgraf of Meissen, "Wilhelm the Rich" so called. Pawned it to Wilhelm the Rich,sum not named;
and went home to Moravia, there to wait events. This is the third Brandenburg pawning: let us hope there
may be a fourth and last.
BRANDENBURG IN THE HANDS OF THE PAWNBROKERS; RUPERT OF THE PFALZ IS KAISER.
And so we have now reached that point in Brandenburg History when, if some help do not come,
Brandenburg will not long be a country, but will either get dissipated in pieces and stuck to the edge of others
where some government is, or else go waste again and fall to the bisons and wild bears.
Who now is Kurfurst of Brandenburg, might be a question. "I UNquestionably!" Sigismund would answer,
with astonishment. "Soft, your Hungarian Majesty," thinks Jobst: "till my cash is paid, may it not probably be
another?" This question has its interest: the Electors just now (A.D. 1400) are about deposing Wenzel; must
choose some better Kaiser. If they wanted another scion of the House of Luxemburg; a mature old gentleman
of sixty; full of plans, plausibilities, pretensions,Jobst is their man. Jobst and Sigismund were of one mind
as to Wenzel's going; at least Sigismund voted clearly so, and Jobst said nothing counter: but the Kurfursts
did not think of Jobst for successor. After some stumbling, they fixed upon Rupert KURPFALZ (Elector
Palatine, RUPRECHT VON DER PFALZ) as Kaiser.
Rupert of the Pfalz proved a highly respectable Kaiser; lasted for ten years (14001410), with honor to
himself and the Reich. A strong heart, strong head, but short of means. He chastised petty mutiny with vigor;
could not bring down the Milanese Visconti, who had perched themselves so high on money paid to Wenzel;
could not heal the schism of the Church (Double or Triple Pope, RomeAvignon affair), or awaken the Reich
to a sense of its old dignity and present loose condition. In the late loose times, as Antiquaries remark,
[Kohler, p. 334; who quotes Schilter.] most Members of the Empire, Petty Princes even and Imperial Towns,
had been struggling to set up for themselves; and were now concerned chiefly to become Sovereign in their
own Territories. And Schilter informs us, it was about this period that most of them attained such rather
unblessed consummation; Rupert of himself not able to help it, with all his willingness. The People called
him "Rupert KLEMM (Rupert SMITH'SVICE)" from his resolute ways; which nicknamegiven him not
in hatred, but partly in satirical good willis itself a kind of history. From Historians of the REICH he
deserves honorable regretful mention.
He had for Empress a Sister of Burggraf Friedrich's; which high lady, unknown to us otherwise, except by her
Tomb at Heidelberg, we remember for her Brother's sake. Kaiser Rupertgreatgrandson of that KurPfalz
who was Kaiser Ludwig's elder brotheris the culminating point of the Electors Palatine; the Highest that
Heidelberg produced. Ancestor of those famed Protestant "Palatines;" of all the Palatines or PFLAZES that
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Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI. 73
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reign in these late centuries. Ancestor of the present Bavarian Majesty; Kaiser Ludwig's race having died out.
Ancestor of the unfortunate WINTERKONIG, Friedrich King of Bohemia, who is too well known in English
History;ancestor also of Charles XII. of Sweden, a highly creditable fact of the kind to him. Fact
indisputable: A cadet of PfalzZweibruck (DEUXPONTS, as the French call it), direct from Rupert, went to
serve in Sweden in his soldier business; distinguished himself in soldiering;had a Sister of the great Gustav
Adolf to wife; and from her a renowned Son, Karl Gustav (Christina's Cousin), who succeeded as King; who
again had a Grandson made in his own likeness, only still more of iron in his composition.Enough now of
Rupert SMITH'SVICE; who died in 1410, and left the Reich again vacant.
Rupert's funeral is hardly done, when, over in Preussen, far off in the Memel region, place called Tannenberg,
where there is still "a churchyard to be seen," if little more, the Teutsch Ritters had, unexpectedly, a terrible
Defeat: consummation of their Polish Miscellaneous quarrels of long standing; and the end of their high
courses in this world. A ruined Teutsch Ritterdom, as good as ruined, ever henceforth. Kaiser Rupert died
18th May; and on the 15th July, within two months, was fought that dreadful "Battle of
Tannenberg,"Poland and Polish King, with miscellany of savage Tartars and revolted Prussians, VERSUS
Teutsch Ritterdom; all in a very high mood of mutual rage; the very elements, "wild thunder, tempest and
raindeluges," playing chorus to them on the occasion. [Voigt, vii. 82. Busching, Erdbeschreibung
(Hamburg, 1770), ii. 1038.] Ritterdom fought lionlike, but with insufficient strategic and other wisdom; and
was driven nearly distracted to see its pride tripped into the ditch by such a set. Vacant Reich could not in the
least attend to it; nor can we farther at present.
SIGISMUND, WITH A STRUGGLE, BECOMES KAISER.
Jobst and Sigismund were competitors for the Kaisership; Wenzel, too, striking in with claims for
reinstatement: the House of Luxemburg divided against itself. Wenzel, finding reinstatement not to be
thought of, threw his weight, such as it was, into the scale of Cousin Jobst; remembering angrily how Brother
Sigismund voted in the Deposition case, ten years ago. The contest was vehement, and like to be lengthy.
Jobst, though he had made over his pawnticket, claimed to be Elector of Brandenburg; and voted for
Himself. The like, with still more emphasis, did Sigismund, or Burggraf Friedrich acting for him:
"Sigismund, sure, is Kur Brandenburg though under pawn!" argued Friedrich,and, I almost guess, though
that is not said, produced from his own purse, at some stage of the business, the actual money for Jobst, to
close his Brandenburg pretension.
Both were elected (majority contested in this manner); and old Jobst, then above seventy, was like to have
given much trouble: but happily in three months he died; ["Jodocus BARBATUS," 21st July, 1411.] and
Sigismund became indisputable. Jobst was the son of Maultasche's Nullity; him too, in an involuntary sort,
she was the cause of. In his day Jobst made much noise in the world, but did little or no good in it. "He was
thought a great man," says one satirical old Chronicler; "and there was nothing great about him but the
beard."
"The cause of Sigismund's success with the Electors," says Kohler, "or of his having any party among them,
was the faithful and unwearied diligence which had been used for him by the abovenamed Burggraf
Friedrich VI. of Nurnberg, who took extreme pains to forward Sigismund to the Empire; pleading that
Sigismund and Wenzel would be sure to agree well henceforth, and that Sigismund, having already such
extensive territories (Hungary, Brandenburg and so forth) by inheritance, would not be so exact about the
REICHSTolls and other Imperial Incomes. This same Friedrich also, when the Election fell out doubtful,
was Sigismund's best support in Germany, nay almost his righthand, through whom he did whatever was
done." [Kohler, p. 337.]
Sigismund is Kaiser, then, in spite of Wenzel. King of Hungary, after unheardof troubles and adventures,
ending some years ago in a kind of peace and conquest, he has long been King of Bohemia, too, he at last
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became; having survived Wenzel, who was childless. Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire, and so much else: is
not Sigismund now a great man? Truly the loom he weaves upon, in this world, is very large. But the weaver
was of headlong, highpacing, flimsy nature; and both warp and woof were gone dreadfully entangled!
This is the Kaiser Sigismund who held the Council of Constance; and "blushed visibly," when Huss, about to
die, alluded to the Letter of Safeconduct granted him, which was issuing in such fashion. [15th June, 1415.]
Sigismund blushed; but could not conveniently mend the matter,so many matters pressing on him just
now. As they perpetually did, and had done. An alwayshoping, neverresting, unsuccessful, vain and empty
Kaiser. Specious, speculative; given to eloquence, diplomacy, and the windy instead of the solid
arts;always short of money for one thing. He roamed about, and talked eloquently; aiming high, and
generally missing:how he went to conquer Hungary, and had to float down the Donau instead, with an
attendant or two, in a most private manner, and take refuge with the Grand Turk: this we have seen, and this
is a general emblem of him. Hungary and even the Reich have at length become his; but have brought small
triumph in any kind; and instead of ready money, debt on debt. His Majesty has no money, and his Majesty's
occasions need it more and more.
He is now (A.D. 1414) holding this Council of Constance, by way of healing the Church, which is sick of
Three simultaneous Popes and of much else. He finds the problem difficult; finds he will have to run into
Spain, to persuade a refractory Pope there, if eloquence can (as it cannot): all which requires money, money.
At opening of the Council, he "officiated as deacon;" actually did some kind of litanying "with a surplice
over him," [25th December, 1414 (Kohler, p. 340).] though Kaiser and King of the Romans. But this passage
of his opening speech is what I recollect best of him there: "Right Reverend Fathers, date operam ut illa
nefanda schisma eradicetur," exclaims Sigismund, intent on having the Bohemian Schism well dealt
with,which he reckons to be of the feminine gender. To which a Cardinal mildly remarking, "Domine,
schisma est generis neutrius (Schisma is neuter, your Majesty),"Sigismund loftily replies, "Ego sum Rex
Romanus et super grammaticam (I am King of the Romans, and above Grammar)!" [Wolfgang Mentzel,
Geschichte der Deutschen, i. 477.] For which reason I call him in my Notebooks Sigismund SUPER
GRAMMATICAM, to distinguish him in the imbroglio of Kaisers.
BRANDENBURG IS PAWNED FOR THE LAST TIME.
How Jobst's pawnticket was settled I never clearly heard; but can guess it was by Burggraf Friedrich's
advancing the money, in the pinch above indicated, or paying it afterwards to Jobst's heirs whoever they
were. Thus much is certain: Burggraf Friedrich, these three years and more (ever since 8th July, 1411) holds
Sigismund's Deed of acknowledgment "for 100,000 gulden lent at various times:" and has likewise got the
Electorate of Brandenburg in pledge for that sum; and does himself administer the said Electorate till he be
paid. This is the important news; but this is not all.
The new journey into Spain requires new moneys; this Council itself, with such a pomp as suited Sigismund,
has cost him endless moneys. Brandenburg, torn to ruins in the way we saw, is a sorrowful matter; and,
except the title of it, as a feather in one's cap, is worth nothing to Sigismund. And he is still short of money;
and will forever be. Why could not he give up Brandenburg altogether; since, instead of paying, he is still
making new loans from Burggraf Friedrich; and the hope of ever paying were mere lunacy! Sigismund
revolves these sad thoughts too, amid his world wide diplomacies, and efforts to heal the Church. "Pledged
for 100,000 gulden," sadly ruminates Sigismund; "and 50,000 more borrowed since, by little and little; and
more ever needed, especially for this grand Spanish journey!" these were Sigismund's sad
thoughts:"Advance me, in a round sum, 250,000 gulden more," said he to Burggraf Friedrich, "250,000
more, for my manifold occasions in this time;that will be 400,000 in whole; [Rentsch, pp. 75, 357.]and
take the Electorate of Brandenburg to yourself, Land, Titles, Sovereign Electorship and all, and make me rid
of it!" That was the settlement adopted, in Sigismund's apartment at Constance, on the 30th of April, 1415;
signed, sealed and ratified,and the money paid. A very notable event in World History; virtually
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Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI. 75
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oompleted on the day we mention.
The ceremony of Investiture did not take place till two years afterwards, when the Spanish journey had
proved fruitless, when much else of fruitless had come and gone, and Kaiser and Council were
probablymore at leisure for such a thing. Done at length it was by Kaiser Sigismund in utmost gala, with
the Grandees of the Empire assisting, and august members of the Council and world in general looking on; in
the big Square or Marketplace of Constance, 17th April, 1417;is to be found described in Rentsch, from
Nauclerus and the old Newsmongers of the time. Very grand indeed: much processioning on horseback,
under powerful trumpet peals and flourishes; much stately kneeling, stately rising, stepping backwards
(done well, ZIERLICH, on the Kurfurst's part); liberal expenditure of cloth and pomp; in short, "above
100,000 people looking on from roofs and windows," [Pauli, Allgemeine Preussische StaatsGeschichte, ii.
14. Rentsch, pp. 7678.] and Kaiser Sigismund in all his glory. Sigismund was on a high Platform in the
Marketplace, with stairs to it and from it; the illustrious Kaiser,red as a flamingo, "with scarlet mantle
and crown of gold,"a treat to the eyes of simple mankind.
What sum of modern money, in real purchasing power, this "400,000 Hungarian Gold Gulden" is, I have
inquired in the likely quarters without result; and it is probable no man exactly knows. The latest existing
representative of the ancient Gold Gulden is the Ducat, worth generally about a Halfsovereign in English.
Taking the sum at that latest rate, it amounts to 200,000 pounds; and the reader can use that as a note of
memory for the saleprice of Brandenburg with all its lands and honors,multiplying it perhaps by four or
six to bring out its effective amount in current coin. Dogcheap, it must be owned, for size and capability; but
in the most waste condition, full of mutiny, injustice, anarchy and highway robbery; a purchase that might
have proved dear enough to another man than Burggraf Friedrich.
But so, at any rate, moribund Brandenburg has got its Hohenzollern Kurfurst; and started on a new career it
little dreamt of;and we can now, right willingly, quit Sigismund and the ReichsHistory; leave Kaiser
Sigismund to sink or swim at his own will henceforth. His grand feat, in life, the wonder of his generation,
was this same Council of Constance; which proved entirely a failure; one of the largest WINDEGGS ever
dropped with noise and travail in this world. Two hundred thousand human creatures, reckoned and
reckoning themselves the elixir of the Intellect and Dignity of Europe; two hundred thousand, nay some,
counting the lower menials and numerous unfortunate females, say four hundred thousand,were got
congregated into that little Swiss Town; and there as an Ecumenic Council, or solemnly distilled elixir of
what pious Intellect and Valor could be scraped together in the world, they labored with all their select might
for four years' space. That was the Council of Constance. And except this transfer of Brandenburg to
Friedrich of Hohenzollern, resulting from said Council in the quite reverse and involuntary way, one sees not
what good result it had.
They did indeed burn Huss; but that could not be called a beneficial incident; that seemed to Sigismund and
the Council a most small and insignificant one. And it kindled Bohemia, and kindled rhinoceros Zisca, into
neverimagined flame of vengeance; brought mere disaster, disgrace, and defeat on defeat to Sigismund, and
kept his hands full for the rest of his life, however small he had thought it. As for the sublime four years'
deliberations and debates of this Sanhedrim of the Universe, eloquent debates, conducted, we may say,
under such extent of WIG as was never seen before or since,they have fallen wholly to the domain of
Dryasdust; and amount, for mankind at this time, to zero PLUS the Burning of Huss. On the whole, Burggraf
Friedrich's Electorship, and the first Hohenzollern to Brandenburg, is the one good result.
Adieu, then, to Sigismund. Let us leave him at this his culminating point, in the Marketplace of Constance;
red as a flamingo; doing one act of importance, though unconsciously and against his will.I subjoin here,
for refreshment of the reader's memory, a Synopsis, or bare arithmetical List, of those Intercalary
NonHapsburg Kaisers, which, now that its original small duty is done, may as well be printed as burnt:
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Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI. 76
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THE SEVEN INTERCALARY OR NONHAPSBURG KAISERS.
Rudolf of Hapsburg died A.D. 1291, after a reign of eighteen vigorous years, very useful to the Empire after
its Anarchic INTERREGNUM. He was succeeded, not by any of his own sons or kindred, but by
l. Adolf of Nassau, 12911298. A stalwart but necessitous Herr; much concerned in the French projects
of our Edward Longshanks: miles stipendiarius Eduardi, as the Opposition party scornfully termed him. Slain
in battle by the AntiKaiser, Albrecht or Albert eldest son of Rudolf, who thereupon became Kaiser.
Albert I. (of Hapsburg, he), 12981308. Parricided, in that latter year, at the Ford of the Reuss.
2(a). Henry VII. of Luxemburg, 13081313; poisoned (1313) in sacramental wine. The first of the
Luxemburgers; who are marked here, in their order, by the addition of an alphabetic letter.
3. Ludwig der Baier, 13141347 (Duke of OBERBAIERN, Upper Bavaria; progenitor of the
subsequent Kurfursts of Baiern, who are COUSINS of the Pfalz Family).
4(b). Karl IV., 13471378, Son of Johann of Bohemia (Johann ICHDIEN), and Grandson of Henry VII.
Nicknamed the PFAFFENKAISER (Parsons'Kaiser). Karlsbad; the Golden Bull; Castle of Tangermunde.
5(c). Wenzel (or Wenceslaus), 13781400, Karl's eldest Son. Elected 1378, still very young; deposed in
1400, Kaiser Rupert succeeding. Continued King of Bohemia till his death (by Zisca AT SECONDHAND)
nineteen years after. Had been Kaiser for twenty two years.
6. Rupert of the Pfalz, 14001410; called Rupert KLEMM (Pincers, Smith's_vice); Brotherinlaw to
Burggraf Friedrich VI. (afterwards Kurfurst Friedrich I.), who marched with him to Italy and often
elsewhither, Burggraf Johann the elder Brother inlaw being then oftenest in Hungary with Sigismund,
Karl IV.'s second Son.
7(d). Sigismund, 14101437, Wenzel's younger Brother; the fourth and last of the Luxemburgers,
seventh and last of the Intercalary Kaisers. Sold Brandenburg, after thrice or oftener pawning it. Sigismund
SUPERGRAMMATICAM.
Super~Grammaticam died 9th December, 1437; left only a Daughter, wedded to the then Albert Duke of
Austria; which Albert, on the strength of this, came to the Kingship of Bohemia and of Hungary, as his Wife's
inheritance, and to the Empire by election. Died thereupon in few months: "three crowns, Bohemia, Hungary,
the Reich, in that one year, 1438," say the old Historians; "and then next year he quitted them all, for a fourth
and more lasting crown, as is hoped." Kaiser Albert II., 14381439: After whom all are
Hapsburgers,excepting, if that is an exception, the unlucky Karl VII. alone (17421745), who descends
from Ludwig the Baier.
ENDS VOLUME II
BOOK III. THE HOHENZOLLERNS IN BRANDENBURG. 14121718
CHAPTER I. KURFURST FRIEDRICH I.
Burggraf Friedrich, on his first coming to Brandenburg, found but a cool reception as Statthalter.
[ "Johannistage" (24 June) "1412," he first set foot in Brandenburg, with due escort, in due state; only
Statthalter (Viceregent) as yet: Pauli, i. 594, ii. 58; Stenzel, Geschichte des Preussischen Staats (Hamburg,
1830, 1851), i. 167169.] He came as the representative of law and rule; and there had been many helping
themselves by a ruleless life, of late. Industry was at a low ebb, violence was rife; plunder, disorder
everywhere; too much the habit for baronial gentlemen to "live by the saddle," as they termed it, that is by
highway robbery in modern phrase.
The Towns, harried and plundered to skin and bone, were glad to see a Statthalter, and did homage to him
with all their heart. But the Baronage or Squirearchy of the country were of another mind. These, in the late
anarchies, had set up for a kind of kings in their own right: they had their feuds; made war, made peace,
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levied tolls, transitdues; lived much at their own discretion in these solitary countries;rushing out from
their stone towers ("walls fourteen feet thick"), to seize any herd of "six hundred swine," any convoy of
Lubeck or Hamburg merchantgoods, that had not contented them in passing. What were pedlers and
mechanic fellows made for, if not to be plundered when needful? Arbitrary rule, on the part of these Noble
RobberLords! And then much of the CrownDomains had gone to the chief of them,pawned (and the
pawnticket lost, so to speak), or sold for what trifle of ready money was to be had, in Jobst and Company's
time. To these gentlemen, a Statthalter coming to inquire into matters was no welcome phenomenon. Your
EDLE HERR (Noble Lord) of Putlitz, Noble Lords of Quitzow, Rochow, Maltitz and others, supreme in their
grassy solitudes this long while, and accustomed to nothing greater than themselves in Brandenburg, how
should they obey a Statthalter?
Such was more or less the universal humor in the Squirearchy of Brandenburg; not of good omen to Burggraf
Friedrich. But the chief seat of contumacy seemed to be among the Quitzows, Putlitzes, above spoken of; big
Squires in the district they call the Priegnitz, in the Country of the sluggish Havel River, northwest from
Berlin a fifty or forty miles. These refused homage, very many of them; said they were "incorporated with
Bohmen;" said this and that;much disinclined to homage; and would not do it. Stiff surly fellows, much
deficient in discernment of what is above them and what is not:a thickskinned set; bodies clad in buff
leather; minds also cased in ill habits of long continuance.
Friedrich was very patient with them; hoped to prevail by gentle methods. He "invited them to dinner;" "had
them often at dinner for a year or more:" but could make no progress in that way. "Who is this we have got
for a Governor?" said the noble lords privately to each other: "A NURNBERGER TAND (Nurnberg
Plaything, wooden image, such as they make at Nurnberg)," said they, grinning, in a thickskinned way:
"If it rained Burggraves all the year round, none of them would come to luck in this Country;"and
continued their feuds, tolllevyings, plunderings and other contumacies. Seeing matters come to this pass
after waiting above a year, Burggraf Friedrich gathered his Frankish menatarms; quietly made league with
the neighboring Potentates, Thuringen and others; got some munitions, some artillery togetherespecially
one huge gun, the biggest ever seen, "a twentyfour pounder" no less; to which the peasants, dragging her
with difficulty through the clayey roads, gave the name of FAULE GRETE (Lazy, or Heavy Peg); a
remarkable piece of ordnance. Lazy Peg he had got from the Landgraf of Thuringen, on loan merely; but he
turned her to excellent account of his own. I have often inquired after Lazy Peg's fate in subsequent times; but
could never learn anything distinct:the German Dryasdust is a dull dog, and seldom carries anything
human in those big wallets of his!
Equipped in this way, Burggraf Friedrich (he was not yet Kurfurst, only coming to be) marches for the Havel
Country (early days of 1414); [Michaelis, i. 287; Stenzel, i. 168 (where, contrary to wont, is an insignificant
error or two). Pauli (ii. 58) is, as usual, lost in water.] makes his appearance before Quitzow's stronghouse
of Friesack, walls fourteen feet thick: "You Dietrich von Quitzow, are you prepared to live as a peaceable
subject henceforth: to do homage to the Laws and me?""Never!" answered Quitzow, and pulled up his
drawbridge. Whereupon Heavy Peg opened upon him, Heavy Peg and other guns; and, in some
eightandforty hours, shook Quitzow's impregnable Friesack about his ears. This was in the month of
February, 1414, day not given: Friesack was the name of the impregnable Castle (still discoverable in our
time); and it ought to be memorable and venerable to every Prussian man. Burggraf Friedrich VI., not yet
quite become Kurfurst Friedrich I., but in a year's space to become so, he in person was the beneficent
operator; Heavy Peg, and steady Human Insight, these were clearly the chief implements.
Quitzow being settled,for the country is in military occupation of Friedrich and his allies, and except in
some stone castle a man has no chance,straightway Putlitz or another mutineer, with his drawbridge up,
was battered to pieces, and his drawbridge brought slamming down. After this manner, in an incredibly short
period, mutiny was quenched; and it became apparent to Noble Lords, and to all men, that here at length was
a man come who would have the Laws obeyed again, and could and would keep mutiny down.
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Friedrich showed no cruelty; far the contrary. Your mutiny once ended, and a little repented of, he is ready to
be your gracious Prince again: Fairplay and the social winecup, or inexorable war and Lazy Peg, it is at
your discretion which. Brandenburg submitted; hardly ever rebelled more. Brandenburg, under the wise
Kurfurst it has got, begins in a small degree to be cosmic again, or of the domain of the gods; ceases to be
chaotic and a mere cockpit of the devils. There is no doubt but this Friedrich also, like his ancestor Friedrich
III., the First Hereditary Burggraf, was an excellent citizen of his country: a man conspicuously important in
all German business in his time. A man setting up for no particular magnanimity, ability or heroism, but
unconsciously exhibiting a good deal; which by degrees gained universal recognition. He did not shine much
as ReichsGeneralissimo, under Kaiser Sigismund, in his expeditions against Zisca; on the contrary, he
presided over huge defeat and rout, once and again, in that capacity; and indeed had represented in vain that,
with such a species of militia, victory was impossible. He represented and again represented, to no purpose;
whereupon he declined the office farther; in which others fared no better. [Hormayr, OEsterreichischer
Plutarch vii. 109158, ? Zisca.]
The offer to be Kaiser was made him in his old days; but he wisely declined that too. It was in Brandenburg,
by what he silently founded there, that he did his chief benefit to Germany and mankind. He understood the
noble art of governing men; had in him the justice, clearness, valor and patience needed for that. A man of
sterling probity, for one thing. Which indeed is the first requisite in said art:if you will have your laws
obeyed without mutiny, see well that they be pieces of God Almighty's Law: otherwise all the artillery in the
world will not keep down mutiny.
Friedrich "travelled much over Brandenburg;" looking into everything with his own eyes;making, I can
well fancy, innumerable crooked things straight. Reducing more and more that famishing dogkennel of a
Brandenburg into a fruitful arable field. His portraits represent a square headed, mildlooking solid
gentleman, with a certain twinkle of mirth in the serious eyes of him. Except in those Hussite wars for Kaiser
Sigismund and the Reich, in which no man could prosper, he may be defined as constantly prosperous. To
Brandenburg he was, very literally, the blessing of blessings; redemption out of death into life. In the ruins of
that old Friesack Castle, battered down by Heavy Peg, Antiquarian Science (if it had any eyes) might look for
the taproot of the Prussian Nation, and the beginning of all that Brandenburg has since grown to under the
sun.
Friedrich, in one capacity or another, presided over Brandenburg near thirty years. He came thither first of all
in 1412; was not completely Kurfurst in his own right till 1415; nor publicly installed, "with 100,000 looking
on from the roofs and windows," in Constance yonder, till 1417,age then some fortyfive. His
Brandenburg residence, when he happened to have time for residing or sitting still, was Tangermunde, the
Castle built by Kaiser Karl IV. He died there, 21st September, 1440; laden tolerably with years, and still
better with memories of hard work done. Rentsch guesses by good inference he was born about 1372. As I
count, he is seventh in descent from that Conrad, Burggraf Conrad I., Cadet of Hohenzollern, who came
down from the Rauhe Alp, seeking service with Kaiser Redbeard, above two centuries ago: Conrad's
generation and six others had vanished successively from the worldtheatre in that evermysterious manner,
and left the stage clear, when Burggraf Friedrich the Sixth came to be First Elector. Let three centuries, let
twelve generations farther come and pass, and there will be another still more notable Friedrich,our little
Fritz, destined to be Third King of Prussia, officially named Friedrich II., and popularly Frederick the Great.
This First Elector is his lineal ancestor, twelve times removed. [Rentsch, pp. 349372; Hubner, t. 176.]
Chapter II. MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE.
Eleven successive Kurfursts followed Friedrich in Brandenburg. Of whom and their births, deaths, wars,
marriages, negotiations and continual multitudinous stream of smaller or greater adventures, much has been
written, of a dreary confused nature; next to nothing of which ought to be repeated here. Some list of their
Names, with what rememberable human feature or event (if any) still speaks to us in them, we must try to
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Chapter II. MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE. 79
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give. Their Names, well dated, with any actions, incidents, or phases of life, which may in this way get to
adhere to them in the reader's memory, the reader can insert, each at its right place, in the grand Tide of
European Events, or in such Picture as the reader may have of that. Thereby with diligence he may produce
for himself some faint twilight notion of the Flight of Time in remote Brandenburg, convince himself that
remote Brandenburg was present all along, alive after its sort, and assisting, dumbly or otherwise, in the great
WorldDrama as that went on.
We have to say in general, the history of Brandenburg under the Hohenzollerns has very little in it to excite a
vulgar curiosity, though perhaps a great deal to interest an intelligent one. Had it found treatment duly
intelligent;which, however, how could it, lucky beyond its neighbors, hope to do! Commonplace
Dryasdust, and voluminous Stupidity, not worse here than elsewhere, play their Part.
It is the history of a State, or Social Vitality, growing from small to great; steadily growing henceforth under
guidance: and the contrast between guidance and noguidance, or mis guidance, in such matters, is again
impressively illustrated there. This we see well to be the fact; and the details of this would be of moment,
were they given us: but they are not;how could voluminous Dryasdust give them? Then, on the other hand,
the Phenomenon is, for a long while, on so small a scale, wholly without importance in European politics and
affairs, the commonplace Historian, writing of it on a large scale, becomes unreadable and intolerable.
Witness grandiloquent Pauli our fatal friend, with his Eight watery Quartos; which gods and men, unless
driven by necessity, have learned to avoid! [Dr. Carl Friedrich Pauli, Allgemeine Preussische
StaatsGeschichte, often enough cited here.] The Phenomenon of Brandenburg is small, remote; and the
essential particulars, too delicate for the eye of Dryasdust, are mostly wanting, drowned deep in details of the
unessential. So that we are well content, my readers and I, to keep remote from it on this occasion.
On one other point I must give the reader warning. A rock of offence on which if he heedlessly strike, I
reckon he will split; at least no help of mine can benefit him till he be got off again. Alas, offences must
come; and must stand, like rocks of offence, to the shipwreck of many! Modern Dryasdust, interpreting the
mysterious ways of Divine Providence in this Universe, or what he calls writing History, has done
uncountable havoc upon the best interests of mankind. Hapless godless dullard that he is; driven and driving
on courses that lead only downward, for him as for us! But one could forgive him all things, compared with
this doctrine of devils which he has contrived to get established, pretty generally, among his unfortunate
fellowcreatures for the time!I must insert the following quotation, readers guess from what author:
"In an impudent Pamphlet, forged by I know not whom, and published in 1766, under the title of Matinees du
Roi de Prusse, purporting to be 'Morning Conversations' of Frederick the Great with his Nephew the
HeirApparent, every line of which betrays itself as false and spurious to a reader who has made any direct or
effectual study of Frederick or his manners or affairs, it is set forth, in the way of exordium to these
pretended royal confessions, that 'notre maison,' our Family of Hohenzollern, ever since the first origin of it
among the Swabian mountains, or its first descent therefrom into the Castle and Imperial Wardenship of
Nurnberg, some six hundred years ago or more, has consistently travelled one road, and this a very notable
one. 'We, as I myself the royal Frederick still do, have all along proceeded,' namely, 'in the way of adroit
Machiavelism, as skilful gamblers in this world's business, ardent gatherers of this world's goods; and in brief
as devout worshippers of Beelzebub, the grand regulator and rewarder of mortals here below. Which creed
we, the Hohenzollerns, have found, and I still find, to be the true one; learn it you, my prudent Nephew, and
let all men learn it. By holding steadily to that, and working late and early in such spirit, we are come to what
you now see;and shall advance still farther, if it please Beelzebub, who is generally kind to those that serve
him well.' Such is the doctrine of this impudent Pamphlet; 'original Manuscripts' of which are still purchased
by simple persons,who have then nobly offered them to me, thrice over, gratis or nearly so, as a priceless
curiosity. A new printed edition of which, probably the fifth, has appeared within few years. Simple persons,
consider it a curious and interesting Document; rather ambiguous in origin perhaps, but probably authentic in
substance, and throwing unexpected light on the character of Frederick whom men call the Great. In which
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new light they are willing a meritorious Editor should share.
"Who wrote that Pamphlet I know not, and am in no condition to guess. A certain snappish vivacity (very
unlike the style of Frederick whom it personates); a wearisome grimacing, gesticulating malice and
smartness, approaching or reaching the sad dignity of what is called 'wit' in modern times; in general the
rottenness of matter, and the epigrammatic unquiet graciosity of manner in this thing, and its elaborately
INhuman turn both of expression and of thought, are visible characteristics of it. Thought, we said,if
thought it can be called: thought all hamstrung, shrivelled by inveterate rheumatism, on the part of the poor
illthriven thinker; nay tied (so to speak, for he is of epigrammatic turn withal), as by cross ropes, right
shoulder to left foot; and forced to advance, hobbling and jerking along, in that sad guise: not in the way of
walk, but of saltation and dance; and this towards a false not a true aim, rather nowhither than
somewhither:Here were features leading one to think of an illustrious Prince de Ligne as perhaps
concerned in the affair. The Bibliographical Dictionaries, producing no evidence, name quite another person,
or series of persons, [A certain "N. de Bonneville" (afterwards a Revolutionary spiritualmountebank, for
some time) is now the favorite Name;proves, on investigation, to be an impossible one. Barbier
(Dictionnaire des Anonymes), in a helpless doubting manner, gives still others.] highly unmemorable
otherwise. Whereupon you proceed to said other person's acknowledged WORKS (as they are called); and
find there a style bearing no resemblance whatever; and are left in a dubious state, if it were of any moment.
In the absence of proof, I am unwilling to charge his Highness de Ligne with such an action; and indeed am
little careful to be acquainted with the individual who did it, who could and would do it. A Prince of
Coxcombs I can discern him to have been; capable of shining in the eyes of insincere foolish persons, and of
doing detriment to them, not benefit; a man without reverence for truth or human excellence; not knowing in
fact what is true from what is false, what is excellent from what is shamexcellent and at the top of the mode;
an apparently polite and knowing man, but intrinsically an impudent, dark and merely modishinsolent
man;who, if he fell in with Rhadamanthus on his travels, would not escape a horse whipping, Him we
will willingly leave to that beneficial chance, which indeed seems a certain one sooner or later; and address
ourselves to consider the theory itself, and the facts it pretends to be grounded on.
"As to the theory, I must needs say, nothing can be falser, more heretical or more damnable. My own poor
opinion, and deep conviction on that subject is well known, this long while. And, in fact, the summary of all I
have believed, and have been trying as I could to teach mankind to believe again, is even that same opinion
and conviction, applied to all provinces of things. Alas, in this his sad theory about the world, our poor
impudent Pamphleteer is by no means singular at present; nay rather he has in a manner the whole practical
part of mankind on his side just now; the more is the pity for us all!
"It is very certain, if Beelzebub made this world, our Pamphleteer, and the huge portion of mankind that
follow him, are right. But if God made the world; and only leads Beelzebub, as some ugly muzzled bear is
led, a longer or shorter temporary DANCE in this divine world, and always draws him home again, and peels
the unjust gains off him, and ducks him in a certain hot Lake, with sure intent to lodge him there to all
eternity at last,then our Pamphleteer, and the huge portion of mankind that follow him, are wrong.
"More I will not say; being indeed quite tired of SPEAKING on that subject. Not a subject which it concerns
me to speak of; much as it concerns me, and all men, to know the truth of it, and silently in every hour and
moment to do said truth. As indeed the sacred voice of their own soul, if they listen, will conclusively
admonish all men; and truly if IT do not, there will be little use in my logic to them. For my own share, I
want no trade with men who need to be convinced of that fact. If I am in their premises, and discover such a
thing of them, I will quit their premises; if they are in mine, I will, as old Samuel advised, count my spoons.
Ingenious gentlemen who believe that Beelzebub made this world, are not a class of gentlemen I can get
profit from. Let them keep at a distance, lest mischief fall out between us. They are of the set deserving to be
calledand this not in the way of profane swearing, but of solemn wrath and pity, I say of virtuous anger
and inexorable reprobationthe damned set. For, in very deed, they are doomed and damned, by Nature's
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oldest Act of Parliament, they, and whatsoever thing they do or say or think; unless they can escape from that
devilelement. Which I still hope they may!
"But with regard to the facts themselves, 'DE NOTRE MAISON,' I take leave to say, they too are without
basis of truth. They are not so false as the theory, because nothing can in falsity quite equal that. 'NOTRE
MAISON,' this Pamphleteer may learn, if he please to make study and inquiry before speaking, did not rise
by worship of Beelzebub at all in this world; but by a quite opposite line of conduct. It rose, in fact, by the
course which all, except fools, stockjobber stags, cheating gamblers, forging Pamphleteers and other
temporary creatures of the damned sort, have found from of old to be the one way of permanently rising: by
steady service, namely, of the Opposite of Beelzebub. By conforming to the Laws of this Universe; instead of
trying by pettifogging to evade and profitably contradict them. The Hohenzollerns too have a History still
articulate to the human mind, if you search sufficiently; and this is what, even with some emphasis, it will
teach us concerning their adventures, and achievements of success in the field of life. Resist the Devil, good
reader, and he will flee from you!"So ends our indignant friend.
How the Hohenzollerns got their big Territories, and came to what they are in the world, will be seen.
Probably they were not, any of them, paragons of virtue. They did not walk in altogether speckless Sunday
pumps, or much clearstarched into consciousness of the moral sublime; but in rugged practical boots, and by
such roads as there were. Concerning their moralities, and conformities to the Laws of the Road and of the
Universe, there will much remain to be argued by pamphleteers and others. Men will have their opinion, Men
of more wisdom and of less; Apes by the DeadSea also will have theirs. But what man that believed in such
a Universe as that of this DeadSea Pamphleteer could consent to live in it at all? Who that believed in such a
Universe, and did not design to live like a Papin'sDigester, or PORCUS EPICURI, in an extremely ugly
manner in it, could avoid one of two things: Going rapidly into Bedlam, or else blowing his brains out? "It
will not do for me at any rate, this infinite Doghouse; not for me, ye Dryasdusts, and omnipotent
Dogmonsters and Mudgods, whoever you are. One honorable thing I can do: take leave of you and your
Dogestablishment. Enough!"
Chapter III. KURFURST FRIEDRICH II.
The First Friedrich's successor was a younger son, Friedrich II.; who lasted till 1471, above thirty years; and
proved likewise a notable manager and governor. Very capable to assert himself, and his just rights, in this
world. He was but Twentyseven at his accession; but the Berlin Burghers, attempting to take some liberties
with him, found he was old enough. He got the name IRONTEETH. Friedrich FERRATIS DENTIBUS, from
his decisive ways then and afterwards. He had his share of brabbling with intricate litigant neighbors; quarrels
now and then not to be settled without strokes. His worst war was with Pommern,just claims disputed
there, and much confused bickering, sieging and harassing in consequence: of which quarrel we must speak
anon. It was he who first built the conspicuous Schloss or Palace at Berlin, having got the ground for it (same
ground still covered by the actual fine Edifice, which is a second edition of Friedrich's) from the repentant
Burghers; and took up his chief residence there. [14421431 (Nicolari, i. 81).]
But his principal achievement in Brandenburg History is his recovery of the Province called the Neumark to
that Electorate. In the thriftless Sigismund times, the Neumark had been pledged, had been sold; Teutsch
Ritterdom, to whose dominions it lay contiguous, had purchased it with money down. The Teutsch Ritters
were fallen moneyless enough since then; they offered to pledge the Neumark to Friedrich, who accepted,
and advanced the sum: after a while the Teutsch Ritters, for a small farther sum, agreed to sell Neumark.
[Michaelis, i. 301.] Into which Transaction, with its dates and circumstances, let us cast one glance, for our
behoof afterwards. The Teutsch Ritters were an opulent domineering Body in Sigismund's early time; but
they are now come well down in Friedrich II.'s! And are coming ever lower. Sinking steadily, or with
desperate attempts to rise, which only increase the speed downwards, ever since that fatal Tannenberg
Business, 15th July, 1410. Here is the sad progress of their descent to the bottom; divided into three stages or
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periods:
"PERIOD FIRST is of Thirty years: 14101440. A peace with Poland soon followed that Defeat of
Tannenberg; humiliating peace, with mulct in money, and slightly in territory, attached to it. Which again
was soon followed by war, and ever again; each new peace more humiliating than its foregoer. Teutsch Order
is steadily sinking,into debt, among other things; driven to severe financemeasures (ultimately even to
'debase its coin'), which produce irritation enough. Poland is gradually edging itself into the territories and the
interior troubles of Preussen; prefatory to greater operations that lie ahead there.
"SECOND PERIOD, of Fourteen years. So it had gone on, from bad to worse, till 1440; when the general
population, through its Heads, the Landed Gentry and the Towns, wearied out with fiscal and other
oppressions from its domineering Ritterdom brought now to such a pinch, began everywhere to stir
themselves into vocal complaint. Complaint emphatic enough: 'Where will you find a man that has not
suffered injury in his rights, perhaps in his person? Our friends they have invited as guests, and under show of
hospitality have murdered them. Men, for the sake of their beautiful wives, have been thrown into the river
like dogs,'and enough of the like sort. [Voigt, vii. 747; quoting evidently, not an express manifesto, but one
manufactured by the old Chroniclers.] No want of complaint, nor of complainants: Town of Thorn, Town of
Dantzig, Kulm, all manner of Towns and Baronages, proceeded now to form a BUND, or general Covenant
for complaining; to repugn, in hotter and hotter form, against a domineering Ritterdom with back so broken;
in fine, to colleague with Poland,what was most ominous of all. Baronage, Burgherage, they were German
mostly by blood, and by culture were wholly German; but preferred Poland to a Teutsch Ritterdom of that
nature. Nothing but brabblings, scufflings, objurgations; a great outbreak ripening itself. Teutsch Ritterdom
has to hire soldiers; no money to pay them. It was in these sad years that the Teutsch Ritterdom, fallen
moneyless, offered to pledge the Neumark to our Kurfurst; 1444, that operation was consummated. [Pauli, ii.
187,does not name the sum.] All this goes on, in hotter and hotter form, for ten years longer.
"PERIOD THIRD begins, early in 1454, with an important special catastrophe; and ends, in the Thirteenth
year after, with a still more important universal one of the same nature. Prussian BUND, or AntiOppression
Covenant of the Towns and Landed Gentry, rising in temperature for fourteen years at this rate, reached at
last the igniting point, and burst into fire. February 4th, 1454, the Town of Thorn, darling firstchild of
Teutsch Ritterdom,child 223 years old at this time, ["Founded 1231, as a wooden Burg, just across the
river, on the Heathen side, mainly round the stem of an immense old Oak that grew handy there,Seven
Barges always on the river (Weichsel), to fly to our own side if quite overwhelmed" Oak and Seven Barges is
still the Town's Arms of Thorn. See Kohler, Munzbelustigungen, xxii. 107; quoting Dusburg (a Priest of the
Order) and his old Chronica Terrae Prusciae, written in 1326.] and grown very big, and now very
angry,suddenly took its old parent by the throat, so to speak, and hurled him out to the dogs; to the
extraneous Polacks first of all. Town of Thorn, namely, sent that day its 'Letter of Renunciation' to the
Hochmeister over at Marienburg; seized in a day or two more the Hochmeister's Official Envoys, Dignitaries
of the Order; led them through the streets, amid universal storm of execrations, hootings and unclean
projectiles, straight, to jail; and besieged the Hochmeister's Burg (BASTILLE of Thorn, with a few Ritters in
it), all the artillery and all the throats and hearts of the place raging deliriously upon it. So that the poor
Bitters, who had no chance in resisting, were in few days obliged to surrender; [8th February, 1454, says
Voigt (viii. 361); 16th, says Kohler (Munzbelustigungen, xxii. 110).] had to come out in bare jerkin; and
Thorn ignominiously dismissed them into space forevermore,with actual 'kicks,' I have read in some
Books, though others veil that sad feature. Thorn threw out its old parent in this manner; swore fealty to the
King of Poland; and invited other Towns and Knightages to follow the example. To which all were willing,
wherever able.
"War hereupon, which blazed up over Preussen at large,Prussian Covenant and King of Poland VERSUS
Teutsch Ritterdom,and lasted into the thirteenth year, before it could go out again; out by lack of fuel
mainly. One of the fellest wars on record, especially for burning and ruining; above '300,000 fightingmen'
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are calculated to have perished in it; and of towns, villages, farmsteads, a cipher which makes the fancy, as it
were, black and ashy altogether. Ritterdom showed no lack of fighting energy; but that could not save it, in
the pass things were got to. Enormous lack of wisdom, of reality and human veracity, there had long been;
and the hour was now come. Finance went out, to the last coin. Large mercenary armies all along; and in the
end not the color of money to pay them with; mercenaries became desperate; 'besieged the Hochmeister and
his Ritters in Marienburg;'finally sold the Country they held; formally made it over to the King of Poland,
to get their pay out of it. Hochmeister had to see such things, and say little. Peace, or extinction for want of
fuel, came in the year 1466. Poland got to itself the whole of that fine German Country, henceforth called
'WEST Preussen' to distinguish it, which goes from the left bank of the Weichsel to the borders of
Brandenburg and Neumark;would have got Neumark too, had not Kurfurst Friedrich been there to save it.
The Teutsch Order had to go across the Weichsel, ignominiously driven; to content itself with 'EAST
Preussen,' the KonigsbergMemel country, and even to do homage to Poland for that. Which latter was the
bitterest clause of all: but it could not be helped, more than the others. In this manner did its revolted children
fling out Teutsch Ritterdom ignominiously to the dogs, to the Polacks, first of all,Thorn, the eldest child,
leading off or setting the example."
And so the Teutsch Ritters are sunk beyond retrieval; and West Preussen, called subsequently "Royal
Preussen," NOT having homage to pay as the "Ducal" or East Preussen had, is German no longer, but Polish,
Sclavic; not prospering by the change. [What Thorn had sunk to, out of its palmy state, see in Nanke's
Wanderungen durch Preussen (Hamburg Altona, 1800), ii. 177200:a pleasant little Rook, treating mainly
of Natural History; but drawing you, by its innocent simplicity and geniality, to read with thanks whatever is
in it.] And all that fine German country, reduced to rebel against its unwise parent, was cut away by the
Polish sword, and remained with Poland, which did not prove very wise either; tilltill, in the Year 1773, it
was cut back by the German sword! All readers have heard of the Partition of Poland: but of the Partition of
Preussen, 307 years before, all have not heard.
It was in the second year of that final tribulation, marked above as Period Third, that the Teutsch Ritters,
famishing for money, completed the Neumark transaction with Kurfurst Friedrich; Neumark, already pawned
to him ten years before, they in 1455, for a small farther sum, agreed to sell; and he, long carefully steering
towards such an issue, and dexterously keeping out of the main broil, failed not to buy. Friedrich could
thenceforth, on his own score, protect the Neumark; keep up an invisible but impenetrable wall between it
and the neighboring anarchic conflagrations of thirteen years; and the Neumark has ever since remained with
Brandenburg, its original owner.
As to Friedrich's Pomeranian quarrel, this is the figure of it. Here is a scene from Rentsch, which falls out in
Friedrich's time; and which brought much battling and broiling to him and his. Symbolical withal of much
that befell in Brandenburg, from first to last. Under the Hohenzollerns as before, Brandenburg grew by
aggregation, by assimilation; and we see here how difficult the process often was.
Pommern (POMERANIA), long Wendish, but peaceably so since the time of Albert the Bear, and growing
ever more German, had, in good part, according to Friedrich's notion, if there were force in human Treaties
and Imperial Laws, fallen fairly to Brandenburg, that is to say, the half of it, StettinPommern had fairly
fallen,in the year 1464, when Duke Otto of Stettin, the last Wendish Duke, died without heirs. In that case
by many bargains, some with bloody crowns, it had been settled, If the Wendish Dukes died out, the country
was to fall to Brandenburg;and here they were dead. "At Duke Otto's burial, accordingly, in the High
Church of Stettin, when the coffin was lowered into its place, the Stettin Burgermeister, Albrecht Glinde,
took sword and helmet, and threw the same into the grave, in token that the Line was extinct. But Franz von
Eichsted," apparently another Burgher instructed for the nonce, "jumped into the grave, and picked them out
again; alleging, No, the Dukes of WOLGASTPommern were of kin; these tokens we must send to his Grace
at Wolgast, with offer of our homage, said Franz von Eichsted." [Rentsch, p. 110 (whose printer has put his
date awry); Stenzel (i. 233) calls the man "LORENZ Eikstetten, a resolute Gentleman."]And sent they
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were, and accepted by his Grace. And perhaps halfascore of bargains, with bloody crowns to some of
them; and yet other chances, and centuries, with the extinction of new Lines,had to supervene, before even
StettinPommern, and that in no complete state, could be got. [1648, by Treaty of Westphalia.] As to
Pommern at large, Pommern not denied to be due, after such extinction and reextinction of native Ducal
Lines, did not fall home for centuries more; and what struggles and inextricable armed litigations there were
for it, readers of BrandenburgHistory too wearisomely know. The process of assimilation not the least of an
easy one!
This Friedrich was second son: his Father's outlook for him had, at first, been towards a Polish Princess and
the crown of Poland, which was not then so elective as afterwards: and with such view his early breeding had
been chiefly in Poland; Johann, the eldest son and heirapparent, helping his Father at home in the mean
while. But these Polish outlooks went to nothing, the young Princess having died; so that Friedrich came
home; possessed merely of the Polish language, and of what talents the gods had given him, which were
considerable. And now, in the mean while, Johann, who at one time promised well in practical life, had taken
to Alchemy; and was busy with crucibles and speculations, to a degree that seemed questionable. Father
Friedrich, therefore, had to interfere, and deal with this "Johann the Alchemist" (JOHANNES
ALCHEMISTA, so the Books still name him); who loyally renounced the Electorship, at his Father's bidding,
in favor of Friedrich; accepted Baireuth (better half of the Culmbach Territory) for apanage; and there
peacefully distilled and sublimated at discretion; the government there being an easier task, and fitter for a
soft speculative Herr. A third Brother, Albert by name, got Anspach, on the Father's decease; very capable to
do any fighting there might be occasion for, in Culmbach.
As to the Burggrafship, it was now done, all but the Title. The First Friedrich, once he was got to be Elector,
wisely parted with it. The First Friedrich found his Electorship had dreadfully real duties for him, and that
this of the Burggrafship had fallen mostly obsolete; so he sold it to the Nurnbergers for a round sum: only the
Principalities and Territories are retained in that quarter. About which too, and their feudal duties, boundaries
and tolls, with a jealous litigious Nurnberg for neighbor, there at length came quarrelling enough. But Albert
the third Brother, over at Anspach, took charge of all that; and nothing of it fell in Johann's way.
The good Alchemist died,performed his last sublimation, poor man,six or seven years before his
Brother Friedrich; age then sixtythree. [14th November, 1464.] Friedrich, with his Iron Teeth and faculties,
only held out till fiftyeight,10th February, 1471. The manner of his end was peculiar. In that War with
Pommern, he sat besieging a Pomeranian town, Uckermunde the name of it: when at dinner one day, a
cannonball plunged down upon the table, [Michaelis, i. 303.] with such a crash as we can fancy; which
greatly confused the nerves of Friedrich; much injured his hearing, and even his memory thenceforth. In a
few months afterwards he resigned, in favor of his Successor; retired to Plassenburg, and there died in about a
year more.
Chapter IV. KURFURST ALBERT ACHILLES, AND HIS SUCCESSOR.
Neither Friedrich nor Johann left other than daughters: so that the united Heritage, Brandenburg and
Culmbach both, came now to the third Brother, Albert; who has been in Culmbath these many years already.
A tall, fiery, tough old gentleman, of formidable talent for fighting, who was called the "ACHILLES OF
GERMANY" in his day; being then a very blazing farseen character, dim as he has now grown. [Born 1414;
Kurfurst, 14711486.] This Albert Achilles was the Third Elector; Ancestor he of all the Brandenburg and
Culmbach Hohenzollern Princes that have since figured in the world. After him there is no break or shift in
the succession, down to the little Friedrich now born;Friedrich the old Grandfather, First KING, was the
Twelfth KURFURST.
We have to say, they followed generally in their Ancestors' steps, and had success of the like kind, more or
less; Hohenzollerns all of them, by character and behavior as well as by descent. No lack of quiet energy, of
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thrift, sound sense. There was likewise solid fairplay in general, no founding of yourself on ground that will
not carry;and there was instant, gentle but inexorable, crushing of mutiny, if it showed itself; which, after
the Second Elector, or at most the Third, it had altogether ceased to do. Young Friedrich II., upon whom
those Berlin Burghers had tried to close their gates, till he should sign some "Capitulation" to their mind, got
from them, and not quite in illhumor, that name IRONTEETH:"Not the least a Noseofwax, this one!
No use trying here, then!"which, with the humor attached to it, is itself symbolical of Friedrich and these
Hohenzollern Sovereigns. Albert, his Brother, had plenty of fighting in his time: but it was in the Nurnberg
and other distant regions; no fighting, or hardly any, needed in Brandenburg henceforth.
With Nurnberg, and the ExBurggrafship there, now when a new generation began to tug at the loose clauses
of that Bargain with Friedrich I., and all FreeTowns were going high upon their privileges, Albert had at one
time much trouble, and at length actual furious War;other FreeTowns countenancing and assisting
Nurnberg in the affair; numerous petty Princes, feudal Lords of the vicinity, doing the like by Albert. Twenty
years ago, all this; and it did not last, so furious was it. "Eight victories," they count on Albert's
part,furious successful skirmishes, call them;in one of which, I remember, Albert plunged in alone, his
Ritters being rather shy; and laid about him hugely, hanging by a standard he had taken, till his life was
nearly beaten out. [1449 (Rentsch, p. 399).] Eight victories; and also one defeat, wherein Albert got captured,
and had to ransom himself. The captor was one Kunz of Kauffungen, the Nurnberg hired General at the time:
a man known to some readers for his Stealing of the Saxon Princes (PRINZENRAUB, they call it); a feat
which cost Kunz his head. [Carlyle's Miscellanies (London, 1869), vi. ? PRINZENRAUB.] Albert, however,
prevailed in the end, as he was apt to do; and got his Nurnbergers fixed to clauses satisfactory to him.
In his early days he had fought against Poles, Bohemians and others, as Imperial general. He was much
concerned, all along, in those abstruse armedlitigations of the Austrian House with its dependencies; and
diligently helped the Kaiser,Friedrich III., rather a weakish, but an eager and greedy Kaiser,through
most of them. That inextricable HungarianBohemianPolish DONNYBROOK (so we may call it) which
Austria had on hand, one of Sigismund's bequests to Austria; distressingly tumultuous Donnybrook, which
goes from 1440 to 1471, fighting in a fierce confused manner; the AntiTurk Hunniades, the
AntiAustrian Corvinus, the royal Majesties George Podiebrad, Ladislaus POSTHUMUS, Ludwig OHNE
HAUT (Ludwig NOSKIN), and other Ludwigs, Ladislauses and Vladislauses, striking and getting struck at
such a rate:Albert was generally what we may call chiefconstable in all that; giving a knock here and then
one there, in the Kaiser's name. [Hormayr, ii. 138, 140 (? HUNYADY CORVIN); Rentsch, pp. 389422;
Michaelis, i. 304313.] Almost from boyhood, he had learned soldiering, which he had never afterwards
leisure to forget. Great store of fighting he had,say half a century of it, off and on, during the seventy and
odd years he lasted in this world. With the Donnybrook we spoke of; with the Nurnbergers; with the Dukes of
Bavaria (endless bickerings with these Dukes, Ludwig BEARDY, Ludwig SUPERBUS, Ludwig GIBBOSUS
or Hunchback, against them and about them, on his own and the Kaiser's score); also with the French, already
clutching at Lorraine; also with Charles the Rash of Burgundy;lastly with the Bishop of Bamberg, who got
him excommunicated and would not bury the dead.
Kurfurst Albert's Letter on this last emergency, to his Viceregent in Culmbach, is a famed Piece still extant
(date 1481); [Rentsch, p. 409.] and his plan in such emergency, is a simple and likely one: "Carry the dead
bodies to the Parson's house; let him see whether he will not bury them by and by!One must fence off the
Devil by the Holy Cross," says Albert,appeal to Heaven with what honest motherwit Heaven has
vouchsafed one, means Albert. "These fellows" (the Priests), continues he, "would fain have the temporal
sword as well as the spiritual. Had God wished there should be only one sword, he could have contrived that
as well as the two. He surely did not want for intellect (Er war gar ein weiser Mann)," want of intellect it
clearly was not!In short, they had to bury the dead, and do reason; and Albert hustled himself well clear of
this broil, as he had done of many.
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Battle enough, poor man, with steel and other weapons:and we see he did it with sharp insight, good
forecast; now and then in a wildly leonine or AQUILINE manner. A tall hooknosed man, of lean, sharp,
rather taciturn aspect; nose and look are very aquiline; and there is a cloudy sorrow in those old eyes, which
seems capable of sudden effulgence to a dangerous extent. He was a considerable, diplomatist too: very great
with the Kaiser, Old Friedrich III. (Max's father, Charles V.'s GreatGrandfather); [How admirahle Albert is,
not to say "almost divine," to the Kaiser's then Secretary, oilymouthed AEneas Sylvius, afterwards Pope,
Rentsch can testify (pp. 401, 586); quoting AEneas's eulogies and gossipries ( Historia Rerum Frederici
Imperatoris, I conclude, though no book is named). Oily diligent AEneas, in his own young years and in
Albert's prime, had of course seen much of this "miracle" of Arms and Art, "miracle" and "almost divine,"
so to speak.] and managed many things for him. Managed to get the thricelovely Heiress of the Netherlands
and Burgundy, Daughter of that Charles the Rash, with her Seventeen Provinces, for Max, [1477]who was
thought thereupon by everybody to be the luckiest man alive; though the issue contradicted it before long.
Kurfurst Albert died in 1486, March 11, aged seventytwo. It was some months after Bosworth Fight, where
our Crooked Richard got his quietus here in England and brought the Wars of the Roses to their finale:a
little chubby Boy, the son of poor parents at Eisleben in Saxony, Martin Luther the name of him, was looking
into this abtruse Universe, with those strange eyes of his, in what rough woollen or linseywoolsey
shortclothes we do not know. [Born 10th November, 1483]
Albert's funeral was very grand; the Kaiser himself, and all the Magnates of the Diet and Reich attending him
from Frankfurt to his last restingplace, many miles of road. For he died at the Diet, in FrankfurtonMayn;
having fallen ill there while busy,perhaps too busy for that age, in the harsh spring weather,electing
Prince Maximilian ("lucky Max," who will be Kaiser too before long, and is already deep in ILLluck,
tragical and other to be King of the Romans. The old Kaiser had "looked in on him at Onolzbach" (Anspach),
and brought him along; such a man could not be wanting on such an occasion. A man who "perhaps did more
for the German Empire than for the Electorate of Brandenburg," hint some. The Kaiser himself, Friedrich III.,
was now getting old; anxious to see Max secure, and to set his house in order. A somewhat anxious, creaky,
closefisted, ineffectual old Kaiser; [See Kohler ( Munzbelustigungen, vi. 393401; ii. 8996, for a vivid
account of him.] distinguished by his luck in getting Max so provided for, and bringing the Seventeen
Provinces of the Netherlands to his House. He is the first of the Hapsburg Kaisers who had what has since
been called the "Austrian lip"protrusive underjaw, with heavy lip disinclined to shut. He got it from his
Mother, and bequeathed it in a marked manner; his posterity to this day bearing traces of it. Mother's name
was Cimburgis, a Polish Princess, "Duke of Masovia's daughter;" a lady who had something of the
MAULTASCHE in her, in character as well as mouth.In old Albert, the poor old Kaiser has lost his right
hand; and no doubt muses sadly as he rides in the funeral procession.
Albert is buried at Heilsbronn in Frankenland, among his Ancestors,burial in Brandenburg not yet
common for these new Kurfursts:his skull, in an aftertime, used to be shown there, laid on the lid of the
tomb; skull marvellous for strength, and for "having no visible sutures," says Rentsch. Pious Brandenburg
Officiality at length put an end to that profanation, and restored the skull to its place,marvellous enough,
with what had once dwelt in it, whether it had sutures or not.
JOHANN THE CICERO IS FOURTH KURFURST, AND LEAVES TWO NOTABLE SONS.
Albert's eldest Son, the Fourth Kurfurst, was Johannes Cicero (14861499): Johannes was his natural name,
to which the epithet "Cicero of Germany (CICERO GERMANIAE)" was added by an admiring public. He
had commonly administered the Electorate during his Father's absences; and done it with credit to himself.
He was an active man, nowise deficient as a Governor; creditably severe on highway robbers, for one
thing,destroys you "fifteen baronial robbertowers" at a stroke; was also concerned in the Hungarian
Bohemian DONNYBROOK, and did that also well. But nothing struck a discerning public like the talent he
had for speaking. Spoke "four hours at a stretch in Kaiser Max's Diets, in elegantly flowing Latin;" with a fair
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share of meaning, too;and had bursts of parliamentary eloquence in him that were astonishing to hear. A
tall, squareheaded man, of erect, cheerfully composed aspect, head flung rather back if anything: his bursts
of parliamentary eloquence, once glorious as the day, procured him the name "Johannes CICERO;" and that
is what remains of them: for they are sunk now, irretrievable he and they, into the belly of eternal Night; the
final restingplace, I do perceive, of much Ciceronian ware in this world. Apparently he had, like some of his
Descendants, what would now be called "distinguished literary talents,"insignificant to mankind and us. I
find he was likewise called DER GROSSE, "John the GREAT;" but on investigation it proves to be mere
"John the BIG," a name coming from his tall stature and ultimate fatness of body.
For the rest, he left his family well off, connected with high Potentates all around; and had increased his
store, to a fair degree, in his time. Besides his eldest Son who followed as Elector, by name Joachim I., a
burly gentleman of whom much is written in Books, he left a second Son, Archbishop of Magdeburg, who in
time became Archbishop of Mainz and Cardinal of Holy Church, [Ulrich van Hutten's grand "Panegyric"
upon this Albert on his first Entrance into Mainz (9th October, 1514),"entrance with a retinue of 2,000
horse, mainly furnished by the Brandenburg and Culmbach kindred," say the old Books,is in Ulrichi ab
Hutten Equitis Germani Opera (Munch's edition; Berlin, 1821), i. 276310.]and by accident got to be
forever memorable in ChurchHistory, as we shall see anon. Archbishop of Mainz means withal
KURMAINZ, Elector of Mainz; who is Chief of the Seven Electors, and as it were their President or
"Speaker." Albert was the name of this one; his elder Brother, the then KurBrandenburg, was called
Joachim. Cardinal Albert KurMainz, like his brother Joachim KurBrandenburg, figures much, and blazes
widely abroad, in the busy reign of Karl V., and the inextricable LutheranPapal, TurkChristian business it
had.
But the notable point in this Albert of Mainz was that of Leo X. and the Indulgences. [Pauli, v. 496499;
Rentsch, p. 869.] Pope Leo had permitted Albert to retain his Archbishopric of Magdeburg and other dignities
along with that of Mainz; which was an unusual favor. But the Pope expected to be paid for it,to have
30,000 ducats (15,000 pounds), almost a King's ransom at that time, for the "Pallium" to Mainz; PALLIUM,
or little Bit of woollen Cloth, on sale by the Pope, without which Mainz could not he held. Albert, with all his
dignities, was dreadfully short of money at the time. Chapter of Mainz could or would do little or nothing,
having been drained lately; Magdeburg, Halberstadt, the like. Albert tried various shifts; tried a little stroke of
trade in relics,gathered in the Mainz district "some hundreds of fractional sacred bones, and three whole
bodies," which he sent to Halle for pious purchase;but nothing came of this branch. The 15,000 pounds
remained unpaid; and Pope Leo, building St. Peter's, "furnishing a sister's toilet," and doing worse things, was
in extreme need of it. What is to be done? "I could borrow the money from the Fuggers of Augsburg," said
the Archbishop hesitatingly; "but then?""I could help you to repay it." said his Holiness: "Could repay
the half of it,if only we had (but they always make such clamor about these things) an Indulgence
published in Germany!""Well; it must be!" answered Albert at last, agreeing to take the clamor on himself,
and to do the feat; being at his wits'end for money. He draws out his Full Power, which, as first Spiritual
Kurfurst, he has the privilege to do; nominates (1516) one Tetzel for Chief Salesman, a Priest whose hardness
of face, and shiftiness of head and hand, were known to him; andhere is one Hohenzollern that has a place
in History! Poor man, it was by accident, and from extreme tightness for money. He was by no means a
violent Churchman; he had himself inclinations towards Luther, even of a practical sort, as the thing went on.
But there was no help for it.
Cardinal Albert, KurMainz, shows himself a copious dexterous public speaker at the Diets and elsewhere in
those times; a man intent on avoiding violent methods;uncomfortably fat in his later years, to judge by the
Portraits. KurBrandenburg, KurMainz (the younger now officially even greater than the elder), these
names are perpetually turning up in the German Histories of that ReformationPeriod; absent on no great
occasion; and they at length, from amid the meaningless beadroll of Names, wearisomely met with in such
Books, emerge into Persons for us as above.
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Chapter V. OF THE BAIREUTHANSPACH BRANCH.
Albert Achilles the Third Elector had, before his accession, been Margraf of Anspach, and since his Brother
the Alchemist's death, Margraf of Baireuth too, or of the whole Principality,"Margraf of Culmbach" we
will call it, for brevity's sake, though the bewildering old Books have not steadily any name for it. [A certain
subaltern of this express title, "Margraf of Culmbach" (a Cadet, with some temporary appanage there, who
was once in the service of him they call the WinterKing, and may again be transiently heard of by us here),
is the altogether Mysterious Personage who prints himself "MARQUIS DE LULENBACH" in Bromley's
Collection of Royal Letters (London, 1787), pp. 52, of the most curious Books on the ThirtyYears War;
"edited" with a composed stupidity, and cheerful infinitude of ignorance, which still farther distinguish it.
The BROMLEY Originals well worth a real editing, turn out, on inquiry, to have been "sold as Autographs,
and dispersed beyond recovery, about fifty years ago."] After his accession, Albert Achilles naturally held
both Electorate and Principality during the rest of his life. Which was an extremely rare predicament for the
two Countries, the big and the little.
No other Elector held them both, for nearly a hundred years; nor then, except as it were for a moment. The
two countries, Electorate and Principality, Hohenzollern both, and constituting what the Hohenzollerns had in
this world, continued intimately connected; with affinity and clientship carefully kept, up, and the lesser
standing always under the express protection and as it were COUSINSHIP of the greater. But they had their
separate Princes, Lines of Princes; and they only twice, in the time of these Twelve Electors, came even
temporarily under the same head. And as to ultimate union, BrandenburgBaireuth and Brandenburg
Anspach were not incorporated with BrandenburgProper, and its new fortunes, till almost our own day,
namely in 1791; nor then either to continue; having fallen to Bavaria, in the grand Congress of Vienna, within
the next fiveandtwenty years. All which, with the complexities and perplexities resulting from it here, we
must, in some brief way, endeavor to elucidate for the reader.
TWO LINES IN CULMBACH OR BAIREUTHANSPACH: THE GERA BOND OF 1598.
Culmbach the Elector left, at his death, to his Second Son, properly to two sons, but one of them soon
died, and the other became sole possessor;Friedrich by name; who, as founder of the Elder Line of
BrandenburgCulmbach Princes, must not be forgotten by us. Founder of the First or Elder Line, for there are
two Lines; this of Friedrich's having gone out in about a hundred years; and the AnspachBaireuth territories
having fallen home again to Brandenburg;where, however, they continued only during the then Kurfurst's
life.;ohann George (15251598), Seventh Kurfurst, was he to whom BrandenburgCulmbach fell
home,nay, strictly speaking, it was but the sure prospect of it that fell home, the thing itself did not quite
fall in his time, though the disposal of it did, ["Disposal," 1598; thing itself, 1603, in his Son's time.]to be
conjoined again with BrandenburgProper. Conjoined for the short potential remainder of his own life; and
then to be disposed of as an apanage again;which latter operation, as Johann George had
threeandtwenty children, could be no difficult one.
Johann George, accordingly (Year 1598), split the Territory in two; BrandenburgBaireuth was for his
second son, Brandenburg Anspach for his third: hereby again were two new progenitors of Culmbach
Princes introduced, and a New Line, Second or "Younger Line" they call it (Line mostly split in two, as
heretofore); whichafter complex adventures in its split condition, Baireuth under one head, Anspach under
anothercontinues active down to our little Fritz's time and farther. As will become but too apparent to us in
the course of this History!
From of old these Territories had been frequently divided: each has its own little capital, Town of Anspach,
Town of Baireuth, [Populations about the same; 16,000 to 17,000 in our time.] suitable for such arrangement.
Frequently divided; though always under the closest cousinship, and ready for reuniting, if possible.
Generally under the Elder Line too, under Friedrich's posterity, which was rather numerous and often in need
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of apanages, they had been in separate hands. But the understood practice was not to divide farther; Baireuth
by itself, Anspach by itself (or still luckier if one hand could get hold of both),and especially Brandenburg
by itself, uncut by any apanage: this, I observe, was the received practice. But Johann George, wise Kurfurst
as he was, wished now to make it surer; and did so by a famed Deed, called the Gera Bond (GERAISCHE
VERTRAG), dated 1598, [Michaelis, i. 345.] the last year of Johann George's life.
Hereby, in a Family Conclave held at that Gera, a little town in Thuringen, it was settled and indissolubly
fixed, That their Electorate, unlike all others in Germany, shall continue indivisible; Law of Primogeniture,
here if nowhere else, is to be in full force; and only the Culmbach Territory (if otherwise unoccupied) can be
split off for younger sons. Culmbach can be split off; and this again withal can be split, if need be, into two
(Baireuth and Anspach); but not in any case farther. Which HouseholdLaw was strictly obeyed henceforth.
Date of it 1598; principal author, Johann George, Seventh Elector. This "Gera Bond" the reader can note for
himself as an excellent piece of Hohenzollern thrift, and important in the Brandenburg annals. On the whole,
Brandenburg keeps continually growing under these Twelve Hohenzollerns, we perceive; slower or faster,
just as the Burggrafdom had done, and by similar methods. A lucky outlay of money (as in the case of
Friedrich Ironteeth in the Neumark) brings them one Province, lucky inheritance another:good
management is always there, which is the mother of good luck.
And so there goes on again, from Johann George downwards, a new stream of Culmbach Princes, called the
Younger or New Line, properly two contemporary Lines, of Baireuthers and Anspachers; always in
close affinity to Brandenburg, and with ultimate reversion to Brandenburg, should both Lines fail; but with
mutual inheritance if only one. They had intricate fortunes, service in foreign armies, much wandering about,
sometimes considerable scarcity of cash: but, for a hundred and fifty years to come, neither Line by any
means failed,rather the contrary, in fact.
Of this latter or New Culmbach Line, or split Line, especially of the Baireuth part of it, our little Wilhelmina,
little Fritz's Sister, who became Margravine there, has given all the world notice. From the Anspach part of it
(at that time in sore scarcity of cash) came Queen Caroline, famed in our George the Second's time. [See a
Synoptic Diagram of these Genealogies, infra, p. 388a.] From it too came an unmomentous Margraf, who
married a little Sister of Wilhelmina's and Fritz's; of whom we shall hear. There is lastly a still more
unmomentous Margraf, only son of said Unmomentous and his said Spouse; who again combined the two
Territories, Baireuth having failed of heirs; and who, himself without heirs, and with a frail Lady Craven as
Margravine,died at Hammersmith, close by us, in 1806; and so ended the troublesome affair. He had
already, in 1791, sold off to Prussia all temporary claims of his; and let Prussia have the Heritage at once
without waiting farther. Prussia, as we noticed, did not keep it long; and it is now part of the Bavarian
Dominion;for the sake of editors and readers, long may it so continue!
Of this Younger Line, intrinsically rather insignificant to mankind, we shall have enough to write in time and
place; we must at present direct our attention to the Elder Line.
THE ELDER LINE OF CULMBACH: FRIEDRICH AND HIS THREE NOTABLE SONS THERE.
Kurfurst Albert Achilles's second son, Friedrich (14601536), [Rentsch, pp. 593602.] the founder of the
Elder Culmbach Line, ruled his country well for certain years, and was "a man famed for strength of body
and mind;" but claims little notice from us, except for the sons he had. A quiet, commendable, honorable
man, with a certain pathetic dignity, visible even in the eclipsed state he sank into. Poor old gentleman,
after grand enough feats in war and peace, he fell melancholy, fell imbecile, blind, soon after middle life; and
continued so for twenty years, till he died. During which dark state, say the old Books, it was a pleasure to
see with what attention his Sons treated him, and how reverently the eldest always led him out to dinner. [Ib.
p. 612.] They live and dine at that high Castle of Plassenburg, where old Friedrich can behold the Red or
White Mayn no more. Alas, alas, Plassenburg is now a CorrectionHouse, where male and female scoundrels
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do beating of hemp; and pious Friedrich, like eloquent Johann, has become a forgotten object. He was of the
German ReichsArray, who marched to the Netherlands to deliver Max from durance; Max, the King of the
Romans, whom, for all his luck, the mutinous Flemings had put under lockandkey at one time. [1482
(Pauli, ii. 389): his beautiful young Wife, "thrown from her horse," had perished in a thricetragic way, short
while before; and the Seventeen Provinces were unruly under the guardianship of Max.] That is his one feat
memorable to me at present.
He was Johann Cicero's HALFbrother, child by a second wife. Like his Uncle Kurfurst Friedrich II., he had
married a Polish Princess; the sharp Achilles having perhaps an eye to crowns in that direction, during that
HungarianBohemianPolish Donnybrook. But if so, there again came nothing of a crown with it; though it
was not without its good results for Friedrich's children by and by.
He had eight Sons that reached manhood; five or six of whom came to something considerable in the world,
and Three are memorable down to this day. One of his daughters he married to the Duke of Liegnitz in
Silesia; which is among the first links I notice of a connection that grew strong with that sovereign Duchy,
and is worth remarking by my readers here. Of the Three notable Sons it is necessary that we say something.
Casimir, George, Albert are the names of these Three.
Casimir, the eldest, [14811527.] whose share of heritage is Baireuth, was originally intended for the
Church; but inclining rather to secular and military things, or his prospects of promotion altering, he early
quitted that; and took vigorously to the career of arms and business. A truculentlooking Herr, with
thoughtful eyes, and hanging underlip:HAT of enviable softness; loose disk of felt flung carelessly on,
almost like a nightcap artificially extended, so admirably soft;and the look of the man Casimir, between
his cataract of black beard and this semi nightcap, is carelessly truculent. He had much fighting with the
Nurnbergers and others; laid it right terribly on, in the way of strokes, when needful. He was especially
truculent upon the Revolt of Peasants in their BAUERNKRIEG (1525). Them in their wildest rage he
fronted; he, that others might rally to him: "Unhappy mortals, will you shake the world to pieces, then,
because you have much to complain of?" and hanged the ringleaders of them literally by the dozen, when
quelled and captured. A severe, rather truculent Herr. His brother George, who had Anspach for heritage, and
a right to half those prisoners, admonished and forgave his half; and pleaded hard with Casimir for mercy to
the others, in a fine Letter still extant; [In Rentsch, p. 627.] which produced no effect on Casimir. For the
dog's sake, and for all sakes, "let not the dog learn to eat LEATHER;" (of which his indispensable leashes and
muzzles are made)! That was a proverb often heard on the occasion, in Luther's mouth among the rest.
Casimir died in 1527, age then towards fifty. For the last dozen years or so, when the Father's malady became
hopeless, he had governed Culmbach, both parts of it; the Anspach part, which belonged to his next brother
George, going naturally, in almost all things, along with Baireuth; and George, who was commonly absent,
not interfering, except on important occasions. Casimir left one little Boy, age then only six, name Albert; to
whom George, henceforth practical sovereign of Culmbach, as his Brother had been, was appointed
Guardian. This youth, very full of fire, wildfire too much of it, exploded dreadfully on Germany by and by
(Albert ALCIBIADES the name they gave him); nay, towards the end of his nonage, he had been rather
sputtery upon his Uncle, the excellent Guardian who had charge of him.
FRIEDRICH'S SECOND SON, MARGRAF GEORGE OF ANSPACH.
Uncle George of Anspach, Casimir's next Brother, had always been of a peaceabler disposition than Casimir;
not indeed without heat of temper, and sufficient vivacity of every kind. As a youth, he had aided Kaiser Max
in two of his petty wars; but was always rather given "to reading Latin," to Learning, and ingenious pursuits.
His Polish Mother, who, we perceive, had given "Casimir" his name, proved much more important to George.
At an early age he went to his Uncle Vladislaus, King of Hungary and Bohemia: for Alas, after all, we
shall have to cast a glance into that unbeautiful HungarianBohemian scramble, comparable to an "Irish
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Donnybrook," where Albert Achilles long walked as ChiefConstable. It behooves us, after all, to point out
some of the tallest heads in it; and whitherward, bludgeon in hand, they seem to be swaying and
struggling.Courage, patient reader!
George, then, at an early age went to his Uncle Vladislaus, King of Hungary and Bohemia: for George's
Mother, as we know, was of royal kin; daughter of the Polish King, Casimir IV. (late mauler of the Teutsch
Ritters); which circumstance had results for George and us. Daughter of Casimir IV. the Lady was; and
therefore of the Jagellon blood by her father, which amounts to little; but by her mother she was
Granddaughter of that Kaiser Albert II. who "got Three Crowns in one year, and died the next;" whose
posterity have ever since,up to the lips in trouble with their confused competitive accompaniments,
Hunniades, Corvinus, George Podiebrad and others, not to speak of dragon Turks coiling ever closer round
you on the frontier,been Kings of Hungary and Bohemia; TWO of the crowns (the HERITABLE two)
which were got by Kaiser Albert in that memorable year. He got them, as the reader may remember, by
having the daughter of Kaiser Sigismund to wife,Sigismund SUPER GRAMMATICAM, whom we left
standing, red as a flamingo, in the marketplace of Constance a hundred years ago. Thus Time rolls on in its
manycolored manner, edacious and feracious.
It is in this way that George's Uncle, Vladislaus, Albert's daughter's son, is now King of Hungary and
Bohemia: the last King Vladislaus they had; and the last King but one, of any kind, as we shall see anon.
Vladislaus was heir of Poland too, could he have managed to get it; but he gave up that to his brother, to
various younger brothers in succession; having his hands full with the Hungarian and Bohemian difficulty.
He was very fond of Nephew George; well recognizing the ingenuous, wise and loyal nature of the young
man. He appointed George tutor of his poor son Ludwig; whom he left at the early age of ten, in an evil
world, and evil position there. "Born without Skin," they say, that is, born in the seventh month;called
Ludwig OHNE HAUT (Ludwig NOSkin), on that account. Born certainly, I can perceive, rather thin of
skin; and he would have needed one of a rhinoceros thickness!
George did his function honestly, and with success: Ludwig grew up a gallant, airy, brisk young King, in
spite of difficulties, constitutional and other; got a Sister of the great Kaiser Karl V. to wife;determined
(A.D. 1526) to have a stroke at the Turk dragon; which, was coiling round his frontier, and spitting fire at an
intolerable rate. Ludwig, a fine young man of twenty, marched away with much Hungarian chivalry, right for
the Turk (Summer 1526); George meanwhile going busily to Bohemia, and there with all his strength levying
troops for reinforcement. Ludwig fought and fenced, for some time, with the Turk outskirts; came at last to a
furious general battle with the Turk (29th August, 1526), at a place called Mohacz, far east in the flats of the
Lower Donau; and was there tragically beaten and ended. Seeing the Battle gone, and his chivalry all in
flight, Ludwig too had to fly; galloping for life, he came upon bog which proved bottomless, as good as
bottomless; and Ludwig, horse and man, vanished in it straightway from this world. Hapless young man, like
a flash of lightning suddenly going down thereand the Hungarian Sovereignty along with him. For
Hungary is part of Austria ever since; having, with Bohemia, fallen to Karl V.'s Brother Ferdinand, as now
the nearest convenient heir of Albert with his Three Crowns. Up to the lips in difficulties to this day!
George meanwhile, with finely appointed reinforcements, was in full march to join Ludwig; but the sad news
of Mohacz met him: he withdrew, as soon as might be, to his own territory, and quitted Hungarian politics.
This, I think, was George's third and last trial of war. He by no means delighted in that art, or had cultivated it
like Casimir and some of his brothers.
George by this time had considerable property; part of it important to the readers of this History. Anspach we
already know; but the Duchy of Jagerndorf,that and its pleasant valleys, fine huntinggrounds and
larchclad heights, among the Giant Mountains of Silesia,that is to us the memorable territory. George got
it in this manner:
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Some ten or fifteen years ago, the late King Vladislaus, our Uncle of blessed memory, loving George, and not
having royal moneys at command, permitted him to redeem with his own cash certain Hungarian Domains,
pledged at a ruinously cheap rate, but unredeemable by Vladislaus. George did so; years ago, guess ten or
fifteen. George did not like the Hungarian Domains, with their Turk and other inconveniences; he proposed
to exchange them with King Vladislaus for the BohemianSilesian Duchy of Jagerndorf; which had just then,
by failure of heirs, lapsed to the King. This also Vladislaus, the beneficent cashless Uncle, liking George
more and more, permitted to be done. And done it was; I see not in what year; only that the ultimate
investiture (done, this part of the affair, by Ludwig OHNE HAUT, and duly sanctioned by the Kaiser) dates
1524, two years before the fatal Mohacz business.
From the time of this purchase, and especially till Brother Casimir's death, which happened in 1527, George
resided oftener at Jagerndorf than at Anspach. Anspach, by the side of Baireuth, needed no management; and
in Jagerndorf much probably required the hand of a good Governor to put it straight again. The Castle of
Jagerndorf, which towers up there in a rather grand manner to this day, George built: "the old Castle of the
Schellenbergs" (extinct predecessor Line) now gone to ruins, "stands on a Hill with larches on it, some miles
off." Margraf George was much esteemed as Duke of Jagerndorf. What his actions in that region were, I
know not; but it seems he was so well thought of in Silesia, two smaller neighboring Potentates, the Duke of
Oppeln and the Duke of Ratibor, who had no heirs of their body, bequeathed, with the Kaiser's assent, these
towns and territories to George: [Rentsch, pp. 623, 127131. Kaiser is Ferdinand, Karl V.'s Brother,as yet
only KING of Bohemia and Hungary, but supreme in regard to such points. His assent is dated "17th June,
1531" in Rentsch.]in mere love to their subjects (Rentsch intimates), that poor men might be governed by a
wise good Duke, in the time coming. The Kaiser would have got the Duchies otherwise.
Nay the Kaiser, in spite of his preliminary assent, proved extortionate to George in this matter; and exacted
heavy sums for the actual possession of Oppeln and Ratibor. George, going so zealously ahead in Protestant
affairs, grew less and less a favorite with Kaisers. But so, at any rate, on peaceable unquestionable grounds,
grounds valid as Imperial Law and ready money, George is at last Lord of these two little Countries, in the
plain of SouthSilesia, as of Jagerndorf among the Mountains hard by. George has and holds the Duchy of
Jagerndorf, with these appendages (Jagerndorf since 1524, Ratibor and Oppeln since some years later); and
lives constantly, or at the due intervals, in his own strong MountainCastle of Jagerndorf there,we have no
doubt, to the marked benefit of good men in those parts. Hereby has Jagerndorf joined itself to the
Brandenburg Territories: and the reader can note the circumstance, for it will prove memorable one day.
In the business of the Reformation, Margraf George was very noble. A simplehearted, truthloving,
modestly valiant man; rising unconsciously, in that great element, into the heroic figure. "George the Pious
(DER FROMME)," "George the Confessor (BEKENNER)," were the names he got from his countrymen.
Once this business had become practical, George interfered a little more in the Culmbach Government; his
brother Casimir, who likewise had Reformation tendencies, rather hanging back in comparison to George.
In 1525 the Townpopulations, in the Culmbach region, big Nurnberg in the van, had gone quite ahead in the
new Doctrine; and were becoming irrepressibly impatient to clear out the old mendacities, and have the
Gospel preached freely to them. This was a questionable step; feasible perhaps for a great Elector of
Saxony;but for a Margraf of Anspach? George had come home from Jagerndorf, some three hundred miles
away, to look into it for himself; found it, what with darkness all round, what with precipices menacing on
both hands, and zealous, inconsiderate Townpopulations threatening to take the bit between their teeth, a
frightfully intricate thing. George mounted his horse, one day this year, day not dated farther, and "with only
six attendants" privately rode off, another two hundred miles, a good three days' ride, to Wittenberg; and
alighted at Dr. Martinus Lutherus's door. [Rentsch, p. 625.] A notable passage; worth thinking of. But such
visits of high Princes, to that poor house of the Doctor's, were not then uncommon. Luther cleared the doubts
of George; George returned with a resolution taken; "Ahead then, ye poor Voigtland Gospel populations! I
must lead you, we must on!"And perils enough there proved to be, and precipices on each hand:
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BAUERNKRIEG, that is to say Peasants'War, Anabaptistry and Red Republic, on the one hand;
REICHSACHT, Ban of Empire, on the other. But George, eagerly, solemnly attentive, with ever new light
rising on him, dealt with the perils as they came; and went steadily on, in a simple, highly manful and
courageous manner.
He did not live to see the actual Wars that followed on Luther's preaching:he was of the same age with
Luther, born few months later, and died two years before Luther; [4th March, 1484, 27th Dec., 1543,
George; 10th November, 148318th February, 1546, Luther.]but in all the intermediate principal
transactions George is conspicuously present; "George of Brandenburg," as the Books call him, or simply
"Margraf George."
At the Diet of Augsburg (1530), and the signing of the Augsburg Confession there, he was sure to be. He
rode thither with his Anspach Knightage about him, "four hundred cavaliers," Seckendorfs, Huttens,
Flanses and other known kindreds, recognizable among the lists; [Rentsch, p. 633.]and spoke there,
notbursts of parliamentary eloquence, but things that had meaning in them. One speech of his, not in the Diet,
but in the Kaiser's Lodging (15th June, 1530; no doubt, in Anton Fugger's house, where the Kaiser "lodged
for year and day" this time but WITHOUT the "fires of cinnamon" they talk of on other occasions [See
Carlyle's Miscellanies (iii. 259 n.). The House is at present an Inn, "Gasthaus zu den drei Mohren;" where
tourists lodge, and are still shown the room which the Kaiser occupied on such visits.]), is still very
celebrated. It was the evening of the Kaiser Karl Fifth's arrival at the Diet; which was then already, some time
since, assembled there. And great had been the Kaiser's reception that morning; the flower of Germany, all
the Princes of the Empire, Protestant and Papal alike, riding out to meet him, in the open country, at the
Bridge of the Lech. With highflown speeches and benignities, on both sides;only that the Kaiser willed
all men, Protestant and other, should in the mean while do the Popish litanyings, waxlight processionings and
idolatrous stageperformances with him on the morrow, which was CORPUSCHRISTI Day; and the
Protestants could not nor would. Imperial hints there had already been, from Innspruck; benign hopes, of the
nature of commands, That loyal Protestant Princes would in the interim avoid open discrepancies, perhaps
be so loyal as keep their chaplains, peculiar divine services, private in the interim? These were hints;and
now this of the CORPUSCHRISTI, a still more pregnant hint! Loyal Protestants refused it, therefore; flatly
declined, though bidden and again bidden. They attended in a body, old Johann of Saxony, young Philip of
Hessen, and the rest; Margraf George, as spokesman, with eloquent simplicity stating their reasons,to
somewhat this effect:
Invinciblest allgracious Kaiser, loyal are we to your high Majesty, ready to do your bidding by night and by
day. But it is your bidding under God, not against God. Ask us not, 0 gracious Kaiser! I cannot, and we
cannot; and we must not, and dare not. And "before I would deny my God and his Evangel," these are
George's own words, "I would rather kneel down here before your Majesty, and have my head struck
off,"hitting his hindhead, or neck, with the edge of his hand, by way of accompaniment; a strange
radiance in the eyes of him, voice risen into musical alt: "Ehe Ich wolte meinen Gott und sein Evangelium
verlaugnen, ehe wolte Ich hier vor Eurer Majestat niderknien, und mir den Kopf abhauen lassen.""Nit
Kop ab, lover Forst, nit Kop ab!" answered Charles in his Flemish German; "Not head off, dear Furst, not
head off!" said the Kaiser, a faint smile enlightening those weighty gray eyes of his, and imperceptibly
animating the thick Austrian underlip. [Rentsch, p. 637. Marheineke, Geschichte der Teutschen Reformation
(Berlin, 1831), ii. 487.]
Speaker and company attended again on the morrow; Margraf George still more eloquent. Whose Speech
flew over Germany, like fire over dry flax; and still exists,both Speeches now oftenest rolled into one by
inaccurate editors. [As by Rentsch, ubi supra.] And the CORPUSCHRISTI idolatries were forborne the
Margraf and his company this time;the Kaiser himself, however, walking, nearly roasted in the sun, in
heavy purplevelvet cloak, with a big waxcandle, very superfluous, guttering and blubbering in the right
hand of him, along the streets of Augsburg. KurBrandenburg, KurMainz, high cousins of George, were at
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this Diet of Augsburg; KurBrandenburg (Elector Joachim I., Cicero's son, of whom we have spoken, and
shall speak again) being often very loud on the conservative side; and eloquent KurMainz going on the
conciliatory tack. KurBrandenburg, in his zeal, had ridden on to Innspruck, to meet the Kaiser there, and
have a preliminary word with him. Both these high Cousins spoke, and bestirred themselves, a good deal, at
this Diet. They had met the Kaiser on the plains of the Lech, this morning; and, no doubt, gloomed
unutterable things on George and his Speech. George could not help it.
Till his death in 1543, George is to be found always in the front line of this high Movement, in the line where
KurSachsen, John the Steadfast (DER BESTANDIGE), and young Philip the Magnanimous of Hessen
were, and where danger and difficulty were. Readers of this enlightened goldnugget generation can form to
themselves no conception of the spirit that then possessed the nobler kingly mind. "The command of God
endures through Eternity, Verbum Dei Manet In AEternum," was the Epigraph and Lifemotto which John
the Steadfast had adopted for himself; "V. D. M. I. AE.," these initials he had engraved on all the furnitures
of his existence, on his standards, pictures, plate, on the very sleeves of his lackeys,and I can perceive, on
his own deep heart first of all. V. D. M. I. E.:or might it not be read withal, as Philip of Hessen sometimes
said (Philip, still a young fellow, capable of sport in his magnanimous scorn), "Verbum Diaboli Manet In
Episcopis, The Devil's Word sticks fast in the Bishops"?
We must now take leave of Margraf George and his fine procedures in that crisis of WorldHistory. He had
got Jugerndorf, which became important for his Family and others: but what was that to the Promethean
conquests (such we may call them) which he had the honor to assist in making for his Family, and for his
Country, and for all men;very unconscious he of "bringing fire from Heaven," good modest simple man!
So far as I can gather, there lived, in that day, few truer specimens of the Honest Man. A rugged,
roughhewn, rather bluntnosed physiognomy: cheekbones high, cheeks somewhat bagged and wrinkly;
eyes with a due shade of anxiety and sadness in them; affectionate simplicity, faithfulness, intelligence,
veracity looking out of every feature of him. Wears plentiful white beard shortcut, plentiful goldchains,
ruffs, ermines;a hat not to be approved of, in comparison with brother Casimir's; miserable
invertedcolander of a hat; hanging at an angle of fortyfive degrees; with band of pearls round the top not
the bottom of it; insecure upon the fine head of George, and by no means to its embellishment.
One of his Daughters he married to the Duke of Liegnitz, a new link in that connection. He left one Boy,
George Friedrich; who came under ALCIBIADES, his Cousin of Baireuth's tutelage; and suffered much by
that connection, or indeed chiefly by his own conspicuously Protestant turn, to punish which, the Alcibiades
connection was taken as a pretext. In riper years, George Friedrich got his calamities brought well under; and
lived to do good work, Protestant and other, in the world. To which we may perhaps allude again. The Line
of Margraf George the Pious ends in this George Friedrich, who had no children; the Line of Margraf George,
and the Elder Culmbach Line altogether (1603), Albert Alcibiades, Casimir's one son, having likewise died
without posterity.
"Of the younger Brothers," says my Authority, "some four were in the Church; two of whom rose to be
Prelates;here are the four:
"1. One, Wilhelm by name, was Bishop of Riga, in the remote Prussian outskirts, and became
Protestant;among the first great Prelates who took that heretical course; being favored by circumstances to
cast out the 'V. D. (Verbum Diaboli),' as Philip read it. He is a wiselooking man, with magnificent beard,
with something of contemptuous patience in the meditative eyes of him. He had great troubles with his Riga
people,as indeed was a perennial case between their Bishop and them, of whatever creed he might be.
"2. The other Prelate held fast by the Papal Orthodoxy: he had got upon the ladder of promotion towards
Magdeburg; hoping to follow his Cousin KURMAINZ, the eloquent conciliatory Cardinal, in that part of his
pluralities. As he did,little to his comfort, poor man; having suffered a good deal in the sieges and religious
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troubles of his Magdeburgers; who ended by ordering him away, having openly declared themselves
Protestant, at length. He had to go; and occupy himself complaining, soliciting AulicCouncils and the like,
for therest of his life.
"3. The PROBST of Wurzburg (PROVOST, kind of HeadCanon there); orthodox Papal he too; and often
gave his Brother George trouble.
"4. A still more orthodox specimen, the youngest member of the family, who is likewise in orders:
Gumbrecht ('Gumbertus, a Canonicus of' Something or other, say the Books); who went early to Rome, and
became one of his Holiness Leo Tenth's Chamberlains; stood the 'Sack of Rome' (Constable de Bourbon's),
and was captured there and ransomed;but died still young (1528). These three were Catholics, he of
Wurzburg a rather virulent one."
Catholic also was JOHANNES, a fifth Brother, who followed the soldiering and diplomatic professions,
oftenest in Spain; did Governmentmessages to Diets, and the like, for Karl V.; a high man and well seen of
his Kaiser;he had wedded the young Widow of old King Ferdinand in Spain; which proved, seemingly, a
troublous scene for poor Johannes. What we know is, he was appointed Commandant of Valencia; and died
there, still little turned of thirty,by poison it is supposed,and left his young Widow to marry a third time.
These are the Five minor Brothers, four of them Catholic, sons of old blind Friedrich of Plassenburg; who are
not, for their own sake, memorable, but are mentionable for the sake of the three major Brothers. So many
orthodox Catholics, while Brother George and others went into the heresies at such a rate! A family much
split by religion:and blind old Friedrich, dim of intellect, knew nothing of it; and the excellent Polish
Mother said and thought, we know not what. A divided Time!
Johannes of Valencia, and these Chief Priests, were all men of mark; conspicuous to the able editors of their
day: but the only Brother now generally known to mankind is Albert, Hochmeister of the Teutsch Ritterdom;
by whom Preussen came into the Family. Of him we must now speak a little.
Chapter VI. HOCHMEISTER ALBERT, THIRD NOTABLE SON OF
FRIEDRICH.
Albert was born in 1490; George's junior by six years, Casimir's by nine. He too had been meant for the
Church; but soon quitted that, other prospects and tendencies opening. He had always loved the ingenuous
arts; but the activities too had charms for him. He early shone in his exercises spiritual and bodily; grew tall
above his fellows, expert in arts, especially in arms;rode with his Father to Kaiser Max's Court; was
presented by him, as the light of his eyes, to Kaiser Max; who thought him a very likely young fellow; and
bore him in mind, when the Mastership of the Teutsch Ritterdom fell vacant. [Rentsch, pp. 840863.]
The Teutsch Ritterdom, ever since it got its back broken in that Battle of Tannenberg in 1410, and was driven
out of WestPreussen with such ignominious kicks, has been lying bedrid, eating its remaining revenues, or
sprawling about in helpless efforts to rise again, which require no notice from us. Hopeless of ever recovering
WestPreussen, it had quietly paid its homage to Poland for the Eastern part of that Country; quietly for some
couple of generations. But, in the third or fourth generation after Tannenberg, there began to rise
murmurs,in the Holy Roman Empire first of all. "Preussen is a piece of the Reich," said hot, inconsiderate
people; "Preussen could not be alienated without consent of the Reich!" To which discourses the afflicted
Ritters listened only too gladly; their dull eyes kindling into new false hopes at sound of them. The point was,
To choose as Hochmeister some man of German influence, of power and connection in the Country, who
might help them to their socalled right. With this view, they chose one and then another of such sort;and
did not find it very hopeful, as we shall see.
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Albert was chosen GrandMaster of Preussen, in February, 1511; age then twentyone. Made his entry into
Konigsberg, November next year; in grand cavalcade, "dreadful storm of rain and wind at the time,"poor
Albert all in black, and full of sorrow, for the loss of his Mother, the good Polish Princess, who had died
since he left home. Twenty months of preparation he had held since his Election, before doing anything: for
indeed the case was intricate. He, like his predecessor in office, had undertaken to refuse that Homage to
Poland; the Reich generally, and Kaiser Max himself, in a loose way of talk, encouraging him: "A piece of
the Reich," said they all; "Teutsch Ritters had no power to give it away in that manner." Which is a thing
more easily said, than made good in the way of doing.
Albert's predecessor, chosen on this principle, was a Saxon Prince, Friedrich of Meissen; cadet of Saxony;
potently enough connected, he too; who, in like manner, had undertaken to refuse the Homage. And zealously
did refuse it, though to his cost, poor man. From the Reich, for all its big talking, he got no manner of
assistance; had to stave off a Polish War as he could, by fair speaking, by diplomacies and contrivances; and
died at middle age, worn down by the sorrows of that sad position.
An idea prevails, in illinformed circles, that our new Grand Master Albert was no better than a kind of
cheat; that he took this GrandMastership of Preussen; and then, in gayety of heart, surreptitiously pocketed
Preussen for his own behoof. Which is an idle idea; inconsistent with the least inquiry, or real knowledge
how the matter stood. [Voigt, ix. 740749; Pauli, iv. 404407.] By no means in gayety of heart, did Albert
pocket Preussen; nor till after as tough a struggle to do other with it as could have been expected of any man.
One thing not suspected by the Teutsch Ritters, and least of all by their young Hochmeister, was, That the
Teutsch Ritters had well deserved that terrible downcome at Tannenberg, that ignominious dismissal out of
WestPreussen with kicks. Their insolence, luxury, degeneracy had gone to great lengths. Nor did that
humiliation mend them at all; the reverse rather. It was deeply hidden from the young Hochmeister as from
them, That probably they were now at length got to the end of their capability: and ready to be withdrawn
from the scene, as soon as any good way offered! Of course, they Were reluctant enough to fulfil their
bargain to Poland; very loath they to do Homage now for Preussen, and own themselves sunk to the second
degree. For the Ritters had still their old haughtiness of humor, their deepseated pride of place, gone now into
the unhappy CONSCIOUS state. That is usually the last thing that deserts a sinking House: pride of place,
gone to the conscious state;as if, in a reverse manner, the House felt that it deserved to sink.
For the rest, Albert's position among them was what Friedrich of Sachsen's had been; worse, not better; and
the main ultimate difference was, he did not die of it, like Friedrich of Sachsen; but found an outlet, not open
in Friedrich's time, and lived. To the Ritters, and vague Public which called itself the Reich, Albert had
promised he would refuse the Homage to Poland; on which Ritters and Reich had clapt their hands: and that
was pretty much all the assistance he got of them. The Reich, as a formal body, had never asserted its right to
Preussen, nor indeed spoken definitely on the subject: it was only the vague Public that had spoken, in the
name of the Reich. From the Reich, or from any individual of it, Kaiser or Prince, when actually applied to,
Albert could get simply nothing. From what, Ritters were in Preussen, he might perhaps expect promptitude
to fight, if it came to that; which was not much as things stood. But, from the great body of the Ritters,
scattered over Germany, with their rich territories (BALLEYS, bailliwicks), safe resources, and comfortable
"Teutschmeister" over them, he got flat refusal: [The titles HOCHMEISTER and TEUTSCHMEISTER are
defined, in many Books and in all manner of Dictionaries, as meaning the same thing. But that is not quite the
case. They were at first synonymous, so far as I can see; and after Albert's time, they again became so; but at
the date where we now are, and for a long while back, they represent different entities, and indeed oftenest,
since the Prussian DECLINE began, antagonistic ones. Teutschmeister, Sub president over the GERMAN
affairs and possessions of the Order, resides at Mergentheim in that Country: Hochmeister is Chief President
of the whole, but resident at Marienburg in Preussen, and feels there acutely where the shoe pinches,much
too acutely, thinks the Teutschmeister in his soft listslippers, at Mergentheim in the safe Wurzburg region.]
"We will not be concerned in the adventure at all; we wish you well through it!" Never was a spirited young
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fellow placed in more impossible position. His Brother Casimir (George was then in Hungary), his Cousin
Joachim KurBrandenburg, Friedrich Duke of Liegnitz, a Silesian connection of the Family, ["Duke
Friedrich II.:" comes by mothers from Kurfurst Friedrich I.; marries Margraf George's Daughter even now,
1519 (Hubner, tt. 179, 100, 101).] consulted, advised, negotiated to all lengths, Albert's own effort was
incessant. "Agree with King Sigismund," said they; "Uncle Sigismund, your good Mother's Brother; a King
softly inclined to us all!""How agree?" answered Albert: "He insists on the Homage, which I have
promised not to give!" Casimir went and came, to Konigsberg, to Berlin; went once himself to Cracow, to the
King, on this errand: but it was a case of "Yes AND No;" not to be solved by Casimir.
As to King Sigismund, he was patient with it to a degree; made the friendliest paternal
professions;testifying withal, That the claim was undeniable; and could by him, Sigismund, never be
foregone with the least shadow of honor, and of course never would: "My dear Nephew can consider whether
his dissolute, vainminded, halfheretical Ritterdom, nay whether this Prussian fraction of it, is in a
condition to take Poland by the beard in an unjust quarrel; or can hope to do Tannenberg over again in the
reverse way, by Beelzehub's help?"
For seven years, Albert held out in this intermediate state, neither peace nor war; moving Heaven and Earth
to raise supplies, that he might be able to defy Poland, and begin war. The Reich answers, "We have really
nothing for you." Teutschmeister answers again and again, "I tell you we have nothing!" In the end,
Sigismund grew impatient; made (December, 1519) some movements of a hostile nature. Albert did not
yield; eager only to procrastinate till he were ready. By superhuman efforts, of borrowing, bargaining,
soliciting, and galloping to and fro, Albert did, about the end of next year, get up some appearance of an
Army: "14,000 German mercenaries horse and foot," so many in theory; who, to the extent of 8,000 in actual
result, came marching towards him (October, 1520); to serve "for eight months." With these he will besiege
Dantzig, besiege Thorn; will plunge, suddenly, like a fiery javelin, into the heart of Poland, and make Poland
surrender its claim. Whereupon King Sigismund bestirred himself in earnest; came out with vast clouds of
Polish chivalry; overset Albert's 8,000;who took to eating the country, instead of fighting for it; being
indeed in want of all things. One of the gladdest days Albert had yet seen, was when he got the 8,000 sent
home again.
What then is to be done? "Armistice for four years," Sigismund was still kind enough to consent to that:
"Truce for four years: try everywhere, my poor Nephew; after that, your mind will perhaps become pliant."
Albert tried the Reich again: "Four years, 0 Princes, and then I must do it, or be eaten!" Reich, busy with
LutheranPapal, TurkChristian quarrels, merely shrugged its shoulders upon Albert. Teutschmeister did the
like; everybody the like. In Heaven or Earth, then, is there no hope for me? thought Albert. And his stock of
ready moneywe will not speak of that!
Meanwhile Dr. Osiander of Anspach had come to him; and the pious young man was getting utterly shaken in
his religion. Monkish vows, Pope, Holy Church itself, what is one to think, Herr Doctor? Albert, religious to
an eminent degree, was getting deep into Protestantism. In his many journeyings, to Nurnberg, to
Brandenburg, and up and down, he had been at Wittenberg too: he saw Luther in person more than once
there; corresponded with Luther; in fine believed in the truth of Luther. The Culmbach Brothers were both, at
least George ardently was, inclined to Protestantism, as we have seen; but Albert was foremost of the three in
this course. Osiander and flights of zealous Culmbach Preachers made many converts in Preussen. In these
circumstances the Four Years came to a close.
Albert, we may believe, is greatly at a loss; and deep deliberations, Culmbach, Berlin, Liegnitz, Poland all
called in, are held:a case beyond measure intricate. You have given your word; word must be kept,and
cannot, without plain hurt, or ruin even, to those that took it of you. Withdraw, therefore; fling it up!Fling
it up? A valuable article to fling up; fling it up is the last resource. Nay, in fact, to whom will you fling it up?
The Prussian Ritters themselves are getting greatly divided on the point; and at last on all manner of points,
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Protestantism ever more spreading among them. As for the German Brethren, they and their comfortable
Teutschmeister, who refused to partake in the dangerous adventure at all; are they entitled to have much to
say in the settlement of it now?
Among others, or as chief oracle of all, Luther was consulted. "What would you have me do towards
reforming the Teutsch Order?" inquired Albert of his oracle. Luther's answer was, as may be guessed,
emphatic. "Luther," says one reporter, "has in his Writings declared the Order to be 'a thing serviceable
neither to God nor man,' and the constitution of it 'a monstrous, frightful, hermaphroditish, neither secular nor
spiritual constitution.'" [C. J. Weber, Daa Ritterwessen (Stuttgard, 1837), iii. 208.] We do not know what
Luther's answer to Albert was;but can infer the purport of it: That such a Teutsch Ritterdom was not, at
any rate, a thing long for this world; that white cloaks with black crosses on them would not, of themselves,
profit any Ritterdom; that solemn vows and high supramundane professions, followed by such practice as
was notorious, are an afflicting, not to say a damnable, spectacle on God's Earth;that a young Herr had
better marry; better have done with the wretched Babylonian Nightmare of Papistry altogether; better shake
oneself awake, in God's name, and see if there are not still monitions in the eternal sky as to what it is wise to
do, and wise not to do! This I imagine to have been, in modern language, the purport of Dr. Luther's
advice to Hochmeister Albrecht on the present interesting occasion.
It is certain, Albert, before long, took this course; Uncle Sigismund and the resident Officials of the
Ritterdom having made agreement to it as the one practicable course. The manner as follows: 1. Instead of
Elected Hochmeister, let us be Hereditary Duke of Preussen, and pay homage for it to Uncle Sigismund in
that character. 2. Such of the resident Officials of the Ritterdom as are prepared to go along with us, we will
in like manner constitute permanent Feudal Proprietors of what they now possess as Liferent, and they shall
be Subvassals under us as Hereditary Duke. 3. In all which Uncle Sigismund and the Republic of Poland
engage to maintain us against the world.
That is, in sum, the Transaction entered into, by King Sigismund I. of Poland, on the one part, and
Hochmeister Albert and his Ritter Officials, such as went along with him, (which of course none could do
that were not Protestant), on the other part: done at Cracow, 8th April, 1525. [Rentsch, p. 850.Here,
certified by Rentsch, Voigt and others, is a wornout patch of Paper, which is perhaps worth printing:
1490, May 17, Albert is born. 1511, February 14, Hochmeister. 1519, December, King Sigismund's first
hostile movements. 1520, October, German Mercenaries arrive. 1520, November, try Siege of Dantzig. 1520,
November 17, give it up. 1521, April 10, Truce for Four Years. 1523, June, Albert consults Luther. 1524,
November, sees Luther. 1525, April 8, Peace of Cracow, and Albert to be Duke of Prussia.] Whereby Teutsch
Ritterdom, the Prussian part of it, vanished from the world; dissolving itself, and its "hermaphrodite
constitution," like a kind of Male Nunnery, as so many female ones had done in those years. A Transaction
giving rise to endless criticism, then and afterwards. Transaction plainly not reconcilable with the letter of the
law; and liable to have logic chopped upon it to any amount, and to all lengths of time. The Teutschmeister
and his German Brethren shrieked murder; the whole world, then, and for long afterwards, had much to say
and argue.
To us, now that the logicchaff is all laid long since, the question is substantial, not formal. If the Teutsch
Ritterdom was actually at this time DEAD, actually stumbling about as a mere galvanized Lie beginning to
be putrid,then, sure enough, it behooved that somebody should bury it, to avoid pestilential effects in the
neighborhood. Somebody or other;first flaying the skin off, as was natural, and taking that for his trouble.
All turns, in substance, on this latter question! If, again, the Ritterdom was not dead?
And truly it struggled as hard as Partridge the Almanac maker to rebut that fatal accusation; complained
(Teutschmeister and GermanPapist part of it) loudly at the Diets; got Albert and his consorts put to the Ban
(GEACHTET), fiercely menaced by the Kaiser Karl V. But nothing came of all that; nothing but noise.
Albert maintained his point; Kaiser Karl always found his hands full otherwise, and had nothing but stamped
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parchments and menaces to fire off at Albert. Teutsch Ritterdom, the Popish part of it, did enjoy its valuable
bailliwicks, and very considerable rents in various quarters of Germany and Europe, having lost only
Preussen; and walked about, for three centuries more, with money in its pocket, and a solemn white gown
with black cross on its back,the most opulent Social Club in existence, and an excellent place for
bestowing younger sons of sixteen quarters. But it was, and continued through so many centuries, in every
essential respect, a solemn Hypocrisy; a functionless merely eating Phantasm, of the nature of goblin, hungry
ghost or ghoul (of which kind there are many);till Napoleon finally ordered it to vanish; its time, even as
Phantasm, being come.
Albert, I can conjecture, had his own difficulties as Regent in Preussen. [15251568.] Protestant Theology, to
make matters worse for him, had split itself furiously into 'DOXIES; and there was an OSIANDERISM
(Osiander being the Duke's chaplain), much flamed upon by the more orthodox ISM. "Foreigners," too,
GermanAnspach and other, were ill seen by the native gentlemen; yet sometimes got encouragement. One
Funccius, a shining Nurnberg immigrant there, soninlaw of Osiander, who from Theology got into Politics,
had at last (1564) to be beheaded,old Duke Albert himself "bitterly weeping" about him; for it was none of
Albert's doing. Probably his new allodial Ritter gentlemen were not the most submiss, when made hereditary?
We can only hope the Duke was a Hohenzollern, and not quite unequal to his task in this respect. A man with
high bald brow; magnificent spadebeard; air much pondering, almost gaunt,gaunt kind of eyes
especially, and a slight cast in them, which adds to his severity of aspect. He kept his possession well, every
inch of it; and left all safe at his decease in 1568. His age was then near eighty. It was the tenth year of our
Elizabeth as Queen; invincible Armada not yet built; but Alba very busy, cutting off high heads in Brabant;
and stirring up the Dutch to such fury as was needful for exploding Spain and him.
This Duke Albert was a profoundly religious man, as all thoughtful men then were. Much given to Theology,
to Doctors of Divinity; being eager to know God's Laws in this Universe, and wholesomely certain of
damnation if he should not follow them. Fond of the profane Sciences too, especially of Astronomy: Erasmus
Reinhold and his Tabulae Prutenicae were once very celebrated; Erasmus Reinhold proclaims gratefully how
these his elaborate Tables (done according to the latest discoveries, 1551 and onwards) were executed upon
Duke Albert's high bounty; for which reason they are dedicated to Duke Albert, and called "PRUTENICAE,"
meaning PRUSSIAN. [Rentsch, p. 855.] The University of Konigsberg was already founded several years
before, in 1544.
Albert had not failed to marry, as Luther counselled: by his first Wife he had only daughters; by his second,
one son, Albert Friedrich, who, without opposition or difficulty, succeeded his Father. Thus was Preussen
acquired to the Hohenzollern Family; for, before long, the Electoral branch managed to get
MITBELEHNUNG (Coinfeftment), that is to say, Eventual Succession; and Preussen became a Family
Heritage, as Anspach and Baireuth were.
Chapter VII. ALBERT ALCIBIADES.
One word must be spent on poor Albert, Casimir's son, [15221557] already mentioned. This poor Albert,
whom they call ALCIBIADES, made a great noise in that epoch; being what some define as the "Failure of a
Fritz;" who has really features of him we are to call "Friedrich the Great," but who burnt away his splendid
qualities as a mere temporary shine for the able editors, and never came to anything.
A high and gallant young fellow, left fatherless in childhood; perhaps he came too early into power:he
came, at any rate, in very volcanic times, when Germany was all in convulsion; the Old Religion and the New
having at length broken out into open battle, with huge results to be hoped and feared; and the largest game
going on, in sight of an adventurous youth. How Albert staked in it; how he played to immense heights of
sudden gain, and finally to utter bankruptcy, I cannot explain here: some German delineator of human
destinies, "Artist" worth the name, if there were any, might find in him a fine subject.
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He was ward of his Uncle George; and the probable fact is, no guardian could have been more faithful.
Nevertheless, on approaching the years of majority, of majority but not discretion, he saw good to quarrel
with his Uncle; claimed this and that, which was not granted: quarrel lasting for years. Nay matters ran so
high at last, it was like to come to war between them, had not George been wiser. The young fellow actually
sent a cartel to his Uncle; challenged him to mortal combat,at which George only wagged his old beard,
we suppose, and said nothing. Neighbors interposed, the Diet itself interposed; and the matter was got
quenched again. Leaving Albert, let us hope, a repentant young man. We said he was full of fire, too much of
it wildfire.
His profession was Arms; he shone much in war; went slashing and fighting through those Schmalkaldic
broils, and others of his time; a distinguished captain; cutting his way towards something high, he saw not
well what. He had great comradeship with Moritz of Saxony in the wars: two sworn brothers they, and
comrades in arms:it is the same dexterous Moritz, who, himself a Protestant, managed to get his too
Protestant Cousin's Electorate of Saxony into his hand, by luck of the game; the Moritz, too, from whom
Albert by and by got his last defeat, giving Moritz his death in return. That was the finale of their
comradeship. All things end, and nothing ceases changing till it end.
He was by position originally on the Kaiser's side; had attained great eminence, and done high feats of arms
and generalship in his service. But being a Protestant by creed, he changed after that Schmalkaldic downfall
(rout of Muhlberg, 24th April, 1547), which brought Moritz an Electorate, and nearly cost Moritz's too
Protestant Cousin his life as well as lands. [Account of it in De Wette, Lebensgeschichte der Herzoge zu
Sachsen (Weimar, 1770), pp. 3235.] The victorious Kaiser growing now very high in his ways, there arose
complaints against him from all sides, very loud from the Protestant side; and Moritz and Albert took to arms,
with loud manifestos and the other phenomena.
This was early in 1552, five years after Muhlberg Rout or Battle. The there victorious Kaiser was now
suddenly almost ruined; chased like a partridge into the Innspruck Mountains,could have been caught, only
Moritz would not; "had no cage to hold so big a bird," he said. So the Treaty of Passau was made, and the
Kaiser came much down from his lofty ways. Famed TREATY OF PASSAU (22d August, 1552), which was
the finale of these broils, and hushed them up for a Fourscore years to come. That was a memorable year in
German Reformation History.
Albert, meanwhile, had been busy in the interior of the country; blazing aloft in Frankenland, his native
quarter, with a success that astonished all men. For seven months he was virtually King of Germany;
ransomed Bamberg, ransomed Wurzburg, Nurnberg (places he had a grudge at); ransomed all manner of
towns and places, especially rich Bishops and their towns, with VERBUM DIABOLI sticking in
them,at enormous sums. King of the world for a brief season;must have had some strange thoughts to
himself, had they been recorded for us. A pious man, too; not in the least like "Alcibiades," except in the
sudden changes of fortune he underwent. His Motto, or old rhymed Prayer, which he would repeat on getting
into the saddle for military work,a rough rhyme of his own composing,is still preserved. Let us give it,
with an English facsimile, or roughest mechanical penciltracing,by way of glimpse into the heart of a
vanished Time and its Manatarms: [Rentsch, p. 644.] Das Walt der Herr Jesus Christ, Mit dem Vater, der
uber uns ist: Wer starker ist als dieser Mann, Der komm und thu' ein Leid mir an.
Guide it the Lord Jesus Christ, [Read "Chris" or "Chriz," for the
rhyme's sake.] And the Father, who over us is: He that is stronger than that Man, [Sic.] Let him do me a
hurt when he can.
He was at the Siege of Metz (end of that same 1552), and a principal figure there. Readers have heard of the
Siege of Metz: How Henry II. of France fished up those "Three Bishoprics" (Metz, Toul, Verdun, constituent
part of Lorraine, a covetable fraction of Teutschland) from the troubled sea of German things, by aid of
Moritz now KURSACHSEN, and of Albert; and would not throw them in again, according to bargain, when
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Peace, the PEACE OF PASSAU came. How Kaiser Karl determined to have them back before the year
ended, cost what it might; and Henry II. to keep them, cost what it might. How Guise defended, with all the
Chivalry of France; and Kaiser Karl besieged, [19th October, 1552, and onwards.] with an Army of 100,000
men, under Duke Alba for chief captain. Siege protracted into midwinter; and the "sound of his cannon heard
at Strasburg," which is eighty miles off, "in the winter nights." [Kohler, ReichsHistorie, p. 453; and more
especially Munzbelustigungen (Nurnberg, 17291750), ix. 121129. The Year of this Volume, and of the
Number in question, is 1737; the MUNZE or Medal "recreated upon" in of Henri II.]
It had depended upon Albert, who hung in the distance with an army of his own, whether the Siege could
even begin; but he joined the Kaiser, being reconciled again; and the trenches opened. By the valor of Guise
and his Chivalry,still more perhaps by the iron frosts and by the sleety rains of Winter, and the hungers
and the hardships of a hundred thousand men, digging vainly at the icebound earth, or trampling it when
sleety into seas of mud, and themselves sinking in it, of dysentery, famine, toil and despair, as they
cannonaded day and night,Metz could not be taken. "Impossible!" said the Generals with one voice, after
trying it for a couple of months. "Try it one other ten days," said the Kaiser with a gloomy fixity; "let us all
die, or else do it!" They tried, with double desperation, another ten days; cannon booming through the winter
midnight far and wide, four score miles round: "Cannot be done, your Majesty! Cannot,the winter and the
mud, and Guise and the walls; man's strength cannot do it in this season. We must march away!" Karl
listened in silence; but the tears were seen to run down his proud face, now not so young as it once was: "Let
us march, then!" he said, in a low voice, after some pause.
Alcibiades covered the retreat to Diedenhof (THIONVILLE) they now call it): outmanoeuvred the French,
retreated with success; he had already captured a grand Due d'Aumale, a Prince of the Guises, valuable
ransom to be looked for there. It was thought he should have made his bargain better with the Kaiser, before
starting; but he had neglected that. Albert's course was downward thenceforth; Kaiser Karl's too. The French
keep these "Three Bishoprics (TROIS EVECHES)," and Teutschland laments the loss of them, to this hour.
Kaiser Karl, as some write, never smiled again;abdicated, not long after; retired into the Monastery of St.
Just, and there soon died. That is the siege of Metz, where Alcibiades was helpful. His own bargain with the
Kaiser should have been better made beforehand.
Dissatisfied with any bargain he could now get; dissatisfied with the Treaty of Passau, with such a finale and
hushingup of the Religious Controversy, and in general with himself and with the world, Albert again drew
sword; went loose at a high rate upon his BambergWurzburg enemies, and, having raised supplies there,
upon Moritz and those PassauTreatiers. He was beaten at last by Moritz, "Sunday, 9th July, 1553," at a
place called Sievershausen in the Hanover Country, where Moritz himself perished in the action.Albert
fled thereupon to France. No hope in France. No luck in other small and desperate stakings of his: the game is
done. Albert returns to a Sister he had, to her Husband's Court in Baden; a broken, bare and bankrupt
man;soon dies there, childless, leaving the shadow of a name. [Here, chiefly from Kohler
(Munzbelustigungen, iii. 414416), is the chronology of Albert's operations: Seizure of Nurnberg 11th
May to 22d June, 1552; Innspruck (with Treaty of Passau) follows. Then Siege of Metz, October to
December, 1552; Bamberg, Wurzburg and Nurnberg ransomed again, April, 1553; Battle of Sievershausen,
9th July, 1553. Wurzburg explode against him; Ban of the Empire, 4th May, 1554. To France thereupon;
returns, hoping to negotiate, end of 1556; dies at Pforzheim, at his Sister's, 8th January, 1557.See Pauli, iii.
120138. See also Dr. Kapp, Erinnerungen an diejenigen Markgrafen (a reprint from the Archiv fur
Geschichte und Alterthumskunde in OberFranken, Year 1841).]
His death brought huge troubles upon Baireuth and the Family Possessions. So many neighbors, Bamberg,
Wurzburg and the rest, were eager for retaliation; a new Kaiser greedy for confiscating. Plassenburg Castle
was besieged, bombarded, taken by famine and burnt; much was burnt and torn to waste. Nay, had it not been
for help from Berlin,the Family had gone to utter ruin in those parts. For this Alcibiades had, in his turn, been
Guardian to Uncle George's Son, the George Friedrich we once spoke of, still a minor, but well known
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afterwards; and it was attempted, by an eager Kaiser Ferdinand, to involve this poor youth in his Cousin's
illegalities, as if Ward and Guardian had been one person. Baireuth which had been Alcibiades's, Anspach
which was the young man's own, nay Jagerndorf with its Appendages, were at one time all in the clutches of
the hawk,had not help from Berlin been there. But in the end, the Law had to be allowed its course;
George Friedrich got his own Territories back (all but some surreptitious nibblings in the Jagerndorf quarter,
to be noticed elsewhere), and also got Baireuth, his poor Cousin's Inheritance; sole heir, he now, in
Culmbath, the Line of Casimir being out.
One owns to a kind of love for poor Albert Alcibiades. In certain sordid times, even a "Failure of a Fritz" is
better than some Successes that are going. A man of some real nobleness, this Albert; though not with
wisdom enough, not with good fortune enough. Could he have continued to "rule the situation" (as our
French friends phrase it); to march the fanatical Papistries, and Kaiser Karl, clear out of it, home to Spain and
San Justo a little earlier; to wave the coming Jesuitries away, as with a flaming sword; to forbid beforehand
the doleful ThirtyYears War, and the still dolefuler spiritual atrophy (the flaccid Pedantry, ever rummaging
and rearranging among learned marinestores, which thinks itself Wisdom and Insight; the vague
maunderings, flutings; indolent, impotent daydreaming and tobaccosmoking, of poor Modern Germany)
which has followed therefrom,ACH GOTT, he might have been a "SUCCESS of a Fritz" three times over!
He might have been a German Cromwell; beckoning his People to fly, eaglelike, straight towards the Sun;
instead of screwing about it in that sad, uncertain, and far too spiral manner!But it lay not in him; not in his
capabilities or opportunities, after all: and we but waste time in such speculations.
Chapter VIII. HISTORICAL MEANING OF THE REFORMATION.
The Culmbach Brothers, we observe, play a more important part in that era than their seniors and chiefs of
Brandenburg. These Culmbachers, Margraf George aud Albert of Preussen at the head of them, march
valiantly forward in the Reformation business; while KURBRANDENBURG, Joachim I., their senior
Cousin, is talking loud at Diets, galloping to Innspruck and the like, zealous on the Conservative side; and
Cardinal Albert, KURMAINZ, his eloquent brother, is eager to make matters smooth and avoid violent
methods.
The Reformation was the great Event of that Sixteenth Century; according as a man did something in that, or
did nothing and obstructed doing, has he much claim to memory, or no claim, in this age of ours. The more it
becomes apparent that the Reformation was the Event then transacting itself, was the thing that Germany and
Europe either did or refused to do, the more does the historical significance of men attach itself to the phases
of that transaction. Accordingly we notice henceforth that the memorable points of Brandenburg History,
what of it sticks naturally to the memory of a reader or student, connect themselves of their own accord,
almost all, with the History of the Reformation. That has proved to be the Law of Nature in regard to them,
softly establishing itself; and it is ours to follow that law.
Brandenburg, not at first unanimously, by no means too inconsiderately, but with overwhelming unanimity
when the matter became clear, was lucky enough to adopt the Reformation;and stands by it ever since in
its everwidening scope, amid such difficulties as there might be. Brandenburg had felt somehow, that it
could do no other. And ever onwards through the times even of our little Fritz and farther, if we will
understand the word "Reformation," Brandenburg so feels; being, at this day, to an honorable degree,
incapable of believing incredibilities, of adopting solemn shams, or pretending to live on spiritual moonshine.
Which has been of uncountable advantage to Brandenburg: how could it fail? This was what we must call
obeying the audible voice of Heaven. To which same "voice," at that time, all that did not give ear,what
has become of them since; have they not signally had the penalties to pay!
"Penalties:" quarrel not with the old phraseology, good reader; attend rather to the thing it means. The word
was heard of old, with a right solemn meaning attached to it, from theological pulpits and such places; and
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may still be heard there with a half meaning, or with no meaning, though it has rather become obsolete to
modern ears. But the THING should not have fallen obsolete; the thing is a grand and solemn truth,
expressive of a silent Law of Heaven, which continues forever valid. The most untheological of men may still
assert the thing; and invite all men to notice it, as a silent monition and prophecy in this Universe; to take it,
with more of awe than they are wont, as a correct reading of the Will of the Eternal in respect of such matters;
and, in their modern sphere, to bear the same well in mind. For it is perfectly certain, and may be seen with
eyes in any quarter of Europe at this day.
Protestant or not Protestant? The question meant everywhere: "Is there anything of nobleness in you, O
Nation, or is there nothing? Are there, in this Nation, enough of heroic men to venture forward, and to battle
for God's Truth VERSUS the Devil's Falsehood, at the peril of life and more? Men who prefer death, and all
else, to living under Falsehood,who, once for all, will not live under Falsehood; but having drawn the
sword against it (the time being come for that rare and important step), throw away the scabbard, and can say,
in pious clearness, with their whole soul: 'Come on, then! Life under Falsehood is not good for me; and we
will try it out now. Let it be to the death between us, then!'"
Once risen into this divine whiteheat of temper, were it only for a season and not again, the Nation is
thenceforth considerable through all its remaining history. What immensities of DROSS and
cryptopoisonous matter will it not burn out of itself in that high temperature, in the course of a few years!
Witness Cromwell and his Puritans,making England habitable even under the CharlesSecond terms for a
couple of centuries more. Nations are benefited, I believe, for ages, by being thrown once into divine
whiteheat in this manner. And no Nation that has not had such divine paroxysms at any time is apt to come
to much.
That was now, in this epoch, the English of "adopting Protestantism;" and we need not wonder at the results
which it has had, and which the want of it has had. For the want of it is literally the want of loyalty to the
Maker of this Universe. He who wants that, what else has he, or can he have? If you do not, you Man or you
Nation, love the Truth enough, but try to make a Chapmanbargain with Truth, instead of giving yourself
wholly soul and body and life to her, Truth will not live with you, Truth will depart from you; and only
Logic, "Wit" (for example, "London Wit"), Sophistry, Virtu, the AEsthetic Arts, and perhaps (for a short
while) Bookkeeping by Double Entry, will abide with you. You will follow falsity, and think it truth, you
unfortunate man or nation. You will right surely, you for one, stumble to the Devil; and are every day and
hour, little as you imagine it, making progress thither.
Austria, Spain, Italy, France, Poland,the offer of the Reformation was made everywhere; and it is curious
to see what has become of the nations that would not hear it. In all countries were some that accepted; but in
many there were not enough, and the rest, slowly or swiftly, with fatal difficult industry, contrived to burn
them out. Austria was once full of Protestants; but the hidebound FlemishSpanish Kaiserelement
presiding over it, obstinately, for two centuries, kept saying, "No; we, with our dull obstinate Cimburgis
underlip and lazy eyes, with our ponderous Austrian depth of Habituality and indolence of Intellect, we
prefer steady Darkness to uncertain new Light!"and all men may see where Austria now is. Spain still
more; poor Spain, going about, at this time, making its "PRONUNCIAMIENTOS;" all the factious attorneys
in its little towns assembling to PRONOUNCE virtually this, "The Old IS a lie, then; good Heavens, after
we so long tried hard, harder than any nation, to think it a truth!and if it be not Rights of Man, Red
Republic and Progress of the Species, we know not what now to believe or to do; and are as a people
stumbling on steep places, in the darkness of midnight!"They refused Truth when she came; and now
Truth knows nothing of them. All stars, and heavenly lights, have become veiled to such men; they must now
follow terrestrial IGNES FATUI, and think them stars. That is the doom passed upon them.
Italy too had its Protestants; but Italy killed them; managed to extinguish Protestantism. Italy put up silently
with Practical Lies of all kinds; and, shrugging its shoulders, preferred going into Dilettantism and the Fine
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Arts. The Italians, instead of the sacred service of Fact and Performance, did Music, Painting, and the
like:till even that has become impossible for them; and no noble Nation, sunk from virtue to VIRTU, ever
offered such a spectacle before. He that will prefer Dilettantism in this world for his outfit, shall have it; but
all the gods will depart from him; and manful veracity, earnestness of purpose, devout depth of soul, shall no
more be his. He can if he like make himself a soprano, and sing for hire;and probably that is the real goal
for him.
But the sharpestcut example is France;, to which we constantly return for illustration. France, with its keen
intellect, saw the truth and saw the falsity, in those Protestant times; and, with its ardor of generous impulse,
was prone enough to adopt the former. France was within a hair'sbreadth of becoming actually Protestant.
But France saw good to massacre Protestantism, and end it in the night of St. Bartholomew, 1572. The
celestial Apparitor of Heaven's Chancery, so we may speak, the Genius of Fact and Veracity, had left his
Writ of Summons; Writ was read;and replied to in this manner. The Genius of Fact and Veracity
accordingly withdrew;was staved off, got kept away, for two hundred years. But the writ of Summons had
been served; Heaven's Messenger could not stay away forever. No; he returned duly; with accounts run up,
on compound interest, to the actual hour, in 1792;and then, at last, there had to be a "Protestantism;" and
we know of what kind that was!
Nations did not so understand it, nor did Brandenburg more than the others; but the question of questions for
them at that time, decisive of their history for half a thousand years to come, was, Will you obey the heavenly
voice, or will you not?
Chapter IX. KURFURST JOACHIM I.
Brandenburg, in the matter of the Reformation, was at firstwith Albert of Mainz, Tetzel's friend, on the one
side, and Pious George of Anspach, "NIT KOP AB," on the othercertainly a divided house. But, after the
first act, it conspicuously ceased to be divided; nay KurBrandenburg and KurMainz themselves had known
tendencies to the Reformation, and were well aware that the Church could not stand as it was. Nor did the
cause want partisans in Berlin, in Brandenburg,hardly to be repressed from breaking into flame, while
Kurfurst Joachim was so prudent and conservative. Of this loud Kurfurst Joachim I., here and there
mentioned already, let us now say a more express word. [1484, 1499, 1535: birth, accession, death of
Joachim.]
Joachim I., Big John's son, hesitated hither and thither for some time, trying if it would not do to follow the
Kaiser Karl V.'s lead; and at length, crossed in his temper perhaps by the speed his friends were going at,
declared formally against any farther Reformation; and in his own family and country was strict upon the
point. He is a man, as I judge, by no means without a temper of his own; very loud occasionally in the Diets
and elsewhere; reminds me a little of a certain King Friedrich Wilhelm, whom my readers shall know by
and by. A big, surly, rather bottlenosed man, with thick lips, abstruse wearied eyes, and no eyebrows to
speak of: not a beautiful man, when you cross him overmuch.
OF JOACHIM'S WIFE AND BROTHERINLAW.
His wife was a Danish Princess, Sister of poor Christian II., King of that Country: dissolute Christian, who
took up with a huckster woman's daughter,"mother sold gingerbread," it would appear, "at Bergen in
Norway," where Christian was Viceroy; Christian made acceptable love to the daughter, "DIVIKE (Dovekin,
COLUMBINA)," as he called her. Nay he made the gingerbread mother a kind of primeminister, said the
angry public, justly scandalized at this of the "Dovekin." He was married, meanwhile, to Karl V.'s own Sister;
but continued that other connection. [Here are the dates of this poor Christian, in a lump. Born, 1481; King,
1513 (Dovekin before); married, 1515; turned off, 1523; invades, taken prisoner, 1532; dies, 1559. Cousin,
and then Cousin's Son, succeeded.] He had rash notions, now for the Reformation, now against it, when he
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got to be King; a very rash, unwise, explosive man. He made a "Stockholm BLUTBAD" still famed in
History (kind of open, ordered or permitted, Massacre of eighty or a hundred of his chief enemies there),
"Bloodbath," so they name it; in Stockholm, where indeed he was lawful King, and not without unlawful
enemies, had a bloodbath been the way to deal with them. Gustavus Vasa was a young fellow there, who
dexterously escaped this Bloodbath, and afterwards came to something.
In Denmark and Sweden, rash Christian made ever more enemies; at length he was forced to run, and they
chose another King or successive pair of Kings. Christian fled to Kaiser Karl at Brussels; complained to
Kaiser Karl, his Brotherinlaw,whose Sister he had not used well. Kaiser Karl listened to his complaints,
with hanging underlip, with heavy, deep, undecipherable eyes; evidently no help from Karl.
Christian, after that, wandered about with inexecutable speculations, and projects to recover his crown or
crowns; sheltering often with Kurfurst Joachim, who took a great deal of trouble about him, first and last; or
with the Elector of Saxony, Friedrich the Wise, or after him, with Johann the Steadfast ("V. D. M. I. AE."
whom we saw at Augsburg), who were his Mother's Brothers, and beneficent men. He was in Saxony, on
such terms, coming and going, when a certain other Flight thither took place, soon to be spoken of, which is
the cause of our mentioning him here.In the end (A.D. 1532) he did get some force together, and made sail
to Norway; but could do no execution whatever there;on the contrary, was frozen in on the coast during
winter; seized, carried to Copenhagen, and packed into the "Castle of Sonderburg," a grim sealodging on the
shore of Schleswig,prisoner for the rest of his life, which lasted long enough. Sixandtwenty years of
prison; the first seventeen years of it strict and hard, almost of the dungeon sort; the remainder, on his fairly
abdicating, was in another Castle, that of Callundborg in the Island of Zealand, "with fine apartments and
conveniences," and even "a good bouse of liquor now and then," at discretion of the old soul. That was the
end of headlong Christian II.; he lasted in this manner to the age of seventyeight. [Kohler,
Munzbelustigungen, xi. 47, 48; Holberg, Danemarckische Staatsund ReichsHistorie (Copenhagen, 1731,
NOT the hig Book by Holberg), p. 241; Buddaus, Allgemeines Historisches Lexicon (Leipzig, 1709),?
Christianus II.]
His Sister Elizabeth at Brandenburg is perhaps, in regard to natural character, recognizably of the same kin as
Christian; but her behavior is far different from his. She too is zealous for the Reformation; but she has a right
to be so, and her notions that way are steady; and she has hitherto, though in a difficult position, done honor
to her creed. Surly Joachim is difficult to deal with; is very positive now that he has declared himself: "In my
house at least shall be nothing farther of that unblessed stuff." Poor Lady, I see domestic difficulties very
thick upon her; nothing but division, the very children ranging themselves in parties. She can pray to Heaven;
she must do her wisest.
She partook once, by some secret opportunity, of the "communion under both kinds;" one of her Daughters
noticed and knew; told Father of it. Father knits up his thick lips; rolls his abstruse dissatisfied eyes, in an
ominous manner: the poor Lady, probably possessed of an excitable imagination too, trembles for herself. "It
is thought, His DURCHLAUCHT will wall you up for life, my Serene Lady; dark prison for life, which
probably may not be long!" These surmises were of no credibility: but there and then the poor Lady, in a
shiver of terror, decides that she must run; goes off actually, one night ("Monday after the LAETARE,"
which we find is 24th March) in the year 1528, [Pauli (ii. 584); who cites Seckendorf, and this fraction of a
Letter of Luther's, to one "LINCKUS" or Lincke, written on the Friday following (28th March, 1528):
"The Electress [MARGRAVINE he calls her] has fled from Berlin, by help of her Brother the King of
Denmark [poor Christian II.] to our Prince [Johann the Steadfast], because her Elector had determined to wall
her up, as is reported, on account of the Eucharist under both species. Pray for our Prince; the pious man and
affectionate soul gets a great deal of trouble with his kindred." Or thus in the Original: "Marchionissa
aufugit a Berlin, auxilio fratris, Regis Daniae, ad nostrum Principem, quod Marchio statuerat eam immurare
(ut dicitur) propter Eucharistiam utriusque speciei. Ora pro nostro Principe; der fromme Mann und
herzliche Mensch ist doch ja wohl geplaget" (Seckendorf, Historia Lutheranismi, ii.? 62, No. 8, p. 122).] in a
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mean vehicle under cloud of darkness, with only one maid and groom, driving for life. That is very certain:
she too is on flight towards Saxony, to shelter with her uncle Kurfurst Johann,unless for reasons of state he
scruple? On the dark road her vehicle broke down; a spoke given way,"Not a bit of rope to splice it," said
the improvident groom. "Take my laceveil here," said the poor Princess; and in this guise she got to Torgau
(I could guess, her poor Brother's lodging),and thence, in short time, to the fine Schloss of Lichtenberg
hard by; Uncle Johann, to whom she had zealously left an option of refusal, having as zealously permitted
and invited her to continue there. Which she did for many years.
Nor did she get the least molestation from Husband Joachim;who I conjecture had intended, though a man
of a certain temper, and strict in his own house, something short of walling up for life: poor Joachim
withal! "However, since you are gone, Madam, go!" Nor did he concern himself with Christian II. farther, but
let him lie in prison at his leisure. As for the Lady, he even let his children visit her at Lichtenberg;
CryptoProtestants all; and, among them, the repentant Daughter who had peached upon her.
Poor Joachim, he makes a pious speech on his deathbed, solemnly warning his Son against these
newfangled heresies; the Son being already possessed of them in his heart. [Speech given in Rentsch, pp.
484439.] What could Father do more? Both Father and Son, I suppose, were weeping. This was in 1535,
this last scene; things looking now more ominous than ever. Of Kurfurst Joachim I will remember nothing
farther, except that once, twentythree years before, he "held a Tourney in NeuRuppin," year 1612; Tourney
on the most magnificent scale, and in NewRuppin, [Pauli, ii. 466.] a place we shall know by and by.
As to the Lady, she lived eighteen years in that fine Schloss of Lichtenberg; saw her children as we said; and,
silently or otherwise, rejoiced in the creed they were getting. She saw Luther's self sometimes; "had him
several times to dinner;" he would call at her Mansion, when his journeys lay that way. She corresponded
with him diligently; nay once, for a three months, she herself went across and lodged with Dr. Luther and his
Kate; as a royal Lady might with a heroic Sage,though the Sage's income was only Twentyfour pounds
sterling annually. There is no doubt about that visit of three months; one thinks of it, as of something human,
something homely, ingenuous and pretty. Nothing in surly Joachim's history is half so memorable to me, or
indeed memorable at all in the stage we are now come to.
The Lady survived Joachim twenty years; of these she spent eleven still at Lichtenberg, in no overhaste to
return. However, her Son, the new Elector, declaring for Protestantism, she at length yielded to his
invitations: came back (1546), and ended her days at Berlin in a peaceable and venerable manner. Luckless
Brother Christian is lying under lockandkey all this while; smuggling out messages, and so on; like a voice
from the land of Dreams or of Nightmares, painful, impracticable, coming now and then.
Chapter X. KURFURST JOACHIM II.
Joachim II., Sixth Elector, no doubt after painful study, and intricate silent consideration ever since his
twelfth year when Luther was first heard of over the world, came gradually, and before his Father's death had
already come, to the conclusion of adopting the Confession of Augsburg, as the true Interpretation of this
Universe, so far as we had yet got; and did so, publicly, in the year 1539. [Rentsch, p. 452.] To the great joy
of Berlin and the Brandenburg populations generally, who had been of a Protestaut humor, hardly restrainable
by Law, for some years past. By this decision Joachim held fast, with a stout, weighty grasp; nothing
spasmodic in his way of handling the matter, and yet a heartiness which is agreeable to see. He could not join
in the Schmalkaldic War; seeing, it is probable, small chance for such a War, of many chiefs and little
counsel; nor was he willing yet to part from the Kaiser Karl V., who was otherwise very good to him.
He had fought personally for this Kaiser, twice over, against the Turks; first as Brandenburg Captain, learning
his art; and afterwards as Kaiser's Generalissimo, in 1542. He did no good upon the Turks, on that latter
occasion; as indeed what good was to be done, in such a quagmire of futilities as Joachim's element there
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was? "Too sumptuous in his dinners, too much wine withal!" hint some calumniously. [Paulus Jovius, See
Pauli, iii. 7073.] "Hector of Germany!" say others. He tried some small prefatory Siege or scalade of Pesth;
could not do it; and came his ways home again, as the best course. Pedant Chroniclers give him the name
HECTOR, "Joachim Hector,"to match that of CICERO and that of ACHILLES. A man of solid structure,
this our Hector, in body and mind: extensive cheeks, very large heavyladen face; capable of terrible bursts
of anger, as his kind generally were.
The Schmalkaldic War went to water, as the Germans phrase it: KurSachsen,that is, Johann Friedrich the
Magnanimous, Son of Johann "V. D. M. I. AE.," and Nephew of Friedrich the Wise,had his sorrowfully
valid reasons for the War; large force too, plenty of zealous copartners, Philip of Hessen and others; but no
generalship, or not enough, for such a business. Big Army, as is apt enough to happen, fell short of food;
Kaiser Karl hung on the outskirts, waiting confidently till it came to famine. Johann Friedrich would attempt
nothing decisive while provender lasted; and having in the end, strangely enough, and somewhat deaf to
advice, divided his big Army into three separate parts;Johann Friedrich was himself, with one of those
parts, surprised at Muhlberg, on a Sunday when at church (24th April, 1547); and was there beaten to sudden
ruin, and even taken captive, like to have his head cut off, by the triumphant angry Kaiser. Philip of Hessen,
somewhat wiser, was home to Marburg, safe with HIS part, in the interim.Elector Joachim II. of
Brandenburg had good reason to rejoice in his own cautious reluctances on this occasion. However, he did
now come valiantly up, hearing what severities were in the wind.
He pleaded earnestly, passionately, he and Cousin or already "Elector" Moritz, [Pauli, iii. 102.]who was
just getting Johann Friedrich's Electorship fished away from him out of these troubles, [Kurfurst, 4th June,
1547.]for Johann Friedrich of Saxony's life, first of all. For Johann's life FIRST; this is a thing not to be
dispensed with, your Majesty, on any terms whatever; a sine qua non, [end italic] this life to Protestant
Germany at large. To which the Kaiser indicated, "He would see; not immediate death at any rate; we will
see." A life that could not and must not be taken in this manner: this was the FIRST point. Then, SECONDLY,
that Philip of Hessen, now home again at Marburg,not a bad or disloyal man, though headlong, and with
two wives,might not be forfeited; but that peace and pardon might be granted him, on his entire
submission. To which second point the Kaiser answered, "Yes, then, on his submission." These were the two
points. These pleadings went on at Halle, where the Kaiser now lies, in triumphantly victorious humor, in the
early days of June, Year 1547. Johann Friedrich of Saxony had been, by some Imperial CourtCouncil or
other, Spanish merely, I suppose,doomed to die. Sentence was signified to him while he sat at chess:
"Can wait till we end the game," thought Johann;"PERGAMUS," said he to his comrade, "Let us go on,
then!" Sentence not to be executed till one see.
With Philip of Hessen things had a more conclusive aspect. Philip had accepted the terms procured for him;
which had been laboriously negotiated, brought to paper, and now wanted only the signmanual to them:
"Ohne einigen Gefangniss (without any imprisonment)," one of the chief clauses. And so Philip now came
over to Halle; was met and welcomed by his two friends, Joachim and Moritz, at Naumburg, a stage before
Halle;clear now to make his submission, and beg pardon of the Kaiser, according to bargain. On the
morrow, 19th June, 1547, the Papers were got signed. And next day, 20th June, Philip did, according to
bargain, openly beg pardon of the Kaiser, in his Majesty's Hall of Audience (Town House of Halle, I
suppose); "knelt at the Kaiser's feet publicly on both knees, while his Kanzler read the submission and
entreaty, as agreed upon;" and, alas, then the Kaiser said nothing at all to him.! Kaiser looked haughtily, with
impenetrable eyes and shelflip, over the head of him; gave him no hand to kiss; and left poor Philip kneeling
there. An awkward position indeed;which any German Painter that there were, might make a Picture of, I
have sometimes thought. Picture of some real meaning, more or less,if for symbolic. Towers of Babel,
medieval mythologies, and extensive smearings of that kind, he could find leisure!Philip having knelt a
reasonable time, and finding there was no help for it, rose in the dread silence (some say, with too sturdy an
expression of countenance); and retired from the affair, having at least done his part of it.
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The next practical thing was now supper, or as we of this age should call it, dinner. Uncommonly select and
high supper: host the Duke of Alba; where Joachim, Elector Moritz, and another high Official, the Bishop of
Arras, were to welcome poor Philip after his troubles. How the grand supper went, I do not hear: possibly a
little constrained; the Kaiser's strange silence sitting on all men's thoughts; not to be spoken of in the present
company. At length the guests rose to go away. Philip's lodging is with Moritz (who is his soninlaw, as
learned readers know): "You Philip, your lodging is mine; my lodging is yours,I should say! Cannot we
ride together?""Philip is not permitted to go," said Imperial Officiality; "Philip is to continue here, and we
fear go to prison.""Prison?" cried they all: "OHNE EINIGEN GEFANGNISS (without ANY
imprisonment)!""As we read the words, it is 'OHNE EWIGEN GEFANGNISS (without ETERNAL
imprisonment),'" answer the others. And so, according to popular tradition, which has little or no credibility,
though printed in many Books, their false Secretary had actually modified it.
"No intention of imprisoning his DURCHLAUCHT of Hessen FOREVER; not forever!" answered they. And
Kurfurst Joachim, in astonished indignation, after some remonstrating and arguing, louder and louder, which
profited nothing, blazed out into a very whirlwind of rage; drew his sword, it is whispered with a
shudder,drew his sword, or was for drawing it, upon the Duke of Alba; and would have done, God knows
what, had not friends flung themselves between, and got the Duke away, or him away. {Pauli, iii. 103.] Other
accounts bear, that it was upon the Bishop of Arras he drew his sword; which is a somewhat different matter.
Perhaps he drew it on both; or on men and things in general;for his indignation knew no bounds. The
heavy solid man; yet with a human heart in him after all, and a Hohenzollern abhorrence of chicanery,
capable of rising to the transcendent pitch! His wars against the Turks, and his other Hectorships, I will
forget; but this, of a face so extensive kindled all into divine fire for poor Philip's sake, shall be memorable to
me.
Philip got out by and by, though with difficulty; the Kaiser proving very stiff in the matter; and only yielding
to obstinate pressures, and the force of time and events. Philip got away; and then how Johann Friedrich of
Sachsen, after being led about for five years, in the Kaiser's train, a condemned man, liable to be executed
any day, did likewise at last get away, with his head safe and Electorate gone: these are known Historical
events, which we glanced at already, on another score.
For, by and by, the Kaiser found tougher solicitation than this of Joachim's. The Kaiser, by his high carriage
in this and other such matters, had at length kindled a new War round him; and he then soon found himself
reduced to extremities again; chased to the Tyrol Mountains, and obliged to comply with many things. New
War, of quite other emphasis and management than the Schmalkaldic one; managed by Elector Moritz and
our poor friend Albert Alcibiades as principals. A Kaiser chased into the mountains, capable of being seized
by a little spurring;"Capture him?" said Albert. "I have no cage big enough for such a bird!" answered
Moritz; and the Kaiser was let run. How he ran then towards Treaty of Passau (1552), towards Siege of Metz
and other sad conclusions, "Abdication" the finale of them: these also are known phases in the Reformation
History, as hinted at above.
Here at Halle, in the year 1547, the great Kaiser, with Protestantism manacled at his feet, and many things
going prosperous, was at his culminating point. He published his INTERIM (1548, What you troublesome
Protestants are to do, in the mean time, while the Council of Trent is sitting, and till it and I decide for you);
and in short, drove and reinedin the Reich with a high hand and a sharp whip, for the time being.
Troublesome Protestants mostly rejected the Interim; Moritz and Alcibiades, with France in the rear of them,
took to arms in that way; took to ransoming fat Bishoprics ("Verbum Diaboli Manet," we know
where!);took to chasing Kaisers into the mountains;and times came soon round again. In all these
latter broils Kurfurst Joachim II., deeply interested, as we may fancy, strove to keep quiet; and to prevail, by
weight of influence and wise counsel, rather than by fighting with his Kaiser.
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One sad little anecdote I recollect of Joachim: an Accident, which happened in those PassauInterim days, a
year or two after that drawing of the sword on Alba. Kurfurst Joachim unfortunately once fell through a
staircase, in that time; being, as I guess, a heavy man. It was in the Castle of Grimnitz, one of his many
Castles, a spacious enough old Huntingseat, the repairs of which had not been well attended to. The good
Herr, weighty of foot, was leading down his Electress to dinner one day in this Schloss of Grimnitz; broad
stair climbs round a grand Hall, hung with stagtrophies, groups of weapons, and the like hallfurniture. An
unlucky timber yielded; yawning chasm in the staircase; Joachim and his good Princess sank by gravitation;
Joachim to the floor with little hurt; his poor Princess (horrible to think of), being next the wall, came upon
the staghorns and boarspears down below! [Pauli, iii. 112.] The poor Lady's hurt was indescribable: she
walked lame all the rest of her clays; and Joachim, I hope (hope, but not with confidence), [Ib. iii. 194.] loved
her all the better for it. This unfortunate old Schloss of Grimnitz, some thirty miles northward of Berlin,
wasby the Eighth Kurfurst, Joachim Friedrich, Grandson of this one, with great renown to himself and to
itconverted into an Endowed High School: the famed Joachimsthal Gymnasium, still famed, though now
under some change of circumstances, and removed to Berlin itself. [Nicolai, p. 725.]
Joachim's first Wife, from whom descend the following Kurfursts, was a daughter of that Duke George of
Saxony, Luther's celebrated friend, "If it rained DukeGeorges nine days running."
JOACHIM GETS COINFEFTMENT IN PREUSSEN.
This second Wife, she of the accident at Grimnitz, was Hedwig, King Sigismund of Poland's daughter; which
connection, it is thought, helped Joachim well in getting what they call the MITBELEHNUNG of Preussen
(for it was he that achieved this point) from King Sigismund.
MITBELEHNUNG (Coinfeftment) in Preussen;whereby is solemnly acknowledged the right of Joachim
and his Posterity to the reversion of Preussen, should the Culmbach Line of Duke Albert happen to fail. It
was a thing Joachim long strove for; till at length his Fatherinlaw did, some twenty years hence, concede it
him. [Date, Lublin, 19th July, 1568: Pauli, iii. 177179, 193; Rentsch, p. 457; Stenzel, i. 341, 342.] Should
Albert's Line fail, then, the other Culmbachers get Preussen; should the Culmbachers all fail, the Berlin
Brandenburgers get it. The Culmbachers are at this time rather scarce of heirs: poor Alcibiades died childless,
as we know, and Casimir's Line is extinct; Duke Albert himself has left only one Son, who now succeeds in
Preussen; still young, and not of the best omens. Margraf George the Pious, he left only George Friedrich; an
excellent man, who is now prosperous in the world, and wedded long since, but has no children. So that,
between Joachim's Line and Preussen there are only two intermediate heirs;and it was a thing eminently
worth looking after. Nor has it wanted that. And so Kurfurst Joachim, almost at the end of his course, has
now made sure of it.
JOACHIM MAKES "HERITAGEBROTHERHOOD" WITH THE DUKE OF LIEGNITZ.
Another feat of like nature Joachim II. had long ago achieved; which likewise in the longrun proved
important in his Family, and in the History of the world: an "ERBVERBRUDERUNG," so they term it, with
the Duke of Liegnitz,date 1537. ERBVERBRUDERUNG ("Heritagebrotherhood," meaning Covenant to
succeed reciprocally on Failure of Heirs to either) had in all times been a common paction among German
Princes well affected to each other. Friedrich II., the then Duke of Liegnitz, we have transiently seen, was
related to the Family; he had been extremely helpful in bringing his young friend Albert of Preussen's affairs
to a good issue,whose Niece, withal, he had wedded:in fact, he was a close friend of this our Joachim's;
and there had long been a growing connection between the two Houses, by intermarriages and good offices.
The Dukes of Liegnitz were SovereignPrinces, come of the old Piasts of Poland; and had perfect right to
enter into this transaction of an ERBVERBRUDERUNG with whom they liked. True, they had, above two
hundred years before, in the days of King Johann ICHDIEN (A.D. 1329), voluntarily constituted themselves
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Vassals of the Crown of Bohemia: [Pauli, iii. 22.] but the right to dispose of their Lands as they pleased had,
all along, been carefully acknowledged, and saved entire. And, so late as 1521, just sixteen years ago, the
Bohemian King Vladislaus the Last, our good Margraf George's friend, had expressly, in a Deed still extant,
confirmed to them, with all the emphasis and amplitude that LawPhraseology could bring to bear upon it,
the right to dispose of said Lands in any manner of way: "by written testament, or by verbal on their
deathbed, they can, as they see wisest, give away, sell, pawn, dispose of, and exchange (vergeben,
verkaufen, versetzen, verschaffen, verwechseln) these said lands," to all lengths, and with all manner of
freedom. Which privilege had likewise been confirmed, twice over (1522, 1524), by Ludwig the next King,
Ludwig OHNEHAUT, who perished in the bogs of Mohacz, and ended the native Line of
BohemianHungarian Kings. Nay, Ferdinand, King of the Romans, Karl V.'s Brother, afterwards Kaiser, who
absorbed that Bohemian Crown among the others, had himself, by implication, sanctioned or admitted the
privilege, in 1529, only eight years ago. [Stenzel, i. 323.] The right to make the ERBVERBRUDERUNG
could not seem doubtful to anybody.
And made accordingly it was: signed, sealed, drawn out on the proper parchments, 18th October, 1537; to the
following clear effect: "That if Duke Friedrich's Line should die out, all his Liegnitz countries, Liegnitz,
Brieg, Wohlau, should fall to the Hohenzollern Brandenburgers: and that, if the Line of Hohenzollern
Brandenburg should first fail, then all and singular the Bohemian Fiefs of Brandenburg (as Crossen,
Zullichau and seven others there enumerated) should fall to the House of Liegnitz." [Stenzel, i. 320.] It
seemed a clear Paction, questionable by no mortal. Doublemarriage between the two Houses (eldest Son, on
each side, to suitable Princess on the other) was to follow: and did follow, after some delays, 17th February,
1545. So that the matter seemed now complete: secure on all points, and a matter of quiet satisfaction to both
the Houses and to their friends.
But Ferdinand, King of the Romans, King of Bohemia and Hungary, and coming to be Emperor one day, was
not of that sentiment. Ferdinand had once implicitly recognized the privilege, but Ferdinand, now when he
saw the privilege turned to use, and such a territory as Liegnitz exposed to the possibility of falling into
inconvenient hands, explicitly took other thoughts: and gradually determined to prohibit this
ERBVERBRUDERUNG. The States of Bohemia, accordingly, in 1544 (it is not doubtful, by Ferdinand's
suggestion), were moved to make inquiries as to this Heritage Fraternity of Liegnitz. [Ib. i. 322.] On which
hint King Ferdinand straightway informed the Duke of Liegnitz that the act was not justifiable, and must be
revoked. The Duke of Liegnitz, grieved to the heart, had no means of resisting. Ferdinand, King of the
Romans, backed by Kaiser Karl, with the States of Bohemia barking at his wink, were too strong for poor
Duke Friedrich of Liegnitz. Great corresponding between Berlin, Liegnitz, Prag ensued on this matter: but the
end was a summons to Duke Friedrich,summons from King Ferdinand in March, 1546, "To appear in the
Imperial Hall (KAISERHOF) at Breslau," and to submit that Deed of EBVERBRUDERUNG to the
examination of the States there. The States, already up to the affair, soon finished their examination of it (8th
May, 1546). The deed was annihilated: and Friedrich was ordered, furthermore, to produce proofs within six
months that his subjects too were absolved of all oaths or the like regarding it, and that in fact the Transaction
was entirely abolished and reduced to zero. Friedrich complied, had to comply: very much chagrined, he
returned home: and died next year,it is supposed, of heartbreak from this business. He had yielded
outwardly: but to force only. In a Codicil appended to his last Will, some months afterwards (which Will,
written years ago, had treated the ERBVERBRUDERUNG as a Fact settled), he indicates, as with his last
breath, that he considered the thing still valid, though overruled by the hand of power. Let the reader mark
this matter; for it will assuredly become memorable, one day.
The hand of power, namely, Ferdinand, King of the Romans, had applied in like manner to Joachim of
Brandenburg to surrender his portion of the Deed, and annihilate on his side too this
ERBVERBRUDERUNG. But Joachim refused steadily, and all his successors steadily, to give up this Bit of
Written Parchment: kept the same, among their precious documents, against some day that might come (and I
suppose it lies in the Archives of Berlin even now): silently, or in words, asserting that the Deed of
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HeritageBrothership was good, and that though some hands might have the power, no hand could have the
right to abolish it on those terms.
How King Ferdinand permitted himself such a procedure? Ferdinand, says one of his latest apologists in this
matter, "considered the privileges granted by his Predecessors, in respect to rights of Sovereignty, as fallen
extinct on their death." [Stenzel, i. 323.] Whichif Reality and Fact would but likewise be so kind as
"consider" it sowas no doubt convenient for Ferdinand!
Joachim was not so great with Ferdinand as he had been with Charles the Imperial Brother. Joachim and
Ferdinand had many debates of this kind, some of them rather stiff. Jagerndorf, for instance, and the
BaireuthAnspach confiscations, in George Friedrich's minority. Ferdinand, now Kaiser, had snatched
Jagerndorf from poor young George Friedrich, son of excellent Margraf George whom we knew: "Part of the
spoils of Albert Alcibiades," thought Ferdinand, "and a good windfall,"though young George Friedrich had
merely been the Ward of Cousin Alcibiades, and totally without concern in those political explosions.
"Excellent windfall," thought Ferdinand: and held his grip. But Joachim, in his weighty steady way,
intervened: Joachim, emphatic in the Diets and elsewhere, made Ferdinand quit grip, and produce Jagerndorf
again. Jagerndorf and the rest had all to be restored: and, except some filchings in the Jagerndorf Appendages
(Ratibor and Oppeln, "restored" only in semblance, and at length juggled away altogether), [Rentsch, pp. 129,
130.] everything came to its right owner again. Nor would Joachim rest till Alcibiades's Territories too were
all punctually given back, to this same George Friedrich: to whom, by law and justice, they belonged, In
these points Joachim prevailed against a strong handed Kaiser, apt to "consider one's rights fallen extinct"
now and then. In this of Liegnitz all he could do was to keep the Deed, in steady protest silent or vocal.
But enough now of Joachim Hector, Sixth Kurfurst, and of his workings and his strugglings. He walked
through this world, treading as softly as might be, yet with a strong weighty step: rending the jungle steadily
asunder; well seeing whither he was bound. Rather an expensive Herr: built a good deal, completion of the
Schloss at Berlin one example: [Nicolai, p. 82.] and was not otherwise afraid of outlay, in the Reich's Politics,
or in what seemed needful: If there is a harvest ahead, even a distant one, it is poor thrift to be stingy of your
seedcorn!
Joachim was always a conspicuous Public Man, a busy Politician in the Reich: stanch to his kindred, and by
no means blind to himself or his own interests. Stanch also, we must grant, and ever active, though generally
in a cautious, weighty, never in a rash swift way, to the great Cause of Protestantism, and to all good causes.
He was himself a solemnly devout man; deep awestricken reverence dwelling in his view of this Universe.
Most serious, though with a jocose dialect commonly, having a cheerful wit in speaking to men. Luther's
Books he called his SEELENSCHATZ (Soul'streasure): Luther and the Bible were his chief reading. Fond
of profane learning too, and of the useful or ornamental Arts; given to music, and "would himself sing aloud"
when he had a melodious leisurehour. Excellent old gentleman: he died, rather suddenly, but with much
nobleness, 3d January, 1571; age sixtysix. Old Rentsch's account of this event is still worth reading:
[Rentsch, p. 458.] Joachim's deathscene has a mild pious beauty which does not depend on creed.
He had a Brother too, not a little occupied with Politics, and always on the good side: a wise pious man,
whose fame was in all the churches: "Johann of Custrin," called also "Johann THE WISE," who busied
himself zealously in Protestant matters, second only in piety and zeal to his Cousin, Margraf George the
Pious; and was not so held back by official considerations as his Brother the Elector now and then. Johann of
Custrin is a very famous man in the old Books: Johann was the first that fortified Custrin: built himself an
illustrious Schloss, and "roofed it with copper," in Custrin (which is a place we shall be well acquainted with
by and by); and lived there, with the Neumark for apanage, a true man's life;mostly with a good deal of
business, warlike and other, on his hands; with good Books, good Deeds, and occasionally good Men,
coming to enliven it,according to the terms then given.
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Chapter XI. SEVENTH KURFURST, JOHANN GEORGE.
Kaiser Karl, we said, was very good to Joachim; who always strove, sometimes with a stretch upon his very
conscience, to keep well with the Kaiser. The Kaiser took Joachim's young Prince along with him to those
Schmalkaldic Wars (not the comfortable side for Joachim's conscience, but the safe side for an anxious
Father); Kaiser made a Knight of this young Prince, on one occasion of distinction; he wrote often to Papa
about him, what a promising young hero he was,seems really to have liked the young man. It was Johann
George, Elector afterwards, Seventh Elector.This little incident is known to me on evidence. [Rentsch, p.
465.] A small thing that certainly befell, at the siege of Wittenberg (A.D. 1547), during those
PhilipofHessen Negotiations, three hundred and odd years ago.
The Schmalkaldic War having come all to nothing, the Saxon Elector sitting captive with sword overhead in
the way we saw, Saxon Wittenberg was besieged, and the Kaiser was in great hurry to get it. Kaiser in
person, and young Johann George for sole attendant, rode round the place one day, to take a view of the
works, and judge how soon, or whether ever, it could be compelled to give in. Gunners noticed them from the
battlements; gunners Saxon Protestant most likely, and in just gloom at the perils and indignities now lying
on their pious Kurfurst Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous. "Lo, you! Kaiser's self riding yonder, and one of
his silk JUNKERS. Suppose we gave the Kaiser's self a shot, then?" said the gunner, or thought: "It might
help a better man from his lifeperils, if such shot did!" In fact the gun flashed off, with due outburst, and
almost with due effect. The ball struck the ground among the very horses' feet of the two riders; so that they
were thrown, or nearly so, and covered from sight with a cloud of earth and sand;and the gunners thought,
for some instants, an unjust, obstinate Kaiser's life was gone; and a pious Elector's saved. But it proved not
so. Kaiser Karl and Johann George both emerged, in a minute or two, little the worse;Kaiser Karl perhaps
blushing somewhat, and flurried this time, I think, in the impenetrable eyes; and his Cimburgis lip closed for
the moment; and galloped out of shotrange. "I never forget this little incident," exclaims Smelfungus: "It
is one of the few times I can get, after all my reading about that surprising Karl V., I do not say the least
understanding or practical conception of him and his character and his affairs, but the least ocular view or
imagination of him, as a fact among facts!" Which is unlucky for Smelfungus.Johann George, still more
emphatically, never to the end of HIS life forgot this incident. And indeed it must be owned, had the shot
taken effect as intended, the whole course of human things would have been surprisingly altered;and for
one thing, neither FREDERICH THE GREAT, nor the present HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH, had ever risen
above ground, or troubled an enlightened public or me!
Of Johann George, this Seventh Elector, [1525; 15711598.] who proved a good Governor, and carried on
the Family Affairs in the old style of slow steady success, I will remember nothing more, except that he had
the surprising number of ThreeandTwenty children; one of them posthumous, though he died at the age of
seventythree.
He is Founder of the New Culmbach line: two sons of these twenty three children he settled, one in
Baireuth, the other in Anspach; from whom come all the subsequent Heads of that Principality, till the last of
them died in Hammersmith in 1806, as above said. [Rentsch, p. 475 (CHRISTIAN to Baireuth; JOACHIM
ERNST to Anspach);8ee Genealogical Diagram, inra, p. 309a.] He was a prudent, thrifty Herr; no
mistresses, no luxuries allowed; at the sight of a newfashioned coat, he would fly out on an unhappy youth,
and pack him from his presence. Very strict in point of justice: a peasant once appealing to him, in one of his
inspectionjourneys through the country, "Grant me justice, DURCHLAUCHT, against Soandso; I am
your highness's born subject!""Thou shouldst have it, man, wert thou a born Turk!" answered Johann
George.There is something anxious, grave and, as it were, surprised in the look of this good Herr. He made
the GERA BOND above spoken of;founded the Younger Culmbach Line, with that important Law of
Primogeniture strictly superadded. A conspicuous thrift, veracity, modest solidity, looks through the conduct
of this Herr;a determined Protestant he too, as indeed all the following were and are. [Rentsch, pp. 470,
471.]
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Of Joachim Friedrich, his eldest Son, who at one time was Archbishop of Magdeburg,called home from
the wars to fill that valuable Heirloom, which had suddenly fallen vacant by an Uncle's death, and keep it
warm;and who afterwards, in due course, carried on a LOBLICHE REGIERUNG of the old style and
physiognomy, as Eighth Kurfurst, from his fiftieth to his sixtieth year (15981608): [Born, 1547; Magdehurg,
15661598 (when his Third Son got it,very unlucky in the ThirtyYears War afterwards).] of him we
already noticed the fine "JOACHIMSthal Gymnasium," or Foundation for learned purposes, in the old
Schloss of Grimnitz, where his serene Grandmother got lamed; and will notice nothing farther, in this place,
except his very great anxiety to profit by the Prussian MITBELEHNUNG,that Coinfeftment in Preussen,
achieved by his Grandfather Joachim II., which was now about coming to its full maturity. Joachim Friedrich
had already married his eldest Prince to the daughter of Albert Friedrich, Second Duke of Preussen, who it
was by this time evident would be the last Duke there of his Line. Joachim Friedrich, having himself fallen a
widower, did next year, though now counting fiftysix But it will be better if we explain first, a little, how
matters now stood with Preussen.
Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF
PREUSSEN.
Duke Albert died in 1568, laden with years, and in his latter time greatly broken down by other troubles. His
Prussian RATHS (Councillors) were disobedient, his Osianders and Lutheran Calvinist Theologians were
all in fire and flame against each other: the poor old man, with the best dispositions, but without power to
realize them, had much to do and to suffer. Pious, just and honorable, intending the best; but losing his
memory, and incapable of business, as he now complained. In his sixtieth year he had married a second time,
a young Brunswick Princess, with whose foolish Brother, Eric, he had much trouble; and who at last herself
took so ill with the insolence and violence of these intrusive Councillors and Theologians, that the
householdlife she led beside her old Husband and them became intolerable to her; and she withdrew to
another residence,a little Huntingseat at Neuhausen, half a dozen miles from Konigsberg;and there, or
at Labiau still farther off, lived mostly, in a separate condition, for the rest of her life. Separate for
life:nevertheless they happened to die on the same day; 20th March, 1568, they were simultaneously
delivered from their troubles in this world. [Hubner, t. 181; Stenzel, i. 342.]
Albert left one Son; the second child of this last Wife: his one child by the former Wife, a daughter now of
good years, was married to the Duke of Mecklenburg. Son's name was Albert Friedrich; age, at his Father's
death, fifteen. A promising young Prince, but of sensitive abstruse temper;held under heavy tutelage by his
Raths and Theologians; and spurting up against them, in explosive rebellion, from time to time. He now
(1568) was to be sovereign Duke of Preussen, and the one representative of the Culmbach Line in that fine
Territory; Margraf George Friedrich of Anspach, the only other Culmbacher, being childless, though wedded.
We need not doubt, the Brandenburg Houseold Kurfurst Joachim II. still alive, and thrifty Johann George
the HeirApparentkept a watchful eye on those emergencies. But it was difficult to interfere directly; the
native Prussian Raths were very jealous, and Poland itself was a ticklish Sovereignty to deal with. Albert
Friedrich being still a Minor, the Polish King, Sigismund, proposed to undertake the guardianship of him, as
became a superior lord to a subject vassal on such an occasion. But the Prussian Raths assured his Majesty,
"Their young Prince was of such a lively intellect, he was perfectly fit to conduct the affairs of the
Government," especially with such a Body of expert Councillors to help him, "and might be at once declared
of age." Which was accordingly the course followed; Poland caring little for it; Brandenburg digesting the
arrangement as it could. And thus it continued for some years, even under new difficulties that arose; the
official Clique of Raths being the real Government of the Country; and poor young Albert Friedrich bursting
out occasionally into tears against them, occasionally into futile humors of a fiery nature.
OsianderTheology, and the battle of the 'DOXIES, ran very high; nor was Prussian Officiality a beautiful
thing.
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Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF PREUSSEN. 114
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These Prussian Raths, and the Prussian RITTERSCHAFT generally (Knightage, LandAristocracy), which
had its STANDE (States: or meetings of Parliament after a sort), were all along of a mutinous, contumacious
humor. The idea had got into their minds, That they were by birth what the ancient Ritters by election had
been; entitled, fit or not fit, to share the Government promotions among them: "The Duke is hereditary in his
office; why not we? All Offices, are they not, by nature, ours to share among us?" The Duke's notion, again,
was to have the work of his Offices effectually done; small matter by whom: the Ritters looked less to that
side of the question;regarded any "Foreigner" (German Anspacher, or other NonPrussian), whatever his
merit, as an intruder, usurper, or kind of thief, when seen in office. Their contentions, contumacies and
pretensions were accordingly manifold. They had dreams of an "Aristocratic Republic, with the Sovereign
reduced to zero," like what their Polish neighbors grew to. They had various dreams; and individuals among
them broke out, from time to time, into high acts of insolence and mutiny. It took a hundred and fifty years of
Brandenbufg horsebreaking, sometimes with sharp manipulation and a potent curbbit, to dispossess them
of that notion, and make them go steadily in harness. Which also, however, was at last got done by the
Hohenzollerns.
OF DUKE ALBERT FRIEDRICH'S MARRIAGE: WHO HIS WIFE WAS, AND WHAT HER POSSIBLE
DOWRY.
In a year or two, there came to be question of the marrying of young Duke Albert Friedrich. After due
consultation, the Princess fixed upon was Maria Eleonora, eldest Daughter of the then Duke of Cleve: to him
a proper Embassy was sent with that object; and came back with Yes for answer. Duke of Cleve, at that time,
was Wilhelm, called "the Rich" in HistoryBooks; a Sovereign of some extent in those lower Rhine
countries. Whom I can connect with the English reader's memory in no readier way than by the fact, That he
was younger brother, one year younger, of a certain "Anne of Cleves;"a large fat Lady, who was rather
scurvily used in this country; being called, by Henry VIII. and us, a "great Flanders mare," unsuitable for
espousal with a King of delicate feelings! This Anne of Cleves, who took matters quietly and lived on her
pension, when rejected by King Henry, was Aunt of the young Lady now in question for Preussen. She was
still alive here in England, pleasantly quiet, "at Burley on the Hill," till Maria Eleonora was seven years
old;who possibly enough still reads in her memory some fading vestige of new black frocks or trimmings,
and brief courtmourning, on the death of poor Aunt Anne over seas. Another Aunt is more honorably
distinguished; Sibylla, Wife of our noble Saxon Elector, Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous, who lost his
Electorate and almost his Life for religion's sake, as we have seen; by whom, in his perils and distresses,
Sibylla stood always, like a very true and noble Wife.
Duke Wilhelm himself was a man of considerable mark in his day. His Duchy of Cleve included not only
CleveProper, but Julich (JULIERS), Berg, which latter pair of Duchies were a better thing than
CleveProper:Julich, Berg and various other small Principalities, which, gradually agglomerating by
marriage, heritage and the chance of events in successive centuries, had at length come all into Wilhelm's
hands; so that he got the name of Wilhelm the Rich among his contemporaries. He seems to have been of a
headlong, blustery, uncertain disposition; much tossed about in the controversies of his day. At one time he
was a Protestant declared; not without reasons of various kinds. The Duchy of Geldern (what we call
GUELDERS) had fallen to him, by express bequest of the last Owner, whose Line was out; and Wilhelm
took possession. But the Kaiser Karl V. quite refused to let him keep possession. Whereupon Wilhelm had
joined with the French (it was in the MoritzAlcibiades time); had declared war, and taken other high
measures: but it came to nothing, or to less. The end was, Wilhelm had to "come upon his knees" before the
Kaiser, and beg forgiveness; quite renouncing Geldern, which accordingly has gone its own different road
ever since. Wilhelm was zealously Protestant in those days; as his people are, and as he still is, at the period
we treat of. But he went into Papistry, not long after; and made other sudden turns and misventures: to all
appearance, rather an abrupt, blustery, uncertain Herr. It is to him that Albert Friedrich, the young Duke of
Preussen, guided by his Council, now (Year 1572) sends an Embassy, demanding his eldest Daughter, Maria
Eleonora, to wife.
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Duke Wilhelm answered Yea; "sent a CounterEmbassy," with whatever else was necessary; and in due time
the young Bride, with her Father, set out towards Preussen, such being the arrangement, there to complete the
matter. They had got as far as "Berlin, warmly welcomed by the Kurfurst Johann George; when, from
Konigsberg, a sad message reached them: namely, that the young Duke had suddenly been seized with an
invincible depression and overclouding of mind, not quite to be characterized by the name of madness, but
still less by that of perfect sanity. His eagerness to see his Bride was the same as formerly; but his spiritual
health was in the questionable state described. The young Lady paused for a little, in such mood as we may
fancy. She had already lost two offers, Bridegrooms snatched away by death, says Pauli; [Pauli, iv. 512.] and
thought it might be ominous to refuse the third. So she decided to go on; dashed aside her father's doubts;
sent her unhealthy Bridegroom "a flowergarland as lovetoken," who duly responded; and Father Wilhelm
and she proceeded, as if nothing were wrong. The spiritual state of the Prince, she found, had not been
exaggerated to her. His humors and ways were strange, questionable; other than one could have wished. Such
as he was, however, she wedded him on the appointed terms;hoping probably for a recovery, which never
came.
The case of Albert's malady is to this day dim; and strange tales are current as to the origin of it, which the
curious in Physiology may consult; they are not fit for reporting here. [Ib. iv. 476.] It seems to have consisted
in an overclouding, rather than a total ruin of the mind. Incurable depression there was; gloomy torpor
alternating with fits of vehement activity or suffering; great discontinuity at all times:evident unfitness for
business. It was long hoped he might recover. And Doctors in Divinity and in Medicine undertook him:
Theologians, Exorcists, Physicians, Quacks; but no cure came of it, nothing but mutual condemnations,
violences and even execrations, from the said Doctors and their respective Official patrons, lay and clerical.
Must have been such a sceue for a young Wife as has seldom occurred, in romance or reality! Children
continued to be born; daughter after daughter; but no son that lived.
MARGRAF GEORGE FRIEDRICH COMES TO PREUSSEN TO ADMINISTER.
After five years' space, in 1578, [Pauli, iv. 476, 481, 482.] cure being now hopeless, and the very Council
admitting that the Duke was incapable of business,George Friedrich of AnspachBaireuth came into the
country to take charge of him; having already, he and the other Brandenburgers, negotiated the matter with
the King of Poland, in whose power it mostly lay.
George Friedrich was by no means welcome to the Prussian Council, nor to the Wife, nor to the Landed
Aristocracy;other than welcome, for reasons we can guess. But he proved, in the judgment of all fair
witnesses, an excellent Governor; and, for sixand twenty years, administered the country with great and
lasting advantage to it. His Portraits represent to us a large ponderous figure of a man, very fat in his latter
years; with an air of honest sense, dignity, composed solidity;very fit for the task now on hand.
He resolutely, though in mild form, smoothed down the flaming fires of his Clergy; commanding now this
controversy and then that other controversy ("de concreto et de inconcreto," or whatever they were) to fall
strictly silent; to carry themselves on by thought and meditation merely, and without words. He tamed the
mutinous Aristocracy, the mutinous Burgermeisters, TownCouncil of Konigsberg, whatever mutiny there
was. He drained bogs, says old Rentsch; he felled woods, made roads, established inns. Prussia was well
governed till George's death; which happened in the year 1603. [Rentsch, pp. 666688.] Anspach, in the
mean while, Anspach, Baireuth and Jagerndorf, which were latterly all his, he had governed by deputy; no
need of visiting those quiet countries, except for purposes of kindly recreation, or for a swift general
supervision, now and then. By all accounts, an excellent, steadfast, wise and just man, this fat George
Friedrich; worthy of the Father that produced him ("Nit Kop ab, lover Forst, nit Kop ab!"), and that is
saying much.
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Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF PREUSSEN. 116
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By his death without children much territory fell home to the Elder House; to be disposed of as was settled in
the GERA BOND five years before. Anspach and Baireuth went to two Brothers of the now Elector, Kurfurst
Joachim Friedrich, sons of Johann George of blessed memory: founders, they, of the "New Line," of whom
we know. Jagerndorf the Elector himself got; and he, not long after, settled it on one of his own sons, a new
Johann George, who at that time was fallen rather landless and out of a career: "Johann George of
Jagerndorf," so called thenceforth: whose history will concern us by and by. Preussen was to be incorporated
with the Electorate,were possession of it once had. But that is a ticklish point; still ticklish in spite of
rights, and liable to perverse accidents that may arise.
Joachim Friedrich, as we intimated once, was not wanting to himself on this occasion. But the affair was full
of intricacies; a very wasps'nest of angry humors; and required to be handled with delicacy, though with
force and decision. Joachim Friedrich's eldest Son, Johann Sigismund, Electoral Prince of Brandenburg, had
already, in 1594, married one of Albert Friedrich the hypochondriac Duke of Preussen's daughters; and there
was a promising family of children; no lack of children. Nevertheless prudent Joachim Friedrich himself, now
a widower, age towards sixty, did farther, in the present emergency, marry another of these Princesses, a
younger Sister of his Son's Wife,seven months after George Friedrich's death,to make assurance doubly
sure, A man not to be balked, if he can help it. By virtue of excellent management,Duchess, Prussian
STANDE (States), and Polish Crown, needing all to be oontented,Joachim Friedrich, with gentle strong
pressure, did furthermore squeeze his way into the actual Guardianship of Preussen and the imbecile Duke,
which was his by right. This latter feat he achieved in the course of another year (11th March, 1605);
[Stenzel, i. 358.] and thereby fairly got hold of Preussen; which he grasped, "knuckleswhite," as we may
say; and which his descendants have never quitted since.
Good management was very necessary. The thing was difficult;and also was of more importance than we
yet altogether see. Not Preussen only, but a still better country, the Duchy of Cleve, CleveJulich, Duke
Wilhelm's Heritage down in the Rhineland, Heritage turning out now to be of right his eldest Daughter's
here, and likely now to drop soon,is involved in the thing. This first crisis, of getting into the Prussian
Administratorship, fallen vacant, our vigilant Kurfurst Joachim Friedrich has successfully managed; and he
holds his grip, knuckleswhite. Before long, a second crisis comes; where also he will have to grasp
decisively in,he, or those that stand for him, and whose knuckles can still hold, But that may go to a new
Chapter.
Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND.
In the summer of 1608 (23d May, 1608) Johann Sigismund's (and his Father's) Motherinlaw, the poor
Wife of the poor imbecile Duke of Preussen, died. [Maria Eleonora, Duke Wilhelm of Cleve's eldest
Daughter: 1550, 1573, 1608 (Hubner, t. 286).] Upon which Johann Sigismund, HeirApparent of
Brandenburg and its expectancies, was instantly despatched from Berlin, to gather up the threads cut loose by
that event, and see that the matter took no damage. On the road thither news reached him that his own Father,
old Joachim Friedrich, was dead (18th July, 1608); that he himself was now Kurfurst; [1572, 16081619.]
and that numerous threads were loose at both ends of his affairs.
The "young man"not now so young, being full thirtyfive and of fair experiencewas in difficulty, under
these overwhelming tidings; and puzzled, for a little, whether to advance or to return. He decided to advance,
and settle Prussian matters, where the peril and the risk were; Brandenburg business he could do by rescripts.
His difficulties in Preussen, and at the Polish Court, were in fact immense. But after a space of eight or nine
months, he did, by excellent management, not sparing money judiciously laid out on individuals, arrive at
some adjustment, better or worse, and got Preussen in hand; [29th April, 1609. Stenzel, i. 370.] legal
Administrator of the imbecile Duke, as his Father had been. After which he had to run for Brandenburg,
without loss of time: great matters being there in the wind. Nothing wrong in Brandenburg, indeed; but the
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Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND. 117
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great Cleve Heritage is dropping, has dropped; over in Cleve, an immense expectancy is now come to the
point of deciding itself.
HOW THE CLEVE HERITAGE DROPPED, AND MANY SPRANG TO PICK IT UP.
Wilhelm of Cleve, the explosive Duke, whom we saw at Berlin and Konigsberg at the wedding of this poor
Lady now deceased, had in the marriagecontract, as he did in all subsequent contracts and deeds of like
nature, announced a Settlement of his Estates, which was now become of the highest moment for Johann
Sigismund. The Country at that time called Duchy of Cleve, consisted, as we said above, not only of
CleveProper, but of two other still better Duchies, Julich and Berg; then of the GRAFSCHAFT (County) of
Ravensburg, County of Mark, Lordship ofIn fact it was a multifarious agglomerate of many little
countries, gathered by marriage, heritage and luck, in the course of centuries, and now united in the hand of
this Duke Wilhelm. It amounted perhaps to two Yorkshires in extent. [See Busching, Erdbeschreibung, v.
642734.] A naturally opulent Country, of fertile meadows, shipping capabilities, metalliferous hills; and, at
this time, in consequence of the DutchSpanish War, and the multitude of Protestant refugees, it was getting
filled with ingenious industries; and rising to be, what it still is, the busiest quarter of Germany. A Country
lowing with kine; the hum of the flaxspindle heard in its cottages, in those old days,"much of the linen
called Hollands is made in Julich, and only bleached, stamped and sold, by the Dutch," says Busching. A
Country, in our days, which is shrouded at short intervals with the due canopy of coalsmoke, and loud with
sounds of the anvil and the loom.
This Duchy of Cleve, all this fine agglomerate of Duchies, Duke Wilhelm settled, were to be inherited in a
piece, by his eldest (or indeed, as it soon proved, his only) Son and the heirs of that Son, if there were any.
Failing heirs of that only Son, then the entire Duchy of Cleve was to go to Maria Eleonora as eldest Daughter,
now marrying to Friedrich Albert, Duke of Prussia, and to their heirs lawfully begotten: heirs female, if there
happened to be no male. The other Sisters, of whom there were three, were none of them to have the least
pretence to inherit Cleve or any part of it. On the contrary, they were, in such event, of the eldest Daughter or
her heirs coming to inherit Cleve, to have each of them a sum of ready money paid ["200,000
GOLDGULDEN," about 100,000 pounds; Pauli, vi. 542; iii. 504.] by the said inheritrix of Cleve or her heirs;
and on receiving that, were to consider their claims entirely fulfilled, and to cease thinking of Cleve for the
future.
This Settlement, by express privilege of Kaiser Karl V., nay of Kaiser Maximilian before him, and the Laws
of the Reich, Duke Wilhelm doubted not he was entitled to make; and this Settlement he made; his Lawyers
writing down the terms, in their wearisome way, perhaps six times over; and struggling by all methods to
guard against the least misunderstanding. Cleve with all its appurtenances, Julich, Berg and the rest, goes to
the eldest Sister and her heirs, male or female: If she have no heirs, male or female, then, but not till then, the
next Sister steps into her shoes in that matter: but if she have, then, we repeat for the sixth and last time, no
Sister or Sister's Representative has the least word to say to it, but takes her 100,000 pounds, and ceases
thinking of Cleve.
The other three Sisters were all gradually married;one of them to PfalzNeuburg, an eminent Prince, in the
Bavarian region called the OBERPFALZ (Upper Palatinate), who, or at least whose eldest Son, is much
worth mentioning and remembering by us here;and, in all these marriagecontracts, Wilhelm and his
Lawyers expressed themselves to the like effect, and in the like elaborate sixfold manner: so that Wilhelm
and they thought there could nowhere in the world be any doubt about it.
Shortly after signing the last of these marriagecontracts, or perhaps it was in the course of signing them,
Duke Wilhelm had a stroke of palsy. He had, before that, gone into Papistry again, poor man. The truth is, he
had repeated strokes; and being an abrupt, explosive Herr, he at last quite yielded to palsy; and sank slowly
out of the world, in a cloud of semiinsanity, which lasted almost twenty years. [Died 25th January, 1592,
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Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND. 118
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age 76.] Duke Wilhelm did leave a Son, Johann Wilhelm, who succeeded him as Duke. But this Son also
proved explosive; went half and at length wholly insane. Jesuit Priests, and their intrigues to bring back a
Protestant country to the bosom of the Church, wrapped the poor man, all his days, as in a burning
Nessus'Shirt; and he did little but mischief in the world. He married, had no children; he accused his
innocent Wife, the Jesuits and he, of infidelity. Got her judged, not properly sentenced; and then strangled
her, he and they, in her bed:"Jacobea of Baden (1597);" a thricetragic history. Then he married again;
Jesuits being extremely anxious for an Orthodox heir: but again there came no heir; there came only new
blazings of the Nessus'Shirt. In fine, the poor man died (Spring, 1609), and made the world rid of him. Died
25th March, 1609; that is the precise date;about a month before our new Elector, Johann Sigismund, got
his affairs winded up at the Polish Court, and came galloping home in such haste. There was pressing need of
him in the Cleve regions.
For the painful exactitude of Duke Wilhelm and his Lawyers has profited little; and there are claimants on
claimants rising for that valuable Cleve Country. As indeed Johann Sigismund had anticipated, and been
warned from all quarters, to expect. For months past, he has had his faculties bent, with lynxeyed attention,
on that scene of things; doubly and trebly impatient to get Preussen soldered up, ever since this other matter
came to the burstingpoint. What could be done by the utmost vigilance of his Deputies, he had done. It was
the 25th of March when the mad Duke died: on the 4th of April, Johann Sigismund's Deputy, attended by a
Notary to record the act, "fixed up the Brandenburg Arms on the GovernmentHouse of Cleve;" [Pauli, vi.
566.] on the 5th, they did the same at Dusseldorf; on the following days, at Julich and the other Towns. But
already on the 5th, they had hardly got done at Dusseldorf, when there appearedyoung Wolfgang Wilhelm,
Heir Apparent of that eminent PfalzNeuburg, he in person, to put up the PfalzNeuburg Arms!
PfalzNeuburg, who married the Second Daughter, he is actually claiming, then;the whole, or part? Both
are sensible that possession is nine points in law.
PfalzNeuburg's claim was for the whole Duchy. "All my serene Mother's!" cried the young Heir of
PfalzNeuburg: "Properly all mine!" cried he. "Is not she NEAREST of kin? Second Daughter, true; but the
Daughter; not Daughter OF a Daughter, as you are (as your Serene Electress is), O DURCHLAUCHT of
Brandenburg: consider, besides, you are female, I am male!" That was Pfalz Neuburg's logic: none of the
best, I think, in forensic genealogy. His tenth point was perhaps rather weak; but he had possession,
copossession, and the nine points good. The other Two Sisters, by their Sons or Husbands, claimed
likewise; but not the whole: "Divide it," said they: "that surely is the real meaning of Karl V.'s Deed of
Privilege to make such a Testament. Divide it among the Four Daughters or their representatives, and let us
all have shares!"
Nor were these four claimants by any means all. The Saxon Princes next claimed; two sets of Saxon Princes.
First the minor set, GothaWeimar and the rest, the Ernestine Line so called; representatives of Johann
Friedrich the Magnanimous, who lost the Electorate for religion's sake at Muhlberg in the past century, and
from MAJOR became MINOR in Saxon Genealogy. "Magnanimous Johann Friedrich," said they, "had to
wife an Aunt of the now deceased Duke of Cleve; Wife Sibylla (sister of the Flanders Mare), of famous
memory, our lineal Ancestress. In favor of whom HER Father, the then reigning Duke of Cleve, made a
marriage contract of precisely similar import to this your Prussian one: he, and barred all his descendants, if
contracts are to be valid." This is the claim of the Ernestine Line of Saxon Princes; not like to go for much, in
their present disintegrated condition.
But the Albertine Line, the present Elector of Saxony, also claims: "Here is a Deed," said he, "executed by
Kaiser Friedrich III. in the year 1483, [Pauli, ubi supra; Hubner, t. 286.] generations before your Kaiser Karl;
Deed solemnly granting to Albert, junior of Sachsen, and to his heirs, the reversion of those same Duchies,
should the Male Line happen to fail, as it was then likely to do. How could Kaiser Max revoke his Father's
deed, or Kaiser Karl his Greatgrandfather's? Little Albert, the Albert of the PRINZENRAUB, he who grew
big, and fought lionlike for his Kaiser in the Netherlands and Western Countries; he and his have clearly the
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heirship of Cleve by right; and we, now grown Electors, and Seniors of Saxony, demand it of a grateful
House of Hapsburg,and will study to make ourselves convenient in return."
"Nay, if that is your rule, that old Laws and Deeds are to come in bar of new, we," cry a multitude of
persons,French Dukes of Nevers, and all manner of remote, exotic figures among them, "we are the real
heirs! Ravensburg, Mark, Berg, Ravenstein, this patch and the other of that large Duchy of yours, were they
not from primeval time expressly limited to heirsmale? Heirsmale; and we now are the nearest heirsmale
of said patches and portions; and will prove it!"In short, there never was such a Lawsuit,so fat an affair
for the attorney species, if that had been the way of managing it,as this of Cleve was likely to prove.
THE KAISER'S THOUGHTS ABOUT IT, AND THE WORLD'S.
What greatly complicated the affair, too, was the interest the Kaiser took in it. The Kaiser could not well
brook a powerful Protestant in that country; still less could his Cousin the Spaniard. Spaniards, worn to the
ground, coercing that world famous Dutch Revolt, and astonished to find that they could not coerce it at all,
had resolved at this time to take breath before trying farther. Spaniards and Dutch, after Fifty years of such
fighting as we know, have made a Twelveyears' Truce (1609): but the battled Spaniard, panting, pale in his
futile rage and sweat, has not given up the matter; he is only taking breath, and will try it again. Now Cleve is
his road into Holland, in such adventure; no success possible if Cleve be not in good hands. Brandenburg is
Protestant, powerful; Brandenburg will not do for a neighbor there.
Nor will PfalzNeuburg. A Protestant of Protestants, this Palatine Neuburg too,junior branch, possible heir
in time coming, of KURPFALZ (Elector Palatine) himself, in the Rhine Countries; of KurPfalz, who is
acknowledged Chief Protestant: official "President" of the "Evangelical Union" they have lately made among
them in these menacing times;PfalzNeuburg too, this young Wolfgang Wilhelm, if he do not break off
kind, might be very awkward to the Kaiser in CleveJulich. Nay Saxony itself; for they are all
Protestants:unless perhaps Saxony might become pliant, and try to make itself useful to a munificent
Imperial House?
Evidently what would best suit the Kaiser and Spaniards, were this, That no strong Power whatever got
footing in Cleve, to grow stronger by the possession of such a country:BETTER than best it would suit, if
he, the Kaiser, could himself get it smuggled into his hands, and there hold it fast! Which privately was the
course resolved upon at headquarters.In this way the "Succession Controversy of the Cleve Duchies" is
coming to be a very high matter; mixing itself, up with the grand ProtestantPapal Controversy, the general
armedlawsuit of mankind in that generation. Kaiser, Spaniard, Dutch, English, French Henri IV. and all
mortals, are getting concerned in the decision of it.
Chapter XIV. SYMPTOMS OF A GREAT WAR COMING.
Meanwhile Brandenburg and Neuburg both hold grip of Cleve in that manner, with a mutually menacing
inquiring expression of countenance; each grasps it (so to speak) convulsively with the one hand, and has
with the other hand his sword by the hilt, ready to fly out. But to understand this BrandenburgNeuburg
phenomenon and the then significance of the CleveJulich Controversy, we must take the following bits of
Chronology along with us. For the German Empire, with Protestant complaints, and Papist usurpations and
severities, was at this time all a continent of sour thick smoke,already breaking out into dullred flashes here
and there, symptoms of the universal conflagration of a ThirtyYears War, which followed. SYMPTON
FIRST is that of Donauworth, and dates above a year back.
FIRST SYMPTOM; DONAUWORTH, 1608.
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Donauworth, a Protestant Imperial Freetown, in the Bavarian regions, had been, for some fault on the part
of the populace against a flaring Massprocession which had no business to be there, put under Ban of the
Empire; had been seized accordingly (December, 1607), and much cuffed, and shaken about, by Duke
Maximilian of Bavaria, as executor of the said Ban; [Michaeelis, ii. 216; Buddaei LEXICON, i. 853.]who,
what was still worse, would by no means give up the Town when he had done with it; Town being handy to
him, and the man being stout and violently Papist. Hence the "Evangelical Union" which we saw,which
has not taken Donauworth yet. Nor ever will! Donauworth never was retaken; but is Bavarian at this hour, A
Town namable in History ever since. Not to say withal, that it is where Marlborough, did "the Lines of
Schellenberg" long after: Schellenberg ("Jingle Hill," so to render it) looks down across the Danube or
Donau River, upon Donauworth,its "Lines," and other histories, now much abolished, and quiet under
grass.
But now all Protestantism sounding everywhere, in angry mournful tone, "Donauwarth! Give up
Donauworth!"and an "Evangelical Union," with moneys, with theoretic contingents of force, being on foot
for that and the like objects;we can fancy what a scramble this of CleveJulich was like to be; and
especially what effect this duelling attitude of Brandenburg and Neuburg had on the Protestant mind.
Protestant neighbors, Landgraf Moritz of HessenCassel at their head, intervene in tremulous haste, in the
CleveJulich affair: "Peace, O friends! Some bargain; peaceable jointpossession; any temporary bargain, till
we see! Can two Protestants fall to slashing one another, in such an aspect of the Reich and its
Jesuitries?"And they did agree (Dortmund, 10th May, 1609) the first of their innumerable "agreements," to
some temporary jointpossession;the thricethankful Country doing homage to both, "with oath to the one
that SHALL be found genuine." And they did endeavor to govern jointly, and to keep the peace on those
terms, though it was not easy.
For the Kaiser had already said (or his Aulic Council and Spanish Cousin, poor Kaiser Rodolf caring too little
about these things, [Rodolf II. (Kepler's too insolvent "Patron"), 15761612; then Matthias, Rodolf's Brother,
16121619, rather tolerant to Protestants;then Ferdinand II. his Uncle's Son, 16191637, much the reverse
of tolerant, by whom mainly came the ThirtyYears War,were the Kaisers of this Period.
Ferdinand III., Son of II: (16371657), who finished out the ThirtyYears War, partly by fighting of his
own in young days (Battle of Nordlingen his grandest feat), was Father of
Kaiser Leopold (16581705),whose Two Sons were
Kaiser Joseph (17051711) and Kaiser Karl VI. (17111740), Maria Theresa's Father.] had already said),
Cleve must absolutely not go into wrong hands. For which what safe method is there, but that the Kaiser
himself become proprietor? A Letter is yet extant, from the Aulic Council to their ViceChancellor, who had
been sent to negotiate this matter with the parties; Letter to the effect, That such result was the only good one;
that it must be achieved; "that he must devise all manner of quirks (alle Spitzfindigkeiten auffordern sollte),"
and achieve it. [Pauli, iii. 5055.] This curious Letter of a sublime Aulic Council, or Imperial HOFRATH, to
its VICEKANZLER, still exists.
And accordingly quirks did not prove undevisable on behalf of the Kaiser. "Since you cannot agree," said the
Kaiser, "and there are so many of you who claim (we having privately stirred up several of you to the feat),
there will be nothing for it, but the Kaiser must put the Country under sequestration, and take possession of it
with his own troops, till a decision be arrived at,which probably will not be soon!"
SECOND SYMPTOM; SEIZURE OF JULICH BY THE KAISER, AND SIEGE AND RECAPTURE OF IT
BY THE PROTESTANT PARTIES, 1610. WHEREUPON WHEREUPON "CATHOLIC LEAGUE," TO
BALANCEE "EVANGELICAL UNION."
And the Kaiser forthwith did as he had said; sent Archduke Leopold with troops, who forcibly took the Castle
of Julich; commanding all other castles and places to surrender and sequestrate themselves, in like fashion;
threatening Brandenburg and Neuburg, in a dreadful manner, with REICHSACHT (Ban of the Empire), if
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they presumed to show contumacy. Upon which Brandenburg and Neuburg, ranking themselves together,
showed decided contumacy; "tore down the Kaiser's Proclamation," [Ib. iii. 524. Emperor's Proclamation, in
Dusseldorf, 23d July, 1609,taken down solemnly, 1st August, 1609,] having good help at their back.
And accordingly, "on the 4th of September, 1610," after a twomonths' siege, they, or the Dutch, French, and
Evangelical Union Troops bombarding along with them, and "many English volunteers" to help, retook
Julich, and packed Leopold away again. [Ib. iii. 527.] The Dutch and the French were especially anxious
about this Cleve business,poor Henri IV. was just putting those French troops in motion towards Julich,
when Ravaillac, the distracted Devil'sJesuit, did his stroke upon him; so that another than Henri had to lead
in that expedition. The actual Captain at the Siege was Prince Christian of Anhalt, by repute the first soldier
of Germany at that period: he had a horse shot under him, the business being very hot and furious;he had
still worse fortune in the course of years. There were "many English volunteers" at this Siege; English nation
hugely interested in it, though their King would not act except diplomatically. It was the talk of all the then
world,the evening song and the morning prayer of Protestants especially,till it was got ended in this
manner. It deserves to rank as SYMPTON SECOND in this business; far bigger flare of dull red in the
universal smokecontinent, than that of Donauworth had been. Are there no memorials left of those "English
volunteers," then? [In Carlyle's Miscellanies (vi. ? "Two Hundred and Fifty Years ago: a Fragment about
Duels") is one small scene belonging to them.] Alas, they might get edited as Bromley's Royal Letters
are;and had better lie quiet!
"Evangelical Union," formed some two years before, with what cause we saw, has KurPfalz [WinterKing's
Father; died 9th September, 1610, few days after this recapture of Julich.] at the head of it: but its troops or
operations were never of a very forcible character. KurBrandenburg now joined it formally, as did many
more; KurSachsen, anxious to make himself convenient in other quarters, never would. Add to these
phenomena, the now decisive appearance of a "Catholic LIGA" (League of Catholic Princes), which, by way
of counterpoise to the "Union," had been got up by Duke Maximilian of Bavaria several months ago; and
which now, under the same guidance, in these bad circumstances, took a great expansion of figure. Duke
Maximilian, "DONAUWORTH Max," finding the Evangelical Union go so very high, and his own Kaiser
like to be good for little in such business (poor hypochondriac Kaiser Rodolf II., more taken up with
turninglooms and blowpipes than with matters political, who accordingly is swept out of Julich in such
summary way),Donauworth Max has seen this a necessary institution in the present aspect.Both
"Union" and "League" rapidly waxed under the sound of the Julich cannon, as was natural.
KurSachsen, for standing so well aloof from the Union, got from the thankful Kaiser written Titles for these
Duchies of Cleve and Julich; Imperial parchments and infeftments of due extent; but never any Territory in
those parts. He never offered fight for his pretensions; and Brandenburg and NeuburgNeuburg
especially always answered him, "No!" with sword halfdrawn. So KurSachsen faded out again, and
took only parchments by the adventure. Practically there was no private Competitor of moment to
Brandenburg, except this Wolfgang Wilhelm of PfalzNeuburg; he alone having clutched hold.But we
hasten to SYMPTOM THIRD, which particularly concerns us, and will be intelligible now at last.
SYMPTOM THIRD: A DINNERSCENE AT DUSSELDORF, 1613: SPANIARDS AND DUTCH
SHOULDER ARMS IN CLEVE.
Brandenburg and Neuburg stood together against third parties; but their jointgovernment was apt to fall in
two, when left to itself, and the pressure of danger withdrawn. "They governed by the RATHS and STANDE
of the Country;" old methods and old official men: each of the two had his own ViceRegent
(STATTHALTER) present on the ground, who jointly presided as they could. Jarrings were unavoidable; but
how mend it? Settle the litigated Territory itself, and end their big lawsuit, they could not; often as they tried
it, with the whole world encouraging and urging them. [Old Sir Henry Wotton, Provost of Eton in his old
days, remembers how he went Ambassador on this errand,as on many others equally bootless;and
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writes himself "Legatus," not only "thrice to Venice, twice to" but also "once to Holland in the Juliers matter
(semel in Juliacensi negotio):" see Reliquiae Wottonianae (London, 1672), Preface. It was "in 1614," say the
Biographies vaguely. His Despatches, are they in the PaperOffice still? His good old Book deserves new
editing, his good old genially pious life a proper elucidation, by some faithful man.] The meetings they had,
and the treaties and temporary bargains they made, and kept, and could not keep, in these and in the
following years and generations, pass our power of recording.
In 1613 the Brandenburg STATTHALTER was Ernst, the Elector's younger Brother, Wolfgang Wilhelm in
person, for his Father, or rather for himself as heir of his Mother, represented Pfalz Neuburg. Ernst of
Brandenburg had adopted Calvinism as his creed; a thing hateful and horrible to the Lutheran mind (of which
sort was Wolfgang Wilhelm), to a degree now altogether inconceivable. Discord arose in consequence
between the STATTHALTERS, as to official appointments, sacred and secular: "You are for promoting
Calvinists!""And you, I see, are for promoting Lutherans!" Johann Sigismund himself had to intervene:
Wolfgang Wilhelm and he had their meetings, friendly colloquies:the final celloquy of which is still
memorable; and issues in SYMPTOM THIRD.
We said, a strong flame of choler burnt in all these Hohenzollerns, though they held it well down. Johann
Sigismund, an excellent man of business, knew how essential a mild tone is: nevertheless he found, as this
colloquy went on, that human patience might at length get too much. The scene, after some examination, is
conceivable in this wise: Place Dusseldorf, Elector's apartment in the Schloss there; time late in the Year
1613, Day not discoverable by me. The two sat at dinner, after much colloquy all morning: Johann
Sigismund, a middleaged, bigheaded, sternfaced, honestlooking man; hair cropped, I observe; and
eyelids slightly contracted, as if for sharper vision into matters: Wolfgang Wilhelm, of features fallen dim to
me; an airy gentleman, well out of his teens, but, I doubt, not of wisdom sufficient; evidently very high and
stiff in his ways.
His proposal, by way of final settlement, and end to all these brabbles, was this, and he insisted on it: "Give
me your eldest Princess to wife; let her dowry be your whole claim on Cleve Julich; I will marry her on that
condition, and we shall be friends!" Here evidently is a gentleman that does not want for conceit in
himself:consider too, in Johann Sigismund's opinion, he had no right to a square inch of these Territories,
though for peace' sake a joint share had been allowed him for the time! "On that condition, jackanapes?'
thought Johann Sigismund: "My girl is not a monster; nor at a loss for husbands fully better than you, I
should hope!" This he thought, and could not help thinking; but endeavored to say nothing of it. The young
jackanapes went on, insisting. Nature at last prevailed; Johann Sigismund lifted his hand (princely etiquettes
melting all into smoke on the sudden), and gave the young jackanapes a slap over the face. Veritable slap;
which opened in a dreadful manner the eyes of young PfalzNeuburg to his real situation; and sent him off
highflaming, vowing neverimagined vengeance. A remarkable slap; well testified to,though the old
Histories, struck blank with terror, reverence and astonishment, can for most part only symbol it in
dumbshow; [Pufendorf (Rer. Brandenb. lib. iv. ? 16, p. 213), and many others, are in this case. Tobias
Pfanner (Historia Pacis Westphalicae, lib. i. ? 9, p. 26) is explicit: "Neque, ut infida regnandi societas est,
Brandenburgio et Neoburgio diu conveniebat; eorumque jurgia, cum matrimonii faedere pacari posse
propinqui ipsorum credidissent, acrius ezarsere; inter epulas, quibus futurum generum Septemvir (the
"Sevensman," or Elector, "One of The Seven") excipiebat, hujus enim filia Wolfgango sperabatur, ob nescio
quos sermones eo inter utrumque altercalione provecta, ut Elector irae impotestior, nulla dignitatis, hospitii,
cognationis, affinitatisve verecundia cohibitus, intenderit Neoburgio manus, et contra tendentis os
verberaverit. Ita, quae apud concordes vincula caritatis, incitamenta irarum apud infensos erant." (Cited in
Kohler, Munzbelustiqungen, xxi. 341; who refers also to Levassor, Histoire de Louis XII.)Pauli (iii. 542)
bedomes qnite vaporous.] a slap that had important consequences in this world.
For now Wolfgang Wilhelm, flaming off in neverimagined vengeance, posted straight to Munchen, to Max
of Bavaria there; declared himself convinced, or nearly so, of the RomanCatholic Religion; wooed, and in a
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few weeks (10th November, 1613) wedded Max's younger Sister; and soon after, at Dusseldorf, pompously
professed such his blessed change of Belief,with immense flourish of trumpeting, and jubilant
pamphleteering, from Holy Church. [Kohler, ubi supra.] His poor old Father, the devoutest of Protestants,
wailed aloud his "Ichabod! the glory is departed!" holding "weekly fast and humiliation" ever after,and
died in few months of a broken heart. The Catholic League has now a new Member on those terms.
And on the other hand, Johann Sigismund, nearly with the like haste (25th December, 1613), declared
himself convinced of Calvinism, his younger Brother's creed; [Pauli, iii. 546.]which continues ever since
the Brandenburg Courtcreed, that of the People being mostly Lutheran. Men said, it was to please the
Dutch, to please the Julichers, most of whom are Calvinist. Apologetic Pauli is elaborate, but inconclusive. It
was very ill taken at Berlin, where even popular riot arose on the matter. In Prussia too it had its drawbacks.
[Ib. iii. 544; Michaelis, i. 349.]
And now, all being full of mutation, rearrangement and infinite rumor, there marched next year (1614), on
slight pretext, resting on great suspicions, Spanish troops into the JulichCleve country, and, countenanced
by Neuburg, began seizing garrisons there. Whereupon Dutch troops likewise marched, countenanced by
Brandenburg, and occupied other fortresses and garrisons: and so, in every strongplace, these were either
PapistSpaniards or CalvinistDutch; who stood there, fronting one another, and could not by treatying be
got out again;like clouds positively electric VERSUS clouds negatively. As indeed was getting to be the
case of Germany in general; case fatally visible in every Province, Principality and Parish there: till a
thunderstorm, and succession of thunderstorms, of Thirty Years' continuance, broke out. Of which these
huge rumors and mutations, and menacings of war, springing out of that final colloquy and slap in the face,
are to be taken as the THIRD premonitory Symptom. Spaniards and Dutch stand electrically fronting one
another in Cleve for seven years, till their Truce is out, before they clash together; Germany does not wait so
long by a couple of years.
SYMPTOM FOURTH, AND CATASTROPHE UPON THE HEELS OF IT.
Five years more (1618), and there will have come a FOURTH Symptom, biggest of all, rapidly
consummating the process;Symptom still famed, of the following external figure: Three Official
Gentlemen descending from a window in the Castle of Prag: hurled out by impatient Bohemian
Protestantism, a depth of seventy feet, happily only into dung, and without loss of life. From which
follows a "King of Bohemia" elected there, King not unknown to us;"thunderclouds" all in one huge
clash, and the "continent of sour smoke" blazing all into a continent of thunderous fire: THIRTYYEARS
WAR, as they now call it! Such a conflagration as poor Germany never saw before or since.
These were the FOUR preliminary SYMPTOMS of that dismal business. "As to the primary CAUSES of it,"
says one of my Authorities, "these lie deep, deep almost as those of Original Sin. But the proximate causes
seem to me to have been these two: FIRST, That the JesuitPriests and Principalities had vowed and resolved
to have, by God's help and by the Devil's (this was the peculiarity of it), Europe made Orthodox again: and
then SECONDLY, The fact that a Max of Bavaria existed at that time, whose fiery character, cunning but
rash head, and fanatically Papist heart disposed him to attempt that enterprise, him with such resources and
capacities, under their bad guidance."
Johann Sigismund did many swift decisive strokes of business in his time, businesses of extensive and
important nature; but this of the slap to Neuburg has stuck best in the idle memory of mankind. Dusseldorf,
Year 1613: it was precisely in the time when that same Friedrioh, not yet by any means "King of Bohemia,"
but already KurPfalz (Cousin of this Neuburg, and head man of the Protestants), was over here in England,
on a fine errand;namely, had married the fair Elizabeth (14th February, 1613), James the First's Princess;
"Goody Palsgrave," as her Mother floutingly called her, not liking the connection. What kind of a "King of
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Bohemia" this Friedrich made, five or six years after, and what sea of troubles he and his entered into, we
know; the "WINTERKONIG" (WinterKing, fallen in times of FROST, or built of mere frost, a
SNOWking altogether soluble again) is the name he gets in German Histories. But here is another hook to
hang Chronology upon.
This brief Bohemian Kingship had not yet exploded on the Weissenberg of Prag, [Battle there, Sunday 8th
November, 1620.] when old Sir Henry Wotton being sent as Ambassador "to LIE abroad" (as he wittily
called it, to his cost) in that Business, saw, in the City of Lintz in the picturesque green country by the shores
of the Donau there, an ingenious person, who is now recognizable as one of the remarkablest of mankind, Mr.
John Kepler, namely: Keplar as Wotton writes him; addressing the great Lord Bacon (unhappily without
strict date of any kind) on that among other subjects. Mr. John's now evermemorable watching of those
Motions of the Star Mars, [ De Motibus Stellae Martis; Prag, 1609.] with "calculations repeated seventy
times," and also with Discovery of the Planetary Laws of this Universe, some, ten years ago, appears to be
unknown to Wotton and Bacon; but there is something else of Mr. John's devising [It seems, Baptista Porta
(of Naples, dead some years before) must have given him the essential hint,of whom, or whose hint, Mr.
John does not happen to inform his Excellency at present.] which deserves attention from an Instaurator of
Philosophy:
"He hath a little black Tent (of what stuff is not much importing)," says the Ambassador, "which he can
suddenly set up where he will in a Field; and it is convertible (like a windmill) to all quarters at pleasure;
capable of not much more than one man, as I conceive, and perhaps at no great ease; exactly close and
dark,save at one hole, about an inch and a half in the diameter, to which he applies a long perspective
Trunk, with the convex glass fitted to the said hole, and the concave taken out at the other end, which
extendeth to about the middle of this erected Tent: through which the visible radiations of all the Objects
without are intromitted, falling upon a Paper, which is accommodated to receive them; and so he traceth them
with his pen in their natural appearance; turning his little Tent round by degrees, till he hath designed the
whole Aspect of the Field." [ Reliqui Wottonianae, (london 1672), p. 300.]In fact he hath a CAMERA
OBSCURA, and is exhibiting the same for the delectation of Imperial gentlemen lounging that way. Mr. John
invents such toys, writes almanacs, practises medicine, for good reasons; his encouragement from the Holy
Roman Empire and mankind being only a pension of 18 pounds a year, and that hardly ever paid. An
ingenious person, truly, if there ever was one among Adam's Posterity. Just turned of fifty and ill off for cash.
This glimpse of him, in his little black tent with perspective glasses, while the ThirtyYears War blazes out,
is welcome as a date.
WHAT BECAME OF THE CLEVEJULICH HERITAGE, AND OF THE PREUSSEN ONE.
In the Cleve Duchies joint government had now become more difficult than ever: but it had to be persisted
in,under mutual offences, suspicions and outbreaks hardly repressed;no final Bargain of Settlement
proving by any method possible. Treaties enough, and conferences and pleadings, manifestoings:Could not
some painful German collector of Statistics try to give us the approximate quantity of impracticable treaties,
futile conferences, manifestoes correspondences; in brief, some authentical cipher (say in round millions) of
idle Words spoken by official human creatures and approximately (in square miles) the extent of Law
Stationery and other Paper written, first and last, about this Controversy of the Cleve Duchies? In that form it
might have a momentary interest.
When the WinterKing's explosion took place, [Crowned at Prag, 4th November N.S. 1619; beaten to ruin
there, and obliged to gallop (almost before dinner done), Sunday, 8th November, 1620.] and his own
unfortunate Pfalz (Palatinate) became the theatre of war (Tilly, Spinola, VERSUS Pfalzers, English, Dutch),
involving all the neighboring regions, CleveJulich did not escape its fate. The Spaniards and the Dutch, who
had long sat in gloomy armed truce, occupying with obstinate precaution the main Fortresses of these
JulichCleve countries, did now straightway, their Twelve Years' truce being out (1621), [Pauli, vi.
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Chapter XIV. SYMPTOMS OF A GREAT WAR COMING. 125
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578580.] fall to fighting and besieging one another there; the huge War, which proved of Thirty Years,
being now all ablaze. What the country suffered in the interim may be imagined.
In 1624, in pity to all parties, some attempt at practical Division of the Territory was again made: Neuburg to
have Berg and Julich, Brandenburg to have Cleve, Mark, Ravensburg and the minor appurtenances: and
Treaty to that effect was got signed (11th May, 1624). But it was not well kept, nor could be; and the statistic
cipher of new treaties, manifestoes, conferences, and approximate written area of LawPaper goes on
increasing.
It was not till fortytwo years after, in 1666, as will be more minutely noticeable by and by, that an effective
partition could be practically brought about. Nor in this state was the Lawsuit by any means ended,as we
shall wearisomely see, in times long following that. In fact there never was, in the German Chanceries or out
of them, such a Lawsuit, Armed or Wigged, as this of the Cleve Duchies first and last. And the sentence was
not practically given, till the Congress of Vienna (1815) in our own day gave it; and the thing Johann
Sigismund had claimed legally in 1609 was actually handed over to Johann Sigismund's Descendant in the
seventh generation, after two hundred and six years. Handed over to him then,and a liberal rate of interest
allowed. These litigated Duchies are now the Prussian Province JulichBergCleve, and the nucleus of
Prussia's possessions in the Rhine country.
A year before Johann Sigismund's death, Albert Friedrich, the poor eclipsed Duke of Prussia, died (8th
August, 1618): upon which our swift Kurfurst, not without need of his dexterities there too, got peaceable
possession of Prussia;nor has his Family lost hold of that, up to the present time. Next year (23d
December, 1619), he himself closed a swift busy life (labor enough in it for him perhaps, though only an age
of fortynine); and sank to his long rest, his works following him,unalterable thenceforth, not unfruitful
some of them.
Chapter XV. TENTH KURFURST, GEORGE WILHELM.
By far the unluckiest of these Electors, whether the most unworthy of them or not, was George Wilhelm,
Tenth Elector, who now succeeded Johann Sigismund his Father. The Father's eyes had closed when this
great flame was breaking out; and the Son's days were all spent amid the hot ashes and fierce blazings of it.
The position of Brandenburg during this sad ThirtyYears War was passive rather than active; distinguished
only in the former way, and as far as possible from being glorious or victorious. Never since the
Hohenzollerns came to that Country had Brandenburg such a time. Difficult to have mended it; impossible to
have quite avoided it;and Kurfurst George Wilhelm was not a man so superior to all his neighbors, that he
could clearly see his way in such an element. The perfect or ideal course was clear: To have frankly drawn
sword for his Religion and his Rights, so soon as the battle fairly opened; and to have fought for these same,
till he got either them or died. Alas, that is easily said and written; but it is, for a George Wilhelm especially,
difficult to do! His capability in all kinds was limited; his connections, with this side and that, were very
intricate. Gustavus and the WinterKing were his Brothersinlaw; Gustavus wedded to his Sister, he to
WinterKing's. His relations to Poland, feudal superior of Preussen, were delicate; and Gustavus was in
deadly quarrel with Poland. And then Gustavus's sudden layinghold of Pommern, which had just escaped
from Wallenstein and the Kaiser? It must be granted, poor George Wilhelm's case demanded
circumspectness.
One can forgive him for declining the BohemianKing speculation, though his Uncle of Jagerndorf and his
Cousins of Liegnitz were so hearty and forward in it. Pardonable in him to decline the Bohemian
speculation;though surely it is very sad that he found himself so short of "butter and firewood" when the
poor ExKing, and his young Wife, then in a specially interesting state, came to take shelter with him! [Solltl
(Geschichte des Dreissigjahrigen Krieges, a trivial modern Book) gives a notable memorial from the
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Brandenburg RATHS, concerning these their difficulties of housekeeping. Their real object, we perceive, was
to get rid of a Guest so dangerous as the ExKing, under Ban of the Empire, had now become.] But when
Gustavus landed, and flung out upon the winds such a banner as that of his,truly it was required of a
Protestant Governor of men to be able to read said banner in a certain degree. A Governor, not too IMperfect,
would have recognized this Gustavus, what his purposes and likelihoods were; the feeling would have been,
checked by due circumspectness: "Up, my men, let us follow this man; let us live and die in the Cause this
man goes for! Live otherwise with honor, or die otherwise with honor, we cannot, in the pass things have
come to!"And thus, at the very worst, Brandenburg would have had only one class of enemies to ravage it;
and might have escaped with, arithmetically speaking, HALF the harrying it got in that long Business.
But Protestant Germanysad shame to it, which proved lasting sorrow as wellwas all alike torpid;
Brandenburg not an exceptional case. No Prince stood up as beseemed: or only one, and he not a great one;
Landgraf Wilhelm of Hessen, who, and his brave Widow after him, seemed always to know what hour it was.
Wilhelm of Hessen all along;and a few wild hands, Christian of Brunswick, Christian of Anhalt, Johann
George of Jagerndorf, who stormed out tumultuously at first, but were soon blown away by the
TillyWallenstein TRADEWINDS and regulated armaments:the rest sat still, and tried all they could to
keep out of harm's way. The "Evangelical Union" did a great deal of manifestoing, pathetic, indignant and
other; held solemn Meetings at Heilbronn, old Sir Henry Wotton going as Ambassador to them; but never got
any redress. Had the Evangelical Union shut up its inkhorns sooner; girt on its fightingtools when the time
came, and done some little execution with them then, instead of none at all, we may fancy the Evangelical
Union would have better discharged its function. It might have saved immense wretchedness to Germany.
But its course went not that way.
In fact, had there been no better Protestantism than that of Germany, all was over with Protestantism; and
Max of Bavaria, with fanatical Ferdinand II. as Kaiser over him, and Father Lammerlein at his right hand and
Father Hyacinth at his left, had got their own sweet way in this world. But Protestant Germany was not
Protestant Europe, after all. Over seas there dwelt and reigned a certain King in Sweden; there farmed, and
walked musing by the shores of the Ouse in Huntingdonshire, a certain man;there was a Gustav Adolf over
seas, an Oliver Cromwell over seas; and "a company of poor men" were found capable of taking Lucifer by
the beard,who accordingly, with his Lammerleins, Hyacinths, Habernfeldts and others, was forced to
withdraw, after a tough struggle!
Chapter XVI. THIRTYYEARS WAR.
The enormous ThirtyYears War, most intricate of modern Occurrences in the domain of Dryasdust, divides
itself, after some unravelling, into Three principal Acts or Epochs; in all of which, one after the other, our
Kurfurst had an interest mounting progressively, but continuing to be a passive interest.
Act FIRST goes from 1620 to 1624; and might be entitled "The Bohemian King Made and Demolished."
Personally the Bohemian King was soon demolished. His Kingship may be said to have gone off by
explosion; by one Fight, namely, done on the Weissenberg near Prag (Sunday, 8th November, 1620), while
he sat at dinner in the City, the boom of the cannon coming in with interest upon his high guests and him. He
had to run, in hot haste, that night, leaving many of his important papers,and becomes a WinterKing.
Winter King's account was soon settled. But the extirpating of his Adherents, and capturing of his
Hereditary Lands, Palatinate and UpperPalatinate, took three years more. Hard fighting for the Palatinate;
Tilly and Company against the "EvangelicalUnion Troops, and the English under Sir Horace Vere."
EvangelicalUnion Troops, though marching about there, under an Uncle of our Kurfurst (Margraf Joachim
Ernst, that lucky Anspach Uncle, founder of "the Line"), who professed some skill in soldiering, were a mere
Picture of an Army; would only "observe," and would not fight at all. So that the whole fighting fell to Sir
Horace and his poor handful of English; of whose grim posture "in Frankendale" [Frankenthal, a little Town
in the Palatinate, N.W. from Mannheim a short way.] and other Strongholds, for months long, there is talk
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enough in the old English HistoryBooks.
Then there were certain stern WarCaptains, who rallied from the Weissenberg Defeat:Christian of
Brunswick, the chief of them, titular Bishop of Halberstadt, a highflown, fiery young fellow, of terrible
fighting gifts; he flamed up considerably, with "the Queen of Bohemia's glove stuck in his Hat:" "Bright
Lady, it shall stick there, till I get you your own again, or die!" [16211623, age not yet twentyfive; died
(by poison), 1626, having again become supremely important just then. "Gottes Freund, der Pfaffen Feind
(God's Friend, Priests' Foe);" "Alles fur Ruhm und Ihr (All for Glory and Her," the bright Elizabeth,
become ExQueen), were mottoes of his. Buddaus IN VOCE (i. 649); Michaelis, i. 110.] Christian of
Brunswick, George of Jagerndorf (our Kurfurst's Uncle), Count Mansfeldt and others, made stormy fight
once and again, hanging upon this central "Frankendale" Business, till they and it became hopeless. For the
Kaiser and his Jesuits were not in doubt; a Kaiser very proud, unscrupulous; now clearly superior in force,
and all along of great superiority in fraud.
Christian of Brunswick, Johann George and Mansfeldt were got rid of: Christian by poison; Johann George
and Mansfeldt by other methods,chiefly by playing upon poor King James of England, and leading him by
the long nose he was found to have. The Palatinate became the Kaiser's for the time being; Upper Palatinate
(OBER PFALZ) Duke Max of Bavaria, lying contiguous to it, had easily taken. "Incorporate the OberPfalz
with your Bavaria," said the Kaiser, "you, illustrious, thriceserviceable Max! And let Lammerlein and
Hyacinth, with their Gospel of Ignatius, loose upon it. Nay, as a still richer reward, be yours the forfeited
KUR (Electorship) of this mad KurPfalz, or WinterKing. I will hold his RhineLands, his
UNTERPFALZ: his Electorship and OBERPFALZ, I say, are yours, Duke, henceforth KURFURST
Maximilian!" [Kohler, ReichsHistorie, p. 520.] Which was a hard saying in the ears of Brandenburg,
Saxony and the other Five, and of the Reich in general; but they had all to comply, after wincing. For the
Kaiser proceeded with a high hand. He had put the ExKing under Ban of the Empire (never asking "the
Empire" about it); put his Three principal Adherents, Johann George of Jagerndorf one of them, Prince
Christian of Anhalt (once captain at the Siege of Juliers) another, likewise under Ban of the Empire; [22d Jan.
1621 (ibid. p. 518).] and in short had flung about, and was flinging, his thunderbolts in a very Olympian
manner. Under all which, what could Brandenburg and the others do; but whimper some trembling protest,
"Clear against Law!"and sit obedient? The Evangelical Union did not now any more than formerly draw
out its fightingtools. In fact, the Evangelical Union now fairly dissolved itself; melted into a deliquium of
terror under these thunderbolts that were flying, and was no more heard of in the world.
SECOND ACT, OR EPOCH, 16241629. A SECOND UNCLE PUT TO THE BAN, AND POMMERN
SNATCHED AWAY.
Except in the "NETHERSAXON CIRCLE" (distant Northwest region, with its Hanover, Mecklenburg, with
its rich Hamburgs, Lubecks, Magdeburgs, all Protestant, and abutting on the Protestant North), trembling
Germany lay ridden over as the Kaiser willed. Foreign League got up by France, King James, Christian IV. of
Denmark (James's Brotherinlaw, with whom he had such "drinking" in Somerset House, long ago, on
Christian's visit hither [Old Histories of James I. (Wilson, went to water, or worse. Only the "NetherSaxon
Circle" showed some life; was levying an army; and had appointed Christian of Brunswick its Captain, till he
was got poisoned;upon which the drinking King of Denmark took the command.
Act SECOND goes from 1624 to 1627 or even 1629; and contains drunken Christian's Exploits. Which were
unfortunate, almost to the ruin of Denmark itself, as well as of the NetherSaxon Circle;till in the latter of
these years he slightly rallied, and got a supportable Peace granted him (Peace of Lubeck, 1629); after which
he sits quiet, contemplative, with an evil eye upon Sweden now and then. The beatings he got, in quite
regular succession, from Tilly and Consorts, are not worth mentioning: the only thing one now remembers of
him is his alarming accident on the ramparts of Hameln, just at the opening of these Campaigns. At Hameln,
which was to be a strong post, drunken Christian rode out once, on a summer afternoon (1624), to see that the
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ramparts were all right, or getting all right;and tumbled, horse and self (self in liquor, it is thought), in an
ominous alarming manner. Taken up for dead;nay some of the vague Histories seem to think he was really
dead:but he lived to be often beaten after that, and had many moist years more.
Our Kurfurst had another Uncle put to the Ban in this Second Act, Christian Wilhelm Archbishop of
Magdeburg, "for assisting the Danish King;" nor was Ban all the ruin that fell on this poor Archbishop. What
could an unfortunate Kurfurst do, but tremble and obey? There was still a worse smart got by our poor
Kurfurst out of Act Second; the glaring injustice done him in Pommern.
Does the reader remember that scene in the High Church of Stettin a hundred and fifty years ago? How the
Burgermeister threw sword and helmet into the grave of the last Duke of PommernStettin there; and a
forward Citizen picked them out again in favor of a Collateral Branch? Never since, any more than then,
could Brandenburg get Pommern according to claim. Collateral Branch, in spite of Friedrich Ironteeth, in
spite even of Albert Achilles and some fighting of his; contrived, by pleading at the Diets and stirring up
noise, to maintain its pretensions: and Treaties without end ensued, as usual; Treaties refreshed and
newsigned by every Successor of Albert, to a wearisome degree. The sum of which always was: "Pommern
does actual homage to Brandenburg; vassal of Brandenburg;and falls home to it, if the now Extant Line go
extinct." Nay there is an ERBVERBRUDERUNG (HeritageFraternity) over and above, established this long
time, and wearisomely renewed at every new Accession. Hundreds of Treaties, oppressive to think of:and
now the last Duke, old Bogislaus, is here, without hope of children; and the fruit of all that haggling, actual
Pommern to wit, will at last fall home? Alas, no; far otherwise.
For the Kaiser having so triumphantly swept off the WinterKing, and Christian IV. in the rear of him, and
got Germany ready for converting to Orthodoxy,wished now to have some hold of the Seaboard, thereby
to punish Denmark; nay thereby, as is hoped, to extend the blessings of Orthodoxy into England, Sweden,
Holland, and the other Heretic States, in due time. For our plans go far! This is the Kaiser's fixed wish, rising
to the rank of hope now and then: all Europe shall become Papist again by the help of God and the Devil. So
the Kaiser, on hardly any pretext, seized Mecklenburg from the Proprietors,"Traitors, how durst you join
Danish Christian?"and made Wallenstein Duke of it. Duke of Mecklenburg, "Admiral of the EAST SEA
(Baltic);" and set to "building ships of war in Rostock,"his plans going far. [Kohler, ReichsHistorie, pp,
524, 525.] This done, he seized Pommern, which also is a fine Seacountry,stirring up Max of Bavaria to
make some idle pretence to Pommern, that so the Kaiser might seize it "in sequestration till decided on."
Under which hard treatment, George Wilhelm had to sit sad and silent,though the Stralsunders would not.
Hence the worldfamous Siege of Stralsund (1628); fierce Wallenstein declaring, "I will have the Town, if it
hung by a chain from Heaven;" but finding he could not get it; owing to the Swedish succor, to the stubborn
temper prevalent among the Townsfolk, and also greatly to the rains and peatbogs.
A second Uncle of George Wilhelm's, that unlucky Archbishop of Magdeburg above mentioned, the Kaiser,
once more by his own arbitrary will, put under Ban of the Empire, in this Second Act: "Traitor, how durst
you join with the Danes?" The result of which was Tilly's Sack of Magdeburg (1012th May, 1631), a
transaction never forgettable by mankind.As for Pommern, Gustav Adolf, on his intervening in these
matters, landed there: Pommern was now seized by Gustav Adolf, as a landingplace and placeofarms,
indispensable for Sweden in the present emergency; and was so held thenceforth. Pommern will not fall to
George Wilhelm at this time.
THIRD ACT, AND WHAT THE KURFURST SUFFERED IN IT.
And now we are at Act THIRD:Landing of Gustav Adolf "in the Isle of Usedom, 24th June, 1630," and
onward for Eighteen Years till the Peace of Westphalia, in 1648;on which, as probably better known to the
reader, we will not here go into details. In this Third Act too, George Wilhelm followed his old scheme,
peace at any price;as shy of Gustav as he had been of other Champions of the Cause; and except
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complaining, petitioning and manifestoing, studiously did nothing.
Poor man, it was his fate to stand in the range of these huge collisions,Bridge of Dessau, Siege of
Stralsund, Sack of Magdeburg, Battle of Leipzig,where the Titans were bowling rocks at one another; and
he hoped, by dexterous skipping, to escape share of the game. To keep well with his Kaiser,and such a
Kaiser to Germany and to him,this, for George Wilhelm, was always the first commandment. If the Kaiser
confiscate your Uncles, against law; seize your Pommern; rob you on the public highways,George
Wilhelm, even in such case, is full of dubitations. Nay his PrimeMinister, one Schwartzenberg, a Catholic,
an Austrian Official at one time,Progenitor of the Austrian Schwartzenbergs that now are,was secretly
in the Kaiser's interest, and is even thought to have been in the Kaiser's pay, all along.
Gustav, at his first landing, had seized Pommern, and swept it clear of Austrians, for himself and for his own
wants; not too regardful of George Wilhelm's claims on it. He cleared out FrankfurtonOder, Custrin and
other Brandenburg Towns, in a similar manner,by cannon and storm, when needful;drove the
Imperialists and Tilly forth of these countries. Advancing, next year, to save Magdeburg, now shrieking
under Tilly's bombardment, Gustav insisted on having, if not some bond of union from his Brotherinlaw of
Brandenburg, at least the temporary cession of two Places of War for himself, Spandau and Custrin,
indispensable in any farther operation. Which cession Kurfurst George Wilhelm, though giving all his prayers
to the Good Cause, could by no means grant. Gustav had to insist, with more and more emphasis; advancing
at last, with military menace, upon Berlin itself. He was met by George Wilhelm and his Council, "in the
woods of Copenick," short way to the east of that City: there George Wilhelm and his Council wandered
about, sending messages, hopelessly consulting; saying among each other, "Que faire; ils ont des canons,
what can one do; they have got cannon?" [ OEvres de Frederic le Grand (Berlin, 18461856 et seqq.:
Memoires de Brandebourg ), i. 38. For the rest, Friedrich's Account of the Transaction is very loose and
scanty: see Pauli (iv. 568) and his minute details.] For many hours so; round the inflexible Gustav, who
was there like a fixed milestone, and to all questions and comers had only one answer! "Que faire; ils ont
des canons?" This was the 3d May, 1631. This probably is about the nadirpoint of the
BrandenburgHohenzollern History. The little Friedrich, who became Frederick the Great, in writing of it,
has a certain grim banter in his tone; and looks rather with mockery on the perplexities of his poor Ancestor,
so fatally ignorant of the time of day it had now become.
On the whole, George Wilhelm did what is to be called nothing, in the ThirtyYears War; his function was
only that of suffering. He followed always the bad lead of Johann George, Elector of Saxony; a man of no
strength, devoutness or adequate human worth; who proved, on these negative grounds, and without
flagrancy of positive badness, an unspeakable curse to Germany. Not till the Kaiser fulminated forth his
RestitutionEdict, and showed he was in earnest about it (16291631), "Restore to our Holy Church what
you have taken from her since the Peace of Passau!"could this Johann George prevail upon himself to join
Sweden, or even to do other than hate it for reasons he saw. Seized by the throat in this manner, and ordered
to DELIVER, KurSachsen did, and Brandenburg along with him, make Treaty with the Swede. [8th
February, 1631 (Kohler, ReichsHistorie, pp. 526531.] in consequence of which they two, some months
after, by way of cooperating with Gustav on his great march Viennaward, sent an invading force into
Bohemia, Brandenburg contributing some poor 3,000 to it; who took Prag, and some other open Towns; but
"did almost nothing there," say the Histories, "except dine and drink." It is clear enough they were instantly
scattered home [October, 1633 (Stenzel, i. 503).] at the first glimpse of Wallenstein dawning on the horizon
again in those parts.
Gustav having vanished (Field of Lutzen, 6th November, 1632 [Pauli, iv. 576.]), Oxenstiern, with his high
attitude, and "Presidency" of the "Union of Heilbronn," was rather an offence to KurSachsen, who used to
be foremost man on such occasions. KurSachsen broke away again; made his Peace of Prag, [1635, 20th
May (Stenzel, i. 513).] whom Brandenburg again followed; Brandenburg and gradually all the others, except
the noble Wilhelm of HessenCassel alone. Miserable Peace; bit of Chaos clouted up, and done over with
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Official varnish;which proved to be the signal for continuing the War beyond visible limits, and rendering
peace impossible.
After this, George Wilhelm retires from the scene; lives in Custrin mainly; mere miserable days, which shall
be invisible to us. He died in 1640; and, except producing an active brave Son very unlike himself, did
nothing considerable in the world. "Que faire; ils ont des canons!"
Among the innumerable sanguinary tusslings of this War are counted Three great Battles, Leipzig, Lutzen,
Nordlingen. Under one great Captain, Swedish Gustav, and the two or three other considerable Captains, who
appeared in it, high passages of furious valor, of fine strategy and tactic, are on record. But on the whole, the
grand weapon in it, and towards the latter times the exclusive one, was Hunger. The opposing Armies tried to
starve one another; at lowest, tried each not to starve. Each trying to eat the country, or at any rate to leave
nothing eatable in it: what that will mean for the country, we may consider. As the Armies too frequently, and
the Kaiser's Armies habitually, lived without commissariat, often enough without pay, all horrors of war and
of being a seat of war, that have been since heard of, are poor to those then practised. The detail of which is
still horrible to read. Germany, in all eatable quarters of it, had to undergo the process;tortured, torn to
pieces, wrecked, and brayed as in a mortar under the iron mace of war. [Curious incidental details of the state
it was reduced to, in the Rhine and Danube Countries, turn up in the Earl of Arundel and Surrey's TRAVELS
("Arundel of the Marbles") as Ambassador Extraordinary to the Emperor Ferdinando II. in 1636 (a small
Volume, or Pamphlet, London, 1637).] Brandenburg saw its towns sieged and sacked, its country populations
driven to despair, by the one party and the other. Three times,first in the. Wallenstein Mecklenburg period,
while fire and sword were the weapons, and again, twice over, in the ultimate stages of the struggle, when
starvation had become the methodBrandenburg fell to be the principal theatre of conflict, where all forms
of the dismal were at their height. In 1638, three years after that precious "Peace of Prag," the Swedes (Banier
VERSUS Gallas) starving out the Imperialists in those Northwestern parts, the ravages of the starving Gallas
and his Imperialists excelled all precedent; and the "famine about Tangermunde had risen so high that men
ate human flesh, nay human creatures ate their own children." [1638: Pauli, iv. 604.] "Que faire; ils ont des
canons!"
Chapter XVII. DUCHY OF JAGERNDORF.
This unfortunate George Wilhelm failed in getting Pommern when due; Pommern, firmly held by the
Swedes, was far from him. But that was not the only loss of territory he had. Jagerndorf, we have heard of
Johann George of Jagerndorf, Uncle of this George Wilhelm, how old Joachim Friedrich put him into
Jagerndorf, long since, when it fell home to the Electoral House. Jagerndorf is now lost; Johann George is
under REICHSACHT (Ban of Empire), ever since the WinterKing's explosion, and the thunderbolts that
followed; and wanders landless;nay he is long since dead, and
has six feet of earth for a territory, far away in Transylvania, or the RIESENGEBIRGE (Giant Mountains)
somewhere. Concerning whom a word now.
DUKE OF JAGERNDORF, ELECTOR'S UNCLE, IS PUT UNDER BAN.
Johann George, a frankhearted valiant man, concerning whom only good actions, and no bad one, are on
record, had notable troubles in the world; bad troubles to begin with, and worse to end in. He was second Son
of Kurfurst Joachim Friedrich, who had meant him for the Church. [15771624: Rentsch, p. 486.] The young
fellow was Coadjutor of Strasburg, almost from the time of getting into shortclothes. He was then, still very
young, elected Bishop there (1592); Bishop of Strasburg,but only by the Protestant part of the Canons; the
Catholic part, unable to submit longer, and thinking it a good time for revolt against a Protestant population
and obstinately heterodox majority, elected another Bishop,one "Karl of the House of Lorraine;" and there
came to be dispute, and came even to be fighting needed. Fighting; which prudent Papa would not enter into,
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except faintly at secondhand, through the Anspach Cousins, or others that were in the humor. Troublesome
times for the young man; which lasted a dozen years or more. At last a Bargain was made (1604); Protestant
and Catholic Canons splitting the difference in some way; and the House of Lorraine paying Johann George a
great deal of money to go home again. [ OEuvres completes de Voltaire, 97 vols. (Paris, 18251832), xxxiii.
284.Kohler ( Reichs Historie, p. 487) gives the authentic particulars.] Poor Johann George came out of it
in that way; not secondbest, think several.
He was then (1606) put into Jagerndorf, which had just fallen vacant; our excellent fat friend, George
Friedrich of Anspach, Administrator of Preussen, having lately died, and left it vacant, as we saw. George
Friedrich's death yielded fine apanages, three of them in all: FIRST Anspach, SECOND, Baireuth, and this
THIRD of Jagerndorf for a still younger Brother. There was still a fourth younger Brother, Uncle of George
Wilhelm; Archbishop of Magdeburg this one; who also, as we have seen, got into REICHSACHT, into deep
trouble in the ThirtyYears War. He was in Tilly's thrice murderous Storm of Magdeburg (10th May,
1631); was captured, tumbled about by the wild soldiery, and nearly killed there. Poor man, with his mitre
and rochets left in such a state! In the end he even became CATHOLIC,from conviction, as was evident,
and bewilderment of mind;and lived in Austria on a pension; occasionally publishing polemical pamphlets.
[1587; 1628; 1665 (Rentsch, pp. 905910).]
As to Johann George, he much repaired and beautified the Castle of Jagerndorf, says Rentsch: but he
unfortunately went ahead into the WinterKing's adventure; which, in that sad battle of the Weissenberg,
made total shipwreck of itself, drawing Johann George and much else along with it. Johann George was
straightway tyrannously put to the Ban, forfeited of life and lands: [22d January, 1621 (Kohler,
ReichsHistorie, p. 518: and rectify Hubner, t. 178).] Johann George disowned the said Ban; stood out
fiercely for self and WinterKing; and did good fighting in the Silesian strongholds and mountainpasses:
but was forced to seek temporary shelter in SIEBENBURGEN (Transylvania); and died far away, in a year or
two (1624), while returning to try it again. Sleeps, I think, in the "Jablunka Pass;" the dumb GiantMountains
(RIESENGEBIRGE) shrouding up his sad shipwreck and him.
Jagerndorf was thus seized by Ferdinand II. of the House of Hapsburg; and though it was contrary to all law
that the Kaiser should keep it,poor Johann George having left Sons very innocent of treason, and Brothers,
and an Electoral. Nephew, very innocent,to whom, by old compacts and new, the Heritage in defect of him
was to fall,neither Kaiser Ferdinand II. nor Kaiser Ferdinand III. nor any Kaiser would let go the hold; but
kept Jagerndorf fast clenched, deaf to all pleadings, and monitions of gods or men. Till at length, in the fourth
generation afterwards, one "Friedrich the Second," not unknown to us, a sharp little man, little in stature,
but large in faculty and renown, who is now called "Frederick the Great,"clutched hold of the Imperial fist
(so to speak), seizing his opportunity in 1740; and so wrenched and twisted said close fist, that not only
Jagerndorf dropped out of it, but the whole of Silesia along with Jagerndorf, there being other claims withal.
And the account was at last settled, with compound interest,as in fact such accounts are sure to be, one
way or other. And so we leave Johann George among the dumb GiantMountains again.
Chapter XVIII. FRIEDRICH WILHELM, THE GREAT KURFURST,
ELEVENTH OF THE SERIES.
Brandenburg had again sunk very low under the Tenth Elector, in the unutterable troubles of the times. But it
was gloriously raised up again by his Son Friedrich Wilhelm, who succeeded in 1640. This is he whom they
call the "Great Elector (GROSSE KURFURST);" of whom there is much writing and celebrating in Prussian
Books. As for the epithet, it is not uncommon among petty German populations, and many times does not
mean too much: thus Max of Bavaria, with his Jesuit Lambkins and Hyacinths, is, by Bavarians, called
"Maximilian the Great." Friedrich Wilhelm, both by his intrinsic qualities and the success he met with,
deserves it better than most. His success, if we look where he started and where he ended, was beyond that of
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any other man in his day. He found Brandenburg annihilated, and he left Brandenburg sound and flourishing;
a great country, or already on the way towards greatness. Undoubtedly a most rapid, cleareyed, active man.
There was a stroke in him swift as lightning, wellaimed mostly, and of a respectable weight, withal; which
shattered asunder a whole world of impediments for him, by assiduous repetition of it for fifty years. [1620;
1640; 1688.]
There hardly ever came to sovereign power a young man of twenty under more distressing, hopelesslooking
circumstances. Political significance Brandenburg had none; a mere Protestant appendage dragged about by a
Papist Kaiser. His Father's PrimeMinister, as we have seen, was in the interest of his enemies; not
Brandenburg's servant, but Austria's. The very Commandants of his Fortresses, Commandant of Spandau
more especially, refused to obey Friedrich Wilhelm, on his accession; "were bound to obey the Kaiser in the
first place." He had to proceed softly as well as swiftly; with the most delicate hand to get him of Spandau by
the collar, and put him under lockandkey, him as a warning to others.
For twenty years past, Brandenburg had been scoured by hostile armies, which, especially the Kaiser's part of
which, committed outrages new in human history. In a year or two hence, Brandenburg became again the
theatre of business; Austrian Gallas advancing thither again (1644), with intent "to shut up Torstenson and his
Swedes in Jutland," where they had been chastising old Christian IV., now meddlesome again, for the last
time, and never a good neighbor to Sweden. Gallas could by no means do what he intended: on the contrary,
he had to run from Torstenson, what feet could do; was hunted, he and his MERODEBRUDER (beautiful
inventors of the "Marauding" Art), "till they pretty much all died (CREPERTIN)," says Koh1er.
[ ReichsHistorie, p. 556; Pauli, v. 24.] No great loss to society, the death of these Artists: but we can fancy
what their life, and especially what the process of their dying, may have cost poor Brandenburg again!
Friedrich Wilhelm's aim, in this as in other emergencies, was sunclear to himself, but for most part dim to
everybody else. He had to walk very warily, Sweden on one hand of him, suspicious Kaiser on the other; he
had to wear semblances, to be ready with evasive words; and advance noiselessly by many circuits. More
delicate operation could not be imagined. But advance he did: advance and arrive. With extraordinary talent,
diligence and felicity the young man wound himself out of this first fatal position: got those foreign Armies
pushed out of his Country, and kept them out. His first concern had been to find some vestige of revenue, to
put that upon a clear footing; and by loans or otherwise to scrape a little ready money together. On the
strength of which a small body of soldiers could be collected about him, and drilled into real ability to fight
and obey. This as a basis: on this followed all manner of things: freedom from Swedish Austrian invasions,
as the first thing.
He was himself, as appeared by and by, a fighter of the first quality, when it came to that: but never was
willing to fight if he could help it. Preferred rather to shift, manoeuvre and negotiate; which he did in a most
vigilant, adroit and masterly manner. But by degrees he had grown to have, and could maintain it, an Army of
24,000 men: among the best troops then in being. With or without his will, he was in all the great Wars of his
time,the time of Louis XIV., who kindled Europe four times over, thrice in our Kurfurst's day. The
Kurfurst's Dominions, a long straggling country, reaching from Memel to Wesel, could hardly keep out of the
way of any war that might rise. He made himself available, never against the good cause of Protestantism and
German Freedom, yet always in the place and way where his own best advantage was to be had. Louis XIV.
had often much need of him: still oftener, and more pressingly, had Kaiser Leopold, the little Gentleman "in
scarlet stockings, with a red feather in his hat," whom Mr. Savage used to see majestically walking about,
with Austrian lip that said nothing at all. [ A Compleat History of Germany, by Mr. Savage (8vo, London,
1702), p. 553. Who this Mr. Savage was, we have no trace. Prefixed to the volume is the Portrait of a solid
Gentleman of forty: gloomily polite, with ample wig and cravat,in all likelihood some studious subaltern
Diplomatist in the Succession War. His little Book is very lean and barren: but faithfully compiled,and
might have some illumination in it, where utter darkness is so prevalent. Most likely, Addison picked his
story of the Siege of Weinsberg ("Women carrying out their Husbands on their back,"one of his best
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SPECTATORS) out of this poor Book.] His 24,000 excellent fightingmen, thrown in at the right time, were
often a thing that could turn the balance in great questions. They required to be allowed for at a high
rate,which he well knew how to adjust himself for exacting and securing always.
WHAT BECAME OF POMMERN AT THE PEACE; FINAL GLANCE INTO CLEVEJULICH.
When the Peace of Westphalia (1648) concluded that ThirtyYears Conflagration, and swept the ashes of it
into order again, Friedrich Wilhelm's right to Pommern was admitted by everybody: and well insisted on by
himself: but right had to yield to reason of state, and he could not get it. The Swedes insisted on their
expenses: the Swedes held Pommern, had all along held it,in pawn, they said, for their expenses. Nothing
for it but to give the Swedes the better half of Pommern. FOREPommern (so they call it, "Swedish
Pomerania" thenceforth), which lies next the Sea: this, with some Towns and cuttings over and above, was
Sweden's share: Friedrich Wilhelm had to put up with HINDERPommern, docked furthermore of the Town
of Stettin, and of other valuable cuttings, in favor of Sweden. Much to Friedrich Wilhelm's grief and just
anger, could he have helped it.
They gave him Three secularized Bishoprics, Magdeburg, Halberstadt, Minden, with other small remnants,
for compensation; and he had to be content with these for the present. But he never gave up the idea of
Pommern: much of the effort of his life was spent upon recovering ForePommern: thriceeager upon that,
whenever lawful opportunity offered. To no purpose then: he never could recover Swedish Pommern; only
his late descendants, and that by slowish degrees, could recover it all. Readers remember that Burgermeister
of Stettin, with the helmet and sword flung into the grave and picked out again:and can judge whether
Brandenburg got its good luck quite by lying in bed!
Once, and once only, he had a voluntary purpose towards War, and it remained a purpose only. Soon after the
Peace of Westphalia, old PfalzNeuburg, the same who got the slap on the face, went into tyrannous
proceedings against the Protestant part of his subjects in JulichCleve: who called to Friedrich Wilhelm for
help. Friedrich Wilhelm, a zealous Protestant, made remonstrances, retaliations: ere long the thought struck
him, "Suppose, backed by the Dutch, we threw out this fantastic old gentleman, his Papistries, and pretended
claims and self, clear out of it?" This was Friedrich Wilhelm's thought; and he suddenly marched troops into
the Territory, with that view. But Europe was in alarm, the Dutch grew faint: Friedrich Wilhelm saw it would
not do. He had a conference with old PfalzNeuburg: "Young gentleman, we remember how your
Grandfather made free with us and our august countenance! Nevertheless we" In fine, the "statistic of
Treaties" was increased by One: and there the matter rested till calmer times.
In 1666, as already said, an effective Partition of these litigated Territories was accomplished: Prussia to have
the Duchy of CleveProper, the Counties of Mark and Ravensburg, with other Patches and Pertinents:
Neuburg, what was the better share, to have Julich Duchy and Berg Duchy. Furthermore, if either of the
Lines failed, in no sort was a collateral to be admitted: but Brandenburg was to inherit Neuburg, or Neuburg
Brandenburg, as the case might be. [Pauli, v. 120129.] A clear Bargain this at last: and in the times that had
come, it proved executable so far. But if the reader fancies the Lawsuit was at last out in this way, he will be
a simple reader! In the days of our little Fritz, the Line of PfalzNeuburg was evidently ending: but that
Brandenburg and not a collateral should succeed it, there lay the quarrel, open still, as if it had never been
shut: and we shall hear enough about it!
THE GREAT KURFURST'S WARS: WHAT HE ACHIEVED IN WAR AND PEACE.
Friedrich Wilhelm's first actual appearance in War, Polish Swedish War (16551660), was involuntary in
the highest degree: forced upon him for the sake of his Preussen, which bade fair to be lost or ruined, without
blame of his or its. Nevertheless, here too he made his benefit of the affair. The big King of Sweden had a
standing quarrel with his big Cousin of Poland, which broke out into hot War; little Preussen lay between
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them, and was like to be crushed in the collision. Swedish King was Karl Gustav, Christina's Cousin, Charles
Twelfth's Grandfather; a great and mighty man, lion of the North in his time: Polish King was one John
Casimir; chivalrous enough, and with clouds of forward Polish chivalry about him, glittering with barbaric
gold. Frederick III., Danish King for the time being, he also was much involved in the thing. Fain would
Friedrich Wilhelm have kept out of it, but he could not. Karl Gustav as good as forced him to join: he joined;
fought along with Karl Gustav an illustrious Battle; "Battle of Warsaw," three days long (2830th July, l656),
on the skirts of Warsaw,crowds "looking from the upper windows" there; Polish chivalry, broken at last,
going like chaff upon the winds, and John Casimir nearly ruined.
Shortly after which, Friedrich Wilhelm, who had shone much in the Battle, changed sides. An inconsistent,
treacherous man? Perhaps not, O reader; perhaps a man advancing "in circuits," the only way he has; spirally,
face now to east, now to west, with his own reasonable private aim sunclear to him all the while?
John Casimir agreed to give up the "Homage of Preussen" for this service; a grand prize for Friedrich
Wilhelm. [Treaty of Labiau, 10th November, 1656 (Pauli, v. 7375); 20th November (Stenzel, iv. 128,who
always uses NEW STYLE).] What the Teutsch Ritters strove for in vain, and lost their existence in striving
for, the shifty Kurfurst has now got: Ducal Prussia, which is also called East Prussia, is now a free
sovereignty,and will become as "Royal" as the other Polish part. Or perhaps even more so, in the course of
time!Karl Gustav, in a high frame of mind, informs the Kurfurst, that he has him on his books, and will
pay the debt one day!
A dangerous debtor in such matters, this Karl Gustav. In these same months, busy with the Danish part of the
Controversy, he was doing a feat of war, which set all Europe in astonishment. In January, 1658, Karl Gustav
marches his Army, horse, foot and artillery, to the extent of twenty thousand, across the Baltic ice, and takes
an Island without shipping,Island of Funen, across the Little Belt; three miles of ice; and a part of the sea
open, which has to be crossed on planks. Nay, forward from Funen, when once there, he achieves ten whole
miles more of ice; and takes Zealand itself, [Holberg's Danemarkische ReichsHistorie, pp. 406409.]to
the wonder of all mankind. An imperious, sternbrowed, swiftstriking man; who had dreamed of a new
Goth Empire: The mean Hypocrites and Fribbles of the South to be coerced again by noble Norse valor, and
taught a new lesson. Has been known to lay his hand on his sword while apprising an Ambassador (Dutch
HighMightiness) what his royal intentions were: "Not the sale or purchase of groceries, observe you, Sir!
My aims go higher!"Charles Twelfth's Grandfather, and somewhat the same type of man.
But Karl Gustav died, short while after; [13th February, 1660, age 38.] left his big wideraging Northern
Controversy to collapse in what way it could. Sweden and the fightingparties made their "Peace of Oliva"
(Abbey of Oliva, near Dantzig, 1st May, 1660); and this of Preussen was ratified, in all form, among the other
points. No homage more; nothing now above Ducal Prussia but the Heavens; and great times coming for it.
This was one of the successfulest strokes of business ever done by Friedrich Wilhelm; who had been forced,
by sheer compulsion, to embark in that big game."Royal Prussia," the Western or POLISH Prussia: this
too, as all Newspapers know, has, in our times, gone the same road as the other. Which probably, after all, it
may have had, in Nature, some tendency to do? Cut away, for reasons, by the Polish sword, in that Battle of
Tannenberg, long since; and then, also for reasons, cut back again! That is the fact;not unexampled in
human History.
Old Johann Casimir, not long after that Peace of Oliva, getting tired of his unruly Polish chivalry and their
ways, abdicated; retired to Paris; and "lived much with Ninon de 1'Enclos and her circle," for the rest of
his life. He used to complain of his Polish chivalry, that there was no solidity in them; nothing but outside
glitter, with tumult and anarchic noise; fatal want of one essential talent, the talent of Obeying; and has been
heard to prophesy that a glorious Republic, persisting in such courses, would arrive at results which would
surprise it.
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Onward from this time, Friedrich Wilhelm figures in the world; public men watching his procedure; Kings
anxious to secure him, Dutch printsellers sticking up his Portraits for a hero worshipping Public. Fighting
hero, had the Public known it, was not his essential character, though he had to fight a great deal. He was
essentially an Industrial man; great in organizing, regulating, in constraining chaotic heaps to become cosmic
for him. He drains bogs, settles colonies in the wasteplaces of his Dominions, cuts canals; unweariedly
encourages trade and work. The FRIEDRICHWILHELM'S CANAL, which still carries tonnage from the
Oder to the Spree, [Executed, 16621668; fifteen English miles long (Busching, ERDBESCHREIBUNG, vi,
2193).] is a monument of his zeal in this way; creditable, with the means he had. To the poor French
Protestants, in the EdictofNantes Affair, he was like an express Benefit of Heaven: one Helper appointed,
to whom the help itself was profitable. He munificently welcomed them to Brandenburg; showed really a
noble piety and human pity, as well as judgment; nor did Brandenburg and he want their reward. Some
20,000 nimble French souls, evidently of the best French quality, found a home there;made "waste sands
about Berlin into potherb gardens;" and in the spiritual Brandenburg, too, did something of horticulture,
which is still noticeable. [Erman (weak Biographer of Queen SophieCharlotte, already cited), Memoires
pour sevir a l'Histoire den Refugies Francais dans les Etats du Roi de Prusse (Berlin, 17821794), 8 tt. 8vo.]
Certainly this Elector was one of the shiftiest of men. Not an unjust man either. A pious, Godfearing man
rather, stanch to his Protestantism and his Bible; not unjust by any means,nor, on the other hand, by any
means thickskinned in his interpretings of justice: Fairplay to myself always; or occasionally even the
Height of Fairplay! On the whole, by constant energy, vigilance, adroit activity, by an everready insight
and audacity to seize the passing fact by its right handle, he fought his way well in the world; left
Brandenburg a flourishing and greatly increased Country, and his own name famous enough.
A thickset stalwart figure; with brisk eyes, and high strong irregularly Roman nose. Good bronze Statue of
him, by Schluter, once a famed man, still rides on the LANGEBRUCKE (LongBridge) at Berlin; and his
Portrait, in huge frizzled LouisQuatorze wig, is frequently met with in German Galleries. Collectors of
Dutch Prints, too, know him: here a gallant, eaglefeatured little gentleman, brisk in the smiles of youth, with
plumes, with truncheon, caprioling on his warcharger, view of tents in the distance;there a sedate,
ponderous, wrinkly old man, eyes slightly puckered (eyes BUSIER than mouth); a face wellploughed by
Time, and not found unfruitful; one of the largest, most laborious, potent faces (in an ocean of circumambient
periwig) to be met with in that Century. [Both Prints are Dutch; the Younger, my copy of the Younger, has
lost the Engraver's Name (Kurfurst's age is twentyseven); the Elder is by MASSON, 1633, when Friedrich
Wilhelm was sixtythree.] There are many Histories about him, too; but they are not comfortable to read. [G.
D. Geyler, Leben und Thaten Friedrich Wihelms des Grossen (Frankfort and Leipzig, 1703), folio. Franz
Horn, Das Leben Friedrich Wilhelms des Grossen (Berlin, 1814). Pauli, StaatsGeschichte, Band v. (Halle,
1764). Pufendorf, De rebus gestis Friderici Wilhelmi Magni Electoris Brandenburgensis Commentaria (Lips.
et Berol. 1733, fol.)] He also has wanted a sacred Poet; and found only a bewildering Dryasdust.
His Two grand Feats that dwell in the Prussian memory are perhaps none of his greatest, but were of a kind to
strike the imagination. They both relate to what was the central problem of his life,the recovery of
Pommern from the Swedes. Exploit First is the famed "Battle of FEHRBELLIN (Ferry of BellEEN)," fought
on the 18th June, 1675. Fehrbellin is an inconsiderable Town still standing in those peaty regions, some
fiveandthirty miles northwest of Berlin; and had for ages plied its poor Ferry over the oilylooking, brown,
sluggish stream called Rhin, or Rhein in those parts, without the least notice from mankind, till this fell out. It
is a place of pilgrimage to patriotic Prussians, ever since Friedrich Wilhelm's exploit there. The matter went
thus:
Friedrich Wilhelm was fighting, far south in Alsace, on Kaiser Leopold's side, in the LouisFourteenth War;
that second one, which ended in the treaty of Nimwegen. Doing his best there,when the Swedes, egged on
by Louis XIV., made war upon him; crossed the Pomeranian marches, troop after troop, and invaded his
Brandenburg Territory with a force which at length amounted to some 16,000 men. No help for the moment:
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Friedrich Wilhelm could not be spared from his post. The Swedes, who had at first professed well, gradually
went into plunder, roving, harrying, at their own will; and a melancholy time they made of it for Friedrich
Wilhelm and his People. Lucky if temporary harm were all the ill they were likely to do; lucky if! He
stood steady, however; in his solid manner, finishing the thing in hand first, since that was feasible. He then
even retired into winterquarters, to rest his men; and seemed to have left the Swedish 16,000 autocrats of the
situation; who accordingly went storming about at a great rate.
Not so, however; very far indeed from so. Having rested his men for certain months, Friedrich Wilhelm
silently in the first days of June (1675) gets them under march again; marches, his Cavalry and he as first
instalment, with best speed from Schweinfurt, [Stenzel, ii. 347.] which is on the river Main, to Magdeburg; a
distance of two hundred miles. At Magdeburg, where he rests three days, waiting for the first handful of foot
and a field piece or two, he learns that the Swedes are in three parties wide asunder; the middle party of
them within forty miles of him. Probably stronger, even this middle one, than his small body (of "six
thousand Horse, twelve hundred Foot and three guns"); stronger, but capable perhaps of being surprised,
of being cut in pieces, before the others can come up? Rathenau is the nearest skirt of this middle party:
thither goes the Kurfurst, softly, swiftly, in the June night (1617th June, 1675); gets into Rathenau, by brisk
stratagem; tumbles out the Swedish Horse regiment there, drives it back towards Fehrbellin.
He himself follows hard;swift riding enough, in the summer night, through those damp Havel lands, in the
old Hohenzollern fashion: and indeed old Freisack Castle, as it chances,Freisack, scene of Dietrich von
Quitzow and LAZY PEG long since,is close by! Follows hard, we say: strikes in upon this midmost party
(nearly twice his number, but Infantry for the most part); and after fierce fight, done with good talent on both
sides, cuts it into utter ruin, as proposed. Thereby he has left the Swedish Army as a mere head and tail
WITHOUT body; has entirely demolished the Swedish Army. [Stenzel, ii. 350357.] Same feat intrinsically
as that done by Cromwell, on Hamilton and the Scots, in 1648. It was, so to speak, the last visit Sweden paid
to Brandenburg, or the last of any consequence; and ended the domination of the Swedes in those quarters. A
thing justly to be forever remembered by Brandenburg;on a smallish modern scale, the Bannockburn,
Sempach, Marathon, of Brandenburg. [See Pauli, v. 161169; Stenzel, ii. 335, 340347, 354; Kausler, Atlas
des plus memorables Batailles, Combats et Sieges, or Atlas der merkwurdigsten Schlachten, Treffen und
Belagerungen (German and French, Carlsruhe and Freiburg, 1831), p. 417, Blatt 62.]
Exploit Second was four years later; in some sort a corollary to this; and a windingup of the Swedish
business. The Swedes, in farther prosecution of their LouisFourteenth speculation, had invaded Preussen
this time, and were doing sad havoc there. It was in the dead of winter, Christmas, 1678, more than four
hundred miles off; and the Swedes, to say nothing of their other havoc, were in a case to take Konigsberg,
and ruin Prussia altogether, if not prevented. Friedrich Wilhelm starts from Berlin, with the opening Year, on
his long march; the Horsetroops first, Foot to follow at their swiftest; he himself (his Wife, his evertrue
"Louisa," accompanying, as her wont was) travels, towards the end, at the rate of "sixty miles a day." He gets
in still in time, finds Konigsberg unscathed. Nay it is even said, the Swedes are extensively falling sick;
having, after a long famine, found infinite "pigs, near Insterburg," in those remote regions, and indulged in
the fresh pork overmuch.
I will not describe the subsequent manoeuvres, which would interest nobody: enough if I say that on the 16th
of January, 1679, it had become of the highest moment for Friedrich Wilhelm to get from Carwe (Village
near Elbing) on the shore of the FRISCHE HAF, where he was, through Konigsberg, to Gilge on the
CURISCHE HAF, where the Swedes are,in a minimum of time. Distance, as the crow flies, is about a
hundred miles; road, which skirts the two HAFS [Pauli, v. 215222; Stenzel, ii. 392397.] (wide shallow
WASHES, as we should name them), is of rough quality, and naturally circuitous. It is ringing frost today,
and for days back:Friedrich Wilhelm hastily gathers all the sledges, all the horses of the district; mounts
some four thousand men in sledges; starts, with the speed of light, in that fashion. Scours along all day, and
after the intervening bit of land, again along; awakening the icebound silences. Gloomy Frische Haf, wrapt
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in its Winter cloudcoverlids, with its wastes of tumbled sand, its poor frost bound fishinghamlets,
pinehillocks,desolatelooking, stern as Greenland or more so, says Busching, who travelled there in
wintertime, [Busching's Beitrage (Halle, 1789), vi. 160.]hears unexpected human noises, and huge
grinding and trampling; the four thousand, in long fleet of sledges, scouring across it, in that manner. All day
they rush along,out of the rimy hazes of morning into the olivecolored clouds of evening again,with
huge loudgrinding rumble;and do arrive in time at Gilge. A notable streak of things, shooting across
those frozen solitudes, in the NewYear, 1679;little short of Karl Gustav's feat, which we heard of, in the
other or Danish end of the Baltic, twenty years ago, when he took Islands without ships.
This Second Exploitsuggested or not by that prior one of Karl Gustav on the iceis still a thing to be
remembered by Hohenzollerns and Prussians. The Swedes were beaten here, on Friedrich Wilhelm's rapid
arrival; were driven into disastrous rapid retreat Northward; which they executed, in hunger and cold;
fighting continually, like Northern bears, under the grim sky; Friedrich Wilhelm sticking to their
skirts,holding by their tail, like an angry bearward with steel whip in his hand. A thing which, on the
small scale, reminds one of Napoleon's experiences. Not till Napoleon's huge fightingflight, a hundred and
thirty four years after, did I read of such a transaction in those parts. The Swedish invasion of Preussen has
gone utterly to ruin.
And this, then, is the end of Sweden, and its bad neighborhood on these shores, where it has tyrannously sat
on our skirts so long? Swedish Pommern the Elector already had: last year, coming towards it ever since the
Exploit of Fehrbellin, he had invaded Swedish Pommern; had besieged and taken Stettin, nay Stralsund too,
where Wallenstein had failed;cleared Pommern altogether of its Swedish guests. Who had tried next in
Preussen, with what luck we see. Of Swedish Pommern the Elector might now say: "Surely it is mine; again
mine, as it long was; well won a second time, since the first would not do!" But no:Louis XIV. proved a
gentleman to his Swedes. Louis, now that the Peace of Nimwegen had come, and only the Elector of
Brandenburg was still in harness, said steadily, though anxious enough to keep well with the Elector: "They
are my allies, these Swedes; it was on my bidding they invaded you: can I leave them in such a pass? It must
not be!" So Pommern had to be given back. A miss which was infinitely grievous to Friedrich Wilhelm. The
most victorious Elector cannot hit always, were his right never so good.
Another miss which he had to put up with, in spite of his rights, and his good services, was that of the
Silesian Duchies. The HeritageFraternity with Liegnitz had at length, in 1675, come to fruit. The last Duke
of Liegnitz was dead: Duchies of Liegnitz, of Brieg, Wohlau, are Brandenburg's, if there were right done! But
Kaiser Leopold in the scarlet stockings will not hear of HeritageFraternity. "Nonsense!" answers Kaiser
Leopold: "A thing suppressed at once, ages ago; by Imperial power: flat ZERO of a thing at this time;and
you, I again bid you, return me your Papers upon it!" This latter act of duty Friedrich Wilhelm would not do;
but continued insisting. [Pauli, v. 321.] "Jagerndorf at least, O Kaiser of the world," said he; "Jagerndorf,
there is no color for your keeping that!" To which the Kaiser again answers, "Nonsense!"and even falls
upon astonishing schemes about it, as we shall see;but gives nothing. Ducal Preussen is sovereign, Cleve is
at Peace, HinterPommern ours;this Elector has conquered much: but the Silesian Heritages and
VorPommern, and some other things, he will have to do without. Louis XIV., it is thought, once offered to
get him made King; [Ib. vii. 215.] but that he declined for the present.
His married and domestic life is very fine and human; especially with that OranienNassau Princess, who
was his first Wife (16461667); Princess Louisa of NassauOrange; Aunt to our own Dutch William, King
William III., in time coming. An excellent wise Princess; from whom came the Orange Heritages, which
afterwards proved difficult to settle:Orange was at last exchanged for the small Principality of Neufchatel
in Switzerland, which is Prussia's ever since. "Oranienburg (ORANGEBURG)," a Royal Countryhouse,
still standing, some twenty miles northwards from Berlin, was this Louisa's place: she had trimmed it up into
a little jewel, of the Dutch type,potherb gardens, training schools for young girls, and the like;a
favorite abode of hers, when she was at liberty for recreation. But her life was busy and earnest: she was
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helpmate, not in name only, to an everbusy man. They were married young; a marriage of love withal.
Young Friedrich Wilhelm's courtship, wedding in Holland; the honest trustful walk and conversation of the
two Sovereign Spouses, their journeyings together, their mutual hopes, fears and manifold vicissitudes; till
Death, with stern beauty, shut it in: all is human, true and wholesome in it; interesting to look upon, and
rare among sovereign persons.
Not but that he had his troubles with his womankind. Even with this his first Wife, whom he loved truly, and
who truly loved him, there were scenes; the Lady having a judgment of her own about everything that passed,
and the Man being choleric withal. Sometimes, I have heard, "he would dash his hat at her feet," saying
symbolically, "Govern you, then, Madam! Not the KurfurstHat; a Coif is my wear, it seems!" [Forster,
Friedrich Wilhelm I. Konig von Preussen (Potsdam, 1834), i. 177.] Yet her judgment was good; and he liked
to have it on the weightiest things, though her powers of silence might halt now and then. He has been
known, on occasion, to run from his PrivyCouncil to her apartment, while a complex matter was debating,
to ask her opinion, hers too, before it was decided. Excellent Louisa; Princess full of beautiful piety,
goodsense and affection; a touch of the NassauHeroic in her. At the moment of her death, it is said, when
speech had fled, he felt, from her hand which lay in his, three slight, slight pressures: "Farewell!" thrice
mutely spoken in that manner,not easy to forget in this world. [Wegfuhrer, Leben der Kurfurstin Luise
(Leipzig, 1838), p. 175.]
His second Wife, Dorothea,who planted the Lindens in Berlin, and did other husbandries, of whom we
have heard, fell far short of Louisa in many things; but not in tendency to advise, to remonstrate, and
plaintively reflect on the finished and unalterable. Dreadfully thrifty lady, moreover; did much in dairy
produce, farming of townrates, provisiontaxes: not to speak again of that Tavern she was thought to have
in Berlin, and to draw custom to in an oblique manner! What scenes she had with Friedrich her stepson, we
have seen. "Ah, I have not my Louisa now; to whom now shall I run for advice or help!" would the poor
Kurfurst at times exclaim.
He had some trouble, considerable trouble now and then, with mutinous spirits in Preussen; men standing on
antique Prussian franchises and parchments; refusing to see that the same were now antiquated, incompatible,
not to say impossible, as the new Sovereign alleged; and carrying themselves very stiffly at times. But the
Hohenzollerns had been used to such things; a Hohenzollern like this one would evidently take his measures,
soft but strong, and ever stronger to the needful pitch, with mutinous spirits. One Burgermeister of
Konigsberg, after much stroking on the back, was at length seized in open Hall, by Electoral writ,soldiers
having first gently barricaded the principal streets, and brought cannon to bear upon them. This
Burgermeister, seized in such brief way, lay prisoner for life; refusing to ask his liberty, though it was thought
he might have had it on asking. [Horn, Das Leben Friedrich Wilhelms des Grossen (Berlin, 1814), p. 68.]
Another gentleman, a Baron von Kalkstein, of old TeutschBitter kin, of very high ways, in the Provincial
Estates (STANDE) and elsewhere, got into lofty almost solitary opposition, and at length into mutiny proper,
against the new "NonPolish SOVEREIGN," and flatly refused to do homage at his accession in that new
capacity. [Supra, pp. 383, et seqq.] Refused, Kalkstein did, for his share; fled to Warsaw; and very fiercely, in
a loud manner, carried on his mutinies in the Diets and CourtConclaves there; his plea being, or plea for the
time, "Poland is our liege lord [which it was not always], and we cannot be transferred to you, except by our
consent asked and given," which too had been a little neglected on the former occasion of transfer. So that the
Great Elector knew not what to do with Kalkstein; and at length (as the case was pressing) had him
kidnapped by his Ambassador at Warsaw; had him "rolled into a carpet" there, and carried swiftly in the
Ambassador's coach, in the form of luggage, over the frontier, into his native Province, there to be judged,
and, in the end (since nothing else would serve him), to have the sentence executed, and his head cut off. For
the case was pressing! [Horn, pp. 8082.]These things, especially this of Kalkstein, with a boisterous
Polish Diet and parliamentary eloquence in the rear of him, gave rise to criticism; and required management
on the part of the Great Elector.
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Of all his Ancestors, our little Fritz, when he grew big, admired this oue. A man made like himself in many
points. He seems really to have loved and honored this one. In the year 1750 there had been a new Cathedral
got finished at Berlin; the ancestral bones had to be shifted over from the vaults of the old one,the
buryingplace ever since Joachim II., that Joachim who drew his sword on Alba. "King Friedrich, with some
attendants, witnessed the operation, January, 1750. When the Great Kurfurst's coffin came, he made them
open it; gazed in silence on the features for some time, which were perfectly recognizable; laid his hand on
the hand long dead, and said, 'Messieurs, celuici a fait de grandes choses (This one did a great work)!'"
[See Preuss, i. 270.]
He died 29th April, 1688;looking with intense interest upon Dutch William's preparations to produce a
Glorious Revolution in this Island; being always of an ardent Protestant feeling, and a sincerely religious
man. Friedrich, CrownPrince, age then thirtyone, and already married a second time, was of course left
Chief Heir;who, as we see, has not declined the Kingship, when a chance for it offered. There were four
Halfbrothers of Friedrich, too, who got apanages, appointments. They had at one time confidently looked
for much more, their Mother being busy; but were obliged to be content, and conform to the GERA BOND
and fundamental Laws of the Country. They are entitled Margraves; two of whom left children, Margraves of
BrandenburgSchwedt, HEERMEISTERS (Head of the MaltaKnighthood) at Sonnenburg, Statthalters in
Magdeburg, or I know not what; whose names turn up confusedly in the Prussian Books; and, except as
temporary genealogical puzzles, are not of much moment to the Foreign reader. Happily there is nothing else
in the way of Princes of the Blood, in our little Friedrich's time; and happily what concern he had with these,
or how he was related to them, will not be abstruse to us, if occasion rise.
Chapter XIX. KING FRIEDRICH I. AGAIN.
We said the Great Elector never could work his Silesian Duchies out of Kaiser Leopold's grip: to all his
urgencies the little Kaiser in red stockings answered only in evasions, refusals; and would quit nothing. We
noticed also what quarrels the young Electoral Prince, Friedrich, afterwards King, had got into with his
Stepmother; suddenly feeling poisoned after dinner, running to his Aunt at Cassel, coming back on treaty,
and the like. These are two facts which the reader knows: and out of these two grew a third, which it is fit he
should know.
In his last years, the Great Elector, worn out with labor, and harassed with such domestic troubles over and
above, had evidently fallen much under his Wife's management; cutting out large apanages (clear against the
GERA BOND) for her children;longing probably for quiet in his family at any price. As to the poor young
Prince, negotiated back from Cassel, he lived remote, and had fallen into open disfavor,with a very ill
effect upon his funds, for one thing. His father kept him somewhat tight on the moneyside, it is alleged; and
he had rather a turn for spending money handsomely. He was also in some alarm about the proposed
apanages to his Halfbrothers, the Margraves above mentioned, of which there were rumors going.
HOW AUSTRIA SETTLED THE SILESIAN CLAIMS.
Now in these circumstances the Austrian Court, who at this time (1685) greatly needed the Elector's help
against Turks and others, and found him very urgent about these Silesian Duchies of his, fell upon what I
must call a very extraordinary shift for getting rid of the Silesian question. "Serene Highness," said they, by
their Ambassador at Berlin, "to end these troublesome talks, and to liquidate all claims, admissible and
inadmissible, about Silesia, the Imperial Majesty will give you an actual bit of Territory, valuable, though not
so large as you expected!" The Elector listens with both ears: What Territory, then? The "Circle of
Schwiebus," hanging on the northwestern edge of Silesia, contiguous to the Elector's own Dominions in these
FrankfurtonOder regions: this the generous Imperial Majesty proposes to give in feesimple to Friedrich
Wilhelm, and so to end the matter. Truly a most small patch of Territory in comparison; not bigger than an
English Rutlandshire, to say nothing of soil and climate! But then again it was an actual patch of territory; not
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a mere parchment shadow of one: this last was a tempting point to the old harassed Elector. Such friendly
offer they made him, I think, in 1685, at the time they were getting 8,000 of his troops to march against the
Turks for them; a very needful service at the moment. "By the bye, do not march through Silesia, you! Or
march faster!" said the cautious Austrians on this occasion: "Other roads will answer better than Silesia!" said
they. [Pauli, v. 327, 332.] Baron Freytag, their Ambassador at Berlin, had negotiated the affair so far: "Circle
of Schwiebus," said Freytag, "and let us have done with these thorny talks!"
But Baron Freytag had been busy, in the mean while, with the young Prince; secretly offering Sympathy,
counsel, help; of all which the poor Prince stood in need enough. "We will help you in that dangerous matter
of the Apanages," said Freytag; "Help you in all things,"I suppose he would say,"necessary
pocketmoney is not a thing your Highness need want!" And thus Baron Freytag, what is very curious, had
managed to bargain beforehand with the young Prince, That directly on coming to power, he would give up
Schwiebus again, SHOULD the offer of Schwiebus be accepted by Papa. To which effect Baron Freytag held
a signed Bond, duly executed by the young man, before Papa had concluded at all. Which is very curious
indeed!
Poor old Papa, worn out with troubles, accepted Schwiebus in liquidation of all claims (8th April, 1686), and
a few days after set his men on march against the Turks:and, exactly two months beforehand, on the 8th of
February last, the Prince had signed HIS secret engagement, That Schwiebus should be a mere phantasm to
Papa; that he, the Prince, would restore it on his accession. Both these singular Parcbments, signed, sealed
and done in the due legal form, lay simultaneously in Freytag's hand; and probably enough they exist yet, in
some dusty corner, among the solemn sheepskins of the world. This is literally the plan hit upon by an
Imperial Court, to assist a young Prince in his pecuniary and other difllculties, and get rid of Silesian claims.
Plan actually not unlike that of swindling moneylenders to a young gentleman in difficulties, and of
manageable turn, who has got into their hands.
The Great Elector died two years after; Schwiebus then in his hand. The new Elector, once instructed as to
the nature of the affair, refused to give up Schwiebus; [19th September, 1689 Pauli, vii. 74).] declared the
transaction a swindle:and in fact, for seven years more, retained possession of Schwiebus. But the Austrian
Court insisted, with emphasis, at length with threats (no insuperable pressure from Louis, or the Turks, at this
time); the poor cheated Elector had, at last, to give up Schwiebus, in terms of his promise. [31st December,
1694.] He took act that it had been a surreptitious transaction, palmed upon him while ignorant, and while
without the least authority or power to make such a promise; that he was not bound by it, nor would be,
except on compulsion thus far: and as to binding Brandenburg by it, how could he, at that period of his
history, bind Brandenburg? Brandenburg was not then his to bind, any more than China was.
His Raths had advised Friedrich against giving up Schwiebus in that manner. But his answer is on record: "I
must, I will and shall keep my own word. But my rights on Silesia, which I could not, and do not in these
unjust circumstances, compromise, I leave intact for my posterity to prosecute. If God and the course of
events order it no otherwise than now, we must be content. But if God shall one day send the opportunity,
those that come after me will know what they have to do in such case." [Pauli, vii. 150.] And so Schwiebus
was given up, the Austrians paying back what Brandenburg had laid out in improving it, "250,000 GULDEN
(25,000 pounds);"and the Hand of Power had in this way, finally as it hoped, settled an old troublesome
account of Brandenburg's. Settled the SilesianDuchies Claim, by the temporary Phantasm of a Gift of
Schwiebus. That is literally the LiegnitzJagerndorf case; and the reader is to note it and remember it. For it
will turn up again in History. The Hand of Power is very strong: but a stronger may perhaps get hold of its
knuckles one day, at an advantageous time, and do a feat upon it.
The "eventual succession to East Friesland," which had been promised by the Reich, some ten years ago, to
the Great Elector, "for what he had done against the Turks, and what he had suffered from those Swedish
Invasions, in the Common Cause:" this shadow of Succession, the Kaiser now said, should not be haggled
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with any more; but be actually realized, and the Imperial sanction to it now given,effect to follow IF the
Friesland Line died out. Let this be some consolation for the loss of Schwiebus and your Silesian Duchies.
Here in Friesland is the ghost of a coming possession; there in Schwiebus was the ghost of a going one:
phantasms you shall not want for; but the Hand of Power parts not with its realities, however come by.
HIS REAL CHARACTER.
Poor Friedrich led a conspicuous life as Elector and King; but no public feat he did now concerns us like this
private one of Schwiebus. Historically important, this, and requiring to be remembered, while so much else
demands mere oblivion from us. He was a spirited man; did soldierings, fine Siege of Bonn (JulyOctober,
1689), sieges and campaignings, in person,valiant in action, royal especially in patience there,during
that Third War of LouisFourteenth's, the TreatyofRyswick one. All through the Fourth, or Spanish
SuccessionWar, his Prussian TenThousand, led by fit generals, showed eminently what stuff they were
made of. Witness Leopold of AnhaltDessau (still a YOUNG Dessauer) on the field of Blenheim;Leopold
had the right wing there, and saved Prince Eugene who was otherwise blown to pieces, while Marlborough
stormed and conquered on the left. Witness the same Dessauer on the field of Hochstadt the year before,
[Varnhagen von Ense, Biographische Denkmale (Berlin, 1845), ii, 155.] how he managed the retreat there. Or
see him at the Bridge of Cassano (1705); in the Lines of Turin (1706); [ Des weltberuhnden Furstens
Leopoldi von AnhultDessau Leben und Thaten (Leipzig, 1742, anonymous, by one MICHAEL RANFFT),
pp. 53, 61.] wherever hot service was on hand. At Malplaquet, in those murderous inexpugnable French
Lines, bloodiest of obstinate Fights (upwards of thirty thousand left on the ground), the Prussians brag that it
was they who picked their way through a certain peatbog, reckoned impassable; and got fairly in upon the
French wing,to the huge comfort of Marlborough, and little Eugene his brisk comrade on that occasion.
Marlborough knew well the worth of these Prussian troops, and also how to stroke his Majesty into
continuing them in the field.
He was an expensive King, surrounded by cabals, by Wartenbergs male and female, by whirlpools of
intrigues, which, now that the game is over, become very forgettable. But one finds he was a strictly
honorable man; with a certain height and generosity of mind, capable of other nobleness than the upholstery
kind. He had what we may call a hard life of it; did and suffered a good deal in his day and generation, not at
all in a dishonest or unmanful manner. In fact, he is quite recognizably a Hohenzollern,with his back half
broken. Readers recollect that sad accident: how the Nurse, in one of those headlong journeys which his
Father and Mother were always making, let the poor child fall or jerk backward; and spoiled him much, and
indeed was thought to have killed him, by that piece of inattention. He was not yet Hereditary Prince, he was
only second son: but the elder died; and he became Elector, King; and had to go with his spine
distorted,distortion not glaringly conspicuous, though undeniable;and to act the Hohenzollern SO. Nay
who knows but it was this very jerk, and the halfruin of his nervous system,this doubled wish to be
beautiful, and this crooked back capable of being hid or decorated into straightness,that first set the poor
man on thinking of expensive ornamentalities, and Kingships in particular? History will forgive the Nurse in
that case.
Perhaps History has dwelt too much on the blind side of this expensive King. Toland, on entering his country,
was struck rather with the signs of good administration everywhere. No sooner have you crossed the Prussian
Border, out of Westphalia, says Toland, than smooth highways, welltilled fields, and a general air of
industry and regularity, are evident: solid milestones, brassbound, and with brass inscription, tell the
traveller where he is; who finds due guidance of fingerposts, too, and the blessing of habitable inns. The
people seem all to be busy, diligently occupied; villages reasonably swept and whitewashed; never was a
better set of Parish Churches; whether newbuilt or old, they are all in brandnew repair. The contrast with
Westphalia is immediate and great; but indeed that was a sad country, to anybody but a patient Toland, who
knows the causes of phenomena. No inns there, except of the naturally savage sort. "A man is very happy if
he finds clean straw to sleep on, without expecting sheets or coverings; let him readily dispense with plates,
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forks and napkins, if he can get anything to eat. . . . He must be content to have the cows, swine and poultry
for his fellowlodgers, and to go in at the same passage that the smoke comes out at, for there's no other vent
for it but the door; which makes foreigners commonly say that the people of Westphalia enter their houses by
the chimney." And observe withal: "This is the reason why their beef and hams are so finely prepared and
ripened; for the fireplace being backwards, the smoke must spread over all the house before it gets to the
door; which makes everything within of a russet or sable color, not excepting the hands and faces of the
meaner sort." [ An Account of the Courts of Prussia and Hanover, by Mr. Toland (cited already), p. 4.] If
Prussia yield to Westphalia in ham, in all else she is strikingly superior.
He founded Universities, this poor King; University of Halle; Royal Academy of Berlin, Leibnitz presiding:
he fought for Protestantism;did what he could for the cause of Cosmos VERSUS Chaos, after his fashion.
The magnificences of his Charlottenburgs, Oranienburgs and numerous Countryhouses make Toland almost
poetic. An affable kindly man withal, though quick of temper; his word sacred to him. A man of many
troubles, and acquainted with "the infinitely little (L'INFINIMENT PETIT)," as his Queen termed it.
Chapter XX. DEATH OF KING FRIEDRICH I.
Old King Friedrich I. had not much more to do in the world, after witnessing the christening of his Grandson
of like name. His leading forth or sending forth of troops, his multiplex negotiations, solemn ceremonials, sad
changes of ministry, sometimes transacted "with tears," are mostly ended; the everwhirling dustvortex of
intrigues, of which he has been the centre for a fiveandtwenty years, is settling down finally towards
everlasting rest. No more will Marlborough come and dexterously talk him over,proud to "serve as
cupbearer," on occasion, to so high a Kingfor new bodies of men to help in the next campaign: we have
ceased to be a King worthy of such a cupbearer, and Marlborough's campaigns too are all ended.
Much is ended. They are doing the sorrowful Treaty of Utrecht; Louis XIV. himself is ending; mournfully
shrunk into the corner, with his Missal and his Maintenon; looking back with just horror on Europe four
times set ablaze for the sake of one poor mortal in big periwig, to no purpose. Lucky if perhaps Missalwork,
orthodox litanies, and even Protestant Dragonnades, can have virtue to wipe out such a score against a man!
Unhappy Louis: the sunbright gold has become dim as copper; we rose in storms, and we are setting in
watery clouds. The Kaiser himself (Karl VI., Leopold's Son, Joseph I.'s younger Brother) will have to
conform to this Treaty of Utrecht: what other possibility for him?
The English, always a wonderful Nation, fought and subsidied from side to side of Europe for this
SpanishSuceession business; fought ten years, such fighting as they never did before or since, under "John
Duke of Marlborough," who, as is well known, "beat the French thorough and thorough." French entirely
beaten at last, not without heroic difficulty and as noble talent as was ever shown in diplomacy and war, are
ready to do your will in all things; in this of giving up Spain, among others:whereupon the English turn
round, with a sudden new thought, "No, we will not have our WILL done; it shall be the other way, the way it
WAS,now that we bethink ourselves, after all this fighting for our will!" And make Peace on those terms,
as if no war had been; and accuse the great Marlborough of many things, of theft for one. A wonderful
People; and in their Continental Politics (which indeed consist chiefly of Subsidies) thrice wonderful. So the
Treaty of Utrecht is transacting itself; which that of Rastadt, on the part of Kaiser and Empire, unable to get
on without Subsidies, will have to follow: and after such quantities of powder burnt, and courageous lives
wasted, general ASYOUWERE is the result arrived at.
Old Friedrich's Ambassadors are present at Utrecht, jangling and pleading among the rest; at Berlin too the
despatch of business goes lumbering on; but what thing, in the shape of business, at Utrecht or at Berlin, is of
much importance to the old man? Seems as if Enrope itself were waxing dim, and sinking to stupid
sleep,as we, in our poor royal person, full surely are. A Crown has been achieved, and diamond buttons
worth 1,500 pounds apiece; but what is a Crown, and what are buttons, after all?I suppose the tattle and
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SINGERIES of little Wilhelmina, whom he would spend whole days with; this and occasional visits to a
young Fritzchen's cradle, who is thriving moderately, and will speak and do aperies one day,are his main
solacements in the days that are passing. Much of this Friedrich's life has gone off like the smoke of
fireworks, has faded sorrowfully, and proved phantasmal. Here is an old Autograph Note, written by him at
the side of that Cradle, and touching on a slight event there; which, as it connects two venerable
Correspondents and their Seventeenth Century with a grand Phenomenon of the Eighteenth, we will insert
here. The old King addresses his older Motherinlaw, famed Electress Sophie of Hanover, in these terms
(spelling corrected):
"CHARLOTTENBURG, den 30 August, 1712.
"Ew. Churf. Durchlaucht werden sich zweifelsohne mit uns erfreuen, dass der kleine Printz (PRINZ)
Fritz nuhnmero (NUNMEHR) 6 Zehne (ZAHNE) hat und ohne die geringste incommoditet (TAT). Daraus
kann man auch die PREDESTINATION sehen, dass alle seine Bruder haben daran sterben mussen, dieser
aber bekommt sie ohne Muhe wie seine Schwester. Gott erhalte ihn uns noch lange zum trohst (TROST), in
dessen Schutz ich dieselbe ergebe und lebenslang verbleibe,
"Ew. Churf. Durchl. gehorsamster Diener und treuer Sohn,
"FRIEDRICH R."
[Preuss, Friedrich der Grosse (Historische Skizze, Berlin, 1838), p. 380.
Of which this is the literal English:
"Your Electoral Serenity will doubtless rejoice with us that the little Prince Fritz has now got his sixth
tooth without the least INCOMMODITE. And therein we may trace a predestination, inasmuch as his
Brothers died of teething [ Not of cannonsound and weight of headgear, then, your Majesty thinks? That
were a painful thought? ]; and this one, as his Sister [WILHELMINA] did, gets them [THE TEETH] without
trouble. God preserve him long for a comfort to us:to whose protection I commit DIESELBE [ Your
Electoral Highness, in the third person ], and remain lifelong,
"Your Electoral Highness's most obedient Servant and true Son,
"FRIEDRICH REX."
One of Friedrich Rex's worst adventures was his latest; commenced some five or six years ago (1708), and
now not far from terminating. He was a Widower, of weakly constitution, towards fifty: his beautiful
ingenious "Serena," with all her Theologies, pinchofsnuff Coronations and other earthly troubles, was
dead; and the task of continuing the Hohenzollern progeny, given over to Friedrich Wilhelm the Prince
Royal, was thought to be in good hands. Majesty Friedrich with the weak back had retired, in 1708, to
Karlsbad, to rest from his cares; to take the salutary waters, and recruit his weak nerves a little. Here, in the
course of confidential promenadings, it was hinted, it was represented to him by some pickthank of a courtier,
That the task of continuing the Hohenzollern progeny did not seem to prosper in the present good hands; that
Sophie Dorothee, Princess Royal, had already borne two royal infants which had speedily died: that in fact it
was to be gathered from the medical men, if not from their words, then from their looks and cautious
innuendoes, that Sophie Dorothee, Princess Royal, would never produce a Prince or even Princess that would
live; which task, therefore, did now again seem to devolve upon his Majesty, if his Majesty had not
insuperable objections? Majesty had no insuperable objections; old Majesty listened to the flattering tale;
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Chapter XX. DEATH OF KING FRIEDRICH I. 144
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and, sure enough, he smarted for it in a signal manner.
By due industry, a Princess was fixed upon for Bride, Princess Sophie Louisa of MecklenburgSchwerin, age
now twentyfour: she was got as Wife, and came home to Berlin in all pomp;but good came not with her
to anybody there. Not only did she bring the poor old man no children, which was a fault to be overlooked,
considering Sophie Dorothee's success; but she brought a querulous, weak and selfsufficient female humor;
found his religion heterodox,he being Calvinist, and perhaps even laxCalvinist, she Lutheran as the
Prussian Nation is, and strict to the bone:heterodox wholly, to the length of no salvation possible; and
times rose on the Berlin Court such as had never been seen before! "No salvation possible, says my Dearest?
Hah! And an innocent CourtMask or Dancing Soiree is criminal in the sight of God and of the Queen? And
we are children of wrath wholly, and a frivolous generation; and the Queen will see us all!"
The end was, his Majesty, through sad solitary days and nights, repented bitterly that he had wedded such a
SheDominic; grew quite estranged from her; the poor SheDominic giving him due return in her
way,namely, living altogether in her own apartments, upon orthodoxy, jealousy and other bad
nourishment. Till at length she went quite mad; and, except the due medical and other attendants, nobody saw
her, or spoke of her, at Berlin. Was this a cheering issue of such an adventure to the poor old expensive
Gentleman? He endeavored to digest in silence the bitter morsel he had cooked for himself; but reflected
often, as an old King might, What dirt have I eaten!
In this way stands that matter in the Schloss of Berlin, when little Friedrich, who will one day be called the
Great, is born. Habits of the expensive King, hours of rising, modes of dressing, and so forth, are to be found
in Pollnitz; [Pollnitz, Memoiren zur Lebens und RegierungsGeschichte der Vier letzten Regenten des
Preussischen Staats (Berlin, 1791). A vague, inexact, but not quite uninstructive or uninteresting Book:
Printed also in FRENCH, which was the Original, same place and time.] but we charitably omit them all.
Even from foolish Pollnitz a good eye will gather, what was above intimated, that this feeblebacked,
heavyladen old King was of humane and just disposition; had dignity in his demeanor; had reticence,
patience; and, though hottempered like all the Hohenzollerns, that he bore himself like a perfect gentleman
for one thing; and tottered along his highlying lonesome road not in an unmanful manner at all. Had not his
nerves been damaged by that fall in infancy, who knows but we might have had something else to read of him
than that he was regardless of expense in this world!
His last scene, of date February, 1713, is the tragical ultimatum of that fine Karlsbad adventure of the Second
marriage,Third marriage, in fact, though the First, anterior to "Serena," is apt to be forgotten, having lasted
short while, and produced only a Daughter, not memorable except by accident. This Third marriage, which
had brought so many sorrows to him, proved at length the death of the old man. For he sat one morning, in
the chill February days of the Year 1713, in his Apartment, as usual; weak of nerves, but thinking no special
evil; when, suddenly with huge jingle, the glass door of his room went to sherds; and there rushed
inbleeding and dishevelled, the fatal "White Lady" (WEISSE FRAU), who is understood to walk that
Schloss at Berlin, and announce Death to the Boyal inhabitants. Majesty had fainted, or was fainting. "Weisse
Frau? Oh no, your Majesty!"not that; but indeed something almost worse.Mad Queen, in her
Apartments, had been seized, that day, when half or quarter dressed; with unusual orthodoxy or unusual
jealousy. Watching her opportunity, she had whisked into the corridor, in extreme deshabille; and gone, like
the wild roe, towards Majesty's Suite of Rooms; through Majesty's glass door, like a catapult; and emerged as
we saw,in petticoat and shift, with hair streaming, eyes glittering, arms cut, and the other sad trimmings. O
Heaven, who could laugh? There are tears due to Kings and to all men. It was deep misery; deep enough
"SIN and misery," as Calvin well says, on the one side and the other! The poor old King was carried to bed;
and never rose again, but died in a few days. The date of the WEISSE FRAU'S death, one might have hoped,
was not distant either; but she lasted, in her sad state, for above twenty years coming.
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Old King Friedrich's deathday was 25th February, 1713; the unconscious little Grandson being then in his
Fourteenth month. To whom, after this long, voyage round the world, we now gladly return.
* By way of reinforcement to any recollection the reader may have of these Twelve Hohenzollern Kurfursts, I
will append a continuous list of them, with here and there an indication.
THE TWELVE HOHENZOLLERN ELECTORS.
1. FRIEDRICH I. (as Burggraf, was Friedrich VI.): born, it is
inferred, 1372 (Rentsch, p. 350); accession, 18th April, 1417;
died 21st September, 1440. Had come to Brandenburg, 1412, as
Statthalter. The Quitzows and HEAVY PEG.
2. FRIEDRICH II.: 19th November, 1413; 21st September, 1440;
10th February, 1472. Friedrich IRONTEETH; tames the Berlin
Burghers. Spoke Polish, was to have been Polish King. Cannonshot
upon his dinnertable shatters his nerves so, that he abdicates,
and soon dies. JOHANNES ALCHYMISTA his elder Brother; ALBERT
ACHILLES his younger.
3. ALBERT (Achilles): 24th November, 1414; 10th February, 1471;
11th March, 1486. Third son of Friedrich I.; is lineal Progenitor
of all the rest.
Eldest Son, JOHANN CICERO, follows as Kurfurst; a Younger Son,
FRIEDRICH (by a different Mother), got Culmbach, and produced the
Elder Line there. (See Genealogical Diagram.)
4. JOHANN (Cicero): 2d August, 1455; 11th March, 1486; 9th
January, 1499. Big John. Friedrich of Culmbach's elder (Half)
Brother.
5. JOACHIM I.: 21st February, 1484; 9th January, 1499; 11th July,
1535. Loud in the Reformation times; finally declares peremptorily
for the Conservative side. Wife (Sister of Christian II. of
Denmark) runs away.
Younger Brother Albert KurMainz, whom Hutten celebrated; born
1490; Archbishop of Magdeburg and Halberstadt 1513, of Maim 1514;
died 1545: set Tetzel, and the Indulgence, on foot.
6. JOACHIM II. (Hector): 9th January, 1505; 11th July, 1535;
3d January, 1571. Sword drawn on Alba once. ERBVERBRUDERUNG with
Liegnitz. Staircase at Grimnitz. A weighty industrious Kurfurst.
Declared himself Protestant, 1539. First Wife (mother of his
Successor) was Daughter to Duke George of Saxony, Luther's "If it
rained Duke Georges."Johann of Custrin was a younger Brother of
his: died ten days after Joachim; left no Son.
7. JOHANN GEORGE: 11th September, 1525; 3d January, 1571;
8th January, 1598. Cannonshot, at Siege of Wittenberg, upon
Kaiser Karl and him. Gera Bond.
Married a Silesian Duke of Liegnitz's Daughter (result of the
ERBVERBRUDERUNG there,Antea, p. 231). Had twentythree children.
It was to him that Baireuth and Anspach fell home: he settled them
on his second and his third sons, Christian and Joachim Ernst;
founders of the New Line of Baireuth and Anspach. (See
Genealogical Diagram.)
8. JOACHIM FRIEDRICH: 27th January, 1546; 8th January, 1598;
18th July, 1608. Archbishop of Magdeburg first of all,to keep
the place filled. Joachimsthal School at old Castle of Grimnitz.
Very vigilant for Preussen; which was near falling due.
Two of his Younger Sons, Johann George (15771624) to whom he
gave JAGERNDORF, and that Archbishop of Magdeburg, who was present
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in Tilly's storm, got both wrecked in the ThirtyYears War;not
without results, in the Jagerndorf case.
9. JOHANN SIGISMUND: 8th November, 1572; 18th July, 1608;
23d December, 1619. Preussen: Cleve; Slap on the face to Neuburg.
10. GEORGE WILHELM: 3d November, 1595; 22d November, 1619;
21st November, 1640. The unfortunate of the ThirtyYears War.
"Que faire; ils ont des canons!"
11. FRIEDRICH WILHELM: 6th February, 1620; 21st November, 1640;
29th April, 1688. The Great Elector.
12. FRIEDRICH III.: 1st July, 1657; 29th April, 1688;
25th February, 1713. First King (18th January, 1701).
GENEALOGICAL DIAGRAM: THE TWO CULMBACH LINES.
3d KURFURST (14711486) ALBERT ACHILLES.
ELDER CULMBACH LINE.
FRIEDRICH, second son of Kurfurst Albert Achilles, younger Brother of Johannes Cicero, got
CULMBACH: Anspach first, then Baireuth on the death of a younger Brother. Born 1460; got Anspach
1486; Baireuth 1495; followed Max in his VENETIAN CAMPAIGN, 1508; fell IMBECILE 1515; died
1536. Had a Polish Wife; from whom came interests in Hungary as well as Poland to his children. Friedrich
had Three notable Sons,
1. CASIMIR, who got BAIREUTH (1515): born 1481; died 1527.
Very truculent in the Peasants' War.
ALBERT ALEIBIADES: a man of great mark in his day (15221557);
never married. Two Sisters, with one of whom he took shelter at
last; no Brother.
2. GEORGE THE PIOUS, who got ANSPACH (1515): born 1484; died 1543; got Jagerndorf, by purchase,
from his Mother's Hungarian connection, 1524. Protestant declared, 1528; and makes honorable figure in the
Histories thenceforth. The George of Kaiser Karl's "NitKopab." One Son,
GEORGE FRIEDRICH; born 1539; went to administer Preussen when Cousin became incompetent; died
1603. Heir to his Father in ANSPACH and JAGERNDORF; also to his Cousin Alcibiades in BAIREUTH.
Had been left a minor (boy of 4, as the reader sees); Alcibiades his Guardian for a little while: from which
came great difficulties, and unjust ruin would have come, had not Kurfurst Joachim I. been helpful and
vigorous in his behalf. George Friedrich got at length most of his Territories into hand: Anspach and Baireuth
unimpaired, Jagerndorf too, except that Ratibor and Oppeln were much eaten into by the Imperial chicaneries
in that quarter. Died 1603, without children;upon which his Territories all reverted to the main
Brandenburg line, namely, to Johann George Seventh Kurfurst, or his representatives, according to the GERA
BOND; and the "Elder Culmbach Line" had ended in this manner.
3. ALBERT; born 1490; Hochmeister of the Teutsch Ritters, 1511; declares himself Protestant, and Duke of
Prussia, 1525; died 1568.
One Son, ALBERT FRIEDRICH: born 1553; follows as Duke 1568, declared MELANCHOLIC 1573;
died 1618. His Cousin George Friedrich administered for him till 1603; after which Joachim Friedrich; and
then, lastly, Joachim Friedrich's Son, Johann Sigismund the Ninth Kurfurst. Had married the Heiress of Cleve
(whence came a celebrated Cleve Controversy in aftertimes). No son; a good many daughters; eldest of
whom was married to Kurfurst Johann Sigismund; from her came the controverted Cleve Property.
7th KURFURST (15711598), JOHANN GEORGE.
YOUNGER CULMBACH LINE.
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Kurfurst Johann George settled Baireuth and Anspach on Two of his Younger Sons, who are Founders of the
"Younger Culmbach Line" (SPLIT Line or Pair of LINES). Jagerndorf the new Kurfurst, Joachim Friedrich,
kept; settled it on one of his younger sons. Here are the two new Founders in Baireuth and Anspach, and
some indication of their "Lines," so far as important to us at present:
BAIREUTH.
(1.) CHRISTIAN, second son of Kurfurst Johann George: born 1581; got Baireuth 1603; died 1655. A
distinguished Governor in his sphere. Had two sons; the elder died before him, but left a son, Christian Ernst;
who (2.) succeeded, and (3.) whose son, George Wilhelm: 1644, 1655, 1712; 1678, 1712, 1726 (are BIRTH,
ACCESSION, END of these two); the latter of whom had no son that lived.
Upon which the posterity of Christian's second son succeeded. Second son of Christian notable to us in
two little ways: FIRST, That HE, George Albert, Margraf of CULMbach, is the inscrutable "Marquis de
LULENbach" of Bromley's Letters (antea p. 184, let the Commentators take comfort!); SECOND and better,
That from him came our little Wilhelmina's Husband,as will be afterwards explained. It was his grandson
(4.) that succeeded in Baireuth, George Friedrich Karl (1688, 1726, 1735); Father of Wilhelmina's Husband.
After whom (5.) his Son Friedrich (1711, 1735, 1763), Wilhelmina's Husband; who leaving (1763) nothing
hut a daughter, Baireuth fell to Anspach, 1769, after an old Uncle (6.), childless, had also died. SIX Baireuth
Margraves of this Line; FIVE generations; and then to Anspach, in 1769.
ANSPACH.
(1.) JOACHIM ERNST, third son of Kurfurst Johann George: born 1583; got Anspach 1603; died 1625. Had
military tendencies, experiences; did not thrive as Captain of the EVANGELICAL UNION (16191620)
when WINTERKING came up and THIRTYYEARS WAR along with him. Left two sons; elder of whom,
(2.) Friedrich, nominally Sovereign, age still only eighteen, fell in the Battle of Nordlingen (worst battle of
the ThirtyYears War, 1634); and the younger of whom, (3.) Albert, succeeded (1620, 1634, 1667), and his
son, (4.) Johann Friedrich (1654, 1667, 1686); and (5, 6, 7.) no fewer than three grandsons,children
mostly, though entitled "sovereign"in a PARALLEL way (Christian Albert, 1675, 1686, 1692; George
Friedrich, 1678, 1692, 1703; Wilhelm Friedrich, 1685, 1703, 1723). Two little points notable here also, and
no third:
FIRST, That one of the grandDAUGHTERS, fullsister of the last of these three parallel figures,
halfsister of the two former, wasQueen Caroline, George II.'s wife, who has still some fame with us.
SECOND, That the youngest of said three grandsons, Queen Caroline's fullbrother, left a son then
minor, who became major, (8.) and wedded a Sister of our dear little Wilhelmina's, of whom we shall hear
(Karl Wilhelm Friedrich, 1712, 1723, 1757); unmomentous Margraf otherwise. His and her one son it was,
(9.) Christian Friedrich Karl Alexander (1736, 1757, 1806), who inherited Baireuth, inherited Actress
Clairon, Lady Craven, and at Hammersmith (House once Bubb Doddington's, if that has any charm) ended
the affair.
NINE Anspach Margraves; in FIVE generations: end, 1806.
END OF BOOK III
BOOK IV. FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP, FIRST STAGE. 17131728.
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CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD: DOUBLE EDUCATIONAL ELEMENT.
Of Friedrich's childhood, there is not, after all our reading, much that it would interest the English public to
hear tell of. Perhaps not much of knowable that deserves anywhere to be known. Books on it, expressly
handling it, and Books on Friedrich Wilhelm's Court and History, of which it is always a main element, are
not wanting: but they are mainly of the sad sort which, with pain and difficulty, teach us nothing, Books done
by pedants and tenebrific persons, under the name of men; dwelling not on things, but, at endless length, on
the outer husks of things: of unparalleled confusion, too;not so much as an Index granted you; to the poor
halfpeck of cinders, hidden in these wagonloads of ashes, no sieve allowed! Books tending really to fill the
mind with mere dustwhirlwinds,if the mind did not straightway blow them out again; which it does. Of
these let us say nothing. Seldom had so curious a Phenomenon worse treatment from the Dryasdust, species.
Among these Books, touching on Friedrich's childhood, and treating of his Father's Court, there is hardly
above one that we can characterize as fairly human: the Book written by his little Sister Wilhelmina, when
she grew to size and knowledge of good and evil; [ Memoires de Frederique Sophie Wilhelmine de Prusse,
Margrave de Bareith (Brunswick, Paris et Londres, l8l2), 2 vols. 8vo.]and this, of what flighty uncertain
nature it is, the world partly knows. A human Book, however, not a pedant one: there is a most shrill female
soul busy with intense earnestness here; looking, and teaching us to look. We find it a VERACIOUS Book,
done with heart, and from eyesight and insight; of a veracity deeper than the superficial sort. It is full of
mistakes, indeed; and exaggerates dreadfully, in its shrill female way; but is above intending to deceive:
deduct the due subtrahend, say perhaps twentyfive per cent, or in extreme cases as high as
seventyfive,you will get some human image of credible actualities from Wilhelmina. Practically she is
our one resource on this matter. Of the strange King Friedrich Wilhelm and his strange Court, with such an
HeirApparent growing up in it, there is no real light to be had, except what Wilhelmina gives,or kindles
dark Books of others into giving. For that, too, on long study, is the result of her, here and there. With so
flickery a waxtaper held over Friedrich's childhood,and the other dirty tallowdips all going out in
intolerable odor,judge if our success can be very triumphant!
We perceive the little creature has got much from Nature; not the big arena only, but fine inward gifts, for he
is wellborn in more senses than one;and that in the breeding of him there are two elements noticeable,
widely diverse: the French and the German. This is perhaps the chief peculiarity; best worth laying hold of,
with the due comprehension, if our means allow.
FIRST EDUCATIONAL ELEMENT, THE FRENCH ONE.
His nurses, governesses, simultaneous and successive, mostly of French breed, are duly set down in the
Prussian Books, and held in mind as a point of duty by Prussian men; but, in foreign parts, cannot be
considered otherwise than as a group, and merely with generic features. He had a Frau von Kamecke for
Head Governess, the lady whom Wilhelmina, in her famed Memoires, always writes KAMKEN; and of
whom, except the floating gossip found in that Book, there is nothing to be remembered. Under her, as
practical superintendent, SOUSGOUVERNANTE and quasimother, was the Dame de Roucoulles, a more
important person for us here. Dame de Roucoulles, once de Montbail, the same respectable EdictofNantes
French lady who, fiveandtwenty years ago, had taken similar charge of Friedrich Wilhelm; a fact that
speaks well for the character of her performance in that office. She had done her first edition of a Prussian
Prince in a satisfactory manner; and not without difficult accidents and singularities, as we have heard: the
like of which were spared her in this her second edition (so we may call it); a second and, in all manner of
ways, an improved one. The young Fritz swallowed no shoebuckles; did not leap out of window, hanging on
by the hands; nor achieve anything of turbulent, or otherwise memorable, in his infantine history; the course
of which was in general smooth, and runs, happily for it, below the ken of rumor. The Boy, it is said, and is
easily credible, was of extraordinary vivacity; quick in apprehending all things, and gracefully relating
himself to them. One of the prettiest, vividest little boys; with eyes, with mind and ways, of uncommon
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brilliancy;only he takes less to soldiering than the paternal heart could wish; and appears to find other
things in the world fully as notable as loud drums, and stiff men drawn up in rows. Moreover, he is apt to be a
little unhealthy now and then, and requires care from his nurses, over whom the judicious Roucoulles has to
be very vigilant.
Of this respectable Madame de Roucoulles I have read, at least seven times, what the Prussian Books say of
her by way of Biography; but it is always given in their dull tombstone style; it has moreover next to no
importance; and I,alas, I do not yet too well remember it! She was from Normandy; of gentle blood, never
very rich; Protestant, in the EdictofNantes time; and had to fly her country, a young widow, with daughter
and motherinlaw hanging on her; the whole of them almost penniless. However, she was kindly received at
the Court of Berlin, as usual in that sad case; and got some practical help towards living in her new country.
Queen Sophie Charlotte had liked her society; and finding her of prudent intelligent turn, and with the style
of manners suitable, had given her Friedrich Wilhelm to take charge of. She was at that time Madame de
Montbail; widow, as we said: she afterwards wedded Roucoulles, a refugee gentleman of her own Nation,
who had gone into the Prussian Army, as was common for the like of him: She had again become a widow,
Madame de Roucoulles this time, with her daughter Montbail still about her, when, by the grateful good
sense of Friedrich Wilhelm, she was again intrusted as we see;and so had the honor of governessing
Frederick the Great for the first seven years of his life. Respectable lady, she oversaw his nurses,
papboats,"beersoup and bread," he himself tells us once, was his main diet in boyhood,beersoups,
dressfrocks, first attempts at walking; and then also his little bits of intellectualities, moralities; his
incipiencies of speech, demeanor, and spiritual development; and did her function very honestly, there is no
doubt.
Wilhelmina mentions her, at a subsequent period; and we have a glimpse of this same Roucoulles, gliding
about among the royal youngfolk, "with only one tooth left" (figuratively speaking), and somewhat given to
tattle, in Princess Wilhelmina's opinion. Grown very old now, poor lady; and the dreadfulest bore, when she
gets upon Hanover and her experiences, and Queen Sophie Charlotte's, in that stupendously magnificent court
under Gentleman Ernst. Shun that topic, if you love your peace of mind! [ Memoires (above cited).]She
did certainly superintend the Boy Fritzkin for his first seven years; that is a glory that cannot be taken from
her. And her pupil, too, we agreeably perceive, was always grateful for her services in that capacity. Once a
week, if he were in Berlin, during his youthful time, he was sure to appear at the Roucoulles Soiree, and say
and look various pleasant things to his "CHER MAMAN (dear Mamma)," as he used to call her, and to the
respectable small parts she had. Not to speak of other more substantial services, which also were not wanting.
Roucoulles and the other female souls, mainly French, among whom the incipient Fritz now was, appear to
have done their part as well as could be looked for. Respectable EdictofNantes French ladies, with high
headgear, wide hoops; a clear, correct, but somewhat barren and meagre species, tightlaced and
highfrizzled in mind and body. It is not a very fertile element for a young soul: not very much of silent piety
in it; and perhaps of vocal piety more than enough in proportion. An element founding on what they call
"enlightened Protestantism," "freedom of thought," and the like, which is apt to become loquacious, and too
conscious of itself; terming, on the whole, rather to contempt of the false, than to deep or very effective
recognition of the true.
But it is, in some important senses, a clear and pure element withal. At lowest, there are no conscious
semifalsities, or volunteer hypocrisies, taught the poor Boy; honor, clearness, truth of word at least; a
decorous dignified bearing; various thin good things, are honestly inculcated and exemplified; nor is any bad,
ungraceful or suspicious thing permitted there, if recognized for such. It might have been a worse element;
and we must be thankful for it. Friedrich, through life, carries deep traces of this FrenchProtestant
incipiency: a very big widebranching royal tree, in the end; but as small and flexible a seedling once as any
one of us.
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The good old Dame de Roucoulles just lived to witness his accession; on which grand juncture and
afterwards, as he had done before, he continued to express, in graceful and useful ways, his gratitude and
honest affection to her and hers. Tea services, presents in cutglass and other kinds, with Letters that were
still more precious to the old Lady, had come always at due intervals:, and one of his earliest kingly gifts was
that of some suitable small pension for Montbail, the elderly daughter of this poor old Roucoulles, [Preuss,
Friedrich der Grosse, eine Lebensgeschichte (5 vols. Berlin, 18321834), v. (Urkundenbuch, p. 4). OEuvres
de Frederic (same Preuss's Edition, Berlin, 18461850, xvi. 184, 191. The Herr Doctor J. D. E. Preuss,
"Historiographer of Brandenburg," devoted wholly to the study of Friedrich for fiveandtwenty years past,
and for above a dozen years busily engaged in editing the OEuvres de Frederic, has, besides that
Lebensgeschichte just cited, three or four smaller Books, of indistinctly different titles, on the same subject. A
meritoriously exact man; acquainted with the outer details of Friedrich's Biography (had he any way of
arranging, organizing or setting them forth) as few men ever were or will be. We shall mean always this
Lebensgeschichte here, when no other title is given: and OEuvres de Frederic shall signify HIS Edition,
unless the contrary be stated.] who was just singing her DIMITTAES as it were, still in a blithe and pious
manner. For she saw now (in 1740) her little nursling grown to be a brilliant man and King; King gone out to
the Wars, too, with all Europe inquiring and wondering what the issue would be. As for her, she closed her
poor old eyes, at this stage of the business; piously, in foreign parts, far from her native Normandy; and did
not see farther what the issue was. Good old Dame, I have, as was observed, read some seven times over
what they call biographical accounts of her; but have seven times (by Heaven's favor, I do partly believe)
mostly forgotten them again; and would not, without cause, inflict on any reader the like sorrow. To
remember one worthy thing, how many thousand unworthy things must a man be able to forget!
From this EdictofMantes enviroument, which taught our young Fritz his first lessons of human
behavior,a polite sharp little Boy, we do hope and understand,he learned also to clothe his bits of
notions, emotions, and garrulous utterabilities, in the French dialect. Learned to speak, and likewise, what is
more important; to THINK, in French; which was otherwise quite domesticated in the Palace, and became his
second mothertongue. Not a bad dialect; yet also none of the best. Very lean and shallow, if very clear and
convenient; leaving much in poor Fritz unuttered, unthought, unpractised, which might otherwise have come
into activity in the course of his life. He learned to read very soon, I presume; but he did not, now or
afterwards, ever learn to spell. He spells indeed dreadfully ILL, at his first appearance on the writing stage, as
we shall see by and by; and he continued, to the last, one of the bad spellers of his day. A circumstance which
I never can fully account for, and will leave to the reader's study.
From all manner of sources,from inferior valetaille, Prussian Officials, Royal Majesty itself when not in
gala,he learned, not less rootedly, the corrupt Prussian dialect of German; and used the same, all his days,
among his soldiers, native officials, common subjects and wherever it was most convenient; speaking it, and
writing and misspelling it, with great freedom, though always with a certain aversion and undisguised
contempt, which has since brought him blame in some quarters. It is true, the Prussian form of German is but
rude; and probably Friedrich, except sometimes in Luther's Bible, never read any German Book. What, if we
will think of it, could he know of his first mothertongue! German, to this day, is a frightful dialect for the
stupid, the pedant and dullard sort! Only in the hands of the gifted does it become supremely good. It had not
yet been the language of any Goethe, any Lessing; though it stood on the eve of becoming such. It had
already been the language of Luther, of Ulrich Hutten, Friedrich Barbarossa, Charlemagne and others. And
several extremely important things had been said in it, and some pleasant ones even sung in it, from an old
date, in a very appropriate manner,had CrownPrince Friedrich known all that. But he could not
reasonably be expected to know:and the wiser Germans now forgive him for not knowing, and are even
thankful that he did not.
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Chapter II. THE GERMAN ELEMENT.
So that, as we said, there are two elements for young Fritz, and highly diverse ones, from both of which he is
to draw nourishment, and assimilate what he can. Besides that EdictofNantes French element, and in
continual contact and contrast with it, which prevails chiefly in the Female Quarters of the Palace,there is
the native German element for young Fritz, of which the centre is Papa, now come to be King, and
powerfully manifesting himself as such. An abrupt peremptory young King; and German to the bone. Along
with whom, companions to him in his social hours, and fellowworkers in his business, are a set of very
rugged German sons of Nature; differing much from the French sons of Art. Baron Grumkow, Leopold
Prince of AnhaltDessau (not yet called the "OLD Dessauer," being under forty yet), General Glasenap,
Colonel Derschau, General Flans; these, and the other nameless Generals and Officials, are a curious
counterpart to the Camases, the Hautcharmoys and Forcades, with their nimble tongues and rapiers; still more
to the Beausobres, Achards, full of ecclesiastical logic, made of Bayle and Calvin kneaded together; and to
the highfrizzled ladies rustling in stiff silk, with the shadow of Versailles and of the Dragonnades alike
present to them.
Born Hyperboreans these others; rough as hemp, and stout of fibre as hemp; native products of the rigorous
North. Of whom, after all our reading, we know little.O Heaven, they have had long lines of rugged
ancestors, cast in the same rude stalwart mould, and leading their rough life there, of whom we know
absolutely nothing! Dumb all those preceding busy generations; and this of Friedrich Wilhelm is grown
almost dumb. Grim semiarticulate Prussian men; gone all to pipeclay and mustache for us. Strange
blondcomplexioned, not unbeautiful Prussian honorable women, in hoops, brocades, and unintelligible
headgear and hairtowers,ACH GOTT, they too are gone; and their musical talk, in the French or
German language, that also is gone; and the hollow Eternities have swallowed it, as their wont is, in a very
surprising manner!
Grumkow, a cunning, greedyhearted, longheaded fellow, of the old Pomeranian Nobility by birth, has a
kind of superficial polish put upon his Hyperboreanisms; he has been in foreign countries, doing legations,
diplomacies, for which, at least for the vulpine parts of which, he has a turn. He writes and speaks articulate
grammatical French; but neither in that, nor in native Pommerish PlattDeutsch, does he show us much,
except the depths of his own greed, of his own astucities and stealthy audacities. Of which we shall hear more
than enough by and by.
OF THE DESSAUER, NOT YET "OLD."
As to the Prince of AnhaltDessau, rugged man, whose very face is the color of gunpowder, he also knows
French, and can even write in it, if he like,having duly had a Tutor of that nation, and strange adventures
with him on the grand tour and elsewhere;but does not much practise writing, when it can be helped. His
children, I have heard, he expressly did not teach to read or write, seeing no benefit in that effeminate art, but
left them to pick it up as they could. His Princess, all rightly ennobled now, whom he would not but marry,
though sent on the grand tour to avoid it,was the daughter of one Fos an Apothecary at Dessau; and is still
a beautiful and prudent kind of woman, who seems to suit him well enough, no worse than if she had been
born a Princess. Much talk has been of her, in princely and other circles; nor is his marriage the only strange
thing Leopold has done. He is a man to keep the world's tongue wagging, not too musically always; though
himself of very unvocal nature. Perhaps the biggest mass of inarticulate human vitality, certainly one of the
biggest, then going about in the world. A man of vast dumb faculty; dumb, but fertile, deep; no end of
ingenuities in the rough head of him:as much motherwit, there, I often guess, as could be found in whole
talking parliaments, spouting themselves away in vocables and eloquent wind!
A man of dreadful impetuosity withal. Set upon his will as the one law of Nature; storming forward with
incontrollable violence: a very whirlwind of a man. He was left a minor; his Mother guardian. Nothing could
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prevent him from marrying this Fos the Apothecary's Daughter; no tears nor contrivances of his Mother,
whom he much loved, and who took skilful measures. Fourteen months of travel in Italy; grand tour, with
eligible French Tutor,whom he once drew sword upon, getting some rebuke from him one night in Venice,
and would have killed, had not the man been nimble, at once dexterous and sublime:it availed not. The
first thing he did, on reentering Dessau, with his Tutor, was to call at Apothecary Fos's, and see the
charming Mamsell; to go and see his Mother, wss the second thing. Mot even his grand passion for war could
eradicate Fos: he went to Dutoh William's wars; the wise mother still counselling, who was own aunt to
Dutoh William, and liked the scheme. He besieged Namur; fought and besieged up and down,with
insatiable appetite for fighting and sieging; with great honor, too, and ambitions awakening in
him;campaign after campaign: but along with the flamythundery ideal bride, figuratively called Bellona,
there was always a soft real one, Mamsell Fos of Dessau, to whom he continued constant. The Government of
his Dominions he left cheerfully to his Mother, even when he came of age: "I am for learning War, as the one
right trade; do with all things as you please, Mamma,only not with Mamsell, not with her!"
Readers may figure this scene too, and shudder over it. Some rather handsome male Cousin of Mamsell,
Medical Graduate or whatever he was, had appeared in Dessau:"Seems, to admire Mamsell much; of
course, in a Platonic way," said rumor: "He? Admire?" thinks Leopold;thinks a good deal of it, not in
the philosophic mood. As he was one day passing Fos's, Mamsell and the Medical Graduate are visible,
standing together at the window inside. Pleasantly looking out upon Nature,of course quite casually, say
some Histories with a sneer. In fact, it seems possible this Medical Graduate may have been set to act
shoeing horn; but he had better not. Leopold storms into the House, "Draw, scandalous canaille, and defend
yourself!"And in this, or some such way, a confident tradition says, he killed the poor Medical Graduate
there and then. One tries always to hope not: but Varnhagen is positive, though the other Histories say
nothing of it. God knows. The man was a Prince; no Reichshofrath, SpeyerWetzlar KAMMER, or other
Supreme Court, would much trouble itself, except with formal shakings of the wig, about such a peccadillo.
In fine, it was better for Leopold to marry the Miss Fos; which he actually did (1698, in his twentysecond
year), "with the lefthand,"and then with the right and both hands; having got her properly ennobled
before long, by his splendid military services. She made, as we have hinted, an excellent Wife to him, for the
fifty or sixty ensuing years.
This is a strange rugged specimen, this inarticulate Leopold; already getting mythic, as we can perceive, to
the polished vocal ages; which mix all manner of fables with the considerable history he has. Readers will see
him turn up again in notable forms. A man hitherto unknown except in his own country; and yet of very
considerable significance to all European countries whatsoever; the fruit of his activities, without his name
attached, being now manifest in all of them. He invented the iron ramrod; he invented the equal step; in fact,
he is the inventor of modern military tactics. Even so, if we knew it: the Soldiery of every civilized country
still receives from this man, on paradefields and battlefields, its word of command; out of his rough head
proceeded the essential of all that the innumerable Drillsergeants, in various languages, daily repeat and
enforce. Such a man is worth some transient glance from his fellowcreatures,especially with a little Fritz
trotting at his foot, and drawing inferences from him.
Dessau, we should have said for the English reader's behoof, was and still is a little independent Principality;
about the size of Huntingdonshire, but with woods instead of bogs;revenue of it, at this day, is 60,000
pounds, was perhaps not 20, or even 10,000 in Leopold's first time. It lies some fourscore miles southwest of
Berlin, attainable by posthorses in a day. Leopold, as his Father had done, stood by Prussia as if wholly
native to it. Leopold's Mother was Sister of that fine Louisa, the Great Elector's first Wife; his Sister is
wedded to the Margraf of Schwedt, Friedrich Wilhelm's halfuncle. Lying in such neighborhood, and being
in such affinity to the Prussian House, the Dessauers may be said to have, in late times, their headquarters at
Berlin. Leopold and Leopold's sons, as his father before him had done, without neglecting their Dessau and
Principality, hold by the Prussian Army as their main employment. Not neglecting Dessau either; but going
thither in winter, or on call otherwise; Leopold least of all neglecting it, who neglects nothing that can be
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useful to him.
He is General FieldMarshal of the Prussian Armies, the foremost man in warmatters with this new King;
and well worthy to be so. He is inventing, or brooding in the way to invent, a variety of things,"iron
ramrods," for one; a very great improvement on the fragile ineffective wooden implement, say all the Books,
but give no date to it; that is the first thing; and there will be others, likewise undated, but posterior, requiring
mention by and by. Inventing many things;and always well practising what is already invented, and known
for certain. In a word, he is drilling to perfection, with assiduous rigor, the Prussian Infantry to be the wonder
of the world. He has fought with them, too, in a conclusive manner; and is at all times ready for fighting.
He was in Malplaquet with them, if only as volunteer on that occasion. He commanded them in Blenheim
itself; stood, in the right or Eugene wing of that famed Battle of Blenheim, fiercely at bay, when the Austrian
Cavalry had all fled;fiercely volleying, charging, dexterously wheeling and manoeuvring; sticking to his
ground with a mastifflike tenacity,till Marlborough, and victory from the left, relieved him and others. He
was at the Bridge of Cassano; where Eugene and Vendome came to handgrips; where Mirabeau's
Grandfather, COLD'ARGENT, got his sixandthirty wounds, and was "killed" as he used to term it.
[Carlyle's Miscellanies, v. ? Mirabeau.] "The hottest fire I ever saw," said Eugene, who had not seen
Malplaquet at that time. While Cold'Argent sank collapsed upon the Bridge, and the horse charged over
him, and again charged, and beat and were beaten three several times,AnhaltDessau, impatient of such
fiddling hither and thither, swashed into the stream itself with his Prussian Foot: swashed through it,
waistdeep or breastdeep; and might have settled the matter, had not his cartridges got wetted. Old King
Friedrich rebuked him angrily for his impetuosity in this matter, and the sad loss of men.
Then again he was at the Storming of the Lines of Turin,Eugene's feat of 1706, and a most volcanic
business;was the first man that gotover the entrenchment there. Foremost man; face all black with the
smoke of gunpowder, only channelled here and there with rivulets of sweat;not a lovely phenomenon to
the French in the interior! Who still fought like madmen, but were at length driven into heaps, and obliged to
run. A while before they ran, AnhaltDessau, noticing some Captain posted with his company in a likely
situation, stept aside to him for a moment, and asked, "Am I wounded, think you.?No? Then have you
anything to drink?" and deliberately "drank a glass of aquavitae," the judicious Captain carrying a
pocketpistol of that sort, in case of accident; and likewise "eat, with great appetite, a bit of bread from one
of the soldiers' haversacks; saying, He believed the heat of the job was done, and that there was no fear
now!" Des weltberumkten Leopoldi, (Anonymous, by Ranfft, cited above), pp. 4245, 52, 65.]
A man that has been in many wars; in whose rough head, are schemes hatching. Any religion he has is of
Protestant nature; but he has not much,on the doctrinal side, very little. Luther's Hymn, Eine feste Burg ist
unser Gott, he calls "God Almighty's grenadiermarch." On joining battle, he audibly utters, with bared head,
some growl of rugged prayer, far from orthodox at times, but muoh in earnest: that lifting of his hat for
prayer, is his last signal on such occasions. He is very cunning as required, withal; not disdaining the
serpentine method when no other will do. With Friedrich Wilhelm, who is his secondcousin (Mother's
grandnephew, if the reader can count that), he is from of old on the best footing, and contrives to be his
Mentor in many things besides War. Till his quarrel with Grumkow, of which we shall hear, he took the lead
in political advising, too; and had schemes, or was thought to have, of which Queen Sophie was in much
terror.
A tall, strongboned, hairy man; with cloudy brows, vigilant swift eyes; has "a bluish tint of skin," says
Wilhelmina, "as if the gunpowder still stuck to him." He wears long mustaches; triangular hat, plume and
other equipments, are of thrifty practical size. Can be polite enough in speech; but hides much of his
meaning, which indeed is mostly inarticulate, and not always joyful to the bystander. He plays rough
pranks, too, on occasion; and has a big horselaugh in him, where there is a fop to be roasted, or the like. We
will leave him for the present, in hope of other meetings.
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Remarkable men, many of those old Prussian soldiers: of whom one wishes, to no purpose, that there had
more knowledge been attainable. But the Books are silent; no painter, no genial seeingman to paint with his
pen, was there. Grim hirsute Hyperborean figures, they pass mostly mute before us: burly, surly; in
mustaches, in dim uncertain garniture, of which the buffbelts and the steel, are alone conspicuous. Growling
in guttural Teutsoh what little articulate meaning they had: spending, of the inarticulate, a proportion in
games, of chance, probably too in drinking beer; yet having an immense overplus which they do not so spend,
but endeavor to utter in such working as there may be. So have the Hyperboreans lived from of old. From the
times of Tacitus and Pytheas, not to speak of Odin and Japhet, what hosts of them have marched across
Existence, in that manner;and where is the memory that would, even if it could, speak of them all!
We will hope the mind of our little Fritz has powers of assimilation. BayleCalvin logics, and shadows of
Versailles, on this hand, and gunpowder Leopolds and inarticulate Hyperboreans on that: here is a wide
diversity of nutriment, all rather tough in quality, provided for the young soul. Innumerable unconscious
inferences he must have drawn in his little head! Prince Leopold's face, with the whiskers and blue skin, I
find he was wont, at after periods, to do in caricature, under the figure of a Cat's; horror and admiration not
the sole feelings raised in him by the FieldMarshal.For bodily nourishment he had "beersoup;" a
decided Spartan tone prevailing, wherever possible, in the breeding and treatment of him.
And we need not doubt, by far the most important element of his education was the unconscious
Apprenticeship he continually served to such a Spartan as King Friedrich Wilhelm. Of whose works and
ways he could not help taking note, angry or other, every day and hour; nor in the end, if he were intelligent,
help understanding them, and learning from them. A harsh Master and almost halfmad, as it many times
seemed to the poor Apprentice; yet a true and solid one, whose real wisdom was worth that of all the others,
as he came at length to recognize.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH WILHELM IS KING.
With the death of old King Friedrich, there occurred at once vast changes in the Court of Berlin; a total and
universal change in the mode of living and doing business there. Friedrich Wilhelm, out of filial piety, wore
at his father's funeral the grand French peruke and other sublimities of French costume; but it was for the last
time: that sad duty once done, he flung the whole aside, not without impatience, and on no occasion wore
such costume again. He was not a friend to French fashions, nor had ever been; far the contrary. In his
boyhood, say the Biographers, there was once a grand embroidered clothofgold, or otherwise supremely
magnificent, little Dressinggown given him; but he would at no rate put it on, or be concerned with it; on the
contrary, stuffed it indignantly "into the fire;" and demanded wholesome useful duffel instead.
He began his reform literally at the earliest moment. Being summoned into the apartment where his poor
Father was in the last struggle, he could scarcely get across for KAMMERJUNKER, KAMMERHERRN,
Goldsticks, Silversticks, and the other solemn histrionic functionaries, all crowding there to do their sad
mimicry on the occasion: not a lovely accompaniment in Friedrich Wilhelm's eyes. His poor Father's
deathstruggle once done, and all reduced to everlasting rest there, Friedrich Wilhelm looked in silence over
the Unutterable, for a Short space, disregardful of the Goldsticks and their eager new homaging; walked
swiftly away from it to his own room, shut the door with a slam; and there, shaking the tears from his eyes,
commenced by a notable duty,the duty nearest hand, and therefore first to be done, as it seemed to him. It
was about one in the afternoon, 25th February, 1713; his Father dead half an hour before: "Tears at a Father's
deathbed, must they be dashed with rage by such a set of greedy Histrios?" thought Friedrich Wilhelm. He
summoned these his Courtpeople, that is to say, summoned their OBERHOFMARSCHALL and
representative; and through him signified to them, That, till the Funeral was over, their service would
continue; and that on the morrow after the Funeral, they were, every soul of them, discharged; and from the
highest Goldstick down to the lowest Pageinwaiting, the King's House should be swept entirely clean of
them;said House intending to start afresh upon a quite new footing. [Forster, i. 174; Pollnitz, Memoiren, ii.
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4.] Which spread such a consternation among the courtier people, say the Histories, as was never seen before.
The thing was done, however; and nobody durst whisper discontent with it; this rugged young King, with his
plangent metallic voice, with his steadybeaming eyes, seeming dreadfully in earnest about it, and a person
that might prove dangerous if you crossed him. He reduced his Household accordingly, at once, to the lowest
footing of the indispensable; and discharged a whole regiment of superfluous official persons, courtflunkies,
inferior, superior and supreme, in the most ruthless manner. He does not intend keeping any
OBERHOFMARSCHALL, or the like idle person, henceforth; thinks a minimum of the Goldsticks ought to
suffice every man.
Eight Lackeys, in the antechambers and elsewhere, these, with each a JAGERBURSCH (what we should
call an UNDERKEEPER) to assist when not hunting, will suffice: Lackeys at "eight THALERS monthly,"
which is six shillings a week. Three active Pages, sometimes two, instead of perhaps three dozen idle that
there used to be. In King Friedrich's time, there were wont to be a thousand saddlehorses at corn and hay:
but how many of them were in actual use? Very many of them were mere imaginary quadrupeds; their price
and keep pocketed by some knavish STALLMEISTER, Equerry or Headgroom. Friedrich Wilhelm keeps
only thirty Horses; but these are very actual, not imaginary at all; their corn not running into any knave's
pocket; but lying actually in the mangers here; getting ground for you into actual fourfooted speed, when,
on turf or highway, you require such a thing. About, thirty for the saddle,with a few carriageteams, are
what Friedrich Wilhelm can employ in any reasonable measure: and more he will not have about him.
In the like ruthless humor he goes over his Pensionlist; strikes three fourths of that away, reduces the
remaining fourth to the very bone. In like humor, he goes over every department of his Administrative,
Household and other Expenses: shears everything down, here by the hundred thalers, there by the ten, willing
even to save HALF A THALER. He goes over all this three several times;his Papers, the three successive
Lists he used on that occasion, have been printed. [Rodenbeck, Beitrage zur Bereicherung der
Lebembeschreibungen Friedrich Wilhelms I. und Friedrichs des Grossen (Berlin, 1836), pp. 99127.] He has
satisfied himself, in about two months, what, the effective minimum is; and leaves it so. Reduced to below
the fifth of what it was; 55,000 THALERS, instead of 276,000. [Stenzel, iii. 237.]
By degrees he went over, went into and through, every department of Prussian Business, in that fashion;
steadily, warily, irresistibly compelling every item of it, large and little, to take that same character of perfect
economy and solidity, of utility pure and simple. Needful work is to be rigorously well done; needless work,
and ineffectual or imaginary workers, to be rigorously pitched out of doors. What a blessing on this Earth;
worth purchasing almost at any price! The money saved is something, nothing if you will; but the amount of
mendacity expunged, has any one computed that? Mendacity not of tongue; but the far feller sort, of hand,
and of heart, and of head; short summary of all Devil'sworship whatsoever. Which spreads silently along,
once you let it in, with full purse or with empty; some fools even praising it: the quiet DRYROT of Nations!
To expunge such is greatly the duty of every man, especially of every King. Unconsciously, not thinking of
Devil'sworship, or spiritual dryrot, but of money chiefly, and led by Nature and the ways she has with us,
it was the task of Friedrich Wilhelm's life to bring about this beneficent result in all departments of Prussian
Business, great and little, public and even private. Year after year, he brings it to perfection; pushes it
unweariedly forward every day and hour. So that he has Prussia, at last, all a Prussia made after his own
image; the most thrifty, hardy, rigorous and Spartan country any modern King ever tied over; and himself (if
he thought of that) a King indeed. He that models Nations according to his own image, he is a King, though
his sceptre were a walkingstick; and, properly no other is.
Friedrich Wilhelm was wondered at, and laughed at, by innumerable mortals for his ways of doing; which
indeed were very strange. Not that he figured much in what is called Public History, or desired to do so; for,
though a vigilant ruler, he did not deal in protocolling and campaining,he let a minimum of that suffice
him. But in court soirees, where elegant empty talk goes on, and of all materials for it scandal is found
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incomparably the most interesting. I suppose there turned up no name oftener than that of his Prussian
Majesty; and during these twentyseven years of his Reign, his wild pranks and explosions gave food for
continual talk in such quarter.
For he was like no other King that then existed, or had ever been discovered. Wilder Son of Nature seldom
came into the artificial world; into a royal throne there, probably never. A wild man, wholly in earnest,
veritable as the old rocks,and with a terrible volcanic fire in him too. He would have been strange
anywhere; but among the dapper Royal gentlemen of the Eighteenth Century, what was to be done with such
an Orson of a King?Clap him in Bedlam, and bring out the ballotboxes instead? The modern generation,
too, still takes its impression of him from these rumors,still more now from Wilhelmina's Book; which
paints the outside savagery of the royal man, in a most striking manner; and leaves the inside vacant,
undiscovered by Wilhelmina or the rumors.
Nevertheless it appears there were a few observant eyes even of contemporaries, who discerned in him a
surprising talent for "National Economics" at least. One Leipzig Professor, Saxon, not Prussian by nation or
interest, recognizes in Friedrich Wilhelm "DEN GROSSEN WIRTH (the great Manager, Husbandryman, or
Landlord) of the epoch;" and lectures on his admirable "works, arrangements and institutions" in that kind.
[Rodenbeck's Beitrage (p. 14),Year, or Name of Lecturer, not mentioned.] Nay the dapper Royal
gentlemen saw, with envy, the indubitable growth of this mad savage Brother; and ascribed it to "his
avarice," to his mean ways, which were in such contrast to their sublime ones. That he understood National
Economics has now become very certain. His grim semiarticulate Papers and Rescripts, on these subjects,
are still almost worth reading, by a lover of genuine human talent in the dumb form. For spelling, grammar,
penmanship and composition, they resemble nothing else extant; are as if done by the paw of a bear: indeed
the utterance generally sounds more like the growling of a bear than anything that could be handily spelt or
parsed. But there is a decisive human sense in the heart of it; and there is such a dire hatred of empty
bladders, unrealities and hypocritical forms and pretences, what he calls "wind and humbug (WIND UND
BLAUER DUNST)," as is very strange indeed. Strange among all mankind; doubly and trebly strange among
the unfortunate species called Kings in our time. To whom,for sad reasons that could be given,"wind
and blue vapor (BLAUER DUNST)," artistically managed by the rules of Acoustics and Optics, seem to be
all we have left us!
It must be owned that this man is inflexibly, and with a fierce slow inexorable determination, set upon having
realities round him. There is a divine idea of fact put into him; the genus sham was never hatefuler to any
man. Let it keep out of his way, well beyond the swing of that rattan of his, or it may get something to
remember! A just man, too; would not wrong any man, nor play false in word or deed to any man. What is
Justice but another form of the REALITY we love; a truth acted out? Of all the humbugs or "painted vapors"
known, Injustice is the least capable of profiting men or kings! A just man, I say; and a valiant and veracious:
but rugged as a wild bear; entirely inarticulate, as if dumb. No bursts of parliamentary eloquence in him, nor
the least tendency that way. His talent for StumpOratory may be reckoned the minimum conceivable, or
practically noted a ZERO. A man who would not have risen in modern Political Circles; man unchoosable at
hustings or in caucus; man forever invisible, and very unadmirable if seen, to the Able Editor and those that
hang by him. In fact, a kind of savage man, as we say; but highly interesting, if you can read dumb human
worth; and of inexpressible profit to the Prussian Nation.
For the first ten years of his reign, he had a heavy, continual struggle, getting his finance and other branches
of administration extricated from their strangling imbroglios of coiled nonsense, and put upon a rational
footing. His labor in these years, the first of little Fritz's life, must have been great; the pushing and pulling
strong and continual. The good plan itself, this comes not of its own accord; it is the fruit of "genius" (which
means transcendent capacity of taking trouble, first of all): given a huge stack of tumbled thrums, it is not in
your sleep that you will find the vital centre of it, or get the first thrum by the end! And then the execution,
the realizing, amid the contradiction, silent or expressed, of men and things? Explosive violence was by no
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means Friedrich Wilhelm's method; the amount of slow stubborn broadshouldered strength, in all kinds,
expended by the man, strikes us as very great. The amount of patience even, though patience is not reckoned
his forte.
That of the RITTERDIENST (Knights'Service), for example, which is but one small item of his business,
the commuting of the old feudal duty of his Landholders to do Service in Wartime, into a fixed money
payment: nothing could be fairer, more clearly advantageous to both parties; and most of his "Knights" gladly
accepted the proposal: yet a certain factious set of them, the Magdeburg set, stirred up by some seven or eight
of their number, "hardly above seven or eight really against me," saw good to stand out; remonstrated,
recalcitrated; complained in the Diet (Kaiser too happy to hear of it, that he might have a hook on Friedrich
Wilhelm); and for long years that paltry matter was a provocation to him. [17171725. Forster, ii. 162165,
iv. 3134; Stenzel, iii. 316319; Samuel Buchholz, Neueste Preussisch Brandenburgische Geschichte
(Berlin, 1775), i. 197.] But if your plan is just, and a bit of Nature's plan, persist in it like a law of Nature.
This secret too was known to Friedrich Wilhelm. In the space of ten years, by actual human strength loyally
spent, he had managed many things; saw all things in a course towards management. All things, as it were,
fairly on the road; the multiplex team pulling one way, in rational human harness, not in imbroglios of coiled
thrums made by the Nightmares.
How he introduced a new mode of farming his Domain Lands, which are a main branch of his revenue, and
shall be farmed on regular lease henceforth, and not wasted in peculation and indolent mismanagement as
heretofore; [Forster, ii. 206, 216.] new modes of levving his taxes and revenues of every kind: [Ib. ii. 190,
195.] How he at last concentrated, and harmonized into one easygoing effective GENERAL DIRECTORY,
[Completedd 19th January, 1723 (Ib. ii. 172).] the multifarious conflicting Boards, that were jolting and
jangling in a dark useandwont manner, and leaving their work half done, when he first came into power:
[Dohm, Denkwurdigkeiten meiner Zeit (Lemgo und Hanover, 18141819), iv. 88.] How he insisted on
having daylight introduced to the very bottom of every business, fairandsquare observed as the rule of it,
and the shortest road adopted for doing it: How he drained bogs, planted colonies, established manufactures,
made his own uniforms of Prussian wool, in a LAGERHAUS of his own: How he dealt with the Jew
Gompert about farming his Tobacoo;how, from many a crooked case and character he, by slow or short
methods, brought out something straight; would take no denial of what was his, nor make any demand of
what was not; and did prove really a terror to evildoers of various kinds, especially to prevaricators,
defalcators, imaginary workers, and slippery unjust persons: How he urged diligence on all mortals, would
not have the very Applewomen sit "without knitting" at their stalls; and brandished his stick, or struck it
fiercely down, over the incorrigibly idle:All this, as well as his ludicrous explosions and unreasonable
violences, is on record concerning Friedrich Wilhelm, though it is to the latter chiefly that the world has
directed its unwise attention, in judging of him. He was a very arbitrary King. Yes, but then a good deal of his
ARBITRIUM, or sovereign will, was that of the Eternal Heavens as well; and did exceedingly behoove to be
done, if the Earth would prosper. Which is an immense consideration in regard to his sovereign will and him!
He was prompt with his rattan, in urgent cases; had his gallows also, prompt enough, where needful. Let him
see that no mistakes happen, as certainly he means that none shall!
Yearly he made his country richer; and this not in money alone (which is of very uncertain value, and
sometimes has no value at all, and even less), but in frugality, diligence, punctuality, veracity,the grand
fountains from which money, and all real values and valors spring for men. To Friedrich Wilhelm in his
rustio simplicity, money had no lack of value; rather the reverse. To the homespun man it was a success of
most excellent quality, and the chief symbol of success in all kinds. Yearly he made his own revenues, and
his people's along with them and as the source of them, larger: and in all states of his revenue, he had
contrived to make his expenditure less than it; and yearly saved masses of coin, and "reposited them in
barrels in the cellars of his Schloss,"where they proved very useful, one day. Much in Friedrich Wilhelm
proved useful, beyond even his expectations. As a Nation's HUSBAND he seeks his fellow among Kings,
ancient and modern. Happy the Nation which gets such a Husband, once in the halfthousand years. The
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Nation, as foolish wives and Nations do, repines and grudges a good deal, its weak whims and will being
thwarted very often; but it advances steadily, with consciousness or not, in the way of welldoing; and
afterlong times the harvest of this diligent sowing becomes manifest to the Nation and to all Nations.
Strange as it sounds in the Republic of Letters, we are tempted to call Friedrich Wilhelm a man of
genius;genius fated and promoted to work in National Husbandry, not in writing Verses or threevolume
Novels. A silent genius. His melodious stanza, which he cannot bear to see halt in any syllable, is a rough fact
reduced to order; fact made to stand firm on its feet, with the worldrocks under it, and looking free towards
all the winds and all the stars. He goes about suppressing platitudes, ripping off futilities, turning deceptions
inside out. The realm of Disorder, which is Unveracity, Unreality, what we call Chaos, has no fiercer enemy.
Honest soul, and he seemed to himself such a stupid fellow often; no tonguelearning at all; little capable to
give a reason for the faith that was in him. He cannot argue in articulate logic, only in inarticulate bellowings,
or worse. He must DO a thing, leave it undemonstrated; once done, it will itself tell what kind of thing it is,
by and by. Men of genius have a hard time, I perceive, whether born on the throne or off it; and must expect
contradictions next to unendurable,the plurality of blockheads being so extreme!
I find, except Samuel Johnson, no man of equal veracity with Friedrich Wilhelm in that epoch: and Johnson
too, with all his tonguelearning, had not logic enough. In fact, it depends on how much conviction you have.
Blessed be Heaven, there is here and there a man born who loves truth as truth should be loved, with all his
heart and all his soul; and hates untruth with a corresponding perfect hatred. Such men, in polite circles,
which understand that certainly truth is better than untruth, but that you must be polite to both, are liable to
get to the end of their logic. Even Johnson had a bellow in him; though Johnson could at any time withdraw
into silence, HIS kingdom lying all under his own hat. How much more Friedrich Wilhelm, who had no logic
whatever; and whose kingdom lay without him, far and wide, a thing he could not withdraw from. The
rugged Orson, he needed to be right. From utmost Memel down to Wesel again, ranked in a straggling
manner round the halfcircumference of Europe, all manner of things and persons were depending on him,
and on his being right, not wrong, in his notion.
A man of clear discernment, very good natural eyesight; and irrefragably confident in what his eyes told him,
in what his belief was;yet of huge simplicity withal. Capable of being coaxed about, and led by the nose, to
a strange degree, if there were an artist dexterous enough, daring enough! His own natural judgment was
good, and, though apt to be hasty and headlong, was always likely to come right in the end; but internally, we
may perceive, his modesty, selfdistrust, anxiety and other unexpected qualities, must have been great. And
then his explosiveness, impatience, excitability; his conscious dumb ignorance of all things beyond his own
small horizon of personal survey! An Orson capable enough of being coaxed and tickled, by some firstrate
conjurer;firstrate; a secondrate might have failed, and got torn to pieces for his pains. But Seckendorf
and Grumkow, what a dance they led him on some matters,as we shall see, and as poor Fritz and others
will see!
He was full of sensitiveness, rough as he was and shaggy of skin. His wild imaginations drove him hither and
thither at a sad rate. He ought to have the privileges of genius. His tall Potsdam Regiment, his madlooking
passion for enlisting tall men; this also seems to me one of the whims of genius,an exaggerated notion to
have his "stanza" polished to the last punctilio of perfection; and might be paralleled in the history of Poets.
Stranger "man of genius," or in more peculiar circumstances, the world never saw!
Friedrich Wilhelm, in his CrownPrince days, and now still more when he was himself in the sovereign
place, had seen all along, with natural arithmetical intellect, That his strength in this world, as at present
situated, would very much depend upon the amount of potentialbattle that lay in him,on the quantity and
quality of Soldiers he could maintain, and have ready for the field at any time. A most indisputable truth, and
a heartfelt one in the present instance. To augment the quantity, to improve the quality, in this
thriceessential particular: here lay the keystone and crowning summit of all Friedrich Wilhelm's endeavors;
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to which he devoted himself, as only the best Spartan could have done. Of which there will be other
opportunities to speak in detail. For it was a thing worldnotable; worldlaughable, as was then thought; the
extremely serious fruit of which did at length also become notable enough.
In the Malplaquet time, once on some occasion, it is said, two English Officers, not well informed upon the
matter, and provoking enough in their contemptuous ignorance, were reasoning with one another in Friedrich
Wilhelm's hearing, as to the warlike powers of the Prussian State, and Whether the King of Prussia could on
his own strength maintain a standing army of 15,000? Without subsidies, do you think, so many as 15,000?
Friedrich Wilhelm, incensed at the thing and at the tone, is reported to have said with heat: "Yes, 30,000!"
[Forster, i. 138.] whereat the military men slightly wagged their heads, letting the matter drop for the present.
But he makes it good by degrees; twofold or threefold; and will have an army of from seventy to a hundred
thousand before he dies, ["72,000 fieldtroops, 30,000 garrisontroops" (Gestandnisse eines OEster
reichischen Veterans, Breslau, 1788, i. 64).] the bestdrilled of fighting men; and what adds much to the
wonder, a full Treasury withal. This is the Brandenburg Spartan King; acquainted with National Economics.
Alone of existing Kings he lays by money annually; and is laying by many other and far more precious
things, for Prussia and the little Boy he has here.
Friedrich Wilhelm's passion for drilling, recruiting and perfecting his army attracted much notice: laughing
satirical notice; in the hundred months of common rumor, which he regarded little; and notice iracund and
minatory, when it led him into collision with the independent portions of mankind, now and then. This latter
sort was not pleasant, and sometimes looked rather serious; but this too he contrived always to digest in some
tolerable manner. He continued drilling and recruiting,we may say not his Army only, but his Nation in all
departments of it, as no man before or since ever did: increasing, by every devisable method, the amount
of potentialbattle that lay in him and it.
In a military, and also in a much deeper sense, he may be defined as the great Drillsergeant of the Prussian
Nation. Indeed this had been the function of the Hohenzollerns all along; this difficult, unpleasant and
indispensable one of drilling. From the first appearance of Burggraf Friedrich, with good words and with
HEAVY PEG, in the wreck of anarchic Brandenburg, and downwards ever since, this has steadily enough
gone on. And not a little good drilling these populations have had, first and last; just orders given them (wise
and just, which to a respectable degree were Heaven's orders as well): and certainly Heavy Peg, for
instance,Heavy Peg, bringing Quitzow's strong House about his ears,was a respectable drummer's cat to
enforce the same. This has been going on these three hundred years. But Friedrich Wilhelm completes the
process; finishes it off to the last pitch of perfection. Friedrich Wilhelm carries it through every fibre and
cranny of Prussian Business, and so far as possible, of Prussian Life; so that Prussia is all a drilled phalanx,
ready to the word of command; and what we see in the Army is but the last consummate essence of what
exists in the Nation everywhere. That was Friedrich Wilhelm's function, made ready for him, laid to his hand
by his Hohenzollern foregoers; and indeed it proved a most beneficent function.
For I have remarked that, of all things, a Nation needs first to be drilled; and no Nation that has not first been
governed by socalled "Tyrants," and held tight to the curb till it became perfect in its paces and thoroughly
amenable to rule and law, and heartily respectful of the same, and totally abhorrent of the want of the same,
ever came to much in this world. England itself, in foolish quarters of England, still howls and execrates
lamentably over its William Conqueror, and rigorous line of Normans and Plantagenets; but without them, if
you will consider well, what had it ever been? A gluttonous race of Jutes and Angles, capable of no grand
combinations; lumbering about in potbellied equanimity; not dreaming of heroic toil and silence and
endurance, such as leads to the high places of this Universe, and the golden mountaintops where dwell the
Spirits of the Dawn. Their very ballotboxes and suffrages, what they call their "Liberty," if these mean
"Liberty," and are such a road to Heaven, AngloSaxon highroad thither,could never have been possible
for them on such terms. How could they? Nothing but collision, intolerable interpressure (as of men not
perpendicular), and consequent battle often supervening, could have been appointed those undrilled
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AngloSaxons; their potbellied equanimity itself continuing liable to perpetual interruptions, as in the
Heptarchy time. An enlightened Public does not reflect on these things at present; but will again, by and by.
Looking with human eyes over the England that now is, and over the America and the Australia, from pole to
pole; and then listening to the Constitutional litanies of Dryasaust, and his lamentations on the old Norman
and Plantagenet Kings, and his recognition of departed merit and causes of effects,the mind of man is
struck dumb!
Chapter IV. HIS MAJESTY'S WAYS.
Friedrich Wilhelm's History is one of ECONOMICS; which study, so soon as there are Kings again in this
world, will be precious to them. In that happy state of matters, Friedrich Wilhelm's History will well reward
study; and teach by example, in a very simple and direct manner. In what is called the Political, Diplomatic,
"Honortobe" department, there is not, nor can ever be, much to be said of him; this Economist King having
always kept himself well at home, and looked steadily to his own affairs. So that for the present he has, as a
King, next to nothing of what is called History; and it is only as a fellowman, of singular faculty, and in a
most peculiar and conspicuous situation, that he can be interesting to mankind. To us he has, as Father and
daily teacher and master of young Fritz, a continual interest; and we must note the master's ways, and the
main phenomena of the workshop as they successively turned up, for the sake of the notable Apprentice
serving there.
He was not tall of stature, this arbitrary King: a floridcomplexioned stoutbuilt man; of serious, sincere,
authoritative face; his attitudes and equipments very Spartan in type. Man of short firm stature; stands (in
Pesne's best Portraits of him) at his ease, and yet like a tower. Most solid; "plumb and rather more;" eyes
steadfastly awake; cheeks slightly compressed, too, which fling the mouth rather forward; as if asking
silently, "Anything astir, then? All right here?" Face, figure and bearing, all in him is expressive of robust
insight, and direct determination; of healthy energy, practicality, unquestioned authority,a certain air of
royalty reduced to its simplest form. The face in Pictures by Pesne and others, is not beautiful or agreeable;
healthy, genuine, authoritative, is the best you can say of it. Yet it may have been, what it is described as
being, originally handsome. High enough arched brow, rather copious cheeks and jaws; nose smallish,
inclining to be stumpy; large gray eyes, bright with steady fire and life, often enough gloomy and severe, but
capable of jolly laughter too. Eyes "naturally with a kind of laugh in them," says Pollnitz;which laugh can
blaze out into fearful thunderous rage, if you give him provocation. Especially if you lie to him; for that he
hates above all things. Look him straight in the face: he fancies he can see in your eyes, if there is an internal
mendacity in you: wherefore you must look at him in speaking; such is his standing order.
His hair is flaxen, falling into the ashgray or darker; fine copious flowing hair, while he wore it natural. But
it soon got tied into clubs, in the military style; and at length it was altogether cropped away, and replaced by
brown, and at last by white, round wigs. Which latter also, though bad wigs, became him not amiss, under his
cockedhat and cockade, says Pollnitz. [Pollnitz, Memoiren (Berlin, 1791), ii. 568.] The voice, I guess, even
when not loud, was of clangorous and penetrating, quasimetallic nature; and I learn expressly once, that it
had a nasal quality in it. [Busching, Beitrage, i. 568.] His Majesty spoke through the nose; snuffled his
speech in an earnest ominously plangent manner. In angry moments, which were frequent, it must have
been unpleasant to listen to. For the rest, a handsome man of his inches; conspicuously wellbuilt in limbs
and body, and delicately finished off to the very extremities. His feet and legs, says Pollnitz, were very fine.
The hands, if he would have taken care of them, were beautifully white; fingers long and thin; a hand at once
nimble to grasp, delicate to feel, and strong to clutch and hold: what may be called a beautiful hand, because
it is the usefulest.
Nothing could exceed his Majesty's simplicity of habitudes. But one loves especially in him his scrupulous
attention to cleanliness of person and of environment. He washed like a very Mussulman, five times a day;
loved cleanliness in all things, to a superstitious extent; which trait is pleasant in the rugged man, and indeed
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of a piece with the rest of his character. He is gradually changing all his silk and other cloth roomfurniture;
in his hatred of dust, he will not suffer a floorcarpet, even a stuffed chair; but insists on having all of wood,
where the dust may be prosecuted to destruction. [Forster, i. 208.] Wife and womankind, and those that take
after them, let such have stuffing and sofas: he, for his part, sits on mere wooden chairs;sits, and also
thinks and acts, after the manner of a Hyperborean Spartan, which he was. He ate heartily, but as a rough
farmer and hunter eats; country messes, good roast and boiled; despising the French Cook, as an entity
without meaning for him. His favorite dish at dinner was bacon and greens, rightly dressed; what could the
French Cook do for such a man? He ate with rapidity, almost with indiscriminate violence: his object not
quality but quantity. He drank too, but did not get drunk: at the Doctor's order he could abstain; and had in
later years abstained. Pollnitz praises his fineness of complexion, the originally eminent whiteness of his skin,
which he had tanned and bronzed by hard riding and hunting, and otherwise worse discolored by his manner
of feeding and digesting: alas, at last his waistcoat came to measure, I am afraid to say how many Prussian
ells,a very considerable diameter indeed! [Ib. i. 163.]
For some years after his accession he still appeared occasionally in "burgher dress," or unmilitary clothes;
"brown English coat, yellow waistcoat" and the other indispensables. But this fashion became rarer with him
every year; and ceased altogether (say Chronologists) about the year 1719: after which he appeared always
simply as Colonel of the Potsdam Guards (his own Lifeguard Regiment) in simple Prussian uniform: close
military coat; blue, with red cuffs and collar, buff waistcoat and breeches; white linen gaiters to the knee. He
girt his sword about the loins, well out of the mud; walked always with a thick bamboo in his hand; Steady,
not slow of step; with his triangular hat, creamwhite round wig (in his older days), and face tending to
purple,the eyes looking out mere investigation, sharp swift authority, and dangerous readiness to rebuke
and set the cane in motion:it was so he walked abroad in this earth; and the common run of men rather fled
his approach than courted it.
For, in fact, he was dangerous; and would ask in an alarming manner, "Who are you?" Any fantastic, much
more any suspiciouslooking person, might fare the worse. An idle lounger at the streetcorner he has been
known to hit over the crown; and peremptorily despatch: "Home, Sirrah, and take to some work!" That the
Applewomen be encouraged to knit, while waiting for custom;encouraged and quietly constrained, and at
length packed away, and their stalls taken from them, if unconstrainable,there has, as we observed, an
especial rescript been put forth; very curious to read. [In Rodenbeck, Beitrage, p. 15.]
Dandiacal figures, nay people looking like Frenchmen, idle flaunting women even,better for them to be
going. "Who are you?" and if you lied or prevaricated ("Er blicke mich gerade an, Look me in the face,
then!"), or even stumbled, hesitated, and gave suspicion of prevaricating, it might be worse for you. A soft
answer is less effectual than a prompt clear one, to turn away wrath. "A Candidatus Theoligiae, your
Majesty," answered a handfast threadbare youth one day, when questioned in this manner."Where from?"
"Berlin, your Majesty.""Hm, na, the Berliners are a goodfornothing set." "Yes, truly, too many of them;
but there are exceptions; I know two.""Two? which then?" "Your Majesty and myself!"Majesty burst
into a laugh: the Candidatus was got examined by the Consistoriums, and Authorities proper in that matter,
and put into a chaplaincy.
This King did not love the French, or their fashions, at all. We said he dismissed the big Peruke,put it on
for the last time at his Father's funeral, so far did filial piety go; and then packed it aside, dismissing it, nay
banishing and proscribing it, never to appear more. The Peruke, and, as it were, all that the Peruke
symbolized. For this was a King come into the world with quite other aims than that of wearing big perukes,
and, regardless of expense, playing burstfrog to the ox of Versailles, which latter is itself perhaps a rather
useless animal. Of Friedrich Wilhelm's taxes upon wigs; of the old "Wiginspectors," and the feats they did,
plucking off men's periwigs on the street, to see if the governmentstamp were there, and to discourage
wiggery, at least all but the simple scratch or useful Welshwig, among mankind: of these, and of other
similar things, I could speak; but do not. This little incident, which occurred once in the reviewground on
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the outskirts of Berlin, will suffice to mark his temper in that respect. It was in the spring of 1719; our little
Fritz then six years old, who of course heard much temporary confused commentary, direct and oblique,
triumphant male laughter, and perhaps rebellious female sighs, on occasion of such a feat.
Count Rothenburg, Prussian by birth, [Buchholz, Neueste PreuwssischBrandenburgische Geschichte, i. 28.]
an accomplished and able person in the diplomatic and other lines of business, but much used to Paris and its
ways, had appeared lately in Berlin, as French envoy,and, not unnaturally, in high French costume;
cockedhat, peruke, laced coat, and the other trimmings. He, and a group of dashing followers and adherents,
were accustomed to go about in that guise; very capable of proving infectious to mankind. What is to be done
with them? thinks the anxious Father of his People. They were to appear at the ensuing grand Review, as
Friedrich Wilhelm understood. Whereupon Friedrich Wilhelm took his measures in private. Dressed up,
namely, his ScavengerExecutioner people (what they call PROFOSSEN in Prussian regiments) in an
enormous exaggeration of that costume; cockedhats about an ell in diameter, wigs reaching to the houghs,
with other fittings to match: these, when Count Rothenburg and his company appeared upon the ground,
Friedrich Wilhelm summoned out, with some trumpetpeal or burst of fieldmusic; and they solemnly
crossed Count Rothenburg's field of vision; the strangest set of, Phantasms he had seen lately. Awakening
salutary reflections in him. [Forster, i. 165; Faasmann, Leben und Thaten des allerdurchlauchtigsten gc.
Konigs von Preussen Frederici Wilhelmi (Hambug und Breslau, 1735), pp. 223, 319.] Fancy that scene in
History; Friedrich Wilhelm for comicsymbolic Dramaturgist. Gods and men (or at least Houyhnhnm horses)
might have saluted it; with a Homeric laugh,so huge and vacant is it, with a suspicion of real humor
too:but the men were not permitted, on parade, more than a silent grin, or general irrepressible rustling
murmur; and only the gods laughed inextinguishably, if so disposed. The ScavengerExecutioners went back
to their place; and Count Rothenburg took a plain German costume, so long as he continued in those parts.
Friedrich Wilhelm has a dumb rough wit and mockery, of that kind, on many occasions; not without geniality
in its Brobdignag exaggeration and simplicity. Like a wild bear of the woods taking his sport; with some
sense of humor in the rough skin of him. Very capable of seeing through sumptuous costumes; and respectful
of realities alone. Not in French sumptuosity, but in native German thrift, does this King see his salvation; so
as Nature constructed him: and the world which has long lost its Spartans, will see again an original
NorthGerman Spartan; and shriek a good deal over him; Nature keeping her own counsel the while, and as
it were, laughing in her sleeve at the shrieks of the flunky world. For Nature, when she makes a Spartan,
means a good deal by it; and does not expect instant applauses, but only gradual and lasting.
"For my own part," exclaims a certain Editor once, "I perceive well there was never yet any great Empire
founded, Roman, English, down to Prussian or Dutch, nor in fact any great mass of work got achieved under
the Sun, but it was founded even upon this humblelooking quality of Thrift, and became achievable in virtue
of the same. Which will seem a strange doctrine, in these days of goldnuggets, railwayfortunes, and
miraculous, sumptuosities regardless of expense. Earnest readers are invited to consider it, nevertheless.
Though new; it is very old; and a sad meaning lies in it to us of these times! That you have squandered in idle
fooleries, building where there was no basis, your Hundred Thousand Sterling, your Eight Hundred Million
Sterling, is to me a comparatively small matter. You may still again become rich, if you have at last become
wise. But if you have wasted your capacity of strenuous, devoutly valiant labor, of patience, perseverance,
selfdenial, faith in the causes of effects; alas, if your once just judgment of what is worth something and
what is worth nothing, has been wasted, and your silent steadfast reliance on the general veracities, of
yourself and of things, is no longer there,then indeed you have had a loss! You are, in fact, an entirely
bankrupt individual; as you will find by and by. Yes; and though you had California in feesimple; and could
buy all the upholsteries, groceries, fundedproperties, temporary (very temporary) landed properties of the
world, at one swoop, it would avail you nothing. Henceforth for you no harvests in the Seedfield of this
Universe, which reserves its salutary bounties, and noble heavensent gifts, for quite other than you; and I
would not give a pin's value for all YOU will ever reap there. Mere imaginary harvests, sacks of nuggets and
the like; empty as the eastwind; with all the Demons laughing at you! Do you consider that Nature too is
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a swollen flunky, hungry for veils; and can be taken in with your sublime airs of sumptuosity, and the large
balance you actually have in Lombard Street? Go to theGeneral Cesspool, with your nuggets and your
ducats!"
The flunky world, much stript of its plush and fat perquisites, accuses Friedrich Wilhelm bitterly of avarice
and the cognate vices. But it is not so; intrinsically, in the main, his procedure is to be defined as honorable
thrift,verging towards avarice here and there; as poor human virtues usually lean to one side or the other!
He can be magnificent enough too, and grudges no expense, when the occasion seems worthy. If the occasion
is inevitable, and yet not quite worthy, I have known him have recourse to strange shifts. The Czar Peter, for
example, used to be rather often in the Prussian Dominions, oftenest on business of his own: such a man is to
be royally defrayed while with us; yet one would wish it done cheap. Posthorses, "two hundred and
eightyseven at every station," he has from the Community; but the rest of his expenses, from Memel all the
way to Wesel? Friedrich Wilhelm's marginal response to his FINANZDIRECTORIUM, requiring orders
once on that subject, runs in the following strange tenor: "Yes, all the way (except Berlin, which I take upon
myself); and observe, you contrive to do it for 6,000 thalers (900 pounds),"which is uncommonly cheap,
about l pound per mile; won't allow you one other penny (nit einen Pfennig gebe mehr dazu ); but you are
( sollen Sie )," this is the remarkable point, "to give out in the world that it costs me from Thirty to Forty
Thousand!" [1717: Forster, i. 213.] So that here is the Majesty of Prussia, who beyond all men abhors lies,
giving orders to tell one? Alas, yes; a kind of lie, or fib (white fib, or even GRAY), the pinch of Thrift
compelling! But what a window into the artless innerman of his Majesty, even that GRAY fib;not done
by oneself, but ordered to be done by the servant, as if that were cheaper!
"Verging upon avarice," sure enough: but, unless we are unjust and unkind, he can by no means be described
as a MISER King. He collects what is his; gives you accurately what is yours. For wages paid he will see
work done; he will ascertain more and more that the work done be work needful for him; and strike it off, if
not. A Spartan man, as we said,though probably he knew as little of the Spartans as the Spartans did of
him. But Nature is still capable of such products: if in Hellas long ages since, why not in Brandenburg now?
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR.
One of Fritz's earliest strong impressions from the outer world chanced to be of War,so it chanced, though
he had shown too little taste that way, and could not, as yet, understand such phenomena;and there must
have been much semiarticulate questioning and dialoguing with Dame de Roucoulles, on his part, about the
matter now going on.
In the year 1715, little Fritz's third year, came grand doings, not of drill only, but of actual war and fighting:
the "Stralsund Expedition," Friedrich Wilhelm's one feat in that kind. Huge rumor of which fills naturally the
maternal heart, the Berlin Palace drawingrooms; and occupies, with new vivid interests, all imaginations
young and old. For the actual battledrums are now beating, the big cannonwains are creaking under way;
and military men take farewell, and march, tramp, tramp; Majesty in grenadierguard uniform at their head:
horse, foot and artillery; northward to Stralsund on the Baltic shore, where a terrible human Lion has taken up
his lair lately. Charles XII. of Sweden, namely; he has broken out of Turkish Bender or Demotica, and ended
his obstinate torpor, at last; has ridden fourteen or sixteen days, he and a groom or two, through desolate
steppes and mountain wildernesses, through crowded dangerous cities;"came by Vienna and by Cassel,
then through Pommern;" leaving his "royal train of two thousand persons" to follow at its leisure. He, for his
part, has ridden without pause, forward, ever forward, in darkest incognito, the indefatigable man;and
finally, on OldHallowmas Eve (22d11th November, 1714), far in the night, a Horseman, with two others
still following him, travelsplashed, and "white with snow," drew bridle at the gate of Stralsund; and, to the
surprise of the Swedish sentinel there, demanded instant admission to the Governor. The Governor, at first a
little surly of humor, saw gradually how it was; sprang out of bed, and embraced the knees of the snowy man;
Stralsund in general sprang out of bed, and illuminated itself, that same HallowEve:and in brief, Charles
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XII., after five years of eclipse, has reappeared upon the stage of things; and menaces the world, in his old
fashion, from that City. From which it becomes urgent to many parties, and at last to Friedrich Wilhelm
himself, that he be dislodged.
The root of this Stralsund story belongs to the former reign, as did the grand apparition of Charles XII. on the
theatre of European History, and the terror and astonishment he created there. He is now thirtythree years
old; and only the winding up, both of him and of the Stralsund story, falls within our present field. Fifteen
years ago, it was like the bursting of a cataract of bombshells in a dull ballroom, the sudden appearance of
this young fighting Swede among the luxurious Kings and Kinglets of the North, all lounging about and
languidly minuetting in that manner, regardless of expense! Friedrich IV. of Denmark rejoicing over red
wine; August the Strong gradually producing his "three hundred and fiftyfour bastards;" [ Memoires de
Bareith (Wilhelmina's Book, Londres, 1812), i. 111.] these and other neighbors had confidently stept in, on
various pretexts; thinking to help themselves from the young man's properties, who was still a minor; when
the young minor suddenly developed himself as a major and maximus, and turned out to be such a FireKing
among them!
In consequence of which there had been no end of Northern troubles; and all through the LouisFourteenth or
Marlborough grand "Succession War," a special "Northern War" had burnt or smouldered on its own score;
Swedes VERSUS Saxons, Russians and Danes, bickering in weary intricate contest, and keeping those
Northern regions in smoke if not on fire. Charles XII., for the last five years (ever since Pultawa, and the
summer of 1709), had lain obstinately dormant in Turkey; urging the Turks to destroy Czar Peter. Which they
absolutely could not, though they now and then tried; and Viziers not a few lost their heads in consequence.
Charles lay sullenly dormant; Danes meanwhile operating upon his Holstein interests and adjoining
territories; Saxons, Russians, battering continually at Swedish Pommern, continually marching thither, and
then marching home again, without success,always through the Brandenburg Territory, as they needs
must. Which latter circumstance Friedrich Wilhelm, while yet only CrownPrince, had seen with natural
displeasure, could that have helped it. But Charles XII. would not yield a whit; sent orders peremptorily, from
his bed at Bender or Demotica, that there must be no surrender. Neither could the sluggish enemy compel
surrender.
So that, at length, it had grown a feeble wearisome welter of inextricable strifes, with wornout combatants,
exhausted of all but their animosity; and seemed as if it would never end. Inveterate ineffective war; ruinous
to all good interests in those parts. What miseries had Holstein from it, which last to our own day!
Mecklenburg also it involved in sore troubles, which lasted long enough, as we shall see. But Brandenburg,
above all, may be impatient; Brandenburg, which has no business with it except that of unlucky
neighborhood. One of Friedrich Wilhelm's very first operations, as King, was to end this ugly state of
matters, which he had witnessed with impatience, as Prince, for a long while.
He had hailed even the Treaty of Utrecht with welcome, in hopes it might at least end these Northern
brabbles. This the Treaty of Utrecht tried to do, but could not: however, it gave him back his Prussian
Fighting Men; which he has already increased by six regiments, raised, we may perceive, on the ruins of his
late courtflunkies and dismissed goldsticks;with these Friedrich Wilhelm will try to end it himself. These
he at once ordered to form a Camp on his frontier, close to that theatre of contest; and signified now with
emphasis, in the beginning of 1713, that he decidedly wished there were peace in those Pommern regions.
Negotiations in consequence; [10th June, 1713: Buchholz, i. 21.] very wide negotiations, Louis XIV. and the
Kaiser lending hand, to pacify these fighting Northern Kings and their Czar: at length the Holstein
Government, representing their sworn ally, Charles XII., on the occasion, made an offer which seemed
promising. They proposed that, Stettin and its dependencies, the strong frontier Town, and, as it were, key of
Swedish Pommern, should be evacuated by the Swedes, and be garrisoned by neutral troops, Prussians and
Holsteiners in equal number; which neutral troops shall prohibit any hostile attack of Pommern from without,
Sweden engaging not to make any attack through Pommern from within. That will be as good as peace in
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Pommern, till we get a general Swedish Peace. With which Friedrich Wilhelm gladly complies. [22d June,
1713: Buchholz, i. 21.]
Unhappily, however, the Swedish Commandant in Stettin would not give up the place, on any representative
or secondary authority; not without an express order in his King's own hand. Which, as his King was far
away, in abstruse Turkish circumstances and localities, could not be had at the moment; and involved new
difficulties and uncertainties, new delay which might itself be fatal. The end was, the Russians and Saxons
had to cannonade the man out by regular siege: they then gave up the Town to Prussia and Holstein; but
required first to be paid their expenses incurred in sieging it,400,000 thalers, as they computed and
demonstrated, or some where about 60,000 pounds of our money.
Friedrich Wilhelm paid the money (Holstein not having a groschen); took possession of the Town, and
dependent towns and forts; intending well to keep them till repaid. This was in October, 1713; and ever since,
there has been actual tranquillity in those parts: the embers of the Northern War may still burn or smoulder
elsewhere, but here they are quite extinct. At first, it was a joint possession of Stettin, Holsteiners and
Prussians in equal number; and if Friedrich Wilhelm had been sure of his money, so it would have continued.
But the Holsteiners had paid nothing; Charles XII's sanction never could be expressly got, and the Holsteiners
were mere dependents of his. Better to increase our Prussian force, by degrees; and, in some good way, with a
minimum of violence, get the Holsteiners squeezed out of Stettin: Friedrich Wilhelm has so ordered and
contrived. The Prussian force having now gradually increased to double in this important garrison, the
Holsteiners are quietly disarmed, one night, and ordered to depart, under penalties;which was done.
Holding such a pawnticket as Stettin, buttoned in our own pocket, we count now on being paid our 60,000
pounds before parting with it.
Matters turned out as Friedrich Wilhelm had dreaded they might. Here is Charles XII. come back; inflexible
as cold Swedish iron; will not hear of any Treaty dealing with his properties in that manner: Is he a bankrupt,
then, that you will sell his towns by auction? Charles does not, at heart, believe that Friedrich Wilhelm ever
really paid the 60,000 pounds Charles demands, for his own part, to have, his own Swedish Town of Stettin
restored to him; and has not the least intention, or indeed ability, to pay money. Vain to answer: "Stettin, for
the present, is not a Swedish Town; it is a Prussian Pawnticket!"There was much negotiation,
correspondence; Louis XIV. and the Kaiser stepping in again to produce settlement. To no purpose. Louis,
gallant old Bankrupt, tried hard to take Charles's part with effect. But he had, himself, no money now; could
only try finessing by ambassadors, try a little menacing by them; neither of which profited. Friedrich
Wilhelm, wanting only peace on his borders, after fifteen years of extraneous uproar there, has paid 60,000
pounds in hard cash to have it: repay him that sum, with promise of peace on his borders, he will then quit
Stettin; till then not. Big words from a French Ambassador in big wig, will not suffice: "Bullying goes for
nothing ( Bange machen gilt nicht ),"the thing covenanted for will need to be done! Poor Louis the Great,
whom we now call "BANKRUPTGreat," died while these affairs were pending; while Charles, his ally, was
arguing and battling against all the world, with only a grandiloquent Ambassador to help him from Louis.
"J'ai trop aime la guerre," said Louis at his death, addressing a new small Louis (five years old), his
greatgrandson and successor: "I have been too fond of war; do not imitate me in that, ne m'imitez pas en
cela." [1st September, 1715.] Which counsel also, as we shall see, was considerably lost in air.
Friedrich Wilhelm had a true personal regard for Charles XII., a man made in many respects after his own
heart; and would fain have persuaded him into softer behavior. But it was to no purpose. Charles would not
listen to reasons of policy; or believe that his estate was bankrupt, or that his towns could be put in pawn.
Danes, Saxons, Russians, even George I. of England (Georgehaving just bought, of the Danish King, who
had got hold of it, a great Hanover bargain, Bremen and Verden, on cheap terms, from the quasibankrupt
estate of poor Charles),have to combine against him, and see to put him down. Among whom Prussia, at
length actually attacked by Charles in the Stettin regions, has reluctantly to take the lead in that repressive
movement. On the 28th of April, 1715, Friedrich Wilhelm declares war against Charles; is already on march,
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with a great force, towards Stettin, to coerce and repress said Charles. No help for it, so sore as it goes against
us: "Why will the very King whom I most respect compel me to be his enemy?" said Friedrich Wilhelm.
[ OEuvres de Frederic (Histoire de Brandebourg), i. 132; Buchholz, i. 28.]
One of Friedrich Wilhelm's originalities is his farewell Order and Instruction, to his three chief Ministers, on
this occasion. Ilgen, Dohna, Prinzen, tacit dusky figures, whom we meet in Prussian Books, and never gain
the least idea of, except as of grim, rather cunning, most reserved antiquarlan gentlemen,a kind of human
ironsafes, solemnly filled (under triple and quadruple patentlocks) with what, alas, has now all grown
wastepaper, dust and cobweb, to us:these three reserved cunning Gentlemen are to keep a
thricewatchful eye on all subordinate boards and persons, and see well that nobody nod or do amiss. Brief
weekly report to his Majesty will be expected; staffettes, should cases of hot haste occur: any questions of
yours are "to be put on a sheet of paper folded down, to which I can write marginalia:" if nothing particular is
passing, "NIT SCHREIBEN, you don't write." Pay out no money, except what falls due by the Books;
none;if an extraordinary case for payment arise, consult my Wife, and she must sign her order for it.
Generally in matters of any moment, consult my Wife; but her only, "except her and the Privy Councillors,
no mortal is to poke into my affairs:" I say no mortal, "SONST KEIN MENSCH."
"My Wife shall be told of all things," he says elsewhere, "and counsel asked of her." The rugged
Paterfamilias, but the human one! "And as I am a man," continues he, "and may be shot dead, I command you
and all to take care of Fritz (FUR FRITZ ZU SORGEN), as God shall reward you. And I give you all, Wife to
begin with, my curse (MEINEN PLUCH), that God may punish you in Time and Eternity, if you do not, after
my death,"do what, O Heavens? bury me in the vault of the Schlosskirche," PalaceChurch at Berlin!
"And you shall make no grand todo (KEIN FESTIN) on the occasion. On your body and life, no festivals
and ceremonials, except that the regiments one after the other fire a volley over me." Is not this an ursine
manofgenius, in some sort, as we once defined him? He adds suddenly, and concludes: "I am assured you
will manage everything with all the exactness in the world; for which I shall ever zealously, as long as I live,
be your friend." [26th April, 1715: Cosmars und Klaproths Staatsrath, s. 223 (in Stenzel, iii. 269). Russians,
Saxons affected to intend joining Friedrich Wilhelm in his Pommern Expedition; and of the latter there did,
under a socalled FieldMarshal von Wackerbarth, of high plumes and titles, some four thousandof whom
only Colonel von Seckendorf, commanding one of the horseregiments, is remarkable to uscome and
serve. The rest, and all the Russians, he was as well pleased to have at a distance. Some sixteen thousand
Danes joined him, too, with the King of Denmark at their head; very furious, all, against the Swedishiron
Hero; but they were remarked to do almost no real service, except at sea a little against the Swedish ships.
George I. also had a fleet in the Baltic; but only "to protect English commerce." On the whole, the Siege of
Stralsund, to which the Campaign pretty soon reduced itself, was done mainly by Friedrich Wilhelm. He
stayed two months in Stettin, getting all his preliminaries completed; his good Queen, Wife "Feekin," was
with him for some time, I know not whether now or afterwards. In the end of June, he issued from Stettin;
took the interjacent outpost places; and then opened ground before Stralsund, where, in a few days more, the
Danes joined him. It was now the middle of July: a combined Army of wellnigh forty thousand against
Charles; who, to man his works, musters about the fourth part of that number. [Pauli, viii. 85101; Buchholz,
i. 3139; Forster, ii. 3439; Stenzel, iii. 272218.]
Stralsund, with its outer lines and inner, with its marshes, ditches, ramparts and abundant cannon to them, and
leaning, one side of it, on the deep sea, which Swedish ships command as yet, is very strong. Wallenstein, we
know, once tried it with furious assault, with bombardment, sap and storm; swore he would have it, "though it
hung by a chain from Heaven;" but could not get it, after all his volcanic raging; and was driven away, partly
by the Swedes and armed Townsfolk, chiefly by the marshfevers and continuous rains. Stralsund has been
taken, since that, by Prussian sieging; as old men, from the Great Elector's time, still remember. [lOth15th
October, 1678 (Pauli, v. 203, 205).] To Louis Fourteenth's menacing Ambassador, Friedrich Wilhelm seems
to intimate that indeed big bullying words will not take it, but that Prussian guns and men, on a just ground,
still may.
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The details of this Siege of Stralsund are all on record, and had once a certain fame in the world; but, except
as a distant echo, must not concern us here. It lasted till midwinter, under continual fierce
countermovements and desperate sallies from the Swedish Lion, standing at bay there against all the world.
But Friedrich Wilhelm was vigilance itself; and he had his AnhaltDessaus with him, his Borcks,
Buddenbrocks, Finkensteins, veteran men and captains, who had learned their art under Marlborough and
Eugene. The Lion King's fierce sallies, and desperate valor, could not avail. Point after point was lost for him.
Koppen, a Prussian LieutenantColonel, native to the place, who has bathed in those waters in his youth,
remembers that, by wading to the chin, you could get round the extremity of Charles's main outer line.
Koppen states his project, gets it approved of; wades accordingly, with a select party, under cloud of night
(4th of November, eve of Gunpowderday, a most coldhot job); other ranked Prussian battalions awaiting
intently outside, with shouldered firelock, invisible in the dark; what will become of him. Koppen wades
successfully; seizes the first battery of said line,masters said line with its batteries, the outside battalions
and he. Irrepressibly, with horrible uproar from without and from within; the flying Swedes scarcely getting
up the Town drawbridge, as he chased them. That important line is lost to Charles.
Next they took the Isle of Rugen from him, which shuts up the harbor. Leopold of AnhaltDessau, our
rugged friend, in Danish boats, which were but ill navigated, contrives, about a week after that Koppen feat,
to effect a landingon Rugen at nightfall; beats off the weak Swedish party;entrenches, palisades himself
to the teeth, and lies down under arms. That latter was a wise precaution. For, about four in the morning,
Charles comes in person, with eight pieces of cannon and four thousand horse and foot: Charles is struck with
amazement at the palisade and ditch ("MEIN GOTT, who would have expected this!" he was heard
murmuring); dashes, like a fireflood, against ditch and palisade; tears at the pales himself, which prove
impregnable to his cannon and him. He storms and rages forward, again and again, now here, now there; but
is met everywhere by steady deadly musketry; and has to retire, fruitless, about daybreak, himself wounded,
and leaving his eight cannons, and four hundred slain.
Poor Charles, there had been no sleep for him that night, and little for very many nights: "on getting to horse,
on the shore at Stralsund, he fainted repeatedly; fell out of one faint into another; but such was his rage, he
always recovered himself, and got on horseback again." [Buchholz, i. 36.] Poor Charles: a bit of right royal
SwedishGerman stuff, after his kind; and tragically ill bested now at last! This is his exit he is now
making,still in a consistent manner. It is fifteen years now since he waded ashore at Copenhagen, and first
heard the bullets whistle round him. Since which time, what a course has he run; crashing athwart all manner
of ranked armies, diplomatic combinations, right onward, like a cannonball; tearing off many solemn wigs
in those Northern parts, and scattering them upon the winds,even as he did his own fullbottom wig,
impatiently, on that first day at Copenhagen, tiding it unfurthersome for actual business in batt1e. [Kohler,
Munzbelustigungen, xiv. 213.]
In about a month hence, the last important hornwork is forced; Charles, himself seen fiercely fighting on the
place, is swept back from his last hornwork; and the general storm, now altogether irresistible, is evidently at
hand. On entreaty from his followers, entreaty often renewed, with tears even (it is said) and on bended
knees, Charles at last consents to go. He left no orders for surrender; would not name the word; "left only
ambiguous vague orders." But on the 19th December, 1715, he does actually depart; gets on board a little
boat, towards a Swedish frigate, which is lying above a mile out; the whole road to which, between Rugen
and the mainland, is now solid ice, and has to be cut as he proceeds. This slow operation, which lasted all
day, was visible, and its meaning well known, in the besiegers' lines. The King of Denmark saw it; and
brought a battery to bear upon it; his thought had always been, that Charles should be captured or killed in
Stralsund, and not allowed to get away. Friedrich Wilhelm was of quite another mind, and had even used
secret influences to that effect; eager that Charles should escape. It is said, he remonstrated very passionately
with the Danish King and this battery of his; nay, some add, since remonstrances did not avail, and the
battery still threatened to fire, Friedrich Wilhelm drew up a Prussian regiment or two at the muzzles of it, and
said, You shall shoot us first, then. [Buchholz, p. 138.] Which is a pleasant myth at least; and symbolical of
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Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR. 168
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what the reality was.
Charles reached his frigate about nightfall, but made little way from the place, owing to defect of wind. They
say, he even heard the chamade beating in Stralsund next day, and that a Danish frigate had nearly taken him;
both which statements are perhaps also a little mythical. Certain only that he vanished at this point into
Scandinavia; and general Europe never saw him more. Vanished into a cloud of untenable schemes, guided
by Alberoni, Baron Gortz and others; wild schemes, financial, diplomatic, warlike, nothing not chimerical in
them but his own unquenchable real energy;and found his death (by assassination, as appears) in the
trenches of Frederickshall, among the Norway Hills, one winter night, three years hence. Assassination
instigated by the Swedish Official Persons, it is thought. The bullet passed through both his temples; he had
clapt his hand upon the hilt of his sword, and was found leant against the parapet, in that attitude, gone
upon a long march now. So vanished Charles Twelfth; the distressed Official Persons and Nobility exploding
upon him in that rather damnable way,anxious to slip their muzzles at any cost whatever. A man of antique
character; true as a child, simple, even bashful, and of a strength and valor rarely exampled among men.
Openhearted Antique populations would have much worshipped such an Appearance;Voltaire, too, for
the artificial Moderns, has made a myth of him, of another type; one of those impossible castiron gentlemen,
heroically mad, such as they show in the Playhouses, pleasant but not profitable, to an undiscerning Pub1ic.
[See Adlerfeld ( Military History of Charles XII. London, 1740, 3 vols., "from the Swedish," through the
French) and Kohler ( Munzbelustigungen, ubi supra), for some authentic traits of his life and him.] The last of
the Swedish Kings died in this way; and the unmuzzled Official Persons have not made much of kinging it in
his stead. Charles died; and, as we may say, took the life of Sweden along with him; for it has never shone
among the Nations since, or been much worth mentioning, except for its misfortunes, spasmodic impotences
and unwisdoms.
Stralsund instantly beat the chamade, as we heard; and all was surrender and subjection in those regions.
Surrender; not yet pacification, not while Charles lived; nor for half a century after his death, could
Mecklenburg, HolsteinGottorp, and other his confederates, escape a sad coil of calamities bequeathed by
him to them. Friedrich Wilhelm returned to Berlin, victorious from his first, which was also his last Prussian
War, in January, 1716; and was doubtless a happy man, NOT "to be buried in the Schlosskirche (under
penalty of God's curse)," but to find his little Fritz and Feekin, and all the world, merry to see him, and all
things put square again, abroad as at home. He forbade the "triumphal entry" which Berlin was preparing for
him; entered privately; and ordered a thanksgiving sermon in all the churches next Sunday.
THE DEVIL IN HARNESS: CREUTZ THE FINANCEMINISTER.
In the King's absence nothing particular had occurred,except indeed the walking of a dreadful Spectre,
three nights over, in the corridors of the Palace at Berlin; past the doors where our little Prince and
Wilhelmina slept: bringing with it not airs from Heaven, we may fear, but blasts from the Other place! The
stalwart sentries shook in their paces, and became "halfdead" from terror. "A horrible noise, one night," says
Wilhelmina, "when all were buried in sleep: all the world started up, thinking it was fire; but they were much
surprised to find that it was a Spectre." Evident Spectre, seen to pass this way, "and glide along that gallery,
as if towards the apartments of the Queen's Ladies." Captain of the Guard could find nothing in that gallery,
or anywhere, and withdrew again:but lo, it returns the way it went! Stalwart sentries were found melted
into actual deliquium of swooning, as the Preternatural swept by this second time. "They said, It was the
Devil in person; raised by Swedish wizards to kill the PrinceRoyal." [Wilhelmina, Memoires de Bareith, i.
18.]l Poor PrinceRoyal; sleeping sound, we hope; little more than three years old at this time, and knowing
nothing of it!All Berlin talked of the affair. People dreaded it might be a "Spectre" of Swedish tendencies;
aiming to burn the Palace, spirit off the Royal Children, and do one knew not what?
Not that at all, by any means! The Captain of the Guard, reinforcing himself to defiance even of the
Preternatural, does, on the third or fourth apparition, clutch the Spectre; finds him to bea prowling Scullion
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of the Palace, employed here he will not say how; who is straightway locked in prison, and so exorcised at
least. Exorcism is perfect; but Berlin is left guessing as to the rest,secret of it discoverable only by the
Queen's Majesty and some few most interior parties. To the following effect.
SpectreScullion, it turns out, had been employed by Grumkow, as spy upon one of the Queen's Maids of
Honor,suspected by him to be a Nomaid of Dishonor, and of ill intentions too,who lodges in that part
of the Palace: of whom Herr Grumkow wishes intensely to know, "Has she an intrigue with Creutz the new
FinanceMinister, or has she not?" "Has, beyond doubt!" the SpectreScullion hopes he has discovered,
before exorcism. Upon which Grumkow, essentially illuminated as to the required particular, manages to get
the SpectreScullion loose again, not quite hanged; glozing the matter off to his Majesty on his return: for the
rest, ruins entirely the Creutz speculation; and has the Nomaid called of Honorwith whom Creutz thought
to have seduced the young King also, and made the young King amenabledismissed from Court in a
peremptory irrefragable manner. This is the secret of the SpectreScullion, fully revealed by Wilhelmina
many years after.
This one short glance into the Satan's InvisibleWorld of the Berlin Palace, we could not but afford the
reader, when an actual Goblin of it happened to be walking in our neighborhood. Such an InvisibleWorld of
Satan exists in most human Houses, and in all human Palaces;with its imps, familiar demons, spies,
gobetweens, and industrious badangels, continually mounting and descending by THEIR Jacob'sLadder,
or Palace Backstairs: operated upon by Conjurers of the GrumkowCreutz or other sorts. Tyrannous Mamsell
Leti, [Leti, Governess to Wilhelmina, but soon dismissed for insolent cruelty and other bad conduct, was
daughter of that Gregorio Leti ("Protestant Italian Refugee," "Historiographer of Amsterdam," who once had
a pension in this country; and who wrote HistoryBooks, a Life of Cromwell one of them, so regardless of the
difference between true and false.] treacherous Mamsell Ramen, valetsurgeon Eversmann, and plenty more:
readers of Wilhelmina's Book are too well acquainted with them. Nor are expert Conjurers wanting; capable
to work strange feats with so plastic an element as Friedrich Wilhelm's mind. Let this one short glimpse of
such Subterranean World be sufficient indication to the reader's fancy.
Creutz was not dismissed, as some people had expected he might be. Creutz continues FinanceMinister;
makes a great figure in the fashionable Berlin world in these coming years, and is much talked of in the old
Books,though, as he works mostly underground, and merely does budgets and financematters with
extreme talent and success, we shall hope to hear almost nothing more of him. Majesty, while CrownPrince,
when he first got his regiment from Papa, had found this Creutz "Auditor" in it; a poor but handsome fellow,
with perhaps seven shillings a week to live upon; but with such a talent for arranging, for reckoning and
recording, in brief for controlling finance, as more and more charmed the royal mind. [Mauvillon ("Elder
Mauvillon," ANONYMOUS), Histoire de Frederic Guillaume I., par M. de M(Amsterdam et Leipzig,
1741), i. 47. A vague flimsy compilation;gives abundant "StatePapers" (to such as want them), and
echoes of old Newspaper rumor. Very copious on Creutz.]
One of Majesty's first acts was to appoint him FinanceMinister; [4th May, 1713: Preuss, i. 349. n.] and there
he continued steady, not to be overset by little flaws of wind like this of the SpectreScullion's raising. It is
certain he did, himself, become rich; and helped well to make his Majesty so. We are to fancy him his
Majesty's bottleholder in that battle with the Finance Nightmares and Imbroglios, when so much had to be
subjugated, and drilled into step, in that department. Evidently a longheaded cunning fellow, much of the
Grumkow type;standing very low in Wilhelmina's judgment; and illseen, when not avoidable altogether,
by the Queen's Majesty. "The man was a poor Country Bailiff's (AMTMANN'S, kind of Taxmanager's) son:
from Auditor of a regiment," Papa's own regiment, "he had risen to be Director of Finance, and a Minister of
State. His soul was as low as his birth; it was an assemblage of all the vices," [Wilhelmina, i. 16.] says
Wilhelmina, in the language of exaggeration.Let him stand by his budgets; keep well out of Wilhelmina's
and the Queen's way;and very especially beware of coming on Grumkow's field again.
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Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR. 170
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Chapter VI. THE LITTLE DRUMMER.
This Siege of Stralsund, the last military scene of Charles XII., and the FIRST ever practically heard of by
our little Fritz, who is now getting into his fourth year, and must have thought a great deal about it in his little
head,Papa and even Mamma being absent on it, and such a marching and rumoring going on all round
him,proved to be otherwise of some importance to little Fritz.
Most of his Tutors were picked up by the careful Papa in this Stralsund business. Duhan de Jandun, a young
French gentleman, familytutor to General Count Dohna (a cousin of our Minister Dohna's), but fonder of
fighting than of teaching grammar; whom Friedrich Wilhelm found doing soldier's work in the trenches, and
liked the ways of; he, as the foundationstone of tutorage, is to be first mentioned. And then Count Fink von
Finkenstein, a distinguished veteran, high in command (of whose qualities as HeadTutor, or occasional
travelling guardian Friedrich Wilhelm had experience in his own young days [ Biographisches Lexikon aaler
Helden und Militairpersonen, welche sich in Preussischen Diensten berumht gemacht haben (4 vols. Berlin,
1788), i. 418, ? Finkenatein.A praiseworthy, modest, highly correct Book, of its kind; which we shall, in
future, call MilitairLexikon, when referring to it.]); and LieutenantColonel Kalkstein, a prisonerofwar
from the Swedish side, whom Friedrich Wilhelm, judging well of him, adopts into his own service with this
view: these three come all from Stralsund Siege; and were of vital moment to our little Fritz in the subsequent
time. Colonel Seckendorf, again, who had a command in the four thousand Saxons here, and refreshed into
intimacy a transient old acquaintance with Friedrich Wilhelm, is not he too of terrible importance to Fritz
and him? As we shall see in time!
For the rest, here is another little incident. We said it had been a disappointment to Papa that his little Fritz
showed almost no appetite for soldiering, but found other sights more interesting to him than the
drillground. Sympathize, then, with the earnest Papa, as he returns home one afternoon,date not given,
but to all appearance of that year 1715, when there was such warrumoring, and marching towards
Stralsund;and found the little Fritz, with Wilhelmina looking over him, strutting about, and assiduously
beating a little drum.
The paternal heart ran over with glad fondness, invoking Heaven to confirm the omen. Mother was told of it;
the phenomenon was talked of,beautifulest, hopefulest of little drummers. Painter Pesne, a French
Immigrant, or Importee, of the last reign, a man of great skill with his brush, whom History yet thanks on
several occasions, was sent for; or he heard of the incident, and volunteered his services. A Portrait of little
Fritz drumming, with Wilhelmina looking on; to which, probably for the sake of color and pictorial effect, a
Blackamoor, aside with parasol in hand, grinning approbation, has been added,was sketched, and
dexterously worked out in oil, by Painter Pesne. Picture approved by mankind there and then. And it still
hangs on the wall, in a perfect state, in Charlottenburg Palace; where the judicious tourist may see it without
difficulty, and institute reflections on it.
A really graceful little Picture; and certainly, to Prussian men, not without weight of meaning. Nor perhaps to
PictureCollectors and Cognoscenti generally, of whatever couutry,if they could forget, for a moment, the
correggiosity of Correggio, and the learned babble of the Saleroom and varnishing Auctioneer; and think,
"Why it is, probably, that Pictures exist in this world, and to what end the divine art of Painting was
bestowed, by the earnest gods, upon poor mankind?" I could advise it, once, for a little! Flaying of Saint
Bartholomew, Rape of Europa, Rape of the Sabines, Piping and Amours of goatfooted Pan, Romulus
suckled by the Wolf: all this, and much else of fabulous, distant, unimportant, not to say impossible, ugly and
unworthy, shall pass without undue severity of criticism, in a Household of such opulence as ours, where
much goes to waste, and where things are not on an earnest footing for this long while past! As Created
Objects, or as Phantasms of such, pictorially done, all this shall have much worth, or shall have little. But I
say, Here withal is one not phantasmal; of indisputable certainty, homegrown, just commencing business,
who carried it far!
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Chapter VI. THE LITTLE DRUMMER. 171
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Fritz is still, if not in "longclothes," at least in longish and flowing clothes, of the petticoat sort, which look
as of darkblue velvet, very simple, pretty and appropriate; in a cap of the same; has a short raven's feather in
the cap; and looks up, with a face and eyes full of beautiful vivacity and child's enthusiasm, one of the
beautifulest little figures, while the little drum responds to his bits of drumsticks. Sister Wilhelmina, taller by
some three years, looks on in pretty marching attitude, and with a graver smile. Blackamoor, and
accompaniments elegant enough; and finally the figure of a grenadier, on guard, seen far off through an
opening,make up the background.
We have engravings of this Picture; which are of clumsy poor quality, and misrepresent it much: an excellent
Copy in oil, what might be called almost a facsimile and the perfection of a Copy, is now (1854) in Lord
Ashburton's Collection here in England. In the Berlin Galleries,which are made up, like other Galleries, of
goatfooted Pan, Europa's Bull, Romulus's SheWolf, and the correggiosity of Correggio; and contain, for
instance, no Portrait of Frederick the Great; no Likenesses at all, or next to none at all, of the noble series of
Human Realities, or of any part of them, who have sprung not from the idle brains of dreaming Dilettanti, but
from the Head of God Almighty, to make this poor authentic Earth a little memorable for us, and to do a little
work that may be eternal there:in those expensive Halls of "High Art" at Berlin, there were, to my
experience, few Pictures more agreeable than this of Pesne's. Welcome, like one tiny islet of Reality amid the
shoreless sea of Phantasms, to the reflective mind, seriously loving and seeking what is worthy and
memorable, seriously hating and avoiding what is the reverse, and intent not to play the dilettante in this
world.
The same Pesne, an excellent Artist, has painted Friedrich as PrinceRoyal: a beautiful young man with
MOISTlooking enthusiastic eyes of extraordinary brilliancy, smooth oval face; considerably resembling his
Mother. After which period, authentic Pictures of Friedrich are sought for to little purpose. For it seems he
never sat to any Painter, in his reigning days; and the Prussian Chodowiecki, [Pronounce
KODOVYETSKI;and endeavor to make some acquaintance with this "Prussian Hogarth," who has real
worth and originality.] Saxon Graff, English Cunningham had to pick up his physiognomy from the distance,
intermittently, as they could. Nor is Rauch's grand equestrian Sculpture a thing to be believed, or perhaps
pretending much to be so. The commonly received Portrait of Friedrich, which all German limners can draw
at once,the cockedhat, big eyes and alert air, reminding you of some uncommonly brisk Invalid
Drillsergeant or Greenwich Pensioner, as much as of a Royai Hero,is nothing but a general extract and
average of all the faces of Friedrich, such as has been tacitly agreed upon; and is definable as a received
pictorialmyth, by no means as a fact, or credible resemblance of life.
But enough now of Pictures. This of the Little Drummer, the painting and the thing painted which remain to
us, may be taken as Friedrich's first appearance on the stage of the world; and welcomed accordingly. It is
one of the very few visualities or definite certainties we can lay hold of, in those young years of his, and bring
conclusively home to our imagination, out of the
waste Prussian dustclouds of uninstructive garrulity which pretend to record them for us. Whether it came
into existence as a shadowy emanation from the Stralsund Expedition, can only be matter of conjecture. To
judge by size, these figures must have been painted about the year 1715; Fritz some three or four years old,
his sister Wilhelmina seven.
It remains only to be intimated, that Friedrich Wilhelm, for his part, had got all he claimed from this
Expedition: namely, Stettin with the dependent Towns, and quietness in Pommern. Stettin was, from of old,
the capital of his own part of Pommern; thrown in along with the other parts of Pommern, and given to
Sweden (from sheer necessity, it was avowed), at the Peace of Westphalia, sixty years ago or more:and
now, by good chance, it has come back. Wait another hundred years, and perhaps Swedish Pommern
altogether will come back! But from all this Friedrich Wilhelm is still far. Stettin and quiet are all he dreams
of demanding there.
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Stralsund he did not reckon his; left it with the Danes, to hold in pawn till some general Treaty. Nor was there
farther outbreak of war in those regions; though actual Treaty of Peace did not come till 1720, and make
matters sure. It was the new Queen of Sweden, Ulrique Eleonora (Charles's younger Sister, wedded to the
young Landgraf of HessenCassel),much aided by an English Envoy,who made this Peace with
Friedrich Wilhelm. A young English Envoy, called Lord Carteret, was very helpful in this matter; one of his
first feats in the diplomatic world. For which Peace, [Stockholm, 21st January, 1720: in Mauvillon (i.
380417) the Document itself at large.] Friedrich Wilhelm was so thankful, good pacific armedman, that
happening to have a Daughter born to him just about that time, he gave the little creature her Swedish
Majesty's name; a new "Ulrique," who grew to proper stature, and became notable in Sweden, herself, by and
by. [Louisa Ulrique, born 24th July, 1720; Queen of Sweden in time coming.]
Chapter VII. TRANSIT OF CZAR PETER.
In the Autumn of 1717, Peter the Great, coming home from his celebrated French journey, paid Friedrich
Wilhelm a visit; and passed four days at Berlin. Of which let us give one glimpse, if we can with brevity.
Friedrich Wilhelm and the Czar, like in several points, though so dissimilar in others, had always a certain
regard for one another; and at this time, they had been brought into closer intercourse by their common peril
from Charles XII., ever since that Stralsund business. The peril was real, especially with a Gortz and Alberoni
putting hand to it; and the alarm, the rumor, and uncertainty were great in those years. The wounded Lion
driven indignant into his lair, with Plotting Artists now operating upon the rage of the noble animal: who
knows what spring he will next take? George I. had a fleet cruising in the Baltic Sounds, and again a fleet;
paying, in that oblique way, for Bremen and Verden; which were got, otherwise, such a bargain to his
Hanover. Czar Peter had marched an Army into Denmark; united Russians and Danes count fifty thousand
there; for a conjunct invasion, and probable destruction, of Sweden: but that came to nothing; Charles looking
across upon it too dangerously, "visible in clear weather over from the Danish side." [1716: Fassmann, p.
171.] So Peter's troops have gone home again; Denmark too glad to get them away. Perhaps they would have
stayed in Denmark altogether; much liking the green pastures and convenient situation,had not Admiral
Norris with his cannon been there! Perhaps? And the Pretender is coming again, they say? And who knows
what is coming?How Gortz, in about a year hence was laid hold of, and let go, and then ultimately tried
and beheaded (once his lion Master was disposed of); [19th March, 1719: see Kohler ( Munzbelustiggungen,
vi. 233240, xvii. 297304) for many curious details of Gortz and his end.] how, Ambassador Cellamare, and
the Spanish part of the Plot, having been discovered in Paris, Cardinal Alberoni at Madrid was discovered,
and the whole mystery laid bare; all that mad business, of bringing the Pretender into England, throwing out
George I., throwing out the Regent d'Orleans, and much more,is now sunk silent enough, not worthy of
reawakening; but it was then a most loud matter; filling the European Courts, and especially that of Berlin,
with rumors and apprehensions. No wonder Friedrich Wilhelm was grateful for that Swedish Peace of his,
and named his little daughter "Ulrique" in honor of it. Tumultuous cloudworld of Lapland Witchcraft had
ceased hereby, and daylight had begun: old women (or old Cardinals) riding through the sky, on broomsticks,
to meet Satan, where now are they? The fact still dimly perceptible is, Europe, thanks to that pair of
BlackArtists, Gortz and Alberoni, not to mention Law the FinanceWizard and his French incantations, had
been kept generally, for these three or four years past, in the state of a Haunted House; riotous Goblins, of
unknown dire intent, walking now in this apartment of it, now in that; no rest anywhere for the perturbed
inhabitants.
As to Friedrich Wilhelm, his plan in 1717, as all along, in this bewitched state of matters, was: To fortify his
Frontier Towns; Memel, Wesel, to the right and left, especially to fortify Stettin, his new acquisition;and to
put his Army, and his Treasury (or ArmyCHEST), more and more in order. In that way we shall better meet
whatever goblins there may be, thinks Friedrich Wilhelm. Count Lottum, hero of the Prussians at Malplaquet,
is doing his scientific uttermost in Stettin and those Frontier Towns. For the rest, his Majesty, invited by the
Czar and France, has been found willing to make paction with them, as he is with all pacific neighbors. In
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fact, the Czar and he had their private Conference, at Havelberg, last year,Havelberg, some sixty miles
from Berlin, on the road towards Denmark, as Peter was passing that way;ample Conference of. five days;
[23d28th November, 1716: Fassmann, p. 172.]privately agreeing there, about many points conducive to
tranquillity. And it was on that same errand, though ostensibly to look after Art and the higher forms of
Civilization so called, that Peter had been to France on this celebrated occasion of 1717. We know he saw
much Art withal; saw Marly, Trianon and the grandeurs and politenesses;saw, among other things, "a
Medal of himself fall accidentally at his feet;" polite Medal "just getting struck in the Mint, with a rising sun
on it; and the motto, VIRES ACQUIRIT EUNDO." [Voltaire, OEuvres Completes (Histoire du Czar Pierre),
xxxi. 336.Kohler in Munzbelustigungen, xvii. 386392 (this very MEDAL the subject), gives authentic
account, day by day, of the Czar's visit there.] Ostensibly it was to see CETTE BELLE FRANCE; but
privately withal the Czar wished to make his bargain, with the Regent d'Orleans, as to these goblins walking
in the Northern and Southern parts, and what was to be done with them. And the result has been, the Czar,
Friedrich Wilhelm and the said Regent have just concluded an Agreement; [4th August, 1717; Buchholz, i.
43.] undertaking in general, that the goblins shall be well watched; that they Three will stand by one another
in watching them. And now the Czar will visit Berlin in passing homewards again. That is the position of
affairs, when he pays this visit. Peter had been in Berlin more than once before; but almost always in a
succinct rapid condition; never with his "Court" about him till now. This is his last, and by far his greatest,
appearance in Berlin.
Such a transit, of the Barbaric semifabulous Sovereignties, could not but be wonderful to everybody there. It
evidently struck Wilhelmina's fancy, now in her ninth year, very much. What her little Brother did in it, or
thought of it, I nowhere find hinted; conclude only that it would remain in his head too, visible occasionally
to the end of his life. Wilhelmina's Narrative, very loose, dateless or misdated, plainly wrong in various
particulars, has still its value for us: human eyes, even a child's, are worth something, in comparison to
human wantofeyes, which is too frequent in Historybooks and elsewhere!Czar Peter is now fortyfive,
his Czarina Catherine about thirtyone. It was in 1698 that he first passed this way, going towards Saardam
and practical Shipbuilding: within which twenty years what a spell of work done! Victory of Pultawa is
eight years behind him; [27th June, 1709.] victories in many kinds are behind him: by this time he is to be
reckoned a triumphant Czar; and is certainly the strangest mixture of heroic virtue and brutish Samoeidic
savagery the world at any time had.
It was Sunday, 19th September, 1717, when the Czar arrived in Berlin. Being already sated with scenic
parades, he had begged to be spared all ceremony; begged to be lodged in Monbijou, the Queen's little
GardenPalace with river and trees round it, where he hoped to be quietest. Monbijou has been set apart
accordingly; the Queen, not in the benignest humor, sweeping all her crystals and brittle things away;
knowing the manners of the Muscovites. Nor in the way of ceremony was there much: King and Queen drove
out to meet him; rampartguns gave three big salvos, as the Czarish Majesty stept forth. "I am glad to see
you, my Brother Friedrich," said Peter, in German, his only intelligible language; shaking hands with the
Brother Majesty, in a cordial human manner. The Queen he, still more cordially, "would have kissed;" but
this she evaded, in some graceful effective way. As to the Czarina, who, for OBSTETRIC and other
reasons, of no moment to us, had stayed in Wesel all the time he was in France,she followed him now at
two days' distance; not along with him, as Wilhelmina has it. Wilhelmina says, she kissed the Queen's hand,
and again and again kissed it; begged to present her Ladies,"about four hundred socalled Ladies, who
were of her Suite."Surely not so many as four hundred, you too witty Princess? "Mere German
servingmaids for the most part," says the witty Princess; "Ladies when there is occasion, then acting aa
chambermaids, cooks, washerwomen, when that is over."
Queen Sophie was averse to salute these creatures; but the Czarina Catherine making reprisals upon our
Margravines, and the King looking painfully earnest in it, she prevailed upon herself. Was there ever seen
such a travelling tagraggery of a Sovereign Court before? "Several of these creatures [PRESQUE TOUTES,
says the exaggerative Princess] had, in their arms, a baby in rich dress; and if you asked, 'Is that yours, then?'
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they answered, making salaams in Russian style, 'The Czar did me the honor ( m'a fait l'honneur de me faire
cet enfant )!'"
Which statement, if we deduct the due 25 per cent, is probably not mythic, after all. A day or two ago, the
Czar had been at Magdeburg, on his way hither, intent upon inspecting matters there; and the Official
Gentlemen,President Cocceji (afterwards a very celebrated man) at the head of them,waited on the
Czar, to do what was needful. On entering, with the proper Address or complimentary Harangue, they found
his Czarish Majesty "standing between two Russian Ladies," clearly Ladies of the above sort; for they stood
close by him, one of his arms was round the neck of each, and his hands amused themselves by taking
liberties in that posture, all the time Cocceji spoke. Nay, even this was as nothing among the Magdeburg
phenomena. Next day, for instance, there appeared in the audiencechamber a certain Serene highpacing
Duke of Mecklenburg, with his Duchess;thriceunfortunate Duke, of whom we shall too often hear again;
who, after some adventures, under Charles XII. first of all, and then under the enemies of Charles, had, about
a year ago, after divorcing his first Wife, married a Niece of Peter's:Duke and Duchess arrive now, by
order or gracious invitation of their Sovereign Uncle, to accompany him in those parts; and are announced to
an eager Czar, giving audience to his select Magdeburg public. At sight of which most desirable Duchess and
Brother's Daughter, how Peter started up, satyrlike, clasping her in his arms, and snatching her into an inner
room, with the door left ajar, and thereIt is too Samoeidic for human speech! and would excel belief, were
not the testimony so strong. [Pollnitz ( Memoiren, ii. 95) gives Friedrich Wilhelm as voucher, "who used to
relate it as from eyeandear witnesses."] A Duke of Mecklenburg, it would appear, who may count himself
the NONPLUSULTRA of husbands in that epoch;as among Sovereign Rulers, too, in a small or great
way, he seeks his fellow for illluck!
Duke and Duchess accompanied the Czar to Berlin, where Wilhelmina mentions them, as presentees; part of
those "four hundred" anomalies. They took the Czar home with them to Mecklenburg: where indeed some
Russian Regiments of his, left here on their return from Denmark, had been very useful in coercing the
rebellious Ritterschaft (KNIGHTAGE, or LandedGentry) of this Duke,till at length the general outcry,
and voice of the Reich itself, had ordered the said Regiments to get on march again, and take themselves
away. [The LAST of them, "July, 1717; " two months ago. (Michaelis, ii. 418.)] For all is rebellion, passive
rebellion, in Mecklenburg; taxes being so indispensable; and the Knights so disinclined; and this Duke a
Sovereign,such as we may construe from his quarrelling with almost everybody, and his NOT quarrelling
with an Uncle Peter of that kind. [One poor hint, on his behalf, let us not omit: "WIFE quitted him in 1719,
and lived at Moscow afterwards!" (General Mannstein, Memoirs of Russia, London, 1770, p. 27 n.)] His
troubles as Sovereign Duke, his flights to Dantzig, oustings, returns, lawpleadings and foolish confusions,
lasted all his life, thirty years to come; and were bequeathed as a sorrowful legacy to Posterity and the
neighboring Countries. Voltaire says, the Czar wished to buy his Duchy from him. [Ubi supra, xxxi. 414.]
And truly, for this wretched Duke, it would have been good to sell it at any price: but there were other words
than his to such a bargain, had it ever been seriously meditated. By this extraordinary Duchess he becomes
Father (real or putative) of a certain Princess, whom we may hear of; and through her again is Grandfather of
an unfortunate Russian Prince, much bruited about, as "the murdered Iwan," in subsequent times. With such a
Duke and Duchess let our acquaintance be the MINIMUM of what necessity compels.
Wilhelmina goes by hearsay hitherto; and, it is to be hoped, had heard nothing of these
MagdeburgMecklenburg phenomena; but after the Czarina's arrival, the little creature saw with her own
eyes:
"Next day," that is, Wednesday, 22d "the Czar and his Spouse came to return the Queen's visit; and I saw the
Court myself." Palace GrandApartments; Queen advancing a due length, even to the outer guardroom;
giving the Czarina her right hand, and leading her into her audiencechamber in that distinguished manner:
King and Czar followed close;and here it was that Wilhelmina's personal experiences began. "The Czar at
once recognized me, having seen me before, five years ago [March, 1713]. He caught me in his arms; fell to
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kissing me, like to flay the skin off my face. I boxed his ears, sprawled, and struggled with all my strength;
saying I would not allow such familiarities, and that he was dishonoring me. He laughed greatly at this idea;
made peace, and talked a long time with me. I had got my lesson: I spoke of his fleet and his
conquests;which charmed him so much, that he said more than once to the Czarina, 'If he could have a
child like me, he would willingly give one of his Provinces in exchange.' The Czarina also caressed me a
good deal. The Queen [Mamma] and she placed themselves under the dais, each in an armchair" of proper
dignity; "I was at the Queen's side, and the Princesses of the Blood," Margravines above spoken of, "were
opposite to her," all in a standing posture, as is proper.
"The Czarina was a little stumpy body, very brown, and had neither air nor grace: you needed only look at
her, to guess her low extraction." It is no secret, she had been a kitchenwench in her Lithuanian native
country; afterwards a female of the kind called unfortunate, under several figures: however, she saved the
Czar once, by her readywit and courage, from a devouring Turkish Difficulty, and he made her fortunate
and a Czarina, to sit under the dais as now. "With her huddle of clothes, she looked for all the world like a
German Playactress; her dress, you would have said, had been bought at a secondhand shop; all was out of
fashion, all was loaded with silver and greasy dirt. The front of her bodice she had ornamented with jewels in
a very singular pattern: A doubleeagle in embroidery, and the plumes of it set with poor little diamonds, of
the smallest possible carat, and very ill mounted. All along the facing of her gown were Orders and little
things of metal; a dozen Orders, and as many Portraits of saints, of relics and the like; so that when she
walked, it was with a jingling, as if you heard a mule with bells to its harness."Poor little Czarina; shifty
nutbrown fellowcreature, strangely chased about from the bottom to the top of this world; it is evident she
does not succeed at Queen Sophie Dorothee's Court!
"The Czar, on the other hand, was very tall, and might be called handsome," continues Wilhelmina: "his
countenance was beautiful, but had something of savage in it which put you in fear." Partly a kind of
Milton'sDevil physiognomy? The Portraits give it rather so. Archangel not quite ruined, yet in sadly ruinous
condition; its heroism so bemired,with a turn for strong drink, too, at times! A physiognomy to make one
reflect." His dress was of sailor fashion, coat, altogether plain."
"The Czarina, who spoke German very ill herself, and did not understand well what the Queen said, beckoned
to her Fool to come near,"a poor female creature, who had once been a Princess Galitzin, but having got
into mischief, had been excused to the Czar by her high relations as mad, and saved from death or Siberia,
into her present strange harbor of refuge. With her the Czarina talked in unknown Russ, evidently "laughing
much and loud," till Supper was announced.
"At table," continues Wilhelmina, "the Czar placed himself beside the Queen. It is understood this Prince was
attempted with poison in his youth, and that something of it had settled on his nerves ever after. One thing is
certain, there took him very often a sort of convulsion, like Tic or St.Vitus, which it was beyond his power
to control. That happened at table now. He got into contortions, gesticulations; and as the knife was in his
hand, and went dancing about within arm'slength of the Queen, it frightened her, and she motioned several
times to rise. The Czar begged her not to mind, for he would do her no ill; at the same time he took her by the
hand, which he grasped with such violence that the Queen was forced to shriek out. This set him heartily
laughing; saying she had not bones of so hard a texture as his Catherine's. Supper done, a grand Ball had been
got ready; but the Czar escaped at once, and walked home by himself to Monbijou, leaving the others to
dance."
Wilhelmina's story of the Cabinet of Antiques; of the Indecent little Statue there, and of the orders Catherine
got to kiss it, with a "KOPF AB (Head off, if you won't)!" from the bantering Czar, whom she had to
obey,is not incredible, after what we have seen. It seems, he begged this bit of Antique Indecency from
Friedrich Wilhelm; who, we may fancy, would give him such an article with especial readiness. That same
day, fourth of the Visit, Thursday, 23d of the month, the august Party went its ways again; Friedrich Wilhelm
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convoying "as far as Potsdam;" Czar and Suite taking that route towards Mecklenburg, where he still intends
some little pause before proceeding homeward. Friedrich Wilhelm took farewell; and never saw the Czar
again.
It was on this Journey, best part of which is now done, that the famous Order bore, "Do it for six thousand
thalers; won't allow you one other penny ( nit einen Pfennig gebe mehr dazu ); but give out to the world that
it costs me thirty or forty thousand!" Nay, it is on record that the sum proved abundant, and even
superabundant, near half of it being left as overplus. [Forster, i. 215.] The hospitalities of Berlin, Friedrich
Wilhelm took upon himself, and he has done them as we see. You shall defray his Czarish Majesty, to the last
Prussian milestone; punctually, properly, though with thrift!
Peter's, VIATICUM, the Antique Indecency, Friedrich Wilhelm did not grudge to part with; glad to purchase
the Czar's goodwill by coin of that kind. Last year, at Havelberg, he had given the Czar an entire Cabinet of
Amber Articles, belonging to his late Father. Amber Cabinet, in the lump; and likewise such a Yacht, for
shape, splendor and outfit, as probably Holland never launched before; Yacht also belonging to his late
Father, and without value to Friedrich Wilhelm. The old King had got it built in Holland, regardless of
expense,15,000 pounds, they say, perhaps as good as 50,000 pounds now; and it lay at Potsdam: good
for what? Friedrich Wilhelm sent it down the Havel, down the Elbe, silk sailors and all, towards Hamburg
and Petersburg, with a great deal of pleasure. For the Czar, and peace and goodwill with the Czar, was of
essential value to him. Neither, at any rate, is the Czar a man to take gifts without return. Tall fellows for
soldiers: that is always one prime object with Friedrich Wilhelm; for already these Potsdam Guards of his are
getting ever more gigantic. Not less an object, though less an ideal or POETIC one (as we once defined), was
this other, to find buyers for the Manufactures, new and old, which he was so bent on encouraging. "It is
astonishing, what quantities of cloth, of hardware, salt, and all kinds of manufactured articles the Russians
buy from us," say the old Books;"see how our 'Russian Company' flourishes!" In both these objects, not to
speak of peace and goodwill in general, the Czar is our man.
Thus, this very Autumn, there arrive, astonished and astonishing, no fewer than a hundred and fifty human
figures (one half MORE than were promised), probably from seven to eight feet high; the tallest the Czar
could riddle out from his Dominions: what a windfall to the Potsdam Guard and its ColonelKing! And all
succeeding Autumns the like, so long as Friedrich Wilhelm lived; every Autumn, out of Russia a hundred of
the tallest mortals living. Invaluable,to a "man of genius" mounted on his hobby! One's "stanza" can be
polished at this rate.
In return for these Russian sons of Anak, Friedrich Wilhelm grudged not to send German smiths, millwrights,
drillsergeants, cannoneers, engineers; having plenty of them. By whom, as Peter well calculated, the inert
opaque Russian mass might be kindled into luminosity and vitality; and drilled to know the Art of War, for
one thing. Which followed accordingly. And it is observable, ever since, that the Russian Art of War has a
tincture of GERMAN in it (solid German, as contradistinguished from unsolid RevolutionaryFrench); and
hints to us of Friedrich Wilhelm and the Old Dessauer, to this hour.EXEANT now the Barbaric
semifabulous Sovereignties, till wanted again.
Chapter VIII. THE CROWNPRINCE IS PUT TO HIS SCHOOLING.
In his seventh year, young Friedrich was taken out of the hands of the women; and had Tutors and
SubTutors of masculine gender, who had been nominated for him some time ago, actually set to work upon
their function. These we have already heard of; they came from Stralsund Siege, all the principal hands.
Duhan de Jandun, the young French gentleman who had escaped from grammarlessons to the trenches, he is
the practical teacher. LieutenantGeneral Graf Fink von Finkenstein and LieutenantColonel von Kalkstein,
they are Head Tutor (OBERHOFMEISTER) and SubTutor; military men both, who had been in many wars
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besides Stralsund. By these three he was assiduously educated, subordinate schoolmasters working under
them when needful, in such branches as the paternal judgment would admit; the paternal object and theirs
being to infuse useful knowledge, reject useless, and wind up the whole into a military finish. These
appointments, made at different precise dates, took effect, all of them, in the year 1719.
Duhan, independently of his experience in the trenches, appears to have been an accomplished, ingenious and
conscientious man; who did credit to Friedrich Wilhelm's judgment; and to whom Friedrich professed himself
much indebted in after life. Their progress in some of the technical branches, as we shall perceive, was
indisputably unsatisfactory. But the mind of the Boy seems to have been opened by this Duhan, to a lively,
and in some sort genial, perception of things round him;of the strange confusedly opulent Universe he had
got into; and of the noble and supreme function which Intelligence holds there; supreme in Art as in Nature,
beyond all other functions whatsoever. Duhan was now turned of thirty: a cheerful amiable Frenchman; poor,
though of good birth and acquirements; originally from Champagne. Friedrich loved him very much; always
considered him his spiritual father; and to the end of Duhan's life, twenty years hence, was eager to do him
any good in his power. Anxious always to repair, for poor Duhan, the great sorrows he came to on his
account, as we shall see.
Of Graf Fink von Finkenstein, who has had military experiences of all kinds and all degrees, from marching
as prisoner into France, "wounded and without his hat," to fighting at Malplaquet, at Blenheim, even at
Steenkirk, as well as Stralsund; who is now in his sixtieth year, and seems to have been a gentleman of rather
high solemn manners, and indeed of undeniable perfections,of this supreme Count Fink we learn almost
nothing farther in the Books, except that his little Pupil did not dislike him either. The little Pupil took not
unkindly to Fink; welcoming any benignant human ray, across these lofty gravities of the
OBERHOFMEISTER; went often to his house in Berlin; and made acquaintance with two young Finks about
his own age, whom he found there, and who became important to him, especially the younger of them, in the
course of the future. [ZedlitzNeukirch, Preussisches AdelsLexikon (Leipzig, l836), ii. 168.
MilitairLexicon, i. 420.] This Pupil, it may be said, is creditably known for his attachment to his Teachers
and others; an attached and attaching little Boy. Of Kalkstein, a rational, experienced and earnest kind of
man, though as yet but young, it is certain also that the little Fritz loved him; and furthermore that the Great
Friedrich was grateful to him, and had a high esteem of his integrity and sense. "My master, Kalkstein," used
to be his designation of him, when the name chanced to be mentioned in after times. They continued together,
with various passages of mutual history, for forty years afterwards, till Kalkstein's death. Kalkstein is at
present twentyeight, the youngest of the three Tutors; then, and ever after, an altogether downright correct
soldier and man. He is of Preussen, or Prussia Proper, this Kalkstein;of the same kindred as that mutinous
Kalkstein, whom we once heard of, who was "rolled in a carpet," and kidnapped out of Warsaw, in the Great
Elector's time. Not a direct descendant of that beheaded Kalkstein's but, as it were, his NEPHEW so many
times removed. Preussen is now far enough from mutiny; subdued, with all its Kalksteins, into a respectful
silence, not lightly using the right even of petition, or submissive remonstrance, which it may still have. Nor,
except on the score of parliamentary eloquence and newspaper copyright, does it appear that Preussen has
suffered by the change.
How these FinkKalkstein functionaries proceeded in the great task they had got,very great task, had they
known what Pupil had fallen to them,is not directly recorded for us, with any sequence or distinctness. We
infer only that everything went by inflexible routiue; not asking at all, WHAT pupil?nor much, Whether it
would suit any pupil? Duhan, with the tendencies we have seen in him, who is willing to soften the inflexible
when possible, and to "guide Nature" by a rather loose rein, was probably a genial element in the otherwise
strict affair. Fritz had one unspeakable advantage, rare among princes and even among peasants in these
ruined ages: that of NOT being taught, or in general not, by the kind called "Hypocrites, and even
SincereHypocrites,"fatalest species of the class HYPOCRITE. We perceive he was lessoned, all along,
not by enchanted Phantasms of that dangerous sort, breathing mendacity of mind, unconsciously, out of every
look; but by real Men, who believed from the heart outwards, and were daily doing what they taught. To
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which unspeakable advantage we add a second, likewise considerable; That his masters, though rigorous,
were not unlovable to him;that his affections, at least, were kept alive; that whatever of seed (or of chaff
and hail, as was likelier) fell on his mind, had SUNSHINE to help in dealing with it. These are two
advantages still achievable, though with difficulty, in our epoch, by an earnest father in behalf of his poor
little son. And these are, at present, nearly all; with these well achieved, the earnest father and his son ought
to be thankful. Alas, in matter of education, there are no highroads at present; or there are such only as do
NOT lead to the goal. Fritz, like the rest of us, had to struggle his way, Nature and Didactic Art differing very
much from one another; and to do battle, incessant partial battle, with his schoolmasters for any education he
had.
A very rough Document, giving Friedrich Wilhelm's regulations on this subject, from his own hand, has
come down to us. Most dull, embroiled, heavy Document; intricate, gnarled, and, in fine, rough and stiff as
natural bullheadedness helped by Prussian pipeclay can make it;contains some excellent hints, too; and
will show us something of Fritzchen and of Friedrich Wilhelm both at once. That is to say, always, if it can
be read! If by aid of abridging, elucidating and arranging, we can get the reader engaged to peruse it
patiently;which seems doubtful. The points insisted on, in a ponderous but straggling confused manner, by
his didactic Majesty, are chiefly these:
1. Must impress my Son with a proper love and fear of God, as the foundation and sole pillar of our
temporal and eternal welfare. No false religions, or sects of Atheist, Arian (ArRian), Socinian, or whatever
name the poisonous things have, which can so easily corrupt a young mind, are to be even named in his
hearing: on the other hand, a proper abhorrence (ABSCHEU) of Papistry, and insight into its baselessness
and nonsensicality (UNGRUND UND ABSURDITAT), is to be communicated to him:"Papistry, which is
false enough, like the others, but impossible to be ignored like them; mention that, and give him due
abhorrence for it. For we are Protestant to the bone in this country; and cannot stand ABSURDITAT, least of
all hypocritically religious ditto! But the grand thing will be, "To impress on him the true religion, which
consists essentially in this, That Christ died for all men," and generally that the Almighty's justice is eternal
and omnipresent, "which consideration is the only means of keeping a sovereign person (SOUVERAINE
MACHT), or one freed from human penalties, in the right way."
2. "He is to learn no Latin;" observe that, however it may surprise you. What has a living German man
and King, of the eighteenth Christian SOECULUM, to do with dead old Heathen Latins, Romans, and the
lingo THEY spoke their fraction of sense and nonsense in? Frightful, how the young years of the European
Generations have been wasted, for ten centuries back; and the Thinkers of the world have become mere
walking Sacks of Marinestores, "GELEHRTEN, Learned," as they call themselves; and gone LOST to the
world, in that manner, as a set of confiscated Pedants;babbling about said Heathens, and THEIR extinct
lingo and fraction of sense and nonsense, for the thousand years last past! Heathen Latins, Romans;who
perhaps were no great things of Heathen, after all, if well seen into? I have heard judges say, they were
INferior, in real worth and grist, to German homegrowths we have had, if the confiscated Pedants could
have discerned it! At any rate, they are dead, buried deep, these two thousand years; well out of our
way;and nonsense enough of our own left, to keep sweeping into corners. Silence about their lingo and
them, to this new CrownPrince! "Let the Prince learn French and German," so as to write and speak, "with
brevity and propriety," in these two languages, which may be useful to him in life. That will suffice for
languages,provided he have anything effectually rational to say in them. For the rest,
3. "Let him learn Arithmetic, Mathematics, Artillery, Economy to the very bottom." And, in short,
useful knowledge generally; useless ditto not at all. "History in particular; Ancient History only slightly
(NUR UBERHIN);but the History of the last hundred and fifty Years to the exactest pitch. The JUS
NATURALE and JUS GENTIUM," by way of handlamp to History, "he must be completely master of; as
also of Geography, whatever is remarkable in each Country. And in Histories, most especially the History of
the house of Brandenburg; where he will find domestic examples, which are always of more force than
foreign. And along with Prussian History, chiefly that of the Countries which have been connected with it, as
England, Brunswick, Hessen and the others. And in reading of wise Historybooks there must be
considerations made ( sollen beym Lesen kluger Historiarum Betrachtungen gemacht werden ) upon the
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causes of the events."Surely, O King!
4. "With increasing years, you will more and more, to a most especial degree, go upon
Fortification,"mark you!"the Formation of a Camp, and the other WarSciences; that the Prince may,
from youth upwards, be trained to act as Officer and General, and to seek all his glory in the soldier
profession." This is whither it must all tend. You, Finkenstein and Kalkstein, "have both of you, in the highest
measure, to make it your care to infuse into my Son [EINZUPRAGEN, stamp into him] a true love for the
Soldier business, and to impress on him that, as there is nothing in the world which can bring a Prince renown
and honor like the sword, so he would be a despised creature before all men, if he did not love it, and seek his
sole glory (DIE EINZIGE GLORIA) therein." [Preuss, i. 1114 (of date 13th August, 1718).] Which is an
extreme statement of the case; showing how much we have it at heart.
These are the chief FriedrichWilhelm traits; the rest of the document corresponds in general to what the late
Majesty had written for Friedrich Wilhelm himself on the like occasion. [Stenzel, iii. 572.] Ruthless contempt
of Useless Knowledge; and passionate insight into the distinction between Useful and Useless, especially into
the worth of Soldiering as a royal accomplishment, are the chief peculiarities here. In which latter point too
Friedrich Wilhelm, himself the most pacific of men, unless you pulled the whiskers of him, or broke into his
goods and chattels, knew very well what he was meaning,much better than we of the "Peace Society" and
"Philanthropic Movement" could imagine at first sight! It is a thing he, for his part, is very decided upon.
Already, a year before this time, [1st September, 1717: Preuss, i. 13.] there had been instituted, for express
behoof of little Fritz, a miniature Soldier Company, above a hundred strong; which grew afterwards to be
near three hundred, and indeed rose to be a permanent Institution by degrees; called Kompagnie der
Kronprinzlichen Kadetten (Company of CrownPrince Cadets). A hundred and ten boys about his own age,
sons of noble families, had been selected from the three Military Schools then extant, as a kind of tiny
regiment for him; where, if he was by no means commander all at once, he might learn his exercise in
fellowship with others. Czar Peter, it is likely, took a glance of this tiny regiment just getting into rank and
file there; which would remind the Czar of his own young days. An experienced LieutenantColonel was
appointed to command in chief. A certain handy and correct young fellow, Rentsel by name, about seventeen,
who already knew his fugling to a hair'sbreadth, was Drillmaster; and exencised them all, Fritz especially,
with due strictness; till, in the course of time and of attainments, Fritz could himself take the head charge.
Which he did duly, in a year or two: a little soldier thenceforth; properly strict, though of small dimensions;
in tight blue bit of coat and cockedhat: miniature image of Papa (it is fondly hoped and expected),
resembling him as a sixpence does a halfcrown. In 1721 the assiduous Papa set up a "little arsenal" for him,
"in the Orange Hall of the Palace:" there let him, with perhaps a chosen comrade or two, mount batteries, fire
exceedingly small brass ordnance, his EngineerTeacher, one Major von Senning, limping about (on cork
leg), and superintending if needful.
Rentzel, it is known, proved an excellent Drillsergeant;had good talents every way, and was a man of
probity and sense. He played beautifully on the flute too, and had a cheerful conversible turn; which naturally
recommended him still farther to Fritz; and awoke or encouraged, among other faculties, the musical faculty
in the little Boy. Rentzel continued about him, or in sight of him, through life; advancing gradually, not too
fast, according to real merit and service (Colonel in 1759); and never did discredit to the choice Friedrich
Wilhelm had made of him. Of Senning, too, EngineerMajor von Senning, who gave Fritz his lessons in
Mathematics, Fortification and the kindred branches, the like, or better, can be said. He was of graver years;
had lost a leg in the Marlborough Campaigns, poor gentleman; but had abundant sense, native worth and
cheery rational talk, in him: so that he too could never be parted with by Friedrich, but was kept on hand to
the last, a permanent and variously serviceable acquisition.
Thus, at least, is the military education of our CrownPrince cared for. And we are to fancy the little fellow,
from his tenth year or earlier, going about in miniature soldier figure, for most part; in strict
SpartanBrandenburg costume, of body as of mind. Costume little flattering to his own private taste for
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finery; yet by no means unwholesome to him, as he came afterwards to know, In October, 1723, it is on
record, when George I. came to visit his Soninlaw and Daughter at Berlin, his Britannic Majesty, looking
out from his new quarters on the morrow, saw Fritzchen "drilling his Cadet Company;" a very pretty little
phenomenon. Drilling with clear voice, military sharpness, and the precision of clockwork on the Esplanade
(LUSTGARTEN) there;and doubtless the Britannic Majesty gave some grunt of acquiescence, perhaps
even a smile, rare on that square heavyladen countenance of his. That is the record: [Forster, i. 215.] and
truly it forms for us by far the liveliest little picture we have got, from those dull old years of European
History. Years already sunk, or sinking, into lonesome unpeopled Dusk for all men; and fast verging towards
vacant Oblivion and eternal Night;which (if some few articles were once saved out of them) is their just
and inevitable portion from afflicted human nature.
Of ridingmasters, fencingmasters, swimmingmasters; much less of dancingmasters, musicmasters
(celebrated Graun, "on the organ," with Psalmtunes), we cannot speak; but the reader may be satisfied they
were all there, good of their kind, and pushing on at a fair rate. Nor is there lack anywhere of paternal
supervision to our young Apprentice, From an early age, Papa took the CrownPrince with him on his annual
Reviews. From utmost Memel on the Russian border, down to Wesel on the French, all Prussia, in every
nook of it, garrison, marchingregiment, board of management, is rigorously reviewed by Majesty once a
year. There travels little military Fritz, beside the military Majesty, amid the generals and official persons, in
their hardy Spartan manner; and learns to look into everything like a Rhadamanthine Argus, and how the eye
of the master, more than all other appliances, fattens the cattle.
On his hunts, too, Papa took him. For Papa was a famous hunter, when at Wusterhausen in the season:hot
Beaglechase, hot Staghunt, your chief game deer; huge "ForceHunt" (PARFORCEJAGD, the woods all
beaten, and your wild beasts driven into straits and caudineforks for you); Boarhunting (SAUHETZE,
"sowbaiting," as the Germans call it), Partridgeshooting, Fox and Wolfhunting; on all grand
expeditions of such sort, little Fritz shall ride with Papa and party. Rough furious riding; now on swift steed,
now at places on WURSTWAGEN,WURSTWAGEN, "SausageCar" so called, most Spartan of vehicles,
a mere STUFFED POLE or "sausage" with wheels to it, on which you sit astride, a dozen or so of you, and
career;regardless of the summer heat and sandy dust, of the winter's froststorms and muddy rain. All this
the little CrownPrince is bound to do;but likes it less and less, some of us are sorry to observe! In fact he
could not take to hunting at all, or find the least of permanent satisfaction in shooting partridges and baiting
sows,"with such an expenditure of industry and such damage to the seedfields," he would sometimes
allege in extenuation. In later years he has been known to retire into some glade of the thickets, and hold a
little FluteHautbois Concert with his musical comrades, while the sows were getting baited. Or he would
converse with Mamma and her Ladies, if her Majesty chanced to be there, in a day for open driving. Which
things by no means increased his favor with Papa, a sworn hater of "effeminate practices."
He was "nourished on beersoup," as we said before. Frugality, activity, exactitude were lessons daily and
hourly brought home to him, in everything he did and saw. His very sleep was stingily meted out to him:
"Too much sleep stupefies a fellow!" Friedrich Wilhelm was wont to say;so that the very doctors had to
interfere, in this matter, for little Fritz. Frugal enough, hardy enough; urged in every way to look with
indifference on hardship, and take a Spartan view of life.
Moneyallowance completely his own, he does not seem to have had till he was seventeen. Exiguous
pocketmoney, counted in GROSCHEN (English PENCE, or hardly more), only his Kalkstein and
Finkenstein could grant as they saw good;about eighteenpence in the month, to start with, as would appear.
The other small incidental moneys, necessary for his use, were likewise all laid out under sanction of his
Tutors, and accurately entered in Daybooks by them, audited by Friedrich Wilhelm; of which some
specimens remain, and one whole month, September, 1719 (the Boy's eighth year), has been published. Very
singular to contemplate, in these days of goldnuggets and irrational manmountains fattened by mankind at
such a price! The monthly amount appears to have been some 3 pounds 10 shillings:and has gone, all but
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the eighteenpence of sovereign pocketmoney, for small furnishings and very minute necessary
luxuries;as thus:
"To putting his Highness's shoes on the last;" for stretching them to the little feet,and only one "last,"
as we perceive. "To twelve yards of Hairtape,"HAARBAND, for our little queue, which becomes visible
here. "For drinkmoney to the Postilions." "For the Housemaids at Wusterhausen," Don't I pay them myself?
objects the auditing Papa, at that latter kind of items: No more of that. "For mending the flute, four
GROSCHEN [or pence];" "Two Boxes of Colors, sixteen ditto;" "For a live snipe, twopence;" "For grinding
the hanger [little swordkin];" "To a Boy whom the dog bit;" and chiefly of all, "To the KLINGBEUTEL,"
Collectionplate, or bag, at Church,which comes upon us once, nay twice, and even thrice a week,
eighteenpence each time, and eats deep into our straitened means. [Preuss, i. 17.]
On such terms can a little Fritz be nourished into a Friedrich the Great; while irrational manmountains, of
the beaverish or beaverishvulpine sort, take such a price to fatten them into monstrosity! The
Artmanufacture of your Friedrich can come very cheap, it would appear, if once Nature have done her part
in regard to him, and there be mere honest will on the part of the bystanders. Thus Samuel Johnson, too,
cost next to nothing in the way of board and entertainment in this world. And a Robert Burns, remarkable
modern Thor, a Peasantgod of these sunk ages, with a touch of melodious RUNES in him (since all else lay
under ban for the poor fellow), was raised on frugal oatmeal, at an expense of perhaps half a crown a week.
Nuggets and ducats are divine; but they are not the most divine. I often wish the Devil had the lion's share of
them,at once, and not circuitously as now. It would be an unspeakable advantage to the bewildered sons of
Adam, in this epoch!
But with regard to our little CrownPrince's intellectual culture, there is another Document, specially from
Papa's hand, which, if we can redact, adjust and abridge it, as in the former case, may be worth the reader's
notice, and elucidate some things for him. It is of date, Wusterhausen, 3d September, 1721; little Fritz now in
his tenth year, and out there, with his Duhans and Finkensteins, while Papa is rusticating for a few weeks.
The essential title is, or might be:
To HeadGovernor van Finkenstein, SubGovernor von Kalkstein, Preceptor Jacques Egide Duhan de
Jandun, and others whom it may concern: Regulations for schooling, at Wusterhausen, 3d September, 1721;
[Preuss, i. 19.]in greatly abridged form.
SUNDAY. "On Sunday he is to rise at 7; and as soon as he has got his slippers on, shall kneel down at his
bedside, and pray to God, so as all in the room may hear it [that there be no deception or short measure
palmed upon us], in these words: 'Lord God, blessed Father, I thank thee from my heart that thou hast so
graciously preserved me through this night. Fit me for what thy holy will is; and grant that I do nothing this
day, nor all the days of my life, which can divide me from thee. For the Lord Jesus my Redeemer's sake.
Amen.' After which the Lord's Prayer. Then rapidly and vigorously (GESCHWINDE UND HURTIG) wash
himself clean, dress and powder and comb himself [we forget to say, that while they are combing and
queuing him, he breakfasts, with brevity, on tea]: Prayer, with washing, breakfast and the rest, to be done
pointedly within fifteen minutes [that is, at a quarter past 7].
"This finished, all his Domestics and Duhan shall come in, and do family worship ( das grosse Gebet zu
halten ): Prayer on their knees, Duhan withal to read a Chapter of the Bible, and sing some proper Psalm or
Hymn [as practised in wellregulated families]:It will then be a quarter to 8. All the Domestics then
withdraw again; and Duhan now reads with my Son the Gospel of the Sunday; expounds it a little, adducing
the main points of Christianity;questioning from Noltenius's Catechism [which Fritz knows by heart]:it
will then be 9 o'clock.
"At 9 he brings my Son down to me; who goes to Church, and dines, along with me [dinner at the stroke of
Noon]: the rest of the day is then his own [Fritz's and Duhan's]. At halfpast 9 in the evening, he shall come
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and bid me goodnight. Shall then directly go to his room; very rapidly (SEHR GESCHWIND) get off his
clothes, wash his hands [get into some tiny dressinggown or CASSAQUIN, no doubt]; and so soon as that is
done, Duhan makes a prayer on his knees, and sings a hymn; all the Servants being again there. Instantly after
which, my Son shall get into bed; shall be in bed at halfpast 10;"and fall asleep how soon, your Majesty?
This is very strict work.
MONDAY. "On Monday, as on all weekdays, he is to be called at 6; and so soon as called he is to rise; you
are to stand to him (ANHALTEN) that he do not loiter or turn in bed, but briskly and at once get up; and say
his prayers, the same as on Sunday morning. This done, he shall as rapidly as possible get on his shoes and
spatterdashes; also wash his face and hands, but not with soap. Farther shall put on his CASSAQUIN [short
dressinggown], have his hair combed out and queued, but not powdered. While getting combed and queued,
he shall at the same time take breakfast of tea, so that both jobs go on at once; and all this shall be ended
before halfpast 6." Then enter Duhan and the Domestics, with worship, Bible, Hymn, all as on Sunday; this
is done by 7, and the Servants go again.
"From 7 till 9 Duhan takes him on History; at 9 comes Noltenius [a sublime Clerical Gentleman from Berlin]
with the Christian Religion, till a quarter to 11. Then Fritz rapidly (GESCHWIND) washes his face with
water, hands with soapandwater; clean shirt; powders, and puts on his coat;about 11 comes to the King.
Stays with the King till 2,"perhaps promenading a little; dining always at Noon; after which Majesty is apt
to be slumberous, and light amusements are over.
"Directly at 2, he goes back to his room. Duhan is there, ready; takes him upon the Maps and Geography,
from 2 to 3,giving account [gradually!] of all the European Kingdoms; their strength and weakness; size,
riches and poverty of their towns. From 3 to 4, Duhan treats of Morality ( soll die Moral tractiren ). From 4
to 5, Duhan shall write German Letters with him, and see that he gets a good STYLUM [which he never in
the least did]. About 5, Fritz shall wash his hands, and go to the King;ride out; divert himself, in the air
and not in his room; and do what he likes, if it is not against God."
There, then, is a Sunday, and there is one Weekday; which latter may serve for all the other five:though
they are strictly specified in the royal monograph, and every hour of them marked out: How, and at what
points of time, besides this of HISTORY, of MORALITY, and WRITING IN GERMAN, of Maps and
GEOGRAPHY with the strength and weakness of Kingdoms, you are to take up ARITHMETIC more than
once; WRITING OF FRENCH LETTERS, so as to acquire a good STYLUM: in what nook you may
intercalate "a little getting by heart of something, in order to strengthen the memory;" how instead of
Noltenius, Panzendorf (another sublime Reverend Gentleman from Berlin, who comes out express) gives the
clerical drill on Tuesday morning;with which two onslaughts, of an hourandhalf each, the Clerical
Gentlemen seem to withdraw for the week, and we hear no more of them till Monday and Tuesday come
round again.
On Wednesday we are happy to observe a liberal slice of holiday come in. At halfpast 9, having done his
HISTORY, and "got something by heart to strengthen the memory [very little, it is to be feared], Fritz shall
rapidly dress himself, and come to the King. And the rest of the day belongs to little Fritz ( gehort vor
Fritzchen )." On Saturday, too, there is some fair chance of halfholiday:
"SATURDAY, forenoon till halfpast 10, come History, Writing and Ciphering; especially repetition of what
was done through the week, and in MORALITY as well [adds the rapid Majesty], to see whether he has
profited. And General Graf von Finkenstein, with Colonel von Kalkstein, shall be present during this. If Fritz
has profited, the afternoon shall be his own. If he has not profited, he shall, from 2 to 6, repeat and learn
rightly what he has forgotten on the past days." And so the laboring week winds itself up. Here, however, is
one general rule which cannot be too much impressed upon YOU, with which we conclude:
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"In undressing and dressing, you must accustom him to get out of, and into, his clothes as fast as is humanly
possible ( hurtig so viel als menschenmoglich ist ). You will also look that he learn to put on aud put off his
clothes himself, without help from others; and that he be clean and neat, and not so dirty ( nicht so schmutzig
end italic>)." "Not so dirty," that is my last word; and here is my signmanual,
"FRIEDRICH WILHELM." [Preuss, i. 21.]
Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN.
Wusterhausen, where for the present these operations go on, lies about twenty English miles southeast of
Berlin, as you go towards Schlesien (Silesia);on the old Silesian road, in a flat moory country made of peat
and sand;and is not distinguished for its beauty at all among royal Huntinglodges. The Gohrde at
Hanover, for example, what a splendor there in comparison! But it serves Friedrich Wilhelm's simple
purposes: there is game abundant in the scraggy woodlands, otterpools, fishpools, and miry thickets, of
that old "Schenkenland" (belonged all once to the "SCHENKEN Family," till old King Friedrich bought it for
his Prince); retinue sufficient find nooks for lodgment in the poor old Schloss so called; and Noltenius and
Panzendorf drive out each once a week, in some light vehicle, to drill Fritz in his religious exercises.
One Zollner, a Tourist to Silesia, confesses himself rather pleased to find even Wusterhausen in such a
country of sandy bentgrass, lean cattle, and flat desolate languor.
"Getting to the top of the ridge" (most insignificant "ridge," made by hand; Wilhelmina satirically says),
Tourist Zollner can discern with pleasure "a considerable Brook,"visible, not audible, smooth Stream, or
chain of meres and lakelets, flowing languidly northward towards Kopenik. Inaudible big Brook or Stream;
which, we perceive, drains a slightly hollowed Tract; too shallow to be called valley,of several miles in
width, of several yards in depth;Tract with wood here and there on it, and signs of grass and culture,
welcome after what you have passed. On the foreground close to you is the Hamlet of KonigsWusterhausen,
with tolerable Limetree Avenue leading to it, and the air of something sylvan from your Hilltop.
KonigsWusterhausen was once WENDISHWesterhausen, and not far off is DEUTSCHWusterhausen,
famed, I suppose, by factionfights in the Vandalic times: both of them are now KING'SWusterhausen
(since the King came thither), to distinguish them from other Wusterhausens that there are.
Descending, advancing through your Limetree Avenue, you come upon the backs of officehouses,
outhouses, stables or the like,on your left hand I have guessed,extending along the Highway. And in
the middle of these you come at last to a kind of Gate or vaulted passage (ART VON THOR, says Zollner),
where, if you have liberty, you face to the left, and enter. Here, once through into the free light again, you are
in a Court: foursquare space, not without prospect; right side and left side are lodgings for his Majesty's
gentlemen; behind you, well in their view, are stables and kitchens: in the centre of the place is a Fountain
"with hewn steps and iron railings;" where his simple Majesty has been known to sit and smoke, on summer
evenings. The fourth side of your square, again, is a palisade; beyond which, over bridge and moat and
intervening apparatus, you perceive, on its trim terraces, the respectable old Schloss itself. A rectangular
mass, not of vast proportions, with tower in the centre of it (tower for screwstair, the general roadway of the
House); and looking though weatherbeaten yet weathertight, and as dignified as it can. This is
Wusterhausen; Friedrich Wilhelm's Huntingseat from of old.
A dreadfully crowded place, says Wilhelmina, where you are stuffed into garrets, and have not room to turn.
The terraces are of some magnitude, trimmed all round with a row of little clipped trees, one big limetree at
each corner;under one of these big limetrees, aided by an awning: it is his Majesty's delight to spread his
frugal but substantial dinner, fourandtwenty covers, at the stroke of 12, and so dine SUB DIO. If rain come
on, says Wilhelmina, you are wet to midleg, the ground being hollow in that place,and indeed in all
weathers your situation every way, to a vehement young Princess's idea, is rather of the horrible sort. After
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Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN. 184
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dinner, his Majesty sleeps, stretched perhaps on some wooden settle or gardenchair, for about an hour;
regardless of the flaming heat, under his awning or not; and we poor Princesses have to wait, praying all the
Saints that they would resuscitate him soon. This is about 2 p.m.; happier Fritz is gone to his lessons, in the
interim.
These four Terraces, this rectangular Schloss with the four big lindens at the corners, are surrounded by a
Moat; black abominable ditch, Wilhelmina calls it; of the hue of Tartarean Styx, and of a far worse smell, in
fact enough to choke one, in hot days after dinner, thinks the vehement Princess. Three Bridges cross this
Moat or ditch, from the middle of three several Terraces or sides of the Schloss; and on the fourth it is
impassable. Bridge first, coming from the palisade and Officehouse Court, has not only human sentries
walking at it; but two white Eagles perch near it, and two black ditto, symbols of the heraldic Prussian Eagle,
screeching about in their littery way; item two black Bears, ugly as Sin, which are vicious wretches withal,
and many times do passengers a mischief. As perhaps we shall see, on some occasion. This is Bridge first,
leading to the Court and to the outer Highway; a King's gentleman, going to bed at night, has always to pass
these Bears. Bridge second leads us southward to a common Mill which is near by; its clacking audible upon
the common Stream of the region, and not unpleasant to his Majesty, among its meadows fringed with alders,
in a country of mere and moor. Bridge third, directly opposite to Bridge first and its Bears, leads you to the
Garden; whither Mamma, playing tocadille all day with her women, will not, or will not often enough, let us
poor girls go. [Zollner, Briefe uber Schlesien (Berlin, 1792), i. 2, 3; Wilhelmina, i. 364, 365.]
Such is Wusterhausen, as delineated by a vehement Princess, some years hence,who becomes at last
intelligible, by study and the aid of our Silesian Tourist. It is not distinguished among Country Palaces: but
the figure of Friedrich Wilhelm asleep there after dinner, regardless of the flaming sun (should he sleep too
long and the shadow of his Linden quit him),this is a sight which no other Palace in the world can match;
this will long render Wusterhausen memorable to me. His Majesty, early always as the swallows, hunts, I
should suppose, in the morning; dines and sleeps, we may perceive, till towards three, or later. His Official
business he will not neglect, nor shirk the hours due to it; towards sunset there may be a walk or ride with
Fritz, or Feekin and the womankind: and always, in the evening, his Majesty holds TABAGIE,
TABAKSCOLLEGIUM (Smoking College, kind of TobaccoParliament, as we might name it), an
Institution punctually attended to by his Majesty, of which we shall by and by speak more. At Wusterhausen
his Majesty holds his Smoking Session mostly in the open air, oftenest "on the steps of the Great Fountain"
(how arranged, as to seating and canvasscreening, I cannot say);smokes there, with his Grumkows,
Derschaus, AnhaltDessaus, and select Friends, in various slow talk; till Night kindle her mild starlights,
shake down her dark curtains over all Countries, and admonish weary mortals that it is now bedtime.
Not much of the Picturesque in this autumnal life of our little Boy. But he has employments in abundance;
and these make the permitted open air, under any terms, a delight. He can rove about with Duhan among the
gorse and heath, and their wild summer tenantry winged and wingless. In the woodlands are wild swine, in
the meres are fishes, otters; the drowsy Hamlets, scattered round, awaken in an interested manner at the
sound of our ponyhoofs and dogs. Mittenwalde, where are shops, is within riding distance; we could even
stretch to Kopenik, and visit in the big Schloss there, if Duhan were willing, and the cattle fresh. From some
churchsteeple or sandknoll, it is to be hoped, some blue streak of the Lausitz Hills may be visible: the Sun
and the Moon and the Heavenly Hosts, these full certainly are visible; and on an Earth which everywhere
produces miracles of all kinds, from the daisy or heatherbell up to the man, one place is nearly equal to
another for a brisk little Boy.
Fine Palaces, if Wusterhausen be a sorry one, are not wanting to our young Friend: whatsoever it is in the
power of architecture and upholstery to do for him, may be considered withal as done. Wusterhausen is but a
Huntinglodge for some few Autumn weeks: the Berlin Palace and the Potsdam, grand buildings both, few
Palaces in the world surpass them; and there, in one or the other of these, is our usual residence.Little
Fritz, besides his young Finkensteins and others of the like, has Cousins, children of his Grandfather's
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Halfbrothers, who are comrades of his. For the Great Elector, as we saw, was twice wedded, and had a
second set of sons and daughters: two of the sons had children; certain of these are about the CrownPrince's
own age, "Cousins" of his (strictly speaking, Halfcousins of HIS FATHER'S), who are much about him in
his young days,and more or less afterwards, according to the worth they proved to have. Margraves and
Margravines of Schwedt,there are five or six of such young Cousins. Not to mention the eldest, Friedrich
Wilhelm by name, who is now come to manhood (born 1700);who wished much in after years to have had
Wilhelmina to wife; but had to put up with a younger Princess of the House, and ought to have been thankful.
This one has a younger Brother, Heinrich, slightly Fritz's senior, and much his comrade at one time; of whom
we shall transiently hear again. Of these two the Old Dessauer is Uncle: if both his Majesty and the
CrownPrince should die, one of these would be king. A circumstance which Wilhelmina and the Queen
have laid well to heart, and build many wild suspicions upon, in these years! As that the Old Dessauer, with
his gunpowder face, has a plot one day to assassinate his Majesty,plot evident as sunlight to Wilhelmina
and Mamma, which providentially came to nothing;and other spectral notions of theirs. [Wilhelmina, i. 35,
41.] The Father of these two Margraves (elder of the two Halfbrothers that have children) died in the time of
Old King Friedrich, eight or nine years ago. Their Mother, the scheming old Margravine, whom I always
fancy to dress in high colors, is still living, as Wilhelmina well knows!
Then, by another, the younger of those old Halfbrothers, there is a Karl, a second Friedrich Wilhelm, Cousin
Margraves: plenty of Cousins;and two young Margravines among them, [Michaelis, i. 425.] the youngest
about Fritz's own age. [NOTE OF THE COUSIN MARGRAVES.Great Elector, by his Second Wife, had
five Sons, two of whom left Children;as follows (so far as they concern us, he others omitted):
1. Son PHILIP'S Children (Mother the Old Dessauer's Sister) are: Friedrich Wilhelm (1700), who wished
much, but in vain, to marry Wilhelmina. Heinrich Friedrich (1709), a comrade of Fritz's in youth; sometimes
getting into scrapes;misbehaved, some way, at the Battle of Molwits (first of Friedrich's Battles), 1741,
and was inexorably CUT by the new King, and continued under a cloud thenceforth .This PHILIP ("Philip
Wilhelm") died 1711, his fortythird year; Widow long survived him.
2. Son ALBERT'S Children (Mother a Courland Princess) are: Karl (1705); lived near Custrin; became a
famed captain, in the Silesian Wars, under his Cousin. Friedrich (1701); fell at Molwitz, 1741. Friedrich
Wilhelm (a Margraf Friedrich Wilhelm "No. 2,"NAMESAKE of his now Majesty, it is like); born 1714;
killed at Prag, by a cannonshot (at King Friedrich's hand, reconnoitring the place), 1744.This ALBERT
("Albert Friedrich" ) died suddenly 1731, age fiftynine.] No want of Cousins; the CrownPrince seeing
much of them all; and learning pleasantly their various qualities, which were good in most, in some not so
good, and did not turn out supreme in any case. But, for the rest, Sister Wilhelmina is his grand confederate
and companion; true in sport and in earnest, in joy and in sorrow. Their truthful love to one another, now and
till death, is probably the brightest element their life yielded to either of them.
What might be the date of Fritz's first appearance in the Roucoulles "Soiree held on Wednesdays," in the
Finkenstein or any other Soiree, as an independent figure, I do not know. But at the proper time, he does
appear there, and with distinction not extrinsic alone;talks delightfully in such places; can discuss, even
with French Divines, in a charmingly ingenious manner. Another of his elderly consorts I must mention:
Colonel Camas, a highly cultivated Frenchman (French altogether by parentage and breeding, though born on
Prussian land), who was Tutor, at one time, to some of those young Margraves. He has lost an arm,left it in
those Italian Campaigns, under AnhaltDessau and Eugene; but by the aid of a cork substitute, dexterously
managed, almost hides the want. A gallant soldier, fit for the diplomacies too; a man of fine high ways.
[ MilitairLexicon, i. 308.] And then his WifeIn fact, the Camas House, we perceive, had from an early
time been one of the CrownPrince's haunts. Madam Camas is a German Lady; but for genial elegance, for
wit and wisdom and goodness, could not readily be paralleled in France or elsewhere. Of both these Camases
there will be honorable and important mention by and by; especially of the Lady, whom he continues to call
"Mamma" for fifty years to come, and corresponds with in a very beautiful and human fashion.
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Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN. 186
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Under these auspices, in such environment, dimly visible to us, at Wusterhausen and elsewhere, is the
remarkable little CrownPrince of his century growing up,prosperously as yet.
Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS.
Friedrich Wilhelm holds Tabagie nightly; but at Wusterhausen or wherever he may be, there is no lack of
intricate Official Labor, which, even in the Tabagie, Friedrich Wilhelm does not forget. At the time he was
concocting those Instructions for his little Prince's Schoolmasters, and smoking meditative under the stars,
with Magdeburg "RITTERDIENST" and much else of his own to think of,there is an extraneous Political
Intricacy, making noise enough in the world, much in his thoughts withal, and no doubt occasionally
murmured of amid the tobaccoclouds. The Business of the Heidelberg Protestants; which is just coming to a
height in those Autumn months of 1719.
Indeed this Year 1719 was a particularly noisy one for him. This is the year of the "nephritic colic," which
befell at Brandenburg on some journey of his Majesty's; with alarm of immediate death; Queen Sophie sent
for by express; testament made in her favor; and intrigues, very black ones, Wilhelmina thinks, following
thereupon. [ Memoires de Bareith, i. 2629.] And the "Affair of Clement," on which the old Books are so
profuse, falls likewise, the crisis of it falls, in 1719. Of Clement the "Hungarian Nobleman," who was a mere
Hungarian Swindler, and Forger of Royal Letters; sowing mere discords, black suspicions, between Friedrich
Wilhelm and the neighboring Courts, Imperial and Saxon: "Your Majesty to be snapt up, some day, by hired
ruffians, and spirited away, for behoof of those treacherous Courts:" so that Friedrich Wilhelm fell into a
gloom of melancholy, and for long weeks "never slept but with a pair of loaded pistols under his
pillow:"of this Clement, an adroit Phenomenon of the kind, and intensely agitating to Friedrich
Wilhelm;whom Friedrich Wilhelm had at last to lay hold of, try, this very year, and ultimately hang, [Had
arrived in Berlin, "end of 1717;" stayed about a year, often privately in the King's company, poisoning the
royal mind; withdrew to the Hague, suspecting Berlin might soon grow dangerous;is wiled out of that
Territory into the Prussian, and arrested, by one of Friedrich Wilhelm's Colonels, "end of 1718;" lies in
Spandau, getting tried, for seventeen months; hanged, with two Accomplices, 18th April, 1720. (See, in
succession, Stenzel, iii. 298, 302; Fassmann, p. 321; Forster, ii. 272, and iii. 320324.)] amid the rumor and
wonder of mankind:of him, noisy as he was, and still filling many pages of the old Books, a hint shall
suffice, and we will say nothing farther. But this of the Heidelberg Protestants, though also rather an extinct
business, has still some claims on us. This, in justice to the "inarticulate man of genius," and for other
reasons, we must endeavor to resuscitate a little.
OF KURPFALZ KARL PHILIP: HOW HE GOT A WIFE LONG SINCE, AND DID FEATS IN THE
WORLD.
There reigns, in these years, at Heidelberg, as Elector Palatine, a kindtempered but abrupt and somewhat
unreasonable old gentleman, now verging towards sixty, Karl Philip by name; who has come athwart the
Berlin Court and its affairs more than once; and will again do so, in a singularly disturbing way. From before
Friedrich Wilhelm's birth, all through Friedrich Wilhelm's life and farther, this Karl Philip is a
stoneofstumbling there. His first feat in life was that of running off with a Prussian Princess from Berlin;
the rumor of which was still at its height when Friedrich Wilhelm, a fortnight after, came into the world,
the gossips still talking of it, we may fancy, when Friedrich Wilhelm was first swaddled. An unheardof
thing; the manner of which was this.
Readers have perhaps forgotten, that old King Friedrich I. once had a Brother; elder Brother, who died, to the
Father's great sorrow, and made way for Friedrich as CrownPrince. This Brother had been married a short
time; he left a Widow without children; a beautiful Lithuanian Princess, born Radzivil, and of great
possessions in her own country: she, in her crapes and closecap, remained an ornament to the new Berlin
Court for some time;not too long. The mourningyear once out, a new marriage came on foot for the
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Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. 187
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brilliant widow; the Bridegroom, a James Sobieski, eldest Prince of the famous John, King Sobieski; Prince
with fair outlooks towards Polish Sovereignty, and handy for those Lithuanian Possessions of hers: altogether
an eligible match.
This marriage was on foot, not quite completed; when Karl Philip, Cadet of the Pfalz, came to Berlin;a
rather idle young man, once in the clerical way; now gone into the military, with secular outlooks, his elder
Brother, HeirApparent of the Pfalz, "having no children:"came to Berlin, in the course of visiting, and
roving about. The beautiful WidowPrincess seemed very charming to Karl Philip; he wooed hard; threw the
Princess into great perplexity. She had given her Yes to James Sobieski; inevitable weddingday was coming
on with James; and here was Karl Philip wooing so:in brief, the result was, she galloped off with Karl
Philip, on the eve of said weddingday; married Karl Philip (24th July, 1688); and left Prince James standing
there, too much like Lot's Wife, in the astonished Court of Berlin. [Michaelis, ii. 93.] Judge if the Berlin.
public talked,unintelligible to Friedrioh Wilhelm, then safe in swaddlingclothes.
King Sobieski, the Father, famed Deliverer of Vienna, was in high dudgeon. But Karl Philip apologized, to
all lengths; made his peace at last, giving a Sister of his own to be Wife to the injured James. This was Karl
Philip's first outbreak in life; and it was not his only one. A man not illdisposed, all grant; but evidently of
headlong turn, with a tendency to leap fences in this world. He has since been soldiering about, in a loose
way, governing Innspruck, fighting the Turks. But, lately, his elder Brother died childless (year 1716); and
left him Kurfurst of the Pfalz. His fair Radzivil is dead long ago; she, and a successor, or it may be two.
Except one Daughter, whom the fair Radzivil left him, he has no children; and in these times, I think, lives
with a third Wife, of the LEFTHAND kind.
His scarcity of progeny is not so indifferent to my readers as they might suppose. This new KURPFALZ
(ElectorPalatine) Karl Philip is by genealogywho, thinks the reader? PfalzNEUBURG by line; own
Grandson of that Wolfgang Wilhelm, who got the slap on the face long since, on account of the CleveJulich
matter! So it has come round. The Line of Simmern died out, WinterKing's Grandson the last of that; and
then, as right was, the Line of Neuburg took the top place, and became KurPfalz. The first of these was this
Karl Philip's Father, son of the Beslapped; an old man when he succeeded. Karl Philip is the third KurPfalz
of the Neuburg Line; his childless elder Brother (he who collected the Pictures at Dusseldorf, once notable
there) was second of the Neuburgs. They now, we say, are ElectorsPalatine, Head of the House;and, we
need not add, along with their Electorate and Neuburg Country, possess the CleveJulioh Moiety of Heritage,
about which there was such worrying in time past. Nay the last KurPfalz resided there, and collected the
"Dusseldorf Gallery," as we have just said; though Karl Philip prefers Heidelberg hitherto.
To Friedrich Wilhelm the scarcity of progeny is a thriceinteresting fact. For if this actual Neuburg should
leave no male heir, as is now humanly probable,the Line of Neuburg too is out; and then great things ought
to follow for our Prussian House. Then, by the last Bargain, made in 1666, with all solemnity, between the
Great Elector, our Grandfather of famous memory, and your serene Father the then PfalzNeuburg,
subsequently KurPfalz, likewise of famous memory, son of the Beslapped,the whole Heritage falls to
Prussia, no other Pfalz Branch having thenceforth the least claim to it. Bargain was express; signed, sealed,
sanctioned, drawn out on the due extent of sheepskin, which can still be read. Bargain clear enough: but will
this Karl Philip incline to keep it?
That may one day be the interesting question. But that is not the question of controversy at present: not that,
but another; for Karl Philip, it would seem, is to be a frequent stoneofstumbling to the Prussian House. The
present question is of a ProtestantPapist matter; into which Friedrich Wilhelm has been drawn by his public
spirit alone.
KARL PHILIP AND HIS HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS.
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Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. 188
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The Pfalz population was, from of old, ProtestantCalvinist; the ElectorsPalatine used to be distinguished
for their forwardness in that matter. So it still is with the Pfalz population; but with the Electors, now that the
House of Simmern is out, and that of Neuburg in, it is not so. The Neuburgs, ever since that slap, on the face,
have continued Popish; a sore fact for this Protestant population, when it got them for Sovereigns. Karl
Philip's Father, an old soldier at Vienna, and the elder Brother, a collector of Pictures at Dusseldorf, did not
outwardly much molest the creed of their subjects. Protestants, and the remnant of Catholics (remnant
naturally rather expanding now that the Court shone on it), were allowed to live in peace, according to the
Treaty of Westphalia, or nearly so; dividing the churches and churchrevenues equitably between them, as
directed there. But now that Karl Philip is come in, there is no mistaking his procedures. He has come home
to Heidelberg with a retinue of Jesuits about him; to whom the poor old gentleman, looking before and after
on this troublous world, finds it salutary to give ear.
His nibblings at Protestant rights, his contrivances to slide Catholics into churches which were not theirs, and
the like foulplay in that matter, had been sorrowful to see, for some time past. The Elector of Mainz,
ChiefPriest of Germany, is busy in the same bad direction; he and others. Indeed, ever since the Peace of
Ryswick, where Louis XIV. surreptitiously introduced a certain "Clause," which could never be got rid of
again, ["CLAUSE OF THE FOURTH ARTICLE" is the technical name of it. FOURTH ARTICLE stipulates
that King Louis XIV. shall punctually restore all manner of towns and places, in the Palatinate (much
BURNT, somewhat BEJESUITED too, in late Wars, by the said Kihg, during his occupancy): CLAUSE OF
FOURTH ARTICLE (added to it, by a quirk, "at midnight," say the Books) contains merely these words,
"Religione tamen Catholica Romana, in locis sic restitutis, in statu quo nunc est remanente: RomanCatholic
religion to continue as it now is [as WE have made it to be] in such towns and places."Which CLAUSE
gave rise to very great but ineffectual lamenting and debating. (Scholl, Traites de Paix (Par. 1817), i.
433438; Buchholz; Spittler, Geschichte Wurtembergs; nibbling aggressions of this kind have gone on more
and more. Always too sluggishly resisted by the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM, in the Diets or otherwise, the
"United Protestant Sovereigns" not being an active "Body" there. And now more sluggishly than ever;said
CORPUS having August Elector of Saxony, Catholic (ShamCatholic) King of Poland, for its Official Head;
"August the Physically Strong," a man highly unconcerned for matters Evangelical! So that the nibblings go
on worse and worse. An offence to all Protestant Rulers who had any conscience; at length an unbearable on
to Friedrich Wilhelm, who, alone of them all, decided to intervene effectually, and say, at whatever risk there
might be, We will not stand it!
Karl Philip, after some nibblings, took up the Heidelberg Catechism (which candidly calls the Mass
"idolatrous"), and ordered said Catechism, an Authorized Book, to cease in his dominions. HessenCassel, a
Protestant neighbor, pleaded, remonstrated, Friedrich Wilhelm glooming in the rear; but to no purpose. Our
old gentleman, his Priests being very diligent upon him, decided next to get possession of the
HEILIGEGEIST KIRCHE (Church of the Holy Ghost, principal Place of Worship at Heidelberg), and make
it his principal Cathedral Church there. By Treaty of Westphalia, or peaceably otherwise, the Catholics are
already in possession of the Choir: but the whole Church would be so much better. "Was it not Catholic
once?" thought Karl Philip to himself: "built by our noble Ancestor Kaiser Rupert of the Pfalz, Rupert
KLEMM ["Pincers," so named for his firmness of mind]: why should these Heretics have it? I will build
them another!" These thoughts, in 1719, the third year of Karl Philip's rule, had broken out into open action
(29th August, 4th September the consummation of it) [Mauvillon, i. 340345.] and precisely in the ime when
Friedrich Wilhelm was penning that first Didactic Morsel which we read, grave clouds from the Palatinate
were beginning to overshadow the royal mind more or less.
For the poor Heidelberg Consistorium, as they could not undertake to give up their Church on request of his
Serenity,"How dare we, or can we?" answered they,had been driven out by compulsion and stratagem.
Partly strategic was the plan adopted, to avoid violence; smith's picklocks being employed, and also mason's
crowbars: but the end was, On the 31st of August, 1719, Consistorium and Congregation found themselves
fairly in the street, and the HEILIGEGEIST KIRCHE clean gone from them. Screen of the Choir is torn
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Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. 189
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down; one big Catholic edifice now; getting decorated into a Court Church, where Serene Highness may feel
his mind comfortable.
The poor Heidelbergers, thus thrown into the street, made applications, lamentations; but with small prospect
of help: to whom apply with any sure prospect? Remonstrances from HessenCassel have proved unavailing
with his bigoted Serene Highness. CORPS EVANGELICORUM, so presided over as at present, what can be
had of such a Corpus? Longwinded lucubrations at the utmost; real action, in such a matter; none. Or will
the Kaiser, his Jesuits advising him, interfere to do us justice? KurMainz and the rest;it is everywhere one
story. Everywhere unhappy Protestantism getting bad usage, and ever worse; and no Corpus Evangelicorum,
or appointed Watchdog, doing other than hang its ears, and look sorry for itself and us!
The Heidelbergers, however, had applied to Friedrich Wilhelm among others. Friedrich Wilhelm, who had
long looked on these AntiProtestant phenomena with increasing anger, found now that this of the
Heidelberg Catechism and HEILIGEGEIST KIRCHE was enough to make one's patience run over. Your
unruly Catholic bull, plunging about, and goring men in that mad absurd manner, it will behoove that
somebody take him by the horns, or by the tail, and teach him manners. Teach him, not by vocal precepts, it
is likely, which would avail nothing on such a brute, but by practical cudgelling and scourging to the due
pitch. Pacific Friedrich Wilhelm perceived that he himself would have to do that disagreeable feat:the
growl of him, on coming to such resolution, must have been consolatory to these poor Heidelbergers, when
they applied!His plan is very simple, as the plans of genius are; but a plan leading direct to the end desired,
and probably the only one that would have done so, in the circumstances. Cudgel in hand, he takes the
Catholic bull,shall we say, by the horns?more properly perhaps by the tail; and teaches him manners.
FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S METHOD;PROVES REMEDIAL IN HEIDELBERG.
Friedrich Wilhelm's first step, of course, was to remonstrate pacifically with his Serene Highness on the
HeidelbergChurch affair: from this he probably expected nothing; nor did he get anything. Getting nothing
from this, and the countenance of external Protestant Powers, especially of George I. and the Dutch, being
promised him in ulterior measures, he directed his Administrative Officials in Magdeburg, in Minden, in
Hamersleben, where are Catholic Foundations of importance, to assemble the Catholic Canons, Abbots, chief
Priests and all whom it might concern in these three Places, and to signify to them as follows:
"From us, your Protestant Sovereign, you yourselves and all men will witness, you have hitherto had the best
of usage, fairplay, according to the Laws of the REICH, and evenmore. With the Protestants at Heidelberg,
on the part of the Catholic Powers, it is different. It must cease to be different; it must become the same. And
to make it do so, you are the implement I have. Sorry for it, but there is no other handy. From this day your
Churches also are closed, your Public Worship ceases, and furthermore your Revenues cease; and all makes
dead halt, and falls torpid in respect of you. From this day; and so continues, till the day (may it be soon!)
when the Heidelberg Church of the Holy Ghost is opened again, and right done in that question. Be it yours
to speed such day: it is you that can and will, you who know those high Catholic regions, inaccessible to your
Protestant Sovereign. Till then you are as dead men; temporarily fallen dead for a purpose. And herewith God
have you in his keeping!" [Mauvillon, i. 347, 349.]
That was Friedrich Wilhelm's plan; the simplest, but probably the one effectual plan. Infallible this plan, if
you dare stand upon it; which Friedrich Wilhelm does. He has a formidable Army, ready for fight; a Treasury
or Armychest in good order. George I. seconds, according to bargain; shuts the Catholic Church at Zelle in
his Luneburg Country, in like fashion; Dutch, too, and Swiss will endorse the matter, should it grow too
serious. All which, involving some diplomacy and correspondence, is managed with the due promptitude,
moreover. [Church of Zelle shut up, 4th November; Minden, 28th November; Monastery of Hamersleben, 3d
December, (Putter, Historische Entwickelung der hautigen Staatsverfassung des Teutschen Reichs,
Gottingen, 1788, ii. 384, 390).] And so certain doors are locked; and Friedrich Wilhelm's word, unalterable as
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Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. 190
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gravitation, has gone forth. In this manner is the mad Catholic bull taken by the TAIL: keep fast hold, and
apply your cudgel duly in that attitude, he will not gore you any more!
The MagdeburgHamersleben people shrieked piteously; not to Friedrich Wilhelm, whom they knew to be
deaf on that side of his head, but to the Kaiser, to the Pope, to the Serenity of Heidelberg. Serene Highness of
Heidelberg was much huffed; Kaiser dreadfully so, and wrote heavy menacing rebukes. To which Friedrich
Wilhelm listened with a minimum of reply; keeping firm hold of the tail, in such bellowing of the animal.
The end was, Serene Highness had to comply; within three months, Kaiser, Serene Highness and the other
parties interested, found that there would be nothing for it but to compose themselves, and do what was just.
April 16th, 1720, the Protestants are reinstated in their HEILIGEGEIST KIRCHE; Heidelberg Catechism
goes its free course again, May 16th; and one Baron Reck [Michaelis, ii. 95; Putter, ii. 384, 390; Buchholz,
pp. 6163.] is appointed Commissioner, from the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM, to Heidelberg; who
continues rigorously inspecting Church matters there for a considerable time, much to the grief of Highness
and Jesuits, till he can report that all is as it should be on that head. Karl Philip felt so disgusted with these
results, he removed his Court, that same year, to Mannheim; quitted Heidelberg; to the discouragement and
visible decay of the place; and, in spite of humble petitions and remonstrances, never would return; neither he
nor those that followed him would shift from Mannheim again, to this day.
PRUSSIAN MAJESTY HAS DISPLEASED THE KAISER AND THE KING OF POLAND.
Friedrich Wilhelm's praises from the Protestant public were great, on this occasion. Nor can we, who lie
much farther from it in every sense, refuse him some grin of approval. Act, and manner of doing the act, are
creditably of a piece with Friedrich Wilhelm; physiognomic of the rugged veracious man. It is one of several
such acts done by him: for it was a duty apt to recur in Germany, in his day. This duty Friedrich Wilhelm, a
solid Protestant after his sort, and convinced of the "nothingness and nonsensicality (UNGRUND UND
ABSURDITAT) of Papistry," was always honorably prompt to do. There is an honest baconandgreens
conscience in the man; almost the one conscience you can find in any royal man of that day. Promptly,
without tremulous counting of costs, he always starts up, solid as oak, on the occurrence of such a thing, and
says, "That is unjust; contrary to the Treaty of Westphalia; you will have to put down that!"And if words
avail not, his plan is always the same: Clap a similar thumbscrew, pressure equitably calculated, on the
Catholics of Prussia; these can complain to their Popes and Jesuit Dignitaries: these are under thumbscrew till
the Protestant pressure be removed. Which always did rectify the matter in a little time. One other of these
instances, that of the Salzburg Protestants, the last such instance, as this of Heidelberg was the first, will by
and by claim notice from us.
It is very observable, how Friedrich Wilhelm, hating quarrels, was ever ready to turn out for quarrel on such
an occasion; though otherwise conspicuously a King who stayed well at home, looking after his own affairs;
meddling with no neighbor that would be at peace with him. This properly is Friedrich Wilhelm's "sphere of
political activity" among his contemporaries; this small quasidomestic sphere, of forbidding injury to
Protestants. A most small sphere, but then a genuine one: nor did he seek even this, had it not forced itself
upon him. And truly we might ask, What has become of the other more considerable "spheres" in that epoch?
The supremest loudtrumpeting "political activities" which then filled the world and its newspapers, what has
the upshot of them universally been? Zero, and oblivion; no other. While this poor FriedrichWilhelm sphere
is perhaps still a countable quantity. Wise is he who stays well at home, and does the duty he finds lying
there!
Great favor from the Protestant public: but, on the other hand, his Majesty had given offence in high places.
What help for it? The thing was a point of conscience with him; natural to the surly Royal Overseer, going his
rounds in the world, stick in hand! However, the Kaiser was altogether gloomy of brow at such disobedience.
A Kaiser unfriendly to Friedrich Wilhelm: witness that of the RITTERDIENST (our unreasonable
Magdeburg Ritters, countenanced by him, on such terms, in such style too), and other offensive instances that
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could be given. Perhaps the Kaiser will not always continue gloomy of brow; perhaps the thoughts of the
Imperial breast may alter, on our behalf or his own, one day?
Nor could King August the Physically Strong be glad to see his "Director" function virtually superseded, in
this triumphant way. A year or two ago, Friedrich Wilhelm had, with the due cautions and politic reserves,
inquired of the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM, "If they thought the present Directorship (that of August the
Physically Strong) a good one?" and "Whether he, Friedrich Wilhelm, ought not perhaps himself to be
Director?"To which, though the answer was clear as noonday, this poor Corpus had only mumbled some
"QUIETA NON MOVERE," or other wisefoolish saw; and helplessly shrugged its shoulders. [17171719,
when August's KURPRINZ, HeirApparent, likewise declared himself Papist, to the horror and astonishment
of poor Saxony, and wedded the late Kaiser Joseph's Daughter:not to Father August's horror; who was
steering towards "popularity in Poland," "hereditary Polish Crown," with the young man. (Buchholz, i.
5356.)] But King August himself,though a jovial social kind of animal, quite otherwise occupied in the
world; busy producing his three hundred and fiftyfour Bastards there, and not careful of Church matters at
all,had expressed his indignant surprise. And now, it would seem nevertheless, though the title remains
where it was, the function has fallen to another, who actually does it: a thing to provoke comparisons in the
public.
Clement, the Hungarian forger, vender of false statesecrets, is well hanged; went to the gallows (18th April,
1720) with much circumstance, just two days before that Heidelberg Church was got reopened. But the
suspicions sown by Clement cannot quite be abolished by the hanging of him: Forger indisputably; but who
knows whether he had not something of fact for his? What with Clement, what with this Heidelberg business,
the Court of Berlin has fallen wrong with Dresden, with Vienna itself, and important clouds have risen.
There is an absurd Flame of War, blown out by Admiral Byng; and a new Man of Genius announces himself
to the dim Populations.
The poor Kaiser himself is otherwise in trouble of his own, at this time. The Spaniards and he have fallen out,
in spite of Utrecht Treaty and Rastadt ditto; the Spaniards have taken Sicily from him; and precisely in those
days while Karl Philip took to shutting up the HEILIGEGEIST Church at Heidelberg, there was, loud
enough in all the Newspapers, silent as it now is, a "Siege of Messina" going on; Imperial and Piedmontese
troops doing duty by land, Admiral Byng still more effectively by sea, for the purpose of getting Sicily back.
Which was achieved by and by, though at an extremely languid pace. [Byng's Seafight, 10th August, 1718
(Campbell's Lives of the Admirals, iii. 468); whereupon the Spaniards, who had hardly yet completed their
capture of Messina, are besieged in it; 29th October, 1719, Messina retaken (this is the "Siege of
Messina"): February, 1720, Peace is clapt up (the chief article, that Alberoni shall be packed away), and a
"Congress of Cambrai" is to meet, and settle everything.] One of the most tedious Sieges; one of the paltriest
languid Wars (of extreme virulence and extreme feebleness, neither party having any cash left), and for an
object which could not be excelled in insignificance. Object highly interesting to Kaiser Karl VI. and
Elizabeth Farnese Termagant Queen of Spain. These two were red, or even were pale, with interest in it; and
to the rest of Adam's Posterity it was not intrinsically worth an ounce of gunpowder, many tons of that and of
better commodities as they had to spend upon it. True, the Spanish Navy got well lamed in the business;
Spanish Fleet blown mostly to destruction,"Roads of Messina, 10th August, 1718," by the dexterous Byng
(a creditable handy figure both in Peace and War) and his considerable Seafight there:if that was an
object to Spain or mankind, that was accomplished. But the "War," except that many men were killed in it,
and much vain babble was uttered upon it, ranks otherwise with that of Don Quixote, for conquest of the
enchanted Helmet of Mambrino, which when looked into proved to be a Barber's Basin.
Congress of Cambrai, and other high Gatherings and convulsive Doings, which all proved futile, and look
almost like Lapland witchcraft now to us, will have to follow this futility of a War. It is the first of a long
series of enchanted adventures, on which Kaiser Karl,duelling with that Spanish Virago, Satan's Invisible
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World in the rear of her,has now embarked, to the woe of mankind, for the rest of his life. The first of
those terrificoludicrous paroxysms of crisis into which he throws the European Universe; he with his
Enchanted Barber'sBasin enterprises;as perhaps was fit enough, in an epoch presided over by the
Nightmares. Congress of Cambrai is to follow; and much else equally spectral. About all which there will be
enough to say anon! For it was a fearful operation, though a ludicrous one, this of the poor Kaiser; and it
tormented not the big Nations only, and threw an absurd Europe into paroxysm after paroxysm; but it whirled
up, in its wideweeping skirts, our little Fritz and his Sister, and almost dashed the lives out of them, as we
shall see! Which last is perhaps the one claim it now has to a cursory mention from mankind.
Byng's Seafight, done with due dexterity of manoeuvring, and then with due emphasis of broadsiding,
decisive of that absurd War, and almost the one creditable action in it, dates itself 10th August, 1718. And
about three months later, on the mimic stage at Paris there came out a piece, OEDIPE the title of it, [18th
November, 1718.] by one Francois Arouet, a young gentleman about twentytwo; and had such a run as
seldom was;apprising the French Populations that, to all appearance, a new man of genius had appeared
among them (not intimating what work he would do); and greatly angering old M. Arouet of the Chamber of
Accouuts; who thereby found his Son as good as cast into the whirlpools, and a solid Lawcareer thenceforth
impossible for the young fool. The name of that "M. Arouet junior" changes itself, some years hence, into
M. DE VOLTAIRE; under which latter designation he will conspicuously reappear in this Narrative.
And now we will go to our little CrownPrince again;ignorant, he, of all this that is mounting up in the
distance, and that it will envelop him one day.
Chapter XI. ON THE CROWNPRINCE'S PROGRESS IN HIS
SCHOOLING.
Wilhelmina says, [ Memoires, i. 22.] her Brother was "slow" in learning: we may presume, she means idle,
volatile, not always prompt in fixing his attention to what did not interest him. Moreover, he was often
weakly in health, as she herself adds; so that exertion was not recommendable for him. Herr von Loen (a
witty Prussian Official, and famed manofletters once, though forgotten now) testifies expressly that the
Boy was of bright parts, and that he made rapid progress. "The CrownPrince manifests in this tender age
[his seventh year] an uncommon capacity; nay we may say, something quite extraordinary ( etwas ganz
Ausserordentliches ). He is a most alert and vivacious Prince; he has fine and sprightly manners; and shows a
certain kindly sociality, and so affectionate a disposition that all things may be hoped of him. The French
Lady who [under Roucoulles] has had charge of his learning hitherto, cannot speak of him without
enthusiasm. 'C'est un esprit ange'lique (a little angel),' she is wont to say. He takes up, and learns, whatever is
put before him, with the greatest facility." [Van Loen, Kleine Schriften, ii. 27 (as cited in Rodenbeck, No. iv.
479).]
For the rest, that Friedrich Wilhelm's intentions and Rhadamanthine regulations, in regard to him, were
fulfilled in every point, we will by no means affirm. Rules of such exceeding preciseness, if grounded here
and there only on the SICVOLO, how could they be always kept, except on the surface and to the eye
merely? The good Duhan, diligent to open his pupil's mind, and give Nature fairplay, had practically found
it inexpedient to tie him too rigorously to the arbitrary formal departments where no natural curiosity, but
only order from without, urges the ingenious pupil. What maximum strictness in schooldrill there can have
been, we may infer from one thing, were there no other: the ingenious Pupil's mode of SPELLING. Fritz
learned to write a fine, freeflowing, rapid and legible businesshand; "Arithmetic" too, "Geography," and
many other Useful Knowledges that had some geniality of character, or attractiveness in practice, were
among his acquisitions; much, very much he learned in the course of his life; but to SPELL, much more to
punctuate, and subdue the higher mysteries of Grammar to himself, was always an unachievable perfection.
He did improve somewhat in after life; but here is the length to which he had carried that necessary art in the
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course of nine years' exertion, under Duhan and the subsidiary preceptors; it is in the following words and
alphabetic letters that he gratefully bids Duhan farewell,who surely cannot have been a very strict
drillsergeant in the arbitrary branches of schooling!
"Mon cher Duhan Je Vous promais (PROMETS) que quand j'aurez (J'AURAI) mon propre argent en main, je
Vous donnerez (DONNERAI) enuelement (ANNUELLEMENT) 2400 ecu (ECUS) par an, et je vous
aimerais (AIMERAI) toujour encor (TOUJORS ENCORE) un peu plus q'asteure (QU'A CETTE HEURE) s'il
me l'est (M'EST) posible (POSSIBLE)."
"MY DEAR DUHAN,I promise to you, that when I shall have my money in my own hands, I will give
you annually 2400 crowns [say 350 pounds] EVERY YEAR; and that I will love you always even a little
more than at present, if that be possible.
"FRIDERIC P.R. [PrinceRoyal]."
"POTSDAM, le 20 de juin, 1727." [Preuss, i. 22.]
The Document has otherwise its beauty; but such is the spelling of it. In fact his Grammar, as he would
himself now and then regretfully discern, in riper years, with some transient attempt or resolution to remedy
or help it, seems to have come mainly by nature; so likewise his "STYLUS" both in French and German, a
very fair style, too, in the former dialect:but as to his spelling, let him try as he liked, he never came within
sight of perfection.
The things ordered with such rigorous minuteness, if but arbitrary things, were apt to be neglected; the things
forbidden, especially in the like case, were apt to become doubly tempting. It appears, the prohibition of Latin
gave rise to various attempts, on the part of Friedrich, to attain that desirable Language. Secret lessons, not
from Duhan, but no doubt with Duhan's connivance, were from time to time undertaken with this view: once,
it is recorded, the vigilant Friedrich Wilhelm, going his rounds, came upon Fritz and one of his Preceptors
(not Duhan but a subaltern) actually engaged in this illicit employment. Friedrich himself was wont to relate
this anecdote in after 1ife. [Busching, Beitrage zu der Lebensgeschichte denkwurdiger Personen, v. 33.
Preuss, i. 24.] They had Latin books, dictionaries, grammars on the table, all the contraband apparatus; busy
with it there, like a pair of coiners taken in the fact. Among other Books was a copy of the Golden Bull of
Kaiser Karl IV., Aurea Bulla, from the little golden BULLETS or pellets hung to it,by which sublime
Document, as perhaps we hinted long ago, certain socalled Fundamental Constitutions, or at least
formalities and solemn practices, method of election, rule of precedence, and the like, of the Holy Roman
Empire, had at last been settled on a sure footing, by that busy little Kaiser, some three hundred and fifty
years before; a Document venerable almost next to the Bible in Friedrich Wilhelm's loyal eyes, "What is this;
what are you venturing upon here?" exclaims Paternal Vigilance, in an astonished dangerous tone. "Ihro
Majestat, ich explicire dem Prinzen Auream Bullam," exclaimed the trembling pedagogue: "Your Majesty, I
am explaining AUREA BULLA [Golden Bull] to the Prince!""Dog, I will GoldenBull you!" said his
Majesty, flourishing his rattan, "Ich will dich, Schurke, beaureambullam!" which sent the terrified wretch
off at the top of his speed, and ended the Latin for that time. [Forster, i. 356.]
Friedrich's Latin could never come to much, under these impediments. But he retained some smatterings of it
in mature life; and was rather fond of producing his classical scraps, often in an altogether mouldy, and
indeed hitherto inexplicable condition. "De gustibus non est disputandus," "Beati possEdentes," "CompIlle
intrare," "BeatUS pauperes spiritus;" the meaning of these can be guessed: but "Tot verbas tot spondera," for
example,what can any commentator make of that? "Festina lente," "Dominus vobiscum," "Flectamus
genua," "Quod bene notandum;" these phrases too, and some three or four others of the like, have been
riddled from his Writings by diligent men: [Preuss (i. 24) furnishes the whole stock of them.] "O tempora, O
mores! You see, I don't forget my Latin," writes he once.
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The worst fruit of these contraband operations was, that they involved the Boy in clandestine practices, secret
disobediences, apt to be found out from time to time, and tended to alienate his Father from him. Of which
sad mutual humor we already find traces in that early Wusterhausen Document: "Not to be so dirty," says the
reproving Father. And the Boy does not take to hunting at all, likes verses, storybooks, fluteplaying better;
seems to be of effeminate tendencies, an EFFEMINIRTER KERL; affects French modes, combs out his hair
like a cockatoo, the foolish French fop, instead of conforming to the Armyregulation, which prescribes
closecropping and a club!
This latter grievance Friedrich Wilhelm decided, at last, to abate, and have done with; this, for one. It is an
authentic fact, though not dated,dating perhaps from about Fritz's fifteenth year. "Fritz is a
QUERPFEIFER UND POET," not a Soldier! would his indignant Father growl; looking at those foreign
effeminate ways of his. QUERPFEIFE, that is simply "Germanflute," "CROSSPIPE" (or FIFE of any kind,
for we English have thriftily made two useful words out of the Deutsch root); "Crosspipe," being held
across the mouth horizontally. Worthless employment, if you are not born to be of the regimental band!
thinks Friedrich Wilhelm. Fritz is celebrated, too, for his fine foot; a dapper little fellow, altogether pretty in
the eyes of simple female courtiers, with his blond locks combed out at the temples, with his bright eyes,
sharp wit, and sparkling capricious ways. The cockatoo locks, these at least we will abate! decides the
Paternal mind.
And so, unexpectedly, Friedrich Wilhelm has commanded these bright locks, as contrary to military fashion,
of which Fritz has now unworthily the honor of being a specimen, to be ruthlessly shorn away. Inexorable:
the HOFCHIRURGUS (CourtSurgeon, of the nature of BarberSurgeon), with scissors and comb, is here;
ruthless Father standing by. Crop him, my jolly Barber; close down to the accurate standard; soaped club,
instead of flowing locks; we suffer no exceptions in this military department: I stand here till it is done. Poor
Fritz, they say, had tears in his eyes; but what help in tears? The judicious Chirurgus, however, proved
merciful. The judicious Chirurgus struck in as if nothing loath, snack, snack; and made a great show of
clipping. Friedrich Wilhelm took a newspaper till the job were done; the judicious Barber, still making a
great show of work, combed back rather than cut off these Apollo locks; did Fritz accurately into soaped
club, to the cursory eye; but left him capable of shaking out his chevelure again on occasion,to the lasting
gratitude of Fritz. [Preuss, i. 16.]
THE NOLTENIUSANDPANZENDORF DRILLEXERCISE.
On the whole, as we said, a youth needs good assimilating power, if he is to grow in this world! Noltenius
aud Panzendorf, for instance, they were busy "teaching Friedrich religion." Rather a strange operation this
too, if we were to look into it. We will not look too closely. Another pair of excellent most solemn
drillsergeants, in clerical black serge; they also are busy instilling dark doctrines into the bright young Boy,
so far as possible; but do not seem at any time to have made too deep an impression on him. May we not say
that, in matter of religion too, Friedrich was but illbested? Enlightened EdictofNantes Protestantism, a
cross between Bayle and Calvin: that was but indifferent babe's milk to the little creature. Nor could
Noltenius's Catechism, and ponderous drillexercise in orthodox theology, much inspire a clear soul with
pieties, and tendencies to soar Heavenward.
Alas, it is a dreary litter indeed, mere wagonload on wagonload of shotrubbish, that is heaped round this
new human plant, by Noltenius and Company, among others. A wonder only that they did not extinguish all
Sense of the Highest in the poor young soul, and leave only a Sense of the Dreariest and Stupidest. But a
healthy human soul can stand a great deal. The healthy soul shakes off, in an unexpectedly victorious manner,
immense masses of dry rubbish that have been shot upon it by its assiduous pedagogues and professors. What
would become of any of us otherwise! Duhan, opening the young soul, by such modest gift as Duhan had, to
recognize black from white a little, in this embroiled high Universe, is probably an exception in some small
measure. But, Duhan excepted, it may be said to have been in spite of most of his teachers, and their diligent
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endeavors, that Friedrich did acquire some human piety; kept the sense of truth alive in his mind; knew, in
whatever words he phrased it, the divine eternal nature of Duty; and managed, in the muddiest element and
most eclipsed Age ever known, to steer by the heavenly loadstars and (so we must candidly term it) to
FOLLOW God's Law; in some measure, with or without Noltenius for company. Noltenius's CATECHISM,
or ghostly Drillmanual for Fritz, at least the Catechism he had plied Wilhelmina with, which no doubt was
the same, is still extant. [Preuss, i. 15;specimens of it in Rodenbeck.] A very abstruse Piece; orthodox
LutheranCalvinist, all proved from Scripture; giving what account it can of this unfathomable Universe, to
the young mind. To modern Prussians it by no means shines as the indubitablest Theory of the Universe.
Indignant modern Prussians produce excerpts from it, of an abstruse nature; and endeavor to deduce
therefrom some of Friedrich's aberrations in matters of religion, which became notorious enough by and by.
Alas, I fear, it would not have been easy, even for the modern Prussian, to produce a perfect Catechism for
the use of Friedrich; this Universe still continues a little abstruse!
And there is another deeper thing to be remarked: the notion of "teaching" religion, in the way of
drillexercise; which is a very strange notion, though a common one, and not peculiar to Noltenius and
Friedrich Wilhelm. Piety to God, the nobleness that inspires a human soul to struggle Heavenward, cannot be
"taught" by the most exquisite catechisms,or the most industrious preachings and drillings. No; alas, no. Only
by far other methods,chiefly by silent continual Example, silently waiting for the favorable mood and
moment, and aided then by a kind of miracle, well enough named "the grace of God,"can that sacred
contagion pass from soul into soul. How much beyond whole Libraries of orthodox Theology is, sometimes,
the mute action, the unconscious look of a father, of a mother, who HAD in them "Devoutness, pious
Nobleness"! In whom the young soul, not unobservant, though not consciously observing, came at length to
recognize it; to read it, in this irrefragable manner: a seed planted thenceforth in the centre of his holiest
affections forevermore!
Noltenius wore black serge; kept the corners of his mouth well down; and had written a Catechism of repute;
but I know not that Noltenius carried much seed of living piety about with him; much affection from, or for,
young Fritz he could not well carry. On the whole, it is a bad outlook on the religious side; and except in
Apprenticeship to the rugged and as yet repulsive Honesties of Friedrich Wilhelm, I see no good element in
it. BayleCalvin, with Noltenius and Catechisms of repute: there is no "religion" to be had for a little Fritz
out of all that. Endless Doubt will be provided for him out of all that, probably disbelief of all that;and, on
the whole, if any form at all, a very scraggy form of moral existence; from which the Highest shall be
hopelessly absent; and in which anything High, anything not Low and Lying, will have double merit.
It is indeed amazing what quantities and kinds of extinct ideas apply for belief, sometimes in a menacing
manner, to the poor mind of man, and poor mind of child, in these days. They come bullying in upon him, in
masses, as if they were quite living ideas; ideas of a dreadfully indispensable nature, the evident counterpart,
and salutary interpretation, of Facts round him, which, it is promised the poor young creature, he SHALL
recognize to correspond with them, one day. At which "correspondence," when the Facts are once well
recognized, he has at last to ask himself with amazement, "Did I ever recognize it, then?" Whereby come
results incalculable; not good results any of them;some of them unspeakably bad! The ease of
CrownPrince Friedrich in Berlin is not singular; all cities and places can still show the like. And when it will
end, is not yet clear. But that it ever should have begun, will one day be the astonishment. As if the divinest
function of a human being were not even that of believing; of discriminating, with his Godgiven intellect,
what is from what is not; and as if the point were, to render that either an impossible function, or else what
we must sorrowfully call a revolutionary, rebellious and mutinous one. O Noltenius, O Panzendorf, do for
pity's sake take away your Catechetical ware; and say either nothing to the poor young Boy, or some small
thing he will find to be BEYOND doubt when he can judge of it! Fever, pestilence, are bad for the body; but
Doubt, impious mutiny, doubly impious hypocrisy, are these nothing for the mind? Who would go about
inculcating Doubt, unless he were far astray indeed, and much at a loss for employment!
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But the sorest fact in Friedrich's schooling, the forest, for the present, though it ultimately proved perhaps the
most beneficent one, being well dealt with by the young soul, and nobly subdued to his higher uses, remains
still to be set forth. Which will be a long business, first and last!
Chapter XII. CROWNPRINCE FALLS INTO DISFAVOR WITH PAPA.
Those vivacities of young Fritz, his taste for music, finery, those furtive excursions into the domain of Latin
and forbidden things, were distasteful and incomprehensible to Friedrich Wilhelm: Where can such things
end? They begin in disobedience and intolerable perversity; they will be the ruin of Prussia and of
Fritz!Here, in fact, has a great sorrow risen. We perceive the first small cracks of incurable divisions in the
royal household; the breaking out of fountains of bitterness, which by and by spread wide enough. A young
sprightly, capricions and vivacious Boy, inclined to selfwill, had it been permitted; developing himself into
foreign tastes, into French airs and ways; very ill seen by the heavyfooted practical Germanic Majesty.
The beginnings of this sad discrepancy are traceable from Friedrich's sixth or seventh year: "Not so dirty,
Boy!" And there could be no lack of growth in the mutual illhumor, while the Boy himself continued
growing; enlarging in bulk and in activity of his own. Plenty of new children come, to divide our regard
withal, and more are coming; five new Princesses, wise little Ulrique the youngest of them (named of Sweden
and the happy Swedish Treaty), whom we love much for her grave staid ways. Nay, next after Ulrique comes
even a new Prince; August Wilhelm, ten years younger than Friedrich; and is growing up much more
according to the paternal heart. Pretty children, all of them, more or less; and towardly, and comfortable to a
Father;and the worst of them a paragon of beauty, in comparison to perverse, clandestine, disobedient
Fritz, with his French fopperies, flutings, and cockatoo fashions of hair!
And so the silent divulsion, silent on Fritz's part, exploding loud enough now and then on his Father's part,
goes steadily on, splitting ever wider; new offences ever superadding themselves. Till, at last, the rugged
Father has grown to hate the son; and longs, with sorrowful indignation, that it were possible to make August
Wilhelm CrownPrince in his stead. This Fritz ought to fashion himself according to his Father's pattern, a
wellmeant honest pattern; and he does not! Alas, your Majesty, it cannot be. It is the new generation come;
which cannot live quite as the old one did. A perennial controversy in human life; coeval with the genealogies
of men. This little Boy should have been the excellent paternal Majesty's exact counterpart; resembling him
at all points, "as a little sixpence does a big halfcrown:" but we perceive he cannot. This is a new coin, with
a stamp of its own. A surprising FRIEDRICH D'OR this; and may prove a good piece yet; but will never be
the halfcrown your Majesty requires!
Conceive a rugged thicksided Squire Western, of supreme degree, or this Squire Western is a hot
Hohenzollern, and wears a crown royal;conceive such a burly NEPLUSULTRA of a Squire, with his
broadbased rectitudes and surly irrefragabilities; the honest German instincts of the man, convictions certain
as the Fates, but capable of no utterance, or next to none, in words; and that he produces a Son who takes into
Voltairism, piping, fiddling and belleslettres, with apparently a total contempt for Grumkow and the
giantregiment! Sulphurous rage, in gusts or in lasting tempests, rising from a fund of just implacability, is
inevitable. Such as we shall see.
The Mother, as mothers will, secretly favors Fritz; anxious to screen him in the day of highwind. Withal she
has plans of her own in regard to Fritz, and the others; being a lady of many plans. That of the
"DoubleMarriage," for example; of marrying her Prince and Princess to a Princess and Prince of the
EnglishHanoverian House; it was a pleasant eligible plan, consented to by Papa and the other parties; but
when it came to be perfected by treaty, amid the rubs of external and internal politics, what new amazing
discrepancies rose upon her poor children and her! Fearfully aggravating the quarrel of Father and Son,
almost to the fatal point. Of that "DoubleMarriage," whirled up in a universe of intriguing diplomacies, in
the "skirts of the Kaiser's huge SpectreHunt," as we have called it, there will be sad things to say by and by.
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Plans her Majesty has; and silently a will of her own. She loves all her children, especially Fritz, and would
so love that they loved her.For the rest, all along, Fritz and Wilhelmina are sure allies. We perceive they
have fallen into a kind of cipherspeech; [ Memoires de Bareith, i. 168.] they communicate with one another
by telegraphic signs. One of their words, "RAGOTIN (Stumpy)," whom does the reader think it designates?
Papa himself, the Royal Majesty of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm I., he to his rebellious children is tyrant
"Stumpy," and no better; being indeed short of stature, and growing ever thicker, and surlier in these
provocations!
Such incurable discrepancies have risen in the Berlin Palace: fountains of bitterness flowing ever wider, till
they made life all bitter for Son and for Father; necessitating the proud Son to hypocrisies towards his terrible
Father, which were very foreign to the proud youth, had there been any other resource. But there was none,
now or afterwards. Even when the young man, driven to reflection and insight by intolerable miseries, had
begun to recognize the worth of his surly Rhadamanthine Father, and the intrinsic wisdom of much that he
had meant with him, the Father hardly ever could, or could only by fits, completely recognize the Son's
worth. Rugged suspicious Papa requires always to be humored, cajoled, even when our feeling towards him is
genuine and loyal. Friedrich, to the last, we can perceive, has to assume masquerade in addressing him, in
writing to him,and in spite of real love, must have felt it a relief when such a thing was over. That is, all
along, a sad element of Friedrich's education! Out of which there might have come incalculable damage to
the young man, had his natural assimilative powers, to extract benefit from all things, been less considerable.
As it was, he gained selfhelp from it; gained reticence, the power to keep his own counsel; and did not let
the hypocrisy take hold of him, or be other than a hateful compulsory masquerade. At an uncommonly early
age, he stands before us accomplished in endurance, for one thing; a very bright young Stoic of his sort;
silently prepared for the injustices of men and things. And as for the masquerade, let us hope it was
essentially foreign even to the skin of the man! The reader will judge as he goes on. "Je n'ai jamais trompe
personne durant ma vie, I have never deceived anybody during my life; still less will I deceive posterity,"
[ Memoires depuis la Paix de Huberrtsbourg, 17631774 (AvantPropos), OEUVRES, vii. 8.] writes
Friedrich when his head was now grown very gray.
Chapter XIII. RESULTS OF THE CROWNPRINCE'S SCHOOLING.
Neither as to intellectual culture, in Duhan's special sphere, and with all Duhan's goodwill, was the
opportunity extremely golden. It cannot be said that Friedrich, who spells in the way we saw, "ASTEURE"
for "A CETTE HEURE," has made shining acquisitions on the literary side. However, in the longrun it
becomes clear, his intellect, roving on devious courses, or plodding along the prescribed tramroads, had
been wide awake; and busy all the while, bringing in abundant pabulum of an irregular nature.
He did learn "Arithmetic," "Geography," and the other useful knowledges that were indispensable to him. He
knows History extensively; though rather the Roman, French, and general European as the French have
taught it him, than that of "Hessen, Brunswick, England," or even the "Electoral and Royal House of
Brandenburg," which Papa had recommended. He read History, where he could find it readable, to the end of
his life; and had early begun reading it,immensely eager to learn, in his little head, what strange things had
been, and were, in this strange Planet he was come into.
We notice with pleasure a lively taste for facts in the little Boy; which continued to be the taste of the Man, in
an eminent degree. Fictions he also knows; an eager extensive reader of what is called Poetry, Literature, and
himself a performer in that province by and by: but it is observable how much of Realism there always is in
his Literature; how close, here as elsewhere, he always hangs on the practical truth of things; how Fiction
itself is either an expository illustrative garment of Fact, or else is of no value to him. Romantic readers of his
Literature are much disappointed in consequence, and pronounce it bad Literature;and sure enough, in
several senses, it is not to be called good! Bad Literature, they say; shallow, barren, most unsatisfactory to a
reader of romantic appetites. Which is a correct verdict, as to the romantic appetites and it. But to the man
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himself, this qualityof mind is of immense moment and advantage; and forms truly the basis of all he was
good for in life. Once for all, he has no pleasure in dreams, in particolored clouds and nothingnesses. All his
curiosities gravitate towards what exists, what has being and reality round him. That is the significant thing to
him; that he would right gladly know, being already related to that, as friend or as enemy; and feeling an
unconscious indissoluble kinship, who shall say of what importance, towards all that. For he too is a little
Fact, big as can be to himself; and in the whole Universe there exists nothing as fact but is a fellowcreature
of his.
That our little Fritz tends that way, ought to give Noltenius, Finkenstein and other interested parties, the very
highest satisfaction. It is an excellent symptom of his intellect, this of gravitating irresistibly towards realities.
Better symptom of its quality (whatever QUANTITY there be of it), human intellect cannot show for itself.
However it may go with Literature, and satisfaction to readers of romantic appetites, this young soul promises
to become a successful Worker one day, and to DO something under the Sun. For work is of an extremely
unfictitious nature; and no man can roof his house with clouds and moonshine, so as to turn the rain from
him.
It is also to be noted that his style of French, though he spelt it so ill, and never had the least mastery of
punctuation, has real merit. Rapidity, easy vivacity, perfect clearness, here and there a certain quaint
expressiveness: on the whole, he had learned the Art of Speech, from those old French Governesses, in those
old and new French Books of his. We can also say of his Literature, of what he hastily wrote in mature life,
that it has much more worth, even as Literature, than the common romantic appetite assigns to it. A vein of
distinct sense, and good interior articulation, is never wanting in that thinflowing utterance. The true is well
riddled out from amid the false; the important and essential are alone given us, the unimportant and
superfluous honestly thrown away. A lean wiry veracity (an immense advantage in any Literature, good or
bad!) is everywhere beneficently observable; the QUALITY of the intellect always extremely good, whatever
its quantity may be.
It is true, his spelling"ASTEURE" for "A CETTE HEURE"is very bad. And as for punctuation, he
never could understand the mystery of it; he merely scatters a few commas and dashes, as if they were shaken
out of a pepperbox upon his page, and so leaves it. These are deficiencies lying very bare to criticism; and I
confess I never could completely understand them in such a man. He that would have ordered arrest for the
smallest speck of mud on a man's buffbelt, indignant that any pipeclayed portion of a man should not be
perfectly pipeclayed: how could he tolerate false spelling, and commas shaken as out of a pepperbox over
his page? It is probable he cared little about Literature, after all; cared, at least, only about the essentials of it;
had practically no ambition for himself, or none considerable, in that kind;and so might reckon exact
obedience and punctuality, in a soldier, more important than good spelling to an amateur literary man: He
never minded snuff upon his own chin, not even upon his waistcoat and breeches: A merely superficial thing,
not worth bothering about, in the press of real business!
That Friedrich's Course of Education did on the whole prosper, in spite of every drawback, is known to all
men. He came out of it a man of clear and everimproving intelligence; equipped with knowledge, true in
essentials, if not punctiliously exact, upon all manner of practical and speculative things, to a degree not only
unexampled among modern Sovereign Princes so called, but such as to distinguish him even among the
studious class. Nay many "MenofLetters" have made a reputation for themselves with but a fraction of the
real knowledge concerning men and things, past and present, which Friedrich was possessed of. Already at
the time when action came to be demanded of him, he was what we must call a wellinformed and cultivated
man; which character he never ceased to merit more and more; and as for the action, and the actions, we
shall see whether he was fit for these or not.
One point of supreme importance in his education was all along made sure of, by the mere presence and
presidence of Friedrich Wilhelm in the business: That there was an inflexible law of discipline everywhere
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active in it; that there was a Spartan rigor, frugality, veracity inculcated upon him. "Economy he is to study to
the bottom;" and not only so, but, in another sense of the word, he is to practise economy; and does, or else
suffers for not doing it. Economic of his time, first of all: generally every other noble economy will follow
out of that, if a man once understand and practise that. Here was a truly valuable foundation laid; and as for
the rest, Nature, in spite of shotrubbish, had to do what she could in the rest.
But Nature had been very kind to this new child of hers. And among, the confused hurtful elements of his
Schooling, there was always, as we say, this eminently salutary and most potent one, of its being, in the
gross, APPRENTICESHIP TO FRIEDRICH WILHELM the Rhadamanthine Spartan King, who hates from
his heart all empty Nonsense, and Unveracity most of all. Which one element, well aided by docility, by
openness and loyalty of mind, on the Pupil's part, proved at length sufficient to conquer the others; as it were
to burn up all the others, and reduce their sour dark smoke, abounding everywhere, into flame and
illumination mostly. This radiant swiftpaced Son owed much to the surly, irascible, surefooted Father that
bred him. Friedrich did at length see into Friedrich Wilhelm, across the abstruse, thunderous, sulphurous
embodiments and accompaniments of the man;and proved himself, in all manner of important respects, the
filial sequel of Friedrich Wilhelm. These remarks of a certain Editor are perhaps worth adding:
"Friedrich Wilhelm, King of Prussia, did not set up for a Pestalozzi; and the plan of Education for his Son is
open to manifold objections. Nevertheless, as Schoolmasters go, I much prefer him to most others we have at
present. The wild man had discerned, with his rugged natural intelligence (not wasted away in the idle
element of speaking and of being spoken to, but kept wholesomely silent for most part), That human
education is not, and cannot be, a thing of VOCABLES. That it is a thing of earnest facts; of capabilities
developed, of habits established, of dispositions well dealt with, of tendencies confirmed and tendencies
repressed:a laborious separating of the character into two FIRMAMENTS; shutting down the
subterranean, well down and deep; an earth and waters, and what lies under them; then your everlasting azure
sky, and immeasurable depths of aether, hanging serene overhead. To make of the human soul a Cosmos, so
far as possible, that was Friedrich Wilhelm's dumb notion: not to leave the human soul a mere Chaos;how
much less a Singing or eloquently Spouting Chaos, which is ten times worse than a Chaos left MUTE,
confessedly chaotic and not cosmic! To develop the man into DOING something; and withal into doing it as
the Universe and the Eternal Laws require,which is but another name for really doing and not merely
seeming to do it:that was Friedrich Wilhelm's dumb notion: and it was, I can assure you, very far from
being a foolish one, though there was no Latin in it, and much of Prussian pipeclay!"
But the Congress of Cambrai is met, and much else is met and parted: and the Kaiser's SpectreHunt,
especially his Duel with the SheDragon of Spain, is in full course; and it is time we were saying something
of the DoubleMarriage in a directly narrative way.
END OF BOOK IV,
BOOK V. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT, AND WHAT ELEMENT IT
FELL INTO. 17231726.
Chapter I. DOUBLEMARRIAGE IS DECIDED ON.
We saw George I. at Berlin in October, 1723, looking out upon his little Grandson drilling the Cadets there;
but we did not mention what important errand had brought his Majesty thither.
Visits between Hanover and Berlin had been frequent for a long time back; the young Queen of Prussia,
sometimes with her husband, sometimes without, running often over to see her Father; who, even after his
accession to the English crown, was generally for some months every year to be met with in those favorite
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regions of his. He himself did not much visit, being of taciturn splenetic nature: but this once he had agreed to
return a visit they had lately made him,where a certain weighty Business had been agreed upon, withal;
which his Britannic Majesty was to consummate formally, by treaty, when the meeting in Berlin took effect.
His Britannic Majesty, accordingly, is come; the business in hand is no other than that thricefamous
"DoubleMarriage" of Prussia with England; which once had such a sound in the ear of Rumor, and still
bulks so big in the archives of the Eighteenth Century; which worked such woe to all parties concerned in it;
and is, in fact, a firstrate nuisance in the History of that poor Century, as written hitherto. Nuisance
demanding urgently to be abated; were that well possible at present. Which, alas, it is not, to any great
degree; there being an important young Friedrich inextricably wrapt up in it, to whom it was of such vital or
almost fatal importance! Without a Friedrich, the affair could be reduced to something like its real size, and
recorded in a few pages; or might even, with advantage, be forgotten altogether, and become zero. More
gigantic instance of much ado about nothing has seldom occurred in human annals;had not there been a
Friedrich in the heart of it.
CrownPrince Friedrich is still very young for marriagespeculations on his score: but Mamma has thought
good to take matters in time. And so we shall, in the next ensuing parts of this poor History, have to hear
almost as much about Marriage as in the foolishest Threevolume Novel, and almost to still less purpose. For
indeed, in that particular, Friedrich's young Life may be called a ROMANCE FLUNG
HELLSOVERHEAD;Marriage being the one event there, round which all events turn,but turn in the
inverse or reverse way (as if the Devil were in them); not only towards no happy goal for him or Mamma, or
us, but at last towards hardly any goal at all for anybody! So mad did the affair grow; and is so madly
recorded in those inextricable, dateless, chaotic Books. We have now come to regions of Narrative, which
seem to consist of murky Nothingness put on boil; not land, or water, or air, or fire, but a tumultuously
whirling commixture of all the four;of immense extent too. Which must be got crossed, in some human
manner. Courage, patience, good reader!
QUEEN SOPHIE DOROTHEE HAS TAKEN TIME BY THE FORELOCK.
Already, for a dozen years, this matter has been treated of. Queen Sophie Dorothee, ever since the birth of her
Wilhelmina, has had the notion of it; and, on her first visit afterwards to Hanover, proposed it to "Princess
Caroline,"Queen Caroline of England who was to be, and who in due course was;an excellent
accomplished BrandenburgAnspach Lady, familiar from of old in the Prussian Court: "You, Caroline,
Cousin dear, have a little Prince, Fritz, or let us call him FRED, since he is to be English; little Fred, who will
one day, if all go right, be King of England. He is two years older than my little Wilhelmina: why should not
they wed, and the two chief Protestant Houses, and Nations, thereby be united?" Princess Caroline was very
willing; so was Electress Sophie, the GreatGrandmother of both the parties; so were the Georges, Father and
Grandfather of Fred: little Fred himself was highly charmed, when told of it; even little Wilhelmina, with her
dolls, looked pleasantly demure on the occasion. So it remained settled in fact, though not in form; and little
Fred (a florid milkfaced foolish kind of Boy, I guess) made presents to his little Prussian Cousin, wrote bits
of loveletters to her; and all along afterwards fancied himself, and at length ardently enough became, her
little lover and intended,always rather a little fellow:to which sentiments Wilhelmina signifies that she
responded with the due maidenly indifference, but not in an offensive manner.
After our Prussian Fritz's birth, the matter took a still closer form: "You, dear Princess Caroline, you have
now two little Princesses again, either of whom might suit my little Fritzchen; let us take Amelia, the second
of them, who is nearest his age?" "Agreed!" answered Princess Caroline again. "Agreed!" answered all the
parties interested: and so it was settled, that the Marriage of Prussia to England should be a Double one, Fred
of Hanover and England to Wilhelmina, Fritz of Prussia to Amelia; and children and parents lived thenceforth
in the constant understanding that such, in due course of years, was to be the case, though nothing yet was
formally concluded by treaty upon it. [Pollnitz, Memoiren, ii. 193.]
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Queen Sophie Dorothee of Prussia was always eager enough for treaty, and conclusion to her scheme. True to
it, she, as needle to the pole in all weathers; sometimes in the wildest weather, poor lady. Nor did the
Hanover Serene Highnesses, at any time, draw back or falter: but having very soon got wafted across to
England, into new more complex conditions, and wider anxieties in that new country, they were not so
impressively eager as Queen Sophie, on this interesting point. Electress Sophie, judicious
GreatGrandmother, was not now there: Electress Sophie had died about a month before Queen Anne; and
never saw the English Canaan, much as she had longed for it. George I., her son, a taciturn, rather splenetic
elderly Gentleman, very foreign in England, and oftenest rather sulky there and elsewhere, was not in a
humor to be forward in that particular business.
George I. had got into quarrel with his Prince of Wales, Fred's Father,him who is one day to be George II.,
always a rather foolish little Prince, though his Wife Caroline was Wisdom's self in a manner:George I.
had other much more urgent cares than that of marrying his disobedient foolish little Prince of Wales's
offspring; and he always pleaded difficulties, Acts of Parliament that would be needed, and the like,
whenever Sophie Dorothee came to visit him at Hanover, and urge this matter. The taciturn, inarticulately
thoughtful, rather sulky old Gentleman, he had weighty burdens lying on him; felt fretted and galled, in many
ways; and had found life, Electoral and even Royal, a deceptive sumptuosity, little better than a more or less
extensive "feast of SHELLS," next to no real meat or drink left in it to the hungry heart of man. Wife sitting
halffrantic in the Castle of Ahlden, waxing more and more into a grayhaired Megaera (with whom Sophie
Dorothee under seven seals of secrecy corresponds a little, and even the Prince of Wales is suspected of
wishing to correspond); a foolish disobedient Prince of Wales; Jacobite Pretender people with their Mar
Rebellions, with their Alberoni combinations; an English Parliament jangling and debating unmelodiously,
whose very language is a mystery to us, nothing but Walpole in doglatin to help us through it: truly it is not
a HeavenonEarth altogether, much as Mother Sophie and her foolish favorite, our disobedient Prince of
Wales, might long for it! And the Hanover Tail, the Robethons, Bernstorfs, Fabrices, even the Blackamoor
Porters,they are not beautiful either, to a taciturn Majesty of some sense, if he cared about their doings or
them. Voracious, plunderous, all of them; like hounds, long hungry, got into a rich house which has no
master, or a mere imaginary one. "MENTERIS IMPUDENTISSIME," said Walpole in his doglatin once, in
our Royal presence, to one of these official plunderous gentlemen, "You tell an impudent lie!"at which we
only laughed. [Horace Walpole, Reminiscences of George I. and George II. (London, 1786.)]
His Britannic Majesty by no means wanted sense, had not his situation been incurably absurd. In his young
time he had served creditably enough against the Turks; twice commanded the REICHSArmy in the
Marlborough Wars, and did at least testify his indignation at the inefficient state of it. His Foreign Politics, so
called, were not madder than those of others. Bremen and Verden he had bought a bargain; and it was natural
to protect them by such resources as he had, English or other. Then there was the WorldSpectre of the
Pretender, stretching huge over Creation, like the BrockenSpectre in hazy weather;against whom how
protect yourself, except by cannonading for the Kaiser at Messina; by rushing into every brabble that rose,
and hiring the parties with money to fight it out well? It was the established method in that matter; method
not of George's inventing, nor did it cease with George. As to Domestic Politics, except it were to keep quiet,
and eat what the gods had provided, one does not find that he had any.The sage Leibnitz would very fain
have followed him to England; but, for reasons indifferently good, could never be allowed. If the truth must
be told, the sage Leibnitz had a wisdom which now looks dreadfully like that of a wiseacre! In Mathematics
even,he did invent the Differential Calculus, but it is certain also he never could believe in Newton's
System of the Universe, nor would read the PRINCIPIA at all. For the rest, he was in quarrel about Newton
with the Royal Society here; ill seen, it is probable, by this sage and the other. To the Hanover Official
Gentlemen devouring their English deadhorse, it did not appear that his presence could be useful in these
parts. [Guhrauer, Gottfried Freiherr von Leibnitz, eine Biographie (Breslau, 1842); Ker of Kersland, Memoirs
of Secret Transactions (London, 1727).
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Nor are the Hanover womankind his Majesty has about him, quasiwives or not, of a soulentrancing
character; far indeed from that. Two in chief there are, a fat and a lean: the lean, called "Maypole" by the
English populace, is "Duchess of Kendal," with excellent pension, in the English Peeragy; Schulenburg the
former German name of her; decidedly a quasiwife (influential, against her will, in that sad Konigsmark
Tragedy, at Hanover long since), who is fallen thin and old. "Maypole,"or bare Hoppole, with the leaves
all stript; lean, long, hard;though she once had her summer verdures too; and still, as an old quasiwife, or
were it only as an old article of furniture, has her worth to the royal mind, Schulenburgs, kindred of hers, are
high in the military line; some of whom we may meet.
Then besides this lean one, there is a fat; of whom Walpole (Horace, who had seen her in boyhood) gives
description. Big staring black eyes, with rim of circular eyebrow, like a coachwheel round its nave, very
black the eyebrows also; vast red face; cheeks running into neck, neck blending indistinguishably with
stomach,a mere cataract of fluid tallow, skinned over and curiously dizened, according to Walpole's
portraiture. This charming creature, Kielmannsegge by German name, was called "Countess of Darlington" in
this countrywith excellent pension, as was natural. They all had pensions: even Queen Sophie Dorothee, I
have noticed in our StatePaper Office, has her small pension, "800 pounds a year on the Irish
Establishment:" Irish Establishment will never miss such a pittance for our poor Child, and it may be useful
over yonder!This Kielmannsegge, Countess of Darlington was, and is, believed by the gossiping English
to have been a second simultaneous Mistress of his Majesty's; but seems, after all, to have been his
HalfSister and nothing more. HalfSister (due to Gentleman Ernst and a Countess Platen of bad Hanover
fame); grown dreadfully fat; but not without shrewdness, perhaps affection; and worth something in this dull
foreign country, mere cataract of animal oils as she has become. These Two are the amount of his Britannic
Majesty's resources in that matter; resources surely not extensive, after all!
His Britannic Majesty's day, in St. James's, is not of an interesting sort to him; and every evening he comes
precisely at a certain hour to drink beer, seasoned with a little tobacco, and the company of these two women.
Drinks diligently in a sipping way, says Horace; and smokes, with such dull speech as there may be,not till
he is drunk, but only perceptibly drunkish; raised into a kind of cloudy narcotic Olympus, and opaquely
superior to the ills of life; in which state he walks uncomplainingly to bed. Government, when it can by any
art be avoided, he rarely meddles with; shows a rugged sagacity, where he does and must meddle: consigns it
to Walpole in doglatin,laughs at his "MENTIRIS." This is the First George; first triumph of the
Constitutional Principle, which has since gone to such sublime heights among us, heights which we at last
begin to suspect might be depths, leading down, all men now ask: Whitherwards? A muchadmired invention
in its time, that of letting go the rudder, or setting a wooden figure expensively dressed to take charge of it,
and discerning that the ship would sail of itself so much more easily! Which it will, if a peculiarly good
seaboat, in certain kinds of sea,for a time. Till the Sinbad "Magnetic Mountains" begin to be felt pulling,
or the circles of Charybdis get you in their sweep; and then what an invention it was!This, we say, is the
new Sovereign Man, whom the English People, being in some perplexity about the Pope aud other points,
have called in from Hanover, to walk before them in the ways of heroism, and by command and by example
guide Heavenwards their affairs and them. And they hope that he will do it? Or perhaps that their affairs will
go thither of their own accord? Always a singular People!
Poor George, careless of these ulterior issues, has always trouble enough with the mere daily details,
Parliamentary insolences, Jacobite plottings, SouthSea Bubbles; and wishes to hunt, when he gets over to
Hanover, rather than to make MarriageTreaties. Besides, as Wilhelmina tells us, they have filled him with
lies, these Hanover Women and their emissaries: "Your Princess Wilhelmina is a monster of illtemper,
crooked in the back and what not," say they. If there is to be a Marriage, double or single, these Improper
Females must first be persuaded to consent. [ Memoires de Bareith. ] Difficulties enough. And there is none
to help; Friedrich Wilhelm cares little about the matter, though he has given his Yes,Yes, since you will.
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But Sophie Dorothee is diligent and urgent, by all opportunities; and, at length, in 1723, the conjuncture is
propitious. Domestic Jacobitism, in the shape of Bishop Atterbury, has got, itself well banished; Alberoni and
his big schemes, years ago they are blown into outer darkness; Charles XII. is well dead, and of our Bremen
and Verden no question henceforth; even the Kaiser's SpectreHunt, or Spanish Duel, is at rest for the
present, and the Congress of Cambrai is sitting, or trying all it can to sit: at home or abroad, there is nothing,
not even Wood's Irish Halfpence, as yet making noise. And on the other hand, Czar Peter is rumored (not
without foundation) to be coming westward, with some huge armament; which, whether "intended for
Sweden" or not, renders a Prussian alliance doubly valuable.
And so now at last, in this favorable aspect of the stars, King George, over at Herrenhausen, was by much
management of his Daughter Sophie's, and after many hitches, brought to the mark. And Friedrich Wilhelm
came over too; ostensibly to bring home his Queen, but in reality to hear his Fatherinlaw's compliance to
the DoubleMarriage,for which his Prussian Majesty is willing enough, if others are willing. Praised be
Heaven, King George has agreed to everything; consents, one propitious day (Autumn 1723, day not
otherwise dated),Czar Peter's Armament, and the questionable aspects in France, perhaps quickening his
volitions a little. Upon which Friedrich Wilhelm and Queen Sophie have returned home, content in that
matter; and expect shortly his Britannic Majesty's countervisit, to perfect the details, and make a Treaty of
it.
His Britannic Majesty, we say, has in substance agreed to everything. And now, in the silence of Nature, the
brown leaves of October still hanging to the trees in a picturesque manner, and Wood's Halfpence not yet
begun to jingle in the Drapier's Letters of Dean Swift,his Britannic Majesty is expected at Berlin. At
Berlin; properly at Charlottenburg a pleasant rural or suburban Palace (built by his Britannic Majesty's late
noble Sister, Sophie Charlotte, "the Republican Queen," and named after her, as was once mentioned), a mile
or two Southwest of that City. There they await King George's countervisit.
Poor Wilhelmina is in much trepidation about it; and imparts her poor little feelings, her anticipations and
experiences, in readable terms:
"There came, in those weeks, one of the Duke of Gloucester's gentlemen to Berlin,"DUKE OF
GLOUCESTER is Fred our intended, not yet Prince of Wales, and if the reader should ever hear of a DUKE
OF EDINBURGH, that too is Fred,"Duke of Gloucester's gentlemen to Berlin," says Wilhelmina: "the
Queen had Soiree (APPARTEMENT); he was presented to her as well as to me. He made me a very obliging
compliment on his Master's part; I blushed, and answered only by a courtesy. The Queen, who had her eye on
me, was very angry I had answered the Duke's compliments in mere silence; and rated me sharply (ME
LAVA LA TETE D'IMPORTANCE) for it; and ordered me, under pain of her indignation, to repair that fault
tomorrow. I retired, all in tears, to my room; exasperated against the Queen and against the Duke; I swore I
would never marry him, would throw myself at the feet" And so on, as young ladies of vivacious temper,
in extreme circumstances, are wont: did speak, however, next day, to my Hanover gentleman about his
Duke, a little, though in an embarrassed manner. Alas, I am yet but fourteen, gone the 3d of July last:
tremulous as aspenleaves; or say, as sheetlightning bottled in one of the thinnest human skins; and have no
experience of foolish Dukes and affairs!
"Meanwhile," continues Wilhelmina, "the King of England's time of arrival was drawing nigh. We repaired,
on the 6th of October, to Charlottenburg to receive him. The heart of me kept beating, and I was in cruel
agitations. King George [my Grandfather, and Grand Uncle] arrived on the 8th, about seven in the
evening;"dusky shades already sinking over Nature everywhere, and all paths growing dim. Abundant
flunkies, of course, rush out with torches or what is needful. "The King of Prussia, the Queen and all their
Suite received him in the Court of the Palace, the 'Apartments' being on the groundfloor. So soon as he had
saluted the King and Queen, I was presented to him. He embraced me; and turning to the Queen said to her,
'Your daughter is very big of her age!' He gave the Queen his hand, and led her into her apartment, whither
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everybody followed them. As soon as I came in, he took a light from the table, and surveyed me from head to
foot. I stood motionless as a statue, and was much put out of countenance. All this went on without his
uttering the least word. Having thus passed me in review, he addressed himself to my Brother, whom he
caressed much, and amused himself with, for a good while." Pretty little Grandson this, your Majesty;any
future of history in this one, think you? "I," says Wilhelmina, "took the opportunity of slipping
out;"hopeful to get away; but could not, the Queen having noticed.
"The Queen made me a sign to follow her; and passed into a neighboring apartment, where she had the
English and Germans of King George's Suite successively presented to her. After some talk with these
gentlemen, she withdrew; leaving me to entertain them, and saying: 'Speak English to my Daughter; you will
find she speaks it very well.' I felt much less embarrassed, once the Queen was gone; and picking up a little
courage, I entered into conversation with these English. As I spoke their language like my mothertongue, I
got pretty well out of the affair, and everybody seemed charmed with me. They made my eulogy to the
Queen; told her I had quite the English air, and was made to be their Sovereign one day. It was saying a great
deal on their part: for these English think themselves so much above all other people, that they imagine they
are paying a high compliment when they tell any one he has got English manners.
"Their King [my Grandpapa] had got Spanish manners, I should say: he was of an extreme gravity, and
hardly spoke a word to anybody. He saluted Madam Sonsfeld [my invaluable thricedear Governess] very
coldly; and asked her 'If I was always so serious, and if my humor was of the melancholy turn?' 'Anything but
that, Sire,' answered the other: 'but the respect she has for your Majesty prevents her from being as sprightly
as she commonly is.' He wagged his head, and answered nothing. The reception he had given me, and this
question, of which I heard, gave me such a chill, that I never had the courage to speak to him,"was merely
looked at with a candle by Grandpapa.
"We were summoned to supper at last, where this grave Sovereign still remained dumb. Perhaps he was right,
perhaps he was wrong; but I think he followed the proverb, which says, Better hold your tongue than speak
badly. At the end of the repast he felt indisposed. The Queen would have persuaded him to quit table; they
bandied compliments a good while on the point; but at last she threw down her napkin, and rose. The King of
England naturally rose too; but began to stagger; the King of Prussia ran up to help him, all the company ran
bustling about him; but it was to no purpose: he sank on his knees; his peruke falling on one side, and his hat
[or at least his head, Madam!] on the other. They stretched him softly on the floor; where he remained a good
hour without consciousness. The pains they took with him brought back his senses, by degrees, at last. The
Queen and the King [of Prussia] were in despair all this while. Many have thought this attack was a herald of
the stroke of apoplexy which came by and by,"within four years from this date, and carried off his Majesty
in a very gloomy manner.
"They passionately entreated him to retire now," continues Wilhelmina; "but he would not by any means. He
led out the Queen, and did the other ceremonies, according to rule; had a very bad night, as we learned
underhand;" but persisted stoically nevertheless, being a crowned Majesty, and bound to it. He stoically
underwent four or three other days, of festival, sightseeing, "pleasure" so called;among other sights, saw
little Fritz drilling his Cadets at Berlin;and on the fourth day (12th October, 1723, so thinks Wilhelmina)
fairly "signed the Treaty of the DoubleMarriage," English Townshend and the Prussian Ministry having
settled all things. [Wilhelmina, Memoires de Bareith, i. 83, 87,In Coxe ( Memoirs of Sir Robert Walpole,
London, 1798), ii. 266, 272, 273, are some faint hints, from Townshend, of this Berlin journey.]
"Signed the Treaty," thinks Wilhelmina, "all things being settled." Which is an error on the part of
Wilhelmina. Settled many or all things were by Townshend and the others: but before signing, there was
Parliament to be apprised, there were formalities, expenditure of time; between the cup and the lip, such
things to intervene;and the sad fact is, the DoubleMarriage Treaty never was signed at all!However, all
things being now settled ready for signing, his Britannic Majesty, next morning, set off for the GOHRDE
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again, to try if there were any hunting possible.
This authentic glimpse, one of the few that are attainable, of their first Constitutional King, let English
readers make the most of. The act done proved dreadfully momentous to our little Friend, his Grandson; and
will much concern us!
Thus, at any rate, was the Treaty of the DoubleMarriage settled, to the point of signing,thought to be as
good as signed. It was at the time when Czar Peter was making armaments to burn Sweden; when Wood's
Halfpence (on behalf of her Improper Grace of Kendal, the lean QuasiWife, "Maypole" or Hoppole, who
had run short of money, as she often did) were about beginning to jingle in Ireland; [Coxe (i. 216, 217, and
SUPPLY the dates); Walpole to Townshend, 13th October, 1723 (ib. ii. 275): "The Drapier's Letters" are of
1724.] when Law's Bubble "System" had fallen, well flaccid, into Chaos again; when Dubois the unutterable
Cardinal had at length died, and d'Orleans the unutterable Regent was unexpectedly about to do so,in a
most surprising SodomandGomorrah manner. [2d December, 1723: Barbier, Journal Historique du Regne
de Louis XV. (Paris, l847), i. 192, 196; Lacretelle, Histoire de France, 18me siecle; Not to mention other dull
and vile phenomena of putrid fermentation, which were transpiring, or sluttishly bubbling up, in poor
benighted rotten Europe here or there;since these are sufficient to date the Transaction for us; and what
does not stick to our Fritz and his affairs it is more pleasant to us to forget than to remember, of such an
epoch.
Hereby, for the present, is a great load rolled from Queen Sophie Dorothee's heart. One, and, that the highest,
of her abstruse negotiations, cherished, labored in, these fourteen years, she has brought to a victorious
issue,has she not? Her poor Mother, once so radiant, now so dim and angry, shut in the Castle of Ahlden,
does not approve this DoubleMarriage; not she for her part;as indeed evil to all Hanoverian interests is
now chiefly her good, poor Lady; and she is growing more and more of a Megaera every day. With whom
Sophie Dorothee has her own difficulties and abstruse practices; but struggles always to maintain, under
sevenfold secrecy, some thread of correspondence and pious filial ministration wherever possible; that the
poor exasperated Mother, wretchedest and angriest of women, be not quite cut off from the kinship of the
living, but that some soft breath of pity may cool her burning heart now and then. [In Memoirs of Sophia
Dorothea (London, 1845), ii. 385, 393, are certain fractions of this Correspondence, "edited" in an amazing
manner.] A dark tragedy of Sophie's, this; the Bluebeard Chamber of her mind, into which no eye but her
own must ever look.
PRINCESS AMELIA COMES INTO THE WORLD.
In reference to Queen Sophie, and chronologically if not otherwise connected with this DoubleMarriage
Treaty, I will mention one other thing. Her Majesty had been in fluctuating health, all summer; unaccountable
symptoms turning up in her Majesty's constitution, languors, qualms, especially a tendency to swelling or
increase of size, which had puzzled and alarmed her Doctors and her. Friedrich Wilhelm, on conclusion of
the MarriageTreaty, had been appointed to join his Fatherinlaw, Britannic George, at the Gohrde, in some
three weeks' time, and have a bout of hunting. On the 8th of November, bedtime being come, he kissed his
Wilhelmina and the rest, by way of goodby; intending to start very early on the morrow:long journey
(150 miles or so), to be done all in one day. In the dead of the night, Queen Sophie was seized with dreadful
colics,pangs of colic or who knows what; Friedrich Wilhelm is summoned; rises in the highest alarm;
none but the maids and he at hand to help; and the colic, or whatever it may be, gets more and more dreadful.
Colic? O poor Sophie, it is travail, and no colic; and a clever young Princess is suddenly the result! None but
Friedrich Wilhelm and the maid for midwives; mother and infant, nevertheless, doing perfectly well.
Friedrich Wilhelm did not go on the morrow, but next day; laughed, ever and anon in loud hahas, at the part
he had been playing; and was very glad and merry. How the experienced Sophie, whose twelfth child this is,
came to commit such an oversight is unaccountable; but the fact is certain, and made a merry noise in Court
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circles. [Pollnitz, ii. 199; Wilhelmina, i. 87, 88.]
The clever little Princess, now born in this manner, is known by name to idle readers. She was christened
AMELIA; and we shall hear of her in time coming. But there was, as the Circulating Libraries still intimate, a
certain loudspoken braggart of the histrionicheroic sort, called Baron Trenck, windy, rash, and not without
mendacity, who has endeavored to associate her with his own transcendent and not undeserved illluck;
hinting the poor Princess into a sad fame in that way. For which, it would now appear, there was no basis
whatever! Most condemnable Trenck; whom, however, Robespierre guillotined finally, and so settled that
account and others.
Of Sophie Dorothee's twelve children, including this Amelia, there are now eight living, two boys, six girls;
and after Amelia, two others, boys, are successively to come: ten in all, who grew to be men and women. Of
whom perhaps I had better subjoin a List; now that the eldest Boy and Girl are about to get settled in life; and
therewith close this Chapter.
FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S TEN CHILDREN.
Marriage to Sophie Dorothee, 28th November, 1706.
A little Prince, born 23d November, 1707, died in six months. Then came,
l. FREDERIKA SOPHIE WILHELMINA, ultimately Margravine of Baireuth, after strange adventures in
the marriagetreaty way. Wrote her Memoires there, about 1744. Of whom we shall hear much. Left a
Daughter, her one child; Daughter badly married, to "Karl reigning Duke of Wurtemberg" (Poet Schiller's
famous Serene Highness there), from whom she had to separate, with anger enough, by and by.
After Wilhelmina in the Family series came a second Prince, who died in the eleventh month. Then, 24th
January, 1712,
2. FRIEDRICH.
After whom (1713) a little Princess, who died in few months. And then,
3. FREDERIKA LOUISA, born 28th September, 1714; age now about nine. Margravine of Anspach,
30th May, 1729; Widow 1757. Her one Son, born 1736, was the LADYCRAVEN'S Anspach. Frederika
Louisa died 4th February, 1734.
4. PHILIPPINA CHARLOTTE, born 13th of March, 1716; became Duchess of Brunswick (her Husband
was Eldest Brother of the "Prince Ferdinand" so famous in England in the SevenYears War); her Son was
the Duke who invaded France in 1792, and was tragically hurled to ruin in the Battle of Jena, 1806. The
Mother lived till 1801; Widow since 1780.
After whom, in 1717, again a little Prince, who died within two years (our Fritz then seven,probably the
first time Death ever came before him, practically into his little thoughts in this world): then,
5. SOPHIE DOROTHEE MARIA, born 25th January, 1719; Margravine of Schwedt, 1734 (eldest
Magraf of Schwedt, mentioned above as a comrade of the CrownPrince). Her life not very happy; she died
1765. Left no son (Brotherinlaw succeeded, last of the Schwedt MARGRAVES): her Daughter, wedded to
Prince Friedrich Eugen, a Prussian Officer, Cadet of Wurtemberg and ultimately Heir there, is Ancestress of
the Wurtemberg Sovereignties that now are, and also (by one of HER daughters married to Paul of Russia) of
all the Czar kindred of our time. [Preuss, iv. 278; Erman, Vie de Sophie Charlotte, p. 2722.]
6. LOUISA ULRIQUE, born 24th July, 1720; married Adolf Friedrich, HeirApparent, subsequemly
King of Sweden, 17th July, 1744; Queen (he having acceded) 6th April, 1751; Widow 1771; died, at
Stockholm, 16th July, 1782. Mother of the subsequent Kings; her Grandson the DEPOSED> [OErtel, p. 83;
Hubner, tt. 91, 227.]
7. AUGUST WILHELM, born 9th August, 1722; HeirApparent after Friedrich (so declared by
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Friedrich, 30th June, 1744); Father of the Kings who have since followed. He himself died, in sad
circumstances, as we shall see, 12th June, 1758.
8. ANNA AMELIA, born 9th November, 1723,on the terms we have seen.
9. FRIEDRICH HEINRICH LUDWIG, born l8th January, 1726;the famed Prince Henri, of whom we
shall hear.
10. AUGUST FERDINAND, born 23d May, 1730: a brilliant enough little soldier under his Brother, full
of spirit and talent, but liable to weak health;was Father of the "Prince Louis Ferdinand," a tragic Failure
of something considerable, who went off in Liberalism, wit, in high sentiment, expenditure and debauchery,
greatly to the admiration of some persons; and at length rushed desperate upon the Frenoh, and found his
quietus (10th October, 1806), four days before the Battle of Jena.
Chapter II. A KAISER HUNTING SHADOWS.
Treaty of DoubleMarriage is ready for signing, once the needful Parliamentary preludings are gone through;
Treaty is signed, thinks Wilhelmina,forgetting the distance between cup and lip! As to signing, or even
to burning, and giving up the thought of signing, alas, how far are we yet from that! Imperial
spectrehuntings and the politics of most European Cabinets will connect themselves with that; and send it
wandering wide enough, lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings, treacheries, diplomacies domestic
and foreign, as the course of truelove never got entangled in before.
The whole of which extensive Cabinet operations, covering square miles of paper at this moment,having
nevertheless, after ten years of effort, ended in absolute zero,were of no worth even to the managers of
them; and are of less than none to any mortal now or henceforth. So that the method of treating them becomes
a problem to History. To pitch them utterly out of window, and out of memory, never to be mentioned in
human speech again: this is the manifest prompting of Nature;and this, were not our poor CrownPrince
and one or two others involved in them, would be our ready and thricejoyful course. Surely the socalled
"Politics of Europe" in that day are a thing this Editor would otherwise with his whole soul, forget to all
eternity! "Putrid fermentation," ending, after the endurance of much malodor, in mere zero to you and to
every one, even to the rotting bodies themselves:is there any wise Editor that would connect himself with
that? These are the fields of History which are to be, so soon as humanly possible, SUPPRESSED; which
only Mephistopheles, or the bad Genius of Mankind, can contemplate with pleasure.
Let us strive to touch lightly the chief summits, here and there, of that intricate, most empty, mournful
Business,which was really once a Fact in practical Europe, not the mere nightmare of an Attorney's
Dream;and indicate, so far as indispensable, how the young Friedrich, Friedrich's Sister, Father, Mother,
were tribulated, almost heartbroken and done to death, by means of it.
IMPERIAL MAJESTY ON THE TREATY OF UTRECHT.
Kaiser Karl VI., head of the Holy Romish Empire at this time, was a handsome man to look upon; whose life,
full of expense, vicissitude, futile labor and adventure, did not prove of much use to the world. Describable as
a laborious futility rather. He was second son of that little Leopold, the solemn little Herr in red stockings,
who had such troubles, frights, and runnings to and fro with the sieging Turks, liberative Sobieskis,
acquisitive Louis Fourteenths; and who at length ended in a sea of futile labor, which they call the Spanish
Succession War.
This Karl, second son, had been appointed "King of Spain" in that futile business; and with much sublimity,
though internally in an impoverished condition, he proceeded towards Spain, landing in England to get cash
for the outfit;arrived in Spain; and roved about there as TitularKing for some years, with the fighting
Peterboroughs, Galways, Stahrembergs; but did no good there, neither he nor his Peterboroughs. At length,
his Brother Joseph, Father Leopold's successor, having died, [17th April, 1711.] Karl came home from Spain
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to be Kaiser. At which point, Karl would have been wise to give up his Titular Kingship in Spain; for he
never got, nor will get, anything but futile labor from hanging to it. He did hang to it nevertheless; and still, at
this date of George's visit and long afterwards, hangs,with notable obstinacy. To the woe of men and
nations: punishment doubtless of his sins and theirs!
Kaiser Karl shrieked mere amazement and indignation, when the English tired of fighting for him and it.
When the English said to their great Marlborough: "Enough, you sorry Marlborough! You have beaten Louis
XIV. to the suppleness of washleather, at our bidding; that is true, and that may have had its difficulties: but,
after all, we prefer to have the thing precisely as it would have been without any fighting. You, therefore,
what is the good of you? You are aperson whom we fling out like sweepings, now that our eyesight
returns, and accuse of common stealing. Go and be!"
Nothing ever had so disgusted and astonished Kaiser Karl as this treatment,not of Marlborough, whom he
regarded only as he would have done a pair of military boots or a holsterpistol of superior excellence, for
the uses that were in him,but of the Kaiser Karl his own sublime self, the heart and focus of Political
Nature; left in this manner, now when the sordid English and Dutch declined spending blood and money for
him farther. "Ungrateful, sordid, inconceivable souls," answered Karl, "was there ever, since the early
Christian times, such a martyr as you have now made of me!" So answered Karl, in diplomatic groans and
shrieks, to all ends of Europe. But the sulky English and Allies, thoroughly tired of paying and bleeding, did
not heed him; made their Peace of Utrecht [Peace of Utrecht, 11th April, 1713; Peace of Rastadt (following
upon the Preliminaries of Baden), 6th March, 1714.] with Louis XIV., who was now beaten supple; and Karl,
after a year of indignant protests and futile attempts to fight Louis on his own score, was obliged to do the
like. He has lost the Spanish crown; but still holds by the shadow of it; will not quit that, if he can help it. He
hunts much, digests well; is a sublime Kaiser, though internally rather poor, carrying his head high; and
seems to himself, on some sides of his life, a martyred muchenduring man.
IMPERIAL MAJESTY HAS GOT HAPPILY WEDDED.
Kaiser Karl, soon after the time of going to Spain had decided that a Wife would be necessary. He applied to
Caroline of Anspach, now English Princess of Wales, but at that time an orphaned BrandenburgAnspach
Princess, very Beautiful, graceful, gifted, and altogether unprovided for; living at Berlin under the
guardianship of Friedrich the first King. Her young Mother had married again,high enough match (to
KurSachsen, elder Brother of August the Strong, August at that time without prospects of the
Electorate);but it lasted short while: Caroline's Mother and Saxon Stepfather were both now, long since,
dead. So she lived at Berlin brilliant though unportioned;with the rough cub Friedrich Wilhelm much
following her about, and passionately loyal to her, as the Beast was to Beauty; whom she did not mind except
as a cub loyal to her; being five years older than he. [Forster, i. 107.] Indigent bright Caroline, a young lady
of fine aquiline features and spirit, was applied for to be Queen of Spain; wooer a handsome man, who might
even be Kaiser by and by. Indigent bright Caroline at once answered, No. She was never very orthodox in
Protestant theology; but could not think of taking up Papistry for lucre's and ambition's sake: be that always
remembered on Caroline's behalf.
The Spanish Majesty next applied at Brunswick Wolfenbuttel; no lack of Princesses there: Princesa
Elizabeth, for instance; Protestant she too, but perhaps not so squeamish? Old Anton Ulrich, whom some
readers know for the idle Books, longwinded Novels chiefly, which he wrote, was the Grandfather of this
favored Princess; a goodnatured old gentleman, of the idle ornamental species, in whose head most things, it
is likely, were reduced to vocables, scribble and sentimentality; and only a steady internal gravitation towards
praise and pudding was traceable as very real in him. Anton Ulrich, affronted more or less by the immense
advancement of Gentleman Ernst and the Hanoverian or YOUNGER Brunswick Line, was extremely glad of
the Imperial offer; and persuaded his timid Granddaughter, ambitious too, but rather consciencestricken,
That the change from Protestant to Catholic, the essentials being so perfectly identical in both, was a mere
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trifle; that he himself, old as he was, would readily change along with her, so easy was it. Whereupon the
young Lady made the big leap; abjured her religion; [1st May, 1707, at Bamberg.]went to Spain as Queen
(with sad injury to her complexion, but otherwise successfully more or less);and sits now as Empress
beside her Karl VI. in a grand enough, probably rather dull, but not singularly unhappy manner.
She, a Brunswick Princess, with Nephews and Nieces who may concern us, is Kaiserinn to Kaiser Karl: for
aught I know of her, a kindly simple Wife, and unexceptionable Sovereign Majesty, of the sort wanted;
whom let us remember, if we meet her again one day. I add only of this poor Lady, distinguished to me by a
Daughter she had, that her mind still had some misgivings about the big leap she had made in the
ProtestantPapist way. Finding Anton Ulrich still continue Protestant, she wrote to him out of
Spain:"Why, O honored Grandpapa, have you not done as you promised? Ah, there must be a taint of
mortal sin in it, after all!" Upon which the absurdly situated old Gentleman did change his religion; and is
marked as a Convert in all manner of Genealogies and Histories; truly an old literary gentleman ducal and
serene, restored to the bosom of the Church in a somewhat peculiarly ridiculous manner. {Michaelis, i.
131.]But to return.
IMPERIAL MAJESTY AND THE TERMAGANT OF SPAIN.
Ever after the Peace of Utrecht, when England and Holland declined to bleed for him farther, especially ever
since his own Peace of Rastadt made with Louis the year after Kaiser Karl had utterly lost hold of the Crown
of Spain; and had not the least chance to clutch that bright substance again. But he held by the shadow of it,
with a deadly Hapsburg tenacity; refused for twenty years, under all pressures, to part with the shadow: "The
Spanish Hapsburg Branch is dead; whereupon do not I, of the Austrian Branch, sole representative of Kaiser
Karl the Fifth, claim, by the law of Heaven, whatever he possessed in Spain, by law of ditto? Battles of
Blenheim of Malplaquet, Courtintrigues of Mrs. Masham and the Duchess: these may bring Treaties of
Utrecht, and what you are pleased to call laws of Earth;but a Hapsburg Kaiser knows higher laws, if you
would do a thousand Utrechts; and by these, Spain is his!"
Poor Kaiser Karl: he had a high thought in him really though a most misguided one. Titular King of Men; but
much bewildered into mere indolent fatuity, inane solemnity, high sniffing pride grounded on nothing at all; a
Kaiser much sunk in the sediments of his muddy Epoch. Sure enough, he was a proud lofty solemn Kaiser,
infinitely the gentleman in air and humor; Spanish gravities, ceremonials, reticences;and could, in a better
scene, have distinguished himself by better than mere statuesque immovability of posture, dignified
endurance of ennui, and Hapsburg tenacity in holding the grip. It was not till 1735, after tusslings and
wrenchings beyond calculation, that he would consent to quit the Shadow of the Crown of Spain; and let
Europe BE at peace on that score.
The essence of what is called the European History of this Period, such History as a Period sunk dead in
spirit, and alive only in stomach, can have, turns all on Kaiser Karl, and these his clutchings at shadows.
Which makes a very sad, surprising History indeed; more worthy to be called Phenomena of Putrid
Fermentation, than Struggles of Human Heroism to vindicate itself in this Planet, which latter alone are
worthy of recording as "History" by mankind.
On the throne of Spain, beside Philip V. the melancholic new Bourbon, Louis XIV.'s Grandson, sat Elizabeth
Farnese, a termagant tenacious woman, whose ambitious cupidities were not inferior in obstinacy to Kaiser
Karl's, and proved not quite so shadowy as his. Elizabeth also wanted several things: renunciation of your
(Kaiser Karl's) shadowy claims; nay of sundry real usurpations you and your Treaties have made on the
actual possessions of Spain, Kingdom of Sicily, for instance; Netherlands, for instance; Gibraltar, for
instance. But there is one thing which, we observe, is indispensable throughout to Elizabeth Farnese: the
future settlement of her dear Boy Carlos. Carlos, whom as Spanish Philip's second Wife she had given to
Spain and the world, as Second or supplementary INFANT there,a troublesome gift to Spain and others.
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"This dear Boy, surely he must have his Italian Apanages, which, you have provided for him: Duchies of
Parma and Piacenza, which will fall heirless soon. Security for these Italian Apanages, such as will satisfy a
Mother: Let us introduce Spanish garrisons into Parma and Piacenza at once! How else can we be certain of
getting those indispensable Apanages, when they fall vacant?" On this point Elizabeth Farnese was positive,
maternally vehement; would take no subterfuge, denial or delay: "Let me perceive that I shall have these
Duchies: that, first of all; or else not that only, but numerous other things will be demanded of you!"
Upon which point the Kaiser too, who loved his Duchies, and hoped yet to keep them by some turn of the
game, never could decide to comply. Whereupon Elizabeth grew more and more termagant; listened to wild
counsels; took up an Alberoni, a Ripperda, any wandering diplomatic bulldog that offered; and let them
loose upon the Kaiser and her other gainsayers. To the terror of mankind, lest universal war should
supervene. She held the Kaiser well at bay, mankind well in panic; and continually there came on all Europe,
for about twenty years, a terror that war was just about to break out, and the whole world to take fire. The
History so called of Europe went canting from side to side; heeling at a huge rate, according to the passes and
lunges these two giant figures, Imperial Majesty and the Termagant of Spain, made at one another, for a
twenty years or more, till once the duel was decided between them.
There came next to no war, after all; sputterings of war twice over,1718, Byng at Messina, as we saw; and
then, in 1727, a second sputter, as we are to see:but the neighbors always ran with buckets, and got it
quenched. No war to speak of; but such negotiating, diplomatizing, universal hope, universal fear, and
infinite ado about nothing, as were seldom heard of before. For except Friedrich Wilhelm drilling his 50,000
soldiers (80,000 gradually, and gradually even twice that number), I see no Crowned Head in Europe that is
not, with immeasurable apparatus, simply doing ZERO. Alas, in an age of universal infidelity to Heaven,
where the Heavenly Sun has SUNK, there occur strange Spectrehuntings. Which is a fact worth laying to
heart.Duel of Twenty Years with Elizabeth Farnese, about the eventualities of Parma and Piacensa, and the
Shadow of the lost Crown of Spain; this was the first grand Spectrality of Kaiser Karl's existence; but this
was not the whole of them.
IMPERIAL MAJESTY'S PRAGMATIC SANCTION.
Kaiser Karl meanwhile was rather short of heirs; which formed another of his real troubles, and involved him
in much shadowhunting. His Wife, the Serene Brunswick Empress whom we spoke of above, did at length
bring him children, brought him a boy even; but the boy died within the year; and, on the whole, there
remained nothing but two Daughters; Maria Theresa the elder of them, born 1717,the prettiest little maiden
in the world; no son to inherit Kaiser Karl. Under which circumstances Kaiser Karl produced now, in the
Year 1724, a Document which he had executed privately as long ago as 1713, only his Privy Councillors and
other Official witnesses knowing of it then; [19th April, 1713 (Stenzel, iii. 5222).] and solemnly publishes it
to the world, as a thing all men are to take notice of. All men had notice enough of this Imperial bit of
Sheepskin, before they got done with it, fiveandtwenty years hence. [Peace of AixlaChapelle, 1748.] A
very famous Pragmatic Sanction; now published for the world's comfort!
By which Document, Kaiser Karl had formally settled, and fixed according to the power he has, in the shape
of what they call a Pragmatic Sanction, or unalterable Ordinance in his Imperial House, "That, failing
Heirsmale, his Daughters, his Eldest Daughter, should succeed him; failing Daughters, his Nieces; and in
short, that Heirsfemale ranking from their kinship to Kaiser Karl, and not to any prior Kaiser, should be as
good as Heirsmale of Karl's body would have been." A Pragmatic Sanction is the high name he gives this
document, or the Act it represents; "Pragmatic Sanction" being, in the Imperial Chancery and some others,
the received title for Ordinances of a very irrevocable nature, which a sovereign makes, in affairs that belong
wholly to himself, or what he reckons his own rights. [A rare kind of Deed, it would seem; and all the more
solemn. In 1438, Charles VI. of France, conceding the Gallican Church its Liberties, does, it by "SANCTION
PRAGMATIQUE;" Carlos III. of Spain (in 1759, "settling the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies on his third son")
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does the like, which is the last instance of "PRAGMATIC SANCTION" in this world.]
This Pragmatic Sanction of Kaiser Karl's, executed 19th April, 1713, was promulgated, "gradually," now here
now there, from 1720 to 1724, {Stenzel, pp. 522, 523.]in which later year it became universally public;
and was transmitted to all Courts and Sovereignties, as an unalterable law of Things Imperial. Thereby the
good man hopes his beautiful little Theresa, now seven years old, may succeed him, all as a son would have
done, in the Austrian States and Dignities; and incalculable damages, wars, and chances of war, be prevented,
for his House and for all the world.
The world, incredulous of tomorrow, in its lazy way, was not sufficiently attentive to this new law of things.
Some who were personally interested, as the Saxon Sovereignty, and the Bavarian, denied that it was just:
reminded KaiserKarl that he was not the Noah or Adam of Kaisers; and that the case of Heirsfemale was
not quite a new idea on sheepskin. No; there are older Pragmatic Sanctions and settlements, by prior Kaisers
of blessed memory; under which, if Daughters are to come in, we, descended from Imperial Daughters of
older standing, shall have a word to say! To this Kaiser Karl answers steadily, with endless argument, That
every Kaiser is a Patriarch, and First Man, in such matters; and that so it has been pragmatically sanctioned
by him, and that so it shall and must irrevocably be. To the other Powers, and indolent impartial Sovereigns
of the world, he was lavish in embassies; in ardent representations; and spared no pains in convincing them
that tomorrow would surely come, and that then it would be a blessedness to have accepted this Pragmatic
Sanction, and see it lying for you as a Law of Nature to go by, and avoid incalculable controversies.
This was another vast Shadow, or confused highpiled continent of shadows, to which our poor Kaiser held
with his customary tenacity. To procure adherences and assurances to this dear Pragmatic Sanction, was,
even more than the shadow of the Spanish Crown, and above all after he had quitted that, the one grand
business of his Life henceforth. With which he kept all Europe in perpetual travail and diplomacy; raying out
ambassadors, and less ostensible agents, with bribes, and with entreaties and proposals, into every high
Sovereign Court and every low; negotiating unweariedly by all methods, with all men. For it was his
eveningsong and his morningprayer; the grand meaning of Life to him, till Life ended. You would have
said, the first question he asks of every creature is, "Will you covenant for my Pragmatic Sanction with me?
Oh, agree to it; accept that new Law of Nature: when the morrow comes, it will be salutary for you!"
Most of the Foreign Potentates idly accepted the thing,as things of a distant contingent kind are
accepted;made Treaty on it, since the Kaiser seemed so extremely anxious. Only Bavaria, having heritable
claims, never would. Saxony too (August the Strong), being in the like case, or a better, flatly refused for a
long time; would not, at all,except for a consideration. Bright little Prince Eugene, who dictated square
miles of Letters and DIplomacies on the subject (Letters of a steady depth of dulness, which at last grows
almost sublime), was wont to tell his Majesty: "Treatying, your Majesty? A welltrained Army and a full
Treasury; that is the only Treaty that will make this Pragmatic Sanction valid!" But his Majesty never would
believe. So the bright old Eugene dictated,or, we hope and guess, he only gave his clerks some keyword,
and signed his name (in three languages, "Eugenio von Savoye") to these square miles of dull epistolary
matter,probably taking Spanish snuff when he had done. For he wears it in both waistcoatpockets;has
(as his Portraits still tell us) given up breathing by the nose. The bright little soul, with a flash in him as of
Heaven's own lightning; but now growing very old and snuffy.
Shadow of Pragmatic Sanction, shadow of the Spanish Crown,it was such shadowhuntings of the Kaiser
in Vienna, it was this of the Pragmatic Sanction most of all, that thwarted our Prussian DoubleMarriage,
which lay so far away from it. This it was that pretty nearly broke the hearts of Friedrich, Wilhelmina, and
their Mother and Father. For there never was such negotiating; not for admittance to the Kingdom of Heaven,
in the pious times. And the open goingsforth of it, still more the secret minings and molecourses of it, were
into all places. Above ground and below, no Sovereign mortal could say he was safe from it, let him agree or
not. Friedrich Wilhelm had cheerfully, and with all his heart, agreed to the Pragmatic Sanction; this above
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ground, in sight of the sun; and rashly fancied he had then done with it. Till, to his horror, he found the
Imperial moles, by way of keeping assurance doubly sure, had been under the foundations of his very house
for long years past, and had all but brought it down about him in the most hideous manner!
THIRD SHADOW: IMPERIAL MAJESTY'S OSTEND COMPANY.
Another object which Kaiser Karl pursued with some diligence in these times, and which likewise proved a
shadow, much disturbance as it gave mankind, was his "Ostend EastIndia Company." The Kaiser had seen
impoverished Spain, rich England, rich Holland; he had taken up a creditable notion about commerce and its
advantages. He said to himself, Why should not my Netherlands trade to the East, as well as these English
and Dutch, and grow opulent like them? He instituted (OCTROYA) an "Ostend EastIndia Company," under
due Patents and Imperial Sheepskins, of date 17th December, 1722, [Buchholz, i. 88; Pfeffel, Abrege
Chronologique de l'Histoire d'Allemagne (Park, 1776), ii. 522.] gave it what freedom he could to trade to the
East. "Impossible!" answered the Dutch, with distraction in their aspect; "Impossible, we say; contrary to
Treaty of Westphalia, to Utrecht, to Barrier Treaty; and destructive to the best interests of mankind,
especially to us and our tradeprofits! We shall have to capture your ships, if you ever send any."
To which the Kaiser counterpleaded, earnestly, diligently, for the space of seven years,to no effect. "We
will capture your ships if you ever send any," answered the Dutch and English. What ships ever could have
been sent from Ostend to the East, or what ill they could have done there, remains a mystery, owing to the
monopolizing Maritime Powers.
The Kaiser's laudable zeal for commerce had to expend itself in his Adriatic Territories,giving privileges to
the Ports of Trieste and Fiume; [Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, x. 101.] making roads through the
Dalmatian HillCountries, which are useful to this day;but could not operate on the Netherlands in the
way proposed. The Kaiser's Imperial Ostend EastIndia Company, which convulsed the Diplomatic mind for
seven years to come, and made Europe lurch from side to side in a terrific manner, proved a mere paper
Company; never sent any ships, only produced Diplomacies, and "had the honor to be." This was the third
grand Shadow which the Kaiser chased, shaking all the world, poor crank world, as he strode after it; and this
also ended in zero, and several tons of diplomatic correspondence, carried once by breathless estaffettes, and
now silent, gravitating towards Acheron all of them, and interesting to the spiders only.
Poor good Kaiser: they say he was a humane stately gentleman, stately though shortish; fond of pardoning
criminals where he could; very polite to Muratori and the Antiquaries, even to English Rymer, in opening his
Archives to them,and made roads in the Dalmatian HillCountry, which remain to this day. I do not
wonder he grew more and more saturnine, and addicted to solid taciturn fieldsports. His Political
"PerforceHunt (PARFORCE JAGD)," with so many twofooted terriers, and legationary beagles,
distressing all the world by their baying and their burrowing, had proved to be of Shadows; and melted into
thin air, to a very singular degree!
Chapter III. THE SEVEN CRISES OR EUROPEAN TRAVAILTHROES.
In process of this so terrific Duel with Elizabeth Farnese, and general combat of the Shadows, which then
made Europe quake, at every new lunge and pass of it, and which now makes Europe yawn to hear the least
mention of it, there came two sputterings of actual War. Byng's seavictory at Messina, 1718; Spanish "Siege
of Gibraltar," 1727, are the main phenomena of these two Wars, England, as its wont is, taking a shot in
both, though it has now forgotten both. And, on the whole, there came, so far as I can count, Seven grand
diplomatic Spasms or Crises,desperate general European Treatyings hither and then thither, solemn
Congresses two of them, with endless supplementary adhesions by the minor powers. Seven grand
mothertreaties, not to mention the daughters, or supplementary adhesions they had; all Europe rising
spasmodically seven times, and doing its very uttermost to quell this terrible incubus; all Europe changing
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color seven times, like a lobster boiling, for twenty years. Seven diplomatic Crises, we say, marked changings
of color in the longsuffering lobster; and two socalled Wars,before this enormous zero could be settled.
Which high Treaties and Transactions, human nature, after much study of them, grudges to enumerate.
Apanage for Baby Carlos, ghost of a Pragmatic Sanction; these were a pair of causes for mankind! Be no
word spoken of them, except with regret and on evident compulsion.
For the reader's convenience we must note the salient points; but grudge to do it. Salient points, now mostly
wrapt in Orcus, and terrestrially interesting only to the spiders,except on an occasion of this kind, when
part of them happens to stick to the history of a memorable man, To us they are mere bubblingsup of the
general putrid fermentation of the then Political World; and are too unlovely to be dwelt on longer than
indispensable. Triple Alliance, Quadruple Alliance, Congress of Cambrai, Congress of Soissons; Conference
of Pardo, Treaty of Hanover, Treaty of Wusterhausen, what are they? Echo answers, What? Ripperda and the
Queen of Spain, Kaiser Karl and his Pragmatic Sanction, are fallen dim to every mind. The Troubles of Thorn
(sad enough PapistProtestant tragedy in their time),who now cares to know of them? It is much if we find
a hearing for the poor Salzburg Emigrants when they get into Preussen itself. Afflicted human nature ought to
be, at last, delivered from the palpably superfluous; and if a few things memorable are to be remembered,
millions of things unmemorable must first be honestly buried and forgotten! But to our affair,that of
marking the chief bubblingsup in the abovesaid Universal Putrid Fermentation, so far as they concern us.
CONGRESS OF CAMBRAI.
We already saw Byng sea fighting in the Straits of Messina; that was part of Crisis Second,sequel, in
powderandball, of Crisis First, which had been in paper till then. The Powers had interfered, by Triple, by
Quadruple Alliance, to quench the SpanishAustrian Duel (about Apanage for Baby Carlos, and a quantity of
other Shadows): "Triple Alliance" [4th January, 1717.] was, we may say, when France, England, Holland
laboriously sorted out terms of agreement between Kaiser and Termagant: "Quadruple" [18th July, 1718.]
was when Kaiser, after much coaxing, acceded, as fourth party; and said gloomily, "Yes, then." Byng's
Seafight was when Termagant said, "No, bythe Plots of Alberoni! Never will I, for my part, accede to
such terms!" and attacked the poor Kaiser in his Sicilies and elsewhere. Byng's Seafight, in aid of a
suffering Kaiser and his Sicilies, in consequence. Furthermore, the French invaded Spain, till Messina were
retaken; nay the English, by land too, made a dash at Spain, "Descent on Vigo" as they call it,in reference
to which take the following stray Note:
"That same year [1719, year after Byng's Seafight, Messina just about recaptured], there took effect,
planned by the vigorous Colonel Stanhope, our Minister at Madrid, who took personal share in the thing, a
'Descent on Vigo,' sudden swoopdown upon Town and shipping in those Gallician, northwest regions.
Which was perfectly successful,Lord Cobham leading;and made much noise among mankind. Filled all
Gazettes at that time;but now, again, is all fallen silent for us,except this one thriceinsignificant point,
That there was in it, 'in Handyside's Regiment,' a Lieutenant of Foot, by name STERNE, who had left, with
his poor Wife at Plymouth, a very remarkable Boy called Lorry, or LAWRENCE; known since that to all
mankind. When Lorry in his LIFE writes, 'my Father went on the Vigo expedition,' readers may understand
this was it. Strange enough: that poor Lieutenant of Foot is now pretty much all that is left of this sublime
enterprise upon Vigo, in the memory of mankind;hanging there, as if by a single hair, till poor
TRISTRAM SHANDY be forgotten too." [ Memoirs of Laurence Sterne, written by himself for his Daughter
(see Annual Register, Year 1775, pp. 5052).]
In short, the French and even the English invaded Spain; English Byng and others sank Spanish ships:
Termagant was obliged to pack away her Alberoni, and give in. She had to accede to "Quadruple Alliance,"
after all; making it, so to speak, a Quintuple one; making Peace, in fact, [17th February, 1720.] general
Congress to be held at Cambrai and settle the details.
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Congress of Cambrai met accordingly; in 1722,"in the course of the year," Delegates slowly raining
in,date not fixable to a day or month. Congress was "sat," as we said,or, alas, was only still endeavoring
to get seated, and wandering about among the chairs,when George I. came to Charlottenburg that evening,
October, 1723, and surveyed Wilhelmina with a candle. More inane Congress never met in this world, nor
will meet. Settlement proved so difficult; all the more, as neither of the quarrelling parties wished it. Kaiser
and Termagant, fallen as if exhausted, had not the least disposition to agree; lay diplomatically gnashing their
teeth at one another, ready to fight again should strength return. Difficult for third parties to settle on behalf
of such a pair. Nay at length the Kaiser's Ostend Company came to light: what will third parties, Dutch and
English especially, make of that?
This poor Congresslet the reader fancy itspent two years in "arguments about precedencies," in mere
beatings of the air; could not get seated at all, but wandered among the chairs, till "February, 1724." Nor did
it manage to accomplish any work whatever, even then; the most inane of Human Congresses; and
memorable on that account, if on no other. There, in old stagnant Cambrai, through the third year and into the
fourth, were Delegates, Spanish, Austrian, English, Dutch, French, of solemn outfit, with a big tail to
each,"Lord Whitworth" whom I do not know, "Lord Polwarth" (Earl of Marchmont that will be, a friend of
Pope's), were the English Principals: [Scholl, ii. 197.]there, for about four years, were these poor
fellowcreatures busied, baling out water with sieves. Seen through the HornGate of Dreams, the figure of
them rises almost grand on the mind.
A certain bright young Frenchman, Francois Arouet,spoiled for a solid lawcareer, but whose OEDIPE we
saw triumphing in the Theatres, and who will, under the new name of VOLTAIRE, become very memorable
to us,happened to be running towards Holland that way, one of his many journeys thitherward; and
actually saw this Congress, then in the first year of its existence. Saw it, probably dined with it. A Letter of
his still extant, not yet fallen to the spiders, as so much else has done, testifies to this fact. Let us read part of
it, the less despicable part,as a Piece supremely insignificant, yet now in a manner the one surviving
Document of this extraordinary Congress; Congress's own works and history having all otherwise fallen to
the spiders forever. The Letter is addressed to Cardinal Dubois;for Dubois, "with the face like a goat,"
[Herzogin von Orleans, BRIEFE.] yet lived (first year of this Congress); and Regent d'Orleans lived,
intensely interested here as third party:and a goatfaced Cardinal, once pimp and lackey, ugliest of created
souls, Archbishop of this same Cambrai "by Divine permission" and favor of Beelzebub, was capable of
promoting a young fellow if he chose:
"TO HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL DUBOIS (from Arouet Junior).
"CAMBRAI, July, 1722.
". . . We are just arrived in your City, Monseigneur; where, I think, all the Ambassadors and all the Cooks in
Europe have given one another rendezvous. It seems as if all the Ministers of Germany had assembled here
for the purpose of getting their Emperor's health drunk. As to Messieurs the Ambassadors of Spain, one of
them hears two masses a day, and the other manages the troop of players. The English Ministers [a LORD
POLWARTH and a LORD WHITWORTH] send many couriers to Champagne, and few to London. For the
rest, nobody expects your Eminence here; it is not thought you will quit the PalaisRoyal to visit the sheep of
your flock in these parts [no!], it would be too bad for your Eminence and for us all. . . . Think sometimes,
Monseigneur, of a man who [regards your goatfaced Eminence as a beautiful ingenious creature; and such a
hand in conversation as never was). The one thing I will ask [of your goatfaced Eminence] at Paris will be,
to have the goodness to talk to me." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, 97 vols. (Paris, l8251834), lxviii. 95, 96.]
Alas, alas!The more despicable portions of this Letter we omit, as they are not history of the Congress, but
of Arouet Junior on the shady side. So much will testify that this Congress did exist; that its wiggeries and it
were not always, what they now are, part of a nightmarevision in Human History.
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Elizabeth Farnese, seeing at what rate the Congress of Cambrai sped, lost all patience with it; and getting
more and more exasperations there, at length employed one Ripperda, a surprising Dutch BlackArtist whom
she now had for Minister, to pull the floor from beneath it (so to speak), and send it home in that manner.
Which Ripperda did. An appropriate enough catastrophe, comfortable to the reader; upon which perhaps he
will not grudge to read still another word?
CONGRESS OF CAMBRAI GETS THE FLOOR PULLED FROM UNDER IT.
Termagant Elizabeth had now one Ripperda for Minister; a surprising Dutch adventurer, once secretary of
some Dutch embassy at Madrid; who, discerning how the land lay, had broken loose from that subaltern
career, had changed his religion, insinuated himself into Elizabeth's royal favor; and was now "Duke de
Ripperda," and a diplomatic bulldog of the first quality, full of mighty schemes and hopes; in brief, a new
Alberoni to the Termagant Queen. This Ripperda had persuaded her (the third year of our inane Congress
now running out, to no purpose), That he, if he were sent direct to Vienna, could reconcile the Kaiser to her
Majesty, and bring them to Treaty, independently of Congresses. He was sent accordingly, in all privacy; had
reported himself as laboring there, with the best outlooks, for some while past; when, still early in 1725, there
occurred on the part of France, where Regent d'Orleans was now dead, and new politics bad come in
vogue,that "sending back," of the poor little Spanish: Infanta, ["5th April, 1725, quitted Paris" (Barbier,
Journal du Regne de Louis XV., i. 218).] and marrying of young Louis XV. elsewhere, which drove Elizabeth
and the Court of Spain, not unnaturally, into a very delirium of indignation.
Why they sent the poor little Lady home on those shocking terms? It seems there was no particular reason,
except that French Louis was now about fifteen, and little Spanish Theresa was only eight; and that, under
Duc de Bourbon, the new Premier, and none of the wisest, there was, express or implicit, "an ardent wish to
see royal progeny secured." For which, of course, a wife of eight years would not answer. So she was
returned; and even in a blundering way, it is said,the French Ambassador at Madrid having prefaced his
communication, not with light adroit preludings of speech, but with a tempest of tears and howling
lamentations, as if that were the way to conciliate King Philip and his Termagant Elizabeth. Transport of
indignation was the natural consequence on their part; order to every Frenchman to be across the border
within, say eightandforty hours; rejection forever of all French mediation at Cambrai or elsewhere;
question to the English, "Will you mediate for us, then?" To which the answer being merely "Hm!" with
looks of delay,order by express to Ripperda, to make straightway a bargain with the Kaiser; almost any
bargain, so it were made at once. Ripperda made a bargain: Treaty of Vienna, 30th April, 1725: [Scholl, ii.
201; Coxe, Walpole, i. 239250.] "Titles and Shadows each of us shall keep for his own lifetime, then they
shall drop. As to realities again, to Parma and Piacenza among the rest, let these be as in the Treaty of
Utrecht; arrangeable in the lump;and indeed, of Parma and Piacenza perhaps the less we say, the better at
present." This was, in substance, Ripperda's Treaty; the Third great European travailthroe, or change of
color in the longsuffering lobster. Whereby, of course, the Congress of Cambrai did straightway disappear,
the floor miraculously vanishing under it; and sinksfar below human eyereach by this timetowards the
Bottomless Pool, ever since. Such was the beginning, such the end of that Congress, which Arouet LE
JEUNE, in 1722, saw as a contemporary Fact, drinking champagne in Ramillies wigs, and arranging
comedies for itself.
FRANCE AND THE BRITANNIC MAJESTY TRIM THE SHIP AGAIN: HOW FRIEDRICH WILHELM
CAME INTO IT. TREATY OF HANOVER, 1725.
The publication of this Treaty of Vienna (30th April, 1725), miraculous disappearance of the Congress of
Cambrai by withdrawal of the floor from under it, and close union of the Courts of Spain and Vienna as the
outcome of its slow labors,filled Europe, and chiefly the late mediating Powers, with amazement, anger,
terror. Made Europe lurch suddenly to the other side, as we phrased it, other gunwale now under water.
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Wherefore, in Heaven's name, trim your ship again, if possible, ye high mediating Powers. This the mediating
Powers were laudably alert to do. Duc de Bourbon, and his young King about to marry, were of pacific
tendencies; anxious for the Balance: still more was Fleury, who succeeded Duc de Bourbon. Cardinal Fleury
(with his pupil Louis XV. under him, producing royal progeny and nothing worse or better as yet) began, next
year, his long supremacy in France; an aged reverend gentleman, of sly, delicately cunning ways, and
disliking war, as George I. did, unless when forced on him: now and henceforth, no mediating power more
anxious than France to have the ship in trim.
George and Bourbon laid their heads together, deeply pondering this little less than awful state of the
Terrestrial Balance; and in about six months they, in their quiet way, suddenly came out with a Fourth Crisis
on the astonished populations, so as to right the ship's trim again, and more. "Treaty of Hanover," this was
their unexpected manoeuvre; done quietly at Herrenhausen, when his Majesty next went across for the
Hanover huntingseason. Mere hunting:but the diplomatists, as well as the beagles, were all in readiness
there. Even Friedrich Wilhelm, ostensibly intent on hunting, was come over thither, his abstruse Ilgens, with
their inkhorns, escorting him: Friedrich Wilhelm, hunting in unexpected sort, was persuaded to sign this
Treaty; which makes it unusually interesting to us. An exceptional procedure on the part of Friedrich
Wilhelm, who beyond all Sovereigns stays well at home, careless of affairs that are not his:procedure
betokening cordiality at Hanover; and of good omen for the DoubleMarriage?
Yes, surely;and yet something more, on Friedrich Wilhelm's part. His rights on the CleveJulich
Countries; reversion of Julich and Berg, once Karl Philip shall decease:perhaps these high Powers, for a
consideration, will guarantee one's undoubted rights there? It is understood they gave promises of this kind,
not too specific. Nay we hear farther a curious thing: "France and England, looking for immediate war with
the Kaiser, advised Friedrich Wilhelm to assert his rights on Silesia." Which would have been an important
procedure! Friedrich Wilhelm, it is added, had actual thoughts of it; the Kaiser, in those matters of the
RITTERDIENST, of the HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS, and wherever a chance was, had been
unfriendly, little less than insulting, to Friedrich Wilhelm: "Give me one single Hanoverian brigade, to show
that you go along with me!" said his Prussian Majesty;but the Britannic never altogether would. [ OEuvres
de Frederic, i. 153.] Certain it is, Friedrich Wilhelm signed: a man with such FightingApparatus as to be
important in a Hanover Treaty. "Balance of Power, they tell me, is in a dreadful way: certainly if one can help
the Balance a little, why not? But Julich and Berg, one's own outlook of reversion there, that is the point to be
attended to:Balance, I believe, will somehow shift for itself!" On these principles, Friedrich Wilhelm
signed, while ostensibly hunting. [Fassmann, p. 368; Forster, Urkundenbuch, p. 67.] Treaty of Hanover,
which was to trim the ship again, or even to make it heel the other way, dates itself 3d September, 1725, and
is of this purport: "We three, France, England, Prussia to stand by each other as one man, in case any of us is
attacked,will invite Holland, Denmark, Sweden and every pacific Sovereignty to join us in such
convention," as they all gradually did, had Friedrich Wilhelm but stood firm.
For it is a state of the Balances little less than awful. Rumor goes that, by the Ripperda bargain, fatal to
mankind, Don Carlos was to get the beautiful young Maria Theresa to wife: that would settle the
ParmaPiacenza business and some others; that would be a compensation with a witness! Spain and Austria
united, as in Karl V.'s time; or perhaps some Succession War, or worse, to fight over again!
Fleury and George, as Duc de Bourbon and George had done, though both pacific gentlemen, brandished
weapons at the Kaiser; strongly admonishing him to become less formidable, or it would be worse for him.
Possible indeed, in such a shadowhunting, shadowhunted hour! Fleury and George stand looking with
intense anxiety into a certain spectral something, which they call the Balance of Power; no end to their
exorcisms in that matter. Truly, if each of the Royal Majesties and Serene Highnesses would attend to his
own affairs,doing his utmost to better his own land and people, in earthly and in heavenly respects, a
little,he would find it infinitely profitabler for himself and others. And the Balance of Power would settle,
in that case, as the laws of gravity ordered: which is its one method of settling, after all diplomacy!Fleury
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and George, by their manifestoing, still more by their levying of men, George I. shovelling out his English
subsidies as usual, created deadly qualms in the Kaiser; who still found it unpleasant to "admit Spanish
Garrisons in Parma;" but found likewise his Termagant Friend inexorably positive on that score; and knew
not what would become of him, if he had to try fighting, and the SeaPowers refused him cash to do it.
Hereby was the ship trimmed, and more; ship now lurching to the other side again. George I. goes subsidying
Hessians, Danes; sounding manifestoes, beating drums, in an alarming manner: and the Kaiser, except it were
in Russia, with the new Czarina Catherine I. (that brown little woman, now become Czarina [8th February,
1725. Treaty with Kaiser (6th August, 1726) went to nothing on her death, 11th May, 1727.]), finds no ally to
speak of. An unlucky, spectrehunting, spectrehunted Kaiser; who, amid so many drums, manifestoes,
menaces, is now rolling eyes that witness everywhere considerable dismay. This is the Fourth grand Crisis of
Europe; crisis or travailthroe of Nature, bringing forth, and unable to do it, Baby Carlos's Apanage and the
Pragmatic Sanction. Fourth conspicuous change of color to the universal lobster, getting itself boiled on those
sad terms, for twenty years. For its sins, we need not doubt; for its own longcontinued cowardices, sloths
and greedy follies, as well as those of Kaiser Karl!
At this Fourth change we will gladly leave the matter, for a time; much wishing it might be forever. Alas, as
if that were possible to us! Meanwhile, let afflicted readers, looking before and after, readier to forget than to
remember in such a case, accept this Note, or Summary of all the Seven together, by way of help:
TRAVAILTHROES OF NATURE FOR BABY CARLOS'S ITALIAN APANAGE; SEVEN IN NUMBER.
l. Triple Alliance, English, Dutch, French (4th January, 1717), saying, "Peace, then! No
Alberoniplotting; no Duelfighting permitted!" Same Powers, next year, proposing Terms of Agreement;
Kaiser gloomily accepting them; which makes it Quadruple Alliance (18th July, 1718); Termagant
indignantly refusing,with attack on the Kaiser's Sicilies.
2. First Sputter of War; Byng's Seafight, and the other pressures, compelling Termagant: Peace (26th
January, 1720); Congress of Cambrai to settle the Apanage and other points.
3. Congress of Cambrai, a weariness to gods and men, gets the floor pulled from under it (Ripperda's
feat, 30th April, 1725); so that Kaiser and Termagant stand ranked together, Apanage wrapt in mystery,to
the terror of mankind.
4. Treaty of Hanover (France, England, Prussia, 3d September, 1725) restores the Balances, and more.
War imminent. Prussia privately falls off,as we shall see.
[These first Four lie behind us, at this point; but there are Three others still ahead, which we cannot hope to
escape altogether; namely:]
5. Second Sputter of War: Termagant besieges Gibraltar (4th March, 17276th March, 1728): Peace at
that latter date; Congress of Soissons to settle the Apanage and other points, as formerly.
6. Congress of Soissons (14th June, 17289th November, 1729), as formerly, cannot in the least:
Termagaut whispers England; there is Treaty of Seville (9th November, 1729), France and England
undertaking for the Apanage. Congress vanishes; Kaiser is left solitary, with the shadow of Pragmatic
Sanction, in the night of things. Pause of an awful nature:but Fleury does not hasten with the Apanage, as
promised. Whereupon, at length,
7. Treaty of Vienna (16th March, 1731): SeaPowers, leading Termagant by the hand, SeaPowers and
no France, unite with Kaiser again, according to the old laws of Nature;and Baby Carlos gets his Apanage,
in due course;but does not rest content with it, Mamma nor he, very long!
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Huge spectres and absurd bugaboos, stalking through the brain of dull thoughtless pusillanimous mankind,
do, to a terrible extent, tumble hither and thither, and cause to lurch from side to side, their ship of state, and
all that is embarked there, BREAKFASTTABLE, among other things. Nevertheless, if they were only
bugaboos, and mere Shadows caused by Imperial handlanterns in the general Night of the world,ought
they to be spoken of in the family, when avoidable?
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE TREATY CANNOT BE SIGNED.
Hitherto the worldtides, and ebbs and flows of external Politics, had, by accident, rather forwarded, than
hindered the DoubleMarriage. In the rear of such a Treaty of Hanover, triumphantly righting the European
Balances by help of Friedrich Wilhelm, one might have hoped this little domestic Treaty would, at last, get
itself signed. Queen Sophie did hasten off to Hanover, directly after her husband had left it under those
favorable aspects: but Papa again proved unmanageable; the Treaty could not be achieved.
Alas, and why not? Parents and Children, on both sides, being really desirous of it, what reason is there but it
should in due time come to perfection, and, without annihilating Time and Space, make four lovers happy?
No reason. Rubs doubtless had arisen since that Visit of George I., discordant procedures, chiefly about
Friedrich Wilhelm's recruiting operations in the Hanover territory, as shall be noted by and by: but these the
everwakeful enthusiasm of Queen Sophie, who had set her whole heart with a female fixity on this
DoubleMarriage Project, had smoothed down again: and now, Papa and Husband being so blessedly united
in their World Politics, why not sign the MarriageTreaty? Honored MajestyPapa, why not!"Tush, child,
you do not understand. In these tremendous circumstances, the celestial Sign of the BALANCE just about
canting, and the Obliquity of the Ecliptic like to alter, how can one think of little marriages? Wait till the
Obliquity of the Ecliptic come steadily to its old pitch!"
Truth is, George was in general of a slow, solemn, Spanish turn of manners; "intolerably proud, too, since he
got that English dignity," says Wilhelmina: he seemed always tacitly to look down on Friedrich Wilhelm, as
if the Prussian Majesty were a kind of inferior clownish King in comparison. It is certain he showed no
eagerness to get the Treaty perfected. Again and again, when specially applied to by Queen Sophie, on
Friedrich Wilhelm's order, he intimated only: "It was a fixed thing, but not to be hurried,English
Parliaments were concerned in it, the parties were still young," and so on;after which brief answer he
would take you to the window, and ask, "If you did not think the Herrenhausen Gardens and their Leibnitz
waterworks, and clippedbeech walls were rather fine?" [Pollnitz, Memoiren, ii. 226, 228,
In fact, the English Parliaments, from whom money was so often demanded for our fat Improper Darlingtons,
lean Improper Kendals and other royal occasions, would naturally have to make a marriagerevenue for this
fine Grandson of ours;Grandson Fred, who is now a young lout of, eighteen; leading an extremely
dissolute life, they say, at Hanover; and by no means the most beautiful of mortals, either he or the foolish
little Father of him, to our old sad heart. They can wait, they can wait! said George always.
But undoubtedly he did intend that both Marriages should take effect: only he was slow; and the more you
hurried him, perhaps the slower. He would have perfected the Treaty "next year," say the Authorities; meant
to do so, if well let alone: but Townshend whispered withal, "Better not urge him." Surly George was always
a man of his word; no treachery intended by him, towards Friedrich Wilhelm or any man. It is very clear,
moreover, that Friedrich Wilhelm, in this Autumn 1725, was, and was like to be, of high importance to King
George; a man not to be angered by dishonorable treatment, had such otherwise been likely on George's part.
Nevertheless George did not sign the Treaty "next year" either, such things having intervened;nor the
next year after that, for reasons tragically good on the latter occasion!
These delays about the DoubleMarriage Treaty are not a pleasing feature of it to Friedrich Wilhelm; who is
very capable of being hurt by slights; who, at any rate, dislikes to have loose thrums flying about, or that the
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business of today should be shoved over upon tomorrow. And so Queen Sophie has her own sore
difficulties; driven thus between the Barbarians (that is, her Husband), and the deep Sea (that is, her Father),
to and fro. Nevertheless, since all parties to the matter wished it, Sophie and the younger parties getting even
enthusiastic about it; and since the matter itself was good, agreeable so far to Prussia and England, to
Protestant Germany and to Heaven and Earth,might not Sophie confidently hope to vanquish these and
other difficulties; and so bring all things to a happy close?
Had it not been for the Imperial Shadowhuntings, and this rickety condition of the celestial Balance! Alas,
the outer elements interfered with Queen Sophie in a singular manner. Huge foreign worldmovements,
springing from Vienna and a spectrehaunted Kaiser, and spreading like an avalanche over all the Earth,
snatched up this little DoubleMarriage question; tore it along with them, reeling over precipices, one knew
not whitherward, at such a rate as was seldom seen before. Scarcely in the Minerva Press is there record of
such surprising, infinite and inextricable obstructions to a wedding or a doublewedding. Time and space,
which cannot be annihilated to make two lovers happy, were here turned topsyturvy, as it were, to make
four lovers,four, or at the very least three, for Wilhelmina will not admit she was ever the least in love, not
she, poor soul, either with loose Fred or his English outlooks,four young creatures, and one or more
elderly persons, superlatively wretched; and even, literally enough, to do all but kill some of them.
What is noteworthy too, it proved wholly inane, this huge worldocean of Intrigues and Imperial
Necromancy; ran dry at last into absolute nothing even for the Kaiser, and might as well not have been. And
Mother and Father, on the Prussian side, were driven to despair and pretty nearly to delirium by it; and our
poor young Fritz got tormented, scourged, and throttled in body and in soul by it, till he grew to loathe the
light of the sun, and in fact looked soon to have quitted said light at one stage of the business.
We are now approaching Act Second of the DoubleMarriage, where Imperial OrdnanceMaster Graf von
Seckendorf, a BlackArtist of supreme quality, despatched from Vienna on secret errand, "crosses the Palace
Esplanade at Berlin on a summer evening of the year 1726;" and evokes all the demons on our little
CrownPrince and those dear to him. We must first say something of an important step, shortly antecedent
thereto, which occurred in the CrownPrince's educational course.
Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS.
Amid such commotion of the foreign elements and the domestic, an important change occurs in the
CrownPrince's course of schooling. It is decided that, whatever be his progress in the speculative branches,
it is time he should go into the Army, and practically learn soldiering. In his fourteenth year, 3d May, 1725,
[Preuss, i. 26; 106; and Buch fur Jedermann (a minor book of his, on the same subject, Berlin, 1837), ii. 13.]
not long before the Treaty of Hanover, he was formally named Captain, by Papa in Warcouncil. Grenadier
Guards, Potsdam Lifeguards, to be the regiment; and next year he is nominated Major, and, a vacancy
occurring, appointed to begin actual duty. It is on the "20th of August, 1726, that he flrat leads out his
battalion to the muster," on those terms. His age is not yet fifteen by four months;a very tiny Major among
those Potsdam giants; but by rank, we observe, he rides; and his horse is doubtless of the due height. And so
the tiny Cadetdrillinga have ended; long Files of Giants, splendent in goldlace and grenadiercaps, have
succeeded; and earnest work instead of mimic, in that matter, has begun.
However it may have fared with his other schoollessons, here now is a schoolform he is advanced to, in
which there will be no resource but learning. Bad spelling might be overlooked by those that had charge of it;
bad drilling is not permissible on any terms. We need not doubt the CrownPrince did his soldierduty
faithfully, and learned in every point the conduct of an officer: penalty as of Rhadamanthus waited upon all
failure there. That he liked it is by no means said; he much disliked it, and his disgusts were many. An airy
young creature:and it was in this time to give one instance, that that shearing of his locks occurred: which
was spoken of above, where the CourtChirurgus proved so merciful. To clog the winged Psyche in
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Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. 220
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everreturning paraderoutine and military pipeclay,it seems very cruel. But it is not to be altered: in
spite of one's disgusts, the dull work, to the last item of it, has daily to be done. Which proved infinitely
beneficial to the CrownPrince, after all. Hereby, to his AthenianFrench elegancies, and airy promptitudes
and brilliancies, there shall lie as basis an adamantine Spartanism and Stoicism; very rare, but very
indispensable, for such a superstructure. Well exemplified, through after life, in this CrownPrince.
OF THE POTSDAM GIANTS, AS A FACT.
His regiment was the Potsdam Grenadier Guard; that unique giantregiment, of which the world has heard so
much in a vague halfmythical way. The giantregiment was not a Myth, however, but a bigboned
expensive Fact, tramping very hard upon the earth at one time, though now gone all to the ghostly state. As it
was a CLASSBOOK, so to speak, of our Friedrich's,ClassBook (printed in huge type) for a certain
branch of his schooling, the details of which are so dim, though the general outcome of it proved so
unforgettable,readers, apart from their curiosity otherwise, may as well take a glimpse of it on this
occasion. Vanished now, and grown a Giant Phantom, the like of it hardly again to be in this world; and by
accident, the very smallest Figure ever ranked in it makes it memorable there!
With a wise instinct, Friedrich Wilhelm had discerned that all things in Prussia must point towards his Army;
that his Army was the heart and pith; the State being the tree, every branch and leaf bound, after its sort, to be
nutritive and productive for the Army's behoof. That, probably for any Nation in the longrun, and certainly
for the Prussian Nation straightway, life or death depends on the Army: Friedrich Wilhelm's head, in an
inarticulate manner, was full of this just notion; and all his life was spent in organizing it to a practical fact.
The more of potential battle, the more of life is in us: a MAXIMUM of potential battle, therefore; and let it be
the OPTIMUM in quality! How Friedrich Wilhelm cared, day and night, with all his heart and all his soul, to
bring his Army to the supreme pitch, we have often heard; and the more we look into his ways, the more we
are impressed with that fact. It was the central thing for him; all other things circulating towards it, deriving
from it: no labor too great, and none too little, to be undergone for such an object. He watched over it like an
Argus, with eyes that reached everywhere. Discipline shall be as exact as Euclid;short of perfection we do
not stop! Discipline and ever better discipline; enforcement of the rule in all points, improvement of the rule
itself where possible, were the great Drillsergeant's continual care. Daily had some loop fallen, which might
have gone ravelling far enough; but daily was he there to pick it up again, and keep the web unrent and
solidly progressive.
We said, it was the "poetic ideal" of Friedrich Wilhelm; who is a dumb poet in several particulars,and
requires the privileges of genius from those that READ his dumb poem. It must be owned he rises into the
fantastic here and there; and has crotchets of ultraperfection for his Army, which are not rational at all.
Crotchets that grew ever madder, the farther he followed them. This Lifeguard Regiment of foot, for instance,
in which the CrownPrince now is,Friedrich Wilhelm got it in his Father's time, no doubt a regiment then
of fair qualities; and he has kept drilling it, improving it, as poets polish stanzas, unweariedly ever
since:and see now what it has grown to! A Potsdam Giant Regiment, such as the world never saw, before
or since. Three Battalions of them,two always here at Potsdam doing formal lifeguard duty, the third at
Brandenburg on drill; 800 to the Battalion,2,400 sons of Anak in all. Sublime enough, hugely perfect to
the royal eye, such a mass of shining giants, in their longdrawn regularities and mathematical
manoeuvrings,like some streak of Promethean lightning, realized here at last, in the vulgar dusk of things!
Truly they are men supreme in discipline, in beauty of equipment; and the shortest man of them rises, I think,
towards seven feet, some are nearly nine feet high. Men from all countries; a hundred and odd come annually,
as we saw, from Russia,a very precious windfall: the rest have been collected, crimped, purchased out of
every European country, at enormous expense, not to speak of other trouble to his Majesty. James Kirkman,
an Irish recruit of good inches, cost him 1,200 pounds before he could be got inveigled, shipped and brought
safe to hand. The documents are yet in existence; [Forster, Handbuch der Geschichte, Geographie und
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Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. 221
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Statistik des Preussischen Reichs (Berlin, 1820), iv. 130, 132;not in a very lucid state.] and the Portrait of
this Irish fellowcitizen himself, who is by no means a beautiful man. Indeed, they are all portrayed; all the
privates of this distinguished Regiment are, if anybody cared to look at them Redivanoff from Moscow"
seems of far better bone than Kirkman, though still more stolid of aspect. One Hohmann, a born Prussian,
was so tall, you could not, though yourself tall, touch his bare crown with your hand; August the Strong of
Poland tried, on one occasion, and could not. Before Hohmann turned up, there had been "Jonas the
Norwegian Blacksmith,", also a dreadfully tall monster. Giant "Macdoll,"who was to be married, no
consent asked on EITHER side, to the tall young woman, which latter turned out to be a decrepit OLD
woman (all JestBooks know the myth),he also was an Irish Giant; his name probably M'Dowal. [Forster,
Preussens Helden im Krieg und Frieden (Berlin, l848), i. 531; no date to the story, no evidence what grain of
truth may be in it.] This Hohmann was now FLUGELMANN ("fugleman" as we have named it, leader of the
file), the Tallest of the Regiment, a very mountain of pipeclayed flesh and bone.
Here, in reference to one other of those poor Giants, is an Anecdote from Fassmann (who is very full on this
subject of the Giants; abstruse Historical Fassmann, often painfully cited by us): a most small Anecdote, but
then an indisputably certain one; which brings back to us, in a strange way, the vanished Time and its
populations; as the poorest authentic wooden lucifer may do, kindling suddenly, and' peopling the void Night
for moments, to the seeing eye!
Fassmann, a very dark German literary man, in obsolete costume and garniture, how living or what doing we
cannot guess, found himself at Paris, gazing about, in the year 1713; where, among other things, the Fair of
St. Germain was going on. Loud, large Fair of St. Germain, "which lasts from Candlemas to the Monday
before Easter;" and Fassmann one day took a walk of contemplation through the same. Much noise,
gesticulation, little meaning. Showbooths, temporary theatres, merryandrews, sleightofhand men; and a
vast public, drinking, dancing, gambling, flirting, as its wont is. Nothing new for us there; new only that it all
lies five generations from us now. Did "the Old Pretender," who was then in his expectant period, in this
same village of St. Germain, see it too, as Fassmann did? And Louis XIV., he is at Versailles; drooping fast,
very dull to his Maintenon. And our little Fritz in Berlin is a child in arms;and the world is all awake as
usual, while Fassmann strolls through this noisy inanity of showbooths, in the year 1713.
Strolling along, Fassmann came upon a certain booth with an enormous Picture hung aloft in front of it:
"Picture of a very tall man, in HEYDUC livery, coat reaching to his ankles, in grand peruke, cap and big
heronplume, with these words, 'LE GEANT ALLEMAND (German Giant),' written underneath. Partly from
curiosity, partly "for country's sake," Fassmann expended twopence; viewed the gigantic fellowcreature;
admits he had never seen one so tall; though "Bentenrieder, the Imperial Diplomatist," thought by some to be
the tallest of men, had come athwart him once. This giant's name was Muller; birthplace the neighborhood of
Weissenfels;"a Saxon like myself. He had a small German Wife, not half his size. He made money readily,
showing himself about, in France, England, Holland;"and Fassmann went his way, thinking no more of the
fellow.But now, continues Fassmann:
"Coming to Potsdam, thirteen years after, in the spring of 1726, by his Majesty's order, to"in fact, to read
the Newspapers to his Majesty, and be generally useful, chiefly in the TobaccoCollege, as we shall
discover,"what was my surprise to find this same 'GEANT ALLEMAND' of St. Germain ranked among
the King's Grenadiers! No doubt of the identity: I renewed acquaintance with the man; his little German Wife
was dead; but he had got an English one instead, an uncommonly shifty creature. They had a neat little
dwellinghouse [as most of the married giants had], near the Palace: here the Wife sold beer [brandy not
permissible on any terms], and lodged travellers; I myself have lodged there on occasion. In the course of
some years, the man took swelling in the legs; good for nothing as a grenadier; and was like to fall heavy on
society. But no, his little Wife snatched him up, easily getting his discharge; carried him over with her to
England, where he again became a showgiant, and they were doing very well, when last heard of," in the
CountryWakes of George II.'s early time. And that is the real Biography of one Potsdam Giant, by a literary
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gentleman who had lodged with him on occasion. [Fassmann, pp. 723730.]
The pay of these sublime Footguards is greatly higher than common; they have distinguished privileges and
treatment: on the other hand, their discipline is nonpareil, and discharge is never to be dreamt of, while
strength lasts. Poor Kirkman, does he sometimes think of the Hill of Howth, and that he will never see it
more? Kirkman, I judge, is not given to thought;considers that he has tobacco here, and privileges and
perquisites; and that Howth, and Heaven itself, is inaccessible to many a man.
FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S RECRUITING DIFFICULTIES.
Tall men, not for this regiment only, had become a necessary of life to Friedrich Wilhelm. Indispensable to
him almost as his daily bread, To his heart there is no road so ready as that of presenting a tall man or two.
Friedrich Wilhelm's regiments are now, by his exact new regulations, levied and recruited each in its own
Canton, or specific district: there all males as soon as born are enrolled; liable to serve, when they have
grown to years and strength. All grown men (under certain exceptions, as of a widow's eldest son, or of the
like evidently ruinous cases) are liable to serve; Captain of the Regiment and AMTMANN of the Canton
settle between them which grown man it shall be. Better for you not to be tall! In fact it is almost a kindness
of Heaven to be gifted with some safe impediment of body, slightly crooked back or the like, if you much
dislike the career of honor under Friedrich Wilhelm. A general shadow of unquiet apprehension we can well
fancy hanging over those rural populations, and much unpleasant haggling now and then;nothing but the
King's justice that can be appealed to. King's justice, very great indeed, but heavily checked by the King's
value for handsome soldiers.
Happily his value for industrial laborers and increase of population is likewise great. Townsfolk, skilful
workmen as the theory supposes, are exempt; the more ingenious classes, generally, his Majesty exempts in
this respect, to encourage them in others. For, on the whole, he is not less a Captain of Work, to his Nation,
than of other things. What he did for Prussia in the way of industries, improvements, new manufactures, new
methods; in settling "colonies," tearing up drowned bogs and subduing them into dry cornfields; in building,
draining, digging, and encouraging or forcing others to do so, would take a long chapter. He is the enemy of
Chaos, not the friend of it, wherever you meet with him.
For example, Potsdam itself. Potsdam, now a pleasant, grassy, leafy place, branching out extensively in fine
stone architecture, with swept pavements; where, as in other places, the traveller finds land and water
separated into two firmaments,Friedrich Wilhelm found much of it a quagmire, land and water still
weltering in one. In these very years, his cuttings, embankments, buildings, piledrivings there, are
enormous; and his perseverance needs to be invincible. For instance, looking out, one morning after heavy
rain, upon some extensive antiquagmire operations and strong piledrivings, he finds half a furlong of his
latest heavy piling clean gone. What in the world has become of it? Pooh, the swollen lake has burst it
topsyturvy; and it floats yonder, bottom uppermost, a halffurlong of distracted liquidpeat. Whereat his
Majesty gave a loud laugh, says Bielfeld, [Baron de Bielfeld, Lettres Familieres (second edition, a Leide,
1767), i. 31.] and commenced anew. The piles now stand firm enough, like the rest of the Earth's crust, and
carry strong ashlar houses and umbrageous trees for mankind; and trivial mankind can walk in clean pumps
there, shuddering or sniggering at Friedrich Wilhelm, as their humor may be.
No danger of this "Cantonsystem" of recruitment to the more ingenious classes, who could do better than
learn drill. Nor, to say truth, does the poor clayey peasant suffer from it, according to his apprehensions.
Often perhaps, could he count profit and loss, he might find himself a gainer: the career of honor turns out to
be, at least, a career of practical Stoicism and Spartanism; useful to any peasant or to any prince. Cleanliness,
of person and even of mind; fixed rigor of method, sobriety, frugality, these are virtues worth acquiring.
Sobriety in the matter of drink is much attended to here: his Majesty permits no distillation of strongwaters
in Potsdam, or within so many miles; [Fassmann, p. 728.] nor is sale of such allowed, except in the most
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intensely select manner. The soldier's pay is in the highest degree exiguous; not above three halfpence a day,
for a common footsoldier, in addition to what rations he has:but it is found adequate to its purpose, too;
supports the soldier in sound health, vigorously fit for his work; into which points his Majesty looks with his
own eyes, and will admit no dubiety. Often, too, if not already OFTENEST (as it ultimately grew to be), the
peasantsoldier gets home for many months of the year, a soldierploughman; and labors for his living in the
old way. His Captain (it is one of the Captain's perquisites, who is generally a veteran of fifty, with a long
Spartan training, before he gets so high) pockets the pay of all these furloughs, supernumerary to the real
work of the regiment;and has certain important furnishings to yield in return.
At any rate, enrolment, in time of peace, cannot fall on many: three or four recruits in the year, to replace
vacancies, will carry the Canton through its crisis. For we are to note withal, the third part of every regiment
can, and should by rule, consist of "foreigners,"men not born Prussians. These are generally men levied in
the Imperial Freetowns; "in the REICH" or Empire, as they term it; that is to say, or is mainly to say, in the
countries of Germany that are not Austrian or Prussian. For this foreign thirdpart too, the recruits must be
got; excuses not admissible for Captain or Colonel; nothing but recruits of the due inches will do. Captain
and Colonel (supporting their enterprise on frugal adequate "perquisites," hinted of above) have to be on the
outlook; vigilantly, eagerly; and must contrive to get them. Nay, we can take supernumerary recruits; and
have in fact always on hand, attached to each regiment, a stock of such. Any number of recruits, that stand
well on their legs, are welcome; and for a tall man there is joyin Potsdam, almost as if he were a wise man or
a good man.
The consequence is, all countries, especially all German countries, are infested with a new species of
predatory twolegged animals: Prussian recruiters. They glide about, under disguise if necessary; lynxeyed,
eager almost as the Jesuit hounds are; not hunting the souls of men, as the spiritual Jesuits do, but their bodies
in a merciless carnivorous manner. Better not to be too tall, in any country, at present! Irish Kirkman could
not be protected by the aegis of the British Constitution itself. In general, however, the Prussian recruiter, on
British ground, reports, That the people are too well off, that there is little to be done in those parts. A tall
British sailor, if we pick him up strolling about Memel or the Baltic ports, is inexorably claimed by the
Diplomatists; no business doable till after restoration of him; and he proves a mere loss to us. [Despatches
in the StatePaper Office.] Germany, Holland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, these are the fruitful fields for
us, and there we do hunt with some vigor.
For example, in the town of Julich there lived and worked a tall young carpenter: one day a welldressed
positivelooking gentleman ("Baron von Hompesch," the records name him) enters the shop; wants "a stout
chest, with lock on it, for household purposes; must be of such and such dimensions, six feet six in length
especially, and that is an indispensable point,in fact it will be longer than yourself, I think, Herr
Zimmermann: what is the cost; when can it be ready?" Cost, time, and the rest are settled. "A right stout
chest, then; and see you don't forget the size; if too short, it will be of no use to me: mind;""JA WOHL!
GEWISS!" And the positivelooking, wellclad gentleman goes his ways. At the appointed day he
reappears; the chest is ready; we hope, an unexceptionable article? "Too short, as I dreaded!" says the
positive gentleman. "Nay, your honor," says the carpenter, "I am certain it is six feet six!" and takes out his
footrule."Pshaw, it was to be longer than yourself." "Well, it is.""No it isn't!" The carpenter, to end the
matter, gets into his chest; and will convince any and all mortals. No sooner is he in, rightly flat, than the
positive gentleman, a Prussian recruiting officer in disguise, slams down the lid upon him; locks it; whistles
in three stout fellows, who pick up the chest, gravely walk through the streets with it, open it in a safe place;
and findhorrible to relatethe poor carpenter dead; choked by want of air in this frightful middlepassage
of his. [Forster, ii. 305, 306; Pollnitz, ii. 518, 519.] Name of the Town is given, Julich as above; date not. And
if the thing had been only a popular Myth, is it not a significant one? But it is too true; the tall carpenter lay
dead, and Hompesch got "imprisoned for life" by the business.
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Burgermeisters of small towns have been carried off; in one case, "a rich merchant in Magdeburg," whom it
cost a large sum to get free again. [Stenzel, iii. 356.] Prussian recruiters hover about barracks,
paradegrounds, in Foreign Countries; and if they see a tall soldier (the Dutch have had instances, and are
indignant at them), will persuade him to desert,to make for the country where soldiermerit is understood,
and a tall fellow of parts will get his pair of colors in notime.
But the highest stretch of their art was probably that done on the Austrian Ambassador,tall Herr von
Bentenrieder; tallest of Diplomatists; whom Fassmann, till the Fair of St. Germain, had considered the tallest
of men. Bentenrieder was on his road as Kaiser's Ambassador to George I., in those CongressofCambrai
times; serenely journeying on; when, near by Halberstadt, his carriage broke. Carriage takes some time in
mending; the tall Diplomatic Herr walks on, will stretch his long legs, catch a glimpse of the Town withal, till
they get it ready again. And now, at some Guardhouse of the place, a Prussian Officer inquires, not too
reverently of a nobleman without carriage, "Who are you?" "Well," answered he smiling, "I am
BOTSCHAFTER (Messagebearer) from his Imperial Majesty. And who may you be that ask?""To the
Guardhouse with us!" Whither he is marched accordingly. "Kaiser's messenger, why not?" Being a most tall
handsome man, this Kaiser's BOTSCHAFTER, striding along on foot here, the Guardhouse Officials have
decided to keep him, to teach him Prussian drillexercise;and are thrown into a singular quandary, when
his valets and suite come up, full of alarm dissolving into joy, and call him "Excellenz!" [Pollnitz, ii.
207209.]
Tall Herr von Bentenrieder accepted the prostrate apology of these Guardhouse Officials. But he naturally
spoke of the matter to George I.; whose patience, often fretted by complaints on that head, seems to have
taken fire at this transcendent instance of Prussian insolency. In consequence of this adventure, he
commenced, says Pollnitz, a system of decisive measures; of reprisals even, and of altogether peremptory,
minatory procedures, to clear Hanover of this nuisance; and to make it cease, in very fact, and not in promise
and profession merely. These were the first rubs Queen Sophie met with, in pushing on the
DoubleMarriage; and sore rubs they were, though she at last got over them. Coming on the back of that fine
Charlottenburg Visit, almost within year and day, and directly in the teeth of such friendly aspects and
prospects, this conduct on the part of his Britannic Majesty much grieved and angered Friedrich Wilhelm;
and in fact involved him in considerable practical troubles.
For it was the signal of a similar set of loud complaints, and menacing remonstrances (with little twinges of
fulfilment here and there) from all quarters of Germany; a tempest of trouble and public indignation rising
everywhere, and raining in upon Friedrich Wilhelm and this unfortunate Hobby of his. No riding of one's
poor Hobby in peaoe henceforth. Friedrich Wilhelm always answered, what was only superficially the fact,
That HE knew nothing of these violences and acts of illneighborship; he, a just King, was sorrier than any
man to hear of them; and would give immediate order that they should end. But they always went on again,
much the same; and never did end. I am sorry a just King, led astray by his Hobby, answers thus what is only
superficially the fact. But it seems he cannot help it: his Hobby is too strong for him; regardless of curb and
bridle in this instance. Let us pity a man of genius, mounted on so ungovernable a Hobby; leaping the
barriers, in spite of his best resolutions. Perhaps the poetic temperament is more liable to such morbid biases,
influxes of imaginative crotchet, and mere folly that cannot he cured? Friedrich Wilhelm never would or
could dismount from his Hobby: but he rode him under much sorrow henceforth; under showers of anger and
ridicule;contumelious words and procedures, as it were SAXA ET FAECES, battering round him, to a
heavy extent; the rider a victim of Tragedy and Farce both at once.
QUEEN SOPHIE'S TROUBLES: GRUMKOW WITH THE OLD DESSAUER, AND GRUMKOW
WITHOUT HIM.
Queen Sophie had, by delicate management, got over those first rubs, aud arrived at a Treaty of Hanover, and
clear ground again; far worse rubs lay ahead; but smooth travelling, towards such a goal, was not possible for
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Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. 225
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this Queen. Poor Lady, her Court, as we discern from Wilhelmina and the Books, is a sad welter of intrigues,
suspicions; of treacherous chambermaids, headvalets, pickthank scouts of official gentlemen and others
striving to supplant one another. Satan's Invisible World very busy against Queen Sophie! Under any terms,
much more under those of the DoubleMarriage, her place in a kindly but suspicious Husband's favor was
difficult to maintain. Restless aspirants, climbing this way or that, by laddersteps discoverable in this
abstruse element, are never wanting, and have the due eavesdropping satellites, now here, now there. Queen
Sophie and her party have to walk warily, as if among precipices and pitfalls. Of all which wide welter of
extinct contemptibilities, then and there so important, here and now become minus quantities, we again notice
the existence, but can undertake no study or specification whatever. Two Incidents, the latter of them dating
near the point where we now are, will sufficiently instruct the reader what a welter this was, in which Queen
Sophie and her bright little Son, the new Major of the Potsdam Giants, had to pass their existence.
Incident First fell out some six years ago or more,in 1719, year of the Heidelberg Protestants, of Clement
the Forger, when his Majesty "slept for weeks with a pistol under his pillow," and had other troubles. His
Majesty, on one of his journeys, which were always many, was taken suddenly ill at Brandenburg, that year:
so violently ill, that thinking himself about to die, he sent for his good Queen, and made a Will appointing her
Regent in case of his decease. His Majesty quite recovered before long. But Grumkow and the old Dessauer,
main aspirants; getting wind of this Will, and hunting out the truth of it,what a puddling of the waters these
two made in consequence; stirring up mire and dirt round the good Queen, finding she had been preferred to
them! [Wilhelmina, i. 26, 29.] Nay Wilhelmina, in her wild way, believes they had, not long after, planned to
"fire a Theatre" about the King, one afternoon, in Berlin City, and take his life, thereby securing for
themselves such benefit in prospect as there might be! Not a doubt of it, thinks Wilhelmina: "The young
Margraf, [Born 1700 (see vol. v. p. 393.] our precious Cousin, of Schwedt, is not he Sister'sson of that Old
Dessauer? Grandson of the Great Elector, even as Papa is. Papa once killed (and our poor CrownPrince also
made away with),that young Margraf, and his blue Foxtiger of an Uncle over him, is King in Prussia!
Obviously they meant to burn that Theatre, and kill Papa!" This is Wilhelmina's distracted belief; as,
doubtless, it was her Mother's on the day in question: a jealous, muchsuffering, transcendently exasperated
Mother, as we see.
Incident Second shows us those, two rough Gentlemen fallen out of partnership, into open quarrel and even
duel. "Duel at the Copenick Gate," much noised of in the dull old Prussian Books, though always in a
reserved manner; not even the DATE, as if that were dangerous, being clearly given! It came in the wake of
that Hanover Treaty, as is now guessed; the two having taken opposite sides on that measure, and got
provoked into ripping up old sores in general. Dessau was AGAINST King George and the Treaty, it appears;
having his reasons, familyreasons of old standing: Grumkow, a bribable gentleman, was FOR,having also
perhaps his reasons. Enough, it came to altercations, objurgations between the two; which rose ever
higher,rose at length to wagerofbattle. Indignant challenge on the part of the Old Dessauer; which,
however, Grumkow, not regarded as a BARESARK in the fighting way, regrets that his Christian principles
do not, forsooth, allow him to accept. The King is appealed to; the King, being himself, though an orthodox
Christian, yet a still more orthodox Soldier, decides That, on the whole, General Grumkow cannot but accept
this challenge from the Fieldmarshal Prince of Dessau.
Dessau is on the field, at the Copenick Gate, accordingly, lateautumn afternoon (I calculate) of the year
1725;waits patiently till Grumkow make his appearance. Grumkow, with a chosen second, does at last
appear; advances pensively with slow steps. Gunpowder Dessau, black as a silent thundercloud, draws his
sword: and Grumkowdoes not draw his; presents it undrawn, with unconditional submission and apology:
"Slay me, if you like, old Friend, whom I have injured!" Whereat Dessau, uttering no word, uttering only
some contemptuous snort, turns his back on the phenomenon; mounts his horse and rides home. [Pollnitz, ii.
212, 214.] A divided man from this Grumkow henceforth. The Prince waited on her Majesty; signified his
sorrow for past estrangements; his great wish now to help her, but his total inability, being ousted by
Grumkow: We are for Halle, Madam, where our Regiment is; there let us serve his Majesty, since we cannot
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Chapter V. CROWNPRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. 226
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here! [Wilhelmina, i. 90, 93.] And in fact the Old Dessauer lives mostly there in time coming; sunk
inarticulate in tactics of a truly deep nature, not stranding on politics of a shallow; a man still memorable
in the mythic traditions of that place. Better to drill men to perfection, and invent iron ramrods, against the
day they shall be needed, than go jostling, on such terms, with cattle of the Grumkow kind! And thus, we
perceive, Grumkow is in, and the Old Dessauer out; and there has been "a change of Ministry," change of
"Majesty'sAdvisers," brought about;may the Advice going be wiser now!
What the young CrownPrince did, said, thought, in such environment, of backstairs diplomacies, female
sighs and aspirations, Grumkow duels, drillings in the Giant Regiment, is not specified for us in the smallest
particular, in the extensive rubbishbooks that have been written about him. Ours is, to indicate that such
environment was: how a lively soul, acted on by it, did not fail to react, chameleonlike taking color from it,
and contrariwise taking color against it, must be left to the reader's imaginationOne thing we have gathered
and will not forget, That the Old Dessauer is out, and Grumkow in, that the rugged Son of Gunpowder,
drilling men henceforth at Halle, and in a dumb way meditating tactics as few ever did, has no share in the
foul enchantments that now supervene at court.
Chapter VI. ORDNANCEMASTER SECKENDORF CROSSES THE
PALACE ESPLANADE.
The Kaiser's terror and embarrassment at the conclusion of the Hanover Treaty, as we saw, were extreme.
War possible or likely; and nothing but the termagant caprices of Elizabeth Farnese to depend on: no cash
from the SeaPowers; only cannonshot, invasion and hostility, from their cash and them: What is to be done?
To "caress the pride of Spain;" to keep alive the hopes, in that quarter, of marrying their Don Carlos, the
supplementary Infant, to our eldest Archduchess; which indeed has set the SeaPowers dreadfully on fire, but
which does leave Parma and Piacenza quiet for the present, and makes the Pragmatic Sanction too an affair of
Spain's own: this is one resource, though a poor one, and a dangerous. Another is, to make alliance with
Russia, by well flattering the poor little brown Czarina there: but is not that a still poorer? And what third is
there!
There is a third worth both the others, could it be got done: To detach Friedrich Wilhelm from those
dangerous Hanover Confederates, and bring him gently over to ourselves. He has an army of 60,000, in
perfect equipment, and money to maintain them so. Against us or for us,60,000 PLUS or 60,000
MINUS;that will mean 120,000 fighting men; a most weighty item in any field there is like to be. If it lie
in the power of human art, let us gain this wild irritated King of Prussia. Dare any henchman of ours venture
to go, with honeycakes, with pattings and cajoleries, and slip the imperial muzzle well round the snout of
that rugged ursine animal? An iracund bear, of dangerous proportions, and justly irritated against us at
present? Our experienced FELDZEUGMEISTER, OrdnanceMaster and Diplomatist, Graf von Seckendorf,
a conscientious Protestant, and the cunningest of men, able to lie to all lengths,dare he try it? He has
fought in all quarters of the world; and lied in all, where needful; and saved money in all: he will try it, and
will succeed in it too! [Pollnitz, ii. 235; Stenzel, iii. 544; Forster, ii. 59, iii. 235, 239.]
The Second Act, therefore, of this foolish WorldDrama of the DoubleMarriage opens,on the 11th May,
1726, towards sunset, in the TABAGIE of the Berlin Palace, as we gather from laborious comparison of
windy Pollnitz with other indistinct witnesses of a dreary nature,in the following manner:
Prussian Majesty sits smoking at the window; nothing particular going on. A squarebuilt shortish steelgray
Gentleman, of military cut, past fifty, is strolling over the SCHLOSSPLATZ (spacious Square in front of the
Palace), conspicuous amid the sparse populations there; pensively recreating himself, in the yellow sunlight
and long shadows, as after a day's hard labor or travel. "Who is that?" inquires Friedrich Wilhelm, suspending
his tobacco. Grumkow answers cautiously, after survey: He thinks it must be OrdnanceMaster Seckendorf;
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who was with him today; passing on rapidly towards Denmark, on business that will not
wait."Experienced Feldzeugmeister Graf von Seckendorf, whom we stand in correspondence with, of late,
and were expecting about this time? Whom we have known at the Siege of Stralsund, nay ever since the
Marlborough times and the Siege of Menin, in war and peace; and have always reckoned a solid reasonable
man and soldier: Why has he not come to us?""Your Majesty," confesses Grumkow, "his business is so
pressing! Business in Denmark will not wait. Seckendorf owned he had come slightly round, in his eagerness
to see our grand Review at Tempelhof the day after tomorrow: What soldier would omit the sight (so he was
pleased to intimate) of soldiering carried to the nonplusultra? But he hoped to do it quite incognito, among
the general public;and then to be at the gallop again: not able to have the honor of paying his court at this
time.""Court? NARRENPOSSEN (Nonsense)!" answers Friedrich Wilhelm,and opening the window,
beckons Seckendorf up, with his own royal head and hand. The conversation of a man who had rational
sense, and could tell him anything, were it only news af foreign parts in a rational manner, was always
welcome to Friedrich Wilhelm.
And so Seckendorf, how can he help it, is installed in the Tabagie; glides into pleasant conversation there. A
captivating talker; solid for religion, for the rights of Germany against intrusive French and others: such
insight, orthodoxy, sense and ingenuity; pleasant to hear; and all with the due quantity of oil, though he "both
snuffles and lisps;" and has privately, in case of need, a capacity of lying,for he curiously distils you any
lie, in his religious alembics, till it become tolerable to his conscience, or even palatable, as elixirs
are;capacity of doubledistilled lying probably the greatest of his day. Seckendorf assists at the grand
Review, 13th May, 1726; witnesses with unfeigned admiration the nonplusultra of manoeuvring, and, in
fact, the general management, military and other, of this admirable King. [Pollnitz, ii. 235; Fassmann, pp.
367, 368.] Seckendorf, no question of it, will do his Denmark business swiftly, then, since your Majesty is
pleased so to wish. Seckendorf, sure enough, will return swiftly to such a King, whose familiar company,
vouchsafed him in this noble manner, he likes, oh, how he likes it!
In a week or two, Seckendorf is back to Berlin; attends his Majesty on the annual Military Tour through
Preussen; attends him everywhere, becoming quite a necessary of life to his Majesty; and does not go away at
all. Seckendorf's business, if his Majesty knew it, will not lead him "away;" but lies here on this spot; and is
now going on; the magicapparatus, Grumkow the mainspring of it, getting all into gear! Grumkow was once
clear for King George and the Hanover Treaty, having his reasons then; but now he has other reasons, and is
clear against those foreign connections. "Hm, hahYes, my estimable, justly powerful Herr von Grumkow,
here is a little Pension of 1,600 ducats (only 500 pounds as yet), which the Imperial Majesty, thinking of the
service you may do Prussia and Germany and him, graciously commands me to present; only 500 pounds
by the year as yet; but there shall be no lack of money if we prosper!" [Forster, iii. 233, 232; see also iv. 172,
121, 157,
And so there are now two BlackArtists, of the first quality, busy on the unconscious Friedrich Wilhelm; and
Seckendorf, for the next seven years, will stick to Friedrich Wilhelm like his shadow; and fascinate his whole
existence and him, as few wizards could have done. Friedrich Wilhelm, like St. Paul in Melita, warming his
innocent hands at the fire of dry branches here kindled for him, that miracle of a venomous serpent is this
that has fixed itself upon his finger? To Friedrich Wilhelm's enchanted sense it seems a birdofparadise,
trustfully perching there; but it is of the whipsnake kind, or a worse; and will stick to him tragically, if also
comically, for years to come. The world has seen the comedy of it, and has howled scornful laughter upon
Friedrich Wilhelm for it: but there is a tragic side, not so well seen into, where tears are due to the poor King;
and to certain others horsewhips, and almost gallowsropes, are due!Yes, had Seckendorf and Grumkow
both been well hanged, at this stage of the affair, whereby the affair might have soon ended on fair terms, it
had been welcome to mankind; welcome surely to the present Editor; for one; such a saving to him, of time
wasted, of disgust endured! And indeed it is a solacement he has often longed for, in these dreary operations
of his. But the Fates appointed otherwise; we have all to accept our Fate!
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Grumkow is sworn to Imperial orthodoxy, then,probably the vulpine MIND (so to term it) went always
rather that way, and only his interest the other;Grumkow is well bribed, supplied for bribing others where
needful; stands orthodox now, under peril of his very head. All things have been got distilled into the
palatable state, spiritual and economic, for oneself and one's grand TrojanHorse of a Grumkow; and the
adventure proceeds apace. Seckendorf sits nightly in the TABAGIE (a kind of "Smoking Parliament," as we
shall see anon); attends on all promenades and journeys: one of the wisest heads, and so pleasant in discourse,
he is grown indispensable, and a necessary of life to us. Seckendorf's Biographer computes, "he must have
ridden, in those seven years, continually attending his Majesty, above 5,000 German miles," [Anonymous
(Seckendorf's GrandNephew) Versuch einer Lebensbeschreibung des Feldmarschalls Grafen von
Seckendorf (Leipzig, 1792, 1794), i. 6.]that is 25,000 English miles; or a trifle more than the length of the
Terrestrial Equator.
In a month or two, [13th August, 1726 (Preuss, i. 37).] Seckendorfsince Majesty vouchsafes to honor us by
wishing it contrives to get nominated Kaiser's Minister at Berlin: unlimited prospects of Tabagie, and good
talk, now opening on Majesty. And impartial Grumkow, in Tabagie or wherever we are, cannot but admit,
now and then, that the Excellenz Herr Graf OrdnanceMaster has a deal of reason in what he says about
Foreign Politics, about intrusive French and other points. "Hm, Na," muses Friedrich Wilhelm to himself, "if
the Kaiser had not been so lofty on us in that HeidelbergProtestant affair, in the RitterDienst business, in
those damned 'recruiting' brabbles; always a very highsniffing surly Kaiser to us!" For in fact the Kaiser has,
all along, used Friedrich Wilhelm bitterly ill; and contemplates no better usage of him, except in show.
Usage? thinks the Kaiser: A big Prussian piece of Cannon, whom we wish to enchant over to us! Did LAZY
PEG complain of her "usage"?So that the Excellenz and Grumkow have a heavy problem of it; were they
not so diligent, and the Cannon itself well disposed. "Those BLITZ FRANZOSEN (blasted French)!" growls
Friedrich Wilhelm sometimes, in the TobaccoParliament: [Forster, ii. 12, for he hates the French, and would
fain love his Kaiser; being German to the bone, and of right loyal heart, though counted only a piece of
cannon by some. For one thing, his Prussian Majesty declines signing that Treaty of Hanover a second time:
now when the Dutch accede to it, after almost a year's trouble with them, the Prussian Ambassador, singular
to observe, "has no orders to sign;" leaves the English with their Hollanders and Blitz Franzosen to sign by
themselves, this time. [9th August, 1726. (Boyer, The Political State of Great Rrilain, a monthly periodical,
vol. xxxii. p. 77, which is the number for July, 1726.)] "We will wait, we will wait!" thinks his Prussian
Majesty:"Who knows?"
"But then Julich and Berg!" urges he always; "Britannic Majesty and the Blitz Franzosen were to secure me
the reversion there. That was the essential point!"For this too Excellenz has a remedy; works out gradually
a remedy from headquarters, the amiable dexterous man: "Kaiser will do the like, your Majesty; Kaiser
himself will secure it you!"In brief, some three months after Seckendorf's instalment as Kaiser's Minister,
not yet five months since his appearance in the Schlossplatz that May evening, it is now Huntingseason,
and we are at Wusterhausen; Majesty, his two BlackArtists and the proper satellites on both sides all
there,a new and opposite Treaty, in extreme privacy, on the 12th of October, 1726, is signed at that
sequestered HuntingSchloss: "Treaty of Wusterhausen" so called; which was once very famous and
mysterious, and caused many wigs to wag. Wigs to wag, in those days especially, when knowledge of it was
first had; the rather as only half knowledge could be had of it; or can, mourns Dryasdust, who has still
difficulties about some "secret articles" in the Document. [Buchholz, i. 94 n.] Courage, my friend; they are
now of no importance to any creature.
The essential purport of this Treaty, [Given IN EXTENSO (without the secret articles) in Forster, iv.
159166.] legible to all eyes, is, "That Friedrich Wilhelm silently drops the Hanover Treaty and Blitz
Franzosen; and explicitly steps over to the Kaiser's side; stipulates to assist the Kaiser with so many thousand,
if attacked in Germany by any Blitz Franzose or intrusive Foreigner whatever. In return for which, the Kaiser,
besides assisting Prussia in the like case with a like quotity of thousands, engages, in circuitous chancery
language, To be helpful, and humanly speaking effectua1, in that grand matter of Julich and
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Berg;somewhat in the following strain: 'To our Imperial mind it does appear the King of Prussia has
manifest right to the succession in Julich and Berg; right grounded on express ERBVERGLEICH of 1624,
not to speak of Deeds subsequent: the Imperial mind, as supreme judge of such matters in the Reich, will not
fail to decide this Cause soon and justly, should it come to that. But we hope it may take a still better course:
for the Imperial mind will straightway set about persuading KurPfalz to comply peaceably; and even
undertakes to have something done, that way, before six months pass.'" [Art. v. in Forster, ubi supra.]
Humanly speaking, surely the Imperial mind will be effectual in the Julich and Berg matter. But it was very
necessary to use circuitous chancery language,inasmuch as the Imperial mind, desirous also to secure
KurPfalz's help in this sore crisis, had, about three months ago, [Treaty with KurPfalz, 16th August, 1726
(Forster, ii. 71).] expressly engaged to KurPfalz, That Julich and Berg should NOT go to Friedrich Wilhelm
in terms of the old Deed, but to KurPfalz's Cousins of Sulzbach, whom the old gentleman (in spite of
Deeds) was obstinate to prefer! There is no doubt about that fact, about that selfdevouring pair of facts. To
such straits is a Kaiser driven when he gets deep into spectrehunting.
This is the once famous, now forgotten, "Treaty of Wusterhausen, 12th October, 1726;" which proved so
consolatory to the Kaiser in that dread crisis of his SpectreHunt; and the effects of which are very visible in
this History, if nowhere else. It caught up the PrussianEnglish DoubleMarriage; launched it into the huge
tide of Imperial Spectre Politics, into the awful swaggings and swayings of the Terrestrial LIBRA in general;
and nearly broke the heart of several Royal persons; of a memorable CrownPrince, among others. Which
last is now, pretty much, its sole claim to be ever mentioned again by mankind. As there was no performance,
nor an intention of any, in that JulichBerg matter, Excellenz Seckendorf had the task henceforth of keeping,
by artmagic or the PRETERnatural method,that is, by mere help of Grumkow and the Devil,his
Prussian Majesty steady to the Kaiser nevertheless. Always well divided from the English especially. Which
the Excellency Seckendorf managed to do. For six or seven years coming; or, in fact, till these
Spectrechasings ended, or ran elsewhither for consummation. Steady always, jealous of the English;
sometimes nearly mad, but always ready as a primed cannon: so Friedrich Wilhelm was accordingly managed
to be kept; his own Household gone almost into delirium; he himself looking out, with loyally fierce
survey, for any AntiKaiser War: "When do we go off, then?"though none ever came. And indeed nothing
came; and except those torments to young Friedrich and others, it was all Nothing. One of the strangest
pieces of BlackArt ever done.
Excellenz Seckendorf, whom Friedrich Wilhelm so loves, is by no means a beautiful man; far the reverse.
Bodily,and the spirit corresponds,a stiffbacked, petrified, stony, inscrutablelooking, and most
unbeautiful old Intriguer. Portraits of him, which are frequent, tell all one story. The brow puckered together,
in a wide web of wrinkles from each temple, as if it meant to hide the bad pair of eyes, which look suspicion;
inquiry, apprehension, habit of doubledistilled mendacity; the indeterminate projecting chin, with its thick,
chapped underlip, is shaken out, or shoved out, in millhopper fashion,as if to swallow anything there
may be, spoken thing or other, and grind it to profitable meal for itself. Spiritually he was an old Soldier let
for hire; an old Intriguer, Liar, Fighter, what you like. What we may call a human Soul standing like a
hackneycoach, this halfcentury past, with head, tongue, heart, conscience, at the hest of a discerning public
and its shilling.
There is considerable faculty, a certain stiffnecked strength in the old fellow; in fact, nature had been rather
kind to him; and certainly his Uncle and Guardianthe distinguished Seckendorf who did the HISTORIA
LUTHERANISMI, a RITTER, and man of good mark, in Ernst THE PIOUS of SaxeGotha's timetook
pains about his education. But Nature's gifts have not prospered with him: how could they, in that
hackneycoach way of life? Considerable gifts, we say; shrunk into a strange bankruptcy in the development
of them. A stiffbacked, closefisted old gentleman, with millhopper chin,with puckery muchinquiring
eyes, which have never discovered any noble path for him in this world. He is a strictly orthodox Protestant;
zealous about external points of moral conduct; yet scruples not, for the Kaiser's shilling, to lie with energy to
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all lengths; and fight, according to the ReichsHofrath code, for any god or man. He is gone mostly to
avarice, in these mature years; all his various strengths turned into strength of grasping. He is now fiftyfour;
a man public in the world, especially since he became the Kaiser's man: but he has served various masters, in
various capacities, and been in many wars;and for the next thirty years we shall still occasionally meet
him, seldom to our advantage.
He comes from Anspach originally; and has kindred Seckendorfs in office there, old Ritters in that Country.
He inherited a handsome castle and estate, Meuselwitz, near Altenburg in the Thuringen region, from that
Uncle, Ernst of SaxeGotha's man, whom we spoke of; and has otherwise gained wealth; all which he holds
like a vice. Once, at Meuselwitz, they say, he and some young secretary, of a smartish turn, sat working or
conversing, in a large room with only one candle to illuminate it: the secretary, snuffing the candle, snuffed it
out: "Pshaw," said Seckendorf impatiently, "where did you learn to handle snuffers?" "Excellenz, in a place
where there were two lights kept!" replied the 0ther. [ Sechendorje Leben (already cited), i. 4.]For the rest,
he has a good old Wife at Meuselwitz, who is now old, and had never any children; who loves him much, and
is much loved by him, it would appear: this is really the best fact I ever knew of him,poor bankrupt
creature; gone all to spiritual rheumatism, to strict orthodoxy, with unlimited mendacity; and avarice as the
general outcome! Stiffbacked, closefisted strength, all grown wooden or stony; yet some little well of
human Sympathy does lie far in the interior: one wishes, after all (since he could not be got hanged in time
for us), good days to his poor old Wife and him! He both lisps and snuffles, as was mentioned; writes
cunningly acres of despatches to Prince Eugene; never swears, though a military man, except on great
occasions one oath, JARNIBLEU,which is perhaps some flashnote version of CHAIRDEDIEU, like
PARBLEU, 'Zounds and the rest of them, which the Devil cannot prosecute you for; whereby an economic
man has the pleasure of swearing on cheap terms.
Herr Pollnitz's account of Seckendorf is unusually emphatic; babbling Pollnitz rises into a strain of pulpit
eloquence, inspired by indignation, on this topic: "He affected German downrightness, to which he was a
stranger; and followed, under a deceitful show of piety, all the principles of Machiavel. With the most sordid
love of money he combined boorish manners. Lies [of the distilled kind chiefly] had so become a habit with
him, that he had altogether lost notion of employing truth in speech. It was the soul of a usurer, inhabiting
now the body of a warcaptain, now transmigrating into that of a huckster. False oaths, and the abominablest
basenesses, cost him nothing, so his object might be reached. He was miserly with his own, but lavish with
his Master's money; daily he gave most striking proofs of both these habitudes. And this was the man whom
we saw, for a space of time, at the head of the Kaiser's Armies, and at the helm of the State and of the
German Empire," [Pollnitz, ii. 238.]having done the Prussian affair so well.
This cunning old Gentleman, to date from the autumn of 1726, may be said to have taken possession of
Friedrich Wilhelm; to have gone into him, Grumkow and he, as two devils would have done in the old
miraculous times: and, in many senses, it was they, not the nominal proprietor, that lived Friedrich Wilhelm's
life. For the next seven years, a figure went about, not doubting it was Friedrich Wilhelm; but it was in reality
SeckendorfandGrumkow much more. These two, conjurer and his man, both invisible, have caught their
royal wild Bear; got a rope round his muzzle;and so dance him about; now terrifying, now exhilarating all
the market by the pranks he plays! Grumkow, a very Machiavel after his sort, knew the nature of the royal
animal as no other did. Grumkow, purchased by his Pension of 500 pounds, is dogcheap at the Money, as
Seckendorf often urges at Vienna, Is he not? And they add a touch of extraordinary gift now and then, 40,000
florins (4,000 pounds) on one occasion: [In 1732: Forster, iii. 232.] for "Grumkow DIENET EHRLICH
(serves honorably)," urges Seckendorf; and again, "If anybody deserves favor [GNADE, meaning extra pay],
it is this gentleman;"WAHRLICH! Purchased Grumkow has ample money at command, to purchase other
people needed; and does purchase; so that all things and persons can be falsified and enchanted, as need is.
By and by it has got so far, that Friedrich Wilhelm's Ambassador at London maintains a
ciphercorrespondence with Grumkow; and writes to Friedrich Wilhelm, not what is passing in city or court
there, but what Grumkow wishes Friedrich Wilhelm to think is passing.
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Of insinuations, by assent or contradiction, potent if you know the nature of the beast; of these we need not
speak. TabaksCollegium has become a workshop:human nature can fancy it! Nay human nature can still
read it in the British StatePaper Office, to boundless stupendous extent;but ought mostly to suppress it
when read.
This is a very strange part of Friedrich Wilhelm's history; and has caused much wonder in the world:
Wilhelmina's Book rather aggravating than assuaging that feeling, on the part of intelligent readers. A Book
written long afterwards, from her recollections, from her own oblique point of view; in a beautifully shrill
humor; running, not unnaturally, into confused exaggerations and distortions of all kinds. Not mendaciously
written anywhere, yet erroneously everywhere. Wilhelmina had no knowledge of the magical machinery that
was at work: she vaguely suspects Grumkow and Seckendorf; but does not guess, in the mad explosions of
Papa, that two devils have got into Papa, and are doing the mischief. Trusting to memory alone, she misdates,
mistakes, misplaces; jumbles all things topsyturvy;giving, on the whole, an image of affairs which is
altogether oblique, dislocated, exaggerative; and which, in fine, proves unintelligible, if you try to construe it
into a fact or thing DONE. Yet her Human Narrative, in that wide waste of merely Pedant Maunderings, is of
great worth to us. A green tree, a leafy grove, better or worse, in the wilderness of dead bones and
sand,how welcome! Many other Books have been written on the matter; but these to my experience, only
darken it more and more. Pull Wilhelmina STRAIGHT, the best you can; deduct a twentyfive or sometimes
even a seventyfive per cent, from the exaggerative portions of her statement; you will find her always true,
lucid, charmingly human; and by far the best authority on this part of her Brother's History. StatePapers to
some extent have also been printed on the matter; and of written StatePapers, here in England and
elsewhere, this Editor has, had several hundredweights distilled for him: but except as lights hung out over
Wilhelmina, nothing yet known, of published or manuscript, can be regarded as good for much.
O Heavens, had one but sevenleague boots, to get across that inane country,a bottomless whirlpool of
dust and cobwebs in many places;where, at any rate, we had so little to do! Elucidating, rectifying,
painfully contrasting, comparing, let us try to work out some conceivable picture of this strange Imperial
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING; and get our unfortunate CrownPrince, and our unfortunate selves, alive
through it.
Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT.
In these distressing junctures, it may cheer the reader's spirits, and will tend to explain for him what is
coming, if we glance a little into the FriedrichWilhelm TABAGIE (TABAKSCOLLEGIUM or Smoking
College), more worthy to be called TobaccoParliament, of which there have already been incidental notices.
Far too remarkable an Institution of the country to be overlooked by us here.
Friedrich Wilhelm, though an absolute Monarch, does not dream of governing without Law, still less without
Justice, which he knows well to be the one basis for him and for all Kings and men. His lifeeffort,
prosecuted in a grand, unconscious, unvarying and instinctive way, may be defined rather as the effort to find
out everywhere in his affairs what was justice; to make regulations, laws in conformity with that, and to guide
himself and his Prussia rigorously by these. Truly he is not of constitutional turn; cares little about the wigs
and formalities of justice, pressing on so fiercely towards the essence and fact of it; he has been known to tear
asunder the wigs and formalities, in a notably impatient manner, when they stood between him and the fact.
But Prussia has its Laws withal, tolerably abundant, tolerably fixed and supreme: and the meanest Prussian
man that could find out a definite Law, coming athwart Friedrich Wilhelm's wrath, would check Friedrich
Wilhelm in midvolley,or hope with good ground to do it. Hope, we say; for the King is in his own and
his people's eyes, to some indefinite extent, always himself the supreme ultimate Interpreter, and grand living
codex, of the Laws,always to some indefinite extent;and there remains for a subject man nothing but the
appeal to PHILIP SOBER, in some rash cases! On the whole, however, Friedrich Wilhelm is by no means a
lawless Monarch; nor are his Prussians slaves by any means: they are patient, stouthearted, subject men,
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Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT. 232
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with a very considerable quantity of radical fire, very well covered in; prevented from idle explosions, bound
to a respectful demeanor, and especially to hold their tongues as much as possible.
Friedrich Wilhelm has not the least shadow of a Constitutional Parliament, nor even a PrivyCouncil, as we
understand it; his Ministers being in general mere Clerks to register and execute what he had otherwise
resolved upon: but he had his TABAKSCOLLEGIUM, TobaccoCollege, Smoking Congress, TABAGIE,
which has made so much noise in the world, and which, in a rough natural way: affords him the uses of a
Parliament, on most cheap terms, and without the formidable inconveniences attached to that kind of
Institution. A Parliament reduced to its simplest expression, and, instead of Parliamentary eloquence,
provided with Dutch claypipes and tobacco: so we may define this celebrated Tabagie of Friedrich
Wilhelm's.
Tabagies were not uncommon among German Sovereigns of that epoch: George I. at Hanover had his
Smokingroom, and select smoking Party on an evening; and even at London, as we noticed, smoked nightly,
wetting his royal throat with thin beer, in presence of his fat and of his lean Mistress, if there were no other
company. Tobacco,introduced by the Swedish soldiers in the ThirtyYears War, say some; or even by the
English soldiers in the Bohemian or Palatinate beginnings of said War, say others;tobacco, once shown
them, was enthusiastically adopted by the German populations, long in want of such an article; and has done
important multifarious functions in that country ever since. For truly, in Politics, Morality, and all
departments of their Practical and Speculative affairs, we may trace its influences, good and bad, to this day.
Influences generally bad; pacificatory but bad, engaging you in idle cloudy dreams;still worse, promoting
composure among the palpably chaotic and discomposed; soothing all things into lazy peace; that all things
may be left to themselves very much, and to the laws of gravity and decomposition. Whereby German affairs
are come to be greatly overgrown with funguses in our Time; and give symptoms of dry and of wet rot,
wherever handled. George I., we say, had his Tabagie; and other German Sovereigns had: but none of them
turned it to a Political Institution, as Friedrich Wilhelm did. The thrifty man; finding it would serve in that
capacity withal. He had taken it up as a commonplace solace and amusement: it is a reward for doing
strenuously the day's heavy labors, to wind them up in this manner, in quiet society of friendly human faces,
into a contemplative smokecanopy, slowly spreading into the realm of sleep and its dreams. Friedrich
Wilhelm was a man of habitudes; his evening Tabagie became a law of Nature to him, constant as the setting
of the sun. Favorable circumstances, quietly noticed and laid hold of by the thrifty man, developed this
simple evening arrangement of his into a sort of Smoking Parliament, small but powerful, where
Stateconsultations, in a fitful informal way, took place; and the weightiest affairs might, by dexterous
management, cunning insinuation and manoeuvring from those that understood the art and the place, be bent
this way or that, and ripened towards such issue as was desirable.
To ascertain what the true course in regard to this or the other high matter will be; what the public will think
of it; and, in short, what and how the ExecutiveRoyal shall DO therein: this, the essential function of a
Parliament and PrivyCouncil, was here, by artless cheap methods, under the bidding of mere Nature,
multifariously done; mere taciturnity and sedative smoke making the most of what natural intellect there
might be. The substitution of Tobaccosmoke for Parliamentary eloquence is, by some, held to be a great
improvement. Here is Smelfungus's opinion, quaintly expressed, with a smile in it, which perhaps is not all of
joy:
"Tobaccosmoke is the one element in which, by our European manners, men can sit silent together without
embarrassment, and where no man is bound to speak one word more than he has actually and veritably got to
say. Nay, rather every man is admonished and enjoined by the laws of honor, and even of personal ease, to
stop short of that point; at all events, to hold his peace and take to his pipe again, the instant he has spoken his
meaning, if he chance to have any. The results of which salutary practice, if introduced into Constitutional
Parliaments, might evidently be incalculable. The essence of what little intellect and insight there is in that
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Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT. 233
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room: we shall or can get nothing more out of any Parliament; and sedative, gently soothing, gently clarifying
tobaccosmoke (if the room were well ventilated, open atop, and the air kept good), with the obligation to a
MINIMUM of speech, surely gives human intellect and insight the best chance they can have. Best chance,
instead of the worst chance as at present: ah me, ah me, who will reduce fools to silence again in any
measure? Who will deliver men from this hideous nightmare of StumpOratory, under which the grandest
Nations are choking to a nameless death, bleeding (too truly) from mouth and nose and ears, in our sad
days?"
This TobaccoCollege is the GrumkowandSeckendorf chief field of action. These two gentlemen
understand thoroughly the nature of the Prussian TobaccoParliament; have studied the conditions of it to the
most intricate cranny: no English Whipperin or eloquent Premier knows his St. Stephen's better, or how to
hatch a measure in that dim hot element. By hint, by innuendo; by contemplative smoke, speech and
forbearance to speak; often looking one way and rowing another,they can touch the secret springs, and
guide in a surprising manner the big dangerous Fireship (for such every StateParliament is) towards the
haven they intend for it. Most dexterous Parliamentmen (SmokeParliament); no Walpole, no Dundas, or
immortal Pitt, First or Second, is cleverer in Parliamentary practice. For their Fireship, though smaller than
the British, is very dangerous withal. Look at this, for instance: Seckendorf, one evening, far contrary to his
wont, which was prostrate respect in easy forms, and always judicious submission of one's own weaker
judgment, towards his Majesty,has got into some difficult defence of the Kaiser; defence very difficult, or
in reality impossible. The cautious man is flustered by the intricacies of his position, by his Majesty's
indignant countervolleys, and the perilous necessity there is to do the impossible on the spur of the
instant;gets into emphasis, answers his Majesty's volcanic fire by incipient heat of his own; and, in short,
seems in danger of forgetting himself, and kindling the TobaccoParliament into a mere conflagration. That
will be an issue for us! And yet who dare interfere? Friedrich Wilhelm's words, in high clangorous metallic
plangency, and the pathos of a lion raised by anger into song, fall hotter and hotter; Seckendorf's puckered
brow is growing of slatecolor; his shelflip, shuttling violently, lisps and snuffles mere unconciliatory
matter:What on earth will become of us?"Hoom! Boom!" dexterous Grumkow has drawn a
Hummingtop from his pocket, and suddenly sent it spinning. There it hums and caracoles, through the
bottles and glasses; reckless what dangerous breakage and spilth it may occasion. Friedrich Wilhelm looked
aside to it indignantly. "What is that?" inquired he, in metallic tone still high. "Pooh, a toy I bought for the
little Prince August, your Majesty: am only trying it!" His Majesty understood the hint, Seckendorf still
better; and a jolly touch of laughter, on both sides, brought the matter back into the safe tobaccoclouds
again. [Forster, ii. 110.]
This Smoking Parliament or (TABAKSCOLLEGIUM of his Prussian Majesty was a thing much talked of
in the world; but till Seckendorf and Grumkow started their graud operations there, its proceedings are not on
record; nor indeed till then had its political or parliamentary function become so decidedly evident. It was
originally a simple SmokingClub; got together on hest of Nature, without ulterior intentions:thus English
PARLIAMENTA themselves are understood to have been, in the old Norman time, mere royal
ChristmasFestivities, with natural colloquy or PARLEYING between King and Nobles ensuing thereupon,
and what wisest consultation concerning the arduous things of the realm the circumstances gave rise to. Such
parleyings or consultations, always two in number in regard to every matter, it would seem, or even three;
one sober, one drunk, and one just after being drunk, proving of extreme service in practice, grew to be
Parliament, with its three readings, and what not.
A Smokingroom,with wooden furniture, we can suppose,in each of his Majesty's royal Palaces, was
set apart for this evening service, and became the Tabagie of his Majesty. A Tabagieroom in the Berlin
Schloss, another in the Potsdam, if the cicerone had any knowledge, could still be pointed out:but the
TobaccoPIPES that are shown as Friedrich Wilhelm's in the KUNSTKAMMER or Museum of Berlin, pipes
which no rational smoker, not compelled to it, would have used, awaken just doubt as to the cicerones; and
you leave the Locality of the Tabagie a thing conjectural. In summer season, at Potsdam and in country
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Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT. 234
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situations, Tabagie could be held under a tent: we expressly know, his Majesty held Tabagie at Wusterhausen
nightly on the Steps of the big Fountain, in the Outer Court there. Issuing from Wusterhausen Schloss, and its
little clipped lindens, by the western side; passing the sentries, bridge and black ditch, with live Prussian
eagles, vicious black bears, you come upon the royal Tabagie of Wusterhausen; covered by an awning, I
should think; sending forth its bits of smokeclouds, and its hum of human talk, into the wide free Desert
round. Any room that was large enough, and had height of ceiling, and aircirculation and no clothfurniture,
would do: and in each Palace is one, or more than one, that has been fixed upon and fitted out for that object.
A high large Room, as the Engravings (mostly worthless) give it us: contented saturnine human figures, a
dozen or so of them, sitting round a large long Table, furnished for the occasion; long Dutch pipe in the
mouth of each man; supplies of knaster easily accessible; small pan of burning peat, in the Dutch fashion
(sandy native charcoal, which burns slowly without smoke), is at your left hand; at your right a jug, which I
find to consist of excellent thin bitter beer. Other costlier materials for drinking, if you want such, are not
beyond reach. On sidetables stand wholesome coldmeats, royal rounds of beef not wanting, with bread
thinly sliced and buttered: in a rustic but neat and abundant way, such innocent accommodations, narcotic or
nutritious, gaseous, fluid and solid, as human nature, bent on contemplation and an evening lounge, can
require. Perfect equality is to be the rule; no rising, or notice taken, when anybody enters or leaves. Let the
entering man take his place and pipe, without obligatory remarks: if he cannot smoke, which is Seckendorf's
case for instance, let him at least affect to do so, and not ruffle the established stream of things. And so, Puff,
slowly Pff!and any comfortable speech that is in you; or none, if you authentically have not any.
Old official gentlemen, military for most part; Grumkow, Derschau, Old Dessauer (when at hand),
Seckendorf, old General Flans (rugged PlattDeutsch specimen, capable of TOCADILLE or backgammon,
capable of rough slashes of sarcasm when he opens his old beard for speech): these, and the like of these,
intimate confidants of the King, men who could speak a little, or who could be socially silent
otherwise,seem to have been the staple of the Institution. Strangers of mark, who happened to be passing,
were occasional guests; Ginckel the Dutch Ambassador, though foreign like Seckendorf, was well seen there;
garrulous Pollnitz, who has wandered over all the world, had a standing invitation. Kings, high Princes on
visit, were sure to have the honor. The CrownPrince, now and afterwards, was often present; oftener than he
liked,in such an atmosphere, in such an element. "The little Princes were all wont to come in," doffing
their bits of triangular hats, "and bid Papa goodnight. One of the old Generals would sometimes put them
through their exercise; and the little creatures were unwilling to go away to bed."
In such Assemblage, when business of importance, foreign or domestic, was not occupying the royal
thoughts,the Talk, we can believe, was rambling and multifarious: the day's hunting, if at Wusterhausen;
the day's news, if at Berlin or Potsdam; old reminiscences, too, I can fancy, turning up, and talk, even in
Seckendorf's own time, about Siege of Menin (where your Majesty first did me the honor of some notice),
Siege of Stralsund, and duly on September 11th at leastMalplaquet, with Marlborough and Eugene:
what Marlborough said, looked: and especially Lottum, late Feldmarschall Lottum; [Died 1719.] and how the
Prussian Infantry held firm, like a wall of rocks, when the horse were swept away, rocks highly volcanic,
and capable of rolling forward too; and "how a certain Adjutant [Derschau smokes harder, and blushes
brown] snatched poor Tettau on his back, bleeding to death, amid the iron whirlwinds, and brought him out
of shotrange." [ MilitairLexikon, iv. 78, ? MajorGeneral von Tettau, and i. 348, ? Derschau. This was the
beginning of Derschau's favor with Friedrich Wilhelm, who had witnesssd this piece of faithful
work.]"Hm, na, such a Day, that, Herr Feldzeugmeister, as we shall not see again till the Last of the Days!"
Failing talk, there were Newspapers in abundance; scraggy Dutch Courants, Journals of the Rhine, FAMAS,
Frankfurt ZEITUNGS; with which his Majesty exuberantly supplied himself;being willing to know what
was passing in the high places of the world, or even what in the dark snuffy Editor's thoughts was passing.
This kind of matter, as some picture of the actual hour, his Majesty liked to have read to him, even during
mealtime. Some subordinate character, with clear windpipe,all the better too, if he be a bookman,
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cognizant of History, Geography, and can explain everything,usually reads the Newspaper from some high
seat behind backs, while his Majesty and Household dine. The same subordinate personage may be worth his
place in the Tabagie, should his function happen to prove necessary there. Even bookmen, though generally
pedants and mere bags of wind and folly, are good for something, more especially if rich mines of
quizzability turn out to be workable in them.
OF GUNDLING, AND THE LITERARY MEN IN TOBACCOPARLIAMENT.
Friedrich Wilhelm had, in succession or sometimes simultaneously, a number of such Nondescripts, to read
his Newspapers and season his Tabagie;last evanescent phasis of the old CourtFool species;who form
a noticeable feature of his environment. One very famous literary gentleman of this description, who
distanced every competitor, in the Tabagie and elsewhere, for serving his Majesty's occasions, was Jakob
Paul Gundling; a name still laughingly remembered among the Prussian People. Gundling was a
CountryClergyman's son, of the Nurnberg quarter; had studied, carrying off the honors, in various
Universities; had read, or turned over, whole cartloads of wise and foolish Books (gravitating, I fear, towards
the latter kind); had gone the Grand Tour as travelling tutor, "as companion to an English gentleman." He had
seen courts, perhaps camps, at lowest cities and inns; knew in a manner, practically and theoretically, all
things, and had published multifarious Books of his own. [List of them, Twentyone in number, mostly on
learned Antiquarian subjects,in Forster, ii. 255, 256.] The sublime longeared erudition of the man was not
to be contested; manifest to everybody; thrice and four times manifest to himself, in the first place.
In the course of his roamings, and grand and little tours, he had come to Berlin in old King Friedrich's time;
had thrown powder in the eyes of men there, and been appointed to Professorships in the RitterAcademy, to
ChiefHeraldships,"Historiographer Royal," and perhaps other honors and emoluments. The whole of
which were cut down by the ruthless scythe of Friedrich Wilhelm, ruthlessly mowing his field clear, in the
manner we saw at his Accession. Whereby learned grandiloquent Gundling, much addicted to liquor by this
time, and turning the corner of forty, saw himself cast forth into the general wilderness; that is to say, walking
the streets of Berlin, with no resources but what lay within himself and his own hungry skin. Much given to
liquor too. How he lived, for a year or two after this,erudite pen and braggart tongue his only
resources,were tragical to say. At length a famous Tavernkeeper, the "LEIPZIGE POLTERHANS
(Leipzig KillCow, or BOISTEROUSJACK)," as they call him, finding what a dungeon of erudite talk this
Gundling was, and how gentlemen got entertained by him, gave Gundling the run of his Tavern (or, I fear,
only a seat in the drinkingroom); and it was here that General Grumkow found him, talking big, and
disserting DE OMNI SCIBILI, to the ancient Berlin gentlemen over their cups. A very Dictionary of a man;
who knows, in a manner, all things; and is by no means ignorant that he knows them: Would not this man suit
his Majesty? thought Grumkow; and brought him to Majesty, to read the Newspapers and explain everything.
Date is not given, or hinted at; but incidentally we find Gundling in full blast "in the year 1718;" [Von Loen,
Kleine Schriften, i. 201 (cited in Forster, i. 260).] and conclude his instalment was a year or two before.
Gundling came to his Majesty from the Taproom of BoisterousJack; read the Newspapers, and explained
everything: such a Dictionaryinbreeches (much given to liquor) as his Majesty had got, was never seen
before. Working into the man, his Majesty, who had a great taste for such things, discovered in him such
mines of collegelearning, courtlearning, without end; selfconceit, and depth of appetite, not less
considerable: in fine, such Chaotic Blockheadism with the consciousness of being Wisdom, as was wondrous
to behold,as filled his Majesty, especially, with laughter and joyful amazement. Here are mines of native
Darkness and Human Stupidity, capable of being made to phosphoresce and effervesce,are there not, your
Majesty? Omniscient Gundling was a prime resource in the Tabagie, for many years to come. Man with
sublimer stores of longeared Learning and Omniscience; man more destitute of Motherwit, was nowhere
to be met with. A man, bankrupt of Motherwit;who has Squandered any poor Motherwit he had in the
process of acquiring his sublime longeared Omniscience; and has retained only depth of appetite,
appetite for liquor among other things, as the consummation and bottomless cesspool of appetites:is not
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Chapter VII. TOBACCOPARLIAMENT. 236
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this a discovery we have made, in BoisterousJack's, your Majesty!
The man was an Eldorado for the peculiar quizzing humor of his Majesty; who took immense delight in
working him, when occasion served. In the first years, he had to attend his Majesty on all occasions of
amusement; if you invite his Majesty to dinner, Gundling too must be of the party. Daily, otherwise,
Gundling was at the Tabagie; getting drunk, if nothing better. Vein after vein, rich in broad fun (very broad
and Brobdignagian, such as suits there), is discovered in him: without wit himself, but much the cause of wit.
None oftener shook the Tabagie with inextinguishable Hahas: daily, by stirring into him, you could wrinkle
the Tabagie into grim radiance of banter and silent grins.
He wore sublime clothes: Friedrich Wilhelm, whom we saw dress up his regimental ScavengerExecutioners
in French costume, for Count Rothenburg's behoof, made haste to load Gundling with Rathships,
Kammerherrships, Titles such as fools covet;gave him tolerable pensions too, poor devil, and even
functions, if they were of the imaginary or big insignificant sort. Above all things, his Majesty dressed him,
as the pink of fortunate ambitious courtiers. Superfine scarlet coat, gold buttonholes, blackvelvet facings
and embroideries without end: "strawcolored breeches; red silk stockings," with probably blue clocks to
them, "and shoes with red heels:" on his learned head sat an immense cloudperiwig of white goat'shair (the
man now growing towards fifty); in the hat a red feather:in this guise he walked the streets, the gold Key
of KAMMERHERR (Chamberlain) conspicuously hanging at his coatbreast; and looked proudly down
upon the world, when sober. Alas, he was often not sober; and fiends in human shape were ready enough to
take advantage of his unguarded situation. No man suffered ruder tarringandfeathering;and his only
comfort was his bane withal, that he had, under such conditions, the use of the royal cellars, and could always
command good liquor there.
His illustrious scarlet coat, by tumblings in the ditch, soon got dirty to a degree; and exposed him to the biting
censures of his Majesty, anxious for the respectability of his Hofraths. One day, two wicked Captains, finding
him prostrate in some lone place, cut off his Kammerherr KEY; and privately gave it to his Majesty. Majesty,
in Tabagie, notices Gundling's coatbreast: "Where is your Key, then, Herr Kammerherr?" "Hm,
hahunfortunately lost it, Ihro Majestat!""Lost it, say you?" and his Majesty looks dreadfully
grave."Key lost?" thinks Tabagie, grave Seckendorf included: "JARNIBLEU, that is something serious!"
"As if a Soldier were to drink his musket!" thinks his Majesty: "And what are the laws, if an ignorant fellow
is shot, and a learned wise one escapes?" Here is matter for a deliberative Tabagie; and to poor Gundling a
bad outlook, fatal or short of fatal. He had better not even drink much; but dispense with consolation, and
keep his wits about him, till this squall pass. After much deliberating, it is found that the royal clemency can
be extended; and an outlet devised, under conditions. Next Tabagie, a servant enters with one of the biggest
trays in the world, and upon it a "Wooden Key gilt, about an ell long;" this gigantic implement is solemnly
hung round the repentant Kammerherr; this he shall wear publicly as penance, and be upon his behavior, till
the royal mind can relent. Figure the poor blockhead till that happen! "On recovering his metal key, he goes
to a smith, and has it fixed on with wire."
What Gundling thought to himself, amid these pranks and hoaxings, we do not know. The poor soul was not
born a fool; though he had become one, by collegelearning, vanity, strongdrink, and the world's perversity
and his own. Under good guidance, especially if bred to strict silence, he might have been in some measure a
luminous object,not as now a phosphorescent one, shining by its mere rottenness! A sad "Calamity of
Authors" indeed, when it overtakes a man!Poor Gundling probably had lucid intervals now and then;
tragic fits of discernment, in the innerman of him. He had a Brother, also a learned man, who retained his
senses; and was even a rather famed Professor at Halle; whose Portrait, looking very academic, solemn and
welltodo, turns up in old printshops; whose Books, concerning "Henry the Fowler ( De Henrico Aucupe ),"
"Kaiser Conrad I.," and other dim Historical objects, are still consultable,though with little profit, to my
experience. The name of this one was NICOLAUS HIERONYMUS; ours is JAKOB PAUL, the senior
brother,once the hope of the House, it is likely, and a fond Father's pride,in that poor old Nurnberg
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Parsonage long ago!
Jakob Paul likewise continued to write Books, on Brandenburg Heraldries, Topography, Genealogies: even a
"LIFE" or two of some old Brandenburg Electors are still extant from his hand; but not looked at now by any
mortal. He had been, perhaps was again, Historiographer Royal; and felt bound to write such Books: several
of them he printed; and we hear of others still manuscript, "in five folio volumes written fair." He held
innumerable halfmock Titles and Offices; among others, was actual President of the Berlin Royal Society,
or ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES, Leibnitz's pet daughter,there Gundling actually sat in Office; and drew
the salary, for one certainty. "As good he as another," thought Friedrich Wilhelm: "What is the use of these
solemn fellows, in their big perukes, with their crabbed X+Y's, and scientiflc Pedler'sFrench; doing nothing
that I can see, except annually the Berlin Almanac, which they live upon? Let them live upon it, and be
thankful; with Gundling for their head man."
Academy of Sciences makes its ALMANAC, and some peculium of profit by it; lectures perhaps a little "on
Anatomy" (good for something, that, in his Majesty's mind); but languisheswithout encouragement during
the present reign. Has his Majesty no prize questions to propose, then? None, or worse. He once officially put
these learned Associates upon ascertaining for him "Why Champagne foamed?" They, with a hidden vein of
pleasantry, required "material to experiment upon." Friedrich Wilhelm sent them a dozen, or certain dozens;
and the matter proved insoluble to this day. No King, scarcely any man, had less of reverence for the
Sciences so called; for Academic culture, and the art of the TalkingSchoolmaster in general! A King obtuse
to the fine Arts, especially to the vocal Arts, in a high degree. Literary fame itself he regards as mountebank
fame; the art of writing big admirable folios is little better to him than that of vomiting long coils of
wonderful ribbon, for the idlers of the marketplace; and he bearbaits his Gundling, in this manner, as
phosphorescent blockhead of the first magnitude, worthy of nothing better.
Nay, it is but lately (1723 the exact year) that he did his evermemorable feat in regard to Wolf and his
Philosophy, at Halle. Illustrious Wolf was recognized, at that time, as the second greater Leibnitz, and
HeadPhilosopher of Nature, who "by mathematical method" had as it were taken Nature in the fact, and
illuminated everything, so that whosoever ran might read,which all manner of people then tried to do, but,
have now quite ceased trying "by the Wolfmethod:"Immortal Wolf, somewhat of a stiff, reserved humor,
inwardly a little proud, and not wanting in private contempt of the contemptible, had been accused of
heterodoxy by the Halle Theologians. Immortal Wolf, croakily satirical withal, had of course defended
himself; and of course got into a shoreless sea of controversy with the Halle Theologians; pestering his
Majesty with mere wars, and rumors of war, for a length of time, from that Halle University. [In Busching
( Beitrage, i. l140) is rough authentic account of Wolf, and especially of all that,with several curious
LETTERS of Wolf's.] So that Majesty, unable to distinguish top or bottom in such a coil of argument; or to
do justice in the case, however willing and anxious, often passionately asked: "What, in God's name, is the
real truth of it?" Majesty appointed Commissions to inquire; read Reports; could for a long while make out
nothing certain. At last came a decision on the sudden;royal mind suddenly illuminated, it is a little
uncertain how. Some give the credit of it to Gundling, which is unlikely; others to "Two Generals" of piouis
orthodox turn, acquainted with Halle;and I have heard obscurely that it was the Old Dessauer, who also
knew Halle; and was no doubt wearied to hear nothing talked of there but injured Philosopher Wolf, and
injuring Theologian Lange, or VICE VERSA. Some practical military man, not given to take up with
shadows, it likeliest was. "In God's name, what is the real truth of all that?" inquired his Majesty, of the
practical man: "DOES Wolf teach hellish doctrines; as Lange says, or heavenly, as himself says?" "Teaches
babble mainly, I should think, and scientific Pedler's French," intimated the practical man: "But they say he
has one doctrine about oaths, and what he calls foundation of duty, which I did not like. Not a heavenly
doctrine that. Follow out that, any of your Majesty's grenadiers might desert, and say he had done no sin
against God!" [Busching, i. 8; Benekendorf, Karakterzilge aus dem Leben Konig Friedrich Wilhelm I.
(Anonymous, Berlin, 1787), ii. 23.] Friedrich Wilhelm flew into a paroxysm of horror; instantly redacted
brief Royal Decree [15th November (Busching says 8th), 1723.] (which is still extant among the curiosities of
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the Universe), ordering Wolf to quit Halle and the Prussian Dominions, bag and baggage, forevermore,
within eighbandforty hours, "BEY STRAFE DES STRANGES, under pain of the halter!"
Halter: the HeadPhilosopher of Nature, found too late, will be hanged, as if he were a sheepstealer;
hanged, and no mistake! Poor Wolf gathered himself together, wife and baggage; girded up his loins; and ran
with the due despatch. He is now found sheltered under HessenDarmstadt, at Marburg, professing
something there; and all the intellect of the world is struck with astonishment, and with silent or vocal pity for
the poor man. It is but fair to say, Friedrich Wilhelm, gradually taking notice of the world's humor in
regard to this, began to have his own misgivings; and determined to read some of Wolf's Books for himself.
Reading in Wolf, he had sense to discern that here was a man of undeniable talent and integrity; that the
Practical Military judgment, loading with the iron ramrod, had shot wide of the mark, in this matter; and, in
short, that a palpable bit of foulplay had been done. This was in 1733;ten years after the shot, when his
Majesty saw, with his own eyes, how wide it had gone. He applied to Wolf earnestly, more than once, to
come back to him: Halle, Frankfurt, any Prussian University with a vacancy in it, was now wide open to
Wolf. But Wolf knew better: Wolf, with bows down to the ground, answered always evadingly;and never
would come back till the New Reign began.
Friedrich Wilhelm knew little of Booklearning or Bookwriting; and his notion of it is very shocking to us.
But the fact is, O reader, Bookwriting is of two kinds: one wise, and may be among the wisest of earthly
things; the other foolish, sometimes far beyond what can be reached by human nature elsewhere.
Blockheadism, Unwisdom, while silent, is reckoned bad; but Blockheadism getting vocal, able to speak
persuasively,have you considered that at all? Human Opacity falling into Phosphorescence; that is to say,
becoming luminous (to itself and to many mortals) by the very excess of it, by the very bursting of it into
putrid fermentation;all other forms of Chaos are cosmic in comparison!Our poor Friedrich Wilhelm had
seen only Gundlings among the Bookwriting class: had he seen wiser specimens, he might have formed, as
he did in Wolf's case, another judgment. Nay in regard to Gundling himself, it is observable how, with his
unutterable contempt, he seems to notice in him glimpses of the admirable (such acquirements, such
dictionaryfaculties, though gone distracted!),and almost has a kind of love for the absurd dog. Gundling's
pensions amount to something like 150 pounds; an immense sum in this Court. [Forster, i. 263, 284 (if you
can RECONCILE the two passages).] A blockhead admirable in some sorts; and of immense resource in
TobaocoParliament when business is slack!
No end to the wild pranks, the Houyhnhnm horseplay they had with drunken Gundling. He has staggered
out in a drunk state, and found, or not clearly FOUND till the morrow, young bears lying in his bed;has
found his roomdoor walled up; been obliged to grope about, staggering from door to door and from port to
port, and land ultimately in the big Bears' den, who hugged and squeezed him inhumanly there. Once at
Wusterhausen, staggering blinddrunk out of the Schloss towards his lair, the sentries at the Bridge
(instigated to it by the Houyhnhnms, who look on) pretend to fasten some military blame on him: Why has he
omitted or committed soandso? Gundling's drunk answer is unsatisfactory. "Arrest, Herr Kammerrath, is it
to be that, then!" They hustle him about, among the Bears which lodge there;at length they lay him
horizontally across two ropes;take to swinging him hither and thither, up and down, across the black
Acherontic Ditch, which is frozen over, it being the dead of winter: one of the ropes, LOWER rope, breaks;
Gundling comes souse upon the ice with his sittingpart; breaks a big hole in the ice, and scarcely with legs,
arms and the remaining rope, can be got out undrowned. [Forster (i. 254280); founding, I suppose, on Leben
und Thaten des Freiherrn Paul von Gundling (Berlin, 1795); probably not one of the exactest Biographies.]
If, with natural indignation, he shut his door, and refuse to come to the Tabagie, they knock in a panel of his
door; and force him out with crackers, fireworks, rockets and malodorous projectiles. Once the poor
blockhead, becoming human for a moment, went clean away; to Halle where his Brother was, or to some
safer place: but the due inveiglements, sublime apologies, increase of titles, salaries, were used; and the
indispensable Phosphorescent Blockhead, and President of the Academy of Pedler'sFrench, was got back.
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Drink remained always as his consolation; drink, and the deathless Volumes he was writing and printing.
Sublime returns came to him;Kaiser's Portrait set in diamonds, on one occasion, for his
PresentationCopies in high quarters: immortal fame, is it not his clear portion; still more clearly abundance
of good wine. Friedrich Wilhelm did not let him want for Titles;raised him at last to the Peerage; drawing
out the Diploma and Armorial Blazonry, in a truly FriedrichWilhelm manner, with his own hand. The
Gundlings, in virtue of the transcendent intellect and merits of this Founder Gundling, are, and are hereby
declared to be, of Baronial dignity to the last scion of them; and in "all RITTERRENNEN (Tournaments),
Battles, Fights, Camppitchings, Sealings, Siguetings, shall and may use the abovesaid Shield of
Arms,"if it can be of any advantage to them. A Prussian Majesty who gives us 150 pounds yearly, with
board and lodging and the run of his cellar, and honors such as these, is not to be lightly sneezed away,
though of queer humors now and then. The highest Personages, as we said, more than once made gifts to
Gundling; miniatures set in diamonds; purses of a hundred ducats: even Gundling, it was thought, might
throw in a word, mad or otherwise, which would bear fruit. It was said of him, he never spoke to harm
anybody with his Majesty. The poor blownup blockhead was radically not illnatured,at least, if you let
his "phosphorescences" alone.
But the grandest explosious, in TobaccoParliament, were producible, when you got Two literary fools; and,
as if with Leydenjars, positive and negative, brought their vanities to bear on one another. This sometimes
happened, when TobacboParliament was in luck. Friedrich Wilhelm had a variety of MerryAndrew Raths
of the Gundling sort, though none ever came up to Gundling, or approached him, in worth as a
MerryAndrew.
Herr Fassmann, who wrote Books, by Patronage or for the Leipzig Booksellers, and wandered about the
world as a star or comet of some magnitude, is not much known to my readers:but he is too well known to
me, for certain dark Books of his which I have had to read. [ Life of Friedrich Wilhelm, occasionally cited
here; Life of August the Strong; A very dim Literary Figure; undeniable, indecipherable Human Fact, of those
days; now fallen quite extinct and obsolete; his garniture, equipment, environment all very dark to us.
Probably a too restless, imponderous creature, too much of the Gundling type; structure of him GASEOUS,
not solid; Perhaps a little of the coxcomb naturally; much of the sycophant on compulsion,being sorely
jammed into corners, and without elbowroom at all, in this world. Has, for the rest, a recognizable talent for
"Magazine writing,"for Newspaper editing, had that rich mine, "California of the Spiritually Vagabond,"
been opened in those days. Poor extinct Fassmann, one discovers at last a vein of weak geniality in him; here
and there, real human sense and eyesight, under those strange conditions; and his poor Books, rotted now to
inanity, have left a small seedpearl or two, to the earnest reader. Alas, if he WAS to become "spiritually
vagabond" ("spiritually" and otherwise), might it not perhaps be wholesome to him that the California was
NOT discovered?
Fassmann was by no means such a fool as Gundling; but, he was much of a fool too. He had come to Berlin,
about this time, [1726, as he himself says (supra p. 8).] in hopes of patronage from the King or somebody;
might say to himself, "Surely I am a better man than Gundling, if the Berlin Court has eyesight." By the
King, on some wise General's recommending it, he was, as a preliminary, introduced to the Tabagie at least.
Here is the celebrated Gundling; there is the celebrated Fassmann. Positive Leydenjar, with negative close
by: in each of these two men lodges a fullcharged fiery electric virtue of selfconceit; destructive each of
the other;could a conductor be discovered. Conductors are discoverable, conductors are not wanting; and
many are the explosions between these mutuallydestructive human varieties;welcomed with hilarious,
rather vacant, huge horselaughter, in this TobaccoParliament and Synod of the Houyhnhnms.
Of which take this acme; and then end. Fassmann, a fellow not without sarcasm and sharpness, as you may
still see, has one evening provoked Gundling to the transcendent pitch,till words are weak, and only action
will answer. Gundling, driven to the exploding point, suddenly seizes his Dutch smokingpan, of
peatcharcoal ashes and redhot sand; and dashes it in the face of Fassmann; who is of course dreadfully
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astonished thereby, and has got his very eyebrows burnt, not to speak of other injuries. Stand to him,
Fassmann! Fassmann stands to him tightly, being the better man as well as the more satirical; grasps
Gundling by the collar, wrenches him about, lays him at last over his knee, sittingpart uppermost; slaps said
sittingpart (poor sittingpart that had broken the ice of Wusterhausen) with the hot pan,nay some say,
strips it and slaps. Amid the inextinguishable horselaughter (sincere but vacant) of the Houyhnhnm
Olympus.
After which, his Majesty, as epilogue to such play, suggests, That feats of that nature are unseemly among
gentlemen; that when gentlemen have a quarrel, there is another way of settling it. Fassmann thereupon
challenges Gundling; Gundling accepts; time and place are settled, pistols the weapon. At the appointed time
and place Gundling stands, accordingly, pistol in hand; but at sight of Fassmann, throws his pistol away; will
not shoot any man, nor have any man shoot him. Fassmann sternly advances; shoots his pistol (powder
merely) into Gundling's sublime goat'shair wig: wig blazes into flame; Gundling falls shrieking, a dead man,
to the earth; and they quench and revive him with a bucket of water. Was there ever seen such horseplay?
Roaring laughter, huge, rude, and somewhat vacant, as that of the Norse gods over their ale at Yule time;as
if the face of the Sphinx were to wrinkle itself in laughter; or the fabulous Houyhnhnms themselves were
there to mock in their peculiar fashion.
His Majesty at length gave Gundling a winecask, duly figured; "painted black with a white cross," which
was to stand in his room as MEMENTOMORI, and be his coffin. It stood for ten years; Gundling often
sitting to write in it; a good screen against draughts. And the poor monster was actually buried in this cask;
[Died 11th April, 1731, age 58: description of the Burial "at Bornstadt near Potsdam," in Forster, i. 276.]
Fassmann pronouncing some funeral oration,and the orthodox clergy uttering, from the distance, only a
mute groan. "The Herr Baron von Gundling was a man of many dignities, of much Booklearning; a man of
great memory," admits Fassmann, "but of no judgment," insinuates he, LOOKING FOR the Judgment
(EXPECTANS JUDICIUM)," says Fassmann, with a pleasant wit. Fassmann succeeded to all the
emoluments and honors; but did not hold them; preferred to run away before long: and after him came one
and the other, whom the reader is not to be troubled with here. Enough if the patient reader have seen, a little,
into that background of Friedrich Wilhelm's existence; and, for the didactic part, have caught up his real
views or instincts upon Spiritual Phosphorescence, or Stupidity grown Vocal, which are much sounder than
most of us suspect.
These were the sports of the TobaccoParliament; and it was always meant primarily for sport, for recreation:
but there is no doubt it had a serious function as well. "Business matters," adds Beneckendorf, who had
means of knowing, [Benekendorf, Karakterzuge, i. 137149; vi. 37.] "were often a subject of colloquy in the
TABAKSCOLLEGIUM. Not that they were there finished off, decided upon, or meant to be so. But
Friedrich Wilhelm often purposely brought up such things in conversation there, that he might learn the
different opinions of his generals and chief men, without their observing it,"and so might profit by the
Collective Wisdom, in short.
Chapter VIII. SECKENDORF'S RETORT TO HER MAJESTY.
The Treaty of Wusterhausen was not yet known to Queen Sophie, to her Father George, or to any external
creature: but that open flinching, and gradual withdrawal, from the Treaty of Hanover was too well known;
and boded no good to her pet project. Female sighs, male obduracies, and other domestic phenomena, are to
be imagined in consequence. "A grand Britannic Majesty indeed; very lofty Father to us, Madam, ever since
he came to be King of England: Stalking along there, with his nose in the air; not deigning the least notice of
us, except as of a thing that may be got to fight for him! And he does not sign the DoubleMarriage Treaty,
Madam; only talks of signing it,as if we were a starved coachhorse, to be quickened along by a wisp of
hay put upon the coachpole close ahead of us always!""JARNIBLEU!" snuffles Seckendorf with a
virtuous zeal, or looks it; and things are not pleasant at the royal dinnertable.
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Excellenz Seckendorf, we find at this time, "often has his Majesty to dinner:" and such dinners; fitting one's
tastes in all points, no expense regarded (which indeed is the Kaiser's, if we knew it)! And in return,
Excellenz is frequently at dinner with his Majesty; where the conversation; if it turn on England, which often
happens, is more and more an offence to Queen Sophie. Seckendorf studies to be polite, reserved before the
Queen's Majesty at her own table; yet sometimes he lisps out, in his vile snuffling tone, halfinsinuations,
remarks on our Royal Kindred, which are irritating in the extreme. Queen Sophie, the politest of women, did
once, says Pollnitz, on some excessive pressure of that lisping snuffling unendurability, lose her royal
patience and flame out. With human frankness, and uncommonly kindled eyes, she signified to Seckendorf,
That none who was not himself a kind of scoundrel could entertain such thoughts of Kings and gentlemen!
Which hard saying kindled the stiffbacked rheumatic soul of Seckendorf (Excellenz had withal a temper in
him, far down in the deeps); who answered: "Your Majesty, that is what no one else thinks of me. That is a
name I have never permitted any one to give me with impunity." And verily, he kept his threat in that latter
point, says Pollnitz. [ii. 244.]
At this stage, it is becoming, in the nature of things, unlikely that the projected DoubleMarriage, or any
union with England, can ever realize itself for Queen Sophie and her House. The Kaiser has decreed that it
never shall. Here is the King already irritated, grown indisposed to it; here is the Kaiser's Seckendorf, with
preternatural Apparatus, come to maintain him in that humor. To Queen Sophie herself, who saw only the
outside of Seckendorf and his Apparatus, the matter doubtless seemed big with difficulties; but to us, who see
the interior, the difficulties are plainly hopeless. Unless the Kaiser's mind change, unless many fixed things
change, the DoubleMarriage is impossible.
One thing only is a sorrow; and this proved an immeasurable one: That they did not, that Queen Sophie did
not, in such case, frankly give it up: DoubleMarriage is not a law of Nature; it is only a project at Hanover
that has gone off again. There will be a life for our CrownPrince, and Princess, without a marriage with
England!It is greatly wise to recognize the impossible, the unreasonably difficult, when it presents itself: but
who of men is there, much more who of women that can always do it?
Queen Sophie Dorothee will have this DoubleMarriage, and it shall be possible. Pour Lady, she was very
obstinate; and her Husband was very arbitrary. A rough bear of a Husband, yet by no means an unloving one;
a Husband who might have been managed. She evidently made a great mistake in deciding not to obey this
man; as she had once vowed. By perfect prompt obedience she might have had a very tolerable life with the
rugged Orson fallen to her lot; who was a very honesthearted creature. She might have done a pretty stroke
of female work, withal, in taming her Orson; might have led him by the muzzle far enough in a private
way,by obedience.
But by disobedience, by rebellion open or secret? Friedrich Wilhelm was a Husband; Friedrich Wilhelm was
a King; and the most imperative man then breathing. Disobedience to Friedrich Wilhelm was a thing which,
in the Prussian State, still more in the Berlin Schloss and vital heart of said State, the laws of Heaven and of
Earth had not permitted, for any man's or any woman's sake, to be. The wide overarching sky looks down on
no more inflexible Sovereign Man than him in the redcollared blue coat and white leggings, with the
bamboo in his hand. A peaceable, capacious, not illgiven Sovereign Man, if you will let him have his way.
But to bar his way; to tweak the nose of his sovereign royalty, and ignominiously force him into another way:
that is an enterprise no man or devil, or body of men or devils, need attempt. Seckendorf and Grumkow, in
TobaccoParliament, understand it better. That attempt is impossible, once for all. The first step in such
attempt will require to be assassination of Friedrich Wilhelm; for you may depend on it, royal Sophie, so long
as he is alive, the feat cannot be done. O royal Sophie, O pretty Feekin, what a business you are making of it!
The year 1726 was throughout a troublous one to Queen Sophie. Seckendorf's advent; King George's
manifestoing; alarm of imminent universal War, nay sputters of it actually beginning (Gibraltar invested by
the Spaniards, ready for besieging, it is said): nor was this all. Sophie's poor Mother, worn to a tragic
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Chapter VIII. SECKENDORF'S RETORT TO HER MAJESTY. 242
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Megaera, locked so long in the Castle of Ahlden, has taken up wild plans of outbreak, of escape by means of
secretaries, moneys in the Bank of Amsterdam, and I know not what; with all which Sophie, corresponding in
double and triple mystery, has her own terrors and sorrows, trying to keep it down. And now, in the depth of
the year, the poor old Mother suddenly dies. [13th November, 1726: Memoirs of Sophia Dorothea, Consort of
George I. (i. 386),where alao some of her concluding Letters ("edited" as if by the Nightmares) can be
read, but next to no sense made of them.] Burnt out in this manner, she collapses into ashes and long rest;
closing so her nameless tragedy of thirty years' continuance:what a Bluebeardchamber in the mind of
Sophie! Nay there rise quarrels about the Heritage of the Deceased, which will prove another sorrow.
BOOK VI. GOING ADRIFT UNDER THE STORMWINDS. 17271730.
Chapter I. FIFTH CRISIS IN THE KAISER'S SPECTREHUNT.
The CrownPrince's young Life being, by perverse chance, involved and as it were absorbed in that foolish
question of his English Marriage, we have nothing for it but to continue our sad function; and go on painfully
fishing out, and reducing to an authentic form, what traces of him there are, from that disastrous beggarly
element,till once he get free of it, either dead or alive. The WINDS (partly by ArtMagic) rise to the
hurricane pitch, upon this Marriage Project and him; and as for the sea, or general tide of European
PoliticsBut let the reader look with his own eyes.
In the spring of 1727, War, as anticipated, breaks out; Spaniards actually begin battering at Gibraltar; Kaiser's
Ambassador at London is angrily ordered to begone. Causes of war were many: 1. Duke de
Ripperdatumbled out now, that illustrious diplomatic bulldog, at Madridsought asylum in the English
Ambassador's house; and no respect was had to such asylum: that is one cause. 2. Then, you English, what is
the meaning of these warfleets in the West Indies; in the Mediterranean, on the very coast of Spain? We
demand that you at once take them home again:which cannot be complied with. 3. But above all things, we
demand Gibraltar of you:which can still less be complied with. Termagant Elizabeth has set her heart on
Gibraltar: that, in such opportunity as this unexpected condition of the Balances now gives her, is the real
cause of the War.
Cession of Gibraltar: there had been vague promises, years ago, on the Kaiser's part; nay George himself, raw
to England at that date, is said to have thought the thing might perhaps be done. Do it at once, then!" said
the Termagant Queen, and repeated, with ever more emphasis;and there being not the least compliance,
she has opened parallels before the place, and begun war and ardent firing there; [22d February, 1727 (Scholl,
ii. 212). Salmon, Chronological Historian (London, 1747; a very incorrect dark Book, useful only in defect
of better), ii. 173. Coxe, Memoirs of Walpole, i. 260, 261; ii. 498515.] preceded by protocols, debates in
Parliament; and the usual phenomena. It is the Fifth grand Crisis in the Kaiser's spectrehuntings; fifth
change in the color of the worldlobster getting boiled in that singular manner;Second Sputter of actual
War.
Which proved futile altogether; and amounts now, in the human memory; to flat zero,unless the following
infinitesimally small fraction be countable again:
"Sputtering of War; that is to say, Siege of Gibraltar. A siege utterly unmemorable, and without the least
interest, for existing mankind with their ungrateful humor,if it be not; once more, that the Father of
TRISTRAM SHANDY was in it: still a Lieutenant of foot, poor fellow; brisk, small, hottempered, loving,
'liable to be cheated ten times a day if nine will not suffice you.' He was in this Siege; shipped to the Rock to
make stand there; and would have done so with the boldest,only he got into duel (hottempered, though of
lamblike innocence), and was run through the body; not entirely killed, but within a hair's breadth of it; and
unable for service while this sputtering went on. Little Lorry is still living; gone to school in Yorkshire, after
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pranks enough, and misventures,halfdrowning 'in the millrace at Annamoe in Ireland,' for one.
[Laurence Sterne's Autobiography (cited above).] The poor Lieutenant Father died, soldiering in the West
Indies; soon after this; and we shall not mention him again. But History ought to remember that he is 'Uncle
Toby,' this poor Lieutenant, and take her measures!The Siege of Gibraltar, we still see with our eyes, was
in itself Nothing."
Truly it might well enough have grown to universal flame of War. But this always needs two parties; and
pacific George would not be second party in it. George, guided by pacific Walpole, backed by pacific Fleury,
answers the ardent firing by phlegmatic patience and protocolling; not by counterfiring, except quite at his
convenience, from privateers, from warships here and there, and in sulky defence from Gibraltar itself.
Probably the Termagant, with all the fire she has, will not do much damage upon Gibraltar? Such was
George's hope. Whereby the flame of war, ardent only in certain Spanish batteries upon the point of San
Roque, does not spread hitherto,though all mortals, and Friedrich Wilhelm as much as any, can see the
imminent likelihood there is. In such circumstances, what a stroke of policy to have disjoined Friedrich
Wilhelm from the Hanover Alliance, and brought him over to our own! Is not Grumkow worth his pension?
"Grumkow serves honorably." Let the invaluable Seckendorf persevere.
CROWNPRINCE SEEN IN DRYASDUST'S GLASS, DARKLY.
To know the special figure of the CrownPrince's way of life in those years, who his friends, companions
were, what his pursuits and experiences, would be agreeable to us; but beyond the outline already given, there
is little definite on record. He now resides habitually at Potsdam, be the Court there or not; attending strictly
to his military duties in the Giant Regiment; it is only on occasion, chiefly perhaps in "Carnival time," that he
gets to Berlin, to partake in the gayeties of society. Who his associates there or at Potsdam were? Suhm, the
Saxon Resident, a cultivated man of literary turn, famed as his friend in time coming, is already at his
diplomatic post in Berlin, post of difficulty just now; but I know not whether they have yet any intimacy.
[Preuss, Friedrich mit seinen Verwandten und Freunden, p. 24.] This we do know, the CrownPrince begins
to be noted for his sprightly sense, his love of literature, his ingenuous ways; in the Court or other circles,
whatsoever has intelligence attracts him, and is attracted by him. The Roucoulles Soirees, gone all to dim
backram for us, though once so lively in their high periwigs and speculations,fall on Wednesday. When
the Finkenstein or the others fall,no doubt his Royal Highness knows it. In the TABAKSCOLLEGIUM,
there also, driven by duty, he sometimes appears; but, like Seckendorf and some others, he only affects to
smoke, and his pipe is mere white clay. Nor is the social element, any more than the narcotic vapor which
prevails there, attractive to the young Prince,though he had better hide his feelings on the subject.
Out at Potsdam, again, life goes very heavy; the winged Psyche much imprisoned in that pipeclay element, a
prey to vacancy and many tediums and longings. Daily return the giant drillduties; and daily, to the
uttermost of rigorous perfection, they must be done:"This, then, is the sum of one's existence, this?"
Patience, young "man of genius," as the Newspapers would now call you; it is indispensably beneficial
nevertheless! To swallow one's disgusts, and do faithfully the ugly commanded work, taking no council with
flesh and blood: know that "genius," everywhere in Nature, means this first of all; that without this, it means
nothing, generally even less. And be thankful for your Potsdam grenadiers and their pipeclay!
Happily he has his Books about him; his flute: Duhan, too, is here, still more or less didactic in some
branches; always instructive and companionable, to him. The CrownPrince reads a great deal; very many
French Books, new and old, he reads; among the new, we need not doubt, the Henriade of M. Arouet Junior
(who now calls himself VOLTAIRE), which has risen like a star of the first magnitude in these years.
[London, 1723, in surreptitious incomplete state, La Ligue the title; then at length, London, 1726, as
Henriade, in splendid 4to,by subscription (King, Prince and Princess of Wales at the top of it), which
yielded 8,000 pounds: see Voltaire, OEuvres Completes, xiii. 408.] An incomparable piece, patronized by
Royalty in England; the delight of all kindred Courts. The light dancing march of this new "Epic," and the
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brisk clash of cymbal music audible in it, had, as we find afterwards, greatly captivated the young man. All is
not pipeclay, then, and torpid formalism; aloft from the murk of commonplace rise glancings of a starry
splendor, betokeningoh, how much!
Out of Books, rumors and experiences, young imagination is forming to itself some Picture of the World as it
is, as it has been. The curtains of this strange lifetheatre are mounting, mounting, wondrously as in the
case of all young souls; but with what specialties, moods or phenomena of light and shadow, to this young
soul, is not in any point recorded for us. The "early Letters to Wilhelmina, which exist in great numbers,"
from these we had hoped elucidation: but these the learned Editor has "wholly withheld as useless," for the
present. Let them be carefully preserved, on the chance of somebody's arising to whom they may have
uses!
The worst feature of these years is Friedrich Wilhelm's discontent with them. A CrownPrince sadly out of
favor with Papa. This has long been on the growing hand; and these DoubleMarriage troubles, not to
mention again the newfangled French tendencies (BLITZ FRANZOSEN!), much aggravate the matter, and
accelerate its rate of growth. Already the paternal countenance does not shine upon him; flames often; and
thunders, to a shocking degree;and worse days are coming.
Chapter II. DEATH OF GEORGE I.
Gibraltar still keeps sputtering; ardent ineffectual bombardment from the one side, sulky, heavy blast of
response now and then from the other: but the fire does not spread; nor will, we may hope. It is true, Sweden
and Denmark have joined the Treaty of Hanover, this spring; and have troops on foot, and money paid them;
But George is pacific; Gibraltar is impregnable; let the Spaniards spend their powder there.
As for the Kaiser, he is dreadfully poor; inapt for battle himself. And in the end of this same May, 1727, we
hear, his principal ally, Czarina Catherine, has died;poor brown little woman, Lithuanian housemaid,
Russian Autocrat, it is now all one; dead she, and can do nothing. Probably the Kaiser will sit still? The
Kaiser sits still; with eyes bent on Gibraltar, or rolling in graud Imperial inquiry and anxiety round the world;
waroutlooks much dimmed for him since the end of May.
Alas, in the end of June, what far other Job'spost is this that reaches Berlin and Queen Sophie? That George
I., her royal Father, has suddenly sunk dead! With the Solstice, or Summer pause of the Sun, 21st or 22d
June, almost uncertain which, the Majesty of George I. did likewise pause,in his carriage, on the road to
Osnabruck,never to move more. Whereupon, among the simple People, arose rumors of omens,
preternaturalisms, for and against: How his desperate Megaera of a Wife, in the act of dying, had summoned
him (as was presumable), to appear along with her at the Great JudgmentBar within year and day; and how
he has here done it. On the other hand, some would have it noted, How "the nightingales in Herrenhausen
Gardens had all ceased singing for the year, that night he died,"out of loyalty on the part of these little
birds, it seemed presumable. [See Kohler, Munzbelustigungen, x. 88.]
What we know is, he was journeying towards Hanover again, hopeful of a little hunting at the Gorhde; and
intended seeing Osnabruck and his Brother the Bishop there, as he passed. That day, 21st June, 1727, from
some feelings of his own, he was in great haste for Osnabruck; hurrying along by extrapost, without real
cause save hurry of mind. He had left his poor old Maypole of a Mistress on the Dutch Frontier, that morning,
to follow at more leisure. He was struck by apoplexy on the road,arm fallen powerless, early in the day,
head dim and heavy; obviously an alarming case. But he refused to stop anywhere; refused any surgery but
such as could be done at once. "Osnabruck! Osnabruck!" he reiterated, growing visibly worse. Two subaltern
Hanover Officials, "PrivyCouncillor von Hardenberg, KAMMERHERR (Chamberlain) von Fabrice, were
in the carriage with him;" [Gottfried, Historische Chronik (Frankfurt, 1759), iii. 872. Boyer, The Political
State of Great Britain, vol. xxxiii. pp. 545, 546.] King chiefly dozing, and at last supported in the arms of
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Fabrice, was heard murmuring, "C'EST FAIT DE MOI ('T is all over with me)!" And "Osnabruck!
Osnabruck!" slumberously reiterated he: To Osnabruck, where my poor old Brother, Bishop as they call him,
once a little Boy that trotted at my knee with blithe face, will have some human pity on me! So they rushed
along all day, as at the gallop, his few attendants and he; and when the shades of night fell, and speech had
now left the poor man, he still passionately gasped some gurgle of a sound like "Osnabruck;" hanging in
the arms of Fabrice, and now evidently in the article of death. What a gallop, sweeping through the slumber
of the world: To Osnabruck, Osnabruck!
In the hollow of the night (some say, one in the morning), they reach Osnabruck. And the poor old
Brother,Ernst August, once youngest of six brothers, of seven children, now the one survivor, has human
pity in the heart of him full surely. But George is dead; careless of it now. [Coxe (i. 266) is "indebted to his
friend Nathaniel Wraxall" for these details,the since famous Sir Nathaniel, in whose Memoirs (vague, but
NOT mendacious, not unintelligent) they are now published more at large. See his Memoirs of the Courts of
Berlin, Dresden, (London. 1799), i. 3540; also Historical Memoirs (London, 1836), iv. 516518.] After
sixtyseven years of it, he has flung his big burdens, English crowns, Hanoverian crownlets, sulkinesses,
indignations, lean women and fat, and earthly contradictions and confusions, fairly off him; and lies there.
The man had his big burdens, big honors so called, absurd enough some of them, in this world; but he bore
them with a certain gravity and discretion: a man of more probity, insight and general human faculty than he
now gets credit for. His word was sacred to him. He had the courage of a Welf, or LionMan; quietly royal in
that respect at least. His sense of equity, of what was true and honorable in men and things, remained
uneffaced to a respectable degree; and surely it had resisted much. Wilder puddle of muddy infatuations from
without and from within, if we consider it well,of irreconcilable incoherences, bottomless universal
hypocrisies, solecisms bred with him and imposed on him,few sons of Adam had hitherto lived in.
He was, in one word, the first of our Hanover Series of English Kings; that hitherto unique sort, who are
really strange to look at in the History of the World. Of whom, in the English annals, there is hitherto no
Picture to be had; nothing but an empty blur of discordant nonsenses, and idle, generally angry, flourishings
of the pen, by way of Picture. The English Nation, having flung its old Puritan, SwordandBible Faith into
the cesspool,or rather having set its old BibleFaith, MINUS any Sword, well up in the organloft, with
plenty of revenue, there to preach and organ at discretion, on condition always of meddling with nobody's
practice farther,thought the same (such their mistake) a mighty pretty arrangement; but found it hitch
before long. They had to throw out their beautiful NellGwynn Defenders of the Faith; fling them also into
the cesspool; and were rather at a loss what next to do. "Where is our real King, then? Who IS to lead us
Heavenward, then; to rally the noble of us to him, in some small measure, and save the rest and their affairs
from running Devilward?"The English Nation being in some difficulty as to Kings, the English Nation
clutched up the readiest that came to hand; "Here is our King!" said they,again under mistake, still under
their old mistake. And, what was singular, they then avenged themselves by mocking, calumniating, by
angrily speaking, writing and laughing at the poor mistaken King so clutched!It is high time the English
were candidly asking themselves, with very great seriousness indeed, WHAT it was they had done, in the
sight of God and man, on that and the prior occasion? And above all, What it is they will now propose to do
in the sequel of it! Dig goldnuggets, and rally the IGnoble of us?
George's poor lean Mistress, coming on at the usual rate of the road, was met, next morning, by the sad
tidings. She sprang from her carriage into the dusty highway; tore her hair (or headdress), halffrantic;
declared herself a ruined woman; and drove direct to Berlin, there to compose her old mind. She was not ill
seen at Court there; had her connections in the world. Fieldmarshal Schulenburg, who once had the honor of
fighting (not to his advantage) with Charles XII., and had since grown famous by his AntiTurk
performances in the Venetian service, is a Brother of this poor Maypole's; and there is a Nephew of hers, one
of Friedrich Wilhelm's FieldOfficers here, whom we shall meet by and by. She has been obliging to Queen
Sophie on occasions; they can, and do, now weep heartily together. I believe she returned to England, being
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Duchess of Kendal, with heavy pensions there; and "assiduously attended divine ordinances, according to the
German Protestant form, ever afterwards." Poor foolish old soul, what is this world, with all its dukeries!
The other or fat Mistress, "Cataract of fluid Tallow," Countess of Darlington, whom I take to have been a
HalfSister rather, sat sorrowful at Isleworth; and kept for many years a Black Raven, which had come flying
in upon her; which she somehow understood to be the soul, or connected with the soul, of his Majesty of
happy memory. [Horace Walpole, Reminiscences. ] Good Heavens, what fat fluidtallowy stupor, and
entirely sordid darkness, dwells among mankind; and occasionally finds itself lifted to the very top, by way
of sample!
Friedrich Wilhelm wept tenderly to Brigadier Dubourgay, the British Minister at Berlin (an old military
gentleman, of diplomatic merit, who spells rather ill), when they spoke of this sad matter. My poor old Uncle;
he was so good to me in boyhood, in those old days, when I blooded Cousin George's nose! Not unkind, ah,
only proud and sad; and was called sulky, being of few words and heavyladen. Ah me, your Excellenz; if
the little nightingales have a11 fallen silent, what may not I, his Son and sephew, do?And the rugged
Majesty blubbered with great tenderness; having fountains of tears withal, hidden in the rocky heart of him,
not suspected by every one. [Dubourgay's Despatches, in the StatePaper Office.]
I add only that the Fabrice, who had poor George in his arms that night, is a man worth mentioning. The same
Fabrice (Fabricius, or perhaps GOLDSCHMIDT in German) who went as Envoy from the HolsteinGottorp
people to Charles XII. in his Turkish time; and stayed with his Swedish Majesty there, for a year or two,
indeed till the catastrophe came. His Official LETTERS from that scene are in print, this long while, though
considerably forgotten; [ Anecdotes du Sejour du Roi de Suide a Bender, ou Lettres de M. le Baron de
Fabrice pour servir d'elaircissement a l'Histoire de Charles XII. (Hambourg, 1760, 8vo).] a little Volume,
worth many big ones that have been published on that subject. The same Fabrice, following Hanover
afterwards, came across to London in due course; and there he did another memorable thing: made
acquaintance with the Monsieur Arouet, then a young French Exile there, Arouet Junior ("LE JEUNE or L.
J."), who, by an ingenious anagram, contrived in his indignation at such banishment,writes himself
VOLTAIRE ever since; who has been publishing a HENRIADE, and doing other things. Now it was by
questioning this Fabrice, and industriously picking the memory of him clean, that M. de Voltaire wrote
another book, much more of an "Epic" than Henri IV.,a HISTORY, namely, OF CHARLES XII.; [See
Voltaire, OEuvres Completes, ii. 149, xxx. 7, 127. Came out in 1731 (ib. xxx. AvantPropos, p. ii).] which
seems to me the bestwritten of all his Books, and wants nothing but TRUTH (indeed a dreadful want) to
make it a possession forever. VOLTAIRE, if you want fine writing; ADLERFELD and FABRICE, if you would
see the features of the Fact: these three are still the Books upon Charles XII.
HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY FALLS INTO ONE OF HIS HYPOCHONDRIACALFITS.
Before this event, his Majesty was in gloomy humor; and special vexations had superadded themselves. Early
in the Spring, a difficult huff of quarrel, the consummation of a good many grudges long subsisting, had
fallen out with his neighbor of Saxony, the Majesty of Poland, August, whom we have formerly heard of, a
conspicuous Majesty in those days; called even "August the Great" by some persons in his own time; but now
chiefly remembered by his splendor of upholstery, his enormous expenditure in drinking and otherwise, also
by his three hundred and fiftyfour Bastards (probably the maximum of any King's performance in that line),
and called August DER STARKE, "August the Physically Strong." This exemplary Sovereign could not well
be a man according to Friedrich Wilhelm's heart: accordingly they had their huffs and little collisions now
and then: that of the Protestant Directorate and Heidelberg Protestants, for instance; indeed it was generally
about Protestantism; and more lately there had been high words and correspondings about the "Protestants of
Thorn" (a bad tragedy, of Jesuit intrusion and Polish ferocity, enacted there in 1724); [Account of it in
Buchholz, i. 98102.]in which sad business Friedrich Wilhelm loyally interfered, though Britannic George
of blessed memory and others were but lukewarm; and nothing could be done in it. Nothing except angry
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Chapter II. DEATH OF GEORGE I. 247
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correspondence with King August; very provoking to the poor soul, who had no hand but a nominal one in
the Thorn catastrophe, being driven into it by his unruly Diet alone.
In fact, August, with his glittering eyes and excellent physical constitution, was a very goodhumored fellow;
supremely pleasant in society; and by no means wishful to cheat you, or do you a mischief in
business,unless his necessities compelled him; which often were great. But Friedrich Wilhelm always kept
a good eye on such points; and had himself suffered nothing from the gay eupeptic Son of Belial, either in
their old Stralsund copartnery or otherwise. So that, except for these Protestant affairs,and alas, one other
little cause,Friedrich Wilhelm had contentedly left the Physically Strong to his own course, doing the
civilities of the road to him when they met; and nothing ill had fallen out between them. This other little
causealas, it is the old story of recruiting; one's poor Hobby again giving offence! Special recruiting
brabbles there had been; severe laws passed in Saxony about these kidnapping operations: and always in the
Diets, when question rose of this matter, August had been particularly loud in his denouncings. Which was
unkind, though not unexpected. But now, in the Spring of 1727, here has a worse case than any arisen.
Captain Natzmer, of I know not what Prussian Regiment, "SachsenWeimar Cuirassiers" [ MilitairLexikon,
iii. 104.] or another, had dropt over into Saxony, to see what could be done in picking up a tall man or two.
Tall men, one or two, Captain Natzmer did pick up, nay a tall deserter or two (Saxon soldier, inveigled to
desert); but finding his operations get air, he hastily withdrew into Brandenburg territory again. Saxon
Officials followed him into Brandenburg territory; snapt him back into Saxon; tried him by Saxon law
there;Saxon law, express in such case, condemns him to be hanged; and that is his doom accordingly.
"Captain Natzmer to swing on the gallows? Taken on Brandenburg territory too, and not the least notice
given me?" Friedrich Wilhelm blazes into flaming whirlwind; sends an Official Gentleman, one Katsch, to
his Excellenz Baron von Suhm (the CrownPrince's cultivated friend), with this appalling message: "If
Natzmer be hanged, for certain I will use reprisals; you yourself shall swing!" Whereupon Suhm, in panic,
fled over the marches to his Master; who bullied him for his pusillanimous terrors; and applied to Friedrich
Wilhelm, in fine frenzy of indignant astonishment, "What, in Heaven's name, such meditated outrage on the
law of nations, and flat insult to the Majesty of Kings, can have meant?" Friedrich Wilhelm, the first fury
being spent, sees that he is quite out of square; disavows the reprisals upon Suhm. "Message misdelivered by
my Official Gentleman, that stupid Katsch; never did intend to hang Suhm; oh, no;" with much other
correspondence; [In Mauvillon (ii. 189195) more of it than any one will read.]and is very angry at
himself, and at the Natzmer affair, which has brought him into this bad pass. Into open impropriety; into
danger of an utter rupture, had King August been of quarrelsome turn. But King August was not quarrelsome;
and then Seckendorf and the TobaccoParliament,on the Kaiser's score, who wants Pragmatic Sanction
and much else out of these two Kings, and can at no rate have them quarrel in the present juncture,were
eager to quench the fire. King August let Natzmer go; Suhm returned to his post; [Pollnitz, ii. 254.] and
things hustled themselves into some uneasy posture of silence again;uneasy to the sensitive fancy of
Friedrich Wilhelm above all. This is his worst collision with his Neighbor of Saxony; and springing from
one's Hobby again!
These sorrows, the death of George I., with anxieties as to George II. and the course he might take; all this, it
was thought, preyed upon his Majesty's spirits;Wilhelmina says it was "the frequent carousals with
Seckendorf," and an affair chiefly of the royal digestiveapparatus. Like enough;or both might combine. It
is certain his Majesty fell into one of his hypochondrias at this time; talked of "abdicating" and other gloomy
things, and was very black indeed. So that Seckendorf and Grumkow began to be alarmed. It is several
months ago he had Franke the Halle Methodist giving ghostly counsel; his Majesty ceased to have the
Newspapers read at dinner; and listened to lugubrious Franke's exhortations instead. Did English readers ever
hear of Franke? Let them make a momentary acquaintance with this famous German Saint. August Hermann
Franke, a Lubeck man, born 1663; Professor of Theology, of Hebrew, Lecturer on the Bible; a wandering,
persecuted, pious man. Founder of the "Pietists," a kind of German Methodists, who are still a famed Sect in
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that country; and of the WAISENHAUS, at Halle, grand Orphanhouse, built by charitable beggings of
Franke, which also still subsists. A reverend gentleman, very mournful of visage, now sixtyfour; and for the
present, at Berlin, discoursing of things eternal, in what Wilhelmina thinks a very lugubrious manner. Well;
but surely in a very serious manner! The shadows of death were already round this poor Franke; and in a few
weeks more, he had himself departed. [Died 8th June, 1727.] But hear Wilhelmina, what account she gives of
her own and the young GrenadierMajor's behavior on these mournful occasions. Seckendorf's dinners she
considers to be the cause; all spiritual, sorrows only an adjunct not worth mentioning. It is certain enough.
"His Majesty began to become valetudinary; and the hypochondria which tormented him rendered his humor
very melancholy. Monsieur Franke, the famous Pietist, founder of the Orphanhouse at Halle University,
contributed not a little to exaggerate that latter evil. This reverend gentleman entertained the King by raising
scruples of conscience about the most innocent matters. He condemned all pleasures; damnable all of them,
he said, even hunting and music. You were to speak of nothing but the Word of God only; all other
conversation was forbidden. It was always he that carried on the improving talk at table; where he did the
office of reader, as if it had been a refectory of monks. The King treated us to a sermon every afternoon; his
valetdechambre gave out a psalm, which we all sang; you had to listen to this sermon with as much devout
attention as if it had been an apostle's. My Brother and I had all the mind in the world to laugh; we tried hard
to keep from laughing; but often we burst out. Thereupon reprimand, with all the anathemas of the Church
hurled out on us; which we had to take with a contrite penitent air, a thing not easy to bring your face to at the
moment. In a word, this dog of a Franke [he died within few months, poor soul, CE CHIEN DE FRANKE]
led us the life of a set of Monks of La Trappe.
"Such excess of bigotry awakened still more gothic thoughts in the King. He resolved to abdicate the crown
in favor of my Brother. He used to talk, He would reserve for himself 10,000 crowns a year; and retire with
the Queen and his Daughters to Wusterhausen. There, added he, I will pray to God; and manage the farming
economy, while my wife and girls take care of the household matters. You are clever, he said to me; I will
give you the inspection of the linen, which you shall mend and keep in order, taking good charge of laundry
matters. Frederika [now thirteen, married to ANSPACH two years hence], who is miserly, shall have charge
of all the stores of the house. Charlotte [now eleven, Duchess of BRUNSWICK by and by] shall go to market
and buy our provisions; and my Wife shall take charge of the little children, [says Friedrich Wilhelm], and of
the kitchen." [Little children are: 1. Sophie Dorothee, now eight, who married Margraf of Schwedt, and was
unhappy; 2. Ulrique, a grave little soul of seven, Queen of Sweden afterwards; 3. August Wilhelm, age now
five, became Father of a new Friedrich Wilhelm, who was King by and by, and produced the Kings that still
are; 4. Amelia, now four, born in the way we saw; and 5. HENRI, still in arms, just beginning to walk. There
will be a Sixth and no more (son of this Sixth, a Berlin ROUE was killed, in 1806, at the Battle of Jena, or a
day or two before); but the Sixth is not yet come to hand.]
Poor Friedrich Wilhelm; what an innocent IDYLLIUM;which cannot be executed by a King. "He had even
begun to work at an Instruction, or Farewell Advice, for my Brother;" and to point towards various steps,
which alarmed Grumkow and Seckendorf to a high degree." [Wilhelmina, Memoires de Bareith, i. 108.]
"Abdication," with a CrownPrince ready to fall into the arms of England, and a sudden finis to our
BlackArt, will by no means suit Seckendorf and Grumkow! Yet here is Winter coming; solitary
Wusterhausen, with the misty winds piping round it, will make matters worse: something must be contrived;
and what? The two, after study, persuade Fieldmarshal Flemming over at Warsaw (August the Strong's chief
man, the Flemming of Voltaire's CHARLES XII.; Prussian by birth, though this long while in Saxon service),
That if he the Fieldmarshal were to pay, accidentally, as it were, a little visit to his native Brandenburg just
now, it might have fine effects on those foolish BerlinWarsaw clouds that had risen. The Fieldmarshal, well
affected in such a case, manages the little visit, readily persuading the Polish Majesty; and dissipates the
clouds straightway,being well received by Friedrich Wilhelm, and seconded by the TobaccoParliament
with all its might. Out at Wusterhausen everything is comfortably settled. Nay Madam Flemming, young,
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brilliant, and direct from the seat of fashion; it was she that first "built up" Wilhelmina's hair on just
principles, and put some life into her appearance. [Wilhelmina, i. 117.] And now the Fieldmarshal
(TobaccoParliament suggesting it) hints farther, "If his Prussian Majesty, in the mere greatness of his mind,
were to appear suddenly in Dresden when his royal Friend was next there,what a sunburst after clouds
were that; how welcome to the Polish Majesty!""Hm, Na, would it, then?"The Polish Majesty puts that
out of question; specially sends invitation for the Carnivaltime just coming; and Friedrich Wilhelm will,
accordingly, see Dresden and him on that occasion. [Ib. i. 108, 109; Pollnitz, ii. 254; Fassman, p. 374.] In
those days, Carnival means "Fashionable Season," rural nobility rallying to headquarters for a while, and
social gayeties going on; and in Protestant Countries it means nothing more.
This, in substance, was the real origin of Friedrich Wilhelm's sudden visit to Dresden, which astonished the
world, in January next. It makes a great figure in the old Books. It did kindle Dresden Carnival and the
Physically Strong into supreme illumination, for the time being; and proved the seal of good agreement, and
even of a kind of friendliness between this heteroclite pair of Sovereigns,if anybody now cared for those
points. It is with our CrownPrince's share in it that we are alone concerned; and that may require a Chapter
to itself.
Chapter III. VISIT TO DRESDEN.
One of the most important adventures, for our young CrownPrince, was this visit of his, along with Papa, to
Dresden in the Carnival of 1728. Visit contrived by Seckendorf and Company, as we have seen, to divert the
King's melancholy, and without view to the CrownPrince at all. The CrownPrince, now sixteen, and not in
the best favor with his Father, had not been intended to accompany; was to stay at Potsdam and diligently
drill: nevertheless an estafette came for him from the gallant Polish Majesty; Wilhelmina had spoken a
word to good Suhm, who wrote to his King, and the hospitable message came. Friedrich made no
loitering,to Dresden is but a hundred miles, one good day;he arrived there on the morrow after his
Father; King "on the 14th January, 1728," dates Fassmann; "CrownPrince on the 15th," which I find was
Thursday. The CrownPrince lodged with Fieldmarshal Flemming; Friedrich Wilhelm, having come in no
state, refused King August's pressings, and took up his quarters with "the General Fieldmarshal Wackerbarth,
Commandant in Dresden,"pleasant old military gentleman, who had besieged Stralsund along with him in
times gone. Except Grumkow, Derschau and one or two of less importance, with the due minimum of
Valetry, he had brought no retinue; the CrownPrince had Finkenstein and Kalkstein with him, Tutor and
SubTutor, officially there. And he lodges with old Count Flemming and his clever fashionable
Madam,the diligent but unsuccessful Flemming, a courtier of the highest civility, though iracund, and
"with a passion for making Treaties," whom we know since Charles XII.'s time.
Amongst the round of splendors now set on foot, Friedrich Wilhelm had, by accident of Nature, the spectacle
of a house on fire, rather a symbolic one in those parts,afforded him, almost to start with. Deep in the
first Saturday night, or rather about two in the morning of Sunday, Wackerbarth's grand house, kindling by
negligence somewhere in the garrets, blazed up, irrepressible; and, with its endless upholsteries, with a fine
library even, went all into flame: so that his Majesty, scarcely saving his CHATOULLE (box of preciosities),
had to hurry out in undress;over to Flemming's where his Son was; where they both continued thenceforth.
This was the one touch of rough, amid so much of dulcet that occurred: no evil, this touch, almost rather
otherwise, except to poor Wackerbarth, whose fine House lay wrecked by it.
The visit lasted till February 12th, four weeks and a day. Never was such thricemagnificent Carnival
amusements: illuminations, cannonsalvoings and fireworks; operas, comedies, redoubts, sowbaitings, fox
and badgerbaiting, reviewing, running at the ring:dinners of neverimagined quality, this, as a daily item,
needs no express mention.
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To the young SoldierApprentice all this was, of course, in pleasant contrast with the Potsdam Guardhouse;
and Friedrich Wilhelm himself is understood to have liked at least the dinners, and the airy courteous ways,
light tablewit and extreme good humor of the host. A successful visit; burns off like successful fireworks,
piece after piece: and what more is to be said? Of all this nothing;nor, if we could help it, of another little
circumstance, not mentioned by the Newspapers or Fassmann, which constitutes the meaning of this Visit for
us now. It is a matter difficult to handle in speech. An English Editor, chary of such topics, will let two
witnesses speak, credible both, though not eyewitnesses; and leave it to the reader so. Babbling Pollnitz is
the first witness; he deposes, after alluding to the sumptuous dinings and drinkings there:
"One day the two Kings, after dinner, went in domino to the redoubt [RIDOTTO, what we now call ROUT or
evening party]. August had a mind to take an opportunity, and try whether the reports of Friedrich Wilhelm's
indifference to the fair sex were correct or not. To this end, he had had a young damsel (JUNGE PERSON) of
extraordinary beauty introduced into some sideroom; where they now entered. She was lying on a bed, in a
loose gauzy undress; and though masked, showed so many charms to the eye that the imagination could not
but judge very favorably of the rest. The King of Poland approached, in that gallant way of his, which had
gained him such favor with women. He begged her to unmask; she at first affected reluctance, and would not.
He then told her who he was; and said, He hoped she would not refuse, when two Kings begged her to show
them this complaisance. She thereupon took off her mask, and showed them one of the loveliest faces in the
world. August seemed quite enchanted; and said, as if it had been the first time he ever saw her, He could not
comprehend how so bewitching a beauty had hitherto remained unknown to him.
"Friedrich Wilhelm could not help looking at her. He said to the King of Poland, 'She is very beautiful, it
must be owned;'but at the same instant turned his eyes away from her; and left the room, and the ridotto
altogether without delay; went home, and shut himself in his room. He then sent for Herr von Grumkow, and
bitterly complained that the King of Poland wanted to tempt him. Herr von Grumkow, who was neither so
chaste nor so conscientious as the King, was for making a jest of the matter; but the King took a very serious
tone; and commanded him to tell the King of Poland in his name, 'That he begged him very much not to
expose him again to accidents of that nature, unless he wished to have him quit Dresden at once.' Herr von
Grumkow did his message. The King of Poland laughed heartily at it; went straight to Friedrich Wilhelm, and
excused himself. The King of Prussia, however, kept his grim look; so that August ceased joking, and turned
the dialogue on some other subject." [Pollnitz, ii. 256.]
This is Pollnitz's testimony, gathered from the whispers of the Tabagie, or rumors in the Courtcircles, and
may be taken as indisputable in the main. Wilhelmina, deriving from similar sources, and equally uncertain in
details, paints more artistically; nor has she forgotten the sequel for her Brother, which at present is the
essential circumstance:
"One evening, when the rites of Bacchus had been well attended to, the King of Poland led the King [my
Father], strolling about, by degrees, into a room very richly ornamented, all the furniture and arrangements of
which were in a quite exquisite taste. The King, charmed with what he saw, paused to contemplate the
beauties of it a little; when, all on a sudden, a curtain rose, and displayed to him one of the most extraordinary
sights. It was a girl in the condition of our First Parents, carelessly lying on a bed. This creature was more
beautiful than they paint Venus and the Graces; she presented to view a form of ivory whiter than snow, and
more gracefully shaped than the Venus de' Medici at Florence. The cabinet which contained this treasure was
lighted by so many waxcandles that their brilliancy dazzled you, and gave a new splendor to the beauties of
the goddess.
"The Authors of this fine comedy did not doubt but the object would make an impression on the King's heart;
but it was quite otherwise. No sooner had he cast his eyes on the beauty than he whirled round with
indignation; and seeing my Brother behind him, he pushed him roughly out of the room, and immediately
quitted it himself; very angry at the scene they had been giving him, He spoke of it, that same evening, to
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Grumkow, in very strong terms; and declared with emphasis that if the like frolics were tried on him again, he
would at once quit Dresden.
"With my Brother it was otherwise. In spite of the King's care, he had got a full view of that Cabinet Venus;
and the sight of her did not inspire in him so much horror as in his father." [Wilhelmina, i. 112.]Very
likely not!And in fact, "he obtained her from the King of Poland, in a rather singular way (d'une facon
assez singuliere)" describable, in condensed terms, as follows:
Wilhelmina says, her poor Brother had been already charmed over head and ears by a gay young baggage of
a Countess Orzelska; a very high and airy Countess there; whose history is not to be touched, except upon
compulsion, and as if with a pair of tongs, thrice famous as she once was in this Saxon Court of
Beelzebub. She was King August's natural daughter; a French milliner in Warsaw had produced her for him
there. In due time, a male of the three hundred and fiftyfour, one Rutowski, soldier by profession, whom we
shall again hear of, took her for mistress; regardless of natural halfsisterhood, which perhaps he did not
know of. The admiring Rutowski, being of a participative turn, introduced her, after a while, to his honored
parent and hers; by whom next Heavens, human language is unequal to the history of such things! And it is
in this capacity she now shines supreme in the Saxon Court; ogling poor young Fritz, and driving him
distracted;which phenomenon the Beelzebub ParentLover noticed with pain and jealousy, it would
appear.
"His Polish Majesty distinguished her extremely," says Pollnitz, [ Memoires, ii.261.] "and was continually
visiting her; so that the universal inference was"to the above unspeakable effect. "She was of fine figure;
had something grand in her air and carriage, and the prettiest humor in the world. She often appeared in men's
clothes, which became her very well. People said she was extremely openhanded;" as indeed the Beelzebub
ParentLover was of the like quality (when he had cash about him), and to her, at this time, he was profuse
beyond limit. Truly a tempting aspect of the Devil, this expensive Orzelska: something beautiful in her, if
there are no Laws in this Universe; not so beautiful, if there are! Enough to turn the head of a poor
CrownPrince, if she like, for some time. He is just sixteen gone; one of the prettiest lads and sprightliest; his
homage, clearly enough, is not disagreeable to the baggage. Wherefore jealous August, the
BeelzebubParent, takes his measures; signifies to Fritz, in direct terms, or by discreet diplomatic hints and
innuendoes, That he can have the Cabinet Venus (Formera her name, of Operasinger kind);hoping
thereby that the Orzelska will be left alone in time coming. A "facon assez singuliere" for a Sovereign
Majesty and Beelzebub ParentLover, thinks Wilhelmina.
Thus has our poor Fritz fallen into the wake of Beelzebub; and is not in a good way. Under such and no better
guidance, in this illicit premature manner, he gets his introduction to the paradise of the world. The Formera,
beautiful as painted Chaos; yes, her; and why not, after a while, the Orzelska too, all the same? A
wonderful ArmidaGarden, sure enough. And cannot one adore the painted divine beauties there (lovely as
certain apples of the Dead Sea), for some time?The miseries all this brought into his existence,into his
relations with a Father very rigorous in principle, and with a Universe still more so,for years to come, were
neither few nor small. And that is the main outcome of the Dresden visitings for him and us.
Great pledges pass between the two Kings; Prussian CrownPrince decorated with the Order of the Saxon
Eagle, or what supreme distinction they had: Rutowski taken over to Berlin to learn war and drill, where he
did not remain long: in fact a certain liking seems to have risen between the two heteroclite individualities,
which is perhaps worth remembering as a point in natural history, if not otherwise. One other small result of
the visit is of pictorial nature. In the famed Dresden Gallery there is still a Picture, high up, visible if you
have glasses, where the Saxon CourtPainter, on Friedrich Wilhelm's bidding it is said, soon after these
auspicious occurrences, represents the two Majesties as large as life, in their respective costumes and features
(short Potsdam GrenadierColonel and tall Saxon Darius or Sardanapalus), in the act of shaking hands;
symbolically burying past grudges, and swearing eternal friendship, so to speak. [Forster, i. 226.] To this
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Editor the Picture did not seem good for much; but Friedrich Wilhelm's Portrait in it, none of the best, may be
of use to travelling friends of his who have no other.
The visit ended on the 12th of February, as the Newspapers testify. Long before daybreak, at three in the
morning, Friedrich Wilhelm, "who had smoked after dinner till nine the night before," and taken leave of
everybody, was on the road; but was astonished to find King August and the Electoral Prince or
HeirApparent (who had privately sat up for the purpose) insist on conducting him to his carriage. [Boyer,
xxxv. l98.] "Great tokens of affection," known to the Newspapers, there were; and one token not yet known, a
promise on King August's part that he would return this evermemorable compliment in person at Potsdam
and Berlin in a few months. Remember, then!
As for the poor CrownPrince, whom already his Father did not like, he now fell into circumstances more
abstruse than ever in that and other respects. Bad health, a dangerous lingering fit of that, soon after his return
home, was one of the first consequences. Frequent fits of bad health, for some years coming; with ominous
rumors, consultations of physicians, and reports to the paternal Majesty, which produced small comfort in
that quarter. The sad truth, dimly indicated, is sufficiently visible: his life for the next four or five years was
"extremely dissolute." Poor young man, he has got into a disastrous course; consorts chiefly with debauched
young fellows, as Lieutenants Katte, Keith, and others of their stamp, who lead him on ways not pleasant to
his Father, nor conformable to the Laws of this Universe. Health, either of body or of mind, is not to be
looked for in his present way of life. The bright young soul, with its fine strengths and gifts; wallowing like a
young rhinoceros in the mudbath:some say, it is wholesome for a human soul; not we!
All this is too certain; rising to its height in the years we are now got to, and not ending for four or five years
to come: and the reader can conceive all this, and whether its effects were good or not. Friedrich Wilhelm's
oldstanding disfavor is converted into open aversion and protest, many times into fits of sorrow, rage and
despair, on his luckless Son's behalf;and it appears doubtful whether this bright young human soul,
comparable for the present to a rhinoceros wallowing in the mudbath, with nothing but its snout visible, and
a dirty gurgle all the sound it makes, will ever get out again or not.
The rhinoceros soul got out; but not uninjured; alas, no; bitterly polluted, tragically dimmed of its finest
radiances for the remainder of life. The distinguished Sauerteig, in his SPRINGWURZELN, has these words:
"To burn away, in mad waste, the divine aromas and plainly celestial elements from our existence; to change
our holyofholies into a place of riot; to make the soul itself hard, impious, barren! Surely a day is coming,
when it will be known again what virtue is in purity and continence of life; how divine is the blush of young
human cheeks; how high, beneficent, sternly inexorable if forgotten, is the duty laid, not on women only, but
on every creature, in regard to these particulars? Well; if such a day never come again, then I perceive much
else will never come. Magnanimity and depth of insight will never come; heroic purity of heart and of eye;
noble pious valor, to amend us and the age of bronze and lacquer, how can they ever come? The scandalous
bronzelacquer age, of hungry animalisms, spiritual impotencies and mendacities, will have to run its course,
till the Pit swallow it."
In the case of Friedrich, it is certain such a day never fully came. The "age of bronze and lacquer," so as it
then stood, relieved truly by a backbone of real Spartan IRON (of right battle STEEL when needed): this
was all the world he ever got to dream of. His ideal, compared to that of some, was but low; his existence a
hard and barren, though a genuine one, and only worth much memory in the absence of better. Enough of all
that.
THE PHYSICALLY STRONG PAYS HIS COUNTERVISIT.
August the Strong paid his Returnvisit in May following. Of which sublime transaction, stupendous as it
then was to the Journalistic mind, we should now make no mention, except for its connection with those
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points,and more especially for a foolish rumor, which now rose about Prince Fred and the
DoubleMarriage, on occasion of it. The magnificence of this visit and reception being so extreme,King
August, for one item, sailing to it, with sound of trumpet and hautbois, in silken flotillas gayer than
Cleopatra's, down the Elbe,there was a rush towards Berlin of what we will not call the scum, but must call
the foam of mankind, rush of the idle moneyed populations from all countries; and such a crowd there, for the
three weeks, as was seldom seen. Foam everywhere is stirred up, and encouraged to get under way.
Prince Frederick of Hanover and England, "Duke of Edinburgh" as they now call him, "Duke of Gloucester"
no longer, it would seem, nor "Prince of Wales" as yet; he, foamy as another, had thoughts of coming; and
rumor of him rose very high in Berlin,how high we have still singular proof. Here is a myth, generated in
the busy CourtImagination of Berlin at this time; written down by Pollnitz as plain fact afterwards; and from
him idly copied into COXE [Coxe's Walpole (London, 1798), i. 520.] and other English Books. We abridge
from watery Pollnitz, taking care of any sense he has. This is what ran in certain highfrizzled heads then and
there: and was dealt out in whispers to a privileged few, watery Pollnitz's informers among them, till they got
a myth made of it. Frederick Duke of Edinburgh, second hope of England at this time, he is the hero.
It appears, this loose young gentleman, standing in no favor with his sovereign Father, had never yet been
across to England, the royal Parent preferring rather not to have him in sight; and was living idle at Hanover;
very eager to be wedded to Wilhelmina, as one grand and at present grandest resource of his existence. It is
now May, 1728; and Frederick Duke of Edinburgh is twentyone. He writes to his Aunt and intended
Motherinlaw, Queen Sophie (date not ascertainable to a day, Note burnt as soon as read): "That he can
endure this tantalizing suspense no longer; such endless higgling about a supreme blessedness, virtually
agreed upon, may be sport to others, but is death to him. That he will come privately at once, and wed his
Wilhelmina; and so make an end; the bigwigs to adjust it afterwards as they can and may." Whereupon
Sophie Dorothee, gladdest of women, sends for Dubourgay the British Ambassador (Brigadier Dubourgay,
the respectable old gentleman who spells ill, who is strong for the DoubleMarriage always), to tell him what
fine news there is, and what answer she has sent. Respectable Dubourgay stands silent, with lengthening face:
"Your Majesty, how unfortunate that I of all men now hear it! I must instantly despatch a courier with the
news to London!" And the respectable man, stoically deaf to her Majesty's entreaties, to all considerations but
that of his evident duty, "sends the courier" (thinks Pollnitz);nips thereby that fine Hanover speculation in
the bud, sees Prince Fred at once summoned over to England, and produces several effects. Nearly the whole
of which, on examining the Documents, [Dubourgay's Despatches (1728: 29 May, 1 June, 5 October), in the
StatePaper Office here.] proves to be myth.
Pollnitz himself adds two circumstances, in regard to it, which are pretty impossible: as, first, that Friedrich
Wilhelm had joyfully consented to this clandestine marriage, and was eagerly waiting for it; second, that
George II. too had privately favored or even instigated the adventure, being at heart willing to escape the
trouble of Messages to Parliament, to put his Son in the wrong, and I know not what. [Pollnitz, ii. 272274.]
The particles of fact in the affair are likewise two: First, that Queen Sophie, and from her the Courtier Public
generally, expected the Hanover Royal Highness, who probably had real thoughts of seeing Berlin and his
Intended, on this occasion; Dubourgay reports daily rumors of the Royal Highness being actually "seen" there
in an evanescent manner; and Wilhelmina says, her Mother was so certain of him, "she took every ass or
mule for the Royal Highness,"heartily indifferent to Wilhelmina. This is the first particle of fact. The
Second is, that a subaltern Official about the Royal Highness, one Lamothe of Hanover, who had appeared in
Berlin about that time, was thrown into prison not long after, for what misbehavior none knew,for
encouraging dissolute Royal Highness in wild schemes, it was guessed. And so the Myth grew, and was
found ready for Pollnitz and his followers. Royal Highness did come over to England; not then as the Myth
bears, but nine months afterwards in December next; and found other means of irritating his imperative,
flighty, irascible and rather foolish little Father, in an everincreasing degree. "Very coldly received at
Court," it is said: ill seen by Walpole and the Powers; being too likely to become a focus of Opposition there.
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The Visit, meanwhile, though there came no Duke of Edinburgh to see it, was sublime in the extreme; Polish
Majesty being magnificence itself; and the frugal Friedrich Wilhelm lighting up his dim Court into
insurpassable brilliancy, regardless of expense; so that even the Smoking Parliament (where August attended
now and then) became luminous. The CrownPrince, who in late months had languished in a state of
miserable health, in a manner ominous to his physicians, confined mostly to his room or his bed, was now
happily on foot again;and Wilhelmina notes one circumstance which much contributed to his recovery:
That the fair Orzelska had attended her natural (or unnatural) Parent, on this occasion; and seemed to be, as
Wilhelmina thinks, uncommonly kind to the CrownPrince. The HeirApparent of Saxony, a taciturn,
inoffensive, rather opaquelooking gentleman, now turned of thirty, and gone over to Papistry long since,
with views to be King of Poland by and by, which proved effectual as we shall find, was also here: Count
Bruhl, too, still in a very subaltern capacity, and others whom we and the CrownPrince shall have to know.
The HeirApparent's Wife (actual Kaiser's Niece, late Kaiser Joseph's Daughter, a severe Austrian lady,
haughtier than lovely) has stayed at home in Dresden.
But here, at first hand, is a slight view of that unique Polish Majesty, the Saxon Man of Sin; which the reader
may be pleased to accept out of idle curiosity, if for no better reason. We abridge from Wilhelmina; [i. 124.]
whom Fassmann, kindled to triple accuracy by this grand business, is at hand to correct where needful: [ Des
glorwurdigsten Fursten und Herrn, Herrn Friedrich Augusti des Grossen Leben und HeldenThaten (Of that
most glorious Prince and Lord, Lord Friedrich August the Great, King of Poland, the Life and Heroic Deeds),
by D. F. (David Fassmann), Frankfurt and Leipzig, 1734; 12mo, pp. 1040. A work written with upturned eyes
of prostrate admiration for "DERO MAJESTAT" ('Theiro' Majesty) AUGUST THE GREAT;" exact too, but
dealing merely with the CLOTHES of the matter, and such a matter: work unreadable, except on compulsion,
to the stupidest mortal. The same Fassmann, who was at the Fair of St. Germain, who lodged sometimes with
the Potsdam Giant, and whose ways are all fallen dark to us.] "The King of Poland arrived upon us at Berlin
on the 29th of May," says Wilhelmina; had been at Potsdam, under Friedrich Wilhelm's care, for three days
past: Saturday afternoon, 29th May, 1728; that is with exactitude the evermemorable date.
He paid his respects in her Majesty's apartment, for an instant, that evening; but made his formal visit next
day. Very grand indeed. Carried by two shining particolored creatures, heyducs socalled, through double
rows of mere peerages and sublimities, in a sublime sedan (being lame of a foot, foot lately amputated of two
toes, sore still open): "in a sedan covered with red velvet gallooned with gold," says the devout Fassmann,
tremblingly exact, "up the grand staircase along the grand Gallery;" in which supreme region (Apartments of
the late King Friedrich of gorgeous memory) her Majesty now is for the occasion. "The Queen received him
at the door of her third Antechamber," says Wilhelmina; third or outmost Antechamber, end of that grand
Gallery and its peerages and shining creatures: "he gave the Queen his hand, and led her in." We Princesses
were there, at least the grown ones of us were. All standing, except the Queen only. "He refused to sit, and
again refused;" stoically talked graciosities, disregarding the pain of his foot; and did not, till refusal
threatened to become uncivil, comply with her Majesty's entreaties. "How unpolite!" smiled he to us young
ones. "He had a majestic port and physiognomy; an affable polite air accompanied all his movements, all his
actions." Kind of stereotyped smile on his face; nothing of the inner gloom visible on our Charles II. and
similar men of sin. He looked often at Wilhelmina, and was complimentary to a degree,for reasons
undivinable to Wilhelmina. For the rest, "much broken for his age;" the terrible debaucheries (LES
DEBAUCHES TERRIBLES) having had their effect on him. He has fallen Widower last year. His poor Wife
was a BrandenburgBaireuth Princess; a devout kind of woman; austerely witnessing the irremediable in her
lot. He has got far on with his three hundred and fiftyfour; is now going fiftyfive;lame of a foot, as we
see, which the great Petit of Paris cannot cure, neither he nor any Surgeon, but can only alleviate by cutting
off two toes. Pink of politeness, no doubt of it; but otherwise the strangest dilapidated hulk of a twolegged
animal without feathers; probably, in fact, the chief Natural Solecism under the Sun at that
epoch;extremely complimentary to us Princesses, to me especially. "He quitted her Majesty's Apartment
after an hour's conversation: she rose to reconduct him, but he would by no manner of means permit
that,"and so vanished, carried off doubtless by the shining creatures again. The "Electoral Prince"
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HeirApparent, next made his visit; but he was a dry subject in comparison, of whom no Princess can say
much. Prince Friedrich will know him better by and by.
Young Maurice, "Count of Saxony," famed afterwards as MARECHAL DE SAXE, he also is here with his
HalfSister Orzelska and the others, in the train of the paternal Man of Sin; and makes acquaintance with
Friedrich. He is son of the female Konigsmark called Aurora ("who alone of mortals could make Charles
Twelfth fly his ground"); nephew, therefore, of the male Konigsmark who was cut down long ago at
Hanover, and buried in the fireplace. He resembles his Father in strength, vivacity, above all things in
debauchery, and disregard of finance. They married him at the due years to some poor rich woman; but with
her he has already ended; with her and with many others. Courland, Adrienne Lecouvreur, Anne Iwanowna
with the big cheek:the reader has perhaps searched out these things for himself from the dull
HistoryBooks;or perhaps it was better for him if he never sought them? Dukedom of Courland, connected
with Polish sovereignty, and now about to fall vacant, was one of Count Maurice's grand sallies in the world.
Adrienne Lecouvreur, foolish French Actress, lent him all the 30,000 pounds she had gathered by holding the
mirror up to Nature and otherwise, to prosecute this Courland business; which proved impossible for him. He
was adventurous enough, audacious enough; fought well; but the problem was, To fall in love with the
Dowager Anne Iwanowna, Cousin of Czar Peter II.; big brazen Russian woman (such a cheek the Pictures
give her, in size and somewhat in expression like a Westphalia ham!), who was Widow of the last active
Duke:and this, with all his adventurous audacity, Count Maurice could not do. The big Widow discovered
that he did not like Westphalia hams in that particular form; that he only pretended to like them; upon which,
in just indignation, she disowned and dismissed him; and falling herself to be Czarina not long afterwards,
and taking Bieren the Courlander for her beloved, she made Bieren Duke, and Courland became impossible
for Count Maurice.
However, he too is a dashing young fellow; "circular black eyebrows, eyes glittering bright, partly with
animal vivacity, partly with spiritual;" stands six feet in his stockings, breaks horseshoes with his hands; full
of irregular ingenuity and audacity; has been soldiering about, ever since birth almost; and understands many
a thing, though the worst SPELLER ever known. With him too young Fritz is much charmed: the flower, he,
of the illegitimate three hundred and fiftyfour, and probably the chief achievement of the Saxon Man of Sin
in this world, where he took such trouble. Friedrich and he maintained some occasional correspondence
afterwards; but, to judge by Friedrich's part of it (mere polite congratulations on Fontenoy, and the like), it
must have been of the last vacuity; and to us it is now absolute zero, however clearly spelt and printed.
[Given altogether in OEuvres de Frederic le Grand, xvii. 300309. See farther, whoever has curiosity,
Preuss, Friedrichs Lebensgeschichte, iii. 167169; Espagnac, Vie du Comte de Saxe (a good little military
Book, done into German, Leipzig, 1774, 2 vols.); Cramer, Denkwurdigkeiten der Grafin Aurora von
Konigsmark (Leipzig, 1836);
The Physically Strong, in some three weeks, after kindling such an effulgence about Berlin as was never seen
before or since in Friedrich Wilhelm's reign, went his way again,"towards Poland for the Diet," or none of
us cares whither or for what. Here at Berlin he has been sublime enough. Some of the phenomena surpassed
anything Wilhelmina ever saw: such floods and rows of resplendent people crowding in to dinner; and she
could not but contrast the splendor of the Polish retinues and their plumages and draperies, with the
straitbuttoned Prussian dignitaries, all in mere soldier uniform, succinct "blue coat, white linen gaiters," and
no superfluity even in the epaulettes and red facings. At table, she says, they drank much, talked little, and
bored one another a great deal (S'ENNUYOIENT BEAUCOUP).
OF PRINCESS WHILHELMINA'S FOUR KINGS AND OTHER INEFFECTUALSUITORS.
Dilapidated Polish Majesty, we observed, was extremely attentive to Wilhelmina; nor could she ascertain, for
long after, what the particular reason was. Long after, Wilhelmina ascertained that there had been the
wonderfulest scheme concocting, or as good as concocted, in these swearings of eternal friendship: no other
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than that of marrying her, Wilhelmina, now a slim maiden coming nineteen, to this dilapidated Saxon Man of
Sin going (or limping) fiftyfive, and broken by DEBAUCHES TERRIBLES (rivers of champagne and
tokay, for one item), who had fallen a Widower last year! They had schemed it all out, Wilhelmina
understands: Friedrich Wilhelm to advance such and such moneys as dowry, and others furthermore as loan,
for the occasions of his Polish Majesty, which are manifold; Wilhelmina to have The Lausitz (LUSATIA) for
jointure, Lausitz to be Friedrich Wilhelm's pledge withal; and other intricate conditions; [Wilhelmina, i. 114.]
what would Wilhelmina have thought? One shudders to contemplate;hopes it might mostly be loose
brainweb and courtier speculation, never settled towards fact.
It is certain, the dilapidated Polish Majesty having become a Widower, questions would rise, Will not he
marry again? And with whom? Certain also, he wants Friedrich Wilhelm's alliance; having great schemes on
the anvil, which are like to be delicate and perilous,schemes of "partitioning Poland," no less; that is to
say, cutting off the outskirts of Poland, flinging them to neighboring Sovereigns as propitiation, or price of
goodwill, and rendering the rest hereditary in his family. Pragmatic Sanction once acceded to, would
probably propitiate the Kaiser? For which, and other reasons, Polish Majesty still keeps that card in his hand.
Friedrich Wilhelm's alliance, with such an army and such a treasury, the uses of that are evident to the Polish
Majesty. By the blessing of Heaven, however, his marriage with Wilhelmina never came to anything: his
Electoral Prince, HeirApparent, objected to the jointures and alienations, softly, steadily; and the project had
to drop before Wilhelmina ever knew of it.
And this man is probably one of the "Four Kings" she was to be asked by? A Swedish Officer, with some
skill in palmistry, many years ago, looked into her innocent little hand, and prophesied, "She was to be in
terms of courtship, engagement or as good as engagement, with Four Kings, and to wed none of them."
Wilhelmina counts them in her mature days. The FIRST will surprise everybody,Charles XII. of
Sweden;who never can have been much of a suitor, the rather as the young Lady was then only six gone;
but who, might, like enough, be talked of, by transient thirdparties, in those old Stralsund times. The
SECOND,cannot WE guess who the second is? The THIRD is this August the dilapidated Strong. As to
the SECOND, Wilhelmina sees already, in credulous moments, that it may be Hanover Fred, whom she will
never marry either;and does not see (nor did, at the time of writing her Memoires, "in 1744" say the
Books) that Fred never would come to Kingship, and that the Palmistry was incomplete in that point. The
FOURTH, again, is clearly young Czar Peter II.; of whom there was transient talk or project, some short time
after this of the dilapidated THIRD. But that too came to nothing; the poor young lad died while only fifteen;
nay he had already "fallen in love with his Aunt Elizabeth" (INFAME CATIN DU NORD in time coming),
and given up the Prussian prospect. [He was the Great Peter's Grandson (Son having gone a tragical road );
Czar, May, 1727January, 1730: Anne Iwanowna (Great Peter's Niece, elder Brother's Daughter), our
Courland friend with the big cheek, succeeded; till her death, October, 1740: then, after some slight shock of
revolution, the Elizabeth just mentioned, who was Daughter of the Great Peter by his little brown Czarina
Catherine whom we once met. See Mannstein, Memoirs of Russia (London, 1770), pp. 123, for some
account of Peter II.; and the rest of the Volume for a really intelligent History of this Anne, at least of her
Wars, where Mannstein himself usually had part.
All which would be nothing, or almost less, to Wilhelmina, walking fancyfree there,were it not for Papa
and Mamma, and the importunate insidious bystanders. Who do make a thing of it, first and last! Never in
any romance or stageplay was young Lady, without blame, without furtherance and without hindrance of
her own, so tormented about a settlement in life;passive she, all the while, mere clay in the hands of the
potter; and begging the Universe to have the extreme goodness only to leave her alone!
Thus too, among the train of King August in this Berlin visit, a certain Soldier Official of his, Duke of
Sachsen Weissenfels, Johann Adolf by name, a poor Cadet Cousin of the Saxon House, another elderly
Royal Highness of small possibility,was particularly attentive to Wilhelmina; now and on subsequent
occasions. Titular Duke of Weissenfels, Brother of the real Duke, and not even sure of the succession as yet;
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but living on King August's pay; not without capacity of drink and the like, some allege:otherwise a mere
betitled, betasselled elderly military gentleman, of no special qualities, evil or good;who will often turn up
again in this History; but fails always to make any impression on us except that of a Serene Highness in the
abstract; unexceptionable Human Mask, of polite turn, behung with titles, and no doubt a stomach in the
inside of it: he now, and afterwards, by all opportunities, diligently continued his attentions in the Wilhelmina
quarter. For a good while it was never guessed what he could be driving at; till at last Queen Sophie,
becoming aware of it, took him to task; with cold severity, reminded him that some things are on one's level,
and some things not. To which humbly bowing, in unfeigned penitence, he retired from the audacity, back
foremost: Would never even in dreams have presumed, had not his Prussian Majesty authorized; would now,
since HER Prussian Majesty had that feeling, withdraw silently, and live forgotten, as an obscure Royal
Highness in the abstract (though fallen Widower lately) ought to do. And so at least there was an end of that
matter, one might hope,though in effect it still abortively started up now and then, on Papa's part, in his
frantic humors, for years to come.
Then there is the Margraf of Schwedt, Friedrich Wilhelm by name, chief Prince of the Blood, his Majesty's
Cousin, and the Old Dessauer's Nephew; none of the likeliest of men, intrinsically taken: he and his Dowager
Motherthe Dessauer's Sister, a highgoing, tacitly obstinate old Dowager (who dresses, if I recollect, in
flagrant colors)are very troublesome to Wilhelmina. The flagrant Dameshe might have been
"QueenMother" once forsooth, had Papa and my Brother but been made away with! watches her time,
and is diligent by all opportunities.
Chapter IV. DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT IS NOT DEAD.
And the DoubleMarriage, in such circumstances, are we to consider it as dead, then? In the soul of Queen
Sophie and those she can influence, it lives flamebright; but with all others it has fallen into a very dim
state. Friedrich Wilhelm is still privately willing, perhaps in a degree wishful; but the delays, the supercilious
neglects have much disgusted him; and he, in the mean while, entertains those new speculations. George II.,
never a lover of the Prussian Majesty's nor loved by him, has been very high and distant ever since his
Accession; offensive rather than otherwise. He also is understood to be vaguely willing for the thing; willing
enough, would it be so kind as accomplish itself without trouble to him. But the settlements, the applications
to Parliament:and all for this perverse Fred, who has become unlovely, and irritates our royal mind?
George pushes the matter into its pigeonholes again, when brought before him. Higher thoughts occupy the
soul of little George. Congress of Soissons, Convention of the Pardo, [Or, in effect, "Treaty of Madrid," 6th
March, 1728. This was the PREFACE to Soissons; Termagant at length consenting there, "at her Palace of
the Pardo" (Kaiser and all the world urging her for ten months past), to accept the Peace, and leave off
besieging Gibraltar to no purpose (Coxe, i. 303).] Treaty of Seville; a part to be acted on the worldtheatre,
with applauses, with envies, almost from the very demigods? Great Kaisers, overshadowing Nature with
their Pragmatic Sanctions, their preternatural Diplomacies, and making the Terrestrial Balance reel hither and
thither;Kaisers to be clenched perhaps by one's dexterity of grasp, and the Balance steadied again?
Prussian DoubleMarriage!
One royal soul there is who never will consent to have the DoubleMarriage die: Queen Sophie. She had
passed her own private actofparliament for it; she was a very obstinate wife, to a husband equally
obstinate. "JE BOULEVERSERAI L'EMPIRE," writes she once; "I will overturn the German Empire," if
they drive me to it, in this matter. [Letter copied by Dubourgay (in Despatch, marked PRIVATE, to Lord
Townshend, 3d14th May, 1729); no clear address given,probably to Dubourgay himself, CONVEYED
by "a Lady" (one of the Queen's Ladies), as he dimly intimates.] What secret manoeuvring and endeavoring
went on unweariedly on royal Sophie's part, we need not say; nor in what bad element, of darkness and
mendacity, of eavesdropping, rumoring, backstairs intriguing, the affair now moved. She corresponds on it
with Queen Caroline of England; she keeps her two children true to it, especially her Son, the more important
of them.
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CROWNPRINCE FRIEDRICH WRITES CERTAIN LETTERS.
Queen Sophie did not overturn the Empire, but she did almost overturn her own and her family's existence,
by these courses; which were not wise in her case. It is certain she persuaded CrownPrince Friedrich, who
was always his Mother's boy, and who perhaps needed little bidding in this instance, "to write to Queen
Caroline of England;" Letters one or several: thricedangerous Letters; setting forth (in substance), His
deathless affection to that Beauty of the world, her Majesty's divine Daughter the Princess Amelia (a very
paragon of young women, to judge by her picture and one's own imagination); and likewise the firm
resolution he, Friedrich CrownPrince, has formed, and the vow he hereby makes, Either to wed that celestial
creature when permitted, or else never any of the Daughters of Eve in this world. Congresses of Soissons,
Smoking Parliaments, Preliminaries of the Pardo and Treaties of Seville may go how they can. If well, it shall
be well: if not well, here is my vow, solemn promise and unchangeable determination, which your gracious
Majesty is humbly entreated to lay up in the tablets of your royal heart, and to remember on my behalf,
should bad days arise!
It is clear such Letters were sent; at what date first beginning, we do not know;possibly before this date?
Nor would matters rise to the vowing pitch all at once. One Letter, supremely dangerous should it come to be
known, Wilhelmina has copied for us, [Wilhelmina, i. 183.]in Official style (for it is the Mother's
composition this one) and without date to it:the guessable date is about two years hence; and we will give
the poor Document farther on, if there be place for it.
Such particulars are yet deeply unknown to Friedrich Wilhelm; but he surmises the general drift of things in
that quarter; and how a disobedient Son, crossing his Father's will in every point, abets his Mother's
disobedience, itself audacious enough, in regard to this one. It is a fearful aggravation of Friedrich Wilhelm's
illhumor with such a Son, which has long been upon the growing hand. His dislikes, we know, were
otherwise neither few nor small. Mere "disLIKES" properly so called, or dissimilarities to Friedrich Wilhelm,
a good many of them; dissimilarities also to a Higher Pattern, some! But these troubles of the
DoubleMarriage will now hurry them, the just and the unjust of them, towards the flaming pitch. The poor
youth has a bad time; and the poor Father too, whose humor we know! Surly gusts of indignation, not
unfrequently cuffs and strokes; or still worse, a settled aversion, and rage of the chronic kind; studied neglect
and contempt,so as not even to help him at table, but leave him fasting while the others eat; [Dubourgay,
SCAPIUS.] this the young man has to bear. The innumerable maltreatments, authentically chronicled in
Wilhelmina's and the other Books, though in a dateless, unintelligible manner, would make a tragic sum!
Here are two Billets, copied from the Prussian StateArchives, which will show us to what height matters
had gone, in this the young man's seventeenth year.
TO HIS MAJESTY (from the CrownPrince).
"WUSTERHAUSEN, 11th September, 1728. MY DEAR PAPA,I have not, for a long while, presumed to
come to my dear Papa; partly because he forbade me; but chiefly because I had reason to expect a still worse
reception than usual: and, for fear of angering my dear Papa by my present request, I have preferred making it
in writing to him.
I therefore beg my dear Papa to be gracious to me; and can here say that, after long reflection, my conscience
has not accused me of any the least thing with which I could reproach myself. But if I have, against my will
and knowledge, done anything that has angered my dear Papa, I herewith most submissively beg forgiveness;
and hope my dear Papa will lay aside that cruel hatred which I cannot but notice in all his treatment of me. I
could not otherwise suit myself to it; as I always thought I had a gracious Papa, and now have to see the
contrary. I take confidence, then, and hope that my dear Papa will consider all this, and again be gracious to
me. And, in the mean while, I assure him that I will never, all my days, fail with my will; and,
notwithstanding his disfavor to me, remain
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"My dear Papa's "Most faithful and obedient Servant and Son,
"FRIEDRICH."
To which Friedrich Wilhelm, by return of messenger, writes what follows. Very implacable, we may
perceive;not calling his Petitioner "Thou," as kind Paternity might have dictated; infinitely less by the
polite title "They (SIE)," which latter indeed, the distinguished title of "SIC," his Prussian Majesty, we can
remark, reserves for Foreigners of the supremest quality, and domestic Princes of the Blood; naming all other
Prussian subjects, and poor Fritz in this place, "He (ER)," in the style of a gentleman to his valet,which
style even a valet of these new days of ours would be unwilling to put up with. "ER, He," "His" and the other
derivatives sound loftily repulsive in the German ear; and lay open impassable gulfs between the Speaker and
the Spokento. "His obstinate"But we must, after all, say THY and THOU for intelligibility's sake:
"Thy obstinate perverse disposition [KOPF, head], which does not love thy Father,for when one does
everything [everything commanded] and really loves one's Father, one does what the Father requires, not
while he is there to see it, but when his back is turned too [His Majesty's style is very abstruse, illspelt,
intricate, and in this instance trips itself, and falls on its face here, a mere intricate nominative without a
verb!]For the rest, thou know'st very well that I can endure no effeminate fellow (EFEMINIRTEN KERL),
who has no human inclination in him; who puts himself to shame, cannot ride nor shoot; and withal is dirty in
his person; frizzles his hair like a fool, and does not cut it off. And all this I have, a thousand times,
reprimanded; but all in vain, and no improvement in nothing (KEINE BESSERUNG IN NITS IST). For the
rest, haughty, proud as a churl; speaks to nobody but some few, and is not popular and affable; and cuts
grimaces with his face, as if he were a fool; and does my will in nothing unless held to it by force; nothing
out of love;and has pleasure in nothing but following his own whims [own KOPF],no use to him in
anything else. This is the answer.
"FRIEDRICH WILHELM."
[Preuss, i. 27; from Cramer, pp. 33, 34.]
DOUBLEMARRIAGE PROJECT REEMERGES IN AN OFFICIAL SHAPE.
These are not favorable outlooks for the DoubleMarriage. Nevertheless it comes and goes; and within three
weeks later, we are touched almost with a kind of pity to see it definitely emerging in a kind of Official state
once more. For the question is symbolical of important political questions. The question means withal, What
is to be done in these dreadful CongressofSoissons complexities, and mad reelings of the Terrestrial
Balance? Shall we hold by a dubious and rather losing Kaiser of this kind, in spite of his dubieties, his highly
inexplicit, procedures (for which he may have reasons) about the Promise of Julich and Berg? Or shall we not
clutch at England, after all,and perhaps bring him to terms? The Smoking Parliament had no Hansard; but,
we guess its Debates (mostly done in dumbshow) were cloudy, abstruse and abundant, at this time! The
Prussian Ministers, if they had any power, take different sides; old Ilgen, the oldest and ablest of them, is
strong for England.
Enough, in the beginning of October, Queen Sophie, "by express desire of his Majesty," who will have
explicit, Yes or No on that matter, writes to England, a Letter "PRIVATE AND OFFICIAL," of such
purport,Letter (now invisible) which Dubourgay is proud to transmit. [Despatch, 5th October, 1728, in
StatePaper Office.] Dubourgay is proud; and old Ilgen, her Majesty informed me on the morrow, "wept for
joy," so zealous was he on that side. Poor old gentleman,respectable rusty old Iron Safe with seven locks,
which nobody would now care to pick,he died few weeks after, at his post as was proper; and saw no
DoubleMarriage, after all. But Dubourgay shakes out his feathers; the DoubleMarriage being again
evidently alive.
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For England answers, cordially enough, if not, with all the hurry Friedrich Wilhelm wanted, "Yea, we are
willing for the thing;" and meets, with great equanimity and liberality, the new whims, difficulties and
misgivings, which arose on Friedrich Wilhelm's part, at a wearisome rate, as the negotiation went on; and
which are always frankly smoothed away again by the cooler party. Why did not the bargain close, then?
Alas, one finds, the answer YEA had unfortunately set his Prussian Majesty on viewing, through magnifiers,
what advantages there might have been in NO: this is a difficulty there is no clearing away! Probably, too, the
TobaccoParliament was industrious. Friedrich Wilhelm, at last, tries if Half will not do; anxious, as we all
too much are, "to say Yes AND No;" being in great straits, poor man:"Your Prince of Wales to wed
Wilhelmina at once; the other Match to stand over?" To which the English Government answers always
briefly, "No; both the Marriages or none!"Will the reader consent to a few compressed glances into the
extinct Dubourgay Correspondence; much compressed, and here and there a rushlight stuck in it, for his
behoof. Dubourgay, at Berlin, writes; my Lord Townshend, in St. James's reads, usually rather languid in
answering:
BERLIN, 9th NOVEMBER, 1728. "Prussian Majesty much pleased with English Answers" to the
YesorNo question: "will send a Minister to our Court about the time his Britannic Majesty may think of
coming over to his German Dominions. Would Finkenstein (Head Tutor), or would Knyphausen
(distinguished Official here), be the agreeable man?" "Either," answer the English; "either is good."
BERLIN, SAME DATE. "Queen sent for me just now; is highly content with the state of things. 'I have now,'
said her Majesty, 'the pleasure to tell you that I am free, God be blessed, of all the anguish I have labored
under for some time past, which was so great that I have several times been on the point of sending for you to
procure my Brother's protection for my Son, who, I thought, ran the greatest danger from the artifices of
Seckendorf and'" Poor Queen!
NOV, 16th. "Queen told me: When the Court was at Wusterhausen," two months ago, hunting partridges and
wild swine, [Fassmann, p. 386.] "Seckendorf and Grumkow intrigued for a match between Wilhelmina and
the Prince of Weissenfels," elderly Royal Highness in the Abstract, whom we saw already, "thereby to
prevent a closer union between the Prussian and English Courts,and Grumkow having withal the private
view of ousting his antagonist the Prince of Anhalt [Old Dessauer, whom he had to meet in duel, but did not
fight], as Weissenfels, once Soninlaw, would certainly be made CommanderinChief," [Dubourgay, in
StatePaper Office (Prussian Despatches, vol. XXXV.)] to the extrusion of Anhalt from that office. Which
notable piece of policy her Majesty, by a little plain speech, took her opportunity of putting an end to, as we
saw. For the rest, "the Dutch Minister and also the French Secretaries here," greatly interested about the
peace of Europe, and the Congress of Soissons in these weeks, "have had a communication from this Court,
of the favorable disposition ours is in with respect to the Double Match,"beneficent for the Terrestrial
Balance, as they and I hope. So that things look well? Alas,
DECEMBER 25th. "Queen sent for me yesterday: Hopes she does no wrong in complaining of her Husband
to her Brother. King shows scruples about the Marriages; does not relish the expense of an establishment for
the Prince; hopes, at all events, the Marriage will not take place for a year yet;would like to know what
Dowry the English Princess is to bring?""No Dowry with our Princess," the English answer; "nor shall you
give any with yours."
NEWYEAR'S DAY, 1729. "Queen sent for me: King is getting intractable about the Marriages; she
reasoned with him from two o'clock till eight," without the least permanent effect. "It is his covetousness," I
Dubourgay privately think!Knyphausen, who knows the King well, privately tells me, "He will come
round." "It is his avarice," thinks Knyphausen too; "nay it is also his jealousy of the Prince, who is very
popular with the Army. King does everything to mortify him, uses him like a child; CrownPrince bears it
with admirable patience." This is Knyphausen's weak notion; rather a weak creaky official gentleman, I
should gather, of a cryptosplenetic turn. "Queen told me some days later, His Majesty illused the
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CrownPrince, because he did not drink hard enough; makes him hunt though ill;" is very hard upon the poor
CrownPrince,who, for the rest, "sends loving messages to England," as usual; [Dubourgay, 16th
January.] covertly meaning the Princess Amelia, as usual. "Some while ago, I must inform your Lordship, the
Prince was spoken to," by Papa as would appear, "to sound his inclination as to the Princess Caroline,"
Princess likewise of England, and whose age, some eighteen months less than his own, might be suitabler, the
Princess Amelia being half a year his elder; [Caroline born 10th June 1713; Amelia, 10th July, 1711.]
"but,"mark how true he stood,"his Royal Highness broke out into such raptures of love and passion for
the Princess Amelia, and showed so much impatience for the conclusion of that Match, as gave the King of
Prussia a great deal of surprise, and the Queen as much satisfaction." Truth is, if an old Brigadier Diplomatist
may be judge, "The great and good qualities of that young Prince, both of person and mind, deserve a distinct
and particular account, with which I shall trouble your Lordship another day;" [Despatch, 25th December,
1728.]which unluckily I never did; his Lordship Townshend having, it would seem, too little curiosity on
the subject.
And so the matter wavers; and in spite of Dubourgay's and Queen Sophie's industry, and the CrownPrince's
willing mind, there can nothing definite be made of it at this time. Friedrich Wilhelm goes on visits, goes on
huntings; leaves the matter to itself to mature a little. Thus the negotiation hangs fire; and will do so,till
dreadful waterspouts come, and perhaps quench it altogether?
HIS MAJESTY SLAUGHTERS 3,602 HEAD OF WILD SWINE.
His Majesty is off for a Hunting Visit to the Old Dessauer, CrownPrince with him, who hates hunting.
Then, "19th January, 1729," says the reverential Fassmann, he is off for a grand hunt at Copenick; then for a
grander in Pommern (CrownPrince still with him): such a slaughter of wild swine as was seldom heard of,
and as never occurred again. No fewer than "1,882 head (STUCK) of wild swine, 300 of them of uncommon
magnitude," in the Stettin and other Pommern regions; "together with 1,720 STUCK in the Mark
Brandenburg, once 450 in a day: in all, 3,602 STUCK." Never was his Majesty in better spirits: a very
Nimrod or hunting Centaur; trampling the cobwebs of Diplomacy, and the cares of life, under his victorious
hoofs. All this slaughter of swine, 3,602 STUCK by tale, was done in the season 1729. "From which,"
observes the adoring Fassmann, [p. 387.] "is to be inferred the importance," at least in wild swine, "of those
royal Forests in Pommern and the Mark;" not to speak of his Majesty's supreme talent in hunting, as in other
things.
What Friedrich Wilhelm did with such a mass of wild pork? Not an ounce of it was wasted, every ounce of it
brought money in. For there exist Official Schedules, lists as for a windowtax or propertytax, drawn up by
his Majesty's contrivance, in the chief Localities: every man, according to the house he keeps, is bound to
take, at a just value by weight, such and such quotities of suddenly slaughtered wild swine, one or so
many,and consume them at his leisure, as ham or otherwise,cash payable at a fixed term, and no
abatement made. [Forster, Beneckendorf (if they had an Index I).] For this is a King that cannot stand waste
at all; thrifty himself, and the Cause of thrift.
FALLS ILL, IN CONSEQUENCE; AND THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE CANNOT GET FORWARD.
This was one of Friedrich Wilhelm's grandest huntingbouts, this of January, 1729; at all events, he will
never have another such. By such fierce riding, and defiance of the winter elements and rules of regimen, his
Majesty returned to Potsdam with ill symptoms of health;symptoms never seen before; except transiently,
three years ago, after a similar bout; when the Doctors, shaking their heads, had mentioned the word
"Gout." "NARRENPOSSEN!" Friedrich Wilhelm had answered, "Gout?"But now, February, 1729, it
is gout in very deed. His poor Majesty has to admit: "I am gouty, then! Shall have gout for companion
henceforth. I am breaking up, then?" Which is a terrible message to a man. His Majesty's age is not fortyone
till August coming; but he has hunted furiously.
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Adoring Fassmann gives a quite touching account of Friedrich Wilhelm's performances under gout, now and
generally, which were begun on this occasion. How he suffered extremely, yet never neglected his royal
duties in any press of pain. Could seldom get any sleep till towards four or five in the morning, and then had
to be content with an hour or two; after which his Official Secretaries came in with their Papers, and he
signed, despatched, resolved, with best judgment,the top of the morning always devoted to business. At
noon, up if possible; and dines, "in dressinggown, with Queen and children." After dinner, commonly to bed
again; and would paint in oil; sometimes do light joinerwork, chiselling and inlaying; by and by lie inactive
with select friends sitting round, some of whom had the right of entry, others not, under penalties.
Buddenbrock, Derschau, rough old Marlborough stagers, were generally there; these, "and two other
persons," Grumkow and Seckendorf, whom Fassmann does not name, lest he get into trouble,"sat, well
within earshot, round the bed. And always at the head was TheirO Majesty the Queen, sometimes with the
King's hand laid in hers, and his face turned up to her, as if he sought assuagement"O my dim old Friend,
let us dry our tears!
"Sometimes the CrownPrince read aloud in some French Book," Title not given; CrownPrince's voice
known to me as very fine. Generally the Princess Louisa was in the room, too; Louisa, who became of
Anspach shortly; not Wilhelmina, who lies in fever and relapse and smallpox, and close at death's door,
almost since the beginning of these bad days. The CrownPrince reads, we say, with a voice of melodious
clearness, in French more or less instructive. "At other times there went on discourse, about public matters,
foreign news, things in general; discourse of a cheerful or of a serious nature," always with some substance of
sense in it,"and not the least smut permitted, as is too much the case in certain higher circles!" says adoring
Fassmann; who privately knows of "Courts" (perhaps the GLORWURDIGSTE, Gloryworthiest, August the
Great's Court, for one?) "with their hired TomFools," not yet an extinct species attempting to ground wit on
that bad basis. Prussian Majesty could not endure any "ZOTEN:" profanity and indecency, both avaunt. "He
had to hold out in this way, awake till ten o'clock, for the chance of night's sleep." Earlier in the afternoon, we
said, he perhaps does a little in oilpainting, having learnt something of that art in young times;there is a
poor artist in attendance, to mix the colors, and do the first sketch of the thing. Specimens of such Pictures
still exist, Portraits generally; all with this epigraph, FREDERICUS WILHELMUS IN TORMENTIS
PINXIT (Painted by Friedrich Wilhelm in his torments); and are worthy the attention of the curious.
[Fassmann, p. 392; see Forster, Is not this a sublime patient?
Fassmann admits, "there might be spurts of IMpatience now and then; but how richly did Majesty make it
good again after reflection! He was also subject to whims even about people whom he otherwise esteemed.
One meritorious gentleman, who shall be nameless, much thought of by the King, his Majesty's nerves could
not endure, though his mind well did: 'Makes my gout worse to see him drilling in the esplanade there; let
another do it!'and vouchsafed an apologetic assurance to the meritorious gentleman afflicted in
consequence."O my dim old Friend, these surely are sublimities of the sickbed? "So it lasted for some
five weeks long," well on towards the summer of this bad year 1729. Wilhelmina says, in briefer business
language, and looking only at the wrong side of the tapestry, "It was a HellonEarth to us, Les peines du
Purgatoire ne pouvaient egaler celles que NOUS endurions;" [i. 157.] and supports the statement by
abundant examples, during those flamy weeks.
For, in the interim, withal, the English negotiation is as good as gone out; nay there are waterspouts brewing
aloft yonder, enough to wash negotiation from the world. Of which terrible weatherphenomena we shall
have to speak by and by: but must first, by way of commentary, give a glance at Soissons and the Terrestrial
LIBRA, so far as necessary for human objects,not far, by any means.
Chapter V. CONGRESS OF SOISSONS, SIXTH CRISIS IN THE
SPECTREHUNT.
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The socalled Spanish War, and dangerous futile Siege of Gibraltar, had not ended at the death of George I.;
though measures had already been agreed upon, by the Kaiser and parties interested, to end it,only the
King of Spain (or King's Wife, we should say) made difficulties. Difficulties, she; and kept firing, without
effect, at the Fortress for about a year more; after which, her humor or her powder being out, Spanish Majesty
signed like the others. Peace again for all and sundry of us: "Preliminaries" of Peace signed at Paris, 31st
May, 1727, three weeks before George's death; "Peace" itself finally at the Pardo or at Madrid, the Termagant
having spent her powder, 6th March, 1728; [Scholl, ii. 212, 213.] and a "Congress" (bless the mark!) to settle
on what terms in every point.
Congress, say at AixlaChapelle; say at Cambrai again,for there are difficulties about the place. Or say
finally at Soissons; where Fleury wished it to be, that he might get the reins of it better in hand; and where it
finally was,and where the ghost or name of it yet is, an empty enigma in the memories of some men.
Congress of Soissons did meet, 14th June, 1728; opened itself, as a Corporeal Entity in this world; sat for
above a year;and did nothing; Fleury quite declining the Pragmatic Sanction, though the anxious Kaiser
was ready to make astonishing sacrifices, give up his Ostend COMPANY (Paper Shadow of a Company), or
what you will of that kind,if men would have conformed.
These Diplomatic gentlemen,say, are they aught? They seem to understand me, by each at once his choppy
finger laying on his skinny lips! Princes of the Powers of the Air, Shall we define them? It is certain the solid
Earth or her facts, except being held in perpetual terror by such workings of the Shadowworld, reaped no
effect from those Twenty Years of Congressing; Seckendorf himself might as well have lain in bed, as ridden
those 25,000 miles, and done such quantities of doubledistillations. No effect at all: only some futile
gunpowder spent on Gibraltar, and splinters of shot and shells (salable as old iron) found about the rocks
there; which is not much of an effect for Twenty Years of such industry.
The sublime Congress of Soissons met, as we say, at the above date (just while the Polish Majesty was
closing his Berlin Visit); but found itself no abler for work than that of Cambrai had been. The Deputies from
France I do not mention; nor from Spain, nor from Austria. The Deputies from England were Colonel or now
properly BrigadierGeneral Stanhope, afterwards Lord Harrington; Horace Walpole (who is Robert's
Brother, and whose Secretary is Sir Thomas Robinson, "QUOI DONE, CRUSOE?" whom we shall hear of
farther); and Stephen Poyntz, a once bright gentleman, now dim and obsolete, whom the readers of Coxe's
Walpole have some nominal acquaintance with. Here, for Chronology's sake, is a clipping from the old
English newspapers to accompany them: "There is rumor that POLLY PEACHUM is gone to attend the
Congress at Soissons; where, it is thought, she will make as good a figure, and do her country as much
service, as several others that shall be nameless." [ Mist's Weekly Journal, 29th June, 1728.]
Their task seemed easy to the sanguine mind. The Kaiser has agreed with Spain in the ItalianApanage
matter; with the SeaPowers in regard to his Ostend Company, which is abolished forever: what then is to
prevent a speedy progress, and glad conclusion? The Pragmatic Sanction. "Accept my Pragmatic Sanction,"
said the Kaiser, "let that be the preliminary of all things.""Not the preliminary," answered Fleury; "we will
see to that as we go on; not the preliminary, by any means!" There was the rub. The sly old Cardinal had his
private treaties with Sardinia; views of his own in the Mediterranean, in the Rhine quarter; and answered
steadily, "Not the preliminary, by any means!" The Kaiser was equally inflexible. Whereupon immensities of
protocolling, arguing, and the Congress "fell into complete languor," say the Histories. [Scholl, ii. 215.]
Congress ate its dinner heartily, and wrote immensely, for the space of eighteen months; but advanced no
hair'sbreadth anywhither; no prospect before it, but that of dinner only, for unlimited periods.
Kaiser will have his Pragmatic Sanction, or not budge from the place; stands mulelike amid the rain of
cudgellings from the bystanders; can be beaten to death, but stir he will not.Hints, glances of the eye,
pass between Elizabeth Farnese and the other bystanders; suddenly, 9th November, 1729, it is found they
have all made a "TREATY OF SEVILLE" with Elizabeth Farnese; France, England, Holland, Spain, have all
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closed,Italian Apanages to be at once secured, Ostend to be at once suppressed, with what else
behooves;and the Kaiser is left alone; standing upon his Pragmatic Sanction there, nobody bidding him
now budge!
At which the Kaiser is naturally thrice and four times wroth and alarmed;and Seckendorf in the
TABAKSCOLLEGIUM had need to be doubly busy. As we shall find he is (though without effect), when
the time comes round:but we have not yet got to November of this Year 1729; there are still six or eight
important months between us and that. Important months; and a PrussianEnglish "Waterspout," as we have
named it, to be seen, with due wonder, in the political sky!
Congress of Soissons, now fallen mythical to mankind, and as inane as that of Cambrai, is perhaps still
memorable in one or two slight points. First, it has in it, as one of the Austrian Deputies, that Baron von
Bentenrieder, tallest of living Diplomatists, who was pressed at one time for a Prussian soldier; readers
recollect it? Walking through the streets of Halberstadt, to stretch his long limbs till his carriage came up, the
Prussian sentries laid hold of him, "Excellent Potsdam giant, this one! "and haled him off to their
guardhouse; till carriage and lackeys came; then, "Thousand humblest pardons, your Excellenz!" who
forgave the fellows. Barely possible some lighter readers might wish to see, for one moment, an Excellenz
that has been seized by a Pressgang? Which perhaps never happened to any other Excellenz;the like of
which, I have been told, might merit him a soiree from strongminded women, in some remoter parts of the
world. Not to say that he is the tallest of living Diplomatists; another unique circumstance!Bentenrieder
soon died; and had his place at Soissons filled up by an Excellenz of the ordinary height, who had never been
pressed. But nothing can rob the Congress of this fact, that it once had Bentenrieder for member; and, so far,
is entitled to the pluperfect distinction in one particular.
Another point is humanly interesting in this Congress; but cannot fully be investigated for want of dates.
Always, we perceive, according to the news of it that reach Berlin,of England going right for the Kaiser or
going wrong for him,his Prussian Majesty's treatment of his children varies. If England go right for the
Kaiser, well, and his Majesty is in goodhumor with Queen, with CrownPrince and Wilhelmina. If England
go wrong for the Kaiser, dark clouds gather on the royal brow, in the royal heart; explode in thunderstorms;
and at length crockery goes flying through the rooms, blows descend on the poor Prince's back; and her
Majesty is in tears, mere Chaos come again. For as a general rule, unless the English Negotiation have some
prospering fit, and produce exceptional phenomena, Friedrich Wilhelm, ever loyal in heart, stands steadfast
by his Kaiser; ever ready "to strike out (LOS ZU SCHLAGEN," as he calls it) with his best strength in behalf
of a cause which, good soul, he thinks is essentially German;all the readier if at any time it seem now
exclusively German, the French, Spanish, English, and other unlovely Foreign world being clean cut loose
from it, or even standing ranked against it. "When will it go off, then (WANN GEHT ES LOS)?" asks
Friedrich Wilhelm often; diligently drilling his sixty thousand, and snorting contempt on "Ungermanism
(UNDEUTSCHHEIT)," be it on the part of friends or of enemies. Good soul, and whether he will ever get
Julich aud Berg out of it, is distractingly problematical, and the TobaccoParliament is busy with him!
Curious to see, so far as dates go, how Friedrich Wilhelm changes his tune to Wife and Children in exact
correspondence to the notes given out at Soissons for a Kaiser and his Pragmatic Sanction. Poor Prussian
Household, poor back, and heart, of CrownPrince; what a concert it is in this world, Smoking Parliament for
souffleur! Let the big Diplomatist Bassoon of the Universe go this way, there are caresses for a young Soldier
and his behavior in the giant regiment; let the same Bassoon sound that way, bangs and knocks descend on
him; the two keep time together,so busy is the Smoking Parliament with his Majesty of Prussia. The world
has seen, with horror and wonder, Friedrich Wilhelm's beating of his grown children: but the pair of
MEERKATZEN, or enchanted DemonApes, disguised as loyal Councillors, riding along with him the
length of a Terrestrial Equator, have not been so familiar to the world. Seckendorf, Grumkow: we had often
heard of DevilDiplomatists; and shuddered over horrible pictures of them in Novels; hoping it was all fancy:
but here actually is a pair of them, transcending all Novels;perhaps the highest cognizable fact to be met
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with in DevilDiplomacy. And it may be a kind of comfort to readers, both to know it, and to discern
gradually what the just gods make of it withal. DevilDiplomatists do exist, at least have existed, never doubt
it farther; and their astonishingly dexterous mendacities and enchanted spiderwebs, CAN these go any
road but one in this Universe?
That the Congress of Cambrai was not a myth, we convinced ourselves by a letter of Voltaire's, who actually
saw it dining there in the Year 1722, as he passed that way. Here, for Soissons, in like manner, are two
Letters, by a less celebrated but a still known English hand; which, as utterances in presence of the fact itself,
leave no doubt on the subject. These the afflicted reader will perhaps consent to take a glance of. If the
Congress of Soissons, for the sake of memorable objects concerned there, is still to be remembered, and
believed in, for a little while,the question arises, How to do it, then?
The writer of these Letters is a serious, rather longnosed young English gentleman, not without intelligence,
and of a wholesome and honest nature; who became Lord Lyttelton, FIRST of those Lords, called also "the
Good Lord," father of "the Bad:" a lineal descendant of that Lyttelton UPON whom Coke sits, or seems to sit,
till the end of things: author by and by of a History of Henry the Second and other wellmeant books: a man
of real worth, who attained to some note in the world. He is now upon the Grand Tour,which ran, at that
time, by Luneville and Lorraine, as would appear; at which point we shall first take him up. He writes to his
Father, Sir Thomas, at Hagley among the pleasant Hills of Worcestershire,date shortly after the assembling
of that Congress to rear of him;and we strive to add a minimum of commentary. The "piece of
negligence," the "Mr. D.," none of mortals now knows who or what they were:
TO SIR THOMAS LYTTELTON, BART., AT HAGLEY.
"LUNEVILLE 21st July" 1728.
"DEAR SIR,I thank you for so kindly forgiving the piece of negligence I acquainted you of in my last.
Young fellows are often guilty of voluntary forgetfulness in those affairs; but I assure you mine was quite
accidental:"Never mind it, my Son!
"Mr. D. tells you true that I am weary of losing money at cards; but it is no less certain that without them I
shall soon be weary of Lorraine. The spirit of quadrille [obsolete game at cards] has possessed the land from
morning till midnight; there is nothing else in every house in Town.
"This Court is fond of strangers, but with a proviso that strangers love quadrille. Would you win the hearts of
the Maids of Honor, you must lose your money at quadrille; would you be thought a wellbred man, you
must play genteelly at quadrille; would you get a reputation of good sense, show judgment at quadrille.
However in summer one may pass a day without quadrille; because there are agreeable promenades, and little
parties out of doors. But in winter you are reduced to play at it, or sleep, like a fly, till the return of spring.
"Indeed in the morning the Duke hunts,"mark that Duke, and two Sons he has. "But my malicious stars
have so contrived it, that I am no more a sportsman than a gamester. There are no men of learning in the
whole Country; on the contrary, it is a character they despise. A man of quality caught me, the other day,
reading a Latin Author; and asked me, with an air of contempt, Whether I was designed for the Church? All
this would be tolerable if I was not doomed to converse with a set of English, who are still more ignorant than
the French; and from whom, with my utmost endeavors, I cannot be absent six hours in the day. Lord"
BLANKBaltimore, or Heavenknowswho,"is the only one among them who has common sense; and
he is so scandalously debauched, in his principles as well as practice, that his conversation is equally
shocking to my morals and my reason."Could not one contrive to get away from them; to Soissons, for
example, to see business going on; and the Terrestrial Balance settling itself a little?
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"My only improvement here is in the company of the Duke," who is a truly distinguished Duke to his bad
Country; "and in the exercise of the Academy,"of Horsemanship, or what? "I have been absent from the
latter near three weeks, by reason of a sprain I got in the sinews of my leg. My duty to my dear Mother; I
hope you and she continue well. I am, Sir, your dutiful Son.G. L." [ The Works of Lord George Lyttelton,
by Ayscough (London, 1776), iii. 215.]
These poor Lorrainers are in a bad way; their Country all trampled to pieces by France, in the
LouisFourteenth and still earlier times. Indeed, ever since the futile Siege of Metz; where we saw the great
Kaiser, Karl V., silently weeping because he could not recapture Metz, [Antea, vol. v. p. 211.] the French
have been busy with this poor Country;new sections of it clipt away by them; "military roads through it,
ten miles broad," bargained for; its Dukes oftenest in exile, especially the Father of this present Duke: [A
famed Soldier in his day; under Kaiser Leopold, "the little Kaiser in red stockings," one of whose Daughters
he had to wife. He was at the Rescue of Vienna (Sobieski's), and in how many far fiercer services; his life
was but a battle and a march. Here is his famed Letter to the Kaiser, when death suddenly called, Halt!
"WELS NEAR LINZ ON THE DONAU, 17th April, 1690.
"SACRED MAJESTY,According to your Orders, I set out from Innspruck to come to Vienna; but I am
stopped here by a Greater Master. I go to render account to Him of a life which I had wholly consecrated to
you. Remember that I leave a Wife with whom you are concerned [QUI ROUS TOUCHE,who is your
lawful Daughter]; Children to whom I can bequeath nothing but my sword; and Subjects who are under
Oppression.
"CHARLES OF LORRAINE."
(Henault, Abrege Chronologique, Paris, 1775, p. 850).Charles "V." the French uniformly call this one;
Charles "IV." the Germans, who, I conclude, know better.]and they are now waiting a good opportunity to
swallow it whole, while the people are so busy with quadrille parties. The present Duke, returning from exile,
found his Land in desolation, much of it "running fast to wild forest again;" and he has signalized himself by
unwearied efforts in every direction to put new life into it, which have been rather successful. Lyttelton, we
perceive, finds improvement in his company. The name of this brave Duke is Leopold; age now fortynine;
life and reign not far from done: a man about whom even Voltaire gets into enthusiasm. [Siecle de Louis
XIV. ( OEuvres, xxvi. 9597); Hubner, t. 281.]
The Court and Country of Lorraine, under Duke Leopold, will prove to deserve this brief glance from
Lyttelton and us. Two sons Duke Leopold has: the elder, Franz, now about twenty, is at Vienna, with the
highest outlooks there: Kaiser Karl is his Father's cousingerman; and Kaiser Karl's young Daughter, high
beautiful Maria Theresa,the sublimest maiden now extant,yes, this lucky Franz is to have her: what a
prize, even without Pragmatic Sanction! With the younger son, Karl of Lorraine, Lyttelton may have made
acquaintance, if he cared: a lad of sixteen; by and by an Austrian General, as his father had been; General
much noised of,whom we shall often see beaten, in this world, at the head of men.But let us now get to
Soissons itself, skipping an intermediate Letter or two:
TO SIR THOMAS LYTTELTON, BART., AT HAGLEY.
"SOISSONS, 28th October," 1728.
"I thank you, my dear Sir, for complying so much with my inclinations as to let me stay some time at
Soissons: but as you have not fixed how long, I wait for farther orders.
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"One of my chief reasons for disliking Luneville was the multitude of English there; who, most of them, were
such worthless fellows that they were a dishonor to the name and Nation. With these I was obliged to dine
and sup, and pass a great part of my time. You may be sure I avoided it as much as possible; but MALGRE
MOI I suffered a great deal. To prevent any comfort from other people, they had made a law among
themselves, not to admit any foreigner into their company: so that there was nothing but English talked from
June to January.On the contrary, my countrymen at Soissons are men of virtue and good sense; they mix
perpetually with the French, and converse for the most part in that language. I will trouble you no more upon
this subject: but give me leave to say that, however capricious I may have been on other subjects, my
sentiments in this particular are the strongest proofs I ever gave you of my strong and hereditary aversion to
vice and folly.
"Mr. Stanhope," our Minister, the Colonel or BrigadierGeneral, "is always at Fontainebleau. I went with Mr.
Poyntz," Poyntz not yet a dim figure, but a brilliant, who hints about employing me, "to Paris for four days,
when the Colonel himself was there, to meet him; he received me with great civility and kindness. We have
done expecting Mr. Walpole," fixed he in the Court regions; "who is obliged to keep strict guard over the
Cardinal," sly old Fleury, "for fear the German Ministers should take him from us. They pull and haul the
poor old gentleman so many ways, that he does not know where to turn, or into whose arms to throw
himself." Never fear him!
"Ripperda's escape to England,"grand Diplomatic bulldog that was, who took refuge in Colonel Stanhope's
at Madrid to no purpose, and kindled the sputtering at Gibraltar, is now got across to England, and will go to
Morocco and farther, to no purpose,"will very much embroil affairs; which did not seem to want another
obstacle to hinder them from coming to an accommodation. If the Devil is not very much wanting to his own
interests in this Business, it is impossible that the good work of Peace, should go on much longer. After all,
most young fellows are of his party; and wish he may bring matters to a War; for they make but ill Ministers
at a Congress, but would make good Soldiers in a Campaign.
"No news from Madam" BLANK "and her beloved Husband. Their unreasonable fondness for each other can
never last: they will soon grow as cold to one another as the Town to The Beggars' Opera." And cannot warm
again, you think? "Pray Heaven I may prove a false prophet; but Married Love and English Music are too
domestic to continue long in favor."...
NOVEMBER 20th, SOISSONS still. "This is one of the agreeablest Towns in France. The people are
infinitely obliging to strangers: we are of all their parties, and perpetually share with them in their pleasures. I
have learnt more French since I came hither, than I should have picked up in a twelvemonth in Lorraine....
"A fool with a majority on his side is the greatest tyrant in the world:"how can I go back to loiter in
Lorraine, honored Father, where fools are in such majority? "Then the extraordinary civilities I receive from
Mr. Poyntz: He has in a manner taken me into his family;" will evidently make an Apprentice of me. "The
first Packet that comes from Fontainebleau, I expect to be employed. Which is no small pleasure to me: and
will I hope be of service."...
DECEMBER 20th. "A sudden order to Mr. Poyntz has broken all my measures. He goes tomorrow to Paris,
to stay there in the room of Messrs. Stanhope and Walpole, who are on their return for England." Congress
falling into complete languor, if we knew it! But ought not I to accompany this friendly and distinguished Mr.
Poyntz, "who has already given me papers to copy;"in fact I am setting off with him, honored Father!...
"Prince Frederick's journey,"first arrival in England of dissolute Fred from Hanover, who had NOT been
to Berlin to get married last summer,"was very secret: Mr. Poyntz did not hear of it till Friday last; at least
he had no public notice of it." Why should he? "There will be fine struggling for places" in this Prince's new
Household. "I hope my Brother will come in for one." [Ayscough's Lyttelton, iii. 200231.]
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But here we pull the string of the curtain upon Lyttelton, and upon his Congress falling into complete
languor; Congress destined, after dining for about a year more, to explode, in the Treaty of Seville, and to
leave the Kaiser sitting horrorstruck, solitary amid the wreck of Political Nature,which latter, however,
pieces itself together again for him and others. Beneficent Treaty of Vienna was at last achieved; Treaty and
Treaties there, which brought matters to their old bearing again, Austria united with the SeaPowers,
Pragmatic Sanction accepted by them, subsidies again to be expected from them; Baby Carlos fitted with his
Apanages, in some tolerable manner; and the Problem, with which Creation had groaned for some twenty
years past, finally accomplished better or worse.
Lyttelton himself will get a place in Prince Frederick's Household, and then lose it; place in Majesty's
Ministry at last, but not for a long while yet. He will be one of Prince Frederick's men, of the Carterets,
Chesterfields, Pitts, who "patronize literature," and are in opposition to dark Walpole; one of the
"WestWickham set;"and will be of the Opposition party, and have his adventures in the world.
Meanwhile let him go to Paris with Mr. Poyntz; and do his wisest there and elsewhere.
"Who's dat who ride astride de pony,
So long, so lean, so lank and bony?
Oh, he be de great orator, Littletony." [Caricature of 1741, on Lyttelton's getting into the Ministry,
with Carteret, Chesterfield, Argyll, and the rest: see Phillimore's Lyttelton (London, l845), i. 110; Johnson's
Lives of the Poets, ? Lyttelton;
For now we are round at Friedrich Wilhelm's Pomeranian Hunting again, in the Newyear's time of 1729;
and must look again into the magnanimous sickroom which ensued thereon; where a small piece of business
is going forward. What a magnanimous patient Friedrich Wilhelm was, in Fassmann's judgment, we know:
but, it will be good to show both sides of the tapestry, and let Wilhelmina also speak. The small business is
only, a Treaty of Marriage for one of our Princesses: not Wilhelmina, but Louisa the next younger, who has
been asked, and will consent, as appears.
Fassmann makes a very touching scene of it. King is in bed, ill of his gout after that slaughter of the 3,602
wild swine: attendants are sitting round his Majesty, in the way we know; Queen Sophie at his head,
"Seckendorf and several others" round the bed. Letters arrive; Princess Frederika Louisa, a very young Lady,
has also had a Letter; which, she sees by the seal, will be interesting, but which she must not herself open.
She steps in with it; "beautiful as an angel, but rather foolish, and a spoilt child of fifteen," says Wilhelmina:
trips softly in with it; hands it to the King. "Give it to thy Mother, let her read it," says the King. Mother reads
it, with audible soft voice: Formal demand in marriage from the Serenity of Anspach, as foreseen.
"Hearken, Louisa (HORE, LUISE), it is still time," said the King: "Tell us, wouldst thou rather go to
Anspach, now, or stay with me? If thou choose to stay, thou shalt want, for nothing, either, to the end of thy
life. Speak!""At such unexpected question," says Fassmann, "there rose a fine blush over the Princess's
face, who seemed to be at a loss for her answer. However, she soon collected herself; kissed his Majesty's
hand, and said: 'Most gracious Papa, I will to Anspach!' To which the King: 'Very well, then; God give thee
all happiness and thousand blessings!But, hearken, Louisa,' the King's Majesty was pleased at the same
time to add, 'We will make a bargain, thou and I. You have excellent, Flour at Anspach (SCHONES MEHL);
but in Hams and Smoked Sausages you don't, come up, either in quality or quantity, to us in this Country.
Now I, for my part, like good pastries. So, from time to time, thou shalt send me a box of nice flour, and I
will keep thee in hams and sausages. Wilt thou, Louisa?' That the Princess answered Yea," says poor
Fassmann with the tear in his eye, "may readily be supposed!" Nay all that heard the thing round the royal
bed there simple humanities of that kind from so great, a Kinghad almost or altogether tears in their
eyes. [Fassmann, pp. 393, 394.]
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This surely is a very touching scene. But now listen to Wilhelmina's account of another on the same subject,
between the same parties. "At table;" no date indicated, or a wrong one, but evidently after this: in fact, we
find it was about the beginning of March, 1729; and had sad consequences for Wilhelmina.
"At table his Majesty told the Queen that he had Letters from Anspach; the young Margraf to be at Berlin in
May for his wedding; that M. Bremer his Tutor was just coming with the ring of betrothal for Louisa. He
asked my Sister, If that gave her pleasure? and How she would regulate her housekeeping when married? My
Sister had got into the way of telling him whatever she thought, and hometruths sometimes, without his
taking it ill. She answered with her customary frankness, That she would have a good table, which should be
delicately served; and, added she, 'which shall be better than yours. And if I have children, I will not maltreat
them like you, nor force them to eat what they have an aversion to.''What do you mean by that?' replied the
King: 'what is there wanting at my table?''There is this wanting,' she said, 'that one cannot have enough;
and the little there is consists of coarse potherbs that nobody can eat.' The King," as was not unnatural, "had
begun to get angry at her first answer: this last put him quite in a fury; but all his anger fell on my Brother
and me. He first threw a plate at my Brother's head, who ducked out of the way; he then let fly another at me,
which I avoided in like manner. A hailstorm of abuse followed these first hostilities. He rose into a passion
against the Queen; reproaching her with the bad training she gave her children; and, addressing my Brother:
'You have reason to curse your Mother,' said he, 'for it is she that causes your being an illgoverned fellow
(UN MAL GOUVERNE). I had a Preceptor,' continued he, 'who was an honest man. I remember always a
story he told me in my youth. There was a man, at Carthage, who had been condemned to die for many
crimes he had committed. While they were leading him to execution, he desired he might speak to his
Mother. They brought his Mother: he came near, as if to whisper something to her;and bit away a piece of
her ear. I treat you thus, said he, to make you an example to all parents who take no heed to bring up their
children in the practice of virtue!Make the application,' continued he, always addressing my Brother: and
getting no answer from him, he again set to abusing us till he could speak no longer. We rose from table. As
we had to pass near him in going out, he aimed a great blow at me with his crutch; which, if I had not jerked
away from it, would have ended me. He chased me for a while in his wheelchair, but the people drawing it
gave me time to escape into the Queen's chamber." [Wilhelmina, i. 159.]
Poor Wilhelmina, beaten upon by Papa in this manner, takes to bed in miserable feverish pain, is ordered out
by Mamma to evening party, all the same; is evidently falling very ill. "Ill? I will cure you!" says Papa next
day, and makes her swallow a great draught of wine. Which completes the thing: "declared smallpox," say
all the Doctors now. So that Wilhelmina is absent thenceforth, as Fassmann already told us, from the
magnanimous paternal sickroom; and lies balefully eclipsed, till the paternal gout and some other things
have run their course. "Smallpox; what will Prince Fred think? A perfect fright, if she do live!" say the
English Courtgossips in the interim. But we are now arrived at a very singular PrussianEnglish
phenomenon; and ought to take a new Chapter.
Chapter VI. IMMINENCY OF WAR OR DUEL BETWEEN THE BRITANNIC
AND PRUSSIAN MAJESTIES.
The DoubleMarriage negotiation hung fire, in the end of 1728; but everybody thought, especially Queen
Sophie thought, it would come to perfection; old Ilgen, almost the last thing he did, shed tears of joy about it.
These fine outlooks received a sad shock in the Year now come; when secret grudges burst out into open
flame; and Berlin, instead of scenic splendors for a Polish Majesty, was clangorous with note of preparation
for imminent War. Probably Queen Sophie never had a more agitated Summer than this of 1729. We are now
arrived at that thricefamous Quarrel, or almost Duel, of Friedrich Wilhelm and his Britannic
Brotherinlaw little George II.; and must try to riddle from those distracted Papermasses some notice of it,
not wholly unintelligible to the reader. It is loudly talked of, loudly, but alas also loosely to a degree, in all
manner of dull Books; and is at once thricefamous and extremely obscure. The fact is, Nature intended it for
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eternal oblivion;and that, sure enough, would have been its fate long since, had not persons who were then
thought to be of no importance, but are now seen to be of some, stood connected with it more or less.
Friedrich Wilhelm, for his own part, had seen in the death of George I. an evil omen from the English quarter;
and all along, in spite of transient appearances to the contrary, had said to himself, "If the First George, with
his solemnities and tacit sublimities, was offensive now and then, what will the Second George be? The
Second George has been an offence from the beginning!" In which notions the Smoking Parliament, vitally
interested to do it, in these perilous Soissons times, big with the fate of the Empire and Universe, is assiduous
to confirm his Majesty. The Smoking Parliament, at Potsdam, at Berlin, in the solitudes of Wusterhausen, has
been busy; and much tobacco, much meditation and insinuation have gone up, in clouds more abstruse than
ever, since the death of George I.
It is certain, George II. was a proud little fellow; very high and airy in his ways; not at all the man to
Friedrich Wilhelm's heart, nor reciprocally. A man of some worth, too; "scrupulously kept his word," say the
witnesses: a man always conscious to himself, "Am not I a man of honor, then?" to a punctilious degree. For
the rest, courageous as a Welf; and had some sense withal,though truly not much, and indeed, as it were,
none at all in comparison to what he supposed he had!One can fancy the aversion of the little dapper
Royalty to this heavyfooted Prussian Barbarian, and the Prussian Barbarian's to him. The bloody nose in
childhood was but a symbol of what passed through life. In return for his bloody nose, little George, five
years the elder, had carried off Caroline of Anspach; and left Friedrich Wilhelm sorrowing, a neglected
cub,poor honest Beast tragically shorn of his Beauty. Offences could not fail; these two Cousins went on
offending one another by the mere act of living simultaneously. A natural hostility, that between George II.
and Friedrich Wilhelm; anterior to Caroline of Anspach, and independent of the collisions of interest that
might fall out between them. Enmity as between a glancing selfsatisfied fop, and a loutish thicksoled man
of parts, who feels himself the better though the less successful. HouseMastiff seeing itself neglected, driven
to its hutch, for a tricksy Ape dressed out in ribbons, who gets favor in the drawingroom.
George, I perceive by the very StatePapers, George and his English Lords have a provoking slighting tone
towards Friedrich Wilhelm; they answer his violent convictions, and thoroughgoing rapid proposals, by brief
official negation, with an air of superiority,traces of, a polite sneer perceptible, occasionally. A mere
Clown of a King, thinks George; a mere gesticulating Coxcomb, thinks Friedrich Wilhelm. "MEIN BRUDER
DER COMODIANT, My Brother the Playactor" (particolored MerryAndrew, of a highflying turn)! was
Friedrich Wilhelm's private name for him, in after days. Which George repaid by one equal to it, "My Brother
the HeadBeadle of the Holy Roman Empire,""ERZSANDSTREUER," who solemnly brings up the
SANDBOX (no blottingpaper yet in use) when the Holy Roman Empire is pleased to write.
"ERZSANDSTREUER, ArchSandboxBeadle of the HEILIGE ROMISCHE REICH;" it is a lumbering
nickname, but intrinsically not without felicity, and the wittiest thing I know of little George.
Special cause of quarrel they had none that was of the least significance; and, at this time, prudent friends
were striving to unite them closer and closer, as the true policy for both; English Townshend himself rather
wishing it, as the best Prussian Officials eagerly did; Queen Sophie passionate for it; and only a purchased
Grumkow, a Seckendorf and the TobaccoParliament set against it. The Treaty of Wusterhausen was not
known; but the fact of some Treaty made or making, some Imperial negotiation always going on, was too
evident; and Friedrich Wilhelm's partialities to the Kaiser and his Seckendorf could be a secret nowhere.
Negotiation always going on, we say; for such indeed was the case,the Kaiser striving always to be loose
again (having excellent reasons, a secret bargain to the contrary, to wit!) in regard to that JulichandBerg
Succession; proposing "substitutes for Julich and Berg;" and Friedrich Wilhelm refusing to accept any
imaginable substitute, anything but the article itself. So that, I believe, the Treaty of Wusterhausen was never
perfectly ratified, after all; but hung, for so many years, always on the point of being so. These are the uses of
your purchased Grumkow, and of riding the length of a Terrestrial Equator keeping a Majesty in company. If,
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by a DoubleMarriage with England, that intricate web of chicanery had been once fairly slit in two, and new
combinations formed, on a basis not of fastandloose, could it have been of disadvantage to either of the
Countries, or to either of their Kings?Real and grave causes for agreement we find; real or grave causes for
quarrel none anywhere. But light or imaginary causes, which became at last effectual, can be enumerated, to
the length of three or four.
CAUSE FIRST: THE HANOVER JOINTHERITAGES, WHICH ARE NOT IN A LIQUID STATE.
FIRST, the "Ahlden Heritage" was one cause of disagreement, which lasted long. The poor Mother of George
II. and of Queen Sophie had left considerable properties; "three million THALERS," that is 900,000 pounds,
say some; but all was rather in an unliquid state, not so much as her Will was to be had. The Will, with a
10,000 pounds or so, was in the hands of a certain Graf von Bar, one of her confidants in that sad
imprisonment: "money lent him," Busching says, [ Beitrage zur Lebensgeschichte denkwurdiger Personen
(Halle, 1783l789), i. 306, ? NUSSLER. Some distracted fractions of Business Correspondence with this
Bar, in Memoirs of Sophia Dorothea, unintelligible as usual there.] "to set up a WaxBleachery at
Cassel:"and the said Count von Bar was off with it, Testamentary Paper and all; gone to the
REICHSHOFRATH at Vienna, supreme Judges, in the Empire, of such matters. Who accordingly issued him
a "Protection," to start with: so that when the Hanover people attempted to lay hold of the questionable
waxbleaching Count, at FrankfurtonMayn,secretly sending "a lieutenant and twelve men" for that
object,he producec his Protection Paper, and the lieutenant and twelve men had to hasten home again.
[Ibid.] Count von Bar had to be tried at law,never ask with what results;and this itself was a long story.
Then as to the other properties of the poor Duchess, question arises, Are they ALLODIA, or are they
FEUDA,that is to say, shall the Son have them, or the Daughter? In short, there was no end to questions.
Friedrich Wilhelm has an Envoy at Hanover, one Kannegiesser, laboring at Hauover, the second of such he
has been obliged to send; who finds plenty of employment in that matter. "My Brother the COMODIANT
quietly put his Father's Will in his pocket, I have heard; and paid no regard to it (except what he was
compelled to pay, by Chesterfield and others): will he do the like with his poor Mother's Will?" Patience,
your Majesty: he is not a covetous man, but a selfwilled and a proud,always conscious to himself that he
is the soul of honor, this poor Brother King!
Nay withal, before these testamentary bickerings are settled, here has a new JointHeritage fallen: on which
may rise discussions. Poor Uncle Ernst of Osnabruckto whom George I., chased by Death, went galloping
for shelter that night, and who could only weep over his poor Brother dead has not survived him many
months. The youngest Brother of the lot is now gone too. Electress Sophie's Seven are now all gone. She had
six sons: four became Austrian soldiers, three of whom perished in war long since; the other three, the
Bishop, the King, the eldest of the Soldiers, have all died within two years (17261728): [Michaelis, i. 153.
See Feder, Kurfurstinn Sophie; Hoppe, Geschichte der Stadt Hannover; Sophie Charlotte, "Republican
Queen" of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm's Mother, whom we knew long since, was the one Daughter. Her also
Uncle Ernst saw die, in his youth, as we may remember. They are all dead. And now the Heritages are to
settle, at least the recent part of them. Let Kannegiesser keep his eyes open. Kannegiesser is an expert
highmannered man; but said to be subject to sharpness of temper; and not in the best favor with the Hanover
people. That is Cause FIRST.
CAUSE SECOND: THE TROUBLES OF MECKLENBURG.
Then, secondly, there is the business of Mecklenburg; deplorable Business for Mecklenburg, and for
everybody within wind of it, my poor readers included. Readers rememberwhat reader can ever
forget?that extraordinary Duke of Mecklenburg, the "Unique of Husbands," as we had to call him, who
camE with his extraordinary Duchess, to wait on her Uncle Peter, the Russian (say rather SAMOEIDIC)
Czar, at Magdeburg, a dozen years ago? We feared it was in the fates we might meet that man again; and so it
turns out! The Unique of Husbands has proved also to be the unluckiest of Misgoverning Dukes in his Epoch;
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and spreads mere trouble all round him. Mecklenburg is in a bad way, this long while, especially these ten
years past. "Owing to the CharlesTwelfth Wars," or whatever it was owing to, this unlucky Duke had fallen
into want of more money; and impoverished Mecklenburg alleged that it was in no condition to pay more.
Almost on his accession, while the tarbarrels were still blazing, years before we ever saw him, he demanded
new subvention from his RITTERS (the "Squires" of the Country); subvention new in Mecklenburg, though
common in other sovereign German States, and at one time in Mecklenburg too. The Ritters would not pay;
the Duke would compel them: Ritters appeal to Kaiser in Reichshofrath, who proves favorable to the Ritters.
Duke still declines obeying Kaiser; asserts that "he is himself in such matter the sovereign:" Kaiser
fulminates what of rusty thunder he has about him; to which the Duke, flung on his back by it, still continues
contumacious in mind and tongue: and so between thunder and contumacy, as between hammer and stithy,
the poor Country writhes painfully ever since, and is an affliction to everybody near it.
For ten years past, the unluckiest of Misgoverning Dukes has been in utter controversy with his Ritters;at
law with them before the Courts of the Empire, nay occasionally trying certain of them himself, and cutting
off their heads; getting Russian regiments, and then obliged to renounce Russian regiments;in short, a very
great trouble to mankind thereabouts. [Michaelis, ii. 416435.] So that the Kaiser in Reichshofrath, about the
date indicated (Year 1719), found good to send military coercion on him; and intrusted that function to the
HanoverBrunswick people, to George I. more especially; to whom, as KREISHAUPTMANN" ("Captain
of the Circle," Circle of LowerSaxony, where the contumacy had occurred), such function naturally fell.
The Hanover Sovereignty, sending 13,000 men, horse, foot and artillery into Mecklenburg, soon did their
function, with only some slight flourishes of fighting on the part of the contumacious Duke,in which his
chief Captain, one Schwerin, distinguishes himself: Kurt von Schwerin, whom we shall know better by and
by, for he went into the Prussian service shortly after. Colonel von Schwerin did well what was in him; but
could not save a refractory Duke, against such odds. The contumacious Duke was obliged to fly his
country;deposed, or, to begin with, suspended, a Brother of his being put in as interim Duke:and the
Unique of Husbands and paragon of Mismanaging Dukes lives about Dantzig ever since, on a Pension
allowed him by his interim Brother; contumacious to the last; and still stirring up strife, though now with
diminished means, Uncle Peter being now dead, and Russian help much cut off.
The Hanover Sovereignties did their function soon enough: but their "expenses for it," these they have in vain
demanded ever since. No money to be got from Mecklenburg; and Mecklenburg owes us "ten tons of
gold,"that is to say, 1,000,000 thalers, "tou" being the tenth part of a million in that coin. Hanover,
therefore, holds possessionand has held ever since, with competent small military forceof certain
Districts in Mecklenburg: Taxes of these will subsist our soldiery in the interim, and yield interest; the
principal once paid, we at once give them up; principal, by these schedules, if you care to count them, is one
million thalers (ten TONNEN GOLDES, as above said), or about 150,000 pounds. And so it has stood for ten
years past; Mecklenburg the most anarchic of countries, owing to the kind of Ritters and kind of Duke it has.
Poor souls, it is evident they have all lost their beaten road, and got among the IGNES FATUI and
peatpools: none knows the necessities and sorrows of this poor idle Duke himself! In his young years,
before accession, he once tried soldiering; served one campaign with Charles XII., but was glad to "return to
Hamburg" again, to the peaceable scenes of fashionable life there. [See German Spy (London, 1725, by
Lediard, Biographer of Marlborough) for a lively picture of the then Hamburg,resort of Northern Moneyed
Idleness, as well as of better things.] Then his Russian Unique of Wives: his probable adventures, prior
and subsequent, in Uncle Peter's sphere, can these have been pleasant to him? The angry Ritters, too, their
country had got much trampled to pieces in the CharlesTwelfth Wars, Stralsund Sieges: money seemed
necessary to the Duke, and the Ritters were very scarce of it. Add, on both sides, pride and want of sense,
with mutual anger going on CRESCENDO; and we have the sad phenomenon now visible: A Duke fled to
Dantzig, anarchic Ritters none the better for his going; Duke perhaps threatening to return, and much
flurrying his poor interim Brother, and stirring up the Anarchies:in brief, Mecklenburg become a house on
fire, for behoof of neighbors and self.
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In these miserable brabbles Friedrich Wilhelm did not hitherto officially interfere; though not uninterested in
them; being a next neighbor, and even, by known treaties, "eventual heir," should the Mecklenburg Line die
out. But we know he was not in favor with the Kaiser, in those old years; so the military coercion had been
done by other hands, and he had not shared in the management at all. He merely watched the course of
things; always advised the Duke to submit to Law, and be peaceable; was sometimes rather sorry for him,
too, as would appear.
Last year, however (1728),doubtless it was one of Seckendorf's minor measures, done in
TobaccoParliament,Friedrich Wilhelm, now a pet of the Kaiser's, is discovered to be fairly concerned in
that matter; and is conjoined with the HanoverBrunswick Commissioners for Mecklenburg; Kaiser specially
requiring that his Prussian Majesty shall "help in executing Imperial Orders" in the neighboring Anarchic
Country. Which rather huffed little George, hitherto, since, his Father's death, the principal, or as good as
sole Commissioner,if so big a Britannic Majesty COULD be huffed by paltry slights of that kind!
Friedrich Wilhelm, who has much meditated Mecklenburg, strains his intellect, sometimes to an intense
degree, to find out ways of settling it: George, who has never cared to meditate it, nor been able if he had, is
capable of sniffing scornfully at Friedrich Wilhelm's projects on the matter, and dismissing them as
moonshine. [Dubourgay Despatches and the Answers to them (more than once).] To a wise muchmeditative
HouseMastiff, can that be pleasant, from an unthinking dizened creature of the Ape species? The troubles of
Mecklenburg, and discrepancies thereupon, are capable of becoming a SECOND source of quarrel.
CAUSES THIRD AND FOURTH:AND CAUSE FIFTH, WORTH ALL THE OTHERS.
Cause THIRD is the old story of recruiting; a standing cause between Prussia and all its neighbors. And the
FOURTH cause is the tiniest of all: the "Meadow of Clamei." Meadow of Clamei, some square yards of
boggy ground; which, after long study, one does find to exist in the obscurest manner, discoverable in the
best Maps of Germany,some twenty miles south of the Elbe river, on the boundary between
HanoverLuneburg and PrussiaMagdeburg, dubious on which side of the boundary. Lonesome unknown
Patch of Meadow, lying far amid peaty wildernesses in those Salzwedel regions: unknown to all writing
mortals as yet; but which threatens, in this summer of 1729, to become famous as Runnymead among the
Meadows of History! And the FIFTH causeIn short, there was no real "cause" of the least magnitude; the
effect was produced by the combination of many small and imaginary ones. For if there is a will to quarrel,
we know there is a way. And perhaps the FIFTH namable cause, in efficiency worth all the others together,
might be found in the Debates of the Smoking Parliament that season, were the Journal of its Proceedings
extant! We gather symptoms, indisputable enough, of very diligent elaborations and insinuations there; and
conclude that to have been the really effective cause. Clouds had risen between the two Courts; but except for
the TobaccoParliament, there never could have thunder come from them.
Very soon after George's accession there began clouds to rise; the perfectly accomplished little George
assuming a severe and high air towards his rustic BrotherinLaw. "We cannot stand these Prussian
enlistments and encroachments; rectify these, in a high and severe manner!" says George to his Hanover
Officials. George is not warm on his throne till there comes in, accordingly, from the Hanover Officials a
Complaint to that effect, and even a List of Hanoverian subjects who are, owing to various injustices, now
serving in the Prussian ranks: "Your Prussian Majesty is requested to return us these men!"
This List is dated 22d January, 1728; George only a few months old in his new authority as yet. The Prussian
Majesty grumbles painfully responsive: "Will, with eagerness, do whatever is just; most surely! But is his
Britannic Majesty aware? Hanover Officials are quite misinformed as to the circumstances;"and does not
return any of the men. Merely a pacific grumble, and nothing done in regard to the complaints. Then there is
the Meadow of Clamei which we spoke of: "That belongs to Brandenburg, you say? Nevertheless the
contiguous parts of Hanover have rights upon it. Some 'eight cartloads of hay,' worth say almost 5 pounds or
10 pounds sterling: who is to mow that grass, I wonder?"
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Friedrich Wilhelm feels that all this is a pettifogging vexatious course of procedure; and that his little Cousin
the COMODIANT is not treating him very like a gentleman. "Is he, your Majesty!" suggests the Smoking
Parliament.About the middle of March, Dubourgay hears Borck, an Official not of the Grumkow party,
sulkily commenting on "the constant hostility of the Hanover Ministry to us" in all manner of
points;inquires withal, Could not Mecklenburg be somehow settled, his Prussian Majesty being
somewhat anxious upon it? [Despatch, 17th March, 1729.] Anxious, yes: his poor Majesty, intensely
meditative of such a matter in the nightwatches, is capable of springing out of bed, with an "Eureka! I have
found what will do!" and demanding writing materials. He writes or dictates in his shirt, the good anxious
Majesty; despatches his Eureka by estafette on the wings of the wind: and your Townshend, your
UNmeditative George, receives it with curt official negative, and a polite sneer. [Dubourgay, 12th14th
April, 1729; and the Answer from St. James's.]
A few weeks farther on, this is what the Newspapers report of Mecklenburg, in spite of his Prussian Majesty's
desire to have some mercy shown the poor infatuated Duke: "The Elector of Hanover and the Duke of
BrunswickWolfenbuttel," his Britannic Majesty and Squire in that sad business, "REFUSE to withdraw their
forces out of Mecklenburg, or part with the Chest of the Revenues thereof, until an entire satisfaction be
given them for the arrears of the Charges they have been at in putting the Sentence of the Aulic Council
[Kaiser's REICHSHOFRATH and rusty thunder] into execution against the said Duke." [Salmon's
Chronological Historian (London, 1748,a Book never to be quoted without caution), ii. 216;date
(translated into new style), 10th July, 1729.]
Matters grew greatly worse when George paid his first Visit to Hanover in character of King, early in the
Summer of 1729. Part of his road lies through Prussian Territory: "Shall he have free posthorses, as his late
Majesty was wont?" asks the Prussian Official person. "If he write to request them, yes," answers Friedrich
Wilhelm; "if he don't write, no." George does not write; pays for his posthorses;flourishes along to
Hanover, in absolute silence towards his clownish BrotherinLaw. You would say he looks over the head of
him, as if there were no such clown in existence;he has never yet so much as notified his arrival. "What is
this? There exists no Prussia, then, for little George?" Friedrich Wilhelm's inarticulate, interjectionary
utterances, in clangorous metallic tone, we can fancy them, now and then; and the TobaccoParliament is
busy! British Minister Dubourgay, steady old military gentleman, who spells imperfectly, but is intent to keep
down mischief, writes at last to Hanover, submissively suggesting, "Could not, as was the old wont, some
notification of the King's arrival be sent hither, which would console his Prussian Majesty?" To which my
Lord Townshend answers, "Has not been the custom, I am informed [WRONG informed, your Lordship]; not
necessary in the circumstances." Which is a high course between neighbors and royal gentlemen and
kinsfolk. The Prussian Court hereupon likewise shuts its lips; no mention of the Hanoverian Court, not even
by her Majesty and to Englishmen, for several weeks past. [Dubourgay.] Some inarticulate metallic growl, in
private, at dinner or in the TABAKSCOLLEGIUM: the rest is truculent silence. Nor are our poor Hanover
Recruits (according to our List of Pressed Hanoverians) in the least sent back; nor the Clamei Meadows
settled; "Big Meadow" or "Little one," both of which the Brandenburgers have mown in the mean time.
Hanover Pressed men not coming home,I think, not one of them, the Hanover Officials decide to seize
such Prussian Soldiers as happen to be seizable, in Hanover Territory. The highway in that bordercountry
runs now on this side of the march, now on that; watch well, and you will get Prussian Soldiers from time
to time! Which the Hanover people do; and seize several, common men and even officers. Here is once more
a high course of proceeding. Here is coal to raise smoke enough, if well blown upon,which, with
Seckendorf and Grumkow working the bellows, we may well fancy it was! But listen to what follows,
independently of bellows.
On the 28th June, 1729, hay lying now quite dry upon the Meadow of Clamei, lo, the Bailiff of Hanoverian
Buhlitz, Unpicturesque Traveller will find the peatsmoky little Village of Buhlitz near by a dusty little
Town called Luchow, midway from Hamburg to Magdeburg; altogether peaty, mossy country; in the
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Salzwedel district, where used to be Wendic populations, and a Marck or Border Fortress of Salzwedel set up
against them:Bailiff of Buhlitz, I say, sallies forth with several carts, with all the population of the Village,
with a troop of horse to escort, and probably flags flying and some kind of drums beating;publicly rakes
together the hay, defiant of the Prussian Majesty and all men; loads it on his carts, and rolls home with it;
leaving to the Brandenburgers nothing but stubble and the memory of having mown for Hanover to eat. This
is the 28th June, 1729; King of Prussia is now at Magdeburg, reviewing his troops; within a hundred miles of
these contested quagcountries: who can blame him that he flames up now into clear blaze of royal
indignation? The correspondence henceforth becomes altogether lively: but in the Britannic Archives there is
nothing of it,Dubourgay having received warning from my Lord Townshend to be altogether ignorant of
the matter henceforth, and let the Hanover Officials manage it. His Prussian Majesty returns home in the most
tempestuous condition.
We may judge what a time Queen Sophie had of it; what scenes there were with CrownPrince Friedrich and
Wilhelmina, in her Majesty's Apartment and elsewhere! Friedrich Wilhelm is fast mounting to the redhot
pitch. The bullyings, the beatings even, of these poor Children, lovesick one of them, are lamentable to hear
of, as all the world has heard:"Disobedient unnatural whelps, biting the heels of your poor old parent
mastiff in his extreme need, what is to be done with you?" Fritz he often enough beats, gives a slap to with
his rattan; has hurled a plate at him, on occasion, when bad topics rose at table; nay at Wilhelmina too, she
says: but the poor children always ducked, and nothing but a little noise and loss of crockery ensued. Fritz he
deliberately detests, as a servant of the Devil, incorrigibly rebelling against the paternal will, and going on
those dissolute courses: a silly French cockatoo, suspected of disbelief in Scripture; given to nothing but
fifing and playbooks; who will bring Prussia aud himself to a bad end. "God grant he do not finish on the
gallows!" sighed the sad Father once to Grumkow. The records of these things lie written far and wide, in the
archives of many countries as well as in Wilhelmina's Book.
To me there was one undiplomatic reflection continually present: Heavens, could nobody have got a bit of
rope, and hanged those two Diplomatic swindlers; clearly of the scoundrel genus, more than common
pickpockets are? Thereby had certain young hearts, and honest old ones too, escaped being broken; and many
a thing might have gone better than it did. JARNIBLEU, Herr Feldzeugmeister, though you are an orthodox
Protestant, this thousandfold perpetual habit of distilled lying seems to me a bad one. I do not blame an old
military gentleman, with a brow so puckered as yours, for having little of the milk of human kindness so
called: but this of breaking, by force of lies merely, and for your own uses, the hearts of poor innocent
creatures, nay of grinding them slowly in the mortar, and employing their Father's hand to do it withal;
thisHerr General, forgive me, but there are moments when I feel as if the extinction of probably the
intensest scoundrel of that epoch might have been a satisfactory event!Alas, it could not be. Seckendorf is
lying abroad for his Kaiser; "the only really able man we have," says Eugene sometimes. Snuffles and lisps;
and travels in all, as they count, about 25,000 miles, keeping his Majesty in company. Here are some
glimpses into the interior, dull but at firsthand, which are worth clipping and condensing from Dubourgay,
with their dates:
30th JULY, 1729. To the respectable old Brigadier, this day or yesterday, "her Majesty, all in tears,
complained of her situation: King is nigh losing his senses on account of the differences with Hanover; goes
from bed to bed in the nighttime, and from chamber to chamber, 'like one whose brains are turned.' Took a
fit, at two in the morning, lately, to be off to Wusterhausen:"about a year ago Seckendorf and Grumkow
had built a Lodge out there, where his Majesty, when he liked, could be snug and private with them: thither
his Majesty now rushed, at two in the morning; but seemingly found little assuagement. "Since his return, he
gives himself up entirely to drink: Seckendorf," the snuffling Belial, "is busy, above ground and below;
has been heard saying He alone could settle these businesses, DoubleMarriage and all, would her Majesty
but trust him!"
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"The King will not suffer the PrinceRoyal to sit next his Majesty at table, but obliges him to go to the lower
end; where things are so ordered," says the sympathetic Dubourgay, "that the poor Prince often rises without
getting one bit,"woe's me! "Insomuch that the Queen was obliged two days ago [28th July, 1729, let us
date such an occurrence] to send, by one of the servants who could be trusted, a Box of cold fowls and other
eatables for his Royal Highness's subsistence!" [Dubourgay, 30th July, 1729.]
In the first blaze of the outrage at Clamei, Friedrich Wilhelm's ardent mind suggested to him the method of
single combat: defiance of George, by cartel, To give the satisfaction of a gentleman. There have been such
instances on the part of Sovereigns; though they are rare: Karl Ludwig of the Pfalz, Winterking's Son, for
example, did, as is understood, challenge Turenne for burning the Pfalz (FIRST burning that poor country
got); but nothing came of it, owing to Turenne's prudence. Friedrich Wilhelm sees well that it all comes from
George's private humor: Why should human blood be shed except George's and mine? Friedrich Wilhelm is
decisive for sending off the cartel; he has even settled the particulars, and sees in his glowing poetic mind
how the transaction may be: say, at Hildesheim for place; Derschau shall be my second; Brigadier Sutton (if
anybody now know such a man) may be his. Seconds, place and general outline he has schemed out, and
fixed, so far as depends on one party; will fairly fence and fight this insolent little Royal Gentleman; give the
world a spectacle (which might have been very wholesome to the world) of two Kings voiding their quarrel
by duel and fair personal fence.
In England the report goes, "not without foundation," think Lord Hervey and men of sarcastic insight in the
higher circles, That it was his Britannic Majesty who "sent or would have sent a challenge of single combat to
his Prussian Majesty," the latter being the passive party! Report flung into an INVERSE posture, as is liable
to happen; "going" now with its feet uppermost; "not without foundation," thinks Lord Hervey. "But whether
it [the cartel] was carried and rejected, or whether the prayers and remonstrances of Lord Townshend
prevented the gauntlet being actually thrown down, is a point which, to me [Lord Hervey] at least, has never
been cleared." [Lord Hervey, Memoirs of George II. (London, 1848), i. 127.]
The Prussian Ministers, no less than Townshend would, feel well that this of Duel will never do.
Astonishment, FLEBILE LULIBRIUM, tragical tehee from gods and men, will come of the Duel! But how to
turn it aside? For the King is determined. His truculent veracity of mind points out this as the real way for
him; reasoning, entreating are to no purpose. "The true method, I tell you! As to the world and its
cackling,let the world cackle!" At length Borck hits on a consideration: "Your Majesty has been ill lately;
hand perhaps not so steady as usual? Now if it should turn out that your Majesty proved so inferior to
yourself as to Good Heavens!" This, it is said, was the point that staggered his Majesty.
TobaccoParliament, and Borck there, pushed its advantage: the method of duel (prevalent through the early
part of July, I should guess) was given up. [Bielfeld, Lettres familieres et autres (Second edition, 2 vols.
Leide, 1767), i. 117, 118.] Why was there no Hansard in that Institution of the Country? Patience, idle reader!
We shall get some scraps of the Debates on other subjects, by and by.But hear Dubourgay again, in the
absence of Morning Newspapers:
AUGUST 9th, 1729. "Berlin looks altogether warlike. At Magdeburg they are busy making ovens to bake
Ammunitionbread; Artillery is getting hauled out of the Arsenal here;" all is clangor, din of preparation. "It
is said the King will fall on Mecklenburg;" can at once, if he like. "These intolerable usages from England
[Seckendorf is rumored to have said], can your Majesty endure them forever? Why not marry the
PrinceRoyal, at once, to another Princess, and have done with them!"or words to that effect, as reported
by Courtrumor to her Majesty and Dubourgay. And there is a Princess talked of for this Match, Russian
Princess, little Czar's Sister (little Czar to have Wilhelmina, DoubleMarriage to be with Russia, not with
England); but the little Czar soon died, little Czar's Sister went out of sight, or I know not what happened, and
only brief rumor came of that.
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As for the CrownPrince, he has not fallen desperate; no; but appears to have strange schemes in him, deep
under cover. "He has said to a confidant [Wilhelmina, it is probable], 'As to his illtreatment, he well knew
how to free himself of that [will fly to foreign parts, your Highness?], and would have done so long since,
were it not for his Sister, upon whom the whole weight of his Father's resentment would then fall. Happen
what will, therefore, he is resolved to share with her all the hardships which the King his Father may be
pleased to put upon her." [Dubourgay, 11th August, 1729.] Means privately a flight to England, Dubourgay
sees, and in a reticent diplomatic way is glad to see.
I possess near a dozen Hanoverian and Prussian Despatches upon this strange Business; but should shudder to
inflict them on any innocent reader. Clear, grave Despatches, very brief and just, especially on the Prussian
side: and on a matter too, which truly is not lighter than any other Despatch matter of that intrinsically vacant
Epoch:O reader, would I could bury all vacant talk and writing whatsoever, as I do these poor Despatches
about the "eight cartloads of hay"! Friedrich Wilhelm is fairplay itself; will do all thinge, that Earth or
Heaven can require of him. Only, he is much in a hurry withal; and of this the Hanover Officials take
advantage, perhaps unconsciously, to keep him in provocation. He lies awake at night, his heart is sore, and
he has fled to drink. Towards the middle of August, here again is a phenomenon,"he springs out of bed
in the middle of night," has again an EUREKA as to this of Clamei: "Eureka, I see now what will bring a
settlement!" and sends off posthaste to Kannegiesser at Hanover. To Kannegiesser,Herr Reichenbach, the
special Envoy in this matter, being absent at the moment, gone to the Gohrde, I believe, where Britannic
Majesty itself is: but Kannegiesser is there, upon the Ahlden Heritages; acquainted with the ground, a rather
precise official man, who will serve for the hurry we are in. Posthaste; dove with olivebranch cannot go
too quick;Kannegiesser applying for an interview, not with the Britannic Majesty, who is at Gohrde,
hunting, but with the Hanover Council, isrefused admittance. Here are Herr Kannegiesser's official
Reports; which will themselves tell the rest of the story, thank Heaven:
TO HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY (From Herr Kannegiesser).
No. 1. "DONE AT HANOVER, 15th AUGUST, 1729.
"On the 15th day of August, at ten o'clock in the morning, I received Two Orders of Council [these are THE
EUREKA, never ask farther what they are]; despatched on the 13th instant at seven in the evening;
whereupon I immediately went to the Councilchamber here; and informed the Herr von Hartoff, Private
Secretary, who met me in a room adjoining, 'That, having something to propose to his Ministry [now sitting
deliberative in the interior here; something to propose to his Ministry] on the part of the Prussian Ministers, it
was necessary I should speak to them.' Herr von Hartoff, after having reported my demand, let me know, 'He
had received orders from the Ministry to defer what I had to say to another time.'
"I replied, 'That, since I could not be allowed the honor of an audience at that time, I thought myself obliged
to acquaint him I had received an Order from Berlin to apply to the Ministry of this place, in the name of the
Ministers of Prussia, and make the most pressing instances for a speedy Answer to a Letter lately delivered to
them by Herr Hofrath Reichenbath [my worthy Assistant here; Answer to his Letter in the first place]; and to
desire that the Answer might be lodged in my hands, in order to remit it with safety.'
"Herr von Hartoff returned immediately to the Councilchamber; and after having told the Ministers what I
had said, brought me the following answer, in about halfaquarter of an hour [seven minutes by the watch]:
'That the Ministers of this Court would not fail answering the said Letter as soon as possible; and would take
care to give me notice of it, and send the Answer to me.'"
That was all that the punctual Kannegiesser could get out of them. "But," continues he, "not thinking this
reply sufficient, I added, 'That delays being dangerous, I would come again the next day for a more precise
answer.'"
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Rather a highmannered positive man, this Kannegiesser, of the Ahlden Heritages; not without sharpness of
temper, if the Hanover Officials drive it too far.
No. 2."AT HANOVER, 16th AUGUST, 1729.
"According to the orders received from the King my Master, and pursuant of my promise of yesterday, I went
at noon this day to the Castle (SCHLOSS), for the purpose, of making appearance in the Councilchamber,
where the Ministers were assembled.
"I let them know I was there, by Van Hartoff, Privy Secretary; and, in the mildest terms, desired to be
admitted to speak with them. Which was refused me a second time; and the following answer delivered me
by Van Hartoff: 'That since the Prussian Ministers had intrusted me with this Commission, the Ministers of
this Court had directed him to draw up my yesterday's Proposals in writing, and report them to the Council.'
"Whereupon I said, 'I could not conceive any reason why I was the only person who could not be admitted to
audience. That, however, as the Ministers of this Court were pleased to authorize him, Herr von Hartoff, to
receive my Proposals, I was obliged to tell him,' as the first or preliminary point of my Commission, 'I had
received orders to be very pressing with the said Ministers of this Court, for an Answer to a Letter from the
Prussian Ministry, lately delivered by Herr Legationsrath von Reichenbach; and finding that the said Answer
was not yet finished, I would stay two days for it, that I might be more secure of getting it. But that then I
should come to put them in mind of it, and desire audience in order to acquit myself of the REST of my
Commission.'
"The Privy Secretary drew up what I said in writing. Immediately afterwards he reported it to the Ministry,
and brought me this answer: 'That the Ministers of this Court would be as good as their word of yesterday,
and answer the abovementioned Letter with all possible expedition.' After which we parted."
No. 3."AT HANOVER, 17th AUGUST, 1729
"At two in the afternoon, this day, Herr von Hartoff came to my house; and let me know 'He had business of
consequence from the Ministry, and that he would return at five.' By my direction he was told, 'I should
expect him.'
"At the time appointed he came; and told me, 'That the Ministers of the Court, understanding from him that I
designed to ask audience tomorrow, did not doubt but my business would be to remind them of the Answer
which I had demanded yesterday and the day before. That such applications were not customary among
sovereign Princes; that they, the Ministers; 'dared not treat farther in that affair with me; that they desired me
not to mention it to them again till they had received directions from his Britannic Majesty, to whom they had
made their report; and that as soon as they received their instructions, the result of these should be
communicated to me.'
"To this I replied, 'That I did not expect the Ministers of this Court would refuse me the audience which I
designed to ask tomorrow; and that therefore I would not fail of being at the Councilchamber at eleven,
next day,' according to bargain, 'to know their answer to the rest of my Proposals.'Secretary Von Hartoff
would not hear of this resolution; and assured me positively he had orders to listen to nothing more on the
subject from me. After which he left me?"
No. 4."AT HANOVER, 18th AUGUST, 1729.
"At eleven, this day, I went to the Councilchamber, for the third time; and desired Secretary Hartoff 'To
prevail with the Ministry to allow me to speak with them, and communicate what the King of Prussia had
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ordered me to propose.'
"Herr von Hartoff gave them an account of my request; and brought me for answer, 'That I must wait a little,
because the Ministers were not yet all assembled.'" Which I did. "But after having made me stay almost an
hour, and after the President of the Council was come, Herr von Hartoff came out to me; and repeated what
he had said yesterday, in very positive and absolute terms, 'That the Ministers were resolved not to see me,
and had expressly forbid him taking any Paper at my hands.'
"To which I replied, 'That this was very hard usage; and the world would see how the King of Prussia would
relish it. But having strict orders from his Majesty, my most gracious Master, to make a Declaration to the
Ministers of Hanover in his name; and finding Herr von Hartoff would neither receive it, nor take a copy of
it, I had only to tell him that I was under the necessity of leaving it in writing,and had brought the Paper
with me,'" let Herr von Hartoff observe!"'And that now, as the Council were pleased to refuse to take it, I
was obliged to leave the said Declaration on a table in an adjoining room, in the presence of Herr von Hartoff
and other Secretaries of the Council, whom I desired to lay it before the Ministry.'
"After this I went home; but had scarcely entered my apartment, when a messenger returned me the
Declaration, still sealed as I left it, by order of the Ministers: and perceiving I was not inclined to receive it,
he laid it on my table, and immediately left the house." [A Letter from an English Traveller to his Friend at
London, relating to the Differences betwixt the Courts of Prussia and Hanover, with Copies of, Translated
from the French (London, A. Millar, at Buchanan's Head, 1730), pp. 2934. An excellent distinct little
Pamphlet; very explanatory in this matter,like the smallest rushlight in a dark cellar of shotlumber.]
Whereupon Kannegiesser, without loss of a moment, returns to Berlin, 19th August; and reports progress.
Simple honest Orson of a Prussian Majesty, what a bepainted, beribboned insulting Playactor Majesty has
he fallen in with! "Hm, so? Hm, na!" and I see the face of him, all colors of the prism, and eyes in a fine
frenzy; betokening thundery weather to some people! Instantly he orders 44,000 men to get on march;
[Friedrich Wilhelm's "Manifesto" is in Mauvillon, ii. 210215, dated "20th August, 1729" (the day after
Kannegieseer's return).] and these instantly begin to stir; small preparation needed, everready being the
word with them. From heavy guns, ammunitionwagons and draughthorses, down to the last buckle of a
spatterdash, things are all ticketed and ready in his Majesty's country; things, and still more evidently men.
Within a week, the amazed Gazetteers {Newspaper Editors we now call them) can behold the actual advent
of horse, foot and artillery regiments at Magdeburg; actual rendezvous begun, and with a frightful equable
velocity going on day after day. On the 15th day of September, if Fate's almanac hold steady, there will be
44,000 of them ready there. Such a mass of potentialbattle as George or the Hanover Officiality areready
to fight?
Alas, far enough from that. Forces of their own they have, after a sort; subsidized Hessians, Danes, these they
can begin to stir up; but they have not a regiment ready for fighting; and have NOTHING, if all were ready,
which this 44,000 cannot too probably sweep out of the world. I suppose little George must have exhibited
some prismatic colors of countenance, too. This insulted Orson is swinging a tremendous club upon the little
peruked ribboned high gentleman, promenading loftily in his preserves yonder! The Prussian forces march,
steady, continual; CrownPrince Friedrich's regiment of Giants is on march, expressly under charge of
Friedrich himself:the young man's thoughts are not recorded for us; only that he gets praise from his
Father, so dexterous and perfect is he with the Giants and their getting into gear. Nor is there, says our
Foreign Correspondent, the least truth, in your rumor that the Prussian forces, officers or men, marched with
bad will; "conspicuously the reverse is the truth, as I myself can testify." [Pamphlet cited above.] And his
Britannic Majesty, now making a dreadful flutter to assemble as fast as possible, is like to get quite flung into
the bogs by this terrible Orson!
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What an amazement, among the Gazetteers: thunderclouds of war mounting up over the zenith in this
manner, and blotting out the sun; may produce an effect on the Congress of Soissons? Presumably: and his
Imperial Majesty, left sitting desolate on his Pragmatic Sanction, gloomily watching events, may find
something turn up to his advantage? Prussia and England are sufficiently in quarrel, at any rate; perhaps
almost too much.The Pope, in these circumstances, did a curious thing. The Pope, having prayed lately for
rain and got it, proceeds now, in the end of September, while such warrumors are still at their height in
Rome, to pray, or even do a Public Mass, or some other socalled Pontificality, "in the Chapel of Philip Neri
in the New Church," by way of still more effectual miracle. Prays, namely, That Heaven would be graciously
pleased to foment, and blow up to the proper degree, this quarrel between the two chief Heretic Powers,
Heaven's chief enemies, whereby Holy Religion might reap a good benefit, if it pleased Heaven. But, this
time, the miracle did not go off according to program. ["Extract of a Letter from Rome, 24th September,
1729," in Townshend's Despatch, Whitehall, 10th Outober, 1729.]
For at this point, before the Pope had prayed, but while the troops and artillery were evidently all on march
("Such an artillery as I," who am Kaiser's ArtilleryMaster, "for my poor part, never had the happiness to see
before in any country," snuffles Seckendorf in the Smoking Parliament), and now swords are, as it were,
drawn, and in the air make horrid circles,the neighbors interfere: "Heavens I put up your swords!"and
the huge worldwide tumult suddenly (I think, in the very first days of this month September) collapses,
sinks into something you can put into a snuffbox.
Of course it could never come to actual battle, after all. Too high a pickleherring tragedy that. Here is a
COMODIANT not wanting to be smitten into the bogs; an honest Orson who wants nothing, nor has ever
wanted, but fairplay. Fairplay; and not to be insulted on the streets, or have one's poor Hobby quite
knocked from under one!Neighbors, as we say, struck in; France, Holland, all the neighbors, at this point:
"Do it by arbitration; Wolfenbuttel for the one, SachsenGotha for the other; Commissioners to meet at
Brunswick!" And that, accordingly, was the course fixed upon; and settlement, by that method, was
accomplished, without difficulty, in some six months hence. [16th April, 1730 (Forster, ii. 105).] Whether
Clamei was awarded to Hanover or to Brandenburg, I never knew, or how the hay of it is cut at this moment.
I only know there was no battle on the subject; though at one time there was like to be such a clash of battle
as the old Markgraves never had with their old Wends; not if we put all their battlings into one.
Seckendorf's radiant brow has to pucker itself again: this fine project, of boiling the Kaiser's eggs by setting
the world on fire, has not prospered after all. The gloomy old villain came to her Majesty one day,
[Dubourgay, 30th July, 1729.] while things were near the hottest; and said or insinuated, He was the man that
could do these businesses, and bring about the DoubleMarriage itself, if her Majesty were not so harsh upon
him. Whereupon her Majesty, reporting to Dubourgay, threw out the hint, "What if we (that is, you) did give
him a forty or fifty thousand thalers verily, for he will do anything for money?" To which Townshend
answers from the Gohrde, to the effect: "Pooh, he is a mere bag of noxious futilities; consists of gall mainly,
and rusty old lies and crotchets; breathing very copperas through those old choppy lips of his: let him go to
the!" Next Spring, at the happy end of the Arbitration, which he had striven all he could to mar and to
retard, he fell quite ill; took to his bed for two days, colics, or one knows not what;"and I can't say I am
very sorry for him," writes the respectable Dubourgay. [25th April, 1730.] On the 8th day of September,
1729, Friedrich CrownPrince reenters Potsdam [Ib. 11th Sept. 1729.] with his two battalions of Giants; he
has done so well, the King goes out from Berlin to see him march in with them; rejoicing to find something
of a soldier in the young graceless, after all. "The King distributed 100,000 thalers (15,000 pounds) among
his Army;" being well pleased with their behavior, and doubtless right glad to be out of such a Business. The
Ahlden Heritages will now get liquidated; Mecklenburg,our Knyphausen, with the Hanover Consorts, will
settle Mecklenburg; and all shall be well again, we hope!
The fact, on some of these points, turned out different; but it was now of less importance. As to Knyphausen's
proceedings at Mecklenburg, after the happy Peace, they were not so successful as had been hoped. Need of
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quarrel, however, between the Majesties, there henceforth was not in Mecklenburg; and if slight rufflings and
collisions did arise, it was not till after our poor DoubleMarriage was at any rate quite out of the game, and
they are without significance to us. But the truth is, though Knyphausen did his best, no settlement came; nor
indeed could ever come. Shall we sum up that sorry matter here, and wash our hands of it?
TROUBLES OF MECKLENBURG, FOR THE LAST TIME.
Knyphausen, we say, proved futile; nor could human wit have succeeded. The exasperated Duke was
contumacious, irrational; the two Majesties kept pulling different ways upon him. Matters grew from very
bad to worse; and Mecklenburg continued long a running sore. Not many months after this (I think, still in
1729), the irrational Duke, having got money out of Russia, came home again from Dantzig; to notable
increase of the Anarchies in Mecklenburg, though without other result for himself. The irrational Duke
proved more contumacious than ever, fell into deeper trouble than ever;at length (1733) he made
Proclamation to the Peasantry to rise and fight for him; who did turn out, with their billhooks and
bludgeons, under Captains named by him, "to the amount of 18,000 Peasants,"with such riot as may be
fancied, but without other result. So that the Hanover Commissioners decided to seize the very RESIDENZ
Cities (Schwerin and Domitz) from this mad Duke, and make the country clear of him,his Brother being
Interim Manager always, under countenance of the Commissioners. Which transactions, especially which
contemplated seizure of the Residence Cities, Friedrich Wilhelm, eventual heir, could not see with
equanimity at all. But having no forces in the country, what could he do? Being "JointCommissioner" this
long while past, though without armed interference hitherto, he privately resolves that he will have forces
there; the rather as the poor Duke professes penitence, and flies to him for help. Poor soul, his Russian
Unique of Wives has just died, far enough away from him this long while past: what a life they have had,
these two Uniques!
Enough, "on the 19th of October, 1733, LieutenantGeneral Schwerin,"the same who was Colonel
Schwerin, the Duke's chief Captain here, at the beginning of these troubles, now LientenantGeneral and a
distinguished PRUSSIAN officer, "marches into Mecklenburg with three regiments, one of foot, two of
horse:" [Buchholz, i. 122, 142; Michaelis, ii. 433, 437.] he, doubtless, will help in quelling those Peasant and
other Anarchies? Privately his mission is most delicate. He is not to fight with the Hanoverians; is delicately
but effectually to shove them well away from the Residence Cities, and fasten himself down in those parts.
Which the LieutenantGeneral dexterously does. "A night's quarter here in Parchim,"such is the
LieutenantGeneral's request, polite but impressive, from the outskirts of that little Town, a Town essential to
certain objects, and in fact the point he is aiming at: "night's quarter; you cannot refuse it to this Prussian
Company marching under the Kaiser's Commission?" No, the Hanoverian Lieutenant of Foot dare not take
upon him to refuse:but next morning, he is himself invited to withdraw, the Prussians having orders to
continue here in Parchim! And so with the other points and towns, that are essential in the enterprise on hand.
A dexterous LieutenantGeneral this Schwerin:his two HorseColonels are likewise men to be noted;
Colonel Wreech, with a charming young Wife, perhaps a too charming; Colonel Truchsess von Waldburg,
known afterwards, with distinction, in London Society and widely otherwise. And thus, in the end of 1733,
the Mecklenburg Residence Cities, happen what may, are secured for their poor irrational Duke. These things
may slightly ruffle some tempers at Hanover; but it is now 1733, and our poor DoubleMarriage is clean out
of the game by that time!
The irrational Duke could not continue in his Residence Cities, with the Brother administering over him; still
proving contumacious, he needed absolutely to be driven out, to Wismar or I know not whither; went
wandering about for almost twenty years to come; disturbed, and stirring up disturbance. Died 1747, still in
that sad posture; Interim Brother, with Posterity, succeeding. [Michaelis, ii. 434440.] But Hanover and
Prussia interfered no farther; the brother administered on his own footing, "supported by troops hired from
Hamburg. Hanover and Prussia, 400 Hanoverians, 200 Prussians, merely retained hold of their respective
Hypothecs [Districts held in pawn] till the expenses should be paid,"million of THALERS, and by those
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late anarchies a new heavy score run up.
Prussia and Hanover retained hold of their Hypothecs; for as to the expenses, what hope was there? Fifty
years hence we find the Prussian Hypothecs occupied as at first; and "rights of enlistment exercised." Never
in this world were those expenses paid;nor could be, any part of them. The last accounts were: George III.
of England, on marrying, in 1761, a Mecklenburg Princess,"Old Queen Charlotte," then young
enough,handsomely tore up the bill; and so ended that part of a desperate debt. But of the Prussian part
there was no end, nor like to be any: "down to this day [says Buchholz, in 1775], two squadrons of the
Ziethen Hussars usually lie there," and rights of enlisting are exercised. I conclude, the French Revolution
and its Wars wiped away this other desperate item. And now let us hope that Mecklenburg is better off than
formerly,that, at least, our hands are clear of it in time coming. I add only, with satisfaction, that this
Unique of Dukes was no ancestor of Old Queen Charlotte's, but only a remote WelshUncle, far enough
apart;cannot be too far.
ONE NUSSLER SETTLES THE AHLDEN HERITAGES; SENDS THE MONEY HOME IN BOXES.
Knyphausen did not settle Mecklenburg, as we perceive! Neither did Kannegiesser and the unliquidated
Heritages prosper, at Hanover, quite to perfection. One Heritage, that of Uncle Osnabruck, little George flatly
refused to share: FEUDUM the whole of that, not ALLODIUM any part of it, so that a Sister cannot claim.
Which, I think, was confirmed by the Arbitrators at Brunswick; thereby ending that. Then as to the Ahlden
ALLODIA or FEUDA, Kannegiesser, blamably or not, never could make much of the business. A precise
strict man, as we saw at the Hanover Councilroom lately; whom the Hanover people did not like. So he
made little of it. Nay at the end of next year (December, 1730), sending in his accounts to Berlin, he
demands, in addition to the three thalers (or nine shillings) daily allowed him, almost a second nine shillings
for sundries, chiefly for "hairpowder and shoeblacking"! And is instantly recalled; and vanishes from
History at this point. [Busching, Beitrage, i. 307, ? Nussler.]
Upon which Friedrich Wilhelm selects another; "sends deal boxes along with him," to bring home what cash
there is. This one's name is Nussler; an expectant Prussian Official, an adroit man, whom we shall meet again
doing work. He has the nine shillings a day, without hairpowder or blacking, while employed here; at Berlin
no constant salary whatever,had to "borrow 75 pounds for outfit on this business;"does a great deal of
work without wages, in hope of effective promotion by and by. Which did follow, after tedious years;
Friedrich Wilhelm finding him, on such proof (other proof will not do), FIT for promoting to steady
employment.
Nussler was very active at Hanover, and had his deal boxes; but hardly got them filled according to hope.
However, in some eighteen months he had actually worked out, in difficult instalments, about 13,000 pounds,
and dug the matter to the bottom. He came home with his last instalment, not disapproved of, to Berlin (May,
1732); six years after the poor Duchess's death, so the Ahlden ALLODIA too had their end.
Chapter VII. A MARRIAGE: NOT THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE:
CROWNPRINCE DEEP IN TROUBLE.
While the Hanover Imminency was but beginning, and horrid crisis of War or Duelwas yet in nobody's
thoughts, the Anspach Wedding [30th May, 1729] had gone on at Berlin. To Friedrich Wilhelm's satisfaction;
not to his Queen's, the match being but a poor one. The bride was Frederika Louisa, not the eldest of their
Daughters, but the nexteldest: younger than Wilhelmina, and still hardly fifteen; the first married of the
Family. Very young she: and gets a very young Margraf,who has been, and still is a minor; under his
Mother's guardianship till now: not rich, and who has not had a good chance to be wise. The Motheran
excellent magnanimous Princess, still young and beautiful, but laboring silently under some mortal
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diseasehas done her best to manage for him these last four or five years; [Pollnitz, Memoirs and Letters
(English Translation, London, I745), i. 200204. There are "MEMOIRS of Pollnitz," then "MEMOIRS AND
LETTERS," besides the "MEMOIRS of Brandenburg" (posthumous, which we often cite); all by this poor
man. Only the last has any Historical value, and that not much. The first two are only worth consulting,
cautiously, as loose contemporary babble,written for the Dutch Booksellers, one can perceive.] and, as I
gather, is impatient to see him settled, that she may retire and die.
Friday forenoon, 19th May, 1729, the young Margraf arrived in person at Berlin,just seventeen gone
Saturday last, poor young soul, and very foolish. Sublime royal carriage met him at the Prussian frontier; and
this day, what is more interesting, our "CrownPrince rides out to meet him; mounts into the royal carriage
beside him;" and the two young fools drive, in such a cavalcade of hoofs and wheels,talking we know not
what,into Potsdam; met by his Majesty and all the honors. What illustrious gala there then was in Potsdam
and the Court world, read,with tedium, unless you are in the tailor line,described with minute
distinctness by the admiring Fassmann. [pp.396401.] There are Generals, high Ladies, sons of Bellona and
Latona; there are dinners, there are hautboys,"twoandthirty blackamoors," in flaming uniforms, capable
of cymballing and hautboying "up the grand staircase, and round your table, and down again," in a frightfully
effective manner, while you dine. Madame Kamecke is to go as Oberhofmeisterinn to Anspach; and all the
lackeys destined thither are in their new liveries, blue turned up with red velvet. Which is delightful to see.
Review of the Giant grenadiers cannot fail; conspicuous on parade with them our CrownPrince as
LieutenantColonel: "the beauty of this Corps as well as the perfection of their EXERCITIA,"ah yes, we
know it, my dim old friend. The Marriage itself followed, at Berlin, after many exercitia, snipeshootings,
feastings, hautboyings; on the 30th of the month; with torchdance and the other customary trimmings;
"Bride's garter cut in snips" for dreaming upon "by his Royal Majesty himself." The LUSTBARKEITEN, the
stupendous public entertainments having ended, there is weeping and embracing (MORE HUMANO); and
the happy couple, socalled happy, retire to Anspach with their destinies and effects.
A foolish young fellow, this new Brotherinlaw, testifies Wilhelmina in many places. Finances in disorder;
Mother's wise management, ceasing too soon, has only partially availed. King "has lent some hundreds of
thousands of crowns to Anspach [says Friedrich at a later period], which there is no chance of ever being
repaid. All is in disorder there, in the finance way; if the Margraf gets his hunting and his heroning, he laughs
at all the rest; and his people pluck him bare at every hand." [Schulenburg's Letter (in Forster, iii. 72).] Nor
do the married couple agree to perfection;far from it: "hate one another like cat and dog (like the fire,
COMME LE FEU)," says Friedrich: [Correspondence (more than once).] "his Majesty may see what comes
of illassorted marriages!"In fact, the union proved none of the most harmonious; subject to squalls
always;but to squalls only; no open tempest, far less any shipwreck: the marriage held together till death,
the Husband's death, nearly thirty years after, divided it. There was then left one Son; the same who at length
inherited Baireuth too,inherited Lady Craven,and died in Bubb Doddington's Mansion, as we often
teach our readers.
Last year, the Third Daughter was engaged to the HeirApparent of Brunswick; will be married, when of age.
Wilhelmina, flower of them all, still hangs on the bush, "asked," or supposed to be "asked by four Kings," but
not attained by any of them; and one knows not what will be her lot. She is now risen out of the sickness she
has had,not smallpox at all, as malicious English rumor gave it in England;and "looks prettier than
ever," writes Dubourgay.
Here is a marriage, then; first in the Family;but not the DoubleMarriage, by a long way! The late
Hanover Tornado, sudden Waterspout as we called it, has quenched that Negotiation; and one knows not in
what form it will resuscitate itself. The royal mind, both at Berlin and St. James's, is in a very uncertain state
after such a phenomenon.
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Friedrich Wilhelm's favor for the CrownPrince, marching home so gallantly with his Potsdam Giants, did
not last long. A few weeks later in the Autumn we have again ominous notices from Dubourgay. And here,
otherwise obtained, is a glimpse into the interior of the Berlin Schloss; momentary perfect clearness, as by a
flash of lightning, on the state of matters there; which will be illuminative to the reader.
CROWNPRINCE'S DOMESTICITIES SEEN IN A FLASH OF LIGHTNING.
This is another of those tragicomic scenes, tragic enough in effect, between Father and Son; Son now about
eighteen,fit to be getting through Oxford, had he been an English gentleman of private station. It comes
from the irrefragable Nicolai; who dates it about this time, uncertain as to month or day.
Fritz's love of music, especially of fluting, is already known to us. Now a certain Quantz was one of his
principal instructors in that art, and indeed gave him the last finish of perfection in it. Quantz, famed Saxon
musicmaster and composer, Leader of the CourtBand in Saxony, king of fluteplayers in his day, (a
villagefarrier's son from the Gottingen region, and himself destined to shoe horses, had not imperative
Nature prevailed over hindrances);Quantz, ever from Fritz's sixteenth year, was wont to come
occasionally, express from Dresden, for a week or two, and give the young man lessons on the flute. The
young man's Mother, good Queen Feekin, had begged this favor for him from the Saxon Sovereignties; and
pleaded hard for it at home, or at worst kept it secret there. It was one of the many good maternities,
clandestine and public, which she was always ready to achieve for him where possible;as he also knew full
well in his young grateful heart, and never forgot, however old he grew! Illustrious Quantz, we say, gives
Fritz lessons on the flute; and here is a scene they underwent;they and a certain brisk young soldier fellow,
Lieutenant von Katte, who was there too; of whom the reader will tragically hear more in time.
On such occasions Fritz was wont to pull off the tight Prussian coat or COATIE, and clap himself into
flowing brocade of the due roominess and splendor,bright scarlet dressinggown, done in gold, with tags
and sashes complete;and so, in a temporary manner, feel that there was such a thing as a gentleman's
suitable apparel. He would take his musiclessons, follow his clandestine studies, in that favorable
dress:thus Buffon, we hear, was wont to shave, and put on clean linen, before he sat down to write, finding
it more comfortable so. Though, again, there have been others who could write in considerable disorder; not
to say litter, and palpable imperfection of equipment: Samuel Johnson, for instance, did some really grand
writing in a room where there was but one chair, and that one incapable of standing unless you sat on it,
having only three feet. A man is to fit himself to what is round him: but surely a CrownPrince may be
indulged in a little brocade in his leisure moments!
Fritz and Quantz sat doing music, an unlawful thing, in this pleasant, but also unlawful costume; when
Lieutenant Katte, who was on watch in the outer room, rushes in, distraction in his aspect: Majesty just here!
Quick, double quick! Katte snatches the musicbooks and flutes, snatches Quantz; hurries with him and them
into some wallpress, or closet for firewood, and stands quaking there. Our poor Prince has flung aside his
brocade, got on his military coatie; and would fain seem busy with important or indifferent routine matters.
But, alas, he cannot undo the French hairdressing; cannot change the graceful French bag into the strict
Prussian queue in a moment. The French bag betrays him; kindles the paternal vigilance,alas, the paternal
wrath, into a tornado pitch. For his vigilant suspecting Majesty searches about; finds the brocade article
behind a screen; crams it, with loud indignation, into the fire; finds all the illicit French Books; confiscates
them on the spot, confiscates all manner of contraband goods:and there was mere sulphurous whirlwind in
those serene spaces for about an hour! If his Majesty had looked into the woodcloset? His Majesty, by
Heaven's express mercy, omitted that. Haude the Bookseller was sent for; ordered to carry off that poisonous
French cabinetlibrary in mass; sell every Book of it, to an undiscerning public, at what price it will fetch.
Which latter part of his order, Haude, in deep secrecy, ventured to disobey, being influenced thereto. Haude,
in deep secrecy, kept the cabinetlibrary secure; and "lent" the Prince book after book from it, as his Royal
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Highness required them.
Friedrich, it is whispered in TobaccoParliament, has been known, in his irreverent impatience, to call the
Grenadier uniform his "shroud (STERBEKITTEL, or deathclothes);" so imprisoning to the young mind and
body! Paternal Majesty has heard this blasphemous rumor; hence doubtless, in part, his fury against the wider
brocade garment.
It was Quantz himself that reported this explosion to authentic Nicolai, many years afterwards; confessing
that he trembled, every joint of him, in the woodcloset, during that hour of hurricane; and the rather as he
had on "a red dresscoat," whioh color, foremost of the flaring colors, he knew to be his Majesty's aversion,
on a man's back. [Nicolai, Anekdoten (Berlin, 1790), ii. 148.] Of incomparable Quantz, and his heartthrilling
adagios, we hope to hear transiently again, under joyfuler circumstances. Of Lieutenant von Katte,a short
stout young fellow, with black eyebrows, pockmarked face, and rather dissolute manners,we shall not fail
to hear.
Chapter VIII. CROWNPRINCE GETTING BEYOND HIS DEPTH IN
TROUBLE.
It is not certain that the late Imminency of Duel had much to do with such explosions. The Hanover
Imminency, which we likened to a tropical waterspout, or sudden thunderous blottingout of the sky to the
astonished Gazetteers, seems rather to have passed away as waterspouts do,leaving the earth and air, if
anything, a little REFRESHED by such crisis. Leaving, that is to say, the two Majesties a little less disposed
for open quarrel, or rash utterance of their ill humor in time coming. But, in the mean while, all mutual
interests are in a painful state of suspended animation: in Berlin there is a privately rebellious Spouse and
Household, there is a TobaccoParliament withal;and the royal mind, sensitive, imaginative as a poet's, as
a woman's, and liable to transports as of a Norse Baresark, is of uncertain movement. Such a load of
intricacies and exaggerated anxieties hanging on it, the royal mind goes like the most confused smokejack,
sure only to HAVE revolutions; and we know how, afar from Soissons, and at home in TobaccoParliament,
the machine is influenced! Enough, the explosive procedures continue, and are on the increasing hand.
Majesty's hunting at Wusterhausen was hardly done, when that alarming Treaty of Seville came to light (9th
November, 1729), France and England ranked by the side of Spain, disposing of Princes and Apanages at
their will, and a Kaiser left sitting solitary,which awakens the domestic whirlwinds at Berlin, among other
results. "CANAILLE ANGLAISE, English Doggery!" and similar fine epithets, addressed to Wilhelmina and
the CrownPrince, fly about; not to speak of occasional crockery and other missiles. Friedrich Wilhelm has
forbidden these two his presence altogether, except at dinner: Out of my sight, ye Canaille Anglaise; darken
not the sunlight for me at all!
This is in the Wusterhausen time,Hanover Imminency only two months gone. And Mamma sends for us to
have private dialogues in her Apartment there, with spies out in every direction to make signal of Majesty's
return from his hunt,who, however, surprises as on one occasion, so that we have to squat for hours, and
almost get suffocated. [Wilhelmina, i. 172.] Whereupon the CrownPrince, who will be eighteen in a couple
of months, and feels the indignity of such things, begs of Mamma to be excused in future. He has much to
suffer from his Father again, writes Dubourgay in the end of November: "it is difficult to conceive the vile
stratagems that are made use of to provoke the Father against the Son." [Dubourgay, 28th November, 1729.]
Or again, take this, as perhaps marking an epoch in the business, a fortnight farther on:
DECEMBER 10th 1729. "His Prussian Majesty cannot bear the sight of either the Prince or Princess Royal:
The other day, he asked the Prince: 'Kalkstein makes you English; does not he?'" Kalkstein, your old Tutor,
Borck, Knyphausen, Finkenstein, they are all of that vile clique! "To which the Prince answered, 'I respect the
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English because I know the people there love me;' upon which the King seized him by the collar, struck him
fiercely with his cane," in fact rained showers of blows upon him; "and it was only by superior strength,"
thinks Dubourgay, "that the poor Prince escaped worse. There is a general apprehension of something tragical
taking place before long."
Truly the situation is so violent, it cannot last. And in effect a wild thought, not quite new, ripens to a
resolution in the CrownPrince under such pressures: In reference to which, as we grope and guess, here is a
Billet to Mamma, which Wilhelmina has preserved. Wilhelmina omits all trace of date, as usual; but
Dubourgay, in the above Excerpt, probably supplies that defect:
FRIEDRICH TO HIS MOTHER (Potsdam, December, 1729).
"I am in the uttermost despair. What I had always apprehended has at last come on me. The King has entirely
forgotten that I am his Son. This morning I came into his room as usual; at the first sight of me," or at the first
passage of Kalksteindialogue with me, "he sprang forward, seized me by the collar, and struck me a shower
of cruel blows with his rattan. I tried in vain to screen myself, he was in so terrible a rage, almost out of
himself; it was only weariness," not my superior strength, "that made him give up."
"I am driven to extremity. I have too much honor to endure such treatment; and I am resolved to put an end to
it in one way or another." [Wilhelmina, i. 175.]
Is not this itself sufficiently tragical? Not the first stroke he had got, we can surmise; but the first torrent of
strokes, and open beating like a slave;which to a proud young man and Prince, at such age, is indeed
INtolerable. Wilhelmina knows too well what he meaus by "ending it in one way or another;" but strives to
reassure Mamma as to its meaning "flight," or the like desperate resolution. "Mere violence of the moment,"
argues Wilhelmina; terribly aware that it is deeperrooted than that.
Flight is not a new idea to the CrownPrince; in a negative form we have seen it present in the minds of
bystanders: "a CrownPrince determined NOT to fly," whispered they. [Dubourgay (9th August, 1729),
supra, p. 129.] Some weeks ago, Wilhelmina writes: "The King's bad treatments began again on his
reappearance" at Potsdam after the Hunting; "he never saw my Brother without threatening him with his
cane. My Brother told me day after day, He would endure everything from the King, only not blows; and that
if it ever came to such extremity, he would be prepared to deliver himself by running off." And here, it would
seem, the extremity has actually come.
Wilhelmina, pitying her poor Brother, but condemning him on many points, continues: [i. 173, 174.]
"Lieutenant Keith," that wild companion of his, "had been gone some time, stationed in Wesel with his
regiment." Which fact let us also keep in mind. "Keith's departure had been a great joy to me; in the hope my
Brother would now lead a more regular life: but it proved quite otherwise. A second favorite, and a much
more dangerous, succeeded Keith. This was a young man of the name of Katte, CaptainLieutenant in the
regiment GENSD'ARMES. He was highly connected in the Army; his Mother had been a daughter of
Feldmarschall Graf von Wartensleben,"a highest dignitary of the last generation. Katte's Father, now a
General of distinction, rose also to be Feldmarschall; Cousins too, sons of a KammerPresident von Katte at
Magdeburg, rose to Army rank in time coming; but not this poor Katte,whom let the reader note!
"General Katte his Father," continues Wilhelmina, "had sent him to the Universities, and afterwards to travel,
desiring he should be a Lawyer. But as there was no favor to expect out of the Army, the young man found
himself at last placed there, contrary to his expectation. He continued to apply himself to studies; he had wit,
bookculture, acquaintance with the world; the good company which he continued to frequent had given him
polite manners, to a degree then rare in Berlin. His physiognomy was rather disagreeable than otherwise. A
pair of thick black eyebrows almost covered the eyes of him; his look had in it something ominous, presage
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of the fate he met with: a tawny skin, torn by smallpox, increased his ugliness. He affected the freethinker,
and carried libertinism to excess; a great deal of ambition and headlong rashness accompanied this vice." A
dangerous adviser here in the Berlin element, with lightnings going! "Such a favorite was not the man to
bring back my Brother from his follies. This I learned at our [Mamma's and my] return to Berlin," from the
Wusterhausen and the Potsdam tribulations;and think of it, not without terror, now that the extremity
seems coming or come.
Chapter IX. DOUBLEMARRIAGE SHALL BE OR SHALL NOT BE.
For one thing, Friedrich Wilhelm, weary of all this English pother and futility, will end the DoubleMarriage
speculation; Wilhelmina shall be disposed of, and so an end. Friedrich Wilhelm, once the hunting was over at
Wusterhausen, ran across, southward,to "Lubnow," Wilhelmina calls it,to Lubben in the Nether Lausitz,
[25th October, 1729 (Fassmann, p. 404).] a short day's drive; there to meet incognito the jovial Polish
Majesty, on his route towards Dresden; to see a review or so; and have a little talk with the evercheerful
Man of Sin. Grumkow and Seckendorf, of course these accompany; Majesty's shadow is not surer.
Review was held at Lubben, Weissenfels Commanderinchief taking charge; dinner also, a dinner or two,
with much talk and drink; and there it was settled, Wilhelmina has since known, that Weissenfels, Royal
Highness in the Abstract, was to be her Husband, after all. Weissenfels will do; either Weissenfels or else the
Margraf of Schwedt, thinks Friedrich Wilhelm; somebody shall marry the baggage out of hand, and let us
have done with that. Grumkow, as we know, was very anxious for it; calculating thereby to out the ground
from under the Old Dessauer, and make this Weissenfels Generalissimo of Prussia; a patriotic thought. Polish
Majesty lent hand, always willing to oblige.
Friedrich Wilhelm, on his return homewards, went round by Dahme for a night:not "Dam," O Princess,
there is no such town or schloss! Round by Dahme, a little town and patch of territory, in the Saxon
Countries, which was Weissenfels's Apanage;"where plenty of Tokay" cheered the royal heart; and, in
such mood, it seemed as if one's Daughter might do very well in this extremely limited position. And
Weissenfels, though with dark misgivings as to Queen Sophie, was but too happy to consent: the foolish
creature; a little given to liquor too! Friedrich Wilhelm, with this fine project in his head, drove home to
Potsdam;and there laid about him, on the poor CrownPrince, in the way we have seen; terrifying Queen
and Princess, who are at Berlin till Christmas and the Carnival be over. Friedrich Wilhelm means to see the
Polish Majesty again before long,probably so soon as this of Weissenfels is fairly got through the Female
Parliament, where it is like there will be difficulties.
Christmas came to Berlin, and the King with it; who did the gayeties for a week or two, and spoke nothing
about business to his Female Parliament. Dubourgay saw him, at Parade, on NewYear's morning; whither
all manner of Foreign Dignitaries had come to pay their respects: "Well," cried the King to Dubourgay, "we
shall have a War, then,"universa1 deadly tug at those Italian Apanages, for and against an insulted
Kaiser,"War; and then all that is crooked will be pulled straight!" So spake Friedrich Wilhelm on the
NewYear's morning; War in Italy, universal spasm of wrestle there, being now the expectation of foolish
mankind: Crooked will be pulled straight, thinks Friedrich Wilhelm; and perhaps certain high Majesties, deaf
to the voice of Shouldnot, will understand that of Cannot, Excellenz! Crooked will become straight?
"Indeed if so, your Majesty, the sooner the better!" I ventured to answer. [Dubourgay, 8th January, 1730.]
New Year's day is not well in, and the ceremonial wishes over, when Friedrich Wilhelm, his mind full of
serious domestic and foreign matter, withdraws to Potsdam again; and therefrom begins fulminating in a
terrible manner on his womankind at Berlin, what we called his Female Parliament,too much given to
opposition courses at present. Intends to have his measures passed there, in defiance of opposition;
straightway; and an end put to this inexpressible DoubleMarriage higglehaggle. Speed to him! we will
say.Three high Crises occur, three or even four, which can now without much detail be made intelligible to
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the patient reader: on the back of which we look for some catastrophe and finis to the Business;any
catastrophe that will prove a finis, how welcome will it be!
WILHELMINA TO BE MARRIED OUT OF HAND. CRISIS FIRST: ENGLAND SHALL SAY YES OR
SAY NO.
Still early in January, a few days after his Majesty's return to Potsdam, three high Official gentlemen, Count
Fink van Finkenstein, old Tutor to the Prince, Grumkow and General Borck announce themselves one
morning; "Have a pressing message from the King to her Majesty." [Wilhelmina, i. 180.] Queen is
astonished; expecting anything sooner."This regards me, I have a dreading!" shuddered Wilhelmina to
Mamma. "No matter," said the Queen, shrugging her shoulders; "one must have firmness; and that is not what
I shall want;"and her Majesty went into the Audiencechamber, leaving Wilhelmina in such tremors.
Finkenstein, a friendly man, as Borck too is, explains to her Majesty, "That they three have received each a
Letter overnight, Letter from the King, enjoining in the FIRST place 'silence under pain of death;' in the
SECOND place, apprising them that he, the King, will no longer endure her Majesty's disobedience in regard
to the marriage of his Daughter, but will banish Daughter and Mother 'to Oranienburg,' quasidivorce, and
outer darkness, unless there be compliance with his sovereign will; THIRDLY, that they are accordingly to
go, all three, to her Majesty, to deliver the enclosed Royal Autograph [which Finkenstein presents], testifying
what said sovereign will is, and on the above terms expect her Majesty's reply;"as they have now
sorrowfully done, Finkenstein and Borck with real sorrow; Grumkow with the reverse of real.
Sovereign will is to the effect: "Write to England one other time, Will you at once marry, or not at once; Yea
or No? Answer can be here within a fortnight; three weeks, even in case of bad winds. If the answer be not
Yea at once; then you, Madam, you at once choose Weissenfels or Schwedt, one or the other,under what
penalties you know; Oranienburg and worse!"
Here is a crisis. But her Majesty did not want firmness. "Write to England? Yes, willingly. But as to
Weissenfels and Schwedt, whatever answer come from England,Impossible!" steadily answers her
Majesty. There was much discourse, suasive, argumentative; Grumkow "quoting Scripture on her Majesty, as
the Devil can on occasion," says Wilhelmina. Express Scriptures, Wives, be obedient to your husbands, and
the like texts: but her Majesty, on the Scripture side too, gave him as good as he brought. "Did not Bethuel
the son of Milcah, [Genesis xxiv. 1458.] when Abraham's servant asked his daughter in marriage for young
Isaac, answer, We will call the damsel and inquire of her mouth. And they called Rebecca, and said unto her,
Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go." Scripture for Scripture, Herr von Grumkow! "Wives
must obey their husbands; surely yes. But the husbands are to command things just and reasonable. The
King's procedure is not accordant with that law. He is for doing violence to my Daughter's inclination, and
rendering her unhappy for the rest of her days;will give her a brutal debauchee," fat Weissenfels, so
describable in strong language; "a younger brother, who is nothing but the King of Poland's Officer; landless,
and without means to live according to his rank. Or can it be the State that will profit from such a marriage?
If they have a Household, the King will have to support it.Write to England; Yes; but whatever the answer
of England, Weissenfels never! A thousand times sooner see my child in her grave than hopelessly
miserable!" Here a qualm overtook her Majesty; for in fact she is in an interesting state, third month of her
time: "I am not well; You should spare me, Gentlemen, in the state I am in.I do not accuse the King,"
concluded she: "I know," hurling a glance at Grumkow, "to whom I owe all this;" and withdrew to her
interior privacies; reading there with Wilhelmina "the King's cruel Letter," and weeping largely, though firm
to the death. [Wilhelmina, i. 179182. Dubourgay has nothing,probably had heard nothing, there being
"silence under pain of death" for the moment.]
What to do in such a crisis? Assemble the Female Parliament, for one thing: good Madam Finkenstein (old
Tutor's wife), good Mamsell Bulow, Mamsell Sonsfeld (Wilhelmina's Governess), and other faithful
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women:well if we can keep away traitresses, female spies that are prowling about; especially one
"Ramen," a Queen's soubrette, who gets trusted with everything, and betrays everything; upon whom
Wilhelmina is often eloquent. Never was such a traitress; took Dubourgay's bribe, which the Queen had
advised; and, all the same, betrays everything,bribe included. And the Queen, so bewitched, can keep
nothing from her. Female Parliament must, take precautions about the Ramen!For the rest, Female
Parliament advises two things: 1. Pressing Letter to England; that of course, written with the eloquence of
despair: and then 2. That in ease of utter extremity, her Majesty "pretend to fall ill." That is Crisis First; and
that is their expedient upon it.
Letter goes to England, therefore; setting forth the extremity of strait, and pinch: "Now or never, O my Sister
Caroline!" Many such have gone, first and last; but this is the strongest of all. Nay the CrownPrince too
shall write to his Aunt of England: you, Wilhelmina, draw out, a fit brief Letter for him: send it to Potsdam,
he will copy it there! [Wilhelmina, i. 183.] So orders the Mother: Wilhelmina does it, with a terrified heart;
CrownPrince copies without scruple: "I have already given your Majesty my word of honor never to wed
any one but the Princess Amelia your Daughter; I here reiterate that Promise, in case your Majesty will
consent to my Sister's Marriage,"should that alone prove possible in the present intricacies. "We are all
reduced to such a state that"Wilhelmina gives the Letter in full; but as it is professedly of her own
composition, a loose vague piece, the very date of which you have to grope out for yourself, it cannot even
count among the several Letters written by the CrownPrince, both before and after it, to the same effect,
which are now probably all of them lost, [TRACE of one, Copy of ANSWER from Queen Caroline to what
seems to have been one, Answer rather of dissuasive tenor, is in StatePaper Office: Prussian Despatches,
vol. xl,dateless; probably some months later in 1780.] without regret to anybody; and we will not reckon it
worth transcribing farther. Such Missive, such two Missives (not now found in any archive) speed to England
by express; may the winds be favorable. Her Majesty waits anxious at Berlin; ready to take refuge in a bed of
sickness, should bad come to worse.
DUBOURGAY STRIKES A LIGHT FOR THE ENGLISH COURT.
In England, in the mean while, they have received a curious little piece of secret information. One
Reichenbach, Prussian Envoy at LondonDubourgay has long marvelled at the man and at the news he
sends to Berlin. Here, of date 17th January, 1730, is a Letter on that subject from Dubourgay, official but
private as yet, for "George Tilson, Esq.:"Tilson is UnderSecretary in the Foreign Office, whose name
often turns up on such occasions in the DUBOURGAY, the ROBINSON and other extinct Paperheaps of
that time. Dubourgay dates doubly, by old and new style; in general we print by the new only, unless the
contrary be specified.
"TO GEORGE TILSON, ESQ. (Private.)
"BERLIN, 6th Jan. 1729 (by new style, 17th Jan. 1730).
"SIR,I believe you may remember that we have for a long time suspected that most of Reichenbach's
Despatches were dictated by some people here. About two days ago a Paper fell into my hands," realized
quietly for a consideration, "containing an Account of money charged to the 'Brothers Jourdan and Lautiers,'
Merchants here, by their Correspondent in London, for sending Letters from," properly in, or through, "your
City to Reichenbach.
"Jourdan and Lautiers's London Correspondents are Mr. Thomas Greenhill in Little Bell Alley and Mr. John
Motteux in St. Mary Axe. Mr. Guerin my Agent knows them very well; having paid them several little bills
on my account:"Better ask Mr. Guerin. "I know not through the hands of which of those Merchants the
abovementioned Letters have passed; but you have ways enough to find it out, if you think it worth while. I
make no manner of doubt but Grumkow and his party make use of this conveyance to (SIC) their instructions
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to Reichenbach. In the Account which I have seen, 'eighteenpence' is charged for carrying each Letter to
Reichenbach: the charge in general is for 'Thirtytwo Letters;' and refers to a former Account." So that they
must have been long at it.
"I am, with the greatest truth,
"DUBOURGAY."
Here is a trail which Tilson will have no difficulty in running down. I forget whether it was in Bell Alley or
St. Mary Axe that the nest was found; but found it soon was, and the due springes were set; and game came
steadily dropping in,Letters to and Letters from,which, when once his Britannic Majesty had, with
reluctance, given warrant to open and decipher them, threw light on Prussian Affairs, and yielded fine sport
and speculation in the Britannic Majesty's Apartment on an evening.
This is no other than the celebrated "Cipher Correspondence between Grumkow and Reichenbach;"
Grumkow covertly instructing his slave Reichenbach what the London news shall be: Reichenbach answering
him, To hear is to obey! Correspondence much noised of in the modern Prussian Books; and which was, no
doubt, very wonderful to Tilson and Company;capable of being turned to uses, they thought. The reader
shall see specimens by and by; and he will find it unimportant enough, and unspeakably stupid to him. It does
show Grumkow as the extreme of subtle fowlers, and how the dirtyfingered Seckendorf and he cooked their
birdlime: but to us that is not new, though at St. James's it was. Perhaps uses may lie in it there? At all events,
it is a pretty topic in Queen Caroline's apartment on an evening; and the little Majesty and she, with various
laughters and reflections, can discern, a little, How a poor King of Prussia is befooled by his servants, and in
what way a fierce Bear is led about by the nose, and dances to Grumkow's piping. Poor soul, much of his late
raging and growling, perhaps it was only Grumkow's and not his! Does not hate us, he, perhaps; but only
Grumkow through him? This doleful enchantment, and that the Royal Wild Bear dances only to tunes, ought
to be held in mind, when we want anything with him. Those, amid the teheeings, are reflections that
cannot escape Queen Caroline and her little George, while the Prussian Express, unknown to them, is on the
road.
WILHELMINA TO BE MARRIED OUT OF HAND. CRISIS SECOND: ENGLAND SHALL HAVE SAID
NO.
The Prussian Express, Queen Sophie's Courier to England, made his best speed: but he depends on the winds
for even arriving there; and then he depends on the chances for an answer there; an uncertain Courier as to
time: and it was not in the power of speed to keep pace with Friedrich Wilhelm's impatience. "No answer
yet?" growls Friedrich Wilhelm before a fortnight is gone. "No answer?"and January has not ended till a
new Deputation of the same Three Gentlemen, Finkenstein, Borck, Grumkow, again waits on the Queen, for
whom there is now this other message. "Wednesday, 25th January, 1730," so Dubourgay dates it; so likewise
Wilhelmina, right for once: "a day I shall never forget," adds she.
Finkenstein and Borck, merciful persons, and always of the English party, were again profoundly sorry.
Borck has a blaze of temper in him withal; we hear he apprised Grumkow, at one point of the dialogue, that
he, Grumkow, was a "scoundrel," so Dubourgay calls it,which was one undeniable truth offered there that
day. But what can anything profit? The Message is: "Whatever the answer now be from England, I will have
nothing to do with it. Negative, procrastinative, affirmative, to me it shall be zero. You, Madam, have to
choose, for Wilhelmina, between Weissenfels and Schwedt; otherwise I myself will choose: and upon you
and her will alight Oranienburg, outer darkness, and just penalties of mutiny against the Authority set over
you by God and men. Weissenfels or Schwedt: choose straightway." This is the King's message by these
Three.
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"You can inform the King," replied her Majesty, [Wilhelmina, i. 188.] "that he will never make me consent to
render my Daughter miserable; and that, so long as a breath of life (UN SOUFFLE DE VIE) remains in me, I
will not permit her to take either the one or the other of those persons." Is that enough? "For you, Sir," added
her Majesty, turning to Grumkow, "for you, Sir, who are the author of my misfortunes, may my curse fall
upon you and your house! You have this day killed me. But I doubt not, Heaven will hear my prayer, and
avenge these wrongs." [Dubourgay, 28th January, 1730; Wilhelmina, i. 188 (who suppresses the maledictory
part).]And herewith to a bed of sickness, as the one refuge left!
Her Majesty does now, in fact, take to bed at Berlin; "fallen very ill," it would appear; which gives some
pause to Friedrich Wilhelm till he ascertain. "Poorly, for certain," report the Doctors, even Friedrich
Wilhelm's Doctor. The humane Doctors have silently given one another the hint; for Berlin is one tempest of
whispers about her Majesty's domestic sorrows, "Poorly, for interesting reasons: perhaps be worse before
she is better, your Majesty!""Hmph!" thinks Friedrich Wilhelm out at Potsdam. And then the treacherous
Ramen reports that it is all shamming; and his Majesty, a Bear, though a loving one, is driven into wrath
again; and so wavers from side to side.
It is certain the Queen held, faster or looser, by her bed of sickness, as a main refuge in these emergencies:
the last shift of oppressed womankind;sanctioned by Female Parliament, in this instance. "Has had a
miscarriage!" writes Dubourgay, from Berlin gossip, at the beginning of the business. Nay at one time she
became really ill, to a dangerous length; and his Majesty did not at first believe it; and then was like to break
his heart, poor Bear; aud pardoned Wilhelmina and even Fritz, at the Mother's request,till symptoms
mended again. [Wilhelmina, i. 207.] JARNIBLEU, Herr Seckendorf, "Grumkow serves us honorably
(DIENET EHRLICH)"does not he!Ambiguous bed of sickness, a refuge in time of trouble, did not quite
terminate till May next, when her Majesty's time came; a fine young Prince the result; [23d May, 1730,
August Ferdinand; her last child.] and this mode of refuge in trouble ceased to be necessary.
WILHELMINA TO BE MARRIED OUT OF HAND. CRISIS THIRD: MAJESTY HIMSELF WILL
CHOOSE, THEN.
Directly on the back of that peremptory act of disobedience by the womankind on Wednesday last, Friedrich
Wilhelm came to Berlin himself. He stormfully reproached his Queen, regardless of the sickbed; intimated
the infallible certainty, That Wilhelmina nevertheless would wed without delay, and that either Weissenfels
or Schwedt would be the man. And this said, he straightway walked out to put the same in execution.
Walked, namely, to the Mother Margravine of Schwedt, the lady in high colors, Old Dessauer's Sister; and
proposed to her that Wilhelmina should marry her Son."The supreme wish of my life, your Majesty,"
replied she of the high colors: "But, against the Princess's own will, how can I accept such happiness? Alas,
your Majesty, I never can!"and flatly refused his Majesty on those terms: a thing Wilhelmina will ever
gratefully remember of her. [Wilhelmina, i. 197.]
So that the King is now reduced to Weissenfels; and returns still more indignant to her Majesty's apartment.
Weissenfels, however, it shall be; and frightful rumors go that he is written to, that he is privately coming,
and that there will be no remedy. [Wilhelmina, i. 197.] Wilhelmina, formerly almost too florid, is gone to a
shadow; "her waist hardly half an ell;" worn down by these agitations. The Prince and she, if the King see
either of them,it is safer to run, or squat behind screens.
HOW FRIEDRICH PRINCE OF BAIREUTH CAME TO BE THE MAN, AFTER ALL.
In this high wind of extremity, the King now on the spot and in such temper, Borck privately advises, "That
her Majesty bend a little,pretend to give up the English connection, and propose a third party, to get rid of
Weissenfels.""What third party, then?""Well, there is young BrandenburgCulmbach, for example,
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HeirApparent of Baireuth; Friedrich, a handsome enough young Prince, just coming home from the Grand
Tour, we hear; will have a fine Territory when his Father dies: age is suitable; old kinship with the House, all
moneyquarrels settled eight or ten years ago: why not him?""Excellent!" said her Majesty; and does
suggest him to the King, in the next SchwedtWeissenfels onslaught. Friedrich Wilhelm grumbles an assent,
"Well, then:but I will be passive, observe; not a GROSCHEN of Dowry, for one thing!"
And this is the first appearance of the young Margraf Friedrich, HeirApparent of Baireuth; who comes in as
a hypothetic figure, at this late stage;and will carry off the fair prize, as is well known. Still only doing the
Grand Tour; little dreaming of the high fortune about to drop into his mouth. So many wooers, "four Kings"
among them, suing in vain; him, without suing, the Fates appoint to be the man.
Not a bad young fellow at all, though no King. Wilhelmina, we shall find, takes charmingly to him, like a
good female soul; regretless of the Four Kings;finds her own safe little island there the prettiest in the
world, after such perils of drowning in stormy seas.Of his Brandenburg genealogy, degree of cousinship to
Queen Caroline of England, and to the lately wedded young gentleman of Anspach Queen Caroline's
Nephew, we shall say nothing farther, having already spoken of it, and even drawn an abstruse Diagram of it,
[Antea, vol. v. p. 309c.] sufficient for the most genealogical reader. But in regard to that of the peremptory
"Not a GROSCHEN of Dowry" from Friedrich Wilhelm (which was but a bark, after all, and proved the
reverse of a bite, from his Majesty), there may a word of explanation be permissible.
The Ancestor of this Baireuth Prince Friedrich,as readers knew once, but doubtless have forgotten
again,was a Younger Son; and for six generations so it stood: not till the Father of this Friedrich was of
good age, and only within these few years, did the Elder branch die out, and the Younger, in the person of
said Father, succeed to Baireuth. Friedrich's Grandfather, as all these progenitors had done, lived poorly, like
Cadets, on apanages and makeshifts.
So that the Young Prince's Father, George Friedrich, present incumbent, as we may call him, of Baireuth,
found himselfwith a couple of Brothers he has, whom also we may transiently see by and byin very
straitened circumstances in their young years. THEIR Father, son of younger sons as we saw, was himself
poor, and he had Fourteen of them as family. Now, in old King Friedrich I.'s time, it became apparent, as the
then reigning Margraf of Baireuth's children all died soon after birth, that one of these necessitous Fourteen
was likely to succeed in Baireuth, if they could hold out. Old King Friedrich thereupon said, "You have
chances of succession; true enough,but nobody knows what will become of that. Sell your chance to me,
who am ultimate Heir of all: I will give you a round sum,the little 'Domain of Weverlingen' in the
Halberstadt Country, and say 'Half a Million Thalers;' there you can live comfortably, and support your
Fourteen Children,""Done," said the necessitous Cousin; went to Weverlingen accordingly; and there lived
the rest of his days, till 1708; leaving his necessitous Fourteen, or about Ten of them that were alive and
growing up, still all minors, and necessitous enough.
The young men, George Friedrich at the top of them, kept silence in Weverlingen, and conformed to Papa;
having nothing to live upon elsewhere. But they had their own thoughts; especially as their Cousin of
Baireuth was more and more likely to die childless. And at length, being in the Kaiser's service as soldiers
some of them, and having made what interest was feasible, they, early in Friedrich Wilhelm's reign, burst out.
That is to say, appealed to the REICHSHOFRATH (Imperial Aulic Council at Vienna; chief Court of the
Empire in such cases); openly protesting there, That their Papa had no power to make such a bargain, selling
their birthright for immediate pottage; and that, in brief, they would not stand by it at all;and summoned
Friedrich Wilhelm to show cause why they should.
Long lawsuit, in consequence; lengthy lawpleadings, and much parchment and wiggery, in that German
TripleElixir of Chancery; little to the joy of Friedrich Wilhelm. Friedrich Wilhelm, from the first, was
fairness itself: "Pay me back the money; and let it be, in all points, as you say!" answered Friedrich Wilhelm,
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from the first. Alas, the money was eaten; how could the money be paid back? The Reichshofrath
dubitatively shook its wig, for years: "Bargain bad in Law; but Money clearly repayable: the Money was and
is good;what shall be done about the Money!" At length, in 1722, Friedrich Wilhelm, of himself, settled
with this present Margraf, then HeirPresumptive, How, by steady slow instalments, it could be possible,
from the revenues of Baireuth, thriftily administered, to pay back that HalfMillion and odd Thalers; and the
now Margraf, ever since his accession in 1726, has been annually doing it. So that there is, at this time,
nothing but composed kinship and friendship between the two Courts, the little and the big: only Friedrich
Wilhelm, especially with his will crossed in this matter of the Baireuth Marriage, thinks to himself, "Throw
more money into such a gulf? The 600,000 Thalers had better be got out first!" and says, he will give no
Dowry at all, nor take any charge, not so much as give away the Bride, but be passive in the matter.
Queen Sophie, delighted to conquer Grumkow at any rate, is charmed with this notion of Baireuth; and for a
moment forgets all other considerations: Should England prove slack and fail, what a resource will Baireuth
be, compared with Weissenfels! And Wilhelmina entering, her Majesty breaks forth into admiration over the
victory, or halfvictory, just gained: What a husband for you this, my dear, in comparison! And as
Wilhelmina cannot quite join in the rapture on a sudden; and cannot even consent, unless Papa too give his
real countenance to the match, Mamma flies out upon the poor young Lady: [Wilhelmina, i. 201.] "Take the
Grand Turk or the Great Mogul, then," said the Queen, "and follow your own caprice! I should not have
brought so many sorrows on myself, had I known you better. Follow the King's bidding, then; it is your own
affair. I will no longer trouble myself about your concerns;and spare me, please, the sorrow of your odious
presence, for I cannot stand it!" Wilhelmina wished to reply, but the answer was, "Silence! Go, I tell you!"
"And I retired all in tears."
"All in tears." The DoubleMarriage drifting furiously this long while, in such a sea as never was; and
breakers now Close alee, have the desperate crew fallen to stavingin the liquorcasks, and quarrelling
with one another?Evident one thing is, her Majesty cannot be considered a perfectly wise Mother! We
shall see what her behavior is, when Wilhelmina actually weds this respectable young Prince. Ungrateful
creature, to wish Papa's consent as well as mine! that is the maternal feeling at this moment; and Wilhelmina
weeps bitterly, as one of the unluckiest of young Ladies.
Nay, her Brother himself, who is sick of this permanent hurricane, and would fain see the end of it at any
price, takes Mamma's part; and Wilhelmina and he come to high words on the matter. This was the unkindest
cut of all:but, of course, this healed in a day. Poor Prince, he has his own allowance of insults, disgraces,
blows; has just been found out in some plan, or suspicion of a plan; found out to be in debt at least, and been
half miraculously pardoned;and, except, in flight, he still sees no deliverance ahead. Five days ago, 22d
January, 1730, there came out a CabinetOrder (summary Act of Parliament, so to speak) against "lending
money to Princes of the Blood, were it even to the PrinceRoyal." A crime and misdemeanor, that shall now
be; and Forfeiture of the Money is only part of the penalty, according to this CabinetOrder. Rumor is, the
CrownPrince had purchased a vehicle and appurtenances at Leipzig, and was for running off. Certainty is,
he was discovered to have borrowed 1,000 Thalers from a certain moneyed man at Berlin (money made from
French scrip, in Mississippi Law's time);which debt Friedrich Wilhelm instantly paid. "Your whole debt,
then, is that? Tell me the whole!""My whole debt," answered the Prince; who durst not own to about 9,000
other Thalers (1,500 pounds) he has borrowed from other quarters, first and last. Friedrich Wilhelm saw
perhaps some premonition of flight, or of desperate measures, in this business; and was unexpectedly mild:
paid the 1,000 Thalers instantly; adding the CabinetOrder against future contingencies. [Ranke, i. 296;
Forster, The Prince was in this humor when he took Mamma's side, and redoubled Wilhelmina's grief.
DOUBLEMARRIAGE, ON THE EDGE OF SHIPWRECK, FLIES OFF A KIND OF
CARRIERPIGEON, OR NOAH'SDOVE, TO ENGLAND, WITH CRY FOR HELP. Faithful Mamsell
Bulow consoles the Princess: "Wait, I have news that will put her Majesty in fine humor!"And she really
proved as good as her word. Her news is, Dubourgay and Knyphausen, in this extremity of pinch, have
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decided to send off not letters merely; but a speaking Messenger to the English Court. One Dr. Villa; some
kind of "English Chaplain" here, [Wilhelmina, i. 203; Dubourgay's Despatch, 28th January, 1730.] whose
chief trade is that he teaches Wilhelmina English; Rev. Dr. Villa, who honors Wilhelmina as he ought, shall
be the man. Is to go instantly; will explain what the fatal pass we are reduced to is, and whether Princess
Wilhelmina is the fright some represent her there or not.
Her Majesty is overjoyed to hear it: who would not be? Her Majesty "writes Letters" of the due vehemency,
thinks Wilhelmina,dare not write at all, says Dubourgay;but loads Villa with presents, with advices;
with her whole heart speeds him under way. "Dismissed, turned off for some fault or otheror perhaps
because the Princess knows enough of English?" so the rumor goes, in Villa's Berlin circle.
"The Chaplain set out with his despatches," says Wilhelmina, who does not name him, but is rather eloquent
upon his errand; "loaded with presents from the Queen. On taking leave of me he wept warm tears. He said,
saluting in the English fashion,"I hope with bended knee, and the maiden's fingers at his lips"'He would
deny his Country, if it did not do its duty on this occasion.'" And so hastened forth on his errand. Like a
CarrierPigeon sent in extremity;like Noah'sDove in the Deluge: may he revisit our perishing Ark with
Olive in his bill!
END OF BOOK 6
BOOK VII. FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE
PROJECT. FebruaryNovember, 1730.
Chapter I. ENGLAND SENDS THE EXCELLENCY HOTHAM TO BERLIN.
Things, therefore, are got to a deadlock at Berlin: rebellious Womankind peremptorily refuse Weissenfels,
and take to a bed of sickness; inexpugnable there, for the moment. Baireuth is but a weak middle term; and
there are disagreements on it. Answer from England, affirmative or even negative, we have yet none.
Promptly affirmative, that might still avail, and be an honorable outcome. Perhaps better pause till that arrive,
and declare itself?Friedrich Wilhelm knows nothing of the Villa mission, of the urgencies that have been
used in England: but, in present circumstances, he can pause for their answer.
MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE WITH HIM MAKE A RUN TO DRESDEN
To outward appearance, Friedrich Wilhelm, having written that message to Baireuth, seems easier in mind;
quiet with the Queen; though dangerous for exploding if Wilhelmina and the Prince come in view.
Wilhelmina mostly squats; Prince, who has to be in view, gets slaps and strokes "daily
(JOURNELLEMENT)," says the Princess,or almost daily. For the rest, it is evident enough, Weissenfels,
if not got passed through the Female Parliament, is thrown out on the second reading, and so is at least
finished. Ought we not to make a run to Dresden, therefore, and apprise the Polish Majesty? Short run to
Dresden is appointed for February 18th; [Fassmann, p. 404.] and the PrinceRoyal, perhaps suspected of
meditating something, and safer in his Father's company than elsewhere, is to go. Wilhelmina had taken leave
of him, night of the 17th, in her Majesty's Apartment; and was in the act of undressing for bed, when,judge
of a young Princess's terror and surprise,
"There stept into the anteroom," visible in the halflight there, a most handsome little Cavalier, dressed, not
succinctly as Colonel of the Potsdam Giants, but "in magnificent French style. I gave a shriek, not
knowing who it was; and hid myself behind a screen. Madam de Sonsfeld, my Governess, not less frightened
than myself, ran out" to see what audacious person, at such undue hour, it could be. "But she returned next
moment, accompanying the Cavalier, who was laughing heartily, and whom I recognized for my Brother. His
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dress so altered him, he seemed a different person. He was in the best humor possible.
"'I am come to bid you farewell once more, my dear Sister,' said he: 'and as I know the friendship you have
for me, I will not keep you ignorant of my designs. I go, and do not come back. I cannot endure the usage I
suffer; my patience is driven to an end. It is a favorable opportunity for flinging off that odious yoke; I will
glide out of Dresden, and get across to England; where I do not doubt I shall work out your deliverance too,
when I am got thither. So I beg you, calm yourself, We shall soon meet again in places where joy shall
succeed our tears, and where we shall have the happiness to see ourselves in peace, and free from these
persecutions.'" [Wilhelmina, i. 205.]
Wilhelmina stood stupefied, in silence for some moments;argued long with her Brother; finally got him to
renounce those wild plans, or at least postpone them; and give her his word that he would attempt nothing on
the present occasion. This small Dresden Excursion of February, 1730, passed, accordingly, without accident,
It was but the prelude to a much grander Visit now agreed upon between the neighboring Majesties. For there
is a grand thing in the wind. Something truly sublime, of the scenicmilitary kind, which has not yet got a
name; but shall soon have a worldwide one,"Camp of Muhlberg," "Camp of Radewitz," or however to be
named,which his Polish Majesty will hold in those Saxon parts, in a month or two. A thing that will
astonish all the world, we may hope; and where the King and Prince of Prussia are to attend as chief guests.
It was during this brief absence in February, or directly after Friedrich Wilhelm had returned, that Queen
Sophie had that fit of real sickness we spoke of. Scarcely was his Majesty got home, when the Queen, rather
ambiguous in her sicknesses of late, fell really and dangerously ill: so that Friedrich Wilhelm, at last
recognizing it for real, came hurrying in from Potsdam; wept loud and abundantly, poor man; declared in
private, "He would not survive his Feekin;" and for her sake solemnly pardoned Wilhelmina, and even
Fritz,till the symptoms mended. [Wilhelmina, i. 306.]
HOW VILLA WAS RECEIVED IN ENGLAND.
Meanwhile Dr. Villa, in England, has sped not ill. Villa's eloquence of truth; the GrumkowReichenbach
Correspondence in St. Mary Axe: these two things produce their effect. These on the one hand; and then on
the other, certain questionable aspects of Fleury, after that fine Soissons Catastrophe to the Kaiser; and
certain interior quarrels in the English Ministry, partly grounded thereon:"On the whole, why should not
we detach Friedrioh Wilhelm from the Kaiser, if we could, and comply with a Royal Sister?" think they at St.
James's.
Political men take some interest in the question; "Why neglect your Prince of Wales?" grumbles the Public:
"It is a solid Protestant match, eligible for Prince Fred and us!""Why bother with the Kaiser and his
German puddles?" asks Walpole: "Once detach Prussia from him, the Kaiser will perhaps sit still, and leave
the world and us free of his Pragmatics and his Sanctions and Apanages.""Quit of him? German puddles?"
answers Townshend dubitatively,who has gained favor at headquarters by going deeply into said puddles;
and is not so ardent for the Prussian Match; and indeed is gradually getting into quarrel with Walpole and
Queen Caro1ine. {Coxe, i. 332339.] These things are all favorable to Dr. Villa.
In fact, there is one of those political tempests (dreadful to the teapot, were it not experienced in them) going
on in England, at this time,what we call a Change of Ministry;daily crisis laboring towards fulfilment,
or brewing itself ripe. Townshend and Walpole have had (how many weeks ago Coxe does not tell us) that
meeting in Colonel Selwyn's, which ended in their clutching at swords, nay almost at coatcollars: [Ib. p.
335.] honorable Brothersinlaw: but the good Sister, who used to reconcile them, is now dead. Their
quarrels, growing for some years past, are coming to a head. "When the firm used to be Townshend and
Walpole, all was well; when it had to become Walpole and Townshend, all was not well!" said Walpole
afterwards.
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Things had already gone so far, that Townshend brought Chesterfield over from the Hague, last Autumn;a
Baron de Montesquieu, with the ESPRIT DE LOIS in his head, sailed with Lord Chesterfield on that
occasion, and is now in England "for two years;"but Chesterfield could not be made Secretary; industrious
Duke of Newcastle stuck so close by that office, and by the skirts of Walpole. Chesterfield and Townshend
VERSUS Walpole, Colonel Stanhope (Harrington) and the Pelhams: the Prussian Match is a card in that
game; and Dr. Villa's eloquence of truth is not lost on Queen Caroline, who in a private way manages, as
always, to rule pretty supreme in it.
There lies in the StatePaper Office, [Close by Despatch (Prussian): "London, 8th February (o.s.)
17291730."] without date or signature, a loose detached bit of writing, in scholastic style, but brief and to
the purpose, which is evidently the Memorial of Villa; but as it teaches us nothing that we do not already
know, it need not be inserted here. The man, we can perceive farther, continued useful in those Official
quarters, answering questions about Prussia, helping in the St.MaryAxe decipherings, and in other small
ways, for some time longer; after which he vanishes again from all record,whether to teach English farther,
or live on some modicum of pension granted, no man knows. Poor old Dove, let out upon the Deluge in serge
gown: he did bring back a bit of olive, so to speak;had the presage but held, as it did in Noah's case!
In a word, the English Sovereignties and Ministries have determined that an Envoy Extraordinary (one
Hotham, they think of), with the due solemnity, be sent straightway to Berlin; to treat of those interesting
matters, and officially put the question there. Whom Dubourgay is instructed to announce to his Prussian
Majesty, with salutation from this Court. As Dubourgay does straightway, with a great deal of pleasure.
[Despatches: London, 8th February; Berlin, 2d March, 1780] How welcome to his Majesty we need not say.
And indeed, after such an announcement (1st March, 1730, the day of it), they fell into cheerful dialogue; and
the Brigadier had some frank conversation with his Majesty about the "Arbitration Commission" then sitting
at Brunswick, and European affairs in general. Conversation which is carefully preserved for us in the
Brigadier's Despatch of the morrow. It never was intrinsically of much moment; and is now fallen very
obsolete, and altogether of none: but as a glance at firsthand into the dim old thoughts of Friedrich Wilhelm,
the reader may take it with him:
"The King said next, That though we made little noise, yet he knew well our designwas to kindle a fire in
other parts of Lower Germany. To which I answered, That if his Majesty would give me favorable hearing, I
could easily persuade him of the peaceable intentions of our Allies. 'Well,' says he, 'the Emperor will abandon
the Netherlands, and who will be master of them? I see the day when you will make France so powerful, that
it will be difficult to bring them to reason again.'DUBOURGAY: 'If the Emperor abandoned the
Netherlands, they would be governed by their own Magistrate, and defended by their own Militia. As to the
French, we are too well persuaded of the benefit of our Allies, to' Upon which the King of Prussia said, 'It
appeared plainly we had a mind to dispose as we pleased of Kingdoms and provinces in Italy, so that
probably our next thought would be to do the same in Germany.'DUBOURGAY: 'The allotments made in
favor of Don Carlos have been made with the consent of the Emperor and the whole Empire. We could not
suffer a longer interruption of our commerce with Spain, for the sake of the small difference between the
Treaty of Seville and the Quadruple Alliance, in regard to the Garrison,'"to the introducing of Spanish
Garrisons, at once, into Parma and Piacenza; which was the special thunderbolt of the late Soissons
Catastrophe,or Treaty of Seville."'Well, then,' says his Prussian Majesty, 'you must allow, then, there IS an
infraction of the Quadruple Alliance, and that the Emperor will make war!' 'I hope not,' said I: (but if so, a
TenYears War, in conjunction with the Allies of Seville, never would be so bad as the interruption of our
Commerce with Old and New Spain for one year.'
"The King of Prussia's notion about our DISPOSING OF PROVINCES IN GERMANY," adds Dubourgay,
"is, I believe, an insinuation of Seckendorf, who, I doubt not, has made him believe we intended to do so with
respect to Berg and Julich."
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Very probably:but Hotham is getting under way, hopeful to spoil that game. Prussian Majesty, we see, is
not insensible to so much honor; and brightens into hopefulness and fine humor in consequence. What
radiancy spread over the Queen's side of the House we need not say. The TobaccoParliament is like to have
a hard task.Friedrich Wilhelm privately is well inclined to have his Daughter married, with such outlooks,
if it can be done. The marriage of the CrownPrince into such a family would also be very welcome;
onlyonlyThere are considerations on that side. There are reasons; still more there are whims, feelings of
the mind towards an unloved HeirApparent: upon these latter chiefly lie the hopes of Seckendorf and the
TobaccoParliament.
What the TobaccoParliament's specific insinuations and deliberations were, in this alarming interim, no
Hansard gives us a hint. Faint and timid they needed, at first, to be; such unfavorable winds having risen,
blowing off at a sad rate the smoke of that abstruse Institution."JARNIBLEU!" snuffles the
Feldzeugmeister to himself. But "SI DEUS EST NOBISCUM," as Grumkow exclaims once to his beautiful
Reichenbach, or NOSTI as he calls him in their slang or cipher language, "If God is with us, who can prevail
against us?" For the Grumkow can quote Scripture; nay solaces himself with it, which is a feat beyond what
the Devil is competent to.
EXCELLENCY HOTHAM ARRIVES IN BERLIN.
The Special Envoy to be sent to Berlin on this interesting occasion is a dignified Yorkshire Baronet; Sir
Charles Hotham, "Colonel of the HorseGrenadiers;" he has some post at Court, too, and is still in his best
years. His Wife is Chesterfield's Sister; he is withal a kind of soldier, as we see;a man of many
sabretashes, at least, and acquainted with CavalryDrill, as well as the practices of Goldsticks: his Father
was a General Officer in the Peterborough Spanish Wars. These are his eligibilities, recommending him at
Berlin, and to Official men at home. Family is old enough: Hothams of Scarborough in the East Riding; old
as WILHELMUS BASTARDUS; and subsists to our own day. This Sir Charles is lineal Son of the Hothams
who lost their heads in the Civil War; and he is, so to speak, lineal UNCLE of the Lords Hotham that now
are. For the rest, a handsome figure, prompt in French, and much the gentleman. So far has Villa sped.
Hotham got to Berlin on Sunday, 2d April, 1730. He had lingered a little, waiting to gather up some skirts of
that ReichenbachGrumkow Correspondence, and have them ready to show in the proper Quarter. For that is
one of the chief arrows in his quiver. But here he is at last: and on Monday, he is introduced at
Charlottenburg to the Prussian Majesty; and finds an abundant welcome to himself and his preliminaries.
"Marriage into that fine high Country (MAGNIFIKE LAND) will be welcome to my Daughter, I believe, as
flowers in May: to me also how can it be other than welcome!'Farther instructions,' you say? Yes, surely;
and terms honorable on both sides. Only say nothing of it, I had rather tell the girl myself." [Ranke, i. 284.]
To that frank purport spoke his Majesty;and invites the Excellency Hotham to stay dinner.
Great dinner at Charlottenburg, accordingly; Monday, 3d April, 1730: the two English Excellencies Hotham
and Dubourgay, then General Borck, Knyphausen, Grumkow, Seckendorf and others; "where," says
Hotham, giving Despatch about it, "we all got immoderately drunk." Of which dinner there is sordid
narrative, from Grumkow to his NOSTI (to his Reichenbach, in cant speech), still visible through St. Mary
Axe, were it worth much attention from us. Passages of wit, loaded with allusion, flew round the table: "A
German ducat is change for an English halfguinea," and the like sprightly things. Nay at one time, Hotham's
back being turned, they openly drink,his Majesty in a state of exhilaration, having blabbed the
secret:"To the health of Wilhelmina Princess of Wales!" Upon which the whole Palace of Charlottenburg
now bursts into tripudiation; the very valets cuttiug capers, making somersets,and rushing off with the
news to Berlin. Observable, only, that Hotham and Dubourgay sat silent in the tripudiation; with faces
diplomatically grave. Several points to be settled first; no hallooing till we are out of the wood.
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News came to Berlin Schloss, doubtless at full gallop, which would only take a quarter of an hour. This is
Wilhelmina's experience of it. Afternoon of Monday, 3d of April, 1730, in the Schloss of Berlin,towards
sunset, some ornamental seam in one's hand:
"I was sitting quiet in my Apartment, busy with work, and some one reading to me, when the Queen's Ladies
rushed in, with a torrent of domestics in the rear; who all bawled out, putting one knee to the ground, 'They
were come to salute the Princess of Wales.' I fairly believed these poor people had lost their wits; they would
not cease overwhelming me with noise and tumult, their joy was so great they knew not what they did. When
the farce had lasted some time, they at last told me"what our readers know. What the demure Wilhelmina
professes she cared next to nothing about. "I was so little moved by it, that I answered, going on with my
work, 'Is that all?' Which greatly surprised them. A while afterwards my Sisters and several Ladies came also
to congratulate me. I was much loved; and I felt more delighted at the proofs each gave me of that than at
what occasioned them. In the evening I went to the Queen's: you may readily conceive her joy. On my first
entrance, she called me 'her dear Princess of Wales;' and addressed Madam de Sonsfeld as 'Milady.' This
latter took the liberty of hinting to her, that it would be better to keep quiet; that the King having yet given no
notice of this business, might be provoked at such demonstration, and that the least trifle could still ruin all
her hopes. The Countess Finkenstein joining her remonstrances to Sonsfeld's, the Queen, though with regret,
promised to moderate herself." [Wilhelmina, i. 215.]
This is the effulgent flamingpoint of the longagitated English Match, which we have so often caught in a
bitterly smoking condition. "The King indeed spoke nothing of it to us, on his return to Berlin in a day or
two," says Wilhelmina; "which we thought strange." But everybody considered it certain, nothing but the
details left to settle. "Hotham had daily conferences with the King." "Every post brought letters from the
Prince of Wales:" of which Wilhelmina saw several,this for one specimen, general purport of the whole: "I
conjure you, my dear Hotham, get these negotiations finished! I am madly in love (AMOUREUX COMME
UN FOU), and my impatience is unequalled." {Ib. i. 218.] Wilhelmina thought these sentiments "very,
romantic" on the part of Prince Fred, "who had never seen me, knew me only by repute:"and answered his
romances and him with tiffs of laughter, in a prettily fleering manner.
Effulgent flamepoint;which was of very brief duration indeed, and which sank soon into bitterer smoke
than ever, down almost to the choking state. There are now six weeks of Diplomatic History at the Court of
Berlin, which end far otherwise than they began. Weeks wellnigh indecipherable; so distracted are they, by
blackart and abstruse activities above ground and below, and so distractedly recorded for us: of which, if it
be humanly possible, we must try to convey some faint notion to mankind.
Chapter II. LANGUAGE OF BIRDS: EXCELLENCY HOTHAM PROVES
UNAVAILING.
Already next morning, after that grand Dinner at Charlottenburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, awakening with his due
headache, thought, and was heard saying, He had gone too far! Those gloomy looks of Hotham and
Dubourgay, on the occasion; they are a sad memento that our joyance was premature. The English mean the
DoubleMarriage; and Friedrich Wilhelm is not ready, and never fairly was, for more than the Single.
"Wilhelmina Princess of Wales, yes with all my heart; but Friedrich to an English PrincessHm, na;"and
in a day more: ["Instruction to his Ministers, 5th April," cited by Ranke, i. 285 n.] plainly "No." And there it
finally rests; or if rocked about, always settles there again.
And why, No?Truly, as regarded CrownPrince Friedrich's marriage, the question had its real difficulties:
and then, still more, it had its imaginary; and the subterranean activities were busy! The witnesses,
contemporaneous and other, assign three reasons, or considerations and quasireasons, which the
TobaccoParliament and Friedrich Wilhelm's lively fancy could insist upon it till they became
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irrefragable:
FIRST, his rooted discontent with the CrownPrince, some even say his jealousy of the CrownPrince's
talents, render it unpleasant to think of promoting him in any way. SECOND, natural German loyalty,
enlivened by the hope of Julich and Berg, attaching Friedrich Wilhelm to the Kaiser's side of things, repels
him with a kind of horror from the AntiKaiser or FrenchEnglish side. "Marry my Daughter, if you like; I
shall be glad to salute her as Princess of Wales; but no union in your TreatyofSeville operations: in politics
go you your own road, if that is it, while I go mine; no tying of us, by Double or other Marriages, to go one
road." THIRD, the magnificence of those English. "Regardless of expense," insinuates the
TobaccoParliament; "they will send their grand Princess hither, with no end of money; brought up in
grandeur to look down on the like of us. She can dazzle, she can purchase: in the end, may there not be a
CrownPrince Party, capable of extinguishing your Majesty here in your own Court, and makiug Prussia a bit
of England; all eyes being turned to such sumptuous Princess and her CrownPrince,HeirApparent, or
'Rising Sun' as we may call him!"
These really are three weighty almost dreadful considerations to a poetictempered King and Smoking
Parliament. Out of which there is no refuge except indeed this plain fourth one: "No hurry about Fritz's
marriage; [Friedrich Wilhelm to Reichenbach (13th May), infra.] he is but eighteen gone; evidently too young
for housekeeping. Thirty is a good time for marrying. 'There is, thank God, no lack of royal lineage; I have
two other Princes,'"and another just at hand, if I knew it.
To all which there is to be added that everrecurring invincible gravitation towards the Kaiser, and also
towards Julich and Berg, by means of him,well acted on by the TobaccoParliament for the space of those
six weeks. During which, accordingly, almost from the first day after that Hotham Dinner of April 3d, the
answer of the royal mind, with superficial fluctuations, always is: "Wilhelmina at once, if you choose; likely
enough we might agree about CrownPrince Friedrich too, if once all were settled; but of the
DoubleMarriage, at this present time, HORE NIT, [Ranke, i. 285 n.] I will have nothing to say." And as the
English answer steadily, "Both or none!"meaning indeed to draw Prussia away from the Kaiser's
leadingstrings, and out of his present enchanted condition under the two BlackArtists he has about him, the
Negotiation sinks again into a mere smoking, and extinct or plainly extinguishing state. The
GrumkowNOSTI Cipher Correspondence might be reckoned as another efficient cause; though, in fact, it
was only a big concomitant symptom, much depended on by both parties, and much disappointing both. In
the way of persuading or perverting Friedrich Wilhelm's judgment about England, this deeplaid piece of
machinery does not seem to have done much, if anything; and Hotham, who with the English Court had
calculated on it (on their detection of it) as the grand means of blowing Grumkow out of the field, produced a
far opposite result on trying, as we shall see! That was a bit of heavy ordnance which disappointed
everybody. Seized by the enemy before it could do any mischief; enemy turned it round on the inventor; fired
it off on the inventor, andit exploded through the touchhole; singeing some people's whiskers: nothing
more!
A PEEP INTO THE NOSTIGRUMKOW CORRESPONDENCE CAUGHT UP IN ST. MARY AXE.
Would the reader wish to look into this NostiGrumkow Correspondence at all? I advise him, not. Good part
of it still lies in the PaperOffice here; [Prussian Despatches, vols. xl. xli.: in a fragmentary state; so much of
it as they had caught up, and tried to make use of;far too much.] likely to be published by the Prussian
Dryasdust in coming time: but a more sordid mass of eavesdroppings, kitchenashes and floorsweepings,
collected and interchanged by a pair of treacherous Flunkies (big bullying Flunky and little trembling
cringing one, Grumkow and Reichenbach), was never got together out of a gentleman's household. To no
idlest reader, armed even with barnacles, and holding mouth and nose, can the stirringup of such a dustbin
be long tolerable. But the amazing problem was this Editor's, doomed to spell the Event into clearness if he
could, and put dates, physiognomy and outline to it, by help of such FlunkySanscrit! That
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Chapter II. LANGUAGE OF BIRDS: EXCELLENCY HOTHAM PROVES UNAVAILING. 300
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NostiGrumkow Correspondence, as we now have it in the PaperOffice,interpretable only by acres of
British Despatches, by incondite dateless helpless Prussian Books ("printed Blotches of Human Stupor," as
Smelfungus calls them): how gladly would one return them all to St. Mary Axe, there to lie through Eternity!
It is like holding dialogue with a rookery; asking your way (perhaps in flight for life, as was partly my own
case) by colloquy with successive or even simultaneous Rookeries. Reader, have you tried such a thing? An
adventure, never to be spoken of again, when once DONE!
Wilhelmina pretends to give quotations [Wilhelmina, i. 233235.] from this subterranean
GrumkowReichenbach Correspondence; but hers are only extracts from some description or remembrance;
hardly one word is close to the original, though here and there some outline or shadow of a real passage is
traceable. What fractional elements, capable of gaining some vestige of meaning when laid together in their
cosmic order, I could pick from the circumambient immensity not cosmic, are here for the reader's behoof.
Let him skip, if, like myself, he is weary; for the substance of the story is elsewhere given. Or perhaps he has
the curiosity to know the speech of birds? With abridgment, by occasional change of phrase, above all by
immense omission,here, in specimen, is something like what the Rookery says to poor Friedrich Wilhelm
and us, through St. Mary Axe and the Copyists in the Foreign Office! Friedrich Wilhelm reads it (Hotham
gives him reading of it) some weeks hence; we not till generations afterwards. I abridge to the utmost;will
mark in single commas what is not Abridgment but exact Translation;with rigorous attention to dates, and
my best fidelity to any meaning there may be:
TO NOSTI (the socalled Excellenz Reichenbach) IN LONDON:
Gumkow from Berlin LOQUITUR, Reichenbach listening with both his ears (words caught up in St. Mary
Axe).
BERLIN, 3d MARCH, 1730. "The time has now come when Reichenbach must play his game. Let him write
that the heads of the Opposition, who play Austria as a card in Parliament, 'are in consternation, Walpole
having hinted to them that he was about to make friends with the King of Prussia;' 'that by means of certain
ministers at Berlin, and by other subterranean channels (AUTRES SOUTERRAINS), his Prussian Majesty
had been brought to a disposition of that kind' [Knyphausen, Borck and others will be much obliged to
Reichenbach for so writing!], That Reichenbach knows they intend sending a Minister to Berlin; but is certain
enough, as perhaps they are, his Prussian Majesty will not let himself be lured or caught in the trap: but that
the very rumor of its being possible for him to change" from Austria, "would be an infinite gain to the
English Ministry,"salvation of them, in fact, in the Parliamentary cockpit. "That they had already given out
in the way of rumor, How sure they were of the Court of Berlin whenever it came to the point. That
Reichenbach had tried to learn from 73 [An Indecipherable.] what the real result from Berlin was; and did not
think it much, though the Walpole people," all hanging so perilously upon Prussia for their existence,
'affected a great gayety; and indeed felt what a gain it was even to have renewed the Negotiation with his
Prussian Majesty.' Here is a King likely to get himself illuminated at firsthand upon English affairs; by
Ministers lying abroad for him, and lying at home!
'And so the King,' concludes Grumkow, 'will think Reichenbach is a witch (SORVIER) to be so well
informed about all that, and will redouble the good opinion he has of Reichenbach. And so, if Reichenbach
second my ideas, we will pack Borck and Knyphausen about their business; and will do the King faithful
service,' having, some of us, our private 500 pounds a year from Austria for doing it. 'The King perceives
only too well that the Queen's sickness is but sham (MOMERIE): judge of the effect that has! I am yours
entirely (TOUT A VOUS). I wait in great impatience to hear your news upon all this: for I inform you
accurately how the land lies here; so that it only depends upon yourself to shine, and to pass for a miracle of
just insight,'"SORCIER," or witch at guessing mysteries, Grumkow calls it again. He continues in another
Missive:
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BERLIN, 7th MARCH. (Let us give the original for a line or two): 'Queen Sophie will soon rise from her bed
of sickness, were this marriage done; La Mere du PrinceRoyal affecte toujours d’etre bien mal; mais des
que l’affaire entre le Prince de Galles et la PrincesseRoyale sera faite, on la verra bientot sur pied.' "It will
behoove that Reichenbach signify to the PrinceRoyal's Father that all this affair has been concocted at
Berlin with Borck and by 71 [An Indecipherable.] with Knyphausen and 103. [An Indeciherable.] That they
never lose sight of an alliance with the English Princess and the Prince of Prussia; and flatter themselves the
PrinceRoyal of Prussia will accompany the PrincessRoyal," Wilhelmina, "on HER marriage there." "In a
word, that all turns on this latter point," marriage of the PRINCERoyal as well; and "that Villa has given so
favorable a description of this Prince, that the English Princess will have him at what price soever. Nosti can
also allege the affair of 100,"whom we at last decipher to be LORD HARRINGTON, once Colonel
Stanhope, of Soissons, of the Madrid Embassy, of the descent on Vigo; a distinguished new Lord, with whom
Newcastle hopes to shove out Townshend,"Lord Harrington, and the division among the
Ministers:"great question, Shall the firm be Townshend and Walpole, or Walpole and Townshend? just
going on; brewing towards decision; in which the Prussian DoubleMarriage is really a kind of card, and may
by Nosti be represented as a trump card.
"The whole Town of Berlin said, This Villa was dismissed by order of the King, for he taught the eldest
Princess English; but I see well it was Borck, 107, [An Indecipherable.] Knyphausen and Dubourgay that
despatched him, to give a true picture of the situation here. And if Nosti has written to his Majesty to the
same effect as he does to his Friend [Despatch to Majesty has not yet come under Friend's eye] on the Queen
of England's views about the PrinceRoyal of Prussia, it will answer marvellously (CELA VIENT A
MERVEILLE). I have apprised Seckendorf of all that Nosti writes to me." 'For the rest, Nosti may perfectly
assure himself that the King never will abandon Reichenbach; and if the PrinceRoyal,' sudden Fate
interfering, 'had the reins in his hand,in that case, Seckendorf promises to Reichenbach, on the part of the
Kaiser, all or more than all he can lose by the accession of the Prince. Monsieur Reichenbach may depend
upon that.' [Prussian Despatches, vol. xl. The second of these two Letters is copied, we perceive, by VILLA;
who transmits it to Hotham's Secretary at Berlin, with great hopes from it. Letter "unsigned," adds Villa
(POINT SIGNEE). First was transmitted by Townshend.Following are transmitted by It is in that way they
have got into the StatePaper Office,as ENCLOSURES in the varions Despatches that carried them out to
Berlin to serve as Diplomatic Ammunition there.]
Slave Reichenbach at London, when this missive comes to hand, is busy copying scandal according to former
instructions for behoof of his Prussian Majesty, and my Bashaw Grumkow; for example:
TO THE HERR GRUMKOW AT BERLIN:
Excellenz Reiohenbach LOQUITUR;snatched in St. Mary Axe.
LONDON, 10th MARCH, 1730. "... Reichenbach has told his Prussian Majesty today by a Courier who is
to pass through Brussels [Austrian Kinsky's Courier, no doubt], what amours the Prince of Wales," dissolute
Fred, "has on hand at present with actresses and operagirls. The King of Prussia will undoubtedly be
astonished. The affair merits some attention at present,"especialIy from an Excellenz like me.
[MISSIVE (body of important Grumkow Instructions just read by us) COMES TO HAND.]
LONDON, 14th MARCH, 1730. 'Reichenbach will write by the first, Ordinary [so they name Post, in those
days] all that Glumkow orders. Reichenbach sees well, they mean to play the deuce here ( jouent le diable a
quatre ici ): but Reichenbach will tell his Prussian Majesty what Grumkow finds fit.' Good Excellenz
Reichenbach 'flatters himself the King will remain firm, and not let his enemies deceive him. If Grumkow
and Seckendorf have opportunity they may tell his Prussian Majesty that the whole design of this Court is to
render his Country a Province dependent on England. When once the PrincessRoyal of England shall be
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wedded to the PrinceRoyal of Prussia, the English, by that means, will form such a party at Berlin, that they
will altogether tie his Prussian Majesty's hands.' A comfortable piece of news to his Prussian Majesty in
TobaccoParliament. 'Reichenbach will assuredly be vigilant; depend on his answering Grumkow always by
the first post.'
Continues;turning his rookbill towards Majesty now. Same date (14th March), same time, place and
bird:
TO HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY (from Excellenz Reichenbach).
'... P.S. I had closed this Letter when a person of confidence came in [the fact being, my Grumkow's Missive
of instructions came in, or figuratively speaking, my Grumkow himself], and undertook to give me in a few
days a thorough insight into the intrigues which are concealed under the sending of this new Minister,'
Hotham, 'to Berlin; which, and how they have been concocted, he says, it will astonish me to hear. Of all this
I shall immediately inform your Majesty in a letter of my own hand; being ever eager to serve your Majesty
alone.'
Hotham is now fairly gone, weeks ago; concluded to be now in Berlin,to the horror of both rooks. Here is
a croak from NOSTI:
TO THE HERR GRUMKOW AT BERLIN.
LONDON, APRIL, 1730. "... Hotham is no such conjurer as they fancy in Berlin;singular enough, how
these English are given to undervalue the Germans; whilst we in Germany overvalue them" ( avons une idee
trop vaste, they trap petite ). 'There is, for instance, Lord Chesterfield, passes here for a fairenough kind of
man (BON HOMME), and is a favorite with the King [not with Walpole or the Queen, if Nosti knew it]; but
nobody thinks him such a prodigy as you all do in Germany,'which latter bit of Germanism is an
undoubted fact; curious enough to the English, and to the Germans that now read in extinct Books.
Hotham, as we said, got to Berlin on the 2d of April. From Berlin comes thereupon, at great length, sordid
description by Grumkow, of that initiatory Hotham Dinner, April Third, with fearful details of the blazing
favor Hotham is in. Which his Majesty (when Hotham hands it to him, in due time) will read with painful
interest; as Reichenbach now does;but which to us is all mere puddle, omissible in this place.
To which sad Strophe, there straightway follows due Antistrophe, Reichenbach croaking responsive;and
we are to note, the rooks always speak in the third person and by ambiguous periphrasis; never once say "I"
or "You," unless forced by this Editor, for brevity's sake, to do it. Reichenbach from his perch thus hoarsely
chants:
TO THE HERR GRUMKOW AT BERLIN.
LONDON, 11th APRIL. 'Reichenbach EST COUPDEFOUDRE,is struck by lightning,to hear these
Berlin news;'and expresses, in the style of a whipt dog, his sorrows, uncertainties and terrors, on the
occasion. "Struck with lightning. Feel myself quite ill, and not in a condition to write much today. It requires
another head than mine to veer round so often ( changer si souvent de systame ). In fine, Nosti est au bout de
son latin [is at his wit's end, poor devil)! Both Majesties have spoken openly of the favorable news from
Berlin; funds rose in consequence. New Minister [Walpole come to the top of the Firm, Townshend soon to
withdraw, impatient of the bottom] is allpowerful now: O TEMPORA, O MORES!" "I receive universal
congratulations, and have to smile" in a ghastly manner. "The King and Queen despise me. I put myself in
their way last Levee, bowing to the ground; but they did not even condescend to look." 'Notre grand
petitmaitre,' little George, the Olympian Jove of these parts, "passed on as if I had not been there."
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'Chesterfield, they say, is to go, in great pomp, as Ambassador Extraordinary, and fetch the Princess over.
And’Alas, in short, Once I was haphaphappy, but now I'm MEEserable!
LONDON, 14th APRIL. "Slave Reichenbaoh cannot any longer write secret Letters to his Prussian Majesty
according to the old strain, of your prescribing; but must stand by his vacant Official Despatches: the scene
being entirely changed, he also must change his manner of writing"poor knave. "He will have to inform his
Majesty, however, by and by, though it is not safe at present," for example,'That his Britannic Majesty
is becoming from day to day more hated by all the world; and that the Prince of Wales is no longer liked by
the Public, as at first; because he begins to give himself airs, and takes altogether the manners of his Britannic
Majesty, that is to say of a puppy (PETITMAITRE); let my Amiable [Grumkow] be aware of that'
Yes, let him be aware of that, to his comfort,and still more, and all readers along with him, of what
follows:
'Reichenbach likewise with great confidence informs the Greatest Confidant he has in the world [same
amiable Glumkow], that he has discovered within this day or two,' a tremendous fact, known to our readers
some time ago, 'That the PrinceRoyal of Prussia has given his written assurances to the Queen here, Never
to many anybody in the world except the Princess Amelia of England, happen what will [Prussian Majesty
will read this with a terrible interest! Much nearer to him than it is to us]. In consideration of which Promise,
the Queen of England is understood,' falsely, 'to have answered that they should, at present, ask only the
PrincessRoyal of Prussia for their Prince of Wales,' and let the DoubleMarriage BE, seemingly, as his
Prussian Majesty wishes it. 'Monsieur de Reichenbaoh, did not speak of this to his Prussian Majesty; feeling
it too dangerous just now.
'Lord Townshend is still at his place in the country [Rainham in Norfolk]: but it is said he will soon come to
Town; having heard the great news that they had already got his Prussian Majesty by the nose. Reichenbach
forgets if he already told Grumkow that the rumor runs, Lord Chesterfield, in quality of Ambassador to
Berlin, is to bring the Princess Wilhelmina over hither:'you did already, poor confused wretch; unusually
bewildered, and under frightful eclipse at present.
Continues after four days:
APRIL 18th. "... Lord Stratford [to me an unknown Lordship} and heads of Opposition would like to
ascertain what Hotham's offer to the King of Prussia IS."
Truly, yes; they mean to ask in Parliament (as poor gamblers in that Cockpit are wont), 'And why did not you
make the offer sooner, then? Friendship with his Prussian Majesty, last year, would have saved the whole of
that large Waterspout about the Meadows of Clamei! Nay need we, a few months ago, have spent such loads
of gold subsidizing those Hessians and Danes against him? The treasures of this Country go a strange road,
Mr. Speaker! What is the use of our industries and riches?' Heavens, yes, what! But we continue to excerpt
and interpret:
Reichenbach "has said nothing of this to his Prussian Majesty, Reichenbach has not; too dangerous in own
present downpressed state:though amazingly exact always in news, and attached to his Prussian Majesty
as mortal seldom was. Need he fear their new Hotham, then? Does not fear Hotham, not he him, being a man
so careful of truth in his news. Dare not, however, now send any intelligence about the Royal Family here;
Prussian Majesty having ordered him not to write gossip like a spiteful woman: What is he to do? Instruct
him, O my Amiable.
"Know for the rest, and be aware of it, O Amiable, that Queen Caroline here is of opinion, The Amiable
Grumkow should be conciliated; and that Queen Sophie and Hotham are understood to have been trying it.
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Do not abandon me, O Amiable; nay I know you will not, you and Seckendorf, never, though I am a poor
man.
"Have found out a curious story, HISTOIRE FORT CRIEUSE,about one of Prince Fred's amourettes."
Story which this Editor, in the name of the whole human species, will totally suppress, and sweep into the
cesspool, to herald Reichenbach thither. Except only that this corollary by the Duchess of Kendal may be
appended to the thing:
"Duchess of Kendal [Hoppole EMERITA, now gone to devotion, whom we know, piously turns up her eyes
at such doings], thinks the Princess Wilhelmina will have a bad life of it with Fred, and that she 'will need the
wisdom of Solomon to get on here.' Not a good bargain, this Prince Fred and his Sister. A dissolute fellow he,
not liked by the Public" (I should hope). 'Then as to Princess Amelia, she, who was always haughty, begins to
give herself airs upon the PrinceRoyal of Prussia; she is as illtempered as her Father, and still more given
to backbiting (PLUS RAILLEUSE), and will greatly displease the Potsdam Majesty.'
These are cheering thoughts. "But what is to become of Nosti? Faithful to his Grumkow, to his
Seckendorfto his pair of sheepstealers, poor dog. But if trouble rise;oh, at least do not hang me, ye
incomparable pair!"
THE HOTHAM DESPATCHES.
Slave Nosti's terrors, could he see behind the scenes, are without foundation! the tremendous Hotham
Negotiation, all ablaze at that Charlottenburg Dinner, is sunk low enough into the smoking state, threatening
to go out altogether. Smoke there may still be, perceptible vestiges of smoke; which indeed, for a long time,
fitfully continued: but, at the time while Nosti, quaking in every joint of him, writes these terrors, Hotham
perceives that his errand is vain; that properly there has as good as extinction supervened. April 3d was the
flamepoint; which lasted in its brightness only for a few days or hours. April is not gone, or half gone, when
flaming has quite ceased, and the use of bellows, never so judicious, is becoming desperate: and long before
the end of May, no red is to be seen in the affair at all, and the very bellows are laid down.
Hereare the epochs: riddled out of such a mass of extinct rubbish as human nature seldom had to deal
with;here are certain extracts in a greatly condensed state, from the authentic voluminous Hotham
Despatches and Responses;which may conveniently interrupt the Nosti Babblement at this point.
TO MY LORD TOWNSHEND AT LONDON:
Excellency Hotham LOQUITUR (in a greatly condensed form).
BERLIN, 12th APRIL, 1730. "... Of one or two noteworthy points I have to apprise your Lordship. So soon
as his Majesty was sober, he found that he had gone too far at that grand dinner of Monday 3d; and was in
very bad humor in consequence. CrownPrince has written from Potsdam to his Sister, 'No doubt I am left
here lest the English wind get at me ( de peur que le vent anglais ne me touchat ).' Saw King at Parade, who
was a little vague; 'is giving matters his consideration.' Majesty has said to Borck and Knyphausen, 'If they
want the DoubleMarriage, and to detach me from the Kaiser, let them propose something about Julich and
Berg.' Sits the wind in that quarter? King has said since, to one Marschall, a PrivateSecretary who is in our
interest: 'I hate my Son, and my Son hates me: we are best asunder;let them make him STATTHALTER
(Viceregent) of Hanover, with his Princess!' Commission might be made out in the Princess Amelia's name;
proper conditions tied, and so on:Knyphausen suggests it could be done. Knyphausen is true to us; but he
stands alone [not alone, but cannot much help]; does not even stir in the NOSTI or ST.MARYAXE Affair
as yet."
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Prince Friedrich to be STATTHALTER in Hanover with his English Princess? That would save the expense
of an Establishment for him at home. That has been suggested by the Knyphausen or English party: and no
doubt it looked flattering to his Prussian Majesty for moments. This may be called Epoch first, after that
grand Charlottenburg Dinner.
Then as to the NOSTI Affair, in which Knyphausen "does not stir as yet,"the fact is, it was only put into
Knyphausen's hands the day before YESTERDAY, as we soon discover; and Knyphausen is not so sure
about it as some are! That Hotham Despatch is of Wednesday, 12th April. And not till yesterday could Guy
Dickens report performance of the other important thing. Captain Guy Dickens, a brisk handy military man,
Secretary to Dubourgay this good while past, "Has duly received from Headquarters the successive
NOSTIGRUMKOW documents, caught up in St. Mary Axe; has now delivered them to Knyphausen, to be
laid before his Prussian Majesty in a good hour; and would fain (Tuesday, April 11th) hope some result from
this step." Not for almost a month does Hotham himself say anything of it to the Prussian Majesty, good hour
for Knyphausen not having come. But now, in regard to that Hanover Statthaltership, hear
Townshend,condensed, but not nearly so much so, my Lord being a succinct man who sticks always
creditably to the point:
TO THE EXCELLENCY HOTHAM AT BERLIN (from Lord Townshend).
LONDON, 27th APRIL. "Yes, you shall have the Hanover Viceregency. We will set up the CrownPrince
Friedrich in Hanover as desired; but will give the Commission to our own Princess, that being more
convenient for several reasons: CrownPrince, furthermore, must promise to come over to England when we
require him; ITEM may repay us our expenses hereafter, As to MarriagePortions, we will give none with
our Princess, nor ask any with theirs. Both marriages or none." Ann so enough.
Alas, nothing came of this; Prussian Majesty, in spite of thrift, perceiving that, for several reasons, it would
not do. Meanwhile Grumkow, we learn from a secret source, [NOSTI, supra (18th April), p. 185; infra, p.
101.] has been considerably courted by Botham and her Prussian Majesty; Queen Caroline having signified
from England, That they ought to gain that knave,what price did he charge for himself? But this also
proves quite unavailing; never came to PRICING. And so,hear Hotham once more:
TO LORD TOWNSHEND AT LONDON (from Excellency Hotham).
BERLIN, 18th APRIL. "... Grumkow is a thorn in my side: one would like to do him some service in return."
'Cannot you stop an ORIGINAL Letter of his' (we have only deciphered Copies as yet) to that Reichenbach
or NOSTI, 'strong enough to break his back? They will try. Hotham continues in next Despatch:
BERLIN, 22d APRIL. "Dined with the King again; CrownPrince was present: dreadfully dejected,'at
which one cannot help being moved; there is something so engaging in the Prince, and everybody says so
much good of him.'" Hear Hotham! Who again, three days after, says of our Fritz: 'If I am not much
mistaken, this young Prince will one day make a very considerable figure.' "Wish we could manage the
Marriage; but this Grumkow, this"Cannot they contrive to send an ORIGINAL strong enough?
Alas, from the same secret source we learn, within a week, that Grumkow's back is very strong; the
TobaccoParliament in full blast again, and Seckendorf's Couriers galloping to Vienna with the best news.
Nay his Majesty looks expressly "sour upon Hotham," or does not look at all; will not even speak when he
sees him; for a reason we shall hear. [NOSTI, infra (29th April), p. 191.] can it, be thought that any
liberality in use of the bellows or other fireimplements will now avail with his Majesty?
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SECOND AND LAST PEEP INTO THE NOSTIGRUMKOW CORRESPONDENCE CAUGHT UP IN
ST. MARY AXE.
But at this point let our Two Rooks recommence a little: Nosti, on the 18th, we left quaking in every joint of
him;and good news was almost at the door, had afflicted Nosti known it. Grumkow's strain (suppressed by
us here), all this while, is in general, almost ever since the blaze of that Hotham Dinner went off into
repentant headache: 'Pshaw, don't fear!' Nay after a fortnight or so, it is again: 'Steady! we are all right?'
TobaccoParliament and the Royal Imagination making such progress. This is still but the third week since
that grand Dinner at Charlottenburg:
TO THE EXCELLENZ REICHENBACH AT LONDON (from Grumkow).
BERLIN, 22d APRIL. 'King wants to get rid of the Princess' Wilhelmina, 'who is grown lean, ugly, with
pimples on her face ( qui est devenue maigre, laide, couperosee,' [This is one of the sentences Wilhelmina
has got hold of (Wilhelmina, i. 234).]dog: will nobody horsewhip that lie out of him!)'judge what a treat
that will be to a Prince of Wales, who has his amourettes!' All is right, Nosti, is it not?
BERLIN, 25th APRIL. "King declared to Seckendorf yesterday again, He might write to the Kaiser, That
while he lived, nothing should ever part his Majesty from the Kaiser and his Cause; that the French dare not
attack Luxembourg, as is threatened; and if they do! Upon which Seckendorf despatched a Courier to
Vienna.
"As to Hotham, he explains himself upon nothing,"stalks about with his nose in the air, as if there were
nothing farther to be explained. "I spoke yesterday of the Single Match, Wilhelmina and Prince of Wales;
King answered, even of the Single Match, Devil fly away with it!"or a still coarser phrase.
'Meanwhile the Queen, though at the end of her eighth month, is cheery as a fish in water; [Wilhelmina has
this too, in a disfigured state (i. 233).] and always forms grand project of totally ruining Seckendorf, by
Knyphausen's and other help.' "Hotham yesterday, glancing at Nosti no doubt, said to the SIEUR DE
POTSDAM [cant phrase for the King], 'That great Princes were very unlucky to have ministers that durst not
show themselves in good society; for the result was, they sent nothing but false news and rumors picked up in
coffeehouses.'"
"Coffeehouses?" answers Reichenbach, by and by: "Reichenbach is in English society of the first
distinction, and receives visits from Lords and Dukes. This all the world knows"to be nothing like the
case, as Townshend too has occasionally mentioned.
At any rate, continues Grumkow, "the Queen's Husband said, aside, to Nosti's Friend, 'I see he is glancing at
Reichenbach; but he won't make much of that (cynically speaking, ne fera que de l’eau claire).' Hotham is by
no means a man of brilliant mind, and his manners are rough: but Ginkel," the Dutchman, "is cleverer (PLUS
SOUPLE), and much better liked by Nosti's Master."
ANTISTROPHE soon follows; London Raven is himself again; Nosti LOQUITUR:
LONDON, 25th APRIL. "... King has written to me, I AM to report to him any talk there may be in the Court
here about his Majesty! My Amiable and his Seckendorf, need they ask if Nosti will, and in a way to give
them pleasure?" ...
STROPHE (allegro by the Berlin Raven or Rook, who has not yet heard the above);Grumkow
LOQUITUR:
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BERLIN, 29th APRIL. "... Wrong not to write entertaining news of the English Court as heretofore. King
likes it.
"What you say of the PrinceRoyal of Prussia's writing to the Queen of England, is very curious; and you did
well to say nothing of it to the Father; the thing being of extreme delicacy, and the proof difficult. But it
seems likely. And I insinuated something of it to his Majesty, the day before yesterday [27th April, 1730,
therefore? One momentary glance of Hansard into the TobaccoParliament], as of a thing I had learned from
a spy" (such my pretence, O Nosti)spy "who is the intimate friend of Knyphausen and plays traitor: you
may fancy that it struck terribly." Yes! "And his Majesty has looked sour upon Hotham ever since; and
passed above an hour in colloquy with Seckendorf and me, in sight both of English Hotham and Dutch
Ginkel without speaking to them.
"It was true enough what Nosti heard of the Queen's fair speeches, and Hotham's, to the Friend of Nosti. But
it is all ended: the Queen's, weeks ago, being in vain: Hotham too, after some civilities, seems now
indifferent. 'ENFIN ['Afin' he always writes it, copying the indistinct gurgle of his own
horsedialect]AFIN FILOUTERIE TOUT PURE' (whole of it thimblerig, on their part).
"Admirable story, that of Prince Fred's amourette [sent to the cesspool by us, herald of Reichenbach thither]:
let his Majesty know it, by all means. What the Duchess of Kendal [lean tall female in expensive brocades,
with gilt prayerbooks, visible in the body to Nosti at that time], what the Duchess of Kendal says to you is
perfectly just; and as the Princess Wilhelmina is very illlooking [LAIDE,how dare you say so, dog?], I
believe she will have a bad life of it, the Prince of Wales being accustomed to daintier meats. Yes truly, she
will, as the Duchess says, 'need to be wiser than Solomon' to conciliate the humors down there (LA BAS)
with the genius of his Prussian Majesty and Queen.'As for your Princess Amelia, depend upon it, while the
Commandant of Potsdam lives, she will never get hold of the PrinceRoyal, though he is so furiously taken
with the Britannic Majesties.'"
[Continues; in auswer to a Nosti "Caw! Caw!" which we omit.]
BERLIN, 2d MAY."Wish you had not told the King so positively that the English say, it shall be Double
Match or none. Hotham said to the Swedish Ambassador: 'Reichenbach, walking in the dark, would give
himself a fine knock on the nose ( aurait un furieux pied de nez ), when,' or IF, 'the thing was done quite
otherwise.' Have a caution what you write."
Pooh, pooh! Hotham must have said "if," not "when;" Swede is quite astray!And indeed we will here leave
off, and shut down this magazine of rubbish; right glad to wash ourselves wholly from it (in three waters)
forevermore. Possibly enough the Prussian Dryasdust will, one day, print it IN EXTENSO, and with that
lucidity of comment and arrangement which is peculiar to him; exasperated readers will then see whether I
have used them ILL or not, according to the opportunity there was!Here, at any rate, my reader shall he
free of it. Indeed he may perceive, the negotiation was by this time come to a safe point, the
NostiGrumkows triumphant, and the interest of the matter mainly out. Farther transient anxieties this
amiable couple had, traceable in that last short croak from Grumkow,lest the English might consent to
that of the "SingleMarriage in the mean time" (which the English never did, or meant to do). For example,
this other screech of Nosti, which shall be his final lastscreech:
LONDON, 12th MAY."Lord Townshend alarmingly hinted to me: Better have done with your
GrumkowandSeckendorf speculations: the illintentioned are perfectly sure to be found out at the end of
the account; and their tools will get ruined along with them. Nosti endeavored to talk big in reply: but he
shakes in his shoes nevertheless; and with a heart full of distraction exclaims now, Save yourselves, save
me!If Hotham speak of the SingleMarriage only, it is certain the PrinceRoyal must mean to run away,"
and so make it a Double one in time.
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Yes, indeed! But these were transient terrors. The day is our own, my Grumkow; yes, our own, my
Nosti:and so our Colloquy of Rookeries shall be suppressible henceforth.
HIS MAJESTY GETS SIGHT OF THE ST.MARYAXE DOCUMENTS; BUT NOTHING FOLLOWS
FROM IT.
We have only to add what Hotham reports (Berlin, May 6th), That he "has had an interview with his Majesty,
and spoken of the St.MaryAxe affair; Knyphausen having found a moment to lay it before his Majesty."
So that the above Excerpts from St. Mary Axe (all but the last two),the above, and many more suppressed
by us,are in his Majesty's hands: and he is busy studying them; will, it is likely, produce them in an
amazed TobaccoParliament one of these evenings!
What the emotions of the royal breast were during the perusal of this extraordinary dialogue of birds, which
has come to him through St. Mary Axe? Manifold probably: manifold, questionable; but not tragical, or
not immediately so. Certainly it is definable as the paltriest babble; no treason visible in it, nor constructive
treason; but it painfully indicates, were his Majesty candid, That his Majesty is subject to spies in his own
House; nay that certain parties do seem to fancy they have got his Majesty by the nose, and are piping tunes
with an eye to his dancing, thereto. This is a painful thought, which, I believe, does much agitate his Majesty
now and afterwards.A painful thought or suspicion, rising sometimes (in that temperament of his) to the
pitch of the horrible. I believe it occasionally, ever henceforth, keeps haunting the highly poetic temperament
of his Majesty, nor ever quits him again at all; stalking always, now and then, through the vacant chambers of
his mind, in what we may call the nightseason (or time of solitude and hypochondriacal
reflection),though in busy times again (in daylight, so to speak) he impatiently casts it from him. Poor
Majesty!
But figure Grumkow, figure the TobaccoParliament when Majesty laid these Papers on the Table! A
HANSARD of that night would be worth reading. There is thunderous note of interrogation on his Majesty's
face;what a glimmer in the hard puckery eyes of Feldzeugmeister Seckendorf, "JARNIBLEU!" No
doubt, an excessively astonished Parliament. Nothing but brass of face will now serve the principal
Honorable Gentleman there; but in that happily he is not wanting.
Of course Grumkow denies the Letters pointblank: Mere forgeries, these, of the English Court, plotting to
ruin your Majesty's faithful servant, and bring in other servants they will like better! May have written to
Reichenbach, nay indeed has, this or that trifling thing: but those Copyists in St. Mary Axe,
"deciphering,"garbling, manufacturing, till they make a romance of it,alas, your Majesty? Nay, at any
rate, what are the Letters? Grumkow can plead that they are the foolishest insignificant rubbish of
Courtgossip, not tending any bad road, if they have a tendency. That they are adapted to the nature of the
beast, and of the situation,this he will carefully abstain from remarking.
We have no HANSARD of this Session; all is conjecture and tobaccosmoke. What we know is, not the least
effect, except an internal trouble, was produced on the royal mind by the St.MaryAxe Discovery. Some
Question there might well be, inarticulately as yet, of Grumkow's fidelity, at least of his discretion; seeds of
suspicion as to Grumkow, which may sprout up by and by; resolution to keep one's eye on Grumkow. But the
first practical fruit of the matter is, fierce jealousy that the English and their clique do really wish to interfere
in our ministerial appointments; so that, for the present, Grumkow is firmer in his place than ever. And
privately, we need not doubt, the matter continues painful to his Majesty.
One thing is certain, precisely a week after, his Majesty,much fluctuating in mind evidently, for the
Document "has been changed three or four times within fortyeight hours,"presents his final answer to
Hotham. Which runs to this effect ("outrageous," as Hotham defines it):
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"1. For Hanover and your great liberality on that score, much obliged; but upon reconsideration think it will
not do. 2. Marriage FIRST, Prince of Wales to Wilhelmina,Consent with pleasure. 3. Marriage SECOND,
CrownPrince Friedrich with your Amelia,for that also we are extremely wishful, and trust it will one day
take effect: but first these SevilleTreaty matters, and differences between the Kaiser and allied English and
French will require to be pulled straight; that done, we will treat about the terms of Marriage SECOND. One
indispensable will be,That the English guarantee our Succession in Julich and Berg." [Hotham's Despatch,
18th May, 1730.]
"Outrageous" indeed!CrownPrince sends, along with this, a loving message by Hotham, of earnestly
deprecating tenor, to the Britannic Majesty; "begs his Britannic Majesty not to reject the King's Proposals,
whatever they may be,this for poor Sister Wilhelmina's sake. 'For though he, the CrownPrince, was
determined to lose his life sooner than marry anybody but the Princess Amelia, yet if this Negotiation were
broken off, his Father would go to extremities to force him and his poor Sister into other
engagements.'"Which, alas, what can it avail with the Britannic Majesty, in regard to such outrageous
Propositions from the Prussian?
Britannic Majesty's Ministry, as always, answers by return of Courier:"MAY 22d. Both Marriagea, or
none: Seville has no concern with both, more than with one: DITTO Julich and Berg,of which latter indeed
we know nothing,nor (ASIDE TO HOTHAM) mean to know." [Despatch, Whitehall, 11th May (22d by
N.S.]. Whereby Hotham perceives that it is as good to throw away the bellows, and oonsider the matter
extinct. Hotham makes ready for an Excursion into Saxony, to a thing called CAMP OF RADEWITZ, or
ENCAMPMENT OF RADEWITZ; a Military Spectacle of neverimagined magnificence, to be given by
August the Strong there, whither all the world is crowding;and considers any Business he had at Berlin to
be as good as done.
Evidently Friedrich Wilhelm has not been much wrought upon by the St.MaryAxe Documents! One week
they have been revolving in the royal mind; part of a week in the Smoking Parliament (we know not what day
they were laid on the table there, but it must have been a grand occurrence within those walls!)and this
already (May 13th) is the result arrived at: Propositions, changed three or four times within fortyeight hours,
and definable at last as "outrageous;" which induce Hotham to lay down the bellows, and prepare to go his
ways. Our St.MaryAxe discovery seems to have no effect at all!
One other public result there is from it, and as yet one only: Reichenbach, "from certain causes thereto
moving Us ( aus gewissen Uns dazu bewegenden Grunden )," gets a formal Letter of Recall. Ostensible
Letter, dated Berlin, 13th May, and signed Friedrich Wilhelm; which the English may read for their comfort.
Only that along with this, of the same date and signature, intended for Reichenbach's comfort, the same
Leather Bag brings a Private Letter (which Dickens or another has contrived to get sight of and copy),
apprising Reichenbach, That, unostensibly, his proceedings are approved of; that he is to continue at his post
till further orders, all the same, "and keep watch on these Marriages, about which there is such debating in the
world ( wovon in der Welt so viel debattirt wird ); things being still in the same state as half a year ago. That
is to say, I am ready for my Daughter's Marriage with the Prince of Wales: but for my Son, he is too young
yet; und hat es damit keine Eile, weil ich Gottlob noch zwei Sohne hab (nor is there any haste, as I have,
thank God, two other sons,"and a third ooming, if I knew it):"besides one indispensable condition will
be, that the English guarantee Julich and Berg," which perhaps they are not in the least hurry for, either!
What does the English Court think of that? Dated "Berlin, 13th May:" it is the same day when his Majesty's
matured Proposals, "changed thrice or oftener within the fortyeight hours," were handed to Hotham for
transmission to his Court. An interesting Leather Bag, this Ordinary from Berlin. Reichenbach, we observe,
will get his share of it some ten days after that alarming rebuke from Townshend; and it will relieve the poor
wretch from his worst terrors: "Go on with your eavesdroppings as before, you alarmed wretch!"There
does one Degenfeld by and by, a man of better quality (and on special haste, as we shall see) come and
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supersede poor Nosti, and send him home:there they give Nosti some exiguous Pension, with hint to
disappear forevermore. Which he does; leaving only these St.MaryAxe Documents for his Lifemark in the
History of Mankind.
What the English Answer to his Majesty's Proposals of Berlin, May 13th, was, we have already seen;dated
"London, 22d May," probably few hours after the Courier arrived. Hotham, well anticipating what it would
be, had already, as we phrased it, "laid down the bellows;" left the Negotiation, as essentially extinct;and
was preparing for the "Camp at Radewitz," Britannic Majesty being anxious to hear what Friedrioh Wilhelm
and August the Strong have on hand there.
"The King of Prussia's unsteadiness and want of resolution," writes Hotham (Berlin, 20th May), "will hinder
him from being either very useful to his friends, or very formidable to his enemies." And from the same
place, just about quitting it for Radewitz, he writes again, exactly a week after ("Berlin, 27th May"), to
enclose Copy of a remarkable Letter; remarkable to us also;but which, he knows and we, cannot influence
the English Answer now close at hand. Here is the copied Letter; copied in Guy Dickens's hand; from which
we translate,and also will give the original French in this instance, for behoof of the curious:
TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE CHEVALIER HOTHAM.
[POTSDAM, End of May, 1730.]
"MONSIEUR,Je crois que c'est de la derniere importance que je vous ecrive; et je suis assez triste d'avoir
des chases a vous dire que je devrois cacher a toute la terre: mais il faut franchir ce mauvais pas la; et vous
comptant de mes amis, je me resouds plus facilement a vous le dire. C'est que je suis traite d'une maniere
inouie du Roi, et que je sais qu'a present ils se trament de terribles choses contre moi, touchant certaines
Lettres que j'ai ecrites l'hiver passe, dont je crois que vous serez informe. Enfin pour vous parler franchement,
la vraie raison que le Roi a de ne vouloir point donner les mains a ce Mariage est, qu'il me veut toujours tenir
sur un bas pied, et me faire enrager toute sa vie, quand l'envie lui en prend; ainsi il ne l'accordera jamais. Si
l'on consent de votre cote que cette Princesse soit aussi traitee ainsi, vous pouvez comprendre aisement que je
serai fort triste de rendre malheureuse une personne que j'estime, et de rester toujours dans le meme etat ou je
suis. Pour moi done je crois qu'il vaudroit mieux finir le Mariage de ma Soeur ainsi auparavant, et ne point
demander au Roi seulement des assurances sur mon sujet, d'autant plus que sa parole n'y fait rien: suffit que
je reitere les promesses que j'ai deja fait au Roi mon Oncle, de ne prendre jamais d'autre epouse que sa
seconde fille la Princess Amelie. Je suis une personne de parole, qui pourra faire reussir ce que j'avance,
pourvu que l'on se fie a moi. Je vous le promets, et a present vous pouvez en avertir votre Cour; et je saurai
tenir ma promesse. Je suis toujours tout a vous,
FREDERIC."
[StatePaper Office: Prussian Despatches, vol. xli. (enclosed in Sir Charles Hotham's Despatch, Berlin,
27th16th May, 1730).]
"Monsieur,I believe it is of the last importance that I should write to you; and I am very sad to have things
to say which I ought to conceal from all the earth. But one must take that bad leap; and reckoning you among
my friends, I the more easily resolve to open myself to you.
"The case is this: I am treated in an unheardof manner by the King; and I know there are terrible things in
preparation against me, touching certain letters which I wrote last winter, of which I believe you are
informed. In a word, to speak frankly to you, the real secret reason why the King will not consent to this
Marriage is, That he wishes to keep me on a low footing constantly, and to have the power of driving me
mad, whenever the whim takes him, throughout his life; thus he never will give his consent. If it were
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possible that you on your side could consent that your Princess too should be exposed to such treatment, you
may well comprehend that I should be very sad to bring misery on a Person whom I esteem, and to remain
always in the same state as now.
"For my own part, therefore, I believe it would be better to conclude my Sister's Marriage in the first place,
and not, even to ask from the King any assurances in regard to mine; the rather as his word has nothing to do
with it: it is enough that I here reiterate the promises which I have already made to the King my Uncle, Never
to take another wife than his second Daughter the Princess Amelia. I am a person of my word; and shall be
able to bring about what I set forth, provided there is trust put in me. I promise it you; and now you may give
your Court notice of it; and I shall manage to keep my promise. I remain yours always."
The CrownPrince, for Wilhelmina's sake and everybody's, is extremely anxious they should agree to the
Single Marriage in the interim: but the English Courtperhaps for no deep reason, perhaps chiefly because
little George had the whim of standing grandly immovable upon his first offernever would hear of that.
Which was an angry thought to the CrownPrince in after times, as we sometimes notice.
Here, to the like effect, is another Fragment from his Royal Highness, copied in the Dickens hand, and
enclosed in the same Despatch from Hotham;giving us a glance into the inner workshop of his Royal
Highness, and his hidden assiduities and endeavorings at that time:
"... Vous pouvez croire que je ferai tout ce que je peux pour faire reussir mon plan; mais l'on n'en remarquera
rien em dehors; que l'on m'en laisse agir en suite, je ferai bien moi seul reussir le reste. Je finis la par vous
assurer encore, Monsieur, que je suis tout a vous.
"FREDERIC PRINCE R."
"... You may believe I will exert all my resources to succeed in my plan; but there will be no outward sign
visible:leave me to act in this way, I will myself successfully bring it through. I end by again assuring you,
Monsieur, that I am yours always."
Which again produces no effect; the English Answer being steadily, "Both Marriages, or none."
And this, then, is what the Hotham mission is come to? Good Dubourgay is home, recalled about a month
ago, "for the sake of his health," [Townshend's polite Despatch to him, Whitehall, 21st April, 1730.]good
old gentleman, never to be heard of in Diplomatic History more. Dubourgay went in the first days of May;
and the month is not out, when Hotham is off to the Camp of Radewitz; leaving his Negotiation, as it were,
extinct. To the visible regret of the Berlin public generally; to the grievous disappointment of Queen Sophie,
of the CrownPrince and some others,not to speak of Wilhelmina's feelings, which are unknown to us.
Regretful Berlin, Wilhelmina and Mamma among the others, had, by accident, in these dejected
circumstances, a strange Sign from the Heavens provided them, one night,if we may be permitted to notice
it here. Monday, 29th May;and poor Queen Sophie, we observe withal, is in the hands of the MONTHLY
NURSE since Tuesday last! ["Prince Ferdinand (her last child, Father of him whose fate lay at Jenz
seventysix years afterwards), born 23d May, 1730."]
ST. PETER'S CHURCH IN BERLIN HAS AN ACCIDENT.
Monday 29th May, 1730, Friedrich Wilhelm and the CrownPrince and Party were at Potsdam, so far on
their way towards Radewitz. All is peaceable at Potsdam that night: but it was a night of wild phenomena at
Berlin; or rather of one wild phenomenon, the "Burning of the SANCTPETERS KIRCHE," which held the
whole City awake and in terror for its life. Dim Fassmann becomes unusually luminous on this affair
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(probably an eyewitness to it, poor old soul); and enables us to fish up one old Night of Berlin City and its
vanished populations into clear view again, if we like.
For two years back Berlin had been diligently building a nonplusultra of Steeples to that fine Church of St.
Peter's. Highest Steeple of them all; one of the Steeples of the World, in a manner;and Berlin was now
near ending it. Tower, or shaft, has been complete some time, interior fittings going on; and is just about to
get its ultimate apex, a "CrownRoyal" set on it by way of finis. For his Majesty, the great AEdile, was much
concerned in the thing; and had given materials, multifarious helps: Three incomparable Bells, especially,
were his gift; melodious old Bells, of distinguished tone, "bigger than the Great Bell of Erfurt," than Tom of
Lincoln,or, as brief popular rumor has it, the biggest Bells in the World, at least of such a TONE. These
Bells are hung, silent but ready in their upper chamber of the Tower, and the gigantic Crown or apex is to go
on; then will the basketwork of scaffolding be peeled away, and the Steeple stretch, high and grand, into the
air, for ages it is hoped.
Far otherwise. On Monday evening, between eight and nine, there gathered thunder over Berlin; wild tumult
of the elements: thunderbolt "thrice in swift succession" struck the unfinished Steeple; in the "hood" of
which men thereupon noticed a light, as of a star, or sparkle of the sun; and straightway, in spite of the
raintorrents, there burst out blazes of flame. Blazes unquenchable; grand yet perilous to behold. The
firedrums beat, the alarmbells clanged, and ceased not; all Berlin struggling there, all night, in vain. Such
volumes of smoke: "the heavens were black as if you had hung them with mortcloth:" such roaring cataracts
of flame, "you could have picked up a copper doit at the distance of 800 yards.""Hissss!" what hissing
far aloft is that? That is the incomparable big Bells melting. There they vanish, their fine tones never to be
tried more, and ooze through the redhot ruin, "Hushshsht!" the last sound heard from them. And the stem
for holding that immense Crownroyal,it is a bar and bars of iron, "weighing sixteen hundredweight;"
down it comes thundering, crashing through the belly of St. Peter's, the fall of it like an earthquake all round.
And still the firedrums beat, and from all surviving Steeples of Berlin goes the clangor of alarm; "none but
the very young children can have slept that night," says our vigilant old friend.
Wind was awake, too; kindling the neighboring streets; storming towards the PowderMagazine; where
labor innumerable Artillerymen, "busy with hides from the tanpits, with stabledung, and other material;"
speed to them, we will say! Forty dwellinghouses went; but not the PowderMagazine; not Berlin utterly
(so to speak) by the PowderMagazine. On the morrow St. Peter's and neighborhood lay black, but still
inwardly burning; not for three days more could the ruins be completely quenched.
That was the news for Friedrich Wilhelm, before sunrise, on the point of his departure for Muhlberg and King
August's scenic exhibitions. "HM;but we must go, all the same! We will rebuild it!" said he.And truly
he did so. And the polite King August, sorry to hear of the Peterskirche, "gave him excellent sandstone from
the quarries of Pirna," says: Fassmann: "great blocks came boating down the Elbe" from that notable Saxon
Switzerland Country, notable to readers here in time coming; and are to be found, as ashlar, in the modern St.
Peter's at Berlin; a fact which the reader, till Pirna be better known to him, may remember if he likes.
[Fassmann, pp. 406409.]
And now let us to Radewitz without delay.
Chapter III. CAMP OF RADEWITZ.
The Camp of Muhlberg, called more properly the Camp of Radewitz, towards which Friedrich Wilhelm, with
English Hotham and many dignitaries are now gone, was one of the sublimest scenic military exhibitions in
the history of the world; leaving all manner of imitation tournaments, modern "tintournaments," out of sight;
and perhaps equalling the Field of the Cloth of Gold, or Barbarossa's Mainz Tournament in ancient times. It
lasted for a month, regardless of expense,June month of the year 1730;and from far and wide the idle of
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mankind ran, by the thousand, to see it. Shall the thing be abolished utterly,as perhaps were proper, had
not our CrownPrince been there, with eyes very open to it, and yet with thoughts very shut;or shall some
flying trace of the big Zero be given? Riddling or screening certain cartloads of heavy old German printed
rubbish, [Chiefly the terrible compilation called HeldenStaats und LebensGeschichte des, Friedrichs des
Andern (History Heroical, Political and Biographical of Friedrich the Second), Frankfurt and Leipzig,
17591760, vol, i. first HALF, pp. 171210. There are ten thick and thin halfvolumes, and perhaps more.
One of the most hideous imbroglios ever published under the name of Book,without vestige of Index, and
on paper that has no margin and cannot stand ink,yet with many curious articles stuffed blindly into the
awful belly of it, like jewels into a ragsack, or into TEN ragsacks all in one; with far more authenticity
than you could expect in such case. Let us call it, for brevity, HeldenGeschichte, in future references.] to
omit the Hotham Despatches, we obtained the following shovelful of authentic particulars, perhaps not quite
insupportable to existing mankind.
The exact size of the Camp of Radewitz I nowhere find measured; but to judge on the map, [At p. 214.] it
must have covered, with its appendages, some ten or twelve square miles of ground. All on the Elbe, right
bank of the Elbe; Town of Muhlberg, chief Town of the District, lying some ten miles northwest; then, not
much beyond it, Torgau; and then famed Wittenberg, all on the northwest, farther down the River: and on the
other side, Meissen with its Potteries not far to the southeast of you, up the River, on the Dresden hand. Nay
perhaps many of my readers have seen the place, and not known, in their touring expeditions; which are now
blinder than ever, and done by steam, without even eyesight, not to say intelligence. Precisely where the
railway from Leipzig to Dresden crosses the Elbe,there, if you happen to have daylight, is a flat, rather
clayey country, dirtygreenish, as if depastured partly by geese; with a big full River Elbe sweeping through
it, banks barish for a mile or two; River itself swift, sleek and of flintcolor; not unpleasant to behold, thus
far on its journey from the Bohemian GiantMountains seaward: precisely there, when you have crossed the
Bridge, is the southmost corner of August the Strong's Encampment,vanished now like the last flock of
geese that soiled and nibbled these localities;and, without knowing it, you are actually upon memorable
ground.
Actually, we may well say; apart from August and his fooleries. For here also it was, on the ground now
under your eye, that Kurfurst Johann Friedrich the Magnanimous, having been surprised the day before at
public worship in the abovementioned Town of Muhlberg, and completely beaten by Kaiser Karl the Fifth
and his Spaniards and Duke of Alba, did, on Monday 25th April, 1547, ride forth as Prisoner to meet the said
Kaiser; and had the worst reception from him, poor man. "Take pity on me, O God! This is what it is come
to?" the magnanimous beaten Kurfurst was heard murmuring as he rode. At sight of the Kaiser, he
dismounted, pulled off his ironplated gloves, knelt, and was: for humbly taking the Kaiser's hand, to kiss it.
Kaiser would not; Kaiser looked thunderous tornado on him, with hands rigidly in the vertical direction. The
magnanimous Kurfurst arose therefore; doffed his hat: "Greatmightiest (GROSSMACHTIGSTER)
allgracious Kaiser, I am your Majesty's prisoner," said he, confining himself to the historical. "I AM Kaiser
now, then?" answered the sullen Tornado, with a black brow and hanging underjaw."I request my
imprisonment may be princelike," said the poor Prince. "It shall be as your deserts have been!""I am in
your power; you will do your pleasure on me," answered the other;and was led away, to hard durance and
peril of life for five years to come; his Cousin Moritz, having expertly jockeyed his Electoral dignities and
territories from him in the interim; [De Wette, Kursgefasste Lebensgeschichte der Herzoge zu Sachsen
(Weimar, 1770), pp. I, 33, 73.]as was told above, long since.
Expert Cousin Moritz: in virtue of which same Moritz, or rather perhaps in VICE of him, August the Strong
is even now Elector of Saxony; Papist, PseudoPapist Apostate King of Poland, and Nonplusultra of
"gluttonous Royal Flunkies;" doomed to do these fooleries on God's Earth for a time. For the sins of the
fathers are visited upon the children,in ways little dreamt of by the flunky judgment,to the sixth
generation and farther. Truly enough this is memorable ground, little as King August, thinks of it; little as the
idle tourists think, or the depasturing geese, who happen to be there.
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The ten square miles have been industriously prepared for many months past; shaved, swept by the best
engineer science: every village of it thoroughly cleaned, at least; the villages all let lodgings at a Californian
rate; in one village, Moritz by name, [Map at page 214.] is the slaughterhouse, killing oxen night and day;
and the bakehouee, with 160 mealy bakers who never rest: in another village, Strohme, is the playhouse of
the region; in another, Glaubitz, the postoffice: nothing could excel the arrangements; much superior, I
should judge, to those for the Siege of Troy, and other worldgreat enterprises. Worthy really of admiration,
had the business not been zero. Foreign Courts: European Diplomacy at large, wondered much what cunning
scheme lay hidden here. No scheme at all, nor purpose on the part of poor August; only that of amusing
himself, and astonishing the flunkies of Creation,regardless of expense. Three temporary Bridges, three
besides the regular ferry of the country, cross the Elbe; for the high officers, dames, damosels and lordships
of degree, and thousandfold spectators, lodge on both sides of the Elbe: three Bridges, one of pontoons, one
of woodrafts, one of barrels; immensely long, made for the occasion. The whole Saxon Army, 30,000 horse
and foot with their artillery, all in beautiful brandnew uniforms and equipments, lies beautifully encamped
in tents and wooden huts, near by Zeithayn, its rear to the Elbe; this is the "ARMEE LAGER (Camp of the
Army)" in our old Rubbish Books. Northward of which,with the Heath of Gorisch still well beyond, and
bluish to you, in the farther North,rises, on favorable ground, a high "Pavilion" elaborately built,
elaborately painted and gilded, with balcony stages round it; from which the whole ground, and everything
done in it, is surveyable to spectators of rank.
Eastward again, or from the Pavilion southeastward, at the right flank of the Army, where again rises a kind
of Height, hard by Radewitz, favorable for survey,there, built of sublime silk tents, or solid wellpainted
carpentry, the general color of which is bright green, with gilt knobs and gilt gratings all about, is the
:HAUPTLAGER," Headquarters, Main LAGER, Heart of all the LAGERS; where his Prussian Majesty,
and his Polish ditto, with their respective suites, are lodged. Kinglike wholly, in extensive green palaces
ready gilt and furnished; such drawingrooms, such bedrooms, "with floors of dyed wickerwork;" the gilt
mirrors, pictures, musical clocks; not even the fine bathingtubs for his Prussian Majesty have been
forgotten. Never did man or flunky see the like. Such immense successful apparatus, without and within; no
end of military valetaille, chiefly "janizaries," in Turk costume; improvised flowergardens even, and walks
of yellow sand,the whole Hill of Radewitz made into a flowergarden in that way. Nay, in the Army
LAGER too, many of the Captains have made little improvised flowergardens in that Camp of theirs, up and
down. For other Captains not of a poetical turn, there are billiards, coffeehouses, and plenty of excellent
beer and other liquor. But the mountains of cavalry hay, that stand guarded by patrols in the rearward places,
and the granaries of cavalry oats, are not to be told. Eastward, from their open porticos and precincts, with
imitation "janizaries" pacing silent lower down, the Two Majesties oversee the Army, at discretion; can
survey all things,even while dining, which they do daily, like very kings! Fritz is lodged there; has a
magnificent bed: poor young fellow, he alone now makes the business of any meaning to us. He is curious
enough to see the phenomena, military and other; but oppressed with black care: "My Amelia is not here, and
the tyrant Father istyrannous with his rattan: ye gods!"
We could insist much on the notable people that were there; for the Lists of them are given. Many high
Lordships; some of whom will meet us again. Weissenfels, Wilhelmina's unfavored lover, how busy is he,
commanding gallantly (in the terrific ShamBattle) against Wackerbarth; General Wackerbarth, whose house
we saw burnt on a Dresden visit, not so long ago. Old Leopold of AnhaltDessau is there, the Old Dessauer;
with four of his Princes; instructed in soldiering, left without other instruction; without even writing, unless
they can pick it up for themselves. Likely young fellows too, with a good stroke of work in them, of battle in
them, when called for. Young Anspach, lately wedded, comes, in what state he can, poor youth; lodges with
the Prussian Majesty his Fatherinlaw; should keep rather quiet, his share of wisdom being small.
Seckendorf with his Grumkow, they also are here, in the train of Friedrich Wilhelm. Grumkow shoves the
bottle with their Polish and Prussian Majesties: in jolly hours, things go very high there. I observe they call
King August "LE PATRON," the Captain, or "Patroon;" a fine jollity dwelling in that Man of Sin. Or does
the reader notice HolsteinBeck, Prussian MajorGeneral; Prince of HolsteinBeck; a solid dull man;
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capable of liquor, among other things: not wiser than he should be; sold all his Apanage or Princeship; for
example, and bought plate with it, wherefore they call him ever since "HolsteinVAISSELLE (Holstein
PLATE)" instead of HolsteinBeck. [Busching's Beitrage, iv. 109.] His next Brother, here likewise I should
think, being MajorGeneral in the Saxon service, is still more foolish. He, poor soul, is just about to marry
the Orzelska; incomparable Princess known to us, who had been her Father's mistress:marriage, as was
natural, went asunder again (1733) after a couple of years.But mark especially that middleaged heavy
gentleman, Prince of AnhaltZerbst, Prussian Commandant of Stettin. Not over rich (would not even be rich
if he came to be reigning Duke, as he will do); attentive at his post in those parts, ever since the
SiegeofStralsund time; has done his orders, fortified Stettin to perfection; solid, heavy taciturn man:of
whom there is nothing notable but this only, That last year his Wife brought him a little Daughter, Catharine
the name of her. His Wife is a foolish restless dame, highborn and penniless; let her nurse well this little
Catharine: little Catharine will become abundantly distinguished in a thirty years hence; Empress of all the
Russias that little girl; the Fates have so appointed it, mocking the prophecies of men! Here too is our poor
unmentionable Duke of Mecklenburg: poor soul, he has left his quarrels with the Ritterschaft for a week or
two, and is here breathing the air of the Elbe Heaths. His wild Russian Wife, wild Peter's niece and more, we
are relieved to know is dead; for her ways and Peter's have been very strange! To this unmentionable Duke of
Mecklenburg she has left one Daughter, a Princess ElizabethCatherine, who will be called Princess ANNE,
one day: whose fortunes in the world may turn out to be tragical. Potential heiress of all the Russias, that little
Elizabeth or Anne. Heiress by her wily aunt, Anne of Courland,Anne with the swollen cheek, whom
Moritz, capable of many things, and of being MARECHAL DE SAXE by and by, could not manage to fall in
love with there; and who has now just quitted Courland, and become Czarina: [Peter II., her Cousingerman,
died January, 1730 (Mannstein's Russia ).]if Aunt Anne with the big cheek should die childless, as is
likely, this little Niece were Heiress. WAS THUT'S, What matter!
In the train of King August are likewise splendors of a sort, if we had time for them. Dukes of
SachsenGotha, Dukes of Meiningen, most of the Dukes that put Sachsen to their name;SachsenWeimar
for one; who is Grandfather of Goethe's Friend, if not otherwise distinguished. The Lubomirskis,
Czartoryskis, and others of Polish breed, shall be considered as foreign to us, and go unnoticed. Nor are high
Dames wanting, as we see: vast flights of airy brighthued womankind, CrownPrincess at the head of them,
who lodges in Tiefenau with her CrownPrince,and though plainlooking, and not of the sweetest temper,
is a very high Lady indeed. Niece of the present Kaiser Karl, Daughter of the late Kaiser, Joseph of blessed
memory;for which reason August never yet will sign the Pragmatic Sanction, his CrownPrince having
hereby rights of his own in opposition thereto. She is young; to her is Tiefenau, northward, on the edge of the
Gorisch Heath, probably the choicest mansion in these circuits, given up: also she is Lady of "the Bucentaur,"
frigate equal to Cleopatra's galley in a manner; and commands, so to speak, by land and water. Supreme
Lady, she, of this sublime worldfoolery regardless of expense: so has the gallantry of August ordered it. Our
Friedrich and she will meet again, on occasions not like this!What the other Princesses and Countesses,
present on this occasion, were to CrownPrince Friedrich, except a general flowerbed of human
nature,ask not; nor even whether the Orzelska was so much as here! The Orzelska will be married, some
two months hence, [10th August, 1730 (Sir T. Robinson: Despatch from Dresden; in StatePaper Office).] to
a HolsteinBeck; not to Holstein PLATE, but to his Brother the unfortunate Saxon MajorGeneral: a man
surely not of nice tastes in regard to marriage;and I would recommend him to keep his light Wife at home
on such occasions. They parted, as we said, in a year or two, mutually indignant; and the Orzelska went to
Avignon, to Venice and elsewhither, and settled into Catholic devotion in cheap countries of agreeable
climate. [See Pollnitz ( Memoirs, whoever is curious about her.]
CrownPrince Friedrich, doubtless, looking at this flowerbed of human nature, and the reward of happy
daring paid by Beauty, has vivid images of Princess Amelia and her Viceregency of Hanover; bright
Princess and Viceregency, divided from him by bottomless gulfs, which need such a swim as that of
Leander across the material Hellespont was but a trifle to!In which of the villages Hotham and Dickens
lodged, I did not learn or inquire; nor are their copious Despatches, chronicling these sublime phenomena
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from day to day for behoof of St. James's, other than entirely inane to us at this time. But one thing we do
learn from them: Our CrownPrince, escaping the paternal vigilance, was secretly in consultation with
Dickens, or with Hotham through Dickens; and this in the most tragic humor on his side. In such effulgences
of luxury and scenic grandeur, how sad an attendant is Black Care,nay foul misusage, not to be borne by
human nature! Accurate Professor Ranke has read somewhere,does not comfortably say where, nor
comfortably give the least date,this passage, or what authorizes him to write it. "In that PleasureCamp of
Muhlberg, where the eyes of so many strangers were directed to him, the CrownPrince was treated like a
disobedient boy, and one time even with strokes (KORPERLICH MISSHANDELT), to make him feel he
was only considered as such. The enraged King, who never weighed the consequences of his words, added
mockery to his manual outrage. He said, 'Had I been treated so by my Father, I would have blown my brains
out: but this fellow has no honor, he takes all that comes!'" [Ranke, Neun Bucher Preussischer Geschichte
(Berlin, 1847), i. 297.] EINMAL KORPERLICH MISSHANDELT: why did not the Professor give us time,
occasion, circumstances, and name of some eyewitness? For the fact, which stands reported in the like
fashion in all manner of Histories, we shall otherwise find to be abundantly certain; and it produced
conspicuous definite results. It is, as it were, the one fact still worth human remembrance in this expensive
Radewitz and its fooleries; and is itself left in that vague inert state, irremediable at present.
Beaten like a slave; while lodged, while figuring about, like a royal highness, in this sumptuous manner! It
appears clearly the poor Prince did hereupon, in spite of his word given to Wilhelmina, make up his mind to
run. Ingenious Ranke, forgetting again to date, knows from the Archives, that Friedrich went shortly
afterwards to call on Graf von Hoym, one day. Speaking to Graf von Hoym, who is Saxon FirstMinister,
and Factotum of the arrangements here, he took occasion cursorily to ask, Could not a glimpse of Leipzig,
among all these fine things, be had? Order for horses to or at Leipzig, for "a couple of officers" (Lieutenant
Keith and self),quietly, without fuss of passes and the like, Herr Graf?The Herr Graf glances into it with
eyes which have a twinkle in them: SCHWERLICH, Royal Highness. They are very strict about passes. Do
not try it, Royal Highness! [Ranke, ib.; Forster, i. 365, and more especially iii. 4 (Seckendorf's Narrative
there).] And Friedrich did desist, in that direction, poor youth; but tried it the more in others. Very busy, in
deep secrecy, corresponding with Lieutenant Katte at Berlin, consulting tragically with Captain Guy Dickens
here.Whether any hint or whisper came to the Prussian Majesty from Graf von Hoym? Lieutenant Keith
was, shortly after, sent to Wesel to mind his soldiering there, far down the Rhine Country in the Garrison of
Wesel; [Wilhelmina told us lately (supra, p. 149), Keith HAD been sent to Wesel; but she has misdated as
usual.] better there than colleaguing with a Fritz, and suggesting to him idle truancies or worse.
With Katte at Berlin the desperate Prince has concocted another scheme of Flight, this Hoym one being
impossible; scheme executable by Katte and him, were this Radewitz once over. And as for his consultations
with Guy Dickens, the result of them is: Captain Dickens, on the 16th of June, with eyes brisk enough, and
lips well shut, sets out from Radewitz express for London. This is what I read as abstract of HOTHAM'S
DESPATCH, 16th June, 1730, which Dickens is to deliver with all caution at St. James's: "CrownPrince has
communicated to Dickens his plan of escape; 'could no longer bear the outrages of his Father.' Is to attend his
Father to Anspath shortly (JOURNEY TO THE REICH, of which we shall hear anon), and they are to take a
turn to Stuttgard: which latter is not very far from Strasburg on the French side of the Rhine. To Strasburg he
will make his escape; stay six weeks or a couple of months (that his Mother be not suspected); and will then
proceed to England. Hopes England will take such measures as to save his Sister from ruin." These are his
fixed resolutions: what will England do in such abstruse case?Captain Dickens speeds silently with his
Despatch; will find Lord Harrington, not Townshend any more; [Resigned 15th May, 1730: Despatch to
Hotham, as farewell, of that date.] will copiously open his lips to Harrington on matters Prussian. A brisk
military man, in the prime of his years; who might do as Prussian Envoy himself, if nothing great were going
on? Harrington's final response will take some deliberating.
Hotham, meanwhile, resumes his report, as we too must do, of the Scenic Exhibitions;and, we can well
fancy, is getting weary of it; wishing to be home rather, "as his business here seems ended." [Preceding
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Despatch (of 16th June).] One day he mentions a rumor (inane high rumors being prevalent in such a place);
"rumor circulated here, to which I do not give the slightest credit, that the PrinceRoyal of Prussia is to have
one of the Archduchesses," perhaps Maria Theresa herself! Which might indeed have saved immensities of
trouble to the whole world, as well as to the Pair in question, and have made a very different History for
Germany and the rest of us. Fancy it! But for many reasons, change of religion, had there been no other, it
was an impossible notion. "May be," thinks Hotham, "that the Court of Vienna throws out this bait to
continue the King's delusion,"or a snuffle from Seckendorf, without the Court, may have given it currency
in so inane an element as Radewitz.
Of the terrific ShamBattles, conducted by Weissenfels on one side and Wackerbarth on the other; of the
charges of cavalry, play of artillery, threatening to end in a very doomsday, round the Pavilion and the Ladies
and the Royalties assembled on the balconies there (who always go to dinner safe, when victory has declared
itself), I shall say nothing. Nor of that supreme "attack on the intrenchments:" blowingup of the very
Bridges; cavalry posted in the woods; host doing its very uttermost against host, with unheardof expenditure
of gunpowder and learned manoeuvre; in which "the Fleet" (of shallops on the Elbe, rigged mostly in silk)
took part, and the Bucentaur with all its cannon. Words fail on such occasions. I will mention only that
assiduous King August had arranged everything like the King of PlayhouseManagers; was seen, early in the
morning, "driving his own curricle" all about, in vigilant supervision and inspection; crossed the Tubbridge,
or perhaps the Floatbridge (not yet blown up), "in a WURSTWAGEN;" giving himself (what proved well
founded) the assurance of success for this great day;and finally that, on the morrow, there occurred an
illumination and display of fireworks, the like of which is probably still a desideratum.
For the Bucentaur and Fleet were all hung with colored lamplets; Headquarters (HAUPTLAGER) and
ArmyLAGER ditto ditto; gleaming upwards with their golden light into the silver of the Summer
Twilight:and all this is still nothing to the scene there is across the Elbe, on our southeast corner. You
behold that Palace of the Genii; wings, turrets, mainbody, battlements: it is "a gigantic wooden frame, on
which two hundred carpenters have been busy for above six months," ever since Christmas last. Two hundred
carpenters; and how many painters I cannot say: but they have smeared "six thousand yards of linen canvas;"
which is now nailed up; hung with lamps, begirt with fireworks, no end of rocketserpents,
catherinewheels; with cannon and fieldmusic, near and far, to correspond;and is now (evening of the
24th June, 1730) shining to men and gods. Pinnacles, turrets, tablatures, tipt with various fires and emblems,
all is there: symbolic Painting, six hundred yards of it, glowing with inner light, and legible to the very owls!
Arms now piled useless; Pax, with her Appurtenances; Mars resting (in that canvas) on trophies of laurel
honorably won: and there is an Inscription, done in lamplets, every letter taller than a man, were you close
upon it, "SIC FULTA MANEBIT (Thus supported it will stand)," the it being either PAX (Peace) or
DOMUS (the GeniiPalace itself), as your weak judgment may lead you to interpret delicate allusions. Every
letter bigger tban a man: it may be read almost at Wittenberg, I should think; flaming as PICA written on the
sky, from the steepletops there. THUS SUPPORTED IT WILL STAND; and pious mortals murmur, "Hope
so, I am sure!"and the cannons fire, almost without ceasing; and the fieldmusic, guided by telegraphs,
bursts over all the scene, at due moments; and the Catherinewheels fly hissing; and the Bucentaur and silk
Brigantines glide about like living flambeaus;and in fact you must fancy such a sight. King August, tired
to the bone, and seeing all successful, retired about midnight. Friedrich Wilhelm stood till the finale; Saxon
CrownPrince and he, "in a window of the highest house in Promnitz;" our young Fritz and the Margraf of
Anspach, they also, in a neighboring window, [24th25th June: HeldenGeschichte (above spoken of), i.
200] stood till the finale: two in the morning, when the very Sun was not far from rising.
Or is not the ultimate closing day perhaps still notabler; a day of universal eating? Debauchee King August
had a touch of genuine human goodhumor in him; poor devil, and had the best of stomachs. Eighty oxen, fat
as Christmas, were slain and roasted, subsidiary viands I do not count; that all the world might have one good
dinner. The soldiers, divided into proper sections, had cut trenches, raised flat mounds, laid planks; and so, by
trenching and planking, had made at once table and seat, wood well secured on turf. At the end of every table
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rose a triglyph, two strong wooden posts with lintel; on the lintel stood spiked the ox's head, ox's hide
hanging beneath it as drapery: and on the two sides of the two posts hung free the four roasted quarters of
said ox; from which the common man joyfully helped himself. Three measures of beer he had, and two of
wine;which, unless the measures were miraculously small, we may take to be abundance. Thus they, in
two long rows, 30,000 of them by the tale, dine joyfully SUB DIO. The two Majesties and two
CrownPrinces rode through the ranks, as dinner went on: "King of Prussia forever!" and caps into the
air;at length they retire to their own HAUPTQUARTIER, where, themselves dining, they can still see the
soldiers dine, or at least drink their three measures and two. Dine, yea dine abundantly: let all mortals have
one good dinner!
Royal dinner is not yet done when a new miracle appears on the field: the largest Cake ever baked by the
Sons of Adam. Drawn into the Headquarter about an hour ago, on a wooden frame with tent over it, by a
team of eight horses; tent curtaining it, guarded by Cadets; now the tent is struck and off;saw mortals ever
the like? It is fourteen ells (KLEINE ELLEN) long, by six broad; and at the centre half an ell thick. Baked by
machinery; how otherwise could peel or roller act on such a Cake? There are five thousand eggs in it;
thirtysix bushels (Berlin measure) of sound flour; one tun of milk, one tun of yeast, one ditto of butter;
crackers, gingerbreadnuts, for fillet or trimming, run all round. Plainly the Prince of Cakes! A Carpenter
with gigantic knife, handle of it resting on his shoulder,Head of the Board of Works, giving word of
command,enters the Cake by incision; cuts it up by plan, by successive signal from the Board of Works.
What high person would not keep for himself, to say nothing of eating, some fraction of such a Nonpareil?
There is cut and come again for all. Carpenter advances, by main trench and by side trenches, steadily to
word of command.
I mention, as another trait of the poor devil of an August, full of goodhumor after all, That he and his
Royalties and big Lordships having dined, he gave the still groaning table with all its dishes, to be scrambled
for by "the janizaries." Janizaries, ImitationTurk valetaille; who speedily made clearance,many a bit of
precious Meissen porcelain going far down in society by that means.
Royal dinner done, the Colonel and Officers of every regiment, ranked in high order, with weapons drawn,
preceded by their respective bands of music, came marching up the Hill to pay their particular respects to the
Majesty of Prussia. Majesty of Prussia promised them his favor, everlasting, as requested; drank a glass of
wine to each party (steady, your Majesty!), who all responded by glasses of wine, and threw the glasses aloft
with shouts. Sixty pieces of artillery speaking the while, and the bands of music breathing their
sweetest;till it was done, and his Majesty still steady on his feet. He could stand a great deal of wine.
And now? Well, the Cake is not done, many cubic yards of cake are still left, and the very corporals can do
no more: let the Army scramble! Army whipt it away in no time. And now, alas now the time IS come for
parting. It is ended; all things end. Not for about an hour could the HERRSCHAFTEN (Lordships and minor
Sovereignties) fairly tear themselves away, under wailing music, and with the due emotion.
The Prussian Royalties, and select few, took boat down the River, on the morrow; towards Lichtenburg
HuntingPalace, for one day's slaughtering of game. They slaughtered there about one thousand living
creatures, all driven into heaps for them,"six hundred of red game" (of the stag species), "four hundred
black," or of the boar ditto. They left all these creatures dead; dined immensely; then did go, sorrowfully
sated; CrownPrince Friedrich in his own carriage in the rear; Papa in his, preceding by a few minutes; all the
wood horns, or French horns, wailing sad adieu;and hurried towards Berlin through the ambrosial night.
[28th June, 1730: HeldenGeschichte, i. 205.]
And so it is all ended. And August the Strongwhat shall we say of August? History must admit that he
attains the maximum in several things. Maximum of physical strength; can break horseshoes, nay
halfcrowns with finger and thumb. Maximum of sumptuosity; really a polite creature; no man of his means
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so regardless of expense. Maximum of Bastards, three hundred and fiftyfour of them; probably no mortal
ever exceeded that quantity. Lastly, he has baked the biggest Bannock on record; Cake with 5,000 eggs in it,
and a tun of butter. These things History must concede to him. Poor devil, he was full of goodhumor too,
and had the best of stomachs. His amputated greattoe does not mend: out upon it, the world itself is all so
amputated, and not like mending! August the Strong, dilapidated at fiftythree, is fast verging towards a less
expensive country: and in three years hence will be lodged gratis, and need no cook or flunky of either sex.
"This Camp of Radewitz," says Smelfungus, one of my Antecessors, finishing his long narrative of it, "this
Camp is Nothing; and after all this expense of King August's and mine, it flies away like a dream. But alas,
were the Congresses of Cambrai and Soissons, was the lifelong diplomacy of Kaiser Karl, or the History of
torpid moribund Europe in those days, much of a Something? The Pragmatic Sanction, with all its
protocolling, has fled, like the temporary Playhouse of King August erected there in the village of Strohme.
Much talk, noise and imaginary interest about both; but both literally have become zero, WERE always zero.
As well talk about the one as the other."Then why not SILENCE about both, my Friend Smelfnngus? He
answers: "That truly is the thing to be aimed at;and if we had once got our own out of both, let both be
consumed with fire, and remain a handful of inarticulate black ashes forevermore." Heavens, will I, of all
men, object!
Smelfungus says elsewhere:
"The moral to be derived, perhaps the chief moral visible at present, from all this Section of melancholy
History is: Modern Diplomacy is nothing; mind well your own affairs, leave those of your neighbors well
alone. The Pragmatic Sanction, breaking Fritz's, Friedrich Wilhelm's, Sophie's, Wilhelmina's, English
Amelia's and I know not how many private hearts, and distracting with vain terrors and hopes the general
soul of Europe for fiveandtwenty years, fell at once into dust and vapor, and went wholly towards limbo
on the stormwinds, doing nothing for or against any mortal. Friedrich Wilhelm's 80,000 welldrilled troops
remained very actual with their firelocks and iron ramrods, and did a thing or two, there being a Captain over
them. Friedrich Wilhelm's Directorium, welldrilled Prussian Downing Street, every man steady at his duty,
and no wind to be wasted where silence was better, did likewise very authentically remain, and still
remains. Nothing of genuine and human that Friedrich Wilhelm did but remained and remains an inheritance,
not the smallest item of IT lost or losable;and the rude foolish BoorKing (singular enough!) is found to be
the only one that has gained by the game."
Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE.
While the Camp at Radewitz is dissolving itself in this manner, in the last days of June, Captain Guy
Dickens, the oracles at Windsor having given him their response as to Prince Friedrich's wild project, is
getting under way for Berlin again,whither also Hotham has returned, to wait for Dickens's arrival, and
directly thereupon come home. Dickens is henceforth to do the British Diplomacy here, any Diplomacy there
can well be; Dickens once installed, Hotham will, right gladly, wash his hands of this Negotiation, which he
considers to be as good as dead for a longish while past. First, however, he has one unexpected adventure to
go through in Berlin; of most unexpected celebrity in the world: this once succinctly set forth, History will
dismiss him to the shades of private life.
Guy Dickens, arriving we can guess about the 8th or 9th of July, brings two important Documents with him
to Berlin, FIRST, the English Response (in the shape of "Instructions" to himself, which may be ostensible in
the proper quarter) in regard to the CrownPrince's project of flight into England. Response which is no other
than might have been expected in the circumstances: "Britannic Majesty sorry extremely for the
CrownPrince's situation; ready to do anything in reason to alleviate it. Better wait, however: Prussian
Majesty will surely perhaps relent a little: then also the affairs of Europe are in a ticklish state. Better wait. As
to that of taking temporary refuge in France, Britannic Majesty thinks that will require a mature deliberation
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Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE. 320
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(MURE DELIBERATION). Not even time now for inquiry of the French Court how they would take it;
which his Britannic Majesty thinks an indispensable preliminary,"and so terminates. The meaning, we
perceive, is in sum: "Hm, you won't, surely? Don't; at least Don't yet!" But Dryasdust, and any readers who
have patience, can here take the Original Paper; which is written in French (or French of Stratford at the
Bow), probably that the CrownPrince, if needful, might himself read it, one of these days:
"Monsieur Guy Dickens pourrait donner au Prince les assurances les plus fortes de la compassion que le Roi
a du triste etat ou il se trouve, et du desir sincere de Sa Majeste de concourir par tout ce qui dependra d'elle a
l'en tirer. M. Guy Dickens pourrait lui communiquer en meme terns les Instructions donnees a Monsieur
Hotham [ our Answer to the Outrageous propositions, which amounts to nothing, and may be spared the
reader ], et lui marquer qu'on avait lieu d’esperer que Sa Majeste Prussienne ne refuserait pas au moins de
s'expliquer un peu plus en detail qu'elle n'a fait jusqu'ici. Qu'en attendant les suites que cette negociation
pourrait avoir, Sa Majeste etait d'avis que le Prince ferait bien de differer un peu l'execution de son dessein
connu: Que la situation ou les affaires de l'Europe se trouvaient dans ce moment critique ne paraissait pas
propre a l'execution d'un dessein de cette nature: Que pour ce qui est de l'intention ou le Prince a temoigne
etre, de se retirer en France, Sa Majeste croit qu'elle demande une mure deliberation, et que le peu de tems
qui reste ne promet pas meme qu'on puisse s'informer de ce que la Cour de France pourrait penser ladessus;
dont Sa Majeste trouvait cependant absolument necessaire de l'assurer, avant de pouvoir conseiller a un
Prince qui lui est si cher de se retirer en ce pays la." [Prussian Despatches, vol. xii.: No date or signature;
bound up along with Harrington's Despatch, "Windsor, 20th June [1st July] 1730,"on the morrow of which
day we may fancy Captain Dickens took the road for Berlin again,where we auspiciously see him on
Monday, 10th July, probably a night or two after his arrival.] This is Document FIRST; of no concernment to
Hotham at this stage; but only to us and our CrownPrince. Document SECOND would at one time have
much interested Hotham: it is no other than a Grumkow Original seized at St. Mary Axe, such as Hotham
once solicited, "strong enough to break Grumkow's back." Hotham now scarcely hopes it will be "strong
enough." No matter; he presents it as bidden. On introducing Dickens as successor, Monday, 10th July, he
puts the Document into his Prussian Majesty's hand: and the result was most unexpected! Here is Hotham's
Despatch to Lord Harrington; which it will be our briefest method to give, with some minimum of needful
explanation intercalated here and there:
"TO THE LORD HARRINGTON (from Sir Charles Hotham).
"BERLIN, 30th June (11th July), 1730.
"MY LORD,Though the conduct of his Prussian Majesty has been such, for some time past, that one ought
to be surprised at nothing he does,it is nevertheless with great concern that I now have to acquaint your
Lordship with an extravagancy of his which happened yesterday," Monday, 10th July, 1730.
"The King of Prussia, had appointed me to be with him about noon, with Captain Guy Dickens [who has just
returned from England, on what secret message your Lordship knows!].We both attended his Prussian
Majesty, and I presented Captain Guy Dickens to him, who delivered his credentials: after which the King
talked to us a quarter of an hour about indifferent matters. Seeing him in a very good humor, I took that
opportunity of telling him, 'That as General Grumkow had denied his having held a Secret Correspondence
with Reichenbach, or having written the Letters I had some time ago delivered to his Majesty, I was now
ordered by the King my Master to put into his hands an Original Letter of General Grumkow'"
Where is that Original Letter? ask some minute readers. Minute readers, the IPSISSIMUM CORPUS of it
is lost to mankind. Official Copy of it lies safe here in the StatePaper Office (Prussian Despatches, volume
xli.; without date of its own, but near a Despatch dated 20th June, 1730); has, adjoined to it, an Autograph
jotting by George Second to the effect, "Yes, send it," and also some preliminary scribbles by Newcastle, to
the like purport. No date of its own, we say, though, by internal evidence and light of FASSMANN, [p. 404.]
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it is conclusively datable "Berlin, 20th May," if anybody cared to date it. The Letter mentions lightly that
"pretended discovery [the St.MaryAxe one, laid on the table of TobaccoParliament, 6th May or soon
after], innocent trifles all _I_ wrote; hope you burnt them, nevertheless, according to promise: yours to me I
did burn as they came, and will defy the Devil to produce;" brags of his Majesty's fine spirits;and is,
Jotting and all, as insignificant a Letter as any other portion of the "Rookery Colloquy," though its fate was a
little more distinguished. Prussian Dryasdust is expected to give it in FACSIMILE, one day,surely no
British UnderSecretary will exercise an unwise discretion, and forbid him that small pleasure!
"which was an undeniable proof of all the rest, and could not but convince his Prussian Majesty of the truth
of them."Well?
"He took the Letter from me, cast his eye upon it; and seeing it to be Grumkow's hand, said to me with all the
anger imaginable [fancy the thunderburst!], 'Messieurs, j'ai eu assez de ces choses la;' threw the Letter upon
the ground, and immediately turning his back went out of the room, and shut the door upon us,"
probably with a slam! And that is the naked truth concerning this celebrated Intercepted Letter. Majesty
answered explosively, his poor heart being in a burdened and grieved condition, not unlike growing a
haunted one,"I have had enough of that stuff before!" pitched the new specimen away, and stormily
whirled out with a slam of the door. That he stamped with his foot, is guessable. That he "lifted his foot as if
to kick the Honorable English Excellency," [Wilhelmina, i. 228.] which the English Excellency never could
have stood, but must have died on the spot,of this, though several Books have copied it from Wilhelmina,
there is no vestige of evidence: and the case is bad enough without this.
"Your Lordship will easily imagine that Captain Guy Dickens and I were not a little astonished at this most
extraordinary behavior. I took up the Letter he had thrown upon the floor [IPSISSIMUM CORPUS of it lost
to mankind, last seen going into Hotham's pocket in this manner]; and returning home, immediately wrote
one to his Prussian Majesty, of which a copy is here enclosed." Let us read that essential Piece: sound
substance, in very stiff indifferent French of Stratford, which may as well be made English at once:
"TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF PRUSSIA.
"SIRE,It is with the liveliest grief that I find myself under the necessity,after what has passed today at
the audience I had of your Majesty, where I neither did nor said anything in regard to that Letter of Monsieur
Grumkow's or to putting it into your Majesty's hands, that was not by my Master's order,it is, I say, Sire,
with the liveliest grief that I am obliged to inform your Majesty of the necessity there lies on me to despatch a
Courier to London to apprise the King my Master of an incident so surprising as the one that has just
happened. For which reason I beg (SUPPLIE) your Majesty will be pleased to cause the necessary Orders for
Posthorses to be furnished me, not only for the said Courier, but also for myself,since, after what has just
happened, it is not proper for me to prolong my stay here ( faire un plus long sejour ici ).
"I have the honor to be, your Majesty's,
"CHARLES HOTHAM."
"About two hours afterwards, General Borck came to me; and told me He was in the utmost affliction for
what had happened; and beseeched me to have a little patience, and that he hoped means would be found to
make up the matter to me. Afterwards he communicated to me, by word of mouth, the Answer the King of
Prussia had given to the last Orders I had received by Captain Guy Dickens,"Orders, "Come home
immediately," to which the "Answer" is conceivable.
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Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE. 322
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"I told him that, after the treatment I had received at noon, and the affront put upon the King my Master's
character, I could no longer receive nor charge myself with anything that came from his Prussian Majesty.
That as to what related to me personally, it was very easily made up; but having done nothing but in
obedience to the King my Master's orders, it belonged to him only to judge what satisfaction was due for the
indignity offered to his character. Wherefore I did not look upon myself as authorized to listen to any
expedients till I knew his Majesty's pleasure upon the matter.
"In the evening, General Borck wrote a Letter to Captain Guy Dickens and two to me, the Copies of which
are enclosed,"fear not, reader! "The purport of them was to desire That I would take no farther notice of
what had happened, and that the King of Prussia desired I would come and dine with him next day."
Engaged otherwise, your Majesty, next day! "The Answer to these Letters I also enclose to your
Lordship,"reader not to be troubled with it. "I excused myself from dining with the King of Prussia, not
thinking myself at liberty to appear any more at Court till I received his Majesty's," my own King's,
"commands, and told General Borck that I looked upon myself as indispensably obliged to acquaint the King
my Master with everything that had passed, it being to no purpose to think of concealing it, since the thing
was already become public, and would soon be known in all the Courts of Europe.
"This, my Lord, is the true state of this unaccountable accident. You will see, by General Borck's Letter, that
the King of Prussia, being now returned to his senses, is himself convinced of the extravagancy of this
proceeding; and was very desirous of having it concealed;which was impossible; for the whole Town
knew it an hour after it had happened.
"As to my own part, I am not a little concerned at this unfortunate incident. As it was impossible to foresee
this fit of madness in the King of Prussia, there was no guarding against it: and after it had happened, I
thought I could do no less than resent it in the manner I have done,without prostituting the character with
which the King has been pleased to honor me. I hope, however, this affair will be attended with no ill
consequences: for the King of Prussia himself is at present so ashamed of his behavior, that he says, He will
order Count Degenfeld [Graf von Degenfeld, going at a leisurely pace to remove NOSTI from his perch
among you] [Supra, p. 197.] to hasten his journey to England, with orders to endeavor to make up the affair
immediately.
"As I had already received the King's Orders, by Captain Guy Dickens, To return home forthwith, I thought,
after what had happened, the sooner I left this place the better; and the rather because it might be proper I
should make a report of it to his Majesty. I shall therefore set out a few hours after this Messenger; and will
make all the expedition possible.
"The King of Prussia sets out for Anspach on Saturday next," 11th July is Tuesday, Saturday next will be
15th July, which proves correct. [Fassmann, p. 410.] "I am, with the utmost respect, My Lord, Your
Lordship's most obedient and most humble servant,
CHARLES HOTHAM."
[StatePaper Office: Prussian Despatches, vol. xli.] No sooner was the door slammed to than his Majesty
began to repent. At sight of the demand for Posthorses, he repented bitterly; sent Borck to ask Hotham to
dinner, with what success we have seen. Sent Borck to negotiate, to correspond, to consult with Dickens, to
do his utmost in pacifying Hotham. All which Correspondence exists, but is not worth giving. Borck's
remonstrances are in rugged soldierlike style, full of earnestness and friendliness. Do not wreck, upon
trifles, a noble interest we have in common; King is jealous about foreign interference with his Ministers, but
meant nothing; I tell you it is nothing IHotham is polite, goodtempered; but remains inflexible: With
myself, on my own score, it were soon settled, or is already settled; but with the King my Master,no
expedient but posthorses! The Diplomatist world of Berlin is in a fuss; Queen Sophie and "the Minister of
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Denmark," with other friendly Ministers, how busy! "All day," this day and the next, "they spent in comings
and goings" [Wilhelmina, i. 229, 230.] advising Hotham to relent: Hotham could not relent. The
CrownPrince himself writes, urged by a message from his Mother; CrownPrince sends Katte off from
Potsdam with this Billet [Ib. i. 230.] (if this be a correct copy to translate from)
TO HIS EXCELLENCY MONSIEUR THE CHEVALIER HOTHAM.
"POTSDAM, 11th July, 1730.
"MONSIEUR,Having learned by M. de Leuvener," the Danish Minister, a judicious wellaffected man,
"what the King my Father's ultimate intentions are, I cannot doubt but you will yield to his desires. Think,
Monsieur, that my happiness and my Sister's depend on the resolution you shall take, and that your answer
will mean the union or the disunion forever of the two Houses! I flatter myself that it will be favorable, and
that you will yield to my entreaties. I never shall forget such a service, but recognize it all my life by the most
perfect esteem," with which I now am, TOUT A VOUS,
"FREDERIC."
This Billet Katte delivers: but to this also Hotham remains inexorable; polite, hopeful even: No harm will
come; Degenfeld will go, I myself will help when at home; but for the present, no resource but posthorses!
Which they at last yield him, the very posthorses ready to weep.
And so Hotham, spirited judicious English gentleman, rolls off homewards, ["Wednesday," 12th (Dickens).]
a few hours after his Courier,and retires honorably into the shades of private life, steady there thenceforth.
He has not been successful in Berlin: surely his Negotiation is now OUT in all manner of senses! Long ago
(to use our former ignoble figure) he had "laid down the bellows, though there was still smoke traceable:" but
now, by this Grumkow Letter, he has, as it were, struck the POKER through the business; and that dangerous
manoeuvre, not proving successful, has been fatal and final! Queen Sophie and certain others may still flatter
themselves; but it is evident the Negotiation is at last complete. What may lie in flight to England and rash
desperate measures, which Queen Sophie trembles to think of, we do not know: but by regular negotiation
this thing can never be.
It is darkly apprehended the CrownPrince still meditates Flight; the maternal heart and Wilhelmina's are
grieved to see Lieutenant Katte so much in his confidencecould wish him a wiser councillor in such
predicaments and emergencies! Katte is greatly flattered by the Prince's confidence; even brags of it in
society, with his foolish loose tongue. Poor youth, he is of dissolute ways; has plenty of it unwise intellect,"
little of the "wise" kind; and is still under the years of discretion. Towards Wilhelmina there is traceable in
him something,something as of almost loving a bright particular star, or of thriceprivately worshipping it
for his own behoof. And Wilhelmina, during the late Radewitz time, when Mamma "gave four Apartments
(or Royal Soirees) weekly," was severe upon him, and inaccessible in these Court Soirees. A rash young fool;
carries a loose tongue:still worse, has a Miniature, recognizable as Wilhelmina; and would not give it up,
either for the Queen's Majesty or me!"Thousand and thousand pardons, High Ladies both; my loose tongue
shall be locked: but these two Miniatures, the Prince and Princess Royal, I copied them from two the Prince
had lent me and has got back, ask me not for these;never, oh, I cannot ever!"Upon which Wilhelmina
had to take a high attitude, and pass him speechless in the Soirees. The foolish fellow:and yet one is not
heartily angry either; only reserved in the Soirees; and anxious about one's Brother in such hands.
Friedrich Wilhelm repents much that Hotham explosion; is heard saying that he will not again treat in person
with any Envoy from foreign parts, being of too hot temper, but will leave his Ministers to do it. [Dickens's
Despatch, Berlin, 22d July (n.s.), 1730.] To Queen Sophie he says coldly, "Wilhelmina's marriage, then, is
off; an end to IT. Abbess of Herford [good Protestant refuge for unprovided Females of Quality, which is in
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Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE. 324
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our gift], let her be Abbess there;"and writes to the then extant Abbess to make Wilhelmina "Coadjutress,"
or HeirApparent to that ChiefNunship! Nay what is still more mortifying, my Brother says, "On the whole,
I had better, had not I?" The cruel Brother; but indeed the desperate!for things are mounting to a pitch in
this Household.
Queen Sophie's thoughts,they are not yet of surrender; that they will never be, while a breath of life is left
to Queen Sophie and her Project: we may fancy Queen Sophie's mood. Nor can his Majesty be in a sweet
temper; his vexations lately have been many. First, England is now off, not offandon as formerly: that
comfortable possibility, hanging always in one's thoughts, is fairly gone; and now we have nothing but the
Kaiser to depend on for Julich and Berg, and the other elements of our salvation in this world! Then the
St.MaryAxe discoveries, harassing shadows of suspicion that will rise from them, and the unseemly
Hotham catastrophe and one's own blame in it; Womankind and Household still virtually rebellious, and all
things going awry; Majesty is in the worst humor;bullies and outrages his poor CrownPrince almost
worse than ever. There have been rattanshowers, hideous to think of, descending this very week [Guy
Dickens's Despatch, 18th July, 1730.] on the fine head, and far into the high heart of a Royal Young Man;
who cannot, in the name of manhood, endure, and must not, in the name of sonhood, resist, and vainly calls
to all the gods to teach him WHAT he shall do in this intolerable inextricable state of matters.
Fate and these two BlackArtists have driven Friedrich Wilhelm nearly mad; and he, in turn, is driving
everybody so. He more than suspects Friedrich of an intention to fly; which is horrible to Friedrich Wilhelm:
and yet he bullies him occasionally, as a spiritless wretch, for bearing such treatment. "Cannot you renounce
the HeirApparentship, then; your little Brother is a fine youth. Give it up; and go, unmolested, to thein
fact to the Devil: Cannot you?""If your Majesty, against the honor of my Mother, declare that I am not
your eldest son: Yes, so; not otherwise, ever!" modestly but steadily persists the young man, whenever this
expedient is proposed to him,as perhaps it already sometimes is. Whereat the desperate Father can only
snort indignantly futile. A case growing nearly desperate. Desperate, yes, on all hands: unless one had the
"high mast" above alluded to, with two pulleys and ropes; and could see a certain Pair of Scoundrels mount
rapidly thither, what hope is there for anybody? A violent crisis does not last, however; that is one certainty in
it. Either these agonistic human beings, young and old, will all die, all go to Bedlam, with their intolerable
woes; or else something of explosive nature will take place among them. The maddest boil, unless it kill you
with its torments, does at length burst, and become an abscess.
Of course Captain Dickens, the instant Hotham was gone, hastened privily to see the CrownPrince; saw
Katte and him "at the Gate of the Potsdam Palace at midnight," [Wilhelmina; Ranke, i. 301.] or in some other
less romantic way;read him the Windsor Paper of "INSTRUCTIONS" known to us; and preached from
that text. No definite countenance from England, the reverse rather, your Highness sees;how can there be?
Give it up, your Highness; at least delay it!CrownPrince does not give it up a whit; whether he delays it,
we shall see.
A busy week for the CrownPrince and Katte, this of the Hotham Catastrophe; who have many consultations,
the Journey to Anspach being on Saturday next! CrownPrince has given him in keeping a writingcase with
private letters; 1,000 ducats of money, money raised by loan, by picking jewels off some miniatures of honor,
and the like sore methods. Katte has his very coat, a gray topcoat or travelling roquelaure, in keeping;and
their schemes are many. Off we must and will be, by some opportunity. Could not Katte get a "Recruiting
Furlough," leave to go into the REICH on that score; and join one there? Lieutenant Keith is at Wesel; ready,
always ready. Into France, into Holland, England? If the English would not,there is war to be in Italy, say
all the Newspapers: why not a campaign as Volunteers in Italy, till we saw how matters went? Anything and
all things are preferable to ignominy like this. No dog could, endure it!
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Chapter V. JOURNEY TO THE REICH.
On Saturday the 15th July, 1730, early in the morning as his wont was, Friedrich Wilhelm, with a small train
of official military persons, rolled off from Potsdam, towards Leipzig, on that same journey of his, towards
Anspach and the Reich. To Anspach, to see our poor young daughter, lately married there; therefrom we can
have a run into the Reich, according to circumstances. In this wide route there lie many Courts and scenes,
which it might behoove us to look into; Courts needing to be encouraged to stand for the Kaiser's rights,
against those English, French and intrusive Foreigners of the Seville Treaty. We may hope at least to ease our
own heavy mind, and have the chaff somewhat blown out of it, by this rushing through the open
atmosphere.Such, so far as I can gather, were Friedrich Wilhelm's objects in this Journey; which turned out
to be a more celebrated one than he expected. The authentic records of it are slight, the rumors about it have
been many. [Forster (iii. 111) contains Seckendorf's Narrative, as sent to Vienna; Preuss (iv. 470), a
Prussian RELATIO EX ACTIS: these are the only two ORIGINAL pieces which I have seen; Excerpts of
others (correct doubtlees, but not in a very distinct condition) occur in Ranke, i. 294340.] After painful
sifting through mountains of dust and ashes for a poor cinder of a fact here and there, our duty is, to tell the
English reader one good time, what certainties, or available cinders, have anywhere turned up. CrownPrince
Friedrich, it has been decided, after some consultation, shall go with his Majesty. Better he go with us, to be
under our own eyes, lest he run away, or do other mischief. Old General Buddenbrock, old Colonel Waldau,
and LieutenantColonel Rochow travel in the same carriage with the Prince; are to keep a strict watch over
him, one of them at least to be always by him. Old General Buddenbrock, a grim but human old military
gentleman, who has been in all manner of wars: he fought at Steenkirk even, and in the Siege of Namur,
under Dutch William; stood, through Malplaquet and much else, under Marlborough; did the Siege of
Stralsund too, and descent on Rugen there, which was not his first acquaintance with Karl of Sweden; and is a
favorite old friend of Friedrich Wilhelm's. A good old gentleman, though very strict; now hard on sixty. He is
chief of the Three.
Old Waldau, not younger, though still only Colonel of Horse, likewise celebrates the Malplaquet anniversary;
a Pomeranian man, and silent smoker in the Tabagie, well seen by the master there. To these two elderly
authorities, LieutenantColonel Rochow, still only about forty, and probably sharper of eye, is adjoined as
active partner. I conclude, the Prince and Buddenbrock ride face forward; Buddenbrock can tell him about so
many things, if he is conversable: about Dutch William; about Charles XII., whose Polish fights he
witnessed, as an envoy from Berlin, long ago. A Colonel Krocher, I find, is general manager of the
Journey;and it does not escape notice that Friedrich, probably out of youthful curiosity, seems always very
anxious to know, to the uttermost settled point, where our future stages are to be. His Royal Highness laid in
a fair stock of District Maps, especially of the Rhine Countries, at Leipzig, too; [Forster, iii. 2.] and is
assiduous in studying them,evidently very desirous to know the face of Germany, the Rhine Countries in
particular?
Potsdam, Wittenberg, Leipzig, the wheels rush rapidly on, stage succeeding stage; and early in the afternoon
we are at Leipzig, never looking out at Luther's vestiges, or Karl V.'s, or thinking about Luther, which thou
and I, good English reader, would surely have done, in crossing Wittenberg and the birthplace of
Protestantism. At Leipzig we were thinking to have dined. At the Peter's Gate there,where at least fresh
horses are, and a topographic CrownPrince can send hastily to buy maps, a General Hopfgarten,
Commandant of the Town, is out with the military honors; he has, as we privately know, an excellent dinner
ready in the Pleissenburg Fortress yonder, [Fassmann, p. 410.] but he compliments to a dreadful extent!
Harangues and compliments in no end of florid inflated tautologic ornamental balderdash; repeating and
again repeating, What a neverimagined honor it is; in particular saying three times over, How the Majesty of
Saxony, King August, had he known, would have wished for wings to fly hither; and bowing to the very
ground, "as if, in the Polish manner, he wished to clasp your feet," said Friedrich Wilhelm afterwards. I can
fancy Friedrich Wilhelm somewhat startled! How, at the first mention of this idea of big August, with his
lame foot, taking wing, and coming like a gigantic partridge, with lame foot and cockedhat, Friedrich
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Wilhelm grinned. How, at the second mention, and Polish threat of your feet, Friedrich Wilhelm, who hates
all lies, and cares not for salutations in the marketplace, jerks himself impatiently and saves his feet. At the
third mention, clear it is, Friedrich Wilhelm utters the word, "ANSPANNEN, Horses!"and in very truth
takes to the road again; hungry indeed, but still angrier; leaving Hopfgarten bent into the shape of a parabola,
and his grand dinner cooling futile, in what tragic humor we can imagine. [Ib. p. 411.] Why has no Prussian
Painter done that scene? Let another Chodowiecki, when another comes, try whether he cannot.
Friedrich Wilhelm regretted the dinner, regretted to hurt the good man's feelings; but could stand it no longer.
He rushes off for Meuselwitz, where Seckendorf, with at least silence, and some cold collation instead of
dinner, is awaiting him. Twenty miles off is Meuselwitz; up the flat valley of the Pleisse River towards
Altenburg; through a region memorable, were we not so hungry. Famed fights have had their arena here;
Lutzen, the top of its churchsteeple visible on your right, it is there where the great Gustavus fell two
hundred years ago: on that wide champaign, a kind of Bullring of the Nations, how many fights have been,
and will be! Altenburg one does not see tonight: happy were we but at Meuselwitz, a few miles nearer; and
had seen what dinner the old Feldzeugmeister has.
Dinner enough, we need not doubt. The old Feldzeugmeister has a big line Schloss at Meuselwitz; his by
unexpected inheritance; with uncommonly fine gardens; with a good old Wife, moreover, blithe though
childless;and he is capable of "lighting more than one candle" when a King comes to visit him. Doubtless
the man hurls his thrift into abeyance; and blazes out with conspicuous splendor, on this occasion. A
beautiful Castle indeed, this Meuselwitz of his; the towers of Altenburg visible in the distance; Altenburg,
where Kunz von Kauffungen stole the two little Princes; centuries ago;where we do not mean to pause at
this time. On the morrow morning,unless they chose to stay over Sunday; which I cannot affirm or
deny,Seckendorf also has made his packages; and joins himself to Friedrich. Wilhelm's august travelling
party. Doing here a portion of the long space (length of the Terrestrial Equator in all) which he is fated to
accomplish in the way of riding with that Monarch.
From Meuselwitz, through Altenburg, Gera, Saalfeld, to Coburg, is our next day's journey. Up one fork of the
Leipzig Pleisse, then across the Leipzig Elster, these streams now dwindling to brooks; leading us up to the
watershed or central Hillcountries between the Mayn and Saale Rivers; where the same shower will run
partly, on this hand, northward by the Elster, Pleisse or other labyrinthic course, into the Saale, into the Elbe;
and partly, on the other hand, will flow southward into the Mayn; and so, after endless windings in the Fir
Mountains (FICHTELGEBIRGE), get by Frankfurt into the Rhine at Mainz. Mayn takes the south end of
your shower; Saale takes the north,or farther east yonder, shower will roll down into the same grand Elbe
River by the Mulde (over which the Old Dessauer is minded to build a new stone bridge; Wallenstein and
others, as well as Time, have ruined many bridges there). That is the line of the primeval mountains, and their
everflowing raincourses, in those parts.
At Gera, dim, old Town,does not your Royal Highness well know the "Gera Bond (GERAISCHE
VERTRAG)"? Duhan: did not forget to inform you of that? It is the cornerstone of the House of
Brandenburg's advancement in the world. Here, by your august ancestors, the Law of Primogeniture was
settled, and much rubbish was annihilated in the House of Brandenburg: Eldest Son always to inherit the
Electorate unbroken; after Anspach and Baireuth no more apanages, upon any cause or pretext whatsoever;
and these themselves to lapse irrevocable to the main or Electoral House, should they ever fall vacant again.
Fine fruit of the decisive sense that was in the Hohenzollerns; of their fine talent for annihilating
rubbish,which feat, if a man can do it, and keep doing it, will more than most others accelerate his course
in this world. It was in this dim old Town of Gera, in the Year 1598, by him that had the twentythree
children, that the "GERA BOND" was brought to parchment. But indeed it was intrinsically only a renewal,
more solemnly sanctioned, of Albert Achilles's HAUS ORDNUNG (HouseOrder), done in 1478, above a
century earlier.
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But see, we are under way again. His Prussian Majesty rushes forward without pause; will stop nowhere,
except where business demands; no Majesty of his day travels at such a speed. Orlamunde an hour
hence,your Royal Highness has heard of Orlamunde and its famed Counts of a thousand years back, when
Kaiser Redbeard was in the world, and the Junior Hohenzollern, tired of hawking, came down from the Hills
to him? Orlamunde (OrlaMOUTH) is not far off, on our right; and this itself is the Orla; this pleasant
streamlet we are now quitting, which has borne us company for some time: this too will get into the Saale,
and be at Magdeburg, quite beyond the Dessauer's Bridge, early tomorrow. Ha, here at last is Saalfeld,
Town and Schloss, and the incipient Saal itself: his Serene Highness SaalfeldCoburg's little
REZIDENZ;probably his Majesty will call on him, in passing? I have no doubt he does; and transacts the
civilities needful.
Christian Ernst, whose Schloss this is, a gentleman of his Majesty's age (born 1683), married an amiable
FRAULEIN not of quality, whom indeed the Kaiser has ennobled: he lives here, I think, courting the shade
rather; and rules conjointly with his younger Brother, or HalfBrother, Franz Josias, who resides at Coburg.
Dukes of SaalfeldCoburg, such is their style, and in good part their possession; though, it is well known to
this travelling party and the world, there has been a Lawsuit about Coburg this halfcentury and more; and
though somewhere about 200 "CONCLUSA," [Michaelis, i. 524, 518; Busching, Erdbeschreibung, vi. 2464;
OErtel, t. 74; Hubner, t. 166.] or Decrees of Aulic Council, have been given in favor of the Saalfelders, their
rivals of Meiningen never end. Nor will end yet, for five years more to come; till, in 1735, "206 CONCLUSA
being given," they do end, and leave the Saalfelders in peaceable possession; who continue so ever since to
this day. [Carlyle's Miscellanies, vi. ? PRINZENRAUB.] How long his Majesty paused in that Schloss of
Saalfeld, or what he there did, or what he spake,except perhaps encourage Christian Ernst to stand by a
Kaiser's Majesty against these French insolences, and the native German, Spanish, English derelictions of
duty,we are left to the vaguest guess of fancy, And must get on to Coburg for the night.
At Coburg, in its snug valley, under the FESTUNG or Hill Castle, where Martin Luther sat solitary during
the Diet of Augsburg (Diet known to us, our old friend Margraf George of Anspach hypothetically "laying his
head on the block? there, and the great Kaiser, Karl V., practically burning daylight, with pitiable spilling of
wax, in the CORPUSCHRISTI procession there), [Antea, vol. v. p. 197.]where Martin Luther sat solitary,
and wrote that celebrated Letter about 16 Crows holding THEIR Parliament all round," and how "the pillars
of the world were never seen by anybody, and yet the world is held up, in these dumb continents of
space;"at Coburg, we will not doubt, his Majesty found Franz Josias at home, and illuminated to receive
him. Franz Josias, a hearty man of thirtyfive, he too will stand by the Kaiser in these coming storms? With a
weak contingent truly, perhaps some score or two of fighters: but many a little makes a mickle! remark,
however; two points, of a merely genealogical nature. First, that Franz Josias has, or rather is going to have, a
Younger Son, [Friedrich Josias: 17371815.] who in some sixty years hence will become dreadfully
celebrated in the streets of Paris, as "Austrian Coburg." The Austrian Coburg of RobesPierre and Company.
An immeasurable terror and portent,not much harm in him, either, when he actually comes, with nothing
but the Duke of York and Dunkirk for accompaniment,to those revolutionary French of 17921794. This
is point FIRST. Point SECOND is perhaps still more interesting; this namely: That Franz Josias has an Eldest
Son (boy of six when Friedrich Wilhelm makes his visit),a GRANDSON'S GRANDSON of whom is, at
this day, Prince of Wales among the English People, and to me a subject of intense reflection now and
then!
From Coburg, Friedrich Wilhelm, after pause again unknown, rushed on to Bamberg; new scenes and ever
new opening on the eyes of our young Hero and his Papa. The course is down the valley of the Itz, one of the
many little valleys in the big slope of the Rodach; for the waters are now turned, and all streams and brooks
are gurgling incessantly towards the Mayn. Towards Frankfurt, Mainz and the Rhine,far enough from the
Saale, Mulde, or the Old Dessauer's Bridge today; towards Rotterdam and the uttermost Dutch swamps
today. Near upon Bamberg we cross the Mayn itself; Red Mayn and White conjoined, coming from
Culmbach and Baireuth, mark that, your Highness. A country of pleasant hills and vines: and in an hour
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hence, through thick fir woods,each side of your road horribly decked with gibbeted thieves swinging
aloft, [Pollnitz, Memoirs and Letters (English Translation, London, 1745), i. 209. Let me say again, this is a
different Book from the "MEMOIRS of Pollnitz;" and a still different from the MEMOIREN, or "Memoirs of
Brandenburg BY Pollnitz:" such the excellence of nomenclature in that old fool!] you arrive at Bamberg,
chief of Bishoprics, the venerable town; whose Bishop, famous in old times, is like an Archbishop, and "gets
his pallium direct from the Pope,"much good may it do him! "Is bound, however, to give up his Territory,
if the Kaiser elected is landless,"far enough from likely now. And so you are at last fairly in the Mayn
Valley; River Mayn itself a little step to north;long course and many wide windings between you and
Mainz or Frankfurt, not to speak of Rotterdam, and the ultimate Dutch swamps.
At Bamberg why should a Prussian Majesty linger, except for picturesque or for mere baiting purposes? At
Bamberg are certain fat Catholic Canons, in indolent, opulent circumstances; and a couple of sublime
Palaces, without any Bishop in them at present. Nor indeed does one much want Papist Bishops, wherever
they get their pallium; of them as well keep to windward! thinks his Majesty. And indeed there is no Bishop
here. The present Bishop of Bambergone of those Von Schonborns, Counts, sometimes Cardinals,
common in that fat Office,is a Kaiser's Minister of State; lives at Vienna, enveloped in red tape, as well as
red hat and stockings; and needs no exhortation in the Kaiser's favor. Let us yoke again, and go.Fir woods
all round, and dead malefactors blackening in the wind: this latter point I know of the then Bamberg; and
have explanation of it. Namely, that the PrinceBishop, though a humane Catholic, is obliged to act so. His
small Domain borders on some six or seven bigger sovereignties; and, being Ecclesiastical, is made a
cesspool to the neighboring scoundrelism; which state of things this Prince Bishop has said shall cease.
Young Friedrich may look, therefore, and old Friedrich Wilhelm and Suite; and make of it what they can.
"Bamberg, through Erlangen, to Nurnberg;" so runs the way. At Erlangen there loiters now, recruiting, a
certain Rittmeister von Katte, cousin to our Potsdam Lieutenant and confidant; to him this transit of the
Majesty and CrownPrince must be an event like few, in that stagnant place. French Refugees are in
Erlangen, busy building new straight streets; no University as yet;nay a high Dowager of Baireuth is in it,
somewhat exuberant Lady (friend Weissenfels's Sister) on whom Friedrich Wilhelm must call in passing.
This high Widow of Baireuth is not Mother of the present HeirApparent there, who will wed our
Wilhelmina one day;ah no, his Mother was "DIVORCED for weighty reasons;"[Hubner, t. 181.] and his
Father yet lives, in the single state; a comparatively prosperous gentleman these four years last past;
Successor, since four years past, of this Lady's Husband, who was his Cousingerman. Dreadfully poor
before that, the present Margraf of Baireuth, as we once explained; but now things are looking up with him
again, some jingle of money heard in the coffers of the man; and his eldest Prince, a fine young fellow, only
apt to stammer a little when agitated, is at present doing the return part of the Grand Tour,coming home by
Geneva they say.
Rittmeister von Katte, I doubt not, witnesses this transit of the incognito Majesty, this call upon the exuberant
Dowager; but can have little to say to it, he. I hope he is getting tall recruits here in the Reich; that will be the
useful point for him. He is our Lieutenant Katte's Cousin, an elder and wiser man than the Lieutenant. A
Reichsgraf's and Fieldmarshal's nephew, he ought to get advanced in his profession;and can hope to do so
when he has deserved it, not sooner at all, in that thricefortunate Country. Let the Rittmeister here keep
himself well apart from what is NOT his business, and look out for tall men.
Bamberg is halfwayhouse between Coburg and Nurnberg; whole distance of Coburg and Nurnberg,say a
hundred and odd miles,is only a fair day's driving for a rapid King. And at Nurnberg, surely, we must
lodge for a night and portion of a day, if not for more. On the morrow, it is but a thirtyfive miles drive to
Anspach; pleasant in the summer evening, after all the sights in this old Nurnberg, "city of the Noricans
(NORICORUM BURGUN)." Trading Staple of the German world in old days; Toyshop of the German
world in these new. Albert Durer's and Hans Sach's City,mortals infinitely indifferent to Friedrich
Wilhelm. But is it not the seedground of the Hohenzollerns, this Nurnberg, memorable above cities to a
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Prussian Majesty? Yes, there in that old white Castle, now very peaceable, they dwelt; considerably liable to
bickerings and mutinous heats; and needed all their skill and strength to keep matters straight. It is now upon
seven hundred years since the Cadet of Hohenzollern gave his hawk the slip, patted his dog for the last time,
and came down from the RoughAlp countries hitherward. And found favor, not unmerited I fancy, with the
great Kaiser Redbeard, and the fair Heiress of the Vohburgs; and in fact, with the Earth and with the Heavens
in some degree. A loyal, clever, and gallant kind of young fellow, if your Majesty will think? Much has
grown and waned since that time: but the Hohenzollerns, ever since, are on the waxing hand;unless this
accursed Treaty of Seville and these English Matches put a stop to them?
Alas, it is not likely Friedrich Wilhelm, in the hurry and grating whirl of things, had many poetic thoughts in
him, or pious aurora memories from the Past Ages, instead of grumbly dusty provocations from the
present,his feeling, haste mainly, and need of getting through! The very CrownPrince, I should guess,
was as good as indifferent to this antique Cadet of the Hohenzollerns; and looked on Nurnberg and the old
white Castle with little but ENNUI: the Princess of England, and black cares on her beautiful account and his
own, possess him too exclusively. But in truth we do not even know what day they arrived or departed; much
less what they did or felt in that old City. We know only that the pleasant little town of Anspach, with its
huge unfinished SCHLOSS, lay fiveandthirty miles away; and that thither was the next and quasifinal bit
of driving. Southwestward thirtyfive miles; through fine summer hills and dales; climbing always, gently,
on the southward hand; still drained by the Mayn River, by the Regnitz and other tributaries of the
Mayn:halfway is Heilsbronn, [Not Heilbronn, the wellknown, much larger Town, in Wurtemberg, 80 or
100 miles to westward. Both names (which are applied to still other places) signify HEALTHWELL, or
even HOLYWELL,these two words, HEALTHY and HOLY (what is very remarkable), being the same
in old Teutonic speech.] with its old Monastery; where the bones of our Hohenzollern Forefathers rest, and
Albert Achilles's "skull, with no sutures visible." On the gloomy Churchwalls their memorials are still
legible: as for the Monastery itself, Margraf George, tour memorable Reformation friend, abolished
that,purged the monks away, and put Schoolmasters in their stead; who were long of good renown in those
parts, but have since gone to Erlangen, so to speak. The July sunset streaming over those old spires of
Heilsbronn might awaken thoughts in a Prussian Majesty, were he not in such haste.
At Anspach, what a thricehospitable youthfully joyful welcome from the young married couple there!
Margravine Frederika is still not qnite sixteen; "beautiful as Day," and rather foolish: fancy her joy at sight of
Papa's Majesty and Brother Fritz; and how she dances about, and perhaps bakes "pastries of the finest
Anspach flour." Ah, DID you send me Berlin sausages, then, you untrue Papa? Well, I will bake for you,
won't I;Sarah herself not more loyally {whom we read of in GENESIS), that time the Angels entered HER
tent in a hungry condition!
Anspach, as we hint, has an unfinished Palace, of a size that might better beseem Paris or London; Palace
begun by former Margraves, left off once and again for want of cash; stands there as a sad monument of
several things;the young family living meanwhile in some solid comfortable wing, or adjacent edifioe, of
natural dimensions. They are so young, as we say, and not too wise. By and by they had a son, and then a
second son; which latter came to manhood, to old age; and made some noise in the foolish parts of the
Newspapers,winding up finally at Hammersmith, as we often explain;and was the last of the
AnspachBaireuth Margraves. I have heard farther that Frederika did not want for temper, as the
Hohenzollerns seldom do; that her Husband likewise had his own stock of it, rather scant of wisdom withal;
and that their life was not quite symphonious always, especially cash being short. The Dowager
Margravine, Margraf's Mother, had governed with great prudence during her Son's long minority. I think she
is now, since the marriage, gone to reside at her WITTWENSITZ (DowagerSeat) of Feuchtwang (twenty
miles southwest of us); but may have oome up to welcome the Majesties into these parts. Very beautiful, I
hear; still almost young and charming, though there is a mortal malady upon her, which she knows of.
[Pollnitz, Memoirs and Letters, i. 209 (date, 29th September, 1729;needs WATCHING before believing).]
Here are certain Seckendorfs too, this is the Feldzeugmeister's native country;and there are resources for a
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Royal TravellingParty. How long the Royal Party stayed at Anspach I do not know; nor what they did
there,except that CrownPrince Friedrich is said to have privately asked the young Margraf to lend him a
pair of ridinghorses, and say nothing of it; who, suspecting something wrong, was obliged to make
protestations and refuse.
As to the CrownPrince, there is no doubt but here at last things are actually coming to a crisis with him. To
say truth, it has been the young man's fixed purpose ever since he entered on this Journey, nay was ever since
that ignominy in the Camp of Radewitz, to run away;and indeed all this while he has measures going on
with Katte at Berlin of the nowornever sort. Rash young creatures, elder of them hardly above
fiveandtwenty yet: not good at contriving measures. But what then? Human nature cannot stand this
always; and it is time there were an end of deliberating. Can we ever have such a chance again?What I find
of certain concerning Friedrich while at Anspach is, That there comes by way of Erlangen, guided forward
from that place by the Rittmeister von Katte, a certain messenger and message, which proved of deep
importance to his Royal Highness. The messenger was Lieutenant Katte's servant: who has come express
from Berlin hither. He inquired, on the road, as he was bidden, at Erlangen, of Master's Cousin, the
experienced Rittmeister, Where his Royal Highness at present was, that he might deliver a Letter to him? The
Master's Cousin, who answered naturally, "At Anspach," knew nothing, and naturally could get to know
nothing, of what the message in this Letter was. But he judged, from crossquestionings, added to dim
whispering rumors he had heard, that it was questionable, probably in an extreme degree. Wherefore, along
with his Cousin the Lieutenant's messenger to Anspach, the Rittmeister forwarded a Note of his own to
LieutenantColonel Rochow, of this purport, "As a friend, I warn you, have a watchful eye on your high
charge!"and, for his own share, determined to let nothing escape him in his corner of the matter. This note
to Rochow, and the Berlin Letter for the CrownPrince reach Anspach by the same hand; Lieutenant Katte's
express, conscious of nothing, delivering them both. Rochow and the Rittmeister, though the poor Prince
does not know it, are broad awake to all movements he and the rash Lieutenant may make.
Lieutenant Katte, in this Letter now arrived, complains: "That he never yet can get recruiting furlough;
whether it be by accident, or that Rochow has given my Colonel a hint, no furlough yet to be had: will, at
worst, come without furlough and in spite of all men and things, whenever wanted. OnlyWesel still, if I
might advise!" This is the substance of Katte's message by express. Date must be the end of July, 1730; but
neither Date nor Letter is now anywhere producible, except from Hearsay.
Deeply pondering these things, what shall the poor Prince do? From Canstatt, close by Stuttgard, a Town on
our homeward route, from Canstatt, where Katte was to "appear in disguise," had the furlough been got,
one might have slipt away across the Hills. It is but eighty miles to Strasburg, through the Kniebiss Pass,
where the Murg, the Kinzig, and the intricate winding mountain streams and valleys start Rhineward: a
labyrinthic rockandforest country, where pursuit or tracking were impossible. Near by Strasburg is Count
Rothenburg's Chateau; good Rothenburg, long Minister in Berlin,who saw those PROFOSSEN, or
ScavengerExecutioners in French Costume long since, and was always good to me:might not that be a
method? Lieutenant Keith indeed is in Wesel, waiting only a signal. Suppose he went to the Hague, and took
soundings there what welcome we should have? No, not till we have actually run; beware of making noise!
The poor Prince is in unutterable perplexity; can only answer Katte by that Messenger of his, to the effect
(date and Letter burnt like the former): "Doubt is on every hand; doubt,and yet CERTAINTY. Will write
again before undertaking anything."
And there is no question he did write again; more than once: letters by the post, which his faithful Lieutenant
Katte in Berlin received; one of which, however, stuck on the road; and this one, by some industry of
postmasters spirited into vigilance, as is likeliest, though others say by mere misaddressing, by "want of
BERLIN on the address,"fell into the hands of vigilant RITTMEISTER Katte at Erlangen. Who grew pale
in reading it, and had to resolve on a painful thing! This was, I suppose, among the last Letters of the series;
and must have been dated, as I guess, about the 29th of July, 1730; but they are now all burnt, huddled
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rapidly into annihilation, and one cannot say!
Certain it is that the Royal TravellingParty left Anspach in a few days, to go, southward still, "by the
OEttingen Country towards Augsburg." [Fassmann, p. 410.] Feuchtwang (WET Wang, not Durrwang or
DRY Wang) is the first stage; here lives the Dowager Margravine of Anspach: here the Prince does some
inconceivably small fault "lets a knife, which he is handing to or from the Serene Lady, fall," [Ranke, i. 304
("from a Letter the Prince had written to Katte").] who, as she is weak, may suffer by the jingle; for which
Friedrich Wilhelm bursts out on him like the Irish Rebellion,to the silent despair of the poor Prince. The
poor Prince meditates desperate resolutions, but has to keep them strictly to himself.
Doubtless the Buddenbrock Trio, good old military gentlemen, would endeavor to speak comfort to him,
when they were on the road again. Here is Nordlingen, your Highness, where Bernhard of Weimar, for his
overhaste, got so beaten in the ThirtyYears War; would not wait till the Swedes were rightly gathered:
what general, if he have reinforcement at hand, would not wait for it? The waters now, you observe, run all
into the Wornitz, into the Donau: it is a famed warcountry this; known to me well in my young
EugeneMarlborough days!"Hm, Ha, yes!" For the Prince is preoccupied with black cares; and thinks
Blenheim and the Schellenberg businesses befell long since, and were perhaps simple to what he has now on
hand. That Feuchtwang scene, it would appear, has brought him to a resolution. There is a young page Keith
of the party, Lieutenant Keith of Wesel's Brother; of this page Keith, who is often busy about horses, he
cautiously makes question, What help may be in him? A willing mind traceable in this poor lad, but his
terrors great.
To Donauworth from Anspach, through Feuchtwang and Nordlingen, is some seventy or eighty miles. At
Donauworth one surely ought to lodge, and see the Schellenberg on the morrow; nay drive to the Field of
Hochstadt (Blenheim, BLINDHEIM), which is but a few miles farther up the River? Buddenbrock was there,
and AnhaltDessau: for their very sake, were there nothing farther, one surely ought to go? Such was the
probability, a visit to Blenheim field in passing. And surely, somewhere in those heartrending masses of
Historical Rubbish, I did at last find express evanescent mention of the fact,but cannot now say
where;the exact record, or conceivable image of which, would have been a perceptible pleasure to us.
Alas, in those dim dreary Books, all whirling dismal round one's soul, like vortices of dim Brandenburg sand,
how should anything human be searched out and mentioned to us; and a thousand, things nothuman be
searched out, and eternally suppressed from us, for the sake of that? I please myself figuring young Friedrich
looking at the vestiges of Marlborough, even in a preoccupied uncertain manner. Your Majesty too, this is the
very "Schellenberg (or JINGLEHILL)," this Hill we are now skirting, on highways, on swift wheels; which
overhangs Donauworth, our restingplace this hot July evening. Yes, your Majesty, here was a feat of
storming done,pang, pang!such a noise as never jingled on that Hill before: like Doomsday come; and a
herohead to rule the Doomsday, and turn it to heroic marching music. A very pretty feat of war, your
Majesty! His Majesty well knows it; feat of his Marlborough's doing, famed everywhere for the twentysix
years last past; and will go to see the Schellenberg and its Lines. The great Duke is dead four years; sank
sadly, eclipsed under tears of dotage of his own, and under human stupidity of other men's! But Buddenbrock
is still living, AnhaltDessau and others of us are still alive a little while!
Hochstadt itselfBlenheim, as the English call it, meaning BLINDHEIM, the other village on the Fieldis
but a short way up the River; well worth such a detour. By what way they drove to the field of honor and
back from it, I do not know. But there, northward, towards the heights, is the little wood where
AnhaltDessau stood at bay like a Molossian dog, of consummate military knowledge; and saved the fight in
Eugene's quarter of it. That is visible enough; and worth looking at. Visible enough the rolling Donau,
Marlborough's place; the narrow ground, the bordering Hills all green at this season;and down old
Buddenbrock's cheek, end Anhalt's, there would roll an iron tear or two. Augsburg is but some thirty miles
off, once we are across the Donau,by the Bridge of Donauworth, or the Ferry of Hochstadt,swift
travellers in a long day, the last of July, are soon enough at Augsburg.
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As for Friedrich, haunted and whipt onwards by that scene at Feuchtwang, he is inwardly very busy during
this latter part of the route. Probably there is some progress towards gaining Page Keith, Lieutenant Keith of
Wesel's Brother; some hope that Page Keith, at the right moment, can be gained: the Lieutenant at Wesel is
kept duly advised. To Lieutenant Katte at Berlin Friedrich now writes, I should judge from Donauworth or
Augsburg, "That he has had a scene at Feuchtwang; that he can stand it no longer. That Canstatt being given
up, as Katte cannot be there to go across the Kniebiss with us, we will endure till we are near enough the
Rhine. Once in the Rhineland, in some quiet Town there, handy for Speyer, for French Landau,"say
Sinzheim; last stage hitherward of Heidelberg, but this we do not write,"there might it not be? Be,
somewhere, it shall and must! You, Katte, the instant you hear that we are off, speed you towards the Hague;
ask for 'M. le Comte d'Alberville;' you will know that gentleman WHEN you see him: Keith, our Wesel
friend, will have taken the preliminary soundings;and I tell you, Count d'Alberville, or news of him, will
be there. Bring the greatcoat with you, and the other things, especially the 1,000 gold ducats. Count
d'Alberville at the Hague, if all have gone right:nay if anything go wrong, cannot he, once across the
Rhine, take refuge in the convents in those Catholic regions? Nobody, under the scapulary, will suspect such
a heretic as him. Speed, silence, vigilance! And so adieu!" A letter of such purport Friedrich did write; which
Letter, moreover, the Lieutenant Katte received: it was not this, it was another, that stuck upon the road, and
fell into the Rittmeister's hand. This is the young Prince's ultimate fixed project, brought to birth by that slight
accident of dropping the knife at Feuchtwang; [Ranke, i. 304.] and hanging heavy on his mind during this
Augsburg drive. At Augsburg, furthermore, "he bought, in all privacy, red cloth, of quantity to make a
topcoat;" red, the gray being unattainable in Katte's hands: in all privacy; though the watchful Rochow had
full knowledge of it, all the same.
Chapter VI. JOURNEY HOMEWARDS FROM THE REICH;
CATASTROPHE ON JOURNEY HOMEWARDS
The travelling Majesty of Prussia went diligently up and down, investigating ancient Augsburg: saw, I doubt
not, the FUGGEREI, or ancient Hospice of the Fuggers,who were once Weavers in those parts, and are
now Princes, and were known to entertain Charles V. with fires of cinnamon, nay with transient flames of
Bankbills on one old occasion. Saw all the Fuggeries, I doubt not; the ancient LutherandMelanchthon
relics, DietHalls and notabilities of this renowned Free Town;perhaps remembered Margraf George, and
loudvoiced Kurfurst Joachim with the Bottlenose (our DIRECT Ancestor, though mistaken in opinion on
some points!), who were once so audible there.
One passing phenomenon we expressly know he saw; a human, not a historically important one. Driving
through the streets from place to place, his Majesty came athwart some questionable quaint procession,
ribbony, perhaps musical; Majesty questioned it: "A wedding procession, your Majesty!""Will the Bride
step out, then, and let us see how she is dressed!" "VOM HERZEN GERN; will have the honor." Bride stept
out, with blushes,handsome we will hope; Majesty surveyed her, on the streets of Augsburg, having a
human heart in him; and (says Fassmann, as if with insidious insinuation) "is said to have made her a
present." She went her way; fulfilled her destiny in an anonymous manner: Friedrich Wilhelm, loudly named
in the world, did the like; and their two orbits never intersected again.Some fortyfive miles south of
Augsburg, up the Wertach River, more properly up the Mindel River, lies Mindelheim, once a name known
in England and in Prussia; once the Duke of Marlborough's "Principality:" given him by a grateful Kaiser
Joseph; taken from him by a necessitous Kaiser Karl, Joseph's Brother, that now is. I know not if his Majesty
remembers that transaction, now while in these localities; but know well, if he does, he must think it a shabby
one.
On the same day, 1st August, 1730, we quit Augsburg; set out fairly homewards again. The route bends
westward this time; towards FrankfurtonMayn; there yachts are to be ready; and mere sailing thenceforth,
gallantly down the Rhinestream,such a yachtvoyage, in the summer weather, with no Tourists yet
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infesting it,to end, happily we will hope, at Wesel, in the review of regiments, and other business. First
stage, first pause, is to be at Ludwigsburg, and the wicked old Duke of Wurtemberg's; thither first from
Augsburg. We cross the Donau at Dillingen, at Gunzberg, or I know not where; and by tomorrow's sunset,
being rapid travellers, find ourselves at Ludwigsburg,clear through Canstatt, Stuttgard, and certainly no
Katte waiting there! Safe across the intermediate uplands, here are we fairly in the Neckar Country, in the
Basin of the Rhine again; and old Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Wurtemberg bidding us kindly welcome, poor
old bewildered creature, who has become the talk of Germany in those times. Will English readers consent to
a momentary glance into his affairs and him? Strange things are going on at Lndwigsburg; nay the origin of
Ludwigsburg, and that the Duke should be there and not at Stuttgard, is itself strange. Let us take this
Excerpt, headed LUDWIGSBURG in 1730, and then hasten on:
LUDWIGSBURG IN 1730.
"Duke Eberhard Ludwig, now an elderly gentleman of fiftyfour, has distinguished himself in his long reign,
not by political obliquities and obstinacies, though those also were not wanting, but by matrimonial and
amatory; which have rendered him conspicuous to his fellowscreatures, and still keep him mentionable in
History, briefly and for a sad reason. Duke Eberhard Ludwig was duly wedded to an irreproachable Princess
of BadenDurlach (Johanna Elizabeth) upwards of thirty years ago; and he duly produced one Son in
consequence, with other good results to himself and her. But in course of time Duke Eberhard Ludwig took to
consorting with bad creatures; took, in fact, to swashing about at random in the pool of amatory iniquity, as if
there had been no law known, or of the least validity, in that matter.
"Perceiving which, a certain young fellow, Gravenitz by name, who had come to him from the Mecklenbnrg
regions, by way of pushing fortune, and had got some pageship or the like here in Wurtemberg, recollected
that he had a young Sister at home; pretty and artful, who perhaps might do a stroke of work here. He sends
for the young Sister; very pretty indeed, and a gentlewoman by birth, though penniless. He borrows clothes
for her (by onerous contract with the haberdashers, it is said, being poor to a degree); he easily gets her
introduced to the Ducal Soirees; bids herShe knows what to do? Right well she knows what; catches, with
her piquant face, the dull eye of Eberhard Ludwig, kindles Eberhard Ludwig, and will not for something
quench him. Not she at all: How can SHE; your Serene Highness, ask her not! A virtuous young lady, she,
and come of a stainless Family!In brief, she hooks, she of all the fishes in the pool, this lumber of a Duke;
enchants him, keeps him hooked; and has made such a pennyworth of him, for the last twenty years and
more, as Germany cannot match. [Michaelis, iii. 440.] Her brother Gravenitz the page has become Count
Gravenitz the prime minister, or chief of the Governing Cabal; she Countess Gravenitz and Autocrat of
Wurtemberg. Loaded with wealth, with socalled honors, she and hers, there go they, flaunting skyhigh;
none else admitted to more than the liberty of breathing in silence in this Duchy; the poor Duke Eberhard
Ludwig making no complaint; obedient as a child to the bidding of his Gravenitz. He is become a mere
enchanted simulacrum of a Duke; bewitched under worse than Thessalian spells; without faculty of willing,
except as she wills; his People and he the plaything of this Circe or Hecate, that has got hold of him. So it has
lasted for above twenty years. Gravenitz has become the wonder of Germany; and requires, on these bad
grounds, a slight mention in Human History for some time to come. Certainly it is by the Gravenitz alone that
Eberhard Ludwig is remembered; and yet, down since Ulrich with the Thumb, [Ulricus POLLEX (right
thumb bigger than left); died A.D. 1265 (Michaelis, iii. 262).] which of those serene abstruse Beutelsbachers,
always an abstruse obstinate set, has so fixed himself in your memory?
"Most persons in Wurtemberg, for quiet's sake, have complied with the Gravenitz; though not without
protest, and sometimes spoken protest. Thus the Right Reverend Osiander (let us name Osiander, Head of the
Church in Wurtemberg) flatly refused to have her name inserted in the Public Prayers; 'Is not she already
prayed for?' said Osiander: 'Do we not say, DELIVER US FROM EVIL?' said the indignant Protestant man.
And there is one other person that never will comply with her: the lawful Wife of Eberhard Ludwig. Serene
Lady, she has had a sad existenoe of it; the voice of her wrongs audible, to little purpose, this long while, in
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Heaven and on Earth. But it is not in the power of reward or punishment to bend her female will in the
essential point: 'Divorce, your Highness? When _I_ am found guilty, yes. Till then, never, your Highness,
never, never,' in steadv CRESCENDO tone:so that his Highness is glad to escape again, and drop the
subject. On which the Serene Lady again falls silent. Gravenitz, in fact, hopes always to be wedded with the
right, nay were it only with the left hand: and this Serene Lady stands like a fateful monument irremovably in
the way. The Serene Lady steadily inhabits her own wing of the Ducal House, would not exchange it for the
Palace of Aladdin; looks out there upon the grand equipages, high doings, impure splendors of her Duke and
his Gravenitz with a cleareyed silence, which seems to say more eloquently than words, 'MENE, MENE,
YOU are weighed!' In the land of Wurtemberg, or under the Sun, is no reward or punishment that can abate
this silence. Speak of divorce, the answer is as above: leave divorce lying, there is silence looking forth
cleareyed from that particular wing of the Palace, on things which the gods permit for a time.
"Cleareyed silence, which, as there was no abating of it, grew at last intolerable to the two sinners. 'Let us
remove,' said the Gravenitz, 'since her Serene Highness will not: build a new charming Palace,say at our
Hunting Seat, among those pleasant Hills in the Waiblingen region,and take the Court, out thither.' And
they have done so, in these late bad years; taking out with them by degrees all the Courtier Gentry, all the
RATHS, Government Boards, public businesses; and building new houses for them, there. ["From 1727 to
1730" was this latter removal. A huntinglodge, of Eberhard Ludwig's building, and named by him
LUGWIGSBURG, stood here since 1705; nucleus of the subsequent palace, with its "Pheasantries," its
"Favoritas," The place had originally been monastic (Busching, Erdbeschreibung, vi. 1519).] Founding, in
fact, a second Capital for Wurtemberg, with what distress, sulky misery and disarrangement, to Stuttgard and
the old Capital, readers can fancy. There it stands, that Ludwigsburg, the second Capital of Wurtemberg,
some ten or twenty miles from Stuttgard the first: a lasting memorial of Circe Gravenitz and her Ludwig. Has
not she, by her incantations, made the stone houses dance out hither? It remains to this day a pleasant town,
and occasional residence of sovereignty. WAIBLINGEN, within an hour's ride, has got memorability on
other grounds;what reader has not heard of GHIBELLINES, meaning Waiblingens? And in another hour
up the River, you will come to Beutelsbach itself, where Ulrich with the Thumb had his abode (better luck to
him!), and generated this Lover of the Gravenitz, and much other nonsense loud now and then for the last
four centuries in the world!
"There is something of abstruse in all these Beutelsbachers, from Ulrich with the Thumb downwards: a mute
ennui, an inexorable obstinacy; a certain streak of natural gloom which no illumination can abolish. Veracity
of all kinds is great in them; sullen passive courage plenty of it; active courage rarer; articulate intellect
defective: hence a strange stiff perversity of conduct visible among them, often marring what wisdom they
have;it is the royal stamp of Fate put upon these men. What are called fateful or fated men; such as are
often seen on the top places of the world, making an indifferent figure there. Something of this, I doubt not, is
concerned in Eberhard Ludwig's fascination; and we shall see other instances farther down in this History.
"But so, for twenty years, the absurd Duke, transformed into a mere Porcus by his Circe in that scandalous
miraculous manner, has lived; and so he still lives. And his Serene Wife, equally obstinate, is living at
Stuttgard, happily out of his sight now. One Son, a weakly man, who had one heir, but has now none, is her
only comfort. His Wife is a Prussian Margravine (Friedrich Wilhelm's HALFAUNT), and cultivates
Calvinism in the Lutheran Country: this Husband of hers, he too has an abstruse life, not likely to last. We
need not doubt 'the Fates' are busy, and the evil demons, with those poor fellowbeings! Nay it is said the
Circe is becoming much of a Hecate now; if the bewitched Duke could see it. She is getting haggard beyond
the power of rouge; her mind, any mind she has, more and more filled with spleen, malice, and the dregs of
pride run sour. A disgusting creature, testifies one ExOfficial gentleman, once a Hofrath under her, but
obliged to run for life, and invoke free press in his defence: [ Apologie de Monsieur Forstner de
Breitembourg, (Paris, 1716; or "a Londres, aux depens de la Compagnie, 1745"): in Spittler, Geschichte
Wurtembergs (Spittlers WERKE, Stuttgard und Tubingen, 1828; vol. v.), 497539. Michaelis, iii. 428439,
gives (in abstruse Chancery German) a Sequel to this fine affair of Forstner's.] no end to the foul things she
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will say, of an unspeakable nature, about the very Duke her victim, testifies this ExOfficial: malicious as a
witch, says he, and as ugly as one in spite of paint,'TOUJOURS UN LAVEMENT A SES TROUSSES.'
Good Heavens!"
But here is the august Prussian TravellingParty: shove aside your bewitchments and bewilderments; hang a
decent screen over many things! Poor Eberhard Ludwig, who is infinitely the gentleman, bestirs himself a
good deal to welcome old royal friends; nor do we hear that the least thing went awry during this transit of
the royalties. "Field of Blenheim, says your Majesty? Ah me!" For Eberhard Ludwig knows that ground;
stood the WorldBattle there, and so much has come and gone since then: Ah me indeed!
Friedrich Wilhelm and he have met before this, and have much to tell one another; Treaty of Seville by no
means their only topic. Nay the flood of cordiality went at length so far, that at last Friedrich Wilhelm, the
conscientious King, came upon the most intimate topics: Gravenitz; the Word of God; scandal to the
Protestant Religion: no likely heir to your Dukedom; clear peril to your own soul. Is not her Serene Highness
an unexceptionable Lady, heroic under sore woes; and your wedded Wife above all? 'MNA, and might
bring Heirs too: only forty come October: Ah Duke, ah Friend! AVISEZ LA FIN, Eberhard Ludwig;
consider the end of it all; we are growing old fellows now! The Duke, I conceive, who was rather a fat little
man, blushed blue, then red, and various colors; at length settling into steady pale, as it were, indicating
anthracitic whiteheat: it is certain he said at length, with emphasis, "I will!" And he did so, by and by.
Friedrich Wilhelm sent a messenger to Stuttgard to do his reverence to the high injured Lady there, perhaps to
show her afar off some ray of hope if she could endure. Eberhard Ludwig, raised to a whiteheat, perceives
that in fact he is heartily tired of this CirceHecate; that in fact she has long been an intolerable nightmare to
him, could he but have known it.
And his Royal Highness the CrownPrince all this while? Well, yes; his Royal Highness has got a Court
Tailor at Ludwigsburg; and, in all privacy (seen well by Rochow), has had the Augsburg red cloth cut into a
fine upper wrappage, over coat or roquelaure for himself; intending to use the same before long. Thus they
severally, the Father and the Son; these are their known acts at Ludwigsburg, That the Father persuaded
Eberhard Ludwig of the Gravenitz enormity, and that the Son got his red topcoat ready. On Thursday, 3d of
August (late in the afternoon, as I perceive), they, well entertained, depart towards Mannheim, KurPfalz
(Elector Palatine) old Karl Philip of the Pfalz's place; hope to be there on the morrow some time, if all go
well. Gloomy much enlightened Eberhard takes leave of them, with abstruse but grateful feelings; will stand
by the Kaiser, and dismiss that Gravenitz nightmare by the first opportunity.
As accordingly he did. Next Summer, going on a visit northward, specially to Berlin, [There for some three
weeks, "till 9th June, 1731, with a suite of above fifty persons" (Fassmann, pp. 421, 422).] he left order that
the Gravenitz was to be got out of his sight, safe stowed away, before his return. Which by the proper
officers, military certain of them, was accomplished,by fixed bayonets at last, and not without futile demur
on the part of the Gravenitz. Poor Eberhard Ludwig, "he published in the pulpits, That he was now minded to
lead a better life,"had time now been left him. Same year, 1731, November being come, gloomy Eberhard
Ludwig lost, not unexpectedly, his one Son,the one Grandson was gone long since. The serene steadfast
Duchess now had her Duke again, what was left of him: but he was fallen into the sere and yellow leaf; in
two years more, he died childless; [31st October, 1733: Michaelis, iii. 441.] and his Cousin, Karl Alexander,
an Austrian Feldmarschall of repute, succeeded in Wurtemberg. With whom we may transiently meet, in time
coming; with whom, and perhaps less pleasantly with certain of his children; for they continue to this
day,with the old abstruse element still too traceable in them.
Old Karl Philip, Kurfurst of the Pfalz, towards whom Friedrich Wilhelm is now driving, with intent to be
there tomorrow evening, is not quite a stranger to readers here; and to Friedrich Wilhelm he is much the
reverse, perhaps too much. This is he who ran away with poor Prince Sobieski's Bride from Berlin, at starting
in life; who fell upon his own poor Protestant Heidelbergers and their Church of the Holy Ghost (being
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himself Papist, ever since that slap on the face to his ancestor); and who has been in many quarrels with
Friedrich Wilhelm and others. A high expensive sovereign gentleman, this old Karl Philip; not, I should
suppose, the pleasantest of men to lodge with. One apprehends, he cannot be peculiarly well disposed to
Friedrich Wilhelm, after that sad Heidelberg passage of fence, twelve or eleven years ago. Not to mention the
inextricable JulichandBerg business, which is a standing controversy between them.
Poor old Kurfurst, he is now within a year of seventy. He has had crosses and losses; terrible campaignings
against the Turk, in old times; and always such a stock of quarrels, at home, as must have been still worse to
bear. A life of perpetual arguing, squabbling and battling,one's neighbors being such an unreasonable set!
Brabbles about Heidelberg Catechism, and Church of the Holy Ghost, so that foreign Kings interfered,
shaking their whips upon us. Then brabbles about boundaries; about inheritances, and detached properties
very many,clearly mine, were the neighbors reasonable! In fact this sovereign old gentleman has been in
the Kaiser's courts, or even on the edge of fight, oftener than most other men; and it is as if that first
adventure, of the Sobieski wedding turned topsyturvy, had been symbolical of much that followed in his
life.
We remember that unpleasant Heidelberg affair: how hopeful it once looked; fact DONE, Church of the Holy
Ghost fairly ours; your CORPUS EVANGELICORUM fallen quasidead; and nothing now for it but
protocolling by diplomatists, pleading in the Diets by men in bombazine, never like ending at all;when
Friedrich Wilhelm did suddenly end it; suddenly locked up his own Catholic establishments and revenues,
and quietly inexorable put the key in his pocket; as it were, drew his own whip, with a "Will you whip MY
Jew?"and we had to cower out of the affair, Kaiser himself ordering us, in a most humiliated manner!
Readers can judge whether KurPfalz was likely to have a kindly note of Friedrich Wilhelm in that corner of
his memory. The poor man felt so disgusted with Heidelberg, he quitted it soon after. He would not go to
Dusseldorf (in the BergandJulich quarter), as his Forefathers used to do; but set up his abode at Mannheim,
where he still is. Friedrich Wilhelm, who was far from meaning harm or insolence in that Heidelberg affair,
hopes there is no grudge remaining. But so stand the facts: it is towards Mannheim, not towards Heidelberg
that we are now travelling!For the rest, this scheme of reprisals, or whipping your Jew if you whip mine,
answered so well, Friedrich Wilhelm has used it, or threatened to use, as the real method, ever since, where
needful; and has saved thereby much bombazine eloquence, and confusion to mankind, on several occasions.
But the worst between these two High Gentlemen is that JulichandBerg controversy; which is a sore still
running, and beyond reach of probable surgery. Old Karl Philip has no male Heir; and is like to be (what he
indeed proved) the last of the NEUBERG Electors Palatine. What trouble there rose with the first of them,
about that sad business; and how the then Brandenburger, much wrought upon, smote the then Neuburger
across the very face, and drove him into Catholicism, we have not forgotten; how can we ever?It is one
hundred and sixteen years since that afterdinner scene; and, O Heavens, what bickering and brabbling and
confused negotiation there has been; lawyers' pens going almost continually ever since, shadowing out the
mutual darkness of sovereignties; and from time to time the military implements brandishing themselves,
though loath generally to draw blood! For a hundred and sixteen years:but the Final Bargain, lying on
parchment in the archives of both parties, and always acknowledged as final, was to this effect: "You serene
Neuburg keep what you have got; we serene Brandenburg the like: Cleve with detached pertinents ours;
JulichandBerg mainly yours. And let us live in perpetual amity on that footing. And, note only
furthermore, when our Line fails, the whole of these fine Duchies shall be yours: if your Line fail, ours." That
was the plain bargain, done solemnly in 1624, and again more solemnly and brought to parchment with
signature in 1666, as Friedrich Wilhelm knows too well. And now the very case is about to occur; this old
man, childless at seventy, is the last of the Neuburgs. May not one reasonably pretend that a bargain should
be kept?
"Tush," answers old Karl Philip always: "Bargain?" And will not hear reason against himself on the subject;
not even when the Kaiser asks him,as the Kaiser really did, after that Wusterhausen Treaty, but could get
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only negatives. Karl Philip has no romantic ideas of justice, or of old parchments tying up a man. Karl Philip
had one Daughter by that dear Radzivil Princess, Sobieski's stolen Bride; and he never, by the dear Radzivil
or her dear successor, [See Buchholz, i. 61 n.] had any son, or other daughter that lived to wed. One
Daughter, we say; a firstborn, extremely precious to him. Her he married to the young fortunate Sulzbach
Cousin, Karl Joseph HeirApparent of Sulzbach, who, by all laws, was to succeed in the Pfalz as well,Karl
Philip thinking furthermore, "He and she, please Heaven, shall hold fast by Dusseldorf too, and that fine
JulichandBerg Territory, which is mine. Bargains?" Such was, and is, the old man's inflexible notion. Alas,
this one Daughter died lately, and her Husband lately; [She in 1728; he in 1729: their eldest Daughter was
born 1721 (Hubner, t. 140; Michaelis, ii. 101, 123).] again leaving only Daughters; will not this change the
notion? Not a whit, though Friedrich Wilhelm may have fondly hoped it by possibility might, Not a whit:
Karl Philip cherishes his little Granddaughter, now a child of nine, as he did her Mother and her Mother's
Mother; hopes one day to see her wedded (as he did) to a new HeirApparent of the Pfalz and Sulzbach; and,
for her behoof, will hold fast by Berg and Julich, and part with no square inch of it for any parchment.
What is Friedrich Wilhelm to do? Seek justice for himself by his 80,000 men and the iron ramrods?
Apparently he will not get it otherwise. He is loath to begin that terrible game. If indeed Europe do take fire,
as is likely at Seville or elsewhereBut in the meanwhile how happy if negotiation would but serve! Alas,
and if the Kaiser, England; Holland and the others, could be brought to guarantee me,as indeed they should
(to avoid a CASUS BELLI), and some of them have said they will! Friedrich Wilhelm tried this
JulichandBerg Problem by the pacific method, all his life; strenuously, and without effect. Result perhaps
was coming nevertheless; at the distance of another hundred years!One thing I know: whatever rectitude
and patience, whatever courage, perseverance, or other human virtue he has put into this or another matter, is
not lost; not it nor any fraction of it, to Friedrich Wilhelm and his sons' sons; but will well avail him and
them, if not soon, then later, if not in Berg and Julich, then in some other quarter of the Universe, which is a
wide Entity and a longlived! Courage, your Majesty!
So stand matters as Friedrich Wilhelm journeys towards Mannheim: human politeness will have to cloak
well, and keep well down, a good many prickly points in the visit ahead. Alas, poor Friedrich Wilhelm has
got other matter to think of, by the time we arrive in Mannheim.
CATASTROPHE ON JOURNEY HOMEWARDS.
The Royal Party, quitting Ludwigsburg,on Thursday, 3d August, 1730, some hours after dinner, as I
calculate it,had but a rather short journey before them: journey to a place called Sinzheim, some fifty or
sixty miles; a long way short of Heidelberg; the King's purpose being to lodge in that dilapidated silent Town
of Sinzheim, and leave both Heidelberg and Mannheim, with their civic noises, for the next day's work.
Sinzheim, such was the program, as the Prince and others understood it; but by some accident, or on better
calculation, it was otherwise decided in the royal mind: not at Sinzheim, intricate decayed old Town, shall we
lodge tonight, but five or six miles short of it, in the naturally silent Village of Steinfurth, where good clean
empty Barns are to be found. Which latter is a favorite method of his Majesty, fond always of free air and the
absence of fuss. Shakedowns, a temporary cooking apparatus, plenty of tobacco, and a tub to wash in: this is
what man requires, and this without difficulty can be got. His Majesty's tastes are simple; simple, and yet
good and human. Here is a small Royal Order, which I read once, and ever since remember,though the
reference is now blown away, and lost in those unindexed Sibylline Farragos, the terror of human
nature;let us copy it from memory, till some deliverer arise with finger on page. [Probably in Rodenbeck's
Beitrage, but long sad searching there, and elsewhere, proves unavailing at present. Historical Farragos
without INDEX; a hundred, or several hundred, blind sacks of Historical clippings, generally authentic too if
useless, and not the least scrap of LABEL on them:are not these a handy article!] "At Magdeburg, on this
ReviewJourney, have dinner for me, under a certain Tree you know of, outside the ramparts." Dinner of one
sound portion solid, one ditto liquid, of the due quality; readied honestly,and to be eaten under a shady
Tree; on the Reviewground itself, with the summer sky over one's head. Could Jupiter Tonans, had he been
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travelling on business in those parts, have done better with his dinner?
"At Sinzheim?" thinks his Royal Highness; and has spoken privily to the Page Keith. To glide out of their
quarters there, in that waste negligent old Town (where posthorses can be had), in the gray of the summer's
dawn? Across the Rhine to Speyer is but three hours riding; thence to Landau, into France, into? Enough,
Page Keith has undertaken to get horses, and the flight shall at last be. Husht, husht. Tomorrow morning,
before the sparrow wake, it is our determination to be upon the road!
Ruins of the Tower of Stauffen, HOHEN or High STAUFFEN, where Kaiser Barbarossa lived once, young
and ruddy, and was not yet a MYTH, "winking and nodding under the Hill at Salzburg,"yes, it is but a few
miles to the right there, were this a deliberate touring party. But this is a rapid driving one; knows nothing
about Stauffen, cares nothing.We cannot fancy Friedrich remembered Barbarossa at all; or much regarded
Heilbronn itself, the principal and only famous Town they pass this day. The St. Kilian's Church, your
Highness, and big stone giant at the top of the steeple yonder,adventurous masons and slater people get
upon the crown of his head, sometimes, and stand waving flags. [Buddaus, Lexicon, ii. ? Heilbronn.] The
Townhouse too (RATHHAUS), with its amazing old Clock? And Gotz von Berlichingen, the
TownCouncillors once had him in prison for one night, in the "Gotz's Tower" here; your Highness has heard
of "Gotz with the Iron Hand"? Berlichingens still live at Jaxthausen, farther down the Neckar Valley, in these
parts; and show the old HAND, considerably rusted now. Heilbronn, the most famous City on the Neckar;
and its old miraculous Holy Well? What cares his Highness! Weinsberg again, which is but a few miles to
the right of us,there it was that the Besieged Wives did that astonishing feat, 600 years ago; coming out, as
the capitulation bore, "with their most valuable property," each brought her Husband on her back (were not
the fact a little uncertain!)whereby the old Castle has, to this day, the name "WEIBERTREUE,
Faithfulness of Women." Welf's Duchess, Husband on back, was at the head of those women; a Hohenzollern
ancestor of yours, I think I have heard, was of the besieging party. [Siege is notorious enough; A.D. 1140:
Kohler Reichshistorie, p. 167, who does not mention the story of the women; Menzel (Wolfgang), Geschichte
der Deutschen, p. 287, who takes no notice that it is a highly mythical story, supported only by the
testimony of one poor Monk in Koln, vaguely chronicling fifty years after date and at that good distance.]
Alas, thinks his Royal Highness, is there not a flower of Welfdom now in England; and I, unluckiest of
Hohenzollerns, still far away from her here! It is at Windsor, not in Weinsberg, or among the ruins of
WEIBERTREUE, that his Highness wishes to be.
At Heilbronn our road branches off to the left; and we roll diligently towards Sinzheim, calculating to be
there before nightfall. Whew! Something has gone awry at Sinzheim: no right lodging in the waste Inns there;
or good clean Barns, of a promising character, are to be had nearer than there: we absolutely do not go to
Sinzheim tonight; we are to stop at Steinfurth, a small quiet Hamlet with Barns, four or five miles short of
that! This was a great disappointment to the Prince,and some say, a highly momentous circumstance in his
History: ["Might perhaps have succeeded at Sinzheim" (Seckendorf's Relation of the CrownPrince's
meditated Flight, p. 2;addressed to Prince Eugene few days afterwards; given in Forster, iii.
113).]however, he rallies in the course of the evening; speaks again to Page Keith. "Steinfurth
[STONYFORD, over the Brook here]; be it at Steinfurth, all the same!" Page Keith will manage to get
horses for us here, no less. And Speyer and the Ferry of the Rhine are within three hours. Favor us, Silence
and all ye good genii!
On Friday morning, 4th August, 1730, "usual hour of starting, 3 A.M.," not being yet came, the Royal Party
lies asleep in two clean airy Barns, facing one another, in the Village of Steinfurth; Barns facing one another,
with the Heidelberg Highway and Village Green asleep in front between them; [Compare Wilhelmina, i. 259
(her Account of the Flight: "Heard it from my Brother,"and report it loosely after a dozen years!).] for it is
little after two in the morning, the dawn hardly beginning to break. Prince Friedrich, with his Trio of
Vigilance, Buddenbrock, Waldau, Rochow, lies in one Barn; Majesty, with his Seckendorf and party, is in the
other: apparently all still locked in sleep? Not all: Prince Friedrich, for example, is awake;the Trio is
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indeed audibly asleep; unless others watch for them, their six eyes are closed. Friedrich cautiously rises;
dresses; takes his money, his new red roquelaure, unbolts the Barndoor, and walks out. Trio of Vigilance is
sound asleep, and knows nothing: alas, Trio of Vigilance, while its own six eyes are closed, has appointed
another pair to watch.
Gummersbach the Valet comes to Rochow's bolster: "Hst, Herr OberstLieutenant, please awaken! Prince
Royal is up, has on his topcoat, and is gone out of doors!" Rochow starts to his habiliments, or perhaps has
them ready on; in a minute or two, Rochow also is forth into the gray of the morning;finds the young
Prince actually on the Green there; in his red roquelaure, leaning pensively on one of the travelling carriages.
"Guten Morgen, Ihro Konigliche Hoheit!" [Ranke, 1. 305.] Fancy such a salutation to the young man!
Page Keith, at this moment, comes with a pair of horses, too: "Whither with the nags, Sirrah?" Rochow asked
with some sharpness. Keith, seeing how it was, answered without visible embarrassment, "Herr, they are
mine and Kunz the Page's horses" (which, I suppose, is true); "ready at the usual hour!" Keith might
add."His Majesty does not go till five this morning;back to the stables!" beckoned Rochow; and,
according to the best accounts, did not suspect anything, or affected not to do so.
Page Keith returned, trembling in his saddle. Friedrich strolled towards the other Barn,at least to be out of
Rochow's company. Seckendorf emerges from the other Barn; awake at the common hour: "How do you like
his Royal Highness in the red roquelaure?" asks Rochow, as if nothing had happened. Was there ever such a
baffled Royal Highness; or young bright spirit chained in the Bear's Den in this manner? Our Steinfurth
project has gone to water; and it is not today we shall get across the Rhine!Not today; nor any other day,
on that errand, strong as our resolutions are! For new light, in a few hours afterwards, pours in upon the
project; and human finesse, or ulterior schemes, avail nothing henceforth. "The CrownPrince's meditated
Flight" has tried itself, and failed. Here and so that long meditation ENDS; this at Steinfurth was all the
overact it could ever come to. In few hours more it will melt into air; and only the terrible consequences will
remain!
By last night's arrangement, the Prince with his Trio was to set out an hour before his Father, which
circumstance had helped Page Keith in his excuses. Naturally the Prince had now no wish to linger on the
Green of Steinfurth, in such a posture of affairs: "Towards Heidelberg, then; let us see the big Tun there:
ALLONS!" How the young Prince and his Trio did this day's journey; where he loitered, what he saw, said or
thought, we have no account: it is certain only that his Father, who set out from Steinfurth an hour after him,
arrived in Mannheim several hours before him; and, in spite of Kurfurst Karl Philip's welcome, testified the
liveliest inquietude on that unaccountable circumstance. Beautiful Rhinestream, thricebeautiful trim
Mannheim;yes, all is beautiful indeed, your Serenity! But where can the Prince be? he kept ejaculating.
And Karl Philip had to answer what he could. Of course the Prince may be lingering about Heidelberg,
looking at the big Tun and other miracles:"I had the pleasure to repair that worldfamous Tub or Tun, as
your Majesty knows; which had lain half burnt, ever since Louis XIV. with his firebrand robberies lay upon
us, and burnt the Pfalz in whole, small honor to him! I repaired the Tun: [Kohler, Munzbelustigungen (viii.
418424; 145152), who gives a view of the world's wonder, lying horizontal with stairs running up to it.
Big Tuns of that kind were not uncommon in Germany; and had uses, if multiplex dues of wine were to be
paid IN NATURA: the Heidelberg, the biggest of them, is small to the WhitbreadandCompany, for
porter'sale, in our time.] it is probably the successfulest feat I did hitherto; and well worth looking at, had
your Majesty had time!""JA WOHL;but he came away an hour before me!"The polite Karl Philip, at
length, sent off one of his own Equerries to ride towards Heidelberg, or even to Steinfurth if needful, and see
what was become of the Prince. This Official person met the Prince, all in order, at no great distance; and
brought him safe to Papa's presence again.
Why Papa was in such a fuss about this little circumstance? Truly there has something come to Papa's
knowledge since he started, perhaps since he arrived at Mannheim. Page Keith, who rides always behind the
King's coach, has ridden this day in an agony of remorse and terror; and at length (probably in Mannheim,
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once his Majesty is got to his Apartments, or now that he finds his Majesty so anxious there) has fallen on his
knees, and, with tears and obtestations, made a clean breast. Page Keith has confessed that the CrownPrince
and he were to have been in Speyer, or farther, at this time of the day; flying rapidly into France. "God's
Providence alone prevented it! Pardon, pardon: slay me, your Majesty; but there is the naked truth, and the
whole of it, and I have nothing more to say!" Hereupon ensues despatch of the Equerry; and hereupon, as we
may conjecture, the Equerry's return with Fritz and the Trio is an unspeakable relief to Friedrich Wilhelm.
Friedrich Wilhelm now summons Buddenbrock and Company straightway; shows, in a suppressedvolcanic
manner, with questions and statements,obliged to SUPPRESS oneself in foreign hospitable Serene
Houses,what atrocity of scandal and terror has been on the edge of happening: "And you three, Rochow,
Waldau, Buddenbrock, mark it, you three are responsible; and shall answer, I now tell you, with your heads.
Death the penalty, unless you bring HIM to our own Country again,'living or dead,'" added the
SuppressedVolcano, in low metallic tone; and the sparkling eyes of him, the red tint, and rustling gestures,
make the words too credible to us. [Ranke, i. 307.]
What Friedrich Wilhelm got to speak about with the old KurPfalz, during their serene psssages of
hospitality at Mannheim, is not very clear to me; his Prussian Majesty is privately in such a desperate humor,
and the old KurPfalz privately so discrepant on all manner of points, especially on the JulichandBerg
point. They could talk freely about the old Turk Campaigns, Battle of Zentha, [11th September, 1697;
Eugene's crowning feat;breaking of the Grand Turk's back in this world; who has staggered about, less and
less of a terror and outrage, more and more of a nuisance growing unbearable, ever since that day. See
Hormayr (iii. 97101) for some description of this useful bit of Heroism.] and Prince Eugene; very freely
about the Heidelberg Tun. But it is known old Karl Philip had his agents at the Congress of Soissons, to
secure that BergandJulich interest for the Sulzbachs and him: directly in the teeth of Friedrich Wilhelm.
How that may have gone, since the Treaty of Seville broke out to astonish mankind, will be unsafe to talk
about. For the rest, old Karl Philip has frankly adopted the Pragmatic Sanction; but then he has, likewise,
privately made league with France to secure him in that JulichandBerg matter, should the Kaiser break
promise;league which may much obstruct said Sanction. Nay privately he is casting glances on his
Bavarian Cousin, elegant ambitious Karl Albert. Kurfurst of Baiern,are not we all from the same
Wittelsbach stock, Cousins from of old?and will undertake, for the same JulichandBergobject, to secure
Bavaria in its claims on the Austrian Heritages in defect of Heirs Male in Austria. [Michaelis, ii. 99101.]
Which runs directly into the throat of said Pragmatic Sanction; and engages to make it, mere waste sheepskin,
so to speak! Truly old Karl Philip has his abstruse outlooks, this way, that way; most abstruse politics
altogether:and in fact we had better speak of the Battle of Zentha and the Heidelberg Tun, while this Visit
lasts.
On the morrow, Saturday, August 5th, certain Frenchmen from the Garrison of Landau come across to pay
their court and dine. Which race of men Friedrich Wilhelm does not love; and now less than ever, gloomily
suspicious they may be come on parricide Fritz's score,you Rochow and Company keep an eye! By night
and by day an eye upon him! Friedrich Wilhelm was, no doubt, glad to get away on the morrow afternoon;
fairly out into the BergStrasse, into the summer breezes and umbrageous woods, with all his pertinents still
safe about him; rushing towards Darmstadt through the Sunday stillness, where he will arrive in the evening,
time enough. ["Sunday Evening arrive at Darmstadt," says Seckendorf (in Forster, iii. 3), but by mistake calls
it the "7th" instead of "6th."]
The old Prince of Darmstadt, Ernst Ludwig, Landgraf of HessenDarmstadt, age now sixtythree, has a
hoary venerable appearance, according to Pollnitz, "but sits a horse well, walks well, and seems to enjoy
perfect health,"which we are glad to hear of. What more concerns us, "he lives usually, quite retired, in a
small house upon the Square," in this extremely small Metropolis of his, "and leaves his HeirApparent to
manage all business in the Palace and elsewhere." [Pollnitz, Memoirs and Letters, ii. 66.] poor old
Gentleman, he has the biggest Palace almost in the world; only he could not finish it for want of funds; and it
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lies there, one of the biggest futilities, vexatious to look upon. No doubt the old Gentleman has had vexations,
plenty of them, first and last. He is now got disgusted with the affairs of public life, and addicts himself very
much to "turning ivory," as the more eligible employment. He lives in that small house of his, among his
turninglathes and ivory shavings; dines in said small house, "at a table for four persons:" only on Sunday,
and above all on this Sunday, puts off his apron; goes across to the Palace; dines there in state, with his Heir
and the Grandees. He has a kinship by affinity to Friedrich Wilhelm; his Wife (dead long years since),
Mother of this HeirApparent, was an Anspach Princess, Aunt to the now Queen Caroline of England. Poor
old fellow, these insignificancies, and that he descends direct from Philip the Magnanimous of Hessen
(Luther's Philip, who insisted on the supplementary Wife), are all I know of him; and he is somewhat tragic
to me there, turning ivory in this extremely anarchic world. What the passages between him and Friedrich
Wilhelm were, on this occasion, shall remain conjectural to all creatures. Friedrich Wilhelm said, this Sunday
evening at Darmstadt to his own Prince: "Still here, then? I thought you would have been in Paris by this
time!"To which the Prince, with artificial firmness, answered, He could certainly, if he had wished;
[Seckendorf (in Forster, iii.), p. 3.] and being familiar with reproaches, perhaps hoped it was nothing.
From Darmstadt to FrankfurtonMayn is not quite forty miles, an easy morning drive; through the old
Country called of Katzenellenbogen; CATSELBOW, a name ridiculous to hear. [CATTIMELIBOCUM,
that is, CATTUMMELIBOCUM (CATTI a famed Nation, MELIBOCUS the chief Hill or Fortress of their
Country), is said to be the original;which has got changed; like ABALLABA into "Appleby," or GOD
ENCOMPASS US into "The Goat and Compasses," among ourselves.] BergStrasse and the Odenwald
(FOREST of the OTTI) are gone; but blue on the northeast yonder, if your Royal Highness will please to
look, may be seen summits of the SPESSART, a much grander forest,tall branchy timbers yonder, one day
to be masts of admirals, when floated down as far as Rotterdam, whitherward one still meets them going.
Spessart;and nearer, well hidden on the right, is an obscure village called DETTINGEN, not yet become
famous in the Newspapers of an idle world; of an England surely very idle to go thither seeking quarrels! All
which is, naturally, in the highest degree indifferent to a CrownPrince so preoccupied.They reach
Frankfurt, Monday, still in good time.
Behold, at Frankfurt, the Trio of Vigilance, Buddenbrock and Company (horrible to think of!) signify, "That
we have the King's express orders Not to enter the Town at all with your Royal Highness. We, for our part,
are to go direct into one of the Royal Yachts, which swing at anchor here, and to wait in the same till his
Majesty have done seeing Frankfurt, and return to us." Here is a message for the poor young Prince:
Detected, prisoner, and a volcanic Majesty now likely to be in full play when he returns! Gilt weathercock
on the Mayn Bridge (which one Goethe used to look at, in the next generation)this, and the steepletops of
Frankfurt, especially that steepletop with the grinning skull of the mutinous malefactor on it, warning to
mankind what mutiny leads to; this, then, is what we are to see of Frankfurt; and with such a symphony as
our thoughts are playing in the background. Unhappy Son, unhappy Father, once more!
Nay Friedrich Wilhelm got new lights in Frankfurt: Rittmeister Katte had an estafette waiting for him there.
Estafette with a certain Letter, which the Rittmeister had picked up in Erlangen, and has shot across by
estafette to wait his Majesty here. Majesty has read with open eyes and throat: Letter from the CrownPrince
to Lieutenant Katte in Berlin: treasonous Flightproject now indisputable as the sun at noon!His Majesty
stept on board the Yacht in such humor as was never seen before: "Detestable rebel and deserter, scandal of
scandals!"it is confidently written everywhere (though Seckendorf diplomatically keeps silence), his
Majesty hustled and tussled the unfortunate CrownPrince, poked the handle of his cane into his face and
made the nose bleed,"Never did a Brandenburg face suffer the like of this!" cried the poor Prince, driven to
the edge of mad ignition and one knows not what: when the Buddenbrocks, at whatever peril interfered; got
the Prince brought on board a different Yacht; and the conflagration moderated for the moment. The Yachts
get under way towards Mainz and down the Rhinestream. The Yachts glide swiftly on the favoring current,
taking advantage of what wind there may be: were we once ashore at Wesel in our own country,wait till
then, thinks his Majesty!
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And so it was on these terms that Friedrich made his first acquaintance with the beauties of the
Rhine;readers can judge whether he was in a temper very open to the picturesque. I know not that they
paused at Mainz, or recollected Barbarossa's WorldTournament, or the Hochheim vineyards at all: I see the
young man's Yacht dashing in swift gallop, not without danger, through the Gap of Bingen; dancing wildly
on the boiling whirlpools of St. Goar, well threading the cliffs;the young man gloomily insensible to
danger of life, and charm of the picturesque. Coblenz (CONFLUENTIA), the Moselle and Ehrenbreitstein:
Majesty, smoking on deck if he like, can look at these through grimly pacifying tobacco; but to the
CrownPrince life itself is fallen haggard and bankrupt.
Over against Coblenz, nestled in between the Rhine and the foot of Ehrenbreitstein, [Pollnitz, Memoirs and
Letters, iii. 180.] there, perhaps even now, in his Hunting Lodge of Kerlich yonder, is his Serene Highness
the fat little Kurfurst of Trier, one of those Austrian Schonborns (Brother to him of Bamberg); upon whom
why should we make a call? We are due at Bonn; the fortunate young Kurfurst of Koln, richest Pluralist in
the Church, expects us at his Residence there. Friedrich Wilhelm views the fine Fortress of
Ehrenbreitstein:what would your Majesty think if this were to be yours in a hundred years; this and much
else, by way of compoundinterest for the BergandJulich and other outstanding debts? Courage, your
Majesty!On the fat little Kurfurst, at Kerlich here, we do not call: probably out hunting; "hunts every day,"
[Busching, Beitrage, iv. 201.] as if it were his trade, poor little soul.
At Bonn, where we do step ashore to lodge with a lean Kurfurst, Friedrich Wilhelm strictly charges, in my
(Seckendorf's) hearing, the Trio of Vigilance to have an eye; to see that they bring the Prince on board again,
"LIVING OR DEAD."No fear, your Majesty. Prince listened with silent, almost defiant patience, "MIT
GROSSER GEDULD." [Seckendorf (in Forster, iii. 4).] At Bonn the Prince contrived to confide to
Seckendorf, "That he had in very truth meant to run away: he could not, at the age he was come to, stand such
indignities, actual strokes as in the Camp of Radewitz;and he would have gone long since, had it not been
for the Queen and the Princess his Sister's sake. He could not repent what he had done: and if the King did
not cease beating him in that manner, he would still do it. For loss of his own life, such a life as his had
grown, he cared little; his chief misery was, that those Officers who had known of the thing should come to
misfortune by his means. If the King would pardon these poor gentlemen, he would tell him everything. For
the rest, begged Seckendorf to help him in this labyrinth;nothing could ever so oblige him as help now;"
and more of the like sort. These things he said, at Bonn, to Seckendorf, the fountain of all his woes. [Ibid.]
What Seckendorf's reflections on this his sad handiwork now were, we do not know. Probably he made none,
being a strongminded casehardened old stager; but resolved to do what he could for the poor youth.
Somewhere on this route, at Bonn more likely than elsewhere, Friedrich wrote in pencil three words to
Lieutenant Keith at Wesel, and got it to the PostOffice: "SAUVEZVOUS, TOUT EST DECOUVERT (All
is found out;away)!" [Wilhelmina (i. 265) says it was a Page of the Old Dessauer's, a comrade of Keith's,
who, having known in time, gave him warning. Certain it is, this Note of Friedrich's, which the Books
generally assign as cause, could not have done it (infra, p. 275, and the irrefragable date there).]
Clement August, expensive Kurfurst of Koln (Elector of Cologne, as we call it), who does the hospitalities
here at Bonn, in a grand way, with "above a hundred and fifty chamberlains" for one item, glance at him,
reader; perhaps we shall meet the man again. He is younger Brother of the elegant ambitious Karl Albert,
Kurfurst of Bavaria, whom we have transiently heard of: sons both of them are of that "Elector of Bavaria"
who haunts us in the Marlborough Histories,who joined Louis XIV. in the Succession War, and got hunted
about at such a rate, after Blenheim especially. His Boys, prisoners of the Kaiser, were bred up in a
confiscated state, as sons of a mere private gentleman; nothing visibly ahead of them, at one time, but an
obscure and extremely limited destiny of that kind;though now again, on French favor, and the turn of
Fortune's inconstant wheel, they are mounting very high. Bavaria came all back to the old Elector of Bavaria;
even Marlborough's "Principality of MINDELHEIM" came. [At the Peace of Baden (corollary to
UTRECHT), 1714. Elector had been "banned" (GEACHTET, solemnly drummed out), 1706; nothing but
French pay to live upon, till he got back: died 26th February, 1726, when Karl Albert succeeded (Michaelis,
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ii. 255).] And the present Kurfurst, who will not do the Pragmatic Sanction at all, Kurfurst Karl Albert of
Baiern, our old Karl Philip of Mannheim's genealogical "Cousin;"we heard of abstruse colleaguings there,
tendencies to break the Pragmatic Sanction altogether, and reduce it to waste sheepskin! Not impossible Karl
Albert will go high enough. And this Clement August the cadet, he is Kurfurst of Koln; by good
electiontactics, and favor of the French, he has managed to succeed an Uncle here: has succeeded at
Osnabruck in like fashion;poor old Ernst August of Osnabruck (to whom we once saw George I. galloping
to die, and who himself soon after died), his successor is this same Clement August, the turn for a
CATHOLIC Bishop being come at Osnabruck, and the French being kind. Kurfurst of Koln, Bishop of
Osnabruck, ditto of Paderborn and Munster, ditto now of Hildesheim; richest Pluralist of the Church. Goes
about here in a languid expensive manner; "in green coat trimmed with narrow silverlace, small bagwig
done with French garniture (SCHLEIFE) in front; and has red heels to his shoes." A lanky indolent figure,
age now thirty; "tall and slouching of person, long lean face, hooknose, black beard, mouth somewhat
open." [Busching ( Beitrage, iv. 201204: from a certain Travelling Tutor's MS. DIARY of 1731; where also
is detail of the Kurfurst's mode of Dining,elaborate but dreary, both mode and detail). His Schloss is now
the Bonn University.] Has above one hundred and fifty chamberlains;and, I doubt not, is inexpressibly
wearisome to Friedrich Wilhelm in his Majesty's present mood. Patience for the moment, and politeness
above all things!The Trio of Vigilance had no difficulty with Friedrich; brought him on board safe again
next day, and all proceeded on their voyage; the Kurfurst in person politely escorting as far as Koln.
Koln, famed old City of the Three Kings, with its famed Cathedral where those three gentlemen are buried,
here the Kurfurst ceases escorting; and the flat old City is left, exciting what reflections it can. The
architectural Dilettanti of the world gather here; St. Ursula and her Eleven Thousand Virgins were once
massacred here, your Majesty; an English Princess she, it is said. "NARRENPOSSEN (Pack of nonsense)!"
grumbles Majesty.Pleasant Dusseldorf is much more interesting to his Majesty; the pleasant Capital of
Berg, which ought to be ours, if right could be done; if old Pfalz would give up his crotchets; and the bowls,
in the big game playing at Seville and elsewhere, would roll fair! Dusseldorf and that fine Palace of the
Pfalzers, which ought to be mine;and here next is Kaiserswerth, a place of sieges, cannonadings, known to
those I knew. 'MNA, from father to son and grandson it goes on, and there is no end to trouble and war!
His Majesty's next lodging is at Mors; old gaunt Castle in the Town of Mors, which (thanks to Leopold of
AnhaltDessau and the Iron Ramrods) is now his Majesty's in spite of the Dutch. There the lodging is, at an
hour's drive westward from the Rhineshore:where his Majesty quitted the River, I do not know; nor
whether the CrownPrince went to Mors with him, or waited in his Yacht; but guess the latter. His Majesty
intends for Geldern on the morrow, on matters of business thither, for the Town is his: but what would the
Prince, in the present state of things, do there?At Mors, Seckendorf found means to address his Majesty
privately, and snuffled into him suggestions of mercy to the repentant Prince, and to the poor Officers whom
he was so anxious about. "Well, if he WILL confess everything, and leave off his quirks and concealments:
but I know he won't!" answered Majesty.
In that dilapidated Castle of Mors,look at it, reader, though in the dark; we may see it again, or the shadow
of it, perhaps by moonlight. A very gaunt old Castle; next to nothing living in it, since the old Dessauer (by
stratagem, and without shot fired) flung out the Dutch, in the TreatyofUtrecht time; Mors Castle and
Territory being indisputably ours, though always withheld from us on pretexts. [Narrative of the march
thither (Night of 7th November, 1712), and dexterous surprisal of the place, in Leopoldi von AnhaltDessau
Leben und Thaten (Anonymous, by RANFFT), pp. 8590;where the Despatch of the astonished Dutch
Commandant himself, to their High Mightinesses, is given. Part of the Orange Heritage, this Mors,came by
the Great Elector's first Wife;but had hung SUB LITE (though the Parchments were plain enough) ever
since our King William's death, and earlier. Neuchatel, accepted instead of ORANGE, and not even of the
value of Mors, was another item of the same lot. Besides which, we shall hear of old Palaces at Loo and other
dilapidated objects, incidentally in time coming.]
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At Geldern, in the pressure of business next day, his Majesty got word from Wesel, that Lieutenant Keith was
not now to be found in Wesel. "Was last seen there (that we can hear of) certain hours before your Majesty's
Allgracious Order arrived. Had saddled his own horse; came ambling through the Brunen Gate, 'going out to
have a ride,' he said; and did not return.""Keith gone, scandalous Keith, whom I pardoned only few weeks
ago; he too is in the Plot! Will the very Army break its oath, then?" His Majesty bursts into fire and flame, at
these new tidings; orders that Colonel Dumoulin (our expertest roguetracer) go instantly on the scent of
Keith, and follow him till found and caught. Also, on the other hand, that the CrownPrince be constituted
prisoner; sail down to Wesel, prisoner in his Yacht, and await upon the Rhine there his Majesty's arrival.
Formidable omens, it is thought.
His Majesty, all business done in Geldern, drives across to Wesel; can see Fritz's Yacht waiting duly in the
River, and black Care hovering over her. It is on the evening of the 12th of August, 1730. And so his Majesty
ends this memorable Tour into the Reich; but has not yet ended the gloomy miseries, for himself and others,
which plentifully sprung out of that.
Chapter VII. CATASTROPHE, AND MAJESTY, ARRIVE IN BERLIN.
At Berlin dark rumors of this intended flight, and actual Arrest of the CrownPrince, are agitating all the
world; especially Lieutenant Katte, and the Queen and Wilhelmina, as we may suppose. The first news of it
came tragically on the young Princess. [Apparently some rumor FROM FRANKFURT, which she confuses
in her aftermemory with the specific news FROM WESEL; for her dates here, as usual, are all awry
(Wilhelmina, i. 246; Preuss, i. 42, iv. 473; Seckendorf, in Forster, iii. 6).]
"Mamma had given a ball in honor of Papa's Birthday,"Tuesday, 15th August, 1730;and we were all
dancing in the fine saloons of Monbijou, with pretty intervals in the cool boscages and orangeries of the
place: all of us as happy as could be; Wilhelmina, in particular, dancing at an unusual rate. "We
recommenced the ball after supper. For six years I had not danced before; it was new fruit, and I took my fill
of it, without heeding much what was passing. Madame Bulow, who with others of them had worn long faces
all night, pleading 'illness' when one noticed it, said to me several times: 'It is late, I wish you had
done,''EH, MON DIEU!' I answered, 'let me have enough of dancing this one new time; it may be long
before it comes again.' 'That may well be!' said she. I paid no regard, but continued to divert myself. She
returned to the charge half an hour after: 'Will you end, then!' said she with a vexed air: (you are so engaged,
you have eyes for nothing.''You are in such a humor,' I replied, 'that I know not what to make of
it.''Look at the Queen, then, Madam; and you will cease to reproach me!' A glance which I gave that way
filled me with terror. There sat the Queen, paler than death, in a corner of the room, in low conference with
Sonsfeld and Countess Finkenstein. As my Brother was most in my anxieties, I asked, If it concerned him?
Bulow shrugged her shoulders, answering, 'I don't know at all!' A moment after, the Queen gave Goodnight;
and got into her carriage with me, speaking no word all the way to the Schloss; so that I thought my
Brother must be dead, and I myself took violent palpitations, and Sonsfeld, contrary to orders, had at last to
tell me in the course of the night." Poor Wilhelmina, and poor Mother of Wilhelmina!
The fact, of Arrest, and unknown mischief to the Prince, is taken for certain; but what may be the issues of it;
who besides the Prince have been involved in it, especially who will be found to have been involved, is
matter of dire guess to the three who are most interested here. Lieutenant Katte finds he ought to dispose of
the Prince's effects which were intrusted to him; of the thousand gold Thalers in particular, and, beyond and
before all, of the locked Writingdesk, in which lies the Prince's correspondence, the very Queen and
Princess likely to be concerned in it! Katte despatches these two objects, the Money and the little Desk, in all
secrecy, to Madam Finkenstein, as to the surest hand, with a short Note shadowing out what he thinks they
are: Countess Finkenstein, old General von Finkenstein's Wife, and a second mother to the Prince, she, like
her Husband, a sworn partisan of the Prince and his Mother, shall do with these precious and terrible objects
what, to her own wise judgment, seems best.
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Madam Finkenstein carries them at once, in deep silence, to the Queen. Huge dismay on the part of the
Queen and Princess. They know too well what Letters may be there: and there is a seal on the Desk, and no
key to it; neither must it, in time coming, seem to have been opened, even if we could now open it. A
desperate pinch, and it must be solved. Female wit and Wilhelmina did solve it, by some preeminently acute
device of their despair; [Wilhelmina, i. 253257.] and contrived to get the Letters out: hundreds of Letters,
enough to be our death if read, says Wilhelmina. These Letters they burnt; and set to writing fast as the pen
would go, other letters in their stead. Fancy the mood of these two Royal Women, and the black whirlwind
they were in. Wilhelmina's despatch was incredible; pen went at the gallop night and day: new letters, of old
dates and of no meaning, are got into the Desk again; the Desk closed, without mark of injury, and shoved
aside while it is yet time.Time presses; his Majesty too, and the events, go at gallop. Here is a Letter from
his Majesty, to a trusty Mistress of the Robes, or whatever she is; which, let it arrive through what softening
media it likes, will complete the poor Queen's despair:
"MY DEAR FRAU VON KAMECKE,Fritz has attempted to desert. I have been under the necessity to
have him arrested. I request you to tell my Wife of it in some good way, that the news may not terrify her.
And pity an unhappy Father. "FRIEDRICH WILHELM." [No date: "ARRIVED" (from Wesel, we conclude),
Sunday, "20th August," at the Palace of Berlin (Preuss, i. 42).] The same post brought an order to the Colonel
of the Gernsd'Armes to put that Lieutenant Katte of his under close confinement:we hope the thoughtless
young fellow has already got out of the way? He is getting his saddle altered: fettling about this and that; does
not consider what danger he is in. This same Sunday, his Major met him on the street of Berlin; said, in a
significant tone, "You still HERE, Katte!""I go this night," answered Katte; but he again put it off, did not
go this night; and the order for his arrest did come in. On the morrow morning, Colonel Pannewitz, hoping
now he was not there, went with the rhadamanthine order; and finding the unlucky fellow, was obliged to
execute it. Katte lies in ward, awaiting what may be prepared for him.
Friedrich Wilhelm at Wesel has had rough passages with the Prince and others. On the Saturday evening,
12th August 1730, [Preuss, iv. 473; Seckendorf (Forster, iii. 6) says 13th, but WRONG.] his Majesty had the
Culprit brought on shore, to the Commandant's House, for an interview. Culprit proving less remorseful than
was expected, and evidently not confessing everything, a loud terrible scene ensued; which Friedrich
Wilhelm, the unhappy Father, winded up by drawing his sword to run the unnatural Son through the body.
Old General Mosel, Commandant of Wesel, sprang between them, "Sire, cut me to death, but spare your
Son!" and the sword was got back to its scabbard; and the Prince lodged in a separate room, two sentries with
fixed bayonets keeping watch over him. Friedrich Wilhelm did not see his face again for twelve months to
come, "twelve months and three days."
Military gentlemen of due grimness interrogated the Prince next evening, [Seckendorf (in Forster, iii. 5).]
from a Paper drawn up by his Majesty in the interim. Prince confesses little: Did design to get across the
Rhine to Landau; thence to Strasburg, Paris, in the strictest incognito; intended to volunteer there, thought he
might take French service, profoundly incognito, and signalize himself in the Italian War (just expected to
break out), which might have recovered him some favor from his Majesty: does not tell clearly where his
money came from; shy extremely of elucidating Katte and Keith;in fact, as we perceive, struggles against
mendacity, but will not tell the whole truth. "Let him lie in ward, then; and take what doom the Laws have
appointed for the like of him!" Divine Laws, are they not? Well, yes, your Majesty, divine and human;or
are there perhaps no laws but the human sort, completely explicit in this case? "He is my Colonel at least,"
thinks Friedrich Wilhelm, "and tried to desert and make others desert. If a rebellious CrownPrince, breaking
his Father's heart, find the laws still inarticulate; a deserting Colonel of the Potsdam Regiment finds them
speak plain enough. Let him take the answer they give him?"
Dumoulin, in the mean while, can make nothing of Keith, the runaway Lieutenant. Dumoulin, with his
sagacious organ, soon came upon the scent of Keith; and has discovered these things about him: One evening,
a week before his Majesty arrived, Sunday evening, 6th August, 1730, [RELATIO EX ACTIS: in Preuss, iv.
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Chapter VII. CATASTROPHE, AND MAJESTY, ARRIVE IN BERLIN. 346
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473.] Lieutenant Keith, doubtless smelling something, saddled his horse as above mentioned, decided to have
a ride in the country this fine evening, and issued out at the Brunen Gate of Wesel. He is on the right bank of
the Rhine; pleasant yellow fields on this hand and that. He ambles slowly, for a space; then gradually
awakens into speed, into full speed; arrives, within a couple of hours, at Dingden, a Village in the Munster
Territory, safe over the Prussian Border, by the shortest line: and from Dingden rides at more leisure, but
without losing time, into the Dutch Overyssel region, straight towards the Hague. He must be in the Hague?
said Dumoulin to the Official persons, on arriving there,to Meinertshagen the Prussian Ambassador there,
[Seckendorf (Forster, iii. 7).] and to Keppel, Dutch Official gentleman who was once Ambassador at Berlin.
Prussian Ambassador applies, and again applies, in the highest quarters; but we fear they are slack. Dumoulin
discovers that the man was certainly here; Keppel readily admits, He had Keith to dinner a few days ago: but
where Keith now is, Keppel cannot form the least guess.
Dumoulin suspects he is with Lord Chesterfield, the English Ambassador here. A light was seen, for a night
or two, in one of the garretrooms of Lord Chesterfield's house,probably Keith reading?but Keith is not
to be heard of, on inquiry there; and the very light has now gone out. The Colonel at least," distinguished
English Lord is gone to England in these days; but his German Secretary is not gone: the House is inviolable,
impregnable to Prussia. Who knows, in spite of the light going out, but Keith is still there, merely with a
window shutter to screen him? One morning, it becomes apparent Keith is not there. One morning, a
gentleman at the seaside is admiring Dutch fishingskiffs, and how they do sail, "Pooh, Sir, that is nothing.!"
answers a man in multiplex breeches: "the other night I went across to England in one, with an Excellency's
Messenger who could not wait!"Truth is, the Chesterfield Secretary, who forbade lights, took the first
good night for conveying Keith to Scheveningen and the seaside; where a Fisherboat was provided for him;
which carried him, frail craft as it was, safe across to England. Once there, the Authorities took pity on the
poor fellow;furnished the modicum of cash and help; sent him with Admiral Norris to assist the
Portuguese, menaced with Spanish war at this time; among whom he gradually rose to be Major of Horse.
Friedrich Wilhelm cited him by tap of drum three times in Wesel, and also in the Gazettes, native and Dutch;
then, as he did not come, nailed an Effigy of him (cut in four, if I remember) on the gallows there; and
confiscated any property he had. Keith had more pedigree than property; was of Poberow in Pommern; son of
poor gentlefolks there. He sent no word of himself to Prussia, for the next ten years; so that he had become a
kind of myth to many people; to his poor Mother among the rest, who has her tragical surmises about him. He
will appear again; but not to much purpose. His Brother, the Page Keith, is packed into the Fusileer
Regiment, at Wesel here; and there walks sentry, unheard of for the rest of his life. So much for the Keiths.
[Preuss: Friedrich mit seinen Verwandten und Freunden, pp. 330, 392.See, on this and the other points,
Pollnitz, Memoiren, ii. 352374 (and correct his many blunders).]
Other difficulty there is as to the Prison of the Prince. Wesel is a strong Town; but for obvious reasons one
nearer Berlin, farther from the frontier, would be preferable. Towards Berlin, however, there is no route all on
Prussian ground: from these divided Cleve Countries we have to cross a bit of Hanover, a bit of
HessenCassel: suppose these Serene Highnesses were to interfere? Not likely they will interfere, answer
ancient military men, of due grimness; at any rate, we can go a roundabout road, and they need not know!
That is the method settled on; neighborhood of Berlin, clearly somewhere there, must be the place? Old
Castle of Mittenwalde, in the Wusterhausen environs, let that be the first restingpoint, then; Rochow,
Waldau, and the Wesel FusileerColonel here, sure men, with a trooper or two for escort, shall conduct the
Prisoner. By Treuenbrietzen, by circuitous roads: swift, silent, steady,and with vigilance, as you shall
answer!These preliminaries settled, Friedrich Wilhelm drives off homewards, black Care riding behind
him. He reaches Berlin, Sunday, 27th August; finds a world gone all to a kind of doomsday with him there,
poor gentleman.
SCENE AT BERLIN ON MAJESTY'S ARRIVAL.
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On Sunday evening, 27th August, 1730, his Majesty, who had rested overnight at Potsdam from his rapid
journey, drove into Berlin between four and five in the afternoon. Deserter Fritz is following, under escort of
his three military gentlemen, at a slower rate and by circuitous routes, so as to avoid the territories of Hanover
and Hessen,towards Mittenwalde in the Wusterhausen neighborhood. The military gentlemen are vigilant
as Argus, and, though pitying the poor Prince, must be rigorous as Rhadamanthus. His attempts at escape, of
which tradition mentions more than one, they will not report to Papa, nor even notice to the Prince himself;
but will take care to render futile, one and all: his Majesty may be secure on that score.
The scenes that follow are unusual in royal history; and having been reported in the world with infinite noise
and censure, made up of laughter and horror, it will behoove us to be the more exact in relating them as they
actually befell. Very difficult to pull, out of that ravelled cartload of chaotic thrums, here a thread and there
a thread, capable of being brought to the straight state, and woven into legible narrative! But perhaps, by that
method the mingled laughter and horror will modify itself a little. What we can well say is, that pity also
ought not to be wanting. The next six months were undoubtedly by far the wretchedest of Friedrich Wilhelm's
life. The poor King, except that he was not conscious of intending wrong, but much the reverse, walked in the
hollow night of Gehenna, all that while, and was often like to be driven mad by the turn things had taken.
Here is scene first: Wilhelmina reports his Majesty's arrival that Sunday afternoon, to the following effect;
she was present in the adventure, and not a spectatress only:
"The Queen was alone in his Majesty's Apartment, waiting for him as he approached. At sight of her, in the
distance, he called out: 'Your losel of a Son (VOTRE INDIGNE FILS) has ended at last; you have done with
HIM,' or words to that effect. 'What,' cried the Queen, 'you have had the barbarity to kill him?' 'Yes, I tell
you,but where is the sealed Desk?' The Queen went to her own Apartment to fetch it; I ran in to her there
for a moment: she was out of herself, wringing her hands, crying incessantly, and said without ceasing: 'MON
DIEU, MON FILS (O God, my Son)!' Breath failed me; I fell fainting into the arms of Madame de
Sonsfeld." The Queen took away the Writingcase; King tore out the letters, and went off; upon which the
Queen came down again to us.
"We learned from some attendant that, at least, my Brother was not dead. The King now came back. We all
ran to kiss his hands; but me he no sooner noticed than rage and fury took possession of him. He became
black in the face, his eyes sparkling fire, his mouth foaming. 'Infamous CANAILLE,' said he; 'darest thou
show thyself before me? Go, keep thy scoundrel of a Brother company!' And so saying, he seized me with
one hand, slapping me on the face with the other,'clenched as a fist (POING),'several blows; one of
which struck me on the temple, so that I fell back, and should have split my head against a corner of the
wainscot, had not Madame de Sonsfeld caught me by the headdress and broken the fall. I lay on the ground
without consciousness. The King, in a frenzy, was for striking me with his feet; had not the Queen, my
Sisters, and the rest, run between, and those who were present prevented him. They all ranked themselves
round me, which gave Mesdames de Kamecke and Sonsfeld time to pick me up. They put me in a chair in the
embrasure of a window; threw water on my face to bring me to life: which care I lamentably reproached them
with, death being a thousand times better, in the pass things had come to. The Queen kept shrieking, her
firmness had quite left her: she wrung her hands, and ran in despair up and down the room. The King's face
was so disfigured with rage, it was frightful to look upon. The little ones were on their knees, begging for
me," [Wilhelmina, i. 265267.]
poor little beings, what a group: Amelia, the youngest girl, about six; Henri, in his bits of trousers, hardly
over four! For the rest, I perceive, this room was on the first or a lower floor, and such noises were very
audible. The Guard had turned out at the noise; and a crowd was collecting to see and hear: "Move on! Move
on!"
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"The King had now changed his tune: he admitted that my Brother was still alive; but vowed horribly he
would put him to death, and lay me fast within four walls for the rest of my life. He accused me of being the
Prince's accomplice, whose crime was high treason;also of having an intrigue of love with Katte, to whom,
he said, I had borne several children." The timid Gouvernante flamed up at this unheardof insult: "'That is
not true,' said she, fiercely; 'whoever has told your Majesty such a thing has told a lie!' 'Oh, spare my Brother,
and I will marry the Duke of Weissenfels,' whimpered I; but in the great noise he did not hear; and while I
strove to repeat it louder, Sonsfeld clapt her handkerchief on my face.
"Hustling aside to get rid of the handkerchief, I saw Katte crossing the Square. Four soldiers were conducting
him to the King; trunks, my Brother's and his own, sealed, were coming on in the rear. Pale and downcast, he
took off his hat to salute me," poor Katte, to me always so prostrate in silent respect, and now so unhappy!
"A moment after, the King, hearing he was come, went out exclaiming, 'Now I shall have proof about the
scoundrel Fritz and the offscouring (CANAILLE) Wilhelmina; clear proofs to cut the heads off them.'"The
two Hofdames again interfered; and one of them, Kamecke it was, rebuked him; told him, in the tone of a
prophetess, To take care what he was doing. Whom his Majesty gazed into with astonishment, but rather with
respect than with anger, saying, "Your intentions are good!"
And so his Majesty flung out, seeking Katte; and vanished: Wilhelmina saw no more of him for about a year
after; being ordered to her room, and kept prisoner there on low diet, with sentries guarding her doors, and no
outlook but the worst horror her imagination pleased to paint.
This is the celebrated assault of paternal Majesty on Wilhelmina; the rumor of which has gone into all lands,
exciting wonder and horror, but could not be so exact as this account at first hand. Naturally the crowd of
streetpassengers, once dispersed by the Guard, carried the matter abroad, and there was no end of
sympathetic exaggerations. Report ran in Berlin, for example, that the poor Princess was killed, beaten or
trampled to death; which we clearly see she was not. Voltaire, in that mass of angry calumnies, very
mendacious indeed, which he calls VIE PRIVEE DU ROI DE PRUSSE, mentions the matter with emphasis;
and says farther, The Princess once did him (Voltaire) the "honor to show him a black mark she carried on
her breast ever after;"which is likelier to be false than true. Captain Guy Dickens, the Legationary Captain,
who seems a clear, ingenuous and ingenious man, and of course had access to the highest circles of refined
rumor, reports the matter about ten days after, with several errors, in this manner:
"BERLIN, 5th SEPTEMBER, 1730. Four or five days ago [by the Almanac nine, and directly on his
Majesty's return, which Dickens had announced a week ago without that fact attached], the King dreadfully
illtreated Wilhelmina in bed [not in bed at all]; whole Castle (SCHLOSS or Palace) was alarmed; Guard
turned out," to clear away the crowd, as we perceive. Not properly a crowd, such was not permissible
there: but a stagnation of the passersby would naturally ensue on that esplanade; till the Guard turned out,
and indicated with emphasis, "Move on!" Dickens hears farther that "the Queen fares no better;"such is the
state of rumor in Berlin at present.
Poor Katte had a hard audience of it too. He fell at Friedrich Wilhelm's feet; and was spurned and
caned;for the rest, beyond what was already evident, had little or nothing to confess: Intention of flight and
of accompanying in flight very undeniable; although preliminaries and ulterior conditions of said flight not
perfectly known to Katte; known only that the thought of raising trouble in foreign Courts, or the least vestige
of treason against his Majesty, had not entered even into their dreams. A name or two of persons who had
known, or guessed, of these operations, is wrung from Katte;name of a Lieutenant Spaen, for one; who,
being on guard, had admitted Katte into Potsdam once or twice in disguise:for him and for the like of him,
of whatever rank or whichever sex, let arrests be made out, and the scent as with sleuthhounds be diligently
followed on all sides; and Katte, stript of his uniform, be locked up in the grimmest manner. Berlin, with the
rumor of these things, is a muchagitated city.
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Chapter VIII. SEQUEL TO CROWNPRINCE AND FRIENDS.
As for the CrownPrince, prosecuting his circuitous route, he arrives safe at Mittenwalde; is lodged in the old
Castle there, I think, for two nights (but the date, in these indexless Books, is blown away again), in a room
bare of all things, with sentries at the door; and looks out, expecting Grumkow and the Officials to make
assault on him. One of these Officials, a certain "Gerber, Fiscal General," who, as head of Prussian Fiscals
(kind of Public Prosecutor, or supreme Essence of Bailiffs, Catchpoles and GrandJuries all in one), wears a
red cloak,gave the Prince a dreadful start. Red cloak is the Berlin Hangman's or Headsman's dress; and
poor Friedrich had the idea his end had summarily come in this manner. Soon seeing it was otherwise, his
spirits recovered, perhaps rose by the shock.
He fronted Grumkow and the Officials, with a high, almost contemptuous look; answered promptly,if
possible, without lying, and yet without telling anything;showed selfpossession, pride; retorted
sometimes, "Have you nothing more to ask?" Grumkow finding there was no way made into anything, not
even into the secret of the Writingcase and the Royal Women's operations there, began at last, as Wilhelmina
says, to hint, That in his Majesty's service there were means of bringing out the truth in spite of refractory
humors; that there was a thing called the rack, not yet abolished in his Prussian Majesty's dominions!
Friedrich owned afterwards, his blood ran cold. However, he put on a high look: "A Hangman, such as you,
naturally takes pleasure in talking of his tools and his trade: but on me they will not produce any effect. I
have owned everything;and almost regret to have done so. For it is not my part to stand questionings and
bandy responses with a COQUIN COMME VOUS, scoundrel like you," reports Wilhelmina, [i. 280.] though
we hope the actual term was slightly less candid!Grumkow gathered his notes together; and went his ways,
with the man in red cloak and the rest; thus finishing the scene in Mittenwalde. Mittenwalde, which we used
to know long since, in our Wusterhausen rides with poor Duhan; little thinking what awaited us there one
day.
Mittenwalde being finished, Friedrich, on Monday, 6th September, 1730, is sent forward to Custrin, a strong
little town in a quiet Country, some sixty or seventy miles eastward of Berlin. On the evening of the 5th he
finds himself lodged in a strong room of the Fortress there,room consisting af bare walls lighted from far
up; no furniture, not even the needfulest; everything indicating that the proud spirit and the iron laws shall
here have their duel out at leisure, and see which is stronger.
His sword was taken from him at Wesel; sword, uniform, every mark of dignity, all are now gone: he is clad
in brown prisondress of the plainest cut and cloth; his diet is fixed at tenpence a day ("to be got from the
cook's shop, six groschen for dinner, four for supper"); [Order, 14th September, 1730 (in Forster, i. 372).]
food to be cut for him, no knife allowed. Room is to be opened, morning, noon and evening, "on the average
not above four minutes each time;" lights, or single tallowlight, to be extinguished at seven P.M. Absolute
solitude; no flute allowed, far from it; no books allowed, except the Bible and a PrayerBook,or perhaps
Noltenius's MANUAL, if he took a hankering for it. There, shut out from the babble of fools, and conversing
only with the dumb Veracities, with the huge inarticulate meanings of Destiny, Necessity and Eternity, let the
fool of a Fritz bethink himself, if there is any thought in him! There, among the Bogs of the Oder, the very
sedges getting brown all round him, and the very curlews flying off for happier climes, let him wait, till the
question of his doom, rather an abstruse question, ripen in the royal breast.
As for Wilhelmina, she is close prisoner in her apartments in the Berlin Palaoe, sentries pacing at every
outlet, for many months to come. Wilhelmina almost rather likes it, such a dog of an existence has she had
hitherto, for want of being well let alone. She plays, reads; composes music; smuggles letters to and from
Mamma,one in Pencil, from my Brother even, O Heavens! Wilhelmina weeps, now and then, with her
good Sonsfeld; hopes nevertheless there will be some dawn to this RAGNAROK, or general "twilight of the
gods." Friedrich Wilhelm, convinced that England has had a hand in this treason, signifies officially to his
Excellency Captain Dickens, That the English negotiationa are concluded; that neither in the way of
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SingleMarriage nor of DoubleMarriage will he have anything more to do with England. "Well," answers
England, "who can help it? Negotiation was not quite of our seeking. Let it so end!" [Dickens's Despatch,
25th September, 1730; and Harrington's Answer to it, of 6th October: Seckendorf (in Forster, iii. 9), 23d
September.]Nay at dinner one day (Seckendorf reports, while Fritz was on the road to Custrin) he proposes
the toast, "Downfall of England!" [Seckendorf (in Forster, iii. 11).] and would have had the Queen drink it;
who naturally wept, but I conjecture could not be made to drink. Her Majesty is a weeping, almost
brokenhearted woman; his Majesty a raging, almost brokenhearted man. Seckendorf and Grumkow are, as
it were, too victorious; and now have their apprehensions on that latter score. But they look on with
countenanoes well veiled, and touch the helm judiciously in TobaccoParliament, intent on the nearest harbor
of refuge.
Her Majesty nevertheless steadily persists; merely sinks deeper out of sight with her English schemes;
ducking till the wave go by. Messages, desperate appeals still go, through Mamsell Bulow, Wilhelmina's
Hofdame, and other channels; nay Wilhelmina thinks there were still intentions on the part of England, and
that the nonfulfilment of them at the last moment turned on accident; English "Courier arrived some hours
too late," thinks Wilhelmina. [Wilhelmina (i. 369, 384), and Preuss and others after her.] But that is a
mistake. The negotiation, in spite of her Majesty's endeavors, was essentially out; England, after such a
message, could not, nor did, stir farther in the matter.
In that Writingcase his Majesty found what we know; nothing but mysterious effects of female art, and no
light whatever. It is a great source of wrath and of sorrow to him, that neither in the Writingcase, nor in
Katte's or the Prince's socalled "Confessions," can the thing be seen into. A deeper bottom it must have,
thinks his Majesty, but knows not what or where. To overturn the Country, belike; and fling the Kaiser, and
European Balance of Power, bottom uppermost? Me they presumably meant to poison! he tells Seckendorf
one day. [Dickens's Despatch, 16th September, 1730.] Was ever Father more careful for his children, soul
and body? Anxious, to excess, to bring them up in orthodox nurture and admonition: and this is how they
reward me, Herr Feldzeugmeister! "Had he honestly confessed, and told me the whole truth, at Wesel, I
would have made it up with him quietly there. But now it must go its lengths; and the whole world shall be
judge between us." [Seckendorf (Forster, ubi supra), 23d September.]
His Majesty is in a flaming height. He arrests, punishes and banishes, where there is trace of cooperation or
connection with Deserter Fritz and his schemes. The Bulows, brother and sister, brother in the King's service,
sister in Wilhelmina's, respectable goldstick people, originally of Hanover, are hurled out to Lithuania and the
world's end: let them live in Memel, and repent as they can. Minister Knyphausen, always of English
tendencies, he, with his Wife,to whom it is specially hard, while General Schwerin, gallant witty Kurt,
once of Mecklenburg, stays behind, is ordered to disappear, and follow his private rural business far off;
no minister, ever more. The Lieutenant Spaen of the Giant Regiment, who kept false watch, and did not tell
of Katte, gets cashiering and a year in Spandau. He wandered elsewhither, and came to something
afterwards, poor Spaen. [Preuss, i. 63, 66.] Bookseller Hanau with this bad Fritz's Books: To Memel with him
also; let him deal in more orthodox kinds of Literature there.
It is dangerous to have lent the CrownPrince money, contrary to the Royal Edict; lucky if loss of your
money will settle the account. Witness French Montholieu, for one; Count, or whatever he styled himself;
nailed to the gallows (in effigy) after he had fled. It is dangerous to have spoken kindly to the CrownPrince,
or almost to have been spoken to by him. Doris Ritter, a comely enough good girl, nothing of a beauty, but
given to music, Potsdam CANTOR'S (Precentor's) daughter, has chanced to be standing in the door, perhaps
to be singing within doors, once or twice, when the Prince passed that way: Prince inquired about her music,
gave her music, spoke a civility, as young men will,nothing more, upon my honor; though his Majesty
believes there was much more; and condemns poor Doris to be whipt by the Beadle, and beat hemp for three
years. Rhadamanthus is a strict judge, your Majesty; and might be a trifle better informed!Poor Doris got
out of this sad Pickle, on her own strength; and wedded, and did well enough, Prince and King happily
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leaving her alone thenceforth. Voltaire, twenty years after, had the pleasure of seeing her at Berlin: "Wife of
one Shommers, Clerk of the HackneyCoach Office,"read, Schomer, FARMER of the Berlin
HackneyCoach Enterprise in general; decidedly a poor man. Wife, by this time, was grown hard enough of
feature: "tall, lean; looked like a Sibyl; not the least appearance how she could ever have deserved to be whipt
for a Prince." [Voltaire, OEuvres (calumnious Vie Privee du Roi de Prusse ), ii. 51, 52. Preuss, i. 64, 66.]
The excellent Tutor of the CrownPrince, good Duhan de Jandun, for what fault or complicity we know not,
is hurled off to Memel; ordered to live there,on what resources is equally unknown. Apparently his fault
was the general one, of having miseducated the Prince, and introduced these French Literatures, foreign
poisonous elements of thought and practice into the mind of his Pupil, which have ruined the young man. For
his Majesty perceives that there lies the source of it; that only total perversion of the heart and judgment, first
of all, can have brought about these dreadful issues of conduct. And indeed his Majesty understands, on
credible information, that Deserter Fritz entertains very heterodox opinions; opinion on Predestination, for
one;which is itself calculated to be the very mother of mischief, in a young mind inclined to evil. The
heresy about Predestination, or the "FREIE GNADENWAHL (Election by Free Grace)," as his Majesty
terms it, according to which a man is preappointed from all Eternity either to salvation or the opposite (which
is Fritz's notion, and indeed is Calvin's, and that of many benighted creatures, this Editor among them),
appears to his Majesty an altogether shocking one; nor would the whole Synod of Dort, or Calvin, or St.
Augustine in person, aided by a ThirtyEditor power, reconcile his Majesty's practical judgment to such a
tenet. What! May not Deserter Fritz say to himself, even now, or in whatever other deeps of sin he may fall
into, "I was foredoomed to it: how could I, or how can I, help it?" The mind of his Majesty shudders, as if
looking over the edge of an abyss. He is meditating much whether nothing can be done to save the lost Fritz,
at least the soul of him, from this horrible delusion:hurls forth your fine Duhan, with his metaphysics, to
remote Memel, as the first step. And signifies withal, though as yet only historically and in a speculative way,
to Finkenstein and Kalkstein themselves, That their method of training up a young soul, to do God's will, and
accomplish useful work in this world, does by no means appear to the royal mind an admirable one! [His
Letter to them (3d December, 1730) in Forster, ii. 382.] Finkenstein and Kalkstein were always covertly
rather of the Queen's party, and now stand reprimanded, and in marked disfavor.
That the treasonous mystery of this CrownPrince (parricidal, it is likely, and tending to upset the Universe)
must be investigated to the very bottom, and be condignly punished, probably with death, his Majesty
perceives too well; and also what terrible difficulties, formal and essential, there will be, But whatever
become of his perishable life, ought not, if possible, the soul of him to be saved from the claws of Satan!
"Claws of Satan;" "brand from the burning;" "for Christ our Saviour's sake;" "in the name of the most
merciful God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Amen:"so Friedrich Wilhelm phrases it, in those confused old
documents and Cabinet Letters of his; [Forster, i. 374, 379, which awaken a strange feeling in the attentive
reader; and show us the ruggedest of human creatures melted into blubbering tenderness, and growling
huskily something which we perceive is real prayer. Here has a business fallen out, such as seldom occurred
before!
Chapter IX. COURTMARTIAL ON CROWNPRINCE AND CONSORTS.
The rumor of these things naturally fills all minds, and occupies all human tongues, in Berlin and Prussia,
though an Edict threatens, That the tongues shall be cut out which speak of them in any way, [Dickens, of 7th
November, 1730.] and sounds far and wide into foreign Courts and Countries, where there is no such Edict.
Friedrich Wilhelm's conduct, looked at from without, appears that of a hideous royal ogre, or blind
anthropophagous Polyphemus fallen mad. Looked at from within, where the Polyphemus has his reasons, and
a kind of inner rushlight to enlighten his path; and is not bent on maneating, but on discipline in spite of
difficulties,it is a wild enough piece of humanity, not so much ludicrous as tragical. Never was a royal bear
so led about before by a pair of conjuring pipers in the market, or brought to such a pass in his dancing for
them!
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"General Ginkel, the Dutch Ambassador here," writes Dickens, "told me of an interview he had with the
King;" being ordered by their High Mightinesses to solicit his Majesty in this matter. King "harbors 'most
monstrous wicked designs, not fit to be spoken of in words,' reports Ginkel. 'It is certain,' added he, 'if the
King of Prussia continue in the mind he is in at present, we shall see scenes here as wicked and bloody as any
that were ever heard of since the creation of the world.' 'Will sacrifice his whole family,' not the
CrownPrince alone; 'everybody except Grumkow being, as he fancies, in conspiracy against him.' Poor
enchanted King!'And all these things he said with such imprecations and disordered looks, foaming at the
mouth all the while, as it was terrible either to see or hear.'" That is Ginkel's report, as Dickens conveys it.
[Despatch, 7th September, 1730.] Another time, on new order, a month later, when Ginkel went again to
speak a word for the poor Prisoner, he found his Majesty clothed not in delirious thunder, but in sorrowful
thick fog; Ginkel "was the less able to judge what the King of Prussia meant to do with his Son, as it was
evident the King himself did not know." [Ib. 10th October.]
Poor Friedrich Wilhelm, through these months, wanders about, shifting from room to room, in the
nighttime, like a man possessed by evil fiends; "orders his carriage for Wusterhausen at two in the
morning," but finds he is no better there, and returns; drinks a great deal, "has not gone to bed sober for a
month past." [Ib. 19th December, 1730.] One night he comes gliding like a perturbed ghost, about midnight,
with his candle in his hand, into the Queen's apartment; says, wildly staring, "He thinks there is something
haunting him:"O Feekin, erring disobedient Wife, wilt not thou protect me, after all? Whither can I fly
when haunted, except to thee? Feekin, like a prudent woman, makes no criticism; orders that his Majesty's
bed be made up in her apartment till these phenomena cease. [Ib. 27th February, 1731.] A muchagitated
royal Father.
The question what is to be done with this unhappy CrownPrince, a Deserter from the army, a rebel against
the paternal Majesty, and a believer in the doctrine of Election by Free Grace, or that a man's good or ill
conduct is foredoomed upon him by decree of God,becomes more intricate the longer one thinks of it.
Seckendorf and Grumkow, alarmed at being too victorious, are set against violent high methods; and suggest
this and that consideration: "Who is it that can legally try, condemn, or summon to his bar, a CrownPrince?
He is Prince of the Empire, as well as your Majesty's Son!""Well, he is Heir of the Sovereign Majesty in
Prussia, too; and Colonel in the Potsdam Guards!" answers Friedrich Wilhelm.
At length, after six or seven weeks of abstruse meditation, it is settled in TobaccoParliament and the royal
breast, That Katte and the CrownPrince, as Deserters from the Prussian Army, can and shall be tried by
CourtMartial; to that no power, on the earth or out of it, can have any objection worth attending to. Let a fair
CourtMartial of our highest military characters be selected and got ready. Let that, as a voice of
Rhadamanthus, speak upon the two culprits; and tell us what is to be done. By the middle of October, things
on Friedrich Wilhelm's side have got so far.
CROWNPRINCE IN CUSTRIN.
Poor Friedrich meanwhile has had a grim time of it, these two months back; left alone, in coarse brown
prisondress, within his four bare walls at Custrin; in uninterrupted, unfathomable colloquy with the
Destinies and the Necessities there. The King's stern orders must be fulfilled to the letter; the CrownPrince
is immured in that manner. At Berlin, there are the wildest rumors as to the state he has fallen into; "covered
with rags and vermin, unshaven, no comb allowed him, lights his own fire," says one testimony, which
Captain Dickens thinks worth reporting. For the truth is, no unofficial eye can see the CrownPrince, or
know what state he is in. And we find, in spite of the Edict, "tongues," not "cut out," kept wagging at a high
rate. "People of all ranks are unspeakably indignant" at certain heights of the business: "Margravine Albert
said publicly, 'A tyrant as bad as Nero!'" [Dickens, 7th November, 2d December, 1730.]
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How long the CrownPrince's defiant humor held out, we are not told. By the middle of October there comes
proposal of "entire confession" from the Prince; and though, when Papa sends deputies accordingly, there is
next to nothing new confessed, and Papa's anger blazes out again, probably we may take this as the
turningpoint on his Son's part. With him, of course, that mood of mind could not last. There is no wildest
lion but, finding his bars are made of iron, ceases to bite them. The CrownPrince there, in his horror,
indignation and despair, had a lucid human judgment in him, too; loyal to facts, and well knowing their
inexorable nature, Just sentiments are in this young man, not capable of permanent distortion into spasm by
any form of injustice laid on them. It is not long till he begins to discern, athwart this terrible, quasiinfernal
element, that so the facts are; and that nothing but destruction, and no honor that were not dishonor, will be
got by not conforming to the facts. My Father may be a tyrant, and driven mad against me: well, well, let not
me at least go mad!
Grumkow is busy on the mild side of the business; of course Grumkow and all official men. Grumkow
cannot but ask himself this question among others: How if the King should suddenly die upon us! Grumkow
is out at Custrin, and again out; explaining to the Prince, what the enormous situation is; how inflexible,
inexorable, and of peril and horror incalculable to Mother and Sister and self and royal House; and that there
is one possibility of good issue, and only one: that of loyally yielding, where one cannot resist. By degrees,
some lurid troublous but perceptible lightgleam breaks athwart the black whirlwind of our indignation and
despair; and saner thoughts begin to insinuate themselves. "Obey, thou art not the strongest, there are stronger
than thou! All men, the highest among them, are called to learn obedience."
Moreover, the first sweep of royal fury being past, his Majesty's stern regulations at Custrin began to relax in
fulfilment; to be obeyed only by those immediately responsible, and in letter rather than in spirit even by
those. President von Munchow who is head of the DomainKammer, chief representative of Government at
Custrin, and resides in the Fortress there, ventures after a little, the Prince's doors being closed as we saw, to
have an orifice bored through the floor above, and thereby to communicate with the Prince, and
sympathetically ask, What he can do for him? Many things, books among others, are, under cunning
contrivance, smuggled in by the judicious Munchow, willing to risk himself in such a service. For example,
Munchow has a son, a clever boy of seven years old; who, to the wonder of neighbors, goes into
child'spetticoats again; and testifies the liveliest desire to be admitted to the Prince, and bear him company a
little! Surely the law of Nocompany does not extend to that of an innocent child? The innocent child has a
row of pockets all round the inside of his long gown; and goes laden, miscellaneously, like a ship of the
desert, or cockboat not forbidden to cross the line. Then there are stools, one stool at least indispensable to
human nature; and the inside of this, once you open it, is a chestofdrawers, containing paper, ink, new
literature and much else. No end to Munchow'a goodwill, and his ingenuity is great. [Preuss, i. 46.]
A Captain Fouquet also, furthered I think by the Old Dessauer, whose man he is, comes to Custrin Garrison,
on duty or as volunteer, by and by. He is an old friend of the Prince's; ran off, being the Dessauer's little
page, to the Siege of Stralsund, long ago, to be the Dessauer's little soldier there: a readywitted,
hottempered, highly estimable man; and his real duty here is to do the Prince what service may be possible.
He is often with the Prince; their light is extinguished precisely at seven o'clock: "Very well, Lieutenant," he
would say, "you have done your orders to the CrownPrince's light. But his Majesty has no concern with
Captain Fouquet's candles!" and thereupon would light a pair. Nay, I have heard of Lieutenants who
punctually blew out the Prince's light, as a matter of duty and command; and then kindled it again, as a
civility left free to human nature. In short, his Majesty's orders can only be fulfilled to the letter;
Commandant Lepel and all Officers are willing not to see where they can help seeing. Even in the letter his
Majesty's orders are severe enough.
SENTENCE OF COURTMARTIAL.
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Meanwhile the CourtMartial, selected with intense study, installs itself at Copenick; and on the 25th of
October commences work. This Deserter CrownPrince and his accomplices, especially Katte his chief
accomplice, what is to be done with them? Copenick lies on the road to Custrin, within a morning's drive of
Berlin; there is an ancient Palace here, and room for a CourtMartial. "QUE FAIRE? ILS ONT DES
CANONS!" said the old Prussian Raths, wandering about in these woods, when Gustavus and his Swedes
were at the door. "QUE FAIRE?" may the new military gentlemen think to themselves, here again, while the
brown leaves rustle down upon them, after a hundred years!
The Court consists of a President, LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg, an elderly Malplaquet gentleman of
good experience; one of the many Schulenburgs conspicuous for soldiering, and otherwise, in those times. He
is nephew of George I.'s lean mistress; who also was a Schulenburg originally, and conspicuous not for
soldiering. Lean mistress we say; not the Fat one, or cataract of tallow, with eyebrows like a cartwheel, and
dim coaly disks for eyes, who was George I.'s halfsister, probably not his mistress at all; and who now, as
Countess of Darlington so called, sits at Isleworth with good fat pensions, and a tame raven
comeofwill,probably the SOUL of George I. in some form. [See Walpole, Reminiscences. ] Not this
one, we say:but the threadpaper Duchess of Kendal, actual Exmistress; who tore her hair on the road
when apoplexy overtook poor George, and who now attends chapel diligently, poor old anatomy or lean
human nailrod. For the sake of the English reader searching into what is called "History," I, with
indignation, endeavor to discriminate these two beings once again; that each may be each, till both are
happily forgotten to all eternity. It was the latter, lean maypole or nailrod one, that was Aunt of
Schulenburg, the elderly Malplaquet gentleman who now presides at Copenick. And let the reader remember
him; for he will turn up repeatedly again.
The Court consisted farther of three MajorGenerals, among whom I name only Grumkow (MajorGeneral
by rank though more of a diplomatist and blackartist than a soldier), and Schwerin, Kurt von Schwerin of
Mecklenburg (whom Madam Knyphausen regrets, in her now exile to the Country); three Colonels, Derschau
one of them; three LieutenantColonels, three Majors and three Captains, all of whom shall be nameless
here. Lastly come three of the "Auditor" or the JudgeAdvocate sort: Mylius, the Compiler of sad Prussian
Quartos, known to some; Gerber, whose red cloak has frightened us once already; and the Auditor of Katte's
regiment. A complete CourtMartial, and of symmetrical structure, by the rule of three;of whose
proceedings we know mainly the result, nor seek much to know more. This Court met on Wednesday, 25th
October, 1730, in the little Town of Copenick; and in six days had ended, signed, sealed and despatched to
his Majesty; and got back to Berlin on the Tuesday next. His Majesty, who is now at Wusterhausen, in
hunting time, finds conclusions to the following effect:
Accomplices of the CrownPrince are two: FIRST, Lieutenant Keith, actual deserter (who cannot be caught):
To be hanged in effigy, cut in four quarters, and nailed to the gallows at Wesel:GOOD, says his Majesty.
SECONDLY, Lieutenant Katte of the Gensd'Armes, intended deserter, not actually deserting, and much
tempted thereto: All things considered, Perpetual Fortress Arrest to Lieutenant Katte:NOT GOOD this;
BAD this, thinks Majesty; this provokes from his Majesty an angry rebuke to the too lax CourtMartial.
Rebuke which can still be read, in growling, unlucid phraseology; but with a rhadamanthine idea clear
enough in it, and with a practical purport only too clear: That Katte was a sworn soldier, of the
Gensd'Armes even, or Bodyguard of the Prussian Majesty; and did nevertheless, in the teeth of his oath,
"worship the Rising Sun" when minded to desert; did plot and colleague with foreign Courts in aid of said
Rising Sun, and of an intended high crime against the Prussian Majesty itself on Rising Sun's part; far from at
once revealing the same, as duty ordered Lieutenant Katte to do. That Katte's crime amounts to hightreason
(CRIMEN LOESOE MAJESTATIS); that the rule is, FIAT JUSTITIA, ET PEREAT MUNDUS;and that,
in brief, Katte's doom is, and is hereby declared to be, Death. Death by the gallows and hot pincers is the
usual doom of Traitors; but his Majesty will say in this case, Death by the sword and headsman simply;
certain circumstances moving the royal clemency to go so far, no farther. And the CourtMartial has
straightway to apprise Katte of this same: and so doing, "shall say, That his Majesty is sorry for Katte: but
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that it is better he die than that justice depart out of the world." [Preuss, i. 44.]
This is the iron doom of Katte; which no prayer or influence of mortal will avail to alter,lest justice depart
out of the world. Katte's Father is a General of rank, Commandant of Konigsberg at this moment; Katte's
Grandfather by the Mother's side, old Fieldmarshal Wartensleben, is a man in good favor with Friedrich
Wilhelm, and of high esteem and mark in his country for half a century past. But all this can effect nothing.
Old Wartensleben thinks of the Daughter he lost; for happily Katte's Mother is dead long since. Old
Wartensleben writes to Friedrich Wilhelm; his mournful Letter, and Friedrich Wilhelm's mournful but
inexorable answer, can be read in the Histories; but show only what we already know.
Katte's Mother, Fieldmarshal Wartensleben's Daughter, died in 1706; leaving Katte only two years old. He is
now twentysix; very young for such grave issues; and his fate is certainly very hard. Poor young soul, he did
not resist farther, or quarrel with the inevitable and inexorable. He listened to Chaplain Muller of the
Gensd'Armes; admitted profoundly, after his fashion, that the great God was just, and the poor Katte sinful,
foolish, only to be saved by miracle of mercy; and piously prepared himself to die on these terms. There are
three Letters of his to his Grandfather, which can still be read, one of them in Wilhelmina's Book,
[Wilhelmina, i. 302.] the sound of it like that of dirges borne on the wind, Wilhelmina evidently pities Katte
very tenderly; in her heart she has a fine royalmaiden kind of feeling to the poor youth. He did heartily
repent and submit; left with Chaplain Muller a Paper of pious considerations, admonishing the Prince to
submit. These are Katte's last employments in his prison at Berlin, after sentence had gone forth.
KATTE'S END, 6th NOVEMBER, 1780.
On Sunday evening, 6th November, it is intimated to him, unexpectedly at the moment, that he has to go to
Custrin, and there die;carriage now waiting at the gate. Katte masters the sudden flurry; signifies that all is
ready, then; and so, under charge of his old Major and two brother Officers, who, and Chaplain Muller, are in
the carriage with him, a troop of his own old Cavalry Regiment escorting, he leaves Berlin (rather on sudden
summons); drives all night, towards Custrin and immediate death. Words of sympathy were not wanting, to
which Katte answered cheerily; grim faces wore a cloud of sorrow for the poor youth that night. Chaplain
Muller's exhortations were fervent and continual; and, from time to time, there were heard, hoarsely
melodious through the damp darkness and the noise of wheels, snatches of "devotional singing," led by
Muller.
It was in the gray of the winter morning, 6th November, 1730, that Katte arrived in Custrin garrison. He took
kind leave of Major and men: Adieu, my brothers; good be with you evermore!And, about nine o'clock he
is on the road towards the Rampart of the Castle, where a scaffold stands. Katte wore, by order, a brown dress
exactly like the Prince's; the Prince is already brought down into a lower room to see Katte as he passes (to
"see Katte die," had been the royal order; but they smuggled that into abeyance); and Katte knows he shall
see him. Faithful Muller was in the deathcar along with Katte: and he had adjoined to himself one Besserer,
the Chaplain of the Garrison, in this sad function, since arriving. Here is a glimpse from Besserer, which we
may take as better than nothing:
"His (Katte's) eyes were mostly directed to God; and we (Muller and I), on our part, strove to hold his heart
up heavenwards, by presenting the examples of those who had died in the Lord,as of God's Son himself,
and Stephen, and the Thief on the Cross,till, under such discoursing, we approached the Castle. Here, after
long wistful looking about, he did get sight of his beloved Jonathan," Royal Highness the CrownPrince, "at
a window in the Castle; from whom he, with the politest and most tender expression, spoken in French, took
leave, with no little emotion of sorrow." [Letter to Katte's Father (Extract, in Preuss, Friedrich mit Freunden
und Verwandten, p. 7).]
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President Munchow and the Commandant were with the Prince; whose emotions one may fancy; but not
describe. Seldom did any Prince or man stand in such a predicament. Vain to say, and again say: "In the name
of God, I ask you, stop the execution till I write to the King!" Impossible that; as easily stop the course of the
stars. And so here Katte comes; cheerful loyalty still beaming on his face, death now nigh.
"PARDONNEZMOI, MON CHER KATTE!" cried Priedrich in a tone: Pardon me, dear Katte; oh, that this
should be what I have done for you!"Death is sweet for a Prince I love so well," said Katte, "LA MORT
EST DOUCE POUR UN SI AIMABLE PRINCE;" [Wilhelmina, i. 307; Preuss, i. 45.] and fared on,round
some angle of the Fortress, it appears; not in sight of Friedrich; who sank into a faint, and had seen his last
glimpse of Katte in this world.
The body lay all day upon the scaffold, by royal order; and was buried at night obscurely in the common
churchyard; friends, in silence, took mark of the place against better times,and Katte's dust now lies
elsewhere, among that of his own kindred.
"Never was such a transaction before or since, in Modern History," cries the angry reader: "cruel, like the
grinding of human hearts under millstones, like" Or indeed like the doings of the gods, which are cruel,
though not that alone? This is what, after much sorting and sifting, I could get to know about the definite
facts of it. Commentary, not likely to be very final at this epoch, the reader himself shall supply at discretion.
END OF BOOK 7
BOOK VIII. CROWNPRINCE RETRIEVED: LIFE AT CUSTRIN. November,
1730February, 1732.
Chapter I. CHAPLAIN MULLER WAITS ON THE CROWNPRINCE.
Friedrich's feelings at this juncture are not made known to us by himself in the least; or credibly by others in
any considerable degree. As indeed in these confused Prussian HistoryBooks, copulent in nugatory
pedantisms and learned marinestores, all that is human remains distressingly obscure to us; so seldom, and
then only as through endless clouds of everwhirling idle dust, can we catch the smallest direct feature of the
young man, and of his real demeanor or meaning, on the present or other occasions! But it is evident this last
phenomenon fell upon him like an overwhelming cataract; crushed him down under the immensity of sorrow,
confusion and despair; his own death not a theory now, but probably a near fact,a welcome one in wild
moments, and then anon so unwelcome. Frustrate, bankrupt, chargeable with a friend's lost life, sure enough
he, for one, is: what is to become of him? Whither is he to turn, thoroughly beaten, foiled in all his
enterprises? Proud young soul as he was: the ruling Powers, be they just, be they unjust, have proved too hard
for him! We hear of tragic vestiges still traceable of Friedrich, belonging to this time: texts of Scripture
quoted by him, pencilsketches of his drawing; expressive of a mind dwelling in Golgothas, and pathetically,
not defiantly, contemplating the very worst.
Chaplain Muller of the Gensd,Armes, being found a pious and intelligent man, has his orders not to return at
once from Custrin; but to stay there, and deal with the Prince, on that horrible Predestination topic and his
other unexampled backslidings which have ended so. Muller stayed accordingly, for a couple of weeks,
intensely busy on the Predestination topic, and generally in assuaging, and mutually mollifying, paternal
Majesty and afflicted Son. In all which he had good success; and especially on the Predestination point was
triumphantly successful. Muller left a little Book in record of his procedures there; which, had it not been
bound over to the official tone, might have told us something. His Correspondence with the King, during
those two weeks, has likewise been mostly printed; [Forster, i. 376379.] and is of course still more
official, teaching us next to nothing, except poor Friedrich Wilhelm's profoundly devotional mood,
anxieties about "the claws of Satan" and the like, which we were glad to hear of above. In Muller otherwise is
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small help for us.
But, fifty years afterwards, there was alive a Son of this Muller's; an innocent Country Parson, not wanting in
sense, and with much simplicity and veracity; who was fished out by Nicolai, and set to recalling what his
Father used to say of this adventure, much the grandest of his life. In Muller Junior's Letter of Reminiscences
to Nicolai we find some details, got from his Father, which are worth gleaning:
"When my Father first attempted, by royal order, to bring the CrownPrince to acknowledgment and
repentance of the fault committed, CrownPrince gave this excuse or explanation: 'As his Father could not
endure the sight of him, he had meant to get out of the way of his displeasure, and go to a Court with which
his Father was in friendship and relationship,'"clearly indicating England, think the Mullers Junior and
Senior.
"For proof that the intention was towards England this other circumstance serves, that the one
confidantHerr van Keith, if I mistake not [no, you don't mistake], had already bespoken a ship for passage
out."Here is something still more unexpected:
"My Father used to say, he found an excellent knowledge and conviction of the truths of religion in the
CrownPrince. By the Prince's arrangement, my Father, who at first lodged with the Commandant, had to
take up his quarters in the room right above the Prince; who daily, often as early as six in the morning, rapped
on the ceiling for him to come down; and then they would dispute and discuss, sometimes halfdays long,
about the different tenets of the Christian Sects;and my Father said, the Prince was perfectly at home in the
Polemic Doctrines of the Reformed (Calvinistic) Church, even to the minutest points. As my Father brought
him proofs from Scripture, the Prince asked him one time, How he could keep chapter and verse so exactly in
his memory? Father drew from his pocket a little HandConcordance, and showed it him as one help. This he
had to leave with the Prince for some days. On getting it back, he found inside on the flyleaf, sketched in
pencil,"what is rather notable to History,"the figure of a man on his knees, with two swords hanging
crosswise over his head; and at the bottom these words of Psalm Seventythird (verses 25, 26), Whom have I
in Heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart fainteth
and faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." Poor Friedrich, this is a very
unexpected pensketch on his part; but an undeniable one; betokening abstruse nightthoughts and
forebodings in the present juncture!
"Whoever considers this fine knowledge of religion, and reflects on the peculiar character and genius of the
young Herr, which was ever struggling towards light and clearness (for at that time he had not become
indifferent to religion, he often prayed with my Father on his knees),will find that it was morally
impossible this young Prince could have thought [as some foolish persons have asserted] of throwing himself
into the arms of Papal Superstition [seeking help at Vienna, marrying an Austrian Archduchess, and I know
not what] or allow the intrigues of Catholic Priests to" Oh no, Herr Muller, nobody but very foolish
persons could imagine such a thing of this young Herr.
"When my Father, Herr von Katte's execution being ended, hastened to the CrownPrince; he finds him
miserably ill (SEHR ALTERIRT); advises him to take a coolingpowder in water, both which materials were
ready on the table. This he presses on him: but the Prince always shakes his head." Suspects poison, you
think? "Hereupon my Father takes from his pocket a paper, in which he carried coolingpowder for his own
use; shakes out a portion of it into his hand, and so into his mouth; and now the CrownPrince grips at my
Father's powder, and takes that." Privately to be made away with; death resolved upon in some way! thinks
the desperate young man? [Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi. 183189.]
That scene of Katte's execution, and of the Prince's and other people's position in regard to it, has never yet
been humanly set forth, otherwise the response had been different. Not humanly set forth,and so was only
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barked at, as by the infinitude of little dogs, in all countries; and could never yet be responded to in austere
VOX HUMANA, deep as a DE PROFUNDIS, terrible as a Chorus of AEschylus,for in effect that is rather
the character of it, had the barking once pleased to cease. "King of Prussia cannot sleep," writes Dickens: "the
officers sit up with him every night, and in his slumbers he raves and talks of spirits and apparitions."
[Despatch, 3d October, 1730.] We saw him, ghostlike, in the nighttime, gliding about, seeking shelter with
Feekin against ghosts; Ginkel by daylight saw him, now clad in thunderous tornado, and anon in sorrowful
fog. Here, farther on, is a new item,and joined to it and the others, a remarkable old one:
"In regard to Wilhelmina's marriage, and whether a Father cannot give his daughter in wedlock to whom he
pleases, there have been eight Divines consulted, four Lutheran, four Reformed (Calvinist); who, all but one
[he of the Garrison Church, a rhadamanthine fellow in serge], have answered, 'No, your Majesty!' It is
remarkable that his Majesty has not gone to bed sober for this month past." [Dickens, 9th and 19th December,
1730.]
What Seckendorf and Grumkow thought of all these phenomena? They have done their job too well. They are
all for mercy; lean with their whole weight that way,in black qualms, one of them withal, thinking
tremulously to himself, "What if his now Majesty were to die upon us, in the interim!"
Chapter II. CROWNPRINCE TO REPENT AND NOT PERISH.
In regard to Friedrich, the CourtMartial needs no amendment from the King; the sentence on Friedrich, a
LieutenantColonel guilty of desertion, is, from President and all members except two, Death as by law. The
two who dissented, invoking royal clemency and pardon, were MajorGenerals by rank,Schwerin, as some
write, one of them, or if not Schwerin, then Linger; and for certain, Donhof,two worthy gentlemen not
known to any of my readers, nor to me, except as names, The rest are all coldly of opinion that the military
code says Death. Other codes and considerations may say this and that, which it is not in their province to
touch upon; this is what the military code says: and they leave it there.
The Junius Brutus of a Royal Majesty had answered in his own heart grimly, Well then! But his Councillors,
Old Dessauer, Grumkow, Seckendorf, one and all interpose vehemently. "Prince of the Empire, your Majesty,
not a LieutenantColonel only! Must not, cannot;"nay good old Buddenbrock, in the fire of still
unsuccessful pleading, tore open his waistcoat: "If your Majesty requires blood, take mine; that other you
shall never get, so long as I can speak!" Foreign Courts interpose; Sweden, the Dutch; the English in a
circuitous way, round by Vienna to wit; finally the Kaiser himself sends an Autograph; [Date, 11th October,
1730 (Forster, i. 380).] for poor Queen Sophie has applied even to Seckendorf, will be friends with Grumkow
himself, and in her despair is knocking at every door. Junius Brutus is said to have had paternal affections
withal. Friedrich Wilhelm, alone against the whispers of his own heart and the voices of all men, yields at last
in this cause. To Seckendorf, who has chalked out a milder didactic plan of treatment, still rigorous enough,
[His Letter to the King, 1st November, 1730 (in Forster, i. 375, 376).] he at last admits that such plan is
perhaps good; that the Kaiser's Letter has turned the scale with him; and the didactic method, not the
beheading one, shall be tried. That Donhof and Schwerin, with their talk of mercy, with "their eyes upon the
Rising Sun," as is evident, have done themselves no good, and shall perhaps find it so one day. But that, at
any rate, Friedrich's life is spared; Katte's execution shall suffice in that kind. Repentance, prostrate
submission and amendment, these may do yet more for the prodigal, if he will in heart return. These
points, some time before the 8th of November, we find to be as good as settled.
The unhappy prodigal is in no condition to resist farther. Chaplain Muller had introduced himself with Katte's
dying admonition to the CrownPrince to repent and submit. Chaplain Muller, with his wholesome
coolingpowders, with his ghostly counsels, and considerations of temporal and eternal nature,we saw
how he prospered almost beyond hope. Even on Predestination, and the real nature of Election by Free Grace,
all is coming right, or come, reports Muller. The Chaplain's Reports, Friedrich Wilhelm's grimly mollified
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Responses on the same: they are written, and in confused form have been printed; but shall be spared the
English reader. And Grumkow has been out at Custrin, preaching to the same purport from other texts:
Grumkow, with the thought ever present to him, "What if Friedrich Wilhelm should die?" is naturally an
eloquent preacher. Enough, it has been settled (perhaps before the day of Katte's death, or at the latest three
days after it, as we can see), That if the Prince will, and can with free conscience, take an Oath ("no mental
reservation," mark you!) of contrite repentance, of perfect prostrate submission, and purpose of future entire
obedience and conformity to the paternal mind in all things, "GNADENWAHL" included,the paternal
mind may possibly relax his durance a little, and put him gradually on proof again. [King's Letter to Muller,
8th November (Forster, i. 379).]
Towards which issue, as Chaplain Muller reports, the CrownPrince is visibly gravitating, with all his weight
and will. The very GNADENWAHL is settled; the young soul (truly a lover of Truth, your Majesty) taps on
his ceiling, my floor being overhead, before the winter sun rises, as a signal that I must come down to him; so
eager to have error and darkness purged away. Believes himself, as I believe him, ready to undertake that
Oath; desires, however, to see it first, that he may maturely study every clause of it. Say you verily so?
answers Majesty. And MAY my ursine heart flow out again, and blubber gratefully over a sinner saved, a
poor Son plucked as brand from the burning? "God, the Most High, give His blessing on it, then!" concludes
the paternal Majesty: "And as He often, by wondrous guidances, strange paths and thorny steps, will bring
men into the Kingdom of Christ, so may our Divine Redeemer help that this prodigal son be brought into His
communion. That his godless heart be beaten till it is softened and changed; and so he be snatched from the
claws of Satan. This grant us the Almighty God and Father, for our Lord Jesus Christ and His passion and
death's sake! Amen!I am, for the rest, your wellaffectioned King, FRIEDRICH WILHELM
(WUSTERHAUSEN, 8th NOVEMBER, 1730)." [Forster, i. 379.]
CROWNPRINCE BEGINS A NEW COURSE.
It was Monday, 6th November, when poor Katte died. Within a fortnight, on the second Sunday after, there
has a Select Commission, Grumkow, Borck, Buddenbrock, with three other Soldiers, and the Privy
Councillor Thulmeyer, come out to Custrin: there and then, Sunday, November 19th, [Nicolai, exactest of
men, only that Documents were occasionally less accessible in his time, gives (ANEKDOTEN, vi. 187),
"Saturday, November 25th," as the day of the Oath; but, no doubt, the later inquirers, Preuss (i. 56) and
others, have found him wrong in this small instance.] these Seven, with due solemnity, administer the Oath
(terms of Oath conceivable by readers); Friedrich being found ready. He signs the Oath, as well as audibly
swears it: whereupon his sword is restored to him, and his prisondoor opened. He steps forth to the Town
Church with his Commissioners; takes the sacrament; listens, with all Custrin, to an illusive Sermon on the
subject; "text happily chosen, preacher handling it well." Text was Psalm Seventyseventh, verse eleventh
(tenth of our English version), And I said, This is my infirmity; but I will remember the years of the right
hand of the Host High; or, as Luther's version more intelligibly gives it, This I have to suffer; the right hand
of the Most High can change all. Preacher (not Muller but another) rose gradually into didactic pathos;
Prince, and all Custrin, were weeping, or near weeping, at the close of the business. [Preuss, i. 56.]
Straight from Church the Prince is conducted, not to the Fortress, but to a certain Town Mansion, which he is
to call his own henceforth, under conditions: an erring Prince half liberated, and mercifully put on proof
again. His first act here is to write, of his own composition, or helped by some official hand, this Letter to his
Allserenest Papa; which must be introduced, though, except to readers of German who know the "DERE"
(TheirO), "ALLERDURCHLAUCHTIGSTER," and strange pipeclay solemnity of the Courtstyle, it is like
to be in great part lost in any translation:
"CUSTRIN, 19th November, 1730.
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"ALLSERENEST AND ALLGRACIOUSEST FATHER,To your Royal Majesty, my Allgraciousest
Father, have,"I.E. "I have," if one durst write the "I,""by my disobedience as TheirO [YourO] subject
and soldier, not less than by my undutifulness as TheirO Son, given occasion to a just wrath and aversion
against me. With the Allobedientest respect I submit myself wholly to the grace of my most Allgracious
Father; and beg him, Most Allgraciously to pardon me; as it is not so much the withdrawal of my liberty in a
sad arrest (MALHEUREUSEN ARREST), as my own thoughts of the fault I have committed, that have
brought me to reason: Who, with allobedientest respect and submission, continue till my end,
"My Allgraciousest King's and Father's faithfully obedientest Servant and Son,
"FRIEDRICH."
[Preuss, i. 56, 57; and Anonymous, Friedrichs des Grossen Briefe an seinen Vater (Berlin, Posen und
Bromberg, 1838), p. 3.]
This new House of Friedrich's in the little Town of Custrin, he finds arranged for him on rigorously thrifty
principles, yet as a real Household of his own; and even in the form of a Court, with Hofmarschall,
Kammerjunkers, and the other adjuncts;Court reduced to its simplest expression, as the French say, and
probably the cheapest that was ever set up. Hafmarschall (Courtmarshal) is one Wolden, a civilian Official
here. The Kammerjunkers are Rohwedel and Natzmer; Matzmer Junior, son of a distinguished Feldmarschall:
"a goodhearted but foolish forward young fellow," says Wilhelmina; "the failure of a coxcomb
(PETITMAITRE MANQUE)." For example, once, strolling about in a solemn Kaiser's Soiree in Vienna, he
found in some quiet corner the young Duke of Lorraine, Franz, who it is thought will be the divine Maria
Theresa's husband, and Kaiser himself one day. Foolish Natzmer found this noble young gentleman in a
remote corner of the Soiree; went up, nothing loath, to speak graciosities and insipidities to him: the noble
young gentleman yawned, as was too natural, a wide long yawn; and in an insipid familiar manner, foolish
Natzmer (Wilhelmina and the Berlin circles know it) put his finger into the noble young gentleman's mouth,
and insipidly wagged it there. "Sir, you seem to forget where you are!" said the noble young gentleman; and
closing his mouth with emphasis, turned away; but happily took no farther notice. [Wilhelmina, i. 310.] This
is all we yet know of the history of Natzmer, whose heedless ways and slapdash speculations, tinted with
natural ingenuity and goodhumor, are not unattractive to the Prince.
Hofmarschall and these two Kammerjunkers are of the lawyer species; men intended for Official business, in
which the Prince himself is now to be occupied. The Prince has four lackeys, two pages, one valet. He wears
his sword, but has no swordtash (PORTE EPEE), much less an officer's uniform: a mere Prince put upon his
good behavior again; not yet a soldier of the Prussian Army, only hoping to become so again. He wears a
lightgray dress, "HECHTGRAUER (pikegray) frock with narrow silver cordings;" and must recover his
uniform, by proving himself gradually a new man.
For there is, along with the new household, a new employment laid out for him in Custrin; and it shall be
seen what figure he makes in that, first of all. He is to sit in the DOMANENKAMMER or Government
Board here, as youngest Rath; no other career permitted. Let him learn Economics and the way of managing
Domain Lands (a very principal item of the royal revenues in this Country): humble work, but useful; which
he had better see well how he will do. Two elder Raths are appointed to instruct him in the Economic
Sciences and Practices, if he show faculty and diligence;which in fact he turns out to do, in a superior
degree, having every motive to try.
This kind of life lasted with him for the next fifteen months, all through the year 1731 and farther; and must
have been a very singular, and was probably a highly instructive year to him, not in the Domain Sciences
alone. He is left wholly to himself. All his fellowcreatures, as it were, are watching him. Hundredeyed
Argus, or the Ear of Dionysius, that is to say, TobaccoParliament with its spies and reporters,no stirring
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of his finger can escape it here. He has much suspicion to encounter: Papa looking always sadly askance,
sadly incredulous, upon him. He is in correspondence with Grumkow; takes much advice from Grumkow
(our promptergeneral, president in the Dionysius'Ear, and not an illwisher farther); professes much
thankfulness to Grumkow, now and henceforth. Thank you for flinging me out of the sixstory window, and
catching me by the coatskirts!Left altogether to himself, as we said; has in the whole Universe nothing
that will save him but his own good sense, his own power of discovering what is what, and of doing what will
be behooveful therein.
He is to quit his French literatures and pernicious practices, one and all. His very flute, most innocent
"Princess," as he used to call his flute in old days, is denied him ever since he came to Custrin;but by
degrees he privately gets her back, and consorts much with her; wails forth, in beautiful adagios, emotions for
which there is no other utterance at present. He has liberty of Custrin and the neighborhood; out of Custrin he
is not to lodge, any night, without leave had of the Commandant. Let him walk warily; and in good earnest
study to become a new creature, useful for something in the Domain Sciences and otherwise.
Chapter III. WILHELMINA IS TO WED THE PRINCE OF BAIREUTH.
CrownPrince Friedrich being settled so far, his Majesty takes up the case of Wilhelmina, the other ravelled
skein lying on hand. Wilhelmina has been prisoner in her Apartment at Berlin all this while: it is proper
Wilhelmina be disposed of; either in wedlock, filially obedient to the royal mind; or in some much sterner
way, "within four walls," it is whispered, if disobedient.
Poor Wilhelmina never thought of disobeying her parents: only, which of them to obey? King looks towards
the Prince of Baireuth again, agreed on before those hurlyburlies now past; Queen looks far otherwards.
Queen Sophie still desperately believes in the English match for Wilhelmina; and has subterranean
correspondences with that Court; refusing to see that the negotiation is extinct there. Grumkow himself, so
overvictorious in his late task, is now heeling towards England; "sincere in his wish to be well with us,"
thinks Dickens: Grumkow solaces her Majesty with delusive hopes in the English quarter: "Be firm, child;
trust in my management; only swear to me, on your eternal salvation, that never, on any compulsion, will you
marry another than the Prince of Wales;give me that oath!" [Wilhelmina, i. 314.] Such was Queen Sophie's
last proposal to Wilhelmina, night of the 27th of January, 1731, as is computable,her Majesty to leave
for Potsdam on the morrow. They wept much together that night, but Wilhelmina dexterously evaded the
oath, on a religious ground. Prince of Baireuth, whom Papa may like or may not like, has never yet personally
made appearance: who or what will make appearance, or how things can or will turn, except a bad road, is
terribly a mystery to Wilhelmina.
What with chagrin and confinement, what with bad diet (for the very diet is bad, quality and quantity alike
unspeakable), Wilhelmina sees herself "reduced to a skeleton;" no company but her faithful Sonsfeld, no
employment but her Books and Music; struggles, however, still to keep heart. One day, it is in February,
1731, as I compute, they are sitting, her Sonsfeld and she, at their sad mess of socalled dinner, in their
remote upper story of the Berlin Schloss, tramp of sentries the one thing audible; and were "looking
mournfully at one another, with nothing to eat but a soup of salt and water, and a ragout of old bones full of
hairs and slopperies [nothing else; that was its real quality, whatever fine name they might give it, says the
vehement Princess], we heard a sharp tapping at the window; and started up in surprise, to see what it could
be. It was a raven, carrying in its beak a bit of bread, which it left on the windowsill, and flew away." [Ib. i.
316.]
"Tears came into our eyes at this adventure." Are we become as Hebrew Elijahs, then; so that the wild ravens
have to bring us food? Truth is, there was nothing miraculous, as Wilhelmina found by and by. It was a tame
raven,not the soul of old George I., which lives at Isleworth on good pensions; but the pet raven of a
certain Margravine, which lost its way among the intricate roofs here. But the incident was touching. "Well,"
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exclaimed Wilhelmina, "in the Roman Histories I am now reading, it is often said those creatures betoken
good luck." All Berlin, such the appetite for gossip, and such the famine of it in Berlin at present, talked of
this minute event: and the French Colonyold Protestant Colony, practical considerate peoplewere so
struck by it, they brought baskets of comfortable things to us, and left them daily, as if by accident, on some
neutral ground, where the maid could pick them up, sentries refusing to see unless compelled. Which fine
procedure has attached Wilhelmina to the French nation ever since, as a dexterous useful people, and has
given her a disposition to help them where she could.
The omen of the raven did not at once bring good luck: however, it did chance to be the turningpoint,
solstice of this long Greenland winter; after which, amid storms and alarms, daylight came steadily nearer.
Storms and alarms: for there came rumors of quarrels out at Potsdam, quarrels on the old score between the
Royal Spouses there; and frightful messages, through one Eversmann, an insolent royal lackey, about
wedding Weissenfels, about imprisonment for life and other hard things; through all which Wilhelmina
studied to keep her poor head steady, and answer with dignity yet discreetly. On the other hand, her Sisters
are permitted to visit her, and perceptible assuagements come. At length, on the 11th of May, there came
solemn Deputation, Borck, Grumkow, Thulmeyer in it, old real friends aud pretended new; which set poor
Wilhelmina wringing her hands (having had a Letter from Mamma overnight); but did bring about a solution.
It was Friday, 11th of May; a day of crisis in Wilhelmina's history; Queen commanding one thing, King
another, and the hour of decision come.
Entering, announcing themselves, with dreadful solemnity, these gentlemen, Grumkow the spokesman, in
soft phrase, but with strict clearness, made it apparent to her, That marry she must,the Hereditary Prince of
Baireuth,and without the consent of both her parents, which was unattainable at present, but peremptorily
under the command of one of them, whose vote was the supreme. Do this (or even say that you will do it,
whisper some of the wellaffected), his Majesty's paternal favor will return upon you like pent waters;and
the Queen will surely reconcile herself (or perhaps turn it all her own way yet! whisper the wellaffected).
Refuse to do it, her Majesty, your Royal Brother, you yourself Royal Highness, God only knows what the
unheardof issue will be for you all! Do it, let us advise you: you must, you must! Wilhelmina wrung her
hands; ran distractedly to and fro; the wellaffected whispering to her, the others "conversing at a window."
At length she did it. Will marry whom her allgracious Papa appoints; never wished or meant the least
disobedience; hopes, beyond all things, his paternal love will now return, and make everybody blessed;and
oh, reconcile Mamma to me, ye wellaffected! adds she.Bravissimo! answer they: her Majesty, for certain,
will reconcile herself; CrownPrince get back from Custrin, and all will be well. [Wilhelmina, i. 327333.]
Friedrich Wilhelm was overjoyed; Queen Sophie Dorothee was in despair. With his Majesty, who "wept" like
a paternal bear, on reembracing Wilhelmina the obedient some days hence, it became a settled point, and
was indicated to Wilhelmina as such, That the CrownPrince would, on her actual wedding, probably get
back from Custrin. But her Majesty's reconcilement,this was very slow to follow. Her Majesty was still in
flames of ire at their next interview; and poor Wilhelmina fainted, on approaching to kiss her hand.
"Disgraced, vanquished, and my enemies triumphing!" said her Majesty; and vented her wrath on
Wilhelmina; and fell ill (so soon as there was leisure), ill, like to die, and said, "Why pretend to weep, when it
is you that have killed me!"and indeed was altogether hard, bitter, upon the poor Princess; a chief sorrow
to her in these trying months. Can there be such wrath in celestial minds, venting itself so unreasonably?At
present there is no leisure for illness; grand visitors in quantity have come and are coming; and the Court is
brilliant exceedingly;his Majesty blazing out into the due magnificence, which was very great on this
occasion, domestic matters looking up with him again. The Serenities of Brunswick are here, young and old;
much liked by Friedrich Wilhelm; and almost reckoned family people,ever since their Eldest Son was
affianced to the Princess Charlotte here, last visit they made. To Princess Charlotte, Wilhelmina's second
junior,mischievous, coquettish creature she, though very pretty and insinuating, who seems to think her
Intended rather a phlegmatic young gentleman, as Wilhelmina gradually discovers. Then there is old Duke
Eberhard Ludwig, of Wurtemberg, whom we saw at Ludwigsburg last year, in an intricate condition with his
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female world and otherwise, he too announces himself,according to promise then given. Old Duke
Eberhard Ludwig comes, stays three weeks in great splendor ofwelcome;poor old gentleman, his one son
is now dead; and things are getting earnest with him. On his return home, this time, he finds, according to
order, the foul witch Gravenitz duly cleared away; reinstates his injured Duchess, with the due feelings, better
late than never; and dies in a year or two, still childless.
These are among the high guests at Berlin; and there are plenty of others whom we do not name. Magnificent
dining; with "sixandtwenty blackamoors," highcolored creatures, marching up the grand staircase, round
the table, round it, and then down again, melodious, doing "janizary music," if you happen to prefer that
kind;trained creatures these blackamoors, all got when boys, and set to cymballing and fifing betimes, adds
my authority. [Fassmann, p. 726, Dining, boarhunting (if the boar be huntable), especially reviewing, fail
not in those fine summer days.
One evening, it is Sunday, 27th of May, latish, while the high guests, with Queen and Wilhelmina, are just
passing in to supper (King's Majesty having "gone to bed at seven," to be well astir for the review
tomorrow), a sound of wheels is heard in the court. Modest travellingequipage rolls up into the inner court;
to the foot of the grand staircase there, whither only Princes come:who can it be? The Queen sends to
inquire. Heavens, it is the Hereditary Prince of Baireuth! "Medusa's Head never produced such effect as did
this bit of news: Queen sat petrified; and I," by reflex, was petrified too! Wilhelmina passed the miserablest
night, no wink of sleep; and felt quite ill in the morning; in dread, too, of Papa's rough jests,and
wretched enough. She had begged much, last night! to be excused from the review. But that could not be: "I
must go," said the Queen after reflection, "and you with me." Which they did;and diversified the pomp and
circumstance of mockwar by a small unexpected scene.
Queen, Princess and the proper Dames had, by his Majesty's order, to pass before the line: Princess in much
trouble, "with three caps huddled on me, to conceal myself," poor soul. Margraf of Schwedt, at the head of
his regiment, "looked swollen with rage," high hopes gone in this manner;and saluted us with eyes turned
away. As for his Mother, the Dessau Margravine in high colors, she was "blue in the face" all day. Lines
passed, and salutations done, her Majesty and Dames withdrew to the safe distance, to look on:Such a
show, for pomp and circumstance, Wilhelmina owns, as could not be equalled in the world. Such wheeling,
rhythmic coalescing and unfolding; accurate as clockwork, far and wide; swift big column here, hitting
swift big column there, at the appointed place and moment; with their volleyings and trumpeting, bright
uniforms and streamers and fieldmusic,in equipment and manoeuvre perfect all, to the meanest drummer
or black kettledrummer:supreme drillsergeant playing on the thing, as on his huge piano, several square
miles in area! Comes of the Old Dessauer, all this; of the "equal step;" of the abstruse meditations upon
tactics, in that rough head of his. Very pretty indeed.But in the mean while an Official steps up: cap in
hand, approaches the Queen's carriage; says, He is ordered to introduce his Highness the Prince of Baireuth.
Prince comes up accordingly; a personable young fellow; intelligentlooking, selfpossessed; makes
obeisance to her Majesty, who answers in frosty politeness; andand Wilhelmina, faint, fasting, sleepless all
night, fairly falls aswoon. Could not be helped: and the whole world saw it; and Guy Dickens and the
Diplomatists wrote home about it, and there rose rumor and gossip enough! [Dickens, of 2d June, 1731 (in
pathetic terms); Wilhelmina, i. 341 (without pathos).] But that was the naked truth of it: hot weather,
agitation, want of sleep, want of food; not aversion to the Hereditary Prince, nothing of that. Rather the
contrary, indeed; and, on better acquaintance, much the contrary. For he proved a very rational, honorable
and eligible young Prince: modest, honest, with abundance of sense and spirit; kind too and good, hot temper
well kept, temper hot not harsh; quietly holds his own in all circles; good discourse in him, too, and sharp
repartee if requisite,though he stammered somewhat in speaking. Submissive Wilhelmina feels that one
might easily have had a worse husband. What glories for you in England! the Queen used. to say to her in old
times: "He is a Prince, that Frederick, who has a good heart, and whose genius is very small. Rather ugly than
handsome; slightly out of shape even (UN PEU CONTREFAIT). But provided you have the complaisance to
suffer his debaucheries, you will quite govern him; and you will be more King than he, when once his Father
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is dead. Only see what a part you will play! It will be you that decide on the weal or woe of Europe, and give
law to the Nation," [Wilhelmina, i. 143.]in a manner! Which Wilhelmina did not think a celestial prospect
even then. Who knows but, of all the offers she had, "four" or three "crowned heads" among them, this final
modest honest one may be intrinsically the best? Take your portion, if inevitable, and be thankful!
The Betrothal follows in about a week: Sunday, 3d June, 1731; with great magnificence, in presence of the
high guests and all the world: and Wilhelmina is the affianced Bride of Friedrich of Baireuth:and that
enormous DoubleMarriage Tragicomedy, of Much Ado about Nothing, is at last ended. Courage, friends;
all things do end!
The high guests hereupon go their ways again; and the Court of Berlin, one cannot but suppose, collapses, as
after a great effort finished. Do not Friedrich Wilhelm and innumerable personsthe readers and the writer
of this History includedfeel a stone rolled off their hearts?It is now, and not till now, that Queen Sophie
falls sick, and like to die; and reproaches Wilhelmina with killing her. Friedrich Wilhelm hopes confidently,
not; waits out at Potsdam, for a few days, till this killing danger pass; then departs, with double impetuosity,
for Preussen, and despatch of Public Business; such a mountain of Domestic Business being victoriously got
under.
Poor King, his life, this long while, has been a series of earthquakes and titanic convulsions. Narrow miss he
has had, of pulling down his house about his ears, and burying self, son, wife, family and fortunes, under the
ruinheap,a monument to remote posterity. Never was such an enchanted dance, of wellintentioned
Royal Bear with poetic temperament, piped to by two blackartists, for the Kaiser's and Pragmatic Sanction's
sake! Let TobaccoParliament also rejoice; for truly the play was growing dangerous, of late. King and
Parliament, we may suppose, return to Public Business with double vigor.
Chapter IV. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN PREUSSEN AND ELSEWHERE.
Not that his Majesty, while at the deepest in domestic intricacies, ever neglects Public Business. This very
summer he is raising Hussar Squadrons; bent to introduce the Hussar kind of soldiery into his Army;a
good deal of horsebreaking and new sabreexercise needed for that object. [Fassmann, pp. 417, 418.] The
affairs of the Reich have at no moment been out of his eye; glad to see the Kaiser edging round to the
SeaPowers again, and things coming into their old posture, in spite of that sad Treaty of Seville.
Nay, for the last two years, while the domestic volcanoes were at their worst, his Majesty has been
extensively dealing with a new question which has risen, that of the SALZBURG PROTESTANTS;
concerning which we shall hear more anon. Far and wide, in the Diets and elsewhere, he has been diligently,
piously and with solid judgment, handling this question of the poor Salzburgers; and has even stored up
moneys in intended solace of them (for he foresees what the end will be);moneys which, it appears about
this time, a certain Official over in Preussen has been peculating! In the end of June, his Majesty sets off to
Preussen on the usual Inspection Tour; which we should not mention, were it not in regard to that same
Official, and to something very rhadamanthine and particular which befell him; significant of what his
Majesty can do in the way of prompt justice.
CASE OF SCHLUBHUT.
The Konigsberg DomainBoard (KRIEGS UND DOMANENKAMMER) had fallen awry, in various
points, of late; several things known to be outatelbows in that Country; the Kammer Raths evidently lax at
their post; for which reason they have been sharply questioned, and shaken by the collar, so to speak. Nay
there is one Rath, a socalled Nobleman of those parts, by name Schlubhut, who has been found actually
defaulting; peculating from that pious hoard intended for the Salzburgers: he is proved, and confesses, to
have put into his own scandalous purse no less than 11,000 thalers, some say 30,000 (almost 5,000 pounds),
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which belonged to the Public Treasury and the Salzburg Protestants! These things, especially this latter
unheardof Schlubhut thing, the Supreme Court at Berlin (CRIMINALCOLLEGIUM) have been sitting on,
for some time; and, in regard to Schlubhut, they have brought out a result, which Friedrich Wilhelm not a
little admires at. Schlubhut clearly guilty of the defamation, say they; but he has moneys, landed properties:
let him refund, principal and interest; and have, say, three or four years' imprisonment, by way of memento.
"Years' imprisonment? Refund? Is theft in the highest quarters a thing to be let off for refunding?" growls his
Majesty; and will not confirm this sentence of his CriminalCollegium; but leaves it till he get to the spot,
and see with his own eyes. Schlubhut, in arrest or mild confinement all this while, ought to be bethinking
himself more than he is!
Once on the spot, judge if the Konigsberg DomainKammer had not a stiff muster to pass; especially if
Schlubhut's drillexercise was gentle! Schlubhut, summoned to private interview with his Majesty, carries his
head higher than could be looked for: Is very sorry; knows not how it happened; meant always to refund; will
refund, to the last penny, and make all good."Refund? Does He (ER) know what stealing means, then?
How the commonest convicted private thief finds the gallows his portion; much more a public Magistrate
convicted of theft? Is He aware that He, in a very especial manner, deserves hanging, then?"Schlubhut
looks offended dignity; conscious of rank, if also of quasitheft: "ES IST NICHT MANIER (it is not the
polite thing) to hang a Prussian Nobleman on those light terms!" answers Schlubhut, high mannered at the
wrong time: "I can and will pay the money back!"NOBLEman? Money back? "I will none of His
scoundrelly money." To strait Prison with this SCHURKE!And thither he goes accordingly: unhappiest of
mortals; to be conscious of rank, not at the right place, when about to steal the money, but at the wrong, when
answering to Rhadamanthus on it!
And there, sure enough, Schlubhut lies, in his prison on the SCHLOSSPLATZ, or Castle Square, of
Konigsberg, all night; and hears, close by the DOMANENKAMMER, which is in the same Square,
DOMANENKAMMER where his Office used to be, a terrible sound of carpentering go on;unhappiest of
Prussian Noblemen. And in the morning, see, a high gallows built; close in upon the DomainKammer,
looking into the very windows of it;and there, sure enough, the unfortunate Schlubhut dies the thief's
death, few hours hence, speaking or thinking what, no man reports to me. Death was certain for him;
inevitable as fate. And so he vibrates there, admonitory to the other Raths for days,some say for
weeks,till by humble petition they got the gallows removed. The stumps of it, sawed close by the stones,
were long after visible in that Schlossplatz of Konigsberg. Here is prompt justice with a witness! Did readers
ever hear of such a thing? There is no doubt about the fact, [Benekendorf (Anonymous), Karakterzuge aus
dem Leben Konig Friedrich Wilhelm I. (Berlin, 1788), vii. 1520; Forster (ii. 268), though in all Prussian
Books it is loosely smeared over, without the least precision of detail; and it was not till after long searching
that I could so much as get it dated: July, 1731, while Friedrich CrownPrince is still in eclipse at Custrin,
and some six weeks after Wilhelmina's betrothal. And here furthermore, direct from the then Schlubhut
precincts, is a stray Note, meteorological chiefly; but worth picking up, since it is authentic. "Wehlau," we
observe, is on the road homewards again,on our return from uttermost Memel,a day's journey
hitherwards of that place, half a day's thitherwards of Konigsberg:
"TUESDAY, 10th JULY, 1731. King dining with General Dockum at Wehlau,"where he had been again
reviewing, for about forty hours, all manner of regiments brought to rendezvous there for the purpose, poor
"General Katte with his regiment" among them;King at dinner with General Dockum after all that, "took
the resolution to be off to Konigsberg; and arrived here at the stroke of midnight, in a deluge of rain." This
brings us within a day, or two days, of Schlubhut's death, Terrible "combat of Bisons (URI, or
AUEROCHSEN, with such manes, such heads), of two wild Bisons against six wild Bears," then ensued; and
the Schlubhut human tragedy; I know not in what sequence,rather conjecture the Schlubhut had gone
FIRST. Pillau, road to Dantzig, on the narrow strip between the Frische Haf and Baltic, is the next stage
homewards; at Pillau, General Finkenstein (excellent old Tutor of the CrownPrince) is Commandant, and
expects his rapid Majesty, day and hour given, to me not known, Majesty goes in three carriages; Old
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Dessauer, Grumkow, Seckendorf, Ginkel are among his suite; weather still very electric:
"At Fischhausen, halfway to Pillau, Majesty had a bout of elkhunting; killed sixty elks [MeltonMowbray
may consider it], creatures of the deer sort, nimble as roes, but strong as bulls, and four palms higher than
the biggest horse,to the astonishment of Seckendorf, Ginkel and the strangers there. Half an hour short of
Pillau, furious electricity again; thunderbolt shivered an oaktree fifteen yards from Majesty's carriage. And
at Pillau itself, the Battalion in Garrison there, drawn out in arms, by Count Finkenstein, to receive his
Majesty [rain over by this time, we can hope], had suddenly to rush forward and take new ground; Frische
Haf, on some pressure from the elements, having suddenly gushed out, two hundred paces beyond its old
watermark in that place." [See Mauvillon, ii. 293297;CORRECTING by Fassmann, p. 422.]
Pillau, Fischhausen,this is where the excellent old Adalbert stamped the earth with his life "in the shape of
a crucifix" eight hundred years ago: and these are the new phenomena there! The General Dockum,
Colonel of Dragoons, whom his Majesty dined with at Wehlau, got his death not many months after. One of
Dockum's Dragoon Lieutenants felt insulted at something, and demanded his discharge: discharge given, he
challenged Dockum, duel of pistols, and shot him dead. [7th April, 1732 ( MilitairLexikon, i. 365).] Nothing
more to be said of Dockum, nor of that Lieutenant, in military annals.
CASE OF THE CRIMINALCOLLEGIUM ITSELF.
And thus was the error of the CriminalCollegium rectified IN RE Schlubhut. For it is not in name only, but
in fact, that this Sovereign is Supreme Judge, and bears the sword in God's stead, interfering now and then,
when need is, in this terrible manner. In the same dim authentic Benekendorf (himself a member of the
CriminalCollegium in later times), and from him in all the Books, is recorded another interference
somewhat in the comic vein; which also we may give. Undisputed fact, again totally without precision or
details; not even datable, except that, on study, we perceive it may have been before this Schlubhut's
execution, and after the CriminalCollegium had committed their error about him, must have been while
this of Schlubhut was still vividly in mind; Here is the unprecise but indubitable fact, as the Prussian
Dryasdust has left us his smear of it:
"One morning early" (might be before Schlubhut was hanged, and while only sentence of imprisonment and
restitution lay on him), General Graf von Donhof, Colonel of a Musketeer Regiment, favorite old
soldier,who did vote on the mild side in that CourtMartial on the CrownPrince lately; but I hope has
been forgiven by his Majesty, being much esteemed by him these long years past;this Donhof, early one
morning, calls upon the King, with a grimly lamenting air. "What is wrong, Herr General?""Your Majesty,
my best musketeer, an excellent soldier, and of good inches, fell into a mistake lately,bad company getting
round the poor fellow; they, he among them, slipt into a house and stole something; trifle and without
violence: pay is but three halfpence, your Majesty, and the Devil tempts men! Well, the CriminalCollegium
have condemned him to be hanged; an excellent soldier and of good inches, for that one fault. Nobleman
Schlubhut was 'to make restitution,' they decreed: that was their decree on Schlubhut, one of their own set;
and this poor soldier, six feet three, your Majesty, is to dance on the top of nothing for a threehalfpenny
matter!"So would Donhof represent the thing,"fact being," says my Dryasdust, "it was a case of
housebreaking with theft to the value of 6,000 thalers and this musketeer the ringleader!"Well; but was
Schlubhut sentenced to hanging? Do you keep two weights and two measures, in that CriminalCollegium of
yours, then?
Friedrich Wilhelm feels this sad contrast very much; the more, as the soldier is his own chattel withal, and of
superlative inches: Friedrich Wilhelm flames up into wrath; sends off swift messengers to bring these Judges,
one and all instantly into his presence. The Judges are still in their dressinggowns, shaving, breakfasting;
they make what haste they can. So soon as the first three or four are reported to be in the anteroom, Friedrich
Wilhelm, in extreme impatience has them called in; starts discoursing with them upon the two weights and
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two measures. Apologies, subterfuges do but provoke him farther; it is not long till he starts up, growling
terribly: "IHR SCHURKEN (Ye Scoundrels), how could you?" and smites down upon the crowns of them
with the Royal Cudgel itself. Fancy the hurryscurry, the unforensic attitudes and pleadings! Royal Cudgel
rains blows, right and left: blood is drawn, crowns cracked, crowns nearly broken; and "several Judges lost a
few teeth, and had their noses battered," before they could get out. The second relay meeting them in this
dilapidated state, on the staircases, dashed home again without the honor of a RoyaI interview. [Benekendorf,
vii. 33; Forster, ii. 270.] Let them learn to keep one balance, and one set of weights, in their LawCourt
hence forth.This is an actual scene, of date Berlin, 1731, or thereby; unusual in the annals of Themis. Of
which no constitutional country can hope to see the fellow, were the need never so pressing.I wish his
Majesty had been a thought more equal, when he was so rhadamanthine! Schlubhut he hanged, Schlubhut
being only Schlubhut's chattel; this musketeer, his Majesty's own chattel, he did not hang, but set him
shouldering arms again, after some preliminary dusting!
His Majesty was always excessively severe on defalcations; any Chancellor, with his Exchequerbills gone
wrong, would have fared ill in that country. One Treasury dignitary, named Wilke (who had "dealt in tall
recruits," as a kind of bytrade, and played foul in some slight measure), the King was clear for hanging; his
poor Wife galloped to Potsdam, shrieking mercy; upon which Friedrich Wilhelm had him whipt by the
hangman, and stuck for life into Spandau. Still more tragicalwas poor Hesse's case. Hesse, some domain
Rath out at Konigsberg, concerned with moneys, was found with accountbooks in a state of confusion, and
several thousands short, when the outcome was cleared up. What has become of these thousands, Sir? Poor
old Hesse could not tell: "God is my witness, no penny of them eyer stuck to me," asseverated poor old
Hesse; "but where they are? My accountbooks are in such a state;alas, and my poor old memory is not
what it was!" They brought him to Berlin; in the end they actually hanged the poor old soul;and then
afterwards in his dusty lumberrooms, hidden in pots, stuffed into this nook and that, most or all of the
money was found! [Forster (ii. 269), Date and document exist for all these cases, though my Dryasdust gives
none; and the cases are indubitable; very rhadamanthine indeed. The soft quality of mercy,ah, yes, it is
beautiful and blessed, when permissible (though thriceaccursed, when not): but it is on the hard quality of
justice, first of all, that Empires are built up, and beneficent and lasting things become achievable to mankind,
in this world!
SKIPPER JENKINS IN THE GULF OF FLORIDA.
A couple of weeks before Schlubhut's death, the English Newspapers are somewhat astir,in the way of
narrative merely, as yet. Ship Rebecca, Captain Robert Jenkins Master, has arrived in the Port of London,
with a strange story in her logbook. Of which, after due sifting, this is accurately the substance:
"LONDON, 23d27th JUNE, 1731. Captain Jenkins left this Port with the Rebecca, several months ago;
sailed to Jamaica, for a cargo of sugar. He took in his cargo at Jamaica; put to sea again, 6th April, 1731, and
proceeded on the Voyage homewards; with indifferent winds for the first fortnight. April 20th, with no wind
or none that would suit, he was hanging about in the entrance of the Gulf of Florida, not far from the
Havana,"almost too near it, I should think; but these baffling winds!"not far from the Havana, when a
Spanish GuardaCosta hove in sight; came down on Jenkins, and furiously boarded him: 'Scoundrel, what do
YOU want; contrabanding in these seas? Jamaica, say you? Sugar? Likely! Let us see your logwood, hides,
Spanish piecesofeight!' And broke in upon Jenkins, ship and person, in a most extraorinary manner. Tore
up his hatches; plunged down, seeking logwood, hides, piecesofeight; found none,not the least trace of
contraband on board of Jenkins. They brought up his quadrants, sextants, however; likewise his stock of
tallow candles: they shook and rummaged him, and all things, for piecesofeight; furiously advised him,
cutlass in hand, to confess guilt. They slashed the head of Jenkins, his left ear almost off. Order had been
given, 'Scalp him!'but as he had no hair, they omitted that; merely brought away the wig, and
slashed:still no confession, nor any piecesofeight. They hung him up to the yardarm,actual
neckhalter, but it seems to have been tarry, and did not run: still no confession. They hoisted him higher,
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tied his cabinboy to his feet; neckhalter then became awfully stringent upon Jenkins; had not the
cabinboy (without head to speak of) slipt through, noose being tarry; which was a sensible relief to Jenkins.
Before very death, they lowered Jenkins, 'Confess, scoundrel, then!' Scoundrel could not confess; spoke of
'British Majesty's flag, peaceable English subject on the high seas.' 'British Majesty; high seas!' answered
they, and again hoisted. Thrice over they tried Jenkins in this manner at the yardarm, once with cabinboy
at his feet: never had man such a day, outrageous whiskerando cutthroats tossing him about, his poor
Rebecca and him, at such rate! Sun getting low, and not the least trace of contraband found, they made a last
assault on Jenkins; clutched the bloody slit ear of him; tore it mercilessly off; flung it in his face, 'Carry that
to your King, and tell him of it!' Then went their way; taking Jenkins's tallow candles, and the best of his
sextants with them; so that he could hardly work his passage home again, for want of latitudes;and has lost
in goods 112 pounds, not to speak of his ear. Strictly true all this; ship's company, if required, will testify on
their oath." [Daily Journal (and the other London Newspapers), 12th17th June (o.s.), 1731. Coxe's Walpole,
i. 579, 560 (indistinct, and needing correction).]
These surely are singular facts; calculated to awaken a maritime public careful of its honor. Which they
did,after about eight years, as the reader will see! For the present, there are growlings in the
coffeehouses; and, "THURSDAY, 28th JUNE," say the Newspapers, "This day Captain Jenkins with his
Owners," ear in his pocket, I hope, "went out to Hampton Court to lay the matter before his Grace of
Newcastle:" "Please your Grace, it is hardly three months since the illustrious Treaty of Vienna was signed;
Dutch and we leading in the Termagant of Spain, and nothing but halcyon weather to be looked for on that
side!" Grace of Newcastle, anxious to avoid trouble with Spain, answers I can only fancy what; and nothing
was done upon Jenkins and his ear;
["The Spaniards own they did a witty thing,
Who cropt our ears, and sent them to the King."
POPE (date not given me).] may "keep it in cotton," if he like; shall have "a better ship" for some
solacement. This is the first emergence of Jenkins and his ear upon negligent mankind. He and it will
marvellously reemerge, one day!
BABY CARLOS GETS HIS APANAGE.
But in regard to that Treaty of Vienna, seventh and last of the travailthroes for Baby Carlos's Apanage, let
the too oblivious reader accept the following Extract, to keep him on a level with Public "Events," as they are
pleased to denominate themselves:
"By that dreadful Treaty of Seville, Cardinal Fleury and the Spaniards should have joined with England, and
coerced the Kaiser VI ET ARMIS to admit Spanish Garrisons [instead of neutral] into Parma and Piacenza,
and so secure Baby Carlos his heritage there, which all Nature was in travail till he got. 'War in Italy to a
certainty!' said all the Newspapers, after Seville: and CrownPrince Friedrich, we saw, was running off to
have a stroke in said War;inevitable, as the Kaiser still obstinately refused. And the English, and great
George their King, were ready. Nevertheless, no War came. Old Fleury, not wanting war, wanting only to
fish out something useful for himself,Lorraine how welcome, and indeed the smallest contributions are
welcome! Old Fleury manoeuvred, hung back; till the Spaniards and Termagant Elizabeth lost all patience,
and the very English were weary, and getting auspicious. Whereupon the Kaiser edged round to the
SeaPowers again, or they to him; and comfortable ASYOUWERE was got accomplished: much to the
joy of Friedrich Wilhelm and others. Here are some of the dates to these sublime phenomena:
"MARCH 16th, 1731, Treaty of Vienna, England and the Kaiser coalescing again into comfortable
ASYOUWERE. Treaty done by Robinson [Sir Thomas, ultimately Earl of Grantham, whom we shall often
hear of in time coming]; was confirmed and enlarged by a kind of second edition, 22d July, 1731; Dutch
joining, Spain itself acceding, and all being now right. Which could hardly have been expected.
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"For before the first edition of that Treaty, and while Robinson at Vienna was still laboring like Hercules in
it,the poor Duke of Parma died. Died; and no vestige of a 'Spanish Garrison' yet there, to induct Baby
Carlos according to old bargain. On the contrary, the Kaiser himself took possession,'till once the Duke's
Widow, who declares herself in the familyway, be brought to bed! If of a Son, of course he must have the
Duchies; if of a Daughter only, then Carlos SHALL get them, let not Robinson fear.' The due months ran, but
neither son nor daughter came; and the Treaty of Vienna, first edition and also second, was signed; and,
"OCTOBER 20th, 1731, Spanish Garrisons, no longer an hypothesis, but a bodily fact, 6,000 strong,
'convoyed by the British Fleet,' came into Leghorn, and proceeded to lodge themselves in the longlitigated
Parma and Piacenza;and, in fine, the day after Christmas, blessed be Heaven,
"DECEMBER 26th, Baby Carlos in highest person came in: Baby Carlos (more power to him!) got the
Duchies, and we hope there was an end. No young gentleman ever had such a pother to make among his
fellowcreatures about a little heritable property. If Baby Carlos's performance in it be anything in
proportion, he will be a supereminent sovereign!
"There is still some haggle about Tuscany, the Duke of which is old and heirless; Last of the Medici, as he
proved. Baby Carlos would much like to have Tuscany too; but that is a Fief of the Empire, and might easily
be better disposed of, thinks the Kaiser. A more or less uncertain point, that of Tuscany; as many points are!
Last of the Medici complained, in a polite manner, that they were parting his clothes before he had put them
off: however, having no strength, he did not attempt resistance, but politely composed himself, 'Well, then!'
[Scholl, ii. 219221; Coxe's Walpole, i. 346; Coxe's House of Austria (London, 1854), iii. 151.] Do readers
need to be informed that this same Baby Carlos came to be King of Naples, and even ultimately to be Carlos
III. of Spain, leaving a younger Son to be King of Naples, ancestor of the now Majesty there?"
And thus, after such Diplomatic earthquakes and travail of Nature, there is at last birth; the Seventh
Travailthroe has been successful, in some measure successful. Here actually is Baby Carlos's Apanage;
there probably, by favor of Heaven and of the SeaPowers, will the Kaiser's Pragmatic Sanction be, one day.
Treaty of Seville, most imminent of all those dreadful Imminencies of War, has passed off as they all did;
peaceably adjusts itself into Treaty of Vienna: A Termagant, as it were, sated; a Kaiser hopeful to be so,
Pragmatic Sanction and all: for the SeaPowers and everybody mere halcyon weather henceforth,not
extending to the Gulf of Florida and Captain Jenkins, as would seem! Robinson, who did the thing,an
expert man, bred to business as old Horace Walpole's Secretary, at Soissons and elsewhere, and now come to
act on his own score,regards this Treaty of Vienna (which indeed had its multiform difficulties) as a thing
to immortalize a man.
CrownPrince has, long since, by Papa's order, written to the Kaiser, to thank Imperial Majesty for that
beneficent intercession, which has proved the saving of his life, as Papa inculcates. We must now see a little
how the saved CrownPrince is getting on, in his eclipsed state, among the Domain Sciences at Custrin.
Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT
CUSTRIN.
Ever since the end of November last year, CrownPrince Friedrich, in the eclipsed state, at Custrin, has been
prosecuting his probationary course, in the Domain Sciences and otherwise, with all the patience, diligence
and dexterity he could. It is false, what one reads in some foolish Books, that Friedrich neglected the
functions assigned him as assessor in the KRIEGS UND DOMANENKAMMER. That would not have
been the safe course for him! The truth still evident is, he set himself with diligence to learn the
FriedrichWilhelm methods of administering Domains, and the art of Finance in general, especially of
Prussian Finance, the best extant then or since;Finance, Police, Administrative Business;and profited
well by the Raths appointed as tutors to him, in the respective branches. One Hille was his Financetutor;
whose "KOMPENDIUM," drawn up and made use of on this occasion, has been printed in our time; and is
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said to be, in brief compass, a highly instructive Piece; throwing clear light on the exemplary
FriedrichWilhelm methods. [Preuss, i. 59 n.] These the Prince did actually learn; and also practise, all his
life,"essentially following his Father's methods," say the Authorities,with great advantage to himself,
when the time came.
Solid Nicolai hunted diligently after traces of him in the Assessor business here; and found some: Order from
Papa, to "make Report, upon the Glassworks of the Neumark:" Autograph signatures to common Reports,
one or two; and some traditions of his having had a hand in planning certain FarmBuildings still standing in
those parts:but as the Kammer Records of Custrin, and Custrin itself, were utterly burnt by the Russians in
1758, such traces had mostly vanished thirty years before Nicolai's time. [Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi. 193.]
Enough have turned up since, in the form of Correspondence with the King and otherwise: and it is certain
the CrownPrince did plan FarmBuildings;"both Carzig and Himmelstadt (Carzig now called
FRIEDRICHSFELDE in consequence)," [See Map] dim mossy Steadings, which pious Antiquarianism can
pilgrim to if it likes, were built or rebuilt by him:and it is remarkable withal how thoroughly instructed
Friedrich Wilhelm shows himself in such matters; and how paternally delighted to receive such proposals of
improvement introducible at the said Carzig and Himmelstadt, and to find young Graceless so diligent, and
his ideas even good. Forster, ii. 390, 387, 391.] Perhaps a momentary glance into those affairs may be
permitted farther on.
The Prince's life, in this his eclipsed state, is one of constraint, anxiety, continual liability; but after the first
months are well over, it begins to be more supportable than we should think. He is fixed to the little Town;
cannot be absent any night, without leave from the Commandant; which, however, and the various similar
restrictions, are more formal than real. An amiable CrownPrince, no soul in Custrin but would run by night
or by day to serve him. He drives and rides about, in that green peaty country, on Domain business, on visits,
on permissible amusement, pretty much at his own modest discretion. A green flat region, made of peat and
sand; human industry needing to be always busy on it: raised causeways with incessant bridges, black sedgy
ditch on this hand and that; many meres, muddy pools, stagnant or flowing waters everywhere; big muddy
Oder, of yellowishdrab color, coming from the south, big black Warta (Warthe) from the Polish fens in the
east, the black and yellow refusing to mingle for some miles. Nothing of the picturesque in this country; but a
good deal of the useful, of the improvable by economic science; and more of fine productions in it, too, of the
floral, and still more interesting sorts, than you would suspect at first sight. Friedrich's worst pinch was his
dreadful straitness of income; checking one's noble tendencies on every hand: but the gentry of the district
privately subscribed gifts for him (SE COTISIRENT, says Wilhelmina); and one way and other he contrived
to make ends meet. Munchow, his President in the Kammer, next to whom sits Friedrich, "King's place
standing always ready but empty there," is heartily his friend; the Munchows are diligent in getting up balls,
rural gayeties, for him; so the Hilles,nay Hille, severe Finance Tutor, has a Mamsell Hille whom it is
pleasant to dance with; [Preuss, i. 59.] nor indeed is she the only fascinating specimen, or flower of
loveliness, in those peaty regions, as we shall see. On the whole, his Royal Highness, after the first
paroxysms of Royal suspicion are over, and forgiveness beginning to seem possible to the Royal mind, has a
supportable time of it; and possesses his soul in patience, in activity and hope.
Unpermitted things, once for all, he must avoid to do: perhaps he will gradually discover that many of them
were foolish things better not done. He walks warily; to this all things continually admonish. We trace in him
some real desire to be wise, to do and learn what is useful if he can here. But the grand problem, which is
reality itself to him, is always, To regain favor with Papa. And this, Papa being what he is, gives a twist to all
other problems the young man may have, for they must all shape themselves by this; and introduces
something of artificial,not properly of hypocritical, for that too is fatal if found out,but of calculated,
reticent, of halfsincere, on the Son's part: an inevitable feature, plentifully visible in their Correspondence
now and henceforth. Corresponding with Papa and his Grumkow, and watched, at every step, by such an
Argus as the TobaccoParliament, real frankness of speech is not quite the recommendable thing; apparent
frankness may be the safer! Besides mastery in the Domain Sciences, I perceive the CrownPrince had to
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study here another art, useful to him in after life: the art of wearing among his fellowcreatures a polite
cloakofdarkness. Gradually he becomes master of it as few are: a man politely impregnable to the intrusion
of human curiosity; able to look cheerily into the very eyes of men, and talk in a social way face to face, and
yet continue intrinsically invisible to them. An art no less essential to Royalty than that of the Domain
Sciences itself; and,if at all consummately done, and with a scorn of mendacity for help, as in this
case,a difficult art. It is the chief feature in the Two or Three Thousand LETTERS we yet have of
Friedrich's to all manner of correspondents: Letters written with the gracefulest flowing rapidity; polite,
affable,refusing to give you the least glimpse into his real inner man, or tell you any particular you might
impertinently wish to know.
As the History of Friedrich, in this Custrin epoch, and indeed in all epochs and parts, is still little other than a
whirlpool of simmering confusions, dust mainly, and sibylline papershreds, in the pages of poor Dryasdust,
perhaps we cannot do better than snatch a shred or two (of the partly legible kind, or capable of being made
legible) out of that hideous caldron; pin them down at their proper dates; and try if the reader can, by such
means, catch a glimpse of the thing with his own eyes. Here is shred first; a Piece in Grumkow's hand.
This treats of a very grand incident; which forms an era or turningpoint in the Custrin life. Majesty has
actually, after hopes long held out of such a thing, looked in upon the Prodigal at Custrin, in testimony of
possible pardon in the distance;sees him again, for the first time since that scene at Wesel with the drawn
sword, after year and day. Grumkow, for behoof of Seckendorf and the Vienna people, has drawn a rough
"Protocol" of it; and here it is, snatched from the Dustwhirlwinds, and faithfully presented to the English
reader. His Majesty is travelling towards Sonnenburg, on some grand KnightofMalta Ceremony there; and
halts at Custrin for a couple of hours as he passes:
GRUMKOW'S "PROTOKOLL" OF THE 15th AUGUST, 1731; OR SUMMARY OF WHAT TOOK
PLACE AT CUSTRIN THAT DAY.
"His Majesty arrived at Custrin yesterday [GESTERN Monday 15th, hour not mentioned], and proceeded
at once to the Government House, with an attendance of several hundred persons. MajorGeneral Lepel,"
Commandant of Custrin, "Colonel Derschau and myself are immediately sent for to his Majesty's apartment
there. PrivyCouncillor Walden," Prince's Hofmarschall, a solid legal man, "is ordered by his Majesty to
bring the CrownPrince over from his house; who accordingly in a few minutes, attended by Rohwedel and
Natzmer," the two Kammerjunkers, "entered the room where his Majesty and we were.
"So soon as his Majesty, turning round, had sight of him, the CrownPrince fell at his feet. Having bidden
him rise, his Majesty said with a severe mien:
"'You will now bethink yourself what passed year and day ago; and how scandalously you saw fit to behave
yourself, and what a godless enterprise you took in hand. As I have had you about me from the beginning,
and must know you well, I did all in the world that was in my power, by kindness and by harshness, to make
an honorable man of you. As I rather suspected your evil purpose, I treated you in the harshest and sharpest
way in the Saxon Camp,' at Radewitz, in those gala days, 'in hopes you would consider yourself, and take
another line of conduct; would confess your faults to me, and beg forgiveness. But all in vain; you grew ever
more stiffnecked. When a young man gets into follies with women, one may try to overlook it as the fault of
his age: but to do with forethought basenesses (LACHETEEN) and ugly actions; 'that is unpardonable. You
thought to carry it through with your headstrong humor: but hark ye, my lad (HORE, MEIN KERL), if thou
wert sixty or seventy instead of eighteen, thou couldst not cross my resolutions.' It would take a bigger man
to do that, my lad! 'And as, up to this date (BIS DATO) I have managed to sustain myself against any comer,
there will be methods found of bringing thee to reason too!
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"'How have not I, on all occasions, meant honorably by you! Last time I got wind of your debts, how did I, as
a Father, admonish you to tell me all; I would pay all, you were only to tell me the truth. Whereupon you
said, There were still two thousand thalers beyond the sum named. I paid these also at once; and fancied I had
made peace with you. And then it was found, by and by, you owed many thousands more; and as you now
knew you could not pay, it was as good as if the money had been stolen; not to reckon how the French
vermin, Montholieu and partner, cheated you with their new loans.' Pfui!'Nothing touched me so much
[continues his Majesty, verging towards the pathetic], as that you had not any trust in me. All this that I was
doing for aggrandizement of the House, the Army and Finances, could only be for you, if you made yourself
worthy of it! I here declare I have done all things to gain your friendship;and all has been in vain!' At
which words the CrownPrince, with a very sorrowful gesture, threw himself at his Majesty's feet,"tears
(presumably) in both their eyes by this time.
"'Was it not your intention to go to England?' asked his Majesty farther on. The Prince answered 'JA!''Then
hear what the consequences would have been. Your Mother would have got into the greatest misery; I could
not but have suspected she was the author of the business. Your Sister I would have cast, for life, into a place
where she never would have seen sun and moon again. Then on with my Army into Hanover, and burn and
ravage; yes, if it had cost me life, land and people. Your thoughtless and godless conduct, see what it was
leading to. I intended to employ you in all manner of business, civil, military; but how, after such an action,
could I show the face of you to my Officers (soldiers) and other servants?The one way of repairing all this
is, That you seek, regardless of your very life in comparison, to make the fault good again!' At which words
the CrownPrince mournfully threw himself at his Royal Majesty's feet; begging to be put upon the hardest
proofs: He would endure all things, so as to recover his Majesty's grace and esteem.
"Whereupon the King asked him: 'Was it thou that temptedst Katte; or did Katte tempt thee?' The
CrownPrince without hesitation answered, 'I tempted him.''I am glad to hear the truth from you, at any
rate.'"
The Dialogue now branches out, into complex general form; out of which, intent upon abridging, we gather
the following points. King LOQUITUR:
"How do you like your Custrin life? Still as much aversion to Wusterhausen, and to wearing your shroud
[STERBEKITTEL, name for the tight uniform you would now be so glad of, and think quite other than a
shroud!] as you called it?" Prince's answer wanting. "Likely enough my company does not suit you: I have
no French manners, and cannot bring out BONMOTS in the PETITMAITRE way; and truly regard all that
as a thing to be flung to the dogs. I am a German Prince, and mean to live and die in that character. But you
can now say what you have got by your caprices and obstinate heart; hating everything that I liked; and if I
distinguished any one, despising him! If an Officer was put in arrest, you took to lamenting about him. Your
real friends, who intended your good, you hated and calumniated; those that flattered you, and encouraged
your bad purpose, you caressed. You see what that has come to. In Berlin, in all Prussia for some time back,
nobody asks after you, Whether you are in the world or not; and were it not one or the other coming from
Custrin who reports you as playing tennis and wearing French hairbags, nobody would know whether you
were alive or dead."
Hard sayings; to which the Prince's answers (if there were any beyond mournful gestures) are not given. We
come now upon Predestination, or the GNADENWAHL; and learn (with real interest, not of the laughing sort
alone) how his "Majesty, in the most conclusive way, set forth the horrible results of that AbsoluteDecree
notion; which makes out God to be the Author of Sin, and that Jesus Christ died only for some! Upon which
the CrownPrince vowed and declared (HOCH UND THEUER), he was now wholly of his Majesty's
orthodox opinion."
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The King, now thoroughly moved, expresses satisfaction at the orthodoxy; and adds with enthusiasm, "When
godless fellows about you speak against your duties to God, the King and your Country, fall instantly on your
knees, and pray with your whole soul to Jesus Christ to deliver you from such wickedness, and lead you on
better ways. And if it come in earnest from your heart, Jesus, who would have all men saved, will not leave
you unheard." No! And so may God in his mercy aid you, poor son Fritz. And as for me, in hopes the time
coming will show fruits, I forgive you what is past.To which the CrownPrince answered with
monosyllables, with many tears; "kissing his Majesty's feet;"and as the King's eyes were not dry, he
withdrew into another room; revolving many things in his altered soul.
"It being his Majesty's birthday [4th August by OLD STYLE, 15th by NEW, fortythird birthday], the
Prince, all bewept and in emotion, followed his Father; and, again falling prostrate, testified such heartfelt
joy, gratitude and affection over this blessed anniversary, as quite touched the heart of Papa; who at last
clasped him in his arms [poor soul, after all!], and hurried out to avoid blubbering quite aloud. He stept into
his carriage," intending for Sonnenburg (chiefly by water) this evening, where a Serene Cousin, one of the
Schwedt Margraves, Head Knight of Malta, has his establishment.
"The CrownPrince followed his Majesty out; and, in the presence of many hundred people, kissed his
Majesty's feet" again (linen gaiters, not DayandMartin shoes); "and was again embraced by his Majesty,
who said, 'Behave well, as I see you mean, and I will take care of you,' which threw the CrownPrince into
such an ecstasy of joy as no pen can express;" and so the carriages rolled away,towards the
KnightsofMalta business and Palace of the Head Knight of Malta, in the first place. [Forster, iii. 5054.]
These are the main points, says Grumkow, reporting next day; and the reader must interpret them as he can,
A CrownPrince with excellent histrionic talents, thinks the reader. Well; a certain exaggeration, immensity
of wish becoming itself enthusiasm; somewhat of that: but that is by no means the whole or even the main
part of the phenomenon, O reader. This CrownPrince has a real affection to his Father, as we shall in time
convince ourselves. Say, at lowest, a CrownPrince loyal to fact; able to recognize overwhelming fact, and
aware that he must surrender thereto. Surrender once made, the element much clears itself; Papa's side of the
question getting fairly stated for the first time. Sure enough, Papa, is God's Vicegerent in several undeniable
respects, most important some of them: better try if we can obey Papa.
Dim old Fassmann yields a spark or two,as to his Majesty's errand at Sonnenburg. Majesty is going to
preside tomorrow "at the Installation of young Margraf Karl, new HERRMEISTER (GrandMaster) of the
Knights of St. John" there; "the Office having suddenly fallen vacant lately." Office which is an
heirloom;usually held by one of the Margraves, halfuncles of the King,some junior of them, not
provided for at Schwedt or otherwise. Margraf Albert, the last occupant, an old gentleman of sixty, died
lately, "by stroke of apoplexy while at dinner;" [21st June, 1731: Fassmann, p. 423; Pollnitz, ii. 390.]and
his eldest Son, Margraf Karl, with whom his Majesty lodges tonight, is now Herrmeister. "Majesty came at
6 P.M. to Sonnenburg [must have left Custrin about five]; fortytwo Ritters made at Sonnenburg next
day,"a certain Colonel or LieutenantGeneral von Wreech, whom we shall soon see again, is one of them;
Seckendorf another. "Fresh RITTERSCHLAG ["Knightstroke," Batch of Knights dubbed] at Sonnenburg,
29th September next," which shall not the least concern us. Note Margraf Karl, however, the new
Herrmeister; for he proves a soldier of some mark, and will turn up again in the Silesian Wars;as will a
poor Brother of his still more impressively, "shot dead beside the King," on one occasion there.
We add this of Dickens, for all the Diplomatists, and a discerning public generally, are much struck with the
Event at Custrin; and take to writing of it as news;and "Mr. Ginkel," Dutch Ambassador here, an
ingenious, honest and observant man, well enough known to us, has been out to sup with the Prince, next
day; and thus reports of him to Dickens: "Mr. Ginkel, who supped with the Prince on Thursday last," day
after the Interview, "tells me that his Royal Highness is extremely improved since he had seen him; being
grown much taller; and that his conversation is surprising for his age, abounding in good sense and the
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prettiest turns of expression." [Despatch, 18th August, 1731.]
Here are other shreds, snatched from the WitchCaldron, and pinned down, each at its place; which give us
one or two subsequent glimpses:
POTSDAM, 21st AUGUST, 1731 (King to Wolden the Hofmarschall). ... "CrownPrince shall travel over,
and personally inspect, the following Domains: Quartschen, Himmelstadt, Carzig, Massin, Lebus, Gollow
and Wollup," dingy moorfarms dear to Antiquarians; "travel over these and not any other. Permission
always to be asked, of his Royal Majesty, in writing, and mention made to which of them the CrownPrince
means to go. Some one to be always in attendance, who can give him fit instruction about the husbandry; and
as the CrownPrince has yet only learned the theory, he must now be diligent to learn the same practically.
For which end it must be minutely explained to him, How the husbandry is managed,how ploughed,
manured, sown, in every particular; and what the differences of good and bad husbandry are, so that he may
be able of himself to know and judge the same. Of Cattlehusbandry too, and the affairs of Brewing
(VIEHZUCHT UND BRAUWESEN), the due understanding to be given him; and in the matter of Brewing,
show him how things are handled, mixed, the beer drawn off, barrelled, and all how they do with it (WIE
UBERALL DABEI VERFAHREN); also the malt, how it must be prepared, and what like, when good.
Useful discourse to be kept up with him on these journeys; pointing out how and why this is and that, and
whether it could not be better:"O King of a thousand!"Has liberty to shoot stags, moorcocks
(HUHNER) and the like; and a smallhunt [KLEINE JAGD, not a PARFORCE or big one] can be got up for
his amusement now and then;" furthermore "a little duckshooting from boat," on the sedgy waters there,if
the poor soul should care about it. Wolden, or one of the Kammerjunkers, to accompany always, and be
responsible. "No MADCHEN or FRAUENSMENSCH," no shadow of womankind;"keep an eye on him,
you three!"
These things are in the Prussian Archives; of date the week after that interview. In two weeks farther, follows
the Prince's speculation about Carzig and the Building of a Farmstead there; with Papa's "real contentment
that you come upon such proposals, and seek to make improvements. Only"
WUSTERHAUSEN, 11th SEPTEMBER (King to CrownPrince). ... "Only you must examine whether there
is meadowground enough, and how many acres can actually be allotted to that Farm. [Hear his Majesty!]
Take a Landsurveyor with you; and have all well considered; and exactly inform yourself what kind of land
it is, whether it can only grow rye, or whether some of it is barleyland: you must consider it YOURSELF,
and do it all out of your own head, though you may consult with others about it. In grazingground
(HUTHUNG) I think it will not fail; if only the meadowland"
in fact, it fails in nothing; and is got all done ("wood laid out to season straightway," and "what digging and
stubbing there is, proceeded with through the winter"): done in a successful and instructive manner, both
Carzig and Himmelstadt, though we will say nothing farther of them. [Forster, i. 387392.]
CUSTRIN, 22d SEPTEMBER (CrownPrince to Papa). ... "Have been at Lebus; excellent land out there;
fine weather for the husbandman." "Major Roder," unknown Major, "passed this way; and dined with me, last
Wednesday. He has got a pretty fellow (SCHONEN KERL) for my Most AllGracious Father's regiment [the
Potsdam Giants, where I used to be]; whom I could not look upon without bleeding heart. I depend on my
Most AllGracious Father's Grace, that he will be good to me: I ask for nothing and no happiness in the
world but what comes from You; and hope You will, some day, remember me in grace, and give me the Blue
Coat to put on again!" [BRIEFWECHSEL MIT VATER (OEuvres, xxvii. part 3d, p. 27).]To which Papa
answers nothing, or only "Hm, na, time MAY come!"
Carzig goes on straightway; Papa charmed to grant the moneys; "wood laid out to season," and much
"stubbing and digging" set on foot, before the month ends. Carzig; and directly on the heel of it, on like
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terms, Himmelstadt,but of all this we must say no more. It is clear the Prince is learning the Domain
Sciences; eager to prove himself a perfect son in the eyes of Papa. Papa, in hopeful moments, asks himself:
"To whom shall we marry him, then; how settle him?" But what the Prince, in his own heart, thought of it all;
how he looked, talked, lived, in unofficial times? Here has a crabbed dim Document turned up, which, if it
were not nearly undecipherable to the reader and me, would throw light on the point:
SCHULENBURG'S THREE LETTERS TO GRUMKOW, ON VISITS TO THE CROWNPRINCE,
DURING THE CUSTRIN TIME.
The reader knows LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg; stiff little military gentleman of grave years, nephew of
the maypole EMERITA who is called Duchess of Kendal in England. "Had a horse shot under him at
Malplaquet;" battlings and experiences enough, before and since. Has real sense, abundant real pedantry; a
Prussian soldier every inch. He presided in the Copenick Courtmartial; he is deeply concerned in these
CrownPrince difficulties. His Majesty even honors him by expecting he should quietly keep a monitorial
eye upon the CrownPrince;being his neighbor in those parts; ColonelCommandant of a regiment of
Horse at Landsberg not many miles off. He has just been at Vienna [September, 1731 ( MilitairLexikon, iii.
433).] on some "business", (quasidiplomatic probably, which can remain unknown to us); and has reported
upon it, or otherwise finished it off, at Berlin;whence rapidly home to Landsberg again. On the way
homewards, and after getting home, he writes these three Letters; offhand and in all privacy, and of course
with a business sincerity, to Grumkow;little thinking they would one day get printed, and wander into
these latitudes to be scanned and scrutinized! Undoubtedly an intricate crabbed Document to us; but then an
indubitable one. CrownPrince, Schulenburg himself, and the actual figure of Time and Place, are here
mirrored for us, with a business sincerity, in the mind of Schulenburg,as from an accidental patch of water;
ruffled bogwater, in sad twilight, and with sedges and twigs intervening; but under these conditions we do
look with our own eyes!
Could not one, by any conceivable method, interpret into legibility this abstruse dull Document; and so pick
out here and there a glimpse, actual facetoface view, of CrownPrince Friedrich in his lightgray frock
with the narrow silver tresses, in his eclipsed condition there in the Custrin region? All is very mysterious
about him; his inward opinion about all manner of matters, from the GNADENWAHL to the late
DoubleMarriage Question. Even his outward manner of life, in its fleshandblood physiognomy,we
search in vain through tons of dusty lucubration totally without interest, to catch here and there the corner of
a feature of it. Let us try Schulenburg. We shall know at any rate that to Grumkow, in the Autumn 1731,
these words were luculent and significant: consciously they tell us something of young Friedrich;
unconsciously a good deal of LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg, who with his strict theologies, his military
stiffnesses, his reticent, pipeclayed, rigorous and yet human ways, is worth looking at, as an antique species
extinct in our time. He is just home from Vienna, getting towards his own domicile from Berlin, from
Custrin, and has seen the Prince. He writes in a wretched wayside tavern, or posthouse, between Custrin and
Landsberg,dates his letter "WIEN (Vienna)," as if he were still in the imperial City, so offhand is he.
No. 1. TO HIS EXCELLENZ (add a shovelful of other titles)
LIEUTENANTGENERAL HERR BARON VON GRUMKOW, PRESIDENT OF THE KRIEGES
UND DOMANENDIRECTORIUM, OF THE (in fact, VicePresident
of the TobaccoParliament) IN BERLIN.
"WIEN [properly BerlinLandsberg Highway, other side of Custrin], 4th October, 1731.
"I regret much to have missed the pleasure of seeing your Excellency again before I left Berlin. I set off
between seven and eight in the morning yesterday, and got to Custrin [seventy miles or so] before seven at
night. But the Prince had gone, that day, to the Bailliage of Himmelstadt" (up the Warta Country, eastward
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Page No 385
some fiveandthirty miles, much preparatory digging and stubbing there); and he "slept at Massin
[circuitous road back], where he shot a few stags this morning. As I was told he might probably dine at
Kammin [still nearer Custrin, twelve miles from it; half that distance east of Zorndorf,mark that, O reader
(see Map)] with Madam Colonel Schoning, I drove thither. He had arrrived there a moment before me." And
who is Madam Schoning, lady of Kammin here?Patience, reader.
"I found him much grown; an air of health and gayety about him. He caressed me greatly (ME GRACIEUSA
FORT); afterwards questioned me about my way of life in Vienna; and asked, if I had diverted myself well
there? I told him what business had been the occasion of my journey, and that this rather than amusements
had occupied me; for the rest, that there had been great affluence of company, and no lack of diversions. He
spoke a long time to Madam de Wreech "
"Wrochem" Schulenburg calls her: young Wife of LieutenantGeneral von Wreech, a Marlborough
Campaigner, made a Knight of Malta the other day; [ MilitairLexikon, iv. 269.] HIS charming young
Wife, and Daughter of Madam Colonel Schoning our hostess here; lives at Tamsel, in high style, in these
parts: mark the young Lady well,
"who did not appear indifferent to him." No!"and in fact she was in all her beauty; a complexion of lily
and rose."
Charming creature; concerning whom there are anecdotes still afloat, and at least verses of this Prince's
writing; not too well seen by Wreech, lately made a Knight of Malta, who, though only turning forty, is
perhaps twice her age. The beautifulest, cleverest,fancy it; and whether the peaty Neumark produces
nothing in the floral kind!
"We went to dinner; he asked me to sit beside him. The conversation fell, among other topics, on the Elector
Palatine's Mistress," crotchety old gentleman, never out of quarrels, with Heidelberg Protestants, heirs of
Julich and Berg, and in general with an unreasonable world, whom we saw at Mannheim last year; has a
Mistress,"Elector Yalatine's Mistress, called Taxis. CrownPrince said: 'I should like to know what that
good old gentleman does with a Mistress?' I answered, that the fashion had come so much in vogue, Princes
did not think they were Princes unless they had mistresses; and that I was amazed at the facility of women,
how they could shut their eyes on the sad reverse of fortune nearly inevitable for them;and instanced the
example of Madam Gravenitz"
"Gravenitz;" example lately fallen out at Wurtemberg, as we predicted. Prayers of the Country, "Deliver us
from evil," are now answered there: Gravenitz quite over with it! Alas, yes; lately fallen from her high estate
in Wurtemberg, and become the topic of dinnertables; seized by soldiers in the nighttime; vain her high
refusals, assurances of being too unwell to dress, "Shall go in your shift, then,"is in prison, totally eclipsed.
[Michaelis, iii. 440; Pollnitz, i. 297.] Calming her fury, she will get out; and wearisomely wander about in
fashionable capitals, TOUJOURS UN LAVEMENT A SES TROUSSES!
"There were other subjects touched upon; and I always endeavored to deduce something of moral instruction
from them," being a military gentleman of the old school.
"Among other things, he said, He liked the great world, and was charmed to observe the ridiculous weak side
of some people. 'That is excellent,' said I, 'if one profit by it oneself: but if it is only for amusement, such a
motive is worth little; we should rather look out for our own ridiculous weak side.' On rising, Hofmarschall
Wolden said to me," without much sincerity, "'YOU have done well to preach a little morality to him.' The
Prince went to a window, and beckoned me thither.
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 377
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"'You have learned nothing of what is to become of me?' said he. I answered: 'It is supposed your Royal
Highness will return to Berlin, when the Marriage [Wilhelmina's] takes place; but as to what will come next, I
have heard nothing. But as your Highness has friends, they will not fail to do their endeavor; and M. de
Grumkow has told me he would try to persuade the King to give you a regiment, in order that your Highness
might have something to do.' It seemed as if that would give him pleasure. I then took the liberty of saying:
'Monseigneur, the most, at present, depends on yourself.'How so?' asked he. I answered, 'It is only by
showing good conduct, and proofs of real wisdom and worth, that the King's entire favor can be gained First
of all, to fear God'"And, in fact, I launched now into a moral preachment, or discursive Dialogue, of great
length; much needing to have the skirts of it tucked up, in a way of faithful abridgment, for behoof of poor
English readers. As follows:
"SCHULENBURG: If your Highness behave well, the King will accord what you want: but it is absolutely
necessary to begin by that. PRINCE: I do nothing that can displease the King. SCHULENBURG: It
would be a little soon yet! But I speak of the future. Your Highness, the grand thing I recommend is to fear
God! Everybody says, you have the sentiments of an honest man; excellent, that, for a beginning; but without
the fear of God, your Highness, the passions stifle the finest sentiments. Must lead a life clear of reproach;
and more particularly on the chapter of women! Need not imagine you can do the least thing without the
King's knowing it: if your Highness take the bad road, he will wish to correct it; the end will be, he will bring
you back to live beside him; which will not be very agreeable. PRINCE: Hmph, No!SCHULENBURG:
Of the ruin to health I do not speak; IPRINCE: Pooh, one is young, one is not master of that;" and, in
fact, on this delicate chapter, which runs to some length, Prince answers as wildish young fellows will;
quizzing my grave self, with glances even at his Majesty, on alleged old peccadilloes of ours. Which
allegations or inferences I rebutted with emphasis. "But, I confess, though I employed all my rhetoric, his
mind did not seem to alter; and it will be a miracle if he change on this head." Alas, General! Can't be helped,
I fear!
"He said he was not afraid of anything so much as of living constantly beside the King.SCHULENBURG:
Arm yourself with patience, Monseigneur, if that happen. God has given you sense enough; persevere to use
it faithfully on all occasions, you will gain the good graces of the King.PRINCE: Impossible; beyond my
power, indeed, said he; and made a thousand objections. SCHULENBURG: Your Highness is like one that
will not learn a trade because you do not already know it. Begin; you will certainly never know it otherwise!
Before rising in the morning, form a plan for your day,"in fact, be moral, oh, be moral!
His Highness now got upon the marriages talked of for him; an important point for the young man. He spoke,
hopefully rather, of the marriage with the Princess of Mecklenburg,Niece of the late Czar Peter the Great;
Daughter of that unhappy Duke who is in quarrel with his Ritters, and a trouble to all his neighbors, and to us
among the number. Readers recollect that young Lady's Serene Mother, and a meeting she once had with her
Uncle Peter,at Magdeburg, a dozen years ago, in a public drawingroom with alcove near; anecdote not
lightly to be printed in human types, nor repeated where not necessary. The Mother is now dead; Father still
up to the eyes in puddle and trouble: but as for the young Lady herself, she is Niece to the now Czarina Anne;
by law of primogeniture Heiress of all the Russias; something of a match truly!
"But there will be difficulties; your Highness to change your religion, for one thing?PRINCE: Won't, by
any means: SCHULENBURG: And give up the succession to Prussia? PRINCE: A right fool if I
did!SCHULENBURG: Then this marriage comes to nothing.Thereupon next he said, If the Kaiser is so
strong for us, let him give me his second Daughter;" lucky Franz of Lorraine is to get the
first."SCHULENBURG: Are you serious? PRINCE: Why not? with a Duchy or two it would do very
well. SCHULENBURG: No Duchies possible under the Pragmatic Sanction, your Highness: besides, your
change of religion?PRINCE: Oh, as to that, never!Then this marriage also comes to nothing Of the
English, and their DoubleMarriage, and their Hotham brabble, he spoke lightly, as of an extinct matter,in
terms your Excellency will like.
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 378
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"But, said I, since you speak so much of marriages, I suppose you wish to be married?PRINCE: No; but if
the King absolutely will have it, I will marry to obey him. After that, I will shove my wife into the corner
(PLANTERAI LA MA FEMME), and live after my own faucy.SCHULENBURG: Horrible to think of!
For, in the first place, your Highness, is it not written in the Law of God, Adulterers shall not inherit the
Kingdom of Heaven?" And in the second place; and in the third and fourth place!To all which he answered
as wild young fellows do, especially if you force marriage on them. "I can perceive, if he marries, it will only
be to have more liberty than now. It is certain, if he had his elbows free, he would strike out (S'EN
DONNERAIT A GAUCHE). He said to me several times: 'I am young; I want to profit by my youth.'" A
questionable young fellow, Herr General; especially if you force marriage on him.
"This conversation done," continues the General, "he set to talking with the Madam Wreech," and her
complexion of lily and rose; "but he did not stay long; drove off about five [dinner at the stroke of twelve in
those countries], inviting me to see him again at Custrin, which I promised."
And so the Prince is off in the Autumn sunset, driving down the peaty hollow of the Warta, through
unpicturesque country, which produces Wreechs and incomparable flowers nevertheless. Yes; and if he look
a six miles to the right, there is the smoke of the evening kettles from Zorndorf, rising into the sky; and across
the River, a twenty miles to the left, is Kunersdorf: poor sleepy sandy hamlets; where nettles of the Devil are
to be plucked one day!
"The beautiful Wreech drove off to Tamsel," her fine house; I to this wretched tavern; where, a couple of
hours after that conversation, I began writing it all down, and have nothing else to do for the night. Your
Excellency's most moral, stiffnecked, pipeclayed and extremely obedient,
"VON SCHULENBUBG."
[Forster, iii. 6571.]
This young man may be orthodox on Predestination, and outwardly growing all that a Papa could wish; but
here are strange heterodoxies, here is plenty of mutinous capricious fire in the interior of him, Herr General!
In fact, a young man unfortunately situated; already become solitary in Creation; has not, except himself, a
friend in the world available just now. Tempestuous Papa storms one way, tempestuous Mamma Nature
another; and between the outsids and the inside there are inconsistencies enough.
Concerning the fair Wreech of Tamsel, with her complexion of lily and rose, there ensued by and by much
whispering, and rumoring underbreath; which has survived in the apocryphal AnecdoteBooks, not in too
distinct a form. Here, from first hand, are three words, which we may take to be the essence of the whole.
Grumkow reporting, in a sordid, occasionally smutty, spy manner, to his Seckendorf, from Berlin, eight or
ten months hence, has this casual expression: "He [King Friedrich Wilhelm] told me in confidence that
Wreech, the Colonel's Wife, isto P. R. (PrinceRoyal); and that Wreech vowed he would not own it for
his. And his Majesty in secret is rather pleased," adds the smutty spy. [Grumkow to Seckendorf, Berlin, 20th
August, 1732 (Forster, iii. 112).] Elsewhere I have read that the poor object, which actually came as
anticipated (male or female, I forget), did not live long;nor had Friedrich, by any opportunity, another
child in this world. Domestic Tamsel had to allay itself as it best could; and the fair Wreech became much a
stranger to Friedrich, surprisingly so to Friedrich the KING, as perhaps we may see.
Predestination, GNADENWAHL, Herr General: what is orthodoxy on Predestination, with these
accompaniments! [For Wreech, see Benekendorf, v. 94; for Schulenburg, ib. 26;and MilitairLexikon, iii.
432, 433, and iv. 268, 269. Vacant on the gossiping points; cautiously official, both these.] We go now to the
Second Letter and the Third,from Landsberg about a fortnight later:
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 379
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No. 2. TO HIS EXCELLENCY (shovelful of titles) VON GRUMKOW, IN BERLIN.
"LANDSBERG, 19th October, 1731.
"The day before yesterday [that is, Wednesday, 17th October] I received an Order, To have only fifty Horse
at that post, and" Order which shows us that there has fallen out some recruiting squabble on the Polish
Frontier hereabouts; that the Polack gentlemen have seized certain Corporals of ours, but are about restoring
them; Order and affair which we shall omit. "Corporals will be got back: but as these Polack gentlemen: will
see, by the course taken, that we have no great stomach for BITING, I fancy they will grow more insolent;
then, 'ware who tries to recruit there for the future!
"On the same day I was apprised, from Custrin, That the PrinceRoyal had resolved on an excursion to
Carzig, and thence to the Bailliage of Himmelstadt [digging and stubbing now on foot at Himmelstadt too],
which is but a couple of miles ["DEMIMILLE" German.] from this; that there would be a little hunt
between the two Bailliages; and that if I chose to come, I might, and the Prince would dine with
me."Which I did; and so, here again, Thursday, 18th October, 1731, in those remote WartaOder
Countries, is a glimpse of his Royal Highness at first hand. Schulenburg continues; not even taking a new
paragraph, which indeed he never does:
"They had shut up a couple of SPIESSER (young roes), and some stags, in the old wreck of a SAUGARTEN
[Boarpark, between Carzig and Himmelstadt; FAST RUINIRTEN SAUGARTEN, he calls it, daintily
throwing in a touch of German here]: the Prince shot one or two of them, and his companions the like; but it
does not seem as if this amusement were much to his taste. He went on to Himmelstadt; and at noon he
arrived here," in my poor Domicile at Landsberg.
"At one o'clock we went to table, and sat till four. He spoke only of very indifferent things; except saying to
me: 'Do you know, the King has promised 400,000 crowns (60,000 pounds) towards disengaging those
Bailliages of the Margraf of Baireuth's,'" old Margraf, Bailliages pawned to raise ready cash; readers
remember what interminable Lawpleading there was, till Friedrich Wilhelm put it into a liquid state, "Pay
me back the moneys, then!" [Supra, pp. 161163.]"'400,000 thalers to the old Margraf, in case his Prince
(Wilhelmina's now Bridegroom) have a son by my Sister.' I answered, I had heard nothing of it.'But,' said
he, 'that is a great deal of money! And some hundred thousands more have gone the like road, to Anspach,
who never will be able to repay. For all is much in disorder at Anspach. Give the Margraf his Heronhunt
(CHASSE AU HERON), he cares for nothing; and his people pluck him at no allowance.' I said: That if these
Princes would regulate their expenditure, they might, little by little, pay off their debts; that I had been told at
Vienna the Baireuth Bailliages were mortgaged on very low terms, those who now held them making eight or
ten per cent of their money;"that the Margraf ought to make an effort; and so on. "I saw very well that
these Loans the King makes are not to his mind.
"Directly on rising from table, he went away; excusing himself to me, That he could not pass the night here;
that the King would not like his sleeping in the Town; besides that he had still several things to complete in a
Report he was sending off to his Majesty. He went to Nassin, and slept there. For my own share, I did not
press him to remain; what I did was rather in the way of form. There were with him President Munchow,"
civil gentleman whom we know, "an Engineer Captain Reger, and the three Gentlemen of his Court,"
Wolden, Rohwedel, Katzmer who once twirled his finger in a certain mouth, the insipid fellow.
"He is no great eater; but I observed he likes the small dishes (PETITS PLATS) and the high tastes: he does
not care for fish; though I had very fine trouts, he never touched them. He does not take brown soup (SOUPE
AU BOUILLON). It did not seem to me he cared for wine: he tastes at all the wines; but commonly stands by
burgundy with water.
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 380
Page No 389
"I introduced to him all the Officers of my Regiment who are here; he received them in the style of a king
[EN ROI, plenty of quiet pride in him, Herr General]. It is certain he feels what he is born to; and if ever he
get to it, will stand on the top of it. As to me, I mean to keep myself retired; and shall see of him as little as I
can. I perceive well he does not like advice," especially when administered in the way of preachment, by stiff
old military gentlemen of the allwise stamp;"and does not take pleasure except with people inferior to
him in mind. His first aim is to find out the ridiculous side of every one, and he loves to banter and quiz. It is
a fault in a Prince: he ought to know people's faults, and not to make them known to anybody whatever,"
which, we perceive, is not quite the method with private gentlemen of the allwise type!
"I speak to your Excellency as a friend; and assure you he is a Prince who has talent, but who will be the
slave of his passions (SE FERA DOMINER PAR SES PASSIONS,"not a felicitous prophecy, Herr
General); "and will like nobody but such as encourage him therein. For me, I think all Princes are cast in the
same mould; there is only a more and a less.
"At parting, he embraced me twice; and said, 'I am sorry I cannot stay longer; but another time I will profit
better.' Wolden [one of the Three] told me he could not describe how wellintentioned for your Excellency
the PrinceRoyal is [cunning dog!], who says often to Wolden [doubtless guessing it will be resaid], 'If I
cannot show him my gratitude, I will his posterity:'"profoundly obliged to the Grumkow kindred first and
last!"I remain your Excellency's" most pipeclayed
"VON SCHULENBURG."
[Forster, iii. 7173.]
And so, after survey of the spademen at Carzig and Himmelstadt (where Colonel Wreech, by the way, is
AMTSHAUPTMANN, official HeadMan), after shooting a SPIESSER or two, and dining and talking in
this sort, his Royal Highness goes to sleep at Massin; and ends one day of his then life. We proceed to Letter
No. 3.
A day or two after No. 2, it would appear, his Majesty, who is commonly at Wusterhausen hunting in this
season, has been rapidly out to Crossen, in these Landsberg regions (to south, within a day's drive of
Landsberg), rapidly looking after something; Grumkow and another Official attending him;other Official,
"Truchsess," is Truchsess von Waldburg, a worthy soldier and gentleman of those parts, whom we shall again
hear of. In No. 3 there is mention likewise of the "Kurfurst of Koln," Elector of Cologne; languid lanky
gentleman of Bavarian breed, whom we saw last year at Bonn, richest Pluralist of the Church; whom
doubtless our poor readers have forgotten again. Mention of him; and also considerable sulky humor, of the
Majesty'sOpposition kind, on Schulenburg's part; for which reason, and generally as a poor direct reflex of
time and place, reflex by ruffled bogwater, through sedges, and in twilight; dim but indubitable,we
give the Letter, though the Prince is little spoken of in it:
No. 3. TO THE EXCELLENCY GRUMKOW (as above), IN BERLIN.
"LANDSBERG, 22d October (Monday), 1731.
"MONSIEUR,I trust your Excellency made your journey to Crossen with all the satisfaction imaginable.
Had I been warned sooner, I would have come; not only to see the King, but for your Excellency's sake and
Truchsess's: but I received your Excellency's Letter only yesterday morning; so I could not have arrived
before yesternight, and that late; for it is fifty miles off, and one has to send relays beforehand; there being no
posthorses on that road.
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 381
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"We are,not to make comparisons,like Harlequin! No sooner out of one scrape, than we get into
another; and all for the sake of those Big Blockheads (L'AMOUR DE CES GRANDS COLOSSES). What
the Kurfurst of Koln has done, in his character of Bishop of Osnabruck,"a deed not known to this Editor,
but clearly in the way of snubbing our recruiting system,"is too droll: but if we avenge ourselves, there
will be high play, and plenty of it, all round our borders! If such things would make any impression on the
spirit, of our Master: but they do not; they"in short, this recruiting system is delirious, thinks the stiff
Schulenburg; and scruples not to say so, though not in his place in Parliament, or even TobaccoParliament.
For there is a Majesty's Opposition in all lands and times. "We ruin the Country," says the Honorable
Member, "sending annually millions of money out of it, for a set of vagabond fellows (GENS A SAC ET A
CORDE), who will never do us the least service. One sees clearly it is the hand of God," darkening some
people's understanding; "otherwise it might be possible their eyes would open, one time or another!"A stiff
pipeclayed gentleman of great wisdom, with plenty of sulphur burning in the heart of him. The rest of his
Letter is all in the Opposition strain (almost as if from his place in Parliament, only far briefer than is usual
"within these walls"); and winds up with a glance at Victor Amadeus's strange feat, or rather at the Son's feat
done upon Victor, over in Sardinia; preceded by this interjectionary sentence on a Prince nearer home:
"As to the PrinceRoyal, depend on it he will do whatever is required of him [marry anybody you like if you
give him more elbowroom, for that is whither he aims.Not a bad stroke that, of the King of
Sardinia"Grand news of the day, at that time; now somewhat forgotten, and requiring a word from us:
Old King Victor Amadeus of Sardinia had solemnly abdicated in favor of his Son; went, for a twelvemonth or
more, into private felicity with an elderly Ladylove whom he had long esteemed the first of women;tired
of such felicity, after a twelvemonth; demanded his crown back, and could not get it! Ladylove and he are
taken prisoners; lodged in separate castles: [2d September, 1730 abdicated, went to Chambery; reclaims, is
locked in Rivoli, 8th October, 1731 (news of it just come to Schulenburg); dies there, 31st October, 1732, his
67th year.] and the wrath of the proud old gentleman is Olympian in character,split an oak table, smiting it
while he spoke (say the cicerones);and his silence, and the fiery daggers he looks, are still more emphatic.
But the young fellow holds out; you cannot play handydandy with a king's crown, your Majesty! say his
new Ministers. Is and will continue King. "Not a bad stroke of him," thinks Schulenburg,
"especially if his Father meant to play him the same trick," that is, clap him in prison. Not a bad
stroke;which perhaps there is another that could imitate, "if HIS Papa gave him the opportunity! But THIS
Papa will take good care; and the Queen will not forget the Sardinian business, when he talks again of
abdicating," as he does when in illhumor.
"But now had not we better have been friends with England, should war rise upon that Sardinian business?
General Schulenburg,"the famed Venetian Fieldmarshal, bruiser of the Turks in Candia, [Same who was
beaten by Charles XII. before; a worthy soldier nevertheless, say the Authorities: LIFE of him by Varnhagen
von Ense ( Biographische Denkmale, Berlin, 1845).] my honored Uncle, who sometimes used to visit his
Sister the Maypole, now EMERITA, in London, and sip beer and take tobacco on an evening, with George I.
of famous memory,he also "writes me this VictorAmadeus news, from Paris;" so that it is certain;
ExKing locked in Rivoli near a fortnight ago: "he, General Schulenburg, says farther, To judge by the
outside, all appears very quiet; but many think, at the bottom of the bag it will not be the same."
"I am, with respect," your Excellency's much in buckram,
"LE COMTE DE SCHOULENBOURG."
[Forster, iii. 7375.]
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Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN. 382
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So far LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg; whom we thank for these contemporary glimpses of a young man
that has become historical, and of the scene he lived in. And with these three accidental utterances, as if they
(which are alone left) had been the sum of all he said in the world, let the LieutenantGeneral withdraw now
into silence: he will turn up twice again, after half a score of years, once in a nobler than talking attitude, the
closeharnessed, stalwart, slightly atrabiliar military gentleman of the old Prussian school.
These glimpses of the CrownPrince, reflected on us in this manner, are not very luculent to the
reader,light being indifferent, and mirror none of the best:but some features do gleam forth, good and
not so good; which, with others coming, may gradually coalesce into something conceivable. A Prince clearly
of much spirit, and not without petulance; abundant fire, much of it shining and burning irregularly at
present; being sore held down from without, and anomalously situated. Pride enough, thinks Schulenburg,
capricious petulance enough,likely to go into "a reign of the passions," if we live. As will be seen!
Wilhelmina was betrothed in June last: Wilhelmina, a Bride these six months, continues to be much
tormented by Mamma. But the Bridegroom, Prince of Baireuth, is gradually recommending himself to
persons of judgment, to Wilhelmina among others. One day he narrowly missed an unheardof accident: a
foolish servant, at some boarhunt, gave him a loaded piece on the halfcock; halfcock slipped in the
handling; bullet grazed his Majesty's very temple, was felt twitching the hair there;ye Heavens!
Whereupon impertinent remarks from some of the Dessau people (allies of Schwedt and the Margravine in
high colors); which were well answered by the Prince, and noiselessly but severely checked by a wellbred
King. [Wilhelmina, i. 356.] King has given the Prince of Baireuth a regiment; and likes him tolerably, though
the young man will not always drink as could be wished. Wedding, in spite of clouds from her Majesty, is
coming steadily on.
HIS MAJESTY'S BUILDING OPERATIONS.
"This year," says Fassmann, "the building operations both in Berlin and Stettin,"in Stettin where new
fortifications are completed, in Berlin where gradually whole new quarters are getting built,"were
exceedingly pushed forward (AUSSERST POUSSIRT)." Alas, yes; this too is a questionable memorable
feature of his Majesty's reign. Late Majesty, old King Friedrich I., wishful,as others had been, for the
growth of Berlin, laid out a new Quarter, and called it Friedrichs Stadt; scraggy boggy ground, planned out
into streets, Friedrichs Strasse the chief street, with here and there a house standing lonesomely prophetic on
it. But it is this present Majesty, Friedrich Wilhelm, that gets the plan executed, and the Friedrichs Strasse
actually built, not always in a soft or spontaneous manner. Friedrich Wilhelm was the AEdile of his Country,
as well as the Drillsergeant; Berlin City did not rise of its own accord, or on the principle of leavealone,
any more than the Prussian Army itself. Wreck and rubbish Friedrich Wilhelm will not leave alone, in any
kind; but is intent by all chances to sweep them from the face of the Earth, that something useful, seemly to
the Royal mind, may stand there instead. Hence these building operations in the Friedrich Street and
elsewhere, so "exceedingly pushed forward."
The number of scraggy waste places he swept clear, first and last, and built tight human dwellings upon, is
almost uncountable. A common gift from him (as from his Son after him) to a man in favor, was that of a
new good House,an excellent gift. Or if the man is himself able to build, Majesty will help him, incite him:
"Timber enough is in the royal forests; stone, lime are in the royal quarries; scraggy waste is abundant: why
should any man, of the least industry or private capital, live in a bad house?" By degrees, the pressure of his
Majesty upon private men to build with encouragement became considerable, became excessive, irresistible;
and was much complained of, in these years now come. Old Colonel Derschau is the King's Agent, at Berlin,
in this matter; a hard stiff man; squeezes men, all manner of men with the least capital, till they build.
Nussler, for example, whom we once saw at Hanover, managing a certain contested Heritage for Friedrich
Wilhelm; adroit Nussler, though he has yet got no fixed appointment, nor pay except by the job, is urged to
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build;second year hence, 1733, occurs the case of Nussler, and is copiously dwelt upon by Busching his
biographer: "Build yourself a house in the Friedrichs Strasse!" urges Derschau. "But I have no pay, no
capital!" pleads Nussler. "Tush, your Fatherinlaw, abstruse Kanzler von Ludwig, in Halle University,
monster of lawlearning there, is not he a monster of hoarded moneys withal? He will lend you, for his own
and his Daughter's sake. [Busching, Beitrage, i. 324.] Or shall his Majesty compel him?" urges Derschau.
And slowly, continually turns the screw upon Nussler, till he too raises for himself a firm good house in the
Friedrichs Stadt, Friedrichs Strasse, or STREET, as they now call it, which the Tourist of these days
knows. Substantial clear ashlar Street, miles or halfmiles long; straight as a line:Friedrich Wilhelm found
it scrag and quagmire; and left it what the Tourist sees, by these hard methods. Thus Herr PrivyCouncillor
Klinggraf too, Nussler's next neighbor: he did not want to build; far from it; but was obliged, on worse terms
than Nussler. You have such work, founding your house;for the NusslerKlinggraf spot was a fishpool,
and "carps were dug up" in founding;such piles, bound platform of solid beams; "4,000 thalers gone before
the first stone is laid:" and, in fact, the house must be built honestly, or it will be worse for the house and you.
"Cost me 12,000 thalers (l,800 pounds) in all, and is worth perhaps 2,000!" sorrowfully ejaculates Nussler,
when the job is over. Still worse with PrivyCouncillor Klinggraf: his house, the next to Nussler's, is worth
mere nothing to him when built; a soapboiler offers him 800 thalers (120 pounds) for it; and Nussler, to
avoid suffocation, purchases it himself of Klinggraf for that sum. Derschau, with his slow screwmachinery,
is very formidable;and Busching knows it for a fact, "that respectable Berlin persons used to run out of the
way of Burgermeister Koch and him, when either of them turned up on the streets!"
These things were heavy to bear. Truly, yes; where is the liberty of private capital or liberty of almost any
kind, on those terms? Liberty to ANNIHILATE rubbish and chaos, under known conditions, you may have;
but not the least liberty to keep them about you, though never so fond of doing it! What shall we say? Nussler
and the Soapboiler do both live in houses more human than they once had. Berlin itself, and some other
things, did not spring from Freetrade. Berlin City would, to this day, have been a Place of SCRUBS ("the
BERLIN," a mere appellative noun to that effect), had Freetrade always been the rule there. I am sorry his
Majesty transgresses the limits;and we, my friends, if we can make our Chaos into Cosmos by firing
Parliamentary eloquence into it, and bombarding it with BlueBooks, we will much triumph over his
Majesty, one day!
Thus are the building operations exceedingly pushed forward, the Ear of Jenkins torn off, and Victor
Amadeus locked in ward, while our CrownPrince, in the eclipsed state, is inspected by a Sage in pipeclay,
and Wilhelmina's wedding is coming on.
Chapter VI. WILHELMINA'S WEDDING.
Tuesday, 20th November, 1731, Wilhelmina's weddingday arrived, after a brideship of eight months; and
that young Lady's troublesome romance, more happily than might have been expected, did at last wind itself
up. Mamma's unreasonable humors continued, more or less; but these also must now end. Old wooers and
outlooks, "the four or three crowned heads,"they lie far over the horizon; faded out of one's very thoughts,
all these. Charles XII., Peter II. are dead; Weissenfels is not, but might as well be. Prince Fred, not yet
wedded elsewhere, is doing French madrigals in Leicester House; tending fowards the "West Wickham" set
of Politicians, the PittLyttelton set; stands ill with Father and Mother, and will not come to much. August
the DilapidatedStrong is deep in Polish troubles, in AntiKaiser politics, in drinkingbouts;his greattoe
never mended, never will mend. Gone to the spectral state all these: here, blooming with life in its cheeks, is
the one practical Fact, our good Hereditary Prince of Baireuth,privately our fate all along; which we
will welcome cheerfully; and be thankful to Heaven that we have not died in getting it decided for us!
Wedding was of great magnificence; Berlin Palace and all things and creatures at their brightest: the
BrunswickBeverns here, and other high Guests; no end of pompous ceremonials, solemnities and
splendors,the very train of one's gown was "twelve yards long." Eschewing all which, the reader shall
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commodiously conceive it all, by two samples we have picked out for him: one sample of a Person, high
Guest present; one of an Apartment where the sublimities went on.
The Duchess Dowager of SachsenMeiningen, who has come to honor us on this occasion, a very large
Lady, verging towards sixty; she is the person. A living elderly Daughter of the Great Elector himself;
halfsister to the late King, halfaunt to Friedrich Wilhelm; widow now of her third husband: a singular
phenomenon to look upon, for a moment, through Wilhelmina's satirical spectacles. One of her three
husbands, "Christian Ernst of Baireuth" (Margraf there, while the present Line was but expectant), had been a
kind of WelshUncle to the Prince now Bridegroom; so that she has a double right to be here. "She had found
the secret of totally ruining Baireuth," says Wilhelmina; "Baireuth, and Courland as well, where her first
wedlock was;" perhaps Meiningen was done to her hand? Here is the Portrait of "my GrandAunt;" dashed
off in very high colors, not by a flattering pencil:
"It is said she was very fond of pleasing, in her youth; one saw as much still by her affected manners. She
would have made an excellent actress, to play fantastic parts of that kind. Her flaming red countenance, her
shape, of such monstrous extent that she could hardly walk, gave her the air of a Female Bacchus. She took
care to expose to view her"a part of her person, large but no longer beautiful,"and continually kept
patting it with her hands, to attract attention thither. Though sixty gone," fiftyseven in point of
fact,"she was tricked out like a girl; hair done in ribbonlocks (MARRONNES), all filled with gewgaws
of rosepink color, which was the prevailing tint in her complexion, and so loaded with colored jewels, you
would have taken her for the rainbow." [Wilhelmina, i. 375.]
This charming old Lady, daughter of the GROSSE KURFURST, and so very fat and rubicund, had a Son
once: he too is mentionable in his way,as a milestone (parish milestone) in the obscure Chronology of
those parts. Her first husband was the Duke of Courland; to him she brought an heir, who became Duke in his
turn,and was the final Duke, LAST of the "Kettler" or native Line of Dukes there. The Kettlers had been
Teutsch Ritters, Commandants in Courland; they picked up that Country, for their own behoof, when the
Ritterdom went down; and this was the last of them. He married Anne of Russia with the big cheek (Czar
Peter's Niece, who is since become Czarina); and died shortly after, twenty years ago; with tears doubtless
from the poor rosepink Mother, far away in Baireuth and childless otherwise; and also in a sense to the
sorrow of Courland, which was hereby left vacant, a prey to enterprising neighbors. And on those terms it
was that Saxons Moritz (our dissolute friend, who will be MARECHAL DE SAXE one day) made his clutch
at Courland, backed by moneys of the French actress; rumor of which still floats vaguely about. Moritz might
have succeeded, could he have done the first part of the feat, fallen in love with Swolncheeked Anne,
Dowager there; but he could not; could only pretend it: Courland therefore (now that the Swolncheek is
become Czarina) falls to one Bieren, a born Courlander, who could. [Last Kettler, Anne's Husband, died
(leaving only an old Uncle, fallen Into Papistry and other futility, who, till his death some twenty years after,
had to reside abroad and be nominal merely), 1711; Moritz's attempt with Adrienne Lecouvreur's cash was,
1726; Anne became Sovereign of all the Russias (on her poor Cousin Peter II.'s death), 1730; Bieren (BIRON
as he tried to write himself, being of poor birth) did not get installed till 1737; and had, he and Courland both,
several tumbles after that before getting to stable equilibrium.] We hurry to the "Grand Apartment" in
Berlin Schloss, and glance rapidly, with Wilhelmina (in an abridged form), how magnificent it is:
Royal Apartment, third floor of the Palace at Berlin, one must say, few things equal it in the world. "From the
Outer Saloon or Antechamber, called SALLE DES SUISSES [where the halberdier and valet people wait]
you pass through six grand rooms, into a saloon magnificently decorated: thence through two rooms more,
and so into what they call the PictureGallery, a room ninety feet long. All this is in a line." Grand all this;
but still only common in comparison. From the PictureGallery you turn (to right or left is not said, nor does
it matter) into a suite of fourteen great rooms, each more splendid than the other: lustre from the ceiling of the
first room, for example, is of solid silver; weighs, in pounds avoirdupois I know not what, but in silver coin
"10,000 crowns:" ceilings painted as by Correggio; "wallmirrors between each pair of windows are twelve
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feet high, and their piers (TRUMEAUX) are of massive silver; in front of each mirror, table can be laid for
twelve;" twelve Serenities may dine there, flanked by their mirror, enjoying the Correggiosities above, and
the practical sublimities all round. "And this is but the first of the fourteen;" and you go on increasing in
superbness, till, for example, in the last, or superlative Saloon, you find "a lustre weighing 50,000 crowns; the
globe of it big enough to hold a child of eight years; and the branches (GUERIDONS) of it," I forget how
many feet or fathoms in extent: silver to the heart. Nay the musicbalcony is of silver; wearied fiddler lays
his elbow on balustrades of that precious metal. Seldom if ever was seen the like. In this superlative Saloon
the Nuptial Benediction was given. [Wilhelmina, i. 381; Nicolai, ii. 881.]
Old King Friedrich, the expensive Herr, it was he that did the furnishing and Correggiopainting of these
sublime rooms: but this of the masses of wrought silver, this was done by Friedrich Wilhelm,incited
thereto by what he saw at Dresden in August the Strong's Establishment; and reflecting, too, that silver is
silver, whether you keep it in barrels in a coined form, or work it into chandeliers, mirrorframes and
musicbalconies. These things we should not have mentioned, except to say that the massive silver did
prove a hoard available, in after times, against a rainy day. Massive silver (well mixed with copper first) was
all melted down, stamped into current coins, native and foreign, and sent wandering over the world, before a
certain Prince got through his SevenYears Wars and other pinches that are ahead!
In fine, Wilhelmina's Wedding was magnificent; though one had rubs too; and Mamma was rather severe.
"Hair went all wrong, by dint of overdressing; and hung on one's face like a boy's. Crownroyal they had put
(as indeed was proper) on one's head: hair was in twentyfour locks the size of your arm: such was the
Queen's order. Gown was of clothofsilver, trimmed with Spanish goldlace (AVEC UN POINT
D'ESPAGNE D'OR); train twelve yards long;one was like to sink to the earth in such equipment."
Courage, my Princess!In fact, the Wedding went beautifully off; with dances and sublimities, slow solemn
Torchdance to conclude with, in those unparalleled upper rooms; GrandAunt Meiningen and many other
stars and rainbows witnessing; even the Margravine of Schwedt, in her high colors, was compelled to be
there. Such variegated splendor, such a dancing of the Constellations; sublunary Berlin, and all the world, on
tiptoe round it! Slow Torchdance, winding it up, melted into the shades of midnight, for this time; and there
was silence in Berlin.
But, on the following nights, there were Balls of a less solemn character; far pleasanter for dancing purposes.
It is to these, to one of these, that we direct the attention of all readers. Friday, 23d, there was again Ball and
Royal Evening Party"Grand Apartment" so called. Immense Ball, "seven hundred couples, all people of
condition:" there were "Four Quadrilles," or dancing places in the big sea of qualityfigures; each at its due
distance in the grand suite of rooms: Wilhelmina presides in Quadrille NUMBER ONE; place assigned her
was in the room called PictureGallery; Queen and all the Principalities were with Wilhelmina, she is to lead
off their quadrille, and take charge of it. Which she did, with her accustomed fire and elasticity;and was
circling there, on the light fantastic toe, time six in the evening, when Grumkow, whom she had been dunning
for his bargain about Friedrich the day before, came up:
"I liked dancing," says she, "and was taking advantage of my chances. Grumkow came up, and interrupted
me in the middle of a minuet: 'EH, MON DIEU MADAME!' said Grumkow, 'you seem to have got bit by the
tarantula! Don't you see those strangers who have just come in?' I stopt short; and looking all round, I noticed
at last a young man dressed in gray, whom I did not know. 'Go, then, embrace the PriuceRoyal; there he is
before you!' said Grumkow. All the blood in my body went topsyturvy for joy. 'O Heaven, my Brother?'
cried I: 'But I don't see him; where is he? In God's name, let me see him!' Grumkow led me to the young man
in gray. Coming near, I recognized him, though with difficulty: he had grown amazingly stouter
(PRODIGIEUSEMENT ENGRAISSE), shortened about the neck; his face too had much changed, and was
no longer so beautiful as it had been. I sprang upon him with open arms (SAUTAI AU COU); I was in such a
state, I could speak nothing but broken exclamations: I wept, I laughed, like one gone delirious. In my life I
have never felt so lively a joy.
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"The first sane step was to throw myself at the feet of the King: King said, 'Are you content with me? You
see I have kept my word!' I took my Brother by the hand; and entreated the King to restore him his
friendship. This scene was so touching, it drew tears from the eyes of everybody. I then approached the
Queen. She was obliged to embrace me, the King being close opposite; but I remarked that her joy was only
affected."Why then, O Princess? Guess, if you can, the female humors of her Majesty!
"I turned to my Brother again; I gave him a thousand caresses, and said the tenderest things to him: to all
which he remained cold as ice, and answered only in monosyllables. I presented the Prince (my Husband); to
whom he did not say one word. I was astonished at this fashion of procedure! But I laid the blame of it on the
King, who was observing us, and who I judged might be intimidating my Brother. But even his countenance
surprised me: he wore a proud air, and seemed to look down on everybody."
A muchchanged CrownPrince. What can be the meaning of it? Neither King nor he appeared at supper:
they were supping elsewhere, with a select circle; and the whisper ran among us, His Majesty was treating
him with great friendliness. At which the Queen, contrary to hope, could not conceal her secret pique. "In
fact," says Wilhelmina, again too hard on Mamma, "she did not love her children except as they served her
ambitious views." The fact that it was I, and not she, who had achieved the Prince's deliverance, was painful
to her Majesty: alas, yes, in some degree!
"Ball having recommenced, Grumkow whispered to me, 'That the King was pleased with my frank kind ways
to my Brother; and not pleased with my Brother's cold way of returning it: Does he simulate, and mean still
to deceive me? Or IS that all the thanks he has for Wilhelmina? thinks his Majesty. Go on with your sincerity,
Madam; and for God's sake admonish the CrownPrince to avoid finessing!' CrownPrince, when I did, in
some interval of the dance, report this of Grumkow, and say, Why so changed and cold, then, Brother of my
heart? answered, That he was still the same; and that he had his reasons for what he did." Wilhelmiua
continues; and cannot understand her CrownPrince at all:
"Next morning, by the King's order, he paid me a visit. The Prince," my Husband, "was polite enough to
withdraw, and left me and Sousfeld alone with him. He gave me a recital of his misfortnues; I communicated
mine to him,"and how I had at last bargained to get him free again by my compliance. "He appeared much
discountenanced at this last part of my narrative. He returned thanks for the obligations I had laid on
him,with some caressings, which evidently did not proceed from the heart. To break this conversation, he
started some indifferent topic; and, under pretence of seeing my Apartment, moved into the next room, where
the Prince my Husband was. Him he ran over with his eyes from head to foot, for some time; then, after some
constrained civilities to him, went his way." What to make of all this? "Madam Sonsfeld shrugged her
shoulders;" no end of Madam Sousfeld's astonishment at such a CrownPrince.
Alas, yes, poor Wilhelmina; a CrownPrince got into terrible cognizance of facts since we last met him!
Perhaps already sees, not only what a Height of place is cut out for him in this world, but also in a dim way
what a solitude of soul, if he will maintain his height? Top of the frozen Schreckhorn;have you well
considered such a position! And even the way thither is dangerous, is terrible in this case. Be not too hard
upon your CrownPrince. For it is certain he loves you to the last!
Captain Dickens, who alone of all the Excellencies was not at the Wedding,and never had believed it
would be a wedding, but only a rumor to bring England round,duly chronicles this happy reappearance of
the PrinceRoyal: "about six, yesterday evening, as the company was dancing,to the great joy and surprise
of the whale Court;"and adds: "This morning the Prince came to the public Parade; where crowds of
people of all ranks flocked to see his Royal Highness, and gave the most open demonstrations of pleasure."
[Despatch 24th November, 1731.]
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Wilhelmina, these noisy tumults, not all of them delightful, once done, gets out of the perplexed hurlyburly,
home towards still Baireuth, shortly after Newyear. [11th January, 1732 (Wilhelmina, ii. 20.] "Berlin was
become as odious to me as it had once been dear. I flattered myself that, renouncing grandeurs, I might lead a
soft and tranquil life in my new Home, and begin a happier year than the one that had just ended." Mamma
was still perverse; but on the edge of departure Wilhelmina contrived to get a word of her Father, and
privately open her heart to him. Poor Father, after all that has come and gone:
"My discourse produced its effect; he melted into tears, could not answer me for sobs; he explained his
thoughts by his embracings of me. Making an effort, at length, he said: 'I am in despair that I did not know
thee. They had told me such horrible tales, I hated thee as much as I now love thee. If I had addressed myself
direct to thee, I should have escaped much trouble, and thou too. But they hindered me from speaking; said
thou wert illnatured as the Devil, and wouldst drive me to extremities I wanted to avoid. Thy Mother, by her
intriguings, is in part the cause of the misfortunes of the family; I have been deceived and duped on every
side. But my hands are tied; and though my heart is torn in pieces, I must leave these iniquities
unpunished!'"The Queen's intentions were always good, urged Wilhelmina. "Let us not enter into that
detail," answered he: "what is past is past; I will try to forget it;" and assured Wilhelmina that she was the
dearest to him of the family, and that he would do great things for her still,only part of which came to
effect in the sequel. "I am too sad of heart to take leave of you," concluded he: "embrace your Husband on
my part; I am so overcome that I must not see him." [Wilhelmina, ii. 4; who dates 11th January, 1732.] And
so they rolled away.
CrownPrince was back to Custrin again, many weeks before. Back to Custrin; but under totally changed
omens: his history, after that first emergence in Wilhelmina's dance "23d November about six P.M.," and
appearance at Parade on the morrow (Saturday morning), had been as follows. Monday November 26th) there
was again grand Ball, and the Prince there, not in gray this time. Next day, the old Dessauer and all the higher
Officers in Berlin petitioned, "Let us have him in the Army again, your Majesty!" Majesty consented: and so,
Friday, 30th, there was grand dinner at Seckendorf's, CrownPrince there, in soldier's uniform again; a
completely pardoned youth. His uniform is of the Goltz Regiment, Infantry: Goltz Regiment, which lies at
Ruppin,at and about, in that moory Country to the Northeast, some thirty or forty miles from
Berlin;whither his destination now is.
CrownPrince had to resume his Kammer work at Custrin, and see the Buildings at Carzig, for a three
months longer, till some arrangements in the Regiment Goltz were perfected, and finishing improvements
given to it. But "on the last day of February" (29th) 1732 being leapyear), his Royal Highness's Commission
to be Colonel Commandant of said Regiment is made out; and he proceeds, in discharge of the same, to
Ruppin, where his men lie. And so puts off the pikegray coat, and puts on the military blue one, [Preuss, i.
69.]never to quit it again, as turned out.
Ruppin is a little Town, in that northwest Fehrbellin region: Regiment Goltz had lain in detached quarters
hitherto; but is now to lie at Ruppin, the first Battalion of it there, and the rest within reach. Here, in Ruppin
itself, or ultimately at Reinsberg in the neighborhood, was Friedrich's abode, for the next eight years.
Habitual residence: with transient excursions, chiefly to Berlin in Carnival time, or on other great occasions,
and always strictly on leave; his employment being that of Colonel of Foot, a thing requiring continual
vigilance and industry in that Country. Least of all to be neglected, in any point, by one in his circumstances.
He did his military duties to a perfection satisfactory even to Papa; and achieved on his own score many other
duties and improvements, for which Papa had less value. These eight years, it is always understood, were
among the most important of his life to him.
END OF BOOK VIII
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BOOK IX. LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN
RUPPIN. 17321736.
Chapter I. PRINCESS ELIZABETH CHRISTINA OF
BRUNSWICKBEVERN.
We described the CrownPrince as intent to comply, especially in all visible external particulars, with Papa's
will and pleasure; to distingnish himself by real excellence in Commandantship of the Regiment Goltz,
first of all. But before ever getting into that, there has another point risen, on which obedience, equally
essential, may be still more difficult.
Ever since the grand Catastrophe went off WITHOUT taking Friedrich's head along with it, and there began
to be hopes of a pacific settlement, question has been, Whom shall the CrownPrince marry? And the debates
about it in the Royal breast and in TobaccoParliament, and rumors about it in the world at large, have been
manifold and continual. In the Schulenburg Letters we saw the CrownPrince himself much interested, and
eagerly inquisitive on that head. As was natural: but it is not in the CrownPrince's mind, it is in the
TobaccoParliament, and the Royal breast as influenced there, that the thing must be decided. Who in the
world will it be, then? CrownPrince himself hears now of this party, now of that. England is quite over, and
the Princess Amelia sunk below the horizon. Friedrich himself appears a little piqued that Hotham carried his
nose so high; that the English would not, in those lifeanddeath circumstances, abate the least from their
"Both marriages or none,"thinks they should have saved Wilhelmina, and taken his word of honor for the
rest. England is now out of his head;all romance is too sorrowfully swept out: and instead of the "sacred
aircities of hope" in this high section of his history, the young man is looking into the "mean clay hamlets of
reality," with an eye well recognizing them for real. With an eye and heart already tempered to the due
hardness for them. Not a fortunate result, though it was an inevitable one. We saw him flirting with the
beautiful wedded Wreech; talking to LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg about marriage, in a way which shook
the pipeclay of that virtuous man. He knows he would not get his choice, if he had one; strives not to care.
Nor does he, in fact, much care; the romance being all out of it. He looks mainly to outward advantages; to
personal appearance, temper, good manners; to "religious principle," sometimes rather in the reverse way
(fearing an OVERPLUS rather);but always to likelihood of moneys by the match, as a very direct item.
Ready command of money, he feels, will be extremely desirable in a Wife; desirable and almost
indispensable, in present straitened circumstances. These are the notions of this illsituated Coelebs.
The parties proposed first and last, and rumored of in Newspapers and the idle brains of men, have been very
many, no limit to their numbers; it MAY be anybody: an intending purchaser, though but possessed of
sixpence, is in a sense proprietor of the whole Fair! Through Schulenburg we heard his own account of them,
last Autumn;but the far noblest of the lot was hardly glanced at, or not at all, on that occasion. The Kaiser's
eldest Daughter, sole heiress of Austria and these vast PragmaticSanction operations; Archduchess Maria
Theresa herself,it is affirmed to have been Prince Eugene's oftenexpressed wish, That the CrownPrince
of Prussia should wed the future Empress [Hormayr, Allgemeine Geschichte der neueslen Zeit (Wien, 1817),
i. 13; cited in Preuss, i. 71.] Which would indeed have saved immense confusions to mankind! Nay she alone
of Princesses, beautiful, magnanimous, brave, was the mate for such a Prince, had the Good Fairies been
consulted, which seldom happens:and Romance itself might have become Reality in that case: with high
results to the very soul of this young Prince! Wishes are free: and wise Eugene will have been heard, perhaps
often, to express this wish; but that must have been all. Alas, the preliminaries, political, especially religious,
are at once indispensable and impossible: we have to dismiss that daydream. A PapalProtestant Controversy
still exists among mankind; and this is one penalty they pay for not having settled it sooner. The Imperial
Court cannot afford its Archduchess on the terms possible in that quarter.
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What the Imperial Court can do is, to recommend a Niece of theirs, insignificant young Princess, Elizabeth
Christina of BrunswickBevern, who is Niece to the Empress; and may be made useful in this way, to herself
and us, think the Imperial Majesties;will be a new tie upon the Prussians and the Pragmatic Sanction, and
keep the Alliance still surer for our Archduchess in times coming, think their Majesties. She, it is insinuated
by Seckendorf in TobaocoParliament; ought not she, Daughter of your Majesty's esteemed
friend,modestminded, innocent young Princess, with a Brother already betrothed in your Majesty's
House,to be the Lady? It is probable she will.
Did we inform the reader once about Kaiser Karl's young marriage adventures; and may we, to remind him,
mention them a second time? How Imperial Majesty, some fiveandtwenty years ago, then only King of
Spain, asked Princess Caroline of Anspach, who was very poor, and an orphan in the world. Who at once
refused, declining to think of changing her religion on such a score;and now governs England,
telegraphing with Walpole, as Queen there instead. How Karl, now Imperial Majesty, then King of Spain,
next applied to BrunswickWolfenbuttel; and met with a much better reception there. Applied to old Anton
Ulrich, reigning Duke, who writes big Novels, and does other foolish goodnatured things; who persuaded
his Granddaughter that a change to Catholicism was nothing in such a case, that he himself should not care
in the least to change. How the Granddaughter changed accordingly, went to Barcelona, and was
wedded;and had to dun old Grandpapa, "Why don't you change, then?" Who did change thereupon;
thinking to himself, "Plague on it I must, then!" the foolish old Herr. He is dead; and his Novels, in six
volumes quarto, are all dead: and the Granddaughter is Kaiserinn, on those terms, a serene monotonous
wellfavored Lady, diligent in her Catholic exercises; of whom I never heard any evil, good rather, in her
eminent serene position. Pity perhaps that she had recommended her Niece for this young Prussian
gentleman; whom it by no means did "attach to the Family" so very careful about him at Vienna! But if there
lay a sin, and a punishment following on it, here or elsewhere, in her Imperial position, surely it is to be
charged on foolish old Anton Ulrich; not on her, poor Lady, who had never coveted such height, nor durst for
her soul take the leap thitherward, till the serene old literary gentleman showed her how easy it was.
Well, old Anton Ulrich is long since dead, [1714, age 70. Huber, t. 190.] and his religious accounts are all
settled beyond cavil; and only the sad duty devolves on me of explaining a little what and who his rather
insipid offspring are, so far as related to readers of this History. Anton Ulrich left two sons; the elder of
whom was Duke, and the younger had an Apanage, Blankenburg by name. Only this younger had
children,serene Kaiserinn that now is, one of them: The elder died childless, [1731, Michaelis, i. 132.]
precisely a few months before the times we are now got to; reigning Duke of BrunswickWolfenbuttel,
["WelfBOOTHS" (Hunted Camp of the Welfs), according to Etymology. "Brunswick," again, is
BRAUN'SWick; "Braun" (Brown) being an old militant Welf in those parts, who built some lodge for
himself, as a convenience there,Year 880, say the uncertain old Books. Hubner, t. 149; Michaelis, all but
certain Apanages, and does not concern us farther. To that supreme dignity the younger has now come, and
his Apanage of Blankenburg and children with him;so that there is now only one outstanding Apanage
(Bevern, not known to us yet); which also will perhaps get reunited, if we cared for it. Ludwig Rudolf is the
name of this new sovereign Duke of BrunswickWolfenbuttel, or Duke in chief; age now sixty; has a
shining, bustling, somewhat irregular Duchess, says Wilhelmina; and a noseor rather almost no nose, for
sad reasons! [Wilhelmina, ii. 121.] Other qualities or accidents I know not of him,except that he is Father
of the Vienna Kaiserinn; Grandfather of the Princess whom Seckendorf suggests for our Friedrich of Prussia.
In Ludwig Rudolf's insipid offspring our readers are unexpectedly somewhat interested; let readers patiently
attend, therefore. He had three Daughters, never any son. Two of his Daughters, eldest and youngest, are
alive still; the middle one had a sad fate long ago. She married, in 1711, Alexius the Czarowitz of Peter the
Great: foolish Czarowitz, miserable and making others miserable, broke her heart by ill conduct, ill usage, in
four years; so that she died; leaving him only a poor small Peter II., who is now dead too, and that matter
ended all but the memory of it. Some accounts bear, that she did not die; that she only pretended it, and ran
and left her intolerable Czarowitz. That she wedded, at Paris, in deep obscurity, an Officer just setting out for
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Louisiana; lived many years there as a thrifty soldier's wife; returned to Paris with her Officer reduced to
halfpay; and told himor told some select Official person after him, under sevenfold oath, being then a
widow and necessitousher sublime secret. Sublime secret, which came thus to be known to a supremely
select circle at Paris; and was published in Books, where one still reads it. No vestige of truth in it,except
that perhaps a necessitous soldier's widow at Paris, considering of ways and means, found that she had some
trace of likeness to the Pictures of this Princess, and had heard her tragic story.
Ludwig Rudolf's second Daughter is dead long years ago; nor has this fable as yet risen from her dust. Of
Ludwig Rudolf's other two Daughters, we have said that one, the eldest, was the Kaiserinn; Empress
Elizabeth Christina, age now precisely forty; with two beautiful Daughters, sublime Maria Theresa the elder
of them, and no son that would live. Which last little circumstance has caused the Pragmatic Sanction, and
tormented universal Nature for so many years back! Ludwig Rudolf has a youngest Daughter, also married,
and a Mother in Germany,to this day conspicuously so;of whom next, or rather of her Husband and
Familycircle, we must say a word.
Her Husband is no other than the esteemed Friend of Friedrich Wilhelm; Duke of BrunswickBevern, by
title; who, as a junior branch, lives on the Apanage of Bevern, as his Father did; but is sure now to inherit the
sovereignty and be Duke of BrunswickWolfenbuttel at large, he or his Sons, were the present incumbent,
Ludwig Rudolf, once out. Present incumbent, we have just intimated, is his Fatherinlaw; but it is not on
that ground that he looks to inherit. He is Nephew of old Anton Ulrich, Son of a younger Brother (who was
also "Bevern" in Anton's time); and is the evident Heirmale; old Anton being already fallen into the distaff,
with nothing but three Granddaughters. Anton's heir will now be this Nephew; Nephew has wedded one of
the Granddaughters, youngest of the Three, youngest Daughter of Ludwig Rudolf, Sovereign Duke that now
is; which Lady, by the family she brought him, if no otherwise, is memorable or mentionable here, and may
be called, a Mother in Germany. [ANTON ULRICH (18331714). Duke in Chief; that is, Duke of
BrunswickWOLFENBUTTEL.
AUGUST WILHELM, elder Son and Heir (1662, 1714, 1731); had no
children.
LUDWIG RUDOLF, the younger Son (1671, 1731, 1735), apanagad in
Blankenburg: Duke of BrunswickBLANKENBURG; became WOLFENBUTTEL.
1731, died , 1st March, 1735. No Son; so that now the Bevern
succeeded. Three Daughters:
Elizabeth Christina, the Kaiserinn (1691, 1708, 1750).
Charlotte Christina (1694, 1711, 1715), Alexius of Russia's,
had a FABULOUS end.
Antoinette Amelia (1695, 1712, 1762); Bevern's Wife,a
"Mother in Germany." FERDINAND ALBERT (16361687), his younger Brother apanaged in Bevern;
that is, Duke of BrunswickBEVERN.
FERDINAND ALBERT, eldest Son (an elder had perished, 1704, on
the Schellenberg under Marlborough), followed in Bevern (1680,
16871704, 1735); Kaiser's soldier, Friedrich Wilhelm's friend;
married his Cousin, Antoinette Amelia ("Mother in Germany," as
we call her). Duke in Chief, 1st March, 1785, on Ludwig Rudolf's
decease; died himself, 3d September same year.
BORN 1713, Karl the Heir (to marry our Friedrich's Sister).
1714, Anton Ulrich (Russia; tragedy of Czar Iwan).
1715, 8th November, Elizabeth Christina (Crown Prince's).
1718, Ludwig Ernst (Holland, 1787).
1721, Ferdinand (Chatham's and England's) of the Seven Years
War.
1722, 1724, 1725, 1732, Four others; Boys the youngest Two,
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who were both killed in Friedrich's Wars.]
Father Bevern her Husband, Ferdinand Albert the name of him, is now just fifty, only ten years younger than
his serene Fatherin law, Ludwig Rudolf:whom, I may as well say here, he does at last succeed, three
years hence (1735) and becomes Duke of Brunswick in General, according to hope; but only for a few
months, having himself died that same year. Poor Duke; rather a good man, by all the accounts I could hear;
though not of qualities that shone. He is at present "Duke of BrunswickBevern,"such his actual
nomenclature in those everfluctuating Sibyl'sleaves of German HistoryBooks, Wilhelmina's and the
others;expectant Duke of Brunswick in General; much a friend of Friedrich Wilhelm. A kind of Austrian
soldier he was formerly, and will again be for brief times; GeneralFeldmarschall so styled; but is not notable
in War, nor otherwise at all, except for the offspring he had by this serene Spouse of his. Insipid offspring,
the impatient reader says; but permits me to enumerate one or two of them:
1. Karl, eldest Son; who is sure to be Brunswick in General; who is betrothed to Princess Charlotte of
Prussia,"a satirical creature, she, fonder of my Prince than of him," Wilhelmina thinks. The wedding
nevertheless took effect. Brunswick in General duly fell in, first to the Father; then, in a few months more, to
Karl with his Charlotte: and from them proceeded, in due time, another Karl, of whom we shall hear in this
History;and of whom all the world heard much in the French Revolution Wars; in 1792, and still more
tragically afterwards. Shot, to death or worse, at the Battle of Jena, October, 1806; "battle lost before it was
begun,"such the strategic history they give of it. He peremptorily ordered the French Revolution to
suppress itself; and that was the answer the French Revolution made him. From this Karl, what NEW Queens
Caroline of England and portentous Dukes of Brunswick, sent upon their travels through the anarchic world,
profitable only to Newspapers, we need not say!
2. Anton Ulrich; named after his august GreatGrandfather; does not write novels like him. At present a
young gentleman of eighteen; goes into Russia before long, hoping to beget Czars; which issues dreadfully
for himself and the potential Czars he begot. The reader has heard of a potential "Czar Iwan," violently done
to death in his room, one dim moonlight night of 1764, in the Fortress of Schlusselburg, middle of Lake
Ladoga; misty moon looking down on the stone battlements, on the melancholy waters, aud saying
nothing.But let us not anticipate.
3. Elizabeth Christina; to us more important than any of them. Namesake of the Kaiserinn, her august
Aunt; age now seventeen; insipid finecomplexioned young lady, who is talked of for the Bride of our
CrownPrince. Of whom the reader will hear more. CrownPrince fears she is "too religious,"and will
have "CAGOTS" about her (solemn persons in black, highly unconscious how little wisdom they have), who
may be troublesome.
4. A merry young Boy, now ten, called Ferdinand; with whom England within the next thirty years will
ring, for some time, loud enough: the great "Prince Ferdinand" himself,under whom the Marquis of
Granby and others became great; Chatham superintending it. This really was a respectable gentleman, and did
considerable things,a Trismegistus in comparison with the Duke of Cnmberland whom he succeeded. A
cheerful, singularly polite, modest, wellconditioned man withal. To be slightly better known to us, if we
live. He at present is a Boy of ten, chasing the thistle's beard.
5. Three other sons, all soldiers, two of them younger than Ferdinand; whose names were in the gazettes
down to a late period;whom we shall ignore in this place. The last of them was marched out of Holland,
where he had long been Commanderinchief on rather Tory principles, in the troubles of 1787. Others of
them we shall see storming forward on occasion, valiantly meeting death in the field of fight, all
conspicuously brave of character; but this shall be enough of them at present.
It is of these that Ludwig Rudolf's youngest daughter, the serene Ferdinand Albert's wife, is Mother in
Germany; highly conspicuous in their day. If the question is put, it must be owned they are all rather of the
insipid type. Nothing but a kind of albuminous simplicity noticeable in them; no wit, originality, brightness in
the way of uttered intellect. If it is asked, How came they to the least distinction in this world?the answer
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is not immediately apparent. But indeed they are Welf of the Welfs, in this respect as in others. One asks,
with increased wonder, noticing in the Welfs generally nothiug but the same albuminous simplicity, and
poverty rather than opulence of uttered intellect, or of qualities that shine, How the Welfs came to play such a
part, for the last thousand years, and still to be at it, in conspicuous places? Reader, I have observed that
uttered intellect is not what permanently makes way, but unuttered. Wit, logical brilliancy, spiritual
effulgency, true or FALSE,how precious to idle mankind, and to the Newspapers and HistoryBooks, even
when it is false: while, again, Nature and Practical Fact care next to nothing for it in comparison, even when
it is true! Two silent qualities you will notice in these Welfs, modern and ancient; which Nature much values:
FIRST, consummate human Courage; a noble, perfect, and as it were unconscious superiority to fear. And
then SECONDLY, much weight of mind, a noble not too conscious Sense of what is Right and NotRight, I
have found in some of them;which means mostly WEIGHT, or good gravitation, good observance of the
perpendicular; and is called justice, veracity, highhonor, and other such names. These are fine qualities
indeed, especially with an "albuminous simplicity" as vehicle to them. If the Welfs had not much articulate
intellect, let us guess they made a good use, not a bad or indifferent, as is commoner, of what they had.
WHO HIS MAJESTY'S CHOICE IS; AND WHAT THE CROWNPRINCE THINKS OF IT.
Princess Elizabeth Christina, the insipid Brunswick specimen, backed by Seckendorf and Vienna, proves on
consideration the desirable to Friedrich Wilhelm in this matter. But his Son's notions, who as yet knows her
only by rumor, do not go that way. Insipidity, triviality; the fear of "CAGOTAGE" and frightful fellows in
black supremely unconscious what blockheads they are, haunts him a good deal. And as for any money
coming,her sublime Aunt the Kaiserinn never had much ready money; one's resources on that side are
likely to be exiguous. He would prefer the Princess of Mecklenburg, SemiRussian Catharine or Anna, of
whom we have heard; would prefer the Princess of Eisenach (whose name he does not know rightly); thinks
there are many Princesses preferable. Most of all he would prefer, what is well known of him in
TobaccoParliament, but known to be impossible, this long while back, to go upon a round of travel,as for
instance the Prince of Lorraine is now doing,and look about him a little.
These candid considerations the CrownPrince earnestly suggests to Grumkow, and the secret committee of
TobaccoParliament; earnestly again and again, in his Correspondence with that gentleman, which goes on
very brisk at present. "Much of it lost," we hear;but enough, and to spare, is saved! Not a beautiful
correspondence: the tone of it shallow, hard of heart; tragically flippant, especially on the CrownPrince's
part; now and then even a touch of the hypocritical from him, slight touch and not with will: alas, what can
the poor young man do? Grumkowwhose ground, I think, is never quite so secure since that Nosti
business professes ardent attachment to the real interests of the Prince; and does solidly advise him of what
is feasible, what not, in headquarters; very exemplary "attachment;" credible to what length, the Prince well
enough knows. And so the Correspondence is unbeautiful; not very descriptive even,for poor Friedrich is
considerably under mask, while he writes to that address; and of Grumkow himself we want no more
"description;" and is, in fact, on its own score, an avoidable article rather than otherwise; though perhaps the
reader, for a poor involved CrownPrince's sake, will wish an exact Excerpt or two before we quite dismiss
it.
Towards turning off the Brunswick speculation, or turning on the Mecklenburg or Eisenach or any other in its
stead, the Correspondence naturally avails nothing. Seckendorf has his orders from Vienna: Grumkow has his
pension,his creambowl duly set, for helping Beckendorf. Though angels pleaded, not in a tone of
tragic flippancy, but with the voice of breaking hearts, it would be to no purpose. The Imperial Majesties
have ordered, Marry him to Brunswick, "bind him the better to our House in time coming;" nay the Royal
mind at Potsdam gravitates, of itself, that way, after the first hint is given. The Imperial will has become the
Paternal one; no answer but obedience. What Grumkow can do will be, if possible, to lead or drive the
CrownPrince into obeying smoothly, or without breaking of harness again. Which, accordingly, is pretty
much the sum of his part in this unlovely Correspondence: the geehoing of an expert wagoner, who has got
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a fiery young Arab thoroughly tied into his dastard sandcart, and has to drive him by voice, or at most by
slight crack of whip; and does it. Can we hope, a select specimen or two of these Documents, not on
Grumkow's part, or for Grumkow's unlovely sake, may now be acceptable to the reader? A Letter or two
picked from that large stock, in a legible state, will show us Father and Son, and how that tragic matter went
on, better than description could.
Papa's Letters to the CrownPrince during that final Custrin period,when Carzig and Himmelstadt were
going on, and there was such progress in Economics, are all of hopeful ruggedly affectionate tenor; and there
are a good few of them: style curiously rugged, intricate, headlong; and a strong substance of sense and worth
tortuously visible everywhere. Letters so delightful to the poor retrieved CrownPrince then and there; and
which are still almost pleasant reading to thirdparties, once you introduce grammar and spelling. This is one
exact specimen; most important to the Prince and us. Suddenly, one night, by estafette, his Majesty, meaning
nothing but kindness, and grateful to Seckendorf and TobaccoParliament for such an idea, proposes,in
these terms (merely reduced to English and the common spelling):
"TO THE CROWNPRINCE AT CUSTRIN (from Papa). "POTSDAM, 4th February, 1732
"MY DEAR SON FRITZ,I am very glad you need no more physic. But you must have a care of yourself,
some days yet, for the severe weather; which gives me and everybody colds; so pray be on your guard
(NEHMET EUCH KUBSCH IN ACHT).
"You know, my dear Son, that when my children are obedient, I love them much: so, when you were at
Berlin, I from my heart forgave you everything; and from that Berlin time, since I saw you, have thought of
nothing but of your wellbeing and how to establish you,not in the Army only, but also with a right
Stepdaughter, and so see you married in my lifetime. You may be well persuaded I have had the Princesses
of Germany taken survey of, so far as possible, and examined by trusty people, what their conduct is, their
education and so on: and so a Princess has been found, the Eldest one of Bevern, who is well brought up,
modest and retiring, as women ought to be.
"You will without delay (CITO) write me your mind on this. I have purchased the Von Katsch House; the
Feldmarschall," old Wartensleben, poor Katte's grandfather, "as Governor" of Berlin, "will get that to live in:
and his Government House, [Fine enough old House, or Palace, built by the Great Elector; given by him to
Graf Feldmarschall von Schomberg, the "Duke Schomberg" who was killed in the Battle of the Boyne: "same
House, opposite the Arsenal, which belongs now (1855) to his Royal Highness Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of
Prussia." (Preuss, i. 73; and OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 12 n.)] I will have made new for you, and furnish it
all; and give you enough to keep house yourself there; and will command you into the Army, April coming
[which is quite a subordinate story, your Majesty!].
"The Princess is not ugly, nor beautiful. You must mention it to no mortal;write indeed to Mamma (DER
MAMA) that I have written to you. And when you shall have a Son, I will let you go on your
Travels,wedding, however, cannot be before winter next. Meanwhile I will try aud contrive opportunity
that you see one another, a few times, in all honor, yet so that you get acquainted with her. She is a
Godfearing creature (GOTTESFURCHTIGES MENSCH), which is all in all; will suit herself to you [be
COMPORTABLE to you] as she does to the Parentsinlaw.
"God give his blessing to it; and bless You and your Posterity, and keep Thee as a good Christian. And have
God always before your eyes;and don't believe that damnable PARTICULAR tenet [Predestination]; and
be obedient and faithful: so shall it, here in Time and there in Eternity, go well with thee;and whoever
wishes that from the heart, let him say Amen.
"Your true Father to the death,
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"FRIEDRICH WILHELM.
"When the Duke of Lorraine comes, I will have thee come. I think thy Bride will be here then. Adieu; God be
with you." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii, part 3d, p. 55.]
This important Missive reached Custrin, by estafette, that same midnight, 4th5th February; when Wolden,
"Hofmarschall of the Prince's Court" (titular Goldstick there, but with abundance of real functions laid on
him), had the honor to awaken the CrownPrince into the joy of reading. CrownPrince instantly despatched,
by another estafette, the requisite responses to Papa and Mamma,of which Wolden does not know the
contents at all, not he, the obsequious Goldstick;but doubtless they mean "Yes," CrownPrince appearing
so overjoyed at this splendid evidence of Papa's love, as the Goldstick could perceive. [Wolden's LETTER to
Friedrich Wilhelm, "5th February, 1732:" in Preuss, ii. part 2d (or URKUNDENOUCH), p. 206. Mamma's
answer to the message brought her by this return estafette, a mere formal VERYWELL, written from the
fingers outward, exists ( OEuvres, xxvi. 65); the rest have happily vanished.]
What the Prince's actual amount of joy was, we shall learn better from the following three successive
utterances of his, confidentially despatched to Grumkow in the intermediate days, before Berlin or this "Duke
of Lorraine" (whom our readers and the CrownPrince are to wait upon), with actual sight of Papa and the
Intended, came in course. Grumkow's Letters to the CrownPrince in this important interval are not extant,
nor if they were could we stand them: from the Prince's Answers it will be sufficiently apparent what the
tenor of them was. Utterance first is about a week after that of the estafette at midnight:
TO GENERAL FELDMARSCHALL VON GRUMKOW, AT POTSDAM (from the CrownPrince).
"CUSTRIN, 11th February, 1732.
"MY DEAR GENERAL AND FRIEND,I was charmed to learn by your Letter that my affairs are on so
good a footing [Papa so well satisfied with my professions of obedience]; and you may depend on it I am
docile to follow your advice. I will lend myself to whatever is possible for me; and provided I can secure the
King's favor by my obedience, I will do all that is within my power.
"Nevertheless, in making my bargain with the Duke of Bevern, manage that the CORPUS DELICTI [my
Intended] be brought up under her Grandmother [Duchess of BrunswickWolfenbuttel, Ludwig Rudolf's
Spouse, an airy coquettish Lady,let her be the tutoress and model of my Intended, O General]. For I should
prefer being made a"what shall we say? by a light wife,"or to serve under the haughty FONTANGE
[Species of topknot; so named from Fontange, an unfortunate female of Louis Fourteenth's, who invented the
ornament.] of my Spouse [as Ludwig Rudolf does, by all accounts], than to have a blockhead who would
drive me mad by her ineptitudes? and whom I should be ashamed to produce.
"I beg you labor at this affair. When one hates romance heroines as heartily as I do, one dreads those 'virtues'
of the ferocious type [LES VERTUS FAROUCHES, so terribly aware that they are virtuous]; and I had
rather marry the greatest[unnamable]in Berlin, than a devotee with half a dozen ghastly hypocrites
(CAGOTS) at her beck. If it were still MOGLICH [possible, in German] to make her Calvinist
[REFORMEE; our CourtCreed, which might have an allaying tendency, and at least would make her go
with the stream]? But I doubt that:I will insist, however, that her Grandmother have the training of her.
What you can do to help in this, my dear Friend, I am persuaded you will do.
"It afflicted me a little that the King still has doubts of me, while I am obeying in such a matter, diametrically
opposite to my own ideas. In what way shall I offer stronger proofs? I may give myself to the Devil, it will be
to no purpose; nothing but the old song over again, doubt on doubt.Don't imagine I am going to disoblige
the Duke, the Duchess or the Daughter, I beseech you! I know too well what is due to them, and too much
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respect their merits, not to observe the strictest rules of what is proper, even if I hated their progeny and
them like the pestilence.
"I hope to speak to you with open heart at Berlin.You may think, too, how I shall be embarrassed, having
to do the AMOROSO perhaps without being it, and to take an appetite for mute ugliness,for I don't much
trust Count Seckendorf's taste in this article,"in spite of his testimonies in TobaccoParliament and
elsewhere. "Monsieur! Once more, get this Princess to learn by heart the ECOLE DES MARIS and the
ECOLE DES FEMMES; that will do her much more good than TRUE CHRISTIANITY by the late Mr.
Arndt! [Johann Arndt ("late" this long while back), Von wahren Christenthum, Magdeburg, 1610.] If,
besides, she would learn steadiness of humor (TOUJOURS DANSER SUR UN PIED), learn music; and,
NOTA BENE, become rather too free than too virtuous, ah then, my dear General, then I should feel some
liking for her, and a Colin marrying a Phyllis, the couple would be in accordance: but if she is stupid,
naturally I renounce the Devil and her. It is said she has a Sister, who at least has common sense. Why take
the eldest, if so? To the King it must be all one. There is also a Princess Christina Marie of Eisenach [real
name being Christina WILHELMINA, but no matter], who would be quite my fit, and whom I should like to
try for. In fine, I mean to come soon into your Countries; [Did come, 26th February, as we shall see.] and
perhaps will say like Caesar, VENI, VIDI, VICI." ...
Paragraph of tragic compliments to Grumkow we omit. Letter ends in this way:
"Your Baireuth News is very interesting; I hope, in September next [time of a grand problem coming there
for Wilhelmina], my Sister will recover her first health. If I go travelling, I hope to have the consolation of
seeing her for a fortnight or three weeks; I love her more than my life; and for all my obediences to the King,
surely I shall deserve that recompense. The diversions for the Duke of Lorraine are very well schemed;
but"but what mortal can now care about them? Close, and seal. [Forster, iii. 160162; OEuvres de
Frederic, xvi, 3739.]
As to this Duke of Lorraine just coming, he is Franz Stephan, a pleasant young man of twentyfive, son of
that excellent Duke Leopold Joseph, whom young Lyttelton of Hagley was so taken with, while touring in
those parts in the CongressofSoissons time. Excellent Duke Leopold Joseph is since dead; and this Franz
has succeeded to him,what succession there was; for Lorraine as a Dukedom has its neck under the foot of
France this great while, and is evidently not long for this world. Old Fleury, men say, has his eye upon it.
And in fact it was, as we shall see, eaten up by Fleury within four years' time; and this Franz proved the last
of all the Dukes there. Let readers notice him: a man of high destiny otherwise, of whom we are to hear
much. For ten years past he has lived about Vienna, being a born Cousin of that House (Grandmother was
Kaiser Leopold's own Sister); and it is understood, nay it is privately settled he is to marry the transcendent
Archduchess, peerless Maria Theresa herself; and is to reap, he, the whole harvest of that Pragmatic Sanction
sown with such travail of the Universe at large. May be King of the Romans (which means successor to the
Kaisership) any day; and actual Kaiser one day.
We may as well say here, he did at length achieve these dignities, though not quite in the time or on the terms
proposed. King of the Romans old Kaiser Karl never could quite resolve to make him, having always
hopes of male progeny yet; which never came. For his peerless Bride he waited six years still (owing to
accidents), "attachment mutual all the while;" did then wed, 1738, and was the happiest of men and expectant
Kaisers:but found, at length, the Pragmatic Sanction to have been a strange sowing of dragon'steeth, and
the first harvest reapable from it a world of armed men!For the present he is on a grand Tour, for
instruction and other objects; has been in England last; and is now getting homewards again, to Vienna,
across Germany; conciliating the Courts as he goes. A pacific friendly eupeptic young man; CrownPrince
Friedrich, they say, took much to him in Berlin; did not quite swear eternal friendship; but kept up some
correspondence for a while, and "once sends him a present of salmon."But to proceed with the utterances
to Grumkow.
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Utterance SECOND is probably of prior date; but introducible here, being an accidental Fragment, with the
date lost:
TO THE FELDMARSCHALL VON GRUMKOW (from the CrownPrince; exact date lost).
"... As to what you tell me of the Princess of Mecklenburg," for whom they want a Brandenburg
Prince,"could not I marry her? Let her come into this Country, and think no more of Russia: she would
have a dowry of two or three millions of roubles,only fancy how I could live with that! I think that project
might succeed. The Princess is Lutheran; perhaps she objects to go into the Greek Church?I find none of
these advantages in this Princess of Bevern; who, as many people, even of the Duke's Court, say, is not at all
beautiful, speaks almost nothing, and is given to pouting (FAISANT LA FACHEE). The good Kaiserinn has
so little herself, that the sums she could afford her Niece would be very moderate." [Fragment given in
Sechendorfs Leben, iii. 249 u.]
"Given to pouting," too! No, certainly; your Insipidity of Brunswick, without prospects of ready money;
dangerous for CAGOTAGE; "not a word to say for herself in company, and given to pouting:" I do not
reckon her the eligible article!
Seckendorf, Schulenburg, Grumkow and all hands are busy in this matter: geehoing the CrownPrince
towards the mark set before him. With or without explosion, arrive there he must; other goal for him is
none!In the mean while, it appears, illustrious Franz of Lorraine, coming on, amid the proper
demonstrations, through Magdeburg and the Prussian Towns, has caught some slight illness and been obliged
to pause; so that Berlin cannot have the happiness of seeing him quite so soon as it expected. The high guests
invited to meet Duke Franz, especially the high Brunswicks, are already there. High Brunswicks, Bevern with
Duchess, and still more important, with Son and with Daughter:insipid CORPUS DELICTI herself has
appeared on the scene; and Grumkow, we find, has been writing some description of her to the
CrownPrince. Description of an unfavorable nature; below the truth, not above it, to avert disappointment,
nay to create some gleam of inverse joy, when the actual meeting occurs. That is his art in driving the fiery
little Arab ignominiously yoked to him; and it is clear he has overdone it, for once. This is Friedrich's THIRD
utterance to him; much the most emphatic there is:
TO THE GENERAL FELDMARSCHALL VON GRUMKOW.
"CUSTRIN, 19th February, 1732.
"Judge, my dear General, if I can have been much charmed with the description you give of the abominable
object of my desires! For the love of God, disabuse the King in regard to her [show him that she is a fool,
then]; and let him remember well that fools commonly are the most obstinate of creatures.
"Some months ago he wrote a Letter to Walden," the obsequious Goldstick, "of his giving me the choice of
several Princesses: I hope he will not give himself the lie in that. I refer you entirely to the Letter, which
Schulenburg will have delivered," little Schulenburg called here, in passing your way; all hands busy. "For
there is no hope of wealth, no reasoning, nor chance of fortune that could change my sentiment as expressed
there [namely, that I will not have her, whatever become of me]; and miserable for miserable, it is all one! Let
the King but think that it is not for himself that he is marrying me, but for MYself; nay he too will have a
thousand chagrins, to see two persons hating one another, and the miserablest marriage in the world;to
hear their mutual complaints, which will be to him so many reproaches for having fashioned the instrument
of our yoke. As a good Christian, let him consider, If it is well done to wish to force people; to cause
divorces, and to be the occasion of all the sins that an illassorted marriage leads us to commit! I am
determined to front everything in the world sooner: and since things are so, you may in some good way
apprise the Duke" of Bevern "that, happen what may, I never will have her.
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"I have been unfortunate (MALHEUREUX) all my life; and I think it is my destiny to continue so. One must
be patient, and take the time as it comes. Perhaps a sudden tract of good fortune, on the back of all the
chagrins I have made profession of ever since I entered this world, would have made me too proud. In a
word, happen what will, I have nothing to reproach myself with. I have suffered sufficiently for an
exaggerated crime [that of "attempting to desert;"Heavens!]and I will not engage myself to extend my
miseries (CHAGRINS) into future times. I have still resources:a pistolshot can deliver me from my
sorrows and my life: and I think a merciful God would not damn me for that; but, taking pity on me, would,
in exchange for a life of wretchedness, grant me salvation. This is whitherward despair can lead a young
person, whose blood is not so quiescent as if he were seventy. I have a feeling of myself, Monsieur; and
perceive that, when one hates the methods of force as much as I, our boiling blood will carry us always
towards extremities.
... "If there are honest people in the world, they must think how to save me from one of the most perilous
passages I have ever been in. I waste myself in gloomy ideas; I fear I shall not be able to hide my grief, on
coming to Berlin. This is the sad state I am in;but it will never make me change from being,"surely to
an excessive degree, the illustrious Grumkow's most
"FRIDERIC."
"I have received a Letter from the King; all agog (BIEN COIFFE) about the Princess. I think I may still finish
the week here. [26th, did arrive in Berlin: Preuss (in OEuvres, xxvii. part 3d, p. 58 n).] When his first fire of
approbation is spent, you might, praising her all the while, lead him to notice her faults. Mon Dieu, has he not
already seen what an illassorted marriage comes to,my Sister of Anspach and her Husband, who hate one
another like the fire! He has a thousand vexations from it every day. ... And what aim has the King? If it is to
assure himself of me, that is not the way. Madam of Eisenach might do it; but a fool not (POINT UNE
BETE);on the contrary, it is morally impossible to love the cause of our misery. The King is reasonable;
and I am persuaded he will understand this himself." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvi. 41, 42.]
Very passionate pleading; but it might as well address itself to the eastwinds. Have eastwinds a heart, that
they should feel pity? JARNIBLEU, Herr Feldzeugmeister,only take care he don't overset things again!
Grumkow, in these same hours, is writing a Letter to the Prince, which we still have, [Ib. xvi. 43.] How
charmed his Majesty is at such obedience; "shed tears of joy," writes Grumkow, "and said it was the happiest
day of his life." Judge Grumkow's feelings soon after, on this furious recalcitration breaking out! Grumkow's
Answer, which also we still have [Ib. xvi. pp. 4446.] is truculence itself in a polite form:horrorstruck as
a Christian at the suicide notion, at thein fact at the whole matter; and begs, as a humble individual, not
wishful of violent death and destruction upon self and family, to wash his poor hands of it altogether.
Dangerous for the like of him; "interfering between Royal Father and Royal Son of such opposite humors,
would break the neck of any man," thinks Grumkow; and sums up with this pithy reminiscence: "I remember
always what, the King said to me at Wusterhausen, when your Royal Highness lay prisoner in the Castle of
Custrin, and I wished to take your part: 'Nein Grumkow, denket an diese Stelle, Gott gebe dass ich nicht wahr
rede, aber mein Sohn stirbt nicht eines naturlichen Todes; und Gott gebe dass er nicht unter Henkers Hande
komme. No, Grumkow, think of what I now tell you: God grant it do not come true,but my Son won't die a
natural death; God grant he do not come into the Hangman's hands yet!' I shuddered at these words, and the
King repeated them twice to me: that is true, or may I never see God's face, or have part in the merits of our
Lord."The CrownPrince's "pleadings" may fitly terminate here.
DUKE OF LORRAINE ARRIVES IN POTSDAM AND IN BERLIN.
Saturday, 23d February, 1732, his Serene Highness of Lorraine did at length come to hand. Arrived in
Potsdam that day; where the two Majesties, with the Serene Beverns, with the Prince Alexander of
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Wurtemberg, and the other high guests, had been some time in expectation. Suitable persons invited for the
occasion: Bevern, a titular Austrian Feldmarschall; Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg, an actual one (poor old
Eberhard Ludwig's Cousin, and likely to be Heir there soon); high quasiAustrian Serenities;not to
mention Schulenburg and others officially related to Austria, or acquainted with it. Nothing could be more
distinguished than the welcome of Duke Franz; and the things he saw and did, during his three weeks' visit,
are wonderful to Fassmann and the extinct Gazetteers. Saw the Potsdam Giants do their "EXERCITIA,"
transcendent in perfection; had a boarhunt; "did divine service in the Potsdam Catholic Church; "went by
himself to Spandau, on the Tuesday (26th), where all the guns broke forth, and dinner was ready: King,
Queen and Party having made off for Berlin, in the interim, to be ready for his advent there "in the evening
about, five." Majesties wait at Berlin, with their Party,among whom, say the old Newspapers, "is his Royal
Highness the CrownPrince:" CrownPrince just come in from Custrin; just blessed with the first sight of his
Charmer, whom he finds perceptibly less detestable than he expected.
Serene Highness of Lorraine arrived punctually at five, with outburst of all the artilleries and hospitalities;
balls, soirees, EXERCITIA of the Kleist Regiment, of the Gernsd'Armes; dinners with Grumkow, dinners
with Seckendorf, evening party with the Margravine Philip (Margravine in high colors);one scenic miracle
succeeding another, for above a fortnight to come.
The very first spectacle his Highness saw, a private one, and of no intense interest to him, we shall mention
here for our own behoof. "An hour after his arrival the Duke was carried away to his Excellency Herr Creutz
the FinanceMinister's; to attend a wedding there, along with his Majesty. Wedding of Excellency Creutz's
only Daughter to the Herr HOFJAGERMEISTER von Hacke." HOFJAGERMEISTER (Master of the
Hunt), and more specifically Captain Hacke, of the Potsdam Guard or Giant regiment, much and deservedly a
favorite with his Majesty. Majesty has known, a long while, the merits military and other of this Hacke; a
valiant expert exact man, of good stature, good service among the Giants and otherwise, though not himself
gigantic; age now turned of thirty;and unluckily little but his pay to depend on. Majesty, by way of
increment to Hacke, small increment on the pecuniary side, has lately made him "Master of the Hunt;" will,
before long, make him AdjutantGeneral, and his righthand man in Army matters, were he only rich;has,
in the mean while, made this excellent match for him; which supplies that defect. Majesty was the making of
Creutz himself; who is grown very rich, and has but one Daughter: "Let Hacke have her!" his Majesty
advised;and snatches off the Duke of Lorraine to see it done. [Fassmann, p. 430.]
Did the reader ever hear of FinanceMinister Creutz, once a poor Regiment's Auditor, when his Majesty, as
yet CrownPrince, found talent in him? Can readers fish up from their memory, twenty years back, anything
of a terrific Spectre walking in the Berlin Palace, for certain nights, during that "Stralsund Expedition" or
famed SwedishWar time, to the terror of mankind? Terrific Spectre, thought to be in Swedish
pay,properly a spy Scullion, in a small concern of Grumkow VERSUS Creutz? [Antea, vol. v. pp.
356358; Wilhelmina.] This is the same Creutz; of whom we have never spoken more, nor shall again, now
that his rich Daughter is well married to Hacke, a favorite of his Majesty's and ours. It was the Duke's first
sight in Berlin; February 26th; prologue to the flood of scenic wonders there.
But perhaps the wonderfulest thing, had he quite understood it, was that of the 10th March, which he was
invited to. Last obligation laid upon the CrownPrince, "to bind him to the House of Austria," that evening.
Of which take this account, external and internal, from authentic Documents in our hand.
BETROTHAL OF THE CROWNPRINCE TO THE BRUNSWICK CHARMER, NIECE OF IMPERIAL
MAJESTY, MONDAY EVENING, 10th MARCH, 1732.
Document FIRST is of an internal nature, from the Prince's own hand, written to his Sister four days
before:
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TO THE PRINCESS WILHELMINA AT BAIREUTH.
"BERLIN, 6th March, 1732.
"MY DEAREST SISTER,Next Monday comes my Betrothal, which will be done just as yours was. The
Person in question is neither beautiful nor ugly, not wanting for sense, but very ill brought up, timid, and
totally behind in manners and social behavior (MANIERES DU SAVOIRVIVRE): that is the candid
portrait of this Princess. You may judge by that, dearest Sister, if I find her to my taste or not. The greatest
merit she has is that she has procured me the liberty of writing to you; which is the one solacement I have in
your absence.
"You never can believe, my adorable Sister, how concerned I am about your happiness; all my wishes centre
there, and every moment of my life I form such wishes. You may see by this that I preserve still that sincere
friendship which has united our hearts from our tenderest years:recognize at least, my dear Sister, that you
did me a sensible wrong when you suspected me of fickleness towards you, and believed false reports of my
listening to talebearers; me, who love only you, and whom neither absence nor lying rumors could change
in respect of you. At least don't again believe such things on my score, and never mistrust me till you have
had clear proof,or till God has forsaken me, and I have lost my wits. And being persuaded that such
miseries are not in store to overwhelm me, I here repeat how much I love you, and with what respect and
sincere veneration,I am and shall be till death, my dearest Sister,Your most humble and faithful Brother
and Valet,
FRIDERICH."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 1st, p. 5]
That was on the Thursday; Betrothal is on the Monday following. Document SECOND is from poor old
Fassmann, and quite of external nature; which we much abridge:
"Monday evening, all creatures are in gala, and the Royal Apartments upstairs are brilliantly alight; Duke of
Lorraine with the other high strangers are requested to take their place up there, and wait for a short while.
Prussian Majesty, Queen and CrownPrince with him, proceeds then, in a solemn official manner, to the
Durchlaucht of Bevern's Apartment, in a lower floor of the Palace; where the Bevern Party, Duke, Duchess,
Son and intended Charmer are. Prussian Majesty asks the Durchlaucht and Spouse, 'Whether the Marriage,
some time treated of, between that their Princess here present, and this his CrownPrince likewise here, is
really a thing to their mind?' Serene Spouses answer, to the effect, 'Yea, surely, very much!' Upon which they
all solemnly ascend to the Royal Apartments [upstairs where we have seen Wilhelmina dancing before now],
where Lorraine, Wurtemberg and the other sublimities are in waiting. Lorraine and the sublimities form a
semicircle; with the two Majesties, and pair of young creatures, in the centre. You young creatures, you are of
one intention with your parents in this matter? Alas, there is no doubt of it. Pledge yourselves, then, by
exchange of rings! said his Majesty with due business brevity. The rings are exchanged: Majesty embraces
the two young creatures with great tenderness;" as do Queen and Serenities; and then all the world takes to
embracing and congratulating; and so the betrothal is a finished thing. Bassoons and violins, striking up,
whirl it off in universal dancing,in "supper of above two hundred and sixty persons," princely or otherwise
sublime in rank, with "spouses and noble ladies there" in the due proportion. [Fassmann, pp. 432, 433.]
Here is fraction of another Note from the CrownPrince to his Sister at Baireuth, a fortnight after that
event:
BERLIN, 24th MARCH, 1732 (to Princess Wilhelmina).... "God be praised that you are better, dearest
Sister! For nobody can love you more tenderly than I do.As to the Princess of Bevern [my Betrothed], the
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Queen [Mamma, whom you have been consulting on these etiquettes] bids me answer, That you need not
style her `Highness,' and that you may write to her quite as to an indifferent Princess. As to 'kissing of the
hands,' I assure you I have not kissed them, nor will kiss them; they are not pretty enough to tempt one that
way. God long preserve you in perfect health! And you, preserve for me always the honor of your good
graces; and believe, my charming Sister, that never brother in the world loved with such tenderness a sister so
charming as mine; in short, believe, dear Sister, that without compliments, and in literal truth, I am yours
wholly (TOUT A VOUS),
"FRIDERICH."
[Ib. xxvii. part 1st, p. 5.]
This is the Betrothal of the CrownPrince to an Insipidity of Brunswick. Insipidity's private feelings, perhaps
of a languidly glad sort, are not known to us; CrownPrince's we have in part seen. He has decided to accept
his fate without a murmur farther. Against his poor Bride or her qualities not a word more. In the Schloss of
Berlin, amid such tempests of female gossip (Mamma still secretly corresponding with England), he has to be
very reserved, on this head especially. It is understood he did not, in his heart, nearly so much dislike the
insipid Princess as he wished Papa to think he did.
Duke Franz of Lorraine went off above a week ago, on the Saturday following the Betrothal; an amiable
serene young gentleman, well liked by the CrownPrince and everybody. "He avoided the Saxon Court,
though passing near it," on his way to old KurMainz; "which is a sign," thinks Fassmann, "that mutual
matters are on a weak footing in that quarter;"Pragmatic Sanction never accepted there, and plenty of
intricacies existing. CrownPrince Friedrich may now go to Ruppin and the Regiment Goltz; his business and
destinies being now all reduced to a steady condition;steady sky, rather leaden, instead of the tempestuous
thunderand lightning weather which there heretofore was. Leaden sky, he, if left well to himself, will
perhaps brighten a little. Study will be possible to him; improvement of his own faculties, at any rate. It is
much his determination. Outwardly, besides drilling the Regiment Goltz, he will have a steady
correspondence to keep up with his Brunswick Charmer;let him see that he be not slack in that.
Chapter II. SMALL INCIDENTS AT RUPPIN.
Friedrich, after some farther pause in Berlin, till things were got ready for him, went to Ruppin. This is in the
Spring of 1732; [Still in Berlin, 6th March; dates from NAUEN (in the Ruppin neighborhood) for the first
time, 25th April, 1732, among his LETTERS yet extant: Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part lst, p. 4;
xvi. 49.] and he continued to have his residence there till August, 1736. Four important years of young life; of
which we must endeavor to give, in some intelligible condition, what traces go hovering about in such
records as there are.
Ruppin, where lies the main part of the Regiment Goltz, and where the CrownPrince Colonel of it dwells, is
a quiet dull, little Town, in that northwestern region; inhabitants, grown at this day to be 10,000, are perhaps
guessable then at 2,000. Regiment Goltz daily rolls its drums in Ruppin: Town otherwise lifeless enough,
except on marketdays: and the grandest event ever known in it, this removal of the CrownPrince
thither,which is doubtless much a theme, and proud temporary miracle, to Ruppin at present. Of society
there or in the neighborhood, for such a resident, we hear nothing.
Quiet Ruppin stands in grassy flat country, much of which is natural moor, and less of it reclaimed at that
time than now. The environs, except that they are a bit of the Earth, and have a bit of the sky over them, do
not set up for loveliness. Natural woods abound in that region, also peatbogs not yet drained; and fishy lakes
and meres, of a dark complexion: plenteous cattle there are, pigs among them;thicksoled husbandmen
inarticulately toiling and moiling. Some glassfurnaces, a royal establishment, are the only manufactures we
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hear of. Not a picturesque country; but a quiet and innocent, where work is cut out, and one hopes to be well
left alone after doing it. This CrownPrince has been in far less desirable localities.
He had a reasonable house, two houses made into one for him, in the place. He laid out for himself a garden
in the outskirts, with what they call a "temple" in it,some more or less ornamental gardenhouse,from
which I have read of his "letting off rockets" in a summer twilight. Rockets to amuse a small dinnerparty, I
should guess,dinner of Officers, such as he had weekly or twice a week. On stiller evenings we can fancy
him there in solitude; reading meditative, or musically fluting;looking out upon the silent death of Day:
how the summer gloaming steals over the moorlands, and over all lands; shutting up the toil of mortals; their
very flocks and herds collapsing into silence, and the big Skies and endless Times overarching him and them.
With thoughts perhaps sombre enough now and then, but profitable if he face them piously.
His Father's affection is returning; would so fain return if it durst. But the heart of Papa has been sadly torn
up: it is too good news to be quite believed, that he has a son grown wise, and doing sonlike! Rumor also is
very busy, rumor and the Tobacco Parliament for or against; a little rumor is capable of stirring up great
storms in the suspicious paternal mind. All along during Friedrich's abode at Ruppin, this is a constantly
recurring weathersymptom; very grievous now and then; not to be guarded against by any
precaution;though steady persistence in the proper precaution will abate it, and as good as remove it, in
course of time. Already Friedrich Wilhelm begins to understand that "there is much in this Fritz,"who
knows how much, though of a different type from Papa's?and that it will be better if he and Papa, so
discrepant in type, and ticklishly related otherwise, live not too constantly together as heretofore. Which is
emphatically the CrownPrince's notion too.
I perceive he read a great deal at Ruppin: what Books I know not specially: but judge them to be of more
serious solid quality than formerly; and that his reading is now generally a kind of studying as well. Not the
express Sciences or Technologies; not these, in any sort,except the military, and that an express exception.
These he never cared for, or regarded as the noble knowledges for a king or man. History and Moral
Speculation; what mankind have done and been in this world (so far as "History" will give one any glimpse
of that), and what the wisest men, poetical or other, have thought about mankind and their world: this is what
he evidently had the appetite for; appetite insatiable, which lasted with him to the very end of his days.
Fontenelle, Rollin, Voltaire, all the then French lights, and gradually others that lay deeper in the
firmament:what suppers of the gods one may privately have at Ruppin, without expense of wine! Such an
opportunity for reading he had never had before.
In his soldier business he is punctual, assiduous; having an interest to shine that way. And is, in fact,
approvable as a practical officer and soldier, by the strictest judge then living. Reads on soldiering withal;
studious to know the rationale of it, the ancient and modern methods of it, the essential from the unessential
in it; to understand it thoroughly,which he got to do. One already hears of conferences, correspondences,
with the Old Dessauer on this head: "Account of the Siege of Stralsund," with plans, with didactic
commentaries, drawn up by that gunpowder Sage for behoof of the CrownPrince, did actually exist, though
I know not what has become of it. Now and afterwards this Crown Prince must have been a great military
reader. From Caesar's COMMENTARIES, and earlier, to the Chevalier Folard, and the Marquis Feuquiere;
[ Memoires sur la Guerre (specially on the Wars of Louis XIV., in which Feuquiere had himself shone): a
new Book at this time (Amsterdam, 1731; first COMPLETE edition is, Paris, 1770, 4 vols. 4to); at Ruppin,
and afterwards, a chief favorite with Friedrich.] from Epaminondas at Leuctra to Charles XII. at Pultawa, all
manner of Military Histories, we perceive, are at his fingerends; and he has penetrated into the essential
heart of each, and learnt what it had to teach him. Something of this, how much we know not, began at
Ruppin; and it did not end again.
On the whole, Friedrich is prepared to distinguish himself henceforth by strictly conforming, in all outward
particulars possible, to the paternal will, and becoming the most obedient of sons. Partly from policy and
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necessity, partly also from loyalty; for he loves his rugged Father, and begins to perceive that there is more
sense in his peremptory notions than at first appeared. The young man is himself rather wild, as we have
seen, with plenty of youthful petulance and longings after forbidden fruit. And then he lives in an element of
gossip; his whole life enveloped in a vast Dionysius'Ear, every word and action liable to be debated in
TobaccoParliament. He is very scarce of money, too, Papa's allowance being extremely moderate, "not
above 6,000 thalers (900 pounds)," says Seckendorf once. [Forster, iii. 114 (Seckendorf to Prince Eugene).]
There will be contradictions enough to settle: caution, silence, every kind of prudence will be much
recommendable.
In all outward particulars the CrownPrince will conform; in the inward, he will exercise a judgment, and if
he cannot conform, will at least be careful to hide. To do his Commandant duties at Ruppin, and avoid
offences, is much his determination. We observe he takes great charge of his men's health; has the Regiment
Goltz in a shiningly exact condition at the grand reviews;is very industrious now and afterwards to get tall
recruits, as a dainty to Papa. Knows that nothing in Nature is so sure of conciliating that strange old
gentleman; corresponds, accordingly, in distant quarters; lays out, now and afterwards, sums far too heavy for
his means upon tall recruits for Papa. But it is good to conciliate in that quarter, by every method, and at
every expense;Argus of TobaccoParliament still watching one there; and Rumor needing to be
industriously dealt with, difficult to keep down. Such, so far as we can gather, is the general figure of
Friedrich's life at Ruppin. Specific facts of it, anecdotes about it, are few in those dim Books; are uncertain as
to truth, and without importance whether true or not. For all his gravity and Colonelship, it would appear the
old spirit of frolic has not quitted him. Here are two small incidents, pointing that way; which stand on
record; credible enough, though vague and without importance otherwise. Incident FIRST is to the following
feeble effect; indisputable though extremely unmomentous: Regiment Goltz, it appears, used to have gold
trimmings; the Colonel CrownPrince petitioned that they might be of silver, which he liked better. Papa
answers, Yes. Regiment Goltz gets its new regimentals done in silver; the Colonel proposes they shall
solemnly BURN their old regimentals. And they do it, the Officers of them, SUB DIO, perhaps in the Prince's
garden, strippiug successively in the "Temple" there, with such degree of genial humor, loud laughter, or at
least boisterous mocksolemnity, as may be in them. This is a true incident of the Prince's history, though a
small one.
Incident SECOND is of slightly more significance; and intimates, not being quite alone in its kind, a
questionable habit or method the CrownPrince must have had of dealing with Clerical Persons hereabouts
when they proved troublesome. Here are no fewer than three such Persons, or Parsons, of the Ruppin
Country, who got mischief by him. How the first gave offence shall be seen, and how he was punished:
offences of the second and the third we can only guess to have been perhaps pulpitrebukes of said
punishments: perhaps general preaching against military levities, want of piety, nay open sinfulness, in
thoughtless young men with cockades. Whereby the thoughtless young men were again driven to think of
nocturnal charivari? We will give the story in Dr. Busching's own words, who looks before and after to great
distances, in a way worth attending to. The Herr Doctor, an endless Collector and Compiler on all manner of
subjects, is very authentic always, and does not want for natural sense: but he is also very crude,and here
and there not far from stupid, such his continual haste, and slobbery manner of working up those Hundred
and odd Volnmes of his: [See his Autobiography, which forms Beitrage, B. vi. (the biggest and last
volume).]
"The sanguinecholeric temperament of Friedrich," says this Doctor, "drove him, in his youth, to sensual
enjoyments and wild amusements of different kinds; in his middle age, to fiery enterprises; and in his old
years to decisions and actions of a rigorous and vehement nature; yet so that the primary form of utterance, as
seen in his youth, never altogether ceased with him. There are people still among us (1788) who have had, in
their own experience, knowledge of his youthful pranks; and yet more are living, who know that he himself,
at table, would gayly recount what merry strokes were done by him, or by his order, in those young years. To
give an instance or two.
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"While he was at NeuRuppin as Colonel of the Infantry Regiment there, the Chaplain of it sometimes
waited upon him about the time of dinner,having been used to dine occasionally with the former Colonel.
The CrownPrince, however, put him always off, did not ask him to dinner; spoke contemptuously of him in
presence of the Officers. The Chaplain was so inconsiderate, he took to girding at the CrownPrince in his
sermons. 'Once on a time,' preached he, one day, 'there was Herod who had Herodias to dance before him;
and he,he gave her John the Baptist's head for her pains!'" This HEROD, Busching says, was understood to
mean, and meant, the CrownPrince; HERODIAS, the merry corps of Officers who made sport for him;
JOHN THE BAPTIST'S HEAD was no other than the Chaplain not invited to dinner! "To punish him for
such a sally, the Crown Prince with the young Officers of his Regiment went, one night, to the Chaplain's
house," somewhere hard by, with cow'sgrass adjoining to it, as we see: and "first, they knocked in the
windows of his sleepingroom upon him [HINGEwindows, glass not entirely broken, we may hope]; next
there were crackers [SCHWARMER, "enthusiasts," so to speak!] thrown in upon him; and thereby the
Chaplain, and his poor Wife," more or less in an interesting condition, poor woman, "were driven out into the
courtyard, and at last into the dungheap there;"and so left, with their Head on a Charger to that terrible
extent!
That is Busching's version of the story; no doubt substantially correct; of which there are traces in other
quarters,for it went farther than Ruppin; and the CrownPrince had like to have got into trouble from it.
"Here is piety!" said Rumor, carrying it to TobaccoParliament. The CrownPrince plaintively assures
Grumkow that it was the Officers, and that they got punished for it. A likely story, the Prince's!
"When King Friedrich, in his old days, recounted this after dinner, in his merry tone, he was well pleased that
the guests, and even the pages and valets behind his back, laughed aloud at it." Not a pious old King, Doctor,
still less an orthodox one! The Doctor continues: "In a like style, at Nauen, where part of his regiment lay, he
hadby means of Herr von der Groben, his FirstLieutenant," much a comrade of his, as we otherwise
perceive"the Diaconus of Nauen and his Wife hunted out of bed, and thrown into terror of their lives, one
night:"offence of the Diaconus not specified. "Nay he himself once pitched his goldheaded stick through
Salpius the Church Inspector's window," offence again not specified, or perhaps merely for a little artillery
practice?"and the throw was so dexterous that it merely made a round hole in the glass: stick was lying on
the floor; and the Prince," on some excuse or other, "sent for it next morning." "Margraf Heinrich of
Schwedt," continues the Doctor, very trustworthy on points of fact, "was a diligent helper in such operations.
Kaiserling," whom we shall hear of, "FirstLieutenant von der Groben," these were prime hands; "Lieutenant
Buddenbrock [old Feldmarschall's son] used, in his old days, when himself grown high in rank and dining
with the King, to be appealed to as witness for the truth of these stories." [Busching, Beitrage zu der
Lebensgeschichte denkwurdiger Personen, v. 1921. Vol. v.wholly occupied with Friedrich II. King of
Prussia (Halle, 1788),is accessible in French and other languages; many details, and (as Busching's wont
is) few or none not authentic, are to be found in it; a very great secret spleen against Friedrich is also
traceable,for which the Doctor may have had his reasons, not obligatory upon readers of the Doctor. The
truth is, Friedrich never took the least special notice of him: merely employed and promoted him, when
expedient for both parties; and he really was a man of considerable worth, in an extremely crude form.]
These are the two Incidents at Ruppin, in such light as they have. And these are all. Opulent History yields
from a ton of broken nails these two brass farthings, and shuts her pocket on us again. A CrownPrince given
to frolic, among other things; though aware that gravity would beseem him better. Much gay bantering humor
in him, cracklings, radiations,which he is bound to keep well under cover, in present circumstances.
Chapter III. THE SALZBURGERS.
For three years past there has been much rumor over Germany, of a strange affair going on in the remote
Austrian quarter, down in Salzburg and its fabulous Tyrolese valleys. Salzburg, city and territory, has an
Archbishop, not theoretically Austrian, but sovereign Prince so styled; it is from him and his orthodoxies, and
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pranks with his sovereign crosier, that the noise originates. Strange rumor of a body of the population
discovered to be Protestant among the remote Mountains, and getting miserably illused, by the Right
Reverend Father in those parts. Which rumor, of a singular, romantic, religious interest for the general
Protestant world, proves to be but too well founded. It has come forth in the form of practical complaint to
the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM at the Diet, without result from the CORPUS; complaint to various
persons;in fine, to his Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm, WITH result.
With result at last; actual "Emigration of the Salzburgers:" and Germanyin these very days while the
CrownPrince is at Berlin betrothing himself, and Franz of Lorraine witnessing the EXERCITIA and
wonders theresees a singular phenomenon of a touching idyllic nature going on; and has not yet quite
forgotten it in our days. Salzburg Emigration was all in motion, flowing steadily onwards, by various routes,
towards Berlin, at the time the Betrothal took place; and seven weeks after that event, when the
CrownPrince had gone to Ruppin, and again could only hear of it, the First Instalment of Emigrants arrived
bodily at the Gates of Berlin, "30th April, at four in the afternoon;" Majesty himself, and all the world going
out to witness it, with something of a poetic: almost of a psalmist feeling, as well as with a practical on the
part of his Majesty. First Instalment this; copiously followed by others, all that year; and flowing on, in
smaller rills and drippings, for several years more, till it got completed. A notable phenomenon, full of lively
picturesque and other interest to Brandenburg and Germany;which was not forgotten by the CrownPrince
in coming years, as we shall transiently find; nay which all Germany still remembers, and even occasionally
sings. Of which this is in brief the history.
The Salzburg Country, northeastern slope of the Tyrol (Donau draining that side of it, Etsch or Adige the
Italian side), is celebrated by the Tourist for its airy beauty, rocky mountains, smooth green valleys, and
swiftrushing streams; perhaps some readers have wandered to BadGastein, or Ischl, in these nomadic
summers; have looked into Salzburg, Berchtesgaden, and the BavarianAustrian boundarylands; seen the
woodenclock makings, saltworks, toymanufactures, of those simple people in their slouchhats; and can
bear some testimony to the phenomena of Nature there. Salzburg is the Archbishop's City, metropolis of his
bit of sovereignty that then was. [Tolerable description of it in the Baron Riesbeck's Travels through
Germany (London, 1787, Translation by Maty, 3 vols. 8vo), i. 124222; whose details otherwise, on this
Emigration business, are of no authenticity or value. A kind of Playactor and miscellaneous
Newspaperman in that time (not so opulent to his class as ours is); who takes the title of "Baron" on this
occasion of coming, out with a Book of Imaginary "Travels." Had personally lived, practising the
miscellaneous arts, about Lintz and Salzburg,and may be heard on the look of the Country, if on little
else.] A romantic City, far off among its beautiful Mountains, shadowing (itself in the Salza River, which
rushes down into the Inn, into the Donau, now becoming great with the tribute of so many valleys. Salzburg
we have not known hitherto except as the fabulous restingplace of Kaiser Barbarossa: but we are now
slightly to see it in a practical light; and mark how the memory of Friedrich Wilhelm makes an incidental
lodgment for itself there.
It is well known there was extensive Protestantism once in those countries. Prior to the ThirtyYears War,
the fair chance was, Austria too would all become Protestant; an extensive minority among all ranks of men
in Austria too, definable as the serious intelligence of mankind in those countries, having clearly adopted it,
whom the others were sure to follow. In all ranks of men; only not in the highest rank, which was pleased
rather to continue Official and Papal. Highest rank had its ThirtyYears War, "its sleek Fathers Lummerlein
and Hyacinth in Jesuit serge, its terrible Fathers Wallenstein in chainarmor;" and, by working late and early
then and afterwards, did manage at length to trample out Protestantism,they know with what advantage by
this time. Trample out Protestantism; or drive it into remote nooks, where under sad conditions it might
protract an unnoticed existence. In the Imperial FreeTowns, Ulm, Augsburg, and the like, Protestantism
continued, and under hard conditions contrives to continue: but in the country parts, except in unnoticed
nooks, it is extinct. Salzburg Country is one of those nooks; an extensive CryptoProtestantism lodging,
under the simple slouchhats, in the remote valleys there. Protestantism peaceably kept concealed, hurting
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nobody; wholesomely forwarding the woodenclock manufacture, and arable or grazier husbandries, of those
poor people. More harmless sons of Adam, probably, did not breathe the vital air, than those dissentient
Salzburgers; generation after generation of them giving offence to no creature.
Successive Archbishops had known of this CryptoProtestantism, and in remote periods had made occasional
slight attempts upon it; but none at all for a long time past. All attempts that way, as ineffectual for any
purpose but stirring up strife, had been discontinued for many generations; [Buchholz, i. 148151.] and the
CryptoProtestantism was again become a mythical romantic object, ignored by Official persons. However,
in 1727, there came a new Archbishop, one "Firmian", Count Firmian by secular quality, of a strict lean
character, zealous rather than wise; who had brought his orthodoxies with him in a rigid and very lean form.
Right Reverend Firmian had not been long in Salzburg till he smelt out the CryptoProtestantism, and
determined to haul it forth from the mythical condition into the practical; and in fact, to see his lawbeagles
there worry it to death as they ought. Hence the rumors that had risen over Germany, in 1729: Lawterriers
penetrating into human cottages in those remote Salzburg valleys, smelling out some German Bible or devout
Book, making lists of Biblereading cottagers; haling them to the Right Reverend Father inGod; thence to
prison, since they would not undertake to cease reading. With fine, with confiscation, tribulation: for the
peaceable Salzburgers, respectful creatures, doffing their slouch hats almost to mankind in general, were
entirely obstinate in that matter of the Bible. "Cannot, your Reverence; must not, dare not!" and went to
prison or whithersoever rather; a wide cry rising, Let us sell our possessions and leave Salzburg then,
according to Treaty of Westphalia, Article soandso. "Treaty of Westphalia? Leave Salzburg?" shrieked the
Right Reverend Father: "Are we getting into open mutiny, then? Open extensive mutiny!" shrieked he.
Borrowed a couple of Austrian regiments,Kaiser and we always on the pleasantest terms,and marched
the most refractory of his Salzburgers over the frontiers (retaining their properties and families); whereupon
noise rose louder and louder.
Refractory Salzburgers sent Deputies to the Diet; appealed, complained to the CORPUS
EVANGELICORUM, Treaty of Westphalia in hand,without result. CORPUS, having verified matters,
complained to the Kaiser, to the Right Reverend Father. The Kaiser, intent on getting his Pragmatic Sanction
through the Diet, and anxious to offend nobody at present, gave good words; but did nothing: the Right
Reverend Father answered a Letter or two from the CORPUS; then said at last, He wished to close the
Correspondence, had the honor to be,and answered no farther, when written to. CORPUS was without
result. So it lasted through 1730; rumor, which rose in 1729, waxing ever louder into practicable or
impracticable shape, through that next year; tribulation increasing in Salzburg; and noise among mankind. In
the end of 1730, the Salzburgers sent Two Deputies to Friedrich Wilhelm at Berlin; solidhearted, thick
soled men, able to answer for themselves, and give real account of Salzburg and the phenomena; this brought
matters into a practicable state.
"Are you actual Protestants, the Treaty of Westphalia applicable to you? Not mere fanatic mystics, as Right
Reverend Firmian asserts; protectible by no Treaty?" That was Friedrich Wilhelm's first question; and he set
his two chief Berlin Clergymen, learned Roloff one of them, a divine of much fame, to catechise the two
Salzburg Deputies, and report upon the point. Their Report, dated Berlin, 30th November, 1730, with
specimens of the main questions, I have read; [Fassmann, pp. 446448.] and can fully certify, along with
Roloff and friend, That here are orthodox Protestants, apparently of very pious peaceable nature, suffering
hard wrong; orthodox beyond doubt, and covered by the Treaty of Westphalia. Whereupon his Majesty
dismisses them with assurance, "Return, and say there shall be help!"and straightway lays hand on the
business, strong swift steady hand as usual, with a view that way.
Salzburg being now a clear case, Friedrich Wilhelm writes to the Kaiser; to the King of England, King of
Denmark;orders preparations to be made in Preussen, vacant messuages to be surveyed, moneys to be laid
up;bids his man at the Regensburg Diet signify, That unless this thing is rectified, his Prussian Majesty
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will see himself necessitated to take effectual steps: "reprisals" the first step, according to the old method of
his Prussian Majesty. Rumor of the Salzburg Protestants rises higher and higher. Kaiser intent on conciliating
every CORPUS, Evangelical and other, for his Pragmatic Sanction's sake, admonishes Right Reverend
Firmian; intimates at last to him, That he will actually have to let those poor people emigrate if they demand
it; Treaty of Westphalia being express. In the end of 1731 it has come thus far.
"Emigrate, says your Imperial Majesty? Well, they shall emigrate," answers Firmian; "the sooner the better!"
And straightway, in the dead of winter, marches, in convenient divisions, some nine hundred of them over the
frontiers: "Go about your business, then; emigrateto the Old One, if you like!""And our properties, our
goods and chattels?" ask they."Be thankful you have kept your skins. Emigrate, I say.!" And the poor nine
hundred had to go out, in the rigor of winter, "hoary old men among them, and women coming near their
time;" and seek quarters in the wide world mostly unknown to them. Truly Firmian is an orthodox Herr;
acquainted with the laws of fair usage and the time of day. The sleeping Barbarossa does not awaken upon
him within the Hill here:but in the Roncalic Fields, long ago, I should not have liked to stand in his shoes!
Friedrich Wilhelm, on this procedure at Salzburg, intimates to his Halberstadt and Minden Catholic
gentlemen, That their Establishments must be locked up, and incomings suspended; that they can apply to the
Right Reverend Firmian upon it;and bids his man at Regensburg signify to the Diet that such is the course
adopted here. Right Reverend Firmian has to hold his hand; finds both that there shall be Emigration, and that
it must go forward on human terms, not inhuman; and that in fact the Treaty of Westphalia will have to guide
it, not he henceforth. Those poor ousted Salzburgers cower into the Bavarian cities, till the weather mend, and
his Prussian Majesty's arrangements be complete for their brethren and them.
His Prussian Majesty has been maturing his plans, all this while; gathering moneys, getting lands ready.
We saw him hanging Schlubhut in the autumn of 1731, who had peculated from said moneys; and surveying
Preussen, under storms of thunder and rain on one occasion. Preussen is to be the place for these people;
Tilsit and Memel region, same where the big Fight of Tannenberg and ruin of the Teutsch Ritters took place:
in that fine fertile Country there are homes got ready for this Emigration out of Salzburg.
Long ago, at the beginning of this History, did not the reader hear of a pestilence in Prussian Lithuania?
Pestilence in old King Friedrich's time; for which the then CrownPrince, now Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm,
vainly solicited help from the Treasury, and only brought about partial change of Ministry and no help.
"Fiftytwo Towns" were more or less entirely depopulated; hundreds of thousands of fertile acres fell to
waste again, the hands that had ploughed them being swept away. The new Majesty, so soon as ever the
Swedish War was got rid of, took this matter diligently in hand; built up the fiftytwo ruined Towns; issued
Proclamations once and again (Years 1719, 1721) to the Wetterau, to Switzerland, Saxony, Schwaben;
[Buchholz, i. 148.] inviting Colonists to come, and, on favorable terms, till and reap there. His terms are
favorable, wellconsidered; and are honestly kept. He has a fixed set of terms for Colonists: their
roadexpenses thither, so much a day allowed each travelling soul; homesteads, ploughing implements,
cattle, land, await them at their journey's end; their rent and services, accurately specified, are light not heavy;
and "immunities" from this and that are granted them, for certain years, till they get well nestled. Excellent
arrangements: and his Majesty has, in fact, got about 20,000 families in that way. And still there is room for
thousands more. So that if the tyrannous Firmian took to tribulating Salzburg in that manner, Heaven had
provided remedies and a Prussian Majesty. Heaven is very opulent; has alchemy to change the ugliest
substances into beautifulest. Privately to his Majesty, for months back, this Salzburg Emigration is a most
manageable matter. Manage well, it will be a godsend to his Majesty, and fit, as by preestablished
harmony, into the ancient Prussian sorrow; and "two afflictions well put together shall become a
consolation," as the proverb promises! Go along then, Right Reverend Firmian, with your Emigration there:
only no foulplay in it,or Halberstadt and Minden get locked:for the rest of the matter we will
undertake.
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And so, February 2d, 1732, Friedrich Wilhelm's Proclamation [Copy of it in Mauvillon, February, 1732, ii.
311.] flew abroad over the world; brief and businesslike, cheering to all but Firmian; to this purport:
"Come, ye poor Salzburgers, there are homes provided for you. Apply at Regensburg, at Halle: Commissaries
are appointed; will take charge of your long march and you. Be kind, all Christian German Princes: do not
hinder them and me." And in a few days farther, still early in February (for the matter is all ready before
proclaiming), an actual Prussian Commissary hangs out his announcements and officialities at Donauworth,
old City known to us, within reach of the Salzburg Boundaries; collects, in a week or two, his first lot of
Emigrants, near a thousand strong; and fairly takes the road with them.
A long road and a strange: I think, above five hundred miles before we get to Halle, within Prussian land; and
then seven hundred more to our place there, in the utmost East. Men, women, infants and hoary grandfathers
are here;most of their property sold,still on ruinous conditions, think of it, your Majesty. Their poor bits
of preciosities and heirlooms they have with them; made up in succinct bundles, stowed on ticketed
baggagewains; "some have their own poor cart and horse, to carry the too old and the too young, those that
cannot walk." A pilgrimage like that of the Children of Israel: such a pilgrim caravan as was seldom heard of
in our Western Countries. Those poor succinct bundles, the making of them up and stowing of them; the
pangs of simple hearts, in those remote native valleys; the tears that were not seen, the cries that were
addressed to God only: and then at last the actual turning out of the poor caravan, in silently practical
condition, staff in hand, no audible complaint heard from it; ready to march; practically marching
here:which of us can think of it without emotion, sad, and yet in a sort blessed!
Every Emigrant man has four GROSCHEN a day (fourpence odd) allowed him for road expenses, every
woman three groschen, every child two: and regularity itself, in the shape of Prussian Commissaries, presides
over it. Such marching of the Salzburgers: host after host of them, by various routes, from February onwards;
above seven thousand of them this year, and ten thousand more that gradually followed,was heard of at all
German firesides, and in all European lands. A phenomenon much filling the general ear and imagination;
especially at the first emergence of it. We will give from poor old authentic Fassmann, as if caught up by
some sudden photograph apparatus, a rude but undeniable glimpse or two into the actuality of this business:
the reader will in that way sufficiently conceive it for himself.
Glimpse FIRST is of an Emigrant Party arriving, in the cold February days of 1732, at Nordlingen, Protestant
FreeTown in Bavaria: three hundred of them; first section, I think, of those nine hundred who were packed
away unceremoniously by Firmian last winter, and have been wandering about Bavaria, lodging "in
Kaufbeuern" and various preliminary Towns, till the Prussian arrangements became definite. Prussian
Commissaries are, by this time, got to Donauworth; but these poor Salzburgers are ahead of them, wandering
under the voluntary principle as yet. Nordlingen, in Bavaria, is an old Imperial FreeTown; Protestantism not
suppressed there, as it has been all round; scene of some memorable fighting in the ThirtyYears War,
especially of a bad defeat to the Swedes and Bernhard of Weimar, the worst they had in the course of that bad
business. The Salzburgers are in number three hundred and thirtyone; time, "first days of February, 1732,
weather very cold and raw." The charitable Protestant Town has been expecting such an advent:
"Two chief Clergymen, and the Schoolmaster and Scholars, with some hundreds of citizens and many young
people" went out to meet them; there, in the open field, stood the Salzburgers, with their wives and their little
ones, with their bullockcarts and baggage wains," pilgriming towards unknown parts of the Earth. "'Come
in, ye blessed of the Lord! Why stand ye without?' said the Parson solemnly, by way of welcome; and
addressed a Discourse to them," devout and yet human, true every word of it, enough to draw tears from any
Fassmann that were there;Fassmann and we not far from weeping without words. "Thereupon they ranked
themselves two and two, and marched into the Town," straight to the Church, I conjecture, Town all out to
participate; "and there the two reverend gentlemen successively addressed them again, from appropriate texts:
Text of the first reverend gentleman was, And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall
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inherit everlasting life. [Matthew xix. 29.] Text of the second was, Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get
thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee."
[Genesis xii. 1.] Excellent texts; well handled, let us hope,especially with brevity. After which the
strangers were distributed, some into publichouses, others taken home by the citizens to lodge.
"Out of the Spital there was distributed to each person, for the first three days, a halfpound of fleshmeat,
bread, and a measure of beer. The remaining days they got in money six CREUTZERS (twopence) each, and
bread. On Sunday, at the Churchdoors there was a collection; no less than eight hundred GULDEN [80
pounds; population, say, three thousand] for this object. At Sermon they were put into the central part of the
Church," all Nordlingen lovingly encompassing them; "and were taught in two sermons," texts not given,
What the true Church is built of, and then Of true Faith, and what love a Christian ought to have; Nordlingen
copiously shedding tears the while (VIELE THRANEN VERGOSSEN), as it well might. "Going to Church,
and coming from it, each Landlord walked ahead of his party; party followed two and two. On other days,
there was much catechising of them at different parts of the Town;"orthodox enough, you see, nothing of
superstition or fanaticism in the poor people;"they made a good testimony of their Evangelical truth.
"The Baggagewagons which they had with them, ten in number, upon which some of their old people sat,
were brought into the Town. The Baggage was unloaded, and the packages, two hundred and eightyone of
them in all [for Fassmann is Photography itself], were locked in the ZollHaus. Over and above what they
got from the Spital, the Churchcollection and the Townchest, Citizens were liberal; daily sent them food,
or daily had them by fours and fives to their own houses to meat." And so let them wait for the Prussian
Commissary, who is just at hand: "they would not part from one another, these three hundred and
thirtyone," says Fassmann, "though their reunion was but of that accidental nature." [Fassmann, pp. 439,
440.]
Glimpse SECOND: not dated; perhaps some ten days later; and a Prussian Commissary with this party:
"On their getting to the Anspach Territory, there was so incredible a joy at the arrival of these exiled Brothers
in the Faith (GLAUBENSBRUDER) that in all places, almost in the smallest hamlets, the bells were set
atolling; and nothing was heard but a peal of welcome from far and near." Prussian Commissary, when
about quitting Anspach, asked leave to pass through Bamberg; Bishop of Bamberg, too orthodox a
gentleman, declined; so the Commissary had to go by Nurnberg and Baireuth. Ask not if his welcome was
good, in those Protestant places. "At Erlangen, fifteen miles from Nurnberg, where are French Protestants and
a Dowager Margravine of Baireuth,"Widow of Wilhelmina's Fatherin law's predecessor (if the reader
can count that); DAUGHTER of Weissenfels who was for marrying Wilhelmina not long since! "at
Erlangen, the Serene Dowager snatched up fifty of them into her own House for Christian refection; and
Burghers of means had twelve, fifteen and even eighteen of them, following such example set. Nay certain
French Citizens, prosperous and childless, besieged the Prussian Commissary to allow them a few Salzburg
children for adoption; especially one Frenchman was extremely urgent and specific: but the Commissary, not
having any order, was obliged to refuse." [Fassmann, p. 441.] These must have been interesting days for the
two young Margravines; forwarding Papa's poor pilgrims in that manner.
"At Baireuth," other side of Nurnberg, "it was towards Good Friday when the Pilgrims under their
Commissarius arrived. They were lodged in the villages about, but came copiously into the Town; came all in
a body to Church on Good Friday; and at coming out, were one and all carried off to dinner, a very scramble
arising among the Townsfolk to get hold of Pilgrims and dine them. Vast numbers were carried to the
Schloss:" one figures Wilhelmina among them, figures the Hereditary Prince and old Margraf: their treatment
there was "beyond belief," says Fassmann; "not only dinner of the amplest quality and quantity, but much
money added and other gifts." From Baireuth the route is towards Gera and Thuringen, circling the Bamberg
Territory: readers remember Gera, where the Gera Bond was made?"At Gera, a commercial gentleman
dined the whole party in his own premises, and his wife gave four groschen to each individual of them; other
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two persons, brothers in the place, doing the like. One of the poor pilgrim women had been brought to bed on
the journey, a day or two before: the Commissarius lodged her in his own inn, for greater safety;
Commissarius returning to his inn, finds she is off, nobody at first can tell him whither: a lady of quality
(VORMEHME DAME) has quietly sent her carriage for the poor pilgrim sister, and has her in the right
softest keeping. No end to people's kindness: many wept aloud, sobbing out, 'Is this all the help we can give?'
Commissarius said, 'There will others come shortly; them also you can help.'"
In this manner march these Pilgrims. "From Donauworth, by Anspach, Nurnberg, Baireuth, through Gera,
Zeitz, Weissenfels, to Halle," where they are on Prussian ground, and within few days of Berlin. Other
Towns, not upon the first straight route to Berlin, demand to have a share in these grand things; share is
willingly conceded: thus the Pilgrims, what has its obvious advantages, march by a good variety of routes.
Through Augsburg, Ulm (instead of Donauworth), thence to Frankfurt; from Frankfurt some direct to
Leipzig: some through Cassel, Hanover, Brunswick, by Halberstadt and Magdeburg instead of Halle. Starting
all at Salzburg, landing all at Berlin; their routes spread over the Map of Germany in the intermediate space.
"Weissenfels Town and Duke distinguished themselves by liberality: especially the Duke did;"poor old
drinking Duke; very Protestant all these Saxon Princes, except the Apostate or PseudoApostate the
Physically Strong, for sad political reasons. "In Weissenfels Town, while the Pilgrim procession walked, a
certain rude foreign fellow, flaxpedler by trade, ["HECHELTRAGER," Hawker of flax combs or
HECKLES;is oftenest a Slavonic Austrian (I am told).] by creed Papist or worse, said floutingly, 'The
Archbishop ought to have flung you all into the river, you!' Upon which a menial servant of the Duke's
suddenly broke in upon him in the way of actuality, the whole crowd blazing into flame; and the pedler
would certainly have got irreparable damage, had not the Town guard instantly hooked him away."
April 21st, 1732, the first actual body, a good nine hundred strong, [Buchholz, i. 156.] got to Halle; where
they were received with devout jubilee, psalmsinging, spiritual and corporeal refection, as at Nordlingen
and the other stages; "Archidiaconus Franke" being prominent in it,I have no doubt, a connection of that
"CHIEN DE FRANKE," whom Wilhelmina used to know. They were lodged in the Waisenhaus (old Franke's
ORPHANHOUSE); Official List of them was drawn up here, with the fit specificality; and, after three days,
they took the road again for Berlin. Useful Buchholz, then a very little boy, remembers the arrival of a Body
of these Salzburgers, not this but a later one in August, which passed through his native Village, Pritzwalk in
the Priegnitz: How village and village authorities were all awake, with opened stores and hearts; how his
Father, the Village Parson, preached at five in the afternoon. The same Buchholz, coming afterwards to
College at Halle, had the pleasure of discovering two of the Commissaries, two of the three, who had mainly
superintended in this Salzburg Pilgrimage. Let the reader also take a glance at them, as specimens worth
notice:
COMMISSARIUS FIRST: "Herr von Reck was a nobleman from the Hanover Country; of very great piety;
who, after his Commission was done, settled at Halle; and lived there, without servant, in privacy, from the
small means he had;seeking his sole satisfaction in attendance on the Theological and Ascetic
CollegeLectures, where I used to see him constantly in my student time."
COMMISSARIUS SECOND: "Herr Gobel was a medical man by profession; and had the regular degree of
Doctor; but was in no necessity to apply his talents to the gaining of bread. His zeal for religion had moved
him to undertake this Commission. Both these gentlemen I have often seen in my youth," but do not tell you
what they were like farther; "and both their Christian names have escaped me."
A third Commissarius was of Preussen, and had religiousliterary tendencies. I suppose these three served
gratis;volunteers; but no doubt under oath, and tied by strict enough Prussian law. Physician, Chaplain,
Roadguide, here they are, probably of supreme quality, ready to our hand. [Buchholz, Neueste
PreussischBrandenburgische Geschichte (berlin, 1775, 2 vols. 4to), i. 155 n.]
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Buchholz, after "his student time," became a poor Country schoolmaster, and then a poor CountryParson,
in his native Altmark. His poor Book is of innocent, clear, faithful nature, with some vein of "unconscious
geniality" in it here and there; a Book by no means so destitute of human worth as some that have
superseded it. This was posthumous, this "NEWEST HISTORY," and has a LIFE of the Author prefixed. He
has four previous Volumes on the "Ancient History of Bran denburg," which are not known to me.About
the Year 1745, there were four poor Schoolmasters in that region (two at Havelberg, one at Seehausen, one at
Werben), of extremely studious turn; who, in spite of the Elbe which ran between, used to meet on stated
nights, for colloquy, for interchange of Books and the like. One of them, the Werben one, was this Buchholz;
another, Seehausen, was the Winckelmann so celebrated in after years. A third, one of the Havelberg pair,
"went into Mecklenburg in a year or two, as Tutor to Karl Ludwig the Prince of Strelitz's children,"whom
also mark. For the youngest of these Strelitz children was no other than the actual "Old Queen Charlotte"
(ours and George III.'s), just ready for him with her Hornbooks about that time: Let the poor man have what
honor he can from that circumstance! "Prince Karl Ludwig," rather a foolishlooking creature, we may fall in
with personally by and by. It was the 30th April, 1732, seven weeks and a day since Crown Prince
Friedrich's Betrothal, that this first body of Salzburg Emigrants, nine hundred strong, arrived at Berlin; "four
in the afternoon, at the Brandenburg Gate;" Official persons, nay Majesty himself, or perhaps both Majesties,
waiting there to receive them. Yes, ye poor footsore mortals, there is the dread King himself; stoutish short
figure in blue uniform and white wig, strawcolored waistcoat, and white gaiters; stands uncommonly firm
on his feet; reddish, bluereddish face, with eyes that pierce through a man: look upon him, and yet live if
you are true men. His Majesty's reception of these poor people could not but be good; nothing now wanting
in the formal kind. But better far, in all the essentialities of it, there had not been hitherto, nor was henceforth,
the least flaw. This Salzburg Pilgrimage has found for itself, and will find, regulation, guidance, ever a
steppingstone at the needful place; a paved road, so far as human regularity and punctuality could pave one.
That is his Majesty's shining merit. "Next Sunday, after sermon, they [this first lot of Salzburgers] were
publicly catechised in church; and all the world could hear their pertinent answers, given often in the very
Scripture texts, or express words of Luther."
His Majesty more than once took survey of these Pilgrimage Divisions, when they got to Berlin. A pleasant
sight, if there were leisure otherwise. On various occasions, too, her Majesty had large parties of them over to
Monbijou, to supper there in the fine gardens; and "gave them Bibles," among other gifts, if in want of Bibles
through Firmian's industry. Her Majesty was Charity itself, Charity and Grace combined, among these
Pilgrims. On one occasion she picked out a handsome young lass among them, and had Painter Pesne over to
take her portrait. Handsome lass, by Pesne, in her Tyrolese Hat, shone thenceforth on the walls of Monbijou;
and fashion thereupon took up the Tyrolese Hat, "which has been much worn since by the beautiful part of
the Creation," says Buchholz; "but how many changes they have introduced in it no pen can trace."
At Berlin the Commissarius ceased; and there was usually given the Pilgrims a Candidatus Theologiae, who
was to conduct them the rest of the way, and be their Clergyman when once settled. Five hundred long miles
still. Some were shipped at Stettin; mostly they marched, stage after stage,four groschen a day. At the
farther end they found all ready; tight cottages, tillable fields, all implements furnished, and stock,even to
"FEDERVIEH," or Chanticleer with a modicum of Hens. Old neighbors, and such as liked each other, were
put together: fields grew green again, desolate scrubs and scrags yielding to grass and corn. Wooden clocks
even came to view,for Berchtesgaden neighbors also emigrated; and Swiss came, and Bavarians and
French:and old trades were revived in those new localities.
Something beautifully realidyllic in all this, surely:Yet do not fancy that it all went on like clockwork;
that there were not jarrings at every step, as is the way in things real. Of the Prussian Minister chiefly
concerned in settling this new Colony I have heard one saying, forced out of him in some pressure: "There
must be somebody for a scoldingstock and scapegoat; I will be it, then!" And then the Salzburg Officials,
what a humor they were in! No Letters allowed from those poor Emigrants; the wickedest rumors circulated
about them: "All cut to pieces by inroad of the Poles;" "Pressed for soldiers by the Prussian drill sergeant;"
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Chapter III. THE SALZBURGERS. 411
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"All flung into the Lakes and stagnant waters there; drowned to the last individual;" and so on. Truth
nevertheless did slowly pierce through. And the "GROSSE WIRTH," our idyllicreal Friedrich Wilhelm, was
wanting in nothing. Lists of their unjust losses in Salzburg were, on his Majesty's order, made out and
authenticated, by the many who had suffered in that way there, forced to sell at a day's notice, and the
like:with these his Majesty was diligent in the Imperial Court; and did get what human industry could of
compensation, a part but not the whole. Contradictory noises had to abate. In the end, sound purpose, built on
fact and the Laws of Nature, carried it; lies, vituperations, rumors and delusion sank to zero; and the true
result remained. In 1738, the Salzburg Emigrant Community in Preussen held, in all their Churches, a Day of
Thanksgiving; and admitted piously that Heaven's blessing, of a truth, had been upon this King and them.
There we leave them, a useful solid population ever since in those parts; increased by this time we know not
how many fold.
It cost Friedrich Wilhelm enormous sums, say the Old Histories; probably "ten TONS OF GOLD,"that is
to say, ten hundred thousand thalers; almost 150,000 pounds, no less! But he lived to see it amply repaid,
even in his own time; how much more amply since; being a man skilful in investments to a high degree
indeed. Fancy 150,000 pounds invested there, in the Bank of Nature herself; and a hundred millions invested,
say at Balaclava, in the Bank of Newspaper rumor: and the respective rates of interest they will yield, a
million years hence! This was the most idyllic of Friedrich Wilhelm's feats, and a very real one the while.
We have only to add or repeat, that Salzburgers to the number of about 7,000 souls arrived at their place this
first year; and in the year or two following, less noted by the public, but faring steadily forward upon their
four groschen a day, 10,000 more. Friedrioh Wilhelm would have gladly taken the whole; "but George II.
took a certain number," say the Prussian Books (George II., or pious Trustees instead of him), "and settled
them at Ebenezer in Virginia,"read, Ebenezer IN GEORGIA, where General Oglethorpe was busy
founding a Colony. [Petition to Parliament, 10th (21st) May, 1733, by Oglethorpe and his Trustees, for
10,000 pounds to carry over these Salzburgers; which was granted; Tindal's RAPIN (London, 1769), xx.
184.] There at Ebenezer I calculate they might go ahead, too, after the questionable fashion of that country,
and increase and swell;but have never heard of them since.
Salzburg Emigration was a very real transaction on Friedrich Wilhelm's part; but it proved idyllic too, and
made a great impression on the German mind. Readers know of a Book called Hermann and Dorothea? It is
written by the great Goethe, and still worth reading. The great Goethe had heard, when still very little, much
talk among the elders about this Salzburg Pilgrimage; and how strange a thing it was, twenty years ago and
more. [1749 was Goethe's birthyear.] In middle life he threw it into Hexameters, into the region of the air;
and did that unreal Shadow of it; a pleasant work in its way, since he was not inclined for more.
Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER.
Majesty seeing all these matters well in train,Salzburgers under way, CrownPrince betrothed according to
his Majesty's and the Kaiser's (not to her Majesty's, and highflying little George of England my Brother the
Comedian's) mind and will,begins to think seriously of another enterprise, half business, half pleasure,
which has been hovering in his mind for some time. "Visit to my Daughter at Baireuth," he calls it publicly;
but it means intrinsically Excursion into Bohmen, to have a word with the Kaiser, and see his Imperial
Majesty in the body for once. Too remarkable a thing to be omitted by us here.
CrownPrince does not accompany on this occasion; CrownPrince is with his Regiment all this while; busy
minding his own affairs in the Ruppin quarter;only hears, with more or less interest, of these
SalzburgPilgrim movements, of this Excursion into Bohmen. Here are certain scraps of Letters; which, if
once made legible, will assist readers to conceive his situation and employments there. Letters otherwise of
no importance; but worth reading on that score. The FIRST (or rather first three, which we huddle into one) is
from "Nauen," few miles off Ruppin; where one of our Battalions lies; requiring frequent visits there:
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1. TO GRUMKOW, AT BERLIN (from the CrownPrince).
"NAUEN, 26th April, 1732.
"MONSIEUR MY DEAREST FRIEND,I send you a big mass of papers, which a certain gentleman named
Plotz has transmitted me. In faith, I know not in the least what it is: I pray you present it [to his Majesty, or in
the proper quarter], and make me rid of it.
"Tomorrow I go to Potsdam [a drive of forty miles southward], to see the exercise, and if we do it here
according to pattern. NEUE BESEN KEHREN GUT [New brooms sweep clean, IN GERMAN]; I shall have
to illustrate my new character" of Colonel; "and show that I am EIN TUCHTIGER OFFICIER (a right
Officer). Be what I may, I shall to you always be",
NAUEN, 7th MAY, 1732. "... Thousand thanks for informing me how everything goes on in the world.
Things far from agreeable, those leagues [imaginary, in TobaccoParliament] suspected to be forming
against our House! But if the Kaiser don't abandon us; ... if God second the valor of 80,000 men resolved to
spend their life, ... let us hope there will nothing bad happen.
"Meanwhile, till events arrive, I make a pretty stir here (ME TREMOUSSE ICI D'IMPORTANCE), to bring
my Regiment to its requisite perfection, and I hope I shall succeed. The other day I drank your dear health,
Monsieur; and I wait only the news from my Cattlestall that the Calf I am fattening there is ready for
sending to you. I unite Mars and Housekeeping, you see. Send me your Secretary's name, that I may address
your Letters that way," our Correspondence needing to be secret in certain quarters.
... "With a" truly infinite esteem, "FREDERIC."
NAUEN, 10th MAY, 1732. "You will see by this that I am exact to follow your instruction; and that the
SCHULZ of Tremmen [Village in the Brandenburg quarter, with a SCHULZ or Mayor to be depended on],
becomes for the present the mainspring of our correspondence. I return you all the things (PIECES) you had
the goodness to communicate to me,except Charles Douze, [Voltaire's new Book; lately come out, "Bale,
1731."] which attaches me infinitely. The particulars hitherto unknown which he reports; the greatness of that
Prince's actions, and the perverse singularity (BIZARRERIE) of his fortune: all this, joined to the lively,
brilliant and charming way the Author has of telling it, renders this Book interesting to the supreme degree. ...
I send you a fragment of my correspondence with the most illustrious Sieur Crochet," some French Envoy or
Emissary, I conclude: "you perceive we go on very sweetly together, and are in a high strain. I am sorry I
burnt one of his Letters, wherein he assured me he would in the Versailles Antechamber itself speak of me to
the King, and that my name had actually been mentioned at the King's Levee. It certainly is not my ambition
to choose this illustrious mortal to publish my renown; on the contrary, I should think it soiled by such a
mouth, and prostituted if he were the publisher. But enough of the Crochet: the kindest thing we can do for so
contemptible an object is to say nothing of him at all." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvi. 49, 51.]...
Letter SECOND is to Jaagermeister Hacke, Captain of the Potsdam Guard; who stands in great nearness to
the King's Majesty; and, in fact, is fast becoming his factotum in Armydetails. We, with the Duke of
Lorraine and Majesty in person, saw his marriage to the Excellency Creutz's Fraulein Daughter not long
since; who we trust has made him happy;rich he is at any rate, and will be Adjutant General before long;
powerful in such intricacies as this that the Prince has fallen into.
The Letter has its obscurities; turns earnestly on Recruits tall and short; nor have idle Editors helped us, by
the least hint towards "reading" it with more than the EYES. Old Dessauer at this time is Commandant at
Magdeburg; Buddenbrock, perhaps now passing by Ruppin, we know for a high old General, fit to carry
messages from Majesty,or, likelier, it may be Lieutenant Buddenbrock, his Son, merely returning to
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Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER. 413
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Ruppin? We can guess, that the flattering Dessauer has sent his Majesty five gigantic men from the
Magdeburg regiments, and that Friedrich is ordered to hustle out thirty of insignificant stature from his own,
by way of countergift to the Dessauer;which Friedrich does instantly, but cannot, for his life, see how
(being totally cashless) he is to replace them with better, or replace them at all!
2. TO CAPTAIN HACKE, OF THE POTSDAM GUARD.
"RUPPIN, 15th July, 1732.
"MEIN GOTT, what a piece of news Buddenbrock has brought me! I am to get nothing out of Brandenburg,
my dear Hacke? Thirty men I had to shift out of my company in consequence [of Buddenbrock's order]; and
where am I now to get other thirty? I would gladly give the King tall men, as the Dessauer at Magdeburg
does; but I have no money; and I don't get, or set up for getting, six men for one [thirty short for five tall], as
he does. So true is that Scripture: To him that hath shall be given; and from him that hath not shall be taken
away even that he hath.
"Small art, that the Prince of Dessau's and the Magdeburg Regiments are fine, when they have money at
command, and thirty men GRATIS over and above! I, poor devil, have nothing; nor shall have, all my days.
Prithee, dear Hacke (BITTE IHN, LIEBER HACKE), think of all that: and if I have no money allowed, I
must bring Asmus [Recruit unknown to me] alone as Recruit next year; and my Regiment will to a certainty
be rubbish (KROOP). Once I had learned a German Proverb
'VERSPRECHEN UND HALTEN (To promise and to keep) ZIEMT WOHL JUNGEN UND ALTEN (Is
pretty for young and for old)!'
"I depend alone on you (IHN), dear Hacke; unless you help, there is a bad outlook. Today I have knocked
again [written to Papa for money]; and if that does not help, it is over. If I could get any money to borrow, it
would do; but I need not think of that. Help me, then, dear Hacke! I assure you I will ever remember it; who,
at all times, am my dear Herr Captain's devoted (GANZ ERGEBENER) servant and friend,
"FRIDERICH."
[In German: OEuvres, xxvii. part 3d, p. 177.]
To which add only this Note, two days later, to Seckendorf; indicating that the process of "borrowing" has
already, in some form, begun,process which will have to continue: and to develop itself;and that his
Majesty, as Seckendorf well knows, is resolved upon his Bohemian journey:
3. TO THE GENERAL FELDZEUGMEISTER GRAF VON SECKENDORF.
"RUPPIN, 17th July, 1732.
"MY VERY DEAR GENERAL,I have written to the King, that I owed you 2,125 THALERS for the
Recruits; of which he says there are 600 paid: there remain, therefore, 1,525, which he will pay you directly.
"The King is going to Prague: I shall not be of the party [as you will]. To say truth, I am not very sorry; for it
would infallibly give rise to foolish rumors in the world. At the same time, I should have much wished to see
the Emperor, Empress, and Prince of Lorraine, for whom I have a quite particular esteem. I beg you,
Monsieur, to assure him of it;and to assure yourself that I shall always be,with a great deal of
consideration, MONSIEUR, MON TRESCHER GENERAL, FREDERIC."
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And nowfor the Bohemian Journey, "Visit at Kladrup" as they call it;Ruppin being left in this assiduous
and wholesome, if rather hampered condition.
Kaiser Karl and his Empress, in this summer of 1732, were at Karlsbad, taking the waters for a few weeks.
Friedrich Wilhelm, who had long, for various reasons, wished to see his Kaiser face to face, thought this
would be a good opportunity. The Kaiser himself, knowing how it stood with the JulichandBerg and other
questions, was not anxious for such an interview; still less were his official people; among whom the very
ceremonial for such a thing was matter of abstruse difficulty. Seckendorf accordingly had been instructed to
hunt wide, and throw in discouragements, so far as possible;which he did, but without effect. Friedrich
Wilhelm had set his heart upon the thing; wished to behold for once a Head of the Holy Roman Empire, and
Supreme of Christendom; also to see a little, with his own eyes, into certain matters Imperial.
And so, since an express visit to Karlsbad might give rise to newspaper rumors, and will not suit, it is settled,
there shall be an accidental intersection of routes, as the Kaiser travels homeward,say in some quiet
Bohemian Schloss or Huntingseat of the Kaiser's own, whither the King may come incognito; and thus, with
a minimum of noise, may the needful passage of hospitality be done. Easy all of this: only the Vienna
Ministers are dreadfully in doubt about the ceremonial, Whether the Imperial hand can be given (I forget if
for kissing or for shaking)?nay at last they manfully declare that it cannot be given; and wish his Prussian
Majesty to understand that it must be refused. [Forster, i. 328.] "RES SUMMAE CONSEQUENTIAE," say
they; and shake solemnly their big wigs.Nonsense (NARRENPOSSEN)! answers the Prussian Majesty:
You, Seckendorf, settle about quarters, reasonable food, reasonable lodgings; and I will do the ceremonial.
Seckendorfworth glancing into, for biographical purposes, in this placehas written to his Court: That as
to the victual department, his Majesty goes upon good common meat; flesh, to which may be added all
manner of riverfish and crabs: sound old Rhenish is his drink, with supplements of brown and of white beer.
Dinnertable to be spread always in some airy place, gardenhouse, tent, big clean barn,Majesty likes air,
of all things;will sleep, too, in a clean barn or gardenhouse: better anything than being stifled, thinks his
Majesty. Who, for the rest, does not like mounting stairs. [Seckendorf's Report (in Forster, i. 330).] These are
the regulations; and we need not doubt they were complied with.
Sunday, 27th July, 1732, accordingly, his Majesty, with five or six carriages, quits Berlin, before the sun is
up, as is his wont: eastward, by the road for FrankfurtonOder; "intends to look at Schulenburg's regiment,"
which lies in those parts,Schulenburg's regiment for one thing: the rest is secret from the profane vulgar.
Schulenburg's regiment (drawn up for Church, I should suppose) is soon looked at; Schulenburg himself, by
preappointment, joins the travelling party, which now consists of the King and Eight:known figures, seven,
Buddenbrock, Schulenburg, Waldau, Derschau, Seckendorf; Grumkow, Captain Hacke of the Potsdam
Guard; and for eighth the Dutch Ambassador, Ginkel, an accomplished knowing kind of man, whom also my
readers have occasionally seen. Their conversation, roadcolloquy, could it interest any modern reader? It
has gone all to dusk; we can know only that it was human, solid, for most part, and had much tobacco
intermingled. They were all of the Calvinistic persuasion, of the military profession; knew that life is very
serious, that speech without cause is much to be avoided. They travelled swiftly, dined in airy places: they are
a FACT, they and their summer dustcloud there, whirling through the vacancy of that dim Time; and have
an interest for us, though an unimportant one.
The first night they got to Grunberg; a pleasant Town, of vineyards and of looms, across the Silesian frontier.
They are now turning more southeastward; they sleep here, in the Kaiser's territory, welcomed by some
Official persons; who signify that the overjoyed Imperial Majesty has, as was extremely natural, paid the bill
everywhere. On the morrow, before the shuttles awaken, Friedrich Wilhelm is gone again; towards the
Glogau region, intending for Liegnitz that night. Coursing rapidly through the green Silesian Lowlands, blue
Giant Mountains (RIESENGEBIRGE) beginning to rise on the southwestward far away. Dines, at noon,
under a splendid tent, in a country place called Polkwitz, ["Balkowitz," say Pollnitz (ii. 407) and Forster;
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Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER. 415
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which is not the correct name.] with country Nobility (sorrow on them, and yet thanks to them) come to do
reverence. At night he gets to Liegnitz.
Here is Liegnitz, then. Here are the Katzbach and the Blackwater (SCHWARZWASSER), famed in war, your
Majesty; here they coalesce; gray ashlar houses (not without inhabitants unknown to us) looking on. Here are
the venerable walls and streets of Liegnitz; and the Castle which defied Baty Khan and his Tartars, five
hundred years ago. [1241, the Invasion, and Battle here, of this unexpected Barbarian.]Oh, your Majesty,
this Liegnitz, with its princely Castle, and wide rich Territory, the bulk of the Silesian Lowland, whose is it if
right were done? Hm, his Majesty knows full well; in Seckendorf's presence, and going on such an errand, we
must not speak of certain things. But the undisputed truth is, Duke Friedrich II., come of the Sovereign Piasts,
made that ERBVERBRUDERUNG, and his Grandson's Grandson died childless: so the heirship fell to us, as
the biggest wig in the most benighted Chancery would have to grant;only the Kaiser will not, never would;
the Kaiser plants his armed self on Schlesien, and will hear no pleading. Jagerndorf too, which we purchased
with our own moneyNo more of that; it is too miserable! Very impossible too, while we have Berg and
Julich in the wind!
At Liegnitz, Friedrich Wilhelm "reviews the garrison, cavalry and infantry," before starting; then off for
Glatz, some sixty miles before we can dine. The goal is towards Bohemia, all this while; and his Majesty, had
he liked the mountainpasses, and unlevel ways of the Giant Mountains, might have found a shorter road and
a much more picturesque one. Road abounding in gloomy valleys, intricate rocklabyrinths, haunts of Sprite
RUBEZAHL, sources of the Elbe and I know not what. Majesty likes level roads, and interesting
rocklabyrinths built by man rather than by Nature. Majesty makes a wide sweep round to the east of all that;
leaves the Giant Mountains, and their intricacies, as a blue Sierra far on his right,had rather see Glatz
Fortress than the caverns of the Elbe; and will cross into Bohemia, where the Hills are fallen lowest. At Glatz
during dinner, numerous Nobilities are again in waiting. Glatz is in Jagerndorf region; Jagerndorf, which we
purchased with our own money, is and remains ours, in spite of the mishaps of the ThirtyYears
War;OURS, the darkest Chancery would be obliged to say, from under the immensest wig! Patience, your
Majesty; Time brings roses!
From Glatz, after viewing the works, drilling the guard a little, not to speak of dining, and despatching the
Nobilities, his Majesty takes the road again; turns now abruptly westward, across the Hills at their lowest
point; into Bohemia, which is close at hand. Lewin, Nachod, these are the Bohemian villages, with their
remnant of Czechs; not a prosperous population to look upon: but it is the Kaiser's own Kingdom: "King of
Bohemia" one of his Titles ever since Sigismund SUPERGRAMMATICAM'S time. And here now, at the
meeting of the waters (Elbe one of them, a brawling mountainstream) is Jaromierz, respectable little Town,
with an Imperial Officiality in it,where the Official Gentlemen meet us all in gala, "Thrice welcome to this
Kingdom, your Majesty!" and signify that they are to wait upon us henceforth, while we do the Kaiser's
Kingdom of Bohemia that honor.
It is Tuesday night, 29th July, this first night in Bohemia. The Official Gentlemen lead his Majesty to superb
rooms, newhung with crimson velvet, and the due gold fringes and tresses,very grand indeed; but
probably not so airy as we wish. "This is the way the Kaiser lodges in his journeys; and your Majesty is to be
served like him." The goal of our journey is now within few miles. Wednesday, 30th July, 1732, his Majesty
awakens again, within these crimsonvelvet hangings with the gold tresses and fringes, not so airy as he
could wish; despatches Grumkow to the Kaiser, who is not many miles off, to signify what honor we would
do ourselves.
It was on Saturday last that the Kaiser and Kaiserinn, returning from Karlsbad, illuminated Prag with their
serene presence; "attended highmass, vespers," and a good deal of other worship, as the meagre old
Newspapers report for us, on that and the Sunday following. And then, "on Monday, at six in the morning,"
both the Majesties left Prag, for a place called Chlumetz, southwestward thirty miles off, in the Elbe region,
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where they have a pretty Hunting Castle; Kaiser intending "sylvan sport for a few days," says the old rag of a
Newspaper, "and then to return to Prag." It is here that Grumkow, after a pleasant morning's drive of thirty
miles with the sun on his back, finds Kaiser Karl VI.; and makes his announcements, and diplomatic inquiries
what next.
Had Friedrich Wilhelm been in Potsdam or Wusterhausen, and heard that Kaiser Karl was within thirty miles
of him, Friedrich Wilhelm would have cried, with open arms, Come, come! But the Imperial Majesty is
otherwise hampered; has his rhadamanthine Aulic Councillors, in vast amplitude of wig, sternly engaged in
study of the etiquettes: they have settled that the meeting cannot be in Chlumetz; lest it might lead to night's
lodgings, and to intricacies. "Let it be at Kladrup," say the Amplewigged; Kladrup, an Imperial Stud, or
HorseFarm, half a dozen miles from this; where there is room for nothing more than dinner. There let the
meeting be, tomorrow at a set hour; and, in the mean time, we will take precautions for the etiquettes. So it
is settled, and Grumkow returns with the decision in a complimentary form.
Through Konigsgratz, down the right bank of the Upper Elbe, on the morrow morning, Thursday, 31st July,
1732, Friedrich Wilhelm rushes on towards Kladrup; finds that little village, with the Horseedifices, looking
snug enough in the valley of Elbe; alights, welcomed by Prince Eugenio von Savoye, with word that the
Kaiser is not come, but steadily expected soon. Prinoe Eugenio von Savoye: ACH GOTT, it is another thing,
your Highness, than when we met in the Flanders Wars, long since;at Malplaquet that morning, when your
Highness had been to Brussels, visiting your Lady Mother in case of the worst! Slightly grayer your Highness
is grown; I too am nothing like so nimble; the great Duke, poor man, is dead!Prince Eugenio von Savoye,
we need not doubt, took snuff, and answered in a sprightly appropriate manner.
Kladrup is a Country House as well as a HorseFarm: a square court is the interior, as I gather; the
Horsebuildings at a reverent distance forming the fourth side. In the centre of this court, see what a
contrivance the Aulic Councillors have hit upon,there is a wooden stand built, with three staircases leading
up to it, one for each person, and three galleries leading off from it into suites of rooms: no question of
precedence here, where each of you has his own staircase and own gallery to his apartment! Friedrich
Wilhelm looks down like a rhinoceros on all those cobwebberies. No sooner are the Kaiser's carriagewheels
heard within the court, than Friedrich Wilhelm rushes down, by what staircase is readiest; forward to the very
carriagedoor; and flings his arms about the Kaiser, embracing and embraced, like mere human friends glad
to see one another. On these terms, they mount the wooden stand, Majesty of Prussia, Kaiser, Kaiserinn, each
by his own staircase; see, for a space of two hours, the Kaiser's foals and horses led about,which at least
fills up any gap in conversation that may threaten to occur. The Kaiser, a little man of high and humane air, is
not bright in talk; the Empress, a Brunswick Princess of fine carriage, Granddaughter of old Anton Ulrich
who wrote the Novels, is likewise of mute humor in public life; but old Nord Teutschland, cradle of one's
existence; Brunswick reminiscences; news of your Imperial Majesty's serene Father, serene Sister,
Brotherinlaw the Feldmarschall and Insipid Niece whom we have had the satisfaction to betroth
lately,furnish smalltalk where needful.
Dinner being near, you go by your own gallery to dress. From the drawingroom, Friedrich Wilhelm leads
out the Kaiserinn; the Kaiser, as Head of the world, walks first, though without any lady. How they drank the
healths, gave and received the ewers and towels, is written duly in the old Books, but was as indifferent to
Friedrich Wilhelm as it is to us; what their conversation was, let no man presume to ask. Dullish, we should
apprehend,and perhaps BETTER lost to us? But where there are tongues, there are topics: the Loom of
Time wags always, and with it the tongues of men. Kaiser and Kaiserinn have both been in Karlsbad lately;
Kaiser and Kaiserinn both have sailed to Spain, in old days, and been in sieges and things memorable:
Friedrich Wilhelm, solid Squire Western of the North, does not want for topics, and talks as a solid rustic
gentleman will. Native politeness he knows on occasion; to etiquette, so far as concerns his own pretensions,
he feels callous altogether,dimly sensible that the Eighteenth Century is setting in, and that solid
musketeers and not goldsticks are now the important thing. "I felt mad to see him so humiliate himself," said
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Grumkow afterwards to Wilhelmina, "J'ENRAGEAIS DANS MA PEAU:" why not?
Dinner lasted two hours; the Empress rising, Friedrich Wilhelm leads her to her room; then retires to his own,
and "in a quarter of an hour" is visited there by the Kaiser; "who conducts him," in so many minutes exact by
the watch, "back to the Empress,"for a sip of coffee, as one hopes; which may wind up the Interview well.
The sun is still a good space from setting, when Friedrich Wilhelm, after cordial adieus, neglectful of
etiquette, is rolling rapidly towards Nimburg, thirty miles off on the Prag Highway; and Kaiser Karl with his
Spouse move deliberately towards Chlumetz to hunt again. In Nimburg Friedrich Wilhelm sleeps, that
night; Imperial Majesties, in a muchtumbled world, of wild horses, ceremonial ewers, and Eugenios of
Savoy and Malplaquet, probably peopling his dreams. If it please Heaven, there may be another private
meeting, a day or two hence.
Nimburg, ah your Majesty, Son Fritz will have a night in Nimburg too;riding slowly thither amid the
wrecks of Kolin Battle, not to sleep well;but that happily is hidden from your Majesty. Kolin, Czaslau
(Chotusitz), Elbe Teinitz,here in this Kladrup region, your Majesty is driving amid poor Villages which
will be very famous by and by. And Prag itself will be doubly famed in war, if your Majesty knew it, and the
Ziscaberg be of bloodier memory than the Weissenberg itself!His Majesty, the morrow's sun having risen
upon Nimburg, rolls into Prag successfully about eleven A.M., Hill of Zisca not disturbing him; goes to the
Klein Seite Quarter, where an Aulic Councillor with fine Palace is ready; all the cannon thundering from the
walls at his Majesty's advent; and Prince Eugenio, the everpresent, being there to receive his Majesty,and
in fact to invite him to dinner this day at halfpast twelve. It is Friday, 1st of August, 1732.
By a singular chance, there is preserved for us in Fassmann's Book, what we may call an Excerpt from the old
Morning Post of Prag, bringing that extinct Day into clear light again; recalling the vanished DinnerParty
from the realms of Hades, as a thing that once actually WAS. The List of the Dinnerguests is given
complete; vanished ghosts, whom, in studying the old HistoryBooks, you can, with a kind of interest, fish
up into visibility at will. There is Prince Eugenio von Savoye at the bottom of the table, in the CountThun
Palace where he lodges; there bodily, the little man, in goldlaced coat of unknown cut; the eyes and the
tempers bright and rapid, as usual, or more; nose not unprovided with snuff, and lips in consequence rather
open. Be seated, your Majesty, high gentlemen all.
A big chairofstate stands for his Majesty at the upper end of the table: his Majesty will none of it; sits
down close by Prince Eugene at the very bottom, and opposite Prince Alexander of Wurtemberg, whom we
had at Berlin lately, a General of note in the Turkish and other wars: here probably there will be better talk;
and the big chair may preside over us in vacancy. Which it does. Prince Alexander, Imperial General against
the Turks, and Heir Apparent of Wurtemberg withal, can speak of many things,hardly much of his serene
Cousin the reigning Duke; whose health is in a too interesting state, the good though unlucky man. Of the
Gravenitz sitting now in limbo, or travelling about disowned, TOUJOURS UN LAVEMENT SES
TROUSSES, let there be deep silence. But the Prince Alexander can answer abundantly on other heads. He
comes to his inheritance a few months hence; actual reigning Duke, the poor serene Cousin having died: and
perhaps we shall meet, him transiently again.
He is Ancestor of the Czars of Russia, this Prince Alexander, who is now dining here in the body, along with
Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Eugene: Paul of Russia, unbeautiful Paul, married the second time, from
Mumpelgard (what the French call Montbeillard, in Alsace), a serene Granddaughter of his, from whom
come the Czars,thanks to her or not. Prince Alexander is Ancestor withal of our present "Kings of
Wurtemberg," if that mean anything: Father (what will mean something) to the serene Duke, still in
swaddlingclothes, [Born 21st January, 1732; Carl Eugen the name of him (Michaelis, iii. 450).] who will be
soninlaw to Princess Wilhelmina of Baireuth (could your Majesty foresee it); and will do strange pranks in
the world, upon poet Schiller and others. Him too, and Brothers of his, were they born and become of size,
we shall meet. A noticeable man, and not without sense, this Prince Alexander; who is now of a surety eating
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with us,as we find by the extinct Morning Post in Fassmann's old Book.
Of the others eating figures, Stahrembergs, Sternbergs, Kinsky Ambassador to England, Kinsky Ambassador
to France, high Austrian dignitaries, we shall say nothing;who would listen to us? Hardly can the
HofKanzler Count von Sinzendorf, supreme of Aulic men, who holds the rudder of Austrian StatePolicy,
and probably feels himself loaded with importance beyond most mortals now eating here or
elsewhere,gain the smallest recognition from oblivious English readers of our time. It is certain he eats
here on this occasion; and to his Majesty he does not want for importance. His Majesty, intent on Julich and
Berg and other high matters, spends many hours next day, in earnest private dialogue with him. We mention
farther, with satisfaction, that Grumkow and OrdnanceMaster Seckendorf are both on the list, and all our
Prussian party, down to Hacke of the Potsdam grenadiers, friend Schulenburg visibly eating among the
others. Also that the dinner was glorious (HERRLICH), and ended about five. [Fassmann, p. 474.] After
which his Majesty went to two evening parties, of a high order, in the Hradschin Quarter or elsewhere; cards
in the one (unless you liked to dance, or grin idle talk from you), and supper in the other.
His Majesty amused himself for four other days in Prag, interspersing long earnest dialogues with Sinzendorf,
with whom he spent the greater part of Saturday, [Pollnitz, ii. 411.]results as to Julioh and Berg of a rather
cloudy nature. On Saturday came the Kaiser, too, and Kaiserinn, to their high Nouse, the Schloss in Prag; and
there occurred, in the incognito form, "as if by accident," three visits or countervisits, two of them of some
length. The King went dashing about; saw, deliberately or in glimpses, all manner of things,from "the
Military Hospital" to "the Tongue of St. Nepomuk" again. Nepomuk, an imaginary Saint of those parts;
pitched into the Moldau, as is fancied and fabled, by wicked King Wenzel (King and DeposedKaiser, whom
we have heard of), for speaking and refusing to speak; Nepomuk is now become the Patron of Bridges, in
consequence; stands there in bronze on the Bridge of Prag; and still shows a dried Tongue in the world: [ Die
Legende vom heiligen Johann von Nepomuk, von D. Otto Abel (Berlin, 1855); an acute bit of Historical
Criticism.] this latter, we expressly find, his Majesty saw.
On Sunday, his Majesty, nothing of a straitlaced man, attended divine or quasidivine worship in the
Cathedral Churoh,where high Prince Bishops delivered PALLIUMS, did histrionisms; "manifested the
ABSURDITAT of Papistry" more or less. Coming out of the Church, he was induced to step in and stie the
rooms of the Schloss, or Imperial Palace. In one of the rooms, as if by accident, the Kaiser was found
lounging:"Extremely delighted to see your Majesty!"and they had the first of their long or considerable
dialogues together; purport has not transpired. The second considerable dialogue was on the morrow, when
Imperial Majesty, as if by accident, found himself in the CountNostitz Palace, where Friedrich Wilhelm
lodges. Delighted to be so fortunate again! Hope your Majesty likes Prag? Eternal friendship, OH JA:and
as to Julich and Berg? Particulars have not transpired.
Prag is a place full of sights: his Majesty, dashing about in all quarters, has a busy time; affairs of state
(Julich and Berg principally) alternating with what we now call the LIONS. Zisca's drum, for instance, in the
Arsenal here? Would your Majesty wish to see Zisca's own skin, which he bequeathed to be a drum when HE
had done with it? "NARRENPOSSEN!"for indeed the thing is fabulous, though in character with Zisca. Or
the Council Chamber window, out of which "the Three Prag Projectiles fell into the Night of things," as a
modern Historian expresses it? Three Official Gentlemen, flung out one morning, [13th (23d) May, 1618
(Kohler, p. 507).] 70 feet, but fell on "sewerage," and did not die, but set the whole world on fire? That is too
certain, as his Majesty knows: that brought the crowning of the Winter King, Battle of the Weissenberg,
ThirtyYears War; and lost us Jagerndorf and much else.
Or Wallenstein's Palace,did your Majesty look at that? A thing worth glancing at, on the score of History
and even of Natural History. That rugged son of steel and gunpowder could not endure the least noise in his
sleepingroom or even sittingroom,a difficulty in the soldiering way of life;and had, if I remember,
one hundred and thirty houses torn away in Prag, and sentries posted all round in the distance, to secure
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silence for his much meditating indignant soul. And yonder is the Weissenberg, conspicuous in the western
suburban region: and here in the eastern, close by, is the Ziscaberg;O Heaven, your Majesty, on this
ZiscaHill will be a new "Battle of Prag," which will throw the Weissenberg into eclipse; and there is awful
fighting coming on in these parts again!
The THIRD of the considerable dialogues in Prag was on this same Monday night; when his Majesty went to
wait upon the Kaiserinn, and the Kaiser soon accidentally joined them. Precious gracious words passed;on
Berg and Julich nothing particular, that we hear;and the High Personages, with assurances of everlasting
friendship, said adieu; and met no more in this world. On his toilettable Friedrich Wilhelm found a gold
Tobaccobox, sent by the highest Lady extant; gold Tobaccobox, item gold Tobacco stopper or
Pipepicker: such the parting gifts of her Imperial Majesty. Very precious indeed, and grateful to the honest
heart; yet testifying too (as was afterwards suggested to the royal mind) what these high people think of a
rustic Orson King; and how they fling their nose into the air over his Tabagies and him.
On the morrow morning early, Friedrich Wilhelm rolls away again homewards, by Karlsbad, by Baireuth; all
the cannon of Prag saying thrice, Good speed to him. "He has had a glorious time," said the Berlin
Courtlady to Queen Sophie one evening, "no end of kindness from the Imperial Majesties: but has he
brought Berg and Julich in his pocket?"Alas, not a fragment of them; nor of any solid thing whatever,
except it be the gold Tobaccobox; and the confirmation of our claims on EastFriesland (cheap liberty to let
us vindicate them if we can), if you reckon that a solid thing. These two Imperial gifts, such as they are, he
has consciously brought back with him;and perhaps, though as yet unconsciously, a third gift of much
more value, once it is developed into clearness: some dim trace of insight into the nomeaning of these high
people; and how they consider US as mere Orsons and wild Bisons, whom they will do the honor to consume
as provision, if we behave well!
The great King Friedrich, now CrownPrince at Ruppin, writing of this Journey long afterwards,hastily,
incorrectly, as his wont is, in regard to all manner of minute outward particulars; and somewhat maltreating,
or at least misplacing, even the inward meaning, which was well known to him WITHOUT investigation, but
which he is at no trouble to DATE for himself, and has dated at random,says, in his thin rapid way, with
much polished bitterness:
"His [King Friedrich Wilhelm's] experience on this occasion served to prove that goodfaith and the virtues,
so contrary to the corruption of the age, do not succeed in it. Politicians have banished sincerity (LA
CANDEUR) into private life: they look upon themselves as raised quite above the laws which they enjoin on
other people; and give way without reserve to the dictates of their own depraved mind.
"The guaranty of Julich and Berg, which Seckendorf had formally promised in the name of the Emperor,
went off in smoke; and the Imperial Ministers were in a disposition so opposed to Prussia, the King saw
clearly [not for some years yet] that if there was a Court in Europe intending to cross his interests, it was
certainly that of Vienna. This Visit of his to the Emperor was like that of Solon to Croesus [Solon not I
recognizable, in the grenadier costume, amid the tobaccosmoke, and dim accompaniments?]and he
returned to Berlin, rich still in his own virtue. The most punctilious censors could find no fault in his conduct,
except a probity carried to excess. The Interview ended as those of Kings often do: it cooled [not for some
time yet], or, to say better, it extinguished the friendship there had been between the two Courts. Friedrich
Wilhelm left Prag full of contempt [dimly, altogether unconsciously, tending to have some contempt, and in
the end to be full of it] for the deceitfulness and pride of the Imperial Court: and the Emperor's Ministers
disdained a Sovereign who looked without interest on frivolous ceremonials and precedences. Him they
considered too ambitious in aiming at the BergandJulich succession: them he regarded [came to regard] as
a pack of knaves, who had broken their word, and were not punished for it."
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Very bitter, your Majesty; and, in all but the dates, true enough. But what a drop of concentrated absinthe
follows next, by way of finish,which might itself have corrected the dating!
"In spite of so many subjects of discontent, the King wedded his Eldest Son [my not too fortunate self], out of
complaisance to the Vienna Court, with a Princess of BrunswickBevern, Niece to the Empress:"bitter
fact; necessitating change of date in the paragraphs just written. [ OEuvres de Frederic (Memoires de
Brandenbourg), i. 162, 163.]
Friedrich Wilhelm, good soul, cherishes the Imperial gifts, Tobaccobox included;claps the Arms of
EastFriesland on his escutcheon; will take possession of Friesland, if the present Duke die heirless, let
George of England say what he will. And so he rolls homeward, by way of Baireuth. He stayed but a short
while in Karlsbad; has warned his Wilhelmina that he will be at Baireuth on the 9th of the month.
[Wilhelmina, ii. 55.]
Wilhelmina is very poorly; "near her time," as wives say; rusticating in "the Hermitage," a CountryHouse in
the vicinity of Baireuth; Husband and Fatherinlaw gone away, towards the Bohemian frontier, to hunt
boars. Oh, the bustle and the bother that high Lady had; getting her little Country House stretched out to the
due pitch to accommodate everybody,especially her foolish Sister of Anspach and foolish Brotherinlaw
and suite,with whom, by negligence of servants and otherwise, there had like to have risen incurable
quarrel on the matter. But the dexterous young Wife, gladdest; busiest and weakliest of hopeful creatures,
contrived to manage everything, like a Female Fieldmarshal, as she was. Papa was delighted; bullied the
foolish Anspach people,or would have done so, had not I intervened, that the matter might die. Papa was
gracious, happy; very anxious about me in my interesting state. "Thou hast lodged me to perfection, good
Wilhelmina. Here I find my wooden stools, tubs to wash in; all things as if I were at Potsdam:a good girl;
and thou must take care of thyself, my child (MEIN KIND)."
At dinner, his Majesty, dreading no ill, but intent only on the practical, got into a quiet, but to me most
dreadful, lecture to the old Margraf (my Fatherinlaw) upon debt and money and arrears: How he, the
Margraf, was cheated at every turn, and led about by the nose, and kept weltering in debt: how he should let
the young Margraf go into the Offices, to supervise, and withal to learn taxmatters and economics betimes.
How he (Friedrich Wilhelm) would send him a fellow from Berlin who understood such things, and would
drill his scoundrels for him! To which the old Margraf, somewhat flushed in the face, made some
embarrassed assent, knowing it in fact to be true; and accepted the Berlin man:but he made me (his poor
Daughterinlaw) smart for it afterwards: "Not quite dead YET, Madam; you will have to wait a
little!"and other foolish speech; which required to be tempered down again by a judicious female mind.
Grumkow himself was pleasant on this occasion; told us of Kladrup, the Prag etiquettes; and how he was like
to go mad seeing his Majesty so humiliate himself. Fraulein Grumkow, a niece of his, belonging to the
Austrian court, who is over here with the rest, a satirical intriguing baggage, she, I privately perceive, has
made a conquest of my foolish Brotherinlaw, the Anspach Margraf here;and there will be jealousies,
and a catanddog life over yonder, worse than ever! Tush, why should we talk?These are the phenomena
at Baireuth; Husband and Fatherinlaw having quitted their boarhunt and hurried home.
After three days, Friedrich Wilhelm rolled away again; lodged, once more, at Meuselwitz, with abstruse
Seckendorf, and his good old Wife, who do the hospitalities well when they must, in spite of the single candle
once visible. On the morrow after which, 14th August, 1732, his Majesty is off again, "at four in the
morning," towards Leipzig, intending to be home that night, though it is a long drive. At Leipzig, not to waste
time, he declines entering the Town; positively will not, though the cannonsalvos are booming all
round;"breakfasts in the suburbs, with a certain Horsedealer (ROSSHANDLER) now deceased:" a
respectable Centaur, capable, no doubt, of bargaining a little about cavalry mountings, while one eats, with
appetite and at one's ease. Which done, Majesty darts off again, the cannonsalvos booming out a second
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time;and by assiduous driving gets home to Potsdam about eight at night. And so has happily ENDED this
Journey to Kladrup: [Fassmann, pp. 474479; Wilhelmina, ii. 4655; Pollnitz, ii. 407412; Forster, i.
328334.]
Chapter V. GHOST OF THE DOUBLEMARRIAGE RISES; TO NO
PURPOSE.
We little expected to see the "DoubleMarriage" start up into vitality again, at this advanced stage; or, of all
men, Seckendorf, after riding 25,000 miles to kill the DoubleMarriage, engaged in resuscitating it! But so it
is: by endless intriguing, matchless in History or Romance, the Austrian Court had, at such expense to the
parties and to itself, achieved the first problem of stifling the harmless DoubleMarriage; and now, the wind
having changed, it is actually trying its hand the opposite way.
Wind is changed: consummate Robinson has managed to do his thrice salutary "Treaty of Vienna;" [16th
March, 1731, the TAIL of it (accession of the Dutch, of Spain, not quite coiled up till 20th February, 1732:
Scholl, i. 218222.] to clout up all differences between the SeaPowers and the Kaiser, and restore the old
Law of Nature,Kaiser to fight the French, SeaPowers to feed and pay him while engaged in that
necessary job. And now it would be gratifying to the Kaiser, if there remained, on this side of the matter, no
rent anywhere, if between his chief Sea ally and his chief Land one, the Britannic Majesty and the Prussian,
there prevailed a complete understanding, with no grudge left.
The honor of this fine resuscitation project is ascribed to Robinson by the Vienna people: "Robinson's
suggestion," they always say: how far it was, or whether at all it was or not, nobody at present knows. Guess
rather, if necessary, it had been the Kaiser's own! Robinson, as the thing proceeds, is instructed from St.
James's to "look on and not interfere;" [Despatches, in StatePaper Office] Prince Eugene, too, we can
observe, is privately against it, though officially urgent, and doing his best. Who knows,or need know?
Enough that High Heads are set upon it; that the diplomatic wigs are all wagging with it, from about the
beginning of October, 1732; and rumors are rife and eager, occasionally spurting out into the Newspapers:
DoubleMarriage after all, hint the old Rumors: DoubleMarriage somehow or other; CrownPrince to have
his English Princess, Prince Fred of England to console the Brunswick one for loss of her CrownPrince; or
else Prince Karl of Brunswick to And half a dozen other ways; which Rumor cannot settle to its
satisfaction. The whispers upon it, from Hanover, from Vienna, at Berlin, and from the Diplomatic world in
general, occasionally whistling through the Newspapers, are manifold and incessant,not worthy of the least
attention from us here. [Forster, iii. 111, 120, 108, 113, 122.] What is certain is, Seckendorf, in the end of
October, is corresponding on it with Prince Eugene; has got instructions to propose the matter in
TobaccoParliament; and does not like it at all. Grumkow, who perhaps has seen dangerous clouds
threatening to mount upon him, and never been quite himself again in the Royal Mind since that questionable
NOSTI business, dissuades earnestly, constantly. "Nothing but mischief will come of such a proposal," says
Grumkow steadily; and for his own share absolutely declines concern in it.
But Prince Eugene's orders are express; remonstrances, cunctations only strengthen the determination of the
High Heads or Head: Forward with this beautiful scheme! Seckendorf, puckered into dangerous anxieties, but
summoning all his cunning, has at length, after six weeks' hesitation, to open it, as if casually, in some
favorable hour, to his Prussian Majesty. December 5th, 1732, as we compute;a kind of epoch in his
Majesty's life. Prussian Majesty stares wideeyed; the breath as if struck out of him; repeats, "Julich and Berg
absolutely secured, say you? Buthm, na!"and has not yet taken in the unspeakable dimensions of the
occurrence. "What? Imperial Majesty will make me break my word before all the world? Imperial Majesty
has been whirling me about, face now to the east, face straightway round to the west: Imperial Majesty does
not feel that I am a man and king at all; takes me for a mere machine, to be seesawed and whirled hither and
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thither, like a rotatory Clotheshorse, to dry his Imperial Majesty's linen upon. TAUSEND HIMMEL!"
The full dimensions of all this did not rise clear upon the intellect of Prussian Majesty,a slow intellect, but
a true and deep, with terrible earthquakes and poetic fires lying under it, not at once, or for months,
perhaps years to come. But they had begun to dawn upon him painfully here; they rose gradually into perfect
clearness: all things seen at last as what they were; with huge submarine earthquake for consequence, and
total change of mind towards Imperial Majesty and the drying of his Pragmatic linen, in Friedrich Wilhelm.
Amiable Orson, true to the heart; amiable, though terrible when too much put upon!
This dawning process went on for above two years to come, painfully, reluctantly, with explosions, even with
tears. But here, directly on the back of Seckendorf's proposal, and recorded from a sure hand, is what we may
call the peepofday in that matter: First Session of TobaccoParliament, close after that event. Event is on
the 5th December, 1732; Tobacco Session is of the 6th;glimpse of it is given by Speaker Grumkow
himself; authentic to the bone.
SESSION OF TOBACCOPARLIAMENT, 6th DECEMBER, 1732.
Grumkow, shattered into "headache" by this Session, writes Report of it to Seckendorf before going to bed.
Look, reader, into one of the strangest Political Establishments; and how a strange Majesty comports himself
there, directly after such proposal from Vienna to marry with England still!"Schwerin" is incidentally in
from FrankfurtonOder, where his Regiment and business usually lie: the other Honorable Members we
sufficiently know. Majesty has been a little out of health lately; perceptibly worse the last two days. "Syberg"
is a Goldcook (Alchemical gentleman, of very high professions), came to Berlin some time ago; whom his
Majesty, after due investigation, took the liberty to hang. [Forster, iii. 126.] Readers can now understand what
speaker Grumkow writes, and despatches by his lackey, in such haste:
"I never saw such a scene as this evening. Derschau, Schwerin, Buddenbrock, Rochow, Flanz were present.
We had been about an hour in the Red Room [languidly doing our tobacco off and on], when he [the King]
had us shifted into the Little Room: drove out the servants; and cried, looking fixedly at me: 'No, I cannot
endure it any longer! ES STOSSET MIR DAS HERZ AB,' cried he, breaking into German: 'It crushes the
heart out of me; to make me do a bit of scoundrelism, me, me! I say; no, never! Those damned intrigues; may
the Devil take them!'
"EGO (Grumkow). 'Of course, I know of nothing. But I do not comprehend your Majesty's inquietude,
coming thus on the sudden, after our common indifferent mood.'
"KING. 'What, make me a villain! I will tell it right out. Certain damned scoundrels have been about
betraying me. People that should have known me better have been trying to lead me into a dishonorable
scrape'("Here I called in the hounds, JE ROMPIS LES CHIENS," reports Grumkow, "for he was going to
blab everything; I interrupted, saying):
"EGO. 'But, your Majesty, what is it ruffles you so? I know not what you talk of. Your Majesty has honorable
people about you; and the man who lets himself be employed in things against your Majesty must be a
traitor.'
"KING. 'Yes, JA, JA. I will do things that will surprise them. I'
"And, in short, a torrent of exclamations: which I strove to soften by all manner of incidents and
contrivances; succeeding at last,"by dexterity and time (but, at this point, the light is now blown out, and
we SEE no more):"so that he grew quite calm again, and the rest of the evening passed gently enough.
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"Well, you see what the effect of your fine Proposal is, which you said he would like! I can tell you, it is the
most detestable incident that could have turned up. I know, you had your orders: but you may believe and
depend on it, he has got his heart driven rabid by the business, and says, 'Who knows now whether that
villain Syberg' Goldcook, that was hanged the other day, 'was not set on by some people to poison me?' In a
word, he was like a madman.
"What struck me most was when he repeated, 'Only think! Think! Who would have expected it of people that
should have known me; and whom I know, and have known, better than they fancy!'" Pleasant passage for
Seckendorf to chew the cud upon, through the nightwatches!
"In fine, as I was somewhat confused; and anxious, above all, to keep him from exploding with the secret, I
cannot remember everything, But Derschau, who was more at his ease, will be able to give you a full account.
He [the King] said more than once: 'THIS was his sickness; the thing that ailed him, this: it gnawed his heart,
and would be the death of him!' He certainly did not affect; he was in a very convulsive condition.
[JARNIBLEU, here is a piece of work, Herr Seckendorf!]Adieu, I have a headache." Whereupon to bed.
"GRUMKOW."
[Forster, iii. 135, 136.]
This Hansard Report went off direct to Prince Eugene; and ought to have been a warning to the high Vienna
heads and him. But they persisted not the less to please Robinson or themselves; considering his Prussian
Majesty to be, in fact, a mere rotatory Clotheshorse for drying the Imperial linen on; and to have no intellect
at all, because he was without guile, and had no vulpinism at all. In which they were very much mistaken
indeed. History is proud to report that the guileless Prussian Majesty, steadily attending to his own affairs in a
wise manner, though hoodwinked and led about by BlackArtists as he had been, turned out when Fact and
Nature subsequently pronounced upon it, to have had more intellect than the whole of them together,to
have been, in a manner, the only one of them that had any real "intellect," or insight into Fact and Nature, at
all. Consummate Blackart Diplomacies overnetting the Universe, went entirely to water, running down the
gutters to the last drop; and a prosperous Drilled Prussia, compact, organic in every part, from diligent
ploughsock to shining bayonet and iron ramrod, remained standing. "A full Treasury and 200,000
welldrilled men would be the one guarantee to your Pragmatic Sanction," Prince Eugene had said. But that
bit of insight was not accepted at Vienna; Blackart, and Diplomatic spiderwebs from pole to pole, being
thought the preferable method.
Enough, Seckendorf was ordered to manipulate and soothe down the Prussian Majesty, as surely would be
easy; to continue his galvanic operations on the DoubleMatch, or produce a rotation in the purposes of the
royal breast. Which he diligently strove to do, when once admitted to speech again;Grumkow steadily
declining to meddle, and only Queen Sophie, as we can fancy, auguring joyfully of it. Seckendorf, admitted
to speech the third day after that explosive Session, snuffles his softest, his cunningest;continues to ride
diligently, the concluding portion (such it proved) of his 25,000 miles with the Prussian Majesty up and down
through winter and spring; but makes not the least progress, the reverse rather.
Their dialogues and arguings on the matter, here and elsewhere, are lost in air; or gone wholly to a single
point unexpectedly preserved for us. One day, riding through some village, Priort some say his Majesty calls
it, some give another name,advocate Seckendorf, in the fervor of pleading and arguing, said some word,
which went like a sudden flash of lightning through the dark places of his Majesty's mind, and never would
go out of it again while he lived after. In passionate moments, his Majesty spoke of it sometimes, a
clangorous pathos in his tones, as of a thing hideous, horrible, never to be forgotten, which had killed him,
death from a friend's hand. "It was the 17th of April, 1733, [All the Books (Forster, ii. 142, for one) mention
this utterance of his Majesty, on what occasion we shall see farther on; and give the date "1732," not 1733:
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but except as amended above, it refuses to have any sense visible at this distance. The Village of Priort is in
the Potsdam region.] riding through Priort, a man said something to me: it was as if you had turned a dagger
about in my heart. That man was he that killed me; there and then I got my death!"
A strange passion in that utterance: the deep dumb soul of his Majesty, of dumbpoetic nature, suddenly
brought to a fatal clearness about certain things. "O Kaiser, Kaiser of the Holy Roman Empire; and this is
your return for my loyal faith in you? I had nearly killed my Fritz, my Wilhelmina, broken my Feekin's heart
and my own, and reduced the world to ruins for your sake. And because I was of faith more than human, you
took me for a dog? O Kaiser, Kaiser!"Poor Friedrich Wilhelm, he spoke of this often, in excited moments,
in his later years; the tears running down his cheeks, and the whole man melted into tragic emotion: but if
Fritz were there, the precious Fritz whom he had almost killed for their sake, he would say, flashing out into
proud rage, "There is one that will avenge me, though; that one! DA STEHT EINER, DER MICH RACHEN
WIRD!"[Forster, ii. 153.] Yes, your Majesty; perhaps that one. And it will be seen whether YOU were a
rotatory Clotheshorse to dry their Pragmatic linen upon, or something different a good deal.
Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND.
In the Newyear's days of 1733, the topic among diplomatic gentlemen, which set many big wigs wagging,
and even tremulously came out in the gray leaves of gazetteers and garreteers of the period, was a royal
drama, dimly supposed to be getting itself up in Poland at this time. Nothing known about it for certain; much
guessed. "Something in the rumor!" nods this wig; "Nothing!" wags that, slightly oscillating; and gazetteers,
who would earn their wages, and have a peck of coals apiece to glad them in the cold weather, had to watch
with all eagerness the movements of King August, our poor old friend, the DilapidatedStrong, who is in
Saxony at present; but bound for Warsaw shortly,just about lifting the curtain on important events, it is
thought and not thought. Here are the certainties of it, now clear enough, so far as they deserve a glance from
us.
January l0th, 1733, August the DilapidatedStrong of Poland has been in Saxony, looking after his poor
Electorate a little; and is on the road from Dresden homewards again;will cross a corner of the Prussian
Dominions, as his wont is on such occasions. Prussian Majesty, if not appearing in person, will as usual, by
some Official of rank, send a polite Wellspeedyou as the brother Majesty passes. This time, however, it
was more than politeness; the Polish Majesty having, as was thought, such intricate affairs in the wind. Let
Grumkow, the fittest man in all ways, go, and do the greeting to his old Patroon: greeting, or whatever else
may be needed.
Patroon left Dresden,"having just opened the Carnival" or fashionable Season there, opened and nothing
more,January l0th, 1733; [Fassmann, Leben Friedrich Augusti des Grossen, p. 994.] being in haste home
for a Polish Diet close at hand. On which same day Grumkow, we suppose, drives forth from Berlin, to
intersect him, in the Neumark, about Crossen; and have a friendly word again, in those localities, over jolly
wine. Intersection took place duly;there was exuberant joy on the part of the Patroon; and such a dinner
and night of drinking, as has seldom been. Abstruse things lie close ahead of August the DilapidatedStrong,
important to Prussia, and for which Prussia is important; let Grumkow try if he can fish the matter into
clearness out of these winecups. And then August, on his side, wishes to know what the Kaiser said at
Kladrup lately; there is much to be fished into clearness.
Many are the timea August the Strong has made this journey; many are the carousals, on such and other
occasions, Grumkow and he have had. But there comes an end to all things. This was their last meeting, over
flowing liquor or otherwise, in the world. Satirical History says, they drank all night, endeavoring to pump
one another, and with such enthusiasm that they never recovered it; drank themselves to death at Crossen on
that occasion. [ OEuvres de Frederic (Memoires de Brandenbourg), i. 163.] It is certain August died within
three weeks; and people said of Grumkow, who lived six years longer, he was never well after this bout. Is it
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Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND. 425
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worth any human Creature's while to look into the plans of this precious pair of individuals? Without the least
expense of drinking, the secrets they were pumping out of each other are now accessible enough,if it were
of importance now. One glance I may perhaps commend to the reader, out of these multifarious Notebooks
in my possession:
"August, by change of his religion, and other sad operations, got to be what they called the King of Poland,
thirty five years ago; but, though looking glorious to the idle public, it has been a crown of stingingnettles to
the poor man,a sedanchair running on rapidly, with the bottom broken out! To say nothing of the
scourgings he got, and poor Saxony along with him, from Charles XII., on account of this Sovereignty so
called, what has the thing itself been to him? In Poland, for these thirtyfive years, the individual who had
least of his real will done in public matters has been, with infinite management, and display of such
goodhumor as at least deserves credit, the nominal Sovereign Majesty of Poland. Anarchic Grandees have
been kings over him; ambitious, contentious, unmanageable;very fanatical too, and never persuaded that
August's Apostasy was more than a sham one, not even when he made his Prince apostatize too. Their
Sovereignty has been a mere peck of troubles, disgraces and vexations: for those thirtyfive years, an
everboiling pot of mutiny, contradiction, insolence, hardly tolerable even to such nerves as August's.
"August, for a long time back, has been thinking of schemes to clap some lid upon all that. To make the
Sovereignty hereditary in his House: that, with the good Saxon troops we have, would be a remedy;and in
fact it is the only remedy. John Casimir (who abdicated long ago, in the Great Elector's time, and went to
Paris,much charmed with Ninon de l'Enclos there) told the Polish Diets, With their LIBERUM VETO, and
'right of confederation' and rebellion, they would bring the country down under the feet of mankind, and
reduce their Republic to zero one day, if they persisted. They have not failed to persist. With some hereditary
King over it, and a regulated Saxony to lean upon: truly might it not be a change to the better? To the worse,
it could hardly be, thinks August the Strong; and goes intent upon that method, this long while back;and at
length hopes now, in few days longer, at the Diet just assembling, to see fruits appear, and the thing actually
begin.
"The difficulties truly are many; internal and external:but there are calculated methods, too. For the
internal: Get up, by bribery, persuasion, some visible minority to countenance you; with these manoeuvre in
the Diets; on the back of these, the 30,000 Saxon troops. But then what will the neighboring Kings say? The
neighboring Kings, with their bigmouthed manifestoes, pities for an oppressed Republic, overwhelming
forces, and invitations to 'confederate' and revolt: without their tolerance first had, nothing can be done. That
is the external difficulty. For which too there is a remedy. Cut off sufficient outlying slices of Poland; fling
these to the neighboring Kings to produce consent: Partition of Poland, in fact; large sections of its Territory
sliced away: that will be the method, thinks King August.
"Neighboring Kings, Kaiser, Prussia, Russia, to them it is not grievous that Poland should remain in perennial
anarchy, in perennial impotence; the reverse rather: a dead horse, or a dying, in the next stall,he at least
will not kick upon us, think the neighboring Kings. And yet,under another similitude,you do not like
your nextdoor neighbor to be always on the point of catching fire; smoke issuing, thicker or thinner, through
the slates of his roof, as a perennial phenomenon? August will conciliate the neighboring Kings. Russia,
bigcheeked Anne Czarina there, shall have not only Courland peaceably henceforth, but the Ukraine,
Lithuania, and other large outlying slices; that surely will conciliate Russia. To Austria, on its Hungarian
border, let us give the Country of Zips;nay there are other sops we have for Austria. Pragmatic Sanction,
hitherto refused as contrary to plain rights of ours,that, if conceded to a spectrehunting Kaiser? To
Friedrich Wilhelm we could give WestPreussen; WestPreussen torn away three hundred years ago, and
leaving a hiatus in the very continuity of Friedrich Wilhelm: would not that conciliate him? Of all enemies or
friends, Friedrich Wilhelm, close at hand with 80,000 men capable of fighting at a week's, notice, is by far the
most important.
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Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND. 426
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"These are August's plans: WestPreussen for the nearest Neighbor; Zips for Austria; Ukraine, Lithuania, and
appendages for the Russian Czarina: handsome Sections to be sliced off, and flung to good neighbors; as it
were, all the outlying limbs and wings of the Polish Territory sliced off; compact body to remain, and
become, by means of August and Saxon troops, a Kingdom with government, not an imaginary Republic
without government any longer. In fact, it was the 'Partition of Poland,' such as took effect forty years after,
and has kept the Newspapers weeping ever since. Partition of Poland,MINUS the compact interior held
under government, by a King with Saxon troops or otherwise. Compact interior, in that effective partition,
forty years after, was left as anarchic as ever; and had to be again partitioned, and cut away altogether,with
new torrents of loud tears from the Newspapers, refusing to be comforted to this day.
"It is not said that Friedrich Wilhelm had the least intention of countenancing August in these dangerous
operations, still less of going shares with August; but he wished much, through Grumkow, to have some
glimpse into the dim program of them; and August wished much to know Friedrich Wilhelm's and
Grumkow's humor towards them. Grumkow and August drank oopiously, or copiously pressed drink on one
another, all night (llth12th January, 1733, as I compute; some say at Crossen, some say at Frauendorf a
royal domain near by), with the view of mutually fishing out those secrets;and killed one another in the
business, as is rumored."
What were Grumkow's news at homecoming, I did not hear; but he continues very low and
shaky;refuses, almost with horror, to have the least hand in Seckendorf's mad project, of resuscitating the
English DoubleMarriage, and breaking off the Brunswick one, at the eleventh hour and after word pledged.
Seckendorf himself continues to dislike and dissuade: but the High Heads at Vienna are bent on it; and
command new strenuous attempts;literally at the last moment; which is now come.
Chapter VII. CROWNPRINCE'S MARRIAGE.
Since November last, Wilhelmina is on visit at Berlin,first visit since her marriage;she stays there for
almost ten months; not under the happiest auspices, poor child. Mamma's reception of her, just off the long
winter journey, and extenuated with fatigues and sickly chagrins, was of the most cutting cruelty: "What do
you want here? What is a mendicant like you come hither for?" And next night, when Papa himself came
home, it was little better. "Ha, ha," said he, "here you are; I am glad to see you." Then holding up a light, to
take view of me: "How changed you are!" said he: "What is little Frederika [my little Baby at Baireuth]
doing?" And on my answering, continued: "I am sorry for you, on my word. You have not bread to eat; and
but for me you might go begging. I am a poor man myself, not able to give you much; but I will do what I
can. I will give you now and then a twenty or a thirty shillings (PAR DIX OU DOUZE FLORINS), as my
affairs permit: it will always be something to assuage your want. And you, Madam," said he, turning to the
Queen, "you will sometimes give her an old dress; for the poor child has n't a shift to her back." [Wilhelmina,
ii. 85.] This rugged paternal banter was taken too literally by Wilhelmina, in her weak state; and she was like
"to burst in her skin," poor Princess.
So that,except her own good Hereditary Prince, who was here "over from Pasewalk" and his regimental
duties, waiting to welcome her; in whose true heart, full of honest human sunshine towards her, she could
always find shelter and defence,native Country and Court offer little to the brave Wilhelmina. Chagrins
enough are here: chagrins also were there. At Baireuth our old Father Margraf has his crotchets, his
infirmities and outbreaks; takes more and more to liquor; and does always keep us frightfully bare in money.
No help from Papa here, either, on the finance side; no real hope anywhere (thinks Seckendorf, when we
consult him), except only in the Margraf's death: "old Margraf will soon drink himself dead," thinks
Seckendorf; "and in the mean while there is Vienna, and a noble Kaiserinn who knows her friends in case of
extremity!" thinks he. [Wilhelmina, ii. 81111.] Poor Princess, in her weak shattered state, she has a heavy
time of it; but there is a tough spirit in her; bright, sharp, like a swift sabre, not to be quenched in any coil; but
always cutting its way, and emerging unsubdued.
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One of the blessings reserved for her here, which most of all concerns us, was the occasional sight of her
Brother. Brother in a day or two ["18th November," she says; which date is wrong, if it were of moment (see
OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 1st, where their CORRESPONDENCE is).] ran over from Ruppin, on short
leave, and had his first interview. Very kind and affectionate; quite the old Brother again; and "blushed"
when, at supper, Mamma and the Princesses, especially that wicked Charlotte (Papa not present), tore up his
poor Bride at such a rate. "Has not a word to answer you, but YES or NO," said they; "stupid as a block."
"But were you ever at her toilette?" said the wicked Charlotte: "Out of shape, completely: considerable
waddings, I promise you: and then"still worse features, from that wicked Charlotte, in presence of the
domestics here. Wicked Charlotte; who is to be her Sisterinlaw soon;and who is always flirting with my
Husband, as if she liked that better! CrownPrince retired, directly after supper: as did I, to my apartment,
where in a minute or two he joined me.
"To the question, How with the King and you? he answered, 'That his situation was changing every moment;
that sometimes he was in favor, sometimes in disgrace;that his chief happiness consisted in absence. That
he led a soft and tranquil life with his Regiment at Ruppin; study and music his principal occupations; he had
built himself a House there, and laid out a Garden, where he could read, and walk about.' Then as to his
Bride, I begged him to tell me candidly if the portrait the Queen and my Sister had been making of her was
the true one. 'We are alone,' replied he, 'and I will conceal nothing from you. The Queen, by her miserable
intrigues, has been the source of our misfortunes. Scarcely were you gone when she began again with
England; wished to substitute our Sister Charlotte for you; would have had me undertake to contradict the
King's will again, and flatly refuse the Brunswick Match;which I declined. That is the source of her venom
against this poor Princess. As to the young Lady herself, I do not hate her so much as I pretend; I affect
complete dislike, that the King may value my obedience more. She is pretty, a complexion lilyandrose; her
features delicate; face altogether of a beautiful person. True, she has no breeding, and dresses very ill: but I
flatter myself, when she comes hither, you will have the goodness to take her in hand. I recommend her to
you, my dear Sister; and beg your protection for her.' It is easy to judge, my answer would be such as he
desired." [Wilhelmina, ii. 89.]
For which small glimpse of the fact itself, at firsthand, across a whirlwind of distracted rumors new and old
about the fact, let us be thankful to Wilhelmina. Seckendorf's hopeless attempts to resuscitate extinct English
things, and make the Prussian Majesty break his word, continue to the very last; but are worth no notice from
us. Grumkow's Drinkingbout with the DilapidatedStrong at Crossen, which follows now in January, has
been already noticed by us. And the DilapidatedStrong's farewell next morning,"Adieu, dear Grumkow; I
think I shall not see you again!" as he rolled off towards Warsaw and the Diet,will require farther notice;
but must stand over till this Marriage be got done. Of which latter Event,Wilhelmina once more kindling
the old dark Books into some light for us,the essential particulars are briefly as follows.
Monday, 8th June, 1733, the CrownPrince is again over from Ruppin: King, Queen and CrownPrince are
rendezvoused at Potsdam; and they set off with due retinues towards Wolfenbuttel, towards Salzdahlum the
Ducal Schloss there; Sister Wilhelmina sending blessings, if she had them, on a poor Brother in such
interesting circumstances. Mamma was "plunged in black melancholy;" King not the least; in the
CrownPrince nothing particular to be remarked. They reached Salzdahlum, Duke Ludwig Rudolf the
Grandfather's Palace, one of the finest Palaces, with Gardens, with antiques, with PictureGalleries no end; a
mile or two from Wolfenbuttel; built by old Anton Ulrich, and still the ornament of those parts; reached
Salzdahlum, Wednesday the 10th; where Bride, with Father, Mother, much more Grandfather, Grandmother,
and all the sublimities interested, are waiting in the highest gala; Wedding to be on Friday next.
Friday morning, this incident fell out, notable and somewhat contemptible: Seckendorf, who is of the retinue,
following his bad trade, visits his Majesty who is still in bed:"Pardon, your Majesty: what shall I say for
excuse? Here is a Letter just come from Vienna; in Prince Eugene's hand;Prince Eugene, or a Higher, will
say something, while it is still time!" Majesty, not in impatience, reads the little Prince's and the Kaiser's
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Letter. "Give up this, we entreat you for the last time; marry with England after all!" Majesty reads, quiet as a
lamb; lays the Letter under his pillow; will himself answer it; and does straightway, with much simple
dignity, to the effect, "For certain, Never, my always respected Prince!" [Account of the Interview by
Seckendorf, in Forster, iii, 148155; Copy of the answer itself is in the StatePaper Office here.] Seckendorf,
having thus shot his last bolt, does not stay many hours longer at Salzdahlum;may as well quit Friedrich
Wilhelm altogether, for any good he will henceforth do upon him. This is the one incident between the
Arrival at Salzdahlum and the Wedding there.
Same Friday, 12th June, 1733, at a more advanced hour, the Wedding itself took effect; Wedding which, in
spite of the mad rumors and whispers, in the Newspapers, Diplomatic Despatches and elsewhere, went off, in
all respects, precisely as other weddings do; a quite human Wedding now and afterwards. Officiating
Clergyman was the Reverend Herr Mosheim: readers know with approval the Ecclesiastical History of
Mosheim: he, in the beautiful Chapel of the Schloss, with Majesties and Brunswick Sublimities looking on,
performed the ceremony: and CrownPrince Friedrich of Prussia has fairly wedded the Serene Princess
Elizabeth Christina of BrunswickBevern, age eighteen coming, manners rather awkward, complexion
lilyandrose;and History is right glad to have done with the wearisome affair, and know it settled on any
tolerable terms whatever. Here is a Note of Friedrich's to his dear Sister, which has been preserved:
TO PRINCESS WILHELMINA OF BAIREUTH, AT BERLIN.
"SALZDAHLUM, Noon, 19th June, 1733.
"MY DEAR SISTER,A minute since, the whole Ceremony was got finished; and God be praised it is over!
I hope you will take it as a mark of my friendship that I give you the first news of it.
"I hope I shall have the honor to see you again soon; and to assure you, my dear Sister, that I am wholly
yours (TOUT A VOUS). I write in great haste; and add nothing that is merely formal. Adieu. [ OEuvres,
xxvii. part 1st, p. 9.]
FREDERIC."
One Keyserling, the Prince's favorite gentleman, came over express, with this Letter and the more private
news; Wilhelmina being full of anxieties. Keyserling said, The Prince was inwardly "well content with his
lot; though he had kept up the old farce to the last; and pretended to be in frightful humor, on the very
morning; bursting out upon his valets in the King's presence, who reproved him, and looked rather
pensive,"recognizing, one hopes, what a sacrifice it was. The Queen's Majesty, Keyserling reported, "was
charmed with the style and ways of the Brunswick Court; but could not endure the PrincessRoyal [new
Wife], and treated the two Duchesses like dogs (COMME DES CHIENS)." [Wilhelmina, ii. 114.] Reverend
Abbot Mosheim (such his title; Head Churchman, theological chief of Helmstadt University in those parts,
with a couple of extinct little ABBACIES near by, to help his stipend) preached next Sunday, "On the
Marriage of the Righteous," felicitous appropriate Sermon, said a grateful public; [Text, Psalm, xcli. 12;
"Sermon printed in Mosheim's Works." ]and in short, at Salzdahlum all goes, if not as merry as some
marriagebells, yet without jarring to the ear.
On Tuesday, both the Majesties set out towards Potsdam again; "where his Majesty," having business
waiting, "arrived some time before the Queen." Thither also, before the week ends, Crown Prince Friedrich
with his Bride, and all the Serenities of Brunswick escorting, are upon the road,duly detained by
complimentary harangues, tedious scenic evolutions at Magdeburg and the intervening Towns;grand
entrance of the PrincessRoyal into Berlin is not till the 27th, last day of the week following. That was such a
day as Wilhelmina never saw; no sleep the night before; no breakfast can one taste: between Charlottenburg
and Berlin, there is a review of unexampled splendor; "above eighty oarriages of us," and only a tent or two
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against the flaming June sun: think of it! Review begins at four a.m.;poor Wilhelmina thought she would
verily have died, of heat and thirst and hunger, in the crowded tent, under the flaming June sun; before the
Review could end itself, and march into Berlin, trumpeting and salvoing, with the PrincessRoyal at the head
of it. [Wilhelmina, ii. 127129.]
Of which grand flaming day, and of the unexampled balls and effulgent festivities that followed, "all Berlin
ruining itself in dresses and equipages," we will say nothing farther; but give only, what may still have some
significance for readers, Wilhelmina's Portrait of the PrincessRoyal on their first meeting, which had taken
place at Potsdam two days before. The PrincessRoyal had arrived at Potsdam too, on that occasion, across a
grand Review; Majesty himself riding out, Majesty and CrownPrince, who had preceded her a little, to
usher in the poor young creature;Thursday, June 25th, 1733:
"The King led her into the Queen's Apartment; then seeing, after she had saluted us all, that she was much
heated and dispowdered (DEPOUDREE), he bade my Brother take her to her own room. I followed them
thither. My Brother said to her, introducing me: 'This is a Sister I adore, and am obliged to beyond measure.
She has had the goodness to promise me that she will take care of you, and help you with her good counsel; I
wish you to respect her beyond even the King and Queen, and not to take the least step without her advice: do
you understand?' I embraced the Princess Royal, and gave her every assurance of my attachment; but she
remained like a statue, not answering a word. Her people not being come, I repowdered her myself, and
readjusted her dress a little, without the least sign of thanks from her, or any answer to all my caressings. My
Brother got impatient at last; and said aloud: 'Devil's in the blockhead (PESTE SOIT DE LA BETE): thank
my Sister, then!' She made me a courtesy, on the model of that of Agnes in the ECOLE DES FEMMES. I
took her back to the Queen's Apartment; little edified by such a display of talent.
"The PrincessRoyal is tall; her figure is not fine: stooping slightly, or hanging forward, as she walks or
stands, which gives her an awkward air. Her complexion is of dazzling whiteness, heightened by the liveliest
colors: her eyes are pale blue, and not of much promise for spiritual gifts. Mouth small; features generally
small,dainty (MIGNONS) rather than beautiful:and the countenance altogether is so innocent and
infantine, you would think this head belonged to a child of twelve. Her hair is blond, plentiful, curling in
natural locks. Teeth are unhappily very bad, black and ill set; which are a disfigurement in this fine face. She
has no manners, nor the least vestige of tact; has much difficulty in speaking and making herself understood:
for most part you are obliged to guess what she means; which is very embarrassing." [Wilhelmina, ii.
119121.]
The Berlin gayetiesfor Karl, HeirApparent of Brunswick, brother to this PrincessRoyal, wedded his
Charlotte, too, about a week hence [2d July, 1733.]did not end, and the serene Guests disappear, till far on
in July. After which an Inspection with Papa; and then Friedrich got back to Ruppin and his old way of life
there. Intrinsically the old studious, quietly diligent way of life; varied by more frequent excursions to
Berlin;where as yet the PrincessRoyal usually resides, till some fit residence be got ready in the Ruppin
Country for a wedded CrownPrince and her.
The young Wife had an honest guileless heart; if little articulate intellect, considerable inarticulate sense; did
not fail to learn tact, perpendicular attitude, speech enough;and I hope kept well clear of pouting (FAIRE
LA FACHEE), a much more dangerous rock for her. With the gay temper of eighteen, and her native loyalty
of mind, she seems to have shaped herself successfully to the Prince's taste; and growing yearly gracefuler
and betterlooking was an ornament and pleasant addition to his Ruppin existence. These first seven years,
spent at Berlin or in the Ruppin quarter, she always regarded as the flower of her life. [Busching
(Autobiography, Beitrage, vi.) heard her say so, in advanced years.]
Papa, according to promise, has faithfully provided a Crown Prince Palace at Berlin; all trimmed and
furnished, for occasional residences there; the late "Government House" (originally SCHOMBERG House),
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newbuilt,which is, to this day, one of the distinguished Palaces of Berlin. PrincessRoyal had
Schonhausen given her; a pleasant Royal Mansion some miles out of Berlin, on the Ruppin side.
Furthermore, the PrinceRoyal, being now a wedded man, has, as is customary in such case, a special AMT
(Government District) set apart for his support; the "Amt of Ruppin," where his business lies. What the exact
revenues of Ruppin are, is not communicated; but we can justly fear they were far too frugal, and excused
the underhand borrowing, which is evident enough as a painful shadow in the Prince's life henceforth. He
does not seem to have been wasteful; but he borrows all round, under sevenfold secrecy, from benevolent
Courts, from Austria, Russia, England: and the only pleasant certainty we notice in such painful business is,
that, on his Accession, he pays with exactitude,sends his Uncle George of England, for example, the
complete amount in rouleaus of new coin, by the first courier that goes. [Despatch (of adjacent date) in the
StatePaper Office here.]
A thought too frugal, his Prussian Majesty; but he means to be kind, bountiful; and occasionally launches out
into handsome munificence. This very Autumn, hearing that the CrownPrince and his Princess fancied
Reinsberg; an old Castle in their Amt Ruppin, some miles north of them,his Majesty, without word
spoken, straightway purchased Reinsberg, Schloss and Territory, from the owner; gave it to his
CrownPrince, and gave him money to new build it according to his mind. [23d Oct. 173316th March,
1734 (Preuss, i. 75).] Which the CrownPrince did with much interest, under very wise architectural advice,
for the next three years; then went into it, to reside;yet did not cease newbuilding, improving, artistically
adorning, till it became in all points the image of his taste.
A really handsome princely kind of residence, that of Reinsberg: got up with a thrift that most of all
astonishes us. In which improved locality we shall by and by look in upon him again. For the present we must
to Warsaw, where tragedies and troubles are in the wind, which turn out to be not quite without importance to
the CrownPrince and us.
Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE.
Meanwhile, over at Warsaw, there has an Event fallen out. Friedrich, writing rapidly from vague
reminiscence, as he often does, records it as "during the marriage festivities;" [ OEuvres (Memoires de
Brandenbourg), i. 163.] but it was four good months earlier. Event we must now look at for a moment.
In the end of January last, we left Grumkow in a low and hypochondriacal state, much shaken by that
drinkingbout at Crossen, when the Polisb Majesty and he were so anxious to pump one another, by copious
priming with Hungary wine. About a fortnight after, in the first days of February following (day is not given),
Grumkow reported something curious. "In my presence," says Wilhelmina, "and that of forty persons," for
the thing was much talked about, "Grumkow said to the King one morning: 'Ah Sire, I am in despair; the poor
Patroon is dead! I was lying broad awake, last night: all on a sudden, the curtains of my bed flew asunder: I
saw him; he was in a shroud: he gazed fixedly at me: I tried to start up, being dreadfully taken; but the
phantom disappeared!'" Here was an illustrious ghoststory for Berlin, in a day or two when the Courier
came. "Died at the very time of the phantom; Death and phantom were the same night," say Wilhelmina and
the miraculous Berlin public,but do not say WHAT night for either of them it was. [Wilhelmina, ii. 98.
Event happened, 1st February; news of it came to Berlin, 4th February: Fassmann (p. 485); Buchholz; By
help of which latter circumstance the phantom becomes reasonably unmiraculous again, in a nervous system
tremulous from drink. "They had been sad at parting," Wilhelmina says, "having drunk immensities of
Hungary wine; the Patroon almost weeping over his Grumkow: 'Adieu, my dear Grumkow,' said he; "I shall
never see you more!'"
Miraculous or not, the catastrophe is true: August, the once Physically Strong, lies dead;and there will be
no Partition of Poland for the present. He had the Diet ready to assemble; waiting for him, at Warsaw; and
good trains laid in the Diet, capable of fortunate explosion under a good engineer. Engineer, alas! The
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Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. 431
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Grumkow drinkingbout had awakened that old sore in his foot: he came to Warsaw, eager enough for
business; but with his stock of strength all out, and Death now close upon him. The Diet met, 26th27th
January; engineer all alert about the good trains laid, and the fortunate exploding of them; when, almost on
the morrow"Inflammation has come on!" said the Doctors, and were futile to help farther. The strong
body, and its life, was done; and nothing remained but to call in the Archbishop, with his extreme unctions
and soulapparatus.
August made no moaning or recalcitrating; took, on the prescribed terms, the inevitable that had come. Has
been a very great sinner, he confesses to the Archbishop: "I have not at present strength to name my many
and great sins to your Reverence," said he; "I hope for mercy on the"on the usual rash terms. Terms
perhaps known to August to be rash; to have been frightfully rash; but what can he now do? Archbishop
thereupon gives absolution of his sins; Archbishop does,a baddish, unlikely kind of man, as August well
knows. August "laid his hand on his eyes," during such sad absolutionmummery; and in that posture had
breathed his last, before it was well over. ["Sunday, 1st February, 1733, quarter past 4 A.M." (Fassmann,
Leben Frederici Augusti Konigs in Pohlen, pp. 994997).] Unhappy soul; who shall judge
him?transcendent King of edacious Flunkies; not without fine qualities, which he turned to such a use
amid the temptations of this world!
POLAND HAS TO FIND A NEW KING.
His death brought vast miseries on Poland; kindled foolish Europe generally into fighting, and gave our
CrownPrince his first actual sight and experience of the facts of War. For which reason, hardly for another,
the thing having otherwise little memorability at present, let us give some brief synopsis of it, the briefer the
better. Here, excerpted from multifarious old Notebooks, are some main heads of the affair:
"On the disappearance of August the Strong, his plans of Partitioning Poland disappeared too, and his fine
trains in the Diet abolished themselves. The Diet had now nothing to do, but proclaim the coming Election,
giving a date to it; and go home to consider a little whom they would elect. ["Interregnum proclaimed," 11th
February; Preliminary Diet to meet 21st April; meets; settles, before May is done, that the Election shall
BEGIN 25th August: it must END in six weeks thereafter, by law of the land.] A question weighty to Poland.
And not likely to be settled by Poland alone or chiefly; the sublime Republic, with LIBERUM VETO, and
Diets capable only of anarchic noise, having now reached such a stage that its Neighbors everywhere stood
upon its skirts; asking, 'Whitherward, then, with your anarchy? Not this way;we say, that way!'and were
apt to get to battle about it, before such a thing could be settled. A house, in your street, with perpetual smoke
coming through the slates of it, is not a pleasant house to be neighbor to! One honest interest the neighbors
have, in an Election Crisis there, That the house do not get on fire, and kindle them. Dishonest interests, in
the way of theft and otherwise, they may have without limit.
"The poor house, during last Election Crisis,when August the Strong was flung out, and Stanislaus brought
in; Crisis presided over by Charles XII., with Czar Peter and others hanging on the outskirts, as Opposition
party,fairly got into flame; [Description of it in Kohler, Munzbelustigungen, vi. 228230.] but was
quenched down again by that stout Swede; and his Stanislaus, a native Pole, was left peaceably as King for
the years then running. Years ran; and Stanislaus was thrown out, Charles himself being thrown out; and had
to make way for August the Strong again:an ejected Stanislaus: King only in title; known to most readers
of this time. [Stanislaus Lesczinsky, "Woywode of Posen," born 1677: King of Poland, Charles XII.
superintending, 1704 (age then 27); driven out 1709, went to Charles XII. at Bender; to Zweibruck, 1714;
thence, on Charles's death, to Weissenburg (Alsace, or Strasburg Country): Daughter married to Louis XV.,
1725. Age now 56.Hubner, t. 97; Histoire de Stanislas I., Roi de Pologlne (English Translation, London,
1741), pp. 96126;
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Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. 432
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"Poor man, he has been living in Zweibruck, in Weissenburg and such places, in that Debatable
FrenchGerman region,which the French are more and more getting stolen to themselves, in late
centuries:generally on the outskirts of France he lives; having now connections of the highest quality with
France. He has had fine Countryhouses in that Zweibruck (TWOBRIDGE, DeuxPonts) region; had
always the ghost of a Court there; plenty of money, a sinecure Countrygentleman life;and no
complaints have been heard from him. Charles XII., as proprietor of DeuxPonts, had first of all sent him
into those parts for refuge; and in general, easy days have been the lot of Stanislaus there.
"Nor has History spoken of him since, except on one small occasion: when the French Politician Gentlemen,
at a certain crisis of their game, chose a Daughter of his to be Wife for young Louis XV., and bring royal
progeny, of which they were scarce. This was in 17241725; Duc de Bourbon, and other Politicians male and
female, finding that the best move. A thing wonderful to the then Gazetteers, for nine days; but not now
worth much talk. The good young Lady, it is well known, a very pious creature, and sore tried in her new
station, did bring royal progeny enough, and might as well have held her hand, had she foreseen what
would become of them, poor souls! This was a great event for Stanislaus, the sinecure Countrygentleman, in
his FrenchGerman rustication. One other thing I have read of him, infinitely smaller, out of those ten years:
in Zweibruck Country, or somewhere in that FrenchGerman region, he 'built a pleasurecottage,'
conceivable to the mind, 'and called it SCHUHFLICK (ShoePatch),' [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, v.
1194.]a name that touches one's fancy on behalf of the innocent soul. Other fact I will not remember of
him. He is now to quit ShoePatch and his pleasant Weissenburg Castle; to come on the public stage again,
poor man; and suffer a second season of mischances and disgraces still worse than the first. As we shall see
presently;a new Polish Election Crisis having come!
"What individual the Polish Grandees would have chosen for King if entirely left alone to do it? is a question
not important; and indeed was never asked, in this or in late Elections. Not the individual who could have
BEEN a King among them were they, for a long time back, in the habit of seeking after; not him, but another
and indeed reverse kind of individual,the one in whom there lay most NOURISHMENT, nourishment of
any kind, even of the cash kind, for a practical Polish Grandee. So that the question was no longer of the least
importance, to Poland or the Universe; and in point of fact, the frugal Destinies had ceased to have it put, in
that quarter. Not Grandees of Poland; but Intrusive Neighbors, carrying Grandees of Poland 'in their
breechespocket' (as our phrase is), were the voting parties. To that pass it was come. Under such stern
penalty had Poland and its Grandees fallen, by dint of false voting: the frugal Destinies had ceased to ask
about their vote; and they were become machines for voting with, or pistols for fighting with, by bad
Neighbors who cared to vote! Nor did the frugal Destinies consider that the proper method, either; but had, as
we shall see, determined to abolish that too, in about forty years more."
OF THE CANDIDATES; OF THE CONDITIONS. HOW THE ELECTION WENT.
It was under such omens that the Polish Election of 1733 had to transact itself. Austria, Russia, Prussia, as
next Neighbors, were the chief voting parties, if they cared to intrude;which Austria and Russia were clear
for doing; Prussia not clear, or not beyond the indispensable or evidently profitable. Seckendorf, and one
Lowenwolde the Russian Ambassador at Berlin, had, some time ago, in foresight of this event, done their
utmost to bring Friedrich Wilhelm into cooperation,offering fine baits, "Berg and Julich" again, among
others;but nothing definite came of it: peaceable, reasonably safe Election in Poland, other interest
Friedrich Wilhelm has not in the matter; and compliance, not cooperation, is what can be expected of him
by the Kaiser and Czarina. Cooperating or even complying, these three could have settled it; and
would,had no other Neighbor interfered. But other neighbors can interfere; any neighbor that has money to
spend, or likes to bully in such a matter! And that proved to be the case, in this unlucky instance.
Austria aud Russia, with Prussia complying, had,a year ago, before the late August's decease, his life
seeming then an extremely uncertain one, and foresight being always good, privately come to an
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Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. 433
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understanding, [31st December, 1731, "Treaty of Lowenwolde" (which never got completed or became
valid): Scholl, ii. 223.] in case of a Polish Election:
"1. That France was to have no hand in it whatever,no tool of France to be King; or, as they more politely
expressed it, having their eye upon Stanislaus, No Piast or native Pole could be eligible. "2. That neither
could August's Son, the new August, who would then be Kurfurst of Saxony, be admitted King of
Poland.And, on the whole, "3. That an Emanuel Prince of Portugal would be the eligible man." Emanuel of
Portugal, King of Portugal's Brother; a gentleman without employment, as his very Title tells us: gentleman
never heard of before or since, in those parts or elsewhere, but doubtless of the due harmless quality, as
Portugal itself was: he is to be the Polish King,vote these Intrusive Neighbors. What the vote of Poland
itself may be, the Destinies do not, of late, ask; finding it a superfluous question.
So had the Three Neighbors settled this matter:or rather, I should say, so had Two of them; for Friedrich
Wilhelm wanted, now or afterwards, nothing in this Election, but that it should not take fire and kindle him.
Two of the Neighbors: and of these two, perhaps we might guess the Kaiser was the principal contriver and
suggester; France and Saxony being both hateful to him, obstinate refusers of the Pragmatic Sanction, to
say nothing more. What the Czarina, Anne with the big cheek, specially wanted, I do not learn,unless it
were peaceable hold of Courland; or perhaps merely to produce herself in these parts, as a kind of regulating
Pallas, along with the Jupiter Kaiser of Western Europe;which might have effects by and by.
Emanuel of Portugal was not elected, nor so much as spoken of in the Diet. Nor did one of these Three
Regulations take effect; but much the contrary,other Neighbors having the power to interfere. France saw
good to interfere, a rather distant neighbor; Austria, Russia, could not endure the French vote at all; and so
the whole world got on fire by the business.
France is not a near Neighbor; but it has a Stanislaus much concerned, who is eminently under the protection
of France: who may be called the "FATHER of France," in a sense, or even the "Grandfather;" his
Daughter being Mother of a young creature they call Dauphin, or "Child of France." Fleury and the French
Court decide that Stanislaus, Grandfather of France, was once King of Poland: that it will behoove, for
various reasons, he be King again. Some say old Fleury did not care for Stanislaus; merely wanted a quarrel
with the Kaiser,having got himself in readiness, "with Lorraine in his eye;" and seeing the Kaiser not
ready. It is likelier the hot young spirits, Belleisle and others, controlled old Fleury into it. At all events,
Stanislaus is summoned from his rustication; the French Ambassador at Warsaw gets his instructions. French
Ambassador opens himself largely, at Warsaw, by eloquent speech, by copious money, on the subject of
Stanislaus; finds large audience, enthusiastic receptivity;and readers will now understand the following
chronological phenomena of the Polish Election:
"AUGUST 25th, 1733. This day the Polish Election begins. So has the Preliminary Diet (kind of Polish
CAUCUS) ordered it; Preliminary Diet itself a very stormy matter; minority like to be 'thrown out of
window,' to be 'shot through the head,' on some occasions. [ History of Stanislaus (cited above), p. 136.]
Actual Election begins; continues SUB DIO, 'in the Field of Wola,' in a very tempestuous fashion; bound to
conclude within six weeks. Kaiser has his troops assembled over the border, in Silesia, 'to protect the freedom
of election;' Czarina has 30,000 under Marshal Lacy, lying on the edge of Lithuania, bent on a like object;
will increase them to 50,000, as the plot thickens.
"So that Emanuel of Portugal is not heard of; and French interference is, with a vengeance,and Stanislaus,
a born Piast, is overwhelmingly the favorite. Intolerable to Austria, to Russia; the reverse to Friedrich
Wilhelm, who privately thinks him the right man. And Kurfurst August of Saxony is the other Candidate,
with troops of his own in the distance, but without support in Poland; and depending wholly on the Kaiser
and Czarina for his chance. And our 'three settled points' are gone to water in this manner!
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Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. 434
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"August seeing there was not the least hope in Poland's own vote, judiciously went to the Kaiser first of all:
'Imperial Majesty, I will accept your Pragmatic Sanction root and branch, swallow it whole; make me King of
Poland!''Done!' answers Imperial Majesty; [16th July, 1733; Treaty in Scholl, ii. 224231.] brings the
Czarina over, by good offers of August's and his;and now there is an effective Opposition Candidate in the
field, with strength of his own, and good backing close at hand. Austrian, Russian Ambassadors at Warsaw
lift up their voice, like the French one; open their purse, and bestir themselves; but with no success in the
Field of Wola, except to the stirring up of noise and tumult there. They must look to other fields for success.
The voice of Wola and of Poland, if it had now a voice, is enthusiastic for Stanislaus.
"SEPTEMBER 7th. A couple of quietlooking Merchants arrive in Warsaw,one of whom is Stanislaus in
person. Newspapers say he is in the French Fleet of War, which is sailing minatory towards these Coasts: and
there is in truth a Gentleman in Stanislaus's clothes on board there;to make the Newspapers believe.
Stanislaus himself drove through Berlin, a day or two ago; gave the sentry a ducat at the Gate, to be speedy
with the Passports,whom Friedrich Wilhelm affected to put under arrest for such negligent speed. And so,
on the 10th of the month, Stanislaus being now rested and trimmed; makes his appearance on the Field of
Wola itself; and captivates all hearts by the kind look of him. So that, on the second day after, 12th
September, 1733, he is, as it were, unanimously elected; with acclamation, with enthusiasm; and sees himself
actual King of Poland,if France send proper backing to continue him there. As, surely, she will not
fail?But there are alarming news that the Russians are advancing: Marshal Lacy with 30,000; and
reinforcements in the rear of him.
"SEPTEBER 22d. Russians advancing more and more, no French help arrived yet, and the enthusiastic Polish
Chivalry being good for nothing against regular musketry,King Stanislaus finds that he will have to quit
Warsaw, and seek covert somewhere. Quits Warsaw this day; gets covert in Dantzig. And, in fact, from this
22d of September, day of the autumnal equinox, 1733, is a fugitive, blockaded, besieged Stanislaus: an
Imaginary King thenceforth. His real Kingship had lasted precisely ten days.
"OCTOBER 3d. Lacy and his Russians arrive in the suburbs of Warsaw, intent upon 'protecting freedom of
election.' Bridges being broken, they do not yet cross the River, but invite the free electors to come across and
vote: 'A real King is very necessary, Stanislaus being an imaginary one, brought in by compulsion, by
threats of flinging people out of window, and the like.' The free electors do not cross. Whereupon a small
handful, now free enough, and NOT to be thrown out of window, whom Lacy had about him, proceed to elect
August of Saxony; he, on the 5th of October, still one day within the legal six weeks, is chosen and declared
the real King:'twelve senators and about six hundred gentlemen' voting for him there, free they in Lacy's
quarters, the rest of Poland having lain under compulsion when voting for Stanislaus. That is the Polish
Election, so far as Poland can settle it. We said the Destinies had ceased, some time since, to ask Poland for
its vote; it is other people who have now got the real power of voting. But that is the correct state of the poll
at Warsaw, if important to anybody."
August is crowned in Cracow before long; "August III.," whom we shall meet again in important
circumstances. Lacy and his Russians have voted for August; able, they, to disperse all manner of enthusiastic
Polish Chivalry; which indeed, we observe, usually stands but one volley from the Russian musketry; and
flies elsewhither, to burn and plunder its own domestic enemies. Far and wide, robbery and arson are
prevalent in Poland; Stanislaus lying under covert; in Dantzig,an imaginary King ever since the equinox,
but well trusting that the French will give him a plumper vote. French Warfleet is surely under way hither.
POLAND ON FIRE; DANTZIG STANDS SIEGE.
These are the news our CrownPrince hears at Ruppin, in the first months of his wedded life there. With
what interest we may fancy. Brandenburg is next neighbor; and these Polish troubles reach far enough;the
eversmoking house having taken fire; and all the street threatening to get on blaze. Friedrich Wilhelm,
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Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. 435
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nearest neighbor, stands anxious to quencth, carefully sweeping the hot coals across again from his own
borders; and will not interfere on one or the other side, for any persuasion.
Dantzig, strong in confidence of French help, refuses to give up Stanislaus when summoned; will stand siege
rather. Stands siege, furious lengthy siege,with enthusiastic defence; "a Lady of Rank firing off the first
gun," against the Russian batteries. Of the Siege of Dantzig, which made the next Spring and Summer loud
for mankind (FebruaryJune, 1734), we shall say nothing,our own poor field, which also grows loud
enough, lying far away from Dantzig,except: FIRST, That no French help came, or as good as none; the
minatory Warfleet having landed a poor 1,500 men, headed by the Comte de Plelo, who had volunteered
along with them; that they attempted one onslaught on the Russian lines, and that Plelo was shot, and the rest
were blown to miscellaneous ruin, and had to disappear, not once getting into Dantzig. SECONDLY, That
the Saxons, under Weissenfels, our poor old friend, with proper siegeartillery, though not with enough, did,
by effort (end of May), get upon the scene; in which this is to be remarked, that Weissenfels's siege artillery
"came by post;" two big mortars expressly passing through Berlin, marked as part of the Duke of
Weissenfels's Luggage. And THIRDLY, That Munnich, who had succeeded Lacy as Besieging General, and
was in hot haste, and had not artillery enough, made unheardof assaults (2,000 men, some say 4,000, lost in
one nightattack upon a post they call the Hagelberg; rash attack, much blamed by military men); [ OEuvres
de Frederic, xxvii. part 2d, p. 31.]but nevertheless, having now (by Russian Fleet, middle of June) got
siegeartillery enough, advances irrepressibly day by day.
So that at length, things being now desperate, Stanislaus, disguised as a cattledealer, privately quitted
Dantzig, night of 27th June, 1734; got across the intricate mudandwater difficulties of the Weichsel and its
mouths, flying perilously towards Preussen and Friedrich Wilhelm's protection. [Narrative by himself, in
HISTORY, pp. 235248.] Whereby the Siege of Dantzig ended in chamade, and levying of penalties;
penalties severe to a degree, though Friedrich Wilhelm interceded what he could. And with the Siege of
Dantzig, the blazing Polish Election went out in like manner; [Clear account, especially of Siege, in
Mannstein (pp. 7183), who was there as Munnich's Aidededamp.] having already kindled, in quarters
far away from it, conflagrations quite otherwise interesting to us. Whitherward we now hasten.
Chapter IX. KAISER'S SHADOWHUNT HAS CAUGHT FIRE.
Franz of Lorraine, the young favorite of Fortune, whom we once saw at Berlin on an interesting occasion,
was about this time to have married his Imperial Archduchess; Kaiser's consent to be formally demanded and
given; nothing but joy and splendor looked for in the Court of Vienna at present. Nothing to prevent it,had
there been no Polish Election; had not the Kaiser, in his ShadowHunt (coursing the Pragmatic Sanction
chiefly, as he has done these twenty years past), gone rashly into that combustible foreign element. But so it
is: this was the fatal limit. The poor Kaiser's ShadowHunt, going Scotfree this long while, and merely
tormenting other people, has, at this point, by contact with inflammable Poland, unexpectedly itself caught
fire; goes now plunging, all in mad flame, over precipices one knows not how deep: and there will be a
lamentable singeing and smashing before the Kaiser get out of this, if he ever get! Kaiser Karl, from this
point, plunges down and down, all his days; and except in that Shadow of a Pragmatic Sanction, if he can still
save that, has no comfort left. Marriages are not the thing to be thought of at present!
Scarcely had the news of August's Election, and Stanislaus's flight to Dantzig, reached France, when France,
all in a state of readiness, informed the Kaiser, ready for nothing, his force lying in Silesia, doing the Election
functions on the Polish borders there, "That he the Kaiser had, by such treatment of the Grandfather of France
and the Polish Kingdom fairly fallen to him, insulted the most Christian Majesty; that in consequence the
most Christian Majesty did hereby declare War against the said Kaiser,"and in fact had, that very day (14th
of October, 1733), begun it. Had marched over into Lorraine, namely, secured Lorraine against accidents;
and, more specially, gone across from Strasburg to the German side of the Rhine, and laid siege to Kehl. Kehl
Fortress; a dilapidated outpost of the Reich there, which cannot resist many hours. Here is news for the
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Kaiser, with his few troops all on the Polish borders; minding his neighbors' business, or chasing Pragmatic
Sanction, in those inflammable localities.
Pacific Fleury, it must be owned, if he wanted a quarrel with the Kaiser, could not have managed it on more
advantageous terms. Generals, a Duc de Berwick, a Noailles, Belleisle; generals, troops, artillery, munitions,
nothing is wanting to Fleury; to the Kaiser all things. It is surmised, the French had their eye on Lorraine, not
on Stanislaus, from the first. For many centuries, especially for these last two,ever since that Siege of
Metz, which we once saw, under Kaiser Karl V. and Albert Alcibiades, France has been wrenching and
screwing at this Lorraine, wriggling it off bit by bit; till now, as we perceived on Lyttelton junior of Hagley's
visit, Lorraine seems all lying unscrewed; and France, by any good opportunity, could stick it in her pocket.
Such opportunity sly Fleury contrived, they say;or more likely it might be Belleisle and the other
adventurous spirits that urged it on pacific Fleury;but, at all events, he has got it. Dilapidated Kehl yields
straightway: [29th October, 1733. Memoires du Marechal de Berwick (in Petitot'e Collection, Paris, 1828), ii.
303.] Sardinia, Spain, declare alliance with Fleury; and not Lorraine only, and the Swabian Provinces, but
Italy itself lies at his discretion,owing to your treatment of the Grandfather of France, and these Polish
Elective methods.
The astonished Kaiser rushes forward to fling himself into the arms of the SeaPowers, his one resource left:
"Help! moneys, subsidies, ye SeaPowers!" But the SeaPowers stand obtuse, arms not open at all, hands
buttoning their pockets: "Sorry we cannot, your Imperial Majesty. Fleury engages not to touch the
Netherlands, the Barrier Treaty; Polish Elections are not our concern!" and callously decline. The Kaiser's
astonishment is extreme; his big heart swelling even with a martyrfeeling; and he passionately appeals:
"Ungrateful, blind SeaPowers! No money to fight France, say you? Are the Laws of Nature fallen void?"
Imperial astonishment, sublime martyrfeeling, passionate appeals to the Laws of Nature, avail nothing with
the blind SeaPowers: "No money in us," answer they: "we will help you to negotiate." "Negotiate!"
answers he: and will have to pay his own Election brokenglass, with a sublime martyrfeeling, without
money from the SeaPowers.
Fleury has got the Sardinian Majesty; "Sardinian doorkeeper of the Alps," who opens them now this way,
now that, for a consideration: "A slice of the Milanese, your Majesty;" bargains Fleury. Fleury has got the
Spanish Majesty (our violent old friend the Termagant of Spain) persuaded to join: "Your infant Carlos made
Duke of Parma and Piacenza, with such difficulty: what is that? Naples itself, crown of the Two Sicilies, lies
in the wind for Carlos;and your junior infant, great Madam, has he no need of apanages?" The Termagant
of Spain, "offended by Pragmatic Sanction" (she says), is ready on those terms; the Sardinian Majesty is
ready: and Fleury, this same October, with an overwhelming force, Spaniards and Sardinians to join, invades
Italy; great Marshal Villars himself taking the command. Marshal Villars, an extremely eminent old military
gentleman, somewhat of a friend, or husband of a ladyfriend, to M. de Voltaire, for one thing;and
capable of slicing Italy to pieces at a fine rate, in the condition it was in.
Never had Kaiser such a bill of brokenglass to pay for meddling in neighbors, elections before. The year
was not yet ended, when Villars and the Sardinian Majesty had done their stroke on Lombardy; taken Milan
Citadel, taken Pizzighetone, the Milanese in whole, and appropriated it; swept the poor unprepared Kaiser
clear out of those parts. Baby Carlos and the Spaniards are to do the Two Sicilies, Naples or the land one to
begin with, were the Winter gone. For the present, Louis XV. "sings TE DEUM, at Paris, 23d December,
1733" [ Fastes du Regne de Louis XV. (Paris, 1766), i. 248.]a merry Christmas there. Villars, now above
fourscore, soon died of those fatigues; various Marshals, Broglio, Coigny, Noailles, succeeding him, some
of whom are slightly notable to us; and there was one Maillebois, still a subordinate under them, whose name
also may reappear in this History.
SUBSEQUENT COURSE OF THE WAR, IN THE ITALIAN PART OF IT.
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The FrenchAustrian War, which had now broken out, lasted a couple of years; the Kaiser steadily losing,
though he did his utmost; not so much a War, on his part, as a Being Beaten and Being Stript. The Scene was
Italy and the UpperRhine Country of Germany; Italy the deciding scene; where, except as it bears on
Germany, our interest is nothing, as indeed in Germany too it is not much. The principal events, on both
stages, are chronologically somewhat as follows;beginning with Italy:
MARCH 29th, 1734. Baby Carlos with a Duke of Montemar for General, a difficult impetuous gentleman,
very haughty to the French allies and others, lands in Naples Territory; intending to seize the Two Sicilies,
according to bargain. They find the Kaiser quite unprepared, and their enterprise extremely feasible.
"MAY 10th. Baby Carloswhom we ought to call Don Carlos, who is now eighteen gone, and able to ride
the great horsemakes triumphant entry into Naples, having easily swept the road clear; styles himself 'King
of the Two Sicilies' (Papa having surrendered him his 'right' there); whom Naples, in all ranks of it, willingly
homages as such. Wrecks of Kaiser's forces intrench themselves, rather strongly, at a place called Bitonto, in
Apulia, not far off.
"MAY 25th. Montemar, in an impetuous manner, storms them there: which feat procures for him the title,
Duke of Bitonto; and finishes off the First of the Sicilies. And indeed, we may say, finishes Both the Sicilies:
our poor Kaiser having no considerable force in either, nor means of sending any; the SeaPowers having
buttoned their pockets, and the Combined Fleet of France and Spain being on the waters there.
"We need only add, on this head, that, for ten months more, Baby Carlos and Montemar went about
besieging, Gaeta, Messina, Syracuse; and making triumphal entries;and that, on the 30th of June, 1735,
Baby Carlos had himself fairly crowned at Palermo. [ Fastes de Louis XV., i. 278.] 'King of the Two Sicilies'
DE FACTO; in which eminent post he and his continue, not with much success, to this day.
"That will suffice for the Two Sicilies. As to Lombardy again, now that Villars is out of it, and the Coignys
and Broglios have succeeded:
"JUNE 29th, 1734. Kaiser, rallying desperately for recovery of the Milanese, has sent an Army thither, Graf
von Mercy leader of it: Battle of Parma between the French and it (29th June);totally lost by the Kaiser's
people, after furious fighting; Graf von Mercy himself killed in the action. Graf von Mercy, and what comes
nearer us, a Prince of Culmbach, amiable Uncle of our Wilhelmina's Husband, a brave man and Austrian
Soldier, who was much regretted by Wilhelmina and the rest; his death and obsequies making a melancholy
Court of Baireuth in this agitated year. The Kaiser, doing his utmost, is beaten at every point.
"SEPTEMBER 15th. Surprisal of the Secchia. Kaiser's people rally, under a General Graf von Konigseck
worth noting by us,and after some manoeuvring, in the GuastallaModena region, on the Secchia and Po
rivers there, dexterously steal across the Secchia that night (15th September), cutting off the small
guardparty at the ford of the Secchia, then wading silently; and burst in upon the French Camp in a truly
alarming manner. [Hormayr, xx. 84; Fastes, as it is liable to do, misdates.] So that Broglio, in command
there, had to gallop with only one boot on, some say 'in his shirt,' till he got some force rallied, and managed
to retreat more Parthianlike upon his brother Marechal's Division. Artillery, warchest, secret
correspondence, 'King of Sardinia's tent,' and much cheering plunder beside Broglio's odd boot, were the
consequences; the Kaiser's one success in this War; abolished, unluckily, in four days! The Broglio who
here gallops is the second French Marechal of the name, son of the first; a military gentleman whom we shall
but too often meet in subsequent stages. A son of this one's, a third Marechal Broglio, present at the Secchia
that bad night, is the famous Wargod of the Bastille time, fiftyfive years hence, unfortunate old
Wargod, the Titans being all up about him. As to Broglio with the one boot, it is but a triumph over him
till
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Chapter IX. KAISER'S SHADOWHUNT HAS CAUGHT FIRE. 438
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"SEPTEMBER 19th. Battle of Guastalla, that day. Battle lost by the Kaiser's people, after eight hours, hot
fighting; who are then obliged to hurry across the Secchia again;and in fact do not succeed in fighting any
more in that quarter, this year or afterwards. For, next year (1735), Montemar is so advanced with the Two
Sicilies, he can assist in these Northern operations; and Noailles, a better Marechal, replaces the Broglio and
Coigny there; who, with learned strategic movements, sieges, threatenings of siege, sweeps the wrecks of
Austria, to a satisfactory degree, into the Tyrol, without fighting, or event mentionable thenceforth.
"This is the Kaiser's War of two Campaigns, in the Italian, which was the decisive part of it: a continual
Being Beaten, as the reader sees; a Being Stript, till one was nearly bare in that quarter."
COURSE OF THE WAR, IN THE GERMAN PART OF IT.
In Germany the mentionable events are still fewer; and indeed, but for one small circumstance binding on us,
we might skip them altogether. For there is nothing comfortable in it to the human memory otherwise.
Marechal Duc de Berwick, a cautious considerable General (Marlborough's Nephew, on what terms is known
to readers), having taken Kehl and plundered the Swabian outskirts last Winter, had extensive plans of
operating in the heart of Germany, and ruining the Kaiser there. But first he needs, and the Kaiser is aware of
it, a "basis on the Rhine;" free bridge over the Rhine, not by Strasburg and Kehl alone: and for this reason, he
will have to besiege and capture Philipsburg first of all. Strong Town of Philipsburg, well down towards
SpeyerandHeidelberg quarter on the German side of the Rhine: [See map] here will be our bridge.
Lorraine is already occupied, since the first day of the War; Trarbach, strongplace of the Moselle and
Electorate of Trier, cannot be difficult to get? Thus were the Rhine Country, on the French side, secure to
France; and so Berwick calculates he will have a basis on the Rhine, from which to shoot forth into the very
heart of the Kaiser.
Berwick besieged Philipsburg accordingly (Summer and Autumn); Kaiser doing his feeble best to hinder: at
the Siege, Berwick lost his life, but Philipsburg surrendered to his successor, all the same;Kaiser striving
to hinder; but in a most paralyzed manner, and to no purpose whatever. Andand this properly WAS the
German War; the sum of all done in it during those two years.
Seizure of Nanci (that is, of Lorraine), seizure of Kehl we already heard of; then, prior to Philipsburg, there
was siege or seizure of Trarbach by the French; and, posterior to it, seizure of Worms by them; and by the
Germans there was "burning of a magazine in Speyer by bombs." And, in brief, on both sides, there was
marching and manoeuvring under various generals (our old rusty Seckendorf one of them), till the end of
1735, when the Italian decision arrived, and Truce and Peace along with it; but there was no other action
worth naming, even in the Newspapers as a wonder of nine days, The Siege of Philipsburg, and what hung
flickering round that operation, before and after, was the sumtotal of the German War.
Philipsburg, key of the Rhine in those parts, has had many sieges; nor would this one merit the least history
from us; were it not for one circumstance: That our CrownPrince was of the Opposing Army, and made his
first experience of arms there. A Siege of Philipsburg slightly memorable to us, on that one account. What
Friedrich did there, which in the military way was as good as nothing; what he saw and experienced there,
which, with some "eighty Princes of the Reich," a Prince Eugene for General, and three months under canvas
on the field, may have been something: this, in outline, by such obscure indications as remain, we would fain
make conceivable to the reader. Indications, in the History Books, we have as good as none; but must gather
what there is from WILHELMINA and the CrownPrince's LETTERS,much studying to be brief, were it
possible!
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Chapter X. CROWNPRINCE GOES TO THE RHINE CAMPAIGN,
The Kaiserwith Kehl snatched from him, the Rhine open, and Louis XV. singing TE DEUM in the
Christmas time for what Villars in Italy had doneapplied, in passionate haste, to the Reich. The Reich,
though Fleury tried to cajole it, and apologize for taking Kehl from it, declares for the Kaiser's quarrel; War
against France on his behalf; [13th March, 1734 (Buchholz, i. 131).]it was in this way that Friedrich
Wilhelm and our CrownPrince came to be concerned in the Rhine Campaign. The Kaiser will have a
Reich'sArmy (were it good for much, as is not likely) to join to his own Austrian one. And if Prince Eugene,
who is Reich'sFeldmarschall, one of the TWO Feldmarschalls, get the Generalship as men hope, it is not
doubted but there will be great work on the Rhine, this Summer of 1734.
Unhappily the Reich'sArmy, raised frommultifarious contingents, and guided and provided for by many
heads, is usually good for little. Not to say that old KurPfalz, with an eye to French help in the
BergandJulich matter; old KurPfalz, and the Bavarian set (KURBAIERN and KURKOLN, Bavaria
and Cologne, who are Brothers, and of old cousinship to KurPfalz),quite refuse their contingents; protest
in the Diet, and openly have French leanings. These are bad omens for the Reich'sArmy. And in regard to
the Reich'sFeldmarschall Office, there also is a difficulty. The Reich, as we hinted, keeps two supreme
Feldmarschalls; one Catholic, one Protestant, for equilibrium's sake; illustrious Prince Eugenio von Savoye is
the Catholic;but as to the Protestant, it is a difficulty worth observing for a moment.
Old Duke Eberhard Ludwig of Wurtemberg, the unfortunate old gentleman bewitched by the Gravenitz
"Deliver us from evil," used to be the Reich'sFeldmarschall of Protestant persuasion;
CommanderinChief for the Reich, when it tried fighting. Old Eberhard had been at Blenheim, and had
marched up and down: I never heard he was much of a General; perhaps good enough for the Reich, whose
troops were always bad. But now that poor Duke, as we intimated once or more, is dead; there must be, of
Protestant type, a new Reich'sFeldmasschall had. One Catholic, unequalled among Captains, we already
have; but where is the Protestant, Duke Eberhard being dead?
Duke Eberhard's successor in Wurtemberg, Karl Alexander by name, whom we once dined with at Prag on
the Kladrup journey, he, a General of some worth, would be a natural person. Unluckily Duke Karl
Alexander had, while an Austrian Officer and without outlooks upon Protestant Wurtemberg, gone over to
Papacy, and is now Catholic. "Two Catholic Feldmarschalls!" cries the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM; "that
will never do!"
Well, on the other or Protestant side there appear two Candidates; one of them not much expected by the
reader: no other than Ferdinand Duke of BrunswickBevern, our CrownPrince's Fatherin law; whom we
knew to be a worthy man, but did not know to be much of a soldier, or capable of these ambitious views. He
is Candidate First. Then there is a Second, much more entitled: our gunpowder friend the Old Dessauer; who,
to say nothing of his soldier qualities, has promises from the Kaiser,he surely were the man, if it did not
hurt other people's feelings. But it surely does and will. There is Ferdinand of Bevern applying upon the score
of old promises too. How can people's feelings be saved? Protestants these two last: but they cannot both
have it; and what will Wurtemberg say to either of them? The Reich was in very great affliction about this
preliminary matter. But Friedrich Wilhelm steps in with a healing recipe: "Let there be four Reich's
Feldmarschalls," said Friedrich Wilhelm; "two Protestant and two Catholic: won't that do?"Excellent!
answers the Reich: and there are four Feldmarschalls for the time being; no lack of commanders to the
Reich'sArmy. BrunswickBevern tried it first; but only till Prince Eugene were ready, and indeed he had of
himself come to nothing before that date. Prince Eugene next; then Karl Alexander next; and in fact they all
might have had a stroke at commanding, and at coming to nothing or little,only the Old Dessauer sulked at
the office in this its fourfold state, and never would fairly have it, till, by decease of occupants, it came to be
twofold again. This glimpse into the distracted effete interior of the poor old Reich and its Politics, with
friends of ours concerned there, let it be welcome to the reader. [ Leopoldi von AnhaltDessau Leben (by
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Chapter X. CROWNPRINCE GOES TO THE RHINE CAMPAIGN, 440
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Ranfft), p. 127; Buchholz, i. 131.]
Friedrich Wilhelm was without concern in this War, or in what had led to it. Practical share in the Polish
Election (after that preliminary theoretic program of the Kaiser's and Czarina's went to smoke) Friedrich
Wilhelm steadily refused to take: though considerable offers were made him on both sides,offer of West
Preussen (Polish part of Prussia, which once was known to us) on the French side. [By De la Chetardie,
French Ambassador at Berlin (Buchholz, i. 130).] But his primary fixed resolution was to stand out of the
quarrel; and he abides by that; suppresses any wishes of his own in regard to the Polish Election;keeps
ward on his own frontiers, with good military besom in hand, to sweep it out again if it intruded there. "What
King you like, in God's name; only don't come over my threshold with his brabbles and him!"
But seeing the Kaiser got into actual French War, with the Reich consenting, he is bound, by Treaty of old
date (date older than WUSTERHAUSEN, though it was confirmed on that famous occasion), "To assist the
Kaiser with ten thousand men;" and this engagement he intends amply to fulfil. No sooner, therefore, had the
Reich given sure signs of assenting ("Reich's assent" is the condition of the ten thousand), than Friedrich
Wilhelm's orders were out, "Be in readiness!" Friedrich Wilhelm, by the time of the Reich's actual assent, or
Declaration of War on the Kaiser's behalf, has but to lift his finger: squadrons and battalions, out of
Pommern, out of Magdeburg, out of Preussen, to the due amount, will get on march whitherward you bid,
and be with you there at the day you indicate, almost at the hour. Captains, not of an imaginary nature, these
are always busy; and the King himself is busy over them. From big guns and wagonhorses down to
gunflints and gaiterstraps, all is marked in registers; nothing is wanting, nothing out of its place at any
time, in Friedrich Wilhelm's Army.
From an early period, the French intentions upon Philipsburg might be foreseen or guessed: and in the end of
March, Marechal Berwick, "in three divisions," fairly appears in that quarter; his purpose evident. So that the
Reich'sArmy, were it in the least ready, ought to rendezvous, and reinforce the handful of Austrians there.
Friedrich Wilhelm's part of the Reich'sArmy does accordingly straightway get on march; leaves Berlin, after
the due reviewing, "8th April:" [Fassmann, p. 495.] eight regiments of it, three of Horse and five of Foot,
Goltz Footregiment one of them; a General Roder, unexceptionable General, to command in chief; and
will arrive, though the farthest off, "first of all the Reich'sContingents;" 7th of June, namely. The march,
straight south, must be some four hundred miles.
Besides the Official Generals, certain high military dignitaries, Schulenburg, Bredow, Majesty himself at
their head, propose to go as volunteers;especially the CrownPrince, whose eagerness is very great, has
got liberty to go. "As volunteer" he too: as Colonel of Goltz, it might have had its unsuitabilities, in etiquette
and otherwise. Few volunteers are more interested than the CrownPrince. Watching the great Wartheatre
uncurtain itself in this manner, from Dantzig down to Naples; and what his own share in it shall be: this,
much more than his Marriage, I suppose, has occupied his thoughts since that event. Here out of Ruppin,
dating six or seven weeks before the march of the Ten Thousand, is a small sign, one among many, of his
outlooks in this matter. Small Note to his Cousin, Margraf Heinrich, the ill behaved Margraf, much his
comrade, who is always falling into scrapes; and whom he has just, not without difficulty, got delivered out
of something of the kind. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 2d, pp. 8, 9.] He writes in German and in the
intimate style of THOU:
"RUPPIN. 23d FEBRUARY, 1734. MY DEAR BROTHER,I can with pleasure answer that the King hath
spoken of thee altogether favorably to me [scrape now abolished, for the time]:and I think it would not
have an ill effect, wert thou to apply for leave to go with the ten thousand whom he is sending to the Rhine,
and do the Campaign with them as volunteer. I am myself going with that corps; so I doubt not the King
would allow thee.
"I take the freedom to send herewith a few bottles of Champagne; and wish" all manner of good things.
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"FRIEDRICH."
[Ib. xxvii. part 2d, p. 10.]
This Margraf Heinrich goes; also his elder Brother, Margraf Friedrich Wilhelm,who long persecuted
Wilhelmina with his hopes; and who is now about getting Sophie Dorothee, a junior Princess, much better
than he merits: Betrothal is the week after these ten thousand march; [16th April, 1734 (Ib. part 1st, p. 14 n).]
he thirty, she fifteen. He too will go; as will the other pair of Cousin Margraves,Karl, who was once our
neighbor in Custrin; and the Younger Friedrich Wilhelm, whose fate lies at Prag if he knew it. Majesty
himself will go as volunteer. Are not great things to be done, with Eugene for General?To understand the
insignificant Siege of Philipsburg, sumtotal of the Rhine Campaign, which filled the CrownPrince's and so
many other minds brimful; that Summer, and is now wholly out of every mind, the following Excerpt may be
admissible:
"The unlucky little Town of Philipsburg, key of the Rhine in that quarter, fortified under difficulties by old
Bishops of Speyer who sometimes resided there, [Kohler, Munzbelustigungen, vi. 169.] has been dismantled
and refortified, has had its Rhinebridge torn down and set up again; been garrisoned now by this party, now
by that, who had 'right of garrison there;' nay France has sometimes had 'the right of garrison;'and the poor
little Town has suffered much, and been tumbled sadly about in the Successionwars and perpetual
controversies between France and Germany in that quarter. In the time we are speaking of, it has a
'flyingbridge' (of I know not what structure), with fortified 'bridgehead (TETEDEPONT,' on the western
or Franceward side of the River. Town's bulwarks, and complex engineering defences, are of good strength,
all put in repair for this occasion: Reich and Kaiser have an effective garrison there, and a commandant
determined on defence to the uttermost: what the unfortunate Inhabitants, perhaps a thousand or so in
number, thought or did under such a visitation of ruin and bombshells, History gives not the least hint
anywhere. 'Quite used to it!' thinks History, and attends to other points.
"The Rhine Valley here is not of great breadth: eastward the heights rise to be mountainous in not many
miles. By way of defence to this Valley, in the EugeneMarlborough Wars, there was, about forty miles
southward, or higher up the River than Philipsburg, a military line or chain of posts; going from Stollhofen, a
boggy hamlet on the Rhine, with cunning indentations, and learned concatenation of bog and bluff, up into
the inaccessibilities,LINES OF STOLLHOFEN, the name of it, which welldevised barrier did good
service for certain years. It was not till, I think, the fourth year of their existence, year 1707, that Villars, the
same Villars who is now in Italy, 'stormed the Lines of Stollhofen;' which made him famous that year.
"The Lines of Stollhofen have now, in 1734, fallen flat again; but Eugene remembers them, and, I could
guess, it was he who suggests a similar expedient. At all events, there is a similar expedient fallen upon:
LINES OF ETTLINGEN this time; onehalf nearer Philipsburg; running from Muhlburg on the Rhinebrink
up to Ettlingen in the Hills. [See map] Nearer, by twenty miles; and, I guess, much more slightly done. We
shall see these Lines of Ettlingen, one point of them, for a moment:and they would not be worth
mentioning at all, except that in careless Books they too are called 'Lines of STOLLHOFEN,' [Wilhelmina
(ii. 206), for instance; who, or whose Printer, call them "Lines of STOKOFF" even.] and the ingenuous
reader is sent wandering on his map to no purpose."
"Lines of ETTLINGEN" they are; related, as now said, to the Stollhofen set. Duke Ferdinand of
BrunswickBevern, one of the four Feldmarschalls, has some ineffectual handful of Imperial troops dotted
about, within these Lines and on the skirts of Philipsburg;eagerly waiting till the Reich'sArmy gather to
him; otherwise he must come to nothing. Will at any rate, I should think, be happy to resign in favor of Prince
Eugene, were that little hero once on the ground.
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On Mayday, Marechal Berwick, who has been awake in this quarter, "in three divisions," for a month
past,very impatient till Belleisle with the first division should have taken Trarbach, and made the Western
interior parts secure,did actually cross the Rhine, with his second division, "at Fort Louis," well up the
River, well south of Philipsburg; intending to attack the Lines of Ettlingen, and so get in upon the Town.
There is a third division, about to lay pontoons for itself a good way farther down, which will attack the Lines
simultaneously from within,that is to say, shall come upon the back of poor Bevern and his defensive
handful of troops, and astonish him there. All prospers to Berwick in this matter: Noailles his lieutenant (not
yet gone to Italy till next year), with whom is Maurice Comte de Saxe (afterwards Marechal de Saxe), an
excellent observant Officer, marches up to Ettlingen, May 3d; bivouacs "at the base of the mountain" (no
great things of a mountain); ascends the same in two columns, horse and foot, by the first sunlight next
morning; forms on a little plain on the top; issues through a thin wood,and actually beholds those same
LINES OF ETTLINGEN, the outmost eastern end of them: a somewhat inconsiderable matter, after all! Here
is Noailles's own account:
"These retrenchments, made in Turk fashion, consisted of big trees set zigzag (EN ECHIQUIER), twisted
together by the branches; the whole about five fathoms thick. Inside of it were a small forlorn of Austrians:
these steadily await our grenadiers, and do not give their volley till we are close. Our grenadiers receive their
volley; clear the intertwisted trees, after receiving a second volley (total loss seventyfive killed and
wounded); andthe enemy quits his post; and the Lines of Ettlingen ARE stormed!" [Noailles, Memoires (in
Petitot's Collection), iii. 207.] This is not like storming the Lines of Stollhofen; a thing to make Noailles
famous in the Newspapers for a year. But it was a useful small feat, and well enough performed on his part.
The truth is, Berwick was about attacking the Lines simultaneously on the other or Muhlburg end of them
(had not Noailles, now victorious, galloped to forbid); and what was far more considerable, those other
French, to the northward, "upon pontoons," are fairly across; like to be upon the BACK of Duke Ferdinand
and his handful of defenders. Duke Ferdinand perceives that he is come to nothing; hastily collects his people
from their various posts; retreats with them that same night, unpursued, to Heilbronn; and gives up the
command to Prince Eugene, who is just arrived there,who took quietly two pinches of snuff on hearing this
news of Ettlingen, and said, "No matter, after all!"
Berwick now forms the Siege, at his discretion; invests Philipsburg, 13th May; [Berwick, ii. 312; 23d, says
Noailles's Editor (iii. 210).] begins firing, night of the 3d4th June; Eugene waiting at Heilbronn till the
Reich'sArmy come up. The Prussian ten thousand do come, all in order, on the 7th: the rest by degrees, all
later, and all NOT quite in order. Eugene, the Prussians having joined him, moves down towards Philipsburg
and its cannonading; encamps close to rearward of the besieging French. "Camp of Wiesenthal" they call it;
Village of Wiesenthal with bogs, on the left, being his headqnarters; Village of Waghausel, down near the
River, a five miles distance, being his limit on the right. Berwick, in front, industriously battering Philipsburg
into the River, has thrown up strong lines behind him, strongly manned, to defend himself from Eugene;
across the River, Berwick has one Bridge, and at the farther end one battery with which he plays upon the
rear of Philipsburg. He is much criticised by unoccupied people, "Eugene's attack will ruin us on those
terms!"and much incommoded by overflowings of the Rhine; Rhine swoln by melting of the
mountainsnows, as is usual there. Which inundations Berwick had well foreseen, though the Warminister
at Paris would not: "Haste!" answered the Warminister always: "We shall be in right time. I tell you there
have fallen no snows this winter: how can inundation be?" "Depends on the heat," said Berwick; "there are
snows enough always in stock up there!"
And so it proves, though the Warminister would not believe; and Berwick has to take the inundations, and
to take the circumstances;and to try if, by his own continual best exertions, he can but get Philipsburg into
the bargain. On the 12th of June, visiting his posts, as he daily does, the first thing, Berwick stept out of the
trenches, anxious for clear view of something; stept upon "the crest of the sap," a place exposed to both
French and Austrian batteries, and which had been forbidden to the soldiers,and there, as he anxiously
scanned matters through his glass, a cannonball, unknown whether French or Austrian, shivered away the
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head of Berwick; left others to deal with the criticisms, and the inundations, and the operations big or little, at
Philipsburg and elsewhere! Siege went on, better or worse, under the next in command; "Paris in great
anxiety," say the Books.
It is a hot siege, a stiff defence; Prince Eugene looks on, but does not attack in the way apprehended.
Southward in Italy, we hear there is marching, strategying in the Parma Country; Graf von Mercy likely to
come to an action before long. Northward, Dantzig by this time is all wrapt in firewhirlwinds; its sallyings
and outer defences all driven in; mere torrents of Russiau bombs raining on it day and night; French
auxiliaries, snapt up at landing, are on board Russian ships; and poor Stanislaus and "the Lady of Quality who
shot the first gun" have a bad outlook there. Towards the end of the month, the Berlin volunteer Generals, our
CrownPrince and his Margraves among them, are getting on the road for Philipsburg;and that is properly
the one point we are concerned with. Which took effect in manner following.
Tuesday evening, 29th June, there is Ball at Monbijou; the Crown Prince and others busy dancing there, as
if nothing special lay ahead. Nevertheless, at three in the morning he has changed his balldress for a better,
he and certain more; and is rushing southward, with his volunteer Generals and Margraves, full speed, saluted
by the rising sun, towards Philipsburg and the Seat of War. And the same night, King Stanislaus, if any of us
cared for him, is on flight from Dantzig, "disguised as a cattledealer;" got out on the night of Sunday last,
Town under such a rain of bombshells being palpably too hot for him: got out, but cannot get across the
muddy intricacies of the Weichsel; lies painfully squatted up and down, in obscure alehouses, in that Stygian
Mud Delta,a matter of life and death to get across, and not a boat to be had, such the vigilance of the
Russian. Dantzig is capitulating, dreadful penalties exacted, all the heavier as no Stanislaus is to be found in
it; and search all the keener rises in the Delta after him. Through perils and adventures of the sort usual on
such occasions, [Credible modest detail of them, in a LETTER from Stanislaus himself ( History of
Stanislaus, already cited, pp. 235248).]l Stanislaus does get across; and in time does reach Preussen; where,
by Friedrich Wilhelm's order, safe opulent asylum is afforded him, till the Fates (when this War ends)
determine what is to become of the poor Imaginary Majesty. We leave him, squatted in the intricacies of the
MudDelta, to follow our CrownPrince, who in the same hour is rushing far elsewhither.
Margraves, Generals and he, in their small string of carriages, go on, by extrapost, day and night; no rest till
they get to Hof, in the Culmbach neighborhood, a good two hundred miles off,near Wilhelmina, and more
than halfway to Philipsburg. Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm is himself to follow in about a week: he has given
strict order against waste of time: "Not to part company; go together, and NOT by Anspach or
Baireuth,"though they lie almost straight for you.
This latter was a sore clause to Friedrich, who had counted all along on seeing his dear faithful Wilhelmina,
as he passed: therefore, as the Papa's Orders, dangerous penalty lying in them, cannot be literally disobeyed,
the question rises, How see Wilhelmina and not Baireuth? Wilhelmina, weak as she is and unfit for travelling,
will have to meet him in some neutral place, suitablest for both. After various shiftings, it has been settled
between them that Berneck, a little town twelve miles from Baireuth on the Hof road, will do; and that
Friday, probably early, will be the day. Wilhelmina, accordingly, is on the road that morning, early enough;
Husband with her, and ceremonial attendants, in honor of such a Brother; morning is of sultry windless sort;
day hotter and hotter;at Berneck is no Crown Prince, in the House appointed for him; hour after hour,
Wilhelmina waits there in vain. The truth is, one of the smallest accidents has happened: the Generals "lost a
wheel at Gera yesterday;" were left behind there with their smiths, have not yet appeared; and the insoluble
question among Friedrich and the Margraves is, "We dare not go on without them, then? We dare; dare
we?" Question like to drive Friedrich mad, while the hours, at any rate, are slipping on! Here are three Letters
of Friedrich, legible at last; which, with Wilhelmina's account from the other side, represent a small entirely
human scene in this French Austrian War,nearly all of human we have found in the beggarly affair:
1. TO PRINCESS WILHELMINA, AT BAIREUTH, OR ON THE ROAD TO BERNECK.
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"HOF, 2d July [not long after 4 a.m.], 1794.
"MY DEAR SISTER,Here am I within six leagues [say eight or more, twentyfive miles English] of a
Sister whom I love; and I have to decide that it will be impossible to see her, after all!"Does decide so,
accordingly, for reasons known to us.
"I have never so lamented the misfortune of not depending on myself as at this moment! The King being but
very soursweet on my score, I dare not risk the least thing; Monday come a week, when he arrives himself, I
should have a pretty scene (SERAIS JOLIMENT TRAITE) in the Camp, if I were found to have disobeyed
orders.
"... The Queen commands me to give you a thousand regards from her. She appeared much affected at your
illness; but for the rest, I could not warrant you how sincere it was; for she is totally changed, and I have quite
lost reckoning of her (N'Y CONNAIS RIEN). That goes so far that she has done me hurt with the King, all
she could: however, that is over now. As to Sophie [young Sister just betrothed to the eldest Margraf whom
you know], she also is no longer the same; for she approves all that the Queen says or does; and she is
charmed with her big clown (GROS NIGAUD) of a Bridegroom.
"The King is more difficult than ever; he is content with nothing, so as to have lost whatsoever could be
called gratitude for all pleasures one can do him,"marrying against one's will, and the like. "As to his
health, it is one day better, another worse; but the legs, they are always swelled, Judge what my joy must be
to get out of that turpitude,for the King will only stay a fortnight, at most, in the Camp.
"Adieu, my adorable Sister: I am so tired, I cannot stir; having left on Tuesday night, or rather Wednesday
morning at three o'clock, from a Ball at Monbijou, and arrived here this Friday morning at four. I recommend
myself to your gracious remembrance; and am, for my own part, till death, dearest Sister,"
Your "FRIEDRICH"
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 1st, p. 13.]
This is Letter First; written Friday morning, on the edge of getting into bed, after such fatigue; and it has, as
natural in that mood, given up the matter in despair. It did not meet Wilhelmina on the road; and she had left
Baireuth;where it met her, I do not know; probably at home, on her return, when all was over. Let
Wilhelmina now speak her own lively experiences of that same Friday:
"I got to Berneck at ten. The heat was excessive; I found myself quite worn out with the little journey I had
done. I alighted at the House which had been got ready for my Brother. We waited for him, and in vain
waited, till three in the afternoon. At three we lost patience; had dinner served without him. Whilst we were
at table, there came on a frightful thunderstorm. I have witnessed nothing so terrible: the thunder roared and
reverberated among the rocky cliffs which begirdle Berneck; and it seemed as if the world was going to
perish: a deluge of rain succeeded the thunder.
"It was four o'clock; and I could not understand what had become of my Brother. I had sent out several
persons on horseback to get tidings of him, and none of them came back. At length, in spite of all my prayers,
the Hereditary Prince [my excellent Husband] himself would go in search. I remained waiting till nine at
night, and nobody returned. I was in cruel agitations: these cataracts of rain are very dangerous in the
mountain countries; the roads get suddenly overflowed, and there often happen misfortunes. I thought for
certain, there had one happened to my Brother or to the Hereditary Prince." Such a 2d of July, to poor
Wilhelmina!
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"At last, about nine, somebody brought word that my Brother had changed his route, and was gone to
Culmbach [a House of ours, lying westward, known to readers]; there to stay overnight. I was for setting out
thither,Culmbach is twenty miles from Berneck; but the roads are frightful," White Mayn, still a young
River, dashing through the rocklabyrinths there, "and full of precipices:everybody rose in opposition,
and, whether I would or not, they put me into the carriage for Himmelkron [partly on the road thither], which
is only about ten miles off. We had like to have got drowned on the road; the waters were so swoln [White
Mayn and its angry brooks], the horses could not cross but by swimming.
"I arrived at last, about one in the morning. I instantly threw myself on a bed. I was like to die with
weariness; and in mortal terrors that something had happened to my Brother or the Hereditary Prince. This
latter relieved me on his own score; he arrived at last, about four o'clock,had still no news farther of my
Brother. I was beginning to doze a little, when they came to warn me that 'M. von Knobelsdorf wished to
speak with me from the PrinceRoyal.' I darted out of bed, and ran to him. He," handing me a Letter,
"brought word that"
But let us now give Letter Second, which has turned up lately, and which curiously completes the picture
here. Friedrich, on rising refreshed with sleep at Hof, had taken a cheerfuler view; and the Generals still
lagging rearward, he thinks it possible to see Wilhelmiua after all. Possible; and yet so very dangerous,
perhaps not possible? Here is a second Letter written from Munchberg, some fifteen miles farther on, at an
after period of the same Friday: purport still of a perplexed nature, "I will, and I dare not;"practical
outcome, of itself uncertain, is scattered now by torrents and thunderstorms. This is the Letter, which
Knobelsdorf now hands to Wilhelmina at that untimely hour of Saturday:
2. TO PRINCESS WILHELMINA (by Knobelsdorf).
"MUNCHBERG, 2d July, 1754.
"MY DEAREST SISTER,I am in despair that I cannot satisfy my impatience and my duty,to throw
myself at your feet this day. But alas, dear Sister, it does not depend on me: we poor Princes, "the Margraves
and I," are obliged to wait here till our Generals [Bredow, Schulenburg and Company] come up; we dare not
go along without them. They broke a wheel in Gera [fifty miles behind us]; hearing nothing of them since, we
are absolutely forced to wait here. Judge in what a mood I am, and what sorrow must be mine! Express order
not to go by Baireuth or Anspach:forbear, dear sister, to torment me on things not depending on myself at
all.
"I waver between hope and fear of paying my court to you. I hope it might still be at Berneck," this
evening,"if you could contrive a road into the Nurnberg Highway again; avoiding Baireuth: otherwise I
dare not go. The Bearer, who is Captain Knobelsdorf [excellent judicious man, old acquaintance from the
Custrin time, who attends upon us, actual Captain once, but now titular merely, given to architecture and the
fine arts (Seyfarth (Anonymous), Lebens und RegierungsGeschichte Friedrichs des Andern (Leipzig,
1786), ii. 200. OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 33. Preuss, Friedrich mit seinen Verwandten (Berlin. 1838), pp. 8,
17.)], will apprise you of every particular: let Knobelsdorf settle something that may be possible. This is how
I stand at present; and instead of having to expect some favor from the King [after what I have done by his
order], I get nothing but chagrin. But what is crueler upon me than all, is that you are ill. God, in his grace, be
pleased to help you, and restore the precious health which I so much wish you! ... FRIEDRICH."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part lst, p. 15.]
Judicious Knobelsdorf settles that the meeting is to be this very morning at eight; Wilhelmina (whose
memory a little fails her in the insignificant points) does not tell us where: but, by faint indications, I perceive
it was in the LakeHouse, pleasant Pavilion in the ancient artificial Lake, or big ornamental Fishpond, called
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BRANDENBURGER WEIHER, a couple of miles to the north of Baireuth: there Friedrich is to
stop,keeping the Paternal Order from the teeth outwards in this manner. Eight o'clock: so that Wilhelmina
is obliged at once to get upon the road again,poor Princess, after such a day and night. Her description of
the Interview is very good:
"My Brother overwhelmed me with caresses; but found me in so pitiable a state, he could not restrain his
tears. I was not able to stand on my limbs; and felt like to faint every moment, so weak was I. He told me the
King was much angered at the Margraf [my FatherinLaw] for not letting his Son make the Campaign,"
concerning which point, said Son, my Husband, being HeirApparent, there had been much arguing in Court
and Country, here at Baireuth, and endless anxiety on my poor part, lest he should get killed in the Wars. "I
told him all the Margraf's reasons; and added, that surely they were good, in respect of my dear Husband.
'Well,' said he, 'let him quit soldiering, then, and give back his regiment to the King. But for the rest, quiet
yourself as to the fears you may have about him if he do go; for I know, by certain information, that there will
be no blood spilt.''They are at the Siege of Philipsburg, however.''Yes,' said my Brother, 'but there will
not be a battle risked to hinder it.'
"The Hereditary Prince," my Husband, "came in while we were talking so; and earnestly entreated my
Brother to get him away from Baireuth. They went to a window, and talked a long time together. In the end,
my Brother told me he would write a very obliging Letter to the Margraf, and give him such reasons in favor
of the Campaign, that he doubted not it would turn the scale. 'We will stay together,' said he, addressing the
Hereditary Prince; 'and I shall be charmed to have my dear Brother always beside me.' He wrote the Letter;
gave it to Baron Stein [Chamberlain or Goldstick of ours], to deliver to the Margraf. He promised to obtain
the King's express leave to stop at Baireuth on his return;after which he went away. It was the last time I
saw him on the old footing with me: he has much changed since then!We returned to Baireuth; where I
was so ill that, for three days, they did not think I should get over it." [Wilhelmina, ii. 200202.]
CrownPrince dashes off, southwestward, through cross country, into the Nurnberg Road again; gets to
Nurnberg that same Saturday night; and there, among other Letters, writes the following; which will wind up
this little Incident for us, still in a human manner:
3. TO PRINCESS WILHELMINA AT BAIREUTH.
"NURNBERG, 3d July, 1734.
"MY DEAREST (TRESCHERE) SISTER,It would be impossible to quit this place without signifying,
dearest Sister, my lively gratitude for all the marks of favor you showed me in the WEIHERHAUS [House on
the Lake, today]. The highest of all that it was possible to do, was that of procuring me the satisfaction of
paying my court to you. I beg millions of pardons for so putting you about, dearest Sister; but I could not help
it; for you know my sad circumstances well enough. In my great joy, I forgot to give you the Enclosed. I
entreat you, write me often news of your health! Question the Doctors; and"and in certain contingencies,
the CrownPrince "would recommend goat'smilk" for his poor Sister. Had already, what was noted of him
in after life, a tendency to give medical advice, in cases interesting to him?
"Adieu, my incomparable and dear Sister. I am always the same to you, and will remain so till my death.
"FRIEDRICH."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part lst, p. 57.]
Generals with their wheel mended, Margraves, Prince and now the Camp Equipage too, are all at Nurnberg;
and start on the morrow; hardly a hundred miles now to be done,but on slower terms, owing to the
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Equipage. Heilbronn, place of arms or central stronghold of the Reich'sArmy, they reach on Monday: about
Eppingen, next night, if the wind is westerly, one may hear the cannon,not without interest. It was
Wednesday forenoon, 7th July, 1734, on some hilltop coming down from Eppingen side, that the Prince first
saw Philipsburg Siege, blotting the Rhine Valley yonder with its fire and counterfire; and the Tents of
Eugene stretching on this side: first view he ever had of the actualities of war. His account to Papa is so
distinct and good, we look through it almost as at firsthand for a moment:
"CAMP AT WIESENTHAL, Wednesday, 7th July, 1734.
"MOST ALLGRACIOUS FATHER, ... We left Nurnberg [nothing said of our Baireuth affair], 4th early,
and did not stop till Heilbronn; where, along with the Equipage, I arrived on the 5th. Yesterday I came with
the Equipage to Eppingen [twenty miles, a slow march, giving the fourgons time]; and this morning we came
to the Camp at Wiesenthal. I have dined with General Roder [our Prussian Commander]; and, after dinner,
rode with Prince Eugene while giving the parole. I handed him my Allgracious Father's Letter, which much
rejoiced him. After the parole, I went to see the relieving of our outposts [change of sentries there], and view
the French retrenchment.
"We," your Majesty's Contingent, "are throwing up three redoubts: at one of them today, three musketeers
have been miserably shot [GESCHOSSEN, wounded, not quite killed]; two are of Roder's, and one is of
Finkenstein's regiment.
"Tomorrow I will ride to a village which is on our right wing; Waghausel is the name of it [Busching, v.
1152.] [some five miles off, north of us, near by the Rhine]; there is a steeple there, from which one can see
the French Camp; from this point I will ride down, between the two Lines," French and ours, "to see what
they are like.
"There are quantities of hurdles and fascines being made; which, as I hear, are to be employed in one of two
different plans. The first plan is, To attack the French retrenchment generally; the ditch which is before it, and
the morass which lies on our left wing, to be made passable with these fascines. The other plan is, To amuse
the Enemy by a false attack, and throw succor into the Town.One thing is certain, in a few days we shall
have a stroke of work here. Happen what may, my Allgracious Father may be assured that" "and that I will
do nothing unworthy of him.
"FRIEDRICH."
[ OEuvres, xxvii. part 3d, p. 79.]
Neither of those fine plans took effect; nor did anything take effect, as we shall see. But in regard to that
"survey from the steeple of Waghausel, and ride home again between the Lines,"in regard to that, here is
an authentic fraction of anecdote, curiously fitting in, which should not be omitted. A certain Herr van Suhm,
Saxon Minister at Berlin, occasionally mentioned here, stood in much Correspondence with the
CrownPrince in the years now following: Correspondence which was all published at the due distance of
time; Suhm having, at his decease, left the Prince's Letters carefully assorted with that view, and furnished
with a Prefatory "Character of the PrinceRoyal (Portrait du PrinceRoyal, par M. de Suhm)." Of which
Preface this is a small paragraph, relating to the Siege of Philipsburg; offering us a momentary glance into
one fibre of the futile War now going on there. Of Suhm, and how exact he was, we shall know a little by and
by. Of "Prince von Lichtenstein," an Austrian man and soldier of much distinction afterwards, we have only
to say that he came to Berlin next year on Diplomatic business, and that probably enough he had been
eyewitness to the little fact,fact credible perhaps without much proving. One rather regretted there was no
date to it, no detail to give it whereabout and fixity in our conception; that the poor little Anecdote, though
indubitable, had to hang vaguely in the air. Now, however, the above dated LETTER does, by accident, date
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Suhm's Anecdote too; date "July 8" as good as certain for it; the Siege itself having ended (July 18) in ten
days more. Herr von Suhm writes (not for publication till after Friedrich's death and his own):
"It was remarked in the Rhine Campaign of 1734, that this Prince has a great deal of intrepidity
(BEAUCOUP DE VALEUR). On one occasion, among others [to all appearance, this very day, "July 8,"
riding home from Waghausel between the lines], when he had gone to reconnoitre the Lines of Philipsburg,
with a good many people about him,passing, on his return, along a strip of very thin wood, the
cannonshot from the Lines accompanied him incessantly, and crashed down several trees at his side; during
all which he walked his horse along at the old pace, precisely as if nothing were happening, nor in his hand
upon the bridle was there the least trace of motion perceptible. Those who gave attention to the matter
remarked, on the contrary, that he did not discontinue speaking very tranquilly to some Generals who
accompanied him; and who admired his bearing, in a kind of danger with which he had not yet had occasion
to familiarize himself. It is from the Prince von Lichtenstein that I have this anecdote." [ Correspondance de
Frederic II. avec M. de Suhm (Berlin, 1787); Avantpropos, p. xviii. (written 28th April, 1740). The
CORRESPONDANCE is all in OEuvres de Frederic (xvi, 247408); but the Suhm Preface not.]
On the 15th arrived his Majesty in person, with the Old Dessauer, Buddenbrock, Derschau and a select suite;
in hopes of witnessing remarkable feats of war, now that the crisis of Philipsburg was coming on. Many
Princes were assembled there, in the like hope: Prince of Orange (honeymoon well ended [Had wedded
Princess Anne, George II.'s eldest, 25th (14th) March, 1734; to the joy of self and mankind, in England
here.]), a vivacious light gentleman, slightly crooked in the back; Princes of Baden, Darmstadt, Waldeck: all
manner of Princes and distinguished personages, fourscore Princes of them by tale, the eyes of Europe being
turned on this matter, and on old Eugene's guidance of it. Prince Fred of England, even he had a notion of
coming to learn war.
It was about this time, not many weeks ago, that Fred, now falling into much discrepancy with his Father, and
at a loss for a career to himself, appeared on a sudden in the Antechamber at St. James's one day; and
solemnly demanded an interview with his Majesty. Which his indignant Majesty, after some conference with
Walpole, decided to grant. Prince Fred, when admitted, made three demands: 1. To be allowed to go upon the
Rhine Campaign, by way of a temporary career for himself; 2. That he might have something definite to live
upon, a fixed revenue being suitable in his circumstances; 3. That, after those sad Prussian disappointments,
some suitable Consort might be chosen for him,heart and household lying in such waste condition. Poor
Fred, who of us knows what of sense might be in these demands? Few creatures more absurdly situated are to
be found in this world. To go where his equals were, and learn soldiering a little, might really have been
useful. Paternal Majesty received Fred and his Three Demands with fulminating look; answered, to the first
two, nothing; to the third, about a Consort, "Yes, you shall; but be respectful to the Queen;and now. off
with you; away!" [Coxe's Walpole, i. 322.]
Poor Fred, he has a circle of hungry Parliamenteers about him; young Pitt, a Cornet of Horse, young
Lyttelton of Hagley, our old Soissons friend, not to mention others of worse type; to whom this royal Young
Gentleman, with his vanities, ambitions, inexperiences, plentiful inflammabilities, is important for exploding
Walpole. He may have, and with great justice I should think, the dim consciousness of talents for doing
something better than "write madrigals" in this world; infinitude of wishes and appetites he clearly has;he
is full of inflammable materials, poor youth. And he is the Fireship those older hands make use of for
blowing Walpole and Company out of their anchorage. What a school of virtue for a young gentleman;and
for the elder ones concerned with him! He did not get to the Rhine Campaign; nor indeed ever to anything,
except to writing madrigals, and being very futile, dissolute and miserable with what of talent Nature had
given him. Let us pity the poor constitutional Prince. Our Fritz was only in danger of losing his life; but what
is that, to losing your sanity, personal identity almost, and becoming Parliamentary Fireship to his Majesty's
Opposition?
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Friedrich Wilhelm stayed a month campaigning here; graciously declined Prince Eugene's invitation to lodge
in Headquarters, under a roof and within built walls; preferred a tent among his own people, and took the
common hardships,with great hurt to his weak health, as was afterwards found.
In these weeks, the big Czarina, who has set a price (100,000 rubles, say 15,000 pounds) upon the head of
poor Stanislaus, hears that his Prussian Majesty protects him; and thereupon signifies, in high terms, That
she, by her Feldmarschall Munnich, will come across the frontiers and seize the said Stanislaus. To which
his Prussian Majesty answers positively, though in proper Diplomatic tone, "Madam, I will in no wise permit
it!" Perhaps his Majesty's remarkablest transaction, here on the Rhine, was this concerning Stanislaus. For
Seckendorf the Feldzeugmeister was here also, on military function, not forgetful of the Diplomacies; who
busily assailed his Majesty, on the Kaiser's part, in the same direction: "Give up Stanislaus, your Majesty!
How ridiculous (LACHERLICH) to be perhaps ruined for Stanislaus!" But without the least effect, now or
afterwards.
Poor Stanislaus, in the beginning of July, got across into Preussen, as we intimated; and there he continued,
safe against any amount of rubles and Feldmarschalls, entreaties and menaces. At Angerburg, on the Prussian
frontier, he found a steadfast veteran, LieutenantGeneral von Katte, Commandant in those parts (Father of a
certain poor Lieutenant, whom we tragically knew of long ago!)which veteran gentleman received tbe
Fugitive Majesty, [ MilitairLexikon, ii. 254.] with welcome in the King's name, and assurances of an
honorable asylum till the times and roads should clear again for his Fugitive Majesty. Fugitive Majesty, for
whom the roads and times were very dark at present, went to Marienwerder; talked of going "to Pillau, for a
seapassage," of going to various places; went finally to Konigsberg, and therewith a considerable Polish
Suite of Fugitives, very moneyless, and very expensive, most of them, who had accumulated about himset
up his abode. There for almost two years, in fact till this War ended, the Fugitive Polish Majesty continued;
Friedrich Wilhelm punctually protecting him, and even paying him a small Pension (50 pounds a
month),France, the least it could do for the Grandfather of France, allowing a much larger one; larger,
though still inadequate. France has left its Grandfather strangely in the lurch here; with "100,000 rubles on
his head." But Friedrich Wilhelm knows the sacred rites, and will do them; continues deaf as a doorpost
alike to the menaces and the entreaties of Kaiser and Czarina; strictly intimating to Munnich, what the Laws
of Neutrality are, and that they must be observed. Which, by his Majesty's good arrangements, Munnich,
willing enough to the contrary had it been feasible, found himself obliged to comply with. Prussian Majesty,
like a King and a gentleman, would listen to no terms about dismissing or delivering up, or otherwise, failing
in the sacred rites to Stanislaus; but honorably kept him there till the times and routes cleared themselves
again. [Forster, ii. 132, 134136.] A plain piece of duty; punctually done: the beginning of it falls here in the
Camp at Philipsburg, JulyAugust 1734; in May, 1736, we shall see some glimpse of the end!
His Prussian Majesty in Camp at Philipsburgso distinguished a volunteer, doing us the honor to encamp
here"was asked to all the Councilsofwar that were held," say the Books. And he did attend, the
CrownPrince and he, on important occasions: but, alas, there was, so to speak, nothing to be consulted of.
Fascines and hurdles lay useless; no attempt was made to relieve Philipsburg. On the third day after his
Majesty's arrival, July 18th, Philipsburg, after a stiff defence of six weeks, growing hopeless of relief, had to
surrender;French then proceeded to repair Philipsburg, no attempt on Eugene's part to molest them there. If
they try ulterior operations on this side the River, he countertries; and that is all.
Our CrownPrince, somewhat of a judge in after years, is maturely of opinion, That the French Lines were
by no means inexpugnable; that the French Army might have been ruined under an attack of the proper kind.
[ OEuvres de Frederic, i. 167.] Their position was bad; no room to unfold themselves for fight, except with
the Town's cannon playing on them all the while; only one Bridge to get across by, in case of coming to the
worse: defeat of them probable, and ruin to them inevitable in case of defeat. But Prince Eugene, with an
Army little to his mind (Reich'sContingents not to be depended on, thought Eugene), durst not venture:
"Seventeen victorious Battles, and if we should be defeated in the eighteenth and last?"
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It is probable the Old Dessauer, had he been Generalissimo, with this same Army,in which, even in the
Reich's part of it, we know ten thousand of an effective character,would have done some stroke upon the
French; but Prince Eugene would not try. Much dimmed from his former self this old hero; age now 73; a
good deal wearied with the long march through Time. And this very Summer, his Brother's Son, the last male
of his House, had suddenly died of inflammatory fever; left the old man very mournful: "Alone, alone, at the
end of one's long march; laurels have no fruit, then?" He stood cautious, on the defensive; and in this capacity
is admitted to have shown skilful management.
But Philipsburg being taken, there is no longer the least event to be spoken of; the Campaign passed into a
series of advancings, retreatings, facing, and then rightabout facings,painful manoeuvrings, on both sides
of the Rhine and of the Neckar, without result farther to the French, without memorability to either side.
About the middle of August, Friedrich Wilhelm went away;health much hurt by his month under canvas,
amid Rhine inundations, and mere distressing phenomena. CrownPrince Friedrich and a select party
escorted his Majesty to Mainz, where was a Dinner of unusual sublimity by the Kurfurst there; [15th August
(Fassmann, p. 511.)]Dinner done, his Majesty stept on board "the Electoral Yacht;" and in this fine
hospitable vehicle went sweeping through the Binger Loch, rapidly down towards Wesel; and the
CrownPrince and party returned to their Camp, which is upon the Neckar at this time.
Camp shifts about, and CrownPrince in it: to Heidelberg, to Waiblingen, Weinheim; close to Mainz at one
time: but it is not worth following: nor in Friedrich's own Letters, or in other documents, is there, on the best
examination, anything considerable to be gleaned respecting his procedures there. He hears of the illsuccess
in Italy, Battle of Parma at the due date, with the natural feelings; speaks with a sorrowful gayety, of the
muddy fatigues, futilities here on the Rhine;has the sense, however, not to blame his superiors
unreasonably. Here, from one of his Letters to Colonel Camas, is a passage worth quoting for the credit of the
writer. With Camas, a distinguished Prussian Frenchman, whom we mentioned elsewhere, still more with
Madame Camas in time coming, he corresponded much, often in a fine filial manner:
"The present Campaign is a school, where profit may be reaped from observing the confusion and disorder
which reigns in this Army: it has been a field very barren in laurels; and those who have been used, all their
life, to gather such, and on Seventeen distinguished occasions have done so, can get none this time." Next
year, we all hope to be on the Moselle, and to find that a fruitfuler field ... "I am afraid, dear Camas, you think
I am going to put on the cothurnus; to set up for a small Eugene, and, pronouncing with a doctoral tone what
each should have done and not have done, condemn and blame to right and left. No, my dear Camas; far from
carrying my arrogance to that point, I admire the conduct of our Chief, and do not disapprove that of his
worthy Adversary; and far from forgetting the esteem and consideration due to persons who, scarred with
wounds, have by years and long service gained a consummate experience, I shall hear them more willingly
than ever as my teachers, and try to learn from them how to arrive at honor, and what is the shortest road into
the secret of this Profession." ["Camp at Heidelberg, 11th September, 1734" ( OEuvres, xvi. 131).]
This other, to Lieutenant Groben, three weeks earlier in date, shows us a different aspect; which is at least
equally authentic; and may be worth taking with us. Groben is Lieutenant,I suppose still of the Regiment
Goltz, though he is left there behind;at any rate, he is much a familiar with the Prince at Ruppin; was
ringleader, it is thought, in those midnight pranks upon parsons, and the other escapades there; [Busching, v.
20.] a merry man, eight years older than the Prince,with whom it is clear enough he stands on a very free
footing. Philipsburg was lost a month ago; French are busy repairing it; and manoeuvring, with no effect, to
get into the interior of Germany a little. Weinheim is a little Town on the north side of the Neckar, a dozen
miles or so from Mannheim;out of which, and into which, the Prussian Corps goes shifting from time to
time, as Prince Eugene and the French manoeuvre to no purpose in that RhineNeckar Country. "HERDEK
TEREMTETEM" it appears, is a bit of Hungarian swearing; should be ORDEK TEREMTETE; and means
"The Devil made you!"
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"WEINHEIM, 17th August, 1734.
"HERDEK TEREMTETE! 'Went with them, got hanged with them,' [ "Mitgegangen mitgehangen:" Letter is
in German.] said the Bielefeld Innkeeper! So will it be with me, poor devil; for I go dawdling about with this
Army here; and the French will have the better of us. We want to be over the Neckar again [to the South or
Philipsburg side], and the rogues won't let us. What most provokes me in the matter is, that while we are here
in such a wilderness of trouble, doing our utmost, by military labors and endurances, to make ourselves
heroic, thou sittest, thou devil, at home!
"Duc de Bouillon has lost his equipage; our Hussars took it at Landau [other side the Rhine, a while ago].
Here we stand in mud to the ears; fifteen of the Regiment AltBaden have sunk altogether in the mud. Mud
comes of a waterspout, or sudden cataract of rain, there was in these Heidelberg Countries; two villages,
Fuhrenheim and Sandhausen, it swam away, every stick of them (GANZ UND GAR).
"Captain van Stojentin, of Regiment Flans," one of our eight Regiments here, "has got wounded in the head,
in an affair of honor; he is still alive, and it is hoped he will get through it.
"The DrillDemon has now got into the Kaiser's people too: Prince Eugene is grown heavier with his drills
than we ourselves. He is often three hours at it;and the Kaiser's people curse us for the same, at a frightful
rate. Adieu. If the Devil don't get thee, he ought. Therefore VALE. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d, p.
181.]
"FRIEDRICH."
No laurels to be gained here; but plenty of mud, and laborious hardship,met, as we perceive, with youthful
stoicism, of the derisive, and perhaps of better forms. Friedrich is twentytwo and some months, when he
makes his first Campaign. The general physiognomy of his behavior in it we have to guess from these few
indications. No doubt he profited by it, on the military side; and would study with quite new light and
vivacity after such contact with the fact studied of. Very didactic to witness even "the confusions of this
Army," and what comes of them to Armies! For the rest, the society of Eugene, Lichtenstein, and so many
Princes of the Reich, and Chiefs of existing mankind, could not but be entertaining to the young man; and
silently, if he wished to read the actual Time, as sure enough he, with human and with royal eagerness, did
wish,they were here as the ALPHABET of it to him: important for years coming. Nay it is not doubted, the
insight he here got into the condition of the Austrian Army and its management"Army left seven days
without bread," for one instancegave him afterwards the highly important notion, that such Army could be
beaten if necessary!
Wilhelmina says, his chief comrade was Margraf Heinrich;the ILL Margraf; who was cut by Friedrich, in
after years, for some unknown bad behavior. Margraf Heinrich "led him into all manner of excesses," says
Wilhelmina,probably in the language of exaggeration. He himself tells her, in one of his LETTERS, a day
or two before Papa's departure: "The Camp is soon to be close on Mainz, nothing but the Rhine between
Mainz and our right wing, where my place is; and so soon as Serenissimus goes [LE SERENISSIME, so he
irreverently names Papa], I mean to be across for some sport," [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 1st, p. 17
(10th August).]no doubt the Ill Margraf with me! With the Elder Margraf, little Sophie's Betrothed, whom
he called "big clown" in a Letter we read, he is at this date in open quarrel,"BROUILLE A TOUTE
OUTRANCE with the mad Soninlaw, who is the wildest wildbeast of all this Camp." [Ibid.]
Wilhelmina's Husband had come, in the beginning of August; but was not so happy as he expected.
Considerably cut out by the Ill Heinrich. Here is a small adventure they had; mentioned by Friedrich, and
copiously recorded by Wilhelmina: adventure on some River,which we could guess, if it were worth
guessing, to have been the Neckar, not the Rhine. French had a fortified post on the farther side of this River;
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CrownPrince, Ill Margraf, and Wilhelmina's Husband were quietly looking about them, riding up the other
side: Wilhelmina's Husband decided to take a pencil drawing of the French post, and paused for that object.
Drawing was proceeding unmolested, when his foolish Baireuth Hussar, having an excellent rifle
(ARQUEBUSE RAYEE) with him, took it into his head to have a shot at the French sentries at long range.
His shot hit nothing; but it awakened the French animosity, as was natural; the French began diligently firing;
and might easily have done mischief. My Husband, volleying out some rebuke upon the blockhead of a
Hussar, finished his drawing, in spite of the French bullets; then rode up to the CrownPrince and Ill
Margraf, who had got their share of what was going, and were in no goodhumor with him. Ill Margraf
rounded things into the Crown Prince's ear, in an unmannerly way, with glances at my Husband; who
understood it well enough; and promptly coerced such illbred procedures, intimating, in a polite impressive
way, that they would be dangerous if persisted in. Which reduced the Ill Margraf to a spiteful but silent
condition. No other harm was done at that time; the French bullets all went awry, or "even fell short, being
sucked in by the river," thinks Wilhelmina. [Wilhelmina, ii. 208, 209; OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 1st, p.
19.]
A more important feature of the CrownPrince's life in these latter weeks is the news he gets of his father.
Friedrich Wilhelm, after quitting the Electoral Yacht, did his reviewing at Wesel, at Bielefeld, all his
reviewing in those Rhine and Weser Countries; then turned aside to pay a promised visit to Ginkel the Berlin
Dutch Ambassador, who has a fine House in those parts; and there his Majesty has fallen seriously ill.
Obliged to pause at Ginkel's, and then at his own Schloss of Moyland, for some time; does not reach Potsdam
till the 14th September, and then in a weak, worsening, and altogether dangerous condition, which lasts for
months to come. [Fassmann, pp. 512533: September, 1734 January, 1735.] Wrecks of gout, they say, and
of all manner of nosological mischief; falling to dropsy. Case desperate, think all the Newspapers, in a
cautious form; which is Friedrich Wilhelm's own opinion pretty much, and that of those better informed. Here
are thoughts for a CrownPrince; well affected to his Father, yet suffering much from him which is grievous.
To bystanders, one now makes a different figure: "A CrownPrince, who may be King one of these
days,whom a little adulation were well spent upon!" From within and from without come agitating
influences; thoughts which must be rigorously repressed, and which are not wholly repressible. The
soldiering CrownPrince, from about the end of September, for the last week or two of this Campaign, is
secretly no longer quite the same to himself or to others.
GLIMPSE OF LIEUTENANT CHASOT, AND OF OTHER ACQUISITIONS.
We have still two little points to specify, or to bring up from the rearward whither they are fallen, in regard to
this Campaign. After which the wearisome Campaign shall terminate; CrownPrince leading his Ten
Thousand to Frankfurt, towards their winter quarters in Westphalia; and then himself running across from
Frankfurt (October 5th), to see Wilhelmina for a day or two on the way homewards:with much pleasure to
all parties, my readers and me included!
FIRST point is, That, some time in this Campaign, probably towards the end of it, the CrownPrince, Old
Dessauer and some others with them, "procured passports," went across, and "saw the French Camp," and
what new phenomena were in it for them. Where, when, how, or with what impression left on either side, we
do not learn. It was not much of a Camp for military admiration, this of the French. [ Memoires de Noailles
(passim).] There were old soldiers of distinction in it here and there; a few young soldiers diligently studious
of their art; and a great many young fops of high birth and high ways, strutting about "in red heeled shoes,"
with "Commissions got from Court" for this War, and nothing of the soldier but the epaulettes and
plumages,apt to be "insolent" among their poorer comrades. From all parties, young and old, even from
that insolent redheel party, nothing but the highest finish of politeness could be visible on this particular
occasion. Doubtless all passed in the usual satisfactory manner; and the CrownPrince got his pleasant
excursion, and materials, more or less, for after thought and comparison. But as there is nothing whatever of
it on record for us but the bare fact, we leave it to the reader's imagination,fact being indubitable, and
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details not inconceivable to lively readers. Among the French dignitaries doing the honors of their Camp on
this occasion, he was struck by the General's Adjutant, a "Count de Rottembourg" (properly VON
ROTHENBURG, of German birth, kinsman to the Rothenburg whom we have seen as French Ambassador at
Berlin long since); a promising young soldier; whom he did not lose sight of again, but acquired in due time
to his own service, and found to be of eminent worth there. A Count von Schmettau, two Brothers von
Schmettau, here in the Austrian service; superior men, Prussian by birth, and very fit to be acquired by and
by; these the Crown Prince had already noticed in this Rhine Campaign,having always his eyes open to
phenomena of that kind.
The SECOND little point is of date perhaps two months anterior to that of the French Camp; and is marked
sufficiently in this Excerpt from our confused manuscripts.
Before quitting Philipsburg, there befell one slight adventure, which, though it seemed to be nothing, is worth
recording here. One day, date not given, a young French Officer, of ingenuous prepossessing look, though
much flurried at the moment, came across as involuntary deserter; flying from a great peril in his own camp.
The name of him is Chasot, Lieutenant of such and such a Regiment: "Take me to Prince Eugene!" he
entreats, which is done. Peril was this: A high young gentleman, one of those fops in red heels, ignorant, and
capable of insolence to a poorer comrade of studious turn, had fixed a duel upon Chasot. Chasot ran him
through, in fair duel; dead, and is thought to have deserved it. "But Duc de Boufflers is his kinsman: run, or
you are lost!" cried everybody. The Officers of his Regiment hastily redacted some certificate for Chasot,
hastily signed it; and Chasot ran, scarcely waiting to pack his baggage.
"Will not your Serene Highness protect me?""Certainly!" said Eugene;gave Chasot a lodging among his
own people; and appointed one of them, Herr Brender by name, to show him about, and teach him the nature
of his new quarters. Chasot, a brisk, ingenuous young fellow, soon became a favorite; eager to be useful
where possible; and very pleasant in discourse, said everybody.
By and by,still at Philipsburg, as would seem, though it is not said,the CrownPrince heard of Chasot;
asked Brender to bring him over. Here is Chasot's own account: through which, as through a small
eyelethole, we peep once more, and for the last time, direct into the CrownPrince's Campaignlife on this
occasion:
"Next morning, at ten o'clock the appointed hour, Brender having ordered out one of his horses for me, I
accompanied him to the Prince; who received us in his Tent,behind which he had, hollowed out to the
depth of three or four feet, a large Dining room, with windows, and a roof," I hope of good height, "thatched
with straw. His Royal Highness, after two hours' conversation, in which he had put a hundred questions to me
[a Prince desirous of knowing the facts], dismissed us; and at parting, bade me return often to him in the
evenings.
"It was in this Diningroom, at the end of a great dinner, the day after next, that the Prussian guard
introduced a Trumpet from Monsieur d'Asfeld [French CommanderinChief since Berwick's death], with
my three horses, sent over from the French Army. Prince Eugene, who was present, and in good humor, said,
'We must sell those horses, they don't speak German; Brender will take care to mount you some way or
other.' Prinoe Lichtenstein immediately put a price on my horses; and they were sold on the spot at three
times their worth. The Prince of Orange, who was of this Dinner [slightly crookbacked witty gentleman,
English honeymoon well over], said to me in a halfwhisper, 'Monsieur, there is nothing like selling horses to
people who have dined well.'
"After this sale, I found myself richer than I had ever been in my life. The PrinceRoyal sent me, almost
daily, a groom and led horse, that I might come to him, and sometimes follow him in his excursions. At last,
he had it proposed to me, by M. de Brender, and even by Prince Eugene, to accompany him to Berlin."
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Which, of course, I did; taking Ruppin first. "I arrived at Berlin from Ruppin, in 1734, two days after the
marriage of Friedrich Wilhelm Margraf of Schwedt [Ill Margraf's elder Brother, wildest wild beast of this
camp] with the Princess Sophie,"that is to say, 12th of November; Marriage having been on the l0th, as the
Books teach us. Chasot remembers that, on the 14th, "the CrownPrince gave, in his Berlin mansion, a dinner
to all the Royal Family," in honor of that auspicious wedding. [Kurd vou Schlozer, Chasot (Berlin, 1856), pp.
2022. A pleasant little Book; tolerably accurate, and of very readable quality.]
Thus is Chasot established with the CrownPrince. He will turn up fighting well in subsequent parts of this
History; and again duelling fatally, though nothing of a quarrelsome man, as he asserts.
CROWNPRINCE'S VISIT TO BAIREUTH ON THE WAY HOME.
October 4th, the CrownPrince has parted with Prince Eugene,not to meet again in this world; "an old hero
gone to the shadow of himself," says the CrownPrince; [ OEuvres (Memoires de Brandebourg), i.
167.]and is giving his Prussian WarCaptains a farewell dinner at FrankfurtonMayn; having himself led
the Ten Thousand so far, towards Winterquarters, and handing them over now to their usual commanders.
They are to winter in Westphalia, these Ten Thousand, in the PaderbornMunster Country; where they are
nothing like welcome to the Ruling Powers; nor are intended to be so,KurKoln (proprietor there) and his
Brother of Bavaria having openly French leanings. The Prussian Ten Thousand will have to help themselves
to the essential, therefore, without welcome;and things are not pleasant. And the Ruling Powers, by
protocolling, still more the Commonalty if it try at mobbing, ["28th March, 1735" (Fassmann, p. 547);
Buchholz, i. 136.] can only make them worse. Indeed it is said the Ten Thousand, though their bearing was so
perfect otherwise, generally behaved rather ill in their marches over Germany, during this War,and always
worst, it was remarked by observant persons, in the countries (Bamberg and Wurzburg, for instance) where
their officers had in past years been in recruiting troubles. Whereby observant persons explained the
phenomenon to themselves. But we omit all that; our concern lying elsewhere. "Directly after dinner at
Frankfurt," the CrownPrince drives off, rapidly as his wont is, towards Baireuth. He arrives there on the
morrow; "October 5th," says Wilhelmina,who again illuminates him to us, though with oblique lights, for
an instant.
Wilhelmina was in low spirits:weak health; add funeral of the Prince of Culmbach (killed in the Battle of
Parma), illness of Papa, and other sombre events:and was by no means content with the CrownPrince, on
this occasion. Strangely altered since we met him in July last! It may be, the CrownPrince, looking, with an
airy buoyancy of mind, towards a certain Event probably near, has got his young head inflated a littie, and
carries himself with a height new to this beloved Sister;but probably the sad humor of the Princess herself
has a good deal to do with it. Alas, the contrast between a heart knowing secretly its own bitterness, and a
friend's heart conscious of joy and triumph, is harsh and shocking to the former of the two! Here is the
Princess's account; with the subtrahend, twentyfive or seventyfive per cent, not deducted from it:
"My Brother arrived, the 5th of October. He seemed to me put out (DECONTENANCE); and to break off
conversation with me, he said he had to write to the King and Queen. I ordered him pen and paper. He wrote
in my room; and spent more than a good hour in writing a couple of Letters, of a line or two each. He then
had all the Court, one after the other, introduced to him; said nothing to any of them, looked merely with a
mocking air at them; after which we went to dinner.
"Here his whole conversation consisted in quizzing (TURLUPINER) whatever he saw; and repeating to me,
above a hundred times over, the words 'little Prince,' 'little Court.' I was shocked; and could not understand
how he had changed so suddenly towards me. The etiquette of all Courts in the Empire is, that nobody who
has not at the least the rank of Captain can sit at a Prince's table: my Brother put a Lieuteuant there, who was
in his suite; saying to me, 'A King's Lieutenants are as good as a Margraf's Ministers.' I swallowed this
incivility, and showed no sign.
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"After dinner, being alone with me, he said,"turning up the flippant side of his thoughts, truly, in a
questionable way: "'Our Sire is going to end (TIRE A SA FIN); he will not live out this month. I know I
have made you great promises; but I am not in a condition to keep them. I will give you up the Half of the
sum which the late King [our Grandfather] lent you; [Supra, pp. 161, 162.] I think you will have every reason
to be satisfied with that.' I answered, That my regard for him had never been of an interested nature; that I
would never ask anything of him, but the continuance of his friendship; and did not wish one sou, if it would
in the least inconvenience him. 'No, no,' said he, 'you shall have those 100,000 thalers; I have destined them
for you. People will be much surprised,' continued he, 'to see me act quite differently from what they had
expected. They imagine I am going to lavish all my treasures, and that money will become as common as
pebbles at Berlin: but they will find I know better. I mean to increase my Army, and to leave all other things
on the old footing. I will have every consideration for the Queen my Mother, and will sate her
(RASSASIERAI) with honors; but I do not mean that she shall meddle in my affairs; and if she try it, she will
find so.'" What a speech; what an outbreak of candor in the young man, preoccupied with his own great
thoughts and difficulties,to the exclusion of any other person's!
"I fell from the clouds, on hearing all that; and knew not if I was sleeping or waking. He then questioned me
on the affairs of this Country. I gave him the detail of them. He said to me: 'When your goose (BENET) of a
Fatherinlaw dies, I advise you to break up the whole Court, and reduce yourselves to the footing of a
private gentleman's establishment, in order to pay your debts. In real truth, you have no need of so many
people; and you must try also to reduce the wages of those whom you cannot help keeping. You have been
accustomed to live at Berlin with a table of four dishes; that is all you want here: and I will invite you now
and then to Berlin; which will spare table and housekeeping.'
"For a long while my heart had been getting big; I could not restrain my tears, at hearing all these indignities.
'Why do you cry?' said he: 'Ah, ah, you are in low spirits, I see. We must dissipate that dark humor. The
music waits us; I will drive that fit out of you by an air or two on the flute.' He gave me his hand, and led me
into the other room. I sat down to the harpsichord; which I inundated (INONDAI) with my tears. Marwitz
[my artful Demoiselle d'Atours, perhaps too artful in time coming] placed herself opposite me, so as to hide
from the others what disorder I was in.' [Wilhelmina, ii. 216218.]
For the last two days of the visit, Wilhelmina admits, her Brother was a little kinder. But on the fourth day
there came, by estafette, a Letter from the Queen, conjuring him to return without delay, the King growing
worse and worse. Wilhelmina, who loved her Father, and whose outlooks in case of his decease appeared to
be so little flattering, was overwhelmed with sorrow. Of her Brother, however, she strove to forget that
strange outbreak of candor; and parted with him as if all were mended between them again. Nay, the day after
his departure, there goes a beautifully affectionate Letter to him; which we could give, if there were room:
[ OEuvres, xxvii. part 1st, p. 23.] "the happiest time I ever in my life had;" "my heart so full of gratitude and
so sensibly touched;" "every one repeating the words 'dear Brother' and 'charming PrinceRoyal:'"a Letter
in very lively contrast to what we have just been reading. A PrinceRoyal not without charm, in spite of the
hard practicalities he is meditating, obliged to meditate!
As to the outbreak of candor, offensive to Wilhelmina and us, we suppose her report of it to be in substance
true, though of exaggerated, perhaps perverted tone; and it is worth the reader's note, with these deductions.
The truth is, our charming Princess is always liable to a certain subtrahend. In 1744, when she wrote those
Memoires, "in a Summerhouse at Baireuth," her Brother and she, owing mainly to gobetweens acting on
the susceptible female heart, were again in temporary quarrel (the longest and worst they ever had), and
hardly on speaking terms; which of itself made her heart very heavy;not to say that Marwitz, the too artful
Demoiselle, seemed to have stolen her Husband's affections from the poor Princess, and made the world look
all a little grim to her. These circumstances have given their color to parts of her Narrative, and are not to be
forgotten by readers.
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The CrownPrincewho goes by Dessau, lodging for a night with the Old Dessauer, and writes
affectionately to his Sister from that place, their Letters crossing on the roadgets home on the 12th to
Potsdam. October 12th, 1734, he has ended his Rhine Campaign, in that manner;and sees his poor Father,
with a great many other feelings besides those expressed in the dialogue at Baireuth.
Chapter XI. IN PAPA'S SICKROOM; PRUSSIAN INSPECTIONS: END OF
WAR.
It appears, Friedrich met a cordial reception in the sickroom at Potsdam; and, in spite of his levities to
Wilhelmina, was struck to the heart by what he saw there. For months to come, he seems to be continually
running between Potsdam and Ruppin, eager to minister to his sick Father, when military leave is procurable.
Other fact, about him, other aspect of him, in those months, is not on record for us.
Of his young Madam, or PrincessRoyal, peaceably resident at Berlin or at Schonhausen, and doing the
vacant officialities, formal visitings and the like, we hear nothing; of Queen Sophie and the others, nothing:
anxious, all of them, no doubt, about the event at Potsdam, and otherwise silent to us. His Majesty's illness
comes and goes; now hope, and again almost none. Margraf of Schwedt and his young Bride, we already
know, were married in November; and Lieutenant Chasot (two days old in Berlin) told us, there was Dinner
by the CrownPrince to all the Royal Family on that occasion;poor Majesty out at Potsdam languishing in
the background, meanwhile.
His Carnival the CrownPrince passes naturally at Berlin. We find he takes a good deal to the French
Ambassador, one Marquis de la Chetardie; a showy restless character, of fame in the Gazettes of that time;
who did much intriguing at Petersburg some years hence, first in a signally triumphant way, and then in a
signally untriumphant; and is not now worth any knowledge but a transient accidental one. Chetardie came
hither about Stanislaus and his affairs; tried hard, but in vain, to tempt Friedrich Wilhelm into
interference;is naturally anxious to captivate the CrownPrince, in present circumstances.
Friedrich Wilhelm lay at Potsdam, between death and life, for almost four months to come; the Newspapers
speculating much on his situation; political people extremely anxious what would become of him,or in
fact, when he would die; for that was considered the likely issue. Fassmann gives dolorous clippings from the
Leyden Gazette, all in a blubber of tears, according to the then fashion, but full of impertinent curiosity
withal. And from the Seckendorf private Papers there are Extracts of a still more inquisitive and notable
character: Seckendorf and the Kaiser having an intense interest in this painful occurrence.
Seckendorf is not now himself at Berlin; but running much about, on other errands; can only see Friedrich
Wilhelm, if at all, in a passing way. And even this will soon cease;and in fact, to us it is by far the most
excellent result of this FrenchAustrian War, that it carries Seckendorf clear away; who now quits Berlin and
the Diplomatic line, and obligingly goes out of our sight henceforth. The old OrdnanceMaster, as an
Imperial General of rank, is needed now for WarService, if he has any skill that way. In those late months,
he was duly in attendance at Philipsburg and the RhineCampaign, in a subaltern torpid capacity, like
BrunswickBevern and the others; ready for work, had there been any: but next season, he expects to have a
Division of his own, and to do something considerable.In regard to Berlin and the Diplomacies, he has
appointed a Nephew of his, a Seckendorf Junior, to take his place there; to keep the old machinery in gear, if
nothing more; and furnish copious reports during the present crisis. These Reports of Seckendorf
Juniorfull of eavesdroppings, got from a KAMMERMOHR (Nigger Lackey), who waits in the sickroom
at Potsdam, and is sensible to bribeshave been printed; and we mean to glance slightly into them. But as to
Seckendorf Senior, readers can entertain the fixed hope that they have at length done with him; that, in these
our premises, we shall never see him again;nay shall see him, on extraneous dim fields, far enough away,
smarting and suffering, till even we are almost sorry for the old knave!
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Friedrich Wilhelm's own prevailing opinion is, that he cannot recover. His bodily sufferings are great:
dropsically swollen, sometimes like to be choked: no bed that he can bear to lie on; oftenest rolls about in
a Bathchair; very heavyladen indeed; and I think of tenderer humor than in former sicknesses. To the Old
Dessauer he writes, few days after getting home to Potsdam: "I am ready to quit the world, as Your Dilection
knows, and has various times heard me say. One ship sails faster, another slower; but they come all to one
haven. Let it be with me, then, as the Most High has determined for me." [Orlich, Geschichte der
Schlesischen Kriege (Berlin, 1841), i. 14. "From the Dessau Archives; date, 21st September, 1734."] He has
settled his affairs, Fassmann says, so far as possible; settled the order of his funeral, How he is to be buried,
in the Garrison Church of Potsdam, without pomp or fuss, like a Prussian Soldier; and what regiment or
regiments it is that are to do the triple volley over him, by way of finis and long farewell. His soul's interests
too, we need not doubt he is in deep conference, in deep consideration about these; though nothing is said
on that point. A serious man always, much feeling what immense facts he was surrounded with; and here is
now the summing up of all facts. Occasionally, again, he has hopes; orders up "two hundred of his Potsdam
Giants to march through the sickroom," since he cannot get out to them; or old Generals, Buddenbrock,
Waldau, come and take their pipe there, in reminiscence of a Tabagie. Here, direct from the fountainhead, or
Nigger Lackey bribed by Seckendorf Junior, is a notice or two:
"POTSDAM, SEPTEMBER 3Oth, 1734. Yesterday, for half an hour, the King could get no breath: he keeps
them continually rolling him about" in his Bathchair, "over the room, and cries 'LUFT, LUFT (Air, air)!'
"OCTOBER 2d. The King is not going to die just yet; but will scarcely see Christmas. He gets on his clothes;
argues with the Doctors, is impatient; won't have people speak of his illness;is quite black in the face;
drinks nothing but MOLL [which we suppose to be small bitter beer], takes physic, writes in bed.
"OCTOBER 5th. The Nigger tells me things are better. The King begins to bring up phlegm; drinks a great
deal of oatmeal water [HAFERGRUTZWASSER, comfortable to the sick]; says to the Nigger: 'Pray
diligently, all of you; perhaps I shall not die!'"
October 5th: this is the day the CrownPrince arrives at Baireuth; to be called away by express four days
after. How valuable, at Vienna or elsewhere, our dark friend the Lackey's medical opinion is, may be
gathered from this other Entry, three weeks farther on,enough to suffice us on that head:
"The Nigger tells me he has a bad opinion of the King's health. If you roll the King a little fast in his
Bathchair, you hear the water jumble in his body,"with astonishment! "King gets into passions; has
beaten the pages [may we hope, our dark friend among the rest?], so that it was feared apoplexy would take
him."
This will suffice for the physiological part; let us now hear our poor friend on the CrownPrince and his
arrival:
"OCTOBER 12th. Return of the PrinceRoyal to Potsdam; tender reception.OCTOBER 21st. Things look
ill in Potsdam. The other leg is now also begun running; and above a quart (MAAS) of water has come from
it. Without a miracle, the King cannot live," thinks our dark friend. "The PrinceRoyal is truly affected
(VERITABLEMENT ATTENDRI) at the King's situation; has his eyes full of water, has wept the eyes out of
his head: has schemed in all ways to contrive a commodious bed for the King; wouldn't go away from
Potsdam. King forced him away; he is to return Saturday afternoon. The PrinceRoyal has been heard to say,
'If the King will let me live in my own way, I would give an arm to lengthen his life for twenty years.' King
always calls him Fritzchen. But Fritzchen," thinks Seckendorf Junior, "knows nothing about business. The
King is aware of it; and said in the face of him one day: 'If thou begin at the wrong end with things, and all go
topsyturvy after I am gone, I will laugh at thee out of my grave!'" [Seckendorf (BARON), Journal Secret;
cited in Forster, ii. 142.]
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So Friedrich Wilhelm; laboring amid the mortal quicksands; looking into the Inevitable, in various moods.
But the memorablest speech he made to Fritzchen or to anybody at present, was that covert one about the
Kaiser and Seckendorf, and the sudden flash of insight he got, from some word of Seckendorf's, into what
they had been meaning with him all along. Riding through the village of Priort, in debate about Vienna
politics of a strange nature, Seckendorf said something, which illuminated his Majesty, dark for so many
years, and showed him where he was. A ghastly horror of a country, yawning indisputable there; revealed to
one as if by momentary lightning, in that manner! This is a speech which all the ambassadors report, and
which was already mentioned by us,in reference to that opprobrious Proposal about the CrownPrince's
Marriage, "Marry with England, after all; never mind breaking your word!" Here is the manner of it, with
time and place:
"Sunday last," Sunday, 17th October, 1734, reports Seckendorf, Junior, through the Nigger or some better
witness, "the King said to the PrinceRoyal: 'My dear Son, I tell thee I got my death at Priort. I entreat thee,
above all things in the world, don't trust those people (DENEN LEUTEN), however many promises they
make. That day, it was April 17th, 1733, there was a man said something to me: it was as if you had turned a
dagger round in my heart.'" [Seckendorf (BARON), Journal Secret; cited in Forster, ii. 142.]
Figure that, spoken from amid the dark sick whirlpools, the mortal quicksands, in Friedrich Wilhelm's voice,
clangorously plaintive; what a wild sincerity, almost pathos, is in it; and whether Fritzchen, with his eyes all
bewept even for what Papa had suffered in that matter, felt lively gratitudes to the House of Austria at this
moment!
It was four months after, "21st January, 1735," [Fassmann, p. 533.] when the King first got back to Berlin, to
enlighten the eyes of the Carnival a little, as his wont had been. The crisis of his Majesty's illness is over,
present danger gone; and the Carnival people, not without some real gladness, though probably with less than
they pretend, can report him well again. Which is far from being the fact, if they knew it. Friedrich Wilhelm
is on his feet again; but he never more was well. Nor has he forgotten that word at Priort, "like the turning of
a dagger in one's heart;"and indeed gets himself continually reminded of it by practical commentaries from
the Vienna Quarter.
In April, Prince Lichtenstein arrives on Embassy with three requests or demands from Vienna: "1. That,
besides the Ten Thousand due by Treaty, his Majesty would send his Reich's Contingent," NOT
comprehended in those Ten Thousand, thinks the Kaiser. "2. That he would have the goodness to dismiss
Marquis de la Chetardie the French Ambassador, as a plainly superfluous person at a wellaffected German
Court in present circumstances;" person excessively dangerous, should the present Majesty die,
CrownPrince being so fond of that Chetardie. "3. That his Prussian Majesty do give up the false Polish
Majesty Stanislaus, and no longer harbor him in East Preussen or elsewhere." The whole of which demands
his Prussian Majesty refuses; the latter two especially, as something notably high on the Kaiser's part, or on
any mortal's, to a free Sovereign and Gentleman. Prince Lichtenstein is eloquent, conciliatory; but it avails
not. He has to go home emptyhanded;manages to leave with Herr von Suhm, who took care of it for us,
that Anecdote of the Crown Prince's behavior under cannonshot from Philipsburg last year; and does
nothing else recordable, in Berlin.
The CrownPrince's hopes were set, with all eagerness, on getting to the RhineCampaign next ensuing; nor
did the King refuse, for a long while, but still less did he consent; and in the end there came nothing of it.
From an early period of the year, Friedrich Wilhelm sees too well what kind of campaigning the Kaiser will
now make; at a certain Weddingdinner where his Majesty was, precisely a fortnight after his Majesty's
arrival in Berlin, Seckendorf Junior has got, by eavesdropping, this utterance of his Majesty's: "The Kaiser
has not a groschen of money. His Army in Lombardy is gone to twentyfour thousand men, will have to
retire into the Mountains. Next campaign [just coming], he will lose Mantua and the Tyrol. God's righteous
judgment it is: a War like this! Comes of flinging old principles overboard,of meddling in business that
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was none of yours;" and more, of a plangent alarming nature. [Forster, ii. 144 (and DATE it from Militair
Lexikon, ii. 54).]
Friedrich Wilhelm sends back his Ten Thousand, according to contract; sends, over and above, a beautiful
stock of "copper pontoons" to help the Imperial Majesty in that River Country, says Fassmann;sends also a
supernumerary Troop of Hussars, who are worth mentioning, "Sixscore horse of Hussar type," under one
Captain Ziethen, a taciturn, muchenduring, muchobserving man, whom we shall see again: these are to be
diligently helpful, as is natural; but they are also, for their own behoof, to be diligently observant, and learn
the Austrian Hussar methods, which his Majesty last year saw to be much superior. Nobody that knows
Ziethen doubts but he learnt; HussarColonel Baronay, his Austrian teacher here, became too well convinced
of it when they met on a future occasion. [ Life of Ziethen (veridical but inexact, by the Frau von Blumenthal,
a kinswoman of his; English Translation, very ill printed, Berlin, 1803), p. 54.] All this his Majesty did for
the ensuing campaign: but as to the CrownPrince's going thither, after repeated requests on his part, it is at
last signified to him, deep in the season, that it cannot be: "Won't answer for a CrownPrince to be sharer in
such a Campaign;be patient, my good Fritzchen, I will find other work for thee." [Friedrich's Letter, 5th
September, 1735; Friedrich Wilhelm's Answer next day ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d, 9395).]
Fritzchen is sent into Preussen, to do the Reviewings and Inspections there; Papa not being able for them this
season; and strict manifold Inspection, in those parts, being more than usually necessary, owing to the
RussianPolish troubles. On this errand, which is clearly a promotion, though in present circumstances not
a welcome one for the CrownPrince, he sets out without delay; and passes there the equinoctial and
autumnal season, in a much more useful way than he could have done in the RhineCampaign.
In the RhineMoselle Country and elsewhere the poor Kaiser does exert himself to make a Campaign of it;
but without the least success. Having not a groschen of money, how could he succeed? Noailles, as foreseen,
manoeuvres him, hitch after hitch, out of Italy; French are greatly superior, more especially when Montemar,
having once got Carlos crowned in Naples and put secure, comes to assist the French; Kaiser has to lean for
shelter on the Tyrol Alps, as predicted. Italy, all but some sieging of strongplaces, may be considered as lost
for the present.
Nor on the Rhine did things go better. Old Eugene, "the shadow of himself," had no more effect this year than
last: nor, though Lacy and Ten Thousand Russians came as allies, Poland being all settled now, could the
least good be done. Reich's Feldmarschall Karl Alexander of Wurtemberg did "burn a Magazine" (probably
of hay among better provender) by his bombshells, on one occasion. Also the Prussian Ten ThousandOld
Dessauer leading them, General Roder having fallen illburnt something: an Islet in the Rhine, if I recollect,
"Islet of Larch near Bingen," where the French had a post; which and whom the Old Dessauer burnt away.
And then Seckendorf, at the head of thirty thousand, he, after long delays, marched to Trarbach in the interior
Moselle Country; and got into some explosive sputter of battle with Belleisle, one afternoon, some say,
rather beating Belleisle; but a good judge says, it was a mutual flurry and terror they threw one another into.
[ OEuvres de Frederic, i. 168.] Seckendorf meant to try again on the morrow: but there came an estafette that
night: "Preliminaries signed (Vienna, 3d October, 1735);try no farther!" ["Cessation is to be, 5th
November for Germany, 15th for Italy; Preliminaries" were, Vienna, "3d October," 1735 (Scholl, ii. 945).]
And this was the second RhineCampaign, and the end of the Kaiser's French War. The SeaPowers, steadily
refusing money, diligently run about, offering terms of arbitration; and the Kaiser, beaten at every point, and
reduced to his last groschen, is obliged to comply. He will have a pretty bill to pay for his PolishElection
frolic, were the settlement done! Fleury is pacific, full of bland candor to the SeaPowers; the Kaiser, after
long higgling upon articles, will have to accept the bill.
The CrownPrince, meanwhile, has a successful journey into Preussen; sees new interesting scenes, Salzburg
Emigrants, exiled Polish Majesties; inspects the soldiering, the schooling, the tax gathering, the
domainfarming, with a perspicacity, a dexterity and completeness that much pleases Papa. Fractions of the
Reports sent home exist for us: let the reader take a glance of one only; the first of the series; dated
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MARIENWERDER (just across the Weichsel, fairly out of Polish Preussen and into our own), 27th
September, 1735, and addressed to the "Most Allgracious King and Father;"abridged for the reader's
behoof:
... "In Polish Preussen, lately the Seat of War, things look hideously waste; one sees nothing but women and a
few children; it is said the people are mostly running away,"owing to the RussianPolish procedures there,
in consequence of the blessed Election they have had. King August, whom your Majesty is not in love with,
has prevailed at this rate of expense. King Stanislaus, protected by your Majesty in spite of Kaisers and
Czarinas, waits in Konigsberg, till the Peace, now supposed to be coming, say what is to become of him:
once in Konigsberg, I shall have the pleasure to see him. "A detachment of fiveandtwenty Saxon Dragoons
of the Regiment Arnstedt, marching towards Dantzig, met me: their horses were in tolerable case; but some
are piebald, some sorrel, and some brown among them," which will be shocking to your Majesty, "and the
people did not look well." ...
"Got hither to Marienwerder, last night: have inspected the two Companies which are here, that is to say,
LieutenantCol. Meier's and Rittmeister Haus's. In very good trim, both of them; and though neither the men
nor their horses are of extraordinary size, they are handsome welldrilled fellows, and a fine set of stiffbuilt
horses (GEDRUNGENEN PFERDEN). The fellows sit them like pictures (REITEN WIE DIE PUPPEN; I
saw them do their wheelings. Meier has some fine recruits; in particular two;"nor has the Rittmeister been
wanting in that respect. "Young horses" too are coming well on, sleek of skin. In short, all is right on the
military side. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d, p. 97.]
Civil business, too, of all kinds, the CrownPrince looked into, with a sharp intelligent eye;gave praise,
gave censure in the right place; put various things on a straight footing, which were awry when he found
them. In fact, it is Papa's second self; looks into the bottom of all things quite as Papa would have done, and
is fatal to mendacities, practical or vocal, wherever he meets them. What a joy to Papa: "Here, after all, is one
that can replace me, in case of accident. This Apprentice of mine, after all, he has fairly learned the Art; and
will continue it when I am gone!"
Yes, your Majesty, it is a PrinceRoyal wise to recognize your Majesty's rough wisdom, on all manner of
points; will not be a Devil'sFRIEND, I think, any more than your Majesty was. Here truly are rare talents;
like your Majesty and unlike; and has a steady swiftness in him, as of an eagle, over and above! Such
powers of practical judgment, of skilful action, are rare in one's twentythird year. And still rarer, have
readers noted what a power of holding his peace this young man has? Fruit of his sufferings, of the hard life
he has had. Most important power; under which all other useful ones will more and more ripen for him. This
Prince already knows his own mind, on a good many points; privately, amid the world's vague clamor
jargoning round him to no purpose, he is capable of having HIS mind made up into definite Yes and No,so
as will surprise us one day.
Friedrich Wilhelm, we perceive, [His Letter, 24th October, 1735. (Ib. p. 99).] was in a high degree content
with this performance of the Prussian Mission: a very great comfort to his sick mind, in those months and
afterwards. Here are talents, here are qualities, visibly the FriedrichWilhelm stuff throughout, but cast in
an infinitely improved type:what a blessing we did not cut off that young Head, at the Kaiser's dictation, in
former years!
At Konigsberg, as we learn in a dim indirect manner, the Crown Prince sees King Stanislaus twice or
thrice,not formally, lest there be political offence taken, but incidentally at the houses of
thirdparties;and is much pleased with the old gentleman; who is of cultivated goodnatured ways, and
has surely many curious things, from Charles XII. downwards, to tell a young man. [Came 8th October, went
21st ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d, p. 98).] Stanislaus has abundance of useless refugee Polish
Magnates about him, with their useless crowds of servants, and no money in pocket; Konigsberg all on
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flutter, with their draperies and them, "like a little Warsaw:" so that Stanislaus's big French pension, moderate
Prussian monthly allowance, and all resources, are inadequate; and, in fact, in the end, these Magnates had to
vanish, many of them, without settling their accounts in Konigsberg. [History of Stanislaus. ] For the present
they wait here, Stanislaus and they, till Fleury and the Kaiser, shaking the urn of doom in abstruse treaty after
battle, decide what is to become of them.
Friedrich returned to Dantzig: saw that famous City, and late scene of War; tracing with lively interest the
footsteps of Munnich and his Siege operations,some of which are much blamed by judges, and by this
young Soldier among the rest. There is a pretty Letter of his from Dantzig, turning mainly on those points.
Letter written to his young Brotherinlaw, Karl of Brunswick, who is now become Duke there; Grandfather
and Father both dead; [Grandfather, 1st March, 1735; Father (who lost the Lines of Ettlingen lately in our
sight), 3d September, 1735. Supra, vol. vi. p. 372.] and has just been blessed with an Heir, to boot.
Congratulation on the birth of this Heir is the formal purport of the Letter, though it runs ever and anon into a
military strain. Here are some sentences in a condensed form:
"DANTZIG, 26th OCTOBER, 1735. ... Thank my dear Sister for her services. I am charmed that she has
made you papa with so good a grace. I fear you won't stop there; but will go on peopling the world"one
knows not to what extent"with your amiable race. Would have written sooner; but I am just returning from
the depths of the barbarous Countries; and having been charged with innumerable commissions which I did
not understand too well, had no good possibility to think or to write.
"I have viewed all the Russian labors in these parts; have had the assault on the Hagelsberg narrated to me;
been on the grounds; and own I had a better opinion of Marshal Munnich than to think him capable of so
distracted an enterprise. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 2d, p. 31. Pressed for time, and in want of
batteringcannon, he attempted to seize this Hagelsberg, one of the outlying defences of Dantzig, by
nocturnal storm; lost two thousand men; and retired, WITHOUT doing "what was flatly impossible," thinks
the CrownPrince. See Mannstein, pp. 7779, for an account of it.] ... Adieu, my dear Brother. My
compliments to the amiable young Mother. Tell her, I beg you, that her proofessays are masterpieces
(COUPS D'ESSAI SONT DES COUPS DE MAITRE)." ...
"Your most,"
"FREDERIC."
The Brunswick Masterpiece, achieved on this occasion, grew to be a man and Duke, famous enough in the
Newspapers in time coming: Champagne, 1792; Jena, 1806; George IV.'s Queen Caroline; these and other
distracted phenomena (pretty much blotting out the earlier better sort) still keep him hanging painfully in
men's memory. From his birth, now in this Prussian Journey of our Crown Prince, to his deathstroke on the
Field of Jena, what a seventy one years!
Fleury and the Kaiser, though it is long before the signature and last finish can take place, are come to terms
of settlement, at the CrownPrince's return; and it is known, in political circles, what the Kaiser's
PolishElection damages will probably amount to. Here are, in substance, the only conditions that could be
got for him:
"1. Baby Carlos, crowned in Naples, cannot be pulled out again: Naples, the Two Sicilies, are gone without
return. That is the first loss; please Heaven it be the worst! On the other hand, Baby Carlos will, as some faint
compensation, surrender to your Imperial Majesty his Parma and Piacenza apanages; and you shall get back
your Lombardy,all but a scantling which we fling to the Sardinian Majesty; who is a good deal huffed,
having had possession of the Milanese these two years past, in terms of his bargain with Fleury. Pacific
Fleury says to him: 'Bargain cannot be kept, your Majesty; please to quit the Milanese again, and put up with
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this scantling.'
"2. The Crown of Poland, August III. has got it, by Russian bombardings and other measures: Crown shall
stay with August,all the rather as there would be no dispossessing him, at this stage. He was your Imperial
Majesty's Candidate; let him be the winner there, for your Imperial Majesty's comfort.
"3. And then as to poor Stanislaus? Well, let Stanislaus be Titular Majesty of Poland for life;which indeed
will do little for him:but in addition, we propose, That, the Dukedom of Lorraine being now in our hands,
Majesty Stanislaus have the liferent of Lorraine to subsist upon; andand that Lorraine fall to us of France
on his decease!'Lorraine?' exclaim the Kaiser, and the Reich, and the Kaiser's intended Soninlaw Franz
Duke of Lorraine. There is indeed a loss and a disgrace; a heavy item in the Election damages!
"4. As to Duke Franz, there is a remedy. The old Duke of Florence, last of the Medici, is about to die
childless: let the now Duke of Lorraine, your Imperial Majesty's intended Soninlaw, have Florence
instead.And so it had to be settled. 'Lorraine? To Stanislaus, to France?' exclaimed the poor Kaiser, still
more the poor Reich, and poor Duke Franz. This was the bitterest cut of all; but there was no getting past it.
This too had to be allowed, this item for the Election breakages in Poland. And so France, after nibbling for
several centuries, swallows Lorraine whole. Duke Franz attempted to stand out; remonstrated much, with
Kaiser and Hofrath, at Vienna, on this unheardof proposal: but they told him it was irremediable; told him at
last (one Bartenstein, a famed Aulic Official, told him), 'No Lorraine, no Archduchess, your Serenity!'and
Franz had to comply, Lorraine is gone; cunning Fleury has swallowed it whole. 'That was what he meant in
picking this quarrel.!' said Teutschland mournfully. Fleury was very pacific, candid in aspect to the
SeaPowers and others; and did not crow afflictively, did not say what he had meant.
"5. One immense consolation for the Kaiser, if for no other, is: France guarantees the Pragmatic
Sanction,though with very great difficulty; spending a couple of years, chiefly on this latter point as was
thought. [Treaty on it not signed till 18th November, 1738 (Scholl, ii. 246).] How it kept said guarantee, will
be seen in the sequel."
And these were the damages the poor Kaiser had to pay for meddling in Polish Elections;for galloping
thither in chase of his Shadows. No such account of broken windows was ever presented to a man before.
This may be considered as the consummation of the Kaiser's ShadowHunt; or at least its igniting and
exploding point. His Duel with the Termagant has at last ended; in total defeat to him on every point.
ShadowHunt does not end; though it is now mostly vanished; exploded in fire. ShadowHunt is now gone
all to Pragmatic Sanction, as it were: that now is the one thing left in Nature for a Kaiser; and that he will
love, and chase, as the summary of all things. From this point he steadily goes down, and at a rapid
rate;getting into disastrous Turk Wars, with as little preparation for War or Fact as a lifelong Hunt of
SHADOWS presupposes; Eugene gone from him, and nothing but Seckendorfs to manage for him;and
sinks to a low pitch indeed. We will leave him here; shall hope to see but little more of him.
In the Summer of 1736, in consequence of these arrangements, which were completed so far, though
difficulties on Pragmatic Sanction and other points retarded the final signature for many months longer,the
Titular Majesty Stanislaus girt himself together for departure towards his new Dominion or Liferent; quitted
Konigsberg; traversed Prussian Poland, safe this time, "under escort of LieutenantGeneral von Katte [our
poor Katte of Custrin's Father] and fifty cuirassiers;" reached Berlin in the middle of May, under flowerier
aspects than usual. He travelled under the title of "Count" Something, and alighted at the French
Ambassador's in Berlin: but Friedrich Wilhelm treated him like a real Majesty, almost like a real Brother; had
him over to the Palace; rushed out to meet him there, I forget how many steps beyond the proper limits; and
was hospitality itself and munificence itself;and, in fact, that night and all the other nights, "they smoked
above thirty pipes together," for one item. May 21st, 1736, [Forster (i. 227), following loose Pollnitz (ii. 478),
dates it 1735: a more considerable error, if looked into, than is usual in Herr Forster; who is not an
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illinformed nor inexact man;though, alas, in respect of method (that is to say, want of visible method,
indication, or human arrangement), probably the most confused of all the Germans!] ExMajesty Stanislaus
went on his way again; towards France,towards Meudon, a quiet Royal House in France,till Luneville,
Nanci, and their Lorraine Palaces are quite ready. There, in these latter, he at length does find restingplace,
poor innocent insipid mortal, after such tossings to and fro: and M. de Voltaire, and others of mark, having
sometimes enlivened the insipid Court there, Titular King Stanislaus has still a kind of remembrance among
mankind.
Of his Prussian Majesty we said that, though the Berlin populations reported him well again, it was not so.
The truth is, his Majesty was never well again. From this point, age only forty seven, he continues broken in
bodily constitution; clogged more and more with physical impediments; and his History, personal and
political withal, is as that of an old man, finishing his day. To the last he pulls steadily, neglecting no
business, suffering nothing to go wrong. Building operations go on at Berlin; pushed more than ever, in these
years, by the rigorous Derschau, who has got that in charge. No man of money or rank in Berlin but Derschau
is upon him, with heavier and heavier compulsion to build: which is felt to be tyrannous; and occasions an
ever deepening grumble among the moneyed classes. At Potsdam his Majesty himself is the Builder; and
gives the Houses away to persons of merit. [Pollnitz, ii. 469.]
Nor is the Army less an object, perhaps almost more. Nay, at one time, old KurPfalz being reckoned in a
dying condition, Friedrich Wilhelm is about ranking his men, prepared to fight for his rights in Julich and
Berg; Kaiser having openly gone over, and joined with France against his Majesty in that matter. However,
the old KurPfalz did not die, and there came nothing of fight in Friedrich Wilhelm's time. But his History,
on the political side, is henceforth mainly a commentary to him on that "word" he heard in Priort, "which was
as if you had turned a dagger in my heart!" With the Kaiser he has fallen out: there arise unfriendly passages
between them, sometimes sarcastic on Friedrich Wilhelm's part, in reference to this very War now ended.
Thus, when complaint rose about the Prussian misbehaviors on their late marches (misbehaviors notable in
Countries where their recruiting operations had been troubled), the Kaiser took a high severe tone, not
assuaging, rather aggravating the matter; and, for his own share, winded up by a strict prohibition of Prussian
recruiting in any and every part of the Imperial Dominions. Which Friedrich Wilhelm took extremely ill. This
is from a letter of his to the CrownPrince, and after the first gust of wrath had spent itself: "It is a clear
disadvantage, this prohibition of recruiting in the Kaiser's Countries. That is our thanks for the Ten Thousand
men sent him, and for all the deference I have shown the Kaiser at all times; and by this you may see that it
would be of no use if one even sacrificed oneself to him. So long as they need us, they continue to flatter; but
no sooner is the strait thought to be over, and help not wanted, than they pull off the mask, and have not the
least acknowledgment. The considerations that will occur to you on this matter may put it in your power to be
prepared against similar occasions in time coming." [6th February, 1736: OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d,
p. 102.]
Thus, again, in regard to the winterquarters of the Ziethen Hussars. Prussian Majesty, we recollect, had sent
a Supernumerary Squadron to the last Campaign on the Rhine. They were learning their business, Friedrich
Wilhelm knew; but also were fighting for the Kaiser,that was what the Kaiser knew about them. Somewhat
to his surprise, in the course of next year, Friedrich Wilhelm received, from the Vienna WarOffice, a little
Bill of 10,284 florins (1,028 pounds 8 shillings) charged to him for the winter quarters of these Hussars. He
at once paid the little Bill, with only this observation: "Heartily glad that I can help the Imperial AERARIUM
with that 1,028 pounds 8 shillings. With the sincerest wishes for hundredthousandfold increase to it in said
AERARIUM; otherwise it won't go very far!" [Letter to Seckendorf (SENIOR): Forster, ii. 150.]
At a later period, in the course of his disastrous Turk War, the Kaiser, famishing for money, set about
borrowing a million gulden (l00,000 pounds) from the Banking House Splittgerber and Daun at Berlin.
Splittgerber and Daun had not the money, could not raise it: "Advance us that sum, in their name, your
Majesty," proposes the Vienna Court: "There shall be threepercent bonus, interest six per cent, and
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security beyond all question!" To which fine offer his Majesty answers, addressing Seckendorf Junior:
"Touching the proposal of my giving the Bankers Splittgerber and Daun a lift, with a million gulden, to assist
in that loan of theirs, said proposal, as I am not a merchant accustomed to deal in profits and percentages,
cannot in that form take effect. Out of old friendship, however, I am, on TheirO Imperial Majesty's request,
extremely ready to pay down, once and away (A FOND PERDU), a couple of million gulden, provided the
Imperial Majesty will grant me the conditions known to your Uncle [FULFILMENT of that now oldish
JulichandBerg promise, namely!] which are FAIR. In such case the thing shall be rapidly completed!"
[Forster, ii. 151 (without DATE there).]
In a word, Friedrich Wilhelm falls out with the Kaiser more and more; experiences more and more what a
Kaiser this has been towards him. Queen Sophie has fallen silent in the History Books; both the Majesties
may look remorsefully, but perhaps best in silence, over the breakages and wrecks this Kaiser has brought
upon them. Friedrich Wilhelm does not meanly hate the Kaiser: good man, he sometimes pities him;
sometimes, we perceive, has a touch of authentic contempt for him. But his thoughts, in that quarter,
premature old age aggravating them, are generally of a tragic nature, not to be spoken without tears; and the
tears have a flash at the bottom of them, when he looks round on Fritz and says, "There is one, though, that
will avenge me!" Friedrich Wilhelm, to the last a broad strong phenomenon, keeps wending downward,
homeward, from this point; the Kaiser too, we perceive, is rapidly consummating his enormous
SpectreHunts and Duels with Termagants, and before long will be at rest. We have wellnigh done with
both these Majesties.
The CrownPrince, by his judicious obedient procedures in these Four Years at Ruppin, at a distance from
Papa, has, as it were, completed his APPRENTICESHIP; and, especially by this last InspectionJourney into
Preussen, may be said to have delivered his PROOFESSAY with a distinguished success. He is now out of
his Apprenticeship; entitled to take up his Indentures, whenever need shall be. The rugged old Master cannot
but declare him competent, qualified to try his own hand without supervision:after all those unheardof
confusions, like to set the shop on fire at one time, it is a blessedly successful Apprenticeship! Let him now,
theoretically at least, in the realms of Art, Literature, Spiritual Improvement, do his WANDERJAHRE, over
at Reinsberg, still in the old region,still well apart from Papa, who agrees best NOT in immediate
contact;and be happy in the new Domesticities, and larger opportunities, provided for him there; till a
certain time come, which none of us are in haste for.
BOOK X. AT REINSBERG. 17361740.
Chapter I. MANSION OF REINSBERG.
On the CrownPrince's Marriage, three years ago, when the AMT or GovernmentDistrict RUPPIN, with its
incomings, was assigned to him for revenue, we heard withal of a residence getting ready. Hint had fallen
from the Prince, that Reinsberg, an old Country seat, standing with its Domain round it in that little
Territory of Ruppin, and probably purchasable as was understood, might be pleasant, were it once his and
well put in repair. Which hint the kind paternal Majesty instantly proceeded to act upon. He straightway gave
orders for the purchase of Reinsberg; concluded said purchase, on fair terms, after some months' bargaining;
[23d October, 1733, order given,16th March, 1734, purchase completed (Preuss, i. 75).]and set his best
Architect, one Kemeter, to work, in concert with the CrownPrince, to new build and enlarge the decayed
Schloss of Reinsberg into such a Mansion as the young Royal Highness and his Wife would like.
Kemeter has been busy, all this while; a solid, elegant, yet frugal builder: and now the main body of the
Mansion is complete, or nearly so, the wings and adjuncts going steadily forward; Mansion so far ready that
the Royal Highnesses can take up their abode in it. Which they do, this Autumn, 1736; and fairly commence
Joint Housekeeping, in a permanent manner. Hitherto it has been intermittent only: hitherto the
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CrownPrincess has resided in their Berlin Mansion, or in her own Countryhouse at Schonhausen; Husband
not habitually with her, except when on leave of absence from Ruppin, in Carnival time or for shorter
periods. At Ruppin his life has been rather that of a bachelor, or husband abroad on business; up to this time.
But now at Reinsberg they do kindle the sacred hearth together; "6th August, 1736," the date of that
important event. They have got their Court about them, dames and cavaliers more than we expected; they
have arranged the furnitures of their existence here on fit scale, and set up their Lares and Penates on a thrifty
footing. Majesty and Queen come out on a visit to them next month; [4th September, 1736 (Ib.).]raising
the sacred hearth into its first considerable blaze, and crowning the operation in a human manner.
And so there has a new epoch arisen for the CrownPrince and his Consort. A new, and muchimproved one.
It lasted into the fourth year; rather improving all the way: and only Kingship, which, if a higher sphere, was
a far less pleasant one, put an end to it. Friedrich's happiest time was this at Reinsberg; the little Four Years
of Hope, Composure, realizable Idealism: an actual snatch of something like the Idyllic, appointed him in a
lifepilgrimage consisting otherwise of realisms oftenest contradictory enough, and sometimes of very grim
complexion. He is master of his work, he is adjusted to the practical conditions set him; conditions once
complied with, daily work done, he lives to the Muses, to the spiritual improvements, to the social
enjoyments; and has, though not without flaws of illweather,from the TobaccoParliament perhaps rather
less than formerly, and from the Financequarter perhaps rather more,a sunny time. His innocent insipidity
of a Wife, too, appears to have been happy. She had the charm of youth, of good looks; a wholesome perfect
loyalty of character withal; and did not "take to pouting," as was once apprehended of her, but pleasantly
gave and received of what was going. This poor Crown Princess, afterwards Queen, has been heard, in her
old age, reverting, in a touching transient way, to the glad days she had at Reinsberg. Complaint openly was
never heard from her, in any kind of days; but these doubtless were the best of her life.
Reinsberg, we said, is in the AMT Ruppin; naturally under the Crown Prince's government at present: the
little Town or Village of Reinsberg stands about, ten miles north of the Town Ruppin; not quite a
thirdpart as big as Ruppin is in our time, and much more pleasantly situated. The country about is of
comfortable, not unpicturesque character; to be distinguished almost as beautiful, in that region of sand and
moor. Lakes abound in it; tilled fields; heights called "hills;" and wood of fair growth,one reads of
"beechavenues" of "high lindenavenues:"a country rather of the ornamented sort, before the Prince with
his improvements settled there. Many lakes and lakelets in it, as usual hereabouts; the loitering waters
straggle, all over that region, into meshes of lakes. Reinsberg itself, Village and Schloss, stands on the edge
of a pleasant Lake, last of a mesh of such: the SUMMARY, or outfall, of which, already here a good strong
brook or stream, is called the RHEIN, Rhyn or Rein; and gives name to the little place. We heard of the Rein
at Ruppin: it is there counted as a kind of river; still more, twenty miles farther down, where it falls into the
Havel, on its way to the Elbe. The waters, I think, are drabcolored, not peatbrown: and here, at the source,
or outfall from that mesh of lakes, where Reinsberg is, the country seems to be about the best;sufficient, in
picturesqueness and otherwise, to satisfy a reasonable man.
The little Town is very old; but, till the CrownPrince settled there, had no peculiar vitality in it. I think there
are now some potteries, glassmanufactories: Friedrich Wilhelm, just while the CrownPrince was removing
thither, settled a first Glasswork there; which took good root, and rose to eminence in the crystal,
Bohemiancrystal, whiteglass, cutglass, and other commoner lines, in the CrownPrince's time.
[ Bescheibung des Lutschlosses zu Reinsberg (Berlin, 1788); Author, a "Lieutenant Hennert," thoroughly
acquainted with his subject.]
Reinsberg stands on the east or southeast side of its pretty Lake: Lake is called "the GRINERICK SEE" (as
all those remote Lakes have their names); Mansion is between the Town and Lake. A Mansion fronting, we
may say, four ways; for it is of quadrangular form, with a wet moat from the Lake begirdling it, and has a
spacious court for interior: but the principal entrance is from the Town side; for the rest, the Building is ashlar
on all sides, front and rear. Stands there, handsomely abutting on the Lake with two Towers, a Tower at each
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angle, which it has on that lakeward side; and looks, over Reinsberg, and its steeple rising amid friendly
umbrage which hides the housetops, towards the rising sun. Townward there is room for a spacious
esplanade; and then for the stables, outbuildings, well masked; which still farther shut off the Town. To this
day, Reinsberg stands with the air of a solid respectable Edifice; still massive, raintight, though long since
deserted by the Princeships,by Friedrich nearly sixscore years ago, and nearly threescore by Prince Henri,
Brother of Friedrich's, who afterwards had it. Last accounts I got were, of talk there had risen of planting an
extensive NORMALSCHOOL there; which promising plan had been laid aside again for the time.
The old Schloss, residence of the Bredows and other feudal people for a long while, had good solid masonry
in it, and around it orchards, potherb gardens; which Friedrich Wilhelm's Architects took good care to extend
and improve, not to throw away: the result of their art is what we see, a beautiful CountryHouse, what might
be called a CountryPalace with all its adjuncts;and at a rate of expense which would fill English readers,
of this time, with amazement. Much is admirable to us as we study Reinsberg, what it had been, what it
became, and how it was made; but nothing more so than the small modicum of money lt cost. To our
wondering thought, it seems as if the shilling, in those parts, were equal to the guinea in these; and the reason,
if we ask it, is by no means flattering altogether. "Change in the value of money?" Alas, reader, no; that is not
above the fourth part of the phenomenon. Threefourths of the phenomenon are change in the methods of
administering money,difference between managing it with wisdom and veracity on both sides, and
managing it with unwisdom and mendacity on both sides. Which is very great indeed; and infinitely sadder
than any one, in these times, will believe! But we cannot dwell on this consideration. Let the reader take it
with him, as a constant accompaniment in whatever work of Friedrich Wilhelm's or of Friedrich his Son's, he
now or at any other time may be contemplating. Impious waste, which means disorder and dishonesty, and
loss of much other than money to all, parties,disgusting aspect of human creatures, master and servant,
working together as if they were not human,will be spared him in those foreign departments; and in an
English heart thoughts will arise, perhaps, of a wholesome tendency, though very sad, as times are.
It would but weary the reader to describe this CrownPrince Mansion; which, by desperate study of our
abstruse materials, it is possible to do with auctioneer minuteness. There are engraved VIEWS of Reinsberg
and its Environs; which used to lie conspicuous in the portfolios of collectors,which I have not seen. [See
Hennert, just cited, for the titles of them.] Of the House itself, engraved Frontages (FACADES),
Groundplans, are more accessible; and along with them, descriptions which are little
descriptive,wearisomely detailed, and as it were dark by excess of light (auctioneer light) thrown on them.
The reader sees, in general, a fine symmetrical Block of Buildings, standing in rectangular shape, in the
above locality;about two hundred English feet, each, the two longer sides measure, the Townward and the
Lakeward, on their outer front: about a hundred and thirty, each, the two shorter; or a hundred and fifty,
taking in their Towers just spoken of. The fourth or Lakeward side, however, which is one of the longer pair,
consists mainly of "Colonnade;" spacious Colonnade "with vases and statues;" catching up the outskirts of
said Towers, and handsomely uniting everything.
Beyond doubt, a dignified, substantial pile of stonework; all of good proportions. Architecture everywhere
of cheerfully serious, solidly graceful character; all of sterling ashlar; the due RISALITES (projecting spaces)
with their attics and statues atop, the due architraves, cornices and corbels,in short the due opulence of
ornament being introduced, and only the due. Genuine sculptors, genuine painters, artists have been busy; and
in fact all the suitable fine arts, and all the necessary solid ones, have worked together, with a noticeable
fidelity, comfortable to the very beholder to this day. General height is about forty feet; two stories of ample
proportions: the Towers overlooking them are sixty feet in height. Extent of outer frontage, if you go all
round, and omit the Colonnade, will be five hundred feet and more: this, with the rearward face, is a thousand
feet of room frontage:fancy the extent of lodging space. For "all the kitchens and appurtenances are
underground;" the "left front" (which is a new part of the Edifice) rising comfortably over these. Windows I
did not count; but they must go high up into the Hundreds. No end to lodging space. Way in a detached
sideedifice subsequently built, called Cavalier House, I read of there being, for one item, "fifty lodging
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rooms," and for another "a theatre." And if an English Duke of Trumps were to look at the bills for all that,
his astonishment would be extreme, and perhaps in a degree painful and salutary to him.
In one of these Towers the CrownPrince has his Library: a beautiful apartment; nothing wanting to it that
the arts could furnish, "ceiling done by Pesne" with allegorical geniuses and what not,looks out on mere
sky, mere earth and water in an ornamental state: silent as in Elysium. It is there we are to fancy the
Correspondence written, the Poetries and literary industries going on. There, or stepping down for a turn in
the open air, or sauntering meditatively under the Colonnade with its statues and vases (where weather is no
object), one commands the Lake, with its little tufted Islands, "Remus Island" much famed among them, and
"high beechwoods" on the farther side. The Lake is very pretty, all say; lying between you and the
sunset;with perhaps some other lakelet, or solitary pool in the wilderness, many miles away, "revealing
itself as a cup of molten gold," at that interesting moment. What the BookCollection was, in the interior, I
know not except by mere guess.
The CrownPrincess's Apartment, too, which remained unaltered at the last accounts had of it, [From
Hennert, namely, in 1778.] is very fine;take the anteroom for specimen: "This fine room," some twenty
feet height of ceiling, "has six windows; three of them, in the main front, looking towards the Town, the other
three, towards the Interior Court. The light from these windows is heightened by mirrors covering all the
piers (SCHAFTE, interspaces of the walls), to an uncommonly splendid pitch; and shows the painting of the
ceiling, which again is by the famous Pesne, to much perfection. The Artist himself, too, has managed to lay
on his colors there so softly, and with such delicate skill, that the lightbeams seem to prolong themselves in
the painted clouds and air, as if it were the real sky you had overhead." There in that cloudregion "Mars is
being disarmed by the Lovegoddesses, and they are sporting with his weapons. He stretches out his arm
towards the Goddess, who looks upon him with fond glances. Cupids are spreading out a draping." That is
Pesne's luxurious performance in the ceiling."Weaponfestoons, in bassorelievo, gilt, adorn the walls of
this room; and two Pictures, also by Pesne, which represent, in life size, the late King and Queen [our good
friends Friedrich Wilhelm and his Sophie], are worthy of attention. Over each of the doors, you find in
lowrelief the Profiles of Hannibal, Pompey, Scipio, Caesar, introduced as Medallions."
All this is very fine; but all this is little to another ceiling, in some big Saloon elsewhere, Musicsaloon, I
think: Black Night, making off, with all her sickly dews, at one end of the ceiling; and at the other end, the
Steeds of Phoebus bursting forth, and the glittering shafts of Day,with Cupids, Lovegoddesses, War
gods, not omitting Bacchus and his vines, all getting beautifully awake in consequence. A very fine room
indeed;used as a Music saloon, or I know not what,and the ceiling of it almost an ideal, say the
connoisseurs.
Endless gardens, pavilions, grottos, hermitages, orangeries, artificial ruins, parks and pleasances surround this
favored spot and its Schloss; nothing wanting in it that a Prince's establishment needs,except indeed it be
hounds, for which this Prince never had the least demand.
Except the old Ruppin duties, which imply continual journeyings thither, distance only a morning's ride;
except these, and occasional commissions from Papa, Friedrich is left master of his time and pursuits in this
new Mansion. There are visits to Potsdam, periodical appearances at Berlin; some Correspondence to keep
the TobaccoParliament in tune. But Friedrich's taste is for the Literatures, Philosophies: ayoung Prince
bent seriously to cultivate his mind; to attain some clear knowledge of this world, so allimportant to him.
And he does seriously read, study and reflect a good deal; his main recreations, seemingly, are Music, and the
converse of wellinformed, friendly men. In Music we find him particularly rich. Daily, at a fixed hour of the
afternoon, there is concert held; the reader has seen in what kind of room: and if the Artists entertained here
for that function were enumerated (high names, not yet forgotten in the Musical world), it would still more
astonish readers. I count them to the number of twenty or nineteen; and mention only that "the two Brothers
Graun" and "the two Brothers Benda" were of the lot; suppressing four other Fiddlers of eminence, and "a
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Pianist who is known to everybody." [Hennert, p. 21.] The Prince has a fine sensibility to Music: does
himself, with thrilling adagios on the flute, join in these harmonious acts; and, no doubt, if rightly vigilant
against the Nonsenses, gets profit, now and henceforth, from this part of his resources.
He has visits, calls to make, on distinguished persons within reach; he has much Correspondence, of a
Literary or Social nature. For instance, there is Suhm the Saxon Envoy translating Wolf's Philosophy into
French for him; sending it in fascicles; with endless Letters to and from, upon it,which were then highly
interesting, but are now dead to every reader. The CrownPrince has got a PostOffice established at
Reinsberg; leathern functionary of some sort comes lumbering round, southward, "from the Mecklenburg
quarter twice a week, and goes by Fehrbellin," for the benefit of his Correspondences. Of his calls in the
neighborhood, we mean to show the reader one sample, before long; and only one.
There are Lists given us of the Prince's "Court" at Reinsberg; and one reads, and again reads, the dreariest
unmemorable accounts of them; but cannot, with all one's industry, attain any definite understanding of what
they were employed in, day after day, at Reinsberg:still more are their salaries and maintenance a mystery
to us, in that frugal establishment. There is Wolden for Hofmarschall, our old Custrin friend; there is Colonel
Senning, old Marlborough Colonel with the wooden leg, who taught Friedrich his drillings and
artillerypractices in boyhood, a fine sagacious old gentleman this latter. There is a M. Jordan, ExPreacher,
an ingenious PrussianFrenchman, still young, who acts as "Reader and Librarian;" of whom we shall hear a
good deal more. "Intendant" is Captain (ExCaptain) Knobelsdorf; a very sensible accomplished man, whom
we saw once at Baireuth; who has been to Italy since, and is now returned with beautiful talents for
Architecture: it is he that now undertakes the completing of Reinsberg, [Hennert, p. 29.] which he will
skilfully accomplish in the course of the next three years. Twenty Musicians on wind or string; Painters,
Antoine Pesne but one of them; Sculptors, Glume and others of eminence; and HofCavaliers, to we know
not what extent:how was such a Court kept up, in harmonious free dignity, and no halt in its finances, or
mean pinch of any kind visible? The Prince did get in debt; but not deep, and it was mainly for the tall
recruits he had to purchase. His moneyaccounts are by no means fully known to me: but I should question if
his expenditure (such is my guess) ever reached 3,000 pounds a year; and am obliged to reflect more and
more, as the ancient Cato did, what an admirable revenue frugality is!
Many of the Cavaliers, I find, for one thing, were of the Regiment Goltz; that was one evident economy.
"Rittmeister van Chasot," as the Books call him: readers saw that Chasot flying to Prince Eugene, and know
him since the Siege of Philipsburg. He is not yet Rittmeister, or Captain of Horse, as he became; but is of the
Ruppin Garrison; HofCavalier; "attended Friedrich on his late Prussian journey;" and is much a favorite,
when he can be spared from Ruppin. Captain Wylich, afterwards a General of mark; the Lieutenant
Buddenbrock who did the parsoncharivari at Ruppin, but is now reformed from those practices: all these are
of Goltz. Colonel Keyserling, not of Goltz, nor in active military duty here, is a friend of very old standing;
was officially named as "Companion" to the Prince, a long while back; and got into trouble on his account in
the disastrous AnteCustrin or Flight Epoch: one of the Prince's first acts, when he got pardoned after
Custrin, was to beg for the pardon of this Keyserling; and now he has him here, and is very fond of him. A
Courlander, of good family, this Keyserling; of good gifts too,which, it was once thought, would be
practically sublime; for he carried off all manner of college prizes, and was the AdmirableCrichton of
Konigsberg University and the Graduates there. But in the end they proved to be gifts of the vocal sort rather:
and have led only to what we see. A man, I should guess, rather of buoyant vivacity than of depth or strength
in intellect or otherwise. Excessively buoyant, ingenious; full of wit, kindly exuberance; a loyalhearted,
gaytempered man, and much a favorite in society as well as with the Prince. If we were to dwell on
Reinsberg, Keyserling would come prominently forward.
Major van Stille, ultimately MajorGeneral von Stille, I should also mention: near twenty years older than
the Prince; a wise thoughtful soldier (went, by permission, to the Siege of Dantzig lately, to improve
himself); a man capable of rugged service, when the time comes. His military writings were once in
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considerable esteem with professional men; and still impress a lay reader with favorable notions towards
Stille, as a man of real worth and sense. [ Campagnes du Roi de Prusse; a posthumous Book; ANTERIOR
to the SevenYears War.]
OF MONSIEUR JORDAN AND THE LITERARY SET.
There is, of course, a Chaplain in the Establishment: a Reverend "M. Deschamps;" who preaches to them
all,in French no doubt. Friedrich never hears Deschamps: Friedrich is always over at Ruppin on Sundays;
and there "himself reads a sermon to the Garrison," as part of the day's duties. Reads finely, in a melodious
feeling manner, says Formey, who can judge: "even in his old days, he would incidentally," when some
Emeritus Parson, like Formey, chanced to be with him, "roll out choice passages from Bossuet, from
Massillon," in a voice and with a look, which would have been perfection in the pulpit, thinks Formey.
[ Souvenirs d'un Citoyen (2de edition, Paris, 1797), i. 37.]
M. Jordan, though he was called "LECTEUR (Reader)," did not read to him, I can perceive; but took charge
of the Books; busied himself honestly to be useful in all manner of literary or quasi literary ways. He was,
as his name indicates, from the French refugee department; a recent acquisition, much valued at Reinsberg.
As he makes a figure afterwards, we had better mark him a little.
Jordan's parents were wealthy religious persons, in trade at Berlin; this Jordan (Charles Etienne, age now
thirtysix) was their eldest son. It seems they had destined him from birth, consulting their own pious
feelings merely, to be a Preacher of the Gospel; the other sons, all of them reckoned clever too, were brought
up to secular employments. And preach he, this poor Charles Etienne, accordingly did; what best Gospel he
had; in an honest manner, all say,though never with other than a kind of reluctance on the part of Nature,
forced out of her course. He had wedded, been clergyman in two successive country places; when his wife
died, leaving him one little daughter, and a heart much overset by that event. Friends, wealthy Brothers
probably, had pushed him out into the free air, in these circumstances: "Take a Tour; Holland, England; feel
the winds blowing, see the sun shining, as in times past: it will do you good!"
Jordan, in the course of his Tour, came to composure on several points. He found that, by frugality, by wise
management of some peculium already his, his little Daughter and he might have quietness at Berlin, and the
necessary food and raiment;and, on the whole, that he would altogether cease preaching, and settle down
there, among his Books, in a frugal manner. Which he did; and was living so, when the Prince, searching
for that kind of person, got tidings of him. And here he is at Reinsberg; bustling about, in a brisk, modestly
frank and cheerful manner: well liked by everybody; by his Master very well and ever better, who grew into
real regard, esteem and even friendship for him, and has much Correspondence, of a freer kind than is
common to him, with little Jordan, so long as they lived together. Jordan's death, ten years hence, was
probably the one considerable pain he had ever given his neighbors, in this the ultimate section of his life.
I find him described, at Reinsberg, as a small nimble figure, of SouthernFrench aspect; black, uncommonly
bright eyes; and a general aspect of adroitness, modesty, sense, sincerity; good prognostics, which on
acquaintance with the man were pleasantly fulfilled.
For the sake of these considerations, I fished out, from the Old Book Catalogues and sea of forgetfulness,
some of the poor Books he wrote; especially a Voyage Litteraire, [ Histoire d'un Voyage Litteraire fait, en
MDCCXXXIII., en France, en Angleterre et en Hollande (2de edition, a La Haye, 1736).] Journal of that first
Sanitary Excursion or Tour he took, to get the clouds blown from his mind. A LITERARY VOYAGE which
awakens a kind of tragic feeling; being itself dead, and treating of matters which are all gone dead. So many
immortal writers, Dutch chiefly, whom Jordan is enabled to report as having effloresced, or being soon to
effloresce, in such and such forms, of Books important to be learned: leafy, blossomy Forest of Literature,
waving glorious in the then sunlight to Jordan;and it lies all now, to Jordan and us, not withered only, but
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abolished; compressed into a film of indiscriminate PEAT. Consider what that peat is made of, O celebrated
or uncelebrated reader, and take a moral from Jordan's Book! Other merit, except indeed clearness and
commendable brevity, the Voyage Litteraire or other little Books of Jordan's have not now. A few of his
Letters to Friedrich, which exist, are the only writings with the least life left in them, and this an accidental
life, not momentous to him or us. Dryasdust informs me, "Abbe Jordan, alone of the CrownPrince's
cavaliers, sleeps in the Town of Reinsberg, not in the Schloss:" and if I ask, Why?there is no answer.
Probably his poor little Daughterkin was beside him there?
We have to say of Friedrich's Associates, that generally they were of intelligent type, each of them master of
something or other, and capable of rational discourse upon that at least. Integrity, loyalty of character, was
indispensable; good humor, wit if it could be had, were much in request. There was no man of shining
distinction there; but they were the best that could be had, and that is saying all. Friedrich cannot be said,
either as Prince or as King, to have been superlatively successful in his choice of associates. With one single
exception, to be noticed shortly, there is not one of them whom we should now remember except for
Friedrich's sake;uniformly they are men whom it is now a weariness to hear of, except in a cursory
manner. One man of shining parts he had, and one only; no man ever of really high and great mind. The latter
sort are not so easy to get; rarely producible on the soil of this Earth! Nor is it certain how Friedrich might
have managed with one of this sort, or he with Friedrich;though Friedrich unquestionably would have
tried, had the chance offered. For he loved intellect as few men on the throne, or off it, ever did; and the little
he could gather of it round him often seems to me a fact tragical rather than otherwise.
With the outer Berlin social world, acting and reacting, Friedrich has his connections, which obscurely
emerge on us now and then. Literary Eminences, who are generally of Theological vesture; any follower of
Philosophy, especially if he be of refined manners withal, or known in fashionable life, is sure to attract him;
and gains ample recognition at Reinsberg or on Townvisits. But the Berlin Theological or Literary world at
that time, still more the Berlin Social, like a sunk extinct object, continues very dim in those old records; and
to say truth, what features we have of it do not invite to miraculous efforts for farther acquaintance.
Venerable Beausobre, with his History of the Manicheans, [ Histoire critique de Manichee et du
Manicheisme: wrote also Remarques sur le Nouveau Testament, which were once famous; Histoire de la
Reformation; He is Beausobre SENIOR; there were two Sons (one of them born in second wedlock, after
Papa was 70), who were likewise given to writing.See Formey, Souvenirs d'un Citoyen, i. 3339.] and
other learned things,we heard of him long since, in Toland and the Republican Queen's time, as a light of
the world. He is now fourscore, grown white as snow; very serene, polite, with a smack of French noblesse in
him, perhaps a smack of affectation traceable too. The CrownPrince, on one of his Berlin visits, wished to
see this Beausobre; got a meeting appointed, in somebody's rooms "in the French College," and waited for the
venerable man. Venerable man entered, loftily serene as a martyr Preacher of the Word, something of an
ancient Seigneur de Beausobre in him, too; for the rest, soft as sunset, and really with fine radiances, in a
somewhat twisted state, in that good old mind of his. "What have you been reading lately, M. de Beausobre?"
said the Prince, to begin conversation. "Ah, Monseigneur, I have just risen from reading the sublimest piece
of writing that exists.""And what?" "The exordium of St. John's Gospel: In the Beginning was the Word;
and the Word was with God, and the Word was" Which somewhat took the Prince by surprise, as Formey
reports; though he rallied straightway, and got good conversation out of the old gentleman. To whom, we
perceive, he writes once or twice, [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvi. 121126. Dates are all of 1737; the last of
Beausobre's years.]a copy of his own verses to correct, on one occasion,and is very respectful and
considerate.
Formey tells us of another French sage, personally known to the Prince since Boyhood; for he used to be
about the Palace, doing something. This is one La Croze; Professor of, I think, "Philosophy" in the French
College: sublime Monster of Erudition, at that time; forgotten now, I fear, by everybody. Swagbellied, short
of wind; liable to rages, to utterances of a coarse nature; a decidedly ugly, monstrous and rather stupid kind of
man. Knew twenty languages, in a coarse inexact way. Attempted deep kinds of discourse, in the
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lectureroom and elsewhere; but usually broke off into endless welters of anecdote, not always of cleanly
nature; and after every two or three words, a desperate sigh, not for sorrow, but on account of flabbiness and
fat. Formey gives a portraiture of him; not worth copying farther. The same Formey, standing one day
somewhere on the streets of Berlin, was himself, he cannot doubt, SEEN by the CrownPrince in passing;
"who asked M. Jordan, who that was," and got answer:is not that a comfortable fact? Nothing farther came
of it;respectable ExParson Formey, though ever ready with his pen, being indeed of very vapid nature,
not wanted at Reinsberg, as we can guess.
There is M. Achard, too, another Preacher, supreme of his sort, in the then Berlin circles; to whom or from
whom a Letter or two exist. Letters worthless, if it were not for one dim indication: That, on inquiry, the
CrownPrince had been consulting this supreme Achard on the difficulties of Orthodoxy; [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xvi. pp. 112117: date, MarchJune, 1736.] and had given him texts, or a text, to preach from.
Supreme Achard did not abolish the difficulties for his inquiring Prince,who complains respectfully that
"his faith is weak," and leaves us dark as to particulars. This Achard passage is almost the only hint we have
of what might have been an important chapter: Friedrich's Religious History at Reinsberg. The expression
"weak faith" I take to be meant not in mockery, but in ingenuous regret and solicitude; much painful
fermentation, probably, on the religious question in those Reinsberg years! But the old "GNADENWAHL"
business, the FreeGrace controversy, had taught him to be cautious as to what he uttered on those points.
The fermentation, therefore, had to go on under cover; what the result of it was, is notorious enough; though
the steps of the process are not in any point known.
Enough now of such details. Outwardly or inwardly, there is no History, or almost none, to be had of this
Reinsberg Period; the extensive records of it consisting, as usual, mainly of chaotic nugatory matter, opaque
to the mind of readers. There is copious correspondence of the CrownPrince, with at least dates to it for
most part: but this, which should be the main resource, proves likewise a poor one; the CrownPrince's
Letters, now or afterwards, being almost never of a deep or intimate quality; and seldom turning on events or
facts at all, and then not always on facts interesting, on facts clearly apprehensible to us in that extinct
element.
The Thing, we know always, IS there; but vision of the Thing is only to be had faintly, intermittently. Dim
inane twilight, with here and there a transient SPARK falling somewhither in it;you do at last, by desperate
persistence, get to discern outlines, features:"The Thing cannot always have been Nothing," you reflect!
Outlines, features:and perhaps, after all, those are mostly what the reader wants on this occasion.
Chapter II. OF VOLTAIRE AND THE LITERARY CORRESPONDENCES.
One of Friedrich's grand purposes at Reinsberg, to himself privately the grandest there, which he follows with
constant loyalty and ardor, is that of scaling the heights of the Muses' Hill withal; of attaining mastership,
discipleship, in Art and Philosophy;or in candor let us call it, what it truly was, that of enlightening and
fortifying himself with clear knowledge, clear belief, on all sides; and acquiring some spiritual panoply in
which to front the coming practicalities of life. This, he feels well, will be a noble use of his seclusion in
those still places; and it must be owned, he struggles and endeavors towards this, with great perseverance, by
all the methods in his power, here, or wherever afterwards he might be.
Here at Reinsberg, one of his readiest methods, his pleasantest if not his usefulest, is that of getting into
correspondence with the chief spirits of his time. Which accordingly he forthwith sets about, after getting into
Reinsberg, and continues, as we shall see, with much assiduity. Rollin, Fontenelle, and other French lights of
the then firmament,his Letters to them exist; and could be given in some quantity: but it is better not. They
are intrinsically the common Letters on such occasions: "O sublime demigod of literature, how small are
princely distinctions to such a glory as thine; thou who enterest within the veil of the temple, and issuest with
thy face shining!" To which the response is: "Hm, think you so, most happy, gracious, illustrious Prince,
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with every convenience round you, and such prospects ahead? Well, thank you, at any rate,and, as the Irish
say, more power to your Honor's Glory!" This really is nearly all that said Sets of Letters contain; and except
perhaps the Voltaire Set, none of them give symptoms of much capacity to contain more.
Certainly there was no want of Literary Men discernible from Reinsberg at that time; and the young Prince
corresponds with a good many of them; temporal potentate saluting spiritual, from the distance,in a way
highly interesting to the then parties, but now without interest, except of the reflex kind, to any creature. A
very cold and empty portion, this, of the Friedrich Correspondence; standing there to testify what his
admiration was for literary talent, or the great reputation of such; but in itself uninstructive utterly, and of
freezing influence on the now living mind. Most of those French lights of the then firmament are gone out.
Forgotten altogether; or recognized, like Rollin and others, for polished dullards, university bigwigs, and
long winded commonplace persons, deserving nothing but oblivion. To Montesquieu,not yet called
"Baron de Montesquieu" with ESPRIT DES LOIS, but "M. de Secondat" with (Anonymous) LETTRES
PERSANES, and already known to the world for a person of sharp audacious eyesight,it does not appear
that Friedrich addressed any Letter, now or afterwards. No notice of Montesquieu; nor of some others, the
absence of whom is a little unexpected. Probably it was want of knowledge mainly; for his appetite was not
fastidious at this time. And certainly he did hit the centre of the mark, and get into the very kernel of French
literature, when, in 1736, hardly yet established in his new quarters, he addressed himself to the shining
figure known to us as "Arouet Junior" long since, and now called M. DE VOLTAIRE; which latter is still a
name notable in Friedrich's History and that of Mankind. Friedrich's first Letter, challenging Voltaire to
correspondence, dates itself 8th August, 1736; and Voltaire's Answerthe Reinsberg Household still only in
its second monthwas probably the brightest event which had yet befallen there.
On various accounts it will behoove us to look a good deal more strictly into this Voltaire; and, as his
relations to Friedrich and to the world are so multiplex, endeavor to disengage the real likeness of the man
from the circumambient noise and confusion which in his instance continue very great. "Voltaire was the
spiritual complement of Friedrich," says Sauerteig once: "what little of lasting their poor Century produced
lies mainly in these Two. A very somnambulating Century! But what little it DID, we must call Friedrich;
what little it THOUGHT, Voltaire. Other fruit we have not from it to speak of, at this day. Voltaire, and what
CAN be faithfully done on the Voltaire Creed; 'Realized Voltairism;'admit it, reader, not in a too
triumphant humor,is not that pretty much the net historical product of the Eighteenth Century? The rest of
its history either pure somnambulism; or a mere Controversy, to the effect, 'Realized Voltairism? How soon
shall it be realized, then? Not at once, surely!' So that Friedrich and Voltaire are related, not by accident only.
They are, they for want of better, the two Original Men of their Century; the chief and in a sense the sole
products of their Century. They alone remain to us as still living results from it, such as they are. And the
rest, truly, OUGHT to depart and vanish (as they are now doing); being mere ephemera; contemporary eaters,
scramblers for provender, talkers of acceptable hearsay; and related merely to the butteries and wiggeries of
their time, and not related to the Perennialities at all, as these Two were." With more of the like sort from
Sauerteig.
M. de Voltaire, who used to be M. FrancoisMarie Arouet, was at this time about forty, [Born 20th February,
1694; the younger of two sons: Father, "Francois Arouet, a Notary of the Chatelet, ultimately Treasurer of the
Chamber of Accounts;" Mother, "Marguerite d'Aumart, of a noble family of Poitou."] and had gone through
various fortunes; a man, now and henceforth, in a high degree conspicuous, and questionable to his
fellowcreatures. Clear knowledge of him ought, at this stage, to be common; but unexpectedly it is not.
What endless writing and biographying there has been about this man; in which one still reads, with a kind of
lazy satisfaction, due to the subject, and to the French genius in that department! But the man himself, and his
environment and practical aspects, what the actual physiognomy of his life and of him can have been, is dark
from beginning to ending; and much is left in an ambiguous undecipherable condition to us. A proper History
of Voltaire, in which should be discoverable, luminous to human creatures, what he was, what element he
lived in, what work he did: this is still a problem for the genius of France!
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His Father's name is known to us; the name of his Father's profession, too, but not clearly the nature of it; still
less his Father's character, economic circumstances, physiognomy spiritual or social: not the least possibility
granted you of forming an image, however faint, of that notable man and household, which distinguished
itself to all the earth by producing little Francois into the light of this sun. Of Madame Arouet, who, or what,
or how she was, nothing whatever is known. A human reader, pestered continually with the
MadameDenises, AbbeMignots and enigmatic nieces and nephews, would have wished to know, at least,
what children, besides Francois, Madame Arouet had: once for all, How many children? Name them, with
year of birth, year of death, according to the churchregisters: they all, at any rate, had that degree of history!
No; even that has not been done. Beneficent correspondents of my own make answer, after some research,
No register of the Arouets anywhere to be had. The very name VOLTAIRE, if you ask whence came it? there
is no answer, or worse than none.The fit "History" of this man, which might be one of the shining Epics of
his Century, and the lucid summary and soul of any HISTORY France then had, but which would require
almost a French demigod to do it, is still a great way off, if on the road at all! For present purposes, we
select what follows from a well known hand:
"YOUTH OF VOLTAIRE (16941725).French Biographers have left the Arouet Household very dark for
us; meanwhile we can perceive, or guess, that it was moderately well in economic respects; that Francois was
the second of the Two Sons; and that old Arouet, a steady, practical and perhaps rather sharptempered old
gentleman, of official legal habits and position, 'Notary of the Chatelet' and something else, had destined him
for the Law Profession; as was natural enough to a son of M. Arouet, who had himself succeeded well in
Law, and could there, best of all, open roads for a clever second son. Francois accordingly sat 'in chambers,'
as we call it; and his fellowclerks much loved him, the most amusing fellow in the world. Sat in
chambers, even became an advocate; but did not in the least take to advocateship;took to poetry, and other
airy dangerous courses, speculative, practical; causing family explosions and rebukes, which were without
effect on him. A young fool, bent on sportful pursuits instead of serious; more and more shuddering at Law.
To the surprise and indignation of M. Arouet Senior. Law, with its wigs and sheepskins, pointing towards
high honors and deep fleshpots, had no charms for the young fool; he could not be made to like Law.
"Whereupon arose explosions, as we hint; family explosions on the part of M. Arouet Senior; such that
friends had to interfere, and it was uncertain what would come of it. One judicious friend, 'M. Caumartin,'
took the young fellow home to his house in the country for a time;and there, incidentally, brought him
acquainted with old gentlemen deep in the traditions of Henri Quatre and the cognate topics; which much
inflamed the young fellow, and produced big schemes in the head of him.
"M. Arouet Senior stood strong for Law; but it was becoming daily more impossible. Madrigals, dramas (not
without actresses), satirical wit, airy verse, and all manner of adventurous speculation, were what this young
man went upon; and was getting more and more loved for; introduced, even, to the superior circles, and
recognized there as one of the brightest young fellows ever seen. Which tended, of course, to confirm him in
his folly, and open other outlooks and harbors of refuge than the paternal one.
"Such things, strange to M. Arouet Senior, were in vogue then; wicked Regent d'Orleans having succeeded
sublime Louis XIV., and set strange fashions to the Quality. Not likely to profit this fool Francois, thought M.
Arouet Senior; and was much confirmed in his notion, when a rhymed Lampoon against the Government
having come out (LES J'AI VU, as they call it ["I have seen (J'AI VU)" this ignominy occur, "I have seen"
that other,to the amount of a dozen or two;"and am not yet twenty." Copy of it, and guess as to
authorship, in OEuvres de Voltaire, i. 321.]), and become the rage, as a clever thing of the kind will, it was
imputed to the brightest young fellow in France, M. Arouet's Son. Who, in fact, was not the Author; but was
not believed on his denial; and saw himself, in spite of his high connections, ruthlessly lodged in the Bastille
in consequence. 'Let him sit,' thought M. Arouet Senior, 'and come to his senses there!' He sat for eighteen
months (age still little above twenty); but privately employed his time, not in repentance, or in serious legal
studies, but in writing a Poem on his Henri Quatre. 'Epic Poem,' no less; LA LIGUE, as he then called it;
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which it was his hope the whole world would one day fall in love with;as it did. Nay, in two years more,
he had done a Play, OEDIPE the renowned name of it; which ran for fortyeight nights' (18th November,
1718, the first of them); and was enough to turn any head of such age. Law may be considered hopeless, even
by M. Arouet Senior.
"Try him in the Diplomatic line; break these bad habits and connections, thought M. Arouet, at one time; and
sent him to the French Ambassador in Holland,on good behavior, as it were, and by way of temporary
banishment. But neither did this answer. On the contrary, the young fellow got into scrapes again; got into
amatory intrigues,young lady visiting you in men's clothes, young lady's mother inveigling, and I know not
what;so that the Ambassador was glad to send him home again unmarried; marked, as it were, 'Glass, with
care!' And the young lady's mother printed his Letters, not the least worth reading:and the old M. Arouet
seems now to have flung up his head; to have settled some small allowance on him, with peremptory no hope
of more, and said, 'Go your own way, then, foolish junior: the elder shall be my son.' M. Arouet disappears at
this point, or nearly so, from the history of his son Francois; and I think must have died in not many years.
Poor old M. Arouet closed his old eyes without the least conception what a prodigious evermemorable thing
he had done unknowingly, in sending this Francois into the world, to kindle such universal 'dry dungheap of
a rotten world,' and set it blazing! Francois, his Father's synonym, came to be representative of the family,
after all; the elder Brother also having died before long. Except certain confused nieceandnephew
personages, progeny of the sisters, Francois has no more trouble or solacement from the paternal household.
Francois meanwhile is his Father's synonym, and signs Arouet Junior, 'Francois Aroue l. j. (LE JEUNE).'
"'All of us Princes, then, or Poets!' said he, one night at supper, looking to right and left: the brightest fellow
in the world, well fit to be Phoebus Apollo of such circles; and great things now ahead of him. Dissolute
Regent d'Orleans, politest, most debauched of men, and very witty, holds the helm; near him Dubois the
Devil's Cardinal, and so many bright spirits. All the Luciferous Spiritualism there is in France is lifting
anchor, under these auspices, joyfully towards new latitudes and Isles of the Blest. What may not Francois
hope to become? 'Hmph!' answers M. Arouet Senior, steadily, so long as he lives. Here are one or two
subsequent phases, epochs or turningpoints, of the young gentleman's career.
"PHASIS FIRST (17251728).The accomplished Duc de Sulli (Year 1725, day not recorded), is giving in
his hotel a dinner, such as usual; and a bright witty company is assembled;the brightest young fellow in
France sure to be there; and with his electric coruscations illuminating everything, and keeping the table in a
roar. To the delight of most; not to that of a certain splenetic illgiven Duc de Rohan; grandee of high rank,
great haughtiness, and very illbehavior in the world; who feels impatient at the notice taken of a mere civic
individual, Arouet Junior. 'Quel est done ce jeune homme qui parle si haut, Who is this young man that talks
so loud, then?' exclaims the proud splenetic Duke. 'Monseigneur,' flashes the young man back upon him in an
electric manner, 'it is one who does not drag a big name about with him; but who secures respect for the name
he has!' Figure that, in the penetrating grandly clangorous voice (VOIX SOMBRE ET MAJESTUEUSE), and
the momentary flash of eyes that attended it. Duc de Rohan rose, in a sulphurous frame of mind; and went his
ways. What date? You ask the idle French Biographer in vain;see only, after more and more inspection,
that the incident is true; and with labor date it, summer of the Year 1725. Treaty of Utrecht itself, though all
the Newspapers and Own Correspondents were so interested in it, was perhaps but a foolish matter to date in
comparison!
"About a week after, M. Arouet Junior was again dining with the Duc de Sulli, and a fine company as before.
A servant whispers him, That somebody has called, and wants him below. 'Cannot come,' answers Arouet;
'how can I, so engaged?' Servant returns after a minute or two: 'Pardon, Monsieur; I am to say, it is to do an
act of beneficence that you are wanted below!' Arouet lays down his knife and fork; descends instantly to see
what act it is. A carriage is in the court, and hackneycoach near it: 'Would Monsieur have the extreme
goodness to come to the door of the carriage, in a case of necessity?' At the door of the carriage, hands seize
the collar of him, hold him as in a vice; diabolic visage of Duc de Rohan is visible inside, who utters, looking
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to the hackneycoach, some "VOILA, Now then!' Whereupon the hackney coach opens, gives out three
porters, or hired bullies, with the due implements: scandalous actuality of horsewhipping descends on the
back of poor Arouet, who shrieks and execrates to no purpose, nobody being near. 'That will do,' says Rohan
at last, and the gallant ducal party drive off; young Arouet, with torn frills and deranged hair, rushing up
stairs again, in such a mood as is easy to fancy. Everybody is sorry, inconsolable, everybody shocked;
nobody volunteers to help in avenging. 'Monseigneur de Sulli, is not such atrocity done to one of your guests,
an insult to yourself?' asks Arouet. 'Well, yes perhaps, but'Monseigneur de Sulli shrugs his shoulders, and
proposes nothing. Arouet withdrew, of course in a most blazing condition, to consider what he could, on his
own strength, do in this conjuncture.
"His Biographer Duvernet says, he decided on doing two things: learning English and the smallsword
exercise. [ La Vie de Voltaire, par M(a Geneve, 1786), pp. 5557; or pp. 6063, in his SECOND form of
the Book. The "M" is an Abbe Duvernet; of no great mark otherwise. He got into Revolution trouble
afterwards, but escaped with his head; and republished his Book, swollen out somewhat by new "Anecdotes"
and republican bluster, in this second instance; signing himself T. J. D. V (Paris, 1797). A vague but not
dark or mendacious little Book; with traces of real EYESIGHT in it,by one who had personally known
Voltaire, or at least seen and heard him.] He retired to the country for six months, and perfected himself in
these two branches. Being perfect, he challenged Duc de Rohan in the proper manner; applying ingenious
compulsives withal, to secure acceptance of the challenge. Rohan accepted, not without some difficulty, and
compulsion at the Theatre or otherwise:accepted, but withal confessed to his wife. The result was, no
measuring of swords took place; and Rohan only blighted by public opinion, or incapable of farther blight
that way, went at large; a convenient LETTRE DE CACHET having put Arouet again in the Bastille. Where
for six months Arouet lodged a second time, the innocent not the guilty; making, we can well suppose,
innumerable reflections on the phenomena of human life. Imprisonment once over, he hastily quitted for
England; shaking the dust of ungrateful France off his feet,resolved to change his unhappy name, for one
thing.
"Smelfungus, denouncing the torpid fatuity of Voltaire's Biographers, says he never met with one Frenchman,
even of the Literary classes, who could tell him whence this name VOLTAIRE originated. 'A PETITE
TERRE, small family estate,' they said; and sent him hunting through Topographies, far and wide, to no
purpose. Others answered, 'Volterra in Italy, some connection with Volterra,'and seemed even to know that
this was but fatuity. 'In evertalking, everprinting Paris, is it as in Timbuctoo, then, which neither prints nor
has anything to print?' exclaims poor Smelfungus! He tells us at last, the name VOLTAIRE is a mere
Anagram of AROUET L. J.you try it; A.R.O.U.E.T.L.J.=V.O.L.T.A.I.R.E and perceive at once, with
obligations to Smelfungus, that he has settled this small matter for you, and that you can be silent upon it
forever thenceforth.
"The anagram VOLTAIRE, gloomily settled in the Bastille in this manner, can be reckoned a very famous
widesounding outer result of the Rohan impertinence and blackguardism; but it is not worth naming beside
the inner intrinsic result, of banishing Voltaire to England at this point of his course. England was full of
Constitutionality and Freethinking; Tolands, Collinses, Wollastons, Bolingbrokes, still living; very free
indeed. England, one is astonished to see, has its royalrepublican ways of doing; something Roman in it,
from Peerage down to Plebs; strange and curious to the eye of M. de Voltaire. Sciences flourishing; Newton
still alive, white with fourscore years, the venerable hoary man; Locke's Gospel of Common Sense in full
vogue, or even done into verse, by incomparable Mr. Pope, for the cultivated upper classes. In science, in
religion, in politics, what a surprising 'liberty' allowed or taken! Never was a freer turn of thinking. And
(what to M. de Voltaire is a pleasant feature) it is Freethinking with ruffles to its shirt and rings on its
fingers;never yet, the least, dreaming of the shirtless or SANSCULOTTIC state that lies ahead for it! That
is the palmy condition of English Liberty, when M. de Voltaire arrives there.
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"In a man just out of the Bastille on those terms, there is a mind driven by hard suffering into seriousness, and
provoked by indignant comparisons and remembrances. As if you had elaborately ploughed and pulverized
the mind of this Voltaire to receive with its utmost avidity, and strength of fertility, whatever seed England
may have for it. That was a notable conjuncture of a man with circumstances. The question, Is this man to
grow up a Court Poet; to do legitimate dramas, lampoons, witty verses, and wild spiritual and practical
magnificences, the like never seen; Princes and Princesses recognizing him as plainly divine, and keeping
him tied by enchantments to that poor trade as his task in life? is answered in the negative. No: and it is not
quite to decorate and comfort your 'dry dungheap' of a world, or the fortunate cocks that scratch on it, that
the man Voltaire is here; but to shoot lightnings into it, and set it ablaze one day! That was an important
alternative; truly of worldimportance to the poor generations that now are; and it was settled, in good part,
by this voyage to England, as one may surmise. Such is sometimes the use of a dissolute Rohan in this world;
for the gods make implements of all manner of things.
"M. de Voltaire (for we now drop the Arouet altogether, and never hear of it more) came to Englandwhen?
Quitted Englandwhen? Sorrow on all fatuous Biographers, who spend their time not in laying permanent
foundationstones, but in fencing with the wind! I at last find indisputably, it was in 1726 that he came to
England: [Got out of the Bastille, with orders to leave France, "29th April" of that year ( OEuvres de
Voltaire, i. 40 n.).] and he himself tells us that he quitted it 'in 1728.' Spent, therefore, some two years there in
all,last year of George I.'s reign, and first of George II.'s. But mere inanity and darkness visible reign, in all
his Biographies, over this period of his life, which was above all others worth investigating: seek not to know
it; no man has inquired into it, probably no competent man now ever will. By hints in certain Letters of the
period, we learn that he lodged, or at one time lodged, in 'Maiden Lane, Covent Garden;' one of those old
Houses that yet stand in Maiden Lane: for which small fact let us be thankful. His own Letters of the period
are dated now and then from 'Wandsworth.' Allusions there are to Bolingbroke; but the Wandsworth is not
Bolingbroke's mansion, which stood in Battersea; the Wandsworth was one Edward Fawkener's; a man
somewhat admirable to young Voltaire, but extinct now, or nearly so, in human memory. He had been a
Turkey Merchant, it would seem, and nevertheless was admitted to speak his word in intellectual, even in
political circles; which was wonderful to young Voltaire. This Fawkener, I think, became Sir Edward
Fawkener, and some kind of 'Secretary to the Duke of Cumberland:'I judge it to be the same Fawkener; a
man highly unmemorable now, were it not for the young Frenchman he was hospitable to. Fawkener's and
Bolingbroke's are perhaps the only names that turn up in Voltaire's LETTERS of this English Period: over
which generally there reigns, in the French Biographies, inane darkness, with an intimation, half involuntary,
that it SHOULD have been made luminous, and would if perfectly easy.
"We know, from other sources, that he had acquaintance with many men in England, with all manner of
important men: Notes to Pope in VoltaireEnglish, visit of Voltaire to Congreve, Notes even to such as Lady
Sundon in the interior of the Palace, are known of. The brightest young fellow in the world did not want for
introductions to the highest quarters, in that time of political alliance, and extensive private acquaintance,
between his Country and ours. And all this he was the man to improve, both in the trivial and the deep sense.
His bow to the divine Princess Caroline and suite, could it fail in graceful reverence or what else was needed?
Dexterous right words in the right places, winged with ESPRIT so called: that was the man's supreme talent,
in which he had no match, to the last. A most brilliant, swift, far glancing young man, disposed to make
himself generally agreeable. For the rest, his wonder, we can see, was kept awake; wonder readily inclining,
in his circumstances, towards admiration. The stereotype figure of the Englishman, always the same, which
turns up in Voltaire's WORKS, is worth noting in this respect. A rugged surly kind of fellow,
muchenduring, not intrinsically bad; splenetic without complaint, standing oddly inexpugnable in that
natural stoicism of his; taciturn, yet with strange flashes of speech in him now and then, something which
goes beyond laughter and articulate logic, and is the taciturn elixir of these two, what they call 'humor' in
their dialect: this is pretty much the REVERSE of Voltaire's own self, and therefore all the welcomer to him;
delineated always with a kind of mockery, but with evident love. What excellences are in England, thought
Voltaire; no Bastille in it, for one thing! Newton's Philosophy annihilated the vortexes of Descartes for him;
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Locke's Toleration is very grand (especially if all is uncertain, and YOU are in the minority); then Collins,
Wollaston and Company,no vile Jesuits here, strong in their mendacious malodorous stupidity,
despicablest yet most dangerous of creatures, to check freedom of thought! Illustrious Mr. Pope, of the Essay
on Man, surely he is admirable; as are Pericles Bolingbroke, and many others. Even Bolingbroke's
highlacquered brass is gold to this young French friend of his.Through all which admirations and
exaggerations the progress of the young man, toward certain very serious attainments and achievements, is
conceivable enough.
"One other man, who ought to be mentioned in the Biographies, I find Voltaire to have made acquaintance
with, in England: a German M. Fabrice, one of several Brothers called Fabrice or Fabricius, concerning
whom, how he had been at Bender, and how Voltaire picked CHARLES DOUSE from the memory of him,
there was already mention. The same Fabrice who held poor George I. in his arms while they drove,
galloping, to Osnabriick, that night, IN EXTREMIS:not needing mention again. The following is more to
the point.
"Voltaire, among his multifarious studies while in England, did not forget that of economics: his Poem LA
LIGUE,surreptitiously printed, three years since, under that title (one Desfontaines, a hungry ExJesuit,
the perpetrator), [1723, VIE, par T. J. D. V. (that is, "M" in the second form), p. 59.]he now took in
hand for his own benefit; washed it clean of its blots; christened it HENRIADE, under which name it is still
known over all the world; and printed it; published it here, by subscription, in 1726; one of the first things
he undertook. Very splendid subscription; headed by Princess Caroline, and much favored by the opulent of
quality. Which yielded an unknown but very considerable sum of thousands sterling, and grounded not only
the worldrenown but the domestic finance of M. de Voltaire. For the fame of the 'new epic,' as this
HENRIADE was called, soon spread into all lands. And such fame, and other agencies on his behalf, having
opened the way home for Voltaire, he took this sum of Thousands Sterling along with him; laid it out
judiciously in some city lottery, or profitable scrip then going at Paris, which at once doubled the amount:
after which he invested it in Corntrade, Army Clothing, Barbarytrade, Commissariat Bacontrade, all
manner of wellchosen trades,being one of the shrewdest financiers on record;and never from that day
wanted abundance of money, for one thing. Which he judged to be extremely expedient for a literary man,
especially in times of Jesuit and other tribulation. 'You have only to watch,' he would say, 'what scrips, public
loans, investments in the field of agio, are offered; if you exert any judgment, it is easy to gain there: do not
the stupidest of mortals gain there, by intensely attending to it?'
"Voltaire got almost nothing by his Books, which he generally had to disavow, and denounce as surreptitious
supposititious scandals, when some sharpset Bookseller, in whose way he had laid the savory article as
bait, chose to risk his ears for the profit of snatching and publishing it. Next to nothing by his Books; but by
his fine financetalent otherwise, he had become possessed of ample moneys. Which were so cunningly
disposed, too, that he had resources in every Country; and no conceivable combination of confiscating Jesuits
and dark fanatic Official Persons could throw him out of a livelihood, whithersoever he might be forced to
run. A man that looks facts in the face; which is creditable of him. The vulgar call it avarice and the like, as
their way is: but M. de Voltaire is convinced that effects will follow causes; and that it well beseems a lonely
Ishmaelite, hunting his way through the howling wildernesses and confused ravenous populations of this
world, to have money in his pocket. He died with a revenue of some 7,000 pounds a year, probably as good
as 20,000 pounds at present; the richest literary man ever heard of hitherto, as well as the remarkablest in
some other respects. But we have to mark the second phasis of his life [in which Friedrich now sees him], and
how it grew out of this first one.
"PHASIS SECOND (17281733).Returning home as if quietly triumphant, with such a talent in him, and
such a sanction put upon it and him by a neighboring Nation, and by all the world, Voltaire was warmly
received, in his old aristocratic circles, by cultivated France generally; and now in 1728, in his thirtysecond
year, might begin to have definite outlooks of a sufficiently royal kind, in Literature and otherwise. Nor is he
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slow, far from it, to advance, to conquer and enjoy. He writes successful literature, falls in love with women
of quality; encourages the indigent and humble; eclipses, and in case of need tramples down, the too proud.
He elegizes poor Adrienne Lecouvreur, the Actress, our poor friend the Comte de Saxe's female friend;
who loyally emptied out her whole purse for him, 30,000 pounds in one sum, that he might try for Courland,
and whether he could fall in love with her of the Swollen Cheek there; which proved impossible. Elegizes
Adrienne, we slty, and even buries her under cloud of night: ready to protect unfortunate females of merit.
Especially theatrical females; having much to do in the theatre, which we perceive to be the pulpit or real
preachingplace of cultivated France in those years. All manner of verse, all manner of prose, he dashes off
with surprising speed and grace: showers of light spray for the moment; and always some current of graver
enterprise, Siecle de Louis Quatorze or the like, going on beneath it. For he is a most diligent, swift, unresting
man; and studies and learns amazingly in such a rackety existence. Victorious enough in some senses; defeat,
in Literature, never visited him. His Plays, coming thick on the heels of one another, rapid brilliant pieces, are
brilliantly received by the unofficial world; and ought to dethrone dull Crebillon, and the sleepy potentates of
Poetry that now are. Which in fact is their result with the public; but not yet in the highest courtly places;a
defect much to be condemned and lamented.
"Numerous enemies arise, as is natural, of an envious venomous description; this is another everwidening
shadow in the sunshine. In fact we perceive he has, besides the inner obstacles and griefs, two classes of
outward ones: There are Lions on his path and also Dogs. Lions are the ExBishop of Mirepoix, and certain
other dark Holy Fathers, or potent orthodox Official Persons. These, though Voltaire does not yet declare his
heterodoxy (which, indeed, is but the orthodoxy of the cultivated private circles), perceive well enough, even
by the HENRIADE, and its talk of 'tolerance,' horror of 'fanaticism' and the like, what this one's 'DOXY is;
and how dangerous he, not a mere mute man of quality, but a talking spirit with winged words, may be;and
they much annoy and terrify him, by their roaring in the distance. Which roaring cannot, of course, convince;
and since it is not permitted to kill, can only provoke a talking spirit into still deeper strains of heterodoxy for
his own private behoof. These are the Lions on his path: beasts conscious to themselves of good intentions;
but manifesting from Voltaire's point of view, it must be owned, a physiognomy unlovely to a degree. (Light
is superior to darkness, I should think,' meditates Voltaire; 'power of thought to the want of power! The ANE
DE MIREPOIX (Ass of Mirepoix), [Poor joke of Voltaire's, continually applied to this Bishop, or
ExBishop,who was thought, generally, a rather tenebrific man for appointment to the FEUILLE DES
BENEFICES (charge of nominating Bishops, keeping King's conscience, and who, in that capacity, signed
himself ANC (by no means "ANE," but "ANCIEN, Whilom") DE MIREPOIX,to the enragement of
Voltaire bften enough.] pretending to use me in this manner, is it other, in the court of Rhadamanthus, than
transcendent Stupidity, with transcendent Insolence superadded?' Voltaire grows more and more heterodox;
and is ripening towards dangerous utterances, though he, strives to hold in.
"The Dogs upon his path, again, are all the disloyal envious persons of the Writing Class, whom his success
has offended; and, more generally, all the dishonest hungry persons who can gain a morsel by biting him: and
their name is legion. It must be owned, about as ugly a Doggery ('INFAME CANAILLE' he might well
reckon them) as has, before or since, infested the path of a man. They are not hired and set on, as angry
suspicion might suggest; but they are covertly somewhat patronized by the Mirepoix, or orthodox Official
class. Scandalous ExJesuit Desfontaines, Thersites Freron,these are but types of an endless Doggery;
whose names and works should be blotted out; whose one claim to memory is, that the riding man so often
angrily sprang down, and tried horsewhipping them into silence. A vain attempt. The individual hound flies
howling, abjectly petitioning and promising; but the rest bark all with new comfort, and even he starts again
straightway. It is bad travelling in those woods, with such Lions and such Dogs. And then the sparsely
scattered HUMAN Creatures (so we may call them in contrast, persons of Quality for most part) are not
always what they should be. The grand mansions you arrive at, in this wastehowling solitude, prove
sometimes essentially Robbertowers;and there may be Armida Palaces, and divinelooking Armidas,
where your ultimate fate is still worse.
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'Que le monde est rempli d'enchanteurs, je ne dis rien d'enchanteresses!'
To think of it, the solitary Ishmaelite journeying, never so well mounted, through such a wilderness: with
lions, dogs, human robbers and Armidas all about him; himself lonely, friendless under the stars:one could
pity him withal, though that is not the feeling he solicits; nor gets hitherto, even at this impartial distance.
"One of the beautiful creatures of Quality,we hope, not an Armida,who came athwart Voltaire, in these
times, was a Madame du Chatelet; distinguished from all the others by a love of mathematics and the pure
sciences, were it nothing else. She was still young, under thirty; the literary man still under forty. With her
Husband, to whom she had brought a child, or couple of children, there was no formal quarrel; but they were
living apart, neither much heeding the other, as was by no means a case without example at that time;
Monsieur soldiering, and philandering about, in garrison or elsewhere; Madame, in a like humor, doing the
best for herself in the high circles of society, to which he and she belonged. Most wearisome barren circles to
a person of thought, as both she and M. de Voltaire emphatically admitted to one another, on first making
acquaintance. But is there no help?
"Madame had tried the pure sciences and philosophies, in Books: but how much more charming, when they
come to you as a Human Philosopher; handsome, magnanimous, and the wittiest man in the world! Young
Madame was not regularly beautiful; but she was very piquant, radiant, adventurous; understood other things
than the pure sciences, and could be abundantly coquettish and engaging. I have known her scuttle off, on an
evening, with a couple of adventurous young wives of Quality, to the remote lodging of the witty M. de
Voltaire, and make his dim evening radiant to him. [One of Voltaire's Letters.] Then again, in public crowds,
I have seen them; obliged to dismount to the peril of Madame's diamonds, there being a jam of carriages, and
no getting forward for half the day. In short, they are becoming more and more intimate, to the extremest
degree; and, scorning the world, thank Heaven that they are mutually indispensable. Cannot we get away
from this scurvy wasp'snest of a Paris, thought they, and live to ourselves and our books?
"Madame was of high quality, one of the Breteuils; but was poor in comparison, and her Husband the like.
An old Chateau of theirs, named Cirey, stands in a pleasant enough little valley in Champagne; but so
dilapidated, gaunt and vacant, nobody can live in it. Voltaire, who is by this time a man of ample moneys,
furnishes the requisite cash; Madame and he, in sweet symphony, concert the plans: Cirey is repaired, at least
parts of it are, into a boudoir of the gods, regardless of expense; nothing ever seen so tasteful, so magnificent;
and the two withdraw thither to study, in peace, what sciences, pure and other, they have a mind to. They are
recognized as lovers, by the Parisian public, with little audible censure from anybody there,with none at all
from the easy Husband; who occasionally even visits Cirey, if he be passing that way; and is content to take
matters as he finds them, without looking below the surface. [See (whosoever is curious) Madame de
Grafigny, Vie Privee de Voltaire et de Madame du Chatelet (Paris, 1820). A six months of actual Letters
written by poor Grafigny, while sheltering at Cirey, Winter and Spring, 17381739; straitened there in
various respects,extremely ill off for fuel, among other things. Rugged practical Letters, shadowing out to
us, unconsciously oftenest, and like a very mirror, the splendid and the sordid, the seamy side and the
smooth, of Life at Cirey, in her experience of it. Published, fourscore years after, under the above title.] For
the Ten Commandments are at a singular pass in cultivated France at this epoch. Such illicitidyllic form of
life has been the form of Voltaire's since 1733,"for some three years now, when Friedrich and we first
make acquaintance with him. "It lasted above a dozen years more: an illicit marriage after its sort, and subject
only to the liabilities of such. Perhaps we may look in upon the Cirey Household, ourselves, at some future
time; and" This Editor hopes not!
"Madame admits that for the first ten years it was, on the whole, sublime; a perfect Eden on Earth, though
stormy now and then. [ Lettres Inedites de Madame la Marquise du Chastelet; auxquelles on a joint une
Dissertation (of hers): Paris, 1806.] After ten years, it began to grow decidedly dimmer; and in the course of
few years more, it became undeniably evident that M. de Voltaire 'did not love me as formerly:'in fact, if
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Madame could have seen it, M. de Voltaire was growing old, losing his teeth, and the like; and did not care
for anything as formerly! Which was a dreadful discovery, and gave rise to results by and by.
"In this retreat at Cirey, varied with flying visits to Paris, and kept awake by multifarious Correspondences,
the quantity of Literature done by the two was great and miscellaneous. By Madame, chiefly in the region of
the pure sciences, in Newtonian Dissertations, competitions for Prizes, and the like: really sound and
ingenious Pieces, entirely forgotten long since. By Voltaire, in serious Tragedies, Histories, in light Sketches
and deep Dissertations:mockery getting ever wilder with him; the satirical vein, in prose and verse,
amazingly copious, and growing more and more heterodox, as we can perceive. His troubles from the
ecclesiastical or Lion kind in the Literary forest, still more from the rabid Doggery in it, are manifold,
incessant. And it is pleasantly notable,during these first ten years,with what desperate intensity,
vigilance and fierceness, Madame watches over all his interests and liabilities and casualties great and small;
leaping with her whole force into M. de Voltaire's scale of the balance, careless of antecedences and
consequences alike; flying, with the spirit of an angry broodhen, at the face of mastiffs, in defence of any
feather that is M. de Voltaire's. To which Voltaire replies, as he well may, with eloquent gratitude; with
Verses to the divine Emilie, with Gifts to her, verses and gifts the prettiest in the world;and industriously
celebrates the divine Emilie to herself and all third parties.
"An ardent, aerial, gracefully predominant, and in the end somewhat termagant female figure, this divine
Emilie. Her temper, radiant rather than bland, was none of the patientest on occasion; nor was M. de Voltaire
the least of a Job, if you came athwart him the wrong way. I have heard, their domestic symphony was liable
to furious flaws,let us hope at great distances apart:that 'plates' in presence of the lackeys, actual
crockery or metal, have been known to fly from end to end of the dinnertable; nay they mention 'knives'
(though only in the way of oratorical action); and Voltaire has been heard to exclaim, the sombre and
majestic voice of him risen to a very high pitch: 'Ne me regardez tant de ces yeux hagards et louches, Don't
fix those haggard sidelong eyes on me in that way!'mere shrillness of pale rage presiding over the scene.
But we hope it was only once in the quarter, or seldomer: after which the element would be clearer for some
time. A lonesome literary man, who has got a Brood Phoenix to preside over him, and fly at the face of gods
and men for him in that manner, ought to be grateful.
"Perhaps we shall one day glance, personally, as it were, into Cirey with our readers;"Not with this Editor
or his! "It will turn out beyond the reader's expectation. Tolerable illicit restingplace, so far as the illicit can
be tolerable, for a lonesome Man of Letters, who goes into the illicit. Helpfulness, affection, or the flattering
image of such, are by no means wanting: squalls of infirm temper are not more frequent than in the most licit
establishments of a similar sort. Madame, about this time, has a swift Palfrey, 'ROSSIGNOL (Nightingale)'
the name of him; and gallops fairylike through the winding valleys; being an ardent rider, and welllooking
on horseback. Voltaire's study is inlaid withthe Grafigny knows all what:mere china tiles, gilt
sculptures, marble slabs, and the supreme of taste and expense: study fit for the Phoebus Apollo of France, so
far as Madame could contrive it. Takes coffee with Madame, in the Gallery, about noon. And his bedroom, I
expressly discern, [ Letters of Voltaire. ] looks out upon a running brook, the murmur of which is pleasant to
one."
Enough, enough. We can perceive what kind of Voltaire it was to whom the CrownPrince now addressed
himself; and how luminous an object, shining afar out of the solitudes of Champagne upon the ardent young
man, still so capable of admiration. Model Epic, HENRIADE; model History, CHARLES DOUZE; sublime
Tragedies, CISAR, ALZIRE and others, which readers still know though with less enthusiasm, are blooming
fresh in Friedrich's memory and heart; such Literature as man never saw before; and in the background
Friedrich has inarticulately a feeling as if, in this man, there were something grander than all Literatures: a
Reform of human Thought itself; a new "Gospel," goodtidings or God'sMessage, by this man;which
Friedrich does not suspect, as the world with horror does, to be a new BA'SPEL, or Devil'sMessage of bad
tidings! A sublime enough Voltaire; radiant enough, over at Cirey yonder. To all lands, a visible Phoebus
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Apollo, climbing the eastern steeps; with arrows of celestial "new light" in his quiver; capable of stretching
many a big foul Python, belly uppermost, in its native mud, and ridding the poor world of her Nightmares and
MudSerpents in some measure, we may hope!
And so there begins, from this point, a lively Correspondence between Friedrich and Voltaire; which, with
some interruptions of a notable sort, continued during their mutual Life; and is a conspicuous feature in the
Biographies of both. The world talked much of it, and still talks; and has now at last got it all collected, and
elucidated into a dimly legible form for studious readers. [Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, (xxi. xxii. xxiii.,
Berlin, 1853); who supersedes the lazy French Editors in this matter.] It is by no means the diabolically
wicked Correspondence it was thought to be; the reverse, indeed, on both sides;but it has unfortunately
become a very dull one, to the actual generation of mankind. Not without intrinsic merit; on the contrary (if
you read intensely, and bring the extinct alive again), it sparkles notably with epistolary grace and vivacity;
and, on any terms, it has still passages of biographical and other interest: but the substance of it, then so new
and shining, has fallen absolutely commonplace, the property of all the world, since then; and is now very
wearisome to the reader. No doctrine or opinion in it that you have not heard, with clear belief or clear
disbelief, a hundred times, and could wish rather not to hear again. The common fate of philosophical
originalities in this world. As a Biographical Document, it is worth a very strict perusal, if you are interested
that way in either Friedrich or Voltaire: finely significant hints and traits, though often almost evanescent, so
slight are they, abound in this Correspondence; frankness, veracity under graceful forms, being the rule of it,
strange to say! As an illustration of Two memorable Characters, and of their Century; showing on what terms
the sage Plato of the Eighteenth Century and his Tyrant Dionysius correspond, and what their manners are to
one another, it may long have a kind of interest to mankind: otherwise it has not much left.
In Friedrich's History it was, no doubt, an important fact, that there lived a Voltaire along with him, twenty
years his senior. With another Theory of the Universe than the Voltaire one, how much OTHER had
Friedrich too been! But the Theory called by Voltaire's name was not properly of Voltaire's creating, but only
of his uttering and publishing; it lay ready for everybody's finding, and could not well have been altogether
missed by such a one as Friedrich. So that perhaps we exaggerate the effects of Voltaire on him, though
undoubtedly they were considerable. Considerable; but not derived from this express correspondence, which
seldom turns on didactic points at all; derived rather from Voltaire's Printed WORKS, where they lay
derivable to all the world. Certain enough it is, Voltaire was at this time, and continued all his days,
Friedrich's chief Thinker in the world; unofficially, the chief Preacher, Prophet and Priest of this Working
King;no better off for a spiritual Trismegistus was poor Friedrich in the world! On the practical side,
Friedrich soon outgrew him,perhaps had already outgrown, having far more veracity of character, and an
intellect far better built in the silent parts of it, and trained too by hard experiences to know shadow from
substance;outgrew him, and gradually learned to look down upon him, occasionally with much contempt,
in regard to the practical. But in all changes of humor towards Voltaire, Friedrich, we observe, considers him
as plainly supreme in speculative intellect; and has no doubt but, for thinking and speaking, Nature never
made such another. Which may be taken as a notable feature of Friedrich's History; and gives rise to passages
between Voltaire and him, which will make much noise in time coming.
Here, meanwhile, faithfully presented though in condensed form, is the starting of the Correspondence; First
Letter of it, and first Response. Two Pieces which were once bright as the summer sunrise on both sides, but
are now fallen very dim; and have much needed condensation, and abridgment by omission of the
unessential,so lengthy are they, so extinct and almost dreary to us! Sublime "Wolf" and his "Philosophy,"
how he was hunted out of Halle with it, long since; and now shines from Marburg, his "Philosophy" and he
supreme among mankind: this, and other extinct points, the reader's fancy will endeavor to rekindle in some
slight measure:
TO M. DE VOLTAIRE, AT CIREY (from the CrownPrince).
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"BERLIN, 8th August, 1736.
"MONSIEUR,Although I have not the satisfaction of knowing you personally, you are not the less known
to me through your Works. They are treasures of the mind, if I may so express myself; and they reveal to the
reader new beauties at every fresh perusal. I think I have recognized in them the character of their ingenious
Author, who does honor to our age and to human nature. If ever the dispute on the comparative merits of the
Moderns and the Ancients should be revived, the modern great men will owe it to you, and to you only, that
the scale is turned in their favor. With the excellent quality of Poet you join innumerable others more or less
related to it. Never did Poet before put Metaphysics into rhythmic cadence: to you the honor was reserved of
doing it first.
"This taste for Philosophy manifested in your writings, induces me to send you a translated Copy of the
Accusation and defence of M. Wolf, the most celebrated Philosopher of our days; who, for having carried
light into the darkest places of Metaphysics, is cruelly accused of irreligion and atheism. Such is the destiny
of great men; their superior genius exposes them to the poisoned arrows of calumny and envy. I am about
getting a Translation made of the Treatise on God, the Soul, and the World," Translation done by an
Excellency Suhm, as has been hinted,"from the pen of the same Author. I will send it you when it is
finished; and I am sure that the force of evidence in all his propositions, and their close geometrical sequence,
will strike you.
"The kindness and assistance you afford to all who devote themselves to the Arts and Sciences, makes me
hope that you will not exclude me from the number of those whom you find worthy of your instructions:it
is so I would call your intercourse by Correspondence of Letters; which cannot be other than profitable to
every thinking being. ...
... "beauties without number in your works. Your HENRIADE delights me. The tragedy of CESAR shows us
sustained characters; the sentiments in it are magnificent and grand, and one feels that Brutus is either a
Roman, or else an Englishman (ou un Romain ou un Anglais). Your ALZIRE, to the graces of novelty adds ...
"Monsieur, there is nothing I wish so much as to possess all your Writings," even those not printed hitherto.
"Pray, Monsieur, do communicate them to me without reserve. If there be amongst your Manuscripts any that
you wish to conceal from the eyes of the public, I engage to keep them in the profoundest secrecy. I am
unluckily aware, that the faith of Princes is an object of little respect in our days; nevertheless I hope you will
make an exception from the general rule in my favor. I should think myself richer in the possession of your
Works than in that of all the transient goods of Fortune. These the same chance grants and takes away: your
Works one can make one's own by means of memory, so that they last us whilst it lasts. Knowing how weak
my own memory is, I am in the highest degree select in what I trust to it.
"If Poetry were what it was before your appearance, a strumming of wearisome idyls, insipid eclogues,
tuneful nothings, I should renounce it forever:" but in your hands it becomes ennobled; a melodious "course
of morals; worthy of the admiration and the study of cultivated minds (DES HONNETES GENS). You"in
fine, "you inspire the ambition to follow in your footsteps. But I, how often have I said to myself:
'MALHEUREUX, throw down a burden which is above thy strength! One cannot imitate Voltaire, without
being Voltaire!'
"It is in such moments that I have felt how small are those advantages of birth, those vapors of grandeur, with
which vanity would solace us! They amount to little, properly to nothing (POUR MIEUX DIRE, RIEN).
Nature, when she pleases, forms a great soul, endowed with faculties that can advance the Arts and Sciences;
and it is the part of Princes to recompense his noble toils. Ah, would Glory but make use of me to crown your
successes! My only fear would be, lest this Country, little fertile in laurels, proved unable to furnish enough
of them.
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"If my destiny refuse me the happiness of being able to possess you, may I, at least, hope one day to see the
man whom I have admired so long now from afar; and to assure you, by word of mouth, that I am,With all
the esteem and consideration due to those who, following the torch of truth for guide, consecrate their labors
to the Public,Monsieur, your affectionate friend,
"FREDERIC, P. R. of Prussia."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxi. 6.]
By what route or conveyance this Letter went, I cannot say. In general, it is to be observed, these
FriedrichVoltaire Letters liable perhaps to be considered contraband at BOTH ends of their coursedo
not go by the Post; but by FrenchPrussian Ministers, by Hamburg Merchants, and other safe subterranean
channels. Voltaire, with enthusiasm, and no doubt promptly, answers within three weeks:
TO THE CROWNPRINCE, AT REINSBERG (from Voltaire).
"CIREY, 26th August, 1736.
"MONSEIGNEUR,A man must be void of all feeling who were not infinitely moved by the Letter which
your Royal Highness has deigned to honor me with. My selflove is only too much flattered by it: but my
love of Mankind, which I have always nourished in my heart, and which, I venture to say, forms the basis of
my character, has given me a very much purer pleasure,to see that there is, now in the world, a Prince who
thinks as a man; a PHILOSOPHER Prince, who will make men happy.
"Permit me to say, there is not a man on the earth but owes thanks for the care you take to cultivate by sound
philosophy a soul that is born for command. Good kings there never were except those that had begun by
seeking to instruct themselves; by knowinggood men from bad; by loving what was true, by detesting
persecution and superstition. No Prince, persisting in such thoughts, but might bring back the golden age into
his Countries! And why do so few Princes seek this glory? You feel it, Monseigneur, it is because they all
think more of their Royalty than of Mankind. Precisely the reverse is your case:and, unless, one day, the
tumult of business and the wickedness of men alter so divine a character, you will be worshipped by your
People, and loved by the whole world. Philosophers, worthy of the name, will flock to your States; thinkers
will crowd round that throne, as the skilfulest artisans do to the city where their art is in request. The
illustrious Queen Christina quitted her kingdom to go in search of the Arts; reign you, Monseigneur, and the
Arts will come to seek you.
"May you only never be disgusted with the Sciences by the quarrels of their Cultivators! A race of men no
better than Courtiers; often enough as greedy, intriguing, false and cruel as these," and still more ridiculous in
the mischief they do. "And how sad for mankind that the very Interpreters of Heaven's commandments, the
Theologians, I mean, are sometimes the most dangerous of all! Professed messengers of the Divinity, yet men
sometimes of obscure ideas and pernicious behavior; their soul blown out with mere darkness; full of gall and
pride, in proportion as it is empty of truths. Every thinking being who is not of their opinion is an Atheist;
and every King who does not favor them will be damned. Dangerous to the very throne; and yet intrinsically
insignificant:" best way is, leave their big talk and them alone; speedy collapse will follow. ...
"I cannot sufficiently thank your Royal Highness for the gift of that little Book about Monsieur Wolf. I
respect Metaphysical ideas; rays of lightning they are in the midst of deep night. More, I think, is not to be
hoped from Metaphysics. It does not seem likely that the Firstprinciples of things will ever be known. The
mice that nestle in some little holes of an immense Building, know not whether it is eternal, or who the
Architect, or why he built it. Such mice are we; and the Divine Architect who built the Universe has never,
that I know of, told his secret to one of us. If anybody could pretend to guess correctly, it is M. Wolf."
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Beautiful in your Royal Highness to protect such a man. And how beautiful it will be, to send me his chief
Book, as you have the kindness to promise! "The Heir of a Monarchy, from his palace, attending to the wants
of a recluse far off! Condescend to afford me the pleasure of that Book, Monseigneur. ...
"What your Royal Highness thinks of poetry is just: verses that do not teach men new and touching truths, do
not deserve to be read." As to my own poor versesBut, after all, "that HENRIADE is the writing of an
Honest Man: fit, in that sense, that it find grace with a Philosopher Prince.
"I will obey your commands as to sending those unpublished Pieces. You shall be my public, Monseigneur;
your criticisms will be my reward: it is a price few Sovereigns can pay. I am sure of your secrecy: your virtue
and your intellect must be in proportion. I should indeed consider it a precious happiness to come and pay my
court to your Royal Highness! One travels to Rome to see paintings and ruins: a Prince such as you is a much
more singular object; worthier of a long journey! But the friendship [divine Emilie's] which keeps me in this
retirement does not permit my leaving it. No doubt you think with Julian, that great and much calumniated
man, who said, 'Friends should always be preferred to Kings.'
"In whatever corner of the world I may end my life, be assured, Monseigneur, my wishes will continually be
for you,that is to say, for a whole People's happiness. My heart will rank itself among your subjects; your
glory will ever be dear to me. I shall wish, May you always be like yourself, and may other Kings be like
you!I am, with profound respect, your Royal Highness's most humble
"VOLTAIRE."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxi. 10.]
The Correspondence, once kindled, went on apace; and soon burst forth, finding nourishment all round, into a
shining little household fire, pleasant to the hands and hearts of both parties. Consent of opinions on
important matters is not wanting; nor is emphasis in declaring the same. The mutual admiration, which is
high,high and intrinsic on Friedrich's side; and on Voltaire's, high if in part extrinsic,by no means wants
for emphasis of statement: superlatives, tempered by the best art, pass and repass. Friedrich, reading
Voltaire's immortal Manuscripts, confesses with a blush, before long, that he himself is a poor Apprentice
that way. Voltaire, at sight of the Princely Productions, is full of admiration, of encouragement; does a little
in correcting, solecisms of grammar chiefly; a little, by no means much. But it is a growing branch of
employment; now and henceforth almost the one reality of function Voltaire can find for himself in this
beautiful Correspondence. For, "Oh what a CrownPrince, ripening forward to be the delight of human
nature, and realize the dream of sages, Philosophy upon the Throne!" And on the other side, "Oh what a
Phoebus Apollo, mounting the eastern sky, chasing the Nightmares,sowing the Earth with Orient pearl, to
begin with!"In which fine duet, it must be said, the Prince is perceptibly the truer singer; singing within
compass, and from the heart; while the Phoebus shows himself acquainted with art, and warbles in seductive
quavers, now and then beyond the pitch of his voice. We must own also, Friedrich proves little seducible;
shows himself laudably indifferent to such siren singing;perhaps more used to flattery, and knowing by
experience how little meal is to be made of chaff. Voltaire, in an ungrateful France, naturally plumes himself
a good deal on such recognition by a Foreign Rising Sun; and, of the two, though so many years the elder, is
much more like losing head a little.
Elegant gifts are despatched to Cirey; goldamber trinkets for Madame, perhaps an amber inkholder for
Monsieur: priceless at Cirey as the gifts of the very gods. By and by, a messenger goes express: the witty
Colonel Keyserling, witty but experienced, whom we once named at Reinsberg; he is to go and see with his
eyes, since his Master cannot. What a messenger there; ambassador from star to star! Keyserling's report at
Reinsberg is not given; but we have Grafigny's, which is probably the more impartial. Keyserling's embassy
was in the end of next year; [3d November, 1737 (as we gather from the Correspondence).] and there is
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plenty of airy writing about it and him, in these Letters.
Friedrich has translated the name KEYSERLING (diminutive of KAISER) into "Caesarion;"and I should
have said, he plays much upon names and also upon things, at Reinsberg, in that style; and has a good deal of
airy symbolism, and cloudwork ingeniously painted round the solidities of his life there. Especially a
"Bayard Order," as he calls it: Twelve of his selectest Friends made into a Chivalry Brotherhood, the names
of whom are all changed, "Caesarion" one of them; with dainty devices, and mimetic procedures of the due
sort. Which are not wholly mummery; but have a spice of reality, to flavor them to a serious young heart. For
the selection was rigorous, superior merit and behavior a strict condition; and indeed several of these Bayard
Chevaliers proved notable practical Champions in time coming;for example Captain Fouquet, of whom we
have heard before, in the dark Custrin days. This is a mentionable feature of the Reinsberg life, and of the
young Prince's character there: pleasant to know of, from this distance; but not now worth knowing more in
detail.
The FriedrichVoltaire Correspondence contains much incense; due whiffs of it, from Reinsberg side, to the
"divine Emilie," Voltaire's quasi betterhalf or worsehalf; who responds always in her divinest manner to
Reinsberg, eager for more acquaintance there. The Du Chatelets had a Lawsuit in Brabant; very inveterate,
perhaps a hundred years old or more; with the "House of Honsbrouck:" [ Lettres Inedites de Voltaire (Paris,
1826), p. 9.] this, not to speak of other causes, flights from French peril and the like, often brought Voltaire
and his Dame into those parts; and gave rise to occasional hopes of meeting with Friedrich; which could not
take effect. In more practical style, Voltaire solicits of him: "Could not your Royal Highness perhaps
graciously speak to some of those Judicial Big wigs in Brabant, and flap them up a little!" Which Friedrich, I
think, did, by some good means. Happily, by one means or other, Voltaire got the Lawsuit ended,1740, we
might guess, but the time is not specified;and Friedrich had a new claim, had there been need of new, to be
regarded with worship by Madame. [Record of all this, left, like innumerable other things there, in an
intrinsically dark condition, lies in Voltaire's LETTERS,not much worth hunting up into clear daylight, the
process being so difficult to a stranger.] But the proposed meeting with Madame could never take effect; not
even when Friedrich's hands were free. Nay I notice at last, Friedrich had privately determined it never
shouldMadame evidently an inconvenient element to him. A young man not wanting in private power of
eyesight; and able to distinguish chaff from meal! Voltaire and he will meet; meet, and also part; and there
will be passages between them:and the reader will again hear of this Correspondence of theirs, where it has
a biographical interest. We are to conceive it, at present, as a principal light of life to the young heart at
Reinsberg; a cheerful new fire, almost an altarfire, irradiating the common dusk for him there.
Of another Correspondence, beautifully irradiative for the young heart, we must say almost nothing: the
Correspondence with Suhm. Suhm the Saxon Minister, whom we have occasionally heard of, is an old Friend
of the CrownPrince's, dear and helpful to him: it is he who is now doing those Translations of Wolf, of
which Voltaire lately saw specimens; translating WOLF at large, for the young man's behoof. The young
man, restless to know the best Philosophy going, had tried reading of Wolf's chief Book; found it too
abstruse, in Wolf's German: wherefore Suhm translates; sends it to him in limpid French; fascicle by fascicle,
with commentaries; young man doing his best to understand and admire,gratefully, not too successfully,
we can perceive. That is the staple of the famous SUHM CORRESPONDENCE; staple which nobody could
now bear to be concerned with.
Suhm is also helpful in finance difficulties, which are pretty frequent; works out subventions, loans under a
handsome form, from the Czarina's and other Courts. Which is an operation of the utmost delicacy; perilous,
should it be heard of at Potsdam. Wherefore Suhm and the Prince have a covert language for it: and affect
still to be speaking of "Publishers" and "new Volumes," when they mean Lenders and BankDraughts. All
these loans, I will hope, were accurately paid one day, as that from George II. was, in "rouleaus of new gold."
We need not doubt the wholesome charm and blessing of so intimate a Correspondence to the CrownPrince:
and indeed his real love of the amiable Suhm, as Suhm's of him, comes beautifully to light in these Letters:
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but otherwise they are not now to be read without weariness, even dreariness, and have become a
biographical reminiscence merely.
Concerning Graf von Manteufel, a third Literary Correspondent, and the only other considerable one, here,
from a German Commentator on this matter, is a Clipping that will suffice:
"Manteufel was Saxon by birth, long a Minister of August the Strong, but quarrelled with August, owing to
some frail female it is said, and had withdrawn to Berlin a few years ago. He shines there among the
fashionable philosophical classes; underhand, perhaps does a little in the volunteer political line withal; being
a very busy pushing gentleman. Tall of stature, 'perfectly handsome at the age of sixty;' [Formey, Souvenirs
d'un Citoyen, i. 3945.] great partisan of Wolf and the Philosophies, awake to the Orthodoxies too. Writes
flowing elegant French, in a softly trenchant, somewhat too allknowing style. High manners traceable in
him; but nothing of the noble loyalty, natural politeness and pious lucency of Suhm. One of his Letters to
Friedrich has this slightly impertinent passage;Friedrich, just getting settled in Reinsberg, having
transiently mentioned 'the quantity of fair sex' that had come about him there:
"'BERLIN, 26th AUGUST, 1736 (to the CrownPrince). ... I am well persuaded your Royal Highness will
regulate all that to perfection, and so manage that your fair sex will be charmed to find themselves with you
at Reinsberg, and you charmed to have them there. But permit me, your Royal Highness, to repeat in this
place, what I one day took the liberty of saying here at Berlin: Nothing in the world would better suit the
present interests of your Royal Highness and of us all, than some Heir of your Royal Highness's making!
Perhaps the tranquil convenience with which your Royal Highness at Reinsberg can now attend to that object,
will be of better effect than all those hasty and transitory visits at Berlin were. At least I wish it with the best
of my heart. I beg pardon, Monseigneur, for intruding thus into everything which concerns your Royal
Highness;'In truth, I am a rather impudent busybodyish fellow, with superabundant dashing manner,
speculation, utterance; and shall get myself ordered out of the Country, by my present correspondent, by and
by. 'Being ever,' with the due enthusiasm, 'MANTEUFEL.' [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxv. 487;Friedrich's
Answer is, Reinsberg, 23d September (Ib. 489).]
"To which Friedrich's Answer is of a kind to put a gag in the foul mouth of certain extraordinary
Pamphleteerings, that were once very copious in the world; and, in particular, to set at rest the Herr Dr.
Zimmermann, and his poor puddle of calumnies and credulities, got together in that weak pursuit of
physiology under obscene circumstances;
"Which is the one good result I have gathered from the Manteufel Correspondence," continues our German
friend; whom I vote with! Or if the English reader never saw those Zimmermann or other dog like
Pamphleteerings and surmisings, let this Excerpt be mysterious and superfluous to the thankful English
reader.
On the whole, we conceive to ourselves the abundant nature of Friedrich's Correspondence, literary and
other; and what kind of event the transit of that Post functionary "from Fehrbellin northwards," with his
leathern bags, "twice a week," may have been at Reinsberg, in those years.
Chapter III. CROWNPRINCE MAKES A MORNING CALL.
Thursday, 25th October, 1736, the CrownPrince, with Lieutenant Buddenbrock and an attendant or two,
drove over into Mecklenburg, to a Village and serene Schloss called Mirow, intending a small act of
neighborly civility there; on which perhaps an English reader of our time will consent to accompany him. It is
but some ten or twelve miles off, in a northerly direction; Reinsberg being close on the frontier there. A
pleasant enough morning'sdrive, with the October sun shining on the silent heaths, on the many colored
woods and you.
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Mirow is an Apanage for one of the MecklenburgStrelitz junior branches: MecklenburgStrelitz being itself
a junior compared to the MecklenburgSchwerin of which, and its infatuated Duke, we have heard so much
in times past. Mirow and even Strelitz are not ina very shining state,but indeed, we shall see them, as it
were, with eyes. And the English reader is to note especially those Mirow people, as perhaps of some small
interest to him, if he knew it. The CrownPrince reports to papa, in a satirical vein, not ungenially, and with
much more freedom than is usual in those Reinsberg letters of his:
"TO HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY (from the CrownPrince).
"REINSBERG, 26th October, 1736.
... "Yesterday I went across to Mirow. To give my Most All gracious Father an idea of the place, I cannot
liken it to anything higher than GrossKreutz [term of comparison lost upon us; say GARRAT, at a venture,
or the CLACHAN OF ABERFOYLE]: the one house in it, that can be called a house, is not so good as the
Parson's there. I made straight for the Schloss; which is pretty much like the Gardenhouse in Bornim: only
there is a rampart round it; and an old Tower, considerably in ruins, serves as a Gateway to the House.
"Coming on the Drawbridge, I perceived an old stockingknitter disguised as Grenadier, with his cap,
cartridgebox and musket laid to a side, that they might not hinder him in his knitting work. As I advanced,
he asked, 'Whence I came, and whitherward I was going?' I answered, that 'I came from the Posthouse, and
was going over this Bridge:' whereupon the Grenadier, quite in a passion, ran to the Tower; where he opened
a door, and called out the Corporal. The Corporal seemed to have hardly been out of bed; and in his great
haste, had not taken time to put on his shoes, nor quite button his breeches; with much flurry he asked us,
'Where we were for, and how we came to treat the Sentry in that manner?' Without answering him at all, we
went our way towards the Schloss.
"Never in my life should I have taken this for a Schloss, had it not been that there were two glass lamps fixed
at the doorposts, and the figures of two Cranes standing in front of them, by way of Guards. We made up to
the House; and after knocking almost half an hour to no purpose, there peered out at last an exceedingly old
woman, who looked as if she might have nursed the Prince of Mirow's father. The poor woman, at sight of
strangers, was so terrified, she slammed the door to in our faces. We knocked again; and seeing there could
nothing be made of it, we went round to the stables; where a fellow told us, 'The young Prince with his
Consort was gone to NeuStrelitz, a couple of miles off [ten miles English]; and the Duchess his Mother,
who lives here, had given him, to make the better figure, all her people along with him; keeping nobody but
the old woman to herself.'
"It was still early; so I thought I could not do better than profit by the opportunity, and have a look at
NeuStrelitz. We took posthorses; and got thither about noon. NeuStrelitz is properly a Village; with only
one street in it, where Chamberlains, OfficeClerks, Domestics all lodge, and where there is an Inn. I cannot
better describe it to my Most Allgracious Father than by that street in Gumbinnen where you go up to the
Townhall,except that no house here is whitewashed. The Schloss is fine, and lies on a lake, with a big
garden; pretty much like Reinsberg in situation.
"The first question I asked here was for the Prince of Mirow: but they told me he had just driven off again to
a place called Kanow; which is only a couple of miles English from Mirow, where we had been.
Buddenbrock, who is acquainted with NeuStrelitz, got me, from a chamberlain, something to eat; and in the
mean while, that Bohme came in, who was Adjutant in my Most Allgracious Father's Regiment [not of
Goltz, but King's presumably]: Bohme did not know me till I hinted to him who I was. He told me, 'The Duke
of Strelitz was an excellent seamster;'" fit to be Tailor to your Majesty in a manner, had not Fate been cruel,
"'and that he made beautiful dressinggowns (CASSAQUINS) with his needle.' This made me curious to see
him: so we had ourselves presented as Foreigners; and it went off so well that nobody recognized me. I
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cannot better describe the Duke than by saying he is like old Stahl [famed old medical man at Berlin, dead
last year, physiognomy not known to actual readers], in a blond Abbe's periwig. He is extremely silly
(BLODE); his Hofrath Altrock tells him, as it were, everything he has to say." About fifty, this poor Duke;
shrunk into needlework, for a quiet life, amid such tumults from Schwerin and elsewhere.
"Having taken leave, we drove right off to Kanow; and got thither about six. It is a mere Village; and the
Prince's PleasureHouse (LUSTHAUS) here is nothing better than an ordinary HuntingLodge, such as any
Forestkeeper has. I alighted at the Miller's; and had myself announced" at the LUSTHAUS," by his maid:
upon which the MajorDomo (HAUSHOFMEISTER) came over to the Mill, and complimented me; with
whom I proceeded to the Residenz," that is, back again to Mirow, "where the whole Mirow Family were
assembled. The Mother is a Princess of Schwartzburg, and still the cleverest of them all," still under sixty;
good old Mother, intent that her poor Son should appear to advantage, when visiting the more opulent
Serenities. "His Aunt also," mother's sister, "was there. The Lady Spouse is small; a Niece to the Prince of
Hildburghausen, who is in the Kaiser's service: she was in the familyway; but (ABER) seemed otherwise to
be a very good Princess.
"The first thing they entertained me with was, the sad misfortune come upon their best Cook; who, with the
cart that was bringing the provisions, had overset, and broken his arm; so that the provisions had all gone to
nothing. Privately I have had inquiries made; there was not a word of truth in the story. At last we went to
table; and, sure enough, it looked as if the Cook and his provisions had come to some mishap; for certainly in
the Three Crowns at Potsdam [worst inn, one may guess, in the satirical vein], there is better eating than here.
"At table, there was talk of nothing but of all the German Princes who are not right in their wits (NICHT
RECHT KLUG)," as Mirow himself, your Majesty knows, is reputed to be! "There was Weimar,
[Wilhelmina's acquaintance; wedded, not without difficulty, to a superfluous Baireuth Sisterinlaw by
Wilhelmina ( Memoires de Wilhelmina, ii. 185194): Grandfather of Goethe's Friend;is nothing like fairly
out of his wits; only has a flea (as we may say) dancing occasionally in the ear of him. Perhaps it is so with
the rest of these Serenities, here fallen upon evil tongues?] Gotha, Waldeck, Hoym, and the whole lot of
them, brought upon the carpet:and after our good Host had got considerably drunk, we rose,and he
lovingly promised me that 'he and his whole Family would come and visit Reinsberg.' Come he certainly
will; but how I shall get rid of him, God knows.
"I most submissively beg pardon of my Most Allgracious Father for this long Letter; and"we will
terminate here. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. part 3d, pp. 104106.]
Dilapidated Mirow and its inmates, portrayed in this satirical way, except as a view of Serene Highnesses
fallen into Sleepy Hollow, excites little notice in the indolent mind; and that little, rather pleasantly
contemptuous than really profitable. But one fact ought to kindle momentary interest in English readers: the
young foolish Herr, in this dilapidated place, is no other than our "Old Queen Charlotte's" Father that is to
be, a kind of Ancestor of ours, though we little guessed it! English readers will scan him with new
curiosity, when he pays that return visit at Reinsberg. Which he does within the fortnight:
"TO HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY (from the CrownPrince).
"REINSBERG, 6th November, 1736.
... "that my Most Allgracious Father has had the graciousness to send us some Swans. My Wife also has
been exceedingly delighted at the fine Present sent her. ... General Praetorius," Danish Envoy, with whose
Court there is some tiff of quarrel, "came hither yesterday to take leave of us; he seems very unwilling to quit
Prussia.
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Chapter III. CROWNPRINCE MAKES A MORNING CALL. 489
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"This morning about three o'clock, my people woke me, with word that there was a Stafette come with
Letters,"from your Majesty or Heaven knows whom! "I spring up in all haste; and opening the
Letter,find it is from the Prince of Mirow; who informs me that 'he will be here today at noon.' I have got
all things in readiness to receive him, as if he were the Kaiser in person; and I hope there will be material for
some amusement to my Most Allgracious Father, by next post."Next post is half a week hence:
"TO HIS PRUSSIAN MAJESTY (from the CrownPrince).
"REINSBERG, 11th Novemher.
... "The Prince of Mirow's visit was so curious, I must give my Most Allgracious Father a particular report
of it. In my last, I mentioned how General Praetorius had come to us: he was in the room, when I entered with
the Prince of Mirow; at sight of him Praetorius exclaimed, loud enough to be heard by everybody, 'VOILA
LE PRINCE CAJUCA!' [Nickname out of some Romance, fallen extinct long since.] Not one of us could
help laughing; and I had my own trouble to turn it so that he did not get angry.
"Scarcely was the Prince got in, when they came to tell me, for his worse luck, that Prince Heinrich," the Ill
Margraf, "was come; who accordingly trotted him out, in such a way that we thought we should all have
died with laughing. Incessant praises were given him, especially for his fine clothes, his fine air, and his
uncommon agility in dancing. And indeed I thought the dancing would never end.
"In the afternoon, to spoil his fine coat,"a contrivance of the Ill Margraf's, I should think,"we stept out
to shoot at target in the rain: he would not speak of it, but one could observe he was in much anxiety about
the coat. In the evening, he got a glass or two in his head, and grew extremely merry; said at last, 'He was
sorry that, for divers statereasons and businesses of moment, he must of necessity return home;'which,
however, he put off till about two in the morning. I think, next day he would not remember very much of it.
"Prince Heinrich is gone to his Regiment again; "Praetorius too is off;and we end with the proper
KOWTOW. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvii. part 3d, p. 109.]
These Strelitzers, we said, are juniors to infatuated Schwerin; and poor Mirow is again junior to Strelitz:
plainly one of the least opulent of Residences. At present, it is Dowager Apanage (WITTWENSITZ) to the
Widow of the late Strelitz of blessed memory: here, with her one Child, a boy now grown to what manhood
we see, has the Serene Dowager lived, these twentyeight years past; a Schwartzburg by birth, "the cleverest
head among them all." Twentyeight years in dilapidated Mirow: so long has that Tailoring Duke, her eldest
STEPSON (child of a prior wife) been Supreme Head of MecklenburgStrelitz; employed with his needle,
or we know not how,collapsed plainly into tailoring at this date. There was but one other Son; this clever
Lady's, twenty years junior,"Prince of Mirow" whom we now see. Karl Ludwig Friedrich is the name of
this one; age now twentyeight gone. He, ever since the third month of him, when the poor Serene Father
died ("May, 1703"), has been at Mirow with Mamma; getting what education there was,not too
successfully, as would appear. Eight years ago, "in 1726," Mamma sent him off upon his travels; to Geneva,
Italy, France: he looked in upon Vienna, too; got a LieutenantColonelcy in the Kaiser's Service, but did not
like it; soon gave it up; and returned home to vegetate, perhaps to seek a wife,having prospects of
succession in Strelitz. For the Serene HalfBrother proves to have no children: were his tailoring once
finished in the world, our Prince of Mirow is Duke in Chief. On this basis the wedded last year; the little
Wife has already brought him one child, a Daughter; and has (as Friedrich notices) another under way, if it
prosper. No lack of Daughters, nor of Sons by and by: eight years hence came the little
Charlotte,subsequently Mother of England: much to her and our astonishment. [Born (at Mirow) 19th
May, 1744; married (London), 8th September, 1761; died, 18th November, 1818 (Michaelis, ii. 445, 446;
Hubner, t. 195; OErtel, pp. 43, 22).]
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The poor man did not live to be Duke of Strelitz; he died, 1752, in little Charlotte's eighth year; Tailor Duke
SURVIVING him a few months. Little Charlotte's Brother did then succeed, and lasted till 1794; after whom
a second Brother, father of the now Serene Strelitzes;who also is genealogically notable. For from him
there came another still more famous Queen: Louisa of Prussia; beautiful to look upon, as "Aunt Charlotte"
was not, in a high degree; and who showed herself a Heroine in Napoleon's time, as Aunt Charlotte never was
called to do. Both Aunt and Niece were women of sense, of probity, propriety; fairly beyond the average of
Queens. And as to their early poverty, ridiculous to this gold nugget generation, I rather guess it may have
done them benefits which the goldnugget generation, in its Queens and otherwise, stands far more in want
of than it thinks.
But enough of this Prince of Mirow, whom Friedrich has accidentally unearthed for us. Indeed there is no
farther history of him, for or against. He evidently was not thought to have invented gunpowder, by the
public. And yet who knows but, in his very simplicity, there lay something far beyond the Ill Margraf to
whom he was so quizzable? Poor downpressed brother mortal; somnambulating so pacifically in Sleepy
Hollow yonder, and making no complaint!
He continued, though soon with less enthusiasm, and in the end very rarely, a visitor of Friedrich's during this
Reinsberg time. Patriotic English readers may as well take the few remaining vestiges, too, before quite
dismissiug him to Sleepy Hollow. Here they are, swept accurately together, from that Correspondence of
Friedrich with Papa:
"REINSBERG, 18th NOVEMBER, 1736. ... report most submissively that the Prince of Mirow has again
been here, with his Mother, Wife, Aunt, Hofdames, Cavaliers and entire Household; so that I thought it was
the Flight out of Egypt [Exodus of the Jews]. I begin to have a fear of those good people, as they assured me
they would have such pleasure in coming often!"
"REINSBERG, 1st FEBRUARY, 1737." Let us give it in the Original too, as a specimen of German
spelling:
"Der Prints von Mihrau ist vohr einigen thagen hier gewessen und haben wier einige Wasser schwermer in
der See ihm zu Ehren gesmissen, seine frau ist mit eber thoten Printzesin nieder geKomen.Der General
schulenburg ist heute hier gekommen und wirdt morgen"That is to say:
"The Prince of Mirow was here a few days ago; and we let off, in honor of him, a few waterrockets over the
Lake: his Wife has been brought to bed of a dead Princess. General Schulenburg [with a small s] came hither
today; and tomorrow will" ...
"REINSBERG, 28th MARCH, 1737. ... Prince von Mirow was here yesterday; and tried shooting at the
popinjay with us; he cannot see rightly, and shoots always with help of an operaglass."
"RUPPIN, 20th OCTOBER, 1737. The Prince of Mirow was with us last Friday; and babbled much in his
high way; among other things, whitelied to us, that the Kaiserinn gave him a certain porcelain snuffbox he
was handling; but on being questioned more tightly, he confessed to me he had bought it in Vienna." [ Briefe
an Vater, p. 71 (CARET in OEuvres ); pp. 85114.See Ib. 6th November, 1737, for faint trace of a visit;
and 25th September, 1739, for another still fainter, the last there is.]
And so let him somnambulate yonder, till the two Queens, like winged Psyches, one after the other, manage
to emerge from him.
Friedrich's Letters to his Father are described by some Prussian Editors as "very attractive, SEHR
ANZIEHENDE BRIEFE;" which, to a Foreign reader, seems a strange account of them. Letters very hard to
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understand completely; and rather insignificant when understood. They turn on Gifts sent to and sent from,
"swans," "hams," with the unspeakable thanks for them; on recruits of so many inches; on the visitors that
have been; they assure us that "there is no sickness in the regiment," or tell expressly how much:wholly
small facts; nothing of speculation, and of ceremonial pipeclay a great deal. We know already under what
nightmare conditions Friedrich wrote to his Father! The attitude of the CrownPrince, sincerely reverent and
filial, though obliged to appear ineffably so, and on the whole struggling under such mountains of
encumbrance, yet loyally maintaining his equilibrium, does at last acquire, in these Letters, silently a kind of
beauty to the best class of readers. But that is nearly their sole merit. By far the most human of them, that on
the first visit to Mirow, the reader has now seen; and may thank us much that we show him no more of them.
[ Friedrich des Grossen Briefe an seinen Vater (Berlin, 1838). Reduced in size, by suitable omissions; and
properly spelt; but with little other elucidation for a stranger: in OEuvres, xxvii. part 3d, pp, 1123 (Berlin,
1856).
Chapter IV. NEWS OF THE DAY.
While these Mirow visits are about their best, and much else at Reinsberg is in comfortable progress,
Friedrich's first year there just ending, there come accounts from England of quarrels broken out between the
Britannic Majesty and his Prince of Wales. Discrepancies risen now to a height; and getting into the very
Newspapers;the Rising Sun too little under the control of the Setting, in that unquiet Country!
Prince Fred of England did not get to the Rhine Campaign, as we saw: he got some increase of Revenue, a
Household of his own; and finally a Wife, as he had requested: a SachsenGotha Princess; who, peerless
Wilhelmma being unattainable, was welcome to Prince Fred. She is in the familyway, this summer 1737, a
very young lady still; result thought to be dueWhen? Result being potential Heir to the British Nation,
there ought to have been good calculation of the time when! But apparently nobody had well turned his
attention that way. Or if Fred and Spouse had, as is presumable, Fred had given no notice to the Paternal
Majesty, "Let Paternal Majesty, always so cross to me, look out for himself in that matter." Certain it is,
Fred and Spouse, in the beginning of August, 1737, are out at Hampton Court; potential Heir due before long,
and no preparation made for it. August 11th in the evening, out at solitary Hampton Court; the poor young
Mother's pains came on; no Chancellor there, no Archbishop to see the birth,in fact, hardly the least
medical help, and of political altogether none. Fred, in his flurry, or by forethought,instead of dashing off
expresses, at a gallop as of Epsom, to summon the necessary persons and appliances, yoked wheeled vehicles
and rolled off to the old unprovided Palace of St. James's, London, with his poor Wife in person! Unwarned,
unprovided; where nevertheless she was safely delivered that same night,safely, as if by miracle. The crisis
might have taken her on the very highway: never was such an imprudence. Owing, I will believe, to Fred's
sudden flurry in the unprovided moment,unprovided, by reason of prior desuetudes and discouragements
to speech, on Papa's side. A shade of malice there might also be. Papa doubts not, it was malice aforethought
all of it. "Had the potential Heir of the British Nation gone to wreck, or been born on the highway, from my
quarrels with this bad Fred, what a scrape had I been in!" thinks Papa, and is in a towering permanence of
wrath ever since; the very Newspapers and coffeehouses and populaces now all getting vocal with it.
Papa, as it turned out, never more saw the face of Fred. Judicious Mamma, Queen Caroline, could not help a
visit, one visit to the poor young Mother, so soon as proper: coming out from the visit, Prince Fred
obsequiously escorting her to her carriage, found a crowd of people and populace, in front of St. James's; and
there knelt down on the street, in his fine silk breeches, careless of the mud, to "beg a Mother's blessing," and
show what a son he was, he for his part, in this sad discrepancy that had risen! Mamma threw a silent glance
on him, containing volumes of mixed tenor; drove off; and saw no more of Fred, she either. I fear, this
kneeling in the mud tells against Prince Fred; but in truth I do not know, nor even much care. [Lord Hervey,
Memoirs of George the Second, ii. 362370, 409.] What a noise in England about nothing at all!What a
noisy Country, your Prussian Majesty! Foolish "rising sun" not restrainable there by the setting or shining
one; opposition parties bowling him about among the constellations, like a very mad object!
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But in a month or two, there comes worse news out of England; falling heavy on the heart of Prussian
Majesty: news that Queen Caroline herself is dead. ["Sunday evening, 1st December (20th Nov.), 1737." Ib.
pp. 510539.] Died as she had lived, with much constancy of mind, with a graceful modest courage and
endurance; sinking quietly under the load of private miseries long quietly kept hidden, but now become too
heavy, and for which the appointed rest was now here. Little George blubbered a good deal; fidgeted and
flustered a good deal: much put about, poor foolish little soul. The dying Caroline recommended HIM to
Walpole; advised his Majesty to marry again. "Non, j'aurai des maitresses (No, I'll have mistresses)!" sobbed
his Majesty passionately. "Ah, mon Dieu, cela n'empeche pas (that does not hinder)!" answered she, from
long experience of the case. There is something stoically tragic in the history of Caroline with her flighty
vaporing little King: seldom had foolish husband so wise a wife. "Dead!" thought Friedrich Wilhelm, looking
back through the whirlwinds of life, into sunny young scenes far enough away: "Dead!"Walpole continued
to manage the little King; but not for long; England itself rising in objection. Jenkins's Ear, I understand, is
lying in cotton; and there are mad inflammable strata in that Nation, capable of exploding at a great rate.
From the Eastern regions our Newspapers are very full of events: War with the Turk going on there; Russia
and Austria both doing their best against the Turk. The Russians had hardly finished their PolishElection
fighting, when they decided to have a stroke at the Turk,Turk always an especial eyesorrow to them,
since that "Treaty of the Pruth," and Czar Peter's sad rebuff there: Munnich marched direct out of Poland
through the Ukraine, with his eye on the Crimea and furious business in that quarter. This is his second
Campaign there, this of 1737; and furious business has not failed. Last year he stormed the Lines of Perecop,
tore open the Crimea; took Azoph, he or Lacy under him; took many things: this year he had laid his plans for
Oczakow;takes Oczakow, fiery event, blazing in all the Newspapers, at Reinsberg and elsewhere.
Concerning which will the reader accept this condensed testimony by an eyewitness?
"OCZAKOW, 13th JULY, 1737. Day before yesterday, Feldmarschall Munnich got to Oczakow, as he had
planned,"strong Turkish Town in the nook between the Black Sea and the estuary of the Dnieper; "with
intention to besiege it. Siegetrain, stores of every sort, which he had set afloat upon the Dnieper in time
enough, were to have been ready for him at Oczakow. But the flotilla had been detained by shallows, by
waterfalls; not a boat was come, nor could anybody say when they were coming. Meanwhile nothing is to be
had here; the very face of the earth the Turks have burnt: not a blade of grass for cavalry within eight miles,
nor a stick of wood for engineers; not a hole for covert, and the ground so hard you cannot raise redoubts on
it: Munnich perceives he must attempt, nevertheless.
"On his right, by the seashore, Munnich finds some remains of gardens, palisades; scrapes together some
vestige of shelter there (five thousand, or even ten thousand pioneers working desperately all that first night,
11th July, with only half success); and on the morrow commences firing with what artillery he has. Much
outfired by the Turks inside;his enterprise as good as desperate, unless the Dnieper flotilla come soon. July
12th, all day the firing continues, and all night; Turks extremely furious: about an hour before daybreak, we
notice burning in the interior, 'Some wooden house kindled by us, town got on fire yonder,'and, praise to
Heaven, they do not seem to succeed in quenching it again. Munnich turns out, in various divisions; intent on
trying something, had he the least engineer furniture;hopes desperately there may be promise for him in
that internal burning still visible.
"In the centre of Munnich's line is one General Keith, a deliberate stalwart Scotch gentleman, whom we shall
know better; Munnich himself is to the right: Could not one try it by scalade; keep the internal burning free to
spread, at any rate? 'Advance within musketshot, General Keith!' orders Munnich's AidedeCamp
cantering up. 'I have been this good while within it,' answers Keith, pointing to his dead men. AidedeCamp
canters up a second time: 'Advance within half musketshot, General Keith, and quit any covert you have!'
Keith does so; sends, with his respects to Feldmarschall Munnich, his remonstrance against such a waste of
human life. AidedeCamp canters up a third time: 'Feldmarschall Munnich is for trying a scalade; hopes
General Keith will do his best to cooperate!' 'Forward, then!' answers Keith; advances close to the glacis;
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finds a wet ditch twelve feet broad, and has not a stick of engineer furniture. Keith waits there two hours; his
men, under fire all the while, trying this and that to get across; Munnich's scalade going off ineffectual in like
manner: till at length Keith's men, and all men, tire of such a business, and roll back in great confusion out
of shotrange. Munnich gives himself up for lost. And indeed, says Mannstein, had the Turks sallied out in
pursuit at that moment, they might have chased us back to Russia. But the Turks did not sally. And the
internal conflagration is not quenched, far from it;and about nine A.M. their PowderMagazine,
conflagration reaching it, roared aloft into the air, and killed seven thousand of them," [Mannstein, pp.
151156.]
So that Oczakow was taken, sure enough; terms, life only: and every remaining Turk packs off from it, some
"twenty thousand inhabitants young and old" for one sad item.A very blazing semi absurd event, to be
read of in Prussian military circles,where General Keith will be better known one day.
Russian War with the Turk: that means withal, by old Treaties, aid of thirty thousand men from the Kaiser to
Russia. Kaiser, so ruined lately, how can he send thirty thousand, and keep them recruited, in such distant
expedition? Kaiser, much meditating, is advised it will be better to go frankly into the Turk on his own score,
and try for slices of profit from him in this game. Kaiser declares war against the Turk; and what is still more
interesting to Friedrich Wilhelm and the Berlin Circles, Seckendorf is named General of it. Feldzeugmeister
now Feldmarschall Seckendorf, envy may say what it will, he has marched this season into the LowerDonau
Countries,going to besiege Widdin, they say,at the head of a big Army (on paper, almost a hundred and
fifty thousand, light troops and heavy) virtually CommanderinChief; though nominally our fine young
friend Franz of Lorraine bears the title of Commander, whom Seckendorf is to drynurse in the way
sometimes practised. Going to besiege Widdin, they say. So has the poor Kaiser been advised. His wise old
Eugene is now gone; [Died 30th April, 1736.] I fear his advisers,a youngish Feldzeugmeister, Prince of
Hildburghausen, the chief favorite among them,are none of the wisest. All Protestants, we observe, these
favorite Hildburghausens, Schmettaus, Seckendorfs of his; and Vienna is an orthodox papal Court;and
there is a Hofkriegsrath (Supreme Council of War), which has ruined many a General, poking too
meddlesomely into his affairs! On the whole, Seckendorf will have his difficulties. Here is a scene, on the
Lower Donau, different enough from that at Oczakow, not far from contemporaneous with it. The Austrian
Army is at Kolitz, a march or two beyond Belgrade:
"KOLITZ, 2d JULY, 1737. This day, the Army not being on march, but allowed to rest itself, Grand Duke
Franz went into the woods to hunt. Hunting up and down, he lost himself; did not return at evening; and, as
the night closed in and no Generalissimo visible, the Generalissimo AD LATUS (such the title they had
contrived for Seckendorf) was in much alarm. Generalissimo AD LATUS ordered out his whole force of
drummers, trumpeters: To fling themselves, postwise, deeper and deeper into the woods all round; to drum
there, and blow, in everwidening circle, in prescribed notes, and with all energy, till the Grand Duke were
found. Grand Duke being found, Seckendorf remonstrated, rebuked; a thought too earnestly, some say, his
temper being flurried,"voice snuffling somewhat in alt, with lisp to help:"so that the Grand Duke took
offence; flung off in a huff: and always looked askance on the Feldmarschall from that time;" [See
Lebensgeschichte des Grafen van Schmettau (by his Son: Berlin, 1806), i. 27.]quitting him altogether
before long; and marching with Khevenhuller, Wallis, Hildburghausen, or any of the subordinate Generals
rather. Probably Widdin will not go the road of Oczakow, nor the Austrians prosper like the Russians, this
summer.
Pollnitz, in TobaccoParliament, and in certain Berlin circles foolishly agape about this new Feldmarschall,
maintains always, Seckendorf will come to nothing; which his Majesty zealously contradicts,his Majesty,
and some shortsighted private individuals still favorable to Seckendorf. [Pollnitz, Memoiren, ii. 497502.]
Exactly one week after that singular drumandtrumpet operation on Duke Franz, the Last of the Medici dies
at Florence; [9th July ( Fastes de Louis XV., p. 304).] and Serene Franz, if he knew it, is Grand Duke of
Tuscany, according to bargain: a matter important to himself chiefly, and to France, who, for Stanislaus and
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Lorraine's sake, has had to pay him some 200,000 pounds a year during the brief intermediate state.
OF BERG AND JULICH AGAIN; AND OF LUISCIUS WITH THE ONE RAZOR.
These remote occurrences are of small interest to his Prussian Majesty, in comparison with the Pfalz affair,
the CleveJulich succession, which lies so near home. His Majesty is uncommonly anxious to have this
matter settled, in peace, if possible. Kaiser and Reich, with the other Mediating Powers, go on mediating; but
when will they decide? This year the old Bishop of Augsburg, one Brother of the older KurPfalz Karl
Philip, dies; nothing now between us and the event itself, but Karl Philip alone, who is verging towards
eighty: the decision, to be peaceable, ought to be speedy! Friedrich Wilhelm, in January last, sent the expert
Degenfeld, once of London, to old Karl Philip; and has him still there, with the most conciliatory offers:
"Will leave your Sulzbachs a part, then; will be content with part, instead of the whole, which is mine if there
be force in sealed parchment; will do anything for peace!" To which the old KurPfalz, foolish old creature,
is steadily deaf; answers vaguely, negatively always, in a polite manner; pushing his Majesty upon
extremities painful to think of. "We hate war; but cannot quite do without justice, your Serenity," thinks
Friedrich Wilhelm: "must it be the eighty thousand iron ramrods, then?" Obstinate Serenity continues deaf;
and Friedrich Wilhelm's negotiations, there at Mannheim, over in Holland, and through Holland with
England, not to speak of Kaiser and Reich close at hand, become very intense; vehemently earnest, about this
matter, for the next two years. The details of which, inexpressibly uninteresting, shall be spared the reader.
Summary is, these Mediating Powers will be of no help to his Majesty; not even the Dutch will, with whom
he is specially in friendship: nay, in the third year it becomes fatally manifest, the chief Mediating Powers,
Kaiser and France, listening rather to political convenience, than to the claims of justice, go direct in
KurPfalz's favor;by formal treaty of their own, ["Versailles, 13th January, 1739" (Olrich, Geschichte der
Schlesischen Kriege, i. 13); Mauvillon, ii 405446; France and the Kaiser settle, "That the Sulzbachers shall,
as a preliminary, get provisional possession, on the now Serenity's decease; and shall continue undisturbed
for two years, till Law decide between his Prussian Majesty and them." Two years; Law decide;and we
know what are the NINEPOINTS in a Lawcase! This, at last, proved too much for his Majesty. Majesty's
abstruse dubitations, meditations on such treatment by a Kaiser and others, did then, it appears, gloomily
settle into fixed private purpose of trying it by the iron ramrods, when old KurPfalz should die, of
marching with eighty thousand men into the Cleve Countries, and SO welcoming any Sulzbach or other
guests that might arrive. Happily old KurPfalz did not die in his Majesty's time; survived his Majesty
several years: so that the matter fell into other hands,and was settled very well, near a century after.
Of certain wranglings with the little Town of Herstal,Prussian Town (part of the Orange Heritage, once
KING PEPIN'S Town, if that were any matter now) in the Bishop of Liege's neighborhood, Town highly
insignificant otherwise,we shall say nothing here, as they will fall to be treated, and be settled, at an after
stage. Friedrich Wilhelm was much grieved by the contumacies of that paltry little Herstal; and by the Bishop
of Liege's highflown procedures in countenancing them;especially in a recruiting ease that had fallen out
there, and brought matters to a head. ["December, 1738," is crisis of the recruiting case ( HeldenGeschichte,
ii. 63); "17th February, 1739," Bishop's highflown appearance in it (ib. 67); Kaiser's in consequence, "10th
April, 1739."] The Kaiser too was afflictively high in countenancing the Bishop;for which both Kaiser
and Bishop got due payment in time. But his Prussian Majesty would not kindle the world for such a
paltriness; and so left it hanging in a vexatious condition. Such things, it is remarked, weigh heavier on his
now infirm Majesty than they were wont. He is more subject to fits of hypochondria, to talk of abdicating.
"All gone wrong!" he would say, if any little flaw rose, about recruiting or the like. "One might go and live at
Venice, were one rid of it!" [Forster (place LOST).] And his deepstung clangorous growl against the
Kaiser's treatment of him bursts out, from time to time; though he oftenest pities the Kaiser, too; seeing him
at such a pass with his Turk War and otherwise.
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It was in this Pfalz business that Herr Luiscius, the Prussian Minister in Holland, got into trouble; of whom
there is a light dash of outlineportraiture by Voltaire, which has made him memorable to readers. This "fat
King of Prussia," says Voltaire, was a dreadfully avaricious fellow, unbeautiful to a high degree in his
proceedings with mankind:
"He had a Minister at the Hague called Luiscius; who certainly of all Ministers of Crowned Heads was the
worst paid. This poor man, to warm himself, had made some trees be felled in the Garden of Honslardik,
which belonged at that time to the House of Prussia; he thereupon received despatches from the King,
intimating that a year of his salary was forfeited. Luiscius, in despair, cut his throat with probably the one
razor he had (SEUL RASOIR QU'IL EUT); an old valet came to his assistance, and unhappily saved his life.
In after years, I found his Excellency at the Hague; and have occasionally given him an alms at the door of
the VIEILLE COUR (Old Court), a Palace belonging to the King of Prussia, where this poor Ambassador had
lived a dozen years. It must be owned, Turkey is a republic in comparison to the despotism exercised by
Friedrich Wilhelm." [ OEuvres de Voltaire (Vie Pricee, or what they now call Memoires ), ii. 15.]
Here truly is a witty sketch; consummately dashed off, as nobody but Voltaire could; "round as Giotto's O,"
done at one stroke. Of which the prose facts are only as follows. Luiscius, Prussian Resident, not
distinguished by salary or otherwise, had, at one stage of these negotiations, been told, from headquarters,
He might, in casual extraofficial ways, if it seemed furthersome, give their High Mightinesses the hope, or
notion, that his Majesty did not intend actual war about that CleveJulich Succession, being a pacific
Majesty, and unwilling to involve his neighbors and mankind. Luiscius, instead of casual hint delicately
dropped in some good way, had proceeded by direct declaration; frank assurance to the High Mightinesses,
That there would be no war. Which had never been quite his Majesty's meaning, and perhaps was now
becoming rather the reverse of it. Disavowal of Luiscius had to ensue thereupon; who produced defensively
his instruction from headquarters; but got only rebukes for such heavyfooted clumsy procedure, so unlike
Diplomacy with its shoes of felt; and, in brief, was turned out of the Diplomatic function, as unfit for it;
and appointed to manage certain Orange Properties, fragments of the Orange Heritage which his Majesty still
has in those Countries. This misadventure sank heavily on the spirits of Luiscius, otherwise none of the
strongestminded of men. Nor did he prosper in managing the Orange Properties: on the contrary, he again
fell into mistakes; got soundly rebuked for injudicious conduct there,"cutting trees," planting trees, or
whatever it was;and this produced such an effect on Luiscius, that he made an attempt on his own throat,
distracted mortal; and was only stopped by somebody rushing in. "It was not the first time he had tried that
feat," says Pollnitz, "and been prevented; nor was it long till he made a new attempt, which was again
frustrated: and always afterwards his relations kept him close in view:" Majesty writing comfortable
forgiveness to the perturbed creature, and also "settling a pension on him;" adequate, we can hope, and not
excessive; "which Luiscius continued to receive, at the Hague, so long as he lived." These are the prose facts;
not definitely dated to us, but perfectly clear otherwise. [Pollnitz, ii. 495, 496;the "NEW attempt" seems to
have been "June, 1739" ( Gentleman's Magazine, in mense, p. 331).]
Voltaire, in his Dutch excursions, did sometimes, in after years, lodge in that old vacant Palace, called
VIEILLE COUR, at the Hague; where he gracefully celebrates the decayed forsaken state of matters; dusky
vast rooms with dim gilding; forgotten libraries "veiled under the biggest spiderwebs in Europe;" for the
rest, an uncommonly quiet place, convenient for a writing man, besides costing nothing. A son of this
Luiscius, a good young lad, it also appears, was occasionally Voltaire's amanuensis there; him he did
recommend zealously to the new King of Prussia, who was not deaf on the occasion. This, in the fire of
satirical wit, is what we can transiently call "giving alms to a Prussian Excellency;" not now excellent, but
pensioned and cracked; and the reader perceives, Luiscius had probably more than one razor, had not one
been enough, when he did the rash act. Friedrich employed Luiscius Junior, with no result that we hear of
farther; and seems to have thought Luiscius Senior an absurd fellow, not worth mentioning again: "ran away
from the Cleve Country [probably some madhouse there] above a year ago, I hear; and what is the matter
where such a crackbrain end?" [Voltaire, OEuvres (Letter to Friedrich, 7th October, 1740), lxxii. 261; and
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Fredrich's answer (wrong dated), ib. 265; Preuss, xxii. 33.]
Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO.
The Pfalz question being in such a predicament, and Luiscius diplomatizing upon it in such heavyfooted
manner, his Majesty thinks a journey to Holland, to visit one's Kinsfolk there, and incidentally speak a word
with the High Mightinesses upon Pfalz, would not be amiss. Such journey is decided on; CrownPrince to
accompany. Summer of 1738: a short visit, quite without fuss; to last only three days;mere sequel to the
Reviews held in those adjacent Cleve Countries; so that the Gazetteers may take no notice. All which was
done accordingly: CrownPrince's first sight of Holland; and one of the few reportable points of his
Reinsberg life, and not quite without memorability to him and us.
On the 8th of July, 1738, the Review Party got upon the road for Wesel: all through July, they did their
reviewing in those Cleve Countries; and then struck across for the Palace of Loo in Geldern, where a Prince
of Orange countable kinsman to his Prussian Majesty, and a Princess still more nearly connected, English
George's Daughter, own niece to his Prussian Majesty,are in waiting for this distinguished honor. The
Prince of Orange we have already seen, for a moment once; at the siege of Philipsburg four years ago, when
the sale of Chasot's horses went off so well. "Nothing like selling horses when your company have dined
well," whispered he to Chasot, at that time; since which date we have heard nothing of his Highness.
He is not a beautiful man; he has a crooked back, and features conformable; but is of prompt vivacious
nature, and does not want for sense and goodhumor. Paternal George, the gossips say, warned his Princess,
when this marriage was talked of, "You will find him very illlooking, though!" "And if I found him a
baboon!" answered she; being so heartily tired of St. James's. And in fact, for anything I have heard, they
do well enough together. She is George II.'s eldest Princess;next elder to our poor Amelia, who was once
so interesting to us! What the CrownPrince now thought of all that, I do not know; but the Books say, poor
Amelia wore the willow, and specially wore the Prince's miniature on her breast all her days after, which
were many. Grew corpulent, somewhat a huddle in appearance and equipment, "eyelids like upperLIPS,"
for one item: but when life itself fled, the miniature was found in its old place, resting on the old heart after
some sixty years. O Time, O Sons and Daughters of Time!
His Majesty's reception at Loo was of the kind he liked,cordial, honorable, unceremonious; and these were
three pleasant days he had. Pleasant for the CrownPrince too; as the whole Journey had rather been; Papa,
with covert satisfaction, finding him a wise creature, after all, and "more serious" than formerly. "Hm, you
don't know what things are in that Fritz!" his Majesty murmured sometimes, in these later years, with a fine
light in his eyes.
Loo itself is a beautiful Palace: "Loo, close by the Village Appeldoorn, is a stately brick edifice, built with
architectural regularity; has finely decorated rooms, beautiful gardens, and round are superb alleys of oak and
linden." [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, viii. 69.] There saunters pleasantly our CrownPrince, for these three
days;and one glad incident I do perceive to have befallen him there: the arrival of a Letter from Voltaire.
Letter much expected, which had followed him from Wesel; and which he answers here, in this brick Palace,
among the superb avenues and gardens. [ OEuvres, xxi. 203, the Letter, "Cirey, June, 1738;" Ib. 222, the
Answer to it, "Loo, 6th August, 1738."]
No doubt a glad incident, irradiating, as with a sudden sunburst in gray weather, the commonplace of things.
Here is news worth listening to; news as from the empyrean! Free interchange of poetries and proses, of
heroic sentiments and opinions, between the Unique of Sages and the Paragon of CrownPrinces; how
charming to both! Literary business, we perceive, is brisk on both hands; at Cirey the Discours sur l'Homme
("Sixth DISCOURS" arrives in this packet at Loo, surely a deathless piece of singing); nor is Reinsberg idle:
Reinsberg is copiously doing verse, such verse! and in prose, very earnestly, an "ANTI MACHIAVEL;"
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which soon afterwards filled all the then world, though it has now fallen so silent again. And at Paris, as
Voltaire announces with a flourish, "M. de Maupertuis's excellent Book, Figure de la T'erre, is out;" [Paris,
1738: Maupertuis's "measurement of a degree," in the utmost North, 17361737 (to prove the Earth flattened
there). Vivid Narrative; somewhat gesticulative, but duly brief. The only Book of that great Maupertuis
which is now readable to human nature.] M. de Maupertuis, home from the Polar regions and from measuring
the Earth there; the sublimest miracle in Paris society at present. Might build, newbuild, an ACADEMY OF
SCIENCES at Berlin for your Royal Highness, one day? suggests Voltaire, on this occasion: and Friedrich, as
we shall see, takes the hint. One passage of the CrownPrince's Answer is in these terms;fixing this Loo
visit to its date for us, at any rate:
"LOO IN HOLLAND, 6th AUGUST, 1739. ... I write from a place where there lived once a great man
[William III. of England, our Dutch William]; which is now the Prince of Orange's House. The demon of
Ambition sheds its unhappy poisons over his days. He might be the most fortunate of men; and he is
devoured by chagrins in his beautiful Palace here, in the middle of his gardens and of a brilliant Court. It is
pity in truth; for he is a Prince with no end of wit (INFINIMENT D'ESPRIT), and has respectable qualites."
Not Stadtholder, unluckily; that is where the shoe pinches; the Dutch are on the Republican tack, and will not
have a Stadtholder at present. No help for it in one's beautiful gardens and avenues of oak and linden.
"I have talked a great deal about Newton with the Princess," about Newton; never hinted at Amelia; not
permissible!"from Newton we passed to Leibnitz; and from Leibnitz to the Late Queen of England,"
Caroline lately gone, "who, the Prince told me, was of Clarke's sentiment" on that important theological
controversy now dead to mankind.And of Jenkins and his Ear did the Princess say nothing? That is now
becoming a high phenomenon in England! But readers must wait a little.
Pity that we cannot give these two Letters in full; that no reader, almost, could be made to understand them,
or to care for them when understood. Such the cruelty of Time upon this Voltaire Friedrich Correspondence,
and some others; which were once so rosy, sunny, and are now fallen drearily extinct,studiable by Editors
only! In itself the FriedrichVoltaire Correspondence, we can see, was charming; very blossomy at present:
businesses increasing; mutual admiration now risen to a great height, admiration sincere on both sides,
most so on the Prince's, and extravagantly expressed on both sides, most so on Voltaire's.
CROWNPRINCE BECOMES A FREEMASON; AND IS HARANGUED BY MONSIEUR DE
BIELFELD.
His Majesty, we said, had three pleasant days at Loo; discoursing, as with friends, on public matters, or even
on more private matters, in a frank unconstrained way. He is not to be called "Majesty" on this occasion; but
the fact, at Loo, and by the leading Mightinesses of the Republic, who come copiously to compliment him
there, is well remembered. Talk there was, with such leading Mightinesses, about the JulichandBerg
question, aim of this Journey: earnest enough private talk with some of them: but it availed nothing; and
would not be worth reporting now to any creature, if we even knew it. In fact, the Journey itself remains
mentionable chiefly by one very trifling circumstance; and then by another, not important either, which
followed out of that. The trifling circumstance is,That Friedrich, in the course of this Journey, became a
Freemason: and the unimportant sequel was, That he made acquaintance with one Bielfeld, on the occasion;
who afterwards wrote a Book about him, which was once much read, though never much worth reading, and
is still citable, with precaution, now and then. [Monsieur le Baron de Bielfeld, Lettres Familieres et Autres,
1763;second edition, 2 vols. a Leide, 1767, is the one we use here.] Trifling circumstance, of Freemasonry,
as we read in Bielfeld and in many Books after him, befell in manner following.
Among the dinnerguests at Loo, one of those three days, was a Prince of LippeBuckeburg,Prince of
small territory, but of great speculation; whose territory lies on the Weser, leading to Dutch connections; and
whose speculations stretch over all the Universe, in a high fantastic style:he was a dinnerguest; and one
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of the topics that came up was Freemasonry; a phantasmal kind of object, which had kindled itself, or
rekindled, in those years, in England first of all; and was now hovering about, a good deal, in Germany and
other countries; pretending to be a new light of Heaven, and not a bogmeteor of phosphorated hydrogen,
conspicuous in the murk of things. Bogmeteor, foolish putrescent willo'wisp, his Majesty promptly
defined it to be: Tomfoolery and KINDERSPIEL, what else? Whereupon ingenious Buckeburg, who was
himself a Mason, man of forty by this time, and had high things in him of the Quixotic type, ventured on
defence; and was so respectful, eloquent, dexterous, ingenious, he quite captivated, if not his Majesty, at least
the CrownPrince, who was more enthusiastic for high things. CrownPrince, after table, took his
Durchlaucht of Buckeburg aside; talked farther on the subject, expressed his admiration, his conviction,his
wish to be admitted into such a Hero Fraternity. Nothing could be welcomer to Durchlaucht. And so, in all
privacy, it was made up betweeen them, That Durchlaucht, summoning as many mystic Brothers out of
Hamburg as were needful, should be in waiting with them, on the Crown Prince's road homeward,say at
Brunswick, night before the Fair, where we are to be,and there make the CrownPrince a Mason.
[Bielfeld, i. 1416; Preuss, i. 111; Preuss, Buch fur Jedermann, i. 41.]
This is Bielfeld's account, repeated ever since; substantially correct, except that the scene was not Loo at all:
dinner and dialogue, it now appears, took place in Durchlaucht's own neighborhood, during the Cleve Review
time; "probably at Minden, 17th July;" and all was settled into fixed program before Loo came in sight.
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xvs. 201: Friedrich's Letter to this Durchlaucht, "Comte de Schaumbourg Lippe" he
calls him; date, "Moyland, 26th July, 1738: "Moyland, a certain SCHLOSS, or habitable Mansion, of his
Majesty's, few miles to north of Mors in the Cleve Country; where his Majesty used often to pause;and
where (what will be much more remarkable to readers) the CrownPrince and Voltaire had their first
meeting, two years hence.] Bielfeld's report of the subsequent procedure at Brunswick, as he saw it and was
himself part of it, is liable to no mistakes, at least of the involuntary kind; and may, for anything we know, be
correct in every particular.
He says (veiling it under discreet asterisks, which are now decipherable enough), The Durchlaucht of
LippeBuckeburg had summoned six Brethren of the Hamburg Lodge; of whom we mention only a Graf von
Kielmannsegge, a Baron von Oberg, both from Hanover, and Bielfeld himself, a Merchant's Son, of
Hamburg; these, with "Kielmannsegge's Valet to act as Tiler," Valet being also a Mason, and the rule equality
of mankind,were to have the honor of initiating the CrownPrince. They arrived at the Western Gate of
Brunswick on the 11th of August, as prearranged; Prussian Majesty not yet come, but coming punctually on
the morrow. It is Fairtime; all manner of traders, pedlers, showmen rendezvousing; many neighboring
Nobility too, as was still the habit. "Such a bulk of light luggage?" said the Customhouse people at the Gate;
but were pacified by slipping them a ducat. Upon which we drove to "Korn's Hotel" (if anybody now knew
it); and there patiently waited. No great things of a Hotel, says Bielfeld; but can be put up with;worst
feature is, we discover a Hanover acquaintance lodging close by, nothing but a wooden partition between us:
How if he should overhear!
Prussian Majesty and suite, under universal cannonsalvos, arrived, Sunday the 12th; to stay till Wednesday
(three days) with his august Soninlaw and Daughter here. Durchlaucht Lippe presents himself at Court, the
rest of us not; privately settles with the Prince: "Tuesday night, eve of his Majesty's departure; that shall be
the night: at Korn's Hotel, late enough!" And there, accordingly, on the appointed night, 14th15th August,
1738, the lightluggage trunks have yielded their stageproperties; Jachin and Boaz are set up, and all things
are ready; Tiler (Kielmannsegge's Valet) watching with drawn sword against the profane. As to our Hanover
neighbor, on the other side the partition, says Bielfeld, we waited on him, this day after dinner, successively
paying our respects; successively pledged him in so many bumpers, he is lying dead drunk hours ago, could
not overhear a cannonbattery, he. And soon after midnight, the CrownPrince glides in, a Captain
Wartensleben accompanying, who is also a candidate; and the mysterious rites are accomplished on both of
them, on the CrownPrince first, without accident, and in the usual way.
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Bielfeld could not enough admire the demeanor of this Prince, his clearness, sense, quiet brilliancy; and how
he was so "intrepid," and "possessed himself so gracefully in the most critical instants." Extremely genial air,
and so young, looks younger even than his years: handsome to a degree, though of short stature.
Physiognomy, features, quite charming; fine auburn hair (BEAU BRUN), a negligent plenty of it; "his large
blue eyes have something at once severe, sweet and gracious." Eligible Mason indeed. Had better make
despatch at present, lest Papa be getting on the road before him!Bielfeld delivered a small address,
composed beforehand; with which the Prince seemed to be content. And so, with masonic grip, they made
their adieus for the present; and the CrownPrince and Wartensleben were back at their posts, ready for the
road along with his Majesty.
His Majesty came on Sunday; goes on Wednesday, home now at a stretch; and, we hope, has had a good time
of it here, these three days. Daughter Charlotte and her Serene Husband, well with their subjects, well with
one another, are doing well; have already two little Children; a Boy the elder, of whom we have heard: Boy's
name is Karl, age now three; sprightly, reckoned very clever, by the fond parents;who has many things to
do in the world, by and by; to attack the French Revolution, and be blown to pieces by it on the Field of Jena,
for final thing! That is the fate of little Karl, who frolics about here, so sunshiny and ingenuous at present.
Karl's Grandmother, the Serene Dowager Duchess, Friedrich's own Motherinlaw, his Majesty and
Friedrich would also of course see here. Fine Younger Sons of hers are coming forward; the reigning Duke
beautifully careful about the furtherance of these Cadets of the House. Here is Prince Ferdinand, for instance;
just getting ready for the Grand Tour; goes in a month hence: [Mauvillon (FILS, son of him whom we cite
otherwise), Geschichte Ferdinands Herzogs von BraunschweigLuneburg (Leipzig, 1794), i. 1725.] a fine
eupeptic loyal young fellow; who, in a twenty years more, will be Chatham's Generalissimo, and fight the
French to some purpose. A Brother of his, the next elder, is now fighting the Turks for his Kaiser; does not
like it at all, under such Seckendorfs and WarMinistries as there are. Then, elder still, eldest of all the
Cadets, there is Anton Ulrich, over at Petersburg for some years past, with outlooks high enough: To wed the
Mecklenburg Princess there (Daughter of the unutterable Duke), and be as good as Czar of all the Russias one
day. Little to his profit, poor soul!These, historically ascertainable, are the aspects of the Brunswick Court
during those three days of Royal Visit, in Fairtime; and may serve to date the Masonic Transaction for us,
which the CrownPrince has just accomplished over at Korn's.
As for the Transaction itself, there is intrinsically no harm in this initiation, we will hope: but it behooves to
be kept well hidden from Papa. Papa's good opinion of the Prince has sensibly risen, in the course of this
Journey, "so rational, serious, not dangling about among the women as formerly;"and what a shock would
this of Korn's Hotel be, should Papa hear of it! Poor Papa, from officious talebearers he hears many things:
is in distress about Voltaire, about Heterodoxies;and summoned the Crown Prince, by express, from
Reinsberg, on one occasion lately, over to Potsdam, "to take the Communion" there, by way of case
hardening against Voltaire and Heterodoxies! Think of it, human readers!We will add the following stray
particulars, more or less illustrative of the Masonic Transaction; and so end that trifling affair.
The Captain Wartensleben, fellowrecipient of the mysteries at Brunswick, is youngest son, by a second
marriage, of old Feldmarschall Wartensleben, now deceased; and is consequently Uncle, HalfUncle, of poor
Lieutenant Katte, though some years younger than Katte would now have been. Tender memories hang by
Wartensleben, in a silent way! He is Captain in the Potsdam Giants; somewhat an intimate, and not
undeservedly so, of the CrownPrince;succeeds Wolden as Hofmarschall at Reinsberg, not many months
after this; Wolden having died of an apoplectic stroke. Of Bielfeld comes a Book, slightly citable; from no
other of the Brethren, or their Feat at Kern's, comes (we may say) anything whatever. The CrownPrince
prosecuted his Masonry, at Reinsberg or elsewhere, occasionally, for a year or two; but was never ardent in it;
and very soon after his Accession, left off altogether: "Child'splay and IGNIS FATUUS mainly!" A Royal
Lodge was established at Berlin, of which the new King consented to be patron; but he never once entered the
place; and only his Portrait (a welcomely good one, still to be found there) presided over the mysteries in that
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Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO. 500
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Establishment. Harmless "fire," but too "fatuous;" mere flamecircles cut in the air, for infants, we know
how!
With LippeBuckeburg there ensued some Correspondence, high enough on his Serenity's side; but it soon
languished on the Prince's side; and in private Poetry, within a two years of this Brunswick scene, we find
Lippe used proverbially for a typespecimen of Fools. ["Taciturne, Caton, avec mes bons parents, Aussi fou
que la Lippe met les jeunes gens." OEuvres, xi. 80 ( Discours sur la Faussete, written 1740).] A windy
fantastic individual;overwhelmed in financedifficulties too! Lippe continued writing; but "only
Secretaries now answered him" from Berlin. A son of his, son and successor, something of a Quixote too, but
notable in Artillerypractice and otherwise, will turn up at a future stage.
Nor is Bielfeld with his Book a thing of much moment to Friedrich or to us. Bielfeld too has a light airy vein
of talk; loves Voltaire and the Philosophies in a light way;knows the arts of Society, especially the art of
flattering; and would fain make himself agreeable to the CrownPrince, being anxious to rise in the world.
His Father is a Hamburg Merchant, Hamburg "Sealingwax Manufacturer," not ill off for money: Son has
been at schools, high schools, under tutors, posturemasters; swashes about on those terms, with French
ESPRIT in his mouth, and lace ruffles at his wrists; still under thirty; showy enough, sharp enough;
considerably a coxcomb, as is still evident. He did transiently get about Friedrich, as we shall see; and hoped
to have sold his heart to good purpose there; was, by and by, employed in slight functions; not found fit for
grave ones. In the course of some years, he got a title of Baron; and sold his heart more advantageously, to
some rich Widow or Fraulein; with whom he retired to Saxony, and there lived on an Estate he had
purchased, a stranger to Prussia thenceforth.
His Book ( Lettres Familieres et Autres, all turning on Friedrich), which came out in 1763, at the height of
Friedrich's fame, and was much read, is still freely cited by Historians as an Authority. But the reading of a
few pages sufficiently intimates that these "Letters" never can have gone through a terrestrial Postoffice;
that they are an afterthought, composed from vague memory and imagination, in that fine Saxon retreat;a
sorrowful ghostlike "TRAVELS OF ANACHARSIS," instead of living words by an eyewitness! Not to be
cited "freely" at all, but sparingly and under conditions. They abound in small errors, in misdates, mistakes;
small fictions even, and impossible pretensions:foolish mortal, to write down his bit of knowledge in that
form! For the man, in spite of his lace ruffles and gesticulations, has brisk eyesight of a superficial kind: he
COULD have done us this little service (apparently his one mission in the world, for which Nature gave him
bed and board here); and he, the lace ruffles having gone into his soul, has been tempted into misdoing
it!Bielfeld and Bielfeld's Book, such as they are, appear to be the one conquest Friedrich got of
Freemasonry; no other result now traceable to us of that adventure in Korn's Hotel, crowning event of the
Journey to Loo.
SECKENDORF GETS LODGED IN GRATZ.
Feldmarschall Seckendorf, after unheardof wrestlings with the Turk War, and the Vienna WarOffice
(HOFKRIEGSRATH), is sitting, for the last three weeks,where thinks the reader?in the Fortress of
Gratz among the Hills of Styria; a StatePrisoner, not likely to get out soon! Seckendorf led forth, in 1737,
"such an Army, for number, spirit and equipment," say the Vienna people, "as never marched against the
Turk before;" and it must be owned, his ill success has been unparalleled. The blame was not altogether his;
not chiefly his, except for his rash undertaking of the thing, on such terms as there were. But the truth is, that
first scene we saw of him,an Army all gone out trumpeting and drumming into the woods to FIND its
CommanderinChief,was an emblem of the Campaign in general. Excellent Army; but commanded by
nobody in particular; commanded by a HOFKRIEGSRATH at Vienna, by a Franz Duke of Tuscany, by
Feldmarschall Seckendorf, and by subordinates who were disobedient to him: which accordingly, almost
without help of the Turk and his disorderly ferocity, rubbed itself to pieces before long. Roamed about, now
hither now thither, with plans laid and then with plans suddenly altered, Captain being Chaos mainly; in
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Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO. 501
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swampy countries, by overflowing rivers, in hunger, hot weather, forced marches; till it was marched
gradualIy off its feet; and the clouds of chaotic Turks, who did finally show face, had a cheap pennyworth of
it. Never was such a campaign seen as this of Seckendorf in 1737, said mankind. Except indeed that the
present one, Campaign of 1738, in those parts, under a different hand, is still worse; and the Campaign of
1739, under still a different, will be worst of all!Kaiser Karl and his Austrians do not prosper in this Turk
War, as the Russians do,who indeed have got a General equal to his task: Munnich, a famed master in the
art of handling Turks and WarMinistries: real father of Russian Soldiering, say the Russians still. [See
MANNSTEIN for Munnich's plans with the Turk (methods and devices of steady Discipline in small
numbers VERSUS impetuous Ferocity in great); and Berenhorst ( Betrachtungen uber die Kriegskunst,
Leipzig, 1796), a firstrate Authority, for examples and eulogies of them.]
Campaign 1737, with clouds of chaotic Turks now sabring on the skirts of it, had not yet ended, when
Seckendorf was called out of it; on polite pretexts, home to Vienna; and the command given to another. At
the gates of Vienna, in the last days of October, 1737, an Official Person, waiting for the Feldmarschall, was
sorry to inform him, That he, Feldmarschall Seckendorf, was under arrest; arrest in his own house, in the
KOHLMARKT (Cabbagemarket so called), a captain and twelve musketeers to watch over him with fixed
bayonets there; strictly private, till the HOFKRIEGSRATH had satisfied themselves in a point or two.
"Hmph!" snuffled he; with brow blushing slatecolor, I should think, and gray eyes much alight. And ever
since, for ten months or so, Seckendorf, sealed up in the Cabbagemarket, has been fencing for life with the
HOFKRIEGSRATH; who want satisfaction upon "eightysix" different "points;" and make no end of
chicaning to one's clear answers. And the Jesuits preach, too: "A Heretic, born enemy of Christ and his
Kaiser; what is the use of questioning!" And the Heathen rage, and all men gnash their teeth, in this
uncomfortable manner.
Answering done, there comes no verdict, much less any acquittal; the captain and twelve musketeers, three of
them with fixed bayonets in one's very bedroom, continue. One evening, 21st July, 1738, glorious news from
the seat of Warnot TILL evening, as the Imperial Majesty was out huntingenters Vienna; blowing
trumpets; shaking flags: "Grand Victory over the Turks!" so we call some poor skirmish there has been; and
Vienna bursting all into three timesthree, the populace get very high. Populace rush to the Kohlmarkt:
break the Seckendorf windows; intent to massacre the Seckendorf; had not fresh military come, who were
obliged to fire and kill one or two. "The house captain and his twelve musketeers, of themselves, did
wonders; Seckendorf and all his domestics were in arms:" "JARNIBLEU" for the last time!This is while
the CrownPrince is at Wesel; sound asleep, most likely; Loo, and the Masonic adventure, perhaps twinkling
prophetically in his dreams.
At two next morning, an Official Gentleman informs Seckendorf, That he, for his part, must awaken, and go
to Gratz. And in one hour more (3 A.M.), the Official Gentleman rolls off with him; drives all day; and
delivers his Prisoner at Gratz:"Not so much as a room ready there; Prisoner had to wait an hour in the
carriage," till some summary preparation were made. Wallneighbors of the poor Feldmarschall, in his
Fortress here, were "a GOLDCOOK (swindling Alchemist), who had gone crazy; and an Irish Lieutenant,
confined thirtytwo years for some loveadventure, likewise pretty crazy; their noises in the nighttime
much disturbed the Feldmarschall." [ Seckendorfs Leben, ii. 170277. See Schmettau, pp. 2759.] One
human thing there still is in his lot, the Feldmarschall's old Grafinn. True old Dame, she, both in the
Kohlmarkt and at Gratz, stands by him, "imprisoned along with him" if it must be so; ministering,
comforting, as only a true Wife can;and hope has not quite taken wing.
Rough old Feldmarschall; now turned of sixty: never made such a Campaign before, as this of 1737 followed
by 1738! There sits he; and will not trouble us any more during the present Kaiser's lifetime. Friedrich
Wilhelm is amazed at these sudden cantings of Fortune's wheel, and grieves honestly as for an old friend:
even the CrownPrince finds Seckendorf punished unjustly; and is almost, sorry for him, after all that has
come and gone.
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THE EAR OF JENKINS REEMERGES.
We must add the following, distilled from the English Newspapers, though it is now almost four months after
date:
"LONDON, 1st APRIL, 1738. In the English House of Commons, much more in the English Public, there has
been furious debating for a fortnight past: Committee of the whole House, examining witnesses, hearing
counsel; subject, the Termagant of Spain, and her West Indian procedures;she, by her procedures
somewhere, is always cutting out work for mankind! How English and other strangers, fallenin with in those
seas, are treated by the Spaniards, readers have heard, nay have chanced to see; and it is a fact painfully
known to all nations. Fact which England, for one nation, can no longer put up with. Walpole and the Official
Persons would fain smooth the matter; but the WestIndia Interest, the City, all Mercantile and Navigation
Interests are in dead earnest: Committee of the whole House, 'Presided by Alderman Perry,' has not ears
enough to hear the immensities of evidence offered; slow Public is gradually kindling to some sense of it.
This had gone on for two weeks, whenwhat shall we say?the EAR OF JENKINS reemerged for the
second time; and produced important effects!
"Where Jenkins had been all this while,steadfastly navigating to and fro, steadfastly eating tough junk with
a wetting of rum; not thinking too much of past labors, yet privately 'always keeping his lost Ear in cotton'
(with a kind of ursine piety, or other dumb feeling),no mortal now knows. But to all mortals it is evident
he was home in London at this time; no doubt a noted member of Wapping society, the muchenduring
Jenkins. And witnesses, probably not one but many, had mentioned him to this Committee, as a case
eminently in point. Committee, as can still be read in its Rhadamanthine Journals, orders: 'DIE JOVIS, 16*
MARTII 17371738, That Captain Robert Jenkins do attend this House immediately;' and then more
specially, '17* MARTII" captious objections having risen in Official quarters, as we guess,'That Captain
Robert Jenkins do attend upon Tuesday morning next.' [ Commons Journals, xxiii. (in diebus).] Tuesday next
is 2lst March,1st of April, 1738, by our modern Calendar;and on that day, not adoubt, Jenkins does
attend; narrates that tremendous passage we already heard of, seven years ago, in the entrance of the Gulf of
Florida; and produces his Ear wrapt in cotton:setting all on flame (except the Official persons) at sight of
it."
Official persons, as their wont is in the pressure of debate, endeavored to deny, to insinuate in their vile
Newspapers, That Jenkins lost his Ear nearer home and not for nothing; as one still reads in the History
Books. [Tindal (xx. 372). Coxe, Sheer calumnies, we now find. Jenkins's account was doubtless abundantly
emphatic; but there is no ground to question the substantial truth of him and it. And so, after seven years of
unnoticeable burning upon the thick skin of the English Public, the case of Jenkins accidentally burns
through, and sets England bellowing; such a smart is there of it,not to be soothed by Official wetcloths;
but getting worse and worse, for the nineteen months ensuing. And in shortBut we will not anticipate!
Chapter VI. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG; JOURNEY TO PREUSSEN.
The Idyllium of Reinsbergof which, except in the way of sketchy suggestion, there can no history be
givenlasted less than four years; and is now coming to an end, unexpectedly soon. A pleasant Arcadian
Summer in one's life;though it has not wanted its occasional discords, flaws of ill weather in the general
sunshine. Papa, always in uncertain health of late, is getting heavier of foot and of heart under his heavy
burdens; and sometimes falls abstruse enough, liable to bewilderments from bad people and events: not much
worth noticing here. [See Pollnitz, ii. 509515; Friedrich's Letter to Wilhelmina ("Berlin, 20th January,
1739:" in OEuvres, xxvii. part 1st, pp. 60, 61); But the CrownPrince has learned to deal with all this; all this
is of transient nature; and a bright long future seems to lie ahead at Reinsberg;brightened especially by the
Literary Element; which, in this year of 1739, is brisker than it had ever been. Distinguished Visitors, of a
literary turn, look in at Reinsberg; the Voltaire Correspondence is very lively; on Friedrich's part there is
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copious production, various enterprise, in the form of prose and verse; thoughts even of going to press with
some of it: in short, the Literary Interest rises very prominent at Reinsberg in 1739. Biography is apt to forget
the Literature there (having her reasons); but must at last take some notice of it, among the phenomena of the
year.
To the young Prince himself, "courting tranquillity," as his door lintel intimated, [ "Frederico
tranquillitatem colenti" (Infra, p. 123).] and forbidden to be active except within limits, this of Literature was
all along the great light of existence at Reinsberg; the supplement to all other employments or wants of
employment there. To Friedrich himself, in those old days, a great and supreme interest; while again, to the
modern Biographer of him, it has become dark and vacant; a thing to be shunned, not sought. So that the fact
as it stood with Friedrich differs far from any description that can be given of the fact. Alas, we have said
already, and the constant truth is, Friedrich's literatures, his distinguished literary visitors and enterprises,
which were once brandnew and brilliant, have grown old as a garment, and are a sorrow rather than
otherwise to existing mankind! Conscientious readers, who would represent to themselves the vanished scene
at Reinsberg, in this point more especially, must make an effort.
As biographical documents, these Poetries and Proses of the young man give a very pretty testimony of him;
but are not of value otherwise. In fact, they promise, if we look well into them, That here is probably a
practical faculty and intellect of the highest kind; which again, on the speculative, especially on the poetical
side, will never be considerable, nor has even tried to be so. This young soul does not deal in meditation at
all, and his tendencies are the reverse of sentimental. Here is no introspection, morbid or other, no pathos or
complaint, no melodious informing of the public what dreadful emotions you labor under: here, in rapid
prompt form, indicating that it is truth and not fable, are generous aspirations for the world and yourself,
generous pride, disdain of the ignoble, of the dark, mendacious; here, in short, is a swifthanded, valiant,
STEELbright kind of soul; very likely for a King's, if other things answer, and not likely for a Poet's. No
doubt he could have made something of Literature too; could have written Books, and left some stamp of a
veracious, more or less victorious intellect, in that strange province too. But then he must have applied
himself to it, as he did to reigning: done in the cursory style, we see what it has come to.
It is certain, Friedrich's reputation suffers, at this day, from his writing. From his NOT having written
nothing, he stands lower with the world. Which seems hard measure;though perhaps it is the law of the
case, after all. "Nobody in these days," says my poor Friend, "has the least notion of the sinful waste there is
in talk, whether by pen or tongue. Better probably that King Friedrich had written no Verses; nay I know not
that David's Psalms did David's Kingship any good!" Which may be truer than it seems. Fine aspirations,
generous convictions, purposes,they are thought very fine: but it is good, on various accounts, to keep
them rather silent; strictly unvocal, except on call of real business; so dangerous are they for becoming
conscious of themselves! Most things do not ripen at all except underground. And it is a sad but sure truth,
that every time you SPEAK of a fine purpose, especially if with eloquence and to the admiration of
bystanders, there is the LESS chance of your ever making a fact of it in your poor life.If Reinsberg, and
its vacancy of great employment, was the cause of Friedrich's versewriting, we will not praise Reinsberg on
that head! But the truth is, Friedrich's verses came from him with uncommon fluency; and were not a deep
matter, but a shallow one, in any sense. Not much more to him than speaking with a will; than fantasying on
the flute in an animated strain. Ever and anon through his life, on small hint from without or on great, there
was found a certain leakage of verses, which he was prompt to utter;and the case at Reinsberg, or
afterwards, is not so serious as we might imagine.
PINE'S HORACE; AND THE ANTIMACHIAVEL.
In late months Friedrich had conceived one notable project; which demands a word in this place. Did modern
readers ever hear of "John Pine, the celebrated English Engraver"? John Pine, a man of good scholarship,
good skill with his burin, did "Tapestries of the House of Lords," and other things of a celebrated nature,
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famous at home and abroad: but his peculiar feat, which had commended him at Reinsberg, was an Edition of
HORACE: exquisite old FLACCUS brought to perfection, as it were; all done with vignettes, classical
borderings, symbolic marginal ornaments, in fine taste and accuracy, the Text itself engraved; all by the
exquisite burin of Pine. ["London, 1737" ( Biographie Universelle, xxxiv. 465).] This Edition had come out
last year, famous over the world; and was by and by, as rumor bore, to be followed by a VIRGIL done in the
like exquisite manner.
The Pine HORACE, part of the Pine VIRGIL too, still exist in the libraries of the curious; and are doubtless
known to the proper parties, though much forgotten by others of us. To Friedrich, scanning the Pine
phenomenon with interest then brandnew, it seemed an admirable tribute to classical genius; and the idea
occurred to him, "Is not there, by Heaven's blessing, a living genius, classical like those antique Romans, and
worthy of a like tribute?" Friedrich's idea was, That Voltaire being clearly the supreme of Poets, the
HENRIADE, his supreme of Poems, ought to be engraved like FLACCUS; text and all, with vignettes,
tailpieces, classical borderings beautifully symbolic and exact; by the exquisite burin of Pine. Which idea
the young heroworshipper, in spite of his financedifficulties, had resolved to realize; and was even now
busy with it, since his return from Loo. "Such beautiful enthusiasm," say some readers; "and in behalf of that
particular demigod!" Alas, yes; to Friedrich he was the best demigod then going; and Friedrich never had
any doubt about him.
For the rest, this heroic idea could not realize itself; and we are happy to have nothing more to do with Pine
or the HENRIADE. Correspondences were entered into with Pine, aud some pains taken: Pine's high prices
were as nothing; but Pine was busy with his VIRGIL; probably, in fact, had little stomach for the
HENRIADE; "could not for seven years to come enter upon it:" so that the matter had to die away; and
nothing came of it but a small DISSERTATION, or Introductory Essay, which the Prince had got
ready,which is still to be found printed in Voltaire's Works [ OEuvres, xiii. 393402.] and in Friedrich's,
if anybody now cared much to read it. Preuss says it was finished, "the 10th August, 1739;" and that minute
fact in Chronology, with the above tale of Heroworship hanging to it, will suffice my readers and me.
But there is another literary project on hand, which did take effect;much worthy of mention, this year; the
whole world having risen into such a Chorus of TE DEUM at sight of it next year. In this year falls, what at
any rate was a great event to Friedrich, as literary man: the printing of his first Book, assiduous writing of
it with an eye to print. The Book is that "celebrated ANTIMACHIAVEL," everpraiseworthy Refutation of
Machiavel's PRINCE; concerning which there are such immensities of Voltaire Correspondence, now
become, like the Book itself, inane to all readers. This was the chosen soul's employment of Friedrich, the
flower of life to him, at Reinsberg, through the yea? 1739. It did not actually get to press till Spring 1740; nor
actually come out till Autumn,by which time a great change had occurred in Friedrich's title and
circumstances: but we may as well say here what little is to be said of it for modern readers.
"The CrownPrince, reading this bad Book of Machiavel's, years ago, had been struck, as all honest souls,
especially governors or apprentices to governing, must be, if they thought of reading such a thing, with its
badness, its falsity, detestability; and came by degrees, obliquely fishing out Voltaire's opinion as he went
along, on the notion of refuting Machiavel; and did refute him, the best he could. Set down, namely, his own
earnest contradiction to such ungrounded noxious doctrines; elaborating the same more and more into clear
logical utterance; till it swelled into a little Volume; which, so excellent was it, so important to mankind,
Voltaire and friends were clear for publishing. Published accordingly it was; goes through the press next
Summer (1740), under Voltaire's anxious superintendence: [Here, gathered from Friedrich's Letters to
Voltaire, is the Chronology of the little Enterprise:
1738, MARCH 21, JUNE 17, "Machiavel a baneful man," thinks Friedrich. "Ought to be refuted by
somebody?" thinks he (date not known).
1739, MARCH 22, Friedrich thinks of doing it himself. Has done it, DECEMBER 4;"a Book which
ought to be printed," say Voltaire and the literary visitors.
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1740, APRIL 26, Book given up to Voltaire for printing. Printing finished; Book appears, "end of
SEPTEMBER," when a great change had occurred in Friedrich's title and position.] for the Prince has at
length consented; and Voltaire hands the Manuscript, with mystery yet with hints, to a Dutch Bookseller, one
Van Duren at the Hague, who is eager enough to print such an article. Voltaire himselfsuch his
magnanimous friendship, especially if one have Dutch Lawsuits, or business of one's own, in those parts
takes charge of correcting; lodges himself in the 'Old Court' (Prussian Mansion, called VIEILLE COUR, at
the Hague, where 'Luiscius,' figuratively speaking, may 'get an alms' from us); and therefrom corrects, alters;
corresponds with the Prince and Van Duren, at a great rate. Keeps correcting, altering, till Van Duren thinks
he is spoiling it for sale;and privately determines to preserve the original Manuscript, and have an edition
of that, with only such corrections as seem good to Van Duren. A treasonous step on this mule of a
Bookseller's part, thinks Voltaire; but mulishly persisted in by the man. Endless correspondence, to right and
left, ensues; intolerably wearisome to every reader. And, in fine, there came out, in Autumn next,"the
CrownPrince no longer a CrownPrince by that time, but shining conspicuous under Higher Title,"not
one ANTIMACHIAVEL only, but a couple or a trio of ANTIMACHIAVELS; as printed 'at the Hague;' as
reprinted 'at London' or elsewhere; the confused Bibliography of which has now fallen very insignificant.
First there was the Voltaire text, Authorized Edition, 'end of September, 1740;' then came, in few weeks, the
Van Duren one; then, probably, a third, combining the two, the variations given as footnotes:in short, I
know not how many editions, translations, printings and reprintings; all the world being much taken up with
such a message from the upper regions, and eager to read it in any form.
"As to Friedrich himself, who of course says nothing of the ANTIMACHIAVEL in public, he privately, to
Voltaire, disowns all these editions; and intends to give a new one of his own, which shall be the right article;
but never did it, having far other work cut out for him in the months that came. But how zealous the worlds
humor was in that matter, no modern reader can conceive to himself. In the frightful Compilation called
HELDENGESCHICHTE, which we sometimes cite, there are, excerpted from the then 'Bibliotheques'
(NOUVELLE BIBLIOTHEQUE and another; shining Periodicals of the time, now gone quite dead), two
'reviews' of the ANTIMACHIAVEL, which fill modern readers with amazement: such a DOMINE
DIMITTAS chanted over such an article!These details, in any other than the Biographical point of view,
are now infinitely unimportant."
Truly, yes! The CrownPrince's ANTIMACHIAVEL, final correct edition (in two forms, Voltaire's as
corrected, and the Prince's own as written), stands now in clear type; [Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, viii.
61163.] and, after all that jumble of printing and counterprinting, we can any of us read it in a few hours;
but, alas, almost none of us with the least interest, or, as it were, with any profit whatever. So different is
present tense from past, in all things, especially in things like these! It is sixscore years since the
ANTIMACHIAVEL appeared. The spectacle of one who was himself a King (for the mysterious fact was
well known to Van Duren and everybody) stepping forth to say with conviction, That Kingship was not a
thing of attorney mendacity, to be done under the patronage of Beelzebub, but of human veracity, to be set
about under quite Other patronage; and that, in fact, a King was the "born servant of his People"
(DOMESTIQUE Friedrich once calls it), rather than otherwise: this, naturally enough, rose upon the then
populations, unused to such language, like the dawn of a new day; and was welcomed with such applauses as
are now incredible, after all that has come and gone! Alas, in these sixscore years, it has been found so easy
to profess and speak, even with sincerity! The actual HeroKings were long used to be silent; and the
ShamHero kind grow only the more desperate for us, the more they speak and profess!This
ANTIMACHIAVEL of Friedrich's is a clear distinct Treatise; confutes, or at least heartily contradicts,
paragraph by paragraph, the incredible sophistries of Machiavel. Nay it leaves us, if we sufficiently force our
attention, with the comfortable sense that his Royal Highness is speaking with conviction, and honestly from
the heart, in the affair: but that is all the conquest we get of it, in these days. Treatise fallen more extinct to
existing mankind it would not be easy to name.
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Perhaps indeed mankind is getting weary of the question altogether. Machiavel himself one now reads only
by compulsion. "What is the use of arguing with anybody that can believe in Machiavel?" asks mankind, or
might well ask; and, except for Editorial purposes, eschews any ANTIMACHIAVEL; impatient to be rid of
bane and antidote both. Truly the world has had a pother with this little Nicolo Machiavelli and his perverse
little Book: pity almost that a Friedrich Wilhelm, taking his rounds at that point of time, had not had the
"refuting" of him; Friedrich Wilhelm's method would have been briefer than Friedrich's! But let us hope the
thing is now, practically, about completed. And as to the other question, "Was the Signor Nicolo serious in
this perverse little Book; or did he only do it ironically, with a serious inverse purpose?" we will leave that to
be decided, any time convenient, by people who are much at leisure in the world!
The printing of the ANTIMACHIAVEL was not intrinsically momentous in Friedrich's history; yet it might
as well have been dispensed with. He had here drawn a fine program, and needlessly placarded it for the
street populations: and afterwards there rose, as could not fail on their part, comparison between program and
performance; scornful cry, chiefly from men of weak judgment, "Is this King an ANTIMachiavel, then?
Pfui!" Of which,though Voltaire's voice, too, was heard in it, in angry moments,we shall say nothing:
the reader, looking for himself, will judge by and by. And herewith enough of the ANTIMACHIAVEL.
Composition of ANTIMACHIAVEL and speculation of the Pine HENRIADE lasted, both of them, all
through this Year 1739, and farther: from these two items, not to mention any other, readers can figure
sufficiently how literary a year it was.
FRIEDRICH IN PREUSSEN AGAIN; AT THE STUD OF TRAKEHNEN. A TRAGICALLY GREAT
EVENT COMING ON.
In July this year the CrownPrince went with Papa on the Prussian Reviewjourney. ["Set out, 7th July"
( OEuvres, xxvii. part lst, 67 n.).] Such attendance on Review journeys, a mark of his being well with Papa,
is now becoming usual; they are agreeable excursions, and cannot but be instructive as well. On this
occasion, things went beautifully with him. Out in those grassy Countries, in the bright Summer, once more
he had an unusually fine time;and two very special pleasures befell him. First was, a sight of the
Emigrants, our Salzburgers and other, in their flourishing condition, over in Lithuania yonder. Delightful to
see how the waste is blossoming up again; busy men, with their industries, their steady pious husbandries,
making all things green and fruitful: horsedroves, cattleherds, waving cornfields;a very
"SCHMALZGRUBE (Butter pit)" of those Northern parts, as it is since called. [Busching, Erdbeschreibung,
ii. 1049.] The CrownPrince's own words on this matter we will give; they are in a Letter of his to Voltaire,
perhaps already known to some readers;and we can observe he writes rather copiously from those
localities at present, and in a cheerful humor with everybody.
"INSTERBURG, 27th JULY, 1739 (CrownPrince to Voltaire). ... Prussian Lithuania is a Country a hundred
and twenty miles long, by from sixty to forty broad; ["Miles ENGLISH," we always mean, UNLESS it was
ravaged by Pestilence at the beginning of this Century; and they say three hundred thousand people died of
disease and famine." Ravaged by Pestilence and the neglect of King Friedrich I.; till my Father, once his
hands were free, made personal survey of it, and took it up, in earnest.
"Since that time," say twenty years ago, "there is no expense that the King has been afraid of, in order to
succeed in his salutary views. He made, in the first place, regulations full of wisdom; he rebuilt wherever the
Pestilence had desolated: thousands of families, from the ends of Europe," seventeen thousand Salzburgers
for the last item, "were conducted hither; the Country repeopled itself; trade began to flourish again;and
now, in these fertile regions, abundance reigns more than it ever did.
"There are above half a million of inhabitants in Lithuania; there are more towns than there ever were, more
flocks than formerly, more wealth and more productiveness than in any other part of Germany. And all this
that I tell you of is due to the King alone: who not only gave the orders, but superintended the execution of
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them; it was he that devised the plans, and himself got them carried to fulfilment; and spared neither care nor
pains, nor immense expenditures, nor promises nor recompenses, to secure happiness and life to this
halfmillion of thinking beings, who owe to him alone that they have possessions and felicity in the world.
"I hope this detail does not weary you. I depend on your humanity extending itself to your Lithuanian
brethren, as well as to your French, English, German, or other,all the more as, to my great astonishment, I
passed through villages where you hear nothing spoken but French.I have found something so heroic, in
the generous and laborious way in which the King addressed himself to making this desert flourish with
inhabitants and happy industries and fruits, that it seemed to me you would feel the same sentiments in
learning the circumstances of such a reestablishment. "I daily expect news of you from Enghien [in those
DutchLawsuit Countries]. ... The divine Emilie; ... the Duke [D'Aremberg, Austrian Soldier, of convivial
turn,remote WelshUncle to a certain little Prince de Ligne, now spinning tops in those parts; [Born 23d
May, 1735, this latter little Prince; lasted till 13th December, 1814 ("DANSE, MAIS IL NE MARCHE
PAS").] not otherwise interesting], whom Apollo contends for against Bacchues. ... Adieu. NE M'OUBLIEZ
PAS, MON CHER AMI." [ OEuvres, xxi. 304, 305.]
This is one pleasant scene, to the CrownPrince and us, in those grassy localities. And now we have to
mention that, about a fortnight later, at Konigsberg one day, in reference to a certain Royal Stud or
Horsebreeding Establishment in those same Lithuanian regions, there had a still livelier satisfaction
happened him; satisfaction of a personal and filial nature. The name of this Royal Stud, inestimable on such
ground, is Trakehnen,lies south of Tilsit, in an upper valley of the Pregel river;very extensive
HorseEstablishment, "with seven farms under it," say the Books, and all "in the most perfect order," they
need hardly add, Friedrich Wilhelm being master of it. Well, the Royal Party was at Konigsberg, so far on the
road homewards again from those outlying parts, when Friedrich Wilhelm said one day to his Son, quite in a
cursory manner, "I give thee that Stud of Trakehnen; thou must go back and look to it;" which struck Fritz
quite dumb at the moment.
For it is worth near upon 2,000 pounds a year (12,000 thalers); a welcome new item in our impoverished
budget; and it is an undeniable sign of Papa's goodhumor with us, which is more precious still. Fritz made
his acknowledgments, eloquent with looks, eloquent with voice, on coming to himself; and is, in fact, very
proud of his gift, and celebrates it to his Wilhelmina, to Camas and others who have a right to know such a
thing. Grand useful gift; and handed over by Papa grandly, in three business words, as if it had been a brace
of game: "I give it thee, Fritz!" A thing not to be forgotten. "At bottom, Friedrich Wilhelm was not
avaricious" (not a miser, only a man grandly abhorring waste, as the poor vulgar cannot do), "not avaricious,"
says Pollnitz once; "he made munificent gifts, and never thought of them more." This of
Trakehnen,perhaps there might be a whiff of coming Fate concerned in it withal: "I shall soon be dead, not
able to give thee anything, poor Fritz!" To the Prince and us it is very beautiful; a fine effulgence of the inner
man of Friedrich Wilhelm. The Prince returned to Trakehnen, on this glad errand; settled the business details
there; and, after a few days, went home by a route of his own;well satisfied with this Prussian Review
journey, as we may imagine.
++++++SEE EARLIER Prussian Reviewjourney (placing of hyphen)
One sad thing there was, though Friedrich did not yet know how sad, in this Reviewjourney: the new fit of
illness that overtook his Majesty. From Pollnitz, who was of the party, we have details on that head. In his
Majesty's last bad illness, five years ago, when all seemed hopeless, it appears the surgeons had relieved
him,in fact recovered him, bringing off the bad humors in quantity,by an incision in the foot or leg. In
the course of the present fatigues, this old wound broke out again; which of course stood much in the way of
his Majesty; and could not be neglected, as probably the causes of it were. A regimental surgeon, Pollnitz
says, was called in; who, in two days, healed the wound,and declared all to be right again; though in fact,
as we may judge, it was dangerously worse than before. "All well here," writes Friedrich; "the King has been
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out of order, but is now entirely recovered (TOUT A FAIT REMIS)." ["Konigsberg, 30th July, 1739," to his
Wife ( OEuvres, xxvi. 6).]
Much reviewing and heavy business followed at Konigsberg;gift of Trakehnen, and departure of the
CrownPrince for Trakehnen, winding it up. Directly on the heel of which, his Majesty turned homewards,
the CrownPrince not to meet him till once at Berlin again. Majesty's first stage was at Pillau, where we have
been. At Pillau, or next day at Dantzig, Pollnitz observed a change in his Majesty's humor, which had been
quite sunshiny all this journey hitherto. At Dantzig Pollnitz first noticed it; but at every new stage it grew
worse, evil accidents occurring to worsen it; and at Berlin it was worst of all;and, alas, his poor Majesty
never recovered his sunshine in this world again! Here is Pollnitz's account of the journey homewards:
"Till now," till Pillau and Dantzig, "his Majesty had been in especially good humor; but in Dantzig his
cheerfulness forsook him;and it never came back. He arrived about ten at night in that City [Wednesday,
12th August, or thereby]; slept there; and was off again next morning at five. He drove only thirty miles this
day; stopped in Lupow [coast road through Pommern], with Herr von Grumkow [the late Grumkow's
Brother], Kammer President in this Pommern Province. From Lupow he went to a poor Village near Belgard,
EIGHTY miles farther;"last village on the great road, Belgard lying to left a little, on a side road;"and
stayed there overnight.
"At Belgard, next morning, he reviewed the Dragoon Regiment von Platen; and was very ill content with it.
And nobody, with the least understanding of that business, but must own that never did Prussian Regiment
manoeuvre worse. Conscious themselves how bad it was, they lost head, and got into open confusion. The
King did all that was possible to help them into order again. He withdrew thrice over, to give the Officers
time to recover themselves; but it was all in vain. The King, contrary to wont, restrained himself amazingly,
and would not show his displeasure in public. He got into his carriage, and drove away with the Furst of
Anhalt," Old Dessauer, "and Von Winterfeld," Captain in the Giant Regiment, "who is now MajorGeneral
von Winterfeld; [MajorGeneral since 1743, of high fame; fell in fight, 7th September, 1757.] not staying to
dine with General von Platen, as was always his custom with Commandants whom he had reviewed. He bade
Prince Wilhelm and the rest of us stay and dine; he himself drove away,"towards the great road again, and
some uncertain lodging there.
"We stayed accordingly; and did full justice to the good cheer," though poor Platen would certainly look
flustered, one may fancy. "But as the Prince was anxious to come up with his Majesty again, and knew not
where he would meet him, we had to be very swift with the business.
"We found the King with Anhalt and Winterfeld, by and by; sitting in a village, in front of a barn, and eating
a cold pie there, which the Furst of Anhalt had chanced to have with him; his Majesty, owing to what he had
seen on the paradeground, was in the utmost illhumor (HOCHST UBLER LAUNE). Next day, Saturday,
he went a hundred and fifty or two hundred miles; and arrived in Berlin at ten at night. Not expected there till
the morrow; so that his rooms were locked,her Majesty being over in Monbijou, giving her children a
Ball;" [Pollnitz, ii. 534537.]and we can fancy what a frame of mind there was!
Nobody, not at first even the Doctors, much heeded this new fit of illness; which went and came: "changed
temper," deeper or less deep gloom of "bad humor," being the main phenomenon to by standers. But the sad
truth was, his Majesty never did recover his sunshine; from Pillau onwards he was slowly entering into the
shadows of the total Last Eclipse; and his journeyings and reviewings in this world were all done. Ten
months hence, Pollnitz and others knew better what it had been!
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Chapter VII. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG: TRANSIT OF BALTIMORE
AND OTHER PERSONS AND THINGS.
Friedrich had not been long home again from Trakehnen and Preussen, when the routine of things at
Reinsberg was illuminated by Visitors, of brilliant and learned quality; some of whom, a certain Signor
Algarotti for one, require passing mention here. Algarotti, who became a permanent friend or satellite, very
luminous to the Prince, and was much about him in coming years, first shone out upon the scene at this
time,coming unexpectedly, and from the Eastward as it chanced.
On his own score, Algarotti has become a wearisome literary man to modern readers: one of those
halfremembered men; whose books seem to claim a reading, and do not repay it you when given. Treatises,
of a serious nature, ON THE OPERA; setting forth, in earnest, the potential "moral uses" of the Opera, and
dedicated to Chatham; Neutonianismo per le Donne (Astronomy for Ladies): the mere Titles of such things
are fatally sufficient to us; and we cannot, without effort, nor with it, recall the brilliancy of Algarotti and
them to his contemporary world.
Algarotti was a rich Venetian Merchant's Son, precisely about the CrownPrince's age; shone greatly in his
studies at Bologna and elsewhere; had written Poesies (RIME); written especially that Newtonianism for the
Dames (equal to Fontenelle, said Fame, and orthodox Newtonian withal, not heterodox or Cartesian); and had
shone, respected, at Paris, on the strength of it, for three or four years past: friend of Voltaire in consequence,
of Voltaire and his divine Emilie, and a welcome guest at Cirey; friend of the cultivated world generally,
which was then laboring, divine Emilie in the van of it, to understand Newton and be orthodox in this
department of things. Algarotti did fine Poesies, too, once and again; did Classical Scholarships, and much
else: everywhere a clearheaded, methodically distinct, concise kind of man. A high style of breeding about
him, too; had powers of pleasing, and used them: a man beautifully lucent in society, gentle yet impregnable
there; keeping himself unspotted from the world and its discrepancies, really with considerable prudence,
first and last.
He is somewhat of the Bielfeld type; a Merchant's Son, we observe, like Bielfeld; but a Venetian Merchant's,
not a Hamburg's; and also of better natural stuff than Bielfeld. Concentrated himself upon his task with more
seriousness, and made a higher thing of it than Bielfeld; though, after all, it was the same task the two had.
Alas, our "Swan of Padua" (so they sometimes called him) only sailed, paddling grandly, nowhither,as
the SwanGoose of the Elbe did, in a less stately manner! One cannot well bear to read his Books. There is
no light upon Friedrich to tempt us; better light than Bielfeld's there could have been, and much of it: but he
prudently, as well as proudly, forbore such topics. He approaches very near fertility and geniality in his
writings, but never reaches it. Dilettantism become serious and strenuous, in those departmentsWell, it was
beautiful to young Friedrich and the world at that time, though it is not to us!Young Algarotti,
twentyseven this year, has been touring about as a celebrity these four years past, on the strength of his fine
manners and Newtonianism for the Dames.
It was under escort of Baltimore, "an English Milord," recommended from Potsdam itself, that Algarotti
came to Reinsberg; the Signor had much to do with English people now and after. Where Baltimore first
picked him up, I know not: but they have been to Russia together; Baltimore by twelve years the elder of the
two: and now, getting home towards England again, they call at Reinsberg in the fine Autumn weather;and
considerably captivate the CrownPrince, Baltimore playing chief, in that as in other points. The visit lasted
five days: [20th25th September, 1739 ( OEuvres de Frederic, xiv. p. xiv).] there was copious speech on
many things;discussion about Printing of the ANTI MACHIAVEL; Algarotti to get it printed in England,
Algarotti to get Pine and his Engraved HENRIADE put under way; neither of which projects took
effect;readers can conceive what a charming five days these were. Here, in the CrownPrince's own
words, are some brief glimmerings which will suffice us:
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REINSBERG, 25th SEPT. 1739 (CrownPrince to Papa). ... that "nothing new has occurred in the Regiment,
and we have few sick. Here has the English Milord, who was at Potsdam, passing through [stayed five days,
though we call it passing, and suppress the Algarotti, Baltimore being indeed chief]. He is gone towards
Hamburg, to take ship for England there. As I heard that my Most Allgracious Father wished I should show
him courtesy, I have done for him what I could. The Prince of Mirow has also been here," our old Strelitz
friend. Of Baltimore nothing more to Papa. But to another Correspondent, to the good Suhm (who is now at
Petersburg, and much in our intimacy, ready to transact loans for us, translate Wolf, or do what is wanted),
there is this passage next day:
REINSBERG, 26th SEPTEMBER, 1739 (to Suhm). "We have had Milord Baltimore here, and the young
Algarotti; both of them men who, by their accomplishments, cannot but conciliate the esteem and
consideration of all who see them. We talked much of you [Suhm], of Philosophy, of Science, Art; in short,
of all that can be included in the taste of cultivated people (HONNETES GENS)." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xvi. 378.] And again to another, about two weeks hence:
REINSBERG, 10th OCTOBER, 1739 (to Voltaire). "We have had Milord Baltimore and Algarotti here, who
are going back to England. This Milord is a very sensible man (HOMME TRESSENSE); who possesses a
great deal of knowledge, and thinks, like us, that sciences can be no disparagement to nobility, nor degrade an
illustrious rank. I admired the genius of this ANGLAIS, as one does a fine face through a crape veil. He
speaks French very ill, yet one likes to hear him speak it; and as for his English, he pronounces it so quick,
there is no possibility of following him. He calls a Russian 'a mechanical animal.' He says 'Petersburg is the
eye of Russia, with which it keeps civilized countries in sight; if you took this eye from it, Russia would fall
again into barbarism, out of which it is just struggling.' [Ib. xxi. 326, 327.] ... Young Algarotti, whom you
know, pleased me beyond measure. He promised that he"But Baltimore, promise or not, is the chief figure
at present.
Evidently an original kind of figure to us, CET ANGLAIS. And indeed there is already finished a rhymed
EPISTLE to Baltimore; Epitre sur la Liberte (copy goes in that same LETTER, for Voltaire's behoof), which
dates itself likewise October 10th; beginning, "L'esprit libre, Milord, qui regne en Angleterre," which,
though it is full of fine sincere sentiments, about human dignity, papal superstition, Newton, Locke, and
aspirations for progress of culture in Prussia, no reader could stand at this epoch.
What Baltimore said in answer to the EPITRE, we do not know; probably not much: it does not appear he
ever saw or spoke to Friedrich a second time. Three weeks after, Friedrich writing to Algarotti, has these
words: "I pray you make my friendships to Milord Baltimore, whose character and manner of thinking I truly
esteem. I hope he has, by this time, got my EPITRE on the English Liberty of Thought." [29th October 1739,
To Algarotti in London ( OEuvres, xviii. 5).] And so Baltimore passes on, silent in History
henceforth,though Friedrich seems to have remembered him to late times, as a kind of typefigure when
England came into his head. For the sake of this small transit over the sun's disk, I have made some inquiry
about Baltimore; but found very little;perhaps enough:
"He was Charles, Sixth Lord Baltimore, it appears; Sixth, and last but one. First of the Baltimores, we know,
was Secretary Calvert (16181624), who colonized Maryland; last of them (1774) was the Son of this
Charles; something of a fool, to judge by the face of him in Portraits, and by some of his doings in the world.
He, that Seventh Baltimore, printed one or two little Volumes "now of extreme rarity"cannot be too rare);
and winded up by standing an ugly Trial at Kingston Assizes (plaintiff an unfortunate female). After which
he retired to Naples, and there ended, 1774, the last of these Milords. [Walpole (by Park), Catalogue of Royal
and Noble Authors (London, 1806), v. 278.]
"He of the Kingston Assizes, we say, was not this Charles; but his Son, whom let the reader forget. Charles,
age forty at this time, had travelled about the Continent a good deal: once, long ago, we imagined we had got
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a glimpse of him (but it was a guess merely) lounging about Luneville and Lorraine, along with Lyttelton, in
the CongressofSoissons time? Not long after that, it is certain enough, he got appointed a Gentleman of the
Bedchamber to Prince Fred; who was a friend of speculative talkers and cultivated people. In which situation
Charles Sixth Baron Baltimore continued all his days after; and might have risen by means of Fred, as he was
anxious enough to do, had both of them lived; but they both died; Baltimore first, in 1751, a year before Fred.
Bubb Doddington, diligent laborer in the same Fred vineyard, was much infested by this Baltimore,who,
drunk or sober (for he occasionally gets into liquor), is always putting out Bubb, and stands too well with our
Royal Master, one secretly fears! Baltimore's finances, I can guess, were not in too good order; mostly an
Absentee; Irish Estates not managed in the first style, while one is busy in the Fred vineyard! 'The best and
honestest man in the world, with a good deal of jumbled knowledge,' Walpole calls him once: 'but not
capable of conducting a party.'" [Walpole's Letters to Mann (London, 1843), ii. 175; 27th January, 1747. See
ib. i. 82.] Oh no;and died, at any rate, Spring 1751: [ Peerage of Ireland (London, 1768), ii. 172174.] and
we will not mention him farther.
BIELFELD, WHAT HE SAW AT REINSBERG AND AROUND.
Directly on the rear of these fine visitors, came, by invitation, a pair of the Korn'sHotel people; Masonic
friends; one of whom was Bielfeld, whose dainty Installation Speech and ways of procedure had been of
promise to the Prince on that occasion. "Baron von Oberg" was the other:Hanoverian Baron: the same who
went into the Wars, and was a "General von Oberg" twenty years hence? The same or another, it does not
much concern us. Nor does the visit much, or at all; except that Bielfeld, being of writing nature, professes to
give ocular account of it. Honest transcript of what a human creature actually saw at Reinsberg, and in the
Berlin environment at that date, would have had a value to mankind: but Bielfeld has adopted the fictitious
form; and pretty much ruined for us any transcript there is. Exaggeration, gesticulation, fantastic uncertainty
afflict the reader; and prevent comfortable belief, except where there is other evidence than Bielfeld's.
At Berlin the beautiful straight streets, Linden Avenues (perhaps a better sample than those of our day), were
notable to Bielfeld; bridges, statues very fine; grand esplanades, and such military drilling and parading as
was never seen. He had dinner invitations, too, in quantity; likes this one and that (all in prudent
asterisks),likes Truchsess von Waldburg very much, and his strange mode of bachelor housekeeping, and
the way he dines and talks among his fellowcreatures, or sits studious among his Military Books and
Paperlitters. But all is loose faroff sketching, in the style of Anacharsis the Younger; and makes no solid
impression.
Getting to Reinsberg, to the Town, to the Schloss, he crosses the esplanade, the moat; sees what we know,
beautiful square Mansion among its woods and waters;and almost nothing that we do not know, except the
way the moatbridge is lighted: "Bridge furnished," he says, "with seven Statues representing the seven
Planets, each holding in her hand a glass lamp in the form of a globe;"which is a pretty object in the
nighttime. The House is now finished; Knobelsdorf rejoicing in his success; Pesne and others giving the last
touch to some ceilings of a sublime nature. On the lintel of the gate is inscribed FREDERICO
TRANQUILLITATEM COLENTI (To Friedrich courting Tranquillity). The gardens, walks, hermitages,
grottos, are very spacious, fine: not yet completed, perhaps will never be. A Temple of Bacchus is just now
on hand, somewhere in those labyrinthic woods: "twelve gigantic Satyrs as caryatides, crowned by an
inverted Punchbowl for dome;" that is the ingenious Knobelsdorf's idea, pleasant to the mind. Knobelsdorf
is of austere aspect; austere, yet benevolent and full of honest sagacity; the very picture of sound sense, thinks
Bielfeld. M. Jordan is handsome, though of small stature; agreeable expression of face; eye extremely vivid;
brown complexion, bushy eyebrows as well as beard are black. [Bielfeld (abridged), i. 45.]
Or did the reader ever hear of "M. Fredersdorf," Head Valet at this time? Fredersdorf will become, as it were,
PrivyPurse, HouseFriend, and domestic Factotum, and play a great part in coming years. "A tall handsome
man;" much "silent sense, civility, dexterity;" something "magnificently clever in him," thinks Bielfeld (now,
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or else twenty years afterwards); whom we can believe. [Ib. p. 49.] He was a gift from General Schwerin, this
Fredersdorf; once a Private in Schwerin's regiment, at Frankfurt onOder,excellent on the flute, for one
quality. Schwerin, who had an eye for men, sent him to Friedrich, in the Custrin time; hoping he might suit in
fluting and otherwise. Which he conspicuously did. Bielfeld's account, we must candidly say, appears to be
an afterthought; but readers can make their profit of it, all the same.
As to the CrownPrince and Princess, words fail to express their gracious perfections, their affabilities, polite
ingenuities: Bielfeld's words do give us some pleasant shadowy conceivability of the CrownPrincess:
"Tall, and perfect in shape; bust such as a sculptor might copy; complexion of the finest; features ditto; nose,
I confess, smallish and pointed, but excellent of that kind; hair of the supremest flaxen, 'shining' like a flood
of sunbeams, when the powder is off it. A humane ingenuous Princess; little negligences in toilet or the like,
if such occur, even these set her off, so ingenuous are they. Speaks little; but always to the purpose, in a
simple, cheerful and wise way. Dances beautifully; heart (her soubrette assures me) is heavenly;and
'perhaps no Princess living has a finer set of diaonds.'"
Of the CrownPrincess there is some pleasant shadow traced as on cobweb, to this effect. But of the
CrownPrince there is no forming the least conception from what he says:this is mere cobweb with
Nothing elaborately painted on it. Nor do the portraits of the others attract by their verisimilitude. Here is
Colonel Keyserling, for instance; the witty Courlander, famous enough in the Friedrich circle; who went on
embassy to Cirey, and much else: he "whirls in with uproar (FRACAS) like Boreas in the Ballet;"
fowlingpiece on shoulder, and in his "dressinggown" withal, which is still stranger; snatches off Bielfeld,
unknown till that moment, to sit by him while dressing; and there, with much capering, pirouetting, and
indeed almost groundandlofty tumbling, for accompaniment, "talks of Horses, Mathematics, Painting,
Architecture, Literature, and the Art of War," while he dresses. This gentleman was once Colonel in Friedrich
Wilhelm's Army; is now fairly turned of forty, and has been in troubles: we hope he is not LIKE in the
Bielfeld Portrait;otherwise, how happy that we never had the honor of knowing him! Indeed, the
CrownPrince's Household generally, as Bielfeld paints it in flourishes of panegyric, is but unattractive;
barren to the modern onlooker; partly the Painter's blame, we doubt not. He gives details about their mode
of dining, taking coffee, doing concert; and describes once an incidental drinkingbout got up
aforethought by the Prince; which is probably in good part fiction, though not ill done. These fantastic
sketchings, rigorously winnowed into the credible and actual, leave no great residue in that kind; but what
little they do leave is of favorable and pleasant nature.
Bielfeld made a visit privately to Potsdam, too: saw the Giants drill; made acquaintance with important
Captains of theirs (all in ASTERISKS) at Potsdam; with whom he dined, not in a too credible manner, and
even danced. Among the asterisks, we easily pick out Captain Wartensleben (of the Korn'sHotel operation),
and Winterfeld, a still more important Captain, whom we saw dining on cold pie with his Majesty, at a
barndoor in Pommern, not long since. Of the Giants, or their life at Potsdam, Bielfeld's word is not worth
hearing,worth suppressing rather; his knowledge being so small, and hung forth in so fantastic a way. This
transient sight he had of his Majesty in person; this, which is worth something to us,fact being evidently
lodged in it, "After churchparade," Autumn Sunday afternoon (day uncertain, Bielfeld's date being
fictitious, and even impossible), Majesty drove out to Wusterhausen, "where the quantities of game surpass
all belief;" and Bielfeld had one glimpse of him:
"I saw his Majesty only, as it were, in passing. If I may judge by his Portraits, he must have been of a perfect
beauty in his young time; but it must be confessed there is nothing left of it now. His eyes truly are fine; but
the glance of them is terrible: his complexion is composed of the strongest tints of red, blue, yellow,
green,"not a lovely complexion at all; "big head; the thick neck sunk between the shoulders; figure short
and heavy (COURTE ET RAMASSEE)." [Bielfeld, p. 35.]
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"Going out to Wusterhausen," then, that afternoon, "October, 1739." How his Majesty is crushed down; quite
bulged out of shape in that sad way, by the weight of time and its pressures: his thoughts, too, most likely, of
a heavyladen and abstruse nature! The old Pfalz Controversy has misgone with him: Pfalz, and so much else
in the world;the world in whole, probably enough, near ending to him; the final shadows, sombre, grand
and mournful, closing in upon him!
TURK WAR ENDS; SPANISH WAR BEGINS. A WEDDING IN PETERSBURG.
Last news come to Potsdam in these days is, The Kaiser has ended his disastrous Turk War; been obliged to
end it; sudden downbreak, and as it were panic terror, having at last come upon his unfortunate Generals in
those parts. Duke Franz was passionate to be out of such a thing; Franz, General Neipperg and others; and
now, "2d September, 1739," like lodgers leaping from a burning house, they are out of it. The Turk gets
Belgrade itself, not to mention wide territories farther east,Belgrade without shot fired;nay the Turk was
hardly to be kept from hanging the Imperial Messenger (a General Neipperg, Duke Franz's old Tutor, and
chief Confidant, whom we shall hear more of elsewhere), whose passport was not quite right on this
occasion!Never was a more disgraceful Peace. But also never had been worse fighting; planless,
changeful, powerless, melting into futility at every step:not to be mended by imprisonments in Gratz, and
still harsher treatment of individuals. "Has all success forsaken me, then, since Eugene died?" said the Kaiser;
and snatched at this Turk Peace; glad to have it, by mediation of France, and on any terms.
Has not this Kaiser lost his outlying properties at a fearful rate? Naples is gone; Spanish Bourbon sits in our
Naples; comparatively little left for us in Italy. And now the very Turk has beaten us small; insolently fillips
the Imperial nose of us, threatening to hang our Neipperg, and the like. Were it not for Anne of Russia,
whose big horsewhip falls heavy on this Turk, he might almost get to Vienna again, for anything we could
do! A Kaiser worthy to be pitied;whom Friedrich Wilhelm, we perceive, does honestly pity. A Kaiser
much beggared, much disgraced, in late years; who has played a huge lifegame so long, diplomatizing,
warring; and, except the Shadow of Pragmatic Sanction, has nothing to retire upon.
The Russians protested, with astonishment, against such Turk Peace on the Kaiser's part. But there was no
help for it. One ally is gone, the Kaiser has let go this Western skirt of the Turk; and "Thamas Kouli Khan"
(called also Nadir Shah, famed Oriental slasher and slayer of that time) no longer stands upon the Eastern
skirt, but "has entered India," it appears: the Russianstheir cash, too, running lowdo themselves make
peace, "about a month after;" restoring Azoph and nearly all their conquests; putting off the ruin of the Turk
till a better time.
War is over in the East, then; but another in the West, England against Spain (Spain and France to help), is
about beginning. Readers remember how Jenkins's Ear reemerged, Spring gone a year, in a blazing
condition? Here, through SYLVANUS URBAN himself, are two direct glimpses, a twelvemonth nearer
hand, which show us how the matter has been proceeding since:
"LONDON, 19th FEBRUARY, 1739. The City Authorities,"laying or going to lay "the foundation of the
MansionHouse" (Edifice now very black in our time), and doing other things of little moment to us, "had a
Masquerade at the Guildhall this night. There was a very splendid appearance at the Masquerade; but among
the many humorous and whimsical characters, what seemed most to engage attention was a Spaniard, who
called himself 'Knight of the Ear;' as Badge of which Order he wore on his breast the form of a Star, with its
points tinged in blood; and on the body of it an Ear painted, and in capital letters the word JENKINS
encircling it. Across his shoulder there hung, instead of ribbon, a large Halter; which he held up to several
persons dressed as English Sailors, who seemed in great terror of him, and falling on their knees suffered him
to rummage their pockets; which done, he would insolently dismiss them with strokes of his halter. Several of
the Sailors had a bloody Ear hanging down from their heads; and on their hats were these words, EAR FOR
EAR; on others, NO SEARCH OR NO TRADE; with the like sentences." [ Gentleman's Magazine for 1739,
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p. 103;our DATES, as always, are N. 8.] The conflagration evidently going on; not likely to be damped
down again, by ministerial art!
"LONDON, 19th MARCH, 1739." Grand Debate in Parliament, on the late "Spanish Convention," pretended
Bargain of redress lately got from Spain: Approve the Convention, or Not approve? "A hundred Members
were in the House of Commons before seven, this morning; and four hundred had taken their seat by ten;
which is an unheard of thing. Prince of Wales," Fred in person, "was in the gallery till twelve at night, and
had his dinner sent to him. Sir Robert Walpole rose: 'Sir, the great pains that have been taken to influence all
ranks and degrees of men in this Nation... But give me leave to'"apply a wet cloth to Honorable
Gentlemen. Which he does, really with skill and sense. France and the others are so strong, he urges; England
so unprepared; Kaiser at such a pass; 'War like to be, about the Palatinate Dispute [our friend Friedrich
Wilhelm's]: Where is England to get, allies?'and hours long of the like sort. A judicious wet cloth; which
proved unavailing.
For "William Pitts" (so they spell the great Chatham that is to be) was eloquent on the other side: "Despairing
Merchants," "Voice of England," and so on. And the world was all in an inflamed state. And Mr. Pulteney
exclaimed: Palatinate? Allies? "We need no allies; the case of Mr. Jenkins will raise us volunteers
everywhere!" And in short,after eight months more of haggling, and applying wet cloths,Walpole, in the
name of England, has to declare War against Spain; ["3d November (23d October), 1739."] the public humor
proving unquenchable on that matter. War; and no Peace to be, "till our undoubted right," to roadway on the
oceans of this Planet, become permanently manifest to the Spanish Majesty.
Such the effect of a small Ear, kept about one in cotton, from ursine piety or other feelings. Has not Jenkins's
Ear reemerged, with a vengeance? It has kindled a War: dangerous for kindling other Wars, and setting the
whole world on fire,as will be too evident in the sequel! The EAR OF JENKINS is a singular thing. Might
have mounted to be a constellation, like BERENICE'S HAIR, and other small facts become mythical, had the
English People been of poetic turn! Enough of IT, for the time being.
This Summer, Anton Ulrich, at Petersburg, did wed his Serene Mecklenburg Princess, Heiress of all the
Russias: "July 14th, 1739,"three months before that Drive to Wusterhausen, which we saw lately. Little
Anton Ulrich, Cadet of Brunswick; our Friedrich's BrotherinLaw;a noticeably small man in comparison
to such bulk of destiny, thinks Friedrich, though the case is not without example! [A Letter of his to Suhm;
touching on Franz of Lorraine and this Anton Ulrich.]
"Anton Ulrich is now fiveandtwenty," says one of my Notebooks; "a young gentleman of small stature,
shining courage in battle, but somewhat shy and bashful; who has had his troubles in Petersburg society, till
the trial came,and will have. Here are the stages of Anton Ulrich's felicity:
"WINTER, 17321733. He was sent for to Petersburg (his Serene Aunt the German Kaiserinn, and Kaiser
Karl's diplomatists, suggesting it there), with the view of his paying court to the young Mecklenburg
Princess, Heiress of all the Russias, of whom we have often heard. February, 1733, he arrived on this
errand;not approved of at all by the Mecklenburg Princess, by Czarina Anne or anybody there: what can be
done with such an uncomfortable little creature? They gave him the Colonelcy of Cuirassiers: 'Drill there, and
endure.'
"SPRING, 1737. Muchenduring, diligently drilling, for four years past, he went this year to the Turk War
under Munnich;much pleased Munnich, at Oczakow and elsewhere; who reports in the War Office high
things of him. And on the whole,the serene Vienna people now again bestirring themselves, with whom
we are in copartnery in this Turk business,little Anton Ulrich is encouraged to proceed. Proceeds; formally
demands his Mecklenburg Princess; and,
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"JULY 14th, 1739, weds her; the happiest little man in all the Russias, and with the biggest destiny, if it
prosper. Next year, too, there came a son and heir; whom they called Iwan, in honor of his Russian
Greatgrandfather. Shall we add the subsequent felicities of Anton Ulrich here; or wait till another
opportunity?"
Better wait. This is all, and more than all, his Prussian Majesty, rolling out of Wusterhausen that afternoon,
ever knew of them, or needed to know!
Chapter VIII. DEATH OF FRIEDRICH WILHELM.
At Wusterhausen, this Autumn, there is game as usual, but little or no hunting for the King. He has to sit
drearily within doors, for most part; listening to the rustle of falling leaves, to dim Winter coming with its
rains and winds. Fieldsports are a rumor from without: for him now no joyous sowbaiting,
deerchasing; that, like other things, is past.
In the beginning of November, he came to Berlin; was worse there, and again was better;strove to do the
Carnival, as had been customary; but, in a languid, lamed manner. One night he looked in upon an
eveningparty which General Schulenburg was giving: he returned home, chilled, shivering;, could not, all
night, be brought to heat again. It was the last eveningparty Friedrich Wilhelm ever went to. [Pollnitz (ii.
538); who gives no date.] LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg: the same who doomed young Friedrich to death,
as President of the CourtMartial; and then wrote the Three Letters about him which we once looked into:
illuminates himself in this manner in Berlin society, Carnival season, 1740, weather fiercely cold. Maypole
Schulenburg the lean Aunt, ExMistress of George I., over in London,I think she must now be dead? Or if
not dead, why not! Memory, for the tenth time, fails me, of the humanly unmemorable, whom perhaps even
flunkies should forget; and I will try it no more. The stalwart LieutenantGeneral will reappear on us once,
twice at the utmost, and never again. He gave the last eveningparty Friedrich Wilhelm ever went to.
Poor Friedrich Wilhelm is in truth very ill; tosses about all day, in and out of bed,bed and wheeledchair
drearily alternating; suffers much;and again, in Diplomatic circles, the rumors are rife and sinister. Ever
from this chill at Schulenburg's the medicines did him no good, says Pollnitz: if he rallied, it was the effect of
Nature, and only temporary. He does daily, with punctuality, his Official business; perhaps the best two hours
he has of the fourandtwenty, for the time hangs heavy on him. His old Generals sit round his bed, talking,
smoking, as it was five years ago; his Feekin and his Children much about him, out and in: the heavyladen,
weary hours roll round as they can. In general there is a kind of constant TabaksCollegium, old Flans,
Camas, Hacke, Pollnitz, Derschau, and the rest by turns always there; the royal Patient cannot be left alone,
without faces he likes: other Generals, estimable in their way, have a physiognomy displeasing to the sick
man; and will smart for it if they enter, "At sight of HIM every pain grows painfuler!"the poor King
being of poetic temperament, as we often say. Friends are encouraged to smoke, especially to keep up a
stream of talk; if at any time he fall into a doze and they cease talking, the silence will awaken him.
He is worst off in the night; sleep very bad: and among his sore bodily pains, ennui falls very heavy to a mind
so restless. He can paint, he can whittle, chisel: at last they even mount him a table, in his bed, with joiner's
tools, mallets, gluepots, where he makes small carpentry,the talk to go on the while;often at night is
the sound of his mallet audible in the Palace Esplanade; and Berlin townsfolk pause to listen, with many
thoughts of a sympathetic or at least inarticulate character: "HM, WEH, IHRO MAJESTAT: ACH GOTT,
pale Death knocks with impartial foot at the huts of poor men and the Palaces of Kings!" [Pollnitz, ii. 539.]
Reverend Herr Roloff, whom they call Provost (PROBST, Chief Clergyman) Roloff, a pious honest man and
preacher, he, I could guess, has already been giving spiritual counsel now and then; later interviews with
Roloff are expressly on record: for it is the King's private thought, ever and anon borne in upon him, that
death itself is in this business.
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Queen and Children, mostly hoping hitherto, though fearing too, live in much anxiety and agitation. The
CrownPrince is often over from Reinsberg; must not come too often, nor even inquire too much: his
affectionate solicitude might be mistaken for solicitude of another kind! It is certain he is in no haste to be
King; to quit the haunts of the Muses, and embark on Kingship. Certain, too, he loves his Father; shudders at
the thought of losing HIM. And yet again there will gleams intrude of a contrary thought; which the filial
heart disowns, with a kind of horror, "Down, thou impious thought!"We perceive he manages in general to
push the crisis away from him; to believe that real danger is still distant. His demeanor, so far as we can
gather from his Letters or other evidence, is amiable, prudent, natural; altogether that of a human Son in those
difficult circumstances. Poor Papa is heavyladen: let us help to bear his burdens; let us hope the crisis is
still far off!
Once, on a favorable evening, probably about the beginning of April, when he felt as if improving, Friedrich
Wilhelm resolved to dress, and hold TobaccoParliament again in a formal manner, Let us look in there,
through the eyes of Pollnitz, who was of it, upon the last TobaccoParliament:
"A numerous party; Schwerin, Hacke, Derschau, all the chiefs and commandants of the Berlin Garrison are
there; the old circle full; social human speech once more, and pipes alight; pleasant to the King. He does not
himself smoke on this occasion; but he is unusually lively in talk; much enjoys the returning glimpse of old
days; and the Tobacco circle was proceeding through its phases, successful beyond common. All at once the
CrownPrince steps in; direct from Reinsberg: [12th April, 1740? ( OEuvres, xxvii. part lst, p. 29); Pollnitz is
dateless] an unexpected pleasure. At sight of whom the Tobacco circle, taken on the sudden, simultaneously
started up, and made him a bow. Rule is, in TobaccoParliament you do not risefor anybody; and they
have risen. Which struck the sick heart in a strange painful way. 'Hm, the Rising Sun?' thinks he; 'Rules
broken through, for the Rising Sun. But I am not dead yet, as you shall know!' ringing for his servants in
great wrath; and had himself rolled out, regardless of protestations and excuses. 'Hither, you Hacke!' said he.
"Hacke followed; but it was only to return on the instant, with the King's order, 'That you instantly quit the
Palace, all of you, and don't come back!' Solemn respectful message to his Majesty was of no effect, or of
less; they had to go, on those terms; and Pollnitz, making for his Majesty's apartment next morning as usual,
was twitched by a Gensd'arme, 'No admittance!' And it was days before the matter would come round again,
under earnest protestations from the one side, and truculent rebukes from the other." [Pollnitz (abridged), ii.
50.] Figure the CrownPrince, figure the poor sick Majesty; and what a time in those localities!
With the bright spring weather he seemed to revive; towards the end of April he resolved for Potsdam,
everybody thinking him much better, and the outer Public reckoning the crisis of the illness over. He himself
knew other. It was on the 27th of the month that he went; he said, "Fare thee well, then, Berlin; I am to die in
Potsdam, then (ICH WERDE IN POTSDAM STERBEN)!" The Mayflowers came late; the weather was
changeful, ungenial for the sick man: this winter of 1740 had been the coldest on record; it extended itself
into the very summer; and brought great distress of every kind;of which some oral rumor still survives in
all countries. Friedrich Wilhelm heard complaints of scarcity among the people; admonitions to open his
Corngranaries (such as he always has in store against that kind of accident); but he still hesitated and
refused; unable to look into it himself, and fearing deceptions.
For the rest, he is struggling between death and life; in general persuaded that the end is fast hastening on. He
sends for Chief Preacher Roloff out to Potsdam; has some notable dialogues with Roloff, and with two other
Potsdam Clergymen, of which there is record still left us. In these, as in all his demeanor at this supreme
time, we see the big rugged block of manhood come out very vividly; strong in his simplicity, in his veracity.
Friedrich Wilhelm's wish is to know from Roloff what the chances are for him in the other world,which is
not less certain than Potsdam and the giant grenadiers to Friedrich Wilhelm; and where, he perceives, never
half so clearly before, he shall actually peel off his Kinghood, and stand before God Almighty, no better than
a naked beggar. Roloff's prognostics are not so encouraging as the King had hoped. Surely this King "never
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took or coveted what was not his; kept true to his marriagevow, in spite of horrible examples everywhere;
believed the Bible, honored the Preachers, went diligently to Church, and tried to do what he understood
God's commandments were?" To all which Roloff, a courageous pious man, answers with discreet words and
shakings of the head, "Did I behave ill, then; did I ever do injustice?" Roloff mentions Baron Schlubhut the
defalcating Amtmann, hanged at Konigsberg without even a trial. "He had no trial; but was there any doubt
he had justice? A public thief, confessing he had stolen the taxes he was set to gather; insolently offering, as
if that were all, to repay the money, and saying, It was not MANIER (good manners) to hang a nobleman!"
Roloff shakes his head, Too violent, your Majesty, and savoring of the tyrannous. The poor King must repent.
"Well,is there anything more? Out with it, then; better now than too late!"Much oppression, forcing
men to build in Berlin. "Oppression? was it not their benefit, as well as Berlin's and the Country's? I had
no interest in it other. Derschau, you who managed it?" and his Majesty turned to Derschau. For all the
smoking generals and company are still here; nor will his Majesty consent to dismiss them from the presence
and be alone with Roloff: "What is there to conceal? They are people of honor, and my friends." Derschau,
whose feats in the building way are not unknown even to us, answers with a hard face, It was all right and
orderly; nothing out of square in his building operations. To which Roloff shakes his head: "A thing of public
notoriety, Herr General.""I will prove everything before a Court," answers the Herr General with still
harder face; Roloff still austerely shaking his head. Hm!And then there is forgiveness of enemies; your
Majesty is bound to forgive all men, or how can you ask to be forgiven? "Well, I will, I do; you Feekin, write
to your Brother (unforgivablest of beings), after I am dead, that I forgave him, died in peace with
him."Better her Majesty should write at once, suggests Roloff."No, after I am dead," persists the Son of
Nature,that will be safer! [Wrote accordingly, "not able to finish without many tears;" honest sensible
Letter (though indifferently spelt), "Berlin, 1st June, 1740;"lies now in StatePaper Office: "ROYAL
LETTERS, vol. xciv., Prussia, 16891777."] An unwedgeable and gnarled big block of manhood and
simplicity and sincerity; such as we rarely get sight of among the modern sons of Adam, among the crowned
sons nearly never. At parting he said to Roloff, "You (ER, He) do not spare me; it is right. You do your duty
like an honest Christian man." [ Notata ex ore Roloffi ("found among the Seckendorf Papers," no date but
"May 1740"), in Forster, ii. 154, 155; in a fragmentary state: completed in Pollnitz, ii. 545549.]
Roloff, I perceive, had several Dialogues with the King; and stayed in Potsdam some days for that object. The
above bit of jotting is from the Seckendorf Papers (probably picked up by Seckendorf Junior), and is dated
only "May." Of the two Potsdam Preachers, one of whom is "Oesfeld, Chaplain of the Giant Grenadiers," and
the other is "Cochius, Calvinist Hofprediger," each published on his own score some Notes of dialogue and
circumstance; [Cochius the HOFPREDIGER'S (Calvinist Court Chaplain's) ACCOUNT of his Interviews
(first of them "Friday, 27th May, 1740, about 9 P.M."); followed by ditto from Oesfeld (Chaplain of the
Giants), who usually accompanied Cochius,are in Seyfarth, Geschichte Friedrich des Grossen (Leipzig,
17831788), i. (Beylage) 2440. Seyfarth was "Regiments Auditor" in Halle: his Work, solid though stupid,
consists nearly altogether of multifarious BEYLAGEN (Appendices) and NOTES; which are creditably
accurate, and often curious; and, as usual, have no Index for an unfortunate reader.] which are to the same
effect, so far as they concern us; and exhibit the same rugged Son of Nature, looking with all his eyesight into
the near Eternity, and sinking in a human and not inhuman manner amid the floods of Time. "Wa, Wa, what
great God is this, that pulls down the strength of the strongest Kings!"
The poor King's state is very restless, fluctuates from day to day; he is impatient of bed; sleeps very ill; is up
whenever possible; rolls about in his wheeledchair, and even gets into the air: at one time looking strong, as
if there were still months in him, and anon sunk in fainting weakness, as if he had few minutes to live.
Friedrich at Reinsberg corresponds very secretly with Dr. Eller; has other friends at Potsdam whose secret
news he very anxiously reads. To the last he cannot bring himself to think it serious." [Letter to Eller, 25th
May, 1740 ( OEuvres ), xvi. 184.]
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On Thursday, 26th of May, an express from Eller, or the Potsdam friends, arrives at Reinsberg: He is to come
quickly, if he would see his Father again alive! The step may have danger, too; but Friedrich, a world of
feelings urging him, is on the road next morning before the sun. His journey may be fancied; the like of it
falls to all men. Arriving at last, turning hastily a corner of the Potsdam Schloss, Friedrich sees some
gathering in the distance: it is his Father in his ROLLWAGEN (wheeledchair),not dying; but out of
doors, giving orders about founding a House, or seeing it done. House for one Philips, a crabbed Englishman
he has; whose tongue is none of the best, not even to Majesty itself, but whose merits as a Groom, of English
and other Horses, are without parallel in those parts. Without parallel, and deserve a House before we die. Let
us see it set agoing, this blessed Mayday! Of Philips, who survived deep into Friedrich's time, and uttered
rough sayings (in mixed intelligible dialect) when put upon in his grooming, or otherwise disturbed, I could
obtain no farther account: the man did not care to be put in History (a very small service to a man); cared to
have a house with trim fittings, and to do his grooming well, the fortunate Philips.
At sight of his Son, Friedrich Wilhelm threw out his arms; the Son kneeling sank upon his breast, and they
embraced with tears. My Father, my Father; My Son, my Son! It was a scene to make all bystanders and
even Philips weep.Probably the emotion hurt the old King; he had to be taken in again straightway, his
show of strength suddenly gone, and bed the only place for him. This same Friday he dictated to one of his
Ministers (Boden, who was in close attendance) the Instruction for his Funeral; a rude characteristic Piece,
which perhaps the English reader knows. Too long and rude for reprinting here. [Copy of it, in Seyfarth (ubi
supra), i. 1924. Translated in Mauvillon (ii. 432437); in
He is to be buried in his uniform, the Potsdam Grenadiers his escort; with military decorum, three volleys
fired (and take care they be well fired, "NICHT PLACKEREN"), so many cannonsalvos; and no fuss or
flaunting ceremony: simplicity and decency is what the tenant of that oak coffin wants, as he always did
when owner of wider dominions. The coffin, which he has ready and beside him in the Palace this good
while, is a stout piece of carpentry, with leather straps and other improvements; he views it from time to time;
solaces his truculent imagination with the look of it: "I shall sleep right well there," he would say. The image
he has of his Burial, we perceive, is of perfect visuality, equal to what a Defoe could do in imagining. All is
seen, settled to the last minuteness: the coffin is to be borne out by so and so, at such and such a door; this
detachment is to fallin here, that there, in the attitude of "cover arms" (musket inverted under left arm); and
the band is to play, with all its blackamoors, O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden (O Head, all bleeding wounded);
a Dirge his Majesty had liked, who knew music, and had a love for it, after his sort. Good Son of Nature: a
dumb Poet, as I say always; most dumb, but real; the value of him great, and unknown in these babbling
times. It was on this same Friday night that Cochius was first sent for; Cochius, and Oesfeld with him, "about
nine o'clock."
For the next three days (Saturday to Monday) when his cough and many sufferings would permit him,
Friedrich Wilhelm had long private dialogues with his Son; instructing him, as was evident, in the mysteries
of State; in what knowledge, as to persons and to things, he reckoned might be usefulest to him. What the
lessons were, we know not; the way of taking them had given pleasure to the old man: he was heard to say,
perhaps more than once, when the Generals were called in, and the dialogue interrupted for a while: "Am not
I happy to have such a Son to leave behind me!" And the grimly sympathetic Generals testified assent;
endeavored to talk a little, could at least smoke, and look friendly; till the King gathered strength for
continuing his instructions to his Successor. All else was as if settled with him; this had still remained to do.
This once done (finished, Monday night), why not abdicate altogether; and die disengaged, be it in a day or in
a month, since that is now the one work left? Friedrich Wilhelm does so purpose.
His state, now as all along, was fluctuating, uncertain, restless. He was heard murmuring prayers; he would
say sometimes, "Pray for me; BETET BETET." And more than once, in deep tone: "Lord, enter not into
judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified!" The wild Son of Nature,
looking into Life and Death, into Judgment and Eternity, finds that these things are very great. This too is a
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characteristic trait: In a certain German Hymn ( Why fret or murmur, then? the title of it), which they often
sang to him, or along with him, as he much loved it, are these words, "Naked I came into the world, and
naked shall I go,""No," said he "always with vivacity," at this passage; "not quite nakid, I shall have my
uniform on:" Let us be exact, since we are at it! After which the singing proceeded again. "The late Graf
Alexander von Wartenberg"Captain Wartenberg, whom we know, and whose opportunities"was wont
to relate this." [Busching (in 1786), Beitrage, iv. 100.]
Tuesday, 31st May, "about one in the morning," Cochius was again sent for. He found the King in very pious
mood, but in great distress, and afraid he might yet have much pain to suffer. Cochius prayed with him;
talked piously. "I can remember nothing," said the King; "I cannot pray, I have forgotten all my prayers."
"Prayer is not in words, but in the thought of the heart," said Cochius; and soothed the heavyladen man as
he could. "Fare you well," said Friedrich Wilhelm, at length; "most likely we shall not meet again in this
world." Whereat Cochius burst into tears, and withdrew. About four, the King was again out of bed; wished
to see his youngest Boy, who had been ill of measles, but was doing well: "Poor little Ferdinand, adieu, then,
my little child!" This is the Father of that fine Louis Ferdinand, who was killed at Jena; concerning whom
Berlin, in certain emancipated circles of it, still speaks with regret. He, the Louis Ferdinand, had fine
qualities; but went far aroving, into radicalism, into romantic love, into champagne; and was cut down on
the threshold of Jena, desperately fighting,perhaps happily for him.
From little Ferdinand's room Friedrich Wilhelm has himself rolled into Queen Sophie's. "Feekin, O my
Feekin, thou must rise this day, and help me what thou canst. This day I am going to die; thou wilt be with
me this day!" The good Wife rises: I know not that it was the first time she had been so called; but it did
prove the last. Friedrich Wilhelm has decided, as the first thing he will do, to abdicate; and all the Official
persons and companions of the sickroom, Pollnitz among them, not long after sunrise, are called to see it
done. Pollnitz, huddling on his clothes, arrived about five: in a corridor he sees the wheeled chair and poor
sick King; steps aside to let him pass: "'It is over (DAS IST VOLLBRACHT),' said the King, looking up to
me as he passed: he had on his nightcap, and a blue mantle thrown round him." He was wheeled into his
anteroom; there let the company assemble; many of them are already there.
The royal stables are visible from this room: Friedrich Wilhelm orders the horses to be ridden out: you old
Furst of AnhaltDessau my oldest friend, you Colonel Hacke faithfulest of Adjutant Generals, take each of
you a horse, the best you can pick out: it is my last gift to you. Dessau, in silence, with dumbshow of
thanks, points to a horse, any horse: "You have chosen the very worst," said Friedrich Wilhelm: "Take that
other, I will warrant him a good one!" The grim old Dessauer thanks in silence; speechless grief is on that
stern gunpowder face, and he seems even to be struggling with tears. "Nay, nay, my friend," Friedrich
Wilhelm said, "this is a debt we have all to pay."
The Official people, Queen, Friedrich, Minister Boden, Minister Podewils, and even Pollnitz, being now all
present, Friedrich Wilhelm makes his Declaration, at considerable length; old General Bredow repeating it
aloud, [Pollnitz, ii. 561.] sentence by sentence, the King's own voice being too weak; so that all may hear:
"That he abdicates, gives up wholly, in favor of his good Son Friedrich; that foreign Ambassadors are to be
informed; that you are all to be true and loyal to my Son as you were to me"and what else is needful. To
which the judicious Podewils makes answer, "That there must first be a written Deed of his high Transaction
executed, which shall be straightway set about; the Deed once executed, signed and sealed,the high Royal
will, in all points, takes effect." Alas, before Podewils has done speaking, the King is like falling into a faint;
does faint, and is carried to bed: too unlikely any Deed of Abdication will be needed.
Ups and downs there still were; sore fluctuating labor, as the poor King struggles to his final rest, this
morning. He was at the window again, when the WACHTPARADE (Grenadiers on Guard) turned out; he
saw them make their evolutions for the last time. [Pauli, viii. 280.] After which, new relapse, new fluctuation.
It was about eleven o'clock, when Cochius was again sent for. The King lay speechless, seemingly still
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conscious, in bed; Cochius prays with fervor, in a loud tone, that the dying King may hear and join. "Not so
loud!" says the King, rallying a little. He had remembered that it was the season when his servants got their
new liveries; they had been ordered to appear this day in full new costume: "O vanity! O vanity!" said
Friedrich Wilhelm, at sight of the ornamented plush. "Pray for me, pray for me; my trust is in the Saviour!"
he often said. His pains, his weakness are great; the cordage of a most tough heart rending itself piece by
piece. At one time, he called for a mirror: that is certain:rugged wild man, son of Nature to the last. The
mirror was brought; what he said at sight of his face is variously reported: "Not so worn out as I thought," is
Pollnitz's account, and the likeliest;though perhaps he said several things, "ugly face," "as good as dead
already;" and continued the inspection for some moments. [Pollnitz, ii. 564; Wilhelmina, ii. 321.] A grim,
strange thing.
"Feel mv pulse, Pitsch," said he, noticing the Surgeon of his Giants: "tell me how long this will last.""Alas,
not long," answered Pitsch."Say not, alas; but how do you (He) know?" "The pulse is
gone!""Impossible," said he, lifting his arm: "how could I move my fingers so, if the pulse were gone?"
Pitsch looked mournfully steadfast. "Herr Jesu, to thee I live; Herr Jesu, to thee I die; in life and in death thou
art my gain (DU BIST MEIN GEWINN)." These were the last words Friedrich Wilhelm spoke in this world.
He again fell into a faint. Eller gave a signal to the CrownPrince to take the Queen away. Scarcely were they
out of the room, when the faint had deepened into death; and Friedrich Wilhelm, at rest from all his labors,
slept with the primeval sons of Thor.
No Baresark of them, nor Odin's self, I think, was a bit of truer human stuff;I confess his value to me, in
these sad times, is rare and great. Considering the usual Histrionic, Papin's Digester, TruculentCharlatan
and other species of "Kings," alone attainable for the sunk flunky populations of an Era given up to Mammon
and the worship of its own belly, what would not such a population give for a Friedrich Wilhelm, to guide it
on the road BACK from Orcus a little? "Would give," I have written; but alas, it ought to have been
"SHOULD give." What THEY "would" give is too mournfully plain to me, in spite of ballotboxes: a steady
and tremendous truth from the days of Barabbas downwards and upwards! Tuesday, 31st May, 1740,
between one and two o'clock in the afternoon, Friedrich Wilhelm died; age fiftytwo, coming 15th August
next. Same day, Friedrich his Son was proclaimed at Berlin; quilted heralds, with sound of trumpet and the
like, doing what is customary on such occasions.
On Saturday, 4th June, the King's body is laid out in state; all Potsdam at liberty to come and see. He lies
there, in his regimentals, in his oaken coffin, on a raised place in the middle of the room; decent mortuary
draperies, lamps, garlands, banderols furnishing the room and him: at his feet, on a blackvelvet
TABOURET (stool), are the chivalry emblems, helmet, gauntlets, spurs; and on similar stools, at the right
hand and the left, lie his military insignia, hat and sash, sword, guidon, and what else is fit. Around, in
silence, sit nine veteran military dignitaries; Buddenbrock, Waldau, Derschau, Einsiedel, and five others
whom we omit to name. Silent they sit. A grim earnest sight in the shine of the lamplight, as you pass out of
the June sun. Many went, all day; looked once again on the face that was to vanish. Precisely at ten at night,
the coffinlid is screwed down: twelve Potsdam Captains take the coffin on their shoulders; fourandtwenty
Corporals with wax torches, fourandtwenty Sergeants with inverted halberts lowered; certain Generals on
order, and very many following as volunteers; these perform the actual burial,carry the body to the
Garrison Church, where are clergy waiting, which is but a small step off; see it lodged, oak coffin and all, in a
marble coffin in the side vault there, which is known to Tourists. [Pauli, viii. 281.] It is the end of the week,
and the actual burial is done,hastened forward for reasons we can guess.
Filial piety by no means intends to defraud a loved Father of the Spartan ceremonial contemplated as
obsequies by him: very far from it. Filial piety will conform to that with rigor; only adding what musical and
other splendors are possible, to testify his love still more. And so, almost three weeks hence, on the 23d of the
month, with the aid of Dresden Artists, of Latin Cantatas and other pomps (not inexcusable, though
somewhat out of keeping), the due Funeral is done, no Corpse but a Wax Effigy present in it; and in all
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points, that of the Potsdam Grenadiers not forgotten, there was rigorous conformity to the Instruction left. In
all points, even to the extensive funeral dinner, and drinking of the appointed cask of wine, "the best cask in
my cellar." Adieu, O King.
The Potsdam Grenadiers fired their three volleys (not "PLACKERING," as I have reason to believe, but
well); got their allowance, dinnerliquor, and appointed coin of money: it was the last service required of
them in this world. That same night they were dissolved, the whole Four Thousand of them, at a stroke; and
ceased to exist as Potsdam Grenadiers. Colonels, Captains, all the Officers known to be of merit, were
advanced, at least transferred. Of the common men, a minority, of not inhuman height and of worth
otherwise, were formed into a new Regiment on the common terms: the stupid splayfooted eightfeet mass
were allowed to stalk off whither they pleased, or vegetate on frugal pensions; Irish Kirkman, and a few
others neither knockkneed nor without head, were appointed HEYDUCS, that is, porters to the King's or
other Palaces; and did that duty in what was considered an ornamental manner.
Here are still two things capable of being fished up from the sea of nugatory matter; and meditated on by
readers, till the following Books open.
The last breath of Friedrich Wilhelm having fled, Friedrich hurried to a private room; sat there all in tears;
looking back through the gulfs of the Past, upon such a Father now rapt away forever. Sad all, and soft in the
moonlight of memory,the lost Loved One all in the right as we now see, we all in the wrong! this, it
appears, was the Son's fixed opinion. Seven years hence, here is how Friedrich concludes the HISTORY of
his Father, written with a loyal admiration throughout: "We have left under silence the domestic chagrins of
this great Prince: readers must have some indulgence for the faults of the Children, in consideration of the
virtues of such a Father." [ OEuvres, i. 174 ( Memoires de Brandebourg: finished about 1747).] All in tears
he sits at present, meditating these sad things.
In a little while the Old Dessauer, about to leave for Dessau, ventures in to the CrownPrince, CrownPrince
no longer; "embraces his knees;" offers, weeping, his condolence, his congratulation;hopes withal that his
sons and he will be continued in their old posts, and that he, the Old Dessauer, "will have the same authority
as in the late reign." Friedrich's eyes, at this last clause, flash out tearless, strangely Olympian. "In your posts
I have no thought of making change: in your posts, yes;and as to authority, I know of none there can be but
what resides in the King that is sovereign!" Which, as it were, struck the breath out of the Old Dessauer; and
sent him home with a painful miscellany of feelings, astonishment not wanting among them.
At an after hour, the same night, Friedrich went to Berlin; met by acclamation enough. He slept there, not
without tumult of dreams, one may fancy; and on awakening next morning, the first sound he heard was that
of the Regiment Glasenap under his windows, swearing fealty to the new King. He sprang out of bed in a
tempest of emotion; bustled distractedly to and fro, wildly weeping. Pollnitz, who came into the anteroom,
found him in this state, "halfdressed, with dishevelled hair, in tears, and as if beside himself." "These
huzzaings only tell me what I have lost!" said the new King."HE was in great suffering," suggested
Pollnitz; "he is now at rest." "True, he suffered; but he was here with us: and now!" [Ranke (ii. 46, 47),
from certain Fragments, still, in manuscript, of Pollnits's Memoiren.
END OF BOOK X
BOOK XI. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE REINS IN HAND. JuneDecember,
1740.
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Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION.
In Berlin, from Tuesday, 31st May, 1740, day of the late King's death, till the Thursday following, the post
was stopped and the gates closed; no estafette can be despatched, though Dickens and all the Ambassadors
are busy writing. On the Thursday, Regiments, Officers, principal Officials having sworn, and the new King
being fairly in the saddle, estafettes and postboys shoot forth at the top of their speed; and Rumor, towards
every point of the compass, apprises mankind what immense news there is. [Dickens (in State Paper
Office), 4th June, 1740.]
A King's Accession is always a hopeful phenomenon to the public; more especially a young King's, who has
been talked of for his talents and aspirings,for his sufferings, were it nothing more, and whose
ANTIMACHIAVEL is understood to be in the press. Vaguely everywhere there has a notion gone abroad
that this young King will prove considerable. Here at last has a Lover of Philosophy got upon the throne, and
great philanthropies and magnanimities are to be expected, think rash editors and idle mankind. Rash editors
in England and elsewhere, we observe, are ready to believe that Friedrich has not only disbanded the Potsdam
Giants; but means to "reduce the Prussian Army one half" or so, for ease (temporary ease which we hope will
be lasting) of parties concerned; and to go much upon emancipation, political rosewater, and friendship to
humanity, as we now call it.
At his first meeting of Council, they say, he put this question, "Could not the Prussian Army be reduced to
45,000?" The excellent young man. To which the Council had answered, "Hardly, your Majesty! The
JulichandBerg affair is so ominous hitherto!" These may be secrets, and dubious to people out of doors,
thinks a wise editor; but one thing patent to the day was this, surely symbolical enough: On one of his
Majesty's first drives to Potsdam or from it, a thousand children,in round numbers a thousand of them, all
with the RED STRING round their necks, and liable to be taken for soldiers, if needed in the regiment of
their Canton, "a thousand children met this young King at a turn of his road; and with shrill unison of wail,
sang out: "Oh, deliver us from slavery,"from the red threads, your Majesty. Why should poor we be liable
to suffer hardship for our Country or otherwise, your Majesty! Can no one else be got to do it? sang out the
thousand children. And his Majesty assented on the spot, thinks the rash editor. [ Gentleman's Magazine
(London, 1740), x. 318; Newspapers, "Goose, Madam?" exclaimed a philanthropist projector once, whose
scheme of sweeping chimneys by pulling a live goose down through them was objected to: "Goose, Madam?
You can take two ducks, then, if you are so sorry for the goose!"Rash editors think there is to be a reign of
Astraea Redux in Prussia, by means of this young King; and forget to ask themselves, as the young King
must by no means do, How far Astraea may be possible, for Prussia and him?
At home, too, there is prophesying enough, vague hope enough, which for most part goes wide of the mark.
This young King, we know, did prove considerable; but not in the way shaped out for him by the public;it
was in far other ways! For no public in the least knows, in such cases: nor does the man himself know, except
gradually and if he strive to learn. As to the public, "Doubtless," says a friend of mine, "doubtless it was
the Atlantic Ocean that carried Columbus to America; lucky for the Atlantic, and for Columbus and us: but
the Atlantic did not quite vote that way from the first; nay ITS votes, I believe, were very various at different
stages of the matter!" This is a truth which kings and men, not intending to be driftlogs or waste brine
obedient to the Moon, are much called to have in mind withal, from perhaps an early stage of their voyage.
Friedrich's actual demeanor in these his first weeks, which is still decipherable if one study well, has in truth
a good deal of the brilliant, of the popularmagnanimous; but manifests strong solid quality withal, and a
head steadier than might have been expected. For the Berlin world is all in a rather Auroral condition; and
Friedrich too is,the chains suddenly cut loose, and such hopes opened for the young man. He has great
things ahead; feels in himself great things, and doubtless exults in the thought of realizing them.
Magnanimous enough, popular, hopeful enough, with Voltaire and the highest of the world looking on: but
yet he is wise, too; creditably aware that there are limits, that this is a bargain, and the terms of it inexorable.
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We discern with pleasure the old veracity of character shining through this giddy new element; that all these
fine procedures are at least unaffected, to a singular degree true, and the product of nature, on his part; and
that, in short, the complete respect for Fact, which used to be a quality of his, and which is among the highest
and also rarest in man, has on no side deserted him at present.
A trace of airy exuberance, of natural exultancy, not quite repressible, on the sudden change to freedom and
supreme power from what had gone before: perhaps that also might be legible, if in those opaque beadrolls
which are called Histories of Friedrich anything human could with certainty be read! He flies much about
from place to place; now at Potsdam, now at Berlin, at Charlottenburg, Reinsberg; nothing loath to run
whither business calls him, and appear in public: the gazetteer world, as we noticed, which has been hitherto
a most mute world, breaks out here and there into a kind of husky jubilation over the great things he is daily
doing, and rejoices in the prospect of having a Philosopher King; which function the young man, only
twentyeight gone, cannot but wish to fulfil for the gazetteers and the world. He is a busy man; and walks
boldly into his grand enterprise of "making men happy," to the admiration of Voltaire and an enlightened
public far and near.
Bielfeld speaks of immense concourses of people crowding about Charlottenburg, to congratulate, to solicit,
to tells us how he himself had to lodge almost in outhouses, in that royal village of hope, His emotions at
Reinsberg, and everybody's, while Friedrich Wilhelm lay dying, and all stood like greyhounds on the slip;
and with what arrowswiftness they shot away when the great news came: all this he has already described at
wearisome length, in his fantastic semifabulous way. [Bielfeld, i. 6877; ib. 81.]' Friedrich himself seemed
moderately glad to see Bielfeld; received his highflown congratulations with a benevolent yet somewhat
composed air; and gave him afterwards, in the course of weeks, an unexpectedly small appointment: To go to
Hanover, under Truchsess von Waldburg, and announce our Accession. Which is but a simple, mostly formal
service; yet perhaps what Bielfeld is best equal to.
The Britannic Majesty, or at least his Hanover people have been beforehand with this civility; Baron
Munchhausen, no doubt by orders given for such contingency, had appeared at Berlin with the due
compliment and condolence almost on the first day of the New Reign; first messenger of all on that errand;
Britannic Majesty evidently in a conciliatory humor,having his dangerous Spanish War on hand. Britannic
Majesty in person, shortly after, gets across to Hanover; and Friedrich despatches Truchsess, with Bielfeld
adjoined, to return the courtesy.
Friedrich does not neglect these points of good manners; along with which something of substantial may be
privately conjoined. For example, if he had in secret his eye on Julich and Berg, could anything be fitter than
to ascertain what the French will think of such an enterprise? What the French; and next to them what the
English, that is to say, Hanoverians, who meddle much in affairs of the Reich. For these reasons and others he
likewise, probably with more study than in the Bielfeld case, despatches Colonel Camas to make his
compliment at the French Court, and in an expert way take soundings there. Camas, a fat sedate military
gentleman, of advanced years, full of observation, experience and sound sense,"with one arm, which he
makes do the work of two, and nobody can notice that the other arm resting in his coatbreast is of cork, so
expert is he,"will do in this matter what is feasible; probably not much for the present. He is to call on
Voltaire, as he passes, who is in Holland again, at the Hague for some months back; and deliver him "a little
cask of Hungary Wine," which probably his Majesty had thought exquisite. Of which, and the other
insignificant passages between them, we hear more than enough in the writings and correspondences of
Voltaire about this time.
In such way Friedrich disposes of his Bielfelds; who are rather numerous about him now and henceforth.
Adventurers from all quarters, especially of the literary type, in hopes of being employed, much hovered
round Friedrich through his whole reign. But they met a rather strict judge on arriving; it cannot be said they
found it such a Goshen as they expected.
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Favor, friendly intimacy, it is visible from the first, avails nothing with this young King; beyond and before
all things he will have his work done, and looks out exclusively for the man ablest to do it. Hence Bielfeld
goes to Hanover, to grin out euphuisms, and make graceful courtbows to our sublime little Uncle there. On
the other hand, Friedrich institutes a new Knighthood, ORDER OF MERIT so called; which indeed is but a
small feat, testifying mere hope and exuberance as yet; and may even be made worse than nothing, according
to the Knights he shall manage to have. Happily it proved a successful new Order in this last all essential
particular; and, to the end of Friedrich's life, continued to be a great and coveted distinction among the
Prussians.
Beyond doubt this is a radiant enough young Majesty; entitled to hope, and to be the cause of hope.
Handsome, to begin with; decidedly welllooking, all say, and of graceful presence, though hardly five feet
seven, and perhaps stouter of limb than the strict Belvedere standard. [Height, it appears, was five feet five
inches (Rhenish), which in English measure is five feet seven or a hair'sbreadth less. Preuss, twice over, by
a mistake unusual with him, gives "five feet two inches three lines" as the correct cipher (which it is of
NAPOLEON'S measure in FRENCH feet); then settles on the above dimensions from unexceptionable
authority (Preuss, Buch fur Jedermann, i. 18; Preuss, Fredrich der Grosse, i. 39 and 419).] Has a fine free
expressive face; nothing of austerity in it; not a proud face, or not too proud, yet rapidly flashing on you all
manner of high meanings. [Wille's Engraving after Pesne (excellent, both Picture and Engraving) is reckoned
the best Likeness in that form.] Such a man, in the bloom of his years; with such a possibility ahead, and
Voltaire and mankind waiting applausive!Let us try to select, and extricate into coherence and visibility
out of those Historical dustheaps, a few of the symptomatic phenomena, or physiognomic procedures of
Friedrich in his first weeks of Kingship, by way of contribution to some Portraiture of his then innerman.
FRIEDRICH WILL MAKE MEN HAPPY: CORNMAGAZINES.
On the day after his Accession, Officers and chief Ministers taking the Oath, Friedrich, to his Officers, "on
whom he counts for the same zeal now which he had witnessed as their comrade," recommends mildness of
demeanor from the higher to the lower, and that the common soldier be not treated with harshness when not
deserved: and to his Ministers he is still more emphatic, in the like or a higher strain. Officially announcing to
them, by Letter, that a new Reign has commenced, he uses these words, legible soon after to a glad Berlin
public: "Our grand care will be, To further the Country's wellbeing, and to make every one of our subjects
(EINEN JEDEN UNSERER UNTERTHANEN) contented and happy. Our will is, not that you strive to
enrich Us by vexation of Our subjects; but rather that you aim steadily as well towards the advantage of the
Country as Our particular interest, forasmuch as We make no difference between these two objects," but
consider them one and the same. This is written, and gets into print within the month; and his Majesty, that
same day (Wednesday, 2d June), when it came to personal reception, and actual taking of the Oath, was
pleased to add in words, which also were printed shortly, this comfortable corollary: "My will henceforth is,
If it ever chance that my particular interest and the general good of my Countries should seem to go against
each other,in that case, my will is, That the latter always be preferred." [Dickens, Despatch, 4th June,
1740: Preuss, Friedrichs Jugend und Thronbesteigung (Berlin, 1840), p. 325;quoting from the Berlin
Newspapers of 28th June and 2d July, 1740.]
This is a fine dialect for incipient Royalty; and it is brand new at that time. It excites an admiration in the
then populations, which to us, so long used to it and to what commonly comes of it, is not conceivable at
once. There can be no doubt the young King does faithfully intend to develop himself in the way of making
men happy; but here, as elsewhere, are limits which he will recognize ahead, some of them perhaps nearer
than was expected.
Meanwhile his first acts, in this direction, correspond to these fine words. The year 1740, still grim with cold
into the heart of summer, bids fair to have a late poor harvest, and famine threatens to add itself to other
hardships there have been. Recognizing the actualities of the case, what his poor Father could not, he opens
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the Public Granaries,a wise resource they have in Prussian countries against the year of scarcity;orders
grain to be sold out, at reasonable rates, to the suffering poor; and takes the due pains, considerable in some
cases, that this be rendered feasible everywhere in his dominions. "Berlin, 2d June," is the first date of this
important order; fine program to his Ministers, which, we read, is no sooner uttered, than some performance
follows. An evident piece of wisdom and humanity; for which doubtless blessings of a very sincere kind rise
to him from several millions of his fellowmortals.
Nay furthermore, as can be dimly gathered, this scarcity continuing, some continuous mode of management
was set on foot for the Poor; and there is nominated, with salary, with outline of plan and other requisites, as
"Inspector of the Poor," to his own and our surprise, M. Jordan, late Reader to the CrownPrince, and still
much the intimate of his royal Friend. Inspector who seems to do his work very well. And in the November
coming this is what we see: "One thousand poor old women, the destitute of Berlin, set to spin," at his
Majesty's charges; vacant houses, hired for them in certain streets and suburbs, have been newplanked,
partitioned, warmed; and spinning is there for any diligent female soul. There a thousand of them sit, under
proper officers, proper wages, treatment;and the hum of their poor spindles, and of their poor inarticulate
old hearts, is a comfort, if one chance to think of it.Of "distressed needlewomen" who cannot sew, nor be
taught to do it; who, in private truth, are mutinous maidservants come at last to the net upshot of their
anarchies; of these, or of the like incurable phenomena, I hear nothing in Berlin; and can believe that, under
this King, Indigence itself may still have something of a human aspect, not a brutal or diabolic as is
commoner in some places.This is one of Friedrich's first acts, this opening of the Cornmagazines, and
arrangements for the Destitute; [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 367. Rodenbeck, Tagebuch aus Friedrichs des
Grossen Regentenleben (Berlin, 1840), i. 2, 26 (2d June, October, 1740): a meritorious, laborious, though
essentially chaotic Book, unexpectedly futile of result to the reader; settles for each Day of Friedrich's Reign,
so far as possible, where Friedrich was and what doing; fatally wants all index as usual.] and of this there can
be no criticism. The sound of hungry pots set boiling, on judicious principles; the hum of those old women's
spindles in the warm rooms: gods and men are well pleased to hear such sounds; and accept the same as part,
real though infinitesimally small, of the sphereharmonies of this Universe!
ABOLITION OF LEGAL TORTURE.
Friedrich makes haste, next, to strike into Lawimprovements. It is but the morrow after this of the
Cornmagazines, by KABINETSORDRE (Act of Parliament such as they can have in that Country, where
the Three Estates sit all under one Threecornered Hat, and the debates are kept silent, and only the upshot of
them, more or less faithfully, is made public),by Cabinet Order, 3d June, 1740, he abolishes the use of
Torture in Criminal Trials. [Preuss, Friedrichs Jugend und Thronbesteigung (Berlin, 1840,a minor Book
of Preuss's), p. 340. Rodenbeck, i. 14 ("3d June").] Legal Torture, "Question" as they mildly call it, is at an
end from this date. Not in any Prussian Court shall a "question" try for answer again by that savage method.
The use of Torture had, I believe, fallen rather obsolete in Prussia; but now the very threat of it shall
vanish,the threat of it, as we may remember, had reached Friedrich himself, at one time. Three or four
years ago, it is farther said, a dark murder happened in Berlin: Man killed one night in the open streets;
murderer discoverable by no method,unless he were a certain CANDIDATUS of Divinity to whom some
trace of evidence pointed, but who sorrowfully persisted in absolute and total denial. This poor Candidatus
had been threatened with the rack; and would most likely have at length got it, had not the real murderer been
discovered,much to the discredit of the rack in Berlin. This Candidatus was only threatened; nor do I know
when the last actual instance in Prussia was; but in enlightened France, and most other countries, there was as
yet no scruple upon it. Barbier, the Diarist at Paris, some time after this, tells us of a gang of thieves there,
who were regularly put to the torture; and "they blabbed too, ILS ONT JASE," says Barbier with official
jocosity. [Barbier, Journal Historique du Regne de Louis XV. (Paris, 1849), ii. 338 (date "Dec. 1742").]
Friedrich's Cabinet Order, we need not say, was greeted everywhere, at home and abroad, by three rounds of
applause;in which surely all of us still join; though the PER CONTRA also is becoming visible to some of
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Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION. 526
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us, and our enthusiasm grows less complete than formerly. This was Friedrich's first step in Law Reform,
done on his fourth day of Kingship. A long career in that kind lies ahead of him; in reform of Law, civil as
well as criminal, his efforts ended with life only. For his love of Justice was really great; and the mendacities
and wiggeries, attached to such a necessary of life as Law, found no favor from him at any time.
WILL HAVE PHILOSOPHERS ABOUT HIM, AND A REAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
To neglect the Philosophies, Fine Arts, interests of Human Culture, he is least of all likely. The idea of
building up the Academy of Sciences to its pristine height, or far higher, is evidently one of those that have
long lain in the CrownPrince's mind, eager to realize themselves. Immortal Wolf, exiled but safe at
Marburg, and refusing to return in Friedrich Wilhelm's time, had lately dedicated a Book to the
CrownPrince; indicating that perhaps, under a new Reign, he might be more persuadable. Friedrich makes
haste to persuade; instructs the proper person, Reverend Herr Reinbeck, Head of the Consistorium at Berlin,
to write and negotiate. "All reasonable conditions shall be granted" the immortal Wolf,and Friedrich adds
with his own hand as Postscript: "I request you (IHN) to use all diligence about Wolf. A man that seeks truth,
and loves it, must be reckoned precious in any human society; and I think you will make a conquest in the
realm of truth if you persuade Wolf hither again." [In OEuvres de Frederic (xxvii. ii. 185), the Letter given.]
This is of date June 6th; not yet a week since Friedrich came to be King. The ReinbeckWolf negotiation
which ensued can be read in Busching by the curious. [Busching's Beitrage (? Freiherr von Wolf), i. 63137.]
It represents to us a croaky, thrifty, longheaded old Herr Professor, in no haste to quit Marburg except for
something better: "obliged to wear woollen shoes and leggings;" "bad at mounting stairs;" and otherwise
needing soft treatment. Willing, though with caution, to work at an Academy of Sciences;but dubious if
the French are so admirable as they seem to themselves in such operations. Veteran Wolf, one dimly begins
to learn, could himself build a German Academy of Sciences, to some purpose, if encouraged! This latter was
probably the stone of stumbling in that direction. Veteran Wolf did not get to be President in the New
Academy of Sciences; but was brought back, "streets all in triumph," to his old place at Halle; and there, with
little other work that was heard of, but we hope in warm shoes and without much mounting of stairs, lived
peaceably victorious the rest of his days. Friedrich's thoughts are not of a German homebuilt Academy, but
of a French one: and for this he already knows a builder; has silently had him in his eye, these two years
past,Voltaire giving hint, in the LETTER we once heard of at Loo. Builder shall be that sublime
Maupertuis; scientific lion of Paris, ever since his feat in the Polar regions, and the charming Narrative he
gave of it. "What a feat, what a book!" exclaimed the Parisian cultivated circles, male and female, on that
occasion; and Maupertuis, with plenty of bluster in him carefully suppressed, assents in a grandly modest
way. His Portraits are in the Printshops ever since; one very singular Portrait, just coming out (at which there
is some laughing): a coarsefeatured, blusterous, rather triumphantlooking man, blusterous, though finely
complacent for the nonce; in copious dressinggown and fur cap; comfortably SQUEEZING the Earth and
her meridians flat (as if HE had done it), with his left hand; and with the other, and its outstretched finger,
asking mankind, "Are not you aware, then?" "Are not we!" answers Voltaire by and by, with endless
waggeries upon him, though at present so reverent. Friedrich, in these same days, writes this Autograph;
which who of men or lions could resist?
TO MONSIEUR DE MAUPERTUIS, at Paris.
(No date;datable, June, 1740.)
"My heart and my inclination excited in me, from the moment I mounted the throne, the desire of having you
here, that you might put our Berlin Academy into the shape you alone are capable of giving it. Come, then,
come and insert into this wild crabtree the graft of the Sciences, that it may bear fruit. You have shown the
Figure of the Earth to mankind; show also to a King how sweet it is to possess such a man as you.
"Monsieur de Maupertuis,votre tresaffectionne
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Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION. 527
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"FEDERIC" (SIC). [ OEuvres, xvii. i. 334. The fantastic "Federic," instead of "Frederic," is, by this time, the
common signature to French Letters.]
This Letterhow could Maupertuis prevent some accident in such a case?got into the Newspapers;
glorious for Friedrich, glorious for Maupertuis; and raised matters to a still higher pitch. Maupertuis is on the
road, and we shall see him before long.
AND EVERY ONE SHALL GET TO HEAVEN IN HIS OWN WAY.
Here is another little fact which had immense renown at home and abroad, in those summer months and long
afterwards.
June 22d, 1740, the GEISTLICHE DEPARTEMENT (Board of Religion, we may term it) reports that the
RomanCatholic Schools, which have been in use these eight years past, for children of soldiers belonging to
that persuasion, "are, especially in Berlin, perverted, directly in the teeth of Royal Ordinance, 1732, to
seducing Protestants into Catholicism;" annexed, or ready for annexing, "is the specific Report of
FiscalGeneral to this effect:"upon which, what would it please his Majesty to direct us to do?
His Majesty writes on the margin these words, rough and ready, which we give with all their grammatical
blotches on them; indicating a mind made up on one subject, which was much more dubious then, to most
other minds, than it now is:
"Die Religionen Musen (MUSSEN) alle Tollerirt (TOLERIRT) werden, und Mus (MUSS) der Fiscal nuhr
(NUR) das Auge darauf haben, das (DASS) keine der andern abrug Tuhe (ABBRUCH THUE), den (DENN)
hier mus (MUSS) ein jeder nach seiner Fasson Selich (FACON SELIG) werden." [Preuss, Thronbesteigung,
p. 333; Rodenbeck, IN DIE.
Which in English might run as follows:
"All Religions must be tolerated (TOLLERATED), and the Fiscal must have an eye that none of them make
unjust encroachment on the other; for in this Country every man must get to Heaven in his own way."
Wonderful words; precious to the then leading spirits, and which (the spelling and grammar being mended)
flew abroad over all the world: the enlightened Public everywhere answering his Majesty, once more, with its
loudest "Bravissimo!" on this occasion. With what enthusiasm of admiring wonder, it is now difficult to
fancy, after the lapse of sixscore years! And indeed, in regard to all these worthy acts of Human Improvement
which we are now concerned with, account should be held (were it possible) on Friedrich's behalf how
extremely original, and bright with the splendor of new gold, they then were: and how extremely they are
fallen dim, by general circulation, since that. Account should be held; and yet it is not possible, no human
imagination is adequate to it, in the times we are now got into.
FREE PRESS, AND NEWSPAPERS THE BEST INSTRUCTORS.
Toleration, in Friedrich's spiritual circumstances, was perhaps no great feat to Friedrich: but what the reader
hardly expected of him was Freedom of the Press, or an attempt that way! From England, from Holland,
Friedrich had heard of Free Press, of Newspapers the best Instructors: it is a fact that he hastens to plant a
seed of that kind at Berlin; sets about it "on the second day of his reign," so eager is he. Berlin had already
some meagre INTELLIGENZBLATT (Weekly or ThriceWeekly Advertiser), perhaps two; but it is a real
Newspaper, frondent with genial leafy speculation, and food for the mind, that Friedrich is intent upon: a
"LiteraryPolitical Newspaper," or were it even two Newspapers, one French, one German; and he rapidly
makes the arrangements for it; despatches Jordan, on the second day, to seek some fit Frenchman.
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Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION. 528
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Arrangements are soon made: a Bookselling Printer, Haude, Bookseller once to the PrinceRoyal,whom
we saw once in a domestic flashoflightning long ago, [Antea, Book vi. c. 7.]is encouraged to proceed
with the improved German article, MERCURY or whatever they called it; vapid Formey, a facile pen, but not
a forcible, is the Editor sought out by Jordan for the French one. And, in short, No. 1 of Formey shows itself
in print within a month; ["2d July, 1740:" Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 330; and Formey, Souvenirs, i. 107,
rectified by the exact Herr Preuss.] and Haude and he, Haude picking up some grand Editor in Hamburg, do
their best for the instruction of mankind.
In not many months, Formey, a facile and learned but rather vapid gentleman, demitted or was dismissed; and
the Journals coalesced into one, or split into two again; and went I know not what road, or roads, in time
coming,none that led to results worth naming. Freedom of the Press, in the case of these Journals, was
never violated, nor was any need for violating it. General Freedom of the Press Friedrich did not grant, in any
quite Official or steady way; but in practice, under him, it always had a kind of real existence, though a
fluctuating, ambiguous one. And we have to note, through Friedrich's whole reign, a marked disinclination to
concern himself with Censorship, or the shackling of men's poor tongues and pens; nothing but some
officious report that there was offence to Foreign Courts, or the chance of offence, in a poor man's pamphlet,
could induce Friedrich to interfere with him or it,and indeed his interference was generally against his
Ministers for having wrong informed him, and in favor of the poor Pamphleteer appealing at the
fountainhead. [Anonymous (Laveaux), Vie de Frederic II., Roi de Prusse (Strasbourg, 1787), iv. 82. A
worthless, now nearly forgotten Book; but competent on this point, if on any; Laveaux (a handy fellow,
fugitive ExMonk, with fugitive ExNun attached) having lived much at Berlin, always in the
pamphleteering line.] To the end of his life, disgusting Satires against him, Vie Privee by Voltaire, Matinees
du Roi de Prusse, and still worse Lies and Nonsenses, were freely sold at Berlin, and even bore to be printed
there, Friedrich saying nothing, caring nothing. He has been known to burn Pamphlets publicly,one
Pamphlet we shall ourselves see on fire yet;but it was without the least hatred to them, and for official
reasons merely. To the last, he would answer his reporting Ministers, "LE PRESSE EST LIBRE (Free press,
you must consider)!"grandly reluctant to meddle with the press, or go down upon the dogs barking at his
door. Those ill effects of Free Press (first stage of the ill effects) he endured in this manner; but the good
effects seem to have fallen below his expectation. Friedrich's enthusiam for freedom of the press, prompt
enough, as we see, never rose to the extreme pitch, and it rather sank than increased as he continued his
experiences of men and things. This of Formey and the two Newspapers was the only express attempt he
made in that direction; and it proved a rather disappointing one. The two Newspapers went their way
thenceforth, Friedrich sometimes making use of them for small purposes, once or twice writing an article
himself, of wildly quizzical nature, perhaps to be noticed by us when the time comes; but are otherwise,
except for chronological purposes, of the last degree of insignificance to gods or men.
"Freedom of the Press," says my melancholic Friend, "is a noble thing; and in certain Nations, at certain
epochs, produces glorious effects,chiefly in the revolutionary line, where that has grown indispensable.
Freedom of the Press is possible, where everybody disapproves the least abuse of it; where the 'Censorship'
is, as it were, exercised by all the world. When the world (as, even in the freest countries, it almost irresistibly
tends to become) is no longer in a case to exercise that salutary function, and cannot keep down loud unwise
speaking, loud unwise persuasion, and rebuke it into silence whenever printed, Freedom of the Press will not
answer very long, among sane human creatures: and indeed, in Nations not in an exceptional case, it becomes
impossible amazingly soon!"
All these are phenomena of Friedrich's first week. Let these suffice as sample, in that first kind. Splendid
indications surely; and shot forth in swift enough succession, flash following flash, upon an attentive world.
Betokening, shall we say, what internal sea of splendor, struggling to disclose itself, probably lies in this
young King; and how high his hopes go for mankind and himself? Yes, surely;and introducing, we remark
withal, the "New Era," of Philanthropy, Enlightenment and so much else; with French Revolution, and a
"world well suicided" hanging in the rear! Clearly enough, to this young ardent Friedrich, foremost man of
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his Time, and capable of DOING its inarticulate or dumb aspirings, belongs that questionable honor; and a
very singular one it would have seemed to Friedrich, had he lived to see what it meant!
Friedrich's rapidity and activity, in the first months of his reign, were wonderful to mankind; as indeed
through life he continued to be a most rapid and active King. He flies about; mustering Troops, Ministerial
Boards, passing Edicts, inspecting, accepting Homages of Provinces;decides and does, every day that
passes, an amazing number of things. Writes many Letters, too; finds moments even for some verses; and
occasionally draws a snatch of melody from his flute.
His Letters are copiously preserved; but, as usual, they are in swift official tone, and tell us almost nothing.
To his Sisters he writes assurances; to his friends, his Suhms, Duhans, Voltaires, eager invitations, general or
particular, to come to him. "My state has changed," is his phrase to Voltaire and other dear intimates; a tone
of pensiveness, at first even of sorrow and pathos traceable in it; "Come to me,"and the tone, in an old
dialect, different from Friedrich's, might have meant, "Pray for me." An immense new scene is opened, full of
possibilities of good and bad. His hopes being great, his anxieties, the shadow of them, are proportionate.
Duhan (his good old Tutor) does arrive, Algarotti arrives, warmly welcomed, both: with Voltaire there are
difficulties; but surely he too will, before long, manage to arrive. The good Suhm, who had been Saxon
Minister at Petersburg to his sorrow this long while back, got in motion soon enough; but, alas, his lungs
were ruined by the Russian climate, and he did not arrive. Something pathetic still in those final LETTERS of
Suhm. Passionately speeding on, like a spent steed struggling homeward; he has to pause at Warsaw, and in a
few days dies there,in a way mournful to Friedrich and us! To Duhan, and Duhan's children afterwards, he
was punctually, not too lavishly, attentive; in like manner to Suhm's Nephews, whom the dying man had
recommended to him.We will now glance shortly at a second and contemporaneous phasis of Friedrich's
affairs.
INTENDS TO BE PRACTICAL WITHAL, AND EVERY INCH A KING.
Friedrich is far indeed from thinking to reduce his Army, as the Foreign Editor imagines. On the contrary, he
is, with all industry, increasing it. He changed the Potsdam Giants into four regiments of the usual stature; he
is busy bargaining with his Brotherinlaw of Brunswick, and with other neighbors, for still new
regiments;makes up, within the next few months, Eight Regiments, an increase of, say, 16,000 men. It
would appear he means to keep an eye on the practicalities withal; means to have a FightingApparatus of
the utmost potentiality, for one thing.! Here are other indications.
We saw the Old Dessauer, in a sad hour lately, speaking beside the mark; and with what Olympian glance,
suddenly tearless, the new King flashed out upon him, knowing nothing of "authority" that could reside in
any Dessauer. Nor was that a solitary experience; the like befell wherever needed. Heinrich of Schwedt, the
Ill Margraf, advancing with jocose countenance in the way of old comradeship, in those first days, met
unexpected rebuff, and was reduced to gravity on the sudden: "JETZT BIN ICH KONIG,My Cousin, I am
now King!" a fact which the Ill Margraf could never get forgotten again. LieutenantGeneral Schulenburg,
too, the didactic Schulenburg, presuming, on old familiarity, and willing to wipe out the misfortune of having
once condemned us to death, which nobody is now upbraiding him with, rushes up from Landsberg,
unbidden, to pay his congratulations and condolences, driven by irresistible exuberance of loyalty: to his
astonishment, he is reminded (thing certain, manner of the thing not known), That an Officer cannot quit his
post without order; that he, at this moment, ought to be in Landsberg! [Stenzel, iv. 41; Preuss,
Thronbesteigung; Schulenburg has a hard old military face; but here is a young face too, which has grown
unexpectedly rigorous. Fancy the blank look of little Schulenburg; the light of him snuffed out in this manner
on a sudden. It is said he had thoughts of resigning, so indignant was he: no doubt he went home to
Landsberg gloomily reflective, with the pipeclay of his mind in such a ruinous condition. But there was no
serious anger, on Friedrich's part; and he consoled his little Schulenburg soon after, by expediting some
promotion he had intended him. "Terribly proud young Majesty this," exclaim the sweet voices. And indeed,
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if they are to have a Saturnian Kingdom, by appearance it will be on conditions only!
Anticipations there had been, that old unkindnesses against the CrownPrince, some of which were cruel
enough, might be remembered now: and certain people had their just fears, considering what account stood
against them; others, VICE VERSA, their hopes. But neither the fears nor the hopes realized themselves;
especially the fears proved altogether groundless. Derschau, who had voted Death in that Copenick
CourtMartial, upon the Crown Prince, is continued in his functions, in the light of his King's countenance,
as if nothing such had been. Derschau, and all others so concerned; not the least question was made of them,
nor of what they had thought or had done or said, on an occasion once so tragically vital to a certain man.
Nor is reward much regulated by past services to the CrownPrince, or even by sufferings endured for him.
"Shocking ingratitude.!" exclaim the sweet voices here too,being of weak judgment, many of them! Poor
Katte's Father, a faithful old Soldier, not capable of being more, he does, rather conspicuously, make
Feldmarschall, make Reichsgraf; happy, could these honors be a consolation to the old man. The Munchows
of Custrin,readers remember their kindness in that sad time; how the young boy went into petticoats again,
and came to the CrownPrince's cell with all manner of furnishings,the Munchows, father and sons, this
young gentleman of the petticoats among them, he took immediate pains to reward by promotion: eldest son
was advanced into the General Directorium; two younger sons, to Majorship, to Captaincy, in their respective
Regiments; him of the petticoats "he had already taken altogether to himself," [Preuss, i. 66.] and of him we
shall see a glimpse at Wilhelmina's shortly, as a "milkbeard (JEUNE MORVEUX)" in personal attendance on
his Majesty. This was a notable exception. And in effect there came good public service, eminent some of it,
from these Munchows in their various departments. And it was at length perceived to have been, in the main,
because they were of visible faculty for doing work that they had got work to do; and the exceptional case of
the Munchows became confirmatory of the rule.
Lieutenant Keith, again, whom we once saw galloping from Wesel to save his life in that bad affair of the
CrownPrince's and his, was nothing like so fortunate. Lieutenant Keith, by speed on that Wesel occasion,
and help of Chesterfield's Secretary, got across to England; got into the Portuguese service; and has there
been soldiering, very silently, these ten years past,skin and body safe, though his effigy was cut in four
quarters and nailed to the gallows at Wesel;waiting a time that would come. Time being come, Lieutenant
Keith hastened home; appealed to his effigy on the gallows;and was made a LieutenantColonel merely,
with some slight appendages, as that of STALLMEISTER (Curator of the Stables) and something else;
income still straitened, though enough to live upon. [Preuss, Friedrich mit Verwandten und Freunden, p.
281.] Small promotion, in comparison with hope, thought the poor Lieutenant; but had to rest satisfied with
it; and struggle to understand that perhaps he was fit for nothing bigger, and that he must exert himself to do
this small thing well. Hardness of heart in high places! Friedrich, one is glad to see, had not forgotten the
poor fellow, could he have done better with him. Some ten years hence, quite incidentally, there came to
Keith, one morning, a fine purse of money from his Majesty, one pretty gift in Keith's experience;much
the topic in Berlin, while a certain solemn English gentleman happened to be passing that way (whom we
mean to detain a little by and by), who reports it for us with all the circumstances. [Sir Jonas Hanway,
Travels, (London, 1753), ii. 202. Date of the Gift is 1750.]
Lieutenant Spaen too had got into trouble for the CrownPrince's sake, though we have forgotten him again;
had "admitted Katte to interviews," or we forget what;had sat his "year in Spandau" in consequence; been
dismissed the Prussian service, and had taken service with the Dutch. Lieutenant Spaen either did not return
at all, or disliked the aspects when he did, and immediately withdrew to Holland again. Which probably was
wise of him. At a late period, King Friedrich, then a great King, on one of his Cleve Journeys, fell in with
Spaen; who had become a Dutch General of rank, and was of good manners and style of conversation: King
Friedrich was charmed to see him; became his guest for the night; conversed delightfully with him, about old
Prussian matters and about new; and in the colloquy never once alluded to that interesting passage in his
young life and Spaen's. [Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi. 178.] Hard as polished steel! thinks Spaen perhaps; but, if
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candid, must ask himself withal, Are facts any softer, or the Laws of Kingship to a man that holds it? Keith
silently did his LieutenantColonelcy with the appendages, while life lasted: of the Page Keith, his Brother,
who indeed had blabbed upon the Prince, as we remember, and was not entitled to be clamorous, I never
heard that there was any notice taken; and figure him to myself as walking with shouldered firelock, a private
Fusileer, all his life afterwards, with many reflections on things bygone. [These and the other Prussian Keiths
are all of Scotch extraction; the Prussians, in natural German fashion, pronounce their name KAHIT
(English "KITE" with nothing of the Y in it), as may be worth remembering in a more important instance.]
Old friendship, it would seem, is without weight in public appointments here: old friends are somewhat
astonished to find this friend of theirs a King every inch! To old comrades, if they were useless, much more if
they were worse than useless, how disappointing! "One wretched Herr [name suppressed, but known at the
time, and talked of, and whispered of], who had, like several others, hoping to rise that way, been industrious
in encouraging the CrownPrince's vices as to women, was so shocked at the return he now met, that in
despair he hanged himself in LobeJun" (Lobegun, Magdeburg Country): here is a case for the humane!
[Kuster, Characterzuge des von Saldern (Berlin, 1793), p. 63.]
Friend Keyserling himself, "Caesarion" that used to be, can get nothing, though we love him much; being an
idle topsyturvy fellow with revenues of his own. Jordan, with his finedrawn wit, French logics,
LITERARY TRAVELS, thin exactitude; what can be done for Jordan? Him also his new Majesty loves
much; and knows that, without some official living, poor Jordan has no resource. Jordan, after some waiting
and survey, is made "Inspector of the Poor;"busy this Autumn looking out for vacant houses, and
arrangements for the thousand spinning women;continues to be employed in mixed literary services
(hunting up of Formey, for Editor, was one instance), and to be in much real intimacy. That also was perhaps
about the real amount of amiable Jordan. To get Jordan a living by planting him in some office which he
could not do; to warm Jordan by burning our royal bed for him: that had not entered into the mind of Jordan's
royal friend. The Munchows he did promote; the Finks, sons of his Tutor Finkenstein: to these and other old
comrades, in whom he had discovered fitness, it is no doubt abundantly grateful to him to recognize and
employ it. As he notably does, in these and in other instances. But before all things he has decided to
remember that he is King; that he must accept the severe laws of that trust, and do IT, or not have done
anything. An inverse sign, pointing in the same way, is the passionate search he is making in Foreign
Countries for such men as will suit him. In these same months, for example, he bethinks him of two Counts
Schmettau, in the Austrian Service, with whom he had made acquaintance in the Rhine Campaign; of a Count
von Rothenburg, whom he saw in the French Camp there; and is negotiating to have them if possible. The
Schmettaus are Prussian by birth, though in Austrian Service; them he obtains under form of an Order home,
with good conditions under it; they came, and proved useful men to him. Rothenburg, a shining kind of figure
in Diplomacy as well as Soldiership, was Alsatian German, foreign to Prussia; but him too Friedrich
obtained, and made much of, as will be notable by and by. And in fact the soul of all these noble tendencies
in Friedrich, which surely are considerable, is even this, That he loves men of merit, and does not love men of
none; that he has an endless appetite for men of merit, and feels, consciously and otherwise, that they are the
one thing beautiful, the one thing needful to him.
This, which is the product of all fine tendencies, is likewise their centre or focus out of which they start again,
with some chance of fulfilment;and we may judge in how many directions Friedrich was willing to expand
himself, by the multifarious kinds he was inviting, and negotiating for. Academicians,and not Maupertuis
only, but all manner of mathematical geniuses (Euler whom he got, 's Gravesande, Muschenbroek whom he
failed of); and Literary geniuses innumerable, first and last. Academicians, Musicians, Players, Dancers even;
much more Soldiers and Civil Service men: no man that carries any honest "CAN DO" about with him but
may expect some welcome here. Which continued through Friedrich's reign; and involved him in much petty
trouble, not always successful in the lower kinds of it. For his Court was the cynosure of ambitious creatures
on the wing, or inclined for taking wing: like a lantern kindled in the darkness of the world; and many
owls impinged upon him; whom he had to dismiss with brevity.
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Perhaps it had been better to stand by mere Prussian or German merit, native to the ground? Or rather,
undoubtedly it had! In some departments, as in the military, the administrative, diplomatic, Friedrich was
himself among the best of judges: but in various others he had mainly (mainly, by no means blindly or solely)
to accept noise of reputation as evidence of merit; and in these, if we compute with rigor, his success was
intrinsically not considerable. The more honor to him that he never wearied of trying. "A man that does not
care for merit," says the adage, "cannot himself have any." But a King that does not care for merit, what shall
we say of such a King!
BEHAVIOR TO HIS MOTHER; TO HIS WIFE.
One other fine feature, significant of many, let us notice: his affection for his Mother. When his Mother
addressed him as "Your Majesty," he answered, as the Books are careful to tell us: "Call me Son; that is the
Title of all others most agreeable to me!" Words which, there can be no doubt, came from the heart. Fain
would he shoot forth to greatness in filial piety, as otherwise; fain solace himself in doing something kind to
his Mother. Generously, lovingly; though again with clear view of the limits. He decrees for her a Title higher
than had been customary, as well as more accordant with his feelings; not "Queen Dowager," but "Her
Majesty the Queen Mother." He decides to build her a new Palace; "under the Lindens" it is to be, and of due
magnificence: in a month or two, he had even got bits of the foundation dug, and the Houses to be pulled
down bought or bargained for; [Rodenbeck, p. 15 (30th June23d Aug. 1740); and correct Stenzel (iv.
44).]which enterprise, however, was renounced, no doubt with consent, as the public aspects darkened.
Nothing in the way of honor, in the way of real affection heartily felt and demonstrated, was wanting to
Queen Sophie in her widowhood. But, on the other hand, of public influence no vestige was allowed, if any
was ever claimed; and the good kind Mother lived in her Monbijou, the centre and summit of Berlin society;
and restricted herself wisely to private matters. She has her domesticities, family affections, readings,
speculations; gives evening parties at Monbijou. One glimpse of her in 1742 we get, that of a perfectly
private royal Lady; which though it has little meaning, yet as it is authentic, coming from Busching's hand,
may serve as one little twinkle in that total darkness, and shall be left to the reader and his fancy:
A Count Henkel, a Thuringian gentleman, of high speculation, high pietistic ways, extremely devout, and
given even to writing of religion, came to Berlin about some Silesian properties,a man I should think of
lofty melancholic aspect; and, in severe type, somewhat of a lion, on account of his Book called
"DEATHBED SCENES, in four Volumes." Came to Berlin; and on the 15th August, 1742, towards evening
(as the everpunctual Busching looking into Henkel's Papers gives it), "was presented to the Queen Mother;
who retained him to supper; supper not beginning till about ten o'clock. The Queen Mother was extremely
gracious to Henkel; but investigated him a good deal, and put a great many questions," not quite easy to
answer in that circle, "as, Why he did not play? What he thought of comedies and operas? What Preachers he
was acquainted with in Berlin? Whether he too was a Writer of Books? [covertly alluding to the
DEATHBED SCENES, notes Busching]. And abundance of other questioning. She also recounted many
fantastic anecdotes (VIEL ABENTEUERLICHES) about Count von Zinzendorf [Founder of HERNNHUTH,
farshining spiritual Paladin of that day, whom her Majesty thinks rather a spiritual Quixote]; and declared
that they were strictly true." [Busching's Beitrage, iv. 27.]' Upon which, EXIT Henkel, borne by Busching,
and our light is snuffed out.
This is one momentary glance I have met with of Queen Sophie in her Dowager state. The rest, though there
were seventeen years of it in all, is silent to mankind and me; and only her death, and her Son's great grief
about it, so great as to be surprising, is mentioned in the Books.
Actual painful sorrow about his Father, much more any new outburst of weeping and lamenting, is not on
record, after that first morning. Time does its work; and in such a whirl of occupations, sooner than
elsewhere: and the loved Dead lie silent in their mausoleum in our hearts,serenely sad as Eternity, not in
loud sorrow as of Time. Friedrich was pious as a Son, however he might be on other heads. To the last years
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of his life, as from the first days of his reign, it was evident in what honor he held Friedrich Wilhelm's
memory; and the words "my Father," when they turned up in discourse, had in that fine voice of his a tone
which the observers noted. "To his Mother he failed no day, when in Berlin, however busy, to make his visit;
and he never spoke to her, except hat in hand."
With his own Queen, Friedrich still consorts a good deal, in these first times; is with her at Charlottenburg,
Berlin, Potsdam, Reinsberg, for a day or two, as occasion gives; sometimes at Reinsberg for weeks running,
in the intervals of war and business: glad to be at rest amid his old pursuits, by the side of a kind innocent
being familiar to him. So it lasts for a length of time. But these happy intervals, we can remark, grow rarer:
whether the Lady's humor, as they became rarer, might not sink withal, and produce an acceleration in the
rate of decline? She was thought to be capable of "pouting (FAIRE LA FACHEE)," at one period! We are
left to our guesses; there is not anywhere the smallest whisper to guide us. Deep silence reigns in all Prussian
Books.To feel or to suspect yourself neglected, and to become MORE amiable thereupon (in which course
alone lies hope), is difficult for any Queen! Enough, we can observe these meetings, within two or three
years, have become much rarer; and perhaps about the end of the third or fourth year, they altogether cease;
and pass merely into the formal character. In which state they continued fixed, liable to no uncertainty; and
were transacted, to the end of Friedrich's life, with inflexible regularity as the annual reviews were. This is a
curious section of his life; which there will be other opportunities of noticing. But there is yet no thought of it
anywhere, nor for years to come; though fables to the contrary were once current in Books. [Laveaux,
NO CHANGE IN HIS FATHER'S METHODS OR MINISTRIES.
In the old mode of Administration, in the Ministries, Government Boards, he made no change. These
administrative methods of his wise Father's are admirable to Friedrich, who knows them well; and they
continue to be so. These men of his Father's, them also Friedrich knows, and that they were well chosen. In
methods or in men, he is inclined to make the minimum of alteration at present. One Finance Hofrath of a
projecting turn, named Eckart, who had abused the last weak years of Friedrich Wilhelm, and much afflicted
mankind by the favor he was in: this Eckart Friedrich appointed a commission to inquire into; found the
public right in regard to Eckart, and dismissed him with ignominy, not with much other punishment. Minister
Boden, on the contrary, high in the Finance Department, who had also been much grumbled at, Friedrich
found to be a good man: and Friedrich not only retained Boden, but advanced him; and continued to make
more and more use of him in time coming. His love of perfection in work done, his care of thrift, seemed
almost greater than his late Father's had been,to the disappointment of many. In the other Departments,
Podewils, Thulmeyer and the rest went on as heretofore;only in general with less to do, the young King
doing more himself than had been usual. Valori, "MON GROS VALORI (my fat Valori)," French Minister
here, whom we shall know better, writes home of the new King of Prussia: "He begins his government, as by
all appearance he will carry it on, in a highly satisfactory way: everywhere traits of benevolence, sympathy
for his subjects, respect shown to the memory of the Deceased," [Memoires des Negociations du Marquis de
Valori (a Paris, 1820), i. 20 ("June 13th, 1740"). A valuable Book, which we shall often have to quote: edited
in a lamentably ignorant manner.]no change made, where it evidently is not for the better.
Friedrich's "Three principal Secretaries of State," as we should designate them, are very remarkable. Three
Clerks he found, or had known of, somewhere in the Public Offices; and now took, under some advanced
title, to be specially his own Private Clerks: three vigorous longheaded young fellows, "Eichel,
Schuhmacher, Lautensack" the obscure names of them; [Rodenbeck, 15th June, 1740.] out of whom, now and
all along henceforth, he got immensities of work in that kind. They lasted all his life; and, of course, grew
ever more expert at their function. Close, silent; exact as machinery: ever ready, from the smallest clear hint,
marginal pencilmark, almost from a glance of the eye, to clothe the Royal Will in official form, with the due
rugged clearness and thrift of words. "Came punctually at four in the morning in summer, five in winter;" did
daily the day's work; and kept their mouths well shut. A very notable Trio of men; serving his Majesty and
the Prussian Nation as Principal Secretaries of State, on those cheap terms;nay almost as Houses of
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Parliament with Standing Committees and appendages, so many Acts of Parliament admittedly rather wise,
being passed daily by his Majesty's help and theirs!Friedrich paid them rather well; they saw no society;
lived wholly to their work, and to their own families. Eichel alone of the three was mentioned at all by
mankind, and that obscurely; an "abstruse, reserved, longheaded kind of man;" and "made a great deal of
money in the end," insinuates Busching, [ Beitrage, v. 238, no friend of Friedrich's or his.
In superficial respects, again, Friedrich finds that the Prussian King ought to have a King's Establishment,
and maintain a decent splendor among his neighbors,as is not quite the case at present. In this respect he
does make changes. A certain quantity of new Pages, new Goldsticks; some considerable, not too
considerable, new furbishing of the Royal Household,as it were, a fair coat of new paint, with gilding not
profuse,brought it to the right pitch for this King, About "a hundred and fifty" new figures of the Page and
Goldstick kind, is the reckoning given. [ Helden Geschichte, i. 353.] So many of these; and there is an
increase of 16,000 to one's Army going on: that is the proportion noticeable. In the facts as his Father left
them Friedrich persisted all his life; in the semblances or outer vestures he changed, to this extent for the
present.These are the Phenomena of Friedrich's Accession, noted by us.
Readers see there is radiance enough, perhaps slightly in excess, but of intrinsically good quality, in the
Aurora of this new Reign. A brilliant valiant young King; much splendor of what we could call a golden or
soft nature (visible in those "NewEra" doings of his, in those strong affections to his Friends); and also,
what we like almost better in him, something of a STEEL BRIGHT or stellar splendor (meaning, clearness
of eyesight, intrepidity, severe loyalty to fact),which is a fine addition to the softer element, and will keep
IT and its philanthropies and magnanimities well under rule. Such a man is rare in this world; how extremely
rare such a man born King! He is swift and he is persistent; sharply discerning, fearless to resolve and
perform; carries his great endowments lightly, as if they were not heavy to him. He has known hard misery,
been taught by stripes; a light stoicism sits gracefully on him.
"What he will grow to?" Probably to something considerable. Very certainly to something far short of his
aspirations; far different from his own hopes; and the world's concerning him. It is not we, it is Father Time
that does the controlling and fulfilling of our hopes; and strange work he makes of them and us. For example,
has not Friedrich's grand "New Era," inaugurated by him in a week, with the leading spirits all adoring, issued
since in French Revolution and a "world well suicided,"the leading spirits much thrown out in
consequence! New Era has gone to great lengths since Friedrich's time; and the leading spirits do not now
adore it, but yawn over it, or worse! Which changes to us the then aspect of Friedrich, and his epoch and his
aspirations, a good deal.On the whole, Friedrich will go his way, Time and the leading spirits going theirs;
and, like the rest of us, will grow to what he can. His actual size is not great among the Kingdoms: his
outward resources are rather to be called small. The Prussian Dominion at that date is, in extent, about
fourfifths of an England Proper, and perhaps not onefifth so fertile: subject Population is well under Two
Millions and a Half; Revenue not much above One Million Sterling,' [The exact statistic cipher is, at
Friedrich's Accession: PRUSSIAN TERRITORIES, 2,275 square miles German (56,875 English);
POPULATION, 2,240,000; ANNUAL REVENUE, 7,371,707 thalers 7 groschen (1,105,756 pounds without
the pence). See Prenss, Buch fur Jedermann, i. 49; Stenzel, iii. 692; small, were not thrift such a VECTIGAL.
This young King is magnanimous; not much to be called ambitious, or not in the vulgar sense almost at
all,strange as it may sound to readers. His hopes at this time are many;and among them, I perceive,
there is not wanting secretly, in spite of his experiences, some hope that he himself may be a good deal
"happier" than formerly. Nor is there any ascetic humor, on his part, to forbid trial. He is much determined to
try. Probably enough, as we guess and gather, his agreeablest anticipations, at this time, were of Reinsberg:
How, in the intervals of work well done, he would live there wholly to the Muses; have his chosen spirits
round him, his colloquies, his suppers of the gods. Why not? There might be a King of Intellects conceivable
withal; protecting, cherishing, practically guiding the chosen Illuminative Souls of this world. A new
Charlemagne, the smallest new Charlemagne of Spiritual type, with HIS Paladins round him; how glorious,
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how salutary in the dim generations now going!These too were hopes which proved signally futile.
Rigorous Time could not grant these at all;granted, in his own hard way, other things instead. But, all
along, the Lifeelement, the Epoch, though Friedrich took it kindly and never complained, was ungenial to
such a man.
"Somewhat of a rotten Epoch, this into which Friedrich has been born, to shape himself and his activities
royal and other!" exclaims Smelfungus once: "In an older earnest Time, when the eternally awful
meanings of this Universe had not yet sunk into dubieties to any one, much less into levities or into
mendacities, into huge hypocrisies carefully regulated,so luminous, vivid and ingenuous a young creature
had not wanted divine manna in his Pilgrimage through Life. Nor, in that case, had he come out of it in so
lean a condition. But the highest man of us is born brother to his Contemporaries; struggle as he may, there is
no escaping the family likeness. By spasmodic indignant contradiction of them, by stupid compliance with
them,you will inversely resemble, if you do not directly; like the starling, you can't get out!Most surely,
if there do fall manna from Heaven, in the given Generation, and nourish in us reverence and genial
nobleness day by day, it is blessed and well. Failing that, in regard to our poor spiritual interests, there is sure
to be one of two results: mockery, contempt, disbelief, what we may call SHORTDIET to the length of very
famine (which was Friedrich's case); or else slow poison, carefully elaborated and provided by way of daily
nourishment.
"Unhappy souls, these same! The slowpoison has gone deep into them. Instead of manna, this long while
back, they have been living on mouldy corrupt meats sweetened by sugaroflead; or perhaps, like Voltaire,
a few individuals prefer hunger, as the cleaner alternative; and in contemptuous, barren, mocking humor, not
yet got the length of geniality or indignation, snuff the eastwind by way of spiritual diet. Pilgriming along
on such nourishment, the best human soul fails to become very ruddy! Tidings about Heaven are fallen so
uncertain, but the Earth and her joys are still Interesting: 'Take to the Earth and her joys; let your soul go
out, since it must; let your five senses and their appetites be well alive.' That is a dreadful 'ShamChristian
Dispensation' to be born under! You wonder at the want of heroism in the Eighteenth Century. Wonder rather
at the degree of heroism it had; wonder how many souls there still are to be met with in it of some effective
capability, though dieting in that way,nothing else to be had in the shops about. Carterets, Belleisles,
Friedrichs, Voltaires; Chathams, Franklins, Choiseuls: there is an effective stroke of work, a fine fire of
heroic pride, in this man and the other; not yet extinguished by spiritual famine or slow poison; so robust is
Nature the mighty Mother!
"But in general, that sad Gospel, 'Souls extinct, Stomachs well alive!' is the credible one, not articulately
preached, but practically believed by the abject generations, and acted on as it never was before. What
immense sensualities there were, is known; and also (as some small offset, though that has not yet begun in
1740) what immense quantities of Physical Labor and contrivance were got out of mankind, in that Epoch
and down to this day. As if, having lost its Heaven, it had struck desperately down into the Earth; as if it were
a BEAVERkind, and not a mankind any more. We had once a Barbaossa; and a world all grandly true. But
from that to Karl VI., and HIS Holy Romish Reich in such a state of 'Holiness'!" I here cut short my
abstruse Friend.
Readers are impatient to have done with these miscellaneous preludings, and to be once definitely under way,
such a Journey lying ahead. Yes, readers; a Journey indeed! And, at this point, permit me to warn you that,
where the ground, where Dryasdust and the Destinies, yield anything humanly illustrative of Friedrich and his
Work, one will have to linger, and carefully gather it, even as here. Large tracts occur, bestrewn with mere
pedantisms, diplomatic cobwebberies, learned marinestores, and inhuman matter, over which we shall have
to skip emptyhanded: this also was among the sad conditions of our Enterprise, that it has to go now too
slow and again too fast; not in proportion to natural importance of objects, but to several inferior
considerations withal. So busy has perverse Destiny been on it; perverse Destiny, edacious Chance;and the
Dryasdusts, too, and Nightmares, in Prussia as elsewhere, we know how strong they are!
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Friedrich's character in old age has doubtless its curious affinities, its disguised identities, with these
prognostic features and indications of his youth: and to our readers,if we do ever get them to the goal, of
seeing Friedrich a little with their own eyes and judgments,there may be pleasant contrasts and
comparisons of that kind in store, one day. But the far commoner experience (which also has been my
own),here is Smelfungus's stern account of that:
"My friend, you will be luckier than I, if, after ten years, not to say, in a sense, twenty years, thirty years, of
reading and rummaging in those sad Prussian Books, ancient and new (which often are laudably authentic,
too, and exact as to details), you can gather any character whatever of Friedrich, in any period of his life, or
conceive him as a Human Entity at all! It is strange, after such thousandfold writing, but it is true, his
History is considerably unintelligible to mankind at this hour; left chaotic, enigmatic, in a good many
points,the military part of it alone being brought to clearness, and rendered fairly conceivable and credible
to those who will study. And as to the Man himself, or what his real Physiognomy can have been! Well, it
must be owned few men were of such RAPIDITY of face and aspect; so difficult to seize the features of. In
his action, too, there was such rapidity, such secrecy, suddenness: a man that could not be read, even by the
candid, except as in flashes of lightning. And then the anger of bystanders, uncandid, who got hurt by him;
the hasty malevolences, the stupidities, the opacities: enough, in modern times, what is saying much, perhaps
no man's motives, intentions, and procedure have been more belied, misunderstood, misrepresented, during
his life. Nor, I think, since that, have many men fared worse, by the Limner or Biographic class, the favorable
to him and the unfavorable; or been so smeared of and blotched of, and reduced to a mere blur and
dazzlement of cross lights, incoherences, incredibilities, in which nothing, not so much as a human nose, is
clearly discernible by way of feature!" Courage, reader, nevertheless; on the above terms let us march
according to promise.
Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS.
Young Friedrich, as his Father had done, considers it unnecessary to be crowned. Old Friedrich, first of the
name, and of the King series, we did see crowned, with a pinch of snuff tempering the solemnities. That
Coronation once well done suffices all his descendants hitherto. Such an expense of money,of diluted
mendacity too! Such haranguing, gesturing, symbolic fugling, all grown half false:avoid lying, even with
your eyes, or knees, or the coat upon your back, so far as you easily can!
Nothing of Coronation: but it is thought needful to have the HULDIGUNGEN (Homagings) done, the
Fealties sworn; and the young Majesty in due course goes about, or gives directions, now here now there, in
his various Provinces, getting that accomplished. But even in that, Friedrich is by no means straitlaced or
punctilious; does it commonly by Deputy: only in three places, Konigsberg, Berlin, Cleve, does he appear in
person. Mainly by deputy; and always with the minimum of fuss, and no haranguing that could be avoided.
Nowhere are the old STANDE (Provincial Parliaments) assembled, now or afterwards: sufficient for this and
for every occasion are the "Permanent Committees of the STANDE;" nor is much speaking, unessential for
despatch of business, used to these.
"STANDEof Ritterschaft mainly, of Gentry small and great existed once in all those Countries, as
elsewhere," says one Historian; "and some of them, in Preussen, for example, used to be rather loud, and
inclined to turbulence, till the curb, from a judicious bridlehand, would admonish them. But, for a long
while past,especially since the Great Elector's time, who got an 'Excise Law' passed, or the foundations of
a good Excise Law laid; [Preuss, iv. 432; and Thronbesteigung, pp. 379383.] and, what with Excise, what
with DomainFarms, had a fixed Annual Budget, which he reckoned fair to both parties,they have been
dying out for want of work; and, under Friedrich Wilhelm, may be said to have gone quite dead. What work
was left for them? Prussian Budget is fixed, many things are fixed: why talk of them farther? The Prussian
King, nothing of a fool like certain others,"which indeed is the cardinal point, though my Author does not
say so,"is respectfully aware of the facts round him; and can listen to the rumors too, so far as he finds
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Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. 537
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good. The King sees himself terribly interested to get into the right course in all things, and avoid the wrong
one! Probably he does, in his way, seek 'wise Advice concerning the arduous matters of the Kingdom;' nay I
believe he is diligent to have it of the wisest:who knows if STANDE would always give it wiser;
especially STANDE in the haranguing condition?"Enough, they are not applied to. There is no Freedom in
that Country. "No Freedom to speak of," continues he: "but I do a little envy them their Fixed Budget, and
some other things. What pleasure there can be in having your household arrangements tumbled into disorder
every new Year, by a newcontrived scale of expenses for you, I never could ascertain!"
Friedrich is not the man to awaken Parliamentary sleepingdogs well settled by his Ancestors. Once or twice,
out of Preussen, in Friedrich Wilhelm's time, there was heard some whimper, which sounded like the
beginning of a bark. But Friedrich Wilhelm was on the alert for it: Are you coming in with your NIE
POZWALAM (your LIBERUM VETO), then? None of your Polish vagaries here. "TOUT LE PAYS SERA
RUINE (the whole Country will be ruined)," say you? (Such had been the poor Marshal or Provincial
SPEAKER'S Remonstrance on one occasion): "I don't believe a word of that. But I do believe the
Government by JUNKERS [Country Squires] and NIE POZWALAM will be ruined,"as it is fully meant to
be! "I am establishing the King's Sovereignty like a rock of bronze (ICH STABILIRE DIE
SOUVERAINETAT WIE EINEN ROCHER VON BRONZE)," some extremely strong kind of rock!
[Forster, b. iii. ( Urkundenbuch, i. 50); Preuss, iv. 420 n. "NIE POZWALAM" (the formula of LIBERUM
VETO) signifies "I Don't Permit!"] This was one of Friedrich Wilhelm's marginalia in response to such a
thing; and the mutinous whimper died out again. Parliamentary Assemblages are sometimes Collective
Wisdoms, but by no means always so. In Magdeburg we remember what trouble Friedrich Wilhelm had with
his unreasonable Ritters. Ritters there, in their assembled capacity, had the Reich behind them, and could not
be dealt with like Preussen: but Friedrich Wilhelm, by wise slow methods, managed Magdeburg too, and
reduced it to silence, or to words necessary for despatch of business.
In each Province, a Permanent Committeechosen, I suppose, by King and Knights assenting; chosen I
know not how, but admitted to be wisely chosenrepresents the once Parliament or STANDE; and has its
potency for doing good service in regard to all Provincial matters, from roads and bridges upwards, and is
impotent to do the least harm. Roads and bridges, Church matters, repartition of the Landdues, Army
matters,in fact they are an effective non haranguing Parliament, to the King's Deputy in every such
Province; well calculated to illuminate and forward his subaltern AMTmen and him. Nay, we observe it is
oftenest in the way of gifts and solacements that the King articulately communicates with these Committees
or their Ritterschafts. Projects for Draining of Bogs, for improved Highways, for better Husbandry; loans
granted them, LoanBanks established for the Province's behoof:no need of parliamentary eloquence on
such occasions, but of something far different.
It is from this quiescent, or busy but noiseless kind of STANDE and Populations that Friedrich has his
HULDIGUNG to take;and the operation, whether done personally or by deputy, must be an abundantly
simple one. He, for his part, is fortunate enough to find everywhere the Sovereignty ESTABLISHED; "rock
of bronze" not the least shaken in his time. He will graciously undertake, by Written Act, which is read before
the STANDE, King or King's Deputy witnessing there, "To maintain the privileges" of his STANDE and
Populations; the STANDE answer, on oath, with lifted hand, and express invocation of Heaven, That they
will obey him as true subjects; And sodoubtless with something of dining superadded, but no whisper of it
put on recordthe HULDIGUNG will everywhere very quietly transact itself.
The HULDIGUNG itself is nothing to us, even with Friedrich there, as at Konigsberg, Berlin, Cleve, the
three exceptional places. To which, nevertheless, let us briefly attend him, for the sake of here and there some
direct glimpse we may get of the then Friedrich's actual physiognomy and ways. Other direct view, or the
chance of such, is not conceded us out of those sad Prussian Books; which are very full on this of the
HULDIGUNG, if silent on so many other points. [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 382.]
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FRIEDRICH ACCEPTS THE HOMAGES, PERSONALLY, IN THREE PLACES.
To Konigsberg is his first excursion on this errand. Preussen has perhaps, or may be suspected of having,
some remnants of sour humors left in it, and remembrances of STANDE with haranguings and even mutinies:
there if anywhere the King in person may do good on such an occasion, He left Berlin, July 7th, bound
thitherward; here is Note of that first Royal Tour,specimen of several hundreds such, which he had to do in
the course of the next fortyfive years.
"Friend Algarotti, charming talker, attended him; who else, official and nonofficial, ask not. The Journey is
to be circuitous; to combine various businesses, and also to have its amusements. They went by Custrin;
glancing at old known Country, which is at its greenest in this season. By Custrin, across the Neumark, into
Pommern; after that by an intricate winding route; reviewing regiments, inspecting garrisons, now here now
there; doing all manner of inspections; talking I know not what; oftenest lodging with favored Generals, if it
suited. Distance to Konigsberg, by the direct road, is about 500 miles; by this winding one, it must have been
800: Journey thither took nine days in all. Obliquely through Pommern, almost to the coast of the Baltic; their
ultimatum there a place called Coslin, where they reviewed with strictness,omitting Colberg, a small
SeaFortress not far rearward, time being short. Thence into WestPreussen, into Polish Territory, and
swiftly across that; keeping Dantzig and its noises wide enough to the left: one night in Poland; and the next
they are in OstPreussen, place called Liebstadt, again on homeground, and diligently reviewing there.
"The review at Liebstadt is remarkable in this, That the regiments, one regiment especially, not being what
was fit, a certain GrenadierCaptain got cashiered on the spot; and the old Commandant himself was soon
after pensioned, and more gently sent his ways. So strict is his Majesty. Contrariwise, he found
LieutenantGeneral von Katte's Garrison, at Angerburg, next day, in a very high perfection; and Colonel
Posadowsky's regiment specially so; with which latter gentleman he lodged that night, and made him farther
happy by the ORDER OF MERIT: Colonel Posadowsky, Garrison of Angerburg, far off in EastPreussen,
Chevalier of the Order of Merit henceforth, if we ever meet him again. To the good old LieutenantGeneral
von Katte, who no doubt dined with them, his Majesty handed, on the same occasion, a Patent of
Feldmarschall;intends soon to make him Graf; and did it, as readers know. Both Colonel and General
attended him thenceforth, still by a circuitous route, to Konigsberg, to assist in the solemnities there. By
Gumbinnen, by Trakehnen,the Stud of Trakehnen: that also his Majesty saw, and made review of; not
without emotion, we can fancy, as the sleek colts were trotted out on those new terms! At Trakehnen, Katte
and the Colonel would be his Majesty's guests, for the night they stayed. This is their extreme point eastward;
Konigsberg now lies a good way west of them. But at Trakehnen they turn; and, Saturday, 16th July, 1740,
after another hundred miles or so, along the pleasant valley of the Pregel, get to Konigsberg: ready to begin
business on Monday morning,on Sunday if necessary." [From Preuss, Thronbesteigung, pp. 382, 385;
Rodenbeck, p. 16;
On Sunday there did a kind of memorability occur: The HULDIGUNGS PREDIGT (Homage Sermon)by
a reverend Herr Quandt, chief Preacher there. Which would not be worth mentioning, except for this
circumstance, that his Majesty exceedingly admired Quandt, and thought him a most Demosthenic genius,
and the best of all the Germans. Quandt's text was in these words: "Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou
Son of Jesse; Peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee." [ First
Chronicles, xii. 18.] Quandt began, in a sonorous voice, raising his face with respectful enthusiasm to the
King, "Thine are we, O Friedrich, and on thy side, thou Son of Friedrich Wilhelm;" and so went on: sermon
brief, sonorous, compact, and sticking close to its text. Friedrich stood immovable, gazing on the eloquent
Demosthenic Quandt, with admiration heightened by surprise;wrote of Quandt to Voltaire; and, with
sustained enthusiasm, to the Public long afterwards; and to the end of his days was wont to make Quandt an
exception, if perhaps almost the only one, from German barbarism, and disharmony of mind and tongue. So
that poor Quandt cannot ever since get entirely forgotten, but needs always to be raked up again, for this
reason when others have ceased: an almost melancholy adventure for poor Quandt and Another!
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The HULDIGUNG was rather grand; Harangue and Counterharangue permitted to the due length, and
proper festivities following: but the STANDE could not manage to get into vocal covenanting or deliberating
at all; Friedrich before leaving Berlin had answered their hint or request that way, in these words: "We are
likewise graciously inclined to give to the said STANDE, before their Homaging, the same assurance which
they got from our Herr Father's Majesty, who is now with God,"general assurance that their, and
everybody's, "Rights shall be maintained [as we see they are], with which, it is hoped (HOFFENTLICH),
they will be content, and get to peace upon this matter (SICH DABEI BERUHIGEN WERDEN)." [Preuss,
Thronbesteigung, p. 380.] It will be best for them!
Friedrich gave away much corn here; that is, opened his Corn Granaries, on charitable terms, and took all
manner of measures, here as in other places, for relief of the scarcity there was. Of the illuminations, never so
grand, the reader shall hear nothing. A "TorchProcession of the Students" turned out a pretty
thing:Students marching with torches, with fine windmusic, regulated enthusiasm, fine succinct address
to his Majesty; and all the world escorting, with its "Live Forever!" Friedrich gave the Students "a
TRINKGELAG (Banquet of Liquors)," how arranged I do not know: and to the Speaker of the Address, a
likely young gentleman with VON to his name, he offered an Ensigncy of Foot ("in Camas's Fusileer
Regiment,"Camas now gone to Paris, embassying), which was joyfully accepted. Joyfully accepted;and
it turned out well for all parties; the young gentleman having risen, where merit was the rule of rising, and
become Graf and LieutenantGeneral, in the course of the next fifty years. [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 387.]
Huldigung and TorchProcession over, the Royal Party dashed rapidly off, next morning (21st July),
homewards by the shortest route; and, in three days more, by FrankfurtonOder (where a glimpse of
General Schwerin, a favorite General, was to be had), were safe in Berlin; received with acclamation, nay
with "blessings and even tears" some say, after this pleasant Fortnight's Tour. General Schwerin, it is
rumored, will be made Feldmarschall straightway, the Munchows are getting so promoted as we said; edicts
are coming out, much business speeding forward, and the tongues of men keep wagging.
Berlin HULDIGUNGand indeed, by Deputy, that of nearly all the other Townswas on Tuesday, August
2d. At Berlin his Majesty was present in the matter: but, except the gazing multitudes, and hussar regiments,
ranked in the SchlossPlatz and streets adjoining, there was little of notable in it; the upholstery arrangements
thrifty in the extreme. His Majesty is prone to thrift in this of the Huldigung, as would appear; perhaps
regarding the affair as scenic merely. Here, besides this of Berlin, is another instance just occurring. It
appears, the Quedlinburg people, shut out from the light of the actual Royal Countenance, cannot do their
Homaging by Deputy, without at least a Portrait of the King and of the Queen: How manage? asks the
Official Person. "Have a Couple of Daubs done in Berlin, three guineas apiece; send them these," answers the
King! [ "On doit faire barbouiller de mauvaises copies a Berlin, la piece a 20 ecus. {end italic>FR."
Preuss, ii. ( Urkundenbuch, s. 222).]
Here in the Berlin Schloss, scene the Large Hall within doors, there is a "platform raised three steps; and on
this, by way of a kind of throne, an armchair covered with old black velvet;" the whole surmounted by a
canopy also of old black velvet: not a sublime piece of upholstery; but reckoned adequate. Friedrich mounted
the three steps; stood before the old chair, his Princes standing promiscuously behind it; his Ritters in
quantity, in front and to right and left, on the floor. Some Minister of the Interior explains suitably, not at too
great length, what they are met for; some junior Official, junior but of quality, responded briefly, for himself
and his order, to the effect, "Yea, truly:" the HULDIGUNGENSURKUNDE (Deed of Homage) was then
read by the proper Clerk, and the Ritters all swore; audibly, with lifted hands. This is the Ritter Huldigung.
His Majesty then steps out to the Balcony, for Oath and Homage of the general Population. General
population gave its oath, and "three great shouts over and above." "ES LEBE DER KONIG!" thrice, with all
their throats. Upon which a shower of Medals, "Homage Medals," gold and silver (quantity not mentioned)
rained down upon them, in due succession; and were scrambled for, in the usual way. "His Majesty," they
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Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. 540
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write, and this is perhaps the one point worth notice, "his Majesty, contrary to custom and to etiquette,
remained on the Balcony, some time after the ceremony, perhaps a full halfhour;"silent there, "with his
look fixed attentively on the immeasurable multitude before the Schloss; and seemed sunk in deep reflection
(BETRACHTUNG):"an almost awfully eloquent though inarticulate phenomenon to his Majesty, that of
those multitudes scrambling and huzzaing there! [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 389.]
These, with the Cleve one, are all the Hornagings Friedrich was personally present at; the others he did by
Deputy, all in one day (2d August); and without fuss. Scenic matters these; in which, except where he can, as
in the Konigsberg case, combine inspections and grave businesses with them, he takes no interest. However,
he is now, for the sake chiefly of inspections and other real objects, bent on a Journey to Cleve;the fellow
of that to Konigsberg: Konigsberg, Preussen, the easternmost outlying wing of his long straggling
Dominions; and then CleveJulich, its counterpart on the southwestern side,there also, with such
contingencies hanging over CleveJulich, it were proper to make some mustering of the Frontier garrisons
and affairs. [In regard to the Day of HULDIGUNG at Cleve, which happily is not of the least moment to us,
Preuss ( Thronbesteigung, p, 390) and HeldenGeschichte, (i. 423) seem to be in flat contradiction.] His
Majesty so purposes: and we purpose again to accompany,not for inspection and mustering, but for an
unexpected reason. The grave Journey to Cleve has an appendage, or comic sidepiece, hanging to it; more
than one appendage; which the reader must not miss!Before setting out, read these two Fractions, snatched
from the Diplomatist Wastebag; looking well, we gain there some momentary view of Friedrich on the
business side. Of Friedrich, and also of Another:
Sunday, 14th August, 1740, Dickens, who has been reporting hitherto in a favorable, though in a languid
exoteric manner, not being in any height of favor, England or he,had express Audience of his Majesty;
being summoned out to Potsdam for that end: "Sunday evening, about 7 P.M."Majesty intending to be off
on the Cleve Journey tomorrow. Let us accompany Dickens. Readers may remember, George II. has been at
Hanover for some weeks past; Bielfeld diligently grinning euphemisms and courtly graciosities to him;
Truchsess hinting, on opportunity, that there are perhaps weighty businesses in the rear; which, however, on
the Britannic side, seem loath to start. Britannic Majesty is much at a loss about his Spanish War, so
dangerous for kindling France and the whole world upon him. In regard to which Prussia might be so
important, for or against.This, in compressed form, is what Dickens witnesses at Potsdam that Sunday
evening from 7 P.M.:
"Audience lasted above an hour: King turned directly upon business; wishes to have 'Categorical Answers' as
to Three Points already submitted to his Britannic Majesty's consideration. Clear footing indispensable
between us. What you want of me? say it, and be plain. What I want of you is, These three things:
"1. Guarantee for Julich and Berg. All the world knows WHOSE these Duchies are. Will his Britannic
Majesty guarantee me there? And if so, How, and to what lengths, will he proceed about it?
"2. Settlement about OstFriesland. Expectancy of OstFriesland soon to fall heirless, which was granted
me long since, though Hanover makes hagglings, counterclaimings: I must have some Settlement about that.
"3. The like about those perplexities in Mecklenburg. No difficulty there if we try heartily, nor is there
such pressing haste about it.
"These are my three claims on England; and I will try to serve England as far in return, if it will tell me how.
'Ah, beware of throwing yourself into the arms of France!' modestly suggests Dickens.'Well, if France will
guarantee me those Duchies, and you will not do anything?' answers his Majesty with a fine laugh: 'England I
consider my most natural friend and ally; but I must know what there is to depend on there. Princes are ruled
by their interest; cannot follow their feelings. Let me have an explicit answer; say, at Wesel, where I am to be
on the 24th,'" ten days hence. Britannic Majesty is at Hanover, and can answer within that time. "This he
twice told me, 'Wesel, 24th,' in the course of our interview. Permit me to recommend the matter to your
Lordship," my Lord Harrington, now attending the Britannic Majesty.
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Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. 541
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"During the whole audience," adds Dickens, "the King was in extreme good humor; and not only heard with
attention all the considerations I offered, but was not the least offended at any objections I made to what he
said. It is undoubtedly the best way to behave with frankness to him." These last are Dickens's own words; let
them modestly be a memorandum to your Lordship. This King goes himself direct to the point; and
straightforwardness, as a primary condition, will profit your Lordship with him. [Dickens (in StatePaper
Office, 17th August, 1740).]
Most true advice, this;and would perhaps be followed, were it quite easy! But things are very complicated.
And the Britannic Majesty, much plagued with Spanish War and Parliamentary noises in that unquiet Island,
is doubtless glad to get away to Hanover for a little; and would fain be on holiday in these fine rural months.
Which is not well possible either. Jenkins's Ear, rising at last like a fiery portent, has kindled the London Fog
over yonder, in a strange way, and the murky stagnancy is all getting on fire; the English intent, as seldom
any Nation was, to give the Spaniards an effectual beating. Which they hope they can,though unexpected
difficulties will occur. And, in the mean while, what a riddle of potentialities for his poor Majesty to read, and
pick his way from!
Bielfeld, in spite of all this, would fain be full of admiration for the Britannic Majesty. Confesses he is below
the middle size, in fact a tiny little creature, but then his shape is perfect; leg much to be
commended,which his Majesty knows, standing always with one leg slightly advanced, and the Order of
the Garter on it, that mankind may take notice. Here is Bielfeld's description faithfully abridged:
"Big blue eyes, perhaps rather of parboiled character, though proud enough; eyes flush with his face or more,
rather IN RELIEF than on a level with it,"A FLEUR DE TETE, after the manner of a fish, if one might say
so, and betokening such an intellect behind them! "Attitude constrained, leg advanced in that way; his
courtiers call it majestic. Biggish mouth, strictly shut in the crescent or horseshoe form (FERMEE EN
CROISSANT); curly wig (A NOEUDS, reminding you of lamb'swool, color not known); eyebrows,
however, you can see are ashyblond; general tint is fundamentally livid; but when in good case, the royal
skin will take tolerably bright colors (PREND D'ASSEZ BELLES COULEURS). As to the royal mind and
understanding, what shall Bielfeld say? That his Majesty sometimes makes ingenious and just remarks, and is
laudably serious at all times, and can majestically hold his tongue, and stand with advanced leg, and eyes
rather more than flush. Sense of his dignity is high, as it ought to be; on great occasions you see pride and a
kind of joy mantling in the royal countenance. Has been known to make explosions, and to be very furious to
Prince Fred and others, when pricked into:but, my friend, what mortal is exempt from failings? Majesty
reads the English Newspapers every morning in bed, which are often biting. Majesty has his Walmoden, a
Hanoverian Improper Female, Countess of Yarmouth so called; quiet, autumnal, fair complexioned, stupid;
who is much a comfort to him. She keeps out of mischief, political or other; and gives Bielfeld a gracious nod
now and then." [Bielfeld, i. 158.] Harrington is here too;and Britannic Majesty and he are busy governing
the English Nation on these terms. We return now to the Prussian Majesty.
About six weeks after that of Dickens,Cleve Journey and much else now ended,Praetorius the Danish
Envoy, whom we slightly knew at Reinsberg once, gives this testimony; writing home to an Excellency at
Copenhagen, whose name we need not inquire into:
"To give your Excellency a just idea of the new Government here, I must observe that hitherto the King of
Prussia does as it were everything himself; and that, excepting the Finance Minister von Boden, who
preaches frugality, and finds for that doctrine uncommon acceptance, almost greater even than in the former
reign, his Majesty allows no counselling from any Minister; so that Herr von Podewils, who is now the
working hand in the department of Foreign Affairs, has nothing given him to do but to expedite the orders he
receives from the Cabinet, his advice not being asked upon any matter; and so it is with the other Ministers.
People thought the loss of Herr von Thulmeyer," veteran Foreign Minister whom we have transiently heard
of in the DoubleMarriage time, and perhaps have even seen at London or elsewhere, [Died 4th August
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Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. 542
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(Rodenbeck, p. 20).] "would be irreparable; so expert was he, and a living archive in that business: however,
his post seems to have vanished with himself. His salary is divided between Herr von Podewils," whom the
reader will sometimes hear of again, "Kriegsrath (Councillor of War) von Ilgen," son of the old gentleman we
used to know, "and Hofrath Sellentin who is RENDANT OF THE LEGATIONSKASSE" (Ambassadors'
Paymaster, we could guess, Ambassador Body having specialty of cash assigned it, comparable with the
specialty of value received from it, in this strict frugal Country),neither of which two latter names shall the
reader be troubled with farther. "A good many resolutions, and responses by the King, I have seen: they
combine laconic expression with an admirable business eye (GESCHAFTSBLICK). Unhappily,"at least
for us in the Diplomatic line, for your Excellency and me unhappily,"there is nobody about the King who
possesses his complete confidence, or whom we can make use of in regard to the necessary introductions and
preliminary movements. Hereby it comes that,as certain things can only be handled with cautious foresight
and circumlocution, and in the way of beginning wide,an Ambassador here is more thrown out of his
course than in any other Court; and knows not, though his object were steadily in sight, what road to strike
into for getting towards it." [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 377 (2d October, 1740).]
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH MAKES AN EXCURSION, NOT OF DIRECT SORT
INTO THE CLEVE COUNTRIES.
King Friedrich did not quite keep his day at Wesel; indeed this 24th was not the first day, but the last of
several, he had appointed to himself for finis to that Journey in the Cleve Countries; Journey rather complex
to arrange. He has several businesses ahead in those parts; and, as usual, will group them with good
judgment, and thrift of time. Not inspections merely, but amusements, meetings with friends, especially
French friends: the question is, how to group them with skill, so that the necessary elements may converge at
the right moment, and one shot kill three or four birds. This is Friedrich's fine way, perceptible in all these
Journeys. The French friends, flying each on his own track, with his own load of impediments, Voltaire with
his Madame for instance, are a difficult element in such problem; and there has been, and is, much scheming
and corresponding about it, within the last month especially.
Voltaire is now at Brussels, with his Du Chatelet, prosecuting that endless "lawsuit with the House of
Honsbruck,"which he, and we, are both desirous to have done with. He is at the Hague, too, now and then;
printing, about to print, the ANTIMACHIAVEL; corresponding, to right and left, quarrelling with Van
Duren the Printer; lives, while there, in the VIEILLE COUR, in the vast dusky rooms with faded gilding, and
grand old Bookshelves "with the biggest spiderwebs in Europe." Brussels is his place for Law
Consultations, general family residence; the Hague and that old spiderweb Palace for correcting
Proofsheets; doing one's own private studies, which we never quite neglect. Fain would Friedrich see him,
fain he Friedrich; but there is a divine Emilie, there is a Maupertuis, there areIn short, never were such
difficulties, in the cooking of an egg with water boiling; and much vain correspondence has already been on
that subject, as on others equally extinct. Correspondence which is not pleasant reading at this time; the rather
as no reader can, without endless searching, even understand it. Correspondence left to us, not in the cosmic,
elucidated or legible state; left mainly as the Editorial rubbishwagons chose to shoot it; like a tumbled
quarry, like the ruins of a sacked city;avoidable by readers who are not forced into it! [Herr Preuss's
edition ( OEuvres de Frederic, vols. xxi. xxii. xxiii.) has come out since the above was written: it is agreeably
exceptional; being, for the first time, correctly printed, and the editor himself having mostly understood
it,though the reader still cannot, on the terms there allowed.] Take the following select bricks as sample,
which are of some use; the general Heading is,
KING FRIEDERIC TO M. DE VOLTAIRE (at the Hague, or at Brussels).
"CHARLOTTENBURG, 12th JUNE, 1740.... My dear Voltaire, resist no longer the eagerness I have to
see you. Do in my favor whatever your humanity allows. In the end of August, I go to Wesel, and perhaps
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farther. Promise that you will come and join me; for I could not live happy, nor die tranquil, without having
embraced you! Thousand compliments to the Marquise," divine Emilie. "I am busy with both hands
[CornMagazines, Free Press, Abolition of Torture, and much else]; working at the Army with the one hand,
at the People and the Fine Arts with the other."
"BERLIN, 5th AUGUST, 1740.... I will write to Madame du Chatelet, in compliance with your wish:"
mark it, reader. "To speak to you frankly concerning her journey, it is Voltaire, it is you, it is my Friend that I
desire to see; and the divine Emilie with all her divinity is only the Accessory of the Apollo Newtonized.
"I cannot yet say whether I shall travel [incognito into foreign parts a little] or not travel;" there have been
rumors, perhaps private wishes; but... "Adieu, dear friend; sublime spirit, firstborn of thinking beings.
Love me always sincerely, and be persuaded that none can love and esteem you more than I. VALE.
FEDERIC."
"BERLIN, 6th AUGUST [which is next day].You will have received a Letter from me dated yesterday;
this is the second I write to you from Berlin; I refer you to what was in the other. If it must be (FAUT) that
Emilie accompany Apollo, I consent; but if I could see you alone, that is what I would prefer. I should be too
much dazzled; I could not stand so much splendor all at once; it would overpower me. I should need the veil
of Moses to temper the united radiance of your two divinities." ... In short, don't bring her, if you please.
"REMUSBERG [poetic for REINSBERG], 8th AUGUST, 1740.... My dear Voltaire, I do believe Van
Duren costs you more trouble and pains than you had with HENRI QUATRE. In versifying the Life of a
Hero, you wrote the history of your own thoughts; but in coercing a scoundrel you fence with an enemy who
is not worthy of you." To punish him, and cut short his profits, "PRINT, then, as you wish [your own edition
of the ANTIMACHIAVEL, to go along with his, and trip the feet from it]. FAITES ROULER LA PRESSE;
erase, change, correct; do as you see best; your judgment about it shall be mine.""In eight days I leave for
[where thinks the reader? "DANTZIG" deliberately print all the Editors, careful Preuss among them;
overturning the terrestrial azimuths for us, and making day night!]for Leipzig, and reckon on being at
Frankfurt on the 22d. In case you could be there, I expect, on my passage, to give you lodging! At Cleve or in
Holland, I depend for certain on embracing you." [Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, xx. pp. 5, 1921; Voltaire,
OEuvres, lxxii. 226, (not worth citing, in comparison).]
Intrinsically the Friedrich correspondence at this time, with Voltaire especially, among many friends now on
the wing towards Berlin and sending letters, has,if you are forced into struggling for some understanding
of it, and do get to read parts of it with the eyes of Friedrich and Voltaire,has a certain amiability; and is
nothing like so waste and dreary as it looks in the chaotic or sackedcity condition. Friedrich writes with
brevity, oftenest on practicalities (the ANTIMACHIAVEL, the coming Interview, and the like), evidently
no time to spare; writes always with considerable sincerity; with friendliness, much admiration, and an
ingenuous vivacity, to M. de Voltaire. Voltaire, at his leisure in Brussels or the Old Palace and its
spiderwebs, writes much more expansively; not with insincerity, he either;with endless airy graciosities,
and ingenious twirls, and touches of flattering unction, which latter, he is aware, must not be laid on too
thick. As thus:
In regard to the ANTIMACHIAVEL,Sire, deign to give me your permissions as to the scoundrel of a
Van Duren; well worth while, Sire,"IT is a monument for the latest posterity; the only Book worthy of a
King for these fifteen hundred years."
This is a strongish trowelful, thrown on direct, with adroitness; and even this has a kind of sincerity. Safer,
however, to do it in the oblique or reflex way,by Ambassador Cumas, for example:
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"I will tell you boldly, Sir [you M. de Camas], I put more value on this Book (ANTIMACHIAVEL) than on
the Emperor Julian's CAESAR, or on the MAXIMS of Marcus Aurelius,"I do indeed, having a kind of
property in it withal! [Voltaire, OEuvres, lxxii. 280 (to Camas, 18th October, 1740).]
In fact, Voltaire too is beautiful, in this part of the Correspondence; but much in a twitter,the Queen of
Sheba, not the sedate Solomon, in prospect of what is coming. He plumes himself a little, we perceive, to his
d'Argentals and French Correspondents, on this sublime intercourse he has got into with a Crowned Head, the
cynosure of mankind:Perhaps even you, my best friend, did not quite know me, and what merits I had!
Plumes himself a little; but studies to be modest withal; has not much of the peacock, and of the turkey has
nothing, to his old friends. All which is very naive and transparent; natural and even pretty, on the part of M.
de Voltaire as the weaker vessel. For the rest, it is certain Maupertuis is getting under way at Paris towards
the Cleve rendezvous. Brussels, too, is so near these Cleve Countries; within two days' good driving:if
only the times and routes would rightly intersect?
Friedrich's intention is by no means for a straight journey towards Cleve: he intends for Baireuth first, then
back from Baireuth to Cleve,making a huge southward elbow on the map, with Baireuth for apex or
turningpoint:in this manner he will make the times suit, and have a convergence at Cleve. To
Baireuth;who knows if not farther? All summer there has gone fitfully a rumor, that he wished to see
France; perhaps Paris itself incognito? The rumor, which was heard even at Petersburg, [Raumer's Beitrage
(English Translation, London, 1837), p. 15 (Finch's Despatch, 24th June, 1740).] is now sunk dead again; but
privately, there is no doubt, a glimpse of the sublime French Nation would be welcome to Friedrich. He could
never get to Travelling in his young time; missed his Grand Tour altogether, much as he wished it; and he is
capable of pranks!Enough, on Monday morning, 15th August, 1740, [Rodenbeck, p. 15, slightly in error:
see Dickens's Interview, supra, p. 187.] Friedrich and Suite leave Potsdam; early enough; go, by Leipzig, by
the route already known to readers, through Coburg and the Voigtland regions; Wilhelmina has got warning,
sits eagerly expecting her Brother in the Hermitage at Baireuth, gladdest of shrill sisters; and full of anxieties
how her Brother would now be. The travelling party consisted, besides the King, of seven persons: Prince
August Wilhelm, King's next Brother, Heirapparent if there come no children, now a brisk youth of
eighteen; Leopold Prince of Anhalt Dessau, Old Dessauer's eldest, what we may call the "Young Dessauer;"
Colonel von Borck, whom we shall hear of again; Colonel von Stille, already heard of (grave men of fifty,
these two); milkbeard Munchow, an Adjutant, youngest of the promoted Munchows; Algarotti,
indispensable for talk; and Fredersdorf, the HouseSteward and domestic Factotum, once Private in
Schwerin's Regiment, whom Bielfeld so admired at Reinsberg, foreseeing what he would come to. One of
Friedrich's late acts was to give Factotum Fredersdorf an Estate of Land (small enough, I fancy, but with
countryhouse on it) for solace to the leisure of so useful a man,studious of chemistry too, as I have heard.
Seven in all, besides the King. [Rodenbeck, p. 19 (and for Chamberlain Fredersdorf's estate, p. 15).] Direct
towards Baireuth, incognito, and at the top of their speed. Wednesday, 17th, they actually arrive. Poor
Wilhelmina, she finds her Brother changed; become a King in fact, and sternly solitary; alone in soul, even as
a King must be! [Wilhelmina, ii. 322, 323.]
"Algarotti, one of the first BEAUXESPRITS of this age," as Wilhelmina defines him,Friend Algarotti,
the young Venetian gentleman of elegance, in dusky skin, in very white linen and frills, with his fervid black
eyes, "does the expenses of the conversation." He is full of elegant logic, has speculations on the great world
and the little, on Nature, Art, Papistry, Anti Papistry, and takes up the Opera in an earnest manner, as
capable of being a school of virtue and the moral sublime. His respectable Books on the Opera and other
topics are now all forgotten, and crave not to be mentioned. To me he is not supremely beautiful, though
much the gentleman in manners as in ruffles, and ingeniously logical:rather yellow to me, in mind as in
skin, and with a taint of obsolete Venetian Macassar. But to Friedrich he is thricedear; who loves the Sharp
faceted cut of the man, and does not object to his yellow or ExtinctMacassar qualities of mind. Thanks to
that wandering Baltimore for picking up such a jewel and carrying him Northward! Algarotti himself likes
the North: here in our hardy climates,especially at Berlin, and were his loved Friedrich NOT a
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King,Algarotti could be very happy in the liberty allowed. At London, where there is no King, or none to
speak of, and plenty of free Intelligences, Carterets, Lytteltons, young Pitts and the like, he is also well, were
it not for the horrid smoke upon one's linen, and the little or no French of those proud Islanders.
Wilhelmina seems to like him here; is glad, at any rate, that he does the costs of conversation, better or worse.
In the rest is no hope. Stille, Borck are accomplished military gentlemen; but of tacit nature, reflective,
practical, rather than discursive, and do not waste themselves by incontinence of tongue. Stille, by his
military Commentaries, which are still known to soldiers that read, maintains some lasting remembrance of
himself: Borck we shall see engaged in a small bit of business before long. As to Munchow, the JEUNE
MORVEUX of an Adjutant, he, though his manners are well enough, and he wears military plumes in his hat,
is still an unfledged young creature, "bill still yellow," so to speak; and marks himself chiefly by a visible
hankering after that troublesome creature Marwitz, who is always coquetting. Friedrich's conversation,
especially to me Wilhelmina, seems "GUINDE, set on stilts," likewise there are frequent cuts of banter in
him; and it is painfully evident he distinguishes my Sister of Anspach and her foolish Husband, whom he has
invited over hither in a most eager manner, beyond what a poor Wilhelmina with her old love can pretend to.
Patience, my shrill Princess, Beauty of Baireuth and the world; let us hope all will come right again! My
shrill Princesswho has a melodious strength like that of warfifes, tooknows how to be patient; and
veils many things, though of a highly unhypocritical nature.
These were Three great Days at Baireuth; Wilhelmina is to come soon, and return the visit at Berlin. To wait
upon the King, known though incognito, "the Bishop of Bamberg" came driving over: [ HeldenGeschichte,
i. 419.] Schonborn, Austrian Kanzler, or who? His old City we once saw (and plenty of hanged malefactors
swinging round it, during that JOURNEY TO THE REICH);but the Bishop himself never to our
knowledge, Bishop being absent then, I hope it is the same Bishop of Bamberg, whom a Friend of
Busching's, touring there about that same time, saw dining in a very extraordinary manner, with medieval
trumpeters, "with waiters in spurs and buffbelts;" [Busching's Beitrage; Schlosser ( History of the
Eighteenth Century ) also quotes the scene.] if it is not, I have not the slightest shadow of acquaintance with
him, there have been so many Bishops of Bamberg with whom one wishes to have none! On the third day
Friedrich and his company went away, towards Wurzburg; and Wilhelmina was left alone with her
reflections. "I had had so much to say to him; I had got nothing said at all:" alas, it is ever so. "The King was
so changed, grown so much bigger (GRANDI), you could not have known him again;" stands finely erect and
at full breadth, every inch a King; his very stature, you would say, increased.Adieu, my Princess, pearl of
Princesses; all readers will expect your returnvisit at Berlin, which is to be soon.
FRIEDRICH STRIKES OFF TO THE LEFT, AND HAS A VIEW OF STRASBURG FOR TWO DAYS.
Through Wurzburg, FrankfurtonMayn, speeds Friedrich; Wilhelmina and mankind understand that it is
homewards and to Cleve; but at Frankfurt, in deepest privacy, there occurs a sudden whirl southward,up
the RhineValley; direct towards Strasburg, for a sight of France in that quarter! So has Friedrich decided,
not quite suddenly, on new Letters here, or new computations about Cleve; but by forethought taken at
Baireuth, as rather appears. From Frankfurt to Strasburg, say 150 miles; from Strasburg home, is not much
farther than from Frankfurt home: it can be done, then; husht!
The incognito is to be rigorous: Friedrich becomes COMTE DUFOUR, a PrussianFrench gentleman; Prince
August Wilhelm is Graf von Schaffgotsch, Algarotti is Graf von Pfuhl, Germans these two; what Leopold,
the Young Dessauer, called himself,still less what the others, or whether the others were there at all, and
not shoved on, direct towards Wesel, out of the way as is likelier, can remain uncertain to readers and me.
From Frankfurt, then, on Monday morning, 22d August, 1740, as I compute, through old known Philipsburg
Campaign country, and the lines of Ettlingen and Stollhofen; there the Royal Party speeds eagerly (weather
very bad, as appears): and it is certain they are at Kehl on Tuesday evening; looking across the long Rhine
Bridge, Strasburg and its steeples now close at hand.
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This looks to be a romantic fine passage in the History of the young King;though in truth it is not, and
proves but a feeble story either to him or us. Concerning which, however, the reader, especially if he should
hear that there exists precise Account of it, Two Accounts indeed, one from the King's own hand, will not fail
of a certain craving to become acquainted with details. This craving, foolish rather than wise, we consider it
thriftiest to satisfy at once; and shall give the King's NARRATIVE entire, though it is a jingling lean scraggy
Piece, partly rhyme, "in the manner of Bachaumont and La Chapelle;" written at the gallop, a few days hence,
and despatched to Voltaire:"You," dear Voltaire, "wish to know what I have been about, since leaving
Berlin; annexed you will find a description of it," writes Friedrich. [ OEuvres, xxii. 25 (Wesel, 2d Septemher,
1740).] Out of Voltaire's and other people's wastebaskets, it has at length been fished up, patch by patch,
and pasted together by victorious modern Editors; and here it is again entire. The other Narrative, which got
into the Newspapers soon after, is likewise of authentic nature,Fassmann, our poor old friend, confirming
it, if that were needful,and is happily in prose. [Given in HeldenGeschichte, i. 420423;see likewise
Fassmann's Merkwurdigster RegierungsAntritt (poor old Book on FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION); Preuss
( Thronbesteigung, pp. 395400); Holding these two Pieces well together, and giving the King's faithfully
translated, in a complete state, it will be possible to satisfy foolish cravings, and make this Strasburg
Adventure luminous enough.
KING FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE (from Wesel, 2d September, 1740),
CHIEFLY IN DOGGEREL, CONCERNING THE RUN TO STRASBURG. Part of it, incorrect, in
Voltaire, OEuvres (scandalous Piece now called Memoires, once Vie Privee du Roi de Prusse ), ii. 2426;
finally, in Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, xiv. 156161, the real and complete affair, as fished up by victorious
Preuss and others.
"I have just finished a Journey, intermingled with singular adventures, sometimes pleasant, sometimes the
reverse. You know I had set out for Baireuth,"BRUXELLES the beautiful French Editor wrote, which
makes Egyptian darkness of the Piece!"to see a Sister whom I love no less than esteem. On the road
[thither or thence; or likeliest, THERE], Algarotti and I consulted the map, to settle our route for returning by
Wesel. FrankfurtonMayn comes always as a principal stage;Strasburg was no great roundabout: we
chose that route in preference. The INCOGNITO was decided, names pitched upon [Comte Dufour, and the
others]; story we were to tell: in fine, all was arranged and concerted to a nicety as well as possible. We
fancied we should get to Strasburg in three days [from Baireuth].
But Heaven, which disposes of all things, Differently regulated this thing. With lanksided coursers, Lineal
descendants from Rosinante, With ploughmen in the dress of postilions, Blockheads of impertinent nature;
Our carriages sticking fast a hundred times in the road, We went along with gravity at a leisurely pace,
Knocking against the crags. The atmosphere in uproar with loud thunder, The raintorrents streaming over
the Earth Threatened mankind with the Day of Judgment [VERY BAD WEATHER], And in spite of our
impatience, Four good days are, in penance, Lost forever in these jumblings.
Mais le ciel, qui de tout dispose, Regla differemment la chose. Avec de coursiers efflanques, En ligne droites
issus de Rosinante, Et des paysans en postillons masques, Dutors de race impertinente, Notre carrosse en
cent lieux accroche, Nous allions gravement, d'une allure indolente, Gravitant contre les rochers. Les airs
emus par le bruyant tonnerre, Les torrents d'eau repandus sur la terre, Du dernier jour menacaient les
humains; Et malgre notre impatience, Quatre bons jours en penitence Sont pour jamais perdus dans les
charrains.
"Had all our fatalities been limited to stoppages of speed on the journey, we should have taken patience; but,
after frightful roads, we found lodgings still frightfuler.
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For greedy landlords Seeing us pressed by hunger Did, in a more than frugal manner, In their infernal hovels,
Poisoning instead of feeding, Steal from us our crowns. O age different [in good cheer] from that of Lucullus!
Car des hotes interesses, De la faim nous voyant presses, D'une facon plus que frugale, Dans une chaumiere
infernale, En nous empoisonnant, Nous volaient nos ecus. O siecle different des temps de Lucullus!
"Frightful roads; short of victual, short of drink: nor was that all. We had to undergo a variety of accidents;
and certainly our equipage must have had a singular air, for in every new place we came to, they took us for
something different.
Some took us for Kings, Some for pickpockets well disguised; Others for old acquaintances. At times the
people crowded out, Looked us in the eyes, Like clowns impertinently curious. Our lively Italian [Algarotti]
swore; For myself I took patience; The young Count [my gay younger Brother, eighteen at present]
quizzed and frolicked; The big Count [Heirapparent of Dessau] silently swung his head, Wishing this
fine Journey to France, In the bottom of his heart, most christianly at the Devil.
Les uns nous prenaient pour des rois, D'autres pour des filous courtois, D'autrespour gens de connaissance;
Parfois le peuple s'attroupait, Entre les yeux nous regardait En badauds curieux, remplis d'impertinence.
Notre vif Italien jurait, Pour moi je prenais patience, Le jeune Comte folatrait, Le grand Comte se dandinait,
Et ce beau vogage de France Dans le fond de son coeur chretiennement damnait.
"We failed not, however, to struggle gradually along; at last we arrived in that Stronghold, where [as preface
to the War of 1734, known to some of us]
Where the garrison, too supple, Surrendered so piteously After the first blurt of explosion From the cannon of
the French.
Ou a garnison, troupe flasque, Se rendit si piteusement Apres la premiere bourasque Du canon francais
foudroyant.
You recognize Kehl in this description. It was in that fine Fortress,where, by the way, the breaches are still
lying unrepaired [Reich being a slow corpus in regard to such things], that the Postmaster, a man of more
foresight than we, asked If we had got passports?
No, said I to him; of passports We never had the whim. Strong ones I believe it would need To recall, to our
side of the limit, Subjects of Pluto King of the Dead: But, from the Germanic Empire Into the gallant and
cynical abode Of Messieurs your pretty Frenchmen, A jolly and beaming air, Rubicund faces, not ignorant
of wine, These are the passports which, legible if you look on us, Our troop produces to you for that end.
Non, lui disje, des passeports Nous n'eumes jamais la folie. Il en faudrait, je crois, de forts Pour
ressusciter a la vie De chez Pluton le roi des morts; Mais de l'empire germanique Au sejour galant et cynique
De Messieurs vos jolis Francais, Un air rebondissant et frais, Une face rouge et bachique, Sont les
passeports qu'en nos traits Vous produit ici notre clique.
"No, Messieurs, said the provident Master of Passports; no salvation without passport. Seeing then that
Necessity had got us in the dilemma of either manufacturing passports ourselves or not entering Strasburg,
we took the former branch of the alternative and manufactured one;in which feat, the Prussian arms, which
I had on my seal, were marvellously furthersome."
This is a fact, as the old Newspapers and confirmatory Fassmann more directly apprise us. "The Landlord [or
Postmaster] at Kehl, having signified that there was no crossing without Passport," Friedrich, at first,
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somewhat taken aback, bethought him of his watchseal with the Royal Arms on it; and soon manufactured
the necessary Passport, signeted in due form;which, however, gave a suspicion to the Innkeeper as to the
quality of his Guest. After which, Tuesday evening, 23d August, "they at once got across to Strasburg," says
my Newspaper Friend, "and put up at the SIGN OF THE RAVEN, there." Or in Friedrich's own jingle:
"We arrived at Strasburg; and the Customhouse corsair, with his inspectors, seemed content with our
evidences.
These scoundrels spied us, With one eye reading our passport, With the other ogling our purse. Gold, which
was always a resource, Which brought, Jove to the enjoyment Of Danae whom he caressed; Gold, by which
Caesar governed The world happy under his sway; Gold, more a divinity than Mars or Love;
Wonderworking Gold introduced us That evening, within the walls of Strasburg." [Given thus far, with
several slight errors, in Voltaire, ii. 2426;the remainder, long unknown, had to be fished up, patch by
patch (Preuss, OEuvres de Frederic, xiv. 159161).]
Ces scelerats nous epiaient, D'un oeil le passeport lisaient, De l'autre lorgnaient notre bourse. L'or, qui
toujours fut de ressource, Par lequel Jupin jouissait De Danae, qu'il caressait; L'or, par qui Cesar
gouvernait Le monde heureux sous son empire; L'or, plus dieu que Mars et l'Amour, Le soir, dans les murs
de Strasbourg.
Sad doggerel; permissible perhaps as a sample of the Friedrich manufacture, surely not otherwise! There
remains yet more than half of it; readers see what their foolish craving has brought upon them! Doggerel out
of which no clear story, such story as there is, can be had; though, except the exaggeration and contortion,
there is nothing of fiction in it. We fly to the Newspaper, happily at least a prose composition, which begins
at this point; and shall use the Doggerel henceforth as illustration only or as repetition in the
Friedrichmirror, of a thing OTHERWISE made clear to us:
Having got into Strasburg and the RAVEN HOTEL; Friedrich now on French ground at last, or at least on
HalfFrench, GermanFrench, is intent to make the most of circumstances. The Landlord, with one of
Friedrich's servants, is straightway despatched into the proper coffeehouses to raise a supperparty of
Officers; politely asks any likely Officer, "If he will not do a foreign Gentleman [seemingly of some
distinction, signifies Boniface] the honor to sup with him at the Raven?""No, by Jupiter!" answer the most,
in their various dialects: "who is he that we should sup with him?" Three, struck by the singularity of the
thing, undertake; and with these we must be content. Friedrichor call him M. le Comte Dufour, with Pfuhl,
Schaffgotsch and such escort as we see politely apologizes on the entrance of these officers: "Many
pardons, gentlemen, and many thanks. Knowing nobody; desirous of acquaintance:since you are so good,
how happy, by a little informality, to have brought brave Officers to keep me company, whom I value beyond
other kinds of men!"
The Officers found their host a most engaging gentleman: his supper was superb, plenty of wine, "and one
red kind they had never tasted before, and liked extremely;"of which he sent some bottles to their lodging
next day. The conversation turned on military matters, and was enlivened with the due sallies. This foreign
Count speaks French wonderfully; a brilliant man, whom the others rather fear: perhaps something more than
a Count? The Officers, loath to go, remembered that their two battalions had to parade next morning, that it
was time to be in bed: "I will go to your review," said the Stranger Count: the delighted Officers undertake to
come and fetch him, they settle with him time and method; how happy!
On the morrow, accordingly, they call and fetch him; he looks at the review; review done, they ask him to
supper for this evening: "With pleasure!" and "walks with them about the Esplanade, to see the guard march
by." Before parting, he takes their names, writes them in his tablets; says, with a smile, "He is too much
obliged ever to forget them." This is Wednesday, the 24th of August, 1740; FieldMarshal Broglio is
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Commandant in Strasburg, and these obliging Officers are "of the regiment Piedmont,"their names on the
King's tablets I never heard mentioned by anybody (or never till the King's Doggerel was fished up again).
FieldMarshal Broglio my readers have transiently seen, afar off;"galloping with only one boot," some say
"almost in his shirt," at the Ford of Secchia, in those Italian campaigns, five years ago, the Austrians having
stolen across upon him:he had a furious gallop, with no end of ridicule, on that occasion; is now
Commandant here; and we shall have a great deal more to do with him within the next year or two.
"This same day, 24th, while I [the Newspaper volunteer Reporter or Own Correspondent, seemingly a person
of some standing, whose words carry credibility in the tone of them] was with Field Marshal Broglio our
Governor here, there came two gentlemen to be presented to him; 'German Cavaliers' they were called; who, I
now find, must have been the Prince of Prussia and Algarotti. The FieldMarshal,"a rather highstalking
whiteheaded old military gentleman, bordering on seventy, of Piedmontese air and breed, apt to be sudden
and make flounderings, but the soul of honor, "was very polite to the two Cavaliers, and kept them to dinner.
After dinner there came a sostyled 'Silesian Nobleman,' who likewise was presented to the FieldMarshal,
and affected not to know the other two: him I now find to have been the Prince of Anhalt."
Of his Majesty's supper with the Officers that Wednesday, we are left to think how brilliant it was: his
Majesty, we hear farther, went to the Opera that night,the Polichinello or whatever the "Italian
COMODIE" was;"and a little girl came to his box with two lotterytickets fifteen pence each, begging the
foreign Gentleman for the love of Heaven to buy them of her; which he did, tearing them up at once, and
giving the poor creature four ducats," equivalent to two guineas, or say in effect even five pounds of the
present British currency. The fame of this foreign Count and his party at The Raven is becoming very loud
over Strasburg, especially in military circles. Our volunteer Own Correspondent proceeds (whom we mean to
contrast with the Royal Doggerel by and by):
"Next morning," Thursday, 25th August, "as the Marshal with above two hundred Officers was out walking
on the Esplanade, there came a soldier of the Regiment Luxemburg, who, after some stiff fugling motions, of
the nature of salutation partly, and partly demand for privacy, intimated to the Marshal surprising news: That
the Stranger in The Raven was the King of Prussia in person; he, the soldier, at present of the Regiment
Luxemburg, had in other days, before he deserted, been of the Prussian CrownPrince's regiment; had
consequently seen him in Berlin, Potsdam and elsewhere a thousand times and more, and even stood sentry
where he was: the fact is beyond dispute, your Excellency! said this soldier."Whew!
Whereupon a certain Colonel, Marquis de Loigle, with or without a hint from Broglio, makes off for The
Raven; introduces himself, as was easy; contrives to get invited to stay dinner, which also was easy. During
dinner the foreign Gentleman expressed some wish to see their fortress. Colonel Loigle sends word to
Broglio; Broglio despatches straightway an Officer and fine carriage: "Will the foreign Gentleman do me the
honor?" The foreign Gentleman, still struggling for incognito, declines the uppermost seat of honor in the
carriage; the two Officers, Loigle and this new one, insist on taking the inferior place. Alas, the incognito is
pretty much out. Calling at some coffeehouse or the like on the road, a certain female, "Madame de Fienne,"
named the foreign Gentleman "Sire,"which so startled him that, though he utterly declined such title, the
two Officers saw well how it was.
"After survey of the works, the two attendant Officers had returned to the FieldMarshal; and about 4 P.M.
the high Stranger made appearance there. But the thing had now got wind, 'King of Prussia here incognito!'
The place was full of Officers, who came crowding about him: he escaped deftly into the Marechal's own
Cabinet; sat there, an hour, talking to the Marechal [little admiring the Marechal's talk, as we shall find], still
insisting on the incognito,"to which Broglio, put out in his high paces by this sudden thing, and apt to
flounder, as I have heard, was not polite enough to conform altogether. "What shall I do, in this sudden
case?" poor Broglio is thinking to himself: "must write to Court; perhaps try to detain?" Friedrioh's chief
thought naturally is, One cannot be away out of this too soon. "Sha'n't we go to the Play, then, Monsieur le
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Marechal? Playhour is come!" Own Correspondent of the Newspaper proceeds:
"The Marechal then went to the Play, and all his Officers with him; thinking their royal prize was close at
their heels. Marechal and Officers fairly ahead, coast once clear, their royal prize hastened back to The
Raven, paid his bill; hastily summoning Schaffgotsch and the others within hearing; shot off like lightning;
and was seen in Strasburg no more. Algarotti, who was in the box with Broglio, heard the news in the house;
regretful rumor among the Officers, 'He is gone!' In about a quarter of an hour Algarotti too slipped out; and
vanished by extra post" straight towards Wesel; but could not overtake the King (whose road, in the latter
part of it, went zigzag, on business as is likely), nor see him again till they met in that Town. [From
HeldenGeschichte (i. 420424),
This is the Prose Truth of those fifty or eightandforty hours in Strasburg, which were so mythic and
romantic at that time. Shall we now apply to the Royal Doggerel again, where we left off, and see the other
side of the picture? Once settled in The Raven, within Strasburg's walls, the Doggerel continues:
"You fancy well that there was now something to exercise my curiosity; and what desire I had to know the
French Nation in France itself.
There I saw at length those French, Of whom you have sung the glories; A people despised by the English,
Whom their sad rationality fills with black bile; Those French, whom our Germans Reckon all to be destitute
of sense; Those French, whose History consists of Lovestories, I mean the wandering kind of Love, not the
constant; Foolish this People, headlong, highgoing, Which sings beyond endurance; Lofty in its good
fortune, crawling in its bad; Of an unpitying extent of babble, To hide the vacancy of its ignorant mind. Of
the Trifling it is a tender lover; The Trifling alone takes possession of its brain. People flighty, indiscreet,
imprudent, Turning like the weathercock to every wind. Of the ages of the Caesars those of the Louises are
the shadow; Paris is the ghost, of Rome, take it how you will. No, of those vile French you are not one: You
think; they do not think at all.
La je vis enfin ces Francais Dont vous avez chante la gloire; Peuple meprise' des Anglais, Que leur triste
raison remplit de bile noire; Ces Francais, que nos Allemands Pensent tous prives de bon sens; Ces
Francais, do nt l'amour pourrait dicter l'histoire, Je dis l'amour volage, et non l'amour constant; Ce peuple
fou, brusque et galant, Chansonnier insupportable, Superbe en sa fortune, en son malheur rampant, D'un
bavardage impitoyable, Pour cacher le creux d'un esprit ignorant, Tendre amant de la bagatelle, Elle entre
seule en sa cervelle; Leger, indiscret, imprudent, Comme ume girouette il revire a tout vent. Des siecles des
Cesars ceux des Louis sont l'ombre; Rome efface Paris en tout sens, en tout point. Non, des vils Francais
vous n'etes pas du nombre; Vous pensez, ils ne pensent point.
"Pardon, dear Voltaire, this definition of the French; at worst, it is only of those in Strasburg I speak. To
scrape acquaintance, I had to invite some Officers on our arrival, whom of course I did not know.
Three of them came at once, Gayer, more content than Kings; Singing with rusty voice. In verse, their
amorous exploits, Set to a hornpipe.
Trois d'eux s'en vinrent a la fois, Plus gais, plus contents que des rois, Chantant d'une voix enrouee, En vers,
leurs amoureux exploits, Ajustes sur une bourree.
"M. de la Crochardiere and M. Malosa [two names from the tablets, third wanting] had just come from a
dinner where the wine had not been spared.
Of their hot friendship I saw the flame grow, The Universe would have taken us for perfect friends: But the
instant of goodnight blew out the business; Friendship disappeared without regrets, With the games, the
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wine, the table and the viands.
De leur chaude amitie je vis croitre le flamme, L'univers nous eut pris pour des amis parfaits; Mais l'instant
des adieux en detruisit la trame, L'amitie disparut, ssns causer des regrets, Avec le jeu, le vin, et la table, et
les mets.
"Next day, Monsieur the Gouverneur of the Town and Province, Marechal of France, Chevalier of the Orders
of the King, Marechal Duc de Broglio, in fact," who was surprised at Secchia in the late War,
This General always surprised. Whom with regret, young Louis [your King] Saw without breeches in Italy
["With only one boot," was the milder rumor; which we adopted (supra, vol. vi. p. 472), but this sadder one,
too, was current; and "Broglio's breeches," or the vain aspiration after them, like a vanished ghost of
breeches, often enough turn up in the old Pamphlets.] Galloping to hide away his life From the Germans,
unpolite fighters;
Ce general toujours surpris, Qu'a regret le jeune Louis Vit sans culottes en Italie, Courir pour derober sa vie
Aux Germains, guerriers impolis.
this General wished to investigate your Comte Dufour,foreign Count, who the instant he arrives sets about
inviting people to supper that are perfect strangers. He took the poor Count for a sharper; and prudently
advised M. de la Crochardiere not to be duped by him. It was unluckily the good Marechal that proved to be
duped.
He was born for surprise. His white hair, his gray beard, Formed a reverend exterior. Outsides are often
deceptive: He that, by the binding, judges Of a Book and its Author May, after a page of reading, Chance to
recognize his mistake.
Il etait ne pour la surprise. Ses cheveux blancs, sa barbe grise, Formaient un sage exterieur. Le dehors est
souvent trompeur; Qui juge par la reliure D'un ouvrage et de son auteur Dans une page de lecture Peut
reconnaitre son erreur.
"That was my own experience; for of wisdom I could find nothing except in his gray hair and decrepit
appearance. His first opening betrayed him; no great well of wit this Marechal,
Who, drunk with his own grandeur, Informs you of his name and his titles, And authority as good as
unlimited. He cited to me all the records Where his name is registered, Babbled about his immense power,
About his valor, his talents So salutary to France; He forgot that, three years ago [Six to a
nearness,"15th September, 1734," if your Majesty will be exact.] Men did not praise his prudence.
Qui, de sa grandeur enivre; Decline son nom et ses titres, Et son pouvoir a rien borne. Il me cita tous les
registres Ou son nom est enregistre; Bavard de son pouvoir immense, De sa valeur, de ces talents Si
salutaires a la France: Il oubliait, passe trois ans, Qu'on ne louait pas sa prudence.
"Not satisfied with seeing the Marechal, I saw the guard mounted
By these Frenchmen, burning with glory, Who, on four sous a day, Will make of Kings and of Heroes the
memory flourish: Slaves crowned by the hands of Victory, Unlucky herds whom the Court Tinkles hither and
thither by the sound of fife and drum.
A ces Francais brulants de gloire, Dotes de quatre sous par jour, Qui des rois, des heros font fleurir la
memoire, Esclaves couronnes des mains de la victoire, Troupeaux malheureux que la cour Dirige au seul
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bruit du tambour.
"That was my fated term. A deserter from our troops got eye on me, recognised me and denounced me.
This wretched gallowsbird got eye on me; Such is the lot of all earthly things; And so of our fine mystery
The whole secret came to light."
Ce malheureux pendard me vit, C'est le sort de toutes les choses; Ainsi de motre pot aux roses Tout le secret
se decouvrit.
Well; we must take this glimpse, such as it is, into the interior of the young man,fine buoyant, pungent
German spirit, roadways for it very bad, and universal raintorrents falling, yet with coruscations from a
higher quarter;and you can forget, if need be, the "Literature" of this young Majesty, as you would a
staccato on the flute by him! In after months, on new occasion rising, "there was no end to his gibings and
bitter pleasantries on the ridiculous reception Broglio had given him at Strasburg," says Valori, [ Memoires, i.
88.]of which this Doggerel itself offers specimen.
"Probably the weakest Piece I ever translated?" exclaims one, who has translated several such. Nevertheless
there is a straggle of pungent sense in it,like the outskirts of lightning, seen in that dismally wet weather,
which the Royal Party had. Its wit is very copious, but slashy, bantery, and proceeds mainly by exaggeration
and turning topsyturvy; a rather barren species of wit. Of humor, in the fine poetic sense, no vestige. But
there is surprising veracity,truthfulness unimpeachable, if you will read well. What promptitude,
too;what funds for conversation, when needed! This scraggy Piece, which is better than the things people
often talk to one another, was evidently written as fast as the pen could go."It is done, if such a Hand could
have DONE it, in the manner of Bachaumont and La Chapelle," says Voltaire scornfully, in that scandalous
VIE PRIVEE;of which phrase this is the commentary, if readers need one:
"Some seventy or eighty years before that date, a M. Bachaumont and a M. la Chapelle, his intimate,
published, in Prose skipping off into dancings of Verse every now and then, 'a charming RELATION of a
certain VOYAGE or Home Tour' (whence or whither, or correctly when, this Editor forgets), ["First printed
in 1665," say the Bibliographies; "but known to La Fontaine some time before." Good!Bachaumont,
practically an important and distinguished person, not literary by trade, or indeed otherwise than by ennui,
was he that had given (some fifteen years before) the Nickname FRONDE (Bickering of Schoolboys) to the
wretched Historical Object which is still so designated in French annals.] which they had made in
partnership. 'RELATION' capable still of being read, if one were tolerably idle;it was found then to be
charming, by all the world; and gave rise to a new fashion in writing; which Voltaire often adopts, and is
supremely good at; and in which Friedrich, who is also fond of it, by no means succeeds so well."
Enough, Friedrich got to Wesel, back to his business, in a day or two; and had done, as we forever have, with
the Strasburg Escapade and its Doggerel.
FRIEDRICH FINDS M. DE MAUPERTUIS; NOT YET M. DE VOLTAIRE.
Friedrich got to Wesel on the 29th; found Maupertuis waiting there, according to appointment: an elaborately
polite, somewhat sublime scientific gentleman; ready to "engraft on the Berlin crabtree," and produce real
apples and Academics there, so soon as the King, the proprietor, may have leisure for such a thing. Algarotti
has already the honor of some acquaintance with Maupertuis. Maupertuis has been at Brussels, on the road
hither; saw Voltaire and even Madame,which latter was rather a ticklish operation, owing to grudges and
tiffs of quarrel that had risen, but it proved successful under the delicate guidance of Voltaire. Voltaire is up
to oiling the wheels: "There you are, Monsieur, like the [don't name What, though profane Voltaire does,
writing to Maupertuis a month ago]Three Kings running after you!" A new Pension to you from France;
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Russia outbidding France to have you; and then that LETTER of Friedrich's, which is in all the Newspapers:
"Three Kings,"you plainly great man, Trismegistus of the Sciences called Pure! Madame honors you, has
always done: one word of apology to the high female mind, it will work wonders; come now! [Voltaire,
OEuvres, lxxii. 217, 216, 230 (Hague, 21st July, 1740, and Brussels, 9th Aug.
No reader guesses in our time what a shining celestial body the Maupertuis, who is now fallen so dim again,
then was to mankind. In cultivated French society there is no such lion as M. Maupertuis since he returned
from flattening the Earth in the Arctic regions. "The Exact Sciences, what else is there to depend on?" thinks
French cultivated society: "and has not Monsieur done a feat in that line?" Monsieur, with fine exmilitary
manners, has a certain austere gravity, reticent loftiness and polite dogmatism, which confirms that opinion.
A studious exmilitary man,was Captain of Dragoons once, but too fond of study,who is conscious to
himself, or who would fain be conscious, that he is, in all points, mathematical, moral and other, the man. A
difficult man to live with in society. Comes really near the limit of what we call genius, of originality, poetic
greatness in thinking;but never once can get fairly over said limit, though always struggling dreadfully to
do so. Think of it! A fatal kind of man; especially if you have made a lion of him at any time. Of his envies,
deephidden splenetic discontents and rages, with Voltaire's return for them, there will be enough to say in
the ulterior stages. He wearsat least ten years hence he openly wears, though I hope it is not yet so
flagrant"a red wig with yellow bottom (CRINIERE JAUNE);" and as Flattener of the Earth, is, with his
own flattish red countenance and impregnable stony eyes, a man formidable to look upon, though intent to be
amiable if you do the proper homage. As to the quarrel with Madame take this Note; which may prove
illustrative of some things by and by:
Maupertuis is well known at Cirey; such a lion could not fail there. All manner of Bernouillis, Clairauts, high
mathematical people, are frequent guests at Cirey: reverenced by Madame,who indeed has had her own
private Professor of Mathematics; one Konig from Switzerland (recommended by those Bernouillis),
diligently teaching her the Pure Sciences this good while back, not without effect; and has only just parted
with him, when she left on this Brussels expedition. A BON GARCON, Voltaire says; though otherwise, I
think, a little noisy on occasion. There has been no end of Madame's kindness to him, nay to his Brother and
him,sons of a Theological Professorial SyriacHebrew kind of man at Berne, who has too many
sons;and I grieve to report that this heedless Konig has produced an explosion in Madame's feelings, such
as little beseemed him. On the road to Paris, namely, as we drove hitherward to the Honsbruck Lawsuit by
way of Paris, in Autumn last, there had fallen out some dispute, about the monads, the VIS VIVA, the
infinitely little, between Madame and Konig; dispute which rose CRESCENDO in disharmonious duet, and
"ended," testifies M. de Voltaire, "in a scene TRESDESAGREABLE." Madame, with an effort, forgave the
thoughtless fellow, who is still rather young, and is without malice. But thoughtless Konig, strong in his
opinion about the infinitely little, appealed to Maupertuis: "Am not I right, Monsieur?" "HE is right beyond
question!" wrote Maupertuis to Madame; "somewhat dryly," thinks Voltaire: and the result is, there is
considerable rage in one celestial mind ever since against another male one in red wig and yellow bottom;
and they are not on speaking terms, for a good many months past. Voltaire has his heart sore ("J'EN AI LE
COEUR PERCE") about it, needs to doubledose Maupertuis with flattery; and in fact has used the utmost
diplomacy to effect some varnish of a reconcilement as Maupertuis passed on this occasion. As for Konig,
who had studied in some Dutch university, he went by and by to be Librarian to the Prince of Orange; and we
shall not fail to hear of him again,once more upon the infinitely little. [From OEuvres de Voltaire, ii. 126,
lxxii. (20, 216, 230), lxiii. (229239),
Voltaire too, in his way, is fond of these mathematical people; eager enough to fish for knowledge, here as in
all elements, when he has the chance offered: this is much an interest of his at present. And he does attain
sound ideas, outlines of ideas, in this province,though privately defective in the due transcendency of
admiration for it;was wont to discuss cheerily with Konig, about VIS VIVA, monads, gravitation and the
infinitely little; above all, bows to the ground before the redwigged Bashaw, Flattener of the Earth, whom
for Madame's sake and his own he is anxious to be well with. "Fall on your face nine times, ye esoteric of
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only Impure Science!"intimates Maupertuis to mankind. "By all means!" answers M. de Voltaire, doing it
with alacrity; with a kind of loyalty, one can perceive, and also with a hypocrisy grounded on love of peace.
If that is the nature of the Bashaw, and one's sole mode of fishing knowledge from him, why not? thinks M.
de Voltaire. His patience with M. de Maupertuis, first and last, was very great. But we shall find it explode at
length, a dozen years hence, in a conspicuous manner!
"Maupertuis had come to us to Cirey, with Jean Bernouilli," says Voltaire; "and thenceforth Maupertuis, who
was born the most jealous of men, took me for the object of this passion, which has always been very dear to
him." [VIE PRIVEE.] Husht, Monsieur! Here is a poor rheumatic kind of Letter, which illustrates the
interim condition, after that varnish of reconcilement at Brussels:
VOLTAIRE TO M. DE MAUPERTUIS (at Wesel, waiting for the King,
or with him rather).
"BRUSSELS, 29th August (1740), 3d year since
the world flattened. "How the Devil, great Philosopher, would you have had me write to you at Wesel? I
fancied you gone from Wesel, to seek the King of Sages on his Journey somewhere. I had understood, too,
they were so delighted to have you in that fortified lodge (BOUGE FORTIFIE) that you must be taking
pleasure there, for he that gives pleasure gets it.
"You have already seen the jolly Ambassador of the amiablest Monarch in the world,"Camas, a fattish
man, on his road to Versailles (who called at Brussels here, with fine compliments, and a keg of Hungary
Wine, as YOU may have heard whispered). "No doubt M. de Camas is with you. For my own share, I think it
is after you that he is running at present. But in truth, at the hour while I say this, you are with the King;"a
lucky guess; King did return to Wesel this very day. "The Philosopher and the Prince perceive already that
they are made for each other. You and M. Algarotti will say, FACIAMUS HIC TRIA TABERNACULA: as
to me, I can only make DUO TABERNACULA,"profane Voltaire!
"Without doubt I would be with you if I were not at Brussels; but my heart is with you all the same; and is the
subject, all the same, of a King who is, formed to reign over every thinking and feeling being. I do not despair
that Madame du Chatelet will find herself somewhere on your route: it will be a scene in a fairy tale;she
will arrive with a SUFFICIENT REASON [as your Leibnitz says] and with MONADS. She does not love
you the less though she now believes the universe a PLENUM, and has renounced the notion of VOID. Over
her you have an ascendant which you will never lose. In fine, my dear Monsieur, I wish as ardently as she to
embrace you the soonest possible. I recommend myself to your friendship in the Court, worthy of you, where
you now are."TOUT A VOUS, somewhat rheumatic! [Voltaire, lxxii. p. 243.]
Always an anxious almost tremulous desire to conciliate this big glaring geometrical bully in red wig.
Through the sensitive transparent being of M. de Voltaire, you may see that feeling almost painfully busy in
every Letter he writes to the Flattener of the Earth.
Chapter IV. VOLTAIRE'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH FRIEDRICH.
At Wesel, in the rear of all this travelling and excitement, Friedrich falls unwell; breaks down there into an
aguish feverish distemper, which, for several months after, impeded his movements, would he have yielded to
it. He has much business on hand, too, some of it of prickly nature just now;but is intent as ever on
seeing Voltaire, among the first things. Diligently reading in the VoltaireFriedrich Correspondence (which
is a sad jumble of misdates and opacities, in the common editions), [Preuss (the recent latest Editor, and the
only wellinformed one, as we said) prints with accuracy; but cannot be read at all (in the sense of
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UNDERSTOOD) without other light.] this of the aguish condition frequently turns up; "Quartan ague," it
seems; occasionally very bad; but Friedrich struggles with it; will not be cheated of any of his purposes by it.
He had a busy fortnight here; busier than we yet imagine. Much employment there naturally is of the usual
Inspection sort; which fails in no quarter of his Dominions, but which may be particularly important here, in
these disputed BergJulich Countries, when the time of decision falls. How he does his Inspections we
know;and there are still weightier matters afoot here, in a silent way, of which we shall have to speak
before long, and all the world will speak. Business enough, parts of it grave and silent, going on, and the
much that is public, miscellaneous, small: done, all of it, in a rapidpunctual precise manner;and always,
after the crowded day, some passages of Supper with the Sages, to wind up with on melodious terms. A most
alert and miscellaneously busy young King, in spite of the ague.
It was in these Cleve Countries, and now as probably as afterwards, that the light scene recorded in Laveaux's
poor HISTORY, and in all the AnecdoteBooks, transacted itself one day. Substance of the story is true;
though the details of it go all at random,somewhat to this effect:
"Inspecting his Finance Affairs, and questioning the parties interested, Friedrich notices a certain Convent in
Cleve, which appears to have, payable from the Forestdues, considerable revenues bequeathed by the old
Dukes, 'for masses to be said on their behalf.' He goes to look at the place; questions the Monks on this point,
who are all drawn out in two rows, and have broken into TEDEUM at sight of him: 'Husht! You still say
those Masses, then?' 'Certainly, your Majesty!''And what good does anybody get of them?' 'Your Majesty,
those old Sovereigns are to obtain Heavenly mercy by them, to be delivered out of Purgatory by
them.''Purgatory? It is a sore thing for the Forests, all this while! And they are not yet out, those poor
souls, after so many hundred years of praying?' Monks have a fatal apprehension, No. 'When will they be out,
and the thing complete?' Monks cannot say. 'Send me a courier whenever it is complete!' sneers the King, and
leaves them to their TEDEUM." [C. Hildebrandt's Modern Edition of the (mostly dubious) Anekdoten und
Charakterzuge aus dem Leben Friedrichs des Grossen (and a very ignorant and careless Edition it is; 6 vols.
12mo, Halberstadt, 1829), ii. 160; Laveaus (whom we already cited), Vie de Frederic; Nicolai's Anekdoten
alone, which are not included in this Hildebrandt Collection, are of sure authenticity; the rest, occasionally
true, and often with a kind of MYTHIC truth in them worth attending to, are otherwise of all degrees of
dubiety, down to the palpably false and absurd.]
Mournful state of the Catholic Religion so called! How long must these wretched Monks go on doing their
lazy thricedeleterious torpid blasphemy; and a King, not histrionic but real, merely signify that he laughs at
them and it? Meseems a heavier whip than that of satire might be in place here, your Majesty? The lighter
whip is easier;Ah yes, undoubtedly! cry many men. But horrible accounts are running up, enough to sink
the world at last, while the heavier whip is lazily withheld, and lazy blasphemy, fallen torpid, chronic, and
quite unconscious of being blasphemous, insinuates itself into the very heart'sblood of mankind! Patience,
however; the heavy whip too is coming,unless universal death be coming. King Friedrich is not the man to
wield such whip. Quite other work is in store for King Friedrich; and Nature will not, by any suggestion of
that terrible task, put him out in the one he has. He is nothing of a Luther, of a Cromwell; can look upon
fakirs praying by their rotatory calabash, as a ludicrous platitude; and grin delicately as above, with the
approval of his wiser contemporaries. Speed to him on his own course!
What answer Friedrich found to his English proposals,answer due here on the 24th from Captain
Dickens,I do not pointedly learn; but can judge of it by Harrington's reply to that Despatch of Dickens's,
which entreated candor and open dealing towards his Prussian Majesty. Harrington is at Herrenhausen, still
with the Britannic Majesty there; both of them much at a loss about their Spanish War, and the French and
other aspects upon it: "Suppose his Prussian Majesty were to give himself to France against us!" We will
hope, not. Harrington's reply is to the effect, "Hum, drum:Berg and Julich, say you? Impossible to answer;
minds not made up here:What will his Prussian Majesty do for US?" Not much, I should guess, till
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something more categorical come from you! His Prussian Majesty is careful not to spoil anything by
overhaste; but will wait and try farther to the utmost, Whether England or France is the likelier bargain for
him.
Better still, the Prussian Majesty is intent to do something for himself in that BergJulich matter: we find him
silently examining these Wesel localities for a proper "entrenched Camp," Camp say of 40,000, against a
certain contingency that may be looked for. Camp which will much occupy the Gazetteers when they get eye
on it. This is one of the concerns he silently attends to, on occasion, while riding about in the Cleve
Countries. Then there is another small item of business, important to do well, which is now in silence
diligently getting under way at Wesel; which also is of remarkable nature, and will astonish the Gazetteer and
Diplomatic circles. This is the affair with the Bishop of Liege, called also the Affair of Herstal, which his
Majesty has had privately laid up in the corner of his mind, as a thing to be done during this Excursion. Of
which the reader shall hear anon, to great lengths, were a certain small preliminary matter, Voltaire's
Arrival in these parts, once off our hands.
Friedrich's First Meeting with Voltaire! These other high things were once loud in the Gazetteer and
Diplomatic circles, and had no doubt they were the World's History; and now they are sunk wholly to the
Nightmares, and all mortals have forgotten them,and it is such a task as seldom was to resuscitate the least
memory of them, on just cause of a Friedrich or the like, so impatient are men of what is putrid and
extinct:and a quite unnoticed thing, Voltaire's First Interview, all readers are on the alert for it, and ready
to demand of me impossibilities about it! Patience, readers. You shall see it, without and within, in such light
as there was, and form some actual notion of it, if you will cooperate. From the circumambient inanity of
Old Newspapers, Historical shotrubbish, and unintelligible Correspondences, we sift out the following
particulars, of this First Meeting, or actual Osculation of the Stars.
The Newspapers, though their eyes were not yet of the Argus quality now familiar to us, have been intent on
Friedrich during this BaireuthCleve Journey, especially since that sudden eclipse of him at Strasburg lately;
forming now one scheme of route for him, now another; Newspapers, and even private friends, being a good
deal uncertain about his movements. Rumor now ran, since his reappearance in the Cleve Countries, that
Friedrich meant to have a look at Holland before going home, And that had, in fact, been a notion or intention
of Friedrich's. "Holland? We could pass through Brussels on the way, and see Voltaire!" thought he.
In Brussels this was, of course, the rumor of rumors. As Voltaire's Letters, visibly in a twitter, still testify to
us. King of Prussia coming! Madame du Chatelet, the "Princess Tour" (that is, TourandTaxis), all manner
of high Dames are on the tiptoe. Princess Tour hopes she shall lodge this unparalleled Prince in her Palace:
"You, Madame?" answers the Du Chatelet, privately, with a toss of her head: "His Majesty, I hope, belongs
more to M. de Voltaire and me: he shall lodge here, please Heaven!" Voltaire, I can observe, has sublime
hostelry arrangements chalked out for his Majesty, in case he go to Paris; which he does n't, as we know.
Voltaire is all on the alert, awake to the great contingencies far and near; the ChateletVoltaire
breakfasttable,fancy it on those interesting mornings, while the post comes round! [Voltaire, xxii.
238256 (Letters 22d August22d September, 1740).]
Alas, in the first days of September,Friedrich's Letter is dated "Wesel, 2d" (and has the STRASBURD
DOGGEREL enclosed in it),the Brussels Postman delivers far other intelligence at one's door; very
mortifying to Madame: "That his Majesty is fallen ill at Wesel; has an aguish fever hanging on him, and only
hopes to come:" VOILA, Madame!Next Letter, Wesel, Monday, 5th September, is to the effect: "Do still
much hope to come; tomorrow is my trembling day; if that prove to be off!"Out upon it, that proves not
to be off; that is on: next Letter, Tuesday, September 6th, which comes by express (Courier dashing up with
it, say on the Thursday following) is,alas, Madame!here it is:
KING FRIEDRICH TO M. DE VOLTAIRE AT BRUSSELS.
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"WESEL, 6th September, 1740. "MY DEAR VOLTAIRE,In spite of myself, I have to yield to the
Quartan Fever, which is more tenacious than a Jansenist; and whatever desire I had of going to Antwerp and
Brussels, I find myself not in a condition to undertake such a journey without risk. I would ask of you, then,
if the road from Brussels to Cleve would not to you seem too long for a meeting; it is the one means of seeing
you which remains to me. Confess that I am unlucky; for now when I could dispose of my person, and
nothing hinders me from seeing you, the fever gets its hand into the business, and seems to intend disputing
me that satisfaction.
"Let us deceive the fever, my dear Voltaire; and let me at least have the pleasure of embracing you. Make my
best excuses [polite, rather than sincere] to Madame the MARQUISE, that I cannot have the satisfaction of
seeing her at Brussels. All that are about me know the intention I was in; which certainly nothing but the
fever could have made me change.
"Sunday next I shall be at a little Place near Cleve,"Schloss of Moyland, which, and the route to which,
this Courier can tell you of;"where I shall be able to possess you at my ease. If the sight of you don't cure
me, I will send for a Confessor at once. Adieu; you know my sentiments and my heart. [Preuss, OEuvres de
Frederic, xxii. 27.] FREDERIC."
After which the Correspondence suddenly extinguishes itself; ceases for about a fortnight,in the bad
misdated Editions even does worse;and we are left to thick darkness, to our own poor shifts; Dryasdust
being grandly silent on this small interest of ours. What is to be done?
PARTICULARS OF FIRST INTERVIEW, ON SEVERE SCRUTINY.
Here, from a painful Predecessor whose Papers I inherit, are some old documents and Studies on the
subject,sorrowful collection, in fact, of what poor sparks of certainty were to be found hovering in that
dark element;which do at last (so luminous are certainties always, or "sparks" that will shine steady)
coalesce into some feeble general twilight, feeble but indubitable; and even show the sympathetic reader how
they were searched out and brought together. We number and label these poor Patches of Evidence on so
small a matter; and leave them to the curious:
No. 1. DATE OF THE FIRST INTERVIEW. It is certain Voltaire did arrive at the little Schloss of Moyland,
September llth, Sunday night,which is the "Sunday" just specified in Friedrich's Letter. Voltaire had at
once decided on complying,what else? and lost no time in packing himself: King's Courier on Thursday
late; Voltaire on the road on Saturday early, or the night before. With Madame's shrill blessing (not the most
musical in this vexing case), and plenty of fuss. "Was wont to travel in considerable style," I am told; "the
innkeepers calling him "Your Lordship (M. LE COMTE)." Arrives, sure enough, Sunday night; old Schloss
of Moyland, six miles from Cleve; "moonlight," I find,the Harvest Moon. Visit lasted three days.
[Rodenbeck, p. 21; Preuss,
No. 2. VOLTAIRE'S DRIVE THITHER. Schloss Moyland: How far from Brussels, and by what route? By
Louvain, Tillemont, Tongres to Maestricht; then from Maestricht up the Maas (left bank) to Venlo, where
cross; through Geldern and Goch to Cleve: between the Maas and Rhine this last portion. Flat damp country;
tolerably under tillage; original constituents bog and sand. Distances I guess to be: To Tongres 60 miles and
odd; to Maestricht 12 or 15, from Maestricht 75; in all 150 miles English. Two days' driving? There is
equinoctial moon, and still above twelve hours of sunlight for "M. le Comte."
No. 3. OF THE PLACE WHERE. Voltaire, who should have known, calls it "PETIT CHATEAU DE
MEUSE;" which is a Castle existing nowhere but in Dreams. Other French Biographers are still more
imaginary. The little Schloss of Moylandby no means "Meuse," nor even MORS, which Voltaire probably
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means in saying CHATEAU DE MEUSEwas, as the least inquiry settles beyond question, the place where
Voltaire and Friedrich first met. Friedrich Wilhelm used often to lodge there in his Cleve journeys: he made
thither for shelter, in the sickness that overtook him in friend Ginkel's house, coming home from the Rhine
Campaign in 1734; lay there for several weeks after quitting Ginkel's. Any other light I can get upon it, is
darkness visible. Busching pointedly informs me, [ Erdbeschreibung, v. 659, 677.] "It is a Parish [or patch of
country under one priest], and Till AND it are a Jurisdiction" (pair of patches under one court of
justice):which does not much illuminate the inquiring mind. Small patch, this of Moyland, size not given;
"was bought," says he, "in 1695, by Friedrich afterwards First King, from the Family of Spaen,"we once
knew a Lieutenant Spaen, of those Dutch regions,"and was named a Royal Mansion ever thereafter." Who
lived in it; what kind of thing was it, is it? ALTUM SILENTIUM, from Busching and mankind. Belonged to
the Spaens, fifty years ago;some shadow of our poor banished friend the Lieutenant resting on it? Dim
enough old Mansion, with "court" to it, with modicum of equipment; lying there in the moonlight;did not
look sublime to Voltaire on stepping out. So that all our knowledge reduces itself to this one point: of finding
Moyland in the Map, with DATE, with REMINISCENCE to us, hanging by it henceforth! Good. [Stieler's
Deutschland (excellent Map in 25 Pieces), Piece 12.Till is a mile or two northeast from Moyland;
Moyland about 5 or 6 southeast from Cleve.]
Morswhich is near the Town of Ruhrort, about midway between Wesel and Dusseldorfmust be some
forty miles from Moyland, fortyfive from Cleve; southward of both. So that the place, "A DEUX LIEUES
DE CLEVES," is, even by Voltaire's showing, this Moyland; were there otherwise any doubt upon it.
"CHATEAU DE MEUSE"hanging out a prospect of MORS to usis bad usage to readers. Of an
intelligent man, not to say a Trismegistus of men, one expects he will know in what town he is, after three
days' experience, as here. But he does not always; he hangs out a mere "shadow of Mars by moonlight," till
we learn better. Duvernet, his Biographer, even calls it "SLEUSMEUSE;" some wonderful idea of Sluices
and a River attached to it, in Duvernet's head! [Duvernet (2d FORM of him,that is, Vie de Voltaire par T.
J. D. V.), p. 117.]
WHAT VOLTAIRE THOUGHT OF THE INTERVIEW TWENTY YEARS AFTERWARDS
Of the Interview itself, with general bird'seye view of the Visit combined (in a very incorrect state), there is
direct testimony by Voltaire himself. Voltaire himself, twenty years after, in far other humor, all jarred into
angry sarcasm, for causes we shall see by and by,Voltaire, at the request of friends, writes down, as his
Friedrich Reminiscences, that scandalous VIE PRIVEE above spoken of, a most sad Document; and this is
the passage referring to "the little Place in the neighborhood of Cleve," where Friedrich now waited for him:
errors corrected by our laborious Friend. After quoting something of that Strasburg Doggerel, the whole of
which is now too well known to us, Voltaire proceeds:
"From Strasburg he," King Friedrich, "went to see his Lower German Provinces; he said he would come and
see me incognito at Brussels. We prepared a fine house for him,"were ready to prepare such hired house as
we had for him, with many apologies for its slight degree of perfection (ERROR FIRST),"but having
fallen ill in the little MansionRoyal of Meuse (CHATEAU DE MEUSE), a couple of leagues from
Cleve,"fell ill at Wesel; and there is no Chateau de MEUSE in the world (ERRORS 2d AND 3d),"he
wrote to me that he expected I would make the advances. I went, accordingly, to present my profound
homages. Maupertuis, who already had his views, and was possessed with the rage of being President to an
Academy, had of his own accord,"no, being invited, and at my suggestion (ERROR 4th),"presented
himself there; and was lodged with Algarotti and Keyserling [which latter, I suppose, had come from Berlin,
not being of the Strasburg party, he] in a garret of this Palace.
"At the door of the court, I found, by way of guard, one soldier. PrivyCouncillor Rambonet, Minister of
State[very subaltern man; never heard of him except in the Herstal Business, and here] was walking in the
court; blowing in his fingers to keep them warm." Sunday night, 11th September, 1740; world all bathed in
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moonshine; and mortals mostly shrunk into their huts, out of the raw air. "He" Rambonet "wore big linen
ruffles at his wrists, very dirty [visibly so in the moonlight? ERROR 5th extends AD LIBITUM over all the
following details]; a holed hat; an old official periwig,"ruined into a totally unsymmetric state, as would
seem,"one side of which hung down into one of his pockets, and the other scarcely crossed his shoulder. I
was told, this man was now intrusted with an affair of importance here; and that proved true,"the Herstal
Affair.
"I was led into his Majesty's apartment. Nothing but four bare walls there. By the light of a candle, I
perceived, in a closet, a little trucklebed two feet and a half broad, on which lay a man muffled up in a
dressinggown of coarse blue duffel: this was the King, sweating and shivering under a wretched blanket
there, in a violent fit of fever. I made my reverence, and began the acquaintance by feeling his pulse, as if I
had been his chief physician. The fit over, he dressed himself, and took his place at table. Algarotti,
Keyserling, Maupertuis, and the King's Envoy to the StatesGeneral"one Rasfeld (skilled in HERSTAL
matters, I could guess),"we were of this supper, and discussed, naturally in a profound manner, the
Immortality of the Soul, Liberty, Fate, the Androgynes of Plato [the ANDROGYNOI, or MenWomen, in
Plato's CONVIVIUM; by no means the finest symbolic fancy of the divine Plato],and other small topics of
that nature." [Voltaire, OEuvres, (Piece once called VIE PRIVEE), ii. 26, 27.]
This is Voltaire's account of the Visit,which included three "Suppers," all huddled into one by him
here;and he says nothing more of it; launching off now into new errors, about HERSTAL, the
ANTIMACHIAVEL, and so forth: new and uglier errors, with much more of mendacity and serious malice
in them, than in this harmless halfdozen now put on the score against him.
Of this SupperParty, I know by face four of the guests: Maupertuis, Voltaire, Algarotti,
Keyserling;Rasfeld, Rambonet can sit as simulacra or mute accompaniment. Voltaire arrived on Sunday
evening; stayed till Wednesday. Wednesday morning, 14th of the month, the Party broke up: Voltaire rolling
off to left hand, towards Brussels, or the Hague; King to right, on inspection business, and circuitously
homewards. Three Suppers there had been, two busy Days intervening; discussions about Fate and the
Androgynoi of Plato by no means the one thing done by Voltaire and the rest, on this occasion. We shall find
elsewhere, "he declaimed his MAHOMET" (sublime new Tragedy, not yet come out), in the course of these
three evenings, to the "speechless admiration" of his Royal Host, for one; and, in the daytime, that he even
drew his pen about the Herstal Business, which is now getting to its crisis, and wrote one of the Manifestoes,
still discoverable. And we need not doubt, in spite of his now sneering tone, that things ran high and grand
here, in this paltry little Schloss of Moyland; and that those three were actually Suppers of the Gods, for the
time being.
"Councillor Rambonet,', with the holed hat and unsymmetric wig, continues Voltaire in the satirical vein,
"had meanwhile mounted a hired hack (CHEVAL DE LOUAGE;" mischievous Voltaire, I have no doubt he
went on wheels, probably of his own): "he rode all night; and next morning arrived at the gates of Liege;
where he took Act in the name of the King his Master, whilst 2,000 men of the Wesel Troops laid Liege
under contribution. The pretext of this fine Marching of Troops,"not a pretext at all, but the assertion,
correct in all points, of just claims long trodden down, and now made good with more spirit than had been
expected,"was certain rights which the King pretended to, over a suburb of Liege. He even charged me to
work at a Manifesto; and I made one, good or bad; not doubting but a King with whom I supped, and who
called me his friend, must be in the right. The affair soon settled itself by means of a million of
ducats,"nothing like the sum, as we shall see,"which he exacted by weight, to clear the costs of the Tour
to Strasburg, which, according to his complaint in that Poetic Letter [Doggerel above given], were so heavy."
That is Voltaire's view; grown very corrosive after Twenty Years. He admits, with all the satire: "I naturally
felt myself attached to him; for he had wit, graces; and moreover he was a King, which always forms a potent
seduction, so weak is human nature. Usually it is we of the writing sort that flatter Kings: but this King
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praised me from head to foot, while the Abbe Desfontaines and other scoundrels (GREDINS) were busy
defaming me in Paris at least once a week."
WHAT VOLTAIRE THOUGHT OF THE INTERVIEW AT THE TIME.
But let us take the contemporary account, which also we have at first hand; which is almost pathetic to read;
such a contrast between ruddy morning and the storms of the afternoon! Here are two Letters from Voltaire;
fine transparent human Letters, as his generally are: the first of them written directly on getting back to the
Hague, and to the feeling of his eclipsed condition.
VOLTAIRE TO M. DE MAUPERTUIS (with the King).
"THE HAGUE, 18th September, 1740. "I serve you, Monsieur, sooner than I promised; and that is the way
you ought to be served. I send you the answer of M. Smith," probably some German or Dutch SCHMIDT,
spelt here in English, connected with the Sciences, say with watercarriage, the typographies, or one need not
know what; "you will see where the question stands. "When we both left Cleve,"14th of the month,
Wednesday last; 18th is Sunday, in this old cobwebby Palace, where I am correcting
ANTIMACHIAVEL,"and you took to the right,"King, homewards, got to HAM that evening,"I
could have thought I was at the Last Judgment, where the Bon Dieu separates the elect from the damned.
DIVUS FREDERICUS said to you, 'Sit down at my right hand in the Paradise of Berlin;' and to me, 'Depart,
thou accursed, into Holland.'
"Here I am accordingly in this phlegmatic place of punishment, far from the divine fire which animates the
Friedrichs, the Maupertuis, the Algarottis. For God's love, do me the charity of some sparks in these stagnant
waters where I am,"stiffening, cooling,"stupefying to death. Instruct me of your pleasures, of your
designs. You will doubtless see M. de Valori,"readers know de Valori; his Book has been published;
edited, as too usual, by a Human Nightmare, ignorant of his subject and indeed of almost all other things, and
liable to mistakes in every page; yet partly readable, if you carry lanterns, and love "MON GROS
VALORI:" "offer him, I pray you, my respects. If I do not write to him, the reason is, I have no news to
send: I should be as exact as I am devoted, if my correspondence could be useful or agreeable to him.
"Won't you have me send you some Books? If I be still in Holland when your orders come, I will obey in a
moment. I pray you do not forget me to M. de Keyserling,"Caesarion whom we once had at Cirey; a
headlong dusky little man of wit (library turned topsy turvy, as Wilhelmina called him), whom we have
seen.
"Tell me, I beg, if the enormous monad of Volfius[Wolf, would the reader like to hear about him? If so, he
has only to speak!] is arguing at Marburg, at Berlin, or at Hall [HALLE, which is a very different place].
"Adieu, Monsieur: you can address your orders to me 'At the Hague:' they will be forwarded wherever I am;
and I shall be, anywhere on earth,Yours forever (A VOUS POUR JAMAIS)." [Voltaire, lxxii. 252.]
Letter Second, of which a fragment may be given, is to one Cideville, a month later; all the more genuine as
there was no chance of the King's hearing about this one. Cideville, some kind of literary Advocate at Rouen
(who is wearisomely known to the reader of Voltaire's Letters), had done, what is rather an endemical
disorder at this time, some Verses for the King of Prussia, which he wished to be presented to his Majesty.
The presentation, owing to accidents, did not take place; hear how Voltaire, from his cobweb Palace at the
Hague, busy with ANTIMACHIAVEL, Van Duren and many other things,18th October, 1740, on which
day we find him writing many Letters,explains the sad accident:
VOLTAIRE TO M. DE CIDEVILLE (at Rouen).
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"AT THE HAGUE, KING OF PRUSSIA'S PALACE, 18th October, 1740.
"... This is my case, dear Cideville. When you sent me, enclosed in your Letter, those Verses (among which
there are some of charming and inimitable turn) for our Marcus Aurelius of the North, I did well design to
pay my court to him with them. He was at that time to have come to Brussels incognito: we expected him
there; but the Quartan Fever, which unhappily he still has, deranged all his projects. He sent me a courier to
Brussels," mark that point, my Cideville;"and so I set out to find him in the neighborhood of Cleve.
"It was there I saw one of the amiablest men in the world, who forms the charm of society, who would be
everywhere sought after if he were not King; a philosopher without austerity; full of sweetness, complaisance
and obliging ways (AGREMENS); not remembering that he is King when he meets his friends; indeed so
completely forgetting it that he made me too almost forget it, and I needed an effort of memory to recollect
that I here saw sitting at the foot of my bed a Sovereign who had an Army of 100,000 men. That was the
moment to have read your amiable Verses to him:"yes; but then?"Madame du Chatelet, who was to
have sent them to me, did not, NE L'A PA FAIT." Alas, no, they are still at Brussels, those charming Verses;
and I, for a month past, am here in my cobweb Palace! But I swear to you, the instant I return to Brussels, I,
[Voltaire, lxii. 282.]
Finally, here is what Friedrich thought of it, ten days after parting with Voltaire. We will read this also
(though otherwise ahead of us as yet); to be certified on all sides, and sated for the rest of our lives,
concerning the FriedrichVoltaire First Interview.
KING FRIEDRICH TO M. JORDAN (at Berlin).
POTSDAM, 24th September, 1740.
"Most respectable Inspector of the poor, the invalids, orphans, crazy people and Bedlams,I have read with
mature meditation the very profound Jordanic Letter which was waiting here;"and do accept your learned
proposal.
"I have seen that Voltaire whom I was so curious to know; but I saw him with the Quartan hanging on me,
and my mind as unstrung as my body. With men of his kind one ought not to be sick; one ought even to be
specially well, and in better health than common, if one could.
"He has the eloquence of Cicero, the mildness of Pliny, the wisdom of Agrippa; he combines, in short, what
is to be collected of virtues and talents from the three greatest men of Antiquity. His intellect is at work
incessantly; every drop of ink is a trait of wit from his pen. He declaimed his MAHOMET to us, an admirable
Tragedy which he has done,"which the Official people smelling heresies in it ("toleration," "horrors of
fanaticism," and the like) will not let him act, as readers too well know:"he transported us out of ourselves;
I could only admire and hold my tongue. The Du Chatelet is lucky to have him: for of the good things he
flings out at random, a person who had no faculty but memory might make a brilliant Book. That Minerva
has just published her Work on PHYSICS: not wholly bad. It was Konig"whom we know, and whose late
tempest in a certain teapot"that dictated the theme to her: she has adjusted, ornamented here and there with
some touch picked from Voltaire at her Suppers. The Chapter on Space is pitiable; the"in short, she is still
raw in the Pure Sciences, and should have waited. ...
"Adieu, most learned, most scientific, most profound Jordan,or rather most gallant, most amiable, most
jovial Jordan;I salute thee, with assurance of all those old feelings which thou hast the art of inspiring in
every one that knows thee. VALE.
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"I write the moment of my arrival: be obliged to me, friend; for I have been working, I am going to work still,
like a Turk, or like a Jordan." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvii. 71.]
This is hastily thrown off for Friend Jordan, the instant after his Majesty's circuitous return home. Readers
cannot yet attend his Majesty there, till they have brought the Affair of Herstal, and other remainders of the
Cleve Journey, along with them.
Chapter V. AFFAIR OF HERSTAL.
This Rambonet, whom Voltaire found walking in the court of the old Castle of Moyland, is an official
gentleman, otherwise unknown to History, who has lately been engaged in a Public Affair; and is now off
again about it, "on a hired hack" or otherwise,with very good instructions in his head. Affair which, though
in itself but small, is now beginning to make great noise in the world, as Friedrich wends homewards out of
his Cleve Journey. He has set it fairly alight, Voltaire and he, before quitting Moyland; and now it will go of
itself. The Affair of Herstal, or of the Bishop of Liege; Friedrich's first appearance on the stage of politics.
Concerning which some very brief notice, if intelligible, will suffice readers of the present day.
Heristal, now called Herstal, was once a Castle known to all mankind; King Pipin's Castle, who styled
himself "Pipin of Heristal," before he became King of the Franks and begot Charlemagne. It lies on the Maas,
in that fruitful Spa Country; left bank of the Maas, a little to the north of Liege; and probably began existence
as a grander place than Liege (LUTTICH), which was, at first, some Monastery dependent on secular Herstal
and its grandeurs:think only how the race has gone between these two entities; spiritual Liege now a big
City, black with the smoke of forges and steammills; Herstal an insignificant Village, accidentally talked of
for a few weeks in 1740, and no chance ever to be mentioned again by men.
Herstal, in the confused vicissitudes of a thousand years, had passed through various fortunes, and undergone
change of owners often enough. Fifty years ago it was in the hands of the Nassau Orange House; Dutch
William, our English Protestant King, who probably scarce knew of his possessing it, was Lord of Herstal till
his death. Dutch William had no children to inherit Herstal: he was of kinship to the Prussian House, as
readers are aware; and from that circumstance, not without a great deal of discussion, and difficult "Division
of the Orange Heritage," this Herstal had, at the long last, fallen to Friedrich Wilhelm's share; it and
Neuchatel, and the Cobweb Palace, and some other places and pertinents.
For Dutch William was of kin, we say; Friedrich I. of Prussia, by his Mother the noble Wife of the Great
Elector, was full cousin to Dutch William: and the Marriage Contracts were express,though the High
Mightinesses made difficulties, and the collateral Orange branches were abundantly reluctant, when it came
to the fulfilling point. For indeed the matter was intricate. Orange itself, for example, what was to be done
with the Principality of Orange? Clearly Prussia's; but it lies imbedded deep in the belly of France, that will
be a CaesareanOperation for you! Had not Neuchatel happened just then to fall home to France (or in some
measure to France) and be heirless, Prussia's Heritage of Orange would have done little for Prussia!
Principality of Orange was, by this chance, long since, mainly in the First King's time, got settled:
[Neuchatel, 3d November, 1707, to Friedrich I., natives preferring him to "Fifteen other Claimants;" Louis
XIV. loudly protesting: not till Treaty of Utrecht (14th March 1713, first month of Friedrich Wilhelm's reign)
would Louis XIV., on cession of Orange, consent and sanction.] but there needed many years more of good
waiting, and of good pushing, on Friedrich Wilhelm's part; and it was not till 1732 that Friedrich Wilhelm got
the Dutch Heritages finally brought to the square: Neuchatel and Valengin, as aforesaid, in lieu of Orange;
and now furthermore, the Old Palace at Loo (that VIEILLE COUR and biggest cobwebs), with pertinents,
with Garden of Honslardik; and a string of items, bigger and less, not worth enumerating. Of the items, this
Herstal was one;and truly, so far as this went, Friedrich Wilhelm often thought he had better never have
seen it, so much trouble did it bring him.
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HOW THE HERSTALLERS HAD BEHAVED TO FRIEDRICH WILHELM.
The Herstal people, knowing the Prussian recruiting system and other rigors, were extremely unwilling to
come under Friedrich Wilhelm's sway, could they have helped it. They refused fealty, swore they never
would swear: nor did they, till the appearance, or indubitable foreshine, of Friedrich Wilhelm's bayonets
advancing on them from the East, brought compliance. And always after, spite of such quasifealty, they
showed a piglike obstinacy of humor; a certain insignificant, and as it were impertinent, deeprooted desire
to thwart, irritate and contradict the said Friedrich Wilhelm. Especially in any recruiting matter that might
arise, knowing that to be the weak side of his Prussian Majesty. All this would have amounted to nothing, had
it not been that their neighbor, the Prince Bishop of Liege, who imagined himself to have some obscure
claims of sovereignty over Herstal, and thought the present a good opportunity for asserting these, was
diligent to aid and abet the Herstal people in such their mutinous acts. Obscure claims; of which this is the
summary, should the reader not prefer to skip it:
"The Bishop of Liege's claims on Herstal (which lie wrapt from mankind in the extensive jungle of his
lawpleadings, like a Bedlam happily fallen extinct) seem to me to have grown mainly from two facts more
or less radical.
"FACT FIRST. In Kaiser Barbarossa's time, year 1171, Herstal had been given in pawn to the Church of
Liege, for a loan, by the then proprietor, Duke of Lorraine and Brabant. Loan was repaid, I do not learn when,
and the Pawn given back; to the satisfaction of said Duke, or Duke's Heirs; never quite to the satisfaction of
the Church, which had been in possession, and was loath to quit, after hoping to continue. 'Give us back
Herstal; it ought to be ours!' Unappeasable sigh or grumble to this effect is heard thenceforth, at intervals, in
the Chapter of Liege, and has not ceased in Friedrich's time. But as the world, in its loud thoroughfares,
seldom or never heard, or could hear, such sighing in the Chapter, nothing had come of it,till
"FACT SECOND. In Kaiser Karl V.'s time, the Prince Bishop of Liege happened to be a Natural Son of old
Kaiser Max's;and had friends at headquarters, of a very choice nature. Had, namely, in this sort, Kaiser
Karl for Nephew or HalfNephew; and what perhaps was still better, as nearer hand, had Karl's Aunt, Maria
Queen of Hungary, then Governess of the Netherlands, for HalfSister. Liege, in these choice circumstances,
and by other good chances that turned up, again got temporary clutch or halfclutch of Herstal, for a couple
of years (date 15461548, the Prince of Orange, real proprietor, whose Ancestor had bought it for money
down, being then a minor); once, and perhaps a second time in like circumstance; but had always to renounce
it again, when the Prince of Orange came to maturity. And ever since, the Chapter of Liege sighs as before,
'Herstal is perhaps in a sense ours. We had once some kind of right to it!'sigh inaudible in the loud public
thoroughfares. That is the Bishop's claim. The name of him, if anybody care for it, is 'Georg Ludwig, titular
COUNT OF BERG,' now a very old man: Bishop of Liege, he, and has been snatching at Herstal again, very
eagerly by any skirt or tagrag that might happen to fly loose, these eight years past, in a rash and provoking
manner; [ Delices du Pais de Liege (Liege, 1738); HeldenGeschichte, ii. 5762.]age eightytwo at
present; poor old fool, he had better have sat quiet. There lies a rod in pickle for him, during these late
months; and will be surprisingly laid on, were the time come!"
"I have Law Authority over Herstal, and power of judging there in the last appeal," said this
Bishop:"You!" thought Friedrich Wilhelm, who was far off, and had little time to waste. "Any Prussian
recruiter that behaves ill, bring him to me!" said the Bishop, who was on the spot. And accordingly it had
been done; one notable instance two years ago: a Prussian Lieutenant locked in the Liege jail, on complaint of
riotous Herstal; thereupon a Prussian Officer of rank (Colonel Kreutzen, worthy old Malplaquet gentleman)
coming as Royal Messenger, not admitted to audience, nay laid hold of by the Liege bailiff instead; and other
unheard of procedures. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 6373.] So that Friedrich Wilhelm had nothing but trouble
with this petty Herstal, and must have thought his neighbor Bishop a very contentious highflying gentleman,
who took great liberties with the Lion's whiskers, when he had the big animal at an advantage.
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The episcopal procedures, eight years ago, about the First Homaging of Herstal, had been of similar
complexion; nor had other such failed in the interim, though this last outrage exceeded them all. This last
began in the end of 1738; and span itself out through 1739, when Friedrich Wilhelm lay in his final sickness,
less able to deal with it than formerly. Being a peaceable man, unwilling to awaken conflagrations for a small
matter, Friedrich Wilhelm had offered, through Kreutzen on this occasion, to part with Herstal altogether; to
sell it, for 100,000 thalers, say 16,000 pounds, to the highflying Bishop, and honestly wash his hands of it.
But the highflying Bishop did not consent, gave no definite answer; and so the matter lay,like an
unsettled extremely irritating paltry little matter,at the time Friedrich Wilhelm died.
The Gazetteers and public knew little about these particulars, or had forgotten them again; but at the Prussian
Court they were in lively remembrance. What the young Friedrich's opinion about them had been we gather
from this succinct notice of the thing, written seven or eight years afterwards, exact in all points, and still
carrying a breath of the old humor in it. "A miserable Bishop of Liege thought it a proud thing to insult the
late King. Some subjects of Herstal, which belongs to Prussia, had revolted; the Bishop gave them his
protection. Colonel Kreutzen was sent to Liege, to compose the thing by treaty; credentials with him, full
power, and all in order. Imagine it, the Bishop would not receive him! Three days, day after day, he saw this
Envoy apply at his Palace, and always denied him entrance. These things had grown past endurance."
[Preuss, OEuvres (Memoires de Brandebourg), end italic> ii. 53.] And Friedrich had taken note of Herstal
along with him, on this Cleve Journey; privately intending to put Herstal and the highflying Bishop on a
suitabler footing, before his return from those countries.
For indeed, on Friedrich's Accession, matters had grown worse, not better. Of course there was Fealty to be
sworn; but the Herstal people, abetted by the highflying Bishop, have declined swearing it. Apology for the
past, prospect of amendment for the future, there is less than ever. What is the young King to do with this
paltry little Hamlet of Herstal? He could, in theory, go into some ReichsHofrath, some
ReichsKammergericht (kind of treble and tenfold English CourtofChancery, which has lawsuits 250
years old),if he were a theoretic German King. He can plead in the Diets, and the Wetzlar
ReichsKammergericht without end: "All German Sovereigns have power to send their Ambassador thither,
who is like a mastiff chained in the backyard [observes Friedrich elsewhere] with privilege of barking at the
Moon," unrestricted privilege of barking at the Moon, if that will avail a practical man, or King's
Ambassador. Or perhaps the Bishop of Liege will bethink him, at last, what considerable liberty he is taking
with some people's whiskers? Four months are gone; Bishop of Liege has not in the least bethought him: we
are in the neighborhood in person, with note of the thing in our memory.
FRIEDRICH TAKES THE ROD OUT OF PICKLE.
Accordingly the Rath Rambonet, whom Voltaire found at Moyland that Sunday night, had been over at
Liege; went exactly a week before; with this message of very peremptory tenor from his Majesty:
TO THE PRINCE BISHOP OF LIEGE.
"WESEL, 4th September, 1740.
"MY COUSIN,Knowing all the assaults (ATTEINTES) made by you upon my indisputable rights over my
free Barony of Herstal; and how the seditious ringleaders there, for several years past, have been
countenanced (BESTARKET) by you in their detestable acts of disobedience against me,I have
commanded my Privy Councillor Rambonet to repair to your presence, and in my name to require from you,
within two days, a distinct and categorical answer to this question: Whether you are still minded to assert
your pretended sovereignty over Herstal; and whether you will protect the rebels at Herstal, in their disorders
and abominable disobedience?
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"In case you refuse, or delay beyond the term, the Answer which I hereby of right demand, you will render
yourself alone responsible, before the world, for the consequences which infallibly will follow. I am, with
much consideration, My Cousin,
"Your very affectionate Cousin,
"FRIEDRICH." [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 75, 111.]
Rambonet had started straightway for Liege, with this missive; and had duly presented it there, I guess on the
7th,with notice that he would wait fortyeight hours, and then return with what answer or noanswer there
might be. Getting no written answer, or distinct verbal one; getting only some vague mumblement as good as
none, Rambonet had disappeared from Liege on the 9th; and was home at Moyland when Voltaire arrived
that Sunday evening,just walking about to come to heat again, after reportiag progress to the above effect.
Rambonet, I judge, enjoyed only one of those divine Suppers at Moyland; and dashed off again, "on hired
hack" or otherwise, the very next morning; that contingency of Noanswer having been the anticipated one,
and all things put in perfect readiness for it. Rambonet's new errand was to "take act," as Voltaire calls it, "at
the Gates of Liege,"to deliver at Liege a succinct Manifesto, Pair of Manifestoes, both in Print (ready
beforehand), and bearing date that same Sunday, "Wesel, 11th September;" much calculated to amaze his
Reverence at Liege. Succinct good Manifestoes, said to be of Friedrich's own writing; the essential of the two
is this:
Exposition of the Reasons which have induced his Majesty the King of Prussia to make just Reprisals on the
Prince Bishop of Liege.
"His Majesty the King of Prussia, being driven beyond bounds by the rude proceedings of the Prince Bishop
of Liege, has with regret seen himself forced to recur to the Method of Arms, in order to repress the violence
and affront which the Bishop has attempted to put upon him. This resolution has cost his Majesty much pain;
the rather as he is, by principle and disposition, far remote from whatever could have the least relation to
rigor and severity.
"But seeing himself compelled by the Bishop of Liege to take new methods, he had no other course but to
maintain the justice of his rights (LA JUSTICE DE SES DROITS), and demand reparation for the indignity
done upon his Minister Von Kreuzen, as well as for the contempt with which the Bishop of Liege has
neglected even to answer the Letter of the King.
"As too much rigor borders upon cruelty, so too much patience resembles weakness. Thus, although the King
would willingly have sacrificed his interests to the public peace and tranquillity, it was not possible to do so
in reference to his honor; and that is the chief motive which has determined him to this resolution, so contrary
to his intentions.
"In vain has it been attempted, by methods of mildness, to come to a friendly agreement: it has been found,
on the contrary, that the King's moderation only increased the Prince's arrogance; that mildness of conduct on
one side only furnished resources to pride on the other; and that, in fine, instead of gaining by soft procedure,
one was insensibly becoming an object of vexation and disdain.
"There being no means to have justice but in doing it for oneself, and the King being Sovereign enough for
such a duty,he intends to make the Prince of Liege feel how far he was in the wrong to abuse such
moderation so unworthily. But in spite of so much unhandsome behavior on the part of this Prince, the King
will not be inflexible; satisfied with having shown the said Prince that he can punish him, and too just to
overwhelm him. FREDERIC. "WESEL, September 11th, 174O." [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 77. Said to be by
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Chapter V. AFFAIR OF HERSTAL. 566
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Friedrich himself (Stenzel, iv. 59).]
Whether Rambonet insinuated his PaperPacket into the Palace of Seraing, left it at the Gate of Liege (fixed
by nail, if he saw good), or in what manner he "took act," I never knew; and indeed Rambonet vanishes from
human History at this point: it is certain only that he did his Formality, say two days hence;and that the
Fact foreshadowed by it is likewise in the same hours, hour after hour, getting steadily done.
For the Manifestoes printed beforehand, dated Wesel, 11th September, were not the only thing ready at
Wesel; waiting, as on the slip, for the contingency of Noanswer. MajorGeneral Borck, with the due
Battalions, squadrons and equipments, was also ready. MajorGeneral Borck, the same who was with us at
Baireuth lately, had just returned from that journey, when he got orders to collect 2,000 men, horse and foot,
with the due proportion of artillery, from the Prussian Garrisons in these parts; and to be ready for marching
with them, the instant the contingency of Noanswer arrives,Sunday, 11th, as can be foreseen. Borck
knows his route: To Maaseyk, a respectable Town of the Bishop's, the handiest for Wesel; to occupy
Maaseyk and the adjoining "Counties of Lotz and Horn;" and lie there at the Bishop's charge till his
Reverence's mind alter.
Borck is ready, to the last pontoon, the last munitionloaf; and no sooner is signal given of the Noanswer
come, than Borck, that same "Sunday, 11th," gets under way; marches, steady as clockwork, towards
Maaseyk (fifty miles southwest of him, distance now lessening every hour); crosses the Maas, by help of his
pontoons; is now in the Bishop's Territory, and enters Maaseyk, evening of "Wednesday, 14th,"that very
day Voltaire and his Majesty had parted, going different ways from Moyland; and probably about the same
hour while Rambonet was "taking act at the Gate of Liege," by nailhammer or otherwise. All goes punctual,
swift, cog hitting pinion far and near, in this small Herstal Business; and there is no mistake made, and a
minimum of time spent.
Borck's management was throughout good: punctual, quietly exact, polite, mildly inflexible. Fain would the
Maaseyk TownBaths have shut their gates on him; desperately conjuring him, "Respite for a few hours, till
we send to Liege for instructions!" But it was to no purpose. "Unbolt, IHR HERREN; swift, or the petard will
have to do it!" Borck publishes his Proclamation, a mildspoken rigorous Piece; signifies to the Maaseyk
Authorities, That he has to exact a Contribution of 20,000 thalers (3,000 pounds) here, Contribution payable
in three days; that he furthermore, while he continues in these parts, will need such and such rations,
accommodations, allowances,"fifty LOUIS (say guineas) daily for his own private expenses," one
item;and, in mild rhadamanthine language, waves aside all remonstrance, refusal or delay, as superfluous
considerations: Unless said Contribution and required supplies come in, it will be his painful duty to bring
them in. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 427; ii. 113.]
The highflying Bishop, much astonished, does now eagerly answer his Prussian Majesty, "Was from home,
was ill, thought he had answered; is the most illused of Bishops;" and other things of a hysteric character.
[Ib. ii. 85, 86 (date, 16th September).] And there came forth, as natural to the situation, multitudinous
complainings, manifestoings, applications to the Kaiser, to the French, to the Dutch, of a very shrieky
character on the Bishop of Liege's part; sparingly, if at all noticed on Friedrich's: the whole of which we shall
consider ourselves free to leave undisturbed in the rubbishabysses, as henceforth conceivable to the reader.
"SED SPEM STUPENDE FEFELLIT EVENTUS," shrieks the poor old Bishop, making moan to the Kaiser:
"ECCE ENIM, PRAEMISSA DUNTAXAT UNA LITERA, one Letter," and little more, "the said King of
Borussia has, with about 2,000 horse and foot, and warlike engines, in this month of September, entered the
Territory of Liege;" [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 88.] which is an undeniable truth, but an unavailing. Borck is
there, and "2,000 good arguments with him," as Voltaire defines the phenomenon. Friedrich, except to
explain pertinently what my readers already know, does not write or speak farther on the subject; and readers
and he may consider the Herstal Affair, thus set agoing under Borck's auspices, as in effect finished; and that
his Majesty has left it on a satisfactory footing, and may safely turn his back on it, to wait the sure issue at
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Berlin before long.
WHAT VOLTAIRE THOUGHT OF HERSTAL.
Voltaire told us he himself "did one Manifesto, good or bad," on this Herstal business:where is that Piece,
then, what has become of it? Dig well in the realms of Chaos, rectifying stupidities more or less enormous,
the Piece itself is still discoverable; and, were pieces by Voltaire much a rarity instead of the reverse, might
be resuscitated by a good Editor, and printed in his WORKS. Lies buried in the lonesome rubbishmountains
of that HeldenGeschichte, let a SISTE VIATOR, scratched on the surface, mark where. [Ib. ii. 9898.]
Apparently that is the Piece by Voltaire? Yes, on reading that, it has every internal evidence; distinguishes
itself from the surrounding pieces, like a slab of compact polished stone, in a floor rammed together out of
ruinous old bricks, broken bottles and mortardust;agrees, too, if you examine by the microscope, with the
external indications, which are sure and at last clear, though infinitesimally small; and is beyond doubt
Voltaire's, if it were now good for much.
It is not properly a Manifesto, but an anonymous memoir published in the Newspapers, explaining to
impartial mankind, in a legible brief manner, what the old and recent History of Herstal, and the Troubles of
Herstal, have been, and how chimerical and "null to the extreme of nullity (NULLES DE TOUT NULLITE)"
this poor Bishop's pretensions upon it are. Voltaire expressly piques himself on this Piece; [Letter to
Priedrich: dateless, datable "soon after 17th September;" which the rash dark Editors have by guess misdated
"August; "or, what was safer for them, omitted it altogether. OEuvres de Voltaire (Paris, 1818, 40 vols.) gives
the Letter, xxxix. 442 (see also ibid. 453, 463); later Editors, and even Preuss, take the safer course.] brags
also how he settled "M. de Fenelon [French Ambassador at the Hague], who came to me the day before
yesterday," much out of square upon the Herstal Business, till I pulled him straight. And it is evident
(beautifully so, your Majesty) how Voltaire busied himself in the Gazettes and Diplomatic circles, setting
Friedrich's case right; Voltaire very loyal to Friedrich and his Liege Cause at that time;and the contrast
between what his contemporary Letters say on the subject, and what his ulterior Pasquil called VIE PRIVEE
says, is again great.
The dull stagnant world, shaken awake by this Liege adventure, gives voice variously; and in the Gazetteer
and Diplomatic circles it is much criticised, by no means everywhere in the favorable tone at this first blush
of the business. "He had written an ANTI Machiavel," says the Abbe St. Pierre, and even says Voltaire (in
the PASQUIL, not the contemporary LETTERS), "and he acts thus!" Truly he does, Monsieur de Voltaire;
and all men, with light upon the subject, or even with the reverse upon it, must make their criticisms. For the
rest, Borck's "2,000 arguments" are there; which Borck handles well, with polite calm rigor: by degrees the
dust will fall, and facts everywhere be seen for what they are.
As to the highflying Bishop, finding that hysterics are but wasted on Friedrich and Borck, and produce no
effect with their 2,000 validities, he flies next to the Kaiser, to the Imperial Diet, in shrillsounding Latin
obtestations, of which we already gave a flying snatch: "Your HUMILISSIMUS and FIDELISSIMUS
VASSALLUS, and most obsequient Servant, Georgius Ludovicus; meek, modest, and unspeakably in the
right: Was ever Member of the Holy Roman Empire so snubbed, and grasped by the windpipe, before? Oh,
help him, great Kaiser, bid the iron gripe loosen itself!" [ HeldenGeschichte, ii, 86116.] The Kaiser does
so, in heavy Latin rescripts, in German DEHORTATORIUMS more than one, of a sulky, imperative, and
indeed very lofty tenor; "Let Georgius Ludovicus go, foolish rash young Dilection (LIEBDEN, not
MAJESTY, we ourselves being the only Majesty), and I will judge between you; otherwise!" said the
Kaiser, ponderously shaking his Olympian wig, and lifting his gilt cane, or sceptre of mankind, in an
Olympian manner. Here are some touches of his second sublimest DEHORTATORIUM addressed to
Friedrich, in a very compressed state: [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 127; a FIRST and milder (ibid. 73).]
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We Karl the Sixth, Kaiser of (TITLES ENOUGH), ... "Considering these, in the Holy Roman Reich, almost
unheardof violent Doings (THATLICHKEITEN), which We, in Our SupremeJudge Office, cannot
altogether justify, nor will endure ... We have the trust that you yourself will magnanimously see How evil
counsellors have misled your Dilection to commence your Reign, not by showing example of Obedience to
the Laws appointed for all members of the Reich, for the weak and for the strong alike, but by such Doings
(THATHANDLUNGEN) as in all quarters must cause a great surprise.
"We give your Dilection to know, therefore, That you must straightway withdraw those troops which have
broken into the Liege Territory; make speedy restitution of all that has been extorted; especially General
von Borck to give back at once those 50 louis d'or daily drawn by him, to renounce his demand of the 20,000
thalers, to make good all damage done, and retire with his whole military force (MILITZ) over the Liege
boundaries;and in brief, that you will, by law or arbitration, manage to agree with the Prince Bishop of
Liege, who wishes it very much. These things We expect from your Dilection, as Kurfurst of Brandenburg,
within the space of Two Months from the Issuing of this; and remain," Yours as you shall demean
yourself,KARL.
"Given at Wien, 4th of October, 1740."The last Dehortatorium ever signed by Karl VI. In two weeks after
he ate too many mushrooms,and immense results followed!
Dehortatoriums had their interest, at Berlin and elsewhere, for the Diplomatic circles; but did not produce the
least effect on Borck or Friedrich; though Friedrich noted the Kaiser's manner in these things, and thought
privately to himself, as was evident to the discerning, "What an amount of wig on that old gentleman!" A
notable Kaiser's Ambassador, Herr Botta, who had come with some Accession compliments, in these weeks,
was treated slightingly by Friedrich; hardly admitted to Audience; and Friedrich's public reply to the last
Dehortatorium had almost something of sarcasm in it: Evil counsellors yourself, Most Dread Kaiser! It is you
that are "misled by counsellors, who might chance to set Germany on fire, were others as unwise as they!"
Which latter phrase was remarkable to mankind.There is a long account already run up between that old
gentleman, with his Seckendorfs, Grumkows, with his dull insolencies, wiggeries, and this young gentleman,
who has nearly had his heart broken and his Father's house driven mad by them! Borck remains at his post;
rations duly delivered, and fifty louis a day for his own private expenses; and there is no answer to the Kaiser,
or in sharp brief terms (about "chances of setting Germany on fire"), rather worse than none.
Readers see, as well as Friedrich did, what the upshot of this affair must be;we will now finish it off, and
wash our hands of it, before following his Majesty to Berlin. The poor Bishop had applied, shrieking, to the
French for help;and there came some colloquial passages between Voltaire and Fenelon, if that were a
result. He had shrieked in like manner to the Dutch, but without result of any kind traceable in that quarter:
nowhere, except from the Kaiser, is so much as a DEHORTATORIUM to be got. Whereupon the once
highflying, now vainly shrieking Bishop discerns clearly that there is but one course left,the course which
has lain wide open for some years past, had not his flight gone too high for seeing it. Before three weeks are
over, seeing how Dehortatoriums go, he sends his Ambassadors to Berlin, his apologies, proposals:
[Ambassadors arrived 28th September; last Dehortatorium not yet out. Business was completed 20th October
(Rodenbeck, IN DIEBUS).] "Would not your Majesty perhaps consent to sell this Herstal, as your Father of
glorious memory was pleased to be willing once?"
Friedrich answers straightway to the effect: "Certainly! Pay me the price it was once already offered for:
100,000 thalers, PLUS the expenses since incurred. That will be 180,000 thalers, besides what you have spent
already on General Borck's days' wages. To which we will add thatwretched little fraction of Old Debt, clear
as noon, but never paid nor any part of it; 60,000 thalers, due by the See of Liege ever since the Treaty of
Utrecht; 60,000, for which we will charge no interest: that will make 240,000 thalers,36,000 pounds,
instead of the old sum you might have had it at. Produce that cash; and take Herstal, and all the dust that has
risen out of it, well home with you." [Stenzel, iv. 60, who counts in gulden, and is not distinct.] The Bishop
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thankfully complies in all points; negotiation speedily done ("20th Oct." the final date): Bishop has not, I
think, quite so much cash on hand; but will pay all he has, and 4 per centum interest till the whole be
liquidated. His Ambassadors "get gold snuffboxes;" and return mildly glad!
And thus, in some six weeks after Borck's arrival in those parts, Borck's function is well done. The noise of
Gazettes and Diplomatic circles lays itself again; and Herstal, famous once for King Pipin, and famous again
for King Friedrich, lapses at length into obscurity, which we hope will never end. Hope;though who can
say? ROUCOUX, quite close upon it, becomes a Battleground in some few years; and memorabilities go
much at random in this world!
Chapter VI. RETURNS BY HANOVER; DOES NOT CALL ON HIS ROYAL
UNCLE THERE.
Friedrich spent ten days on his circuitous journey home; considerable inspection to be done, in Minden,
Magdeburg, not to speak of other businesses he had. The old Newspapers are still more intent upon him, now
that the Herstal Affair has broken into flame: especially the English Newspapers; who guess that there are
passages of courtship going on between great George their King and him. Here is one fact, correct in every
point, for the old London Public: "Letters from Hanover say, that the King of Prussia passed within a small
distance of that City the 16th inst. N.S., on his return to Berlin, but did not stop at Herrenhausen;"about
which there has been such hoping and speculating among us lately. [ Daily Post, 22d September, 1740; other
London Newspapers from July 31st downwards.] A fact which the extinct Editor seems to meditate for a day
or two; after which he says (partly in ITALICS), opening his lips the second time, like a Friar Bacon's Head
significant to the Public: "Letters from Hanover tell us that the Interview, which it was said his Majesty was
to have with the King of Prussia, did not take place, for certain PRIVATE REASONS, which our
Correspondent leaves us to guess at!"
It is well known Friedrich did not love his little Uncle, then or thenceforth; still less his little Uncle him:
"What is this Prussia, rising alongside of us, higher and higher, as if it would reach our own sublime level!"
thinks the little Uncle to himself. At present there is no quarrel between them; on the contrary, as we have
seen, there is a mutual capability of helping one another, which both recognize; but will an interview tend to
forward that useful result? Friedrich, in the intervals of an ague, with Herstal just broken out, may have
wisely decided, No. "Our sublime little Uncle, of the waxy complexion, with the proudly staring
fisheyes,no wit in him, not much sense, and a great deal of pride,stands dreadfully erect, 'plumb and
more,' with the Garterleg advanced, when one goes to see him; and his remarks are not of an entertaining
nature. Leave him standing there: to him let Truchsess and Bielfeld suffice, in these hurries, in this ague that
is still upon us." Upon which the dull old Newspapers, Owls of Minerva that then were, endeavor to draw
inferences. The noticeable fact is, Friedrich did, on this occasion, pass within a mile or two of his royal
Uncle, without seeing him; and had not, through life, another opportunity; never saw the sublime little man at
all, nor was again so near him.
I believe Friedrich little knows the thickcoming difficulties of his Britannic Majesty at this juncture; and is
too impatient of these laggard procedures on the part of a man with eyes A FLEUR DETETE. Modern
readers too have forgotten Jenkins's Ear; it is not till after long study and survey that one begins to perceive
the anomalous profundities of that phenomenon to the poor English Nation and its poor George II.
The English sent off, last year, a scanty Expedition, "six ships of the line," only six, under Vernon, a fiery
Admiral, a little given to be fiery in Parliamentary talk withal; and these did proceed to PortoBello on the
Spanish Main of South America; did hurl out on PortoBello such a fiery destructive deluge, of gunnery and
bayonetwork, as quickly reduced the poor place to the verge of ruin, and forced it to surrender with
whatever navy, garrison, goods and resources were in it, to the discretion of fiery Vernon,who does not
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prove implacable, he or his, to a petitioning enemy. Yes, humble the insolent, but then be merciful to them,
say the admiring Gazetteers. "The actual monster," how cheering to think, "who tore off Mr. Jenkins's Ear,
was got hold of [actual monster, or even three or four different monsters who each did it, the "hold got" being
mythical, as readers see], and naturally thought he would be slit to ribbons; but our people magnanimously
pardoned him, magnanimously flung him aside out of sight;" [ Gentleman's Magazine, x. 124, 145 (date of
the Event is 3d December N.S., 1739).] impossible to shoot a dog in cold blood. Whereupon Vernon returned
home triumphant; and there burst forth such a jubilation, over the day of small things, as is now astonishing
to think of. Had the Termagant's own Thalamus and Treasury been bombarded suddenly one night by redhot
balls, Madrid City laid in ashes, or Baby Carlos's Apanage extinguished from Creation, there could hardly
have been greater English joy (witness the "PortoBellos" they still have, new Towns so named); so flamy is
the murky element growing on that head. And indeed had the cipher of tarbarrels burnt, and of alebarrels
drunk, and the general account of wick and tallow spent in illuminations and in aldermanic exertions on the
matter, been accurately taken, one doubts if PortoBello sold, without shot fired, to the highest bidder, at its
floweriest, would have covered such a sum. For they are a singular Nation, if stirred up from their stagnancy;
and are much in earnest about this Spanish War.
It is said there is now another far grander Expedition on the stocks: military this time as well as naval,
intended for the Spanish Main;but of that, for the present, we will defer speaking. Enough, the Spanish
War is a most serious and most furious business to those old English; and, to us, after forced study of it,
shines out like faroff conflagration, with a certain lurid significance in the then night of things. Night
otherwise fallen dark and somniferous to modern mankind. As Britannic Majesty and his Walpoles have,
from the first, been dead against this Spanish War, the problem is all the more ominous, and the dreadful
corollaries that may hang by it the more distressing to the royal mind.
For example, there is known, or as good as known, to be virtually some Family Compact, or covenanted
Brotherhood of Bourbonism, French and Spanish: political people quake to ask themselves, "How will the
French keep out of this War, if it continue any length of time? And in that case, how will Austria, Europe at
large? Jenkins's Ear will have kindled the Universe, not the Spanish Main only, and we shall be at a fine
pass!" The Britannic Majesty reflects that if France take to fighting him, the first stab given will probably be
in the accessiblest quarter and the intensely most sensitive,our own Electoral Dominions where no
Parliament plagues us, our dear native country, Hanover. Extremely interesting to know what Friedrich of
Prussia will do in such contingency?
Well, truly it might have been King George's best bargain to close with Friedrich; to guarantee Julich and
Berg, and get Fredrich to stand between the French and Hanover; while George, with an England behind him,
in such humor, went wholly into that Spanish Business, the one thing needful to them at present. Truly; but
then again, there are considerations: "What is this Friedrich, just come out upon the world? What real fighting
power has he, after all that ridiculous drilling and recruiting Friedrich Wilhelm made? Will he be faithful in
bargain; is not, perhaps, from of old, his bias always toward France rather? And the Kaiser, what will the
Kaiser say to it?" These are questions for a Britannic Majesty! Seldom was seen such an insoluble imbroglio
of potentialities; dangerous to touch, dangerous to leave lying;and his Britannic Majesty's procedures upon
it are of a very slow intricate sort; and will grow still more so, year after year, in the new intricacies that are
coming, and be a weariness to my readers and me. For observe the simultaneous fact. All this while,
Robinson at Vienna is dunning the Imperial Majesty to remember old Marlborough days and the Laws of
Nature; and declare for us against France, in case of the worst. What an attempt! Imperial Majesty has no
money; Imperial Majesty remembers recent days rather, and his own last quarrel with France (on the Polish
Election score), in which you SeaPowers cruelly stood neuter! One comfort, and pretty much one only, is
left to a nearly bankrupt Imperial heart; that France does at any rate ratify Pragmatic Sanction, and instead of
enemy to that inestimable Document has become friend,if only she be well let alone. "Let well alone," says
the sad Kaiser, bankrupt of heart as well as purse: "I have saved the Pragmatic, got Fleury to guarantee it; I
will hunt wild swine and not shadows any more: ask me not!" And now this Herstal business; the Imperial
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Dehortatoriums, perhaps of a high nature, that are like to come? More hopeless proposition the Britannic
Majesty never made than this to the Kaiser. But he persists in it, orders Robinson to persist; knocks at the
Austrian door with one hand, at the Prussian or AntiAustrian with the other; and gazes, with those proud
fish eyes, into perils and potentialities and a sea of troubles. Wearisome to think of, were not one bound to
it! Here, from a singular CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND, not yet got into print, are two
Excerpts; which I will request the reader to try if he can take along with him, in view of much that is
Coming:
1. A JUST WAR."This War, which posterity scoffs at as the WAR OF JENKINS'S EAR, was, if we
examine it, a quite indispensable one; the dim muchbewildered English, driven into it by their deepest
instincts, were, in a chaotic inarticulate way, right and not wrong in taking it as the Commandment of
Heaven. For such, in a sense, it was; as shall by and by appear. Not perhaps since the grand Reformation
Controversy, under Oliver Cromwell and Elizabeth, had there, to this poor English People (who are
essentially dumb, inarticulate, from the weight of meaning they have, notwithstanding the palaver one hears
from them in certain epochs), been a more authentic cause of War. And, what was the fatal and yet foolish
circumstance, their Constitutional Captains, especially their King, would never and could never regard it as
such; but had to be forced into it by the public rage, there being no other method left in the case.
"I say, a most necessary War, though of a most stupid appearance; such the fatality of it:begun, carried on,
ended, as if by a People in a state of somnambulism! More confused operation never was. A solid placid
People, heavily asleep (and snoring much, shall we say, and inarticulately grunting and struggling under
indigestions, Constitutional and other? Do but listen to the hum of those extinct Pamphlets and Parliamentary
Oratories of theirs!),yet an honestly intending People; and keenly alive to any commandment from
Heaven, that could pierce through the thick skin of them into their big obstinate heart. Such a commandment,
then and there, was that monition about Jenkins's Ear. Upon which, so pungent was it to them, they started
violently out of bed, into painful sleepwalking; and went, for twenty years and more, clambering and
sprawling about, far and wide, on the giddy edge of precipices, over housetops and frightful cornices and
parapets; in a dim fulfilment of the said Heaven's command. I reckon that this War, though there were
intervals, Treaties of Peace more than one, and the War had various names,did not end till 1763. And then,
by degrees, the poor English Nation found that (at, say, a thousand times the necessary expense, and with
imminent peril to its poor head, and all the bones of its body) it had actually succeeded,by dreadful
exertions in its sleep! This will be more apparent by and by; and may be a kind of comfort to the sad English
reader, drearily surveying such somnambulisms on the part of his poor ancestors."
2. TWO DIFFICULTIES."There are Two grand Difficulties in this FarceTragedy of a war; of which only
one, and that not the worst of the Pair, is in the least surmised by the English hitherto. Difficulty First, which
is even worse than the other, and will surprisingly attend the English in all their Wars now coming, is: That
their fightingapparatus, though made of excellent material, cannot fight,being in disorganic condition;
one branch of it, especially the 'Military' one as they are pleased to call it, being as good as totally chaotic,
and this in a quiet habitual manner, this long while back. With the Naval branch it is otherwise; which also is
habitual there. The English almost as if by nature can sail, and fight, in ships; cannot well help doing it.
Sailors innumerable are bred to them; they are planted in the Ocean, opulent stormy Neptune clipping them in
all his moods forever: and then by nature, being a dumb, muchenduring, much reflecting, stout, veracious
and valiant kind of People, they shine in that way of life, which specially requires such. Without much
forethought, they have sailors innumerable, and of the best quality. The English have among them also,
strange as it may seem to the cursory observer, a great gift of organizing; witness their Arkwrights and others:
and this gift they may often, in matters Naval more than elsewhere, get the chance of exercising. For a Ship's
Crew, or even a Fleet, unlike a land Army, is of itself a unity, its fortunes disjoined, dependent on its own
management; and it falls, moreover, as no land army can, to the undivided guidance of one man,who (by
hypothesis, being English) has now and then, from of old, chanced to be an organizing man; and who is
always much interested to know and practise what has been well organized. For you are in contact with
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verities, to an unexampled degree, when you get upon the Ocean, with intent to sail on it, much more to fight
on it;bottomless destruction raging beneath you and on all hands of you, if you neglect, for any reason, the
methods of keeping it down, and making it float you to your aim!
The English Navy is in tolerable order at that period. But as to the English Army,we may say it is, in a
wrong sense, the wonder of the world, and continues so throughout the whole of this History and farther!
Never before, among the rational sons of Adam, were Armies sent out on such terms,namely without a
General, or with no General understanding the least of his business. The English have a notion that
Generalship is not wanted; that War is not an Art, as playing Chess is, as finding the Longitude, and doing
the Differential Calculus are (and a much deeper Art than any of these); that War is taught by Nature, as
eating is; that courageous soldiers, led on by a courageous Wooden Pole with Cockedhat on it, will do very
well. In the world I have not found opacity of platitude go deeper among any People. This is Difficulty First,
not yet suspected by an English People, capable of great opacity on some subjects.
"Difficulty Second is, That their Ministry, whom they had to force into this War, perhaps do not go zealously
upon it. And perhaps even, in the above circumstances, they totally want knowledge how to go upon it, were
they never so zealous; Difficulty Second might be much helped, were it not for Difficulty First. But the
administering of War is a thing also that does not come to a man like eating.This Second Difficulty,
suspicion that Walpole and perhaps still higher heads want zeal, gives his Britannic Majesty infinite trouble;
and"
And so, in short, he stands there, with the Garterleg advanced, looking loftily into a considerable sea of
troubles,that day when Friedrich drove past him, Friday, 16th September, 1740, and never came so near
him again.
The next business for Friedrich was a Visit at Brunswick, to the Affinities and Kindred, in passing; where
also was an important little act to be done: Betrothal of the young Prince, August Wilhelm, HeirPresumptive
whom we saw in Strasburg, to a Princess of that House, Louisa Amelia, younger Sister of Friedrich's own
Queen. A modest promising arrangement; which turned out well enough,though the young Prince, Father
to the Kings that since are, was not supremely fortunate otherwise. [Betrothal was 20th September, 1740;
Marriage, 5th January, 1742 (Buchholz, i. 207).] After which, the review at Magdeburg; and home on the
24th, there to "be busy as a Turk or as a M. Jordan,"according to what we read long since.
Chapter VII. WITHDRAWS TO REINSBERG, HOPING A PEACEABLE
WINTER.
By this Herstal token, which is now blazing abroad, now and for a month to come, it can be judged that the
young King of Prussia intends to stand on his own footing, quite peremptorily if need be; and will by no
means have himself led about in Imperial harness, as his late Father was. So that a dull Public (Herrenhausen
very specially), and Gazetteer Owls of Minerva everywhere, may expect events. All the more indubitably,
when that spadework comes to light in the Wesel Country. It is privately certain (the Gazetteers not yet sure
about it, till they see the actual spades going), this new King does fully intend to assert his rights on
BergJulich; and will appear there with his iron ramrods, the instant old KurPfalz shall decease, let France
and the Kaiser say No to it or say Yes. There are, in fact, at a fit place, "Buderich in the neighborhood of
Wesel," certain rampart works, beginnings as of an Entrenched Camp, going on;"for Review purposes
merely," say the Gazetteers, IN ITALICS. Here, it privately is Friedrich's resolution, shall a Prussian Army,
of the due strength (could be wellnigh 100,000 strong if needful), make its appearance, directly on old
KurPfalz's decease, if one live to see such event. [Stenzel, iv. 61.] France and the Kaiser will probably take
good survey of that Buderich phenomenon before meddling.
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To do his work like a King, and shun no peril and no toil in the course of what his work may be, is Friedrich's
rule and intention. Nevertheless it is clear he expects to approve himself magnanimous rather in the Peaceable
operations than in the Warlike; and his outlooks are, of all places and pursuits, towards Reinsberg and the
Fine Arts, for the time being. His Public activity meanwhile they describe as "prodigious," though the ague
still clings to him; such building, instituting, managing: OperaHouse, French Theatre, Palace for his
Mother;day by day, many things to be recorded by Editor Formey, though the rule about them here is
silence except on cause.
No doubt the ague is itself privately a point of moment. Such a vexatious paltry little thing, in this bright
whirl of Activities, Public and other, which he continues managing in spite of it; impatient to be rid of it. But
it will not go: there IT reappears always, punctual to its "fourth day,"like a snarling streetdog, in the high
Ballroom and Workroom. "He is drinking Pyrmont water;" has himself proposed Quinquina, a remedy just
come up, but the Doctors shook their heads; has tried snatches of Reinsberg, too short; he intends soon to be
out there for a right spell of country, there to be "happy," and get quit of his ague. The ague went,and by a
remedy which surprised the whole world, as will be seen!
WILHELMINA'S RETURNVISIT.
Monday, 17th October, came the Baireuth Visitors; Wilhelmina all in a flutter, and tremor of joy and sorrow,
to see her Brother again, her old kindred and the altered scene of things. Poor Lady, she is perceptibly more
tremulous than usual; and her Narrative, not in dates only, but in more memorable points, dances about at a
sad rate; interior agitations and tremulous shrill feelings shivering her this way and that, and throwing things
topsyturvy in one's recollection. Like the magnetic needle, shaky but steadfast (AGITEE MAI
CONSTANTE). Truer nothing can be, points forever to the Pole; but also what obliquities it makes; will
shiver aside in mad escapades, if you hold the paltriest bit of old iron near it,paltriest clack of gossip about
this loved Brother of mine! Brother, we will hope, silently continues to be Pole, so that the needle always
comes back again; otherwise all would go to wreck. Here, in abridged and partly rectified form, are the
phenomena witnessed:
"We arrived at Berlin the end of October [Monday, 17th, as above said]. My younger Brothers, followed by
the Princes of the Blood and by all the Court, received us at the bottom of the stairs. I was led to my
apartment, where I found the Reigning Queen, my Sisters [Ulrique, Amelia], and the Princesses [of the
Blood, as above, Schwedt and the rest]. I learned with much chagrin that the King was ill of tertian ague
[quartan; but that is no matter]. He sent me word that, being in his fit, he could not see me; but that he
depended on having that pleasure tomorrow. The Queen Mother, to whom I went without delay, was in a
dark condition; rooms all hung with their lugubrious drapery; everything yet in the depth of mourning for my
Father. What a scene for me! Nature has her rights; I can say with truth, I have almost never in my life been
so moved as on this occasion." Interview with Mammawe can fancy it"was of the most touching."
Wilhelmina had been absent eight years. She scarcely knows the young ones again, all so grown;finds
change on change: and that Time, as he always is, has been busy. That night the SupperParty was
exclusively a Family one.
Her Brother's welcome to her on the morrow, though ardent enough, she found deficient in sincerity,
deficient in several points; as indeed a Brother up to the neck in business, and just come out of an aguefit,
does not appear to the best advantage. Wilhelmina noticed how ill he looked, so lean and brokendown
(MAIGRE ET DEFAIT) within the last two months; but seems to have taken no account of it farther, in
striking her balances with Friedrich. And indeed in her Narrative of this Visit, not, we will hope, in the Visit
itself, she must have been in a high state of magnetic deflection,pretty nearly her maximum of such,
discoverable in those famous MEMOIRS,such a tumult is there in her statements, all gone to
groundandlofty tumbling in this place; so discrepant are the still ascertainable facts from this topsyturvy
picture of them, sketched by her four years hence (in 1744). The truest of magnetic needles; but so sensitive,
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if you bring foreign iron near it!
Wilhelmina was loaded with honors by an impartial Berlin Public that is Court Public; "but, all being in
mourning, the Court was not brilliant. The Queen Mother saw little company, and was sunk in sorrow;had
not the least influence in affairs, so jealous was the new King of his Authority,to the Queen Mother's
surprise," says Wilhelmina. For the rest, here is a King "becoming truly unpopular [or, we fancy so, in our
deflected state, and judging by the rumor of cliques]; a general discontent reigning in the Country, love of his
subjects pretty much gone; people speaking of him in no measured terms [in certain cliques]. Cares nothing
about those who helped him as Prince Royal, say some; others complain of his avarice [meaning steady
vigilance in outlay] as surpassing the late King's; this one complained of his violences of temper
(EMPORTEMENS); that one of his suspicions, of his distrust, his haughtinesses, his dissimulation" (meaning
polite impenetrability when he saw good). Several circumstances, known to Wilhelmina's own experience,
compel Wilhelmina's assent on those points. "I would have spoken to him about them, if my Brother of
Prussia [young August Wilhelm, betrothed the other day] and the Queen Regnant had not dissuaded me.
Farther on I will give the explanation of all this,"never did it anywhere. "I beg those who may one day read
these MEMOIRS, to suspend their judgment on the character of this great Prince till I have developed it."
[Wilhelmina, ii. 326.] O my Princess, you are true and bright, but you are shrill; and I admire the effect of
atmospheric electricity, not to say, of any neighboring marinestore shop, or miserable bit of broken pan, on
one of the finest magnetic needles ever made and set trembling!
Wilhelmina is incapable of deliberate falsehood; and this her impression or reminiscence, with all its
exaggeration, is entitled to be heard in evidence so far. From this, and from other sources, readers will assure
themselves that discontents were not wanting; that King Friedrich was not amiable to everybody at this
time, which indeed he never grew to be at any other time. He had to be a King; that was the trade he
followed, not the quite different one of being amiable all round. Amiability is good, my Princess; but the
question rises, "To whom?for example, to the young gentleman who shot himself in Lobegun?" There are
young gentlemen and old sometimes in considerable quantities, to whom, if you were in your duty, as a King
of men (or even as a "King of one man and his affairs," if that is all your kingdom), you should have been
hateful instead of amiable! That is a stern truth; too much forgotten by Wilhelmina and others. Again, what a
deadening and killing circumstance is it in the career of amiability, that you are bound not to be
communicative of your inner man, but perpetually and strictly the reverse! It may be doubted if a good King
can be amiable; certainly he cannot in any but the noblest ages, and then only to a select few. I should guess
Friedrich was at no time fairly loved, not by those nearest to him. He was rapid, decisive; of wiry compact
nature; had nothing of his Father's amplitudes, simplicities; nothing to sport with and fondle, far from it.
Tremulous sensibilities, ardent affections; these we clearly discover in him, in extraordinary vivacity; but he
wears them under his polished panoply, and is outwardly a radiant but metallic object to mankind. Let us
carry this along with us in studying him; and thank Wilhelmina for giving us hint of it in her oblique
way.Wilhelmima's love for her Brother rose to quite heroic pitch in coming years, and was at its highest
when she died. That continuation of her MEMOIRS in which she is to develop her Brother's character, was
never written: it has been sought for in modern times; and a few insignificant pages, with evidence that there
is not, and was not, any more, are all that has turned up. [Pertz, Ueber die Denkwurdigkeiten der Markgrafin
van Bayreuth (Paper read in the Akademie der Wissenschaften, Berlin, 25th April, 1850).
Incapable of falsity prepense, we say; but the known facts, which stand abundantly on record if you care to
search them out, are merely as follows: Friedrich, with such sincerity as there might be, did welcome
Wilhelmina on the morrow of her arrival; spoke of Reinsberg, and of air and rest, and how pleasant it would
be; rolled off next morning, having at last gathered up his businesses, and got them well in hand, to Reinsberg
accordingly; whither Wilhelmina, with the Queen Regnant and others of agreeable quality, followed in two
days; intending a long and pleasant spell of country out there. Which hope was tolerably fulfilled, even for
Wilhelmina, though there did come unexpected interruptions, not of Friedrich's bringing.
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UNEXPECTED NEWS AT REINSBERG.
Friedrich's pursuits and intended conquests, for the present, are of peaceable and even gay nature. French
Theatre, Italian Opera House, these are among the immediate outlooks. Voltaire, skilled in French acting, if
anybody ever were, is multifariously negotiating for a Company of that kind,let him be swift, be
successful. [Letters of Voltaire (PASSIM, in these months).] An Italian Opera there shall be; the House is still
to be built: Captain Knobelsdorf, who built Reinsberg, whom we have known, is to do it. Knobelsdorf has
gone to Italy on that errand; "went by Dresden, carefully examining the OperaHouse there, and all the
famed OperaHouses on his road." Graun, one of the best judges living, is likewise off to Italy, gathering
singers. Our Opera too shall be a successful thing, and we hope, a speedy. Such are Friedrich's outlooks at
this time.
A miscellaneous pleasant company is here; Truchsess and Bielfeld, home from Hanover, among them;
Wilhelmina is here;Voltaire himself perhaps coming again. Friedrich drinks his Pyrmont waters; works at
his public businesses all day, which are now well in hand, and manageable by couriers; at evening he appears
in company, and is the astonishment of everybody; brilliant, like a newrisen sun, as if he knew of no illness,
knew of no business, but lived for amusement only. "He intends Private Theatricals withal, and is getting
ready Voltaire's MORT DE CESAR." [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 415.] These were pretty days at
Reinsberg. This kind of life lasted seven or eight weeks, in spite of interruptions of subterranean volcanic
nature, some of which were surely considerable. Here, in the very first week, coming almost volcanically, is
one, which indeed is the sum of them all.
Tuesday forenoon, 25th October, 1740, Express arrives at Reinsberg; direct from Vienna five days ago; finds
Friedrich under eclipse, hidden in the interior, laboring under his aguefit: question rises, Shall the Express
be introduced, or be held back? The news he brings is huge, unexpected, transcendent, and may agitate the
sick King. Six or seven heads go wagging on this point,who by accident are namable, if readers care:
"Prince August Wilhelm," lately betrothed; "Graf Truchsess," home from Hanover; "Colonel Graf von
Finkenstein," old Tutor's Son, a familiar from boyhood upwards; "Baron Pollnitz" kind of chief Goldstick
now, or Master of the Ceremonies, not too witty, but the cause of wit; "Jordan, Bielfeld," known to us; and
lastly, "Fredersdorf," Majordomo and Factotum, who is grown from Valet to be PurseKeeper, confidential
Manager, and almost friend, a notable personage in Friedrich's History. They decide, "Better wait!"
They wait accordingly; and then, after about an hour, the tremblingfit being over, and Fredersdorf having
cautiously preluded a little, and prepared the way, the Despatch is delivered, and the King left with his
immense piece of news. News that his Imperial Majesty Karl VI. died, after short illness, on Thursday, the
20th last. Kaiser dead: House of Hapsburg, and its Five Centuries of tough wrestling, and uneasy Dominancy
in this world, ended, gone to the distaff:the counterwrestling Ambitions and Cupidities not dead; and
nothing but Pragmatic Sanction left between the fallen House and them! Friedrich kept silence; showed no
sign how transfixed he was to hear such tidings; which, he foresaw, would have immeasurable consequences
in the world.
One of the first was, that it cured Friedrich of his ague. It braced him (it, and perhaps "a little quinquina
which he now insisted on") into such a tensity of spirit as drove out his ague like a mere hiccough; quite gone
in the course of next week; and we hear no more of that importunate annoyance. He summoned Secretary
Eichel, "Be ready in so many minutes hence;" rose from his bed, dressed himself; [Preuss, Thronbesteigung,
p. 416.]and then, by Eichel's help, sent off expresses for Schwerin his chief General, and Podewils his
chief Minister. A resolution, which is rising or has risen in the Royal mind, will be ready for communicating
to these Two by the time they arrive, on the second day hence. This done, Friedrich, I believe, joined his
company in the evening; and was as light and brilliant as if nothing had happened.
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Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH.
The Kaiser's death came upon the Public unexpectedly; though not quite so upon observant persons closer at
hand. He was not yet fiftysix out; a firmbuilt man; had been of sound constitution, of active, not
intemperate habits: but in the last six years, there had come such torrents of ill luck rolling down on him, he
had suffered immensely, far beyond what the world knew of; and to those near him, and anxious for him, his
strength seemed much undermined. Five years ago, in summer 1735, Robinson reported, from a sure hand:
"Nothing can equal the Emperor's agitation under these disasters [brought upon him by Fleury and the
Spaniards, as afterclap to his PolishElection feat]. His good Empress is terrified, many times, he will die in
the course of the night, when singly with her he gives a loose to his affliction, confusion and despair."
SeaPowers will not help; Fleury and mere ruin will engulf! "What augments this agitation is his distrust in
every one of his own Ministers, except perhaps Bartenstein," [Robinson to Lord Warrington, 5th July, 1735
(in StatePaper Office).]who is not much of a support either, though a gnarled weighty old stick in his way
("Professor at Strasburg once"): not interesting to us here. The rest his Imperial Majesty considers to be of
sublimated blockhead type, it appears. Prince Eugene had died lately, and with Eugene all good fortune.
And then, close following, the miseries of that Turk War, crashing down upon a man! They say, Duke Franz,
Maria Theresa's Husband, nominal Commander in those Campaigns, with the Seckendorfs and Wallises
under him going such a road, was privately eager to have done with the Business, on any terms, lest the
Kaiser should die first, and leave it weltering. No wonder the poor Kaiser felt broken, disgusted with the long
ShadowHunt of Life; and took to practical fieldsports rather. An Army that cannot fight, War Generals
good only to be locked in Fortresses, an Exchequer that has no money; after such wagging of the wigs, and
such Privy Councilling and such WarCouncilling:let us hunt wild swine, and not think of it! That, thank
Heaven, we still have; that, and Pragmatic Sanction well engrossed, and generally sworn to by mankind, after
much effort!
The outer Public of that time, and Voltaire among them more deliberately afterwards, spoke of "mushrooms,"
an "indigestion of mushrooms;" and it is probable there was something of mushrooms concerned in the event,
Another subsequent Frenchman, still more irreverent, adds to this of the "excess of mushrooms," that the
Kaiser made light of it. "When the Doctors told him he had few hours to live, he would not believe it; and
bantered his Physicians on the sad news. 'Look me in the eyes,' said he; 'have I the air of one dying? When
you see my sight growing dim, then let the sacraments be administered, whether I order or not.'" Doctors
insisting, the Kaiser replied: "'Since you are foolish fellows, who know neither the cause nor the state of my
disorder, I command that, once I am dead, you open my body, to know what the matter was; you can then
come and let me know!"' [ Anecdotes Germaniques (Paris, 1769), p. 692.]in which also there is perhaps a
glimmering of distorted truth, though, as Monsieur mistakes even the day ("18th October," says he, not
2Oth), one can only accept it as rumor from the outside. Here, by an extremely sombre domestic Gentleman
of great punctuality and great dulness, are the authentic particulars, such as it was good to mention in Vienna
circles. [(Anonymous) Des Romischen Kaisers Carl VI. Leben und Thaten (Frankfurt und Leipzig, 1741), pp.
220227.] An extremely dull Gentleman, but to appearance an authentic; and so little defective in reverence
that he delicately expresses some astonishment at Death's audacity this year, in killing so many Crowned
Heads. "This year 1740," says he, "though the weather throughout Europe had been extraordinarily fine," or
fine for a cold year, "had already witnessed several Deaths of Sovereigns: Pope Clement XII., Friedrich
Wilhelm of Prussia, the Queen Dowager of Spain [Termagant's old stepmother, not Termagant's self by a
great way]. But that was not enough: unfathomable Destiny ventured now on Imperial Heads (WAGTE SICH
AUCH AN KAISERKRONEN): Karl VI., namely, and Russia's great, Monarchess;"an audacity to be
remarked. Of Russia's great Monarchess (Czarina Anne, with the big cheek) we will say nothing at present;
but of Karl VI. only, abridging much, and studying arrangement.
"Thursday, October 13th, returning from Halbthurn, a Hunting Seat of his," over in Hungary some fifty miles,
"to the Palace Favorita at Vienna, his Imperial Majesty felt slightly indisposed," indigestion of mushrooms
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Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH. 577
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or whatever it was: had begun AT Halbthurn the night before, we rather understand, and was the occasion of
his leaving. "The Doctors called it cold on the stomach, and thought it of no consequence. In the night of
Saturday, it became alarming;" inflammation, thought the Doctors, inflammation of the liver, and used their
potent appliances, which only made the danger come and go; "and on the Tuesday, all day, the Doctors did
not doubt his Imperial Majesty was dying. ["Look me in the eyes; pack of fools; you will have to dissect me,
you will then know:" Any truth in all that? No matter.]
"At noon of that Tuesday he took the Sacrament, the Pope's Nuncio administering. His Majesty showed
uncommonly great composure of soul, and resignation to the Divine Will;" being indeed "certain,"so he
expressed it to "a principal Official Person sunk in grief" (Bartenstein, shall we guess?), who stood by him
"certain of his cause," not afraid in contemplating that dread Judgment now near: "Look at me! A man that is
certain of his cause can enter on such a Journey with good courage and a composed mind (MIT GUTEM
UND DELASSENEM MUTH)." To the Doctors, dubitating what the disease was, he said, "If Gazelli" my
late worthy Doctor, "were still here, you would soon know; but as it is, you will learn it when you dissect
me;"and once asked to be shown the Cup where his heart would lie after that operation.
"Sacrament being over," Tuesday afternoon, "he sent for his Family, to bless them each separately. He had a
long conversation with Grand Duke Franz," titular of Lorraine, actual of Tuscany, "who had assiduously
attended him, and continued to do so, during the whole illness." The Grand Duke's Spouse,Maria Theresa,
the noblehearted and the overwhelmed; who is now in an interesting state again withal; a little Kaiserkin
(Joseph II.) coming in five months; first child, a little girl, is now two years old;"had been obliged to take
to bed three days ago; laid up of grief and terror (VOR SCHMERZEN UND SCHRECKEN), ever since
Sunday the 16th. Nor would his Imperial Majesty permit her to enter this death room, on account of her
condition, so important to the world; but his Majesty, turning towards that side where her apartment was,
raised his right hand, and commanded her Husband, and the Archduchess her younger Sister, to tell his
Theresa, That he blessed her herewith, notwithstanding her absence." Poor Kaiser, poor Theresa! "Most
distressing of all was the scene with the Kaiserin. The night before, on getting knowledge of the sad certainty,
she had fainted utterly away (STARKE OHNMACHT), and had to be carried into the Grand Duchess's
[Maria Theresa's] room. Being summoned now with her Children, for the last blessing, she cried as in
despair, 'Do not leave me, Your Dilection, do not (ACH EUER LIEBDEN VERLASSEN MICH DOCH
NICHT)!'" Poor good souls! "Her Imperial Majesty would not quit the room again, but remained to the last.
"Wednesday, 19th, all day, anxiety, mournful suspense;" poor weeping Kaiserin and all the world waiting;
the Inevitable visibly struggling on. "And in the night of that day [night of 19th20th Oct., 1740], between
one and two in the morning, Death snatched away this most invaluable Monarch (DEN
PREISWURDIGSTEN MONARCHEN) in the 66th year of his life;" and Kaiser Karl VI., and the House of
Hapsburg and its Five tough Centuries of good and evil in this world had ended. The poor Kaiserin "closed
the eyes" that could now no more behold her; "kissed his hands, and was carried out more dead than alive."
[Anonymous, UT SUPRA, pp. 220227. Adelung, Pragmatische Staatsgeschichte (Gotha, 17621767), ii.
120. JOHANN CHRISTOPH Adelung; the same who did the DICTIONARY aud many other deserving
Books; here is the precise Title: "Pragmatische Staatsgeschichte Europens," that is, "Documentary History of
Europe, from Kaiser Karl's Death, 1740, till Peace of Paris, 1763." A solid, laborious and meritorious Work,
of its kind; extremely extensive (9 vols. 4to, some of which are double and even treble), mostly in the
undigested, sometimes in the quite uncooked or raw condition; perhaps about a fifth part of it consists of
"Documents" proper, which are shippable. It cannot help being dull, waste, dreary, but is everywhere
intelligible (excellent Indexes too),and offers an unhappy reader by far the best resource attainable for
survey of that sad Period.]
A good affectionate Kaiserin, I do believe; honorable, truthful, though unwitty of speech, and converted by
Grandpapa in a peculiar manner, For her Kaiser too, after all, I have a kind of love. Of brilliant articulate
intellect there is nothing; nor of inarticulate (as in Friedrich Wilhelm's case) anything considerable: in fact his
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Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH. 578
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ShadowHunting, and Duelling with the Termagant, seemed the reverse of wise. But there was something of
a high proud heart in it, too, if we examine; and even the Pragmatic Sanction, though in practice not worth
one regiment of iron ramrods, indicates a profoundly fixed determination, partly of loyal nature, such as the
gods more or less reward. "He had been a great builder," say the Histories; "was a great musician, fit to lead
orchestras, and had composed an Opera,"poor Kaiser. There came out large traits of him, in Maria Theresa
again, under an improved form, which were much admired by the world. He looks, in his Portraits, intensely
serious; a handsome man, stoically grave; much the gentleman, much the Kaiser or Supreme Gentleman. As,
in life and fact, he was; "something solemn in him, even when he laughs," the people used to say. A man
honestly doing his very best with his poor Kaisership, and dying of chagrin by it. "On opening the body, the
liverregion proved to be entirely deranged; in the place where the gallbladder should have been, a stone of
the size of a pigeon's egg was found grown into the liver, and no gallbladder now there."
That same morning, with earliest daylight, "Thursday, 20th, six A.M.," Maria Theresa is proclaimed by her
Heralds over Vienna: "According to Pragmatic Sanction, Inheritress of all the," Sovereign Archduchess of
Austria, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, for chief items. "At seven her Majesty took the Oath from the
Generals and Presidents of Tribunals,said, through her tears, 'All was to stand on the old footing, each in
his post,'" and the other needful words. Couriers shoot forth towards all Countries;one express courier
to Regensburg, and the enchanted Wiggeries there, to say That a new Kaiser will be needed; REICHSVicar
or Vicars (KurSachsen and whoever more, for they are sometimes disagreed about it) will have to
administer in the interim.
A second courier we saw arrive at Reinsberg; he likewise may be important. The Bavarian Minister, Karl
Albert KurBaiern's man, shot off his express, like the others; answer is, by return of courier, or even earlier
(for a messenger was already on the road), Make protest! "We KurBaiern solemnly protest against
Pragmatic Sanction, and the assumption of such Titles by the Daughter of the late Kaiser. King of Bohemia,
and in good part even of Austria, it is not you, Madam, but of right WE; as, by Heaven's help, it is our fixed
resolution to make good!" Protest was presented, accordingly, with all the solemnities, without loss of a
moment. To which Bartenstein and the Authorities answered "Poohpooh," as if it were nothing. It is the first
ripple of an immeasurable tide or deluge in that kind, threatening to submerge the new Majesty of
Hungary;as had been foreseen at Reinsberg; though Bartenstein and the Authorities made light of it,
answering "Poohpooh," or almost "Haha," for the present.
Her Hungarian Majesty's chief Generals, Seckendorf, Wallis, Neipperg, sit in their respective prisonwards at
this time (from which she soon liberates them): KurBaiern has lodged protest; at Reinsberg there will be an
important resolution ready:and in the Austrian Treasury (which employs 40,000 persons, big and little)
there is of cash or available, resource, 100,000 florins, that is to say, 10,000 pounds net. [Mailath, Geschichte
des Oestreichischen Kaiserstaats (Hamburg, 1850), v. 8.] And unless Pragmatic sheepskin hold tighter than
some persons expect, the affairs of Austria and of this young Archduchess are in a threatening way.
His Britannic Majesty was on the road home, about Helvoetsluys or on the sea for Harwich, that night the
Kaiser died; of whose illness he had heard nothing. At London, ten days after, the sudden news struck
dismally upon his Majesty and the Political Circles there: "No help, then, from that quarter, in our Spanish
War; perhaps far other than help!"Nay, certain Gazetteers were afraid the grand new AntiSpanish
Expedition itself, which was now, at the long last, after such confusions and delays, lying ready, in great
strength, Naval and Military, would be countermanded,on PragmaticSanction considerations, and the
crisis probably imminent. [London Newspapers (31st Oct.6th Nov., 1740). But it was not countermanded; it
sailed all the same, "November 6th" (seventh day after the bad news); and made towards Shall we tell the
reader, what is Officially a dead secret, though by this time well guessed at by the Public, English and also
Spanish?towards Carthagena, to reinforce fiery Vernon, in the tropical latitudes; and overset Spanish
America, beginning with that important Town!
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Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH. 579
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Commodore Anson, he also, after long fatal delays, is off, several weeks ago; [29th (18th) September, 1740.]
round Cape Horn; hoping (or perhaps already not hoping) to cooperate from the Other Ocean, and be
simultaneous with Vernon,on these loose principles of keeping time! Commodore Anson does, in effect,
make a Voyage which is beautiful, and to mankind memorable; but as to keeping tryst with Vernon, the very
gods could not do it on those terms!
Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE.
Thursday, 27th October, two days after the Expresses went for them, Schwerin and Podewils punctually
arrived at Reinsberg. They were carried into the interior privacies, "to long conferences with his Majesty that
day, and for the next four days; Majesty and they even dining privately together;" grave business of state,
none guesses how grave, evidently going on. The resolution Friedrich laid before them, fruit of these two
days since the news from Vienna, was probably the most important ever formed in Prussia, or in Europe
during that Century: Resolution to make good our Rights on Silesia, by this great opportunity, the best that
will ever offer. Resolution which had sprung, I find, and got to sudden fixity in the head of the young King
himself; and which met with little save opposition from all the other sons of Adam, at the first blush and for
long afterwards. And, indeed, the making of it good (of it, and of the immense results that hung by it) was the
main business of this young King's Life henceforth; and cost him Labors like those of Hercules, and was in
the highest degree momentous to existing and not yet existing millions of mankind,to the readers of this
History especially.
It is almost touching to reflect how unexpectedly, like a bolt out of the blue, all this had come upon Friedrich;
and how it overset his fine program for the winter at Reinsberg, and for his Life generally. Not the Peaceable
magnanimities, but the Warlike, are the thing appointed Friedrich this winter, and mainly henceforth. Those
"GOLDEN or soft radiances" which we saw in him, admirable to Voltaire and to Friedrich, and to an esurient
philanthropic world,it is not those, it is "the STEELBRIGHT or stellar kind," that are to become
predominant in Friedrich's existence: grim hailstorms, thunders and tornado for an existence to him, instead
of the opulent genialities and halcyon weather, anticipated by himself and others! Indisputably enough to us,
if not yet to Friedrich, "Reinsberg and Life to the Muses" are done. On a sudden, from the opposite side of
the horizon, see, miraculous Opportunity, rushing hitherward,swift, terrible, clothed with lightning like a
courser of the gods: dare you clutch HIM by the thundermane, and fling yourself upon him, and make for the
Empyrean by that course rather? Be immediate about it, then; the time is now, or else never!No fair judge
can blame the young man that he laid hold of the flaming Opportunity in this manner, and obeyed the new
omen. To seize such an opportunity, and perilously mount upon it, was the part of a young magnanimous
King, less sensible to the perils, and more to the other considerations, than one older would have been.
Schwerin and Podewils were, no doubt, astonished to learn what the Royal purpose was; and could not want
for commonplace objections many and strong, had this been the scene for dwelling on them, or dressing them
out at eloquent length. But they knew well this was not the scene for doing more than, with eloquent
modesty, hint them; that the Resolution, being already taken, would not alter for commonplace; and that the
question now lying for honorable members was, How to execute it? It is on this, as I collect, that Schwerin
and Podewils in the King's company did, with extreme intensity, consult during those four days; and were,
most probably, of considerable use to the King, though some of their modifications adopted by him turned
out, not as they had predicted, but as he. On all the Military details and outlines, and on all the Diplomacies
of this business, here are two Oracles extremely worth consulting by the young King.
To seize Silesia is easy: a Country open on all but the south side; open especially on our side, where a
battalion of foot might force it; the three or four fortresses, of which only two, Glogau and Neisse, can be
reckoned strong, are provided with nothing as they ought to be; not above 3,000 fighting men in the whole
Province, and these little expecting fight. Silesia can be seized: but the maintaining of it?We must try to
maintain it, thinks Friedrich.
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Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE. 580
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At Reinsberg it is not yet known that KurBaiern has protested; but it is well guessed he means to do so, and
that France is at his back in some sort. KurBaiern, probably KurSachsen, and plenty more, France being
secretly at their back. What low condition Austria stands in, all its ready resources run to the lees, is known;
and that France, getting lively at present with its Belleisles and adventurous spirits not restrainable by Fleury,
is always on the watch to bring Austria lower; capable, in spite of Pragmatic Sanction, to snatch the golden
moment, and spring hunterlike on a moribund Austria, were the huntingdogs once out and in cry. To
Friedrich it seems unlikely the Pragmatic Sanction will be a Law of Nature to mankind, in these
circumstances. His opinion is, "the old political system has expired with the Kaiser." Here is Europe, burning
in one corner of it by Jenkins's Ear, and such a smoulder of combustible material awakening nearer hand: will
not Europe, probably, blaze into general War; Pragmatic Sanction going to waste sheepskin, and universal
scramble ensuing? In which he who has 100,000 good soldiers, and can handle them, may be an important
figure in urging claims, and keeping what he has got hold of!
Friedrich's mind, as to the fact, is fixed: seize Silesia we will: but as to the manner of doing it, Schwerin and
Podewils modify him. Their counsel is: "Do not step out in hostile attitude at the very first, saying, 'These
Duchies, Liegnitz, Brieg, Wohlau, Jagerndorf, are mine, and I will fight for them;' say only, 'Having, as is
well known, interests of various kinds in this Silesia, I venture to take charge of it in the perilous times now
come, and will keep it safe for the real owner.' Silesia seized in this fashion," continue they, "negotiate with
the Queen of Hungary; offer her help, large help in men and money, against her other enemies; perhaps she
will consent to do us right?" "She never will consent," is Friedrich's opinion. "But it is worth trying?" urge
the Ministers."Well," answers Friedrich, "be it in that form; that is the softspoken cautious form: any
form will do, if the fact be there." That is understood to have been the figure of the deliberation in this
conclave at Reinsberg, during the four days. [Stenzel (from what sources he does not clearly say, no doubt
from sources of some authenticity) gives this as summary of it, iv. 6165.] And now it remains only to fix the
Military details, to be ready in a minimum of time; and to keep our preparations and intentions in
impenetrable darkness from all men, in the interim. Adieu, Messieurs.
And so, on the 1st of November, fifth morning since they came, Schwerin and Podewils, a world of new
business silently ahead of them, return to Berlin, intent to begin the same. All the Kings will have to take
their resolution on this matter; wisely, or else unwisely. King Friedrich's, let it prove the wisest or not, is
notably the rapidest,complete, and fairly entering upon action, on November 1st. At London the news of
the Kaiser's death had arrived the day before; Britannic Majesty and Ministry, thrown much into the dumps
by it, much into the vague, are nothing like so prompt with their resolution on it. Somewhat sorrowfully in
the vague. In fact, they will go jumbling hither and thither for about three years to come, before making up
their minds to a resolution: so intricate is the affair to the English Nation and them! Intricate indeed; and even
imaginary,definable mainly as a bottomless abyss of nightmare dreams to the English Nation and them!
Productive of strong somnambulisms, as my friend has it!
MYSTERY IN BERLIN, FOR SEVEN WEEKS, WHILE THE PREPARATIONS GO ON; VOLTAIRE
VISITS FRIEDRICH TO DECIPHER IT, BUT CANNOT.
Podewils and Schwerin gone, King Friedrich, though still very busy in workinghours, returns to his society
and its gayeties and brilliancies; apparently with increased appetite after these four days of abstinence. Still
busy in his workinghours, as a King must be; couriers coming and going, hundreds of businesses despatched
each day; and in the evening what a relish for society,Praetorius is quite astonished at it. Music, dancing,
playacting, suppers of the gods, "not done till four in the morning sometimes," these are the accounts
Praetorius hears at Berlin. "From all persons who return from Reinsberg," writes he, "the unanimous report is,
That the King works, the whole day through, with an assiduity that is unique; and then, in the evening, gives
himself to the pleasures of society, with a vivacity of mirth and sprightly humor which makes those Evening
Parties charming." [Excerpt, in Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 418.] So it had to last, with frequent short
journeys on Friedrich's part, and at last with change to Berlin as headquarters, for about seven weeks to
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Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE. 581
Page No 590
come,till the beginning of December, and the day of action, namely. A notable little Interim in Friedrich's
History and that of Europe.
Friedrich's secret, till almost the very end, remained impenetrable; though, by degrees, his movements excited
much guessing in the Gazetteer and Diplomatic world everywhere. Military matters do seem to be getting
brisk in Prussia; arsenals much astir; troops are seen mustering, marching, plainly to a singular degree.
Marching towards the Austrian side, towards Silesia, some note. Yes; but also towards Cleve, certain
detachments of troops are marching,do not men see? And the Intrenchment at Buderich in those parts, that
is getting forward withal,though privately there is not the least prospect of using it, in these altered
circumstances. Friedrich already guesses that if he could get Silesia, so invaluable on the one skirt of him, he
mill probably have to give up his BergJulich claims on the other; I fancy he is getting ready to do so, should
the time come for such alternative. But he labors at Buderich, all the same, and "improves the roads in that
quarter,"which at least may help to keep an inquisitive public at bay. These are seven busy weeks on
Friedrich's part, and on the world's: constant realities of preparation, on the one part, industriously veiled; on
the other part, such shadows, guessings, spyings, spectral movements above ground and below; Diplomatic
shadows fencing, Gazetteer shadows rumoring;dreams of a world as if near awakening to something great!
"All Officers on furlough have been ordered to their posts," writes Bielfeld, on those vague terms of his: "On
arriving at Berlin, you notice a great agitation in all departments of the State. The regiments are ordered to
prepare their equipages, and to hold themselves in readiness for marching. There are magazines being formed
at FrankfurtonOder and at Crossen,"handy for Silesia, you would say? "There are considerable trains of
Artillery getting ready, and the King has frequent conferences with his Generals." [Bielfeld, i. 165 (Berlin,
30th November, is the date he puts to it).] The authentic fact is: "By the middle of November, Troops, to the
extent of 30,000 and more, had got orders to be ready for marching in three weeks hence; their public
motions very visible ever since, their actual purpose a mystery to all mortals except three.
Towards the end of November, it becomes the prevailing guess that the business is immediate, not
prospective; that Silesia may be in the wind, not Julich and Berg. Which infinitely quickens the shadowy
rumorings and Diplomatic fencings of mankind. The French have their special Ambassador here; a Marquis
de Beauvau, observant military gentleman, who came with the Accession Compliment some time ago, and
keeps his eyes well open, but cannot see through millstones. Fleury is intensely desirous to know Friedrich's
secret; but would fain keep his own (if he yet have one), and is himself quite tacit and reserved. To Fleury's
Marquis de Beauvau Friedrich is very gracious; but in regard to secrets, is for a reciprocal procedure. Could
not Voltaire go and try? It is thought Fleury had let fall some hint to that effect, carried by a bird of the air.
Sure enough Voltaire does go; is actually on visit to his royal Friend; "six days with him at Reinsberg;"
perhaps near a fortnight in all (20 November 2 December or so), hanging about those Berlin regions, on the
survey. Here is an unexpected pleasure to the parties;but in regard to penetrating of secrets, an
unproductive one!
Voltaire's ostensible errand was, To report progress about the ANTIMACHIAVEL, the Van Duren
nonsense; and, at any rate, to settle the Moneyaccounts on these and other scores; and to discourse
Philosophies, for a day or two, with the First of Men. The real errand, it is pretty clear, was as above. Voltaire
has always a wistful eye towards political employment, and would fain make himself useful in high quarters.
Fleury and he have their touches of direct Correspondence now and then; and obliquely there are always
intermediates and channels. Small hint, the slightest twinkle of Fleury's eyelashes, would be duly speeded to
Voltaire, and set him going. We shall see him expressly missioned hither, on similar errand, by and by;
though with as bad success as at present.
Of this his First Visit to Berlin, his Second to Friedrich, Voltaire in the VIE PRIVEE says nothing. But in his
SIECLE DE LOUIS XV. he drops, with proud modesty, a little footnote upon it: "The Author was with the
King of Prussia at that time; and can affirm that Cardinal de Fleury was totally astray in regard to the Prince
he had now to do with." To which a DATE slightly wrong is added; the rest being perfectly correct.
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Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE. 582
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[ OEuvres (Siecle de Louis XV., c. 6), xxviii. 74.] No other details are to be got anywhere, if they were of
importance; the very dates of it in the best Prussian Books are all slightly awry. Here, by accident, are two
poor flintsparks caught from the dust whirlwind, which yield a certain sufficing twilight, when put in their
place; and show us both sides of the matter, the smooth side and the seamy:
1. FRIEDRICH TO ALGAROTTI, AT BERLIN. From "Reinsberg, 21st Nov.," showing the smooth side.
"MY DEAR SWAN OF PADUA,Voltaire has arrived; all sparkling with new beauties, and far more
sociable than at Cleve. He is in very good humor; and makes less complaining about his ailments than usual.
Nothing can be more frivolous than our occupations here:" mere versemaking, dancing, philosophizing, then
cardplaying, dining, flirting; merry as birds on the bough (and Silesia invisible, except to oneself and two
others). [ OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 25.]
2. FRIEDRICH TO JORDAN, AT BERLIN. "RUPPIN, 28th November. "... Thy Miser [Voltaire, now gone
to Berlin, of whom Jordan is to send news, as of all things else], thy Miser shall drink to the lees of his
insatiable desire (SIC) to enrich himself: he shall have the 3,000 thalers (450 pounds). He was with me six
days: that will be at the rate of 500 thalers (75 pounds) a day. That is paying dear for one's merryandrew
(C'EST BIEN PAYER UN FOU); never had courtfool such wages before." [Ib. xvii. 72. Particulars of the
moneypayment (travelling expenses chiefly, rather exorbitant, and THIS journey added to the list; and no
whisper of the considerable VanDuren moneys, and copyright of ANTIMACHIAVEL, in abatement) are
in Rodenbeck, i. 27. Exact sum paid is 3,300 thalers; 2,000 a good while ago, 1,300 at this time, which settles
the greedy bill.]
Which latter, also at first hand, shows us the seamy side. And here, finally, with date happily appended, is a
poetic snatch, in Voltaire's exquisite style, which with the response gives us the medium view:
VOLTAIRE'S ADIEU ( "Billet de Conge, 2 December, 1740").
"Non, malgre vos vertus, non, malgre vos appas,
Mon ame n'est point satisfaite;
Non, vous n'etes qu'une coquette, Qui subjuguez les coeurs, et ne rous donnez pas."
FRIEDRICH'S RESPONSE.
"Mon ame sent le prix de vos divins appas; Mais ne presumez point qu'elle soit satisfaite. Traitre, vous me
quittez pour suivre une coquette;
Moi je ne vous quitterais pas." [ OEuvres de Frederic (xiv. 167); OEuvres de Voltaire;
Meaning, perhaps, in brief English: V. "Ah, you are but a beautiful coquette; you charm away our hearts,
and do not give your own [won't tell me your secret at all]!" F. "Treacherous Lothario, it is you that quit me
for a coquette [your divine Emilie; and won't stay here, and be of my Academy]; but however!" Friedrich
looked hopingly on the French, but could not give his secret except by degrees and with reciprocity. Some
days hence he said to Marquis de Beauvau, in the Audience of leave, a word which was remembered.
VIEW OF FRIEDRICH BEHIND THE VEIL.
As to Friedrich himself, since about the middle of November his plans seem to have been definitely shaped
out in all points; Troops so many, when to be on march, and how; no important detail uncertain since then.
November 17th, he jots down a little Note, which is to go to Vienna, were the due hour come, by a special
Ambassador, one Count Gotter, acquainted with the ground there; and explain to her Hungarian Majesty,
what his exact demands are, and what the exact services he will render. Of which important little Paper
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readers shall hear again. Gotter's demands are at first to be high: Our Four Duchies, due by law so long; these
and even more, considering the important services we propose; this is to be his first word;but, it appears,
he is privately prepared to put up with Two Duchies, if he can have them peaceably: Duchies of Sagan and
Glogau, which are not of the Four at all, but which lie nearest us, and are far below the value of the Four, to
Austria especially. This intricate point Friedrich has already settled in his mind. And indeed it is notably the
habit of this young King to settle matters with himself in good time: and in regard to all manner of points, he
will be found, on the day of bargaining about them, to have his own resolution formed and definitely
fixed;much to his advantage over conflicting parties, who have theirs still flying loose.
Another thing of much concernment is, To secure himself from danger of Russian interference. To this end he
despatches Major Winterfeld to Russia, a man well known to him;day of Winterfeld's departure is not
given; day of his arrival in Petersburg is "19th December" just coming. Russia, at present, is rather in a
staggering condition; hopeful for Winterfeld's object. On the 28th of October last, only eight days after the
Kaiser, Czarina Anne of Russia, she with the big cheek, once of Courland, had died; "audacious Death," as
our poor friend had it, "venturing upon another Crowned Head" there. Bieren her dear Courlander, once little
better than a Horsegroom, now Duke of Courland, Quasi Husband to the late Big Cheek, and thereby
sovereign of Russia, this long while past, is left Official Head in Russia. Poor little Anton Ulrich and his
august Spouse, well enough known to us, have indeed produced a Czar Iwan, some months ago, to the joy of
mankind: but Czar Iwan is in his cradle: Father and Mother's function is little other than to rock the cradle of
Iwan; Bieren to be Regent and Autocrat over him and them in the interim. To their chagrin, to that of
Feldmarschall Munnich and many others: the upshot of which will be visible before long. Czarina Anne's
death had seemed to Friedrich the opportune removal of a dangerous neighbor, known to be in the pay of
Austria: here now are new mutually hostile parties springing up; chance, surely, of a bargain with some of
them? He despatches Winterfeld on this errand;probably the fittest man in Prussia for it. How soon and
perfectly Winterfeld succeeded, and what Winterfeld was, and something of what a Russia he found it, we
propose to mention by and by.
These, and all points of importance, Friedrich has settled with himself some time ago. What his own private
thoughts on the Silesian Adventure are, readers will wish to know, since they can at first hand. Hear Friedrich
himself, whose veracity is unquestionable to such as know anything of him:
"This Silesian Project fulfilled all his (the King's) political views,"summed them all well up into one head.
"It was a means of acquiriug reputation; of increasing the power of the State; and of terminating what
concerned that longlitigated question of the BergJulich Succession;"can be sure of getting that, at
lowest; intends to give that up, if necessary.
"Meanwhile, before entirely determining, the King weighed the risks there were in undertaking such a War,
and the advantages that were to be hoped from it. On one side, presented itself the potent House of Austria,
not likely to want resources with so many vast Provinces under it; an Emperor's Daughter attacked, who
would naturally find allies in the King of England, in the Dutch Republic, and so many Princes of the Empire
who had signed the Pragmatic Sanction." Russia wasor had been, and might again be in the pay of
Vienna. Saxony might have some clippings from Bohemia thrown to it, and so be gained over. Scanty
Harvest, 1740, threatened difficulties as to provisioning of troops. "The risks were great. One had to
apprehend the vicissitudes of war. A single battle lost might be decisive. The King had no allies; and his
troops, hitherto without experience, would have to front old Austrian soldiers, grown gray in harness, and
trained to war by so many campaigns.
"On the other side were hopeful considerations,"four in number: FIRST, Weak condition of the Austrian
Court, Treasury empty, War Apparatus broken in pieces; inexperienced young Princess to defend a disputed
succession, on those terms. SECOND, There WILL be allies; France and England always in rivalry, both
meddling in these matters, King is sure to get either the one or the other. THIRD, Silesian War lies handy
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to us, and is the only kind of Offensive War that does; Country bordering on our frontier, and with the Oder
running through it as a sure highroad for everything. FOURTH, "What suddenly turned the balance," or at
least what kept it steady in that posture,"news of the Czarina's death arrives:" Russia has ceased to count
against us; and become a manageable quantity. On, therefore!
"Add to these reasons," says the King, with a candor which has not been well treated in the History Books,
"Add to these reasons, an Army ready for acting; Funds, Supplies all found [lying barrelled in the Schloss at
Berlin];and perhaps the desire of making oneself a name," from which few of mortals able to achieve it are
exempt in their young time: "all this was cause of the War which the King now entered upon." [ OEuvres de
Frederic (Histoire de mon Temps), i. 128.]
"Desire to make himself a name; how shocking!" exclaim several Historians. "Candor of confession that he
may have had some such desire; how honest!" is what they do not exclaim. As to the justice of his Silesian
Claims, or even to his own belief about their justice, Friedrich affords not the least light which can be new to
readers here. He speaks, when business requires it, of "those known rights" of his, and with the air of a man
who expects to be believed on his word; but it is cursorily, and in the business way only; and there is not here
or elsewhere the least pleading:a man, you would say, considerably indifferent to our belief on that head;
his eyes set on the practical merely. "Just Rights? What are rights, never so just, which you cannot make
valid? The world is full of such. If you have rights and can assert them into facts, do it; that is worth
doing!"
We must add two Notes, two small absinthine drops, bitter but wholesome, administered by him to the Old
Dessauer, whose gloomy wonder over all this military whirl of Prussian things, and discontent that he, lately
the head authority, has never once been spoken to on it, have been great. Guessing, at last, that it was meant
for Austria, a Power rather dear to Leopold, he can suppress himself no longer; but breaks out into Cassandra
prophesyings, which have piqued the young King, and provoke this return:
1. "REINSBERG, 24th November, 1740.I have received your Letter, and seen with what inquietude you
view the approaching march of my Troops. I hope you will set your mind at ease on that score; and wait with
patience what I intend with them and you. I have made all my dispositions; and Your Serenity will learn, time
enough, what my orders are, without disquieting yourself about them, as nothing has been forgotten or
delayed."FRIEDRICH.
Old Dessauer, cut to the bone, perceives he will have to quit that method and never resume it; writes next
how painful it is to an old General to see himself neglected, as if good for nothing, while his scholars are
allowed to gather laurels. Friedrich's answer is of soothing character:
2. "BERLIN, 2d DECEMBER, 1740.You may be assured I honor your merits and capacity as a young
Officer ought to honor an old one, who has given the world so many proofs of his talent (DEXTERITAT);
nor will I neglect Your Serenity on any occasion when you can help me by your good Counsel and
cooperation." But it is a mere "bagatelle" this that I am now upon; though, next year, it may become serious.
For the rest, Saxony being a neighbor whose intentions one does not know, I have privately purposed Your
Serenity should keep an outlook that way, in my absence. Plenty of employment coming for Your Serenity.
"But as to this present Expedition, I reserve it for myself alone; that the world may not think the King of
Prussia marches with a Tutor to the Field."FRIEDRICH. [Orlich, Geschichte der Schlesischen Kriege
(Berlin, 1841), i. 38, 39.]
And therewith Leopold, eagerly complying, has to rest satisfied; and beware of too much freedom with this
young King again.
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"Berlin, December 2d," is the date of that last Note to the Dessauer; date also of Voltaire's ADIEU with the
RESPONSE; on which same day, "Friday, December 2d," as I find from the Old Books, his Majesty,
quitting the Reinsberg sojourn, "had arrived in Berlin about 2 P.M.; accompanied by Prince August Wilhelm
[betrothed at Brunswick lately]; such a crowd on the streets as if they had never seen him before." He
continued at Berlin or in the neighborhood thenceforth. Busy days these; and Berlin a much whispering City,
as Regiment after Regiment marches away. King soon to follow, as is thought,"who himself sometimes
deigns to take the Regiments into highest own eyeshine, HOCHSTEIGENEN AUGENSCHEIN" (that is, to
review them), say the reverential Editors. December 6thBut let us follow the strict sequence of Phenomena
at Berlin.
EXCELLENCY BOTTA HAS AUDIENCE; THEN EXCELLENCY DICKENS, AND OTHERS:
DECEMBER 6th, THE MYSTERY IS OUT.
Of course her Hungarian Majesty, and her Bartensteins and Ministries, heard enough of those Prussian
rumors, interior Military activities, and enigmatic movements; but they seem strangely supine on the matter;
indeed, they seem strangely supine on such matters; and lean at ease upon the SeaPowers, upon Pragmatic
Sanction and other Laws of Nature. But at length even they become painfully interested as to Friedrich's
intentions; and despatch an Envoy to sift him a little: an expert Marchese di Botta, Genoese by birth, skilful
in the Russian and other intricacies; who was here at Berlin lately, doing the Accession Compliment (rather
ill received at that time), and is fit for the job. Perhaps Botta will penetrate him? That is becoming desirable,
in spite of the gay Private Theatricals at Reinsberg, and the Berlin Carnival Balls he is so occupied with.
England is not less interested, and the diligent Sir Guy is doing his best; but can make out nothing
satisfactory;much the reverse indeed; and falls into angry black anticipations. "Nobody here, great or
small," says his Excellency, "dares make any representation to this young Prince against the measures he is
pursuing; though all are sensible of the confusion which must follow. A Prince who had the least regard to
honor, truth and justice, could not act the part he is goingto do." Alas, no, Excellency Dickens! "But it is plain
his only view was, to deceive us all, and conceal for a while his ambitious and mischievous designs."
[Despatch, 29th November3d December, 1740: Raumer, p. 58.] "Never was such dissimulation!" exclaims
the Diplomatic world everywhere, being angered at it, as if it were a vice on the part of a King about to
invade Silesia. Dissimulation, if that mean mendacity, is not the name of the thing; it is the art of wearing a
polite cloak of darkness, and the King is little disturbed what name they call it.
Botta did not get to Berlin till December lst, had no Audience till the 5th;by which time it is becoming
evident to Excellency Dickens, and to everybody, that Silesia is the thing meant. Botta hints as much in that
first Audience, December 5th: "Terrible roads, those Silesian ones, your Majesy!" says Botta, as if
historically merely, but with a glance of the eye. "Hm," answers his Majesty in the same tone, "the worst that
comes of them is a little mud!"Next day, Dickens had express Audience, "Berlin, Tuesday 6th:" a smartish,
somewhat flurried Colloquy with the King; which, well abridged, may stand as follows:
DICKENS. ... "Indivisibility of the Austrian Monarchy, Sire!" KING. "Indivisibility? What do you
mean?"DICKENS. "The maintenance of the Pragmatic Sanction."KING. "Do you intend to support it? I
hope not; for such is not my intention." (There is for you!) ...
DICKENS. "England and Holland will much wonder at the measures your Majesty was taking, at the moment
when your Majesty proposed to join with them, and were making friendly proposals!" (Has been a deceitful
man, Sir Guy, at least an impenetrable;but this latter is rather strong on your part!) "What shall I write to
England?" ("When I mentioned this," says Dickens, "the King grew red in the face," eyes considerably
flashing, I should think.)
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KING. "You can have no instructions to ask that question! And if you had, I have an answer ready for you.
England has no right to inquire into my designs. Your great SeaArmaments, did I ask you any questions
about them? No; I was and am silent on that head; only wishing you good luck, and that you may not get
beaten by the Spaniards." (Dickens hastily draws in his rash horns again; after a pass or two, King's natural
color returns.) ...
KING. "Austria as a Power is necessary against the Turks. But in Germany, what need of Austria being so
superlative? Why should not, say, Three Electors united be able to oppose her? ... Monsieur, I find it is your
notion in England, as well as theirs in France, to bring other Sovereigns under your tutorage, and lead them
about. Understand that I will not be led by either. ... Tush, YOU are like the Athenians, who, when Philip of
Macedon was ready to invade them, spent their time in haranguing!"
DICKENS. ... "Berg and Julich, if we were to guarantee them?" KING. "Hm. Don't so much mind that
Rhine Country: difficulties there,Dutch always jealous of one. But, on the other Frontier, neither England
nor Holland could take umbrage,"points clearly to Silesia, then, your Excellency Dickens? [Raumer, (from
State Paper Office), pp. 63, 64.]
Alas, yes! Troops and military equipments are, for days past, evidently wending towards Frankfurt, towards
Crossen, and even the Newspapers now hint that something is on hand in that quarter. Nay, this same day,
TUESDAY, 6th DECEMBER, there has come out brief Official Announcement, to all the Foreign Ministers
at Berlin, Excellency Dickens among them, "That his Royal Majesty, our most allgracious Herr, has taken
the resolution to advance a Body of Troops into Schlesien,"rather out of friendly views towards Austria
(much business lying between us about Schlesien), not out of hostile views by any means, as all Excellencies
shall assure their respective Courts. [Copy of the Paper in HeldenGeschichte, i. 447.] Announcement which
had thrown the Excellency Dickens into such a frame of mind, before he got his Audience today!
SATURDAY following, which was December l0th, Marquis de Beauvau had his Audience of leave;
intending for Paris shortly: Audience very gracious; covertly hinting, on both sides, more than it said; ending
in these words, on the King's side, which have become famous: "Adieu, then, M. le Marquis. I believe I am
going to play your game; if the aces fall to me, we will share ( Je vais, je crois, jouer votre jeu: si les as me
viennent, nous partagerons)!" [Voltaire, OEuvres (Siecle de Louis XV., c. 6), xxviii. 74.]
To Botta, all this while, Friedrich strove to be specially civil; took him out to Charlottenburg, that same
Saturday, with the Queen and other guests; but Botta, and all the world, being now certain about Silesia, and
that no amount of mud, or other terror on the roads, would be regarded, Botta's thoughts in this evening party
are not of cheerful nature. Next day, Sunday, December 11th, he too gets his Audience of leave; and cannot
help bursting out, when the King plainly tells him what is now afoot, and that the Prussian Ambassador has
got instructions what to offer upon it at Vienna. "Sire, you are going to ruin the House of Austria," cried
Botta, "and to plunge yourself into destruction (VOUS ABIMER) at the same time!""Depends on the
Queen," said Friedrich, "to accept the Offers I have made her." Botta sank silent, seemed to reflect, but
gathering himself again, added with an ironical air and tone of voice, "They are fine Troops, those of yours,
Sire. Ours have not the same splendor of appearance; but they have looked the wolf in the face. Think, I
conjure you, what you are getting into!" Friedrich answered with vivacity, a little nettled at the ironical tone
of Botta, and his mixed sympathy and menace: "You find my troops are beautiful; perhaps I shall convince
you they are good too." Yes, Excellency Botta, goodish troops; and very capable "to look the wolf in the
face,"or perhaps in the tail too, before all end! "Botta urged and entreated that at least there should be some
delay in executing this project. But the King gave him to understand that it was now too late, and that the
Rubicon was passed." [Friedrich's own Account ( OEuvres, ii. 57).]
The secret is now out, therefore; Invasion of Silesia certain and close at hand. "A day or two before
marching," may have been this very day when Botta got his audience, the King assembled his Chief Generals,
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all things ready out in the FrankfurtCrossen region yonder; and spoke to them as follows; briefly and to the
point:
"Gentlemen, I am undertaking a War, in which I have no allies but your valor and your goodwill. My cause
is just; my resources are what we ourselves can do; and the issue lies in Fortune. Remember continually the
glory which your Ancestors acquired in the plains of Warsaw, at Fehrbellin, and in the Expedition to
Preussen [across the Frische Haf on ice, that time]. Your lot is in your own hands: distinctions and rewards
wait upon your fine actions which shall merit them.
"But what need have I to excite you to glory? It is the one thing you keep before your eyes; the sole object
worthy of your labors. We are going to front troops who, under Prince Eugene, had the highest reputation.
Though Prince Eugene is gone, we shall have to measure our strength against brave soldiers: the greater will
be the honor if we can conquer. Adieu, go forth. I will follow you straightway to the rendezvous of glory
which awaits us." [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii.58.]
MASKED BALL, AT BERLIN, 12th13th DECEMBER.
On the evening of Monday, 12th, there was, as usual, Masked (or HalfMasked) Ball, at the Palace. As usual;
but this time it has become mentionable in WorldHistory. Bielfeld, personally interested, gives us a vivid
glance into it;which, though pretending to be real and contemporaneous, is unfortunately MYTHICAL
only, and done at a great interval of years (dates, and even slight circumstances of fact, refusing to
conform);which, however, for the truth there is in it, we will give, as better than nothing. Bielfeld's
pretended date is, "Berlin, 15th December;" should have been 14th,wrong by a day, after one's best effort!
"BERLIN, 15th DECEMBER, 1740. As for me, dear Sister, I am like a shuttlecock whom the Kings of
Prussia and of England hit with their rackets, and knock to and fro. The night before last, I was at the Palace
Evening Party (ASSEMBLEE); which is a sort of Ball, where you go in domino, but without mask on the
face. The Queen was there, and all the Court. About eight o'clock the King also made his appearance. His
Majesty, noticing M. de G[that is DE GUIDIKEN, or Guy Dickens], English Minister, addressed him;
led him into the embrasure of a window, and talked alone with him for more than an hour [uncertain,
probably apocryphal this]. I threw, from time to time, a stolen glance at this dialogue, which appeared to me
to be very lively. A moment after, being just dancing with Madame the Countess deTHREE
ASTERISKS,I felt myself twitched by the domino; and turning, was much surprised to see that it was the
King; who took me aside, and said, 'Are your boots oiled (VOS BOTTES SONTELLES GRAISSIES, Are
you ready for a journey)? ' I replied, 'Sire, they will always be so for your Majesty's service.''Well, then,
Truchsess and you are for England; the day after tomorrow you go. Speak to M. de Podewils!'This was
said like a flash of lightning. His Majesty passed into another apartment; and I, I went to finish my minuet
with the Lady; who had been not less astonished to see me disappear from her eyes, in the middle of the
dance, than I was at what the King said to me." [Bielfeld, i. 167, 168.] Next morning, I
The fact is, next morning, Truchsess and I began preparation for the Court of London,and we did there, for
many months afterwards, strive our best to keep the Britannic Majesty in some kind of tune, amid the
prevailing discord of events;fact interesting to some. And the other fact, interesting to everybody, though
Bielfeld has not mentioned it, is, That King Friedrich, the same next morning, punctually "at the stroke of 9,"
rolled away Frankfurtward,into the First Silesian War! Tuesday, "13th December, this morning, the King,
privately quitting the Ball, has gone [after some little snatch of sleep, we will hope] for Frankfurt, to put
himself at the head of his Troops." [Dickens (in StatePaper Office), 13th December, 1740; see also
HeldenGeschichte, i. 452; Bellona his companion for long years henceforth, instead of Minerva and the
Muses, as he had been anticipating.
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Hereby is like to be fulfilled (except that Friedrich himself is perhaps this "little stone") what Friedrich
prophesied to his Voltaire, the day after hearing of the Kaiser's death: "I believe there will, by June next, be
more talk of cannon, soldiers, trenches, than of actresses, and dancers for the ballet. This small Event changes
the entire system of Europe. It is the little stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw, in his dream, loosening itself,
and rolling down on the Image made of Four Metals, which it shivers to ruin." [Friedrich to Voltaire, busy
gathering actors at that time, 26th October, 1740 ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 49).]
BOOK XII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, AWAKENING A GENERAL EUROPEAN
ONE, BEGINS. December, 1740May, 1741.
Chapter I. OF SCHLESIEN, OR SILESIA.
Schlesien, what we call Silesia, lies in elliptic shape, spread on the top of Europe, partly girt with mountains,
like the crown or crest to that part of the Earth;highest tableland of Germany or of the Cisalpine
Countries; and sending rivers into all the seas. The summit or highest level of it is in the southwest; longest
diameter is from northwest to southeast. From Crossen, whither Friedrich is now driving, to the Jablunka
Pass, which issues upon Hungary, is above 250 miles; the AXIS, therefore, or longest diameter, of our Ellipse
we may call 230 English miles;its shortest or conjugate diameter, from Friedland in Bohemia
(Wallenstein's old Friedland), by Breslau across the Oder to the Polish Frontier, is about 100. The total area
of Schlesien is counted to be some 20,000 square miles, nearly the third of England Proper.
Schlesienwill the reader learn to call it by that name, on occasion? for in these sad Manuscripts of ours the
names alternate is a fine, fertile, useful and beautiful Country. It leans sloping, as we hinted, to the East
and to the North; a long curved buttress of Mountains ("RIESENGEBIRGE, Giant Mountains," is their
bestknown name in foreign countries) holding it up on the South and West sides. This GiantMountain
Range,which is a kind of continuation of the SaxonBohemian "Metal Mountains (ERZGEBIRGE)" and
of the straggling Lausitz Mountains, to westward of these, shapes itself like a billhook (or elliptically, as
was said): handle and hook together may be some 200 miles in length. The precipitous side of this is, in
general, turned outwards, towards Bohmen, Mahren, Ungarn (Bohemia, Moravia, Hungary, in our dialects);
and Schlesien lies inside, irregularly sloping down, towards the Baltic and towards the utmost East, From the
Bohemian side of these Mountains there rise two Rivers: Elbe, tending for the West; Morawa for the
South;Morawa, crossing Moravia, gets into the Donau, and thence into the BlackSea; while Elbe, after
intricate adventures among the mountains, and then prosperously across the plains, is out, with its many
ships, into the Atlantic. Two rivers, we say, from the Bohemian or steep side: and again, from the Silesian
side, there rise other two, the Oder and the Weichsel (VISTULA); which start pretty near one another in the
Southeast, and, after wide windings, get both into the Baltic, at a good distance apart.
For the first thirty, or in parts, fifty miles from the Mountains, Silesia slopes somewhat rapidly; and is still to
be called a Hillcountry, rugged extensive elevations diversifying it: but after that, the slope is gentle, and at
length insensible, or noticeable only by the way the waters run. From the central part of it, Schlesien pictures
itself to you as a plain; growing ever flatter, ever sandier, as it abuts on the monotonous endless sandflats of
Poland, and the Brandenburg territories; nothing but Boundary Stones with their brass inscriptions marking
where the transition is; and only some Fortified Town, not far off, keeping the door of the Country secure in
that quarter.
On the other hand, the Mountain part of Schlesien is very picturesque; not of Alpine height anywhere (the
SchneeKoppe itself is under 5,000 feet), so that verdure and forest wood fail almost nowhere among the
Mountains; and multiplex industry, besung by rushing torrents and the swift young rivers, nestles itself high
up; and from wheat husbandry, madder and maize husbandry, to damaskweaving, metallurgy,
charcoalburning, tardistillery, Schlesien has many trades, and has long been expert and busy at them to a
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high degree. A very pretty Ellipsis, or irregular Oval, on the summit of the European Continent;"like the
palm of a left hand well stretched out, with the Riesengebirge for thumb!" said a certain Herr to me,
stretching out his arm in that fashion towards the northwest. Palm, well stretched out, measuring 250 miles;
and the crossway 100. There are still beavers in Schlesien; the Katzbach River has gold grains in it, a kind of
Pactolus not now worth working; and in the scraggy lonesome pinewoods, grimy individuals, with kindled
mounds of pinebranches and smoke carefully kept down by sods, are sweating out a substance which they
inform you is to be tar.
HISTORICAL EPOCHS OF SCHLESIEN;AFTER THE QUADS AND MARCHMEN.
Who first lived in Schlesien, or lived long since in it, there is no use in asking, nor in telling if one knew.
"The QUADI and the Lygii," says Dryasdust, in a groping manner: Quadi and consorts, in the fifth or sixth
Century, continues he with more confidence, shifted Romeward, following the general track of
contemporaneous mankind; weak remnant of Quadi was thereupon overpowered by Slavic populations, and
their Country became Polish, which the eastern rim of it still essentially is. That was the end of the Quadi in
those parts, says History. But they cannot speak nor appeal for themselves; History has them much at
discretion. Rude burial urns, with a handful of ashes in them, have been dug up in different places; these are
all the Archives and Histories the Quadi now have. It appears their name signifies WICKED. They are those
poor Quadi (WICKED PEOPLE) who always go along with the Marcomanni (MARCHMEN), in the
beadroll Histories one reads; and I almost guess they must have been of the same stock: "Wickeds and
Borderers;" considered, on both sides of the Border, to belong to the Dangerous Classes in those times. Two
things are certain: First, QUAD and its derivatives have, to this day, in the speech of rustic Germans,
something of that meaning,"nefarious," at least "injurious," "hateful, and to be avoided:" for example,
QUADdel, "a nettleburn;" QUETSchen, "to smash" (say, your thumb while hammering); And then a second
thing: The Polish equivalent word is ZLE (Busching says ZLEXI); hence ZLEzien, SCHLEsien, meaning
merely BADland, QUADland, what we might called DAMAGitia, or Country where you get into Trouble.
That is the etymology, or what passes for such. As to the History of Schlesien, hitherwards of these burial
urns dug up in different places, I notice, as not yet entirely buriable, Three Epochs.
FIRST EPOCH; CHRISTIANITY: A.D. 966. Introduction of Christianity; to the length of founding a
Bishopric that year, so hopeful were the aspects; "Bishopric of Schmoger" (SchMAGram, dim little Village
still discoverable on the Polish frontier, not far from the Town of Namslau); Bishopric which, after one
removal farther inward, got across the Oder, to "WRUTISLAV," which me now call Breslau; and sticks
there, as Bishopric of Breslau, to this day. Year 966: it was in Adalbert, our Prussian Saint and Missionary's
younger time. Preaching, by zealous Polacks, must have been going on, while Adalbert, Bright in Nobleness,
was studying at Magdeburg, and ripening for high things in the general estimation. This was a new gift from
the Polacks, this of Christianity; an infinitely more important one than that nickname of "ZLEZIEN," or
"DAMAGitia," stuck upon the poor Country, had been.
SECOND EPOCH; GET GRADUALLY CUT LOOSE FROM POLAND: A.D. 11391159. Twenty years of
great trouble in Poland, which were of lasting benefit to Schlesien. In 1139 the Polack King, a very potent
Majesty whom we could name but do not, died; and left his Dominions shared by punctual bequest among his
five sons. Punctual bequest did avail: but the eldest Son (who was King, and had Schlesien with much else to
his share) began to encroach, to grasp; upon which the others rose upon him, flung him out into exile;
redivided; and hoped now they might have quiet. Hoped, but were disappointed; and could come to no sure
bargain for the next twenty years,not till "the eldest brother," first author of these strifes, "died an exile in
Holstein," or was just about dying, and had agreed to take Schlesien for all claims, and be quiet thenceforth.
His, this eldest's, three Sons did accordingly, in 1159, get Schlesien instead of him; their uncles proving
honorable. Schlesien thereby was happy enough to get cut loose from Poland, and to continue loose; steering
a course of its own;parting farther and farther from Poland and its habits and fortunes. These three Sons, of
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the late Polish Majesty who died in exile in Holstein, are the "Piast Dukes," much talked of in Silesian
Histories: of whose merits I specify this only, That they so soon as possible strove to be German. They were
Progenitors of all the "Piast Dukes," Proprietors of Schlesien thenceforth, till the last of them died out in
1675,and a certain ERBVERBRUDERUNG they had entered into could not take effect at that time. Their
merits as Sovereign Dukes seem to have been considerable; a certain piety, wisdom and nobleness of mind
not rare among them; and no doubt it was partly their merit, if partly also their good luck, that they took to
Germany, and leant thitherward; steering looser and looser from Poland, in their new circumstances. They
themselves by degrees became altogether German; their Countries, by silent immigration, introduction of the
arts, the composures and sobrieties, became essentially so. On the eastern rim there is still a Polack remnant,
its territories very sandy, its condition very bad; remnant which surely ought to cease its Polack jargon, and
learn some dialect of intelligible Teutsch, as the first condition of improvement. In all other parts Teutsch
reigns; and Schlesien is a green abundant Country; full of metallurgy, damaskweaving, grainhusbandry.
instead of gasconade, gilt anarchy, rags, dirt, and NIE POZWALAM.
A.D. 1327; GET COMPLETELY CUT LOOSE. The Piast Dukes, who soon ceased to be Polish, and hung
rather upon Bohemia, and thereby upon Germany, made a great step in that direction, when King Johann, old
ICHDIEN whom we ought to recollect, persuaded most of them, all of them but two, "PRETIO AC
PRECE," to become Feudatories (Quasi Feudatories, but of a sovereign sort) to his Crown of Bohemia. The
two who stood out, resisting prayer and price, were the Duke of Jauer and the Duke of
Schweidnitz,loftyminded gentlemen, perhaps a thought too lofty. But these also Johann's son, little
Kaiser Karl IV., "marrying their heiress," contrived to bring in;one fruitful adventure of little Karl's,
among the many wasteful he made, in the German Reich. Schlesien is henceforth a bit of the Kingdom of
Bohemia; indissolubly hooked to Germany; and its progress in the arts and composures, under wise Piasts
with immigrating Germans, we guess to have become doubly rapid. [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, viii. 725;
Hubner, t. 94.]
THIRD EPOCH; ADOPT THE REFORMATION: A.D. 14141517. Schlesien, hanging to Bohemia in this
manner, extensively adopted Huss's doctrines; still more extensively Luther's; and that was a difficult element
in its lot, though, I believe, an unspeakably precious one. It cost above a Century of sad tumults, Zisca Wars;
nay above two Centuries, including the sad ThirtyYears War;which miseries, in Bohemia Proper, were
sometimes very sad and even horrible. But Schlesien, the outlying Country, did, in all this, suffer less than
Bohemia Proper; and did NOT lose its Evangelical Doctrine in result, as unfortunate Bohemia did, and sink
into sluttish "fanatical torpor, and big Crucifixes of japanned Tin by the wayside," though in the course of
subsequent years, named of Peace, it was near doing so. Here are the steps, or unavailing countersteps, in
that latter direction:
A.D. 1537. Occurred, as we know, the ERBVERBRUDERUNG; Duke of Liegnitz, and of other extensive
heritages, making Deed of Brotherhood with KurBrandenburg;Deed forbidden, and so far as might be,
rubbed out and annihilated by the then King of Bohemia, subsequently Kaiser Ferdinand I., Karl V.'s Brother.
Duke of Liegnitz had to give up his parchments, and become zero in that matter: KurBrandenburg entirely
refused to do so; kept his parchments, to see if they would not turn to something.
A.D. 1624. Schlesien, especially the then Duke of Liegnitz (greatgrandson of the ERBVERBRUDERUNG
one), and poor Johann George, Duke of Jagerndorf, cadet of the then KurBrandenburg, went warmly ahead
into the WinterKing project, first fire of the ThirtyYears War; sufferings from Papal encroachment, in high
quarters, being really extreme. Warmly ahead; and had to smart sharply for it;poor Johann George with
forfeiture of Jagerndorf, with REICHESACHT (Ban of the Empire), and total ruin; fighting against which
he soon died. Act of Ban and Forfeiture was done tyrannously, said most men; and it was persisted in equally
so, till men ceased speaking of it;Jagerndorf Duchy, fruit of the Act, was held by Austria, ever after, in
defiance of the Laws of the Reich. Religious Oppression lay heavy on Protestant Schlesien thenceforth; and
many lukewarm individualities were brought back to Orthodoxy by that method, successful in the diligent
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skilled hands of Jesuit Reverend Fathers, with fiscals and soldiers in the rear of them.
A.D. 1648. Treaty of Westphalia mended much of this, and set fair limits to Papist encroachment;had said
Treaty been kept: but how could it? By Orthodox Authority, auxious to recover lost souls, or at least to have
loyal subjects, it was publicly kept in name; and tacitly, in substance, it was violated more and more. Of the
"Blossoming of Silesian Literature," spoken of in Books; of the Poet Opitz, Poets Logan, Hoffmannswaldau,
who burst into a kind of Song better or worse at this Period, we will remember nothing; but request the reader
to remember it, if he is tunefully given, or thinks it a good symptom of Schlesien.
A.D. 1707. Treaty of Altranstadt: between Kaiser Joseph I. and Karl XII. Swedish Karl, marching through
those parts,out of Poland, in chase of August the Physically Strong, towards Saxony, there to beat him
soft,was waited upon by Silesian Deputations of a lamentable nature; was entreated, for the love of Christ
and His Evangel, to "Protect us poor Protestants, and get the Treaty of Westphalia observed on our behalf,
and fairplay shown!" Which Karl did; Kaiser Joseph, with such weight of French War lying on him, being
much struck with the tone of that dangerous Swede. The Pope rebuked Kaiser Joseph for such compliance in
the Silesian matter: "Holy Father," answered this Kaiser (not of distinguished orthodoxy in the House), "I am
too glad he did not ask me to become Lutheran; I know not how I should have helped myself!" [Pauli,
Allgemeine Preussische StaatsGeschichte (viii. 298592); Busching, Erdbeschreibung (viii. 700739);
Wuttke, Friedrichs des Grossen Besitzergreifung von Schlesien (Seizure of Silesia by Friedrich, 2 vols.
Leipzig, 1843), I mention only lest ingenuous readers should be tempted by the Title to buy it. Wuttke begins
at the Creation of the World; and having, in two heavy volumes, at last struggled down close TO the
BESITZERGREIFUNG or Seizure in question, calls halt; and stands (at ease, we will hope) immovably there
for the seventeen years since.]
These are the Three Epochs;most things, in respect of this Third or Reformation Epoch, stepping steadily
downward hitherto. As to the Fourth Epoch, dating "13th Dec. 1740," which continues, up to our day and
farther, and is the final and crowning Epoch of Silesian History,read in the following Chapters.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES ON GLOGAU.
At what hour Friedrich ceased dancing on that famous Ballnight of Bielfeld's, and how long he slept after,
or whether at all, no Bielfeld even mythically says: but next morning, as is patent to all the world, Tuesday,
13th December, 1740, at the stroke of nine, he steps into his carriage; and with small escort rolls away
towards FrankfurtonOder; [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 452; Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 456.] out upon an
Enterprise which will have results for himself and others.
Two youngish military men, AdjutantGenerals both, were with him, Wartensleben, Borck; both once fellow
Captains in the Potsdam Giants, and much in his intimacy ever since. Wartensleben we once saw at
Brunswick, on a Masonic occasion; Borck, whom we here see for the first time, is not the Colonel Borck
(properly MajorGeneral) who did the Herstal Operation lately; still less is he the venerable old Minister,
Marlborough Veteran, and now FieldMarshal Borck, whom Hotham treated with, on a certain occasion.
There are numerous Borcks always in the King's service; nor are these three, except by loose cousinry,
related to one another. The Borcks all come from Stettin quarter; a brave kindred, and old enough,"Old as
the Devil, DAS IST SO OLD ALS DE BORCKEN UND DE DUWEL," says the Pomeranian Proverb; the
AdjutantGeneral, a junior member of the clan, chances to be the notablest of them at this moment.
Wartensleben, Borck, and a certain Colonel von der Golz, whom also the King much esteems, these are his
company on this drive. For escort, or guard of honor out of Berlin to the next stages, there is a small body of
Hussars, Lifeguard and other Cavalry, "perhaps 500 horse in all."
They drive rapidly, through the gray winter; reach Frankfurton Oder, sixty miles or more; where no doubt
there is military business waiting. They are forward, on the morrow, for dinner, forty miles farther, at a small
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Town called Crossen, which looks over into Silesia; and is, for the present, headquarters to a Prussian Army,
standing ready there and in the environs. Standing ready, or hourly marching in, and rendezvousing; now
about 28,000 strong, horse and foot. A Rearguard of Ten or Twelve Thousand will march from Berlin in two
days, pause hereabouts, and follow according to circumstances: Prussian Army will then be some 40,000 in
all. Schwerin has been Commander, manager and mainspring of the business hitherto: henceforth it is to be
the King; but Schwerin under him will still have a Division of his own.
Among the Regiments, we notice "Schulenburg HorseGrenadiers," come along from Landsberg hither,
these HorseGrenadiers, with little Schulenburg at the head of them;"Dragoon Regiment Bayreuth,"
"Lifeguard Carbineers," "Derschau of Foot;" and other Regiments and figures slightly known to us, or that
will be better known. [List in HeldenGeschichte, i. 453.] Rearguard, just getting under way at Berlin, has
for leaders the Prince of HolsteinBeck ("HolsteinVAISSELLE," say wags, since the Principality went all
to SILVERPLATE) and the Hereditary Prince of AnhaltDessau, whom we called the Young Dessauer, on
the Strasburg Journey lately: Rearguard, we say, is of 12,000; main Army is 28,000; Horse and Foot are in
the proportion of about 1 to 3. Artillery "consists of 20 threepounders; 4 twelvepounders; 4 howitzers
(HAUBITZEN); 4 big mortars, calibre fifty pounds; and of Artillerymen 166 in all."
With this Force the young King has, on his own basis (pretty much in spite of all the world, as we find now
and afterwards), determined to invade Silesia, and lay hold of the Property he has long had there;not
computing, for none can compute, the sleeping whirlwinds he may chance to awaken thereby. Thus lightly
does a man enter upon Enterprises which prove unexpectedly momentous, and shape the whole remainder of
his days for him; crossing the Rubicon as it were in his sleep. In Life, as on Railways at certain points,
whether you know it or not, there is but an inch, this way or that, into what tram you are shunted; but try to
get out of it again! "The man is mad, CET HOMMELA EST FOL!" said Louis XV. when he heard it.
[Raumer, Beitrage (English Translation, called Frederick II. and his Times; from British Museum and
StatePaper 0ffice: a very indistinct poor Book, in comparison with whet it might have been), p. 73 (24th
Dec. 1740).]
FRIEDRICH AT CROSSEN, AND STILL IN HIS OWN TERRITORY, 14th16th DECEMBER;STEPS
INTO SCHLESIEN.
At all events, the man means to try;and is here dining at Crossen, noon of Wednesday, the 14th; certain
important persons, especially two Silesian Gentlemen, deputed from Grunberg, the nearest Silesian Town,
who have come across the border on business,having the honor to dine with him. To whom his manner is
lively and affable; lively in mood, as if there lay no load upon his spirits. The business of these two Silesian
Gentlemen, a Baron von Hocke one of them, a Baron von Kestlitz the other, was To present, on the part of
the Town and Amt of Grunberg, a solemn Protest against this meditated entrance on the Territory of
Schlesien; Government itself, from Breslau, ordering them to do so. Protest was duly presented; Friedrich, as
his manner is, and continues to be on his march, glances politely into or at the Protest; hands it, in silence, to
some page or secretary to deposit in the due pigeonhole or wastebasket; and invites the two Silesian
Gentlemen to dine with him; as, we see, they have the honor to do. "He (ER) lives near Grunberg, then, Mein
Herr von Hocke?" "Close to it, IHRO MAJESTAT. My poor mansion, Schloss of DeutschKessel, is some
fifteen miles hence; how infinitely at your Majesty's service, should the march prove inevitable, and go that
way!""Well, perhaps!" I find Friedrich did dine, the second day hence, with one of these Gentlemen; and
lodged with the other. Government at Breslau has ordered such Protest, on the part of the Frontier populations
and Official persons: and this is all that comes of it.
During these hours, it chanced that the big Bell of Crossen dropped from its steeple,fulness of time, or
entire rottenness of axletree, being at last completed, at this fateful moment. Perhaps an ominous thing?
Friedrich, as Caesar and others have done, cheerfully interprets the omen to his own advantage: "Sign that the
High is to be brought low!" says Friedrich. Were the marchroutes, wagontrains, and multifarious
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adjustments perfect to the last item here at Crossen, he will with much cheerfulness step into Silesia,
independent of all Grunberg Protests and fallen Bells.
On the second day he does actually cross; "the regiments marching in, at different points; some reaching as
far as 25 miles in." It is Friday, 16th December, 1740; there has a game begun which will last long! They
went through the Village of Lasgen; that was the first point of Silesian ground ("Circle of Schwiebus," our
old friend, is on the left near by); and "Schwerin's Regiment was the foremost." Others cross more to the left
or right; "marching through the Village of Lessen," and other dim Villages and little Towns, round and
beyond Grunberg; all regiments and divisions bearing upon Grunberg and the Great Road; but artistically
portioned out,several miles in breadth (for the sake of quarters), and, as is generally the rule, about a day's
march in length. This evening nearly the whole Army was on Silesian ground.
Printed "Patent" or Proclamation, briefly assuring all Silesians, of whatever rank, condition or religion, "That
we have come as friends to them, and will protect all persons in their privileges, and molest no peaceable
mortal," is posted on Churchdoors, and extensively distributed by hand. Soldiers are forbidden, "under
penalty of the rods," Officers under that of "cassation with infamy," to take anything, without first bargaining
and paying ready money for it. On these terms the Silesian villages cheerfully enough accept their new
guests, interesting to the rural mind; and though the billeting was rather heavy, "as many as 24 soldiers to a
common Farmer (GARTNER)," no complaints were made. In one Schloss, where the owners had fled, and no
human response was to be had by the waywornsoldiery, there did occur some breakages and impatient
kickings about; which it grieved his Majesty to hear of, next morning;in one, not in more.
Official persons, we perceive, study to be absolutely passive. This was the Burgermeister's course at
Grunberg tonight; Grunberg, first Town on the Frontier, sets an example of passivity which cannot be
surpassed. Prussian troops being at the Gate of Grunberg, Burgermeister and adjuncts sitting in a tacit
expectant condition in their Townhall, there arrives a Prussian Lieutenant requiring of the Burgermeister the
Key of said Gate. "To deliver such Key? Would to God I durst, Mein Herr Lieutenant; but how dare I! There
is the Key lying: but to GIVE itYou are not the Queen of Hungary's Officer, I doubt?"The Prussian
Lieutenant has to put out hand, and take the Key; which he readily does. And on the morrow, in returning it,
when the march recommences, there are the same phenomena: Burgermeister or assistants dare not for the
life of them touch that Key: It lay on the table; and may again, in the course of Providence, come to
lie!The Prussian Lieutenant lays it down accordingly, and hurries out, with a grin on his face. There was
much small laughter over this transaction; Majesty himself laughing well at it. Higher perfection of passivity
no Burgermeister could show.
The march, as readers understand, is towards Glogau; a strongish Garrison Town, now some 40 miles ahead;
the key of Northern Schlesien. Grunberg (where my readers once slept for the night, in the late King's time,
though they have forgotten it) is the first and only considerable Town on the hither side of Glogau. On to
Glogau, I rather perceive, the Army is in good part provisioned before starting: after Glogau,we must see.
Breadwagons, Baggage wagons, AmmunitionandArtillery wagons, all is in order; Army artistically
portioned out. That is the form of march; with Glogau ahead. King, as we said above, dines with his Baron
von Hocke, at the Schloss of DeutschKessel, short way beyond Grunberg, this first day: but he by no means
loiters there;cuts across, a dozen miles westward, through a country where his vanguard on its various
lines of march ought to be arriving;and goes to lodge, at the Schloss of Schweinitz, with his other Baron,
the Von Kestlitz of Wednesday at Crossen. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 459.] This is Friday, 16th December, his
first night on Silesian ground.
WHAT GLOGAU, AND THE GOVERNMENT AT BRESLAU, DID UPON IT.
Silesia, in the way of resistance, is not in the least prepared for him. A month ago, there were not above 3,000
Austrian Foot and 600 Horse in the whole Province: neither the military Governor Count Wallis, nor the
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Imperial Court, nor any Official Person near or far, had the least anticipation of such a Visit. Count Wallis,
who commands in Glogau, did in person, nine or ten days ago, as the rumors rose ever higher, run over to
Crossen; saw with his eyes the undeniable there; and has been zealously endeavoring ever since, what he
could, to take measures. Wallis is now shut in Glogau; his second, the now Acting Governor, General
Browne, a still more reflective man, is doing likewise his utmost; but on forlorn terms, and without the least
guidance from Court. Browne has, by violent industry, raked together, from Mahren and the neighboring
countries, certain fractions which raise his Force to 7,000 Foot: these he throws, in small parties, into the
defensible points; or, in larger, into the Chief Garrisons. New Cavalry he cannot get; the old 600 Horse he
keeps for himself, all the marching Army he has. [Particulars in HeldenGeschichte, i. 465; total of Austrian
Force seems to be 7,800 horse and foot.]
Fain would he get possession of Breslau, and throw in some garrison there; but cannot. Neither he nor Wallis
could compass that. Breslau is a City divided against itself, on this matter; full of emotions, of expectations,
apprehensions for and against. There is a Supreme Silesian Government (OBERAMT "HeadOffice," kind
of Austrian ViceRoyalty) in Breslau; and there is, on Breslau's own score, a TownRath; strictly Catholic
both these, Vienna the breath of their nostrils. But then also there are fortyfour Incorporated Trades;
Oppressed Protestant in Majority; to whom Vienna is not breath, but rather the want of it. Lastly, the City
calls itself Free; and has crabbed privileges still valid; a "JUS PROESIDII" (or right to be one's own garrison)
one of them, and the most inconvenient just now. Breslau is a REICHSTADT; in theory, sovereign member
of the Reich, and supreme over its own affairs, even as Austria itself:and the truth is, old Theory and new
Fact, resolved not to quarrel, have lapsed into one another's arms in a quite inextricable way, in Breslau as
elsewhere! With a Head Government which can get no orders from Vienna, the very TownRath has little
alacrity, inclines rather to passivity like Grunberg; and a silent population threatens to become vocal if you
press upon it.
Breslau, that is to say the OBERAMT there, has sent courier on courier to Vienna for weeks past: not even
an answer;what can Vienna answer, with KurBaiern and others threatening war on it, and only l0,000
pounds in its National Purse? Answer at last is, "Don't bother! Danger is not so near. Why spend money on
couriers, and get into such a taking?" General Wallis came to Breslau, after what he had seen at Crossen; and
urged strongly, in the name of selfpreservation, first law of Nature, to get an Austrian real Garrison
introduced; wished much (horrible to think of!) "the suburbs should be burnt, and better ramparts raised:" but
could not succeed in any of these points, nor even mention some of them in a public manner. "You shall have
a Protestant for commandant," suggested Wallis; "there is Count von Roth, SilesianLutheran, an excellent
Soldier!""Thanks," answered they, "we can defend ourselves; we had rather not have any!" And the
Breslau Burghers have, accordingly, set to drill themselves; are bringing out old cannon in quantity; repairing
breaches; very strict in sentrywork: "Perfectly able to defend our City,so far as we see good!" Tuesday
last, December 13th (the very day Friedrich left Berlin), as this matter of the Garrison, long urged by the
OberAmt, had at last been got agreed to by the TownRath, "on proviso of consulting the Incorporated
Trades", or at least consulting their Guild Masters, who are usually a silent folk,the GuildMasters
suddenly became in part vocal; and their fortyfour Guilds unusually so:and there was tumult in Breslau,
in the SalzRing (big central Square or marketplace, which they call RING) such as had not been; idle
population, and guildbrethren of suspicious humor, gathering in multitudes into and round the fine old
Townhall there; questioning, answering, in louder and louder key; at last bellowing quite in alt; and on the
edge of flaming into one knew not what: [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 469.]till the matter of Austrian Garrison
(much more, of burning the suburbs!) had to be dropt; settled in what way we see.
Head Government (OBERAMT) has, through its Northern official people, sent Protest, strict order to the
Silesian Population to look sour on the Prussians:and we saw, in consequence, the two Silesian Gentlemen
did dine with Friedrich, and he has returned their visits; and the Mayor of Grunberg would not touch his keys.
Head Government is now redacting a "Patent," or still more solemn Protest of its own; which likewise it will
affix in the SalzRing here, and present to King Friedrich: and thisexcept "despatching by boat down the
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river a great deal of meal to Glogau", which was an important quiet thing, of Wallis's enforcingis pretty
much all it can do. No Austrian Garrison can be got in ("Perfectly able to defend ourselves!")let
Government and Wallis or Browne contrive as they may. And as to burning the suburbs, better not whisper of
that again. Breslau feels, or would fain feel itself "perfectly able;"has at any rate no wish to be bombarded;
and contains privately a great deal of Protestant humor. Of all which, Friedrich, it is not doubted, has notice
more or less distinct; and quickens his march the more.
General Browne is at present in the Southern parts; an able active man and soldier; but, with such a force
what can he attempt to do? There are three strong places in the Country, Glogau, then Brieg, both on the Oder
river; lastly Neisse, on the Neisse river, a branch of the Oder (one of the FOUR Neisse rivers there are in
Germany, mostly in Silesia,not handy to the accurate reader of German Books). Browne is in Neisse; and
will start into a strange stare when the flying post reaches him: Prussians actually on march! Debate with
them, if debate there is to be, Browne himself must contrive to do; from Breslau, from Vienna, no
Government Supreme or Subordinate can yield his 8,000 and him the least help.
Glogau, as we saw, means to defend itself; at least, General Wallis the Commandant, does, in spite of the
Glogau public; and is, with his whole might, digging, palisading, getting in meal, salt meat and other
provender;likewise burning suburbs, uncontrollable he, in the small place; and clearing down the outside
edifices and shelters, at a diligent rate. Yesterday, 15th December, he burnt down the "three OderMills,
which lie outside the big suburban Tavern, also the ZIEGELSCHEUNE (TileManufactory)," and other
valuable buildings, careless of public lamentation,fire catching the Town itself, and needing to be
quenched again. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 473475.] Nay, he was clear for burning down, or blowing up, the
Protestant Church, indispensable sacred edifice which stands outside the walls: "Prussians will make a
blockhouse of it!" said Wallis. A chief Protestant, Baron von Something, begged passionately for only
twelve hours of respite,to lay the case before his Prussian Majesty. Respite conceded, he and another chief
Protestant had posted off accordingly; and did the next morning (Friday, 16th), short way from Crossen, meet
his Majesty's carriage; who graciously pulled up for a few instants, and listened to their story. "MEINE
HERREN, you are the first that ask a favor of me on Silesian ground; it shall be done you!" said the King;
and straightway despatched, in polite style, his written request to Wallis, engaging to make no military use
whatever of said Church, "but to attack by the other side, if attack were necessary." Thus his Majesty saved
the Church of Glogau; which of course was a popular act. Getting to see this Church himself a few days
hence, he said, "Why, it must come down at any rate, and be rebuilt; so ugly a thing!"
Wallis is making strenuous preparation; forces the inhabitants, even the upper kinds of them, to labor day and
night by relays, in his rampartings, palisadings; is for burning all the adjacent Villages,and would have
done it, had not the peasants themselves turned out in a dangerous state of mind. He has got together about
1,000 men. His powder, they say, is fifty years old; but he has eatable provender from Breslau, and means to
hold out to the utmost. Readers must admit that the Austrian military, Graf von Wallis to begin with, still
more, General Browne, who is a younger man and has now the head charge,behave well in their present
forsaken condition. Wallis (Graf FRANZ WENZEL this one, not to be confounded with an older Wallis
heard of in the late Turk War) is of Scotch descent,as all these Wallises are; "came to Austria long
generations ago; REICHSGRAFS since 1612:"Browne is of Irish; age now thirtyfive, ten years younger
than Wallis. Read this Note on the distinguished Browne:
"A GermanIrish Gentleman, this General (ultimately Fieldmarshal) Graf von Browne; one of those sad
exiled Irish Jacobites, or sons of Jacobites, who are fighting in foreign armies; able and notable men several
of them, and this Browne considerably the most so. We shall meet him repeatedly within the next eighteen
years. MaximilianUlysses Graf von Browne: I said he was born German; Basel his birthplace (23d October,
1705), Father also a soldier: he must not be confounded with a contemporary Cousin of his, who is also
'Fieldmarshal Browne,' but serves in Russia, Governor of Riga for a long time in the coming years. This
Austrian General, Fieldmarshal Browne, will by and by concern us somewhat; and the reader may take note
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of him.
"Who the Irish Brothers Browne, the Fathers of these Marshals Browne, were? I have looked in what Irish
Peerages and printed Records there were, but without the least result. One big dropsical Book, of languid
quality, called King James's Irish ArmyList, has multitudes of Brownes and others, in an indistinct form; but
the one Browne wanted, the one Lacy, almost the one Lally, like the part of HAMLET, are omitted. There are
so many Irish in the like case with these Brownes. A Lacy we once slightly saw or heard of; busy in the
PolishElection time, besieging Dantzig (investing Dantzig, that Munnich might besiege it);that Lacy,
'Governor of Riga,' whom the RUSSIAN Browne will succeed, is also Irish: a conspicuous Russian man; and
will have a Son Lacy, conspicuous among the Austrians. Maguires, Ogilvies (of the Irish stock), Lieutenants
'Fitzgeral;' very many Irish; and there is not the least distinct account to be had of any of them." [For Browne
see "Anonymous of Hamburg" (so I have had to label a J.F.S. Geschichte des in fact, History of
SevenYears War, in successive volumes, done chiefly by the scissors; Leipzig and Frankfurt, 1759, et
seqq.), i. 123131 n.: elaborate Note of eight pages there; intimating withal that he, J.F.S., wrote the "Life of
Browne," a Book I had in vain sought for; and can now guess to consist of those same elaborate eight pages,
PLUS water and lathering to the due amount. Anonymous "of Hamburg" I call my J.F.S.,having fished
him out of the dustabysses in that City: a very poor take; yet worth citing sometimes, being authentic, as
even the darkest Germans generally are.For a glimpse of LACY (the Elder Lacy) see Busching, Beitrage,
vi. 162.For WALLIS (tombstone Note on Wallis) see (among others who are copious in that kind of
article, and keep large sacks of it, in admired disorder) Anonymous Seyfarth, Geschichte Friedrichs des
Andern (Leipzig, 17841788), i. 112 n.; and Anonymous, Leben der Marie Theresie (Leipzig, 1781), 27 n.:
laboriously authentic Books both; essentialy DICTIONARIES,stuffed as into a row of blind SACKS.]
Let us attend his Majesty on the next few marches towards Glogau, to see the manner of the thing a little;
after which it will behoove us to be much more summary, and stick by the main incidents.
MARCH TO WEICHAU (SATURDAY, 17th, AND STAY SUNDAY THERE); TO MILKAU (MONDAY,
19th); GET TO HERRENDORF, WITHIN SIGHT OF GLOGAU, DECEMBER 22d.
Friedrich's march proceeds with speed and regularity. Strict discipline is maintained; all things paid for,
damage carefully avoided: "We come, not as invasive enemies of you or of the Queen of Hungary, but as
protective friends of Silesia and of her Majesty's rights there;her Majesty once allowing us (as it is
presumable she will) our own rights in this Province, no man shall meddle with hers, while we continue
here." To that effect runs the little "Patent," or initiatory Proclamation, extensively handed out, and posted in
public places, as was said above; and the practice is conformable. To all men, coming with Protests or
otherwise, we perceive, the young King is politeness itself; giving clear answer, and promise which will be
kept, on the above principle. Nothing angers him except that gentlemen should disbelieve, and run away.
That a mansion be found deserted by its owners, is the one evil omen for such mansion. Thus, at the Schloss
of Weichau (which is still discoverable on the Map, across the "Black Ochel" and the "White," muddy
streams which saunter eastward towards, the Oder there, nothing yet running westward for the Bober, our
other limitary river), next night after Schweinitz, second night in Silesia, there was no Owner to be met with;
and the look of his Majesty grew FINSTER (dark); remembering what had passed yesternight, in like case, at
that other Schloss from which the owner with his best portable furniture had vanished. At which Schloss, as
above noticed, some disorders were committed by angry parties of the march;doors burst open (doors
standing impudently dumb to the rational proposals made them!), inferior remainders of furniture smashed
into firewood, and the like,no doubt to his Majesty's vexation. Here at Weichau stricter measures were
taken: and yet difficulties, risks were not wanting; and the AMTMANN (Steward of the place) got pulled
about, and once even a stroke or two. Happily the young Herr of Weichau appeared in person on the morrow,
hearing his Majesty was still there: "Papa is old; lives at another Schloss; could not wait upon your Majesty;
nor, till now, could I have that honor.""Well; lucky that you have come: stay dinner!" Which the young
Count did, and drove home in the evening to reassure Papa; his Majesty continuing there another night, and
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the risk over. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 459.]
This day, Sunday, 18th, the Army rests; their first Sunday in Silesia, while the young Count pays his devoir:
and here in Weichau, as elsewhere, it is in the Church, Catholic nearly always, that the Heretic Army does its
devotions, safe from weather at least: such the Royal Order, they say; which is taken note of, by the
Heterodox and by the Orthodox. And ever henceforth, this is the example followed; and in all places where
there is no Protestant Church and the Catholics have one, the Prussian ArmyChaplain assembles his
buffbelted audience in the latter: "No offence, Reverend Fathers, but there are hours for us, and hours for
you; and such is the King's Order." There is regular divineservice in this Prussian Army; and even a good
deal of inarticulate religion, as one may see on examining.
Country Gentlemen, Town Mayors and other civic Authorities, soon learn that on these terms they are safe
with his Majesty; march after march he has interviews with such, to regulate the supplies, the necessities and
accidents of the quartering of his Troops. Clear, frank, open to reasonable representation, correct to his
promise; in fact, industriously conciliatory and pacificatory: such is Friedrich to all Silesian men. Provincial
Authorities, who can get no instructions from Headquarters; Vienna saying nothing, Breslau nothing, and
DeputyGovernor Browne being far south in Neisse,are naturally in difficulties: How shall they act? Best
not to act at all, if one can help it; and follow the Mayor of Grunberg's unsurpassable pattern!
"These Silesians," says an Excerpt I have made, "are still in majority Protestant; especially in this Northern
portion of the Province; they have had to suffer much on that and other scores; and are secretly or openly in
favor of the Prussians. Official persons, all of the Catholic creed, have leant heavy, not always conscious of
doing it, against Protestant rights. The Jesuits, consciously enough, have been and are busy with them; intent
to recall a Heretic Population by all methods, fair and unfair. We heard of Charles XII.'s interference,
threeandthirty years ago; and how the Kaiser, hard bested at that time, had to profess repentance and
engage for complete amendment. Amendment did, for the moment, accordingly take place. Treaty of
Westphalia in all its stipulations, with precautionary improvements, was reenacted as Treaty of Altranstadt;
with faithful intention of keeping it too, on Kaiser Joseph's part, who was not a superstitious man: 'Holy
Father, I was too glad he did not demand my own conversion to the Protestant Heresy, bested as I am,with
Louis Quatorze and Company upon the neck of me!' Some improvement of performance, very marked at
first, did ensue upon this Altranstadt Treaty. But the sternly accurate Karl of Sweden soon disappeared from
the scene; Kaiser Joseph of Austria soon disappeared; and his Brother, Karl VI., was a much more orthodox
person.
"The Austrian Government, and Kaiser Karl's in particular, is not to be called an intentionally unjust one; the
contrary, I rather find; but it is, beyond others, ponderous; based broad on such multiplex formalities, old
habitudes; and GRAVITATION has a great power over it. In brief, Official human nature, with the best of
Kaisers atop, flagitated continually by Jesuit Confessors, does throw its weight on a certain side: the sad fact
is, in a few years the brightness of that Altranstadt improvement began to wax dim; and now, under long
Jesuit manipulation, Silesian things are nearly at their old pass; and the patience of men is heavily laden. To
see your Chapel made a Soldiers' Barrack, your Protestant School become a Jesuit one,Men did not then
think of revolting under injuries; but the poor Silesian weaver, trudging twenty miles for his Sunday sermon;
and perceiving that, unless their Mother could teach the art of reading, his boys, except under soul's peril,
would now never learn it: such a Silesian could not want for reflections. Voiceless, hopeless, but heavy; and
dwelling secretly, as under nightmare, in a million hearts. Austrian Officiality, wilfully unjust, or not wilfully
so, is admitted to be in a most heavy footed condition; can administer nothing well. Good Government in
any kind is not known here: Possibly the Prussian will be better; who can say?
"The secret joy of these populations, as Friedrich advances among them, becomes more and more a manifest
one. Catholic Officials do not venture on any definite hope, or definite balance of hope and fear, but adopt the
Mayor of Grunberg's course, and study to be passive and silent. The JesuitPriest kind are clear in their
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minds for Austria; but think, Perhaps Prussia itself will not prove very tyrannous? At all events, be silent; it is
unsafe to stir. We notice generally, it is only in the Southern or Mountain regions of Silesia, where the
Catholics are in majority, that the population is not ardently on the Prussian side. Passive, if they are on the
other side; accurately passive at lowest, this it is prescribed all prudent men to be."
On the 18th, while divine service went on at Weichau, there was at Breslau another phenomenon observable.
Provincial Government in Breslau had, at length, after intense study, and across such difficulties as we have
no idea of, got its "Patent," or carefully worded Protestation against Prussia, brought to paper; and does, this
day, with considerable solemnity, affix it to the Rathhaus door there, for the perusal of mankind; despatching
a Copy for his Prussian Majesty withal, by two Messengers of dignity. It has needed courage screwed to the
stickingplace to venture on such a step, without instruction from Headquarters; and the utmost powers of
the Official mind have been taxed to couch this Document in language politely ambiguous, and yet strong
enough;too strong, some of us now think it. In any case, here it now is; Provincial Government's bolt, so to
speak, is shot. The affixing took place under dark weathersymptoms; actual outburst of thunder and rain at
the moment, not to speak of the other surer omens. So that, to the common mind at Breslau, it did not seem
there would much fruit come of this difficult performance. Breslau is secretly a muchagitated City; and
Prussian Hussar Parties, shooting forth to great distances ahead, were, this day for the first time, observed
within sight of it.
And on the same Sunday we remark farther, what is still more important: Herr von Gotter, Friedrich's special
Envoy to Vienna, has his first interview with the Queen of Hungary, or with Grand Duke Franz the Queen's
Husband and CoRegent; and presents there, from Friedrich's own hand, written we remember when, brief
distinct Note of his Prussian Majesty's actual Proposals and real meaning in regard to this Silesian Affair.
Proposals anxiously conciliatory in tone, but the heavy purport of which is known to us: Gotter had been
despatched, time enough, with these Proposals (written above a month ago); but was instructed not to arrive
with them, till after the actual entrance into Silesia. And now the response to them is? As good as nothing;
perhaps worse. Let that suffice us at present. Readers, on march for Glogau, would grudge to pause over
Statepapers, though we shall have to read this of Friedrich's at some freer moment.
Monday, 19th, before daybreak, the Army is astir again, simultaneously wending forward; spread over wide
areas, like a vast cloud (potential thunder in it) steadily advancing on the winds. Length of the Army,
artistically portioned out, may be ten or fifteen miles, breadth already more, and growing more; Schwerin
always on the right or western wing, close by the Bober River as yet, through Naumburg and the Towns on
that side,Liegnitz and other important Towns lying ahead for Schwerin, still farther apart from the main
Body, were Glogau once settled.
So that the march is in two Columns; Schwerin, with the westernmost small column, intending towards
Liegnitz, and thence ever farther southward, with his right leaning on the high lands which rise more and
more into mountains as you advance. Friedrich himself commands the other column, has his left upon the
Oder, in a country mounting continually towards the South, but with less irregularity of level, and generally
flat as yet. From beginning to end, the entire field of march lies between the Oder and its tributary the Bober;
climbing slowly towards the sources of both. Which two rivers, as the reader may observe, form here a
rectangular or trapezoidal space, ever widening as we go southward. Both rivers, coming from the Giant
Mountains, hasten directly north; but Oder, bulging out easterly in his sandy course, is obliged to turn fairly
westward again; and at Glogau, and a good space farther, flows in that direction;till once Bober strikes in,
almost at right angles, carrying Oder with HIM, though he is but a branch, straight northward again.
Northward, but ever slower, to the swollen Pommern regions, and sluggish exit into the Baltic there.
One of the worst features is the state of the weather. On Sunday, at Breslau, we noticed thunder bursting out
on an important occasion; "ominous," some men thought;omen, for one thing, that the weather was
breaking. At Weichau, that same day, rain began, the young Herr of Weichau, driving home to Papa from
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dinner with Majesty, would get his share of it;and on Monday, 19th, there was such a pour of rain as kept
most wayfarers, though it could not the Prussian Army, within doors. Rain in plunges, fallen and falling,
through that blessed day; making roads into mere rivers of mud. The Prussian hosts marched on, all the same.
Headquarters, with the van of the wet Army, that night, were at Milkau;from which place we have a Note
of Friedrich's for Friend Jordan, perhaps producible by and by. His Majesty lodged in some opulent Jesuit
Establishment there. And indeed he continued there, not idle, under shelter, for a couple of days. The Jesuits,
by their two head men, had welcomed him with their choicest smiles; to whom the King was very gracious,
asking the two to dinner as usual, and styling them "Your Reverence." Willing to ingratiate himself with
persons of interest in this Country; and likes talk, even with Jesuits of discernment.
On the morrow (20th), came to him, here at Milkau, probably from some near stage, for the rain was
pouriug worse than ever,that Breslau "Patent," or strongish Protestation, by its two Messengers of dignity.
The King looked over it "without visible anger" or change of countenance; "handed it," we expressly see, "to
a Page to reposit" in the proper wastebasket;spoke politely to the two gentlemen; asked each or one of
them, "Are you of the OberAmt at Breslau, then?"using the style of ER (He)."No, your Majesty; we
are only of the LandStande" (Provincial Parliament, such as it is). "Upon which [do you mark!] his Majesty
became still more polite; asked them to dinner, and used the style of SIE." For their PATENT, now lying safe
in its wastebasket, he gave them signed receipt; no other answer.
Rain still heavier, rain as of Noah, continued through this Tuesday, and for days afterwards: but the Prussian
hosts, hastening towards Glogau, marched still on. This Tuesday's march, for the rearward of the Army,
10,000 foot and 2,000 horse; march of ten hours long, from Weichau to the hamlet Milkau (where his
Majesty sits busy and affable),is thought to be the wettest on record. Waters all out, bridges down, the
Country one wild lake of eddying mud. Up to the knee for many miles together; up to the middle for long
spaces; sometimes even up to the chin or deeper, where your bridge was washed away. The Prussians
marched through it, as if they had been slate or iron. Rank and file, nobody quitted his rank, nobody looked
sour in the face; they took the pouring of the skies, and the red seas of terrestrial liquid, as matters that must
be; cheered one another with jocosities, with choral snatches (tobacco, I consider, would not burn); and
swashed unweariedly forward. Ten hours some of them were out, their march being twenty or twentyfive
miles; ten to fifteen was the average distance come. Nor, singular to say, did any loss occur; except of
ALMOST one poor ArmyChaplain, and altogether of one poor Soldier's Wife;sank dangerously both of
them, beyond redemption she, taking the wrong side of some bridgeparapet. Poor Soldier's Wife, she is not
named to me at all; and has no history save this, and that "she was of the regiment Bredow." But I perceive
she washed herself away in a WorldTransaction; and there was one rough Bredower, who probably sat sad
that night on getting to quarters. His Majesty surveyed the damp battalions on the morrow (21st), not without
sympathy, not without satisfaction; allowed them a restday here at Milkau, to get dry and bright again; and
gave them "fifteen thalers a company," which is about ninepence apiece, with some words of praise.
[ HeldenGeschichte, i.482.]
Next day, Thursday, 22d, his Majesty and they marched on to Herrendorf; which is only five miles from
Glogau, and near enough for Headquarters, in the now humor of the place. Wallis has his messenger at
Herrendorf, "Sorry to warn your Majesty, That if there be the least hostility committed, I shall have to resist it
to the utmost." Headquarters continue six days at Herrendorf, Army (main body, or left Column, of the
Army) cantoned all round, till we consider what to do.
As to the right Column, or Schwerin's Division, that, after a restday or two, gathers itself into more
complete separation here, tucking in its eastern skirts; and gets on march again, by its own route. Steadily
southward;and from Liegnitz, and the upland Countries, there will be news of Schwerin and it before long.
Rain ending, there ensued a ringing frost;not favorable for Siegeoperations on Glogau:and Silesia
became all of flinty glass, with white peaks to the Southwest, whither Schwerin is gone.
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Chapter III. PROBLEM OF GLOGAU.
Friedrich was over from Herrendorf with the first daylight, "reconnoitring Glogau, and rode up to the very
glacis;" scanning it on all sides. [Ib. i. 484.] Since Wallis is so resolute, here is an intricate little problem for
Friedrich, with plenty of corollaries and conditions hanging to it. Shall we besiege Glogau, then? We have no
siegecannon here. Time presses, Breslau and all things in such crisis; and it will take time. By what methods
COULD Glogau be besieged?Readers can consider what a blind manythreaded coil of things, heaping
itself here in wide welters round Glogau, and straggling to the world's end, Friedrich has on hand: probably
those six days, of Headquarters at Herrendorf, were the busiest he had yet had.
One thing is evident, there ought to be siegecannon got straightway; and, still more immediate, the right
posts and batteringplaces should be ready against its coming."Let the Young Dessauer with that
Rearguard, or Reserve of 10,000, which is now at Crossen, come up and assist here," orders Friedrich; "and
let him be swift, for the hours are pregnant!" On farther reflection, perhaps on new rumors from Breslau,
Friedrich perceives that there can be no besieging of Glogau at this point of time; that the Reserve, Half of the
Reserve, must be left to "mask" it; to hold it in strict blockade, with starvation daily advancing as an alIy to
us, and with capture by bombarding possible when we like. That is the ultimate decision;arrived at through
a welter of dubieties, counterpoisings and perilous considerations, which we now take no account of. A most
busy week; Friedrich incessantly in motion, now here now there; and a great deal of heavy work got well and
rapidly done. The details of which, in these exuberant Manuscripts, would but weary the reader. Choosing of
the proper posts and batteringplaces (post "on the other side of the River," "on this side of it," "on the Island
in the middle of it"), and obstinate intrenching and preparing of the same in spite of frost; "wooden bridge
built" farther up; with "regulation of the river boats, the Polish Ferry," and much else: all this we omit; and
will glance only at one pregnant point, by way of sample:
... "Most indispensable of all, the King has to provide Subsistences:and enters now upon the new plan,
which will have to be followed henceforth. The Provincial Chiefmen (LANDESAELTESTEN,
Land'sELDESTS, their title) are summoned, from nine or ten Circles which are likely to be interested: they
appear punctually, and in numbers,lest contumacy worsen the inevitable. King dines them, to start with; as
many as 'ninetyfive covers,'day not given, but probably one of the first in Herrendorf: not Christmas
itself, one hopes!
"Dinner done, the ninetyfive Land'sEldest are instructed by proper parties, What the Infantry's ration is, in
meat, in bread, exact to the ounce; what the Cavalry's is, and that of the Cavalry's Horse. Tabular statement,
succinct, correct, clear to the simplest capacity, shows what quotities of men on foot, and of men on
horseback, or men with draughtcattle, will march through their respective Circles; LandsEldests conclude
what amount of meal and butcher'smeat it will be indispensable to have in readiness;what LandsEldest
can deny the fact? These Papers still exist, at least the longwinded Summary of them does: and I own the
reading of it far less insupportable than that of the mountains of Proclamatory, Manifesto and Diplomatic
matter. Nay it leaves a certain wholesome impression on the mind, as of business thoroughly well done; and a
matter, capable, if left in the chaotic state, of running to all manner of depths and heights, compendiously
forced to become cosmic in this manner.
"These LandsEldest undertake, in a mildly resigned or even hopeful humor. They will manage as required,
in their own Circles; will communicate with the Circles farther on; and everywhere the due proviants,
prestations, furtherances, shall be got together by fair apportionment on the Silesian Community, and be
punctually ready a,s the Army advances. Bookkeeping there is to be, legible record of everything; on all
hands 'quittance' for everything furnished; and a time is coming, when such quittance, presented by any
Silesian man, will be counted money paid by him, and remitted at the next taxday, or otherwise made good.
Which promise also was accurately kept, the hopedfor time having come. It must be owned the Prussian
Army understands business; and, with brevity, reduces to a minimum its own trouble, and that of other
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people, non fighters, who have to do with it. Nonfighters, I say; to fighters we hope it will give a
respectable maximum of trouble when applied to!" [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 492499.]
The Gotter Negotiation at Vienna, which we saw begin there that wet Sunday, is now fast ending, as good as
ended; without result except of a negative kind. Gotter's Proposals,would the reader wish to hear these
Proposals, which were so intensely interesting at one time? They are fivefold; given with great brevity by
Friedrich, by us with still greater: 1. "Will fling myself heartily into the Austrian scale, and endeavor for
the interest of Austria in this Pragmatic matter, with my whole strength against every comer. 2. "Will make
treaty with Vienna, with Russia and the SeaPowers, to that effect. 3. "Will help by vote, and with whole
amount of interest will endeavor, to have GrandDuke Franz, the Queen's Husband, chosen Kaiser; and to
maintain such choice against all and sundry. Feel myself strong enough to accomplish this result; and may,
without exaggeration, venture to say it shall be done. 4. "To help the Court of Vienna in getting its affairs into
good order and fencible condition,will present to it, on the shortest notice, Two Million Gulden (200,000
pounds) ready money." Infinitely welcome this Fourth Proposition; and indeed all the other Three are
welcome: but they are saddled with a final condition, which pulls down all again. This, which is studiously
worded, politely evasive in phrase, and would fain keep old controversies asleep, though in substance it is so
fatally distinct,we give in the King's own words: 5. "For such essential services as those to which I bind
myself by the above very onerous conditions, I naturally require a proportionate recompense; some suitable
assurance, as indemnity for all the dangers I risk, and for the part (ROLE) I am ready to play: in short, I
require hereby the entire and complete cession of all Silesia, as reward for my labors and dangers which I
take upon myself in this course now to be entered upon for the preservation and renown of the House of
Austria;"Silesia all and whole; and we say nothing of our "rights" to it; politely evasive to her Hungarian
Majesty, though in substance we are so fatally distinct. [Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 451; "from
Olenschlager, Geschichte des Interegni [Frankfurt, 1746], i. 134."]
These were Friedrich's Proposals; written down with his own hand at Reinsberg, five or six weeks ago
(November 17th is the date of it); in what mood, and how wrought upon by Schwerin and Podewils, we saw
above. Gotter has fulfilled his instructions in regard to this important little Document; and now the effect of it
is? Gotter can report no good effect whatever. "Be cautious," Friedrich instructs him farther; "modify that
Fifth Proposal; I will take less than the whole, 'if attention is paid to my just claims on Schlesien.'" To that
effect writes Friedrich once or twice. But it is to no purpose; nor can Gotter, with all his industry, report other
than worse and worse. Nay, he reports before long, not refusal only, but refusal with mockery: "How strange
that his Prussian Majesty, whose official post in Germany, as Kur Brandenburg and Kaiser's Chamberlain,
has been to present ewer and towel to the House of Austria, should now set up for prescribing rules to it!" A
piece of wit, which could not but provoke Friedrich; and warn him that negotiation on this matter might as
well terminate. Such had been his own thought, from the first; but in compliance with Schwerin and Podewils
he was willing to try.
Better for Maria Theresa, and for all the world how much better, could she have accepted this Fifth
Proposition! But how could she, the high Imperial Lady, keystone of Europe, though by accident with only
a few pounds of ready money at present? Twenty years of bitter fighting, and agony to herself and all the
world, were necessary first; a new Fact of Nature having turned up, a new European Kingdom with real King
to it; NOT recognizable as such, by the young Queen of Hungary or by any other person, till it do its proofs.
WHAT BERLIN IS SAYING; WHAT FRIEDRICH IS THINKING.
What Friedrich's own humor is, what Friedrich's own inner man is saying to him, while all the world so
babbles about his Silesian Adventure? Of this too there are, though in diluted state, some glimmerings to be
had,chiefly in the Correspondence with Jordan.
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Ingenious Jordan, Inspector of the Poor at Berlin,his thousand old women at their wheels humming
pleasantly in the background of our imaginations, though he says nothing of that,writes twice a week to his
Majesty: pleasant gossipy Letters, with an easy respectfulness not going into sycophancy anywhere; which
keep the campaigning King well abreast of the Berlin news and rumors: something like the essence of an Old
Newspaper; not without worth in our present Enterprise. One specimen, if we had room!
JORDAN TO THE KING (successively from Berlin,somewhat abridged.)
No. 1. "BERLIN, 14th DECEMBER, 1740 [day after his Majesty left]. Everybody here is on tiptoe for the
Event; of which both origin and end are a riddle to the most. I am charmed to see a part of your Majesty's
Dominions in a state of Pyrrhonism; the disease is epidemical here at present. Those who, in the style of
theologians, consider themselves entitled to be certain, maintain That your Majesty is expected with religious
impatience by the Protestants, and that the Catholics hope to see themselves delivered from a multitude of
imposts which cruelly tear up the beautiful bosom of their Church. You cannot but succeed in your valiant
and stoical Enterprise, since both religion and worldly interest rank themselves under your flag.
"Wallis," Austrian Commandant in Glogau, "they say, has punished a Silesian Heretic of enthusiastic turn, as
blasphemer, for announcing that a new Messiah is just coming. I have a taste for that kind of martyrdom.
Critical persons consider the present step as directly opposed to certain maxims in the ANTIMACHIAVEL.
"The word MANIFESTO[your Majesty's little PATENT on entering Silesia, which no reader shall be
troubled with at present]is the burden of every conversation. there is a short Piece of the kind to come out
today, by way of preface to a large complete exposition, which a certain Jurisconsult is now busy with.
People crowd to the Bookshops for it, as if looking out for a celestial phenomenon that had been
predicted.This is the beginning of my Gazette; can only come out twice a week, owing to the arrangement
of the Posts. Friday, the day your Majesty crosses into Silesia, I shall spend in prayer and devotional
exercises: Astronomers pretend that Mars will that day enter"no matter what.
NOTE, The above Manifesto rumor is correct; Jurisconsult is ponderous Herr Ludwig, Kanzler (Chancellor)
of Halle University, monster of lawlearning,who has money also, and had to help once with a House in
Berlin for one Nussler, a soninlaw of his, transiently known to us;ponderous Ludwig, matchless or
difficult to match in learning of this kind, will write ample enough Deductions (which lie in print still, to the
extent of tons' weight), and explain the ERBVERBRUDERUNG and violence done upon it, so that he who
runs may read. Postpone him to a calmer time.
No. 2. "BERLIN, SATURDAY, 17th DECEMBER. Manifesto has appeared," can be seen, under thick
strata of cobwebs, in many Books; [In HeldenGeschichte, i. 448, 453 (what Jordan now alludes to); IB.
559592 ("Deduction" itself, Ludwig in all his strength, some three weeks hence; in OLENSCHLAGER
(doubtless); in is not worth reading now: Incontestable rights which our House has for ages had on Schlesien,
and which doubtless the Hungarian Majesty will recognize; not the slightest injury intended, far indeed from
that; and so on!"people are surprised at its brevity; and, studying it as theologians do a passage of
Scripture, can make almost nothing of it. Clear as crystal, says one; dexterously obscure by design, says
another.
"Rumor that the GrandDuke of Lorraine," Maria Theresa's Husband, "was at Reinsberg incognito lately,"
GrandDuke a concerting party, think people looking into the thing with strong spectacles on their nose! "M.
de Beauvau [French Ambassador Extraordinary, to whom the aces were promised if they came] said one
thing that surprised me: 'What put the King on taking this step, I do not know; but perhaps it is not such a bad
one.' Surprising news that the Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, is fallen into inconsolable remorse for
changing his religion [to Papistry, on Papa's hest, many long years ago] and that it is not to the Pope, but to
the King of Prussia, that he opens his heart to steady his staggering orthodoxy." Very astonishing to Jordan.
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"One thing is certain, all Paris rings with your Majesty's change of religion" (over to Catholicism, say those
astonishing people, first conjurers of the universe)!
No. 3. "BERLIN, 20th DECEMBER. M. de Beauvau," French Ambassador, "is gone. Ended, yesterday, his
survey of the Cabinet of Medals; charmed with the same: charmed too, as the public is, with the rich present
he has got from said Cabinet [coronation medal or medals in gold, I could guess]: people say the King of
France's Medal given to our M. de Camas is nothing to it.
"Rumor of alliance between your Majesty and France with Sweden," premature rumor. Item, "Queen of
Hungary dead in childbirth;" ditto with still more emphasis! "The day before yesterday, in all churches,
was prayer to Heaven for success to your Majesty's arms; interest of the Protestant religion being the one
cause of the War, or the only one assigned by the reverend gentlemen. At sound of these words, the zeal of
the people kindles: 'Bless God for raising such a Defender! Who dared suspect our King's indifference to
Protestantism?'"
A right clever thing this last (O LE BEAU COUP D'ETAT)! exclaims Jordan,though it is not clever or the
contrary, not being dramatically prearranged, as Jordan exults to think. Jordan, though there are dregs of old
devotion lying asleep in him, which will start into new activity when stirred again, is for the present a very
unbelieving little gentleman, I can perceive.This is the substance of public rumor at Berlin for one week.
Friedrich answers:
TO M. JORDAN, AT BERLIN.
"QUARTER AT MILKAU, TOWARDS GLOGAU, 19th DECEMBER, 1740 [comfortable
JesuitEstablishment at Milkau, Friedrich just got in, out of the rain].Seigneur Jordan, thy Letter has given
me a deal of pleasure in regard to all these talkings thou reportest. Tomorrow [not tomorrow, nor next day;
wet troops need a rest] I arrive at our last station this side Glogau, which place I hope to get in a few days. All
favors my designs: and I hope to return to Berlin, after executing them gloriously and in a way to be content
with. Let the ignorant and the envious talk; it is not they that shall ever serve as loadstar to my designs; not
they, but Glory [LA GLOIRE; Fame, depending not on them]: with the love of that I am penetrated more than
ever; my troops have their hearts big with it, and I answer to thee for success. Adieu, dear Jordan. Write me
all the ill that the public says of thy Friend, and be persuaded that I love and will esteem thee always."F.
JORDAN TO THE KING.
No. 4; "BERLIN, 24th DECEMBER. Your Majesty's Letter fills me with joy and contentment. The Town
declared your Majesty to be already in Breslau; founding on some Letter to a Merchant here. Ever since they
think of your Majesty acting for Protestantism, they make you step along with strides of Achilles to the ends
of Silesia. Foreign Courts are all rating their Ambassadors here for not finding you out.
"Wolf," his negotiations concluded at last, "has entered Halle almost like the triumphant Entry to Jerusalem.
A concourse of pedants escorted him to his house. Lange [his old enemy, who accused him of Atheism and
other things] has called to see him, and loaded him with civilities, to the astonishment of the old Orthodox."
There let him rest, well buttoned in gaiters, and avoiding to mount stairs. ... "Madame de Roucoulles has sent
me the three objects adjoined, for your Majesty's behoof,"woollen achievements, done by the needle, good
against the winter weather for one she nursed. The good old soul. Enough now, of Jordan. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xvii. 7578.]
Voltaire, who left Berlin 2d or 3d December, seems to have been stopt by overflow of rivers about Cleve,
then to have taken boat; and is, about this very time, writing to Friedrich "from a vessel on the Coasts of
Zealand, where I am driven mad." (Intends, privately, for Paris before long, to get his MAHOMET acted, if
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possible.) To Voltaire, here is a Note coming:
KING TO H. DE VOLTAIRE (at Brussels, if once got thither).
"QUARTER OF HERRENDORF IN SILESIA, 23d December, 1740.
"MY DEAR VOLTAIRE,I have received two of your Letters; but could not answer sooner; I am like
Charles Twelfth's ChessKing, who was always kept on the move. For a fortnight past, we have been
continually afoot and under way, in such weather as you never saw.
"I am too tired to reply to your charming Verses; and shivering too much with cold to taste all the charm of
them: but that will come round again. Do not ask poetry from a man who is actually doing the work of a
wagoner, and sometimes even of a wagoner stuck in the mud. Would you like to know my way of life? We
march from seven in the morning till four in the afternoon. I dine then; afterwards I work, I receive tiresome
visits; with these comes a detail of insipid matters of business. 'Tis wrongheaded men, punctiliously
difficult, who are to be set right; heads too hot which must be restrained, idle fellows that must be urged,
impatient men that must be rendered docile, plunderers to restrain within the bounds of equity, babblers to
hear babbling, dumb people to keep in talk: in fine, one has to drink with those that like it, to eat with those
that are hungry; one has to become a Jew with Jews, a Pagan with Pagans.
"Such are my occupations;which I would willingly make over to another, if the Phantom they call Fame
(GLOIRE) did not rise on me too often. In truth, it is a great folly, but a folly difficult to cast away when once
you are smitten by it. [Phantom of GLOIRE somewhat rampant in those first weeks; let us see whether it will
not lay itself again, forevermore, before long!]
"Adieu, my dear Voltaire; may Heaven preserve from misfortune the man I should so like to sup with at
night, after fighting in the morning! The Swan of Padua [Algarotti, with his big hooknose and dusky
solemnly greedy countenance] is going, I think, to Paris, to profit by my absence; the Philosopher Geometer
[big Maupertuis, in red wig and yellow frizzles, vainest of human kind] is squaring curves; poor little Jordan
[with the kindly hazel eyes, and pen that pleasantly gossips to us] is doing nothing, or probably something
near it. Adieu once more, dear Voltaire; do not forget the absent who love you. FREDERIC." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xxii. 57.]
SCHWERIN AT LIEGNITZ; FRIEDRICH HUSHES UP THE GLOGAU PROBLEM, AND STARTS
WITH HIS BEST SPEED FOR BRESLAU.
Meanwhile, on the Western road, and along the foot of the snowy peaks over yonder, Schwerin with the small
Right column is going prosperously forwards. Two columns always, as the reader recollects,two parallel
military currents, flowing steadily on, shooting out estafettes, or horseparties, on the right and left; steadily
submerging all Silesia as they flow forward. Left column or current is in slight pause at Glogau here; but will
directly be abreast again. On Tuesday, 27th, Schwerin is within wind of Liegnitz; on Wednesday morning,
while the fires are hardly lighted, or the smoke of Liegnitz risen among the Hills, Schwerin has done his feat
with the usual deftness: Prussian grenadiers came softly on the sentry, softly as a dream; but with sudden
levelling of bayonets, sudden beckoning, "To your Guardhouse!"and there, turn the key upon his poor
company and him. Whereupon the whole Prussian column marches in; tramp tramp, without music, through
the streets: in the Marketplace they fold themselves into a ranked mass, and explode into windharmony
and rolling of drums. Liegnitz, mostly in nightcap, looks cautiously out of window: it is a deed done, IHR
HERREN; Liegnitz ours, better late than never; and after so many years, the King has his own again.
Schwerin is sumptuously lodged in the Jesuits, Palace: Liegnitz, essentially a Protestant Town, has many
thoughts upon this event, but as yet will be stingy of speaking them.
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Thus is Liegnitz managed. A pleasant Town, amid pleasant hills on the rocky Katzbach; of which swift
stream, and other towns and passes on it, we shall yet hear more. Population, silently industrious in weaving
and otherwise, is now above 14,000; was then perhaps about half that number. Patiently inarticulate, by no
means bright in speech or sentiment; a muchenduring, steadygoing, frugal, pious and very desirable
people.
The situation of Breslau, all this while, is very critical. Much bottled emotion in the place; no Austrian
Garrison admissible; Authorities dare not again propose such a thing, though Browne is turning every stone
for it,lest the emotion burst bottle, and take fire. I have dim account that Browne has been there, has got
300 Austrian dragoons into the Dom Insel (CATHEDRAL ISLAND; "Not in the City, you perceive!" says
General Browne: "no, separated by the Oder, on both sides, from the rest of the City; that stately mass of
edifices, and good military post");and had hoped to get the suburbs burnt, after all. But the bottled emotion
was too dangerous. For, underground, there are ANTIBrownes: one especially; a certain busy Deblin,
Shoemaker by craft, whom Friedrich speaks of, but gives no name to; this zealous Cordwainer, Deblin, and
he is not the only individual of like humor, operates on the guildbrothers and lower populations: [Preuss,
Thronbesteigung, p. 469; OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 61. ] things seem to be looking worse and worse for the
Authorities, in spite of General Browne and his activities and dragoons.
What the issue will be? Judge if Friedrich wished the Young Dessauer come! Friedrich's Hussar parties (or
Schwerin's, instructed by Friedrich) go to look if the Breslau suburbs are burnt. Far from it, if Friedrich
knew;the suburbs merely sit quaking at such a proposal, and wish the Prussians were here. "But there is
time ahead of us," said everybody at Breslau; "Glogau will take some sieging!" Browne, in the course of a
day or two,guessing, I almost think, that Glogau was not to be besieged,ranked his 300 Austrian
dragoons, and rode away; sending the Austrian StatePapers, in half a score of wagons, ahead of him.
"Archives of Breslau!" cried the general population, at sight of these wagons; and largely turned out, with
emotion again like to unbottle itself. "Mere TaxLedgers, and records of the Government Offices; come and
convince yourselves!" answered the Authorities. And the ten wagons went on; calling at Ohlau and Brieg, for
farther lading of the like kind. Which wagons the Prussian lighthorse chased, but could not catch. On to
Mahren went these Archivewagons; to Brunn, far over the Giant Mountains;did not come back for a long
while, nor to their former Proprietor at all. Tuesday, 27th, Leopold the Young Dessauer does finally arrive,
with his Reserve, at Glogau: never man more welcome; such a fermentation going on at Breslau,known to
Friedrich, and what it will issue in, if he delay, not known. With despatch, Leopold is put into his charge;
posts all yielded to him; orders given, blockade to be strictness itself, but no fighting if avoidable;
"starvation will soon do it, two months at most," hopes Friedrich, too sanguine as it proved:and with
earliest daylight on the 28th, Friedrich's Army, Friedrich himself in the van as usual, is on march again; at its
best speed for Breslau. Read this Note for Jordan:
FRIEDRICH TO M. JORDAN, AT BERLIN.
"HERRENDORF, 27th Dec. 1740.
"SIEUR JORDAN,I march tomorrow for Breslau; and shall be there in four days [three, it happened;
there rising, as would seem, new reason for haste]. You Berliners [of the 24th last] have a spirit of prophecy,
which goes beyond me. In fine, I go my road; and thou wilt shortly see Silesia ranked in the list of our
Provinces. Adieu; this is all I have time to tell thee. Religion [Silesian Protestantism, and Breslau's
Cordwainer], religion and our brave soldiers will do the rest.
"Tell Maupertuis I grant those Pensions he proposes for his Academicians; and that I hope to find good
subjects for that dignity in the Country where I am, withal. Give him my compliments.
FREDERIC."
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Chapter III. PROBLEM OF GLOGAU. 606
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The march was of the swiftest,swifter even than had been expected;which, as Silesia is all ringing glass,
becomes more achievable than lately. But certain regiments outdid themselves in marching; "in three
marches, near upon seventy miles,"with their baggage jingling in due proximity. Through Glasersdorf,
thence through Parchwitz, Neumarkt, Lissa, places that will be better known to us;on Saturday, last night
of the Year, his Majesty lodged at a Schloss called Pilsnitz, five miles to west of Breslau; and vanward
regiments, a good few, quartered in the Western and Southern suburbs of Breslau itself; suburbs decidedly
glad to see them, and escape conflagration. The Towngates are hermetically shut;plenty of emotion
bottled in the 100,000 hearts within. The sentries on the walls presented arms; nay, it is affirmed, some could
not help exclaiming, "WILKOMMEN, IHR LIEBEN HERREN (Welcome, dear Sirs)!"
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 534.]
Colonel Posadowsky (active Horse Colonel whom we have seen before, who perhaps has been in Breslau
before) left orders "at the Scultet GardenHouse," that all must be ready and the rooms warmed, his Majesty
intending to arrive here early on the morrow. Which happened accordingly; Majesty alighting duly at said
GardenHouse, near by the Schweidnitz Gate,I fancy almost before break of day.
Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.
The issue of this Breslau transaction is known, or could be stated in few words; nor is the manner of it such as
would, for Breslau's sake, deserve many. But we are looking into Friedrich, wish to know his manners and
aspects: and here, ready to our hand, a Paper turns up, compiled by an exact person with better leisure than
ours, minutely detailing every part of the affair. This Paper, after the question, Burn or insert? is to have the
lot of appearing here, with what abridgments are possible:
"SUNDAY, 1st JANUARY, 1741. The King having established himself in Herrn Scultet's GardenHouse,
not far from the Schweidnitz Gate, there began a delicate and great operation. The Prussians, in a soft
cautious manner, in the gray of the morning, push out their sentries towards the three Gates on this side of the
Oder; seize any 'Excise House,' or the like, that may be fit for a post; and softly put 'twenty grenadiers' in it.
All this before sunrise. Breslau is rigidly shut; Breslau thought always it could stand upon its guard, if
attacked;is now, in Official quarters, dismally uncertain if it can; general population becoming certain that
it cannot, and waiting anxious on the development of this grand drama.
"About 7 A.M. a Prussian subaltern advancing within cry of the Schweidnitz Gate, requests of the
Townguard there, To send him out a TownOfficer. TownOfficer appears; is informed, 'That Colonels
Posadowsky and Borck, Commissioners or plenipotentiary Messengers from his Prussian Majesty, desire
admittance to the Chief Magistrate of Breslau, for the purpose of signifying what his Prussian Majesty's
instructions are.' TownOfficer bows, and goes upon his errand. TownOfficer is some considerable time
before he can return; City Authorities being, as we know, various, partly Imperial, partly Civic; elderly; and
some of them gone to church, for matins, or to be out of the way. However, he does at last return; admits
the two Colonels, and escorts them honorably, to the Chief RATHSSYNDIC (LordMayor) old Herr von
Gutzmar's; where the poor old "President of the OBER AMT" (Von Schaffgotsch the name of this latter) is
likewise in attendance.
"Prussian Majesty's proposals are of the mildest sort: 'Nothing demanded of Breslau but the plainly
indispensable and indisputable, That Prussia be in it what Austria has been. In all else, STATUS QUO. Strict
neutrality to Breslau, respect for its privileges as a Free City of the Reich; protection to all its rights and
privileges whatsoever. Shall be guarded by its own Garrison; no Prussian soldier to enter except with
sidearms; only 30 guards for the King's person, who will visit the City for a few days;intends to form a
Magazine, with guard of 1,000 men, but only outside the City: no requisitions; ready money for everything.
Chief Syndic Gutzmar and President Schaffgotsch shall consider these points.' [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 537.]
Syndic and President answer, Surely! Cannot, however, decide till they have assembled the TownRath; the
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Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. 607
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two Herren Colonels will please to be guests of Breslau, and lodge in the City till then.
"And they lodged, accordingly, in the 'GROSSE RING' (called also SALZRING, big Central Square, where
the Rathhaus is); and they made and received visits,visited especially the Chief President's Office, the
OberAmt, and signified there, that his Prussian Majesty's expectation was, They would give some account
of that rather high Proclamation or 'Patent' they had published against him the other day, amid thunder and
lightning here, and what they now thought would be expedient upon it? All in grave official terms, but of
such a purport as was not exhilarating to everybody in those OberAmt localities.
"MONDAY MORNING, 2d JANUARY. The Rath is assembled; and consults, consults at great length.
RATHHouse and Syndic Gutzmar, in such crisis, would fain have advice from AMTHouse or President
Schaffgotsch; but can get none: considerable coming and going between them: at length, about 3 in the
afternoon, the Treaty is got drawn up; is signed by the due Breslau hands, and by the two Prussian
Colonels,which latter ride out with it, about 4 of the clock; victorious after thirty hours. Straight towards
the Scultet Garden ride they; Townguard presenting Arms, at the Schweidnitz Gate; nay Townband
breaking out into music, which is never done but to Ambassadors and high people. By thirty hours of steady
soft pressure, they have brought it thus far.
"Friedrich had waited patiently all Sunday, keeping steady guard at the Gates; but on Monday, naturally, the
thirty hours began to hang heavy: at all events, he perceived that it would be well to facilitate conclusions a
little from without. Breslau stands on the West, more strictly speaking, on the South side of the Oder, which
makes an elbow here, and thus bounds it, or mostly bounds it, on two sides. The big drabcolored River
spreads out into Islands, of a confused sort, as it passes; which are partly built upon, and constitute suburbs of
the Town,stretching over, here and there, into straggles of farther suburb beyond the River, where a road
with its bridge happens to cross for the Eastern parts. The principal of these Islands is the DOM
INSEL,"known to General Browne and us,"on which is the Cathedral, and the CLOSE with rich Canons
and their edifices; Island filled with strong high architecture; and a superior military post.
"Friedrich has already as good as possessed himself of the three landward Gates, which look to the south and
to the west; the riverward gates, or those on the north and the east, he perceives that it were good now also to
have; these, and even perhaps something more? 'Gather all the riverboats, make a bridge of them across the
Oder; push across 400 men:' this is done on Monday morning, under the King's own eye. This done, 'March
up to that riverward Gate, and also to that other, in a mild but dangerous looking manner; hew the beams of
said Gate in two; start the big locks; fling wide open said Gate and Gates:' this too is done; Townguard
looking mournfully on. This done, 'March forward swiftly, in two halves, without beat of
drum,whitherward you know!'
"Those three hundred Austrian Dragoons, we saw them leave the Dom Island, three days ago; there are at
present only Six Men, of the BISHOP'S Guard, walking under arms there,at the end of the chief bridge, on
the Townward side of their Dom Island. See, Prussian caps and muskets, ye six men under arms! The six men
clutch at their drawbridge, and hastily set about hoisting:alas, another Prussian corps, which has come
privately by the eastern (or Countryward) Bridge, King himself with it, taps them on the shoulder at this
instant; mildly constrains the six into their guardhouse: the drawbridge falls; 400 Prussian grenadiers take
quiet possession of the Dom Island: King may return to the Scultet Garden, having quickened the lazy hours
in this manner. To such of the Canons as he came upon, his Majesty was most polite; they most submiss. The
six soldiers of the drawbridge, having spoken a little loud,still more a too zealous beefeater of old
Schaffgotsch's found here, who had been very loud,were put under arrest; but more for form's sake; and
were let go, in a day or two."
Nothing could be gentler on Friedrich's part, and on that of his two Colonels, than this delicate operation
throughout: and at 4 P.M., after thirty hours of waiting, it is done, and nobody's skin scratched. Old Syndic
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Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. 608
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Gutzmar, and the TownRath, urged by perils and a Town Population who are Protestant, have signed the
Surrender with goodwill, at least with resignation, and a feeling of relief. The OberAmt Officials have
likewise had to sign; full of all the silent spleen and despondency which is natural to the situation: spleen
which, in the case of old Schaffgotsch, weak with age, becomes passionately audible here and there. He will
have to give account of that injurious Proclamation, or Queen's "Patent," to this King that has now come.
KING ENTERS BRESLAW; STAYS THERE, GRACIOUS AND VIGILANT, FOUR DAYS (Jan. 2d6th,
1741).
In the Royal Entrance which took place next day, note these points. Syndic Gutzmar and the Authorities came
out, in grand coaches, at 8 in the morning; had to wait awhile; the King, having ridden away to look after his
manifold affairs, did not get back till 10. Town Guard and Garrison are all drawn out; Gates all flung open,
Prussian sentries withdrawn from them, and from the Excisehouses they had seized: King's
KitchenandProviant Carriages (four mules to each, with bells, with uncommonly rich housings): King's
Body Coach very grand indeed, and grandly escorted, the Thirty Body guards riding ahead; but nothing in
it, only a most superfine cloak "lined wholly with ermine" flung upon the seat. Other Coaches, more or less
grandly escorted; Head Cupbearers, Seneschals, Princes, Margraves:but where is the King? King had
ridden away, a second time, with chief Generals, taking survey of the Town Walls, round as far as the
ZIEGELTHOR (TileGate, extreme southeast, by the riveredge): he has thus made the whole circuit of
Breslau; unwearied in picking up useful knowledge, "though it was very cold," while that Procession of
Coaches went on.
At noon, his Majesty, thrifty of time, did enter: on horseback, Schwerin riding with him; behind him
miscellaneous chief Officers; Borck and Posadowsky among others; some miscellany of Pagepeople
following. With this natural escort, he rode in; TownMajor (Commandant of Townguard), with drawn
sword going ahead;King wore his usual Cocked Hat, and practical Blue Cloak, both a little dimmed by
service: but his gray horse was admirable; and four scarlet Footmen, grand as galloon and silver fringe could
make them, did the due magnificence in dress. He was very gracious; saluting to this side and to that, where
he noticed people of condition in the windows. "Along Schweidnitz Street, across the Great Ring, down
Albrecht Street." He alighted, to lodge, at the CountSchlegenberg House; which used to be the Austrian
Cardinal von Sinzendorf Primate of Silesia's hired lodging, Sinzendorf's furniture is put gently aside, on
this new occasion. King came on the balcony; and stood there for some minutes, that everybody might see
him. The "immense shoutings," Dryasdust assures me, have been exaggerated; and I am warned not to
believe the KRIEGSFAMA such and such a Number, except after comparing it with him.That day there
was dinner of more than thirty covers, Chief Syndic Gutzmar and other such guests; but as to the viands, says
my friend, these, owing to the haste, were nothing to speak of. [Helden Geschichte, i. 545548.]
Dinner, better and better ordered, King more and more gracious, so it continued all the four days of his
Majesty's stay:on the second day be had to rise suddenly from table, and leave his guests with an apology;
something having gone awry, at one of the Gates. Awry there, between the Town Authorities and a General
Jeetz of his,who is on march across the River at this moment (on what errand we shall hear), and a little
mistakes the terms. His Majesty puts Jeetz right; and even waits, till he sees his Brigade and him clear across.
A junior Schaffgotsch, [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 159.] not the inconsolable Schaffgotsch senior, but his
Nephew, was one of the guests this second day; an ecclesiastic, but of witty fashionable type, and I think a
very worthless fellow, though of a family important in the Province. Dinner falls about noon; does not last
above two hours or three, so that there is space for a ride ("to the Dom," the first afternoon, "four runners"
always), and for much indoor work, before the supperhour.
As the Austrian Authorities sat silent in their place, and gave no explanation of that "Patent," affixed amid
thunder and lightning, they got orders from his Majesty to go their ways next day; and went. In behalf of
old President von Schaffgotsch, a chief of the Silesian Nobility, and man much loved, the Breslau people, and
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men from every guild and rank of society, made petition That, he should be allowed to continue in his Town
House here. Which "first request of yours" his Majesty, with much grace, is sorry to be obliged to refuse. The
suppressed, and insuppressible, weak indignation of old Schaffgotsch is visible on the occasion; nor, I think,
does Friedrich take it ill; only sends him out of the way with it, for the time. The Austrian OberAmt
vanished bodily from Breslau in this manner; and never returned. Proper "WarCommission
(FELDKRIEGSCOMMISSARIAT)," with Munchow, one of those skilful Custrin Munchows, at the top of
it, organized itself instead; which, almost of necessity, became Supreme Government in a City ungoverned
otherwise:and truly there was little regret of the OberAmt, in Breslau; and ever less, to a marked extent,
as the years went on.
On the 5th of January (fourth and last night here), his Majesty gave a grand Ball. Had hired, or Colonel
Posadowsky instead of him had hired, the Assembly Rooms (REDOUTENSAAL), for the purpose: "Invite
all the Nobility high and low;" expense by estimate is a ducat (halfguinea) each; do it well, and his
Majesty will pay. About 6 in the evening, his Majesty in person did us the honor to drive over; opened the
Ball with Madam the Countess von Schlegenberg (I should guess, a Dowager Lady), in whose house he
lodges. I am not aware that his Majesty danced much farther; but he was very condescending, and spoke and
smiled up and down;till, about l0 P.M., an Officer came in with a Letter. Which Letter his Majesty having
read, and seemingly asked a question or two in regard to, put silently in his pocket, as if it were a finished
thing. Nevertheless, after a few minutes, his Majesty was found to have silently withdrawn; and did not
return, not even to supper. Perceiving which, all the Prussian official people gradually withdrew; though the
dancing and supping continued not the less, to a late hour. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 557.]
"Open the Austrian Mailbag (FELLEISEN); see a little what they are saying over there!" Such order had
evidently been given, this night. In consequence of which, people wrote by Dresden, and not the direct way,
in future; wishing to avoid that openable FELLEISEN. Next morning, January 6th, his Majesty had left for
Ohlau,early, I suppose; though there proved to be nothing dangerous ahead there, after all.
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH PUSHES FORWARD TOWARDS BRIEG AND
NEISSE.
Ohlau is a pleasant little Town, two marches southeast of Breslau; with the Ohlau River on one side, and the
Oder on the other; capable of some defence, were there a garrison. Brieg the important Fortress, still on the
Oder, is some fifteen miles beyond Ohlau; after which, bending straight south and quitting Oder, Neisse the
still more important may be thirty miles:from Breslau to Neisse, by this route (which is BOW, not
STRING), sixtyfive or seventy miles. One of my Topographers yields this Note, if readers care for it:
"Ohlau River, an insignificant drabcolored stream, rises well south of Breslau, about Strehlen; makes, at
first, direct eastward towards the Oder; and then, when almost close upon it, breaks off to north, and saunters
along, irregularly parallel to Oder, for twenty miles farther, before it can fall fairly in. To this circumstance
both Breslau and a Town of Ohlau owe their existence; Towns, both of them, 'between the waters,' and
otherwise well seated; Ohlau sheltering itself in the attempted outfall of its little river; Breslau clustering
itself about the actual outfall: both very defensible places in the old rude time, and good for trade in all times.
Both Oder and Ohlau Rivers have split and spread themselves into islands and deltas a good deal, at their
place of meeting; and even have changed their courses, and cut out new channels for themselves, in the sandy
country; making a very intricate watery network of a site for Breslau: and indeed the Ohlau River here, for
centuries back, has been compelled into wide meanderings, mere filling of rampartditches, so that it issues
quite obscurely, and in an artificial engineered condition, at Breslau."
Ohlau had been expected to make some defence; General Browne having thrown 300 men into it, and done
what he could for the works. And Ohlau did at first threaten to make some; but thought better of it overnight,
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and in effect made none; but was got (morning of January 9th) on the common terms, by merely marching up
to it in minatory posture. "Prisoners of War, if you make resistance; Free Withdrawal [Liberty to march away,
arms shouldered, and not serve against us for a year], if you have made none:" this is the common course,
where there are Austrian Soldiers at all; the course where none are, and only a few Syndics sit, with their
TownKey laid on the table, a prey to the stronger hand, we have already seen.
From Ohlau, proper Detachment, under General Kleist, is pushed forward to summon Brieg; Jeetz from the
other side of the river (whom we saw crossing at Breslau the other day, interrupting his Majesty's dinner) is to
cooperate with Kleist in that enterprise, were the Country once cleared on his, Jeetz's, east side of Oder;
especially were Namslau once had, a small Town and Castle over there, which commands the Polish and
Hungarian road. Friedrich's hopes are buoyant; Schwerin is swiftly rolling forward to rightward, nothing
resisting him; Detachment is gone from Schwerin, over the Hills, to Glatz (the GRAFSCHAFT, or County
Glatz, an Appendage to Schlesien), under excellent guidance; under guidance, namely, of Colonel Camas,
who has just come home from his Parisian Embassy, and got launched among the wintry mountains, on a new
operation,which, however, proves of noneffect for the present. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 678; Orlich,
Geschichte der beiden Schlesischen Kriege, i. 49.]
Indeed, it is observable that southward of Breslau, the dispute, what dispute there can be, properly begins;
and that General Browne is there, and shows himself a shining man in this difficult position. It must be
owned, no General could have made his small means go farther. Effective garrisons, 1,600 each, put into
Brieg and Neisse; works repaired, magazines collected, there and elsewhere; the rest of his poor 7,000
thriftily sprinkled about, in what good posts there are, and "capable of being got together in six hours:" a
superior soldier, this Browne, though with a very bad task; and seems to have inspired everybody with
something of his own temper. So that there is marching, detaching, miscellaneous difficulty for Friedrich in
this quarter, more than had been expected. If the fate of Brieg and Neisse be inevitable, Browne does wonders
to delay it.
Of the Prussian marches in these parts, recorded by intricate Dryasdust, there was no point so notable to me
as this unrecorded one: the Stone Pillar which, I see, the Kleist Detachment was sure to find, just now, on the
march from Ohlau to Brieg; last portion of that march, between the village of Briesen and Brieg. The Oder,
flowing on your left hand, is hereabouts agreeably clothed with woods: the country, originally a swamp, has
been drained, and given to the plough, in an agreeable manner; and there is an excellent road paved with solid
whinstone,quarried in Strehlen, twenty miles away, among the Hills to the right yonder, as you may guess;
road very visible to the Prussian soldier, though he does not ask where quarried. These beautiful
improvements, beautiful humanities, were done by whom? "Done in 1584," say the records, by "George
the Pious;" Duke of Liegnitz, Brieg and Wohlau; 156 years ago. "Pious" his contemporaries called this
George;he was son of the ERBVERBRUDERUNG Duke, who is so important to us; he was grandfather's
grandfather of the last Duke of all; after whom it was we that should have got these fine Territories; they
should all have fallen to the Great Elector, had not the Austrian strong hand provided otherwise. George did
these plantations, recoveries to the plough; made this perennial whinstone road across the swamps; upon
which, notable to the roughest Prussian (being "twelve feet high by eight feet square"), rises a Hewn Mass
with this Inscription on it,not of the name or date of George; but of a thought of his, which is not without a
pious beauty to me: Straverunt alii nobis, nos Posteritati; Omnibus at Christus stravit ad asra viam.
Others have made roads for us; we make them for still others: Christ made a road to the stars for us all.
[Zollner, Briefe uber Schlesien, i. 175; Hubner, i. t. 101.]
I know not how many Brandenburgers of General Kleist's Detachment, or whether any, read this Stone; but
they do all rustle past it there, claiming the Heritage of this Pious George; and their mute dim interview with
him, in this manner, is a thing slightly more memorable than orders of the day, at this date.
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It was on the 11th, two days after Ohlau, that General Kleist summoned Brieg; and Brieg answered
resolutely, No. There is a garrison of 1,600 here, and a proper magazine: nothing for it but to "mask" Brieg
too; Kleist on this side the River, Jeetz on that, had Jeetz once done with Namslau, which he has not by
any means. Namslau's answer was likewise stiffly in the negative; and Jeetz cannot do Namslau, at least not
the Castle, all at once; having no siegecannon. Seeing such stiffness everywhere, Friedrich writes to Glogau,
to the Young Dessauer, "Siegeartillery hither! Swift, by the Oder; you don't need it where you are!" and
wishes it were arrived, for behoof of Neisse and these stiff humors.
FRIEDRICH COMES ACROSS TO OTTMACHAU; SITS THERE, IN SURVEY OF NEISSE, TILL HIS
CANNON COME.
The Prussians met with serious resistance, for the first time (9th January, same day when Ohlau yielded), at a
place called Ottmachau; a considerable little Town and Castle on the Neisse River, not far west of Neisse
Town, almost at the very south of Silesia. It lay on the route of Schwerin's Column; long distances ahead of
Liegnitz, say, by straight highway a hundred miles;during which, to right and to left, there had been
nothing but submission hitherto. No resistance was expected here either, for there was not hope in any; only
that Browne had been here; industrious to create delay till Neisse were got fully ready. He is, by every means,
girding up the loins of Neisse for a tight defence; has put 1,600 men into it, with proper stores for them, with
a resolute skilful Captain at the top of them: assiduous Browne had been at Ottmachau, as the outpost of
Neisse, a day or two before; and, they say, had admonished them "Not to yield on any terms, for he would
certainly come to their relief." Which doubtless he would have done, had it been in his power; but how,
except by miracle, could it be? On the 9th of January, when Schwerin comes up, Browne is again waiting
hereabouts. Again in defensive posture, but without force to undertake anything; stands on the Southern
Uplands, with Bohmen and Mahren and the Giant Mountains at his back;stands, so to speak, defensive at
his own Housedoor, in this manner; and will have, after SEEING Ottmachau's fate and Neisse's, to duck in
with a slam! At any rate, he had left these Towns in the above firm humor, screwed to the stickingplace; and
had then galloped elsewhither to screw and prepare.
And so the Ottmachau Austrians, "260 picked grenadiers" (400 dragoons there also at first were, who, after
flourishing about on the outskirts as if for fighting, rode away), fire "DESPERAT," says my intricate friend;
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 672677; Orlich, i. 50.] entirely refusing terms from Schwerin; kill twelve of his
people (Major de Rege, distinguished Engineer Major, one of them): so that Schwerin has to bring petards
upon them, four cannon upon them; and burst in their Town Gate, almost their Castle Gate, and pretty much
their Castle itself;wasting three days of his time upon this paltry matter. Upon which they do signify a
willingness for "Free Withdrawal." "No, IHR HERREN" answers, Schwerin; "not now; after such mad
explosion. His Majesty will have to settle it." Majesty, who is by this time not far off, comes over to
Ottmachau (January 12th); gives words of rebuke, rebuke not very inexorable; and admits them Prisoners of
War. "The officers were sent to Custrin, common men to Berlin;" the usual arrangement in such case.
Ottmachau Town belongs to the Right Reverend von Sinzendorf, Bishop of Breslau, and Primate; whose
especial Palace is in Neisse; though he "commonly sends his refractory Priests to do their penance in the
Schloss at Ottmachau here,"and, I should say, had better himself make terms, and come out hitherward,
under present aspects.
Friedrich continues at Ottmachau; headquarters there thenceforth, till he see Neisse settled. On the morrow,
13th) he learns that the Siege Artillery is at Grotkau; well forward towards Neisse; halfway between Brieg
and it. Same day, Colonel Camas returns to him out of Glatz; five of his men lost; and reports That Browne
has had the roads torn up, that Glatz is mere ice and obstruction, and that nothing can be made of it at this
season. Good news alternating with not so good.
The truth is, Friedrich has got no Strong Place in Schlesien; all strengths make unexpected defence; paltry
little Namslan itself cannot be quite taken, Castle cannot, till Jeetz gets his siege artillery,which does not
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come along so fast as that to Neisse does. Here is an Excerpt from my Dryasdust, exact though abridged,
concerning Jeetz:
"JANUARY 24th, 1741. Prussians, masters of the Town for a couple of weeks back, have got into the Church
at Namslau, into the Cloister; are preparing plank floors for batteries, cutting loopholes; diligent as
possible,siegeguns now at last just coming. The Castle fires fiercely on them, makes furious sallies, steals
six of our oxen,makes insolent gestures from the walls; at least one soldier does, this day. 'Sir, may I give
that fellow a shot?' asks the Prussian sentry. 'Do, then,' answers his Major: 'too insolent that one!' And the
sentry explodes on him; brings him plunging down, head foremost (HERUNTER PURZELTE); the too
insolent mortal, silent enough thenceforth." [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 703.]Jeetz did get his cannon, though
not till now, this very day I think; and then, in a couple of days more, Jeetz finished off Namslau ("officers to
Custrin, Common men to Berlin"); and thereupon blockades the Eastern side of Brieg, joining hands with
Kleist on the Western: whereby Brieg, like Glogau, is completely masked,till the season mend.
Friedrich, now that his artillery is come, expects no difficulty with Neisse. A "paltry hamlet (BICOQUE)" he
playfully calls it; and, except this, Silesia is now his. Neisse got (which would be the desirable thing), or put
under "mask" as Glogau is, and as Brieg is being, Austria possesses not an inch of land within these borders.
Here are some Epistolary snatches; still in the light style, not to say the flimsy and uplifted; but worth giving,
so transparent are they; off hand, like words we had heard his Majesty SPEAK, in his high mood:
KING TO M. JORDAN, AT BERLIN (two successive Letters).
1. "OTTMACHAU, 14th JANUARY, 1741 [second day after our arrival there]. My dear Monsieur Jordan,
my sweet Monsieur Jordan, my quiet Monsieur Jordan, my good, my benign, my pacific, my humanest
Monsieur Jordan,I announce to Thy Serenity the conquest of Silesia; I warn thee of the bombardment of
Neisse [just getting ready], and I prepare thee for still more important projects; and instruct thee of the
happiest successes that the womb of Fortune ever bore.
"This ought to suffice thee. Be my Cicero as to the justice of my cause, and I will be thy Caesar as to the
execution. Adieu: thou knowest whether I am not, with the most cordial regard, thy faithful friend.F."
2. "OTTMACHAU, 17th JANUARY, 1741. I have the honor to inform your Humanity that we are christianly
preparing to bombard Neisse; and that if the place will not surrender of goodwill, needs must that it be
beaten to powder (NECESSITE SERA DE L'ABIMER). For the rest, our affairs go the best in the world; and
soon thou wilt hear nothing more of us. For in ten days it will all be over; and I shall have the pleasure of
seeing you and hearing you, in about a fortnight.
"I have seen neither my Brother [August Wilhelm, not long ago at Strasburg with us, and betrothed since
then] nor Keyserling: I left them at Breslau, not to expose them to the dangers of war. They perhaps will be a
little angry; but what can I do?The rather as, on this occasion, one cannot share in the glory, unless one is a
mortar!
"Adieu, M. le Conseiller [Poor'sRATH, so styled]. Go and amuse yourself with Horace, study Pausanias,
and be gay over Anacreon. As to me, who for amusement have nothing but merlons, fascines and gabions,
[Merlons are mounds of earth placed behind the solid or blind parts of the parapet (that is, between the
embrasures) of a Fortification; fascines are bundles of brushwood for filling up a ditch; gabions, baskets filled
with earth to be ranged in defence till you get trenches dug.] I pray God to grant me soon a pleasanter and
peacefuler occupation, and you health, satisfaction and whatever your heart desires.F." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xvii. 84.]
KING FRIEDRICH TO M. LE COMTE ALGAROTTI (gone on a journey).
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"OTTMACHAU, 17th JANUARY, 1741 [same day as the above to Jordan]. I have begun to settle the Figure
of Prussia: the outline will not be altogether regular; for the whole of Silesia is taken, except one miserable
hamlet (BICOQUE), which perhaps I shall have to keep blockaded till next spring.
"Up to this time, the whole conquest has cost only Twenty Men, and Two Officers, one of whom is the poor
De Rege, whom you have seen at Berlin,"De Rege, Engineer Major, killed here at Ottmachau, in
Schwerin's late tussle.
"You are greatly wanting to me here. So soon as you have talked that business over, write to me about it.
[What is the business? Whither is the dusky Swan of Padua gone?] In all these three hundred miles I have
found no human creature comparable to the Swan of Padua. I would willingly give ten cubic leagues of
ground for a genius similar to yours. But I perceive I was about entreating you to return fast, and join me
again,while you are not yet arrived where your errand was. Make haste to arrive, then; to execute your
commission, and fly back to me. I wish you had a Fortunatus Hat; it is the only thing defective in your outfit.
"Adieu, dear Swan of Padua: think, I pray you, sometimes of those who are getting themselves cut in slices
[ECHINER, chined] for the sake of glory here, and above all do not forget your friends who think a thousand
times of you. "FREDERIC." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 28.]
The object of the dear Swan's journey, or even the whereabouts of it, cannot be discovered without difficulty;
and is not much worth discovering. "Gone to Turin," we at last make out, "with secret commissions:"
[Denina, La Prusse Litteraire (Berlin, 1790), i. 198. A poor vague Book; only worth consulting in case of
extremity.] desirable to sound the Sardinian Majesty a little, who is Doorkeeper of the Alps, between France
and Austria, and opens to the best bidder? No great things of a meaning in this mission, we can guess, or
Algarotti had not gone upon it,though he is handy, at least, for keeping it unnoticed by the Gazetteer
species. Nor was the Swan successful, it would seem; the more the pity for our Swan! However, he comes
back safe; attends Friedrich in Silesia; and in the course of next month readers will see him, if any reader
wished it.
Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED.
Neisse, which Friedrich calls a paltry hamlet (BICOQUE) is a pleasant strongly fortified Town, then of
perhaps 6 or 8,000 inhabitants, now of double that number; stands on the right or south bank of the
Neisse,at this day, on both banks. Pleasant broad streets, high strong houses, mostly of stone. Pleasantly
encircled by green Hills, northward buttresses of the Giant Mountains; itself standing low and level, on rich
ground much inclined to be swampy. A lesser river, Biele, or Bielau, coming from the South, flows leisurely
enough into the Neisse,filling all the Fortress ditches, by the road. Orchardgrowth and meadow growth
are lordly (HERRLICH); a land rich in fruit, and flowing with milk and honey. Much given to weaving,
brewing, stocking making; and, moreover, trades greatly in these articles, and above all in Wine. Yearly on
St. Agnes Day, "21st January, if not a Sunday," there is a Winefair here; Hungarian, of every quality from
Tokay downward, is gathered here for distribution into Germany and all the Western Countries. While you
drink your Tokay, know that it comes through Neisse. St. Agnes Day falls but unhandily this year; and I think
the Fair will, as they say, AUSBLEIBEN, or not be held.
Neisse is a Nest of Priests (PFAFFENNEST), says Friedrich once; which came in this way. About 600 years
ago, an illconditioned HeirApparent of the Liegnitz Sovereign to whom it then belonged, quarrelled with
his Father, quarrelled slightly with the Universe; and, after moping about for some time, went into the
Church. Having Neisse for an apanage already his own, he gave it to the Bishop of Breslau; whose, in spite of
the old Father's protestings, it continued, and continues. Bishops of Breslau are made very grand by it;
Bishops of Breslau have had their own difficulties here. Thus once (in our PerkinWarbeck time, A.D. 1497),
a Duke of Oppeln, sitting in some Official Conclave or meeting of magnates here,zealous for country
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Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED. 614
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privilege, and feeling himself insufferably put upon,started up, openly defiant of Official men; glaring
wrathfully into Duke Casimir of Teschen (BohemianAustrian Captain of Silesia), and into the Bishop of
Breslau himself; nay at last, flashed out his sword upon those sublime dignitaries. For which, by and by, he
had to lay his head on the block, in the great square here; and died penitent, we hope.
This place, my Dryasdust informs me, had many accidents by floodage and by fire; was seized and reseized
in the ThirtyYears War especially, at a great rate: Saxon Arnheim, Austrian Holk, Swedish Torstenson; no
end to the battering and burning poor Neisse had, to the big ransoms "in new Reichsthalers and 300 casks of
wine." But it always rebuilt itself, and began business again. How happy when it could get under some
effectual Protector, of the Liegnitz line, of the AustrianBohemian line, and this or the other battering, just
suffered, was to be the last for some time!Here again is a battering coming on it; the first of a series that
are now imminent.
The reader is requested to look at Neisse; for besides the Tokay wine, there will things arrive there.Neisse
River, let us again mention, is one of four bearing that name, and all belonging to the Oder:could not they
be labelled, then, or NUMBERED, in some way? This Neisse, which we could call Neisse the FIRST (and
which careful readers may as well make acquaintance with on their Map, where too they will find Neisse the
SECOND, "the WUTHENDE or Roaring Neisse," and two others which concern us less), rises in the
"Western SnowMountains (SCHNEEGEBIRGE)," Southwestern or Glatz district of the Giant Mountains;
drains Glatz County and grows big there; washes the Town of Glatz; then eastward by Ottmachau, by Neisse
Town; whence turning rather abruptly north or northeast, it gets into the Oder not far south of Brieg.
Neisse as a Place of Arms, the chief Fortress of Silesia and the nearest to Austria, is extremely desirable for
Friedrich; but there is no hope of it without some kind of Siege; and Friedrich determines to try in that way.
From Ottmachau, accordingly, and from the other sides, the SiegeArtillery being now at hand, due force
gathers itself round Neisse, Schwerin taking charge; and for above a week there is demonstrating and posting,
summoning and parleying; and then, for three days, with pauses intervening, there is extremely furious
bombardment, redhot at times: "Will you yield, then?"with steady negative from Neisse. Friedrich's
quarter is at Ottmachau, twelve miles off; from which he can ride over, to see and superintend. The fury of
his bombardment, which naturally grieved him, testifies the intensity of his wish. But it was to no purpose.
The Commandant, Colonel von Roth (the same who was proposed for Breslau lately, a wise head and a stout,
famed in defences) had "poured water on his ramparts," after well repairing them,made his ramparts all ice
and glass;and done much else. Would the reader care to look for a moment? Here, from our waste
Papermasses, is abundance, requiring only to be abridged:
"JANUARY, 1741: MONDAY, 9thWEDNESDAY, 11th. Monday, 9th, day when that sputter at Ottmachau
began,Prussian lighttroops appeared transiently on the heights about Neisse, for the first time. Directly on
sight of whom, Commandant Roth assembled the Burghers of the place; took a new Oath of Fidelity from
one and all; admonished them to do their utmost, as they should see him do. The ablebodied and likeliest of
them (say about 400) he has had arranged into Militia Companies, with what drill there could be in the
interim; and since his coming, has employed every moment in making ready. Wednesday, llth, he locks all
the Gates, and stands strictly on his guard. The inhabitants are mostly Catholic; with sumptuous Bishops of
Breslau, with KREUZHERREN (imaginary Teutsch or other Ritters with some reality of money), with Jesuit
Dignitaries, Church and QuasiChurch Officialities, resident among them: population, high and low, is
inclined by creed to the Queen of Hungary. Commandant Roth has only 1,200 regular soldiers; at the outside
1,600 men under arms: but he has gunpowder, he has meal; experience also and courage; and hopes these
may suffice him for a time. One of the most determined Commandants; expert in the defence of strong
places. A born Silesian (not Saxon, as some think),and is of the Augsburg Confession; but that
circumstance is not important here, though at Breslau Browne thought it was.
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"THURSDAY, 12th. The Prussians, in regular force, appear on the Kaninchen Berg (Cony Hill, so called
from its rabbits), south of the River, evidently taking post there. Roth fires a signal shot; the Southern
Suburbs of Neisse, as preappointed, go up in flame; crackle high and far; in a lamentable manner
(ERBARMLICH), through the grim winter air." This is the day Friedrich came over to Ottmachau, and
settled the sputter there.
"Next day, and next again, the same phenomena at Neisse; the Prussians edging ever nearer, building their
batteries, preparing to open their cannonade. Whereupon Roth burns the remaining Suburbs, with lamentable
crackle; on all sides now are mere ashes. Bishop's Mill, Franciscan Cloister, Bishop's Pleasuregarden, with
its summerhouses; Bishop's Hospital, and several Churches: Roth can spare none of these things, with the
Prussians nestling there. Surely the Bishop himself, respectable Cardinal Graf von Sinzendorf, had better get
out of these localities while time yet is?" "Saturday, 14th," that was the day Friedrich, at Ottmachau, wrote as
above to Jordan (Letter No. 1), while the Neisse Suburbs crackled lamentably, twelve miles off, "Schwerin
gets order to break up, in person, from Ottmachan tomorrow, and begin actual business on the Kaninchen
Hill yonder.
"SUNDAY, 15th. Schwerin does; marches across the River; takes post on the south side of Neisse: notable to
the Sunday rustics. Nothing but burnt villages and black walls for Schwerin, in that ConyHill quarter, and
all round; and Roth salutes him with one twentyfour pounder, which did no hurt. And so the cannonade
begins, Sunday, 15th; and intermittently, on both sides of the River, continues, always bursting out again at
intervals, till Wednesday; a mere preliminary cannonade on Schwerin's part; making noise, doing little hurt:
intended more to terrify, but without effect that way on Roth or the Townsfolk. The poor Bishop did, on the
second day of it, come out, and make application to Schwerin; was kindly conducted to his Majesty, who
happened to be over there; was kept to dinner; and easily had leave to retire to Freywalde, a CountryHouse
he has, in the safe distance. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 683.] There let him be quiet, well out of these confused
batterings and burnings of property.
"His Majesty's Headquarter is at Ottmachau, but in two hours he can be here any day; and looks into
everything; sorry that the cannonade does not yet answer. And remnants of suburbs are still crackling into
flame; high CountryHouses of Kreuzherren, of Jesuits; a fanatic people seemingly all set against us. 'If
Neisse will not yield of goodwill, needs is it must be beaten to powder,' wrote his Majesty to Jordan in these
circumstances, as we read above. Roth is sorry to observe, the Prussians have still one good
Bishop'smansion, in a place called the Karlau (KarlMeadow), with the Bishop's winter fuel all ready
stacked there; but strives to take order about the same.
"WEDNESDAY, 18th. This day two provocations happened. First, in the morning by his Majesty's order,
Colonel Borck (the same we saw at Herstal) had gone with a Trumpeter towards Roth; intending to inform
Roth how mild the terms would be, how terrible the penalty of not accepting them. But Roth or Roth's people
singularly disregard Borck and his Parley Trumpet; answer its blasts by musketry; fire upon it, nay again fire
worse when it advances a step farther; on these terms Borck and Trumpet had to return. Which much angered
his Majesty at Ottmachau that evening; as was natural. Same evening, our fine quarters in the Karlau crackled
up in flame, the Bishop's winter firewood all along with it: this was provocation second. Roth had taken order
with the Karlau; and got a resolute Butcher to do the feat, under pretext of bringing us beef. It is piercing
cold; only blackened walls for us now in the Karlau or elsewhere. His Majesty, naturally much angered,
orders for the morrow a dose of bombshells and redhot balls. Plant a few mortars on the North side too,
orders his Majesty.
"THURSDAY, 19th. Accordingly, by 8 of the clock, cannon batteries reawaken with a mighty noise, and
redhot balls are noticeable; and at 10 the actual bombarding bursts out, terrible to hear and see;first shell
falling in Haubitz the Clothier's shop, but being happily got under. Roth has his City Militia companies,
organized with waterhose for quenching of the redhot balls: in which they became expert. So that though
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the fire caught many houses, they always put it out. Late in the night, hearing no word from Roth, the
Prussians went to bed.
"FRIDAY, 20th. Still no word; on which, about 4 P.M., the Prussian batteries awaken again: volcanic torrent
of redhot shot and shells, for seven hours; still no word from Roth. About 11 at night his Majesty again
sends a Drum (Parley Trumpet or whatever it is) to the Gate; formally summons Roth; asks him, 'If he has
well considered what this can lead to? Especially what he, Roth, meant by firing on our first Trumpet on
Wednesday last?' Roth answered, 'That as to the Trumpet, he had not heard of it before. On the other hand,
that this mode of sieging by redhot balls seems a little unusual; for the rest, that he has himself no order or
intention but that of resisting to the last.' Some say the Drum hereupon by order talked of 'pounding Neisse
into powder, mere child'splay hitherto;' to which Roth answered only by respectful dumbshow.
"SATURDAY, 21stMONDAY, 23d. Midnight of FridaySaturday, on this answer coming, the
firevolcanoes open again;nine hours long; shells, and redhot material, in terrible abundance. Which hit
mostly the churches, Jesuits' Seminariums and Collegiums; but produced no change in Roth. From 9 A.M. the
batteries are silent. Silent still, next morning: Divine Service may proceed, if it like. But at 4 of the afternoon,
the batteries awaken worse than ever; from seven to nine bombs going at once. Universal rage, of noise and
horrid glare, making night hideous, till 10 of the clock; Roth continuing inflexible. This is the last night of the
Siege."
Friedrich perceived that Roth would not yield; that the utter smashingdown of Neisse might more concern
Friedrich than Roth; that, in fine, it would be better to desist till the weather altered. Next day, "Monday,
23d, between noon and 1 o'clock," the Prussians drew back;converted the siege into a blockade. Neisse to
be masked, like Brieg and Glogau (Brieg only half done yet, Jeetz without cannon till tomorrow, 24th, and
little Namslau still gesticulating): "The only thing one could try upon it was bombardment. A Nest of Priests
(PFAFFENNEST); not many troops in it: but it cannot well be forced at present. If spring were here, it will
cost a fortnight's work." [FRIEDRICH TO THE OLD DESSAUER: Fraction of Letter (Ottmachau, 16th21st
January, 1741) cited by Orlich, i. 51;from the Dessau Archives, where Herr Orlich has industriously been.
To all but strictly military people these pieces of Letters are the valuable feature of Orlich's Book; and a
general reader laments that it does not all consist of such, properly elucidated and labelled into accessibility.]
A noisy business; "King's high person much exposed: a bombardier and then a sergeant were killed close by
him, though in all he lost only five men." [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 680690.]
BROWNE VANISHES IN A SLIGHT FLASH OF FIRE.
Browne all this while has hung on the Mountainside, witnessing these things; sending stores towards Glatz
southwestward, and "ruining the ways" behind them; waiting what would become of Neisse. Neisse done,
Schwerin is upon him; Browne makes off Southeastward, across the Mountains, for Moravia and home;
Schwerin following hard. At a little place called Gratz, [The name, in old Slavic speech, signifies TOWN;
and there are many GRATZES: KONIGINgratz (QUEEN'S, which for brevity is now generally called
KONIGSgratz, in Bohemia); Gratz in Styria; WINDISCHgratz (Wendishtown); on the Moravian border,
Browne faced round, tried to defend the Bridge of the Oppa, sharply though without effect; and there came
(January 25th) a hot sputter between them for a few minutes:after which Browne vanished into the interior,
and we hear, in these parts, comparatively little more of him during this War. Friend and foe must admit that
he has neglected nothing; and fairly made the best of a bad business here. He is but an interim General, too;
his Successor just coming; and the Vienna Board of War is frequently troublesome,to whose windy
speculations Browne replies with sagacious scepticism, and here and there a touch of veiled sarcasm, which
was not likely to conciliate in high places. Had her Hungarian Majesty been able to retain Browne in his post,
instead of poor Neipperg who was sent instead, there might have been a considerably different account to
give of the sequel. But Neipperg was Tutor (WarTutor) to the GrandDuke; Browne is still of young
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Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED. 617
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standing (age only thirtyfive), with a touch of veiled sarcasm; and things must go their course.
In Schlesien, Schwerin is now to command in chief; the King going off to Berlin for a little, naturally with
plenty of errand there. The Prussian Troops go into Winterquarters; spread themselves wide; beset the good
points, especially the Passes of the Hills, from Jagerndorf, eastward to the Jablunka leading towards
Hungary; nay they can, and before long do, spread into the Moravian Territories, on the other side; and
levy contributions, the Queen proving unreasonable.
It was Monday, 23d, when the Siege of Neisse was abandoned: on Wednesday, Friedrich himself turns
homeward; looks into Schweidnitz, looks into Liegnitz; and arrives at Berlin as the week ends,much
acclamation greeting him from the multitude. Except those three masked Fortresses, capable of no defence to
speak of, were Winter over, Silesia is now all Friedrich's,has fallen wholly to him in the space of about
Seven Weeks. The seizure has been easy; but the retaining of it, perhaps he himself begins to see more
clearly, will have difficulties! From this point, the talk about GLOIRE nearly ceases in his Correspondence.
In those seven weeks he has, with GLOIRE or otherwise, cut out for himself such a life of labor as no man of
his Century had.
Chapter VII. AT VERSAILLES, THE MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY
CHANGES HIS SHIRT, AND BELLEISLE IS SEEN WITH PAPERS.
While Friedrich was so busy in Silesia, the world was not asleep around him; the world never is, though it
often seems to be, round a man and what action he does in it. That Sunday morning, First Day of the Year
1741, in those same hours while Friedrich, with energy, with caution, was edging himself into Breslau, there
went on in the Court of Versailles an interior Phenomenon; of which, having by chance got access to it face
to face, we propose to make the reader participant before going farther.
Readers are languidly aware that phenomena do go on round their Friedrich; that their busy Friedrich, with
his few Voltaires and renowned persons, are not the only population of their Century, by any means.
Everybody is aware of that fact; yet, in practice, almost everybody is as good as not aware; and the World all
round one's Hero is a darkness, a dormant vacancy. How strange when, as here, some Wastepaper spill (so
to speak) turns up, which you can KINDLE; and, by the brief flame of it, bid a reader look with his own
eyes!From Herr Doctor Busching, who did the GEOGRAPHY and about a Hundred other Books,a man
of great worth, almost of genius, could he have elaborated his Hundred Books into Ten (or distilled, into
flasks of aquavitae, what otherwise lies tumbling as tanks of mash and wort, now run very sour and
malodorous); it is from Herr Busching that we gain the following rough Piece, illuminative if one can
kindle it:
The TitularHerr Baron Anton von Geusau, a gentleman of good parts, scholastic by profession, and of
Protestant creed, was accompanying as Travelling Tutor, in those years, a young Graf von Reuss. Graf von
Beuss is one of those indistinct Counts Reuss, who always call themselves "Henry;" and, being now at the
eightieth and farther, with uncountable collateral Henrys intertwisted, are become in effect anonymous, or of
nomenclature inscrutable to mankind. Nor is the young one otherwise of the least interest to us;except that
Herr Anton, the Travelling Tutor, punctually kept a Journal of everything. Which Journal, long afterwards,
came into the hands of Busching, also a punctual man; and was by him abridged, and set forth in print in his
Beitrage. Offering at present a singular daguerrotype glimpse of the then actual world, wherever Graf von
Reuss and his Geusau happened to be. Ninetenths of it, even in Busching's Abridgment, are now fallen
useless and wearisome; but to one studying the days that then were, even the effete commonplace of it
occasionally becomes alive again. And how interesting to catch, here and there, a Historical Figure on these
conditions; Historical Figure's very self, in his workday attitude; eating his victuals; writing, receiving
letters, talking to his fellowcreatures; unaware that Posterity, miraculously through some chink of the
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Travelling Tutor's producing, has got its eye upon him.
"SUNDAY, 1st JANUARY, 1741, Geusau and his young Gentleman leave Paris, at 5 in the morning, and
drive out to Versailles; intending to see the ceremonies of Newyear's day there. Very wet weather it had
been, all Wednesday, and for days before; [See in Barbier (ii. 283 et seqq.) what terrible Noahlike weather
it had been; big houses, long in soak, tumbling down at last into the Seine; CHASSE of St. Genevieve
brought out (two days ago), December 30th, to try it by miracle; but on this Sunday, Newyear's morning, all
is ice and glass; and they slid about painfully by lamplight,with unroughened horses, and on the Hilly or
Meudon road, having chosen that as fittest, the waters being out;not arriving at Court till 9. Nor finding
very much to comfort them, except on the side of curiosity, when there. Ushers, INTRODUCTEURS,
Cabinet Secretaries, were indeed assiduous to oblige; and the King's Levee will be: but if you follow it, to the
Chapel Royal to witness high mass, you must kneel at elevation of the host; and this, as reformed Christians,
Reuss and his Tutor cannot undertake to do. They accept a dinner invitation (12 the hour) from some good
Samaritan of Quality; and, for sights, will content themselves with the King's Levee itself, and generally with
what the King's Antechamber and the OEildeBoeuf can exhibit to them. The Most Christian King's Levee
[LEVER, literally here his Getting out of Bed] is a daily miracle of these localities, only grander on
Newyear's day; and it is to the following effect:
"Till Majesty please to awaken, you saunter in the Salle des Ambassadeurs; whole crowds jostling one
another there; gossiping together in a diligent, insipid manner;" gossip all reported; snatches of which have
acquired a certain flavor by long keeping; which the reader shall imagine. "Meanwhile you keep your eye
on the Grate of the Inner Court, which as yet is only ajar, Majesty inaccessible as yet. Behold, at last, Grate
opens itself wide; sign that Majesty is out of bed; that the privileged of mankind may approach, and see the
miracles." Geusau continues, abridged by Busching and us:
"The whole Assemblage passed now into the King's Anteroom; had to wait there about half an hour more,
before the King's bedroom was opened. But then at last, lo you,there is the King, visible to Geusau and
everybody, washing his hands.' Which effected itself in this way: 'The King was seated; a
gentlemaninwaiting knelt, before him, and held the Ewer, a square vessel silvergilt, firm upon the King's
breast; and another gentlemaninwaiting poured water on the King's hands.' Merely an official washing, we
perceive; the real, it is to be hoped, had, in a much more effectual way, been going on during the halfhour
just elapsed. After washing, the King rose for an instant; had his dressinggown, a grand yellow silky article
with silver flowerings, pulled off, and flung round his loins; upon which he sat down again, and," observe
it, ye privileged of mankind,"the Change of Shirt took place! 'They put the clean shirt down over his head,'
says Anton, (and plucked up the dirty one from within, so that of the naked skin you saw little or nothing.'"
Here is a miracle worth getting out of bed to look at!
"His Majesty now quitted chair and dressinggown; stood up before the fire; and, after getting on the rest of
his clothing, which, on account of Czarina Anne's death [readers remember that], was of violet or mourning
color, he had the powdermantle thrown round him, and sat down at the Toilette to have his hair frizzled. The
Toilette, a table with white cover shoved into the middle of the room, had on it a mirror, a powderknife,
and"no mortal cares what. "The King," what all mortals note, as they do the heavenly omens, "is somewhat
talky; speaks sometimes with the Dutch Ambassador, sometimes with the Pope's Nuncio, who seems a jocose
kind of gentleman; sometimes with different French Lords, and at last with the Cardinal Fleury also,to
whom, however, he does not look particularly gracious,"not particularly this time. These are the omens;
happy who can read them!Majesty then did his morning prayer, assisted only by the common
Almonersinwaiting (Cardinal took no hand, much less any other); Majesty knelt before his bed, and
finished the business 'in less than six seconds.' After which mankind can ebb out to the Anteroom again; pay
their devoir to the Queen's Majesty, which all do; or wait for the Transit to Morning Chapel, and see
Mesdames of France and the others flitting past in their sedans.
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"Queen's Majesty was already altogether dressed," says Geusau, almost as if with some disappointment; "all
in black; a most affable courteous Majesty; stands conversing with the Russian Ambassador, with the Dutch
ditto, with the Ladies about her, and at last, 'in a friendly and merry tone,' with old Cardinal Fleury. Her
Ladies, when the Queen spoke with them, showed no constraint at all; leant loosely with their arms on the
firescreens, and took things easy. Mesdames of France"Geusau saw Mesdames. Poor little souls, they are
the LOQUE, the COCHON (Rag, Pig, so Papa would call them, dear Papa), who become tragically visible
again in the Revolution time:all blooming young children as yet (Queen's Majesty some thirtyseven
gone), and little dreaming what lies fifty years ahead! King Louis's career of extraneous gallantries, which
ended in the ParcauxCerfs, is now just beginning: think of that too; and of her Majesty's fine behavior
under it; so affable, so patient, silent, now and always!"In a little while, their Majesties go along the Great
Gallery to Chapel;" whither the Protestant mind cannot with comfort accompany. [Busching, Beitrage, ii.
5978.]
This is the daily miracle done at Versailles to the believing multitude; only that on Newyear's day, and
certain supreme occasions, the shirt is handed by a Prince of the Blood, and the towel for drying the royal
hands by a ditto, with other improvements; and the thing comes out in its highest power of
effulgence,especially if you could see high mass withal. In the Antechamber and (OEildeBoeuf,
Geusau, among hundreds of phenomena fallen dead to us, saw the Four following, which have still some
life: 1. Many Knights of the Holy Ghost (CHEVALIERS DU SAINT ESPRIT) are about; magnificently
piebald people, indistinct to us, and fallen dead to us: but there, among the company, do not we indisputably
see, "in full Cardinal's costume," Fleury the ancient Prime Minister talking to her Majesty? Blandly smiling;
soft as milk, yet with a flavor of alcoholic wit in him here and there. That is a man worth looking at, had they
painted him at all. Red hat, red stockings; a serenely definite old gentleman, with something of prudent
wisdom, and a touch of imperceptible jocosity at times; mildly inexpugnable in manner: this King, whose
Tutor he was twenty years ago, still looks to him as his father; Fleury is the real King of France at present.
His age is eightyseven gone; the King's is thirty (seven years younger than his Queen): and the Cardinal has
red stockings and red hat; veritably there, successively in both Antechambers, seen by Geusau, January 1st,
1741: that is all I know. 2. The Prince de Clermont, a Prince of the Blood, "handed the shirt," TESTE
Geusau. Some other Prince, notable to Geusau, and to us nameless, had the honor of the "towel:" but this
Prince de Clermont, a dissolute fellow of wasted parts, kind of Priest, kind of Soldier too, is seen visibly
handing the shirt there;whom the reader and I, if we cared about it, shall again see, getting beaten by
Prince Ferdinand, at Crefeld, within twenty years hence. These are points first and second, slightly
noticeable, slightly if at all.
Of the actual transit to high mass, transit very visible in the Great Gallery or OEildeBoeuf, why should a
human being now say anything? Queen, poor Stanislaus's Daughter, and her Ladies, in their sublime sedans,
one flood of jewels, sail first; next sails King Louis, shirt warm on his back, with "thirtyfour Chevaliers of
the Holy Ghost" escorting; next "the Dauphin" (Boy of eleven, Louis XVI.'s. Father), and "Mesdames of
France, with"but even Geusau stops short. Protestants cannot enter that Chapel, without peril of idolatry;
wherefore Geusau and Pupil kept strolling in the general (OEildeBoeuf,and "the Dutch Ambassador
approved of it," he for one. And here now is another point, slightly noticeable: 3. High mass over, his
Majesty sails back from Chapel, in the same magnificently piebald manner; and vanishes into the interior;
leaving his Knights of the Holy Ghost, and other Courtier multitude, to simmer about, and ebb away as they
found good. Geusau and his young Reuss had now the honor of being introduced to various people; among
others "to the Prince de Soubise." Prince de Soubise: frivolous, insignificant being; of whom I have no
portrait that is not nearly blank, and content to be so;though Herr von Geusau would have one, with
features and costume to it, when he heard of the Beating at Rossbach, long after! Prince de Soubise is pretty
much a blank to everybody:and no sooner are we loose of him, than (what every reader will do well to
note) 4. Our Herren Travellers are introduced to a real Notability: Monseigneur, soon to be Marechal, the
Comte de Belleisle; whom my readers and I are to be much concerned with, in time coming. "A tall lean man
(LANGER HAGERER MANN), without much air of quality," thinks Geusau; but with much swift intellect
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and energy, and a distinguished character, whatever Geusau might think. "Comte de Belleisle was very civil;
but apologized, in a courtly and kind way, for the hurry he was in; regretting the impossibility of doing the
honors to the Comte de Reuss in this Country,his, Belleisle's, Journey into Germany, which was close at
hand, overwhelming him with occupations and engagements at present. And indeed, even while he spoke to
us," says Geusau, "all manner of Papers were put into his hand." [Busching, ii. 79; see Barbier, ii. 282, 287.]
"Journey to Germany, Papers put into his hand:" there is perhaps no Human Figure in the world, this Sunday
(except the one Figure now in those same moments over at Breslau, gently pressing upon the locked Gates
there), who is so momentous for our Silesian Operations; and indeed he will kindle all Europe into delirium;
and produce mere thunder and lightning, for seven years to come, with almost no result in it, except
Silesia! A tall lean man; there stands he, age now fiftysix, just about setting out on such errand. Whom one
is thankful to have seen for a moment, even in that slight manner.
OF BELLEISLE AND HIS PLANS.
Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, Comte de Belleisle, is Grandson of that Intendant Fouquet, sumptuous
Financier, whom Louis XIV. at last threw out, and locked into the Fortress of Pignerol, amid the Savoy Alps,
there to meditate for life, which lasted thirty years longer. It was never understood that the sumptuous
Fouquet had altogether stolen public moneys, nor indeed rightly what he had done to merit Pignerol; and
always, though fallen somehow into such dire disfavor, he was pitied and respected by a good portion of the
public. "Has angered Colbert," said the public; "dangerous rivalry to Colbert; that is what has brought
Pignerol upon him." Out of Pignerol that Fouquet never came; but his Family bloomed up into light again;
had its adventures, sometimes its troubles, in the Regency time, but was always in a rising way:and here,
in this tall lean man getting papers put into his hand, it has risen very high indeed. Going as Ambassador
Extraordinary to the Germanic Diet, "to assist good neighbors, as a neighbor and Most Christian Majesty
should, in choosing their new Kaiser to the best advantage:" that is the official color his mission is to have.
Surely a proud mission;and Belleisle intends to execute it in a way that will surprise the Germanic Diet
and mankind. Privately, Belleisle intends that he, by his own industries, shall himself choose the right Kaiser,
such Kaiser as will suit the Most Christian Majesty and him; he intends to make a new French thing of
Germany in general; and carries in his head plans of an amazing nature! He and a Brother he has, called the
Chevalier de Belleisle, who is also a distinguished man, and seconds M. le Comte with eloquent fire and zeal
in all things, are grandsons of that old Fouquet, and the most shining men in France at present. France little
dreams how much better it perhaps were, had they also been kept safe in Pignerol!
The Count, lean and growing old, is not healthy; is ever and anon tormented, and laid up for weeks, with
rheumatisms, gouts and ailments: but otherwise he is still a swift ardent elastic spirit; with grand schemes,
with fiery notions and convictions, which captivate and hurry off men's minds more than eloquence could, so
intensely true are they to the Count himself;and then his Brother the Chevalier is always there to put them
into the due language and logic, where needed. [Voltaire, xxviii. 74; xxix. 392; A magnanimous highflown
spirit; thought to be of supreme skill both in War and in Diplomacy; fit for many things; and is still full of
ambition to distinguish himself, and tell the world at all moments, "ME VOILA; World, I too am
here!"His plans, just now, which are dim even to himself, except on the hither skirt of them, stretch out
immeasurable, and lie piled up high as the skies. The hither skirt of them, which will suffice the reader at
present, is:
That your GrandDuke Franz, Maria Theresa's Husband, shall in no wise, as the world and Duke Franz
expect, be the Kaiser chosen. Not he, but another who will suit France better: "KurSachsen perhaps, the
socalled King of Poland? Or say it were Karl Albert KurBaiern, the hereditary friend and dependent of
France? We are not tied to a man: only, at any and at all rates, not GrandDuke Franz." This is the grand,
essential and indispensable point, alpha and omega of points; very clear this one to Belleisle,and towards
this the first steps, if as yet only the first, are also clear to him. Namely that "the 27th of February
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next",which is the time set by KurMainz and the native Officials for the actual meeting of their Reichstag
to begin Election Business, will be too early a time; and must be got postponed. [Adelung, ii. 185 ("27th
February 1st March, 1741, at FrankfurtonMayn," appointed by KurMainz "ArchChancellor of the
REICH," under date November 3d, 1740); ib. 236 ("Delay for a month or two," suggests KurPfalz, on
January 12th, seconded by others in the French interest); upon which the appointment, after some arguing,
collapsed into the vague, and there ensued delay enough; actual Election not till January 24th, 1742.]
Postponed; which will be possible, perhaps for long; one knows not for how long: that is a first step definitely
clear to Belleisle. Towards which, as preliminary to it and to all the others in a dimmer state, there is a second
thing clear, and has even been officially settled (all but the day): That, in the mean while, and surely the
sooner the better, he, Belleisle, Most Christian Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary to the Reichstag
coming,do, in his most dazzling and persuasive manner, make a Tour among German Courts. Let us visit,
in our highest and yet in our softest splendor, the accessible German Courts, especially the likely or
welldisposed: Mainz, Koln, Trier, these, the three called Spiritual, lie on our very route; then Pfalz, Baiern,
Sachsen:we will tour diligently up and down; try whether, by optic machinery and artmagic of the mind,
one cannot bring them round.
In all these preliminary steps and points, and even in that alpha and omega of excluding GrandDuke Franz,
and getting a Kaiser of his own, Belleisle succeeded. With painful results to himself and to millions of his
fellowcreatures, to readers of this History, among others. And became in consequence the most famous of
mankind; and filled the whole world with rumor of Belleisle, in those years.A man of such intrinsic
distinction as Belleisle, whom Friedrich afterwards deliberately called a great Captain, and the only
Frenchman with a genius for war; and who, for some time, played in Europe at large a part like that of
Warwick the Kingmaker: how has he fallen into such oblivion? Many of my readers never heard of him
before; nor, in writing or otherwise, is there symptom that any living memory now harbors him, or has the
least approach to an image of him! "For the times are babbly," says Goethe," And then again the times are
dumb:
Denn geschwatzig sind die Zeiten,
Und sie sind auch wieder stumm."
Alas, if a man sow only chaff, in never so sublime a manner, with the whole Earth and the longeared
populations looking on, and chorally singing approval, rendering night hideous,it will avail him nothing.
And that, to a lamentable extent, was Belleisle's case. His scheme of action was in most felicitously just
accordance with the national sense of France, but by no means so with the Laws of Nature and of Fact; his
aim, grandiose, patriotic, what you will, was unluckily false and not true. How could "the times" continue
talking of him? They found they had already talked too much. Not to say that the French Revolution has since
come; and has blown all that into the air, miles aloft,where even the solid part of it, which must be
recovered one day, much more the gaseous, which we trust is forever irrecoverable, now wanders and whirls;
and many things are abolished, for the present, of more value than Belleisle!
For my own share, being, as it were, forced accidentally to look at him again, I find in Belleisle a really
notable man; far superior to the vulgar of noted men, in his time or ours. Sad destiny for such a man! But
when the general Lifeelement becomes so unspeakably phantasmal as under Louis XV., it is difficult for
any man to be real; to be other than a playactor, more or less eminent,and artistically dressed. Sad enough,
surely, when the truth of your relation to the Universe, and the tragically earnest meaning of your Life, is
quite lied out of you, by a world sunk in lies; and you can, with effort, attain to nothing but to be a more or
less splendid lie along with it! Your very existence all become a vesture, a hypocrisy, and hearsay; nothing
left of you but this sad faculty of sowing chaff in the fashionable manner! After Friedrich and Voltaire, in
both of whom, under the given circumstances, one finds a perennial reality, more or less, Belleisle is next;
none FAILS to escape the mournful common lot by a nearer miss than Belleisle.
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Beyond doubt, there are in this man the biggest projects any French head has carried, since Louis XIV. with
his sublime periwig first took to striking the stars. How the indolent Louis XV. and the pacific Fleury have
been got into this sublimely adventurous mood? By Belleisle chiefly, men say;and by King Louis's first
Mistresses, blown upon by Belleisle; poor Louis having now, at length, left his poor Queen to her reflections,
and taken into that sad line, in which by degrees he carried it so far. There are three of them, it seems;the
first female souls that could ever manage to kindle, into flame or into smoke: in this or any other kind, that
poor torpid male soul: those Mailly Sisters, three in number (I am shocked to hear), successive, nay in part
simultaneous! They are proud women, especially the two younger; with ambition in them, with a bravura
magnanimity, of the theatrical or operatic kind; of whom Louis is very fond. "To raise France to its place,
your Majesty; the top of the Universe, namely!" "Well; if it could be done,and quite without trouble?"
thinks Louis. Bravura magnanimity, blown upon by Belleisle, prevails among these high Improper Females,
and generally in the Younger Circles of the Court; so that poor old Fleury has had no choice but to obey it or
retire. And so Belleisle stalks across the OEildeBoeuf in that important manner, visibly to Geusau; and is
the shining object in Paris, and much the topic there at present.
A few weeks hence, he is farthera little out of the common turn, but not beyond his military merits or
capabilitiesmade Marechal de France; [ Fastes de Louis XV., i. 356 (12th February, 1741).] by way of
giving him a new splendor in the German Political World, and assisting in his operations there, which depend
much upon the laws of vision. French epigrams circulate in consequence, and there are witty criticisms; to
which Belleisle, such a dusky world of Possibility lying ahead, is grandly indifferent. Marechal de
France;and Geusau hears (what is a fact) that there are to be "thirty young French Lords in his suite;" his
very "Livery," or mere plush retinue, "to consist of 110 persons;" such an outfit for magnificence as was
never seen before. And in this equipment, "early in March" (exact day not given), magnificence of outside
corresponding to grandiosity of faculty and idea, Belleisle, we shall find, does practically set off towards
Germany;like a kind of French Belus, or God of the Sun; capable to dazzle weak German Courts, by
optical machinery, and to set much rotten thatch on fire!
"There are curious daguerrotype glimpses of old Paris to be found in that Notebook of Geusau's", says
another Excerpt; "which come strangely home to us, like reality at firsthand;and a rather unexpected
Paris it is, to most readers; many things then alive there, which are now deep underground. Much Jansenist
Theology afloat; grand French Ladies piously eager to convert a young Protestant Nobleman like Reuss;
sublime Dorcases, who do not rouge, or dress high, but eschew the evil world, and are thrifty for the Poor's
sake, redeeming the time. There is a Cardinal de Polignac, venerable sage and expolitical person, of
astonishing erudition, collector of Antiques (with whom we dined); there is the Chevalier Ramsay,
theological Scotch Jacobite, late Tutor of the young Turenne. So many shining persons, now fallen indistinct
again. And then, besides gossip, which is of mild quality and in fair proportion,what talk, casuistic and
other, about the Moral Duties, the still feasible Pieties, the Constitution Unigenitus! All this alive, resonant at
dinnertables of Conservative stamp; the Miracles of Abbe Paris much a topic there:and not a whisper of
Infidel Philosophies; the very name of Voltaire not once mentioned in the Reuss section of Parisian things.
"There is rumor now and then of a 'Comte de Rothenbourg,' conspicuous in the Parisian circles; a shining
military man, but seemingly in want of employment; who has lost in gambling, within the last four years,
upwards of 50,000 pounds (1,300,000 livres, the exact cipher given). This is the Graf von Rothenburg whom
Friedrich made acquaintance with, in the Rhine Campaign six years ago, and has ever since had in his
eye;whom, in a few weeks hence, Friedrich beckons over to him into the Prussian States: 'Hither, and you
shall have work!' Which Rothenburg accepts; with manifold advantage to both parties:one of Friedrich's
most distinguished friends for the rest of his life.
"Of Cardinal Polignac there is much said, and several dinners with him are transacted, dialogue partly given:
a pious wise old gentleman really, in his kind (age now eightyfour); looking mildly forth upon a world just
about to overset itself and go topsyturvy, as he sees it will. His ANTILUCRETIUS was once such a
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Poem!but we mention him here because his fine Cabinet of Antiques came to Berlin on his death,
Friedrich purchasing; and one often hears of it (if one cared to hear) from the Prussian Dryasdust in
subsequent years. [Came to Charlottenburg, August, 1742 (old Polignac had died November last, ten months
after those Geusau times): cost of the Polignac Cabinet was 40,000 thalers (6,000 pounds) say some, 90,000
livres (under 4,000 pounds) say others; cheap at either price; and, by chance, came opportunely, "a fire
having just burnt down the Academy Edifice," and destroyed much ware of that kind. Rodenbeck, i. 73;
Seyfarth (Anonymous), Geschichte Friedrichs des Andern, i. 236.]
"Of Friedrich's unexpected Invasion of Silesia there are also talkings and surmisings, but in a mild indifferent
tone, and much in the vague. And in the bestinformed circles it is thought Belleisle will manage to HAVE
GrandDuke Franz, the Queen of Hungary's Husband, chosen Kaiser, and, in some mild good way, put an
end to all that;"which is far indeed from Belleisle's intention!
Chapter VIII. PHENOMENA IN PETERSBURG.
I know not whether Major Winterfeld, who was sent to Petersburg in December last, had got back to Berlin in
February, now while Friedrich is there: but for certain the good news of him had, That he had been
completely successful, and was coming speedily, to resume his soldier duties in right time. As Winterfeld is
an important man (nearly buried into darkness in the dull Prussian Books), let us pause for a moment on this
Negotiation of his;and on the mad Russian vicissitudes which preceded and followed, so far as they
concern us. Russia, a big demisavage neighbor next door, with such caprices, such humors and interests, is
always an important, rather delicate object to Friedrich; and Fortune's mad wheel is plunging and canting in a
strange headlong way there, of late. Czarina Anne, we know, is dead; the Autocrat of All the Russias
following the Kaiser of the Romans within eight days. Iwan, her little Nephew, still in swaddlingclothes, is
now Autocrat of All the Russias if he knew it, poor little redcolored creature; and Anton Ulrich and his
Mecklenburg Russian Princess But let us take up the matter where our Notebooks left it, in Friedrich
Wilhelm's time:
"Czarina Anne with the big cheek," continues that Notebook, [Supra, p. 129.] "was extremely delighted to see
little Iwan; but enjoyed him only two months; being herself in dying circumstances. She appointed little Iwan
her Successor, his Mother and Father to be Guardians over him; but one Bieren (who writes himself Biron,
and "Duke of Courland,' being Czarina's QuasiHusband these many years) to be Guardian, as it were, over
both them and him. Such had been the truculent insatiable Bieren's demand on his Czarina. 'You are running
on your destruction,' said she, with tears; but complied, as she had been wont.
"Czarina Anne died 28th October, 1740; leaving a Czar in his cradle; little Czar Iwan of two months, with
Mother and Father to preside over him, and to be themselves presided over by Bieren, in this manner.
[Mannstein, pp. 264267 (28th October, by Russian or Old Style, is "17th;" we TRANSLATE, in this and
other cases, Russian or English, into New Style, unless the contrary is indicated). This was the first great
change for Anton Ulrich; but others greater are coming. Little Anton, readers know, is Friedrich's
Brotherinlaw, much patronized by Austria; Anton's spouse is the HalfRussian Princess Catherine of
Mecklenburg (now wholly Russian, and called Princess Anne), whom Friedrich at one time thought of
applying for, in his distress about a Wife. These two, will they side with Prussia, will they side with Austria?
It was hardly worth inquiry, had not Fortune's wheel made suddenly a great cant, and pitched them to the top,
for the time being.
"Bieren lasted only twenty days. He was very high and arbitrary upon everybody; Anne and Anton Ulrich
suffering naturally most from him. They took counsel with Feldmarschall Munnich on the matter; who, after
study, declared it a remediable case. Friday, 18th November, Munnich had, by invitation, to dine with Duke
Bieren; Munnich went accordingly that day, and dined; Duke looking a little flurried, they say: and the same
evening, dinner being quite over, and midnight come, Munnich had his measures all taken, soldiers ready,
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warrant in hand;and arrested Bieren in his bed; mere Siberia, before sunrise, looming upon Bieren. Never
was such a change as this from 18th day to 19th with a supreme Bieren. Our friend Mannstein, excellent
punctual AidedeCamp of Munnich, was the executor of the feat; and has left punctual record of it, as he
does of everything,what Bieren said, and what Madam Bieren, who was a little obstreperous on the
occasion. [Mannstein, p. 268.] What side Anton Ulrich and Spouse will take in a quarrel between Prussia and
Austria, is now well worth asking.
"Anton Ulrich and Wife Anne, that is to say, 'Regent Anne' and 'Generalissimo Anton Ulrich,' now ruled,
with Munnich for right hand man; and these were high times for Anton Ulrich, Generalissimo and
Czar'sFather; who indeed was modest, and did not often interfere in words, though grieved at the foolish
ways his Wife had. An indolent flabby kind of creature, she, unfit for an Autocrat; sat in her private
apartments, all in a huddle of undress; had foolish notions,especially had soubrettes who led her about by
the ear. And then there was a 'Princess Elizabeth,' Cousingerman of Regent Anne,daughter, that is to say,
last child there now was, of Peter the Great and his little brown Catherine: who should have been better
seen to. Harmless foolish Princess, not without cunning; young, plump, and following merely her flirtations
and her orthodox devotions; very orthodox and soft, but capable of becoming dangerous, as a centre of the
disaffected. As 'Czarina Elizabeth' before long, and ultimately as 'INFAME CATIN DU NORD, she" But
let us not anticipate!
It was in this posture of affairs, about a month after it had begun, that Winterfeld arrived in Petersburg; and
addressed himself to Munnich, on the Prussian errand. Winterfeld was Munnich's Son inlaw (properly
stepsoninlaw, having married Munnich's stepdaughter, a Fraulein von Malzahn, of good Prussian kin); was
acquainted with the latitudes and longitudes here, and well equipped for the operation in hand. To Madam
Munnich, once Madam Malzahn, his Motherinlaw, he carried a diamond ring of 1,200 pounds, "small
testimony of his Prussian Majesty's regard to so high a Prussian Lady;" to Munnich's Son and Madam's a
present of 3,000 pounds on the like score: and the wheels being oiled in this way, and the steam so strong
(son Winterfeld an ardent man, father Munnich the like, supreme in Russia, and the thing itself a salutary
thing), the diplomatic speed obtained was great. Winterfeld had arrived in Petersburg December 19th: Treaty
of Alliance to the effect, "Firm friends and good neighbors, we Two, Majesties of Prussia and of All the
Russias; will help each the other, if attacked, with 12,000 men,"was signed on the 27th: whole
Transaction, so important to Friedrich, complete in eight days. Austrian Botta, directly on the heel of those
unsatisfactory Dialogues about Silesian roads, about troops that were pretty, but had never looked the wolf in
the face,had rushed off, full speed, for Petersburg, in hopes of running athwart such a Treaty as
Winterfeld's, and getting one for Austria instead. But he arrived too late; and perhaps could have done
nothing had he been in time. Botta tried his utmost for years afterwards, above ground and below, to obstruct
and reverse this thing; but it was to no purpose, and even to less; and only, in result, brought Botta himself
into flagrant diplomatic trouble and scandal; which made noise enough in the then Gazetteer world, and was
the finale of Botta's Russian efforts, [Adelung, iii. ii. 289; Mannstein, p. 375 ("Lapuschin Plot," of Botta's
raising, found out "August, 1743;" Botta put in arrest, though not worth mentioning now. The Russian
Notebook continues:
"Munnich, supreme in Russia since Bieren's removal, had wise counsels for the Regent Anne and her
Husband; though perhaps, being a high old military gentleman, he might be somewhat abrupt in his ways.
And there were domestic Ostermanns, foreign Bottas, La Chetardies, and dangerous Intriguers and
Opposition figures, to improve any grudge that might arise. Sure enough, in March, 1741, Feldmarschall
Munnich was forbid the Court (some Ostermann succeeding him there): 'Ever true to your Two Highnesses,
though no longer needed;'and withdrew, in a lofty friendly strain; his Son continuing at Court, though Papa
had withdrawn. Supreme Munnich had lasted about four months; Supreme Bieren hardly three weeks;and
Siberia is still agape.
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"Munnich being gone to his own TownMansion, and Regent Anne sitting in hers in a huddle of undress;
little accessible to her longheaded melancholic Ostermann, and too accessible to her Livonian maid: with
poor little Anton Ulrich pouting and remonstrating, but unable to help,this state of matters, with such
intrigues undermining it, could not last forever. And had not Princess Elizabeth been of indolent luxurious
nature, intent upon her prayers and flirtations, it would have ended sooner even than it did. Princess Elizabeth
had a Surgeon called L'Estoc; a Marquis de la Chetardie, a highflown French Excellency (who used to be at
Berlin, to our young Friedrich's delight), was herWhat shall I say? La Chetardie himself had no scruple to
say it! These two plotted for her; these were ready,could she have been got ready; which was not so easy.
Regent Anne had her suspicions; but the Princess was so indolent, so good: at last, when directly taxed with
such a thing, the Princess burst into ingenuous weeping; quite disarmed Regent Anne's suspicions;but
found she had now better take L'Estoc's advice, and proceed at once. Which she did.
"And so, on the morrow morning, 5th December, 1741, by aid of the Preobrazinsky Regiment, and the
motions usual on such occasions, in fact by merely pulling out the props from an undermined state of
matters,she reduced said state gently to ruin, ready for carting to Siberia, like its foregoers; and was hereby
Czarina of All the Russias, prosperously enough for the rest of her life. Twenty years or rather more. An
indolent, orthodox, plump creature, disinclined to cruelty; 'not an ounce of nun's flesh in her composition,'
said the wits. She maintained the Friedrich Treaty, indignant at Botta and his plots; was well with Friedrich,
or might have been kept so by management, for there was no cause of quarrel, but the reverse, between the
Countries,could Friedrich have held his witty tongue, when eavesdroppers were by. But he could not
always; though he tried. And sarcastic quizzing (especially if it be truth too), on certain female topics, what
Improper Female, Czarina of All the Russias, could stand it? The history is but a distressing one, a disgusting
one, in human affairs. Elizabeth was orthodox, too, and Friedricb not, 'the horrid man!' The fact is,fact
dismally indubitable, though it is huddled into discreet dimness, and all details of it (as to what Friedrich's
witticisms were, and the like) are refused us in the Prussian Books,indignation, owing to such dismal
cause, became fixed hate on the Czarina's part, and there followed terrible results at last: A Czarina risen to
the cannibal pitch upon a man, in his extreme need;'INFAME CATIN DU NORD,' thinks the man!
Friedrich's wit cost him dear; him, and half a million others still dearer, twenty years hence."Till which
time we will gladly leave the Czarina and it.
Major von Winterfeld had been in Russia before this; and had wooed his fair Malzahn there. He is the same
Winterfeld whom we once saw dining by the wayside with the late Friedrich Wilhelm, on that last
ReviewJourney his Majesty made. A Captain in the Potsdam Giants at that time; always in great favor with
the late King; and in still greater with the present,who finds in him, we can dimly discover, and pretty
much in him alone, a soul somewhat like his own; the one real "peer" he had about him. A man of little
education; bred in camps; yet of a proud natural eminency, and rugged nobleness of genius and mind. Let
readers mark this fiery herospirit, lying buried in those dull Books, like lightning among clay. Here is
another anecdote of his Russian business:
"Winterfeld had gone, in Friedrich Wilhelm's time, with a party of Prussian drillsergeants for Petersburg
[year not given]; and duly delivered them there. He naturally saw much of Feldmarschall Munnich, naturally
saw the Stepdaughter of the Feldmarschall, a shining beauty in Petersburg; Winterfeld himself a man of
shining gifts, and character; and one of the handsomest tall men in the world. Mutual love between the
Fraulein and him was the rapid result. But how to obtain marriage? Winterfeld cannot marry, without leave
had of his superiors: you, fair Malzahn, are HofDame of Princess Elizabeth, all your fortune the jewels you
wear; and it is too possible she will not let you go!
"They agreed to be patient, to be silent; to watch warily till Winterfeld got home to Prussia, till the Fraulein
Malzahn could
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also contrive to get home. Winterfeld once home, and the King's consent had, the Fraulein applied to Princess
Elizabeth for leave of absence: 'A few months, to see my friends in Deutschland, your Highness!' Princess
Elizabeth looked hard at her; answered evasively this and that. At last, being often importuned, she answered
plainly, 'I almost feel convinced thou wilt never come back!' Protestations from the Fraulein were not
wanting: 'Well then,' said Elizabeth, 'if thou art so sure of it, leave me thy jewels in pledge. Why not?' The
poor Fraulein could not say why; had to leave her jewels, which were her whole fine fortune, 'worth 100,000
rubles' (20,000 pounds); and is now the brave Wife of Winterfeld;but could never, by direct entreaty or
circuitous interest and negotiation, get back the least item of her jewels. Elizabeth, as Princess and as Czarina,
was alike deaf on that subject. Now or henceforth that proved an impossible private enterprise for Winterfeld,
though he had so easily succeeded in the public one." [Retzow, Charakteristik des siebenjahrigen Krieges
(Berlin, 1802), i. 45 n.]
The new Czarina was not unmerciful. Munnich and Company were tried for life; were condemned to die, and
did appear on the scaffold (29th January, 1742), ready for that extreme penalty; but were there, on the
sudden, pardoned or halfpardoned by a merciful new Czarina, and sent to Siberia and outer darkness.
Whither Bieren had preceded them. To outer darkness also, though a milder destiny had been intended them
at first, went Anton Ulrich and his Household. Towards native Germany at first; they had got as far as Riga
on the way to Germany, but were detained there, for a long while (owing to suspicions, to Botta Plots, or I
know not what), till finally they were recalled into Russian exile. Strict enough exile, seclusion about
Archangel and elsewhere; in convents, in obscure uncomfortable places:little Iwan, after vicissitudes, even
went underground; grew to manhood, and got killed (partly by accident, not quite by murder), some
twentythree years hence, in his dungeon in the Fortress of Schlusselburg, below the level of the Ladoga
waters there. Unluckier Household, which once seemed the luckiest of the world, was never known. Canted
suddenly, in this way, from the very top of Fortune's wheel to the very bottom; never to rise more;and did
not even die, at least not all die, for thirty or forty years after. [Anton Ulrich, not till 15th May, 1775 (two
Daughters of his went, after this, to "Horstens, a poor Country House in Jutland," whither Catherine II. had
manumitted them, with pension;she had wished Anton Ulrich to go home, many years before; but he
would not, from shame).Iwan had perished 5th August, 1764 (Catherine II. blamed for his death, but
without cause); Iwan's Mother, Princess Anne, (mercifully) 18th March, 1746. See Russian Histories,
TOOKE, CASTERA, of which, except MANNSTEIN, is good for much, or to be trusted without scrutiny.]
This is the ChetardieL'Estoc conspiracy, of 5th December, 1741; the pitching up of Princess Elizabeth, and
the pitching down of Anton Ulrich and his Munnichs, who had before pitched Bieren down. After which,
matters remained more stationary at Petersburg: Czarina Elizabeth, fat indolent soul, floated with a certain
native buoyancy, with something of bulky steadiness, in the turbid plunge of things, and did not sink. On the
contrary, her reign, so called, was prosperous, though stupid; her big dark Countries, kindled already into
growth, went on growing rather. And, for certain, she herself went on growing, in orthodox devotions of
spiritual type (and in strangely heterodox ditto of NONspiritual!); in indolent mansuetudes (fell rages, if you
cut on the RAWS at all!); in perpetual incongruity; and, alas, at last, in brandyandwater, till, as
"INFAME CATIN DU NORD," she became terribly important to some persons!
At her accession, and for two years following, Czarina Elizabeth, in spite of real disinclination that way, had
a War on her hands: the Swedish War (August, 1741August, 1743), which, after long threatening on the
Swedish side, had broken out into unwelcome actuality, in Anton Ulrich's time; and which could not, with all
the Czarina's industry, be got rid of or staved off; Sweden being bent upon the thing, reason or no reason.
War not to be spoken of, except on compulsion, in the most voluminous History! It was the unwisest of wars,
we should say, and in practice probably the contemptiblest; if there were not one other Swedish War coming,
which vies with it in these particulars, of which we shall be obliged to speak, more or less, at a future stage.
Of this present RussianSwedish war, having happily almost nothing to do with it, we can, except in the way
of transient chronology, refrain altogether from speaking or thinking.
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Poor Sweden, since it shot Karl XII. in the trenches at Fredericshall, could not get a King again; and is very
anarchic under its Phantasm King and free National Palaver,Senate with subaltern Houses;which
generally has French gold in its pocket, and noise instead of wisdom in its head. Scandalous to think of or
behold. The French, desirous to keep Russia in play during these high Belleisle adventures now on foot, had,
after much egging, bribing, flattering, persuaded vain Sweden into this War with Russia. "At Narva they were
80,000, we 8,000; and what became of them!" cry the Swedes always. Yes, my friends, but you had a Captain
at Narva; you had not yet shot your Captain when you did Narva! "Faction of Hats," "Faction of Caps" (that
is, NIGHTcaps, as being somnolent and disinclined to France and War): seldom did a oncevaliant
farshining Nation sink to such depths, since they shot their Captain, and said to Anarchy, "THOU art
Captaincy, we see, and the Divine thing!" Of the Wars and businesses of such a set of mortals let us shun
speaking, where possible.
Mannstein gives impartial account, pleasantly clear and compact, to such as may be curious about this
SwedishRussian War; and, in the didactic point of view, it is not without value. To us the interesting
circumstance is, that it does not interfere with our Silesian operations at all; and may be figured as a mere
accompaniment of rumbling discord, or vacant faroff noise, going on in those Northern parts,to which
therefore we hope to be strangers in time coming. Here are some dates, which the reader may take with him,
should they chance to illustrate anything:
"AUGUST 4th, 1741. The Swedes declare War: 'Will recover their lost portions of Finland, will,' They had
long been meditating it; they had Turk negotiations going on, diligent emissaries to the Turk (a certain Major
Sinclair for one, whom the Russians waylaid and assassinated to get sight of his Papers) during the late Turk
Russian War; but could conclude nothing while that was in activity; concluded only after that was
done,striking the iron when grown COLD. A chief point in their Manifesto was the assassination of this
Sinclair; scandal and atrocity, of which there is no doubt now the Russians were guilty. Various pretexts for
the War:prime movers to it, practically, were the French, intent on keeping Russia employed while their
Belleisle German adventure went on, and who had even bargained with third parties to get up a War there, as
we shall see.
"SEPTEMBER 3d, 1741. At Wilmanstrand,key of Wyborg, their frontier stronghold in Finland, which was
under Siege,the Swedes (about 5,000 of them, for they had nothing to live upon, and lay scattered about in
fractions) made fight, or skirmish, against a Russian attacking party: Swedes, rather victorious on their hill
top, rushed down; and totally lost their bit of victory, their Wilmanstrand, their Wyborg, and even the War
itself;for this was, in literal truth, the only fighting done by them in the entire course of it, which lasted
near two years more. The rest of it was retreat, capitulation, loss on loss without stroke struck; till they had
lost all Finland, and were like to lose Sweden itself, Dalecarlian mutiny bursting out ('Ye traitors,
misgovernors, worthy of death!'), with invasive Danes to rear of it;and had to call in the very Russians to
save them from worse. Czarina Elizabeth at the time of her accession, six months after Wilmanstrand, had
made truce, was eager to make peace: 'By no means!' answered Sweden, taking arms again, or rather taking
legs again; and rushing ruinward, at the old rate, still without stroke.
"JUNE 28th, 1743. They did halt; made Peace of Abo (Truce and Preliminaries signed there, that day: Peace
itself, August 17th); Czarina magnanimously restoring most of their Finland (thinking to herself, 'Not done
enough for me yet; cook it a little yet!'); and settling who their next King was to be, among other friendly
things. And in November following, Keith, in his Russian galleys, with some 10,000 Russians on board,
arrived in Stockholm; protective against Danes and mutinous Dalecarles: stayed there till June of next year,
1744." [Adelung, ii. 445. Mannstein, pp. 297 (Wilmanstrand Affair, himself present), 365 (Peace), 373
(Keith's RETURN with his galleys). Comte de Hordt (present also, on the Swedish side, and subsequently a
Soldier of Friedrich's) Memoires) (Berlin, 1789), i. 1888. The murder of Sinclair (done by "four Russian
subalterns, two miles from Naumberg in Silesia, 17th June, 1739, about 7 P.M.") is amply detailed from
Documents, in a late Book: Weber, Aus Vier Jahrhunderten (Leipzig, 1858), i. 274279.] Is not this a War!
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On the Russian side, General Keith, under Fieldmarshal Lacy as chief in command (the same Keith whom
we saw at Oczakow under Munnich, some time ago), had a great deal of the work and management; which
was of a highly miscellaneous kind, commanding fleets of gunboats, and much else; and readers of
MANNSTEIN can still judge,much more could King Friedrich, earnestly watching the affair itself as it
went on,whether Keith did not do it in a solid and quietly eminent and valiant manner. Sagacious, skilful,
imperturbable, without fear and without noise; a man quietly ever ready. He had quelled, once, walking direct
into the heart of it, a ferocious Russian mutiny, or uproar from below, which would have ruined everything in
few minutes more. [Mannstein, p. 130 (no date, AprilMay, 1742.) He suffered, with excellent silence, now
and afterwards, much illusage from above withal;till Friedrich himself, in the third year hence, was lucky
enough to get him as General. Friedrich's Sister Ulrique, the marriage of Princess Ulrique,that also, as it
chanced, had something to do with this Peace of Abo. But we anticipate too far.
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA.
Friedrich stayed only three weeks at home; moving about, from Berlin to Potsdam, to Reinsberg and back: all
the gay world is in Berlin, at this Carnival time; but Friedrich has more to do with business, of a manifold and
overearnest nature, than with Carnival gayeties. French Valori is here, "my fat Valori," who is beginning to
be rather a favorite of Friedrich's: with Excellency Valori, and with the other Foreign Excellencies, there was
diplomatic passaging in these weeks; and we gather from Valori, in the inverse way (Valori fallen sulky), that
it was not ill done on Friedrich's part. He had some private consultation with the Old Dessauer, too;
"probably on military points," thinks Valori. At least there was noticed more of the drillsergeant than before,
in his handling of the Army, when he returned to Silesia, continues the sulky one. "Troops and generals did
not know him again,"so excessively strict was he grown, on the sudden. And truly "he got into details
which were beneath, not only a Prince who has great views, but even a simple Captain of
Infantry,"according to my (Valori's) military notions and experiences! [Valori, i. 99.]
The truth is, Friedrich begins to see, more clearly than he did with GLOIRE dazzling him, that his position is
an exceedingly grave one, full of risk, in the then mood and condition of the world; that he, in the whole
world, has no sure friend but his Army; and that in regard to IT he cannot be too vigilant! The world is
ominous to this youngest of the Kings more than to another. Sounds as of general Political Earthquake
grumble audibly to him from the deeps: all Europe likely, in any event, to get to loggerheads on this Austrian
Pragmatic matter; the Nations all watching HIM, to see what he will make of it:fugleman he to the
European Nations, just about bursting up on such an adventure. It may be a glorious position, or a not
glorious; but, for certain, it is a dangerous one, and awfully solitary!
Fuglemen the world and its Nations always have, when simultaneously bent anywhither, wisely or
unwisely; and it is natural that the most adventurous spirit take that post. Friedrich has not sought the post;
but following his own objects, has got it; and will be ignominiously lost, and trampled to annihilation under
the hoofs of the world, if he do not mind! To keep well ahead;to be rapid as possible; that were good:to
step aside were still better! And Friedrich we find is very anxious for that; "would be content with the Duchy
of Glogau, and join Austria;" but there is not the least chance that way. His Special Envoy to Vienna, Gotter,
and along with him Borck the regular Minister, are come home; all negotiation hopeless at Vienna; and
nothing but indignant war preparation going on there, with the most animated diligence, and more success
than had seemed possible. That is the law of Friedrich's Silesian Adventure: "Forward, therefore, on these
terms; others there are not: waste no words!" Friedrich recognizes to himself what the law is; pushes stiffly
forward, with a fine silence on all that is not practical, really with a fine steadiness of hope, and audacity
against discouragements. Of his anxieties, which could not well be wanting, but which it is royal to keep
strictly under lock and key, of these there is no hint to Jordan or to anybody; and only through accidental
chinks, on close scrutiny, can we discover that they exist. Symptom of despondency, of misgiving or
repenting about his Enterprise, there is none anywhere, Friedrich's fine gifts of SILENCE (which go deeper
than the lips) are noticeable here, as always; and highly they availed Friedrich in leading his life, though now
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inconvenient to Biographers writing of the same!
It was not on matters of drill, as Valori supposes, that Friedrich had been consulting with the Old Dessauer:
this time it was on another matter. Friedrich has two next Neighbors greatly interested, none more so, in the
Pragmatic Question: KurSachsen, Polish King, a foolish greedy creature, who is extremely uncertain about
his course in it (and indeed always continued so, now against Friedrich, now for him, and again against); and
KurHanover, our little George of England, whose course is certain as that of the very stars, and direct
against Friedrich at this time, as indeed, at all times not exceptional, it is apt to be. Both these Potentates must
be attended to, in one's absence; method to be gentle but effectual; the Old Dessauer to do it:and this is
what these consultings had turned upon; and in a month or two, readers, and an astonished Gazetteer world,
will see what comes of them.
It was February 19th when Friedrich left Berlin; the 21st he spends at Glogau, inspecting the Blockade there,
and not ill content with the measures taken: "Press that Wallis all you can," enjoins he: "Hunger seems to be
slow about it! Summon him again, were your new Artillery come up; threaten with bombardment; but spare
the Town, if possible. Artillery is coming: let us have done here, and soon!" Next day he arrives, not at
Breslau as some had expected, but at Schweidnitz sidewards; a strong little Town, at least an elaborately
fortified, of which we shall hear much in time coming. It lies a day's ride west of Breslau: and will be quieter
for business than a big gazing Capital would be,were Breslau even one's own city; which it is not, though
perhaps tending to be. Breslau is in transition circumstances at present; a little uncertain WHOSE it is, under
its Munchows and new managers: Breslau he did not visit at all on this occasion. To Schweidnitz certain new
regiments had been ordered, there to be disposed of in reinforcing: there, "in the Count Hoberg's Mansion,"
he principally lodges for six weeks to come; shooting out on continual excursions; but always returning to
Schweidnitz, as the centre, again.
Algarotti, home from Turin (not much of a success there, but always melodious for talk), had travelled with
him; Algarotti, and not long after, Jordan and Maupertuis, bear him company, that the vacant moments too be
beautiful. We can fancy he has a very busy, very anxious, but not an unpleasant time. He goes rapidly about,
visiting his posts,chiefly about the Neisse Valley; Neisse being the prime object, were the weather once
come for siegework. He is in many Towns (specified in RODENBECK and the Books, but which may be
anonymous here); doubtless on many Steeples and Hilltops; questioning intelligent natives, diligently using
his own eyes: intent to make personal acquaintance with this new Country,where, little as he yet dreams of
it, the deadly struggles of his Life lie waiting him, and which he will know to great perfection before all is
done!
Neisse lies deep enough in Prussian environment; like Brieg, like Glogau, strictly blockaded; our posts
thereabouts, among the Mountains, thought to be impregnable. Nevertheless, what new thing is this? Here are
swarms of loose HussarPandour people, wild Austrian Irregulars, who come pouring out of Glatz Country;
disturbing the Prussian posts towards that quarter; and do not let us want for Small War (KLEINE KRIEG) so
called. General Browne, it appears, is got back to Glatz at this early season, he and a General Lentulus busy
there; and these are the compliments they send! A very troublesome set of fellows, infesting one's purlieus in
winged predatory fashion; swooping down like a cloud of vulturous harpies on the sudden; fierce enough, if
the chance favor; then to wing again, if it do not. Communication, especially reconnoitring, is not safe in their
neighborhood. Prussian Infantry, even in small parties, generally beats them; Prussian Horse not, but is
oftener beaten,not drilled for this rabble and their ways. In pitched fight they are not dangerous, rather are
despicable to the disciplined man; but can, on occasion, do a great deal of mischief.
Thus, it was not long after Friedrich's coming into these parts, when he learnt with sorrow that a Body of
"500 Horse and 500 Foot" (or say it were only 300 of each kind, which is the fact [Orlich, i. 79; OEuvres de
Frederic, ii. 68.]) had eluded our posts in the Mountains, and actually got into Neisse. "The Foot will be of
little consequence," writes Friedrich; "but the Horse, which will disturb our communications, are a
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considerable mischief." This was on the 5th of March. And about a week before, on the 27th of February,
there had wellnigh a far graver thing befallen,namely the capture of Friedrich himself, and the sudden
end of all these operations.
SKIRMISH OF BAUMGARTEN, 27th FEBRUARY, 1741.
In most of the AnecdoteBooks there used to figure, and still does, insisting on some belief from simple
persons, a wonderful Story in very vague condition: How once "in the Silesian Wars," the King, in those
Upper Neisse regions, in the Wartha district between Glatz and Neisse, was, one day, within an inch of being
taken,clouds of Hussars suddenly rising round him, as he rode reconnoitring, with next to no escort, only
an adjutant or so in attendance. How he shot away, keeping well in the shade; and erelong whisked into a
Convent or Abbey, the beautiful Abbey of Kamenz in those parts; and found Tobias Stusche, excellent Abbot
of the place, to whom he candidly disclosed his situation. How the excellent Tobias thereupon instantly
ordered the bells to be rung for a mass extraordinary, Monks not knowing why; and, after bells, made his
appearance in high costume, much to the wonder of his Monks, with a SECOND Abbot, also in high
costume, but of shortish stature, whom they never saw before or after. Which two Abbots, or at least Tobias,
proceeded to do the socalled divine office there and then; letting loose the big chant especially, and the
growl of organs, in a singularly expressive manner. How the Pandours arrived in clouds meanwhile; entered,
in searching parties, more or less reverent of the mass; searched high and low; but found nothing, and were
obliged to take Tobias's blessing at last, and go their ways. How the Second Abbot thereupon swore eternal
friendship with Tobias, in the private apartments; and rode off asas a rescued Majesty, determined to be
more cautious in Pandour Countries for the future! [Hildebrandt, Anekdoten, i. 17. Pandour proper is a
FOOTsoldier (tall rawboned illwashed biped, in copious Turk breeches, rather barish in the top parts of
him; carries a very long musket, and has several pistols and butcher's knives stuck in his girdle): specifically
a footman; but readers will permit me to use him withal, as here, in the generic sense.] Which story, as to
the body of it, is all myth; though, as is oftenest the case, there lies in it some soul of fact too. The
HistoryBooks, which had not much heeded the little fact, would have nothing to do with this account of it.
Nevertheless the people stuck to their Myth; so that Dryasdust (in punishment for his sinful blindness to the
human and divine significance of facts) was driven to investigate the business; and did at last victoriously
bring it home to the small occurrence now called SKIRMISH OF BAUMGARTEN, which had nearly
become so great in the History of the World,to the following effect.
There are two Valleys with roads that lead from that Southwest quarter of Silesia towards Glatz, each with a
little Town at the end of it, looking up into it: Wartha the name of the one: Silberberg that of the other.
Through the Wartha Valley, which is southernmost, young Neisse River comes rushing down,the blue
mountains thereabouts very pretty, on a clear spring day, says my touring friend. Both at Wartha, and at
Silberberg the little Town which looks into the mouth of the northernmost Valley, the Prussians have a post.
Old Derschau, Malplaquet Derschau, with headquarters at Frankenstein, some seven or eight miles nearer
Schweidnitz, has not failed in that precaution. Friedrich wished to visit Silberberg and Wartha; set out
accordingly, 27th February, with small escort, carelessly as usual: the Pandour people had wind of it; knew
his habits on such occasions; and, gliding through other roadless valleys, under an adventurous Captain, had
determined to whirl him off. And they were in fact not far from succeeding, had not a mistake happened.
Silberberg, and Wartha the southernmost, which stands upon the Neisse River (rushing out there into the
plainer country), are each about seven or eight miles from Frankenstein, the Headquarters; and there are
relays of posts, capable of supporting one another, all the way from Frankenstein to each. Friedrich rode to
Silberberg first; examined the post, found it right; then rode across to Wartha, seven or eight miles
southward; examined Wartha likewise; after which, he sat down to dinner in that little Town, with an Officer
or two for company,having, I suppose, found all right in both the posts. In the way hither, he had made
some change in the relay arrangements, which at first involved some diminution of his own escort, and then
some marching about and redistributing: so that, externally, it seemed as if the Principal Relayparty were
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now marching on Baumgarten, an intermediate Village,at least so the Pandour Captain understands the
movements going on; and crouches into the due thickets in consequence, not doubting but the King himself is
for Baumgarten, and will be at hand presently. Principal relayparty, a squadron of Schulenburg's Dragoons,
with a stupid Major over them, is not quite got into Baumgarten, when "with horrible cries the Pandour
Captain with about 500 horse," plunges out of cover, direct upon the throat of it: and Friedrich, at Wartha, is
but just begun dining when tumult of distant musketry breaks in upon him. With Friedrich himself, at this
time, as I count, there might be 150 Horse; in Wartha post itself are at least "forty hussars and fifty foot." By
no means "nothing but a single adjutant," as the Myth bears.
The stupid Major ought to have beaten this rabble, though above two to one of him. But he could not, though
he tried considerably; on the contrary, he was himself beaten; obliged to make off, leaving "ten dragoons
killed, sixteen prisoners, one standard and two kettledrums:"victorv and all this plunder, ye Pandour
gentry; but evidently no King. The Pandour gentry, on the instant, made off too, alarm being abroad; got into
some sidevalley, with their prisoners and drumandstandard honors, and vanished from view of mankind.
Friedrich had started from dinner; got his escort under way, with the forty hussars and the fifty foot, and what
small force was attainable; and hurried towards the scene. He did see, by the road, another strongish party of
Pandours; dashed them across the Neisse River out of sight;but, getting to Baumgarten, found the field
silent, and ten dead men upon it. "I always told you those Schulenburg Dragoons were good for nothing!"
writes he to the Old Dessauer; but gradually withal, on comparing notes, finds what a danger he had run, and
how rash and foolish he had been. "An ETOURDERIE (foolish trick)," he calls it, writing to Jordan; "a black
eye;" and will avoid the like. Vienna got its two kettle drums and flag; extremely glad to see them; and even
sang TEDEUM upon them, to general edification. [Orlich, i. 6264.] This is the naked primordial substance
out of which the above Myth grew to its present luxuriance in the popular imagination. Place, the little
Village of Baumgarten; day, 27th February, 1741. Of Tobias Stusche or the Convent of Kamenz, not one
authentic word on this occasion. Tobias did get promotions, favors in coming years: a worthy Abbot,
deserving promotion on general grounds; and master of a Convent very picturesque, but twelve miles from
the present scene of action.
ASPECTS OF BRESLAU.
Friedrich avoided visiting Breslau, probably for the reasons above given; though there are important interests
of his there, especially his chief Magazine; and issues of moment are silently working forward. Here are
contemporary Excerpts (in abridged form), which are authentic, and of significance to a lively reader:
"BRESLAU, MIDDLE OF JANUARY, 1741. The Prussian Envoy, Herr von Gotter, had appeared here,
returning from Vienna; Gotter, and then Borck, who made no secret in Breslau society, That not the slightest
hope of a peaceable result existed, as society might have flattered itself; but that war and battle would have to
decide this matter. A Saxon Ambassador was also here, waiting some time; message thought to be
insignificant:probably some vague admonitory stuff again from KurSachsen (Polish King, son of August
the Strong, a very insignificant man), who acts as REICHSVICARIUS in those Northern parts." For the
reader is to know, there are ReichsVicars more than one (nay more than two on this occasion, with
considerable jarring going on about them); and I could say much about their dignities, limits, duties,
[Adelung, ii. 143, Kohler, ReichsHistorie, pp. 585589.]if indeed there were any duties, except dramatic
ones! But the Reich itself, and Vicarship along with it, are fallen into a nearly imaginary condition; and the
Regensburg Diet (not Princes now, but mere Delegates of Princes, mostly Bombazine People), which, "ever
since 1663," has sat continual, instead of now and then, is become an Enchanted Piggery, strange to look
upon, under those earnest stars. "As King Friedrich did not call at Greslau," after those Neisse
bombardments, but rolled past, straight homewards, the three Excellencies all departed,Borck and Gotter
to Berlin, the Saxon home again with his insignificant message.
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"JANUARY 19th. Schwerin too was here in the course of the winter, to see how the magazines and other
warpreparations were going on: Breslau outwardly and inwardly is whirling with business, and offers
phenomena. For instance, it is known that the ArmyChest, heaps of silver and gold in it, lies in the Scultet
GardenHouse, where the King lodged; and that only one sentry walks there, and that in the guardhouse
itself, which is some way off, there are only thirty men. January 19th, about 9 of the clock,
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 700.] alarm rises, That 2,000 DIEBSGESINDEL (Collective Thiefrabble of
Breslau and dependencies) are close by; intending a stroke upon said Garden House and ArmyChest!
Perhaps this rumor sprang of its own accord; or perhaps not quite? It had been very rife; and ran high; not
without remonstrances in TownHall, and the like, which we can imagine. Issue was, The Officer on post at
Scultet's loaded his treasure in carts; conveyed it, that same night, to the interior of the City, in fact to the
OBERAMTSHAUS (GovernmentHouse that was); which doubtless was a step in the right direction.
For now the Two FeldKriegsCommissariat Gentlemen (one of whom is the expert Munchow, son of our
old Custrin friend), supreme Prussian Authorities here, do likewise shift out of their inns; and take old
Schaffgotsch's apartments in the same OberamtsHaus; mutely symbolling that perhaps THEY are likely to
become a kind of Government. And the reader can conceive how, in such an element, the function of
governing would of itself fall more and more into their hands. They were consummately polite, discreet,
friendly towards all people; and did in effect manage their business, tax gatherings in money and in kind,
with a perfection and precision which made the evil a minimum.
"FEBRUARY 17th. ... This day also, there arrived at Breslau, by boat up the Oder, ten heavy cannon, three
mortars, and ammunition of powder, bombshells, balls, as much as loaded fifty wagons; the whole of which
were, in like manner, forwarded to Ohlau. This day, as on other days before and after. Great Magazines
forming here; the Military chiefly at Ohlau; at Breslau the Provender part,and this latter under noteworthy
circumstances. In the DomIsland, namely; which is definable (in a case of such necessity) as being 'outside
the walls.' Especially as the Reverend Fathers have mostly glided into corners, and left the place vacant. In
the DomIsland, it certainly is; and such a stock,all bought for money down, and spurred forward while
the roads were under frost,'such a stock as was not thought to be in all Silesia,' says exaggerative wonder.
The vacant edifices in the DomIsland are filled to the neck with meal and corn; the Prussian brigade now
quartering there ('without the walls,' in a sense) to guard the same. And in the Bishop's Garden [poor
Sinzendorf, far enough away and in no want of it just now] are mere haymows, bigger than houses: who can
object,in a case of necessity? No man, unless he politically meddle, is meddled with; politically meddling,
you are at once picked up; as one or two are,clapped into gentle arrest, or, like old Schaffgotsch, and even
Sinzendorf before long, requested to leave the Country till it get settled. Rigor there is, but not intentional
injustice on Munchow's part, and there is a studious avoidance of harsh manner.
"FEBRUARYMARCH. Considerable recruiting in Schlesien: six hundred recruits have enlisted in Breslau
alone. Also his Prussian Majesty has sent a supply of Protestant Preachers, ordained for the occasion, to
minister where needed;which is piously acknowledged as a godsend in various parts of Silesia. Twelve
came first, all Berliners; soon afterwards, others from different parts, till, in the end, there were about Sixty in
all. Rigorous, punctilious avoidance of offence to the Catholic minorities, or of whatever least thing Silesian
Law does not permit, is enjoined upon them; 'to preach in barns or townhalls, where by Law you have no
Church.' Their salary is about 30 pounds a year; they are all put under supervision of the Chaplain of Margraf
Karl's Regiment" (a judicious Chaplain, I have no doubt, and fit to be a Bishop); and so far as appears, mere
benefit is got of them by Schlesien as well as by Friedrich, in this function. Friedrich is careful to keep the
balance level between Catholic and Protestant; but it has hung at such an angle, for a long while past! In
general, we observe the Catholic Dignitaries, and the zealous or fanatic of that creed, especially the Jesuits,
are apt to be against him: as for the nonfanatic, they expect better government, secular advantage; these
latter weigh doubtfully, and with less weight whichever way. In the general population, who are Protestant,
he recognizes friends;and has sent them Sixty Preachers, which by Law was their due long since. Here
follow two little traits, comic or tragicomic, with which we can conclude:
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Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. 633
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"Detached Jesuit parties, here and there, seem to have mischief in hand in a small way, encouraging deserters
and the like;and we keep an eye on them. No discontent elsewhere, at least none audible; on the contrary,
much enlisting on the part of the Silesian youth, with other good symptoms. But in the Dom, there is, singular
to say, a Goblin found walking, one night;advancing, not with airs from Heaven, upon the Prussian sentry
there! The Prussian sentry handles arms; pokes determinedly into the Goblin, and finding him solid, ever
more determinedly, till the Goblin shrieked 'Jesus Maria!' and was hauled to the Guardhouse for
investigation." A weak Goblin; doubtless of the valet kind; worth only a little whipping; but testifies what the
spirit is.
"Another time, two deserter Frenchmen getting hanged [such the law in aggravated cases], certain polite
Jesuits, who had by permission been praying and extremeunctioning about them, came to thank the Colonel
after all was over. Colonel, a grave practical man, needs no 'thanks;' would, however, 'advise your
Reverences to teach your people that perjury is not permissible, that an oath sworn ought to be kept;' and in
fine 'would advise you Holy Fathers hereabouts, and others, to have a care lest you get into'And twitching
his reins, rode away without saying into what." [ Helden Geschichte, i. 723.]
AUSTRIA IS STANDING TO ARMS.
Schwerin has been doing his best in this interim; collecting magazines with double diligence while the roads
are hard, taking up the Keypositions far and wide, from the Jablunka round to the Frontier Valleys of Glatz
again. He was through Jablunka, at one time; on into Mahren, as far as Olmutz; levying contributions,
emitting patents: but as to intimidating her Hungarian Majesty, if that was the intention, or changing her mind
at all, that is not the issue got. Austria has still strength, and Pragmatic Sanction and the Laws of Nature
have! Very fixed is her Hungarian Majesty's determination, to part with no inch of Territory, but to drive the
intrusive Prussians home well punished.
How she has got the funds is, to this day, a mystery;unless George and Walpole, from their SecretService
Moneys, have smuggled her somewhat.? For the Parliament is not sitting, and there will be such jargonings,
such delays: a preliminary 100,000 pounds, say by degrees 200,000 pounds,we should not miss it, and in
her Majesty's hands it would go far! Hints in the English Dryasdust we have; but nothing definite; and we are
left to our guesses. [Tindal (XX. 497) says expressly 200,000 pounds, but gives no date or other particular.] A
romantic story, first set current by Voltaire, has gone the round of the world, and still appears in all Histories:
How in England there was a Subscription set on foot for her Hungarian Majesty; outcome of the enthusiasm
of English Ladies of quality,old Sarah Duchess of Marlborough putting down her name for 40,000 pounds,
or indeed putting down the ready sum itself; magnanimous veteran that she was. Voltaire says, omitting date
and circumstance, but speaking as if it were indubitable, and a thing you could see with eyes: "The Duchess
of Marlborough, widow of him who had fought for Karl VI. [and with such signal returns of gratitude from
the said Karl VI.], assembled the principal Ladies of London; who engaged to furnish 100,000 pounds among
them; the Duchess herself putting down [EN DEPOSA, tabling IN CORPORE] 40,000 pounds of it. The
Queen of Hungary had the greatness of soul to refuse this money;needing only, as she intimated, what the
Nation in Parliament assembled might please to offer her." [Voltaire, OEuvres (Siecle de Louis XV., c. 6),
xxviii. 79.]
One is sorry to run athwart such a piece of mutual magnanimity; but the fact is, on considering a little and
asking evidence, it turns out to be mythical. One Dilworth, an innocent English soul (from whom our
grandfathers used to learn ARITHMETIC, I think), writing on the spot some years after Voltaire, has this
useful passage: "It is the great failing of a strong imagination to catch greedily at wonders. Voltaire was
misinformed; and would perhaps learn, by a second inquiry, a truth less splendid and amusing. A
Contribution was, by Newswriters upon their own authority, fruitlessly proposed. It ended in nothing: the
Parliament voted a supply;"that did it, Mr. Dilworth; supplies enough, and many of them! "Fruitlessly, by
Newswriters on their own authority;" that is the sad fact. [ The Life and Heroick Actions of Frederick III.
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Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. 634
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(SIC, a common blunder), by W. H. Dilworth, M.A. (London, 1758), p. 25. A poor little Book, one of many
coming out on that subject just then (for a reason we shall see on getting thither); which contains, of available
now, the above sentence and no more. Indeed its brethren, one of them by Samnel Johnson (IMPRANSUS,
the imprisoned giant), do not even contain that, and have gone wholly to zero. Neither little Dilworth nor
big Voltaire give the least shadow of specific date; but both evidently mean Spring, 1742 (not 1741).]
It is certain, little George, who considers Pragmatic Sanction as the Keystone of Nature in a manner, has been
venturing far deeper than purse for that adorable object; and indeed has been diving, secretly, in muddier
waters than we expected, to a dangerous extent, on behalf of it, at this very time. In the first days of March,
Friedrich has heard from his Minister at Petersburg of a DETESTABLE PROJECT, [Orlich, i. 83 (scrap of
Note to Old Dessauer; no date allowed us; "early in March").]project for "Partitioning the Prussian
Kingdom," no less; for fairly cutting into Friedrich, and paring him down to the safe pitch, as an enemy to
Pragmatic and mankind. They say, a Treaty, Draught of a Treaty, for that express object, is now ready; and
lies at Petersburg, only waiting signature. Here is a Project! Contracting parties (Russian signature still
wanting) are: KurSachsen; her Hungarian Majesty; King George; and that Regent Anne (MRS. Anton
Ulrich, so to speak), who sits in a huddle of undress, impatient of Political objects, but sensible to the charms
of handsome men. To the charms of Count Lynar, especially: the handsomest of Danish noblemen (more an
ancient Roman than a Dane), whom the Polish Majesty, calculating cause and effect, had despatched to her,
with that view, in the dead of winter lately. To whom she has given ear;dismissing her Munnich, as we
saw above;and is ready for signing, or perhaps has signed! [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 68.] Friedrich's
astonishment, on hearing of this "detestable Project," was great. However, he takes his measures on it;right
lucky that he has the Old Dessauer, and machinery for acting on KurSachsen and the Britannic Majesty.
"Get your machinery in gear!" is naturally his first order. And the Old Dessauer does it, with effect: of which
by and by.
Never did I hear, before or since, of such a plunge into the muddy unfathomable, on the part of little George,
who was an honorable creature, and dubitative to excess: and truly this rash plunge might have cost him dear,
had not he directly scrambled out again. Or did Friedrich exaggerate to himself his Uncle's real share in the
matter? I always guess, there had been more of loose talk, of hypothesis and fond hope, in regard to George's
share, than of determinate fact or procedure on his own part. The transaction, having had to be dropped on the
sudden, remains somewhat dark; but, in substance, it is not doubtful; [Tindal, xx. 497.] and Parliament itself
took afterwards to poking into it, though with little effect. KurSachsen's objects in the adventure were of the
earth, earthy; but on George's part it was pure adoration of Pragmatic Sanction, anxiety for the Keystone of
Nature, and lest Chaos come again. In comparison with such transcendent divings, what is a little
SecretService money!
The Count Lynar of this adventure, who had wellnigh done such a feat in Diplomacy, may turn up
transiently again. A conspicuous, more or less ridiculous person of those times. Busching (our Geographical
friend) had gone with him, as Excellency's Chaplain, in this Russian Journey; which is a memorable one to
Busching; and still presents vividly, through his Book, those haggard Baltic Coasts in midwinter, to readers
who have business there. Such a journey for grimness of outlook, upon pinetufts and frozen sand; for cold
(the Count's very tobaccopipe freezing in his mouth), for hardship, for bad lodging, and extremity of dirt in
the unfreezable kinds, as seldom was. They met, one day on the road, a Lord Hyndford, English Ambassador
just returning from Petersburg, with his fourgons and vehicles, and arrangements for sleep and victual, in an
enviably luxurious condition,whom we shall meet, to our cost. They saw, in the body, old Fieldmarshal
Lacy, and dined with him, at Riga; who advised brandy schnapps; a recipe rejected by Busching. And other
memorabilia, which by accident hang about this Lynar. [Busching, Beitrage, vi. 132164.] All through
Regent Anne's time he continued a dangerous object to Friedrich; and it was a relief when Elizabeth CATIN
became Autocrat, instead of Deshabille Anne and her Lynar. Adieu to him, for fifteen years or more.
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Of Friedrich's military operations, of his magazines, posts, diligent plannings and gallopings about, in those
weeks; of all this the reader can form some notion by looking on the map and remembering what has gone
before: but that subterranean growling which attended him, prophetic of Earthquake, that universal breaking
forth of Bedlams, now fallen so extinct, no reader can imagine. Bedlams totally extinct to everybody; but
which were then very real, and raged wide as the world, high as the stars, to a hideous degree among the then
sons of men;unimaginable now by any mortal.
And, alas, this is one of the grand difficulties for my readers and me; Friedrich's Lifeelement having fallen
into such a dismal condition. Most dismal, dark, ugly, that AustrianSuccession Business, and its
worldwide battlings, throttlings and intriguings: not Dismal Swamp, under a coverlid of London Fog, could
be uglier! A Section of "History" so called, which human nature shrinks from; of which the extant generation
already knows nothing, and is impatient of hearing anything! Truly, Oblivion is very due to such an Epoch:
and from me far be it to awaken, beyond need, its sordid Bedlams, happily extinct. But without Life
element, no Life can be intelligible; and till Friedrich and one or two others are extricated from it, Dismal
Swamp cannot be quite filled in. Courage, reader!Our Constitutional Historian makes this farther
reflection:
"English moneys, desperate Russian intrigues, Treaties made and Treaties brokenIf instead of Pragmatic
Sanction with eleven Potentates guaranteeing, Maria Theresa had at this time had 200,000 soldiers and a full
treasury (as Prince Eugene used to advise the late Kaiser), how different might it have been with her, and
with the whole world that fell upon one another's throats in her quarrel! Some eight years of the most
disastrous War; and except the falling of Silesia to its new place, no result gained by it. War at any rate
inevitable, you object? EnglishSpanish War having been obliged to kindle itself; French sure to fall in, on
the Spanish side; sure to fall upon Hanover, so soon as beaten at sea, and thus to involve all Europe? Well, it
is too likely. But, even in that case, the poor English would have gone upon their necessary Spanish War, by
the direct road and with their eyes open, instead of somnambulating and stumbling over the chimneytops;
and the settlement might have come far sooner, and far cheaper to mankind. Nay, we are to admit that the
new place for Silesia was, likewise, the place appointed it by just Heaven; and Friedrich's too was a necessary
War. Heaven makes use of Shadowhunting Kaisers too; and its ways in this mad world are through the great
Deep."
THE YOUNG DESSAUER CAPTURES GLOGAU (MARCH 9th); THE OLD DESSAUER, BY HIS
CAMP OF GOTTIN (APRIL 2d), CHECKMATES CERTAIN DESIGNING PERSONS.
Money somewhere her Hungarian Majesty has got; that is one thing evident. She has an actual Army on foot,
"drawn out of Italy," or whence she could; formidable Army, says rumor, and getting well equipped;and
here are the Pandour Precursors of it, coming down like stormclouds through the Glatz valleys;nearly
finishing the War for her at a stroke, the other day, had accident favored;and have thrown reinforcement of
600 into Neisse. Friedrich is not insensible to these things; and amid such alarms from far and from near, is
becoming eager to have, at least, Glogau in his hand. Glogau, he is of opinion, could now, and should,
straightway be done.
Glogau is not a strong place; after all the repairing, it could stand little siege, were we careless of hurting it.
But Wallis is obstinate; refuses Free Withdrawal; will hold out to the uttermost, though his meal is running
low. He pretends there is relief coming; relief just at hand; and once, in midnight time, "lets off a rocket and
fires six guns," alarming Prince Leopold as if relief were just in the neighborhood. A tough industrious
military man; stiff to his purpose, and not without shift.
Friedrich thinks the place might be had by assault: "Open trenches; set your batteries going, which need not
injure the Town; need only alarm Wallis, and TERRIFY it; then, under cover of this noise and feint of
cannonading, storm with vigor." Leopold, the Young Dessauer, is cautious; wants petards if he must storm,
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wants two new battalions if he must open trenches;he gets these requisites, and is still cunctatory. Friedrich
has himself got the notion, "from clear intelligence," true or not, that relief to Glogau is actually on way; and
under such imminences, Russian and other, in so ticklish a state of the world, he becomes more and more
impatient that this thing were done. In the first week of March, still hurrying about on inspectionbusiness,
he writes, from four or five different places ("Mollwitz near Brieg" is one of them, a Village we shall soon
know better), Note after Note to Leopold; who still makes difficulties, and is not yet perfect to the last finish
in his preparations. "Preparations!" answers Friedrich impatiently (date MOLLWITZ, 5th MARCH, the third
or fourth impatient Note he has sent); and adds, just while quitting Mollwitz for Ohlau, this Postscript in his
own hand:
P.S. "I am sorry you have not understood me! They have, in Bohmen, a regular enterprise on hand for the
rescue of Glogau. I have Infantry enough to meet them; but Cavalry is quite wanting. You must therefore,
without delay, begin the siege. Let us finish there, I pray you!" [Orlich, i. 70.]
And next day, Monday 6th, to cut the matter short, he despatches his GeneralAdjutant Goltz in person (the
distance is above seventy miles), with this Note wholly in autograph, which nothing vocal on Leopold's part
will answer:
"OHLAU, 6th MARCH. As I am certainly informed that the Enemy will make some attempt, I hereby with
all distinctness command, That, so soon as the petards are come [which they are], you attack Glogau. And
you must make your Arrangement (DISPOSITION) for more than one attack; so that if one fail, the other
shall certainly succeed. I hope you will put off no longer;otherwise the blame of all the mischief that might
arise out of longer delay must lie on you alone." [Ib. i. 71.]
Goltz arrived with this emphatic Piece, Tuesday Evening, after his course of seventy miles: this did at last
rouse our cautious Young Dessauer; and so there is next obtainable, on much compression, the following
authentic Excerpt:
"GLOGAU, 8th MARCH, 1741. His Durchlaucht the Prince Leopold summoned all the Generals at noon;
and informed them That, this very night, Glogau must be won. He gave them their Instructions in writing:
where each was to post himself; with what detachments; how to proceed. There are to be three Attacks: one
up stream, coming on with the River to its right; one down stream, River to its left; and a third from the
landward side, perpendicular to the other two. The very captains that shall go foremost are specified; at what
hour each is to leave quarters, so that all be ready simultaneously, waiting in the posts assigned;against
what points to advance out of these, and storm Rampart and Wall. Places, times, particulars, everything is
fixed with mathematical exactitude: 'Be steady, be correct, especially be silent; and so far as Law of Nature
will permit, be simultaneous! When the big steeple of Glogau peals Midnight,Forward, with the first
stroke; with the second, much more with the twelfth stroke, be one and all of you, in the utmost silence,
advancing! And, under pain of death, two things: Not one shot till you are in; No plundering when you
are.'In this manner is the silent threesided avalanche to be let go. Whereupon", says my Dryasdust, "the
Generals retired; and had, for one item, their firearms all cleaned and newloaded." [ HeldenGeschichte, i.
823; ii. 165.]
Without plans of Glogau, and more detail and study than the reader would consent to, there can no Narrative
be given. Glogau has Ramparts, due Ringfence, palisaded and repaired by Wallis; inside of this is an old
TownWall, which will need petards: there are about 1,000 men under Wallis, and altogether on the works,
not to count a mortar or two, fiftyeight big guns. The reader must conceive a poor Town under blockade, in
the wintry nighttime, with its tough Count Wallis; illoff for the necessaries of life; Town shrouded in
darkness, and creeping quietly to its bed. This on the one hand: and on the other hand, Prussian battalions
marching up, at 10 o'clock or later, with the utmost softness of step; "taking post behind the ordinary field
watches;" and at length, all standing ranked, in the invisible dark; silent, like machinery, like a sleeping
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avalanche: Husht! No sentry from the walls dreams of such a thing. "Twelve!" sings out the steeple of
Glogau; and in grim whisper the word is, "VORWARTS!" and the threewinged avalanche is in motion.
They reach their glacises, their ditches, covered ways, correct as mathematics; tear out chevauxdefrise,
hew down palisades, in the given number of minutes: Swift, ye Regiment'scarpenters; smite your best! Four
cannonshot do now boom out upon them; which go high over their heads, little dreaming how close at hand
they are. The glacis is thirty feet high, of stiff slope, and slippery with frost: no matter, the avalanche, led on
by Leopold in person, by Margraf Karl the King's Cousin, by Adjutant Goltz and the chief personages, rushes
up with strange impetus; hews down a second palisade; surges in;Wallis's sentries extinct, or driven to
their main guards. There is a singular fire in the besieging party. For example, Four Grenadiers,I think of
this First Column, which succeeded sooner, certainly of the Regiment Glasenapp,four grenadiers, owing to
slippery or other accidents, in climbing the glacis, had fallen a few steps behind the general body; and on
getting to the top, took the wrong course, and rushed along rightward instead of leftward. Rightward, the first
thing they come upon is a mass of Austrians still ranked in arms; fiftytwo men, as it turned out, with their
Captain over them. Slight stutter ensues on the part of the Four Grenadiers; but they give one another the
hint, and dash forward: "Prisoners?" ask they sternly, as if all Prussia had been at their rear. The fiftytwo, in
the darkness, in the danger and alarm, answer "Yes.""Pile arms, then!" Three of the grenadiers stand to see
that done; the fourth runs off for force, and happily gets back with it before the comedy had become tragic for
his comrades. "I must make acquaintance with these four men," writes Friedrich, on hearing of it; and he did
reward them by present, by promotion to sergeantcy (to ensigncy one of them), or what else they were fit for.
Grenadiers of Glasenapp: these are the men Friedrich heard swearingin under his window, one memorable
morning when he burst into tears! At halfpast Twelve, the Ramparts, on all sides, are ours.
The Gates of the Town, under axe and petard, can make little resistance, to Leopold's Column or the other
two. A hole is soon cut in the TownGate, where Leopold is; and gallant Wallis, who had rallied behind it,
with his ArtilleryGeneral and what they could get together, fires through the opening, kills four men; but is
then (by order, and not till then) fired upon, and obliged to draw back, with his ArtilleryGeneral mortally
hurt. Inside he attempts another rally, some 200 with him; and here and there perhaps a housewindow tries
to give shot; but it is to no purpose, not the least stand can be made. Poor Wallis is rapidly swept back, into
the Marketplace, into the Main Guardhouse; and there piles arms: "Glogau yours, Ihr Herren, and we
prisoners of War!" The steeple had not yet quite struck One. Here has been a good hour'swork!
Glogau, as in a dream, or half awake, and timidly peeping from behind windowcurtains, finds that it is a
Town taken. Glogau easily consoles itself, I hear, or even is generally glad; Prussian discipline being so
perfect, and ingress now free for the necessaries of life. There was no plundering; not the least insult: no
townsman was hurt; not even in houses where soldiers had tried firing from windows. The Prussian
Battalions rendezvous in the Marketplace, and go peaceably about their patrolling, and other business; and
meddle with nothing else. They lost, in killed, ten men; had of killed and wounded, fortyeight; the Austrians
rather more. [Orlich, i. 75, 78; HeldenGeschichte, i. 829; irreconcilable otherwise, in some slight points.]
Wallis was to have been set free on parole; but was not,in retaliation for some severity of General
Browne's in the interim (picking up of two Silesian Noblemen, suspected of Prussian tendency, and locking
them in Brunn over the Hills),and had to go to Berlin, till that was repaired. To the wounded
ArtilleryGeneral there was every tenderness shown, but he died in few days.The other Prisoners were
marched to the CustrinStettin quarter; "and many of them took Prussian service."
And this is the Scalade of Glogau: a shining feat of those days; which had great rumor in the Gazettes, and
over all the then feverish Nations, though it has now fallen dim again, as feats do. Its importance at that time,
its utility to Friedrich's affairs, was undeniable; and it filled Friedrich with the highest satisfaction, and with
admiration to overflowing. Done 9th March, 1741; in one hour, the very earliest of the day.
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Goltz posted back to Schweidnitz with the news; got thither about 5 P.M.; and was received, naturally, with
open arms. Friedrich in person marched out, next morning, to make FEUDEJOIE and
TEDEUMing;there was Royal Letter to Leopold, which flamed through all the Newspapers, and can
still be read in innumerable Books; Letter omissible in this place. We remark only how punctual the King is,
to reward in money as well as praise, and not the high only, but the low that had deserved: to Prince Leopold
he presents 2,000 pounds; to each private soldier who had been of the storm, say half a guinea,doubling
and quadrupling, in the special cases, to as high as twenty guineas, of our present money. To the old
Gazetteers, and their readers everywhere, this of Glogau is a very effulgent business; bursting out on them,
like sudden Budelight, in the uncertain stagnancy and expectancy of mankind. Friedrich himself writes of it
to the Old Dessauer:
"The more I think of the Glogau business, the more important I find it. Prince Leopold has achieved the
prettiest military stroke (DIE SCHONSTE ACTION) that has been done in this Century. From my heart I
congratulate you on having such a Son. In boldness of resolution, in plan, in execution, it is alike admirable;
and quite gives a turn to my affairs." [Date, 13th March, 1741 (Orlich, i. 77).]
And indeed, it is a perfect example of Prussian discipline, and military quality in all kinds; such as it would
be difficult to match elsewhere. Most potently correct; coming out everywhere with the completeness and
exactitude of mathematics; and has in it such a fund of martial fire, not only ready to blaze out (which can be
exampled elsewhere), but capable of bottling itself IN, and of lying silently ready. Which is much rarer; and
very essential in soldiering! Due a little to the OLD Dessauer, may we not say, as well as to the Young?
Friedrich Wilhelm is fallen silent; but his heavy labors, and military and other drillings to Prussian mankind,
still speak with an audible voice.
About three weeks after this of Glogau, Leopold the Old Dessauer, over in Brandenburg, does another thing
which is important to Friedrich, and of great rumor in the world. Steps out, namely, with a force of 36,000
men, horse, foot and artillery, completely equipped in all points; and takes Camp, at this early season, at a
place called Gottin, not far from Magdeburg, handy at once for Saxony and for Hanover; and continues there
encamped,"merely for review purposes." Readers can figure what an astonishment it was to KurSachsen
and British George; and how it struck the wind out of their Russian PartitionDream, and awoke them to a
sense of the awful fact!Capable of being slit in pieces, and themselves partitioned, at a day's warning, as it
were! It was on April 2d, that Leopold, with the first division of the 36,000, planted his flag near Gottin. No
doubt it was the "detestable Project" that had brought him out, at so early a season for tentlife, and nobody
could then guess why. He steadily paraded here, all summer; keeping his 36,000 well in drill, since there was
nothing else needed of him.
The Camp at Gottin flamed greatly abroad through the timorous imaginations of mankind, that Year; and in
the Newspapers are many details of it. And, besides the important general fact, there is still one little point
worth special mention: namely, that old Fieldmarshal Katte (Father of poor Lieutenant Katte whom we
knew) was of it; and perhaps even got his death by it: "Chief Commander of the Cavalry here," such honor
had he; but died at his post, in a couple of months, "at Rekahn, May 31st;" [ Militair Lexikon, ii. 254.] poor
old gentleman, perhaps unequal to the hardships of fieldlife at so early a season of the year.
FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD, WITH SOME POMP; GOES INTO THE MOUNTAINS, BUT
COMES FAST BACK.
At Glogau there was Homaging, on the very morrow after the storm; on the second day, the superfluous
regiments marched off: no want of vigorous activity to settle matters on their new footing there. General
Kalkstein (Friedrich's old Tutor, whom readers have forgotten again) is to be Commandant of Glogau; an
office of honor, which can be done by deputy except in cases of real stress. The place is to be thoroughly
newfortified,which important point they commit to Engineer Wallrave, a strongheaded heavybuilt
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Dutch Officer, long since acquired to the service, on account of his excellence in that line; who did, now and
afterwards, a great deal of excellent engineering for Friedrich; but for himself (being of deep stomach withal,
and of life too dissolute) made a tragic thing of it ultimately. As will be seen, if we have leisure.
In seven or eight days, Prince Leopold having wound up his Glogau affairs, and completed the new
preliminaries there, joins the King at Schweidnitz. In the highest favor, as was natural. Kalkstein is to take a
main hand in the Siege of Neisse; for which operation it is hoped there will soon be weather, if not favorable
yet supportable. What of the force was superfluous at Glogau had at once marched off, as we observed; and is
now getting redistributed where needful. There is much shifting about; strengthening of posts, giving up of
posts: the whole of which readers shall imagine for themselves,except only two points that are worth
remembering: FIRST, that Kalkstein with about 12,000 takes post at Grotkau, some twentyfive miles north
of Neisse, ready to move on, and open trenches, when required: and SECOND, that HolsteinBeck gets
posted at Frankenstein (chief place of that Baumgarten Skirmish), say thirtyfive miles westbynorth of
Neisse; and has some 8 or 10,000 Horse and Foot thereabouts, spread up and down,who will be much
wanted, and not procurable, on an occasion that is coming.
Friedrich has given up the Jablunka Pass; called in the Jablunka and remoter posts; anxious to concentrate,
before the Enemy get nigh. That is the King's notion; and surely a reasonable one; the AREA of the Prussian
Army, as I guess it from the Maps, being above 2,000 square miles, beginning at Breslau only, and leaving
out Glogau. Schwerin thinks differently, but without good basis. Both are agreed, "The Austrian Army cannot
take the field till the forage come," till the new grass spring, which its cavalry find convenient. That is the fair
supposition; but in that both are mistaken, and Schwerin the more dangerously of the two.Meanwhile, the
Pandour swarms are observably getting rifer, and of stormier quality; and they seem to harbor farther to the
East than formerly, and not to come all out of Glatz. Which perhaps are symptomatic circumstances? The
worst effect of these preliminary Pandour clouds is, Your scoutservice cannot live among them; they hinder
reconnoitring, and keep the Enemy veiled from you. Of that sore mischief Friedrich had, first and last, ample
experience at their hands! This is but the first instalment of Pandours to Friedrich; and the mere foretaste of
what they can do in the veiling way.
Behind the Mountains, in this manner, all is inane darkness to Friedrich and Schwerin. They know only that
Neipperg is rendezvousing at Olmutz; and judge that he will still spend many weeks upon it; the real facts
being: That Neipperg"who arrived in Olmutz on the 10th of March," the very day while Glogau was
homaginghas been, he and those above him and those under him, driving preparations forward at a furious
rate. That Neipperg held I think at Steinberg his hithermost post, some twenty miles hither of Olmutza
Council of War, "all the Generals and even Lentulus from Glatz, present at it," day not given; where the
unanimous decision was, "March straightway; save Neisse, since Glogau is gone!"and in fine, That on the
26th, Neipperg took the road accordingly, "in spite of furious snow blowing in his face;" and is ever since
(30,000 strong, says rumor, but perhaps 10,000 of them mere Pandours) unweariedly climbing the
Mountains, laboriously jingling forward with his heavy guns and ammunitionwagons; "contending with the
steep snowy icy roads;" intent upon saving Neisse. This is the fact; profoundly unknown to Friedrich and
Schwerin; who will be much surprised, when it becomes patent to them at the wrong time.
SCHWEIDNITZ, 27th MARCH. This day Friedrich, with considerable apparatus, pomp and processional
cymballing, greatly the reverse of his ulterior use and wont in such cases, quitted Schweidnitz and his
Algarottis; solemnly opening Campaign in this manner; and drove off for Ottmachau, having work there for
tomorrow.
The Siege of Neisse is now to proceed forthwith; trenches to be opened April 4th. Friedrich is still of opinion,
that his posts lie too wide apart; that especially Schwerin, who is spread among the Hills in Jagerndorf
Country, ought to come down, and take closer order for covering the siege. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 70.]
Schwerin answers, That if the King will spare him a reinforcement of eight squadrons and nine battalions
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(say 1,200 Horse, 9,000 Foot), he will maintain himself where he is, and no Enemy shall get across the
Mountains at all. That is Schwerin's notion; who surely is something of a judge. Friedrich assents; will
himself conduct the reinforcement to Schwerin, and survey matters, with his own eyes, up yonder. Friedrich
marches from Ottmachau, accordingly, 29th March;Kalkstein, HolsteinBeck, and others are to be
rendezvoused before Neisse, in the interim; trenches ready for opening on the sixth day hence;and in this
manner, climbs these Mountains, and sees Jagerndorf Country for the first time.
Beautiful blue world of Hills, ridge piled on ridge behind that Neisse region; fruitful valleys lapped in them,
with grim stone Castles and busy little Towns disclosing themselves as we advance: that is Jagerndorf
Country,which Uncle George of Anspach, hundreds of years ago, purchased with his own money; which
we have now come to lay hold of as his Heir! Friedrich, I believe, thinks little of all this, and does not
remember Uncle George at all. But such are the facts; and the Country, regarded or not, is very blue and
beautiful, with the Spring sun shining on it; or with the sudden Spring storms gathering wildly on the peaks,
as if for permanent investiture, but vanishing again straightway, leaving only a powdering of snow.
He met Schwerin at Neustadt, halfway to Jagerndorf; whither they proceeded next day. "What news have
you of the Enemy?" was Friedrich's first question. Schwerin has no news whatever; only that the Enemy is far
off, hanging in long thin straggle from Olmutz westward. "I have a spy out," said Schwerin; "but he has not
returned yet,"nor ever will, he might have added. If diligent readers will now take to their Map, and attend
day by day, an invincible Predecessor has compelled what next follows into human intelligibility, and into the
Diary Form, for their behoof; readers of an idler turn can skip: but this confused hurryscurry of marches
issues in something which all will have to attend to.
"JAGERNDORF, 2d APRIL, 1741. This is the day when the Old Dessauer makes appearance with the first
brigades of his Camp at Gottin. Friedrich is satisfied with what he has seen of Jagerndorf matters; and intends
returning towards Neisse, there to commence on the 4th. He is giving his final orders, and on the point of
setting off, whenSeven Austrian Deserters, 'Dragoons of Lichtenstein,' come in; and report, That
Neipperg's Army is within a few miles! And scarcely had they done answering and explaining, when sounds
rise of musketry and cannon, from our outposts on that side; intimating that here is Neipperg's Army itself.
Seldom in his life was Friedrich in an uglier situation. In Jagerndorf, an open Town, are only some three or
four thousand men, 'with three fieldpieces, and as much powder as will charge them forty times.' Happily
these proved only the Pandour outskirts of Neipperg's Army, scouring about to reconnoitre, and not difficult
to beat; the real body of it is ascertained to be at Freudenthal, fifteen miles to westward, southwestward;
making towards Neisse, it is guessed, by the other or western road, which is the nearer to Glatz and to the
Austrian force there.
"Had Neipperg known what was in Jagerndorf! But he does not know. He marches on, next morning, at his
usual slow rate; wide clouds of Pandours accompanying and preceding him; skirmishing in upon all places
[upon Jagerndorf, for instance, though fifteen miles wide of their road], to ascertain if Prussians are there.
One can judge whether Friedrich and Schwerin were thankful when the huge alarm produced nothing! 'The
mountain,' as Friedrich says, 'gave birth to a mouse;'nay it was a 'mouse' of essential vital use to Friedrich
and Schwerin; a warning, That they must instantly collect themselves, men and goods; and begone one and
all out of these parts, doublequick towards Neisse. Not now with the hope of besieging Neisse,far from
that;but of getting their wide scattered posts together thereabouts, and escaping destruction in detail!
"APRIL 4th, HEADQUARTERS NEUSTADT. By violent exertion, with the sacrifice only of some remote
little storehouses, all is rendezvoused at Jagerndorf, within two days; and this day they march; King and
vanguard reaching Neustadt, some twentyfive miles forward, some twenty still from Neisse. At Neustadt,
the posts that had stood in that neighborhood are all assembled, and march with the King tomorrow. Of
Neipperg, except by transitory contact with his Pandour clouds, they have seen nothing: his road is pretty
much parallel to theirs, and some fifteen miles leftward, Glatzward; goes through Zuckmantel, Ziegenhals,
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straight upon Neisse. [Zuckmantel, "TwitchCloak," occurs more than once as a Town's name in those
regions: name which, says my Dryasdust without smile visible, it got from robberies done on travellers,
"twitchings of your cloak," with standanddeliver, as you cross those wild mountain spaces. (Zeiller,
Beschreibung des Konigreichs Boheim, Frankfurt, 1650;a rather worthless old Book, like the rest of
Zeiller's in that kind.)] Neipperg's men are wearied with the long climb out of Mahren; and he struggles
towards Neisse as the first object;holding upon Glatz and Lentulus with his left. Numerous orders have
been speeded from the King's quarters, at Jagerndorf, and here at Neustadt; order especially to HolsteinBeck
at Frankenstein, and to Kalkstein at Grotkau, How they are to unite, first with one another; and then to cross
Neisse River, and unite with the King,to which end there is already a Bridge laid for them, or about to be
laid in good time.
"APRIL 5th, HEADQUARTERS STEINAU. Steinau is a little Town twenty miles east of Neisse, on the
road to Kosel [strongish place, on the Oder, some forty miles farther east]: here Friedrich, with the main
body, take their quarters; rearguard being still at Neustadt. Temporary Bridge there is, ready or all but ready,
at Sorgau [twelve miles to north of us, on our left]: by this Kalkstein, with his 10,000, comes punctually
across; while other brigades from the Kosel side are also punctual in getting in; which is a great comfort: but
of HolsteinBeck there is no vestige, nor did there ever appear any. Holstein, 'whom none of the repeated
orders sent him could reach,' says Friedrich, 'remained comfortably in his quarters; and looked at the Enemy
rushing past him to right and left, without troubling his head with them.' [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 70.] The
too easyminded Holstein! Austrian Deserters inform us, That General Neipperg arrived today with his
Army in Neisse; and has there been joined by Lentulus with the Glatz force, chiefly cavalry, a good many
thousands. We may be attacked, then, this very night, if they are diligent? Friedrich marks out ground and
plan in such case, and how and where each is to rank himself. There came nothing of attack; but the poor
little Village of Steinau, with so many troops in it and baggagedrivers stumbling about, takes fire; burns to
ashes; 'and we had great difficulty in saving the artillery and powder through the narrow streets, with the
houses all burning on each hand.'" Fancy it,and the poor shrieking inhabitants; gone to silence long since
with their shrieks, not the least whisper left of them. "The Prussians bivouac on the field, each in the place
that has been marked out. Night extremely cold."
In this poor Steinau was a Schloss, which also went up in fire; disclosing certain mysteries of an almost
mythical nature to the German Public. It was the Schloss of a Grafin von Callenberg, a dreadful old Dowager
of MedeaMessalina type, who "always wore pistols about her;" pistols, and latterly, with more and more
constancy, a brandybottle;who has been much on the tongues of men for a generation back. Herr Nussler
(readers recollect shifty Nussler) knew her, in the way of business, at one time; with pity, if also with horror.
Some weeks ago, she was, by the Austrian Commandant at Neisse, summoned out of this Schloss, as in
correspondence with Prussian Officers: peasants breaking in, tied her with ropes to the bed where she was;
put bed and her into a farmcart, and in that scandalous manner delivered her at Neisse to the Commandant;
by which adventure, and its rages and unspeakabilities, the poor old Callenberg is since dead. And now the
very Schloss is dead; and there is finis to a human dust vortex, such as is sometimes noisy for a time.
Perhaps Nussler may again pass that way, if we wait. [Busching, Beitrage, ii.273 et seqq.]
"APRIL 6th, HEADQUARTERS FRIEDLAND. To Friedland on the 6th.,and do not, as expected, get
away next morning. Friedland is ten miles down the Neisse, which makes a bend of near ninety degrees
opposite Steinau; and runs thence straight north for the Oder, which it reaches some dozen miles or more
above Brieg. Both Steinau and Friedland are a good distance from the River; Friedland, the nearer of the two,
with Sorgau Bridge direct west of it, is perhaps eight miles from that important structure. There, being now
tolerably rendezvoused, and in strength for action, Friedrich purposes to cross Neisse River tomorrow;
hoping perhaps to meet HolsteinBeck, and incorporate him; anxious, at any rate, to get between the
Austrians and Ohlau, where his heavy Artillery, his Ammunition, not to mention other indispensables, are
lying. The peculiarity of Neipperg at this time is, that the ground he occupies bears no proportion to the
ground he commands. His regular Horse are supposed to be the best in the world; and of the Pandour kind,
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Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. 642
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who live, horse and man, mainly upon nothing (which means upon theft), his supplies are unlimited. He sits
like a volcanic reservoir, therefore, not like a common fire of such and such intensity and power to
burn;casts the ashes of him, on all sides, to many miles distance.
"FRIDAY 7th APRIL, FRIEDLAND (still Headquarters). Unluckily, on trying, there is no passage to be
had at Sorgau. The Officer on charge there still holds the Bridge, but has been obliged to break away the
farther end of it; 'Lentulus and Dragoons, several thousands strong' (such is the report), having taken post
there. Friedrich commands that the Bridge be reinstated; fieldpieces to defend it; Prince Leopold to cross,
and clear the ways. All Friday, Friedrich waiting at Friedland, was spent in these details. Leopold in due force
started for Sorgau, himself with Cavalry in the van; Leopold did storm across, and go charging and fencing,
some space, on the other side; but, seeing that it was in truth Lentulus, and Dragoons without limit, had to
send report accordingly; and then to wind himself to this side again, on new order from the King. What is to
be done, then? Here is no crossing. Friedrich decides to go down the River; he himself to Lowen, perhaps
near twenty miles farther down, but where there is a Bridge and Highway leading over; Prince Leopold, with
the heavier divisions and baggages, to Michelau, some miles nearer, and there to build his Pontoons and
cross. Which was effected, with success. And so,
"SATURDAY, 8th APRIL, With great punctuality, the King and Leopold met at Michelau, both well across
the Neisse. Here on Pontoons, Leopold had got across about noon; and precisely as he was finishing, the
King's Column, which had crossed at Lowen, and come up the left bank again, arrived. The King, much
content with Leopold's behavior, nominates him General of Infantry, a stage higher in promotion, there and
then. Brieg Blockade is, as natural, given up; the Blockading Body joining with the King, this morning, while
he passed that way. From HolsteinBeck not the least whisper,nor to him, if we knew it.
"Neipperg has quitted Neisse; but walks invisible within clouds of Pandours; nothing but guessing as to
Neipperg's motions. Rightly swift, aud awake to his business, Neipperg might have done, might still do, a
stroke upon us here. But he takes it easy; marches hardly five miles a day, since he quitted Neisse again.
From Michelau, Friedrich for his part turns southwestward, in quest of Holstein and other interests; marches
towards Grotkau, not intending much farther that night. Thick snow blowing in their faces, nothing to be seen
ahead, the Prussian column tramps along. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 156.] In Leipe, a little Hamlet sidewards
of the road, short way from Grotkau, our Hussar Vanguard had found Austrian Hussars; captured forty, and
from them learned that the Austrian Army is in Grotkau; that they took Grotkau half an hour before, and are
there! A poor Lieutenant Mitschepfal (whom I think Friedrich used to know in Reinsberg) lay in Grotkau,
'with some sixty recruits and deserters,' says Friedrich,and with several hundreds of camplaborers
(intended for the trenches, which will not now be opened):Mitschepfal made a stout defence; but, after
three hours of it, had to give in: and there is nothing now for us at Grotkau. 'Halt,' therefore! Neipperg is
evidently pushing towards Ohlau, towards Breslau, though in a leisurely way; there it will behoove us to get
the start of him, if humanly possible: To the right about, therefore, without delay! The Prussians repass Leipe
(much to the wonder of its simple people); get along, some seven miles farther, on the road for Ohlau; and
quarter, that night, in what handy villages there are; the King's Corps in two Villages, which he calls 'Pogrel
and Alsen,'"which are to be found still on the Map as "Pogarell and Alzenau," on the road from Lowen
towards Ohlau.
This is the end of that March into the Mountains, with Neisse Siege hanging triumphant ahead. These are the
King's quarters, this wintry Spring night, Saturday, 8th April, 1741; and it is to be guessed there is more of
care than of sleep provided for him there. Seldom, in his life, was Friedrich in a more critical position; and he
well knows it, none better. And could have his remorses upon it,were these of the least use in present
circumstances. Here are two Letters which he wrote that night; veiling, we perceive, a very grim world of
thoughts; betokening, however, a mind made up. Jordan, Prince August Wilhelm HeirApparent, and other
fine individuals who shone in the Schweidnitz circle lately, are in Breslau, safe sheltered against this bad
juncture; Maupertuis was not so lucky as to go with them.
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Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. 643
Page No 652
THE KING TO PRINCE AUGUST WILHELM (in Breslau).
"POGARELL, 8th April, 1741.
"MY DEAREST BROTHER,The Enemy has just got into Silesia; we are not more than a mile (QUART
DE MILLE) from them. Tomorrow must decide our fortune.
"If I die, do not forget a Brother who has always loved you very tenderly. I recommend to you my most dear
Mother, my Domestics, and my First Battalion [LIFEGUARD OF FOOT, men picked from his own old
Ruppin Regiment and from the disbanded Giants, star of all the Battalions]. [See Preuss, i. 144, iv. 309;
Nicolai, Beschreibung von Berlin, iii, 1252.] Eichel and Schuhmacher [Two of the Three Clerks] are
informed of all my testamentary wishes. Remember me always, you; but console yourself for my death: the
glory of the Prussian Arms, and the honor of the House have set me in action, and will guide me to my last
moment. You are my sole Heir: I recommend to you, in dying, those whom I have the most loved during my
life: Keyserling, Jordan, Wartensleben; Hacke, who is a very honest man; Fredersdorf [Factotum], and
Eichel, in whom you may place entire confidence. I bequeath 8,000 crowns (1,200 pounds, which I have with
me, to my Domestics; but all that I have elsewhere depends on you. To each of my Brothers and Sisters make
a present in my name; a thousand affectionate regards (AMITIES ET COMPLIMENTS) to my Sister of
Baireuth. You know what I think on their score; and you know better than I could tell you, the tenderness and
all the sentiments of most inviolable friendship with which I am, dearest Brother,
"Your faithful Brother and Servant till death,
"FEDERIC." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 85; List of
Friedrich's Testamentary arrangements in Note there,Six in all, at different times, besides this.]
THE KING TO M. JORDAN (in Breslau).
"POGARELL, 8th April, 1741.
"My DEAR JORDAN,We are going to fight tomorrow. Thou knowest the chances of war; the life of
Kings not more regarded than that of private people. I know not what will happen to me.
"If my destiny is finished, remember a friend, who loves thee always tenderly: if Heaven prolong my days, I
will write to thee after tomorrow, and thou wilt hear of our victory. Adieu, dear friend; I shall love thee till
death.
"FEDERIC." [Ib. xvii. 98.]
The King, we incidentally discover somewhere, "had no sleep that night;" none, "nor the next night
either,"such a crisis coming, still not come.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ.
"Tomorrow," Sunday, did not prove the Day of Fight, after all. Being a day of wild drifting snow, so that
you could not see twenty paces, there was nothing for it but to sit quiet. The King makes all his dispositions;
sketches out punctually, to the last item, where each is to station himself, how the Army is to advance in Four
Columns, ready for Neipperg wherever he may be,towards Ohlau at any rate, whither it is not doubted
Neipperg is bent. These snowy sixandthirty hours at Pogarell were probably, since the Custrin time, the
most anxious of Friedrich's life.
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Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. 644
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Neipperg, for his part, struggles forward a few miles, this Sunday, April 9th; the Prussians rest under shelter
in the wild weather. Neipperg's headquarters, this night, are a small Village or Hamlet, called Mollwitz:
there and in the adjacent Hamlets, chiefly in Laugwitz and Gruningen, his Army lodges itself:he is now
fairly got between us and Ohlau,if, in the blowing drift, we knew it, or he knew it. But, in this confusion of
the elements, neither party knows of the other: Neipperg has appointed that tomorrow, Monday, l0th, shall
be a restday:appointment which could by no means be kept, as it turned out!
Friedrich had despatched messengers to Ohlau, that the force there should join him; messengers are all
captured. The like message had already gone to Brieg, some days before, and the Blockading Body, a good
few thousand strong, quitted Brieg, as we saw, and effected their junction with him. All day, this Sunday, 9th,
it still snows and blows; you cannot see a yard before you. No hope now of HolsteinBeck. Not the least
news from any quarter; Ohlau uncertain, too likely the wrong way: What is to be done? We are cut off from
our Magazines, have only provision for one other day. "Had this weather lasted," says an Austrian reporter of
these things, "his Majesty would have passed his time very ill." [ Feldzuge der Preussen (the complete Title
is, Sammlung ungedruckter Nachrichten so die Geschichte der Feldzuge der Preussen von 1740 bis 1779
erlautern, or in English words, Collection of unprinted Narratives which elucidate the Prussian Campaigns
from 1740 to 1779: 5 vols. Dresden, 17821785), i. 33. Excellent Narratives, modest, brief, effective (from
Private Diaries and the like; many of them given also in SEYFARTH); well worth perusal by the studious
military man, and creditably characteristic of the Prussian writers of them and actors in them.]
Of the Battle of Mollwitz, as indeed of all Friedrich's Battles, there are ample accounts new and old, of
perfect authenticity and scientific exactitude; so that in regard to military points the due clearness is, on study,
completely attainable. But as to personal or human details, we are driven back upon a miscellany of sources;
most of which, indeed all of which except Nicolai, when he sparingly gives us anything, are of questionable
nature; and, without intending to be dishonest, do run out into the mythical, and require to be used with
caution. The latest and notablest of these, in regard to Mollwitz, is the pamphlet of a Dr. Fuchs; from which,
in spite of its amazing quality, we expect to glean a serviceable item here and there. [ Jubelschrift zur Feier
(Centenary) der Schlacht bei Mollwitz, 10 April, 1741, von Dr. Medicinae Fuchs (Brieg, 10th April, 1841).] It
is definable as probably the most chaotic Pamphlet ever written; and in many places, by dint of uncorrected
printing, bad grammar, bad spelling, bad sense, and in short, of intrinsic darkness in so vivacious a humor, it
has become abstruse as Sanscrit; and really is a sharp test of what knowledge you otherwise have of the
subject. Might perhaps be used in that way, by the Examining Military Boards, in Prussia and elsewhere, if
no other use lie in it? Fuchs's own contributions, mere ignorance, folly and credulity, are not worth
interpreting: but he has printed, and in the same abstruse form, one or two curious Parish Manuscripts,
particularly a "HISTORY" of this War, privately jotted down by the then Schoolmaster of Mollwitz, a good
simple accurate old fellowcreature; through whose eyes it is here and there worth while to look. In regard to
Fuchs himself, a late Tourist says:
"This 'CentenaryCelebration Pamphlet' (Celebration itself, so obtuse was the Country, did not take effect)
was by a zealous, noisy but not wise, old Medical Gentleman of these parts, called Dr. Fuchs (FOX); who had
set his heart on raising, by subscription, a proper National Monument on the Field of Mollwitz, and so
closing his old career. Subscriptions did not take, in that April, 1841, nor in the following months or
twelvemonths: the zealous Doctor, therefore, indignantly drew his own purse; got a big Obelisk of Granite
hewn ready, with suitable Inscription on it; carted his big Obelisk from the quarries of Strehlen; assembled
the Country round it, on Mollwitz Field; and passionately discoursed and pleaded, That at least the Country
should bring blockandtackle, with proper framework, and set up this Obelisk on the pedestal he had there
built for it. The Country listened cheerfully (for the old Doctor was a popular man, clever though flighty); but
the Country was again obtuse in the way of active furtherance, and would not even bring blockandtackle.
The old Doctor had to answer, 'Well, then!' and go on his way on more serious errands. The cattle have much
undermined, and rubbed down, his poor Pedestal, which is of rubblework; his Obelisk still lies mournfully
horizontal, uninjured;and really ought to be set up, by some parishrate, or effort of the community
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. 645
Page No 654
otherwise." [Tourist's Note (Brieg, 1858).]
From the old Mollwitz Schoolmaster we distil the following:
"MOLLWITZ, SUNDAY, 9th APRIL. Country for two days back: was in new alarm by the Austrian
Garrison of Brieg now left at liberty, who sallied out upon the Villages about, and plundered blackcattle,
sheep, grain, and whatever they could come at. But this day (Sunday) in Mollwitz the whole Austrian Army
was upon us. First, there went 300 Hussars through the Village to Gruningen, who quartered themselves
there; and rushed hither and thither into houses, robbing and plundering. From one they took his best horses,
from another they took linen, clothes, and other furnitures and victual. General Neuburg [Neipperg] halted
here at Mollwitz, with the whole Army; before the Village, in mind to quarter. And quarter was settled, so
that a BAUER [PloughFarmer] got four to five companies to lodge, and a GARTNER [SpadeFarmer] two
or three hundred cavalry. .The houses were full of Officers, the GARTE [Garths] and the Fields full of
horsemen and baggage; and all round, you saw nothing but fires burning; the ZAUNE [wooden railings] were
instantly torn down for firewood; the hay, straw, barley and haver, were eaten away, and brought to nothing;
and everything from the barns was carried out. And, as the whole Army could not lodge itself with us, 1,100
Infantry quartered at Laugwitz; Barzdorf got 400 Cavalry; and this day, nobody knew what would come of
it." [Extract in FUCHS, p. 6.]
Monday morning, the Prussians are up betimes; King Friedrich, as above noted, had not, or had hardly at all,
slept during those two nights, such his anxieties. This morning, all is calm, sleeked out into spotless white;
Pogarell and the world are wrapt as in a windingsheet, near two feet of snow on the ground. Air hard and
crisp; a hot sun possible about noon season. "By daybreak" we are all astir, rendezvousing, ranking,into
Four Columns; ready to advance in that fashion for battle, or for deploying into battle, wherever the Enemy
turn up. The orders were all given overnight, two nights ago; were all understood, too, and known to be
rhadamanthine; and, down to the lowest pioneer, no man is uncertain what to do. If we but knew where the
Enemy is; on which side of us; what doing, what intending?
Scouts, GeneralAdjutants are out on the quest; to no purpose hitherto. One young GeneralAdjutant,
Saldern, whose name we shall know again, has ridden northward, has pulled bridle some way north of
Pogarell; hangs, gazing diligently through his spyglass, there;can see nothing but a Plain of silent snow,
with sparse bearding of bushes (nothing like a hedge in these countries), and here and there a tree, the
miserable skeleton of a poplar: when happily, owing to an Austrian DragoonBe pleased to accept (in
abridged form) the poor old Schoolmaster's account of a small thing:
"Austrian Dragoon of the regiment Althan, native of Kriesewitz in this neighborhood, who was billeted in
Christopher Schonwitz's, had been much in want of a clean shirt, and other interior outfit; and had, last night,
imperatively despatched the man Scholzke, a farmservant of the said Christopher's, off to his, the Dragoon's,
Father in Kriesewitz, to procure such shirt or outfit, and to return early with the same; under penalty
ofScholzke and his master dare not think under what penalty. Scholzke, floundering homewards with the
outfit from Kriesewitz, flounders at this moment into Saldern's sphere of vision: 'Whence, whither?' asks
Saldern: 'Dost thou know where the Austrians are?' (RECHT GUT: in Mollwitz, whither I am going!' Saldern
takes him to the King,and that was the first clear light his Majesty had on the matter." [Fuchs, pp. 6, 7.]
That or something equivalent, indisputably was; Saldern and "a Peasant," the account of it in all the Books.
The King says to this Peasant, "Thou shalt ride with me today!" And Scholzke, Ploschke others call
him,heavyfooted rational biped knowing the ground there practically, every yard of it,did, as appears,
attend the King all morning; and do service, that was recognizable long years afterwards. "For always," say
the Books, "when the King held review here, Ploschke failed not to make appearance on the field of Pogarell,
and get recognition and a gift from his Majesty."
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Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. 646
Page No 655
At break of day the ranking and arranging began. Pogarell clock is near striking ten, when the last squadron
or battalion quits Pogarell; and the Four Columns, punctiliously correct, are all under way. Two on each side
of Ohlau Highway; steadily advancing, with pioneers ahead to clear any obstacle there may be. Few
obstacles; here and there a little ditch (where Ploschke's advice may be good, under the sleek of the snow), no
fences, smooth wide Plain, nothing you would even call a knoll in it for many miles ahead and around.
Mollwitz is some seven miles north from Pogarell; intermediate lie dusty fractions of Villages more than one;
two miles or more from Mollwitz we come to Pampitz on our left, the next considerable, if any of them can
be counted considerable.
"All these Dorfs, and indeed most German ones," says my Tourist, "are made on one type; an agglomerate of
dusty farmyards, with their stalls and barns; all the farmyards huddled together in two rows; a broad negligent
road between, seldom mended, never swept except by the elements. Generally there is nothing to be seen, on
each hand, but thatched roofs, dead clay walls and rude wooden gates; sometimes a poor publichouse, with
probable beer in it; never any shop, nowhere any patch of swept pavement, or trim gatheringplace for
natives of a social gossipy turn: the road lies sleepy, littery, good only for utilitarian purposes. In the middle
of the Village stands Church and Churchyard, with probably some gnarled trees around it: Church often
larger than you expected; the Churchyard, always fenced with high stoneandmortar wall, is usually the
principal military post of the place. Mollwitz, at the present day, has something of whitewash here and there;
one of the farmer people, or more, wearing a civilized prosperous look. The belfry offers you a pleasant view:
the roofs and steeples of Brieg, pleasantly visible to eastward; villages dotted about, Laugwitz, Barzdorf,
Hermsdorf, clear to your inquiring: and to westward, and to southward, tops of Hillcountry in the distance.
Westward, twenty miles off, are pleasant Hills; and among them, if you look well, shadowy Townspires,
which you are assured are Strehlen, a place also of interest in Friedrich's History.Your belfry itself, in
Mollwitz, is old, but not unsound; and the big iron clock grunts heavily at your ear, or perhaps bursts out in a
too deafening manner, while you study the topographies. Pampitz, too, seems prosperous, in its littery way;
the Church is bigger and newer,"owing to an accident we shall hear of soon; "Country all about seems
farmed with some industry, but with shallow ploughing; liable to drought. It is very sandy in quality; shorn of
umbrage; painfully naked to an English eye." That is the big champaign, coated with two feet of snow, where
a great Action is now to go forward.
Neipperg, all this while, is much at his ease on this white restingday, He is just sitting down to dinner at the
Dorfschulze’s (Village Provost, or miniature Mayor of Mollwitz), a composed man; whenrockets or
projectiles, and successive anxious sputterings from the steepletops of Brieg, are hastily reported: what can
it mean? Means little perhaps;Neipperg sends out a Hussar party to ascertain, and composedly sets himself
to dine. In a little while his Hussar party will come galloping back, faster than it went; faster and fewer;and
there will be news for Neipperg during dinner! Better here looking out, though it was a restday?
The truth is, the Prussian advance goes on with punctilious exactitude, by no means rapidly. Colonel Count
van Rothenburg, the same whom we lately heard of in Paris as a miracle of gambling, he now here, in a
new capacity, is warily leading the Vanguard of Dragoons; warily, with the Four Columns well to rear of
him: the Austrian Hussar party came upon Rothenburg, not two miles from Mollwitz; and suddenly drew
bridle. Them Rothenburg tumbles to the rightabout, and chases;finds, on advancing, the Austrian Army
totally unaware. It is thought, had Rothenburg dashed forward, and sent word to the rearward to dash forward
at their swiftest, the Austrian Army might have been cut in pieces here, and never have got together to try
battle at all. But Rothenburg had no orders; nay, had orders Not to get into fighting;nor had Friedrich
himself, in this his first Battle, learned that feline or leonine promptitude of spring which he subsequently
manifested. Far from it! Indeed this punctilious deliberation, and slow exactitude as on the reviewground, is
wonderful and noteworthy at the first start of Friedrich;the faithful apprenticehand still rigorous to the
rules of the old shop. Ten years hence, twenty years hence, had Friedrich found Neipperg in this condition,
Neipperg's account had been soon settled! Rothenburg drove back the Hussars, all manner of successive
Hussar parties, and kept steadily ahead of the main battle, as he had been bidden.
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Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. 647
Page No 656
Pampitz Village being now passed, and in rear of them to left, the Prussian Columns halt for some instants;
burst into fieldmusic; take to deploying themselves into line. There is solemn wheeling, shooting out to right
and left, done with spotless precision: once in line,in two lines, "each three men deep," lines many yards
apart,they will advance on Mollwitz; still solemnly, field music guiding, and banners spread. Which will
be a work of time. That the King's frugal fielddinner was shot away, from its camp table near Pampitz (as
Fuchs has heard), is evidently mythical; and even impossible, the Austrians having yet no cannon within
miles of him; and being intent on dining comfortably themselves, not on firing at other people's dinners.
Fancy Neipperg's state of mind, busy beginning dinner in the little Schulze's, or TownProvost's house, when
the Hussars dashed in at full gallop, shouting "DER FEIND, The Enemy! All in march there; vanguard this
side of Pampitz; killed forty of us!"Quick, your Plan of Battle, then? Whitherward; How; What? answer or
perish! Neipperg was infinitely struck; dropt knife and fork: "Send for Romer, General of the Horse!" Romer
did the indispensable: a swift man, not apt to lose head. Romer's battleplan, I should hope, is already made;
or it will fare ill with Neipperg and him. But beat, ye drummers; gallop, ye aidesdecamp as for life! The
first thing is to get our Force together; and it lies scattered about in three other Villages besides Mollwitz,
miles apart. Neipperg's trumpets clangor, his aidesdecamp gallop: he has his left wing formed, and the
other parts in a state of rapid genesis, Horse and Foot pouring in from Laugwitz, Barzdorf, Gruningen, before
the Prussians have quite done deploying themselves, and got well within shot of him. Romer, by birth a
Saxon gentleman, by all accounts a superior soldier and excellent General of Horse, commands this Austrian
left wing, General Goldlein, [(Anonymous) MARIA THERESA (already cited), p. 8 n.] a Swiss veteran of
good parts, presiding over the Infantry in that quarter. Neipperg himself, were he once complete, will
command the right wing.
Neipperg is to be in two lines, as the Prussians are, with horse on each wing, which is orthodox military
order. His length of front, I should guess, must have been something better than two English miles: a sluggish
Brook, called of Laugwitz, from the Village of that name which lies some way across, is on his right hand;
sluggish, boggy; stagnating towards the Oder in those parts: improved farming has, in our time, mostly
dried the strip of bog, and made it into coarse meadow, which is rather a relief amid the dry sandy element.
Neipperg's right is covered by that. His left rests on the Hamlet of Gruningen, a mileandhalf northeast of
Mollwitz;meant to have rested on Hermsdorf nearly east, but the Prussians have already taken that up. The
sun coming more and more round to west of south (for it is now past noon) shines right in Neipperg's face,
and is against him: how the wind is, nobody mentions,probably there was no wind. His regular Cavalry,
8,600, outnumbers twice or more that of the Prussians, not to mention their quality; and he has fewer
Infantry, somewhat in proportion; the entire force on each side is scarcely above 20,000, the Prussians
slightly in majority by count. In fieldpieces Neipperg is greatly outnumbered; the Prussians having about
threescore, he only eighteen. [Kausler, Atlas der merkwurdigsten Schlachten, p. 232.] And now here ARE the
Prussians, close upon our left wing, not yet in contact with the right,which in fact is not yet got into
existence;thank Heaven they have not come before our left got into existence, as our right (if you knew it)
has not yet quite finished doing!
The Prussians, though so ready for deploying, have had their own difficulties and delays. Between the boggy
Brook of Laugwitz on their left, and the Village of Hermsdorf, two miles distant, on which their right wing is
to lean, there proves not to be room enough; [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 73.] and then, owing to mistake of
Schulenburg (our old pipeclay friend, who commands the right wing of Horse here, and is not up in time),
there is too much room. Not room enough, for all the Infantry, we say: the last three Battalions of the front
line therefore, the three on the utmost right, wheel round, and stand athwart; EN POTENCE (as soldiers say),
or at right angles to the first line; hanging to it like a kind of lid in that part,between Schulenburg and
them,had Schulenburg come up. Thus are the three battalions got rid of at least; "they cap the First
Prussian line rectangularly, like a lid," says my authority,lid which does not reach to the Second Line by a
good way. This accidental arrangement had material effects on the right wing. Unfortunate Schulenburg did
at last come up:had he miscalculated the distances, then? Once on the ground, he will find he does not
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reach to Hermsdorf after all, and that there is now too much room! What his degree of fault was I know not;
Friedrich has long been dissatisfied with these Dragoons of Schulenburg; "good for nothing, I always told
you" (at that Skirmish of Baumgarten): and now here is the General himself fallen blundering!In respect of
Horse, the Austrians are more than two to one; to make out our deficiency, the King, imitating something he
had read about Gustavus Adolphus, intercalates the Horse Squadrons, on each wing, with two Battalions of
Grenadiers, and SO lengthens them;"a manoeuvre not likely to be again imitated," he admits.
All these movements and arrangements are effected above a mile from Mollwitz, no enemy yet visible. Once
effected, we advance again with music sounding, sixty pieces of artillery well in front, steady,
steady!across the floor of snow which is soon beaten smooth enough, the stage, this day, of a great
adventure. And now there is the Enemy's left wing, Romer and his Horse; their right wing wider away, and
not yet, by a good space, within cannonrange of us. It is towards Two of the afternoon; Schulenburg now on
his ground, laments that he will not reach to Hermsdorf;but it may be dangerous now to attempt repairing
that error? At Two of the clock, being now fairly within distance, we salute Romer and the Austrian left, with
all our sixty cannon; and the sound of drums and clarinets is drowned in universal artillery thunder. Incessant,
for they take (by order) to "swiftshooting," which is almost of the swiftness of musketry in our Prussian
practice; and from sixty cannon, going at that rate, we may fancy some effect. The Austrian Horse of the left
wing do not like it; all the less as the Austrians, rather short of artillery, have nothing yet to reply with.
No Cavalry can stand long there, getting shivered in that way; in such a noise, were there nothing more. "Are
we to stand here like milestones, then, and be all shot without a stroke struck?" "Steady!" answers Romer.
But nothing can keep them steady: "To be shot like dogs (WIE HUNDE)! For God's sake (URN GOTTES
WILLEN), lead us forward, then, to have a stroke at them!"in tones ever more plangent, plaintively
indignant; growing ungovernable. And Romer can get no orders; Neipperg is on the extreme right, many
things still to settle there; and here is the cannonthunder going, and soon their very musketry will open.
Andand there is Schulenburg, for one thing, stretching himself out eastwards (rightwards) to get hold of
Hermsdorf; thinking this an opportunity for the manoeuvre. "Forward!" cries Romer; and his thirty
Squadrons, like bottled whirlwind now at last let loose, dash upon Schulenburg's poor ten (five of them of
Schulenburg's own regiment,who are turned sideways too, trotting towards Hermsdorf, at the wrong
moment,and dash them into wild ruin. That must have been a charge! That was the beginning of hours of
chaos, seemingly irretrievable, in that Prussian right wing.
For the Prussian Horse fly wildly; and it is in vain to rally. The King is among them; has come in hot haste,
conjuring and commanding: poor Schulenburg addresses his own regiment, "Oh, shame, shame! shall it be
told, then?" rallies his own regiment, and some others; charges fiercely in with them again; gets a sabre
slash across the face,does not mind the sabreslash, small bandaging will do;gets a bullet through the
head (or through the heart, it is not said which); [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 899.] and falls down dead; his
regiment going to the winds again, and HIS care of it and of other things concluding in this honorable
manner. Nothing can rally that right wing; or the more you rally, the worse it fares: they are clearly no match
for Romer, these Prussian Horse. They fly along the front of their own First Line of Infantry, they fly
between the two Lines; Romer chasing,till the fire of the Infantry (intolerable to our enemies, and hitting
some even of our fugitive friends) repels him. For the notable point in all this was the conduct of the Infantry;
and how it stood in these wild vortexes of ruin; impregnable, immovable, as if every man of it were stone;
and steadily poured out deluges of fire,"five Prussian shots for two Austrian:"such is perfect discipline
against imperfect; and the iron ramrod against the wooden.
The intolerable fire repels Romer, when he trenches on the Infantry: however, he captures nine of the
Prussian sixty guns; has scattered their Horse to the winds; and charges again and again, hoping to break the
Infantry too,till a bullet kills him, the gallant Romer; and some other has to charge and try. It was thought,
had Goldlein with his Austrian Infantry advanced to support Romer at this juncture, the Battle had been
gained. Five times, before Romer fell and after, the Austrians charged here; tried the Second Line too; tried
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once to take Prince Leopold in rear there. But Prince Leopold faced round, gave intolerable fire; on one face
as on the other, he, or the Prussian Infantry anywhere, is not to be broken. "Prince Friedrich", one of the
Margraves of Schwedt, King's Cousin, whom we did not know before, fell in these wild rallyings and
wrestlings; "by a cannonball, at the King's hand," not said otherwise where. He had come as Volunteer, few
weeks ago, out of Holland, where he was a rising General: he has met his fate here,and Margraf Karl, his
Brother, who also gets wounded, will be a mournful man tonight.
The Prussian Horse, this right wing of it, is a ruined body; boiling in wild disorder, flooding rapidly away to
rearward, which is the safest direction to retreat upon. They "sweep away the King's person with them,"
say some cautious people; others say, what is the fact, that Schwerin entreated, and as it were commanded,
the King to go; the Battle being, to all appearance, irretrievable. Go he did, with small escort, and on a long
ride, to Oppeln, a Prussian post, thirtyfive miles rearward, where there is a Bridge over the Oder and a
safe country beyond. So much is indubitable; and that he despatched an Aidedecamp to gallop into
Brandenburg, and tell the Old Dessauer, "Bestir yourself! Here all seems lost!" and vanished from the
Field, doubtless in very desperate humor. Upon which the extraneous world has babbled a good deal,
"Cowardice! Wanted courage: Haha!" in its usual foolish way; not worth answer from him or from us.
Friedrich's demeanor, in that disaster of his right wing, was furious despair rather; and neither Schulenburg
nor Margraf Friedrich, nor any of the captains, killed or left living, was supposed to have sinned by
"cowardice" in a visible degree!
Indisputable it is, though there is deep mystery upon it, the King vanishes from Mollwitz Field at this point
for sixteen hours, into the regions of Myth, "into Fairyland," as would once have been said; but reappears
unharmed in tomorrow's daylight: at which time, not sooner, readers shall hear what little is to be said of
this obscure and muchdisfigured small affair. For the present we hasten back to Mollwitz,where the
murderous thunder rages unabated all this while; the very noise of it alarming mankind for thirty miles round.
At Breslau, which is thirty good miles off, horrible dull grumble was heard from the southern quarter ("still
better, if you put a staff in the ground, and set your ear to it"); and from the steepletops, there was dim
cloudland of powdersmoke discernible in the horizon there. "At Liegnitz," which is twice the distance, "the
earth sensibly shook," [ HeldenGeschichte; and Jordan's Letter, infra.]at least the air did, and the nerves
of men.
"Had Goldlein but advanced with his Foot, in support of gallant Romer!" say the Austrian Books. But
Goldlein did not advance; nor is it certain he would have found advantage in so doing: Goldlein, where he
stands, has difficulty enough to hold his own. For the notable circumstance, miraculous to military men, still
is, How the Prussian Foot (men who had never been in fire, but whom Friedrich Wilhelm had drilled for
twenty years) stand their ground, in this distraction of the Horse. Not even the two outlying Grenadier
Battalions will give way: those poor intercalated Grenadiers, when their Horse fled on the right and on the
left, they stand there, like a fixed stonedam in that wild whirlpool of ruin. They fix bayonets, "bring their
two fieldpieces to flank" (Winterfeld was Captain there), and, from small arms and big, deliver such a fire
as was very unexpected. Nothing to be made of Winterfeld and them. They invincibly hurl back charge after
charge; and, with dogged steadiness, manoeuvre themselves into the general Line again; or into contact with
the three superfluous Battalions, arranged EN POTENCE, whom we heard of. Those three, ranked athwart in
this right wing ("like a lid," between First Line and second), maintained themselves in like impregnable
fashion,Winterfeld commanding;and proved unexpectedly, thinks Friedrich, the saving of the whole.
For they also stood their ground immovable, like rocks; steadily spouting firetorrents. Five successive
charges storm upon them, fruitless: "Steady, MEINE KINDER; fix bayonets, handle ramrods! There is the
Horsedeluge thundering in upon you; reserve your fire, till you see the whites of their eyes, and get the
word; then give it them, and again give it them: see whether any man or any horse can stand it!"
Neipperg, soon after Romer fell, had ordered Goldlein forward: Goldlein with his Infantry did advance,
gallantly enough; but to no purpose. Goldlein was soon shot dead; and his Infantry had to fall back again,
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ineffectual or worse. Iron ramrods against wooden; five shots to two: what is there but falling back? Neipperg
sent fresh Horse from his right wing, with Berlichingen, a new famed General of Horse; Neipperg is furiously
bent to improve his advantage, to break those Prussians, who are mere musketeers left bare, and thinks that
will settle the account: but it could in no wise be done. The Austrian Horse, after their fifth trial, renounce
charging; fairly refuse to charge any more; and withdraw dispirited out of ballrange, or in search of things
not impracticable. The Hussar part of them did something of plunder to rearward;and, besides poor
Maupertuis's adventure (of which by and by), and an attempt on the Prussian baggage and knapsacks, which
proved to be "too well guarded,""burnt the Church of Pampitz," as some small consolation. The Prussians
had stript their knapsacks, and left them in Pampitz: the Austrians, it was noticed, stript theirs in the Field;
built walls of them, and fired behind,the same, in a kneeling, more or less protected posture,which did not
avail them much.
In fact, the Austrian Infantry too, all Austrians, hour after hour, are getting wearier of it: neither Infantry nor
Cavalry can stand being riddled by swift shot in that manner. In spite of their knapsack walls, various
regiments have shrunk out of ballrange; and several cannot, by any persuasion, be got to come into it again.
Others, who do reluctantly advance,see what a figure they make; man after man edging away as he can, so
that the regiment "stands forty to eighty men deep, with lanes through it every two or three yards;" permeable
everywhere to Cavalry, if we had them; and turning nothing to the Enemy but colorsergeants and bare poles
of a regiment! And Romer is dead, and Goldlein of the Infantry is dead. And on their right wing, skirted by
that marshy Brook of Laugwitz,Austrian right wing had been weakened by detachments, when
Berlichingen rode off to succeed Romer,the Austrians are suffering: Posadowsky's Horse (among whom is
Rothenburg, once vanguard), strengthened by remnants who have rallied here, are at last prospering, after
reverses. And the Prussian fire of small arms, at such rate, has lasted now for five hours. The Austrian Army,
becoming instead of a web a mere series of flying tatters, forming into stripes or lanes in the way we see,
appears to have had about enough.
These symptoms are not hidden from Schwerin. His own ammunition, too, he knows is running scarce, and
fighters here and there are searching the slain for cartridges:Schwerin closes his ranks, trims and tightens
himself a little; breaks forth into universal fieldmusic, and with banners spread, starts in mass wholly,
"Forwards!" Forwards towards these Austrians and the setting sun.
An intelligent Austrian Officer, writing next week from Neisse, [ Feldzuge der Preussen (above cited), i. 38.]'
confesses he never saw anything more beautiful. "I can well say, I never in my life saw anything more
beautiful. They marched with the greatest steadiness, arrowstraight, and their front like a line
(SCHNURGLEICH), as if they had been upon parade. The glitter of their clear arms shone strangely in the
setting sun, and the fire from them went on no otherwise than a continued peal of thunder." Grand picture
indeed; but not to be enjoyed as a Work of Art, for it is coming upon us! "The spirits of our Army sank
altogether", continues he; "the Foot plainly giving way, Horse refusing to come forward, all things wavering
towards dissolution:"so that Neipperg, to avoid worse, gives the word to go;and they roll off at
doublequick time, through Mollwitz, over Laugwitz Bridge and Brook, towards Grotkau by what routes
they can. The sun is just sunk; a quarter to eight, says the intelligent Austrian Officer,while the Austrian
Army, much to its amazement, tumbles forth in this bad fashion.
They had lost nine of their own cannon, and all of those Prussian nine which they once had, except one: eight
cannon MINUS, in all. Prisoners of them were few, and none of much mark: two Field marshals, Romer and
Goldlein, lie among the dead; four more of that rank are wounded. Four standards too are gone; certain
kettledrums and the like trophies, not in great number. LieutenantGeneral Browne was of these retreating
Austrians; a little fact worth noting: of his actions this day, or of his thoughts (which latter surely must have
been considerable), no hint anywhere. The Austrians were not much chased; though they might have been,
fresh Cavalry (two Ohlau regiments, drawn hither by the sound [Interesting correct account of their
movements and adventures this day and some previous days, in Nicolai, Anekdoten, ii. 142148.]) having
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hung about to rear of them, for some time past; unable to get into the Fight, or to do any good till now.
Schwerin, they say, though he had two wounds, was for pursuing vigorously: but Leopold of Anhalt
overpersuaded him; urged the darkness, the uncertainty. Berlichingen, with their own Horse, still partly
covered their rear; and the Prussians, Ohlauers included, were but weak in that branch of the service. Pursuit
lasted little more than two miles, and was never hot. The loss of men, on both sides, was not far from equal,
and rather in favor of the Austrian side:Austrians counted in killed, wounded and missing, 4,410 men;
Prussians 4,613; [Orlich, i. 108; Kansler, p. 235, correct; HeldenGeschichte, i. 895, incorrect.]but the
Prussians bivouacked on the ground, or quartered in these Villages, with victory to crown them, and the
thought that their hard day's work had been well done. Besides Margraf Friedrich, Volunteer from Holland,
there lay among the slain Colonel Count von Finkenstein (Old Tutor's Son), King's friend from boyhood, and
much loved. He was of the six whom we saw consulting at the door at Reinsberg, during a certain aguefit;
and he now rests silent here, while the matter has only come thus far.
Such was Mollwitz, the first Battle for Silesia; which had to cost many Battles first and last. Silesia will be
gained, we can expect, by fighting of this kind in an honest cause. But here is something already gained,
which is considerable, and about which there is no doubt. A new Military Power, it would appear, has come
upon the scene; the GazetteerandDiplomatic world will have to make itself familiar with a name not much
heard of hitherto among the Nations. "A Nation which can fight," think the Gazetteers; "fight almost as the
very Swedes did; and is led on by its King too,who may prove, in his way, a very Charles XII., or small
Macedonia's Madman, for aught one knows?" In which latter branch of their prognostic the Gazetteers were
much out.
The Fame of this Battle, which is now so sunk out of memory, was great in Europe; and struck, like a huge
wargong, with long resonance, through the general ear. M. de Voltaire had run across to Lille in those
Spring days: there is a good Troop of Players in Lille; a Niece, Madame Denis, wife of some Military
Commissariat Denis, important in those parts, can lodge the divine Emilie and me;and one could at last see
MAHOMET, after five years of struggling, get upon the boards, if not yet in Paris by a great way, yet in
Lille, which is something. MAHOMET is getting upon the boards on those terms; and has proceeded, not
amiss, through an Act or two, when a Note from the King of Prussia was handed to Voltaire, announcing the
victory of Mollwitz. Which delightful Note Voltaire stopt the performance till he read to the Audience:
"Bravissimo!" answered the Audience. "You will see," said M. de Voltaire to the friends about him, "this
Piece at Mollwitz will make mine succeed:" which proved to be the fact. [Voltaire, OEuvres (Vie Privee), ii.
74.] For the French are AntiAustrian; and smell great things in the wind. "That man is mad, your Most
Christian Majesty?" "Not quite; or at any rate not mad only!" think Louis and his Belleisles now.
Dimly poring in those old Books, and squeezing one's way into facetoface view of the extinct Time, we
begin to notice what a clangorous rumor was in Mollwitz to the then generation of mankind;betokening
many things; universal European War, as the first thing. Which duly came to pass; as did, at a slower rate, the
ulterior thing, not yet so apparent, that indeed a new hour had struck on the Time Horologe, that a New
Epoch had risen. Yes, my friends. New Charles XII. or not, here truly has a new Man and King come upon
the scene: capable perhaps of doing something? Slumberous Europe, rotting amid its blind pedantries, its lazy
hypocrisies, conscious and unconscious: this man is capable of shaking it a little out of its stupid refuges of
lies, and ignominious wrappages and bedclothes, which will be its grave clothes otherwise; and of
intimating to it, afar off, that there is still a Veracity in Things, and a Mendacity in ShamThings, and that the
difference of the two is infinitely more considerable than was supposed.
This Mollwitz is a most deliberate, regulated, ponderously impressive (GRAVITATISCH) Feat of Arms, as
the reader sees; done all by Regulation methods, with orthodox exactitude; in a slow, weighty, almost
pedantic, but highly irrefragable manner. It is the triumph of Prussian Discipline; of military orthodoxy well
put in practice: the honest outcome of good natural stuff in those Brandenburgers, and of the supreme virtues
of Drill. Neipperg and his Austrians had much despised Prussian soldiering: "Keep our soup hot," cried they,
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on running out this day to rank themselves; "hot a little, till we drive these fellows to the Devil!" That was
their opinion, about noon this day: but that is an opinion they have renounced for all remaining days and
years.It is a Victory due properly to Friedrich Wilhelm and the Old Dessauer, who are far away from it.
Friedrich Wilhelm, though dead, fights here, and the others only do his bidding on this occasion. His Son, as
yet, adds nothing of his own; though he will ever henceforth begin largely adding,right careful withal to
lose nothing, for the Friedrich Wilhelm contribution is invaluable, and the basis of everything; but it is
curious to see in what contrast this first Battle of Friedrich's is with his latter and last ones.
Considering the Battle of Mollwitz, and then, in contrast, the intricate Pragmatic Sanction, and what their
consequences were and their antecedents, it is curious once more! This, then, is what the Pragmatic Sanction
has come to? Twenty years of worldwide diplomacy, cunningly devised spiderthreads overnetting all the
world, have issued here. Your Congresses of Cambray, of Soissons, your GrumkowSeckendorf
Machiavelisms, all these might as well have lain in their bed. Real Pragmatic Sanction would have been, A
well trained Army and your Treasury full. Your Treasury is empty (nothing in it but those foolish 200,000
English guineas, and the passionate cry for more): and your Army is not trained as this Prussian one; cannot
keep its ground against this one. Of all those longheaded Potentates, simple Friedrich Wilhelm, son of
Nature, who had the honesty to do what Nature taught him, has come out, gainer. You all laughed at him as a
fool: do you begin to see now who was wise, who fool? He has an Army that "advances on you with
glittering musketry, steady as on the paradeground, and pours out fire like one continuous thunderpeal;" so
that, strange as it seems, you find there will actually be nothing for you buttaking to your heels, shall we
say?rolling off with despatch, as second best! These things are of singular omen. Here stands one that
will avenge Friedrich Wilhelm,if Friedrich Wilhelm were not already sufficiently avenged by the mere
verdict of facts, which is palpably coming out, as Time peels the wiggeries away from them more and more.
Mollwitz and such places are full of veracity; and no head is so thick as to resist conviction in that kind.
OF FRIEDRICH'S DISAPPEARANCE INTO FAIRYLAND, IN THE INTERIM; AND OF
MAUPERTUIS'S SIMILAR ADVENTURE.
Of the King's Flight, or sudden disappearance into Fairyland, during this first Battle, the King himself, who
alone could have told us fully, maintained always rigorous silence, and nowhere drops the least hint. So that
the small fact has come down to us involved in a great bulk of fabulous cobwebs, mostly of an ill natured
character, set agoing by Voltaire, Valori and others {which fabulous process, in the goodnatured form, still
continues itself); and, except for Nicolai's good industry (in his ANEKDOTEN Book), we should have
difficulty even in guessing, not to say understanding, as is now partly possible. The few real particulars
and those do verify themselves, and hang perfectly together, when the big globe of fable is burnt off from
themare to the following effect.
"Battle lost," said Schwerin: "but what is the loss of a Battle to that of your Majesty's own Person? For
Heaven's sake, go; get across the Oder; be you safe, till this decide itself!" That was reasonable counsel. If
defeated, Schwerin can hope to retreat upon Ohlau, upon Breslau, and save the Magazines. This side the
Oder, all will be movements, a whirlpool of Hussars; but beyond the Oder, all is quiet, open. To Ohlau, to
Glogau, nay home to Brandenburg and the Old Dessauer with his Camp at Gottin, the road is free, by the
other side of the Oder.Schwerin and Prince Leopold urging him, the King did ride away; at what hour,
with what suite, or with what adventures (not mostly fabulous) is not known:but it was towards Lowen,
fifteen miles off (where he crossed Neisse River, the other day); and thence towards Oppeln, on the Oder,
eighteen miles farther; and the pace was swift. Leopold, on reflection, ordered off a Squadron of
Gensd'Armes to overtake his Majesty, at Lowen or sooner; which they never did. Passing Pampitz, the King
threw Fredersdorf a word, who was among the baggage there: "To Oppeln; bring the Purse, the Privy
Writings!" Which Fredersdorf, and the Clerks (and another Herr, who became Nicolai's Fatherinlaw in
after years) did; and joined the King at Lowen; but I hope stopped there.
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The King's suite was small, names not given; but by the time he got to Lowen, being joined by cavalry
fugitives and the like, it had got to be seventy persons: too many for the King. He selected what was his of
them; ordered the gates to be shut behind him on all others, and again rode away. The Leopold Squadron of
Gensd'Armes did not arrive till after his departure; and having here lost trace of him, called halt, and billeted
for the night. The King speeds silently to Oppeln on his excellent bay horse, the worsemounted gradually
giving in. At Oppeln is a Bridge over the Oder, a free Country beyond: Regiment La Motte lay, and as the
King thinks, still lies in Oppeln;but in that he is mistaken. Regiment La Motte is with the baggage at
Pampitz, all this day; and a wandering Hussar Party, some sixty Austrians, have taken possession of Oppeln.
The King, and the few who had not yet broken down, arrive at the Gate of Oppeln, late, under cloud of night:
"Who goes?" cried the sentry from within. "Prussians! A Prussian Courier!" answer they;and are fired
upon through the gratings; and immediately draw back, and vanish unhurt into Night again. "Had those
Hussars only let him in!" said Austria afterwards: but they had not such luck. It was at this point, according to
Valori, that the King burst forth into audible ejaculations of a lamentable nature. There is no getting over,
then, even to Brandenburg, and in an insolvent condition. Not open insolvency and bankrupt disgrace; no,
ruin, and an Austrian jail, is the one outlook. "O MON DIEU, O God, it is too much (C'EN EST TROP)!"
with other the like snatches of lamentation; [Valori, i. 104.] which are not inconceivable in a young man,
sleepless for the third night, in these circumstances; but which Valori knows nothing of, except by malicious
rumor from the valet class,who have misinformed Valori about several other points.
The King riding diligently, with or without ejaculations, back towards Lowen, comes at an early hour to the
Mill of Hilbersdorf, within a mileandhalf of that place. He alights at the Mill; sends one of his attendants,
almost the only one now left, to inquire what is in Lowen. The answer, we know, is: "A squadron of
Gensd'Armes there; furthermore, a Prussian Adjutant come to say, Victory at Mollwitz!" Upon which the
King mounts again;issues into daylight, and concludes these mythical adventures. That "in Lowen, in the
shop at the corner of the Marketplace, Widow Panzern, subsequently Wife Somethingelse, made his
Majesty a cup of coffee, and served a roast fowl along with it," cannot but be welcome news, if true; and that
his Majesty got to Mollwitz again before dark that same "day," [Fuchs, p. 11.] is liable to no controversy.
In this way was Friedrich snatched by Morgante into Fairyland, carried by Diana to the top of Pindus (or even
by Proserpine to Tartarus, through a bad sixteen hours), till the Battle whirlwind subsided. Friendly
imaginative spirits would, in the antique time, have so construed it: but these moderns were
maliciousvaletish, not friendly; and wrapped the matter in mere stupid worlds of cobweb, which require
burning. Friedrich himself was stonesilent on this matter, all his life after; but is understood never quite to
have pardoned Schwerin for the illluck of giving him such advice. [Nicolai, ii. 180195 (the one true
account); Laveaux, i. 194; Valori, i. 104; (the myth in various stages). Most distractedly mythical of all, with
the truth clear before it, is the latest version, just come out, in Was sich die Schlesier vom alten Fritz erzahlen
(Brieg, 1860), pp. 113125.]
Friedrich's adventure is not the only one of that kind at Mollwitz; there is another equally
indubitable,which will remain obscure, halfmythical to the end of the world. The truth is, that Right Wing
of the Prussian Army was fallen chaotic, ruined; and no man, not even one who had seen it, can give account
of what went on there. The sage Maupertuis, for example, had climbed some tree or place of impregnability
("tree" Voltaire calls it, though that is hardly probable), hoping to see the Battle there. And he did see it,
much too clearly at last! In such a tide of charging and chasing, on that Right Wing and round all the Field in
the Prussian rear; in such wide bickering and boiling of Horsecurrents,which fling out, round all the
Prussian rear quarters, such a spray of Austrian Hussars for one element,Maupertuis, I have no doubt,
wishes much he were at home, doing his sines and tangents. An Austrian Hussarparty gets sight of him, on
his tree or other standpoint (Voltaire says elsewhere he was mounted on an ass, the malicious spirit!)too
certain, the Austrian Hussars got sight of him: his purse, gold watch, all he has of movable is given frankly;
all will not do. There are frills about the man, fine laces, cloth; a goodish yellow wig on him, for one
thing:their Slavonic dialect, too fatally intelligible by the pantomime accompanying it, forces sage
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Maupertuis from his tree or standpoint; the big red face flurried into scarlet, I can fancy; or scarlet and
ashywhite mixed; andLet us draw a veil over it! He is next seen shirtless, the once very haughty, blustery,
and now muchhumiliated man; still conscious of supreme acumen, insight and pure science; and, though an
Austrian prisoner and a monster of rags, struggling to believe that he is a genius and the Trismegistus of
mankind. What a pickle! The sage Maupertuis, as was natural, keeps passionately asking, of gods and men,
for an Officer with some tincture of philosophy, or even who could speak French. Such Officer is at last
found; humanely advances him money, a shirt and suit of clothes; but can in nowise dispense with his going
to Vienna as prisoner. Thither he went accordingly; still in a mythical condition. Of Voltaire's laughing, there
is no end; and he changes the myth from time to time, on new rumors coming; and there is no truth to be had
from him. [Voltaire, OEuvres (Vie Prive), ii. 3334; and see his LETTERS for some were after the event.]
This much is certain: at Vienna, Maupertuis, prisoner on parole, glided about for some time in deep eclipse,
till the Newspapers began babbling of him. He confessed then that he was Maupertuis, Flattener of the Earth;
but for the rest, "told rather a blind story about himself," says Robinson; spoke as if he had been of the King's
suite, "riding with the King," when that Hussar accident befell;rather a blind story, true story being too sad.
The Vienna Sovereignties, in the turn things had taken, were extremely kind; GrandDuke Franz handsomely
pulled out his own watch, hearing what road the Maupertuis one had gone; dismissed the Maupertuis, with
that and other gifts, home:to Brittany (not to Prussia), till times calmed for engrafting the Sciences.
[ Helden Geschichte, i. 902; Robinson's Despatch (Vienna, 22d April, 1741, n.s.); Voltaire, ubi supra.]
On Wednesday, Friedrich writes this Note to his Sister; the first utterance we have from him since those wild
roamings about Oppeln and Hilbersdorf Mill:
KING TO WILHELMINA (at Baireuth; two days after Mollwitz).
"OHLAU, 12th April, 1741.
"MY DEAREST SISTER,I have the satisfaction to inform you that we have yesterday [day before
yesterday; but some of us have only had one sleep!] totally beaten the Austrians. They have lost more than
5,000 men, killed, wounded and prisoners. We have lost Prince Friedrich, Brother of Margraf Karl; General
Schulenburg, Wartensleben of the Carabineers, and many other Officers. Our troops did miracles; and the
result shows as much. It was one of the rudest Battles fought within memory of man.
"I am sure you will take part in this happiness; and that you will not doubt of the tenderness with which I am,
my dearest Sister, Yours wholly, FEDERIC." [ OEuvres, xxvii. i. 101.]
And on the same day there comes, from Breslau, Jordan's Answer to the late anxious little Note from
Pogarell; anxieties now gone, and smoky misery changed into splendor of flame:
JORDAN TO THE KING (finds him at Ohlau).
"BRESLAU, 11th April, 1741. "SIRE,Yesterday I was in terrible alarms. The sound of the cannon heard,
the smoke of powder visible from the steepletops here; all led us to suspect that there was a Battle going on.
Glorious confirmation of it this morning! Nothing but rejoicing among all the Protestant inhabitants; who had
begun to be in apprehension, from the rumors which the other party took pleasure in spreading. Persons who
were in the Battle cannot enough celebrate the coolness and bravery of your Majesty. For myself, I am at the
overflowing point. I have run about all day, announcing this glorious news to the Berliners who are here. In
my life I have never felt a more perfect satisfaction.
"M. de Camas is here, very ill for the last two days; attack of feverthe Doctor hopes to bring him
through,"which proved beyond the Doctor: the good Camas died here three days hence (age sixty three);
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an excellent GermanFrenchman, of much sense, dignity and honesty; familiar to Friedrich from infancy
onwards, and no doubt regretted by him as deserved. The Widow Camas, a fine old Lady, German by birth,
will again come in view. Jordan continues:
"One finds, at the corner of every street, an orator of the Plebs celebrating the warlike feats of your Majesty's
troops. I have often, in my idleness, assisted at these discourses: not artistic eloquence, it must be owned, but
spurting rude from the heart. ..." Jordan adds in his next Note: "This morning (14th) I quitted M. de Camas;
who, it is thought, cannot last the day. I have hardly left him during his illness:" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xvii.
99.]and so let that scene close.
Neipperg, meanwhile, had fallen back on Neisse; taken up a strong encampment in that neighborhood; he lies
thereabouts all summer; stretched out, as it were, in a kind of vigilant dogsleep on the threshold, keeping
watch over Neisse, and tries fighting no more at this time, or indeed ever after, to speak of. And always, I
think, with disadvantage, when he does try a little. He had been Grand Duke Franz's Tutor in Warmatters;
had got into trouble at Belgrade once before, and was almost hanged by the Turks. George II. had
occasionally the benefit of him, in coming years. Be not too severe on the poor man, as the Vienna public
was; he had some faculty, though not enough. "Governor of Luxemburg," before long: there, for most part,
let him peacefully drill, and spend the remainder of his poor life. Friedrich says, neither Neipperg nor
himself, at this time, knew the least of War; and that it would be hard to settle which of them made the more
blunders in their Silesian tussle.
Friedrich, in about three weeks hence, was fully ready for opening trenches upon Brieg; did open trenches,
accordingly, by moonlight, in a grand nocturnal manner (as readers shall see anon); and, by vigorous
cannonading,Marechal de Belleisle having come, by this time, to enjoy the fine spectacle,soon got
possession of Brieg, and held it thenceforth. Neisse now alone remained, with Neipperg vigilantly stretched
upon the threshold of it. But the Marechal de Belleisle, we say, had come; that was the weighty circumstance.
And before Neisse can be thought of, there is a whole Europe, bickering aloft into conflict; embattling itself
from end to end, in sequel of Mollwitz Battle; and such a preliminary sea of negotiating, diplomatic finessing,
pulsefeeling, projecting and palavering, with Friedrich for centre all summer, asas I wish readers could
imagine without my speaking of it farther! But they cannot.
Chapter XI. THE BURSTING FORTH OF BEDLAMS: BELLEISLE AND THE
BREAKERS OF PRAGMATIC SANCTION.
The Battle of Mollwitz went off like a signalshot among the Nations; intimating that they were, one and all,
to go battling. Which they did, with a witness; making a terrible thing of it, over all the world, for above
seven years to come. Foolish Nations; doomed to settle their jarring accounts in that terrible manner! Nay, the
fewest of them had any accounts, except imaginary ones, to settle there at all; and they went into the
adventure GRATIS, spurred on by spectralities of the sick brain, by phantasms of hope, phantasms of terror;
and had, strictly speaking, no actual business in it whatever.
Not that Mollwitz kindled Europe; Europe was already kindled for some two years past;especially since
the late Kaiser died, and his Pragmatic Sanction was superadded to the other troubles afoot. But ever since
that Image of JENKINS'S EAR had at last blazed up in the slow English brain, like a fiery constellation or
Sign in the Heavens, symbolic of such injustices and unendurabilities, and had lighted the SpanishEnglish
War, Europe was slowly but pretty surely taking fire. France "could not see Spain humbled," she said:
England (in its own dim feeling, and also in the fact of things) could not do at all without considerably
humbling Spain. France, endlessly interested in that SpanishEnglish matter, was already sending out fleets,
firing shots,almost, or altogether, putting forth her hand in it. "In which case, will not, must not, Austria
help us?" thought England,and was asking, daily, at Vienna (with intense earnestness, but without the least
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result), through Excellency Robinson there, when the late Kaiser died. Died, poor gentleman;and left his
big Austrian Heritages lying, as it were, in the open marketplace; elaborately tied by diplomatic packthread
and Pragmatic Sanction; but not otherwise protected against the assembled cupidities of mankind!
Independently of Mollwitz, or of Silesia altogether, it was next to impossible that Europe could long avoid
blazing out; especially unless the SpanishEnglish quarrel got quenched, of which there was no likelihood.
But if not as cause, then as signal, or as signal and cause together (which it properly was), the Battle of
Mollwitz gave the finishing stroke, and set all in motion. This was "the little stone broken loose from the
mountain;" this, rather than the late Kaiser's Death, which Friedrich defined in that manner. Or at least, this
was the first LEAP it took; hitting other stones big and little, which again hit others with their leaping and
rolling, till the whole mountainside is in motion under law of gravity, and you behold one wide
stonetorrent thundering towards the valleys; shivering woods, farms, habitations clean away with it: fatal to
any Image of composite Clay and Brass which it may meet!
There is, accordingly, from this point, a change in Friedrich's Silesian Adventure; which becomes infinitely
more complicated for him,and for those that write of him, no less! Friedrich's business henceforth is not to
be done by direct fighting, but rather by waiting to see how, and on what side, others will fight: nor can we
describe or understand Friedrich's business, except as in connection with the immense, obsolete, and indeed
delirious Phenomenon called AustrianSuccession War, upon which it is difficult to say any human word. If
History, driven upon Dismal Swamp with its horrors and perils, can get across unsunk, she will be lucky!
For, directly on the back of Mollwitz, there ensued, first, an explosion of Diplomatic activity such as was
never seen before; Excellencies from the four winds taking wing towards Friedrich; and talking and
insinuating, and fencing and fugling, after their sort, in that Silesian Camp of his, the centre being there. A
universal rookery of Diplomatists;whose loud cackle and cawing is now as if gone mad to us; their work
wholly fallen putrescent and avoidable, dead to all creatures. And secondly, in the train of that, there ensued a
universal European War, the French and the English being chief parties in it; which abounds in battles and
feats of arms, spirited but delirious, and cannot be got stilled for seven or eight years to come; and in which
Friedrich and his War swim only as an intermittent Episode henceforth. What to do with such a War; how
extricate the Episode, and leave the War lying? The War was at first a good deal mad; and is now, to men's
imagination, fallen wholly so; who indeed have managed mostly to forget it; only the Episode (reduced
thereby to an UNintelligible state) retaining still some claims on them.
It is singular into what oblivion the huge Phenomenon called AustrianSuccession War has fallen; which,
within a hundred years ago or little more, filled all mortal hearts! The English were principals on one side;
did themselves fight in it, with their customary fire, and their customary guidance ("courageous Wooden Pole
with Cocked Hat," as our friend called it); and paid all the expenses, which were extremely considerable, and
are felt in men's pockets to this day: but the English have more completely forgotten it than any other People.
"Battle of Dettingen, Battle of Fontenay, what, in the Devil's name, were we ever doing there?" the
impatient Englishman asks; and can give no answer, except the general one: "Fit of insanity; DELIRIUM
TREMENS, perhaps FURENS; don't think of it!" Of Philippi and Arbela educated Englishmen can render
account; and I am told young gentlemen entering the Army are pointedly required to say who commanded at
AigosPotamos and wrecked the Peloponnesian War: but of Dettingen and Fontenoy, where is the living
Englishman that has the least notion, or seeks for any? The AustrianSuccession War did veritably rage for
eight years, at a terrific rate, deforming the face of Earth and Heaven; the English paying the piper always,
and founding their National Debt thereby:but not even that could prove mnemonic to them; and they have
dropped the AustrianSuccession War, with one accord, into the general dustbin, and are content it should lie
there. They have not, in their language, the least approach to an intelligible account of it: How it went on,
whitherward, whence; why it was there at all,are points dark to the English, and on which they do not wish
to be informed. They have quitted the matter, as an unintelligible huge EnglishandForeign Delirium
(which in good part it was); Delirium unintelligible to them; tedious, not to say in parts, as those of the
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Austrian Subsidies, hideous and disgusting to them; happily now fallen extinct; and capable of being skipped,
in one's inquiries into the wonders of this England and this World. Which, in fact, is a practical conclusion
not so unwise as it looks.
"Wars are not memorable," says Sauerteig, "however big they may have been, whatever rages and miseries
they may have occasioned, or however many hundreds of thousands they may have been the death
of,except when they have something of WorldHistory in them withal. If they are found to have been the
travailthroes of great or considerable changes, which continue permanent in the world, men of some
curiosity cannot but inquire into them, keep memory of them. But if they were travailthroes that had no
birth, who of mortals would remember them? Unless perhaps the feats of prowess, virtue, valor and
endurance, they might accidentally give rise to, were very great indeed. Much greater than the most were,
which came out in that AustrianSuccession case! Wars otherwise are mere futile transitory dustwhirlwinds
stilled in blood; extensive fits of human insanity, such as we know are too apt to break out;such as it rather
beseems a faithful Son of the House of Adam NOT to speak about again; as in houses where the grandfather
was hanged, the topic of ropes is fitly avoided.
"Never again will that War, with its deliriums, mad outlays of blood, treasure, and of hope and terror, and
farspread human destruction, rise into visual life in any imagination of living man. In vain shall Dryasdust
strive: things mad, chaotic and without ascertainable purpose or result, cannot be fixed into human memories.
Fix them there by never so many Documentary Histories, elaborate longeared Pedantries, and cunning
threads, the poor human memory has an alchemy against such ill usage;it forgets them again; grows to
know them as a mere torpor, a stupidity and horror, and instinctively flies from Dryasdust and them."
Alive to any considerable degree, in the poor human imagination, this Editor does not expect or even wish the
AustrianSuccession War to be. Enough for him if it could be understood sufficiently to render his poor
History of Friedrich intelligible. For it enwraps Friedrich like a worldvortex henceforth; modifies every step
of his existence henceforth; and apart from it, there is no understanding of his business or him. "So much as
sticks to Friedrich:" that was our original bargain! Assist loyally, O reader, and we will try to make the
indispensable a minimum for you.
WHO WAS TO BLAME FOR THE AUSTRIANSUCCESSION WAR?
The first point to be noted is, Where did it originate? To which the answer mainly is, With that lean
Gentleman whom we saw with Papers in the OEildeBoeuf on Newyear's day last. With Monseigneur the
Marechal de Belleisle principally; with the ambitious cupidities and baseless vanities of the French Court and
Nation, as represented by Belleisle. George II.'s Spanish War, if you will examine, had a real necessity in it.
Jenkins's Ear was the ridiculous outside figure this matter had: Jenkins's Ear was one final item of it; but the
poor English People, in their wrath and bellowings about that small item, were intrinsically meaning: "Settle
the account; let us have that account cleared up and liquidated; it has lain too long!" And seldom were a
People more in the right, as readers shall yet see.
The EnglishSpanish War had a basis to stand on in this Universe. The like had the PrussianAustrian one;
so all men now admit. If Friedrich had not business there, what man ever had in an enterprise he ventured on?
Friedrich, after such trial and proof as has seldom been, got his claims on Schlesien allowed by the Destinies.
His claims on Schlesien;and on infinitely higher things; which were found to be his and his Nation's,
though he had not been consciously thinking of them in making that adventure. For, as my poor Friend
insists, there ARE Laws valid in Earth and in Heaven; and the great soul of the world is just. Friedrich had
business in this War; and Maria Theresa VERSUS Friedrich had likewise cause to appear in court, and do her
utmost pleading against him.
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But if we ask, What Belleisle or France and Louis XV. had to do there? the answer is rigorously, Nothing.
Their own windy vanities, ambitions, sanctioned not by fact and the Almighty Powers, but by phantasm and
the babble of Versailles; transcendent selfconceit, intrinsically insane; pretensions over their
fellowcreatures which were without basis anywhere in Nature, except in the French brain alone: it was this
that brought Belleisle and France into a German War. And Belleisle and France having gone into an
AntiPragmatic War, the unlucky George and his England were dragged into a Pragmatic one,quitting
their own business, on the Spanish Main, and hurrying to Germany,in terror as at Doomsday, and zeal to
save the Keystone of Nature these. That is the notable point in regard to this War: That France is to be called
the author of it, who, alone of all the parties, had no business there whatever. And the wages due to France
for such a piece of industry,the reader will yet see what wages France and the other parties got, at the tail
of the affair. For that too is apparent in our day.
We have often said, the SpanishEnglish War was itself likely to have kindled Europe; and again Friedrich's
Silesian War was itself likely,France being nearly sure to interfere. But if both these Wars were necessary
ones, and if France interfered in either of them on the wrong side, the blame will be to France, not to the
necessary Wars. France could, in no way, have interfered in a more barefacedly unjust and gratuitous manner
than she now did; nor, on any terms, have so palpably made herself the author of the conflagration of
deliriums that ensued for above Seven years henceforth. Nay for above Twenty years,the settlement of this
Silesian PragmaticAntipragmatic matter (and of Jenkins's Ear, incidentally, ALONG with this!) not having
fairly completed itself till 1763.
HOW BELLEISLE MADE VISIT TO TEUTSCHLAND; AND THERE WAS NO FIT HENRY THE
FOWLER TO WELCOME HIM.
It is very wrong to keep Enchanted Wiggeries sitting in this world, as if they were things still alive! By a
species of "conservatism," which gets praised in our Time, but which is only a slothful cowardice, base
indifference to truth, and hatred to trouble in comparison with lies that sit quiet, men now extensively practise
this method of procedure;little dreaming how bad and fatal it at all times is. When the brains are out,
things really ought to die; no matter what lovely things they were, and still affect to be, the brains being
out, they actually ought in all cases to die, and with their best speed get buried. Men had noses, at one time;
and smelt the horror of a deceased reality fallen putrid, of a once dear verity become mendacious,
phantasmal; but they have, to an immense degree, lost that organ since, and are now living comfortably
cheekbyjowl with lies. Lies of that sad "conservative" kind,and indeed of all kinds whatsoever: for that
kind is a general mother; and BREEDS, with a fecundity that is appalling, did you heed it much!
It was pity that the "Holy Romish Reich, Teutsch by Nation," had not got itself buried some ages before.
Once it had brains and life, but now they were out. Under the sway of Barbarossa, under our old antichaotic
friend Henry the Fowler, how different had it been! No field for a Belleisle to come and sow tares in; no
rotten thatch for a French Sungod to go sailing about in the middle of, and set fire to! Henry, when the
Hungarian PanSlavonic Savagery came upon him, had got ready in the interim; and a mangy dog was the
"tribute" he gave them; followed by the due extent of broken crowns, since they would not be content with
that. That was the due of Belleisle too,had there been a Henry to meet him with it, on his crossing the
marches, in Trier Country, in Spring, 1741: "There, you anarchic UpholsteryBelus, fancying yourself God
of the Sun; there is what Teutschland owes you. Go home with that; and mind your own business, which I am
told is plentiful, if you had eye for it!"
But the sad truth is, for above Four Centuries now,and especially for Three, since little Kaiser Karl IV.
"gave away all the moneys of it," in his pressing occasions, this Holy Romish Reich, Teutsch by Nation, has
been more and ever more becoming an imaginary quantity; the Kaisership of it not capable of being worn by
anybody, except a Hapsburger who had resources otherwise his own. The fact is palpable. And Austria, and
AntiReformation Entity, "conservative" in that bad sense, of slothfully abhorring trouble in comparison with
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lies, had not found the poison more malodorous in this particular than in many others. And had cherished its
"Holy Romish Reich" grown UNholy, phantasmal, like so much else in Austrian things; and had held firm
grip of it, these Three Hundred years; and found it a furthersome and suitable thing, though sensible it was
more and more becoming an Enchanted Wiggery pure and simple. Nor have the consequences failed; they
never do. Belleisle, Louis XIV., Henri II., Francois I.: it is long since the French have known this state of
matters; and been in the habit of breaking in upon it, fomenting internal discontents, getting up unjust
Wars,with or without advantage to France, but with endless disadvantage to Germany. Schmalkaldic War;
ThirtyYears War; Louis XIV.'s Wars, which brought Alsace and the other fine cuttings; late PolishElection
War, and its Lorraine; Austrian Succession War: many are the wars kindled on poor Teutschland by
neighbor France; and large is the sum of woes to Europe and to it, chargeable to that score. Which appears
even yet not to be completed?Perhaps not, even yet. For it is the penalty of being loyal to Enchanted
Wiggeries; of living cheekbyjowl with lies of a peaceable quality, and stuffing your nostrils, and searing
your soul, against the accursed odor they all have!For I can assure you the curse of Heaven does dwell in
one and all of them; and the son of Adam cannot too soon get quit of their bad partnership, cost him what it
may.
Belleisle's Journey as Sungod began in March,"end of March, 1741," no date of a day to be had for that
memorable thing:and he went gyrating about, through the German Courts, for almost a year afterwards; his
course rather erratic, but always in a splendor as of Belus, with those hundred and thirty French Lords and
Valets, and the glory of Most Christian King irradiating him. Very diligent for the first six months, till
September or October next, which we may call his SEEDTIME; and by no means resting after nine or
twelve months, while the harrowing and hoeing went on. In January, 1742, he had the great satisfaction to see
a Bavarian Kaiser got, instead of an Austrian; and everywhere the fruit of his diligent husbandry begin to
BEARD fairly above ground, into a crop of facts (like armed men from dragon's teeth), and "the pleasure of
the" WHOM was it the pleasure of?"prosper in his hands." Belleisle was a pretty man; but I doubt it
was not "the Lord" he was doing the pleasure of, on this occasion, but a very Different Personage, disguised
to resemble him in poor Belleisle's eyes!
Austria was not dangerous to France in late times, and now least of all; how far from it,humbled by the
loss of Lorraine; and now as it were bankrupt, itself in danger from all the world. And France, so far as
express Treaties could bind a Nation, was bound to maintain Austria in its present possessions. The bitter loss
of Lorraine had been sweetened to the late Kaiser by that solitary drop of consolation;as his Failure of a
Life had been, poor man: "Failure the most of me has been; but I have got Pragmatic Sanction, thanks to
Heaven, and even France has signed it!" Loss of Lorraine, loss of Elsass, loss of the Three Bishoprics; since
Karl V.'s times, not to speak of earlier, there has been mere loss on loss:and now is the time to
consummate it, think Belleisle and France, in spite of Treaties.
Towards humbling or extinguishing Austria, Belleisle has two preliminary things to do: FIRST, Break the
Pragmatic Sanction, and get everybody to break it; SECOND, Guide the KAISERWAHL (Election of a
Kaiser), so that it issue, not in GrandDuke Franz, Maria Theresa's Husband, as all expect it will, but in
another party friendly to France:say in Karl Albert of Bavaria, whose Family have long been good clients
of ours, dependent on us for a living in the Political World. Belleisle, there is little doubt, had from the first
cast his eye on this unlucky Karl Albert for Kaiser; but is uncertain as to carrying him. Belleisle will take
another if he must; KurSachsen, for example;any other, and all others, only not the GrandDuke: that is a
point already fixed with Belleisle, though he keeps it well in the background, and is careful not to hint it till
the time come.
In regard to Pragmatic Sanction, Belleisle and France found no difficulty,or the difficulty only (which we
hope must have been considerable) of eating their own Covenant in behalf of Pragmatic Sanction; and
declaring, which they did without visible blush, That it was a Covenant including, if not expressly, then
tacitly, as all human covenants do, this clause, "SALVO JURE TERTII (Saving the rights of Third
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Parties),"that is, of Electors of Bavaria, and others who may object, against it! O soul of honor, O first
Nation of the Universe, was there ever such a subterfuge? Here is a field of flowering corn, the biggest in the
world, begirt with elaborate ringfence, many miles of firm oakpaling pitched and buttressed; the poor
gentleman now dead gave you his Lorraine, and almost his life, for swearing to keep up said paling. And you
do keep it up, all except six yards; through which the biggest team on the highway can drive freely, and the
paltriest cadger's ass can step in for a bellyful!
It appears, the first Nation of the Universe had, at an early period of their consultations, hit upon this of
SALVO JURE TERTII, as the method of eating their Covenant, before an enlightened public. [20th January,
1741, in their Note of Ceremony, recognizing Maria Theresa as Queen of Hungary, Note which had been due
so very long (ADELUNG, ii. 206), there is ominous silence on Pragmatic Sanction; "beginning of March,"
there is virtual avowal of SALVO JURE (ib. 279);open avowal on Belleisle's advent (ib. 305).] And they
persisted in it, there being no other for them. An enlightened public grinned sardonically, and was not taken
in; but, as so many others were eating their Covenants, under equally poor subterfuges, the enlightened public
could not grin long on any individual,could only gape mutely, with astonishment, on all. A glorious
example of veracity and human nobleness, set by the gods of this lower world to their gazing populations,
who could read in the Gazettes! What is truth, falsity, human Kingship, human Swindlership? Are the Ten
Commandments only a figure of speech, then? And it was some beggarly AttorneyDevil that built this
sublunary world and us? Questions might rise; had long been rising;but now there was about enough, and
the response to them was falling due; and Belleisle himself, what is very notable, had been appointed to get
ready the response. Belleisle (little as Belleisle dreamt of it, in these high Enterprises) was ushering in, by
way of response, a RAGNAROK, or Twilight of the Gods, which, as "French Revolution, or Apotheosis of
SANSCULOTTISM," is now well known;and that is something to consider of!
DOWNBREAK OF PRAGMATIC SANCTION; MANNER OF THE CHIEF ARTISTS IN HANDLING
THEIR COVENANTS.
The operation once accomplished on its own Pragmatic Covenant, France found no difficulty with the others.
Everybody was disposed to eat his Covenant, who could see advantage in so doing, after that admirable
example. The difficulty of France and Belleisle rather was, to keep the hungry parties back: "Don't eat your
Covenant TILL the proper time; patience, we say!" A most sad Miscellany of Royalties, coming all to the
point, "Will you eat your Covenant, Will you keep it?"and eating, nearly all; in fact, wholly all that needed
to eat.
On the first Invasion of Silesia, Maria Theresa had indignantly complained in every Court; and pointing to
Pragmatic Sanction, had demanded that such Law of Nature be complied with, according to covenant. What
Maria Theresa got by this circuit of the Courts, everybody still knows. Except England, which was willing,
and Holland, which was unwilling, all Courts had answered, more or less uneasily: "Law of
Nature,humph: yes!"and, far from doing anything, not one of them would with certainty promise to do
anything. From England alone and her little King (to whom Pragmatic Sanction is the Palladium of Human
Freedoms and the Keystone of Nature) could she get the least help. The rest hung back; would not open heart
or pocket; waited till they saw. They do now see; now that Belleisle has done his feat of Covenanteating!
Eleven great Powers, some count Thirteen, some Twelve, [Scholl, ii. 286; Adelung, LIST, ii. 127.]but no
two agree, and hardly one agrees with himself;enough, the Powers of Europe, from Naples and Madrid to
Russia and Sweden, have all signed it, let us say a Dozen or a Baker'sDozen of them. And except our little
English Paladin alone, whose interest and indeed salvation seemed to him to lie that way, and who needed no
Pragmatic Covenant to guide him, nobody whatever distinguished himself by keeping it. Between December,
1740, when Maria Theresa set up her cries in all Courts, on to April, 1741, England, painfully dragging
Holland with her, had alone of the Baker'sDozen spoken word of disapproval; much less done act of
hindrance. Two especially (France and Bavaria, not to mention Spain) had done the reverse, and disowned,
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and declared against, Pragmatic Sanction. And after the Battle of Mollwitz, when the "little stone" took its
first leap, and set all thundering, then came, like the inrush of a fashion, throughout that high Miscellany or
Baker'sDozen, the general eating of Covenants (which was again quickened in August, for a reason we shall
see): and before November of that Year, there was no Covenant left to eat. Of the Baker'sDozen nobody
remained but little George the Paladin, dragging Holland painfully along with him;and Pragmatic Sanction
had gone to water, like ice in a June day, and its beautiful crystalline qualities and prismatic colors were
forever vanished from the world. Will the reader note a point or two, a personage or two, in this sordid
process,not for the process's sake, which is very sordid and smells badly, but for his own sake, to elucidate
his own course a little in the intricacies now coming or come upon him and me?
1. ELECTOR OF BAVARIA.Karl Albert of Baiern is by some counted as a Signer of the Pragmatic
Sanction, and by others not; which occasions that discrepancy of sumtotal in the Books. And he did once, in
a sense, sign it, he and his Brother of Koln; but, before the late Kaiser's death, he had openly drawn back
from it again; and counted himself a Nonsigner. Signer or not, he, for his part, lost no moment (but rather
the contrary) in openly protesting against it, and signifying that he never would acknowledge it. Of this the
reader saw something, at the time of her Hungarian Majesty's Accession. Date and circumstances of it, which
deserve remembering, are more precisely these: October 20th, 1740, Karl Albert's Ambassador, Perusa by
name, wrote to Karl from Vienna, announcing that the Kaiser was just dead. From Munchen, on the 21st,
Karl Albert, anticipating such an event, but not yet knowing it, orders Perusa, in CASE of the Kaiser's
decease, which was considered probable at Munchen, to demand instant audience of the proper party
(Kanzler Sinzendorf), and there openly lodge his Protest. Which Perusa did, punctually in all points,no
moment LOST, but rather the contrary, as we said! Let poor Karl Albert have what benefit there is in that
fact. He was, of all the Anti Pragmatic CovenantBreakers (if he ever fairly were such), the only one that
proceeded honorably, openly and at once, in the matter; and he was, of them all, by far the most unfortunate.
This is the poor gentleman whom Belleisle had settled on for being Kaiser. And Kaiser he became; to his
frightful sorrow, as it proved: his crown like a crown of burning iron, or little better! There is little of him in
the Books, nor does one desire much: a tall aquiline type of man; much the gentleman in aspect; and in
reality, of decorous serious deportment, and the wish to be high and dignified. He had a kind of right, too, in
the AntiPragmatic sense; and was come of Imperial kindred,Kaiser Ludwig the Bavarian, and Kaiser
Rupert of the Pfalz, called Rupert KLEMM, or Rupert Smith'svice, if any reader now remember him, were
both of his ancestors. He might fairly pretend to Kaisership and to Austrian ownership,had he otherwise
been equal to such enterprises. But, in all ambitions and attempts, howsoever grounded otherwise, there is
this strict question on the threshold: "Are you of weight for the adventure; are not you far too light for it?"
Ambitious persons often slur this question; and get squelched to pieces, by bringing the Twelve Labors of
Hercules on Unherculean backs! Not every one is so lucky as our Friedrich in that particular,whose back,
though with difficulty, held out. Which poor Karl Albert's never had much likelihood to do. Few mortals in
any age have offered such an example of the tragedies which Ambition has in store for her votaries; and what
a matter Hope FULFILLED may be to the unreflecting Son of Adam.
We said, he had a kind of right to Austria, withal. He descended by the female line from Kaiser Ferdinand I.
(as did KurSachsen, though by a younger Daughter than Karl Albert's Ancestress); and he appealed to
Kaiser Ferdinand's Settlement of the Succession, as a higher than any subsequent Pragmatic could be. Upon
which there hangs an incident; still famous to German readers. Karl Albert, getting into Public Argument in
this way, naturally instructed Perusa to demand sight of Kaiser Ferdinand's Last Will, the tenor of which was
known by authentic Copy in Munchen, if not elsewhere among the kindred. After some delay, Perusa (4th
November, 1740), summoning the other excellencies to witness, got sight of the Will: to his horror, there
stood, in the cardinal passage, instead of "MUNNLICHE" (male descendants), "EHELICHE" (lawfully
begotten descendants),fatal to Karl Albert's claim! Nor could he PROVE that the Parchment had been
scraped or altered, though he kept trying and examining for some days. He withdrew thereupon, by order,
straightway from Vienna; testifying in dumbshow what he thought. "It is your Copy that is false," cried the
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Vienna people: "it has been foisted on you, with this wrong word in it; done by somebody (your friend, the
Excellency Herr von Hartmann, shall we guess?), wishing to curry favor with ambitious foolish persons!"
Such was the Austrian story. Perhaps in Munchen itself their Copyist was not known;for aught I learn, the
Copy was made long since, and the Copyist dead. Hartmann, named as Copyist by the Vienna people, made
emphatic public answer: "Never did I copy it, or see it!" And there rose great argument, which is not yet quite
ended, as to the question, "Original falsified, or Copy falsified?" and the modern vote, I believe, rather
clearly is, That the Austrian Officials had done itin a case of necessity. [Adelung, ii. 150154 (14th20th
November, 1740), gives the public facts, without commentary. Hormayr ( Anemonen aus dem Tagebuch
eines alten Pilgersmannes, Jena, 1845, i. 162169, our old Hormayr of the AUSTRIAN PLUTARCH, but
now Anonymous, and in Opposition humor) considers the case nearly proved against Austria, and that
Bartenstein and one Bessel, a pillar of the Church, were concerned in it.] Possible? "But you will lose your
soul!" said the Parson once to a poor old Gentlewoman, English by Nation, who refused, in dying, to
contradict some domestic fiction, to give up some domestic secret: "But you will lose your soul, Madam!"
"Tush, what signifies my poor silly soul compared with the honor of the family?"
2. KING FRIEDRICH;King Friedrich may be taken as the Anti Pragmatic next in order of time. He too
lost not a moment, and proceeded openly; no quirking to be charged upon him. His account of himself in this
matter always was: "By the Treaty of Wusterhausen, 1726, unquestionably Prussia undertook to guarantee
Pragmatic Sanction; the late Kaiser undertaking in return, by the same Treaty, to secure Berg and Julich to
Prussia, and to have some progress made in it within six months from signing. And unquestionably also, the
late Kaiser did thereupon, or even had already done, precisely the reverse; namely, secured, so far as in him
was possible, Berg and Julich to KurPfalz. Such Treaty, having in this way done suicide, is dead and
become zero: and I am free, in respect of Pragmatic Sanction, to do whatever shall seem good to me. My
wish was, and would still be, To maintain Pragmatic Sanction, and even to support it by 100,000 men, and
secure the Election of the GrandDuke to the Kaisership,were my claims on Silesia once liquidated. But
these have no concern with Pragmatic Sanction, for or against: these are good against whoever may fall Heir
to the House of Austria, or to Silesia: and my intention is, that the strong hand, so long clenched upon my
rights, shall open itself by this favorable opportunity, and give them out." That is Friedrich's case. And in
truth the jury everywhere has to find,so soon as instructed, which is a long process in some sections of it
(in England, for example),That Pragmatic Sanction has not, except helpless lamentations, "Alas that YOU
should be here to insist upon your rights, and to open fists long closed!"the least, word to say to Friedrich.
3. TERMAGANT OF SPAIN.Perhaps the most distracted of the Anti Pragmatic subterfuges was that
used by Spain, when the Shedragon or Termagant saw good to eat her Covenant; which was at a very early
stage. The Termagant's poor Husband is a Bourbon, not a Hapsburg at all: "But has not he fallen heir to the
Spanish Hapsburgs; become all one as they, an ALTEREGO of the Spanish Hapsburgs?" asks she. "And the
Austrian Hapsburgs being out, do not the Spanish Hapsburgs come in? He, I say, this BOURBONHapsburg,
he is the real Hapsburg, now that the Austrian Branch is gone; President he of the Golden Fleece [which a
certain "Archduchess," Maria Theresa, had been meddling with]; Proprietor, he, of Austrian Italy, and of all
or most things Austrian!"and produces Documentary Covenants of Philip II. with his Austrian Cousins; "to
which Philip," said the Termagant, "we Bourbons surely, if you consider it, are Heir and AlterEgo!" Is not,
this a curious case of testamentary right; human greed obliterating personal identity itself?
Belleisle had a great deal of difficulty, keeping the Termagant back till things were ripe. Her hope practically
was, Baby Carlos being prosperous King of Naples this long while, to get the Milanese for another Baby she
has,Baby Philip, whom she once thought of making Pope;and she is eager beyond measure to have a
stroke at the Milanese. "Wait!" hoarsely whispers Belleisle to her; and she can scarcely wait. Maria Theresa's
Note of Announcement "New Queen of Hungary, may it please you!" the French, as we saw, were very long
in answering. The Termagant did not answer it at all; complained on the contrary, "What is this, Madam!
Golden Fleece, you?"and, early in March, informed mankind that she was Spanish Hapsburg, the genuine
article; and sent off Excellency Montijos, a little man of great expense, to assist at the Election of a proper
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Kaiser, and be useful to Belleisle in the great things now ahead. [Spain's GoldenFleece pretensions, 17th
January, 1741 (Adelung, ii. 233, 234); "Publishes at Paris," in March (ib. 293); and on the 23d March
accredits Montijos (ib. 293): Italian War, held back by Belleisle and the English Fleets, cannot get begun till
October following.]
4. KING OF POLAND.The most ticklish card in Belleisle's game, and probably the greatest fool of these
AntiPragmatic Dozen, was KurSachsen, King of Poland. He, like Karl Albert KurBaiern, derives from
Kaiser Ferdinand, though by a YOUNGER Daughter, and has a like claim on the Austrian Succession; claim
nullified, however, by that small circumstance itself, but which he would fain mend by one makeshift or
another; and thinks always it must surely be good for something. This is August III., this King of Poland, as
readers know; son of August the Strong: Papa made him change to the Catholic religion so called,for the
sake of getting Poland, which proves a very poor possession to him. Who knows what damage the poor
creature may have got by that sad operation;which all Saxony sighed to the heart on hearing of; for it was
always hoped he had some real religion, and would deliver them from that Babylonish Captivity again! He
married Kaiser Joseph I.'s Daughter,Maria Theresa's Cousin, and by an Elder Brother;this, too, ought
surely to be something in the AntiPragmatic line? It is true, KurBaiern has to Wife another Daughter of
Kaiser Joseph's; but she is the younger: "I am senior THERE, at least! "thinks the foolish man.
Too true, he had finally, in past years, to sign Pragmatic Sanction; no help for it, no hope without it, in that
Polish Election time. He will have to eat his Covenant, therefore, as the first step in AntiPragmatism; and
he is extremely in doubt as to the How, sometimes as to the Whether. And shifts and whirls, accordingly, at a
great rate, in these months and years; now on Maria Theresa's side, deluded by shadows from Vienna, and
getting into Russian PartitionTreaties; anon tickled by Belleisle into the reverse posture; then again
reversing. An idle, easytempered, yet greedy creature, who, what with religious apostasy in early manhood,
what with flaccid ambitions since, and idle gapings after shadows, has lost helm in this world; and will make
a very bad voyage for self and country.
His Palinurus and chief Counsellor, at present and afterwards, is a Count von Bruhl, once page to August the
Strong; now risen to such height: Bruhl of the three hundred and sixtyfive suits of clothes; whom it has
grown wearisome even to laugh at. A cunning little wretch, they say, and of deft tongue; but surely among
the unwisest of all the Sons of Adam in that day, and such a Palinurus as seldom steered before.
KurSachsen, being ReichsVicar in the Northern Parts,(KurBaiern and KurPfalz, as friends and good
Wittelsbacher Cousins surely ought, in a crisis like this, have agreed to be JOINTVicars in the Southern
Parts, and no longer quarrel upon it),KurSachsen has a good deal to do in the Election preludings,
formalities and prearrangements; and is capable, as KurPfalz and Cousin always are, of serving as chisel to
Belleisle's mallet, in such points, which will plentifully turn up.
5. KING OF SARDINIA.ReichsVicar in the Italian Parts is Charles Amadeus King of Sardinia (tough
old Victor's Son, whom we have heard of): an office mostly honorary; suitable to the important individual
who keeps the Door of the Alps. Charles Amadeus had signed the Pragmatic Sanction; but eats his Covenant,
like the others, on example of France;having, as he now bethinks himself, claims on the Milanese. There
are two claimants on the Milanese, then; the Spanish Termagant, and he? Yes; and they will have their
difficulties, their extensive tusslings in Italian War and otherwise, to make an adjustment of it; and will give
Belleisle (at least the Doorkeeper will) an immensity of trouble, in years coming.
In this way do the Pragmatic people eat their own Covenant, one after the other, and are not ashamed;till
all have eaten, or as good as eaten; and, almost within year and day, Pragmatic Sanction is a vanished
quantity; and poor Kaiser Karl's lifelabor is not worth the sheepskin and stationery it cost him. History
reports in sum, That "nobody kept the Pragmatic Sanction; that the few [strictly speaking, the one] who acted
by it, would have done precisely the same, though there had never been such a Document in existence." To
George II., it is, was and will be, the Keystone of Nature, the true AntiFrench palladium of mankind; and
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he, dragging the unwilling Dutch after him, will do great things for it: but nobody else does anything at all.
Might we hope to bid adieu to it, in this manner, and never to mention it again!
Document more futile there had not been in Nature, nor will be. Friedrich had not yet fought at Mollwitz in
assertion of his Silesian claim, when the poor Popepoor soul, who had no Covenant to eat, but took pattern
by othersclaimed, in solemn Allocution, Parma and Piacenza for the Holy See. [Adelung, ii. 376 (5th
April, 1741)] All the world is claiming. Of the Court of Wurtemberg and its Protestings, and "extensive
Deduction" about nothing at all, we do not speak; [Ib. ii. 195, 403.] nor of Montmorency claiming
Luxemburg, of which he is Titular "Duke;" nor of Monsignore di Guastalla claiming Mantua; nor ofIn
brief, the fences are now down; a broad French gap in those miles of elaborate paling, which are good only as
firewood henceforth, and any ass may rush in and claim a bellyful. Great are the works of Belleisle!
CONCERNING THE IMPERIAL ELECTION (Kaiserwahl) THAT IS TO BE: CANDIDATES FOR
KAISERSHIP.
At equal step with the ruining of Pragmatic Sanction goes on that spoiling of GrandDuke Franz's Election to
the Kaisership: these two operations run parallel; or rather, under different forms, they are one and the same
operation. "To assist, as a Most Christian neighbor ought, in picking out the fit Kaiser," was Belleisle's
ostensible mission; and indeed this does include virtually his whole errand. Till three months after Belleisle's
appearance in the business, GrandDuke Franz never doubted but he should be Kaiser; Friedrich's offers to,
help him in it he had scorned, as the offer of a fifth wheel to his chariot, already rushing on with four. "Here
is KurBohmen, Austria's own vote," counts the GrandDuke; "KurSachsen, doing PrussianPartition
Treaties for us; KurTrier, our fat little Schonborn, Austrian to the bone; KurMainz, important chairman,
regulator of the Conclave; here are Four Electors for us: then also KurPfalz, he surely, in return for the
BergJulich service; finally, and liable to no question KurHanover, little George of England with his
endless guineas and resources, a little JacktheGiantkiller, greater than all Giants, Paladin of the Pragmatic
and us: here are Six Electors of the Nine. Let Brandenburg and the Bavarian Couple, KurBaiern and
KurKoln, do their pleasure!" This was GrandDuke Franz's calculation.
By the time Belleisle had been three months in Germany, the Grand Duke's notion had changed; and he
began "applying to the SeaPowers," "to Russia," and all round. In Belleisle's sixth month, the GrandDuke,
after such demolition of Pragmatic, and such disasters and contradictions as had been, saw his case to be
desperate; though he still stuck to it, Austrianlike,or rather, Austria for him stuck to it, the GrandDuke
being careless of such things;and indeed, privately, never did give in, even AFTER the Election, as we
shall have to note.
The Reich itself being mainly a Phantasm or Enchanted Wiggery, its "KaiserChoosing"
(KAISERWAHL),now getting under way at Frankfurt, with preliminary outskirts at Regensburg, and in
the Chancery of Mainzis very phantasmal, not to say ghastly; and forbidding, not inviting, to the human
eye. Nine Kurfursts, Choosers of Teutschland's real Captain, in none of whom is there much thought for
Teutschland or its interests,and indeed in hardly more than One of whom (Prussian Friedrich, if readers
will know it) is there the least thought that way; but, in general, much indifference to things divine or
diabolic, and thought for one's own paltry profits and losses only! So it has long been; and so it now is, more
than usual.Consider again, are Enchanted Wiggeries a beautiful thing, in this extremely earnest World?
The Kaiserwahl is an affair depending much on processions, proclamations, on delusions optical, acoustic; on
palaverings, manoeuvrings, holdings back, then hasty pushings forward; and indeed is mainly, in more senses
than one, under guidance of the Prince of the Power of the Air. Unbeautiful, like a World Parliament of
Nightmares (if the reader could conceive such a thing); huge formless, tongueless monsters of that species,
doing their "three readings,"under Presidency or chiefpipership as above! Belleisle, for his part, is
consummately skilful, and manages as only himself could. Keeps his game well hidden, not a hint or whisper
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of it except in studied proportions; spreads out his lines, his birdlime; tickles, entices, astonishes; goes his
rounds, like a subtle Fowler, taking captive the minds of men; a PhoebusApollo, god of melody and of the
sun, filling his net with birds.
I believe, old KurPfalz, for the sake of French neighborhood, and BergandJulich, were there nothing
more, was very helpful to him; in March past, when the Election was to have been, when it would have
gone at once in favor of the GrandDuke, KurPfalz got the Election "postponed a little." Postponing,
procrastinating; then again pushing violently on, when things are ripe: Belleisle has only to give signal to a fit
KurPfalz. In all Kurfurst Courts, the French Ambassadors sing diligently to the tune Belleisle sets them; and
Courts give ear, or will do, when the charmer himself arrives.
KurSachsen, as above hinted, was his most delicate operation, in the charming or trouttickling way. And
KurSachsenand poor Saxony, ever sinceknows if he did not do it well! "Deduct this KurSachsen
from the Austrian side," calculates Belleisle; "add him to ours, it is almost an equality of votes. KurBaiern,
our own Imperial Candidate; KurKoln, his Brother; KurPfalz, by genealogy his Cousin (not to mention
BergJulich matters); here are three Wittelsbachers, knit together; three sure votes; King Friedrich,
KurBrandenburg, there is a fourth; and if KurSachsen would join?" But who knows if KurSachsen will!
The poor soul has himself thoughts of being Kaiser; then no thoughts, and again some: thoughts which
Belleisle knows how to handle. "Yes, Kaiser you, your Majesty; excellent!" And sets to consider the
methods: "Hm, ha, hm! Think, your Majesty: ought not that Bohemian Vote to be excluded, for one thing?
KurBohmen is fallen into the distaff, Maria Theresa herself cannot vote. Surely question will rise, Whether
distaff can, validly, hand it over to distaff's husband, as they are about doing? Whether, in fact, KurBohmen
is not in abeyance for this time?" "So!" answered KurSachsen, Reichs Vicarius. And thereupon meetings
were summoned; Nightmare Committees sat on this matter under the ReichsVicar, slowly hatching it; and at
length brought out, "KurBohmen NOT transferable by the distaff; KurBohmen in abeyance for this time."
Greatly to the joy of Belleisle; infinitely to the chagrin of her Hungarian Majesty,who declared it a crying
injustice (though I believe legally done in every point); and by and by, even made it a plea of Nullity,
destructive to the Election altogether, when her Hungarian Majesty's affairs looked up again, and the world
would listen to Austrian sophistries and obstinacies. This was an essential service from KurSachsen.
[Began, indistinctly, "in March" (1741); languid "for some months" (Adelung, ii. 292); "November 4th," was
settled in the negative, "KurBohmen not to have a vote" ( Maria Theresiens Leben, p. 47 n.).
After which KurSachsen's own poor Kaisership died away into "Hm, ha, hm!" again, with a grateful
Belleisle. Who nevertheless dexterously retained KurSachsen as ally; tickling the poor wretch with other
baits. Of the Kaiser he had really meant all along, there was dead silence, except between the parties; no
whisper heard, for six months after it had been agreed upon; none, for two or near three months after formal
settlement, and signing and sealing. Karl Albert's Treaty with Belleisle was 18th May, 1741; and he did not
declare himself a Candidate till 1st4th July following. [Adelung, ii. 357, 421.] Belleisle understands the
Nightmare Parliaments, the electioneering art, and how to deal with Enchanted Wiggeries. More perfect
master, in that sad art, has not turned up on record to one's afflicted mind. Such a Sungod, and doing such a
Scavengerism! Belleisle, in the sixth month (end of August, 1741), feels sure of a majority. How Belleisle
managed, after that, to checkmate George of England, and make even George vote for him, and the
Kaiserwahl to be unanimous against Grand Duke Franz, will be seen. Great are Belleisle's doings in this
world, if they were useful either to God or man, or to Belleisle himself first of all!
TEUTSCHLAND TO BE CARVED INTO SOMETHING OF SYMMETRY, SHOULD THE BELLEISLE
ENTERPRISES SUCCEED.
Belleisle's schemes, in the rear of all this labor, are grandiose to a degree. Men wonder at the First Napoleon's
mad notions in that kind. But no Napoleon, in the fire of the revolutionary element; no ShamNapoleon, in
the ashes of it: hardly a Parisian Journalist of imaginative turn, speculating on the First Nation of the
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Universe and what its place is,could go higher than did this grandiose Belleisle; a man with clear thoughts
in his head, under a torpid Louis XV. Let me see, thinks Belleisle. Germany with our Bavarian for Kaiser;
Germany to be cut into, say, Four little Kingdoms: 1. Bavaria with the lean Kaiserhood; 2. Saxony, fattened
by its share of Austria; 3. Prussia the like; 4. Austria itself, shorn down as above, and shoved out to the
remote Hungarian parts: VOILA. These, not reckoning Hanover, which perhaps we cannot get just yet, are
Four pretty Sovereignties. Three, or Two, of these hireable by gold, it is to be hoped. And will not France
have a glorious time of it; playing master of the revels there, egging one against the other! Yes, Germany is
then, what Nature designed it, a Province of France: little George of Hanover himself, and who knows but
England after him, may one day find their fate inevitable, like the others. O Louis, O my King, is not this an
outlook? Louis le Grand was great; but you are likely to be Louis the Grandest; and here is a World shaped,
at last, after the real pattern!
Such are, in sad truth, Belleisle's schemes; not yet entirely hatched into daylight or articulation; bnt becoming
articulate, to himself and others, more and more. Reader, keep them well in mind: I had rather not speak of
them again. They are essential to our Story; but they are afflictively vain, contrary to the Laws of Fact; and
can, now or henceforth, in nowise be. My friend, it was not Beelzebub, nor Mephistopheles, nor
AutolyeusApollo that built this world and us; it was Another. And you will get your crown well rapped, M.
le Marechal, for so forgetting that fact! France is an extremely pretty creature; but this of making France the
supreme Governor and God'sVicegerent of Nations, is, was, and remains, one of the maddest notions.
France at its ideal BEST, and with a demi god for King over it, were by no means fit for such function; nay
of many Nations is eminently the unfittest for it. And France at its WORST or nearly so, with a Louis XV.
over it by way of demigod O Belleisle, what kind of France is this; shining in your grandiose
imagination, in such contrast to the stingy fact: like a creature consisting of two enormous wings, five
hundred yards in potential extent, and no body bigger than that of a common cock, weighing three pounds
avoirdupois. Cock with his own gizzard much out of sorts, too!
It was "early in March" [Adelung, ii. 305.] when Belleisle, the Artificial Sungod, quitted Paris on this
errand. He came by the Moselle road; called on the Rhine Kurfursts, Koln, Trier, Mainz; dazzling them, so
far as possible, with his splendor for the mind and for the eye. He proceeded next to Dresden, which is a main
card: and where there is immense manipulation needed, and the most delicate trouttickling; this being a
skittish fish, and an important, though a foolish. Belleisle was at Dresden when the Battle of Mollwitz fell
out: what a windfall into Belleisle's game! He ran across to Friedrich at Mollwitz, to congratulate, to
consult,as we shall see anon.
Belleisle, I am informed, in this preliminary Tour of his, speaks only, or hints only (except in the proper
quarters), of Election Business; of the need there perhaps is, on the part of an Age growing in liberal ideas, to
exclude the Austrian GrandDuke; to curb that ponderous, harsh, ungenerous House of Austria, too long
lording it over generous Germany; and to set up some better House,Bavaria, for example; Saxony, for
example? Of his plans in the rear of this he is silent; speaks only by hints, by innuendoes, to the proper
parties. But ripening or ripe, plans do lie to rear; farstretching, highsoaring; in part, dark even at Versailles;
darkly fermenting, not yet developed, in Belleisle's own head; only the Future Kaiser a luminous fixed point,
shooting beams across the grandiose CreationProcess going on there.
By the end of August, 1741, Belleisle had become certain of his game; 24th January, 1742, he saw himself as
if winner. Before August, 1741, he had got his Electors manipulated, tickled to his purpose, by the witchery
of a PhoebusAutolycus or Diplomatic Sungod; majority secured for a Bavarian Kaiser, and against an
Austrian one. And in the course of that month,what was still more considerable!he was getting, under
mild pretexts, about a hundred thousand armed Frenchmen gently wafted over upon the soil of Germany.
Two complete French Armies, 40,000 each (PLUS their Reserves), one over the Upper Rhine, one over the
Lower; about which we shall hear a great deal in time coming! Under mild pretexts: "Peaceable as lambs,
don't you observe? Merely to protect Freedom of Election, in this fine neighbor country; and as allies to our
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Friend of Bavaria, should he chance to be new Kaiser, and to persist in his modest claims otherwise." This
was his crowning stroke. Which finished straightway the remnants of Pragmatic Sanction and of every
obstacle; and in a shining manner swept the roads clear. And so, on January 24th following, the Election,
long held back by Belleisle's manoeuvrings, actually takes effect,in favor of Karl Albert, our invaluable
Bavarian Friend. Austria is left solitary in the Reich; Pragmatic Sanction, Keystone of Nature, which
Belleisle and France had sworn to keep in, is openly torn out by Belleisle and by France and the majority of
mankind; and Belleisle sees himself, to all appearance, winner.
This was the harvest reaped by Belleisle, within year and day; after endless manoeuvring, such as only a
Belleisle in the character of Diplomatic Sungod could do. Beyond question, the distracted ambitions of
several German Princes have been kindled by Belleisle; what we called the rotten thatch of Germany is well
on fire. This diligent sowing in the Reichto judge by the 100,000, armed men here, and the counter
hundreds of thousands arming has been a pretty stroke of dragon'steeth husbandry on Belleisle's part.
BELLEISLE ON VISIT TO FRIEDRICH; SEES FRIEDRICH BESIEGE BRIEG, WITH EFFECT.
It was April 26th when Marechal de Belleisle, with his Brother the Chevalier, with Valori and other bright
accompaniment, arrived in Friedrich's Camp. "Camp of Mollwitz" so named; between Mollwitz and Brieg;
where Friedrich is still resting, in a vigilant expectant condition; and, except it be the taking of Brieg, has
nothing military on hand. Wednesday, 26th April, the distinguished Excellencyescorted for the last three
miles by 120 Horse, and the other customary ceremoniesmakes his appearance: no doubt an interesting one
to Friedrich, for this and the days next following. Their talk is not reported anywhere: nor is it said with
exactitude how far, whether wholly now, or only in part now, Belleisle expounded his sublime ideas to
Friedrich; or what precise reception they got. Friedrich himself writes long afterwards of the event; but, as
usual, without precision, except in general effect. Now, or some time after, Friedrich says he found Belleisle,
one morning, with brow clouded, knit into intense meditation: "Have you had bad news, M. le Marechal?"
asks Friedrich. "No, oh no! I am considering what we shall make of that Moravia?""Moravia; Hm!"
Friedrich suppresses the glance that is rising to his eyes: "Can't you give it to Saxony, then? Buy Saxony into
the Plan with it!" "Excellent," answers Belleisle, and unpuckers his stern brow again.
Friedrich thinks highly, and about this time often says so, of the man Belleisle: but as to the man's
effulgencies, and widewinged Plans, none is less seduced by them than Friedrich: "Your chickens are not
hatched, M. le Marechal; some of us hope they never will be,though the incubationprocess may have uses
for some of us!" Friedrich knows that the Kaisership given to any other than Grand Duke Franz will be
mostly an imaginary quantity. "A grand Symbolic Cloak in the eyes of the vulgar; but empty of all things,
empty even of cash, for the last Two Hundred Years: Austria can wear it to advantage; no other mortal. Hang
it on Austria, which is a solid human figure,so." And Friedrich wishes, and hopes always, Maria Theresa
will agree with him, and get it for her Husband. "But to haug it on Bavaria, which is a lean bare pole? Oh, M.
le Marechal! And those Four Kingdoms of yours: what a brood of poultry, those! Chickens happily yet
UNhatched;eggs addle, I should venture to hope:only do go on incubating, M. le Marechal!" That is
Friedrich's notion of the thing. Belleisle stayed with Friedrich "a few days," say the Books. After which,
Friedrich, finding Belleisle too winged a creature, corresponded, in preference, with Fleury and the Head
Sources;who are always intensely enough concerned about those "aces" falling to him, and how the same
are to be "shared." [Details in HeldenGeschichte, i. 912, 962, 916; in OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 79, 80;
Instead of parade or review in honor of Belleisle, there happened to be a far grander military show, of the
practical kind. The Siege of Brieg, the Opening of the Trenches before Brieg, chanced to be just ready, on
Belleisle's arrival:and would have taken effect, we find, that very night, April 26th, had not a sudden
wintry outburst, or "tempest of extraordinary violence," prevented. Next night, night of the 27th28th, under
shine of the full Moon, in the open champaign country, on both sides of the River, it did take effect. An
uncommonly fine thing of its sort; as one can still see by reading Friedrich's strict Program for it,a most
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minute, precise and allanticipating Program, which still interests military men, as Friedrich's first Piece in
that kind,and comparing therewith the Narratives of the performance which ensued. [ Ordre und
Dispositiones (SIC), wornach sich der General Lieutenant von Kalckstein bei Eroffnung der Trancheen,
(Oeuvres de Frederic, xxx. 3944): the Program. HeldenGeschichte, i. 916928: the Narrative.]
Kalkstein, Friedrich's old Tutor, is Captain of the Siege; under him Jeetz, long used to blockading about
Brieg. The silvery Oder has its due bridges for communication; all is in readiness, and waiting manifold as in
the slip,and there is Engineer Walrave, our Glogau Dutch friend, who shall, at the right instant, "with his
strawrope (STROHSEIL) mark out the first parallel," and be swift about it! There are 2,000 diggers, with
the due implements, fascines, equipments; duly divided, into Twelve equal Parties, and "always two
spademen to one pickman " (which indicates soft sandy ground): these, with the escorting or covering
battalions, Twelve Parties they also, on both sides of the River, are to be in their several stations at the fixed
moments; man, musket, mattock, strictly exact. They are to advance at Midnight; the covering battalions so
many yards ahead: no speaking is permissible, nor the least tobaccosmoking; no drum to be allowed for fear
of accident; no firing, unless you are fired on. The covering battalions are all to "lie flat, so soon as they get
to their ground, all but the Officers and sentries." To rear of these stand Walrave and assistants, silent, with
their strawrope; silent, then anon swift, and in whisper or almost by dumbshow, "Now, then!" After
whom the diggers, fascinemen, workers, each in his kind, shall fall to, silently, and dig and work as for life.
All which is done; exact as clockwork: beautiful to see, or half see, and speak of to your Belleisle, in the
serene moonlight! Half an hour's marching, half an hour's swift digging: the Townclock of Brieg was hardly
striking One, when "they had dug themselves in." And, before daybreak, they had, in two batteries, fifty
cannon in position, with a proper set of mortars (other side the River), ready to astonish Piccolomini and
his Austrians; who had not had the least whisper of them, all night, though it was full moon. Graf von
Piccolomini, an active gallant person, had refused terms, some time before; and was hopefully intent on doing
his best. And now, suddenly, there rose round Piccolomini such a tornado of cannonading and bombardment,
day after day, always "three guns of ours playing against one of theirs," that his guns got ruined; that "his
haymagazines took fire,"and the Schloss itself, which was adjacent to them, took fire (a sad thing to
Friedrich, who commanded pause, that they might try quenching, but in vain):and that, in short,
Piccolomini could not stand it; but on the 4th of May, precisely after one week's experience, hung out the
white flag, and "beat chamade at 3 of the afternoon." He was allowed to march out next morning, with escort
to Neisse; parole pledged, Not to serve against us for two years coming.
Friedrich in person (I rather guess, Belleisle not now at his side) saw the Garrison march out;kept
Piccolomini to dinner; a gallant Piccolomini, who had hoped to do better, but could not. This was a pretty
enough piece of Siegepractice. Torstenson, with his Swedes, had furiously besieged Brieg in 1642, a
hundred years ago; and could do nothing to it. Nothing, but withdraw again, futile; leaving 1,400 of his
people dead. Friedrich, the Austrian Garrison once out, set instantly about repairing the works, and improving
them into impregnability,our ugly friend Walrave presiding over that operation too.
Belleisle, we may believe, so long as he continued, was full of polite wonder over these things; perhaps had
critical advices here and there, which would be politely received. It is certain he came out extremely brilliant,
gifted and agreeable, in the eyes of Friedrich; who often afterwards, not in the very strictest language, calls
him a great man, great soldier, and by far the considerablest person you French have. It is no less certain,
Belleisle displayed, so far as displayable, his magnificent Diplomatic Ware to the best advantage. To which,
we perceive, the young King answered, "Magnificent, indeed!" but would not bite all at once; and rather
preferred corresponding with Fleury, on business points, keeping the matter dexterously hanging, in an
illuminated element of hope and contingency, for the present.
Belleisle, after we know not how many days, returned to Dresden; perfected his work at Dresden, or shoved it
well forward, with "that Moravia" as bait. "Yes, King of Moravia, you, your Polish Majesty, shall be!"and
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it is said the simple creature did so style himself, by and by, in certain rare Manifestoes, which still exist in
the cabinets of the curious. Belleisle next, after only a few days, went to Munchen; to operate on Karl Albert
KurBaiern, a willing subject. And, in short, Belleisle whirled along incessantly, torch in hand; making his
"circuit of the German Courts,"details of said circuit not to be followed by us farther. One small thing only
I have found rememberable; probably true, though vague. At Munchen, still more out at Nymphenburg, the
fine CountryPalace not far off, there was of course long conferencing, long consulting, secret and intense,
between Belleisle with his people and Karl Albert with his. Karl Albert, as we know, was himself willing.
But a certain Baron von Unertlheavybuilt Bavarian of the old type, an old stager in the Bavarian
Ministries was of far other disposition. One day, out at Nymphenburg, Unertl got to the Councilroom,
while Belleisle and Company were there: Unertl found the apartment locked, absolutely no admittance; and
heard voices, the Kurfurst's and French voices, eagerly at work inside. "Admit me, Gracious Herr; UM
GOTTES WILLEN, me!" No admission. Unertl, in despair, rushed round to the garden side of the
Apartment; desperately snatched a ladder, set it up to the window, and conjured the Gracious Highness: "For
the love of Heaven, my ALLERGNADIGSTER, don't! Have no trade with those French! Remember your
illustrious Father, Kurfurst Max, in the Eugene Marlborough time, what a job he made of it, building actual
architecture on THEIR big promises, which proved mere acres of gilt balloon!" [Hormayr, Anemonen (cited
above), ii. 152.] Words terribly prophetic; but they were without effect on Karl Albert.
The rest of Belleisle's inflammatory circuitings and extensive travellings, for he had many first and last in this
matter, shall be left to the fancy of the reader. May 18th, he made formal Treaty with Karl Albert: Treaty of
Nymphenburg, "Karl Albert to be Kaiser; Bavaria, with Austria Proper added to it, a Kingdom; French
armies, French moneys, and other fine items." [Given in Adelung, ii. 359.] Treaty to be kept dead secret;
King Friedrich, for the present, would not accede. [Given in Adelung, ii. 421.] June 25th, after some
preliminary survey of the place, Belleisle made his Entry into Frankfurt: magnificent in the extreme. And still
did not rest there; but had to rush about, back to Versailles, to Dresden, hither, thither: it was not till the last
day of July that he fairly took up his abode in Frankfurt; andthe Election eggs, so to speak, being now all
laidset himself to hatch the same. A process which lasted him six months longer, with curious phenomena
to mankind. Not till the middle of August did he bring those 80,000 Armed Frenchmen across the Rhine, "to
secure peace in those parts, and freedom of voting." Not till November 4th had KurSachsen, with the
Nightmares, finished that important problem of the Bohemian Vote, "Bohemian Vote EXCLUDED for this
time;" after which all was ready, though still not in the least hurry. November 20th, came the first actual
"ElectionConference (WAHL CONFERENZ)" in the Romer at Frankfurt; to which succeeded Two
Months more of conferrings (upon almost nothing at all): and finally, 24th January, 1742, came the Election
itself, Karl Albert the man; poor wretch, who never saw another good day in this world.
Belleisle during those six months was rather high and airy, extremely magnificent; but did not want
discretion: "more like a Kurfurst than an Ambassador;" capable of "visiting KurMainz, with servants
purposely in OLD liveries,"where the case needed old, where KurMainz needed snubbing; not otherwise.
[Buchholz, ii. 57 n.] "The Marechal de Belleisle," says an Eyewitness, of some fame in those days, "comes
out in a variety of parts, among us here; plays now the General, now the Philosopher, now the Minister of
State, now the French Marquis;and does them all to perfection. Surely a master in his art. His Brother the
Chevalier is one of the sensiblest and besttrained persons you can see. He has a penetrating intellect; is
always occupied, and full of great schemes; and has nevertheless a staid kind of manner. He is one of the
most important Personages here; and in all things his Brother's right hand." [Von Loen, Kleine Schriften
(cited in Adelung, ii. 400).] In Frankfurt, both Belleisle and his Brother were much respected, the Brother
especially, as men of dignified behavior and shining qualities; but as to their hundred and thirty French Lords
and other Valetry, these by their extravagances and excesses (AUSSCHWEIFUNGEN) made themselves
extremely detestable, it would appear. [Buchholz, ii. 54; in Adelung, ii. 398 n., a French BROCARD on the
subject, of sufficient emphasis.]
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Chapter XII. SORROWS OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY.
George II. did not hear of Mollwitz for above a fortnight after it fell out; but he had no need of Mollwitz to
kindle his wrath or his activity in that matter. [Mollwitz first heard of in London, April 25th (14th); Subsidy
of 300,000 pounds voted same day. London Gazette (April 11th14th, 1741); Commons Journals, xxiii. 705.]
George II. had seen, all along, with natural manifold aversion and indignation, these high attempts of his
Nephew. "Who is this new little King, that will not let himself be snubbed, and laughed at, and led by the
nose, as his Father did; but seems to be taking a road of his own, and tacitly defying us all? A very high
conduct indeed, for a Sovereign of that magnitude. Aspires seemingly to be the leader among German
Princes; to reduce Hanover and us,us, with the gold of England in our breechespocket,to the second
place? A reverend old Bishop of Liege, twitched by the rochet, and shaken hither and thither, like a reverend
old clothesscreen, till he agree to stand still and conform. And now a Silesia seized upon; a Pragmatic
Sanction kicked to the winds: the whole world to be turned topsy turvy, and Hanover and us, with our
breechespocket, reduced to?"
The emotions, the prognosticatings, and distracted procedures of his Britannic Majesty, of which we have
ourselves seen somewhat, in this fermentation of the elements, are copiously set down for us by the English
Dryasdust (mostly in unintelligible form): but, except for sane purposes, one must be careful not to dwell on
them, to the sorrow of readers. Seldom was there such a feat of Somnambulism, as that by the English and
their King in the next twenty Years. To extract the particle of sanity from it, and see how the poor English did
get their own errand done withal, and Jenkins's Ear avenged,that is the one interesting point; Dryasdust
and the Nightmares shall, to all time, be welcome to the others. Here are some Excerpts, a select few; which
will perhaps be our readiest expedient. These do, under certain main aspects, shadow forth the intricate
posture of King George and his Nation, when Belleisle, as Protagonistes or Chief Bully, stept down into the
ring, in that manner; asking, "Is there an Antagonistes, then, or Chief Defender?" I will label them, number
them; and, with the minimum of needful commentary, leave them to imaginative readers.
No. 1. SNATCH OF PARLIAMENTARY ELOQUENCE BY MR. VINER (19th April, 1741).
The fuliginous explosions, more or less volcanic, which went on in Parliament and in English society, against
Friedrich's Silesian Enterprise, for long years from this date, are now all dead and avoidable,though they
have left their effects among us to this day. Perhaps readers would like to see the one reasonable word I have
fallen in with, of opposite tendency; Mr. Viner's word, at the first starting of that question: plainly sensible
word, which, had it been attended to (as it was not), might have saved us so much nonsense, not of idle talk
only, but of extremely serious deed which ensued thereupon!
"LONDON, 19th APRIL, 1741. This day [Mollwitz not yet known, Camp of Gottin too well known!] King
George, in his own high person, comes down to the House of Lords,which, like the Other House, is sunk
painfully in Walpole Controversies, SpanishWar Controversies, of a merely domestic nature;and informs
both Honorable Houses, with extreme caution, naming nobody, That he much wishes they would think of
helping him in these alarming circumstances of the Celestial Balance, ready apparently to go heels
uppermost. To which the general answer is, 'Yes, surely!'with a vote of 300,000 pounds for her Hungarian
Majesty, a few days hence. From those continents of Parliamentary tufa, now fallen so waste and mournful,
here is one little piece which ought to be extricated into daylight:
"MR. VINER (on his legs): ... 'If I mistake not the true intention of the Address proposed,' in answer to his
Majesty's most gracious Speech from the Throne, 'we are invited to declare that we will oppose the King of
Prussia in his attempts upon Silesia: a declaration in which I see not how any man can concur who KNOWS
NOT the nature of his Prussian Majesty's Claim, and the Laws of the German Empire [NOR DO I, MR. V.]!
It ought therefore, Sir, to have been the first endeavor of those by whom this Address has been so zealously
supported, to show that his Prussian Majesty's Claim, so publicly explained [BY KAUZLER LUDWIG, OF
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HALLE, WHO, IT SEEMS, HAS STAGGERED OR CONVINCED MR. VINER], so firmly urged and so
strongly supported, is without foundation and reason, and is only one of those imaginary titles which
Ambition may always find to the dominions of another.' (HEAR MR VINER!)" [Tindal, xx. 491, gives the
Royal Speech (DATE in a very slobbery condition); see also Coxe, House of Austria, iii. 365. Viner's
Fragment of a Speech is in Thackeray, Life of Chatham, i. 87.] ...
A most indispensable thing, surely. Which was never done, nor can ever be done; but was assumed as either
unnecessary or else done of its own accord, by that Collective Wisdom of England (with a sage George II. at
the head of it); who plunged into Dettingen, Fontenoy, Austrian Subsidies, AixlaChapelle, and foundation
of the English National Debt, among other strange things, in consequence!
Upon that of Kanzler Ludwig, and the "so public Explanation" (which we slightly heard of long since), here
is another Note,unless readers prefer to skip it:
"That the Diplomatic and Political world is universally in travail at this time, no reader need be told; Europe
everywhere in dim anxiety, heavyladen expectation (which to us has fallen so vacant); looking towards
inevitable changes and the huge inane. All in travail;and already uttering printed Manifestoes, Patents,
Deductions, and other public travailSHRIEKS of that kind. Printed; not to speak of the unprinted, of the oral
which vanished on the spot; or even of the written which were shot forth by breathless estafettes, and
unhappily did not vanish, but lie in archives, still humming upon us, "Won't you read me, then?"Alas,
except on compulsion, No! Life being precious (and time, which is the stuff of life), No!
"At Reinsberg as elsewhere, at Reinsberg first of all, it had been felt, in October last, that there would be
Manifestoes needed; learned Proof, the more irrefragable the better, of our Right to Silesia. It was settled
there, Let Ludwig, Kanzler of the University of Halle, do it. [Herr Kanzler Ludwig, monster of Antiquarian,
Legal and other Learning there: wealthy, too, and closefisted; whom we have seen obliged to open his
closed fist, and to do building in the Friedrich Strasse, before now; Nussler, his soninlaw, having no
money:as careless readers have perhaps forgotten?] Ludwig set about his new task with a proud joy.
Ludwig knows that story, if he know anything. Long years ago he put forth a Chapter upon it; weighty
Chapter; in a Book of weight, said Judges;Book weighing, in pounds avoirdupois and otherwise, none of
us now knows what: [Title of this weighty Performance (see Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 432) is, or was (size
not given), Germania Princeps (Halae, 1702). Preuss says farther, "That Book ii. c. 3 handles the Prussian
claims: Jagerndorf being ? 13; Liegnitz, ? 14; Oppeln and Ratibor, ? 16;and that Ludwig had sent a Copy
of this Argument [weighty Performance altogether? Or Book ii. c. 3 of it, which would have had a better
chance?] to King Friedrich, on the death of Kaiser Karl VI."]but, in after years, it used to be said by
flatterers of the Kanzler, 'Herr Kanzler, see the effect of Learning. It was you, it was your weighty Book, that
caused all this Worldtumult, and flung the Nations into one another's hair!' Upon which the old Kanzler
would blush: 'You do me too much honor!'
"Ludwig, directly on order given, gathered out his documents again, in the King's name this time; and
promised something weighty by Newyear's day at latest." Doubtless to the joy of Nussler, who has still no
regular appointment, though well deserving one. "And sure enough, on January 7th) at Berlin, 'in three
languages,' Ludwig's DEDUCTION had come out; an eager Public waiting for it: [Title is, Rechtsgegrundetes
Eigenthum (in the Latin copies, Patrimonium, and Propriete fondee en Droit in the French copies) des that
is to say, Legal Right of Propetiy in the RoyalElectoral House of Brandenburg to the Duchies and
Principalities of Jagerndorf, Liegnitz, Brieg, Wohlau (Berlin, 7th January, 1741).]and at Berlin it was
generally thought to be conclusive. I have looked into Ludwig's Deduction, stern duty urging, in this instance
for one: such portions as I read are nothing like so stupid as was expected; and, in fact, are not to be called
stupid at all, but fit for their purpose, and moderately intelligible to those who need them,"which happily
we do not in this place.
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Judicious Mr. Viner availed nothing against the Proposed Address; any more than he would against the
Atlantic Tide, coming in unanimous, under influence of the Moon itself,as indeed this Address, and the
triumphant Subsidy which was voted in the rear of it, may be said to have done. [Coxe, iii. 265.] Subsidy of
300,000 pounds to her Hungarian Majesty; which, with the 200,000 pounds already gone that road, makes a
handsome Halfmillion for the present Year. The first gush of the Britannia Fountain,which flowed like an
Amalthea's Horn for seven years to come; refreshing Austria, and all thirsty Pragmatic Nations, to defend the
Keystone of this Universe. Unluckily every guinea of it went, at the same time, to encourage Austria in
scorning King Friedrich's offers to it; which perhaps are just offers, thinks Mr. Viner; which once listened to,
Pragmatic Sanction would be safe. [Mr. Viner was of Pupham, or Pupholm, in Lincolnshire, for which
County he sat then, and for many years before and after,from about 1713 till 1761, when he died. A solid,
instructed man, say his contemporaries. "He was a friend of Bolingbroke's, and had a house near
Bolingbroke's Battersea one." He is Great great grandfather to the present Mr. Viner, and to the Countess de
Grey and Ripon; which is an interesting little fact.]
This Parliament is strong for Pragmatic Sanction, and has high resentments against Walpole; in both which
points the New Parliament, just getting elected, will rival and surpass it, especially in the latter point, that
of uprooting Walpole, which the Nation is bent on, with a singular fury. Pragmatic Sanction like to be ruined;
and Walpole furiously thrown out: what a pair of sorrows for poor George! During his late Caroline's time,
all went peaceably, and that of "governing" was a mere pleasure; Walpole and Caroline cunningly doing that
for him, and making him believe he was doing it. But now has come the crisis, the collapse; and his poor
Majesty left alone to deal with it!
No. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORIAN ON THE PHENOMENON OF WALPOLE IN ENGLAND.
"For above Ten Years, Walpole himself", says my Constitutional Historian (unpublished), "for almost
Twenty Years, Walpole virtually and through others, has what they call 'governed' England; that is to say, has
adjusted the conflicting Parliamentary Chaos into counterpoise, by what methods he had; and allowed
England, with Walpole atop, to jumble whither it would and could. Of crooked things made straight by
Walpole, of heroic performance or intention, legislative or administrative, by Walpole, nobody ever heard;
never of the least handbreadth gained from the Night realm in England, on Walpole's part: enough if he
could manage to keep the Parish Constable walking, and himself float atop. Which task (though intrinsically
zero for the Community, but all important to the Walpole, of Constitutional Countries) is a task almost
beyond the faculty of man, if the careless reader knew it!
"This task Walpole did,in a sturdy, deepbellied, longheaded, JohnBull fashion, not unworthy of
recognition. A man of very forcible natural eyesight, strong natural heart,courage in him to all lengths; a
very block of oak, or of oakroot, for natural strength. He was always very quiet with it, too; given to digest
his victuals, and be peaceable with everybody. He had one rule, that stood in place of many: To keep out of
every business which it was possible for human wisdom to stave aside. 'What good will you get of going into
that? Parliamentary criticism, argument and botheration? Leave well alone. And even leave ill alone:are
you the tradesman to tinker leaky vessels in England? You will not want for work. Mind your pudding, and
say little!' At home and abroad, that was the safe secret. For, in Foreign Politics, his rule was analogous:
'Mind your own affairs. You are an Island, you can do without Foreign Politics; Peace, keep Peace with
everybody: what, in the Devil's name, have you to do with those dogworryings over Seas? Once more, mind
your pudding!' Not so bad a rule; indeed it is the better part of an extremely good one;and you might
reckon it the real rule for a pious Rritannic Island (reverent of God, and contemptuous of the Devil) in times
of general Downbreak and Spiritual Bankruptcy, when quarrellings of Sovereigns are apt to be mere
dogworryings and Devil's work, not good to interfere in.
"In this manner, Walpole, by solid JohnBull faculty (and methods of his own), had balanced the
Parliamentary swaggings and clashings, for a great while; and England had jumbled whither it could, always
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in a stupid, but also in a peaceable way. As to those same 'methods of his own' they werein fact they were
Bribery. Actual purchase of votes by money slipt into the hand. Go straight to the point. 'The direct real
method this,' thinks Walpole: 'is there in reality any other?' A terrible question to Constitutional Countries;
which, I hear, has never been resolved in the negative, by the modern improvements of science. Changes of
form have introduced themselves; the outward process, I hear, is now quite different. According as the
fashions and conditions alter,according as you have a Fourth Estate developed, or a Fourth Estate still in
the grub stage and only developing,much variation of outward process is conceivable.
"But Votes, under pain of Death Official, are necessary to your poor Walpole: and votes, I hear, are still
bidden for, and bought. You may buy them by money down (which is felony, and theft simple, against the
poor Nation); or by preferments and appointments of the unmeritorious man,which is felony
doubledistilled (far deadlier, though more refined), and theft most compound; theft, not of the poor Nation's
money, but of its soul and body so far, and of ALL its moneys and temporal and spiritual interests
whatsoever; theft, you may say, of collops cut from its side, and poison put into its heart, poor Nation! Or
again, you may buy, not of the Third Estate in such ways, but of the Fourth, or of the Fourth and Third
together, in other still more felonious and deadly, though refined ways. By doing claptraps, namely; letting
off Parliamentary bluelights, to awaken the Sleeping Swineries, and charm them into diapason for
you,what a music! Or, without clap trap or previous felony of your own, you may feloniously, in the
pinch of things, make truce with the evident Demagogos, and Son of Nox and of Perdition, who has got
'within those walls' of yours, and is grown important to you by the Awakened Swineries, risen into alt, that
follow him. Him you may, in your dire hunger of votes, consent to comply with; his Anarchies you will pass
for him into 'Laws,' as you are pleased to term them;instead of pointing to the whippingpost, and to his
wicked long ears, which are so fit to be nailed there, and of sternly recommending silence, which were the
salutary thing.Buying may be done in a great variety of ways. The question, How you buy? is not, on the
moral side, an important one. Nay, as there is a beauty in going straight to the point, and by that course there
is likely to be the minimum of mendacity for you, perhaps the direct moneymethod is a shade less damnable
than any of the others since discovered;while, in regard to practical damage resulting, it is of childlike
harmlessness in comparison!
"That was Walpole's method; with this to aid his great natural faculty, longheaded, deepbellied, suitable to
the English Parliament and Nation, he went along with perfect success for ten or twenty years. And it might
have been for longer,had not the English Nation accidentally come to wish, that it should CEASE jumbling
NOwhither; and try to jumble SOMEwhither, at least for a little while, on important business that had risen
for England in a certain quarter. Had it not been for Jenkins's Ear blazing out in the dark English brain,
Walpole might have lasted still a long while. But his fate lay there:the first Business vital to England
which might turn up; and this chanced to be the Spanish War. How vital, readers shall see anon. Walpole,
knowing well enough in what state his Warapparatus was, and that of all his Apparatuses there was none in
a working state, but the Parliamentary one, resisted the Spanish War; stood in the door against it, with a
rhinoceros determination, nay almost something of a mastiff's; resolute not to admit it, to admit death as soon.
Doubtless he had a feeling it would be death, the sagacious man;and such it is now proving; the Walpole
Ministry dying by inches from it; dying hard, but irremediably.
"The English Nation was immensely astonished, which Walpole was not, any more than at the other Laws of
Nature, to find Walpole's Warapparatus in such a condition. All his Apparatuses, Walpole guesses, are in no
better, if it be not the Parliamentary one. The English Nation is immensely astonished, which Walpole again
is not, to find that his Parliamentary Apparatus has been kept in gear and smoothgoing by the use of OIL:
'Miraculous Scandal of Scandals!' thinks the English Nation. 'Miracle? Law of Nature, you fools!' thinks
Walpole. And in fact there is such a storm roaring in England, in those and in the late and the coming months,
as threatens to be dangerous to high roofs,dangerous to Walpole's head at one time. Storm such as had not
been witnessed in men's memory; all manner of Counties and Constituencies, with solemn indignation,
charging their representatives to search into that miraculous Scandal of Scandals, Law of Nature, or whatever
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it may be; and abate the same, at their peril.
"To the now reader there is something almost pathetic in these solemn indignations, and high resolves to have
Purity of Parliament and thorough Administrative Reform, in spite of Nature and the Constitutional
Stars;and nothing I have met with, not even the Prussian Dryasdust, is so unsufferably wearisome, or can
pretend to equal in depth of dull inanity, to ingenuous living readers, our poor English Dryasdust's
interminable, oftenrepeated Narratives, volume after volume, of the debatings and colleaguings, the tossings
and tumults, fruitless and endless, in Nation and National Palaver, which ensued thereupon. Walpole (in
about a year hence), [February 13th (2d), 1742, quitting the House after bad usage there, said he would never
enter it again; nor did: February 22d, resigned in favor of Pulteney and Company (Tindal, xx. 530;
Thackeray, i. 45).] though he struck to the ground like a rhinoceros, was got rolled out. And a Successor, and
series of Successors, in the bright brandnew state, was got rolled in; with immense shouting from
mankind:but up to this date we have no reason to believe that the Laws of Nature were got abrogated on
that occasion, or that the constitutional stars have much altered their courses since."
That Walpole will probably be lost, goes much home to the Royal bosom, in these troublous Spring months
of 1741, as it has done and will do. And here, emerging from the Spanish Main just now, is a second sorrow,
which might quite transfix the Royal bosom, and drive Majesty itself to despair; awakening such insoluble
questions,furnishing such proof, that Walpole and a good few other persons (persons, and also things, and
ideas and practices, deeprooted in the Country) stand much in need of being lost, if England is to go a good
road!
The Spanish War being of moment to us here, we will let our Constitutional Historian explain, in his own
dialect, How it was so vital to England; and shall even subjoin what he gives as History of it, such being so
admirably succinct, for one quality.
No. 3. OF THE SPANISH WAR, OR THE JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION.
"There was real cause for a War with Spain. It is one of the few cases, this, of a war from necessity. Spain, by
Decree of the Pope,some Pope long ago, whose name we will not remember, in solemn Conclave, drawing
accurately 'his Meridian Line,' on I know not what Telluric or Uranic principles, no doubt with great accuracy
'between Portugal and Spain,'was proprietor of all those Seas and Continents. And now England, in the
interim, by Decree of the Eternal Destinies, had clearly come to have property there, too; and to be practically
much concerned in that theoretic question of the Pope's Meridian. There was no reconciling of theory with
fact. 'Ours indisputably,' said Spain, with loud articulate voice; 'Holiness the Pope made it ours!'while fact
and the English, by Decree of the Eternal Destinies, had been grumbling inarticulately the other way, for
almost two hundred years past, and no result had.
"In Oliver Cromwell's time, it used to be said, 'With Spain, in Europe, there may be peace or war; but
between the Tropics it is always war.' A state of things well recognized by Oliver, and acted on, according to
his opportunities. No settlement was had in Oliver's brief time; nor could any be got since, when it was
becoming yearly more pressing. Bucaniers, desperate naval gentlemen living on BOUCAN, or hung beef;
who are also called Flibustiers (FLIBUTIERS, 'Freebooters,' in French pronunciation, which is since grown
strangely into FILIBUSTERS, Fillibustiers, and other mad forms, in the Yankee Newspapers now current):
readers have heard of those dumb methods of protest. Dumb and furious; which could bring no settlement;
but which did astonish the Pope's Decree, slashing it with cutlasses and seacannon, in that manner, and
circuitously forwarded a settlement. Settlement was becoming yearly more needful: and, ever since the
Treaty of Utrecht especially, there had been an incessant haggle going on, to produce one; without the least
effect hitherto. What embassyings, bargainings, bargain breakings; what galloping of estafettes; acres of
diplomatic paper, now fallen to the spiders, who always privately were the real owners! Not in the Treaty of
Utrecht, not in the Congresses of Cambray, of Soissons, Convention of Pardo, by Ripperda, Horace Walpole,
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or the wagging of wigs, could this matter be settled at all. Near two hundred years of chronic misery;and
had there been, under any of those wigs, a Head capable of reading the Heavenly Mandates, with heart
capable of following them, the misery might have been briefly ended, by a direct method. With what
immense saving in all kinds, compared with the oblique method gone upon! In quantity of bloodshed needed,
of money, of idle talk and estafettes, not to speak of higher considerations, the saving had been incalculable.
For it was England's one Cause of War during the Century we are now upon; and poor England's course,
when at last driven into it, went ambiguously circling round the whole Universe, instead of straight to the
mark. Had Oliver Cromwell lived ten years longer;but Oliver Cromwell did not live; and, instead of
Heroic Heads, there came in Constitutional Wigs, which makes a great difference.
"The pretensions of Spain to keep Half the World locked up in embargo were entirely chimerical; plainly
contradictory to the Laws of Nature; and no amount of Pope's Donation Acts, or Ceremonial in Rota or
Propaganda, could redeem them from untenability, in the modern days. To lie like a dog in the manger over
South America, and say snarling, 'None of you shall trade here, though I cannot!' what Pope or body of
Popes can sanction such a procedure? Had England had a Head, instead of Wigs, amid its diplomatists,
England, as the chief party interested, would have long since intimated gently to such dog in the manger:
'Dog, will you be so obliging as rise! I am grieved to say, we shall have to do unpleasant things otherwise.
Dogs have doors for their hutches: but to pretend barring the Tropic of Cancer,that is too big a door for
any dog. Can nobody but you have business here, then, which is not displeasing to the gods? We bid you
rise!' And in this mode there is no doubt the dog, bark and bite as he might, would have ended by rising; not
only England, but all the Universe being against him. And furthermore, I compute with certainty, the quantity
of fighting needed to obtain such result would, by this mode, have been a minimum. The clear right being
there, and now also the clear might, why take refuge in diplomatic wiggeries, in Assiento Treaties, and
Arrangements which are NOT analogous to the facts; which are but wigged mendacities, therefore; and will
but aggravate in quantity and in quality the fighting yet needed? Fighting is but (as has been well said) a
battering out of the mendacities, pretences, and imaginary elements: well batteredout, these, like dust and
chaff, fly torrentwise along the winds, and darken all the sky; but these once gone, there remain the facts
and their visible relation to one another, and peace is sure.
"The Assiento Treaty being fixed upon, the English ought to have kept it. But the English did not, in any
measure; nor could pretend to have done. They were entitled to supply Negroes, in such and such number,
annually to the Spanish Plantations; and besides this delightful branch of trade, to have the privilege of
selling certain quantities of their manufactured articles on those coasts; quantities regulated briefly by this
stipulation, That their Assiento Ship was to be of 600 tons burden, so many and no more. The Assiento Ship
was duly of 600 tons accordingly, promise kept faithfully to the eye; but the Assiento Ship was attended and
escorted by provisionsloops, small craft said to be of the most indispensable nature to it. Which
provisionsloops, and indispensable small craft, not only carried merchandise as well, but went and came to
Jamaica and back, under various pretexts, with ever new supplies of merchandise; converting the Assiento
Ship into a Floating Shop, the Tons burden and Tons sale of which set arithmetic at defiance. This was the
fact, perfectly well known in England, veiled over by mere smuggler pretences, and obstinately persisted in,
so profitable was it. Perfectly well known in Spain also, and to the Spanish GuardaCostas and SeaCaptains
in those parts; who were naturally kept in a perennial state of rage by it, and disposed to fly out into flame
upon it, when a bad case turned up! Such a case that of Jenkins had seemed to them; and their mode of
treating it, by tearing off Mr. Jenkins's Ear, proved to bebad shall we say, or good?intolerable to
England's thick skin; and brought matters to a crisis, in the ways we saw." ...
The Jenkins'sEar Question, which then looked so mad to everybody, how sane has it now grown to my
Constitutional Friend! In abstruse ludicrous form there lay immense questions involved in it; which were
serious enough, certain enough, though invisible to everybody. Half the World lay hidden in embryo under it.
ColonialEmpire, whose is it to be? Shall Half the World be England's, for industrial purposes; which is
innocent, laudable, conformable to the Multiplicationtable at least, and other plain Laws? Or shall it be
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Spain's for arroganttorpid shamdevotional purposes, contradictory to every Law? The incalculable Yankee
Nation itself, biggest Phenomenon (once thought beautifulest) of these Ages,this too, little as careless
readers on either side of the sea now know it, lay involved. Shall there be a Yankee Nation, shall there not be;
shall the New World be of Spanish type, shall it be of English? Issues which we may call immense. Among
the then extant Sons of Adam, where was he who could in the faintest degree surmise what issues lay in the
Jenkins'sEar Question? And it is curious to consider now, with what fierce deepbreathed doggedness the
poor English Nation, drawn by their instincts, held fast upon it, and would take no denial, as if THEY had
surmised and seen. For the instincts of simple guileless persons (liable to be counted STUPID, by the
unwary) are sometimes of prophetic nature, and spring from the deep places of this Universe!My
Constitutional Friend entitles his next Section CARTHAGENA; but might more fitly have headed it (for such
in reality it is, Carthagena proving the evanescent point of that sad business),
SUCCINCT HISTORY OF THE SPANISH WAR, WHICH BEGAN IN 1739; AND ENDEDWHEN DID
IT END?
1. WAR, AND PORTOBELLO (NOVEMBER, 1739MARCH, 1740)."November 4th, 1739, War was
at length (after above four months' obscure quasideclaring of it, in the shape of Orders in Council, Letters of
Marque, and so on) got openly declared; 'Heralds at Arms at the usual places' blowing trumpets upon it, and
reading the royal Manifesto, date of which is five days earlier, 'Kensington, October 30th (19th).' The
principal Events that ensue, arrange themselves under Three Heads, this of PortoBello being the FIRST; and
(by intense smelting) are datable as follows:[ Gentleman's Magazine, ix. 551, x. 124, 142, 144, 350;
Tindal, xx. 430433, 442;
"Tuesday Evening, 1st December, 1739, Admiral Vernon, our chosen AntiSpaniard, finding, a while ago,
that he had missed the Azogue Ships on the Coast of Spain, and must try America and the Spanish Main, in
that view arrives at PortoBello. Next day, December 2d, Vernon attacks PortoBello; attacks certain Castles
so called, with furious broadsiding, followed by scalading; gets surrender (on the 3d);seamen have
allowance instead of plunder;blows up what Castles there are; and returns to Port Royal in Jamaica.
"Neverimagined joy in England, and fame to Vernon, when the news came: 'Took it with Six Ships,' cry
they; 'the scurvy Ministry, who had heard him, in the fire of Parliamentary debate, say Six, would grant him
no more: invincible Vernon!' Nay, next Year, I see, 'London was illuminated on the Anniversary of
PortoBello:' day settled in permanence as one of the Hightides of the Calendar, it would appear. And
'Vernon's Birthday' withalhow touching is stupidity when loyal!was celebrated amazingly in all the
chief Towns, like a kind of Christmas, when it came round; Nature having deigned to produce such a man,
for a poor Nation in difficulties. Invincible Vernon, it is thought by Gazetteers, 'will look in at Carthagena
shortly;' much more important Place, where a certain Governor Don Blas has been insolent withal, and
written Vernon letters.
"2. PRELIMINARIES TO CARTHAGENA (MARCHNOVEMBER, 1740).Monday, 14th March, 1740,
Vernon did, accordingly, look in on Carthagena; [ Gentleman's Magazine, x. 350.] cast anchor in the shallow
waste of surfs there, that Monday; and tried some bombarding, with bombketches and the like, from
Thursday till Saturday following. Vernon hopes he did hit the Jesuits' College, South Bastion, Customhouse
and other principal edifices; but found that there was no getting near enough on that seaward side. Found that
you must force the Interior Harbor,a big Inland Gulf or Lake, which gushes in by what they call
LITTLEMOUTH (Boca Chica), and has its Booms, Castles and Defences, which are numerous and
strongish;and that, for this end, you must have seven or eight thousand Land Forces, as well as an addition
of Ships. On Saturday Evening, therefore, Vernon calls in his bombketches; sails past, examining these
things; and goes forth on other small adventures. For example,
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"Sunday, 3d April, 1740, 'about 10 at night' opens cannonade on Chagres (place often enough taken, by
cutlass and pistol, in the Bucanier times); and, on Tuesday, 5th, gets surrender of Chagres: 'Customhouse
crammed with goods, which we set fire to.' On news of which, there is again, in England, joy over the day of
small things. The poor English People are set on this business of avenging Jenkins's Ear, and of having the
Ocean Highway unbarred; and hope always it can be done by the Walpole Apparatuses, which ought to be in
working order, and are not. 'Support this hero, you Walpole and Company, in his Carthagena views: it will be
better for you!"
"Walpole and Company, aware of that fact, do take some trouble about it; and now, may not we say,
PAULLO MAJORA CANAMUS? All through that Summer, 1740,"while King Friedrich went rushing
about, to Strasburg, to Wesel; doing his Herstals and Practicalities, with a light high hand, in almost an
entertaining manner; and intent, still more, on his Voltaires and a Life to the Muses,"there was, in
England, serious heavy tumult of activity, secret and public. In the Dockyards, on the Drillgrounds, what a
stir: Camp in the Isle of Wight, not to mention Portsmouth and the SeaIndustries; 6,000 Marines are to be
embarked, as well as Land Regiments,can anybody guess whither? America itself is to furnish 'one
Regiment, with Scotch Officers to discipline it,' if they can.
"Here is real haste and effort; but by no means such speed as could be wished; multiplex confusions and
contradictions occurring, as is usual, when your machinery runs foul. Nor are the Gazetteers without their
guesses, though they study to be discreet. 'Here is something considerable in the wind; a grand idea, for
certain;' and to men of discernment it points surely towards Carthagena and heroic Vernon out yonder?
Government is dumb altogether; and lays occasional embargo; trying hard (without success), in the delays
that occurred, to keep it secret from Don Blas and others. The outcome of all which was,
"3. CARTHAGENA ITSELF (NOVEMBER, 1740APRIL, 1741).On November 6th,by no means
'July 3d,' as your first fond program bore; which delay was itself likely to be fatal, unless the Almanac, and
course of the Tropical Seasons would delay along with you!we say, On Sunday, 6th November, 1740
[Kaiser Karl's Funeral just over, and great thoughts going on at Reinsberg], RearAdmiral Sir Chaloner
Ogle,so many weeks and months after the set time,does sail from St. Helen's (guessed, for Carthagena);
all people sending blessings with him. Twentyfive big Ships of the Line, with three Half Regiments on
board; fireships, bombketches, in abundance; and eighty Transports, with 6,000 drilled Marines: a
SeaandLand Force fit to strengthen Hero Vernon with a witness, and realize his Carthagena views. A very
great day at Portsmouth and St. Helen's for these Sunday folk. [Tindal, xx. 463 (LISTS, there; date wrong,
"31st October," instead of 26th (o.s.),many things wrong, and all things left loose and flabby, and not
right! As is poor Tindal's way).]
"Most obscure among the other items in that Armada of Sir Chaloner's, just taking leave of England; most
obscure of the items then, but now most noticeable, or almost alone noticeable, is a young
Surgeon'sMate,one Tobias Smollett; looking over the waters there and the fading coasts, not without
thoughts. A proud, soft hearted, though somewhat sternvisaged, caustic and indignant young gentleman.
Apt to be caustic in speech, having sorrows of his own under lock and key, on this and subsequent occasions.
Excellent Tobias; he has, little as he hopes it, something considerable by way of mission in this Expedition,
and in this Universe generally. Mission to take Portraiture of English Seamanhood, with the due grimness,
due fidelity; and convey the same to remote generations, before it vanish. Courage, my brave young Tobias;
through endless sorrows, contradictions, toils and confusions, you will do your errand in some measure; and
that will be something!
"Five weeks before (29th September, 1740, which was also several months beyond time set), there had sailed,
strictly hidden by embargoes which were little effectual, another Expedition, all Naval; intended to be
subsidiary to this one: Commodore Anson's, of three inconsiderable Ships; who is to go round Cape Horn, if
he can; to bombard Spanish America from the other side; and stretch out a hand to Vernon in his grand
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Carthagena or ulterior views. Together they may do some execution, if we judge by the old Bucanier and
QueenElizabeth experiences? Anson's Expedition has become famous in the world, though Vernon got no
good of it."
Well! Here truly was a business; not so illcontrived. Somebody of head must have been at the centre of this:
and it might, in result, have astonished the Spaniard, and tumbled him much topsyturvy in those
latitudes,had the machinery for executing it been well in gear. Under Friedrich Wilhelm's captaincy and
management, every person, every item, correct to its time, to its place, to its function, what a thing! But with
mere Walpole Machinery: alas, it was far too wide a Plan for Machinery of that kind, habitually out of order,
and only used to be as correct asas it could. Those DELAYS themselves, first to Anson, then to Ogle,
since the Tropical Almanac would not delay along with them, had thrown both Enterprises into weather such
as all but meant impossibility in those latitudes! This was irremediable;had not been remediable, by efforts
and pushings here and there. The best of management, as under Anson, could not get the better of this; worst
of management, as in the other case, was likely to make a fine thing of it! Let us hasten on:
"January 20th, 1741, We arrive, through much rough weather and other confused hardships, at Port Royal in
Jamaica; find Vernon waiting on the slip; the American Regiment, tolerably drilled by the Scotch
Lieutenants, in full readiness and equipment; a body of Negroes superadded, by way of pioneer laborers fit
for those hot climates. One sad loss there had been on the voyage hither: Land forces had lost their
Commander, and did not find another. General Cathcart had died of sickness on the voyage; a Charles Lord
Cathcart, who was understood to possess some knowledge of his business; and his Successor, one
Wentworth, did not happen to have any. Which was reckoned unlucky, by the more observant. Vernon,
though in haste for Carthagena, is in some anxiety about a powerful French Fleet which has been
manoeuvring in those waters for some time; intent on no good that Vernon can imagine. The first thing now
is, See into that French Fleet. French Fleet, on our going to look in the proper Island, is found to be all off for
home; men 'mostly starved or otherwise dead,' we hear; so that now, after this last short delay,To
Carthagena with all sail.
"Wednesday Evening, 15th March, 1741, We anchor in the Playa Grande, the waste surfy Shallow which
washes Carthagena seaward: 124 sail of us, big and little. We find Don Blas in a very prepared posture. Don
Blas has been doing his best, this twelvemonth past; plugging up that BocaChica (LITTLE MOUTH)
Ingate, with batteries, booms, great ships; and has castles not a few thereabouts and in the Interior Lake or
Harbor; all which he has put in tolerable defence, so far as can be judged: not an inactive, if an insolent Don.
We spend the next five days in considering and surveying these Performances of his: What is to be done with
them; how, in the first place, we may force BocaChica; and get in upon his Interior Castles and him. After
consideration, and plan fixed:
"Monday, 20th March, Sir Chaloner, with broadsides, sweeps away some small defences which lie to left of
BocaChica [to our LEFT, to BocaChica's RIGHT, if anybody cares to be particular]. Whereupon the
Troops land, some of them that same evening; and, within the next two days, are all ashore, implements,
Negroes and the rest; building batteries, felling wood; intent to capture BocaChica Castle, and demolish the
WarShips, Booms, and fry of Fascine and other Batteries; and thereby to get in upon Don Blas, and have a
stroke at his Interior Castles and Carthagena itself. Till April 5th, here are sixteen days of furious intricate
work; not ill done:the physical labor itself, the building of batteries, with BocaChica firing on you over
the woods, is scarcely doable by Europeans in that season; and the Negroes who are able for it, 'fling down
their burdens, and scamper, whenever a gun goes off.' Furious fighting, too, there was, by seamen and
landsmen; not ill done, considering circumstances.
"On the sixteenth day, April 5th [King Friedrich hurrying from the Mountains that same day, towards
Steinau, which took fire with him at night], BocaChica Castle and the intricate WarShips, Booms, and
Castles thereabouts (Don Blas running off when the push became intense), are at last got. So that now,
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through BocaChica, we enter the Interior Harbor or Harbors. 'Harbors' which are of wide extent, and deep
enough: being in fact a Lake, or rather Pair of Lakes, with Castles (CASTILLO GRANDE, 'Castle Grand,' the
chief of them), with WarShips sunk or afloat, and miscellaneous obstructions: beyond all which, at the
farther shore, some five miles off, Carthagena itself does at last lie potentially accessible; and we hope to get
in upon Don Blas and it. There ensue five days of intricate seawork; not much of broadsiding, mainly
tugging out of sunk WarShips, and the like, to get alongside of Castle Grand, which is the chief obstruction.
"April 10, Castle Grand itself is got; nobody found in it when we storm. Don Blas and the Spaniards seem
much in terror; burning any Ships they still have, near Carthagena; as if there were no chance now left." This
is the very day of Mollwitz Battle; near about the hour when Schwerin broke into fieldmusic, and advanced
with thunderous glitter against the evening sun! "Carthagena Expedition is, at length, fairly in contact with its
Problem,the question rising, 'Do you understand it, then?'
"Up to this point, mistakes of management had been made good by obstinate energy of execution; clear
victory had gone on so far, the Capture of Carthagena now seemingly at hand. One thing was unfortunate:
'the able Mr. Moor [meritorious Captain of Foot, who, by accident, had spent some study on his business], the
one real Engineer we had,' got killed in that BocaChica struggle: an end to poor Moor! So that the Siege of
Carthagena will have to go on WITHOUT Engineer science henceforth. May be important, that,who
knows? Another thing was still more palpably important: SeaGeneral Vernon had an undisguised contempt
for LandGeneral Wentworth. 'A mere blockhead, whose Brother has a Borough,' thinks Vernon (himself an
Opposition Member, of highsniffing, angry, not too magnanimous turn);and withdraws now to his Ships;
intimating: 'Do your Problem, then; I have set you down beside it, which was my part of the affair!'Let us
give the attack of Fort Lazar, and end this sad business.
"Sunday, 16th April, Wentworth, once master of the Uppermost Lake or Harbor (what the Natives call the
SURGIDERO, or Anchorage Proper), had disembarked, high up to the right, a good way south of
Carthagena; meaning to attack therefrom a certain Fort Lazar, which stands on a Hill between Carthagena
and him: this Hill and Fort once his, he has Carthagena under his cannon; Carthagena in his pocket, as it
were. 'Fort not to be had without batteries,' thinks Wentworth; though the sickly rainy season has set in.
'Batteries? Scalingladders, you mean!' answers Vernon, with undisguised contempt. For the two are, by this
time, almost in open quarrel. Wentworth starts building batteries, in spite of the rain deluges; then stops
building;decides to do it by scalade, after all. And, at two in the morning of this Sunday, April 16th, sets
forth, in certain columns,by roads illknown, with arrangements that do NOT fit like clockwork,to
storm said Hill and Fort. The English are an obstinate people; and strenuous execution will sometimes amend
defects of plan,sometimes not.
"The obstinate English, nothing in them but sullen fire of valor, which has to burn UNluminous, did, after
mistake on mistake, climb the rocks or heights of Lazar Hill, in spite of the world and Don Blas's
cannonading; but found, when atop, That Fort Lazar, raining cannonshot, was still divided from them by
chasms; that the scalingladders had not come (never did come, owing to indiscipline somewhere),and
that, without wings as of eagles, they could not reach Fort Lazar at all! For about four hours, they struggled
with a desperate doggedness, to overcome the chasms, to wrench aside the Laws of Nature, and do something
useful for themselves; patiently, though sulkily; regardless of the storm of shot which killed 600 of them, the
while. At length, finding the Laws of Nature too strong for them, they descended gloomily: 'in gloomy
silence' marched home to their tents again,in a humor too deep for words.
"Yes; and we find they fell sick in multitudes, that night; and, 'in two days more, were reduced from 6,645 to
3,200 effective;' Vernon, from the sea, looking disdainfully on:and it became evident that the big Project
had gone to water; and that nothing would remain but to return straightway to Jamaica, in bankrupt condition.
Which accordingly was set about. And ten days hence (April 26th)) the final party of them did get on
board, punctual to take 'three tents,' their last rag of Siegefurniture, along with them; 'lest Don Blas have
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trophies,' thinks poor Wentworth. And sailed away, with their sad Siege finished in such fashion. Strenuous
Siege; which, had the WarSciences been foolishness, and the Laws of Nature and the rigors of Arithmetic
and Geometry been stretchable entities, might have succeeded better!" [Smollett's Account, Miscellaneous
Works (Edinburgh, 1806), iv. 445469, is that of a highly intelligent Eyewitness, credible and intelligible in
every particular.]
"Evening of April 26th:"I perceive it was in the very hours while Belleisle arrived in Friedrich's Camp at
Mollwitz; eve of that Siege of Brieg, which we saw performing itself with punctual regard to said Laws and
rigors, and issuing in so different a manner! Nothing that my Constitutional Historian has said equals in
pungent enormity the matteroffact Picture, left by Tobias Smollett, of the sick and wounded, in the interim
which followdthat attempt on Fort Lazar and the Laws of Nature:
"As for the sick and wounded", says Tobias, "they were, next day, sent on board of the transports and vessels
called hospitalships; where they languished in want of every necessary comfort and accommodation. They
were destitute of surgeons, nurses, cooks and proper provision; they were pent up between decks in small
vessels, where they had not room to sit upright; they wallowed in filth; myriads of maggots were hatched in
the putrefaction of their sores, which had no other dressing than that of being washed by themselves with
their own allowance of brandy; and nothing was heard but groans, lamentations and the language of despair,
invoking death to deliver them from their miseries. What served to encourage this despondence, was the
prospect of those poor wretches who had strength and opportunity to look around them; for there they beheld
the naked bodies of their fellowsoldiers and comrades floating up and down the harbor, affording prey to the
carrioncrows and sharks, which tore them in pieces without interruption, and contributing by their stench to
the mortality that prevailed.
"This picture cannot fail to be shocking to the humane reader, especially when he is informed, that while
those miserable objects cried in vain for assistance, and actually perished for want of proper attendance,
every ship of war in the fleet could have spared a couple of surgeons for their relief; and many young
gentlemen of that profession solicited their captains in pain for leave to go and administer help to the sick and
wounded. The necessities of the poor people were well known; the remedy was easy and apparent; but the
discord between the chiefs was inflamed to such a degree of diabolical rancor, that the one chose rather to see
his men perish than ask help of the other, who disdained to offer his assistance unasked, though it might have
saved the lives of his fellow subjects." [Smollett, IBID. (Anderson's Edition), iv. 466.]
In such an amazing condition is the English Fighting Apparatus under Walpole, being important for
England's self only; while the Talking Apparatus, important for Walpole, is in such excellent gearing, so well
kept in repair and oil! By Wentworth's blame, who had no knowledge of war; by Vernon's, who sat famous
on the Opposition side, yet wanted loyalty of mind; by one's blame and another's, WHOSE it is idle arguing,
here is how your Fighting Apparatus performs in the hour when needed. Unfortunate General, or General's
CockedHat (a brave heart too, they say, though of brain too vacant, too opaque); unfortunate Admiral (much
blown away by vanity, innature and Parliamentary wind);doubly unfortunate Nation, that employs such
to lead its armaments! How the English Nation took it? The English Nation has had much of this kind to take,
first and last; and apparently will yet have. "Gloomy silence," like that of the poor men going home to their
tents, is our only dialect towards it.
This is a dreadful business, this of the wrecked Carthagena Expedition; such a force of warmunitions in
every kind, including the rare kind, human Courage and force of heart, only not human Captaincy, the
rarest kind,as could have swallowed South America at discretion, had there been Captains over it. Has
gone blundering down into Orcus and the shark's belly, in that unutterable manner. Might have been didactic
to Eugland, more than it was; England's skin being very thick against lessons of that nature. Might have
broken the heart of a little Sovereign Gentleman Curator of England, had he gone hypochondriacally into it;
which he was far from doing, brisk little Gentleman; looking out else whither, with those eyes A FLEUR
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DE TETE, and nothing of insoluble admitted into the brain that dwelt inside.
What became subsequently of the Spanish War, we in vain inquire of HistoryBooks. The War did not die
for many years to come, but neither did it publicly live; it disappears at this point: a River Niger, seen once
flowing broad enough; but issuingDoes it issue nowhere, then? Where does it issue? Except for my
Constitutional Historian, still unpublished, I should never have known where. By the time these disastrous
Carthagena tidings reached England, his Britannic Majesty was in Hanover; involved, he, and all his State
doctors, English and Hanoverian, in awful contemplation on Pragmatic Sanction, Kaiserwahl, Celestial
Balance, and the saving of Nature's Keystone, should this still prove possible to human effort and
contrivance. In which Imminency of Doomsday itself, the small EnglishSpanish matter, which the Official
people, and his Majesty as much as any, had bitterly disliked, was quite let go, and dropped out of view.
Forgotten by Official people; left to the dumb English Nation, whose concern it was, to administer as IT
could.
Ansonwith his three ships gone to two, gone ultimately to oneis henceforth what Spanish War there
officially is. Anson could not meet those VernonWentworth gentlemen "from the other side of the Isthmus
of Darien," the gentlemen, with their Enterprise, being already bankrupt and away. Anson, with three
inconsiderable ships, which rotted gradually into one, could not himself settle the Spanish War: but he did, on
his own score, a series of things, ending in beautiful finis of the Acapulco Ship, which were of considerable
detriment, and of highly considerable disgrace, to Spain;and were, and are long likely to be, memorable
among the Seaheroisms of the world. Giving proof that real Captains, taciturn Sons of Anak, are still born in
England; and Seakings, equal to any that were. Luckily, too, he had some chaplain or ship'ssurgeon on
board, who saw good to write account of that memorable VOYAGE of his; and did it, in brief, perspicuous
terms, wise and credible: a real Poem in its kind, or Romance all Fact; one of the pleasantest little Books in
the World's Library at this date. Anson sheds some tincture of heroic beauty over that otherwise altogether
hideous puddle of mismanagement, platitude, disaster; and vindicates, in a pathetically potential way, the
honor of his poor Nation a little.
Apart from Official Anson, the Spanish War fell mainly, we may say, into the hands ofof Mr. Jenkins
himself, and such Friends of his, at Wapping, Bristol and the Seaports, as might be disposed to go
privateering. In which course, after some crosses at first, and great complaints of losses to Spanish Privateers,
Wapping and Bristol did at length eminently get the upper hand; and thus carried on this Spanish War (or
SpanishFrench, Spain and France having got into one boat), for long years coming; in an entirely
inarticulate, but by no means quite ineffectual manner,indeed, to the ultimate clearance of the Seas from
both French and Spaniard, within the next twenty years. Readers shall take this little Excerpt, dated Three
Years hence, and set it twinkling in the night of their imaginations:
BRISTOL, MONDAY, 21st (10th) SEPTEMBER, 1744. ... "Nothing is to be seen here but rejoicings for the
number of French prizes brought into this port. Our Sailors are in high spirits, and full of money; and while
on shore, spend their whole time in carousing, visiting their mistresses, going to plays, serenading, dressed
out with laced hats, tossels (SIC), swords with swordknots, and every other way of spending their money."
[Extract of a Letter from Bristol, in Gentleman's Magazine, xiv. 504.]
Carthagena, Walpole, Viners: here are Sorrows for a Britannic Majesty;and these are nothing like all. But
poor readers should have some respite; brief breathingtime, were it only to use their pockethandkerchiefs,
and summon new courage!
Chapter XIII. SMALLWAR: FIRST EMERGENCE OF ZIETHEN THE
HUSSAR GENERAL INTO NOTICE.
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After Brieg, Friedrich undertook nothing military, except strict vigilance of Neipperg, for a couple of months
or more. Military, especially offensive operations, are not the methods just now. Rest on your oars; see how
this seething Ocean of European Politics, and Peace or War, will settle itself into currents, into set winds; by
which of them a man may steer, who happens to have a fixed port in view. Neipperg, too, is glad to be
quiescent; "my Infantry hopelessly inferior," he writes to headquarters: "Could not one hire 10,000 Saxons,
think you,"or do several other chimerical things, for help? Except with his Pandour people, working what
mischief they can, Neipperg does nothing. But this Hungarian rabble is extensively industrious, scouring the
country far and wide; and gives a great deal of trouble both to Friedrich and the peaceable inhabitants. So that
there is plenty of Small War always going on:not mentionable here, any passage of it, except perhaps one,
at a place called Rothschloss; which concerns a remarkable Prussian Hussar Major, their famed Ziethen, and
is still remembered by the Prussian public.
We have heard of Captain, now Major Ziethen, how Friedrich Wilhelm sent him to the Rhine Campaign, six
years ago, to learn the Hussar Art from the Austrians there. One Baronay (BARONIAY, or even
BARANYAI, as others write him), an excellent hand, taught him the Art;and how well he has learned,
Baronay now sadly experiences. The affair of Rothschloss (in abridged form) befell as follows:
"In these SmallWar businesses, Baronay, Austrian MajorGeneral of Hussars, had been exceedingly
mischievous hitherto. It was but the other day, a Prussian regular party had to go out upon him, just in time;
and to REwrench 'sixty cartloads of meal,' wrenched by him from suffering individuals; with which he was
making off to Neisse, when the Prussians [from their Camp of Mollwitz, where they still are] came in sight.
"And now again (May 16th) news is, That Baronay, and 1,400 Hussars with him, has another considerable set
of mealcarts,in the Village of Rothschloss, about twenty miles southward, Frankenstein way; and means
to march with them Neisseward tomorrow. Two marches or so will bring him home; if Prussian diligence
prevent not. 'Go instantly,' orders Friedrich,appointing Winterfeld to do it: Winterfeld with 300 dragoons,
with Ziethen and Hussars to the amount of 600; which is more than one to two of Austrians.
"Winterfeld and Ziethen march that same day; are in the neighborhood of Rothschloss by nightfall; and take
their measures, block the road to Neisse, and do other necessary things. And go in upon Baronay next
morning, at the due rate, fiery men both of them; sweep poor Baronay away, MINUS the meal; who finds
even his road blocked (bridge bursting into cannonshot upon him, at one point), instead of bridge, a stream,
or slow current of quagmire for him,and is in imminent hazard. Ziethen's behavior was superlative (details
of it unintelligible off the ground); and Baronay fled totally in wreck;his own horse shot, and at the
moment no other to be had; swam the quagmire, or swashed through it, 'by help of a tree;" and had a near
miss of capture. Recovering himself on the other side, Baronay, we can fancy, gave a grin of various
expression, as he got into saddle again: 'The arrow so near killing was feathered from one's own wing,
too!'And indeed, a day or two after, he wrote Ziethen a handsome Letter to that effect."
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 927; Orlich, i. 120. The Life of General de Zieten (English Translation, very ill
printed, Berlin, 1803), BY FRAU VON BLUMENTHAL (a vaguish eloquent Lady, but with access to
information, being a connection of Z.'s), p. 84.]
Ziethen, for minor good feats, had been made LieutenantColonel, the very day he marched; his Commission
dates May 16th, 1741; and on the morrow he handsels it in this pretty manner. He is now fortytwo; much
held down hitherto; being a man of inarticulate turn, hot and abrupt in his ways,liable always to
multifarious obstruction, and unjust contradiction from his fellowcreatures. But Winterfeld's report on this
occasion was emphatic; and Ziethen shoots rapidly up henceforth; Colonel within the year, General in 1744;
and more and more esteemed by Friedrich during their subsequent long life together.
Though perhaps the two most opposite men in Nature, and standing so far apart, they fully recognized one
another in their several spheres. For Ziethen too had good eyesight, though in abstruse sort:rugged simple
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son of the moorlands; nourished, body and soul, on orthodox frugal oatmeal (so to speak), with a large
sprinkling of fire and iron thrown in! A man born poor: son of some poor Squirelet in the Ruppin
Country;"used to walk five miles into Ruppin on Saturday nights," in early life, "and have his hair done
into club, which had to last him till the week following." [ MilitairLexikon, iv. 310.] A bigheaded,
thicklipped, decidedly ugly little man. And yet so beautiful in his ugliness: wise, resolute, true, with a dash
of high uncomplaining sorrow in him;not the "bleached nigger" at all, as PrintCollectors sometimes call
him! No; but (on those oatmeal terms) the SocratesOdysseus, the valiant pious Stoic, and much enduring
man. One of the best Hussar Captains ever built. By degrees King Friedrich and he grew to be,with
considerable tiffs now and then, and intervals of gloom and eclipse,what we might call sworn friends. On
which and on general grounds, Ziethen has become, like Friedrich himself, a kind of mythical person with the
soldiery and common people; more of a demigod than any other of Friedrich's Captains.
Friedrich is always eagerly in quest of men like Ziethen; specially so at this time. He has meditated much on
the bad figure his Cavalry made at Mollwitz; and is already drilling them anew in multiplex ways, during
those leisure days he now has,with evident success on the next trial, this very Summer. And, as his wont is,
will not rest satisfied there. But strives incessantly, for a series of summers and years to come, till he bring
them to perfection; or to the likeness of his own thought, which probably was not far from that. Till at length
it can be said his success became worldfamous; and he had such Seidlitzes and Ziethens as were not seen
before or since.
END OF BOOK 12
BOOK XIII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, LEAVING THE GENERAL EUROPEAN
ONE ABLAZE ALL ROUND, GETS ENDED. May, 1741July, 1742.
Chapter I. BRITANNIC MAJESTY AS PALADIN OF THE PRAGMATIC.
Part First of his Britannic Majesty's Sorrows, the Britannic or Domestic Part, is now perhaps conceivable to
readers. But as to the Second, the Germanic or Pragmatic Part,articulate History, after much consideration,
is content to renounce attempting these; feels that these will remain forever inconceivable to mankind in the
now altered times. So small a gentleman; and he feels, dismally though with heroism, that he has got the axis
of the world on his shoulder. Poor Majesty! His eyes, proud as Jove's, are nothing like so perspicacious; a
pair of the poorest eyes: and he has to scan with them, and unriddle under pain of death, such a waste of
insoluble intricacies, troubles and worldperils as seldom was, even in Dreams. In fact, it is of the nature
of a long Nightmare Dream, all this of the Pragmatic, to his poor Majesty and Nation; and wakeful History
must not spend herself upon it, beyond the essential.
May 12th, betimes this Year, his Majesty got across to Hanover, Harrington with him; anxious to
contemplate near at hand that Camp of the Old Dessauer's at Gottin, and the other fearful phenomena, French,
Prussian and other, in that Country. His Majesty, as natural, was much in Germany in those Years; scanning
the phenomena; a long while not knowing what in the world to make of them. Bully Belleisle having stept
into the ring, it is evident, clear as the sun, that one must act, and act at once; but it is a perfect
sphinxenigma to say How. Seldom was Sovereign or man so spurred, and goaded on, by the highest
considerations; and then so held down, and chained to his place, by an imbroglio of counter considerations
and sphinxriddles! Thrice over, at different dates (which shall be given), the first of them this Year, he starts
up as in spasm, determined to draw sword, and plunge in; twice he is crushed down again, with sword half
drawn; and only the third time (in 1743) does he get sword out, and brandish it in a surprising though useless
manner. After which he feels better. But up to that crisis, his case is really tragical,had idle readers any
bowels for him; which they have not! One or two Fractions, snatched from the circumambient Paper Vortex,
must suffice us for the indispensable in this place:
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CUNCTATIONS, YET INCESSANT AND UBIQUITOUS ENDEAVORINGS, OF HIS BRITANNIC
MAJESTY (17411743).
... After the wonderful Russian PartitionTreaty, which his English Walpoles would not hear of,and which
has produced the Camp of Gottin, see, your Majesty!George does nothing rashly. Far from it: indeed,
except it be paying money, he becomes again a miracle of cunctations; and staggers about for years to come,
like the Shall we say, like the White Hanover Horse amid half a dozen sieves of beans? Alas, no, like the
Hanover Horse with the shadows of half a dozen Damocles'swords dangling into the eyes of it;enough to
drive any Horse to its wit's end!
"To do, to dare," thinks the Britannic Majesty;yes, and of daring there is a plenty: but, "In which direction?
What, How?" these are questions for a fussy little gentleman called to take the world on his shoulders. We
suppose it was by Walpole's advice that he gave her Hungarian Majesty that 200,000 pounds of
SecretService Money; advice sufficiently Walpolean: "Russian PartitionTreaties; horrible to think
of;beware of these again! Give her Majesty that cash; can be done; it will keep matters afloat, and spoil
nothing!" That, till the late Subsidy payable within year and day hence, was all of tangible his Majesty had
yet done;truly that is all her Hungarian Majesty has yet got by hawking the world, Pragmatic Sanction in
hand. And if that were the bit of generosity which enabled Neipperg to climb the Mountains and be beaten at
Mollwitz, that has helped little! Very big generosities, to a frightful cipher of Millions Sterling through the
coming years, will go the same road; and amount also to zero, even for the receiving party, not to speak of the
giving! For men and kings are wise creatures.
But wise or unwise, how great are his Britannic Majesty's activities in this Pragmatic Business! We may say,
they are prodigious, incessant, ubiquitous. They are forgotten now, fallen wholly to the spiders and the
dustbins;though Friedrich himself was not a busier King in those days, if perhaps a better directed. It is a
thing wonderful to us, but sorrowful and undeniable. We perceive the Britannic Majesty's own little mind
pulsing with this Pragmatic Matter, as the biggest volcano would do;shooting forth dust and smoke
(subsidies, diplomatic emissaries, treaties, offers of treaty, plans, foolish futile exertions), at an immense rate.
When the Celestial Balances are canting, a man ought to exert himself. But as to this of saving the House of
Austria from France,surely, your Britannic Majesty, the shortest way to that, if that is so indispensable,
were: That the House of Austria should consent to give up its stolen goods, better late than never; and to
make this King of Prussia its friend, as he offers to be! Joined with this King, it would manage to give
account of France and its balloon projects, by and by. Could your Britannic Majesty but take Mr. Viner's hint;
and, in the interim, mind your OWN business! His Britannic Majesty intends immediate fighting; and,
both in England and Hanover, is making preparation loud and great. Nay, he will in his own person fight, if
necessary, and rather likes the thought of it: he saw Oudenarde in his young days; and, I am told, traces in
himself a talent for Generalship. Were the Britannic Majesty to draw his own puissant sword!His own
puissant purse he has already drawn; and is subsidizing to right and left; knocking at all doors with money in
hand, and the question, "Any fighting done here?" In England itself there goes on much drilling, enlisting;
camping, proposing to camp; which is noisy enough in the British Newspapers, much more in the Foreign.
One actual Camp there was "on Lexden Heath near Colchester," from May till October of this 1741,
[Manifold but insignificant details about it, in the old Newspapers of those Months.]Camp waiting always
to be shipped across to the scene of action, but never was:this actual Camp, and several imaginary ones
here, which were alarming to the Continental Gazetteer. In England his Majesty is busy that way; still more
among his Hanoverians, now under his own royal eye; and among his Danes and Hessians, whom he has now
brought over into Hanover, to combine with the others. Danes and Hessians, 6,000 of each kind, he for some
time keeps back in stall, upon subsidy, ready for such an occasion. Their "Camp at Hameln," "Camp at
Nienburg" (will, with the Hanoverians, be 30,000 odd); their swashing and blaring about, intending to
encamp at Hameln, at Nienburg, and other places, but never doing it, or doing it with any result: this, with the
alarming English Camps at Lexden and in Dreamland, which also were void of practical issue, filled Europe
with rumor this Summer.Eager enough to fight; a noble martial ardor in our little HerculesAtlas! But
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there lie such enormous difficulties on the threshold; especially these Two, which are insuperable or nearly
so.
Difficulty FIRST, is that of the laggard Dutch; a People apt to be heavy in the sternworks. They are quite
languid about Pragmatic Sanction, these Dutch; they answer his Britannic Majesty's enthusiasm with an
obese torpidity; and hope always they will drift through, in some way; buoyant in their own fat, well ballasted
astern; and not need such swimming for life. "What a laggard notion," thinks his Majesty; "notion in ten pair
of breeches, so to speak!" This stirring up of the Dutch, which lasts year on year, and almost beats Lord Stair,
Lord Carteret, and our chief Artists, is itself a thing like few! One of his Britannic Majesty's great
difficulties;insuperable he never could admit it to be. "Surely you are a SeaPower, ye valiant Dutch; the
OTHER SeaPower? Bound by Barrier Treaty, Treaty of Vienna, and Law of Nature itself, to rise with us
against the fatal designs of France; fatal to your Dutch Barrier, first of all; if the Liberties of Mankind were
indifferent to you! How is it that you will not?" The Dutch cannot say how. France rocks them in security, by
oily mouthed Diplomatists, Fenelon and others: "Would not touch a stone of your Barrier, for the world, ye
admirable Dutch neighbors: on our honor, thrice and four times, No!" They have an eloquent Van Hoey of
their own at Paris; renowned in Newspapers: "Nothing but friendship here!" reports Van Hoey always; and
the Dutch answer his Britannic Majesty: "Hm, rise? Well then, if we must!"but sit always still.
Nowhere in Political Mechanics have I seen such a Problem as this of hoisting to their feet the
heavybottomed Dutch. The cunningest leverage, every sort of Diplomatic blockandtackle, Carteret and
Stair themselves running over to help in critical seasons, is applied; to almost no purpose. Pull long, pull
strong, pull all together,see, the heavy Dutch do stir; some four inches of daylight fairly visible below
them: bear a hand, oh, bear a hand! Pooh, the Dutch flap down again, as low as ever. As low,unless (by
Diplomatic art) you have WEDGED them at the four inches higher; which, after the first time or two, is
generally done. At the long last, partially in 1743 (upon which his Britannic Majesty drew sword),
completely in 1747, the Dutch were got to their feet; unfortunately good for nothing when they were!
Without them his Britannic Majesty durst not venture. Hidden in those dustbins, there is nothing so absurd,
or which would be so wearisome, did it not at last become slightly ludicrous, as this of hoisting the Dutch.
Difficulty SECOND, which in enormity of magnitude might be reckoned first, as in order of time it ranks
both first and last, is: The case of dear Hanover; case involved in mere insolubilities. Our own dear Hanover,
which (were there nothing more in it) is liable, from that Camp at Gottin, to be slit in pieces at a moment's
warning! No drawing sword against a nefarious Prussia, on those terms. The Camp at Gottin holds George in
checkmate. And then finally, in this same Autumn, 1741, when a Maillebois with his 40 or 50,000 French
(the Leftward or western of those Two Belleisle Armies), threatening our Hanover from another side, crossed
the Lower RhineBut let us not anticipate. The case of Hanover, which everybody saw to be his Majesty's
vulnerable point, was the constant open door of France and her machinations, and a never ending theme of
angry eloquences in the English Parliament as well.
So that the case of Hanover proved insoluble throughout, and was like a perpetual running sore. Oh the
pamphleteerings, the denouncings, the complainings, satirical and elegiac, which grounded themselves on
Hanover, the CASE OF THE HANOVER FORCES, and innumerable other Hanoverian cases, griefs and
difficulties! So pungently vital to somnambulant mankind at that epoch; to us fallen dead as carrion, and
unendurable to think of. My friends, if you send for Gentlemen from Hanover, you must take them with
Hanover adhering more or less; and ought not to quarrel with your bargain, which you reckoned so divine!
No doubt, it is singular to see a Britannic Majesty neglecting his own Spanish War, the one real business he
has at present; and running about over all the world; busy, soul, body and breechespocket, in other people's
wars; egging on other fighting, whispering every likely fellow he can meet, "Won't you perhaps fight? Here is
for you, if so!"hand to breechespocket accompanying the word. But it must be said, and ought to be
better known than in our day it is, His Majesty's Ministers, and the English StateDoctors generally, were
precisely of the same mind. TO them too the Austrian Quarrel was everything, their own poor Spanish
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Quarrel nothing; and the complaint they make of his Majesty is rather that he does not rush rapidly enough,
with brandished sword, as well as with guineas raining from him, into this one indispensable business.
"Owing to his fears for Hanover!" say they, with indignation, with no end of suspicion, angry pamphleteering
and covert eloquence, "within those walls" and without.
The suspicion of Hanover's checking his Majesty's Pragmatic velocity is altogether well founded; and there
need no more be said on that Hanover score. Be it well understood and admitted, Hanover was the Britannic
Majesty's beloved son; and the British Empire his opulent milkcow. Richest of milkcows; staff of one's
life, for grand purposes and small; beautiful big animal, not to be provoked; but to be stroked and
milked:Friends, if you will do a Glorious Revolution of that kind, and burn such an amount of tar upon it,
why eat sour herbs for an inevitable corollary therefrom! And let my present readers understand, at any rate,
that,except in Wapping, Bristol and among the simple instinctive classes (with whom, it is true, go Pitt and
some illustrious figures),political England generally, whatever of England had Parliamentary discourse of
reason, and did Pamphlets, Despatches, Harangues, went greatly along with his Majesty in that Pragmatic
Business. And be the blame of delirium laid on the right back, where it ought to lie, not on the wrong, which
has enough to bear of its own. And go not into that dustwhirlwind of extinct stupidities, O reader:what
reader would, except for didactic objects? Know only that it does of a truth whirl there; and fancy always, if
you can, that certain things and Human Figures, a Friedrich, a Chatham and some others, have it for their
LifeElement. Which, I often think, is their principal misfortune with Posterity; said LifeElement having
gone to such an unutterable condition for gods and men.
"One other thing surprises us in those Old Pamphlets," says my Constitutional Friend: "How the phrase,
'Cause of Liberty' ever and anon turns up, with great though extinct emphasis, evidently sincere. After
groping, one is astonished to find it means Support of the House of Austria; keeping of the Hapsburgs entire
in their old Possessions among mankind! That, to our greatgrandfathers, was the 'Cause of Liberty;'said
'Cause' being, with us again, Electoral Suffrage and other things; a notably different definition, perhaps still
wider of the mark.
"Our greatgrandfathers lived in perpetual terror that they would be devoured by France; that French
ambition would overset the Celestial Balance, and proceed next to eat the British Nation. Stand upon your
guard then, one would have said: Look to your ships, to your defences, to your industries; to your virtues first
of all,your VIRTUTES, manhoods, conformities to the Divine Law appointed you; which are the great and
indeed sole strength to any Man or Nation! Discipline yourselves, wisely, in all kinds; more and more, till
there be no anarchic fibre left in you. Unanarchic, disciplined at all points, you might then, I should say, with
supreme composure, let France, and the whole World at its back, try what they could do upon you and the
unique little Island you are so lucky as to live in?Foolish mortals: what Potentiality of Battle, think you
(not against France only, but against Satanas and the Ministers of Chaos generally), would a poor Friedrich
Wilhelm, not to speak of better, have got out of such a Possession, had it been his to put in drill! And drill is
not of soldiers only; though perhaps of soldiers first and most indispensably of all; since 'without Being,' as
my Friend Oliver was wont to say, 'Well being is not possible.' There is military drill; there is industrial,
economic, spiritual; gradually there are all kinds of drill, of wise discipline, of peremptory mandate become
effective everywhere, 'OBEY the Laws of Heaven, or else disappear from these latitudes!' Ah me, if one dealt
in daydreams, and prophecies of an England grown celestial,celestial she should be, not in gold nuggets,
continents all of beef, and seas all of beer, Abolition of Pain, and Paradise to All and Sundry, but in that quite
different fashion; and there, I should say, THERE were the magnificent Hope to indulge in! That were to me
the 'Cause of Liberty;' and any the smallest contribution towards that kind of 'Liberty ' were a sacred thing!
"Belleisle again may, if he pleases, call his the Cause of Sovereignty. A Sovereign Louis, it would appear,
has not governing enough to do within his own French borders, but feels called to undertake Germany as
well;a gentleman with an immense governing faculty, it would appear? Truly, good reader, I am sick of
heart, contemplating those empty sovereign mountebanks, and empty antagonist ditto, with their Causes of
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Liberty and Causes of Anti Liberty; and cannot but wish that we had got the ashes of that WorldExplosion,
of 1789, well riddled and smelted, and the poor World were quit of a great many things!"
My Constitutional Historian of England, musing on Belleisle and his AntiPragmatic industries and
grandiosities,"how ChiefBully Belleisle stept down into the ring as a gay Volunteer, and foolish
ChiefDefender George had to follow dismally heroic, as a Conscript of Fate,"drops these words: in
regard to the Wages they respectively had:
"Nations that go into War without business there, are sure of getting business as they proceed; and if the
beginning were phantasms,especially phantasms of the hoping, selfconceited kind,the results for them
are apt to be extremely real! As was the case with the French in this War, and those following, in which his
Britannic Majesty played chief countertenor. From 1741, in King Friedrich's First War, onwards to
Friedrich's Third War, 17561763, the volunteer French found a great deal of work lying ready for
them,gratuitous on their part, from the beginning. And the results to them came out, first completely
visible, in the WorldMiracles of 1789, and the years following!
"Nations, again, may be driven upon War by phantasm TERRORS, and go into it, in sorrow of heart, not
gayety of heart; and that is a shade better. And one always pities a poor Nation, in such case; as the very
Destinies rather do, and judge it more mercifully. Nay, the poor bewildered Nation may, among its
brainphantasms, have something of reality and sanity inarticulately stirring it withal. It may have a real
ordinance of Heaven to accomplish on those terms:and IF so, it will sometimes, in the most chaotic
circuitous ways, through endless hazards, at a hundred or a hundred thousand times the natural expense,
ultimately get it done! This was the case of the poor English in those Wars.
"They were Wars extraneous to England little less than to France; neither Nation had real business in them;
and they seem to us now a very mad object on the part of both. But they were not gratuitously gone into, on
the part of England; far from that. England undertook them, with its big heart very sorrowful, strange
spectralities bewildering it; and managed them (as men do sleepwalking) with a gloomy solidity of purpose,
with a heavyladen energy, and, on the whole, with a depth of stupidity, which were very great. Yet look at
the respective net results. France lies down to rot into grand SpontaneousCombustion, Apotheosis of
Sansculottism, and much else; which still lasts, to her own great peril, and the great affliction of neighbors.
Poor England, after such enormous stumbling among the chimneypots, and somnambulism over all the
world for twenty years, finds on awakening, that she is arrived, after all, where she wished to be, and a good
deal farther! Finds that her own important little errand is somehow or other, done;and, in short, that
'Jenkins's Ear [as she named the thing] HAS been avenged,' and the Ocean Highways 'opened' and a good
deal more, in a most signal way! For the Eternal Providenceslittle as poor Dryasdust now knows of it,
mumbling and maundering that sad stuff of hisdo rule; and the great soul of the world, I assure you once
more, is JUST. And always for a Nation, as for a man, it is very behooveful to be honest, to be modest,
however stupid!"
By this time, however,Mollwitz having fallen out, and Belleisle being evidently on the steps,his
Britannic Majesty recognizes clearly, and insists upon it, strengthened by his Harringtons and everybody of
discernment, That, nefarious or not, this Friedrich will require to be bargained with. That, far from breaking
in upon him, and partitioning him (how far from it!), there is no conceivable method of saving the Celestial
Balances till HE be satisfied, in some way. This is the one step his Britannic Majesty has yet made, out of
these his choking imbroglios; and truly this is one. Hyndford, his best negotiator, is on the road for Friedrich's
Camp; Robinson at Vienna, has been directed to say and insist, "Bargain with that man; he must be bargained
with, if our Cause of Liberty is to be saved at all?"
And now, having opened the dustbin so far, that the reader's fancy might be stirred without affliction to his
lungs and eyes, let us shut it down again,might we but hope forever! That is too fond a hope. But the
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background or sustaining element made imaginable, the few events deserving memory may surely go on at a
much swifter pace.
Chapter II. CAMP OF STREHLEN.
Friedrich's Silesian Camps this Summer, Camp of Strehlen chiefly, were among the strangest places in the
world. Friedrich, as we have often noticed, did not much pursue the defeated Austrians, at or near Mollwitz,
or press them towards flat ruin in their Silesian business: it is clear he anxiously wished a bargain without
farther exasperation; and hoped he might get it by judicious patience. Brieg he took, with that fine outburst of
bombardment, which did not last a week: but Brieg once his, he fell quiet again; kept encamping, here there,
in that MollwitzNeisse region, for above three months to come; not doing much, beyond the indispensable;
negotiating much, or rather negotiated with, and waiting on events. [In Camp of Mollwitz (nearer Brieg than
the Battlefield was) till 28th May (after the Battle seven weeks); then to Camp at Grotkau (28th May9th
June, twelve days); thence (9th June) to Friedewalde, Herrnsdorf; to Strehlen (21st June20th August, nine or
ten weeks in all). See HeldenGeschichte, i. 924, ii. 931; Rodenbeck, Orlich,
Both Armies were reinforcing themselves; and Friedrich's, for obvious reasons, in the first weeks especially,
became much the stronger. Once in May, and again afterwards, weary of the pace things went at, he had
resolved on having Neisse at once; on attacking Neipperg in his strong camp there, and cutting short the
tedious janglings and uncertainties. He advanced to Grotkau accordingly, some twelve or fifteen miles nearer
Neisse (28th May, stayed till 9th June), quite within wind of Neipperg and his outposts; but found still, on
closer inspection, that he had better wait;and do so withal at a greater distance from Neipperg and his
Pandour Swarms. He drew back therefore to Strehlen, northwestward, rather farther from Neisse than before;
and lay encamped there for nine or ten weeks to come. Not till the beginning of August did there fall out any
military event (Pandour skirmishing in plenty, hut nothing to call an event); and not till the end of August any
that pointed to conclusive results. As it was at Strehlen where mostly these Diplomacies went on, and the
Camp of Strehlen was the final and every way the main one, it may stand as the representative of these
Diplomatizing Camps to us, and figure as the sole one which in fact it nearly was.
Strehlen is a pleasant little Town, nestled prettily among its granite Hills, the steeple of it visible from
Mollwitz; some twentyfive miles west of Brieg, some thirty south of Breslau, and about as far northwest of
Neisse: there Friedrich and his Prussians lie, under canvas mainly, with outposts and detachments sprinkled
about under roofs:a Camp of Strehlen, more or less imaginable by the reader. And worth his imagining;
such a Camp, if not for soldiering, yet for negotiating and wagging of diplomatic wigs, as there never was
before. Here, strangely shifted hither, is the centre of European Politics all Summer. From the utmost ends of
Europe come Ambassadors to Strehlen: from Spain, France, England, Denmark, Holland,there are
sometimes nine at once, how many successively and in total I never knew. [ Helden Geschichte, i. 932.]
They lodge generally in Breslau; but are always running over to Strehlen. There sits, properly speaking, the
general Secret Parliament of Europe; and from most Countries, except Austria, representatives attend at
Strehlen, or go and come between Breslau and Strehlen, submissive to the evils of fieldlife, when need is. A
surprising thing enough to mankind, and big as the world in its own day; though gone now to small
bulk,one Human Figure pretty much all that is left of memorable in it to mankind and us.
French Belleisle we have seen; who is gone again, long since, on his wide errands; fat Valori too we have
seen, who is assiduously here. The other figures, except the English, can remain dark to us. Of Montijos, the
eminent Spaniard, a brown little man, magnificent as the Kingdom of the Incas, with half a page of titles (half
a peck, fiveandtwenty or more, of handles to his little name, if you should ever require it); who, finding
matters so backward at Frankfurt, and nothing to do there, has been out, in the interim, touring to while away
the tedium; and is here only as sequel and corroboration of Belleisle,say as bottleholder, or as high
wrought peacock'stail, to Belleisle:of the eminent Montijos I have to record next to nothing in the shape
of negotiation ("Treaty" with the Termagant was once proposed by him here, which Friedrich in his politest
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way declined); and shall mention only, That his domestic arrangements were sumptuous and commodious in
the extreme. Let him arrive in the meanest village, destitute of human appliances, and be directed to the hut
where he is to lodge, straightway from the fourgons and baggagechests of Montijos is produced, first of
all, a round of arras hangings, portable tables, portable stove, gold plate and silver; thus, with waxlights,
wines of richest vintage, exquisite cookeries, Montijos lodges, a king everywhere, creating an Aladdin's
palace everywhere; able to say, like the Sage Bias, OMNIA MEA NAECUM PORTO. These things are
recorded of Montijos. What he did in the way of negotiation has escaped men's memory, as it could well
afford to do.
Of Hyndford's appurtenances for lodging we already had a glimpse, through Busching once;pointing
towards solid dinnercomforts rather than arras hangings; and justifying the English genius in that respect.
The weight of the negotiations fell on Hyndford; it is between him and French Valori that the matter lies,
Montijos and the others being mere satellites on their respective sides. Much battered upon, this Hyndford, by
refractory Hanoverians pitting George as Elector against the same George as King, and egging these two
identities to woful battle with each other, "Lay me at his Majesty's feet" full length, and let his Majesty say
which is which, then! A heavy, eating, haggling, unpleasant kind of mortal, this Hyndford; bites and grunts
privately, in a stupid ferocious manner, against this young King: "One of the worst of men; who will not take
up the Cause of Liberty at all, and is not made in the image of Hyndford at all." They are dreadfully stiff
reading, those Despatches of Hyndford: but they have particles of current news in them; interesting glimpses
of that same young King;likewise of Hyndford, laid at his Majesty's feet, and begging for self and brothers
any good benefice that may fall vacant. We can discern, too, a certain rough tenacity and horse dealer
finesse in the man; a broadbased, shrewdly practical Scotch Gentleman, wide awake; and can conjecture
that the diplomatic function, in that element, might have been in worse hands. He is often laid metaphorically
at the King's feet, King of England's; and haunts personally the King of Prussia's elbow at all times, watching
every glance of him, like a British housedog, that will not be taken in with suspicious travellers, if he can
help it; and casting perpetual horoscopes in his dull mind.
Of Friedrich and his demeanor in this strange scene, centre of a World all drawing sword, and jumbling in
huge Diplomatic and other delirium about his ears, the reader will desire to see a direct glimpse or two. As to
the sad general Imbroglio of Diplomacies which then weltered everywhere, readers can understand that, it
has, at this day, fallen considerably obscure (as it deserved to do); and that even Friedrich's share of it is
indistinct in parts. The game, wide as Europe, and one of the most intricate ever played by Diplomatic human
creatures, was kept studiously dark while it went on; and it has not since been a pleasant object of study.
Many of the Documents are still unpublished, inaccessible; so that the various moves in the game, especially
what the exact dates and sequence of them were (upon which all would turn), are not completely
ascertainable,nor in truth are they much worth hunting after, through such an element. One thing we could
wish to have out of it, the one thing of sane that was in it: the demeanor and physiognomy of Friedrich as
there manifested; Friedrich alone, or pretty much alone of all these Diplomatic Conjurers, having a solid
veritable object in hand. The restthe spiders are very welcome to it: who of mortals would read it, were it
made never so lucid to him? Such traits of Friedrich as can be sifted out into the conceivable and indubitable
state, the reader shall have; the extinct Bedlam, that begirdled Friedrich far and wide, need not be resuscitated
except for that object. Of Friedrich's fairness, or of Friedrich's "trickiness, machiavelism and attorneyism,"
readers will form their own notion, as they proceed. On one point they will not be doubtful, That here is such
a sharpness of steady eyesight (like the lynx's, like the eagle's), and, privately such a courage and fixity of
resolution, as are highly uncommon.
April 26th, 1741, in the same days while Belleisle arrived in the Camp at Mollwitz, and witnessed that fine
opening of the cannonade upon Brieg, Excellency Hyndford got to Berlin; and on notifying the event, was
invited by the King to come along to Breslau, and begin business. England has been profuse enough in
offering her "good offices with Austria" towards making a bargain for his Prussian Majesty; but is busy also,
at the Hague, concerting with the Dutch "some strong joint resolution,"resolution, Openly to advise
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Friedrich to withdraw his troops from Silesia, by way of starting fair towards a bargain. A very strong
resolution, they and the Gazetteers think it; and ask themselves, Is it not likely to have some effect? Their
High Mightinesses have been screwing their courage, and under English urgency, have decided (April 24th),
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 964; the ADVICE itself, a very mildspoken Piece, but of riskish nature think the
Dutch, is given, ib. 965, 966.] "Yes, we will jointly so advise!" and Friedrich has got inkling of it from
Rasfeld, his Minister there. Hyndford's first business (were the Dutch Excellency once come up, but those
Dutch are always hanging astern!) is to present said "Advice," and try what will come of that, An "Advice"
now fallen totally insignificant to the Universe and to us,only that readers will wish to see how Friedrich
takes it, and if any feature of Friedrich discloses itself in the affair.
EXCELLENCY HYNDFORD HAS HIS FIRST AUDIENCE (Camp of Mollwitz, May 7th); AND
FRIEDRICH MAKES A MOST IMPORTANT TREATY,NOT WITH HYNDFORD.
May 2d, Hyndford arrived in Breslau; and after some preliminary flourishings, and difficulties about
posthorses and furnitures in a seat of War, got to Brieg; and thence, May 7th, "to the Camp [Camp of
Mollwitz still], which is about an English mile off," Podewils escorting him from Brieg, and what we note
farther, Pollnitz too; our poor old Pollnitz, some kind of Chief Goldstick, whom we did not otherwise know
to be on active duty in those rude scenes. Belleisle had passed through Breslau while Hyndford was
there:"am unable to inform your Lordship what success he has had." Brieg Siege is done only three days
ago; Castle all lying black; and the new trenching and fortifying hardly begun. In a word, May 7th, 1741,
"about 11 A.M.," Excellency Hyndford is introduced to the King's Tent, and has his First Audience.
Goldstick having done his motions, none but Podewils is left present; who sits at a table, taking notes of what
is said. Podewils's Notes are invisible to me; but here, in authentic though carefully compressed state, is
Hyndford's minute Narrative:
Excellency Hyndford mentioned the Instructions he had, as to "good offices," friendship and so forth. "But
his Prussian Majesty had hardly patience to hear me out; and said in a passion [we rise, where possible,
Hyndford's own wording; readers will allow for the leaden quality in some parts]:
KING (in a passion). "'How is it possible, my Lord, to believe things so contradictory? It is mighty fine
all this that you now tell me, on the part of the King of England; but how does it correspond to his last Speech
to his Parliament [19th April last, when Mr. Viner was in such minority of one] and to the doings of his
Ministers at Petersburg [a pretty PartitionTreaty that; and the Excellency Finch still busy, as I know!] and at
the Hague [Excellency Trevor there, and this beautiful JointResolution and Advice which is coming!] to stir
up allies against me? I have reason rather to doubt the sincerity of the King of England. They perhaps mean
to amuse me. [That is Friedrich's real opinion. [His Letter to Podewils (Ranke, ii. 268).]] But, by God, they
are mistaken! I will risk everything rather than abate the least of my pretensions.'"
Poor Hyndford said and mumbled what he could; knew nothing what instructions Finch had, Trevor had,
and
KING. "'My Lord, there seems to be a contradiction in all this. The King of England, in his Letter, tells
me you are instructed as to everything; and yet you pretend ignorance! But I am perfectly informed of all.
And I should not be surprised if, after all these fine words, you should receive some strong letter or resolution
for me,'"JointResolution to Advise, for example?
Hyndford, not in the strength of conscious innocence, stands silent; the King, "in his heat of passion," said to
Podewils:
KING TO PODEWILS (on the sudden). "'Write down, that my Lord would be surprised [as he should
be] to receive such Instructions!'" (A mischievous sparkle, half quizzical, half practical, considerably in the
Friedrich style.)Hyndford, "quite struck, my Lord, with this strange way of acting," and of poking into one,
protests with angry grunt, and "was put extremely upon my guard." Of course Podewils did net write. ...
HYNDFORD. "'Europe is under the necessity of taking some speedy resolution, things are in such a state
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of crisis. Like a fever in a human body, got to such a height that quinquina becomes necessary.' ... That
expression made him smile, and he began to look a little cooler. ... 'Shall we apply to Vienna, your Majesty?'
FRIEDRICH. "'Follow your own will in that.'
HYNDFORD. "'Would your Majesty consent now to stand by his Excellency Gotter's original Offer at
Vienna on your part? Agree, namely, in consideration of Lower Silesia and Breslau, to assist the Queen with
all your troops for maintenance of Pragmatic Sanction, and to vote for the GrandDuke as Kaiser?'
KING. "'Yes' [what the reader may take notice of, and date for himself].
HYNDFORD. "'What was the sum of money then offered her Hungarian Majesty?'
"King hesitated, as if he had forgotten; Podewils answered, 'Three million florins (300,000 pounds).'
KING. "'I should not value the money; if money would content her Majesty, I would give more.' ... Here
was a long pause, which I did not break;"nor would the King. Podewils reminded me of an idea we had
been discoursing of together ("on his suggestion, my Lord, which I really think is of importance, and worth
your Lordship's consideration"); whereupon, on such hint,
HYNDFORD. "'Would your Majesty consent to an Armistice?'
FRIEDRICH. "'Yes; but [counts on his fingers, May, June, till he comes to December] not for less than
six months,till December 1st. By that time they could do nothing,'" the season out by that time.
HYNDFORD. "'His Excellency Podewils has been taking notes; if I am to be bound by them, might I
first see that he has mistaken nothing?'
KING. "'Certainly!'"Podewils's Noteprotocol is found to be correct in every point; Hyndford, with
some slight flourish of compliments on both sides, bows himself away (invited to dinner, which he accepts,
"will surely have that honor before returning to Breslau");and so the First Audience has ended.
[Hyndford's Despatches, Breslau, 5th and 13th May, 1741. Are in StatePaper Office, like the rest of
Hyndford's; also in British Museum (Additional MSS. 11,365 the rough draughts of them.] Baronay and
Pandours are about,this is ten days before the Ziethen feat on Baronay;but no Pandour, now or
afterwards, will harm a British Excellency.
These utterances of Friedrich's, the more we examine them by other lights that there are, become the more
correctly expressive of what Friedrich's real feelings were on the occasion. Much contrary, perhaps, to
expectation of some readers. And indeed we will here advise our readers to prepare for dismissing altogether
that notion of Friedrich's duplicity, mendacity, finesse and the like, which was once widely current in the
world; and to attend always strictly to what Friedrich says, if they wish to guess what he is thinking; there
being no such thing as "mendacity" discoverable in Friedrich, when you take the trouble to inform yourself.
"Mendacity," my friends? How busy have the Owls been with Friedrich's memory, in different countries of
the world;perhaps even more than their sad wont is in such cases! For indeed he was apt to be of swift
abrupt procedure, disregardful of Owleries; and gave scope for misunderstanding in the course of his life. But
a veracious man he was, at all points; not even conscious of his veracity; but had it in the blood of him; and
never looked upon "mendacity" but from a very great height indeed. He does not, except where suitable, at
least he never should, express his whole meaning; but you will never find him expressing what is not his
meaning. Reticence, not dissimulation. And as to "finesse,"do not believe in that either, in the vulgar or
bad sense. Truly you will find his finesse is a very fine thing; and that it consists, not in deceiving other
people, but in being right himself; in well discerning, for his own behoof, what the facts before him are; and
in steering, which he does steadily, in a most vigilant, nimble, decisive and intrepid manner, by monition of
the same. No salvation but in the facts. Facts are a kind of divine thing to Friedrich; much more so than to
common men: this is essentially what Religion I have found in Friedrich. And, let me assure you, it is an
invaluable element in any man's Religion, and highly indispensable, though so often dispensed with! Readers,
especially in our time English readers, who would gain the least knowledge about Friedrich, in the extinct
Bedlam where his work now lay, have a great many things to forget, and sad strata of Owldroppings,
ancient and recent, to sweep away!
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To Friedrich a bargain with Austria, which would be a getting into port, in comparisori to going with the
French in that distracted voyage of theirs, is highly desirable. "Shall I join with the English, in hope of some
tolerable bargain from Austria? Shall I have to join with the French, in despair of any?" Readers may
consider how stringent upon Friedrich that question now was, and how ticklish to solve. And it must be
solved soon,under penalty of "being left with no ally at all" (as Friedrich expresses himself), while the
whole world is grouping itself into armed heaps for and against! If the English would but get me a
bargain? Friedrich dare not think they will. Nay, scanning these English incoherences, these contradictions
between what they say here and what they do and say elsewhere, he begins to doubt if they zealously wish
it,and at last to believe that they sincerely do not wish it; that "they mean to amuse me" (as he said to
Hyndford) till my French chance too is over. "To amuse me: but, PAR DIEU!" His Notes to Podewils,
of which Ranke, who has seen them, gives us snatches, are vivid in that sense: "I should be ashamed if the
cunningest Italian could dupe me; but that a lout of a Hanoverian should do it!"and Podewils has great
difficulty to keep him patient yet a little; Valori being so busy on the other side, and the time so pressing.
Here are some dates and some comments, which the reader should take with him; here is a very strange
issue to the JointResolution of a strong nature now on hand!
A few days after that First Audience, Ginkel the Dutch Excellency, with the due Papers in his pocket, did
arrive. Excellency Hyndford, who is not without rough insight into what lies under his nose, discovers clearly
that the grand DutchEnglish Resolution, or JointExhortation to evacuate Silesia, will do nothing but
mischief; and (at his own risk, persuading Ginkel also to delay) sends a Courier to England before presenting
it. And from England, in about a fortnight, gets for answer, "Do harm, think you? Hm, ha!Present it, all the
same; and modify by assurances afterwards,"as if these would much avail! This is not the only instance in
which St. James's rejects good advice from its Hyndford; the pity would be greater, were not the Business
what it is! Podewils has the greatest difficulty to keep Friedrich quiet till Hyndford's courier get back. And on
his getting back with such answer, "Present it all the same," Friedrich will not wait for that ceremony, or
delay a moment longer. Friedrich has had his Valori at work, all this while; Valori and Podewils, and endless
correspondence and consultation going on; and things hypothetically almost quite ready; so that
June 5th, 1741, Friedrich, spurring Podewils to the utmost speed, and "ordering secrecy on pain of death,"
signs his Treaty with France! A kind of provisional offandon Treaty, I take it to be; which was never
published, and is thought to have had many IFS in it: sigus this Treaty;and next day (June 6th, such is the
impetuosity of haste) instructs his Rasfeld at the Hague, "You will beforehand inform the High Mightinesses,
in regard to that Advice of April 24th, which they determined on giving me, through the Excellency Herr von
Ginkel along with Excellency Hyndford, That such Advice can, by me, only be considered as a blind
complaisance to the Court of Vienna's improper urgencies, improper in such a matter. That for certain I will
not quit Silesia till my claims be satisfied. And the longer I am forced to continue warring for them here,"
wasting more resource and risk upon them, "the higher they will rise!" [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 963.] And this
is what comes of that terribly courageous DutchEnglish "JointResolution of a strong nature;" it has
literally cut before the point: the Exhortation is not yet presented, but the Treaty with France is signed in
virtue of it!
Undoubtedly this of June 5th is the most important Treaty in the AustrianSuccession War, and the cardinal
element of Friedrich's procedure in that Adventure. And it has never been published; nor, till Herr Professor
Ranke got access to the Prussian Archives, has even the date of signing it been rightly known; but is given
two or three ways in different express Collections of Treaties. [Scholl, ii. 297 (copying "Flassan, Hist. de la
Diplom. Franc. v. 142"), gives "5th July" as the date; Adelung (ii. 357, 390, 441) guesses that it was "in
August;" Valori (i. 108), who was himself in it, gives the correct date,but then his Editor (thought
inquiring readers) was such a sloven and ignoramus. See Stenzel, iv. 143; Ranke, ii. 274.] Herr Ranke knows
this Treaty, and the correspondences, especially Friedrich's correspondence with Podewils preparatory to it;
and speaks, as his wont is, several exact things about it; thanks to him, in the circumstances. I wish it could
be made, even with his help, fully intelligible to the reader! For, were the Treaty never so express, surely the
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mode of keeping it, on both parts, was very strange; and that latter concerns us somewhat.
A very fastandloose Treaty, to all appearance! Outwardly it is a mere Treaty of Alliance, each party
guaranteeing the other for Fifteen Years; without mention made of the joint Belleisle Adventure now in the
wind. But then, like the postscript to a lady's letter, there come "secret articles" bearing upon that essential
item: How France, in the course of this current season 1741, is to bring an Army across the Rhine in support
of its friend KurBaiern VERSUS Austria; is, in the same term of time, to make Sweden declare war on
Russia (important for Friedrich, who is never sure a moment that those Russians will not break in upon him);
and finally, most important of all, That France "guarantees Lower Silesia with Breslau to his Prussian
Majesty." In return for which his Prussian Majestywill do what? It is really difficult to say what: Be a true
ally and second to France in its grand German Adventure? Not at all. Friedrich does not yet know, nor does
Belleisle himself quite precisely, what the grand German Adventure is; and Friedrich's wishes never were,
nor will be, for the prosperity of that. Support France, at least in its small Bavarian AntiAustrian Adventure?
By no means definitely even that. "Maintain myself in Lower Silesia with Breslau, and fight my best to such
end:" really that, you might say, is in substance the most of what Friedrich undertakes; though inarticulately
he finds himself bound to much more,and will frankly go into it, IF you do as you have said; and unless
you do, will not. Never was a more contingent Treaty: "unless you stir up Sweden, Messieurs; unless you
produce that Rhine Army; unless" such is steadily Friedrich's attitude; long after this, he refuses to say
whom he will vote for as Kaiser: "Fortune of War will decide it," answers he, in regard to that and to many
other things; and keeps himself to an incomprehensible extent loose; ready, for weeks and months after, to
make bargain on his own Silesian Affair with anybody that can. [Ranke, ii. 271, 275, 280.]
For indeed the French also are very contingent; Fleury hanging one way, Belleisle pushing another; and know
not how far they will go on the grand German Adventure, nor conclusively whether at all. Here is an
Anecdote by Friedrich himself. Valori was, one night, with him; and, on rising to take leave, the fat hand,
sticking probably in the big waistcoatpocket, twitched out a little diplomaticlooking Note; which Friedrich,
with gentle adroitness (permissible in such circumstances), set his foot upon, till Valori had bowed himself
out. The Note was from Amelot, French Minister of the Foreign Department: "Don't give his Prussian
Majesty Glatz, if it can possibly be helped." Very well, thought Friedrich; and did not forget the fine little
Note on burning it. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 90.] There went, in French couriers' bags, a great many such, to
Austria some of them, of far more questionable tenor, within the next twelve months.
Two things we have to remark: FIRST, That Friedrich, with an eye to real business on his part in the
Bavarian Adventure, in which KurPfalz is sure to accompany, volunteered (like a real man of business, and
much to Belleisle's surprise) to renounce the Berg Julich controversy, and let KurPfalz have his way, that
there might be no quarrelling among allies. This too is contingent; but was gladly accepted by Belleisle.
SECOND, That Belleisle had instructed Valori, Not to insist on active help from Friedrich in the German
Adventure, but merely to stipulate for his Neutrality throughout, in case they could get no more. How
joyfully would Friedrich have accepted this,had Valori volunteered with it, which he did not! [Ranke, ii.
280.] But, after all, in result it was the same; and had to be,PLUS only a great deal of clamor by and by,
from the French and the Gazetteers, about the Article in question.
Was there ever so contingent a Treaty before? It is signed, Breslau, 5th June, 1741, and both parties have
their hands loose, and make use of their liberty for months to come; nay, in some sort, all along; feeling how
contingent it was! Friedrich did not definitely tie himself till 4th November next, five months after: when he
signed the FrenchBavarian Treaty, renounced BergJulich controversies, and fairly went into the
FrenchBavarian, smaller French Adventure; into the greater, or widewinged Belleisle one, he never went
nor intended to go,perhaps even the contrary, if needful. Readers may try to remember these elucidative
items, riddled from the immensities of Dryasdust: I have no more to give, nor can afford to return upon it.
May not we well say, as above, "A Treaty thought to have many IFS in it!"And now, 8th June, comes
solemnly the JointResolution itself; like mustard (under a flourish of trumpets) three days after dinner:
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"CAMP OF GROTKAU, 8th JUNE. Hyndford and Ginkel [the same respectable old Ginkel whom we used
to know in Friedrich Wilhelm's time], having, according to renewed order, got out from Breslau with that
formidable DutchEnglish 'Advice' or JointExhortation in their pocket, did this day in the Camp at Grotkau
present the same. A very mildspoken Piece, though it had required such courage; and which is not now
worth speaking of, things having gone as we see. Friedrich received it with a gracious mien: 'Infinitely
sensible to the trouble his Britannic Majesty and their High Mightinesses took with his affairs; Document
should receive his best consideration,'which indeed it has already done, and its Answer withal: A
FRENCH Treaty signed three days ago, in virtue of it! 'Might I request a short Private Audience of your
Majesty?' solicits Hyndford, intending to modify by new assurances, as bidden.'Surely,' answers Friedrich.
"The two Excellencies dine with the King, who is in high spirits. After dinner, Hyndford gets his Private
Audience; does his best in the way of 'new assurances;' which produce what effect we can fancy. Among
other things, he appeals to the King's 'magnanimity, how grand and generous it will be to accept moderate
terms from Austria, to' KING (interrupting): 'My Lord, don't talk to me of magnanimity, a Prince [acting
not for himself but for his Nation] ought to consult his interest in the first place. I am not against Peace: but I
expect to have Four Duchies given me.'" [StatePaper Office (Hyndford, Breslau, 12th June, 1741).]
Hyndford and Ginkel slept that night in Grotkau Town: "at 4 next morning the King sent us word, That if we
had a mind to see the Army on march," just moving off, Strehlen way, "we might come out by the North
Gate." We accordingly saw the whole Army leave Camp; and march in four columns towards Friedewald,
where Marshal Neipperg is encamped." Not a bit of it, your Excellency! Neipperg is safe at Neisse; amid
inaccessible embankments and artificial mud: and these are mere HussarPandour rabble out here; whom a
push or two sends home again,would it could keep them there! But they are of sylvan (or SALVAGE)
nature, affecting the shade; and burst out, for theft and arson, sometimes at great distances, no calculating
where. "The King's Army lay all that night upon their arms, and encamped next morning, the 10th. I believe
nothing happened that day, for we were obliged to stay at Grotkau, for want of posthorses, a good part of it."
Hyndford hears (in secret Opposition Circles, and lays the flattering unction to his soul and your Lordship's):
"The King of Prussia's Army, as I am informed, unless he will take counsel, another campaign will go near to
ruin. Everything is in the greatest disorder; utmost dejection amongst the Officers from highest to
lowest;"fact being that the King has important improvements and new drillings in view (to go on at
Strehlen), Cavalry improvements, Artillery improvements, unknown to Hyndford and the Opposition; and
will not be ruined next campaign. "I hope the news we have here, of the taking of Carthagena, is true,"
concludes he. Alas, your Excellency!
By a different hand, from the southward Hungarian regions, far over the Hills, take this other entry; almost of
enthusiastic style:
"PRESBURG, 25th JUNE. Maria Theresa, in high spirits about her English Subsidy and the bright aspects,
left Vienna about a week ago for Presburg [a drive of fifty miles down the fine Donau country]; and is
celebrating her Coronation there, as Queen of Hungary, in a very sublime manner. Sunday, 25th June, 1741,
that is the day of putting on your Crown,Iron Crown of St. Stephen, as readers know. The Chivalry of
Hungary, from Palfy and Esterhazy downward, and all the world are there; shining in loyalty and barbaric
gold and pearl. A truly beautiful Young Woman, beautiful to soul and eye, devout too and noble, though
illinformed in Political or other Science, is in the middle of it, and makes the scene still more noticeable to
us. See, as the finish of the ceremonies, she has mounted a high swift horse, sword girt to her side,a great
rider always, this young Queen;and gallops, Hungary following like a comettail, to the Konigsberg
[KING'SHILL so called; no great things of a Hill, O reader; made by barrow, you can see], to the top of the
Konigsberg; there draws sword; and cuts, grandly flourishing, to the Four Quarters of the Heavens: 'Let any
mortal, from whatever quarter coming, meddle with Hungary if he dare!' [Adelung, ii. 293, 294.] Chivalrous
Hungary bursts into passionate acclaim; old Palfy, I could fancy, into tears; and all the world murmurs to
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itself, with moistgleaming eyes, 'REX NOSTER!' This is, in fact, the beautifulest King or Queen that now
is, this radiant young woman; beautiful things have been, and are to be, reported of her; and she has a terrible
voyage just ahead, little dreaming of it at this grand moment. I wish his Britannic Majesty, or Robinson
who has followed out hither, could persuade her to some compliance on the Silesian matter: what a thing
were that, for herself, and for all mankind, just now! But she will not hear of that; and is very obstinate, and
her stupid Hofraths equally and much more blamably so. Deaf to hard Facts knocking at their door; ignorant
what Noah'sDeluges have broken out upon them, and are rushing on inevitable."
By a notable coincidence, precisely while those swordflourishings go on at Presburg, Marechal Excellency
Belleisle is making his Public Entry into FrankfurtonMayn: [25th June, 1741 (Adelung, ii. 399).] Frankfurt
too is in cheery emotion; streets populous with Sunday gazers, and critics of the sublime in spectacle! This is
not Belleisle's first entrance; he himself has been here some time, settling his Household, and a good many
things: but today he solemnly leads in his Countess and Appendages (over from Metz, where Madame and he
officially reside in common times, "Governor of Metz," one of his many offices);leads in Madame, in
suitably resplendent manner; to kindle household fire, as it were; and indicate that here is his place, till he
have got a Kaiser to his mind. Twin Phenomena, these two; going on 500 miles apart; unconscious of one
another, or of what kinship they happen to have!
EXCELLENCY ROBINSON BUSY IN THE VIENNA HOFRATH CIRCLES, TO PRODUCE A
COMPLIANCE.
Britannic George, both for Pragmatic's sake and for dear Hanover's, desires much there were a bargain made
with Friedrich: How is the Pragmatic to be saved at all, if Friedrich join France in its Belleisle machinations,
thinks George? And already here is that Camp of Gottin, glittering in view like a drawn sword pointed at
one's throat or at one's Hanover. Nay, in a month or two hence, as the Belleisle schemes got above ground in
the shape of facts, this desire became passionate, and a bargain with Prussia seemed the one thing needful.
For, alas, the reader will see there comes, about that time, a second sword (the Maillebois Army, namely),
pointed at one's throat from the French side of things: so that a Paladin of the Pragmatic, and Hanoverian
King of England, knows not which way to turn! George's sincerity of wish is perhaps underrated by
Friedrich; who indeed knows well enough on which side George's wishes would fall, if they had liberty
(which they have not), but much overrates "the astucity" of poor George and his English; ascribing, as is
often done, to finespun attorneyism what is mere cunctation, ignorance, negligence, and other forms of a
stupidity perhaps the most honest in the world! By degrees Friedrich understood better; but he never much
liked the English ways of doing business. George's desire is abundantly sincere, not wholly resting on
sublime grounds; and grows more and more intense every day; but could not be gratified for a good while
yet.
Cooperating with Hyndford, from the Vienna side, is Excellency Robinson; who has a still harder job of it
there. Pity poor Robinson, O English reader, if you can for indignation at the business he is in. Saving the
Liberties of Europe! thinks Robinson confidently: Founding the English National Debt, answers Fact; and
doing Bottom the Weaver, with long ears, in the miserablest Pickleherring Tragedy that ever was!This is
the same Robinson who immortalized himself, nine or ten years ago, by the First Treaty of Vienna;
thricesalutary Treaty, which DISJOINED Austria from BourbonSpanish Alliances, and brought her into
the arms of the grateful SeaPowers again. Imminent Downfall of the Universe was thus, glory to Robinson,
arrested for that time. And now we have the same Robinson instructed to sharpen all his faculties to the
cutting pitch, and do the impossible for this new and reverse face of matters. What a change from 1731 to
1741! Bugbear of dreadful AustrianSpanish Alliance dissolves now into sunlit clouds, encircling a beautiful
Austrian Andromeda, about to be devoured for us; and the Downfall of the Universe is again imminent, from
Spain and others joining AGAINST Austria. Oh, ye wigs, and eximious wig blocks, called righthonorable!
If a man, sovereign or other, were to stay well at home, and mind his own visible affairs, trusting a good deal
that the Universe would shift for itself, might it not be better for him? Robinson, who writes rather a heavy
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style, but is full of inextinguishable heavy zeal withal, will have a great deal to do in these coming years.
Ancestor of certain valuable Earls that now are; author of immeasurable quantities of the Diplomatic cobwebs
that then were.
To a modern English reader it is very strange, that Austrian scene of things in which poor Robinson is puffing
and laboring. The ineffable pride, the obstinacy, impotency, ponderous pedantry and helplessness of that dull
old Court and its Hofraths, is nearly inconceivable to modern readers. Stupid dilapidation is in all
departments, and has long been; all things lazily crumbling downwards, sometimes stumbling down with
great plunges. Cash is done; the world rising, all round, with plunderous intentions; and hungry Ruin, you
would say, coming visibly on with sevenleague boots: here is little room for carrying your head high among
mankind. High nevertheless they do carry it, with a grandly mournful though stolid insolent air, as if born
superior to this Earth and its wisdoms and successes and multiplicationtables and iron ramrods,really
with "a certain greatness," says somebody, "greatness as of great blockheadism" in themselves and their
neighbors;and, like some absurd old Hindoo Idol (crockery Idol of Somnauth, for instance, with the belly
of him smashed by battle axes, and the cartload of gold coin all run out), persuade mankind that they are a
god, though in dilapidated condition. That is our first impression of the thing.
But again, better seen into, there is not wantiug a certain worthily steadfast, conservative and broadbased
high air (reminding you of "Kill our own mutton, Sir!" and the ancient English Tory species), solid and loyal,
though stolid Ancient Austrian Tories, that definition will suffice for us;and Toryism too, the reader may
rely on it, is much patronized by the Upper Powers, and goes a long way in this world. Nay, without a good
solid substratum of that, what thing, with never so many ballot boxes, stumporators, and liberties of the
subject, is capable of going at all, except swiftly to perdition? These Austrians have taken a great deal of
ruining, first and last! Their relation to the then SeaPowers, especially to England embarked on the Cause of
Liberty, fills one with amazement, by no means of an idolatrous nature; and is difficult to understand at all, or
to be patient with at all.
Of disposition to comply with Prussia, Robinson finds, in spite of Mollwitz and the sad experiences, no trace
at Vienna. The humor at Vienna is obstinately defiant; simply to regard Friedrich as a housebreaker or thief in
the night; whom they will soon deal with, were they once on foot and implements in their hand: "Swift, ye
SeaPowers; where are the implements, the cash, that means implements?" The Young Hungarian Majesty
herself is magnificently of that opinion, which is sanctioned by her Bartensteins and wisest Hofraths, with
hardly a dissentient (old Sinzendorf almost alone in his contrary notion, and he soon dies). Robinson urges
the dangers from France. No Hofrath here will allow himself to believe them; to believe them would be too
horrible. "Depend upon it, France's intentions are not that way. And at the worst, if France do rise against us,
it is but bargaining with France; better so than bargaining with Prussia, surely. France will be contentable
with something in the Netherlands; what else can she want of us? Parings from that outskirt, what are these
compared with Silesia, a horrid gash into the vital parts? And what is yielding to the King of France,
compared with yielding to your Prussian King!"
It is true they have no money, these blind dull people; but are not the SeaPowers, England especially, there,
created by Nature to supply money? What else is their purpose in Creation? By Nature's law, as the Sun
mounts in the Ecliptic and then falls, these Sea Powers, in the Cause of Liberty, will furnish us money. No
surrender; talk not to me of Silesia or surrender; I will die defending my inheritances: what are the
SeaPowers about, that they do not furnish more money in a prompt manner? These are the things poor
Robinson has to listen to: Robinson and England, it is self evident at Vienna, have one duty, that of
furnishing money. And in a prompt manner, if you please, Sir; why not prompt and abundant?
An English soul has small exhilaration, looking into those old expenditures, and bullyings for want of
promptitude! But if English souls will solemnly, under high Heaven, constitute a Duke of Newcastle and a
George II. their Captains of the march Heavenward, and say, without blushing for it, nay rejoicing at it, in the
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face of the sun, "You are the most godlike Two we could lay hold of for that object,"what have English
souls to expect? My consolation is, and, alas, it is a poor one, the money would have been mostly wasted any
way. Buy men and gunpowder with your money, to be shot away in foreign parts, without renown or use: is
that so mnch worse than buying ridiculous upholsteries, idle luxuries, frivolities, and in the end unbeautiful
potbellies corporeal and spiritual with it, here at home? I am struck silent, looking at much that goes on
under these stars;and find that misappointment of your Captains, of your Exemplars and Guiding and
Governing individuals, higher and lower, is a fatal business always; and that especially, as highest instance of
it, which includes all the lower ones, this of solemnly calling Chief Captain, and King by the Grace of God, a
gentleman who is NOT so (and SEEMS to be so mainly by Malice of the Devil, and by the very great and
nearly unforgivable indifference of Mankind to resist the Devil in that particular province, for the present), is
the deepest fountain of human wretchedness, and the head mendacity capable of being done!
As for the brave young Queen of Hungary, my admiration goes with that of all the world. Not in the language
of flattery, but of evident fact, the royal qualities abound in that high young Lady; had they left the world, and
grown to mere costume elsewhere, you might find certain of them again here. Most brave, high and pious
minded; beautiful too, and radiant with goodnature, though of temper that will easily catch fire: there is
perhaps no nobler woman then living. And she fronts the roaring elements in a truly grand feminine manner;
as if Heaven itself and the voice of Duty called her: "The Inheritances which my Fathers left me, we will not
part with these. Death, if it so must be; but not dishonor:Listen not to that thief in the night!" Maria
Theresa has not studied, at all, the History of the Silesian Duchies; she knows only that her Father and
Grandfather peaceably held them; it was not she that sent out Seckendorf to ride 25,000 miles, or broke the
heart of Friedrich Wilhelm and his Household. Pity she had not complied with Friedrich, and saved such
rivers of bitterness to herself and mankind! But how could she see to do it,especially with little George at
her back, and abundance of money? This, for the present, is her method of looking at the matter; this
magnanimous, heroic, and occasionally somewhat female one.
Her Husband, the Grand Duke, an inert, but goodtempered, well conditioned Duke after his sort, goes with
her. Him we shall see try various things; and at length take to banking and merchandise, and even
mealdealing on the great scale. "Our Armies had most part of their meal circuitously from him," says
Friedrich, of times long subsequent. Now as always he follows loyally his Wife's lead, never she his: Wife
being, intrinsically as well as extrinsically, the better man, what other can he do?Of compliance with
Friedrich in this Court, there is practically no hope till after a great deal of beating have enlightened it. Out of
deference to George and his ardors, they pretend some intention that way; and are "willing to bargain, your
Excellency;"no doubt of it, provided only the price were next to nothing!
And so, while the watchful edacious Hyndford is doing his best at Strehlen, poor Robinson, blown into triple
activity, corresponds in a boundless zealous manner from Vienna; and at last takes to flying personally
between Strehlen and Vienna; praying the inexorable young Queen to comply a little, and then the inexorable
young King to be satisfied with imaginary compliance; and has a breathless time of it indeed. His Despatches,
passionately longwinded, are exceedingly stiff reading to the like of us. O reader, what things have to be
read and carefully forgotten; what mountains of dust and ashes are to be dug through, and tumbled down to
Orcus, to disengage the smallest fraction of truly memorable! Well if, in ten cubic miles of dust and ashes,
you discover the tongue of a shoe buckle that has once belonged to a man in the least heroic; and wipe your
brow, invoking the supernal and the infernal gods. My heart's desire is to compress these Strehlen Diplomatic
horse dealings into the smallest conceivable bulk. And yet how much that is not metal, that is merely
cinders, has got through: impossible to prevent,may the infernal gods deal with it, and reduce Dryasdust to
limits, one day! Here, however, are important Public News transpiring through the old Gazetteers:
"MUNCHEN, JULY 1st [or in effect a few days later, when the Letters DATED July 1st had gone through
their circuitous formalities], [Adelung, ii. 421.] Karl Albert KurBaiern publicly declares himself Candidate
for the Kaisership; as, privately, he had long been rumored and believed to be. KurBaiern, they say, has of
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militias and regulars together about 30,000 men on foot, all posted in good places along the Austrian
Frontier; and it is commonly thought, though little credible at Vienna, that he intends invading Austria as
well as contesting the Election. To which the Vienna Hofrath answers in the style of 'Pshaw!'
"VERSAILLES, 11th JULY. Extraordinary Council of State; Belleisle being there, home from Frankfurt, to
take final orders, and get official fiat put upon his schemes. 'All the Princes of the Blood and all the
Marechals of France attend;' question is, How the War is to be, nay, Whether War is to be at all,so
contingent is the FrenchPrussian Bargain, signed five weeks ago. Old Fleury, to give freedom of
consultation and vote, quits the room. Some are of opinion, one Prince of the Blood emphatically so, That
Pragmatic Sanction should be kept, at least War AGAINST it be avoided. But the contrary opinion triumphs,
King himself being strongly with it; Belleisle to be supreme in field and cabinet; shall execute, like a kind of
Dictator or ViceMajesty, by his own magnificent talent, those magnificent devisings of his, glorious to
France and to the King. [Ib. 417, 418; see also Baumer, p. 104 (if you can for his date, which is given in OLD
STYLE as if it were in New; a very eclipsing method!).] These many months, the French have been arming
with their whole might. The Vienna people hear now, That an 'Army of 40,000 is rumored to be coming,' or
even two Armies, 40,000 each; but will not imagine that this is certain, or that it can be seriously meant
against their high House, precious to gods and men. Belleisle having perfected the multiplex Army details,
rushes back to Frankfurt and his endless Diplomatic businesses (July 25th): Armies to be on actual march by
the 10th of August coming. 'During this Versailles visit, he had such a crowd of Officers and great people
paying court to him as was like the King's Levee itself.' [Barbier, ii. 305.]
"PASSAU, 31st JULY. Passau is the Frontier Austrian City on the Donau (meeting of the Inn and Donau
Valleys); a place of considerable strength, and a key or great position for military purposes. Austrian, or
QuasiAustrian; for, like Salzburg, it has a Bishop claiming some imaginary sovereignties, but always holds
with Austria. July 31st, early in the morning, a Bavarian Exciseman ('SaltInspector') applied at the gate of
Passau for admission; gate was opened;along with the Exciseman 'certain peasants' (disguised Bavarian
soldiers) pushed in; held the gate choked, till General Minuzzi, Karl Albert's General, with horse, foot,
cannon, who had been lurking close by, likewise pushed in; and at once seized the Town. Town speedily
secured, Minuzzi informs the Bishop, who lives in his Schloss of Oberhaus (strongish place on a Hill top,
other side the Donau), That he likewise, under pain of bombardment, must admit garrison. The poor Bishop
hesitates; but, finding bombardment actually ready for him, yields in about two hours. Karl Albert publishes
his Manifesto, 'in fortyfive pages folio' [Adelung, ii. 426.] (to the effect, 'All Austria mine; or as good as
all,if I liked!'); and fortifies himself in Passau. 'Insidious, nefarious!' shrieks Austria, in
CounterManifesto; calculates privately it will soon settle Karl Albert,'Unless, O Heavens, France with
Prussia did mean to back him!' and begins to have misgivings, in spite of itself."
Misgivings, which soon became fatal certainties. Robinson records, doubtless on sure basis, though not
dating it, a curious piece of stageeffect in the form of reality; "On hearing, beyond possibility of doubt, that
Prussia, France, and Bavaria had combined, the whole Aulic Council," Vienna Hofrath in a body, "fell back
into their chairs [and metaphorically into Robinson's arms] like dead men!" [Raumer, p. 104.] Sat staring
there;the wind struck out of them, but not all the folly by a great deal. Now, however, is Robinson's time to
ply them.
EXCELLENCY ROBINSON HAS AUDIENCE OF FRIEDRICH (Camp of Strehlen, 7th August, 1741).
By unheardof entreaties nud conjurations, aided by these strokes of fate, Robinson has at length extorted
from his Queen of Hungary, and her wise Hofraths, something resembling a phantasm of compliance; with
which he hurries to Breslau and Hyndford; hoping against hope that Friedrich will accept it as a reality. Gets
to Breslau on the 3d of August; thence to Strehlen, consulting much with Hyndford upon this phantasm of a
compliance. Hyndford looks but heavily upon it;from us, in this place, far be it to look at all:alas, this is
the famed Scene they Two had at Strehlen with Friedrich, on Monday, August 7th; reported by the faithful
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pen of Robinson, and vividly significant of Friedrich, were it but compressed to the due pitch. We will give it
in the form of Dialogue: the thing of itself falls naturally into the Dramatic, when the flabby parts are cut
away;and was perhaps worthier of a Shakspeare than of a Robinson, all facts of it considered, in the light
they have since got.
Scene is Friedrich's Tent, Prussian Camp in the neighborhood of the little Town of Strehlen: time 11 o'clock
A.M. Personages of it, Two British subjects in the high Diplomatic line: ponderous Scotch Lord of an
edacious gloomy countenance; florid Yorkshire Gentleman with important Proposals in his pocket. Costume,
frizzled peruke powdered; frills, wristfrills and other; shoebuckles, flapped waistcoat, courtcoat of
antique cut and much trimming: all this shall be conceived by the reader. Tight young Gentleman in Prussian
military uniform, blue coat, buff breeches, boots; with alert flashing eyes, and careless elegant bearing,
salutes courteously, raising his plumed hat. Podewils in common dress, who has entered escorting the other
Two, sits rather to rearward, taking refuge beside the writing apparatus.First passages of the Dialogue I
omit: mere pickeerings and beatings about the bush, before we come to close quarters. For Robinson, the
florid Yorkshire Gentleman, is charged to offer,what thinks the reader?two million guilders, about
200,000 pounds, if that will satisfy this young military King with the alert Eyes!
ROBINSON. ... "'Two hundred thousand pounds sterling, if your Majesty will be pleased to retire out of
Silesia, and renounce this enterprise!'
KING. "'Retire out of Silesia? And for money? Do you take me for a beggar! Retire out of Silesia, which has
cost me so much treasure and blood in the conquest of it? No, Monsieur, no; that is not to be thought of! If
you have no better proposals to make, it is not worth while talking.' These words were accompnnied with
threatening gestures and marks of great anger;" considerably staggering to the Two Diplomatic British
gentlemen, and of evil omen to Robinson's phantasm of a compliance. Robinson apologetically hums and
hahs, flounders through the bad bit of road as he can; flounderingly indicates that he has more to offer.
KING. "'Let us see then (VOYONS), what is there more?'
ROBINSON (with preliminary flourishings and flounderings, yet confidently, as now tabling his best card).
... "'Permitted to offer your Majesty the whole of Austrian Guelderland; lies contiguous to your Majesty's
Possessions in the Rhine Country; important completion of these: I am permitted to say, the whole of
Austrian Guelderland!' Important indeed: a dirty stripe of moorland (if you look in Busching), about
equivalent to half a dozen parishes in Connemara.
KING. "'What do you mean? [turning to Podewils]QU'ESTCE QUE NOUS MANQUE DE TOUTE LA
GUELDRE (How much of Guelderland is theirs, and not ours already)?'
PODEWILS. "'Almost nothing (PRESQUE RIEN).
KING (to Robinson). "'VOICI ENCORE DE GUEUSERIES (more rags and rubbish yet)! QUOI, such a
paltry scraping (BICOQUE) as that, for all my just claims in Silesia? Monsieur!' His Majesty's indignation
increased here, all the more as I kept a profound silence during his hot expressions, and did not speak at all
except to beg his Majesty's reflection upon what I had said. 'Reflection?'" asks the King, with eyes
dangerous to behold; "My Lord," continues Robinson, heavily narrative, "his contempt of what I had said
was so great," kicking his boot through Guelderland and the guilders as the most contemptible of objects,
"and was expressed in such violent terms, that now, if ever (as your Lordship perceives), it was time to make
the last effort;" play our trumpcard down at once; "a moment longer was not to be lost, to hinder the King
from dismissing us;" which sad destiny is still too probable, after the trumpcard. Trumpcard is this:
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ROBINSON. ... "'The whole Duchy of Limburg, your Majesty! It is a Duchy which' I extolled the Duchy
to the utmost, described it in the most favorable terms; and added, that 'the Elector Palatine [old KurPfalz,
on one occasion] had been willing to give the whole Duchy of Berg for it.'
PODEWILS. "'Pardon, Monsieur: that is not so; the contrary of so; KurPfalz was not ready to give Berg for
it!'[We are not deep in German History, we British Diplomatic gentlemen, who are squandering, now and
of old, so much money on it! The Aulic Council, "falls into our arms like dead men;" but it is certain the
Elector Palatine was not ready to give Berg in that kind of exchange.]
KING. "'It is inconceivable to me how Austria should dare to think of such a thing. Limburg? Are there not
solemn Engagements upon Austria, sanctioned and again sanctioned by all the world, which render every
inch of ground in the Netherlands inalienable?'
ROBINSON. "'Engagements good as against the French, your Majesty. Otherwise the Barrier Treaty,
confirmed at Utrecht, was for our behoof and Holland's.'
KING. "'That is your present interpretation, But the French pretend it was an arrangement more in their favor
than against them.'
ROBINSON. "'Your Majesty, by a little Engineer Art, could render Limburg impregnable to the French or
others.'
KING. "'Have not the least desire to aggrandize myself in those parts, or spend money fortifying there.
Useless to me. Am not I fortifying Brieg and Glogau? These are enough: for one who intends to live well
with his neighbors. Neither the Dutch nor the French have offended me; nor will I them by acquisitions in the
Netherlands. Besides, who would guarantee them?'
ROBINSON. "'The Proposal is to give guarantees at once.'
KING. "'Guarantees! Who minds or keeps guarantees in this age? Has not France guaranteed the Pragmatic
Sanction; has not England? Why don't you all fly to the Queen's succor?'"Robinson, inclined to pout, if he
durst, intimates that perhaps there will be succorers one day yet.
KING. "'And pray, Monsieur, who are they?'
ROBINSON. "'Hm, hm, your Majesty. ... Russia, for example, which Power with reference to Turkey'
KING. "'Good, Sir, good (BEAU, MONSIEUR, BEAU), the Russians! It is not proper to explain myself; but
I have means for the Russians' [a Swedish War just coming upon Russia, to keep its hand in use; so diligent
have the French been in that quarter!].
ROBINSON (with some emphasis, as a Britannic gentleman). "'Russia is not the only Power that has
engagements with Austria, and that must keep them too! So that, however averse to a breach'
KING ("laying his finger on his nose," mark him;aloud, and with such eyes). "'No threats, Sir, if you
please! No threats' ["in a loud voice," finger to nose, and with such eyes looking in upon me].
HYNDFORD (heavily coming to the rescue). "'Am sure his Excellency is far from such meaning, Sire. His
Excellency will advance nothing so very contrary to his Instructions.'Podewils too put in something
proper" in the appeasing way.
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ROBINSON. "'Sire, I am not talking of what this Power or that means to do; but of what will come of itself.
To prophesy is not to threaten, Sire! It is my zeal for the Public that brought me hither; and'
KING. "'The Public will be much obliged to you, Monsieur! But hear me. With respect to Russia, you know
how matters stand. From the King of Poland I have nothing to fear. As for the King of England, he is my
relation [dear Uncle, in the Pawnbroker sense], he is my all: if he don't attack me, I won't him. And if he do,
the Prince of Anhalt [Old Dessauer out at Gottin yonder] will take care of him.'
ROBINSON. "'The common news now is [rumor in Diplomatic circles, rather below the truth this time], your
Majesty, after the 12th of August, will join the French. [King looks fixedly at him in silence.] Sire, I venture
to hope not! Austria prefers your friendship; but if your Majesty disdain Austria's advances, what is it to do?
Austria must throw itself entirely into the hands of France,and endeavor to outbid your Majesty.' [King
quite silent.]
"King was quite silent upon this head," says Robinson, reporting: silence, guesses Robinson, founded most
probably upon his "consciousness of guilt"what I, florid Yorkshire Gentleman, call GUILT, as being
against the Cause of Liberty and us! "From time to time he threw out remarks on the advantageousness of his
situation:
KING. ... "'At the head of such an Army, which the Enemy has already made experience of; and which is
ready for the Enemy again, if he have appetite! With the Country which alone I am concerned with,
conquered and secured behind me; a Country that alone lies convenient to me; which is all I want, which I
now have; which I will and must keep! Shall I be bought out of this country? Never! I will sooner perish in it,
with all my troops. With what face shall I meet my Ancestors, if I abandon my right, which they have
transmitted to me? My first enterprise; and to be given up lightly?'"With more of the like sort; which
Friedrich, in writing of it long after, seems rather ashamed of; and would fain consider to have been mock
fustian, provoked by the real fustian of Sir Thomas Robinson, "who negotiated in a wordy highdroning way,
as if he were speaking in Parliament," says Friedrich (a Friedrich not taken with that style of eloquence, and
hoping he rather quizzed it than was serious with it, [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 84.]though Robinson and
Hyndford found in him no want of vehement seriousness, but rather the reverse!)He concludes: "Have I
need of Peace? Let those who need it give me what I want; or let them fight me again, and be beaten again.
Have not they given whole Kingdoms to Spain? [Naples, at one swoop, to the Termagant; as broken glass, in
that PolishElection freak!] And to me they cannot spare a few trifling Principalities? If the Queen does not
now grant me all I require, I shall in four weeks demand Four Principalities more! [Nay, I now do it, being in
sibylline tune.] I now demand the whole of Lower Silesia, Breslau included; and with that Answer you can
return to Vienna.'
ROBINSON. "'With that Answer: is your Majesty serious?'
KING. "'With that.'" A most vehement young King; no negotiating with him, Sir Thomas! It is like
negotiating for the Sibyl's Books: the longer you bargain, the higher he will rise. In four weeks, time he will
demand Four Principalities more; nay, already demands them, the whole of Lower Silesia and Breslau. A
precious negotiation I have made of it! Sir Thomas, wideeyed, asks a second time:
ROBINSON. "'Is that your Majesty's deliberate answer?'
KING. "'Yes, I say! That is my Answer; and I will never give another.'
HYNDFORD and ROBINSON (much flurried, to Podewils). "'Your Excellency, please to comprehend, the
Proposals from Vienna were'
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KING. "'Messieurs, Messieurs, it is of no use even to think of it.' And taking off his hat," slightly raising his
hat, as salutation and finale, "he retired precipitately behind the curtain of the interior corner of the tent," says
the reporter: EXIT King!
ROBINSON (totally flurried, to Podewils). "'Your Excellency, France will abandon Prussia, will sacrifice
Prussia to selfinterest.'
PODEWILS. "'No, no! France will not deceive us; we have not deceived France.'" (SCENE CLOSES;
CURTAIN FALLS.) [StatePaper Office (Robinson to Harrington, Breslau, 9th August, 1741); Raumer, pp.
106110. Compare OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 84; and Valori, i. 119, 122.]
The unsuccessfulest negotiation well imaginable by a public man. Strehlen, Monday, 7th August,
1741:Friedrich has vanished into the interior of his tent; and the two Diplomatic gentlemen, the wind
struck out of them in this manner, remain gazing at one another. Here truly is a young Royal gentleman that
knows his own mind, while so many do not. Unspeakable imbroglio of negotiations, mostly insane, welters
over all the Earth; the Belleisles, the Aulic Councils, the British Georges, heaping coil upon coil: and here,
notably, in that now so extremely sordid murk of wiggeries, inane diplomacies and solemn deliriums, dark
now and obsolete to all creatures, steps forth one little Human Figure, with something of sanity in it: like a
star, like a gleam of steel,shearing asunder your big balloons, and letting out their diplomatic
hydrogen;salutes with his hat, "Gentlemen, Gentlemen, it is of no use!" and vanishes into the interior of his
tent. It is to Excellency Robinson, among all the sons of Adam then extant, that we owe this interesting
Passage of History,authentic glimpse, face to face, of the young Friedrich in those extraordinary
circumstances: every feature substantially as above, and recognizable for true. Many Despatches his
Excellency wrote in this world,sixty or eighty volumes of them still left,but among them is this One: the
angriest of mankind cannot say that his Excellency lived and embassied quite in vain!
The Two Britannic Gentlemen, both on that distressing Monday and the day following, had the honor to dine
with the King: who seemed in exuberant spirits; cutting and bantering to right and left; upon the Court of
Vienna, among other topics, in a way which I Robinson "will not repeat to your Lordship." Bade me, for
example, "As you pass through Neisse, make my compliments to Marshal Neipperg; and you can say,
Excellency Robinson, that I hope to have the pleasure of calling, one of these days!"Podewils, who was
civil, pressed us much to stay over Wednesday, the 9th. "On Thursday is to be a Grand Review, one of the
finest military sights; to which the Excellencies from Breslau, one and all, are coming out." But we, having
our Despatches and Expresses on hand, pleaded business, and declined, in spite of Podewils's urgencies. And
set off for Breslau, Wednesday, morning,meeting various Excellencies, by degrees all the Excellencies, on
the road for that Review we had heard of.
Readers must accept this Robinsoniad as the last of Friedrich's Diplomatic performances at Strehlen, which in
effect it nearly was; and from these instances imagine his way in such things. Various Letters there are, to
Jordan principally, some to Algarotti; both of whom he still keeps at Breslau, and sends for, if there is like to
be an hour of leisure. The Letters indicate cheerfulness of humor, even levity, in the Writer; which is worth
noting, in this wild clash of things now tumbling round him, and looking to him as its centre: but they
otherwise, though heartily aud frankly written, are, to Jordan and us, as if written from the teeth outward; and
throw no light whatever either on things befalling, or on Friedrich's humor under them. Reading diligently,
we do notice one thing, That the talk about "fame (GLOIRE)" has died out. Not the least mention now of
GLOIRE;perception now, most probably, that there are other things than "GLOIRE" to be had by taking
arms; and that War is a terribly grave thing, lightly as one may go into it at first! This small inference we do
negatively draw, from the Friedrich Correspondence of those months: and except this, and the levity of
humor noticeable, we practically get no light whatever from it; the practical soul and soul's business of
Friedrich being entirely kept veiled there, as usual.
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And veiled, too, in such a way that you do not notice any veil, the young King being, as we often intimate,
a master in this art. Which useful circumstance has done him much ill with readers and mankind. For if you
intend to interest readers,that is to say, idle neighbors, and fellowcreatures in need of gossip,there is
nothing like unveiling yourself: witness JeanJacques Rousseau, and many other poor waste creatures, going
off in selfconflagration, for amusement of the parish, in that manner. But may not a man have something
other on hand with his Existence than that of "setting fire to it [such the process terribly IS], to show the
people a fine play of colors, and get himself applauded, and pathetically blubbered over?" Alas, my
friends!
It is certain there was seldom such a lifeelement as this of Friedrich's in Summer, 1741. Here is the
enormous jumbling of a World broken loose; boiling as in very chaos; asking of him, him more than any
other, "How? What?" Enough to put GLOIRE out of his head; and awaken thoughts,terrors, if you were of
apprehensive turn! Surely no young man of twentynine more needed all the human qualities than Friedrich
now. The threatenings, the seductions, big Belleisle hallucinations,the perils to you infinite, if you MISS
the road. Friedrich did not miss it, as is well known; he managed to pick it out from that enormous jumble of
the elements, and victoriously arrived by it, he alone of them all. Which is evidence of silent or latent faculty
in him, still more wonderful than the loudresounding ones of which the world has heard. Probably there was
not, in his history, any chapter more significant of human faculty than this, which is not on record at all.
Chapter III. GRAND REVIEW AT STREHLEN: NEIPPERG TAKES AIM AT
BRESLAU, BUT ANOTHER HITS IT.
A day or two before that famous Audience of Hyndford and Robinson's, Neipperg had quitted his
impregnable Camp at Neisse, and taken the field again; in the hope of perhaps helping Robinson's
Negotiation by an inverse method. Should Robinson's offers not prove attractive enough, as is to be feared, a
push from behind may have good effects. Neipperg intends to have a stroke on Breslau; to twitch Breslau out
of Friedrich's hands, by a private manoeuvre on new resources that have offered themselves.
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 982, and ii. 227.]
In Breslau, which is by great majority Protestant in creed and warmly Prussian in temper, there has been no
oppression or unfair usage heard of to any class of persons; and certainly in the matter of Protestant and
Catholic, there has been perfect equality observed. True, the change from favor and ascendency to mere
equality, is not in itself welcome to human creatures:one conceives, for various reasons of lower and
higher nature, a minority of discontented individuals in Breslau, zealous for their creed and old perquisites
sacred and profane; who long in secret, sometimes vocally to one another, for the good old times,when
souls were not liable to perish wholesale, and people guilty only of loyalty and orthodoxy to be turned out of
their offices on suspicion. Friedrich says, it was mainly certain zealous Old Ladies of Quality who went into
this adventure; and from whispering to one another, got into speaking, into meeting in one another's houses
for the purpose of concerting and contriving. [ OEuvres, ii. 82, 83.] Zealous Old Ladies of Quality,these
we consider were the TalkingApparatus or SecretParliament of the thing: but it is certain one or two
Official Gentlemen (Syndic Guzmar for instance, and others NOT yet become ExOfficial) had active hand
in it, and furnished the practical ideas.
Continual Correspondence there was with Vienna, by those Old Ladies; Guzmar and the others shy of putting
pen to paper, and only doing it where indispensable. Zealous Addresses go to her Hungarian Majesty, "Oh,
may the Blessed Virgin assist your Majesty!" accompanied, it is said, with Subscriptions of money (poor
old souls); and what is much more dangerous and feasible, there goes prompt notice to Neipperg of
everything the Prussian Army undertakes, and the Postscript always, "Come and deliver us, your
Excellency." Of these latter Documents, I have heard of some with Syndic Guzmar's and other Official hands
to them. Generally such things can, through accidental Pandour channels, were there no other, easily reach
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Neipperg; though they do not always. Enough, could Neipperg appear at the Gates of Breslau, in some
concerted nighthour, or push out suitable Detachment on forced march that way,it is evident to him he
would be let in; might smother the few Prussians that are in the Dom Island, and get possession of the
Enemy's principal Magazine and the Metropolis of the Province. Might not the Enemy grow more tractable to
Robinson's seductions in such case?
Neipperg marches from Neisse (1st6th August) with his whole Army; first some thirty miles westward up
the right or southern bank of the Neisse; then crosses the Neisse, and circles round to northward, giving
Friedrich wide room: [Orlich, i. 130, 133.] that night of Robinson's Audience, when Friedrich was so merry at
dinner, Neipperg was engaged in crossing the River; the second night after, Neipperg lay encamped and
intrenched at Baumgarten (old scene of Friedrich's Pandour Adventure), while Hyndford and Robinson had
got back to Breslau. In another day or so, he may hope to be within forcedmarch of Breslau, to detach
Feldmarschall Browne or some sharp head; and to do a highly considerable thing?
Unluckily for Neipperg's Adventure, the Prussians had wind of it, some time ago. They have got "a false
Sister smuggled into that OldLadies' Committee," who has duly reported progress; nay they have
intercepted something in Syndic Guzmar's own hand: and everything is known to Friedrich. The Protestant
population, and generally the practical quiet part of the Breslauers, are harassed with suspicion of some such
thing, but can gain no certainty, nor understand what to do. Protestants especially, who have been so zealous,
"who were seen dropping down on the streets to pray, while the muffled thunder came from Mollwitz that
day," [Ranke, ii. 289.]fancy how it would now be, were the tables suddenly turned, and indignant
Orthodoxy made supreme again, with memory fresh! But, in fact, there is no danger whatever to them.
Schwerin has orders about Breslau; Schwerin and the Young Dessauer are maturely considering how to
manage.
Readers recollect how Podewils pressed the Two Britannic Excellencies to stay in Strehlen a day or two
longer: "Grand Review, with festivities, just on hand; whole of the Foreign Ministers in Breslau invited out to
see it,"though Hyndford and Robinson would not consent; but left on the 9th, meeting the others at
different points of the road. Next day, Thursday, 10th August, was in fact a great day at Strehlen; grand
muster, manoeuvring of cavalry above all, whom Friedrich is delighted to find so perfect in their new
methods; riding as if they were centaurs, horse and man one entity; capable of plunging home, at full gallop,
in coherent masses upon an enemy, and doing some good with him. "Neipperg's Croatpeople, and
outpickets on the distant Hill sides, witnessed these manoeuvres," [Ranke, ii. 288.] I know not with what
criticism. Furthermore, about noontime, there was heard (mark it, reader) a distant cannonshot, one and no
more, from the Northern side; which gave his Majesty a lively pleasure, though he treated it as nothing. All
the Foreign Ministers were on the ground; doubtless with praises, so far as receivable; and in the afternoon
came festivities not a few. A great day in Strehlen: but in Breslau a much greater; which explained, to our
Two Excellencies, why Podewils had been so pressing!
August 10th, at six in the morning, Schwerin, and under him the Young Dessauer,who had arrived in the
Southwestern suburbs of Breslau overnight, with 8,000 foot and horse, and had posted themselves in a
vigilant AntiNeipperg manner there, and laid all their plans,appear at the Nicolai Gate; and demand, in
the common way, transit for their regiments and baggages: "bound Northward," as appears; "to Leubus,"
where something of Pandour sort has fallen out. So many troops or companies at a time, that is the rule; one
quotity of companies you admit; then close and bolt, till it have marched across and out at the opposite Gate;
after which, open again for a second lot. But in this case,owing to accident (very unusual) of a
baggagewagon breaking down, and people hurrying to help it forward,the whole regiment gets in,
escorted as usual by the Townguard. Whole regiment; and marches, not straight through; but at a certain
corner strikes off leftward to the Marketplace; where, singular to say, it seems inclined to pause and
rearrange itself a little. Nay, more singular still, other regiments (owing to like accidents), from other Gates,
join it;andin fact "Herr Major of the Townguard, in the King's name, you are required to ground
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arms!" What can the Town Major do; Prussian grenadiers, cannoneers, gravely environing him? He sticks his
sword into the scabbard, an ExTown Major; and Breslau City is become Friedrich's, softly like a movement
during drill. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 982, n. 227, 268; Adelung, ii. 439; Stenzel, iv. 152.]
Not the least mistake occurred. Cannon with caseshot planted themselves in all the thoroughfares,
Horsepatrols went circulating everywhere; Townarsenal, gates, walls, are laid hold of; Town guards all
disarmed, rather "with laughter on their part" than otherwise: "Majesty perhaps will give us muskets of his
own; well!" The operation altogether did not last above an hourand half, and nobody's skin got
scratched. Towards 9 A.M. Schwerin summoned the Town Dignitaries to their Rathhaus to swear fealty; who
at once complied; and on his stepping out with proposal, to the general population, of "a cheer for King
Friedrich, Duke of Lower Silesia," the poor people rent the skies with their "Friedrich and Silesia forever!"
which they repeated, I think, seven times. Upon which Schwerin fired off his signalcannon, pointing to the
South; where other posts and cannons took up the sound, and pushed it forward, till, as we noticed, it got to
Friedrich in few minutes, on the reviewground at Strehlen; right welcome to him, among the manoeuvrings
there. Protestant Breslau or cordwainer Doblin cannot lament such a result; still less dare the devout Old
Ladies of Quality openly lament, who are trembling to the heart, poor old creatures, though no evil came of it
to them; penitent, let off for the fright; checking even their aspirations henceforth.
Syndic Guzmar and the peccant Officials being summoned out to Strehlen, it had been asked of them, "Do
you know this Letter?" Upon which they fell on their knees, "ACH IHRO MAJESTAT!" unable to deny their
handwriting; yet anxious to avoid death on the scaffold, as Friedrich said was usual under such behavior; and
were sent home, after a few hours of arrest. [Orlich, i. 134; HeldenGeschichte, ii. 228.] Schwerin (as King's
substitute till the King himself one day arrive) continued to take the Homaging, and to make the many new
arrangements needful. All which went off in a soft and pleasantly harmonious manner; only the Jesuits
scrupling a little to swear as yet; and getting gently sent their ways, with revenues stopt in consequence.
Otherwise the swearing, which lasted for several days, was to appearance a joyful process, and on the part of
the general population an enthusiastic one, "ES LEBE KONIG FRIEDRICH!" rising to the welkin with
insatiable emphasis, seven times over, on the least signal given. Neipperg's Adventure, and Orthodox Female
Parliament, have issued in this sadly reverse manner.
Robinson and Hyndford have to witness these phenomena; Robinson to shoot off for Presburg again, with the
worst news in the world. Queen and Hofraths have been waiting in agony of suspense, "Will Friedrich
bargain on those gentle terms, and help us with 100,000 men?" Far from it, my friends; how far! "My most
important intelligence," writes the Russian Envoy there, some days ago, ["5 August, 1741," not said to whom
(in Ranke, ii. 324 n.).] is, that a Bavarian War has broken out, that KurBaiern is in Passau. God grant that
Monsieur Robinson may succeed in his negotiation! All here are in the completest irresolution, and total
inactivity, till Monsieur Robinson return, or at least send news of himself."
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD AGAIN, INTENT ON HAVING
NEISSE.
This Breslau Adventure, which had yielded Friedrich so important an acquisition, was furthermore the cause
of ending these Strehlen inactivities, and of recommencing field operations. August 11th, Neipperg, provoked
by the grievous news just come from Breslau, pushes suddenly forward on Schweidnitz, by way of
consolation; Schweidnitz, not so strong as it might be made, where the Prussians have a principal Magazine:
"One might at least seize that?" thinks Neipperg, in his vexed humor. But here too Friedrich was beforehand
with him; broke out, rapidly enough, to Reichenbach, westward, which bars the Neipperg road to
Schweidnitz: upon which,or even before which (on rumor of it coming, which was not YET true),
Neipperg, half done with his first day's march, called halt; prudently turned back, and hastened, Baumgarten
way, to his strong Camp at Frankenstein again. His hope in the Schweidnitz direction had lasted only a few
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hours; a hope springing on the mere spur of pique, soon recognizable by him as futile; and now anxieties for
selfpreservation had succeeded it on Neipperg's part. For now Friedrich actually advances on him, in a
menacing manner, hardly hoping Neipperg will fight; but determined to have done with the Neisse business,
in spite of strong camps and cunctations, if it be possible. [Orlich, i. 137, 138.]
It was August 16th, when Friedrich stirred out of Strehlen; August 21st, when he encamped at Reichenbach.
Till September 7th, he kept manoeuvring upon Neipperg, who countermanoeuvred with vigilance, good
judgment, and would not come to action: September 7th, Friedrich, weary of these hagglings, dashed off for
Neisse itself, hoped to be across Neisse River, and be between Neisse Town and Neipperg, before Neipperg
could get up. There would then be no method of preventing the Siege of Neisse, except by a Battle: so
Friedrich had hoped; but Neipperg again proved vigilant.
Accordingly, September 11th, Friedrich's Vanguard was actually across the Neisse; had crossed at a place
called Woitz, and had there got Two Pontoon Bridges ready, when Friedrich, in the evening, came up with
the main Army, intending to cross;and was astonished to find Neipperg taking up position, in intricate
ground, near by, on the opposite side! Ground so intricate, hills, bogs, bushes of wood, and so close upon the
River, there was no crossing possible; and Friedrich's Vanguard had to be recalled. Two days of waiting, of
earnest ocular study; no possibility visible. On the third day, Friedrich, gathering in his pontoons overnight,
marched off, down stream: Neissewards, but on the left or north bank of the River; passed Neisse Town (the
River between him and it); and encamped at Gross Neundorf, several miles from Neipperg and the River.
Neipperg, at an equal step, has been wending towards his old Camp, which lies behind Neisse, between
Neisse and the Hills: there, a river in front, dams and muddy inundations all round him, begirt with plentiful
Pandours, Neipperg waits what Friedrich will attempt from Gross Neundorf.
From Gross Neundorf, Friedrich persists twelve days (13th25th September), studying, endeavoring; mere
impossibility ahead. And by this time (what is much worth noting), Hyndford, silently quitting Breslau, has
got back to these scenes of war, occasionally visible in Friedrich's Camp again;on important mysterious
business; which will have results. Valori also is here in Camp; these two Excellencies jealously eying one
another; both of them with teeth rather on edge,Europe having suddenly got into such a plunge (as if the
highest mountains were falling into the deepest seas) since Friedrich began this Neipperg problem of his;in
which, after twelve days, he sees mere impossibility ahead.
On the twelfth day, Friedrich privately collects himself for a new method: marches, soon after midnight,
[26th September, 2 A.M.: Orlich, i. 144.] fifteen miles down the River (which goes northward in this part, as
the reader may remember); crosses, with all his appurtenances, unmolested; and takes camp a few miles
inland, or on the right bank, and facing towards Neisse again. He intends to be in upon Neipperg front the
rear quarter; and cut him off from Mahren and his daily convoys of food. "Daily food cut off,the
thickestskinned rhinoceros, the wildest lion, cannot stand that: here, for Neipperg, is one point on which all
his embankments and muddams will not suffice him!" thinks Friedrich. Certain preliminary operations, and
military indispensabilities, there first are for Friedrich,Town of Oppeln to be got, which commands the
Oder, our rearward highway; Castle of Friedland, and the country between Oder and Neisse Rivers:while
these preliminary things are being done (September 28thOctober 3d), Friedrich in person gradually pushes
forward towards Neipperg, reconnoitring, bickering with Croats: October 3d, preliminaries done, Neipperg's
rear had better look to itself.
Neipperg, well enough seeing what was meant, has by this time come out of his muddams and
impregnabilities; and advanced a few miles towards Friedrich. Neipperg lies now encamped in the Hamlet of
Griesau, a little way behind Steinau,poor Steinau, which the reader saw on fire one night, when Friedrich
and we were in those parts, in Spring last. Friedrich's Camp is about five miles from Neipperg's on the other
side of Steinau. A tolerable champaign country; I should think, mostly in stubble at this season. Nearly
midway between these two Camps is a pretty Schloss called Klein Schnellendorf, occupied by Neipperg's
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Croats just now, of which Prince Lobkowitz (he, if I remember, but it matters nothing), an Austrian General
of mark, far away at present, is proprietor.
Friedrich's Oppeln preparations are about complete; and he intends to advance straightway. "Hold, for
Heaven's sake, your Majesty!" exclaims Hyndford; getting hold of him one day (waylaying him, in fact; for it
is difficult, owing to Valori); "Wait, wait; I have just been to theto the Camp of Neipperg," silently
gesticulates Hyndford: "Within a week all shall be right, and not a drop of blood shed!" Friedrich answers, by
silence chiefly, to the effect, "Tush, tush;" but not quite negatively, and does in effect wait. We had better
give the snatch of Dialogue in primitive authentic form; date is, Camp of Neundorf, September 22d:
FRIEDRICH (pausing impatiently, on the way towards his tent). "'MILORD, DE QUOI S'AGITIL A
PRESENT (What is it now, then)?'
HYNDFORD. "'Should much desire to have some assurance from your Majesty with regard to that neutrality
of Hanover you were pleased to promise.' All else is coming right; hastening towards beautiful settlement,
were that settled.
FRIEDRICH. "'Have not I great reason to be dissatisfied with your Court? Britannic Majesty, as King of
England and as Elector of Hanover, is wonderful! Milord, when you say a thing is white, Schweichelt, the
Hanoverian Excellency, calls it black, and VICE VERSA. But I will do your King no harm; none, I say!
Follow me to dinner; dinner is cold by this time; and we have made more than one person think of us. Swift!
[and EXIT].'" [Hyndford's Despatch, Neisse, 4th October, 1741.]
This is a strange motion on the part of Hyndford; but Friedrich, severely silent to it, understands it very well;
as readers soon will, when they hear farther. But marvellous things have happened on the sudden! In these
three weeks, since the Camp of Strehlen broke up, there have been such Events; strategic, diplomatic: a very
avalanche of ruin, hurling Austria down to the Nadir; of which it is now fit that the reader have some faint
conception, an adequate not being possible for him or me:
"AUGUST l5th, 1741. Robinson reappears in Presburg; and precious surely are the news he brings to an
Aulic Council fallen back in its chairs, and staring with the wind struck out of it. Their expected Seizure of
Breslau gone heels over head, in that way; Friedrich imperiously resolute, gleaming like the flash of steel
amid these murky imbecilities, and without the Cession of Silesia no Peace to be made with him! And all this
is as nothing, to news which arrives just on the back of Robinson, from another quarter.
"AUGUST 15th21st. French Army of 40,000 men, special Army of Belleisle, sedulously equipt and
completed, visibly crosses the Rhine at Fort Louis (an Island Fortress in the Rhine, thirty miles below
Strasburg; STONES of it are from the old Schloss of Hagenau);steps over deliberately there; and on the
sixth day is all on German ground. These troops, to be commanded by Belleisle, so soon as he can join them,
are to be the Elector of Bavaria's troops, KurBaiern Generalissimo over Belleisle and them; [ Fastes de
Louis XV., ii. 264.] and they are on rapid march to join that ambitious Kurfurst, in his Passau Expedition; and
probably submerge Vienna itself.
"And what is this we hear farther, O Robinson, O Excellencies Hyndford, Schweichelt and Company: That
another French Army, of the same strength, under Maillebois, has in the selfsame days gone across the
Lower Rhine (at Kaisersworth, an hour's ride below Dusseldorf)! At Kaisersworth; ostensibly for comforting
and strengthening KurKoln (the lanky Ecclesiastical Gentleman, KurBaiern's Brother), their excellent ally,
should anybody meddle with him. Ostensibly for this; but in reality to keep the Sea Powers, and especially
George of England quiet. It marches towards Osnabruck, this Maillebois Army; quarters itself up and down,
looking over into Hanover,able to eat Hanover, especially if joined by the Prussians and Old Leopold, at
any moment.
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"These things happen in this month of August, close upon the rear of that steelshiny scene in the Tent at
Strehlen, where Friedrich lifted his hat, saying, ''T is of no use, Messieurs!'which was followed by the
seizure of Breslau the wrong way. Never came such a cataract of evil news on an Aulic Council before. The
poor proud people, all these months they have been sitting torpid, helpless, loftily stupid, like dumb idols; 'in
flat despair,' as Robinson says once, 'only without the strength to be desperate.'
"Sure enough the SeaPowers are checkmated now. Let them make the least attempt in favor of the Queen, if
they dare. Holland can be overrun, from Osnabruck quarter, at a day's warning. Little George has his
Hanoverians, his subsidized Hessians, Danes, in Hanover, his English on Lexden Heath: let him come one
step over the marches, Maillebois and the Old Dessauer swallow him. It is a surprising stroke of
theatricalpractical Art; brought about, to old Fleury's sorrow, by the genius of Belleisle, aud they say of
Madame Chateauroux; enough to strike certain Governing Persons breathless, for some time; and denotes that
the Universal Hurricane, or WorldTornado, has broken out. It is not recorded of little George that he fell
back in his chair, or stared wider than usual with those fisheyes: but he discerned well, glorious little man,
that here is left no shadow of a chance by fighting; that he will have to sit stockstill, under awful penalties;
and that if Maria Theresa will escape destruction, she must make her peace with Friedrich at any price."
This fine event, 80,000 French actually across the Rhine, happened in the very days while Friedrich and
Neipperg had got into wrestle again,Neipperg just off from that rash march for Schweidnitz, and whirling
back on rumor (15th August), while the first instalment of the French were getting over. Friedrich must admit
that the French fulfil their promises so far. A week ago or more, they made the Swedes declare War against
Russia, as covenanted. War is actually declared, at Stockholm, August 4th, the Faction of Hats prevailing
over that of Nightcaps, after terrible debates and efforts about the mere declaring of it, as if that alone were
the thing needed. We mentioned this War already, and would not willingly again. One of the most
contemptible Wars ever declared or carried on; but useful to Friedrich, as keeping Russia off his hands, at a
critical time, and conclusively forbidding help to Austria from that quarter.
Marechal de Belleisle, wrapt in Diplomatic and Electioneering business, cannot personally take command for
the present; but has excellent lieutenants,one of whom is Comte de Saxe, Moritz our old friend, afterwards
Marechal de Saxe. Among the finest French Armies, this of Belleisle's is thought to be, that ever took the
field: so many of our Nobility in it, and what best Officers, Segurs, Saxes, future Marechal's, we have. Army
full of spirit and splendor; come to cut Germany in four, and put France at last in its place in the Universe.
Here is courage, here is patriotism, of a sort. And if this is not the good sort, the divinely pious, the humanly
noble,Fashionable Society feels it to be so, and can hit no nearer. Newfashioned "Army of the
Oriflamme," one might call this of Belleisle's; kind of ShamSacred French Army (quite in earnest, as it
thinks);led on, not by St. Denis and the Virgin, but by Sungod Belleisle and the Chateauroux, under these
sad new conditions! Which did not prosper as expected.
"Let the Holy German Reich take no offence," said this Army, eager to conciliate: "we come as friends
merely; our intentions charitable, and that only. Bavarian Treaty of Nymphenburg (18th May last) binds us
especially, this time; Treaty of Westphalia binds us sacredly at all times. Peaceable to you, nay brotherly, if
only you will be peaceable!" Which the poor Reich, all but Austria and the SeaPowers, strove what it could
to believe.
On reaching the German shore out of Elsass, "every Officer put, the Bavarian Colors, cockade of
blueandwhite, on his hat;" [Adelung, ii. 431.] a mere "Bavarian Army," don't you see? And the 40,000
wend steadily forward throngh Schwaben eastward, till they can join Karl Albert KurBaiern, who is
Generalissimo, or has the name of such. They march in Seven Divisions. Donauworth (a Town we used to
know, in Marlborough's time and earlier) is to be their first restingpoint; Ingolstadt their placeofarms:
will readers recollect those two essential circumstances? To Donauworth is 250 miles; to Passau will be 180
more: five or six long weeks of marching. But after Donauworth they are to go, the Infantry of them are, in
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boats; Horse, under Saxe, marching parallel. Forward, ever forward, to Passau (properly to Scharding, twelve
miles up the Inn Valley, where his Bavarian Highness is in Camp); and thence, under his Bavarian Highness,
and in concert with him, to pour forth, delugelike, upon Linz, probably upon Vienna itself, down the Donau
Valley,why not to Vienna itself, and ruin Austria at one swoop? [Espagnac, Histoire de Maurice Comte de
Saxe (German Translation, Leipzig, 1774), i. 83:an excellent military compend. Campagnes des Trois
Marechaux (Maillebois, Broglio, Belleisle: Armsterdam. 1773), ii. 5356:in nine handy little volumes (or
if we include the NOAILLES and the COIGNY set, making "CING MARECHAUX," nineteen volumes in
all, and a twentieth for INDEX); consisting altogether of Official Letters (brief, rapid, meant for business,
NOT for printing in the Newspapers); which are elucidative BEYOND bargain, and would even be amusing
to read,were the topic itself worth one's time.]
The second or Maillebois French Army spreads itself, by degrees, considerably over Westphalia;straitened
for forage, and otherwise not the best of neighbors. But, in theory, in speech, this too was abundantly
conciliatory,to the Dutch at least. "Nothing earthly in view, nothing, ye magnanimous Dutch, except to
lodge here in the most peaceable manner, paying our way, and keep down disturbances that might arise in
these parts. That might arise; not from you, ye magnanimous High Mightinesses, how far from it! Nor will
we meddle with one broken brick of your respectable Barrier, or Barrier Treaty, which is sacred to us, or do
you the shadow of an injury. No; a thousand times, upon our honor, No!" For brevity's sake, I lend them that
locution, "No, a thousand times,"and in actual arithmetic, I should think there are at least four or five
hundred times of it,in those extinct Diplomatic Eloquences of Excellency Fenelon and the other
French;vaguely counting, in one's oppressed imagination, during the Two Years that ensue. For the Dutch
lazily believed, or strove to believe, this No of Fenelon's; and took an obstinate laggard sitting posture, in
regard to Pragmatic Sanction; whereby the task of "hoisting" them (as above hinted), which fell upon a
certain King, became so famous in Diplomatic History.
Imagination may faintly picture what a blow this advent of Maillebois was to his Britannic Majesty, over in
Herrenhausen yonder! He has had of Danes six thousand, of Hessians six, of Hanoverians sixteen,in all
some 30,000 men, on foot here since Spring last, camping about (in two formidable Camps at this moment);
not to mention the 6,000 of English on Lexden Heath, eager to be shipped across, would Parliament permit;
and nowlet him stir in any direction if he dare. Camp of Gottin like a drawn sword at one's throat (at one's
Hanover) from the east; and lo, here a twin fellow to it gleaming from the south side! Maillebois can walk
into the throat of Hanover at a day's warning. And such was actually the course proposed by Maillebois's
Government, more than once, in these weeks, had not Friedrich dissuaded and forbidden. It is a strangling
crisis. What is his Britannic Majesty to do? Send orders, "Double YOUR diligence, Excellency Robinson!"
that is one clear point; the others are fearfully insoluble, yet pressiug for solution: in a six weeks hence
(September 27th), we shall see what they issue in!
As for Robinson, he is duly with the Queen at Presburg; duly conjuring incessantly, "Make your peace with
Friedrich!" And her Majesty will not, on the terms. Poor Robinson, urged two ways at once, is flurried doubly
and trebly; tossed about as Diplomatist never was. King of Prussia flashes lightninglooks upon him,
clapping finger to nose; Maria Theresa, knowing he will demand cession of Silesia, shudders at sight of him;
and the Aulic Council fall into his arms like dead men, murmuring, "Money; where is your money?"
"AUGUST 29th. While Friedrich was pushing into Neipperg, in the Baumgarten Country, and could get no
battle out of him, Excellency Robinson reappears at Breslau; Maria Theresa, after deadly efforts on his part,
has mended her offers, in these terrible circumstances; and Robinson is here again. 'Half of Silesia, or almost
half, provided his Majesty will turn round, and help against the French:' these, secretly, are Robinson's rich
offers. The Queen, on consenting to these new offers, had 'wrung her hands,' like one in despair, and said
passionately, 'Unless accepted within a fortnight, I will not be bound by them!' 'Admit his Excellency to the
honor of an interview,' solicits Hyndford; 'his offers are much mended.' Notable to witness, Friedrich will not
see Robinson at all this time, nor even permit Podewils to see him; signifies plainly that he wants to hear no
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more of his offers, and that, in fact, the sooner he can take himself away from Breslau, it will be the better. To
that effect, Robinson, rushing back in mortified astonished manner, reports progress at Presburg; to that and
no better. 'High Madam,' urges Robinson, still indefatigable, 'the King of Prussia's help would be life, his
hostility is death at this crisis. Peace must be with him, at any price!' 'Price?' answers her Majesty once: 'If
Austria must fall, it is indifferent to me whether it be by KurBaiern or KurBrandenburg!' [Stenzel, iv. 156.]
Nevertheless, in about a week she again yields to intense conjuring, and the evertightening pressure of
events;King George, except it be for counselling, is become stockstill, with Maillebois's sword at his
throat; and is, without metaphor, sinking towards absolute neutrality: 'Cannot help you, Madam, any farther;
must not try it, or I perish, my Hanover and I!'So that Maria Theresa again mends her offers: 'Give him all
Lower Silesia, and he to join with me!' and Robinson posthaste despatches a courier to Breslau with them.
Notable again: King Friedrich will not hear of them; answers by a 'No, I tell you! Time was, time is not. I
have now joined with France; and to join against it in this manner? Talk to me no more!'" [Friedrich to
Hyndford: "Au Camp [de Neuendorf] 14me septembre," 1741. "Milord j'ai recu les nouvelles propositions
d'alliance que l'infatigable Robinson vous envoie. Je les trouve aussi chimeriques que les
precedentes.""Ces gens sontils fols, Milord, de s'imaginer que je commisse la trahison de tourner en
leur faveur mes armes, et de"? "Je vous prie de ne me plus fatiguer avec de pareilles propositions, et de
me croire assez honnete homme pour ne point violer mes engagements. FREDERIC." (British Museum:
Hyndford Papers, fol. 133.)] ...
Here is a catastrophe for the Two Britannic Excellencies, and the Cause of Freedom! Robinson, in dudgeon
and amazement, has hurried back to Presburg, has ceased sending even couriers; and, in a three weeks hence
(9th October, a day otherwise notable), wishes "to come home," the game being up. [His Letter, "9th October,
1741" (in Lord Mahon's History of England, iii. Appendix, p. iii: edit. London, 1839). Such is Robinson's
gloomy view: finished, he, and the game lost,unless perhaps Hyndford could still do something? Of which
what hope is there! Hyndford, who has a rough sagacity in him, and manifests often a strong sense of the
practical and the practicable, strikes intoReaders, from the following Fragments of Correspondence, now
first made public, will gather for themselves what new course, veiled in triple mystery, Hyndford had struck
into. Four bits of Notes, well worth reading, under their respective dates:
1. EXCELLENCY HYNDFORD TO SECRETARY HARRINGTON (Two Notes).
"BRESLAU, 2d SEPTEMBER, 1711 [on the heel of Robinson's second miscarriage]. ... My Lord, all
these contretemps are very unlucky at present, when time is so precious; for France is pressing the King of
Prussia in the strongest manner to declare himself; but whatever eventual preliminaries may be probably
agreed between them, I still doubt if they have any Treaty signed"have had one, any time these three
months (since 5th June last); signed sufficiently; but of a most fastandloose nature; neither party intending
to be rigorous in keeping it. "I wish to God the Court of Vienna may be brought to think before it is too late."
[HYNDFORD PAPERS (Brit. Mus. Additional MSS. 11,366), ii. fol. 91.]
2. "BRESLAU, 6th SEPTEMBER. ... I am not without hopes of succeeding in a project which has occurred
to me on this occasion, and which seems to be pretty well relished by some people [properly by one
individual, Goltz, the King's Adjutant and factotum], who are in great confidence about the King of Prussia's
person; and I think it is the only thing that now remains to be tried; and as it is the least of two evils, I hope I
shall have the King my Master's approbation in attempting it; and if the Court of Vienna will open their eyes,
they must see it is the only thing left to save them from utter destruction;"and, finally, here it is:
"Since Mr. Robinson left this place,["Sooner YOU go, the better, Sir!"],I have been sounding the people
afore mentioned," the individual afore hinted at, "Whether the King of Prussia would hearken to a Neutrality
with respect to the Queen of Hungary, and at the same time fulfil his engagements to his Majesty with respect
to the defence of his Majesty's German Dominions, IF she would give him the Lower Silesia with Breslau?
At first they rejected it; saying it was a thing they dared not propose. However, I have reason to believe, by a
Letter I saw this day, that it has been proposed to the King, and that he is not absolutely averse to it. I shall
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know more in a few days; but if it can be done at all, it must be done in the very greatest secrecy, for neither
the King nor his Ministers wish to appear in it; and I question if his Minister Podewils will be informed of it."
[ Hyndford Papers, fol. 97, 98.]
3. EXCELLENCY ROBINSON (in a flutter of excitement, temporary hope and excitement, about Goltz) TO
HYNDFORD, AT BRESLAU.
"PRESBURG, 8th SEPTEMBER (N.S.), 1741. My Lord, I could desire your Lordship to summon up, if it
were necessary, the spirit of all your Lordship's Instructions, and the sense of the King, of the Parliament, and
of the whole British Nation. It is upon this great moment that depends the fate, not of the House of Austria,
not of the Empire, but of the House of Brunswick, of Great Britain, and of all Europe. I verily believe the
King of Prussia does not himself know the extent of the present danger. With whatever motive he may act,
there is not one, not that of the mildest resentment, that can blind him to this degree, of himself perishing in
the ruin he is bringing upon others. With his concurrence, the French will, in less than six weeks, be masters
of the German Empire. The weak Elector of Bavaria is but their instrument: Prague and Vienna may, and
probably will, be taken in that short time. Will even the King of Prussia himself be reserved to the last?
"Upon this single transaction [of your Lordship's affair with the mysterious individual] depend the CITA
MORS, or the VICTORIA LAETA of all Europe. Nothing will equal the glory of your Lordship, in the latter
case, but that to be acquired by the King of Prussia in his immediate imitation of the great
Sobieski"reputed "savior of Vienna," O your Excellency! ... "Prince Lichtenstein will, if found in time
upon his estates in Bohemia, be, I believe, the person to repair to the King of Prussia, the moment your
Lordship shall have signed the Preliminaries. Once again, give me leave, my Lord, to express my most ardent
wishes, my"T. ROBINSON. [ Hyndford Papers, fol. 102.]
4. EXCELLENCY HYNDFORD TO SECRETARY HARRINGTON.
"BRESLAU, 9th SEPTEMBER, ... Received a message to meet him,"HIM, for we now speak in the
singular number, though still without naming Goltz,"one of the persons I mentioned in my former
Despatch: in a very unsuspected place; for we have agreed to avoid all appearance of familiarity. He told me
he had received a Letter this morning from the Camp," Prussian Majesty's Camp, or Bivouac (in the
Munsterberg HillCountry), on that march towards Woitz, for crossing the Neisse upon Neipperg, which
proved impracticable, "and that he could with pleasure tell me that the King agreed to this last trial,
although he would not, nor could appear in it. ... Then this person read to me a Paper, but I could not see
whether it was the King's hand or not; for when I desired to take a copy, he said he could not show me the
original; but dictated as follows:
"'Toute la Basse Silesie, la riviere de Neisse pour limite, la ville de Neisse a nous, aussi bien que Glatz; de
l'autre cote de l'Oder l'ancien limite entre les Duches de Brieg et d'Oppeln. Namslau a nous. Les affaires de
religion IN STATU QUO. Point de dependance de la Boheme; cession eternelle. En echange nous n'irons pas
plus loin. Nous assiegerons Neisse PRO FORMA: le commandant se rendra et sortira. Nous prendrons les
quartiers tranquillement, et ils pourront mener leur Armee oh ils voudront. Que tout cela soit fini en douze
jours.'" That is to say:
"'The whole of Lower Silesia, Neisse Town included; Neisse River for boundary:Glatz withal. Beyond the
Oder, for the Duchies of Brieg and Oppeln the ancient limits. Namslau ours. Affairs of Religion to continue
IN STATU QUO. No dependence [feudal tie or other, as there used to be] on Bohemia; cession of Silesia to
be absolute and forever.We, in return, will proceed no farther. We will besiege Neisse for form; the
Commandant shall surrender and depart. We will pass quietly into winterquarters; and the Austrian Army
may go whither it will. Bargain to be concluded within twelve days.'" [Coxe (iii. 272) gives this Translation,
not saying whence he had it.]Can his Excellency Hyndford get Vienna, get Feldmarschall Reipperg with
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power from Vienna, to accept: Yes or No? Excellency Hyndford thinks, Yes; will try his very utmost!
"He (Goltz) then tore the Paper in very small pieces; and he repeated again, that if the affair should be
discovered, both the King and he were determined to deny it. ... 'But how about engagements with regard to
my Master's German Dominions; not a word about that?' He answered, 'You have not the least to fear from
France;' protested the King of Prussia's great regard for his Majesty of England, I told him these fine words
did not satisfy me; and that if this affair should succeed, I expected there should be some stipulation."
[ Hyndford Papers, fol. 115.] Yes; and came, about a fortnight hence, "waylaying his Majesty" to get
one,as readers saw above.
Prussian Dryasdust (poor soul, to whom one is often cruel!) shall glad himself with the following Two bits of
Autography from Goltz, who had instantly quitted Breslau again;and, to us, they will serve as date for the
actual arrival of Excellency Hyndford in those fighting regions, and commencement of his mysterious
glidings about between Camp and Camp.
GOLTZ TO THE EXCELLENCY HYNDFORD, AT BRESLAU (most Private).
"AU CAMP DE NEUENDORF, 16me septembre, a 9 heures du seir. (1.) "MILORD,Vons savez que je
suis porte pour la bonne cause. Sur ce pied je prends la liberte de vous conseiller en ami et serviteur, de venir
ici incessamment, et de presser votre voyage de sorte que vous puissiez paraitre publiquement lundi [18th]
vers midi. Vous trouverez 6 (SIC) chevaux de postes a Olau et a Grottkau tout prets. Hatezvous, Milord,
tout ce que vous pourrez au monde. J'ai l'honneur de" Meaning, in brief English:
"Be at Neundorf here, publicly, on Monday next, 18th, towards noon." Things being ripe. "Haste, Milord,
haste!"
"Ce 18me a 3 heures apresmidi. (2). "Je suis an desespoir, Milord, de votre maladie. Voici le courrier que
vous attendiez. Venez le plutot que vous pourrez au monde; si non, dites au General Marwitz de quoi il s'agit,
afin qu'il puisse me le faire savoir. ... Le courrier serait arrive quatre heures plutot, si nous ne l'avions renvoye
au Comte Neuberg (SIC) a cause de votre maladie.GOLTZ." [ Hyndford Papers, fol. 150152.]That is
to say:
"Distressed inexpressibly by your Lordship's biliary condition. One cannot travel under colic;and things
were so ripe! Courier would have reached you four hours sooner, but we had to send him over to Neipperg
first. Come, oh come!"Which Hyndford, now himself again, at once does.
This is the Mystery, which, on September 22d, had arrived at that stage, indicated above: "Tush! Follow me:
Dinner is already falling cold, and there are eyes upon us!" And in about another fortnight But we shall
have to take the luggage with us, too, what minimum of it is indispensable!
Chapter V. KLEINSCHNELLENDORF: FRIEDRICH GETS NEISSE, IN A
FASHION.
While these combined Mysteries and Warmovements go on, in Neisse and its Environs, the
WorldPhenomena continue,in Upper Austria and elsewhere. Of which take these select summits, or
points chiefly luminous in the dusk of the forgotten Past:
LINZ, SEPTEMBER 14th. Karl Albert, being joined some days ago at Scharding by the first three French
Divisions, 15,000 men in all (the other four Divisions of them are still in the Donauworth Ingolstadt quarter,
making their manifold arrangements), has pushed forward, sixty miles (landmarches, south side of the
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Donau, which makes a bend here), and this day, September 14th, appears at Linz. Pleasant City of Linz;
where, as readers may remember, Mr. John Kepler, long ago, busy discovering the System of the World
(grandest Conquest ever made, or to be made, by the Sons of Adam), had his poor CAMERA OBSCURA set
out, to get himself a livelihood in the interim: here now is Karl Albert's flag on the winds, and, as it were, the
Oriflamme with it, on a singularly different Adventure. "Open Gates!" demands Karl Albert with authority:
"Admit me to my Capital of Upper Austria!" Which cannot be denied him, there being nothing but
Townguards in the place.
Karl Albert continued there some weeks, in a serenely victorious posture; doing acts of authority; getting
homaged by the STANDE; pushing out his forces farther and farther down the Donau, post after
post,victorious OriflammeBavarian Army may be 40,000 strong or so, in those parts. Friedrich urged him
much to push on without pause, and take opportunity by the forelock; sent Schmettau (elder of the two
Schmettaus, who is much employed on such business) to urge him; wrote an express Paper of Considerations
pressingly urgent: but he would not, and continued pausing.
Vienna, all in terror, is fortifying itself; citizens toiling at the earthworks, resolute for making some defence;
Constituted Authorities, National Archives even, Court in a body, and all manner of Noble and Official
people, flying elsewhither to covert: chiefly to Presburg, where her Majesty already is. The Archives were
carried to Gratz; the two Dowager Empresses (for there are two, Maria Theresa's Mother, and Maria
Theresa's Aunt, Kaiser Joseph's Widow) fled different ways,I forget which. An agitated, paralyzed
population. Except the diligent wheelbarrows on the ramparts, no vehicle is rolling in Vienna but
furniturewagons loading for flight. General Khevenhuller with 6,000, who pesides with fine scientific skill,
and an iron calmness and clearness, over these fortifyings, is the only force left. [Anonymous, Histoire de la
Derniere Guerre de Boheme (a Francfort, 17451747, 4 tomes), i. 190. A lively succinct little Book, vague
not false; still readable, though not now, as then, with complete intelligence, to the unprepared reader. Said,
in Dictionaries, to be by Mauvillon PERE, though it resembles nothing else of his that is known to me.]'
Neipperg's, our only Army in the world, is hundreds of miles away, countermarching and manoeuvring about
Woitz, and Neisse Town and River,pretty sure to be beaten in the end,and it is high time there were a
Silesian bargain had, if Hyndford can get us any.
DRESDEN, SEPTEMBER 19th (Excellency Hyndford just recovering from his colic, in Breslau),
KurSachsen, after many waverings, signs Treaty of Copartnery with France and Bavaria, seduced by "that
Moravia," and the ticklings of Belleisle acting on a weak mind. [Adelung, ii. 469, 304, 503.] His troops are
20,000, or rather more; said to be of good quality, and well equipped. In February last we saw him engaged in
Russian, AntiPrussian Partition schemes. In April, as these suddenly (on sight of the Camp of Gottin)
extinguished themselves, he agreed to go, in the pacific way, with her Hungarian Majesty for friend (Treaty
with her, signed 11th April); but never went (Treaty never ratified); kept his 20,000 lying about in Camp, in
an enigmatic manner,first about Torgau, latterly in the Lausitz, much nearer to the ERZGEBIRGE
(MetalMountains), Frontier of Bohemia;and now signs as above; intent to march as soon as possible. Is to
have Four Circles of Bohemia, imaginary Kingships of Moravia, and other prizes. Belleisle has tickled that
big trout: Belleisle could now have the Election as he wishes it, would the Electors but be speedy; but they
will not, and he is obliged to push continually.
"Moriamur pro Rege nostro Maria Theresia," IN THE POETIC, AND THEN ALSO IN THE PROSE FORM.
PRESBURG, SEPTEMBER 21st. This is the date (or chief date, for, alas, there turn out to be two!) of the
worldfamous "MORIAMUR PRO REGE NOSTRO MARIA THERESIA;" of which there are now needed
Two Narratives; the generally received (in part mythical) going first, in the following strain:
"The Queen has been in Presburg mainly, where the Hungarian Diet is sitting, ever since her
Coronationceremony. On the 11th September [or 11th and 21st together], the afflicted Lady makes an
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appearance there, which, for theatrical reality, has become very celebrated. Alas, it is but three months since
she galloped to the top of the Konigsberg, and cut defiantly with bright sabre towards the Four Points of the
Universe; and already it has come to this. Hungarian Magnates in high session, the high Queen enters,
beautiful and sad,and among her Ministers is noticeable a Nurse with the young Archduke, some six
months old, a fine thriving child, perhaps too wise for his age, who became Kaiser Joseph II. in after time.
"The Hungarian Session is not on record for me, Hall of meeting, Magyar Parliamentary eloquence unknown;
nor is any point conspicuously visible, exact and certain, except these [alas, not even these]: That it was the
11th of September; that her Majesty coming forward to speak, took the child in her arms, and there, in a clear
and melodiously piercing voice, sorrow and courage on her noble face, beautiful as the Moon riding among
wet stormy clouds, spake, as the Hungarian Archives still have it, a short Latin Harangue; in substance as
follows: ... 'Hostile invasion of Austria; imminent peril, to this Kingdom of Hungary, to our person, to our
children, to our crown. Forsaken by all,AB OMNIBUS DERELICTI [Britannic Majesty himself standing
stockstill, blamably, one thinks, the two swords being only at HIS throat, and a good way off!]I have
no resource but to throw myself on the loyalty and help of Your renowned Body, and invoke the ancient
Hungarian virtue to rise swiftly and save me!' Whereat the assembled Hungarian Synod, their wild Magyar
hearts touched to the core, start up in impetuous acclaim, flourish aloft their drawn swords, and shout
unanimously in passionate tenorvoice, 'MORIAMUR (Let us die) for our Rex Maria Theresa!' [ Maria
Theresiens Leben (which speaks hypothetically), iv, 44; Coxe, iii. 270 (who is positive, "after examining the
Documents").] Which were not vain words. For a general 'Insurrection' was thereupon decreed; what the
Magyars call their 'Insurrection,' which is by no means of rebellious nature; and many noblemen, old Count
Palfy himself a chief among them, though past threescore and ten, took the field at their own cost; and the
noise of the Hungarian Insurrection spread like a voice of hope over all Pragmatic countries."
A very beautiful heroic scene; which has gone about the world, circulating triumphantly through all hearts for
above a Century past; and has only of late acknowledged itself mythical,not true, except as toned down to
the following stingy prose pitch:
PRESBURG, SEPTEMBER 21st. Maria Theresa, since that fine Coronationscene, June 2Sth, has had a
mixed time of it with her Hungarian Diet; soft passages alternating with hard: a chivalrous people, most
consciously chivalrous; but a constitutional withal, very stiff upon their Charter (PACTA CONVENTA, or
whatever the name is); who wrangle much upon privileges, upon taxes, and are difficult to keep long in tune.
Ten days ago (September 11th), her Majesty tried them on a new tack; summoned them to her Palace; threw
herself upon their nobleness, "No allies but you in the world" (and other fine things, authentically, as above,
legible in the Archives to this day):so spake the beautiful young Queen, her eyes filling with tears as she
went on, and yet a noble fire gleaming through them. Which melted the Hungarian heart a good deal; and
produced fine cheering, some persons even shedding tears, and voices of "Life and Fortune to your Majesty!"
being heard in it. In which humor the Diet returned to its SessionHouse, and voted the "Insurrection,"or
general Arming of Hungary, County by County, each according to its own contingent;with all speed, in
pursuance of her Majesty's implied desire. This was voted in rapid manner; but again, in the detail of
executing, it was liable to haggles. From this day, however, matters did decidedly improve; PACTA
CONVENTA, or any remainder of them, are got adjusted,the good Queen yielding on many points. So
that, September 20th, GrandDuke Franz is elected Coregent,let him start from Vienna instantly, for
Instalment;and it is hoped the Insurrection will go well, and not prove haggly, or hang fire in the details.
At any rate, next day, September 21st, Duke Franz, who arrived last night,and Baby with him, or in the
train of him (to the joy of Mamma!)is in the Palace AudienceHall, "at 8 A.M.;" ready for the Diet, and
what Homagings aud mutual Oath, as new Coregent, are necessary. GrandDuke Franz, Mamma by his
side, with the suitable functionaries; and to rearward Nurse and Baby, not so conspicuous till needed. Diet
enters with the stroke of 8; solemnity proceeds. At the height of the solemnity, when Duke Franz, who is
really risen now to something of a heroic mood, in these emergencies and perils, has just taken his Oath, and
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will have to speak a fit word or two,the Nurse, doubtless on hint given, steps forward; holds up Baby (a
fine noticing fellow, I have no doubt,"weighed sixteen pounds avoirdupois when born"); as if Baby too,
fine mutual product of the Two Coregents, were mutually swearing and appealing. Enough to touch any
heart. "Life and blood (VITAM ET SANGUINEM) for our Queen and Kingdom.!" exclaims the
GrandDuke, among other things. "Yes, VITAM ET SANGUINEM!" reechoes the Diet, "our life and our
blood!" manyvoiced, again and again;and returns to its own Place of Session, once more in a fine strain
of loyal emotion.
And there, O reader, is the naked truth, neither more nor less. It was some Vienna Pamphleteer of theatrical
imaginative turn, finding the thing apt, a year or two afterwardswho by kneading different dates and
objects into one, boldly annihilating time and space, and adding a little paint,gave it that seductive
mythical form. From whom Voltaire adopted it, with improvements, especially in the little Harangue; and
from Voltaire gratefully the rest of mankind. [Voltaire, Siecle de Louis XV., c. 6 ( OEuvres, xxviii. 78); Coxe,
House of Austria, iii. 270; and innumerable others (who give this Myth); Maria Theresiens Leben, p. 44 n.
(who cites the Vienna Pamphleteers, without much believing them); Mailath (a Hungarian), Geschichte des
OEsterrichischen KaiserStaats (Hamburg, 1850), v. 1113 (who explodes the fable). Cut down to the
practical, it stands as above:by no means a bad thing still. That of "bringing in Baby" was a pretty touch in
the domesticroyal way;and surely very natural; and has no "art" in it, or none to blame and not love
rather, on the part of the bright young Mother, now girdled in such tragic outlooks, and so glad to have Baby
back at least, and Papa with him! It is certain the "Insurrection" was voted with enthusiasm; and even became
rapidly a fact. And there was, in few months hence, an immense mounted force of Hungarians raised, which
galloped and plundered (having almost no pay), and occasionally fenced and fought, very diligently during all
these Wars. Hussars, Croats, Pandours, Tolpatches, Warasdins, Uscocks, never heard of in war before: who
were found very terrible to look upon once, in the imagination or with the naked eye; but whose fighting
talent, against regular troops, was next to worthless; and who gradually became hateful rather than terrible in
the military world.
HANOVER, SEPTEMBER 27th. Britannic Majesty, reduced to that frightful pinch, has at last given way.
Treaty of Neutrality for Hanover; engagement again to stick one's puissant Pragmatic sword into its scabbard,
to be perfectly quiescent and contemplative in these FrenchBavarian AntiAustrian undertakings, and digest
one's indignation as one can. For our Paladin of the Pragmatic what a posture! This is the first of Three
Attempts by our puissant little Paladin to draw sword;not till the third could he get his sword out, or do the
least fighting (even foolish fighting) with all the 40,000 he had kept on pay and subsidy for years back. The
Neutrality was for Hanover only, and had no specific limit as to time. Opportunities did rise; but something
always rose along with them,mainly the impossibility of hoisting those lazy Dutch, and checked one's
noble rage. His Majesty has covenantad to vote for Karl Albert as Kaiser; even he, and will make the thing
unanimous! A thoroughly checkmated Majesty. Passing home to England, this time in a gloomy condition
of mind, shortly after these humiliations, he was just issuing from Osnabruck by the Eastern Gate, when
Maillebois's people entered by the Western, the ugly shoes of them insulting his kibes in this manner. And
a furious AntiWalpole Parliament, most perturbed of National Palavers, is waiting him at St. James's.
Heavyladen little Hercules that he is!
Karl Albert lay at Linz for a month longer (till October 24th, six weeks in all); pausing in uncertainties, in a
pleasant dream of victory and sovereignty; not pouncing on Vienna, as Friedrich urged on the French and
him, to cut the matter by the root. He does push forward certain troops, Comte de Saxe with Three Horse
Regiments as vanguard, ever nearer to Vienna; at last to within forty miles of it; nay, lighthorse parties came
within twentyfive miles. And there was skirmishing with Mentzel, a sanguinary fellow, of whom we shall
hear more; who had got "1,000 Tolpatches" under him, and stood ruggedly at bay.
Karl Albert has been sending out sovereign messages from Linz: Letters to Vienna;one letter addressed
"To the Archduchess Maria Theresa;" which came back unopened, "No such person known here." October
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2d, he is getting homaged at Linz, by the STANDE of the Province,on summons sent some time
before,many of whom attend, with a willing enough appearance; KurBaiern rather a favorite in Upper
Austria, say some. Much fine processioning, melodious haranguing, there now is for Karl Albert, and a
pleasant dream of Sovereignty at Linz: but if he do not pounce upon Vienna till Khevenhuller get it fortified?
Khevenhuller is drawing home Italian Garrisons, gradually gathering something like an Army round him. In
Khevenhuller's imperturbable military head, one of the clearest and hardest, there is some hope. Above all, if
Neipperg's Army were to disengage itself, and be let loose into those parts?
EXCELLENCY HYNDFORD BRINGS ABOUT A MEETING AT KLEINSCHNELLENDORF (9th
October, 1741).
It was the second day after that Homaging at Linz, when Hyndford (Sept. 22d) with mysterious negotiations,
now nearly ripe, for disengaging Neipperg, waylaid his Prussian Majesty; and was answered, as we saw, with
"Tush, tush! Dinner is already cold!"
It must be owned, these FriedrichHyndford Negotiations, following on an express FrenchPrussian Treaty
of June 5th, which have to proceed in such threefold mystery now and afterwards, are of questionable
distressing nature: nor can the fact that they are escorted copiously enough by a correspondent sort on the
French side, and indeed on the Austrian and on all sides, be a complete consolation,far otherwise, to the
ingenuous reader. Smelfungus indignantly calls it an immorality and a dishonor, "a playing with loaded dice;"
which in good part it surely was. Nor can even Friedrich, who has many pleas for himself, obtain spoken
acquittal; unspoken, accompanied with regrets and pity, is all even Friedrich can aspire to. My own
impression is, Smelfungus, if candid, would on clearer information and consideration have revoked much of
what he says here in censure of Friedrich. At all events, if asked: Where then is the specifical not
"superstitious" WANT of "veracity" you ever found in Friedrich? and How, OTHERWISE than even as
Friedrich did, would you, most veracious Smelfungus, have plucked out your Silesia from such an Element
and such a Time?he would be puzzled to answer. I give his Fragment as I find it, with these deductions:
"What negotiating we have had, and shall have," exclaims Smelfungus, my sad foregoer,"fit rather to be
omitted from a serious History, which intends to be read by human creatures! Bargaining, Promising,
Nonperforming. False in general as dicers' oaths; false on this side and on that, from beginning to end.
Intercepted Letters from Fleury; Letter dropping from Valori's waistcoatpocket, upon which Friedrich claps
his foot: alas, alas, we are in the middle of a whole world of that. Friedrich knows that the French are false to
him; he by no means intends to be romantically true to them, and that also they know. What is the use to
human creatures of recording all that melancholy stuff? If sovereign persons want their diplomacies NOT to
be swept into the ashpit, there are two conditions, especially one which is peremptory: FIRST, that they
should not be lies;SECOND, that they should be of some importance, some wisdom; which with known
lies is not a possible condition. To unravel cobwebs, and register laboriously and date and sort in the sorrow
of your soul the oaths of crowned dicers,what use is it to gods or men? Having well dressed and sliced
your cucumber, the next clear human duty is: Throw it out of window. In that foul Laplandwitch world, of
seething Diplomacies and monstrous wigged mendacities, horribly wicked and despicably unwise, I find
nothing notable, memorable even in a small degree, except this aspect of a young King who does know what
he means in it. Clear as a star, sharp as cutting steel (very dangerous to hydrogen balloons), he stands in the
middle of it, and means to extort his own from it by such methods as there are.
"Magnanimous I can by no means call Friedrich to his allies and neighbors, nor even superstitiously
veracious, in this business: but he thoroughly understands, he alone, what just thing he wants out of it, and
what an enormous wigged mendacity it is he has got to deal with. For the rest, he is at the gamingtable with
these sharpers; their dice all cogged;and he knows it, and ought to profit by his knowledge of it. And in
short, to win his stake out of that foul weltering mellay, and go home safe with it if he can."
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Very well, my friend! Let us keep to windward of the Diplomatic wizard'scaldron; let Hyndford, Valori and
Company preside over it, throwing in their eye of newt and limb of toad, as occasion may be. Enough, if the
reader can be brought to conceive it; and how the young King,who perhaps alone had real business in this
foul element, and did not volunteer into it like the others, though it now unexpectedly envelops him like a
worldwhirlwind (frightful enough, if one spoke of that to anybody), is struggling with his whole soul to get
well out of it. As supremely adroit, all readers already know him; his appearance what we called
starlike,always something definite, fixed and lucid in it.
He is dexterously holding aloof from Hyndford at present, clinging to French Valori as his chosen
companion: we may fancy what a time he has of it, like a polygamist amid jealous wives. It will quicken
Hyndford, he perceives, in these ulterior stages, to leave him well alone. Hyndford accordingly, as we have
noticed, could not see the King at all; had to try every plan, to watch, waylay the King for a bit of interview,
when indispensable. However, Hyndford, with his Neipperg in sight of the peril, manages better than
Robinson with his Aulic Council at a distance: besides he is a longheaded dogged kind of man, with a surly
edacious strength, not inexpert in negotiation, nor easily turned aside from any purpose he may have.
Between the two Camps, nearly midway, lies a Hamlet called Klein Schnellendorf, LITTLE Schnellendorf,
to distinguish it from another Schnellendorf called GREAT, which is a mile or two northwestward, out of the
straight line. Not far from the first of these poor Hamlets lies a Schloss or noble Mansion, likewise called
Klein Schnellendorf, belonging to a certain Count von Sternberg, who is not there at present, but whose
servants are, and a party of Croats over them for some days back: a pleasant airy Mansion among pleasant
gardens, well shut out from the intrusion of the world. Upon this Castle of KleinSchnellendorf judicious
Hyndford has cast his eye:and Neipperg, now come to a state of readiness, approves the suggestion of
Hyndford, and promptly at the due moment converts it into a fact. Arrests namely, on a given morning (the
last act of his Croats there, who withdrew directly with their batch of prisoners), every living soul within or
about the Mansion; "suspected of treason;" only for one day;and in this way, has it reduced to the
comfortable furnished solitude of Sleeping Beauty's Castle; a place fit for high persons to hold a Meeting in,
which shall remain secret as the grave. Such a thing was indispensable. For Friedrich, keeping shy of
Hyndford, as he well may with a Valori watching every step, has, by words, by silences, when Hyndford
could waylay him for a moment, sufficiently indicated what he will and what he will not; and, for one
indispensable condition, in the present thricedelicate Adventure, he will not sign anything; will give and
take word of honor, and fully bind himself, but absolutely not put pen to paper at all. Neipperg being willing
too, judicious Hyndford finds a medium. Let the parties meet at KleinSchnellendorf, and judicious
Hyndford be there with pen and paper. [Orlich, i. 146; HeldenGeschichte, i. 1009.]
Monday, 9th October, 1741, accordingly, there is meeting to be held. Hyndford, Neipperg with his General
Lentulus (a SwissAustrian General, whose Son served under Friedrich afterwards), these wait for Friedrich,
on the one hand:"to fix some cartel for exchange of prisoners," it is said;in these precincts of Klein
Schnellendorf; which are silent, vacant, yet comfortably furnished, like Sleeping Beauty's Castle. And
Friedrich, on the other hand, is actually riding that way, with Goltz;visiting outposts, reconnoitring, so to
speak. "Dine you with Prince Leopold (the Young Dessauer), my fine Valori; I fear I shan't be home to
dinner!" he had said when going off; hoodwinking his fine Valori, who suspects nothing. At a due distance
from KleinSchnellendorf, the very groom is left behind; and Friedrich, with Goltz only, pushes on to the
Schloss. All ready there; salutations soon done; business set about, perfected:and Hyndford with pen and
ink in his hand, he, by way of Protocol, or summary of what had bsen agreed on, on mutual word of honor,
most brief but most clear on this occasion, writes a State Paper, which became rather famous afterwards. This
is the Paper in condensed state; though clear, it is very dull!
KLEINSCHNELLENDORF, 9th OCTOBER, 1741. Britannic Excellency Hyndford testifies, That, here and
now, his Majesty of Prussia, and Neipperg on behalf of her Hungarian Majesty do, solemnly though only
verbally, agree to the following Four Things:
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"FIRST, That General Neipperg, on the 16th of the month [this day week] shall have liberty to retire through
the Mountains, towards Moravia; unmolested, or with nothing but shamattacks in the rear of him.
SECOND, That, in consequence, his Prussian Majesty, on making shamsiege of Neisse, shall have the place
surrendered to him on the fifteenth day. THIRD, That there shall be, nay in a sense, there hereby is, a Peace
made; his Majesty retaining Neisse and Silesia [according to the limits known to us:nothing said of Glatz];
and that a complete Treaty to that effect shall be perfected, signed and ratified, before the Year is out.
FOURTH, That these shamhostilities, but only sham, shall continue; and that his Majesty, wintering in
Bohewia, and carrying on sham hostilities [to the satisfaction of the French], shall pay his own expenses,
and do no mischief." [Given in Helden Geschichte, i. 1009; in
To these Four Things they pledge their word of honor; and Hyndford signs and delivers each a Copy.
Unwritten a Fifth Thing is settled, That the present transaction in all parts of it shall be secret as death,his
Majesty expressly insisting that, if the least inkling of it ooze out, he shall have right to deny it, and refuse in
any way to be bound by it. Which likewise is assented to.
Here is a pretty piece of work done for ourself and our allies, while Valori is quietly dining with the Prince of
Dessau! The King stayed about two hours; was extremely polite, and even frank and communicative. "A very
highspirited young King," thinks Neipperg, reporting of it; "will not stand contradiction; but a great deal can
be made of him, if you go into his ideas, and humor him in a delicate dexterous way. He did not the least hide
his engagements with France, Bavaria, Saxony; but would really, so far as I Neipperg could judge, prefer
friendship with Austria, on the given terms; and seems to have secretly a kind of pique at Saxony, and no
favor for the French and their plans." [Orlich, i. 149 (in condensed state).]
"Business being done [this is Hyndford's report], the King, who had been politeness itself, took Neipperg
aside, beckoning Hyndford to be of the party, 'I wish you too, my Lord, to hear every word:his Britannic
Majesty knows or should know my intentions never were to do him hurt, but only to take care of myself; and
pray inform him [what is the fact] that I have ordered my Army in Brandenburg to go into winterquarters,
and break up that Camp at Gottin.' Friedrich's talk to Neipperg is, How he may assault the French with
advantage: 'Join Lobkowitz and what force he has in Bohmen; go right into your enemies, before they can
unite there. If the Queen prosper, I shallperhaps I shall have no objection to join her by and by? If her
Majesty fail; well, every one must look to himself.'" These words Hyndford listened to with an edacious solid
countenance, and greedily took them down. [Hyndford's Despatch, Breslau, 14th October, 1741.]
Once more, a curious glimpse (perhaps imprudently allowed us, in the circumstances) into the real inner man
of Friedrich. He had, at this time, now that the Belleisle Adventure is left in such a state, no essential reason
to wish the French ruined,nor probably did he; but only stated both chances, as in the way of unguarded
soliloquy; and was willing to leave Neipperg a sweet morsel to chew. Secret mode of corresponding with the
Court of Austria is agreed upon; not direct, but thraugh certain Commandants, till the PeaceTreaty be
perfected,at latest "by December 24th," we hope. And so, "BON VOYAGE, and well across the
Mountains, M. LE MARECHAL; till we meet again! And you, Excellency Hyndford, be so good you as
write to me,for Valori's behoof,complaining that I am deaf to all proposals, that nothing can be had of
me. And other Letters, pray, of the like tenor, all round; to Presburg, to England, to Dresden:if the Couriers
are seized, it shall be well. 'Your Letter to myself, let a trumpet come with it while I am at dinner,' and Valori
beside me!""Certainly, your Majesty," answers Hyndford; and does it, does all this; which produces a
soothing effect on Valori, poor soul!
FRIEDRICH TAKES NEISSE BY SHAM SIEGE (CAPTURE NOT SHAM); GETS HOMAGED IN
BRESLAU; AND RETURNS TO BERLIN.
Thus, if the Austrians hold to their bargain, has Friedrich, in a most compendious manner, got done with a
Business which threatened to be infinite: by this short cut he, for his part, is quite out of the wastehowling
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jungle of Enchanted Forest, and his foot again on the firm free Earth. If only the Austrians hold to their
bargain! But probably he doubts if they will. Well, even in that case, he has got Neisse; stands prepared for
meeting them again; and, in the mean while, has freedom to deny that there ever was such a bargain.
Of the Political morality of this game of fastandloose, what have we to say,except, that the dice on both
sides seem to be loaded; that logic might be chopped upon it forever; that a candid mind will settle what
degree of wisdom (which is always essentially veracity), and what of folly (which is always falsity), there
was in Friedrich and the others; whether, or to what degree, there was a better course open to Friedrich in the
circumstances:and, in fine, it will have to be granted that you cannot work in pitch and keep hands
evidently clean. Friedrich has got into the Enchanted Wilderness, populous with devils and their
works;and, alas, it will be long before he get out of it again, HIS life waning towards night before he get
victoriously out, and bequeath his conquest to luckier successors! It is one of the tragic elements of this
King's life; little contemplated by him, when he went lightly into the Silesian Adventure, looking for honor
bright, what he called "GLOIRE," as one principal consideration, hardly a year ago!
Neipperg, according to covenant, broke up punctually that day week, October 16th; and went over the
Mountains, through Jagerndorf, Troppau, towards Mahren; Prussians hanging on his rear, and skirmishing
about, but only for imaginary or ostensible purposes. After a threeweeks march, he gets to a place called
Frating, [Espagnac, i. 104.] easternmost border of Mahren, on the slopes of the Mannhartsberg HillCountry,
which is within wind of Vienna itself; where, as we can fancy, his presence is welcome as morning light in
the present dark circumstances.
Friedrich, on the morrow after Neipperg went, invested Neisse (October 17th); set about the Siege of Neisse
with all gravity, as if it had been the most earnest operation; which nobody of mankind, except three or four,
doubted but it was. Before opening of the trenches, Leopold young Dessauer took the road for Glatz Country,
and the adjoining Circles of Bohemia; there to canton himself, peaceably according to contract; and
especially to have an eye upon Glatz, should the KleinSchnellendorf engagement go awry in any point. The
King in his Dialogue with Neipperg had said several things about Glatz, and what a sacrifice he made there
for the sake of speedy pace, the French having guaranteed him Glatz, though he now forbore it. Leopold, who
has with him some 15,000 horse and foot, cantons himself judiciously in those ultramontane parts, "all the
artillery in the Glatz Country;" [ Helden Geschichte, ii. 431; Orlich, i. 174.]and we shall hear of him
again, by and by, in regard to other business that rises there.
Neisse is a formidable Fortress, much strengthened since last year; but here is a Besieger with much better
chance! He marked out parallels, sent summonses, reconnoitred, manoeuvred,in a way more or less
surprising to the eye of Valori, who is military, and knows about sieges. Rather singular, remarks Valori;
good engineers much wanted here! But the bombardment did finally begin: night of October 26th27th, the
Prussiaus opened fire; and, at a terrible rate, cannonaded and bombarded without intermission. In point of fire
and noise it is tremendous; Valori trusts it may be effective, in spite of faults; goes to Breslau in hope: "Yes,
go to Breslau, MON CHER VALORI; wait for me there. Neipperg be chased, say you? Shall not he,if we
had got this place!" And so the fire continues night and day. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1006.]
Fantastic Bielfeld, in his semifabulous style, has a LETTER on this bombardment, attractive to Lovers of
the Picturesque, (written long afterwards, and dated WRONG). As Bielfeld is a rapid clever creature of the
coxcomb sort, and doubtless did see Neisse Siege, and entertained seemingly a blazing incorrect recollection
of it, his PseudoNeisse Letter may be worth giving, to represent approximately what kind of scene it was
there at Neisse in the October nights:
"Marechal Schwerin was lodged in a Village about threequarters of a mile from HeadQuarters. One day he
did me the honor to invite me to dinner; and even offered me a horse to ride thither with him. I found
excellent company; a superb repast, and wine of the gods. Host and guests were in high spirits; and the
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pleasures of the table were kept up so late, that it was midnight when we rose. I was obliged to return to
HeadQuarters, having still to wait upon the King, as usual. The Marechal was kind enough to lend me
another horse; but the groom mischievously gave me the charger which the Marechal rode at the Battle of
Mollwitz; a very powerful animal, and which, from that day, had grown very skittish.
"I was made aware of this circumstance, before we were fairly out of the Village; and the night being of the
darkest, I twenty times ran the risk of breaking my neck. We had to pass over a hill, to get to HeadQuarters.
When I reached the top, a shudder came over me, and my hair stood on end. I had nobody with me but a
strange groom. The country all around was infested with troops and marauders; I was mounted on an
unmanageable horse. Under my feet, so to say, I saw the bombardment of the Town of Neisse. I heard the
roar of cannon and doleful shrieks. Above our batteries the whole atmosphere was inflamed; and to complete
the calamity, I missed the way, and got lost in the darkness. Finally, in descending the hill, my horse,
frightened, made a terrible swerve or sidejump. I did not know the cause; but after having, with difficulty,
got him into the road again, I found myself opposite to a deserter who had been hanged that day! I was
horribly disgusted by the sight; the gallows being very low, and the head of the malefactor almost parallel
with mine. I spurred on, and galloped away from such unpleasant night company. At last I arrived at
HeadQuarters, all in a perspiration. I sent my horse back; and went in to the King, who asked me at once,
why I was so heated. I made his Majesty a faithful report of all my disasters. He laughed much; and advised
me seriously not again to go out by night, and alone, beyond the circuit of HeadQuarters." [Bielfeld, ii. 31,
32.]
After four days and nights of this sublime Playhouse thunder (with real bullets in it, which killed some men,
and burnt considerable property), the Neisse Commandant (not Roth this time, Roth is now in Brunn),his
"fortnight of siege," Ottober 17th to October 3lst, being accomplished or nearly so,beat chamade; and was,
after grave enough treatying, allowed to march away. Marched, accordingly, on the correct
KleinSchnellendorf terms; most of his poor garrison deserting, and taking Prussian service. Ever since
which moment, Neisse, captured in this curious manner, has been Friedrich's and his Prussia's. November 1st,
the Prussian soldiers entered the place; and Friedrich, after diligent inspection and what orders were
necessary, left for Brieg on the following day;where general illuminating and demonstrating awaited him,
amid more serious business. After strict examinations, and approval of Walrave and his works at Brieg, he
again takes the road; enters Breslau, in considerable state (November 4th); where many Persons of Quality
are waiting, and the general Homaging is straightway to be,or indeed should have been some days ago, but
has fallen behind by delays in the Neisse affair.
The Breslau HULDIGUNG,Friedrich sworn to and homaged with the due solemnities as "Sovereign Duke
of Lower Silesia,"was an event to throw into fine temporary frenzy the descriptive Gazetteers, and Breslau
City, overflowing with Quality people come to act and to see on the occasion. Event which can be left to the
reader's fancy, at this date. There were Corporations out in quantity, "all in cloaks" and with sublime
Addresses, partly in poetry, happily rather brief. There were beautiful Prussian Lifeguards ("First Battalion,"
admirable to the softer sex, not to speak of the harder); much military resonance and splendor. Friedrich
drove about in carriagesandsix, "nay carriageandeight, horses cream color:" a very high King indeed;
and a very busy one, for those four days (November 4th8th) 1741), but full of grace and condescension. The
HULDIGUNG itself took effect on the 7th; in the fine old Rathhaus, which Tourists still know,the
surrounding Applewomen sweeping themselves clear away for one day. Ancient Ducal throne and proper
apparatus there was; statesword unluckily wanting: Schwerin, who was to act GrandMarshal, could find no
statesword, till Friedrich drew his own and gave it him. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1022, 1025; ii. 349.]
Podewils the Minister said something, not too much; to which one Prittwitz, head of a Silesian Family of
which we shall know individuals, made pithy and pretty response, before swearing. "There were above Four
Hundred of Quality present, all in gala." The customary FreeGift of the STANDE Friedrich magnanimously
refused: "Impossible to be a burden to our Silesia in such harassed warcircumstances, instead of benefactor
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and protector, as we intended and intend!" The Ceremony, swearing and all, was over in two hours; hundreds
of silver medals, not to speak of the gold ones, flying about; and Breslau giving itself up joyfully to dinner
and festivities. And, after dinner, that evening, to Illumination; followed by balls and jubilations for days
after, in a highly harmonious key. Of the lampsfestoons, astonishing transparencies, and glad symbolic
devices, I could say a great deal; but will mention only two, both of comfortably edible or quasiedible
tendency:
1. That of David Schulze, Flesher by profession; who had a Transparency large as life, representing his
own fat Person in the act of felling a fat Ox; to which was appended this epigraph:
"Wer mir wird den Konig in Preussen verachten, Den will ich wie diesen Ochsen schlacten." "Who dares me
the King of Prussia insult, Him I will serve like this fat head of nolt." Signed "DAVID SCHULER, A
BRANDENBURGER."
And then,
2. How, in another quarter, there was set aloft IN RE, by some Pastrycook of patriotic turn: "An actual Ox
roasted whole; filled with pheasants, partridges, grouse, hares and geese; Prussian Eagle atop, made of
roasted fowls, larks and the like,"unattainable, I doubt, except for money down. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii.
359.]
On the fifth morning, 9th November,after much work done during this short visit, much ceremonial
audiencing, latterly, and raising to the peerage,Friedrich rolled on to Glogau. Took accurate survey of the
engineering and other interests there, for a couple of days; thence to Berlin (noon of the llth), joyfully
received by Royal Family and all the world;and, as we might fancy, asking himself: "Am I actually home,
then; out of the enchanted jungles and their devilries; safe here, and listening, I alone in Peace, to the
universal din of War?" Alas, no; that was a beautiful hypothesis; too beautiful to be long credible! Before
reaching Berlin,or even Breslau, as appears,Friedrich, vigilantly scanning and discerning, had seen that
fine hope as good as vanish; and was silently busy upon the opposite one.
In a fortnight hence, Hyndford, who had followed to Berlin, got transient sight of the King one morning,
hastening through some apartment or other: "'My Lord,' said the King, (the Court of Vienna has entirely
divulged our secret. Dowager Empress Amelia [Kaiser Joseph's widow, mother of Karl Albert's wife] has
acquainted the Court of Bavaria with it; Wasner [Austrian Minister at Paris] has told Fleury; Sinzendorf [ditto
at Petersburg] has told the Court of Russia; Robinson, through Mr. Villiers [your Saxon Minister], has told
the Court of Dresden; and several members of your Government in England have talked publicly about it!'
And, with a shrug of the shoulders, he left me,"standing somewhat agape there. [Hyndford's Despatch,
Berlin, 28th November, 1741; Ib. Breslau, 28th October (secret already known).]
Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION
SPEECH.
The late general Homaging at Breslau, and solemn Taking Possession of the Country by King Friedrich,
under such peaceable omens, had straightway, as we gather, brought about, over Silesia at large, or at least
where pressingly needful, various little alterations, rectifications, by the Prussian model and new rule now
introduced. Of which, as it is better that the reader have some dim notion, if easily procurable, than none at
all, I will offer him one example; itself dim enough, but coming at firsthand, in the actual or ccncrete
form, and beyond disputing in whatever light or twilight it may yield us.
At Landshut, a pleasant little Mountain Town, in the Principality of Schweidnitz, high up, on the infant River
Bober, near the Bohemian Frontier(English readers may see QUINCY ADAMS'S description of it, and of
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Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH. 722
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the long wooden spouts which throw cataracts on you, if walking the streets in rain [John Quincy Adams
(afterwards President of the United States), Letters on Silesia (London, 1804). "The wooden spouts are now
gone" ( Tourist's Note, of 1858).]): at Landshut, as in some other Towns, it had been found good to remodel
the Town Magistracy a little; to make it partly Protestant, for one thing, instead of Catholic (and Austrian),
which it had formerly been. Details about the "high controversies and discrepancies" which had risen there,
we have absolutely none; nor have the special functions of the Magistracy, what powers they had, what work
they did, in the least become distinct to us: we gather only that a certain nameless Burgermeister (probably
Austrian and Catholic) had, by "Most gracious Royal SpecialOrder," been at length relieved from his labors,
and therewith "the much by him persecuted and afflicted Herr Theodorus Spener" been named Burgermeister
instead. Which respectable Herr Theodorus Spener, and along with him Herr Johann David Fischer as
RATHSSENIOR, and Herr Johann Caspar Ruffer, and also Herr Johann Jacob Umminger, as new Raths
(how many of the old being left I cannot say), were accordingly, on the 4th of December, 1741, publicly
installed, and with proper solemnity took their places; all Landshut looking on, with the conceivable interest
and astonishment, almost as at a change in the obliquity of the ecliptic,change probably for the better.
Respectable Herr Theodorus Spener (we hope it is SpeNer, for they print him SPEER in one of the two
places, and we have to go by guess) is ready with an Installation Speech on the occasion; and his Speech was
judged so excellent, that they have preserved it in print. Us it by no means strikes by its Demosthenic or other
qualities: meanwhile we listen to it with the closest attention; hoping, in our great ignorance, to gather from it
some glimmerings of instruction as to the affairs, humors, disposition and general outlook and condition of
Landshut, and Silesia in that juncture; and though a good deal disappointed, have made an Abstract of it in
the English language, which perhaps the reader too, in his great ignorance, will accept, in defect of better.
Scene is Landshut among the Giant Mountains on the Bohemian Border of Silesia: an old stone Town, where
there is from of old a busy trade in thread and linen; Town consisting, as is common there, of various narrow
winding streets comparable to spiderlegs, and of a roomy central Marketplace comparable to the body of
the spider; wide irregular Marketplace with the wooden spouts (dry for the moment) all projecting round it.
Time, 4th December, 1741 (doubtless in the forenoon); unusual crowd of population simmering about the
Market place, and full audience of the better sort gravely attentive in the interior of the Rathhaus;
Burgermeister Spener LOQUITUR [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 416.] (liable to abridgment here and there, on
warning given):
"I enter, then, in the name of the Most Holy Trinity, upon an Office, to which Divine Providence has
appointed, and the gracious and potent hand of a great King has raised me. Great as is the dignity [giddy
height of Mayoralty in Landshut], though undeserved, which the EverNerciful has thus conferred upon me,
equally great and much greater is the burden connected therewith. I confess" He confesses, in
highstalking earnest wooden language very foreign to us in every way: (1.) That his shoulders are too weak;
but that he trusts in God. For (2.) it is God's doing; and He that has called Spener, will give Spener strength,
the essential work being to do God's will, to promote His honor, and the common weal. (3.) That he comes
out of a smaller Office (Office not farther specified, probably exterior to the RATHSCOLLEGE, and
subaltern to the late tyrannous Mayor and it), and has taken upon him the Mayoralty of this Town (an evident
fact!); but that the labor and responsibility are dreadfully increased; and that the point is not increase of
honor, of respectability or income, but of heavy duties. (A sonorous, piousminded Spener; much more in
earnest than readers now think!)
It is easy, intimates he, to govern a Town, if, as some have perhaps done, you follow simply your own will,
regardless of the sighs and complaints your subjects utter for injustice undergone, indifferent to the
thought that the caprice of one Town Sovereign is to be glorified by so many thousand tears (dim glance into
the past history of Landshut!). Such Town Sovereign persecutes innocence, stops his ears to its cry; flourishes
his sharp scourge; no one shall complain: for is it not justice? thinks such a Town Sovereign. The reason
is, He does not know himself, poor man; has had his eye always on the duties of his subjects towards him,
and rarely or never on his towards them. A Sovereign Mayor that governs by fear,he must live in continual
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Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH. 723
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fear of every one, and of himself withal. A weak basis: and capable of total overturn in one day. On the
contrary, the love of your burgher subjects: that, if you can kindle it, will go on like a house on fire
(AUSBRUCH EINES FEURES), and streams of water won't put it out. ... "And [let us now take Spener's
very words] if a man keep the fear of God before his eyes, there will be no need for any other kind of fear.
"I will therefore, you especially Highhonored Gentlemen, study to direct all my judicial endeavors to the
honor of the great God, and to inviolable fidelity towards my most gracious King and Lord [Friedrich, by
Decision of Providenceat Mollwitz and elsewhere].
"To the Citizens of this Town, from of old so dear to me, and now by Royal grace committed to my charge,
and therefore doubly and trebly to be held dear, I mean to devote myself altogether. I will, on every occasion
and occurrence, still more expressly than aforetime, stand by them; and when need is, not fail to bring their
case before the just Throne of our Anointed [Friedrich, by Decision of Providence]. Justice and fairness I will
endeavor, under whatever complexities, to make my loadstar. Yes, I shall and will, by means of this my
Office, equip myself with weapons whereby I may be capable to damp such humors (INTELLIGENTIEN),
should such still be (but I believe there are now none such), as may repugn against the Royal interest, with
possibility of being dangerous; and to put a bridle on mouths that are unruly. And, to say much in litlle
compass, I will be faithful to God, to my King and to this Town.
"Having now the honor and happiness to be put into Official friendship with those Gentlemen who, as
Burgermeisters, and as old and as new Members of Council, have for long years made themselves renowned
among us, I will entertain, in respect of the former [the old] a firm confidence That the zeal they have so
strongly manifested for behoof of the most serene Archducal House of Austria will henceforth burn in them
for our most Beloved Land's Prince whom God has now given us; that the fire of their lately plighted truth
and devotion, towards his Royal Majesty, shall shine not in words only, but in works, and be extinguished
only with their lives. [Can that be, O Spener or Speer? Are we alarmclocks, that need only to be wound up,
and told at what hour, and for whom?] God, who puts Kings in and casts them out, has given to us a no less
potent Sovereign than supremely loving Land'sFather, who, by the renown of his more than royal virtues,
had taken captive the hearts of his future subjects and children still sooner than even by his arms, familiar
otherwise to victory, he did the Land. And who shall be puissant and mighty enough, now to lead men's
minds in a contrary direction; to control the Most High Power, ruler over hearts and Lands, who had decreed
it should be so; and again to change this change? [Hear Spener: he has taken great pains with his Discourse,
and understands composition!]
"This change, Highhonored Gentlemen [of the Catholic persuasion], is also for you a not unhappy one. For
our now as pious as wise King will, especially in one most vital point, take pattern by the King of all Kings;
and means to be lord of his subjects only, not of the consciences of his subjects. He requires nothing from
you but what you are already bound by God, by conscience, and duty, to render: to wit, obedience and
inviolable unbroken fidelity. And by that, and without more asked than that, you will render yourselves
worthy of his protection, and become partakers of the Royal favor. Nay you will render yourselves all the
worthier in that high quarter, and the more meritorious towards our civic commonweal, the more you,
Highhonored Gentlemen [of the Catholic persuasion], accept, with all frankness of colleaguelove and
amity, me and the Evangelical brother Raths now introduced by Royal grace and power; and make the new
position generously tenable and available to us; and thereby bind with us the more firmly the band of
peace and colleagueunity, for helping up this dear, and for some years greatly fallen, Town along with us.
"We, for our poor part, will, one and all, strive only to surpass each other in obedience and faith to our Most
Gracious King. We will, as Regents of the Citizenry committed to us, go before them with a good example;
and prove to all and every one, That, little and in war untenable as our Landshut is, it shall, in extent and
impregnability of faith towards its Most Dearest Land'sPrince, approve itself unconquerable. As well I
as"Professes now, in the most intricate phraseology, that he, and Fischer and Umminger (giving not only
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Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH. 724
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the titles, but a succinct history of all three, in a single sentence, before he comes to the verb!), bring a true
heart, would the reader perhaps like to see it IN NATURA, as a specimen of German humannature, and the
art these Silesian spinners have in drawing out their yarns?
"As well I as [1.] The Titular Herr Johann David Fischer, distinguished trader and merchant of this Town,
who, by his tradings in and beyond our Silesian Countries, has made himself renowned, and by his merit and
address in particular instances [delicate instances known to Landshut, not to us] has made himself beloved,
who has now been installed as RathsSenior; and also as [2.] The Titular Herr Johann Caspar Ruffer,
wellrespected Citizen, and Revenueoffice Manager here, who for many years has with much fidelity and
vigilance managed the Revenueoffice, and who for his experience in the economic constitution of this Town
has been all graciously nominated RathsHerr;and not less [3.] The Titular Johann Jacob Umminger,
whilom Advocate at Law in Breslau, who, for his good studies in Law, and manifested skill in the practice of
Law, has been an allgraciously nominated Supernumerary Councillor and Notary'sAdjunct among
us:As well I as these Three not only assure you, Highhonored Gentlemen, of all imaginable estimation
and return of love on our part; but do likewise assure all and sundry these respectable Herren TownJurats
[specially present], representing here the universal wellbeloved Citizenry of our Town,that we bring a
heart sincere, and intent only on aiming at the welfare of a Citizenry so loveworthy. We have the firm
purpose by God's grace, so to order our walk, and so to conduct our government that we may, one day, when
summoned from our judgment seats to answer before the Universal Judgmentseat of Christ, be able to say,
with that pious King and Judge of Israel: 'Lord, thou knowest if we have walked uprightly before thee.' And
we hope to understand that the rewards of justice, in that Life, will be much more than those of injustice in
this.
"We believe that the Most High will, in so far, bless these our honest purposes and wholesome endeavors, as
that the actual fruits thereof will in time coming, and when Peace now soon expected (which God grant) has
returned to us, be manifest; and that if, in our Office, as is common, we should rather have thorns of
persecution than roses of recompense to expect, yet to each of us there will at last accrue praise in the Earth
and reward in Heaven. [Hear Spener!]
"Meanwhile we will unite all our wishes, That the Almighty may vouchsafe to his Royal Majesty, our now
Alldearest Duke and Land'sFather, many long years of life and of happy reign; and maintain this
Allhighest RoyalPrussian and ElectorBrandenburgic House in supremest splendor and prosperity,
undisturbed to the end of all Days; and along with it, our TownCouncil, and whole Merchantry and
Citizenry, safe under this Prussian Sceptre, in perpetual blessing, peace and unity [what a modest prayer!]: to
all which may Heaven speak its powerful Amen!" [ Helden Geschichte, ii. 416422.]
Whereupon solemn waving of hats; indistinct sough of loyal murmur from the universal Landshut
Population; after which, continued to the due extent, they return to their spindles and shuttles again.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH PURPOSES TO MEND THE
KLEINSCHNELLENDORF FAILURE: FORTUNES OF THE BELLEISLE
ARMAMENT.
We shall not dwell upon the movements of the French into Germany for the purpose of overwhelming
Austria, and setting up four subordinate little Sovereignties to take their orders from Louis XV. The plan was
of the mad sort, not recognized by Nature at all; the diplomacy was wide, expensive, grandiose, but vain and
baseless; nor did the soldiering that followed take permanent hold of men's memory. Human nature cannot
afford to follow out these loud inanities; and, at a certain distance of time, is bound to forget them, as
ephemera of no account in the general sum. Difficult to say what profit human nature could get out of such
transaction. There was no good soldiering on the part of the French except by gleams here and there; bad
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soldiering for the most part, and the cause was radically bad. Let us be brief with it; try to snatch from it,
huge rotten heap of old exuviae and forgotten noises and deliriums, what fractions of perennial may turn up
for us, carefully forgetting the rest.
Maillebois with his 40,000, we have seen how they got to Osnabruck, and effectually stilled the warfervor
of little George II.; sent him home, in fact, to England a checkmated man, he riding out of Osnabruck by one
gate, the French at the same moment marching in by the other. There lies Maillebois ever since; and will lie,
cantoned over Westphalia, "not nearer than three leagues to the boundary of Hanover," for a year and more.
There let Maillebois lie, till we see him called away elsewither, upon which the gallant little George,
checkmate being lifted, will get into notable military activity, and attempt to draw his sword again,
though without success, owing to the laggard Dutch. Which also, as British subjects, if not otherwise, the
readers of this Book will wish to see something of. Maillebois did not quite keep his stipulated distance of
"three leagues from the boundary" (being often short of victual), and was otherwise no good neighbor.
Among his FieldOfficers, there is visible (sometimes in trouble about quarters and the like) a Marquis du
Chatelet,who, I find, is Husband or ExHusband to the divine Emilie, if readers care to think of that!
[ Campagnes (i. 45, 193); and French PeerageBooks, ? DU CHATELAT.] Other known face, or point of
interest for or against, does not turn up in the Maillebois Operation in those parts.
As for the other still grander Army, Army of the Oriflamme as we have called it,which would be
Belleisle's, were not he so overwhelmed with embassying, and persuading the Powers of Germany, this,
since we last saw it, has struck into a new course, which it is essential to indicate. The major part of it (Four
rear Divisions! if readers recollect) lay at Ingolstadt, its place of arms; while the Vanward Three Divisions,
under Maurice Comte de Saxe, flowed onward, joining with Bavaria at Passau; down the Donau Country, to
Linz and farther, terrifying Vienna itself; and driving all the Court to Presburg, with (fabulous)
"MORIAMUR PRO REGE NOSTRO MARIA THERESIA," but with actual armament of Tolpatches,
Pandours, Warasdins, Uscocks and the like unsightly beings of a predatory centaur nature. Which fine
Hungarian Armament, and others still more ominous, have been diligently going on, while Karl Albert sat
enjoying his Homagings at Linz, his Pisgahviews Vienna ward; and asking himself, "Shall we venture
forward, and capture Vienna, then?"
The question is intricate, and there are many secret biasings concerned in the solution of it. Friedrich, before
Klein Schnellendorf time, had written eagerly, had sent Schmettau with eager message, "Push forward; it is
feasible, even easy: cut the matter by the root!" This, they say, was Karl Albert's own notion, had not the
French overruled him;not willing, some guess, he should get Austria, and become too independent of them
all at once. Nay, it appears Karl Albert had inducements of his own towards Bohemia rather. The French have
had KurSachsen to manage withal; and there are interests in Bohemia of his and theirs,clippings of
Bohemia promised him as bribes, besides that "Kingdom of Moravia," to get his 21,000 set on march.
"Clippings of Bohemia? Interests of KurSachsen's in that Country?" asks Karl Albert with alarm: and thinks
it will be safer, were he himself present there, while Saxony and France do the clippings in question! Sure
enough, he did not push on. Belleisle, from the distance, strongly opined otherwise; Karl Albert himself had
jealous fears about Bohmen. Friedrich's importunities and urgencies were useless: and the one chance there
ever was for Karl Albert, for Belleisle and the Ruin of Austria, vanished without return.
Karl Albert has turned off, leftwards, towards his Bohemian Enterprises: French, Bavarians, Saxons, by their
several routes, since the last days of October, are all on march that way. We will mark an exact date here and
there, as fixed point for the reader's fancy. Poor Karl Albert, he had sat some six weeks at Linz,about three
weeks since that Homaging there (October 2d);imaginary Sovereign of Upper Austria; looking over to
Vienna and the Promised Land in general. And that fine Pisgahview was all he ever had of it. Of Austrian or
other Conquests earthly or heavenly, there came none to him in this Adventure;mere MINUS quantities
they all proved. For a few weeks more, there are, blended with awful portents, an imaginary gleam or two in
other quarters; after which, nothing but black horror and disgrace, deepening downwards into utter darkness,
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for the poor man. Belleisle is an imaginary Sungod; but the poor Icarus, tempted aloft in that manner into
the earnest elements, and melting at once into quills and rags, is a tragic reality!Let us to our dates:
"OCTOBER 24th, The Bavarian Troops, who had lain at Mautern on the Donau some time, forty miles from
Vienna and the Promised Land, got under way again;not FORWARD, but sharp to left, or northward,
towards the Bohemian parts. Thither all the Belleisle Armaments are now bound; and a general rallying of
them is to be at Prag; for conquest of that Country, as more inviting than Austria at present. Comte de Saxe,
who had lain at St. Polten, a march to southward of Mautern, he with the Vanward of the great Belleisle
Army, bestirred himself at the same time; and followed steadily (Karl Albert in person was with Saxe), at a
handy distance by parallel roads. To Prag may be about 200 miles. Across the Mannhartsberg Country, clear
out of Austria, into Bohmen, towards Prag. At Budweis, or between that and Tabor, Towns of our old friend
Zisca's, of which we shall hear farther in these Wars; Towns important by their intricate environment of rock
and bog, far up among the springs of the Moldau,there can these Bavarians, and this French Vanward of
Belleisle, halt a little, till the other parties, who are likewise on march, get within distance.
For in these same days, as hinted above, the Rearward of the Belleisle Army (Four Divisions, strength not
accurately given) pushes forward from Donauworth, well rested, through the Bavarian Passes, towards
Bohemia and Prag: these have a longer march (say 250 miles)? to northeast; and the leader of them is one
Polastron, destined unhappily to meet us on a future occasion. With them go certain other Bavarians;
accompanying or preceding, as in the Vanward case. And then the Saxons (21,000 strong, a fine little Army,
all that Saxony has) are, at the same time, come across the Metal Mountains (ERZGEBIRGE), in quest of
those Bohemian clippings, of that Kingdom of Moravia: and march from the westward upon Prag,
Rutowsky leading them. Comte de Rutowsky, Comte de Saxe's Half Brother, one of the Three Hundred
and Fiftyfour:with whom is CHEVALIER de Saxe, a second younger ditto; and I think there is still a
third, who shall go unnamed. In this grand Oriflamme Expedition, Four of the RoyalSaxon Bastards
altogether." Who cost us more distinguishing than they are worth!
Chief General of these Saxons, says an Authentic Author, is Rutowsky; got from a Polish mother, I should
guess: he commands in chief here;once had a regiment under Friedrich Wilhelm, for a while; but has not
much head for strategy, it may be feared. But mark that Fourth individual of the Three Hundred and Fifty
four, who has a great deal. Fourth individual, called Comte de Saxe, who is now in that French Vanward a
good way to east, was (must I again remind you!) the produce of the fair Aurora von Konigsmark, Sister of
the Konigsmark who vanished instantaneously from the light of day at Hanover long since, and has never
reappeared more. It was in search of him that Aurora, who was indeed a shining creature (terribly insolvent
all her life, whose charms even Charles XII. durst not front), came to Dresden; and, in this Comte de Saxe,
men see the result. Tall enough, restless enough; most eupeptic, brisk, with a great deal of wild faculty,
running to waste, nearly all. There, with his black arched eyebrows, black swift physically smiling eyes,
stands Monseigneur le Comte, one of the strongestbodied and most dissoluteminded men now living on
our Planet. He is now turned of forty: no man has been in such adventures, has swum through such seas of
transcendent eupepticity determined to have its fill. In this new Quasisacred French Enterprise, under the
Banner of Belleisle and the Chateauroux, he has at last, after many trials, unconsciously found his
culmination: and will do exploits of a wonderful nature,very worthy of said Banner and its patrons.
"Here, then, are Three streams or Armaments pouring forward upon Prag; perhaps some 60,000 men in
all:a good deal uncertain what they are to do at Prag, except arrive simultaneously so far as possible.
Belleisle, far off, has fallen sick in these critical days. Comte de Saxe cannot see his way in the matter at all:
'What are we to live upon,' asks Comte de Saxe, 'were there nothing more!'For, simultaneously with these
Three Armaments on march, there is an important Austrian one, likewise on the road for Prag: that of
GrandDuke Franz, who has left Presburg, with say 30,000 (including the Pandour element); and duly meets
the Neipperg, or late Silesian Army;well capable, now, to do a stroke upon the Three Armaments, if he be
speedy? 'November 7th' it was when Grand Duke Franz picked up Neipperg, 'at Frating' deep in Moravia
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(November 7th, the very day while Friedrich was getting homaged in Breslau), and turned him
northwestward again. The GrandDuke, in such strength, marches Ragward what he can; might be there
before the French, were he swift; and is at any rate in disagreeable proximity to that BudmeisTabor
Country, appointed as one's haltingplace."
And Belleisle, in these critical days, isconsider it!"Poor Belleisle, he has all the Election Votes ready; he
has done unspeakable labors in the diplomatic way; and leaves Europe in ebullition and conflagration behind
him. He has all these Armies in motion, and has got rid of 'that Moravia,'given it to Saxony, who adds the
title 'King of Moravia' to his other dignities, and has set on march those 21,000 men. 'Would he were ready
with them!' Belleisle had been saying, ever since the Treaty for them,Treaty was, September 19th.
Belleisle, to expedite him, came to Dresden [what day is not said, but deep in October]; intending next for the
Prag Country, there to commence General, the diplomacies being satisfactorily done. Valori ran over from
Berlin to wait upon him there. Alas, the Saxons are on march, or nearly so; but the great man himself, worn
down with these Herculean labors, has fallen into rheumatic fever; is in bed, out at Hubertsburg (serene
Country Palace of his Moravian Polish Majesty); and cannot get the least well, to march in person with the
Three Armaments, with the flood of things he has set reeling and whirling at such rate.
"The sympathies of Valori go deep at this spectacle. The Alcides, who was carrying the axis of the world,
fallen down in physical rheumatism! But what can sympathies avail? The great man sees the Saxons march
without him. The great man, getting no alleviation from physicians, determines, in his patriotic heroism, to
surrender glory itself; writes home to Court, 'That he is lamed, disabled utterly; that they must nominate
another General.' And they nominate another; nominate Broglio, the fat choleric Marshal, of Italian breed and
physiognomy, whom we saw at Strasburg last year, when Friedrich was there. Broglio will quit Strasburg too
soon, and come. A man fierce in fighting, skilled too in tactics; totally incompetent in strategy, or the art of
LEADING armies, and managing campaigns;defective in intelligence indeed, not wise to discern; dim of
vision, violent of temper; subject to sudden cranks, a headlong, very positive, loud, dull and angry kind of
man; with whose tumultuous imbecilities the great Belleisle will be sore tried by and by. 'I reckon this,'
Valori says, 'the root of all our woes;' this Letter which the great Belleisle wrote home to Court. Let men
mark it, therefore, as a cardinal point,and snatch out the date, when they have opportunity upon the
Archives of France. [See Valori, i. 131.]
"Monseigneur the Comte de Saxe, before quitting the Vienna Countries, had left some 10,000 French and
Bavarians, posted chiefly in Linz, under a Comte de Segur, to maintain those Donau Conquests, which have
cost only the trouble of marching into them. Count Khevenhuller has ceased working at the ramparts of
Vienna, nothing of siege to be apprehended now, civic terror joyfully vanishing again; and busies himself
collecting an Army at Vienna, with intent of looking into those same French Segurs, before long. It is
probable the socalled Conquests on the Donau will not be very permanent.
"NOVEMBER 19th21st, The Three Belleisle Armaments, Karl Albert's first, have, simultaneously enough
for the case, arrived on three sides of Prag; and lie looking into it,extremely uncertain what to do when
there. To Comte de Saxe, to Schmettau, who is still here, the outlook of this grand Belleisle Army, standing
shelterless, provisionless, grim winter at hand, long hundreds of miles from home or help, is in the highest
degree questionable, though the others seem to make little of it: 'Fight the GrandDuke when he comes,' say
they; 'beat him, and' 'Or suppose, he won't fight? Or suppose, we are beaten by him?' answer Saxe and
Schmettau, like men of knowledge, in the same boat with men of none. (We have no strong place, or footing
in this Country: what are we to do? Take Prag!' advises Comte de Saxe, with earnestness, day after day. [His
Letters on it to Karl Albert and others (in Espagnac, i. 9499).] 'Take Prag: but how?' answer they. 'By
escalade, by surprise, and sword in hand, answers he: 'Ogilvy their General has but 3,000, and is perhaps no
wizard at his trade: we can do it, thus and thus, and then farther thus; and I perceive we are a lost Army if we
don't!' So counsels Maurice Comte de Saxe, brilliant, fervent in his military views;and, before it is quite
too late, Schmettau and he persuade Karl Albert, persuade Rutowsky chief of the Saxons; and Count
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Polastron, Gaisson or whatever subaltern Counts there are, of French type, have to accede, and be saved in
spite of themselves. And so,
"SATURDAY NIGHT, 25th NOVEMBER, 1741, brightest of moonshiny nights, our dispositions are all
made: Several attacks, three if I remember; one of them false, under some Polastron, Gaisson, from the south
side; a couple of them true, from the northwest and the southeast sides, under Maurice with his French, and
Rutowsky with his Saxons, these two. And there is great marching 'on the side of the KarlThor
(CharlesGate),' where Rutowsky is; and by Count Maurice 'behind the Wischerad;'and shortly after
midnight the grand game begins. That FrenchPolastron attack, false, though with dreadful cannonade from
the south, attracts poor Ogilvy with almost all his forces to that quarter; while the couple of Saxon Captains
(Rutowsky not at once successful, Maurice with his French completely so) break in upon Ogilvy from
rearward, on the right flank and on the left; and ruin the poor man. Military readers will find the whole detail
of it well given in Espagnac. Looser account is to be had in the Book they call Mauvillon's." [ Derniere
Guerre de Boheme, i. 252264. Saxe's own Account (Letter to Chevalier de Folard) is in Espagnac, i. 89 et
seqq.]
One thing I remember always: the bright moonlight; steeples of Prag towering serene in silvery silence, and
on a sudden the wreaths of volcanic fire breaking out all round them. The opposition was but trifling, null in
some places, poor Ogilvy being nothing of a wizard, and his garrison very small. It fell chiefly on Rutowsky;
who met it with creditable vigor, till relieved by the others. Comte Maurice, too, did a shifty thing. Circling
round by the outside of the Wischerad, by rural roads in the bright moonshine, he had got to the Wall at last,
hollow slope and sheer wall; and was puttingto his scalingladders,when, by ill luck, they proved too
short! Ten feet or so; hopelessly too short. Casting his head round, Maurice notices the Gallows hard by:
"There, see you, are a few short ladders: MES ENFANS, bring me these, and we will splice with rope!"
Supplemented by the gallows, Maurice soon gets in, cuts down the one poor sentry; rushes to the
Marketplace, finds all his Brothers rushing, embraces them with "VICTOIRE!" and "You see I am eldest;
bound to be foremost of you!"
"No point in all the War made a finer blaze in the French imagination, or figured better in the French
gazettes, than this of the Scalade of Prag, 25th November, 1741. And surely it was important to get hold of
Prag; nevertheless, intrinsically it is no great thing, but an opportune small thing, done by the Comte de Saxe,
in spite of such contradiction as we saw."
It was while news of this exploit was posting towards Berlin, but not yet arrived there, that Friedrich, passing
through the apartment, intimated to Hyndford, "Milord, all is divulged, our KleinSchnellendorf mystery
public as the housetops;" and vanished with a shrug of the shoulders,thinking doubtless to himself, "What
is OUR next move to be, in consequence?" Treaty with Kur Baiern (November 4th) he had already signed in
consequence, expressly declaring for KurBaiern, and the French intentions towards him. This news from
PragPrag handsomely captured, if Vienna had been foolishly neglectedput him upon a new Adventure,
of which in following Chapters we shall hear more.
THE FRENCH SAFE IN PRAG; KAISERWAHL JUST COMING ON.
GrandDuke Franz, with that respectable amount of Army under him, ought surely to have advanced on
Prag, and done some stroke of war for relief of it, while time yet was. GrandDuke Franz, his Brother Karl
with him and his old Tutor Neipperg, both of whom are thought to have some skill in war, did advance
accordingly. But then withal there was risk at Prag; and he always paused again, and waited to consider.
From Frating, on the 16th, [Espagnac, i. 87.] he had got to Neuhaus, quite across Mahren into Bohemian
ground, and there joined with Lobkowitz and what Bohemian force there was; by this time an Army which
you would have called much stronger than the French. Forward, therefore! Yes; but with pauses, with
considerations. Pause of two days at Neuhaus; thence to Tabor (famed Zisca's Tabor), a safe post, where
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again pause three days. From Tabor is broad highway to Prag, only sixty miles off now: screwing their
resolution to the stickingpoint, GrandDuke and Consorts advance at length with fixed determination, all
Friday, all Saturday (November 24th, 25th), part of Sunday too, not thinking it shall be only PART; and their
light troops are almost within sight of Prag, whenthey learn that Prag is scaladed the night before, and
quite settled; that there is nothing except destruction to be looked for in Prag! Back again, therefore, to the
TaborandBudweis land. They strike into that boggy broken country about Budweis, some 120 miles south
of Prag; and will there wait the signs of the times.
GrandDuke Franz had seen war, under Seckendorf, under Wallis and otherwise, in the disastrous Turk
Countries; but, though willing enough, was never much of a soldier: as to Neipperg, among his own men
especially, the one cry is, He ought to go about his business out of Austrian Armies, as an imbecile and even
a traitor. "Is it conceivable that Friedrich could have beaten us, in that manner, except by buying Neipperg in
the first place? Neipperg and the generality of them, in that luckless Silesian Business? Glogau scaladed with
the loss of half a dozen men; Brieg gone within a week; Neisse ditto: and Mollwitz, above all, where, in spite
of Romer and such Horsecharging as was never seen, we had to melt, dissolve, and roll away in the glitter
of the evening sun.!" The common notion is, they are traitors, partialtraitors, one and all. [ Guerre de
Boheme, saepius.] Poor Neipperg he has seen hard service, had ugly work to do: it was he that gave away
Belgrade to the Turks (so interpreting his orders), and the Grand Vizier, calling him Dog of a Giaour: spat in
his face, not far from hanging him; and the Kaiser and Vienna people, on his coming home, threw him into
prison, and were near cutting off his head. And again, after such sleety marchings through the Mountains, he
has had to dissolve at Mollwitz; float away in military deluge in the manner we saw. And now, next winter,
here is he lodged among the upland bogs at Budweis, escorted by mere curses. What a life is the soldier's,
like other men's; what a master is the world! Aulic Cabinet is not allwise; but may readily be wiser than the
vulgar, and, with a Maria Theresa at his head, it is incapable of truculent impiety like that. Neipperg, guilty of
not being a Eugene, is not hanged as a traitor; but placed quietly as Commandant in Luxemburg, spends there
the afternoon of his life, in a more commodious manner. Friedrich had, of late, rather admired his movements
on the Neisse River; and found him a stiff article to deal with.
The French, now with Prag for their place of arms, stretched themselves as far as Pisek, some seventy miles
southwestward; occupied Pisek, Pilsen and other Towns and posts, on the southwest side, some seventy miles
from Prag; looking towards the Bavarian Passes and homeward succors that might come: the Saxons, a while
after, got as far as Teutschbrod, eighty miles on the southeastward or Moravian hand. Behind these outposts,
Prag may be considered to hang on Silesia, and have Friedrich for security. This, in front or as forecourt of
Friedrich's Silesia, this inconsiderable section, was all of Bohemian Country the French and Confederates
ever held, and they did not hold this long. As for Karl Albert, he had his new pleasant Dream of Sovereignty
at Prag; Titular of Upper Austria, and now of Bohmen as well; and enjoyed his Feast of the Barmecide, and
glorious repose in the captured Metropolis, after difficulty overcome. December 7th, he was homaged (a
good few of the Nobility attending, for which they smarted afterwards), with much processioning, blaring and
TEDEUMing: on the 19th he rolled off, home to Munchen; there to await still higher RomishImperial
glories, which it is hoped are now at hand.
A day or two after the Capture of Prag, Marechal de Belleisle, partially cured of his rheumatisms, had
hastened to appear in that City; and for above four weeks he continued there, settling, arranging, ordering all
things, in the most consummate manner, with that fine military head of his. About Christmas time, arrived
Marechal de Broglio, his unfortunate successor or substitute; to whom he made everything over; and hastened
off for Frankfurt, where the final crisis of KAISERWAHL is now at hand, and the topstone of his work is to
be brought out with shouting. Marechal de Broglio had an unquiet Winter of it in his new command; and did
not extend his quarters, but the contrary.
BROGLIO HAS A BIVOUAC OF PISEK; KHEVENHULLER LOOKS IN UPON THE DONAU
CONQUESTS.
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GrandDuke Franz edged himself at last a little out of that Tabor Budweis region, and began looking
Pragward again;hung about, for some time, with his Hungarian lighttroops scouring the country; but
still keeping Prag respectfully to right, at seventy miles distance. December 28th, to Broglio's alarm, he tried
a night attack on Pisek, the chief French outpost, which lies Franceward too, and might be vital. But he
found the French (Broglio having got warning) unexpectedly ready for him at Pisek,drawn up in the dark
streets there, with torrents of musketry ready for his Pandours and him;and entirely failed of Pisek. Upon
which he turned eastward to the BudweisTabor fastnesses again; left Brother Karl as Commander in those
parts (who soon leaves Lobkowitz as Substitute, Vienna in the idle wintertime being preferable); left
Brother Karl, and proceeded in person, south, towards the Donau Countries, to see how Khevenhuller might
be prospering, who is in the field there, as we shall hear.
Of Pisek and the nightskirmish at Pisek, glorious to France, think all the Gazettes, I should have said
nothing, were it not that Marechal Broglio, finding what a narrow miss he had made, established a
nightwatch there, or bivouac, for six weeks to come; such as never was before or since: Cavalry and
Infantry, in quantity, bivouacking there, in the environs of Pisek, on the grim Bohemian snow or snowslush,
in the depth of winter, nightly for six weeks, without whisper of an enemy at any time; whereby the Marechal
did save Pisek (if Pisek was ever again in danger), but froze horse and man to the edge of destruction or into
it; so that the "Bivouac of Pisek" became proverbial in French Messrooms, for a generation coming. [ Guerre
de Boheme, ii. 23, And one hears in the mind a clangorous nasal eloquence from antique gesticulative
mustachiofigures, witty and indignant,who are now gone to silence again, and their fruitless bivouacs,
and frosty and fiery toils, tumbling pellmell after them. This of Pisek was but one of the many unwise
hysterical things poor Broglio did, in that difficult position; which, indeed, was too difficult for any mortal,
and for Broglio beyond the average.
One other thing we note: Graf von Khevenhuller, solid Austrian man, issued from Vienna, December 31st,
last day of the Year, with an Army of only some 15,000, but with an excellent military head of his own, to
look into those Conquests on the Donau. Which he finds, as he expected, to be mere conquests of stubble,
capable of being swept home again at a very rapid rate. "Khevenhuller, here as always, was consummate in
his choice of posts," says Lloyd; [General Lloyd, History of SevenYears War, (incidentally,
somewhere).]discovered where the ARTERIES of the business lay, and how to handle the same. By choice
of posts, by silent energy and military skill, Khevenhuller very rapidly sweeps Segur back; and shuts him up
in Linz. There Segur, since the first days of January, is strenuously barricading himself; "wedging beams
from house to house, across the streets;"and hopes to get provision, the Donau and the Bavarian streams
being still open behind him; and to hold out a little. It will be better if he do,especially for poor Karl Albert
and his poor Bavaria! Khevenhuller has also detached through the Tyrol a General von Barenklau
(BEAR'SCLAW, much heard of henceforth in these Wars), who has 12,000 regulars; and much Hussarfolk
under bloody Mentzel:across the Tyrol, we say; to fall in upon Bavaria and Munchen itself; which they are
too like doing with effect. Ought not Karl Albert to be upon the road again? What a thing, were the Kaiser
Elect taken prisoner by Pandours!
In fine, within a short two weeks or so, Karl Albert quits Munchen, as no safe place for him; comes across to
Mannheim to his Cousin Philip, old KurPfalz, whom we used to know, now extremely old, but who has
marriages of Granddaughters, and other gayeties, on hand; which a Cousin and prospective
Kaiserespecially if in peril of his lifemight as well come and witness. This is the excuse Karl Albert
makes to an indulgent Public; and would fain make to himself, but cannot. Barenklau and Khevenhuller are
too indisputable. Nay this rumor of Friedrich's "Peace with Austria," divulged Bargain of
KleinSchnellendorf, if this also (horrible to think) were true! Which Friedrich assures him it is not. Karl
Albert writes to Friedrich, and again writes; conjuring him, for the love of God, To make some thrust, then,
some inroad or other, on those mandevouring Khevenhullers; and take them from his, Karl Albert's, throat
and his poor Country's. Which Friedrich, on his own score, is already purposing to do.
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Chapter VIII. FRIEDRICH STARTS FOR MORAVIA, ON A NEW SCHEME
HE HAS.
The Austrian Court had not kept Friedrich's secret of Klein Schnellendorf, hardly even for a day. It was
whispered to the Dowager Empress, or Empresses; who whispered it, or wrote it, to some other high party; by
whom again as usual:in fact, the Austrian Court, having once got their Neipperg safe to hand, took no
pains to keep the secret; but had probably an interest rather in letting it filter out, to set Friedrich and his
Allies at variance. At all events, in the space of a few weeks, as we have seen, the rumor of a Treaty between
Austria and Friedrich was everywhere rife; Friedrich, as he had engaged, everywhere denying it, and indeed
clearly perceiving that there was like to be no ground for acknowledging it. The Austrian Court, instead of
"completing the Treaty before Newyear'sday," had broken the previous bargain; evidently not meaning to
complete; intent rather to wait upon their Hungarian Insurrection, and the luck of War.
There is now, therefore, a new turn in the game. And for this also Friedrich has been getting the fit card
ready; and is not slow to play it. Some time ago, November 4th,properly November 1st, hardly three
weeks since that of KleinSchnellendorf,finding the secret already out ("whispered of at Breslau, 28th
October," casually testifies Hyndford), he had tightened his bands with France; had, on November 4th,
formally acceded to Karl Albert's Treaty with France. [Accession agreed to, "Frankfurt, Nov. 1st," 1741;
ratified "Nov. 4th."] Glatz to be his: he will not hear of wanting Glatz; nor of wanting elsewhere the proper
Boundary for Schlesien, "Neisse River both banks" (which Neipperg had agreed to, in his late
ShamBargain);quite strict on these preliminaries.
And furthermore, KurSachsen being now a Partner in that French Bavarian Treaty,and a highly active
one (with 21,000 in the field for him), who is "King of Moravia" withal, and has some considerable northern
Paring of Bohemia thrown in, by way of "Road to Moravia,"Friedrich made, at the same time, special
Treaty with KurSachsen, on the points specially mutual to them; on the Boundary point, first of all. Which
latter treaty is dated also November 1st, and was "ratified November 8th."
Treaty otherwise not worth reading; except perhaps as it shows us Friedrich putting, in his brief direct way,
KurSachsen at once into Austria's place, in regard to OberSchlesien. "Boundary between your Polish
Majesty and me to be the River Neisse PLUS a full German mile;"which (to Belleisle's surprise) the Polish
Majesty is willing to accept; and consents, farther, Friedrich being of succinct turn, That Commissioners go
directly and put down the boundarystones, and so an end. "Let the Silesian matter stand where it stood,"
thinks Friedrich: "since Austria will not, will you? Put down the boundarypillars, then!"an interesting
little glance into Friedrich's inner man. And a Prussian Boundary Commissioner, our friend Nussler the man,
did duly appear;whom perhaps we shall meet,though no Saxon one quite did. [Busching, Beitrage, i.
339 (? NUSSLER).] It is this boundary clause, it is Friedrich's little decision, "Put down the pillars, then,"
that alone can now interest any mortal in this Saxon Bargain; the clause itself, and the bargain itself, having
quite broken down on the Saxon side, and proved imaginary as a covenant made in dreams. Could not be
helped, in the sequel!
Meanwhile, the preliminary diplomacies being done in this manner, Friedrich had ordered certain of his own
Forces to get in motion a little; ordered Leopold, who has had endless nicety of management, since the
French and Saxons came into those Bohemian Circles of his, to go upon Glatz; to lay fast hold of Glatz, for
one thing. And farther eastward, Schwerin, by order, has lately gone across the Mountains; seized Troppau,
Friedenthal; nay Olmutz itself, the Capital of Mahren,in one day (December 27th), garrison of Olmutz
being too weak to resist, and the works in disrepair. "In Heaven's name, what are your intentions, then?"
asked the Austrians there. "Peaceable in the extreme," answered Schwerin, "if only yours are. And if they are
NOT!" There sits Schwerin ever since, busy strengthening himself, and maintains the best discipline;
waiting farther orders.
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"The Austrians will not complete their bargain of Klein Schnellendorf?" thinks this young King; "Very
well; we will not press them to completion. We will not ourselves complete, should they now press. We will
try another method, and that without loss of time."It was a pungent reflection with Friedrich that Karl
Albert had not pushed forward on Vienna, from Linz that time, but had blindly turned off to the left, and
thrown away his one chance. "Cannot one still mend it; cannot one still do something of the like?" thinks
Friedrich now: "Schwerin in Olmutz; Prussian Troops cantoned in the Highlands of Silesia, or over in
Bohemia itself, near the scene of action; the Saxons eastward as far as Teutschbrod, still nearer; the French
triumphant at Prag, and reinforcement on the road for them: a combined movement on Vienna, done instantly
and with an impetus!" That is the thing Friedrich is now bent upon; nor will he, like Karl Albert, be apt to
neglect the hour of tide, which is so inexorable in such operations.
At Berlin, accordingly, he has been hurrying on his work, inspection, preparation of many kinds,Marriage
of his Brother August Wilhelm, for one business; [6th January, 1742 (in Bielfeld, ii. 5569, exuberant
account of the Ceremony, and of B.'s part in it).]and (Jannary 18th), after a stay of two months, is off
fieldward again, on this new project. To Dresden, first of all; Saxony being an essential element; and Valori
being appointed to meet him there on the French side. It is January 20th, 1742, when Friedrich arrives; due
Opera festivities, "triple salute of all the guns," fail not at Dresden; but his object was not these at all. Polish
Majesty is here, and certain of the warlike Bastard Brothers home from Winterquarters, Comte de Saxe for
one; Valori also, punctually as due; and little Graf von Bruhl, highestdressed of human creatures, who is
factotum in this Court.
"Your Polish Majesty, by treaty and title you are King of Moravia withal: now is the time, now or never, to
become so in fact! Forward with your Saxons:" urges Friedrich: "The Austrians and their Lobkowitz are
weak in that Country: at Iglau, just over the Moravian border, they have formed a Magazine; seize that,
snatch it from Lobkowitz: that gives us footing and basis there. Forward with your Saxons; Valori gives us
somany French; I myself will join with 20,000: swift, steady, all at once; we can seize Moravia, who knows
if not Vienna itself, and for certain drive a stroke right home into the very bowels of the Enemy!" That is
Friedrich's theme from the first hour of his arrival, and during all the fourand twenty that he stayed.
In one hour, Polish Majesty, who is fonder of tobacco and pastimes than of business, declared himself
convinced;and declared also that the time of Opera was come; whither the two Majesties had to proceed
together, and suspend business for a while. Polish Majesty himself was very easily satisfied; but with the
others, as Valori reports it, the argument was various, long and difficult. "Winter time; so dangerous, so
precarious," answer Bruhl and Comte de Saxe: There is this danger, this uncertainty, and then that
other;which the King and Valori, with all their eloquence, confute. "Impossible, for want of victual,"
answers Maurice at last, driven into a corner: "Iglau, suppose we get it, will soon be eaten; then where is our
provision?""Provision?" answers Valori: "There is M. de Sechelles, Head of our Commissariat in Prag;
such a Commissary never was before." "And you consent, if I take that in hand?" urges Friedrich upon them.
They are obliged to consent, on that proviso. Friedrich undertakes Sechelles: the Enterprise cannot now be
refused. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 170; Valori, i. 139; "Alert, then; not a moment to be lost! Goodnight;
AU REVOIR, my noble friends!"and tomorrow many hours before daybreak, Friedrich is off for Prag,
leaving Dresden to awaken when it can.
At Prag he renews acquaintance with his old maladroit Strasburg friend, Marechal de Broglio, not with
increase of admiration, as would seem; declines the demonstrations and civilities of Broglio, business being
urgent: finds M. de Sechelles to be in truth the supreme of living Commissaries (ready, in words which
Friedrich calls golden, "to make the impossible possible"): "Only march, then, noble Saxons: swift!"and
dashes off again, next morning, to northeastward, through Leopold's Bohemian cantonments, Glatzward by
degrees, to be ready with his own share of the affair; no delay in him, for one. January 24th, after Konigsgratz
and other Prussian posts,January 24th, which is elsewhere so notable a day,his route goes northeast, to
Glatz, a hundred miles away, among the intricacies of the Giant Mountains, hither side of the Silesian
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Highlands; wild route for winter season, if the young King feared any route. From Berlin, hither and farther,
he may have gone well nigh his seven hundred miles within the week; rushing on continually (starts, at say
four in the winter morning); doing endless business, of the ordering sort, as he speeds along.
Glatz, a southwestern mountainous Appendage to Silesia, abutting on Moravia and Bohemia, is a small
strong Country; upon which, ever since the first Friedrich times, we have seen him fixed; claiming it too, as
expenses from the Austrians, since they will not bargain. For he rises Sibyllike: a year ago, you might have
had him with his 100,000 to boot, for the one Duchy of Glogau; and now! At Glatz or in these adjacent
Bohemian parts, the Young Dessauer has been on duty, busy enough, ever since the late Siege of Neisse:
Glatz Town the Young Dessauer soon got, when ordered; Town, Population, Territory, all is his,all but the
high mountain Fortress (centre of the Town of Glatzj, with its stiffnecked Austrian Garrison shut up there,
which he is wearing out by hunger. We remember the little Note from Valori's waistcoatpocket, "Don't give
him Glatz, if you can possibly help it!" In his latest treaties with the French and their Allies, Friedrich has
very expressly bargained for the Country (will even pay money for it); [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 85.] and is
determined to have it, when the Austrians next take to bargaining. Of Glatz Fortress, now getting hungered
out by Leopold's Prussian Detachment, I will say farther, though Friedrich heeds these circumstances little at
present, that it stands on a scarped rock, girt by the grim intricate Hills; and that in the Arsenal, in dusty
fabulous condition, lies a certain Drum, which readers may have heard of. Drum is not a fable, but an antique
reality fallen flaccid; made, by express bequest, as is mythically said, from the skin of Zisca, above 300 years
ago: altogether mythic that latter clause. Drum, Fortress, Town, Villages and Territory, all shall be
Friedrich's, had hunger done its work. [Town already, after short scuffle, 14th January, 1742; Fortress, by
hunger (no firing nor being fired on, in the interim), 25th April following,when the once 2,000 of garrison,
worn to about 200, pale as shadows, marched away to Brunn; "only ten of them able for duty on arriving."
(Orlich, i. 174.)]
Friedrich, while at Glatz this time, gave a new Dress to the Virgin, say all the Biographers; of which the story
is this. Holy Virgin stood in the main Convent of Glatz, in rather a threadbare condition, when the Prussians
first approached; the Jesuits, and ardently Orthodox of both sexes, flagitating Heaven and her with their
prayers, that she would vouchsafe to keep the Prussians out. In which case pious Madame Something, wife of
the Austrian Commandant, vowed her a new suit of clothes. Holy Virgin did not vouchsafe; on the Contrary,
here the Prussians are, and Starvation with them. "Courage, nevertheless, my new friends!" intimates
Friedrich: "The Prussians are not bugaboos, as you imagined: Holy Virgin shall have a new coat, all the
same!" and was at the expense of the bit of broadcloth with trimmings. He was in the way of making such
investments, in his light sceptical humor; and found them answer to him. At Glatz, and through those
Bohemian and Silesian Cantonments, he sets his people in motion for the Moravian Expedition; rapidly stirs
up the due Prussian detachments from their Christmas rest among the Mountains; and has work enough in
these regions, now here now there. Schwerin is already in Olmutz, for a month past; and towards him, or his
neighborhood, the march is to be.
January 26th, Friedrich, now with considerable retinue about him, gets from Glatz to Landskron, some fifty
miles Olmutzward; such a march as General Stille never saw,"through the ice and through the snow,
which covered that dreadful Chain of Mountains between Bohmen and Mahren: we did not arrive till very
late; many of our carriages broken down, and others overturned more than once." [Stille (Anonymous,
Friedrich's OldTutor Stille), Campagnes du Roi de Prusse (English Translation, 12mo, London, 1763), p. 5.
An intelligent, desirable little Volume,many misprints in the English form of it.] At Landskron next day,
Friedrich, as appointed, met the Chevalier de Saxe (CHEVALIER, by no means Comte, but a younger
Bastard, General of the Saxon Horse); and endeavored to concert everything: Prussian rendezvous to be at
Wischau, on the 5th next; thence straightway to meet the Saxons at Trebitsch (convenient for that Iglau),if
only the Saxons will keep bargain.
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January 28th, past midnight, after another sore march, Friedrich arrived at Olmutz; a pretty Town,with an
excellent old Bishop, "a Graf von Lichtenstein, a little gouty man about fiftytwo years of age, with a
countenance open and full of candor; [Stille, p. 8.] in whose fine Palace, most courteously welcomed, the
King lodged till near the day of rendezvousing. We will leave him there, and look westward a little; before
going farther into the Moravian Expedition. Friedrich himself is evidently much bent on this Expedition; has
set his heart on paying the Austrians for their trickery at KleinSchnellendorf, in this handsome way, and still
picking up the chance against them which Karl Albert squandered. If only the French and Saxons would go
well abreast with Friedrich, and thrust home! But will they? Here is a surprising bit of news; not of good
omen, when it reaches one at Olmutz!
"LINZ, 24th JANUARY, 1742 [day otherwise remarkable]. After the much barricading, and considerable
defiance and bravadoing, by Comte de Segur and his 10,000, he has lost this City in a scandalous manner [not
quite scandalous, but reckoned so by outside observers]; and Linz City is not now Segur's, but
Khevenhuller's. To Khevenhuller's first summons M. de Segur had answered, 'I will hang on the highest
gallows the next man that comes to propose such a thing!'and within a week [Khevenhuller having seized
the Donau River to rear of Linz, and blasted off the Bavarian party there], M. de Segur did himself propose it
('Free withdrawal: Not serve against you for a year'); and is this day beginning to march out of Linz."
[ Campagnes des Trois Marechaux, iii. 280, Adelung, iii. A, p. 12, and p. 15 (a Paris streetsong on it).] Here
is an example of defending KeyPositions! If Segur's be the pattern followed, those Conquests on the Donau
are like to go a fine road! There came to Friedrich, in all privacy, during his stay in Olmutz at this
Bishop's, a Diplomatic emissary from Vienna, one Pfitzner; charged with apologies, with important offers
probably;important; but not important enough. Friedrich blames himself for being too abrupt on the man;
might perhaps have learned something from him by softer treatment. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 109.] After
three days, Pfitzner had to go his ways again, having accomplished nothing of change upon Friedrich.
Chapter IX. WILHELMINA GOES TO SEE THE GAYETIES AT
FRANKFURT.
On the day when Friedrich, overhung by the grim winter Mountains, was approaching Glatz, same day when
Segur was evacuating Linz on those sad terms, that is, on the 24th day of January, 1742,two Gentlemen
were galloping their best in the FrankfurtMannheim regions; bearing what they reckoned glad tidings
towards Mannheim and Karl Albert; who is there "on a visit" (for good reasons), after his triumphs at Prag
and elsewhere. The hindmost of the two Gentlemen is an Official of rank (little conscious that he is preceded
by a rival in messagebearing); Official Gentleman, despatched by the Diet of Frankfurt to inform Karl
Albert, That he now is actually Kaiser of the Holy Romish Empire; votes, by aid of Heaven and Belleisle,
having all fallen in his favor. Gallop, therefore, my Official Gentleman:alas, another Gentleman,
Nonofficial, knowing how it would turn, already sat booted and saddled, a good space beyond the walls of
Frankfurt, waiting till the cannon should fire; at the first burst of cannon, he (cunning dog) gives his horse the
spur; and is miles ahead of the toiling Official Gentleman, all the way. [Adelung, iii. A, 52.]
In the dreary mass of longwinded ceremonial nothingnesses, and intricate Belleisle cobwebberies, we seize
this one poor speck of human foolery in the native state, as almost the memorablest in that stupendous
business. Stupendous indeed; with which all Germany has been in travail these sixteen months, on such
terms! And in verity has got the thing called "German Kaiser" constituted, better or worse. Heavens, was a
Nation ever so bespun by gossamer; enchanted into paralysis, by mountains of extinct tradition, and the want
of power to annihilate rubbish! There are glittering threads of the finest Belleisle diplomacy, which seem to
go beyond the Dogstar, and to be radiant, and irradiative, like paths of the gods: and they are, seem what
they might, poor threads of idle gossamer, sunk already to dusty cobweb, unpleasant to poor human nature;
poor human nature concerned only to get them well swept into the fire. The quantities of which sad litter, in
this Universe, are very great!
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Karl Albert, now at the topgallant of his hopes: homaged Archduke of Upper Austria, homaged King of
Bohemia, declared Kaiser of the German Nation,is the highesttitled mortal going: and, poor soul, it is
tragical, once more, to think what the reality of it was for him. Ejection from house and home; into difficulty,
poverty, despair; life in furnished lodgings, which he could not pay;and at last heartbreak, no refuge for
him but in the grave. All which is mercifully hidden at present; so that he seems to himself a man at the
topgallant of his wishes; and lives pleasantly, among his friends, with a halo round his head to his own
foolish sense and theirs.
"Karl Albert, Kurfurst of Baiern [lazy readers ought to be reminded], whose achievements will concern us to
an unpleasant extent, for some years, is now a lean man of fortyfive; lean, erect, and of middle stature; a
Prince of distinguished look, they say; of elegant manners, and of fair extent of accomplishment, as Princes
go. His experiences in this world, and sudden ups and downs, have been and will be many. Note a few
particulars of them; the minimum of what are indispensable here.
"English readers know a Maximilian Kurfurst of Baiern, who took into French courses in the great
SpanishSuccession War; the Anti Marlborough Maximilian, who was quite ruined out by the Battle of
Blenheim; put under Ban of the Empire, and reduced to depend on Louis XIV. for a living,till times
mended with him again; till, after the Peace of Utrecht, he got reinstated in his Territories; and lived a dozen
years more, in some comparative comfort, though much sunk in debt. Well, our Karl Albert is the son of that
AntiMarlborough Kurfurst Maximilian; eldest surviving son; a daughter of the great Sobieski of Poland was
his mother. Nay, he is greatgrandson of another still more distinguished Maximilian, him of the
ThirtyYears War,(who took the Jesuits to his very heart, and let loose Ate on his poor Country for the
sake of them, in a determined manner; and was the First of all the Bavarian KURFURSTS, mere Dukes till
then; having got for himself the poor WinterKing's Electorship, or split it into two as ultimately settled, out
of that bad Business),greatgrandson, we say, of that forcible questionable First Kurfurst Max; and
descends from Kaiser Ludwig, 'Ludwig the BAIER,' if that is much advantage to him.
"In his young time he had a hard upcoming; seven years old at the Battle of Blenheim, and Papa living abroad
under Louis XIV.'s shelter, the poor Boy was taken charge of by the victorious Austrian Kaisers, and brought
up in remote Austrian Towns, as a young 'Graf von Wittelsbach' (nothing but his family name left him), mere
Graf and private nobleman henceforth. However, fortune took the turn we know, and he became Prince again;
nothing the worse for this Spartan part of his breeding. He made the Grand Tour, Italy, France, perhaps more
than once; saw, felt, and tasted; served slightly, at a Siege of Belgrade (one of the many Sieges of
Belgrade);wedded, in 1722, a Daughter of the late Kaiser Joseph's, niece of the late Kaiser Karl's, cousin
of Maria Theresa's; making the due 'renunciations,' as was thought; and has been Kurfurst himself for the last
fourteen Years, ever since 1726, when his Father died. A thrifty Kurfurst, they say, or at least has
occasionally tried to be so, conscious of the load of debts left on him; fond of pomps withal, extremely polite,
given to Devotion and to BILLETSDOUX; of gracious address, generous temper (if he had the means), and
great skill in speaking languages. Likes hunting a little,likes several things, we see!has lived tolerably
with his Wife and children; tolerably with his Neighbors (though sour upon the late Kaiser now and then);
and is an ornament to Munchen, and well liked by the population there. A lean, elegaut, middle sized
gentleman; descended direct from Ludwig the ancient Kaiser; from Maximilian the First Kurfurst, who
walked by the light of Father Lammerlein (LAMBKIN) and Compauy, thinking IT light from Heaven; and
lastly is son of Maximilian the Third Kurfurst, whom learned English readers know as the AntiMarlborough
one, ruined out by the Battle of Blenheim.
"His most important transaction hitherto has been the marriage with Kaiser Joseph's Daughter;of which, in
Pollnitz somewhere, there is sublime account; forgettable, all except the date (Vienna, 5th October, 1722), if
by chance that should concern anybody. Karl Albert (KURPRINZ, Electoral Prince or HeirApparent, at that
time) made free renunciation of all right to Austrian Inheritances, in such terms as pleased Karl VI., the then
Kaiser; the due complete 'renunciations' of inheriting in Austria; and it was hoped he would at once sign the
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Pragmatic Sanction, when published; but he has steadily refused to do so; 'I renounced for my Wife,' says
Kurfurst Karl, 'and will never claim an inch of Austrian land on her account; but my own right, derived from
Kaiser Ferdinand of blessed memory, who was Father of my Greatgrandmother, I did not, do not, never will
renounce; and I appeal to HIS Pragmatic Sanction, the much older and alone valid one, according to which, it
is not you, it is I that am the real and sole Heir of Austria.'
"This be says, and has steadily said or meant: 'It is I that am to be King of Bohemia; I that shall and will
inherit all your Austrias, Upper, Under, your Swabian Brisgau or Hither Austria, and what of the Tyrol
remained wanting to me. Your Archduchess will have Hungary, the StyrianCarinthian Territories; Florence,
I suppose, and the Italian ones. What is hers by right I will be one of those that defend for her; what is not
hers, but mine, I will defend against her, to the best of my ability!' This was privately, what it is now publicly,
his argument; from which he never would depart; refusing always to accept Kaiser Karl's new Pragmatic
Sanction; getting Saxony (who likewise had a Ferdinand great grandmother) to refuse,till Polish Election
compelled poor Saxony, for a time. Karl Albert had likewise secretly, in past years, got his abstruse old
Cousin of the Pfalz (who mended the Heidelberg Tun) to back him in a Treaty; nay, still better, still more
secretly, had got France itself to promise eventual hacking: and, on the whole, lived generally on rather
bad terms with the late Kaiser Karl, his Wife's Uncle; any reconciliation they had proving always of
temporary nature. In the Rhenish War (1734), Karl Albert, far from assisting the Kaiser, raised large forces of
his own; kept drilling them, in four or three camps, in an alarming manner; and would not even send his
Reich's Contingent (small body of 3,000 he is by law bound to send), till he perceived the War was just
expiring. He was in angry controversy with the Kaiser, claiming debts,debts contracted in the last
generation, and debts going back to the ThirtyYears War, amounting to hundreds of millions,when the
poor Kaiser died; refusing payment to the last, nay claiming lands left HIM, he says, by Margaret
Mouthpoke: [Michaelis, ii. 260; Buchholz, ii. 9; Hormayr, Anemonen, ii. 182; 'Cannot pay your Serene
Highness (having no money); and would not, if I could!' Leaving Karl Albert to protest to the
uttermost;"which, as we ourselves saw in Vienna, he at once honorably did.
Karl Albert's subsequent history is known to readers; except the following small circumstance, which
occurred in his late transit, flight, or whatever we may call it, to Mannheim, and is pleasantly made notable to
us by Wilhelmina. "His Highness on the way from Munchen," intimates our Princess, "passed through
Baireuth in a very bad postchaise." This, as we elsewhere pick out, was on January 16th; Karl Albert in
posthaste for the marriageceremony, which takes place at Mannheim tomorrow. [Adelung, iii. A, 51.]
"My Margraf, accidentally hearing, galloped after him, came up with him about fifteen miles away: they
embraced, talked half an hour; very content, both." [Wilhelmina, ii. 334.]
And eight days afterwards, 24th January, 1742, busy Belleisle (how busy for this year past, since we saw him
in the OEildeBoeuf!) gets him elected Kaiser;and Segur, in the selfsame hours, is packing out of Linz;
and one's Donau "Conquests," not to say one's Munchen, one's Baiern itself, are in a fine way! The marriage
ceremony, witnessed on the 17th, was one of the sublimest for KurPfalz and kindred; and it too had secretly
a touch of tragedy in it for the Poor Karl Albert. A double marriage: Two young Princesses,
Granddaughters, priceless Heiresses, to old KurPfalz; married, one of them to Duke Clement of Baiern,
Karl Albert's nephew, which is well enough: but married, the other and elder of them, to Theodor of
DeuxPonts, who will one daycould we pierce the merciful veilbe Kurfurst of Baiern, and succeed our
own childless Son! [Michaelis, ii. 265.]
"Kaiser Karl VII.," such the style he took, is to be crowned February 12th; makes sublime Public Entry into
Frankfurt, with that view, January 31st;both ceremonies splendid to a wonder, in spite of finance
considerations. Which circumstance should little concern us, were it not that Wilhelmina, hearing the great
news (though in a dim illdated state), decided to be there and see; did go;and has recorded her
experiences there, in a shrill human manner. Wishful to see our fellowcreatures (especially if bound to look
at them), even when they are fallen phantasmal, and to make persons of them again, we will give this Piece;
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sorry that it is the last we have of that fine hand. How welcome, in the murky puddle of Dryasdust, is any
glimpse by a lively glib Wilhelmina, which we can discern to be human! Hear what Wilhelmina says (in a
very condensed form):
WILHELMINA AT THE CORONATION.
Wilhelmina, in the end of January, 1742,Karl Albert having shot past, one day lately, in a bad postchaise,
and kindled the thought in her,resolved to go and see him crowned at Frankfurt, by way of
pleasureexcursion. We will, struggling to be briefer, speak in her person; and indicate withal where the very
words are hers, and where ours.
The Marwitz, elder Marwitz, her poor father being wounded at Mollwitz, [ MilitairLexikon, iii. 23; and
Preussische AdelsLexikon, iii. 365.] had gone to Berlin to nurse him; but she returned just now,not much
to my joy; I being, with some cause, jealous of that foolish minx. The Duchess Dowager of Wurtemberg also
came, sorrow on her; a foolish talking woman, always cutting jokes, making eyes, giggling and coquetting;
"HAS some wit and manner, but wearies you at last: her charms, now on the decline, were never so
considerable as rumor said; in the longrun she bores you with her French gayeties and sprightliness: her
character for gallantry is too notorious. She quite corrupted Marwitz, in this and a subsequent visit; turned the
poor girl's head into a French whirligig, and undermined any little moral principle she had. She was on the
road to Berlin,"of which anon, for it is not quite nothing to us; "but she was in no hurry, and would right
willingly have gone with us." And it required all our female diplomacy to get her under way again, and fairly
out of our course. January 28th, SHE off to Berlin; WE, same day, to FrankfurtonMayn. [Wilhelmina, ii.
334; see pp. 335, 338, 347, for the other salient points that follow.]
Coronation was to have been (or we Countryfolk thought it was), January 31st: Let us be there
INCOGNITO, the night before; see it, and return the day after. That was our plan. Bad roads, waters all out;
we had to go night and day;reached the gates of Frankfurt, 30th January late. Berghover, our Legationsrath
there, says we are known everywhere; Coronation is not to be till February 12th! I was fatigued to death, a
bad cold on me, too: we turned back to the last Village; stayed there overnight. Back again to Berghover, in
secret (A LA SOURDINE), next night; will see the Public Entry of Karl Albert, which is to be tomorrow
(not quite, my Princess; January 31st for certain, [Adelung, iii. A, 63; did one the least care). "It was a very
grand thing indeed (DES PLUS SUPERBES); but I will not stop describing it. Masked ball that night; where
I had much amusement, tormenting the masks; not being known to anybody. We next day retired to a small
private House, which Berghover had got for us, out of Town, for fear of being discovered; and lodged there,
waiting February 12th, under difficulties."
The weather was bitterly cold; we had brought no clothes; my dames and I nothing earthly but a black
ANDRIENNE each (whatever that may be), to spare bulk of luggage: strictest incognito was indispensable.
The Marwitzes, for giggling, raillery, French airs, and absolute impertinence, were intolerable, in that solitary
place. We return to Frankfurt again; have balls and theatres, at least: "of these latter I missed none. One
evening, my headdress got accidentally shoved awry, and exposed my face for a moment; Prince George of
HessenCassel, who was looking that way, recognized me; told the Prince of Orange of it;they are in our
box, next minute!"
Prince George of HessenCassel, did readers ever hear of him before? Transiently perhaps, in Friedrich's
LETTERS TO HIS FATHER; but have forgotten him again; can know him only as the outline of a shadow.
A fat solid military man of fifty; junior Brother of that solid WILHELM, Viceregent and virtual "Landgraf
of Hessen"(VICE an elder and eldest Brother, FRIEDRICH, the now Majesty of Sweden, who is actual
Hereditary Landgraf, but being old, childless, idle, takes no hold of it, and quite leaves it to Wilhelm),of
whom English readers may have heard, and will hear. For it is Wilhelm that hires us those "subsidized
6,000," who go blaring about on English pay (Prince George merely Commandant of them); and Wilhelm,
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furthermore, has wedded his HeirApparent to an English Princess lately; [Princess Mary (age only about
seventeen), 28th June, 1740; Prince's name was Friedrich (became Catholic, 1749; WIFE made
familymanager in Consequence, which also (as the poor young fellow became Papist by and by) costs
certain English people, among others, a good deal of trouble. Uncle George, we say, is merely Commandant
of those blaring 6,000; has had his own real soldierings before this; his own labors, contradictions, in his
time; but has borne all patiently, and grown fat upon it, not quarrelling with his burdens or his nourishments.
Perhaps we may transiently meet him again.
As to the Prince of Orange, him we have seen more than once in times past: a young fellow in comparison,
sprightly, reckoned clever, but somewhat humpbacked; married an English Princess, years ago ("Papa, if he
were as ugly as a baboon!")which fine Princess, we find, has stopt short at Cassel, too fatigued on the
present occasion. "His ESPRIT," continues Wilhelmina, "and his conversation, delighted me. His Wife, he
said, was at Cassel; he would persuade her to come and make my acquaintance;"could not; too far, in this
cold season. "These two Serene Highnesses would needs take me home in their carriage; they asked the
Margraf to let them stay supper: from that hour they were never out of our house. Next morning, by means of
them, the secret had got abroad. KurKoln [lanky hooknosed gentleman, richest Pluralist in the Church] had
set spies on us; next evening he came up to me, and said, 'Madam, I know your Highness; you must dance a
measure with me!' That comes of one's headgear getting awry! We had nothing for it but to give up the
incognito, and take our fate!"
This dancing Elector of Koln, a man still only entering his forties, is the new Emperor's Brother: [Clement
August (Hubner, t. 134).] do readers wonder to see him dance, being an Archbishop? The fact is certain,let
the Three Kings and the Eleven Thousand Virgins say to it what they will. "He talked a long time with me;
presented to me the Princess Clemence his Niece [that is to say, Wife of his Nephew ClemENT; one of the
Two whom his now Imperial Majesty saw married the other day], [Michaelis, ii. 256, 123; Hubner, tt. 141,
134.] and then the Princess"in fact, presented all the three Sulzbach Princesses (for there is a youngest, still
to wed),"and then Prince Theodor [happy Husband of the eldest], and Prince Clement [ditto of the
younger];" and was very polite indeed. How keep our incognito, with all these people heaping civilities upon
us? Let us send to Baireuth for clothes, equipages; and retire to our country concealment till they arrive.
"Just as we were about setting off thither, I waiting till the Margraf were ready, the Xargraf entered, and a
Lady with him; who, he informed me, was Madame de Belleisle, the French Ambassador's Wife:"Wife of
the great Belleisle, the soul of all these high congregatings, consultations, coronations, who is not Kaiser but
maker of Kaisers: what is to be done!"I had carefully avoided her; reckoning she would have pretensions I
should not be in the humor to grant. I took my resolution at the moment [being a swift decisive creature]; and
received her like any other Lady that might have come to me. Her visit was not long. The conversation turned
altogether upon praises of the King [my Brother]. I found Madame de Belleisle very different from the notion
I had formed of her. You could see she had moved in high company (SENTAIT SON MONDE); but her air
appeared to me that of a waitingmaid (SOUBRETTE), and her manners insignificant." Let Madame take
that.
"Monseigneur himself," when our equipages had come, "waited on me several times,"Monseigueur the
grand Marechal de Belleisle, among the other Principalities and Lordships: but of this lean man in black (who
has done such famous things, and will have to do the Retreat of Prag within year and day), there is not a word
farther said. Old Seckendorf too is here; "Reich'sGovernor of Philipsburg;" very ill with Austria, no wonder;
and striving to be well with the new Kaiser. Doubtless old Seckendorf made his visit too (being of Baireuth
kin withal), and snuffled his respects: much unworthy of mention; not lovely to Wilhelmina. Prince of
Orange, hunchbacked, but sprightly and much the Prince, bore me faithful company all the Coronation time;
nor was George of Hessen Cassel wanting, good fat man.
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Of the Coronation itself, though it was truly grand, and even of an Oriental splendor,[ Anemonen, ubi supra.]
I will say nothing. The poor Kaiser could not enjoy it much. He was dying of gout and gravel, and could
scarcely stand on his feet. Poor gentleman; and the French are driven dismally out of Linz; and the Austrians
are spreading like a lavaflood or general conflagration over BaiernDemon Mentzel, whom they call
Colonel Mentzel, he (if we knew it) is in Munchen itself, just as we are getting crowned here! And unless
King Friedrich, who is falling into Mahren, in the flank of them, call back this Infernal Chase a little, what
hope is there in those parts!The poor Kaiser, oftenest in his bed, is courting all manner of German
Princes, consulting with Seckendorfs, with cunning old stagers. He has managed to lead my Margraf into a
foolish bargain, about raising men for him. Which bargain I, on fairly getting sight of it, persuade my
Margraf to back out of; and, in the end, he does so. Meanwhile, it detains us some time longer in Frankfurt,
which is still full of Principalities, busy with visitings and ceremonials.
Among other things, by way of forwarding that Bargain I was so averse to, our Official People had settled
that I could not well go without having seen the Empress, after her crowning. Foolish people; entangling me
in new intricacies! For if she is a Kaiser's Daughter and Kaiser's Spouse, am not I somewhat too? "How a
King's Daughter and an Empress are to meet, was probably never settled by example: what number of steps
down stairs does she come? The armchair (FAUTEUIL), is that to be denied me?" And numerous other
questions. The official people, Baireuthers especially, are in despair; and, in fact, there were scenes. But I
held firm; and the Berlin ambassadors tempering, a medium was struck: steps of stairs, to the due number, are
conceded me; armchair no, but the Empress to "take a very small armchair," and I to have a big common
chair (GRAND DOSSIER). So we meet, and I have sight of this Princess, next day.
In her place, I confess I would have invented all manner of etiquettes, or any sort of contrivance, to save
myself from showing face. "Heavens! The Empress is below middle size, and so corpulent (PUISSANTE),
she looks like a ball; she is ugly to the utmost (LAIDE AU POSSIBLE), and without air or grace." Kaiser
Joseph's youngest Daughter,the gods, it seems, have not been kind to her in figure or feature! And her
mind corresponds to her appearance: she is bigoted to excess; passes her nights and days in her oratory, with
mere rosaries and gaunt superstitious platitudes of that nature; a dark fat dreary little Empress. "She was all in
a tremble in receiving me; and had so discountenanced an air, she could n't speak a word. We took seats.
After a little silence, I began the conversation, in French. She answered me in her Austrian jargon, That she
did not well understand that language, and begged I would speak to her in German. Our conversation was not
long. Her Austrian dialect and my LowerSaxon are so different that, till you have practised, you are not
mutually intelligible in them. Accordingly we were not. A bystander would have split with laughing at the
Babel we made of it; each catching only a word here and there, and guessing the rest. This Princess was so
tied to her etiquette, she would have reckoned it a crime against the Reich to speak to me in a foreign
language; for she knew French well enough.
"The Kaiser was to have been of this visit; but he had fallen so ill, he was considered even in danger of his
life. Poor Prince, what a lot had he achieved for himself!" reflects Wilhelmina, as we often do. He was soft,
humane, affable; had the gift of captivating hearts. Not without talent either; but then of an ambition far
disproportionate to it. "Would have shone in the second rank, but in the first went sorrowfully eclipsed," as
they say! He could not be a great man, nor had about him any one that could; and he needed now to be so.
This is the service a Belleisle can do; inflating a poor man to Kaisership, beyond his natural size! Crowned
Kaiser, and Mentzel just entering his Munchen the while; a Kaiser bedrid, stranded; lying ill there of gout and
gravel, with the Demon Mentzels eating him:well may his poor little bullet of a Kaiserinn pray for him
night and day, if that will avail!
THE DUCHESS DOWAGER OF WURTEMBERG, RETURNING FROM BERLIN FAVORS US WITH
ANOTHER VISIT.
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I am sorry to say this is almost the last scene we shall get out of Wilhelmina. She returns to Baireuth; breaks
there conclusively that unwise Frankfurt bargain; receives by and by (after several months, when much has
come and gone in the world) the returning Duchess of Wurtemberg, effulgent Dowager "spoken of only as a
Lais:" and has other adventures, alluded to up and down, but not put in record by herself any
farther.Sorrowfully let us hear Wilhelmina yet a little, on this Lais Duchess, who will concern us
somewhat. Dowager, much too effulgent, of the late Karl Alexander, a Reichs Feldmarschall (or
FOURTHPART of one, if readers could remember) and Duke of Wurtemberg,whom we once dined with
at Prag, in old FriedrichWilhelm and PrinceEugene times:
"This Princess, very famous on the bad side, had been at Berlin to see her three Boys settled there, whose
education she [and the STANDE of Wurtemberg, she being Regent] had committed to the King. These
Princes had been with us on their road thither, just before their Mamma last time. The Eldest, age fourteen,
had gone quite agog (S'ETOIT AMOURACHE) about my little Girl, age only nine; and had greatly diverted
us by his little gallantries [mark that, with an Alas!]. The Duchess, following somewhat at leisure, had missed
the King that time; who was gone for Mahren, January 18th. ... I found this Princess wearing pretty well. Her
features are beautiful, but her complexion is faded and very yellow. Her voice is so high and screechy, it cuts
your ears; she does not want for wit, and expresses herself well. Her manners are engaging for those whom
she wishes to gain; and with men are very free. Her way of thinking and acting offers a strange contrast of
pride and meanness. Her gallantries had brought her into such repute that I had no pleasure in her visits."
[Wilhelmina, ii. 335.] No pleasure; though she often came; and her Eldest Prince, and my little Girl Well,
who knows!
Besides her three Boys (one of whom, as Reigning Duke, will become notorious enough to Wilhelmina and
mankind), the Lais Duchess has left at Berlinat least, I guess she has now left him, in exchange perhaps for
some othera certain very gallant, vagabond young Marquis d'Argens, "from Constantinople" last;
originally from the Provence countries; extremely dissolute creature, still young (whom Papa has had to
disinherit), but full of goodhumor, of gesticulative loyal talk, and frothy speculation of an AntiJesuit turn
(has written many frothy Books, too, in that strain, which are now forgotten): who became a very great
favorite with Friedrich, and will be much mentioned in subsequent times.
"In the end of July," continues Wilhelmina, "we went to Stouccard [Stuttgard, capital of Wurtemberg, O
beautiful glib tongue!], whither the Duchess had invited us: but" And there we are on blank paper; our dear
Wilhelmina has ceased speaking to us: her MEMOIRS end; and oblivious silence wraps the remainder!
Concerning this effulgent Dowager of Wurtemberg, and her late ways at Berlin, here, from Bielfeld, is
another snatch, which we will excerpt, under the usual conditions:
"BERLIN, FEBRUARY, 1742 [real date of all that is not fabulous in Bielfeld, who chaotically dates it "6th
December" of that Year]. ... A day or two after this [no matter WHAT] I went to the German Play, the only
spectacle which is yet fairly afoot in Berlin. In passing in, I noticed the Duchess Dowager of Wurtemberg,
who had arrived, during my absence, with a numerous and brilliant suite, as well to salute the King and the
Queens [King off, on his Moravian Business, before she came], and to unite herself more intimately with our
Court, as to see the Three Princes her Children settled in their new place, where, by consent of the States of
Wurtemberg, they are to be educated henceforth.
"As I had not yet had myself presented to the Duchess, I did not presume to approach too near, and passed up
into the Theatre. But she noticed me in the sidescenes; asked who I was [such a handsome fashionable
fellow], and sent me order to come immediately and pay my respects. To be sure, I did so; was most
graciously received; and, of course, called early next day at her Palace. Her GrandChamberlain had
appointed me the hour of noon. He now introduced me accordingly: but what was my surprise to find the
Princess in bed; in a negligee all new from the laundress, and the gallantest that art could imagine! On a table,
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ready to her hand, at the DOSSIER or bedbead, stood a little Basin silvergilt, filled with Holy Water: the
rest was decorated with extremely precious Relics, with a Crucifix, and a Rosary of rockcrystal. Her dress,
the cushions, quilt, all was of Marseilles stuff, in the finest series of colors, garnished with superb lace. Her
cap was of Alencon lace, knotted witb a ribbon of green and gold. Figure to yourself, in this gallant
deshabille, a charming Princess, who has all the wit, perfection of mannerand is still only thirtyseven,
with a beauty that was once so brilliant! Round the celestial bed were courtiers, doctors, almoners, mostly in
devotional postures; the three young Princes; and a Dame d'Atours, who seemed to look slightly ENNUYEE
or bored." I had the honor to kiss her Serene Highness's hand, and to talk a great many peppered insipidities
suitable to the occasion.
Dinner followed, more properly supper, with lights kindled: "Only I cannot dress, you know," her Highness
had said; "I never do, except for the QueenMother's parties;"and rang for her maids. So that you are led
out to the Anteroom, and go grinning about, till a new and still more charming deshabille be completed, and
her Most Serene Highness can receive you again: "Now Messieurs! Pshaw, one is always stupid, no ESPRIT
at all except by candlelight!"After which, such a dinner, unmatchable for elegance, for exquisite
gastronomy, for AtticPaphian brilliancy and charm! And indeed there followed hereupon, for weeks on
weeks, a series of such unmatchable little dinners; chief parts, under that charming Presidency, being done by
"GrandChamberlain Baron de" Somethingorother, "by your humble servant Bielfeld, M. Jordan, and a
Marquis d'Argens, famous Provencal gentleman now in the suite of her Highness:" [Bielfeld, ii.
7478.]feasts of the Barmecide I much doubt, poor Bielfeld being in this Chapter very fantastic,
MISDATEful to a mad extent; and otherwise, except as to general effect, worth little serious belief.
We shall meet this Paphian Dowager again (Crucifix and Myrtle joined): meet especially her D'Argens, and
her Three little Princes more or less;wherefore, mark slightly (besides the D'Argens as above):
"1. The Eldest little Prince, Karl Eugen; made 'Reigning Duke' within three years hence [Mamma falling into
trouble with the STANDE]: a man still gloomily famous in Germany [Poet Schiller's Duke of Wurtemberg],
of inarticulate, extremeIy arbitrary turn, married Wilhelmina's Daughter by and by [with horrible usage of
her]; and otherwise gave Friedrich and the world cause to think of him.
"2. The Second little Prince, Friedrich Eugen, Prussian General of some mark, who will incidentally turn up
again, He was afterwards Successor to the Dukedom [Karl Eugen dying childless]; and married his Daughter
to Paul of Russia, from whom descend the Autocrats there to this day.
"3. Youngest little Prince, Ludwig Eugen, a respectable Prussian Officer, and later a French one: he is that
'Duc de Wirtemberg' who corresponds with Voltaire [inscrutable to readers, in most of the Editions]; and
need not be mentioned farther." [See Michaelis, iii. 449; Preuss, i. 476;
But enough of all this. It is time we were in Mahren, where the Expedition must be blazing well ahead, if
things have gone as expected.
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH DOES HIS MORAVIAN EXPEDITION WHICH
PROVES A MERE MORAVIAN FORAY.
While these Coronation splendors had been going on, Friedrich, in the Moravian regions, was making
experiences of a rather painful kind; his Expedition prospering there far otherwise than he had expected. This
winter Expedition to Mahren was one of the first Friedrich had ever undertaken on the Jointstock Principle;
and it proved of a kind rather to disgust him with that method in affairs of war.
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A deeply disappointing Expedition. The country hereabouts was in bad posture of defence; nothing between
us and Vienna itself, in a manner. Rushing briskly forward, living on the country where needful, on that Iglau
Magazine, on one's own Sechelles resources; rushing on, with the Saxons, with the French, emulous on the
right hand and the left, a Captain like Friedrich might have gone far; Vienna itselfwho knows!not yet
quite beyond the reach of him. Here was a way to check Khevenhuller in his Bavarian Operations, and whirl
him back, doublequick, for another object nearer home! But, alas, neither the Saxons nor the French
would rush on, in the least emulous. The Saxons dragged heavily arear; the French Detachment (a poor 5,000
under Polastron, all that a captious Broglio could be persuaded to grant) would not rush at all, but paused on
the very frontier of Moravia, Broglio so ordering, and there hung supine, or indeed went home.
Friedrich remonstrated, argued, turned back to encourage; but it was in vain. The Saxon Bastard Princes
"lived for days in any Schloss they found comfortable;" complaining always that there was no victual for
their Troops; that the Prussians, always ahead, had eaten the country. No end to haggling; and, except on
Friedrich's part, no hearty beginning to real business. "If you wish at all to be 'King of Moravia,' what is this!"
thinks Friedrich justly. Broglio, too, was unmanageable,piqued that Valori, not Broglio, had started the
thing;showed himself captious, dark, hysterically effervescent, now overcautious, and again capable of
rushing blindly headlong.
To Broglio the fact at Linz, which everybody saw to be momentous, was overwhelming. Magnanimous
Segur, and his Linz "all wedged with beams," what a road have they gone! Said so valiantly they would make
defence; and did it, scarcely for four days: January 24th; before this Expedition could begin! True, M. le
Marechal, too true:and is that a reason for hanging back in this Mahren business; or for pushing on in it,
doublequick, with all one's strength? "But our Conquests on the Donau," thinks Broglio, "what will become
of them,and of us!" To Broglio, justly apprehensive about his own posture at Prag and on the Donau, there
never was such a chance of at once raking back all Austrians homewards, posthaste out of those countries.
But Broglio could by no means see it so,headstrong, blusterous, overcautious and hysterically headlong
old gentleman; whose conduct at Prag here brought Strasburg vividly to Friedrich's memory. Upon which, as
upon the ghost of Broglio's Breeches, Valori had to hear "incessant sarcasms" at this time.
In a word, from February 5th, when Friedrich, according to bargain, rendezvoused his Prussians at Wischau
to begin this Expedition, till April 5th, when he rerendezvoused them (at the same Wischau, as chanced) for
the purpose of ending it and going home, Friedrich, wrestling his utmost with Human Stupidity, "MIT
DER DUMMHEIT [as Schiller sonorously says], against which the very gods are unvictorious," had probably
two of the most provoking months of his Life, or of this First Silesian War, which was fruitful in such to him.
For the common cause he accomplished nearly nothing by this Moravian Expedition. But, to his own mind, it
was rich in experiences, as to the JointStock Principle, as to the Partners he now had. And it doubtless
quickened his steps towards getting personally out of this imbroglio of big FrenchGerman Wars,home to
Berlin, with Peace and Silesia in his pocket,which had all along been the goal of his endeavors. As a feat
of war it is by no means worth detailing, in this place,though succinct Stille, and bulkier German Books
give lucid account, should anybody chance to be curious. [Stille, Campaigns of the King of Prussia, i. 155;
HeldenGeschichte, ii. 548611; OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 110114; Orlich, ii.; Only under the other aspect,
as Friedrich's experience of Partnership, and especially of his now Partners, are present readers concerned to
have, in brief form, some intelligible notion of it.
IGLAU IS GOT, BUT NOT THE MAGAZINE AT IGLAU.
Friedrich was punctual at Wischau; Headquarters there (midway between Olmutz and Brunn), Prussians all
assembled, 5th February, 1742. Wischau is some eighty miles EAST or inward of Iglau; the French and
Saxons are to meet us about Trebitsch, a couple of marches from that Teutschbrod of theirs, and well within
one march of Iglau, on our route thither. The French and Saxons are at Trebitsch, accordingly; but their minds
and wills seem to be far elsewhere. Rutowsky and the Chevalier de Saxe command the Saxons (20,000 strong
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on paper, 16,000 in reality); Comte de Polastron the French, who are 5,000, all Horse. Along with whom,
professedly as French Volunteer, has come the Comte de Saxe, capricious Maurice (Marechal de Saxe that
will be), who has always viewed this Expedition with disfavor. Excellency Valori is with the French
Detachment, or rather poor Valori is everywhere; running about, from quarter to quarter, sometimes to Prag
itself; assiduous to heal rents everywhere; clapping cement into manifold cracks, from day to day. Through
Valori we get some interesting glimpses into the secret humors and manoeuvres of Comte Maurice. It is
known otherwise Comte Maurice was no friend to Belleisle, but looked for his promotion from the opposite
or Noailles party, in the French Court: at present, as Valori perceives, he has got the ear of Broglio, and put
much sad stuff into the loud foolish mind of him.
To these Saxon gentlemen, being BastardRoyal and important to conciliate, Friedrich has in a highflown
way assigned the Schloss of Budischau for quarters, an excellent superbly magnificent mansion in the
neighborhood of Trebitsch, "nothing like it to be seen except in theatres, on the Dropscene of The
Enchanted Island;" [Stille, Campaigns, p. 14.] where they make themselves so comfortable, says Friedrich,
there is no getting them roused to do anything for three days to come. And yet the work is urgent, and plenty
of it. "Iglau, first of all," urges Friedrich, "where the Austrians, 10,000 or so, under Prince Lobkowitz, have
posted themselves [right flank of that long straggle of Winter Cantonments, which goes leftwards to Budweis
and farther], and made Magazines: possession of Iglau is the foundationstone of our affairs. And if we
would have Iglau WITH the Magazines and not without, surely there is not a moment to be wasted!" In vain;
the Saxon Bastard Princes feel themselves very comfortable. It was Sunday the 11th of February, when our
junction with them was completed: and, instead of next morning early, it is Wednesday afternoon before
Prince Dietrich of AnhaltDessau, with the Saxon and French party roused to join his Prussians and him, can
at last take the road for Iglau. Prince Dietrich makes now the reverse of delay; marches all night, "bivouacs in
woods near Iglau," warming himself at stickfires till the day break; takes Iglau by merely marching into it
and scattering 2,000 Pandours, so soon as day has broken; but finds the Magazines not there. Lobkowitz
carted off what he could, then burnt "Seventeen Barns yesterday;" and is himself off towards Budweis
Headquarters and the Bohemian bogs again. This comes of lodging Saxon royal gentlemen too well.
THE SAXONS THINK IGLAU ENOUGH; THE FRENCH GO HOME.
Nay, Iglau taken, the affair grows worse than ever. Our Saxons now declare that they understand their orders
to be completed; that their Court did not mean them to march farther, but only to hold by Iglau, a solid
footing in Moravia, which will suffice for the present. Fancy Friedrich; fancy Valori, and the cracks he will
have to fill! Friedrich, in astonishment and indignation, sends a messenger to Dresden: "Would the Polish
Majesty BE 'King of Moravia,' then, or not be?" Remonstrances at Budischau rise higher and higher; Valori,
to prevent total explosion, flies over once, in the dead of the night, to deal with Rutowsky and Brothers.
Rutowsky himself seems partly persuadable, though dreadfully ill of rheumatism. They rouse Comte
Maurice; and Valori, by this Comte's caprices, is driven out of patience. "He talked with a flippant sophistry,
almost with an insolence" says Valori; "nay, at last, he made me a gesture in speaking,"what gesture,
thumb to nose, or what, the shuddering imagination dare not guess! But Valori, nettled to the quick, "repeated
it," and otherwise gave him as good as he brought. "He ended by a gesture which displeased me""and went
to bed." [Valori, i. 148, 149.] This is the night of February 18th; third night after Iglau was had, and the
Magazines in it gone to ashes. Which the Saxons think is conquest enough.
Poor Polish Majesty, poor Karl Albert, above all, now "Kaiser Karl VII.," with nothing but those French for
breath to his nostrils! With his fine French Army of the Oriflamme, Karl Albert should have pushed along
last Autumn; and not merely "read the Paper" which Friedrich sent him to that effect, "and then laid it aside."
They will never have another chance, his French and he,unless we call this again a chance; which they are
again squandering! Linz went by capitulation; January 24th, the very day of one's "Election" as they called it:
and ever since that day of Linz, the series of disasters has continued rapid and uniform in those parts. Linz
gone, the rest of the French posts did not even wait to capitulate; but crackled all off, they and our Conquests
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on the Donau, like a train of gunpowder, and left the ground bare. And General von Barenklau
(BEAR'SCLAW), with the hideous fellow called Mentzel, Colonel of Pandours, they have broken through
into Bavaria itself, from the Tyrol; climbing by Berchtesgaden and the wild Salzburg Mountains, regardless
of Winter, and of poor Bavarian militiafolk;and have taken Munchen, one's very Capital, one's very
House and Home!Poor Karl Albert,and, what is again remarkable, it was the very day while he was
getting "crowned" at Frankfurt, "with Oriental pomp," that Mentzel was about entering Munchen with his
Pandours. [Coronation was February 12th; Capitulation to Mentzel, "Munchen, February 13th," is in Guerre
de Boheme, ii. 5659.] And this poor Archduke of the Austrian, King of Bohemia, Kaiser of the Holy
Romish Reich Teutsch by Nation, is becoming Titular merely, and owns next to nothing in these extensive
Sovereignties. Judge if there is not call for despatch on all sides!The Polish Majesty sent instant rather
angry order to his Saxons, "Forward, with you; what else! We would be King in Mahren!"
The Saxons then have to march forward; but we can fancy with what a will. Rutowsky flings up his command
on this Order (let us hope, from rheumatism partly), and goes home; leaving the Chevalier de Saxe to preside
in room of him. As for Polastron, he produces Order from Broglio, "Iglau got, return straightway;" must and
will cross over into Bohemia again; and does. Nay, the Comte de Saxe had, privately in his pocket, a
Commission to supersede Polastron, and take command himself, should Polastron make difficulties about
turning back. Poor Polastron made no difficulties: Maurice and he vanish accordingly from this Adventure,
and only the unwilling Saxons remain with Friedrich. Poor Polastron ("a poor weak creature," says Friedrich,
"fitter for his breviary than anything else") fell sick, from the hardships of campaigning; and soon died, in
those Bohemian parts. Maurice is heard of, some weeks hence, besieging Eger;very handsomely capturing
Eger: [19th April, 1742 ( Guerre de Boheme, ii. 7865).]on which service Broglio had ordered him after
his return. The former Commandant of the Siege, not very progressive, had just died; and Broglio, with
reason (all the more for his late Moravian procedures) was passionate to have done there. One of the first
auspicious exploits of Maurice, that of Eger; which paved the way to his French fortunes, and more or less
sublime glories, in this War. Friedrich recognizes his ingenuities, impetuosities, and superior talent in war;
wrote highflown Letters of praises, now and then, in years coming; but, we may guess, would hardly wish to
meet Maurice in the way of jointstock business again.
FRIEDRICH SUBMERGES THE MORAVIAN COUNTRIES;, BUT CANNOT BRUNN, WHICH IS THE
INDISPENSABLE POINT.
February 19th, these sad Iglau matters once settled, Friedrich, followed by the Saxons, plunges forward into
Moravia; spreads himself over the country, levying heavy contributions, with strict discipline nevertheless;
intent to get hold of Brunn and its Spielberg, if he could. Brunn is the strong place of Moravia; has a garrison
of 6 or 7,000; still better, has the valiant Roth, whom we knew in Neisse once, for Commandant: Brunn will
not be had gratis.
Schwerin, with a Detachment of 6,000 horse and foot, Posadowsky, Ziethen, Schmettau Junior commanding
under him, has dashed along far in the van; towards Upper Austria, through the Town of Horn, towards
Vienna itself; levying, he also, heavy contributions,with a hand of iron, and not much of a glove on it, as
we judge. There is a grim enough Proclamation (in the name of a "frightfully injured Kaiser," as well as
Kaiser's Ally), still extant, bearing Schwerin's signature, and the date "STEIN, 26th Feb. 1742." [In
HeldenGeschichte, ii. 556.] Stein is on the Donau, a mile or two from Krems, and twice as far from
Mautern, where the now Kaiser was in Autumn last. Forty and odd miles short of Vienna: this proved the
Pisgah of Schwerin in that direction, as it had done of Karl Albert. Ziethen, with his Hussars coursed some 20
miles farther, on the Vienna Highway; and got the length of Stockerau; a small Town, notable slightly, ever
since, as the Prussian NONPLUSULTRA in that line.
Meanwhile, Prince Lobkowitz is rallying; has quitted Budweis and the Bohemian Bogs, for some check of
these insolences. Lobkowitz, rallying to himself what Vienna force there is, comes, now in good strength, to
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Waidhofen (rearward of Horn, far rearward of Stein and Stockerau), so that Ziethen and Schwerin have to
draw homeward again. Lobkowitz fortifies himself in Waidhofen; gathers Magazines there, as if towards
weightier enterprises. For indeed much is rallying, in a dangerous manner; and Moravia is now far other than
when Friedrich planned this Expedition. And at Vienna, 25th February last, there was held Secret Council,
and (much to Robinson's regret) a quite high Resolution come to,which Friedrich gets to know of, and
does not forget again.
THE SAXONS HAVE NO CANNON FOR BRUNN, CANNOT AFFORD ANY; THERE IS A HIGH
RESOLUTION TAKEN AT VIENNA (February 25th): FRIEDRICH QUITS THE MORAVIAN
ENTERPRISE.
Friedrich keeps his Headquarter, all this while, closer and closer upon Brunn. First, chiefly at a Town called
Znaim, on the River Taya; manybranched river, draining all those Northwestern parts; which sends its
widening waters down to Presburg,latterly in junction with those of the Morawa from North, which
washes Olmutz, drains the Northern and Eastern parts, and gives the Country its name of "Moravia." Brunn
lies northeast of Friedrich, while in Znaim, some fifty miles; the Saxon headquarter is at Kromau, midway
towards that City. After Znaim, he shifts inward, to Selowitz, still in the same Taya Valley, but much nearer
Brunn; and there continues. [At Znaim, 19th February9th March; at Selowitz, 13th March5th April
(Rodenbeck, i. 65).]
Striving hard for Brunn; striving hard, under difficulties, for so many things distant and near; we may fancy
him busy enough;and are surprised at the fractions of light Jordan Correspondence which he still finds
time for. Pretty bits of Letters, in prose and doggerel, from and to those Moravian Villages; Jordan, "twice a
week," bearing the main weight; Friedrich, oftener than one could hope, flinging some word of
answer,very intent on Berlin gossip, we can notice. "Vattel is still here, your Majesty," [ OEuvres, xvii.
163, insinuates Jordan: young Vattel, afterwards of the DROIT DES GENS, whom his Majesty might have
kept, but did not.What more of your D'Argens, then; anything in your D'Argens? Friedrich will ask. "For
certain, D'Argens is full of ESPRIT," answers Jordan, in a dexterous way; and How the Effulgent of
Wurtemberg" has quarrelled outright with her D'Argens, and will not eat off silver (D'ARGENT), lest she
have to name him by accident!"with other gossip, in a fine brief airy form, at which Jordan excels.
Cheering the rare leisure hour, in one's Tent at Selowitz, Pohrlitz, Irrlitz, far away!There are also orders
about CICERO and Books. Of Business for most part, or of private feelings, nothing: Berlin gossip, and
Books for one's reading, are the staple. But to return.
Out from Headquarters, diligent operations shoot forth, far enough, along those TayaMorawa Valleys,
where Hungarian "Insurgents" are beginning to be dangerous. South of Brunn, all round Brunn, are diligent
operations, frequent skirmishings, constant strict levyings of contributions. The saving operation, Friedrich
well sees, would be to get hold of Brunn: but, unluckily, How? Vigilant Roth scorns all summoning; sallies
continually in a dangerous manner; and at length, when closer pressed, burns all the Villages round him: "we
counted as many as sixteen villages laid in ashes," says Friedrich. Here is small comfort of outlook.
And then the Saxons, at Kromau or wherever they may be: no end of trouble and vexation with these Saxons.
Their quarters are not fairly allotted, they say; we make exchange of quarters, without improvement
noticeable. "One fine day, on some slight alarm, they came rushing over to us, all in panic; ruined, merely by
Pandour noises, had not we marched them back, and reinstated them." Friedrich sends to Silesia for
reinforcemmts of his own, which he can depend upon. Sends to Silesia, to Glatz and the Young Dessauer;
nay to Brandenburg and the Old Dessauer? ultimately. Finding Roth would not yield, he has sent to
Dresden for SiegeArtillery: Polish Majesty there, titular "King of Moravia," answers that he cannot meet the
expense of carriage. "He had just purchased a green diamond which would have carried them thither and back
again:" What can be done with such a man?And by this time, early in March, Hungarian "MORIAMUR
PRO REGE" begins to show itself. Clouds of Hungarian Insurgents, of the Tolpatch, Pandour sort, mount
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over the Carpathians on us, all round the east, from south to north; and threaten to penetrate Silesia itself. So
that we have to sweep laboriously the MorawaTaya Valleys; and undertake first one and then another
outroad, or sharp swift sally, against those troublesome barbarians.
And more serious still, Prince Karl and the regular Army, quickened by such KhevenhullerBarenklau
successes in the Donau Countries, are beginning to stir. Prince Karl, returning from Vienna and its
consultations, took command, 4th March; [ Helden Geschichte, ii. 557.] with whom has come old Graf von
Konigseck, an experienced head to advise with; Prince Karl is in motion, skirting us southward, about
Waidhofen, where Lobkowitz lay waiting him with Magazines ready. Rumor says, the force in those parts is
already 40,000, with more daily coming in. Friedrich has of his own, apart from the Saxons, some 24,000.
Prince Karl, with so many heavy troops, and with unlimited supply of light, is very capable of doing
mischief: he has orders (and Friedrich now knows of it) To go in upon us;such their decision in Secret
Council at Vienna, on the 25th of February last, That he must go and fight us:"Better we met him with
fewer thrums on our hands!" thinks Friedrich; and beckons the Old Dessauer out of Brandenburg withal.
"Swift, your Serenity; hitherward with 20,000!" Which the Old Dessauer (having 30,000 to pick from, late
CampofGottin people) at once sets about. Will be a security, in any event! [Orlich, i. 221: Date of the
Order, "13th March, 1742."] To finish with Brunn, Friedrich has sent for SiegeArtillery of his own; he urges
Chevalier de Saxe to close with him round Brunn, and batter it energetically into swift surrender. Is it not the
one thing needful? Chevalier de Saxe admits, half promises; does not perform. Being again urged, Why have
not you performed? he answers, "Alas, your Majesty, here are Orders for me to join Marshal Broglio at Prag,
and retire altogether out of this!"
"Altogether out of it," thinks Friedrich to himself: "may all the Powers be thanked! Then I too, without
disgrace, can go altogether out of it;and it shall be a sharp eye that sees me in jointstock with you again,
M. le Chevalier." Friedrich has written in his HISTORY, and Valori used to hear him often say in words,
Never were tidings welcomer than these, that the Saxons were about to desert him in this manner. Go: and
may all the Devils But we will not fall into profane swearing. It is proper to get out of this Enterprise at
one's best speed, and never get into the like of it again! Friedrich (on this strange Saxon revelation, 30th
March) takes instant order for assembling at Wischau again, for departing towards Olmutz; thence
homewards, with deliberate celerity, by the Landskron mountaincountry, Tribau, Zwittau, Leutomischl, and
the way he came. He has countermanded his Silesian reinforcements; these and the rest shall rendezvous at
Chrudim in Bohemia; whitherwards the two Dessauers are bound:in Brunn, with its wrecked environs,
famed Spielberg looking down from its conical height, and sixteen villages in ashes, Roth shall do his own
way henceforth.
The Saxons pushed straight homewards; did not "rejoin Broglio," rejoin anybody,had, in fact, done with
this First Silesian War, as it proved; and were ready for the OPPOSITE side, on a Second falling out! Their
march, this time, was long and harassing,sad bloody passage in it, from Pandours and hostile
Villagepeople, almost at starting, "four Companies of our Rearguard cut down to nine men; Village burnt,
and Villagers exterminated (SIC), by the rescuing party." [Details in HeldenGeschichte, ii. 606; in They
arrived at Leitmeritz and their own Border, "hardly above 8,000 effective." Naturally, in a highly indignant
humor; and much disposed to blame somebody. To the poor Polish NONMoravian Majesty, enlightened by
his Bruhls and Staff Officers, it became a fixed truth that the blame was all Friedrich's,"starving us,
marching us about!"that Friedrich's conduct to us was abominable, and deserved fixed resentment. Which
accordingly it got, from the simple Polish Majesty, otherwise a goodnatured creature;got, and kept. To
Friedrich's very great astonishment, and to his considerable disadvantage, long after!
Friedrich's look, when Valori met him again coming home from this Moravian Futility, was "FAROUCHE,"
fierce and dark; his laugh bitter, sardonic; harsh mockery, contempt and suppressed rage, looking through all
he said. A proud young King, getting instructed in several things, by the stripes of experience. Look in that
young Portrait by Pesne, the full cheeks, and fine mouth capable of truculence withal, the brow not unused to
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knit itself, and the eyes flashing out in sharp diligent inspection, of a somewhat commanding nature. We can
fancy the face very impressive upon Valori in these circumstances. Poor Valori has had dreadful work;
running to and fro, with his equipages breaking, his servants falling all sick, his invaluable D'Arget (Valori's
chief Secretary, whom mark) quite disabled; and Valori's troubles are not done. He has been to Prag lately; is
returning futile, as usual. Driving through the Mountains to rejoin Friedrich, he meets the Prussians in retreat;
learns that the Pandours, extremely voracious, are ahead; that he had better turn, and wait for his Majesty
about Chrudim in the Elbe region, upon highways, and within reach of Prag.
Friedrich, on the 5th of April, is in full march out of the Moravian Countries,which are now getting
submerged in deluges of Pandours; towards the abovesaid Chrudim, whereabouts his Magazines lie, where
privately he intends to wait for Prince Karl, and that Vienna Order of the 25th February, with hands clearer of
thrums. The march goes in proper columns, dislocations; Prince Dietrich, on the right, with a separate Corps,
bent elsewhither than to Chrudim, keeps off the Pandours. A march laborious, mountainous, on roads of
such quality; but, except baggagedifficulties and the like, nothing material going wrong. "On the 13th
[April], we marched to Zwittau, over the Mountain of Schonhengst. The passage over this Mountain is very
steep; but not so impracticable as it had been represented; because the cannon and wagons can be drawn
round the sides of it." [Stille, p. 86.] Yes;and readers may (in fancy) look about them from the top; for we
shall go this road again, sixteen years hence; hardly in happier circumstances!
Friedrich gets to Chrudim, April 17th; there meets the Young Dessauer with his forces: by and by the Old
Dessauer, too, comes to an Interview there (of which shortly). The Old Dessauerhis 20,000 not with him,
at the moment, but resting some way behind, till he returnis to go eastward with part of them; eastward,
Troppau Jablunka way, and drive those Pandour Insurgencies to their own side of the Mountains: a job Old
Leopold likes better than that of the Gottin Camp of last year. Other part of the 20,000 is to reinforce Young
Leopold and the King, and go into cantonments and "refreshmentquarters" here at Chrudim. Here, living on
Bohemia, with Silesia at their back, shall the Troops repose a little; and be ready for Prince Karl, if he will
come on. That is what Friedrich looks to, as the main Consolation left.
In Moravia, now overrun with Pandours, precursors of Prince Karl, he has left Prince Dietrich of Anhalt, able
still to maintain himself, with Olmutz as Headquarters, for a calculated term of days: Dietrich is, with all
diligence, to collect Magazines for that JablunkaTroppau Service, and march thither to his Father with the
same (cutting his way through those Pandour swarms); and leaving Mahren as bare as possible, for Prince
Karl's behoof. All which Prince Dietrich does, in a gallant, soldierlike, prudent and valiant manner,with
details of danger well fronted, of prompt dexterity, of difficulty overcome; which might be interesting to
soldier students, if there were among us any such species; but cannot be dwelt upon here. It is a march of 60
or 70 miles (northeast, not northwest as Friedrich's had been), through continual Pandours, perils and
difficulties:met in the due way by Prince Dietrich, whose toils and valors had been of distinguished quality
in this Moravian Business. Take one example, not of very serious nature (in the present March to
Troppau):
"OLISCHAU, EVENING OF APRIL 21st. Just as we were getting into Olischau [still only in the environs of
Olmutz], the Vanguard of Prince Karl's Army appeared on the Heights. It did not attack; but retired, Olmutz
way, for the night. Prince Dietrich, not doubting but it would return next day, made the necessary
preparations overnight. Nothing of it returned next day; Prince Dietrich, therefore, in the night of April 22d,
pushed forward his sickwagons, mealwagons, heavy baggage, peaceably to Sternberg; and, at dawn on the
morrow, followed with his army, Cavalry ahead, Infantry to rear;" nothing whatever happening,unless this
be a kind of thing:"Our Infantry had scarcely got the last bridge broken down after passing it, when the
roofs of Olischau seemed as it were to blow up; the Inhabitants simultaneously seizing that moment, and
firing, with violent diligence, a prodigious number of shot at us,no one of which, owing to their hurry and
the distance, took any effect;" [Stille, p. 50.] but only testified what their valedictory humor was.
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Or again(Place, this time, is UNGARISCHBROD, near Goding on the MoravianHungarian Frontier,
date MARCH 13th; one of those swift Outroads, against Insurgents or "Hungarian Militias" threatening to
gather): ... "Godinq on our Moravian side of the Border, and then Skalitz on their Hungarian, being thus
finished, we make for UngarischBrod," the next nucleus of Insurgency. And there is the following minute
phenomenon,fit for a picturesque human memory: "As this, from Skalitz to UngarischBrod, is a long
march, and the roads were almost impassable, Prince Dietrich with his Corps did not arrive till after dark. So
that, having sufficiently blocked the place with parties of horse and foot, he had, in spite of thickfalling
snow, to wait under the open sky for daylight. In which circumstances, all that were not on sentry lay down
on their arms;" slept heartily, we hope; "and there was half an ell of snow on them, when day broke."
[BERICHT VON DER UNTERNEHMUNG DES (in Seyfarth, Beylage, i. p. 508).] When day broke, and
they shook themselves to their feet again,to the astonishment of UngarischBrod! ...
There had been fine passages of arms, throughout, in this Business, round Brunn, in the March home, and
elsewhere; and Friedrich is well contented with the conduct of his men and generals,and dwells afterwards
with evident satisfaction on some of the feats they did. [For instance, TRUCHSESS VON WALDBURG'S
fine bit of Spartanism (14th March, at Lesch, near Brunn, near AUSTERLITZ withal), which was much
celebrated; King himself, from Selowitz, heard the cannonading (Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 518520). Selchow's
feat (ib. 521). Fouquet's (this is the CAPTAIN Fonquet, with "MY two candles, Sir," of the old Custrin
Prison time; who is dear to Friedrich ever since, and to the end): "Account of Fouquet's Grenadier Battalion,
to and at Fulnek, JanuaryApril, 1742 (is in Feldzuge der Preussen, i. 176184); especially his March, from
Fulnek, homewards, part of Prince Dietrich's that way (in Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 510515). With various others
(in SEYFARTH and FELDZUGE): well worth reading till you understand them.] I am sorry to say, General
Schwerin has taken pique at this preference of the Old Dessauer for the Troppau AntiPandour Operation;
and is home in a huff: not to reappear in active life for some years to come. "The Little Marlborough,"so
they call him (for he was at Blenheim, and has abrupt hot ways),will not participate in Prince Karl's
consolatory Visit, then! Better so, thinks Friedrich perhaps (remembering Mollwitz): "This is the freak of an
imitation ANGLAIS!" sneers he, in mentioning it to Jordan.Friedrich's Synopsis of this Moravian Failure
of an Expedition, in answer to Jordan's curiosity about it,curiosity implied, not expressed by the modest
Jordan, is characteristic:
"Moravia, which is a very bad Country, could not be held, owing to want of victual; and the Town of Brunn
could not be taken, because the Saxons had no cannon; and when you wish to enter a Town, you must first
make a hole to get in by. Besides, the Country has been reduced to such a state: that the Enemy cannot subsist
in it, and you will soon see him leave it. There is your little military lesson; I would not have you at a loss
what to think of our Operations; or what to say, should other people talk of them in your presence!"
[Friedrich to Jordan ( OEuvres, xvii. 196), Chrudim, 5th May, 1742.]
"Winter Campaigns," says Friedrich elsewhere, much in earnest, and looking back on this thing long
afterwards, "Winter Campaigns are bad, and should always be avoided, except in cases of necessity. The best
Army in the world is liable to be ruined by them. I myself have made more Winter Campaigns than any
General of this Age; but there were reasons. Thus:
"In 1740," Winter Campaign which we saw, "there were hardly above two Austrian regiments in Silesia, at
Karl VI.'s death. Being determined to assert my right to that Duchy, I had to try it at once, in winter, and
carry the war, if possible, to the Banks of the Neisse. Had I waited till spring, we must have begun the war
between Crossen and Glogau; what was now to be gained by one march would then have cost us three or four
campaigns. A sufficient reason, this, for campaigning in winter.
"If I did not succeed in the Winter Campaign of 1742," Campaign which we have just got out of, "which I
made with a design to deliver the Elector of Bavaria's Country, then overrun by Austria, it was because the
French acted like fools, and the Saxons like traitors." Mark that deliberate opinion.
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"In 174546," Winter Campaign which we expect to see, "the Austrians having got Silesia, it was necessary
to drive them out. The Saxons and they had formed a design to enter my Hereditary Dominions, to destroy
them with fire and sword. I was beforehand with them. I carried the War into the heart of Saxony."
[MILITARY INSTRUCTIONS WRITTEN BY "translated hy an Officer" (London, 1762), pp. 171, 172. One
of the best, or altogether tbe best, of Friedrich's excellent little Books written successively (thricePRIVATE,
could they have been kept so) for the instruction of his Officers. Is to be found now in OEuvres de Frederic,
xxviii. (that is vol. i. of the "OEuvres Militaires," which occupy 3 vols.) pp. 4 et seqq.]
Digesting many bitterenough thoughts, Friedrich has cantoned about Chrudim; expecting, in grim composed
humor, the one Consolation there can now be. February 25th, as readers well know, the Majesty of Hungary
and her Aulic Council had decided, "One stroke more, O Excellency Robinson; one Battle more for our
Silesian jewel of the crown! If beaten, we will then give it up; oh, not till then!" Robinson and
Hyndford,imagination may faintly represent their feelings, on the wilful downbreak of
KleinSchnellendorf; or what clamor and urgency the Majesty of Britain and they have been making ever
since. But they could carry it no further: "One stroke more!"
At Chrudim, and to the right and the left of it, sprinkled about in long, very thin, elliptic shape (thirty or forty
miles long, but capable of coalescing "within eightandforty hours"), there lies Friedrich: the Elbe River is
behind him; beyond Elbe are his Magazines, at Konigsgratz, Nimburg, Podiebrad, Pardubitz; the Giant
Mountains, and world of Bohemian Hills, closingin the background, far off: that is his position, if readers
will consult their Map. The consolatory Visit, he privately thinks, cannot be till the grass come; that is, not till
June, two months hence; but there also he was a little mistaken.
Chapter XI. NUSSLER IN NEISSE, WITH THE OLD DESSAUER AND
WALRAVE.
The Old Dessauer with part of his 20,000,aided by Boy Dietrich (KNABE, "Knave Dietrich," as one might
fondly call him) and the Moravian Mealwagons,accomplished his TroppauJablunka Problem perfectly
well; cleaning the Mountains, and keeping them clean, of that Pandour rabble, as he was the man to do. Nor
would his Expedition require mentioning farther,were it not for some slight passages of a purely
Biographical character; first of all, for certain rubs which befell between his Majesty and him. For example,
once, before that Interview at Chrudim, just on entering Bohemia thitherward, Old Leopold had seen good to
alter his marchroute; andon better information, as he thought it, which proved to be worsehad taken a
road not prescribed to him. Hearing of which, Friedrich reins him up into the right course, in this sharp
manner:
"CHRUDIM, 21st APRIL. I am greatly surprised that your Serenity, as an old Officer, does not more
accurately follow my orders which I give you. If you were skilfuler than Caesar, and did not with strict
accuracy observe my orders, all else were of no help to me. I hope this notice, once for all, will be enough;
and that in time coming you will give no farther causes to complain." [King to Furst Leopold (Orlich, i.
219221).]
Friedrich, on their meeting at Chrudim, was the same man as ever. But the old Son of Gunpowder stood
taciturn, rigorous, in military business attitude, in the King's presence; had not forgotten the passage; and
indeed he kept it in mind for long months after. And during all this OberSchlesien time, had the hidden
grudge in his heart;doing his day's work with scrupulous punctuality; all the more scrupulous, they say.
Friedrich tried, privately through Leopold Junior, some slight touches of assuagement; but without effect; and
left the Senior to Time, and to his own methods of cooling again.
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Besides that of keeping down Hungarian Enterprises in the Mountains, Old Leopold had, as would appear, to
take some general superintendence in OberSchlesien; and especially looks after the new Fortificationwork
going on in those parts. Which latter function brought him often to Neisse, and into contact with the ugly
Walrave, EngineerinChief there. A much older and much worthier acquaintance of ours, Herr
BoundaryCommissioner Nussler, happens also to be in Neisse;waiting for those Saxon Gentlemen; who
are unpunctual to a degree, and never come (nor in fact ever will, if Nussler knew it). Luckily Nussler kept a
Notebook; and Busching ultimately got it, condensed it, printed it;whereby (what is rare, in these
Dryasdust labyrinths, inane spectralities and cindermountains) there is sudden eyesight vouchsafed; and we
discern veritably, far off, brought face to face for an instant, this and that! I must translate some
passages,still farther condensed:
HOW NUSSLER HAPPENED TO BE IN NEISSE, MAY, 1742.
Nussler had been in this Country, off and on, almost since Christmas last; ready here, if the Saxons had been
ready. As the Saxons were not ready, and always broke their appointment, Nussler had gone into the
Mountains, to pass time usefully, and take preliminary view of the ground.
... "From Berlin, 20th December, 1741; by Breslau,"where some pause and correspondence;"thence on,
Neisse way, as far as Lowen [so well known to Friedrich, that Mollwitz night!]. From Berlin to Lowen,
Nussler had come in a carriage: but as there was much snow falling, he here took a couple of sledges; in
which, along with his attendants, he proceeded some fifty miles, to Jauernik, a stage beyond Neisse, to the
southwest. Jauernik is a little Town lying at the foot of a Hill, on the top of which is the Schloss of
Johannisberg. Here it began to rain; and the getting up the Hill, on sledges, was a difficult matter. The
DROST [Steward] of this Castle was a Nobleman from BrunswickLuneburg; who, for the sake of a
marriage and this Drostship for dowry, had changed from Protestant to Roman Catholic,"poor soul! "His
wife and he were very polite, and showed Nussler a great deal of kindness. Nussler remarked on the left side
of this Johannisberg," western side a good few miles off, "the pass which leads from Glatz to Upper and
Lower Schlesien,"where the reader too has been, in that BAUMGARTEN SKIRMISH, if he could
remember it,"with a little Blockhouse in the bottom," and no doubt Prussian soldiers in it at the moment.
"Nussler, intent always on the useful, did not institute picturesque reflections; but considered that his King
would wish to have this Pass and Blockhouse; and determined privately, though it perhaps lay rather beyond
the boundarymark, that his Master must have it when the bargaining should come. ...
"On the homeward survey of these Borders, Nussler arrived at Steinau [little Village with Schloss, which we
saw once, on the march to Mollwitz, and how accident of fire devoured it that night], and at sight of the burnt
Schloss standing black there, he remembered with great emotion the Story of Grafin von Callenberg [dead
since, with her pistols and brandybottle] and of the Grafin's Daughter, in which he had been concerned as a
much interested witness, in old times. ... For the rest, the journey, amid ice and snow, was not only
troublesome in the extreme, but he got a lifelong gout by it [and no profit to speak of]; having sunk, once,
on thin ice, sledge and he, into a halffrozen stream, and got wetted to the loins, splashing about in such cold
manner,happily not quite drowned." The indefatigable Nussler; working still, like a very artist, wherever
bidden, on wages miraculously low.
The Saxon Gentlemen never came;privately the Saxons were quite off from the Silesian bargain, and from
Friedrich altogether;so that this border survey of Nussler's came to nothing, on the present occasion. But it
served him and Friedrich well, on a new boundarysettling, which did take effect, and which holds to this
day. Nussler, during these operations, and vain waitings for the Saxons, had Neisse for headquarters; and,
going and returning, was much about Neisse; Walrave, Marwitz (Father of Wilhelmina's baggage Marwitz),
Feldmarschall Schwerin (in earlier stages), and other high figures, being prominent in his circle there.
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"The old Prince of Dessau came thither: for some days. [Busching, Beitrage, i. 347 (beginning of May as we
guess, but there is no date given).] He was very gracious to Nussler, who had been at his Court, and known
him before this. The Old Dessauer made use of Walrave's Plate; usually had Walrave, Nussler, and other
principal figures to dinner. Walrave's Plate, every piece of it, was carefully marked with a RAVEN on the
rim, that being his crest ["Wallraven" his name]: Old Dessauer, at sight of so many images of that bird,
threw out the observation, loud enough, from the top of the table, 'Hah, Walrave, I see you are making
yourself acquainted with the RAVENS in time, that they may not be strange to you at last,'"when they
come to eat you on the gibbet! (not a soft tongue, the Old Dessauer's). "Another day, seeing Walrave seated
between two Jesuit Guests, the Prince said: 'Ah, there you are right, Walrave; there you sit safe; the Devil
can't get you there!' As the Prince kept continually bantering him in this strain, Walrave determined not to
come; sulkily absented himself one day: but the Prince sent the ORDINANZ (Soldier in waiting) to fetch
him; no refuge in sulks.
"They had RomanCatholic victual for Walrave and others of that faith, on the meagredays; but Walrave eat
right before him, evidently nothing but the name of Catholic. Indeed, he was a man hated by the Catholics,
for his special rapacity on them. 'He is of no religion at all,' said the Catholic Prelate of Neisse, one day, to
Nussler; (greedy to plunder the Monasteries here; has wrung gold, silver aud jewels from them,nay from
the Pope himself,by threatening to turn Protestant, and use the Monasteries still worse. And the Pope,
hearing of this, had to send him a valuable Gift, which you may see some day.' Nussler did, one day, see this
preciosity: a Crucifix, ebony bordered with gold, and the Body all of that metal, on the smallest of altars,in
Walrave's bedroom. But it was the bedroom itself which Nussler looked at with a shudder," Nussler and we:
"in the middle of it stood Walrave's own bed, on his right hand that of his Wife, and on his left that of his
Mistress:"a brutish polygamous Walrave! "This Mistress was a certain QuarterMaster's
Wife,"QuarterMaster willing, it is probable, to get rid of such an article gratis, much more on terms of
profit. "Walrave had begged for him the Title of Hofrath from King Friedrich,"which, though it was but a
clipping of ribbon contemptible to Friedrich, and the brute of an Engineer had excellent talents in his
business, I rather wish Friedrich had refused in this instance. But he did not; "he answered in gibing tone, 'I
grant you the Hofrath Title for your QuarterMaster; thinking it but fit that a General's'What shall we call
her? (Friedrich uses the direct word)'should have some handle to her name.'" [Busching, Beitrage, i.
343348.]
It was this Mistress, one is happy to know, that ultimately betrayed the unbeautiful Walrave, and brought him
to Magdeburg for the rest of his life.And now let us over the Mountains, to Chrudim again; a hundred and
fifty miles at one step.
Chapter XII. PRINCE KARL DOES COME ON.
It was before the middle of May, not of June as Friedrich had expected, that serious news reached Chrudim.
May 11th, from that place, there is a Letter to Jordan, which for once has no verse, no bantering in it: Prince
Karl actually coming on; Hussar precursors, in quantity, stealing across to attack our Magazines beyond
Elbe; and in consequence, Orders are out this very day: "Cantonments, cease; immediate rendezvous, and
Encampment at Chrudim here!" Which takes effect two days hence, Monday, 13th May: one of the finest
sights Stille ever saw. "His Majesty rode to a height; you never beheld such a scene: bright columns, foot and
horse, streaming in from every point of the compass, their clear arms glittering in the sun; lost now in some
hollow, then emerging, winding out with longdrawn glitter again; till at length their blue uniforms and
actual faces come home to you. Near upon 30,000 of all arms; trim exact, of stout and silently goodhumored
aspect; well rested, by this time;likely fellows for their work, who will do it with a will. The King seemed
to be affected by so glorious a spectacle; and, what I admired, his Majesty, though fatigued, would not rest
satisfied with reports or distant view, but personally made the tour of the whole Camp, to see that everything
was right, and posted the pickets himself before retiring." [Stille, p. 57 (or Letter X.).]
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Prince Karl, since we last heard of him, had hung about in the Brunn and other Moravian regions, rallying his
forces, pushing out Croat parties upon Prince Dietrich's homemarch, and the like; very ill off for food, for
draughtcattle, in a wasted Country. So that he had soon quitted Mahren; made for Budweis and
neighborhood: dangerous to Broglio's outposts there? To a "Castle of Frauenberg," across the Moldau
from Budweis; which is Broglio's bulwark there, and has cost Broglio much revictualling, reinforcing, and
flurry for the last two months. Prince Karl did not meddle with Brauenberg, or Broglio, on this occasion;
leaves Lobkowitz, with some Reserveparty, hovering about in those parts;and himself advances, by
Teutschbrod (well known to the poor retreating Saxons latcey!) towards Chrudim, on his grand Problem, that
of 25th February last. Cautiously, not too willingly, old Konigseck and he. But they were inflexibly urged to
it by the Heads at Vienna; who, what with their Bavarian successes, what with their Moravian and other, had
got into a high key;and scorned the notion of "Peace," when Hyndford (getting Friedrich's permission, in
the late Chrudim interval) had urged it again. [Orlich, i. 226.]
Broglio is in boundless flurry; nothing but spectres of attack looming in from Karl, from Khevenhuller, from
everybody; and Eger hardly yet got. [19th April ( Guerre de Boheme, ii. 7781.] Fine reinforcement, 25,000
under a Due d'Harcourt; this and other good outlooks there are; but it is the terrible alone that occupy Broglio.
And indeed the poor man especially ever since that Moravian Business would not thrive in spite of
himis not to be called well off! Friedrich and he are in correspondence, by no means mutually pleasant, on
the PrinceKarl phenomenon. "Evidently intending towards Prag, your Majesty perceives!" thinks Broglio.
"If not towards Chrudim, first of all, which is 80 miles nearer him, on his rode to Prag!" urges Friedrich, at
this stage: "Help me with a few regiments in this Chrudim Circle, lest I prove too weak here. Is not this the
bulwark of your Prag just now?" In vain; Broglio (who indeed has orders that way) cannot spare a man.
"Very well," thinks Friedrich; and has girded up his own strength for the Chrudim phenomenon; but does not
forget this new illustration of the JointStock Principle, and the advantages of Broglio Partnership.
Friedrich's beautiful Encampment at Chrudim lasted only two days. Precursor Tolpatcheries (and, in fact,
Prince Karl's Vanguard, if we knew it) come storming about, rifer and rifer; attempting the Bridge of Kolin
(road to our Magazines); attempting this and that; meaning to get between us and Prag; and, what is worse, to
seize the Magazines, Podiebrad, Nimburg, which we have in that quarter! Tuesday, May 15th, accordingly,
Friedrich himself gets on march, with a strong swift Vanguard, horse and foot (grenadiers, hussars,
dragoons), Pragward,probably as far as Kuttenberg, a fine high lying post, which commands those
Kodin parts;will march with despatch, and see how that matter is. The main Army is to follow under
Leopold of AnhaltDessau tomorrow, Wednesday," so soon as their loaves have come from
Konigsgratz,"for "an Army goes on its belly," says Friedrich often. Loaves do not come, owing to evil
chance, on this occasion: Leopold's people "take meal instead;" but will follow, next morning, all the same,
according to bidding. Readers may as well take their Map, and accompany in these movements; which issue
in a notable conclusive thing.
Tuesday morning, 15th May, Friedrich marches from Chrudim; on which same morning of the 15th, Prince
Karl, steadily on the advance he too, is starting,and towards the same point,from a place called
Chotieborz, only fifteen miles to southward of Chrudim. In this way, mutually unaware, but Prince Karl
getting soonest aware, the Vanguards of the Two Armies (Prince Karl's Vanguard being in many branches, of
Tolpatch nature) are cast athwart each other; and make, both to Friedrich and Prince Karl, an enigmatic
business of it for the next two days. Tuesday, 15th, Friedrich marching along, vigilantly observant on both
hands, some fifteen miles space, came that evening to a Village called Podhorzan, with Height near by;
[Stille, pp. 60, 61.] Height which he judged unattackable, and on the side of which he pitches his camp
accordingly,himself mounting the Height to look for news. News sure enough: there, south of us on the
heights of Ronnow, three or four miles off, are the Enemy, camped or pickeering about, 7 or 8,000 as we
judge. Lobkowitz, surely not Lobkowitz? He has been gliding about, on the French outskirts, far in the
southwest lately: can this be Lobkowitz, about to join Prince Karl in these parts?Truly, your Majesty, this
is not Lobkowitz at all; this is Prince Karl's Vanguard, and Prince Karl himself actually in it for the
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moment, anxiously taking view of your Vanguard; recognizing, and admitting to himself, "Pooh, they will
be at Kuttenberg before us; no use in hastening. Headquarters at Willimow tonight; here at Ronnow
tomorrow: that is all we can do!" [Orlich, i. 233.]
Tomorrow, 16th May, before sunrise at Podhorzan, the supposed Lobkowitz is clean vanished: there is no
Enemy visible to Friedrich, at Ronnow or elsewhere. Leaving Friedrich in considerable uncertainty: clear
only that there are Enemies copiously about; that he himself will hold on for Kuttenberg; that young Leopold
must get hitherward, with steady celerity at the top of his effort,parts of the ground being difficult;
especially a muddy Stream, called Dobrowa, which has only one Bridge on it fit for artillery, the Bridge of
Sbislau, a mile or two ahead of this. Instructions are sent Leopold to that effect; and farther that Leopold must
quarter in Czaslau (a substantial little Town, with bogs about it, and military virtues); and, on the whole, keep
close to heel of us, the Enemy in force being near, Upon which, his Majesty pushes on for Kuttenberg; Prince
Leopold following with best diligence, according to Program. His Majesty passed a little place called Neuhof
that afternoon (Wednesday, 16th May); and encamped a short way from Kuttenberg, behind or north of that
Town,out of which, on his approach, there fled a considerable cloud of Austrian Irregulars, and "left a
large baking of bread." Bread just about ready to their order, and coming hot out of the ovens; which was
very welcome to his Majesty that night; and will yield refreshment, partial refreshment, next morning, to
Prince Leopold, not too comfortable on his mealdiet just now.
Poor Prince Leopold had his own difficulties this day; rough ground, very difficult to pass; and coming on the
Height of Podhorzan where his Majesty was yesterday, Leopold sees crowds of Hussars, needing a
cannonshot or two; sees evident symptoms, to southward, that the whole Force of the Enemy is advancing
upon him! "Speed, then, for Sbislau Bridge yonder; across the Dobrowa, with our Artillerywagons, or we
are lost!" Prince Karl, with Hussar parties all about, is fully aware of Prince Leopold and his movements,
and is rolling on, Ronnowward all day, to cut him off, in his detached state, if possible. Prince Karl might,
with ease, have broken this Dobrowa Bridge; and Leopold and military men recognize it as a capital neglect
that he did not.
Leopold, overloaded with such intricacies and anxieties, sends off three messengers, Officers of mark
(Schmettau Junior one of them), to apprise the King: the Officers return, unable to get across to his Majesty;
Leopold sends proper detachment of horse with them, uncertain still whether they will get through. And
night is falling; we shall evidently be too late for getting Czaslau: well if we can occupy Chotusitz and the
environs; a small clay Hamlet, three miles nearer us. It was 11 at night before the rear guard got into
Chotusitz: Czaslau, three miles south of us, we cannot attend to till tomorrow morning. [Orlich, pp.
236239.] And the three messengers, despatched with escort, send back no word. Have they ever got to his
Majesty? Leopold sends off a fourth. This fourth one does get through; reports to his Majesty, That, by all
appearance, there will be Battle on the morrow early; that not Czaslau, but only Chotusitz is ours; and that
Instructions are wanted. Deep in the night, this fourth messenger returns; a welcome awakening for Prince
Leopold; who studies his Majesty's Instructions, and will make his dispositions accordingly.
It is 2 or 3 in the morning, [Ib. p. 238.] in Leopold's Camp, Bivouac rather, with its face to the south, and
Chotusitz ahead. Thursday, 17th May, 1742; a furiously important Day about to dawn. High Problem of the
23th February last; Britannic Majesty and his Hyndfords and Robinsons vainly protesting:it had to be
tried; Hungarian Majesty having got, from Britannic, the sinews for trying it: and this is to be the Day.
Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF CHOTUSITZ.
Kuttenberg, Czaslau, Chotusitz and all these other places lie in what is called the Valley of the Elbe, but what
to the eye has not the least appearance of a hollow, but of an extensive plain rather, dimpled here and there;
and, if anything, rather sloping FROM the Elbe,were it not that dull bushless brooks, one or two,
sauntering to NORTHward, not southward, warn you of the contrary. Conceive a flat tract of this kind, some
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three or four miles square, with Czaslau on its southern border, Chotusitz on its northern; flanked, on the
west, by a straggle of Lakelets, ponds and quagmires (which in our time are drained away, all but a tenth part
or so of remainder); flanked, on the east, by a considerable puddle of a Stream called the Dobrowa; and cut in
the middle by a nameless poor Brook ("BRTLINKA" some write it, if anybody could pronounce), running
parallel and independent,which latter, of more concernment to us here, springs beyond Czaslau, and is got
to be of some size, and more intricate than usual, with "islands" and the like, as it passes Chotusitz (a little to
east of Chotusitz); this is our Field of Battle. Sixty or more miles to eastward of Prag, eight miles or more
to southward of Elbe River and the Ford of ElbeTeinitz (which we shall hear of, in years coming). A scene
worth visiting by the curious, though it is by no means of picturesque character.
Uncomfortably bare, like most German plains; mean little hamlets, which are full of litter when you enter
them, lie sprinkled about; little churchspires (like suffragans to Chotusitz spire, which is near you); a ragged
untrimmed country: beyond the Brook, towards the Dobrowa, two or more miles from Chotusitz, is still
noticeable: something like a Deerpark, with umbrageous features, bushy clumps, and shadowy vestiges of a
Mansion, the one regular edifice within your horizon. Schuschitz is the name of this Mansion and Deerpark;
farther on lies Sbislau, where Leopold happily found his Bridge unbroken yesterday.
The general landscape is scrubby, littery; illtilled, scratched rather than ploughed; physiognomic of Czech
Populations, who are seldom trim at elbows: any beauty it has is on the farther side of the Dobrowa, which
does not concern Prince Leopold, Prince Karl, or us at present. Prince Leopold's camp lies east and west,
short way to north of Chotusitz. Schuschitz Hamlet (a good mile northward of Sbislau) covers his left, the
chain of Lakelets covers his right: and Chotusitz, one of his outposts, lies centrally in front. Prince Karl is
coming on, in four columns, from the Hills and intricacies south of Czaslau,has been on march all night,
intending a nightattack or camisado if he could; but could not in the least, owing to the intricate roadways,
and the discrepancies of pace between his four columns. The sun was up before anything of him
appeared:drawing out, visibly yonder, by the east side of Czaslau; 30,000 strong, they say. Friedrich's
united force, were Friedrich himself on the ground, will be about 28,000.
Friedrich's Orders, which Leopold is studying, were: "Hold by Chotusitz for Centre; your left wing, see you
lean it on something, towards Dobrowa side,on that intricate Brook (Brtlinka) or Park wall of Schuschitz,
[SBISLAU, Friedrich hastily calls it ( OEuvres, ii. 121126); Stille (p. 63) is more exact.] which I think is
there; then your right wing westwards, till you lean again on something: two lines, leave room for me and my
force, on the corner nearest here. I will start at four; be with you between seven and eight,and even bring a
proportion of Austrian bread (hot from these ovens of Kuttenberg) to refresh part of you." Leopold of Anhalt,
a muchcomforted man, waits only for the earliest gray of the morning, to be up and doing. From Chotusitz
he spreads out leftwards towards the Brtlinka Brook,difficult ground that, unfit for cavalry, with its bog
holes, islands, gullies and broken surface; better have gone across the Brtlinka with mere infantry, and leant
on the wall of that Deerpark of Schuschitz with perhaps only 1,000 horse to support, well rearward of the
infantry and this difficult ground? So men think,after the action is over. [Stille, pp. 63, 67.] And indeed
there was certainly some misarrangement there (done by Leopold's subordinates), which had its effects
shortly.
Leopold was not there in person, arranging that left wing; Leopold is looking after centre and right. He
perceives, the right wing will be his best chance; knows that, in general, cavalry must be on both wings. On a
little eminence in front of his right, he sees how the Enemy comes on; Czaslau, lately on their left, is now
getting to rear of them:"And you, stout old General Buddenbrock, spread yourself out to right a little,
hidden behind this rising ground; I think we may outflank their left wing by a few squadrons, which will be
an advantage."
Buddenbrock spreads himself out, as bidden: had Buddenbrock been reinforced by most of the horse that
could do no good on our LEFT wing, it is thought the Battle had gone better. Buddenbrock in this way,
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secretly, outflanks the Austrians; to HIS right all forward, he has that string of marshy pools (Lakes of
Czirkwitz so called, outflowings from the Brook of Neuhof), and cannot be taken in flank by any means.
Brook of Neuhof, which his Majesty crossed yesterday, farther north;and ought to have recrossed by this
time?said Brook, hereabouts a mere fringe of quagmires and marshy pools, is our extreme boundary on the
west or right; Brook of Brtlinka (unluckily NOT wall of the Deerpark) bounds us eastward, or on our left,
Prince Karl, drawn up by this time, is in two lines, cavalry on right and left, but rather in bent order; bent
towards us at both ends (being dainty of his ground, I suppose); and comes on in hollowcrescent
form;which is not reckoned orthodox by military men. What all these Villages, human individuals and
terrified deer, are thinking, I never can conjecture! Thicksoled peasants, terrified nursingmothers: Better to
run and hide, I should say; mount your garron ploughhorses, hide your butterpots, meal barrels; run at
least ten miles or so!
It is now past seven, a hot May morning, the Austrians very near; and yonder, of a surety, is his Majesty
coming. Majesty has marched since four; and is here at his time, loaves and all. His men rank at once in the
corner left for them; one of his horsegenerals, Lehwald, is sent to the left, to put straight what my be awry
there (cannot quite do it, he either);and the attack by Buddenhrock, who secretly outflanks here on the
right, this shall at once take effect. No sooner has his Majesty got upon the little eminence or rising ground,
and scanned the Austrian lines for an instant or two, than his cannonbatteries awaken here; give the Austrian
horse a good blast, by way of morning salutation and overture to the concert of the day. And Buddenbrock,
deploying under cover of that, charges, "first at a trot, then at a gallop," to see what can be done upon them
with the white weapon. Old Uuddenbrock, surely, did not himself RIDE in the charge? He is an old man of
seventy; has fought at Oudenarde, Malplaquet, nay at Steenkirk, and been run through the body, under Dutch
William; is an old acquaintance of Charles XII.s even; and sat solemnly by Friedrich Wilhelm's coffin, after
so much attendance during life. The special leader of the charge was Bredow; also a veteran gentleman, but
still only in the fifties; he, I conclude, made the charge; first at a trot, then at a gallop,with swords flashing
hideous, and eyebrows knit.
"The dust was prodigious," says Friedrich, weather being dry and ground sandy; for a space of time you
could see nothing but one huge whirlpool of dust, with the gleam of steel flickering madly in it: however,
Buddenbrock, outflanking the Austrian first line of horse, did hurl them from their place; by and by you see
the dust tempest running south, faster and faster south,that is to say, the Austrian horse in flight; for
Buddenbrock, outflanking them by three squadrons, has tumbled their first line topsyturvy, and they rush to
rearward, he following away and away. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 123.] Now were the time for a fresh force
of Prussian cavalry,for example, those you have standing useless behind the gullies and quagmires on your
left wing (says Stille, after the event);due support to Buddenbrock, and all that Austrian cavalry were
gone, and their infantry left bare.
But now again, see, do not the dustclouds pause? They pause, mounting higher and higher; they dance
wildly, then roll back towards us; too evidently back. Buddenbrock has come upon the secoud line of
Austrian horse; in too loose order Buddenbrock, by this time, and they have broken him:and it is a mutual
defeat of horse on this wing, the Prussian rather the worse of the two. And might have been serious,had not
Rothenburg plunged furiously in, at this crisis, quite through to the Austrian infantry, and restored matters, or
more. Making a confused result of it in this quarter. Austrian horseregiments there now were that fled quite
away; as did even one or two footregiments, while the Prussian infantry dashed forward on them, escorted
by Rothenburg in this manner,who got badly wounded in the business; and was long an object of solicitude
to Friedrich. And contrariwise certain Prussian horse also, it was too visible, did not compose themselves till
fairly arear of our foot. This is Shock First in the Battle; there are Three Shocks in all.
Partial charging, fencing and flourishing went on; but nothing very effectual was done by the horse in this
quarter farther. Nor did the fire or effort of the Prussian Infantry in this their right wing continue; Austrian
fury and chief effort having, by this time, broken out in an opposite quarter. So that the strain of the Fight lies
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now in the other wing over about Chotusitz and the Brtlinka Brook; and thither I perceive his Majesty has
galloped, being "always in the thickest of the danger" this day. Shock Second is now on. The Austrians have
attacked at Chotusitz; and are threatening to do wonders there.
Prince Leopold's Left Wing, as we said, was entirely defective in the eye of tacticians (after the event). Far
from leaning on the wall of the Deerpark, he did not even reach the Brook,or had to weaken his force in
Chotusitz Village for that object. So that when the Austrian foot comes storming upon Chotusitz, there is but
"half a regiment" to defend it. And as for cavalry, what is to become of cavalry, slowly threading, under
cannonshot and musketry, these intricate quagmires and gullies, and dangerously breaking into files and
strings, before ever it can find ground to charge? Accordingly, the Austrian foot took Chotusitz, after
obstinate resistance; and old Konigseck, very ill of gout, got seated in one of the huts there; and the Prussian
cavalry, embarrassed to get through the gullies, could not charge except piecemeal, and then though in some
cases with desperate valor, yet in all without effectual result. Konigseck sits in Chotusitz;and yet withal the
Russians are not out of it, will not be driven out of it, but cling obstinately; whereupon the Austrians set fire
to the place; its dry thatch goes up in flame, and poor old Konigseck, quite lame of gout, narrowly escaped
burning, they say.
And, see, the Austrian horse have got across the Brtlinka, are spread almost to the Deerpark, and strive hard
to take us in flank,did not the Brook, the bad ground and the platoonfiring (fearfully swift, from
discipline and the iron ramrods) hold them back in some measure. They make a violent attempt or two; but
the problem is very rugged. Nor can the Austrian infantry, behind or to the west of burning Chotusitz, make
an impression, though they try it, with 1evelled bayonets and deadly energy, again and again: the Prussian
ranks are as if built of rock, and their fire is so sure and swift. Here is one Austrian regiment, came rushing on
like lions; would not let go, death or nodeath:and here it lies, shot down in ranks; whole swaths of dead
men, and their muskets by them, as if they had got the word to take that posture, and had done it hurriedly!
A small transitory gleam of proud rage is visible, deep down, in the soul of Friedrich as he records this fact.
Shock Second was very violent.
The Austrian horse, after such experimenting in the Brtlinka quarter, gallop off to try to charge the Prussians
in the rear; "pleasanter by far," judge many of them, "to plunder the Prussian Camp," which they descry in
those regions; whither accordingly they rush. Too many of them; and the Hussars as one man. To the
sorrowful indignation of Prince Karl, whose right arm (or wing) is fallen paralytic in this manner. After the
Fight, they repented in dust and ashes; and went to say so, as if with the rope about their neck; upon which he
pardoned them.
Nor is Prince Karl's left wing gaining garlands just at this moment. Shock Third is awakening;and will be
decisive on Prince Karl. Chotusitz, set on fire an hour since (about 9 A.M.), still burns; cutting him in two, as
it were, or disjoining his left wing from his right: and it is on his right wing that Prince Karl is depending for
victory, at present; his left wing, ruffled by those first Prussian charges of horse, with occasional Prussian
swift musketry ever since, being left to its own inferior luck, which is beginning to produce impression on it.
And, lo, on the sudden (what brought finis to the business), Friedrich, seizing the moment, commands a
united charge on this left wing: Friedrich's right wing dashes forward on it, doublequick, takes it furiously,
on front and flank; fifteen fieldpieces preceding, and intolerable musketry behind them. So that the Austrian
left wing cannot stand it at all.
The Austrian left wing, stormed in upon in this manner, swags and sways, threatening to tumble pellmell
upon the right wing; which latter has its own hands full. No Chotusitz or point of defence to hold by, Prince
Karl is eminently ill off, and will be hurled wholly into the Brtlinka, and the islands and gullies, unless he
mind! Prince Karl,what a moment for him!noticing this undeniable phenomenon, rapidly gives the word
for retreat, to avoid worse. It is near upon Noon; four hours of battle; very fierce on both the wings, together
or alternately; in the centre (westward of Chotusitz) mostly insignificant: "more than half the Prussians"
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standing with arms shouldered. Prince Karl rolls rapidly away, through Czaslau towards southwest again;
loses guns in Czaslau; goes, not quite broken, but at doublequick time for five miles; cavalry, Prussian and
Austrian, bickering in the rear of him; and vanishes over the horizon towards Willimow and Haber that night,
the way he had come.
This is the battle of Chotusitz, called also of Czaslau: Thursday, 17th May, 1742. Vehemently fought on both
sides;calculated, one may hope, to end this Silesian matter? The results, in killed and wounded, were not
very far from equal. Nay, in killed the Prussians suffered considerably the worse; the exact Austrian cipher of
killed being 1,052, while that of the Prussians was 1,905,owing chiefly to those fierce ineffectual
horsecharges and bickerings, on the right wing and left; "above 1,200 Prussian cavalry were destroyed in
these." But, in fine, the general loss, including wounded and missing, amounted on the Austrian side
(prisoners being many, and deserters very many) to near seven thousand, and on the Prussian to between four
and five. [Orlich, i. 255; Feldzuge der Preussen, p. 113; Stille, pp. 6271; Friedrich himself, OEuvres, ii.
121126; and (ib. pp. 145150) the Newspaper "RELATION," written also by him.] Two Generals Friedrich
had lost, who are not specially of our acquaintance; and several younger friends whom he loved. Rothenburg,
who was in that first charge of horse with Buddenbrock, or in rescue of Buddenbrock, and did exploits, got
badly hurt, as we saw,badly, not fatally, as Friedrich's first terror was,and wore his arm in a sling for a
long while afterwards.
Buddenbrock's charge, I since hear, was ruined by the DUST; [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii. 121.] the King's
vanguard, under Rothenburg, a "newraised regiment of Hussars in green," coming to the rescue, were
mistaken for Austrians, and the cry rose, "Enemy to rear!" which brought Rothenburg his disaster. Friedrich
much loved and valued the man; employed him afterwards as Ambassador to France and in places of trust.
Friedrich's Ambassadors are oftenest soldiers as well: bred soldiers, he finds, if they chance to have natural
intelligence, are fittest for all kinds of work.Some eighteen Austrian cannon were got; no standards,
because, said the Prussians, they took the precaution of bringing none to the field, but had beforehand rolled
them all up, out of harm's way.Let us close with this Fraction of topography old aud new:
"King Friedrich purchased Nine Acres of Ground, near Chotusitz, to bury the slain; rented it from the
proprietor for twentyfive years. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 634.] I asked, Where are those nine acres; what
crop is now upon them? but could learn nothing. A dim people, those poor Czech natives; stupid,
dirtyskinned, illgiven; not one in twenty of them speaking any German;and our dragoman a fortuitous
Jew Pedler; with the mournfulest of human faces, though a head worth twenty of those Czech ones, poor
oppressed soul! The Battleplain bears rye, barley, miscellaneous pulse, potatoes, mostly insignificant crops;
the nine heroacres in question, perhaps still of slightly richer quality, lie indiscriminate among the others;
their very fence, if they ever had one, now torn away.
"The Country, as you descend by dusty intricate lanes from Kuttenberg, with your left hand to the Elbe, and
at length with your back to it, would be rather pretty, were it well cultivated, the scraggy litter swept off, and
replaced by verdure and reasonable umbrage here and there. The Field of Chotusitz, where you emerge on it,
is a wide wavy plain; the steeple of Chotusitz, and, three or four miles farther, that of Czaslau (pronounce
'KOTusitz,' 'CHASlau'), are the conspicuous objects in it. The Lakes Friedrich speaks of, which covered his
right, and should cover ours, are not now there,'all, or mostly all, drained away, eighty years ago,'
answered the Czechs; answered one wiser Czech, when pressed upon, and guessed upon; thereby solving the
enigma which was distressful to us. Between those Lakes and the Brtlinka Brook may be some two miles;
Chotusitz is on the crown of the space, if it have a crown. But there is no 'height' on it, worth calling a height
except by the military man; no tree or bush; no fence among the scrubby ryes and pulses: no obstacle but that
Brook, which, or the hollow of which, you see sauntering steadily northward or Elbeward, a good distance
on your left, as you drive for Chotusitz and steeple. Schuschitz, a peaked brown edifice, is visible
everywhere, well ahead and leftwards, well beyond said hollow; something of wood and 'deerpark' still
noticeable or imaginable yonder.
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"Chotusitz itself is a poor littery place; standing whitewashed, but much unswept: in two straggling rows,
now wide enough apart (no Konigseck need now get burnt there): utterly silent under the hot sun; not a child
looked out on us, and I think the very dogs lay wisely asleep. Church and steeple are at the farther or south
end of the Village, and have an older date than 1742. High up on the steeple, mending the clockhands or I
know not what, hung in mid air one Czech; the only living thing we saw. Population may be three or four
hundred,all busy with their teams or otherwise, we will hope. Czaslau, which you approach by something
of avenues, of human roads (dust and litter still abounding), is a much grander place; say of 2,000 or more:
shiny, white, but also somnolent; vast marketplace, or central square, sloping against you: two shiny Hotels
on it, with Austrian uniforms loitering about; and otherwise great emptiness and silence. The shiny Hotels
(shine due to paint mainly) offer little of humanly edible; and, in the interior, smells strike you asas the
OLDEST you have ever met before. A people not given to washing, to ventilating! Many gospels have been
preached in those parts, aud abstruse Orthodoxies, sometimes with fire and sword, and no end of emphasis;
but that of SoapandWater (which surely is as Catholic as any, and the plainest of all) has not yet got
introduced there!" [Tourist's Note (13th September, 1858).]
Czaslau hangs upon the English mind (were not the ignorance so total) by another tie: it is the restingplace
of Zisca, whose drum, or the fable of whose drum, we saw in the citadel of Glatz. Zisca was buried IN his
skin, at Czaslau finally: in the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul there; with due epitaph; and his big mace or
battleclub, mostly iron, hung honorable on the wall close by. Kaiser Ferdinand, Karl V.'s brother, on a
Progress to Prag, came to lodge at Czaslau, one afternoon: "What is that?" said the Kaiser, strolling over this
PeterandPaul's Church, and noticing the mace. "Ugh! Faugh!" growled he angrily, on hearing what; and
would not lodge in the Town, but harnessed again, and drove farther that same night. The club is now gone;
but Zisca's dust lies there irremovable till Doomsday, in the land where his limbs were made. A great
behemoth of a warcaptain; one of the fiercest, inflexiblest, ruggedest creatures ever made in the form of
man. Devoured Priests, with appetite, wherever discoverable: Dishonorers of his Sister; murderers of the
God'switness John Huss; them may all the Devils help! Beat Kaiser Sigismund SUPRA
GRAMMATICAM again and ever again, scattering the Kitter hosts in an extraordinary manner;a Zisca
conquerable only by Death, and the PestFever passing that way.
His birthplace, Troznow, is a village in the Budweis neighborhood, 100 miles to south. There, for three
centuries after him, stood "Zisca's Oak" (under shade of which, his mother, taken suddenly on the
harvestfield, had borne Zisca): a weird object, gate of Heaven and of Orcus to the superstitious populations
about. At midnight on the HallowEve, dark smiths would repair thither, to cut a twig of the Zisca Oak: twig
of it put, at the right moment, under your stithy, insures good luck, lends pith to arm and heart, which is
already good luck. So that a Bishop of those parts, being of some culture, had to cut it down, above a hundred
years ago,and build some Chapel in its stead; no Oak there now, but an orthodox Inscription, not dated that
I could see. [Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iii. (3tes), 110145.]
Friedrich did not much pursue the Austrians after this Victory; having cleared the Czaslau region of them, he
continued there (at Kuttenberg mainly); and directed all his industry to getting Peace made. His experiences
of Broglio, and of what help was likely to be had from Broglio,whom his Court, as Friedrich chanced to
know, had ordered "to keep well clear of the King of Prussia,"had not been flattering. Beaten in this Battle,
Broglio's charity would have been a weak reed to lean upon: he is happy to inform Broglio, that though kept
well clear of, he is not beaten.
Blustering Broglio might have guessed that HE now would have to look to himself. But he did not; his eyes
naturally dim and bad, being dazzled at this time, by "an everglorious victory" (so Broglio thinks it) of his
own achieving. Broglio, some couple of days after Czaslau, had marched hastily out of Prag for Budweis
quarter, where Lobkowitz and the Austrians were unexpectedly bestirring themselves, and threatening to
capture that "Castle of Frauenberg" (mythic old Hillcastle among woods), Broglio's chief post in those
regions. Broglio, May 24th, has fought a handsome skirmish (thanks partly to Belleisle, who chanced to
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arrive from Frankfurt just in the nick of time, and joined Broglio): Skirmish of Sahay; magnified in all the
French gazettes into a Victory of Sahay, victory little short of Pharsalia, says Friedrich;the complete
account of which, forgotten now by all creatures, is to be read in him they call Mauvillon; [ Guerre de
Boheme, ii. 204.] and makes a pretty enough piece of fence, on the small scale. Lobkowitz had to give up the
Frauenberg enterprise; and cross to Budweis again, till new force should come.
"Why not drive him out of Budweis," think the Two French Marshals, "him and whatever force can come? If
those lucky Prussians would cooperate, and those unlucky Saxons, how easy were it!"Belleisle sets off to
persuade Friedrich, to persuade Saxony (and we shall see him on the route); Broglio waiting sublime, on the
hither side of the Moldau, well within wind of Budweis, till Belleisle prevail, and return with said
cooperation, What became of Broglio, waiting in this sublime manner, we shall also have to see; but
perhaps not for a great while yet (cannot pause on such absurd phenomena yet), though Broglio's
catastrophe is itself a thing imminent; and, within some ten days of that astonishing Victory of Sahay,
astonishes poor Broglio the reverse way. A man born for surprises!
Chapter XIV. PEACE OF BRESLAU.
In actual loss of men or of ground, the results of that Chotusitz Affair were not of decisive nature. But it had
been fought with obstinacy; with great fury on the Austrian side (who, as it were, had a bet upon it ever since
February 25th), Britannic George, and all the world, looking on: and, in dispiritment and discredit to the
beaten party, its results were considerable. The voice of all the world, declaring through its Gazetteer Editors,
"You cannot beat those Prussians!" voice confirmed by one's own sad thoughts: in such sounding of the
rams horns round one's Jericho, there is always a strange influence (what is called panic, as if Pan or some
god were in it), and one's Jericho is the apter to fall!
Among the Austrian Prisoners, there was a General Pallandt, mortally wounded too; whom Friedrich,
according to custom, treated with his best humanity, though all help was hopeless to poor Pallandt. Calling
one day at Pallandt's sickcouch, Friedrich was so sympathetic, humane and noble, that Pallandt was touched
by it; and said, "What a pity your noble Majesty and my noble Queen should ruin one another, for a set of
French intruders, who play false even to your Majesty!" "False?" Friedrich inquires farther: Pallandt, a man
familiar at Court, has seen a Letter from Fleury to the Queen of Hungary, conclusive as to Fleury's good
faith; will undertake, if permitted, to get his Majesty a sight of it. Friedrich permits; the Fleury letter comes;
to the effect: "Make peace with us, O Queen; with your Prussian neighbor you shall make what suits you!"
Friedrich read; learned conclusively, what perhaps he had already as good as known otherwise; and drew the
inference. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 633; Hormayr, Anemonen, ii. 186; Adelung, iii. A, 149 n.] Actual copy of
this letter the most ardent Gazetteer curiosity could not attain to, at that epoch; but the Pallandt story seems to
have been true;and as to the Fleury letter in such circumstances, copies of various Fleury letters to the like
purport are still public enough; and Fleury's private intentions, already guessed at by Friedrich, are in our
time a secret to nobody that inquires about them.
Certain enough, Peace with Friedrich is now on the way; and cannot well linger:what prospect has Austria
otherwise? Its very supplies from England will be stopped. Hyndford redoubles his diligence; Britannic
Majesty reiterates at Vienna: "Did not I tell you, Madam; there is no hope or possibility till these Prussians
are off our hands!" To which her Hungarian Majesty, as the bargain was, now sorrowfully assents;
sorrowfully, unwillingly,and always lays the blame on his Britannic Majesty afterwards, and brings it up
again as a great favor she had done HIM. "Did not I give up my invaluable Silesia, the jewel of my crown, for
you, cruel Britannic Majesty with the big purse, and no heart to speak of?" This she urges always, on
subsequent occasions; the highsouled Lady; reproachful of the patient, bigpursed little Gentleman, who
never answers as he might, "For ME, Madam? Well!" In short, Hyndford, Podewils and the Vienna
Excellencies are busy.
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Of these negotiations which go on at Breslau, and of the acres of despatchcs, English, Austrian, and other, let
us not say one word. Enough that the Treaty is getting made, and rapidly,though military offences do not
quite cease; clouds of Austrian Pandours hovering about everywhere in Prince Karl's rear; pouncing down
upon Prussian outposts, convoys, mostly to little purpose; hoping (what proves quite futile) they may even
burn a Prussian magazine here or there. Contemptible to the Prussian soldier, though very troublesome to
him. Friedrich regards the Pandour sort, with their jingling savagery, as a kind of military vermin; not
conceivable a Prussian formed corps should yield to any odds of Pandour Tolpatch tagraggery. Nor does the
Prussian soldier yield; though sometimes, like the mastiff galled by inroad of distracted weasels in too great
quantity, he may have his own difficulties. Witness Colonel Retzow and the Magazine at Pardubitz
("daybreak, May 24th") VERSUS the infinitude of sudden Tolpatchery, bursting from the woods; rabid
enough for many hours, but ineffectual, upon Pardubitz and Retzow. A distinguished Colonel this; of whom
we shall hear again. Whose style of Narrative (modest, clear, grave, brief), much more, whose vigilant
inexpugnable procedure on the occasion, is much to be commended to the military man. [Given in Seyfarth,
Beylage, i. 548 et seqq.] Friedrich, the better to cover his Magazines, and be out of such annoyances, fell back
a little; gradually to Kuttenberg again (Tolpatchery vanishing, of its owm accord); and lay encamped there,
headquarters in the Schloss of Maleschau near by,till the Breslau Negotiations completed themselves.
Prince Karl, fringed with Tolpatchery in this manner, but with much desertion, much dispiritment, in his main
body,the HOOPS upon him all loose, so to speak,staggers zigzag back towards Budweis, and the
Lobkowitz Party there; intending nothing more upon the Prussians;capable now, think some
NONPrussians, of being well swept out of Budweis, and over the horizon altogether. If only his Prussian
Majesty will cooperate! thinks Belleisle. "Your King of Prussia will not, M. le Marechal!" answers
Broglio:No, indeed; he has tried that trade already, M. le Marechal! think Broglio and we. The suspicions
that Friedrich, so quiescent after his Chotusitz, is making Peace, are rife everywhere; especially in Broglio's
head and old Fleury's; though Belleisle persists with emphasis, officially and privately, in the opposite
opinion, "Husht, Messieurs!" Better go and see, however.
Belleisle does go; starts for Kuttenberg, for Dresden; his beautiful Budweis project now ready, French
reinforcements streaming towards us, heart high again,if only Friedrich and the Saxons will cooperate.
Belleisle, the Two Belleisles, with Valori and Company, arrived June 2d at Kuttenberg, at the Schloss of
Maleschau;"spoke little of Chotusitz," says Stille; "and were none of them at the pains to ride to the
ground." Marechal Belleisle, for the next three days, had otherwise speech of Friedrich; especially, on June
5th, a remarkable Dialogue. "Won't your Majesty cooperate?" "Alas, Monseigneur de Belleisle" How
gladly would we give this last Dialogue of Friedrich's and Belleisle's, one of the most ticklish conceivable:
but there is not anywhere the least record of it that can be called authentic;and we learn only that Friedrich,
with considerable distinctness, gave him to know, "clearly" (say all the Books, except Friedrich's own), that
cooperation was henceforth a thing of the preterpluperfect tense. "All that I ever wanted, more than I ever
demanded, Austria now offers; can any one blame me that I close such a business as ours has all along been,
on such terms as these now offered me are?"
It is said, and is likely enough, the PallandtFleury Letter came up; as probably the MORAVIAN FORAY,
and various Broglio passages, would, in the train of said Letter. To all which, and to the inexorable painful
corollary, Belleisle, in his high lean way, would listen with a stern grandiose composure. But the rumors add,
On coming out into the Anteroom, dialogue and sentence now done, Monseigneur de Belleisle tore the
peruke from his head; and stamping on it, was heard to say volcanically, "That cursed parson,CE
MAUDIT CALOTTE [old Fleury],has ruined everything!" Perhaps it is not true? If true,the prompt
valets would quickly replace Monseigneur's wig; chasing his long strides; and silence, in so dignified a man,
would cloak whatever emotions there were. [Adelung, iii. A, 154; Guerre de Boheme, (silent about the wig)
admits, as all Books do, the perfect clearness;compare, however, OEuvres de Frederic; and also Broglio's
strange darkness, twelve days later, and Belleisle now beside him again ( Campagnes des Trois Marechaux,
v. 190, 191, of date 17th June);darkness due perhaps to the strange humor Broglio was then in?] He rolled
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off, he and his, straightway to Dresden, there to invite cooperation in the Budweis Project; there also in
vain. "COoperation," M. le Marechal? Alas, it has already come to operation, if you knew it! Aud your
Broglio is Better hurry back to Prag, where you will find phenomena!
June 15th, Friedrich has a grand dinner of Generals at Maleschau; and says, in proposing the first bumper,
"Gentlemen, I announce to you, that, as I never wished to oppress the Queen of Hungary, I have formed the
resolution of agreeing with that Princess, and accepting the Proposals she has made me in satisfaction of my
rights,"telling them withal what the chief terms were, and praising my Lord Hyndford for his great
services. Upon which was congratulation, cordial, universal; and, with full rummers, "Health to the Queen of
Hungary!" followed by others of the like type, "GrandDuke of Lorraine!" and "The brave Prince Karl!"
especially.
Brevity being incumbent on us, we shall say only that the Hyndford Podewils operations had been speeded,
day and night; brought to finis, in the form of Signed Preliminaries, as "Treaty of Breslau, 11th June, 1742;"
and had gone to Friedrich's satisfaction in every particular. Thanks to the useful Hyndford,to the willing
mind of his Britannic Majesty, once so indignant, but made willing, nay passionately eager, by his love of
Human Liberty and the pressure of events! To Hyndford, some weeks hence, [2d August
( HeldenGeschichte, ii. 729).]I conclude, on Friedrich's request,there was Order of the Thistle sent;
and grandest investiture ever seen almost, done by Friedrich upon Hyndford (Jordan, Keyserling, Schwerin,
and the Sword of State busy in it; Two Queens and all the Berlin firmament looking on); and, perhaps better
still, on Friedrich's part there was gift of a Silver DinnerService; gift of the Royal Prussian Arms (which do
enrich ever since the Shield of those Scottish Carmichaels, as doubtless the DinnerService does their
Platechest); and abundant praise and honor to the useful Hyndford, heavy of foot, but sure, who had reached
the goal.
This welcome Treaty, signed at Breslau, June 11th, and confirmed by "Treaty of Berlin, July 28th," in more
explicit solemn manner, to the selfsame effect, can be read by him that runs (if compelled to read Treaties);
[In HeldenGeschichte, i. 10611064 (Treaty of Breslau), ib. 10651070 (that of Berlin); to be found also in
Wenck, Rousset, Scholl, Adeluug, the terms, in compressed form, are:
1. "Silesia, Lower and Upper, to beyond the watershed and the Oppa stream,reserving only the
Principality of Teschen, with pertinents, which used to be reckoned Silesian, and the ulterior Mountaintops
[Mountaintops good for what? thought Friedrich, a year or two afterwards!]Silesia wholly, within those
limits, and furthermore the County Glatz and its dependencies, are and remain the property of Friedrich and
of his Heirs male or female; given up, and made his, to all intents and purposes, forevermore. With which
Friedrich, to the like long date, engages to rest satisfied, and claim nothing farther anywhere.
2. "Silesian DutchEnglish Debt [Loan of about Two Millions, better half of it English, contracted by the late
Kaiser, on Silesian security, in that dreadful PolishElection crisis, when the Sea Powers would not help,
but left it to their Stockbrokers] is undertaken by Friedrich, who will pay interest on the same till liquidated.
3. "Religion to stand where it is. Prussian Majesty not to meddle in this present or in other Wars of her
Hungarian Majesty, except with his ardent wishes that General Peace would ensue, and that all his friends,
Hungarian Majesty among others, were living in good agreement around him."
This is the Treaty of Breslau (June 11th, 1742), or, in second more solemn edition, Treaty of Berlin (July
28th following); signed, ratified, guaranteed by his Britannic Majesty for one, [Treaty of Westminster,
between Friedrich aud George, 29th (18th) November, 1842 (Scholl, ii. 313).] and firmly planted on the
Diplomatic adamant (at least on the Diplomatic parchment) of this world. And now: Homewards, then;
march!
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Huge huzzaing, heraldtrumpeting, bobmajoring, bursts forth from all Prussian Towns, especially from all
Silesian ones, in those June days, as the drums beat homewards; elaborate Illuminations, in the short nights;
with bonfires, with transparencies,Transparency inscribed "FREDERICO MAGNO (To Friedrich THE
GREAT)," in one small instance, still of premature nature. [ HeldenGeschichte (ii. 702729) is endless on
these Illuminations; the Jauer case, of FREDERICO MAGNO (Jauer in Silesia), is of June 15th (ib. 712).]
Omitting very many things, about Silesian Fortresses, ArmyCantons, Silesian settlements, military and civil,
which would but weary the reader, we add only this from Bielfeld: dusty Transit of a victorious Majesty, now
on the threshold of home. Precise date (which Bielfeld prudently avoids guessing at) is July 11th, 1742; "M.
de Pollnitz and I are in the suite of the King:
"We never stopped on the road, except some hours at Frankfurton Oder, where the Fair was just going on.
On approaching the Town, we found the highway lined on both sides with crowds of traders, and other
strangers of all nations; who had come out, attracted by curiosity to see the conqueror of Silesia, and had
ranged themselves in two rows there. His Majesty's entry into Frankfurt, although a very triumphant one, was
far from being ostentatious. We passed like lightning before the eyes of the spectators, and we were so
covered with dust, that it was difficult to distinguish the color of our coats and the features of our faces. We
made some purchases at Frankfurt; and arrived safely in the Capital [next day], where the King was received
amidst the acclamations of his People." [Bielfeld, ii. 51.]
Here is a successful young King; is not he? Has plunged into the Mahlstrom for his jewelled gold Cup, and
comes up with it, alive, unlamed. Will he, like that DIVER of Schiller's, have to try the feat a second time?
Perhaps a second time, and even a third!
BOOK XIV. THE SURROUNDING EUROPEAN WAR DOES NOT END.
August, 1742July, 1744.
Chapter I. FRIEDRICH RESUMES HIS PEACEABLE PURSUITS.
Friedrich's own Peace being made on such terms, his wish and hope was, that it might soon be followed by a
general European one; that, the livecoal, which had kindled this War, being quenched, the War itself might
go out. Silesia is his; farther interest in the Controversy, except that it would end itself in some fair manner,
he has none. "Silesia being settled," think many, thinks Friedrich for one, "what else of real and solid is there
to settle?"
The European Public, or benevolent individuals of it everywhere, indulged also in this hope. "How glorious is
my King, the youngest of the Kings and the grandest!" exclaims Voltaire (in his Letters to Friedrich, at this
time), and reexclaims, till Friedrich has to interfere, and politely stop it: "A King who carries in the one
hand an allconquering sword, but in the other a blessed olive branch, and is the Arbiter of Europe for
Peace or War!" "Friedrich the THIRD [so Voltaire calls him, counting ill, or misled by ignorance of German
nomenclature], Friedrich the Third, I mean Friedrich the Great (FREDERIC LE GRAND)," will do this, and
do that;probably the first emergence of that epithet in human speech, as yet in a quite private hypothetic
way. [Letters of Voltaire, in OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 100, this last Letter is of date "July, 1742"almost
contemporary with the" Jauer Transparency" noticed above.] Opinions about Friedrich's conduct, about his
talents, his moralities, there were many (all wide of the mark): but this seemed clear, That the weight of such
a sword as his, thrown into either scale, would be decisive; and that he evidently now wished peace. An
unquestionable fact, that latter! Wished it, yes, right heartily; and also strove to hope,though with less
confidence than the benevolent outside Public, as knowing the interior of the elements better.
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These hopes, how fond they were, we now all know. True, my friends, the livecoal which kindled this
incendiary whirlpool (ONE of the livecoals, first of them that spread actual flame in these European parts,
and first of them all except Jenkins's Ear) is out, fairly withdrawn; but the fire, you perceive, rages not the
less. The fire will not quench itself, I doubt, till the bitumen, sulphur and other angry fuel have run much
lower! Austria has fighting men in abundance, England behind it has guineas; Austria has got injuries, then
successes:there is in Austria withal a dumb pride, quite equal in pretensions to the vocal vanity of France,
and far more stubborn of humor. The First Nation of the Universe, rashly hurling its finethroated
huntingpack, or Army of the Oriflamme, into Austria,see what a sort of badgers, and gloomily indignant
bears, it has awakened there! Friedrich had to take arms again; and an unwelcome task it was to him, and a
sore and costly. We shall be obliged (what is our grand difficulty in this History) to note, in their order, the
series of European occurrences; and, tedious as the matter now is, keep readers acquainted with the current of
that big War; in which, except Friedrich broad awake, and the Ear of Jenkins in somnambulancy, there is now
next to nothing to interest a human creature.
It is an error still prevalent in England, though long since exploded everywhere else, that Friedrich wanted
new wars, "new successful robberies," as our Gazetteers called them; and did wilfully plunge into this War
again, in the hope of again doing a stroke in that kind. English readers, on consulting the facts a little, will not
hesitate to sweep that notion altogether away. Shadow of basis, except in their own angry uninformed
imaginations, they will find it never had; and that precisely the reverse is manifest in Friedrich's History. A
perfectly clearsighted Friedrich; able to discriminate shine from substance; and gravitating always towards
the solid, the actual. That of "GLOIRE," which he owns to at starting, we saw how soon it died out, choked in
the dire realities. That of Conquering Hero, in the Macedonia'smadman style, was at all times far from him,
if the reader knew it,perhaps never farther from any King who had such allurements to it, such
opportunities for it. This his First Expedition to Silesiaa rushing out to seize your own stolen horse, while
the occasion answeredwas a voluntary one; produced, we may say, by Friedrich's own thought and the
Invisible Powers. But the rest were all purely compulsory,to defend the horse he had seized. Clear
necessities, and Powers very Visible, were the origin of all his other Expeditions and Warlike Struggles,
which lasted to the end of his life.
That recent "Moravian Foray;" the jointstock principle in War matters; and the terrible pass a man might
reduce himself to, at that enormous gamingtable of the gods, if he lingered there: think what considerations
these had been for him! So that "his look became FAROUCHE," in the sight of Valori; and the spectre of
Ruin kept him company, and such helldogs were in chase of him;till Czaslau, when the dice fell kind
again! All this had been didactic on a young docile man. He was but thirty gone. And if readers mark such
docility at those years, they will find considerable meaning in it. Here are prudence, moderation, clear
discernment; very unusual VERACITY of intellect, as we define it,which quality, indeed, is the summary
and victorious outcome of all manner of good qualities, and faithful performances, in a man. "Given up to
strong delusions," in the tragical way many are, Friedrich was not; and, in practical matters, very seldom
indeed "believed a lie."
Certain it is, he now resumes his old Reinsberg Program of Life; probably with double relish, after such
experiences the other way; and prosecutes it with the old ardor; hoping much that his History will be of
halcyon pacific nature, after all. Would the mad War whirlpool but quench itself; dangerous for singeing a
near neighbor, who is only just got out of it! Fain would he be arbiter, and help to quench it; but it will not
quench. For a space of Two Years or more (till August, 1744, Twentysix Months in all), Friedrich, busy on
his own affairs, with carefully neutral aspect towards this War, yet with sword ready for drawing in case of
need, looks on with intense vigilance; using his wisest interference, not too often either, in that sense and in
that only, "Be at Peace; oh, come to Peace!"and finds that the benevolent Public and he have been
mistaken in their hopes. For the next Two Years, we say:for the first Year (or till about August, 1743),
with hope not much abated, and little actual interference needed; for the latter Twelvemonth, with hope ever
more abating; interference, warning, almost threatening ever more needed, and yet of no avail, as if they had
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been idle talking and gesticulation on his part:till, in August, 1744, he had toBut the reader shall
gradually see it, if by any method we can show it him, in something of its real sequence; and shall judge of it
by his own light.
Friedrich's Domestic History was not of noisy nature, during this interval:and indeed in the bewildered
Records given of it, there is nothing visible, at first, but one wide vortex of simmering inanities; leading to
the desperate conclusion that Friedrich had no domestic history at all. Which latter is by no means the fact!
Your poor Prussian Dryasdust (without even an Index to help you) being at least authentic, if you look a long
time intensely and on many sides, features do at last dawn out of those sad vortexes; and you find the old
Reinsberg Program risen to activity again; and all manner of peaceable projects going on. Friedrich visits the
Baths of Aachen (what we call AixlaChapelle); has the usual Inspections, business activities, recreations,
visits of friends. He opens his OperaHouse, this first winter. He enters on Law reform, strikes decisively
into that grand problem; hoping to perfect it. What is still more significant, he in private begins writing his
MEMOIRS. And furthermore, gradually determines on having a little Country House, place of escape from
his big Potsdam Palace; and gets plans drawn for it,place which became very famous, by the name of
SANSSOUCI, in times coming. His thoughts are wholly pacific; of Life to Minerva and the Arts, not to
Bellona and the Battles:and yet he knows well, this latter too is an inexorable element. About his Army, he
is quietly busy; augmenting, improving it; the staff of life to Prussia and him.
Silesian Fortressbuilding, under ugly Walrave, goes on at a steadily swift rate. Much Silesian settlement
goes on; fixing of the PrussianAustrian Boundaries without; of the Catholic Protestant limits within: rapid,
not too rough, remodelling of the Province from Austrian into Prussian, in the Financial, Administrative and
every other respect:in all which important operations the success was noiseless, but is considered to have
been perfect, or nearly so. Cannot we, from these enormous Paper masses, carefully riddled, afford the
reader a glimpse or two, to quicken his imagination of these things?
SETTLES THE SILESIAN BOUNDARIES, THE SILESIAN ARRANGEMENTS; WITH MANIFEST
PROFIT TO SILESIA AND HIMSELF.
In regard to the Marches, Herr Nussler, as natural, was again the person employed. Nussler, shifty soul,
wideawake at all times, has already seen this Country; "noticed the Pass into Glatz with its blockhouse,
and perceived that his Majesty would want it." From September 22d to December 12th, 1742, the actual
Operation went on; ratified, completely set at rest, 16th January following. [Busching, Beitrage, ? Nussler:
and Busching's Magazin, b. x. (Halle, 1776); where, pp. 475538, is a "GESCHICHTE DER
SHLESISCHEN GRANZSCHEIDUNG IM JAHR 1742," in great amplitude and authenticity.] Nussler
serves on three thalers (nine shillings) a day. The Austrian HeadCommissioner has 5 pounds (thirty thalers)
a day; but he is an elderly fat gentleman, pursy, scant of breath; cannot stand the rapid galloping about, and
thousandfold inspecting and detailing; leaves it all to Nussler; who goes like the wind. Thus, for example,
Nussler dictates, at evening from his saddle, the mutual Protocol of the day's doings; Old Pursy sitting by,
impatient for supper, and making no criticisms. Then at night, Nussler privately mounts again; privately, by
moonlight, gallops over the ground they are to deal with next day, and takes notice of everything. No wonder
the boundarypillars, set up in such manner, which stand to this day, bear marks that Prussia here and there
has had fair play!Poor Nussler has no fixed appointment yet, except one of about 100 pounds a year: in all
my travels I have seen no man of equal faculty at lower wages. Nor did he ever get any signal promotion, or
the least exuberance of wages, this poor Nussler; unless it be that he got trained to perfect veracity of
workmanship, and to be a man without dryrot in the soul of him; which indeed is incalculable wages.
Income of 100 pounds a year, and no dryrot in the soul of you anywhere; income of 100,000 pounds a year,
and nothing but dry and wet rot in the soul of you (ugly appetites unveracities, blusterous conceits,and
probably, as symbol of all things, a potbelly to your poor body itself): Oh, my friends!
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In settling the Spiritual or internal CatholicProtestant limits of Silesia, Friedrich did also a workmanlike
thing. Perfect fairness between Protestant and Catholic; to that he is bound, and never needed binding. But it
is withal his intention to be King in Catholic Silesia; and that no Holy Father, or other extraneous individual,
shall intrude with inconvenient pretensions there. He accordingly nominates the now Bishop of Neisse and
natural Primate of Silesia,Cardinal von Sinzendorf, who has made submission for any late Austrian
peccadilloes, and thoroughly reconciled himself,nominates Sinzendorf "VicarGeneral" of the Country;
who is to relieve the Pope of Silesian trouble, and be himself QuasiSupreme of the Catholic Church there.
"No offence, Holy Papa of Christian Mankind! Your holy religion is, and shall be, intact in these parts; but
the palliums, bulls and other holy wares and interferences are not needed here. On that footing, be pleased to
rest content."
The Holy Father shrieked his loudest (which is now a quite calculable loudness, nothing like so loud as it
once was); declared he would "himself join the Army of Martyrs sooner;" and summoned Sinzendorf to
Rome: "What kind of HINGE are you, CARDINALIS of the Gates of" Husht! Shrieked his loudest, we
say; but, as nobody minded it, and as Sinzendorf would not come, had to let the matter take its course.
[Adelung, iii. A. 197200.] And, gradually noticing what correct observance of essentials there was, he even
came quite round, into a high state of satisfaction with this Heretic King, in the course of a few years.
Friedrich and the Pope were very polite to each other thenceforth; always ready to do little mutual favors.
And it is to be remarked, Friedrich's management of his Clergy, Protestant and Catholic, was always
excellent; true, in a considerable degree, to the real law of things; gentle, but strict, and without shadow of
hypocrisy, in which last fine particular he is singularly unique among Modern Sovereigns.
He recognizes honestly the uses of Religion, though he himself has little; takes a good deal of pains with his
Preaching Clergy, from the ArmyChaplain upwards,will suggest texts to them, with scheme of sermon,
on occasion;is always anxious to have, as Clerical Functionary, the right man in the important place; and
for the rest, expects to be obeyed by them, as by his Sergeants and Corporals. Indeed, the reverend men feel
themselves to be a body of Spiritual Sergeants, Corporals and Captains; to whom obedience is the rule, and
discontent a thing not to be indulged in by any means. And it is worth noticing, how well they seem to thrive
in this completely submissive posture; how much real Christian worth is traceable in their labors and them;
and what a fund of piety and religious faith, in rugged effectual form, exists in the Armies and Populations of
such a King. ["In 1780, at Berlin, the population being 140,000, there are of ECCLESIASTIC kind only 140;
that is 1 to the 1,000;at Munchen there are thirty times as many in proportion" (Mirabeau, Monarchie
Prussienne, viii. 342; quoting NICOLAI).] ...
By degrees the Munchows and Official Persons intrusted with Silesia got it wrought in all respects, financial,
administrative, judicial, secular and spiritual, into the Prussian model: a long tough job; but one that proved
well worth doing. [In Preuss (i. 197200), the various steps (from 1740 to 1806).] In this state, counts one
authority, it was worth to Prussia "about six times what it had been to Austria;"from some other forgotten
source, I have seen the computation "eight times." In money revenue, at the end of Friedrich's reign, it is a
little more than twice; the "eight times" and the "six times," which are but loose multiples, refer, I suppose, to
population, trade, increase of national wealth, of new regiments yielded by new cantons, and the like.
[Westphalen, in Feldzuge des Herzogs Ferdinand (printed, Berlin, 1859, written 100 years before by that
wellinformed person), i. 65, says in the rough "six times:" Preuss, iv. 292, gives, very indistinctly, the
ciphers of Revenue, in 1740 and SOME later Year: according to Friedrich himself ( Oeuvres, ii. 102), the
Silesian Revenue at first was "3,600,000 thalers" (540,000 pounds, little more than Half a Million);
Population, a MillionandHalf.]
Six or eight times as useful to Prussia: and to the Inhabitants what multiple of usefulness shall we give? To be
governed on principles fair and rational, that is to say, conformable to Nature's appointment in that respect;
and to be governed on principles which contradict the very rules of Cocker, and with impious disbelief of the
very Multiplication Table: the one is a perpetual Gospel of Cosmos and Heaven to every unit of the
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Population; the other a Gospel of Chaos and Beelzebub to every unit of them: there is no multiple to be found
in Arithmetic which will express that!Certain of these advantages, in the new Government, are seen at
once; others, the still more valuable, do not appear, except gradually and after many days and years. With the
one and the other, Schlesien appears to have been tolerably content. From that Year 1742 to this, Schlesien
has expressed by word and symptom nothing but thankfulness for the Transfer it underwent; and there is, for
the last Hundred Years, no part of the Prussian Dominion more loyal to the Hohenzollerns (who are the
Authors of Prussia, without whom Prussia had never been), than this their latest acquisition, when once it too
got moulded into their own image. [Preuss, i. 193, and ib. 200 (Note from Klein, a Silesian Jurist): "Favor not
merit formerly;" "Magistracies a regular branch of TRADE;""highway robbers on a strangely familiar
footing with the old Breslau magistrates;"
OPENING OF THE OPERAHOUSE AT BERLIN.
... December 7th, this Winter, Carnival being come or just coming, Friedrich opens his New OperaHouse,
for behoof of the cultivated Berlin classes; a fine Edifice, which had been diligently built by Knobelsdorf,
while those Silesian battlings went on. "One of the largest and finest Operahouses in the whole world; like a
sumptuous Palace rather. Stands free on all sides, space for 1,000 Coaches round it; Five great Entrances, five
persons can walk abreast through each; and insideyou should see, you should hear! Boxes more like rooms
or boudoirs, free view and perfect hearing of the stage from every point: air pure and free everywhere; water
aloft, not only for theatrical cascades, but to drown out any fire or risk of fire." [Seyfarth, i. 234; Nicolai,
Beschreibung von Berlin, i. 169.] This is Seyfarth's account, still capable of confirmation by travelling
readers of a musical turn. I have seen Operas with much more brilliancy of gas and gilding; but none nearly
so convenient to the human mind and sense; or where the audience (not now a gratis one) attended to the
music in so meritorious a way.
"Perhaps it will attract moneyed strangers to frequent our Capital?"some guess, that was Friedrich's
thought. "At all events, it is a handsome piece of equipage, for a musical King and People; not to be
neglected in the circumstances. Thalia, in general,let us not neglect Thalia, in such a dearth of worshipable
objects." Nor did he neglect Thalia. The trouble Friedrich took with his Opera, with his DancingApparatus,
French Comedy, and the rest of that affair, was very great. Much greater, surely, than this Editor would have
thought of taking; though, on reflection, he does not presume to blame. The world is dreadfully scant of
worshipable objects: and if your Theatre is your own, to sweep away intrusive nonsense continually from the
gates of it? Friedrich's Opera costs him heavy sums (surely I once knew approximately what, but the sibylline
leaf is gone again upon the winds!)and he admits gratis a select public, and that only. [Preuss, i. 277; and
Preuss, Buch fur Jedermann, i. 100.] "This Winter, 174243, was unusually magnificent at Court: balls,
WIRTHSCHAFTEN [kind of MIMIC FAIRS], sledgeparties, masquerades, and theatricals of all
sorts;and once even, December 2d, the new Golden TableService [cost of it 200,000 pounds] was in
action, when the two Queens [Queen Regnant and Queen Mother] dined with his Majesty."
FRIEDRICH TAKES THE WATERS AT AACHEN, WHERE VOLTAIRE COMES TO SEE HIM.
Months before that of the OperaHouse or those Silesian settlements, Friedrich, in the end of August, what is
the first thing visible in his Domestic History, makes a visit, for health's sake, to Aachen (AixlaChapelle so
called), with a view to the waters there. Intends to try for a little improvement in health, as the basis of
ulterior things. Health has naturally suffered a little in these Warhardships; and the Doctors recommend
Aix. After Wesel, and the Westphalian Inspections, Friedrich, accordingly, proceeds to Aix; and for about a
fortnight (23th August9th September) drinks the waters in that old restingplace of
Charlemagne;particulars not given in the Books; except that "he lodged with Baege" (if any mortal now
knew Baege), and did an Audience or so to select persons now unknown. He is not entirely incognito, but is
without royal state; the "guard of twenty men, the escort of 160 men," being no men of his, but presumably
mere Townguard of Aix coming in an honorary way. Aix is proud to see him; he himself is intent on the
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waters here at old Aix:
Aquisgranum, urbs regalis, Sedes Regni principalis: )
My friend, this was Charlemagne's high place; and his dust lies here, these thousand years last past. And there
used to soar "a very large Gilt Eagle," ten feet wide or so, aloft on the Cathedralsteeple there; Eagle turned
southward when the Kaiser was in Frankenland, eastward when he was in Teutsch or Teutonland; in fact,
pointing out the Kaiser's whereabouts to loyal mankind. [Kohler, ReichsHistorie. ] Eagle which shines on
me as a human fact; luminously gilt, through the dark Dryasdustic Ages, gone all spectral under Dryasdust's
sad handling. Friedrich knows farther, that for many centuries after, the "Reich's INSIGNIA
(REICHSKLEINODIEN)" used to be here,though Maria Theresa has them now, and will not give them
up. The whole of which points are indifferent to him. The practical, not the sentimental, is Friedrich's
interest;not to say that WERTER and the sentimental were not yet born into our afflicted Earth. A King
thoroughly practical;yet an exquisite player on the flute withal, as we often notice; whose adagio could
draw tears from you. For in himself, too, there were floods of tears (as when his Mother died); and he has
been heard saying, not bragging but lamenting, what was truly the fact, that "he had more feeling than other
men." But it was honest human feeling always; and was repressed, where not irrepressible;as it behooved
to be.
Friedrich's suite was not considerable, says the French spy at Aix on this occasion; pomp of Entrance,a
thing to be mute upon! "Came driving in with the common posthorses of the country; and such a set of
carriages as your Lordship, intent on the sublime, has no idea of." [SpyLetter, in Campagnes des Trois
Marechaux, i. 222.] Rumor was, His Britannic Majesty was coming (also on pretext of the waters) to confer
with him; other rumor is, If King George came in at one gate, King Friedrich would go out at the other. A
dubious Friedrich, to the French spy, at this moment; nothing like so admirable as he once was!
The French emotions (of which we say little), on Friedrich's making Peace for himself, had naturally been
great. To the French Public it was unexpected, somewhat SUDDEN even to the Court; and, sure enough, it
was of perilous importance in the circumstances. Few days ago, Broglio (by order given him) "could not
spare a man," for the Common Cause;and now the Common Cause has become entirely the Broglio one,
and Broglio will have the full use of all his men! "Defection [plainly treasonous to your Liege Lord and
Nation]! horrible to think of!" cried the French Public; the Court outwardly taking a lofty tragicelegiac tone,
with some air of hope that his Prussian Majesty would perhaps come round again, to the side of his afflicted
France! Of which, except in the way of helping France and the other afflicted parties to a just Peace if he
could, his Prussian Majesty had small thought at this time.
More affecting to Friedrich were the natural terrors of the poor Kaiser on this event. The Kaiser has already
had his Messenger at Berlin, in consequence of it; with urgent inquiries, entreaties; an expert Messenger,
who knows Berlin well. So other than our old friend, the OrdnanceMaster Seckendorf, now titular
Feldmarschall, whom one is more surprised than delighted to meet again! Being out with Austria
(clamoring for great sums of "arrears," which they will not pay), he has been hanging about this new Kaiser,
ever since Electiontime; and is again getting into employment, Diplomatic, Strategic, for some
years,though we hope mostly to ignore him and it. Friedrich's own feeling at sight of him,ask not about
it, more than if there had been none! Friedrich gave him "a distinguished reception;" Friedrich's answer sent
by him to the Kaiser was all kindness; emphatic assurance, "That, not 'hostility' by any means, that loyalty,
friendship, and aid wherever possible within the limits, should always be his rule towards the now Kaiser,
lawful Head of the Reich, in difficult circumstances." ["Audience, 30th July" (Adelung, iii. A, 217).] Which
was some consolation to the poor man,stript of his old revenues, old Bavarian Dominions, and unprovided
with new; this sublime Headship of the Reich bring moneyless; and one's new "Kingdom of Bohemia"
hanging in so uncertain a state, with nothing but a PharsaliaSahay to show for itself!
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Among Friedrich's "inconsiderable suite," at Aachen, was Prince Henri (his youngest Brother, age now
sixteen, a small, sensitive, shivering creature, but of uncommon parts); and another young man, Prince
Ferdinand of Brunswick, his Wife's youngest Brother; a soldier, as all the Brothers are; soldier in Friedrich's
Army, this one; in whose fine inarticulate eupeptic character are excellent dispositions and capacities
discernible. Ferdinand goes generally with the King; much about him in these years. All the Brothers follow
soldiering; it is the one trade of German Princes. When at home, Friedrich is still occasionally with his
Queen; who lives at Schonhausen, in the environs of Berlin, but goes with him to Charlottenburg, to old
Reinsberg; and has her share of galas in his company, with the Queen Mother and cognate Highnesses.
Another small fact, still more memorable at present, is, That Voltaire now made him a Third
Visit,privately on Fleury's instance, as is evident this time. Of which Voltaire Visit readers shall know
duly, by and by, what little is knowable. But, alas, there is first an immense arrear of Warmatters to bring
up; to which, still more than to Voltaire, the afflicted reader must address himself, if he would understand at
all what Friedrich's Environment, or circumambient Lifeelement now was, and how Friedrich, well or ill,
comported himself in the same. Brevity, this Editor knows, is extremely desirable, and that the scissors
should be merciless on those sad PaperHeaps, intolerable to the modern mind; but, unless the modern mind
chance to prefer ease and darkness, what can an Editor do!
Chapter II. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS ARE ON THE MOUNTING HAND.
Austrian affairs are not now in their nadirpoint; a long while now since they passed that. Austria, to all
appearance dead, started up, and began to strike for herself, with some success, the instant Walpole's
SOUPROYAL (that first 200,000 pounds, followed since by abundance more) got to her lips. Touched her
poor pale lips; and went tingling through her, like life and fiery elasticity, out of death by inanition! Cardinal
moment, which History knows, but can never date, except vaguely, some time in 1741; among the last acts of
judicious Walpole.
Austria, thanks to its own Khevenhullers and its English guineas, was already rising in various quarters: and
now when the Prussian Affair is settled, Austria springs up everywhere like an elastic body with the pressure
taken from it; mounts steadily, month after month, in practical success, and in height of humor in a still
higher ratio. And in the course of the next Two Years rises to a great height indeed. Heresnatched, who
knows with what difficulty, from that shoreless bottomless slough of an Austrian Succession War,
deservedly forgotten, and avoided by extant mankindare some of the more essential phenomena, which
Friedrich had to witness in those months. To witness, to scan with such intense interest,rightly, at his
peril;and to interpret as actual "Omens" for him, as monitions of a most indisputable nature! No Haruspex,
I suppose, with or without "white beard, and long staff for cutting the Heavenly Vault into compartments
from the zenith downwards," could, in Etruria or elsewhere, "watch the flight of birds, now into this
compartment, now into that," with stricter scrutiny than, on the new terms, did this young King from his
Potsdam Observatory.
WARPHENOMENA IN THE WESTERN PARTS: KING GEORGE TRIES, A SECOND TIME, TO
DRAW HIS SWORD; TUGS AT IT VIOLENTLY, FOR SEVEN MONTHS (FebruaryOctober, 1742).
"The first phenomenon, cheering to Austria, is that of the Britannic Majesty again clutching sword, with
evident intent to draw it on her behalf. [Tindal, xx. 552; Old Newspapers; Besides his potent souproyal of
HalfMillions annually, the Britannic Majesty has a considerable sword, say 40,000, of British and of
subsidized;sword which costs him a great deal of money to keep by his side; and a great deal of clamor
and insolent gibing from the Gazetteer species, because he is forced to keep it strictly in the scabbard
hitherto. This Year, we observe, he has determined again to draw it, in the Cause of Human Liberty, whatever
follow. From early Spring there were symptoms: Camps on Lexden and other Heaths, much reviewing in
HydePark and elsewhere; from all corners a universal marching towards the Kent Coast; the aspects being
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favorable. 'We can besiege Dunkirk at any rate, cannot we, your High Mightinesses? Dunkirk, which, by all
the Treaties in existence, ought to need no besieging; but which, in spite of treatyings innumerable, always
does?' The High Mightinesses answer nothing articulate, languidly grumble something in OPTATIVE
tone;'meaning assent,' thinks the sanguine mind. 'Dutch hoistable, after all!' thinks he; 'Dutch will
cooperate, if they saw example set!' And, in England, the work of embarking actually begins.
"Britannic Majesty's purpose, and even fixed resolve to this effect, had preceded the PrussianAustrian
Settlement. May 20th, ["9th" by the Old Newspapers; but we always TRANSLATE their o.s.] 'Two regiments
of Foot,' first poor instalment of British Troops, had actually landed at Ostend;news of the Battle of
Chotusitz, much more, of the AustrianPrussian Settlement, or Peace of Breslau, would meet them THERE.
But after that latter auspicious event, things start into quick and doublequick time; and the Gazetteers get
vocal, almost lyrical: About Howard's regiment, Ponsonby's regiment, all manner of regiments, off to
Flanders, for a stroke of work; how 'Ligonier's Dragoons [a set of wild swearing fellows, whom Guildford is
happy to be quit of] rode through Bromley with their kettledrums going, and are this day at Gravesend to
take ship;'"or to give one other, more specific example:
"Yesterday [3d July, 1742] General Campbell's Regiment of Scotch Greys arrived in the Borough of
Southwark, on their march to Dover, where they are to embark for Flanders. They are fine hardy fellows, that
want no seasoning; and make an appearance agreeable to all but the innkeepers,"who have such billeting to
do, of late. [ Daily Post, June 23d (o.s.), 1742.] "Grey Dragoons," or Royal ScotsGreys, is the title of this
fine Regiment; and their Colonel is LieutenantGeneral John Campbell, afterwards Duke of Argyle (fourth
Duke), Cousin of the great second Duke of Argyle that now is. [Douglas, Scotch Peerage (Edinburgh, 1764),
p. 44.] Visibly billeting there, in Southwark, with such intentions:and, by accident, this Editor knows
Twenty of these fine fellows! Twenty or so, who had gone in one batch as Greys; sons of good Annandale
yeomen, otherwise without a career open: some Two of whom did get back, and lived to be old men; the
rumor of whom, and of their unheardof adventures, was still lingering in the air, when this Editor began
existence. Pardon, O reader!
"But, all through those hot days, it is a universal drumming, kettledrumming, coastward; preparation of
transports at Gravesend, at the top of one's velocity. 'All the coopers in London are in requisition for
watercasks, so that our very brewers have to pause astonished for want of tubs.' There is pumping in of
water day and night, Sunday not excepted, then throwing of it out again [owing to new circumstances]: 250
saddlehorses, and 100 sumpter ditto, for his Majesty's own use,these need a deal of water, never to speak
of Ligonier and the Greys. 'For the honor of our Country, his Majesty will make a grander appearance this
Campaign than any of his Predecessors ever did; and as to the magnificence of his equipage,'besides the
350 quadrupeds, 'there are above 100 rich portmanteaus getting ready with all expedition.' [ Daily Post,
September 13th (I.E. 26th).] The Fat Boy too [Royal Highness Duke of Cumberland, one should say] is to go;
a most bravehearted, flaxenflorid, plump young creature; hopeful Son of Mars, could he once get
experience, which, alas, he never could, though trying it for fiveandtwenty years to come, under huge
expense to this Nation! There are to be 16,000 troops, perhaps more; '1,000 sandbags' (empty as yet);
demolition of Dunkirk the thing aimed at." If only the Dutch prove hoistable!
"And so, from May on to September, it noisily proceeds, at multiplex rates? and often with more haste than
speed: and in such five months (seven, strictly counted) of clangorous movement and deadlift exertion,
there were veritably got across, of Horse and Foot with their equipments, the surprising number of '16,334
men.' [Adelung, iii. A, 201.] May 20th it began,that is, the embarking began; the noise and babble about it,
which have been incessant ever since, had begun in February before;and on September 26th, Ostend, now
almost weary of huzzaing over British glory by instalment, had the joy of seeing our final portions of
Artillery arrive: Such a Park of SiegeandField Artillery," exults the Gazetteer, "as"as these poor
creatures never dreamt of before.
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"Magnanimous Lord Stair, already Plenipotentiary to the Dutch, is to be King's GeneralinChief of this fine
Enterprise; Carteret, another Lord of some real brilliancy, and perhaps of still weightier metal, is head of the
Cabinet; hearty, both of them, for these AntiFrench intentions: and the Public cannot but think, Surely
something will come of it this time? More especially now that Maillebois, about the middle of August, by a
strange turn of fortune, is swept out of the way. Maillebois, lying over in Westphalia with his 30 or 40,000,
on 'Check to your King' this year past, had, on sight of these AntiDunkirk movements, been ordered to look
Dunkirk way, and at length to move thitherward, for protection of Dunkirk. So that Stair, before his Dunkirk
business, will have to fight Maillebois; which Stair doubts not may be satisfactorily done. But behold, in
August and earlier, come marvellous news from the Prag quarter, tragical to France; and Maillebois is off, at
his best speed, in the reverse direction; on a far other errand!"Of which readers shall soon hear enough.
"Dunkirk, therefore, is now open. With 16,000 British troops, Hanoverians to the like number, and Hessians
6,000, together near 40,000, not to speak of Dutch at all, surely one might manage Dunkirk, if not something
still better? It is AFTER Maillebois's departure that these dreadful exertions, coopering of watercasks,
pumping all Sunday, go on at Gravesend: 'Swift, oh, be swift, while time is!' And
GeneralissimoPlenipotentiary Stair, who has run over beforehand, is ardent enough upon the Dutch; his
eloquence fiery and incessant: 'Magnanimous High Mightinesses, was there, will there again be, such a
chance? The Cause of Human Liberty may be secured forever! Dunkirkor what is Dunkirk even? Between
us and Paris, there is nothing, now that Maillebois is off on such an errand! Why should not we play
Marlborongh again, and teach them a little what Invasion means? It is ourselves alone that can hinder it!
Now, I say, or never!'
"Stair was a pupil of Marlborough's; is otherwise a shining kind of man; and has immense things in his eye, at
this time. They say, what is not unlikely, he proposed an Interview with Friedrich now at Aachen; would
come privately, to 'take the waters' for a day or two,while Maillebois was on his new errand, and such a
crisis had risen. But Friedrich, anxious to be neutral and give no offence, politely waived such honor. Lord
Stair was thought to be something of a General, in fact as well as in costume;and perhaps he was so. And
had there been a proper COUNTESS of Stair, or new Sarah Jennings,to cover gently, by artmagic, the
Britannic Majesty and Fat Boy under a tub; and to put Britain, and British Parliament and resources, into
Stair's hand for a few years,who knows what Stair too might have done! A Marlborough in the War
Arts,perhaps still less in the Peace ones, if we knew the great Marlborough,he could not have been. But
there is in him a recognizable flash of magnanimity, of heroic enterprise and purpose; which is highly
peculiar in that sordid element. And it can be said of him, as of lightning striking ineffectual on the Bog of
Allen or the Stygian Fens, that his strrngth was never tried."For the upshot of him we will wait; not very
long.
These are fine prospects, if only the Dutch prove hoistable. But these are as nothing to what is passing, and
has passed, in the Eastern Parts, in the BohemianBavarian quarter, since we were there. Poor Kaiser Karl,
what an outlook for him! His own real Bavaria, much more his imaginary "Upper Austria" and "Conquests on
the Donau," after that Segur Adventure, are plunging headlong. As to his once "Kingdom of Bohemia," it has
already plunged; nay, the Army of the Oriflamme is itself near plunging, in spite of that Pharsalia of a Sahay!
Bavaria itself, we say, is mostly gone to Khevenhuller; Segur with his French on march homeward, and
nothing but Bavarians left. Thz BelleisleBroglio grand Budweis Expedition is gone totally heels over head;
Belleisle and Broglio are getting, step by step, shut up in Prag and besieged there: while MailleboisLet us
try whether, by snatching out here a fragment and there a fragment, with chronological and other appliances,
it be not possible to give readers some conceivable notion of what Friedrich was now looking at with such
interest!
HOW DUC D'HARCOURT, ADVANCING TO REINFORCE THE ORIFLAMME, HAD TO SPLIT
HIMSELF IN TWO; AND BECOME AN "ARMY OF BAVARIA," TO LITTLE EFFECT.
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The poor Kaiser, who at one time counted "30,000 Bavarians of his own," has all along been ill served by
them and the bad Generals they had: two Generals; both of whom, Minuzzi, and old Feldmarschall Thorring
(Prime Minister withal), came to a bad reputation in this War. Beaten nearly always; Thorring quite
always,"like a DRUM, that Thorring; never heard of except when beaten," said the wits! Of such let us not
speak. Understand only, FIRST, that the French, reasonably soon after that Linz explosion, did, in such crisis,
get reinforcements on the road; a Duc d'Harcourt with some 25,000 faring forward, in an intermittent manner,
ever since "March 4th." And SECONDLY, that Khevenhuller has fast hold of Passau, the AustrianBavarian
KeyCity; is master of nearly all Bavaria (of Munchen, and all that lies south of the Donau); and is now
across on the north shore, wrenching and tugging upon Kelheim and the IngolstadtDonauworth regions,
with nothing but Thorring people and small French Garrisons to hinder him; where it will be fatal if he
quite prosper; Ingolstadt being our PlaceofArms, and House on the Highway, both for Bavaria and
Bohemia!
"For months past, there had been a gleam of hope for Kaiser Karl, and his new 'Kingdom of Bohemia,' and
old Electorate of Bavaria, from the rumor of 'D'Harcourt's reinforcement,'a 20 or 30,000 new Frenchmen
marching into those parts, in a very detached intermittent manner; great in the Gazettes. But it proved a gleam
only, and came to nothing effectual. Poor D'Harcourt, owing to cross orders [Groglio clamorously demanding
that the new force should come to Prag; Karl Albert the Kaiser, nominally Generalin Chief, demanding
that it should go down the Donau and sweep his Bavaria clear], was in difficulty. To do either of these cross
orders might have brought some result; but to halfdo both of them, as he was enjoined to attempt, was not
wise! Some half of his force he did detach towards Broglio; which got to actual junction, partly before, partly
after, that PharsaliaSahay Affair, and raised Broglio to a strength of 24,000,still inadequate against Prince
Karl. Which done, D'Harcourt himself went down the Donau, on his original scheme, with the remainder of
his forces,now likewise become inadequate. He is to join with Feldmarschall Thorring in the"And does
it, as we shall see presently! ...
MUNCHEN, 5th MAY. "Rumor of D'Harcourt had somewhat cleared Bavaria of Austrians; but the reality of
him, in a divided state, by no means corresponds. Thus Munchen City, in the last days of April, D'Harcourt
advancing, terrible as a rumor,rejoiced exceedingly to see the Austrians march out, at their best pace. And
the exultant populace even massacred a loitering Tolpatch or two; who well deserve it, think the populace,
judging by their experience for the last three months, since Barenklau and Mentzel became King here.
'Rumor of D'Harcourt?' answers Khevenhuller from the KelheimPassau side of things: 'Let us wait for sight
of him, at least!' And orders Munchen to be reoccupied. So that, alas, 'within a week,' on the 5th of May,
Barenklau is back upon the poor City; exacts severe vengeance for the Tolpatch business; and will give them
seven months more of his company, in spite of D'Harcourt, and 'the Army of Bavaria' as he now called
himself:"new "Army of Bavaria," when once arrived in those Countries, and joined with poor Thorring
and the Kaiser's people there. Such an "Army of Bavaria," first and last, asas Khevenhuller could have
wished it! Under D'Harcourt, joined with old Feldmarschall Thorring (him whom men liken to a DRUM,
"never heard of except when beaten"), this is literally the sum of what fighting it did:
"HILGARTSBERG (Deggendorf DonauCountry), MAY 28th. D'Harcourt and Thorring, after junction at
Donauworth several weeks ago, and a good deal of futile marching up and down in those Donau Countries,
on the left bank, for most part; Khevenhuller holding stiffly, as usual, by the Inn, the Iser, and the rivers
and countries on the right,did at last, being now almost within sight of Passau and that important valley of
the Inn across yonder, seriously decide to have a stroke at Passau, and to dislodge Khevenhuller, who is weak
in force, though obstinate. They perceive that there is, on this left bank, a post in the woods, Castle of
Hilgartsberg, none of the strongest Castles, rather a big Country Mansion than a Castle, which it will be
necessary first to take. They go accordingly to take it (May 28th, having well laid their heads together the day
before); march through intricate wet forest country, peat above all abundant; see the Castle of Hilgartsberg
towering aloft, picturesque object in the Donau Valley, left bank;are met by cannonshot, caseshot, shot
of every kind; likewise by Croats apparently innumerable, by cavalry sabrings and levelled bayonets; do not
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behave too well, being excessively astonished; and are glad to get off again, leaving one of their guns lodged
in the mud, and about a hundred unfortunate men. [ Guerre de Boheme, ii. 146148, 136, This quite
disgusted D'Harcourt with the Passau speculation and these grim Khevenhuller outposts. He straightway took
to collecting Magazines; lodging himself in the attainable Towns thereabouts, Deggendorf the chief strength
for him; and gave up fighting till perhaps better times might arrive." We will wish him good success in the
victualling department, hope to hear no more of him in this History;and shall say only that Comte de Saxe,
before long, relieves him of this Bavarian Army; and will be seen at the head of it, on a most important
business that rises.
Kaiser Karl begins to have real thoughts of recalling this Thorring, who is grown so very AUDIBLE,
altogether home; and of appointing Seckendorf instead. A course which Belleisle has been strongly
recommending for some time. Seckendorf is at present "gathering meal in the OberPfalz" (Upper Palatinate,
road from Ingolstadt to Eger, to Bohmen generally), that is, forming Magazines, on the Kaiser's behalf there:
"Surely a likelier man than your Thorring!" urges Belleisle always. With whom the Kaiser does finally
comply; nominates Seckendorf commander,recalls the invaluable Thorring!" to his services in our Cabinet
Council, which more befit his great age." In which safe post poor Thorring, like a Drum NOT beaten upon,
has thenceforth a silent life of it; Seckendorf fighting in his stead,as we shall have to witness, more or less.
Khevenhuller's is a changed posture, since he stood in Vienna, eight or nine months ago; grimly resolute,
drilling his "6,000 of garrison," with the wheelbarrows all busy!But her Hungarian Majesty's chief success,
which is now opening into outlooks of a quite triumphant nature, has been that over the New Oriflamme
itself, the BelleisleBroglio Army,most sweet to her Majesty to triumph over! Shortly after Chotusitz,
shortly after that Pharsalia of a Sahay, readers remember Belleisle's fine Project, "Conjoined attack on
Budweis, and sweeping of Bohemia clear;"readers saw Belleisle, in the Schloss of Maleschau, 5th June
last, rushing out (with violence to his own wig, says rumor); hurrying off to Dresden for cooperation;
equally in vain. "Cooperation, M. le Marechal; attack on Budweis?"Here is another Fragment:
HOW BELLEISLE, RETURNING FROM DRESDEN WITHOUT COOPERATION, FOUND THE
ATTACK HAD BEEN DONE,IN A FATALLY REVERSE WAY. PRAG EXPECTING SIEGE.
COLLOQUY WITH BROGLIO ON THAT INTERESTING POINT. PRAG BESIEGED.
BUDWEIS, JUNE 4th,PRAG, JUNE 13th. "Broglio, ever since that Sahay [which had been fought so
gloriously on Frauenberg's account], lay in the Castle of Frauenberg, in and around,hither side of the
Moldau river, with his Pisek thirty miles to rear, and judicious outposts all about. There lay Broglio,
meditating the attack on Budweis [were cooperation once here],when, contrariwise, altogether on the
sudden, Budweis made attack on Broglio; tumbled him quite topsyturvy, and sent him home to Prag,
uncertain which end uppermost; rolling like a heap of mown stubble in the wind, rather than marching like an
army!" ... Take one glance at him:
"JUNE 4th, 1742 [day BEFORE that of Belleisle's "Wig" at Maleschau, had Belleisle known it!]Prince
Karl, being now free of the Prussians, and ready for new work, issued suddenly from Budweis; suddenly stept
across the Moldau,by the Bridge of MoldauTein, sweeping away the French that lay there. Prince Karl
swept away this first French Post, by the mere sight and sound of him; swept away, in like fashion, the
second and all following posts; swept Broglio himself, almost without shot fired, and in huge flurry, home to
Prag, doublequick, night and day,with much loss of baggage, artillery, prisoners, and total loss of one's
presence of mind. 'Poor man, he was born for surprises' [said Friedrich's Doggerel long ago]! Manoeuvred
consummately [he asserts] at different points, behind rivers and the like; but nowhere could he call halt, and
resolutely stand still. Which undoubtedly he could and should have done, say Valori and all judges;nothing
quite immediate being upon him, except the wastehowling tagraggery of Croats, whom it had been good to
quench a little, before going farther. On the third night, June 7th, he arrived at Pisek; marched again before
daybreak, leaving a garrison of 1,200,who surrendered to Prince Karl next day, without shot fired. Broglio
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tumbling on abead, doublequick, with the tagraggery of Croats continually worrying at his heels,
baggagewagons sticking fast, country people massacring all stragglers, panted home to Prag on the 13th;
with 'the Gross of the Army saved, don't you observe!' And thinks it an excellent retreat, he if no oneelse.
[ Guerre de Boheme, ii. 122, Campagnes, v. 167 (his own Despatch).]
"At Pisek, Prince Karl has ceased chasing with his regulars, the pace being so uncommonly swift. From
Pisek, Prince Karl struck off towards Pilsen, there to intercept a residue of Harcourt reinforcements who were
coming that way: from Broglio, who knew of it, but in such flurry could not mind it, he had no hindrance;
and it was by good luck, not management of Broglio's, that these poor reinforcements did in part get through
to him, and in part seek refuge in Eger again. Broglio has encamped under the walls of Prag; in a ruinous
though still blusterous condition; his positions all gone; except Prag and Eger, nothing in Bohemia now his."
PRAG, 17th JUNE17th AUGUST. "It is in this condition that Belleisle, returning from the
KuttenbergDresden mission (June 15th), finds his Broglio. Most disastrous, Belleisle thinks it; and nothing
but a Siege in Prag lying ahead; though Broglio is of different opinion, or, blustering about his late
miraculous retreat, and other high merits too little recognized, forms no opinion at all on such extraneous
points. ... From Versailles, they had auswered Belleisle: 'Nothing to be made of Dresden either, say you?
Then go you and take the command at Prag; send Broglio to command the Bavarian Army. See, you, what
can be done by fighting.' On this errand Belleisle is come, the heavyladen man, and Valori with him,if, in
this black crisis, Valori could do anything. Valori at least reports the colloquy the Two Marshals had [one bit
of colloquy, for they had more than one, though as few as possible; Broglio being altogether blusterous,
sulphurous, difficult to speak with on polite terms]. [Valori, i. 162166; Campagnes, v. 170, 124, 'Army of
Bavaria?' answers Broglio; 'I will have those Ten Battalions of the D'Harcourt reinforcement, then. I tell you,
Yes! Prag? Prag may go to the What have I to do with Prag? The oldest Marechal of France, superseded,
after such merits, and on the very heel of such a retreat! Nay, but where is YOUR commission to command in
Prag, M. le Marechal?' Belleisle, in the haste there was, has no Commission rightly drawn out by the
Waroffice; only an Order from Court. '_I_ have a regular commission, Monseigneur: I want a Sign manual
before laying it down!' The unreasonable Broglio.
"Belleisle, tormented with rheumatic nerves, and of violent temper at any rate, compresses the immense
waste rage that is in him. His answers to Broglio are calm and lowvoiced; admirable to Valori. One thing he
wished to ascertain definitely: What M. de Broglio's intentions were; and whether he would, or would not, go
to Bavaria and take charge there? If so, he shall have all the Cavalry for escort; Cavalry, unless it be
dragoons, will only eat victual in case of siege.No, Broglio will not go with Cavalry; must have those Ten
Battalions, must have Signmanual; won't, in short!"Will stay, then, thinks Belleisle; and one must try to
drive him, as men do pigs, covertly and by the rule of contraries, while Prag falls under Siege.
What an outlook for his Most Christian Majesty's service,fatal altogether, had not Belleisle been a high
man, and willing to undertake pigdriving! ... "Discouragement in the Army is total, were it not for Belleisle;
anger against Broglio very great. The Officers declare openly, 'We will quit, if Broglio continue General! Our
commissions were made out in the name of Marechal de Belleisle [in the spring of last Year, when he had
such levees, more crowded than the King's!]we are not bound to serve another General!''You recognize
ME for your General?' asks Belleisle. 'Yes!''Then, I bid you obey M. de Broglio, so long as he is here.'
[Valori, i. 166.] ...
"JUNE 27th. The GrandDuke, Maria Theresa's Husband, come from Vienna to take commandinchief,
joins the Austrian main Army and his Brother Karl, this day: at Konigsaal, one march to the south of Prag.
Friedrich being now off their hands, why should not they besiege Prag, capture Prag! Under Khevenhullcr,
with Barenklau, and the Mentzels, Trencks,poor D'Harcourt merely storing victual, Bavaria lies safe
enough. And the Oriflamme caged in Prag:Have at the Oriflamme!
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"Prag is begirdled, straitened more and more, from this day. Formal Siege to begin, so soon 'as the artillery
can come up' which is not for seven weeks yet]. And so, in fine, 'AUGUST 17th, all at once,' furious
bombardment bursts out, from 36 mortars and above 100 big guns, disposed in batteries around. [ Guerre de
Boheme, ii. 149, 170.] To which the French, Belleisle's high soul animating everything, as furiously
responded; making continual sallies of a hot desperate nature; especially, on the fifth day of the siege, one
sally [to be mentioned by and by] which was very famous at Prag and at Paris." ...
CONCERNING THE ITALIAN WAR WHICH SIMULTANEOUSLY WENT ON, ALL ALONG.
War in Italythe Spanish Termagant very high in her AntiPragmatic notionsthere had been, for eight
months past; and it went on, fiercely enough, doggedly enough, on both sides for Six Years more, till 1748,
when the general Finis came. War of which we propose to say almost nothing; but must request the reader to
imagine it, all along, as influential on our specific affairs.
The Spanish Termagant wished ardently to have the Milanese and pertinents, as an Apanage for her second
Infant, Don Philip; a young gentleman who now needs to be provided for, as Don Carlos had once done.
"Cannot get to be Pope this one, it appears," said the fond Mother (who at one time looked that way for her
Infant,): "Well, here is the Milanese fallen loose!" Readers know her for a lady of many claims, of illimitable
aspirations; and she went very high on the Pragmatic Question. "Headship of the Golden Fleece, Madam;
YOU head of it? I say all Austria, German and Italian, is mine!"though she has now magnanimously given
up the German part to Kaiser Karl VII.; and will be content with the Italian, as an Apanage for Don Philip.
And so there is War in Italy, and will be. To be imagined by us henceforth.
A War in which these Three Elements are noticeable as the chief. FIRST, the Sardinian Majesty, [Charles
Emanuel, Victor Amadeus's Son (Hubner, t. 293): born 27th April, 1701; lived and reigned till 19th February,
1773 (OErtel, t. 77).] who is very anxious himself for Milanese parings and additaments; but, except by
skilfully playing offandon between the French side and the Austrian, has no chance of getting any. For
Spain he is able to fight; and also (on good British Subsidies) against Spain. Element SECOND is the British
Navy, cruising always between Spain and the Seat of War; rendering supplies by sea impossible,almost
impossible. THIRD, the Passes of Savoy; wild Alpine chasms, stonelabyrinths; inexpugnable, with a
Sardinian Majesty defending; which are the one remaining road, for Armies and Supplies, out of Spain or
France.
The Savoy Passes are, in fact, the gist of the War; the insoluble problem for Don Philip and the French. By
detours, by circuitous effort and happy accident, your troops may occasionally squeeze through: but without
one secure road open behind them for supplies and recruitments, what good is it? Battles there are, behind the
Alps, on what we may call the STAGE itself of this Italian War theatre; but the grand steady battle is that of
France and Don Philip, struggling spasmodically, year after year, to get a road through the COULISSES or
sidescenes,namely, those Savoy Passes. They try it by this Pass and by that; Pass of Demont, Pass of
VillaFranca or Montalban (glorious for France, but futile), Pass of Exilles or Col d'Assiette (again glorious,
again futile and fatal); sometimes by the way of Nice itself, and rocky muletracks overhanging the seaedge
(British Navalcannon playing on them); and can by no way do it.
There were fine fightings, in the interior too, under Generals of mark; General Browne doing feats, excellent
old General Feldmarschall Traun, of whom we shall hear; Maillebois, Belleisle the Younger, of whom we
have heard. There was Battle of Campo Santo, new battle there (Traun's); there was Battle of Rottofreddo;
of Piacenza (doleful to Maillebois),followed by Invasion of Provence, by Revolt of Genoa and other
things: which all readers have now forgotten. [Two elaborate works on the subject are said to be instructive to
military readers: Buonamici (who was in it, for a while). De Bello Italico Commentarii (in Works of
Buonamici, Lyon, 1750); and Pezay, Campagnes de Maillebois (our Westphalian friend again) en Italie,
17451746 (Paris, 1775).] Readers are to imagine this Italian War, all along, as a fact very loud and real at
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that time, and continually pulsing over into our German Events (like halfaudible thunder below the horizon,
into raging thunder above), little as we can afford to say of it here. One small Scene from this Italian
War;one, or with difficulty two;and if possible be silent about all the rest:
SCENE, ROADS OF CADIZ, October, 1741: BY WHAT ASTONISHING ARTIFICE THIS ITALIAN
WAR DID, AT LENGTH, GET BEGUN.
... "The Spanish Court, that is, Termagant Elizabeth, who rules everybody there, being in this humor, was
passionate to begin; and stood ready a good while, indignantly champing the bit, before the sad preliminary
obstacles could be got over. At Barcelona she had, in the course of last summer, doubly busy ever since
Mollwitz time, got into equipment some 15,000 men; but could not by any method get them across,owing
to the British Fleets, which hung blockading this place and that; blockading Cadiz especially, where lay her
Transportships and Warships, at this interesting juncture. Fleury's cunctations were disgusting to the ardent
mind; and here now, still more insuperable, are the British Fleets; hereand a pest to him!is your Admiral
Haddock, blockading Cadiz, with his Seventyfours!
"But again, on the other or Pragmatic side, there were cunctations. The Sardinian Majesty, Charles Emanuel
of Savoy, holding the door of the Alps, was difficult to bargain with, in spite of British Subsidies;stood out
for higher doorfees, a larger slice of the Milanese than could be granted him; had always one ear open for
France, too; in short, was tedious and capricious, and there seemed no bringing him to the point of drawing
sword for her Hungarian Majesty. In the end, he was brought to it, by a stroke of British Art,such to the
admiring Gazetteer and Diplomatic mind it seemed;equal to anything we have since heard of, on the part
of perfidious Albion.
"One day, 'middle of October last,' the Seventyfours of Haddock and perfidious Albion,Spanish official
persons, looking out from Cadiz Lighthouse, ask themselves, 'Where are they? Vanished from these waters;
not a Seventyfour of them to be seen!'Have got foul in the underworks, or otherwise some blunder has
happened; and the blockading Fleet of perfidious Albion has had to quit its post, and run to Gibraltar to refit.
That, I guess, was the Machiavellian stroke of Art they had done; without investigating Haddock and
Company [as indignant Honorable Members did], I will wager, That and nothing more!
"In any case, the Termagant, finding no Seventyfours there, and the wind good, despatches swiftly her
Transports and Warships to Barcelona; swiftly embarks there her 15,000, France cautiously assisting; and
lands them complete, 'by the middle of December,' Haddock feebly opposing, on the Genoa coast: 'Have at
the Milanese, my men!' Which obliges Charles Emanuel to end his cunctations, and rank at once in defence
of that Country, [Adelung, ii. 535, 538 (who believes in the "stroke of art"): what kind of "art" it was, learn
sufficiently in Gentleman's Magazine, of those months.] lest he get no share of it whatever. And so the game
began. Europe admired, with a shudder, the refined stroke of art; for in cunning they equal Beelzebub, those
perfidious Islanders;and are always at it; hence their greatness in the world. Imitate them, ye Peoples, if
you also would grow great. That is our Gazetteer Evangel, in this late epoch of Man's History." ...
OTHER SCENE, BAY OF NAPLES, 19th~20th August, 1742: KING OF TWO SICILIES (BABY
CARLOS THAT WAS), HAVING BEEN ASSISTING MAMMA, IS OBLIGED TO BECOME NEUTRAL
IN THE ITALIAN WAR.
Readers will transport themselves to the Bay of Naples, and beautiful Vesuvian scenery seen from sea. The
EnglishSpanish War, it would appear, is not quite dead, nor carried on by Jenkins and the Wapping people
alone. Here in this Bay it blazes out into something of memorability; and gives lively sign of its existence,
among the other troubles of the world.
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"SUNDAY, AUGUST 19th, Commodore Martin, who had arrived overnight, appears in the Bay, with due
modicum of seventyfours, 'dursley galleys,' bombvessels, on an errand from his Admiral [one Matthews]
and the Britannic Majesty, much to the astonishment of Naples. Commodore Martin hovers about, all
morning, and at 4 P.M. drops anchor,within shot of the place, fearfully near;and therefrom sends ashore
a Message: 'That his Sicilian Majesty [Baby Carlos, our notable old friend, who is said to be a sovereign of
merit otherwise], has not been neutral, in this Italian War, as his engagements bore; but has joined his force to
that of the Spaniards, declared enemies of his Britannic Majesty; which rash step his Britannic Majesty
hereby requires him to retract, if painful consequences are not at once to ensue!' That is Martin's message; to
which he stands doggedly, without variation, in the extreme flutter and multifarious reasoning of the poor
Court of Naples: 'Recall your 20,000 men, and keep them recalled,' persists Martin; and furthermore at last,
as the reasoning threatens to get lengthy: 'Your answer is required within one hour,'and lays his watch on
the Cabintable.
"The Court, thrown into transcendent tremor, with no resource but either to be burnt or comply, answers
within the hour: 'Yes: in all points.' Some eight hours or so of reasoning: deep in the night of Sunday, it is all
over; everything preparing to get signed and sealed; ships making ready to sail again;and on Tuesday at
sunrise, there is no Martin there. Martin, to the last topgallant, has vanished clean over the horizon; never to
be seen again, though long remembered. [Tindal's Rapin, xx. 572 (MISdates, and is altogether indistinct);
Gentleman's Magazine, xii. 494:CAME, "Sunday morning, 19th August, n.s.;" "anchored abont 4 p.m.;" "2
a.m. of 20th" all agreed; King Carlos's LETTER is GOT, ships prepared for sailing; sail that night, and
tomorrow, 21st, are out of sight.] One wonders, Were Pipes and Hatchway perhaps there, in Martin's
squadron? In what station Commodore Trunnion did then serve in the British Navy? Vanished ghosts of grim
mute seakings, there is no record of them but what is itself a kind of ghost! Ghost, or symbolical phantasm,
from the brain of that Tobias Smollett; an assistant Surgeon, who served in the body along with them, his
singular value altogether unknown."King Carlos's Neutrality, obtained in this manner, lasted for a
yearandhalf; a sensible alleviation to her Hungarian Majesty for the time. We here quit the Italian War;
leaving it to the reader's fancy, on the above terms. .......
THE SIEGE OF PRAG CONTIMES. A GRAND SALLY THERE.
"PRAG, 22d AUGUST. In the same hours, while Martin lay coercing Naples, the Army of the Oriflamme in
Prag City was engaged in 'furious sallies;'"readers may divine what that means for Prag and the
Oriflamme!
"Prag is begirdled, bombarded from all the Wischerads, Ziscabergs and Hill environments; every avenue
blocked, 'above 60,000 Austrians round it, near 40,000 of them regulars:' a place difficult to defend; but with
excellent arrangements for defence on Belleisle's part, and the garrison with its blood up. Garrison makes
continual furious sallies,which are eminently successful, say the French Newspapers; but which end, as all
sallies do, in returning home again, without conquest, except of honor;and on this Wednesday, 22d
August, comes out with the greatest sally of all. [ Campagnes, vi. 5; Guerre de Boheme, ii. 173.] While
Commodore Martin, many a Pipes and Hatchway standing grimly on the watch unknown to us, is steering
towards Matthews and the Toulon waters again. The equal sun looking down on all.
"It was about twelve o'clock, when this Prag sally, now all in order, broke out, several thousand strong, and
all at the white heat, now a constant temperature. Sally almost equal to that Pharsalia of a Sahay, it would
seem;concerning which we can spend no word in this brief summary. Fierce fighting, fiery irresistible
onslaught; but it went too far, lost all its captured cannon again; and returned only with laurels and a heavy
account of killed and wounded,the leader of it being himself carried home in a very bleeding state. 'Oh, the
incomparable troops!' cried Paris;cried Voltaire withal (as I gather), and in very high company, in that
Visit at Aachen. A sally glorious, but useless.
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"The Imperial Generals were just sitting down to dinner, when it broke out; had intended a Council of War,
over their wine, in the GrandDuke's tent: 'What, won't they let us have our dinner!' cried Prince Karl, in
petulant humor, struggling to be mirthful. He rather likes his dinner, this Prince Karl, I am told, and does not
object to his wine: otherwise a hearty, talky, freeandeasy Prince,'black shallowset eyes, face red, and
much marked with smallpox.' Clapping on his hat, faculties sharpened by hunger and impatience, let him do
his best, for several hours to come, till the sally abate and go its ways again. Leaving its cannon, and trophies.
No sally could hope to rout 60,000 men; this furious sally, almost equal to Sahay, had to return home again,
on the above terms. Upon which Prince Karl and the others got some snatch of dinner; and the inexorable
pressure of Siege, tightening itself closer and closer, went on as before.
"The eyes of all Europe are turned towards Prag; a big crisis clearly preparing itself there. ... France, or aid in
France, is some 500 miles away. In D'Harcourt, merely gathering magazines, with his Khevenhuller near, is
no help; help, not the question there! The garrison of Eger, 100 miles to west of us, across the Mountains,
barely mans its own works. Other strong post, or support of any kind in these countries, we have now none.
We are 24,000; and of available resource have the Magazines in Prag, and our own right hands.
"The flower of the young Nobility had marched in that Oriflamme; now standing at bay, they and it, in
Prag yonder: French honor itself seems shut up there! The thought of it agitates bitterly the days and nights of
old Fleury, who is towards ninety now, and always disliked war. The French public too,we can fancy what
a public! The young Nobility in Prag has its spokesmen, and spokes women, at Versailles, whose
complaint waxes louder, shriller; the whole world, excited by rumor of those furious sallies, is getting shrill
and loud. What can old Fleury do but order Maillebois: 'Leave Dunkirk to its own luck; march immediately
for relief of Prag!' And Maillebois is already on march; his various divisions (August 9th20th) crossing the
Rhine, in Dusseldorf Country;"of whom we shall hear.
... "Some time before the actual Bombardment, Fleury, seeing it inevitable, had ordered Belleisle to treat.
Belleisle accordingly had an interview, almost two interviews, with Konigseck. [ Guerre de Boheme, ii. 156
("2d July" the actual interview); ib. 161 (the corollary to it, confirmatory of it, which passed by letters).]
'Liberty to march home, and equitable Peace Negotiations in the rear?' proposed Belleisle. 'Absolute
surrender; Prisoners of War!' answered Konigseck; 'such is her Hungarian Majesty's positive order and
ultimatum.' The high Belleisle responded nothing unpolite; merely some, 'ALORS, MONSIEUR!' And rode
back to Prag, with a spirit all in white heat;gradually heating all the 24,000 white, and keeping them so.
"In fact, Belleisle, a highflown lion reduced to silence and now standing at bay, much distinguishes himself
in this Siege; which, for his sake, is still worth a moment's memory from mankind. He gathers himself into
iron stoicism, into concentration of endeavor; suffers all things, Broglio's domineering in the first place; as if
his own thin skin were that of a rhinoceros; and is prepared to dare all things. Like an excellent soldier, like
an excellent citizen. He contrives, arranges; leads, covertly drives the domineering Broglio, by rule of
contraries or otherwise, according to the nature of the beast; animates all men by his laconic words; by his
silences, which are still more emphatic. ... Sechelles, provident of the future, has laid in immense supplies of
indifferent biscuit; beef was not attainable: Belleisle dismounts his 4,000 cavalry, all but 400 dragoons;
slaughters 160 horses per day, and boils the same by way of butcher'smeat, to keep the soldier in heart. It is
his own fare, and Broglio's, to serve as example. At Broglio's quarter, there is a kind of ordinary of
horseflesh: Officers come in, silent speed looking through their eyes; cut a morsel of the boiled provender,
break a bad biscuit, pour one glass of indifferent wine; and eat, hardly sitting the while, in such haste to be at
the ramparts again. The 80,000 Townsfolk, except some Jews, are against them to a man. Belleisle cares for
everything: there is strict charge on his soldiers to observe discipline, observe civility to the Townsfolk; there
is occasional 'hanging of a Prag Butcher' or so, convicted of spyship, but the minimum of that, we will hope."
MAILLEBOIS MARCHES, WITH AN "ARMY OF REDEMPTION" OR "OF MATHURINS" (WITTILY
SO CALLED), TO RELIEVE PRAG; REACHES THE BOHEMIAN FRONTIER, JOINED BY THE
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COMTE DE SAXE; ABOVE 50,000 STRONG (August 9thSeptember 19th).
Maillebois has some 40,000 men: ahead of him 600 miles of difficult way; rainy season come, days
shortening; uncertain staff of bread ("Seckendorf's meal," and what other commissariat there may be): a
difficult march, to Amberg Country and the top of the OberPfalz. After which are Mountainpasses;
Bohemian Forest: and the Event? "Cannot be dubious!" thinks France, whatever Maillebois think. Witty
Paris, loving its timely joke, calls him Army of Redemption, "L'ARMEE DES MATHURINS,"a kind of
Priests, whose business is commonly in Barbary, about Christian bondage:how sprightly! And yet the
enthusiasm was great: young Princes of the Blood longing to be off as volunteers, needing strict prohibition
by the King;upon which, Prince de Conti, gallant young fellow, leaving his wife, his mistress, and
miraculously borrowing 2,500 pounds for equipments, rushed off furtively by post; and did join, and do his
best. Was reprimanded, clapt in arrest for three days; but afterwards promoted; and came to some distinction
in these Wars. [Barbier, ii. 326 (that of Conti, ib. 331); Adelung,
The March goes continually southeast; by Frankfurt, thence towards Nurnberg Country ("be at Furth,
September 6th"), and the skirts of the PineMountains (FICHTELGEBIRGE),Anspach and Baireuth well
to your left;end, lastly, in the OBERPFALZ (Upper Palatinate), Town of Amberg there. Before trying the
Bohemian Passes, you shall have reinforcement. Best part of the "Bavarian Army," now under Comte de
Saxe, not under D'Harcourt farther, is to cease collecting victual in the DonauIser Countries (Deggendorf,
north bank of Donau, its headquarter); and to get on march,circling very wide, not northward, but by the
Donan, and even by the SOUTH, bank of it mainly (to avoid the hungry Mountains and their Tolpatcheries),
and, at Amberg, is to join Maillebois. This is a widelying game. The great Marlborough used to play
such, and win; making the wide elements, the times and the spaces, hit with exactitude: but a Maillebois? "He
is called by the Parisians, 'VIEUX PETITMAITRE (dandy of sixty,' so to speak); has a poor upturned nose,
with baboonface to match, which he even helps by paint." ... Here is one Scene; at FrankfurtonMayn; fact
certain, day not given.
FRANKFURT, "LATTER END OF AUGUST," 1742. "At Frankfurt, his Army having got into the
neighborhood,"not into Frankfurt itself, which, as a REICHSSTADT, is sacred from Armies and their
marchings,"Marechal de Maillebois, as in duty bound, waited on the Kaiser to pay his compliments there:
on which occasion, we regret to say, Marechal de Maillebois was not so reverent to the Imperial Majesty as
he should have been. Angry belike at the Adventure now forced on him, and harassed with many things;
seeing in the Imperial Majesty little but an unfortunate Playactor Majesty, who lives in furnished lodgings
paid for by France, and gives France and Maillebois an infinite deal of trouble to little purpose. Certain it is,
he addressed the Imperial Majesty in the most freeandeasy manner; very much the reverse of being dashed
by the sacred Presence: and his Officers in the antechamber, crowding about, all day, for presentation to the
Imperial Majesty, made a noise, and kept up a babble of talk and laughter, as if it had been a messroom,
instead of the Forecourt of Imperial Majesty. So that Imperial Majesty, barely master of its temper and able to
finish without explosion, signified to Maillebois on the morrow, That henceforth it would dispense with such
visits, Poor Imperial Majesty; a human creature doing Playactorisms of too high a flight. He had the finest
Palace in Germany; a wonder to the Great Gustavus long ago: and now he has it not; mere Meutzels and
horrent shaggy creatures rule in Munchen and it: and the Imperial quasi furnished lodgings are respected in
this manner!" [Van Loon, Kleine Schriften, ii. 271 (cited in Buchholz, ii. 71). CAMPAGNES is silent; usually
suppressing scenes of that kind.]The wits say of him, "He would be Kaiser or Nothing: see you, he is
Kaiser and Nothing!" [ "Aut nihil aut Caesar, Bavarus Dux esse volebat; Et nihil et Caesar factus utrumque
simul." (Barbier, ii. 322.)] ...
AUGUST 19thSEPTEMBER 14th. "Comte de Saxe is on march, from Deggendorf; north bank of the
Donau, by narrow mountain roads; then crosses the Donau to south bank, and a plain country;making large
circuit, keeping the River on his right,to meet Maillebois at Amberg; his force, some 10 or 12,000 men.
Seckendorf, now Bavarian Commanderinchief, accompanies Saxe; with considerable Bavarian force,
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guess 20,000, 'marching always on the left.' Accompanies; but only to Regensburg, to StadtamHof, a
Suburb of Regensburg, where they cross the Donau again."SUBURB of Regensburg, mark that;
Regensburg itself being a ReichsStadt, very particularly sacred from War;the very ReichsDIET
commonly sitting here; though it has gone to Frankfurt lately, to be with its Kaiser, and out of these continual
trumpetings and tumults close by. [Went 10th May, 1742,after three months' arguing and protesting on the
Austrian part (Adelung, iii. A, 102, 138).] "At Regensburg, once across, Seckendorf with his Bavarians
calls halt; plants himself down in Kelheim, Ingolstadt, and the safe Garrisons thereabouts,calculates that, if
Khevenhuller should be called away Pragward, there may be a stroke doable in these parts. Saxe marches
on; straight northward now, up the Valley of the Naab; obliged to be a good deal on his guard. Mischievous
Tolpatcheries and Trencks, ever since he crossed the Donau again, have escorted him, to right, as close as
they durst; dashing out sometimes on the magazines." One of the exploits they had done, take only one:in
their road TOWARDS Saxe, a few days ago:
... "SEPTEMBER 7th, Trenck with his Tolpatcheries had appeared at Cham,a fine trading Town on the
hither or neutral side of the mountains [not in Bohmen, but in OberPfalz, old KurPfalz's country, whom
the Austrians hate];and summoning and assaulting Cham, over the throat of all law, had by fire and by
massacre annihilated the same. [Adelung, iii A, 258; Guerre de Boheme; Fact horrible, nearly incredible; but
true. The noise of which is now loud everywhere. Less lovely individual than this Trenck [Pandour Trenck,
Cousin of the Prussian one,] there was not, since the days of Attila and Genghis, in any War. Blusters
abominably, too; has written [save the mark!] an 'AUTOBIOGRAPHY,'having happily afterwards, in
Prison and even in Bedlam, time for such a Work;which is stuffed with sanguinary lies and exaggerations:
unbeautifulest of human souls. Has a face the color of indigo, too;got it, plundering in an Apothecary's [in
this same country, if I recollect]: 'ACH GOTT, your Grace, nothing of money here!' said the poor
Apothecary, accompanying Colonel Trenck with a lighted candle over house and shop. Trenck, noticing one
likely thing, snatched the candle, held it nearer:likely thing proved gunpowder; and Trenck, till Doomsday,
continues deep blue. [ Guerre de Boheme. ] Soul more worthy of damnation I have seldom known."
"SEPTEMBER 19th (five days after dropping Seckendorf), Saxe actually gets joined with Maillebois;not
quite at Amberg, but at Vohenstrauss, in that same Sulzbach Country, a forty miles to eastward, or
Pragward, of Amberg. Maillebois and he conjoined are between 50 and 60,000. They are got now to the
Bohemian Boundary, edge of the Bohemian Forest (big BOHMISCHE WALD, Mountainous woody
Country, 70 miles long); they are within 60 miles of Pilsen, within 100 of Prag itself,if they can cross the
Forest. Which may be diflicult."
PRINCE KARL AND THE GRANDDUKE, HEARING OF MAILLEBOIS, GO TO MEET HIM
(September 14th); AND THE SIEGE OF PRAG IS RAISED.
"SEPTEMBER llth, the Besieged at Prag notice that the Austrian fire slackens; that the Enemy seems to be
taking away his guns. Villages and Farmsteads, far and wide all round, are going up in fire. A joyful
symptom:since August 13th, Belleisle has known of Maillebois's advent; guesses that the Austrians now
know it. SEPTEMBER 14th, their Firing has quite ceased. GrandDuke and Prince Karl are off to meet
this Maillebois, amid the intricate defiles, 'Better meet him there than here:'and on this fourth morning,
Belleisle, looking out, perceives that the Siege is raised. [Espagnac, i. 145; Campagnes, v. 348.]
"A blessed change indeed. No enemy here,perhaps some Festititz, with his canaille of Tolpatches, still
lingering about,no enemy worth mention. Parties go out freely to investigate:but as to forage? Alas, a
Country burnt, Villages black and silent for ten miles round;you pick up here and there a lean steer,
welcome amid boiled horseflesh; you bundle a load or two of neglected grass together, for what cavalry
remains. The genius of Sechelles, and help from the Saxon side, will be much useful!
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"Perhaps the undeniablest advantage of any is this, That Broglio, not now so proud of the situation Prag is in,
or led by the rule of contraries, willingly quits Prag: Belleisle will not have to do his function by the medium
of pigdriving, but in the direct manner henceforth. 'Give me 6 or 8,000 foot, and what of the cavalry have
horses still uneaten,' proposes Broglio; 'I will push obliquely towards Eger,which is towards Saxony
withal, and opens our food communications there:I will stretch out a hand to Maillebois, across the
Mountain Passes; and thus bring a victorious issue!' [Espagnac, i. 170.] Belleisle consents: 'Well, since my
Broglio will have it so!'glad to part with my Broglio at any rate, 'Adieu, then, M. le Marechal (and,'
SOTTO VOCE, 'may it be long before we meet again in partnership)!' Broglio marches accordingly ('hand'
beautifully held out to Maillebois, but NOT within grasping distance); gets northwestward some 60 miles, as
far as Toplitz [sadly oblique for Eger],never farther on that errand."
THE MAILLEBOIS ARMY OF REDEMPTION CANNOT REDEEM AT ALL; HAS TO STAGGER
SOUTHWARD AGAIN; AND BECOMES AN "ARMY OF BAVARIA," UNDER BROGLIO.
"SEPTEMBER 19thOCTOBER 10th,,'Scene is, the EgerVohenStrauss Country, in and about that
Bohemian Forest of seventy miles. "For three weeks, Maillebois and the Comte de Saxe, trying their
utmost, cannot, or cannot to purpose, get through that Bohemian Wood. Only Three practicable Passes in it;
difficult each, and each conducting you towards more new difficulties, on the farther side; not
surmountable except by the determined mind. A gloomy business: a gloomy difficult region, solitary, hungry;
nothing in it but shaggy chasms (and perhaps Tolpatchery lurking), wastes, mountain woodlands, dumb trees,
damp brown leaves. Maillebois and Saxe, after survey, shoot leftwards to Eger; draw food and reinforcement
from the Garrison there. They do get through the Forest, at one Pass, the Pass nearest Eger;but find Prince
Karl and the GrandDuke ranked to receive them on the other side. 'Plunge home upon Prince Karl and the
GrandDuke; beat them, with your Broglio to help in the rear?' That possibly was Friedrich's thought as he
watched [now home at Berlin again] the contemporaneous Theatre of War.
"But that was not the MailleboisBroglio method;nay, it is said Maillebois was privately forbidden 'to run
risks.' Broglio, with his stretchedout hand (12,000 some count him, and indeed it is no matter), sits quiet at
Toplitz, far too oblique: 'Come then, come, O Maillebois!' Maillebois,manoeuvring Prince Karl aside, or
Hunger doing it for him,did once push forward Pragward, by the Pass of Caaden; which is very oblique
to Toplitz. By the Pass of Caaden,down the Eger River, through those Mountains of the Circle of Saatz,
past a Castle of Ellenbogen, key of the same;and 'Could have done it [he said always after], had it not been
for Comte de Saxe!' Undeniable it is, Saxe, as vanguard, took that Castle of Ellenbogen; and, time being so
precious, gave the Tolpatchery dismissal on parole. Undeniable, too, the Tolpatchery, careless of parole,
beset Caaden Village thereupon, 4,000 strong; cut off our foreposts, at Caaden Village; and In short, we
had to retire from those parts; and prove an Army of Redemption that could not redeem at all!
"Maillebois and Saxe wend sulkily down the Naab Valley (having lost, say 15,000, not by fighting, but by
mud and hardship); and the rapt European Public (shillinggallery especially) says, with a sneer on its face,
'Pooh; ended, then!' Sulkily wending, Maillebois and Saxe (October 30thNovember 7th) get across the
Donau, safe on the southern bank again; march for the Iser Country and the D'Harcourt Magazines,and
become 'Grand Bavarian Army,' usual refuge of the unlucky." ...
OF SECKENDORF IN THE INTERIM. "For Belleisle and relief of Prag, Maillebois in person had proved
futile; but to Seckendorf, waiting with his Bavarians, the shadow and rumor of Maillebois had brought
famous results,famous for a few weeks. Khevenhuller being called north to help in those AntiMaillebois
operations, and only Barenklau with about 10,000 Austrians now remaining in Baiern, Seckendorf, clearly
superior (not to speak of that remnant of D'Harcourt people, with their magazines), promptly bestirred
himself, in the KelheimIngolstadt Country; got on march; and drove the Austrians mostly out of Baiern. Out
mostly, and without stroke of sword, merely by marching; out for the time. Munchen was evacuated, on
rumor of Seckendorf (October 4th): a glad City to see Barenklau march off. Much was evacuated,the Iser
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Valley, down partly to the Inn Valley,much was cleared, by Seckendorf in these happy circumstances.
Who sees himself victorious, for once; and has his fame in the Gazettes, if it would last. Pretty much without
stroke of sword, we say, and merely by marching: in one place, having marched too close, the retreating
Barenklau people turned on him, 'took 100 prisoners' before going; [Espagnac, i. 166.]other fighting, in
this line 'Reconquest of Bavaria,' I do not recollect. Winter come, he makes for Maillebois and the Iser
Countries; cantons himself on the Upper Inn itself, well in advance of the French [Braunau his chief
strongplace, if readers care to look on the Map]; and strives to expect a combined seizure of Passau, and
considerable things, were Spring come." ...
AND OF BROGLIO IN THE INTERIM. "As for Broglio, left alone at Toplitz, gazing after a futile
Maillebois, he sends the better half of his Force back to Prag; other half he establishes at Leitmeritz: good
halfwayhouse to Dresden. 'Will forward Saxon provender to you, M. de Belleisle!' (never did, and were all
taken prisoners some weeks hence). Which settled, Broglio proceeded to the Saxon Court; who answered
him: 'Provender? Alas, Monseigneur! We are (to confess it to you!) at Peace with Austria: [Treatying ever
since "July 17th;" Treaty actually done, "11th September" (Adelung, iii. A, 201, 268).] not an ounce of
provender possible; how dare we?' but were otherwise politeness itself to the great Broglio. Great Broglio,
after sumptuous entertainments there, takes the road for Baiern; circling grandly "through Nurnberg with
escort of 500 Horse') to Maillebois's new quarters;takes command of the 'Bavarian Army' (may it be lucky
for him!); and sends Maillebois home, in deep dudgeon, to the merciless criticisms of men. 'Could have done
it,' persists the VIEUX PETITMAITRE always, 'had not'one knows what, but cares not, at this date!
"Broglio's quarters in the Iser Country, I am told, are fatally too crowded, men perishing at a frightful rate per
day. [Espagnac, i. 182.] 'Things all awry here,thanks to that Maillebois and others!' And Broglio's troubles
and procedures, as is everywhere usual to Broglio, run to a great height in this Bavarian Command. And poor
Seckendorf, in neighborhood of such a Broglio, has his adoes; eyes sparkling; face blushing slatecolor; at
times nearly driven out of his wits;but strives to consume his own smoke, and to have hopes on Passau
notwithstanding."And of Belleisle in Prag, and his meditations on the Oriflamme?Patience, reader.
Meantime, what a relief to Kaiser Karl, in such wreck of Bohemian Kingdoms and Castles in Spain, to have
got his own Munchen and Country in hand again; with the prospect of quitting furnished lodgings, and
seeing the color of real money! April next, he actually goes to Munchen, where we catch a glimpse of him.
["17th April, 1743," Montijos accompanying (Adelung, iii. B, 119, 120).] This same October, the Reich, after
endless debatings on the question, "Help our Kaiser, or not help?" [Ib. iii A, 289.] has voted him fifty
ROMERMONATE ("Romishmonths," still so termed, though there is NOT now any marching of the
Kaiser to Rome on business); meaning fifty of the known QUOTAS, due from all and sundry in such
case,which would amount to about 300,000 pounds (could it, or the half of it, be collected from so wide a
Parish), and would prove a sensible relief to the poor man.
VOLTAIRE HAS BEEN ON VISIT AT AACHEN, IN THE INTERIM, HIS THIRD VISIT TO KING
FRIEDRICH.
King Priedrich had come to the Baths of Aachen, August 25th; the Maillebois Army of Redemption being
then, to the last man of it, five days across the Rhine on its high errand, which has since proved futile.
Friedrich left Aachen, taking leave of his Voltaire, who had been lodging with him for a week by special
invitation, September 9th; and witnessed the later struggles and final inability of Maillebois to redeem, not at
Aix, but at Berlin, amid the ordinary course of his employments there. We promised something of Voltaire's
new visit, his Third to Friedrich. Here is what little we have,if the lively reader will exert his fancy on it.
Voltaire and his Du Chatelet had been to Cirey, and thence been at Paris through this Spring and Summer,
1742;engaged in what to Voltaire and Paris was a great thing, though a pacific one: The getting of
MAHOMET brought upon the boards. August 9th, precisely while the first vanguard of the Army of
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Redemption got across the Rhine at Dusseldorf, Voltaire's Tragedy of MAHOMET came on the stage.
August 9th, llth, 13th, Paris City was in transports of various kinds; never were such crowds of Audience,
lifting a man to the immortal gods,though a part too, majority by count of heads, were dragging him to
Tartarus again. "Exquisite, unparalleled!" exclaimed good judges (as Fleury himself had anticipated, on
examining the Piece):"Infamous, irreligious, accursed!" vociferously exclaimed the bad judges; Reverend
Desfontaines (of Sodom, so Voltaire persists to define him), Reverend Desfontaines and others giving cue;
hugely vociferous, these latter, hugely in majority by count of heads. And there was such a bellowing and
such a shrieking, judicious Fleury, or Maurepas under him, had to suggest, "Let an actor fall sick; let M. de
Voltaire volunteer to withdraw his Piece; otherwise!" And so it had to be: Actor fell sick on the 14th
(Playbills sorry to retract their MAHOMET on the 14th); andin fact, it was not for nine years coming, and
after Dedication to the Pope, and other exquisite manoeuvres and unexpected turns of fate, that MAHOMET
could be acted a fourth time in Paris, and thereafter AD LIBITUM down to this day. [ OEuvres de Voltaire,
ii. 137 n.;
Such tempest in a teapot is not unexampled, nay rather is very frequent, in that Anarchic Republic called of
Letters. Confess, reader, that you too would have needed some patience in M. de Voltaire's place; with such a
Heaven's own Inspiration of a MAHOMET in your hands, and such a terrestrial Doggery at your heels.
Suppose the bitterest of your barking curs were a Reverend Desfontaines of Sodom, whom you yourself had
saved from the gibbet once, and again and again from starving? It is positively a great Anarchy, and Fountain
of Anarchies, all that, if you will consider; and it will have results under the sun. You cannot help it, say you;
there is no shutting up of a Reverend Desfontaines, which would be so salutary to himself and to us all?
No:and when human reverence (daily going, in such ways) is quite gone from the world; and your lowest
blockhead and scoundrel (usually one entity) shall have perfect freedom to spit in the face of your highest
sage and hero,what a remarkably Free World shall we be!
Voltaire, keeping good silence as to all this, and minded for Brussels again, receives the King of Prussia's
invitation; lays it at his Eminency Fleury's feet; will not accept, unless his Eminency and my own King of
France (possibly to their advantage, if one might hint such a thing!) will permit it. [Ib. lxxii. 555 (Letter to
Fleury, "Paris, Aug. 22d").] "By all means; go, and"The rest is in dumbshow; meaning, "Try to pump
him for us!" Under such omens, Voltaire and his divine Emilie return to their Honsbruck Lawsuit: "Silent
Brussels, how preferable to Paris and its mad cries!" Voltaire, leaving the divine Emilie at Brussels,
September 2d, sets out for Aix,Aix attainable within the day. He is back at Brussels late in the evening,
September 9th:how he had fared, and what extent of pumping there was, learn from the following
Excerpts, which are all dated the morrow after his return:
THREE LETTERS OF VOLTAIRE, DATED BRUSSELS, 10th SEPT. 1742.
1. TO CIDEVILLE (the Rouen Advocate, who has sometimes troubled us). ... "I have been to see the King of
Prussia since I began this Letter [beginning of it dates September 1st]. I have courageously resisted his fine
proposals. He offers me a beautiful House in Berlin, a pretty Estate; but I prefer my secondfloor in Madame
du Chatelet's here. He assures me of his favor, of the perfect freedom I should have;and I am running to
Paris [did not just yet run] to my slavery and persecution. I could fancy myself a small Athenian, refusing the
bounties of the King of Persia. With this difference, however, one had liberty [not slavery] at Athens; and I
am sure there were many Cidevilles there, instead of one,"HELAS, my Cideville!
2. TO MARQUIS D'ARGENSON (worthy official Gentleman, not War Minister now or afterwards;
WarMinister's senior brother, Voltaire's old schoolfellows, both these brothers, in the College of Louis
le Grand). ... "I have just been to see the King of Prussia in these late days [in fact, quitted him only
yesterday; both of us, after a week together, leaving Aix yesterday]: I have seen him as one seldom sees
Kings,much at my ease, in my own room, in the chimneynook, whither the same man who has gained
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two Battles would come and talk familiarly, as Scipio did with Terence. You will tell me, I am not Terence;
true, but neither is he altogether Scipio.
"I learned some extraordinary things,"things not from Friedrich at all: mere dinnertable rumors; about the
16,000 English landing here ("18,000" he calls them, and farther on, "20,000") with the other 16,000 PLUS
6,000 of HanoverianHessian sort, expecting 20,000 Dutch to join them,who perhaps will not? "M. de
Neipperg [Governor of Luxemburg now] is come hither to Brussels; but brings no Dutch troops with him, as
he had hoped,"Dutch perhaps won't rise, after all this flogging and hoisting? "Perhaps we may soon get a
useful and glorious Peace, in spite of my Lord Stair, and of M. van Haren, the Tyrtaeus of the StatesGeneral
[famed Van Haren, eyes in a fine Dutch frenzy rolling, whose CauseofLiberty verses let no man inquire
after]: Stair prints Memoirs, Van Haren makes Odes; and with so much prose and so much verse, perhaps
their High and Slow Mightinesses [Excellency Fenelon sleeplessly busy persuading them, and native
Gravitation SLEEPILY ditto] will sit quiet. God grant it!
"The English want to attack us on our own soil [actually Stair's plan]; and we cannot pay them in that kind.
The match is too unfair! If we kill the whole 20,000 of them, we merely send 20,000 Heretics to What
shall I say?A L'ENFER, and gain nothing; if they kill us, they even feed at our expense in doing it. Better
have no quarrels except on Locke and Newton! The quarrel I have on MAHOMET is happily only
ridiculous." ... Adieu, M. le Marquis.
3. TO THE CARDINAL DE FLEURY. "Monseigneur, ... to give your Eminency, as I am bound, some
account of my journey to Aixla Chapelle." Friedrich's guest there; let us hear, let us look.
"I could not get away from Brussels till the 2d of this month. On the road, I met a courier from the King of
Prussia, coming to reiterate his Master's orders on me. The King had me lodged near his own Apartment; and
he passed, for two consecutive days, four hours at a time in my room, with all that goodness and familiarity
which forms, as you know, part of his character, and which does not lower the King's dignity, because one is
duly careful not to abuse it [be careful!]. I had abundant time to speak, with a great deal of freedom, on what
your Eminency had prescribed to me; and the King spoke to me with an equal frankness.
"First, he asked me, If it was true that the French Nation was so angered against him; if the King was, and if
you were? I answered," mildly reprobatory, yet conciliative, "Hm, no, nothing permanent, nothing to speak
of." "He then deigned to speak to me, at large, of the reasons which had induced him to be so hasty with the
Peace." "Extremely remarkable reasons;" "dare not trust them to this Paper" (BroglioBelleisle discrepancies,
we guess, distracted Broglio procedures);they have no concern with that PallandtLetter Story, "they do
not turn on the pretended Secret Negotiations at the Court of Vienna [which are not pretended at all, as I
among others well know], in regard to which your Eminency has condescended to clear yourself [by denying
the truth, poor Eminency; there was no help otherwise]. All I dare state is, that it seems to me easy to lead
back the mind of this Sovereign, whom the situation of his Territories, his interest, and his taste would appear
to mark as the natural ally of France."
"He said farther [what may be relied on as true by his Eminency Fleury, and my readers here], That he
passionately wished to see Bohemia in the Emperor's hands [small chance for it, as things now go!]; that he
renounced, with the best faith in the world, all claim whatever on Berg and Julich; and that, in spite of the
advantageous proposals which Lord Stair was making him, he thought only of keeping Silesia. That he knew
well enough the House of Austria would, one day, wish to recover that fine Province, but that he trusted he
could keep his conquest; that he had at this time 130,000 soldiers always ready; that he would make of
Neisse, Glogau, Brieg, fortresses as strong as Wesel [which he is now diligently doing, and will soon have
done]; that besides he was well informed the Queen of Hungary already owed 80,000,000 German crowns,
which is about 300 millions of our money [about 12 millions sterling]; that her Provinces, exhausted, and
lying wide apart, would not be able to make long efforts; and that the Austrians, for a good while to come,
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could not of themselves be formidable." Of themselves, no: but with Britannic souproyal in quantity?
"My Lord Hyndford had spoken to him" as if France were entirely discouraged and done for: How false,
Monseigneur! "And Lord Stair in his letters represented France, a month ago, as ready to give in. Lord Stair
has not ceased to press his Majesty during this Aix Excursion even:" and, in spite of what your Eminency
hears from the Hague, "there was, on the 30th of August, an Englishman at Aix on the part of Milord Stair;
and he had speech with the King of Prussia [CROYEZ MOI!] in a little Village called Boschet [Burtscheid,
where are hot wells], a quarter of a league from Aix. I have been assured, moreover, that the Englishman
returned in much discontent. On the other hand, General Schmettau, who was with the King [elder
Schmettau, Graf SAMUEL, who does a great deal of envoying for his Majesty], sent, at that very time, to
Brussels, for Maps of the Moselle and of the Three Bishoprics, and purchased five copies,"means to
examine Milord Stair's proposed Seat of War, at any rate. (Here is a pleasant friend to have on visit to you, in
the next apartment, with such an eye and such a nose!) ...
"Monseigneur," finely insinuates Voltaire in conclusion, "is not there" a certain Frenchman, true to his
Country, to his King, and to your Eminency, with perhaps peculiar facilities for being of use, in such delicate
case?"JE SUIS," much your Eminency's. [ OEuvres, lxxii. p. 568 (to Cideville), p. 579 (D'Argenson), p.
574 (Fleury).]
Friedrich, on the day while Voltaire at Brussels sat so busy writing of him, was at Salzdahl, visiting his
Brunswick kindred there, on the road home to his usual affairs. Old Fleury, age ninety gone, died 29th
January, 1743,five months and nineteen days after this Letter. WarMinister Breteuil had died January 1st.
Here is room for new Ministers and Ministries; for the two D'Argensons,if it could avail their old
Schoolfellow, or France, or us; which it cannot much.
Chapter III. CARNIVAL PHENOMENA IN WARTIME.
Readers were anticipating it, readers have no sympathy; but the sad fact is, Britannic Majesty has NOT got
out his sword; this second paroxysm of his proves vain as the first did! Those laggard Dutch, dead to the
Cause of Liberty, it is they again. Just as the hour was striking, theyplump down, in spite of magnanimous
Stair, into their mud again; cannot be hoisted by eugineering. And, after all that filling and emptying of
water casks, and pumping and puffing, and straining of every fibre for a twelvemonth past, Britannic
Majesty had to sit down again, panting in an Olympian manner, with that expensive long sword of his still
sticking in the scabbard.
Tongue cannot tell what his poor little Majesty has suffered from those Dutch,checking one's noble rage,
into mere zero, always; making of one's own glorious Army a mere expensive Phantasm! Hanoverian,
Hessian, British: 40,000 fighters standing in harness, year after year, at such cost; and not the killing of a
French turkey to be had of them in return. Patience, Olympian patience, withal! He cantons his troops in the
Netherlands Towns; many of the British about Ghent (who consider the provisions, and customs, none of the
best); [Letters of Officers, from Ghent ( Westminster Journal, Oct. 23d, his Hanoverians, Hessians, farther
northward, Hanover way;and, greatly daring, determines to try again, next Spring. Carteret himself shall
go and flagitate the Dutch. Patience; whip and hoist!What a conclusion, snorts the indignant British Public
through its Gazetteers.
"Next year, yes, exclaims one indignant Editor: 'if talking will do business, we shall no doubt perform
wonders; for we have had as much talking and puffing since February last, as during any ten years of the late
Administration' [ The Daily Post, December 31st (o.s.), 1742.] [under poor Walpole, whom you could not
enough condemn]! The Dutch? exclaims another: 'If WE were a Free People [F P he puts it, joining
caution with his rage], QUOERE, Whether Holland would not, at this juncture, come cap in hand, to sue for
our protection and alliance; instead of making us dance attendance at the Hague?' Yes, indeed;and then the
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CASE OF THE HANOVER FORCES (fear not, reader; I understand your terror of lockedjaw, and will
never mention said CASE again); but it is singular to the Gazetteer mind, That these Hanover Forces are to be
paid by England, as appears; Hanover, as if without interest in the matter, paying nothing! Upon which, in
covert form of symbolic adumbration, of witty parable, what stinging commentaries, not the first, nor by
many thousands the last (very sad reading in our day) on this paltry Hanover Connection altogether: What
immensities it has cost poor England, and is like to cost, 'the Lord of the Manor' (great George our King)
being the gentleman he is; and how England, or, as it is adumbratively called, 'the Manor of St. James's,' is
become a mere 'feefarm to Mumland.' Unendurable to think of. 'Bob Monopoly, the late Tallyman
[adumbrative for Walpole, late Prime Minister], was much blamed on this account; and John the Carter [John
Lord Carteret], Clerk of the Vestry and present favorite of his Lordship, is not behind Robin in his care for
the Manor of MUMLAND' [In Westminster Journal (Feb. 12th, n.s., 1743), a long Apologue in this strain.]
(that contemptible Country, where their very beer is called MUM),and no remedy within view?"
RETREAT FROM PRAG; ARMY OF THE ORIFLAMME, BOHEMIAN SECTION BOHEMIAN
SECTION OF IT, MAKES EXIT.
"And Belleisle in Prag, left solitary there, with his heroic remnant,gone now to 17,000, the fourth man of
them in hospital, with Festititz Tolpatchery hovering round, and Winter and Hunger drawing nigh,what is
to become of Belleisle? Prince Karl and the GrandDuke had attended Maillebois to Bavaria; steadily to left
of Maillebois between Austria and him; and are now busy in the Passau Country, bent on exploding those
SeckendorfBroglio operations and intentions, as the chief thing now. Meanwhile they have detached Prince
Lobkowitz to girdle in Belleisle again; for which Lobkowitz (say, 20,000, with the Festititz Tolpatchery
included) will be easily able. On the march thither he easily picked up (18th25th November) that new
French Post of Leitmeritz (Broglio's fine 'Half way House to Saxony and Provender'), with its garrison of
2,000: the other posts and outposts, one and all, had to hurry home, in fear of a like fate. Beyond the circuit of
Prag, isolated in ten miles of burnt country, Belleisle has no resource except what his own head may furnish.
The black landscape is getting powdered with snow; one of the grimmest Winters, almost like that of 1740;
Belleisle must see what he will do.
"Belleisle knows secretly what he will do. Belleisle has orders to come away from Prag; bring his Army off,
and the chivalry of France home to their afflicted friends. [ Campagnes, vi. 244251; Espagnac, i. 168.] A
thing that would have been so feasible two months ago, while Maillebois was still wriggling in the Pass of
Caaden; but which now borders on impossibility, if not reaches into it. As a primary measure, Belleisle keeps
those orders of his rigorously secret. Within the Garrison, or on the part of Lobkowitz, there is a far other
theory of Belleisle's intentions. Lobkowitz, unable to exist in the black circuit, has retired beyond it, and
taken the eastern side of the Moldau, as the least ruined; leaving the Tolpatchery, under one Festititz, to
caracole round the black horizon on the west. Farther, as the Moldau is rolling ice, and Lobkowitz is afraid of
his pontoons, he drags them out high and dry: 'Can be replaced in a day, when wanted.' In a day; yes, thinks
Belleisle, but not in less than a day;and proceeds now to the consummation. Detailed accounts exist,
Belleisle's own Account (rapid, exact, loftily modest); here, compressing to the utmost, let us snatch hastily
the main features.
"On the 15th December, 1742, Prag Gates are all shut: Enter if you like; but no outgate. Monseigneur le
Marechal intends to have a grand foraging tomorrow, on the southwestern side of Prag. Lobkowitz heard of
it, in spite of the shut gates; for all Prag is against Belleisle, and does spywork for Lobkowitz. 'Let him
forage,' thought Lobkowitz; 'he will not grow rich by what he gathers;' and sat still, leaving his pontoons high
and dry. So that Belleisle, on the afternoon of December 16th,between 12 and 14,000 men, near 4,000 of
them cavalry, with cannon, with provisionwagons, baggagewagons, goods and chattels in mass,has
issued through the two Southwestern Gates; and finds himself fairly out of Prag. On the Pilsen road; about
nightfall of the short winter day: earth all snow and 'VERGLAS,' iron glazed; huge olive colored curtains of
the Dusk going down upon the Mountains ahead of him; shutting in a scene wholly grim for Belleisle.
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Brigadier Chevert, a distinguished and determined man, with some 4,000 sick, convalescent and half able, is
left in Prag to man the works; the Marechal has taken hostages, twenty Notabilities of Prag; and neglected no
precaution. He means towards Eger; has, at least, got one march ahead; and will do what is in him, he and
every soul of those 14,000. The officers have given their horses for the baggagewagons, made every
sacrifice; the word Homewards kindles a strange fire in all hearts; and the troops, say my French authorities,
are unsurpassable. The Marechal himself, victim of rheumatisms, cannot ride at all; but has his light sledge
always harnessed; and, at a moment's notice, is present everywhere. Sleep, during these ten days and nights,
he has little.
"Eger is 100 miles off, by the shortest Highway: there are two bad Highways, one by Pilsen southerly, one by
Karlsbad northerly,with their bridges all broken, infested by Hussars:we strike into a middle
combination of country roads, intricate parish lanes; and march zigzag across these frozen wildernesses: we
must dodge these Festititz Hussar swarms; and cross the rivers near their springs. Forward! Perhaps some
readers, for the high Belleisle's sake, will look out these localities subjoined in the Note, and reduced to
spelling. [Tachlowitz, Lischon (near Rakonitz); Jechnitz (as if you were for the Pilsen road; then turn as if for
the Karlsbad one); Steben (not discoverable, but a DESPATCH from it, Campagnes, v. 280), Chisch,
Luditz, Theysing (hereabouts you break off into smaller columns, separate parties and patches, cavalry all
ahead, among the Hills): Schonthal AND Landeck (Belleisle passes Christmasday at
Landeck, Campagnes, vii. 10); Einsiedel (AND by Petschau), Lauterbach, Konigswart, AND likewise by
Topl, Sandau, Treunitz (that is, into Eger from two sides).] Restingplaces in this grim wilderness of his:
poor snowclad Hamlets,with their little hood of human smoke rising through the snow; silent all of them,
except for the sound of here and there a flail, or crowing cock;but have been awakened from their torpor
by this transit of Belleisle. Happily the bogs themselves are iron; deepest bog will bear.
"Festititz tries us twice,very anxious to get Belleisle's Army chest, or money; we give him torrents of
sharp shot instead. Festititz, these two chief times, we pepper rapidly into the Hills again; he is reduced to
hang prancing on our flanks and rear. Men bivouac over fires of turf, amid snow, amid frost; tear down, how
greedily, any woodwork for fire. Leave a trumpet to beg quarter for the frozen and speechless;which is
little respected: they are lugged in carts, stript by the savageries, and cruelly used. There were first extensive
plains, then boggy passes, intricate mouutains; bog and rock; snow and VERGLAS.On the 26th, after
indescribable endeavors, we got into Eger;some 1,300 (about one in ten) left frozen in the wilderness; and
half the Army falling ill at Eger, of swollen limbs, sorethroats, and other fataler diseases, fatal then, or soon
after. Chevert, at Prag, refused summons from Prince Lobkowitz: 'No, MON PRINCE; not by any means! We
will die, every man of us, first; and we will burn Prag withal!'So that Lobkowitz had to consent to
everything; and escort Chevert to Eger, with bag and baggage, Lobkowitz furnishing the wagons.
"Comparable to the Retreat of Xenophon! cry many. Every Retreat is compared to that. A valiant feat, after
all exaggerations. A thing well done, say military men;'nothing to object, except that the troops were so
ruined;'and the most unmilitary may see, it is the work of a high and gallant kind of man. One of the
coldest expeditions ever known. There have been three expeditions or retreats of this kind which were very
cold: that of those Swedes in the Great Elector's time (not to mention that of Karl XII.'s Army out of Norway,
after poor Karl XII. got shot); that of Napoleon from Moscow; this of Belleisle, which is the only one
brilliantly conducted, and not ending in rout and annihilation.
"The troops rest in Eger for a week or two; then homeward through the OberPfalz:'go all across the Rhine
at Speyer' (5th February next); the Bohemian Section of the Oriflamme making exit in this manner. Not quite
the eighth man of them left; fiveeighths are dead: and there are about 12,000 prisoners, gone to
Hungary,who ran mostly to the Turks, such treatment had they, and were not heard of again." [ Guerre de
Boheme, ii. 221 (for this last fact). IB. 204, and Espagnac, i. 176 (for particulars of the Retreat); and still
better, Belleisle's own Despatch and Private Letter (Eger, 2d January and 5th January, 1743), in Campagnes,
vii. 121.] Ah, Belleisle, Belleisle!
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The Army of the Oriflamme gets home in this sad manner; Germany not cut in Four at all. "Implacable
Austrian badgers," as we call them, "gloomily indignant bears," how have they served this fine French
huntingpack; and from hunted are become hunters, very dangerous to contemplate! At Frankfurt, Belleisle,
for his own part, pauses; cannot, in this entirely downbroken state of body, serve his Majesty farther in the
military business; will do some needful diplomatics with the Kaiser, and retire home to government of Metz,
till his wornout health recover itself a little.
A GLANCE AT VIENNA, AND THEN AT BERLIN.
Prince Karl had been busy upon Braunau (the BAVARIAN Braunau, not the BOHEMIAN or another,
Seckendorf's chief post on the Inn); had furiously bombarded Braunau, with redhot balls, for some days;
[2d10th December (Espagnac, i. 171).] intent to explode the SeckendorfBroglio projects before winter
quite came. Seckendorf, in a fine frenzy, calls to Broglio, "Help!" and again calls; both Kaiser and he,
CRESCENDO to a high pitch, before Broglio will come. "Relieve Braunau? Well;but no fighting farther,
mark you!" answers Broglio. To the disgust of Kaiser and Seckendorf; who were eager for a combined
movement, and hearty attack on Prince Karl, with perhaps capture of Passau itself. At sight of Broglio and
Seckendorf combined, Prince Karl did at once withdraw from Braunau; but as to attacking him,"NON;
MILLE FOIS, NON!" answered Broglio disdainfully bellowing. First grand quarrel of Broglio and
Seckendorf; by no means their last. Prince Karl put his men in winterquarters, in those Passau regions;
postponing the explosion of the BroglioSeckendorf projects, till Spring; and returned to Vienna for the
Winter gayeties and businesses there. How the high Maria Theresa is contented, I do not hear;readers may
take this Note, which is authentic, though vague, and straggling over wide spaces of time still future.
"Does her Majesty still think of 'taking the command of her Armies on herself,' high Amazon that she is!"
Has not yet thought of that, I should guess. "At one time she did seriously think of it, says a good witness;
which is noteworthy. [Podewils, Der Wiener Hof (Court of Vienna, in the years 1746, 1747 and 1748; a
curious set of REPORTS for Friedrich's information, by Podewils, his Minister there); printed under that
Title, "by the Imperial Academy of Sciences" (Wien, 1850);may be worth alluding to again, if chance
offer.] Her Husband has been with the Armies, once, twice; but never to much purpose (Brother Karl doing
the work, if work were done);and this is about the last time, or the last but one, this in Winter 1742. She
loves her Husband thoroughly, all along; but gives him no share in business, finding he understands nothing
except Banking. It is certain she chiefly was the reformer of her Army," in years coming; "she, athwart many
impediments. An ardent rider, often on horseback, at paces furiously swift; her beautiful face tanned by the
weather. Very devout too; honest to the bone, athwart all her prejudices. Since our own Elizabeth! no
Woman, and hardly above one Man, is worth being named beside her as a Sovereign Ruler;she is 'a living
contradiction of the Salic Law,' say her admirers. Depends on England for money, All hearts and right hands
in Austria are hers. The loss of Schlesien, pure highway robbery, thrice doleful loss and disgrace, rankles
incurable in the noble heart, pious to its Fathers withal, and to their Heritages in the world, we shall see
with what issues, for the next twenty years, to that 'BOSE MANN,' unpardonably 'wicked man' of
Brandenburg. And indeed, to the end of her life, she never could get over it. To the last, they say, if a
Stranger, getting audience, were graciously asked, 'From what Country, then?' and should answer, 'Schlesien,
your Majesty!' she would burst into tears.'Patience, high Madam!' urges the Britannic Majesty: 'Patience;
may not there be compensation, if we hunt well?'" Austrian bears, implacable badgers, with Britannic
mastiffs helping, now that the Belleisle Pack is down!
At Berlin it was gay Carnival, while those tragedies went on: Friedrich was opening his OperaHouse,
enjoying the first ballets, while Belleisle filed out of Prag that gloomy evening. Our poor Kaiser will not
"retain Bohemia," then; how far from it! The thing is not comfortable to Friedrich; but what help?
This is the gayest Carnival yet seen in Berlin, this immediately following the Peace; everybody saying to
himself and others, "GAUDEAMUS, What a Season!" Not that, in the present hurry of affairs, I can dwell on
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operas, assemblies, balls, sledgeparties; or indeed have the least word to say on such matters, beyond
suggesting them to the imagination of readers. The operas, the carnival gayeties, the intricate considerations
and diplomacies of this Winter, at Berlin and elsewhere, may be figured: but here is one little speck, also
from the Archives, which is worth saving. Princess Ulrique is in her twentythird year, Princess Amelia in
her twentieth; beautiful clever creatures, both; Ulrique the more staid of the two. "Never saw so gay a
Carnival," said everybody; and in the height of it, with all manner of gayeties going on, think where the
dainty little shoes have been pinching!
PRINCESSES ULRIQUE AND AMELIA TO THE KING.
BERLIN, "1st March, 1743. "MY DEAREST BROTHER,I know not if it is not too bold to trouble your
Majesty on private affairs: but the great confidence which my Sister [Amelia] and I have in your kindness
encourages us to lay before you a sincere avowal as to the state of our bits of finances (NOS PETITES
FINANCES), which are a good deal deranged just now; the revenues having, for two years and a half past,
been rather small; amounting to only 400 crowns (60 pounds) a year; which could not be made to cover all
the little expenses required in the adjustments of ladies. This circumstance, added to our card playing,
though small, which we could not dispense with, has led us into debts. Mine amount to 225 pounds (1,500
crowns); my Sister's to 270 pounds (1,800 crowns).
"We have not spoken of it to the QueenMother, though we are well sure she would have tried to assist us;
but as that could not have been done without some inconvenience to her, and she would have retrenched in
some of her own little entertainments, I thought we should do better to apply direct to Your Majesty; being
persuaded you would have taken it amiss, had we deprived the Queen of her smallest pleasure;and
especially, as we consider you, my dear Brother, the Father of the Family, and hope you will be so gracious
as help us. We shall never forget the kind acts of Your Majesty; and we beg you to be persuaded of the
perfect and tender attachment with which we are proud to be all our lives,Your Majesty's most humble and
most obedient Sisters and Servants,
"LOUISEULRIQUE; ANNEAMELIE [which latter adds anxiously as Postscript, Ulrique having written
hitherto],
"P.S. I most humbly beg Your Majesty not to speak of this to the QueenMother, as perhaps she would not
approve of the step we are now taking." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 387.]
Poor little souls; bankruptcy just imminent! I have no doubt Friedrich came handsomely forward on this
grave occasion, though Dryasdust has not the grace to give me the least information. "Frederic Baron
Trenck," loudsounding Phantasm once famous in the world, now gone to the Nurseries as mythical, was of
this Carnival 174243; and of the next, and NOT of the next again! A tall actuality in that time; swaggering
about in sumptuous Lifeguard uniform, in his messrooms and assemblyrooms; much in love with
himself, the fool. And I rather think, in spite of his dog insinuations, neither Princess had heard of him till
twenty years hence, in a very different phasis of his life! The empty, noisy, quasitragic fellow;sounds
throughout quasitragically, like an empty barrel; wellbuilt, longing to be FILLED. And it is scandalously
false, what loud Trenck insinuates, what stupid Thiebault (always stupid, incorrect, and the prey of
stupidities) confirms, as to this matter,fit only for the Nurseries, till it cease altogether.
VOLTAIRE, AT PARIS, IS MADE IMMORTAL BY A KISS.
Voltaire and the divine Emilie are home to Cirey again; that of Brussels, with the Royal Aachen Excursion,
has been only an interlude. They returned, by slow stages, visit after visit, in October last,some slake
occurring, I suppose, in that interminable Honsbruck Lawsuit; and much business, not to speak of ennui,
urging them back. They are now latterly in Paris itself, safe in their own "little palace (PETIT PALAIS) at the
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point of the Isle;" little jewel of a house on the Isle St. Louis, which they are warming again, after long
absence in Brussels and the barbarous countries. They have returned hither, on sufferance, on good behavior;
multitudes of small interests, small to us, great to them,death of old Fleury, hopeful changes of Ministry,
not to speak of theatricals and the like,giving opportunity and invitation. Madame, we observe, is marrying
her Daughter: the happy man a Duke of Montenero, illbuilt Neapolitan, complexion rhubarb, and face
consisting much of nose. [Letter of Voltaire, in OEuvres, lxxiii 24.] Madame never wants for business;
business enough, were it only in the way of shopping, visiting, consulting lawyers, doing the Pure Sciences.
As to Voltaire, he has, as usual, Plays to get acted,if he can. MAHOMET, no; MORT DE CESAR, yes OR
no; for the Authorities are shy, in spite of the Public. One Play Voltaire did get acted, with a success,think
of it, reader! The exquisite Tragedy MEROPE, perhaps now hardly known to you; of which you shall hear
anon.
But Plays are not all. Old Pleury being dead, there is again a Vacancy in the Academy; place among the
sacred Forty,vacant for Voltaire, if he can get it. Voltaire attaches endless importance to this place;
beautiful as a feather in one's cap; useful also to the solitary Ishmael of Literature, who will now in a certain
sense have Thirtynine Comrades, and at least one fixed HouseofCall in this world. In fine, nothing can be
more ardent than the wish of M. de Voltaire for these supreme felicities. To be of the Forty, to get his Plays
acted,oh, then were the Saturnian Kingdoms come; and a man might sing IO TRIUMPHE, and take his
ease in the Creation, more or less! Stealthily, as if on shoes of felt,as if on paws of velvet, with eyes
luminous, tail bushy,he walks warily, all energies compressively summoned, towards that high goal. Hush,
steady! May you soon catch that bit of savory red herring, then; worthiest of the human feline tribe!As to
the Play MEROPE, here is the notable passage:
"PARIS, WEDNESDAY, 20th FEBRUARY, 1743. First night of MEROPE; which raised the Paris Public
into transports, so that they knew not what to do, to express their feelings. 'Author! M. de Voltaire! Author!'
shouted they; summoning the Author, what is now so common, but was then an unheardof originality.
'Author! Author!' Author, poor blushing creature, lay squatted somewhere, and durst not come; was ferreted
out; produced in the Lady Villars's Box,Dowager MARECHALE DE VILLARS, and her Son's Wife
DUCHESSE DE VILLARS, being there; known friends of Voltaire's. Between these Two he stands ducking
some kind of bow; uncertain, embarrassed what to do; with a Theatre all in rapturous delirium round
him,uncertain it too, but not embarrassed. 'Kiss him! MADAME LA DUCHESSE DE VILLARS,
EMBRASSEZ VOLTAIRE!' Yes, kiss him, fair Duchess, in the name of France! shout all mortals;and the
younger Lady has to do it; does it with a charming grace; urged by Madame la Marechale her
motherinlaw. [Duvernet (T. J. D. V.), Vie de Voltaire, p. 128; Voltaire himself, OEuvres, ii. 142; Barbier,
ii. 358.] Ah, and Madame la Marechale was herself an old love of Voltaire's; who had been entirely unkind to
him!
"Thus are you made immortal by a Kiss;and have not your choice of the Kiss, Fate having chosen for you.
The younger Lady was a Daughter of Marechal de Noailles [our fine old Marechal, gone to the Wars against
his Britannic Majesty in those very weeks]: infinitely clever (INFINIMENT D'ESPRIT); beautiful too, I
understand, though towards forty;hangs to the human memory, slightly but indissolubly, ever since that
Wednesday Night of 1743."
Old Marechal de Noailles is to the Wars, we said;it is in a world all twinkling with watchfires, and raked
coals of War, that these fine Carnival things go on. Noailles is 70,000 strong; posted in the Rhine Countries,
middle and upper Rhine; vigilantly patrolling about, to support those staggering Bavarian Affairs; especially
to give account of his Britannic Majesty. Brittanic Majesty is thought to have got the Dutch hoisted, after all;
to have his sword OUT; and ere long does actually get on march; up the Rhine hitherward, as is too
evident, to Noailles, to the Kaiser and everybody!
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Led by fond hopes,and driven also by that sad fear, of a Visit from his Britannic Majesty,the poor
Kaiser, in the rear of those late Seckendorf successes, quitted Frankfurt, April 17th; and the second day after,
got to Munchen. Saw himself in Munchen again, after a space of more than two years; "all ranks of people
crowding out to welcome him;" the joy of all people, for themselves and for him, being very great. Next day
he drove out to Nymphenburg; saw the Pandour devastations there,might have seen the window where the
rugged old Unertl set up his ladder, "For God's sake, your Serenity, have nothing to do with those
French!"and did not want for sorrowful comparisons of past and present.
It was remarked, he quitted Munchen in a day or two; preferring Country Palaces still unruined,for
example, Wolnzach, a Schloss he has, some fifty miles off, down the Iser Valley, not far from the little Town
of Mosburg; which, at any rate, is among the BroglioSeckendorf posts, and convenient for business. Broglio
and Seckendorf lie dotted all about, from Braunau up to Ingolstadt and farther; chiefly in the Iser and Inn
Valleys, but on the north side of the Donau too; over an area, say of 2,000 square miles; Seckendorf
preaching incessantly to Broglio, what is sunclear to all eyes but Broglio's, "Let us concentrate, M. le
Marechal; let us march and attack! If Prince Karl come upon us in this scattered posture, what are we to do?"
Broglio continuing deaf; Broglio answeringin a way to drive one frantic.
The Kaiser himself takes Broglio in hand; has a scene with Broglio; which, to readers that study it, may be
symbolical of much that is gone and that is coming. It fell "about the middle of May" (prior to May 17th, as
readers will guess before long); and here, according to report, was the somewhat explosive finale it had.
Prince Conti, the same who ran to join Maillebois, and has proved a gallant fellow and got command of a
Division, attends Broglio in this important interview at Wolnzach:
SCHLOSS OF WOLNZACH, MAY, 1743. ... "The Kaiser pressed, in the most emphatic manner, That the
Two Armies [French and Bavarian] should collect and unite for immediate action. To which Broglio declared
he could by no means assent, not having any order from Paris of that tenor. The Kaiser thereupon: 'I give you
my order for it; I, by the Most Christian King's appointment, am Commanderin Chief of your Army, as of
my own; and I now order you!'taking out his Patent, and spreading it before Broglio with the signmanual
visible, Broglio knew the Patent very well; but answered, 'That he could not, for all that, follow the wish of
his Imperial Majesty; that he, Broglio, had later orders, and must obey them!' Upon which the Imperial
Majesty, nature irrepressibly asserting itself, towered into Olympian height; flung his Patent on the table,
telling Conti and Broglio, 'You can send that back, then; Patents like that are of no service to me!' and quitted
them in a blaze." [Adelung, iii. B, 150; cites ETTAT POLITIQUE (Annual Register of those times), xiii. 16.
Nothing of this scene in Campagnes, which is officially careful to suppress the like of this.]
The indisputable fact is, Prince Karl is at the door; nay he has beaten in the door in a frightful manner; and
has Braunau, key of the Inn, again under siege. Not we getting Passau; it is he getting Braunau! A week ago
(9th May) his vanguard, on the sudden, cut to pieces our poor Bavarian 8,000, and their poor Minuzzi, who
were covering Braunau, and has ended him and them;Minuzzi himself prisoner, not to be heard of or
beaten more;and is battering Braunau ever since. That is the sad fact, whatever the theory may have been.
Prince Karl is rolling in from the east; Lobkowitz (Prag now ended) is advancing from the northward,
Khevenhuller from the Salzburg southern quarter: Is it in a sprinkle of disconnected fractions that you will
wait Prince Karl? The question of uniting, and advancing, ought to be a simple one for Broglio. Take this
other symbolic passage, of nearly the same date;posterior, as we guessed, to that Interview at Wolnzach.
"DINGELFINGEN, 17th MAY, 1743. At Dingelfingen on the Iser, a strongish central post of the French,
about fifty miles farther down than that Schloss of Wolnzach, there is a second argument, much
corroborative of the Kaiser's reasoning. About sunrise of the 17th, the Austrians, in sufficient force, chiefly of
Pandours, appeared on the heights to the south: they had been foreseen the night before; but the French
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covering General, luckier than Minuzzi, did not wait for them; only warned Dingelfingen, and withdrew
across the River, to wait there on the safe left bank. Leader of the Austrians was one Leopold Graf von Daun,
active man of thirtyfive, already of good rank, who will be much heard of afterwards; Commandant in
Dingelfingen is a Brigadier du Chatelet, Marquis du ChateletLamont; whomafter search (in the interest of
some idle readers)I discover to be no other than the Husband of a certain Algebraic Lady! Identity made
out, mark what a pass he is at. Count Daun comes on in a tempest of furious fire; 'very heavy,' they say, from
great guns and small; till close upon the place, when he summons Du Chatelet: 'No;' and thereupon attempts
scalade. Cannot scalade, Du Chatelet and his people being mettlesome; takes then to flinging shells, to
burning the suburbs; Town itself catches fire,Town plainly indefensible. 'Truce for one hour' proposes Du
Chatelet (wishful to consult the covering General across the River): 'No,' answers Daun. So that Du Chatelet
has to jumble and wriggle himself out of the place; courageous to the last; but not in a very Parthian
fashion,great difficulty to get his bridge ruined (very partially ruined), behind him;and joins the
covering General, in a flustery singed condition! Were not pursued farther by Daun:and Prince Conti,
Head General in those parts, called it a fine defence, on examining." [ Campagnes, viii. 239; Espagnac, i.
187; Hormayr, iv. 82, 85.] Espagnac continues:
"On the 19th," after one restday, "Graf von Daun set out for Landau [still on the Iser, farther down; Baiern
has ITS "Landau" too, and its "Landshut," both on this River], to seize Landau; which is another French place
of strength. The Garrison defended themselves for some time; after which they retired over the River [left
bauk, or wrong side of the Iser, they too]; and set fire to the Bridge behind them. The fire of the Bridge
caught the Town; Pandours helping it, as our people said; and Landau also was reduced to ashes."Poor
Landau, poor Dingelfingen, they cannot have the benefit of Louis XV.'s talent for governing Germany, quite
gratis, it would appear!
But where are the divine Emilie and Voltaire, that morning, while the Brigadier is in such taking? Sitting safe
in "that dainty little palace of Madame's (PETIT PALAIS) at the point of the Isle de St. Louis," intent on
quite other adventures; disgusted with the slavish Forty and their methods of Election (of which by and by);
and little thinking of M. le Brigadier and the dangers of war. Prince de Conti praised the Brigadier's
defence: but very soon, alas,
DEGGENDORF, 27th MAY. "Prince de Conti, at Deggendorf [other or north bank of the Donau,
Headquarters of Conti, which was thought to be well secured by batteries and defences on the steep heights
to landward], was himself suddenly attacked, the tenth day hence, 'May 27th, at daybreak,' in a still more
furious manner; and was tumbled out of Deggendorf amid whirlwinds of fire, in very flamy condition indeed.
The Austrians, playing on us from the uplands with their heavy artillery, made a breach in our outmost
battery: 'Not tenable!' exclaimed the Captain there: 'This way, my men!' and withdrew, like a shot, he and
party; sliding down the steep face of the mountain [feet foremost, I hope], home to Deggendorf in this
peculiar manner; leaving the AUSTRIANS to manage his guns. Our two lower batteries, ruled by this upper
one, had now to be abandoned; and Conti ran, Bridge of the Townditch breaking under him; baggages, even
to his own portmanteaus, all lost; and had a neckandneck race of it in getting to his DonauBridge, and
across to the safe side. With loss of everything, we say,personal baggage all included; which latter item,
Prince Karl politely returned him next day." [Espagnac, p. 188.]
Broglio, with Prince Karl in his bowels going at such a rate, may judge now whether it was wise to lie in that
loose posture, scattered over two thousand square miles, and snort on his judicious Seckendorf's advices and
urgencies as he did! Readers anticipate the issue; and shall not be wearied farther with detail. There are, as we
said, Three Austrian Armies pressing on this luckless Bavaria and its French Protectors: Khevenhuller, from
Salzburg and the southern quarter, pushing in his Dauns; Lobkowitz, hanging over us from the OberPfalz
(NaabRiver Country) on the north; and Prince Karl, on one or sometimes on both sides of the Donau,
pricking sharply into the rear of us; saying, by bayonets, burnt bridges, bombshells, "Off; swift; it will be
better for you!" And Broglio has lost head, a mere whirlwind of flaming gases; and your ablest Comte de
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Saxe in such position, what can he do? Broglio writes to Versailles, That there will be no continuing in
Bavaria; that he recommends an order to march homewards;much to the surprise of Versailles.
"The Court of Versailles was much astonished at the message it got from Broglio; Court of Versailles had
always calculated that Broglio could keep Bavaria; and had gone into extensive measures for maintaining him
there. Experienced old Marechal de Noailles has a new French Army, 70,000 or more, assembled in the
Upper Rhine for that and the cognate objects [of whom, more specially, anon]: Noailles, by order from Court,
has detached 12,000, who are now marching their best, to reinforce Broglio;and indeed the Court 'had
already appointed the Generals and StaffOfficers for Broglio's Bavarian Army,' and gratified many men by
promotions, which now went to smoke! [Espagnac, i. 190.]
"Versailles, however, has to expedite the order: 'Come home, then.' Order or no order, Broglio's posts are all
crackling off again, bursting aloft like a chain of powdermines; Broglio is plunging head foremost, towards
Donauworth, towards Ingolstadt, his place of arms; Seckendorf now welcome to join him, but unable to do
anything when joined. Blustering Broglio has no steadfastness of mind; explodes like an inflammable body,
in this crackling off of the posts, and becomes a mere whirlwind of flaming gases. Old snuffling Seckendorf,
born to ill success in his old days, strong only in caution, how is he to quench or stay this crackling of the
posts? Broglio blusters, reproaches, bullies; Seckendorf quarrels with him outright, as he may well do:
'JARNIBLEU, such a delirious whirlwind of a Marechal; mere bickering flames and soot!'and looks out
chiefly to keep his own skin and that of his poor Bavarians whole.
"The unhappy Kaiser has run from Munchen again, to Augsburg for some brief shelter; cannot stay there
either, in the circumstances. Will he have to hurry back to Frankfurt, to bankruptcy and furnished
lodgings,nay to the Britannic Majesty's tender mercies, whose Army is now actually there? Those
indignant prophesyings to Broglio, at the Schloss of Wolnzach, have so soon come true! And Broglio and the
French arewhat a staff to lean upon! Enough, the poor Kaiser, after doleful 'Council of War held at
Augsburg, June 25th,' does on the morrow make off for Frankfurt again:whither else? Britannic Majesty's
intentions, friends tell him, friend Wilhelm of Hessen tells him, are magnanimous; eager for Peace to
Teutschland; hostile only to the French. Poor Karl took the road, June 26th;and will find news on his
arrival, or before it.
"On which same day, 26th of June, as it chances, Broglio too has made his packages; left a garrison in
Ingolstadt, garrison in Eger; and is ferrying across at Donauworth,will see the Marlborough Schellenberg
as he passes,in full speed for the Rhine Countries, and the finis of this bad Business. [Adelung, iii. B. 152.]
On the road, I believe at Donauworth itself, Noailles's 12,000, little foreseeing these retrograde events, met
Broglio: 'Right about, you too!' orders Broglio; and speeds Rhineward not the less. And the same day of that
ferrying at Donauworth, and of the Kaiser's setting out for Frankfurt, Seckendorf,at NiederSchonfeld [an
old Monastery near the Town of Rain, in those parts], the Kaiser being now safe away,is making terms for
himself with Khevenhuller and Prince Karl: 'Will lie quiet as mere REICHSArmy, almost as Troops of the
Swabian Circle, over at Wembdingen there, in said circle, and be strictly neutral, if we can but get lived at
all!' [Ib. iii. B, 153.] Seckendorf concludes on the morrow, 27th June;which is elsewhere a memorable Day
of Battle, as will be seen.
"Broglio marched in Five Divisions [Du Chatelet in the Second Division, poor soul, which was led by Comte
de Saxe): [Espagnac, i. 198.] always in Five Divisions, swiftly, half a march apart; through the Wurtemberg
Country;lost much baggage, many stragglers; Tolpatcheries in multitude continually pricking at the skirts
of him; Prince Karl following steadily, Rhinewards also, a few marches behind. Here are omens to return
with! 'But have you seen a retreat better managed?' thinks Broglio to himself:" that is one consoling
circumstance.
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In this manner, then, has the Problem of Bavaria solved itself. Hungarian Majesty, in these weeks, was
getting crowned in Prag; "Queen of Bohemia, I, not you; in the sight of Heaven and of Earth!" [Crowned 12th
May, 1743 (Adelung, iii. B, 128); "news of Prince Karl's having taken Braunau [incipiency of all these
successes] had reached her that very morning."]and was purifying her Bohemia: with some rigor (it is
said), from foreign defacements, treasonous compliances and the like, which there had been. To see your
Bavarian Kaiser, false King of Bohemia, your Broglio with his French, and the BohemianBavarian Question
in whole, all rolling Rhinewards at their swiftest, with Prince Karl sticking in the skirts of them:what a
satisfaction to that high Lady!
BRITANNIC MAJESTY, WITH SWORD ACTUALLY DRAWN, HAS MARCHED MEANWHILE TO
THE FRANKFURT COUNTRIES, AS "PRAGMATIC ARMY;" READY FOR BATTLE AND TREATY
ALIKE.
Add to which fine set of results, simultaneously with them: His Britannic Majesty, third effort successful, has
got his sword drawn, fairly out at last; and in the air is making horrid circles with it, ever since March last;
nay does, he flatters himself, a very considerable slash with it, in this current month of June. Of which,
though loath, we must now take some notice.
The fact is, though Stair could not hoist the Dutch, and our doublequick Britannic heroism had to drop dead
in consequence, Carteret has done it: Carteret himself rushed over in that crisis, a fiery emphatic man and
chief minister, [Arrived at the Hague "5th October, 1742" (Adelung, iii. A, 294).]"eager to please his
Master's humor!" said enemies. Yes, doubtless; but acting on his own turbid belief withal (says fact); and
revolving big thoughts in his head, about bringing Friedrich over to the Cause of Liberty, giving French
Ambition a lesson for once, and the like. Carteret strongly pulleying, "All hands, heaveoh!"and, no
doubt, those MailleboisBroglio events from Prag assisting him,did bring the High Mightinesses to their
legs; still in a staggering splay footed posture, but trying to steady themselves. That is to say, the High
Mightinesses did agree to go with us in the Cause of Liberty; will now pay actual Subsidies to her Hungarian
Majesty (at the rate of two for our three); and will add, so soon as humanly possible, 20,000 men to those
windbound 40,000 of ours;which latter shall now therefore, at once, as "Pragmatic Army" (that is the
term fixed on), get on march, Frankfurt way; and strike home upon the French and other enemies of
Pragmatic Sanction. This is what Noailles has been looking for, this good while, and diligently adjusting
himself, in those MiddleRhine Countries, to give account of.
Pragmatic Army lifted itself accordingly,Stair, and the most of his English, from Ghent, where the
wearisome Headquarters had been; Hanoverians, Hessians, from we will forget where;and in various
streaks and streams, certain Austrians from Luxemburg (with our old friend Neipperg in company) having
joined them, are flowing Rhineward ever since March 1st. ["February 18th," o.s. (Old Newspapers).] They
cross the Rhine at three suitable points; whence, by the north bank, home upon Frankfurt Country, and the
NoaillesBroglio operations in those parts. The English crossed "at Neuwied, in the end of April" (if anybody
is curious); "Lord Stair in person superintending them." Lord Stair has been much about, and a most busy
person; GeneralinChief of the Pragmatic Army till his Britannic Majesty arrive. Generalissimo Lord Stair;
and there is General Clayton, General Ligonier, "General Heywood left with the Reserve at Brussels:"and,
from the ashes of the Old Newspapers, the main stages and particulars of this surprising Expedition (England
marching as Pragmatic Army into distant parts) can be riddled out; though they require mostly to be flung in
again. Shocking weather on the march, mere Boreas and icy tempests; snow in some places two feet deep;
Rhine much swollen, when we come to it.
The Austrian Chief Generalwho lies about Wiesbaden, and consults with Stair, while the English are
crossingis Duke d'Ahremberg (Father of the Prince de Ligne, or "Prince of Coxcombs" as some call him):
little or nothing of military skill in D'Ahremberg; but Neipperg is thought to have given much counsel, such
as it was. With the Hessians there was some difficulty; hesitation on Landgraf Wilhelm's part; who pities the
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poor Kaiser, and would fain see him back at Frankfurt, and awaken the Britannic magnanimities for him. "To
Frankfurt, say you? We cannot fight against the Kaiser!"and they had to be left behind, for some time; but
at length did come on, though late for business, as it chanced. General of these Hessians is Prince George of
Hessen, worthy stout gentleman, whom Wilhelmina met at the Frankfurt Gayeties lately. George's elder
Brother Wilhelm is Manager or ViceLandgraf, this long while back; and in seven or eight years hence
became, as had been expected, actual Landgraf (old King of Sweden dying childless);of which Wilhelm
we shall have to hear, at Hanau (a Town of his in those parts), and perhaps slightly elsewhere, in the course
of this business. A fat, just man, he too; probably somewhat iracund; not without troubles in his House. His
eldest Son, HeirApparent of Hessen, let me remind readers, has an English Princess to Wife; Princess Mary,
King George's Daughter, wedded two years ago. That, added to the Subsidies, is surely a point of
union;though again there may such discrepancies rise! A good while after this, the eldest Son becoming
Catholic (foolish wretch), to the horror of Papa,there rose still other noises in the world, about Hessen and
its Landgraves. Of good Prince George, who doubtless attended in War Councils, but probably said little, we
hope to hear nothing more whatever.
From Neuwied to Frankfurt is but a few days' march for the Pragmatic Army; in a direct line, not sixty miles.
Frankfurt itself, which is a REICHSSTADT (Imperial City), they must not enter: "Fear not, City or
Country!" writes Stair to it: "We come as saviors, pacificators, hostile to your enemies and disturbers only;
we understand discipline and the Laws of the Reich, and will pay for everything." [Letter itself, of brief
magnanimous strain, in Campagnes de Noailles, i. 127; date "Neuwied, 26th April, 1743" (Adelung, iii. B,
114).] For the rest, they are in no hurry. They linger in that FrankfurtNainz region, all through the month of
May; not unobservant of Noailles and his movements, if he made any; but occupied chiefly with gathering
provisions; forming, with difficulty, a Magazine in Hanau. "What they intended: or intend, by coming
hither?" asks the Public everywhere: "To go into the Donau Countries, and enclose Broglio between two
fires?" That had been, and was still, Stair's fine idea; but D'Ahremberg had disapproved the methods.
D'Ahremberg, it seems, is rather given to opposing Stair;and there rise uncertainties, in this Pragmatic
Army: certain only hitherto the Magazine in Hanau. And in secret, it afterwards appeared, the immediate real
errand of this Pragmatic Army had lainin the Chapter of Mainz Cathedral, and an Election that was going
on there.
The old KurMainz, namely, had just died; and there was a new "Chief Spiritual Kurfurst" to be elected by
the Canons there. KurMainz is Chairman of the Reich, an important personage, analogous to Speaker of the
House of Commons; and ought to be,by no means the Kaiser's young Brother, as the French and Kaiser are
proposing; but a man with Austrian leanings;say, Graf von Ostein, titular DOMCUSTOS (Cathedral
Keeper) here; lately Ambassador in London, and known in select society for what he is. Not much of an
Archbishop, of a Spiritual or Chief Spiritual Herr hitherto; but capable of being made one,were the
Pragmatic Army at his elbow! It was on this errand that the Pragmatic Army had come hither, or come so
early, and with their plans still unripe. And truly they succeeded; got their Ostein chosen to their mind: ["21st
March, 1743," Mainz vacant; "22d April," Ostein elected (Adelung, iii. B, 113, 121).] a new
KurMainz,whose leanings and procedures were very manifest in the sequel, and some of them important
before long. This was always reckoned one result of his Britannic Majesty's Pragmatic Campaign;and truly
some think it was, in strict arithmetic, the only one, though that is far from his Majesty's own opinion.
FRIEDRICH HAS OBJECTIONS TO THE PRAGMATIC ARMY; BUT IN VAIN. OF FRIEDRICH'S
MANY ENDEAVORS TO QUENCH THIS WAR, BY "UNION OF INDEPENDENT GERMAN
PRINCES," BY "MEDIATION OF THE REICH," AND OTHERWISE; ALL IN VAIN.
Friedrich, at an early stage, had inquired of his Britannic Majesty, politely but with emphasis, "What in the
world he meant, then, by invading the German Reich; leading foreign Armies into the Reich: in this
unauthorized manner?" To which the Britannic Majesty had answered, with what vague argument of words
we will not ask, but with a look that we can fancy,look that would split a pitcher, as the Irish say! Friedrich
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persisted to call it an Invasion of the German Reich; and spoke, at first, of flatly opposing it by a Reich's
Army (30,000, or even 50,000, for Brandenburg's contingent, in such case); but as the poor Reich took no
notice, and the Britannic Majesty was positive, Friedrich had to content himself with protest for the present.
[Friedrich's Remonstrance and George's Response are in Adelung, iii. B, 132 (date, "March, 1743"); date of
Friedrich's first stirring in the matter is "January, 1743," and earlier (ib. p. 37, p. 8,
The exertions of Friedrich to bring about a Peace, or at least to diminish, not increase, the disturbance, are
forgotten now; wearisome to think of, as they did not produce the smallest result; but they have been
incessant and zealous, as those of a man to quench the fire which is still raging in his street, and from which
he himself is just saved. "Cannot the Reich be roused for settlement of this BavarianAustrian quarrel?"
thought Friedrich always. And spent a great deal of earnest endeavor in that direction; wished a Reich's
ARMY OF MEDIATION; "to which I will myself furnish 30,000; 50,000, if needed." Reich, alas! The Reich
is a horse fallen down to die,no use spurring at the Reich; it cannot, for many months, on Friedrich's
Proposal (though the question was far from new, and "had been two years on hand"), come to the decision,
"Well then, yes; the Reich WILL try to moderate and mediate:" and as for a Reich's MediationARMY, or
any practical step at all [The question had been started, "in August, 1741," by the Kaiser himself; "11th
March, 1743," again urged by him, after Friedrich's offer; "10th May, 1743," "Yes, then, we will try; but"
and the result continued zero.]!
"Is not Germany, are not all the German Princes, interested to have Peace?" thinks Friedrich. "A union of the
independent German Princes to recommend Peace, and even with hand on swordhilt to command it; that
would be the method of producing Treaty of Peace!" thinks he always. And is greatly set on that method;
which, we find, has been, and continues to be, the soul of his many efforts in this matter. A fact to be noted.
Long poring in those mournful imbroglios of Dryasdust, where the fraction of living and important welters
overwhelmed by wildernesses of the dead and nugatory, one at length disengages this fact; and readers may
take it along with them, for it proves illuminative of Friedrich's procedures now and afterwards. A fixed
notion of Friedrich's, this of German Princes "uniting," when the common dangers become flagrant; a very
lively notion with him at present. He will himself cheerfully take the lead in such Union, but he must not
venture alone. [See Adelung, iii. A and B, passim; Valori, i. 178;
The Reich, when appealed to, with such degree of emphasis, in this matter,we see how the Reich has
responded! Later on, Friedrich tried "the Swabian Circle" (chief scene of these AustrianBavarian tusslings);
which has, like the other Circles, a kind of parliament, and pretends to be a political unity of some sort.
"Cannot the Swabian Circle, or Swabian and Frankish joined (to which one might declare oneself
PROTECTOR, in such case), order their own Captains, with military force of their own, say 20,000 men, to
rank on the Frontier; and to inform peremptorily all belligerents and tumultuous persons, French, Bavarian,
English, Austrian: 'No thoroughfare; we tell you, No admittance here!'" Friedrich, disappointed of the Reich,
had taken up that smaller notion: and he spent a good deal of endeavor on that too,of which we may see
some glimpse, as we proceed. But it proves all futile. The Swabian Circle too is a moribund horse; all these
horses dead or moribund.
Friedrich, of course, has thought much what kind of Peace could be offered by a mediating party. The Kaiser
has lost his Bavaria: yet he is the Kaiser, and must have a living granted him as such. Compensations,
aspirations, claims of territory; these will be manifold! These are a world of floating vapor, of greed, of
anger, idle pretension: but within all these there are the real necessities; what the case does require, if it is
ever to be settled! Friedrich discerns this AustrianBavarian necessity of compensation; of new land to cut
upon. And where is that to come from!
In January last, Friedrich, intensely meditating this business, had in private a brightenough idea: That of
secularizing those socalled Sovereign Bishoprics, AustrianBavarian by locality and nature, Passau,
Salzburg, Regensburg, idle opulent territories, with functions absurd not useful;and of therefrom cutting
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compensation to right and to left. This notion he, by obscure channels, put into the head of Baron von
Haslang, Bavarian Ambassador at London; where it germinated rapidly, and came to fruit;was officially
submitted to Lord Carteret in his own house, in two highly artistic forms, one evening;and sets the
Diplomatic Heads all wagging upon it. [Adelung, iii. B, 84, 90, "January March, 1743."] With great hope, at
one time; till rumor of it got abroad into the Orthodox imagination, into the Gazetteer world; and raised such
a clamor, in those months, as seldom was. "Secularize, Hah! One sees the devilish heathen spirit of you; and
what kind of Kaiser, on the religious side, we now have the happiness of having!" So that Kaiser Karl had to
deny utterly, "Never heard of such a thing!" Carteret himself had, in politeness, to deny; much more, and for
dire cause, had Haslang himself, over the belly of facts, "Never in my dreams, I tell you!"and to get
ambiguous certificate from Carteret, which the simple could interpret to that effect. [Carteret's Letter (ibid.
iii, B, 190).]
It was only in whispers that the name of Friedrich was connected with this fine scheme; and all parties were
glad to get it soon buried again. A bright idea; but had come a century too soon. Of another Carteret
Negotiation with Kaiser Karl, famed as "Conferences of Hanau," which had almost come to be a Treaty, but
did not; and then, failing that, of a famous Carteret "Treaty of Worms," which did come to perfection, in
these same localities shortly afterwards; and which were infinitely interesting to our Friedrich, both the
Treaty and the Failure of the Treaty,we propose to speak elsewhere, in due time.
As to Friedrich's own endeavors and industries, at Regensburg and elsewhere, for effective mediation of
Peace; for the Reich to mediate, and have "Army of Mediation;" for a "Union of Swabian Circles" to do it;
for this and then for that to do it;as to Friedrich's own efforts and strugglings that way, in all likely and in
some unlikely quarters,they were, and continued to be, earnest, incessant; but without result. Like the
spurring of horses really DEAD some time ago! Of which no reader wishes the details, though the fact has to
be remembered. And so, with slight indication for Friedrich's sake,being intent on the stage of
events,we must leave that shadowy hypothetic region, as a wood in the background; the much foliage and
many twigs and boughs of which do authentically TAKE the trouble to be there, though we have to paint it in
this summary manner.
Chapter V. BRITANNIC MAJESTY FIGHTS HIS BATTLE OF DETTINGEN;
AND BECOMES SUPREME JOVE OF GERMANY, IN A MANNER.
Brittanic Majesty with his Yarmouth, and martial Prince of Cumberland, arrived at Hanover May 15th; soon
followed by Carteret from the Hague: [ Biographia Britannica (Kippin's,? Carteret), iii. 277.] a Majesty
prepared now for battle and for treaty alike; kind of earthly Jove, Arbiter of Nations, or victorious Hercules of
the Pragmatic, the sublime little man. At Herrenhausen he has a fine time; grandly fugling about; negotiating
with Wilhelm of Hessen and others; commanding his Pragmatic Army from the distance: and then at last,
dashing off rather in haste, he It is well known what enigmatic Exploit he did, at least the Name of it is
well known! Here, from the Imbroglios, is a rough Account; parts of which are introducible for the sake of
English readers.
BATTLE OF DETTINGEN.
"After some five leisurely weeks in Herrenhausen, George II. (now an old gentleman of sixty), with his
martial Fat Boy the Duke of Cumberland, and Lord Carteret his DiplomatistinChief, quitted that pleasant
sojourn, rather on a sudden, for the actual Seat of War. By speedy journeys they got to Frankfurt Country; to
Hanau, June 19th; whence, still up the Mayn, twenty or thirty miles farther up, to Aschaffenburg,where the
Pragmatic Army, after some dangerous manoeuvring on the opposite or south bank of the River, has lain
encamped some days, and is in questionable posture. Whither his Majesty in person has hastened up. And
truly, if his Majesty's head contain any good counsel, there is great need of it here just now.
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"Captains and men were impatient of that long loitering, hanging idle about Frankfurt all through May; and
they have at length started real business,with more valor than discretion, it is feared. They are some 40 or
44,000 strong: English 16,000; Hanoverians the like number; and of Austrians [by theory 20,000], say, in
effect, 12,000 or even 8,000: all paid by England. They have Hanau for Magazine; they have rearguard of
12,000 [the 6,000 Hessians, and 6,000 new Hanoverians], who at last are actually on march thither, near
arriving there: 'Forward!' said the Captaincy [said Stair, chiefly, it was thought]: 'Shall the whole summer
waste itself to no purpose?'and are up the River thus far, not on the most considerate terms.
"What this Pragmatic Army means to do? That is, and has been, a great question for all the world; especially
for Noailles and the French,not to say, for the Pragmatic itself! 'Get into Lorraine?' think the French: 'Get
into Alsace, and wrest it from us, for behoof of her Hungarian Majesty,'plundered goods, which indeed
belong to the Reich and her, in a sense! ELSSASS (Alsace, OUTER seat), with its ROADFortress
(STRASburg) plundered from the Holy Romish Reich by Louis XIV., in a way no one can forget; actually
plundered, as if by highway robbery, or by highway robbery and attorneyism combined, on the part of that
great Sovereign. 'To Strasburg? To Lorraine perhaps? Or to the Three Bishoprics'" (Metz, Toul,
Verdun:readers recollect that Siege of Metz, which broke the great heart of Karl V.? Who raged and fired
as man seldom did, with 50,000 men, against Guise and the intrusive French, for six weeks; sound of his
cannon heard at Strasburg on winter nights, 300 years ago: to no purpose; for his Captains of the Siege, after
trial and second trial, solemnly shook their heads; and the great Kaiser, breaking into tears, had to raise the
Siege of Metz; and went his way, never to smile more in this world: and Metz, and Toul, and Verdun, remain
with the French ever since):"To the Three Bishoprics, possibly enough!"
"'Or they may purpose for the Donau Countries, where Broglio is crackling off like trains of gunpowder; and
lend hand to Prince Karl, thereby enclosing Broglio fires?' This, according to present aspects, is between two
the likeliest. And perhaps, had provenders and arrangements been made beforehand for such a march, this
had been the feasiblest: and, to my own notion, it was some wild hope of doing this without provenders or
prearrangements that had brought the Pragmatic into its present quarters at Aschaffenburg, which are for the
military mind a mystery to this day.
"Early in the Spring, the French Governmeut had equipped Noailles with 70,000 men, to keep watch, and
patrol about, in the RhineMayn Countries, and look into those points. Which he has been vigilantly
doing,posted of late on the south or left bank of the Mayn;and is especially vigilant, since June 14th,
when the Pragmatic Army got on march, across the Mayn at Hochst; and took to offering him battle, on his
own south side of the River. Noaillesthough his Force [still 58,000, after that Broglio Detachment of
12,000] was greatly the strongerwould not fight; preferred cutting off the Enemy's supplies, capturing his
riverboats, provisionconvoys from Hanau, and settling him by hunger, as the cheaper method. Impetuous
Stair was thwarted, by flat protest of his German colleagues, especially by D'Ahremberg, in FORCING battle
on those rash terms: 'We Austrians absolutely will not!' said D'Ahremberg at last, and withdrew, or was
withdrawing, he for his part, across the River again. So that Stair also was obliged to recross the River, in
indignant humor; and now lies at Aschaffenburg, suffering the sad alternative, short diet namely, which will
end in famine soon, if these counsels prevail.
"Stair and D'Ahremberg do not well accord in their opinions; nor, it seems, is anybody in particular absolute
Chief; there are likewise heats and jealousies between the Hanoverian and the English troops ('Are not we
come for all your goods?' 'Yes, damn you, and for all our chattels too!')and withal it is frightfully uncertain
whether a high degree of intellect presides over these 44,000 fighting men, which may lead them to
something, or a low degree, which can only lead them to nothing!The blame is all laid on Stair; 'too rash,'
they say. Possibly enough, too rash. And possibly enough withal, even to a sound military judgment, in such
unutterable puddle of jarring imbecilities, 'rashness,' headlong courage, offered the one chance there was of
success? Who knows, had all the 44,000 been as rash as Stair and his English, but luck, and sheer hard
fighting, might have favored him, as skill could not, in those sad circumstances! Stair's plan was, 'Beat
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Noailles, and you have done everything: provisions, opulent new regions, and all else shall be added to you!'
Stair's plan might have answered,had Stair been the master to execute it; which he was not. D'Ahremberg's
also, who protested, 'Wait till your 12,000 join, and you have your provisions,' was the orthodox plan, and
might have much to say for itself. But the two plans collapsing into one,that was the clearly fatal method!
Magnanimous Stair never made the least explanation, to an undiscerning Public or Parliament; wrapt himself
in strict silence, and accepted in a grand way what had come to him. [His Papers, to voluminous extent, are
still in the Family Archives;not inaccessible, I think, were the right student of them (who would be a rare
article among us!) to turn up.] Clear it is, the Pragmatic Army had come across again, at Aschaffenburg,
Sunday, June 16th; and was found there by his Majesty on the Wednesday following, with its two internecine
plans fallen into mutual death; a Pragmatic Army in truly dangerous circumstances.
"The English who were in and round Aschaffenburg itself, Hanoverians and Austrians encamping farther
down, had put a battery on the Bridge of Aschaffenburg; hoping to be able to forage thereby on the other side
of the Mayn. Whereupon Noailles had instantly clapt a redoubt, under due cover of a Wood, at his end of the
Bridge, 'No passage this way, gentlemen, except into the cannon's throat!'so that Marshal Stair,
reconnoitring that way, 'had his hat shot off,' and rapidly drew back again. Nay, before long, Noailles, at the
Village of Seligenstadt, some eight miles farther down, throws two wooden or pontoon bridges over; [Sketch
of Plan at p. 257.] can bring his whole Army across at Seligenstadt; prohibits all manner of supply to us from
Hanau or our Magazines by his arrangement there:"(Notable little Seligenstadt, "City of the Blessed;"
where Eginhart and Emma, ever since Charlemagne's time, lie waiting the Resurrection; that is the place of
these Noailles contrivances!)"Furthermore, we learn, Noailles has seized a post twenty miles farther up the
river (Miltenberg the name of it); and will prevent supplies from coming down to us out of Branken or the
Neckar Country. We had forgotten, or our COLLAPSE of plans had done it, that 'an army moves on its
stomach' (as the King of Prussia says), and that we have nothing to live upon in these parts!
"Such has the unfortunate fact turned out to be, when Britannic Majesty arrives; and it can now be discovered
clearly, by any eyes, however flat to the head. And a terrible fact it is. Discordant Generals accuse one
another; hungry soldiers cannot be kept from plundering: for the horses there is unripe rye in quantity; but
what is there for the men? My poor traditionary friends, of the Grey Dragoons, were wont (I have heard) to
be heartrending on this point, in after years! Famine being urgent, discipline is not possible, nor existence
itself. For a week longer, George, rather in obstinate hope than with any reasonable plan or exertion, still tries
it; finds, after repeated Councils of War, that he will have to give it up, and go back to Hanau where his living
is. Wednesday night, 26th June, 1743, that is the final resolution, inevitably come upon, without argument:
and about one on Thursday morning, the Army (in two columns, Austrians to vanward well away from the
River, English as rearguard close on it) gets in motion to execute said resolution,if the Army can.
"If the Army can: but that is like to be a formidably difficult business; with a Noailles watching every step of
you, today and for ten days back, in these sad circumstances. Eyes in him like a lynx, they say; and great
skill in war, only too cautious. Hardly is the Army gone from Aschaffenburg, when Noailles, pushing across
by the Bridge, seizes that post,no retreat now for us thitherward. His Majesty, who marches in the rear
division, has happily some artillery with him; repels the assaults from behind, which might have been more
serious otherwise. As it is, there play cannon across the River upon him:Why not bend to right, and get out
of range, asks the reader? The Spessart Hills rise, high and woody, on the right; and there is in many places
no marching except within range. Noailles has Five effective Batteries, at the various good points, on his side
of the River:and that is nothing to what he has got ready for us, were we once at Dettingen, within wind of
his Two Bridges a little beyond! Noailles has us in a perfect mousetrap, SOURICIERE as he felinely calls
it; and calculates on having annihilation ready for us at Dettingen.
"Dettingen, short way above those Pontoons at Seligenstadt, is near eight miles westward [NORTHwestward,
but let us use the briefer term] from Aschaffenburg: Dettingen is a poor peasant Village, of some size, close
on the Mayn, and on our side of it. A Brook, coming down from the Spessart Mountains, falls into the Mayn
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there; having formed for itself, there and upwards, a considerable dell or hollow way; chiefly on the western
or right bank of which stands the Village with its barnyards and piggeries: on both sides of the great
Highroad, which here crosses the Brook, and will lead you to Hanau twenty miles off,or back to
Aschaffenburg, and even to Nurnberg and the Donau Countries, if you persevere. Except that of the
highroad, Dettingen Brook has no bridge. Above the Village, after coming from the Mountains, the banks of
it are boggy; especially the western bank, which spreads out into a scrubby waste of moor, for some good
space. In which scrubby moor, as elsewhere in this dell or hollow way itself, where the Village hangs, with its
hedges, piggeries, colegarths,there is like to be bad enough marching for a column of men! Noailles, as we
said, has Two Bridges thrown across the Mayn, just below; and the last of his Five Batteries, from the other
side, will command Dettingen. His plan of operation is this:
"By these Bridges he has passed 24,000 horse and foot across the River, under his Nephew the chivalrous
Duke of Grammont: these, with due artillery and equipment, are to occupy the Village; and to rank
themselves in battleorder to leftward of it, on the moor just mentioned,well behind that hollow way, with
its brook and bogs;and, one thing they must note well, Not to stir from that position, till the English
columns have got fairly into said hollow way and brook of Dettingen, and are plunging more or less
distractedly across the entanglements there. With cannon on their left flank, and such a gullet to pass through,
one may hope they will be in rather an attackable condition. Across that gullet it is our intention they shall
never get. How can they, if Grammont do his duty?
"This is Noailles's plan; one of the prettiest imaginable, say military men,had the execution but
corresponded. Noailles had seized Aschaffenburg, so soon as the English were out of it; Noailles, from his
batteries beyond the River, salutes the English march with continuous shot and thunder, which is very
discomposing: he sees confidently a really fair likelihood of capturing the Britannic Majesty and his
Pragmatic Army, unless they prefer to die on the ground. Seldom, since that of the Caudine Forks, did any
Army, by illluck and illguidance, get into such a pinfold,death or flat surrender seemingly their one
alternative.
"Thus march these English, that dewy morning, Thursday, June 27th, 1743, with cannon playing on their left
flank; and such a fate ahead of them, had they known it;very short of breakfast, too, for most part. But they
have one fine quality, and Britannic George, like all his Welf race from Henry the Lion down to these days,
has it in an eminent degree: they are not easily put into flurry, into fear. In all Welf Sovereigns, and generally
in Teuton Populations, on that side of the Channel or on this, there is the requisite unconscious substratum of
taciturn inexpugnability, with depths of potential rage almost unquenchable, to be found when you apply for
it. Which quality will much stead them on the present occasion: and, indeed, it is perhaps strengthened by
their 'stupidity' itself, what neighbors call their 'stupidity;'want of idle imagining, idle flurrying, nay want
even of knowing, is not one of the worst qualities just now! They tramp on, paying a minimum of attention to
the cannon; ignorant of what is ahead; hoping only it may be breakfast, in some form, before the day quite
terminate. The day is still young, hardly 8 o'clock, when their advanced parties find Dettingen beset; find a
whole French Army drawn up, on the scrubby moor there; and come galloping back with this interesting bit
of news! Pause hereupon; much consulting; in fact, endless hithering and thithering, the affair being knotty:
'Fight, YES, now at last! But how?' Impetuous Stair was not wanting to himself; Neipperg too, they say, was
useful with advice; D'Ahremberg, I should imagine, good for little.
"Some six hours followed of thriceintricate deploying, planting of fieldpieces, counterbatteries; ranking,
reranking, shuffling hither and then thither of horse and foot; Noailles's cannonade proceeding all the while;
the English, still considerably exposed to it, and standing it like stones; chivalrous Grammont, and with better
reason the English, much wishing these preliminaries were done. A difficult business, that of deploying here.
The Pragmatic had no room, jammed so against the Spessart Hills, and obliged to lean FROM the River and
Noailles's cannon; had to rank itself in six, some say in eight lines; horse behind foot, as well as on flank;
unsatisfactory to the military mind: and I think had not done shuffling and reshuffling at 2 P.M.,when the
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Enemy came bursting on, with a peremptory finish to it, 'Enough of that, MESSIEUR'S LES ANGLAIS!'
'Too much of it, a great deal!' thought Messieurs grimly, in response. And there ensued a really furious clash
of host against host; French chivalry (MAISON DU ROI, Black Mousquetaires, the Flower of their Horse
regiments) dashing, in right Gallic frenzy, on their natural enemies,on the English, that is; who, I find,
were mainly on the left wing there, horse and foot; and had mainly (the Austrians and they, very mainly) the
work to do;and did, with an effort, and luck helping, manage to do it.
"'Grammont breaks orders! Thriceblamable Grammont!' exclaim Noailles and others, sorrowfully wringing
their hands. Even so! Grammont had waited seven mortal hours; one's courage burning all the while, courage
perhaps rather burning down,and not the least use coming of if. Grammont had, in natural impatience,
gradually edged forward; and, in the end, was being cannonaded and pricked into by the Enemy; and did at
last, with his MAISONDUROI, dash across that essential Hollow Way, and plunge in upon them on their
own side of it. And 'the, English foot gave their volley too soon;' ad Grammont did, in effect, partly repulse
and disorder the front ranks of them; and, blazing up uncontrollable, at sight of those first ranks in disorder,
did press home upon them more and more; get wholly into the affair, bringing on his Infantry as well: 'Let us
finish it wholly, now that our hand is in!'and took one cannon from the Enemy; and did other feats.
"So furious was that first charge of his; 'MAISONDUROI covering itself with glory,'for a short while.
MAISONDUROI broke three lines of the Enemy [three, not "Five"]; did in some places actually break
through; in others 'could not, but galloped along the front.' Three of their lines: but the fourth line would not
break; much the contrary, it advanced (Austrians and English) with steady fire, hotter and hotter: upon this
fourth line MAISONDUROI had, itself, to break, pretty much altogether, and rush home again, in ruinous
condition. 'Our front lines made lanes for them; terribly maltreating them with musketry on right and left, as
they galloped through.' And this was the end of Grammont's successes, this charge of horse; for his infantry
had no luck anywhere; and the essential crisis of the Battle had been here. It continued still a good while;
plenty of cannonading, fusillading, but in sporadic detached form; a confused series of small shocks and
knocks; which were mostly, or all, unfortunate for Grammont; and which at length knocked him quite off the
field. 'He was now interlaced with the English,' moans Noailles; 'so that my cannon, not to shoot Grammont
as well as the English, had to cease firing!' Well, yes, that is true, M. le Marechal; but that is not so important
as you would have it. The English had stood nine hours in this fire of yours; by degrees, leaning well away
from it; answering it with counter batteries;and were not yet ruined by it, when the Grammont crisis
came! Noailles should have dashed fresh troops across his Bridges, and tried to handle them well. Noailles
did not do that; or do anything but wring his hands.
"The Fight lasted four hours; ever hotter on the English part, ever less hot on the French [fire of
anthracitecoal VERSUS flame of dry wood, which latter at last sinks ASHY!]and ended in total defeat of
the French. The French Infantry by no means behaved as their Cavalry had done. The GARDES
FRANCAISES [fire burning ashy, after seven hours of flaming], when Grammont ordered them up to take
the English in flank, would hardly come on at all, or stand one push. They threw away their arms, and
plunged into the River, like a drove of swimmers; getting drowned in great numbers. So that their comrades
nicknamed them 'CANARDS DU MEIN (Ducks of the Mayn):' and in English messrooms, there went
afterwards a saying: 'The French had, in reality, Three Bridges; one of them NOT wooden, and carpeted with
blue cloth!' Such the wit of military mankind.
"... The English, it appears, did something by mere shouting. Partial huzzas and counterhuzzas between the
Infantries were going on at one time, when Stair happened to gallop up: 'Stop that,' said Stair; 'let us do it
right. Silence; then, One and all, when I give you signal!' And Stair, at the right moment, lifting his hat, there
burst out such a thundergrowl, edged with melodious ire in alt, as quite seemed to strike a damp into the
French, says my authority, 'and they never shouted more. ... Our ground in many parts was under rye,'
hedgeless fields of rye, chief graincrop of that sandy country. 'We had already wasted above 120,000 acres
of it,' still in the unripe state, so hungry were we, man and horse, 'since crossing to Aschaffenburg;'fighting
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for your Cause of Liberty, ye benighted ones!
"King Friedrich's private accounts, deformed by ridicule, are, That the Britannic Majesty, his respectable old
Uncle, finding the French there barring his way to breakfast, understood simply that there must and should be
fighting, of the toughest; but had no plan or counsel farther: that he did at first ride up, to see what was what
with his own eyes; but that his horse ran away with him, frightened at the cannon; upon which he hastily got
down; drew sword; put himself at the head of his Hanoverian Infantry [on the right wing], and stood,left
foot drawn back, sword pushed out, in the form of a fencingmaster doing lunge,steadily in that defensive
attitude, inexpugnable like the rocks, till all was over, and victory gained. This is defaced by the spirit of
ridicule, and not quite correct. Britannic Majesty's horse [one of those 500 fine animals] did, it is certain, at
last dangerously run away with him; upon which he took to his feet and his Hanoverians. But he had been
repeatedly on horseback, in the earlier stages; galloping about, to look with his own eyes, could they have
availed him; and was heard encouraging his people, and speaking even in the English language, 'Steady, my
boys; fire, my brave boys, give them fire; they will soon run!' [ OEuvres de Frederic, (iii. 14): compare
Anonymous, Life of the Duke of Cumberland (p. 64 n.); Henderson's LIFE of ditto; Latterly, there can be no
doubt, he stands [and to our imagination, he may fitly stand throughout] in the above attitude of lunge; no
fear in him, and no plan; 'SANS PEUR ET SANS AVIS,' as me might term it. Like a real Hanoverian
Sovereign of England; like England itself, and its ways in those German Wars. A typical epitome of long
sections of English History, that attitude of lunge!
"The English Officers also, it is evident, behaved in their usual way:without knowledge of war, without
fear of death, or regard to utmost peril or difficulty; cheering their men, and keeping them steady upon the
throats of the French, so far as might be. And always, after that first stumble with the French Horse was
mended, they kept gaining ground, thrusting back the Enemy, not over the Dettingen Brook and
Moorground only, but, knock after knock, out of his woody or other coverts, back and ever back, towards
Welzheim, Kahl, and those Two Bridges of his. The flamy French [ligneous fire burning lower and lower,
VERSUS anthracitic glowing brighter and brighter] found that they had a bad time of it;found, in fact, that
they could not stand it; and tumbled finally, in great torrents, across their Bridges on the Mayn, many leaping
into the River, the English sitting dreadfully on the skirts of them. So that had the English had their Cavalry
in readiness to pursue, Noailles's Army, in the humor it had sunk to, was ruined, and the Victory would have
been conspicuously great. But they had, as too common, nothing ready. Impetuous Stair strove to get ready;
"pushed out the Grey Dragoons" for one item. But the Authorities refused Stair's counsel, as rash again; and
made no effectual pursuit at all;too glad that they had brushed their Battlefield triumphantly clear, and
got out of that fatal pinfold in an honorable manner.
"They stayed on the ground till 10 at night; settling, or trying to settle, many things. The Surgeons were busy
as bees, but able for Officers only;'Dress HIM first!' said the glorious Duke of Cumberland, pointing to a
young Frenchman [Excellency Fenelon's Son, grandnephew of TELEMAQUE] who was worse wounded
than his Highness. Quite in the PhilipSydney fashion; which was much taken notice of. 'All this while, we
had next to nothing to eat' (says one informant).Ten P.M.: after which, leaving a polite Letter to Noailles,
'That he would take care of our Wounded, and bury our Slain as well as his own,' we march [through a pour
of rain] to Hanau, where our victuals are, and 12,000 new Hessians and Hanoverians by this time.
"Noailles politely bandaged the Wounded, buried the Dead. Noailles, gathering his scattered battalions, found
that he had lost 2,659 men; no ruinous loss to him,the Enemy's being at least equal, and all his Wounded
fallen Prisoners of War. No ruinous loss to Noailles, had it not been the loss of Victory,which was a sore
blow to French feeling; and, adding itself to those Broglio disgraces, a new discouragement to Most Christian
Majesty. Victory indisputably lost:but is it not Grammont's blame altogether? Grammont bears it, as we
saw; and it is heavily laid on him. But my own conjecture is, forty thousand enraged people, of English and
other PlattTeutsch type, would have been very difficult to pin up, into captivity or death instead of
breakfast, in that manner: and it is possible if poor Grammont had not mistaken, some other would have done
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so, and the hungry Baresarks (their blood fairly up, as is evident) would have ended in getting through."
[Espagnac, i. 193; Guerre de Boheme, i. 231. Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xiii. (for 1743), pp.
328481;containing Carteret's Despatch from the field; followed by many other Letters and indistinct
Narrations from Officers present (p. 434, "Plan of the Battle," blotchy, indecipherable in parts, but essentially
rather true),is worth examining. See likewise Anonymous, Memoirs of the late Duke of Cumberland
(Lond. 1767; the Author an ignorant, muchadoring militaryman, who has made some study, and is not so
stupid as he looks), pp. 5678; and Henderson (ignorant he too, muchadoring, and not military), Life of the
Duke of Cumberland (Lond. 1766), pp. 3248. Noailles's Official Account (ingenuously at a loss what to
say), in Campagnes, ii. B, 242253, 306310. OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 1114 (incorrect in many of the
DETAILS).
This was all the Fighting that King George got of his Pragmatic Army; the gain from conquest made by it
was, That it victoriously struggled back to its breadcupboard. Stair, about two months hence, in the mere
loitering and higgling that there was, quitted the Pragmatic; magnanimously silent on his many wrongs and
disgusts, desirous only of "returning to the plough," as he expressed himself. The lofty man; wanted several
requisites for being a Marlborough; wanted a Sarah Jennings, as the preliminary of all!We will not attend
the lazy movements and procedures of the Pragmatic Army farther; which were of altogether futile character,
even in the temporary Gazetteer estimate; and are to be valued at zero, and left charitably in oblivion by a
pious posterity. Stair, the one brightishlooking man in it, being gone, there remain Majesty with his
D'Ahrembergs, Neippergs, and the Martial Boy; Generals Cope, Hawley, Wade, and many of leaden
character, remain: let the leaden be wrapped in lead.
It was not a successful Army, this Pragmatic. Dettingen itself, in spite of the rumoring of Gazetteers and
temporary persons, had no result,except the extremely bad one, That it inflated to an alarming height the
pride and belligerent humor of his Britannic, especially of her Hungarian Majesty; and made Peace more
difficult than ever. That of getting Ostein, with his Austrian leanings, chosen KurMainz,that too turned
out ill: and perhaps, in the course of the next few months, we shall judge that, had Ostein leant AGAINST
Austria, it had been better for Austria and Ostein. Of the Pragmatic Army, silence henceforth, rather than
speech!
One thing we have to mark, his Britannic Majesty, commander of such an Army,and of such a Purse,
which is still more stupendous,has risen, in the Gazetteer estimate and his own, to a high pitch of
importance. To be Supreme Jove of Teutschland, in a manner; and acts, for the present Summer, in that
sublime capacity. Two Diplomatic feats of his,one a Treaty done and tumbled down again, the other a
Treaty done and let stand ("Treaty of Worms," and "Conferences," or NONTreaty "of Hanau"),are of
moment in this History and that of the then World. Of these two Transactions, due both of them to such an
Army and such a Purse, we shall have to take some notice by and by; the rest shall belong to Night and her
leaden sceptremuch good may they do her!
Some ten days after Dettingen, Broglio (who was crackling off from Donauwurth, in view of the Lines of
Schellenberg, that very 27th of June) ended his retreat to the Rhine Countries; "glorious," though rather swift,
and eaten into by the Tolpatcheries of Prince Karl. "July 8th, at Wimpfen" (in the Neckar Region, some way
South of Dettingen), Broglio delivers his troops to Marechal de Noailles's care; and, next morning, rushes off
towards Strasburg, and quiet Official life, as Governor there.
"The day after his arrival," says Friedrich, "he gave a grand ball in Strasburg:" [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 10.]
"Behold your conquering hero safe again, my friends!" An ungrateful Court judged otherwise of the hero.
Took his Strasburg Government from him, gave it to Marechal de Coigny; ordered the hero to his Estates in
the Country, Normandy, if I remember;where he soon died of apoplexy, poor man; and will trouble none
of us again. "A man born for surprises," said Friedrich long since, in the Strasburg Doggerel. Lost his
indispensable garnitures, at the Ford of Secchia once; and now, in these last twelve months, is considered to
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have done a series of blustery explosions, derogatory to the glory of France, and ruinous to that sublime
Belleisle Enterprise for oue thing.
A ruined Enterprise that, at any rate; seldom was Enterprise better ruined. Here, under Broglio, amid the
titterings of mankind, has the tail of the Oriflamme gone the same bad road as its head did; into zero and
outer darkness; leaving the expenses to pay. Like a mad tavernbrawl of one's own raising, the biggest that
ever was. Has cost already, I should guess, some 80,000 French drilled Men, paid down, on the nail, to the
inexorable Fates: and of coined Millions,how many? In subsidies, in equipments, in waste, in loss and
wreck: Dryasdust could not have told me, had he tried. And then the breakages, damages still chargeable; the
probable afterclap? For you cannot quite gratuitously tweak people by the nose, in your wanton humor, over
your wine!One willing man, or Most Christian Majesty, can at any time begin a quarrel; but there need
always two or more to end it again.
Most Christian Majesty is not so sensible of this fact as he afterwards became; but what with Broglio and the
extinct Oriflamme, what with Dettingen and the incipient Pragmatic, he is heartily disgusted and discouraged;
and wishes he had not thought of cutting Germany in Four. July 26th, Most Christian Majesty applies to the
German Diet; signifying "That he did indeed undertake to help the Kaiser, according to treaties; but was the
farthest in the world from meaning to invade Germany, on his own score. That he had and has no quarrel,
except with Austria as Kaiser's enemy; and is ready to be friends even with Austria. And now indeed intends
to withdraw his troops wholly from the German territory. And can therefore hope that all unpleasantness will
cease, between the German Nation and him; and that perhaps the Kaiser will be able to make peace with her
Majesty of Hungary on softer terms than at one time seemed likely. If only the animosities of sovereign
persons would assuage themselves, and each of us would look without passion at the issue really desirable for
him!" [Espagnac, i. 200. Adelung, iii. B, 199 (26th July); Ib. 201 (the Answer to it, 16th August).]
That is now, 26th July, 1743, King Louis's story for himself to the Diet of the Holy Roman Empire, Teutsch
by Nation, sitting at Frankfurt in rather disconsolate circumstances. The Diet naturally answered, "JA
WOHL, JA WOHL," in intricate official language, nobody need know what the Diet answered. But what
the Hungarian Majesty answered, strong and high in such Britannic backing,this was of such unexpected
tone, that it fixed everybody's attention; and will very specially require to be noted by us, in the course of a
week or two.
We said, her Hungarian Majesty was getting crowned in Bohemia, getting personally homaged in Upper
Austria, about to get vice homaged in Bavaria itself,nothing but glorious pomp, but loyalty loudly vocal,
in Prag, in Linz and the onceafflicted Countries; at her return to Vienna, she has met the news of Dettingen;
and is ready to strike the stars with her sublime head. "My little Paladin become Supreme Jove, too: aha!"
BRITANNIC MAJESTY HOLDS HIS CONFERENCES OF HANAU.
Britannic Majesty stayed two whole months in Hanau, brushing himself up again after that fierce bout; and
considering, with much dubitation, What is the next thing? "Go in upon Noailles [who is still hanging about
here, with Broglio coming on in the exploded state]; wreck Broglio and him! Go in upon the French!" so
urges Stair always: rash Stair, urgent to the edge of importunity; English Officers and Martial Boy urgently
backing Stair; while the Hanoverian Officers and Martial Parent are steady to the other view. So that, in
respect of War, the next thing, for two months coming, was absolutely nothing, and to the end of the
Campaign was nothing worth a moment's notice from us. But on the Diplomatic side, there were two
somethings, CONFERENCES AT HANAU with poor Kaiser Karl, and TREATY AT WORMS with the
King of Sardinia; whichas minus quantities, or things less than nothingturned out to be highly
considerable for his Britannic Majesty and us.
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HANAU, 7th July1st AUGUST, 1743. "Poor Kaiser Karl had left Augsburg June 26th,while his Broglio
was ferrying at Donauworth, and his Seckendorf treatying for Armistice at NiederSchonfeld, the very day
before Dettingen. What a piece of news to him, that Dettingen, on his return to Frankfurt!
"A few days after Dettingen, July 3d, Noailles, who is still within call, came across to see this poor stepson of
Fortune; gives piteous account of him, if any one were now curious on that head: How he bitterly complains
of Broglio, of the nosubsidies sent, and is driven nearly desperate;not a penny in his pocket, beyond all.
Upon which latter clause Noailles munificently advanced him a $6,000. 'Draught of 40,000 crowns, in my
own name; which doubtless the King, in his compassion, will see good to sanction.' [ Campagnes de Noailles
(Amsterdam, 1760: this is a Sequel, or rather VICE VERSA, to that which we have called DES TROIS
MARECHAUX, being of the same Collection), i. 316328.] His feelings on the loss of Dettingen may be
pictured. But he had laid his account with such things;prepared for the worst, since that Interview with
Broglio and Conti; one plan now left, 'Peace, cost what it will!'
"The poor Kaiser had already, as we saw, got into hopes of bargaining with his Britannic Majesty; and now
he instantly sets about it, while Hanau is victorious headquarters. Britannic Majesty is not himself very
forward; but Carteret, I rather judge, had taken up the notion; and on his Majesty's and Carteret's part, there is
actually the wish and attempt to pacificate the Reich; to do something tolerable for the poor Kaiser, as well as
satisfactory to the Hungarian Majesty,satisfactory, or capable of being (by the Purseholder) insisted on as
such.
"And so the Landgraf of Hessen, excellent Wilhelm, King George's friend and gossip, is come over to that
little Town of Hanau, which is his own, in the Schloss of which King George is lodged: and there, between
Carteret and our Landgraf,the King of Prussia's Ambassador (Herr Klinggraf), and one or two selectly
zealous Official persons, assisting or watching,we have 'Conferences of Hanau' going on; in a zealous
fashion; all parties eager for Peace to Kaiser and Reich, and in good hope of bringing it about. The wish,
ardent to a degree, had been the Kaiser's first of all. The scheme, I guess, was chiefly of Carteret's devising;
who, in his magnificent mind, regardless of expense, thinks it may be possible, and discerns well what a
stroke it will be for the Cause of Liberty, and how glorious for a Britannic Majesty's Adviser in such
circumstances. July 7th, the Conferences began; and, so frank and loyal were the parties, in a week's time
matters were advanced almost to completion, the fundamental outlines of a bargain settled, and almost ready
for signing.
"'Give me my Bavaria again!' the Kaiser had always said: 'I am Head of the Reich, and have nothing to live
upon!' On one preliminary, Carteret had always been inexorable: 'Have done with your French auxiliaries;
send every soul of them home; the German soil once cleared of them, much will be possible; till then
nothing.' KAISER: 'Well, give me back my Bavaria; my Bavaria, and something suitable to live upon, as
Head of the Reich: some decent Annual Pension, till Bavaria come into paying condition,cannot you, who
are so wealthy? And Bavaria might be made a Kingdom, if you wished to do the handsome thing. I will
renounce my Austrian Pretensions, quit utterly my French Alliances; consent to have her Hungarian
Majesty's august Consort made King of the Romans [which means Kaiser after me], and in fact be very safe
to the House of Austria and the Cause of Liberty.' To all this the thriceunfortunate gentleman, titular
Emperor of the World, and unable now to pay his milkscores, is eager to consent. To continue crossing the
Abysses on bridges of French rainbow? Nothing but French subsidies to subsist on; and these how
paid,Noailles's private pocket knows how! 'I consent,' said the Kaiser; 'will forgive and forget, and
bygones shall be bygones all round!' 'Fair on his Imperial Majesty's part,' admits Carteret; 'we will try to be
persuasive at Vienna. Difficult, but we will try.' In a meek matters had come to this point; and the morrow,
July 15th, was appointed for signing. Most important of Protocols, foundationstone of Peace to Teutschland;
King Friedrich and the impartial Powers approving, with Britannic George and drawn sword presiding.
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"King Friedrich approves heartily; and hopes it will do. Landgraf Wilhelm is proud to have saved his
Kaiser,who so glad as the Landgraf and his Kaiser? Carteret, too, is very glad; exulting, as he well may, to
have composed these worlddeliriums, or concentrated them upon peccant France, he with his single head,
and to have got a value out of that absurd Pragmatic Army, after all. A man of magnificent ideas; who hopes
'to bring Friedrich over to his mind;' to unite poor Teutschland against such Oriflamme Invasions and
intolerable interferences, and to settle the account of France for a long while. He is the only English Minister
who speaks German, knows German situations, interests, ways; or has the least real understanding of this
huge German Imbroglio in which England is voluntarily weltering. And truly, had Carteret been King of
England, which he was not,nay, had King Friedrich ever got to understand, instead of misunderstand, what
Carteret WAS,here might have been a considerable affair!
"But it now, at the eleventh hour, came upon magnificent Carteret, now seemingly for the first time in its full
force, That he Carteret was not the master; that there was a bewildered Parliament at home, a poor peddling
Duke of Newcastle leader of the same, with his Lords of the Regency, who could fatally put a negative on all
this, unless they were first gained over. On the morrow, July 15th, Carteret, instead of signing, as expected,
has topurpose a fortnight's delay till he consult in England! Absolutely would not and could not sign, till a
Courier to England went and returned. To Landgraf Wilhelm's, to Klinggraf's and the Kaiser's very great
surprise, disappointment and suspicion. But Carteret was inflexible: 'will only take a fortnight,' said he; 'and I
can hope all will yet be well!'
"The Courier came back punctually in a fortnight. His Message was presented at Hanau, August 1st,and
ran conclusively to the effect: 'No! We, Noodle of Newcastle, and my other Lords of Regency, do not
consent; much less, will undertake to carry the thing through Parliament: By no manner of means!' So that
Carteret's lately towering Affair had to collapse ignominiously, in that manner; poor Carteret protesting his
sorrow, his unalterable individual wishes and future endeavors, not to speak of his Britannic Majesty's,and
politely pressing on the poor Kaiser a gift of 15,000 pounds (first weekly instalment of the 'Annual Pension'
that HAD, in theory, been set apart for him); which the Kaiser, though indigent, declined. [Adelung, iii. B,
206, 209212; see Coxe, Memoirs of Pelham (London, 1829), i. 75, 469.]'
"The disgust of Landgraf Wilhelm was infinite; who, honest man, saw in all this merely an artifice of
Carteret's, To undo the Kaiser with his French Allies, to quirk him out of his poor help from the French, and
have him at their mercy. 'Shame on it!' cried Landgraf Wilhelm aloud, and many others less aloud, Klinggraf
and King Friedrich among them: 'What a Carteret!' The Landgraf turned away with indignation from
perfidious England; and began forming quite opposite connections. 'You shall not even have my hired 6,000,
you perfidious! Thing done with such dexterity of art, too!' thought the Landgraf,and continued to think,
till evidence turned up, after many months. [CARTERET PAPERS (in British Museum), Additional MSS.
No. 22,529 (May, 1743January, 1745); in No. 22,527 (January September, 1742) are other
LandgrafWilhelm pieces of Correspondence.] This was Friedrich's opinion too, permanently, I
believe;and that of nearly all the world, till the thing and the Doer of the thing were contemptuously
forgotten. A piece of Machiavelism on the part of Carteret and perfidious Albion,equal in refined cunning
to that of the Ships with foul bottom, which vanished from Cadiz two years ago, and were admired with a
shudder by Continental mankind who could see into millstones!
"This is the second stroke of Machiavellian Art by those Islanders, in their truly vulpine method. Stroke of
Art important for this History; and worth the attention of English readers,being almost of pathetic nature,
when one comes to understand it! Carteret, for this Hanau business, had clangor enough to undergo, poor
man, from Germans and from English; which was wholly unjust. 'His trade,' say the English(or used to
say, till they forgot their considerable Carteret altogether)'was that of rising in the world by feeding the
mad German humors of little George; a miserable trade.' Yes, my friends;but it was not quite Carteret's, if
you will please to examine! And none say, Carteret did not do his trade, whatever it was, with a certain
greatness,at least till habits of drinking rather took him, Poor man: impatient, probably, of such fortune
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long continued! For he was thrown out, next Session of Parliament, by Noodle of Newcastle, on those strange
terms; and never could get in again, and is now forgotten; and there succeeded him still more mournful
phenomena,said Noodle or the poor Pelhams, namely,of whom, as of strauge minus quantities set to
manage our affairs, there is still some dreary remembrance in England. Well!"
Carteret, though there had been no Duke of Newcastle to run athwart this fine scheme, would have had his
difficulties in making her Hungarian Majesty comply. Her Majesty's great heart, incurably grieved about
Silesia, is bent on having, if not restoration one day, which is a hope she never quits, at any rate some ample
(cannot be too ample) equivalent elsewhere. On the Hanau scheme, united Teutschland, with England for
soul to it, would have fallen vigorously on the throat of France, and made France disgorge: Lorraine, Elsass,
the Three Bishoprics,not to think of Burgundy, and earlier plunders from the Reich,here would have
been "cut and come again" for her Hungarian Majesty and everybody!But Diana, in the shape of his Grace
of Newcastle, intervenes; and all this has become chimerical and worse.
It was while Carteret's courier was gone to England and not come back, that King Louis made the
abovementioned mild, almost penitent, Declaration to the Reich, "Good people, let us have Peace; and all be
as we were! I, for my share, wish to be out of it; I am for home!" And, in effect, was already home; every
Frenchman in arms being, by this time, on his own side of the Rhine, as we shall presently observe.
For, the same day, July 26th, while that was going on at Frankfurt, and Carteret's returncourier was due in
five days, his Britannic Majesty at Hanau had a splendid visit,tending not towards Peace with France, but
quite the opposite way. Visit from Prince Karl, with Khevenhuller and other dignitaries; doing us that honor
"till the evening of the 28th." Quitting their Army,which is now in these neighborhoods (Broglio well gone
to air ahead of it; Noailles too, at the first sure sniff of it, having rushed double quick across the
Rhine),these high Gentlemen have run over to us, for a couple of days, to "congratulate on Dettingen;" or,
better still, to consult, face to face, about ulterior movements. "Follow Noailles; transfer the seat of war to
France itself? These are my orders, your Majesty. Combined Invasion of Elsass: what a slash may be made
into France [right handselling of your Carteret Scheme] this very year!" "Proper, in every case!" answers the
Britannic Majesty; and engages to cooperate. Upon which Prince Karlafter the due reviewing, dinnering,
ceremonial blaring, which was splendid to witness [Anonymous, Duke of Cumberland, pp. 65, 86.]hastens
back to his Army (now lying about Baden Durlach, 70,000 strong); and ought to be swift, while the chance
lasts.
HUNGARIAN MAJESTY ANSWERS, IN THE DIET, THAT FRENCH DECLARATION, "MAKE
PEACE, GOOD PEOPLE; I WISH TO BE OUT OF IT!"IN AN OMINOUS MANNER.
These are fine prospects, in the French quarter, of an equivalent for Schlesien;very fine, unless Diana
intervene! Diana or not, French prospects or not, her Hungarian Majesty fastens on Bavaria with uncommon
tightness of fist, now that Bavaria is swept clear; well resolved to keep Bavaria for equivalent, till better
come. Exacts, by her deputy, Homage from the Population there; strict Oath of Fealty to HER; poor Kaiser
protesting his uttermost, to no purpose; Kaiser's poor Printer (at Regensburg, which is in Bavaria) getting
"tried and hanged" for printing such Protest! "She draughts forcibly the Bavarian militias into her Italian
Army;" is high and merciless on all hands;in a word, throttles poor Bavaria, as if to the choking of it
outright. So that the very Gazetteers in foreign places gave voice, though Bavaria itself, such a grasp on the
throat of it, was voiceless. Seckendorf's poor Bargain for neutrality as a Bavarian ReichArmy, her
Hungarian Majesty disdains to confirm; to confirm, or even to reject; treats Seckendorf and his Bavarian
Army little otherwise than as a stray dog which she has not yet shot. And truly the old Feldmarschall lies at
Wembdingen, in most disconsolate moulting condition; little or nothing to live upon;the English, generous
creatures, had at one time flung him something, fancying the Armistice might be useful; but now it must be
the French that do it, if anybody! [Adelung, iii. B, 204 ("22d Angust"), 206,
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Hanau Conferences having failed, these things do not fail. Kaiser Karl is become tragical to think of. A
spectacle of pity to Landgraf Wilhelm, to King Friedrich, and serious onlookers;and perhaps not of pity
only, but of "pity and fear" to some of them! sullen Austria taking its sweet revenges, in this fashion.
Readers who will look through these small chinks, may guess what a worldwelter this was; and how
Friedrich, gazing into phase on phase of it, as into Oracles of Fate, which to him they were, had a History, in
these months, that will now never be known.
August 16th came out her Hungarian Majesty's Response to that mild quasipenitent Declaration of King
Louis to the Reich; and much astonished King Louis and others, and the very Reich itself. "Out of it?" says
her Hungarian Majesty (whom we with regret, for brevity's sake, translate from Official into vulgate): "His
Most Christian Majesty wishes to be out of it:Does not he, the (what shall I call him) Crowned
Housebreaker taken in the fact? You shall get out of it, please Heaven, when you have made compensation
for the damage done; and till then not, if it please Heaven!" And in this strain (lengthily Official, though
indignant to a degree) enumerates the wanton unspeakable mischiefs and outrages which Austria, a kind of
sacred entity guaranteed by Law of Nature and Eleven Signatures of Potentates, has suffered from the Most
Christian Majesty,and will have compensation for, Heaven now pointing the way! [IN EXTENSO in
Adelung, iii. B, 201 et seqq.]
A most portentous Document; full of sombre emphasis, in sonorous snuffling tone of voice; enunciating, with
inflexible purpose, a number of unexpected things: very portentous to his Prussian Majesty among others.
Forms a turningpoint or crisis both in the French War, and in his Prussian Majesty's History; and ought to be
particularly noted and dated by the careful reader. It is here that we first publicly hear tell of Compensation,
the necessity Austria will have of Compensation,Austria does not say expressly for Silesia, but she says
and means for loss of territory, and for all other losses whatsoever: "Compensation for the past, and security
for the future; that is my full intention," snuffles she, in that slow metallic tone of hers, irrevocable except by
the gods.
"Compensation for the past, Security for the future:" Compensation? what does her Hungarian Majesty
mean? asked all the world; asked Friedrich, the now Proprietor of Silesia, with peculiar curiosity! It is the
first time her Hungarian Majesty steps articulately forward with such extraordinary Claim of Damages, as if
she alone had suffered damage;but it is a fixed point at Vienna, and is an agitating topic to mankind in the
coming months and years. Lorraine and the Three Bishoprics; there would be a fine compensation. Then
again, what say you to Bavaria, in lieu of the Silesia lost? You have Bavaria by the throat; keep Bavaria, you.
Give "KurBaiern, Kaiser as they call him," something in the Netherlands to live upon? Will be better out of
Germany altogether, with his French leanings. Or, give him the Kingdom of Naples,if once we had
conquered it again? These were actual schemes, successive, simultaneous, much occupying Carteret and the
high Heads at Vienna now and afterwards; which came all to nothing; but should were it not impossible, be
held in some remembrance by readers.
Another still more unexpected point comes out here, in this singular Document, publicly for the first time:
Austria's feelings in regard to the Imperial Election itself. Namely, That Austria, considers, and has all along
considered, the said Election to be fatally vitiated by that Exclusion of the Bohemian Vote; to be in fact
nullified thereby; and that, to her clear view, the present socalled Kaiser is an imaginary quantity, and a
mere Kaiser of French shreds and patches! "DER SEYNSOLLENDE KAISER," snuffles Austria in one
passage, "Your Kaiser as you call him;" and in another passage, instead of "Kaiser," puts flatly "KurBaiern."
This is a most extraordinary doctrine to an Electoral Romish Reich! Is the Holy Romish Reich to DECLARE
itself an "Enchanted Wiggery," then, and do suicide, for behoof of Austria?
"August 16th, this extraordinary Document was delivered to the Chancery of Mainz; and September 23d, it
was, contrary to expectation, brought to DICTATUR by said Chancery,"of which latter phrase, and
phenomenon, here is the explanation to English readers.
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Had the late KurMainz (general ArchChairman, Speaker of the Diet) been still in office and existence,
certainly so shocking a Document had never been allowed "to come to DICTATUR,"to be dictated to the
Reich's Clerks; to have a first reading, as we should call it; or even to lie on the table, with a theoretic chance
that way. But Austria, thanks to our little George and his Pragmatic Armament, had got a new
KurMainz;by whom, in open contempt of impartiality, and in open leaning for Austria with all his
weight, it was duly forwarded to Dictature; brought before an astonished Diet (REICHSTAG), and endlessly
argued of in Reichstag and Reich,with small benefit to Austria, or the new KurMainz. Wise kindness to
Austria had been suppression of this Piece, not bringing of it to Dictature at all: but the new KurMainz,
called upon, and conscious of face sufficient, had not scrupled. "Shame on you, partial ArchChancellor!"
exclaims all the world. "Revoke such shamefully partial Dictature?" this was the next question brought
before the Reich. In which, KurHanover (Britannic George) was the one Elector that opined, No. Majority
conclusive; though, as usual, no settle ment attainable. This is the famous "DICTATURSACHE (Dictature
Question)," which rages on us, for about eleven months to come, in those distracted old Books; and seems as
if it would never end. Nor is there any saying when it would have ended;had not, in August, 1744,
something else ended, the King of Prussia's patience, namely; which enabled it to end, on the Kaiser's then
order! [Adelung, iii. B, 201, iv. 198,
It must be owned, in general, the conduct of Maria Theresa to the Reich, ever since the Reich had ventured to
reject her Husband as Kaiser, and prefer another, was all along of a high nature; till now it has grown into
absolute contumacy, and a treating of the Reich's elected Kaiser as a merely chimerical personage. No law of
the Reich had been violated against her Hungarian Majesty or Husband: "What law?" asked all judges.
Vicarius KurSachsen sat, in committee, hatching for many months that Question of the KurBohmen Vote;
and by the prescribed methods, brought it out in the negative,every formality and regularity observed, and
nobody but your Austrian Deputy protesting upon it, when requested to go home. But, the high Maria had a
notion that the Reich belonged to her august Family and her; and that all Elections to the contrary were an
inconclusive thing, fundamentally void every one of them.
Thus too, long before this, in regard to the REICHSARCHIV Question. The Archives and indispensablest
Official Records and Papers of the Reich,these had lain so long at Vienna, the high Maria could not think
of giving them up. "So difficult to extricate what Papers are Austrian specially, from what are Austrian
Imperial;must have time!" answered she always. And neither the Kaiser's more and more pressing
demands, nor those of the late KurMainz, backed by the Reich, and reiterated month after month and year
after year, could avail in the matter. Mere angry correspondences, growing ever angrier;the Archives of the
Reich lay irrecoverable at Vienna, detained on this pretext and on that: nor were they ever given up; but lay
there till the Reich itself had ended, much more the Kaiser Karl VII.! These are high procedures.
As if the Reich had been one's own chattel; as if a NonAustrian Kaiser mere impossible, and the Reich and
its laws had, even Officially, become phantasmal! That, in fact, was Maria Theresa's inarticulate inborn
notion; and gradually, as her successes on the field rose higher, it became ever more articulate: till this of "the
SEYNSOLLENDE Kaiser" put a crown on it. Justifiable, if the Reich with its Laws were a chattel, or
rebellious vassal, of Austria; not justifiable otherwise. "Hear ye?" answered almost all the Reich (eight
Kurfursts, with the one exception of KurHanover: as we observed): "Our solemnly elected Kaiser, Karl VII.,
is a thing of quirks and quiddities, of French shreds and patches; at present, it seems, the Reich has no Kaiser
at all; and will go ever deeper into anarchies and unnamabilities, till it proceed anew to get one,of the right
Austrian type!"The Reich is a talking entity: King Friedrich is bound rather to silence, so long as possible.
His thoughts on these matters are not given; but sure enough they were continual, too intense they could
hardly be. "Compensation;" "The Reich as good as mine:" Whither is all this tending? Walrave and those
Silesian Fortifyings,let Walrave mind his work, and get it perfected!
BRITANNIC MAJESTY GOES HOME.
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The "Combined Invasion of Elsass"let us say briefly, overstepping the order of date, and still for a moment
leaving Friedrichcame to nothing, this year. Prince Karl was 70,000; Britannic George (when once those
Dutch, crawling on all summer, had actually come up) was 66,000,nay 70,000; Karl having lent him that
beautiful cannibal gentleman, "Colonel Mentzel and 4,000 Tolpatches," by way of edgetrimming. Karl was
to cross in Upper Elsass, in the Strasburg parts; Karl once across, Britannic Majesty was to cross about
Mainz, and cooperate from Lower Elsass. And they should have been swift about it; and were not! All the
world expected a severe slash to France; and France itself had the due apprehension of it: but France and all
the world were mistaken, this time.
Prince Karl was slow with his preparations; Noailles and Coigny (Broglio's successor) were not slow;
"raising batteries everywhere," raising lines, "10,000 Elsass Peasants," and what not; so that, by the time
Prince Karl was ready (middle of August), they lay intrenched and minatory at all passable points; and Karl
could nowhere, in that UpperRhine Country, by any method, get across. Nothing got across; except once or
twice for perhaps a day, Butcher Trenck and his loose kennel of Pandours; who went about, plundering and
rioting, with loud rodomontade, to the admiration of the Gazetteers, if of no one else.
Nor was George's seconding of important nature; most dubitative, wholly passive, you would rather say,
though the River, in his quarter, lay undefended. He did, at last, cross the Rhine about Mainz; went languidly
to Worms,did an evermemorable TREATY OF WORMS there, if no fighting there or elsewhere. Went to
Speyer, where the Dutch joined him (sadly short of numbers stipulated, had it been the least matter);was at
Germersheim, at what other places I forget; manoeuvring about in a languid and as if in an aimless manner, at
least it was in a perfectly ineffectual one. Mentzel rode gloriously to Trarbach, into Lorraine; stuck up
Proclamation, "Hungarian Majesty come, by God's help, for her own again," and the like;of which
Document, now fallen rare, we give textually the last line: "And if any of you DON'T [don't sit quiet at least],
I will," to be brief, "first cut off your ears and noses, and then hang you out of hand." The singular Champion
of Christendom, famous to the then Gazetteers! [In Adelung (iii. B, 193) the Proclamation at large. I have, or
once had, a Life of Mentzel (Dublin, I think, 1744), "price twopence,"dear at the money.] Nothing farther
could George, with his Dutch now adjoined, do in those parts, but wriggle slightly to and fro without aim; or
stand absolutely still, and eat provision (great uncertainty and discrepancy among the Generals, and Stair
gone in a huff [Went, "August 27th, by Worms" (Henderson, Life of Cumberlund, p. 48), just while his
Majesty was beginning to cross.]),till at length the "Combined Pragmatic Troops" returned to Mainz
(October 11th); and thence, dreadfully in illhumor with each other, separated into their winterquarters in
the Netherlands and adjacent regions.
Prince Karl tried hard in several places; hardest at, AltBreisach, far up the River, with Swabian Freiburg for
his place of arms;an Austrian Country all that, "Hithcr Austria," Swabian Austria. There, at AltBreisach,
lay Prince Karl (24th August3d September), his left leaning on that venerable sugarloaf Hill, with the
towers and ramparts on the top of it; looking wistfully into Alsace, if there were no way of getting at it. He
did get once halfway across the River, lodging himself in an Island called Rheinmark; but could get no
farther, owing to the NoaillesCoigny preparations for him. Called a Council of War; decided that he had not
Magazines, that it was too late in the season; and marched home again (October 12th) through the
Schwabenland; leaving, besides the strong Garrison of Freiburg, only Trenck with 12,000 Pandours to keep
the Country open for us, against next year. Britannic Majesty, as we observed, did then, almost
simultaneously, in like manner march home; [Adelung, iii. B, 192, 215; Anonymous, Cumberland, p.
121.]one goal is always clear when the day sinks: Make for your quarters, for your bed.
Prince Karl was gloriously wedded, this Winter, to her Hungarian Majesty's young Sister;glorious meed of
War; and, they say, a union of hearts withal;Wife and he to have Brussels for residence, and be
"JointGovernors of the Netherlands" henceforth. Stout Khevenhuller, almost during the rejoicings, took
fever, and suddenly died; to the great sorrow of her Majesty, for loss of such a soldier and man. [ Maria
Theresiens Leben, pp. 94, 45.] Britannic Majesty has not been successful with his Pragmatic Army. He did
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get his new KurMainz, who has brought the Austrian Exorbitancy to a first reading, and into general view.
He did get out of the Dettingen mousetrap; and, to the admiration of the Gazetteer mind, and (we hope)
envy of Most Christian Majesty, he has, regardless of expense, played Supreme Jove on the German boards
for above three months running. But as to Settlement of the German Quarrel, he has done nothing at all, and
even a good deal less! Let me commend to readers this little scrap of Note; headed, "METHODS OF
PACIFICATING GERMANY:
1. There is one ready method of pacificating Germany: That his Britannic Majesty should firmly button
his breechespocket, 'Not one sixpence more, Madam!'and go home to his bed, if he find no business
waiting him at home. Has not he always the EAROFJENKINS Question, and the Cause of Liberty in that
succinct form. But, in Germany, sinews of war being cut, law of gravitation would at once act; and exorbitant
Hungarian Majesty, tired France, and all else, would in a brief space of time lapse into equilibrium, probably
of the more stable kind.
2. Or, if you want to save the Cause of Liberty on a grand scale, there are those HANAU
CONFERENCES,Carteret's magnificent scheme: A united Teutschland (England inspiring it), to rush on
the throat of France, for 'Compensation,' for universal salving of sores. This second method, Diana having
intervened, is gone to water, and even to poisoned water. So that,
3". There was nothing left for poor Carteret but a TREATY OF WORMS (concerning which, something
more explicit by and by): A Teutschland (the English, doubly and trebly inspiring it, as surely they will now
need!) to rush as aforesaid, in the DISunited and indeed nearly internecine state. Which third methodunless
Carteret can conquer Naples for the Kaiser, stuff the Kaiser into some satisfactory 'Netherlands' or the like,
and miraculously do the unfeasible (Fortune perhaps favoring the brave)may be called the unlikely one!
As poor Carteret probably guesses, or dreads; had he now any choice left. But it was love's last shift! And,
by aid of Diana and otherwise, that is the posture in which, at Mainz, 11th October, 1743, we leave the
German Question."
"Compensation," from France in particular, is not to be had gratis, it appears. Somewhere or other it must be
had! Complaining once, as she very often does, to her Supreme Jove, Hungarian Majesty had written: "Why,
oh, why did you force me to give up Silesia!" Supreme Jove answers (at what date I never knew, though
Friedrich knows it, and "has copy of the Letter"): "Madam, what was good to give is good to take back (CC
QUI EST BON A PRENDRE EST BON A RENDRE)!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 27.]
Chapter VI. VOLTAIRE VISITS FRIEDRICH FOR THE FOURTH TIME.
In the last days of August, there appears at Berlin M. de Voltaire, on his Fourth Visit:thrice and four times
welcome; though this time, privately, in a somewhat unexpected capacity. Come to try his hand in the
diplomatic line; to sound Friedrich a little, on behalf of the distressed French Ministry. That, very privately
indeed, is Voltaire's errand at present; and great hopes hang by it for Voltaire, if he prove adroit enough.
Poor man, it had turned out he could not get his Academy Diploma, after all,owing again to intricacies and
heterodoxies. King Louis was at first willing, indifferent; nay the Chateauroux was willing: but orthodox
parties persuaded his Majesty; wicked Maurepas (the same who lasted till the Revolution time) set his face
against it; Maurepas, and ANC. de Mirepoix (whom they wittily call "ANE" or Ass of Mirepoix, that sour
opaque creature, lately monk), were industrious exceedingly; and put veto on Voltaire. A stupid Bishop was
preferred to him for filling up the Forty. Two Bishops magnanimously refused; but one was found with
ambitious stupidity enough: Voltaire, for the third time, failed in this small matter, to him great. Nay, in spite
of that kiss in MEROPE, he could not get his MORT DE CESAR acted; cabals rising; ANCIEN de Mirepoix
rising; Orthodoxy, sour Opacity prevailing again. To Madame and him (though finely caressed in the Parisian
circles) these were provoking months;enough to make a man forswear Literature, and try some other
Jacob'sLadder in this world. Which Voltaire had actual thoughts of, now and then. We may ask, Are these
things of a nature to create love of the Hierarchy in M. de Voltaire? "Your Academy is going to be a
Seminary of Priests," says Friedrich. The lynxeyed animal,anxiously asking itself, "Whitherward, then,
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Chapter VI. VOLTAIRE VISITS FRIEDRICH FOR THE FOURTH TIME. 811
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out of such a mess?"walks warily about, with its paws of velvet; but has, IN POSSE, claws under them, for
certain individuals and fraternities.
Nor, alas, is the Du Chatelet relation itself so celestial as it once was. Madame has discovered, think only
with what feelings, that this great man does not love her as formerly! The great man denies, ready to deny on
the Gospels, to her and to himself; and yet, at bottom, if we read with the microscope, there are symptoms,
and it is not deniable. How should it? Leafy May, hot June, by degrees comes October, sere, yellow; and at
last, a quite leafless condition,not Favonius, but gray Northeast, with its hailstorms (jealousies, barren
cankered gusts), your main wind blowing. "EMILIE FAIT DE L'ALGEBRE," sneers he once, in an
inadvertent moment, to some Ladyfriend: "Emilie doing? Emilie is doing Algebra; that is Emilie's
employment,which will be of great use to her in the affairs of Life, and of great charm in Society." [Letter
of Voltaire "To Madame Chambonin," end of 1742 ( OEuvres, Edition in 40 vols., Paris, 1818, xxxii.
148);is MISSED in the later Edition (97 vols., Paris, 1837), to which our habitual reference is.] Voltaire (if
you read with the microscope) has, on this side also, thoughts of being off. "Off on this side?" Madame flies
mad, becomes Megaera, at the mention or suspicion of it! A jealous, hightempered Algebraic Lady. They
have had to tell her of this secret Mission to Berlin; and she insists on being the conduit, all the papers to pass
through her hands here at Paris, during the great man's absence. Fixed northeast; that is, to appearance, the
domestic wind blowing! And I rather judge, the great man is glad to get away for a time.
This QuasiDiplomatic Speculation, one perceives, is much more serious, on the part both of Voltaire and of
the Ministry, than any of the former had been. And, on Voltaire's part, there glitter prospects now and then of
something positively Diplomatic, of a real career in that kind, lying ahead for him. Fond hopes these! But
among the new Ministers, since Fleury's death, are Amelot, the D'Argensons, personal friends, old
schoolfellows of the poor hunted man, who are willing he should have shelter from such a pack; and all
French Ministers, clutching at every floating spar, in this their general shipwreck in Germany, are aware of
the uses there might be in him, in such crisis. "Knows Friedrich; might perhaps have some power in
persuading him,power in spying him at any rate. Unless Friedrich do step forward again, what is to
become of us!"The mutual hintings, negotiatings, express interviews, bargainings and secretinstructions,
dimly traceable in Voltaire's LETTERS, had been going on perhaps since May last, time of those
ACADEMY failures, of those Broglio Despatches from the Donau Countries, "No staying here, your
Majesty!"and I think it was, in fact, about the time when Broglio blew up like gunpowder and tumbled
home on the winds, that Voltaire set out on his mission. "Visit to Friedrich," they call it;"invitation" from
Friedrich there is, or can, on the first hint, at any point of the Journey be.
Voltaire has lingered long on the road; left Paris, middle of June; [His Letters ( OEuvres, lxxiii. 42, 48).] but
has been exceedingly exerting himself, in the Hague, at Brussels, and wherever else present, in the way of
forwarding his errand, Spying, contriving, persuading; corresponding to right and left, corresponding,
especially much, with the King of Prussia himself, and then with "M. Amelot, Secretary of State," to report
progress to the best advantage. There are curious elucidative sparks, in those Voltaire Letters, chaotic as they
are; small sparks, elucidative, confirmatory of your dull History Books, and adding traits, here and there, to
the Image you have formed from them. Yielding you a poor momentary comfort; like reading some riddle of
no use; like light got incidentally, by rubbing dark upon dark (say Voltaire flint upon Dryasdust gritstone), in
those labyrinthic catacombs, if you are doomed to travel there. A mere weariness, otherwise, to the outside
reader, hurrying forward,to the light French Editor, who can pass comfortably on wings or balloons!
[ OEuvres, lxxiii. pp. 40138. Clogenson, a Dane (whose Notes, signed "Clog.," are in all tolerable recent
Editions), has, alone among the Commentators of Voltaire's LETTERS, made some real attempt towards
explaining the many passages that are fallen unintelligible. "Clog.," travelling on foot, with his eyes open,
isespecially on GermanHistory pointsincomparable and unique, among his French comrades going by
balloon; and drops a rational or halfrational hint now and then, which is meritoriously helpful. Unhappily he
is by no means wellread in that German matter, by no means always exact; nor indeed ever quite to be
trusted without trial had.] Voltaire's assiduous finessings with the Hague Diplomatist People, or with their
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Secretaries if bribable; nay, with the Dutch Government itself ("through channels which I have
opened,"with infinitesimally small result); his spyings ("young Podewils," Minister here, Nephew of the
Podewils we have known, "young Podewils in intrigue with a Dutch Lady of rank:" think of that, your
Excellency); his preparatory subtle correspondings with Friedrich: his exquisite manoeuvrings, and really
great industries in the small way:all this, and much else, we will omit. Impatient of these preludings, which
have been many! Thus, at one point, Voltaire "took a FLUXION" (catarrhal, from the nose only), when
Friedrich was quite ready; then, again, when Voltaire was ready, and the fluxion off, Friedrich had gone upon
his Silesian Reviews: in short, there had been such crosspurposes, tedious delays, as are distressing to think
of;and we will say only, that M. de Voltaire did actually, after the conceivable adventures, alight in the
Berlin Schloss (last day of August, as I count); welcomed, like no other man, by the Royal Landlord there;
and that this is the Fourth Visit; and has (in strict privacy) weightier intentions than any of the foregoing,
on M. de Voltaire's part.
Voltaire had a glorious reception; apartment near the King's; King gliding in, at odd moments, in the
beautifulest way; and for seven or eight days, there was, at Berlin and then at Potsdam, a fine awakening of
the sphereharmonies between them, with touches of practicality thrown in as suited. Of course it was not
long till, on some touch of that latter kind, Friedrich discerned what the celestial messenger had come upon
withal;a dangerous moment for M. de Voltaire, "King visibly irritated," admits he, with the aquiline glance
transfixing him! "Alas, your Majesty, mere excess of loyalty, submission, devotion, on my poor part! Deign
to think, may not this too,in the present state of my King, of my Two Kings, and of all Europe,be itself
a kind of spheral thing?" So that the aquiline lightning was but momentary; and abated to lambent twinklings,
with something even of comic in them, as we shall gather. Voltaire had his difficulties with Valori, too;
"What interloping fellow is this?" gloomed Valori, "A devoted secretary of your Excellency's; on his honor,
nothing more!" answered Voltaire, bowing to the ground:and strives to behave as such; giving Valori
"these poor Reports of mine to put in cipher," and the like. Very slippery ice hereabouts for the adroit man!
His reports to Amelot are of sanguine tone; but indicate, to the bystander, small progress; ice slippery, and a
twinkle of the comic. Many of them are lost (or lie hidden in the French Archives, and are not worth
disinterring): but here is one, saved by Beaumarchais and published long afterwards, which will sufficiently
bring home the old scene to us. In the Palace of Berlin or else of Potsdam (date must be, 6th8th September,
1743), Voltaire from his Apartment hands in a "Memorial" to Friedrich; and gets it back with
Marginalia,as follows:
"Would your Majesty be pleased to have the kind condescension (ASSEZ DE BONTE) to put on the margin
your reflections and orders."
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "1. Your Majesty is to know that the Sieur Bassecour [signifies
BACKYARD], chief Burghermaster of Amsterdam, has come lately to beg M. de la Ville, French Minister
there, to make Proposals of Peace. La Ville answered, If the Dutch had offers to make, the King his master
could hear them.
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "1. This Bassecour, or Backyard, seems to be the gentleman that has
charge of fattening the capons and turkeys for their High Mightinesses?
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "2. Is it not clear that the Peace Party will infallibly carry it, in
Holland,since Bassecour, one of the most determined for War, begins to speak of Peace? Is it not clear that
France shows vigor and wisdom?
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "2. I admire the wisdom of France; but God preserve me from ever
imitating it!
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MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "3. In these circumstances, if your Majesty took the tone of a Master, gave
example to the Princes of the Empire in assembling an Army of Neutrality,would not you snatch the
sceptre of Europe from the hands of the English, who now brave you, and speak in an insolent revolting
manner of your Majesty, as do, in Holland also, the party of the Bentincks, the Fagels, the Opdams? I have
myself heard them, and am reporting nothing but what is very true.
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "3. This would be finer in an ode than in actual reality. I disturb myself
very little about what the Dutch and English say, the rather as I understand nothing of those dialects
(PATOIS) of theirs.
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "4. Do not you cover yourself with an immortal glory in declaring yourself,
with effect, the protector of the Empire? And is it not of most pressing interest to your Majesty, to hinder the
English from making your Enemy the GrandDuke [Maria Theresa's Husband] King of the Romans?
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "4. France has more interest than Prussia to hinder that. Besides, on this
point, dear Voltaire, you are ill informed. For there can be no Election of a King of the Romans without the
unanimous consent of the Empire;so you perceive, that always depends on me.
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "5. Whoever has spoken but a quarter of an hour to the Duke d'Ahremberg
[who spilt Lord Stair's fine enterprises lately, and reduced them to a DETTINGEN, or a getting into the
mousetrap and a getting out], to the Count Harrach [important Austrian Official], Lord Stair, or any of the
partisans of Austria, even for a quarter of an hour [as I have often done], has beard them say, That they burn
with desire to open the campaign in Silesia again. Have you in that case, Sire, any ally but France? And,
however potent you are, is an ally useless to you? You know the resources of the House of Austria, and how
many Princes are united to it. But will they resist your power, joined to that of the House of Bourbon?
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "5. On les y recevra, Biribi, A la facon de Barbari, Mon ami. We will
receive them, Twiddledee, In the mode of Barbary, Don't you see? [Form of Song, very fashionable at Paris
(see Barbier soepius) in those years: "BIRIBI," I believe, is a kind of lotterygame.]
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "6. If you were but to march a body of troops to Cleves, do not you awaken
terror and respect, without apprehension that any one dare make war on you? Is it not, on the contrary, the
one method of forcing the Dutch to concur, under your orders, in the pacification of the Empire, and
reestablishment of the Emperor, who will thus a second time he indebted to you for his throne, and will aid
in the splendor of yours?
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "6. Vous voulez qu'en vrai dieu de la machine, "You will have me as
theatregod, then, "J'arrive pour te denouement? "Swoop in, and produce the catastrophe? "Qu'aux Anglais,
aux Pandours, a ce peuple insolent, "J'aille donner la discipline? "Tame to sobriety those English, those
Pandours, and obstreperous people? "Mais examinez mieux ma mine; "Examine the look of me better; "Je ne
suis pas assez mechant! "I have not surliness euough.
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "7. Whatever resolution may be come to, will your Majesty deign to confide
it to me, and impart the result,to your servant, to him who desires to pass his life at your Court? May I
have the honor to accompany your Majesty to Baireuth; and if your goodness go so far, would you please to
declare it, that I may have time to prepare for the journey? One favorable word written to me in the Letter on
that occasion [word favorable to France, ostensible to M. Amelot and the most Christian Majesty], one word
would suffice to procure me the happiness I have, for six years, been aspiring to, of living beside you." Oh,
send it!
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MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "7. If you like to come to Baireuth, I shall be glad to see you there,
provided the journey don't derange your health. It will depend on yourself, then, to take what measures you
please. [And about the ostensible WORD,Nothing!]
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "8. During the short stay I am now to make, if I could be made the bearer of
some news agreeable to my Court, I would supplicate your Majesty to honor me with such a commission.
[This does not want for impudence, Monsieur! Friedrich answers, from aloft!]
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "8. I am not in any connection with France; I have nothing to fear nor to
hope from France. If you would like, I will make a Panegyric on Louis XV. without a word of truth in it: but
as to political business, there is, at present, none to bring us together; and neither is it I that am to speak first.
When they put a question to me, it will he time to reply: but you, who are so much a man of sense, you see
well what a ridiculous business it would he if, without ground given me, I set to prescribing projects of policy
to France, and even put them on paper with my own hand!
MEMORIAL BY VOLTAIRE. "9. Do whatsoever you may please, I shall always love your Majesty with my
whole heart."
MARGINALIA BY FRIEDRICH. "9. I love you with all my heart; I esteem you: I will do all to have you,
except follies, and things which would make me forever ridiculous over Europe, and at bottom would he
contrary to my interests and my glory. The only commission I can give you for France, is to advise them to
behave with more wisdom than they have done hitherto. That Monarchy is a body with much strength, but
without, soul or energy (NERF)."
And so you may give it to Valori to put in cipher, my illustrious Messenger from the Spheres. [ OEuvres de
Voltaire, lxxiii. 101105 (see Ib. ii. 55); OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 141144.]
Worth reading, this, rather well. Very kingly, and characteristic of the young Friedrich. Saved by
Beaumarchais, who did not give it in his famous Kehl Edition of VOLTAIRE, but "had it in Autograph ever
after, and printed it in his DECADE PHILOSOPHIQUE, 10 Messidor, An vii. [Summer, 1799j:
Beaumarchais had several other Pieces of the same sort;" which, as bits of contemporary photographing, one
would have liked to see.
FRIEDRIC VISITS BAIREUTH: ON A PARTICULAR ERRAND;VOLTAIRE ATTENDING, AND
PRIVATELY REPORTING.
This "BIRIBI" Document, I suppose to have been delivered perhaps on the 7th; and that Friedrich HAD it,
but had not yet answered it, when he wrote the following Letter:
"POTSDAM, 8th SEPTEMBER, 1743 [Friedrich to Voltaire].I dare not speak to a son of Apollo about
horses and carriages, relays and such things; these are details with which the gods do not concern themselves,
and which we mortals take upon us. You will set out on Monday afternoon, if you like the journey, for
Baireuth, and you will dine with me in passing, if you please [at Potsdam here].
"The rest of my MEMOIRE [Paper before given?] is so blurred and in so bad a state, I cannot yet send it
you.I am getting Cantos 8 and 9 of LA PUCELLE copied; I at present have Cantos 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 9: I
keep them under three keys, that the eye of mortal may not see them.
"I hear you supped yesternight in good company [great gathering in some high house, gone all asunder now];
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"The finest wits of the Canton All collected in your name, People all who could not but be pleased with you,
All devout believers in Voltaire, Unanimously took you For the god of their Paradise.
"'Paradise,' that you may not be scandalized, is taken here in a general sense for a place of pleasure and joy.
See the 'remark' on the last verse of the MONDAIN." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 144; Voltaire, lxxiii. 100
(scandalously MISdated in Edition 1818, xxxix. 466). As to MONDAIN, and "remark" upon it, the ghost
of what was once a sparkle of successful coteriespeech and epistolary allusion,take this: "In the
MONDAIN Voltaire had written, 'LE PARADIS TERRESTRE EST OU JE SUIS;' and as the Priests made
outcry, had with airs of orthodoxy explained the phrase away," as Friedrich now affects to do; obliquely
quizzing, in the Friedrich manner.
Voltaire is to go upon the Baireuth Journey, then, according to prayer. Whether Voltaire ever got that
allimportant "word which he could show," I cannot say: though there is some appearance that Friedrich may
have dashed off for him the Panegyric of Louis, in these very hours, to serve his turn, and have done with
him. Under date 7th September, day before the Letter just read, here are snatches from another to the same
address:
"POTSDAM, 7th SEPTEMBER, 1743 [Friedrich to Voltaire].You tell me so much good of France and of
its King, it were to be wished all Sovereigns had subjects like you, and all Commonwealths such
citizens,[you can show that, I suppose?] What a pity France and Sweden had not had Military Chiefs of
your way of thinking! But it is very certain, say what you will, that the feebleness of their Generals, and the
timidity of their counsels, have almost ruined in public repute two Nations which, not half a century ago,
inspired terror over Europe."... "Scandalous Peace, that of Fleury, in 1735; abandoning King Stanislaus,
cheating Spain, cheating Sardinia, to get Lorraine! And now this manner of abandoning the Emperor
[respectable Karl VII. of your making]; sacrificing Bavaria; and reducing that worthy Prince to the lowest
poverty, poverty, I say not, of a Prince, but into the frightfulest state for a private man!" Ah, Monsieur.
"And yet your France is the most charming of Nations; and if it is not feared, it deserves well to be loved. A
King worthy to command it, who governs sagely, and acquires for himself the esteem of all Europe,[there,
won't that do!] may restore its ancient splendor, which the Broglios, and so many others even more inept,
have a little eclipsed. That is assuredly a work worthy of a Prince endowed with such gifts! To reverse the sad
posture of affairs, nobly repairing what others have spoiled; to defend his country against furious enemies,
reducing them to beg Peace, instead of scornfully rejecting it when offered: never was more glory acquirable
by any King! I shall admire whatsoever this great man [CE GRAND HOMME, Louis XV., not yet visibly
tending to the dung heap, let us hope better things!] may achieve in that way; and of all the Sovereigns of
Europe none will be less jealous of his success than I:"there, my spheral friend, show that! [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xxii. 139: see, for what followed, OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiii. 129 (report to Amelot, 27th October).]
Which the spheral friend does. Nor was it "irony," as the new Commentators think; not at all; sincere enough,
what you call sincere;Voltaire himself had a nose for "irony"! This was what you call sincere Panegyric in
liberal measure; why be stingy with your measure? It costs half an hour: it will end Voltaire's importunities;
and so may, if anything, oil the businesswheels withal. For Friedrich foresees business enough with Louis
and the French Ministries, though he will not enter on it with Voltaire. This Journey to Baireuth and
Anspach, for example, this is not for a visit to his Sisters, as Friedrich labels it; but has extensive purposes
hidden under that title,meetings with Franconian Potentates, earnest survey, earnest consultation on a state
of things altogether grave for Germany and Friedrich; though he understands whom to treat with about it,
whom to answer with a "BIRIBIRI, MON AMI." That Austrian Exorbitancy of a message to the Diet has
come out (August 16th, and is struggling to DICTATUR); the Austrian procedures in Baiern are in their full
flagrancy: Friedrich intends trying once more, Whether, in such crisis, there be absolutely no "Union of
German Princes" possible; nor even of any two or three of them, in the "Swabian and Franconian Circles,"
which he always thought the likeliest?
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The Journey took effect, Tuesday, 10th September [Rodenbeck, i. 93.] (not the day before, as Friedrich had
been projecting); went by Halle, straight upon Baireuth; and ended there on Thursday. As usual, Prince
August Wilhelm, and Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, were of it; Voltaire failed not to accompany. What the
complexion of it was, especially what Friedrich had meant by it, and how ill he succeeded, will perhaps be
most directly visible through the following compressed Excerpts from Voltaire's long LETTER to Secretary
Amelot on the subject,if readers will be diligent with them. Friedrich, after four days, ran across to
Anspach on important business; came back with mere failure, and was provokingly quite silent on it; stayed
at Baireuth some three days more; thence home by Gotha (still on "Union" business, still mere failure), by
Leipzig, and arrived at Potsdam, September 25th; leaving Voltaire in Wilhelmina's charmed circle (of
which unhappily there is not a word said), for about a week more. Voltaire, directly on getting back to Berlin,
"resumes the thread of his journal" to Secretary Amelot; that is, writes him another long Letter:
VOLTAIRE (from Berlin, 3d October, 1743) TO SECRETARY AMELOT.
"... The King of Prussia told me at Baireuth, on the 13th or 14th of last month, He was glad our King had sent
the Kaiser money;" useful that, at any rate; Noailles's 6,000 pounds would not go far. "That he thought M.
le Marechal de Noailles's explanation [of a certain small rumor, to the disadvantage of Noailles in reference
to the Kaiser] was satisfactory: 'but,' added he, 'it results from all your secret motions that you are begging
Peace from everybody, and there may have been something in this rumor, after all.'
"He then told me he was going over to Anspach, to see what could be done for the Common Cause [Kaiser's
and Ours]; that he expected to meet the Bishop of Wurzburg there; and would try to stir the Frankish and
Swabian Circles into some kind of Union. And, at setting off [from Baireuth, September 16th, on this errand],
he promised his Brotherinlaw the Margraf, He would return with great schemes afoot, and even with great
success;" which proved otherwise, to a disappointing degree.
"... The Margraf of Anspach did say he would join a Union of Princes in favor of the Kaiser, if Prussia gave
example. But that was all. The Bishop of Wurzburg," a feeble old creature, "never appeared at Anspach, nor
even sent an apology; and Seckendorf, with the Imperial Army"Seckendorf, caged up at Wembdingen
(whom Friedrich drove off from Anspach, twenty miles, to see and consult), was in a disconsolate moulting
condition, and could promise or advise nothing satisfactory, during the dinner one took with him. [September
19th, "under a shady tree, after muster of the troops" (Rodenbeck, p. 93).] Four days running about on those
errands had yielded his Prussian Majesty nothing. "Whilst he (Prussian Majesty) was on this Anspach
excursion, the Margraf of Baireuth, who is lately made Fieldmarshal of his Circle, spoke much to me of
present affairs: a young Prince, full of worth and courage, who loves the French, hates the Austrians,"and
would fain make himself generally useful. "To whom I suggested this and that" (does your Lordship
observe?), if it could ever come to anything.
"The King of Prussia, on returning to Baireuth [guess, 20th September], did not speak the least word of
business to the Margraf: which much surprised the latter! He surprised him still more by indicating some
intention to retain forcibly at Berlin the young Duke of Wurtemberg, under pretext, 'that Madam his Mother
intended to have him taken to Vienna,' for education. To anger this young Duke, and drive his Mother to
despair, was not the method for acquiring credit in the Circle of Swabia, and getting the Princes brought to
unite!
"The Duchess of Wurtemberg, who was there at Baireuth, by appointment, to confer with the King of Prussia,
sent to seek me. I found her all dissolved in tears. 'Ah!' said she,[But why is our dear Wilhelmina left
saying nothing; invisible, behind the curtains of envious Chance, and only a skirt of them lifted to show us
this Improper Duchess once more!]'Ah!' said she (the Improper Duchess, at sight of me), 'will the King of
Prussia be a tyrant, then? To pay me for intrusting my Boys to him, and giving him two Regiments [for
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money down], will he force me to implore justice against him from the whole world? I must have my Child!
He shall not go to Vienna; it is in his own Country that I will have him brought up beside me. To put my Son
in Austrian hands? [unless, indeed, your Highness were driven into Financial or other straits?] You know if I
love France;if my design is not to pass the rest of my days there, so soon as my Son comes to majority!'
Ohone, ohoo!
"In fine, the quarrel was appeased. The King of Prussia told me he would be gentler with the Mother; would
restore the Son if they absolutely wished it; but that he hoped the young Prince would of himself like better to
stay where he was." ..."I trust your Lordship will allow me to draw for those 300 ducats, for a new
carriage. I have spent all I had, running about these four months. I leave this for Brunswick and homewards,
on the evening of the 12th." [Voltaire, lxxiii. 105109.] ...
And so the curtain drops on the Baireuth Journey, on the Berlin Visit; and indeed, if that were anything, on
Voltaire's Diplomatic career altogether. The insignificant Accidents, the dull Powers that be, say No. Curious
to reflect, had they happened to say Yes: "Go into the Diplomatic line, then, you sharp climbing creature,
and become great by that method; WRITE no more, you; write only Despatches and SpyLetters
henceforth!"how different a world for us, and for all mortals that read and that do not read, there had now
been!
Voltaire fancies he has done his Diplomacy well, not without fruit; and, at Brunswick,cheered by the grand
welcome he found there,has delightful outlooks (might I dare to suggest them, Monseigneur?) of touring
about in the German Courts, with some Circular HORTATORIUM, or sublime BeggingLetter from the
Kaiser, in his hand; and, by witchery of tongue, urging Wurtemberg, Brunswick, Baireuth, Anspach, Berlin,
to compliance with the Imperial Majesty and France. [Ib. lxxiii. 133.] Would not that be sublime! But that,
like the rest, in spite of one's talent, came to nothing. Talent? Success? Madame de Chateauroux had, in the
interim, taken a dislike to M. Amelot; "could not bear his stammering," the fastidious Improper Female; flung
Amelot overboard,Amelot, and his luggage after him, Voltaire's diplomatic hopes included; and there was
an end.
How ravishing the thing had been while it lasted, judge by these other stray symptoms; hastily picked up,
partly at Berlin, partly at Brunswick; which show us the bright meridian, and also the blaze, almost still more
radiant, which proved to be sunset. Readers have heard of Voltaire's Madrigals to certain Princesses; and
must read these Three again,which are really incomparable in their kind; not equalled in graceful felicity
even by Goethe, and by him alone of Poets approached in that respect. At Berlin, Autumn 1743, Three
consummate Madrigals:
1. TO PRINCESS ULRIQUE.
"Souvent un peu de verite
Se mele au plus grossier mensonge:
Cette nuit, dans l'erreur d'un songe,
Au rang des rois j'etais monte. Je vous aimais, Princesse, et j'osais vous le dire!
Les dieux a mon reveil ne m'ont pas tout ote,
Je n'ai perdu que mon empire."
2. TO PRINCESSES ULRIQUE AND AMELIA.
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"Si Paris venait sur la terre
Pour juger entre vos beaux yeux,
Il couperait la pomme en deux,
Et ne produirait pas de guerre."
3. TO PRINCESSES ULRIQUE, AMELIA AND WILHELMINA.
"Pardon, charmante Ulrique; pardon, belle Amelie; J'ai cru n'aimer que vous la reste de ma vie,
Et ne servir que sous vos lois;
Mais enfin j'entends et je vois Cette adorable Soeur dont l'Amour suit les traces:
Ah, ce n'est pas outrager les Trois Graces
Que de les aimer toutes trois!"
[1. "A grain of truth is often mingled with the stupidest delusion. Yesternight, in the error of a dream, I had
risen to the rank of king; I loved you, Princess, and had the audacity to say so! The gods, at my awakening,
did not strip me wholly; my kingdom was all they took from me." 2. If Paris [of Troy] came back to decide
on the charms of you Two, he would halve the Apple, and produce no War." 3. "Pardon, charming Ulrique;
beautiful Amelia, pardon: I thought I should love only you for the rest of my life, and serve under your laws
only: but at last I hear and see this adorable Sister, whom Love follows as Page:Ah, it is not offending the
Three Graces to love them all three!" In Oeuvres de Voltaire, xviii.: No. 1 is, p. 292 (in OEuvres de
Frederic, xiv. 9092, the ANSWERS to it); No. 2 is, p. 320; No. 3, p. 321.]
BRUNSWICK, 16th October (blazing sunset, as it proved, but brighter almost than meridian), a LETTER
FROM VOLTAIRE TO MAUPERTUIS (still in France since that horrible MollwitzPandour Business).
"In my wanderings I received the Letter where my dear Flattener of this Globe deigns to remember me with
so much friendship. Is it possible that... I made your compliments to all your friends at Berlin; that is, to all
the Court." "Saw Dr. Eller decomposing water into elastic air [or thinking he did so, 1743]; saw the Opera of
TITUS, which is a masterpiece of music [by Friedrich himself, with the important aid of Graun]: it was,
without vanity, a treat the King gave me, or rather gave himself; he wished I should see him in his glory.
"His OperaHouse is the finest in Europe. Charlottenburg is a delicious abode: Friedrich does the honors
there, the King knowing nothing of it. ... One lives at Potsdam as in the Chateau of a French Seigneur who
had culture and genius,in spite of that big Battalion of Guards, which seems to me the terriblest Battalion
in this world.
"Jordan is still the same,BON GARCON ET DISCRET; has his oddities, his 1,600 crowns (240 pounds) of
pension. D'Argens is Chamberlain, with a gold key at his breastpocket, and 100 louis inside, payable
monthly. Chasot [whom readers made acquaintance with at Philipsburg long since], instead of cursing his
destiny, must have taken to bless it: he is Major of Horse, with income enough. And he has well earned it,
having saved the King's Baggage at the last Battle of Chotusitz,"what we did not notice, in the
horsecharges and grand tumults of that scene.
"I passed some days [a fortnight in all] at Baireuth. Her Royal Highness, of course, spoke to me of you.
Baireuth is a delightful retreat, where one enjoys whatever there is agreeable in a Court, without the bother of
grandeur. Brunswick, where I am, has another species of charm. 'Tis a celestial Voyage this of mine, where I
pass from Planet to Planet," to tumultuous Paris; and, I do hope, to my unique Maupertuis awaiting me
there at last. [Voltaire, lxxiii. 122125.]'
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We have only to remark farther, that Friedrich had again pressed Voltaire to come and live with him, and
choose his own terms; and that Voltaire (as a second string to his bow, should this fine Diplomatic one fail)
had provisionally accepted. Provisionally; and with one most remarkable clause: that of leaving out
Madame, "imagining it would be less agreeable to you if I came with others (AVEC D'AUTRES); and I
own, that belonging to your Majesty alone, I should have my mind more at ease:" [ OEuvres de Voltaire,
lxxiii. 112,116 (Proposal and Response, both of them "7th October," five days before leaving
Berlin).]whew! And then to add a third thing: That Madame, driven half delirious, by these delays, and
gyratings from Planet to Planet, especially by that last Fortnight at Baireuth, had rushed off from Paris, to
seek her vagabond, and see into him with her own eyes: "Could n't help it, my angels!" writes she to the
D'Argentals (excellent guardian angels, Monsieur and Madame; and, I am sure, PATIENT both of them, as
only MONSIEUR Job was, in the old case): "A whole fortnight [perhaps with madrigals to Princesses], and
only four lines to me!" and is now in bed, or lately was, at Lille, ill of slow fever (PETITE FIEVRE);
panting to be upon the road again. [ Lettres inedites de Madame du Chastelet a M. le Comte d'Argental
(Paris, 1806) p. 253. A curiously elucidative Letter this ("Brussels, 15th October, 1743"); a curious little
Book altogether.]
Fancy what a greeting for M. de Voltaire, from those eyes HAGARDES ET LOUCHES; and whether he
mentioned that pretty little clause of going to Berlin "WITHOUT others," or durst for the life of him whisper
of going at all! After pause in the Brussels region, they came back to Paris "in December;" resigned, I hope,
to inexorable Fate,though with such Diplomatic and other fine prospects flung to the fishes, and little but
GREDINS and confusions waiting you, as formerly.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH MAKES TREATY WITH FRANCE; AND
SILENTLY GETS READY.
Though Friedrich went upon the bantering tone with Voltaire, his private thoughts in regard to the
surrounding scene of things were extremely serious; and already it had begun to be apparent, from those
BritannicAustrian procedures, that some new alliance with France might well lie ahead for him. During
Voltaire's visit, that extraordinary Paper from Vienna, that the Kaiser was no Kaiser, and that there must be
"compensation" and satisfactory "assurance," had come into full glare of firstreading; and the
DICTATURSACHE, and denunciation of an evidently partial KurMainz, was awakening everywhere.
Voltaire had not gone, when,through Podewils Junior (probably with help of the improper Dutch female of
rank), Friedrich got to wit of another thing, not less momentous to him; and throwing fearful light on that
of "compensation" and "assurance." This was the Treaty of Worms,done by Carteret and George,
September 13th, during those languid Rhine operations; Treaty itself not languid, but a very lively thing, to
Friedrich and to all the world! Concerning which a few words now.
We have said, according to promise, and will say, next to nothing of Maria Theresa's Italian War; but hope
always the reader keeps it in mind. Big warclouds waltzing hither and thither, occasionally clashing into
bloody conflict; Sardinian Majesty and Infant Philip both personally in the field, fierce men both: Traun,
Browne, Lobkowitz, Lichtenstein, Austrians of mark, successively distinguishing themselves; Spain, too, and
France very diligent; Conti off thither, then in their turns Maillebois, Noailles:high military figures, but
remote; shadowy, thundering INaudibly on this side and that; whom we must not mention farther.
"The notable figure to us," says one of my Notes, "is Charles Emanuel, second King of Sardinia; who is at the
old trade of his Family, and shifts from side to side, making the warbalance vibrate at a great rate, now this
scale now that kicking the beam. For he holds the door of the Alps, Bully Bourbon on one side of it, Bully
Hapsburg on the other; and inquires sharply, "You, what will you give me? And you?" To Maria Theresa's
affairs he has been superlatively useful, for these Two Years past; and truly she is not too punctual in the
returns covenanted for. It appears to Charles Emanuel that the Queen of Hungary, elated in her high thought,
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underrates his services, of late; that she practically means to give him very little of those promised slices
from the Lombard parts; and that, in the mean while, much too big a share of the War has fallen upon his
poor hands, who should be doorholder only.
"Accordingly he grumbles, threatens: he has been listening to France, 'Bourbon, how much will you give me,
then?' and the answer is such that he informs the Queen of Hungary and the Britannic Majesty, of his
intention to close with Bourbon, since they on their side will do nothing considerable. George and his
Carteret, not to mention the Hungarian Majesty at all, are thunderstruck at such a prospect; bend all their
energies towards this essential point of retaining Charles Emanuel, which is more urgent even than getting
Elsass. 'Madam,' they say to her Majesty, (we cannot save Italy for you on other terms: Vigevanesco, Finale
[which is Genoa's], part of Piacenza [when once got]: there must be some slice of the Lombard parts to this
Charles Emanuel justly angry!' Whereat the high Queen storms, and in her high manner scolds little George,
as if he were the blamable party,pretending friendship, and yet abetting mere highway robbery or little
better. And his cash paid Madam, and his Dettingen mousetrap fought? 'Well, he has plenty of cash:is it
my Cause, then, or his Majesty's and Liberty's?' Posterity, in modern England, vainly endeavors to conceive
this phenomenon; yet sees it to be undeniable.
"And so there is a Treaty of Worms got concocted, after infinite effort on the part of Carteret, Robinson too
laboring and steaming in Vienna with boilers like to burst; and George gets it signed 13th September [already
signed while Friedrich was looking into Seckendorf and Wembdingen, if Friedrich had known it]: to this
effect, That Charles Emanuel should have annually, down on the nail, a handsome increase of Subsidy
(200,000 pounds instead of 150,000 pounds) from England, and ultimately beyond doubt some thinnish
specified slices from the Lombard parts; and shall proceed fighting for, not against; English Fleet
cooperating, English Purse ditto, regardless of expense; with other fit particulars, as formerly. [Scholl, ii.
330335; Adelung, iii. B, 222226; Coxe, iii. 296.] Maria Theresa, very angry, looks upon herself as a
martyr, nobly complying to suffer for the whim of England; and Robinson has had such labors and
endurances, a steamengine on the point of bursting is but an emblem of him. It was a necessary Treaty for
the Cause of Liberty, as George and Carteret, and all English Ministries and Ministers (Diana of Newcastle
very specially, in spite of Pitt and a junior Opposition Party) viewed Liberty. It was Love's last shift,Diana
having intervened upon those magnificent 'Conferences of Hanau' lately! Nevertheless Carteret was thrown
out, next year, on account of it. And Posterity is unable to conceive it; and asks always of little George, What,
in the name of wonder, had he to do there, fighting for or against, and hiring everybody he met to fight
against everybody? A King with eyes somewhat A FLEURDETETE: yes; and let us say, his Nation,
too,which has sat down quietly, for almost a century back, under mountains of nonsense, inwardly nothing
but dim Scepticism [except in the stomachic regions], and outwardly such a Trinacria of Hypocrisy
[unconscious, for most part] as never lay on an honest giant Nation before, was itself grown much of a fool,
and could expect no other kind of Kings.
"But the point intensely interesting to Friedrich in this Treaty of Worms was, That, in enumerating punctually
the other Treaties, old and recent, which it is to guarantee, and stand upon the basis of, there is nowhere the
least mention of Friedrich's BRESLAUANDBERLIN TREATY; thriceimportant Treaty with her
Hungarian Majesty on the Silesian matter! In settling all manner of adjoining and preceding matters, there is
nothing said of Silesia at all. Singular indeed. Treaties enough, from that of Utrecht downward, are
wearisomely mentioned here; but of the Berlin Treaty, Breslau Treaty, or any Treaty settling Silesia,much
less, of any Westminster Treaty, guaranteeing it to the King of Prussia,there is not the faintest mention!
Silesia, then, is not considered settled, by the high contracting parties? Little George himself, who guaranteed
it, in the hour of need, little more than a year ago, considers it fallen loose again in the new whirl of
contingencies? 'Patience, Madam: what was good to give is good to take!' On what precise day or month
Friedrich got notice of this expressive silence in the Treaty of Worms, we do not know; but from that
day!"
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Friedrich recollects another thing, one of many others: that of those "ulterior mountains," which Austria had
bargained for as Boundary to Schlesien. Wild bare mountains; good for what? For invading Schlesien from
the Austrian side; if for nothing else conceivable! The small riddle reads itself to him so, with a painful flash
of light. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 34.] Looking intensely into this matter, and putting things together,
Friedrich gets more and more the alarming assurance of the fate intended him; and that he will verily have to
draw sword again, and fight for Silesia, and as if for life. From about the end of 1743 (as I strive to compute),
there was in Friedrich himself no doubt left of it; though his Ministers, when he consulted them a good while
afterwards, were quite incredulous, and spent all their strength in dissuading a new War; now when the only
question was, How to do said War? "How to do it, to make ready for doing it? We must silently select the
ways, the methods: silent, wary,then at last swift; and the more like a lionspring, like a bolt from the blue,
it will be the better!" That is Friedrich's fixed thought.
The Problem was complicated, almost beyond example. The Reich, with a Kaiser reduced to such a pass, has
its potentialities of help or of hindrance,its thousandfold formulas, inane mostly, yet not inane wholly,
which interlace this matter everywhere, as with real threads, and with gossamer or apparent threads,which
it is essential to attend to. Wise head, that could discriminate the dead Formulas of such an imbroglio, from
the notdead; and plant himself upon the Living Facts that do lie in the centre there! "We cannot have a
Reichs MediationArmy, then? Nor a SwabianFranconian Army, to defend their own frontier?" No; it is
evident, none. "And there is no Union of Princes possible; no Party, anywhere, that will rise to support the
Kaiser whom all Germany elected; whom Austria and foreign England have insulted, ruined and officially
designated as nonextant?" Well, not quite No, none; YES perhaps, in some small degree,if Prussia will
step out, with drawn sword, and give signal. The Reich has its potentialities, its formulas not quite dead; but
is a sad imbroglio.
Definite facts again are mainly twofold, and of a much more central nature. Fact FIRST: A France which sees
itself lamentably trodden into the mud by such disappointments and disgraces; which, on proposing peace,
has met insult and invasion;France will be under the necessity of getting to its feet, and striking for itself;
and indeed is visibly rising into something of determination to do it:there, if Prussia and the Kaiser are to
be helped at all, there lies the one real help. Fact SECOND: Friedrich's feelings for the poor Kaiser and the
poor insulted Reich, of which Friedrich is a member. Feelings, these, which are not "feigned" (as the English
say), but real, and even indignant; and about these he can speak and plead freely. For himself and his Silesia,
THROUGH the Kaiser, Friedrich's feelings are pungently real;and they are withal completely adjunct to
the other set of feelings, and go wholly to intensifying of them; the evident truth being, That neither he nor
his Silesia would be in danger, were the Kaiser safe.
Friedrich's abstruse diplomacies, and delicate motions and handlings with the Reich, that is to say, with the
Kaiser and the Kaiser's few friends in the Reich, and then again with the French, which lasted for eight or
nine months before closure (October, 1743 to June, 1744),are considered to have been a fine piece of
steering in difficult waters; but would only weary the reader, who is impatient for results and arrivals.
Ingenious Herr Professor Ranke,whose HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH consists mainly of such matter
excellently done, and offers mankind a wondrously distilled "ASTRAL SPIRIT," or ghostlike facsimile
(elegant gray ghost, with stars dimtwinkling through), of Friedrich's and other people's Diplomatizings in
this World,will satisfy the strongest diplomatic appetite; and to him we refer such as are given that way.
[Ranke, Neun Bucher Preussischer Geschichte, iii. 74137.]' "France and oneself, as SUBSTANCE of help;
but, for many reasons, give it carefully a legal German FORM or coat:" that is Friedrich's method as to
finding help. And he diligently prosecutes it;and, what is still luckier, strives to be himself at all points
ready, and capable of doing with a mininum of help from others.
Before the Year 1743 was out, Friedrich had got into serious Diplomatic Colloquy with France; suggesting,
urging, proposing, hypothetically promising. "February 21st, 1744," he secretly despatched Rothenburg to
Paris; who, in a shining manner, consults not only with the Amelots, Belleisles, but with the Chateauroux
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herself (who always liked Friedrich), and with Louis XV. in person: and triumphantly brings matters to a
bearing. Ready here, on the French side; so soon as your Reich Interests are made the most of; so soon as
your Patriotic "Union of Reich's Princes" is ready! In March, 1744, the Reich side of the Affair was likewise
getting well forward ("we keep it mostly secret from the poor Kaiser, who is apt to blab"):and on May 22d,
1744, Friedrich, with the Kaiser and Two other wellaffected Parties (only two as yet, but we hope for more,
and invite all and sundry), sign solemnly their "UNION OF FRANKFURT;" famous little Fourfold outcome
of so much diplomatizing. [Ranke, ubi supra (Treaty is in Adelung, iv. 103105).] For the wellaffected
Parties, besides Friedrich, and the Kaiser himself, were as yet Two only: Landgraf Wilhelm of
HessenCassel, disgusted with the late Carteret astucities at Hanau, he is one (and hires, by and by, his poor
6,000 Hessians to the French and Kaiser, instead of to the English; which is all the help HE can give);
Landgraf Wilhelm, and for sole second to him the new KurPfalz, who also has men to hire. New KurPfalz:
our poor OLD friend is dead; but here is a new one, Karl Philip Theodor by name, of whom we shall hear
again long afterwards; who was wedded (in the FrankfurtCoronation time, as readers might have noted) to a
Granddaughter of the old, and who is, like the old, a Hereditary Cousin of the Kaiser's, and already helps
him all he can.
Only these Two as yet, though the whole Reich is invited to join; these, along with Friedrich and the Kaiser
himself, do now, in their general Patriotic "Union," which as yet consists only of Four, covenant, in Six
Articles, To,in brief, to support Teutschland's oppressed Kaiser in his just rights and dignities; and to do,
with the House of Austria, "all imaginable good offices" (not the least whisper of fighting) towards inducing
said high House to restore to the Kaiser his ReichsArchives, his Hereditary Countries, his necessary
Imperial Furnishings, called for by every law human and divine:in which endeavor, or innocently
otherwise, if any of the contracting parties be attacked, the others will guarantee him, and strenuously help.
"All imaginable good offices;" nothing about fighting anywhere,still less is there the least mention of
France; total silence on that head, by Friedrich's express desire. But in a Secret Article (to which France, you
may be sure, will accede), it is intimated, "That the way of good offices having some unlikelihoods, it MAY
become necessary to take arms. In which tragic case, they will, besides Hereditary Baiern (which is
INalienable, fixed as the rocks, by ReichsLaw), endeavor to conquer, to reconquer for the Kaiser, his
Kingdom of Bohmen withal, as a proper Outfit for Teutschland's Chief: and that, if so, his Prussian Majesty
(who will have to do said conquest) shall, in addition to his Schlesien, have from it the Circles of
Konigsgratz, Bunzlau and Leitmeritz for his trouble." This is the Treaty of Union, SecretArticle and all;
done at Frankfurton Mayn, 22d May, 1744.
Done then and there; but no part of it made public, till August following, ["22d August 1744, by the Kaiser"
(Adelung, iv. 154.}] (when the upshot had come); and the Secret Bohemian Article NOT then made public,
nor ever afterwards,much the contrary; though it was true enough, but inconvenient to confess, especially
as it came to nothing. "A hypothetical thing, that," says Friedrich carelessly; "wages moderate enough, and
proper to be settled beforehand, though the work was never done." To reach down quite over the Mountains,
and have the Elbe for Silesian Frontier: this, as an occasional vague thought, or daydream in high moments,
was probably not new to Friedrich; and would have been very welcome to him,had it proved realizable,
which it did not. That this was "Friedrich's real end in going to War again," was at one time the opinion
loudly current in England and other uninformed quarters; "but it is not now credible to anybody," says Herr
Ranke; nor indeed worth talking of, except as a memento of the angry eclipses, and temporary dustclouds,
which rise between Nations, in an irritated uninformed condition.
Rapidly progressive in the rear of all this, which was its legalizing German COAT, the French Treaty, which
was the interior SUBSTANCE, or muscular tissue, perfected itself under Rothenburg; and was signed June
5th, 1774 (anniversary, by accident, of that First Treaty of all, "June 5th, 1741");sanctioning, by France,
that Bohemian Adventure, if needful; minutely setting forth How, and under what contingencies, what efforts
made and what successes arrived at, on the part of France, his Prussian Majesty shall take the field; and try
Austria, not "with all imaginable good offices" longer, but with harder medicine. Of which Treaty we shall
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only say farther, commiserating our poor readers, That Friedrich considerably MORE than kept his side of it;
and France very considerably LESS than hers. So that, had not there been punctual preparation at all points,
and good selfhelp in Friedrich, Friedrich had come out of this new Adventure worse than he did!
Long months ago, the Frenchas preliminary and rigorous SINE QUA NON to these Friedrich
Negotiationshad actually started work, by "declaring War on Austria, and declaring War on
England:"Not yet at War, then, after so much killing? Oh no, reader; mere "Allies" of Belligerents,
hitherto. These "Declarations" the French had made; [War on England, 15th March, 1744; on Austria, 27th
April (Adelung, iv. 78, 90).] and the French were really pushing forward, in an attitude of indignant energy,
to execute the same. As shall be noticed by and by. And through Rothenburg, through Schmettau, by many
channels, Friedrich is assiduously in communication with them; encouraging, advising, urging; their affairs
being in a sort his, ever since the signing of those mutual Engagements, May 22d, June 5th. And now enough
of that hypothetic Diplomatic stuff.
War lies ahead, inevitable to Friedrich. He has gradually increased his Army by 18,000; inspection more
minute and diligent than ever, has been quietly customary of late; Walrave's fortification works, impregnable
or nearly so, the work at Neisse most of all, Friedrich had resolved to SEE completed,before that French
Treaty were signed. A cautious young man, though a rapid; vividly awake on all sides. And so the
FrenchAustrian, FrenchEnglish game shall go on; the big bowls bounding and rolling (with velocities, on
courses, partly computable to a quick eye);and at the right instant, and juncture of hits, not till that nor
after that, a quick hand shall bowl in; with effect, as he ventures to hope. He knows well, it is a terrible game.
But it is a necessary one, not to be despaired of; it is to be waited for with closed lips, and played to one's
utmost!
Chapter VIII. PERFECT PEACE AT BERLIN, WAR ALL ROUND.
Friedrich, with the Spectre of inevitable War daily advancing on him, to him privately evident and certain if
as yet to him only, neglects in no sort the Arts and business of Peace, but is present, always with vivid
activity, in the common movement, serious or gay and festive, as the day brings it. During these Winter
months of 1743, and still more through Summer 1744, there are important War movements going on,the
French vehemently active again, the Austrians nothing behindhand,which will require some slight notice
from us soon. But in Berlin, alongside of all this, it is mere common business, diligent as ever, alternating
with Carnival gayeties, with marryings, givings in marriage; in Berlin there goes on, under halcyon weather,
the peaceable tide of things, sometimes in a high fashion, as if Berlin and its King had no concern with the
foreign War.
The Plauen Canal, an important navigationwork, canal of some thirty miles, joining Havel to Elbe in a
convenient manner, or even joining Oder to Elbe, is at its busiest:"it was begun June 1st, 1743 [all hands
diligently digging there, June 27th, while some others of us were employed at Dettingen,think of it!], and
was finished June 5th, 1745." [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, vi. 2192.] This is one of several such works now
afoot. Take another miscellaneous item or two.
January, 1744, Friedrich appoints, and briefly informs all his People of it, That any Prussian subject who
thinks himself aggrieved, may come and tell his story to the King's own self: ["January, 1744" (Rodenbeck, i.
98).]better have his story in firm succinct state, I should imagine, and such that it will hold water, in telling
it to the King! But the King is ready to hear him; heartily eager to get justice done him. A suitable boon, such
Permission, till LawReform take effect. And after LawReform had finished, it was a thing found suitable;
and continued to the end, curious to a British reader to consider!
Again: on Friedrich's birthday, 24th January, 1744, the new Academy of Sciences had, in the Schloss of
Berlin, its first Session. But of this,in the absence of Maupertuis, Flattener of the Earth, who is still in
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France, since that Mollwitz adventure; by and for behoof of whom, when he did return, and become
"Perpetual First President," many changes were made,I will not speak at present. Nor indeed afterwards,
except on good chance rising;the new Academy, with its Perpetual First President, being nothing like so
sublime an object now, to readers and me, as it then was to itself and Perpetual President and Royal Patron!
Vapid Formey is Perpetual Secretary; more power to him, as the Irish say. Poor Goldstick Pollnitz is an
Honorary Member;absent at this time in Baireuth, where those giggling Marwitzes of Wilhelmina's have
been contriving a marriage for the old fool. Of which another word soon: if we have time. Time cannot be
spent on those dim small objects: but there are two Marriages of a high order, of purport somewhat
Historical; there is Barberina the Dancer, throwing a flash through the Operatic and some other provinces: let
us restrict ourselves to these, and the like of these, and be brief upon them.
THE SUCCESSION IN RUSSIA, AND ALSO IN SWEDEN, SHALL NOT BE HOSTILE TO US: TWO
ROYAL MARRIAGES, A RUSSIAN AND A SWEDISH, ARE ACCOMPLISHED AT BERLIN, WITH
SUCH VIEW.
Marriage First, of an eminently Historical nature, is altogether Russian, or German become Russian, though
Friedrich is much concerned in it. We heard of the mad SwedishRussian War; and how Czarina Elizabeth
was kind enough to choose a Successor to the old childless Swedish King,Landgraf of HessenCassel by
nature; who has had a sorry time in Sweden, but kept merry and did not mind it much, poor old soul. Czarina
Elizabeth's one care was, That the Prince of Denmark should not be chosen to succeed, as there was talk of
his being: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, all grasped in one firm hand (as in the old "UnionofCalmar" times,
only with better management), might be dangerous to Russia. "Don't choose him of Denmark!" said
Elizabeth, the victorious Czarina; and made it a condition of granting Peace, and mostly restoring Finland, to
the infatuated Swedes. The person they did choose,satisfactory to the Czarina, and who ultimately did
become King of Sweden,was one Adolf Friedrich; a HolsteinGottorp Prince, come of Royal kin, and
cousinry to Karl XII.: he is "Bishop of Lubeck" or of Eutin, so styled; now in his thirtythird year; and at
least drawing the revenues of that See, though I think, not ecclesiastically given, but living oftener in
Hamburg, the then fashionable resort of those Northern Grandees. On the whole, a likely young gentleman;
accepted by parties concerned;and surely good enough for the Office as it now is. Of whom, for a reason
coming, let readers take note, in this place.
Above a year before this time, Czarina Elizabeth, a provident female, and determined not to wed, had pitched
upon her own Successor: [7th November, 1742 (Michaelis, ii. 627).] one Karl Peter Ulrich; who was also of
the same HolsteinGottorp set, though with Russian blood in him. His Grandfather was full cousin, and
chosen comrade, to Karl XII.; got killed in Karl's Russian Wars; and left a poor Son dependent on Russian
Peter the Great,who gave him one of his Daughters; whence this Karl Peter Ulrich, an orphan, dear to his
Aunt the Czarina. A Karl Peter Ulrich, who became tragically famous as Czar Peter Federowitz, or Czar Peter
III., in the course of twenty years! His Father and Mother are both dead; loving Aunt has snatched the poor
boy out of HolsteinGottorp, which is a narrow sphere, into Russia, which is wide enough; she has had him
converted to the Greek Church, named him Peter Federowitz, Heir and Successor;and now, wishing to see
him married, has earnestly consulted Friedrich upon it.
Friedrich is decidedly interested; would grudge much to see an AntiPrussian Princess, for instance a Saxon
Princess (one of whom is said to Be trying), put into this important station! After a little thought, he
fixes,does the reader know upon whom? Readers perhaps, here and there, have some recollection of a
Prussian General, who is Titular Prince of AnhaltZerbst on his own score; and is actual Commandant of
Stettin in Friedrich's service, and has done a great deal of good fortification there and other good work.
Instead of Titular, he has now lately, by decease of an Elder Brother, become Actual or SemiActual (a
Brother joined with him in the poor Heirship); lives occasionally in the Schloss of Zerbst; but is glad to retain
Stettin as a solid supplement. His Wife, let the reader note farther, is Sister to the above mentioned Adolf
Friedrich, "Bishop of Lubeck," now HeirApparent to Sweden,in whom, as will soon appear, we are
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otherwise interested. Wife seems to me an airy flighty kind of lady, highpaced, not too surepaced,weak
evidently in French grammar, and perhaps in human sense withal:but they have a Daughter,
SophieFrederike, now near fifteen, and very forward for her age; comely to look upon, wise to listen to: "Is
not she the suitable one?" thinks Friedrich, in regard to this matter. "Her kindred is of the oldest, old as Albert
the Bear; she has been frugally brought up, Spartanlike, though as a Princess by birth: let her cease skippiug
ropes on the ramparts yonder, with her young Stettin playmates; and prepare for being a Czarina of the
Russias," thinks he. And communicates his mind to the Czarina; who answers, "Excellent! How did I never
think of that myself?"
And so, on or about Newyear's day, 1744, while the Commandant of Stettin and his airy Spouse are doing
Christmas at their old Schloss of Zerbst, there suddenly come Estafettes; Expresses from Petersburg, heralded
by Express from Friedrich:with the astonishing proposal, "Czarina wishing the honor of a visit from
Madam and Daughter; no doubt, with such and such intentions in the rear." [Friedrich's Letters to Madam of
Zerbst (date of the first of them, 30th December, 1743), in OEuvres, xxv. 579589.] Madam, nor Daughter, is
nothing loath;the old Commandant grumbles in his beard, not positively forbidding: and in this manner,
after a Letter or two in imperfect grammar, Madam and Daughter appear in Carnival society at Berlin,
charming objects both; but do not stay long; in fact, stay only till their moneys and arrangements are
furnished them. Upon which, in all silence, they make for Petersburg, for Moscow; travel rapidly, arrive
successfully, in spite of the grim season. ["At Moscow, 7th (18th) February, 1744."] Conversion to the Greek
Religion, change of name from SophieFrederike to CatherineAlexiewna ("Let it be Catherine," said
Elizabeth, "my dear mother's name!"little brown Czarina's, whom we have seen):all this was completed
by the 12th of July following. And, in fine, next year (September 1st, 1745), Peter Federowitz and this same
CatherineAlexiewna, secondcousins by blood, were vouchsafed the Nuptial Benediction, and, with
invocation of the Russian Heaven and Russian Earth, were declared to be one flesh, [Ranke, iii. 129;
Memoires de Catherine II. (Catherine's own very curious bit of Autobiography;published by Mr. Herzen,
London, 1859), pp. 746.] though at last they turned out to be TWO FLESHES, as my reader well knows!
Some eighteen or nineteen years hence, we may look in upon them again, if there be a moment to spare. This
is Marriage first; a purely Russian one; built together and launched on its course, so to say, by Friedrich at
Berlin, who had his own interest in it.
Marriage Second, done at Berlin in the same months, was of still more interesting sort to Friedrich and us:
that of Princess Ulrique to the abovenamed Adolf Friedrich, future King of Sweden. Marriage which went
on preparing itself by the side of the other; and was of twin importance with it in regard to the Russian
Question. The Swedish Marriage was not heard of, except in important whispers, during the Carnival time;
but a Swedish Minister had already come to Berlin on it, and was busy first in a silent and examining, then in
a speaking and proposing way. It seems, the Czarina herself had suggested the thing, as a counterpoliteness
to Friedrich; so content with him at this time. A thing welcome to Friedrich. And, in due course ("June,
1744"), there comes express Swedish Embassy, some Rodenskjold or Tessin, with a very shining train of
Swedes, "To demand Princess Ulrique in marriage for our Future King."
To which there is assent, by no means denial, in the proper quarter. Whereupon, after the widespread
necessary fuglings and preliminaries, there occurs (all by Procuration, Brother August Wilhelm doing the
Bridegroom's part), "July 17th, 1744," the Marriage itself: all done, this last act, and the foregoing ones and
the following, with a grandeur and a splendorunspeakable, we may say, in short. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii.
10451051.] Fantastic Bielfeld taxes his poor rouged Muse to the utmost, on this occasion; and becomes
positively wearisome, chanting the upholsteries of life;foolish fellow, spoiling his bits of facts withal, by
misrecollections, and even by express fictions thrown in as garnish. So that, beyond the general impression,
given in a highrouged state, there is nothing to be depended on. One Scene out of his many, which
represents to us on those terms the finale, or actual Departure of Princess Ulrique, we shall offer,with
corrections (a few, not ALL);having nothing better or other on the subject:
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"But, in fine, the day of departure did arrive,"eve of it did: 25th July, 1744; hour of starting to be 2 A.M.
tomorrow. "The King had nominated GrandMarshal Graf van Gotter [same Gotter whom we saw at
Vienna once: King had appointed Gotter and two others; not to say that two of the Princess's Brothers, with
her Sister the Margravine of Schwedt, were to accompany as far as Schwedt: six in all; though one's poor
memory fails one on some occasions!]to escort the Princess to Stralsund, where two Swedish Senators and
different high Lords and Ladies awaited her. Her Majesty the Queen Mother, judging by the movements of
her own heart that the moment of separation would produce a scene difficult to bear, had ordered an Opera to
divert our chagrin; and, instead of supper, a superb collation EN AMBIGU [kind of supperbreakfast, I
suppose], in the great Hall of the Palace. Her Majesty's plan was, The Princess, on coming from the Opera,
should, almost on flight, taste a morsel; take her travelling equipment, embrace her kinsfolk, dash into her
carriage, and go off like lightning. Herr Graf von Gotter was charged with executing this design, and with
hurrying the departure.
"But all these precautions were vain. The incomparable Ulrique was too dear to her Family and to her
Country, to be parted with forever, without her meed of tears from them in those cruel instants. On entering
the OperaHall, I noticed everywhere prevalent an air of sorrow, of sombre melancholy. The Princess
appeared in Amazondress [ridinghabit, say], of rosecolor trimmed with silver; the little vest, turned up
with greenblue (CELADON), and collar of the same; a little bonnet, English fashion, of black velvet, with a
white plume to it; her hair floating, and tied with a rosecolored ribbon. She was beautiful as Love: but this
dress, so elegant, and so well setting off her charms, only the more sensibly awakened our regrets to lose her;
and announced that the hour was come, in which all this appeared among us for the last time. At the second
act, young Prince Ferdinand [Youngest Brother, Father of the JENA Ferdinand] entered the Royal Box; and
flinging himself on the Princess's neck with a burst of tears, said, 'Ah, my dear Ulrique, it is over, then; and I
shall never see you more!' These words were a signal given to the grief which was shut in all hearts, to burst
forth with the greatest vehemence. The Princess replied only with sobs; holding her Brother in her arms. The
Two Queens could not restrain their tears; the Princes and Princesses followed the example: grief is
epidemical; it gained directly all the Boxes of the first rank, where the Court and Nobility were. Each had his
own causes of regret, and each melted into tears. Nobody paid the least attention farther to the Opera; and for
my own share, I was glad to see it end.
"An involuntary movement took me towards the Palace. I entered the King's Apartments, and found the
Royal Family and part of the Court assembled. Grief had reached its height; everybody had his handkerchief
out; and I witnessed emotions quite otherwise affecting than those that Theatric Art can produce. The King
had composed an Ode on the Princess's departure; bidding her his last adieus in the most tender and touching
manner. It begins with these words: 'Partez, ma Soeur, partez; La Suede vous attend, la Suede
vous desire,' 'Go, my Sister, go; Sweden waits you, Sweden
wishes you. [Does not now exist (see OEuvres de Frederic, xiv. 88, and ib. PREFACE p. xv).]
His Majesty gave it her at the moment when she was about to take leave of the Two Queens. [No, Monsieur,
not then; it came to her hand the second evening hence, at Schwedt; [Her own Letter to Friedrich ( OEuvres
de Frederic, xxvii. 372; "Schwedt, 28th July, 1744").] most likely not yet written at the time you fabulously
give;you foolish fantast, and "artist" of the SHAMkind!]The Princess threw her eyes on it, and fell into
a faint [No, you Sham, not for IT]: the King had almost done the like. His tears flowed abundantly. The
Princes and Princesses were overcome with sorrow. At last, Gotter judged it time to put an end to this tragic
scene. He entered the Hall, almost like Boreas in the Ballet of THE ROSE; that is to say, with a crash. He
made one or two whirlwinds; clove the press, and snatched away the Princess from the arms of the
QueenMother, took her in his own, and whisked her out of the Hall. All the world followed; the carriages
were waiting in the court; and the Princess in a moment found herself in hers. I was in such a state, I know
not how we got down stairs; I remember only that it was in a concert of lamentable sobbings. Madam the
Margrafin von Schwedt, who had been named to attend the Princess to Stralsund [read Schwedt] on the
Swedish frontier, this high Lady and the two Dames d'Atours who were for Sweden itself, having sprung into
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the same carriage, the door of it was shut with a slam; the postillions cracked, the carriage shot away,and
hid the adorable Ulrique from the eyes of King and Court, who remained motionless for some minutes,
overcome by their feelings." [Bielfeld, ii. 107110.]
We said this Marriage was like the other, important for Public Affairs. In fact, security on the Russian and
Swedish side is always an object with Friedrich when undertaking war. "That the French bring about, help me
to bring about, a Triple Alliance of Prussia, Russia, Sweden:" this was a thing Friedrich had bargained to see
done, before joining in the War ahead: but by these Two Espousals Friedrich hopes he has himself as good as
done it. Of poor Princess Ulrique and her glorious reception in Sweden (after near miss of shipwreck, in the
Swedish Frigate from Stralsund), we shall say nothing more at present: except that her glories, all along, were
much dashed by chagrins, and dangerous imminencies of shipwreck,which latter did not quite overtake
HER, but did her sons and grandsons, being inevitable or nearly so, in that element, in the course of time.
Sister Amelia, whom some thought disappointed, as perhaps, in her foolish thought, she might a little be, was
made Abbess of Quedlinburg, which opulent benefice had fallen vacant; and, there or at Berlin, lived a
respectable Spinsterlife, doubtless on easier terms than Ulrique's. Always much loved by her Brother, and
loving him (and "taking care of his shirts," in the final times); noted in society, for her sharp tongue and
ways. Concerning whom Thiebault and his Trenck romances are worth no notice,if it be not with
horsewhips on opportunity. SCANDALUM MAGNATUM, where your Magnates are NOT fallen quite
counterfeit, was and is always (though few now reflect on it) a most punishable crime.
GLANCE AT THE BELLIGERENT POWERS; BRITANNIC MAJESTY NARROWLY MISSES AN
INVASION THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS
Princess Ulrique was hardly yet home in Sweden, when her Brother had actually gone forth upon the Wars
again! So different is outside from interior, now and then. "While the dancing and the marriagefestivities
went on at Court, we, in private, were busily completing the preparations for a Campaign," dreamed of by no
mortal, "which was on the point of being opened." [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 41.] July 2d, three weeks
before Princess Ulrique left, a certain Adventure of Prince Karl's in the Rhine Countries had accomplished
itself (of which in the following Book); and Friedrich could discern clearly that the moment drew rapidly
nigh.
On the French side of the War, there has been visiblesince those high attempts of Britannic George and the
Hungarian Majesty, contumeliously spurning the Peace offered them, and grasping evidently at one's
Lorraines, Alsaces, and Three Bishopricsa marked change; comfortable to look at from Friedrich's side.
Most Christian Majesty, from the sad bent attitude of insulted repentance, has started up into the
perpendicular one of indignation: "Come on, then!"and really makes efforts, this Year, quite beyond
expectation. "Oriflamme enterprises, private intentions of cutting Germany in Four; well, have not I smarted
for them; as good as owned they were rather mad? But to have my apology spit upon; but to be myself
publicly cut in pieces for them?"
March 15h, 1744, Most Christian Majesty did, as we saw, duly declare War against England; against Austria,
April 26th: "England," he says, "broke its Convention of Neutrality (signed 27th September, 1741); broke
said Convention [as was very natural, no term being set] directly after Maillebois was gone; England, by its
Mediterranean Admirals and the like, has, to a degree beyond enduring, insulted the French coasts, harbors
and royal Navy: We declare War on England." And then, six weeks hence, in regard to Austria: "Austria,
refusing to make Peace with a virtuous Kaiser, whom we, for the sake of peace, had magnanimously helped,
and then magnanimously ceased to help;Austria refuses peace with him or us; on the contrary, Austria
attempts, and has attempted, to invade France itself: We therefore, on and from this 26th of April, 1744, let
the world note it, are at War with Austria." [In Adelung, iv. 78, 90, the two Manifestoes given.] Both these
promises to Friedrich are punctually performed.
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Nor, what is far more important, have the necessary preparations been neglected; but are on a quite
unheardof scale. Such taxing and financiering there has been, last Winter:tax on your street lamp, on
your firewood, increased excise on meat and eatables of all kinds: Be patient, ye poor; consider GLOIRE,
and an ORIFLAMME so trampled on by the Austrian Heathen! Eatables, streetlamps, do I say? There is
36,000 pounds, raised by a tax onwell, on GARDEROBES (not translated)! A small help, but a help: NON
OLET, NON OLEAT. To what depths has Oriflamme come down!The result is, this Spring of 1744,
indignant France does, by land, and even by sea, make an appearance calculated to astonish Gazetteers and
men. Landforces 160,000 actually on foot: 80,000 (grows at last into 100,000, for a little while) as "Army of
the Netherlands,"to prick into Austria, and astonish England and the Dutch Barrier, in that quarter. Of the
rest, 20,000 under Conti are for Italy; 60,000 (by degrees 40,000) under Coigny for defence of the Rhine
Countries, should Prince Karl, as is surmisable, make new attempts there. [Adelung, iv. 78; Espagnac, ii. 3.]
And besides all this, there are Two strong Fleets, got actually launched, not yet into the deep sea, but ready
for it: one in Toulon Harbor, to avenge those Mediterranean insults; and burst out, in concert with an
impatient Spanish Fleet (which has lain blockaded here for a year past), on the insolent blockading English:
which was in some sort done. ["19th February, 1744," French and Spanish Fleets run out; 22d Feb. are
attacked by Matthews and Lestock; are rather beaten, not beaten nearly enough (Matthews and Lestock
blaming one another, Spaniards and French ditto, ditto: Adelung, iv. 3235); with the endless janglings,
correspondings, courtmartialings that ensue (Beatson, Naval and Military Memoirs, i. 197 et seqq.;
Gentleman's Magazine, and Old Newspapers, for 1744; The other strong Fleet, twenty sail of the line, under
Admiral Roquefeuille, is in Brest Harbor,intended for a still more delicate operation; of which anon.
Surely King Friedrich ought to admit that these are fine symptoms? King Friedrich has freely done so, all
along; intending to strike in at the right moment. Let us see, a little, how things have gone; and how the right
moment has been advancing in late months.
JANUARY 17th, 1744, There landed at Antibes on French soil a young gentleman, by name "Conte di
Spinelli," direct from Genoa, from Rome; young gentleman seemingly of small importance, but intrinsically
of considerable; who hastened off for Paris, and there disappeared. Disappeared into subterranean
consultations with the highest Official people; intending reappearance with emphasis at Dunkirk, a few weeks
hence, in much more emphatic posture. And all through February there is observable a brisk diligence of
Warpreparation, at Dunkirk: transportships in quantity, finally four warships; 15,000 chosen troops,
gradually marching in; nearly all on board, with their equipments, by the end of the month.
Clearly an Invading Army intended somewhither, England judges too well whither. AntiEnglish Armament;
to be led by, whom thinks the reader? That same "Conte di Spinelli," who is Charles Edward the Young
Pretender,Comte de Saxe commanding under him! This is no fable; it is a fact, somewhat formidable;
brought about, they say, by one Cardinal Tencin, an Official Person of celebrity in the then Versailles world;
who owes his red hat (whatever such debt really be) to old Jacobite influence, exerted for him at Rome; and
takes this method of paying his debt and his court at once. Gets, namely, his proposal, of a CharlesEdward
Invasion of England, to dovetail in with the other wide artilleries now bent on little George in the way we see.
Had not little George better have stayed at home out of these Pragmatic Wars? Fifteen thousand, aided by the
native Jacobite hosts, under command of Saxe,a Saxe against a Wade is fearful odds,may make some
figure in England! We hope always they will not be able to land. Imagination may conceive the flurry, if not
of Britannic mankind, at least of Britannic Majesty and his Official People, and what a stir and din they
made:of which this is the compressed upshot.
"SATURDAY, 1st MARCH, 1744. For nearly a week past, there has been seen hanging about in the Channel,
and dangerously hovering to and fro [had entered by the Land'sEnd, was first noticed on Sunday last "nigh
the Eddistone"] a considerable French Fleet, sixteen great ships; with four or five more, probably belonging
to it, which now lie off Dunkirk: the intention of which is too well known in high quarters. This is the grand
Brest Fleet, Admiral Roquefeuille's; which believes it can command the Channel, in present circumstances,
the English ChannelFleets being in a disjoined condition,till Comte de Saxe, with his CharlesEdward
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and 15,000, do ship themselves across! Great alarm in consequence; our Warforces, 40,000 of them, all in
Germany; not the least preparation to receive an Invasive Armament. Comte de Saxe is veritably at Dunkirk,
since Saturday, March 1st: busy shipping his 15,000; equipments mostly shipped, and about 10,000 of the
men: all is activity there; Roquefeuille hanging about Dungeness, with four of his twenty great ships detached
for more immediate protection of Saxe and those Dunkirk industries. To meet which, old Admiral Norris, off
and on towards the Nore and the Forelands, has been doing his best to rally force about him; hopes he will
now be match for Roquefeuille:but if he should not?
"THURSDAY, 6th MARCH. Afternoon of March 5th, old Admiral Norris, hoping he was at length in
something like equality, 'tided it round the South Foreland;' saw Roquefeuille hanging, in full tale, within few
miles;and at once plunged into him? No, reader; not at once, nor indeed at all. A great seafight was
expected; but our old Norris thought it late in the day;and, in effect, no fight proved needful. Daylight was
not yet sunk, when there rose from the north eastward a heavy gale; blew all night, and by six next morning
was a raging storm; had blown Roquefeuille quite away out of those waters (fractions of him upon the rocks
of Guernsey); had tumbled Comte de Saxe's Transports bottom uppermost (so to speak), in Dunkirk
Roads;and, in fact, had blown the Enterprise over the horizon, and relieved the Official Britannic mind in
the usual miraculous manner.
"M. le Comte de Saxewho had, by superhuman activity, saved nearly all his men, in that hideous
topsyturvy of the Transports and munitionsreturned straightway, and much more M. le Comte de Spinelli
with him, to Paris. Comte de Saxe was directly thereupon made Marechal de France; appointed to be
Colleague of Noailles in the ensuing Netherlands Campaign. 'Comte de Spinelli went to lodge with his Uncle,
the Cardinal GrandAlmoner FitzJames' [a zealous gentleman, of influence with the Holy Father], and there
in privacy to wait other chances that might rise. 'The 1,500 silver medals, that had been struck for distribution
in Great Britain,' fell, for this time, into the meltingpot again. [Tindal, xxi. 22 (mostly a puddle of
inaccuracies, as usual); Espagnac, i. 213; Gentleman's Magazine, xiv. 106, Barbier, ii. 382, 385, 388.]
"Great stir, in British Parliament and Public, there had latterly been on this matter: Arrestment of suspected
persons, banishment of all Catholics ten miles from London; likewise registering of horses (to gallop with
cannon whither wanted); likewise improvising of cavalry regiments by persons of condition, 'Set our plush
people on our coachhorses; there!' [Yes, THERE will be a Cavalry,inferior to General Ziethen's!]; and
were actually drilling them in several places, when that fortunate blast of storm (March 6th) blew everything
to quiet again. Fieldmarshal Earl of Stair, in regard to the Scottish populations, had shown a noble
magnanimity; which was recognized: and a General Sir John Cope rode off, post haste, to take the chief
command in that Country;where, in about eighteen months hence, he made a very shining thing of
it!"Take this other Cutting from the Old Newspapers:
"FRIDAY, 31st (20th) MARCH, 1744, A general press began for recruiting his Majesty's regiments, and
manning the Fleet; when upwards of 1,000 men were secured in the jails of London and Westminster; being
allowed sixpence a head per diem, by the Commissioners of the Landtax, who examine them, and send
those away that are found fit for his Majesty's service. The same method was taken in each County." Press
ceases; enough being got,press no more till farther order: 5th (16th) June. [ Gentleman's Magazine for
1744, pp. 226, 333.]
Britannic Majesty shaken by such omens, does not in person visit Germany at all this Year; nor, by his
Deputies, at all shine on the fields of War as lately. He, his English and he, did indeed come down with their
cash in a prompt and manful manner, but showed little other activity this year. Their troops were already in
the Netherlands, since Winter last; led now by a Fieldmarshal Wade, of whom one has heard; to whom
joined themselves certain Austrians, under Duc d'Ahremberg, and certain Dutch, under some other man in
cockedhat: the whole of whom, under Marshal Wade's chief guidance, did as good as nothing whatever.
"Inferior in force!" cried Marshal Wade; an indolent incompetent old gentleman, frightful to see in command
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of troops: "inferior in force!" cried he, which was not at first quite the case. And when, by additions to
himself, and deductions (of a most unexpected nature) from his Enemy, he had become nearly double in
force, it was all the same: Marshal Wade (against whom indeed was Marechal de Saxe, now in sole
command, as we shall see) took shelter in safe places, witnessing therefrom the swift destruction of the
Netherlands, and would attempt nothing. Which indeed was perhaps prudent on the Marshal's part. Much
money was spent, and men enough did puddle themselves to death on the clay roads, or bivouacking in the
safe swamps; but not the least stroke of battle was got out of them under this old Marshal. Had perhaps "a
divided command, though nominal Chief," poor old gentleman;yes, and a head that understood nothing of
his business withal. One of those same astonishing "Generals" of the English, now becoming known in
Natural History; the like of whom, till within these hundred and fifty years, were not heard of among sane
Nations. Saxe VERSUS Wade is fearful odds. To judge by the way Saxe has of handling Wade, may not we
thank Heaven that it was not HERE in England the trial came on! Lift up both your hands, and blessnot
General Wade, quite yet.
THE YOUNG DUKE OF WURTEMBERG GETS A VALEDICTORY ADVICE; AND POLLNITZ A
DITTO TESTIMONIAL (February 6th; April 1st, 1744).
February 7th, 1744, Karl Eugen, the young Duke of Wurtemberg, Friedrich having got, from the Kaiser,
due Dispensation (VENIA AETATIS) for the young gentleman, and had him declared Duke Regnant, though
only sixteen,quitted Berlin with great pomp, for his own Country, on that errand. Friedrich had hoped
hereby to settle the Wurtemberg matters on a good footing, and be sure of a friend in Wurtemberg to the
Kaiser and himself. Which hope, like everybody's hopes about this young gentleman, was entirely
disappointed; said young gentleman having got into perverse, haughty, sulky, illconditioned ways, and
made a bad Life and Reign of it,better to lie mostly hidden from us henceforth, at least for many years to
come. The excellent Parting Letter which Friedrich gave him got abroad into the world; was christened the
MIRROR OF PRINCES, and greatly admired by mankind. It is indeed an almost faultless Piece of its kind;
comprising, in a flowing yet precise way, with admirable frankness, sincerity, sagacity, succinctness, a Whole
Duty of Regnant Man; [In OEuvres de Frederic, ix. 47.]but I fear it would only weary the reader; perfect
ADVICE having become so plentiful in our Epoch, with little but "pavement" to a certain Locality the
consequence! There is, of the same months, a TESTIMONIAL TO POLLNITZ, which also got abroad and
had its celebrity: this, as specimen of Friedrich on the comic side, will perhaps be less afflicting; and it will
rid us of Pollnitz, poor soul, on handsome terms.
Goldstick Pollnitz is at Baireuth in these months; fallen quite disconsolate since we last heard of him. His
fine marriage went awry,rich lady, very wisely, drawing back;and the foolish old creature has decided
on REchanging his religion; which he has changed already thrice or so, in his vagabond straits; for the
purpose of "retiring to a convent" this time. Friedrich, in candid brief manner, rough but wise, and not
without some kindness for an old dog one is used to, has answered, "Nonsense; that will never do!" But
Pollnitz persisting; formally demanding leave to demit, and lay down the goldstick, with that
view,Friedrich does at length send him Certificate of Leave; "which is drawn out with all the forms, and
was despatched through Eichel to the proper Board;" but which bears date APRIL FIRST, and though
officially valid, is of quizzical nature:perhaps already known to some readers; having got into the
Newspapers, and widely abroad, at a subsequent time. As authentic sample of Friedrich in that kind, here it
accurately is, with only one or two slight abridgments, which are indicated:
"Whereas the Baron de Pollnitz, born at Berlin [at Koln, if it made any matter], of honest parents so far as We
know,after having served Our Grandfather as Gentleman of the Chamber, Madam d'Orleans [wicked
Regent's Mother, a famed German Lady] in the same rank, the King of Spain in quality of Colonel, the
deceased Kaiser in that of Captain of Horse, the Pope as Chamberlain, the Duke of Brunswick as
Chamberlain, Duke of Weimar as Ensign, our Father as Chamberlain, and, in fine, Us as Grand Master of the
Ceremonies,"has, in spite of such accumulation of honors, become disgusted with the world; and requests
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a Parting Testimony, to support his good reputation,
"We, remembering his important services to the House, in diverting for nine years long the late King our
Father, and doing the honors of our Court during the now Reign, cannot refuse such request; but do hereby
certify, That the said Baron has never assassinated, robbed on the highway, poisoned, forcibly cut purses, or
done other atrocity or legal crime at our Court; but has always maintained gentlemanly behavior, making not
more than honest use of the industry and talents he has been endowed with at birth; imitating the object of the
Drama, that is, correcting mankind by gentle quizzing; following, in the matter of sobriety, Boerhaave's
counsels; pushing Christian charity so far as often to make the rich understand that it is more blessed to give
than to receive; possessing perfectly the anecdotes of our various Mansions, especially of our wornout
Furnitures; rendering himself, by his merits, necessary to those who know him; and, with a very bad head,
having a very good heart.
"Our anger the said Baron never kindled but once,"in atrociously violating the grave of an Ancestress (or
Step Ancestress) of ours. [StepAncestress was Dorothea, the Great Elector's second Wife; of whom Pollnitz,
in his Memoirs and Letters, repeats the rumor that once she, perhaps, tried to poison her Stepson Friedrich,
First King. (See supra, vol. v. p. 47).] "But as the loveliest countries have their barren spots, the beautifulest
forms their imperfections, pictures by the greatest masters their faults, We are willing to cover with the veil
of oblivion those of the said Baron; do hereby grant him, with regret, the Congee he requires;and abolish
his Office altogether, to blot it from men's memory, not judging that anybody after the said Baron can be
worthy to fill it. "Done at Potsdam, this 1st of April, 1744. FREDERIC." [ OEuvres, xv. 193.]
The Office of Grand Master of the Ceremonies was, accordingly, abolished altogether. But Pollnitz, left loose
in this manner, did not gallop direct, or go at all, into monkhood, as he had expected; but, in fact, by degrees,
crept home to Berlin again; took the subaltern post of Chamberlain; and there, in the old fashion (straitened in
finance, making loans, retailing anecdotes, not witty but the cause of wit), wore out life's gray evening; till,
about thirty years hence, he died; "died as he had lived, swindling the very night before his decease," writes
Friedrich; [Letter to Voltaire, 13th August, 1775 ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 344). See Preuss, v. 241
(URKUNDENBUCH), the Letters of Friedrich to Pollnitz.] who was always rather kind to the poor old dog,
though bantering him a good deal.
TWO CONQUESTS FOR PRUSSIA, A GASEOUS AND A SOLID: CONQUEST FIRST, BARBERINA
THE DANCER.
Early in May, the Berlin public first saw its Barberina dance, and wrote ecstatic Latin Epigrams about that
miracle of nature and art; [Rodenbeck, pp. 111, 190.]miracle, alas, not entirely omissible by us. Here is her
Story, as the Books give it; slightly mythical, I judge, in some of its nonessential parts; but good enough for
the subject:
Barberina the Dancer had cost Friedrich some trouble; the pains he took with her elegant pirouettings and
poussettings, and the heavy salary he gave her, are an unexpected item in his history. He wished to favor the
Arts, yes; but did he reckon Operadancing a chief one among them? He had indeed built an OperaHouse,
and gave free admissions, supporting the cost himself; and among his other governings, governed the dancer
and singer troops of that establishment. Took no little trouble about his Opera:yet perhaps he privately
knew its place, after all. "Wished to encourage strangers of opulent condition to visit his Capital," say the
cunning ones. It may be so; and, at any rate, he probably wished to act the King in such matters, and not
grudge a little money. He really loved music, even opera music, and knew that his people loved it; to the
rough natural man, all rhythm, even of a Barberina's feet, may be didactic, beneficial: do not higgle, let us do
what is to be done in a liberal style. His agent at Venice for he has agents everywhere on the outlook for
himreports that here is a Female Dancer of the first quality, who has shone in London, Paris and the
Capital Cities, and might answer well, but whose terms will probably be dear. "Engage her," answers
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Friedrich. And she is engaged on pretty terms; she will be free in a month or two, and then start.
[Zimmermann, Fragmente uber Friedrich den Grossen (Leipzig, 1790), i. 8892; Collini, ubi infra; Denina;
compare Rodenbeck, p. 191.]
Well;but Barberina had, as is usual, subsidiary trades to her dancing: in particular, a young English
Gentleman had followed her up and down, says Zimmermann, and was still here in Venice passionately
attached to her. Which fact, especially which young English gentleman, should have been extremely
indifferent to me, but for a circumstance soon to be mentioned. The young English gentleman, clear against
Barberina's Prussian scheme, passionately opposes the same, passionately renews his own offers;induces
Barberina to inform the Prussian agent that she renounces her engagement in that quarter. Prussian agent
answers that it is not renounceable; that he has legal writing on it, and that it must be kept. Barberina rises
into contumacy, will laugh at all writing and compulsion. Prussian agent applies to Doge and Senate on the
subject, in his King's name; who answer politely, but do nothing: "How happy to oblige so great a King;
but" And so it lasts for certain months; Barberina and the young English gentleman contumacious in
Venice, and Doge and Senate merely wishing we may get her.
Meanwhile a Venetian Ambassador happens to be passing through Berlin, in his way to or from some
Hyperborean State; arrives at some hotel, in Berlin;finds, on the morrow, that his luggage is arrested by
Royal Order; that he, or at least IT, cannot get farther, neither advance nor return, till Barberina do come.
"Impossible, Signor: a bargain is a bargain; and States ought to have lawcourts that enforce contracts
entered into in their territories." The Venetian Doge and Senate do now lay hold of Barberina; pack her into
postchaises, off towards Berlin, under the charge of armed men, with the proper transitpapers,as it were
under the address, "For his Majesty of Prussia, this side uppermost,"and thus she actually is conveyed, date
or month uncertain, by Innspruck or the Splugen, I cannot say which, over mountain, over valley, from
country to country, and from stage to stage, till she arrives at Berlin; Ambassador with baggage having been
let go, so soon as the affair was seen to be safe.
As for the young English gentleman passionately attached, he followed, it is understood; faithful, constant as
shadow to the sun, always a stage behind; arrived in Berlin two hours after his Barberina, still passionately
attached; and now, as the rumor goes, was threatening even to marry her, and so save the matter. Supremely
indifferent to my readers and me. But here now is the circumstance that makes it mentionable. The young
English is properly a young Scotch gentleman; James Mackenzie the name of him,a grandson of the
celebrated Advocate, Sir George Mackenzie; and younger Brother of a personage who, as Earl of Bute,
became extremely conspicuous in this Kingdom in after years. That makes it mentionable,if only in the
shape of MYTH. For Friedrich, according to rumor, being still like to lose his Dancer in that manner, warned
the young gentleman's friends; and had him peremptorily summoned home, and the light fantastic toe left free
in that respect. Which procedure the indignant young gentleman (thinks my Author) never forgave;
continuing a hater of Friedrich all his days; and instilling the same sentiment into the Earl of Bute at a period
which was very critical, as we shall see. This is my Author's, the often fallacious though not mendacious Dr.
Zimmermann's, rather deliberate account; a man not given to mendacity, though filled with much vague
wind, which renders him fallacious in historical points.
Readers of Walpole's George the Third know enough of this Mackenzie, "Earl's Brother, MACKINSY," and
the sorrowful difficulties about his Scotch lawoffice or benefice; in which matter "Mackinsy" behaves
always in a high way, and only the Ministerial Outs and Inns higgle pedlerlike, vigilant of the Liberties of
England, as they call them. In the end, Mackinsy kept his lawoffice or got it restored to him; 3,000 pounds a
year without excess of work; a man much the gentleman, according to the rule then current: in contemplative
rare moments, the man, looking back through the dim posterns of the mind, might see afar off a certain
pirouetting Figure, once far from indifferent, and not yet quite melted into cheerless gray smoke, as so much
of the rest is to Mr. Mackinsy and us. I have made, in the Scotch Mackenzie circles, what inquiry was due;
find no evidence, but various likelihoods, that this of the Barberina and him is fact, and a piece of his
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biography. As to the inference deduced from it, in regard to Friedrich and the Earl of Bute, on a critical
occasion, that rests entirely with Zimmermann; and the candid mind inclines to admit that, probably, it is
but rumor and conjecture; streetdust sticking to the Doctor's shoes, and demanding merely to be well swept
out again. Heigho!
Barberina, though a dancer, did not want for more essential graces. Very sprightly, very pretty and intelligent;
not without piquancy and pungency: the King himself has been known to take tea with her in mixed society,
though nothing more; and with passionate young gentlemen she was very successful. Not long after her
coming to Berlin, she made conquest of Cocceji, the celebrated Chancellor's Son; who finding no other
resource, at length privately married her. Voltaire's Collini, when he came to Berlin, in 1750, recommended
by a Signora Sister of the Barberina's, found the Barberina and her Mother dining daily with this Cocceji as
their guest: [Collini, Mon Sejour aupres de Voltaire (a Paris, 1807), pp. 1319.] Signora Barberina privately
informed Collini how the matter was; Signorina still dancing all the same,though she had money in the
English funds withal; and Friedrich had been so generous as give her the fixing of her own salary, when she
came to him, thissideuppermost, in the way we described. She had fixed, too modestly thinks Collini, on
5,000 thalers (about 750 pounds) a year; having heart and head as well as heels, poor little soul. Perhaps her
notablest feat in History, after all, was her leading this Collini, as she now did, into the service of Voltaire, to
be Voltaire's Secretary. As will be seen. Whereby we have obtained a loyal little Book, more credible than
most others, about that notable man.
At a subsequent period, Barberina decided on declaring her marriage with Cocceji; she drew her money from
the English funds, purchased a fine mansion, and went to live with the said Cocceji there, giving up the Opera
and public pirouettes. But this did not answer either. Cocceji's Mother scorned irreconcilably the Opera
alliance; Friedrich, who did not himself like it in his Chancellor's Son, promoted the young man to some
higher post in the distant Silesian region. But there, alas, they themselves quarrelled; divorced one another;
and rumor again was busy. "You, Cocceji yourself, are but a schoolmaster's grandson [Barberina, one easily
supposes, might have a temper withal]; and it is I, if you will recollect, that drew money from the English
funds!" Barberina married again; and to a nobleman of sixteen quarters this time, and with whom at least
there was no divorce. Successful with passionate gentlemen; having money from the English funds. Her last
name was GrafinnI really know not what. Her descendants probably still live, with sixteen quarters, in
those parts. It was thus she did her lifejourney, waltzing and walking; successfully holding her own against
the world. History declares itself ashamed of spending so many words on such a subject. But the Dancer of
Friedrich, and the authoress, prime or proximate, of Collini's Voltaire, claims a passing remembrance. Let us,
if we can easily help it, never speak of her more.
CONQUEST SECOND IS OSTFRIESLAND, OF A SOLID NATURE.
May 25th, 1744, just while Barberina began her pirouettings at Berlin, poor Karl Edzard, Prince of East
Friesland, long a weak malingering creature, died, rather suddenly; childless, and the last of his House, which
had endured there about 300 years. Our clever Wilhelmina at Baireuth, though readers have forgotten the
small circumstance, had married a superfluous Sisterinlaw of hers to this Karl Edward; and, they say, it
was some fond hope of progeny, suddenly dashed into nothingness, that finished the poor man, that night of
May 25th. In any case, his Territory falls to Prussia, by Reich's Settlement of long standing (16831694);
which had been confirmed anew to the late King, Friedrich Wilhelm: we remember how he returned with
it, honest man, from that KLADRUP JOURNEY in 1732, and was sniffed at for bringing nothing better. And
in the interim, his royal Hanover Cousins, coveting East Friesland, had clapt up an ERBVERBRUDERUNG
with the poor Prince there (Father, I think, of the one just dead): "A thing ULTRA VIRES," argued Lawyers;
"private, quasiclandestine; and posterior (in a sense) to Reich's CONCLUSUM, 1694."
On which ground, however, George II. now sued Fricdrich at Reich's Law,Friedrich, we need not say,
having instantly taken possession of OstFriesland. And there ensued arguing enough between them, for
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years coming; very great expenditure of parchment, and of mutual barking at the moon (done always by
proxy, and easy to do); which doubtless increased the mutual illfeeling, but had no other effect. Friedrich,
who had been well awake to OstFriesland for some time back, and had given his Official people (Cocceji
his Minister of Justice, Chancellor by and by, and one or two subordinates) their precise Instructions, laid
hold of it, with a maximum of promptitude; thereby quashing a great deal of much more dangerous litigation
than Uncle George's.
"In all Germany, not excepting even Mecklenburg, there had been no more anarchic spot than OstFriesland
for the last sixty or seventy years. A Country with parliamentarylife in extraordinary vivacity (rising indeed
to the suicidal or internecine pitch, in two or three directions), and next to no regentlife at all. A Country
that had loved Freedom, not wisely but too well! Ritter Party, Prince's Party, Towns' Party;always two or
more internecine Parties: 'False Parliament you: traitors!' 'We? False YOU, traitors!'The Parish Constable,
by general consent, kept walking; but for Government there was this of the Parliamentary Eloquences (three
at once), and Freedom's battle, fancy it, bequeathed from sire to son! 'The late Karl Edzard never once was in
Embden, his chief Town, though he lived within a dozen miles of it.'And then, still more questionable, all
these energetic little Parties had applied to the Neighboring Governments, and had each its small Foreign
Battalion, 'To protect US and our just franchises!' Imperial Reich'sSafeguard Battalion, Dutch Battalion,
Danish Battalion,Prussian, it first of all was (year 1683, Town of Embden inviting the Great Elector), but it
is not so now. The Prussians had needed to be quietly swift, on that 25th day of May, 1744.
"And truly they were so; Cocceji having all things ready; leading partymen already secured to him, troops
within call, and the like. The PrussiansEmbden TownCouncils inviting their astonished Dutch Battalion
not to be at homemarched quietly into Embden 'next day,' and took possession of the guns. Marched to
Aurich (official metropolis), Danes and Imperial Safeguard saying nothing; and, in short, within a week had,
in their usual exact fashion, got firm hold of chaotic OstFriesland. And proceeded to manage it, in like
sort,with effects soon sensible, and steadily continuing. Their Parliamentarylife Friedrich left in its full
vigor: 'Tax yourselves; what revenue you like; and see to the outlay of it yourselves. Allow me, as
LANDESHERR, some trifle of overplus: how much, then? Furthermore a few recruits,or recruit money
in lieu, if you like better!' And it was astonishing how the Parliamentary vitality, not shortened of its least
franchise, or coerced in any particular, but merely stroked the right way of the hair, by a gently formidable
hand, with good head guiding, sank almost straightway into dovelife, and never gave Friedrich any trouble,
whatever else it might do. The management was good; the opportunity also was good. 'In one sitting, the
Prussian Agent, arbitrating between Embden and the Ritters, settled their controversy, which had lasted fifty
years.' The poor Country felt grateful, which it might well do; as if for the laying of goblins, for the ending of
longcontinued local typhoon! Friedrich's first Visit, in 1751, was welcomed with universal jubilation; and
poor OstFriesland thanked him in still more solid ways, when occasion rose. [Ranke, iii. 370382.]
"It is not an important Country:only about the size of Cheshire; wet like it, and much inferior to it in
cheese, in resources for leather and livestock, though it perhaps excels, again, in clover seeds, rapeseeds,
Flanders horses, and the flax products. The 'clear overplus' it yielded to Friedrich, as Sovereign Administrator
and Defender, was only 3,200 pounds; for recruit MONEY, 6,000 pounds (no recruits in CORPORE); in all,
little more than 9,000 pounds a year. But it had its uses too. Embden, bigger than Chester, and with a better
harbor, was a place of good trade; and brought Friedrich into contact with seamatters; in which, as we shall
find, he did make some creditable incipiencies, raising expectations in the world; and might have carried it
farther, had not new Wars, far worse than this now at hand, interrupted him."
Friedrich was at Pyrmont, taking the waters, while this of Friesland fell out; he had gone thither May 20th;
was just arrived there, four days before the death of Karl Edzard. [Rodenbeck, p. 102.] His Officials, well
preinstructed, managed the Ost Friesland Question mainly themselves. Friedrich was taking the waters;
ostensibly nothing more. But he was withal, and still more earnestly, consulting with a French Excellency
(who also had felt a need of the waters), about the French Campaign for this Season: Whether Coigny was
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strong enough in the MiddleRhine Countries; how their Grand Army of the Netherlands shaped to prosper;
and other the like interesting points. [Ranke, iii. 165, 166.] Frankfurt Union is just signed (May 22d). Most
Christian Majesty is himself under way to the Netherlands, himself going to command there, as we shall see.
"Good!" answers Friedrich: "But don't weaken Coigny, think of Prince Karl on that side; don't detach from
Coigny, and reduce his 60,000 to 40,000!"
Plenty of mutual consulting, as they walk in the woods there. And how profoundly obscure, to certain
Official parties much concerned, judge from the following small Document, preserved by accident:
LYTTELTON (our old Soissons Friend, now an Official in Prince Fred's Household, friend of Pitt, and much
else) TO HIS FATHER AT HAGLEY.
ARGYLE STREET, LONDON, "May 5th [16th], 1744. "DEAR SIR,Mr. West [Gilbert West, of whom
there is still some memory] comes with us to Hagley; and, if you give me leave, I will bring our friend
Thomson too"oh Jamie Thamson, Jamie Thamson, oh! "His SEASONS will be published in about a
week's time, and a most noble work they will be.
"I have no public news to tell you, which you have not had in the Gazettes, except what is said in Private
Letters from Germany, of the King of Prussia's having drunk himself into direct madness, and being confined
on that account; which, if true, may have a great effect upon the fate of Europe at this critical time." Yes
indeed, if true. "Those Letters say, that, at a review, he caused two men to be taken out of the line, and shot,
without any cause assigned for it, and ordered a third to be murdered in the same manner; but the Major of
the regiment venturing to intercede for him, his Majesty drew his sword, and would have killed the Officer
too, if he, perceiving his madness, had not taken the liberty to save himself, by disarming the King; who was
immediately shut up; and the Queen, his Mother, has taken the Regency upon herself till his recovery."
PAPAE! "I do not give you this news for certain; but it is generally believed in town. Lord Chesterfield says,
'He is only thought to be MAD in Germany, because he has MORE WIT than other Germans.'
"The King of Sardinia's Retreat from his lines at Villa Franca, and the loss of that Town [20th April, one of
those furious tussles, French and Spaniard VERSUS Sardinian Majesty, in the COULISSES or sidescenes
of the Italian WarTheatre, neither stage nor side scenes of which shall concern us in this place], certainly
bear a very ill aspect; but it is not considered as"anything to speak of; nor was it. "We expect with
impatience to know what will be the effect of the Dutch Ambassador to Paris,[to Valenciennes, as it turns
out, King Louis, on his high errand to the Netherlands, being got so far; and the "effect" was no effect at all,
except good words on his part, and persistence in the battering down of Menin and the Dutch Barrier, of
which we shall hear ere long].
"I pray God the Summer may be happy to us, by being more easy than usual to you,"dear Father, much
suffering by incurable ailments. "It is the only thing wanting to make Hagley Park a Paradise.
"Poor Pope is, I am afraid, going to resign all that can die of him to death;"did actually die, 30th May (10th
June): a worldtragedy that too, though in small compass, and acting itself next door, at Twickenham,
without noise; a star of the firmament going out; twinstar, Swift (Carteret's old friend), likewise going
out, sunk in the socket, "a driveller and a show." ... "I am, with the truest respect and affection, dear Sir, your
most dutiful Son,
"GEORGE LYTTELTON." [Ayscough, Lord Lyttelton's Miscellaneous Works, (Lond., 1776), iii. 318.]
Friedrich returned from Pyrmont, 11th June; saw, with a grief of his own, with many thoughts well hidden,
his Sister Ulrique whirled away from him, 26th July, in the gray of the summer dawn. In Berlin, in Prussia,
nobody but one is aware of worse just coming. And now the Wardrums suddenly awaken again; and poor
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readersnot to speak of poor Prussia and its King!must return to that uncomfortable sphere, till things
mend.
BOOK XV. SECOND SILESIAN WAR, IMPORTANT EPISODE IN THE
GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE. 15th Aug. 174425th Dec. 1745.
Chapter I. PRELIMINARY: HOW THE MOMENT ARRIVED.
Battle being once seen to be inevitable, it was Friedrich's plan not to wait for it, but to give it. Thanks to
Friedrich Wilhelm and himself, there is no Army, nor ever was any, in such continual preparation. Military
people say, "Some Countries take six months, some twelve, to get in motion for war: but in three weeks
Prussia can be across the marches, and upon the throat of its enemy." Which is an immense advantage to little
Prussia among its big neighbors. "Some Countries have a longer sword than Prussia; but none can unsheathe
it so soon:"we hope, too, it is moderately sharp, when wielded by a deft hand.
The French, as was intimated, are in great vigor, this Year; thoroughly provoked; and especially since
Friedrich sent his Rothenburg among them, have been doing their very utmost. Their main effort is in the
Netherlands, at present;and indeed, as happened, continues all through this War to be. They by no means
intend, or ever did, to neglect Teutschland; yet it turns out, they have pretty much done with their fighting
there. And next Year, driven or led by accidents of various kinds, they quit it altogether; and turning their
whole strength upon the Netherlands and Italy, chiefly on the Netherlands, leave Friedrich, much to his
astonishment, with the German War hanging wholly round HIS neck, and take no charge of it farther! In
which, to Friedrich's Biographers, there is this inestimable benefit, if far the reverse to Friedrich's self: That
we shall soon have done with the French, then; with them and with so much else; and may, in time coming,
for most part, leave their huge Sorcerer's Sabbath of a European War to dance itself out, well in the distance,
not encumbering us farther, like a circumambient Bedlam, as it has hitherto done. Courage, reader! Let us
give, in a glance or two, some notion of the course things took, and what moment it was when Friedrich
struck in;whom alone, or almost alone, we hope to follow thenceforth; "Dismal Swamp" (so gracious was
Heaven to us) lying now mostly to rearward, little as we hoped it!
It was mere accident, a series of bad accidents, that led King Louis and his Ministers into gradually forsaking
Friedrich. They were the farthest in the world from intending such a thing. Contrariwise, what brainbeating,
diplomatic spiderweaving, practical contriving, now and afterwards, for that object; especially now!
Rothenburg, Noailles, Belleisle, Cardinal Tencin, have been busy; not less the mistress Chateauroux, who
admires Friedrich, being indeed a highminded unfortunate female, as they say; and has thrown out Amelot,
not for stammering alone. They are able, almost high people, this new Chateauroux Ministry, compared with
some; and already show results.
Nay, what is most important of all, France has (unconsciously, or by mere help of Noailles and luck) got a
real General to her Armies: Comte de Saxe, now Marechal de Saxe; who will shine very splendent in these
Netherland operations,countershone by mere Wades, D'Ahrembergs, Cumberlands,in this and the Four
following Years. Noailles had always recognized Comte de Saxe; had long striven for him, in Official
quarters; and here gets the light of him unveiled at last, and set on a high place: loyal Noailles.
This was the Year, this 1744, when Louis XV., urged by his Chateauroux, the highsouled unfortunate
female, appeared in person at the head of his troops: "Go, Sire, go, MON CHOU (and I will accompany);
show yourself where a King should be, at the head of your troops; be a second LouisleGrand!" Which he
did, his Chateauroux and he; actually went to the Netherlands, with baggage train immeasurable, including
not cooks only, but playactors with their thunderbarrels (off from Paris, May 3d), to the admiration of the
Universe. [Adelung, iv. 113; Barbier, ii. 391, 394; Dulaure, Hist. de Paris; Took the command,
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nominalcommand, first days of June; and captured in notime Menin, Ipres, Furnes, and the Fort of Knock,
and as much of the Austrian Netherlands as he liked,that is to say, saw Noailles and Saxe do it;walking
rapidly forward from Siege to Siege, with a most thundering artillery; old Marshal Wade and consorts
dismally eating their victuals, and looking on from the distance, unable to attempt the least stroke in
opposition. So that the Dutch Barrier, if anybody now cared for it, did go all flat; and the Balance of Power
gets kicked out of its sacred pivot: to such purpose have the Dutch been hoisted! Terrible to think of;had
not there, from the opposite quarter, risen a surprising counterpoise; had not there been a Prince Karl, with his
70,000, pressing victoriously over the Rhine; which stayed the French in these sacrilegious procedures.
PRINCE KARL GETS ACROSS THE RHINE (20 JUNE2 JULY, 1744).
Prince Karl, some weeks ago, at Heilbronn, joined his Rhine Army, which had gathered thither from the
Austrian side, through Baiern, and from the HitherAustrian or Swabian Winterquarters; with full intent to
be across the Rhine, and home upon Elsass and the Compensation Countries, this Summer, under what
difficulties soever. Karl, or, as some whisper, old Marshal Traun, who is nominally second in command, do
make a glorious campaign of it, this Year;and lift the Cause of Liberty, at one time, to the highest pitch it
ever reached. Here, in brief terms, is Prince Karl's Operation on the Rhine, much admired by military men:
"STOCKSTADT, JUNE 20th, 1744. Some thirty and odd miles north of Mannheim, the Rhine, before turning
westward at Mainz, makes one other of its many Islands (of which there are hundreds since the leap at
Schaffhausen): one other, and I think the biggest of them all; perhaps two miles by five; which the Germans
call KUHKOPF (Cowhead), from the shape it has,a narrow semiellipse; River there splitting in two, one
split (the western) going straight, the other bending luxuriantly round: so that the HIND head or straight end
of the Island lies towards France, and the round end, or cowLIPS (so to speak) towards native Teutschland,
and the woody Hills of the BergStrasse thereabouts. Stockstadt, chief little Town looking over into this
Cowhead Island, lies under the CHIN: understand only farther that the German branch carries more than
twothirds of the River; that on the Island itself there is no town, or post of defence; and that Stockstadt is the
place for getting over. Coigny and the French, some 40,000, are guarding the River hereabouts, with lines,
with batteries, cordons, the best they can; Seckendorf, with 20,000 more ('Imperial' Old Bavarian Troops,
revivified, recruited by French pay), is in his garrison of Philipsburg, ready to help when needed:"not
moulting now, at Wembdingen, in that dismal manner; newfeathered now into "Kaiser's Army;" waiting in
his Philipsburg to guard the River there. "Coigny's French have ramparts, ditches, not quite unfurnished, on
their own shore, opposite this Cowhead Island (ISLE DE HERON, as they call it); looking over to the
hindhead, namely: but they have nothing considerable there; and in the Island itself, nothing whatever. 'If
now Stockstadt were suddenly snatched by us,' thinks Karl;'if a few pontoons were nimbly swung in?'
"JUNE 20th,Coigny's people all shooting FEUDEJOIE, for that never enough to be celebrated Capture
of Menin and the Dutch Barrier a fortnight ago,this is managed to be done. The active General Barenklau,
active Brigadier Daun under him, pushes rapidly across into Kuhkopf; rapidly throws up intrenchments,
ramparts, mounts cannon, digs himself in,greatly to Coigny's astonishment; whose people hereabouts, and
in all their lines and posts, are busy shooting FEUDEJOIE for those immortal Dutch victories, at the
moment, and never dreaming of such a thing. Fresh force floods in, Prince Karl himself arrives next day, in
support of Barenklau; Coigny (headquarters at Speyer, forty miles south) need not attempt dislodging him;
but must stand upon his guard, and prepare for worse. Which he does with diligence; shifting northward into
those StockstadtMainz parts; calling Seckendorf across the River, and otherwise doing his best,for about
ten days more, when worse, and almost worst, did verily befall him.
"No attempt was made on Barenklau; nor, beyond the alarming of the CoignySeckendorf people, did
anything occur in Cowhead Island, unless it were the finis of an ugly bully and ruffian, who has more than
once afflicted us: which may be worth one word. Colonel Mentzel [copperfaced Colonel, originally
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Playactor, "Spy in Persia," and I know not what] had been at the seizure of Kuhkopf; a prominent man.
Whom, on the fifth day after ('June 25th'), Prince Karl overwhelmed with joy, by handing him a Patent of
Generalcy: 'Just received from Court, my Friend, on account of your merits old and late.''Aha,' said
Barenklau, congratulating warmly: 'Dine with me, then, Herr General Mentzel, this very day. The Prince
himself is to be there, Highness of HessenDarmstadt, and who not; all are impatient to drink your health!'
Mentzel had a glorious dinner; still more glorious drink,Prince Karl and the others, it is said, egging him
into much wild bluster and gasconade, to season their much wine. Eminent swill of drinking, with the loud
coarse talk supposable, on the part of Mentzel and consorts did go on, in this manner, all afternoon: in the
evening, drunk Mentzel came out for air; went strutting and staggering about; emerging finally on the
platform of some rampart, face of him huge and red as that of the foggiest rising Moon;and stood, looking
over into the Lorraine Country; belching out a storm of oaths, as to his taking it, as to his doing this and that;
and was even flourishing his sword by way of accompaniment; when, lo, whistling slightly through the
summer air, a rifleball from some sentry on the French side (writers say, it was a French drummer, grown
impatient, and snatching a sentry's piece) took the brain of him, or the belly of him; and he rushed down at
once, a totally collapsed monster, and mere heap of dead ruin, never to trouble mankind more." [ Guerre de
Boheme, iii. 165.] For which my readers and I are rather thankful. Voltaire, and perhaps other memorable
persons, sometimes mention this brute (miraculous to the Plebs and Gazetteers); otherwise eternal oblivion
were the best we could do with him. Trenck also, readers will be glad to understand, ends in jail and bedlam
by and by.
"Prince Karl had not the least intention of crossing by this Cowhead Island. Nevertheless he set about two
other Bridges in the neighborhood, nearer Mainz (few miles below that City); kept manoeuvring his Force, in
huge halfmoon, round that quarter, and mysteriously up and down; alarming Coigny wholly into the Mainz
region. For the space of ten days; and then, stealing off to Schrock, a little Rhine Village above Philipsburg,
many miles away from Coigny and his vigilantes, he
"NIGHT OF 30th JUNE1st JULY, Suddenly shot Pandour Trenck, followed by Nadasti and 6,000, across at
Schrock who scattered Seckendorf's poor outposts thereabouts to the winds; 'built a bridge before morning,
and next day another.' Next day Prince Karl in person appeared; and on the 3d of July, had his whole Army
with its luggages across; and had seized the Lines of Lauterburg and Weissenburg (celebrated northern
defence of Elsass),much to Coigny's amazement; and remained inexpugnable there, with Elsass open to
him, and to Coigny shut, for the present! [Adelung, iv. 139141.] Coigny made bitter wail, accusation, blame
of Seckendorf, blame of men and of things; even tried some fighting, Seckendorf too doing feats, to recover
those Lines of Weissenburg: but could not do it. And, in fact, blazing to and fro in that excited rather than
luminous condition, could not do anything; except retire into the strong posts of the background; and send
express on express, swifter than the wind if you can, to a victorious King overturning the Dutch Barrier:
'Help, your Majesty, or we are lost; and France iswhat shall I say!'"
"Admirable feat of Strategy! What a General, this Prince Karl!" exclaimed mankind,CauseofLiberty
mankind with special enthusiasm; and took to writing LIVES of Prince Karl, [For instance, The Life of his
Highness Prince Charles of with (London, 1746); one of the most distracted Blotches ever published under
the name of Book; wakening thoughts of a public dimness very considerable indeed, to which this could
offer itself as lamp!] as well as tarburning and TEDEUMing on an extensive scale. For it had sent the
Cause of Liberty bounding up again to the top of things, this of crossing the Rhine, in such fashion. And, in
effect, the Cause of Liberty, and Prince Karl himself, had risen hereby to their acme or culminating point in
WorldHistory; not to continue long at such height, little as they dreamt of that, among their tarburnings.
The feat itselfcontrived by Nadasti, people say, and executed (what was the real difficulty) by
Traunbrought Prince Karl very great renown, this Year; and is praised by Friedrich himself, now and
afterwards, as masterly, as Julius Caesar's method, and the proper way of crossing rivers (when executable) in
face of an enemy. And indeed Prince Karl, owing to Traun or not, is highly respectable in the way of
Generalship at present; and did in these Five Months, from June onward, really considerable things. At his
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very acme of Life, as well as of Generalship; which, alas, soon changed, poor man; never to culminate again.
He had got, at the beginning of the Year, the high Maria Theresa's one Sister, Archduchess Maria Anna, to
Wife; [Age then twentyfive gone: "born 14th September, 1718; married to Prince Karl 7th January, 1744;
died, of childbirth, 16th December same year" (Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iv. erstes Baudchen,
54).] the crown of long mutual attachment; she safe now at Brussels, diligent CoRegent, and in a promising
familyway; he here walking on victorious:need any man be happier? No man can be supremely happy
long; and this General's strategic felicity and his domestic were fatally cut down almost together. The Cause
of Liberty, too, now at the top of its orbit, wasBut let us stick by our Excerpting:
"DUNKIRK, 19th JULY, 1744 [Princess Ulrique's Wedding, just two days ago]. King Louis, on hearing of
the Job'snews from Elsass, instantly suspended his Conquests in Flanders; detached Noailles, detached this
one and that, doublequick, Division after Division (leaving Saxe, with 45,000, to his own resources, and the
fatuities of Marshal Wade); and, 19th July, himself hastens off from Dunkirk (leaving much of the luggage,
but not the Chateauroux behind him), to save his Country, poor soul. But could not, in the least, save it; the
reverse rather. August 4th, he got to Metz, Belleisle's strong town, about 100 miles from the actual scene; his
detached reinforcements, say 50,000 men or so, hanging out ahead like flame clouds, but uncertain how to
act;Noailles being always cunctatious in time of crisis, and poor Louis himself nothing of a
CloudCompeller;and then,
"METZ, AUGUST 8th, The Most Christian King fell ill; dangerously, dreadfully, just like to die. Which
entirely paralyzed Noailles and Company, or reduced them to mere hysterics, and excitement of the
unluminous kind. And filled France in general, Paris in particular, with terror, lamentation, prayers of forty
hours; and such a paroxysm of heroworship as was never seen for such an object before." [Espagnac, ii. 12;
Adelung, iv. 180; Fastes de Louis XV., ii. 423;
For the Cause of Liberty here, we consider, was the culminating moment; Elsass, Lorraine and the Three
Bishoprics lying in their quasimoribund condition; Austrian claims of Compensation ceasing to be visions
of the heated brain, and gaining some footing on the Earth as facts. Prince Karl is here actually in Elsass,
master of the strong passes; elate in heart, he and his; France, again, as if fallen paralytic, into temporary
distraction; offering for resistance nothing hitherto but that universal wailing of mankind, Heroworship of a
thricelamentable nature, and the Prayers of FortyHours! Most Christian Majesty, now IN EXTREMIS,
centre of the basest hubbub that ever was, is dismissing Chateauroux. Noailles, Coigny and Company hang
well back upon the Hill regions, and strong posts which are not yet menaced; or fly vaguely, more or less
distractedly, hither and thither; not in the least like fighting Karl, much less like beating him. Karl has
Germany free at his back (nay it is a German population round him here); neither haversack nor
cartridgebox like to fail: before him are only a Noailles and consorts, flying vaguely about;and there is in
Karl, or under the same cloak with him at present, a talent of manoeuvring men, which even Friedrich finds
masterly. If old Marshal Wade, at the other end of the line, should chance to awaken and press home on Saxe,
and his remnant of French, with right vigor? In fact, there was not, that I can see, for centuries past, not even
at the Siege of Lille in Marlborough's time, a more imminent peril for France.
FRIEDRICH DECIDES TO INTERVENE.
King Friedrich, on hearing of these Rhenish emergencies and of King Louis's heroic advance to the rescue,
perceived that for himself too the moment was come; and hastened to inform heroic Louis, That though the
terms of their Bargain were not yet completed, Sweden, Russia and other points being still in a pendent
condition, he, Friedrich,with an eye to success of their Joint Adventure, and to the indispensability of joint
action, energy, and the top of one's speed now or never,would, by the middle of this same August, be on
the field with 100,000 men. "An invasion of Bohemia, will not that astonish Prince Karl; and bring him to his
RhineBridges again? Over which, if your Most Christian Majesty be active, he will not get, except in a half,
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or wholly ruined state. Follow him close; send the rest of your force to threaten Hanover; sit well on the skirts
of Prince Karl. Him as he hurries homeward, ruined or halfruined, him, or whatever Austrian will fight, I do
my best to beat. We may have Bohemia, and a beaten Austria, this very Autumn: see,and, in one
Campaign, there is Peace ready for us!" This is Friedrich's scheme of action; success certain, thinks he, if
only there be energy, activity, on your side, as there shall be on mine; and has sent Count Schmettau, filled
with fiery speed and determination, to keep the French full of the like, and concert mutual operations.
"Magnanimous!" exclaim Noailles and the paralyzed French Gentlemen (King Louis, I think, now past
speech, for Schmettau only came August 9th): "Most sublime behavior, on his Prussian Majesty's part!" own
they. And truly it is a fine manful indifference (by no means so common as it should be) to all interests, to all
considerations, but that of a Joint Enterprise one has engaged in. And truly, furthermore, it was immediate
salvation to the paralyzed French Gentlemen, in that alarming crisis; though they did not much recognize it
afterwards as such: and indeed were conspicuously forgetful of all parts of it, when their own danger was
over.
Maria Theresa's feelings may be conceived; George II's feelings; and what the Cause of Liberty in general
felt, and furiously said and complained, whensuddenly as a DEUS EX MACHINA, or Supernal Genie in
the Minor TheatresFriedrich stept in. Precisely in this supreme crisis, 7th August, 1744, Friedrich's
Minister, Graf von Dohna, at Vienna, has given notice of the Frankfurt Union, and solemn Engagement
entered into: "Obliged in honor and conscience; will and must now step forth to right an injured Kaiser;
cannot stand these high procedures against an Imperial Majesty chosen by all the Princes of the Reich, this
unheardof protest that the Kaiser is no Kaiser, as if all Germany were but Austria and the Queen of
Hungary's. Prussian Majesty has not the least quarrel of his own with the Queen of Hungary, stands true, and
will stand, by the Treaty of Berlin and Breslau;only, with certain other German Princes, has done what all
German Princes and peoples not Austrian are bound to do, on behalf of their downtrodden Kaiser, formed a
Union of Frankfurt; and will, with armed hand if indispensable, endeavor to see right done in that matter." [In
Adelung, iv. 155, 156, the Declaration itself (Audience, "7th August, 1744." Dohna off homeward "on the
second day after").]
This is the astonishing fact for the Cause of Liberty; and no clamor and execration will avail anything. This
man is prompt, too; does not linger in getting out his Sword, when he has talked of it. Prince Karl's Operation
is likely to be marred amazingly. If this swift King (comparable to the old Serpent for devices) were to burst
forth from his Silesian strengths; tread sharply on the TAIL of Prince Karl's Operation, and bring back the
formidably fanged head of IT out of Alsace, five hundred miles all at once,there would be a business!
We will now quit the Rhine Operations, which indeed are not now of moment; Friedrich being suddenly the
key of events again. I add only, what readers are vaguely aware of, that King Louis did not die; that he lay at
death's door for precisely one week (8th15th August), symptoms mending on the 15th. In the
interim,Grand Almoner FitzJames (Uncle of our Conte di Spinelli) insisting that a certain Cardinal, who
had got the Sacraments in hand, should insist; and endless ministerial intrigue being busy,moribund Louis
had, when it came to the Sacramental point, been obliged to dismiss his Chateauroux. Poor Chateauroux; an
unfortunate female; yet, one almost thinks, the best man among them: dismissed at Metz here, and like to be
mobbed! That was the one issue of King Louis's deathsickness. Sublime sickness; during which all Paris
wept aloud, in terror and sorrow, like a child that has lost its mother and sees a mastiff coming; wept
sublimely, and did the Prayers of FortyHours; and called King Louis Le BIENAIME (The Well
beloved):merely some obstruction in the royal bowels, it turned out;a good cathartic, and the Prayers of
FortyHours, quite reinstated matters. Nay reinstated even Chateauroux, some time after,"the Devil being
well again," and, as the Proverb says, quitting his monastic view. Reinstated Chateauroux: but this time, poor
creature, she continued only about a day:"Sudden fever, from excitement," said the Doctors: "Fever?
Poison, you mean!" whispered others, and looked for changes in the Ministry. Enough, oh, enough!
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BOOK XV. SECOND SILESIAN WAR, IMPORTANT EPISODE IN THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE. 15th Aug. 174425th Dec. 1745. 841
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Old Marshal Wade did not awaken, though bawled to by his Ligoniers and others, and much shaken about,
poor old gentleman. "No artillery to speak of," murmured he; "want baggagewagons, too!" and lay still.
"Here is artillery!" answered the Official people; "With my own money I will buy you baggagewagons!"
answered the high Maria Anna, in her own name and her Prince Karl's, who are JointGovernors there.
Possibly he would have awakened, had they given him time. But time, in War especially, is the thing that is
never given. Once Friedrich HAD struck in, the moment was gone by. Poor old Wade! Of him also enough.
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG.
It was on Saturday, "early in the morning," 15th August, 1744, that Friedrich set out, attended by his two
eldest Brothers, Prince of Prussia and Prince Henri, from Potsdam, towards this new Adventure, which
proved so famous since. Sudden, swift, to the world's astonishment;actually on march here, in three
Columns (two through Saxony by various routes southeastward, one from Silesia through Glatz
southwestward), to invade Bohemia: rumor says 100,000 strong, fact itself says upwards of 80,000, on their
various routes, converging towards Prag. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1165. Orlich (ii. 25, 27) enumerates the
various regiments.] His Columns, especially his Saxon Columns, are already on the road; he joins one
Column, this night, at Wittenberg; and is bent, through Saxony, towards the frontiers of Bohemia, at the
utmost military speed he has.
Through Saxony about 60,000 go: he has got the Kaiser's Order to the Government of Saxony, "Our august
Ally, requiring on our Imperial business a transit through you;"and Winterfeld, an excellent soldier and
negotiator, has gone forward to present said Order. A Document which flurries the Dresden Officials beyond
measure. Their King is in Warsaw; their King, if here, could do little; and indeed has been inclining to Maria
Theresa this long while. And Winterfeld insists on such despatch;and not even the Duke of Weissenfels is
in Town, Dresden Officials "send off five couriers and thirteen estafettes" to the poor old Duke;
[ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1163.] get him at last; and The march is already taking effect; they may as well
consent to it: what can they do but consent! In the uttermost flurry, they had set to fortifying Dresden; all
hands driving palisades, picking, delving, making COUPURES (trenches, or sunk barricades) in the
streets;fatally aware that it can avail nothing. Is not this the Kaiser's Order? Prussians, to the amount of
60,000, are across our Frontiers, rapidly speeding on.
"Friedrich's Manifestounder the modest Title, 'ANZEIGE DER URSACHEN (Advertisement of the
Causes which have induced his Prussian Majesty to send the Romish Kaiser's Majesty some Auxiliary
Troops)'had appeared in the Berlin Newspapers Thursday, 13th, only two days before. An astonishment to
all mankind; which gave rise to endless misconceptions of Friedrich: but which, supporting itself on proofs,
on punctually excerpted footnotes, is intrinsically a modest, quiet Piece; and, what is singular in
Manifestoes, has nothing, or almost nothing, in it that is not, so far as it goes, a perfect statement of the fact.
'Auxiliary troops, that is our essential character. No war with her Hungarian Majesty, or with any other, on
our own score. But her Hungarian Majesty, how has she treated the Romish Kaiser, her and our and the
Reich's Sovereign Head, and to what pass reduced him; refusing him Peace on any terms, except those of
selfannihilation; denying that he is a Kaiser at all;'and enumerates the various Imperial injuries, with
proof given, quiet footnotes by way of proof; and concludes in these words: 'For himself his Majesty requires
nothing. The question here is not of his Majesty's own interest at all [everything his Majesty required, or
requires, is by the Treaty of Berlin solemnly his, if the Reich and its Laws endure]: and he has taken up arms
simply and solely in the view of restoring to the Reich its freedom, to the Kaiser his Headship of the Reich,
and to all Europe the Peace which is so desirable.' [Given in Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 121136, with date
"August, 1744."]
"'Pretences, subterfuges, lies!' exclaimed the Austrian and Allied Public everywhere, or strove to exclaim;
especially the English Public, which had no difficulty in so doing;a Public comfortably blank as to German
facts or nonfacts; and finding with amazement only this a very certain fact, That hereby is their own
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Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG. 842
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Pragmatic thunder checked in midvolley in a most surprising manner, and the triumphant Cause of Liberty
brought to jeopardy again. 'Perfidious, ambitious, capricious!' exclaimed they: 'a Prince without honor,
without truth, without constancy;'and completed, for themselves, in hot rabid humor, that English Theory
of Friedrich which has prevailed ever since. Perhaps the most surprising item of which is this latter, very
prominent in those old times, That Friedrich has no 'constancy,' but follows his 'caprices,' and accidental
whirls of impulse:item which has dropped away in our times, though the others stand as stable as ever. A
monument of several things! Friedrich's suddenness is an essential part of what fighting talent he has: if the
Public, thrown into flurry, cannot judge it well, they must even misjudge it: what help is there?
"That the above were actually Friedrich's reasons for venturing into this Big Game again, is not now
disputable. And as to the rumor, which rose afterwards (and was denied, and could only be denied
diplomatically to the ear, if even to the ear), That Friedrich by Secret Article was 'to have for himself the
Three Bohemian Circles, Konigsgratz, Bunzlau, Leitmeritz, which lie between Schlesien and Sachsen,'
[ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1081; Scholl, ii. 349.]there is not a doubt but Friedrich had so bargained, 'Very
well, if we can get said Circles!' and would right cheerfully have kept and held them, had the big game gone
in all points completely well (game, to reinstate the Kaiser BOTH in Bohemia and Bavaria) by Friedrich's
fine playing. Not a doubt of all this:nor of what an extremely hypothetic outlook it then and always was;
greatly too weak for enticing such a man."
Friedrich goes in Three Columns. One, on the south or left shore of the Elbe, coming in various branches
under Friedrich himself; this alone will touch on Dresden, pass on the south side of Dresden; gather itself
about Pirna (in the Saxon Switzerland so called, a notable locality); thence over the Metal Mountains into
Bohmen, by Toplitz, by Lowositz, Leitmeritz, and the Highway called the Pascopol, famous in War. The
Second Column, under Leopold the Young Dessauer, goes on the other or north side of the Elbe, at a fair
distance; marching through the Lausitz (rendezvous or startingpoint was Bautzen in the Lausitz) straight
south, to meet the King at Leitmeritz, where the grand Magazine is to be; and thence, still south, straight
upon Prag, in conjunction with his Majesty or parallel to him. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1081.] These are the
Two Saxon Columns. The Third Column, under Schwerin, collects itself in the interior of Silesia; is issuing,
by Glatz Country, through the Giant Mountains, BOHMISCHE KAMME (Bohemian COMBS as they are
called, which Tourists know), by the Pass of Braunau,disturbing the dreams of Rubezahl, if Rubezahl
happen to be there. This, say 20,000, will come down upon Prag from the eastern side; and be first on the
ground (31st August),first by one day. In the home parts of Silesia, well eastward of Glatz, there is left
another Force of 20,000, which can go across the Austrian Border there, and hang upon the Hills, threatening
Olmutz and the Moravian Countries, should need be.
And so, in its Three Columns, from west, from north, from east, the march, with a steady swiftness, proceeds.
Important especially those Two Saxon Columns from west and north: 60,000 of them, "with a frightful
(ENTSETZLICH) quantity of big guns coming up the Elbe." Much is coming up the Elbe; indispensable
Highway for this Enterprise. Three months' provisions, endless artillery and provender, is on the Elbe; 480
big boats, with immense VORSPANN (of tracehorses, dreadful swearing, too, as I have heard), will pass
through the middle of Dresden: not landing by any means. "No, be assured of it, ye Dresdeners, all flurried,
palisaded, barricaded; no hair of you shall be harmed." After a day or two, the flurry of Saxony subsided;
Prussians, under strict discipline, molest no private person; pay their way; keep well aloof, to south and to
north, of Dresden (all but the necessary ammunitionescorts do); and require of the Official people
nothing but what the Law of the Reich authorizes to "Imperial Auxiliaries" in such case. "The Saxons
themselves," Friedrich observes, "had some 40,000, but scattered about; King in Warsaw:dreadful terror;
making COUPURES and TETESDEPONT;could have made no defence." Had we diligently spent eight
days on them! reflects he afterwards. "To seize Saxony [and hobble it with ropes, so that at any time you
could pin it motionless, and even, if need were, milk the substance out of it], would not have detained us
eight days." [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 53.] Which would have been the true plan, had we known what was
getting ready there! Certain it is, Friedrich did no mischief, paid for everything; anxious to keep well with
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Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG. 843
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Saxony; hoping always they might join him again, in such a Cause. "Cause dear to every Patriot German
Prince," urges Friedrich,though Bruhl, and the Polish, once "Moravian," Majesty are of a very different
opinion:
"Maria Theresa, her thoughts at hearing of it may be imagined: 'The Evil Genius of my House afoot again!
My high projects on Elsass and Lorraine; Husband for Kaiser, Elsass for the Reich and him, Lorraine for
myself and him; gone probably to water!' Nevertheless she said (an Official person heard her say), 'My right
is known to God; God will protect me, as He has already done.' [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1024.] And rose
very strong, and magnanimously defiant again; perhaps, at the bottom of her heart, almost glad withal that
she would now have a stroke for her dear Silesia again, unhindered by Paladin George and his Treaties and
notions. What measures, against this nefarious Prussian outbreak, hateful to gods and men, are possible, she
rapidly takes: in Bohemia, in Bavaria and her other Countries, that are threatened or can help. And abates
nothing of heart or hope; praying withal, immensely, she and her People, according to the mode they have.
Sending for Prince Karl, we need not say, double quick, as the very first thing.
"Of Maria Theresa in Hungary,for she ran to Presburg again with her woes (August 16th, Diet just
assembling there),let us say only that Hungary was again chivalrous; that old Palfy and the general
Hungarian Nation answered in the old tone,VIVAT MARIA; AD ARMA, AD ARMA! with Tolpatches,
Pandours, Warasdins;and, in short, that great and small, in infinite 'Insurrection,' have still a stroke of
battle in them PRO REGE NOSTRO. Scarcely above a District or two (as the JASZERS and KAUERS, in
their overcautious way) making the least difficulty. Much enthusiasm and unanimity in all the others; here
and there a Hungarian gentleman complaining scornfully that their troops, known as among the best fighters
in Nature, are called irregular troops,irregular, forsooth! In one public consultation [District not important,
not very spellable, though doubtless pronounceable by natives to it], a gentleman suggests that 'Winter is
near; should not there be some slight provision of tents, of shelter in the frozen sleety Mountains, to our
gallant fellows bound thither?' Upon which another starts up, 'When our Ancestors came out of Asia Minor,
over the Palus Maeotis bound in winter ice; and, sabre in hand, cut their way into this fine Country which is
still ours, what shelter had they? No talk of tents, of barracks or accommodation there; each, wrapt in his
sheep skin, found it shelter sufficient. Tents!' [ Helden Geschichte, ii. 1030.] And the thing was carried by
acclamation.
"Wide wail in Bohemia that War is coming back. Nobility all making off, some to Vienna or the intermediate
Towns lying thitherward, some to their Countryseats; all out of Prag. Willing mind on the part of the
Common People; which the Government strains every nerve to make the most of. Here are fasts, processions,
Prayers of Forty Hours; here, as in Vienna and elsewhere. In Vienna was a Three Days' solemn Fast: the
like in Prag, or better; with procession to the shrine of St. Vitus,little likely to help, I should fear. 'Rise, all
fencible men,' exclaims the Government,'at least we will ballot, and make you rise:'Militia people enter
Prag to the extent of 10,000; like to avail little, one would fear. General Harsch, with reinforcement of real
soldiers, is despatched from Vienna; Harsch, one of our ablest soldiers since Khevenhuller died, gets in still
in time; and thus increases the Garrison of regulars to 4,000, with a vigorous Captain to guide it. Old Count
Ogilvy, the same whom Saxe surprised two years ago in the moonlight, snatching ladders from the
gallows,Ogilvy is again Commandant; but this time nominal mainly, and with better outlooks, Harsch
being under him. In relays, 3,000 of the Militia men dig and shovel night and day; repairing, perfecting the
ramparts of the place. Then, as to provisions, endless corn is introduced,farmers forced, the unwilling at
the bayonet's point, to deliver in their corn; much of it in sheaf, so that we have to thrash it in the
marketplace, in the streets that are wide: and thus in Prag is heard the sound of flails, among the
Militiadrums and so many other noises. With the great churchorgans growling; and the bass and treble
MISERERE of the poor superstitious People rising, to St. Vitus and others. In fact, it is a general Dance of St.
Vitus, except that of the flails, and Militiamen working at the ramparts,mostly not leading
anywhither." ["LETTER from a Citizen of Prag," date, 21st Sept. (in HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1168), which
gives several curious details.]
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Meanwhile Friedrich's march from west, from north, from east, is flowing on; diligent, swift; punctual to its
times, its places; and meets no impediment to speak of. At Tetschen on the SaxonBohemian Frontier,a
pleasant Schloss perched on its crags, as Tourists know, where the Elbe sweeps into Saxon Switzerland and
its long stone labyrinths,at Tetschen the Austrians had taken post; had tried to block the River, driving
piles into it, and tumbling boulders into it, with a view to stop the 480 Prussian Boats. These people needed
to be torn out, their piles and they: which was done in two days, the soldier part of it; and occupied the
boatmen above a week, before all was clear again. Prosperous, correct to program, all the rest; not needing
mention from us;here are the few sparks from it that dwell in one's memory:
"AUGUST 15th, 1744, King left Potsdam; joined his First Column that night, at Wittenberg. Through
Mieissen, Torgau, Freyberg; is at Peterswalde, eastern slope of the Metal Mountains, August 25th; all the
Columns now on Bohemian ground.
"Friedrich had crossed Elbe by the Bridge of Meissen: on the southern shore, politely waiting to receive his
Majesty, there stood Feldmarschall the Duke of Weissenfels; to whom the King gave his hand," no doubt in
friendly style, "and talked for above half an hour,"with such success! thinks Friedrich by and by. We have
heard of Weissenfels before; the same poor Weissenfels who was Wilhelmina's Wooer in old time, now on
the verge of sixty; an extremely polite but weakish old gentleman; accidentally preserved in History. One of
those conspicuous "Human Clothes Horses" (phantasmal all but the digestive part), which abound in that
Eighteenth Century and others like it; and distress your Historical studies. Poor old soul; now Feldmarschall
and Commander inChief here. Has been in Turk and other Wars; with little profit to himself or others.
Used to like his glass, they say; is still very poor, though now Duke in reality as well as title (succeeded two
egregious Brothers, some years since, who had been spendthrift): he has still one other beating to get in this
world, from Friedrich next year. Died altogether, two years hence; and Wilhelmina heard no more of him.
"At Meissen Bridge, say some, was this Halfhour's Interview; at Pirna, the Bridge of Pirna, others say; [See
Orlich, ii. 25; and HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1166.]quite indifferent to us which. At Pirna, and hither and
thither in Saxon Switzerland, Friedrich certainly was. 'Who ever saw such positions, your Majesty?' For
Friedrich is always looking out, were it even from the window of his carriage, and putting military problems
to himself in all manner of scenery, 'What would a man do, in that kind of ground, if attacking, if attacked?
with that hill, that brook, that bit of bog?' and advises every Officer to be continually doing the like.
[MILITARY INSTRUCTIONS? RULES FOR A GOOD COMMANDER OF have, for certain, read this
Passage; but the reference is gone again, like a sparrow from the house top!] That is the value of picturesque
or other scenery to Friedrich, and their effect on good Prussian Officers and him.
"... At Tetschen, Colonel Kahlbutz," diligent Prussian Colonel, "plucks out those 100 Austrians from their
rock nest there; makes them prisoners of war;which detained the Leitmeritz branch of us two days. August
28th, junction at Leitmeritz thereupon. Magazine established there. Boats coming on presently. Friedrich
himself camped at Lobositz in this part,"Lobositz, or Lowositz, which he will remember one day.
"AUGUST 29th, March to Budin; that is, southward, across the Eger, arrive within forty miles of Prag.
Austrian Bathyani, summoned hastily out of his Bavarian posts, to succor in this pressing emergency, has
arrived in these neighborhoods,some 12,000 regulars under him, preceded by clouds of hussars, whom
Ziethen smites a little, by way of handsel;no other Austrian force to speak of hereabouts; and we are now
between Bathyani and Prag.
"SEPTEMBER 1st, To Mickowitz, near Welwarn, twenty miles from Prag. September 2d, Camp on the
Weissenberg there." [ Helden Geschichte, i. 1080.]
And so they are all assembled about Prag, begirdling the poor City,third Siege it has stood within these
three years (since that moonlight November night in 1741);and are only waiting for their heavy artillery to
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Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG. 845
Page No 854
begin battering. The poor inhabitants, in spite of three sieges; the 10,000 raw militiamen, mostly of
Hungarian breed; the 4,000 regulars, and Harsch and old Ogilvy, are all disposed to do their best. Friedrich is
naturally in haste to get hold of Prag. But he finds, on taking survey: that the sword inhand method is not
now, as in 1741, feasible at all; that the place is in good posture of strength; and will need a hot battering to
tear it open. Owing to that accident at Tetschen, the siege cannon are not yet come up: "Build your batteries,
your Moldau bridges, your communications, till the cannon come; and beware of Bathyani meddling with
your cannon by the road!"
"Bathyani is within twenty miles of us, at Beraun, a compact little Town to southwest; gathering a Magazine
there; and ready for enterprises,in more force than Friedrich guesses. 'Drive him out, seize that Magazine
of his!' orders Friedrich (September 5th); and despatches General Hacke on it, a right man,"at whose
wedding we assisted (wedding to an heiress, long since, in Friedrich Wilhelm's time), if anybody now
remembered. "And on the morrow there falls out a pretty little 'Action of Beraun,' about which great noise
was made in the Gazettes PRO and CONTRA: which did not dislodge Bathyani by airy means; but which
might easily have ruined the impetuous Hacke and his 6,000, getting into masked batteries, Pandour
whirlwinds, charges of horses 'from front, from rear, and from both flanks,'had not he, with masterly
promptitude, whirled himself out of it, snatched instantly what best post there was, and defended himself
inexpugnably there, for six hours, till relief came." [DIE BEY BERAUN VORGEFALLENE ACTION (in
Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 136, 137).] Brilliant little action, well performed on both sides, but leading to nothing;
and which shall not concern us farther. Except to say that Bathyani did now, more at his leisure, retire out of
harm's way; and begin collecting Magazines at Pilsen far rearward, which may prove useful to Prince Karl, in
the route Prince Karl is upon.
Siegecannon having at last come (September 8th), the batteries are all mounted:on Wednesday, 9th, late
at night, the Artillery, "in enormous quantity," opens its dread throat; poor Prag is startled from its bed by
torrents of shot, solid and shell, from three different quarters; and makes haste to stand to its guns. From three
different quarters; from Bubenetsch northward; from the Upland of St. Lawrence (famed WEISSENBERG,
or WhiteHill) westward; and from the Ziscaberg eastward (Hill of Zisca, where iron Zisca posted himself on
a grand occasion once),which latter is a broad long Hill, west end of it falling sheer over Prag; and on
another point of it, highest point of all, the Praguers have a strong battery and works. The Prag guns
otherwise are not too effectual; planted mostly on low ground. By much the best Prag battery is this of the
Ziscaberg. And this, after two days' experience had of it, the Prussians determine to take on the morrow.
SEPTEMBER 12th, Schwerin, who commands on that side, assaults accordingly; with the due steadfastness
and stormfulness: throwing shells and balls by way of prelude. Friedrich, with some group of staffofficers
and dignitaries, steps out on the Bubenetsch post, to see how this affair of the Ziscaberg will prosper: the
Praguers thereabouts, seeing so many dignitaries, turn cannon on them. "Disperse, IHR HERREN; have a
care!" cried Friedrich; not himself much minding, so intent upon the Ziscaberg. And could have skipt
indifferently over your cannonballs ploughing the ground,had not one fateful ball shattered out the life of
poor Prince Wilhelm; a good young Cousin of his, shot down here at his hand. Doubtless a sharp moment for
the King. Prince Margraf Wilhelm and a poor young page, there they lie dead; indifferent to the Ziscaberg
and all coming wars of mankind. Lamentation, naturally, for this young man,Brother to the one who fell at
Mollwitz, youngest Brother of the Margraf Karl, who commands in this Bubenetsch redoubt:But we must
lift our eyeglass again; see how Schwerin is prospering. Schwerin, with due steadfastness and stormfulness,
after his prelude of bombshells, rushes on doublequick; cannot be withstood; hurls out the Praguers, and
seizes their battery; a ruinous loss to them.
Their grand Zisca redoubt is gone, then; and two subsidiary small redoubts behind it withal, which the French
had built, and named "the magpienests (NIDS A PIE);" these also are ours. And we overhang, from our
Zisca Hill, the very roofs, as it were; and there is nothing but a long bare curtain now in this quarter, ready to
be battered in breach, and soon holed, if needful. It is not needful,not quite. In the course of three days
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Page No 855
more, our Bubenetsch battery, of enormous power, has been so diligent, it has set fire to the Watermill;
burns irretrievably the Watermill, and still worse, the wooden Sluice of the Moldau; so that the river falls to
the everywhere wadable pitch. And Governor Harsch perceives that all this quarter of the Town is open to
any comer; and, in fact, that he will have to get away, the best he can.
White flag accordingly (Tuesday, 15th): "Free withdrawal, to the Wischerad; won't you?" "By no manner of
means!" answers Friedrich. Bids Schwerin from his Ziscaberg make a hole or two in that "curtain" opposite
him; and gets ready for storm. Upon which Harsch, next morning, has to beat the chamade, and surrender
Prisoner of War. And thus, Wednesday, 16th, it is done: a siege of one week, no more,after all that
thrashing of grain, drilling of militia, and other spirited preparation. Harsch could not help it; the Prussian
cannonading was so furious. [Orlich, ii. 3639; HeldenGeschichte, i. 1082, and ii. 1168; OEuvres de
Frederic, iii. 56;
Prag has to swear fealty to the Kaiser; and "pay a ransom of 200,000 pounds." Drilled militia, regulars,
Hungarians, about 16,000,only that many of the Tolpatches contrived to whisk loose,are marched
prisoners to Glatz and other strong places. Prag City, with plenty of provision in it, is ours. A brilliant
beginning of a Campaign; the eyes of all Europe turned again, in very various humor, on this young King. If
only the French do their duty, and hang well on the skirts of Marshal Traun (or of Prince Karl, the Cloak of
Traun), who is hastening hitherward all he can.
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH, DILIGENT IN HIS BOHEMIAN CONQUESTS,
UNEXPECTEDLY COMES UPON PRINCE KARL, WITH NO FRENCH
ATTENDING HIM.
This electrically sudden operation on Prag was considered by astonished mankind, whatever else they might
think about it, a decidedly brilliant feat of War: falling like a bolt out of the blue,like three bolts, suddenly
coalescing over Prag, and striking it down. Friedrich himself, though there is nothing of boast audible here or
anywhere, was evidently very well satisfied; and thought the aspects good. There is Prince Karl whirling
instantly back from his Strasburg Prospects; the general St. Vitus Dance of Austrian things rising higher and
higher in these home parts:reasonable hope that "in the course of one Campaign," proud obstinate Austria
might feel itself so wrung and screwed as to be glad of Peace with neighbors not wishing War. That was the
young King's calculation at this time. And, had France done at all as it promised,or had the young King
himself been considerably wiser than he was,he had not been disappointed in the way we shall see!
Friedrich admits he did not understand War at this period. His own scheme now was: To move towards the
southwest, there to abolish Bathyani and his Tolpatches, who are busy gathering Magazines for Prince Karl's
advent; to seize the said Magazines, which will be very useful to us; then advance straight towards the Passes
of the Bohemian Mountains. Towns of Furth, Waldmunchen, unfortunate Town of Cham (burnt by Trenck,
where masons are now busy); these stand successive in the grand Pass, through which tbe highway runs;
some hundred miles or so from where we are: march, at one's swiftest, thitherward, Bathyani's Magazines to
help; and there await Prince Karl? It was Friedrich's own notion; not a bad one, though not the best. The best,
he admits, would have been: To stay pretty much where he was; abolish Bathyani's Tolpatch people, seizing
their Magazines, and collecting others; in general, well rooting and fencing himself in Prag, and in the Circles
that lie thereabouts upon the Elbe,bounded to southward by the Sazawa (branch of the Moldau), which
runs parallel to the Elbe;but well refusing to stir much farther at such an advanced season of the year.
That second plan would have been the wisest:then why not, follow it? Too tame a plan for the youthful
mind. Besides, we perceive, as indeed is intimated by himself, he dreaded the force of public opinion in
France. "Aha, look at your King of Prussia again. Gone to conquer Bohemia; and, except the Three Circles he
himself is to have of it, lets Bohemia go to the winds!" This sort of thing, Friedrich admits, he dreaded too
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Chapter III. FRIEDRICH, DILIGENT IN HIS BOHEMIAN CONQUESTS, UNEXPECTEDLY COMES UPON PRINCE KARL, WITH NO FRENCH ATTENDING HIM. 847
Page No 856
much, at that young period; so loud had the criticisms been on him, in the time of the Breslau Treaty: "Out
upon your King of Prussia; call you that an honorable Ally!" Undoubtedly a weakness in the young King;
inasmuch, says he, as "every General [and every man, add we] should look to the fact, not to the rumor of the
fact." Well; but, at least, he will adopt his own other notion; that of making for the Passes of the Bohemian
Mountains; to abolish Bathyani at least, and lock the door upon Prince Karl's advent? That was his own plan;
and, though second best, that also would have done well, had there been no third.
But there was, as we hinted, a third plan, ardently favored by Belleisle, whose wartalent Friedrich much
respected at this time: plan built on Belleisle's reminiscences of the old TaborBudweis businesses, and
totally inapplicable now. Belleisle said, "Go southeast, not southwest; right towards the Austrian Frontier
itself; that will frighten Austria into a fine tremor. Shut up the roads from Austria: Budweis, Neuhaus; seize
those two Highroad Towns, and keep them, if you would hold Bohemia; the want of them was our ruin
there." Your ruin, yes: but your enemy was not coming from Alsace and the southwest then. He was coming
from Austria; and your own home lay on the southwest: it is all different now! Friedrich might well think
himself bewitched not to have gone for Cham and Furth, and the Passes of the BohmerWald, according to
his own notion. But so it was; he yielded to the big reputation of Belleisle, and to fear of what the world
would say of him in France; a weakness which he will perhaps be taught not to repeat. In fact, he is now
about to be taught several things;and will have to pay his schoolwages as he goes.
FRIEDRICH, LEAVING SMALL GARRISON IN PRAG, RUSHES SWIFTLY UP
THE MOLDAU VALLEY, UPON THE TABORBUDWEIS COUNTRY; TO PLEASE
HIS FRENCH FRIENDS.
Friedrich made no delay in Prag; in haste at this late time of year. September 17th, on the very morrow of the
Siege, the Prussians get in motion southward; on the 19th, Friedrich, from his post to north of the City,
defiles through Prag, on march to Kunraditz,first stage on that questionable Expedition up the Moldau
Valley, right bank; towards Tabor, Budweis, Neuhaus; to threaten Austria, and please Belleisle and the
French.
Prag is left under General Einsiedel with a small garrison of 5,000;Einsiedel, a steady elderly gentleman,
favorite of Friedrich Wilhelm's, has brief order, or outline of order to be filled up by his own good sense.
Posadowsky follows the march, with as many mealwagons as possible,draughtcattle in very ineffectual
condition. Our main Magazine is at Leitmeritz (should have been brought on to Prag, thinks Friedrich);
Commissariat very illmanaged in comparison to what it ought to be,to what it shall be, if we ever live to
make another Campaign. Heavy artillery is left in Prag (another fault); and from each regiment, one of its
baggagewagons. [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1083; Orlich, ii. 41 et seqq.; Frederic, iii. 59; "We rest a day here
at Kunraditz: 21st September, get to the Sazawa River; 22d, to Bistritz (rest a day);26th, to Miltschin;
and 27th, to Tabor:"But the Diary would be tedious.
Friedrich goes in two Columns; one along the great road towards Tabor, under Schwerin this, and Friedrich
mainly with him; the other to the right, along the River's bank, under Leopold, Young Dessauer, which has to
go by wild country roads, or now and then roads of its own making; and much needs the pioneer (a difficult
march in the shortening days). Posadowsky follows with the proviant, drawn by cattle of the horse and ox
species, daily falling down starved: great swearing there too, I doubt not! General Nassau is vanguard, and
stretches forward successfully at a much lighter pace.
There are two Rivers, considerable branches of the Moldau, coming from eastward; which, and first of them
the Sazawa, concern us here. After mounting the southern Uplands from Prag for a day or two, you then
begin to drop again, into the hollow of a River called Sazawa, important in Bohemian Wars. It is of winding
course, the first considerable branch of the Moldau, rising in Teutschbrod Country, seventy or eighty miles to
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east of us: in regard to Sazawa, there is, at present, no difficulty about crossing; the Country being all ours.
After the Sazawa, mount again, long miles, day after day, through intricate stony desolation, rocks, bogs,
untrimmed woods, you will get to Miltschin, thence to Tabor: Miltschin is the crown of that rough moor
country; from Prag to Tabor is some sixty miles. After Miltschin the course of those brown mountainbrooks
is all towards the Luschnitz, the next considerable branch of the Moldau; branch still longer and more
winding than the Sazawa; Tabor towers up near this branch; Budweis, on the Moldau itself, is forty miles
farther; and there at last you are out of the stony moors, and in a rich champaign comfortable to man and
horse, were you but once there, after plodding through the desolations. But from that Sazawa by the
Luschnitz on to Budweis, mounting and falling in such fashion, there must be ninety miles or thereby. Plod
along; and keep a sharp eye on the whirling clouds of Pandours, for those too have got across upon
us,added to the other tempests of Autumn.
On the ninth day of their march, the Prussians begin to descry on the horizon ahead the steeples and
chimneytops of Tabor, on its high scarped rock, or "Hill of Zisca,"for it was Zisca and his Hussites that
built themselves this Bit of Inexpugnability, and named it Tabor from their Bibles,in those waste mountain
regions. On the tenth day (27th September), the Prussians without difficulty took Tabor; walls being ruined,
garrison small. We lie at Tabor till the 30th, last day of September. Thence, 2d October, part of us to
MoldauTein rightwards; where cross the Moldau by a Bridge, "Bridge" one has heard of, in old Broglio
times;cross there, with intent (easily successful) to snatch that "Castle of Frauenberg," darling of Broglio,
for which he fought his Pharsalia of a Sahay to no purpose!
Both Columns got united at Tabor; and paused for a day or two, to rest, and gather up their draggled skirts
there. The Expedition does not improve in promise, as we advance in it; the march one of the most
untowardly; and Posadowsky comes up with only half of his provisioncarts,half of his cattle having fallen
down of bad weather, hillroads and starvation; what could he do? That is an ominous circumstance, not the
less.
Three things are against the Prussians on this march; two of them accidental things. FIRST, there is, at this
late season too, the intrinsic nature of the Country; which Friedrich with emphasis describes as boggy, stony,
precipitous; a waste, hungry and altogether barren Country,too emphatically so described. But then
SECONDLY, what might have been otherwise, the Population, worked upon by Austrian officials, all fly
from the sight of us; nothing but fireless deserted hamlets; and the corn, if they ever had any, all thrashed and
hidden. No amount of money can purchase any service from them. Poor dark creatures; not loving Austria
much, but loving some others even less, it would appear. Of Bigoted Papist Creed, for one thing; that is a
great point. We do not meddle with their worship more or less; but we are Heretics, and they hate us as the
Night. Which is a dreadful difficulty you always have in Bohemia: nowhere but in the Circle of Konigsgraz,
where there are Hussites (far to the rear of us at this time), will you find it otherwise. This is difficulty
second.
Then, THIRDLY, what much aggravates it,we neglected to abolish Bathyani! And here are Bathyani's
Pandours come across the Moldau on us. Plenty of Pandours;to whom "10,000 fresh Hungarians," of a new
Insurrection which has been got up there, are daily speeding forward to add themselves:such a swarm of
hornets, as darkens the very daylight for you. Vain to scourge them down, to burn them off by blaze of
gunpowder: they fly fast; but are straightway back again. They lurk in these bushy wildernesses, scraggy
woods: no foraging possible, unless whole regiments are sent out to do it; you cannot get a letter safely
carried for them. They are an unspeakable contemptible grief to the earnest leader of men.Let us proceed,
however; it will serve nothing to complain. Let us hope the French sit well on the skirts of Prince Karl: these
sorrowful labors may all turn to good, in that case.
Friedrich pushes on from Tabor; shoots partly (as we have seen) across the Moldau, to the left bank as well;
captures romantic Frauenberg on its high rock, where Broglio got into such a fluster once. We could push to
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Pisek, too, and make a "Bivouac of Pisek," if we lost our wits! Nassau is in Budweis, in Neuhaus; and proper
garrisons are gone thither: nothing wanting on our side of the business. But these Pandours, these 10,000
Insurrection Hungarians, with their Trencks spurring them! A continual unblessed swarm of hornets, these;
which shut out the very light of day from us. Too literally the light of day: we can get no free messaging from
part to part of our own Army even. "As many as six Orderlies have been despatched to an outlying General;
and not one of them could get through to him. They have snapt up three Letterbags destined for the King
himself. For four weeks he is absolutely shut out from the rest of Europe;" knows not in the least what the
Kaiser, or the Most Christian or any other King, is doing; or whether the French are sitting well on Prince
Karl's skirts, or not attempting that at all. This also is a thing to be amended, a thing you had to learn, your
Majesty? An Army absolutely shut out from news, from letters, messages to or fro, and groping its way in
darkness, owing to these circumambient thunderclouds of Tolpatches, is not a wellsituated Army! And
alas, when at last the Letterbag did get through, and But let us not anticipate!
At Tabor there arose two opinions; which, in spite of the King's presence, was a new difficulty. South from
Tabor a day's march, the Highway splits; direct way for Vienna; lefthand goes to Neuhaus, righthand, or
straightforward rather, goes to Budweis, bearing upon Linz: which of these two? Nassau has already seized
Budweis; and it is a habitable champaign country in comparison. Neuhaus, farther from the Moldau and its
uses, but more imminent on Austria, would be easy to seize; and would frighten the Enemy more. Leopold
the Young Dcssauer is for Budweis; rapid Schwerin, a hardy outspoken man, is emphatic for the other place
as Headquarter. So emphatic are both, that the two Generals quarrel there; and Friedrich needs his authority
to keep them from outbreaks, from open incompatibility henceforth, which would be destructive to the
service. For the rest, Friedrich seizes both places; sends a detachment to Neuhaus as well; but holds by
Budweis and the Moldau region with his main Army; which was not quite gratifying to the hardy Schwerin.
On the opposite or left bank, holding Frauenberg, the renowned Hillfortress there, we make inroads at
discretion: but the country is woody, favorable to Pandours; and the right bank is our chief scene of action.
How we are to maintain ourselves in this country? To winter in these towns between the Sazawa and the
Luschnitz? Unless the French sit well on Prince Karl's skirts, it will not be possible.
THE FRENCH ARE LITTLE GRATEFUL FOR THE PLEASURE DONE THEM
AT SUCH RUINOUS EXPENSE.
French sitting well on Prince Karl's skirts? They are not molesting Prince Karl in the smallest; never tried
such a thing;are turned away to the Brisgan, to the Upper Rhine Country; gone to besiege Freyburg there,
and seize Towns; about the Lake of Constance, as if there were no Friedrich in the game! It must be owned
the French do liberally pay off old scores against Friedrich,if, except in their own imagination, they had
old scores against him. No man ever delivered them from a more imminent peril; and they, the rope once cut
that was strangling them, magnificently forget who cut it; and celebrate only their own distinguished conduct
during and after the operation. To a degree truly wonderful.
It was moonlight, clear as day that night, 23d August, when Prince Karl had to recross the Rhine, close in
their neighborhood; [ Guerre de Boheme, iii. 196.]and instead of harassing Prince Karl "to half or to whole
ruin," as the bargain was, their distinguished conduct consisted in going quietly to their beds (old Marechal
de Noailles even calling back some of his too forward subalterns), and joyfully leaving Prince Karl, then and
afterwards, to cross the Rhine, and march for Bohmen, at his own perfect convenience.
"Seckendorf will sit on Karl's skirts," they said: "too late for US, this season; next season, you shall see!"
Such was their theory, after Louis got that cathartic, and rose from bed. Schmettau, with his importunities,
which at last irritated everybody, could make nothing more of it. "Let the King of France crown his glories by
the Siege of Freyburg, the conquest of Brisgau:for behoof of the poor Kaiser, don't you observe? Hither
Austria is the Kaiser's;and furthermore, were Freyburg gone, there will be no invading of Elsass again"
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(which is anotber privately very interesting point)!
And there, at Freyburg, the Most Christian King now is, and his Army up to the knees in mud, conquering
Hither Austria; besieging Freyburg, with much difficulty owing to the wet,besieging there with what
energy; a spectacle to the world! And has, for the present, but one wife, no mistress either! With rapturous
eyes France looks on; with admiration too big for words. Voltaire, I have heard, made pilgrimage to
Freyburg, with rhymed Panegyric in his pocket; saw those miraculous operations of a Most Christian King
miraculously awakened; and had the honor to present said Panegyric; and be seen, for the first time, by the
royal eyes, which did not seem to relish him much. [The Panegyric (EPITRE AU ROI DEVANT
FRIBOURG) is in OEuvres de Voltaire, xvii. 184.] Since the first days of October, Freyburg had been under
constant assault; "amid rains, amid frosts; a siege long and murderous" (to the besieging party);and was
not got till November 5th; not quite entirely, the Citadels of it, till November 25th; Majesty gone home to
Paris, to illuminations and triumphal arches, in the interim. [Adelung, iv. 266; Barbier, ii. 414 (13th
November, for the illuminations, grand in the extreme, in spite of wild rains and winds.] It had been a
difficult and bloody conquest to him, this of Freyburg and the Brisgau Country; and I never heard that either
the Kaiser or he got sensible advantage by it,though Prince Karl, on the present occasion, might be said to
get a great deal.
"Seckendorf will do your Prince Karl," they had cried always: "Seckendorf and his Prussian Majesty! Are not
we conquering Hither Austria here, for the Kaiser's behoof?" Seckendorf they did officially appoint to
pursue; appoint or allow;and laid all the blame on Seckendorf; who perhaps deserved his share of it. Very
certain it is, Seckendorf did little or nothing to Prince Karl; marched "leisurely behind him through the
OberPfalz," skirting Baireuth Country, Karl and he, to Wilhelmina's grief; [Her Letters ( OEuvres de
Frederic, xxvii. i. 133, y behind him at a distance of four days," knew better than meddle with Prince Karl.
So that Prince Karl, "in twentyone marches," disturbed only by the elements and bad roads, reached
Waldmunchen 26th September, in the FurthCham Country; [Ranke, iii. 187.] and was heard to exclaim:
"We are let off for the fright, then (NOUS VOILA QUITTES POUR LA PEUR)!"Seckendorf, finding
nothing to live upon in OberPfalz, could not attend Prince Karl farther; but turned leftwards home to
Bavaria; made a kind of Second "Reconquest of Bavaria" (on exactly the same terms as the First, Austrian
occupants being all called off to assist in Bohmen again);concerning which, here is an Excerpt:
"Seckendorf, following at his leisure, and joined by the Hessians and Pfalzers, so as now to exceed 30,000,
leaves Prince Karl and the rest of the enterprise to do as it can; and applies himself, for his own share, as the
needfulest thing, to getting hold of Bavaria again, that his poor Kaiser may have where to lay his head, and
pay old servants their wages. Dreadfully exclaimed against, the old gentleman, especially by the French
comanagers: 'Why did not the old traitor stick in the rear of Prince Karl, in the difficult passes, and drive
him prone,while we went besieging Freyburg, and poaching about, trying for a bit of the Brisgau while
chance served!' A traitor beyond doubt; probably bought with money down: thinks Valori. But, after all, what
could Seckendorf do? He is now of weight for Barenklau and Bavaria, not for much more. He does sweep
Barenklau and his Austrians from Bavaria, clear out (in the course of this October), all but Ingolstadt and two
or three strong towns,Passau especially, 'which can be blockaded, and afterwards besieged if needful.' For
the rest, he is dreadfully illoff for provisions, incapable of the least, attempt on Passau (as Friedrich urged,
on hearing of him again); and will have to canton himself in homequarters, and live by his shifts till Spring.
"The noise of French censure rises loud, against not themselves, but against Seckendorf:Friedrich, before
that Tolpatch eclipse of Correspondence [when three of his Letterbags were seized, and he fell quite dark],
had too well foreboded, and contemptuously expressed his astonishment at the blame BOTH were well
earning: Passau, said he, cannot you go at least upon Passau; which might alarm the Enemy a little, and drag
him homewards? 'Adieu, my dear Seckendorf, your Officer will tell you how we did the Siege of Prag. You
and your French are wetted hens (POULES MOUILLEES),' cowering about like drenched hens in a day of
set rain. 'As I hear nothing of either of you, I must try to get out of this business without your
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help;'"otherwise it will be ill for me indeed! [Excerpted Fragment of a Letter from Friedrich,(exact date
not given, date of EXCERPT is, Donanworth Country, 23d September, 1744),which the French Agent in
Seckendorf's Army had a reading of ( Campagnes de Coigny, iv. 185187; ib. 216219: cited in Adelung, iv.
225).] "Which latter expression alarmed the French, and set them upon writing and bustling, but not upon
doing anything."
"Prince Karl had crossed the Rhine unmolested, in the clearest moonlight, August 23d24th; Seckendorf was
not wholly got to Heilbronn, September 8th: a pretty way behind Prince Karl! The 6,000 Hessians, formerly
in English pay, indignant Landgraf Wilhelm [who never could forgive that Machiavellian conduct of Carteret
at Hanau, never till he found out what it really was] has, this year, put into French pay. And they have now
joined Seckendorf; [Espagnac, ii. 13; Buchholz, ii. 123.] Prince Friedrich [Britannic Majesty's Soninlaw],
not good fat Uncle George, commanding them henceforth:with extreme lack of profit to Prince Friedrich,
to the Hessians, and to the French, as will appear in time. These 6,000, and certain thousands of Pfalzers
likewise in French pay, are now with Seckendorf, and have raised him to above 30,000;it is the one fruit
King Friedrich has got by that 'Union of Frankfurt,' and by all his long prospective haggling, and struggling
for a 'Union of German Princes in general.' Two pears, after that long shaking of the tree; both pears rotten, or
indeed falling into Seckendorf, who is a basket of such quality! 'Seckendorf, increased in this munificent
manner, can he still do nothing?' cry the French: 'the old traitor!''I have no magazines,' said Seckendorf,
'nothing to live upon, to shoot with; no money!' And it is a mutual crescendo between the 'perfidious
Seckendorf' and them; without work done. In the Nurnberg Country, some Hussars of his picked up Lord
Holderness, an English Ambassador making for Venice by that bad route. 'Prisoner, are not you?' But they
did not use him ill; on consideration, the Heads of Imperial Departments gave him a Pass, and he continued
his Venetian Journey (result of it zero) without farther molestation that I heard of. [Adelung, iv. 222.]
"These FrenchSeckendorf cunctations, recriminations and drenched hen procedures are an endless sorrow
to poor Kaiser Karl; who at length can stand it no longer; but resolves, since at least Bavaria, though
moneyless and in ruins, is his, he will in person go thither; confident that there will be victual and equipment
discoverable for self and Army were he there. Remonstrances avail not: 'Ask me to die with honor, ask me
not to lie rotting here;' [Ib. iv. 241.]and quits Frankfurt, and the Reich'sDiet and its babble, 17th October,
1744 (small sorrow, were it for the last time),and enters his Munchen in the course of a week. [17th
October, 1744, leaves Frankfurt; arrives in Munchen 23d (Adelung, iv. 241244).] Munchen is transported
with joy to see the Legitimate Sovereign again; and blazes into illuminations, forgetful who caused its past
wretchednesses, hoping only all wretchedness is now ended. Let ruined huts, and Cham and the burnt Towns,
rebuild themselves; the wasted hedges make up their gaps again: here is the King come home! Here, sure
enough, is an unfortunate Kaiser of the Holy Romish Reich, who can once more hope to pay his milkscores,
being a loved Kurfurst of Bavaria at least. Very dear to the hearts of these poor people;and to their purses,
interests and skins, has not he in another sense been dear? What a price the ambitions and cracked phantasms
of that weak brain have cost the seemingly innocent population! Population harried, hungered down, dragged
off to perish in Italian Wars; a Country burnt, tribulated, torn to ruin, under the harrow of Fate and ruffian
Trenck and Company. Britannic George, rather a dear morsel too, has come much cheaper hitherto. England
is not yet burnt; nothing burning there,except the dull fire of deliriums; Natural Stupidities all set flaming,
which (whatever it may BE in the way of loss) is not felt as a loss, but rather as a comfort for the time
being;and in fact there are only, say, a forty or fifty thousand armed Englishmen rotted down, and scarcely
a Hundred Millions of money yet spent. Nothing to speak of, in the cause of Human Liberty. Why
Populations suffer for their guilty Kings? My friend, it is the Populations too that are guilty in having such
Kings. Reverence, sacred Respect for Human Worth, sacred Abhorrence of Human Unworth, have you
considered what it means? These poor Populations have it not, or for long generations have had it less and
less. Hence, by degrees, this sort of 'Kings' to them, and enormous consequences following!"
Karl VII. got back to Munchen 23d October, 1744; and the tar barrels being once burnt, and indispensable
sortings effected, he went to the field along with Seckendorf, to encourage his men under Seckendorf, and
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urge the French by all considerations to come on. And really did what he could, poor man. But the cordage of
his life had been so strained and torn, he was not now good for much; alas, it had been but little he was ever
good for. A couple of dear Kurfursts, his Father and he; have stood these Bavarian Countries very high, since
the Battle of Blenheim and downwards!
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH REDUCED TO STRAlTS; CANNOT MAINTAIN HIS
MOLDAU CONQUESTS AGAINST PRICE KARL.
One may fancy what were Friedrich's reflections when he heard that Prince Karl had, prosperously and
unmolested, got across, by those Passes from the OberPfalz, into Bohmen and the Circle of Pilsen, into
junction with Bathyani and his magazines; ["At Mirotitz, October 2d" (Ranke, iii. 194); Orlich, ii. 49.] heard,
moreover, that the Saxons, 20,000 strong, under Weissenfels, crossing the Metal Mountains, coming on by
Eger and Karlsbad regions, were about uniting with him (bound by Treaty to assist the Hungarian Majesty
when invaded);and had finally, what confirms everything, that the said Prince Karl in person (making for
Budweis, "just seen his advanced guard," said rumor under mistake) was but few miles off. Few miles off, on
the other side of the Moldau;of unknown strength, hidden in the circumambient clouds of Pandours.
Suppressing all the rages and natural reflections but those needful for the moment, Friedrich (October 4th, by
MoldauTein) dashes across the Moldau, to seek Prince Karl, at the place indicated, and at once smite him
down if possible;that will be a remedy for all things. Prince Karl is not there, nor was; the indication had
been false; Friedrich searches about, for four days, to no purpose. Prince Karl, he then learns for certain, has
crossed the Moldau farther down, farther northward, between Prag and us. Means to cut us off from Prag,
then, which is our fountain of life in these circumstances? That is his intention:"Old Traun, who is with
him, understands his trade!" thinks Friedrich. Traun, or the Prince, is diligently forming magazines, all the
Country carrying to him, in the Town of Beneschau, hither side of the Sazawa, some seventy miles north of
us, an important Town where roads meet:unless we can get hold of Beneschau, it will be ill with us here!
Across the River again, at any rate; and let us hasten thither. That is an affair which must be looked to; and
speed is necessary!
OCTOBER 8th, After four days' search ending in this manner, Friedrich swiftly crosses towards Tabor again,
to Bechin (over on the Luschnitz, one march), there to collect himself for Beneschau and the other intricacies.
Towards Tabor again, by his Bridge of MoldauTein;clouds of Pandour people, larger clouds than usual,
hanging round; hidden by the woods till Friedrich is gone. Friedrich being gone, there occurs the AFFAIR
OF MOLDAUTEIN, much talked of in Prussian Books. Of which, in extreme condensation, this is the
essence:
"OCTOBER 9th. Friedrich once off to Bechin, the Pandour clouds gather on his rearguard next day at Tein
Bridge here, to the number of about 10,000 [rumor counts 14,000]; and with desperate intent, and more
regularity than usual, attack the TeinBridge Party, which consists of perhaps 2,000 grenadiers and hussars,
the whole under Ziethen's charge,obliged to wait for a cargo of Breadwagons here. 'Defend your Bridge,
with cannon, with caseshot:' that is what the grenadiers do. The Pandour cloud, with horrid lanes cut in it,
draws back out of this; then plunges at the River itself, which can be ridden above or below; rides it, furious,
by the thousand: 'Off with your infantry; quit the Bridge!' cries Ziethen to his Captain there: 'Retire you,
Parthianlike; thricesteady,' orders Ziethen: 'It is to be hoped our hussars can deal with this mad doggery!'
And they do it; cutting in with iron discipline, with fierceness not undrilled; a wedge of iron hussars, with
ditto grenadiers continually wheeling, like so many reapers steady among windtossed grain; and gradually
give the Pandours enough. Seven hours of it, in all: 'of their sixty cartridges the grenadiers had fired
fiftyfour,' when it ended, about 7 P.M. The coming Breadwagons, getting word, had to cast their loaves
into the River (sad to think of); and make for Bechin at their swiftest. But the rearguard got off with its guns,
in this victorious manner: thanks to MajorGeneral Ziethen, Colonel Reusch and the others concerned.
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[ Feldzuge der Preussen, i. 268; Orlich, ii. 55.]
"Ziethen handsels his MajorGeneralcy in this fine way: [Patent given him "3d October, 1744," only a week
ago, "and ordered to be dated eight months back" (Rodenbeck, i. 109).] a man who has had promotion, and
also has had none, and may again come to have none;and is able to do either way. Never mind, my
excellent tacit friend! Ziethen is fiveandforty gone; has a face which is beautiful to me, though one of the
coarsest. Face thricehonest, intricately ploughed with thoughts which are well kept silent (the thoughts,
indeed, being themselves mostly inarticulate; thoughts of a simplehearted, muchenduring, hottempered
son of iron and oatmeal);decidedly rather likable, with its lazily hanging underlip, and respectable
bearskin cylinder atop."
FRIEDRICH TRIES TO HAVE BATTLE FROM PRINCE KARL, IN THE MOLDAU
COUNTRIES; CANNOT, OWING TO THE SKILL OF PRINCE KARL OR OF OLD
FELDMARSCHALL TRAUN;HAS TO RETIRE BEHIND THE SAZAWA, AND
ULTIMATELY BEHIND THE ELBE, WITH MUCH LABOR IN VAIN.
OCTOBER 14th18th: RETREAT FROM BECHINTABOR COUNTRY TO BENESCHAU. ... "These
Pandours give us trouble enough; no Magazine here, no living to be had in this Country beside them.
Unfortunate Colonel Jahnus went out from Tabor lately, to look after requisitioned grains: infinite Pandours
set upon him [Muhlhausen is the memorable place]; Jahnus was obstinate (too obstinate, thinks Friedrich),
and perished on the ground, he and 200 of his. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 61.] Nay, next, a swarm of them
came to Tabor itself, Nadasti at their head; to try whether Tabor, with its small garrison, could not be
escaladed, and perhaps Prince Henri, who lies sick there, be taken? Tabor taught them another lesson; sent
them home with heads broken;which Friedrich thinks was an extremely suitable thing. But so it stands:
Here by the thousand and the ten thousand they hang round us; and Prince Karl It is of all things necessary
we get hold of that Beneschau, and the Magazine he is gathering there!
"Rapidity is indispensable,and yet how quit Tabor? We have detachments out at Neuhaus, at Budweis, and
in Tabor 300 men in hospital, whom there are no means of carrying. To leave them to the Tolpaches?
Friedrich confesses he was weak on this occasion; he could not leave these 300 men, as was his clear duty, in
this extremity of War. He ordered in his Neuhaus Detachment; not yet any of the others. He despatched
Schmerin towards Beneschau with all his speed; Schwerin was lucky enough to take Beneschau and its
provender,a most blessed fortune,and fences himself there. Hearing which, Friedrich, having now got
the Neuhaus Detachment in hand, orders the other Three, the Budweis, the Tabor here, and the Frauenberg
across the River, to maintain themselves; and then, leaving those southern regions to their chance, hastens
towards Beneschau and Schwerin; encamps (October 18th) near Beneschau, 'Camp of Konopischt,'
unattackable Camp, celebrated in the Prussian Books;and there, for eight days, still on the south side of
Sazawa, tries every shift to mend the bad posture of affairs in that LuschnitzSazawa Country. His Three
Garrisons (3,000 men in them, besides the 300 sick) he now sees will not be able to maintain themselves; and
he sends in succession 'eight messengers,' not one messenger of whom could get through, to bid them come
away. His own hope now is for a Battle with Prince Karl; which might remedy all things. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, iii. 6264.]"
That is Friedrich's wish; but it is by no means Traun's, who sees that hunger and wet weather will of
themselves suffice for Friedrich. There ensues accordingly, for three weeks to come, in that confused
Country, a series of swift shufflings, checkings and manoeuvrings between these two, which is gratifying and
instructive to the strategic mind, but cannot be inflicted upon common readers. Two considerable
chessplayers, an old and a young; their chess board a bushy, rocky, marshy parallelogram, running fifty
miles straight east from Prag, and twenty or fewer south, of which Prag is the northwest angle, and
Beneschau, or the impregnable Konopischt the southwest: the reader must conceive it; and how Traun will
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not fight Friedrich, yet makes him skip hither and thither, chiefly by threatening his victuals. Friedrich's main
magazine is now at Pardubitz, the extreme northeast angle of the parallelogram. Parallelogram has one river
in it, with the innumerable rocks and brooks and quagmires, the river Sazawa; and on the north side, where
are Kuttenberg, Czaslau, Chotusitz, places again become important in this business, it is bounded by another
river, the Elbe. Intricate manoeuvring there is here, for three weeks following: "old Traun an admirable man!"
thinks Friedrich, who ever after recognized Traun as his Schoolmaster in the art of War. We mark here and
there a date, and leave it to readers.
"RADICZ, OCTOBER 21st22d. At Radicz, a march to southwest of us, and on our side of the Moldau, the
Saxons, under Weissenfels, 20,000 effective, join Prince Karl; which raises his force to 69,514 men, some
10,000 more than Friedrich is master of. [Orlich, ii. 66.] Prospect of wintering between the Luschnitz and the
Sazawa there is now little; unless they will fight us, and be beaten. Friedrich, from his inaccessible Camp of
Konopischt, manoeuvres, reconnoitres, in all directions, to produce this result; but to no purpose. An Austrian
Detachment did come, to look after Beneschau and the Magazines there; but rapidly drew back again, finding
Konopischt on their road, and how matters were. Friedrich will guard the door of this SazawaElbe tract of
Country; hope of the SazawaLuschnitz tract has, in few days, fallen extinct. Here is news come to
Konopischt: our Three poor Garrisons, Budweis, Tabor, Frauenberg, already all lost; guns and men, after
defence to the last cartridge,in Frauenberg their water was cut off, it was eightandforty hours of thirst at
Frauenberg:one way or other, they are all Three gone; eight couriers galloping with message, 'Come away,'
were all picked up by the Pandours; so they stood, and were lost. 'Three thousand fighting men gone, for the
weak chance of saving three hundred who were in hospital!' thinks Friedrich: War is not a school of the weak
pities. For the chance of ten, you lose a hundred and the ten too. SazawaElbe tract of country, let us
vigilantly keep the door of that!
"SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24th, Friedrich out reconnoitring from Konopischt discovers of a certainty that
the whole AustrianSaxon force is now advaucing towards Beneschau, and will, this night, encamp at
Marschowitz, to southwest, only one march from us! On the instant Friedrich hurries back; gets his Army on
march thitherward, though the late October sun is now past noon; off instantly; a stroke yonder will perhaps
be the cure of all. Such roads we had, says Friedrich, as never Army travelled before: long after nightfall, we
arrive near the Austrian camp, bivouac as we can till daylight return. At the first streak of day, Friedrich and
his chief generals are on the heights with their spyglasses: Austrian Army sure enough; and there they have
altered their posture overnight (for Traun too has been awake); they lie now opposite our RIGHT flank; 'on a
scarped height, at the foot of which, through swamps and quagmires, runs a muddy stream.' Unattackable on
this side: their right flank and foot are safe enough. Creep round and see their left:Nothing but copses,
swampy intricacies! We may shoulder arms again, and go back to Konopischt: no fight here! [ OEuvres de
Frederic, iii. 63, 64; Orlich, ii. 69.] Speaking of defensive Campaigns, says Friedrich didactically, years
afterwards, 'If such situations are to answer the purpose intended, the front and flanks must be equally strong,
but the rear entirely open. Such, for instance, are those heights which have an extensive front, and whose
flanks are covered by morasses:as was Prince Karl's Camp at Marschowitz in the year 1744, with its front
covered by a stream, and the wings by deep hollows; or that which we ourselves then occupied at
Konopischt,as you well remember. [ Military Instructions (above cited), p. 44.]
"OCTOBER 26thNOVEMBER 1st. The SazawaLuschnitz tract of Country is quite lost, then; lost with
damages: the question now is, Can we keep the SazawaElbe tract? For about three weeks more, Friedrich
struggles for that object; cannot compass that either. Want of horseprovender is very great:country
entirely eaten, say the peasants, and not a truss remaining. October 26th, Friedrich has to cross the Sazawa;
we must quit the door of that tract (hunger driving us), and fight for the interior in detail. Traun gets to
Beneschau in that cheap way; and now, in behalf of Traun, the peasants find forage enough, being zealous for
Queen and creed. Pandours spread themselves all over this SazawaElbe country; endanger our subsistences,
make our lives miserable. It is the old story: Friedrich, famine and mud and misery of Pandours compelling,
has to retire northward, Elbeward, inch by inch; whither the Austrians follow at a safe distance, and, in spite
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of all manoeuvring, cannot be got to fight.
"Brave General Nassau, who much distinguishes himself in these businesses, has (though Friedrich does not
yet know it) dexterously seized Kolin, westward in those Elbe parts,ground that will be notable in years
coming. Important little feat of Nassau's; of which anon. On the other hand, our Magazine at Pardubitz,
eastward on the Elbe, is not out of danger: Pandours and regulars 2,000 and odd, 'sixty of the Pandour kind
disguised as peasants leading hay carts,' made an attempt there lately; but were detected by the vigilant
Colonel, and blown to pieces, in the nick of time, some of them actually within the gate. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, iii. 65.] Nay, a body of Austrian regulars were in full march for Kolin lately, intending to get hold
of the Elbe itself at that point (midway between Prag and Pardubitz): but the prompt General Nassau, as we
remarked, had struck in before them; and now holds Kolin;though, for several days, Friedrich could not
tell what had become of Nassau, owing to the swarms of Pandours.
"Friedrich, standing with his back to Prag, which is fifty miles from him, and rather in need of his support
than able to give him any; and drawing his meal from the uncertain distance, with Pandours hovering
round,is in difficult case. While old Traun is kept luminous as midday; the circumambient atmosphere of
Pandours is tenebrific to Friedrich, keeps him in perpetual midnight. He has to read his position as with
flashes of lightning, for most part. A heavyladen, sorely exasperated man; and must keep his haggard
miseries strictly secret; which I believe he does. Were Valori here, it is very possible he might find the
countenance FAROUCHE again; eyes gloomy, on damp November mornings! Schwerin, in a huff, has gone
home: Since your Majesty is pleased to prefer his young Durchlaucht of Anhalt's advice, what can an elderly
servant (not without rheumatisms) do other?'Well!' answers Friedrich, not with eyes cheered by the
phenomenon. The ElbeSazawa tract, even this looks as if it would be hard to keep. A world very dark for
Friedrich, enveloped so by the ill chances and the Pandours. But what help?
"From the French Camp far away, there comes, dated 17th October (third week of their Siege of Freyburg),
by way of help to Friedrich, magnanimous promise: 'So soon as this Siege is done, which will be speedily,
though it is difficult, we propose to send fifty battalions and a hundred squadrons,'"say only 60,000 horse
and foot (not a hoof or toe of which ever got that length, on actually trying it),"towards Westphalia, to
bring the Elector of Koln to reason [poor Kaiser's lanky Brother, who cannot stand the French procedures,
and has lately sold himself, that is sold his troops, to England], and keep the King of England and the Dutch
in check,"by way of solacement to your Majesty. Will you indeed, you magnanimous Allies?This was
picked up by the Pandours; and I know not but Friedrich was spared the useless pain of reading it. [Orlich, ii.
73.]
"NOVEMBER 1st9th: FRIEDRICH LOSES SAZAWAELBE COUNTRY TOO. On the first day of
November, here is a lightningflash which reveals strange things to Friedrich. Traun's late manoeuvrings,
which have been so enigmatic, to right and to left, upon Prag and other points, issue now in an attempt
towards Pardubitz; which reveals to Friedrich the intention Traun has formed, of forcing him to choose one of
those two places, and let go the other. Formidable, fatal, thinks Friedrich; and yet admirable on the part of
Traun: 'a design beautiful and worthy of admiration.' If we stay near Prag, what becomes of our
communication with Silesia; what becomes of Silesia itself? If we go towards Pardubitz, Prag and Bohmen
are lost! What to do? 'Despatch reinforcement to Pardubitz; thanks to Nassau, the KolinPardubitz road is
ours!' That is done, Pardubitz saved for the moment. Could we now get to Kuttenberg before the old Marshal,
his design were overset altogether. Alas, we cannot march at once, have to wait a day for the bread. Forward,
nevertheless; and again forward, and again; three heavy marches in November weather: let us make a fourth
forced march, start tomorrow before dawn,Kuttenberg above all things! In vain; tomorrow, 4th
November, there is such a fog, dark as London itself, from six in the morning onwards, no starting till noon:
and then impossible, with all our efforts, to reach Kuttenberg. We have to halt an eight miles short of it, in
front of Kolin; and pitch tents there. On the morrow, 5th November, Traun is found encamped, unattackable,
between us and our object; sits there, at his ease in a friendly Country, with Pandour whirlpools flowing out
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and in; an irreducible case to Friedrich. November 5th, and for three days more, Friedrich, to no purpose, tries
his utmost;finds he will have to give up the ElbeSazawa region, like the others. Monday, November 9th,
Friedrich gathers himself at Kolin; crosses the Elbe by Kolin Bridge, that day. Point after point of the game
going against him."
Kolin was, of course, attacked, that Monday evening, so soon as the main Army crossed: but, so soon as the
Army left, General Nassau had taken his measures; and, with his great guns and his small, handled the
Pandours in a way that pleased us. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 68.] Thursday night following, they came back,
with regular grenadiers to support; under cloud of night, in great force, ruffian Trenck at the head of them: a
frightful phenomenon to weak nerves. But this also Nassau treated in such a fiery fashion that it vanished
without return; three hundred dead left on the ground, and ruffian Trenck riding off with his own crown
broken,beautiful indigo face streaking itself into GINGHAMpattern, for the moment!
Except Pardubitz, where also the due battalions are left, Friedrich now holds no post south of the Elbe in this
quarter; ElbeSazawa Tract is gone like the others, to all appearance. And we must now say, Silesia or Prag?
Prince Leopold, CouncilofWar being held on the matter, is for keeping hold of Prag: "Pity to lose all the
excellent siegeartillery we brought thither," says he. True, too true; an illmanaged business that of Prag!
thinks Friedrich sadly to himself: but what is Prag and artillery, compared to Silesia? Parthian retreat into
Silesia; and let Prag and the artillery go: that, to Friedrich, is clearly the sure course. Or perhaps the fatal
alternative will not actually arrive? So long as Pardubitz and Kolin hold; and we have the Elbe for barrier?
Truth is, Prince Karl has himself written to Court that, having now pushed his Enemy fairly over the Elbe,
and winter being come with its sleets and slushes, ruinous to troops that have been so marched about, the
Campaign ought to end;nay, his own young Wife is in perilous interesting circumstances, and the poor
Prince wishes to be home. To which, however, it is again understood, Maria Theresa has emphatically
answered, "No,finish first!"
NOVEMBER 9th19th: WE DEFEND THE ELBE RIVER. Friedrich has posted himself on the north shore
of the Elbe, from Pardubitz to the other side of Kolin; means to defend that side of the River, where go the
Silesian roads. At Bohdenetz, short way across from Pardubitz, he himself is; Prince Leopold is near Kolin:
thirty miles of river bank to dispute. The controversy lasts ten days; ends in ELBETEINITZ, a celebrated
"passage," in Books and otherwise. Friedrich is in shaggy, intricate country; no want of dingles, woods and
quagmires; now and then pleasant places too,here is Kladrup for example, where our Father came three
hundred miles to dine with the Kaiser once. The grooms and colts are all off at present; Father and Kaiser are
off; and much is changed since then. Grim tussle of War now; sleety winter, and the Giant Mountains in the
distance getting on their white hoods! Friedrich doubtless has his thoughts as he rides up and down, in sight
of Kladrup, among other places, settling many things; but what his thoughts were, he is careful not to say
except where necessary. Much is to be looked after, in this River controversy of thirty miles. Detachments lie,
at intervals, all the way; and mounted sentries, a sentry every five miles, patrol the Riverbank; vigilant, we
hope, as lynxes. Nothing can cross but alarm will be given, and by degrees the whole Prussian force be upon
it. This is the Circle of Konigsgratz, this that now lies to rear; and happily there are a few Hussites in it, not
utterly indisposed to do a little spying for us, and bring a glimmering of intelligence, now and then.
It is now the second week that Frietrich has lain so, with his mounted patrols in motion, with his Hussite
spies; guarding Argus like this thirty miles of River; and the Austrians attempt nothing, or nothing with
effect. If the Austrians go home to their winter quarters, he hopes to issue from Kolin again before Spring,
and to sweep the ElbeSazawa Tract clear of them, after all. Maria Theresa having answered No, it is likely
the Austrians will try to get across: Be vigilant therefore, ye mounted sentries. Or will they perhaps make an
attempt on Prag? Einsiedel, who has no garrison of the least adequacy, apprises us That "in all the villages
round Prag people are busy making ladders,"what can that mean? Friedrich has learned, by intercepted
letters, that something great is to be done on Wednesday, 18th: he sends Rothenburg with reinforcement to
Einsiedel, lest a scalade of Prag should be on the cards. Rothenburg is right welcome in the lines of Prag,
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though with reinforcement still ineffectual; but it is not Prag that is meant, nor is Wednesday the day.
Through Wednesday, Friedrich, all eye and ear, could observe nothing: much marching to and fro on the
Austrian side of the River; but apparently it comes to nothing? The mounted patrols had better be vigilant,
however.
On the morrow, 5 A.M., what is this that is going on? Audible booming of cannon, of musketry and battle,
echoing through the woods, penetrates to Friedrich's quarters at Bohdenetz in the Pardubitz region: Attack
upon Kolin, Nassau defending himself there? Out swift scouts, and see! Many scouts gallop out; but none
comes back. Friedrich, for hours, has to remain uncertain; can only hope Nassau will defend himself. Boom
go the distant volleyings; no scout comes back. And it is not Nassau or Kolin; it is something worse: very
glorious for Prussian valor, but ruinous to this Campaign.
The Austrians, at 2 o'clock this morning, Austrians and Saxons, came in great force, in dead silence, to the
south brink of the River, opposite a place called Teinitz (ElbeTeinitz), ten miles east of Kolin; that was the
fruit of their marching yesterday. They sat there forbidden to speak, to smoke tobacco or do anything but
breathe, till all was ready; till pontoons, cannons had come up, and some gleam of dawn had broken. At the
first gleam of dawn, as they are shoving down their pontoon boats, there comes a "WERDA, Who goes?"
from our Prussian patrol across the River. Receiving no answer, he fires; and is himself shot down. One
Wedell, Wedell and Ziethen, who keep watch in this part, start instantly at sound of these shots; and make a
dreadful day of it for these invasive Saxon and Austrian multitudes. Naturally, too, they send off scouts,
galloping for more help, to the right and to the left. But that avails not. Wild doggery of Pandours, it would
seem, have already swum or waded the River, above Teinitz and below:"Want of vigilance!" barks
Friedrich impatiently: but such a doggery is difficult to watch with effect. At any rate, to the right and to the
left, the woods are already beset with Pandours; every scout sent out is killed: and to east or to west there
comes no news but an echoing of musketry, a boom of distant cannon. [Orlich, ii. 8285.] SaxonAustrian
battalions, four or five, with unlimited artillery going, VERSUS Wedell's one battalion, with musketry and
Ziethen's hussars: it is fearful odds. The Prussians stand to it like heroes; doggedly, for four hours, continue
the dispute,till it is fairly desperate; "two bridges of the enemy's now finished;"whereupon they
manoeuvre off, with Parthian or Prussian countenance, into the woods, safe, towards Kolin; "despatching
definite news to Friedrich, which does arrive about 11 A.M., and sets him at once on new measures."
This is a great feat in the Prussian military annals; for which, sad as the news was, Wedell got the name of
Leonidas attached to him by Friedrich himself. And indeed it is a gallant passage of war; "Forcing of the Elbe
at Teinitz;" of which I could give two Narratives, one from the Prussian, and one from the Saxon side;
[Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 595598; HeldenGeschichte, ii. 11751181.] didactic, admonitory to the military
mind, nay to the civic reader that has sympathy with heroisms, with work done manfully, and terror and
danger and difficulty well trampled under foot. Leonidas Wedell has an admirable silence, too; and Ziethen's
lazily hanging underlip is in its old attitude again, now that the spasm is over. "WAS THUTS? They are
across, without a doubt. We would have helped it, and could not. Steady!"
FRIEDRICH'S RETREAT; ESPECIALLY EINSIEDEL'S FROM PRAG.
Seeing, then, that they are fairly over, Friedrich, with a creditable veracity of mind, sees also that the game is
done; and that same night he begins manoeuvring towards Silesia, lest far more be lost by continuing the
play. One column, under Leopold the Young Dessauer, goes through Glatz, takes the Magazine of Pardubitz
along with it: good to go in several columns, the enemy will less know which to chase. Friedrich, with
another column, will wait for Nassau about Konigsgratz, then go by the more westerly road, through Nachod
and the Pass of Braunau. Nassau, who is to get across from Kolin, and join us northwards, has due
rendezvous appointed him in the Konigsgratz region. Einsiedel, in Prag, is to spike his guns, since he cannot
carry them; blow up his bastions, and the like; and get away with all discretion and all diligence,
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northwestward first, to Leitmeritz, where our magazines are; there to leave his heavier goods, and make
eastward towards Friedland, and across the "Silesian Combs" by what Passes he can. Will have a difficult
operation; but must stand to it. And speed; steady, simultaneous, regular, unresting velocity; that is the word
for all. And so it is done,though with difficulty, on the part of poor Einsiedel for one. It was Thursday,
19th November, when the Austrians got across the Elbe: on Monday, 23d, the Prussian rendezvousings are
completed; and Friedrich's column, and the Glatz one under Leopold, are both on march; infinite
baggagewagons groaning orderly along ("sickwagons well ahead," and the like precautions and
arrangements), on both these highways for Silesia: and before the week ends, Thursday, 26th, even Einsiedel
is under way. Let us give something of poor Einsiedel, whose disasters made considerable noise in the world,
that Winter and afterwards.
"The two main columns were not much molested; that which went by Glatz, under Leopold, was not pursued
at all. On the rear of Friedrich's own column, going towards Braunau, all the way to Nachod or beyond, there
hung the usual doggery of Pandours, which required whipping off from time to time; bnt in the defiles and
difficult places due precaution was taken, and they did little real damage. Truchsess von Waldburg [our old
friend of the Spartan feat near Austerlitz in the MORAVIANFORAY time, whom we have known in
London society as Prussian Envoy in bygone years] was in one of the divisions of this column; and one day,
at a village where there was a little river to cross (river Mietau, Konigsgratz branch of the Elbe), got
provoked injudiciously into fighting with a body of these people. Intent not on whipping them merely, but on
whipping them to death, Truchsess had already lost some forty men, and the business with such crowds of
them was getting hot; when, all at once a loud squeaking of pigs was heard in the village," apprehensive
swineherd hastily penning his pigs belike, and some pig refractory;"at sound of which, the Pandour
multitude suddenly pauses, quits fighting, and, struck by a new enthusiasm, rushes wholly into the village;
leaving Truchsess, in a tragicomic humor, victorious, but half ashamed of himself. [ OEuvres de Frederic,
iii. 73.] In the beginning of December, Friedrich's column reached home, by Braunau through the Mountains,
the same way part of it had come in August; not quite so brilliant in equipment now as then.
"It was upon Einsiedel's poor Garrison, leaving Prag in such haste, that the real stress of the retreat fell; its
difficulties great indeed, and its losses great. Einsiedel did what was possible; but all things are not possible
on a week's warning. He spiked great guns, shook endless hundredweights of powder, and 10,000 stand of
arms, into the River; he requisitioned horses, oxen, without number; put mines under the bastions, almost
none of which went off with effect. He kept Prag accurately shut, the Praguers accurately in the dark; took his
measures prudently; and labored night and day. One measure I note of him: stringent Proclamation to the
inhabitants of Prag, 'Provision yourselves for three months; nothing but starvation ahead otherwise.' Alas, we
are to stand a fourth siege, then? say the Praguers. But where are provisions to be had? At such and such
places; from the Royal Magazines only, if you bring a certificate and ready money! Whereby Einsiedel got
delivered of his mealmagazine, for one thing. But his difficulties otherwise were immense.
"On the Thursday morning, 26th November, 1744, he marched. His wagons had begun the night before; and
went all night, rumbling continuous (Anonymous of Prag [Second "LETTER from a Citizen, (date, 27th
November, see supra, p. 348), in Helden Geschichte, ii. 11811188.] hearing them well), through the
Karlthor, northwest gate of Prag, across the Moldau Rridge. All night across that bridge,Leitmeritz road,
great road to the northwest:followed finally by the march of horse and foot. But news had already fled
abroad. Five hundred Pandours were in the City, backed by the Butchers' lads and other riotous GESINDEL,
before the rearguard got away. Sad tugging and wriggling in consequence, much firing from windows, and
uproarious chaos;so that Rothenburg had at last to remount a couple of guns, and blow it off with
caseshot. A drilled Prussian rearguard struggling, with stern composure, through a real bit of burning
chaos. With effect, though not without difficulty. Here is the scene on the Noldau Bridge, and past that high
Hradschin [Old Palace of the Bohemian Kings (pronounce RADsheen); one of the steepest Royal Sites in the
world.] mass of buildings; all Prag, not the Hradschin only, struggling to give us fatal farewell if it durst.
River is covered with Pandours firing out of boats; Bridge encumbered to impassability by forsaken wagons,
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the drivers of which had cut traces and run; shot comes overhead from the Hradschin on our left, much shot,
infinite tumult all round; thoroughfare impossible for twowheeled vehicle, or men in rank. 'Halt!' cries
Colonel Brandes, who has charge of the thing; divides them in three: 'First one party, deal with these
riverboats, that Pandour doggery; second party, pull these stray wagons to right and left, making the way
clear; third party, drag our own wagons forward, shoulder to shaft, and yoke them out of shotrange;you,
Captain Carlowitz,' and calls twenty volunteers to go with Carlowitz, and drag their own cannon, 'step you
forward, keep the gate of that Hradschin till we all pass!' In this manner, rapid, hard of stroke, clearheaded
and with stern regularity, drilled talent gets the burning Nessus' shirt wriggled off; and tramps successfully
forth with its baggages. About 11 A.M., this rearguard of Brandes's did; should have been at seven,right
well that it could be at all.
"Einsiedel, after this, got tolerably well to Leitmeritz; left his heavy baggage there; then turned at an acute
angle right eastward, towards the Silesian Combs, as ordered: still a good seventy miles to do, and the
weather getting snowy and the days towards their shortest. Worse still; old Weissenfels, now in Prag with his
Saxons, is aware that Einsiedel, before ending, will touch on a wild highlying corner of the Lausitz which is
Saxon Country; and thitherward Weissenfels has despatched Chevalier de Saxe (in plenty of time, November
29th), with horse and foot, to waylay Einsiedel, and block the entrance of the Silesian Mountains for him.
Whereupon, in the latter end of his long march, and almost within sight of home, ensues the hardest brush of
all for Einsiedel. And, in the desolation of that rugged Hill country of the Lausitz, 'HOCHWALD (Upper
Weld),' twenty or more miles from Bohemian Friedland, from his entrance on the Mountain Barrier and
Silesian Combs, there are sceneswhich gave rise to a Court Martial before long. For unexpectedly, on the
winter afternoon (December 9th), Einsiedel, struggling among the snows and pathless Hills, comes upon
Chevalier de Saxe and his Saxon Detachment, intrenched with trees, snowredoubts, and a hollow bog
dividing us; plainly unassailable;and stands there, without covering, without 'food, fire, or salt,' says one
Eyewitness, 'for the space of fourteen hours.' Gazing gloomily into it, exchanging a few shots, uncertain
what more to do; the muchdubitating Einsiedel. 'At which the men were so disgusted and enraged, they
deserted [the foreign part of them, I fancy] in groups at a time,' says the above Eyewitness. Not to think
what became of the equipments, baggage wagons, sickwagons:too evident Einsiedel's loss, in all kinds,
was very considerable. Nassau, despatched by Leopold out of Glatz, from the other side of the Combs, is
marching to help Einsiedel; who knows, at this moment, where or whitherward? For the peasants are all
against us; our very guides desert, and become spies. 'Push to the left, over the Hochwald top, must not we?'
thinks Einsiedel: 'that is Lausitz, a Saxon Country; and Saxony, though the Saxons stand intrenched here,
with the knife at our throat, are not at war with us, oh no, only allies of her Majesty of Hungary, and neutral
otherwise!' And here, it is too clear, the Chevalier de Saxe stands intrenched behind his trees and snow; and it
is the fourteenth hour, men deserting by the hundred, without fire and without salt; and Nassau is
coming,God knows by what road!
"Einsiedel pushes to the left, the Hochwald way; finds, in the Hochwald too, a Saxon Commandant waiting
him, with arms strictly shouldered. 'And we cannot pass through this moor skirt of Lausitz, say you, then?'
'Unarmed, yes; your muskets can come in wagons after you,' replies the Saxon Commandant of Lausitz.
'Thousand thanks, Herr Commandant; but we will not give you all that trouble,' answer Einsiedel and his
Prussians; 'and march on, overwhelming him with politenesses,' says Friedrich;the approach of Nassau,
above all, being a stringent civility. Of course, despatch is very requisite to Einsiedel; the Chevalier, with his
force, being still within hail. The Prussians march all night, with pitchlinks flaring,nights (I think) of the
13th15th December, 1744, up among the highlands there, rugged buttresses of the Silesian Combs: a sight
enough to astonish Rubezahl, if he happened to be out! As good chance would have it, Nassau and Einsiedel,
by preconcert, partly by lucky guess of their own, were hurrying by the same road: three heavenrending
cheers (December 16th) when we get sight of Nassau; and find that here is land! December 16th, we are
across,by Ruckersdorf, not far from Friedland (Bohmisch Friedland, not the Silesian town of that name,
once Wallenstein's); and rejoice now to look back on labor done." [ Helden Geschichte, ii. 11811190,
11911194; Feldzuge, i. 278280.]
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These were intricate strange scenes, much talked of at the time: Rothenburg, ugly Walrave, Hacke, and other
known figures, concerned in them. Scenes in which Friedrich is not well informed; who much blames
Einsiedel, as he is apt to do the unsuccessful. Accounts exist, both from the Prussian and from the Saxon side,
decipherable with industry; not now worth deciphering to English readers. Only that final scene of the
pitchlinks, the night before meeting with Nassau, dwells voluntarily in one's memory. And is the farewell of
Einsiedel withal. Friedrich blames him to the last: though a CourtMartial had sat on his case, some months
after, and honorably acquitted him. Good solid, silent Einsiedel;and in some months more, he went to a
still higher court, got still stricter justice: I do not hear expressly that it was the winter marches, or strain of
mind; but he died in 1745; and that flare of pitchlinks in Rubezahl's country is the last scene of him to
us,and the end of Friedrich's unfortunate First Expedition in the Second Silesian War.
"Foiled, ultimately, then, on every point; a totally illordered game on our part! Evidently we, for our part,
have been altogether in the wrong, in various essential particulars. Amendment, that and no other, is the word
now. Let us take the scathe and the scorn candidly home to us;and try to prepare for doing better. The
world will crow over us. Well, the world knows little about it; the world, if it did know, would be partly in
the right!"Wise is he who, when beaten, learns the reasons of it, and alters these. This wisdom, it must be
owned, is Friedrich's; and much distinguishes him among generals and men. Veracity of mind, as I say, loyal
eyesight superior to sophistries; noble incapacity of selfdelusion, the root of all good qualities in man. His
epilogue to this Campaign is remarkable;too long for quoting here, except the first word of it and the
last:
"No General committed more faults than did the King in this Campaign. ... The conduct of M. de Traun is a
model of perfection, which every soldier that loves his business ought to study, and try to imitate, if he have
the talent. The king has himself admitted that he regarded this Campaign as his school in the Art of War, and
M. de Traun as his teacher." But what shall we say? "Bad is often better for Princes than good;and instead
of intoxicating them with presumption, renders them circumspect and modest." [ OEuvres, iii.76, 77.] Let us
still hope!
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH, UNDER DIFFICULTIES, PREPARES FOR A NEW
CAMPAIGN.
To the Court of Vienna, especially to the Hungarian Majesty, this wonderful reconquest of Bohemia, without
battle fought,or any cause assignable but Traun's excellent manoeuvring and Friedrich's imprudences and
trust in the French,was a thing of heavenly miracle; blessed omen that Providence had vouchsafed to her
prayers the recovery of Silesia itself. All the world was crowing over Friedrich: but her Majesty of Hungary's
views had risen to a clearly higher pitch of exultation and triumphant hope, terrestrial and celestial, than any
other living person's. "Silesia back again," that was now the hope and resolution of her Majesty's high heart:
"My wicked neighbor shall be driven out, and smart dear for the ill he has done; Heaven so wills it!" "Very
little uplifts the Austrians," says Valori; which is true, under such a Queen; "and yet there is nothing that can
crush them altogether down," adds he.
No sooner is Bohemia cleared of Friedrich, than Maria, winter as it is, orders that there be, through the
GiantMountains, vigorous assault upon Silesia. Highland snows and ices, what are these to Pandour people,
who, at their first entrance on the scene of History, "crossed the PalusMaeotis itself [Father of Quagmires,
so to speak] in a frozen state," and were sufficiently accommodated each in his own dirty sheepskin?
"Prosecute the King of Prussia," ordered she; "take your winterquarters in Silesia!"and Traun, in spite of
the advanced season, and prior labors and hardships, had to try, from the southwestern Bohemian side, what
he could do; while a new Insurrection, coming through the Jablunka, spread itself over the southeast and east.
Seriously invasive multitudes; which were an unpleasant surprise to Friedrich; and did, as we shall see,
require to be smitten back again, and resmitten; making a very troublesome winter to the Prussians and
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themselves; but by no means getting winterquarters, as they once hoped.
In a like sense, Maria Theresa had already (December 2d) sent forth her Manifesto or Patent, solemnly
apprising her everfaithful Silesian Populations, "That the Treaty of Breslau, not by her fault, is broken;
palpably a Treaty no longer. That they, accordingly, are absolved from all oaths and allegiance to the King of
Prussia; and shall hold themselves in readiness to swear anew to her Majesty, which will be a great comfort
to such faithful creatures; suffering, as her Majesty explains to them that they have done, under Prussian
tyranny for these two years past. Immediate deadlift effort there shall be; that is certain: and 'the Almighty
God assisting, who does not leave such injustices unpunished, We have the fixed Christian hope,
Omnipotence blessing our arms, of almost immediately (EHESTENS) delivering you from this temporary
Bondage (BISHERIGEN JOCH).' You can pray, in the mean while, for the success of her Majesty's arms;
good fighting, aided by prayer, in a Cause clearly Heaven's, will now, to appearance, bring matters swiftly
round again, to the astonishment and confusion of bad men." [In HeldenGeschichte, ii. 11941198; Ib.
12011206, is Friedrich's Answer, "19th December, 1744."]
These are her Majesty's views; intensely true, I doubt not, to her devout heart. Robinson and the English seem
not to be enthusiastic in that direction; as indeed how can they? They would fain be tender of Silesia, which
they have guaranteed; fain, now and afterwards, restrain her Majesty from driving at such a pace down hill:
but the declivity is so encouraging, her Majesty is not to be restrained, and goes faster and faster for the time
being. And indeed, under less devout forms, the general impression, among Pragmatic people, Saxon,
Austrian, British even, was, That Friedrich had pretty much ruined himself, and deserved to do so; that this of
his being mere "Auxiliary" to a Kaiser in distress was an untenable pretext, now justly fallen bankrupt upon
him. The evident fact, That he had by his "Frankfurt Union," and struggles about "union," reopened the door
for French tribulations and roughridings in the Reich, was universally distasteful; all chance of a "general
union of German Princes, in aid of their Kaiser," was extinct for the present.
Friedrich's rapidity had served him ill with the Public, in this as in some other instances! Friedrich,
contemplating his situation, not selfdelusively, but with the candor of real remorse, was by no means yet
aware how very bad it was. For six months coming, partly as existing facts better disclosed themselves, as
France, Saxony and others showed what spirit they were of; partly as new sinister events and facts arrived
one after the other,his outlook continued to darken and darken, till it had become very dark indeed. There
is perennially the great comfort, immense if you can manage it, of making front against misfortune; of
looking it frankly in the face, and doing with a resolution, hour by hour, your own utmost against it. Friedrich
never lacked that comfort; and was not heard complaining. But from December 13th, 1744, when he hastened
home to Berlin, under such aspects, till June 4th, 1745, when aspects suddenly changed, are probably the
worst six months Friedrich had yet had in the world. During which, his affairs all threatening to break down
about him, he himself, behooving to stand firm if the worst was not to realize itself, had to draw largely on
what silent courage, or private inexpugnability of mind, was in him,a larger instalment of that royal quality
(as I compute) than the Fates had ever hitherto demanded of him. Ever hitherto; though perhaps nothing like
the largest of all, which they had upon their Books for him, at a farther stage! As will be seen. For he was
greatly drawn upon in that way, in his time. And he paid always; no man in his Century so well; few men, in
any Century, better. As perhaps readers may be led to guess or acknowledge, on surveying and considering.
To see, and sympathetically recognize, cannot be expected of modern readers, in the present great distance,
and changed conditions of men and things.
Friedrich, after despatching Nassau to cut out Einsiedel, had delivered the Silesian Army to the Old Dessauer,
who is to command in chief during Winter; and had then hastened to Berlin,many things there urgently
requiring his presence; preparations, reparations, not to speak of diplomacies, and what was the heaviest item
of all, new finance for the coming exertions. In Schweidnitz, on Leopold's appearance, there had been an
interview, due consultings, orderings; which done, Friedrich at once took the road; and was at Berlin,
Monday, December 14th,precisely in the time while Nassau and Einsiedel were marching with torchlights
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in Rubezahl's Country, and near ending their difficult enterprise better or worse.
Friedrich, fastening eagerly on Home business, is astonished and provoked to learn that the Austrians, not
content with pushing him out of Bohmen, are themselves pushing into Schlesien,so Old Leopold reports,
with increasing emphasis day by day; to whom Friedrich sends impatient order: Hurl them out again; gather
what force you need, ten thousand, or were it twenty or thirty thousand, and be immediate about it; "I will as
soon be pitched (HERAUSGESCHMISSEN) out of the Mark of Brandenburg as out of Schlesien:" no delay,
I tell you! And as the Old Dessauer still explains that the ten or fifteen thousand he needs are actually
assembling, and cannot be got on march quite in a moment, Friedrich dashes away his incipient Berlin
Operations; will go himself and do it. Haggle no more, you tedious Old Dessauer:
BERLIN, "19th DECEMBER," 1744. "On the 21st [Monday, one week after my arriving], I leave Berlin, and
mean to be at Neisse on the 24th at latest. Your Serenity will in the interim make out the Orderof Battle
[which is also OrderofMarch] for what regiments are come in. For I will, on the 25th, without delay, cross
the Neisse, and attack those people, cost what it may,to chase them out of Schlesien and Glatz, and follow
them so far as possible. Your Serenity will therefore take your measures, and provide everything, so far as in
this short time you can, that the project may be executable the moment I arrive." [Friedrich to the Old
Dessauer ( Orlich, ii. 356).]
And rushed off accordingly, in a somewhat flamy humor; but at Schweidnitz, where the Old Dessauer met
him again, became convinced that the matter was weightier than he thought; not one of Tolpatchery alone,
but had Traun himself in it. Upon which Friedrich candidly drew bridle; hastened back, and, with a loss of
four days, was at his Potsdam Affairs again. To which he stuck henceforth, ardently, and I think rather with
increase of gloom, though without spurt of impatience farther, for three months to come. Before his
return,nay, had he known, it was the night before he went away,a strange little thing had happened in
the opposite or Western parts: surprising accident to Marechal de Belleisle; which now lies waiting his
immediate consideration. But let us finish Silesia first.
OLD DESSAUER REPELS THE SILESIAN INVASION (Winter, 174445).
"This Silesian Affair includes due inroad of Pandours; or indeed two inroads, southwest and southeast; and in
the southwest, or Traun quarter, regulars are the main element of it. Traun, 20,000 strong, PLUS
stormyenough Pandour ACCOMPANIMENT, is by this time through into Glatz; in three columns;is
master of all Glatz, except the RockFortress itself; and has spread himself, right and left, along the Neisse
River, and from the southwest northwards, in a skilful and dangerous manner. In concert with whom, far to
the east, are Pandour whirlwinds on their own footing (brandnew 'Insurrection' of them, got thus far)
starting from Olmutz and Brunn; scouring that eastern country, as far as Namslau northward [a place we were
at the taking of, in old Brieg times]; much more, infesting the Mountains of the South. A rather serious thing;
with Traun for general manager of it."
With Traun, we say: poor Prince Karl is off, weeks ago; on the saddest of errands. His beautiful young
Wife,Hungarian Majesty's one Sister, ViceRegents of the Netherlands he and she, conspicuous among
the bright couples of the world,she had a bad lyingin (child stillborn), while those grand Moldau
Operations went on; has been ill, poor lady, ever since; and, at Brussels, on December 16th, she herself lies
dead, Prince Karl weeping over her and the days that will not return. Prince Karl's felicities, private and
public, had been at their zenith lately, which was very high indeed; but go on declining from this day. Never
more the Happiest of Husbands (did not wed again at all); still less the Greatest of Captains, equal or superior
to Caesar in the Gazetteer judgment, with distracted EULOGIES, BIOGRAPHIES and such like filling the
air: before long, a WarCaptain of quite moderate renown; which we shall see sink gradually into no renown
at all, and even (unjustly) into MINUS quantities, before all end. A mad world, my masters!
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"Between Traun on the southwest hand, and his Pandours on the southeast, the small Prussian posts have all
been driven in upon TroppauJagerndorf region; more and more narrowed there;and, in fine (two days
before this new Interview of Leopold and the impatient King at Schweidnitz), have had to quit the Troppau
Jagerndorf position; to quit the Hills altogether, and are now in full march towards Brieg. Of which march I
should say nothing, were it not that Marwitz, Father of Wilhelmina's giggling Marmitzes, commanded;and
came by his death in the course of it; though our Wilhelmina is not now there, pen in hand, to tell us what the
effects at Baireuth were. Marwitz had been left for dead on the Field of Mollwitz; lay so all night, but was
nursed to some kind of strength again by those giggling young women; and came back to Schlesien, to posts
of chief trust, for the last year or two,was guarding the Mountains, and even invading Mahren, during the
late Campaign;but saw himself reduced latterly to Jagerndorf and Troppau; and had even to retreat out of
these. And in the whirlpool of hurries thereupon,how is not very clear; by apoplexy, say some; by
accidental pistol from a servant of his own; in actual skirmish with Pandours,too certainly, one way or the
other, on December 23d (just during that second Interview at Schweidnitz), brave old Marwitz did suddenly
sink dead, and is ended. [ HeldenGeschichte, ii. 1201.] Even so, ye poor giggling creatures, and your loud
weeping will not mend it at all!
"Friedrich, looking candidly into these phenomena, could not but see that: what with Tolpatcheries, what with
Traun's 20,000 regulars, and the whole Army at their back, his Silesian Border is girt in by a very
considerable inroad of Austrians, huge Chain of them, in horseshoe form, 300 miles long, pressing in;
from beyond Glatz and Landshut, round by the southern Mountains, and up eastward again as far as Namslau,
nothing but war whirlwinds in regular or irregular form, in the centre of them Traun;and that the Old
Dessauer really must have time to gird himself for dealing with Traun and them.
"It was not till January 9th that Old Leopold, 25,000 strong, equipped to his mind, which was a difficult
matter, crossed the Neisse River; and marched direct upon Traun, with Ziethen charging ahead. Actually
marched; after which the main wrestle was done in a week. January 16th, Old Leopold got to Jagerndorf;
found the actual Traun concentrated at Jagerndorf; and drew up, to be ready for assault tomorrow
morning,had not Traun, candidly computing, judged it better to glide wholly away in the nighttime,
diligently towards Mahren, breaking the bridges behind him. And so, in effect, to give up the Silesian
Invasion for this time. After which, though there remained a good deal of rough tussling with Pandour details,
and some rugged exploits of fight, there isexcept that of Lehwald in clearing of Glatznothing farther
that we can afford to speak of. Lehwald's exploit, Lehwald VERSUS Wallis (same Wallis who defended
Glogau long since), which came to be talked of, and got name and date, 'Action of Habelschwert, February
14th,' something almost like a pitched fight on the small scale, is to the following effect:
"PLOMNITZ, NEAR HABELSCHWERT, 14th FEBRUARY, 1745. Old General Lehwald, marching in the
hollow ground near Habelschwert (hollow of the young Neisse River, twenty miles south of Glatz), with
intent to cut that Country free; the Enemy, whom he is in search of, appears in great force,posted on the
uphill ground ahead, half frozen difficult stream in front of them, cannon on flank, Pandour multitude in
woods; all things betokening inexpugnability on the part of the Enemy. So that Lehwald has to take his
measures; study well where the vital point is, the root of that extensive Austrian junglery, and cut in upon the
same. By considerable fire of effort, the uphill ground, halffrozen stream, sylvan Pandours, cannon
batteries, and what inexpugnabilities there may be, are subdued; Austrian wide junglery, the root of it slit
asunder rolls homeward simultaneously, not too fast: nay it halted, and reranked itself twice over, finding
woods and quaggy runlets to its mind; but was always slit out again, disrooted, and finally tumbled home,
having had enough. 'Wenzel Wallis,' Friedrich asserts with due scorn, 'was all this while in a Chapel; praying
ardently,' to St. Vitus, or one knows not whom; 'without effect; till they shouted to him, "Beaten, Sir! Off, or
you are lost!" upon which he sprang to saddle, and spurred with both heels (PIQUA DES DEUX).' [ OEuvres
de Frederic, iii. 79. 80.] That was the feat of Lehwald, clearing the Glatz Country with one good cut: a skilful
Captain; now getting decidedly oldish, close on sixty; whom we shall meet again a dozen years hence, still in
harness.
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"The old Serene Highness himself, face the color of gunpowder, and bluer in the winter frost, went rushing
far and wide in an open vehicle, which he called his 'cart;' pushing out detachments, supervising everything;
wheeling hither and thither as needful; sweeping out the Pandour world, and keeping it out: not much of
fighting needed, but 'a great deal of marching [murmurs Friedrich], which in winter is as bad, and wears
down the force of the battalions.' Of all which we give no detail: sufficient to fancy, in this manner, the Old
Dessauer flapping his wide military wings in the faces of the Pandour hordes, with here and there a hard
twitch from beak or claws; tolerably keeping down the Pandour interest all Winter. His sons, Leopold and
Dietrich, were under him, occasionally beside him; the Junior Leopold so worn down with feverish gout he
could hardly sit on horseback at all, while old Papa went tearing about in his cart at that rate."
[ Unternehmung in OberSchlesien, unter dem Fursten Leopold von AnhaltDessau, im Januar und
Februar, 1745 (Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 141152); Stenzel, iv. 232;
There was, on the 21st of February, TEDEUM sung in the churches of Berlin "for the Deliverance of Silesia
from Invasion." Not that even yet the Pandours would be quite quiet, or allow Old Leopold to quit his cart;
far from it. And they returned in such increased and tempestuous state, as will again require mention, with the
earliest Spring:precursors to a second, far more serious and deadly "Invasion of Silesia;" for which it hangs
yet on the balance whether there will be a TEDEUM or a MISERERE to sing!
Hungarian Majesty, disappointed of Silesia,which, it seems, is not to be had "all at once (EHESTENS)," in
the form of miracle, makes amends by a rush upon Seckendorf and Bavaria; attacks Seckendorf furiously
("Bathyani pressing up the Donau Valley, with Browne on one hand, and Barenklau on the other") in
midwinter; and makes a terrible hand of him; reducing his "Reconquest of Bavaria" to nothing again, nay to
less. Of which in due time.
THE FRENCH FULLY INTEND TO BEHAVE BETTER NEXT SEASON TO FRIEDRICH AND THEIR
GERMAN ALLIES;BUT ARE PREVENTED BY VARIOUS ACCIDENTS
(November, 1744April, 1745; AprilAugust, 1745).
It is not divine miracle, Friedrich knows well, that has lost him his late Bohemian Conquests without battle
fought: it was rash choosing of a plan inexecutable without French cooperation, culpable blindness to the
chance that France would break its promises, and not cooperate. Had your Majesty forgotten the Joint
Stock Principle, then? His Majesty has sorrowful cause to remember it, from this time, on a still larger scale!
Reflections, indignant or exculpatory, on the conduct of the French in this Business are useless to Friedrich,
and to us. The performance, on their part, has been nearly the worst;though their intentions, while the
Austrian Dragon had them by the throat, were doubtless enthusiastically good! But, the big Austrian Dragon
being jerked away from Elsass, by Friedrich's treading on his tail, 500 miles off, they were charmed, quite
into new enthusiasm, to be rid of said Dragon: and, instead of chasing HIM according to bargain, took to
destroying his DEN, that he might be harmless thenceforth. Freyburg is a captured Town, to the joy and glory
of admiring France; and Friedrich's Campaign has gone the road we see! The Freyburg Illuminations having
burnt out, there might rise, in the triumphant mind, some thought of Friedrich again,perhaps almost of a
remorseful nature? Certain it is, the French intentions are now again magnanimous, more so than ever;
coupled now with some attempts at fulfilment, too; which obliges us to mention them here. They were still a
matter of important hope to Friedrich; hope which did not quite go out till August coming. Though, alas, it
did then go out, in gusts of indignation on Friedrich's part! And as the whole of these magnanimous French
intentions, latter like former, again came to zero, we are interested only in rendering them conceivable to
readers for Friedrich's sake,with the more brevity, the better for everybody. Two grand French Attempts
there were; listen, on the threshold, a little:
... "It is certain the French intend gloriously; regardless of expense. They are dismantling Freyburg, to render
it harmless henceforth. But, withal, in answer to the poor Kaiser's shrieks, they have sent Segur [our old Linz
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friend], with 12,000, to assist Seckendorf; 'the bravest troops in the world,'"who did bravely take one
beating (at Pfaffenhofen, as will be seen), and go home again. ("They have Coigny guarding those fine
Brisgau Conquests. And are furthermore diplomatizing diligently, not to say truculently, in the Rhine
Countries; bullying poor little fat KurTrier, lean KurKoln and others, 'To join the Frankfurt Union' (not
one of whom would, under menace),though 'it is the clear duty of all Reich'sPrinces with a Kaiser under
oppression:'and have marched Maillebois, directly after Freyburg, into the Middle Rhine Countries, to
Koln Country, to Mainz Country, and to and fro, in support of said compulsory diplomacies;but without
the least effect."
To the "MiddleRhine Countries," observe, and under Maillebois, then under Conti, little matter under
whom: only let readers recollect the name of it;for it is the FIRST of the French Attempts to do something
of a jointstock nature; something for self AND Allies, instead of for self only. It caused great alarm in those
months, to Britannic George and others; and brought out poor Duc d'Ahremberg with portions (no English
included) of the poor Pragmatic Army, to go marching about in the winter slushes, instead of resting in bed,
[Adelung, iv. 276, 420 ("December, 1744June, 1745").]and is indeed a very loud business in the old
Gazettes and books, till August coming. Business which almost broke poor D'Ahremberg's heart, he says, "till
once I got out of it" (was TURNED out, in fact): Business of Pragmatic Army, under D'Ahremberg,
VERSUS MiddleRhine Army under Maillebois, under Conti; Business now wholly of Zero VERSUS Zero
to us,except for a few dates and reflex glimmerings upon King Friedrich. Result otherwise We shall see
the Result!
"Attempt SECOND was still more important to Friedrich; being directed upon the Kaiser and Bavaria.
Belleisle is to go thither and take survey; Belleisle thither first: you may judge if the intention is sincere!
Valori is quite eloquent upon it. Directly after Freyburg, says he, Sechelles, that first of Commissaries, was
sent to Munchen. Sechelles cleared up the chaos of Accounts; which King Louis then instantly paid. 'Your
Imperial Majesty shall have Magazines also,' said Louis, regardless of expense; 'and your Army, with
auxiliaries (Segur and 25,000 of them French), shall be raised to 60,000.' Belleisle then came: 'We will have
Ingolstadt, the first thing, in Spring.' Alas, Belleisle had his Accident in the Harz; and all went aback, from
that time." [Valori, i. 322329.] Aback, too indisputably, all!"And Belleisle's Accident?" Patience, readers.
"The truth is, Attempt SECOND, and chief, broke down at once [Bathyani beating it to pieces, as will be
seen],the ruins of it painfully reacting on Attempt FIRST; which had the like fate some months later;and
there was no THIRD made. And, in fact, from the date of that latter downbreak, August, or end of July,
1745 [and quite especially from "September 13th," by which time several irrevocable things had happened,
which we shall hear of], the French withdrew altogether out of German entanglements; and concentrated
themselves upon the Netherlands, there to demolish his Britannic Majesty, as the likelier enterprise. This was
a course to which, ever since the Exit of Broglio and the Oriflamme, they had been more and more tending
and inclining, 'Nothing for us but loss on loss, to be had in Germany!' and so they at last frankly gave up that
bad Country. They fought well in the Netherlands, with great splendor of success, under Saxe VERSUS
Cumberland and Company. They did also some successful work in Italy;and left Friedrich to bear the
brunt in Germany; too glad if he or another were there to take Germany off their hand! Friedrich's feelings on
his arriving at this consummation, and during his gradual advance towards it, which was pretty steady all
along from those first 'drenchedhen (POULES MOUILLEES)' procedures, were amply known to
Excellency Valori, and may be conceived by readers,"who are slightly interested in the dates of them at
farthest. And now for the Belleisle Accident, with these faint preliminary lights.
STRANGE ACCIDENT TO MARECHAL DE BELLEISLE IN THE
HARZ MOUNTAINS (20th December, 1744).
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Siege of Freyburg being completed, and the River and most other things (except always the bastions, which
we blow up) being let into their old channels there, Marechal de Belleisle, who is to have a chief management
henceforth,the Most Christian King recognizing him again as his ablest man in war or peace,sets forth
on a long tour of supervision, of diplomacy and general arrangement, to prepare matters for the next
Campaign. Need enough of a Belleisle: what a business we have made of it, since Friedrich trod on the
serpent's tail for us.! Nothing but our own Freyburg to show for ourselves; elsewhere, mere downrush of
everything whitherward it liked;and King Friedrich got into such a humor! Friedrich must be put in tune
again; something real and good to be agreed on at Berlin: let that be the last thing, crown of the whole. The
first thing is, look into Bavaria a little; and how the Kaiser, poor gentleman, in want of all requisites but
goodwill, can be put into something of fighting posture.
"In the end of November, Marechal Duc de Belleisle, with his Brother the Chevalier (now properly the
Count, there having been promotions), and a great retinue more, alights at Munchen; holds counsel with the
poor Kaiser for certain days:Money wanted; many things wanted; and all things, we need not doubt, much
fallen out of square. 'Those Seckendorf troops in their winterquarters,' say our French Inspectors and Segur
people, as usual, 'do but look on it, your Excellency! Scattered, along the valleys, into the very edge of
Austria; Austria will swallow them, the first thing, next year; they will never rendezvous again except in the
Austrian prisons. Surely, Monseigneur, only a man ignorant of war, or with treasonous intention [or illoff
for victuals],could post troops in that way? Seckendorf is not ignorant of war!' say they. [Valori, i. 206.]
For, in fact, suspicion runs high; and there is no end to the accusations just and unjust; and Seckendorf is as
ill treated as any of us could wish. Poor old soul. Probably nobody in all the Earth, but his old Wife in the
Schloss of Altenburg, has any pity for him,if even she, which I hope. He has fought and diplomatized and
intrigued in many countries, very much; and in his old days is hard bested. Monseigueur, whose part is rather
that of Jove the Cloudcompeller, is studious to be himself noiseless amid this noise; and makes no alteration
in the Seckendorf troops; but it is certain he meant to do it, thinks Valori."
And indeed Seckendorf, tired of the Bavarian bedofroses, had privately fixed with himself to quit the
same;and does so, inexorable to the very Kaiser, on NewYear arriving. [ Seckendorfs Leben, p. 365.]
Succeeded by Thorring (our old friend DRUM Thorring), if that be an improvement. Marechal de Belleisle
has still a long journey ahead, and infinitely harder problems than these,assuagement of the King of
Prussia, for example. Let us follow his remarkable steps.
"WEDNESDAY, 9th DECEMBER, 1744, the Marechal leaves Munchen, northwards through OEttingen and
the BambergAnspach regions towards Cassel;journey of some three hundred and fifty miles: with a great
retinue of his own; with an escort of two hundred horse from the Kaiser; these latter to prevent any outfall or
insult in the Ingolstadt quarter, where the Austrians have a garrison, not at all very tightly blocked by the
Seckendorf people thereabouts. No insult or outfall occurring, the Marechal dismisses his escort at
OEttingen; fares forward in his twenty coaches and fourgons, some score or so of vehicles:mere neutral
Imperial Countries henceforth, where the Kaiser's Agent, as Marechal de Belleisle can style himself, and
Titular Prince of the German Empire withal, has only to pay his way. By Donauworth, by OEttingen; over the
Donau acclivities, then down the pleasant Valley of the Mayn. [See REVIEW OF THE CASE OF
MARSHAL BELLEISLE (or Abstract of it, Gentleman's Magazine, 1745, pp. 366373);
"SUNDAY, 13th DECEMBER, Marechal de Belleisle arrives at Hanau [where we have seen Conferences
held before now, and Carteret, Prince Karl and great George our King very busy], there to confer with
Marshals Coigny, Maillebois and other high men, Commanders in those Rhine parts. Who all come
accordingly, except Marechal Maillebois, who is sorry that he absolutely cannot; but will surely do himself
the honor as Monseigneur returns." As Monseigneur returns! "And so, on Monday, 14th, Monseigneur starts
for Cassel; say a hundred miles right north; where we shall meet Prince Wilhelm of HessenCassel, a zealous
Ally; inform him how his Troops, under Seckendorf, are posted [at Vilshofen yonder; hiding how perilous
their post is, or promising alterations]; perhaps rest a day or two, consulting as to the common weal: How the
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King of Prussia takes our treatment of him? How to smooth the King of Prussia, and turn him to harmony
again? We are approaching the true nodus of our business, difficulty of difficulties; and Wilhelm, the wise
Landgraf, may afford a hint or two. Thus travels magnanimous Belleisle in twenty vehicles, a man loaded
with weighty matters, in these deep Winter months; suffering dreadfully from rheumatic neuralgic ailments, a
Doctor one of his needfulest equipments; and has the hardest problem yet ahead of him.
"Prince Wilhelm's consultations are happily lost altogether; buried from sight forever, to the last hint,all
except as to what road to Berlin would be the best from Cassel. By Leipzig, through lowlying country, is the
great Highway, advisable in winter; but it runs a hundred and thirty miles to right, before ever starting
northward; such a roundabout. Not to say that the Saxons are allies of Austria,if there be anything in that.
Enemies, they, to the Most Christian King: though surely, again, we are on Kaiser's business, nay we are
titular 'Prince of the Reich,' for that matter, such the Kaiser's grace to us? Well; it is better perhaps to AVOID
the Saxon Territory. And, of course, the Hanoverian much more; through which lies the other Great Road!
'Go by the Harz,' advises Landgraf Wilhelm: 'a rugged Hill Country; but it is your hypotenuse towards Berlin;
passes at once, or nearly so, from Cassel Territory into Prussian: a rugged road, but a shorter and safer.' That
is the road Belleisle resolves upon. Twenty carriages; his Brother the Chevalier and himself occupy one; and
always the courier rides before, ordering forty posthorses to be ready harnessed.
"SUNDAY, 20th DECEMBER, 1744. In this way they have climbed the eastern shin of the Harz Range,
where the Harz is capable of wheel carriages; and hope now to descend, this night, to Halberstadt; and
thence rapidly by level roads to Berlin. It is sinking towards dark; the courier is forward to Elbingerode,
ordering forty horses to be out. Roughish uphill road; winter in the sky and earth, winter vapors and tumbling
windgusts: westward, in torn storm cloak, the Bracken, with its witchdances; highland Goslar, and ghost
of Henry the Fowler, on the other side of it. A multifarious wizard Country, much overhung by goblin
reminiscences, witch dances, sorcerers'sabbaths and the like,if a rheumatic gentleman cared to look on
it, in the cold twilight. Brrh! Waste chasmy uplands, snowchoked torrents; wild people, gloomy firs! Here at
last, by one's watch 5 P.M., is Elbingerode, uncomfortable little Town; and it is to be hoped the forty
posthorses are ready.
"Behold, while the forty posthorses are getting ready, a thing takes place, most unexpected;which made
the name of Elbingerode famous for eight months to come. Of which let us hastily give the bare facts, Fancy
making of them what she can. Was Monseigneur aware that this Elbingerode, with a patch of territory round
it, is Hanoverian ground; one of those distracted patches or ragged outskirts frequent in the German map?
Prussia is not yet, and HessenCassel has ceased to be. Undoubtedly Hanoverian! Apparently the Landgraf
and Monseigneur had not thought of that. But Munchhausen of Hanover, spies informing him, had. The
Bailiff (Vogt, AdVOCATus) has gathered twenty JAGER [official Gamekeepers] with their guns, and a
select idle Sunday population of the place with or without guns: the Vogt steps forward, and inquires for
Monseigneur's passport. 'No passport, no need of any!''Pardon!' and signifies to Monseigneur, on the part
of George Elector of Hanover, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, that Monseigneur is arrested!
"Monseigneur, with compressed or incompressible feelings, indignantly complies,what could he else,
unfortunate rheumatic gentleman?and is plucked away in such sudden manner, he for one, out of that big
German game of his raising. The twenty vehicles are dragged different roads; towards Scharzfels, Osterode,
or I know not where,handiest roads to Hanover;and Monseigneur himself has travelling treatment which
might be complained of, did not one disdain complaint: 'my Brother parted from me, nay my Doctor, and my
Interpreter;'"not even speech possible to me. [Letter of Belleisle next morning, "Neuhof, 21st December, 9
A.M." (in Valori, i. 204), to Munchhausen at Hanover,by no possibility "to Valori," as the distracted
French Editor has given it!] That was the Belleisle Accident in the Harz, Sunday Evening, 20th December,
1744.
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"Afflicted indignant Valori, soon enough apprised, runs to Friedrich with the news,greets Friedrich with it
just alighting from that Silesian run of his own. Friedrich, not without several other things to think of, is
naturally sorry at such news; sorry for his own sake even; but not overmuch. Friedrich refuses 'to despatch a
party of horse,' and cut out Marechal de Belleisle. "That will never do, MON CHER!'and even gets into
FROIDES PLAISANTERIES: 'Perhaps the Marechal did it himself? Tallard, prisoner after Blenheim, made
PEACE, you know, in England?'and the like; which grieved the soul of Valori, and convinced him of
Friedrich's inhumanity, in a crying case.
"Belleisle is lugged on to Hanover; his case not doubtful to Munchhausen, or the English Ministry,though
it raised great argument, (was the capture fair, was it unfair? Is he entitled to exchange by cartel, or not
entitled?' and produced, in the next eight months, much angry animated pamphleteering and negotiation. For
we hear by and by, he is to be forwarded to Stade, on the Hamburg seacoast, where English Seventyfours
are waiting for him; his case still undecided;and, in effect, it was not till after eight months that he got
dismissal. 'Lodged handsomely in Windsor Palace,' in the interim; free on his parole, people of rank very civil
to him, though the Gazetteers were sometimes illtongued, had he understood their PATOIS, or concerned
himself about such things. ["TUESDAY, 18th FEBRUARY [lst March, 1745], Marshal Belleisle landed at
Harwich; lay at Greenwich Palace, having crossed Thames at the Isle of Dogs: next morning, about 10, set
out, in a coachandsix, Colonel Douglas and two troops of horse escorting; arrived 3 P.M.,by
Camberwell, Clapham, Wandsworth, over Kingston and Staines Bridges,at Windsor Castle, and the
apartments ready for him." ( Gentleman's Magazine, 1745, p 107.) Was let go 13th (24th) August, again with
great pomp and civilities (ib. p. 442). See Adelung, iv. 299, 346; v. 83, 84.]
"It was a current notion among contemporary mankind, this of Friedrich, that Belleisle's capture might be a
mere collusion, meant to bring about a Peace in that Tallard fashion,wide of the truth as such a notion is,
far as any Peace was from following. To Britannic George and his Hanoverians it had merely seemed, Here
was a chief WarCaptain and Diplomatist among the French; the pivot of all these worldwide movements,
as Valori defines him; which pivot, a chance offering, it were well to twitch from its socket, and see what
would follow. Perhaps nothing will follow; next to nothing? A world, all waltzing in mad war, is not to be
stopped by acting on any pivot; your waltzing world will find new pivots, or do without any, and perhaps
only waltz the more madly for wanting the principal one."
This withdrawal of Belleisle, the one Frenchman respected by Friedrich, or much interested for his own sake
in things German, is reckoned a main cause why the French Alliance turned out so ill for Friedrich; and why
French effort took more and more a Netherlands direction thenceforth, and these new French magnanimities
on Friedrich's behalf issued in futility again. Probably they never could have issued in very much: but it is
certain that, from this point, they also do become zero; and that Friedrich, from his French alliance, reaped
from first to last nothing at all, except a great deal of obloquy from German neighbors, and from the French
side endless trouble, anger and disappointment in every particular. Which 'might be a joy (though not
unmixed) to Britannic Majesty and the subtle followers who had ginned this fine Belleisle bird in its flight
over the Harz Range? Though again, had they passively let him wing his way, and he had GOT "to be
Commander and Manager," as was in agitation,he, Belleisle and in Germany, instead of Marechal de Saxe
with the Netherlands as chief scene,what an advantage might that have been to them!
THE KAISER KARL VII. GETS SECURED FROM OPPRESSIONS, IN A
TRAGIC WAY. FRIEDRICH PROPOSES PEACE, BUT TO NO PURPOSE.
A still sadder cross for Friedrich, in the current of foreign Accidents and Diplomacies, was the next that
befell; exactly a month later,at Munchen, 20th January, 1745. Hardly was Belleisle's back turned, when her
Hungarian Majesty, by her Bathyani and Company, broke furiously in upon the poor Kaiser and his
SeckendorfSegur defences. Belleisle had not reached the Harz, when all was going topsyturvy there again,
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and the DonauValley fast falling back into Austrian hands. Nor is that the worst, or nearly so.
"MUNCHEN, 20th JANUARY, 1745. This day poor Kaiser Karl laid down his earthly burden here, and at
length gave all his enemies the slip. He had been ill of gout for some time; a man of much malady always,
with no want of vexations and apprehensions. Too likely the Austrians will drive him out of Munchen again;
then nothing but furnished lodgings, and the French to depend upon. He had been much chagrined by some
Election, just done, in the Chapter of Salzburg. [Adelung, iv. 249, 276, 313.] The Archbishop thereit was
Firmian, he of the SALZBURG EMIGRATION, memorable to readershad died, some while ago. And
now, in flat contradiction to Imperial customs, prerogatives, these people had admitted an Austrian Garrison;
and then, in the teeth of our express precept, had elected an Austrian to their benefice: what can one account
it but an insult as well as an injury? And the neuralgic maladies press sore, and the gouty twinges; and
Belleisle is seized, perhaps with important papers of ours; and the SeckendorfSegur detachments were ill
placed; nay here are the Austrians already on the throat of them, in midwinter! It is said, a babbling valet, or
lordinwaiting, happened to talk of some skirmish that had fallen out (called a battle, in the valet rumor),
and how ill the French and Bavarians had fared in it, owing to their ill behavior. And this, add they, proved to
be the ounceweight too much for the so heavyladen back.
"The Kaiser took to bed, not much complaining; patient, mild, though the saddest of all mortals; and, in a day
or two, died. Adieu, adieu, ye loved faithful ones; pity me, and pray for me! He gave his Wife, poor little fat
devout creature, and his poor Children (eldest lad, his Heir, only seventeen), a tender blessing; solemnly
exhorted them, To eschew ambition, and be warned by his example;to make their peace with Austria; and
never, like him, try COM' E DURO CALLE, and what the charity of Christian Kings amounts to. This
counsel, it is thought, the Empress Dowager zealously accedes to, and will impress upon her Son. That is the
Austrian and CauseofLiberty account: King Friedrich, from the other side, has heard a directly opposite
one. How the Kaiser, at the point of death, exhorted his son, 'Never forget the services which the King of
France and the King of Prussia have done us, and do not repay them with ingratitude.' [ OEuvres de Frederic,
iii. 92;and see (PER CONTRA) in Adelung, iv. 314 A; in Coxe, The reader can choose which he will, or
reject both into the region of the uncertain. 'Karl Albert's pious and affectionate demeanor drew tears from all
eyes,' say the by standers: 'the manner in which he took leave of his Empress would have melted a heart of
stone.' He was in his fortyeighth year; he had been, of all men in his generation, the most conspicuously
unhappy."
What a downrush of confusion there ensued on this event, not to Bavaria alone, but to all the world, and to
King Friedrich more than another, no reader can now take the pains of conceiving. The "Frankfurt Union,"
then, has gone to air! Here is now no "Kaiser to be delivered from oppression:" here is a new Kaiser to be
elected,"GrandDuke Franz the man," cry the Pragmatic Potentates with exultation, "no Belleisle to
disturb!"and questions arise innumerable thereupon, Will France go into electioneering again? The new
KurBaiern, only seventeen, poor child, cannot be set up as candidate. What will France do with HIM; what
he with France? Whom can the French try as Candidate against the GrandDuke? KurSachsen, the Polish
Majesty again? Belleisle himself must have paused uncertain over such a welter,and probably have done,
like the others, little or nothing in it, but left it to collapse by natural gravitation.
Hungarian Majesty checked her Bavarian Armaments a little: "If perhaps this young KurBaiern will detach
himself from France, and on submissive terms come over to us?" Whereupon, at Munchen, and in the cognate
quarters, such wriggling, dubitating and diplomatizing, as seldom was,French, AntiFrench (Seckendorf
busiest of all), straining every nerve in that way, and for almost three months, nothing coming of it,till
Hungarian Majesty sent her Barenklaus and Bathyanis upon them again; and these rapidly solved the
question, in what way we shall see!
Friedrich has still his hopes of Bavaria, so grandiloquent are the French in regard to it; who but would hope?
The French diplomatize to all lengths in Munchen, promising seas and mountains; but they perform little; in
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an effectual manner, nothing. Bavarian "Army raised to 60,000;" counts in fact little above half that number;
with no General to it but an imaginary one; Segur's actual French contingent, instead of 25,000, is perhaps
12,000;and so of other things. Add to all which, Seckendorf is there, not now as War General, but as
extraofficial "Adviser;" busier than ever, "scandalous old traitor!" say the French;and Friedrich may
justly fear that Bavaria will go, by collapse, a bad road for him.
Friedrich, a week or two after the Kaiser's death, seeing Bavarian and French things in such a hypothetic
state, instructs his Ambassador at London to declare his, Friedrich's, perfect readiness and wish for Peace:
"Old Treaty of Breslau and Berlin made indubitable to me; the rest of the quarrel has, by decease of the
Kaiser, gone to air." To which the Britannic Majesty, rather elated at this time, as all Pragmatic people are,
answers somewhat in a careless way, "Well, if the others like it!" and promises that he will propose it in the
proper quarter. So that henceforth there is always a hope of Peace through England; as well as contrariwise,
especially till Bavaria settle itself (in April next), a hope of great assistance from the French. Here are
potentialities and counterpotentialities, which make the Bavarian Intricacy very agitating to the young King,
while it lasts. And indeed his world is one huge imbroglio of Potentialities and Diplomatic Intricacies,
agitating to behold. Concerning which we have again to remark how these huge Spectres of Diplomacy, now
filling Friedrich's world, came mostly in result to Nothing;shaping themselves wholly, for or against, in
exact proportion, direct or inverse, to the actual Quantity of Battle and effective Performance that happened
to be found in Friedrich himself. Diplomatic Spectralities, wide Fatamorganas of hope, and hideous big
Bugbears blotting out the sun: of these, few men ever had more than Friedrich at this time. And he is careful,
none carefuler, not to neglect his Diplomacies at any time;though he knows, better than most, that good
fighting of his own is what alone can determine the value of these contingent and aerial quantities,mere
Lapland witchcraft the greater part of them.
A second grand Intricacy and difficulty, still more enigmatic, and pressing the tighter by its close
neighborhood, was that with the Saxons. "Are the Saxons enemies; are they friends? Neutrals at lowest;
bound by Treaty to lend Austria troops; but to lend for defence merely, not for offence! Could not one, by
good methods, make friends with his Polish Majesty?" Friedrich was far from suspecting the rages that lurked
in the Polish Majesty, and least of all owing to what. Owing to that old MORAVIANFORAY business; and
to his, Friedrich's, behavior to the Saxons in it; excellent Saxons, who had behaved so beautifully to
Friedrich! That is the sad fact, however. Stupid Polish Majesty has his natural envies, jealousies, of a
Brandenburg waxing over his head at this rate. But it appears, the Moravian Foray entered for a great deal
into the account, and was the final overwhelming item. Bruhl, by much descanting on that famous
Expedition,with such candid Eye witnesses to appeal to, such corroborative Staffofficers and
appliances, powerful on the idle heart and weak brain of a Polish Majesty,has brought it so far. Fixed
indignation, for intolerable usage, especially in that MoravianForay time: fixed; not very malignant, but
altogether obstinate (as, I am told, that of the pacific sheep species usually is); which carried Bruhl and his
Polish Majesty to extraordinary heights and depths in years coming! But that will deserve a section to itself
by and by.
A third difficulty, privately more stringent than any, is that of Finance. The expenses of the late Bohemian
Expedition, "Friedrich's Army costing 75,000 pounds a month," have been excessive. For our next Campaign,
if it is to be done in the way essential, there are, by rigorous arithmetic, "900,000 pounds" needed. A frugal
Prussia raises no new taxes; pays its Wars from "the Treasure," from the Fund saved beforehand for
emergencies of that kind; Fund which is running low, threatening to be at the lees if such drain on it continue.
To fight with effect being the one sure hope, and salve for all sores, it is not in the Army, in the Fortresses,
the Fighting Equipments, that there shall be any flaw left! Friedrich's budget is a sore problem upon him;
needing endless shift and ingenuity, now and onwards, through this war:already, during these months, in
the Berlin Schloss, a great deal of those massive FriedrichWilhelm plate Sumptuosities, especially that
unparalleled MusicBalcony up stairs, all silver, has been, under Fredersdorf's management, quietly taken
away; "carried over, in the nighttime, to the Mint." [Orlich, ii. 126128.]
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And, in fact, no modern reader, not deeper in that distressing story of the AustrianSuccession War than
readers are again like to be, can imagine to himself the difficulties of Friedrich at this time, as they already
lay disclosed, and kept gradually disclosing themselves, for months coming; nor will ever know what
perspicacity, patience of scanning, sharpness of discernment, dexterity of management, were required at
Friedrich's hands;and under what imminency of peril, too; victorious deliverance, or ruin and annihilation,
wavering fearfully in the balance for him, more than once, or rather all along. But it is certain the deeper one
goes into that hideous Medea's Caldron of stupidities, once so flamy, now fallen extinct, the more is one
sensible of Friedrich's difficulties; and of the talent for all kinds of Captaincy,by no means in the Field
only, or perhaps even chiefly,that was now required of him. Candid readers shall accept these hints, and do
their best:Friedrich himself made not the least complaint of men's then misunderstanding him; still less
will he now! We, keeping henceforth the Diplomacies, the vaporous Foreshadows, and general Dance of
Unclean Spirits with their intrigues and spectralities, well underground, so far as possible, will stick to what
comes up as practical Performance on Friedrich's part, and try to give intelligible account of that.
Valori says, he is greatly changed, and for the better, by these late reverses of fortune. All the world notices
it, says Valori. No longer that brief infallibility of manner; that lofty light air, that politely disdainful view of
Valori and mankind: he has now need of men. Complains of nothing, is cheerful, quizzical; ardently busy
to "grind out the notches," as our proverb is; has a mild humane aspect, something of modesty, almost of
piety in him. Help me, thou Supreme Power, Maker of men, if my purposes are manlike! Though one does
not go upon the Prayers of FortyHours, or apply through St. Vitus and such channels, there may be
something of authentic petition to Heaven in the thoughts of that young man. He is grown very amiable; the
handsomest young bit of Royalty now going. He must fight well next Summer, or it will go hard with him!
Chapter VI. VALORI GOES ON AN ELECTIONEERING MISSION TO
DRESDEN.
Some time in January, a new Frenchman, a "Chevalier de Courten," if the name is known to anybody, was
here at Berlin; consulting, settling about mutual interests and operations. Since Belleisle is snatched from us,
it is necessary some Courten should come; and produce what he has got: little of settlement, I should fear, of
definite program that will hold water; in regard to War operations chiefly a magazine of clouds. [Specimens
of it, in Ranke, iii. 219.] For the rest, the Bavarian question; and very specially, Who the new Emperor is to
be? "King of Poland, thinks your Majesty?""By all means," answers Friedrich, "if you can! Detach him
from Austria; that will be well!" Which was reckoned magnanimous, at least publicspirited, in Friedrich;
considering what Saxony's behavior to him had already been. "By all means, his Polish Majesty for Kaiser;
do our utmost, Excellencies Valori, Courten and Company!" answers Friedrich,and for his own part, I
observe, is intensely busy upon Army matters, looking after the main chance.
And so Valori is to go to Dresden, and manage this cloud or cobwebbery department of the thing; namely,
persuade his Polish Majesty to stand for the Kaisership: "Baiern, Pfalz, Koln, Brandenburg, there are four
votes, Sire; your own is five: sure of carrying it, your Polish Majesty; backed by the Most Christian King, and
his Allies and resources!" And Polish Majesty does, for his own share, very much desire to be Kaiser. But
none of us yet knows how he is tied up by Austria, AntiFriedrich, AntiFrench considerations; and can only
"accept if it is offered me:" thrice willing to accept, if it will fall into my mouth; which, on those terms, it
has so little chance of doing!Saxony and its mysterious affairs and intentions having been, to Friedrich, a
riddle and trouble and astonishment, during all this Campaign, readers ought to know the fact well;and no
reader could stand the details of such a fact. Here, in condensed form, are some scraps of Excerpt; which
enable us to go with Valori on this Dresden Mission, and look for ourselves:
1. FRIEDRICH'S POSITION TOWARDS SAXONY.
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"... By known Treaty, the Polish Majesty is bound to assist the Hungarian with 12,000 men, 'whenever
invaded in her own dominions.' Polish Majesty had 20,000 in the field for that object lately, part of them,
8,000 of them, hired by Britannic subsidy, as he alleges. The question now is, Will Saxony assist Austria in
invading Silesia, with or without Britannic subsidy? Friedrich hopes that this is impossible! Friedrich is
deeply unaware of the humor he has raised against himself in the Saxon Courtcircles; how the Polish
Majesty regards that Moravian Foray; with what a perfect hatred little Bruhl regards him, Friedrich; and to
what pitch of humor, owing to those MoravianForay starvings, marchings about and inhuman treatment of
the poor Saxon Army, not to mention other offences and afflictive considerations, Bruhl has raised the simple
Polish Majesty against Friedrich. These things, as they gradually unfolded themselves to Friedrich, were very
surprising. And proved very disadvantageous at the present juncture and for a long time afterwards. To
Friedrich disadvantageous and surprising; and to Saxony, in the end, ruinous; poor Saxony having got its
back broken by them, and never stood up in the world since! Ruined by this wretched little Bruhl; and
reduced, from the first place in Northern Teutschland, to a second or third, or no real place at all."
2. THERE IS A, "UNION OF WARSAW" (8th January, 1745);
AND STILL MORE SPECIALLY A "TREATY OF WARSAW"
(8th January18th May, 1745).
"January 8th, 1745, before the Old Dessauer got ranked in Schlesien against Traun, there had concluded itself
at Warsaw, by way of counterpoise to the 'Frankfurt Union,' a 'Union of Warsaw,' called also 'Quadruple
Alliance of Warsaw;' the Parties to which were Polish Majesty, Hungarian ditto, PrimeMovers, and the two
SeaPowers as Purseholders; stipulating, to the effect: 'We Four will hold together in affairs of the Reich
VERSUS that dangerous Frankfurt Union; we will'do a variety of salutary things; and as one practical
thing, 'There shall be, this Season, 30,000 Saxons conjoined to the Austrian Force, for which we SeaPowers
will furnish subsidy.'This was the one practical point stipulated, January 8th; and farther than this the
SeaPowers did not go, now or afterwards, in that affair.
"But there was then proposed by the Polish and Hungarian Majesties, in the form of Secret Articles, an
ulterior Project; with which the SeaPowers, expressing mere disbelief and even abhorrence of it, refused to
have any concern now or henceforth. Polish Majesty, in hopes it would have been better taken, had given his
30,000 soldiers at a rate of subsidy miraculously low, only 150,000 pounds for the whole: but the
SeaPowers were inexorable, perhaps almost repented of their 150,000 pounds; and would hear nothing
farther of secret Articles and delirious Projects.
"So that the 'Union of Warsaw' had to retire to its pigeonhole, content with producing those 30,000 Saxons
for the immediate occasion; and there had to be concocted between the Polish and Hungarian Majesties
themselves what is now, in the modern Pamphlets, called a 'TREATY of Warsaw,'much different from the
innocent, 'UNION of Warsaw;' though it is merely the specifying and fixing down of what had been
shadowed out as secret codicils in said 'Union,' when the SeaPower parties obstinately recoiled. Treaty of
Warsaw let us continue to call it; though its actual birthplace was Leipzig (in the profoundest secrecy, 18th
May, 1745), above four months after it had tried to be born at Warsaw, and failed as aforesaid. Warsaw
Union is not worth speaking of; but this other is a Treaty highly remarkable to the reader,and to Friedrich
was almost infinitely so, when he came to get wind of it long after.
"Treaty which, though it proved abortional, and never came to fulfilment in any part of it, is at this day one of
the remarkablest bits of sheepskin extant in the world. It was signed 18th May, 1745; [Scholl, ii. 350.] and
had cost a great deal of painful contriving, capable still of new altering and retouching, to hit mutual views:
Treaty not only for reconquering Silesia (which to the Two Majesties, though it did not to the SeaPowers,
seems infallible, in Friedrich's now ruined circumstances), but for cutting down that bad Neighbor to
something like the dimensions proper for a Brandenburg Vassal;in fact, quite the old 'Detestable Project' of
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Spring, 1741, only more elaborated into detail (in which Britannic George knows better than to meddle!)
Saxony to have share of the parings, when we get them. 'What share?' asked Saxony, and long keeps asking.
'A road to Warsaw; Strip of Country carrying us from the end of the Lausitz, which is ours, into Poland,
which we trust will continue ours, would be very handy! Duchy of Glogau; some small paring of Silesia,
won't your Majesty?' 'Of my Silesia not one handbreadth,' answered the Queen impatiently (though she did
at last concede some outlying handbreadths, famed old 'Circle of Schwiebus,' if I recollect); and they have
had to think of other equivalent parings for Saxony's behoof (Magdeburg, Halberstadt, SaaleCircle, or one
knows not what); and have had, and will have, their adoes to get it fixed. Excellent bearskin to be slit into
straps; only the bear is still on his feet!Polish Majesty and Hungarian, Polish with especial vigor, Bruhl
quite restless upon it, arelittle as Valori or any mortal could dream of itengaged in this partition of the
bearskin, when Valori arrives. Of their innocent Union of Warsaw, there was, from the first, no secret made;
but the Document now called 'TREATY of Warsaw' needs to lie secret and thricesecret; and it was not till
1756 that Friedrich, having unearthed it by industries of his own, and studied it with great intensity for some
years, made it known to the world." [Adelung, v. 308. 397; Ranke, iii. 231 (who, for some reason of his own,
dates "3d May" instead of 18th}.]
Treaties, vaporous Foreshadows of Events, have oftenest something of the ghost in them; and are importune
to human nature, longing for the Events themselves; all the more if they have proved abortional Treaties, and
become doubly ghostlike or ghastly. Nevertheless the reader is to note well this Treaty of Warsaw, as
important to Friedrich and him; and indeed it is perhaps the remarkablest Treaty, abortional or realized,
which got to parchment in that Century. For though it proved abortional, and no part of it, now or afterwards,
could be executed, and even the subsidy and 30,000 Saxons (stipulated in the "UNION of Warsaw") became
crow's meat in a manner,this preternatural "Treaty of Warsaw," trodden down never so much by the heel
of Destiny, and by the weight of new Treaties, superseding it or presupposing its impossibility or
inconceivability, would by no means die (such the humor of Bruhl, of the Two Majesties and others); but lay
alive under the ashes, carefully tended, for Ten or Twenty Years to come;and had got all Europe kindled
again, for destruction of that bad Neighbor, before it would itself consent to go out! And did succeed in
getting Saxony's back broken, if not the bad Neighbor's,in answer to the humor of little Bruhl; unfortunate
Saxony to possess such a Bruhl!
In those beautiful SaxonAustrian developments of the Treaty of Warsaw, Czarina Elizabeth, bobbing about
in that unlovely whirlpool of intrigues, amours, devotions and strong liquor, which her History is, took (ask
not for what reason) a lively part:and already in this Spring of 1745, they hope she could, by "a gift of two
millions for her pleasures" (gift so easy to you SeaPowers), be stirred up to anger against Friedrich. And she
did, in effect, from this time, hover about in a manner questionable to Friedrich; though not yet in anger, but
only with the wish to be important, and to make herself felt in Foreign affairs. Whether the SeaPowers gave
her that trifle of pocketmoney ("for her pleasures"), I never knew; but it is certain they spent, first and last,
very large amounts that way, upon her and hers; especially the English did, with what result may be
considered questionable.
As for Graf von Bruhl, most rising man of Saxony, once a page; now by industry King August III.'s first
favorite and factotum; the fact that he cordially hates Friedrich is too evident; but the why is not known to
me. Except indeed, That no manespecially no man with three hundred and sixtyfive fashionable suits of
clothes usually about him, different suit each day of the yearcan be comfortable in the evident contempt of
another man. Other man of sarcastic bantering turn, too; tongue sharp as needles; whose sayings many birds
of the air are busy to carry about. Year after year, Bruhl (doubtless with help enough that way, if there had
needed such) hates him more and more; as the too jovial Czarina herself comes to do, wounded by things that
birds have carried. And now we will go with Valori,seeing better into some things than Valori yet can.
3. VALORI'S ACCOUNT OF HIS MISSION (in compressed form).
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[Valori, i. 211219.]
"Valori [I could guess about the 10th of February, but there is no date at all] was despatched to Dresden with
that fine project, Polish Majesty for Kaiser: is authorized to offer 60,000 men, with money corresponding,
and no end of brilliant outlooks;must keep back his offers, however, if he find the people indisposed.
Which he did, to an extreme degree; nothing but vague talk, procrastination, hesitation on the part of Bruhl.
This wretched little Bruhl has twelve tailors always sewing for him, and three hundred and sixtyfive suits of
clothes: so many suits, all pictured in a Book; a valet enters every morning, proposes a suit, which, after
deliberation, with perhaps amendments, is acceded to, and worn at dinner. Vainest of human clotheshorses;
foolishest coxcomb Valori has seen: it is visibly his notion that it was he, Bruhl, by his Saxon auxiliaries, by
his masterly strokes of policy, that checkmated Friedrich, and drove him from Bohemia last Year; and, for the
rest, that Friedrich is ruined, and will either shirk out of Silesia, or be cut to ribbons there by the Austrian
force this Summer. To which Valori hints dissent; but it is ill received. Valori sees the King; finds him, as
expected, the facsimile of Bruhl in this matter; Jesuit Guarini the like: how otherwise? They have his
Majesty in their leash, and lead him as they please.
"At four every morning, this Guarini, Jesuit Confessor to the King and Queen, comes to Bruhl; Bruhl settles
with him what his Majesty shall think, in reference to current business, this day; Guarini then goes, confesses
both Majesties; confesses, absolves, turns in the due way to secular matters. At nine, Bruhl himself arrives,
for Privy Council: 'What is your Majesty pleased to think on these points of current business?' Majesty
serenely issues his thoughts, in the form of orders; which are found correct to pattern. This is the process with
his Majesty. A poor Majesty, taking deeply into tobacco; this is the way they have him benetted, as in a dark
cocoon of cobwebs, rendering the whole world invisible to him. Which cunning arrangement is more and
more perfected every year; so that on all roads he travels, be it to mass, to hunt, to dinner, anywhither in his
Palace or out of it, there are faithful creatures keeping eye, who admit no unsafe man to the least glimpse of
him by night or by day. In this manner he goes on; and before the end of him, twenty years hence, has carried
it far. Nothing but disgust to be had out of business;mutinous Polish Diets too, some forty of them, in his
time, not one of which did any business at all, but ended in LIBERUM VETO, and Billingsgate
conflagration, perhaps with swords drawn: [See Buchholz, 154; more and more disagreeable to him. What
can Valori expect, on this heroic occasion, from such a King?
"The Queen herself, Maria Theresa's Cousin, an ambitious hardfavored Majesty,who had sense once to
dislike Bruhl, but has been quite reconciled to him by her Jesuit Messenger of Heaven (which latter is an oily,
rather stupid creature, who really wishes well to her, and loves a peaceable life at any price),even she will
not take the bait. Valori was in Dresden nine days (middle part of February, it is likely); never produced his
big bait, his 60,000 men and other brilliancies, at all. He saw old Feldmarschall Konigseck passing from
Vienna towards the Netherlands Camp; where he is to drynurse (so they irreverently call it, in time coming)
his Royal Highness of Cumberland, that magnificent English Babe of War, and do feats with him this
Summer." Konigseck, though Valori did not know it, has endless diplomacies to do withal; inspections of
troops, advisings, in Hanover, in Holland, in Dresden here; [Anonymous, Duke of Cumberland, p.
186.]and secures the Saxon ElectoralVote for his GrandDuke in passing. "The welcome given to
Konigseck disgusted Valori; on the ninth day he left; said adieu, seeing them blind to their interest; and took
post for Berlin,"where he finds Friedrich much out of humor at the Saxon reception of his magnanimities.
[Valori, i. 211219; OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 8185. For details on Bruhl, see Graf von Bruhl, Leben und
Charakter (1760, No Place): Anonymous, by one Justi, a noted Pamphleteer of the time: exists in English
too, or partly exists; but is unreadable, except on compulsion; and totally unintelligible till after very much
inquiry elsewhere.]
This Saxon intricacy, indecipherable, formidable, contemptible, was the plague of Friedrich's life, one
considerable plague, all through this Campaign. Perhaps nothing in the Diplomatic sphere of things caused
him such perplexity, vexation, indignation. An insoluble riddle to him; extremely contemptible, yet,with a
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huge Russia tacked to it, and looming minatory in the distance, from time to time, formidable enough. Let
readers keep it in mind, and try to imagine it. It cost Friedrich such guessing, computing, arranging,
rearranging, as would weary the toughest reader to hear of in detail. How Friedrich did at last solve it (in
December coming), all readers will see with eyes!
MIDDLERHINE AWNY IN A STAGGERING STATE; THE BAVARIAN
INTRICACY SETTLES ITSELF, THE WRONG WAY.
Early in March it becomes surmisable that Maillebois's MiddleRhine Army will not go a good road.
Maillebois has been busy in those countries, working extensive discontent; bullying mankind "to join the
Frankfurt Union," to join France at any rate, which nobody would consent to; and exacting merciless
contributions, which everybody had to consent to and pay.And now, on D'Ahremberg's mere advance,
with that poor Fraction of Pragmatic Army, roused from its winter sleep, Maillebois, without waiting for
D'Ahremberg's attack, rapidly calls in his truculent detachments, and rolls confusedly back into the Frankfurt
regions. [Adelung, iv. 276352 (December, 1744March, 1745).] Upon which D'Ahrembergif by no
means going upon Maillebois's throatsets, at least, to coercing Wilhelm of Hessen, our only friend in those
parts; who is already a good deal disgusted with the Maillebois procedures, and at a loss what to do on the
Kaiser's death, which has killed the Frankfurt Union too. Wise Wilhelm consents, under D'Ahremberg's
menaces, to become Neutral; and recall his 6,000 out of Baiern, wishes he had them home beside him even
now!
With an Election in the wind, it is doubly necessary for the French, who have not even a Candidate as yet, to
stand supreme and minatory in the Frankfurt Country; and to King Friedrich it is painfully questionable,
whether Maillebois can do it. "Do it we will; doubt not that, your Majesty!" answer Valori and the French;
and study to make improvements, reinforcements, in their Rhine Army. And they do, at least, change the
General of their Middle Rhine Army,that is to say, recall Prince Conti out of Italy, where he has
distinguished himself, and send Maillebois thither in his stead,who likewise distinguishes himself THERE,
if that could be a comfort to us! Whether the distinguished Conti will maintain that Frankfurt Country in spite
of the Austrians and their Election movements, is still a question with Friedrich, though Valori continued
assuring him (always till July came) that, it was beyond question. "Siege of Tournay, vigorous Campaign in
the Netherlands (for behoof of Britannic George)!" this is the grand French program for the Year. This good
intention was achieved, on the French part; but this, like Aaron's rod among the serpents, proved to have
EATEN the others as it wriggled along!
Those MailleboisD'Ahremberg affairs throw a damp on the Bavarian Question withal;in fact, settle the
Bavarian Question; her Hungarian Majesty, tired of the delays, having ordered Bathyani to shoulder arms
again, and bring a decision. Bathyani, with Barenklau to right of him, and Browne (our old Silesian friend) to
left, goes sweeping across those SeckendorfSegur posts, and without difficulty tumbles everything to ruin,
at a grand rate. The traitor Seckendorf had made such a choice of posts,left unaltered by Drum
Thorring;what could French valor do? Nothing; neither French valor, nor Bavarian want of valor, could do
anything but whirl to the rightabout, at sight of the Austrian SweepingApparatus; and go off explosively,
as in former instances, at a rate almost unique in military annals. Finished within three weeks or so! We
glance only at two points of it. March 21st, Bathyani stood to arms (to BESOMS we might call it), Browne
on the left, Barenklau on the right: it was March 21st when Bathyani started from Passau, up the Donau
Countries;and within the week coming, see:
"VILSHOFEN, 28th MARCH, 1745. Here, at the mouth of the Vils River (between Inn and Iser), is the first
considerable Post; garrison some 4,000; Hessians and Prince Friedrich the main part,who have their share
of valor, I dare say; but with such news out of Hessen, not to speak of the prospects in this Country, are
probably in poorish spirits for acting. General Browne summons them in Vilshofen, this day; and, on their
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negative, storms in upon them, bursts them to pieces; upon which they beat chamade. But the Croats, who are
foremost, care nothing for chamade: go plundering, slaughtering; burn the poor Town; butcher [in round
numbers] 3,000 of the poor Hessians; and wound General Browne himself, while he too vehemently
interferes." [Adelung, iv. 356, and the half intelligible Footnote in Ranke, iii. 220.] This was the finale of
those 6,000 Hessians, and indeed their principal function, while in French pay;and must have been, we can
Judge how surprising to Prince Friedrich, and to his Papa on hearing of it! Note another point.
Precisely about this time twelvemonth, "March 16th, 1746," the same Prince Friedrich, with remainder of
those Hessians, now again completed to 6,000, and come back with emphasis to the Britannic side of things,
wasmarching out of Edinburgh, in much state, with streamers, kettledrums, Highness's coaches, horses,
ledhorses, on an unexpected errand. [Henderson (Whig Eyewitness). History of the Rebellion, 1745 and
1746 (London, 1748, reprint from the Edinburgh edition), pp. 104, 106, 107.] Toward Stirling, Perth; towards
Killiecrankie, and raising of what is called "the Siege of Blair in Athol" (most minute of "sieges," but
subtending a great angle there and then);much of unexpected, and nearer home than "Tournay and the
Netherlands Campaign," having happened to Britannic George in the course of this year, 1746! "Really very
fine troops, those Hessians [observes my orthodox Whig friend]: they carry swords as well as guns and
bayonets; their uniform is blue turned up with white: the Hussar part of them, about 500, have scimitars of a
great length; small horses, mostly black, of Swedish breed; swift durable little creatures, with long tails."
Honors, dinners, to his Serene Highness had been numerous, during the three weeks we had him in
Edinburgh; "especially that Ball, February 21st (o.s.), eve of his Consort the Princess Mary's Birthday [EVE
of birthday, "let us dance the auspicious morning IN] was, for affluence of Nobility and Gentry of both
sexes," a sublime thing. ...
PFAFFENHOFEN, APRIL 15th. "Unfortunate Segur, the Segur of Linz three years ago,whose conduct
was great, according to Valori, but powerless against traitors and fate!was again, once more, unfortunate in
those parts. Unfortunate Segur drew up at Pfaffenhofen (centre of the Country, many miles from Vilshofen)
to defend himself, when fallen upon by Barenklau, in that manner; but could not, though with masterly
demeanor; and had to retreat three days, with his face to the enemy, so to speak, fighting and manoeuvring all
the way: no shelter for him either but Munchen, and that, a most temporary one. Instead of taking
Straubingen, taking Passau, perhaps of pushing on to Vienna itself, this is what we have already come to. No
Rhine Army, MiddleRhine Army, Coigny, Maillebois, Conti, whoever it was, should send us the least
reinforcement, when shrieked to. No outlook whatever but rapid withdrawal, retreat to the Rhine Army, since
it will not stir to help us." [Adelung, iv. 360.]
"The young KurBaiern is still polite, grateful [to us French], overwhelms us with politeness; but flies to
Augsburg, as his Father used to do. Notable, however, his poor fat little Mother won't, this time: 'No, I will
stay here, I for one, and have done with flying and running; we have had enough of that!' Seckendorf, quite
gone from Court in this crisis, reappears, about the middle of April, in questionable capacity; at a place called
Fussen, not far off, at the foot of the Tyrol Hills;where certain Austrian Dignitaries seem also to be
enjoying a picturesque Easter! Yes indeed: and, on APRIL 22d, there is signed a 'PEACE OF FUSSEN' there;
general amicable ASYOUWERE, between Austria and Bavaria ('Renounce your AntiPragmatic
moonshine forevermore, vote for our GrandDuke; there is your Bavaria back, poor wretches!') and
Seckendorf, it is presumable, will get his Turkish arrears liquidated.
"The Bavarian Intricacy, which once excelled human power, is settled, then. Carteret and Haslang tried it in
vain [dreadful heterodox intentions of secularizing Salzburg, secularizing Passau, Regensburg, and loud
tremulous denial of such];Carteret and Wilhelm of Hesseu [Conferences of Hanau, which ruined Carteret],
in vain; King Friedrich, and many Kings, in vain: a thing nobody could settle;and it has at last settled
itself, as the generality of illguided and unlucky things do, by collapse. Delirium once out, the law of gravity
acts; and there the mad matter lies."
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"Bought by Austria, that old villain!" cry the French. Friedrich does not think the Austrians bought
Seckendorf, having no money at present; but guesses they may have given him to understand that a certain
large arrear of payment due ever since those Turkish Wars,when Seckendorf, instead of payment, was
lodged in the Fortress of Gratz, and almost got his head cut off,should now be paid down in cash, or
authentic Papermoney, if matters become amicable. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 22; Seckendorfs Leben, pp.
367376.] As they have done, in Friedrich's despite;who seems angrier at the old stager for this particular
illturn than for all the other many; and long remembers it, as will appear.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN SILESIA; UNUSUALLY BUSY.
Here, sure enough, are sad new intricacies in the Diplomatic, hypothetic sphere of things; and clouds piling
themselves ahead, in a very minatory manner to King Friedrich. Let King Friedrich, all the more, get his
Fighting Arrangements made perfect. Diplomacy is clouds; beating of your enemies is sea and land. Austria
and the Gazetteer world consider Friedrich to be as good as finished: but that is privately far from being
Friedrich's own opinion; though these occurrences are heavy and dismal to him, as none of us can now
fancy.
Herr Ranke has got access, in the Archives, to a series of private utterances by Friedrich,Letters from him,
of a franker nature than usual, and letting us far deeper into his mind;which must have been well worth
reading in the original, in their fully dated and developed condition. From Herr Ranke's Fragmentary
Excerpts, let us, thankful for what we have got, select one or two. The Letters are to Minister Podewils at
Berlin; written from Silesia (Neisse and neighborhood), where, since the middle of March, Friedrich has
been, personally pushing on his Army Preparations, while the above sinister things befell.
KING FRIEDRICH TO PODEWILS, IN BERLIN (under various dates,
MarchApril, 1745).
NEISSE, 29th MARCH. ... "We find ourselves in a great crisis. If we don't, by mediation of England, get
Peace, our enemies from different sides [Saxony, Austria, who knows if not Russia withal!] will come
plunging in against me. Peace I cannot force them to. But if they must have War, we will either beat them, or
none of us will see Berlin again." [Ranke, iii. 236 et seqq.]
APRIL (no day given). ... "In any case, I have my troops well together. The sicknesses are ceasing; the
recruitments are coming in: shortly all will be complete. That does not hinder us from making Peace, if it will
only come; but, in the contrary case, nobody can accuse me of neglecting what was necessary."
APRIL 17th (still from Neisse). ... "I toil day and night to improve our situation. The soldiers will do their
duty. There is none among us who will not rather have his backbone broken than give up one footbreadth of
ground. They must either grant us a good Peace, or we will surpass ourselves by miracles of daring; and force
the enemy to accept it from us."
APRIL 20th. "Our situation is disagreeable; constrained, a kind of spasm: but my determination is taken. If
we needs must fight, we will do it like men driven desperate. Never was there a greater peril than that I am
now in. Time, at its own pleasure, will untie this knot; or Destiny, if there is one, determine the event. The
game I play is so high, one cannot contemplate the issue with cold blood. Pray for the return of my good
luck."Two days hence, the poor young KurBaiern, deaf to the French seductions and exertions, which
were intense, had signed his "Peace of Fussen" (22d April 1745),a finale to France on the German Field, as
may be feared! The other Fragments we will give a little farther on.
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Friedrich had left Berlin for Silesia March 15th; rather sooner than he counted on,Old Leopold pleading to
be let home. At Glogau, at Breslau, there had been the due inspecting: Friedrich got to Neisse on the 23d
(Bathyani just stirring in that Bavarian Business, Vilshofen and the Hessians close ahead); and on the 27th,
had dismissed Old Leopold, with thanks and sympathies, sent him home, "to recover his health." Leopold's
health is probably suffering; but his heart and spirits still more. Poor old man, he has just lostthe other
week, "5th February" lasthis poor old Wife, at Dessau; and is broken down with grief. The soft silk lining
of his hard Existence, in all parts of it, is torn away. Apothecary Fos's Daughter, Reich's Princess, Princess of
Dessau, called by whatever name, she had been the truest of Wives; "used to attend him in all his Campaigns,
for above fifty years back." "Gone, now, forever gone!"Old Leopold had wells of strange sorrow in the
rugged heart of him,sorrow, and still better things,which he does not wear on his sleeve. Here is an
incident I never can forget;dating twelve or thirteen years ago (as is computable), middle of July, 1732.
"Louisa, Leopold's eldest Daughter, Wife of Victor Leopold, reigning Prince of AnhaltBernburg, lay dying
of a decline." Still only twentythree, poor Lady, though married seven years ago; the end now evidently
drawing nigh. "A few days before her death,perhaps some attendant sorrowfully asking, 'Can we do
nothing, then?'she was heard to say, 'If I could see my Father at the head of his Regiment, yet
once!'"Halle, where the Regiment lies, is some thirty or more miles off; and King Friedrioh Wilhelm, I
suppose, would have to be written to:Leopold was ready the soonest possible; and, "at a set hour, marched,
in all pomp, with banner flying, music playiug, into the SCHLOSSHOF (Palace Court) of Bernburg; and did
the due salutations and manoeuvrings,his poor Daughter sitting at her window, till they ended;"figure
them, the last glitter of those muskets, the last wail of that bandmusic!"The Regiment was then marched
to the Waisenhaus (ORPHANHOUSE), where the common men were treated with bread and beer; all the
Officers dining at the Prince's Table. All the Officers, except Leopold alone, who stole away out of the
crowd; sat himself upon the balustrade of the Saale Bridge, and wept into the river." [LEBEN (12mo; not
Rannft's, but Anonymous like his), p. 234 n.]Leopold is now on the edge of seventy; ready to think all is
finished with him. Perhaps not quite, my tough old friend; recover yourself a little, and we shall see!
Old Leopold is hardly home at Dessau, when new Pandour Tempests, tides of ravaging War, again come
beating against the Giant Mountains, pouring through all passes; from utmost Jablunka, westward by
Jagerndorf to Glatz, huge influx of wild riding hordes, each with some support of Austrian grenadiers,
cannoniers; threatening to submerge Silesia. Precursors, Friedrich need not doubt, of a strenuous regular
attempt that way, Hungarian Majesty's fixed intention, hope and determination is, To expel him straightway
from Silesia. Her Patent circulates, these three months; calling on all men to take note of that fixed fact,
especially on all Silesian men to note it well, and shift their allegiance accordingly. Silesian men, in great
majority,our friend the Mayor of Landshut, for example?are believed to have no inclination towards
change: and whoever has, had clearly better not show any till he see! [In Ranke (iii. 234), there is vestige of
some intended "voluntary subscription by the common people of Glatz," for Friedrich's
behoof;contrariwise, in Orlich (ii. 380, "6th February, 1745," from the Dessau Archives), notice of one
individual, suspected of stirring for Austria, whom "you are to put under lock and key;"but he runs off, and
has no successor, that I hear of.]
Friedrich's thousandfold preliminary orderings, movements, rearrangings in his Army matters, must not
detain us here;still less his dealings with the Pandour element, which is troublesome, rather than
dangerous. Vigilance, wise swift determination, valor drilled to its work, can deal with phenomena of that
nature, though never so furious and innumerable. Not a cheering service for drilled valor, but a very needful
one. Continual bickerings and skirmishings fell out, sometimes rising to sharp fight on the small
scale:Austrian grenadiers with cannon are on that Height to left, and also on this to right, meaning to cut
off our march; the difficult landscape furnished out, far and wide, with Pandour companies in position: you
must clash in, my Burschen; seize me that cannonbattery yonder; master such and such a post,there is the
heart of all that network of armed doggery; slit asunder that, the network wholly will tumble over the Hills
again. Which is always done, on the part of the Prussian Burschen; though sometimes not, without
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difficulty.His Majesty is forming Magazines at Neisse, Brieg, and the principal Fortresses in those parts;
driving on all manner of preparations at the rapidest rate of speed, and looking with his own eyes into
everything. The regiments are about what we may call complete, arithmetically and otherwise; the cavalry
show good perfection in their new mode of manoeuvring; it is to be hoped the Fighting Apparatus
generally will give fair account of itself when the time comes. Our one anchor of hope, as now more and
more appears.
On the Pandour element he first tried (under General Hautcharmoi, with Winterfeld as chief active hand) a
direct outburst or two, with a view to slash them home at once. But findiug that it was of no use, as they
always reappeared in new multitudes, he renounced that; took to calling in his remoter outposts; and, except
where Magazines or the like remained to be cared for, let the Pandours baffle about, checked only by the
fortified Towns, and more and more submerge the Hill Country. Prince Karl, to be expected in the form of
lion, mysteriously uncertain on which side coming to invade us,he, and not the innumerable weasel kind, is
our important matter! By the end of April (news of the PEACE OF FUSSEN coming withal), Friedrich had
quitted Neisse; lay cantoned, in Neisse Valley (between Frankenstein and Patschkau, "able to assemble in
fortyeight hours"); studying, with his whole strength, to be ready for the mysterious Prince Karl, on
whatever side he might arrive; and disregarding the Pandours in comparison.
The points of inrush, the tideways of these Pandour Deluges seem to be mainly three. Direct through the
Jablunka, upon Ratibor Country, is the first and chief; less direct (partly supplied by REFLUENCES from
Ratibor, when Ratibor is found not to answer), a second disembogues by Jagerndorf; a third, the westernmost,
by Landshut. Three main ingresses: at each of which there fall out little Fights; which are still celebrated in
the Prussian Books, and indeed well deserve reading by soldiers that would know their trade. In the Ratibor
parts, the invasive leader is a General Karoly, with 12,000 under him, who are the wildest horde of all:
"Karoly lodges in a wood: for himself there is a tent; his companions sleep under trees, or under the open sky,
by the edge of morasses." [Ranke, iii. 244.] It was against this Karoly and his horde that Hautcharmoi's little
expedition, or express attacking party to drive them home again, was shot out (8th2lst April). Which did its
work very prettily; Winterfeld, chief hand in it, crowning the matter by a "Fight of Wurbitz," [Orlich, ii. 136
(21st April).]where Winterfeld, cutting the taproot, in his usual electric way, tumbles Karoly quite INTO
the morasses, and clears the country of him for a time. For a time; though for a time only; Karoly or others
returning in a week or two, to a still higher extent of thousands; mischievous as ever in those
RatiborNamslau countries. Upon which, Friedrich, finding this an endless business, and nothing like the
most important, gives it up for the present; calls in his remoter detachments; has his Magazines carted home
to the Fortress Towns,Karoly trying, once or so, to hinder in that operation, but only again getting his
crown broken. ["Fight of Mocker," May 4th (Orlich, ii. 141).] Or if carting be too difficult, still do not waste
your Magazine:Margraf Karl, for instance, is ordered to Jagerndorf with his Detachment, "to eat the
Magazine;" hungry Pandours looking on, till he finish. On which occasion a renowned little Fight took place
(Fight of Neustadt, or of JagerndorfNeustadt), as shall be mentioned farther on.
So that, for certain weeks to come, the Tolpatcheries had free course, in those Frontier parts; and were left to
rove about, under check only of the Garrison Towns; Friedrich being obliged to look elsewhere after higher
perils, which were now coming in view. In which favorable circumstances, Karoly and Consorts did, at last,
make one stroke in those Ratibor countries; that of Kosel, which was greatly consolatory. [26th May, 1743
(Orlich, ii. 156158).] "By treachery of an Ensign who had deserted to them [provoked by rigor of discipline,
or some intolerable thing], they glided stealthily, one night, across the ditches, into Kosel" (a half fortified
place, Prussian works only half finished): which, being the Key of the Oder in those parts, they reckoned a
glorious conquest; of good omen and worthy of TEDEUMS at Vienna. And they did eagerly, without the
least molestation, labor to complete the Prussian works at Kosel: "One garrison already ours!"which was
not had from them without battering (and I believe, burning), when General von Nassau came to inquire after
it; in Autumn next.
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Friedrich had always hoped that the Saxons, who are not yet in declared War with him, though bound by
Treaty to assist the Queen of Hungary under certain conditions, would not venture on actual Invasion of his
Territories; but in this, as readers anticipate, Friedrich finds himself mistaken. Weissenfels is hastening from
the Leitmeritz northwestern quarter, where he has wintered, to join Prince Karl, who is gathering himself
from Olmutz and his southeastern home region; their full intention is to invade Silesia together, and they
hope now at length to make an end of Friedrich and it. These Pandour hordes, supported by the necessary
grenadiers and cannoniers, are sent as vanguard; these cannot themselves beat him; but they may induce him
(which they do not) to divide his Force; they may, in part, burn him away as by slow fire, after which he will
be the easier to beat. Instead of which, Friedrich, leaving the Pandours to their luck, lies concentrated in
Neisse Valley; watching, with all his faculties, Prince Karl's own advent (coming on like Fate, indubitable,
yet involved in mysteries hitherto); and is perilously sensible that only in giving that a good reception is there
any hope left him.
Prince Karl "who arrived in Olmutz April 30th," commands in chief again,saddened, poor man, by the loss
of his young Wife, in December last; willing to still his grief in action for the cause SHE loved;but old
Traun is not with him this year: which is a still more material circumstance. Traun is to go this year, under
cloak not of Prince Karl, but of GrandDuke Franz, to clear those Frankfurt Countries for the
KAISERWAHL and him. Prince Conti lies there, with his famous "MiddleRhine Army" (D'Ahremberg,
from the western parts, not nearly so diligent upon him as one could wish); and must, at all rates, be cleared
away. Traun, taking command of Bathyani's Army (now that it has finished the Bavarian job), is preparing to
push down upon Conti, while Bathyani (who is to supersede the laggard D'Ahremberg) shall push vigorously
up;and before summer is over, we shall hear of Traun again, and Conti will have heard!
Friedrich's indignation, on learning that the Saxons were actually on march, and gradually that they intended
to invade him, was great; and the whole matter is portentously enigmatic to him, as he lies vigilant in Neisse
Valley, waiting on the When and the How. Indignation;and yet there is need of caution withal. To be ready
for events, the Old Dessauer has, as one sure measure, been requested to take charge, once more, of a "Camp
of Observation" on the Saxon Frontier (as of old, in 1741); and has given his consent: ["April 25th" consents
(Orlich, ii. 130).] "Camp of Magdeburg," "Camp of Dieskau;" for it had various names and figures; checkings
of your hand, then layings of it on, heavier, lighter and again heavier, according to one's various READINGS
of the Saxon Mystery; and we shall hear enough about it, intermittently, till December coming: when it ended
in a way we shall not forget!On which take this Note:
"The Camp of Observation was to have begun May 1st; did begin somewhat later, 'near Magdeburg,' not too
close on the Frontier, nor in too alarming strength; was reinforced to about 30,000; in which state [middle of
August] it stept forward to Wieskau, then to Dieskau, close on the Saxon Border; and became,with a
Saxon Camp lying close opposite, and War formally threatened, or almost declared, on Saxony by
Friedrich,an alarmingly serious matter. Friedrich, however, again checked his hand; and did not
consummate till NovemberDecember. But did then consummate; greatly against his will; and in a way
flamingly visible to all men!" [Orlich, ii. 130, 209, 210: HeldenGeschichte, ii. 12241226; i. 1117.]
Friedrich's own incidental utterances (what more we have of Fractions from the Podewils Letters), in such
portentous aspect of affairs, may now be worth giving. It is not now to Jordan that he writes, gayly
unbosoming himself, as in the First War,poor Jordan lies languishing, these many months; consumptive,
too evidently dying:Not to Jordan, this time; nor is the theme "GLOIRE" now, but a far different!
FRIEDRICH TO PODEWILS (as before, AprilMay, 1745).
April 20th or so, Orders are come to Berlin (orders, to Podewils's horror at such a thought), Whitherward,
should Berlin be assaulted, the Official Boards, the Preciosities and household gods are to betake
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themselves:to Magdeburg, all these, which is an impregnable place; to Stettin, the Two Queens and Royal
Family, if they like it better. Podewils in horror, "hair standing on end," writes thereupon to Eichel, That he
hopes the management, "in a certain contingency," will be given to Minister Boden; he Podewils, with his
hair in that posture, being quite unequal to it. Friedrich answers:
"APRIL 26th. ... 'I can understand how you are getting uneasy, you Berliners. I have the most to lose of you
all; but I am quiet, and prepared for events. If the Saxons take part,' as they surely will, 'in the Invasion of
Silesia, and we beat them, I am determined to plunge into Saxony. For great maladies, there need great
remedies. Either I will maintain my all, or else lose my all. [Hear it, friend; and understand it,with hair
lying flat!] It is true, the disaffection of the Russian Court, on such trifling grounds, was not to be expected;
and great misfortune can befall us. Well; a year or two sooner, a year or two later,it is not worth one's
while to bother about the very worst. If things take the better turn, our condition will be surer and firmer than
it was before. If we have nothing to reproach ourselves with, neither need we fret and plague ourselves about
bad events, which can happen to any man.''I am causing despatch a secret Order for Boden [on YOU know
what], which you will not deliver him till I give sign.'" On hearing of the Peace of Fussen, perhaps a day or
so later, Friedrich again writes:
"APRIL [no distinct date; Neisse still? QUITS Neisse, April 28th]. ... Peace of Fussen, Bavaria turned against
me? 'I can say nothing to it,except, There has come what had to come. To me remains only to possess
myself in patience. If all alliances, resources, and negotiations fail, and all conjunctures go against me, I
prefer to perish with honor, rather than lead an inglorious life deprived of all dignity. My ambition whispers
me that I have done more than another to the building up of my House, and have played a distinguished part
among the crowned heads of Europe. To maintain myself there, has become as it were a personal duty; which
I will fulfil at the expense of my happiness and my life. I have no choice left: I will maintain my power, or it
may go to ruin, and the Prussian name be buried under it. If the enemy attempt anything upon us, we will
either beat him, or we will all be hewed to pieces, for the sake of our Country, and the renown of
Brandenburg. No other counsel can I listen to.'"
SAME LETTER, OR ANOTHER? (Herr Ranke having his caprices!) ... "You are a good man, my Podewils,
and do what can be expected of you" (Podewils has been apologizing for his terrors; and referring hopefully
"to Providence"): "Perform faithfully the given work on your side, as I on mine; for the rest, let what you call
'Providence' decide as it likes [UNE PROVIDENCE AVEUGLE? Ranke, who alone knows, gives "BLINDE
VORSEHUNG." What an utterance, on the part of this little Titan! Consider it as exceptional with him,
unusual, accidental to the hard moment, and perhaps not so impious as it looks!]Neither our prudence nor
our courage shall be liable to blame; but only circumstances that would not favor us. ...
"I prepare myself for every event. Fortune may be kind or be unkind, it shall neither dishearten me nor uplift
me. If I am to perish, let it be with honor, and sword in hand. What the issue is to be Well, what pleases
Heaven, or the Other Party (J'AI JETE LE BONNET PAR DESSUS LES MOULINS)! Adieu, my dear
Podewils; become as good a philosopher as you are a politician; and learn from a man who does not go to
Elsner's Preaching [fashionable at the time], that one must oppose to ill fortune a brow of iron; and, during
this life, renounce all happiness, all acquisitions, possessions and lying shows, none of which will follow us
beyond the grave." [Ranke, iii. pp. 238241.]
"By what points the AustrianSaxon Armament will come through upon us? Together will it be, or
separately? Saxons from the Lausitz, Austrians from Bohmen, enclosing us between two fires?"were
enigmatic questions with Friedrich; and the Saxons especially are an enigma. But that come they will, that
these Pandours are their preliminary veilingapparatus as usual, is evident to him; and that he must not spend
himself upon Pandours; but coalesce, and lie ready for the main wrestle. So that from April 28th, as above
noticed, Friedrich has gone into cantonments, some way up the Neisse Valley, westward of Neisse Town; and
is calling in his outposts, his detachments; emptying his Frontier Magazines; abandoning his
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UpperSilesian Frontier more and more, and in the end altogether, to the Pandour hordes; a small matter
they, compared to the grand Invasion which is coming on. Here, with shiftings up the Neisse Valley, he lies
till the end of May; watching Arguslike, and scanning with every faculty the Austrian Saxon motions and
intentions, until at length they become clear to him, and we shall see how he deals with them.
His own lodging, or headquarter, most of this time (4th May27th May), is in the pleasant Abbey of
Camenz (mythic scene of that BAUMGARTENSKIRMISH business, in the First Silesian War). He has
excellent Tobias Stusche for company in leisure hours; and the outlook of bright Spring all round him,
flowering into gorgeous Summer, as he hurries about on his many occasions, not of an idyllic nature. [Orlich,
ii. 139; Ranke, iii. 242249.] But his Army is getting into excellent completeness of number, health,
equipment, and altogether such a spirit as he could wish. May 22d, here is another snatch from some Note to
Podewils, from this balmy Locality, potential with such explosions of another kind. CAMENZ, MAY 22d. ...
"The Enemies are making movements; but nothing like enough as yet for our guessing their designs. Till we
see, therefore, the thunder lies quiet in us (LA FOUDRE REPOSE EN MES MAINS). Ah, could we but have
a Day like that May Eleventh!" [Ranke, iii. 248 n.]
What "that May Eleventh" is or was? Readers are curious to know; especially English readers, who guess
FONTENOY. And Historic Art, if she were strict, would decline to inform them at any length; for really the
thing is no better than a "Victory on the Scamander, and a Siege of Pekin" (as a certain observer did
afterwards define it), in reference to the matter now on hand! Well, Pharsalia, Arbela, the Scamander,
Armageddon, and so many Battles and Victories being luminous, by study, to cultivated Englishmen, and
one's own Fontenoy such a mystery and riddle,Art, after consideration, reluctantly consents to be
indulgent; will produce from her Paper Imbroglios a slight Piece on the subject, and print instead of burning.
Chapter VIII. THE MARTIAL BOY AND HIS ENGLISH VERSUS THE LAWS
OF NATURE.
"Glorious Campaign in the Netherlands, Siege of Tournay, final ruin of the Dutch Barrier!" this is the French
program for Season 1745, no Belleisle to contradict it; Belleisle secure at Windsor, who might have leant
more towards German enterprises. And to this his Britannic Majesty (small gain to him from that adroitness
in the Harz, last winter!) has to make front. And is strenuously doing so, by all methods; especially by heroic
expenditure of money, and ditto exposure of his Martial Boy. Poor old Wade, last year, perhaps Wade did
suffer, as he alleged, from "want of sufficient authority in that mixed Army"? Well, here is a Prince of the
Blood, Royal Highness of Cumberland, to command in chief. With a Konigseck to drynurse him, may not
Royal Highness, luck favoring, do very well? Luck did not favor; Britannic Majesty, neither in the
Netherlands over seas, nor at home (strange new domestic wool, of a tarry HIGHLAND nature, being thrown
him to card, on the sudden!), made a good Campaign, but a bad. And again a bad (1746) and again (1747),
ever again, till he pleased to cease altogether. Of which distressing objects we propose that the following one
glimpse be our last.
BATTLE OF FONTENOY (11th May, 1745).
... "In the end of April, Marechal de Saxe, now become very famous for his sieges in the Netherlands, opened
trenches before Tournay; King Louis, with his Dauphin, not to speak of mistresses, play actors and cookery
apparatus (in wagons innumerable), hastens to be there. A fighting Army, say of 70,000, besides the
garrisons; and great things, it is expected, will be done; Tournay, in spite of strong works and Dutch garrison
of 9,000, to be taken in the first place.
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"Of the Siege, which was difficult and ardent, we will remember nothing, except the mischance that befell a
certain 'Marquis de Talleyrand' and his men, in the trenches, one night. Night of the 8th9th May, by
carelessness of somebody, a spark got into the Marquis's powder, two powderbarrels that there were; and,
with horrible crash, sent eighty men, Marquis Talleyrand and Engineer Du Mazis among them, aloft into the
other world; raining down their limbs into the covered way, where the Dutch were very inhuman to them, and
provoked us to retaliate. [Espagnac, ii. 27.] Du Mazis I do not know; but Marquis de Talleyrand turns out, on
study of the French Peerages, to be Uncle of a lame little Boy, who became Right Reverend Tallyrand under
singular conditions, and has made the name very current in aftertimes!
"Hearing of this Siege, the Duke of Cumberland hastened over from England, with intent to raise the same.
Mustered his 'Allied Army' (once called 'Pragmatic'),self at the head of it; old Count Konigseck, who was
NOT burnt at Chotusitz, commanding the small Austrian quota [Austrians mainly are gone laggarding with
D'Ahremberg up the Rhine]; and a Prince of Waldeck the Dutch,on the plain of Anderlecht near Brussels,
May 4th; [Anonymous, Life of Cumberland, p. 180; Espagnac, ii. 26.] and found all things tolerably
complete. Upon which, straightway, his Royal Highness, 60,000 strong let us say, set forth; by slowish
marches, and a route somewhat leftward of the great Tournay Road [no place on it, except perhaps
STEENKERKE, ever heard of by an English reader]; and on Sunday, 9th May, [Espagnac, ii. 27.] precisely
on the morrow after poor Talleyrand had gone aloft, reached certain final Villages: Vezon, Maubray, where
he encamps, Briffoeil to rear; Camp looking towards Tournay and the setting sun,with Fontenoy short way
ahead, and Antoine to left of it, and Barry with its Woods to right:small peaceable Villages, which become
famous in the Newspapers shortly after. [Patch of Map at p. 440.] Royal Highness, resting here at Vezon, is
but some six or seven miles from Tournay; in low undulating Country, woody here and there, not without
threads of running water, and with frequent Villages and their adjuncts: the part of it now interesting to us lies
all between the BrusselsTournay Road and the Scheld River, all in immediate front of his Royal
Highness,to southeastward from beleaguered Tournay, where said Road and River intersect. How shall he
make some impression on the Siege of Tournay? That is now the question; and his Royal Highness struggles
to manoeuvre accordingly.
Marechal de Saxe, whose habit is much that of vigilance, forethought, sagacious precaution, singular in so
dissolute a man, has neglected nothing on this occasion. He knows every foot of the ground, having sieged
here, in his boyhood, once before. Leaving the siegetrenches at Tournay, under charge of a ten or fifteen
thousand, he has taken camp here; still with superior force (56,000 as they count, Royal Highness being only
50,000 ranked), barring Royal Highness's way. Tournay, or at least the Marechal's trenches there, are on the
right bank of the Scheld; which flows from southeast, securing all on that hand. The broad Brussels Highway
comes in to him from the east;north of that he has nothing to fear, the ground being cut with bogs; no
getting through upon him, that way, to Tournay and what he calls the 'Under Scheld.' The 'Upper Scheld' too,
avail them nothing. There is only that triangle to the southeast, between Road and River, where the Enemy is
now manoeuvring in front of him, from which damage can well come; and he has done his best to be secure
there. Four villages or hamlets, close to the Scheld and onwards to the Great Road, Antoine, Fontenoy,
Barry, Ramecroix, with their lanes and boscages, make a kind of circular base to his triangle; base of some
six or eight miles; with hollows in it, brooks, and northward a considerable Wood [BOIS DE BARRY,
enveloping Barry and Ramecroix, which do not prove of much interest to us, though the BOIS does of a good
deal]. In and before each of those villages are posts and defences; in Antoine and Fontenoy elaborate
redoubts, batteries, redans connecting: in the Wood (BOIS DE BARRY), an abattis, or wall of felled trees, as
well as cannon; and at the point of the Wood, well within double range of Fontenoy, is a Redoubt, called of
Eu (REDOUTE D'EU, from the regiment occupying it), which will much concern his Royal Highness and us.
Saxe has a hundred pieces of cannon [say the English, which is correct], consummately disposed along this
space; no ingress possible anywhere, except through the cannon's throat; torrents of fire and crossfire
playing on you. He is armed to the teeth, as they say; and has his 56,000 arranged according to the best rules
of tactics, behind this murderous line of works. If his Royal Highness think of breaking in, he may count on a
very warm reception indeed.
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"Saxe is only afraid his Royal Highness will not. Outside of these lines, with a 50,000 dashing fiercely round
us, under any kind of leading; pouncing on our convoys; harassing and sieging US,our siege of Toumay
were a sad outlook. And this is old Austrian Konigseck's opinion, too; though, they say, Waldeck and the
Dutch (impetuous in theory at least) opined otherwise, and strengthened Royal Highness's view. Two young
men against one old: 'Be it so, then!' His Royal Highness, resolute for getting in, manoeuvres and
investigates, all Monday 10th; his cannon is not to arrive completely till night; otherwise he would be for
breaking in at once: a fearless young man, fearless as ever his poor Father was; certainly a man SANS PEUY,
this one too; whether of much AVIS, we shall see anon.
"Tuesday morning early, 11th May, 1745, cannon being up, and dispositions made, his Royal Highness
sallies out; sees his men taking their ground: Dutch and Austrians to the left, chiefly opposite Antoine;
English, with some Hanoverians, in the centre and to the right; infantry in front, facing Fontenoy, cavalry to
rear flanking the Wood of Barry,Konigseck, Ligonier and others able, assisting to plant them
advantageously; cannon going, on both sides, the while; radiant enthusiasm, SANS PEUR ET SANS AVIS,
looking from his Royal Highness's face. He has been on horseback since two in the morning; cannon started
thundering between five and six,has killed chivalrous Grammont over yonder (the Grammont of
Dettingen), almost at the first volley. And now about the time when ploughers breakfast (eight A.M., no
ploughing hereabouts today!), begins the attack, simultaneously or in swift succession, on the various
batteries which it will be necessary to attack and storm.
"The attacks took place; but none of them succeeded. Dutch and Austrians, on the extreme left, were to have
stormed Antoine by the edge of the River; that was their main task; right skirt of them to help US meanwhile
with Fontenoy. And they advanced, accordingly; but found the shot from Antoine too fierce: especially when
a subsidiary battery opened from across the River, and took them in flank, the Dutch and Austrians felt
astonished; and hastily drew aside, under some sheltering mound or earthwork they had found for themselves,
or prudently thrown up the night before. There, under their earthwork, stood the Dutch and Austrians;
patiently expecting a fitter time,which indeed never occurred; for always, the instant they drew out, the
batteries from Antoine, and from across the River, instantly opened upon them, and they had to draw in
again. So that they stood there, in a manner, all day; and so to speak did nothing but patiently expect when it
should be time to run. For which they were loudly censured, and deservedly. Antoine is and remains a total
failure on the part of the Dutch and Austrians.
"Royal Highness in person, with his English, was to attack Fontenoy;and is doing so, by battery and storm,
at various points; with emphasis, though without result. As preliminary, at an early stage he had sent forward
on the right, by the Wood of Barry, a Brigadier Ingoldsby 'with Semple's Highlanders' and other force, to
silence 'that redoubt yonder at the point of the Wood,' redoubt, fort, or whatever it be (famous REDOUTE
D'EU, as it turned out!),which guards Fontenoy to north, and will take us in flank, nay in rear, as we storm
the cannon of the Village. Ingoldsby, speed imperative on him, pushed into the Wood; found French
lighttroops ('God knows how many of them!') prowling about there; found the Redoubt a terribly strong
thing, with ditch, drawbridge, what not; spent thirty or forty of his Highlanders, in some frantic attempt on it
by rule of thumb;and found 'He would need artillery' and other things. In short, Ingoldsby, hasten what he
might, could not perfect the preparations to his mind, had to wait for this and for that; and did not storm the
Redoubt d'Eu at all; but hung fire, in an unaccountable manner. For which he had to answer (to
CourtMartial, still more to the Newspapers) afterwards; and prove that it was misfortune merely, or
misfortune and stupidity combined. Too evident, the REDOUTE D'EU was not taken, then or thenceforth;
which might have proved the saving of the whole affair, could Ingoldsby have managed it. Royal Highness
attacked Fontenoy, and reattacked, furiously, thrice over; and had to desist, and find Fontenoy impossible
on those terms.
"Here is a piece of work. Repulsed at all those points; and on the left and on the right, no spirit visible but
what deserves repulse! His Royal Highness blazes into resplendent PLATTDEUTSCH rage, what we may
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call spiritual whiteheat, a man SANS PEUR at any rate, and pretty much SANS AVIS; decides that he must
and will be through those lines, if it please God; that he will not be repulsed at his part of the attack, not he
for one; but will plunge through, by what gap there is [900 yards Voltaire measures it [ OEuvres, xxviii. 150
(SIECLE DE LOUIS QUINZE, c. xv. "BATAILLE DE FONTENOI,"elaborately exact on all sucb
points).]] between Fontenoy and that Redoubt with its laggard Ingoldsby; and see what the French interior is
like! He rallies rapidly, rearranges; forms himself in thin column or columns [three of them, I think,which
gradually got crushed into one, as they advanced, under caunonshot on both hands],wheeling his left
round, to be rear, his right to be head of said column or columns. In column, the cannonshot from Fontenoy
on the left, and Redoubt d'Eu on our right, will tell less on us; and between these two deathdealing localities,
by the hollowest, least shelterless way discoverable, we mean to penetrate: (Forward, my men, steady and
swift, till we are through the shotrange, and find men to grapple with, instead of caseshot and projectile
iron!' Marechal de Saxe owned afterwards, 'He should have put an additional redoubt in that place, but he did
not think any Army would try such a thing' (cannon batteries playing on each hand at 400 yards
distance);nor has any Army since or before!
"These columns advance, however; through bushy hollows, water courses, through what defiles or
hollowest grounds there are; endure the cannonshot, while they must; trailing their own heavy guns by hand,
and occasionally blasting out of them where the ground favors;and do, with indignant patience, wind
themselves through, pretty much beyond direct shotrange of either d'Eu or Fontenoy. And have actually got
into the interior mystery of the French Line of Battle,which is not a little astonished to see them there! It is
over a kind of blunt ridge, or rising ground, that they are coming: on the crown of this rising ground, the
French regiment fronting it (GARDES FRANCAISES as it chanced to be) notices, with surprise,
fieldcannon pointed the wrong way; actual British artillery unaccountably showing itself there. Regiment of
GARDES rushes up to seize said fieldpieces: but, on the summit, perceives with amazement that it cannot;
that a heavy volley of musketry blazes into it (killing sixty men); that it will have to rush back again, and
report progress: Huge British force, of unknown extent, is readjusting itself into column there, and will be
upon us on the instant. Here is news!
"News true enough. The head of the English column comes to sight, over the rising ground, close by: their
officers doff their hats, politely saluting ours, who return the civility: was ever such politeness seen before? It
is a fact; and among the memorablest of this Battle. Nay a certain English Officer of markLord Charles
Hay the name of him, valued surely in the annals of the Hay and Tweeddale Housesteps forward from the
ranks, as if wishing something. Towards whom [says the accurate Espagnac] Marquis d'Auteroche,
grenadierlieutenant, with air of polite interrogation, not knowing what he meant, made a step or two:
'Monsieur,' said Lord Charles (LORD CHARLESHAY), 'bid your people fire (FAITES TIRER VOS
GENS)!' 'NON, MONSIEUR, NOUS NE TIRONS JAMAIS LES PREMIERS (We never fire first).'
[Espagnac, ii. 60 (of the ORIGINAL, Toulouse, 1789); ii. 48 of the German Translation (Leipzig, 1774), our
usual reference. Voltaire, endlessly informed upon details this time, is equally express: "MILORD
CHARLES HAY, CAPITAINE AUX GARDES ANGLAISES, CRIA: 'MESSIEURS DES GARDES
FRANCAISES, TIREZ!' To which Count d'Auteroche with a loud voice answered" ( OEuvres, vol. xxviii. p.
155.) See also Souvenirs du Marquis de Valfons (edited by a GrandNephew, Paris, 1860), p. 151;a poor,
considerably noisy and unclean little Book; which proves unexpectedly worth looking at, in regard to some of
those poor Battles and personages and occurrences: the Bohemian BelleisleBroglio part, to my regret, if to
no other person's, has been omitted, as extinct, or undecipherable by the GrandNephew.] After YOU, Sirs!
Is not this a bit of modern chivalry? A supreme politeness in that sniffing pococurante kind; probably the
highest point (or lowest) it ever went to. Which I have often thought of."
It is almost pity to disturb an elegant Historical Passage of this kind, circulating round the world, in some
glory, for a century past: but there has a small irrefragable Document come to me, which modifies it a good
deal, and reduces matters to the business form. Lord Charles Hay, "LieutenantColonel," practical Head, "of
the First Regiment of Footguards," wrote, about three weeks after (or dictated in sad spelling, not himself
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able to write for wounds), a Letter to his Brother, of which here is an Excerpt at first hand, with only the
spelling altered: ... "It was our Regiment that attacked the French Guards: and when we came within twenty
or thirty paces of them, I advanced before our Regiment; drank to them [to the French, from the pocketpistol
one carries on such occasions], and told them that we were the English Guards, and hoped that they would
stand till we came quite up to them, and not swim the Scheld as they did the Mayn at Dettingen [shameful
THIRD BRIDGE, not of wood, though carpeted with blue cloth there]! Upon which I immediately turned
about to our own Regiment; speeched them, and made them huzza,"I hope with a will. "An Officer
[d'Auteroche] came out of the ranks, and tried to make his men huzza; however, there were not above three or
four in their Brigade that did." ["Ath, May ye 20th, o.s." (to John, Fourth Marquis of Tweeddale, last
"Secretary of State for Scotland," and a man of figure in his day): Letter is at Yester House, East Lothian;
Excerpt PENES ME.] ...
Very poor counterhuzza. And not the least whisper of that sublime "After you, Sirs!" but rather, in confused
form, of quite the reverse; Hay having been himself fired into ("fire had begun on my left;" Hay totally
ignorant on which side first),fired into, rather feebly, and wounded by those D'Auteroche people, while he
was still advancing with shouldered arms;upon which, and not till which, he did give it them: in liberal
dose; and quite blew them off the ground, for that day. From all which, one has to infer, That the mutual
salutation by hat was probably a fact; that, for certain, there was some slight preliminary talk and
gesticulation, but in the Homeric style, by no means in the EspagnacFrench, not chivalrous epigram at
all, mere rough banter, and what is called "chaffing;"and in short, that the French Messrooms (with their
eloquent talent that way) had rounded off the thing into the current epigrammatic redaction; the authentic
businessform of it being ruggedly what is now given. Let our Manuscript proceed.
"D'Auteroche declining the first fire,"or accepting it, if ever offered, nobody can say,"the three Guards
Regiments, Lord Charles's on the right, give it him hot and heavy, 'tremendous rolling fire;' so that
D'Auteroche, responding more or less, cannot stand it; but has at once to rustle into discontinuity, he and his,
and roll rapidly out of the way. And the British Column advances, steadily, terribly, hurling back all
opposition from it; deeper and deeper into the interior mysteries of the French Host; blasting its way with
gunpowder;in a magnificent manner. A compact Column, slowly advancing,apparently of some 16,000
foot. Pauses, readjusts itself a little, when not meddled with; when meddled with, has cannon, has rolling
fire,delivers from it, in fact, on both hands such a torrent of deadly continuous fire as was rarely seen
before or since. 'FEU INFERNAL,' the French call it. The French make vehement resistance. Battalions,
squadrons, regiment after regiment, charge madly on this terrible Column; but rush only on destruction
thereby. Regiment This storms in from the right, regiment That from the left; have their colonels shot, 'lose
the half of their people;' and hastily draw back again, in a wrecked condition. The cavalryhorses cannot
stand such smoke and blazing; nor indeed, I think, can the cavaliers. REGIMENT DU ROI rushing on, full
gallop, to charge this Column, got one volley from it [says Espagnac] which brought to the ground 460 men.
Natural enough that horses take the bit between their teeth; likewise that men take it, and career very madly
in such circumstances!
"The terrible Column with slow inflexibility advances; cannon (now in reversed position) from that Redoubt
d'Eu ('Shame on you, Ingoldsby!'), and irregular musketry from Fontenoy side, playing upon it; defeated
regiments making barriers of their dead men and firing there; Column always closing its gapped ranks, and
girdled with insupportable fire. It ought to have taken Fontenoy and Redoubt d'Eu, say military men; it ought
to have done several things! It has now cut the French fairly in two;and Saxe, who is earnestly surveying it
a hundred paces ahead, sends word, conjuring the King to retire instantly,across the Scheld, by Calonne
Bridge and the strong rearguard there,who, however, will not. King and Dauphin, on horseback both,
have stood 'at the Justice (GALLOWS, in fact) of our Lady of the Woods,' not stirring much, occasionally
shifting to a windmill which is still higher,ye Heavens, with what intrepidity, all day!'a good many
countryfolk in trees close behind them.' Countryfolk, I suppose, have by this time seen enough, and are
copiously making off: but the King will not, though things do look dubious.
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"In fact, the Battle hangs now upon a hair; the Battle is as good as lost, thinks Marechal de Saxe. His
battlelines torn in two in that manner, hovering in ragged clouds over the field, what hope is there in the
Battle? Fontenoy is firing blank, this some time; its cannonballs done. Officers, in Antoine, are about
withdrawing the artillery,then again (on new order) replacing it awhile. All are looking towards the Scheld
Bridge; earnestly entreating his Majesty to withdraw. Had the Dutch, at this point of time, broken heartily in,
as Waldeck was urging them to do, upon the redoubts of Antoine; or had his Royal Highness the Duke, for
his own behoof, possessed due cavalry or artillery to act upon these ragged clouds, which hang broken there,
very fit for being swept, were there an artilleryandhorse besom to do it,in either of these cases the Battle
was the Duke's. And a right fiery victory it would have been; to make his name famous; and confirm the
English in their mad method of fighting, like Baresarks or Janizaries rather than strategic human creatures.
[See, in Busching's Magazin, xvi. 169 ("Your illustrious 'Column,' at Fontenoy? It was fortuitous, I say; done
like janizaries;" and so forth), a Criticism worth reading by soldiers.]
"But neither of these contingencies had befallen. The Dutch Austrian wing did evince some wish to get
possession of Antoine; and drew out a little; but the guns also awoke upon them; whereupon the
DutchAustrians drew in again, thinking the time not come. As for the Duke, he had taken with him of
cannon a good few; but of horse none at all (impossible for horse, unless Fontenoy and the Redoubt d'Eu
were ours!)and his horse have been hanging about, in the Wood of Barry all this while, uncertain what to
do; their old Commander being killed withal, and their new a dubitative person, and no orders left. The Duke
had left no orders; having indeed broken in here, in what we called a spiritual whiteheat, without asking
himself much what he would do when in: 'Beat the French, knock them to powder if I can!'Meanwhile the
French clouds are reassembling a little: Royal Highness too is readjusting himself, now got '300 yards ahead
of Fontenoy,'pauses there about half an hour, not seeing his way farther.
"During which pause, Duc de Richelieu, famous blackguard man, gallops up to the Marechal, gallops rapidly
from Marechal to King; suggesting, 'were cannon brought AHEAD of this close deep Column, might not they
shear it into beautiful destruction; and then a general charge be made?' So counselled Richelieu: it is said, the
Jacobite Irishman, Count Lally of the Irish Brigade, was prime author of this notion,a man of tragic
notoriety in time coming. ["Thomas Arthur Lally Comte de Tollendal," patronymically "O'MuLALLY of
TULLINDALLY" (a place somewhere in Connaught, undiscoverable where, not material where): see our
dropsical friend (in one of his wheeziest states), King James's Irish ArmyList (Dublin, 1855), pp. 594600.]
Whoever was author of it, Marechal de Saxe adopts it eagerly, King Louis eagerly: swift it becomes a fact.
Universal rally, universal simultaneous charge on both flanks of the terrible Column: this it might resist, as it
has done these two hours past; but cannon ahead, shearing gaps through it from end to end, this is what no
column can resist;and only perhaps one of Friedrich's columns (if even that) with Friedrich's eye upon it,
could make its halfright about (QUART DE CONVERSION), turn its side to it, and manoeuvre out of it,
in such circumstances. The wrathful English column, slit into ribbons, can do nothing at manoeuvring; blazes
and rages, more and more clearly in vain; collapses by degrees, rolls into ribboncoils, and winds itself out
of the field. Not much chased, its cavalry now seeing a job, and issuing from the Wood of Barry to cover
the retreat. Not much chased;yet with a loss, they say, in all, of 7,000 killed and wounded, and about 2,000
prisoners; French loss being under 5,000.
"The Dutch and Austrians had found that the fit time was now come, or taken time by the forelock,their
part of the loss, they said, was a thousand and odd hundreds. The Battle ended about two o'clock of the day;
had begun about eight. Tuesday, 11th May, 1745: one of the hottest halfday's works I have known. A thing
much to be meditated by the English mind.King Louis stept down from the GallowsHill of Our Lady;
and KISSED Marechal de Saxe. Saxe was nearly dead of dropsy; could not sit on horseback, except for
minutes; was carried about in a wicker bed; has had a lead bullet in his mouth, all day, to mitigate the
intolerable thirst. Tournay was soon taken; the Dutch garrison, though strong, and in a strong place, making
no due debate.
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"Royal Highness retired upon Ath and Brussels; hovered about, nothing daunted, he or his: 'Dastard fellows,
they would not come out into the open ground, and try us fairly!' snort indignantly the Gazetteers and
enlightened Public. [Old Newspapers.] Nothing daunted;but, as it were, did not do anything farther, this
Campaign; except lose Gand, by negligence VERSUS vigilance, and eat his victuals,till called home by
the Rebellion Business, in an unexpected manner! Fontenoy was the nearest approach he ever made to getting
victory in a battle; but a miss too, as they all were. He was nothing like so rash, on subsequent occasions; but
had no better luck; and was beaten in all his battlesexcept the immortal Victory of Culloden alone. Which
latter indeed, was it not itself (in the Gazetteer mind) a kind of apotheosis, or lifting of a man to the immortal
gods,by endless tarbarrels and beer, for the time being?
"Old Marechal de Noailles was in this Battle; busy about the redans, and proud to see his Saxe do well.
Chivalrous Grammont, too, as we saw, was there,killed at the first discharge. Prince de Soubise too (not
killed); a certain Lord George Sackville (hurt slightly,perhaps had BETTER have been killed!)and
others known to us, or that will be known. ArmySurgeon La Mettrie, of busy brain, expert with his
tourniquets and scalpels, but of wildly blusterous heterodox tongue and ways, is thricebusy in Hospital this
night,'English and French all one to you, nay, if anything, the English better!' those are the Royal
orders:La Mettrie will turn up, in new capacity, still blusterous, at Berlin, by and by.
"The French made immense explosions of rejoicing over this Victory of Fontenoy; Voltaire (now a man well
at Court) celebrating it in prose and verse, to an amazing degree (21,000 copies sold in one day); the whole
Nation blazing out over it into illuminations, arcs of triumph and universal threetimesthree:in short, I
think, nearly the heartiest National Huzza, loud, deep, longdrawn, that the Nation ever gave in like case.
Now rather curious to consider, at this distance of time. Miraculous Anecdotes, true and not true, are many.
Not to mention again that surprising offer of the first fire to us, what shall we say of the 'two campsutlers
whom I noticed,' English females of the lowest degree; 'one of whom was busy slitting the goldlace from a
dead Officer, when a cannonball came whistling, and shore her head away. Upon which, without sound
uttered, her neighbor snatched the scissors, and deliberately proceeded.' [De Hordt, Memoires, i. 108. A
FRENCH OFFICER'S ACCOUNT (translated in Gentleman's Magazine, 1745; where, pp. 246, 250, 291,
313, are many confused details and speculations on this subject).] A deliberate gloomy
people;unconquerable except by French prowess, glory to that same!"
Britannic Majesty is not successful this season; Highland Rebellions rising on him, and much going awry. He
is founding his National Debt, poor Majesty; nothing else to speak of. His poor Army, fighting never so well
in Foreign quarrels,and generally itself standing the brunt, with the copartners looking on till it is time to
run (as at Roucoux again next season, and at Lauffeld next),can win nothing but hard knocks and losses.
And is defined by mankind,in phraseology which we have heard again since then! as having "the heart
of a Lion and the head of an Ass." [Old Pamphlets, SOEPIUS.] Portentous to contemplate!
Cape Breton was besieged this Summer, in a creditable manner; and taken. The one real stroke done upon
France this Year, or indeed (except at sea) throughout the War. "Ruin to their Fisheries, and a clear loss of
1,400,000 pounds a year." Compared with which all these fine "Victories in Flanders" are a bottle of
moonshine. This was actually a kind of stroke;and this, one finds, was accomplished, under presidency of
a small squadron of King's ships, by ('NewEngland Volunteers," on funds raised by subscription, in the way
of jointstock. A shining Colonial feat; said to be very perfectly done, both scrip part of it, and fighting part;
[Adelung, v. 3235 ("27th June, 1745, after a siege of fortynine days"): see "Gibson, Journal of the Siege;"
"Mr. Prince (of the South Church, Boston), THANKSGIVING SERMON (price fourpence);" in the Old
Newspapers, 1745, 1748, multifarious Notices about it, and then about the "repayment" of those excellent
"jointstock" people.] and might have yielded, what incalculable dividends in the Fishery way! But had to
be given up again, in exchange for the Netherlands, when Peace came. Alas, your Majesty! Would it be quite
impossible, then, to go direct upon your own sole errand, the JENKINS'SEAR one, instead of stumbling
about among the Foreign chimneypots, far and wide, under nightmares, in this terrible manner?Let us to
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Silesia again.
Chapter IX. THE AUSTRIANSAXON ARMY INVADES SILESIA, ACROSS
THE MOUNTAINS.
Valori, who is to be of Friedrich's Campaign this Year, came posting off directly in rear of the glorious news
of Fontenoy; found Friedrich at Camenz, rather in spirits than otherwise; and lodged pleasantly with Abbot
Tobias and him, till the Campaign should begin. Two things surprise Valori: first, the great strength,
impregnable as it were, to which Neisse has been brought since he saw it last,superlative condition of that
Fortress, and of the Army itself, as it gathers daily more and more about Frankenstein here:and then
secondly, and contrariwise, the strangely neglected posture of mountainous or Upper Silesia, given up to
Pandours. Quite submerged, in a manner: Margraf Karl lies quiet among them at Jagerndorf, "eating his
magazine;" General Hautcharmoi (Winterfeld's late chief in that Wurben affair), with his small Detachment,
still hovers about in those Ratibor parts, "with the Strong Towns to fallback upon," or has in effect fallen
back accordingly; and nothing done to coerce the Pandours at all. While Prince Karl and Weissenfels are
daily coming on, in force 100,000, their intention certain; force, say, about 100,000 regular! Very singular to
Valori.
"Sire, will not you dispute the Passes, then?" asks Valori, amazed: "Not defend your Mountain rampart,
then?" "MON CHER; the Mountain rampart is three or four hundred miles long; there are twelve or twenty
practicable roads through it. One is kept in darkness, too; endless Pandour doggery shutting out your
daylight:ill defending such a rampart," answers Friedrich. "But how, then," persists Valori; "but?" "One
day the King answered me," says Valori, "'MON AMI, if you want to get the mouse, don't shut, the trap;
leave the trap open (ON LAISSE LA SOURICIERE OUVERTE)!'" Which was a beam of light to the
inquiring thought of Valori, a military man of some intelligence. [See VALORI, i. 222, 224, 228.]
That, in fact, is Friedrich's purpose privately formed. He means that the Austrians shall consider him cowed
into nothing, as he understands they already do; that they shall enter Silesia in the notion of chasing him; and
shall, if need be, have the pleasure of chasing him,till perhaps a right moment arrive. For he is full of silent
finesse, this young King; soon sees into his man, and can lead him strange dances on occasion. In no man is
there a plentifuler vein of cunning, nor of a finer kind. Lynxeyed perspicacity, inexhaustible contrivance,
prompt ingenuity,a man very dangerous to play with at games of skill. And it is cunning regulated always
by a noble sense of honor, too; instinctively abhorrent of attorneyism and the swindler element: a cunning,
sharp as the vulpine, yet always strictly human, which is rather beautiful to see. This is one of Friedrich's
marked endowments. Intellect sunclear, wholly practical (need not be specially deep), and entirely loyal to
the fact before it; thisif you add rapidity and energy, prompt weight of stroke, such as was seldom met
with will render a man very dangerous to his adversary in the game of war.Here is the last of our
Pandour Adventures for the present:
"From May 12th, Friedrich had been gathering closer and closer about Frankenstein; by the end of the month
(28th, as it proved) he intends that all Detachments shall be home, and the Army take Camp there. The most
are home; Margraf Karl, at Jagerndorf, has not yet done eating his magazine; but he too must come home.
Summon the Margraf home:it is not doubted he will cut himself through, he and his 12,000; but such is the
swarm of Pandours hovering between him and us, no estafette, or cleverest letterbearer, can hope to get
across to him. Ziethen with 500 Hussars, he must take the Letter; there is no other way. Ziethen mounts; fares
swiftly forth, towards Neustadt, with his Letter; lodges in woods; dodges the thickcrowding Tolpatcheries
(passes himself off for a Tolpatchery, say some, and captures Hungarian StaffOfficers who come to give
him orders [Frau van Blumenthal, Life of De Ziethen, pp. 171181 (extremely romantic; now given up as
mythical, for most part): see Orlich (ii. 150); but also Ranke (iii. 245), Preuss, is at length found out, and
furiously set upon, 'Ziethen, Hah!'but gets to Jagerndorf, Margraf Karl coming out to the rescue, and
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delivers his Letter. 'Home, then, all of us tomorrow!' And so, Saturday, 22d May, before we get to Neustadt
on the way home, there is an authentic passage of arms, done very brilliantly by Margraf Karl against
Pandours and others. "To right of us, to left, barring our road, the enemy, 20,000 of them, stand ranked on
heights, in chosen positions; cannon batteries, grenadiers, dragoons of Gotha and infinite Pandours: military
jungle bristling far and wide. And you must push it heartily, and likewise cut the taproot of it (seize its big
guns), or it will not roll away. Margraf Karl shoots forth his steady infantry ('Silent till you see the whites of
their eyes!'),his cavalry with new manoeuvres; whose behavior is worthy of Ziethen himself:in brief, the
jungle is struck as by a whirlwind, the taproot of it cut, and rolls simultaneously out of range, leaving only
the Regiment of Gotha,, Regiment of Ogilvy and some Regulars, who also get torn to shreds, and utterly
ruined. Seeing which, the Pandour jungle plunges wholly into the woods, uttering horrible cries (EN
POUSSANT DES CRIS TERRIBLES), says Friedrich. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 106. More specially
BERICHTE VON DER AM 22 MAI, 1745 BEY NEUSTADT IN OBER SCHLESIEN
VORGEFALLENER ACTION (Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 159166).] Our new cavalrymanoeuvres deserve
praise. Margraf Karl had the honor to gain his Cousin's approbation this day; and to prove himself, says the
Cousin, (worthy of the grandfather he came from,'my own greatgrandfather; Great Elector,
FriedrichWilhelm; whose style of motion at Fehrbellin, or on the ice of the Frische Haf (soldiers all in
sledges, tearing along to be at the Swedes), was probably somewhat of this kind." ...
"Some days ago, Winterfeld had been pushed out to Landshut, with Detachment of 2,000, to judge a little for
himself which way the Austrians were coming, and to scare off certain Uhlans (the SAXON species of
Tolpatchery), who were threatening to be mischievous thereabouts. The Uhlans, at sound of Winterfeld,
jingled away at once: but, in a day or two, there came upon him, on the sudden, Pandour outburst in quite
other force;and in the very hours while Ziethen was struggling into Jagerndorf, and still more emphatically
next day, while Margraf Karl was handling his Pandours,Colonel Winterfeld, a hundred miles to westward
lapped among the Mountains, chanced to be dealing again with the same article. Very busy with it, from 4
o'clock this morning; likely to give a good account of the job. Steadily defending Landshut and himself,
against the grenadier battalions, cannon and furious overplus of Pandours (8,000 or 9,000, it is said, six to
one or so in the article of cavalry), which General Nadasti, a scientific leader of men or Pandours, skilfully
and furiously hurls upon Landshut and him, in an unexpected manner. Colonel Winterfeld had need of all his
heart and energy, in the intricate ground; against the furious overplus well manoeuvred: but in him too there
are manoeuvres; if he fall back here, it is to rush on double strong there; hour after hour he inexpugnably
defends himself,till General Stille, Friedrich's old Tutor, our worthy writing friend, whom we occasionally
quote, comes up with help; and Nadasti is at once brushed home again, with sore smart of failure, and 'the
loss of 600 killed,' among other items. [ Bericht von der am 21 Mai, 1745 bey Landshut rorgefallener Action,
in Feldzuge, i. 302305 (or in Seyfarth, Beylage, i. 155158); OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 105; Stille, pp.
120124 (who misdates, "23d May" for 22d).] Colonel Winterfeld was made MajorGeneral next day, for
this action. Colonel Winterfeld is cutting out a high course for himself, by his conduct in these employments;
solidity, brilliant effectuality, shining through all he does; his valor and value, his rapid just insight, fiery
energy and nobleness of mind more and more disclosing themselves,to one who is a judge of men, and
greatly needs for his own use the first rate quality in that article."
Friedrich has left the mousetrap open;and latterly has been baiting it with a pleasant spicing of toasted
cheese. One of his Spies, reporting from Prince Karl's quarters, Friedrich has at this time discovered to be a
DoubleSpy, reporting thither as well. DoubleSpy, there is an ugly fact;perhaps not quite convenient to
abolish it by hemp and gibbet; perhaps it could be turned to use, as most facts can? "Very good, my expert
Herr von Schonfeld [that was the knave's name]; and now of all things, whenever the Prince does get
across,instant word to us of that! Nothing so important to us. If he should get BETWEEN us and Breslau,
for example, what would the consequence be!" To this purport Friedrich instructs his DoubleSpy; sends him
off, unhanged, to Prince Karl's Camp, to blab this fresh bit of knowledge. "We likewise," says Friedrich,
"ordered some repairs on the roads leading to Breslau;"last turn of the hand to our bit of toasted fragrancy.
And Prince Karl is actually striding forward, at an eager pace:and Nadasti VERSUS Winterfeld, the other
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day, could Winterfeld have guessed it, was the actual vanguard of the march; and will be up again
straightway! Whereupon Winterfeld too is called home; and all eyes are bent on the Landshut side.
Prince Karl, under these fine omens, had been urgent on the Saxons to be swift; Saxons under Weissenfels
did at last "get their cannon up," and we hear of them for certain, in junction with the Austrians, at Schatzlar,
on the Bohemian side of the Giant Mountains; climbing with diligence those wizard solitudes and highland
wastes. In a word, they roll across into Silesia, to Landshut (29th May); nothing doubting but Friedrich has
cowered into what retreats he has, as good as desperate of Silesia, and will probably be first heard of in
Breslau, when they get thither with their sieging guns. No cautious sagacious old Feldmarschall Traun is in
that Host at present; nothing but a Prince Karl, and a poor Duke of Weissenfels; who are too certain of
several things; very capable of certainty, and also of doubt, the wrong way of the facts. Their force is, by
strict count, 75,000; and they march from Landshut, detained a little by provender concerns, on the last day of
May. [Orlich, ii. 146; Ranke, iii. 247; Stenzel, iv. 245.]
May 28th, Friedrich had encamped at Frankenstein; May 30th, he sets forth northwestward, to be nearer the
new scene; encamps at Reichenbach, that night; pushes forward again, next day, for Schweidnitz, for Striegau
(in all, a shift northwest of some forty miles);and from June 1st, lies stretched out between Schweidnitz
and Striegau, nine miles long; well hidden in the hollows of the little Rivers thereabouts (Schweidnitz Water,
Striegau Water), with their little knolls and hills; watching Prince Karl's probable place of egress from the
Mountain Country opposite. His main Camp is from Schweidnitz to Jauernik, some five miles long; but he
has his vanguard up as far as Striegau, Dumoulin and Winterfeld as vanguard, in good strength, a little way
behind or westward of that Town and Stream; Nassau and his Division are screened in the Wood called
Nonnenbusch (NUN'S BUSH), and there are outposts sprinkled all about, and vedettes watching from the
hilltops, from the Stanowitz Foxhill; the Zedlitz "Cowhill," "Winchill:" an Army not courting observation,
but intent very much to observe. Nadasti has appeared again; at Freyburg, few miles off, on this side of the
Mountains; goes out scouting, reconnoitring; but is "fired at from the growing corn," and otherwise
hoodwinked by false symptoms, and makes little of that business. Friedrich's Army we will compute at
70,000. [GeneralLieutenant Freiherr Leo von Lutzow, Die Schlacht von Hohenfriedbeg (Potsdam, 1845),
pp. 18, 21.] Not quite equal in number to Prince Karl's; and, in other particulars, willing and longing that
Prince Karl would arrive, and try its quality.
Friedrich's headquarter is at Jauernik: he goes daily riding hither, thither; to the top of the Fuchsberg
(FOXHILL at Stanowitz) with eager spyglass; daily many times looks with his spyglass to the ragged
peaks about Bolkenhayn, Kauder, Rohnstock; expecting the throw of the dice from that part. On Thursday, 3d
June: Do you notice that cloud of dust rising among the peaks over yonder? Dustcloud mounting higher and
higher. There comes the big crisis, then! There are the combined Weissenfels and Karl with their Austrian
Saxons, issuing proudly from their stone labyrinth; guns, equipments, baggages, all perfectly brought
through; rich Silesian plain country now fairly at their feet, Breslau itself but a few marches off:at sight of
all which, the Austrian big host bursts forth into universal fieldmusic, and shakes out its banners to the
wind. Thursday, 3d June, 1745; a dramatic Entry of something quite considerable on the Stage of History.
Friedrich, with Nassau and generals round, stands upon the Fuchsberg,his remarks not given, his looks or
emotions not described to us, his thought well known,and looks at it through his TUBUS (or spyglass):
There they are, then, and the big moment is come! Friedrich had seen the dust and the manoeuvring of them,
deeper in the Hills, from this same Fuchsberg yesterday, and inferred what was coming; calculated by what
roads or hilltracks they could issue: and how he, in each case, was to deal with them; his marchroutes are
all settled, plankbridges repaired, all privately is ready for these proud Austrian musical gentlemen, here in
the hollow. Friedrich has been upon this Fuchsberg with his TUBUS daily, many times since Monday last: it
is our general observatorium, says Stille, and commands a fine view into the interior of these Hills. A
Fuchsberg which has become notable in the Prussian maps: "the Stanowitz Fuchsberg," east side of Striegau
Water,let no tourist mistake himself; for there are two or even three other Fuchsbergs, a mile or so
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northward on the western side of that Stream, which need to be distinguished by epithets, as the Striegau
Fuchsberg, the Graben Fuchsberg, and perhaps still others: comparable to the FOUR Neisse rivers, three
besides the one we know, which occur in this piece of Country! Our German cousins, I have often sorrowed
to find, have practically a most poor talent for GIVING NAMES; and indeed much, for ages back, is lying in
a sad state of confusion among them. Many confused things, rotting far and wide, in contradiction to the
plainest laws of Nature; things as well as names! All the welcomer this Prussian Army, this young Friedrich
leading it; they, beyond all earthly entities of their epoch, are not in a state of confusion, but of most strict
conformity to the laws of Arithmetic and facts of Nature: perhaps a very blessed phenomenon for Germany in
the longrun.
Prince Karl with Weissenfels, General Berlichingen and many plumed dignitaries, are dining on the Hilltop
near Hohenfriedberg: after having given order about everything, they witness there, over their wine, the issue
of their Columns from the Mountains; which goes on all afternoon, with fieldmusic, spread banners; and the
oldest General admits he never saw a finer review manoeuvre, or one better done, if so well. Thus sit they
on the Hilltop (GALGENBERG, not far from the gallows of the place, says Friedrich), in the beautiful June
afternoon. Silesia lying beautifully azure at their feet; the Zobtenberg, enchanted Mountain, blue and high on
one's eastern horizon; Prussians noticeable only in weak hussar parties four or five miles off, which vanish in
the hollow grounds again. All intending for Breslau, they, it is like;and here, red wine and the excellent
manoeuvre going on. "The AustrianandSaxon Army streamed out all afternoon," says a Country
Schoolmaster of those parts, whose Daybook has been preserved, [In Lutzow, pp. 123132.] "each regiment
or division taking the place appointed it; all afternoon, till late in the night, submerging the Country as in a
deluge," five miles long of them; taking post at the foot of the Hills there, from Hohenfriedberg round upon
Striegau, looking towards the morrow's sunrise. To us poor countryfolk not a beautiful sight; their light
troops flying ahead, and doing theft and other mischief at a sad rate.
On the other hand, the Austrian and Saxon gentlemen, from their GallowsHill at Hohenfriedberg, notice,
four or five miles in the distance, opposite them, or a little to the left of opposite, a Body of Prussian horse
and foot, visibly wending northward; like a long glittering serpent, the glitter of their muskets flashing back
yonder on the afternoon sun and us, as they mount from hollow to height. Ten or twelve thousand of them;
making for Striegau, to appearance. Intending to bivouac or billet there, and keep some kind of watch over
us; belike with an eye to being rearguard, on the retreat towards Breslau tomorrow? Or will they retreat
without attempting mischief? Serenity of Weissenfels engages to seize the heights and proper posts, over
yonder, this night yet; and will take Striegau itself, the first thing, tomorrow morning.
Yes, your Serenities, those are Prussians in movement: Vanguard Corps of Dumoulin,
Winterfeld;Rittmeister Seydlitz rides yonder: and it is not their notion to retreat without mischief. For
there stands, not so far off, on the Stanowitz Fuchsberg, a brisk little Gentleman, if you could notice him;
with his eyes fixed on you, and plans in the head of him now getting nearly mature. For certain, he is pushing
out that column of men; and all manner of other columns are getting order to push out, and take their ground;
and tomorrow morningyou will not find him in retreat! Such are the phenomena in that
StriegauHohenfriedberg region, while the sun is bending westward, on Thursday, 3d June, 1745.
"From Hohenfriedberg, which leans against the higher Mountains, there may be, across to Striegau northeast,
which stands well apart from them, among lower Hills of its own, a distance of about five English miles. The
intervening country is of flat, though upland nature: the first broad stage, or STAIRSTEP, so to speak,
leading down into the general interior levels of Silesia in those parts. A tract which is now tolerably dried by
draining, but was then marshy as well as bushy:flat to the eye, yet must be imperceptibly convexed a little,
for the line of watershed is hereabouts: walk from Hohenfriedberg to Striegau, the water on your left hand
flows, though mainly in ditches or imperceptible oozings, to the north and west,there to fall into an eastern
fork of the Roaring Neisse [one of our three new Neisses, which is a very quiet stream here; runs close by the
Mountain base, fed by many torrents, and must get its name, WUTHENDE or Roaring, from the suddenness
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of its floods]: into this, bound northward and westward, run or ooze all waters on your left hand, as you go to
Striegau. Right hand, again, or to eastward, you will find all sauntering, or running in visible brooks into
Striegau Water [little River notable to us], which comes circling from the Mountains, past Hohenfriedberg,
farther south; and has got to some force as a stream before it reaches Striegau, and turns abruptly
eastward;eastward, to join Schweidnitz Water, and form with it the SECOND stairstep downwards to the
Plain Country. Has its Fuchsbergs, Kuhbergs and little knolls and heights interspersed, on both sides of it, in
the conceivable way.
"So that, looking eastward from the heights of Hohenfriedberg, our broad stage or stairstep has nothing of
the nature of a valley, but rather is a kind of insensibly swelling plain between two valleys, or hollows, of
small depth; and slopes both ways. Both ways; but MORE towards the StriegauWater valley or hollow; and
thence, in a lazily undulating manner, to other hollows and waters farther down. Friedrich's Camp lies in the
next, the SchweidnitzWater hollow; and is five, or even nine miles long, from Schweidnitz
northward;much hidden from the AustrianSaxon gentlemen at present. No hills farther, mere flat country,
to eastward of that. But to the north, again, about Striegau, the hollow deepens, narrows; and certain Hills,"
much notable at present, "rise to west of Striegau, definite peaked Hills, with granite quarries in them and
basalt blocks atop:Striegau, it appears, is, in old Czech dialect, TRZIZA, which means TRIPLE HILL, the
'Town of the Three Hills.' [Lutzow, p. 28.] An ancient quaint little Town, of perhaps 2,000 souls:
browngray, the stones of it venerably weathered; has its wide big marketplace, piazza, plain stones, silent
enough except on marketdays: nestles itself compactly in the shelter of its Three Hills, which screen it from
the northwest; and has a picturesque appearance, its Hills and it, projected against the big Mountain range
beyond, as you approach it from the Plain Country.
"Hohenfriedberg, at the other corner of our battlestage, on the road to Landshut, is a Village of no great
compass; but sticks pleasantly together, does not straggle in the usual way; climbs steep against its
GallowsHill (now called 'SIEGESBERG, Victory Hill,' with some tower or steeplemonument on it, built
by subscription); and would look better, if trimmed a little and habitually well swept. The higher Mountain
summits, Landshut way, or still more if you look southeastward, Glatzward, rise blue and huge, remote on
your right; to left, the Roaring Neisse range close at hand, is also picturesque, though less Alpine in type."
[Tourist's Note (1858).] ... And of all Hills, the notablest, just now to us, are those "Three" at Striegau.
Those Three Hills of Striegau his Serenity of Weissenfels is to lay hold of, this night, with his extreme left,
were it once got deployed and bivouacked. Those Hills, if he can: but Prussian Dumoulin is already on march
thither; and privately has his eye upon them, on Friedrich's part!For the rest, this upland platform,
insensibly sloping two ways, and as yet undrained, is of scraggy boggy nature in many places; much of it
damp ground, or sheer morass; better parts of it covered, at this season, with rank June grass, or greener
luxuriance of oats and barley. A humble peaceable scene; peaceable till this afternoon; dotted, too, with six or
seven poor Hamlets, with scraggy woods, where they have their fuel; most sleepy littery ploughman Hamlets,
sometimes with a SCHLOSS or Mansion for the owner of the soil (who has absconded in the present crisis of
things), their evening smoke rising rather fainter than usual; much cookery is not advisable with Uhlans and
Tolpatchcs flying about. Northward between Striegau and the higher Mountains there is an extensive
TEICHWIRTHSCHAFT, or "Pond Husbandry" (gleaming visible from Hohenfriedberg GallowsHill just
now); a combination of stagnant pools and carpponds, the ground much occupied hereabouts with what they
name CarpHusbandry. Which is all drained away in our time, yet traceable by the studious:quaggy
congeries of sluices and fishponds, no road through them except on intricate dams; have scrubby thickets
about the border;this also is very strong ground, if Weissenfels thought of defence there.
Which Weissenfels does not, but only of attack. He occupies the ground nevertheless, rearward of this
CarpHusbandry, as becomes a strategic man; gradually bivouacking all round there, to end on the Three
Hills, were his last regiments got up. The CarpHusbandry is mainly about Eisdorf Hamlet:in
Pilgramshayn, where Weissenfels once thought of lodging, lives our Writing Schoolmaster. The Mountains
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lie to westward; flinging longer shadows, as the invasive troops continually deploy, in that beautiful manner;
and coil themselves strategically on the ground, a bent rope, cordon, or line (THREE lines in depth), reaching
from the front skirts of Hohenfriedberg to the Hills at Striegau again,terrible to behold.
In front of Hohenfriedberg, we say, is the extremity or right wing of the AustrianSaxon bivouac, or will be
when the process is complete; five miles to northeast, sweeping round upon Striegau region, will be their left,
where mainly are the Saxons,to nestle upon those Three Hills of Striegau: whitherward however,
Dumoulin, on Friedrich's behalf, is already on march. AustrianSaxon bivouac, as is the way in regulated
hosts, can at once become AustrianSaxon orderofbattle: and then, probably, on the Chord of that Arc of
five miles, the big Fight will roll tomorrow; Striegau one end of it, Hohenfriedbcrg the other. Flattish,
somewhat elliptic upland, stairstep from the Mountains, as we called it; tract considerably cut with ditches,
carphusbandries, and their tufts of wood; line from Striegau to Hohenfriedberg being axis or main diameter
of it, and in general the line of watershed: there, probably, will the tug of war be. Friedrich, on his Fuchsberg,
knows this; the AustrianSaxon gentlemen, over their wine on the GallowsHill, do not yet know it, but will
know.
It was about four in the afternoon, when Valori, with a companion, waiting a good while in the King's Tent at
Jauernik, at last saw his Majesty return from the Fuchsberg observatory. Valori and friend have great news:
"Tournay fallen; siege done, your Majesty!" Valori's friend is one De Latour; who had brought word of
Fontenoy ("important victory on the Scamander," as Friedrich indignantly defined it to himself); and was bid
wait here till this Siegeof Tournay consummation ("as helpful to me as the Siege of Pekin!") should
supervene. They hasten to salute his Majesty with the glorious tidings, Hmph! thinks Friedrich: and we are at
deathgrips here, little to be helped by your taking Pekin! However, he lets wit of nothing. "I make my
compliments; mean to fight tomorrow." [Valori, i. 228.] Valori, as old soldier and friend, volunteers to be
there and assist:Good.
Friedrich, I presume, at this late hour of four, may bc snatching a morsel of dinner; his orderlies are silently
speeding, plans taken, orders given: To start all, at eight in the evening, for the Bridge of Striegau; there to
cross, and spread to the right and to the left. Silent, not a word spoken, not a pipe lighted: silently across the
Striegau Water there. A march of three miles for the nearest, who are here at Jauernik; of nine miles for the
farthest about Schweidnitz; at Schweidnitz leave all your baggage, safe under the guns there. To the Bridge of
Striegau, diligently, silently march along; Bridge of Striegau, there cross Striegau Water, and deploy to right
and to left, in the way each of you knows. These are Friedrich's orders.
Late in the dusk, Dumoulin and Winterfeld, whom we saw silently on march some hours ago, have silently
glided past Striegau, and got into the ThreeHill region, which is some furlong or so farther north:to his
surprise, Dumoulin finds Saxon parties posting themselves thereabouts. He attacks said Saxon parties; and
after some slight tussle, drives them mostly from their Three Hills; mostly, not altogether; one Saxon Hill is
precipitous on our hither side of it, and we must leave that till the dawn break. Of the other Heights Dumoulin
takes good possession, with cannon too, to be ready against dawn;and ranks himself out to leftward withal,
along the plain ground; for he is to be right wing, had the other troops come up. These are now all under way;
astir from Jauernik and Schweidnitz, silently streaming along; and Dumoulin bivouacs here,very silent he:
not so silent the Saxons; who are still marching in, over yonder, to westward of Dumoulin, their rearguard
groping out its posts as it best can in the dark. Elsewhere, miles and miles along the foot of the Mountains,
AustrianSaxon watch fires flame through the ambrosial night; and it is an impressive sight for
Dumoulin,still more for the poor Schoolmaster at Pilgramshayn and others, less concerned than Dumoulin.
"It was beautiful," says Stille, who was there, "to see how the plain about Rohnstock, and all over that way,
was ablaze with thousands of watchfires (TAUSEND UND ABER TAUSEND); by the light of these, we
could clearly perceive the enemy's troops continually defile from the Hills the whole night through." [Cited in
Seyfarth, i. 630.]
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Serenity of Weissenfels, after all, does not lodge at Pilgramshayn; far in the night, he goes to sleep at
Rohnstock, a Schloss and Hamlet on that fork of Roaring Neisse, by the foot of the Mountains; three or four
miles off, yet handy enough for picking up Striegau the first thing tomorrow. His Highness Prince Karl lies
in Hausdorf, tolerable quarters, pretty much in the centre of his long bivouac; day's business well done, and
bottle (as one's wont rather is) well enjoyed. Nadasti has been out scouting; but was pricked into by hussar
parties, fired into from the growing corn; and could make out little, but the image of his own ideas. Nadasti's
ultimate report is, That the Prussians are perfectly quiet in their camp; from Jauernik to Schweidnitz,
watchfires all alight, sentries going their rounds. And so they are, in fact; sentries and watchfires,but
now nothing else there, a mere shell of a camp; the men of it streaming steadily along, without speech,
without tobacco; and many of them are across Striegau Bridge by this time!
It was past eleven, so close and continuous went this march, before Valori and his Latour, with their carriages
and furnitures, could find an interval, and get well into it. Never will Valori forget the discipline of these
Prussians, and how they marched. Difficult ways; the hard road is for their artillery; the men march on each
side, sometimes to midleg in water,never mind. Wholly in order, wholly silent; Valori followed them
three leagues close, and there was not one straggler. Every private man, much more every officer, knows well
what grim errand they are on; and they make no remarks. Steady as Time; and, except that their shoes are not
of felt, silent as he. The Austrian watchfires glow silent manifold to leftward yonder; silent overhead are the
stars:the path of all duty, too, is silent (not about Striegau alone) for every well drilled man.
Tomorrow;well, tomorrow?
A grimmish feeling against the Saxons is understood to be prevalent among these men. Bruhl, Weissenfels
himself, have been reported talking high,"Reduce our King to the size of an Elector again," and other
foolish things;indeed, grudges have been accumulating for some time. "KEIN PARDON (No quarter)!" we
hear has been a word among the Saxons, as they came along; the Prussians growl to one another, "Very well
then, None!" Nay Friedrich's general order is, "No prisoners, you cavalry, in the heat of fight; cavalry, strike
at the faces of them: you infantry, keep your fire till within fifty steps; bayonet withal is to be relied on."
These were Friedrich's last general orders, given in the hollow of the night, near the foot of that Fuchsberg
where he had been so busy all day; a widish plain space hereabouts, Striegau Bridge now near: he had lain
snme time in his cloak, waiting till the chief generals, with the heads of their columns, could rendezvous here.
He then sprang on horseback; spoke briefly the essential things (one of them the above);"Had meant to be
more minute, in regard to positions and the like; but all is so in darkness, embroiled by the flare of the
Austrian watchfires, we can make nothing farther of localities at present: Striegau for right wing, left wing
opposite to Hohenfriedberg,so, and Striegau Water well to rear of us. Be diligent, exact, all faculties
awake: your own sense, and the Order of Battle which you know, must do the rest. Forward; steady: can I
doubt but you will acquit yourselves like Prussian men?" And so they march, across the Bridge at Striegau,
south outskirt of the Town,plank Bridge, I am afraid;and pour themselves, to right and to left,
continually the livelong night.
To describe the Battle which ensued, Battle named of Striegau or Hohenfriedberg, excels the power of human
talent,if human talent had leisure for such employment. It is the huge shock and clash of 70,000 against
70,000, placed in the way we said. An enormous furious SIMALTAS (or "bothatonce," as the Latins
phrase it), spreading over ten square miles. Rather say, a wide congeries of electric simultaneities; all
ELECTRIC, playing madly into one another; most loud, most mad: the aspect of which is smoky, thunderous,
abstruse; the true SEQUENCES of which, who shall unravel? There are five accounts of it, all modestly
written, each truelooking from its own place: and a thricediligent Prussian Officer, stationed on the spot in
late years, has striven well to harmonize them all. [Five Accounts: 1. The Prussian Official Account, in
HeldenGeschichte, i. 10981102. 2. The Saxon, ib. 11031108. 3. The Austrian, ib. 11091115. 4. Stille's
(ii. 125133, of English Translation). 5. Friedrich's own, OEuvres, iii. 108118. Lutzow, above cited, is the
harmonizer. Besides which, two of value, in Feldzuge, i. 310323, 328336; not to mention Cogniazzo,
Confessions of an Austrian Veeran (Breslau, 17881791: strictly Anonymous at that time, and candid, or
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almost more, to Prussian merit;still worth reading, here and throughout), ii. 123135; Well worth the study
of military men;who might make tours towards this and the other great battle field, and read such things,
were they wise. For us, a feature or two, in the huge general explosion, to assist the reader's fancy in
conceiving it a little, is all that can be pretended to.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF HOHENFRIEDBERG.
With the first streak of dawn, the dispute renewed itself between those Prussians and Saxons who are on the
Heights of Striegau. The two Armies are in contact here; they lie wide apart as yet at the other end.
Cannonading rises here, on both sides, in the dim gray of the morning, for the possession of these Heights.
The Saxons are outcannonaded and dislodged, other Saxons start to arms in support: the cry "To arms!"
spreads everywhere, rouses Weissenfels to horseback; and by sunrise a furious storm of battle has begun, in
this part. Hot and fierce on both sides; charges of horse, shock after shock, bayonetcharges of foot; the great
guns going like Jove's thunder, and the continuous tearing storm of small guns, very loud indeed: such a
noise, as our poor Schoolmaster, who lives on this spot, thinks he will hear only once again, when the Last
Trumpet sounds! It did indeed, he informs us, resemble the dissolution of Nature: "For all fell dark too;" a
general element of sulphurous powdersmoke, streaked with dull blazes; and death and destruction very nigh.
What will become of poor pacific mortals hereabouts? Rittmeister Seydlitz, Winterfeld his patron ride, with
knit brows, in these horsecharges; fiery Rothenburg too; Truchsess von Waldburg, at the head of his
Division,poor Truchsess known in London society, a cannonball smites the life out of him, and he ended
here.
At the first clash of horse and foot, the Saxons fancied they rather had it; at the second, their horse became
distressed; at the third, they rolled into disorderly heaps. The foot also, stubborn as they were, could not stand
that swift firing, followed by the bayonet and the sabre; and were forced to give ground. The morning sun
shone into their eyes, too, they say; and there had risen a breath of easterly wind, which hurled the smoke
upon them, so that they could not see. Decidedly staggering backwards; getting to be taken in flank and
ruined, though poor Weissenfels does his best. About five in the morning, Friedrich came galloping
hitherward; Valori with him: "MON AMI, this is looking well! This will do, won't it?" The Saxons are fast
sinking in the scale; and did nothing thenceforth but sink ever faster; though they made a stiff defence, fierce
exasperation on both sides; and disputed every inch. Their position, in these scraggy Woods and Villages, in
these Morasses and CarpHusbandries, is very strong.
It had proved to be farther north, too, than was expected; so that the Prussians had to wheel round a little
(right wing as a centre, fighting army as radius) before they could come parallel, and get to work: a delicate
manoeuvre, which they executed to Valori's admiration, here in the storm of battle; tramp, tramp, velocity
increasing from your centre outwards, till at the end of the radius, the troops are at treblequick, fairly
running forward, and the line straight all the while. Admirable to Valori, in the hot whirlwind of battle here.
For the great guns go, in horrid salvos, unabated, and the crackling thunder of the small guns; "terrible
tussling about those Carpponds, that quaggy Carphusbandry," says the Schoolmaster, "and the Heavens
blotted out in sulphurous fire streaked smoke. What had become of us pacific? Some had run in time, and
they were the wisest; others had squatted, who could find a nook suitable. Most of us had gathered into the
Nurserygarden at the foot of our Village; we sat quaking there,our prayers grown tremulously vocal;in
tears and wail, at least the women part. Enemies made reconcilement with each other," says he, "and dear
friends took farewell." [His Narrative, in Lutzow, UBI SUPRA.] One general Alleleu; the Last Day, to all
appearance, having come. Friedrich, seeing things in this good posture, gallops to the left again, where much
urgently requires attention from him.
On the Austrian side, Prince Karl, through his morning sleep at Hausdorf, had heard the cannonading:
"Saxons taking Striegau!" thinks he; a pleasant lullaby enough; and continues to sleep and dream. Agitated
messengers rush in, at last; draw his curtains: "Prussians all in rank, this side Striegau Water; Saxons beaten,
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or nearly so, at Striegau: we must stand to arms, your Highness!" "To arms, of course," answers Karl; and
hurries now, what he can, to get everything in motion. The bivouac itself had been in order of battle; but
naturally there is much to adjust, to put in trim; and the Austrians are not distinguished for celerity of
movement. All the worse for them just now.
On Friedrich's side, so far as I can gather, there have happened two cross accidents. First, by that wheeling
movement, done to Valori's admiration in the Striegau quarter, the Prussian line has hitched itself up towards
Striegau, has got curved inward, and covers less ground than was counted on; so that there is like to be some
gap in the central part of;as in fact there was, in spite of Friedrich's efforts, and hitchings of battalions and
squadrons: an indisputable gap, though it turned to rich profit for Friedrich; Prince Karl paying no attention to
it. Upon such indisputable gap a wakeful enemy might have done Friedrich some perilous freak; but Karl was
in his bed, as we say;in a terrible flurry, too, when out of bed. Nothing was done upon the gap; and
Friedrich had his unexpected profit by it before long.
The second accident is almost worse. Striegau Bridge (of planks, as I feared), creaking under such a heavy
stream of feet aud wheels all night, did at last break, in some degree, and needed to be mended; so that the
rearward regiments, who are to form Friedrich's left wing, are in painful retard;and are becoming
frightfully necessary, the Austrians as yet far outflanking us, capable of taking us in flank with that right wing
of theirs! The moment was agitating to a Generalinchief: Valori will own this young King's bearing was
perfect; not the least flurry, though under such a strain. He has aidesdecamp, dashing out everywhither
with orders, with expedients; Prince Henri, his younger Brother: galloping the fastest; nay, at last, he begs
Valori himself to gallop, with orders to a certain General Gessler, in whose Brigade are Dragoons. Which
Valori does,happily without effect on Gessler; who knows no Valori for an aidedecamp, and keeps the
ground appointed him; rearward of that gap we talked of.
Happily the Austrian right wing is in no haste to charge. Happily Ziethen, blocked by that incumbrance of the
Bridge mending, "finds a ford higher up," the assiduous Ziethen; splashes across, other regiments following;
forms in line well leftward; and instead of waiting for the Austrian charge, charges home upon them, fiercely
through the difficult grounds, No danger of the Austrians outflanking us now; they are themselves likely to
get hard measure on their flank. By the ford and by the Bridge, all regiments, some of them at treblequick,
get to their posts still in time. Accident second has passed without damage. Forward, then; rapid, steady; and
reserve your fire till within fifty paces! Prinoe Ferdinand of Brunswick (Friedrich's Brotherinlaw, a
brighteyed steady young man, of great heart for fight) tramps forth with his Division:steady!all
manner of Divisions tramp forth; and the hot storm, Ziethen and cavalry dashing upon that right wing of
theirs, kindles here also far and wide.
The Austrian cavalry on this wing and elsewhere, it is clear, were ill off. "We could not charge the Prussian
left wing, say they, partly because of the morasses that lay between us; and partly [which is remarkable]
because they rushed across and charged us." [Austrian report, HeldenGeschichte, i. 1113.] Prince Karl is
sorry to report such things of his cavalry; but their behavior was bad and not good. The first shock threw
them wavering; the second,nothing would persuade them to dash forth and meet it. High officers
commanded, obtested, drew out pistols, Prince Karl himself shot a fugitive or two,it was to no purpose;
they wavered worse at every new shock; and at length a shock came (sixth it was, as the reporter counts)
which shook them all into the wind. Decidedly shy of the Prussians with their new manoeuvres, and terrible
way of coming on, as if sure of beating. In the Saxon quarter, certain Austrian regiments of horse would not
charge at all; merely kept firing from their carbines, and when the time came ran.
As for the Saxons, they have been beaten these two hours; that is to say, hopeless these two hours, and getting
beaten worse and worse. The Saxons cannot stand, but neither generally will they run; they dispute every
ditch, morass and tuft of wood, especially every village. Wrecks of the muddy desperate business last, hour
after hour. "I gave my men a little rest under the garden walls," says one Saxon Gentleman, "or they would
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have died, in the heat and thirst and extreme fatigue: I would have given 100 gulden [10 pounds Sterling] for
a glass of water." [ Helden Geschichte, ubi supra.] The Prussians push them on, bayonet in back;
inexorable, not to be resisted; slit off whole battalions of them (prisoners now, and quarter given); take all
their guns, or all that are not sunk in the quagmires;in fine, drive them, part into the Mountains direct, part
by circuit thither, down upon the rear of the Austrian fight: through Hausdorf, Seifersdorf and other Mountain
gorges, where we hear no more of them, and shall say no more of them. A sore stroke for poor old
Weissenfels; the last public one he has to take, in this world, for the poor man died before long. Nobody's
blame, he says; every Saxon man did well; only some Austrian horseregiments, that we had among us, were
too shy. Adieu to poor old Weissenfels. Luck of war, what else,thereby is he in this pass.
And now new Prussian force, its Saxons being well abolished, is pressing down upon Prince Karl's naked left
flank. Yes;Prince Karl too will have to go. His cavalry is, for most part, shaken into ragged clouds;
infantry, steady enough men, cannot stand everything. "I have observed," says Friedrich, "if you step sharply
up to an Austrian battalion [within fifty paces or so], and pour in your fire well, in about a quarter of an hour
you see the ranks beginning to shake, and jumble towards indistinctness;" [ Military Instructions. ] a very
hopeful symptom to you!
It was at this moment that LieutenantGeneral Gessler, under whom is the Dragoon regiment Baireuth, who
had kept his place in spite of Valori's message, determined on a thing,advised to it by General Schmettau
(younger Schmettau), who was near. Gessler, as we saw, stood in the rear line, behind that gap (most likely
one of several gaps, or wide spaces, left too wide, as we explained); Gessler, noticing the jumbly condition of
those Austrian battalions, heaped now one upon another in this part,motions to the Prussian Infantry to
make what farther room is needful; then dashes through, in two columns (self and the DragoonColonel
heading the one, French Chasot, who is LieutenantColonel, heading the other), sabre in hand, with
extraordinary impetus and fire, into the belly of these jumbly Austrians; and slashes them to rags, "twenty
battalions of them," in an altogether unexampled manner. Takes "several thousand prisoners," and such a haul
of standards, kettledrums and insignia of honor, as was never got before at one charge. Sixtyseven
standards by the tale, for the regiment (by most AllGracious Permission) wears, ever after, "67" upon its
cartridgebox, and is allowed to beat the grenadier march; [Orlich, ii. 179 (173 n., 179 n., slightly wrong);
MilitairLexikon, ii. 9, iv. 465, 468. See Preuss, i. 212; OEuvres de Frederic; many kettledrums memory
does not say.
Prince Karl beats retreat, about 8 in the morning; is through Hohenfriedberg about 10 (cannon covering there,
and Nadasti as rearguard): back into the Mountains; a thoroughly wellbeaten man. Towards Bolkenhayn,
the Saxons and he; their heavy artillery and baggage had been left safe there. Not much pursued, and
gradually rearranging himself; with thoughts,no want of thoughts! Came pouring down, triumphantly
invasive, yesterday; returns, on these terms, in about fifteen hours. Not marching with displayed banners and
fieldmusic, this time; this is a far other march. The mousetrap had been left open, and we rashly went
in!Prince Karl's loss, including that of the Saxons (which is almost equal, though their number in the field
was but HALF), is 9,000 dead and wounded, 7,000 prisoners, 66 cannon, 73 flags and standards; the Prussian
is about 5,000 dead and wounded. [In Orlich (ii. 182) all the details.] Friedrich, at sight of Valori, embraces
his GROS VALORI; says, with a pious emotion in voice and look, "My friend, God has helped me
wonderfully this day!" Actually there was a kind of devout feeling visible in him, thinks Valori: "A singular
mixture, this Prince, of good qualities and of bad; I never know which preponderates." [Valori, SOEPIUS.]
As is the way with fat Valoris, when they come into such company.
Friedrich is blamed by some military men, and perhaps himself thought it questionable, that he did not pursue
Prince Karl more sharply. He says his troops could not; they were worn out with the night's marching and the
day's fighting. He himself may well be worn out. I suppose, for the last fourandtwenty hours he, of all the
contemporary sons of Adam, has probably been the busiest. Let us rest this day; rest till tomorrow morning,
and be thankful. "So decisive a defeat," writes he to his Mother (hastily, misdating "6th" June for 4th), "has
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not been since Blenheim" [Letter in OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 71.] (which is tolerably true); and "I have
made the Princes sign their names," to give the good Mother assurance of her children in these perils of war.
Seldom has such a deliverance come to a man.
Chapter XI. CAMP OF CHLUM: FRIEDRICH CANNOT ACHIEVE PEACE.
Friedrich marched, on the morrow, likewise to Bolkenhayn; which the enemy have just left; our hussars
hanging on their rear, and bickering with Nadasti. Then again on the morrow, Sunday,"twelve hours of
continuous rain," writes Valori; but there is no down pour, or distress, or disturbance that will shake these
men from their ranks, writes Valori. And so it goes on, march after march, the Austrians ahead, Dumoulin
and our hussars infesting their rear, which skilfully defended itself: through Landshut down into Bohemia;
where are new successive marches, the Prussian quarterstaff stuck into the back of defeated Austria, "Home
with you; farther home!"and shogging it on,without pause, for about a fortnight to come. And then only
with temporary pause; that is to say, with intricate manoeuvrings of a month long, which shove it to
Konigsgratz, its ultimatum, beyond which there is no getting it. The stages and successive campings, to be
found punctually in the old Books and new, can interest only military readers. Here is a small theological
thing at Landshut, from first hand:
JUNE 8th, 1745. "The Army followed Dumoulin's Corps, and marched upon Landshut. On arriving in that
neighborhood, the King was surrounded by a troop of 2,000 Peasants,"of Protestant persuasion very
evidently! (which is much the prevailing thereabouts),"who begged permission of him 'to massacre the
Catholics of these parts, and clear the country of them altogether.' This animosity arose from the persecutions
which the Protestants had suffered during the Austrian domination, when their churches used to be taken
from them and given to the Popish priests,"churches and almost their children, such was the anxiety to
make them orthodox. The patience of these peasants had run over; and now, in the hour of hope, they
proposed the above sweeping measure. "The King was very far from granting them so barbarous a
permission. He told them, 'They ought rather to conform to the Scripture precept, to bless those that cursed
them, and pray for those that despitefully used them; such was the way to gain the Kingdom of Heaven.' The
peasants," rolling dubious eyes for a moment, "answered, His Majesty was right; and desisted from their cruel
pretension." [ OEuvres de Frederic, ii.218.] ..."On Hohenfriedberg Day," says another Witness, "as far as
the sound of the cannon was heard, all round, the Protestants fell on their knees, praying for victory to the
Prussians;" [In Ranke, iii. 259.] and at Breslau that evening, when the "Thirteen trumpeting Postilions" came
tearing in with the news, what an enthusiasm without limit!
Prince Karl has skill in choosing camps and positions: his Austrians are much cowed; that is the grievous loss
in his late fight. So, from June 8th, when they quit Silesia,by two roads to go more readily,all through
that month and the next, Friedrich spread to the due width, duly pricking into the rear of them, drives the
beaten hosts onward and onward. They do not think of fighting; their one thought is to get into positions
where they can have living conveyed to them, and cannot be attacked; for the former of which objects, the
farther homewards they go, it is the better. The main pursuit, as I gather, goes leftward from Landshut, by
Friedland,the Silesian Friedland, once Wallenstein's. Through rough wild country, the southern slope of
the Giant Mountains, goes that slow pursuit, or the main stream of it, where Friedrich in person is; intricate
savage regions, cut by precipitous rocks and soaking quagmires, shaggy with woods: watershed between the
Upper Elbe and Middle Oder; Glatz on our left,with the rain of its mountains gathering to a Neisse River,
eastward, which we know; and on their west or hither side, to a Mietau, Adler, Aupa and other
manybranched feeders of the Elbe. Most complex military ground, the manoeuvrings on it endless, which
must be left to the reader's fancy here.
About the end of June, Karl and his Austrians find a place suitable to their objects: Konigsgratz, a compact
little Town, in the nook between the Elbe and Adler; covered to west and to south by these two streams;
strong enough to east withal; and sure and convenient to the southern roads and victual. Against which
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Friedrich's manoeuvres avail nothing; so that he at last (20th July) crosses Elbe River; takes, he likewise, an
inexpugnable Camp on the opposite shore, at a Village called Chlum; and lies there, making a mutual
deadlock of it, for six weeks or more. Of the prior Camps, with their abundance of strategic shufflings,
wheelings, pushings, all issuing in this of Chlum, we say nothing: none of them, except the immediately
preceding one, called of Nahorzan, called also of Drewitz (for it was in parts a shifting entity, and flung the
LIMBS of it about, strategically clutching at Konigsgratz), had any permanency: let us take Chlum (the
longest, and essentially the last in those parts) as the general summary of them, and alone rememberable by
us. ["Camp of GrossParzitz [across the Mietau, to dislodge Prince Karl from his shelter behind that stream],
June 14th:" "Camp of Nahorzan, June 18th [and abstruse manoeuvrings, of a month, for Konigsgratz]: 20th
July," cross Elbe for Chlum; and lie, yourself also inexpugnable, there. See OEuvres de Frederic, (iii. 120 et
seq.); especially see Orlich (ii. pp. 193, 194, 203, an amplitude of inorganic details, sufficient to astonish the
robustest memory!]
Friedrich's purposes, at Chlum or previously, are not towards conquests in Bohemia, nor of fighting farther, if
he can help it. But, in the mean while, he is eating out these Bohemian vicinages; no invasion of Silesia
possible from that quarter soon again. That is one benefit: and he hopes always his enemies, under screw of
military pressure with the one hand, and offer of the olive branch with the other, will be induced to grant
him Peace. Britannic Majesty, after Fontenoy and Hohenfriedberg, not to mention the first rumors of a
Jacobite Rebellion, with France to rear of it, is getting eager to have Friedrich settled with, and withdrawn
from the game again;the rather, as Friedrich, knowing his man, has ceased latterly to urge him on the
subject. Peace with George the Purseholder, does not that mean Peace with all the others? Friedrich knows
the high Queen's indignation; but he little guesses, at this time, the humor of Bruhl and the Polish Majesty.
He has never yet sent the Old Dessauer in upon them; always only keeps him on the slip, at Magdeburg; still
hoping actualities may not be needed. He hopes too, in spite of her indignation, the Hungarian Majesty, with
an Election on hand, with the Netherlands at such a pass, not to speak of Italy and the Middle Rhine, will
come to moderate views again. On which latter points, his reckoning was far from correct! Within three
months, Britannic Majesty and he did get to explicit Agreement (CONVENTION OF HANOVER, 26th
August): but in regard to the Polish Majesty and the Hungarian there proved to be no such result attainable,
and quite other methods necessary first!
"Of military transactions in this Camp of Chlum, or in all these BohemianSilesian Camps, for near four
months, there is nothing, or as good as nothing: Chlum has no events; Chlum vigilantly guards itself; and
expects, as the really decisive to it, events that will happen far away. We are to conceive this military
business as a deadlock; attended with hussar skirmishes; attacks, defences, of outposts, of
provisionwagons from Moravia or Silesia:Friedrich has his food from Silesia chiefly, by several routes,
'convoys come once in the five days.' His horseprovender he forages; with Tolpatches watching him, and
continual scufflings of fight: 'for hay and glory,' writes one Prussian Officer, 'I assure you we fight well!'
Endless enterprising, manoeuvring, counter manoeuvring there at first was; and still is, if either party stir:
but here, in their mutually fixed camps, tacit mutual observances establish themselves; and amid the rigorous
armed vigilantes, there are traits of human neighborship. As usual in such cases. The guardparties do not
fire on one another, within certain limits: a signal that there are dead to bury, or the like, is strictly respected.
On one such occasion it was (June 30th, Camp ofNahorzan time) that Prince Ferdinand of
BrunswickPrince Ferdinand, with a young Brother Albert volunteering and learning his business here, who
are both Prussianhad a snatch of interview with a third muchloved Brother, Ludwig, who is in the
Austrian service. A Prussian officer, venturing beyond the limits, had been shot; Ferdinand's message, 'Grant
us burial of him!' found, by chance, Brother Ludwig in command of that Austrian outpost; who answers:
'Surely;and beg that I may embrace my Brothers!' And they rode out, those three, to the space
intermediate; talked there for half an hour, till the burial was done. [Mauvillon, Geschichte Ferdinands von
Braunschweig Luneburg, i. 118.] Fancy such an interview between the poor young fellows, the soul of
honor each, and tied in that manner!
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"Trenck of the Lifeguard was not quite the soul of honor. It was in the Nahorzan time too that Trenck, who
had, in spite of express order to the contrary, been writing to his Cousin the indigo Pandour, was put under
arrest when found out. 'Wrote merely about horses: purchase of horses, so help me God!' protests the
blusterous Lifeguardsman, loud as lungs will,whether with truth in them, nobody can say. 'Arrest for
breaking orders!' answers Friedrich, doubting or disbelieving the horses; and loud Trenck is packed over the
Hills to Glatz; to Governor Fouquet, or Substitute; where, by not submitting and repenting, by resisting
and rebelling, and ever again doing it, he makes out for himself, with Fouquet and his other Governors, what
kind of life we know! 'GARDEZ E'TROITEMENT CE DROLELA, IL A VOULU DEVENIR PANDOUR
AUPRES DE SON ONCLE (Keep a tight hold of this fine fellow; he wanted to become Pandour beside his
Uncle)!' writes Friedrich:'Uncle' instead of 'Cousin,' all one to Friedrich. This he writes with his own hand,
on the margin: 28th June, 1745; the inexorable Records fix that date. [Rodenbeck. iii. 381. Copy of the
Warrant, once PENES ME.] Which I should not mention, except for another inexorable date (30th
September), that is coming; and the perceptible slight comfort there will be in fixing down a loud blustering,
extensively fabulous blockhead, still fit for the Nurseries, to one undeniable premeditated lie, and
tarmarking him therewith, for benefit of more serious readers." As shall be done, were the 30th of
September come!
Here is still something,if it be not rather nothing, by a great hand! Date uncertain; CampofChlum time,
pretty far on: ... "There are continual foragings, on both sides; with parties mutually dashing out to hinder the
same. The Prussians have a detached post at Smirzitz; which is much harassed by Hungarians lurking about,
shooting our sentry and the like. An inventive head contrives this expedient. Stuff a Prussian uniform with
straw; fix it up, by aid of ropes and checkstrings, to stand with musket shouldered, and even to glide about
to right and left, on judicious pulling. So it is done: straw man is made; set upon his ropes, when the
Tolpatches approach; and pensively saunters to and fro,his living comrades crouching in the bushes near
by. Tolpatches fire on the walking straw sentry; straw sentry falls flat; Tolpatches rush in, esurient,
triumphant; are exploded in a sharp blast of musketry from the bushes all round, every wounded man made
prisoner;and come no more back to that post." Friedrich himself records this little fact: "slight pleasantry
to relieve the reader's mind," says he, in narrating it. [ OEuvres, iii. 123.] Enough of those small matters,
while so many large are waiting.
June 26th, a month before Chlum, General Nassau had been detached, with some 8 or 10,000, across Glatz
Country, into Upper Silesia, to sweep that clear again. Hautcharmoi, quitting the Frontier Towns, has joined,
raising him to 15,000; and Nassau is giving excellent account of the multitudinous Pandour doggeries there;
and will retake Kosel, and have Upper Silesia swept before very long. [Kosel, "September 5th:" Excellent,
lucid and even entertaining Account of Nassau's Expedition, in the form of DIARY (a model, of its kind), in
Feldzuge, iv. 257, 371, 532.] On the other hand, the Election matter (KAISERWAHL, a most important
point) is obviously in threatening, or even in desperate state! That famed MiddleRhine Army has gone to
thewhat shall we say?
JULY 5th19th, MIDDLERHINE COUNTRY. "The first Electionnews that reaches Friedrich is from the
MiddleRhine Country, and of very bad complexion. Readers remember Traun, and his Bathyanis, and his
intentions upon Conti there. In the end of May, old Traun, things being all completed in Bavaria, had got on
march with his Bavarian Army, say 40,000, to look into Prince Conti down in those parts; a fact very
interesting to the Prince. Traun held leftward, westward, as if for the Neckar Valley,'Perhaps intending to
be through upon Elsass, in those southern undefended portions of the Rhine?' Conti, and his Segur, and
MiddleRhine Army stood diligently on their guard; got their forces, defences, apparatuses, hurried
southward, from Frankfurt quarter where they lay on watch, into those Neckar regions. Which seen to be
done, Traun whirled rapidly to rightward, to northward; crossed the Mayn at Wertheim, wholly leaving the
Neckar and its Conti; having weighty business quite in the other direction,on the north side of the Mayn,
namely; on the Kinzig River, where Bathyani (who has taken D'Ahremberg's command below Frankfurt, and
means to bestir himself in another than the D'Ahremberg fashion) is to meet him on a set day. Traun having
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thus, by strategic suction, pulled the Middle Rhine Army out of his and Bathyani's way, hopes they two will
manage a junction on the Kinzig; after junction they will be a little stronger than Conti, though decidedly
weaker taken one by one. Traun, in the long June days, had such a march, through the Spessart Forest (Mayn
River to his left, with our old friends Dettingen, Aschaffenburg, far down in the plain), as was hardly ever
known before: pathless wildernesses, rocky steeps and chasms; the sweltering June sun sending down the
upper snows upon him in the form of muddy slush; so that 'the infantry had to wade haunch deep in many of
the hollow parts, and nearly all the cavalry lost its horseshoes.' A strenuous march; and a wellschemed. For
at the Kinzig River (Conti still far off in the Neckar country), Bathyani punctually appeared, on the opposite
shore; and Traun and he took camp together; July 5th, at LangenSelbord (few miles north of Hanau, which
we know);and rest there; calculating that Conti is now a manageable quantity;and comfortably wait till
the Grand Duke arrives. [Adelung, iv. 421; v. 36.] For this is, theoretically, HIS Army; GrandDuke Franz
being the Commander's Cloak, this season; as Karl was last,a right lucky Cloak he, while Traun lurked
under him, not so lucky since! July 13th, Franz arrived; and Traun, under Franz, instantly went into Conti
(now again in those Frankfurt parts); clutched at Conti, Briareuslike, in a multiform alarming manner: so
that Conti lost head; took to mere retreating, rushing about, burning bridges;and in fine, July 19th, had
flung himself bodily across the Rhine (clouds of Tolpatches sticking to him), and left old Traun and his
GrandDuke supreme lord in those parts. Who did NOT invade Elsass, as was now expected; but lay at
Heidelberg, intending to play pacifically a surer card. All French are out of Teutschland again; and the game
given up. In what a premature and shameful manner! thinks Friedrich.
"Nominally it was the GrandDuke that flung Conti over the Rhine; and delivered Teutschland from its
plagues. After which fine feat, salvatory to the Cause of Liberty, and destructive to French influence, what is
to prevent his election to the Kaisership? Friedrich complains aloud: 'Conti has given it up; you drafted
15,000 from him (for imaginary uses in the Netherlands),you have given it up, then! Was that our
bargain?' 'We have given it up,' answers D'Argenson the Warminister, writing to Valori; 'but,' And
supplies, instead of performance according to the laws of fact, eloquent logic; very superfluous to Friedrich
and the said laws! Valori, and the French Minister at Dresden, had again been trying to stir up the Polish
Majesty to stand for Kaiser; but of course that enterprise, eager as the Polish Majesty might be for such a
dignity, had now to collapse, and become totally hopeless. A new offer of Friedrich's to cooperate had been
refused by Bruhl, with a brevity, a decisiveness'Thinks me finished (AUX ABOIS),' says Friedrich; 'and
not worth giving terms to, on surrendering!' The foolish little creature; insolent in the wrong quarter!"
[ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 128.]
'The German Burden, then,which surely was mutual, at lowest, and lately was French altogether,the
French have thrown it off; the French have dropped their end of the BEARINGPOLES (so to speak), and
left Friedrich by himself, to stand or stagger, under the beweltered broken harnessgear and intolerable
weight! That is one's payment for cutting the rope from their neck last year! Long since, while the present
Campaign was being prepared for, under such financial pressures, Friedrich had bethought him, "The French
might, at least give me money, if they can nothing else?"and he had one day penned a Letter with that
object; but had thrown it into his desk again, "No; not till the very last extremity, that!" Friedrich did at last
despatch the unpleasant missive: "Service done you in Elsass, let us say little of it; but the repayment has
been zero hitherto: your Bavarian expenses (poor Kaiser gone, and Peace of Fussen come!) are now ended:
A round sum, say of 600,000 pounds, is becoming indispensable here, if we are to keep on our feet at all!"
Herr Ranke, who has seen the Most Christian King's response (though in a capricious way), finds "three or
four successive redactions" of the difficult passage; all painfully meaning, "Impossible, alas!"painfully
adding, "We will try, however!" And, after due cunctations, Friedrich waiting silent the while,Louis, Most
Christian King, who had failed in so many things towards Friedrich, does empower Valori To offer him a
subsidy of 600,000 livres a month, till we see farther. Twenty thousand pounds a month; he hopes this will
suffice, being himself run terribly low. Friedrich's feeling is to be guessed: "Such a dole might answer to a
Landgraf of HessenDarmstadt; but to me is not in the least suitable;"and flatly refuses it; FIEREMENT,
says Valori. [Ranke, iii. 235, 299 n. (not the least of DATE allowed us in either case); Valori. i. 240.]
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MON GROS VALORI, who could not himself help all this, poor soul, "falls now into complete disgrace;"
waits daily upon Friedrich at the giving out of the parole, "but frequently his Majesty does not speak to me at
all." Hardly looks at me, or only looks as if I had suddenly become Zero Incarnate. It is now in these days, I
suppose, that Friedrich writes about the "Scamander Battle" (of Fontenoy), and "Capture of Pekin," by way of
helping one to fight the Austrians according to Treaty. And has a touch of bitter sarcasm in uttering his
complaints against, such treatment,the heart of him, I suppose, bitter enough. Most Christian King has felt
this of the Scamander, Friedrich perceives; Louis's next letter testifies pique;and of course we are farther
from help, on that side, than ever. "From the STANDE of the KurMark [Brandenburg] Friedrich was
offered a considerable subsidy instead; and joyfully accepted the same, 'as a loan:'"paid it punctually back,
too; and never, all his days, forgot it of those STANDE. [Stenzel, iv. 255; Ranke,
CAMP OF DIESKAU: BRITANNIC MAJESTY MAKES PEACE, FOR HIMSELF,
WITH FRIEDRICH; BUT CANNOT FOR AUSTRIA OR SAXONY.
About the middle of August, there are certain Saxon phenomena which awaken dread expectation in the
world. Friedrich, watching, Argus like, near and far, in his Chlum observatory, has noticed that Prince Karl
is getting reinforced in Konigsgratz; 10,000 lately, 7,000 more coming;and contrariwise that the Saxons
seem to be straggling off from him; ebbing away, corps after corps,towards Saxony, can it be? There are
whispers of "Bavarian auxiliaries" being hired for them, too. And little Bruhl's late insolence; Bruhl's evident
belief that "we are finished (AUX ABOIS)"? Putting all this together, Friedrich judgeswith an indignation
very naturalthat there is again some insidious Saxon mischief, most likely an attack on Brandenburg, in the
wind. Friedrich orders the Old Dessauer, "March into them, delay no longer!" and publishes a clangorously
indignant Manifesto (evidently his own writing, and coming from the heart): [In Adelung, v. 6471 (no date;
"middle of August," say the Books).] "How they have, not bound by their Austrian Treaty, wantonly invaded
our Silesia; have, since and before, in spite of our forbearance, done so many things:and, in fact, have
finally exhausted our patience; and are forcing us to seek redress and safety by the natural methods," which
they will see how they like!
Old Leopold advances straightway, as bidden, direct for the Saxon frontier. To whom Friedrich shoots off
detachments,Prince Dietrich, with so many thousands, to reinforce Papa; then General Gessler with so
many,till Papa is 30,000 odd; and could eat Saxony at a mouthful; nothing whatever being yet ready there
on Bruhl's part, though he has such immense things in the wind! Nevertheless Friedrich again paused; did
not yet strike. The Saxon question has Russian bugbears, no end of complications. His Britannic Majesty,
now at Hanover, and his prudent Harrington with him, are in the act of laboring, with all earnestness, for a
general Agreement with Friedrich. Without farther bitterness, embroilment and bloodshed: how much
preferable for Friedrich! Old Dessauer, therefore, pauses: "Camp of Dieskau," which we have often heard of,
close on the Saxon Border; stands there, looking over, as with sword drawn, 30,000 good swords,but no
stroke, not for almost three months more. In three months, wretched Bruhl had not repented; but, on the
contrary, had completed his preparations, and gone to work;and the stroke did fall, as will be seen. That is
Bruhl's posture in the matter. [Ranke, iii. 231, 314.]
To Britannic George, for a good while past, it has been manifest that the Pragmatic Sanction, in its original
form, is an extinct object; that reconquest of Silesia, and such like, is melancholy moonshine; and that, in
fact, towards fighting the French with effect, it is highly necessary to make peace with Friedrich of Prussia
again. This once more is George's and his Harrington's fixed view. Friedrich's own wishes are known, or used
to be, ever since the late Kaiser's death,though latterly he has fallen silent, and even avoids the topic when
offered (knowing his man)! Herrington has to apply formally to Friedrich's Minister at Hanover. "Very well,
if they are in earnest this time," so Friedrich instructs his Minister: "My terms are known to you; no change
admissible in the terms;do not speak with me on it farther: and, observe, within four weeks, the thing
finished, or else broken off!" [Ranke, iii. 277281.] And in this sense they are laboring incessantly, with
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Austria, with Saxony,without the least success;and Excellency Robinson has again a panting
uncomfortable time. Here is a scene Robinson transacts at Vienna, which gives us a curious facetoface
glimpse of her Hungarian Majesty, while Friedrich is in his Camp at Chlum.
SCHONBRUNN, 2d AUGUST, 1745, ROBINSON HAS AUDIENCE OF
HER HUNGARIAN MAJESTY.
Robinson, in a copious sonorous speech (rather apt to be copious, and to fall into the Parliamentary
CANTOFERMO), sets forth how extremely ill we Allies are faring on the French hand; nothing done upon
Silesia either; a hopeless matter that,is it not, your Majesty? And your Majesty's forces all lying there, in
mere dead lock; and we in such need of bhem! "Peace with Prussia is indispensable."To which her
Majesty listened, in statuesque silence mostly; "never saw her so reserved before, my Lord." ...
ROBINSON. ... "'Madam, the Dutch will be obliged to accept Neutrality' [and plump down again, after such
hoisting]!
QUEEN. "'Well, and if they did, they? "It would be easier to accommodate with France itself, and so finish
the whole matter, than with Prussia." My Army could not get to the Netherlands this season. No General of
mine would undertake conducting it at this day of the year. Peace with Prussia, what good could it do at
present?'
ROBINSON. "'England has already found, for subsidies, this year, 1,178,753 pounds. Cannot go on at that
rate. Peace with Prussia is one of the returns the English Nation expects for all it has done.'
QUEEN. "'I must have Silesia again: without Silesia the Kaiserhood were an empty title. "Or would you have
us administer it under the guardiancy of Prussia!"' ...
ROBINSON. "'In Bohemia itself things don't look well; nothing done on Friedrich: your Saxons seem to be
qnarrelling with you, and going home.'
QUEEN. "'Prince Karl is himself capable of fighting the Prussians again. Till that, do not speak to me of
Peace! Grant me only till October!'
ROBINSON. "'Prussia will help the GrandDuke to Kaisership.'
QUEEN. "'The GrandDuke is not so ambitions of an empty honor as to engage in it under the tutelage of
Prussia. Consider farther: the Imperial dignity, is it compatible with the fatal deprivation of Silesia? "One
other battle, I say! Good God, give me only till the month of October!"'
ROBINSON. "'A battle, Madam, if won, won't reconquer Silesia; if lost, your Majesty is ruined at home.'
QUEEN. "'DUSSE'JE CONCLURE AVEC LUI LE LENDEMAIN, JE LUI LIVRERAIS BATAILLE CE
SOIR (Had I to agree with him tomorrow, I would try him in a battle this evening)!'" [Robinson's Despatch,
4th August, 1745. Ranke, iii. 287; Raumer, pp. 161, 162.]
Her Majesty is not to be hindered; deaf to Robinson, to her Britannic George who pays the money. "Cruel
man, is that what you call keeping the Pragmatic Sanction; dismembering me of Province after Province, now
in Germany, then in Italy, on pretext of necessity? Has not England money, then? Does not England love the
Cause of Liberty? Give me till October!" Her Majesty did take till October, and later, as we shall see; poor
George not able to hinder, by power of the purse or otherwise: who can hinder high females, or low, when
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they get into their humors? Much of this Austrian obstinacy, think impartial persons, was of female nature.
We shall see what profit her Majesty made by taking till October.
As for George, the time being run, and her Majesty and Saxony unpersuadable, he determined to accept
Friedrich's terms himself, in hope of gradually bringing the others to do it. August 26th, at Hanover, there is
signed a CONVENTION OF HANOVER between Friedrich and him: "Peace on the old BreslauBerlin
terms,precisely the same terms, but Britannic Majesty to have them guaranteed by All the Powers, on the
General Peace coming,so that there be no snakeprocedure henceforth." Silesia Friedrich's without fail,
dear Hanover unmolested even by a thought of Friedrich's;and her Hungarian Majesty to be invited, nay
urged by every feasible method, to accede. [Adelung, v. 75; is "in Rousset, xix. 441;" in Which done,
Britannic Majestyfor there has hung itself out, in the Scotch Highlands, the other day ("Glenfinlas, August
12th"), a certain Standard "TANDEM TRIUMPHANS," and unpleasant things are imminent!hurries home
at his best pace, and has his hands full there, for some time. On Austria, on Saxony, he could not prevail: "By
no manner of means!" answered they; and went their own road,jingling his Britannic subsidies in their
pocket; regardless of the once Supreme Jove, who is sunk now to a very different figure on the German
boards.
Friedrich's outlook is very bad: such a War to go on, and not even finance to do it with. His intimates, his
Rothenburg one time, have "found him sunk in gloomy thought." But he wears a bright face usually. No
wavering or doubting in him, his mind made up; which is a great help that way. Friedrich indicates, and has
indicated everywhere, for many months, that Peace, precisely on the old footing, is all he wants: "The Kaiser
being dead, whom I took up arms to defend, what farther object is there?" says he. "Renounce Silesia, more
honestly than last time; engage to have it guaranteed by everybody at the General Peace (or perhaps
Hohenfriedberg will help to guarantee it),and I march home!" My money is running down, privately thinks
he; guarantee Silesia, and I shall be glad to go. If not, I must raise money somehow; melt the big silver
balustrades at Berlin, borrow from the STANDE, or do something; and, in fact, must stand here, unless
Silesia is guaranteed, and struggle till I die.
That latter withal is still privately Friedrich's thought. Under his light air, he carries unspoken that grimly
clear determination, at all times, now and henceforth; and it is an immense help to the guidance of him. An
indispensable, indeed. No king or man, attempting anything considerable in this world, need expect to
achieve it except, tacitly, on those same terms, "I will achieve it or die!" For the world, in spite of rumors to
the contrary, is always much of a bedlam to the sanity (so far as he may have any) of every individual man. A
strict place, moreover; its very bedlamisms flowing by law, as do alike the sudden mud deluges, and the
steady Atlantic tides, and all things whatsoever: a world inexorable, truly, as gravitation itself;and it will
behoove you to front it in a similar humor, as the tacit basis for whatever wise plans you lay. In Friedrich,
from the first entrance of him on the stage of things, we have had to recognize this prime quality, in a fine
tacit form, to a complete degree; and till his last exit, we shall never find it wanting. Tacit enough,
unconscious almost, not given to articulate itself at all;and if there be less of piety than we could wish in
the silence of it, there is at least no playactor mendacity, or cant of devoutness, to poison the high worth of
it. No braver little figure stands on the Earth at that epoch. Ready, at the due season, with his mind silently
made up;able to answer diplomatic Robinsons, Bartensteins and the very Destinies when they apply. If you
will withdraw your snakish notions, will guarantee Silesia, will give him back his old Treaty of Berlin in an
irrefragable shape, he will march home; if not, he will never march home, but be carried thither dead rather.
That is his intention, if the gods permit.
GRANDDUKE FRANZ IS ELECTED KAISER (13TH SEPTEMBER, 1745);
FRIEDRICH, THE SEASON AND FORAGE BEING DONE, MAKES
FOR SILESIA.
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There occurred at Frankfurtthe clear majority, seven of the nine Electors, Bavaria itself (nay Bohemia this
time, "distaff" or not), and all the others but Friedrich and KurPfalz, being so disposed or so disposable,
Traun being master of the groundno difficulty about electing GrandDuke Franz Stephan of Tuscany?
JointKing of Bohemia, to be Kaiser of the Holy Romish Reich. Friedrich's envoy protested;as did
KurPfalz's, with still more vehemence, and then withdrew to Hanau: the other Seven voted September 13th
1745: and it was done. A new Kaiser, Franz Stephan, or Franz I.,with our blessing on him, if that can avail
much. But I fear it cannot. Upon such mendacious EmptyCase of Kaiserhood, without even money to feed
itself, not to speak of governing, of defending and coercing; upon such entities the blessings of man avail
little; the gods, having warned them to go, do not bless them for staying! However, tarbarrels burn, the
fountains play (wine in some of them, I hope); Franz is to be crowned in a fortnight hence, with extraordinary
magnificence. At this last part of it Maria Theresa will, in her own high person, attend; and proceeds
accordingly towards Frankfurt, in the end of September (say the old Books), so soon as the Election is over.
Hungarian Majesty's bearing was not popular there, according to Friedrich,who always admires her after a
sort, and always speaks of her like a king and gentleman:but the High Lady, it is intimated, felt somewhat
too well that she was high. Not sorry to have it known, under the due veils, that her KaiserHusband is but of
a mimetic nature; that it is she who has the real power; and that indeed she is in a victorious posture at
present. Very high in her carriage towards the Princes of the Reich, and their privileges:poor KurPfalz's
notary, or herald, coming to protest (I think, it was the second time) about something, she quite disregarded
his tabards, pasteboards, or whatever they were, and clapt him in prison. The thing was commented upon; but
KurPfalz got no redress. Need we repeat,lazy readers having so often met him, and forgotten him
again,this is a new younger KurPfalz: Karl Theodor, this one; not Friedrich Wilhelm's old Friend, but his
Successor, of the Sulzbach line; of whom, after thirty years or so, we may again hear. He can complain about
his violated tabard; will get his notary out of jail again, but no redress.
Highish even towards her friends, this "EmpressQueen" (KAISERINKONIGIN, such her new title), and
has a kind of "Thankyoufor Nothing" air towards them. Prussian Majesty, she said, had unquestionable
talents; but, oh, what a character! Too much levity, she said, by far; heterodox too, in the extreme; a BOSER
MANN;and what a neighbor has he been! As to Silesia, she was heard to say, she would as soon part with
her petticoat as part with it. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 126, 128.] So that there is not the least prospect of
peace here? "None," answer Friedrich's emissaries, whom he had empowered to hint the thing. Which is
heavy news to Friedrich.
Early in August, not long after that Audience of Robinson's, her Majesty, after repeated written messages to
Prince Karl, urging him to go into fight again or attempt something, had sent two high messengers: Prince
Lobkowitz, Duke d'Ahremberg, high dignitaries from Court, have come to Konigsgratz with the latest
urgencies, the newest ideas; and would fain help Prince Karl to attempt something. Daily they used to come
out upon a little height, in view of Friedrich's tent, and gaze in upon him, and round all Nature, "with big
tubes," he says, "as if they had been astronomers;" but never attempted anything. We remember
D'Ahremberg, and what part he has played, from the Dettingen times and onward. "A debauched old fellow,"
says Friedrich; "gone all to hebetude by his labors in that line; agrees always with the last speaker." Prince
Karl seems to have little stomach himself; and does not see his way into (or across) another Battle.
Lobkowitz, again, is always saying: "Try something! We are now stronger than they, by their detachings, by
our reinforcings" (indeed, about twice their number, regular and irregular), though most of the Saxons are
gone home. After much gazing through their tubes, the Austrians (August 23d) do make a small shift of
place, insignificant otherwise; the Prussians, next day, do the like, in consequence; quit Chlum, burning their
huts; post themselves a little farther up the Elbe,their left at a place called Jaromirz, embouchure of the
Aupa into Elbe, [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 129.]and are again unattackable.
The worst fact is the multitude of Pandours, more and more infesting our provisionroads; and that
horseforage itself is, at last, running low. Detachments lie all duly round to right and left, to secure our
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communications with Silesia, especially to left, out of Glatz, where runs one of the chief roads we have. But
the service is becoming daily more difficult. For example:
"NEUSTADT, 8th SEPTEMBER. In that lefthand quarter, coming out of Glatz at a little Bohemian Town
called Neustadt, the Prussian Commander, Tauenzien by name, was repeatedly assaulted; and from
September 8th, had to stand actual siege, gallantly repulsing a full 10,000 with their big artillery, though his
walls were all breached, for about a week, till Friedrich sent him relief. Prince Lobkowitz, our old
antiBelleisle friend, who is always of forward fiery humor, had set them on this enterprise; which has turned
out fruitless. The King is much satisfied with Tauenzien; [Ib. 132.] of whom we shall hear again. Who indeed
becomes notable to us, were it only for getting one Lessing as secretary, by and by: Gotthold Ephraim
Lessing, whose fame has since gone into all countries; the man having been appointed a 'Secretary' to the
very Destinies, in some sort; that is to say, a Writer of Books which have turned out to have truth in them!
Tauenzien, a grimmish aquiline kind of man, of no superfluous words, has distinguished himself for the
present by defending Neustadt, which the Austrians fully counted to get hold of."
Let us give another little scene; preparatory to quitting this Country, as it is evident the King and we will
soon have to do; Country being quite eaten out, Pandours getting ever rifer, and the Season done:
JAROMIRZ, "EARLY IN SEPTEMBER," 1745. "Jaromirz is a little Bohemian Town on the Aupa, or
between the Aupa and Metau branches of the Upper Elbe; four or five miles north of Semonitz, where
Friedrich's quarter now is. Valori, so seldom spoken to, is lodged in a suburb there: 'Had not you better go
into the town itself?' his Majesty did once say; but Valori, dreading nothing, lodged on, 'Landlord a
Burgher whom I thought respectable.' Respectable, yes he; but his son had been dealing with Franquini the
Pandour, and had sold Valori,night appointed, measures all taken; a miracle if Valori escape. Franquini,
chief of 30,000 Pandours, has come in person to superintend this important capture; and lies hidden, with a
strong party, in the woods to rearward. Prussians about 200, scattered in posts, occupy the hedges in front, for
guard of the ovens; to rear, Jaromirz being wholly ours, there is no suspicion.
"In the dead of the night, Franquini emerges from the woods; sends forward a party of sixty, under the young
Judas; who, by methods suitable, gets them stealthily conducted into Papa's Barn, which looks across a
courtyard into Valori's very windows. From the Barn it is easy, on paws of velvet, to get into the House, if
you have a Judas to open it. Which you have:bolts all drawn for you, and even beams ready for barricading
if you be meddled with. 'Upstairs is his Excellency asleep; Excellency's room isto right, do you remember;
or to left''Pshaw, we shall find it!' The Pandours mount; find a bedroom, break it open,some fifteen or
sixteen of them, and one who knows a little French;come crowding forward: to the horror and terror of the
poor inhabitant.' 'QUE VOULEZVOUS DONC?' 'His Excellency Valori!' 'Well, no violence; I am your
prisoner: let me dress!' answers the supposed Excellency,and contrives to secrete portfolios, and tear or
make away with papers. And is marched off, under a select guard, who leave the rest to do the pillage. And
was not Valori at all; was Valori's Secretary, one D'Arget, who had called himself Valori on this dangerous
occasion! Valori sat quaking behind his partition; not till the Pandours began plundering the stables did the
Prussian sentry catch sound of them, and plunge in."
Friedrich had his amusement out of this adventure; liked D'Arget, the clever Secretary; got D'Arget to himself
before long, as will be seen;and, in quieter times, dashed off a considerable Explosion of Rhyme, called
LE PALLADION (Valori as Prussia's "Palladium," with Devils attempting to steal him, and the like), which
was once thought an exquisite Burlesque,Kings coveting a sight of it, in vain,but is now wearisome
enough to every reader. [Valori, i. 242; OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 130: for the Fact. Exquisite Burlesque,
PALLADION itself, is in OEuvres, xi. 192271 (see IB. 139): a bad copy of that very bad Original, JEANNE
D'ARC,the only thing now good in it, Friedrich's polite yet positive refusal to gratify King Louis and his
Pompdour with a sight of it (see IB. PREFACE, xxiv, Friedrich's Letter to Louis; date of request and of
refusal, March, 1750).]Let us attend his Majesty's exit from Bohemia.
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Chapter XII. BATTLE OF SOHR.
The famed beautiful Elbe River rises in romantic chasms, terrible to the picturesque beholder, at the roots of
the Riesengebirge; overlooked by the HoheKamms, and highest summits of that chain. "Out of eleven
wells," says gentle Dulness, "EILF or ELF QUELLEN, whence its name, Elbe for ELF." Sure enough, it
starts out of various wells; [Description, in Zollner, Briefe uber Schlesien, ii. 305; in rushes out, like a great
peacock's or pasha's tail, from the roots of the Giant Mountains thereabouts; and hurries southward,or even
rather eastward, at first; for (except the Iser to westward, which does not fall in for a great while) its chief
branches come from the eastern side: Aupa, Metau, Adler, the drainings of Glatz, and of that rugged Country
where Friedrich has been camping and manoeuvring all summer. On the whole, its course is southward for
the first seventy or eighty miles, washing Jaromirz, Konigshof, Konigsgratz, down to Pardubitz: at Pardubitz
it turns abruptly westward, and holds on so, bending even northward, by hill and plain, through the rest of its
five or six hundred miles.
Its first considerable branch, on that eastern or left bank, is the Aupa, which rises in the Pass of Schatzlar
(great struggling there, for convoys, just now); goes next by Trautenau, which has lately been burnt; and joins
the Elbe at Jaromirz, where Valori was stolen, or nearly so, from under the Prussian left wing. The Aupa runs
nearly straight south; the Elbe, till meeting it, has run rather southeast; but after joining they go south
together, augmented by the Metau, by the Adler, down to Pardubitz, where the final turn to west occurs.
Jaromirz, which lies in the very angle of Elbe and Aupa, is the left wing of Friedrich's Camp; main body of
the Camp lies on the other side of the Elbe, but of course has bridges (as at Smirzitz, where that straw sentry
did his pranks lately); bridges are indispensable, part of our provision coming always by that BOHEMIAN
Neustadt, from the northeast quarter out of Silesia; though the main course of our meal (and much fighting
for it) is direct from the north, by the Pass of Schatzlar, "Chaslard," as poor Valori calls it.
Thus Friedrich lay, when Valori escaped being stolen; when Tauenzien was assailed by the 10,000 Pandours
with siege artillery, and stood inexpugnable in the breach till Friedrich relieved him. Those Pandours "had cut
away his water, for the last two days;" so that, except for speedy relief, all valor had been in vain. Water
being gone, not recoverable without difficulties, Neustadt was abandoned (September 16th, as I guess);one
of our main Silesian roads for meal has ceased. We have now only Schatzlar to depend on; where
Franquinilying westward among the glens of the Upper Elbe, and possessed of abundant talent in the
Tolpatch way (witness Valori's narrow miss lately)gives us trouble enough. Friedrich determines to move
towards Schatzlar. Homewards, in fact; eating the Country well as he goes.
Saturday, 18th September, Friedrich crosses the Elbe at Jaromirz. Entirely unopposed; the Austrians were all
busy firing FEUDEJOIE for the Election of their GrandDuke: Election done five days ago at Frankfurt,
and the news just come. So they crackle about, and deliver rolling fire, at a great rate; proud to be
"IMPERIAL Army" henceforth, as if that could do much for them. There was also vast dining, for three days,
among the high heads, and a great deal of wine spent. That probably would have been the chance to
undertake something upon them, better than crossing the Elbe, says Friedrich looking back. But he did not
think of it in time; took secondbest in place of best.
He is now, therefore, over into that Triangular piece of Country between Elbe and Aupa (if readers will
consult their Map); in that triangle, his subsequent notable operations all lie. He here proposes to move
northward, by degrees,through Trautenau, Schatzlar, and home; well eating this bit of Country too, the last
uneaten bit, as he goes. This well eaten, there will be no harbor anywhere for Invasion, through the Winter
coming. One of my old Notes says of it, in the topographic point of view:
"It is a triangular patch of Country, which has lain asleep since the Creation of the World; traversed only by
Boii (BOIHEIMERS, Bohemians), Czechs and other such populations, in Human History; but which
Friedrich has been fated to make rather notable to the Moderns henceforth. Let me recommend it to the
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picturesque tourist, especially to the military one. Lovers of rocky precipices, quagmires, brawling torrents
and the unadulterated ruggedness of Nature, will find scope there; and it was the scene of a distinguished
passage of arms, with notable display of human dexterity and swift presence of mind. For the rest, one of the
wildest, and perhaps (except to the picturesque tourist) most unpleasant regions in the world. Wild stony
upland; topmost Upland, we may say, of Europe in general, or portion of such Upland; for the rainstorms
hereabouts run several roads,into the German Ocean and Atlantic by the Elbe, into the Baltic by the Oder,
into the Black Sea by the Donau;and it is the waste Outfield whither you rise, by long weeksjourneys,
from many sides.
"Much of it, towards the angle of Elbe and Aupa, is occupied by a huge waste Wood, called 'Kingdom Forest'
(KONIGREICH SYLVA or WALD, peculium of Old Czech Majesties, I fancy); may be sixty square miles in
area, the longer side of which lies along the Elbe. A Country of rocky defiles; lowish hills chaotically shoved
together, not wanting their brooks and quagmires, straight labyrinthic passages; shaggy with wild wood.
Some poor Hamlets here and there, probably the sleepiest in Nature, are scattered about; there may be patches
ploughable for rye [modern Tourist says snappishly, There are many such; whole region now drained;
reminded me of Yorkshire Highlands, with the Western Sun gilding it, that fine afternoon!]ploughable for
rye, buckwheat; boggy grass to be gathered in summer; charcoaling to do; pigs at least are presumable,
among these straggling outposts of humanity in their obscure Hamlets: poor ploughing, moiling creatures,
they little thought of becoming notable so soon! None of the Books (all intent on mere soldiering) take the
least notice of them; not at the pains to spell their Hamlets right: no more notice than if they also had been
stocks and mossgrown stones. Nevertheless, there they did evidently live, for thousands of years past, in a
dim manner;and are much terrified to have become the seat of war, all on a sudden. Their poor Hamlets,
Sohr, Staudentz, Prausnitz, Burgersdorf and others still send up a faint smoke; and have in them, languidly,
the livecoal of mysterious human existence, in those woods,to judge by the last maps that have come out.
A thing worth considering by the passing tourist, military or other."
It is in this Kingdom Forest (which he calls ROYAUME DE SILVA, instead of SYLVA DE ROYAUME)
that Friedrich now nmrches; keeping the body of the Forest well on his left, and skirting the southern and
eastern sides of it. Rough marching for his Majesty; painfully infested by Nadastian Tolpatches; who run out
on him from ambushes, and need to be scourged; one ambush in particular, at a place called Liebenthal
(second day's march, and near the end of it), where our Prussian Hussars, winding like fiery dragons on the
dangerous precipices, gave them better than they brought, and completely quenched their appetite for that
day. After Liebenthal, the march soon ends; three miles farther on, at the dim woldhamlet of Staudentz: here
a camp is pitched; here, till the Country is well eaten out, or till something else occur, we propose to tarry for
a time.
Horseforage abounds here; but there is no getting of it without disturbance from those dogs; you must fight
for every truss of grass: if a mealtrain is coming, as there does every five days, you have to detach 8,000
foot and 3,000 horse to help it safe in. A fretting fatiguing time for regular troops. Our bakery is at
Trautenau,where Valori is now lodging. The Tolpatchery, unable to take Trautenau, set fire to it, though it
is their own town, their own Queen's town; thatchy Trautenau, wooden too in the upper stories of it, takes
greedily to the fire; goes all aloft in flame, and then lies black. A scandalous transaction, thinks Friedrich.
The Prussian corn lay nearly all in cellars; little got, even of the Prussians, by such an atrocity: and your own
poor fellow subjects, where are they? Valori was burnt out here; again exploded from his quarters, poor
man;seems to have thought it a mere fire in his own lodging, and that he was an unfortunate diplomatist.
Happily he got notice (PRIVATISSIME, for no officer dare whisper in such cases) that there is an armed
party setting out for Silesia, to guard meal that is coming: Valori yokes himself to this armed party, and gets
safe over the Hills with it,then swift, by extra post, to Breslau and to civilized (partially civilized)
accommodation, for a little rest after these hustlings and tossings.
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Friedrich had lain at Staudentz, in this manner, bickering continually for his forage, and eating the Country,
for about ten days: and now, as the latter process is well on, and the season drawing to a close: he determines
on a shift northward. Thursday, 30th September next, let there be one other grand forage, the final one in this
eaten tract, then northward to fresh grounds. That, it appears, was the design. But, on Wednesday, there came
in an Austrian deserter; who informs us that Prince Karl is not now in Konigsgratz, but in motion up the Elbe;
already some fifty miles up; past Jaromirz: his rear at Konigshof, his van at Arnau,on a level with burnt
Trautenau, and farther north than we ourselves are. This is important news. "Intending to block us out from
Schatzlar? Hmh!" Single scouts, or small parties, cannot live in this Kingdom Wood, swarming with
Pandours: Friedrich sends out a Colonel Katzler, with 500 light horse, to investigate a little. Katzler pushes
forward, on such lane or forest roadtrack as there is, towards Konigshof; beats back small hussar
parties;comes, in about an hour's space, not upon hussars merely, but upon dense masses of heavy horse
winding through the forest lanes; and, with that imperfect intelligence, is obliged to return. The deserter spake
truth, apparently; and that is all we can know. Forage scheme is given up; the order is, "Baggage packed, and
MARCH tomorrow morning at ten." Long before ten, there had great things befallen on the morrow!Try
to understand this Note a little:
"The Camp of Staudentz which two persons (the King, and General Stille, a more careful reporter, who also
was an eyewitness) have done their best to describewill, after all efforts, and an Ordnance Map to help,
remain considerably unintelligible to the reader; as is too usual in such cases. A block of highlying ground;
Friedrich's Camp on it, perhaps two miles long, looks to the south; small Village of Staudentz in front; hollow
beyond that, and second small Village, Deutsch Prausnitz, hanging on the opposite slope, with shaggy heights
beyond, and the Kingdom Forest there beginning: on the left, defiles, brooks and strait country, leading
towards the small town of Eypel: that is our left and front aspect, a hollow well isolating us on those sides.
Hollow continues all along the front; hollow definite on our side of it, and forming a tolerable
defence:though again, I perceive, to rightward at no great distance, there rise High Grounds which
considerably overhang us." A thing to be marked! "These we could not occupy, for want of men; but only
maintain vedettes upon them. Over these Heights, a mile or two westward of this hollow of ours, runs the big
winding hollow called Georgengrund (GEORGE'S BOTTOM), which winds up and down in that Kingdom
Forest, and offers a road from Konigshof to Trautenau, among other courses it takes.
"From the crown of those Heights on our right flank here, looking to the west, you might discern (perhaps
three miles off, from one of the sheltering nooks in the hither side of that Georgengrund), rising faintly
visible over knolls and dingles, the smoke of a little Forest Village. That Village is Sohr; notable ever since,
beyond others, in the Kingdom Wood. Sohr, like the other Villages, has its laneroads; its road to Trautenau,
to Konigshof, no doubt; but much nearer you, on our eastern slope of the Heights, and far hitherward of Sohr,
which is on the western, goes the great road [what is now the great road], from Konigshof to Trautenau, well
visible from Friedrich's Camp, though still at some distance from it. Could these Heights between us and
Sohr, which lie beyond the great road, be occupied, we were well secured; isolated on the right too, as on the
other sides, from Kingdom Forest and its ambushes. 'Should have been done,' admits Friedrich; 'but then, as it
is, there are not troops enough:' with 18,000 men you cannot do everything!"
Here, however, is the important point. In Sohr, this night, 29th September, in a most private manner, the
Austrians, 30,000 of them and more, have come gliding through the woods, without even their pipe lit, and
with thick veil of hussars ahead! Outposts of theirs lie squatted in the bushes behind Deutsch Prausnitz,
hardly 500 yards from Friedrich's Camp. And eastward, leftward of him, in the defiles about Eypel, lie
Nadasti and Ruffian Trenck, with ten or twelve thousand, who are to take him in rear. His "Camp of
Staudentz" will be at a fine pass tomorrow morning. The Austrian Gentlemen had found, last week, a certain
bare Height in the Forest (Height still known), from which they could use their astronomer tubes day after
day; [Orlich, ii. 225.] and now they are about attempting something!
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Thursday morning, very early, 30th September, 1745, Friedrich was in his tent, busy with generals and
marchroutes,when a rapid orderly comes in, from that Vedette, or strong Piquet, on the Heights to our
right: "Austrians visibly moving, in quantity, near by!" and before he has done answering, the officer himself
arrives: "Regular Cavalry in great force; long dustcloud in Kingdom Forest, in the gray dawn; and, so far as
we can judge, it is their Army coming on." Here is news for a poor man, in the raw of a September morning,
by way of breakfast to him! "To arms!" is, of course, Friedrich's instant order; and he himself gallops to the
Piquet on the Heights, glass in hand. "Austrian Army sure enough, thirty to thirtyfive thousand of them, we
only eighteen. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 139.] Coming to take us on the right flank here; to attack our Camp
by surprise: will crush us northward through the defiles, and trample us down in detail? Hmh! To run for it,
will never do. We must fight for it, and even attack THEM, as our way is, though on such terms. Quick, a
plan!" The head of Friedrich is a bank you cannot easily break by coming on it for plans: such a creature for
impromptu plans, and unexpected dashes swift as the panther's, I have hardly known,especially when you
squeeze him into a corner, and fancy he is over with it! Friedrich gallops down, with his plan clear enough;
and already the Austrians, horse and foot, are deploying upon those Heights he has quitted; Fifty Squadrons
of Horse for left wing to them, and a battery of Twentyeight big Guns is establishing itself where Friedrich's
Piquet lately stood.
Friedrich's right flank has to become his front, and face those formidable Austrian Heights and Batteries; and
this with more than Prussian velocity, and under the play of those twentyeight big guns, throwing caseshot
(GRENADES ROYALES) and so forth, all the while. To Valori, when he heard of the thing, it is
inconceivable how mortal troops could accomplish such a movement; Friedrich himself praises it, as a thing
honorably well done. Took about half an hour; caseshot raining all the while; soldier honorably
neverminding: no flurry, though a speed like that of spinningtops. And here we at length are, Staudentz
now to rear of us, behind our centre a good space; Burgersdorf in front of us to right, our left reaching to
Prausnitz: Austrian lines, three deep of them, on the opposite Height; we one line only, which matches them
in length.
They, that left wing of horse, should have thundered down on us, attacking us, not waiting our attack, thinks
Friedrich; but they have not done it. They stand on their height there, will perhaps fire carbines, as their wont
is. "You, Buddenbrock, go into them with your Cuirassiers!" Buddenbrock and the Cuirassiers, though it is
uphill, go into them at a furious rate; meet no countercharge, mere sputter of carbines;tumble them to mad
wreck, back upon their second line, back upon their third: absurdly crowded there on their narrow height, no
room to manoeuvre; so that they plunge, fifty squadrons of them, wholly into the Georgengrund rearward,
into the Kingdom Wood, and never come on again at all. Buddenbrock has done his job right well.
Seeing which, our Infantry of the right wing, which stood next to Buddenbrock, made impetuous charge
uphill, emulous to capture that Battery of Twentyeight; but found it, for some time, a terrible attempt. These
Heights are not to be called "hills," still less "mountains" (as in some careless Books); but it is a stiff climb at
doublequick, with twentyeight big guns playing in the face of you. Storms of caseshot shear away this
Infantry, are quenching its noble fury in despair; Infantry visibly recoiling, when our sole Three Regiments of
Reserve hurry up to support. Round these all rallies; rushes desperately on, and takes the Battery,of course,
sending the Austrian left wing rapidly adrift, on loss of the same.
This, I consider, is the crisis of the Fight; the back of the Austrian enterprise is already broken, by this sad
winging of it on the left. But it resists still; comes down again,the reserve of their left wing seen rapidly
making for Burgersdorf, intending an attack there; which we oppose with vigor, setting Burgersdorf on fire
for temporary screen; and drive the Austrian reserve rapidly to rearward again. But there is rally after rally of
them. They rank again on every new height, and dispute there; loath to be driven into Kingdom Wood, after
such a flourish of arms. One height, "bushy steep height," the lightlimbed valiant Prince, little Ferdinand of
Brunswick, had the charge of attacking; and he did it with his usual impetus and irresistibility:and,
strangely enough, the defender of it chanced to be that Brother of his, Prince Ludwig, with whom he had the
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little Interview lately. Prince Ludwig got a wound, as well as lost his height. The third Brother, poor Prince
Albrecht, who is also here, as volunteer apprentice, on the Prussian side, gets killed. There will never be
another Interview, for all three, between the Camps! Strange times for those poor Princes, who have to seek
soldiering for their existence.
Meanwhile the Cavalry of Buddenbrock, that is to say of the right wing, having now no work in that quarter,
is despatched to reinforce the left wing, which has stood hitherto apart on its own ground; not attacked or
attacking,a left wing REFUSED, as the soldiers style it. Reinforced by Buddenbrock, this left wing of
horse does now also storm forward;"near the Village of Prausnitz" (Prausnitz a little way to rear of it),
thereabouts, is the scene of its feat. Feat done in such fashion that the Austrians opposite will not stand the
charge at all; but gurgle about in a chaotic manner; then gallop fairly into Kingdom Wood, without stroke
struck; and disappear, as their fellows had done. Whereupon the Prussian horse breaks in upon the adjoining
Infantry of that flank (Austrian right flank, left bare in this manner); champs it also into chaotic whirlpools;
cuts away an outskirt of near 2,000 prisoners, and sets the rest running. This seems to have been pretty much
the COUPDEGRACE of the Fight; and to have brought the Austrian dispute to finis. From the first, they
had rallied on the heights; had struggled and disputed. Two general rallies they made, and various partial, but
none had any success. They were driven on, bayonet in back, as the phrase is: with this sad slap on their right,
added to that old one on their left, what can they now do but ebb rapidly; pour in cataracts into Kingdom
Wood, and disappear there? [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 135143; Stille, pp. 144163; Orlich, ii. 227243;
Feldzuge, i. 357, 363, 374.]
Prince Karl's scheme was good, says Friedrich; but it was ill executed. He never should have let us form; his
first grand fault was that he waited to be attacked, instead of attacking. Parts of his scheme were never
executed at all. Duke d'Ahremberg, for instance, it is said, had so dim a notion of the ground, that he drew up
some miles off, with his back to the Prussians. Such is the rumor,perhaps only a rumor, in mockery of the
hebetated old gentleman fallen unlucky? On the other hand, that Nadasti made a failure which proved
important, is indubitable. Nadasti, with some thousands of Tolpatchery, was at Liebenthal, four miles to
southeast of the action; Ruffian Trenck lay behind Eypel, perhaps as far to east, of it: Trenck and Nadasti
were to rendezvous, to unite, and attack the Prussian Camp on its rear,"Camp," so ran the order, for it was
understood the Prussians would all be there, we others attacking it in front and both flanks;which turned
out otherwise, not for Nadasti alone!
Nadasti came to his rendezvous in time; Ruffian Trenck did not: Nadasti grew tired of waiting for Trenck,
and attacked the Camp by himself:Camp, but not any men; Camp being now empty, and the men all
fighting, ranked at right angles to it, furlongs and miles away. Nadasti made a rare hand of the Camp;
plundered everything, took all the King's Campfurniture, ready money, favorite dog Biche,likewise poor
Eichel his Secretary, who, however, tore the papers first. Tolpatchery exultingly gutted the Camp; and at last
set fire to it,burnt even some eight or ten poor Prussian sick, and also "some women whom they caught.
We found the limbs of these poor men and women lying about," reports old General Lehwald; who knew
about it. A doggery well worthy of the gallows, think Lehwald and I. "Could n't help it; ferocity of wild
men," says Nadasti. "Well; but why not attack, then, with your ferocity?" Confused Courtmartial put these
questions, at Vienna subsequently; and Ruffian Trenck, some say, got injustice, Nadasti shuffling things upon
him; for which one cares almost nothing. Lehwald, lying at Trautenau, had heard the firing at sunrise; and
instantly marched to help: he only arrived to give Nadasti a slash or two, and was too late for the Fight. Oue
Schlichtling, on guard with a weak party, saved what was in the right wing of the Camp,small thanks to
him, the Main Fight being so near: Friedrich's opinion is, an Officer, in Schlichtling's place, ought to have
done more, and not have been so helpless.
This was the Battle of Sohr; so called because the Austrians had begun there, and the Prussians ended there.
The Prussian pursuit drew bridle at that Village; unsafe to prosecute Austrians farther, now in the deeps of
Kingdom Forest. The Battle has lasted five hours. It must be now getting towards noon; and time for
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breakfast, if indeed any were to be had; but that is next to impossible, Nadasti having been so busy. Not
without extreme difficulty is a manchet of bread, with or without a drop of wine, procured for the King's
Majesty this day. Many a tired hero will have nothing but tobacco, with springwater, to fall back upon.
Never mind! says the King, says everybody. After all, it is a cheap price to pay for missing an attack from
Pandours in the rear, while such crisis went on ahead.
Lying COUSIN Trenck, of the Lifeguard, who is now in Glatz, gives vivid eyewitness particulars of these
things, time of the morning and so on; says expressly he was there, and what he did there, [Frederic Baron de
Trenck, Memoires, traduits par luimeme (Strasbnrg and Paris, 1789), i. 7478, 79.]though in Glatz under
lock and key, three good months before. "How could I help mistakes," said he afterwards, when people
objected to this and that in his blusterous mendacity of a Book: "I had nothing but my poor agitated memory
to trust to!" A man's memory, when it gets the length of remembering that he was in the Battle of Sohr while
bodily absent, ought it not toin fact, to strike work; to still its agitations altogether, and call halt? Trenck,
some months after, got clambered out of Glatz, by sewers, or I forget how; and leaped, or dropped, from
some parapet into the River Neisse, sinking to the loins in tough mud, so that he could not stir farther.
"Fouquet let me stand there half a day, before he would pick me out again." Rigorous Bouquet, human mercy
forbidding, could not let him stand there in permanence,as we, better circumstanced, may with advantage
try to do, in time coming!
Friedrich lay at Sohr five days; partly for the honor of the thing, partly to eat out the Country to perfection.
Prince Karl, from Konigshof, soon fell back to Konigsgratz; and lay motionless there, nothing but his
Tolpatcheries astir, Sohr Country all eaten, Friedrich, in the due Divisions, marched northward. Through
Trautenau, Schatzlar, his own Division, which was the main one;and, fencing off the Tolpatches
successfully with trouble, brings all his men into Silesia again. A good job of work behind them, surely!
Cantons them to right and left of Landshut, about Rohnstock and Hohenfriedberg, hamlets known so well;
and leaving the Young Dessauer to command, drives for Berlin (30th October), rapidly, as his wont is.
Prince Karl has split up his force at Konigsgratz; means, one cannot doubt, to go into winterquarters. If he
think of invading, across that eaten Country and those bad Mountains,well, our troops can all be got
together in six hours' time.
At Trautenau, a week after Sohr, Friedrich had at last received the English ratification of that Convention of
Hanover, signed 26th August, almost a month ago; not ratified till September 22d. About which there had
latterly been some anxiety, lest his Britannic Majesty himself might have broken off from it. With Austria,
with Saxony, Britannic Majesty has been entirely unsuccessful:"May not Sohr, perhaps, be a fresh
persuasive?" hopes Friedrich;but as to Britannic Majesty's breaking off, his thoughts are far from that, if
we knew! Poor Majesty: not long since, Supreme Jove of Germany; and nowis like to be swallowed in
ragamuffin streetriots; not a thunderbolt within clutch of him (thunderbolts all sticking in the mud of the
Netherlands, far off), and not a constable's staff of the least efficacy! Consider these dates in combination.
Battle of Sohr was on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th:
"SUNDAY preceding, SEPTEMBER 26th, was such a Lord'sDay in the City of Edinburgh, as had not been
seen there,not since Jenny Geddes's stool went flying at the Bishop's head, above a hundred years before.
Big alarmbell bursting out in the middle of divine service; emptying all the Churches ('Highland rebels just
at hand!')into General Meeting of the Inhabitants, into Chaos come again, for the next forty hours. Till, in
the gaunt midnight, Tuesday, 2 A.M., Lochiel with about 1,000 Camerons, waiting slight opportunity,
crushed in through the Netherbow Port; and"And, about noon of that day, a poor friend of ours, loitering
expectant in the road that leads by St. Anthony's Well, saw making entry into paternal Holyrood,the
Young Pretender, in person, who is just being proclaimed Prince of Wales, up in the Highstreet yonder! "A
tall slender young man, about five feet ten inches high; of a ruddy complexion, highnosed, large rolling
brown eyes; long visaged, redhaired, but at that time wore a pale periwig. He was in a Highland habit
[coat]; over the shoulder a blue sash wrought with gold; red velvet breeches; a green velvet bonnet, with
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Chapter XII. BATTLE OF SOHR. 914
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white cockade on it and a gold lace. His speech seemed very like that of an Irishman; very sly [how did you
know, my poor friend?];spoke often to O'Sullivan [thought to be a person of some counsel; had been Tutor
to Maillebois's Boys, had even tried some irregular fighting under Maillebois]to O'Sullivan and"
[Henderson, Highland Rebellion, p. 14.] ... And on Saturday, in short, came PRESTONPANS. Enough of
such a Supreme Jove; good for us here as a timetable chiefly, or marker of dates!
Sunday, 3d October, King's Adjutant, Captain Mollendorf, a young Officer deservedly in favor, arrives at
Berlin with the joyful tidings of this Sohr business ("Prausnitz" we then called it): to the joy of all Prussians,
especially of a Queen Mother, for whom there is a Letter in pencil. After brief congratulation, Mollendorf
rushes on; having next to give the Old Dessauer notice of it in his Camp at Dieskau, in the Halle
neighborhood. Mollendorf appears in Halle suddenly next morning, Monday, about ten o'clock, sixteen
postilions trumpeting, and at their swiftest trot, in front of him;shooting, like a melodious morningstar,
across the rusty old city, in this manner,to Dieskau Camp, where he gives the Old Dessauer his good news.
Excellent Victory indeed; sharp striking, swift selfhelp on our part. Halle and the Camp have enough to
think of, for this day and the next. Whither Mollendorf went next, we will not ask: perhaps to Brunswick and
other consanguineous places?Certain it is,
"On Wednesday, the 6th, about two in the afternoon, the Old Dessauer has his whole Army drawn out there,
with green sprigs in their hats, at Dieskau, close upon the Saxon Frontier; and, after swashing and
manoeuvring about in the highest military style of art, ranks them all in line, or two suitable lines, 30,000 of
them; and then, with clangorous outburst of trumpet, kettledrum and all manner of fieldmusic, fires off his
united artillery a first time; almost shaking the very hills by such a thunderous peal, in the still afternoon. And
mark, close fitted into the artillery peal, commences a rolling fire, like a peal spread out in threads, sparkling
strangely to eye and ear; from right to left, long spears of fire and sharp strokes of sound, darting aloft,
successive simultaneous, winding for the space of miles, then back by the rear line, and home to the
startingpoint: very grand indeed. Again, and also again, the artillery peal, and rolling smallarms fitted into
it, is repeated; a second and a third time, kettledrums and trumpets doing what they can. That was the Old
Dessauer's bonfiring (what is called FEUDEJOIE), for the Victory of Sohr; audible almost at Leipzig, if
the wind were westerly. Overpowering to the human mind; at least, to the old Newspaper reporter of that day.
But what was strangest in the business," continues he "(DAS CURIEUSESTE DABEY), was that the Saxon
Uhlans, lying about in the villages across the Border, were out in the fields, watching the sight, hardly 300
yards off, from beginning to end; and little dreamed that his High Princely Serenity," blue of face and
dreadful in war, "was quite close to them, on the Height called Bornhock; condescending to 'take all this into
HighSerene Eyeshine there; and, by having a white flag waved, deigning to give signal for the discharges
of the artillery.'" [ HeldenGeschichte, i. 1124.]
By this the reader may know that the Old Dessauer is alive, ready for action if called on; and Bruhl ought to
comprehend better how riskish his game with edgetools is. Bruhl is not now in an unprepared state:here
are Uhlans at one's elbow looking on. Rutowski's Uhlans; who lies encamped, not far off, in good force,
posted among morasses; strongly entrenched, and with schemes in his head, and in Bruhl's, of an aggressive,
thricesecret and very surprising nature! I remark only that, in Heidelberg Country, victorious old Traun is
putting his people into winterquarters; himself about to vanish from this History, [Went to
SIEBENBURGEN (Transylvania) as Governor; died there February, 1748, age seventyone ( Maria
Theresiens Leben, p. 56 n.).]and has detached General Grune with 10,000 men; who left Heidelberg
October 9th, on a mysterious errand, heeded by nobody; and will turn up in the next Chapter.
Chapter XIII. SAXONY AND AUSTRIA MAKE A SURPRISING LAST
ATTEMPT.
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After this strenuous and victorious Campaign, which has astonished all public men, especially all Pragmatic
Gazetteers, and with which all Europe is disharmoniously ringing, Friedrich is hopeful there will be Peace,
through England;cannot doubt, at least, but the Austrians have had enough for one year;and looks
forward to certain months, if not of rest, yet of another kind of activity. Negotiation, Peace through England,
if possible; that is the high prize: and in the other case, or in any case, readiness for next Campaign;which
with the treasury exhausted, and no honorable subsidy from France, is a difficult problem.
That was Friedrich's, and everybody's, program of affairs for the months coming: but in that Friedrich and
everybody found themselves greatly mistaken. Bruhl and the Austrians had decided otherwise. "Open
mousetrap," at Striegau; claws of the sleeping cat, at Sohr: these were sad experiences; ill to bear, with the
SeaPowers grumbling on you, and the world sniffing its pity on you;but are not conclusive, are only
provoking and even maddening, to the sanguine mind. Two sad failures; but let us try another time. "A tricky
man; cunning enough, your King of Prussia!" thinks Bruhl, with a fellness of humor against Friedrich which
is little conceivable to us now: "Cunning enough. But it is possible cunning may be surpassed by deeper
cunning!"and decides, Bartenstein and an indignant EmpressQueen assenting eagerly, That there shall, in
the profoundest secrecy till it break out, be a third, and much fiercer trial, this Winter yet. The
BruhlBartenstein plan (owing mainly to the Russian Bugbear which hung over it, protective, but with
whims of its own) underwent changes, successive redactions or editions; which the reader would grudge to
hear explained to him. [Account of them in Orlich, ii. 273278 (from various RUTOWSKI Papers; and from
the contemporary satirical Pamphlet, "MONDSCHEINWURFE, Mirrorcastings of Moonshine, by
ZEBEDAUS Cuckoo, beaten Captain of a beaten Army."] Of the final or acted edition, some loose notion,
sufficient for our purpose, may be collected from the following fractions of Notes:
NOVEMBER 17th (INTERIOR OF GERMANY). ... "FeldmarschallLieutenant von Grune, a General of
mark, detached by Traun not long since, from the Rhine Country, with a force of 10,000 men, why is he
marching about: first to Baireuth Country, 'at Hof, November 9th,' as if for Bohemia; then north, to Gera ('lies
at Gera till the 17th'), as if for Saxony Proper? Prince Karl, you would certainly say, has gone into
winterquarters; about Konigsgratz, and farther on? Gone or going, sure enough, is Prince Karl, into the
convenient Bohemian districts,uncertain which particular districts; at least the Young Dessauer, watching
him from the Silesian side, is uncertain which. Better be vigilant, Prince Leopold!Grune, lying at Gera
yonder, is not intending for Prince Karl, then? No, not thither. Then perhaps towards Saxony, to reinforce the
Saxons? Or somewhither to find fat winterquarters: who knows? Indeed, who cares particularly, for such
inconsiderable Grune and his 10,000!
"The Saxons quitted their inexpugnable Camp towards Halle, some time ago; went into cantonments farther
inland;the Old Dessauer (middle of October) having done the like, and gone home: his force lies rather
scattered, for convenience of food and forage. From the Silesian side, again, Prince Leopold, whose
headquarters are about Striegau, intimates, That he cannot yet say, with certainty, what districts Prince Karl
will occupy for winterquarters in Bohemia. Prince Karl is vaguely roving about; detaching Pandours to the
Silesian Mountains, as if for checking our victorious Nassau there;always rather creeping northward;
skirting Western Silesia with his main force; 30,000 or better, with Lobkowitz and Nadasti ahead. Meaning
what? Be vigilant, my young friend.
"The private fact is, Prince Karl does not mean to go into winter quarters at all. In private fact, Prince Karl is
one of Three mysterious Elements or Currents, sent on a far errand: Grune is another: Rutowski's Saxon
Camp (now become Cantonment) is a third. Three Currents instinct with fire and destruction, but as yet quite
opaque; which have been launched,whitherward thinks the reader? On Berlin itself, and the Mark of
Brandenburg; there to collide, and ignite in a marvellous manner. There is their meetingpoint: there shall
they, on a sudden, smite one another into flame; and the destruction blaze, fiery enough, round Friedrich and
his own Brandenburg homesteads there!
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"It is a grand scheme; scheme at least on a grand scale. For the LEGS of it, Grune's march and Prince Karl's,
are about 600 miles long! Plan due chiefly, they say, to the yellow rage of Bruhl; aided by the contrivance of
Rutowski, and the counsel of Austrian military men. For there is much consulting about it, and redacting of
it; Polish Majesty himself very busy. To Bruhl's yellow rage it is highly solacing and hopeful. 'Rutowski,
lying close in his Cantonments, and then suddenly springing out, will overwhelm the Old Dessauer, who lies
wide;can do it, surely; and Grune is there to help if necessary. Dessauer blown to pieces, Grune, with
Rutowski combined, push in upon Brandenburg,Grune himself upon Berlin,from the west and south,
nobody expecting him. Prince Karl, not taking into winterquarters in Bohemia, as they idly think; but falling
down the Valley of the Bober, or Bober and Queiss, into the Lausitz (to Gorlitz, Guben, where we have
Magazines for him), comes upon it from the southeast,nobody expecting any of them. Three simultaneous
Armies hurled on the head of your Friedrich; combustible deluges flowing towards him, as from the ends of
Germany; so opaque, silent, yet of fire wholly: will not that surprise him!' thinks Bruhl. These are the
schemes of the little man."
Bruhl, having constituted himself rival to Friedrich, and fallen into pale or yellow rage by the course things
took, this Plan is naturally his chief joy, or crown of joys; a bubbling well of solace to him in his parched
condition. He should, obviously, have kept it secret; thricesecret, the little fool;but a poor parched man is
not always master of his private bubbling wells in that kind! Wolfstierna is Swedish Envoy at Dresden;
Rudenskjold, Swedish Envoy at Berlin, has run over to see him in the dim November days. Swedes, since
Ulrique's marriage, are friendly to Prussia. Bruhl has these two men to dinner; talks with them, over his wine,
about Friedrich's insulting usage of him, among other topics. "Insulting; how, your Excellency?" asks
Rudenskjold, privately a friend of Friedrich. Bruhl explains, with voice quivering, those cuts in the Friedrich
manifesto of August last, and other griefs suffered; the two Swedes soothing him with what oil they have
ready. "No matter!" hints Bruhl; and proceeds from hint to hint, till the two Swedes are fully aware of the
grand scheme: Grune, Prince Karl; and how Destruction, with legs 500 miles long, is steadily advancing to
assuage one with just revenge. "Right, your Excellency!"only that Rudenskjold proceeds to Berlin; and
there straightway ("8th November") punctually makes Friedrich also aware. [Stenzel, iv. 262; Ranke, iii.
317323; Friedrich's own narrative of it, OEuvres, iii. 148.] Foolish Bruhl: a man that has a secret should not
only hide it, but hide that he has it to hide.
FRIEDRICH GOES OUT TO MEET HIS THREELEGGED MONSTER;
CUTS ONE LEG OF IT IN TWO (Fight of
Hennersdorf, 23d November, 1745).
Friedrich, having heard the secret, gazes into it with horror and astonishment: "What a time I have! This is
not living; this is being killed a thousand times a day!" [Ranke (iii. 321 n.): TO whom said, we are not
told.]with horror and astonishment; but also with what most luminous flash of eyesight is in him;
compares it with Prince Karl's enigmatic motions, Grune's open ones and the other phenomena;perceives
that it is an indisputable fact, and a thriceformidable; requiring to be instantly dealt with by the party
interested! Whereupon, after hearty thanks to Rudenskjold, there occur these rapidly successive phases of
activity, which we study to take up in a curt form.
FIRST (probably 9th or 10th November), there is Council held with Minister Podewils and the Old Dessauer;
Council from which comes little benefit, or none. Podewils and Old Leopold stare incredulous; cannot be
made to believe such a thing. "Impossible any Saxon minister or man would voluntarily bring the theatre of
war into his own Country, in this manner!" thinks the Old Dessauer, and persists to think,on what obstinate
ground Friedrich never knew. To which Podewils, "who has properties in the Lausitz, and would so fain think
them safe," obstinately, though more covertly, adheres. "Impossible!" urge both these Councillors; and
Friedrich cannot even make them believe it. Believe it; and, alas, believing it is not the whole problem!
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Happily Friedrich has the privilege of ordering, with or without their belief. "You, Podewils, announce the
matter to foreign Courts. You, Serene Highness of Anhalt, at your swiftest, collect yonder, and encamp again.
Your eye well on Grune and Rutowski; and the instant I give you signal! I am for Silesia, to look after
Prince Karl, the other long leg of this Business." Old Leopold, according to Friedrich's account, is visibly
glad of such opportunity to fight again before he die: and yet, for no reason except some senile jealousy, is
not content with these arrangements; perversely objects to this and that. At length the King says,think of
this hard word, and of the eyes that accompany it!"When your Highness gets Armies of your own, you will
order them accordiug to your mind; at present, it must be according to mine." On, then; and not a moment
lost: for of all things we must be swift!
Old Leopold goes accordingly. Friedrich himself goes in a week hence. Orders, correspondences from
Podewils and the rest, are flying right and left;to Young Leopold in Silesia, first of all. Young Leopold
draws out his forces towards the SilesianLausitz border, where Prince Karl's intentions are now becoming
visible. And,here is the second phase notable,
"On Monday, 15th, ["18th," Feldzuge, i. 402 (see Rodenbeck, i. 122).] at 7 A.M.," Friedrich rushes off, by
Crossen, full speed for Liegnitz; "with Rothenburg, with the Prince of Prussia and Ferdinand of Brunswick
accompanying." With what thoughts,though, in his face, you can read nothing; all Berlin being already in
such tremor! Friedrich is in Liegnitz next day; and after needful preliminaries there, does, on the Thursday
following, "at NiederAdelsdorf," not far off, take actual command of Prince Leopold's Army, which had
lain encamped for some days, waiting him. And now with such force in hand,35,000, soldiers every man
of them, and freshened by a month's rest,one will endeavor to do some good upon Prince Karl. Probably
sooner than Prince Karl supposes. For there is great velocity in this young King; a pantherlike suddenness of
spring in him: cunning, too, as any Felis of them; and with claws like the Felis Leo on occasion. Here follows
the brief Campaign that ensued, which I strive greatly to abridge.
Prince Karl's intentions towards FrankfurtonOder Country, through the Lausitz, are now becoming
practically manifest. There is a Magazine for him at Guben, within thirty miles of Frankfurt; arrangements
getting ready all the way. A winter march of 150 miles;but what, say the spies, is to hinder? Prince Karl
dreams not that Friedrich is on the ground, or that anybody is aware. Which notion Friedrich finds that it will
be extremely suitable to maintain in Prince Karl. Friedrich is now at Adelsdorf, some thirty miles eastward of
the Lausitz Border, perhaps forty or more from the route Prince Karl will follow through that Province.
"It is a highlying irregularly hilly Country; hilly, not mountainous. Various streams rise out of it that have a
long course,among others, the Spree, which washes Berlin;especially three Valleys cross it, three Rivers
with their Valleys: Bober, Queiss, Neisse (the THIRD Neisse we have come upon); all running northward,
pretty much parallel, though all are branches of the Oder. This is Neisse THIRD, we say; not the Neisse of
Neisse City, which we used to know at the north base of the Giant Mountains, nor the Roaring Neisse, which
we have seen at Hohenfriedberg; but a third [and the FOURTH and last, "Black Neisse," thank Heaven, is an
upper branch of this, and we have, and shall have, nothing to do with it!]third Neisse, which we may call
the Lausitz Neisse. On which, near the head of it, there is a fine old spinning, linenweaving Town called
Zittau,where, to make it memorable, one Tourist has read, on the Townhouse, an Inscription worth
repeating: 'BENE FACERE ET MALE AUDIRE REGIUM EST, To do good and have evil said of you, is a
kingly thing.' Other Towns, as Gorlitz, and seventy miles farther the abovesaid Guben, lie on this same
Neisse,shall we add that Herrnhuth stands near the head of it? The wondrous Town of Herrnhuth
(LORD'S KEEPING), founded by Count Zinzendorf, twenty years before those dates; ["In 1722, the first
tree felled" (LIVES of Zinzendorf).] where are a kind of German MethodistQuakers to this day, who have
become very celebrated in the interim. An opulent enough, most silent, strictly regular, strange little Town.
The women are in uniform; wives, maids, widows, each their form of dress. Missionaries, speaking flabby
English, who have been in the West Indies or are going thither, seem to abound in the place; male population
otherwise, I should think, must be mainly doing trade elsewhere; nothing but prayers, preachings, charitable
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boardingschooling and the like, appeared to be going on. Herrnhuth is 'a Sabbath Petrified; Calvinistic
Sabbath done into Stone,' as one of my companions called it." [Tourist's Note (Autumn, 1852).]
Herrnhuth, of which all Englishmen have heard, stands near the head of this our third Neisse; as does Zittau,
a few miles higher up. I can do nothing more to give it mark for them. Bober Valley, then Queiss Valley,
which run parallel though they join at last, and become Bober wholly before getting into the Oder,these
two Valleys and Rivers lie in Friedrich's own Territory; and are between him and the Lausitz, Queiss River
being the boundary of Silesia and the Lausitz here. It is down the Neisse that Prince Karl means to march.
There are Saxons already gathering about Zittau; and down as far as Guben they are making Magazines and
arrangements,for it is all their own Country in those years, though most of it is Prussia's now. Prince Karl's
march will go parallel to the Bober and the Queiss; separated from the Queiss in this part by an undulating
Hilltract of twenty miles or more.
Friedrich has had somewhat to settle for the Southern Frontier of Silesia withal, which new doggeries of
Pandours are invading,to lie ready for Prince Karl on his return thither, whose grand meaning all this while
(as Friedrich well knows), is "Silesia in the lump" again, had he once cut us off from Brandenburg and our
supplies! General Nassau, far eastward, who is doing exploits in Moravia itself,him Friedrich has ordered
homeward, westward to his own side of the Mountains, to attend these new Pandour gentlemen; Winterfeld
he has called home, out of those Southern mountains, as likely to be usefuler here on this Western frontier.
Winterfeld arrived in Camp the same day with Friedrich; and is sent forward with a body of 3,000 light
troops, to keep watch about the Lausitz Frontier and the River Queiss; "careful not to quit our own side of
that stream,"as we mean to hoodwink Prince Karl, if we can!
Friedrich lies strictly within his own borders, for a day or two; till Prince Karl march, till his own
arrangements are complete. Friedrich himself keeps the Bober, Winterfeld the Queiss; "all pass freely out of
the Lausitz; none are allowed to cross into it: thereby we hear notice of Prince Karl, he none of us." Perfectly
quiescent, we, poor creatures, and aware of nothing! Thus, too, Friedrichin spite of his warlike Manifesto,
which the Saxons are on the eve of answering with a formal Declaration of Waraffects great rigor in
considering the Saxons as not yet at war with him: respects their frontier, Winterfeld even punishes hussars
"for trespassing on Lausitz ground." Friedrich also affects to have roads repaired, which he by no means
intends to travel: the whole with a view of lulling Prince Karl; of keeping the mouse trap open, as he had
done in the Striegau case. It succeeded again, quite as conspicuously, and at less expense.
Prince Karlwhose Tolpatch doggery Winterfeld will not allow to pass the Queiss, and to whom no traveller
or tidings can come from beyond that Riverdiscerns only, on the farther shore of it, Winterfeld with his
3,000 light troops. Behind these, he discerns either nothing, or nothing immediately momentous; but
contentedly supposes that this, the superficies of things, is all the solid content they have. Prince Karl gets
under way, therefore, nothing doubting; with his Saxons as vanguard. Down the Neisse Valley, on the right or
Queissward side of it: Saturday, 20th November, is his first march in Lusatian territory. He lies that night
spread out in three Villages, Schonberg, Schonbrunn, Kieslingswalde; [ Feldzuge, i. 407 (Bericht von der
Action bey KatholischHennersdorf, some ten miles long; parallel to the Neisse River, and about four miles
from it, east or Queissward of it. Karl himself is rear, at Schonberg; fierce Lobkowitz is centre; the Saxons
are vanguard, 6,000 in all, posted in Villages, which again are some ten or twelve miles ahead of Prince
Karl's forces; the Queiss on their right hand, and the Naumburg Bridge of Queiss, where Winterfeld now is,
about fifteen miles to east. Their Uhlans circulate through the intervening space (were much patrolling
needed, in such quiet circumstances), and maintain the due communication. There lies Prince Karl, on
Saturday night, 20th November, 1745; an Army of perhaps 40,000, dnngerously straggling out above twenty
miles long; and appears to see no difficulty ahead. The Saxons, I think, are to continue where they are;
guarding the flank, while the Prince and Lobkowitz push forward, closer by Neisse River. In four marches
more, they can be in Brandenburg, with Guben and their Magazines at hand.
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Seeing which state of matters, Winterfeld gives Friedrich notice of it; and that he, Winterfeld, thinks the
moment is come. "Pontoons to Naumburg, then!" orders Friedrich. Winterfeld, at the proper moment, is to
form a Bridge there. One permanent Bridge there already is; and two fords, one above it, one below: with a
second Bridge, there will be roadway for four columns, and a swift transit when needful. Sunday, 21st,
Friedrich quits the Bober, diligently towards Naumburg; marches Sunday, Monday; Tuesday, 23d, about
eleven A.M., begins to arrive there; Winterfeld and passages all ready. Forward, then, and let us drive in upon
Prince Karl; and either cut him in two, or force him to fight us; he little thinks where or on what terms. Sure
enough, in the worst place we can choose for him! Friedrich begins crossing in four columns at one P.M.;
crosses continuously for four hours; unopposed, except some skirmishing of Uhlans, while his Cavalry is
riding the Fords to right and left; Uhlans were driven back swiftly, so soon as the Cavalry got over. At five in
the evening, he has got entirely across, 35,000 horse and foot: Ziethen is chasing the Uhlans at full speed;
who at least will show us the way,for by this time a mist has begun falling, and the brief daylight is done.
Friedrich himself, without waiting for the rear of his force, and some while before this mist fell (as I judge), is
pushing forward, "a miller lad for his guide," across to Hennersdorf,Katholisch Hennersdorf, a long
straggling Village, eight or ten miles off, and itself two miles long,where he understands the Saxons are.
Miller lad guides us, over height and hollow, with his best skill, at a brisk pace;through one hollow, where
he has known the cattle pasture in summer time; but which proves impassable, and mere quagmire, at this
season. No getting through it, you unfortunate miller lad (GARCON DE MEUNIER). Nevertheless, we did
find passage through the skirts of it: nay this quagmire proved the luck of us; for the enemy, trustiug to it, had
no outguard there, never expecting us on that side. So that the vanguard, Ziethen and rapid Hussars, made an
excellent thing of it. Ziethen sends us word, That he has got into the body of Hennersdorf,"found the
Saxon Quartermaster quietly paying his men;"that he, Ziethen, is tolerably master of Hennersdorf, and will
amuse the enemy till the other force come up.
Of course Friedrich now pushes on, double speed; detaches other force, horse and foot: which was lucky,
says my informant; for the Ziethen Hussars, getting good plunder, had by no means demolished the Saxons;
but had left them time to draw up in firm order, with a hedge in front, a little west of the Village;from
which post, unassailable by Ziethen, they would have got safe off to the main body, with little but an affront
and some loss of goods. The new forcea rapid Katzler with light horse in the van, cuirassiers and foot
rapidly following himsweeps past the long Village, "through a thin wood and a defile;" finds the enemy
firmly ranked as above said; cavalry their left, infantry on right, flanked by an impenetrable hedge; and at
once strikes in. At once, Katzler does, on order given; but is far too weak. Charges, he; but is counter
charged, tumbled back; the Saxons, horse and foot, showing excellent fight. At length, more Prussian force
coming up, cuirassiers charge them in front, dragoons in flank, hussars in rear; all attacking at once, and with
a will; and the poor Saxon Cavalry is entirely cut to shreds.
And now there remains only the Infantry, perhaps about 1,000 men (if one must guess); who form a square;
ply vigorously their field pieces and their firearms; and cannot be broken by horsecharges. In fact, these
Saxons made a fierce resistance;till, before long, Prussian Infantry came up; and, with counter fieldpieces
and musketries, blasted gaps in them; upon which the Cavalry got admittance, and reduced the gallant fellows
nearly wholly to annihilation either by death or capture. There are 914 Prisoners in this Action, 4 big guns,
and I know not how many kettledrums, standards and the like,all that were there, I suppose. The number
of dead not given. [Orlich, ii. 291; Feldzuge, i. 400413.] But, in brief, this Saxon Force is utterly cut to
pieces; and only scattered twos and threes of it rush through the dark mist; scattering terror to this hand and
that. The Prussians take their post at and round Hennersdorf that night; bivouacking, though only in sack
trousers, a blanket each man: "We work hard, my men, and suffer all things for a day or two, that it may
save much work afterwards," said the King to them; and they cheerfully bivouacked.
This was the Action of KatholischHennersdorf, fought on Tuesday, 23d November, 1745; and still
celebrated in the Prussian Annals, and reckoned a brilliant passage of war. KATHOLISCHHennersdorf,
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some ten miles southwest of Naumburg ON THE QUEISS (for there are, to my knowledge, Twentyfive
other Villages called Hennersdorf, and Three several Towns of Naumburg, and many Castles and Hamlets so
named in dear Germany of the Nomenclatures):Katholisch Hennersdorf is the place, and Tuesday about
dusk the time. A sharp brush of fighting; not great in quantity, but laid in at the right moment, in the right
place. Like the prick of a needle, duly sharp, into the spinal marrow of a gigantic object; totally ruinous to
such object. Never, or rarely, in the Annals of War, was as much good got of so little fighting. You may, with
labor and peril, plunge a hundred dirks into your boaconstrictor; hack him with axes, bray him with
sledgehammers; that is not uncommon: but the one true prick in the spinal marrow, and the Artist that can
guide you well to that, he and it are the notable and beneficent phenomena.
PRINCE KARL, CUT IN TWO, TUMBLES HOME AGAIN DOUBLEQUICK.
Next morning, Wednesday, 24th, the Prussians are early astir again; groping, on all manner of roads, to find
what Prince Karl is doing, in a world all covered in thick mist. They can find nothing of him, but broken
tumbrils, left baggagewagons, rumor of universal marching hither and marching thither;evidences of an
Army fallen into universal St. Vitus'sDance; distractedly hurrying to and fro, not knowing whitherward for
the moment, except that it must be homewards, homewards with velocity.
Prince Karl's farther movements are not worth particularizing. Ordering and crossordering; march this way;
no, back again: such a scene in that mist. Prince Karl is flowing homeward; confusedly deluging and gurgling
southward, the best he can. Next afternoon, near Gorlitz, and again one other time, he appears drawn up, as if
for fighting; but has himself no such thought; flies again, without a shot; leaves Gorlitz to capitulate, that
afternoon; all places to capitulate, or be evacuated. We hear he is for Zittau; Winterfeld with light horse
hastens after him, gets sight of him on the Heights at Zittau yonder, [ OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 157; Orlich, ii.
296.] "about two in the morning:" but the Prince has not the least notion to fight. Prince leaves Zittau to
capitulate,quits silently the Heights of Zittau at two A.M. (Winterfeld, very lively in the rear of him,
cutting off his baggage);and so tumbles, pellmell, through the Passes of Gabel, home to Bohemia again.
Let us save this poor Note from the fire:
"On Saturday night, November 27th, the Prussians, pursuing Prince Karl, were cantoned in the Herrnhuth
neighborhood,my informant's regiment in the Town of Herrnhuth itself. [ Feldzuge, i. ubi supra.] Yes,
there lay the Prussians over Sunday; and might hear some weighty expounder, if they liked. Considerably
theological, many of these poor Prussian soldiers; carrying a Bible in their knapsack, and devout Psalms in
the heart of them. Twothirds of every regiment are LANDESKINDER, native Prussians; each regiment
from a special canton,generally rather religious men. The other third are recruits, gathered in the Free
Towns of the Reich, or where they can be got; not distinguished by devotion these, we may fancy, only
trained to the uttermost by Spartan drill."
Before the week is done, that "first leg" of the grand Enterprise (the PrinceKarl leg) is such a leg as we see.
"Silesia in the lump,"fond dream again, what a dream! Old Dessauer getting signal, where now, too
probably, is Saxony itself?Ranking again at Aussig in Bohemia, Prince Karl5,000 of his men lost, and
all impetus and fire gonefalls gently down the Elbe, to join Rutowski at least; and will reappear within four
weeks, out of Saxon Switzerland, still rather in dismal humor.
The Prussian Troops, in four great Divisions, are cantoned in that Lausitz Country, now so quiet; in and about
Bautzen and three other Towns of the neighborhood; to rest and be ready for the old Dessauer, when we hear
of him. The "Magazine at Guben in 138 wagons," the Gorlitz and other Magazines of Prince Karl in the due
number of wagons, supply them with comfortabIe unexpected provender. Thus they lie cantoned; and have
with despatch effectually settled their part of the problem. Question now is, How will it stand with the Old
Dessauer and his part? Or, better still, Would not perhaps the Saxons, in this humiliated state, accept Peace,
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and finish the matter?
Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF KESSELSDORF.
A "Correspondence" of a certain Excellency Villiers, English Minister at Dresden,Sir Thomas Villiers,
Grandfather of the present Earl of Clarendon,was very famous in those weeks; and is still worth mention,
as a trait of Friedrich's procedure in this crisis. Friedrich, not intoxicated with his swift triumph over Prince
Karl, but calculating the perils and the chances still ahead,miserably off for money too,admits to
himself that not revenge or triumph, that Peace is the one thing needful to him. November 29th, Old Leopold
is entering Saxony; and in the same hours, Podewils at Berlin, by order of Friedrich, writes to Villiers who is
in Dresden, about Peace, about mediating for Peace: "My King ready and desirous, now as at all times, for
Peace; the terms of it known; terms not altered, not alterable, no bargaining or higgling needed or allowable.
CONVENTION OF HANOVER, let his Polish Majesty accede honestly to that, and all these miseries are
ended." ["CORRESPONDANCE DU ROI AVEC SIR THOMAS VILLIERS;" commences, on Podewils's
part, 28th November; on Friedrich's, 4th December; ends, on Villier's, 18th December; fourteen Pieces in all,
four of them Friedrich's: Given in OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 183216 (see IB, 158), and in many other Books.]
Villiers starts instantly on this beneficent business; "goes to Court, on it, that very night;" Villiers shows
himself really diligent, reasonable, loyal; doing his very best now and afterwards; but has no success at all.
Polish Majesty is obstinate, I always think, in the way sheep are, when they feel themselves too much put
upon;and is deaf to everybody but Bruhl. Bruhl answers: "Let his Prussian Majesty retire from our
Territory;what is he doing in the Lausitz just now! Retire from our Territory; THEN we will treat!" Bruhl
still refuses to be desperate of his bad game;at any rate, Bruhl's rage is yellower than ever. That, very
evening, while talking to Villiers, he has had preparations going on;and next morning takes his Master,
Polish Majesty August III., with some comfortable minimum of apparatus (cigarboxes not forgotten), off to
Prag, where they can be out of danger till the thing decide itself. Villiers follows to Prag; desists not from his
eloquent Letters, and earnest persuasions at Prag; but begins to perceive that the means of persuading Bruhl
will be a much heavier kind of artillery.
On the whole, negotiations have yet done little. Britannic George, though Purseholder, what is his success
here? As little is the Russian Bugbear persuasive on Friedrich himself. The Czarina of the Russias, a
luxurious lady, of far more weight than insight, has just notified to him, with more emphasis than ever, That
he shall not attack Saxony; that if he do, she with considerable vigor will attack him! That has always been a
formidable puzzle for Friedrich: however, he reflects that the Russians never could draw sword, or be ready
with their Army, in less than six months, probably not in twelve; and has answered, translating it into polite
official terms: "Feefawfum, your Czarish Majesty! Question is not now of attacking, but of being myself
attacked!"and so is now running his risks with the Czarina.
Still worse was the result he got from Louis XV. Lately, "for form's sake," as he tells us, "and not expecting
anything," he had (November 15th) made a new appeal to France: "Ruin menacing your Most Christian
Majesty's Ally, in this huge sudden crisis of invasive AustrianSaxons; and for your Majesty's sake, may I
not in some measure say?" To which Louis's Answer is also given. A very sickly, unpleasant Document;
testifying to considerable pique against Friedrich;Ranke says, it was a joint production, all the Ministers
gradually contributing each his little pinch of irony to make it spicier, and Louis signing when it was
enough;very considerable pique against Friedrich; and something of the stupid sulkiness as of a fat bad
boy, almost glad that the house is on fire, because it will burn his nimble younger brother, whom everybody
calls so clever: "Sorry indeed, Sir my Brother, most sorry:and so you have actually signed that
HANOVER CONVENTION with our worst Enemy? France is far from having done so; France has done, and
will do, great things. Our Royal heart grieves much at your situation; but is not alarmed; no, Your Majesty
has such invention, vigor and ability, superior to any crisis, our clever younger Brother! And herewith we
pray God to have you in his holy keeping." This is the purport of King Louis's Letter;which Friedrich folds
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together again, looking up from perusal of it, we may fancy with what a glance of those eyes. [Louis's
Original, in OEuvres de Frederic, iii. 173, 174 (with a much more satirical paraphrase than the above), and
Friedrich's Answer adjoined,after the events had come.]
He is getting instructed, this young King, as to alliances, grand combinations, French and other. His third
Note to Villiers intimates, "It being evident that his Polish Majesty will have nothing from us but fighting, we
must try to give it him of the best kind we have." ["Bautzen, 11th December, 1745" (UBI SUPRA).] Yes
truly; it is the ULTIMATE persuasive, that. Here, in condensed form, are the essential details of the course it
went, in this instance:
General Grune, on the road to Berlin, hearing of the rout at Hennersdorf, halted instantly,hastened
back to Saxony, to join Rutowski there, and stand on the defensive. Not now in that Halle Frontier region
(Rutowski has quitted that, and all the intrenchments and marshy impregnabilities there); not on that
HalleFrontier, but hovering about in the interior, Rutowski and Grune are in junction; gravitating towards
Dresden;expecting Prince Karl's advent; who ought to emerge from the Saxon Switzerland in few days,
were he sharp; and again enable us to make a formidable figure. Be speedy, Old Dessauer: you must settle the
GruneRutowski account before that junction, not after it!
The Old Dessauer has been tolerably successful, and by no means thinks he has been losing time. November
29th, "at three in the morning," he stept over into Saxony with its impregnable camps; drove Rutowski's
rearguard, or remnant, out of the quagmires, canals and intrenchments, before daylight; drove it, that same
evening, or before dawn of the morrow, out of Leipzig: has seized that Town,lays heavy contribution on it,
nearly 50,000 pounds (such our strait for finance), "and be sure you take only substantial men as sureties!"
[Orlich, ii. 308.]and will, and does after a two days' rest, advance with decent celerity inwards; though
"One must first know exactly whither; one must have bread, and preparations and precautions; do all things
solidly and in order," thinks the Old Dessauer. Friedrich well knows the whither; and that Dresden itself is, or
may be made, the place for falling in with Rutowski. Friedrich is now himself ready to join, from the Bautzen
region; the days and hours precious to him; and spurs the Old Dessauer with the sharpest remonstrances. "All
solidly and in order, your Majesty!" answers the Old Dessauer: solid strongboned old coachhorse, who has
his own modes of trotting, having done many a heavy mile of it in his time; and whose skin, one hopes, is of
the due thickness against undue spurring.
Old Dessauer wishes two things: bread to live upon; and a sure Bridge over the Elbe whereby Friedrich may
join him. Old Dessauer makes for Torgau, far north, where is both an Elbe Bridge and a Magazine; which he
takes; Torgau and pertinents now his. But it is far down the Elbe, far off from Bautzen and Friedrich: "A
nearer Bridge and rendezvous, your Highness! Meissen [where they make the china, only fifty miles from
me, and twenty from Dresden], let that be the Bridge, now that you have got victual. And speedy; for
Heaven's sake, speedy!" Friedrich pushes out General Lehwald from Bautzen, with 4,000 men, towards
Meissen Bridge; Lehwald does not himself meddle with the Bridge, only fires shot across upon the Saxon
party, till the Old Dessauer, on the other bank, come up; and the Old Dessauer, impatience thinks, will
never come. "Three days in Torgau, yes, Your Majesty: I had bread to bake, and the very ovens had to be
built." A solid old roadster, with his own modes of trotting; needs thickness of skin. [Friedrich's Letters to
Leopold, in Orlich, ii. 431, 435 (6th10th December, 1745).]
At long last, on Sunday, 12th December, about two P.M., the Old Dessauer does appear; or General Gessler,
his vanguard, does appear,Gessler of the sixtyseven standards,"always about an hour ahead." Gessler
has summoned Meissen; has not got it, is haggling with it about terms, when, towards sunset of the short day,
Old Dessauer himself arrives. Whereupon the Saxon Commandant quits the Bridge (not much breaking it);
and glides off in the dark, clear out of Meissen, towards Dresden,chased, but successfully defending
himself. [See Plan, p. 10.] "Had he but stood out for two days!" say the Saxons,"Prince Karl had then been
up, and much might have been different." Well, Friedrich too would have been up, and it had most likely
been the same on a larger scale. But the Saxon Commandant did not stand out; he glided off, safe; joined
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Rutowski and Grune, who are lying about Wilsdruf, six or seven miles on the hither side of Dresden, and
eagerly waiting for Prince Karl. "Bridge and Town of Meissen are your Majesty's," reports the Old Dessauer
that night: upon which Friedrich instantly rises, hastening thitherward. Lehwald comes across Meissen
Bridge, effects the desired junction; and all Monday the Old Dessauer defiles through Meissen town and
territory; continually advances towards Dresden, the Saxons harassing the flanks of him a little,nay in one
defile, being sharp strenuous fellows, they threw his rear into some confusion; cut off certain carts and
prisoners, and the life of one brave General, Lieutenant General Roel, who had charge there. "Spurring one's
trot into a gallop! This comes of your fast marching, of your spurring beyond the rules of war!" thinks Old
Leopold; and Friedrich, who knows otherwise, is very angry for a moment.
But indeed the crisis is pressing. Prince Karl is across the Metal Mountains, nearing Dresden from the east;
Friedrich strikes into march for the same point by Meissen, so soon as the Bridge is his. Old Leopold is
advancing thither from the westward,steadily hour by hour; Dresden City the fateful goal. There,in
these middle days of December, 1745 (Highland Rebellion just whirling back from Derby again, "the London
shops shut for one day"),it is clear there will be a big and bloody game played before we are much older.
Very sad indeed: but Count Bruhl is not persuadable otherwise. By slumbering and sluggarding, over their
moneytills and fleshpots; trying to take evil for good, and to say, "It will do," when it will not do,
respectable Nations come at last to be governed by Bruhls; cannot help themselves;and get their backs
broken in consequence. Why not? Would you have a Nation live forever that is content to be governed by
Bruhls? The gods are wiser!It is now the 13th; Old Dessauer tramping forward, hour by hour, towards
Dresden and some field of Fate.
On Tuesday, 14th, by break of day, Old Dessauer gets on march again; in four columns, in battle order;
steady all day,hard winter weather, ground crisp, and flecked with snow. The Pass at Neustadt, "his
cavalry went into it at full gallop;" but found nobody there. That night he encamps at a place called
Rohrsdorf; which may be eight miles westbynorth from Dresden, as the crow flies; and ten or more, if you
follow the highway round by Wilsdruf on your right. The real direct Highway from Meissen to Dresden is on
the other side of the Elbe, and keeps by the Riverbank, a fine level road; but on this western side, where
Leopold now is, the road is inland, and goes with a bend. Leopold, of course, keeps command of this road;
his columns are on both sides of it, River on their left at some miles distance; and incessantly expect to find
Rutowski, drawn out on favorable ground somewhere. The country is of fertile, but very broken character;
intersected by many brooks, making obliquely towards the Elbe (obliquely, with a leaning Meissenwards);
country always mounting, till here about Rohrsdorf we seem to have almost reached the watershed, and the
brooks make for the Elbe, leaning Dresden way. Good posts abound in such broken country, with its villages
and brooks, with its thickets, hedges and patches of swamp. But Rutowski has not appeared anywhere, during
this Tuesday.
Our four columns, therefore, lie all night, under arms, about Rohrsdorf: and again by morrow's dawn are astir
in the old order, crunching far and wide the frozen ground; and advance, charged to the muzzle with potential
battle. Slightly upwards always, to the actual watershed of the country; leaving Wilsdruf a little to their right.
Wilsdruf is hardly past, when see, from this broad table land, top of the country: "Yonder is Rutowski, at
last;and this new Wednesday will be a day!" Yonder, sure enough: drawn out three or four miles long;
with his right to the Elbe, his left to that intricate Village of Kesselsdorf; bristling with cannon; deep gullet
and swampy brook in front of him: the strongest post a man could have chosen in those parts.
The Village of Kesselsdorf itself lies rather in a hollow; in the slight beginning, or uppermost extremity, of a
little Valley or Dell, called the Tschonengrund,which, with its, quaggy brook of a Tschone, wends
northeastward into the Elbe, a course of four or five miles: a little Valley very deep for its length, and getting
altogether chasmy and precipitous towards the Elbeward or lower end. Kesselsdorf itself, as we said, is
mainly in a kind of hollow: between Old Leopold and Kesselsdorf the ground rather mounts; and there is
perceptibly a flat knoll or rise at the head of it, where the Village begins. Some trees there, and abundance of
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cannon and grenadiers at this moment. It is the southwestern or leftmost point of Rutowski's line;
impregnable with its cannonbatteries and grenadiers. Rightward Rutowski extends in long lines, with the
quaggydell of Tschonengrund in front of him, parallel to him; Dell ever deepening as it goes.
Northeastward, at the extreme right, or Elbe point of it, where Grune and the Austrians stand, it has grown so
chasmy, we judge that Grune can neither advance nor be
MAP/PLAN GOES HEREbook 15 continuation page 10
advanced upon: so we leave him standing there,which he did all day, in a purely meditative posture.
Rutowski numbers 35,000, now on this ground, with immensity of cannon; 32,000 we, with only the usual
fieldartillery, and such a Tschonengrund, with its half frozen quagmires ahead. A ticklish case for the old
man, as he grimly reconnoitres it, in the winter morning.
Grim Old Dessauer having reconnoitred, and rapidly considered, decides to try it,what else?will range
himself on the west side of that Tschonengrund, horse and foot; two lines, wide as Rutowski opposite him;
but means to direct his main and prime effort against Kesselsdorf, which is clearly the key of the position, if
it can. be taken. For which end the Old Dessauer lengthens himself out to rightward, so as to outflank
Kesselsdorf;neglecting Grune (refusing Grune, as the soldiers say):"our horse of the right wing reached
from the Wood called Lerchenbusoh (LARCHBUSH) rightward as far as Freyberg road; foot all between
that Lerchenbusch and the big Birchtree on the road to Wilsdruf; horse of the left wing, from there to
Roitsch." [Stille (p. 181), who was present. See Plan.] It was about two P.M. before the old man got all his
deployments completed; what corps of his, deploying this way or that, came within wind of Kesselsdorf, were
saluted with cannon, thirty pieces or more, which are in battery, in three batteries, on the knoll there; but
otherwise no fighting as yet. At two, the Old Dessauer is complete; he reverently doffs his hat, as had always
been his wont, in prayer to God, before going in. A grim fervor of prayer is in his heart, doubtless; though the
words as reported are not very regular or orthodox: "O HERR GOTT, help me yet this once; let me not be
disgraced in my old days! Or if thou wilt not help me, don't help those HUNDSVOGTE [damned Scoundrels,
so to speak], but leave us to try it ourselves!" That is the Old Scandinavian of a Dessauer's prayer; a kind of
GODUR he too, Priest as well as Captain: Prayer mythically true as given; mythically, not otherwise. [Ranke,
iii. 334 n.] Which done, he waves his hat once, "On, in God's name!" and the storm is loose. Prussian right
wing pushing grandly forward, bent in that manner, to take Kesselsdorf and its firethroats in flank.
The Prussians tramp on with the usual grimbrowed resolution, foot in front, horse in rear; but they have a
terrible problem at that Kesselsdorf, with its retrenched batteries, and numerous grenadiers fighting under
cover. The very ground is sore against them; uphill, and the trampled snow wearing into a slide, so that you
sprawl and stagger sadly. Thirtyone big guns, and about 9,000 small, pouring out mere death on you, from
that knollhead. The Prussians stagger; cannot stand it; bend to rightwards, and get out of shotrange; cannot
manage it this bout. Rally, reinforce; try it again. Again, with a will; but again there is not a way. The
Prussians are again repulsed; fall back, down this slippery course, in more disorder than the first time. Had
the Saxons stood still, steadily handling arms, how, on such terms, could the Prussians ever have managed it?
But at sight of this second repulse, the Saxon grenadiers, and especially one battalion of Austrians who were
there (the only Austrians who fought this day), gave a shout "Victory!"and in the height of their
enthusiasm, rushed out, this Austrian battalion first and the Saxons after them, to charge these Prussians, and
sweep the world clear of them. It was the ruin of their battle; a fatal hollaing before you are out of the woods.
Old Leopold, quick as thought, noticing the thing, hurls cavalry on these victorious downplunging
grenadiers; slashes them asunder, into mere recoiling whirlpools of ruin; so that "few of them got back
unwounded;" and the Prussians storming in along with them,aided by ever new Prussians, from beyond the
Tschonengrund even,the place was at length carried; and the Saxon battle became hopeless.
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For, their right being in such hurricane, the Prussians from the centre, as we hint, storm forward withal; will
not be held back by the Tschonengrund. They find the Tschonengrund quaggy in the extreme, "brook frozen
at the sides, but waistdeep of liquid mud in the centre;" cross it, nevertheless, towards the upper part of
it,young Moritz of Dessau leading the way, to help his old Father in extremity. They climb the opposite
side,quite slippery in places, but "helping one another up;"no Saxons there till you get fairly atop, which
was an oversight on the Saxon part. Fairly atop, Moritz is saluted by the Saxons with diligent
musketvolleys; but Moritz also has musketvolleys in him, bayonetcharges in him; eager to help his old
Papa at this hard pinch. Old Papa has the Saxons in flank; sends more and ever more other cavalry in on
them; and in fact, the right wing altogether storms violently through Kesselsdorf, and sweeps it clean. Whole
regiments of the Saxons are made prisoners; Roel's Light Horse we see there, taking standards; cutting
violently in to avenge Roel's death, and the affront they had at Meissen lately. Furious Moritz on their front,
from across the Tschonengrund; furious Roel (GHOST of Roel) and others in their flank, through
Kesselsdorf: no standing for the Saxons longer.
About nightfall,their horse having made poorish fight, though the foot had stood to it like men,they roll
universally away. The Prussian left wing of horse are summoned through the Tschonengrund to chase: had
there remained another hour of daylight, the Saxon Army had been one wide ruin. Hidden in darkness, the
Saxon Army ebbed confusedly towards Dresden: with the loss of 6,000 prisoners and 3,000 killed and
wounded: a completely beaten Army. It is the last battle the Saxons fought as a Nation, or probably will
fight. Battle called of Kesselsdorf: Wednesday, 15th December, 1745.
Prince Karl had arrived at Dresden the night before; heard all this volleying and cannonading, from the
distance; but did not see good to interfere at all. Too wide apart, some say; quartered at unreasonably distant
villages, by some irrefragable ignorant War clerk of Bruhl's appointing,fatal Bruhl. Others say, his
Highness had himself no mind; and made excuses that his troops were tired, disheartened by the two beatings
lately,what will become of us in case of a third or fourth! It is certain, Prince Karl did nothing. Nor has
Grime's corps, the right wing, done anything except meditate:it stood there unattacked, unattacking; till
deep in the dark night, when Rutowski remembered it, and sent it order to come home. One Austrian
battalion, that of grenadiers on the knoll at Kesselsdorf, did actually fight;and did begin that fatal outbreak,
and quitting of the post there; "which lost the Battle to us!" say the Saxons.
Had those grenadiers stood in their place, there is no Prussian but admits that it would have been a terrible
business to take Kesselsdorf and its batteries. But they did not stand; they rushed out, shouting "Victory;" and
lost us the battle. And that is the good we have got of the sublime Austrian Alliance; and that is the pass our
grand scheme of Partitioning Prussia has come to? Fatal little Bruhl of the three hundred and sixtyfive
clothes suits; Valet fatally become divine in Valethood,are not you costing your Country dear!
Old Dessauer, glorious in the last of his fields, lay on his arms all night in the posts about; three bullets
through his roquelaure, no scratch of wound upon the old man. Young Moritz too "had a bullet through his
coatskirt, and three horses shot under him; but no hurt, the Almighty's grace preserving him." [ Feldzuge, i.
434.] This Moritz is the Third of the Brothers, age now thirtythree; and we shall hear considerably about
him in times coming. A lean, tall, austere man; and, "of all the Brothers, most resembled his Father in his
ways." Prince Dietrich is in Leipzig at present; looking to that contribution of 50,000 pounds; to that, and to
other contributions and necessary matters;and has done all his fighting (as it chanced), though he survived
his Brothers many years. Old Papa will now get his discharge before long (quite suddenly, one morning, by
paralytic stroke, 7th April, 1747); and rest honorably with the Sons of Thor. [Young Leopold, the successor,
died 16th December, 1751, age fiftytwo; Dietrich (who had thereupon quitted soldiering, to take charge of
his Nephew left minor, and did not resume it), died 2d December, 1769; Moritz (soldier to the last), 11th
April, 1760. See MilitairLexikon, i. 43, 34, 38,47.]
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Chapter XV. PEACE OF DRESDEN: FRIEDRICH DOES MARCH HOME.
Friedrich himself had got to Meissen, Tuesday, l4th; no enemy on his road, or none to speak of: Friedrich was
there, or not yet far across, all Wednesday; collecting himself, waiting, on the slip, for a signal from Old
Leopold. Sound of cannon, up the Elbe Dresdenward, is reported there to Friedrich, that afternoon: cannon,
sure enough, notes Friedrich; and deep dimrolling peals, as of volleying smallarms; "the sky all on fire
over there," as the hoarfrosty evening fell. Old Leopold busy at it, seemingly. That is the glare of the Old
Dessauer's countenance; who is giving voice, in that manner, to the earthly and the heavenly powers;
conquering Peace for us, let us hope!
Friedrich, as may be supposed, made his best speed next morning: "All well!" say the messengers; all well,
says Old Leopold, whom he meets at Wilsdruf, and welcomes with a joyful embrace; "dismounting from his
horse, at sight of Leopold, and advancing to meet him with doffed hat and open arms,"and such words and
treatments, that day, as made the old man's face visibly shine. "Your Highness shall conduct me!" And the
two made survey together of the actual Field of Kesselsdorf; strewn with the ghastly wrecks of battle,many
citizens of Dresden strolling about, or sorrowfully seeking for their lost ones among the wounded and dead.
No hurt to these poor citizens, who dread none; help to them rather: such is Friedrich's mind,concerning
which, in the AnecdoteBooks, there are Narratives (not worth giving) of a vapidly romantic character,
credible though inexact. [For the indisputable part, see Orlich, ii. 343, 344; and OEuvres de Frederic, iii.
170.] Friedrich, who may well be profuse of thanks and praises, charms the Old Dessauer while they walk
together; brave old man with his holed roquelaure. For certain, he has done the work there,a great deal of
work in his time! Joy looks through his old rough face, of gunpowder color: the Herr Gott has not delivered
him to those damned Scoundrels in the end of his days.On the morrow, Friday, Leopold rolled grandly
forward upon Dresden; Rutowski and Prince Karl vanishing into the Metal Mountains, by Pirna, for
Bohemia, at sound of him,as he had scarcely hoped they would.
On the Saturday evening, Dresden, capable of not the least defence, has opened all its gates, and Friedrich
and the Prussians are in Dresden; Austrians and wrecked Saxons falling back diligently towards the Metal
Mountains for Bohemia, diligent to clear the road for him. Queen and Junior Princes are here; to whom, as to
all men, Friedrich is courtesy itself; making personal visit to the Royalties, appointing guards of honor,
sacred respect to the Royal Houses; himself will lodge at the Princess Lubomirski's, a private mansion.
"That ferocious, false, ambitious King of Prussia"Well, he is not to be ruined in open fight, on the contrary
is ruinous there; nor by the cunningest ambuscades, and secret combinations, in field or cabinet: our
overwhelming Winter Invasion of himsee where it has ended! Bruhl and Polish Majestythe nocturnal
sky all on fire in those parts, and loud general doomsday comeare a much illuminated pair of gentlemen.
From the time Meissen Bridge was lost, Prince Karl too showing himself so languid, even Bruhl had
discerned that the case was desperate. On the very day of Kesselsdorf,not the day BEFORE, which would
have been such a thrift to Bruhl and others!Friedrich had a Note from Villiers, signifying joyfully that his
Polish Majesty would accept Peace. Thanks to his Polish Majesty:and after Kesselsdorf, perhaps the
EmpressQueen too will! Friedrich's offers are precisely what they were, what they have always been:
"Convention of Hanover; that, in all its parts; old treaty of Breslau, to be guaranteed, to be actually kept. To
me Silesia sure;from you, Polish Majesty, one million crowns as damages for the trouble and cost this
Triple Ambuscade of yours has given me; one million crowns, 150,000 pounds we will say; and all other
requisitions to cease on the day of signature. These are my terms: accept these; then wholly, As you were,
EmpressQueen and you, and all surviving creatures: and I march home within a week." Villiers speeds
rapidly from Prag, with the due olivebranch; with Count Harrach, experienced Austrian, and full powers.
Harrach cannot believe his senses: "Such the terms to be still granted, after all these beatings and
rebeatings!"then at last does believe, with stiff thankfulness and Austrian bows. The Negotiation need not
occupy many hours.
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"His Majesty of Prussia was far too hasty with this Peace," says Valori: "he had taken a threap that he would
have it finished before the Year was done:"in fact, he knows his own mind, MON GROS VALORI, and
that is what few do. You shear through no end of cobwebs with that fine implement, a wisely fixed resolution
of your own. A Peace slow enough for Valori and the French: where could that be looked for?Valori is at
Berlin, in complete disgrace; his Most Christian King having behaved so like a Turk of late. Valori,
horrorstruck at such Peace, what shall he do to prevent it, to retard it? One effort at least. D'Arget his
Secretary, stolen at Jaromirz, is safe back to him; ingenious, ingenuous D'Arget was always a favorite with
Friedrich: despatch D'Arget to him. D'Arget is despatched; with reasons, with remonstrances, with
considerations. D'Arget's Narrative is given: an ingenuous offhand Piece;poor little crevice, through
which there is still to be had, singularly clear, and credible in every point, a direct glimpse of Friedrich's own
thoughts, in that manysounding Dresden,so loud, that week, with dinnerparties, with operas, balls,
Prussian wardrums, grandparades and Peacenegotiations.
THE SIEUR D'ARGET TO EXCELLENCY VALORI (at Berlin).
"DRESDEN, 1745" (dateless otherwise, must be
December, between 18th and 25th). "MONSEIGNEUR,I arrived yesterday at 7 P.M.; as I had the
honor of forewarning you, by the word I wrote to the Abbe [never mind what Abbe; another ValoriClerk]
from Sonnenwalde [my halfway house between Berlin and this City]. I went, first of all, to M. de
Vaugrenand," our Envoy here; "who had the goodness to open himself to me on the Business now on hand. In
my opinion, nothing can be added to the excellent considerations he has been urging on the King of Prussia
and the Count de Podewils.
"At halfpast 8, I went to his Prussian Majesty's; I found he was engaged with his Concert,"lodges in the
Lubomirski Palace, has his snatch of melody in the evening of such discordant days, "and I could not see
him till after halfpast 9. I announced myself to M. Eichel; he was too overwhelmed with affairs to give me
audience. I asked for Count Rothenburg; he was at cards with the Princess Lubomirski. At last, I did get to
the King: who received me in the most agreeable way; but was just going to Supper; said he must put off
answering till tomorrow morning, morning of this day. M. de Vaugrenand had been so good as prepare me
on the rumors of a Peace with Saxony and the Queen of Hungary. I went to M. Podewils; who said a great
many kind things to me for you. I could only sketch out the matter, at that time; and represented to Podewils
the brilliant position of his Master, who had become Arbiter of the Peace of Europe; that the moment was
come for making this Peace a General One, and that perhaps there would be room for repentance afterwards,
if the opportunity were slighted. He said, his Master's object was that same; and thus closed the conversation
by general questions.
"This morning, I again presented myself at the King of Prussia's. I had to wait, and wait; in fine, it was not till
halfpast 5 in the evening that he returned, or gave me admittance; and I stayed with him till after 7,"when
Concerttime was at hand again. Listen to a remarkable Dialogue, of the Conquering Hero with a humble
Friend whom he likes. "His Majesty condescended (A DAIGNE) to enter with me into all manner of details;
and began by telling me,
"That M. de Valori had done admirably not to come, himself, with that Letter from the King [Most Christian,
OUR King; Letter, the sickly Document above spoken of]; that there could not have been an Answer
expected,the Letter being almost of ironical strain; his Majesty [Most Christian] not giving him the least
hope, but merely talking of his fine genius, and how that would extricate him from the perilous entanglement,
and inspire him with a wise resolution in the matter! That he had, in effect, taken a resolution the wisest he
could; and was making his Peace with Saxony and the Queen of Hungary. That he had felt all the dangers of
the difficult situations he had been in,"sheer destruction yawning all round him, in huge imminency, more
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than once, and no friend heeding;"that, weary of playing always doubleorquits, he had determined to
end it, and get into a state of tranquillity, which both himself and his People had such need of. That France
could not, without difficulty, have remedied his mishaps; and that he saw by the King's Letter, there was not
even the wish to do it. That his, Friedrich's, military career was completed,"so far as HE could foresee or
decide! "That he would not again expose his Country to the Caprices of Fortune, whose past constancy to him
was sufficiently astonishing to raise fears of a reverse (HEAR!). That his ambitions were fulfilled, in having
compelled his Enemies to ask Peace from him in their own Capital, with the Chancellor of Bohemia
[Harrach, typifying fallen Austrian pride] obliged to cooperate.
"That he would always be attached to our King's interests, and set all the value in the world on his friendship;
but that he had not been sufficiently assisted to be content. That, observing henceforth an exact neutrality, he
might be enabled to do offices of mediation; and to carry, to the one side and to the other, words of peace.
That he offered himself for that object, and would be charmed to help in it; but that he was fixed to stop there.
That in regard to the basis of General Peace, he had Two Ideas [which the reader can attend to, and see where
they differed from the Event, and where not]:One was, That France should keep Ypres, Furnes, Tournay
[which France did not], giving up the Netherlands otherwise, with Ostend, to the English [to the English!] in
exchange for Cape Breton. The other was, To give up more of our Conquests [we gave them all up, and got
only the glory, and our Codfishery, Cape Breton, back, the English being equally generous], and bargain for
liberty to reestablish Dunkirk in its old condition [not a word of your Dunkirk; there is your Cape Breton,
and we also will go home with what glory there is,not difficult to carry!]. But that it was by England we
must make the overtures, without addressing ourselves to the Court of Vienna; and put it in his, Friedrich's,
power to propose a receivable Project of Peace. That he well conceived the great point was the Queen of
Spain [Termagant and Jenkins's Ear; Termagant's Husband, still living, is a lappet of Termagant's self]: but
that she must content herself with Parma and Piacenza for the Infant, Don Philip [which the Termagant did];
and give back her hold of Savoy [partial hold, of no use to her without the Passes] to the King of Sardinia."
And of the JENKINS'SEAR question, generous England will say nothing? Next to nothing; hopes a
modicum of putty and diplomatic varnish may close that troublesome question,which springs, meanwhile,
in the centre of the world!
"These kind condescensions of his Majesty emboldened me to represent to him the brilliant position he now
held; and how noble it would be, after having been the Hero of Germany, to become, instead of one's own
pacificator, the Pacificator of Europe. 'I grant you,' said he, (MON CHER D'Arget; but it is too dangerous a
part for playing. A reverse brings me to the edge of ruin: I know too well the mood of mind I was in, last time
I left Berlin [with that Threelegged Immensity of Atropos, NOT yet mown down at Hennersdorf by a lucky
cut], ever to expose myself to it again! If luck had been against me there, I saw myself a Monarch without
throne; and my subjects in the cruelest oppression. A bad game that: always, mere CHECK TO YOUR
KING; no other move;I refer it to you, friend D'Arget:in fine, I wish to be at peace.'
"I represented to him that the House of Austria would never, with a tranquil eye, see his House in possession
of Silesia. 'Those that come after me,' said he, 'will do as they like; the Future is beyond man's reach. Those
that come after will do as they can. I have acquired; it is theirs to preserve. I am not in alarm about the
Austrians;and this is my answer to what you have been saying about the weakness of my guarantees. They
dread my Army; the luck that I have. I am sure of their sitting quiet for the dozen years or so which may
remain to me of life;quiet till I have, most likely, done with it. What! Are we never to have any good of
our life, then (NE DOISJE DONC JAMAIS JOUIR)? There is more for me in the true greatness of laboring
for the happiness of my subjects, than in the repose of Europe. I have put Saxony out of a condition to do
hurt. She owes 14,775,000 crowns of debt [two millions and a quarter sterling]; and by the Defensive
Alliance which I form with her, I provide myself [but ask Bruhl withal!] a help against Austria. I would not
henceforth attack a cat, except to defend myself.' ["These are his very words," adds D'Arget;and well
worth noting.] (Ambition (GLOIRE) and my interests were the occasion of my first Campaigns. The late
Kaiser's situation, and my zeal for France [not to mention interests again], gave rise to these second: and I
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have been fighting always since for my own hearths,for my very existence, I might say! Once more, I
know the state I had got into:if I saw Prince Karl at the gates of Paris, I would not stir.''And us at the
gates of Vienna,' answered I promptly, 'with the same indifference?''Yes; and I swear it to you, D'Arget. In
a word, I want to have some good of my life (VEUX JOUIR). What are we, poor human atoms, to get up
projects that cost so much blood? Let us live, and help to live.'
"The rest of the conversation passed in general talk, about Literature, Theatres and such objects. My
reasonings and objectings, on the great matter, I need not farther detail: by the frank discourse his Prussian
Majesty was kind enough to go into, you may gather perhaps that my arguments were various, and not ill
chosen;and it is too evident they have all been in vain." Your Excellency's (really in a very faithful
way) D'ARGET. [Valori, i. 290294 (no date, except "Dresden, 1745,"sleepy Editor feeling no want of
any).]
D'Arget, about a month after this, was taken into Friedrich's service; Valori consenting, whose occupation
was now gone;and we shall hear of D'Arget again. Take this small Note, as summary of him: "D'Arget
(18th January, 1746) had some title, 'Secretary at Orders (SECRETAIRE DES COMMANDEMENTS),' bit
of pension; and continued in the character of reader, or miscellaneous literary attendant and agent, very much
liked by his Master, for six years coming. A man much heard of, during those years of office. March, 1752,
having lost his dear little Prussian Wife, and got into ill health and spirits, he retired on leave to Paris; and
next year had to give up the thought of returning;though he still, and to the end, continued loyally attached
to his old Master, and more or less in correspondence with him. Had got, before long, not through Friedrich's
influence at Paris, some small Appointment in the ECOLE MILITAIRE there. He is, of all the Frenchmen
Friedrich had about him, with the exception of D'Argens alone, the most honesthearted. The above Letter,
lucid, innocent, modest, altogether rational and practical, is a fair specimen of D'Arget: add to it the prompt
selfsacrifice (and in that fine silent way) at Jaromirz for Valori, and readers may conceive the man. He lived
at Paris, in meagre but contented fashion, RUE DE L'ECOLE MILITAIRE, till 1778; and seems, of all the
ExPrussian Frenchmen, to have known most about Friedrich; and to have never spoken any falsity against
him. Duvernet, the 'M' Biographer of VOLTAIRE, frequented him a good deal; and any true notions, or
glimmerings of such, that he has about Prussia, are probably ascribable to D'Arget." [See OEuvres de
Frederic, xx. (p. xii of PREFACE to the D'ARGET CORRESPONDENCE there).]
The Treaty of Dresden can be read in Scholl, Flassan, Rousset, Adelung; but, except on compulsion, no
creature will now read it, nor did this Editor, even he, find it pay. Peace is made. Peace of Dresden is
signed, Christmas Day, 1745: "To me Silesia, without farther treachery or trick; you, wholly as you were."
Europe at large, as Friedrich had done, sees "the sky all on fire about Dresden." The fierce big battles done
against this man have, one and all of them, become big defeats. The strenuous machinations, highbuilt plans
cunningly devised,the utmost sumtotal of what the Imperial and Royal Potencies can, for the life of them,
do: behold, it has all tumbled down here, in loud crash; the final peal of it at Kesselsdorf; and the
consummation is flame and smoke, conspicuous over all the Nations. You will let him keep his own
henceforth, then, will you? Silesia, which was NOT yours nor ever shall be? Silesia and no afterthought? The
Saxons sign, the high Plenipotentiaries all; in the eyes of Villiers, I am told, were seen sublimely pious tears.
Harrach, bowing with stiff, almost incredulous, gratitude, swears and signs;hurries home to his Sovereign
Lady, with Peace, and such a smile on his face; and on her Imperial Majesty's such a smile!readers shall
conceive it.
There are but Two new points in the Treaty of Dresden,nay properly there is but One point, about which
posterity can have the least care or interest; for that other, concerning "The Toll of Schidlo," and settlement
of haggles on the Navigation of the Elbe there, was not kept by the Saxons, but continued a haggle still: this
One point is the Eleventh Article. Inconceivably small; but liable to turn up on us again, in a memorable
manner. That let us translate,for M. de Voltaire's sake, and time coming! STEUER means LandTax;
OBERSTEUEREINNAHME will be something like Royal Exchequer, therefore; and STEUERSCHEIN
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will be approximately equivalent to Exchequer Bill. Article Eleventh stipulates:
"All subjects and servants of his Majesty the King of Prussia who hold bonds of the Saxon
OBERSTEUEREINNAHME shall be paid in full, capital and interest, at the times, and to the amount,
specified in said STEUERSCHEINE or Bonds." That is Article Eleventh. "The Saxon Exchequer," says
an old Note on it, "thanks to Bruhl's extravagance, has been as good as bankrupt, paying with inconvertible
paper, with SCHEINE (Things to be SHOWN), for some time past; which paper has accordingly sunk, let us
say, 25 per cent below its nominal amount in gold. All Prussian subjects, who hold these Bonds, are to be
paid in gold; Saxons, and others, will have to be content with paper till things come round again, if things
ever do." Yes;and, by ill chance, the matter will attract M. de Voltaire's keen eye in the interim!
Friedrich stayed eight days in Dresden, the loud theme of Gazetteers and rumors; the admired of two classes,
in all Countries: of the many who admire success, and also of the few who can understand what it is to
deserve success. Among his own Countrymen, this last Winter has kindled all their admirations to the
flaming pitch. Saved by him from imminent destruction; their enemies swept home as if by one invincible;
nay, sent home in a kind of noble shame, conquered by generosity. These feelings, though not encouraged to
speak, run very high. The Dresdeners in private society found him delightful; the high ladies especially:
"Could you have thought it; terrific Mars to become radiant Apollo in this manner!" From considerable
Collections of Anecdotes illustrating this fact, in a way now fallen vapid to us,I select only the
Introduction:
"Do readers recollect Friedrich's first visit to Dresden [in 1728], seventeen years ago; and a certain charming
young Countess Flemming, at that time only fourteen; who, like a Hebe as she was, contrived beautiful
surprises for him, and among other things presented him, so gracefully, on the part of August the Strong, with
his first flute?"No reader of this History can recollect it; nor indeed, except in a mythic sense, believe it! A
young Countess Flemming (daughter of old Feldmarschall Flemming) doubtless there might be, who
presented him a flute; but as to HIS FIRST flute? "That same charming young Countess Flemming is still
here, age now thirtyone; charming, more than ever, though now under a changed name; having wedded a
Von Racknitz (Supreme GentlemanUsher, or some such thing) a few years ago, and brought him children
and the usual felicities. How much is changed! August the Strong, where is he; and his famous Three
Hundred and Fiftyfour, Enchantress Orzelska and the others, where are they? Enchantress Orzelska wedded,
quarrelled, and is in a convent: her charming destiny concluded. Rutowski is not now in the Prussian Army:
he got beaten, Wednesday last, at Kesselsdorf, fighting against that Army. And the Chevalier de Saxe, he too
was beaten there;clambering now across the Metal Mountains, ask not of him. And the Marechal de Saxe,
he takes Cities, fights Battles of Fontenoy, 'mumbling a lead bullet all day;' being dropsical, nearly dead of
debaucheries; the most dissolute (or probably so) of all the Sons of Adam in his day. August the Physically
Strong is dead. August the Spiritually Weak is fled to Prag with his Bruhl. And we do not come, this time, to
get a flute; but to settle the account of Victories, and give Peace to Nations. Strange, here as always, to look
back,to look round or forward,in the mad huge whirl of that loudroaring Loom of Time!One of
Countess Racknitz's Sons happened to leave MANUSCRIPT DIARIES [rather feeble, not too
exactlooking], and gives us, from Mamma's reminiscences" ... Not a word more. [Rodenbeck, Beitrage, i.
440, et seq.]
The Peace, we said, was signed on Christmasday. Next day, Sunday, Friedrich attended Sermon in the
Kreuzkirche (Protestant High Church of Dresden), attended Opera withal; and on Monday morning had
vanished out of Dresden, as all his people had done, or were diligently doing. Tuesday, he dined briefly at
Wusterhausen (a place we once knew well), with the Prince of Prussia, whose it now is; got into his open
carriage again, with the said Prince and his other Brother Ferdinand; and drove swiftly homeward. Berlin,
drunk with joy, was all out on the streets, waiting. On the Heath of Britz, four or five miles hitherward of
Berlin, a body of young gentlemen ("Merchants mostly, who had ridden out so far") saluted him with
"VIVAT FRIEDRICH DER GROSSE (Long live Friedrich THE GREAT)!" thrice over;as did, in a less
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articulate manner, Berlin with one voice, on his arrival there; Burgher Companies lining the streets;
Population vigorously shouting; Pupils of the Koln Gymnasium, with Clerical and School Functionaries in
mass, breaking out into Latin Song:
"VIVAT, VIVAT FRIDERICUS REX;
VIVAT AUGUSTUS, MAGNUS, FELIX, PATER, PATRIAE!" and what not. [Preuss, i. 220;
who cites Beschreibung ("Description of his Majesty's Triumphant Entry, on the" and other Contemporary
Pamphlets. Rodenbeck, i. 124.] On reaching the Portal of the Palace, his Majesty stept down; and, glancing
round the SchlossPlatz and the crowded windows and simmering multitudes, saluted, taking off his hat;
which produced such a shout,naturally the loudest of all. And so EXIT King, into his interior. Tuesday,
23 P.M., 28th December, 1745: a King new christened in the above manner, so far as people could.
Illuminated Berlin shone like noon, all that night (the beginning of a GAUDEAMUS which lasted
miscellaneously for weeks):but the King stole away to see a friend who was dying; that poor Duhan de
Jaudun, his early Schoolmaster, who had suffered much for him, and whom he always much loved. Duhan
died, in a day or two. Poor Jordan, poor Keyserling (the "Cesarion" of young days): them also he has lost; and
often laments, in this otherwise bright time. {In OEuvres, xvii. 288; xviii. 141; IB. 142 (painfully tender
Letters to Frau von Camas and others, on these events).
END OF BOOK XV
BOOK XVI. THE TEN YEARS OF PEACE. 17461756.
Chapter I. SANSSOUCI.
Friedrich has now climbed the heights, and sees himself on the upper tableland of Victory and Success; his
desperate lifeand death struggles triumphantly ended. What may be ahead, nobody knows; but here is fair
outlook that his enemies and Austria itself have had enough of him. No wringing of his Silesia from this "bad
Man." Not to be overset, this one, by never such exertions; oversets US, on the contrary, plunges us
heelsoverhead into the ditch, so often as we like to apply to him; nothing but heavy beatings, disastrous
breaking of crowns, to be had on trying there! "Five Victories!" as Voltaire keeps counting on his fingers,
with upturned eyes,Mollwitz, Chotusitz, Striegau, Sohr, Kesselsdorf (the last done by Anhalt; but omitting
Hennersdorf, and that sudden slitting of the big SaxonAustrian Projects into a cloud of feathers, as fine a
feat as any),"Five Victories!" counts Voltaire; calling on everybody (or everybody but Friedrich himself,
who is easily sated with that kind of thing) to admire. In the world are many opinions about Friedrich. In
Austria, for instance, what an opinion; sinister, gloomy in the extreme: or in England, which derives from
Austria,only with additional dimness, and with gloomy new provocations of its own before long! Many
opinions about Friedrich, all dim enough: but this, that he is a very demon for fighting, and the stoutest King
walking the Earth just now, may well be a universal one. A man better not be meddled with, if he will be at
peace, as he professes to wish being.
Friedrich accordingly is not meddled with, or not openly meddled with; and has, for the Ten or Eleven Years
coming, a time of perfect external Peace. He himself is decided "not to fight with a cat," if he can get the
peace kept; and for about eight years hopes confidently that this, by good management, will continue
possible; till, in the last three years, electric symptoms did again disclose themselves, and such hope more
and more died away. It is well known there lay in the fates a Third Silesian War for him, worse than both the
others; which is now the main segment of his History still lying ahead for us, were this Halcyon Period done.
Halcyon Period counts from Christmasday, Dresden, 1745,"from this day, Peace to the end of my life!"
had been Friedrich's fond hope. But on the 9th day of September, 1756, Friedrich was again entering Dresden
(Saxony some twelve days before); and the Crowning Struggle of his Life was, beyond all expectation, found
to be still lying ahead for him, awfully dubious for Seven Years thereafter!
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Friedrich's History during this intervening Halcyon or Peace Period must, in some way, be made known to
readers: but for a great many reasons, especially at present, it behooves to be given in compressed form;
riddled down, to an immense extent, out of those sad Prussian Repositories, where the grain of perennial, of
significant and still memorable, lies overwhelmed under rubbish mountains of the fairly extinct, the
poisonously dusty and forgettable;ACH HIMMEL! Which indispensable preliminary process, how can an
English Editor, at this time, do it; no Prussian, at any time, having thought of trying it! From a painful
Predecessor of mine, I collect, rummaging among his dismal Papermasses, the following Three Fragments,
worth reading here:
1. "Friedrich was as busy, in those Years, as in the generality of his life; and his actions, and salutary
conquests over difficulties, were many, profitable to Prussia and to himself. Very well worth keeping in
mind. But not fit for History; or at least only fit in the summary form; to be delineated in little, with large
generic strokes,if we had the means;such details belonging to the Prussian Antiquary, rather than to the
English Historian of Friedrich in our day. A happy Ten Years of time. Perhaps the time for Montesquieu's
aphorism, 'Happy the People whose Annals are blank in HistoryBooks!' The Prussian Antiquary, had he
once got any image formed to himself of Friedrich, and of Friedrich's History in its human lineaments and
organic sequences, will glean many memorabilia in those Years: which his readers then (and not till then)
will be able to intercalate in their places, and get human good of. But alas, while there is no intelligible
human image, nothing of lineaments or organic sequences, or other than a jumbled mass of Historical
MarineStores, presided over by Dryasdust and Human Stupor (unsorted, unlabelled, tied up in blind sacks),
the very Antiquary will have uphill work of it, and his readers will often turn round on him with a gloomy
expression of countenance!"
2. "Friedrich's Lifelittle as he expected it, that day when he started up from his aguefit at Reinsberg, and
grasped the fiery Opportunity that was shooting pastis a Life of War. The chief memory that will remain of
him is that of a King and man who fought consummately well. Not Peace and the Muses; no, that is denied
him, though he was so unwilling, always, to think it denied! But his LifeTask turned out to be a Battle for
Silesia. It consists of Three grand Struggles of War. And not for Silesia only; unconsciously, for what far
greater things to his Nation and to him!
"Deeply unconscious of it, they were passing their 'Trials,' his Nation and he, in the great
CivilServiceExamination Hall of this Universe: 'Are you able to defend yourselves, then; and to hang
together coherent, against the whole world and its incoherencies and rages?' A question which has to be asked
of Nations, before they can be recognized as such, and be baptized into the general commonwealth; they are
mere Hordes or accidental Aggregates, till that Question come. Question which this Nation had long been
getting ready for; which now, under this King, it answered to the satisfaction of gods and men: 'Yes, Heaven
assisting, we can stand on our defence; and in the longrun (as with air when you try to annihilate it, or crush
it to NOTHING) there is even an infinite force in us; and the whole world does not succeed in annihilating
us!' Upon which has followed what we term National Baptism;or rather this was the National Baptism, this
furious one in torrent whirlwinds of fire; done three times over, till in gods or men there was no doubt left.
That was Friedrich's function in the world; and a great and memorable one;not to his own Prussian Nation
only, but to Teutschland at large, forever memorable.
"'Is Teutschland a Nation; is there in Teutschland still a Nation?' Austria, not dishonestly, but much sunk in
superstitions and involuntary mendacities, and liable to sink much farther, answers always, in gloomy proud
tone, 'Yes, I am the Nation of Teutschland!'but is mistaken, as turns out. For it is not mendacities,
conscious or other, but veracities, that the Divine Powers will patronize, or even in the end will put up with at
all. Which you ought to understand better than you do, my friend. For, on the great scale and on the small,
and in all seasons, circumstances, scenes and situations where a Son of Adam finds himself, that is true, and
even a sovereign truth. And whoever does not know it,human charity to him (were such always possible)
would be, that HE were furnished with handcuffs as a part of his outfit in this world, and put under guidance
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of those who do. Yes; to him, I should say, a private pair of handcuffs were much usefuler than a
ballotbox,were the times once settled again, which they are far from being!" ...
"So that, if there be only Austria for Nation, Teutschland is in ominous case. Truly so. But there is in
Teutschland withal, very irrecognizable to Teutschland, yet authentically present, a Man of the properly
unconquerable type; there is also a select Population drilled for him: these two together will prove to you that
there is a Nation. Conquest of Silesia, Three Silesian Wars; labors and valors as of Alcides, in vindication of
oneself and one's Silesia: secretly, how unconsciously, that other and higher Question of Teutschland, and
of its having in it a Nation, was Friedrich's sore task and his Prussia's at that time. As Teutschland may be
perhaps now, in our day, beginning to recognize; with hope, with astonishment, poor Teutschland!" ...
3. "And in fine, leaving all that, there is one thing undeniable: In all human Narrative, it is the battle only, and
not the victory, that can be dwelt upon with advantage. Friedrich has now, by his Second Silesian War,
achieved Greatness: 'Friedrich the Great;' expressly so denominated, by his People and others. The struggle
upwards is the Romance; your hero once wedded,to GLORY, or whoever the Bride may be,the
Romance ends. Precise critics do object, That there may still lie difficulties, new perils and adventures
ahead:which proves conspicuously true in this case of ours. And accordingly, our Book not being a
Romance but a History, let us, with all fidelity, look out what these are, and how they modify our Royal
Gentleman who has got his wedding done. With all fidelity; but with all brevity, no less. For, inasmuch as"
Well, brevity in most cases is desirable. And, privately, it must be owned there is another consideration of no
small weight: That, our Prussian resources falling altogether into bankruptcy during PeacePeriods, Nature
herself has so ordered it, in this instance! Partly it is our Books (the Prussian Dryasdust reaching his acme on
those occasions), but in part too it is the Events themselves, that are small and want importance; that have
fallen dead to us, in the huge new Time and its uproars. Events not of flagrant notability (like battles or
warpassages), to bridle Dryasdust, and guide him in some small measure. Events rather which, except as
characteristic of one memorable Man and King, are mostly now of no memorability whatever. Crowd all
these indiscriminately into sacks, and shake them out pellmell on us: that is Dryasdust's sweet way. As if the
largest MarineStores Establishment in all the world had suddenly, on hest of some Necromancer or
maleficent person, taken wing upon you; and were dancing, in boundless mad whirl, round your devoted
head; simmering and dancing, very much at its ease; nowhither; asking YOU cheerfully, "What is your
candid opinion, then?" "Opinion," Heavens!
You have to retire many yards, and gaze with a desperate steadiness; assuring yourself: "Well, it does, right
indisputably, shadow forth SOMEthing. This was a Thing Alive, and did at one time stick together, as an
organic Fact on the Earth, though it now dances in Dryasdust at such a rate!" It is only by selfhelp of this
sort, and long survey, with rigorous selection, and extremely extensive exclusion and oblivion, that you gain
the least light in such an element. "Brevity"little said, when little has been got to be knownis an evident
rule! Courage, reader; by good eyesight, you will still catch some features of Friedrich as we go along. To
SAY our little in a not unintelligible manner, and keep the rest well hidden, it is all we can do for you!
FRIEDRICH DECLINES THE CAREER OF CONQUERING HERO; GOES INTO
LAWREFORM; AND GETS READY A COTTAGE RESIDENCE FOR HIMSELF.
Friedrich's Journey to Pyrmont is the first thing recorded of him by the Newspapers. Gone to take the waters;
as he did after his former War. Here is what I had noted of that small Occurrence, and of one or two others
contiguous in date, which prove to be of significance in Friedrich's History.
"MAY 1217th, 1746," say the old Books, "his Majesty sets out for Pyrmont, taking Brunswick by the way;
arrives at Pyrmont May 17th; stays till June 8th;" three weeks good. "Is busy corresponding with the King of
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France about a General Peace; but, owing to the embitterment of both parties, it was not possible at this
time." Taking the waters at least, and amusing himself. From Brunswick, in passing, he had brought with him
his Brotherinlaw the reigning Duke; Rothenburg was there, and Brother Henri; D'Arget expressly;
Fluteplayer Quanz withal, and various musical people: "in all, a train of above sixty persons." I notice also
that Prince Wilhelm of Hessen was in Pyrmont at the time. With whom, one fancies, what speculations there
might be: About the late and present War passages, about the poor Peace Prospects; your Hessian "Siege" so
called "of Blair in Athol" (CULLODEN now comfortably done), and other cognate topics. That is the
Pyrmont Journey.
It is no surprise to us to hear, in these months, of new and continual attention to Army matters, to Husbandry
matters; and to making good, on all sides, the ruins left by War. Of rebuilding (at the royal expense) "the
town of Schmiedeberg, which had been burnt;" of rebuilding, and repairing from their damage, all Silesian
villages and dwellings; and still more satisfactory, How, "in May, 1746, there was, in every Circle of the
Country, by exact liquidation of Accounts [so rapidly got done], exact payment made to the individuals
concerned, 1. of all the hay, straw and corn that had been delivered to his Majesty's Armies; 2. of all the
horses that had perished in the King's work; 3. of all the horses stolen by the Enemy, and of all the
moneycontributions exacted by the Enemy: payment in ready cash, and according to the rules of justice
(BAAR UND BILLIGMASSIG), by his Majesty." [Seyfarth, ii. 22, 23.]
It was from Pyrmont, May, 1746,or more definitely, it was "at Potsdam early in the morning, 15th
September," following,that Friedrich launched, or shot forth from its moorings, after much previous
attempting and preparing, a very great Enterprise; which he has never lost sight of since the day he began
reigning, nor will till his reign and life end: the actual Reform of Law in Prussia. "May 12th, 1746,"
Friedrich, on the road to Pyrmont, answers his Chief LawMinister Cocceji's REPORT OF PRACTICAL
PLAN on this matter: "Yes; looks very hopeful!"and took it with him to consider at Pyrmont, during his
leisure. Much considering of it, then and afterwards, there was. And finally, September 15th, early in the
morning, Cocceji had an Interview with Friedrich; and the decisive fiat was given: "Yes; start on it, in God's
name! Pommern, which they call the PROVINCIA LITIGIOSA; try it there first!" [Ranke, ii. 392.] And
Cocceji, a vigorous old man of sixty seven, one of the most learned of Lawyers, and a very Hercules in
cleaning LawStables, has, on Friedrich's urgencies,which have been repeated on every breathingtime of
Peace there has been, and even sometimes in the middle of War (last January, 1745, for example; and again,
express Order, January, 1746, a fortnight after Peace was signed),actually got himself girt for this salutary
work. "Wash me out that horror of accumulation, let us see the old Pavements of the place again. Every
Lawsuit to be finished within the Year!"
Cocceji, who had been meditating such matters for a great while, ["1st March, 1738," Friedrich Wilhelm's
"Edict" on Law Reform: Cocceji ready, at that time;but his then Majesty forbore.] and was himself eager
to proceed, in spite of considerable wigged oppositions and secret reluctances that there were, did now, on
that fiat of September 15th, get his Select Commission of Six riddled together and adjoined to him,the
likeliest Six that Prussia, in her different Provinces, could yield;and got the STANDE of Pommern, after
due committeeing and deliberating, to consent and promise help. December 31st, 1746, was the day the
STANDE consented: and January 10th, 1747, Cocceji and his Six set out for Pommern. On a longish
Enterprise, in that Province and the others;of which we shall have to take notice, and give at least the dates
as they occur.
To sweep out pettifogging Attorneys, cancel improper Advocates, to regulate Fees; to war, in a calm but
deadly manner, against pedantries, circumlocutions and the multiplied forms of stupidity, cupidity and human
owlery in this department;and, on the whole, to realize from every Court, now and onwards, "A decision to
all Lawsuits within a Year after their beginning." This latter result, Friedrich thinks, will itself be highly
beneficial; and be the sign of all manner of improvements. And Cocceji, scanning it with those potent
laweyes of his, ventures to assure him that it will be possible. As, in fact, it proved;honor to Cocceji and
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his King, and King's Father withal. "Samuel von Cocceji [says an old Note], son of a Law Professor, and
himself once such,was picked up by Friedrich Wilhelm, for the Official career, many years ago. A man of
wholesome, by no means weakly aspect,to judge by his Portrait, which is the chief 'Biography' I have of
him. Potent eyes and eyebrows, ditto blunt nose; honest, almost careless lips, and deep chin well dewlapped:
extensive penetrative face, not pincered together, but potently fallen closed;comfortable to see, in a wig of
such magnitude. Friedrich, a judge of men, calls him 'a man of sterling character (CARACTERE INTEGRE
ET DROIT), whose qualities would have suited the noble times of the Roman Republic.'" [ OEuvres, iv. 2.]
He has his Herculean battle, his Master and he have, with the Owleries and the vulturous
LawPedantries,which I always love Friedrich for detesting as he does:and, during the next five years,
the world will hear often of Cocceji, and of this Prussian LawReform by Friedrich and him.
His Majesty's exertions to make Peace were not successful; what does lie in his power is, to keep out of the
quarrel himself. It appears great hopes were entertained, by some in England, of gaining Friedrich over; of
making him Supreme Captain to the Cause of Liberty. And prospects were held out to him, quasioffers
made, of a really magnificent nature,undeniable, though obscure. Herr Ranke has been among the
Archives again; and comes out with fractional snatches of a very strange "Paper from England;" capriciously
hiding all details about it, all intelligible explanation: so that you in vain ask, "Where, When, How, By
whom?" and can only guess to yourself that Carteret was somehow at the bottom of the thing; AUT
CARTERETUS AUT DIABOLUS. "What would your Majesty think to be elected Stadtholder of Holland?
Without a Stadtholder, these Dutch are worth nothing; not hoistable, nor of use when hoisted, all palavering
and pulling different ways. Must have a Stadtholder; and one that stands firm on some basis of his own.
Stadtholder of Holland, King of Prussia,you then, in such position, take the reins of this poor floundering
English Dutch Germanic AntiFrench War, you; and drive it in the style you have. Conquer back the
Netherlands to us; French Netherlands as well. French and Austrian Netherlands together, yours in
perpetuity; Dutch Stadtholderate as good as ditto: this, with Prussia and its fighting capabilities, will be a
pleasant Protestant thing. Austria cares little about the Netherlands, in comparison. Austria, getting back its
Lorraine and Alsace, will be content, will be strong on its feet. What if it should even lose Italy? France,
Spain, Sardinia, the Italian Petty Principalities and Anarchies: suppose they tug and tussle, and collapse there
as they can? But let France try to look across the Rhine again; and to threaten Teutschland, England, and the
Cause of Human Liberty temporal or spiritual!"
This is authentically the purport of Herr Ranke's extraordinary Document; [Ranke, iii. 359.] guessable as due
to CARTERETUS or DIABOLUS. Here is an outlook; here is a career as Conquering Hero, if that were one's
line! A very magnificent groundplan; hung up to kindle the fancy of a young King,who is far too prudent
to go into it at all. More definite quasiofficial offers, it seems, were made him from the same quarter:
Subsidies to begin with, such subsidies as nobody ever had before; say 1,000,000 pounds sterling by the
Year. To which Friedrich answered, "Subsidies, your Excellency?" (Are We a HackneyCoachman,
then?)and, with much contempt, turned his back on that offer. No fighting to be had, by purchase or
seduction, out of this young man. Will not play the Conquering Hero at all, nor the HackneyCoachman at
all; has decided "not to fight a cat" if let alone; but to do and endeavor a quite other set of things, for the rest
of his life.
Friedrich, readers can observe, is not uplifted with his greatness. He has been too much beaten and bruised to
be anything but modestly thankful for getting out of such a deadly clash of chaotic swords. Seems to have
little pride even in his "Five Victories;" or hides it well. Talks not overmuch about these things; talks of them,
so far as we can hear, with his old comrades only, in praise of THEIR prowesses; as a simple human being,
not as a supreme of captains; and at times acknowledges, in a fine sincere way, the omnipotence of Luck in
matters of War.
One of the most characteristic traits, extensively symbolical of Friedrich's intentions and outlooks at this
Epoch, is his installing of himself in the little DwellingHouse, which has since become so celebrated under
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the name of SansSouci. The plan of SansSoucian elegant commodious little "Country Box," quite of
modest pretensions, one story high; on the pleasant Hilltop near Potsdam, with other little green Hills, and
pleasant views of land and water, all roundhad been sketched in part by Friedrich himself; and the diggings
and terracings of the Hillside were just beginning, when he quitted for the Last War. "April 14th, 1745,"
while he lay in those perilous enigmatic circumstances at Neisse with Pandours and devouring bugbears
round him, "the foundation stone was laid" (Knobelsdorf being architect, once more, as in the old Reinsberg
case): and the work, which had been steadily proceeding while the Master struggled in those dangerous
battles and adventures far away from it, was in good forwardness at his return. An object of cheerful interest
to him; prophetic of calmer years ahead.
It was not till May, 1747, that the formal occupation took place: "Mayday, 1747," he had a grand
Househeating, or "First Dinner, of 200 covers: and May 19th20th was the first night of his sleeping there."
For the next Forty Years, especially as years advanced, he spent the most of his days and nights in this little
Mansion; which became more and more his favorite retreat, whenever the noises and scenic etiquettes were
not inexorable. "SANSSOUCI;" which we may translate "NoBother." A busy place this too, but of the
quiet kind; and more a home to him than any of the Three fine Palaces (ultimately Four), which lay always
waiting for him in the neighborhood. Berlin and Charlottenburg are about twenty miles off; Potsdam, which,
like the other two, is rather consummate among Palaces, lies leftwise in front of him within a short mile. And
at length, to RIGHT hand, in a similar distance and direction, came the "NEUE SCHLOSS" (New Palace of
Potsdam), called also the "PALACE of SansSouci," in distinction from the DwellingHouse, or as it were
GardenHouse, which made that name so famous.
Certainly it is a significant feature of Friedrich; and discloses the inborn proclivity he had to retirement, to
study and reflection, as the chosen element of human life. Why he fell upon so ambitious a title for his Royal
Cottage? "NoBother" was not practically a thing he, of all men, could consider possible in this world: at the
utmost perhaps, by good care, "LESSBother"! The name, it appears, came by accident. He had prepared his
Tomb, and various Tombs, in the skirts of this new Cottage: looking at these, as the building of them went
on, he was heard to say, one day (Spring 1746), D'Argens strolling beside him: "OUI, ALORS JE SERAI
SANS SOUCI (Once THERE, one will be out of bother)!" A saying which was rumored of, and repeated in
society, being by such a man. Out of which rumor in society, and the evident aim of the Cottage Royal, there
was gradually born, as Venus from the froth of the sea, this name, "SansSouci;"which Friedrich adopted;
and, before the Year was out, had put upon his lintel in gold letters. So that, by "Mayday, 1747," the name
was in all men's memories; and has continued ever since. [Preuss, i. 268, Nicolai, iii. 1200.] Tourists know
this Cottage Royal: Friedrich's "Three Rooms in it; one of them a Library; in another, a little Alcove with an
iron Bed" (iron, without curtains; old softened HAT the usual royal nightcap)altogether a soldier's
lodging:all this still stands as it did. Cheerfully looking down on its gardenterraces, stairs, Greek statues,
and against the free sky:perhaps we may visit it in time coming, and take a more special view. In the Years
now on hand, Friedrich, I think, did not much practically live there, only shifted thither now and then. His
chief residence is still Potsdam Palace; and in Carnival time, that of Berlin; with Charlottenburg for
occasional festivities, especially in summer, the gardens there being fine.
This of SansSouci is but portion of a wider Tendency, wider set of endeavors on Friedrich's part, which
returns upon him now that Peace has returned: That of improving his own Domesticities, while he labors at
so many public improvements. Gazing long on that simmering "Typhoon of Marinestores" above
mentioned, we do trace Three great Heads of Endeavor in this Peace Period. FIRST, the Reform of Law;
which, as above hinted, is now earnestly pushed forward again, and was brought to what was thought
completion before long. With much rumor of applause from contemporary mankind. Concerning which we
are to give some indications, were it only dates in their order: though, as the affair turned out not to be
completed, but had to be taken up again long after, and is an affair lying wide of British ken,there need
not, and indeed cannot, be much said of it just now. SECONDLY, there is eager Furthering of the
Husbandries, the Commerces, Practical Arts, especially at present, that of Foreign Commerce, and
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Shipping from the Port of Embden. Which shall have due notice. And THIRDLY, what must be our main
topic here, there is that of Improving the Domesticities, the Household Enjoyments such as they were;
especially definable as Renewal of the old Reinsberg Program; attempt more strenuous than ever to realize
that beautiful ideal. Which, and the total failure of which, and the consequent quasi abandonment of it for
time coming, are still, intrinsically and by accident, of considerable interest to modern readers.
Curious, and in some sort touching, to observe how that old original LifeProgram still reemerges on this
King: "Something of melodious possible in one's poor life, is not there? A Life to the Practical Duties, yes;
but to the Muses as well!"Of Friedrich's success in his LawReforms, in his Husbandries, Commerces and
Furtherances, conspicuously great as it was, there is no possibility of making careless readers cognizant at
this day. Only by the great resultsa "Prussia QUADRUPLED" in his time, and the likecan studious
readers convince themselves, in a cold and merely statistic way. But in respect of Life to the Muses, we have
happily the means of showing that in actual vitality; in practical struggle towards fulfillment,and how
extremely disappointing the result was. In a word, Voltaire pays his Fifth and final Visit in this Period; the
Voltaire matter comes to its consummation. To that, as to one of the few things which are perfectly knowable
in this Period of TENYEARS PEACE, and in which mankind still take interest, we purpose mostly to
devote ourselves here.
Ten years of a great King's life, ten busy years too; and nothing visible in them, of main significance, but a
crash of Author's Quarrels, and the Crowning Visit of Voltaire? Truly yes, reader; so it has been ordered.
Innumerable highdressed gentlemen, gods of this lower world, are gone all to inorganic powder, no
comfortable or profitable memory to be held of them more; and this poor Voltaire, without implement except
the tongue and brain of him,he is still a shining object to all the populations; and they say and symbol to
me, "Tell us of him! He is the man!" Very strange indeed. Changed times since, for dogs barking at the heels
of him, and lions roaring ahead,for Asses of Mirepoix, for foul creatures in high dizenment, and foul
creatures who were hungry valets of the same,this man could hardly get the highways walked! And indeed
had to keep his eyes well open, and always have covert within reach,under pain of being torn to pieces,
while he went about in the flesh, or rather in the bones, poor lean being. Changed times; within the Century
last past! For indeed there was in that man what far transcends all dizenment, and temporary potency over
valets, over legions, treasurevaults and dim millions mostly blockhead: a spark of Heaven's own lucency, a
gleam from the Eternities (in small measure);which becomes extremely noticeable when the Dance is over,
when your tallowdips and waxlights are burnt out, and the brawl of the night is gone to bed.
Chapter II. PEEP AT VOLTAIRE AND HIS DIVINE EMILIE (BY
CANDLELIGHT) IN THE TIDE OF EVENTS.
Public European affairs require little remembrance; the War burning well to leeward of us henceforth. A huge
world of smoky chaos; the special fires of it, if there be anything of fire, are all the more clear far in the
distance. Of which sort, and of which only, the reader is to have notice. Marechal de SaxeKing Louis
oftenest personally there, to give his name and countenance to things done is very glorious in the
Netherlands; captures, sometimes by surprisal, place after place (beautiful surprisal of Brussels last winter);
with sieges of Antwerp, Mons, Charleroi, victoriously following upon Brussels: and, before the end of 1746,
he is close upon Holland itself; intent on having Namur and Maestricht; for which the poor SeaPowers, with
a handful of Austrians, fight two Battles, and are again beaten both times. [1. Battle of Roucoux, 11th
October, 1746; Prince Karl commanding, English taking mainly the stress of fight;Saxe having already
outwitted poor Karl, and got Namur. 2. Battle of Lawfelt, or Lauffeld, called also of VAL, 2d July, 1747;
Royal Highness of Cumberland commanding (and taking most of the stress; Ligonier made prisoner, fighting
ill, and Bathyani and his Austrians hardly in the fire at all.] A glorious, evervictorious Marechal; and has an
Army very "hightoned," in more than one sense: indeed, I think, one of the loudesttoned Armies ever on
the field before. Loud not with well served Artillery alone, but with playactor Thunderbarrels (always an
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itinerant Theatre attends), with gasconading talk, with orgies, debaucheries,busy service of the Devil,
AND pleasant consciousness that we are Heaven's masterpiece, and are in perfect readiness to die at any
moment;our ELASTICITY and agility ("ELAN" as we call it) well kept up, in that manner, for the time
being.
Hungarian Majesty, contrary to hope, neglects the Netherlands, "Holland and England, for their own sake,
will manage there!"and directs all her resources, and her lately AntiPrussian Armies (General Browne
leading them) upon Italy, as upon the grand interest now. Little to the comfort of the SeaPowers. But
Hungarian Majesty is decided to cut in upon the French and Spaniards, in that fine Country,who had been
triumphing too much of late; Maillebois and Senor de Gages doing their mutual exploits (though given to
quarrel); Don Philip wintering in Milan even (17451746); and the King of Sardinia getting into French
courses again.
Strong cuts her Hungarian Majesty does inflict, on the Italian side; tumbles Infant Philip out of Milan and his
Carnival gayeties, in plenty of hurry; besieges Genoa, Marquis Botta d'Adorno (our old acquaintance Botta)
her siegecaptain, a native of this region; brings back the wavering Sardinian Majesty; captures Genoa, and
much else. Captures Genoa, we say,had not Botta been too rigorous on his countrymen, and provoked a
revolt again, Revolt of Genoa, which proved difficult to settle. In fine, Hungarian Majesty has, in the course
of this year 1746, with aid of the reconfirmed Sardinian Majesty, satisfactorily beaten the French and
Spaniards. Hasafter two murderous Battles gained over the MailleboisGages peopledriven both French
and Spaniards into corners, Maillebois altogether home again across the Var;nay has descended in actual
Invasion upon France itself. And, before Newyear's day, 1747, General Browne is busy besieging Antibes,
aided by English Seventy fours; so that "sixty French Battalions" have to hurry home, from winterquarters,
towards those Provencal Countries; and Marechal de Belleisle, who commands there, has his hands full.
Triumphant enough her Hungarian Majesty, in Italy; while in the Netherlands, the poor SeaPowers have met
with no encouragement from the Fates or her. ["Battle of Piacenza" (Prince Lichtenstein, with whom is
Browne, VERSUS Gages and Maillebois), 16th June, 1746 (ADELUNG, v. 427); "Battle of Rottofreddo"
(Botta chief Austrian there, and our old friend Barenklau getting killed there), 12th August, 1746 (IB. 462);
whereupon, 7th SEPTEMBER, Genoa (which had declared itself AntiAustrian latterly, not without cause,
and brought the tug of War into those parts) is coerced by Botta to open its gates, on grievous terms (IB.
484489); so that, NOVEMBER 30th, Browne, no Bourbon Army now on the field, enters Provence (crosses
the Var, that day), and tries Antibes: 5th11th DECEMBER, Popular Revolt in Genoa, and Expulsion of
proud Botta and his Austrians (IB. 518523); upon which surprising event (which could not be mended
during the remainder of the War), Browne's enterprise became impossible. See Buonamici, Histoire de la
derniere Revolution de Genes; Adelung, v. 516; vi. 31, All which the reader may keep imagining at his
convenience;but will be glad rather, for the present, to go with us for an actual look at M. de Voltaire and
the divine Emilie, whom we have not seen for a long time. Not much has happened in the interim; one or two
things only which it can concern us to know;scattered fragments of memorial, on the way thus far:
1. M. DE VOLTAIRE HAS, IN 1745, MADE WAY AT COURT. Divine Emilie picked up her Voltaire from
that fine Diplomatic course, and went home with him out of our sight, in the end of 1743; the Diplomatic
career gradually declaring itself barred to him thenceforth. Since which, nevertheless, he has had his
successes otherwise, especially in his old Literary course: on the whole, brighter sunshine than usual, though
never without tempestuous clouds attending. Goes about, with his divine Emilie, now wearing browner and
leaner, both of them; and takes the good and evil of life, mostly in a quiet manner; sensible that afternoon is
come.
The thricefamous Pompadour, who had been known to him in the Chrysalis state, did not forget him on
becoming HeadButterfly of the Universe. By her help, one long wish of his soul was gratified, and did not
hunger or thirst any more. Some uncertain footing at Court, namely, was at length vouchsafed
him:uncertain; for the Most Christian Majesty always rather shuddered under those carbuncle eyes, under
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that voice "sombre and majestious," with such turns lying in it:some uncertain footing at Court; and from
the beginning of 1745, his luck, in the Court spheres, began to mount in a wonderful and worldevident
manner. On grounds tragically silly, as he thought them. On the Dauphin's Wedding,a Termagant's Infanta
coming hither as Dauphiness, at this time,there needed to be Courtshows, Dramaticules, Transparencies,
Feasts of Lanterns, or I know not what. Voltaire was the chosen man; Voltaire and Rameau (readers have
heard of RAMEAU'S NEPHEW, and musical readers still esteem Rameau) did their feat; we may think with
what perfection, with what splendor of reward. Alas, and the feat done was, to one of the parties, so
unspeakably contemptible! Voltaire pensively surveying Life, brushes the sounding strings; and hums to
himself, the carbuncle eyes carrying in them almost something of wet:
"MON Henri Quatre ET MA Zaire,
ET MON AMERICAIN Alzire,
NE M'ONT VALU JAMAIS UN SEUL REGARD DU ROI;
J'AVAIS MILLE ENNEMIS AVEC TRES PEU DE GLOIRE:
LES HONNEURS ET LES BIENS PLEUVENT ENFIN SUR MOI
POUR UN FARCE DE LA FOIRE." ["My HENRI QUATRE, my ZAIRE, my ALZIRE [high works
very many], could never purchase me a single glance of the King; I had multitudes of enemies, and very little
fame:honors and riches rain on me, at last, for a Farce of the Fair" ( OEuvres, ii. 151). The "Farce" (which
by no means CALLED itself such) was PRINCESSE DE NAVARRE ( OEuvres, lxxiii. 251): first acted 23d
February, 1745, Day of the Wedding. Gentlemanship of the Chamber thereupon (which Voltaire, by
permission, sold, shortly after, for 2,500 pounds, with titles retained), and appointment as Historiographer
Royal. Poor Dauphiness did not live long; Louis XVI.'s Mother was a SECOND Wife, SaxonPolish
Majesty's Daughter.] Yes, my friend; it is a considerable ass, this world; by no means the Perfectly Wise put
at the top of it (as one could wish), and the Perfectly Foolish at the bottom. Witnessnay, witness Psyche
Pompadour herself, is not she an emblem! Take your luck without criticism; luck good and bad visits all.
2. AND GOT INTO THE ACADEMY NEXT YEAR, IN CONSEQUENCE. In 1746, the Academy itself,
Pompadour favoring, is made willing; Voltaire sees himself among the Forty: soul, on that side too, be at
ease, and hunger not nor thirst anymore. ["May 9th, 1746, Voltaire is received at the Academy; and makes a
very fine Discourse" (BARBIER, ii. 488). OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiii. 355, 385, and i. 97.] This highest of
felicities could not be achieved without an ugly accompaniment from the surrounding Populace. Desfontaines
is dead, safe down in Sodom; but wants not for a successor, for a whole Doggery of such. Who are all awake,
and giving tongue on this occasion. There is M. Roi the "Poet," as he was then reckoned; jingling Roi, who
concocts satirical calumnies; who collects old ones, reprints the same,and sends Travenol, an
OperaFiddler, to vend them. From which sprang a Lawsuit, PROCES TRAVENOL, of famous melancholy
sort. As Voltaire had rather the habit of such sad melancholy Lawsuits, we will pause on this of Travenol for
a moment:
3. SUMMARY OF TRAVENOL LAWSUIT. "Monday, 9th May, 1746, was the Day or reception at the
Academy; reception and fruition, thricesavory to Voltaire. But what an explosion of the Doggeries, before,
during and after that event! Voltaire had tried to be prudent, too. He had been corresponding with Popes, with
Cardinals; and, in a fine franklooking way, capturing their suffrages:not by lying, which in general he
wishes to avoid, but by speaking half the truth; in short, by advancing, in a dexterous, diplomatic way, the
uncloven foot, in those Vatican precincts. And had got the Holy Father's own suffrage for MAHOMET (think
of that, you Ass of Mirepoix!), among other cases that might rise. When this seat among the Forty fell vacant,
his very first measuremark it, Orthodox readerwas a Letter to the Chief Jesuit, Father Latour, Head of
one's old College of Louis le Grand. A Letter of fine filial tenor: 'My excellent old Schoolmasters, to whom I
owe everything; the representatives of learning, of decorum, of frugality and modest human virtue:in what
contrast to the obscure Doggeries poaching about in the streetgutters, and flying at the peaceable passenger!'
[In Voltairiana, ou Eloges Amphigouriques, (Paris, 1748), i. 150160, the LETTER itself, "Paris, 7th
February, 1746;" omitted (without need or real cause on any side) in the common Collections of OEuvres de
Voltaire. ] Which captivated Father Latour; and made matters smooth on that side; so that even the ANCIEN
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DE MIREPOIX said nothing, this time: What could he say? No cloven foot visible, and the Authorities
strong.
"Voltaire had started as Candidate with these judicious preliminaries. Voltaire was elected, as we saw; fine
Discourse, 9th May; and on the Official side all things comfortable. But, in the mean while, the Doggeries, as
natural, seeing the thing now likely, had risen to a neverimagined pitch; and had filled Paris, and, to
Voltaire's excruciated sense, the Universe, with their howlings and their hyenalaughter, with their pasquils,
satires, old and new. So that Voltaire could not stand it; and, in evil hour, rushed downstairs upon them;
seized one poor dog, Travenol, unknown to him as Fiddler or otherwise; pinioned Dog Travenol, with
pincers, by the ears, him for one;proper Policepincers, for we are now well at Court;and had a
momentary joy! And, alas, this was not the right dog; this, we say, was Travenol a Fiddler at the Opera, who,
except the streetnoises, knew nothing of Voltaire; much less had the least pique at him; but had taken to
hawking certain Pasquils (Jingler Roi's COLLECTION, it appears), to turn a desirable penny by them.
"And mistakes were made in the Affair Travenol,old FATHER Travenol haled to prison, instead of
Son,by the Lieutenant of Police and his people. And Voltaire took the highhand method (being well at
Court):and thereupon hungry Advocates took up Dog Travenol and his pincered ears: 'Serene Judges of the
Chatelet, Most Christian Populace of Paris, did you ever see a Dog so pincered by an Academical Gentleman
before, merely for being hungry?' And Voltaire, getting madder and madder, appealed to the Academy
(which would not interfere); filed Criminal Informations; appealed to the Chatelet, to the Courts above and to
the Courts below; and, for almost a year, there went on the 'PROCESTRAVENOL:' [About Mayday, 1746,
Seizure of Travenol; Pleadings are in vigor August, 1746; not done April, 1747. In Voltairiana, ii. 141206,
Pleadings, copiously given; and most of the original Libels, in different parts of that sad Book (compiled by
Travenol's Advocate, a very sad fellow himself): see also OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiii. 355 n., 385 n.; IB. i.
97; BARBIER, ii. 487. All in a very jumbled, dateless, vague and incorrect condition.] Olympian Jove in
distressed circumstances VERSUS a hungry Dog who had eaten dirty puddings. Paris, in all its Saloons and
Literary Coffeehouses (figure the ANTRE DE PROCOPE, on Publication nights!), had, monthly or so, the
exquisite malign banquet; and grinned over the Law Pleadings: what Magazine Serial of our day can be so
interesting to the emptiest mind!
"Lasted, I find, for above a year. From Spring, 1746, till towards Autumn, 1747: Voltaire's feelings
beingHaha, so exquisite, all the while!Well, reader, I can judge how amusing it was to high and low.
And yet Phoebus Apollo going about as mere Cowherd of Admetus, and exposed to amuse the populace by
his duels with dogs that have bitten him? It is certain Voltaire was a fool, not to be more cautious of getting
into gutterquarrels; not to have a thicker skin, in fact."
PROCESTRAVENOL escorting one's Triumphal Entry; what an adjunct! Always so: always in your utmost
radiance of sunshine a shadow; and in your softest outburst of Lydian or Spheral symphonies something of
eating Care! Then too, in the Courtcircle itself, "is Trajan pleased," or are all things well? Readers have
heard of that "TRAJAN ESTIL CONTENT?" It occurred Winter, 1745 (27th November, 1745, a date worth
marking), while things were still in the flush of early hope. That evening, our TEMPLE DE LA GLOIRE
(Temple of Glory) had just been acted for the first time, in honor of him we may call "Trajan," returning from
a "Fontenoy and Seven Cities captured:" [Seven of them; or even eight of a kind: Tournay, Ghent, Bruges,
Nieuport, Dendermond, Ath, Ostend; and nothing lost but Cape Breton and one's Codfishery.]
"Reviens, divin Trajan, vainqueur doux et terrible;
Le monde est mon rival, tous les coeurs sont a toi;
Mais estil un coeur plus sensible,
Et qui t'adore plus que moi?" [TEMPLE DE LA GLOIRE, Acte iv. ( OEuvres, xii. 328).]
"Return, divine Trajan, conqueror sweet and terrible;
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The world is my rival, all hearts are thine;
But is there a heart more loving,
Or that adores thee more than I?"
An allegoric Dramatic Piece; naturally very admirable at Versailles. Issuing radiant from Fall of the Curtain,
Voltaire had the farther honor to see his Majesty pass out; Majesty escorted by Richelieu, one's old friend in a
sense: "Is Trajan pleased?" whispered Voltaire to his Richelieu; overheard by Trajan,who answered in
words nothing, but in a visible glance of the eyes did answer, "Impertinent Lackey!"Trajan being a man
unready with speech; and disliking trouble with the people whom he paid for keeping his boots in polish. O
my winged Voltaire, to what dunghill BubblyJocks (COQS D'INDE) you do stoop with homage,
constrained by their appearance of mere size!
Evidently no perfect footing at Court, after all. And then the Pompadour, could she, HeadButterfly of the
Universe, be an anchor that would hold, if gales rose? Rather she is herself somewhat of a gale, of a continual
liability to gales; unstable as the wind! Voltaire did his best to be useful, as Court Poet, as director of Private
Theatricals;above all, to soothe, to flatter Pompadour; and never neglected this evident duty. But, by
degrees, the envious Lackeypeople made cabals; turned the Divine Butterfly into comparative indifference
for Voltaire; into preference of a Crebillon's poor faded Pieces: "Suitabler these, Madame, for the Private
Theatricals of a Most Christian Majesty." Think what a stab; crueler than daggers through one's heart:
"Crebillon?" M. de Voltaire said nothing; looked nothing, in those sacred circles; and never ceased outwardly
his worship, and assiduous tuning, of the Pompadour: but he feltas only Phoebus Apollo in the like case
can! "Away!" growled he to himself, when this atrocity had culminated. And, in effect, is, since the end of
1746 or so, pretty much withdrawn from the Versailles Olympus; and has set, privately in the distance (now
at Cirey, now at Paris, in our PETIT PALAIS there), with his whole will and fire, to do Crebillon's dead
Dramas into living oues of his own. Dead CATILINA of Crebillon into ROME SAUVEE of Voltaire, and the
other samples of dead into living,that stupid old Crebillon himself and the whole Universe may judge, and
even Pompadour feel a remorse!Readers shall fancy these things; and that the world is coming back to its
old poor drab color with M. de Voltaire; his divine Emilie and he rubbing along on the old confused terms.
One facetoface peep of them readers shall now have; and that is to be enough, or more than enough:
VOLTAIRE AND THE DIVINE EMILIE APPEAR SUDDENLY, ONE NIGHT,
AT SCEAUX.
About the middle of August, 1747, King Friedrich, I find, was at home;not in his new SANSSOUCI by
any means, but running to and fro; busy with his Musterings, "grand review, and mimic attack on Bornstadt,
near Berlin;" INVALIDENHAUS (Military Hospital) getting built; Silesian Reviews just ahead; and, for the
present, much festivity and moving about, to Charlottenburg, to Berlin and the different Palaces; Wilhelmina,
"August 15th," having come to see him; of which fine visit, especially of Wilhelmina's thoughts on it,why
have the envious Fates left us nothing!
While all this is astir in Berlin and neighborhood, there is, among the innumerable other visits in this world,
one going on near Paris, in the Mansion or Palace of Sceaux, which has by chance become memorable. A
visit by Voltaire and his divine Emilie, direct from Paris, I suppose, and rather on the sudden. Which has had
the luck to have a LETTER written on it, by one of those rare creatures, a seeing Witness, who can make
others see and believe. The seeing Witness is little Madame de Staal (by no means Necker's Daughter, but a
much cleverer), known as one of the sharpest female heads; she from the spot reports it to Madame du
Deffand, who also is known to readers. There is such a glimpse afforded here into the actuality of old things
and remarkable human creatures, that Friedrich himself would be happy to read the Letter.
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Duchesse du Maine, Lady of Sceaux, is a sublime old personage, with whom and with whose high ways and
magnificent hospitalities at Sceaux, at Anet and elsewhere, Voltaire had been familiar for long years past. [In
OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiii. 434 n, x. 8, "Clog." and others represent THIS Visit as having been to
Anet,though the record otherwise is express.] This Duchess, granddaughter of the great Conde, now a
dowager for ten years, and herself turned of seventy, has been a notable figure in French History this great
while: a living fragment of Louis le Grand, as it were. Was wedded to Louis's "Legitimated" Illegitimate, the
Duc du Maine; was in trouble with the Regent d'Orleans about AlberoniCellamare conspiracies (1718),
Regent having stript her lmsband of his high legitimatures and dignities, with little ceremony; which led her
to conspire a good deal, at one time. [DUC DU MAINE with COMTE DE TOULOUSE were products of
Louis XIV. and Madame de Montespan:"legitimated" by Papa's fiat in 1673, while still only young
children; DISlegitimated again by Regent d'Orleans, autumn, 1718; grand scene, "guards drawn out" and the
like, on this occasion (BARBIER, i. 811, ii. 181); futile Conspiracies with Alberoni thereupon; arrest of
Duchess and Duke (29th December, 1718), and closure of that poor business. Duc du Maine died 1736;
Toulouse next year; ages, each about sixtyfive. "Duc de Penthievre," Egalite's fatherinlaw, was
Toulouse's son; Maine has left a famous Dowager, whom we see. Nothing more of notable about the one or
the other.] She was never very beautiful; but had a world of grace and witty intelligence; and knew a Voltaire
when she saw him. Was the soul of courtesy and benignity, though proud enough, and carrying her head at its
due height; and was always very charming, in her lofty gracious way, to mankind. Interesting to all, were it
only as a living fragment of the Grand Epoch,kind of French Fulness of Time, when the world was at
length blessed with a Louis Quatorze, and Neplusultra of a Gentleman determined to do the handsome
thing in this world. She is much frequented by high people, especially if of a Literary or Historical turn.
President Henault (of the ABREGE CHRONOLOGIQUE, the wellfrilled, accurately powdered, most
correct old legal gentleman) is one of her adherents; Voltaire is another, that may stand for many: there is an
old Marquis de St. Aulaire, whom she calls "MON VIEUX BERGER (my old shepherd," that is to say,
sweetheart or flame of love); [BARBIER, ii. 87; see ib. (i. 811; ii. 181, 436; for many notices of her affairs
and her.] there is a most learned President de Mesmes, and others we have heard of, but do not wish to know.
Little De Staal was at one time this fine Duchess's maid; but has far outgrown all that, a favorite guest of the
Duchess's instead; holds now mainly by Madame du Deffand (not yet fallen blind),and is well turned of
fifty, and known for one of the shrewdest little souls in the world, at the time she writes. Her Letter is
addressed "TO MADAME DU DEFFAND, at Paris;" most freeflowing female Letter; of many pages, runs
on, day after day, for a fortnight or so;only Excerpts of it introducible here:
"SCEAUX, TUESDAY, 15th AUGUST, 1747. ... Madame du Chatelet and Voltaire, who had announced
themselves as for today, and whom nobody had heard of otherwise, made their appearance yesternight, near
midnight; like two Spectres, with an odor of embalmment about them, as if just out of their tombs. We were
rising from table; the Spectres, however, were hungry ones: they needed supper; and what is more, beds,
which were not ready. The Housekeeper (CONCIERGE), who had gone to bed, rose in great haste. Gaya
[amiable gentleman, conceivable, not known], who had offered his apartment for pressing cases, was obliged
to yield it in this emergency: he flitted with as much precipitation and displeasure as an army surprised in its
camp; leaving a part of his baggage in the enemy's hands. Voltaire thought the lodging excellent, but that did
not at all console Gaya.
"As to the Lady, her bed turns out not to have been well made; they have had to put her in a new place
today. Observe, she made that bed herself, no servants being up, and had found a blemish or DEFAUT
of"word wanting: who knows what?"in the mattresses; which I believe hurt her exact mind, more than
her not very delicate body. She has got, in the interim, an apartment promised to somebody else; and she will
have to leave it again on Friday or Saturday, and go into that of Marechal de Maillebois, who leaves at that
time."
Yes; Maillebois in the body, O reader. This is he, with the old apeface renewed by paint, whom we once
saw marching with an "Army of Redemption," haggling in the Passes about Eger, unable to redeem Belleisle;
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marching and haggling, more lately, with a "MiddleRhine Army," and the like noneffect; since which,
fighting his best in Italy,pushed home last winter, with Browne's bayonets in his back; Belleisle
succeeding him in dealing with Browne. Belleisle, and the "Revolt of Genoa" (fatal to Browne's Invasion of
us), and the Defence of Genoa and the mutual worryings thereabout, are going on at a great rate,and there
is terrible news out of those Savoy Passes, while Maillebois is here. Concerning which by and by. He is
grandson of the renowned Colbert, this Maillebois. A FieldMarshal evidently extant, you perceive, in those
vanished times: is to make room for Madame on Friday, says our little De Staal; and take leave of us,if for
good, so much the better!
"He came at the time we did, with his daughter and granddaughter: the one is pretty, the other ugly and
dreary [l'UNE, L'AUTRE; no saying which, in such important case! Madame la Marechale, the mother and
grandmother, I think must be dead. Not beautiful she, nor very benignant, "UNE TRESMECHANTE
FEMME, very catwitted woman," says Barbier; "shrieked like a devil, at Court, upon the Cardinal," about
that old ARMYOFREDEMPTION business; but all her noise did nothing]. [Barbier, ii, 332 ("November,
1742").] M. le Marechal has hunted here with his dogs, in these fine autumn woods and glades; chased a
bit of a stag, and caught a poor doe's fawn: that was all that could be got there.
"Our new Guests will make better sport: they are going to have their Comedy acted again [Comedy of THE
EXCHANGE, much an entertainment with them]: Vanture [conceivable, not known] is to do the Count de
Boursoufle (DE BLISTER or DE WINDBAG); you will not say this is a hit, any more than Madame du
Chatelet's doing the Hon. Miss Piggery (LA COCHONNIERE), who ought to be fat and short."
[L'ECHANGE, The Exchange, or WHEN SHALL I GET NARRIED? Farce in three acts: OEuvres, x.
167222; used to be played at Cirey and elsewhere (see plenty of details upon it, exact or not quite so, IB.
79).]Little De Staal then abruptly breaks off, to ask about her Correspondent's health, and her
Correspondent's friend old President Henault's health; touches on those "grumblings and discords in the
Army (TRACASSERIES DE L'ARMEE)," which are making such astir; how M. d'Argenson, our fine
WarMinister, man of talent amid blockheads, will manage them; and suddenly exclaims: "O my queen,
what curious animals men and women are! I laugh at their manoeuvres, the days when I have slept well; if I
have missed sleep, I could kill them. These changes of temper prove that I do not break off kind. Let us mock
other people, and let other people mock us; it is well done on both sides.[Poor little De Staal: to what a
posture have things come with you, in that fastrotting Epoch, of Hypocrisies becoming all insolvent!]
"WEDNESDAY, 16th. Our Ghosts do not show themselves by daylight. They appeared yesterday at ten in
the evening; I do not think we shall see them sooner today: the one is engaged in writing high feats
[SIECLE DE LOUIS XV., or what at last became such]; the other in commenting Newton. They will neither
play nor walk: they are, in fact, equivalent to ZEROS in a society where their learned writings are of no
significance.[Pauses, without notice given: for some hours, perhaps days; then resuming:] Nay, worse still:
their apparition tonight has produced a vehement declamation on one of our little social diversions here, the
game of CAVAGNOLE: ["Kind of BIRIBI," it would appear; in the height of fashion then.] it was continued
and maintained," on the part of Madame du Chatelet, you guess, "in a tone which is altogether unheard of in
this place; and was endured," on the part of Serene Highness, "with a moderation not less surprising. But
what is unendurable is my babble" And herewith our nimble little woman hops off again into the general
field of things; and gossips largely, How are you, my queen, Whither are you going, Whither we; That the
Maillebois people are away, and also the Villeneuves, if anybody knew them now; then how the Estillacs, to
the number of four, are coming tomorrow; and Cousin Soquence, for all his hunting, can catch nothing; and
it is a continual coming and going; and how Boursoufle is to be played, and a Dame Dufour is just come, who
will do a character. Rubrics, vanished Shadows, nearly all those high Dames and Gentlemen; LA PAUVRE
SaintPierre, "eaten with gout," who is she? "Still drags herself about, as well as she can; but not with me, for
I never go by land, and she seems to have the hydrophobia, when I take to the water. [Thread of date is gone!
I almost think we must have got to Saturday by this time:or perhaps it is only Thursday, and Maillebois off
prematurely, to be out of the way of the Farce? Little De Staal takes no notice; but continues gossiping
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rapidly:]
"Yesterday Madame du Chatelet got into her third lodging: she could not any longer endure the one she had
chosen. There was noise in it, smoke without fire:privately meseems, a little the emblem of herself! As to
noise, it was not by night that it incommoded her, she told me, but by day, when she was in the thick of her
work: it deranges her ideas. She is busy reviewing her PRINCIPLES" NEWTON'S PRINCIPIA, no doubt,
but De Staal will understand it only as PRINCIPES, Principles in general:"it is an exercise she repeats
every year, without which the Principles might get away, and perhaps go so far she would never find them
again [You satirical little gypsy!]. Her head, like enough, is a kind of lockup for them, rather than a
birthplace, or natural home: and that is a case for watching carefully lest they get away. She prefers the high
air of this occupation to every kind of amusement, and persists in not showing herself till after dark. Voltaire
has produced some gallant verses [unknown to Editors] which help off a little the bad effect of such unusual
behavior.
"SUNDAY, 27th. I told you on Thursday [no, you did n't; you only meant to tell] that our Spectres were
going on the morrow, and that the Piece was to be played that evening: all this has been done. I cannot give
you much of Boursoufle [done by one Vanture]. Mademoiselle Piggery [DE LA COCHONNIERE, Madame
du Chatelet herself] executed so perfectly the extravagance of her part, that I own it gave me real pleasure.
But Vanture only put his own fatuity into the character of Boursoufle, which wanted more: he played
naturally in a Piece where all requires to be forced, like the subject of it."What a pity none of us has read
this fine Farce! "One Paris did the part of MUSCADIN (Little Coxcomb), which name represents his
character: in short, it can be said the Farce was well given. The Author ennobled it by a Prologue for the
Occasion; which he acted very well, along with Madame Dufour as BARBE (Governess Barbara),who, but
for this brilliant action, could not have put up with merely being Governess to Piggery. And, in fact, she
disdained the simplicity of dress which her part required;as did the chief actress," Du Chatelet herself (age
now fortyone); "who, in playing PIGGERY, preferred the interests of her own face to those of the Piece,
and made her entry in all the splendor and elegant equipments of a Court Lady,"her "PRINCIPLES,"
though the key is turned upon them, not unlike jumping out of window, one would say! "She had a crow to
pluck [MAILLE A PARTIR, "clasp to open," which is better] with Voltaire on this point: but she is
sovereign, and he is slave. I am very sorry at their going, though I was worn out with doing her multifarious
errands all the time she was here.
"WEDNESDAY, 30th. M. le President [Henault] has been asked hither; and he is to bring you, my Queen!
Tried all I could to hinder; but they would not be put off. If your health and disposition do suit, it will be
charming. In any case, I have got you a good apartment: it is the one that Madame du Chatelet had seized
upon, after an exact review of all the Mansion. There will be a little less furniture than she had put in it;
Madame had pillaged all her previous apartments to equip this one. We found about seven tables in it, for one
item: she needs them of all sizes; immense, to spread out her papers upon; solid, to support her
NECESSAIRE; slighter, for her nicknacks (POMPONS), for her jewels. And this fine arrangement did not
save her from an accident like that of Philip II., when, after spending all the night in writing, he got his
despatches drowned by the oversetting of an inkbottle. The Lady did not pretend to imitate the moderation
of that Prince; at any rate, he was only writing on affairs of state; and the thing they blotted, on this occasion,
was Algebra, much more difficult to clean up again.
"This subject ought to be exhausted: one word more, and then it does end. The day after their departure, I
receive a Letter of four pages, and a Note enclosed, which announces dreadful burlyburly: M. de Voltaire
has mislaid his Farce, forgotten to get back the parts, and lost his Prologue: I am to find all that again
[excessively tremulous about his Manuscripts, M. de Voltaire; of such value are they, of such danger to him;
there is LA PUCELLE, for example,enough to hang a man, were it surreptitiously launched forth in
print!]I am to send him the Prologue instantly, not by post, because they would copy it; to keep the parts
for fear of the same accident, and to lock up the Piece 'under a hundred keys.' I should have thought one
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padlock sufficient for this treasure! I have duly executed his orders." [ Madame de Graffigny (Paris, 1820),
pp. 283291.]
And herewith EXPLICIT DE STAAL. Scene closes: EXEUNT OMNES; are off to Paris or Versailles again;
to Luneville and the Court of Stanislaus again,where also adventures await them, which will be heard of!
"Figure to yourself," says some other Eyewitness, "a lean Lady, with big arms and long legs; small head,
and countenance losing itself in a cloudery of headdress; cocked nose [RETROUSSE, say you? Very
slightly, then; quite an unobjectionable nose!] and pair of small greenish eyes; complexion tawny, and mouth
too big: this was the divine Emilie, whom Voltaire celebrates to the stars. Loaded to extravagance with
ribbons, laces, facepatches, jewels and female ornaments; determined to be sumptuous in spite of
Economics, and pretty in spite of Nature:" Pooh, it is an enemy's hand that paints! "And then by her side,"
continues he, "the thin long figure of Voltaire, that Anatomy of an Apollo, affecting worship of her," [From
Rodenbeck (quoting somebody, whom I have surely seen in French; whom Rodenbeck tries to name, as he
could have done, but curiously without success), i. 179.]yes, that thin long Gentleman, with high
redheeled shoes, and the daintiest polite attitudes and paces; in superfine coat, laced hat under arm; nose and
underlip ever more like coalescing (owing to decay of teeth), but two eyes shining on you like carbuncles;
and in the ringing voice, such touches of speech when you apply for it! Thus they at Sceaux and elsewhere;
walking their Lifeminuet, making their entrances and exits.
One thing is lamentable: the relation with Madame is not now a flourishing one, or capable again of being:
"Does not love me as he did, the wretch!" thinks Madame always;yet sticks by him, were it but in the form
of blister. They had been to Luneville, Spring, 1747; happy dull place, within reach of Cirey; far from
Versailles and its cabals. They went again, 1748, in a kind of permanent way; Titular Stanislaus, an opulent
dawdling creature, much liking to have them; and Father Menou, his Jesuit,who is always in quarrel with
the Titular Mistress,thinking to displace HER (as you, gradually discover), and promote the Du Chatelet to
that improper dignity! In which he had not the least success, says Voltaire; but got "two women on his ears
instead of one." It was not to be Stanislaus's mistress; nor a TITULAR one at all, but a real, that Madame was
fated in this dull happy place! Idle readers know the story only too well;concerning which, admit this other
Fraction and no more:
"Stanislaus, as a Titular King, cannot do without some kind of Titular Army,were it only to blare about as
Lifeguard, and beat kettledrums on occasion. A certain tall highsniffing M. de St. Lambert, a young
Lorrainer of long pedigree and light purse, had just taken refuge in this Lifeguard [Summer 1748, or so], I
know not whether as Captain or Lieutenant, just come from the Netherlands Wars: of grave stiff manners; for
the rest, a good looking young fellow; thought to have some poetic genius, even; who is precious, surely,
in such an outoftheway place. Welcome to Voltaire, to Madame still more. Alas, readers know the
History,on which we must not dwell. Madame, a brown geometric Lady, age now fortytwo, with a Great
Man who has scandalously ceased to love her, casts her eye upon St. Lambert: 'Yes, you would be the
shoeinghorn, Monsieur, if one had time, you fine florid fellow, hardly yet into your thirties' And tries him
with a little coquetry; I always think, perhaps in this view chiefly? And then, at any rate, as he responded, the
thing itself became so interesting: 'Our Ulyssesbow, we can still bend it, then, aha! 'And is not that a pretty
stag withal, worth bringing down; florid, just entering his thirties, and with the susceptibilities of genius!
Voltaire was not blind, could he have helped it,had he been tremulously alive to help it. 'Your Verses to
her, my St. Lambert,ah, Tibullus never did the like of them. Yes, to you are the roses, my fine young
friend, to me are the thorns:' thus sings Voltaire in response; [ OEuvres, xvii. 223 (EPITRE A M. DE ST.
LAMBERT, 1749); In Memoires sur Voltaire par Longchamp et Wagniere (Paris, 1826), ii. 229 et seq.,
details enough and more.] perhaps not thinking it would go so far. And it went,alas, it went to all lengths,
mentionable and not mentionable: and M. le Marquis had to be coaxed home in the Spring of 1749,still
earlier it had been suitabler; and in September ensuing, M. de St. Lambert looking his demurest, there is an
important lyingin to be transacted! Newton's PRINCIPIA is, by that time, drawing diligently to its
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close;complicated by such far abstruser Problems, not of the geometric sort! Poor little lean brown woman,
what a Life, after all; what an End of a Life!"
WARPASSAGES IN 1747.
The War, since Friedrich got out of it, does not abate in animosity, nor want for bloodshed, battle and
sieging; but offers little now memorable. March 18th, 1747, a ghastly Phantasm of a Congress, "Congress of
Breda," which had for some months been attempting Peace, and was never able to get into conference, or sit
in its chairs except for moments, flew away altogether; [In September, 1746, had got together; but would not
take life, on trying and again trying, and fell forgotten: February, 1747, again gleams up into hope: March
18th and the following days, vanishes for good (ADELUNG, v. 50; vi. 6, 62).] and left the War perhaps
angrier than ever, more hopelessly stupid than ever. Except, indeed, that resources are failing; money running
low in France, Parlements beginning to murmur, and among the Population generally a feeling that glory is
excellent, but will not make the national pot boil. Perhaps all this will be more effective than Congresses of
Breda? Here are the few Notes worth giving:
APRIL 23d30th, 1747, THE FRENCH INVADE HOLLAND; WHEREUPON, SUDDENLY, A
STADTHOLDER THERE. "After Fontenoy there has been much sieging and capturing in that Netherlands
Country, a series of successes gloriously delightful to Marechal de Saxe and the French Nation: likewise (in
bar of said sieging, in futile attempt to bar it) a Battle of Roucoux, October, 1746; with victory, or quasi
victory, to Saxe, at least with prostration to the opposite part. And farther on, there is a Battle of Lauffeld
coming, 2d July, 1747; with similar results; frustration evident, retreat evident, victory not much to speak of.
And in this gloriously delightful manner Saxe and the French Nation have proceeded, till in fact the
Netherlands Territory with all strongholds, except Maestricht alone, was theirs,and they decided on
attacking the Dutch Republic itself. And (17th April, 1747) actually broke in upon the frontier Fortresses of
Zealand; found the same dryrotten everywhere; and took them, Fortress after Fortress, at the rate of a
cannon salvo each: 'Ye magnanimous Dutch, see what you have got by not sitting still, as recommended!' To
the horror and terror of the poor Zealanders and general Dutch Population. Who shrieked to England for
help;and were, on the very instant, furnished with a modicum of Seventyfours (Dutch Courier returning
by the same); which landed the Courier April 23d, and put Walcheren in a state of security. [Adelung, vi.
105, 125134.]
"Whereupon the Dutch Population turned round on its Governors, with a growl of indignation, spreading ever
wider, waxing ever higher: 'Scandalous laggards, is this your mode of governing a free Republic? Freedom to
let the State go to dryrot, and become the laughingstock of mankind. To provide for your own paltry
kindred in the Stateemployments; to palaver grandly with all comers; and publish melodious Despatches of
Van Hoey? Had not Britannic Majesty, for his dear Daughter's sake, come to the rescue in this crisis, where
had we been? We demand a Stadtholder again; our glorious Nassau Orange, to keep some bridle on you!'
And actually, in this way, Populus and Plebs, by general turning out into the streets, in a gloomily indignant
manner, which threatens to become vociferous and dangerous,cowed the Heads of the Republic into
choosing the said Prince, with Princess and Family, as Stadtholder, HighAdmiral, HighEverything and
Supreme of the Republic. Hereditary, no less, and punctually perpetual; Princess and Family to share in it. In
which happy state (ripened into Kingship latterly) they continue to this day. A result painfully surprising to
Most Christian Majesty; gratifying to Britannic proportionately, or more;and indeed beneficial towards
abating dryrot and melodious palaver in that poor Land of the Free. Consummated, by popular outbreak of
vociferation, in the different Provinces, in about a week from April 23d, when those helpful Seventyfours
hove in sight. Stadtholdership had been in abeyance for fortyfive years. [Since our Dutch William's death,
1702.] The new Stadtholder did his best; could not, in the short life granted him, do nearly enough.Next
year there was a SECOND Dutch outbreak, or general turning into the streets; of much more violent
character; in regard to glaringly unjust Excises and Taxations, and to 'instant dismissal of your
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ExciseFarmers,' as the special first item. [Adelung, vi. 364 et seq.; Raumer, 182193 ("MarchSeptember,
1748"); or, in Chesterfield's Works, Dayrolles's Letters to Chesterfield: somewhat unintelligent and
unintelligible, both Raumer and he.] Which salutary object being accomplished (new Stadtholder well aiding,
in a valiant and judicious manner), there has no third dose of that dangerous remedy been needed since.
"JULY 19th, FATE OF CHEVALIER DE BELLEISLE. At the Fortress of Exilles, in one of those Passes of
the Savoy Alps,Pass of Col di Sieta, memorable to the French Soldier ever since,there occurred a
lamentable thing;" doubtless much talked of at Sceaux while Voltaire was there. "The Revolt of Genoa
(popular outburst, and expulsion of our poor friend Botta and his Austrians, then a famous thing, and a rarer
than now) having suddenly recalled the victorious General Browne from his Siege of Antibes and Invasion of
Provence,Marechal Duc de Belleisle, well reinforced and now become 'Army of Italy' in general, followed
steadfastly for 'Defence of Genoa' against indignant Botta, Browne and Company. For defence of Genoa; nay
for attack on Turin, which would have been 'defence' in Genoa and everywhere,had the captious Spaniard
consented to cooperate. Captious Spaniard would not; Couriers to Madrid, to Paris thereupon, and much
time lost;till, at the eleventh hour, came consent from Paris, 'Try it by yourself, then!' Belleisle tries it; at
least his Brother does. His Brother, the Chevalier, is to force that Pass of Exilles; a terrible fiery business, but
the backbone of the whole adventure: in which, if the Chevalier can succeed, he too is to be Marechal de
France. Forward, therefore, climb the Alpine stairs again; snatch me that Fort of Exilles.
"And so, July 19th, 1747, the Chevalier comes in sight of the Place; scans a little the frowning buttresses,
bristly with guns; the dumb Alps, to right and left, looking down on him and it. Chevalier de Belleisle judges
that, however difficult, it can and must be possible to French valor; and storms in upon it, huge and furious
(20,000, or if needful 30,000);but is torn into mere wreck, and hideous recoil; rallies, snatches a standard,
'We must take it or die,'and dies, does not take it; falls shot on the rampart, 'pulling at the palisades with
his own hands,' nay some say 'with his teeth,' when the last moments came. Within one hour, he has lost
4,000 men; and himself and his Brother's Enterprise lie ended there. [Voltaire, xxv. 221 et seq. (SIECLE DE
LOUIS QUINZE, c. 22); Adelung, vi 174.] Fancy his poor Brother's feelings, who much loved him! The
discords about Warmatters (TRACASSERIES DE L'ARMEE) were a topic at Sceaux lately, as De Staal
intimated. 'Why starve our Italian Enterprises; heaping every resource upon the Netherlands and Saxe?'
Diligent Defence of Genoa (chiefly by flourishing of swords on the part of France, for the Austrians were not
yet ready) is henceforth all the Italian War there is; and this explosion at Exilles may fitly be finis to it here.
Let us only say that Infant Philip did, when the Peace came, get a bit of Apanage (Parma and Piacenza or
some such thing, contemptibly small to the Maternal heart), and that all things else lapsed to their pristine
state, MINUS only the waste and ruin there had been."
JULY 12thSEPTEMBER 18th: SIEGE OF THE CHIEF DUTCH FORTRESS. "Unexpected Siege of
BergenopZoom; two months of intense excitement to the Dutch Patriots and CauseofLiberty Gazetteers,
as indifferent and totally dead as it has now become. Marechal de Saxe, after his victory at Lauffeld, 2d July,
did not besiege Maestricht, as had been the universal expectation; but shot off an efficient lieutenant of his,
one Lowendahl, in due force, privately ready, to overwhelm BergenopZoom with sudden Siege, while he
himself lay between the beaten enemy and it. Bergen is the heart, of Holland, key of the Scheld, and quite
otherwise important than Maestricht. 'Coehorn's masterpiece!' exclaim the Gazetteers; 'Impregnable, you may
depend!' 'We shall see,' answered Saxe, answered Lowendahl the Dane (who also became Marechal by this
business); and after a great deal of furious assaulting and battering, took the Place September 18th, before
daylight," by a kind of surprisal or quasistorm;"the Commandant, one Cronstrom, a brave old Swede, age
towards ninety, not being of very wakeful nature! 'Did as well as could be expected of him,' said the Court
Martial sitting on his case, and forbore to shoot the poor old man. [Adelung, vi. 184, 206;"for Cronstrom,"
if any one is curious, "see Schlotzer, Schwedische Biographie, ii. 252 (in voce)."] A sore stroke, this of
Bergen, to Britannic Majesty and the Friends of Liberty; who nevertheless refuse to be discouraged."
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DECEMBER 25th, RUSSIANS IN BEHALF OF HUMAN LIBERTY. "March of 36,000 Russians from the
City of Moscow, this day; on a very long journey, in the hoary Christmas weather! Most, Christian Majesty is
ruinously short of money; Britannic Majesty has still credit, and a voting Parliament, but, owing to French
influence on the Continent, can get no recruits to hire. Gradually driven upon Russia, in such stress, Britannic
Majesty has this year hired for himself a 35,000 Russians; 30,000 regular foot; 4,000 ditto horse, and 1,000
Cossacks;uncommonly cheap, only 150,000 pounds the lot, not, 4 pounds per head by the year. And, in
spite of many difficulties and hagglings, they actually get on march, from Moscow, 25th December, 1747;
and creep on, all Winter, through the frozen peats wildernesses, through Lithuania, Poland, towards Bohmen,
Mahren: are to appear in the Rhine Countries, joined by certain Austrians; and astonish mankind next Spring.
Their Captain is one Repnin, Prince Repnin, afterwards famous enough in those Polish Countries;" which
is now the one point interesting to us in the thing. "Their Captain WAS, first, to be Lacy, old Marshal Lacy;
then, failing Lacy, 'Why not General Keith?'but proves to be Repnin, after much hustling and intriguing:"
Repnin, not Keith, that is the interesting point.
"Such march of the Russians, on behalf of Human Liberty, in pay of Britannic Majesty, is a surprising fact;
and considerably discomposes the French. Who bestir themselves in Sweden and elsewhere against Russia
and it: with no result,except perhaps the incidental one, of getting our esteemed old friend Guy Dickens,
now Sir Guy, dismissed from Stockholm, and we hope put on halfpay on his return home." [Adelung, vi.
250, 302:Sir Guy, not yet invalided, "went to Russia," and other errands.]
MARSHAL KEITH COMES TO PRUSSIA (September, 1747).
"Much hustling and intriguing," it appears, in regard to the Captaincy of these Russians. Concerning which
there is no word worthy to be said,except for one reason only, That it finished off the connection of
General Keith with Russia. That this of seeing Repnin, his junior and inferior, preferred to him, was, of many
disgusts, the last drop which made the cup run over;and led the said General to fling it from him, and seek
new fields of employment. From Hamburg, having got so far, he addresses himself, 1st September, 1747, to
Friedrich, with offer of service; who grasps eagerly at the offer: "Feldmarschall your rank; income, $1,200 a
year; income, welcome, all suitable:"and, October 28th, Feldmarschall Keith finishes, at Potsdam, a long
Letter to his Brother Lord Marischal, in these words, worth giving, as those of a very cleareyed sound
observer of men and things: "I have now the honor, and, which is still more, the pleasure, of being with the
King at Potsdam; where he ordered me to come," 17th current, "two days after he declared me Fieldmarshal:
Where I have the honor to dine and sup with him almost every day. He has more wit than I have wit to tell
you; speaks solidly and knowingly on all kinds of subjects; and I am much mistaken if, with the experience of
Four Campaigns, he is not the best Officer of his Army. He has several persons," Rothenburg, Winterfeld,
Swedish Rudenskjold (just about departing), not to speak of D'Argens and the French, "with whom he lives in
almost the familiarity of a friend,but has no favorite;and shows a natural politeness for everybody who
is about him. For one who has been four days about his person, you will say I pretend to know a great deal of
his character: but what I tell you, you may depend upon. With more time, I shall know as much of him as he
will let me know;and all his Ministry knows no more." [Varnhagen van Ense, Leben des Feldmarschalls
Jakob Keith (Berlin, 1844,) p. 100; Adelung, vi. 244.]
A notable acquisition to Friedrich;and to the two Keiths withal; for Friedrich attached both of them to his
Court and service, after their unlucky wanderings; and took to them both, in no common degree. As will
abundantly appear.
While that Russia Corps was marching out of Moscow, Cocceji and his Commissions report from Pommern,
that the Pomeranian Lawstables are completely clear; that the New Courts have, for many months back,
been in work, and are now, at the end of the Year, fairly abreast with it, according to program;have
"decided of Old Pending Lawsuits 2,400, all that there were (one of them 200 years old, and filling seventy
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Volumes); and of the 994 New ones, 772; not one Lawsuit remaining over from the previous Year." A highly
gratifying bit of news to his Majesty; who answers emphatically, EUGE! and directs that the Law Hercules
proceed now to the other Provinces,to the KurMark, now, and Berlin itself,with his salutary industries.
Naming him "Grand Chancellor," moreover; that is to say, under a new title, Head of Prussian Law,old
Arnim, "Minister of Justice," having shown himself disaffected to LawReform, and got rebuked in
consequence, and sulkily gone into private life. [Stenzel, iv. 321; Ranke, iii. 389.]
In February of this Year, 1747, Friedrich had something like a stroke of apoplexy; "sank suddenly
motionless, one day," and sat insensible, perhaps for half an hour: to the terror and horror of those about him.
Hemiplegia, he calls it; rush of blood to the head;probably indigestion, or gouty humors, exasperated by
over fatigue. Which occasioned great rumor in the world; and at Paris, to Voltaire's horror, reports of his
death. He himself made light of the matter: [To Voltaire, 22d February, 1747 ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxii.
164); see IB. 164 n.] and it did not prove to have been important; was never followed by anything similar
through his long life; and produced no change in his often wavering health, or in his habits, which were
always steady. He is writing MEMOIRS; settling "Colonies" (on his waste moors); improving Harbors.
Waiting when this European War will end; politely deaf to the offers of Britannic Majesty as to taking the
least personal share in it.
Chapter III. EUROPEAN WAR FALLS DONE: TREATY OF
AIXLACHAPELLE.
The preparations for Campaign 1748 were on a larger scale than ever. Britannic Subsidies, a New Parliament
being of willing mind, are opulent to a degree; 192,000 men, 60,000 Austrians for one item, shall be in the
Netherlands;coupled with this remarkable new clause, "And they are to be there in fact, and not on paper
only," and with a tareandtret of 30 or 40 per cent, as too often heretofore! Holland, under its new
Stadtholder, is stanch of purpose, if of nothing else. The 35,000 Russians, tramping along, are actually
dawning over the horizon, towards Teutschland,King Friedrich standing to arms along his Silesian Border,
vigilant "Cordon of Troops all the way," in watch of such questionable transit. [In ADELUNG, vi. 110, 143,
167, 399 ("April, 1747August, 1748"), account of the more and more visible illwill of the Czarina:
"jealousy" about Sweden, about Dantzig, Poland, Britannic Majesty and Parliament seem resolute to try, once
more, to the utmost, the power of the breechespocket in defending this sacred Cause of Liberty so called.
Breechespocket MINUS most other requisites: alas, with such methods as you have, what can come of it?
Royal Highness of Cumberland is a valiant man, knowing of War little more than the White Horse of
Hanover does;certain of ruin again, at the hands of Marechal de Saxe. So think many, and have their
dismal misgivings. "Saxe having eaten BergenopZoom before our eyes, what can withstand the teeth of
Saxe?" In fact, there remains only Maestricht, of considerable; and then Holland is as good as his! As for
King Louis, glory, with funds running out, and the pot ceasing to boil, has lost its charm to an afflicted
France and him. King Louis's wishes are known, this long while;and Ligonier, generously dismissed by
him after Lauffeld, has brought express word to that effect, and outline of the modest terms proposed in one's
hour of victory, with pot ceasing to boil.
On a sudden, too, "March 18th,"wintry blasts and hailstorms still raging,Marechal de Saxe, regardless
of Domestic Hunger, took the field, stronger than ever. Manoeuvred about; bewildering the mind of Royal
Highness and the Stadtholder ("Will he besiege Breda? Will he do this, will he do that?")poor Highness
and poor Stadtholder; who "did not agree well together," and had not the half of their forces come in, not to
speak of handling them when come! Bewilderment of these two once completed, Marechal de Saxe made "a
beautiful march upon Maestricht; " and, April 15th, opened trenches, a very Vesuvius of artillery, before that
place; Royal Highness gazing into it, in a doleful manner, from the adjacent steepletops. Royal Highness,
valor's self, has to admit: "Such an outlook; not half of us got together! The 60,000 Austrians are but 30,000;
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the In fact, you will have to make Peace, what else?" [His Letters, in Coxe's Pelham ("March 29thApril
2d, 1748"), i. 405410.] Nothing else, as has been evident to practical Official People (especially to frugal
Pelham, Chesterfield and other leading heads) for these two months last past.
In a word, those 35,000 Russians are still far away under the horizon, when thoughts of a new Congress,
"Congress of Aixla Chapelle," are busying the public mind: "Mere moonshine again?" "Something real
this time?"And on and from March 17th (Lord Sandwich first on the ground, and Robinson from Vienna
coming to help), the actual Congress begins assembling there. April 24th, the Congress gets actually to
business; very intent on doing it; at least the three main parties, France, England, Holland, are supremely so.
Who, finding, for five diligent days, nothing but haggle and objection on the part of the others, did by
themselves meet under cloud of night, "night of April 29th30th;" andbring the Preliminaries to
perfection. And have them signed before daybreak; which is, in effect, signing, or at least fixing as certain,
the Treaty itself; so that Armistice can ensue straightway, and the War essentially end.
A fixed thing; the Purseholders having signed. On the safe rear of which, your recipient Subsidiary Parties
can argue and protest (as the EmpressQueen and her Kaunitz vehemently did, to great lengths), and
gradually come in and finish. Which, in the course of the next six months, they all did, EmpressQueen and
Excellency Kaunitz not excepted. And so, October 18th, 1748, all details being, in the interim, either got
settled, or got flung into corners as unsettleable (mostly the latter),Treaty itself was signed by everybody;
and there was "Peace of AixlaChapelle." Upon which, except to remark transiently how inconclusive a
conclusion it was, mere end of war because your powder is run out, mere truce till you gather breath and
gunpowder again, we will spend no word in this place. [Complete details in ADELUNG, vi. 225409:
"October, 1747," Ligonier returning, and first rumor of new Congress (226); "17th March, 1748," Sandwich
come (323); "April 29th30th," meet under cloud of night (326); Kaunitz protesting (339): "2d August,"
Russians to halt and turn (397); "are over into the Oberpfalz, magazines ahead at Nurnberg;" in September,
get to Bohmen again, and winter there: "18th October, 1748," Treaty finished (398, 409); Treaty itself given
(IB., Beylage, 44). See Gentleman's Magazine, and OLD NEWSPAPERS of 1748; Coxe's Pelham, ii. 741,
i. 366416.]
"The Treaty of AixlaChapelle was done in a hurry and a huddle; greatly to Maria Theresa's disgust. 'Why
not go on with your expenditures, ye SeaPowers? Can money and life be spent better? I have yet conquered
next to nothing for the Cause of Liberty and myself!' But the SeaPowers were tired of it; the Dutch
especially, who had been hoisted with such difficulty, tended strongly, New Stadtholder notwithstanding, to
plump down again into stable equilibrium on the broadbottom principle. Huddle up the matter; end it, well
if you can; any way end it. The Treaty contained many Articles, now become forgettable to mankind. There is
only One Article, and the Want of One, which shall concern us in this place. The One Article is: guarantee by
all the European Powers to Friedrich's Treaty of Dresden. Punctually got as bargained for, French
especially willing; Britannic Majesty perhaps a little languid, but his Ministers positive on the point; so that
Friedrioh's Envoy had not much difficulty at Aix. And now, Friedrich's Ownership of Silesia recognized by
all the Powers to be final and unquestionable, surely nothing more is wanted? Nothing, except keeping of
this solemn stipulation by all the Powers. How it was kept by some of them; in what sense some of them are
keeping it even now, we shall see by and by.
"The Want of an Article was, on the part of England, concerning JENKINS'S EAR. There is not the least
conclusion arrived at on that important SpanishEnglish Question; blind beginning of all these
conflagrations; and which, in its meaning to the somnambulant Nation, is so immense. No notice taken of it;
huddled together, some hasty shovelful or two of diplomatic ashes cast on it, 'As good as extinct, you see!'
Left smoking, when all the rest is quenched. Considerable feeling there was, on this point, in the heart of the
poor somnambulant English Nation; much dumb or semi articulate growling on such a PeaceTreaty: 'We
have arrived nowhere, then, by all this fighting, and squandering, and perilous stumbling among the
chimneypots? Spain (on its own showing) owed us 95,000 pounds. Spain's debt to Hanover; yes, you take
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care of that; some old sixpenny matter, which nobody ever heard of before: and of Spain's huge debt to
England you drop no hint; of the 95,000 pounds, clear money, due by Spain; or of one's liberty to navigate
the High Seas, none!' [PROTEST OF ENGLISH MERCHANTS AGAINST, ("May, 1748") given in
ADELUNG, vi. 353358.] A Peace the reverse of applauded in England; though the wiser Somnambulants,
much more Pitt and Friends, who are broad awake on these German points, may well be thankful to see such
a War end on any terms."
Well, surely this old admitted 95,000 pounds should have been paid! And, to a moral certainty, Robinson
and Sandwich must have made demand of it from the Spaniard. But there is no getting old Debts in,
especially from that quarter. "King Friedrich [let me interrupt, for a moment, with this poor composite Note]
is trying in Spain even now,ever since 1746, when Termagant's Husband died, and a new King came,for
payment of old debt: Two old Debts; quite tolerably just both of them. King Friedrich keeps trying till 1749,
three years in all: and, in the end, gets nothing whatever. Nothing,except some Merino Rams in the
interim," gift from the new King of Spain, I can suppose, which proved extremely useful in our Wool
Industries; "and, from the same polite Ferdinand VI., a Porcelain Vase filled with Spanish Snuff." That was
all!
King Friedrich, let me note farther, is getting decidedly deep into snuff; holds by SPANIOL (a dry yellow
pungency, analogous to Lundy foot or IrishBlackguard, known to snuffy readers); always by Spaniol, we
say; and more especially "the kind used by her Majesty of Spain," the now Dowager Termagant: [Orders this
kind, from his Ambassador in Paris, "30th September, 1743:" the earliest extant trace of his snuffing habits
(Preuss, i. 409).NOTE FARTHER (if interesting): "The Termagant still lasted as Dowager, consuming
SPANIOL at least, for near twenty years (died 11th July, 1766); the new King, Ferdinand VI., was her
STEPson, not her son; he went mad, poor soul, and died (10th August, 1759): upon which, Carlos of Naples,
our own 'Baby Carlos' that once was, succeeded in Spain, 'King Carlos III. of Spain;' leaving his Son, a young
boy under tutelage, as King of the Two Sicilies (King 'Ferdinand IV.,' who did not die, but had his
difficulties, till 1825). Don Philip, who had fought so in those Savoy Passes, and got the bit of Parmesan
Country, died 1765, the year before Mamma."] which, also, is to be remembered. Dryasdust adds, in his
sweetly consecutive way: "Friedrich was very expensive about his snuffboxes; wore two big rich boxes in
his pockets; five or six stood on tables about; and more than a hundred in store, coming out by turns for
variety. The cheapest of them cost 300 pounds (2,000 thalers); he had them as high as 1,500 pounds. At his
death, there were found 130 of various values: they were the substance of all the jewelry he had; besides
these snuffboxes, two gold watches only, and a very small modicum of rings. Had yearly for personal
Expenditure 1,200,000 thalers [180,000 pounds of Civil List, as we should say]; SPENT 33,000 pounds of it,
and yearly gave the rest away in Royal beneficences, aid of burnt Villages, inundated Provinces, and
multifarious PATERPATRIAE objects." [Preuss, i. 409, 410,] In regard to JENKINS'S EAR, my
Constitutional Friend continues:
"SILESIA and JENKINS'S EAR, we often say, were the two bits of realities in this enormous hurlyburly of
imaginations, insane ambitions, and zeros and negative quantities. Negative Belleisle goes home, not with
Germany cut in Four and put under guidance of the First Nation of the Universe (so extremely fit for guiding
self and neighbors), but with the First Nation itself reduced almost to wallet and staff; bankrupt, beggared
'Yes,' it answers, 'in all but glory! Have not we gained Fontenoy, Roucoux, Lauffeld; and strongplaces
innumerable [mostly in a state of dryrot]? Did men ever fight as we Frenchmen; combining it with theatrical
entertainments, too! Sublime France, First Nation of the Universe, will try another flight (ESSOR), were she
breathed a little!'
"Yes, a new ESSOR ere long, and perhaps surprise herself and mankind! The losses of men, money and
resource, under this mad empty Enterprise of Belleisle's, were enormous, palpable to France and all mortals:
but perhaps these were trifling to the replacement of them by such GLOIRE as there had been. A GLOIRE of
plunging into War on no cause at all; and with an issue consisting only of foul gases of extreme levity.
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Messieurs are of confessed promptitude to fight; and their talent for it, in some kinds, is very great indeed.
But this treating of battle and slaughter, of death, judgment and eternity, as light playhouse matters; this of
rising into such transcendency of valor, as to snap your fingers in the face of the Almighty Maker; this,
Messieurs, give me leave to say so, is a thing that will conduct you and your PREMIERE NATION to the
Devil, if you do not alter it. Inevitable, I tell you! Your road lies that way, then? Good morning, Messieurs;
let me still hope, Not!"
Diplomatist Kaunitz gained his first glories in this Congress of Aix; which are still great in the eyes of some.
Age now thirty seven; a native of these Western parts; but henceforth, by degrees ever more, the shining star
and guide of Austrian Policies down almost to our own New Epoch. As, unluckily, he will concern us not a
little, in time coming, let us read this Note, as foreshadow of the man and his doings:
"The glory of Count, ultimately Prince, von KaunitzRietberg, is great in Diplomatic Circles of the past
Century. 'The greatest of Diplomatists,' they all say;and surely it is reckoned something to become the
greatest in your line. Farther than this, to the readers of these times, KaunitzRietberg's glory does not go. A
great character, great wisdom, lasting great results to his Country, readers do not trace in Kaunitz's
diplomacies,only temporary great results, or what he and the bystanders thought such, to Kaunitz himself.
He was the Supreme Jove, we perceive, in that extinct Olympus; and regards with sublime pity, not unallied
to contempt, all other diplomatic beings. A man sparing of words, sparing even of looks; will hardly lift his
eyelids for your sake, will lift perhaps his chin, in slight monosyllabic fashion, and stalk superlatively
through the other door. King of the vanished Shadows. A determined hater of Fresh Air; rode under glass
cover, on the finest day; made the very Empress shut her windows when he came to audience; fed, cautiously
daring, on boiled capons: more I remember not,except also that he would suffer no mention of the word
Death by any mortal. [Hormayr, OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iv. (3tes), 231283.] A most highsniffing,
fantastic, slightly insolent shadowking;ruled, in his time, the now vanished Olympus; and had the
difficult glory (defective only in result) of uniting France and Austria AGAINST the poor old Sea Power
milkcows, for the purpose of recovering Silesia from Friedrich, a few years hence!"These are wondrous
results; hidden under the horizon, not very far either; and will astonish Britannic Majesty and all readers, in a
few years.
MARECHAL DE SAXE PAYS FRIEDRICH A VISIT.
In Summer, 1749, Marechal de Saxe, the other shiny figure of this mad Business of the Netherlands, paid
Friedrich a visit; had the honor to be entertained by him three days (July 13th16th, 1749), in his Royal
Cottage of SansSouci seemingly, in his choicest manner. Curiosity, which is now nothing like so vivid as it
then was, would be glad to listen a little, in this meeting of two Suns, or of one Sun and one immense
TarBarrel, or Atmospheric Meteor really of shining nature, and taken for a Sun. But the Books are silent;
not the least detail, or hint, or feature granted us. Only Fancy;and this of Smelfungus, by way of long
farewell to one of the parties:
... "It was at Tongres, or in headquarters near it, 10th October, 1746,Battle expected on the morrow
[Battle of ROUCOUX, over towards Herstal, which we used to know], that M. Favart, Saxe's Playwright
and TheatreDirector, gave out in cheerful doggerel on fall of the Curtain, the announcement:
'Demain nous donnerons relache,
Quoique le Directeur s'en fache,
Vous voir combleroit nos desirs:
'Tomorrow is no Play,
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To the Manager's regret,
Whose sole study is to keep you happy:
On doit ceder tout a la gloire;
Vous ne songes qu'a la victoire,
Nous ne songeons qu'a vos plaisires' [ Biographic Universelle, xiv. 209, ? Favart; Espagnac, ii. 162.]
But, you being bent upon victory,
What can he do?
Day after tomorrow,'
'Day after tomorrow,' added he, taking the o5cial tone, (in honor of your laurels [gained already, since you
resolve on gaining them], we will have the honor of presenting'such and such a gay Farce, to as many of
you as remain alive! which was received with gay clapping of hands: admirable to the Universe, at least to
the Parisian UNIVERS and oneself. Such a prodigality of light daring is in these French gentlemen, skilfully
tickled by the Marechal; who uses this Playwright, among other implements, for keeping them at the proper
pitch. Was there ever seen such radiancy of valor? Very radiant indeed;yet, it seems to me, gone somewhat
into the phosphorescent kind; shining in the dark, as fish will do when rotten! War has actually its serious
character; nor is Death a farcical transaction, however high your genius may go. But what then? it is the
Marechal's trade to keep these poor people at the cutting pitch, on any terms that will hold for the moment.
"I know not which was the most dissolute Army ever seen in the world; but this of Saxe's was very dissolute.
Playwright Favart had withal a beautiful clever Wife,upon whom the courtships, munificent
blandishments, threatenings and utmost endeavors of Marechal de Saxe (in his character of goatfooted
Satyr) could not produce the least impression. For a whole year, not the least. Whereupon the Goatfooted
had to get LETTRE DE CACHET for her; had toin fact, produce the brutalest Adventure that is known of
him, even in this brutal kind. Poor Favart, rushing about in despair, not permitted to run him through the
belly, and die with his Wife undishonored, had to console himself, he and she; and do agreeable theatricalities
for a living as heretofore. Let us not speak of it!
"Of Saxe's Generalship, which is now a thing fallen pretty much into oblivion, I have no authority to speak.
He had much wild natural ingenuity in him; cunning rapid whirls of contrivance; and gained Three Battles
and very many Sieges, amid the loudest clapping of hands that could well be. He had perfect intrepidity; not
to be flurried by any amount of peril or confusion; looked on that English Column, advancing at Fontenoy
with its FUE INFERNAL, steadily through his perspective; chewing his leaden bullet: 'Going to beat me,
then? Well!' Nobody needed to be braver. He had great goodnature too, though of hot temper and so full
of multifarious veracities; a substratum of inarticulate good sense withal, and much magnanimity run wild, or
run to seed. A big limbed, swashing, perpendicular kind of fellow; haughty of face, but jolly too; with a big,
not ugly strut;captivating to the French Nation, and fit God of War (fitter than 'Dalhousie,' I am sure!) for
that susceptive People. Understood their Army also, what it was then and there; and how, by theatricals and
otherwise, to get a great deal of fire out of it. Great deal of fire;whether by gradual conflagration or not, on
the road to ruin or not; how, he did not care. In respect of military 'fame' so called, he had the great advantage
of fighting always against bad Generals, sometimes against the very worst. To his fame an advantage; to
himself and his real worth, far the reverse. Had he fallen in with a Friedrich, even with a Browne or a Traun,
there might have been different news got. Friedrich (who was never stingy in such matters, except to his own
Generals, where it might do hurt) is profuse in his eulogies, in his admirations of Saxe; amiable to see, and
not insincere; but which, perhaps, practically do not mean very much.
"It is certain the French Army reaped no profit from its experience of Marechal de Saxe, and the high
theatricalities, ornamental blackguardisms, and ridicule of death and life. In the longrun a graver face would
have been of better augury. King Friedrich's soldiers, one observes, on the eve of battle, settle their bits of
worldly business; and wind up, many of them, with a hoarse whisper of prayer. Oliver Cromwell's soldiers
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did so, Gustaf Adolf's; in fact, I think all good soldiers: Roucoux with a Prince Karl, Lauffeld with a Duke of
Cumberland; you gain your Roucoux, your Lauffeld, Human Stupidity permitting: but one day you fall in
with Human Intelligence, in an extremely grave form;aud your 'ELAN,' elastic outburst, the quickest in
Nature, what becomes of it? Wait but another decade; we shall see what an Army this has grown. Cupidity,
dishonesty, floundering stupidity, indiscipline, mistrust; and an elastic outspurt (ELAN) turned often enough
iuto the form of SAUVEQUIPEUT!
"M. le Marechal survived AixlaChapelle little more than two years. Lived at Chambord, on the Loire, an
ExRoyal Palace; in such splendor as never was. Went down in a rosepink cloud, as if of perfect felicity; of
glory that would last forever,which it has by no means done. He made despatch; escaped, in this world, the
Nemesis, which often waits on what they call 'fame.' By diligent service of the Devil, in ways not worth
specifying, he saw himself, November 21st, 1750, flung prostrate suddenly: 'Putrid fever!' gloom the doctors
ominously to one another: and, November 30th, the Devil (I am afraid it was he, though clad in roseate
effulgence, and melodious exceedingly) carried him home on those kind terms, as from a Universe all of
Opera. 'Wait till 1759,till 1789!' murmured the Devil to himself."
TRAGIC NEWS, THAT CONCERN US, OF VOLTAIRE AND OTHERS.
About two months after those SaxeFriedrich hospitalities at SansSouci, Voltaire, writing, late at night,
from the hospitable Palace of Titular Stanislaus, has these words, to his trusted D'Argental:
LUNEVILLE, 4th SEPTEMBER, 1749. ... "Madame du Chatelet, this night, while scribbling over her
NEWTON, felt a little twinge; she called a waitingmaid, who had only time to hold out her apron, and catch
a little Girl, whom they carried to its cradle. The Mother arranged her papers, went to bed; and the whole of
that (TOUT CELA) is sleeping like a dormouse, at the hour I write to you." My guardian angels, "poor I
sha'n't have so easy a delivery of my CATILINA" (my ROME SAVED, for the confusion of old Crebillon
and the cabals)! [ OEuvres, lxxiv. 57 (Voltaire to D'Argental).] ...
And then, six clays later, hear another Witness present there:
LUNEVILLE PALACE, 10th SEPTEMBER. "For the first three or four days, the health of the Mother
appeared excellent; denoting nothing but the weakness inseparable from her situation. The weather was very
warm. Milkfever came, which made the heat worse. In spite of remonstrances, she would have some iced
barleywater; drank a big glass of it;and, some instants after, had great pain in her head; followed by other
bad symptoms." Which brought the Doctor in again, several Doctors, hastily summoned; who, after
difficulties, thought again that all was comiug right. And so, on the sixth night, 10th September, inquiring
friends had left the sickroom hopefully, and gone down to supper, "the rather as Madame seemed inclined to
sleep. There remained none with her but M. de St. Lambert, one of her maids and I. M. de St. Lambert, as
soon as the strangers were gone, went forward and spoke some moments to her; but seeing her sleepy, drew
back, and sat chatting with us two. Eight or ten minutes after, we heard a kind of rattle in the throat,
intermixed with hiccoughs: we ran to the bed; found her, senseless; raised her to a sitting posture, tried
vinaigrettes, rubbed her feet, knocked into the palms of her hands;all in vain; she was dead!
"Of course the supperparty burst up into her room; M. le Marquis de Chatelet, M. de Voltaire, and the
others. Profound consternation: to tears, to cries succeeded a mournful silence. Voltaire and St. Lambert
remained the last about her bed. At length Voltaire quitted the room; got out by the Grand Entrance, hardly
knowing which way he went. At the foot of the Outer Stairs, near a sentry's box, he fell full length on the
pavement. His lackey, who was a step or two behind, rushed forward to raise him. At that moment came M.
de St. Lambert; who had taken the same road, and who now hastened to help. M. de Voltaire, once on his feet
again, and recognizing who it was, said, through his tears and with the most pathetic accent, 'AH, MON AMI,
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it is you that have killed her to me!'and then suddenly, as if starting awake, with the tone of reproach and
despair, 'EH, MON DIEU, MONSIEUR, DE QUOI VOUS AVISIEZVOUS DE LUI FAIRE UN ENFANT
(Good God, Sir, what put it into your head to to)!'" [Longchamp et Wagniere, Memoires sur Voltaire, ii.
250, 251;Longchamp LOQUITUR.]
Poor M. de Voltaire; suddenly become widower, and flung out upon his shifts again, at his time of life! May
now wander, Ishmael like, whither he will, in this hard lonesome world. His grief is overwhelming, mixed
with other sharp feelings clue on the matter; but does not last very long, in that poignant form. He will turn
up on us, in his new capacity of singleman, again brilliant enough, within year and day.
Last Autumn, September, 1748, Wilhelmina's one Daughter, one child, was wedded; to that young
Durchlaucht of Wurtemberg, whom we saw gallanting the little girl, to Wilhelmina's amusement, some years
ago. About the wedding, nothing; nor about the wedded life, what would have been more curious:no
Wilhelmina now to tell us anything; not even whether Mamma the Improper Duchess was there. From Berlin,
the Two youngest Princes, Henri and Ferdinand, attended at Baireuth;Mannstein, our old Russian friend,
now Prussian again, escorting them. [Seyfarth, ii. 76.] The King, too busy, I suppose, with Silesian Reviews
and the like, sends his best wishes,for indeed the Match was of his sanctioning and advising; though his
wishes proved mere disappointment in the sequel. Friedrich got no "furtherance in the SwabianFranconian
Circles," or favor anywhere, by means of this Durchlaucht; in the end, far the reverse!In a word, the happy
couple rolled away to Wurtemberg (September 26th, 1748); he twenty, she sixteen, poor young creatures; and
in years following became unhappy to a degree.
There was but one child, and it soon died. The young Serene Lady was of airy high spirit; graceful, clever,
good too, they said; perhaps a thought too proud:but as for her Reigning Duke, there was seldom seen so
lurid a Serenity; and it was difficult to live beside him. A most arbitrary Herr, with glooms and whims;
dimeyed, ambitious, voracious, and the temper of an angry mule,very fit to have been haltered, in a
judicious manner, instead of being set to halter others! Enough, in six or seven years time, the bright Pair
found itself grown thunderous, opaque beyond description; and (in 1759) had to split asunder for good.
"Owing to the reigning Duke's behavior," said everybody. "Has behaved so, I would run him through the
body, if we met!" said his own Brother once:Brother Friedrich Eugen, a Prussian General by that time,
whom we shall hear of. [Preuss, iv. 149; Michaelis, iii. 451.] What thoughts for our dear Wilhelmina, in her
latter weak years;lapped in eternal silence, as so much else is.
Chapter IV. COCCEJI FINISHES THE LAWREFORM; FRIEDRICH IS
PRINTING HIS POESIES.
In these years, Friedrich goes on victoriously with his LawReform; Herculean Cocceji with Assistants,
backed by Friedrich, beneficently conquering Province after Province to him;KurMark, NeuMark,
Cleve (all easy, in comparison, after Pommern), and finally Preussen itself;to the joy and profit of the
same. Cocceji's method, so far as the Foreign onlooker can discern across much haze, seems to be
threefold:
1. Extirpation (painless, were it possible) of the Pettifogger Species; indeed, of the Attorney Species
altogether: "Seek other employments; disappear, all of you, from these precincts, under penalty!" The
Advocate himself takes charge of the suit, from first birth of it; and sees it ended,he knows within what
limit of time.
2. Sifting out of all incompetent Advocates, "Follow that Attorney Company, you; away!"sifting out all
these, and retaining in each Court, with fees accurately settled, with character stamped sound, or at least
SOUNDEST, the number actually needed. In a milder way, but still more strictly, Judges stupid or otherwise
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incompetent are riddled out; able Judges appointed, and their salaries raised.
3. What seems to be Friedrich's own invention, what in outcome he thinks will be the summary of all good
LawProcedure: A final Sentence (three "instances" you can have, but the third ends it for you) within the
Year. Good, surely. A justice that intends to be exact must front the complicacies in a resolute piercing
manner, and will not be tedious. Nay a justice that is not moderately swift,human hearts waiting for it, the
while, in a cancerous state, instead of hopefully following their work,what, comparatively, is the use of its
being never so exact!
Simple enough methods; rough and ready. Needing, in the execution, clear human eyesight, clear human
honesty,which happen to be present here, and without which no "method" whatever can be executed that
will really profit.
In the course of 1748, Friedrich, judging by Pommern and the other symptoms that his enterprise was safe,
struck a victorious Medal upon it: "FRIDERICUS BORUSSORUM REX," pressing with his sceptre the
oblique Balance to a level posture; with Epigraph, "EMENDATO JURE." [Letter to Cocceji, accompanying
Copy of the Medal in Gold, "24th June, 1748" (Seyfarth, ii. 67 n.).] And by Newyear's day, 1750, the matter
was in effect completed; and "justice cheap, expeditious, certain," a fact in all Prussian Lands.
Nay, in 17491751, to complete the matter, Cocceji's "Project of a general LawCode," PROJEKT DES
CORPORIS JURIS FRIDERICIANI, came forth in print: [Halle, 2 vols. folio (Preuss, i. 316; see IB. 315 n.,
as to the LAWPROCEDURE, $c. now settled by Cocceji).] to the admiration of mankind, at home and
abroad; "the First Code attempted since Justinian's time," say they. PROJECT translated into all languages,
and read in all countries. A poor mildewed copy of this CODEX FRIDERICIANUSdone at Edinburgh,
1761, not said by whom; evidently bought at least TWICE, and mostly never yet read (nor like being
read)is known to me, for years past, in a ghastly manner! Without the least profit to this present, or to any
other Enterprise;though persons of name in Jurisprudence call it meritorious in their Science; the first real
attempt at a Code in Modern times. But the truth is, this Cocceji CODEX remained a PROJECT merely,
never enacted anywhere. It was not till 1773, that Friedrich made actual attempt to build a LawCode and did
build one (the foundationstory of one, for his share, completed since), in which this of Cocceji had little
part. In 1773, the thing must again be mentioned; the "Second LawReform," as they call it. What we
practically know from this time is, That Prussian Lawsuits, through Friedrich's Reign, do all terminate, or
push at their utmost for terminating, within one year from birth; and that Friedrich's fame, as a beneficent
Justinian, rose high in all Countries (strange, in Countries that had thought him a Warscourge and
Conquering Hero); strange, but undeniable; [See Gentleman's Magazine, xx. 215218 ("May, 1750"):
eloquent, enthusiastic LETTER, given there, "of Baron de Spon to Chancellor D'Aguessan," on these
inimitable Law Achievements.] and that his own People, if more silently, yet in practice very gladly indeed,
welcomed his LawReform; and, from day to day, enjoyed the same,no doubt with occasional
remembrance who the Donor was.
Of Friedrich's Literary works, nobody, not even Friedrich himself, will think it necessary that we say much.
But the fact is, he is doing a great many things that way: in Prose, the MEMOIRS OF BRANDENBURG,
coming out as Papers in the Academy from time to time; [From 1746 and onward: first published complete
(after slight revision by Voltaire), Berlin, 1751.] in Verse, very secret as yet, the PALLADION ("exquisite
Burlesque," think some), the ART OF WAR (reckoned truly his best Piece in verse):and wishes sometimes
he had Voltaire here to perfect him a little. This too would be one of the practical charms of Voltaire.
[Friedrich's Letter to Algarotti ( OEuvres, xviii. 66), "12th September, 1749."] For though King Friedrich
knows and remembers always, that these things, especially the Verse part, are mere amusements in
comparison, he has the creditable wish to do these well; one would not fantasy ILL even on the Flute, if one
could help it. "Why does n't Voltaire come; as Quantz of the Flute has done?" Friedrich, now that Voltaire
has fallen widower, renews his pressings, "Why don't you come?" Patience, your Majesty; Voltaire will
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come.
Nobody can wish details in this Department: but there is one thing necessary to be mentioned, That Friedrich
in these years, 17491752, has Printers out at Potsdam, and is Printing, "in beautiful quarto form, with
copperplates," to the extent of twelve copies, the OEUVRES (Poetical, that is) DU PHILOSOPHE DE
SANSSOUCI. Only twelve copies, I have heard; gift of a single copy indicating that you are among the
choicest of the chosen. Copies have now fallen extremely rare (and are not in request at all, with my readers
or me); but there was one Copy which, or the Mistitle of which, as OEUVRE DE "POESHIE" DU ROI
MON MAITRE, became miraculously famous in a year or two;and is still memorable to us all! On
Voltaire's arrival, we shall hear more of these things. Enough to say at present that the OEUVRES DU
PHILOSOPHE DE SANSSOUCI: AU DONJON DU CHATEAU: AVEC PRIVILEGE
D'APOLLON,"three thinnish quarto volumes, all the Poetry then on hand,"was finished early in 1750,
before Voltaire came. That, when Voltaire came, a revisal was undertaken, a new Edition, with Voltaire's
corrections and other changes (total suppression of the PALLADION, for one creditable change): that this
Edition was to have been in Two Volumes; that One, accordingly, rather thicker than the former sort, was got
finished in 1752 (same TITLE, only the new Date, and "no DONJON DU CHATEAU this time"), One
Volume in 1752; after which, owing to the explosions that ensued, no Second came, nor ever will;and that
the actual contents of that far famed OEUVRE DE "POESHIE" (number of volumes even) are points of
mystery to me, at this day. [Herr Preussin the CHRONOLOGICAL LIST of Friedrich's Writings (a useful
accurate Piece otherwise), and in two other places where he triesis very indistinct on this of DONJON DU
CHATEAU; and it is all but impossible to ascertain from him WHAT, in an indisputable manner, the
OEUVRE DE "POESHIE" may have been. Here are the places for groping, if another should be induced to
try: OEuvres de Frederic, x. (Preface, p. ix); IB. xi. (Preface, p. ix); IB. Table Chhronologique (in what
Volume this is, you cannot yet say; seems preliminary to a GENERAL INDEX, which is infinitely wanted,
but has not yet appeared to this Editor's aid), p. 14.]
Friedrich's other employments are multifarious as those of a Land's Husband (not inferior to his Father in that
respect); and, like the benefits of the diurnal Sun, are to be considered incessant, innumerable and, in result to
usward, SILENT also, impossible to speak of in this place. From the highest pitch of Statecraft (Russian
Czarina now fallen plainly hostile, and needing lynxeyed diplomacy ever and anon), down to that of
Dredging and Fascinework (as at Stettin and elsewhere), of Odercanals, of Soapboiler Companies, and
MulberryandSilk Companies; nay of ordaining Where, and where not, the Crows are to he shot, and
(owing to cattle murrain) No VEAL to be killed: [Seyfarth, ii. 71, 83, 81; Preuss, Buch fur Jedermann, i.
101109; daily comes the tide of great and of small, and daily the punctual Friedrich keeps abreast of
it,and Dryasdust has noted the details, and stuffed them into blind sacks,for forty years.
The Review seasons, I notice, go somewhat as follows. For Berlin and neighborhood, May, or perhaps end of
April (weather now bright, and ground firm); sometimes with considerable pomp ("both Queens out," and
beautiful Female Nobilities, in "twentyfour green tents"), and often with great complicacy of manoeuvre. In
June, to Magdeburg, round by Cleve; and home again for some days. July is Pommern: Onward thence to
Schlesien, oftenest in August; Schlesien the last place, and generally not done with till well on in September.
But we will speak of these things, more specially, another time. Such "Reviews," for strictness of inspection
civil and military, as probably were not seen in the world since,or before, except in the case of this King's
Father only.
Chapter V. STRANGERS OF NOTE COME TO BERLIN, IN 1750.
British Diplomacies, next to the Russian, cause some difficulties in those years: of which more by and by.
Early in 1748, while Aix laChapelle was starting, ExExchequer Legge came to Berlin; on some obscure
object of a small Patch of Principality, hanging loose during those Negotiations: "Could not we secure it for
his Royal Highness of Cumberland, thinks your Majesty?" ExExchequer Legge was here; [Coxe's Pelham, i.
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431, Rodenbeck, pp. 155, 160 (first audience 1st May, 1748);recalled 22d November, Aix being over.] got
handsome assurances of a general nature; but no furtherance towards his obscure, completely impracticable
object; and went home in November following, to a new Parliamentary Career.
And the second year after, early in 1750, came Sir Hanbury Williams, famed London Wit of Walpole's circle,
on objects which, in the main, were equally chimerical: "King of the Romans, much wanted;" "No Damage to
your Majesty's Shipping from our British Privateers;" and the like;about which some notice, and not very
much, will be due farther on. Here, in his own words, is Hanbury's Account of his First Audience:
... "On Thursday," 16th July, 1750, "I went to Court by appointment, at 11 A.M. The King of Prussia arrived
about 12 [at Berlin; King in from Potsdam, for one day]; and Count Podewils immediately introduced me into
the Royal closet; when I delivered his Britannic Majesty's Letters into the King of Prussia's hands, and made
the usual compliments to him in the best manner I was able. To which his Prussian Majesty replied, to the
best of my remembrance, as follows: "'I have the truest esteem for the King of Britain's person; and I set
the highest value on his friendship. I have at different times received essential proofs of it; and I desire you
would acquaint the King your Master that I will (SIC) never forget them.' His Prussian Majesty afterwards
said something with respect to myself, and then asked me several questions about indifferent things and
persons. He seemed to express a great deal of esteem for my Lord Chesterfield, and a great deal of kindness
for Mr. Villiers," useful in the PeaceofDresden time; "but did not once mention Lord Hyndford or Mr.
Legge,"how singular!
"I was in the closet with his Majesty exactly five minutes and a half. My audience done, Prussian Majesty
came out into the general room, where Foreign Ministers were waiting. He said, on stepping in, just one
word" to the Austrian Excellency; not even one to the Russian Excellency, nor to me the Britannic;
"conversed with the French, Swedish, Danish;"happy to be off, which I do not wonder at; to dine with
Mamma at Monbijou, among faces pleasant to him; and return to his Businesses and Books next day.
[Walpole, George the Second, i. 449; Rodenbeck, i. 204.]
Witty Excellency Hanbury did not succeed at Berlin on the "Romish King Question," or otherwise; and
indeed went off rather in a hurry. But for the next six or seven years he puddles about, at a great rate, in those
Northern Courts; giving away a great deal of money, hatching many futile expensive intrigues at Petersburg,
Warsaw (not much at Berlin, after the first trial there); and will not be altogether avoidable to us in time
coming, as one could have wished. Besides, he is Horace Walpole's friend and select London Wit: he
contributed a good deal to the English notions about Friedrich; and has left considerable bits of acrid
testimony on Friedrich, "clear words of an Eyewitness," men call them,which are still read by everybody;
the said Walpole, and others, having since printed them, in very dark condition. [In Walpole, George the
Second (i. 448461), the Pieces which regard Friedrich. In Sir Charles Hanbury Williams's Works (edited by
a diligent, reverential, but ignorant gentleman, whom I could guess to be Bookseller Jeffery in person:
London, 1822, 3 vols. small 8vo) are witty Verses, and considerable sections of Prose, relating to other
persons and objects now rather of an obsolete nature.] Brevity is much due to Hanbury and his testimonies,
since silence in the circumstances is not allowable. Here is one Excerpt, with the necessary light for reading
it:
... It is on this RomishKing and other the like chimerical errands, that witty Hanbury, then a much more
admirable man than we now find him, is prowling about in the German Courts, off and on, for some ten years
in all, six of them still to come. A sharpeyed man, of shrewish quality; given to intriguing, to spying, to
bribing; anxious to win his Diplomatic game by every method, though the stake (as here) is oftenest zero:
with fatal proclivity to Scandal, and what in London circles he has heard called Wit. Little or nothing of real
laughter in the soul of him, at any time; only a labored continual grin, always of malicious nature, and much
trouble and jerking about, to keep that up. Had evidently some modicum of real intellect, of capacity for
being wise; but now has fatally devoted it nearly all to being witty, on those poor terms! A perverse, barren,
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spiteful little wretch; the grin of him generally an affliction, at this date. His Diplomatic Correspondence I do
not know. [Nothing of him is discoverable in the StatePaper Office. Many of his Papers, it would seem, are
in the Earl of Essex's hands;and might be of some Historical use, not of very much, could the British
Museum get possession of them. Abundance of BACKSTAIRS History, on those Northern Courts, especially
on Petersburg, and WarsawDresden,authentic Courtgossip, generally malicious, often not true, but
never mendacious on the part of Williams,is one likely item.] He did a great deal of Diplomatic business,
issuing in zero, of which I have sometimes longed to know the exact dates; seldom anything farther. His
"History of Poland," transmitted to the Right Hon. Henry Fox, by instalments from Dresden, in 1748, is [See
Hanbury's Works, vol. iii.]Well, I should be obliged to call it worthier of Goody TwoShoes than of that
Right Hon. Henry, who was a man of parts, but evidently quite a vacuum on the Polish side!
Of Hanbury's NewsLetters from Foreign Courts, four or five, incidentally printed, are like the contents of a
sloppail; uncomfortable to the delicate mind. Not lies on the part of Hanbury, but foolish scandal poured
into him; a man more filled with credulous incredible scandal, evil rumors, of malfeasances by kings and
magnates, than most people known. His rumored mysteries between poor Polish Majesty and pretty
Daughterinlaw (the latter a clever and graceful creature, Daughter of the late unfortunate Kaiser, and a
distinguished Correspondent of Friedrich's) are to be regarded as mere poisoned wind. [See Hanbury's Works,
ii. 209240.] That "Polish Majesty gets into his dressing gown at two in the afternoon" (inaccessible
thenceforth, poor lazy creature), one most readily believes; but there, or pretty much there, one's belief has to
stop. The stories, in WALPOLE, on the King of Prussia, have a grain of fact in them, twisted into huge
irrecognizable caricature in the Williams opticmachinery. Much else one can discern to be, in essence, false
altogether. Friedrich, who could not stand that intriguing, spying, shrewish, unfriendly kind of fellow at his
Court, applied to England in not many months hence, and got Williams sent away: ["22d January, 1751"
(MS. LIST in StatePaper Office).] on to Russia, or I forget whither;which did not mend the Hanbury
opticalmachinery on that side. The dull, tobaccosmoking SaxonPolish Majesty, about whom he idly
retails so many scandals, had never done him any offence.
On the whole, if anybody wanted a swim in the sloppails of that extinct generation, Hanbury, could he find
an Editor to make him legible, might be printed. For he really was deep in that sloppail or extinctscandal
department, and had heard a great many things. Apart from that, in almost any other department,except in
so far as he seems to DATE rather carefully,I could not recommend him. The Letters and Excerpts given
in Walpole are definable as one pennyworth of bread,much ruined by such immersion, but very harmless
otherwise, could you pick it out and clean it,to twenty gallons of Hanbury sherrissack, or chamberslop. I
have found nothing that seems to be, in all points, true or probable, but this; worth cutting out, and rendering
legible, on other accounts. Hanbury LOQUITUR (in condensed form):
"In the summer of last year, 1749, there was, somewhere in Mahren, a great Austrian Muster or Review;" all
the more interesting, as it was believed, or known, that the Prussian methods and manoeuvres were now to be
the rule for Austria. Not much of a Review otherwise, this of 1749; EmpressQueen and Husband not
personally there, as in coming Years they are wont to be; that high Lady being ardent to reform her Army,
root and branch, according to the Prussian model,more praise to her. [ Maria Theresiens Leben, p. 160
(what she did that way, ANNO 1749); p. 162 (PRESENT at the Reviews, ANNO 1750).] "At this Muster in
Mahren, Three Prussian Officers happened to make their appearance, for several imaginable reasons, of
little significance: 'For the purpose of inveigling people to desert, and enlist with them!' said the Austrian
Authorities; and ordered the Three Prussian Officers unceremoniously off the ground. Which Friedrich, when
he heard of it, thought an unhandsome pipeclay procedure, and kept in mind against the Austrian
Authorities.
"Next Summer," next Spring, 1750, "an Austrian Captain being in Mecklenburg, travelling about, met there
an old acquaintance, one Chapeau [HAT! can it be possible?], who is in great favor with the King of
Prussia:"very well, Excellency Hanbury; but who, in the name of wonder, can this HAT, or Chapeau, have
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been? After study, one perceives that Hanbury wrote Chazeau, meaning CHASOT, an old acquaintance of
our own! Brilliant, sabring, melodying Chasot, LieutenantColonel of the Baireuth Dragoons; who lies at
Treptow, close on Mecklenburg, and is a declared favorite of the Duchess, often running over to the
RESIDENZ there. Often enough; but HONI SOIT, O reader; the clever Lady is towards sixty, childless,
musical; and her Husbanddo readers recollect him at all?is that collapsed TAILORING Duke whom
Friedrich once visited,and whose Niece, HalfNiece, is Charlotte, wise little hardfavored creature now of
six, in clean bib and tucker, Ancestress of England that is to be; whose Papa will succeed, if the Serene Tailor
die first, which he did not quite. To this Duchess, musical gallant Chasot may well be a resource, and she
to him. Naturally the Austrian Captain, having come to Mecklenburg, dined with Serene Highness, he and
Chasot together, with concert following, and what not, at the Schloss of NeuStrelitz:And now we will
drop the 'Chapeau,' and say Chasot, with comfort, and a shade of new interest.
"'The grand May Review at Berlin just ahead, won't you look in; it is straight on your road home?' suggests
Chasot to his travelling friend. 'One would like it, of all things,' answered the other: 'but the King?' 'Tush,'
said Chasot; 'I will make that all straight!' And applies to the King accordingly: 'Permission to an Austrian
Officer, a good acquaintance of mine.' 'Austrian Officer?' Friedrich's eyes lighten; and he readily gives the
permission. This was at Berlin, on the very eve of the Review; and Chasot and his Austrian are made happy
in that small matter. And on the morrow [end of May, 1750], the Austrian attends accordingly; but, to his
astonishment, has hardly begun to taste the manoeuvres, whenone of Friedrich's AidesdeCamp gallops
up: 'By the King's command, Mein Herr, you retire on the instant!'
"Next day, the Austrian is for challenging Chasot. 'As you like, that way,' answers Chasot; 'but learn first, that
on your affront I rode up to the King; and asked, publicly, Did not your Majesty grant me permission?
Unquestionably, Monsieur Chasot;and if he had not come, how could I have paid back the Moravian
business of last year!'" [Walpole, George the Second, i. 457, 459.]This is much in Friedrich's way; not the
unwelcomer that it includes a satirical twitch on Chasot, whom he truly likes withal, or did like, though now a
little dissatisfied with those too frequent Mecklenburg excursions and extramilitary cares. Of this, merely
squeezing the Hanbury venom out of it, I can believe every particular.
"Did you ever hear of anything so shocking?" is Hanbury's meaning here and elsewhere. "I must tell you a
story of the King of Prussia's regard for the Law of Nations," continues he to Walpole? [Ib. i. 458.] Which
proves to be a story, turned topsyturvy, of one Hofmann, Brunswick Envoy, who (quite BEYOND
commission, and a thing that must not be thought of at all!) had been detected in dangerous intriguings with
the everbusy Russian Excellency, or another; and got flung into Spandau, [Adelung, v. 534; vii.
132144.]seemingly pretty much his due in the matter. And so of other Hanbury things. "What a Prussia;
for rigor of command, one huge prison, in a manner!" King intent on punctuality, and all his business upon
the square. Society, official and unofficial, kept rather strictly to their tackle; their mode of movement not
that of loose oxen at all! "Such a detestable Tyrant,"who has ordered ME, Hanbury, elsewhither with my
exquisite talents and admired wit!
CANDIDATUS LINSENBARTH (QUASI "Lentilbeard") LIKEWISE
VISITS BERLIN.
By far the notablest arrival in Berlin is M. de Voltaire's July 10th; a few days before Hanbury got his First
Audience, "five minutes long." But that arrival will require a Chapter to itself; most important arrival, that,
of all! The least important, again, is probably that of Candidatus Linsenbarth, in these same weeks; a
rugged povertystricken old Licentiate of Theology; important to no mortal in Berlin or elsewhere:upon
whom, however, and upon his procedures in that City, we propose, for our own objects, to bestow a few
glances; rugged Narrative of the thing, in singular exotic dialect, but true every word, having fortunately
come to us from Linsenbarth's own hand. [Through Rodenbeck, Beitrage, i. 463 et seq.]
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Berlin, it must be admitted, after all one's reading in poor Dryasdust, remains a dim empty object;
Teutschland is dim and empty: and out of the forty blind sacks, or out of four hundred such, what picture can
any human head form to itself of Friedrich as King or Man? A trifling Adventure of that poor individual,
called Linsenbarth CANDIDATUS THEOLOGIAE, one of the poorest of mortals, but true and credible in
every particular, comes gliding by chance athwart all that; and like the glimmer of a poor rushlight, or
kindled straw, shows it us for moments, a thing visible, palpable, as it worked and lived. In the great dearth,
Linsenbarth, if I can faithfully interpret him for the modern reader, will be worth attending to.
Date of Linsenbarth's Adventure is JuneAugust, 1750. "Schloss of Beichlingen" and "Village of
Hemmleben" are in the Thuringen Hill Country (Weimar not far off to eastward): the Hero himself, a tall
awkward rawboned creature, is, for perhaps near forty years past, a CANDIDATUS, say Licentiate, or
Curate without Cure. Subsists, I should guess, by schoolmasteringcheapest schoolmaster conceivable,
wages mere nothingin the Villages about; in the Village of Hemmleben latterly; age, as I discover, grown
to be sixtyone, in those straitened but by no means forlorn circumstances. And so, here is veteran
Linsenbarth of Hemmleben, a kind of Thuringian Dominie Sampson; whose Interview with such a brother
mortal as Friedrich King of Prussia may be worth looking at,if I can abridge it properly.
Well, it appears, in the year 1750, at this thriceobscure Village of Hemmleben, the worthy old pastor
Cannabich died;worthy old man, how he had lived there, modestly studious, frugal, chiefly on
farmproduce, with tobacco and Dutch theology; a modest blessing to his fellowcreatures! And now he is
dead, and the place vacant. Twenty pounds a Year certain; let us guess it twenty, with glebe land, piggeries,
poultryhutches: who is now to get all that? Linsenbarth starts with his Narrative, in earnest.
Linsenbarth, who I guess may have been Assistant to the deceased Cannabich, and was now out of work,
says: "I had not the least thought of profiting by this vacancy; but what happened? The Herr Graf von
Werthern, at Schloss Beichlingen, sent his Steward [LEHNSDIRECTOR, FIEFDIRECTOR is the title of
this Steward, which gives rise to obsolete thought of milldues, roadlabor, payments IN NATURA], his
Lehnsdirector, Herr Kettenbeil, over to my LOGIS [cheap boarding quarters]; who brought a gracious
salutation from his Lord; saying farther, That I knew too well [excellent Cannabich gone from us, alas!] the
Pastorate of Hemmleben was vacant; that there had various competitors announced themselves,
SUPPLICANDO, for the place; the Herr Graf, however, had yet given none of them the FIAT, but waited
always till I should apply. As I had not done so, he (the Lord Graf) would now of his own motion give me the
preference, and hereby confer the Pastorate upon me!"
"Without all controversy, here was a VOCATIO DIVINA, to be received with the most submissive thanks!
But the lame second messenger came hitching in [HALTING MESSENGER, German proverb] very soon.
Kettenbeil began again: 'He must mention to me SUB ROSA, Her Ladyship the Frau Grafin wanted to have
her Lady'smaid provided for by this promotion, too; I must marry her, and take the living at the same time.'"
Whew! And this is the noble Lady's way of thinking, up in her fine Schloss yonder? Linsenbarth will none of
it. "For my notion fell at once," says he, "when I heard it was DO UT FACIAS, FACIO UT FACIAS (I give
that thou mayest do, I do that thou mayest do; Wilt have the kirk, then take the irk, WILLST DU DIE
PFARRE, SO NIMM DIE QUARRE); on those terms, my reply was: 'Most respectful thanks, Herr
Fiefjudge, and No, for such a vocation! And why? The vocation must have LIBERTATEM, there must be
no VITIUM ESSENTIALE in it; it must be right IN ESSENTIALI, otherwise no honest man can accept it
with a good conscience. This were a marriage on constraint; out of which a thousand INCONVENIENTIAE
might spring!'" Hear Linsenbarth, in the piebald dialect, with the sound heart, and preference of starvation
itself to some other things! Kettenbeil (CHAINAXE) went home; and there was found another Candidatus
willing for the marriage on constraint, "out of which INCONVENIENTIAE might spring," in Linsenbarth's
opinion.
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"And so did the sneakish courtly gentleman [HOFMANN, courtier as Linsenbarth has it], who grasped with
both hands at my rejected offer, experience before long," continues Linsenbarth. "For the loose thing of
courttatters led him such a life that, within three years, age yet only thirty, he had to bite the dust" (BITE AT
THE GRASS, says Linsenbarth, proverbially), which was an INCONVENIENTIA including all others. "And
I had LEGITIMAM CAUSAM to refuse the vocation CUM TALI CONDITIONE.
"However, it was very ill taken of me. All over that Thuringian region I was cried out upon as a headstrong
foolish person: The Herr Graf von Werthern, so ran the story, had of his own kindness, without request of
mine, offered me a living; RARA AVIS, singular instance; and I, rash and without head, flung away such
gracious offer. In short, I was told to my face [by goodnatured friends], Nobody would ever think of me for
promotion again;" universal suffrage giving it clear against poor Linsenbarth, in this way.
"To get out of people's sight at least," continues he, "I decided to leave my native place, and go to Berlin,"
250 miles away or more. "And so it was that, on June the 20th, 1750, I landed at Berlin for the first time: and
here straightway at the PACKHOF (or Customhouse), in searching of my things, 400 THALERS (some 60
pounds), all in Nurnberg BATZEN, were seized from me;"BATZEN, quartergroats we may say; 7 and a
half batzen go to a shilling; what a sack there must have been of them, 9,000 in all, about the size of
herringscales, in bad silver; fruit of Linsenbarth's stern thrift from birth upwards:all snatched from him at
one swoop. "And why?" says he, quite historically: Yes, Why? The reader, to understand it wholly, would
need to read in Mylius's EdictenSammlung, in SEYFARTH and elsewhere; [Mylius, Edict xli., January,
1744, and to know the scandalous condition of German coinage at this time and long after; every needy little
Potentate mixing his coin with copper at discretion, and swindling mankind with it for a season; needing to
be peremptorily forbidden, confiscated or ordered home, by the like of Friedrich. Linsenbarth answers his
own "And why?" with historical calmness:
"The king had, some (six) years ago, had the batzen utterly cried down (GANZ UND GAR); they were not to
circulate at all in his Countries; and I was so bold, I had brought batzen hither into the King's Capital,
KONIGLICHE RESIDENZ itself! At the Packhof, there was but one answer, 'Contraband,
Contraband!'"Here was a welcome for a man. "I made my excuses: Did not the least know; came straight
from Thuringen, many miles of road; could not guess there What His Majesty the King had been pleased to
forbid in His (THEIRO) Countries. 'You should have informed yourself,' said the Packhof people; and were
deaf to such considerations. 'A man coming into such a Residenz Town as Berlin, with intent to abide there,
should have inquired a little what was what, especially what coins were cried down, and what allowed,' said
they of the Packhof." Poor Linsenbarth! "'But what am I to do now? How am I to live, if you take my very
money from me?' 'That is your outlook,' said they; and added, He must even find stowage for his stack of
herring scales or batzen, as soon as it was sealed up; 'we have no room for it in the Packhof!'" for a man:
Here is a roughish welcome "I must leave all my money here; and find stowage for it, in a day or two.
"There was, accordingly, a truckporter called in; he loaded my effects on his barrow, and rolled away. He
brought me to the WHITE SWAN in the JUDENSTRASSE [none of the grandest of streets, that Berlin
JEWRY], threw my things out, and demanded four groschen. Two of my batzen" 2 and a half exact, "would
have done; but I had no money at all. The landlord came out: seeing that I had a stuffed featherbed [note the
luggage of Linsenbarth: "FEDERBETT," of extreme tenuity], a trunk full of linens, a bag of Books and
other trifles, he paid the man; and sent me to a small room in the court yard [Inn forms a Court, perhaps four
stories high]: 'I could stay there,' he said; 'he would give me food and drink in the meanwhile.' And so I lived
in this Inn eight weeks long, without one red farthing, in mere fear and anxiety." June 20th PLUS eight weeks
brings us to August 15th; Voltaire in HEIGHT of feather; and very great things just ahead! ["Grand
Carrousel, 25th August;" which soon.
The White Swan was a place where Carriers lodged: some limb of the Law, of Subaltern sort, whom
Linsenbarth calls "DER ADVOCAT B." (one of the Ousted of Cocceji, shall we fancy!), had to do with
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Carriers and their piepowder lawsuits. Advocat B. had noticed the gray dreary CANDIDATUS, sitting
sparrowlike in remote corners; had spoken to him;undertook for a LOUIS D'OR, no purchase no pay, to
get back his batzen for him. They went accordingly, one morning, to "a grand House;" it was a Minister's
(name not given), very grand Official Man: he heard the Advocat B.'s short statement; and made answer:
"Monsieur, and is it you that will pick holes in the King's Law? I have understood you were rather aiming at
the HAUSVOGTEI [Common Jail of Berlin]: Go on in that way, and you are sure of your
promotion!"Advocat B. rushed out with Linsenbarth into the street; and there was neither pay nor purchase
in that quarter.
Poor Linsenbarth was next advised, by simple neighbors, to go direct to the King; as every poor man can, at
certain hours of the day. "Write out your Case (Memorial) with extreme brevity," said they; "nothing but the
essential points, and those clear." Linsenbarth, steam at the highpressure, composed (CONZIPIRTE) a
Memorial of that right laconic sort; wrote it fair (MUNDIRTE ES); and went off therewith "at opening of
the Gates [middle time of August, 1750, no date farther), [August 21st? (See Rodenbeck, DIARY, which we
often quote, i. 205.)]without one farthing in my pocket, in God's name, to Potsdam." He continues:
"And at Potsdam I was lucky enough to see the King; my first sight of him. He was on the Palace Esplanade
there, drilling his troops [fine trim sanded Expanse, with the Palace to rear, and Garden walks and River to
front; where Friedrich Wilhelm sat, the last day he was out, and ordered Jockey Philips's house to be actually
set about; where the troops do evolutions every morning;there is Friedrich with cockedhat and blue coat;
say about 11 A.M.].
"When the drill was over, his Majesty went into the Garden, and the soldiers dispersed; only four Officers
remained lounging upon the Esplanade, and walked up and down. For fright I knew not what to do; I pulled
the Papers out of my pocket,these were my Memorial, two Certificates of character, and a Thuringen Pass
[poor soul]. The Officers noticed this; came straight to me, and said, 'What letters has He there, then?' I
thankfully and gladly imparted the whole; and when the Officers had read them, they said, 'We will give you
[Him, not even THEE] a good advice, The King is extra gracious today, and is gone alone into the Garden.
Follow him straight. Thou wilt have luck.'
"This I would not do; my awe was too great. They thereupon laid hands on me [the mischievous dogs, not
illhumored either]: one took me by the right arm, another by the left, 'Off, off; to the Garden!' Having got
me thither, they looked out for the King. He was among the gardeners, examining some rare plant; stooping
over it, and had his back to us. Here I had to halt; and the Officers began, in underhand tone [the dogs!], to
put me through my drill: 'Hat under left arm!Right foot foremost! Breast well forward!Head
up!Papers from pouch!Papers aloft in right hand!Steady! Steady!'And went their ways, looking
always round, to see if I kept my posture. I perceived well enough they were pleased to make game of me;
but I stood, all the same, like a wall, being full of fear. The Officers were hardly out of the Garden, when the
King turned round, and saw this extraordinary machine,"telegraph figure or whatever we may call it, with
papers pointing to the sky. "He gave such a look at me, like a flash of sunbeams glancing through you; and
sent one of the gardeners to bring my papers. Which having got, he struck into another walk with them, and
was out of sight. In few minutes he appeared again at the place where the rare plant was, with my Papers
open in his left hand; and gave me a wave with them To come nearer. I plucked up a heart, and went straight
towards him. Oh, how thrice and fourtimes graciously this great Monarch deigned to speak to me!
KING. "'My good Thuringian (LIEBER THURINGER), you came to Berlin, seeking to earn your bread by
industrious teaching of children; and here, at the Packhof, in searching your things, they have taken your
Thuringen hoard from you. True, the batzen are not legal here; but the people should have said to you: You
are a stranger, and did n't know the prohibition;well then, we will seal up the Bag of Batzen; you send it
back to Thuringen, get it changed for other sorts; we will not take it from you!
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"'Be of heart, however; you shall have your money again, and interest too.But, my poor man, Berlin
pavement is bare, they don't give anything gratis: you are a stranger; before you are known and get teaching,
your bit of money is done; what then?'
"I understood the speech right well; but my awe was too great to say: 'Your Majesty will have the allhighest
grace to allow me something!' But as I was so simple and asked for nothing, he did not offer anything. And
so he turned away; but had scarcely gone six or eight steps, when he looked round, and gave me a sign I was
to walk by him; and then began catechising:
KING. "'Where did you (ER) study?'
LINSENBARTH. "'Your Majesty, in Jena.'
KING. "'What years?'
LINSENBARTH. "'From 1716 to 1720.' ["Born 1689" (Rodenbeck, p. 474); twentyfive when he went.]
KING. "'Under what Prorector were you inscribed?'
LINSENBARTH. "'Under the PROFESSOR THEOLOGIAE Dr. Fortsch.'
KING. "'Who were your other Professors in the Theological Faculty?'"
LINSENBARTHnames famed men; sunk now, mostly, in the bottomless wastebasket: "Buddaus" (who
did a DICTIONARY of the BAYLE sort, weighing four stone troy, out of which I have learned many a
thing), "Buddaeus," "Danz," "Weissenborn," "Wolf" (now back at Halle after his tribulations,poor man, his
immortal System of Philosophy, where is it!).
KING. "'Did you study BIBLICA diligently?'
LINSENBARTH. "'With Buddaeus (BEYM BUDDAO).'
KING. "'That is he who had such quarrelling with Wolf?'
LINSENBARTH. "'Yea, your Majesty! He was'
KING (does not want to know what he was). "'What other useful Courses of Lectures (COLLEGIA) did you
attend?'
LINSENBARTH. "'Thetics and Exegetics with Fortsch [How the deuce did Fortsch teach these things?];
Hermeneutics and Polemics with Walch [editor of Luther's Works, I suppose]; Hebraics with Dr. Danz;
Homiletics with Dr. Weissenborn; PASTORALE [not Pastoral Poetry, but the Art of Pastorship] and
MORALE with Dr. Buddaeus.' [There, your Majesty!what a glimpse, as into infinite extinct Continents,
filled with ponderous thorny inanities, invincible nasal drawling of didactic Titans, and the awful attempt to
spin, on all manner of wheels, roadharness out of split cobwebs: Hoom! Hoommm! Harness not to be had
on those terms. Let the dreary Limbus close again, till the general Day of Judgment for all this.]
KING (glad to get out of the Limbus). "'Were things as wild then at Jena, in your time, as of old, when the
Students were forever scuffling and ruffling, and the Couplet went:
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"Wer kommt von Jena ungeschlagen,
Der hat von grossen Gluck zu sagen.
"He that comes from Jena SINE BELLO,
He may think himself a lucky fellow"?'
LINSENBARTH. "'That sort of folly is gone quite out of fashion; and a man can lead a silent and quiet life
there, just as at other Universities, if he will attend to the DIC, CURHIC? [or know what his real errand is]. In
my time their Serene Highnesses, the Nursingfathers of the University (NUTRITORES
ACADEMIAE),of the Ernestine Line [WeimarGotha Highnesses, that is], were in the habit of having the
Rufflers (RENOMISTEN), Renowners as they are called, who made so much disturbance, sent to Eisenach to
lie in the Wartburg a while; there they learned to be quiet.' [Clock strikes Twelve,dinnertime of Majesty.]
KING. "'Now I must go: they are waiting for their soup'" (and so ends Dialogue for the present). 'Did the
King bid me wait?
"When we got out of the Garden," says Linsenbarth, silent on this point, "the four Officers were still there
upon the Esplanade [Captains of Guard belike]; they went into the Palace with the King,"clearly meaning
to dine with his Majesty.
"I remained standing on the Esplanade. For twentyseven hours I had not tasted food: not a farthing IN
BONIS [of principal or interest] to get bread with; I had waded twenty miles hither, in a sultry morning,
through the sand. Not a difficult thing to keep down laughter in such circumstances!"Poor soul; but the
Royal mind is human too."In this tremor of my heart, there came a KAMMERHUSSAR [SoldierValet,
Valet reduced to his simplest expression] out of the Palace, and asked, 'Where is the man that was with my
King (MEINEM KONIG,THY King particularly?) in the Garden?' I answered, 'Here!' And he led me into
the Schloss, to a large Room, where pages, lackeys, and Kammerhussars were about. My Kammerhussar
took me to a little table, excellently furnished; with soup, beef; likewise carp dressed with gardensalad,
likewise game with cucumbersalad: bread, knife, fork, spoon and salt were all there [and I with an appetite
of twentyseven hours; I too was there]. My hussar set me a chair, said: 'This that is on the table, the King
has ordered to be served for you (IHM): you are to eat your fill, and mind nobody; and I am to serve. Sharp,
then, fall to!' I was greatly astonished, and knew not what to do; least of all could it come into my head
that the King's Kammerhussar, who waited on his Majesty, should wait on me. I pressed him to sit by me;
but as he refused, I did as bidden; sat down, took my spoon, and went at it with a will (FRISCH)!
"The hussar took the beef from the table, set it on the charcoal dish (to keep it hot till wanted); he did the like
with the fish and roast game; and poured me out wine and beer[was ever such a lucky Barmecide!] I ate
and drank till I had abundantly enough. Dessert, confectionery, what I could,a plateful of big black
cherries, and a plateful of pears, my waitingman wrapped in paper and stuffed them into my pockets, to be a
refreshment on the way home. And so I rose from the Royal table; and thanked God and the King in my
heart, that I had so gloriously dined,"HERRLICH, "gloriously" at last. Poor excellent downtrodden
Linsenbarth, one's heart opens to him, not one's larder only.
"The hussar took away. At that moment a Secretary came; brought me a sealed Order (Rescript) to the
Packhof at Berlin, with my Certificates (TESTIMONIA), and the Pass; told down on the table five
Tailducats (SCHWANZDUKATEN), and a Gold Friedrich under them [about 3 pounds 10s., I think;
better than 10 pounds of our day to a common man, and better than 100 pounds to a Linsenbarth], saying,
The King sent me this to take me home to Berlin again.
"And if the hussar took me into the Palace, it was now the Secretary that took me out again. And there, yoked
with six horses, stood a royal Proviantwagon; which having led me to, the Secretary said: 'You people, the
King has given order you are to take this stranger to Berlin, and also to accept no drinkmoney from him.' I
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again, through the HERRN SECRETARIUM, testified my most submissive thankfulness for all Royal
graciousnesses; took my place, and rolled away.
"On reaching Berlin, I went at once to the Packhof, straight to the officeroom,"standing more erect this
time,"and handed them my Royal Rescript. The Head man opened the seal; in reading, he changed color,
went from pale to red; said nothing, and gave it to the second man to read. The second put on his spectacles;
read, and gave it to the third. However, he [the Head man] rallied himself at last: I was to come forward, and
be so good as write a quittance (receipt), 'That I had received, for my 400 thalers all in Batzen, the same sum
in Brandenburg coin, ready down, without the least deduction.' My cash was at once accurately paid. And
thereupon the Steward was ordered, To go with me to the White Swan in the Judenstrasse, and pay what I
owed there, whatever my score was. For which end they gave him twentyfour thalers; and if that were not
enough, he was to come and get more." On these high terms Linsenbarth marched out of the Packhof for the
second time; the sublime head of him (not turned either) sweeping the very stars.
"That was what the King had meant when he said, "You shall have your money back and interest too:'
VIDELICET, that the Packhof was to pay my expenses at the White Swan. The score, however, was only 10
thaler,' 4 groschen, 6 pfennigs [30 shillings, 5 pence, and 2 or perhaps 3 quarterfarthings], for what I had run
up in eight weeks,"an uncommonly frugal rate of board, for a man skilled in Hermeneutics, Hebraics,
Polemics, Thetica, Exegetics, Pastorale, Morale (and Practical Christianity and the Philosophy of Zeno,
carried to perfection, or nearly so)! "And herewith this troubled History had its desired finish." And our
graywhiskered, rawboned, greathearted Candidatus lay down to sleep, at the White Swan; probably the
happiest man in all Berlin, for the time being.
Linsenbarth dived now into Privateteaching, "INFORMATION," as he calls it; forming, and kneading into
his own likeness, such of the young Berliners as he could get hold of:surely not without some good effect
on them, the model having, besides Hermeneutics in abundance, so much natural worth about it. He himself
found the mine of Informing a very barren one, as to money: continued poor in a high degree, without honor,
without emolument to speak of; and had a straitened, laborious, and what we might think very dark
Lifepilgrimage. But the darkness was nothing to him, he carried such an inextinguishable frugal rushlight
within. Meat, clothes and fire he did not again lack, in Berlin, for the time he needed them,some
twentyseven years still. And if he got no printed praise in the Reviews, from baddish judges writing by the
sheet, here and there brother mortals, who knew him by their own eyes and experiences, looked, or
transiently spoke, and even did, a most real praise upon him now and then. And, on the whole, he can do
without praise; and will stand strokes even without wincing or kicking, where there is no chance.
A certain Berlin Druggist ("Herr MedicinalAssessor Rose," whom we may call Druggist First, for there
were Two that had to do with Linsenbarth) was good and human to him. In Rose's House, where he had come
to teach the children, and which continued, always thenceforth, a home to him when needful, he wrote this
NARRATIVE (Anno 1774); and died there, three years afterwards,"24th August, 1777, of apoplexy, age
88," say the Burial Registers. [In Rodenbeck, Beitrage, i. 472475, these latter Details (with others, in
confused form); IB. 462471, the NARRATIVE itself.] Druggist Second, on succeeding the humane
Predecessor, found Linsenbarth's papers in the drugstores of the place: Druggist Second chanced to be one
Klaproth, famed among the Scientific of the world; and by him the Linsenbarth Narrative was forwarded to
publication, and such fame as is requisite.
SIR JONAS HANWAY STALKS ACROSS THE SCENE, TOO; IN A
PONDERING AND OBSERVING MANNER.
Of the then very famous "Berlin Carrousel of 1750" we propose to say little; the now chief interesting point
in it being that M. de Voltaire is curiously visible to us there. But the truth is, they were very great days at
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Berlin, those of Autumn, 1750; distinguished strangers come or coming; the King giving himself up to
entertainment of them, to enjoyment of them; with such a hearty outburst of magnificence, this Carrousel the
apex of it, as was rare in his reign. There were his Sisters of Schwedt and Baireuth, with suite, his dear
Wilhelmina queen of the scene; ["Came 8th August" (Rodenbeck, 205).] there were It would be tedious to
count what other high Herrschaften and Durchlauchtig Persons. And to crown the whole, and entertain
Wilhelmina as a Queen should be, there had come M. de Voltaire; conquered at length to us, as we hope, and
the Dream of our Youth realized. Voltaire's reception, July 10th and ever since, has been mere splendor and
kindness; really extraordinary, as we shall find farther on. Reception perfect in all points, except that of the
Pompadour's Compliments alone. "That sublime creature's compliments to your Majesty; such her express
command! " said Voltaire. "JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS," answered Friedrich, with his clearringing voice, "I
don't know her;" [Voltaire to Madame Denis, "Potsdam, 11th August, 1750" ( OEuvres, lxxiv. 184).]
sufficient intimation to Voltaire, but painful and surprising. For which some diplomatic persons blame
Friedrich to this day; but not I, or any reader of mine. A very proud young King; in his silent way, always the
prouder; and stands in no awe of the Divine Butterflies and Crowned Infatuations never so potent, as more
prudent people do.
In a Berlin of such stir and splendor, the arrivals of Sir Jonas Hanway, of the "young Lord Malton" (famed
Earl or Marquis of Rockingham that will be), or of the witty Excellency Hanbury, are as nothing;Sir
Jonas's as less than nothing. A Sir Jonas noticed by nobody; but himself taking note, dull worthy man; and
mentionable now on that account. Here is a Scrap regarding him, not quite to be thrown away:
"Sir Jonas Hanway was not always so extinct as he has now become. Readers might do worse than turn to his
now old Book of TRAVELS again, and the strange old London it awakens for us: A 'Russian Trading
Company,' full of hope to the then mercantile mind; a Mr. Hanway despatched, years ago, as Chief Clerk,
inexpressibly interested to manage well;and managing, as you may read at large. Has done his best and
utmost, all this while; and had such travellings through the Naphtha Countries, sailings on the Caspian; such
difficulties, successes,ultimately, failure. Owing to Mr. Elton and Thamas Kouli Khan mainly. Thamas
Kouli Khanotherwise called Nadir Shah (and a very hardheaded fellow, by all appearance)wiled and
seduced Mr. Elton, an ExNaval gentleman, away from his Ledgers, to build him Ships; having set his heart
on getting a Navy. And Mr. Elton did build him (spite of all I could say) a Bark or two on the
Caspian;most hopeful to the said Nadir Shah; but did it come to anything? It disgusted, it alarmed the
Russians; and ruined Sir Jonas,who is returning at this period, prepared to render account of himself at
London, in a loftily resigned frame of mind. [Jonas Hanway, An Account of (or in brief, TRAVELS: London,
3 vols. 4to, 1753), ii. 183. "Arrived in Berlin," from the Caspian and Petersburg side, "August 15th, 1750."]
"The remarks of Sir Jonas upon Berlinfor he exercises everywhere a sapient observation on men and
thingsare of dim tumidly insignificant character, reminding us of an extinct Minerva's Owl; and reduce
themselves mainly to this bit of ocular testimony, That his Prussian Majesty rides much about, often at a
rapid rate; with a pleasant business aspect, humane though imperative; handsome to look upon, though with
face perceptibly reddish [and perhaps snuff on it, were you near]. His age now thirtyeight gone; a set
appearance, as if already got into his forties. Complexion florid, figure muscular, almost tending to be plump.
"Listen well through Hanway, you will find King Friedrich is an object of great interest, personal as well as
official, and much the theme in Berlin society; admiration of him, pride in him, not now the audiblest tone,
though it lies at the bottom too: 'Our Friedrich the Great,' after all [so Hanway intimates, though not express
as to epithets or words used]. The King did a beautiful thing to LieutenantColonel Keith the other day [as
some readers may remember]: to LieutenantColonel Keith; that poor Keith who was nailed to the gallows
for him (in effigy), at Wesel long ago; and got far less than he had expected. The other day, there had been a
grand Review, part of it extending into Madam Knyphausen's grounds, who is Keith's Motherinlaw.
'Monsieur Keith,' said the King to him, 'I am sorry we had to spoil Madam's fine shrubbery by our
manoeuvres: have the goodness to give her that, with my apologies,'and handed him a pretty Casket with
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key to it, and in the interior 10,000 crowns. Not a shrub of Madam's had been cut or injured; but the King,
you see, would count it 1,500 pounds of damage done, and here is acknowledgment for it, which please
accept. Is not that a gracious little touch?
"This King is doing something at Embden, Sir Jonas fears, or trying to do, in the TradeandNavigation way;
scandalous that English capitalists will lend money in furtherance of such destructive schemes by the
Foreigner! For the rest, Sir Jonas went to call on Lord Malton (Marquis of Rockingham that will be): an
amiable and sober young Nobleman, come thus far on his Grand Tour," and in time for the Carrousel. "His
Lordship's reception at Court here, one regretted to hear, was nothing distinguished; quite indifferent, indeed,
had not the QueenMother stept in with amendments. The Courts are not well together; pity for it. My Lord
and his Tutor did me the honor to return my visit; the rather as we all quartered in the same Inn. Amiable
young Nobleman,"so distinguished since, for having had unconsciously an Edmund Burke, and such
torrents of Parliamentary Eloquence, in his breechespocket (BREECHESPOCKET literally; how unknown
to Hanway!)"Amiable young Nobleman, is not it one's duty to salute, in passing such a one? Though I
would by no means have it overdone, and am a calmly independent man.
"Sir Jonas also saw the Carrousel [of which presently]; and admired the great men of Berlin. Great men, all
obsolete now, though then admired to infinitude, some of them: 'You may abuse me,' said the King to some
stranger arrived in Berlin; 'you may abuse me, and perhaps here and there get praise by doing it: but I advise
you not to doubt of Lieberkuhn [the fashionable Doctor] in any company in Berlin,'" [Hanway, ii. 190, 202,
fashionable are men!
One Collini, a young Italian, quite new in Berlin, chanced also to be at the Carrousel, or at the latter half of
it,though by no means in quest of such objects just at present, poor young fellow! As he came afterwards
to be Secretary or Amanuensis of Voltaire, and will turn up in that capacity, let us read this Note upon
him:
"Signor Como Alessandro Collini, a young Venetian gentleman of some family and education, but of no
employment or resource, had in late years been asking zealously all round among his home circle, What am I
to do with myself? mere echo answering, What,till a Signora Sister of Barberina the Dancer's answered:
'Try Berlin, and King FRIDERICO IL GRANDE there? I could give you a letter to my Sister!' At which
Collini grasps; gets under way for Berlin,through wild Alpine sceneries, foreign guttural populations; and
with what thoughts, poor young fellow. It is a common course to take, and sometimes answers, sometimes
not. The cynosure of vague creatures, with a sense of faculty without direction. What clouds of winged
migratory people gathering in to Berlin, all through this Reign. Not since Noah's Ark a stranger menagerie of
creatures, mostly wild. Of whom Voltaire alone is, in our time, worth mention.
"Collini gazed upon the Alpine chasms, and shaggy icepalaces, with tender memory of the Adriatic;
courageously steered his way through the inoffensive guttural populations; had got to Berlin, just in this time;
been had to dinner daily by the hospitable Barberinas, young Cocceji always his fellowguest,'Privately,
my poor Signorina's Husband!' whispered old Mamma. Both the Barberinas were very kind to Collini;
cheering him with good auguries, and offers of help. Collini does not date with any punctuality; but the
German Books will do it for him. August 25th27th was Carrousel; and Collini had arrived few days before."
[Collini, Mon Sejour aupres de Voltaire (Paris, 1807), pp. 121.]
And now it is time we were at the Carrousel ourselves,in a brief transient way.
Chapter VI. BERLIN CARROUSEL, AND VOLTAIRE VISIBLE THERE.
Readers have heard of the PLACE DU CARROUSEL at Paris; and know probably that Louis XIV. held
worldfamous Carrousel there (A.D. 1662); and, in general, that Carrousel has something to do with
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Tourneying, or the Shadow of Tourneying. It is, in fact, a kind of superb betailored running at the ring,
instead of beblacksmithed running at one another. A Second milder Edition of those Tournament sports, and
dangerous trials of strength and dexterity, which were so grand a business in the Old iron Ages. Of which, in
the form of Carrousel or otherwise, down almost to the present day, there have been examples, among
puissant Lords;though now it is felt to have become extremely hollow; perhaps incapable of fully
entertaining anybody, except children and their nurses on a high occasion.
A century ago, before the volcanic explosion of so many things which it has since become wearisome to think
of in this earnest world, the Tournament, emblem of an Age of Chivalry, which was gone: but had not yet
declared itself to be quite gone, and even to be turned topsyturvy, had still substance as a mummery,not
enough, I should say, to spend much money upon. Not much real money: except, indeed, the money were
offered you gratis, from other parties interested? Sir Jonas kindly informs us, by insinuation, that this was, to
a good degree, Friedrich's case in the now Carrousel: "a thing got up by the private efforts of different great
Lords and Princes of the blood;" each party tailoring, harnessing and furbishing himself and followers;
Friedrich contributing little but the arena and general outfit. I know not whether even the 40,000 lamps (for it
took place by night) were of his purchase, though that is likely; and know only that the Suppers and interior
Palace Entertainments would be his. "Did not cost the King much money," says Sir Jonas; which is
satisfactory to know. For of the Carrousel kind, or of the Royal Mummery kind in general, there has been,
for graceful arrangement, for magnificence regardless of expense,inviting your amiable Lord Malton, and
the idlers of all Countries, and awakening the rapture of Gazetteers,nothing like it since Louis the Grand's
time. Nothing,except perhaps that Camp of Muhlberg or Radowitz, where we once were. Done, this one,
not at the King's expense alone, but at other people's chiefly: that is an unexpected feature, welcome if true;
and, except for Sir Jonas, would not have helped to explain the puzzle for us, as it did in the then Berlin
circles. Muhlberg, in my humble judgment, was worth two of this as a Mummery;but the meritorious
feature of Friedrich's is, that it cost him very little.
It was, say all Gazetteers and idle eyewitnesses, a highly splendid spectacle. By much the most effulgent
exhibition Friedrich ever made of himself in the ExpensiveMummery department: and I could give in
extreme detail the phenomena of it; but, in mercy to poor readers, will not. Fancy the assiduous hammering
and sawing on the SchlossPlatz, amid crowds of gay loungers, giving cheerful note of preparation, in those
latter days of August, 1750. And, on WEDNESDAY NIGHT, 25th AUGUST, look and see,for the due
moments only, and vaguely enough (as in the following Excerpt):
PALACEESPLANADE OF BERLIN, 25th AUGUST, 1750 (dusk sinking into dark): "Under a windy
nocturnal sky, a spacious Parallelogram, enclosed for jousting as at Aspramont or Trebisond. Wide enough
arena in the centre; vast amphitheatre of wooden seats and passages, firm carpentry and fitted for its business,
rising all round; Audience, select though multitudinous, sitting decorous and garrulous, say since halfpast
eight. There is royal box on the groundtier; and the King in it, King, with Princess Amelia for the prizes:
opposite to this is entrance for the Chevaliers,four separate entrances, I think. Who come,lo, at
last!with breathings and big swells of music, as Resuscitations from the buried Ages.
"They are in four 'Quadrilles,' so termed: Romans, Persians, Carthaginians, Greeks. Four Jousting Parties,
headed each by a Prince of the Blood:with such a splendor of equipment for jewels, silver helmets,
sashings, housings, as eye never saw. Prancing on their glorious battlesteeds (shambattle, steeds not sham,
but champing their bits as real quadrupeds with fire in their interior):how many in all, I forgot to count.
Perhaps, on the average, sixty in each Quadrille, fifteen of them practical Ritters; the rest mythologic winged
standardbearers, blackamoors, lictors, trumpeters and shining melodious phantasms as escort,of this latter
kind say in round numbers Two Hundred altogether; and of actual Ritters threescore. [Blumenthal, Life of De
Ziethen (Ziethen was in it, and gained a prize), i. 257263 et seq.; Voltaire's LETTERS to Niece Denis
( OEuvres, lxxiv. 174, 179, 198);and two contemporary 4tos on the subject, with Drawings which may
well continue unknown to every reader.] Who run at rings, at Turks' heads, and at other objects with
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deathdoing lance; and prance and flash and career along: glorious to see and hear. Under proud flourishings
of drums and trumpets, under bursts and breathings of windmusic; under the shine of Forty Thousand
Lamps, for one item. All Berlin and the nocturnal firmament looking on,night rather gusty, 'which blew
out many of the lamps,' insinuates Hanway.
"About midnight, Beauty in the form of Princess Amelia distributes the prizes; Music filling the air; and
human 'EUGE'S,' and the surviving lamps, doing their best. After which the Principalities and Ritters
withdraw to their Palace, to their Balls and their Supper of the gods; and all the world and his wife goes home
again, amid various commentary from high and low. 'JAMAIS, Never,' murmured one high Gentleman, of the
Impromptu kind, at the Palace Suppertable:
'Jamais dans Athene et dans Rome
On n'eut de plus beaux jours, ni de plus digne prix.
J'ai vu le fils de Mars sous les traits de Paris,
Et Venus qui donnait la pomme.'" [Never in Athens or Rome were there braver sights or a worthier prize:
I have seen the son of Mars [King Friedrich] with Paris's features, and Venus [Amelia] crowning the
victorious." ( OEuvres de Voltaire, xviii. 320.]
And Amphitheatre and Lamps lapse wholly into darkness, and the thing has finished, for the time being.
August 27th, it was repeated by daylight: if possible, more charming than ever; but not to be spoken of
farther, under penalties. To be mildly forgotten again, every jot and tittle of it,except one small
insignificant iota, which, by accident, still makes it remarkable. Namely, that Collini and the Barberinas were
there; and that not only was Voltaire again there, among the Princes and Princesses; but that Collini saw
Voltaire, and gives us transient sight of him,thanks to Collini. Thursday, 27th August, 1750, was the
Daylight version of the Carrouse1; which Collini, if it were of any moment, takes to have PRECEDED that of
the 40,000 Lamps. Sure enough Collini was there, with eyes open:
"Madame de Cocceji [so one may call her, though the known alias is Barberina] had engaged places; she
invited me to come and see this Festivity. We went;" and very grand it was. "The PalaceEsplanade was
changed" by carpentries and draperies "into a vast Amphitheatre; the slopes of it furnished with benches for
the spectators, and at the four corners of it and at the bottom, magnificently decorated boxes for the Court."
Vast oval Amphitheatre, the interior arena rectangular, with its Four Entrances, one for each of the Four
Quadrilles. "The assemblage was numerous and brilliant: all the Court had come from Potsdam to Berlin.
"A little while before the King himself made appearance, there rose suddenly a murmur of admiration, and I
heard all round me, from everybody, the name 'Voltaire! Voltaire!' Looking down, I saw Voltaire
accordingly; among a group of great lords, who were walking over the Arena, towards one of the Court
Boxes. He wore a modest countenance, but joy painted itself in his eyes: you cannot love glory, and not feel
gratefully the prize attached to it," attained as here. "I lost sight of him in few instants," as he approached
his Box "the place where I was not permitting farther view." [Collini, Mon Sejour, p. 21.]
This was Collini's first sight of that great man (DE CE GRAND HOMME). With whom, thanks to Barberina,
he had, in a day or two, the honor of an Interview (judgment favorable, he could hope); and before many
months, Accident also favoring, the inexpressible honor of seeing himself the great man's Secretary,how
far beyond hope or aspiration, in these Carrousel days!
Voltaire had now been here some Seven Weeks,arrived 10th July, as we often note;after (on his own
part) a great deal of haggling, hesitating and negotiating; which we spare our readers. The poor man having
now become a QuasiWidower; painfully rallying, with his whole strength, towards new
arrangements,now was the time for Friedrich to urge him: "Come to me! Away from all that dismal
imbroglio; hither, I say!" To which Voltaire is not inattentive; though he hesitates; cannot, in any case, come
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without delay; lingers in Paris, readjusting many things, the poor shipwrecked being, among kind
D'Argentals and friends. Poor Ishmael, getting gray; and his tent in the desert suddenly carried off by a blast
of wind!
To the legal Widower, M. le Marquis, he behaves in money matters like a Prince; takes that Paris Domicile,
in the Rue Traversiere, all to himself; institutes a new household there,Niece Denis to be female president.
Niece Denis, widow without encumbrances; whom in her married state, wife to some kind of Commissariat
Officer at Lille, we have seen transiently in that City, her Uncle lodging with her as he passed. A gadding,
flaunting, unreasonable, wouldbe fashionable female(a Du Chatelet without the grace or genius, and who
never was in love with you!)with whom poor Uncle had a baddish life in time coming. All which settled,
he still lingers. Widowed, grown old and less adventurous! 'That House in the Rue Traversiere, once his and
Another's, now his alone,for the time being, it is probably more like a Mausoleum than a House to him.
And Versailles, with its sulky Trajans, its Crebillon cabals, what charm is in Versailles? He thinks of going to
Italy for a while; has never seen that fine Country: of going to Berlin for a while: of going to In fact, Berlin
is clearly the place where he will land; but he hesitates greatly about lifting anchor. Friedrich insists, in a
bright, bantering, kindly way; "You were due to me a year ago; you said always, 'So soon as the lyingin is
over, I am yours:'and now, why don't you come?"
Friedrich, since they met last, has had some experiences of Voltaire, which he does not like. Their roads,
trulyone adulating Trajan in Versailles, and growing great by "Farces of the Fair;" the other battling for his
existence against men and devils, Trajan and Company includedhave lain far apart. Their Correspondence
perceptibly languishing, in consequence, and even rumors rising on the subject, Voltaire wrote once: "Give
me a yard of ribbon, Sire [your ORDER OF MERIT, Sire], to silence those vile rumors!" Which Friedrich, on
such freeandeasy terms, had silently declined. "A meddlesome, forward kind of fellow; always getting into
scrapes and brabbles!" thinks Friedrich. But is really anxious, now that the chance offers again, to have such
a Levite for his Priest, the evident pink of Human Intellect; and tries various incitements upon him;hits at
last (I know not whether by device or by accident) on one which, say the French Biographers, did raise
Voltaire and set him under way.
A certain M. Baculard d'Arnaud, a conceited, foolish young fellow, much patronized by Voltaire, and given
to write verses, which are unknown to me, has been, on Voltaire's recommending, "Literary Correspondent"
to Friedrich (Paris BookAgent and the like) for some time past; corresponding much with Potsdam, in a way
found entertaining; and is now (April, 1750) actually going thither, to Friedrich's Court, or perhaps has gone.
At any rate, Friedrichby accident or by devicehad answered some rhymes of this D'Arnaud, "Yes;
welcome, young sunrise, since Voltaire is about to set!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xiv. 95 (Verses "A
D'ARNAUD," of date December, 1749.)] I hope it was by device; D'Arnaud is such a silly fellow; too absurd,
to reckon as morning to anybody's sunset. Except for his involuntary service, for and against, in this Voltaire
Journey, his name would not now be mentionable at all. "Sunset?" exclaimed Voltaire, springing out of bed
(say the Biographers), and skipping about indignantly in his shirt: "I will show them I am not set yet!"
[Duvernet (Second), p. 159.] And instantly resolved on the Berlin Expedition. Went to Compiegne, where the
Court then was; to bid his adieus; nay to ask formally the Royal leave,for we are Historiographer and
titular Gentleman of the Chamber, and King's servant in a sense. Leave was at once granted him, almost
huffingly; we hope not with too much readiness? For this is a ticklish point: one is going to Prussia "on a
Visit" merely (though it may be longish); one would not have the door of France slammed to behind one! The
tone at Court did seem a little succinct, something almost of sneer in it. But from the Pompadour herself all
was friendly; mere witty, cheery graciosities, and "My Compliments to his Majesty of Prussia,"
Compliments how answered when they came to hand: "JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS!"
In short, M. de Voltaire made all his arrangements; got under way; piously visited Fontenoy and the
Battlefields in passing: and is here, since July 10th,in very great splendor, as we see:on his Fifth Visit
to Friedrich. Fifth; which proved his Last,and is still extremely celebrated in the world. Visit much
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misunderstood in France and England, down to this day. By no means sorted out into accuracy and
intelligibility; but left as (what is saying a great deal!) probably the wastest chaos of all the Sections of
Friedrich's History. And has, alone of them, gone over the whole world; being withal amusing to read, and
therefore well and widely remembered, in that mendacious and semiintelligible state. To lay these goblins,
full of noise, ignorance and mendacity, and give some true outline of the matter, with what brevity is
consistent with deciphering it at all, is now our sad task,laborious, perhaps disgusting; not impossible, if
readers will loyally assist.
Voltaire had taken every precaution that this Visit should succeed, or at least be no loss to one of the parties.
In a preliminary Letter from Paris,prose and verse, one of the cleverest diplomatic pieces ever penned;
Letter really worth looking at, cunning as the song of Apollo, Voltaire symbolically intimates: "Well, Sire,
your old Danae, poor malingering old wretch, is coming to her Jove. It is Jove she wants, not the Shower of
Jove; nevertheless"And Friedrich (thank Hanbury, in part, for that bit of knowledge) had remitted him in
hard money 600 pounds "to pay the tolls on his road." [Walpole, i. 451 ("Had it from Princess Amelia
herself"); see Voltaire to Friedrich, "Paris, 9th June, 1750;" Friedrich to Voltaire, "Potsdam, 24th May"
( OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiv. 158, 155).] As a high gentleman would; to have done with those base elements
of the business.
Nay furthermore, precisely two days before those splendors of the Carrousel, Friedrich,in answer to new
cunning croakeries and contrivances ("Sire, this Letter from my Niece, who is inconsolable that I should
think of staying here;" where, finding oneself so divinized, one is disposed to stay),has answered him like
a King: By Gold Key of Chamberlain, Cross of the Order of Merit, and Pension of 20,000 francs (850
pounds) a year,conveyed in as royal a Letter of Business as I have often read; melodious as Apollo, this
too, though all in business prose, and, like Apollo, practical God of the SUN in this case. ["Berlin, 23d
August, 1750" ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 255);Voltaire to Niece Denis, "24th August" (misprinted
"14th"); to D'Argental, "28th August" ( OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiv. 185, 196).] Dated 23d August, 1750. This
Letter of Friedrich's I fancy to be what Voltaire calls, "Your Majesty's gracious Agreement with me," and
often appeals to, in subsequent troubles. Not quite a Notarial Piece, on Friedrich's part; but strictly observed
by him as such.
Four days after which, Collini sees Voltaire serenely shining among the Princes and Princesses of the world;
Amphitheatre all whispering with bated breath, "Voltaire! Voltaire!" But let us hear Voltaire himself, from
the interior of the Phenomenon, at this its culminating point:
Voltaire to his D'Argentals,to Niece Denis even, with whom, if with no other, he is quite without reserve,
in showing the bad and the good,continues radiantly eloquent in these first months: ... "Carrousel, twice
over; the like never seen for splendor, for [rather copious on this sublimity]After which we played ROME
SAUVEE [my AntiCrebillon masterpiece], in a pretty little Theatre, which I have got constructed in the
Princess Amelia's Antechamber. I, who speak to you, I played CICERO." Yes; and was manager and general
stageking and contriver; being expert at this, if at anything. And these beautiful Theatricals had begun
weeks ago, and still lasted many weeks; [Rodenbeck, "AugustOctober," 1750.]with such divine
consultings, directings, even orderings of the brilliant Royalties concerned.Duvernet (probably on
D'Arget's authority) informs us that "once, in one of the interacts, finding the soldiers allowed him for
Pretorian Guards not to understand their business here," not here, as they did at Hohenfriedberg and
elsewhere, "Voltaire shrilled volcanically out to them [happily unintelligible): 'F, Devil take it, I asked
for men; and they have sent me Germans (J'AI DEMANDE DES HOMMES, ET L'ON M'ENVOIE DES
ALLEMANDS)!' At which the Princesses were goodnatured enough to burst into laughter." [Duvernet
(Second), p. 162,time probably 15th October.] Voltaire continues: "There is an English Ambassador here
who knows Cicero's Orations IN CATILINAM by heart;" an excellent Etonian, surely. "It is not Milord
Tyrconnell" (blusterous Irish Jacobite, OUR Ambassador, note him, fat Valori having been recalled); no, "it
is the Envoy from England," Excellency Hanbury himself, who knows his Cicero by heart. "He has sent me
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some fine verses on ROME SAUVEE; he says it is my best work. It is a Piece appropriate for Ministerial
people; Madame la Chanceliere," Cocceji's better half, "is well pleased with it. [ OEuvres, lxxiv. (LETTERS,
to the D'Argentals and Denis, "20th August23d September, 1750"), pp. 187, 219, 231, And then,"But
enough.
In Princess Amelia's Antechamber, there or in other celestial places, in Palace after Palace, it goes on. Gayety
succeeding gayety; mere Princesses and Princes doing parts; in ROME SAUVEE, and in masterpieces of
Voltaire's, Voltaire himself acting CICERO and elderly characters, LUSIGNAN and the like. Excellent in
acting, say the witnesses; superlative, for certain, as Preceptor of the art,though impatient now and then.
And wears such Jewelornaments (borrowed partly from a Hebrew, of whom anon), such magnificence of
tasteful dress;and walks his minuet among the Morning Stars. Not to mention the Suppers of the King:
chosen circle, with the King for centre; a radiant Friedrich flashing out to right and left, till all kindles into
coruscation round him; and it is such a blaze of spiritual sheetlightnings,wonderful to think of; Voltaire
especially electric. Never, or seldom, were seen such suppers; such a life for a Supreme Man of Letters so
fitted with the place due to him. Smelfungus says:
"And so your Supreme of Literature has got into his due place at last,at the top of the world, namely;
though, alas, but for moments or for months. The King's own Friend; he whom the King delights to honor.
The most shining thing in Berlin, at this moment. Virtually a kind of PAPA, or Intellectual Father of
Mankind," sneers Smelfungus; "Pope improvised for the nonce. The new Fridericus Magnus does as the old
Pipinus, old Carolus Magnus did: recognizes his Pope, in despite of the base vulgar; elevates him aloft into
worship, for the vulgar and for everybody! Carolus Magnus did that thricesalutary feat [sublimely human, if
you think of it, and for long centuries successful more or less]; Fridericus Magnus, under other omens,
unconsciously does the like, the best he can! Let the Opera Fiddlers, the Frerons, Travenols and
DesfontainesofSodom's Ghost look and consider!"
Madame Denis, an expensive gay Lady, still only in her thirties, improvable by rouge, carries on great work
in the Rue Traversiere; private theatricals, suppers, flirtations with Italian travelling Marquises;finds
Intendant Longchamp much in her way, with his rigorous accountbooks, and restriction to 100 louis per
month; wishes even her Uncle were back, and cautions him, Not to believe in Friedrich's flattering unctions,
or put his trust in Princes at all. Voltaire, with the due preliminaries, shows Friedrich her Letter, one of her
Letters, [Now lost, as most of them are; Voltaire's Answer to it, already cited, is "24th August, 1750"
(misprinted "14th August," OEuvres, lxxiv. 185; see IB. lxxv. 135); King Friedrich's PRACTICAL Answer
(so munificent to Denis and Voltaire), "Your Majesty's gracious Agreement," bore date "August
23d."]with result as we saw above.
Formey says: "In the Carnival time, which Voltaire usually passed at Berlin, in the Palace, people paid their
court to him as to a declared Favorite. Princes, Marshals, Ministers of State, Foreign Ambassadors, Lords of
the highest rank, attended his audience; and were received," says Formey, nowhere free from spite on this
subject, "in a sufficiently lofty style (HAUTEUR ASSEZ DEDAIGNEUSE). [Formey, Souvenirs, i. 235,
236.] A great Prince had the complaisance to play chess with him; and to let him win the pistoles that were
staked. Sometimes even the pistole disappeared before the end of the game," continues Formey, green with
spite;and reports that sad story of the candleends; bits of waxcandle, which should have remained as
perquisite to the valets, but which were confiscated by Voltaire and sent across to the waxchandler's. So,
doubtless, the spiteful rumor ran; probably little but spite and fable, Berlin being bitter in its gossip. Stupid
Thiebault repeats that of the candleends, like a thing he had seen (twelve years BEFORE his arrival in those
parts); and adds that Voltaire "put them in his pocket,"like one both stupid and sordid. Alas, the brighter
your shine, the blacker is the shadow you cast.
Friedrich, with the knowledge he already had of his yokefellow, one of the most skittish, explosive,
unruly creatures in harness, cannot be counted wise to have plunged so heartily into such an adventure
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with him. "An undoubted Courser of the Sun!" thought Friedrich;and forgot too much the signs of bad
going he had sometimes noticed in him on the common highways. There is no doubt he was perfectly sincere
and simple in all this high treatment of Voltaire. "The foremost, literary spirit of the world, a man to be
honored by me, and by all men; the Trismegistus of Human Intellects, what a conquest to have made; how
cheap is a little money, a little patience and guidance, for such solacement and ornament to one's barren
Life!" He had rashly hoped that the dreams of his youth could hereby still be a little realized; and something
of the old Reinsberg Program become a fruitful and blessed fact. Friedrich is loyally glad over his Voltaire;
eager in all ways to content him, make him happy; and keep him here, as the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree
and the Golden Water of intelligent mankind; the glory of one's own Court, and the envy of the world. "Will
teach us the secret of the Muses, too; French Muses, and help us in our bits of Literature!" This latter, too, is a
consideration with Friedrich, as why should it not,though by no means the sole or chief one, as the French
give it out to be.
On his side, Voltaire is not disloyal either; but is nothing like so completely loyal. He has, and continued
always to have, not unmixed with fear, a real admiration for Friedrich, that terrible practical Doer, with the
cutting brilliances of mind and character, and the irrefragable common sense; nay he has even a kind of love
to him, or something like it,love made up of gratitude for past favors, and lively anticipation of future.
Voltaire is, by nature, an attached or attachable creature; flinging out fond boughs to every kind of
excellence, and especially holding firm by old ties he had made. One fancies in him a mixed set of emotions,
direct and reflex,the consciousness of safe shelter, were there nothing more; of glory to oneself, derived
and still derivable from this high man:in fine, a sumtotal of actual desire to live with King Friedrich,
which might, surely, have almost sufficed even for Voltaire, in a quieter element. But the element was not
quiet,far from it; nor was Voltaire easily sufficeable!
PERPETUAL PRESIDENT MAUPERTUIS HAS A VISIT FROM ONE KONIG,
OUT OF HOLLAND, CONCERNING THE INFINITELY LITTLE.
Whether Maupertuis, in red wig with yellow bottom, saw these high gauderies of the Carrousel, the Plays in
Princess Amelia's Antechamber, and the rest of it, I do not know: but if so, he was not in the top place; nor
did anybody take notice of him, as everybody did of Voltaire. Meanwhile, I have something to quote, as
abridged and distilled from various sources, chiefly from Formey; which will be of much concernment farther
on.
Some four weeks after those Carrousel effulgencies, Perpetual President Maupertuis had a visit (September
21st, just while the Sun was crossing the Line; thanks to Formey for the date, who keeps a Notebook, useful
in these intricacies): visit from Professor Konig, an effective mathematical man from the Dutch parts. Whom
readers have forgotten again; though they saw him once: in violent quarrel, about the Infinitely Little, with
Madame du Chatelet, Voltaire witnessing with pain;it was just as they quitted Cirey together, ten years
ago, for these new courses of adventure. Do readers recall the circumstance? Maupertuis, referee in that
quarrel, had, with a bluntness offensive to the female mind, declared Konig indisputably in the right; and
there had followed a dryness between the divine Emilie and the Flattener of the Earth, scarcely to be healed
by Voltaire's best efforts.
Konig has gone his road since then; become a fine solid fellow; Professor in a Dutch University; more latterly
Librarian to the Dutch Stadtholder: still frank of speech, and with a rugged free andeasy turn, but of
manful manners; really a person of various culture, and as is still noticeable, of a solid geometric turn of
mind. Having now, as Librarian at the Hague, more leisure and more money, he has made a run to
Berlin,chiefly or entirely to see his Maupertuis again, whom he still remembers gratefully as his first
Patron in older times, and a man of sound parts, though rather blusterous now and then, A little bit of
scientific business also he has with him. Konig is Member of the Berlin Academy, for some years back; and
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there is a thing he would speak with the Perpetual President upon. "Wants nothing else in Berlin," says
Formey: a hearing by the road that Maupertuis was not there, he had actually turned homewards again: but
got truer tidings, and came on." The more was the pity, as perhaps will appear! "He arrived September 20th
[if you will be particular on cheeseparings]; called on me that day, being lodged in my neighborhood; and
next day, found Maupertuis at home;" [Formey, i. 176179.]and flew into his arms again, like a good boy
long absent.
Maupertuis, not many months ago, had, in Two successive Papers, I think Two, communicated to the
Academy a Discovery of Metaphysico Mathematical or altogether Metaphysical nature, on the Laws of
Motion;Discovery which he has, since that, brought to complete perfection, and sent forth to the Universe
at large, in his sublime little Book of COSMOLOGY; [In La Beaumelle, Vie de Maupertuis (Paris, 1856), pp.
105130, confused account of this "Discovery," and of the gradual Publication of it to mankind,very
gradual; first of all in the old Paris times; in the Berlin ACADEMY latterly; and in fine, to all the world, in
this ESSAI DE COSMOLOGIE (Berlin, Summer of 1750).]grateful Academy striving to admire, and
believe, with its Perpetual President, that the Discovery was sublime to a degree; second only to the flattening
of the Earth; and would probably stand thenceforth as a milestone in the Progress of Human Thought. "Which
Discovery, then?" Be not too curious, reader; take only of it what shall concern you!
It is well known there have been, to the metaphysical head, difficulties almost insuperable as to How, in the
System of Nature, Motion is? How, in the name of wonder, it can be; and even, Whether it is at all?
Difficulties to the metaphysical head, sticking its nose into the gutter there;not difficult to my readers and
me, who can at all times walk across the room, and triumphantly get over them. But stick your nose into any
gutter, entity, or object, this of Motion or another, with obstinacy,you will easily drown, if that be your
determination!Suffice it for us to know in this matter, that Maupertuis, intensely watching Nature, has
discovered, That the key of her enigma (or at least the ultimate central DOOR, which hides all her Motional
enigmas, the key to WHICH cannot even be imagined as discoverable!) is, that "Nature is superlatively
THRIFTY in this affair of motion;" that she employs, for every Motion done or doable, "a MINIMUM OF
ACTION;" and that, if you well understand this, you will, at least, announce all her procedures in one
proposition, and have found the DOOR which leads to everything. Which will be a comfort to you; still
looking vainly for the key, if there is still no key conceivable.
Perpetual President Maupertuis, having surprised Nature in this manner, read Papers upon it to an Academy
listening with upturned eyes; new Papers, perfected out of old,for he has long been hatching these
Phoenixeggs; and has sent them out complete, quite lately, in a little Book called COSMOLOGIE, where
alone I have had the questionable benefit of reading them. Grandly brief, as if coming from Delphi, the
utterance is; loftily solemn, elaborately modest, abstruse to the now human mind; but intelligible, had it only
been worth understanding:a painful little Book, that COSMOLOGIE, as the Perpetual President's generally
are. "Minimum of Action, LOI D'EPARGNE, Law of Thrift," he calls this sublime Discovery;thinks it will
be Sovereign in Natural Theology as well: "For how could Nature be a Saveall, without Designer
present?"and speaks, of course, among other technical points, about "VIS VIVA, or Velocity multiplied by
the Square of the Time:" which two points, "LOI D'EPARGNE," and that "the VIS VIVA is always a
Minimum," the reader can take along with him; I will permit him to shake the others into Limbo again, as
forgettable by human nature at this epoch and henceforth.
In La Beaumelle's Vie de Maupertuis (printed at last, Paris, 1856, after lying nearly a century in manuscript,
an obtuse worthless leaden little Book), there is much loud droning and detailing, about this COSMOLOGIE,
this sublime "Discovery," and the other sublime Discoveries, Insights and Apocalyptic Utterances of
Maupertuis; though in so confused a fashion, it is seldom you can have the poor pleasure of learning exactly
when, or except by your own severe scrutiny, exactly what. For reasons that will appear, certain of those
Apocalyptic Utterances by Perpetual President Maupertuis have since got a new interest, and one has actually
a kind of wish to read the IPSISSIMA VERBA of them, at this date! But in La Beaumelle (his modern Editor
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lying fast asleep throughout) there is no vestige of help. Nay Maupertuis's own Book, [ OEuvres de
Maupertuis, Lyon, 1756, 4 vols. 4to.] luxurious creampaper Quartos, or Octaves made foursquare by
margin,which you buy for these and the cognate objects,proves altogether worthless to you. The
Maupertuis Quartos are not readable for their own sake (solemnly emphatic statement of what you already
know; concentrated struggle to get on wing, and failure by so narrow a miss; struggle which gets only on
tiptoe, and won't cease wriggling and flapping); and then (to your horror) they prove to be carefully cleaned
of all the MaupertuisVOLTAIRE matter; edition being SUBSEQUENT to that worldfamous explosion.
CAVEAT EMPTOR.Our Excerpt proceeds:
"Industrious Konig, like other mathematical people, has been listening to these Oracles on the 'Law of
Minimum,' by the Perpetual President; and grieves to find, after study, That said Law does not quite hold;
that in fact it is, like Descartes's old key or general door, worth little or nothing; as Leibnitz long ago seems to
have transiently recognized. Konig has put his strictures on paper: but will not dream of publishing, till the
Perpetual President have examined them and satisfied himself; and that is Konig's business at present, as he
knocks on Maupertuis, while Sol is crossing the Line. Maupertuis has a House of the due style: Wife a
daughter of Minister Borck's (high Borcks, 'old as the DIUVEL'); no children;his back courts always a
good deal dirty with pelicans, bustards, perhaps snakes and other zoological wretches, which sometimes
intrude into the drawingrooms, otherwise very fine. A man of some whims, some habits; arbitrary by nature,
but really honest, though rather sublimish in his interior, with red Wig and yellow bottom.
"Konig, all filial gladness, is received gladly;though, by degrees, with some surprise, on the paternal part,
to find Konig ripened out of son, client and pupil, into independent posture of a grown man. Frankly certain
enough about himself, and about the axioms of mathematics. Standing, evidently, on his own legs; kindly as
ever, but on these new terms,in fact rather an outspoken freeandeasy fellow (I should guess), not
thinking that offence can be taken among friends. Formey confesses, this was uncomfortable to Maupertuis;
in fact, a shock which he could not recover from. They had various meetings, over dinner aud otherwise, at
the Perpetual President's, for perhaps two weeks at this time (dates all to be had in Formey's Notebook, if
anybody would consult); in the whole course of which the shock to the Perpetual President increased, instead
of diminishing. Republican freedom and equality is evidently Konig's method; Konig heeds not a whit the
oracular talent or majestic position of Maupertuis; argues with the frankest logic, when he feels
dissent;drives a majestic Perpetual President, especially in the presence of third parties, much out of
patience. Thus, one evening, replying to some argument of the Perpetual President's, he begins: 'My poor
friend, MON PAUVRE AMI, don't you perceive, then' Upon which Maupertuis sprang from his chair,
violently stamping, and pirouetted round the room, 'Poor friend, poor friend? are you so rich: then!' frank
Konig merely grinning till the paroxysm passed. [Formey, i. 177.] Konig went home again, RE INFECTA
about the end of the month."
Such a Konighad better not have come! As to his strictures on the LAW OF THRIFT, the arguings on
them, alone together, or with friends by, merely set Maupertuis pirouetting: and as to the Konig Manuscripts
on them "to be published in the Leipzig ACTA, after your remarks and permission," Maupertuis absolutely
refused to look at said Manuscripts: "Publish them there, here, everywhere, in the Devil and his
Grandmother's name; and then there is an end, Monsieur!" Konig went his ways therefore, finding nothing
else for it; published his strictures, in the Leipzig ACTA in March next, and never saw Maupertuis again,
for one result, out of several that followed! I have no doubt he was out to Voltaire, more than once, in this
fortnight; and eat "the King's roast" pleasantly with that eminent old friend. Voltaire always thought him a
BON GARCON (justly, by all the evidence I have); and finds his talk agreeable, and his Berlin
newsespecially that of Maupertuis and his explosive pirouettings. Adieu, Herr Professor; you know not,
with your Leipzig ACTA and Fragment of Leibnitz, what an explosion you are preparing!
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Chapter VII. M. DE VOLTAIRE HAS A PAINFUL JEWLAWSUIT.
Voltaire's Terrestrial Paradise at Berlin did not long continue perfect. Scarcely had that grand Carrousel
vanished in the azure firmaments, when little clouds began rising in its stead; and before long, black
thunderstorms of a very strange and even dangerous character.
It must have been a painful surprise to Friedrich to hear from his Voltaire, some few weeks after those
munificences, That he, Voltaire, was in very considerable distress of mind, from the bad, not to call it the
felonious and traitorous, conduct of M. D'Arnaud,once Friedrich's shoeinghorn and "risingsun" for
Voltaire's behoof; now a vague flaunting creature, without significance to Friedrich or anybody! That
D'Arnaud had done this and done that, of an AntiVoltairian, treasonous nature;and that, in short, life was
impossible in the neighborhood of such a D'Arnaud! "D'Arnaud has corrupted my Clerk (Prince Henri
hungering in vain for LA PUCELLE, has got sight of it, in this way); [Clerk was dismissed accordingly (one
Tinois, an ingenious creature),and COLLINI appointed in his stead.] D'Arnaud has been gossiping to
Freron and the Paris Newspapers; D'Arnaud has" [Voltaire to Friedrich ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 257),
undated, "November, 1750."] Has, in effect, been a flaunting young fool; of dissolute, esurient, slightly
profligate turn; occasionally helping in the Theatricals, and much studious to make himself notable, and
useful to the Princely kind. A D'Arnaud of nearly no significance, to Friedrich or to anybody. A D'Arnaud
whose bits of fooleries and struttings about, in the peacock or jackdaw way, might surely have been below
the notice of a Trismegistus!
Friedrich, painfully made sensible what a skinless explosive Trismegistus he has got on hand, answers, I
suppose, in words little or nothing,in Letters, I observe, answers absolutely nothing, to Voltaire repeating
and rerepeating;does simply dismiss D'Arnaud (a "BON DIABLE," as Voltaire, to impartial people, calls
him), or accept D'Arnaud's demission, and cut the poor fool adrift. Who sallies out into infinite space, to Paris
latterly ("alive there in 1805"); and claims henceforth perpetual oblivion from us and mankind. And now
there will be peace in our garden of the gods, and perpetual azure will return?
Alas, D'Arnaud is not well gone, when there has begun brewing in threefold secrecy a mass of galvanic
matter, which, in few weeks more, filled the Heavens with miraculous foul gases and the blackness of
darkness;which, in short, exploded about Newyear's time, as the worldfamous VOLTAIREHIRSCH
LAWSUIT, still remembered, though only as a portent and mystery, by observant onlookers. Of which it is
now our sad duty to say something; though nowhere, in the Annals of Jurisprudence, is there a more
despicable thing, or a deeper involved in lies and deliriums by current reporters of it, about which the sane
mind can be called upon accidentally to speak a word. Beaten, riddled, shovelled, washed in many waters, by
a patient though disgusted Predecessor in this field, there lies by me a copious but wearisome Narrative of
this matter;the more vivid portions of which, if rightly disengaged, and shown in sequence, may satisfy the
curious.
Duvernet (who, I can guess, had talked with D'Arget on the subject) has, alone of the French Biographers,
some glimmer of knowledge about it; Duvernet admits that it was a thing of Illegal Stock jobbing; that
1. "That M. de Voltaire had agreed with a Jew named Hirsch to go to Dresden and, illegally,
PURCHASE a good lot of STEUERSCHEINE [Saxon Exchequer Bills, which are payable in gold to a
BONA FIDE PRUSSIAN holding them, but are much in discount otherwise, as readers may remember]; and
given Hirsch a Draft on Paris, due after some weeks, for payment of the same; Hirsch leaving him a stock of
jewels in pledge till the STEUERSCHEINE themselves come to hand.
2. "That Hirsch, having things of his own in view with the money, sent no STEUERSCHEINE from
Dresden, nothing but vague lying talk instead of STEUER: so that Voltaire's suspicions naturally kindling, he
stopped payment of the Paris Draft, and ordered Hirsch to come home at once.
3. "That Hirsch coming, a settlement was tried: 'Give me back my Draft on Paris, you objectionable
blockhead of a Hirsch; there are your Diamonds, there is something even for your expenses (some fair
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moiety, I think); and let me never see your unpleasant face again!' To which Hirsch, examining the diamonds,
answered [says Duvernet, not substantially incorrect hitherto, though stepping along in total darkness, and
very partial on Voltaire's behalf],Hirsch, examining the diamonds, answered, 'But you have changed some
of them! I cannot take these!'and drove Voltaire quite to despair, and into the LawCourts; which
imprisoned Hirsch, and made him do justice." [Duvernet (T.J.D.V.), 170, 173, 175:vague utterly; dateless
(tries one date, and is mistaken even in the Year); wrong in nearly every detail; "the 'STAIRE or STEUER
was a BANK?"
In which last clause, still more in the conclusion, that it was "to the triumph of Voltaire," Duvernet does
substantially mistake! And indeed, except as the best Parisian reflex of this matter, his Account is worth
nothing:though it may serve as Introduction to the following irrefragable Documents and more explicit
featurings. We learn from him, and it is the one thing we learn of credible, That "Voltaire, when it came to
Law Procedures, begged Maupertuis to speak for him to M. Jarriges," a Prussian Frenchman, "one of the
Judges; and that Maupertuis answered, 'I cannot interfere in a bad business (ME MELER D'UNE
MAUVAISE AFFAIRE).'" The other French Biographies, definable as "IGNORAMUS speaking in a loud
voice to IGNORATIS," require to be altogether swept aside in this matter. Even "Clog." jumbling Voltaire's
undated LETTERS into confusion thrice confounded, and droning out vituperatively in the dark, becomes a
MINUS quantity in these Friedrich affairs. In regard to the Hirsch Process, our one irrefragable set of
evidences is: The Prussian LAWREPORT by KLEIN,especially the Documents produced in Court, and
the Sentence given. [Ernst Ferdinand Klein, Annalen der Gesetzgebung und Rechtsgelehrsamkeit in den
Preussischen Staaten (Berlin und Stettin), 1790," v. 215260.] Other lights are to be gathered, with severe
scrutiny and caution, from the circumambient contemporary rumor,especially from the PREFACE to a
"Comedy" so called of "TANTALE EN PROCES (Tantalus," Voltaire, "at Law");which PREFACE is
evidently Hirsch's own Story, put into language for him by some humane friend, and addressed to a
"clearseeing Public." [TANTALE EN PROCES (ascribed to Friedrich himself, by some wonderful
persons!) is in Supplement aux OEuvres Posthumes de Frederic II. (Cologne, 1789), i. 319 et seq. Among the
weakest of Comedies (might be by D'Arnaud, or some such hand); nothing in it worth reading except the
Preface.] "And in fine," says my Manuscript, "by sweeping out the distinctly false, and well discriminating
the indubitable from what is still in part dubitable, sufficient twilight [abridgable in a high degree, I hope!]
rises over the Affair, to render it visible in all its main features."
THE VOLTAIREHIRSCH TRANSACTION: PART I. ORIGIN OF LAWSUIT
(10th November25th December, 1750).
"Saxon STEUERSCHEIN, some readers know, is, in the rough, equivalent to Exchequer Bill. Payable at the
Saxon Treasury; to Prussians, in gold; to all other men, in paper only,which (thanks to Bruhl and his
unheardof expenditures and financierings) is now at a discount say of 25, or even 30 per cent. By Article
Eleventh of the Dresden TREATY OF PEACE, King Friedrich, if our readers have not forgotten, got
stipulated, That all Prussian holders of these SCHEINE should be paid in gold; interest at the due days; and at
the due days principal itself:in gold they, whatever became of others. No farther specifications, as to proof,
method, limits or conditions of any kind, occur in regard to this Eleventh Article; which is a just one, beyond
doubt, but most carelessly drawn up. Apparently it trusts altogether to the personal honesty of all Prussian
subjects: 'Prove yourself a Prussian subject, and we pay your SteuerSchein in real money.' But now if a
Saxon or other NonPrussian, who can get no payment save in paper, were to have his Note smuggled or
trafficked over into Prussia, and presented as a Prussian one? In our time, such traffic would start on the
morrow morning; and in a week or two, all Notes whatsoever would be presented as Prussian, payable in
gold! Not so in those days;though a small contraband of that kind does by degrees threaten to establish
itself, and Friedrich had to publish severe rescripts (one before this HirschVoltaire business, [10th August,
1748 (Seyfarth, i. 62).] one still severer after), and menace it down again. The malpractice seems to have
proved menaceable in that manner; nor was any new arrangement made upon it,no change, till the
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SteuerScheine, by their gradual terms, were all paid either in real money or imaginary, and thus, in the
course of years, the thing burnt to the socket, and went out."
Voltaire's rash Adventure, dangerous Navigation and gradual Wreck, in this Forbidden Sea of
SteuerScheine,will become conceivable to readers, on study diligent enough of the following Documents
and select Details:
DOCUMENT FIRST (a small Missive, in Voltaire's hand).
"Je prie instamment monsieur hersch de venir demain mardi matin a potsdam pour affaire pressante, et
d'aporter (SIC) avec luy les diamants qui doivent servir pour la representation de la tragedie qui se jouera a
cinq heures de soir chez S.A.R. Monseigneur le Prince henri
"Ce lundy a midy. VOLTAIRE."
Which being interpreted, rightly spelt, and dated (as by chance we can do) with distinctness, will run as
follows in English:
"POTSDAM, Monday, 9th November, 1750. "I earnestly request Mr. Hirsch to come tomorrow
Tuesday morning to Potsdam, on business that is urgent; and to bring with him the Diamonds needed for the
Tragedy which is to be represented, at five in the evening, in His Royal Highness Prince Henry's Apartment."
[Klein, v. 260.]
"On Tuesday the 10th," say the Old Newspapers, "was ROME SAUVEE;" with Voltaire, perceptible there
as "CICERON," [Rodenbeck, i. 209.] in due splendor of diamonds; Hirsch having no doubt been punctual. A
glorious enough Cicero;and such a piece of "urgent business" done with your Hirsch, just before emerging
on the stage!
"Hirsch, in that NARRATIVE, describes himself as a young innocent creature. Not very old, we will believe:
but as to innocence!For certain, he is named Abraham Hirsch, or Hirschel: a Berlin Jew of the Period;
whom one inclines to figure as a florid oily man, of Semitic features, in the prime of life; who deals much in
jewels, moneys, loans, exchanges, all kinds of Jew barter; whether absolutely in old clothes, we do not
knowcertainly not unless there is a penny to be turned. The man is of oily Semitic type, not old in
years,there is a fraternal Hirsch, and also a paternal, who is head of the firm;and this young one seems
to be already old in Jew art. Speaks French and other dialects, in a Hebrew, partially intelligible manner;
supplies Voltaire with diamonds for his stagedresses, as we perceive. To all appearance, nearly destitute of
human intellect, but with abundance of vulpine instead. Very cunning; stupid, seemingly, as a mule
otherwise; and, on the whole, resembling in various points of character a mule put into breeches, and made
acquainted with the uses of money. He is come 'on pressing business,'perhaps not of stagediamonds
alone? Here now is DOCUMENT SECOND; nearly of the same date; may be of the very same;more likely
is a few days later, and betokens mysterious dialogue and consultation held on Tuesday 10th. It is in two
hands: written on some scrap or TORN bit of paper, to judge by the length of the lines.
DOCUMENT SECOND.
"In Voltaire's hand, this part:
'Savoir s'il est encore tems de declarer les billets qu'on a sur la steure. si on en specifie le numero dans la
declaration.'
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'If it is still time to declare [to announce in Saxony and demand payment for] Notes one holds on the Steuer?
If one is to specify the No. in the declaration?'
"In Hirsch's hand, this part:
'l'on peut declarer des billets sur la steure, qu'on a en depost en pays etranger, et dont on ne pourra savoir le
numero que dans quinze jours ou trois Semaines.' [Klein, 259.]
'One can declare Notes on the Steuer, which one holds in deposit in Foreign Countries; and of which one
cannot state the No. till after a fortnight or three weeks.'
"Which of these Two was the Serpent, which the Eve, in this STEUER SCHEIN Tree of Knowledge, that
grew in the middle of Paradise, remains entirely uncertain. Hirsch, of course, says it was Voltaire; Voltaire
(not aware that DOCUMENT SECOND remained in existence) had denied that his Hirsch business was in
any way concerned with STEUER;and must have been a good deal struck, when DOCUMENT SECOND
came to light; though what could he do but still deny! Hirsch asserts himself to have objected the 'illegality,
the King's anger;' but that Voltaire answered in hints about his favor with the King; 'about his power to make
one a CourtJeweller,' if he liked; and so at last tempted the baby innocence of Hirsch;for the rest, admits
that the SteuerNotes were expected to yield a Profitof 35 per cent:and, in fact, a dramatic reader can
imagine to himself dialogue enough, at different times, going on, partly by words, partly by hint, innuendo
and dumbshow, between this Pair of StageBeauties. But, for near a fortnight after DOCUMENT FIRST,
there is nothing dated, or that can be clearly believed,till,
"MONDAY, 23d NOVEMBER, 1750. It is credibly certain the Jew Hirsch came again, this day, to the Royal
Schloss of Potsdam, to Voltaire's apartment there [right overhead of King Friedrich's, it is!]where, after
such dialogue as can be guessed at, there was handed to Hirsch by Voltaire, in the form of Two negotiable
Bills, a sum of about 2,250 pounds; with which the Jew is to make at once for Dresden, and buy
SteuerScheine. [Hirsch's Narrative, in Preface to Tantale en Proces, p. 340.] SteuerScheine without fail:
'but in talking or corresponding on the matter, we are always to call them FURS or DIAMONDS,'mystery
of mysteries being the rule for us. This considerable sum of 2,250 pounds may it not otherwise, contrives
Voltaire, be called a 'Loan' to Jeweller Hirsch, so obliging a Jeweller, to buy 'Furs' or 'Diamonds' with? At a
gain of 35 per 100 Pieces, there will be above 800 pounds to me, after all expenses cleared: a very pretty
stroke of business doable in few days!"
"Monday, 23d November:" The beautiful Wilhelmina, one remarks, is just making her packages; right sad to
end such a Visit as this had been! Thursday night, from her first sleepingplace, there is a touching Farewell
to her Brother;tender, melodiously sorrowful, as the Song of the Swan. [Wilhelmina to Friedrich,
"Brietzen, 26th November, JOUR FUNESTE POUR MOI" ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 197).] To
Voltaire she was always good; always liked Voltaire. Voltaire would be saying his Adieus, in state, among
the others, to that high Being,just in the hours while such a scandalous HirschConcoction went, on
underground!
"As to the Two Bills and Voltaire's security for them, readers are to note as follows. Bill FIRST is a Draft, on
Voltaire's Paris Banker for 40,000 livres (about 1,600 pounds), not payable for some weeks: 'This I lend you,
Monsieur Hirsch; mind, LEND you,to buy Furs!' 'Yes, truly, what we call Furs;and before the Bill falls
payable, there will be effects for it in Monseigneur de Voltaire's hand; which is security enough for
Monseigneur.' The SECOND Bill, again"Truth is, there were in succession two Second Bills, an
INTENDEDSecond (of this same Monday 23d), which did not quite suit, and an ACTUALSecond (two
days later), which did. INTENDED Second Bill was one for 4,000 thalers (about 600 pounds), drawn by
Voltaire on the Sieur Ephraim,a very famous Jew of Berlin now and henceforth, with whom as
moneychanger, if not yet otherwise (which perhaps Ephraim thinks unlucky), Voltaire, it would seem, is in
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frequent communication. This Bill, Ephraim would not accept; told Hirsch he owed M. de Voltaire nothing;
"turned me rudely away," says Hirsch (two of a trade, and no friends, he and I!)so that there is nothing to
be said of this Ephraim Bill; and except as it elucidates some dark portions of the whirlpools, need not have
been noticed at all. "Hirsch," continues my Authority, "got only Two available Bills; the first on Paris for
1,600 pounds, payable in some weeks; and, after a day or two, this other: The ACTUAL BILL SECOND;
which is a Draft for 4,430 thalers (about 650 pounds), by old Father Hirsch, head of the Firm, on Voltaire
himself:'Furs too with that, Monsieur Hirsch, at the rate of 35 per piece, you understand?' 'Yea, truly,
Monseigneur!'Draft accepted by Voltaire, and the cash for it now handed to Hirsch Son: the only
absolutely ready money he has yet got towards the affair.
"For these Two Bills, especially for this Second, I perceive, Voltaire holds borrowed jewels (borrowed in
theatrical times, or partly bought, from the Hirsch Firm, and not paid for), which make him sure till he see the
STEUER Papers themselves.(And now off, my good Sieur Hirsch; and know that if you please ME, there
are things in my power which would suit a man in the Jeweller and Hebrew line!' Hirsch pushes home to
Berlin; primed and loaded in this manner; Voltaire naturally auxious enough that the shot may hit. Alas, the
shot will not even go off, for some time: an ill omen!
"SUNDAY, 29th NOVEMBER, Hirsch, we hear, is still in Berlin. Fancy the humor of Voltaire, after such a
week as last! TUESDAY, December 1st) Hirsch still is not off: 'Go, you son of Amalek!' urges Voltaire; and
sends his Servant Picard, a very sharp fellow, for perhaps the third time,who has orders now, as Hirsch
discovers, to stay with him, not quit sight of him till he do go. [Hirsch's Narrative; see Voltaire's Letter to
D'Arget ( OEuvres, lxiv. 11).] Hirsch's hour of departure for Dresden is not mentioned in the ACTS; but I
guess he could hardly get over Wednesday, with Picard dogging him on these terms; and must have taken the
diligence on Wednesday night: to arrive in Dresden about December 4th. 'Well; at least, our shot is off; has
not burst out, and lodged in our person here,thanked be all the gods!'
"Off, sure enough:and what should we say if the whole matter were already oozing out; if, on this same
Sunday evening, November 29th) not quite a week's time yet, the matter (as we learn long afterwards) had
been privately whispered to his Majesty: 'That Voltaire has sent off a Jew to buy SteuerScheine, and has
promised to get him made CourtJeweller!' [Voltaire, OEuvres, lxxiv. 314 ("Letter to Friedrich, February,
1751,"AFTER Catastrophe).], So; within a week, and before Hirsch is even gone! For men are very
porous; weighty secrets oozing out of them, like quicksilver through clay jars. I could guess, Hirsch, by way
of galling insolent Ephraim, had blabbed something: and in the course of five days, it has got to the very
King,this Kammerherr Voltaire being such a favorite and famous man as never was; the very bull'seye of
all kinds of Berlin gossip in these days. 'Hm, SteuerScheine, and the Jew Hirsch to be CourtJeweller, you
say?' thinks the King, that Sunday night; but locks the rumor in his Royal mind, he, for his part; or dismisses
it as incredible: 'There ought to be impervious vessels too, among the porous!' Voltaire notices nothing
particular, or nothing that he speaks of as particular. This must have been a horrid week to him, till Hirsch got
away." Hirsch is away (December 2d); in Dresden, safe enough; but
"But, the fortnight that follows is conceivable as still worse. Hirsch writing darkly, nothing to the purpose;
Voltaire driving often into Berlin, hearing from Ephraim hints about, 'No connection with that House;' 'If
Monseigneur have intrusted Hirsch with money,may there be a good account of it!' and the like. Black
Care devouring Monseigueur; but nothing definite; except the fact too evident, That Hirsch does not send or
bring the smallest shadow of SteuerScheine,'Peltries,' or 'Diamonds,' we mean,or any value whatever
for that Paris Bill of ours, payable shortly, and which he has already got cashed in Dresden. Nothing but
excuses, prevarications; stupid, incoherently deceptive jargon, as of a mule intent on playing fox with you.
Vivid Correspondence is conceivable; but nothing of it definite to us, except this sample" (which we give
translated):
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DOCUMENT THIRD (torn fraction in Voltaire's hand: To Hirsch, doubtless; early in December). ... "Not
proper (IL NE FALLAIT PAS) to negotiate Bills of Exchange, and never produce a single diamond"bit of
peltry, or ware of any kind, you son of Amalek! "Not proper to say: I have got money for your bills of
exchange, and I bring you nothing back; and I will repay your money when you shall no longer be here [in
Germany at all]. Not proper to promise at 35 louis, and then say 30. To say 30, and then next morning 25.
You should at least have produced goods (IL FALLAIT EN DONNER) at the price current; very easy to do
when one was on the spot. All your procedures have been faults hitherto. [Klein, v. 259.]
"These are dreadful symptoms. SteuerNotes, promised at 35 discount, are not to be had except at 30. Say 30
then, and get done with it, mule of a scoundrel! Next day the 30 sinks to 25; and not a SteuerNote, on any
terms, comes to hand. And the mule of a scoundrel has drawn money, in Dresden yonder, for my Bill on
Paris,excellent to him for trade of his own! What is to be done with such an Ass of Balaam? He has got the
bit in his teeth, it would seem. Heavens, he too is capable of stopping short, careless of spur and cudgel; and
miraculously speaking to a NEW Prophet [strange new "Revealer of the Lord's Will," in modern dialect], in
this enlightened Eighteenth Century itself!One thing the new Prophet, can do: protest his Paris Bill.
"DECEMBER 12th [our next bit of certainty], Voltaire writes, haste, haste, to Paris, 'Don't pay;' and intimates
to Hirsch, 'You will have to return your Dresden Banker his money for that Paris Bill. At Paris I have
protested it, mark me; and there it never will be paid to him or you. And you must come home again
instantly, job undone, lies not untold, you!' Hirsch, with money in hand, appears not to have wanted for a
briskish trade of his own in the Dresden marts. But this of cutting off his supplies brings him instantly
back:"and at Berlin, DECEMBER 16th, new facts emerge again of a definite nature.
"WEDNESDAY, 16th DECEMBER, 1750. 'Today the King with Court and Voltaire come to Berlin for the
Carnival;' [Rodenbeck, i. 209.] today also Voltaire, not in Carnival humor, has appointed his Jew to meet
him. In the Royal Palace itself,we hope, well remote from Friedrich's Apartment!this sordid conference,
needing one's choicest diplomacy withal, and such exquisite handling of bit and spur, goes on. And probably
at great length. Of which, as the FINALE, and one clear feature significant to the fancy, here is, for record
of what they call 'COMPLETE SETTLEMENT,' which it was far from turning out to be:
DOCUMENT FOURTH (in Hirsch's hand, First Piece of it).
"'Pour quittance generale promettant de rendre a Mr. de Voltaire tous billets, ordres et lettres de change a
moy donnez jusqu'a ce jour, 16 Decembre, 1750. "'Account all settled; I promising to return M. de Voltaire
all Letters, Orders and Bills of Exchange given me to this day, 16th December, 1750.
[Hirsch signs. But you have forgotten something, Monsieur Hirsch! Whereupon] et promets de donner a Mr.
de Voltaire dans le jour de demain ou apres au plustard deux cent guatrevingt frederics d'or au lieu de
deux cent quatrevingt louis d'or, que je lui ai payez, le tout pour quittance generale, ce 16 Decembre, 1750,
a berlin And promise to give M. de Voltaire, in the course of tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at
latest, 280 FREDERICS D'OR, instead of 280 LOUIS D'OR [gold FREDERICS the preferabe coin, say
experts] which I have now paid him; whereby All will be settled.
[Hirsch again signs; but has again forgotten something, most important thing. And]
je lui remettrai surtout les 40,000 livres de billets de change sur paris qu'il mavoit donnez et fiez' I will
especially return him the Bill on Paris for 40,000 livres (1,600 pounds) which he had given and trusted to
me,'but has since protested, as is too evident.
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[and Hirsch signs for the last time]." [Klein, pp. 258, 260.] Symptomatic, surely, of a haggly settlement,
these THREE shots instead of one!"Voltaire's return is:
"'Pour quittance generale de tout compte solde entre nous, tout paye au sieur abraham hersch a berlin, 16
Decembre, 1750.Voltaire' "'Account all settled between us, payment of the Sieur Abraham Hirsch in full:
Berlin, 16th Deember, 1750.'
[which Second Piece, we perceive, is to lie in Hirsch's hand, to keep, if he find it valuable].
"This 'COMPLETE SETTLEMENT,'little less than miraculous to Voltaire and us,one finds, after
sifting, to have been the fruit of Voltaire's exquisite skill in treating and tuning his Hirsch (no harshness of
rebuke, rather some gleam of hope, of future bargains, help at Court): (Your expenses; compensation for
protesting of that Bill on Paris? Tush, cannot we make all that good! In the first place, I will BUY of you
these Jewels [this one discovers to have been the essence of the operation!], all or the best part of them,
which I have here in pawn for Papa's Bill: 650 pounds was it not? Well, suppose I on the instant take 450
pounds worth, or so, of these Jewels (I want a great many jewels); and you to pay me down a 200 or so of
gold LOUIS as balance,gold LOUIS, no, we will say FREDERICS rather. There now, that is settled.
Nothing more between us but settles itself, if we continue friends!' Upon which Hirsch walked home,
thankful for the good job in Jewels; wondering only what the Allowance for Expenses and Compensation will
be. And Voltaire steps out, newburnished, into the Royal Carnival splendors, with a load rolled from his
mind.
"This COMPLETE SETTLEMENT, meanwhile, rests evidently on two legs, both of which are hollow. 'What
will the handsome Compensation be, I wonder?' thinks Hirsch;and is horrorstruck to find shortly, that
Voltaire considers 60 thalers (about 9 pounds) will be the fair sum! 'More than ten times that!' is Hirsch's
privately fixed idea. On the other hand, Voltaire has been asking himself, 'My 450 pounds worth of Jewels,
were they justly valued, though?' Jew Ephraim (exaggerative and an enemy to this Hirsch House) answers,
'Justly? I would give from 300 pounds to 250 pounds for them!'So that the legs both crumbling to powder,
Complete Settlement crashes down into chaos: and there ensues,"But we must endeavor to be briefer!
There ensues, for about a week following, such an inextricable scramble between the Sieur Hirsch and M. de
Voltaire as,as no reader, not himself in the JewBill line, or paid for understanding it, could consent to
have explained to him. Voltaire, by way of mending the bad jewelbargain, will buy of Hirsch 200 pounds
worth more jewels; gets the new 200 pounds worth in hand, cannot quite settle what articles will suit: "This,
think you? That, think you?" And intricately shuffles them about, to Hirsch and back. Hirsch, singular to
notice, holds fast by that Protested Paris Bill; on frivolous pretexts, always forgets to bring that: "May have
its uses, that, in a Court of Justice yet!" Meetings there are, almost daily, in the Voltaire PalaceApartment;
DECEMBER 19th and DECEMBER 24th) there are Two DOCUMENTS (which we must spare the reader,
though he will hear of them again, as highly notable, especially of one of them, as notable in the extreme!)
indicating the abstrusest jewelbargainings, scramblings, rebargainings.
"My Jewels are truly valued!" asseverates Hirsch always: "Ephraim is my enemy; ask Herr Reklam, chief
Jeweller in Berlin, an impartial man!" The meetings are occasionally of stormy character; Voltaire's patience
nearly out: "But did n't I return you that Topaz Ring, value 75 pounds? And you have NOT deducted it;
you!" "One day, Picard and he pulled a Ring [doubtless this Topaz] off my finger," says the pathetic
Hirsch, "and violently shoved me out of the room, slamming their door,"and sent me home, along the
corridors, in a very scurvy humor! Thus, under a skin of second settlement, there are two galvanic elements,
getting ever more galvanic, which no skin of settlement can prevent exploding before long.
Explosion there accordingly was; most sad and dismal; which rang through all the Court circles of Berlin;
and, like a sound of hooting and of weeping mixed, is audible over seas to this day. But let not the reader
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insist on tracing the course of it henceforth. Klein, though faithful and exact, is not a Pitaval; and we find in
him errors of the press. The acutest Actuary might spend weeks over these distracted Moneyaccounts, and
inconsistent Lists of Jewels bought and not bought; and would be unreadable if successful. Let us say, The
business catches fire at this point; the VoltaireHirsch theatre is as if blown up into mere whirlwinds of
igneous rum and smoky darkness. Henceforth all plunges into Lawsuit, into chaos of conflicting
lies,undecipherable, not worth deciphering. Let us give what few glimpses of the thing are clearly
discernible at their successive dates, and leave the rest to picture itself in the reader's fancy.
It appears, that Meeting of DECEMBER 24th, above alluded to, was followed by another on Christmasday,
which proved the final one. Final total explosion took place at this new meeting;which, we find farther,
was at Chasot's Lodging (the CHAPEAU of Hanbury), who is now in Town, like all the world, for Carnival.
Hirsch does not directly venture on naming Chasot: but by implication, by glimmers of evidence elsewhere,
one sufficiently discovers that it is he: LieutenantColonel, King's Friend, a man glorious, especially ever
since Hohenfriedberg, and that haul of the "sixtyseven standards" all at once. In the way of Arbitration,
Voltaire thinks Chasot might do something. In regard to those 450 pounds worth of bought Jewels, there is
not such a judge in the world! Hirsch says: "Next morning [December 25th, morrow after that jumbly
Account, with probable slamming of the door, and still worse!], Voltaire went to a LieutenantColonel in the
King's service; and ask him to send for me." [Duvernet (Second), p. 172; Hirsch's Narrative (in Tantale, p.
344).] This is Chasot; who knows these jewels well. Duvernet,who had talked a good deal with D'Arget, in
latter years, and alone of Frenchmen sometimes yields a true particle of feature in things
Prussian,Duvernet tells us, these Jewels were once Chasot's own: given him by a fond Duchess of
Mecklenburg,musical old Duchess, verging towards sixty; HONI SOIT, my friend! What Hirsch gave
Chasot for these Jewels is not a doubtful quantity; and may throw conviction into Hirsch, hopes Voltaire.
DECEMBER 25th, 1750. The interview at Chasot's was not lengthy, but it was decisive. Hirsch never brings
that Paris Bill; privately fixed, on that point. Hirsch's claims, as we gradually unravel the intricate mulemind
of him, rise very high indeed. "And as to the value of those Jewels, and what I allowed YOU for them,
Monsieur Chasot; that is no rule: tradeprofits, you know"Nay, the mule intimates, as a last shift, That
perhaps they are not the same Jewels; that perhaps M. de Voltaire has changed some of them! Whereupon the
matter catches fire, irretrievably explodes. M. de Voltaire's patience flies quite done; and, fireeyed fury now
guiding, he springs upon the throat of Hirsch like a cato' mountain; clutches Hirsch by the windpipe;
tumbles him about the room: "Infamous canaille, do you know whom you have got to do with? That it is in
my power to stick you into a hole underground for the rest of your life? Sirrah, I will ruin and annihilate
you!"and "tossed me about the room with his fist on my throat," says Hirsch; "offering to have pity
nevertheless, if I would take back the Jewels, and return all writings." [Narrative (in Tantale ).] Eyes glancing
like a rattlesnake's, as we perceive; and such a phenomenon as Hirsch had not expected, this Christmas! In
short, the matter has here fairly exploded, and is blazing aloft, as a mass of intricate fuliginous ruin, not to be
deciphered henceforth. Such a scene for Chasot on the Christmasday at Berlin! And we have got to
PART II. THE LAWSUIT ITSELF (30th December, 175018th and
26th February, 1751).
Hirsch slunk hurriedly home, uncertain whether dead or alive. Old Hirsch, hearing of such explosion,
considered his house and family ruined; and, being old and feeble, took to bed upon it, threatening to break
his heart. Voltaire writes to Niece Denis, on the morrow; not hinting at the Hirsch matter, far from that; but in
uncommonly dreary humor: "My splendor here, my glory, never was the like of it; MAIS, MAIS," BUT, and
ever again BUT, at each new item,in fact, the humor of a glorious PhoenixPeacock suddenly douched
and drenched in dirty water, and feeling frost at hand! ["To Madame Denis" (lxxiv. 279, "Berlin Palace, 26th
December, 1750;"and ib. 249, 257, of other dates).] Humor intelligible enough, when dates are compared.
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Better than that, Voltaire is applying, on all points of the compass, to Legal and Influential Persons, for help
in a Court of Law. To Chancellor Cocceji; to Jarriges (eminent Prussian Frenchman), President of Court; to
Maupertuis, who knows Jarriges, but "will not meddle in a bad business;"at last, even to dull reverend
Formey, whom he had not called on hitherto. Cocceji seems to have answered, to the effect, "Most certainly:
the Courts are wide open;"but as to "help"! December 30th, the Suit, Voltaire VERSUS Hirsch, "comes to
Protocol,"that is, Cocceji, Jarriges, Loper, three eminent men, have been named to try it; and Herr Hofrath
Bell, Advocate for Voltaire Plaintiff, hands in his First Statement that day. Berlin resounds, we may fancy
how! Rumor, laughter and wonder are in all polite quarters; and continue, more or less vivid, for above two
months coming. Here is one direct glimpse of Plaintiff, in this interim; which we will give, though the eyes
are none of the best: "The first visit I," Formey, "had from Voltaire was in the afternoon of January 8th) 1751
[Suit begun ten days ago]. I had, at the time, a large party of friends. Voltaire walked across the Apartment,
without looking at anybody; and, taking me by the hand, made me lead him to a cabinet adjoining. His
Lawsuit with a Jew was the matter on hand. He talked to me at large about his Lawsuit, and with the greatest
vehemence; he wound up by asking me to speak to LawPresident M. de Jarriges (since Chancellor): I
answered what was suitable;" probably did speak to Jarriges, but might as well have held my tongue.
"Voltaire then took his leave: stepping athwart the former Apartment with some precipitation, he noticed my
eldest little girl, then in her fourth year, who was gazing at the diamonds on his Cross of the Order of Merit.
'Bagatelles, bagatelles, MON ENFANT!' said he, and disappeared." [Formey, i. 232.]
On NewYear's day, Friday, 1st January, 1751, Voltaire had legally applied to Herr Minister von Bismark,
for Warrant to arrest Hirsch, as a person that will not give up Papers not belonging to him. Warrant was
granted, and Hirsch lodged in Limbo. Which worsens the state of poor old Father Hirsch; threatening now
really to die, of heartbreak and other causes. Hirsch Son, from the interior of Limbo, appeals to Bismark,
"Lord Chancellor Cocceji is seized of my Plea, your gracious Lordship!""All the same," answers Bismark;
"produce CAUTION, or you can't get out." Hirsch produces caution; and gets out, after a day or two;and
has been "brought to Protocol January 4th." No delay in this Court: both parties, through their Advocates, are
now brought to book; the points they agree in will be sifted out, and laid on this side as truth; what they differ
in, left lying on that side, as a mixture of lies to be operated on by farther processes and protocols.
We will not detail the Lawsuit;what I chiefly admire in it is its brevity. Cocceji has not reformed in vain.
Good Advocates, none other allowed; and no Advocate talks; he merely endeavors to think, see and discover;
holds his tongue if he can discover nothing: that doubtless is one source of the brevity!Many lies are stated
by Hirsch, many by Voltaire: but the Judges, without difficulty, shovel these aside; and come step by step
upon the truth. Hirsch says plainly, He was sent to buy STEUERSCHEINE at 35 per cent discount; Voltaire
entirely denies the SteuerNotes; says, It was an affair of Peltries and Jewelries, originating in loans of
money to this ungrateful Jew. Which necessitates much wriggling on the part of M. de Voltaire;but he has
himself written in a Lawyer's Office, in his young days, and knows how to twist a turn of expression. The
Judges are not there to judge about Steuer Notes; but they give you to understand that Voltaire's
Peltryand Jewelry story is moonshine. Hirsch produces the Voltaire Scraps of Writing, already known to
our readers; Voltaire says, "Mere extinct jottings; which Hirsch has furtively picked out of the grate,"or
may be said to have picked; Papers annihilated by our Bargain of December 16th, and which should have
been in the grate, if they were not; this felon never having kept his word in that respect. Peltries and
Jewelries, I say: he will not give me back that Paris Bill which was protested; pays me the other 3,000 crowns
(Draft of 650 pounds) in Jewels overvalued by half."Jewels furtively changed since Plaintiff had them of
me!" answers Hirsch;and the steady Judges keep their sieves going.
The only Documents produced by Voltaire are Two; of 19th DECEMBER and of 24th
DECEMBER;which the reader has not yet seen, but ought now to gain some notion of, if possible. They
affect once more, as that of December 16th had done, to be "Final Settlements" (or Final Settlement of 19th,
with CODICIL of 24th); and turn on confused Lists of Jewels, bought, returned, rebought (that "Topaz ring"
torn from one's hand, a conspicuous item), which no reader would have patience to understand, except in the
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succinct form. Let all readers note them, however,at least the first of them, that of December 19th;
especially the words we mark in Italics, which have merited a sad place for IT in the history of human sin and
misery. Klein has given both Documents in engraved facsimile; we must help ourselves by simpler
methods. Berlin, December 19th, 1750; Voltaire writes, Hirsch signs;and the Italics are believed to be
words foisted in by M. de Voltaire, weeks after, while the Hirsch pleadings were getting stringent! Read,a
very sad memorial of M. de Voltaire,
DOCUMENT FIFTH (in Voltaire's hand, written at two times; and the old writing MENDED in parts, to suit
the new!)."FOR PAYMENT OF 3,000 THALERS BY ME DUE, I have sold to M. de Voltaire, at the
price costing by estimation and tax, with 2 per cent for my commission ["OR GRATIFICATION," written
above], the following Diamonds, taxed [blotted into "TAXABLE"], as here adjoined; viz." seven pieces of
jewelry, pendeloques, with price affixed, among which is the violated Topaz,"the whole estimated by him
["him" crossed out, and "ME" written over it], being 3,640 thalers. Whereupon, received from Monsieur de
Voltaire [what is very strange; not intelligible without study!] the sum of 2,940 thalers, and he has given me
back the Topaz, with 60 crowns for my trouble. Berlin, 19th December, 1750." (Hitherto in Voltaire's
hand; after which Hirsch writes:) "APROUVE, A. Hirschel." [Sic: that is always his SIGNATURE;
"Abraham HirschEL," so given by Klein, while Klein and everybody CALL him Hirsch (STAG), as we have
done,if only to save a syllable on the bad bargain.] And between these two lines ("... 1750" and
"APPROVED ..."), there is crushed in, as afterthought, "VALUED BY MYSELF [Hirsch's self], 2,940, ADD
60, IS 3,000." And, in fine, below the Hirsch signature, on what may be called the bottom margin, there
is,I think, avowedly Voltaire's and subsequent,this: "N.B. that Hirsch's valuing of all the jewels [present
lot and former lot] is, by real estimation, between twice and thrice too high;" of which, it is hoped, your
Lordships will take notice!
Was there ever seen such a Paper; one end of it contradicting the other? Payment TO M. de Voltaire, and
payment BY M. de Voltaire; with other blottings and foistings, which print and italics will not represent!
Hirsch denies he ever signed this Paper. Is not that your writing, then: "APROUVE, A. Hirschel"?"No!"
and they convict him of falsity in that respect: the signature IS his, but the Paper has been altered since he
signed it. That is what the poor dark mortal meant to express; and in his mulish way, he has expressed into a
falsity what was in itself a truth. There is not, on candid examination of Klein's Facsimiles and the other
evidence, the smallest doubt but Voltaire altered, added and intercalated, in his own privacy, those words
which we have printed in italics; TAXES changed into TAXABLES ("estimated at" into "estimable at"), HIM
for ME, and so on; and above all, the now first line of the Paper, FOR PAYMENT OF 3,000 THALERS BY
ME DUE, and in last line the words VALUED BY MYSELF, are palpable interpolations, sheer falsifications,
which Hirsch is made to continue signing after his back is turned!
No fact is more certain; and few are sadder in the history of M. de Voltaire. To that length has he been driven
by stress of Fortune. Nay, when the Judges, not hiding their surprise at the form of this Document, asked,
Will you swear it is all genuine? Voltaire answered, "Yes, certainly!"for what will a poor man not do in
extreme stress of Fortune? Hirsch, as a Jew, is not permitted to make oath, where a QuasiChristian will
swear to the contrary, or he gladly would; and might justly. The Judges, willing to prevent chance of perjury,
did not bring Voltaire to swearing, but contrived a way to justice without that.
FEBRUARY 18th, 1751, the Court arrives at a conclusion. Hirsch's Diamonds, whatever may have been
written or forged, are not, nor were, worth more than their value, think the Judges. The Paris Bill is admitted
to be Voltaire's, not Hirsch's, continue they;and if Hirsch can prove that Voltaire has changed the
Diamonds, not a likely fact, let him do so. The rest does not concern us. And to that effect, on the above day,
runs their Sentence: "You, Hirsch, shall restore the Paris Bill; mutual Papers to be all restored, or legally
annihilated. Jewels to be valued by sworn Experts, and paid for at that price. Hirsch, if he can prove that the
Jewels were changed, has liberty to try it, in a new Action. Hirsch, for falsely denying his Signature, is fined
ten thalers (thirty shillings), such lie being a contempt of court, whatever more."
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"Ha, fined, you Jew Villain!" hysterically shrieks Voltaire: "in the wrong, weren't you, then; and fined thirty
shillings?" hysterically trying to believe, and make others believe, that he has come off triumphant. "Beaten
my Jew, haven't I?" says he to everybody, though inwardly well enough aware how it stands, and that he is a
Phoenix douched, and has a tremor in the bones! Chancellor Cocceji was far from thinking it triumphant to
him. Here is a small Note of Cocceji's, addressed to his two colleagues, Jarriges and Loper, which has been
found among the Law Papers:
"BERLIN, 20th FEBRUARY, 1751. The Herr President von Jarriges and PrivyCouncillor Loper are hereby
officially requested to bring the remainder of the Voltaire Sentence to its fulfilment: I am myself not well,
and can employ my time much better. The Herr von Voltaire has given in a desperate Memorial (EIN
DESPERATES MEMORIAL) to this purport: 'I swear that what is charged to me [believed of me] in the
Sentence is true; and now request to have the Jewels valued.' I have returned him this Paper, with notice that
it must be signed by an Advocate.COCCEJI." [Klein, 256.]
So wrote Chancellor Cocceji, on the Saturday, washing his hands of this sorry business. Voltaire is ready to
make desperate oath, if needful. We said once, M. de Voltaire was not given to lying; far the reverse. But yet,
see, if you drive him into a corner with a sword at his throat,alas, yes, he will lie a little! Forgery lay still
less in his habits; but he can do a stroke that way, too (one stroke, unique in his life, I do believe), if a wild
boar, with frothy tusks, is upon him. Tell it not in Gath,except for scientific purposes! And be judicial,
arithmetical, in passing sentence on it; not shrieky, mobbish, and flying off into the Infinite!
Berlin, of course, is loud on these matters. "The man whom the King delighted to honor, this is he, then!"
King Friedrich has quitted Town, some while ago; returned to Potsdam "January 30th." Glad enough, I
suppose, to be out of all this unmusical blowing of catcalls and indecent exposure. To Voltaire he has taken
no notice; silently leaves Voltaire, in his nook of the Berlin Schloss, till the foul business get done.
"VOLTAIRE FILOUTE LES JUIFS (picks Jew pockets)," writes he once to Wilhelmina: "will get out of it
by some GAMBADE (summerset)," writes he another time; "but" ["31st December, 1750" ( OEuvres de
Frederic, xxvii, i. 198); "3d February, 1751" (ib. 201).] And takes the matter with boundless contempt,
doubtless with some vexation, but with the minimum of noise, as a Royal gentleman might. Jew Hirsch is
busy preparing for his new desperate Action; getting together proof that the Jewels have been changed. In
proof Jew Hirsch will be weak; but in pleading, in public pamphlets, and keeping a winged Apollo fluttering
disastrously in such a mudbath, Jew Hirsch will be strong. Voltaire, "out of magnanimous pity to him,"
consents next week to an Agreement. Agreement is signed on Thursday, 26th February, 1751:Papers all to
be returned, Jewels nearly all, except one or two, paid at Hirsch's own price. Whereby, on the whole, as Klein
computes, Voltaire lost about 150 pounds; elsewhere I have seen it computed at 187 pounds: not the least
matter which. Old Hirsch has died in the interim ("Of broken heart!" blubbers the Son); day not known.
And, on these terms, Voltaire gets out of the business; glad to close the intolerable rumor, at some cost of
money. For all tongues were wagging; and, in defect of a TIMES Newspaper, it appears, there had Pamphlets
come out; printed Satires, bound or in broadside;sapid, exhilarative, for a season, and interesting to the idle
mind. Of which, TANTALE EN PROCES may still, for the sake of that PREFACE to it, be considered to
have an obscure existence. And such, reduced to its authenticities, was the Adventure of the SteuerNotes. A
very bad Adventure indeed; unspeakably the worst that Voltaire ever tried, who had such talent in the finance
line. On which poor History is really ashamed to have spent so much time; sorting it into clearness, in the
disgust and sorrow of her soul. But perhaps it needed to be done. Let us hope, at least, it may not now need to
be done again. [Besides the KLEIN, the TANTALE EN PROCES and the Voltaire LETTERS cited above,
there is (in OEuvres de Voltaire, lxiv. pp. 61106, as SUPPLEMENT there), written offhand, in the very
thick of the Hirsch Affair, a considerable set of NOTES TO D'ARGET, which might have been still more
elucidative; but are, in their present dateless topsyturvied condition; a very wonder of confusion to the
studious reader!]
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This is the FIRST ACT of Voltaire's TragicFarce at the Court of Berlin: readers may conceive to what a
bleared frostbitten condition it has reduced the first Favonian efflorescence there. He considerably
recovered in the SECOND ACT, such the indelible charm of the Voltaire genius to Friedrich. But it is well
known, the First Act rules all the others; and here, accordingly, the Third Act failed not to prove tragical. Out
of First Act into Second the following EXTRACTS OF CORRESPONDENCE will guide the reader, without
commentary of ours.
Voltaire, left languishing at Berlin, has fallen sick, now that all is over;no doubt, in part really sick, the
unfortunate Phoenix Peafowl, with such a tremor in his bones;and would fain be near Friedrich and
warmth again; fain persuade the outside world that all is sunshine with him. Voltaire's Letters to Friedrich, if
he wrote any, in this Jew time, are lost; here are Friedrich's Answers to Two,one lost, which had been
written from Berlin AFTER the Jew affair was out of Court; and to another (not lost) after the Jew affair was
done.
1. KING FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE AT BERLIN.
"POTSDAM, 24th February, 1751. "I was glad to receive you in my house; I esteemed your genius, your
talents and acquirements; and I had reason to think that a man of your age, wearied with fencing against
Authors, and exposing himself to the storm, came hither to take refuge as in a safe harbor.
"But, on arriving, you exacted of me, in a rather singular manner, Not to take Freron to write me news from
Paris; and I had the weakness, or the complaisance, to grant you this, though it is not for you to decide what
persons I shall take into my service. D'Arnaud had faults towards you; a generous man would have pardoned
them; a vindictive man hunts down those whom he takes to hating. In a word, though to me D'Arnaud had
done nothing, it was on your account that he had to go. You were with the Russian Minister, speaking of
things you had no concern with [Russian Excellency Gross, off home lately, in sudden dudgeon, like an angry
skyrocket, nobody can guess why! [Adelung, vii. 133 (about 1st December, 1750).]and it was thought I
had given you Commission." "You have had the most villanous affair in the world with a Jew. It has made a
frightful scandal all over Town. And that Steuer Schein business is so well known in Saxony, that they have
made grievous complaints of it to me.
"For my own share, I have preserved peace in my house till your arrival: and I warn you, that if you have the
passion of intriguing and caballing, you have applied to the wrong hand. I like peaceable composed people;
who do not put into their conduct the violent passions of Tragedy. In case you can resolve to live like a
Philosopher, I shall be glad to see you; but if you abandon yourself to all the violences of your passions, and
get into quarrels with all the world, you will do me no good by coming hither, and you may as well stay in
Berlin." [Preuss, xxii. 262 (WANTING in the French Editions).]F.
To which Voltaire sighing pathetically in response, "Wrong, ah yes, your Majesty;and sick to death" (see
farther down),here is Friedrich's Second in Answer:
2. FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE AGAIN.
"POTSDAM, 28th February, 1751. "If you wish to come hither, you can do so. I hear nothing of
Lawsuits, not even of yours. Since you have gained it, I congratulate you; and I am glad that this scurvy affair
is done. I hope you will have no more quarrels, neither with the OLD nor with the New TESTAMENT. Such
worryings (CES SORTES DE COMPROMIS) leave their mark on a man; and with the talents of the finest
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genius in France, you will not cover the stains which this conduct would fasten on your reputation in the
longrun. A Bookseller Gosse [read JORE, your Majesty? Nobody ever heard of Gosse as an extant quantity:
Jore, of Rouen, you mean, and his celebrated Lawsuit, about printing the HENRIADE, or I know not what,
long since [Unbounded details on the Jore Case, and from 1731 to 1738 continual LETTERS on it, in
OEuvres de Voltaire; came to a head in 1736 (ib. lxix. 375); Jore penitent, 1738 (ib. i. 262), a Bookseller
Jore, an Opera Fiddler [poor Travenol, wrong dog pincered by the ear], and a Jeweller Jew, these are, of a
surety, names which in no sort of business ought to appear by the side of yours. I write this Letter with the
rough commonsense of a German, who speaks what he thinks, without employing equivocal terms, and
loose assuagements which disfigure the truth: it is for you to profit by it.F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxii.
265.]
So that Voltaire will have to languish: "Wrong, yes;and sick, nigh dead, your Majesty! Ah, could not one
get to some Country Lodge near you, 'the MARQUISAT' for instance? Live silent there, and see your face
sometimes?" [In OEuvres de Frederic (xxii. 259261, 263266) are Four lamenting and repenting,
wheedling and ultimately whining, LETTERS from Voltaire, none of them dated, which have much about
"my dreadful state of health," my passion" for reposing in that MARQUISAT," to one of which Four, or
perhaps to the whole together, the above No. 2 of Friedrich seems to have been Answer. Of that indisputable
"MARQUISAT" no Nicolai says a word; even careful Preuss passes "Gosse" and it with shut lips.]
Languishing very much;gives cosy little dinners, however. Here are two other Excerpts; and these will
suffice:
VOLTAIRE TO FORMEY ("BERLIN PALACE;" DATABLE, FIRST DAYS OF MARCH): "Will you,
Monsieur, come and eat the King's roast meat (ROT DU ROI), today, Thursday, at two o'clock, in a
philosophic, warm and comfortable manner (PHILOSOPHIQUEMENT ET CHAUDEMENT ET
DOUCEMENT). A couple of philosophers, without being courtiers, may dine in the Palace of a
PhilosopherKing: I should even take the liberty of sending one of his Majesty's Carriages for you,at two
precise. After dinner, you would be at hand for your Academy meeting." [Formey, i. 234.]V. How
cosy!And King Friedrich has relented, too; grants me the Marquisat; can refuse me nothing!
VOLTAIRE TO D'ARGENTAL (POTSDAM, 15th MARCH 1751). ... "I could not accompany our
Chamberlain [Von Ammon, gone as Envoy to Paris, on a small matter ["Commercial Treaty;" which he got
done. See LONGCHAMP, if any one is curious otherwise about this Gentleman: "D'Hamon" they call him,
and sometimes "DAMON",to whom Niece Denis wanted to be Phyllis, according to Longchamp.]],
through the muds and the snows,where I should have been buried; I was ill," and had to go to the
MARQUISAT. "D'Arnaud and the pack of Scribblers would have been too glad. D'Arnaud, animated with
the true love of glory, and not yet grown sufficiently illustrious by his own immortal Works, has done ONE
of that kind,"by his behavior here. Has behaved to meoh, like a miserable, envious, intriguing, lying
little scoundrel; and made Berlin too hot for him: seduced Tinois my Clerk, stole bits of the Pucelle (brief
SIGHT of bits, for Prince Henri's sake) to ruin me. "D'Arnaud sent his lies to Freron for the Paris meridian
[that is his real crime]; delightful news from canaille to canaille: 'How Voltaire had lost a great Lawsuit,
respectable Jew Banker cheated by Voltaire; that Voltaire was disgraced by the King,' who of course loves
Jews; 'that Voltaire was ruined; was ill; nay at last, that Voltaire was dead.'" To the joy of Freron, and the
scoundrels that are printing one's PUCELLE. "Voltaire is still in life, however, my angels; and the King has
been so good to me in my sickness, I should be the ungratefulest of men if I didn't still pass some months
with him. When he left Berlin [30th January, six weeks ago], and I was too ill to follow him, I was the sole
animal of my species whom he lodged in his Palace there [what a beautiful bit of color to lay on!]He left
me equipages, cooks ET CETERA; and his mules and horses carted out my temporary furniture (MEUBLES
DE PASSADE) to a delicious House of his, close by Potsdam [MARQUISAT to wit, where I now stretch
myself at ease; Niece Denis coming to live with me there,talks of coming, if my angels knew it],and he
has reserved for me a charming apartment in his Palace of Potsdam, where I pass a part of the week.
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"And, on close view, I still admire this Unique Genius; and he deigns to communicate himself to me;and if
I were not 300 leagues from you, and had a little health, I should be the happiest of men." [ OEuvres de
Voltaire, lxxiv. 320.] ... Oh, my angels
And, in short, better or worse, my SECOND ACT is begun, as you perceive!And certain readers will be
apt to look in again, before all is over.
Chapter VIII. OSTFRIESLAND AND THE SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Two Foreign Events, following on the heel of the Hirsch Lawsuit, were of interest to our Berlin friends,
though not now of much to us or anybody. April 5th, 1751, the old King of Sweden, Landgraf of
HessenCassel, died; whereby not only our friend Wilhelm, the managing Landgraf, becomes Landgraf
indeed (if he should ever turn up on us again), but Princess Ulrique is henceforth Queen of Sweden, her
Husband the new King. No doubt a welcome event to Princess Ulrique, the high braveminded Lady; but
which proved intrinsically an empty one, not to say worse than empty, to herself and her friends, in times
following. Friedrich's connection with Sweden, which he had been tightening lately by a Treaty of Alliance,
came in the longrun to nothing for him, on the Swedish side; and on the Russian has already created
umbrages, kindled abstruse suspicions, indignations,Russian Excellency Gross, abruptly, at Berlin,
demanding horses, not long since, and posting home without other leavetaking, to the surprise of
mankind; Russian Czarina evidently in the sullens against Friedrich, this long while; dull impenetrable
clouds of anger lodging yonder, boding him no good. All which the Accession of Queen Ulrique will rather
tend to aggravate than otherwise. [Adelung, vii. 205 (Accession of Adolf Friedrich); ib. 133 (Gross's sudden
Departure).]
The Second Foreign Event is English, about a week prior in date, and is of still less moment: March 31st,
1751, Prince Fred, the Royal HeirApparent, has suddenly died. Had been ill, more or less, for an eight days
past; was now thought better, though "still coughing, and bringing up phlegm,"when, on "Wednesday
night between nine and ten," in some lengthier fit of that kind, he clapt his hand on his breast; and the
terrified valet heard him say, "JE SUIS MORT!"and before his poor Wife could run forward with a light,
he lay verily dead. [Walpole, GEORGE THE SECOND, i. 71.] The Rising Sun in England is vanished, then.
Yes; and with him his MOONS, and considerable moony workings, and slushings hither and thither, which
they have occasioned, in the muddy tidecurrents of that Constitutional Country. Without interest to us here;
or indeed elsewhere,except perhaps that our dear Wilhelmina would hear of it; and have her sad reflections
and reminiscences awakened by it; sad and manyvoiced, perhaps of an almost doleful nature, being on a
sickbed at this time, poor Lady. She quitted Berlin months ago, as we observed,her farewell Letter to
Friedrich, written from the first stage homewards, and melodious as the voice of sorrowful true hearts to us
and him, dates "November 24th," just while Voltaire (whom she always likes, and in a beautiful way protects,
"FRERE VOLTAIRE," as she calls him) was despatching Hirsch on that ill omened Predatory
STEUERMission. Her Brother is in real alarm for Wilhelmina, about this time; sending out Cothenius his
chief Doctor, and the like: but our dear Princess reemerges from her eclipse; and we shall see her again,
several times, if we be lucky.
And so poor Fred is ended;and sulky people ask, in their cruel way, "Why not?" A poor dissolute flabby
fellowcreature; with a sad destiny, and a sadly conspicuous too. Could write Madrigals; be set to make
Opposition cabals. Read this sudden Epitaph in doggerel; an uncommonly successful Piece of its kind; which
is now his main monument with posterity. The "Brother" (hero of Culloden), the "Sister" (Amelia, our
Friedrich's first love, now growing gossipy and spiteful, poor Princess), are old friends:
"Here lies Prince Fred, Who was alive and is dead: Had it been his Father, I had much rather; Had it been his
Brother, Sooner than any other;
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Had it been his Sister, There's no one would have missed her; Had it been his whole generation, Best of all
for the Nation: But since it's only Fred, There's no more to be said." [Walpole, i. 436.]
FRIEDRIAH VISITS OSTFRIESLAND.
A thing of more importance to us, two months after that catastrophe in London, is Friedrich's first Visit to
OstFriesland. May 3lst, having done his BerlinPotsdam Reviews and other current affairs, Friedrich sets
out on this Excursion. With OstFriesland for goal, but much business by the way. Towards Magdeburg, and
a short visit to the Brunswick Kindred, first of all. There is much reviewing in the Magdeburg quarter, and
thereafter in the Wesel; and reviewing and visiting all along: through Minden, Bielfeld, Lingen: not till July
13th does he cross the OstFriesland Border, and enter Embden. His three Brothers, and Prince Ferdinand of
Brunswick, were with him. [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 506; Seyfarth, ii. 145; Rodenbeck, i. 216 (who gives a
foolish German myth, of Voltaire's being passed off for the King's Baboon, Voltaire not being there at all).]
On catching view of OstFriesland Border, see, on the BorderLine, what an Arch got on its feet: Triumphal
Arch, of frondent ornaments, inscriptions and insignia; "of quite extraordinary magnificence;" Arch which
"sets every one into the agreeablest admiration." Above a hundred such Arches spanned the road at different
points; multitudinous enthusiasm reverently escorting, "more than 20,000" by count: till we enter Embden;
where all is cannonsalvo, and threetimesthree; the thundershots continuing, "above 2,000 of them from
the walls, not to speak of response from the ships in harbor." Embden glad enough, as would appear, and
OstFriesland glad enough, to see their new King. July 13th, 1751; after waiting above six years.
Next day, his Majesty gave audience to the new "Asiatic Shipping Company" (of which anon), to the Stande,
and Magisterial persons; with many questions, I doubt not, about your new embankments, new
improvements, prospects; there being much procedure that way, in all manner of kinds, since the new
Dynasty came in, now six years ago. Embankments on your River, wide spaces changed from ooze to
meadow; on the Dollart still more, which has lain 500 years hidden from the sun. Does any reader know the
Dollart? OstFriesland has awakened to wonderful new industries within these six years; urged and guided
by the new King, who has great things in view for it, besides what are in actual progress.
That of dikes, seaembankments, for example; to OstFriesland, as to Holland, they are the first condition of
existence; and, in the past times, of extreme Parliamentary vitality, have been slipping a good deal out of
repair. Ems River, in those flat rainy countries, has ploughed out for itself a very wide embouchure, as
boundary between Groningen and OstFriesland. Muddy Ems, bickering with the German Ocean, does not
forget to act, if Parliamentary Commissioners do. These dikes, 120 miles of dike, mainly along both banks of
this muddy Ems River, are now watertight again, to the comfort of flax and clover: and this is but one item
of the diking now on foot. Readers do not know the Dollart, that uppermost round gulf, not far from Embden
itself, in the waste embouchure of Ems with its continents of mud and tide. Five hundred years ago, that ugly
whirl of muddy surf, 100 square miles in area, was a fruitful field, "50 Villages upon it, one Town, several
Monasteries and 50,000 souls:" till on Christmas midnight A.D. 1277, the winds and the stormrains having
got to their height, Ocean and Ems did, "about midnight," undermine the place, folded it over like a friable
bedquilt or monstrous doomed griddlecake, and swallowed it all away. Most of it, they say, that night, the
whole of it within ten years coming; [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, v. 845, 846; Preuss, i. 308, 309.]and
there it has hung, like an unlovely GOITRE at the throat of Embden, ever since. One little dot of an Island,
with six houses on it, near the Embden shore, is all that is left. Where probably his Majesty landed (July 15th,
being in a Yacht that day); but did not see, afar off, the "sunk steeple top," which is fabled to be visible at
lowwater.
Upon this Dollart itself there is now to be diking tried; King's DomainKammer showing the example.
Which Official Body did accordingly (without BlueBooks, but in good working case otherwise) break
ground, few months hence; and victoriously achieved a POLDER, or Diked Territory, "worth about 2,000
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pounds annually;" "which, in 1756, was sold to the STANDE;" at twentyfive years purchase, let us say, or
for 50,000 pounds. An example of a convincing nature; which many others, and ever others, have followed
since; to gradual considerable diminution of the Dollart, and relief of OstFriesland on this side. Furtherance
of these things is much a concern of Friedrich's. The second day after his arrival, those audiences and
ceremonials done, Friedrich and suite got on board a Yacht, and sailed about all over this Dollart, twenty
miles out to sea; dined on board; and would have, if the weather was bright (which I hope), a pleasantly
edifying day. The harbor is much in need of dredging, the building docks considerably in disrepair; but shall
be refitted if this King live and prosper. He has declared Embden a "FreeHaven," inviting trade to it from all
peaceable Nations;and readers do not know (though Sir Jonas Hanway and the jealous mercantile world
well did) what magnificent Shipping Companies and SeaEnterprises, of his devising, are afoot there. Of
which, one word, and no second shall follow:
"September 1st, 1750, those Carrousel gayeties scarce done, 'The Asiatic Trading Company' stept formally
into existence; Embden the Headquarters of it; [Patent, or FREYHEITSBRIEF in HeldenGeschichte, iii.
457, 458.] chief Manager a Ritter De la Touche; one of the Directors our fantastic Bielfeld, thus turned to
practical value. A Company patronized, in all ways, by the King; but, for the rest, founded, not on his money;
founded on voluntary shares, which, to the regret of Hanway and others, have had much popularity in
commercial circles. Will trade to China. A thing looked at with umbrage by the English, by the Dutch. A
shame that English people should encourage such schemes, says Hanway. Which nevertheless many Dutch
and many English private persons do,among the latter, one English Lady (name unknown, but I always
suspect 'Miss Barbara Wyndham, of the College, Salisbury'), concerning whom there will be honorable notice
by and by.
"At the time of Friedrich's visit, the Asiatic Company is in full vogue; making ready its first ship for Canton.
First ship, KONIG VON PREUSSEN (tons burden not given), actually sailed 17th February next (1752); and
was followed by a second, named TOWN OF EMBDEN, on the 19th of September following; both of which
prosperously reached Canton, and prosperously returned with cargoes of satisfactory profit. The first of them,
KONIG VON PREUSSEN, had been boarded in the Downs by an English Captain Thomson and his Frigate,
and detained some days,till Thomson 'took Seven English seamen out of her.' 'Act of Parliament, express!'
said his Grace of Newcastle. Which done, Thomson found that the English jealousies would have to hold
their hand; no farther, whatever one's wishes may be.
"Nay within a year hence, January 24th, 1753, Friedrich founded another Company for India:
'BENGALISCHE HANDELSGESELLSCHAFT;' which also sent out its pair of ships, perhaps oftener than
once; and pointed, as the other was doing, to wide fields of enterprise, for some time. But luck was wanting.
And, 'in part, mismanagement,' and, in whole, the SevenYears War put an end to both Companies before
long. Friedrich is full of these thoughts, among his other Industrialisms; and never quits them for
discouragement, but tries again, when the obstacles cease to be insuperable. Ever since the acquisition of
OstFriesland, the furtherance of SeaCommerce had been one of Friedrich's chosen objects. 'Let us carry
our own goods at least, Silesian linens, Memel timbers, stockfish; what need of the Dutch to do it?' And in
many branches his progress had been remarkable,especially in this carrying trade, while the War lasted,
and crippled all AntiEnglish belligerents. Upon which, indeed, and the conduct of the English Privateers to
him, there is a Controversy going on with the English Court in those years (began in 1747), most distressful
to his Grace of Newcastle;which in part explains those stingy procedures of Captain Thomson ('Home, you
seven English sailors!') when the first Canton ship put to sea. That Controversy is by no means ended after
three years, but on the contrary, after two years more, comes to a crisis quite shocking to his Grace of
Newcastle, and defying all solution on his Grace's side,the other Party, after such delays, five years
waiting, having settled it for himself!" Of which, were the crisis come, we will give some account.
On the third day of his Visit, Friedrich drove to Aurich, the seat of Government, and official little capital of
OstFriesland; where triumphal arches, joyful reverences, concourses, demonstrations, sumptuous Dinner
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one item, awaited his Majesty: I know not if, in the way thither or back, he passed those "Three huge Oaks
[or the rotted stems or roots of them] under which the Ancient Frisians, Lords of all between Weser and
Rhine, were wont to assemble in Parliament" (WITHOUT Fourth Estate, or any Eloquence except of the
purely Business sort),or what his thoughts on the late OstFriesland Bandbox Parliaments may have been!
He returned to Embden that night; and on the morrow started homewards; we may fancy, tolerably pleased
with what he had seen.
"King Friedrich's main Objects of Pursuit in this Period," says a certain Author, whom we often follow, "I
define as being Three. 1. Reform of the Law; 2. Furtherance of Husbandry and Industry in all kinds,
especially of Shipping from Embden; 3. Improvement of his own Domesticities and Household
Enjoyments,"renewal of the Reinsberg Program, in short.
"In the First of these objects," continues he, "King Friedrich's success was very considerable, and got him
great fame in the world. In his Second head of efforts, that of improving the Industries and Husbandries
among his People, his success, though less noised of in foreign parts, was to the near observer still more
remarkable. A perennial business with him, this; which, even in the time of War, he never neglects; and
which springs out like a stemmed flood, whenever Peace leaves him free for it. His labors by all methods to
awaken new branches of industry, to cherish and further the old, are incessant, manifold, unwearied; and will
surprise the uninstructed reader, when he comes to study them. An airy, poetizing, bantering, lightly brilliant
King, supposed to be serious mainly in things of War, how is he moiling and toiling, like an evervigilant
LandSteward, like the most industrious City Merchant, hardestworking Merchant's Clerk, to increase his
industrial Capital by any the smallest item!
"One day, these things will deserve to be studied to the bottom; and to be set forth, by writing hands that are
competent, for the instruction and example of Workers,that is to say, of all men, Kings most of all, when
there are again Kings. At present, I can only say they astonish me, and put me to shame: the unresting
diligence displayed in them, and the immense sumtotal of them, what man, in any the noblest pursuit, can
say that he has stood to it, sixandforty years long, in the style of this man? Nor did the harvest fail; slow
sure harvest, which sufficed a patient Friedrich in his own day; harvest now, in our day, visible to everybody:
in a Prussia all shooting into manufactures, into commerces, opulences, I only hope, not TOO fast, and on
more solid terms than are universal at present! Those things might be didactic, truly, in various points, to this
Generation; and worth looking back upon, from its high LAISSEZFAIRE altitudes, its triumphant Scrip
transactions and continents of goldnuggets,pleasing, it doubts not, to all the gods. To write well of what
is called 'Political Economy' (meaning thereby increase of money'sworth) is reckoned meritorious, and our
nearest approach to the rational sublime. But to accomplish said increase in a high and indisputable degree;
and indisputably very much by your own endeavors wisely regulating those of others, does not that approach
still nearer the sublime?
"To prevent disappointment, I ought to add that Friedrich is the reverse of orthodox in 'Political Economy;'
that he had not faith in FreeTrade, but the reverse;nor had ever heard of those ultimate Evangels,
unlimited Competition, fair Start, and perfervid Race by all the world (towards 'CHEAPANDNASTY,' as
the likeliest winningpost for all the world), which have since been vouchsafed us. Probably in the world
there was never less of a FreeTrader! Constraint, regulation, encouragement, discouragement, reward,
punishment; these he never doubted were the method, and that government was good everywhere if wise, bad
only if not wise. And sure enough these methods, where human justice and the earnest sense and insight of a
Friedrich preside over them, have results, which differ notably from opposite cases that can be imagined! The
desperate notion of giving up government altogether, as a relief from human blockheadism in your governors,
and their want even of a wish to be just or wise, had not entered into the thoughts of Friedrich; nor driven him
upon trying to believe that such, in regard to any Human Interest whatever, was, or could be except for a little
while in extremely developed cases, the true way of managing it. How disgusting, accordingly, is the Prussia
of Friedrich to a Hanbury Williams; who has bad eyes and dirty spectacles, and hates Friedrich: how singular
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and lamentable to a Mirabeau Junior, who has good eyes, and loves him! No knave, no impertinent blockhead
even, can follow his own beautiful devices here; but is instantly had up, or comes upon a turnpike strictly
shut for him. 'Was the like ever heard of?' snarls Hanbury furiously (as an angry dog might, in a labyrinth it
sees not the least use for): 'What unspeakable want of liberty!'and reads to you as if he were lying outright;
but generally is not, only exaggerating, tumbling upside down, to a furious degree; knocking against the
labyrinth HE sees not the least use for. Mirabeau's Gospel of FreeTrade, preached in 1788, [MONARCHIE
PRUSSIENNE he calls it (A LONDRES, privately Paris, 1788), 8 vols. 8vo; which is a DeadSea of
Statistics, compiled by industrious Major Mauvillon, with this fresh current of a "Gospel" shining through it,
very fresh and brisk, of few yards breadth;dedicated to Papa, the true PROTevangelist of the thing.]a
comparatively recent Performance, though now some seventy or eighty years the senior of an English
(unconscious) Facsimile, which we have all had the pleasure of knowing,will fall to be noticed
afterwards [not by this Editor, we hope!]
"Many of Friedrich's restrictive notions,as that of watching with such anxiety that 'money' (gold or silver
coin) be not carried out of the Country,will be found mistakes, not in orthodox Dismal Science as now
taught, but in the nature of things; and indeed the Dismal Science will generally excommunicate them in the
lump,too. heedless that Fact has conspicuously vindicated the general sum total of them, and declared it
to be much truer than it seems to the Dismal Science. Dismal Science (if that were important to me) takes
insufficient heed, and does not discriminate between times past and times present, times here and times
there."
Certain it is, King Friedrich's success in National Husbandry was very great. The details of the very many
new Manufactures, new successful everspreading Enterprises, fostered into existence by Friedrich; his
Canalmakings, Roadmakings, Bogdrainings, Colonizings and unwearied endeavorings in that kind, will
require a Technical Philosopher one day; and will well reward such study, and trouble of recording in a
human manner; but must lie massed up in mere outline on the present occasion. Friedrich, as LandFather,
Shepherd of the People, was great on the Husbandry side also; and we are to conceive him as a man of
excellent practical sense, doing unweariedly his best in that kind, all his life long. Alone among modern
Kings; his late Father the one exception; and even his Father hardly surpassing him in that particular.
In regard to Embden and the Shipping interests, OstFriesland awakened very ardent speculations, which
were a novelty in Prussian affairs; nothing of Foreign Trade, except into the limited Baltic, had been heard of
there since the Great Elector's time. The Great Elector had ships, Forts on the Coast of Africa; and tried hard
for Atlantic Trade,out of this same Embden; where, being summoned to protect in the troubles, he had got
some footing as Contingent Heir withal, and kept a "Prussian Battalion" a good while. And now, on much
fairer terms, not less diligently turned to account, it is his GreatGrandson's turn. Friedrich's successes in this
department, the rather as Embden and OstFriesland have in our time ceased to be Prussian, are not much
worth speaking of; but they connect themselves with some points still slightly memorable to us. How, for
example, his vigilantes and endeavors on this score brought him into rubbings, not collisions, but jealousies
and gratings, with the English and Dutch, the reader will see anon.
Lawreform is gloriously prosperous; Husbandry the like, and Shipping Interest itself as yet. But in the Third
grand Head, that of realizing the Reinsberg Program, beautifying his Domesticities, and bringing his own
Hearth and Household nearer the Ideal, Friedrich was nothing like so successful; in fact had no success at all.
That flattering Reinsberg Program, it is singular how Friedrich cannot help trying it by every new chance, nor
cast the notion out of him that there must be a kind of Muses'Heaven realizable on Earth! That is the
Biographic Phenomenon which has survived of those Years; and to that we will almost exclusively address
ourselves, on behalf of ingenuous readers.
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Chapter IX. SECOND ACT 0F TEE VOLTAIRE VISIT.
Voltaire's Visit lasted, in all, about Thirtytwo Months; and is divisible into Three Acts or Stages. The first
we have seen: how it commenced in brightness as of the sun, and ended, by that Hirsch business, in
whirlwinds of smoke and soot,Voltaire retiring, on his passionate prayer, to that silent Countryhouse
which he calls the Marquisat; there to lie in hospital, and wash himself a little, and let the skies wash
themselves.
The Hirsch business having blown over, as all things do, Voltaire resumed his place among the
CourtPlanets, and did his revolutions; striving to forget that there ever was a Hirsch, or a soot explosion of
that nature. In words nobody reminded him of it, the King least of all: and by degrees matters were again
tolerably glorious, and all might have gone well enough; though the primal perfect splendor, such fuliginous
reminiscence being ineffaceable, never could be quite reattained. The diamond Cross of Merit, the
Chamberlain gold Key, hung bright upon the man; a man the admired of men. He had work to do: work of his
own which he reckoned priceless (that immortal SIECLE DE LOUIS QUATORZE; which he stood by, and
honestly did, while here; the one fixed axis in those fooleries and whirlings of his);work for the King, "two
hours, one hour, a day," which the King reckoned priceless in its sort. For Friedrich himself Voltaire has,
with touches of real love coming out now and then, a very sincere admiration mixed with fear; and delights in
shining to him, and being well with him, as the greatest pleasure now left in life. Besides the King, he had
society enough, French in type, and brilliant enough: plenty of society; or, at his wish, what was still better,
none at all. He was bedded, boarded, lodged, as if beneficent fairies had done it for him; and for all these
things no price asked, you might say, but that he would not throw himself out of window! Had the man been
wise But he was not wise. He had, if no big gloomy devil in him among the bright angels that were there, a
multitude of ravening tumultuary imps, or little devils very ILLCHAINED; and was lodged, he and his
restless little devils, in a skin far too thin for him and them!
Reckoning up the matter, one cannot find that Voltaire ever could have been a blessing at Berlin, either for
Friedrich or himself; and it is to be owned that Friedrich was not wise in so longing for him, or clasping him
so frankly in his arms. As Friedrich, by this time, probably begins to discover;though indeed to Friedrich
the thing is of finite moment; by no means of infinite, as it was to Voltaire. "At worst, nothing but a little
money thrown away!" thinks Friedrich: "Sure enough, this is a strange Trismegistus, this of mine: star
firework shall we call him, or terrestrial smokeandsoot work? But one can fence oneself against the blind
vagaries of the man; and get a great deal of good by him, in the lucid intervals." To Voltaire himself the
position is most agitating; but then its glories, were there nothing more! Besides hy is always thinking to quit
it shortly; which is a great sedative in troubles. What with intermittencies (safe hidings in one's
MARQUISAT, or vacant interlunar cave), with alternations of offence and reconcilement; what with
occasional actual flights to Paris (whitherward Voltaire is always busy to keep a postern open; and of which
there is frequent talk, and almost continual thought, all along), flights to be called "visits," and privately
intending to be final, but never proving so,the VoltaireFriedrich relation, if left to itself, might perhaps
long have staggered about, and not ended as it did.
But, alas, no relation can be left to itself in this world, especially if you have a porous skin! There were
other French here, as well as Voltaire, revolving in the Courtcircle; and that, beyond all others, proved the
fatal circumstance to him. "NE SAVEZVOUS PAS, Don't you know," said he to Chancellor Jarriges one
day, "that when there are two Frenchmen in a Foreign Court or Country, one of them must die (FAUT QUE
L'UN DES DEUX PERISSE)?" [Seyfarth, ii. 191; Which shocked the mind of Jarriges; but had a kind of
truth, too. Jew Hirsch, run into for low smuggling purposes, had been a Cape of Storms, difficult to weather;
but the continual leeshore were those French,with a heavy gale on, and one of the rashest pilots! He did
strike the breakers there, at last; and it is well known, total shipwreck was the issue. Our Second Act, holding
out dubiously, in continual perils, till Autumn, 1752, will have to pass then into a Third of darker
complexion, and into a Catastrophe very dark indeed.
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Catastrophe which, by farther ill accident, proved noisy in the extreme; producing worldwide shrieks from
the one party, stone silence from the other; which were answered by unlimited hooting, catcalling and
hahaing from all parts of the WorldTheatre, upon both the shrieky and the silent party; catcalling not fallen
quite dead to this day. To Friedrich the catcalling was not momentous (being used to such things); though to
poor Voltaire it was unlimitedly so:and to readers interested in this memorable Pair of Men, the rights and
wrongs of the Affair ought to be rendered authentically conceivable, now at last. Were it humanly
possible, after so much catcalling at random! Smelfungus has a right to say, speaking of this matter:
"Never was such a jumble of loudroaring ignorances, delusions and confusions, as the current Records of it
are. Editors, especially French Editors, treating of a Hyperborean, Cimmerian subject, like this, are
easygoing creatures. And truly they have left it for us in a wonderful state. Dateless, much of it, by nature;
and, by the lazy Editors, MISdated into very chaos; jumbling along there, in mad defiance of top and bottom;
often the very Year given wrong: full everywhere of lazy darkness, irradiated only by stupid rages,
illdirected mockeries:and for issue, cheerfully malicious hootings from the general mob of mankind, with
unbounded contempt of their betters; which is not pleasant to see. When mobs do get together, round any
signal object; and editorial gentlemen, with talent for it, pour out from their respective barrelheads, in a
persuasive manner, instead of knowledge, ignorance set on fire, they are capable of carrying it far!Will it
be possible to pick out the small glimmerings of real light, from this mad dance of willo'wisps and
fireflies thrown into agitation?"
It will be very difficult, my friend;why did not you yourself do it? Most true, "those actual
VoltaireFriedrich LETTERS of the time are a resource, and pretty much the sole one: Letters a good few,
still extant; which all HAD their bit of meaning; and have it still, if well tortured till they give it out, or give
some glimmer of it out:"but you have not tortured them; you have left it to me, if I would! As I assuredly
will not (never fear, reader!) except in the thriftiest degree.
DETACHED FEATURES (NOT FABULOUS) OF VOLTAIRE AND HIS
BERLINPOTSDAM ENVIRONMENT IN 17511752.
To the outside crowd of observers, and to himself in good moments, Voltaire represents his situation as the
finest in the world:
"Potsdam is Sparta and Athens joined in one; nothing but reviewing and poetry day by day. The Algarottis,
the Maupertuises, are here; have each his work, serious for himself; then gay Supper with a King, who is a
great man and the soul of good company." ... Sparta and Athens, I tell you: "a Camp of Mars and the Garden
of Epicurus; trumpets and violins, War and Philosophy. I have my time all to myself; am at Court and in
freedom,if I were not entirely free, neither an enormous Pension, nor a Gold Key tearing out one's pocket,
nor a halter (LICOU), which they call CORDON of an ORDER, nor even the Suppers with a Philosopher
who has gained Five Battles, could yield me the least happiness." [ OEuvres, lxxiv. 325, 326, 333 (Letters, to
D'Argental and others, "27th April8th May, 1751").] Looked at by you, my outside friends,ah, had I
health and YOU here, what a situation!
But seen from within, it is far otherwise. Alongside of these warblings of a heart grateful to the first of Kings,
there goes on a series of utterances to Niece Denis, remarkable for the misery driven into meanness, that can
be read in them. Illhealth, discontent, vague terror, suspicion that dare not go to sleep; a strange vague
terror, shapeless or taking all shapesa body diseased and a mind diseased. Fear, quaking continually for
nothing at all, is not to be borne in a handsome manner. And it passes, often enough (in these poor
LETTERS), into transient malignity, into gusts of trembling hatred, with a tendency to relieve oneself by
private scandal of the house we are in. Seldom was a miserabler wrongside seen to a bit of royal tapestry. A
man hunted by the little devils that dwell unchained within himself; like Pentheus by the Maenads, like
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Actaeon by his own Dogs. Nay, without devils, with only those terrible bowels of mine, and scorbutic gums,
it is bad enough: "Glorious promotions to me here," sneers he bitterly; "but one thing is indisputable, I have
lost seven of my poor residue of teeth since I came!" In truth, we are in a sadly scorbutic state; and that, and
the devils we lodge within ourselves, is the one real evil. Could not Suspicionwhy cannot she!take her
natural rest; and all these terrors vanish? Oh, M. de Voltaire!The practical purport, to Niece Denis, always
is: Keep my retreat to Paris open; in the name of Heaven, no obstruction that way!
Miserable indeed; a man fatally unfit for his present element! But he has Two considerable Sedatives, all
along; two, and no third visible to me. Sedative FIRST: that, he can, at any time, quit this illustrious
TartarusElysium, the envy of mankind;and indeed, practically, he is always as if on the slip; thinking to
be off shortly, for a time, or in permanence; can be off at once, if things grow too bad. Sedative SECOND is
far better: His own labor on LOUIS QUATORZE, which is steadily going on, and must have been a potent
quietus in those Courtwhirlwinds inward and outward.
From Berlin, already in Autumn, 1750, Voltaire writes to D'Argental: "I sha'n't go to Italy this Autumn [nor
ever in my life], as I had projected. But I will come to see YOU in the course of November" (far from it, I got
into STEUERSCHEINE then!) And again, after some weeks: "I have put off my journey to Italy for a
year. Next Winter too, therefore, I shall see you," on the road thither. "To my Country, since you live in it, I
will make frequent visits," very! "Italy and the King of Prussia are two old passions with me; but I cannot
treat FredericleGrand as I can the Holy Father, with a mere look in passing." [To D'Argental, "Berlin, 14th
September,Potsdam, 15th October, 1750" ( OEuvres, lxxiv. 220, 237).] Let this one, to which many might
be added, serve as sample of Sedative First, or the power and intention to be off before long.
In regard to Sedative Second, again: ... "The happiest circumstance is, "brought with me all my
LOUISFOURTEENTH Papers and Excerpts. 'I get from Leipzig, if no nearer, whatever Books are needed;'"
and labor faithfully at this immortal Production. Yes, day by day, to see growing, by the cunning of one's
own right hand, such perennial Solomon'sTemple of a SIECLE DE LOUIS QUATORZE:which of your
Kings, or truculent, TiglathPilesers, could do that? To poor me, even in the Potsdam tempests, it is possible:
what ugliest day is not beautiful that sees a stone or two added there!Daily Voltaire sees himself at work
on his SIECLE, on those fine terms; trowel in one hand, weapon of war in the other. And does actually
accomplish it, in the course of this Year 1751,with a great deal of punctuality and severe painstaking;
which readers of our day, fallen careless of the subject, are little aware of, on Voltaire's behalf. Voltaire's
reward was, that he did NOT go mad in that Berlin element, but had throughout a boweranchor to ride by.
"The King of France continues me as Gentleman of the Chamber, say you; but has taken away my Title of
Historiographer? That latter, however, shall still be my function. 'My present independence has given weight
to my verdicts on matters. Probably I never could have written this Book at Paris.' A consolation for one's
exile, MON ENFANT." [To Niece Denis ( OEuvres, lxxiv. 247, "28th October, 1750," and subsequent dates.]
It is proper also to observe that, besides shining at the King's Suppers like no other, Voltaire applies himself
honestly to do for his Majesty the small work required of him,that of Verse correcting now and then. Two
Specimens exist; two Pieces criticised, ODE AUX PRUSSIENS, and THE ART OF WAR: portions of that
Reprint now going on ("to the extent of Twelve Copies,"woe lies in one of them, most unexpected at this
time!) "AU DONJON DU CHATEAU;"under benefit of Voltaire's remarks. Which one reads curiously,
not without some surprise. [In OEuvres de Frederic, x. 276303.] Surprise, first at Voltaire's official fidelity;
his frankness, rigorous strictness in this small duty: then at the kind of correcting, instructing and lessoning,
that had been demanded of him by his Royal Pupil. Mere grammatical stylistic skindeep work: nothing (or,
at least, in these Specimens nothing) of attempt upon the interior structure, or the interior harmony even of
utterance: solely the Parisian niceties, graces, laws of poetic language, the FAS and the NEFAS in regard to
all that: this is what his Majesty would fain be taught from the fountainhead;one wonders his Majesty did
not learn to spell, which might have been got from a lower source!And all this Voltaire does teach with
great strictness. For example, in the very first line, in the very first word, set, before him:
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"PRUSSIENS, QUE LA VALEUR CONDUISIT A LA GLOIRE," so Friedrich had written (ODE AUX
PRUSSIENS, which is specimen First); and thus Voltaire criticises: "The Hero here makes his PRUSSIENS
of two syllables; and afterwards, in another strophe, he grants them three. A King is master of his favors. At
the same time, one does require a little uniformity; and the IENS are usually of two syllables, as LIENS,
SILESIENS, AUTRICHIENS; excepting the monosyllables BIEN, RIEN"Enough, enough!A severe,
punctual, painstaking Voltaire, sitting with the schoolmaster's bonnet on head; ferula visible, if not actually in
hand. For which, as appears, his Majesty was very grateful to the Trismegistus of men.
Voltaire's flatteries to Friedrich, in those scattered little Billets with their snatches of verse, are the prettiest in
the world,and approach very near to sincerity, though seldom quite attaining it. Something traceable of
false, of suspicious, feline, nearly always, in those seductive warblings; which otherwise are the most
melodious bits of idle ingenuity the human brain has ever spun from itself. For instance, this heading of a
Note sent from one room to another,perhaps with pieces of an ODE AUX PRUSSIENS accompanying:
"Vou gui daignez me departir
Les fruits d'une Muse divine,
O roi! je ne puis consentir
Que, sans daigner m'en avertir,
Vous alliez prendre medecine.
Je suis votre maladene,
Et sur la casse et le sene,
J'ai des notions non communes.
Nous sommes de mene metier;
Fautil de moi vous defier,
Et cacher vos bonnes fortunes?"
Was there ever such a turn given to taking physic! Still better is this other, the topic
worse,HAEMORRHOIDS (a kind of annual or periodical affair with the Royal Patient, who used to feel
improved after):
... (Ten or twelve verses on another point; then suddenly)
"Que la veine hemorroidale
De votre personne royale
Cesse de troubler le repos!
Quand pourraije d'une style honnete
Dire: 'Le cul de mon heros
Va tout aussi bien que sa tete'?" [In OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 283, 267.]
A kittenish grace in these things, which is pleasant in so old a cat.
Smelfungus says: "He is a consummate Artist in Speech, our Voltaire: that, if you take the word SPEECH in
its widest sense, and consider the much that can be spoken, and the infinitely more that cannot and should
not, is Voltaire's supreme excellency among his fellowcreatures; never rivalled (to my poor judgment)
anywhere before or since,nor worth rivalling, if we knew it well."
Another fine circumstance is, that Voltaire has frequent leave of absence; and in effect passes a great deal of
his time altogether by himself, or in his own way otherwise. What with Friedrich's Review Journeys and
Business Circuits, considerable separations do occur of themselves; and at any time, Voltaire has but to plead
illness, which he often does; with ground and without, and get away for weeks, safe into the distance more or
less remote. He is at the Marquisat (as we laboriously make out); at Berlin, in the empty Palace, perhaps in
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Lodgings of his own (though one would prefer the GRATIS method); nursing his maladies, which are many;
writing his LOUIS QUATORZE; "lonely altogether, your Majesty, and sad of humor,"yet giving his cosy
little dinners, and running out, pretty often, if well invited, into the brilliancies and gayeties. No want of
brilliant social life here, which can shine, more or less, and appreciate one's shining. The King's
Supperparties Yes, and these, though the brightest, are not the only bright things in our PotsdamBerlin
world. Take with you, reader, one or two of the then and there Chief Figures; Voltaire's fellowplayers;
strutting and fretting their hour on that Stage of Life. They are mostly not quite strangers to you.
We know the sublime Perpetual President in his red wig, and sublime supremacy of Pure Science. A gloomy
set figure; affecting the sententious, the emphatic and a composed impregnability,like the Jove of Science.
With immensities of gloomy vanity, not compressible at all times. Friedrich always strove to honor his
Perpetual President, and duly adore the Pure Sciences in him; but inwardly could not quite manage it, though
outwardly he failed in nothing. Impartial witnesses confess, the King had a great deal of trouble with his
gloomings and him. "Who is this Voltaire?" gloomily thinks the Perpetual President to himself. "A fellow
with a nimble tongue, that is all. Knows nothing whatever of Pure Sciences, except what fraction or tincture
he has begged or stolen from myself. And here is the King of the world in raptures with him!"
Voltaire from of old had faithfully done his kowtows to this King of the Sciences; and, with a sort of terror,
had suffered with incredible patience a great deal from him. But there comes an end to all things; Voltaire's
patience not excepted. It lay in the fates that Maupertuis should steadily accumulate, day after day, and now
more than ever heretofore, upon the sensitive Voltaire. Till, as will be seen, the sensitive Voltaire could
endure it no longer; but had to explode upon this big Bully (accident lending a spark); to go off like a
Vesuvius of crackers, fireserpents and skyrockets; envelop the red wig, and much else, in delirious
conflagration;and produce the catastrophe of this Berlin Drama.
D'Argens, poor dissolute creature, is the best of the French lot. He has married, after so many temporary
marriages with Actresses, one Actress in permanence, Mamsell Cochois, a patient kind being; and settled
now, at Potsdam here, into perfectly composed household life. Really loves Friedrich, they say; the only
Frenchman of them that does. Has abundance of light sputtery wit, and Provencal fire and ingenuity; no
illnature against any man. Never injures anybody, nor lies at all about anything. A great friend of fine
weather; regrets, of his inheritances in Provence, chiefly one item, and this not overmuch,the bright
southern sun. Sits shivering in wintertime, wrapping himself in more and more flannel, two
dressinggowns, two nightcaps:loyal to this King, in good times and in evil.
Was the King's friend for thirty years; helped several meritorious people to his Majesty's notice; and never
did any man a mischief in that quarter. An erect, guileless figure; very tall; with vivid countenance,
chaotically vivid mind: full of bright sallies, irregular ingenuities; had a hot temper too, which did not often
run away with him, but sometimes did. He thrice made a visit to Provence,in fact ran away from the King,
feeling bantered and roasted to a merciless degree,but thrice came back. "At the end of the first stage, he
had always privately forgiven the King, and determined that the pretended visit should really be a visit only."
"Reads the King's Letters," which are many to him, "always bare headed, in spite of the draughts!" [Nicolai,
Anekdoten, i. 1175,
Algarotti is too prudent, politely egoistic and selfcontained, to take the trouble of hurting anybody, or get
himself into trouble for love or hatred. He fell into disfavor not long after that unsuccessful little mission in
the first Silesian War, of which the reader has lost remembrance. Good for nothing in diplomacy, thought
Friedrich, but agreeable as company. "Company in tents, in the seat of War, has its unpleasantness," thought
Algarotti;and began very privately sounding the waters at Dresden for an eligible situation; so that there
has ensued a quarrel since; then humble apologies followed by profound silence,till now there is
reconcilement. It is admitted Friedrich had some real love for Algarotti; Algarotti, as we gather, none at all
for him; but only for his greatness. They parted again (February, 1753) without quarrel, but for the last time;
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[AlgarottiCorrespondence ( OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 86).]and I confess to a relief on the occasion.
Friedrich, readers know by this time, had a great appetite for conversation: he talked well, listened well; one
of his chief enjoyments was, to give and receive from his fellowcreatures in that way. I hope, and indeed
have evidence, that he required good sense as the staple; but in the form, he allowed great latitude. He by no
means affected solemnity, rather the reverse; goes much upon the bantering vein; far too much, according to
the complaining parties. Took pleasure (cruel mortal!) in stirring up his company by the whip, and even by
the whip applied to RAWS; for we find he had "established," like the Dublin HackneyCoachman, "raws for
himself;" and habitually plied his implement there, when desirous to get into the gallop. In an inhuman
manner, said the suffering Cattle; who used to rebel against it, and go off in the sulks from time to time. It is
certain he could, especially in his younger years, put up with a great deal of zanyism, ingenious foolery and
rough tumbling, if it had any basis to tumble on; though with years he became more saturnine.
By far his chief Artist in this kind, indeed properly the only one, was La Mettrie, whom we once saw
transiently as ArmySurgeon at Fontenoy: he is now out of all that (flung out, with the dogs at his heels); has
been safe in Berlin for three years past. Friedrich not only tolerates the poor madcap, but takes some pleasure
in him: madcap we say, though poor La Mettrie had remarkable gifts, exuberant laughter one of them, and
was far from intending to be mad. Not Zanyism, but Wisdom of the highest nature, was what he drove
at,unluckily, with open mouth, and mind all in tumult. La Mettrie had left the Army, soon after that busy
Fontenoy evening: Chivalrous Grammont, his patron and protector, who had saved him from many scrapes,
lay shot on the field. La Mettrie, rushing on with mouth open and mind in tumult, had, from of old, been
continually getting into scrapes. Unorthodox to a degree; the Sorbonne greedy for him long since; such his
audacities in print, his heavy hits, boisterous, quizzical, logical. And now he had set to attacking the Medical
Faculty, to quizzing Medicine in his wild way; Doctor Astruc, Doctor This and That, of the first celebrity,
taking it very ill. So that La Mettrie had to demit; to get out of France rather in a hurry, lest worse befell.
He had studied at Leyden, under Boerhaave. He had in fact considerable medical and other talent, had he not
been so tumultuous and openmouthed. He fled to Leyden; and shot forth, in safety there, his fiery darts upon
Sorbonne and Faculty, at his own discretion,which was always a MINIMUM quantity:he had, before
long, made Leyden also too hot for him. His Books gained a kind of celebrity in the world; awoke laughter
and attention, among the adventurous of readers; astonishment at the blazing madcap (a BON DIABLE, too,
as one could see); and are still known to Catalogue makers,though, with one exception, L'HOMME
MACHINE, not otherwise, nor read at all. L'HOMME MACHINE (Man a Machine) is the exceptional Book;
smallest of Duodecimos to have so much wildfire in it, This MAN A MACHINE, though tumultuous La
Mettrie meant nothing but openmouthed Wisdom by it, gave scandal in abundance; so that even the Leyden
Magistrates were scandalized; and had to burn the afflicting little Duodecimo by the common hangman, and
order La Mettrie to disappear instantly from their City.
Which he had to do,towards King Friedrich, usual refuge of the persecuted; seldom inexorable, where
there was worth, even under bad forms, recognizable; and not a friend to burning poor men or their books, if
it could be helped. La Mettrie got some post, like D'Arget's, or still more nominal; "readership;" some small
pension to live upon; and shelter to shoot forth his wildfire, when he could hold it no longer: fire, not of a
malignant incendiary kind, but pleasantly lambent, though maddish, as Friedrich perceived. Thus had La
Mettrie found a Goshen;and stood in considerable favor, at Court and in Berlin Society in the years now
current. According to Nicolai, Friedrich never esteemed La Mettrie, which is easy to believe, but found him a
jester and ingenious madcap, out of whom a great deal of merriment could be had, over wine or the like. To
judge by Nicolai's authentic specimen, their Colloquies ran sometimes pretty deep into the cynical, under
showers of wildfire playing about; and the highjinks must have been highish. [ Anekdoten, vi. 197227.]
When there had been enough of this, Friedrich would lend his La Mettrie to the French Excellency, Milord
Tyrconnel, to oblige his Excellency, and get La Mettrie out of the way for a while. Milord is at Berlin; a
Jacobite Irishman, of blusterous Irish qualities, though with plenty of sagacity and rough sense; likes La
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Mettrie; and is not much a favorite with Friedrich.
Tyrconnel had said, at first,when Rothenburg, privately from Friedrich, came to consult him, "What are, in
practical form, those 'assistances from the Most Christian Majesty,' should we MAKE Alliance with him, as
your Excellency proposes, and chance to be attacked?""MORBLEU, assistance enough [enumerating
several]: MAIS MORBLEU, SI VOUS NOUS TROMPEX, VOUS SEREZ ECRASES (if you deceive us,
you will be squelched)!" [Valori, ii. 130, "He had been chosen for his rough tongue," says Valori; our French
Court being piqued at Friedrich and his sarcasms. Tyrconnel gives splendid dinners: Voltaire often of them;
does not love Potsdam, nor is loved by it. Nay, I sometimes think a certain DEMON NEWSWRITER (of
whom by and by), but do not know, may be some hungry Attache of Tyrconnel's. Hungry Attache, shut out
from the divine Suppers and upper planetary movements, and reduced to look on them from his cold hutch, in
a doglike angry and hungry manner? His flying allusions to Voltaire, "SON (Friedrich's) SQUELETTE
D'APOLLON, skeleton of an Apollo," and the like, are barkings almost rabid.
Of the military sort, about this time, Keith and Rothenburg appear most frequently as guests or companions.
Rothenburg had a great deal of Friedrich's regard: Winterfeld is more a practical Counseller, and does not
shine in learned circles, as Rothenburg may. A fiery soldier too, this Rothenburg, withal;a man probably of
many talents and qualities, though of distinctly decipherable there is next to no record of him or them. He had
a Parisian Wife; who is sometimes on the point of coming with Niece Denis to Berlin, and of setting up their
two French households there; but never did it, either of them, to make an Uncle or a Husband happy.
Rothenburg was bred a Catholic: "he headed the subscription for the famous 'KATHOLISCHE KIRCHE,'" so
delightful to the Pope and liberal Christians in those years; "but never gave a sixpence of money," says
Voltaire once: Catholic KIRK was got completed with difficulty; stands there yet, like a large washbowl set,
bottom uppermost, on the top of a narrowish tub; but none of Rothenburg's money is in it. In Voltaire's
Correspondence there is frequent mention of him; not with any love, but with a certain secret respect, rather
inclined to be disrespectful, if it durst or could: the eloquent vocal individual not quite at ease beside the more
silent thinking and acting one. What we know is, Friedrich greatly loved the man. There is some straggle of
CORRESPONDENCE between Friedrich and him left; but it is worth nothing; gives no testimony of that, or
of anything else noticeable:and that is the one fact now almost alone significant of Rothenburg. Much
loved and esteemed by the King; employed diplomatically, now and then; perhaps talked with on such
subjects, which was the highest distinction. Poor man, he is in very bad health in these months; has never
rightly recovered of his wounds; and dies in the last days of 1751,to the bitter sorrow of the King, as is still
on record. A highly respectable dim figure, far more important in Friedrich's History than he looks. As King's
guest, he can in these months play no part.
Highly respectable too, and well worth talking to, though left very dim to us in the Books, is Marshal Keith;
who has been growing gradually with the King, and with everybody, ever since he came to these parts in
1747. A man of Scotch type; the broad accent, with its sagacities, veracities, with its steadfastly fixed
moderation, and its sly twinkles of defensive humor, is still audible to us through the foreign wrappages. Not
given to talk, unless there is something to be said; but well capable of it then. Friedrich, the more he knows
him, likes him the better. On all manner of subjects he can talk knowingly, and with insight of his own. On
Russian matters Friedrich likes especially to hear him,though they differ in regard to the worth of Russian
troops. "Very considerable military qualities in those Russians," thinks Keith: "imperturbably obedient,
patient; of a tough fibre, and are beautifully strict to your order, on the paradeground or off." "Pooh, mere
rubbish, MON CHER," thinks Friedrich always. To which Keith, unwilling to argue too long, will answer:
"Well, it is possible enough your Majesty may try them, some day; if I am wrong, it will be all the better for
us!" Which Friedrich had occasion to remember by and by. Friedrich greatly respects this sagacious
gentleman with the broad accent: his Brother, the Lord Marischal, is now in France: Ambassador at Paris,
since September, 1751: ["Left Potsdam 28th August" (Rodenbeck, i. 220).] "Lord Marischal, a Jacobite, for
Prussian Ambassador in Paris; Tyrconnel, a Jacobite, for French Ambassador in Berlin!" grumble the
English.
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FRACTIONS OF EVENTS AND INDICATIONS, FROM VOLTAIRE HIMSELF,
IN THIS TIME; MORE OR LESS ILLUMINATIVE WHEN REDUCED
TO ORDER.
Here, selected from more, are a few "fireflies,"not dancing or distracted, but authentic all, and stuck each
on its spit; shedding a feeble glimmer over the physiognomy of those Fifteen caliginous Months, to an
imagination that is diligent. Fractional utterances of Voltaire to Friedrich and others (in abridged form,
abridgment indicated): the exact dates are oftenest irretrievably gone; but the glimmer of light is indisputable,
all the more as, on Voltaire's part, it is mostly involuntary. Grouping and sequence must be other than that of
Time.
POTSDAM, 5th JUNE, 1751.King is off on that OstFriesland jaunt; Voltaire at Potsdam, "at what they
call the Marquisat," in complete solitude,preparing to die before long,sends his Majesty some poor
trifles of Scribbling, proofs of my love, Sire: "since I live solitary, when you are not at Potsdam, it would
seem I came for you only" (note that, your Majesty)! ... "But in return for the rags here sent, I expect the
Sixth Canto of your ART [ART DE LA GUERRE, one of the Two pupilandschoolmaster "Specimens"
mentioned above]; I expect the ROOF to the Temple of Mars. It is for you, alone of men, to build that
Temple; as it was for Ovid to sing of Love, and for Horace to give an ART OF POETRY." (Laying it on
pretty thick!) ...
Then again, later (after severe study, ferula in hand): "Sire, I return your Majesty your Six Cantos; I surrender
at discretion (LUI LAISSE CARTEBLANCHE) on that qu.estion of 'VICTOIRE.' The whole Poem is
worthy of you: if I had made this Journey only to see a thing so unique, I ought not to regret my Country." ...
And again (still no date): "GRAND DIEU! is not all that [HISTORY OF THE GREAT ELECTOR, by your
Majesty, which I am devouring with such appetite] neat, elegant, precise, and, above all,
philosophical!""Sire, you are adorable; I will pass my days at your feet. Oh, never make game of me (DES
NICHES)!" Has he been at that, say you! "If the Kings of Denmark, Portugal, Spain, did it, I should not care
a pin; they are only Kings. But you are the greatest man that perhaps ever reigned." [[In OEuvres de Frederic,
xxii. 271, 273.]
IS ON LEAVE OF ABSENCE, NEAR BY; WISHES TO BE CALLED AGAIN (No date)."Sire, if you
like free criticism, if you tolerate sincere praises, if you wish to perfect a Work [ART DE LA GUERRE, or
some other as sublime], which you alone in Europe are capable of doing, you have only to bid a Hermit come
upstairs. At your orders for all his life." [Ib. 261.]
IN BERLIN PALACE: PLEASE DON'T TURN ME OUT! (No date) ... "Next to you, I love work and
retirement. Nobody whatever complains of me. I ask of your Majesty, in order to keep unaltered the
happiness I owe to you, this favor, Not to turn me out of the Apartment you deigned to give me at Berlin, till
I go for Paris [always talking of that]. If I were to leave it, they would put in the Gazettes that I" Oh, what
would n't they put in, of one that, belonging to King Friedrich, lives as it were in the Disc of the Sun,
conspicuous to everybody!"I will go out [of the Apartment] when some Prince, with a Suite needing it to
lodge in, comes; and then the thing will be honorable. Chasot [gone to Paris] has been talking"unguarded
things of me! "I have not uttered the least complaint of Chasot: I never will of Chasot, nor of those who have
set him on [Maupertuis belike]: I forgive everything, I!" [Ib. 270.]
ROTHENBURG IS ILL; VOLTAIRE HAS BEEN TO SEE HIM ("Berlin, 14th," no month; year, too surely,
1751, as we shall find! Letter is IN VERSE)."Lieberkuhn was going to kill poor Rothenburg; to send him
off to Pluto,for liking his dish a little;monster Lieberkuhn! But Doctor Joyous," your reader, La
Mettrie,led by, need I say whom?"has brought him back to us:think of Lieberkuhn's solemn stare!
Pretty contrasts, those, of sublime Quacksalverism, with Sense under the mask of Folly. May the
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haemorrhoidal vein"follows HERE, note it, exquisite reader, that of "CUL DE MON HEROS," cited
above!) ...
And then (a day or two after; King too haemorrhoidal to come twenty miles, but anxious to know): "Sire, no
doubt Doctor Joyous (LE MEDECIN JOYEUX) has informed your Majesty that when we arrived, the Patient
was sleeping tranquil; and Cothenius assured us, in Latin, that there was no danger. I know not what has
passed since, but I am persuaded your Majesty approves my journey" (of a street or two),MUST you speak
of it, then!
GOES TO AN EVENINGPARTY NOW AND THEN (To Niece Denis). ... "Madame Tyrconnel [French
Excellency's Wife] has plenty of fine people at her house on an evening; perhaps too many" (one of the first
houses in Berlin, this of my Lord Tyrcannel's, which we frequent a good deal). ... "Madame got very well
through her part of ANDROMAQUE [in those old playacting times of ours]: never saw actresses with finer
eyes,"how should you!
"As to Milord Tyrconnel, he is an Anglais of dignity,"Irish in reality, and a thought blusterous. "He has a
condensed (SERRE) caustic way of talk; and I know not what of frank which one finds in the English, and
does not usually find in persons of his trade. French Tragedies played at Berlin, I myself taking part; an
Englishman Envoy of France there: strange circumstances these, are n't they?" [To D'Argental this ( OEuvres
de Voltaire, lxxiv. 289).] Yes, that latter especially; and Milord Marischal our Prussian Envoy with you!
Which the English note, sulkily, as a weathersymptom.
AT POTSDAM, BIG DEVILS OF GRENADIERS (No date). ... "But, Sire, one is n't always perched on
the summit of Parnassus; one is a man. There are sicknesses about; I did not bring an athlete's health to these
parts; and the scorbutic humor which is eating my life renders me truly, of all that are sick, the sickest. I am
absolutely alone from morning till night. My one solace is the necessary pleasure of taking the air, I bethink
me of walking, and clearing my head a little, in your Gardens at Potsdam. I fancy it is a permitted thing; I
present myself, musing;I find huge devils of Grenadiers, who clap bayonets in my belly, who cry FURT,
SACRAMENT, and DER KONIG [OFF, SACKERMENT, THE KING, quite tolerably spelt]! And I take to
my heels, as Austrians and Saxons would do before them. Have you ever read, that in Titus's or
MarcusAurelius's Gardens, a poor devil of a Gaulish Poet" In short, it shall be mended. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xxii. 273.]
HAVE BEEN LAYING IT ON TOO THICK (No date; IN VERSE). "Marcus Aurelius was wont
to"(Well, we know who that is: What of Marcus, then?)"A certain lover of his glory [STILL IN
VERSE] spoke once, at Supper, of a magnanimity of Marcus's;at which Marcus [flattery too thick] rather
gloomed, and sat quite silent, which was another fine saying of his [ENDS VERSE, STARTS PROSE]:
"Pardon, Sire, some hearts that are full of you! To justify myself, I dare supplicate your Majesty to give one
glance at this Letter (lines pencilmarked), which has just come from M. de Chauvelin, Nephew of the
famous GARDEDESSCEAUX. Your Majesty cannot gloom at him, writing these from the fulness of his
heart; nor at me, who" Pooh; no, then! Perhaps do you a NICHE again,poor restless fellow! [Ib. 280.]
POTSDAM PALACE (No date): SIRE, NZAY I CHANGE MY ROOM? ... "I ascend to your antechambers,
to find some one by whom I may ask permission to speak with you. I find nobody: I have to return:" and what
I wanted was this, "your protection for my SIECLE DE LOUIS QUATORZE, which I am about to print in
Berlin." Surely,but also this:
"I am unwell, I am a sick man born. And withal I am obliged to work, almost as much as your Majesty. I pass
the whole day alone. If you would permit that I might shift to the Apartment next the one I have,to that
where General Bredow slept last winter, I should work more commodiously. My Secretary (Collini) and I
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could work together there. I should have a little more sun, which is a great point for me.Only the whim of
a sick man, perhaps! Well, even so, your Majesty will have pity on it. You promised to make me happy."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 277.]
I SUSPECT THAT I AM SUSPECTED (No date)."Sire, if I am not brief, forgive me. Yesterday the
faithful D'Arget told me with sorrow that in Paris people were talking of your Poem." Horrible; but, O Sire,
me?"I showed him the eighteen Letters that I received yesterday. They are from Cadiz," all about
Finance, no blabbing there! "Permit me to send you now the last six from my Niece, numbered by her own
hand [no forgery, no suppression]; deign to cast your eyes on the places I have underlined, where she speaks
of your Majesty, of D'Argens, of Potsdam, of D'Ammon" (to whom she can't be Phyllis, innocent
being)!MON CHER VOLTAIRE, must I again do some NICHE upon you, then? Tie some tincanister to
your too sensitive tail? What an element you inhabit within that poor skin of yours! [Ib. 269.]
MAJESTY INVITES US TO A LITERARY CHRISTENING, POTSDAM (No date. These "Six Twins" are
the "ART DE LA GUERRE," in Six Chants; part of that revised Edition which is getting printed "AU
DONJON DU CHATEAU;" time must be, well on in 1751). Friedrich writes to Voltaire:
"I have just been brought to bed of Six Twins; which require to be baptized, in the name of Apollo, in the
waters of Hippocrene. LA HENRIADE is requested to become godmother: you will have the goodness to
bring her, this evening at five, to the Father's Apartment. D'Arget LUCINA will be there; and the Imagination
of MANAMACHINE will hold the poor infants over the Font." [Ib. 266.]
DEIGN TO SAY IF I HAVE OFFENDED. ... "As they write to me from Paris that I am in disgrace with
you, I dare to beg very earnestly that you will deign to say if I have displeased in anything! May go wrong by
ignorance or from overzeal; but with my heart never! I live in the profoundest retreat; giving to study my
whole" "Your assurances once vouchsafed [famous Document of August 23d]. I write only to my Niece. I"
(a page more of this)have my sorrows and merits, and absolutely no silence at all! [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxii. 289.] "In the gift of Speech he is the most brilliant of mankind," said Smelfungus; but in the gift of
Silence what a deficiency! Friedrich will have to do that for Two, it would seem.
BERLIN, 28th DECEMBER, 1751: LOUIS QUATORZE; AND DEATH OF ROTHENBURG."Our
LOUIS QUATORZE is out. But, Heavens, see, your Majesty: a Pirate Printer, at FrankfurtonOder, has
been going on parallel with us, all the while; and here is his foul blotch of an Edition on sale, too! Bielfeld,"
fantastic fellow, "had proof sheets; Bielfeld sent them to a Professor there, though I don't blame Bielfeld:
result too evident. Protect me, your Majesty; Order all wagons, especially wagons for Leipzig, to be stopped,
to be searched, and the Books thrown out,it costs you but a word!"
Quite a simple thing: "All Prussia to the rescue!" thinks an ardent Proprietor of these Proofsheets. But then,
next day, hears that Rothenburg is dead. That the silent Rothenburg lay dying, while the vocal Voltaire was
writing these fooleries, to a King sunk in grief. "Repent, be sorry, be ashamed!" he says to himself; and does
instantly try;but with little success; FrankfurtonOder, with its Bielfeld proofsheets, still jangling along,
contemptibly audible, for some time. [Ib. 285287.] And afterwards, from FrankfurtonMayn new sorrow
rises on LOUIS QUATORZE, as will be seen.Friedrich's grief for Rothenburg was deep and severe; "he
had visited him that last night," say the Books; "and quitted his bedside, silent, and all in tears." It is mainly
what of Biography the silent Rothenburg now has.
From the current Narratives, as they are called, readers will recollect, out of this Voltaire Period, two small
particles of Event amid such an ocean of noisy froth,two and hardly more: that of the "OrangeSkin," and
that of the "Dirty Linen." Let us put these two on their basis; and pass on:
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THE ORANGESKIN (Potsdam, 2d September, 1751, to Niece Denis)Good Heavens, MON ENFANT,
what is this I hear (through the great Dionysius'Ear I maintain, at such expense to myself)! ... "La Mettrie, a
man of no consequence, who talks familiarly with the King after their reading; and with me too, now and
then: La Mettrie swore to me, that, speaking to the King, one of those days, of my supposed favor, and the bit
of jealousy it excites, the King answered him: "I shall want him still about a year:you squeeze the orange,
you throw away the skin (ON EN JETTE LECORCE)!'" Here is a pretty bit of babble (lie, most likely, and
bit of mischievous fun) from Dr. Joyous. "It cannot be true, No! And yet and yet?" Words cannot
express the agonizing doubts, the questionings, occasionally the horror of Voltaire: poor sick soul, keeping a
Dionysius'Ear to boot! This blurt of La Mettrie's goes through him like a shot of electricity through an
elderly sick HouseholdCat; and he speaks of it again and ever again,though we will not farther.
DIRTY LINEN (Potsdam, 24th July, 1752, To Niece Denis). ... "Maupertuis has discreetly set the rumor
going, that I found the King's Works very bad; that I said to some one, on Verses from the King coming in,
'Will he never tire, then, of sending me his dirty linen to wash?' You obliging Maupertuis!"
Rumor says, it was General Mannstein, once AidedeCamp in Russia, who had come to have his WORK
ON RUSSIA revised (excellent Work, often quoted by us [Did get out at last,in England, through Lord
Marischal and David Hume: see PREFACE to it (London, 1760).]), when the unfortunate Royal Verses came.
Perhaps M. de Voltaire did say it:why not, had it only been prudent? He really likes those Verses much
more than I; but knows well enough, SUB ROSA, what kind of Verses they are. This also is a horrible
suspicion; that the King should hear of this,as doubtless the King did, though without going delirious upon
it at all. ["To Niece Denis," dates as above ( OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiv. 408, lxxv. 17).] Thank YOU, my
Perpetual President, not the less!
OF MAUPERTUIS, IN SUCCESSIVE PHASES. ... "Maupertuis is not of very engaging ways; he takes
my dimensions harshly with his quadrant: it is said there enters something of envy into his DATA. ... A
somewhat surly gentleman; not too sociable; and, truth to say, considerably sunk here [ASSEZ BAISSE, my
D'Argental].
... "I endure Maupertuis, not having been able to soften him. In all countries there are insociable fellows, with
whom you are obliged to live, though it is difficult. He has never forgiven me for"omitting to cite him,
Paris he had got the Academy of Sciences into trouble, and himself into general dislike (DETESTER); then
came this Berlin offer. "Old Fleuri, when Maupertuis called to take leave, repeated that verse of Virgil, NEC
TIBI REGNANDI VENIAT TAM DIRA CUPIDO. Fleuri might have whispered as much to himself: but he
was a mild sovereign lord, and reigned in a gentle polite manner. I swear to you, Maupertuis does not, in his
shop [the Academy here]where, God be thanked, I never go.
"He has printed a little Pamphlet on Happiness (SUR LE BONHEUR); it is very dry and miserable. Reminds
you of Advertisements for things lost,so poor a chance of finding them again. Happiness is not what he
gives to those who read him, to those who live with him; he is not himself happy, and would be sorry that
others were [to Niece Denis this].
... "A very sweet life here, Madame [Madame d'Argental, an outside party]: it would have been more so, if
Maupertuis had liked. The wish to please, is no part of his geometrical studies; the problem of being
agreeable to live with, is not one he has solved." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiv. 330, 504 (4th May, 1751, and
14th March, 1752), to the D'Argentals; to Niece Denis (6th November, 1750, and 24th August, 1751), lxxiv.
250, 385.]Add this Anecdote, which is probably D'Arget's, and worth credit: "Voltaire had
dinnerparty, Maupertuis one of them; party still in the drawingroom, dinner just coming up. 'President,
your Book, SUR LE BONHEUR, has given me pleasure,' said Voltaire, politely [very politely, considering
what we have just read]; given me pleasure, a few obscurities excepted, of which we will talk together
some evening.' 'Obscurities?' said Maupertuis, in a gloomy arbitrary tone: 'There may be such for you,
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Monsieur!' Voltaire laid his hand on the President's shoulder [yellow wig near by], looked at him in silence,
with manytwinkling glance, gayety the topmost expression, but by no means the sole one: 'President, I
esteem you, JE VOUS ESTIME, MON PRESIDENT: you are brave; you want war: we will have it. But, in
the mean while, let us eat the King's roast meat.'" [Duvernet (2d FORM of him, always, p. 176.]
Friedrich's Answers to these Voltaire Letters, if he wrote any, are all gone. Probably he answered almost
nothing; what we have of his relates always to specific business, receipt of LOUIS QUATORZE, and the
like; and is always in friendly tone. Handsomely keeping Silence for Two! Here is a snatch from him, on
neutral figures and movements of the time:
FRIEDRICH TO WIILHELMINA (November 17th, 1751)."I think the Margraf of Anspach will not have
stayed long with you. He is not made to taste the sweets of society: his passion for hunting, and the tippling
life he leads this long time, throw him out when he comes among reasonable persons. ... "I expect my Sister
of Brunswick, with the Duke and their eldest Girl, the 4th of next month,"to Carnival here. "It is seven
years since the Queen (our Mamma) has seen her. She holds a small Board of Wit at Brunswick; of which
your Doctor [Doctor Superville, DutchFrench, whose perennial merit now is, That he did not burn
Wilhelmina's MEMOIRS, but left them safe to posterity, for long centuries],of which your Doctor is the
director and oracle. You would burst outright into laughing when she speaks of those matters. Her natural
vivacity and haste has not left her time to get to the bottom of anything; she skips continually from one
subject to the other, and gives twenty decisions in a minute." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 202:On
Superville, see Preuss's Note, ib. 56.]
About a month before Rothenburg's death, which was so tragical to Friedrich, there had fallen out, with a
hideous dash of farce in it, the death of La Mettrie. Here are Two Accounts, by different hands,which
represent to us an immensity of babble in the then Voltaire circle.
LA METTRIE DIES.Two Accounts: 1. King Friedrich's: to Wilhelmina. "21st November, 1751. ... We
have lost poor La Mettrie. He died for a piece of fun: ate, out of banter, a whole pheasantpie; had a horrible
indigestion; took it into his head to have blood let, and convince the German Doctors that bleeding was good
in indigestion. But it succeeded ill with him: he took a violent fever, which passed into putrid; and carried
him off. He is regretted by all that knew him. He was gay; BON DIABLE, good Doctor, and very bad
Author: by avoiding to read his Books, one could manage to be well content with himself." [Ib. xxvii. i. 203.]
2. Voltaire's: to Niece Denis (NOT his first to her): Potsdam, 24th December, 1751. ... "No end to my
astonishment. Milord Tyrconnel," always ailing (died here himself), "sends to ask La Mettrie to come and see
him, to cure him or amuse him. The King grudges to part with his Reader, who makes him laugh. La Mettrie
sets out; arrives at his Patient's just when Madame Tyrconnel is sitting down to table: he eats and drinks, talks
and laughs more than all the guests; when he has got crammed (EN A JUSQU'AU MENTON), they bring
him a pie, of eagle disguised as pheasant, which had arrived from the North, plenty of bad lard, porkhash
and ginger in it; my gentleman eats the whole pie, and dies next day at Lord Tyrconnel's, assisted by two
Doctors," Cothenius and Lieberkuhn, "whom he used to mock at. ... How I should have liked to ask him, at
the article of death, about that Orangeskin!" [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxiv. 439, 450.]
Add this trait too, from authentic Nicolai, to complete the matter: "An Irish Priest, Father Macmahon,
Tyrconnel's Chaplain [more power to him], wanted to convert La Mettrie: he pushed into the sick
room;encouraged by some who wished to make La Mettrie contemptible to Friedrich [the charitable
souls]. La Mettrie would have nothing to do with this Priest and his talk; who, however, still sat and waited.
La Mettrie, in a twinge of agony, cried out, 'JESUS MARIE!' 'AH, VOUS VOILA ENFIN RETOURNE A
CES NOMS CONSOLATEURS!' exclaimed the Irishman. To which La Mettrie answered (in polite
language, to the effect), 'Bother you!' and expired a few minutes after." [Nicolai, Anekdoten, i. 20 n.]
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Enough of this poor madcap. Friedrich's ELOGE of him, read to the Academy some time after, it was
generally thought (and with great justice), might as well have been spared. The Piece has nothing noisy,
nothing untrue; but what has it of importance? And surely the subject was questionable, or more. La Mettrie
might have done without Eulogy from a King of men.
... "He had been used to put himself at once on the most familiar footing with the King [says Thiebault,
UNbelievable]. Entered the King's apartment as he would that of a friend; plunged down whenever he liked,
which was often, and lay upon the sofas; if it was warm, took off his stock, unbuttoned his waistcoat, flung
his periwig on the floor;" [Thiebault, v. 405 (calls him "La Metherie;" knows, as usual, nothing).]highly
probable, thinks stupid Thiebault!
"The truth is," says Nicolai, "the King put no real value on La Mettrie. He considered him as a merryandrew
fellow, who might amuse you, when half seasover (ENTRE DEUX VINS). De la Mettrie showed himself
unworthy of any favor he had. Not only did he babble, and repeat about Town what he heard at the King's
table; but he told everything in a false way, and with malicious twists and additions. This he especially did at
Lord Tyrconnel, the then French Ambassador's table, where at last he died." [Nicolai, Anekdoten, i. 20.] But
could not take the ORANGESKIN along with him; alas, no!
On the whole, be not too severe on poor Voltaire! He is very fidgety, noisy; something of a pickthank, of a
wheedler; but, above all, he is scorbutic, dyspeptic; hagridden, as soul seldom was; and (in his oblique way)
APPEALS to Friedrich and us,not in vain. And, in short, we perceive, after the First Act of the Piece,
beginning in preternatural radiances, ending in whirlwinds of flaming soot, he has been getting on with his
Second Act better than could be expected. Gyrating again among the bright planets, circumjovial moons, in
the Court Firmament; is again in favor, and might Alas, he had his FELLOWmoons, his Maupertuis
above all! Incurable that Maupertuis misery; gets worse and worse, steadily from the first day. No smallest
entity that intervenes, not even a wandering La Beaumelle with his Book of PENSEES, but is capable of
worsening it. Take this of Smelfungus; this Pair of Cabinet Sketches,"hasty outlines; extant chiefly," he
declares, "by Voltaire's blame:"
LA BEAUMELLE."Voltaire has a fatal talent of getting into I quarrels with insignificant accidental
people; and instead of silently, with cautious finger, disengaging any bramble that catches to him, and
thankfully passing on, attacks it indignantly with potent steel implements, woodaxes, waraxes; brandishing
and hewing;till he has stirred up a whole wilderness of bramblebush, and is himself bramblechips all
over. M. Angliviel de la Beaumelle, for example, was nothing but a bramble: some conceited Licentiate of
Theology, who, finding the Presbytery of Geneva too narrow a field, had gone to Copenhagen, as Professor
of Rhetoric or some such thing; and, finding that field also too narrow, and not to be widened by attempts at
Literature, MES PENSEES and the like, in such barbarous Country",had now [end of 1751] come to
Berlin; and has Presentation copies of MES PENSEES, OU LE QU'EN DIRATON, flying right and left, in
hopes of doing better there. Of these PENSEES (Thoughts so called) I will give but one specimen" (another,
that of "King Friedrich a common man," being carefully suppressed in the Berlin Copies, of La Beaumelle's
distributing):
"There have been greater Poets than Voltaire; there was never any so well recompensed: and why? Because
Taste (GOUT, inclination) sets no limits to its recompenses. The King of Prussia overloads men of talent
with his benefits for precisely the reasons which induce a little German Prince to overload with benefits a
buffoon or a dwarf." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, xxvii. 220 n.] Could there be a phenomenon more indisputably of
bramble nature?
"He had no success at Berlin, in spite of his merits; could not come near the King at all; but assiduously
frequented Maupertuis, the flower of human thinkers in that era,who was very humane to him in
consequence. 'How is it, O flower of human thinkers, that I cannot get on with his Majesty, or make the least
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way?' (HELAS, MONSIEUR, you have enemies!' answered he of the red wig; and told La Beaumelle (hear it,
ye Heavens), That M. de Voltaire had called his Majesty's attention to the PENSEE given above, one evening
at Supper Royal; 'heard it myself, Monsieurhusht!' Upon which
"'Upon which, see, paltry La Beaumelle has become my enemy for life!' shrieks Voltaire many times
afterwards: 'And it was false, I declare to Heaven, and again declare; it was not I, it was D'Argens quizzing
me about it, that called his Majesty's attention to that PENSEE of Blockhead La Beaumelle,you
treacherous Perpetual President, stirring up enemies against me, and betraying secrets of the King's table.'
Sorrow on your red wig, and you!It is certain La Beaumelle, soon after this, left Berlin: not in love with
Voltaire. And there soon appeared, at FranfurtonMayn, a Pirate Edition of our brandnew SIECLE DE
LOUIS QUATORZE (with Annotations scurrilous and flimsy);La Beaumelle the professed Perpetrator;
'who received for the job 7 pounds 10s. net!' [Ib. xx.] asseverates the wellinformed Voltaire. Oh, M. de
Voltaire, and why not leave it to him, then? Poor devil, he got put into the Bastille too, by and by; Royal
Persons being touched by some of his stupid footnotes.
"La Beaumelle had a long course of it, up and down the world, in and out of the Bastille; writing much, with
inconsiderable recompense, and always in a wooden manure worthy of his First vocation in the Geneva time.
'A man of pleasing physiognomy,' says Formey, 'and expressed himself well. I received his visit 14th
January, 1752,'to which latter small circumstance (welcome as a fixed date to us here) La Beaumelle's
Biography is now pretty much reduced for mankind. [Formey, ii. 221.] He continued Maupertuis's adorer:
and was not a bad creature, only a dull wooden one, with obstinate temper. A LIFE OF MAUPERTUIS of his
writing was sent forth lately, [ Vie de Maupertuis (cited above), Paris, 1866.] after lying hidden a hundred
years: but it is dull, dead, painfully ligneous, like all the rest; and of new or of pleasant tells us nothing.
"His enmity to M. de Voltaire did prove perpetual:a bramble that might have been dealt with by fingers, or
by fingers and scissors, but could not by axes, and their hewing and brandishing. 'This is the ninetyfifth
anonymous Calumny of La Beaumelle's, this that you have sent me!' says Voltaire once. The first stroke or
two had torn the bramble quite on end: 'He says he will pursue you to Hell even,' writes one of the Voltaire
kind friends from Frankfurt, on that 7 pounds 10s. business. 'A L'ENFER?' answers M. de Voltaire, with a
toss: 'Well, I should think so, he, and at a good rate of speed. But whether he will find me there, must be a
question!' If you want to have an insignificant accidental fellow trouble you all your days, this is the way of
handling him when he first catches hold."
ABBE DE PRADES."De Prades, 'Abbe de Prades, Reader to the King,' though happily not an enemy of
Voltaire's, is in some sort La Beaumelle's counterpart, or brother with a difference; concerning whom also,
one wants only to know the exact date of his arrival. As La Beaumelle felt too straittied in the Geneva
vestures (where it had been good for him to adjust himself, and stay); so did De Prades in the Sorbonne
ditto,and burst out, on taking Orders, not into eloquent Preachings or edifying Devotional Exercises; but
into loud blurts of mere heresy and heterodoxy. Blurts which were very loud, and I believe very stupid; which
failed of being sublime even to the Philosophic world; and kindled the Sorbonne into burning his Book, and
almost burning himself, had not he at once run for it.
"Ran to Holland, and there continued blurting more at large, decidedly stupid for most part, thinks
Voltaire, 'but with glorious Passages, worth your Majesty's attention;'upon which, D'Alembert too helping,
poor De Prades was invited to the Readership, vacant by La Mettrie's eaglepie; and came gladly, and stayed.
At what date? one occasionally asks: for there are Royal Letters, dateless, but written in his hand, that raise
such question in the utter dimness otherwise. Date is 'September, 1752.' [Preuss, i. 368; ii. 115.] Farther
question one does not ask about De Prades. Rather an emphatic intrusive kind of fellow, I should
guess;wrote, he, not Friedrich, that ABRIDGMENT OF PLEURY'S ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, and
other the like dreary Pieces, which used to be inflicted on mankind as Friedrich's.
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"For the rest, having place and small pension,not, like La Beaumelle, obliged to pirate and annotate for 7
pounds 10s.he went on steadily, a good while; got a Canonry of Glogau [small Catholic benefice, bad if it
was not better than its now occupant]; and unluckily, in the SevenYearsWar time, fell into treasonous
Correspondence with his countrymen; which it was feared might be fatal, when found out. But no, not fatal.
Friedrich did lock him in Magdeburg for some months; then let him out: 'Home to Glogau, sirrah; stick to
your Canonry henceforth, and let us hear no more of you at all!' Which shall be his fate in these pages also."
Good, my friend; no more of him, then! Only recollect "September, 1752," if dateless Royal Letters in De
Prades's hand turn up.
Chapter X. DEMON NEWSWRITER, OF 1752.
It must be owned, the King's French Colony of Wits were a sorry set of people. They tempt one to ask, What
is the good of wit, then, if this be it? Here are people sparkling with wit, and have not understanding enough
to discern what lies under their nose. Cannot live wisely with anybody, least of all with one another.
In fact, it is tragic to think how ill this King succeeded in the matter of gathering friends. With the whole
world to choose from, one fancies always he might have done better! But no, he could not; and chiefly for
this reason: His love of Wisdom was nothing like deep enough, reverent enough; and his love of ESPRIT (the
mere Garment or Phantasm of Wisdom) was too deep. Friends do not drop into one's mouth. One must know
how to choose friends; and that of ESPRIT, though a pretty thing, is by no means the one requisite, if indeed
it be a requisite at all. This present Wit Colony was the best that Friedrich ever had; and we may all see how
good it was. He took, at last more and more, into bantering his TableCompanions (which I do not wonder
at), as the chief good he could get of them. And had, as we said, especially in his later time, in the manner of
Dublin HackneyCoachmen, established upon each animal its RAW; and makes it skip amazingly at touch of
the whip. "Cruel mortal!" thought his cattle:but, after all, how could he well help it, with such a set?
Native Literary Men, German or Swiss, there also were about Friedrich's Court: of them happily he did not
require ESPRIT; but put them into his Academy; or employed them in practical functions, where honesty and
good sense were the qualities needed. Worthy men, several of these; but unmemorable nearly all. We will
mention Sulzer alone,and not for THEORIES and PHILOSOPHIES OF THE FINE ARTS [ Allgemeine
Theorie der Schonen Kunste, 3 vols.; (which then had their multitudes of readers); but for a Speech of
Friedrich's to him once, which has often been repeated. Sulzer has a fine rugged wholesome SwissGerman
physiognomy, both of face and mind; and got his admirations, as the Berlin HUGH BLAIR that then was: a
Sulzer whom Friedrich always rather liked.
Friedrich had made him School Inspector; loved to talk a little with him, about business, were it nothing else.
"Well, Monsieur Sulzer, how are your Schools getting on?" asked the King one day,long after this, but
nobody will tell me exactly when, though the fact is certain enough: "How goes our Education business?"
"Surely not ill, your Majesty; and much better in late years," answered Sulzer."In late years: why?" "Well,
your Majesty, in former time, the notion being that mankind were naturally inclined to evil, a system of
severity prevailed in schools: but now, when we recognize that the inborn inclination of men is rather to good
than to evil, schoolmasters have adopted a more generous procedure.""Inclination rather to good?" said
Friedrich, shaking his old head, with a sad smile: "Alas, dear Sulzer, ACH MEIN LIEBER SULZER, I see
you don't know that damned race of creatures (ER KENNT NICHT DIESE VERDAMMTE RACE) as I do!"
[Nicolai, iii. 274;the thing appears to have been said in French ("JE VOIS BIEN, MON CHER SULZER,
QUE VOUS NE CONNAISSEZ PAS, COMME MOI, CETTE RACE MAUDITE A LAQUELLE NOUS
APPARTENONS"); but the German form is irresistibly attractive, and is now heard proverbially from time to
time in certain mouths.] Here is a speech for you! "Pardon the King, who was himself so beneficent and
excellent a King!" cry several Editors of the rosepink type. This present Editor, for his share, will at once
forgive; but how can he ever forget!
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"Perhaps I mistake," owns Voltaire, in his Pasquinade of a VIE PRIVEE, "but it seems to me, at these
Suppers there was a great deal of ESPRIT (real wit and brilliancy) going. The King had it, and made others
have; and, what is extraordinary, I never felt myself so free at any table." "Conversation most pleasant,"
testifies another, "most instructive, animated; not to be matched, I should guess, elsewhere in the world."
[Bielfeld, LETTERS; Voltaire, Vie Privee.] Very sprightly indeed: and a fund of good sense, a basis of
practicality and fact, necessary to be in it withal; though otherwise it can foam over (if some La Mettrie be
there, and a good deal of wine in him) to very great heights.
A DEMON NEWSWRITER GIVES AN "IDEA" OF FRIEDRICH;
INTELLIGIBLE TO THE KNOWING CLASSES IN ENGLAND
AND ELSEWHERE.
Practically, I can add only, That these Suppers of the gods begin commonly at halfpast eight ("Concert just
over"); and last till towards midnight,not later conveniently, as the King must be up at five (in
Summertime at four), and "needs between five and six hours of sleep." Or would the reader care to consult a
Piece expressly treating on all these points; kind of MANUSCRIPT NEWSPAPER, fallen into my hands,
which seems to have had a widish circulation in its day. ["IDEE DE LA PERSONNE, DE LA MANIERE DE
VIVRE, ET DE LA COUR DU ROI DE PRUSSE: juin, 1752." In the Robinson Papers (one Copy) now in
the British Museum.] I have met with Two Copies of it, in this Country: one of them, to appearance, once the
property of George Selwyn. The other is among the Robinson Papers: doubtless very luculent to Robinson,
who is now home in England, but remembers many a thing. Judging from various symptoms, I could guess
this MS. to have been much about, in the English Aristocratic Circles of that time; and to have, in some
measure, given said Circles their "Idea" (as they were pleased to reckon it) of that wonderful and
questionable King:highly distracted "Idea;" which, in diluted form, is still the staple English one. By the
label, DEMON NEWSWRITER, it is not meant that the Author of this poor Paper was an actual Devil, or
infernal Spiritual Essence of miraculous spectral nature. By no means! Beyond doubt, he is some poor
Frenchman, more or less definable as fleshandblood; gesturing about, visibly, at Berlin in 1752; in
cockedhat and bright shoebuckles; grinning elaborate salutations to certain of his fellowcreatures there.
Possibly some hungry ATTACHE of Milord Tyrconnel's Legation; fatally shut out from the beatitudes of this
barbarous Court, and willing to seek solacement, and turn a dishonest penny, in the PERCONTRA course?
Who he is, we need not know or care: too evident, he has the sad quality of transmuting, in his dirty organs,
heavenly Brilliancy, more or less, into infernal Darkness and Hatefulness; which I reckon to have been, at all
times, the principal function of a Devil;function still carried on extensively, under Firms of another title, in
this world.
Some snatches we will give. For, though it does not much concern a Man or King, seriously busy, what the
idle outer world may see good to talk of him, his Biographers, in time subsequent, are called to notice the
matter, as part of his Lifeelement, and characteristic of the world he had round him. Friedrich's affairs were
much a wonder to his contemporaries. Especially his Domesticities, an item naturally obscure to the outer
world, were wonderful; sure to be commented upon, to all lengths; and by the unintelligent, first of all. Of
contemporary mankind, as we have sometimes said, nobody was more lied of:of which, let this of the
Demon Newswriter be example, one instead of many. The Demon Newswriter, deriving only from outside
gossip and eavesdropping, is wrong very often,in fact, he is seldom right, except on points which have
been Officially fixed, and are within reach of an inquisitive Clerk of Legation. Wrong often enough, even in
regard to external particulars, how much more as to internal;and will need checking, as we go along.
Demon speaks first of Friedrich's stature, 5ft. 6in. (as we know better than this Demon); "pretty well
proportioned, not handsome, and even something of awkward (GAUCHE), acquired by a constrained bearing
[head slightly off the perpendicular, acquired by his flute, say the betterinformed]. Is of the greatest
politeness. Fine tone of voice,fine even in swearing, which is as common with him as with a grenadier,"
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adds this Demon; not worth attending to, on such points.
"Has never had a nightcap [sleeps bareheaded; in his later times, would sleep in his hat, which was always
soft as duffel, kneaded to softness as its first duty, and did very well]: Never a nightcap, dressinggown, or
pair of slippers [TRUE]; only a kind of cloth cloak [NOT QUITE], much worn and very dirty, for being
powdered in. The whole year round he goes in the uniform of his First Battalion of Guards:blue with red
facings, buttonhole trimmings in silver, frogs at the inner end; his coat buttons close to the shape; waistcoat
is plain yellow [strawcolor]; hat [threecornered] has edging of Spanish lace, white plume [horizontal,
resting on the lace all round]: boots on his legs all his life. He cannot walk with shoes [pooh, you!].
"He rises daily at five:"No, he does n't at all! In fact, we had better clap the lid on this Demon,
illinformed as to all these points; and, on such suggestion, give the real account of them, distilled from
Preuss, and the abundant authentic sources.
Preuss says (if readers could but remember him): "An Almanac lies on the King's Table, marking for each
day what specific duties the day will bring. From five to six hours of sleep: in summer he rises about three,
seldom after four; in winter perhaps an hour later. In his older time, seven hours' sleep came to be the
stipulated quantity; and he would sleep occasionally eight hours or even nine, in certain medical
predicaments. Not so in his younger years: four A.M. and five, the set hours then. Summer and winter, fire is
lighted for him a quarter of an hour before. King rises; gets into his clothes: 'stockings, breeches, boots, he
did sitting on the bed' (for one loves to be particular); the rest in front of the fire, in standing posture.
Washing followed; more compendious than his Father's used to be.
"Letters specifically to his address, a courier (leaving Berlin, 9 P.M.) had brought him in the dead of night:
these, on the instant of the King's calling 'Here!' a valet in the ante chamber brought in to him, to be read
while his hair was being done. His uniform the King did not at once put on; but got into a CASAQUIN [loose
article of the dressinggown kind, only shorter than ours] of rich stuff, sometimes of velvet with precious
silver embroideries. These Casaquins were commonly skyblue (which color he liked), presents from his
Sisters and Nieces. Letters being glanced over, and hairclub done, the Lifeguard GeneralAdjutant hands
in the Potsdam Report (all strangers that have entered Potsdam or left it, the principal item): this, with a
Berlin Report, which had come with the Letters; and what of ArmyReports had arrived (Adjutant General
delivering these),were now glanced over. And so, by five o'clock in the summer morning, by six in the
winter, one sees, in the gross, what one's day'swork is to be; the miscellaneous STONES of it are now
mostly here, only mortar and walling of them to be thought of. GeneralAdjutant and his affairs are first
settled: on each thing a word or two, which the GeneralAdjutant (always a highly confidential Officer, a
Hacke, a Winterfeld, or the like) pointedly takes down.
"GeneralAdjutant gone, the King, in skyblue casaquin [often in very faded condition] steps into his
writingroom; walks about, reading his Letters more completely; drinking, first, several glasses of water;
then coffee, perhaps three cups with or without milk [likes coffee, and very strong]. After coffee he takes his
flute; steps about practising, fantasying: he has been heard to say, speaking of music and its effects on the
soul, That during this fantasying he would get to considering all manner of things, with no thought of what he
was playing; and that sometimes even the luckiest ideas about businessmatters have occurred to him while
dandling with the flute. Sauntering so, he is gradually breakfasting withal: will eat, intermittently, small
chocolate cakes; and after his coffee, cherries, figs, grapes, fruits in their season [very fond of fruit, and has
elaborate hothouses]. So passes the early morning.
"Between nine and ten, most of one's planwork being got through, the questions of the day are settled, or
laid hold of for settling. Between nine and ten, King takes to reading the 'Excerpts' (I suppose, of the more
intricate or lengthier things) of Yesterday, which his three Cabinet Raths [Clerk Eichel and the other Two]
have prepared for him. King summons these Three, one after the other, according to their Department; hands
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them the Letters just read, the Excerpts now decided on, and signifies, in a minimum of words, what the
answers are to be,Clerk, always in full dress, listening with both his ears, and pencil in hand. May have, of
Answers, CABINETORDERS so called, perhaps a dozen, to be ready with before evening. ["In a certain
Copy or FinalRegister Book [Herr Preuss's Windfall, of which INFRA] entitled
KABINETSORDENKOPIALBUCH, of One of the three Clerks, years 17461752, there are, on the average,
ten CABINETORDERS daily, Sundays included" (Preuss, i. 352 n.).]
"Eichel and Company dismissed, King flings off his casaquin, takes his regimental coat; has his hair touched
off with pomade, with powder; and is buttoned and ready in about five minutes;ready for Parade, which is
at the stroke of eleven, instead of later, as it used to be in Papa's time. If eleven is not yet come, he will get on
horseback; go sweeping about, oftenest with errands still, at all events in the free solitude of air, till
Paradetime do come. The Parole [Sentry'sWORD of the Day] he has already given his AdjutantGeneral.
Parole, which only the Adjutant and Commandant had known till now, is formally given out; and the troops
go through their exercises, manoeuvres, under a strictness of criticism which never abates." "Parade he by no
chance ever misses," says our Demon friend.
"At the stroke of twelve," continues Preuss, "dinner is served. Dinner threefold; that is, a second table and a
third. Only two courses, dishes only eight, even at the King's Table, (eight also at the Marshal's or second
Table); guests from seven to ten. Dinner plentiful and savory (for the King had his favorites among edibles),
by no means caring to be splendid,yearly expense of threefold Dinner (done accurately by contract) was
1,800 pounds." Linsenbarth we saw at the Third Table, and how he fared. "The dinnerservice was of
beautiful porcelain; not silver, still less gold, except on the grandest occasions. Every guest eats at
discretion,of course!and drinks at discretion, Moselle or Pontac [kind of claret]; Champagne and
Hungary are handed round on the King's signal. King himself drinks Bergerac, or other clarets, with water.
Dinner lasts till two;if the conversation be seductive, it has been known to stretch to four. The King's great
passion is for talk of the right kind; he himself talks a great deal, tippling wineandwater to the end, and
keeps on a level with the rising tide.
"With a bow from Majesty, dinner ends; guests gently, with a little saunter of talk to some of them, all
vanish; and the King is in his own Apartment again. Generally fluteplaying for about half an hour; till
Eichel and the others come with their day's work: trayloads of CabinetOrders, I can fancy; which are to be
'executed,' that is, to be glanced through, and signed. Signature for most part is all; but there are Marginalia
and Postscripts, too, in great number, often of a spicy biting character; which, in our time, are in request
among the curious." Herr Preuss, who has right to speak, declares that the spice of mockery has been
exaggerated; and that serious sense is always the aim both of Document and of Signer. Preuss had a windfall;
12,000 of these Pieces, or more, in a lump, in the way of gift; which fell on him like manna,and led, it is
said, to those Friedrich studies, extensive faithful quarryings in that vast wilderness of sliding shingle and
chaotic boulders.
"Coffee follows this despatch of Eichel and Consorts; the day now one's own." Scandalous rumors, prose and
verse, connect themselves with this particular epoch of the day; which appear to be wholly LIES. Of which
presently. "In this afterdinner period fall the literary labors," says Preuss:a facile pen, this King's; only
two hours of an afternoon allowed it, instead of all day and the top of the morning. "About six, or earlier
even, came the Reader [La Mettrie or another], came artists, came learned talk. At seven is Concert, which
lasts for an hour; halfpast eight is Supper." [Preuss, i. 344347 (and, with intermittencies, pp. 356, 361, 363
to 376), abridged.]
Demon Newswriter says, of the Concert: "It is mostly of wind instruments," King himself often taking part
with his flute; "performers the best in Europe. He has three"what shall we call them? of male gender,"a
counteralt, and Mamsell Astrua, an Italian; they are unique voices. He cannot bear mediocrity. It is but
seldom he has any singing here. To be admitted, needs the most intimate favor; now and then some young
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Lord, of distinction, if he meet with such." Concert, very well;but let us now, suppressing any little
abhorrences, hear him on another subject:
"Dinner lasts one hour [says our Demon, no better informed]: upon which the King returns to his Apartment
with bows. It pretty often happens that he takes with him one of his young fellows. These are all handsome,
like a picture (FAITS A PEINDRE), and of the beautifulest face,"adds he, still worse informed; poisonous
malice mixing itself, this time, with the human darkness, and reducing it to diabolic. This Demon's Paper
abounds with similar allusions; as do the more desperate sort of Voltaire utterances,VIE PRIVEE treating
it as known fact; Letters to Denis in occasional paroxysms, as rumor of detestable nature, probably true of
one who is so detestable, at least so formidable, to a guilty sinner his Guest. Others, not to be called
diabolical, as Herr Dr. Busching, for example, speak of it as a thing credible; as good as known to the
wellinformed. And, beyond the least question, there did a thriceabominable rumor of that kind run,
whispering audibly, over all the world; and gain belief from those who had appetite. A most melancholy
business. Solacing to human envy;explaining also, to the dark human intellect, why this King had
commonly no Women at his Court. A most melancholy portion of my rawmaterial, this; concerning which,
since one must speak of it, here is what little I have to say:
1. That proof of the NEGATIVE, in this or in any such case, is by the nature of it impossible. That it is
indisputable Friedrich did not now live with his Wife, nor seem to concern himself with the empire of women
at all; having, except now and then his Sisters and some Foreign Princess on short visit, no women in his
Court; and though a great judge of Female merits, graces and accomplishments, seems to worship women in
that remote way alone, and not in any nearer. Which occasioned great astonishment in a world used so much
to the contrary. And gave rise to many conjectures among the idle of mankind, "What, on Earth, or under
Earth, can be the meaning of it?"and among others, to the above scandalous rumor, as some solacement to
human malice and impertinent curiosity.
2. That an opposite rumorwhich would indeed have been pretty fatal to this one, but perhaps still more
disgraceful in the eyes of a Demon Newswriterwas equally current; and was much elaborated by the
curious impertinent. Till Nicolai got hold of it, in Herr Dr. Zimmermann's responsible hands; and
conclusively knocked it on the head. [See Zimmermann's Fragmente, and Nicolai patiently pounding it to
powder (whoever is curious on this disgusting subject).]
3". That, for me, proof in the affirmative, or probable indication that way, has not anywhere turned up.
Nowhere for me, in these extensive minings and siftings. Not the least of probable indication; but
contrariwise, here and there, rather definite indications pointing directly the opposite way. [For example
("CORRESPONDENCE WITH FREDERSDORF"), OEuvres, xxvii. iii. 145.] Friedrich, in his own
utterances and occasional rhymes, is abundantly cynical; now and then rises to a kind of epic cynicism, on
this very matter. But at no time can the painful critic call it cynicism as of OTHER than an observer; always a
kind of vinegar cleanness in it, EXCEPT in theory. Cynicism of an impartial observer in a dirty element;
observer epically sensible (when provoked to it) of the brutal contemptibilities which lie in Human Life,
alongside of its big struttings and pretensions. In Friedrich's utterances there is that kind of cynicism
undeniable;and yet he had a modesty almost female in regard to his own person; "no servant having ever
seen him in an exposed state." [Preuss, i. 376.] Which had considerably strengthened rumor No. 2. O ye poor
impious Longeared,Longeared I will call you, instead of Twohorned and with only One hoof cloven!
Among the tragical platitudes of Human Nature, nothing so fills a considering brother mortal with sorrow and
despair, as this innate tendency of the common crowd in regard to its Great Men, whensoever, or almost
whensoever, the Heavens do, at long intervals, vouchsafe us, as their allincluding blessing, anything of
such! Practical "BLASPHEMY," is it not, if you reflect? Strangely possible that sin, even now. And ought to
be religiously abhorred by every soul that has the least piety or nobleness. Act not the mutinous flunky, my
friend; though there be great wages going in that line.
4. That in these circumstances, and taking into view the otherwise known qualities of this high
FellowCreature, the present Editor does not, for his own share, value the rumor at a pin's fee. And leaves it,
and recommends his readers to leave it, hanging by its own head, in the sad subterranean regions,till
(probably not for a long while yet) it drop to a far Deeper and dolefuler Region, out of our way altogether.
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"Lamentable, yes," comments Diogenes; "and especially so, that the idle public has a hankering for such
things! But are there no obscene details at all, then? grumbles the disappointed idle public to itself, something
of reproach in its tone. A public idleminded; much depraved in every way. Thus, too, you will observe of
dogs: two dogs, at meeting, run, first of all, to the shameful parts of the constitution; institute a strict
examination, more or less satisfactory, in that department. That once settled, their interest in ulterior matters
seems pretty much to die away, and they are ready to part again, as from a problem done."Enough, oh,
enough!
Practically we are getting no good of our Demon;and will dismiss him, after a taste or two more.
This Demon Newswriter has, evidently, never been to Potsdam; which he figures as the abode of horrid
cruelty, a kind of Tartarus on Earth;where there is a dreadful scarcity of women, for one item; lamentable
to one's moral feelings. Scarcity nothing like so great, even among the soldierclasses, as the Demon
Newswriter imagines to himself; nor productive of the results lamented. Prussian soldiers are not encouraged
to marry, if it will hurt the service; nor do their wives march with the Regiment except in such proportions as
there may be sewing, washing and the like women's work fairly wanted in their respective Companies: the
Potsdam First Battalion, I understand, is hardly permitted to marry at all. And in regard to lamentable results,
that of "LIEBSTENSCHEINE, SweetheartTICKETS,"or actual military legalizing of Temporary
Marriages, with regular privileges attached, and fixed rules to be observed,might perhaps be the notablest
point, and the SEMI lamentablest, to a man or demon in the habit of lamenting. [Preuss, i. 426.] For the rest,
a considerably dreadful place this Potsdam, to the flaccid, esurient and disorderly of mankind;"and strict as
Fate [Demon correct for once] in inexorably punishing military sins.
"This King," he says, "has a great deal of ESPRIT; much less of real, knowledge (CONNAISSANCES) than
is pretended. He excels only in the military part; really excellent there. Has a facile expeditious pen and head;
understands what you say to him, at the first word. Not taking nor wishing advice; never suffering replies or
remonstrances, not even from his Mother. Pretty well acquainted with Works of ESPRIT, whether in Prose or
in Verse: burning [very hot indeed] to distinguish himself by performance of that kind; but unable to reach
the Beautiful, unless held up by somebody (ETAYE). It is said that, in a splenetic moment, his Skeleton of an
Apollo [SQUELETTE D'APOLLON, M. de Voltaire, who is lean exceedingly] exclaimed once, some time
ago, 'When is it, then, that he will have done sending me his dirty linen to wash?'
"The King is of a sharp mocking tongue withal; pricking into whoever displeases him; often careless of
policy in that. Understands nothing of Finance, or still less of Trade; always looking direct towards more
money, which he loves much; incapable of sowing [as some of US do!] for a distant harvest. Treats, almost
all the world as slaves. All his subjects are held in hard shackles. Rigorous for the least shortcoming, where
his interest is hurt:never pardons any fault which tends to inexactitude in the Military Service. Spandau
very full,"though I did not myself count. "Keeps in his pay nobody but those useful to him, and capable of
doing employments well [TRUE, ALWAYS]; and the instant he has no more need of them, dismissing them
with nothing [FALSE, GENERALLY]. The Subsidies imposed on his subjects are heavy; in constant
proportion to their Feudal Properties, and their Leases of Domains (CONTRATS ET BAUX); and, what is
dreadful, are exacted with the same rigor if your Property gets into debt,"no remission by the iron grip of
this King in the name of the State! Sell, if you can find a Purchaser; or get confiscated altogether; that is your
only remedy. Surely a tyrant of a King.
"People who get nearest him will tell you that his Politeness is not natural, but a remnant of old habit, when
he had need of everybody, against the persecutions of his Father. He respects his Mother; the only Female for
whom he has a sort of attention. He esteems his Wife, and cannot endure her; has been married nineteen
years, and has not yet addressed one word to her [how true!]. It was but a few days ago she handed him a
Letter, petitioning some things of which she had the most pressing want. He took the Letter, with that
smiling, polite and gracious air which he assumes at pleasure; and without breaking the seal, tore the Letter
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up before her face, made her a profound bow, and turned his back on her." Was there ever such a Pluto
varnished into Literary Rosepink? Very proper Majesty for the Tartarus that here is.
... "The QueenMother," continues our Small Devil, "is a good fat woman, who lives and moves in her own
way (RONDEMENT). She has l6,000 pounds a year for keeping up her House. It is said she hoards. Four
days in the week she has Apartment [Royal Soiree]; to which you cannot go without express invitation. There
is supper table of twentyfour covers; only eight dishes, served in a shabby manner (INDECEMMENT) by
six little scoundrels of Pages. Men and women of the Country [shivering Natives, cheering their dull abode]
go and eat there. Steward Royal sends the invitations. At eleven, everybody has withdrawn. Other days, this
Queen eats by herself. Stewardess Royal and three Maids of Honor have their separate table; two dishes the
whole. She is shabbily lodged [in my opinion], when at the Palace. Her Monbijou, which is close to Berlin
[now well within it], would be pretty enough, for a private person.
"The Queen Regnant is the best woman in the world. All the year [NOT QUITE] she dines alone. Has
Apartment on Thursdays; everybody gone at nine o'clock. Her morsels are cut for her, her steps are counted,
and her words are dictated; she is miserable, and does what she can to hide it"according to our Small
Devil. "She has scarcely the necessaries of life allowed her,"spends regularly twothirds of her income in
charitable objects; translates FrenchCalvinist Devotional Works, for benefit of the German mind; and
complains to no Small Devil, of never so sympathizing nature. "At Court she is lodged on the second floor
[scandalous]. Schonhausen her Country House, with the exception of the Garden which is pretty
enough,our Shopkeepers of the Rue St. Honore would sniff at such a lodging.
"Princess Amelia is rather amiable [thank you for nothing, Small Devil]; often out of temper becausethis is
so shocking a place for Ladies, especially for maiden Ladies. Lives with her Mother; special income very
small;Coadjutress of Quedlinburg; will be actual Abbess" in a year or two. [11th April, 1756: Preuss,
xxvii. p. xxxiv (of PREFACE).]
"Eldest Prince, HeirApparent,"do not speak of him, Small Devil, for you are misinformed in every
feature and particular:enough, "he is facsimile of his Brother. He has only 18,000 pounds a year, for self,
Wife, Household and Children [two, both Boys];and is said [falsely] to hoard, and to follow Trade,
extensive Trade with his Brother's Woods.
"Prince Henri, who is just going to be married,"thank you, Demon, for reminding us of that. Bride is
Wilhelmina, Princess of Hessen Cassel. Marriage, 25th June, 1752;did not prove, in the end, very happy.
A small contemporary event; which would concern Voltaire and others that concern us. Three months ago,
April 14th, 1752, the Berlin PowderMagazine flew aloft with horrible crash; [In HeldenGeschichte (iii.
531) the details.]and would be audible to Voltaire, in this his Second Act. Events, audible or not, never
cease.
"Prince Henri," in Demon's opinion, "is the amiablest of the House. He is polite, generous, and loves good
company. Has 12,000 pounds a year left him by Papa." Not enough, as it proved. "If, on this Marriage, his
Brother, who detests him [witness Reinsberg and other evidences, now and onward], gives him nothing, he
won't be well off. They are furnishing a House for him, where he will lodge after wedding. Is reported to
bePOTZDAMISTE [says the scandalous Small Devil, whom we are weary of
contradicting],Potsdamite, in certain respects. Poor Princess, what a destiny for you!
"Prince Ferdinand, little scraping of a creature (PETIT CHAFOUIN), crapulous to excess, niggardly in the
extreme, whom everybody avoids,"much more whose Portrait, by a Magiclantern of this kind: which let
us hastily shut, and fling into the cellar! "Little Ferdinand, besides his 15,000 pounds a year, Papa's
bequest, gets considerable sums given him. Has lodging in the King's House; goes shifting and visiting about,
wherever he can live gratis; and strives all he can to amass money. Has to be in boots and uniform every three
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days. Three months of the year practically with his regiment: but the shifts he has for avoiding expense are
astonishing." ...
What an illuminative "Idea" are the WalpoleSelwyn Circles picking up for their money!
Chapter XI. THIRD ACT AND CATASTROPHE OF THE VOLTAIRE VISIT.
Meantime there has a fine Controversy risen, of mathematical, philosophical and at length of very
miscellaneous nature, concerning that KonigMaupertuis dissentience on the LAW OF THRIFT. Wonderful
Controversy, much occupying the socalled Philosophic or Scientific world; especially the idler population
that inhabit there. Upon this item of the Infinitely Little,which has in our time sunk into Nothingatall,
and but for Voltaire, and the accident of his living near it, would be forgotten altogether,we must not enter
into details; but a few words to render Voltaire's share in it intelligible will be, in the highest degree,
necessary. Here, in brief form, rough and ready, are the successive stages of the Business; the origin and first
stage of which have been known to us for some time past:
"SEPTEMBER, 1750, Konig, his wellmeant visit to Berlin proving so futile, had left Maupertuis in the
humor we saw;pirouetting round his Apartment, in tempests of rage at such contradiction of sinners on his
sublime Law of Thrift; and fulminating permission to Konig: 'No time to read your Paper of Contradictions;
publish it in Leipzig, in Jericho; anywhere in the Earth, in Heaven, in the Other Place, where you have the
opportunity!' Konig, returning on these terms, had nothing for it but to publish his Paper; and did publish it,
in the Leipzig Acta Eruditorum for March, 1751. There it stands, legible to this day: and if any of the human
species should again think of reading it, I believe it will be found a reasonable, solid and decisive Paper; of
steadfast, openly articulate, by no means insolent, tone; considerably modifying Maupertuis's Law of Thrift,
or Minimum of Action;fatal to the claim of its being a 'Sublime Discovery,' or indeed, so far as TRUE, any
discovery at all. [In Acta Eruditorum (Lipsiae, 1751): "De universali Principio AEquilibrii et Motus." By no
means uncivil to Maupertuis; though obliged to controvert him. For example: "Quoe itaque de Minima
Actionis in modificationibus modum obtinente in genere proferuntur vehementer laudo;" "continent nempe
facundum longeque pulcherrimum Dynamices sublimioris principium, cujus vim in difficillimis quoestionibus
soepe expertus fui." ] By way of finis to the Paper, there is given, what proves extremely important to us, an
Excerpt from an old LETTER OF LEIBNITZ'S; which perhaps it will be better to present here IN
CORPORE, as so much turned on it afterwards. Konig thus winds up:
"I add only a word, in finishing; and that is, that it appears Mr. Leibnitz had a theory of Action, perhaps much
more extensive than one would suspect at present. There is a Letter written by him to Mr. Hermann [an
ancient mathematical sage at Basel], where he uses these expressions: 'Action, is not what you think; the
consideration of Time enters into it; Action is as the product of the mass by the space and the velocity, or as
the time by the VIS VIVA. I have remarked that in the modifications of motion, the action becomes usually a
maximum or a minimum:and from this there might several propositions of great consequence be deduced.
It might serve to determine the curves described by bodies under attraction to one or more centres. I had
meant to treat of these things in the Second Part of my DYNAMIQUE; which I suppressed, the reception of
the First, by prejudice in many quarters, having disgusted me.'" [MAUPERTUISIANA, No. ii. 22 (from Acta
Eruditorum, ubi supra). In MAUPERTUISIANA, No. iv. 166, is the whole Letter, "Hanover, 16th October,
1707;" no ADDRESS left, judged to be to Hermann. MAUPERTUISIANA (Hamburg, 1753) is a mere
Bookseller's or even Bookbinder's Farrago, with printed TITLE PAGE and LIST, of the chief Pamphlets
which had appeared on this Business (sixteen by count, various type, all 8vo size, in my copy). Of which only
No. ii. (Konig's APPEL AU PUBLIC) and No. iv. (2d edition of said APPEL, with APPENDIX OF
CORRESPONDENCE) are illuminative to read.] Your Minimum of Action, it would appear, then, is in some
cases a Maximum; nothing can be said but that, in every case it is EITHER a Maximum or Minimum. What a
stroke for our LAW OF THRIFT, the "at last conclusive Proof" of an Intelligent Creator, as the Perpetual
President had fancied it! "Soho, what is this! My Discovery an Error? And Leibnitz discovered it, so far as
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true?"
"May 28th8th OCTOBER, 1751. Maupertuis, compressing himself what he can, writes to Konig: 'Very
good, Monsieur. But please inform me where is that Letter of Leibnitz's; I have never seen or heard of it
before,and I want to make use of it myself.' To which Konig answers: 'Henzi gave it me, in Copy
[unfortunate Conspirator Henzi, who lost his head three years ago, by sentence of the Oligarch Government
at Berne]: [Government by "The Two Hundred;" of Select Vestry nature, very stiff, arbitrary and become
rife in abuses; against whom had risen angry mutterings more than once, and in 1749 a Select Plot (not select
ENOUGH, for they discovered it in time). Poor ExCaptain Henzi, "Clerk *of the SaltOffice," most frugal,
studious and quiet of men; a very miracle, It would appear, of genius, solid learning, philosophy and
piety,not the chief or first of the conspirators, but by far the most distinguished,was laid hold of, July
2d, 1749, and beheaded, with another of them, a day or two after. Much bewailed in a private way, even by
the better kinds of people. (Copious account of him in Adelung, vii. 8691.)]he, poor fellow, had no end of
Papers and Excerpts; had, as we know, above a hundred volumes of the latter kind; this, and some other
Letters of Leibnitz's, among them,I send you the whole Letter, copied faithfully from his Copy.' ["The
Hague, 26th June," in Maupertuisiana, No. iv. 130.] To that effect, still in perfect goodhumor, was Konig's
reply to his Maupertuis.
"'Hm, Copy? By Henzi?' grumbles Maupertuis to himself:'Search in Berne, then; it must be there, if
anywhere!' To Konig Maupertuis answers nothing: but sulkily resolves on having Search made;and, to
give solemnity to the matter, requests his Excellency Marquis de Paulmy, the French Ambassador at Berne,
to ask the Government there,Government having seized all Henzi's Papers, on beheading him. Excellency
Paulmy does, accordingly, make inquiry in the highest quarter; some inquiries up and down. Not the least
account of this, or of any Leibnitz Letter, to be had from among Henzi's Papers,the 'hundred volumes,'
seemingly, exist no longer; Original of this Leibnitz Piece is nowhere. For eight months the highest
Authorities have been looking about (with one knows not what vivacity or skill in searching), and have found
nothing whatever." Stage second of the Business finishes in this manner.
How lucky for the Perpetual President, had he stopped here! To Konig and the common contradiction of
sinners he could have opposed, as it was apparently his purpose to do, an Olympian silence, "Pshaw!"
Whereby the small matter, interesting to few, would have dropped gently into dubiety, into oblivion, and
been got well rid of. But this of the great Leibnitz, touching on one's LAW OF THRIFT; and not only
"discovering" it, half a century beforehand, but discovering that it was not true: to Leibnitz one must
speak;and the abstruse question is, What is one to say? "Find me the original; let us be certain, first:" that
you can say; that is one dear point; and pretty much the only one. The rest, at this time, as I conjecture, may
have been not a little abstruse to the Perpetual President!
And now, had the Perpetual President but stopped here, there might still have rested a saving shadow of
suspicion on Konig's Excerpt, That it was not exact, that it might be wrong in some vital point: "You never
showed me the Original, Monsieur!" Unluckily, the Perpetual President did not stop. One cannot well fancy
him believing, now or ever, that Konig had forged the Excerpt. Most likely he had the fatal persuasion that
these were Leibnitz's words; and the question, What was to be said or done, if the Original SHOULD turn
up? might justly be alarming to a Son of the Pure Sciences. But at this point a new door of escape disclosed
itself: "Where is the Original, I say!"and he rushed, full speed, into that; galloping triumphantly, feeling all
safe.
"OCTOBER 7th (1751), Maupertuis summons his Academy: 'Messieurs, permit me to submit a case perhaps
requiring your attention. One of our number dissents from your President's Discovery of the Law of Thrift;
which surely he is free to do: but furthermore he gives an Excerpt purporting to be from Leibnitz; whereby it
would appear that your President's Discovery, sanctioned in your Acts as new, is not new, but Leibnitz's (so
far as it is good for anything), possibly stolen, therefore; and, at any rate, fiftyfour years old. In
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selfdefence, I have demanded to see the Original of said Excerpt; and the Honorable Member in question
does not produce it. What say you?' 'Shame to him!' say they all [there seem to be but few Scientific
Members, and most of them, it is insinuated, have Pensions from the King through their Perpetual
President];and determine to make a Starchamber matter of it!
"Accordingly, next day, OCTOBER 8th) Secretary Formey writes officially to Konig, 'Produce that Letter
within one month,'and has got his Majesty to order, That our Prussian Minister at the Hague shall take
charge of delivering such message, and shall mark on what day. Thing serious, you see!Prussian Minister
at the Hague delivers, and dockets accordingly. To Konig's astonishment; who is in a scene of deep trouble at
this time; Royal Highness the Stadtholder suddenly dead, or dying: 'died October 22d; leaving a very young
Heir, and a very sorrowful Widow and Country.' Much to think of, that lies apart from the Maupertuis matter!
Which latter, however, is so very serious too, his Prussian Majesty's Minister at Berne is now charged to
make new perquisition for the Leibnitz Original there: In short, within one month that Document is
peremptorily wanted at Berlin."
High proceedings these;and calculated to have one result, if no other. Namely, that, at this point, as readers
can fancy, the idler Public, seeing a streetquarrel in progress, began to take interest in the Question of
MINIMUM; and quasiscientific gentlemen to gather round, and express, with cheery capable look, their
opinions,still legible in the vanished JUGEMENS LIBRES (of Hamburg), GAZETTE DE SAVANS
(Leipzig), and other poor Shadows of JOURNALS, if you daringly evoke them from the other side of Styx.
Which, the whole matter being now so indisputably extinct, shadowy, Stygian, we will not here be guilty of
doing; but hasten to the catastrophes, that have still a memorability.
"Konig, having in fact nothing more to say about the Leibnitz Excerpt, was in no breathless haste to obey his
summons; he sat almost two months before answering anything. Did then write however, in a friendly strain
to Maupertuis (December 10th, 1751). [ Maupertuisiana, No. iv. 132.] Almost on which same day, as it
chanced, the ACADEMIE, after two months' dignified waiting, had in brief terms repeated its order on
Konig. [December 11th, 1751 (Ib. 137). To which Konig makes no special answer (having as good as
answered the day before);but does silently send off to Switzerland to make inquiries; and does write once
or twice more, when there is occasion for explaining;always in a clear, sonorous, manfully firm and
respectful tone: 'That he himself had, or has, no kind of reason to doubt the authenticity of the Leibnitz
Letter; that to himself (and, so far as he can judge, to Maupertuis) the question of its authenticity is without
special interest;he, Konig, having thrown it in as a mere marginal illustration, which decides nothing,
either for or against the Law of Thrift. That he has, in obedience to the Academy, caused search to be made in
Switzerland, especially at Basel, where he judged the chance might lie; but that of this particular Letter
nothing has come to light; that he has two other Leibnitz Letters, of indifferent tenor, in the late Henzi's hand,
if these will serve in aught, [ Maupertuisiana, No. iv. 155; and ib. 172192, the two Letters
themselves.]but what farther can he do?' In short, Konig speaks always in a clear businesslike manful
tone; the one person that makes a really respectful and respectable figure in this Controversy of the Infinitely
Little. A man whom, viewed from this quiet distance, it seems almost inconceivably absurd to have suspected
of forging for so small an object. Oh, my President, that DIRA REGNANDI CUPIDO!
"Question is, however, What the Academy will do? One Member, 'the best Geometer among them' [whose
name is not given, but which the Berlin Academy should write in big letters across this sad Page of their
Annals, by way of erasure to the same], dissented from the high line of procedure; asserting Konig's
innocence in this matter; nay, hinting agreement with Konig's opinion. But was met by such a storm, that he
withdrew from the deliberations; which henceforth went their own bad course, unanimous though slow. And
so the matter pendulates all through Winter, 175152, and was much the theme of idle men."
Voltaire heard of it vaguely all along; but not with distinctness till the end of July following. As Spring
advanced, Maupertuis had fallen ill of lungs,threatened with spitting of blood ("owing to excess of
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brandy," hints the malicious Voltaire, "which is fashionable at St. Malo," birthplace of Maupertuis),and
could not farther direct the Academy in this affair. The Academy needs no direction farther. Here, very soon,
for a sick President's consolation, is what the Academy decides on, by way of catastrophe:
THURSDAY EVENING, 13th APRIL, 1752, The Academy met; Curator Monsieur de Keith, presiding;
about a score of acting Members present. To whom Curator de Keith, as the first thing, reads a magnanimous
brief Letter from our Perpetual President: "That, for two reasons, he cannot attend on this important occasion:
First, because he is too ill, which would itself be conclusive; but secondly, and A FORTIORI, because he is
in some sense a party to the cause, and ought not if he could." Whereupon, Secretary Formey having done his
Documentary flourishings, Curator Euler (great in Algebra, apparently not very great in common sense
and the rules of good temper)reads considerable "Report;" [Is No. 1 of Maupertuisiana. ] reciting, not in a
dishonest, but in a dim wearisome way, the various steps of the Affair, as readers already know them; and
concludes with this extraordinary practical result: "Things being so (LES CHOSES ETANT TELLES): the
Fragment being of itself suspect [what could Leibnitz know of Maxima and Minima? They were not
developed till one Euler did it, quite in late years!], [ Maupertuisians, No. i. 22.] of itself suspect; and
Monsieur Konig having failed to" is assuredly manifest that his cause is one of the worst (DES PLUS
MAUVAISES), and that this Fragment has been forged." Singular to think! "And the Academy, all things
duly considered, will not hesitate to declare it false (SUPPOSE), and thereby deprive it publicly of all
authority which may have been ascribed to it" (HEAR, HEAR! from all parts).
Curator de Keith then collects the votes,twentythree in all; some sixteen are of working Members; two
are from accidental Strangers ("travelling students," say the enemy); the rest from Curators of
Quality:Vote is unanimous, "Adopt the Report. Fragment evidently forged, and cannot have the least
shadow of authority (AUCUNE OMBRE D'AUTHORITE). Forged by whom, we do not now ask; nor what
the Academy could, on plain grounds, now do to Monsieur Konig [NOT nail his ears to the pump, oh no!];
enough, it IS forged, and so remains." Signed, "Curator de Keith," and Six other Officebearers; "Formey,
Perpetual Secretary"' closing the list.
At the name Keith, a slight shadow (very slight, for how could Keith help himself?) crosses the mind: "Is this,
by ill luck, the Feldmarschall Keith?" No, reader; this is LieutenantColonel Keith; he of Wesel, with "Effigy
nailed to the Gallows" long since; whom none of us cares for. Sulzer, I notice too, is of this long eared
Sanhedrim. ACH, MEIN LIEBER SULZER, you don't know (do you, then?) DIESE VERDAMMTE RACE,
to what heights and depths of stupid malice, and malignant length of ear, they are capable of going.
"Thursday, 13th April," this is Forger Konig's doom:and, what is observable, next morning, with a crash
audible through Nature, the PowderMagazine flew aloft, killing several persons! [Supra, p. 203.] Had no
hand, he, I hope, in that latter atrocity?
On authentic sight of this Sentence (for which Konig had at once, on hearing of it, applied to Formey, and
which comes to him, without help of Formey, through the Public Newspapers) Konig, in a brief, proud
enough, but perfectly quiet, mild and manful manner, resigns his Membership. "Ceases, from this day (June
18th, 1752), to have the honor of belonging to your Academy; 'an honor I had been the prouder of, as it came
to me unasked;'and will wish, you, from the outside henceforth, successful campaigns in the field of
Science." [ Maupertuisiana, No. iv. 129.] And sets about preparing his Pamphlet to instruct mankind on the
subject. Maupertuis, it appears, did write, and made others write to Konig's Sovereign Lady, the Dowager
Princess of Orange, "How extremely handsome it would be, could her Most Serene Highness, a friend to Pure
Science, be pleased to induce Monsieur Konig not to continue this painful Controversy, but to sit quiet with
what he had got." [Voltaire (infra).] Which her Most Serene Highness by no mean thought the suitable
course. Still less did Konig himself; whose APPEAL TO THE PUBLIC, with DEFENCE OF
APPEAL,reasonably well done, as usual, and followed and accompanied by the multitude of
Commentators,appeared in due course. ["September, 1752, Konig's APPEL" (Preuss, in OEuvres de
Frederic, xv. 60 n.).] Till, before long, the Public was thoroughly instructed; and nobody, hardly the signing
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Curators, or thin Euler himself, not to speak of Perpetual Formey, who had never been strong in the matter,
could well believe in "forgery" or care to speak farther on such a subject. Subject gone wholly to the Stygian
Fens, long since; "forgery" not now imaginable by anybody!
The rumor of these things rose high and wide; and the quantity of publishing upon them, quasiscientifically
and otherwise, in the serious vein and the jocose, was greater than we should fancy. ["Letter from a Marquis;"
"Letter from Mr. T to M. S" (Mr. T. lives in London;"JE TRAVERSE LE Queen's Square, ET JE
RENCONTRE NOTRE AMI D: 'AVEZVOUS LA l'Appel au Public?' DITIL"); "Letter by Euler in
the Berlin Gazette," (in Maupertuisiana ).] Voltaire, for above a month past, had been fully aware of the case
(24th July, 1752, writing to Niece, "heard yesterday"); not without commentary to oneself and others.
Voltaire, with a kind of love to Konig, and a very real hatred to Maupertuis and to oppression generally, took
pen himself, among the others (Konig's APPEAL just out),could not help doing it, though he had better
not! The following small Piece is perhaps the one, if there be one, still worth resuscitating from the Inane
Kingdoms. Appeared in the BIBLIOTHEQUE RAISONNEE (mildshining Quarterly Review of those days),
JULYSEPTEMBER Number.
"ANSWER FROM [VERY PRIVATELY VOLTAIRE, CALLING HIMSELF] A
BERLIN ACADEMICIAN TO A PARIS ONE.
"BERLIN, 18th SEPTEMBER, 1752. This is the exact truth, in reply to your inquiry. M. Moreau de
Maupertuis in a Pamphlet entitled ESSAI DE COSMOLOGIE, pretended that the only proof of the Existence
of God is the circumstance that AR+nRB is a Minimum. [ONLY proof:
^??????^ (p.212 Book XVI)
VOILA!] He asserts that in all possible cases, 'Action is a Minimum,' what has been demonstrated false; and
he says, 'He discovered this Law of Minimum,' what is not less false.
"M. Konig, as well as other Mathematicians, wrote against this strange assertion; and, among other things, M.
Konig cited some sentences of a Letter by Leibnitz, in which that great man says, He has observed 'that, in
the modifications of motion, the Action usually becomes either a Maximum or else a Minimum.'
"M. Moreau de Maupertuis imagined that, by producing this Fragment, it had been intended to snatch from
him the glory of his pretended discovery,though Leibnitz says precisely the contrary of what he advances.
He forced some pensioned members of the Academy, who are dependent on him, to summon M. Koinig"
As we know too well; and cannot bear to have repeated to us, even in the briefest and spiciest form!
"Sentence (JUGEMENT) on M. Konig, which declares him guilty of having assaulted the glory of the Sieur
Moreau Maupertuis by FORGING a Leibnitz Letter.Wrote then, and made write, to her Serene Highness
the Princess of Orange, who was indignant at so insolent" ... and in fine,
"Thus the Sieur Moreau Maupertuis has been convicted, in the face of Scientific Europe, not only of
plagiarism and blunder, but of having abused his place to suppress free discussion, and to persecute an honest
man who had no crime but that of not being of his opinion. Several members of our Academy have protested
against so crying a procedure; and would leave the Academy, were it not for fear of displeasing the King,
who is protector of it." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxiii. 227 (in Maupertuisiana, No. xvi).]
King Friedrich's position, in the middle of all this, was becoming uncomfortable. Of the controversy he
understood, or cared to understand, nothing; had to believe steadily that his Academy must be right; that
Konig was some loose bird, envious of an eagle Maupertuis, sitting aloft on his high Academic perch: this
Friedrich took for the truth of the matter;and could not let himself imagine that his sublime Perpetual
President, who was usually very prudent and Jovelike, had been led, by his truculent vanity (which
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Friedrich knew to be immense in the man, though kept well out of sight), into such playing of fantastic tricks
before high Heaven and other onlookers. This view of the matter had hitherto been Friedrich's; nor do I
know that he ever inwardly departed from it;as outwardly he, for certain, never did; standing, Kinglike,
clear always for his Perpetual President, till this hurricane of Pamphlets blew by. Voltaire's little Piece,
therefore, was the unwelcomest possible.
This new bolt of electric fire, launched upon the stormtost President from Berlin itself, and even from the
King's House itself,by whom, too clearly recognizable,what an irritating thing! Unseemly, in fact, on
Voltaire's part; but could not be helped by a Voltaire charged with electricity. Friedrich evidently in
considerable indignation, finding that public measures would but worsen the uproar, took pen in hand; wrote
rapidly the indignant LETTER FROM AN ACADEMICIAN OF BERLIN TO AN ACADEMICIAN OF
PARIS: [ OEuvres de Frederic, xv. 5964 (not dated; datable "October, 1752").] which Piece, of some
length, we cannot give here; but will briefly describe as manifesting no real knowledge of the
LAWOFTHRIFT Controversy; but as taking the above loose view of it, and as directed principally against
"the pretended Member of our Academy" (mischievous Voltaire, to wit), whom it characterizes as "such a
manifest retailer of lies," a "concocter of stupid libels:" "have you ever seen an action more malicious, more
dastardly, more infamous?"and other hard terms, the hardest he can find. This is the privilege of
anonymity, on both sides of it.
But imagine now a King and his Voltaire doing witty discourse over their Supper of the gods (as, on the set
days, is duly the case); with such a consciousness, burning like Bude light, though close veiled, on the part of
Host and Guest! The FriedrichVoltaire relation is evidently under sore stress of weather, in those
winterautumn months of 1752,brown leaves, splashy rains and winds moaning outwardly withal. And,
alas, the irrepressibly electric Voltaire, still far from having ended, still only just beginning his
AntiMaupertuis discharges, has, in the interim, privately got his DOCTOR AKAKIA ready. Compared to
which, the former missile is as a popgun to a park of artillery shotted with old nails and broken glass!Such
a constraint, at the Royal dinnertable, amid wine and wit, could not continue. The credible account is, it
soon cracked asunder; and, after the conceivable sputterings, sparklings and flashings of various complexion,
issued in lambent airs of "tacit mutual understanding; and in reading of AKAKIA together,with peals of
laughter from the King," as the common French Biographers assert.
"Readers know AKAKIA," [DIATRIBE DU DOCTEUR AKAKIA (in Voltaire, OEuvres, lxi. 1962).] says
Smelfungus: "it is one of the famous feats of Satirical Pyrotechny; only too pleasant to the corrupt Race of
Adam! There is not much, or indeed anything, of true poetic humor in it: but there is a gayety of malice, a
dexterity, felicity, inexhaustibility of laughing mockery and light banter, capable of driving a Perpetual
President delirious. What an Explosion of glasscrackers, fireballs, flamingserpents;generally, of
sleeping gunpowder, in its most artistic forms,flaming out skyhigh over all the Parish, on a sudden! The
almostsublime of Maupertuis, which exists in large quantities, here is a new artist who knows how to treat
it. The engineer of the Sublime (always painfully engineering thitherward without effect),an engineer of
the Comic steps in on him, blows him up with his own petards in a most unexampled manner. Not an owlery
has that poor Maupertuis, in the struggle to be sublime (often nearly successful, but never once quite),
happened to drop from him, but Voltaire picks it up; manipulates it, reduces it to the sublimely ridiculous;
lodges it, in the form of burning dust, about the head of MON PRESIDENT. Needless to say of the Comic
engineer that he is unfair, perversely exaggerative, reiterative, on the owleries of poor Maupertuis;it is his
function to BE all that. Clever, but wrong, do you say? Well, yes:and yet the ridiculous does require
ridicule; wise Nature has silently so ordered. And if ever truculent President in red wig, with his absurd
truculences, tyrannies and perpetual struggles after the sublime, did deserve to be exploded in laughter, it
could not have been more consummately done;though perversely always, as must be owned.
"'The hole bored through the Earth,' for instance: really, one sometimes reflects on such a thing; How you
would see daylight, and the antipodal gentleman (if he bent a little over) foot to foot; how a little stone flung
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into it would exactly (but for air and friction) reach the other side of the world; would then, in a computable
few moments, come back quiescent to your hand, and so continue forevermore;with other the like
uncriminal fancies.
"'The Latin Town,' again: truly, if learning the Ancient Languages be human Education, it might, with a
Greek Ditto, supersede the Universities, and prove excellently serviceable in our struggle Heavenward by that
particular route. I can assure M. de Voltaire, it was once practically proposed to this King's
Greatgrandfather, the Grosse Kurfurst;who looked into it, with face puckered to the intensest, in his great
care for furtherance of the Terrestrial Sciences and Wisdoms; but forbore for that time. [Minute details about
it in Stenzel, ii. 234238; who quotes "Erman" (a poor old friend of ours) "SUR LE PROJET D'UNE VILLE
SAVANTE DANS LE BRANDEBOURG (Berlin, 1792):" date of the Project was 1667.] Then as to
'Dissecting the Brains of Patagonians;' what harm, if you can get them gross enough? And as to that of
(exalting your mind to predict the future,' does not, in fact, man look BEFORE and AFTER; are not Memory
and (in a small degree) Prophecy the Two Faculties he has?
"These thingswhich are mostly to be found in the 'LETTRES DE MAUPERTUIS' (Dresden, 1752, then a
brandnew Book), but are now clipt out from the Maupertuis Treatiseswe can fancy to be almost
sublimities.Almost, unfortunately not altogether. And then there is such a Sisyphuseffort visible in
dragging them aloft so far: and the nimble wicked Voltaire so seizes his moment, trips poor Sisyphus; and
sends him down, heelsoverhead, in a torrent of roaring debris! 'From gradual transpiration of our vital
force comes Death; which perhaps, by precautions, might be indefinitely retarded,' says Maupertuis. 'Yes,
truly,' answers the other: 'if we got ourselves japanned, coated with resinous varnish (INDUITS DE POIX
RESINEUX); who knows!' Not a sublime owlery can you drop, but it is manipulated, ground down, put in
rifled cannon, comes back on you as tempests of burning dust." Enough to send Maupertuis pirouetting
through the world, with red wig unquenchably on fire!
Peals of laughter (once you are allowed to be nonofficial) could not fail, as an ovation, from the King;so
report the French Biographers. But there was, besides, strict promise that the Piece should be suppressed:
"Never do to send our President pirouetting through the world in this manner, with his wig on fire; promise
me, on your honor!" Voltaire promised. But, alas, how could Voltaire perform! Once more the
Rhadamanthine fact is: Voltaire, as King's Chamberlain, was bound, without any promise, to forbear, and
rigidly suppress such an AKAKIA against the King's Perpetual President. But withal let candid readers
consider how difficult it was to do. The absurd blusterous Turkeycock, who has, every now and then, been
tyrannizing over you for twenty years, here you have him filled with gunpowder, so to speak, and the train
laid. There wants but one spark,(edition printed in Holland, edition done in Berlin, plenty of editions made
or makable by a little surreptitious legerdemain,and I never knew whether it was AKAKIA in print, or
AKAKIA in manuscript, that King and King's Chamberlain were now reading together, nor does it matter
much):your Turkey surreptitiously stuffed with gunpowder, I say; train ready waiting; one flintspark will
shoot him aloft, scatter him as flaming ruin on all the winds: and you are, once and always, to withhold said
spark. Perhaps, had AKAKIA not yet been writtenBut all lies ready there; one spark will do it, at any
moment;and there are unguarded moments, and the Tempter must prevail!
On what day AKAKIA blazed out at Berlin, surreptitiously forwarded from Holland or otherwise, I could
never yet learn (so stupid these reporters). But "on November 2d" the King makes a Visit to sick Maupertuis,
which is published in all the Newspapers; [Rodenbeck, IN DIE; HeldenGeschichte, iii. 531, "2d November,
1752, 5 P.M."]and one might guess the AKAKIA conflagration, and cruel hahaings of mankind, to have
been tacitly the cause. Then or later, sure enough, AKAKIA does blaze aloft about that time; and all Berlin,
and all the world, is in conversation over Maupertuis and it,30,000 copies sold in Paris: and Friedrich
naturally was in a towering passion at his Chamberlain. Nothing for the Chamberlain but to fly his presence;
to shriek, piteously, "Accident, your Majesty! Fatal treachery and accident; after such precautions too!"and
fall sick to death (which is always a resource one has); and get into private lodgings in the
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TAUBENSTRASSE, [At a "Hofrath Francheville's" (kind of subaltern Literary Character, see Denina, ii.
67), "TAUBENSTRASSE (Dove Street), No. 20:" stayed there till "March, 1753" (Note by Preuss, OEuvres
de Frederic, xxii. 306 n.).] till one either die, or grow fit to be seen again: "Ah, Sire"let us give the
Voltaire shriek of NOTGUILTY, with the Friedrich Answer; both dateless unluckily:
VOLTAIRE. "AH, MON DIEU, Sire, in the state I am in! I swear to you again, on my life, which I could
renounce without pain, that it is a frightful calumny. I conjure you to summon all my people, and confront
them. What? You will judge me without hearing me! I demand justice or death."
FRIEDRICH. "Your effrontery astonishes me. After what you have done, and what is clear as day, you
persist, instead of owning yourself culpable. Do not imagine you will make people believe that black is
white; when one [ON, meaning _I_] does not see, the reason
?ONE p. 218, book XVI +++++++++++++++++ is, one does not want to see everything. But if you drive
the affair to extremity,all shall be made public; and it will be seen whether, if your Works deserve statues,
your conduct does not deserve chains." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 302, 301.]
Most dark element (not in date only), with terrific thunderand lightning. Nothing for it but to keep one's
room, mostly one's bed,"Ah, Sire, sick to death!"
December 24th, 1752, there is one thing dismally distinct, Voltaire himself looking on (they say), from his
windows in Dove Street: the Public Burning of AKAKIA, near there, by the common Hangman. Figure it;
and Voltaire's reflections on it:haggardly clear that Act Third is culminating; and that the final catastrophe
is inevitable and nigh. We must be brief. On the eighth day after this dread spectacle (Newyear'sday 1753),
Voltaire sends, in a Packet to the Palace, his Gold Key and Cross of Merit. On the interior wrappage is an
Inscription in verse: "I received them with loving emotion, I return them with grief; as a brokenhearted
Lover returns the Portrait of his Mistress:
Je les recus avec tendresse,
Je vous les rends avec douleur;
C'est ainsi qu'un amant, dans son extreme ardeur,
Rend le portrait de sa maitresse."
Andin a Letter enclosed, tender as the Song of Swanshas one wish: Permission for the waters of
Plonbieres, some alleviations amid kind nursing friends there; and to die craving blessings on your Majesty.
[Collini, p. 48; LETTER, in OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 305.]
Friedrich, though in hot wrath, has not quite come that length. Friedrich, the same day, towards evening,
sends Fredersdorf to him, with Decorations back. And a long dialogue ensues between Fredersdorf and
Voltaire; in which Collini, not eavesdropping, "heard the voice of M. de Voltaire at times very loud." Precise
result unknown. After which, for three months more, follows waiting and hesitation and negotiation, also
quite obscure. Confused hithering and thithering about permission for Plombieres, about repentance, sorrow,
amendment, blame; in the end, reconciliation, or what is to pass for such. Recorded for us in that whirl of
misdated Letterclippings; in those Narratives, ignorant, and pretending to know: perhaps the darkest Section
in History, Sacred or Profane,were it of moment to us, here or elsewhere!
Voltaire has got permission to return to Potsdam; Apartment in the Palace ready again: but he still lingers in
Dove Street; too ill, in real truth, for Potsdam society on those new terms. Does not quit Francheville's "till
March 5th;" and then only for another Lodging, called "the Belvedere", of suburban or rural kind. His case is
intricate to a degree. He is sick of body; spectrehaunted withal, more than ever;often thinks Friedrich,
provoked, will refuse him leave. And, alas, he would so fain NOT go, as well as go! Leave for Plombieres
,leave in the angrily contemptuous shape, "Go, then, forever and a day!"Voltaire can at once have: but
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to get it in the friendly shape, and as if for a time only? His prospects at Paris, at Versailles, are none of the
best; to return as if dismissed will never do! Would fain not go, withal;and has to diplomatize at Potsdam,
by D'Argens, De Prades, and at Paris simultaneously, by Richelieu, D'Argenson and friends. He is greatly to
be pitied;even Friedrich pities him, the martyr of bodily ailments and of spiritual; and sends him "extract
of quinquina" at one time. [Letter of Voltaire's.] Three miserable months; which only an OEdipus could read,
and an OEdipus who had nothing else to do! The issue is well known. Of precise or indisputable, on the road
thither, here are fractions that will suffice:
VOLTAIRE TO ONE BAGIEU HIS DOCTOR AT PARIS ("Berlin, 19th December," 1752, week BEFORE
his AKAKIA was burnt). ... "Wish I could set out on the instant, and put myself into your hands and into the
arms of my family! I brought to Berlin about a score of teeth, there remain to me something like six; I
brought two eyes, I have nearly lost one of them; I brought no erysipelas, and I have got one, which I take a
great deal of care of. ... Meanwhile I have buried almost all my Doctors; even La Mettrie. Remains only that I
bury Codenius [Cothenius], who looks too stiff, however,"and, at any rate, return to you in Spring, when
roads and weather improve. [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxxv. 141.]
FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE (Potsdam, uncertain date). "There was no need of that pretext about the waters
of Plombieres, in demanding your leave (CONGE). You can quit my service when you like: but, before
going, be so good as return me the Contract of your Engagement, the Key [Chamberlain's], the Cross [of
Merit], and the Volume of Verses which I confided to you.
"I wish my Works, and only they, had been what you and Konig attacked. Them I sacrifice, with a great deal
of willingness, to persons who think of increasing their own reputation by lessening that of others. I have not
the folly nor vanity of certain Authors. The cabals of literary people seem to me the disgrace of Literature. I
do not the less esteem honorable cultivators of Literature; it is only the caballers and their leaders that are
degraded in my eyes. On this, I pray God to have you in his holy and worthy keeping.FRIEDRICH." [In
De Prades's hand; OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 308, 309: Friedrich's own Minute to De Prades has, instead of
these last three lines: "That I have not the folly and vanity of authors, and that the cabals of literary people
seem to me the depth of degradation,"
VOLTAIRE SPECTRALLY GIVEN (Collini LOQUITUR). "One evening walking in the garden [at rural
Belvedere,after March 5th], talking of our situation, he asked me, 'Could you drive a coachandtwo?' I
stared at him a moment; but knowing that there must be no direct contradiction of his ideas, I said
'Yes.''Well, then, listen; I have thought of a method for getting away. You could buy two horses; a chariot
after that. So soon as we have horses, it will not appear strange that we lay in a little hay.''Yes, Monsieur;
and what should we do with that?' said I. 'LE VOICI (this is it). We will fill the chariot with hay. In the
middle of the hay we will put all our baggage. I will place myself, disguised, on the top of the hay; and give
myself out for a Calvinist Curate going to see one of his Daughters married in the next Town. You shall
drive: we take the shortest road for the Saxon Border; safe there, we sell chariot, horses, hay; then straight to
Leipzig, by post.' At which point, or soon after, he burst into laughing." [Collini, p. 53.]
VOLTAIRE TO FRIEDRICH ("Berlin, Belvedere," rural lodging, ["In the STRALAUER VORSTADT
(HODIE, Woodmarket Street):" Preuss's Note to this Letter, OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 306 n.] "12th
March," 1753). "Sire, I have had a Letter from Konig, quite open, as my heart is. I think it my duty to send
your Majesty a duplicate of my Answer. ... Will submit to you every step of my conduct; of my whole life, in
whatever place I end it. I am Konig's friend; but assuredly I am much more attached to your Majesty; and if
he were capable the least in the world of failing in respect [as is rumored], I would"Enough!
FRIEDRICH RELENTS (To Voltaire; De Prades writing, Friedrich covertly dictating: no date). "The King
has held his Consistory; and it has there been discussed, Whether your case was a mortal sin or a venial? In
truth, all the Doctors owned that it was mortal, and even exceedingly confirmed as such by repeated lapses
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and relapses. Nevertheless, by the plenitude of the grace of Beelzebub, which rests in the said King, he thinks
he can absolve you, if not in whole, yet in part. This would be, of course, in virtue of some act of contrition
and penitence imposed on you: but as, in the Empire of Satan, there is a great respect had of genius, I think,
on the whole, that, for the sake of your talents, one might pardon a good many things which do discredit to
your heart. These are the Sovereign Pontiff's words; which I have carefully taken down. They are a Prophecy
rather." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 307.]
VOLTAIRE TO DE PRADES ("Belvedere, 15th March," 1753). "Dear Abbe, Your style has not appeared
to me soft. You are a frank Secretary of State:nevertheless I give you warning, it is to be a settled point
that I embrace you before going. I shall not be able to kiss you; my lips are too choppy from my devil of a
disorder [SCURVY, I hear]. You will easily dispense with my kisses; but don't dispense, I pray you, with my
warm and true friendship.
"I own I am in despair at quitting you, and quitting the King; but it is a thing indispensable. Consider with our
dear Marquis [D'Argens], with Fredersdorf,PARBLEU, with the King himself, How you can manage that I
have the consolation of seeing him before I go. I absolutely will have it; I will embrace with my two arms the
Abbe and the Marquis. The Marquis sha'n't be kissed, any more than you; nor the King either. But I shall
perhaps fall blubbering; I am weak, I am a drenched hen. I shall make a foolish figure: never mind; I must,
once more, have sight of you two. If I cannot throw myself at the King's feet, the Plombieres waters will kill
me. I await your answer, to quit this Country as a happy or as a miserable man. Depend on me for life.V."
[Ib. 308.]This is the last of these obscure Documents.
Three days after which, "evening of March 18th", [Collini, pp. 55, 56.] Voltaire, Collini with him and all his
packages, sets out for Potsdam; King's guest once more. Sees the King in person "after dinner, next day;"
stays with him almost a week, "quite gay together," "some private quizzing even of Maupertuis" (if we could
believe Collini or his master on that point); means "to return in October, when quite refitted,"does at least
(note it, reader), on that ground, retain his Cross and Key, and his Gift of the OEUVRE DE POESIES: which
he had much better have left! And finally, morning of March 25th) 1753, [Collini, p. 56; see Rodenbeck, i.
252.] drives off,towards Dresden, where there are Printing Affairs to settle, and which is the nearest safe
City;and Friedrich and he, intending so or not, have seen one another for the last time. Not quite intending
that extremity, either of them, I should think; but both aware that living together was a thing to be avoided
henceforth.
"Take care of your health, above all; and don't forget that I expect to see you again after the Waters!" such
was Friedrich's adieu, say the French Biographers, [Collini, p. 57; Duvernet, p. 186; OEuvres de Voltaire,
lxxv. 187 ("will return in October").] "who is himself just going off to the Silesian Reviews", add
they;who does, in reality, drive to Berlin that day; but not to the Silesian Reviews till May following. As
Voltaire himself will experience, to his cost!
Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE
TRAGICAL.
Voltaire, once safe on Saxon ground, was in no extreme haste for Plombieres. He deliberately settled his
Printing Affairs at Dresden; then at Leipzig;and scattered through Newspapers, or what portholes he had,
various fiery darts against Maupertuis; aggravating the humors in Berlin, and provoking Maupertuis to write
him an express Letter. Letter which is too curious, especially the Answer it gets, to be quite omitted:
MAUPERTUIS TO VOLTAIRE (at Leipzig).
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"BERLIN, 3d APRIL, 1753. If it is true that you design to attack me again [with your LABEAUMELLE
doggeries and scurrilous discussions], I declare to you that I have still health enough to find you wherever
you are, and to take the most signal vengeance on you (VENGEANCE LA PLUS ECLATANTE). Thank the
respect and the obedience which have hitherto restrained my arm, and saved you from the worst adventure
you have ever yet had. MAUPERTUIS."
VOLTAIRE'S ANSWER (from Leipzig, a few days after).
"M. le President,I have had the honor to receive your Letter. You inform me that you are well; that your
strength is entirely returned; and that, if I publish La Beaumelle's Letter [private Letter of his, lent me by a
Friend, which proves that YOU set him against me], you will come and assassinate me. What ingratitude to
your poor medical man Akakia! ... If you exalt your soul so as to discern futurity, you will see that if you
come on that errand to Leipzig, where you are no better liked than in other places, and where your Letter is in
safe Legal hands, you run some risk of being hanged. Poor me, indeed, you will find in bed; and I shall have
nothing for you but my syringe and vessel of dishonor: but so soon as I have gained a little strength, I will
have my pistols charged CUM PULVERE PYRIO; and multiplying the mass by the square of the velocity, so
as to reduce the action and you to zero, I will put some lead in your head;it appears to have need of it.
ADIEU, MON PRESIDENT. AKAKIA." [Duvernet, pp. 186, 187; OEuvres de Voltaire, lxi. 5560.]
Here, in the history of Duelling, or challenging to mortal combat, is a unique article! At which the whole
world haha'd again; perhaps King Friedrich himself; though he was dreadfully provoked at it, too: "No
mending of that fellow!"and took a resolution in consequence, as will be seen.
Dresden and Leipzig done with, Voltaire accepted an invitation to the Court of SachsenGotha (most polite
Serene Highnesses there, and especially a charming Duchess,who set him upon doing the ANNALES DE
L'EMPIRE, decidedly his worst Book). "About April 2lst" Voltaire arrived, stayed till the last days of May;
[ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxv. 182 n. Clogenson's Note).] and had, for five weeks, a beautiful time at
Gotha;Wilhelmina's Daughter there (young Duchess of Wurtemberg, on visit, as it chanced),
[WilhelminaFriedrich Correspondence ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. iii. 258, 249).] and all manner of
graces, melodies and beneficences; a little working, too, at the ANNALES, in the big Library, between
whiles. Five decidedly melodious weeks. Beautiful interlude, or halfhour of orchestral fiddling in this
Voltaire Drama; halfhour which could not last! On the heel of which there unhappily followed an Afterpiece
or codicil to the Berlin Visit; which, so to speak, set the whole theatre on fire, and finished by explosion
worse than AKAKIA itself. A thing still famous to mankind;of which some intelligible notion must be left
with readers.
The essence of the story is briefly this. Voltaire, by his fine deportment in parting with Friedrich, had been
allowed to retain his Decorations, his Letter of Agreement, his Royal BOOK OF POESIES (one of those
"Twelve Copies," printed AU DONJON DU CHATEAU, in happier times!)and in short, to go his ways as
a friend, not as a runaway or one dismissed. But now, by his late procedures at Leipzig, and "firings out of
portholes" in that manner, he had awakened Friedrich's indignation again,Friedrich's regret at allowing
him to take those articles with him; and produced a resolution in Friedrich to have them back. They are not
generally articles of much moment; but as marks of friendship, they are now all falsities. One of the articles
might be of frightful importance: that Book of Poesies; thriceprivate OEUVRE DE POESIES, in which are
satirical spurts affecting more than one crowned head: one shudders to think what fires a spiteful Voltaire
might cause by publishing these! This was Friedrich's idea;and by no means a chimerical one, as the Fact
proved; said OEUVRE being actually reprinted upon him, at Paris afterwards (not by Voltaire), in the crisis
of the SevenYears War, to put him out with his Uncle of England, whom it quizzed in passages. [Title of it
is, OEuvres du Philosophe de SansSouci (Paris, pretending to be "Potsdam," 1760), 1 vol. 12mo: at Paris,
"in January" this; whereupon, at Berlin, with despatch, "April 9th," "the real edition" (properly castrated) was
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Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL. 1027
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sent forth, under title, POESIES DIVERSES, 1 vol. big 8vo (Preuss, in OEuvres de Frederic, x. Preface, p. x.
See Formey, ii. 255, under date misprinted "1763").] "We will have those articles back," thinks Friedrich;
"that OEUVRE most especially! No difficulty: wait for him at Frankfurt, as he passes home; demand them of
him there." And has (directly on those new "firings through portholes" at Leipzig) bidden Fredersdorf take
measures accordingly. ["Friedrich to Wilhelmina, 12th April, 1753" ( OEuvres, xxvii. iii. 227).]
Fredersdorf did so; early in April and onward had his Official Person waiting at Frankfurt (one Freytag, our
Prussian Resident there, very celebrated ever since), vigilant in the extreme for Voltaire's arrival,and who
did not miss that event. Voltaire, arriving at last (May 31st), did, with Freytag's hand laid gently on his
sleeve, at once give up what of the articles he had about him;the OEUVRE, unluckily, not one of them;
and agreed to be under mild arrest ("PAROLE D'HONNEUR; in the LIOND'OR Hotel here!") till said
OEUVRE should come up. Under Fredersdorf's guidance, all this, and what follows; King Friedrich, after the
general Order given, had nothing more to do with it, and was gone upon his Reviews.
In the course of two weeks or more the OEUVRE DE POESIE did come. Voltaire was impatient to go. And
he might perhaps have at once gone, had Freytag been clearly instructed, so as to know the essential from the
unessential here. But he was not;poor subaltern Freytag had to say, on Voltaire's urgencies: "I will at once
report to Berlin; if the answer be (as we hope), 'All right,' you are that moment at liberty!" This was a thing
unexpected, astonishing to Voltaire; a thing demanding patience, silence: in three days more, with silence, as
turns out, it would have been all beautifully over,but he was not strong in those qualities!
Voltaire's arrest hitherto had been merely on his word of honor, "I promise, on my honor, not to go beyond
the Garden of this Inn." But he now, without warning anybody, privately revoked said word of honor; and
Collini and he, next morning, whisked shiftily into a hackneycoach, and were on the edge of being clear off.
To Freytag's terror and horror; who, however, caught them in time: and was rigorous enough now, and loud
enough;streetmob gathering round the transaction; Voltaire very loud, and Freytag too,the matter
taking fire here; and scenes occurring, which Voltaire has painted in a highly flagrant manner!
On the third day, Answer from Berlin had come, as expected; answer (as to the old score): "All right; let him
go!" But to punctual Freytag's mind, here is now a new considerable item of sundries: insult to his Majesty, to
wit; breaking his Majesty's arrest, in such insolent loud manner:and Freytag finds that he must write anew.
Post is very slow; and, though Fredersdorf answers constantly, from Berlin, "Let him go, let him go," there
have to be writings and rewritings; and it is not till July 7th (after a detention, not of nearly three weeks, as
it might and would have been, but of five and a day) that Voltaire gets off, and then too at full gallop, and in a
very unseemly way.
This is authentically the worldfamous Frankfurt Affair;done by Fredersdorf, as we say; Friedrich, absent
in Silesia, or in Preussen even, having no hand in it, except the original Order left with Fredersdorf. Voltaire
has used his flamingest colors on this occasion, being indeed dreadfully provoked and chagrined; painting the
thing in a very flagrant manner,known to all readers. Voltaire's flagrant Narrative had the round of the
world to itself, for a hundred years; and did its share of execution against Friedrich. Till at length, recently, a
precise impartial hand, the Herr Varnhagen, thought of looking into the Archives; and has, in a distinct,
minute and entertaining way, explained the truth of it to everybody;leaving the Voltaire Narrative in rather
sad condition. [Varnhagen von Ense, Voltaire in Frankfurt am Mayn, 1753 (separate, as here, 12mo, pp. 92;
or in Berliner Kalender for 1846).] We have little room; but must give, compressed, from Varnhagen and the
other evidences, a few of the characteristic points. The story falls into two Parts.
PART I. FREDERSDORF SENDS INSTRUCTIONS; THE "OEUVRE DE
POESIE" IS GOT; BUT
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APRIL 11th, 1753 (few days after that of Maupertuis's Cartel, Voltaire having set to firing through
portholes again, and the King being swift in his resolution on it), Factotum Fredersdorf, who has a
freeflowing yet a steady and compact pen, directs Herr Freytag, our Resident at FrankfurtonMayn, To
procure from the Authorities there, on Majesty's request, the necessary powers; then vigilantly to look out for
Voltaire's arrival; to detain the said Voltaire, and, if necessary, arrest him, till he deliver certain articles
belonging to his Majesty: Cross of Merit, Gold Key, printed OEUVRE DE POESIES and Writings
(SKRIPTUREN) of his Majesty's; in short, various articles,the specification of which is somewhat
indistinct. In Fredersdorf's writing, all this; not so mathematically luminous and indisputable as in Eichel's it
would have been. Freytag put questions, and there passed several Letters between Fredersdorf and him; but it
was always uncomfortably hazy to Freytag, and he never understood or guessed that the OEUVRE DE
POESIES was the vital item, and the rest formal in comparison. Which is justly considered to have been an
unlucky circumstance, as matters turned. For help to himself, Freytag is to take counsel with one Hofrath
Schmidt; a substantial experienced Burgher of Frankfurt, whose rathship is Prussian.
APRIL 21st, Freytag answers, That Schmidt and he received his Majesty's Allgracious Orders the day
before yesterday (Post takes eight days, it would seem); that they have procured the necessary powers; and
are now, and will be, diligently watchful to execute the same. Which, one must say, they in right earnest are;
patrolling about, with lips strictly closed, eyes vividly open; and have a man or two privately on watch at the
likely stations, on the possible highways;and so continue, Voltaire doing his ANNALS OF THE EMPIRE,
and enjoying himself at Gotha, for weeks after, ["Left Gotha 25th May " (Clog. in OEuvres de Voltaire, xxv.
192 n.).]much unconscious of their patrolling.
Freytag is in no respect a shining Diplomatist;probably some EMERITUS Lieutenant, doing his function
for 30 pounds a year: but does it in a practical solid manner. Writes with stiff brevity, stiff but distinct; with
perfect observance of grammar both in French and German; with good practical sense, and faithful effort to
do aright what his order is: no trace of "MonSIR," of "OEuvre de PoesHie," to be found in Freytag; and most,
or all, of the ridiculous burs stuck on him by Voltaire, are to be pulled off again asas fibs, or fictions,
solacing to the afflicted Wit. Freytag is not of quick or bright intellect: and unluckily, just at the crisis of
Voltaire's actual arrival, both Schmidt and Fredersdorf are off to Embden, where there is "Grand Meeting of
the Embden Shipping Company" (with comfortable dividends, let us hope),and have left Freytag to his
own resources, in case of emergency.
THURSDAY, MAY 31st, "about eight in the evening," Voltaire does arrive,most prosperous journey
hitherto, by Cassel, Marburg, Warburg, and other places famous then or since; Landgraf of Hessen (wise
Wilhelm, whom we knew) honorably lodging him; innkeepers calling him "Your Excellency," or "M. le
Comte;"and puts up at the Golden Lion at Frankfurt, where rooms have been ordered; Freytag well aware,
though he says nothing.
FRIDAY MORNING, JUNE 1st) "his Excellency and Suite" (Voltaire and Collini) have their horses
harnessed, carriage out, and are about taking the road again,when Freytag, escorted by a Dr. Rucker,
"Frankfurt Magistrate DE MAUVAISE MINE," [Collini, p. 77.] and a Prussian recruiting Lieutenant,
presents himself in Voltaire's apartment! Readers know Voltaire's account and MonSIR Collini's; and may
now hear Freytag's own, which is painted from fact:
"Introductory civilities done (NACH GEMACHTEN POLITESSEN), I made him acquainted with the will of
your most Allgracious Majesty. He was much astonished (BESTURZT," no wonder); "he shut his eyes, and
flung himself back in his chair." [Varnhagen, p. 16.] Calls in his friend Collini, whom, at first, I had requested
to withdraw. Two coffers are produced, and opened, by Collini; visitation, punctual, long and painful, lasted
from nine A.M. till five P.M. Packets are made,a great many Papers, "and one Poem which he was
unwilling to quit" (perilous LA PUCELLE);inventories are drawn, duly signed. Packets are signeted,
mutually sealed, Rucker claps on the Townseal first, Freytag and Voltaire following with theirs. "He made
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Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL. 1029
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thousand protestations of his fidelity to your Majesty; became pretty weak [like fainting, think you, Herr
Resident?], and indeed he looks like a skeleton.We then made demand of the Book, OEUVRE DE
POESIES: That, he said, was in the Big Case; and he knew not whether at Leipzig or Hamburg" (knew very
well where it was); and finding nothing else would do, wrote for it, showing Freytag the Letter; and engaged,
on his word of honor, not to stir hence till it arrived.
Upon which,what is farther to be noted, though all seems now settled,Freytag, at Voltaire's earnest
entreaty, "for behoof of Madame Denis, a beloved Niece, Monsieur, who is waiting for me hourly at
Strasburg, whom such fright might be the death of!"puts on paper a few words (the few which Voltaire has
twisted into "MonSIR," "PoesHies" and so forth), to the effect, "That whenever the OEUVRE comes,
Voltaire shall actually have leave to go." And so, after eight hours, labor (nine A.M. to five P.M.), everything
is hushed again. Voltaire, much shocked and astonished, poor soul, "sits quietly down to his ANNALES"
(says Collini),to working, more or less; a resource he often flies to, in such cases. Madame Denis, on
receiving his bad news at Strasburg, sets off towards him: arrives some days before the OEUVRE and its Big
Case. King Friedrich had gone, May 1st) for some weeks, to his Silesian Reviews; June 1st (very day of this
great sorting in the Lion d'Or), he is off again, to utmost Prussia this time;and knows, hitherto and till quite
the end, nothing, except that Voltaire has not turned up anywhere.
... Voltaire cannot have done much at his ANNALS, in this interim at the Golden Lion, "where he has liberty
to walk in the Garden." He has been, and is, secretly corresponding, complaining and applying, all round, at a
great rate: to Count Stadion the Imperial Excellency at Mainz, to French friends, to Princess Wilhelmina,
ultimately to Friedrich himself. [In OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxv. 207214, Letters to Stadion (of strange
enough tenor: see Varnhagen, pp. 30, In OEuvres de Frederic, xxii. 303, and in OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxv.
185, is the Letter to Friedrich (dateless, totally misplaced, and rendered unintelligible, in both Works): Letter
SENT through Wilhelmina (see her fine remarks in forwarding it, OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. iii. 234).] He
has been receiving visits, from Serene Highnesses, "Duke of Meiningen" and the like, who happen to be in
Town. Visit from iniquitous Dutch Bookseller, Van Duren (Printer of the ANTIMACHIAVEL); with whom
we had such controversy once. Iniquitous, now opulent and prosperous, Van Duren, happening to be here,
will have the pleasure of calling on an old distinguished friend: distinguished friend, at sight of him entering
the Garden, steps hastily up, gives him a box on the ear, without words but an interjection or two; and
vanishes within doors. That is something! "Monsieur," said Collini, striving to weep, but unable, "you have
had a blow from the greatest man in the world." [Collini, p. 182.] In short, Voltaire has been exciting great
sensation in Frankfurt; and keeping Freytag in perpetual fear and trouble.
MONDAY, 18th JUNE, the Big Case, lumbering along, does arrive. It is carried straight to Freytag's; and at
eleven in the morning, Collini eagerly attends to have it opened. Freytag,to whom Schmidt has returned
from Embden, but no Answer from Potsdam, or the least light about those SKRIPTUREN,is in the depths
of embarrassment; cannot open, till he know completely what items and SKRIPTUREN he is to make sure of
on opening: "I cannot, till the King's answer come!""But your written promise to Voltaire?" "Tush, that
was my own private promise, Monsieur; my own private prediction of what would happen; a thing PRO
FORMA", and to save Madame Denis's life. Patience; perhaps it will arrive this very day. Come again to me
at three P.M.;there is Berlin post today; then again in three days:I surely expect the Order will come by
this post or next; God grant it may be by this!" Collini attends at three; there is Note from Fredersdorf: King's
Majesty absent in Preussen all this while; expected now in two days. Freytag's face visibly brightens: "Wait
till next post; three days more, only wait!" [Varnhagen, pp. 3941.] And in fact, by next post, as we find, the
OPENSESAME did punctually come. Voltaire, and all this big cawing rookery of miseries and rages, would
have at once taken wing again, into the serene blue, could Voltaire but have had patience three days more!
But that was difficult for him, too Difficult.
PART II. VOLTAIRE, IN SPITE OF HIS EFFORTS, DOES GET AWAY
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL. 1030
Page No 1039
(June 20thJuly 7th).
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20th, Voltaire and Collini ("word. of honor" fallen dubious to them, dubious or
more),havmg laid their plan, striving to think it fair in the circumstances,walk out from the Lion d'Or,
"Voltaire in blackvelvet coat," [Ib. p. 46.] with their valuablest effects (LA PUCELLE and moneybox
included); leaving Madame Denis to wait the disimprisonment of OEUVRE DE POESIE and wind up the
general business. Walk out, very gingerly,duck into a hackneycoach; and attempt to escape by the Mainz
Gate! Freytag's spy runs breathless with the news; never was a Freytag in such taking. Terrified Freytag has
to "throw on his coat;" order out three men to gallop by various routes; jump into some Excellency's coach
(kind Excellency lent it), which is luckily standing yoked near by; and shoot with the velocity of life and
death towards Mainz Gate. Voltaire, whom the wellaffected Porter, suspecting something, has rather been
retarding, is still there: "Arrested, in the King's name!"and there is such a scene! For Freytag, too, is now
raging, ignited by such percussion of the terrors; and speaks, not like what they call "a learned sergeant", but
like a drilled sergeant in heat of battle: Vol taire's tongue, also, and Collini's,"Your Excellenz never heard
such brazenfaced lies thrown on a man; that I had offered, for 1,000 thalers, to let them go; that I had" In
short, the thing has caught fire; broken into flaming chaos again.
"Freytag [to give one snatch from Collini's side] got into the carriage along with us, and led us, in this way,
across the mob of people to Schmidt's [to see what was to be done with us]. Sentries were put at the gate to
keep out the mob; we are led into a kind of countingroom; clerk, maid and manservants are about;
Madam Schmidt passes before Voltaire with a disdainful air, to listen to Freytag, recounting," in the tone not
of a LEARNED sergeant, what the matter is. They seize our effects; under violent protest, worse than vain.
"Voltaire demands to have at least his snuffbox, cannot do without snuff; they answer, 'It is usual to take
everything.'
"His," Voltaire's, "eyes were sparkling with fury; from time to time he lifted them on mine, as if to interrogate
me. All on a sudden, noticing a door half open, he dashes through it, and is out. Madam Schmidt forms her
squad, shopmen and three maid servants; and, at their head, rushes after. 'What?' cries he, (cannot I be
allowed toto vomit, then?'" They form circle round him, till he do it; call out Collini, who finds him "bent
down, with his fingers in his throat, attempting to vomit; and is terrified; 'MON DIEU, are you ill, then?' He
answered in a low voice, tears in his eyes, 'FINGO, FINGO (I pretend,'" and Collini leads him back, RE
INFECTA. "The Author of the HENRIADE and MEROPE; what a spectacle! [Collini, pp. 81, 86.] ... Not for
two hours had they done with their writings and arrangings. Our portfolios and CASSETTE (moneybox)
were thrown into an empty trunk [what else could they be thrown into?]which was locked with a padlock,
and sealed with a paper, Voltaire's arms on the one end, and Schmidt's cipher on the other. Dorn, Freytag's
Clerk, was bidden lead us away. Sign of the BOUC" (or BILLYGOAT; there henceforth; LION D,OR
refusing to be concerned with us farther); twelve soldiers; Madame Denis with curtains of bayonets,and
other wellknown flagrancies. ... The 7th of July, Voltaire did actually go; and then in an extreme hurry,by
his own blame, again. These final passages we touch only in the lump; Voltaire's own Narrative of these
being so copious, flamingly impressive, and still known to everybody. How much better for Voltaire and us,
had nobody ever known it; had it never been written; had the poor hubbub, no better than a chance streetriot
all of it, after amusing old Frankfurt for a while, been left to drop into the gutters forever! To Voltaire and
various others (me and my poor readers included), that was the desirable thing.
Had there but been, among one's resources, a little patience and practical candor, instead of all that
vituperative eloquence and power of tragicomic description! Nay, in that case, this wretched streetriot
hubbub need not have been at all. Truly M. de Voltaire had a talent for speech, but lamentably wanted that of
silence! We have now only the sad duty of pointing out the principal mendacities contained in M. de
Voltaire's worldfamous Account (for the other side has been heard since that); and so of quitting a painful
business. The principal mendacitiesdeducting all that about "POE'ShIE" and the like, which we will define
as poetic fictionare:
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1. That of the considerable files of soldiers (almost a Company of Musketeers, one would think) stuck up
round M. de Voltaire and Party, in THE BILLYGOAT; Madame Denis's bedcurtains being a screen of
bayonets, and the like. The exact number of soldiers I cannot learn: "a SCHILDWACHE of the Townguard
[means one; surely does not mean Four?] for each prisoner," reports the arithmetical Freytag; which, in the
extreme case, would have been twelve in whole (as Collini gives it); and "next day we reduced them to two",
says Freytag.
2. That of the otherwise frightful night Madame Denis had; "the fellow Dorn [Freytag's Clerk, a poor,
hardworked frugal creature, with frugal wife and family not far off] insisting to sit in the Lady's bedroom;
there emptying bottle after bottle; nay at last [as Voltaire bethinks him, after a few days] threatening to"
Plainly to EXCEL all belief! A thing not to be spoken of publicly: indeed, what Lady could speak of it at all,
except in hints to an Uncle of advanced years?Proved fact being, that Madame Denis, all in a flutter, that
first night at THE BILLYGOAT, had engaged Dorn, "for a louisd'or," to sit in her bedroom; and did
actually pay him a louisd'or for doing so! This is very bad mendacity; clearly conscious on M. de Voltaire's
part, and even constructed by degrees.
3. Very bad also is that of the moneys stolen from him by those Official people. M. de Voltaire knows
well enough how he failed to get his moneys, and quitted Frankfurt in a hurry! Here, inexorably certain from
the Documents, and testimonies on both parts, is that final Passage of the long Firework: last crackle of the
rocket before it dropped perpendicular:
JULY 6th, complete OPENSESAME having come, Freytag and Schmidt duly invited Voltaire to be present
at the opening of seals (his and theirs), and to have his moneys and effects returned from that "old trunk" he
speaks of. But Voltaire had by this time taken a higher flight. July 6th, Voltaire was protesting before
Notaries, about the unheardof violence done him, the signal reparations due; and disdained, for the moment,
to concern himself with moneys or opening of seals: "Seals, moneys? Ye atrocious Highwaymen!"
Upon which, they sent poor Dorn with the sealed trunk in CORPORE, to have it opened by Voltaire himself.
Collini, in THE BILLYGOAT, next morning (July 7th)) says, he (Collini) had just loaded two
journeypistols, part of the usual carriagefurniture, and they lay on the table. At sight of poor Dorn
darkening his chamberdoor, Voltaire, the prey of various flurries and highflown vehemences, snatched one
of the pistols ("pistol without powder, without flint, without lock," says Voltaire; "efficient pistol just
loaded", testifies Collini);snatched said pistol; and clicking it to the cock, plunged Dornward, with
furious exclamations: not quite unlikely to have shot Dorn (in the fleshy parts),had not Collini hurriedly
struck up his hand, "MON DIEU, MONSIEUR!" and Dorn, with trunk, instantly vanished. Dorn, naturally,
ran to a Lawyer. Voltaire, dreading Trial for intended Homicide, instantly gathered himself; and shot away,
self and Pucelle with Collini, clear off; leaving Niece Denis, leaving moneys and other things, to wait till
tomorrow, and settle as they could.
After due lapse of days, in the due legal manner, the Trunk was opened; "the 19 pounds of expenses" (19
pounds and odd shillings, not 100 pounds or more, as Voltaire variously gives it) was accurately taken from it
by Schmidt and Freytag, to be paid where due,(in exact liquidation, "Landlord of THE BILLYGOAT" so
much, "HackneyCoachmen, Riding Constables sent in chase," so much, as per bill);and the rest, 76
pounds 10s. was punctually locked up again, till Voltaire should apply for it. "Send it after him," Friedrich
answered, when inquired of; "send it after him; but not [reflects he] unless there is somebody to take his
Receipt for it,"our gentleman being the man he is. Which case, or any application from Voltaire, never
turned up. "Robbed by those highwaymen of Prussian Agents!" exclaimed Voltaire everywhere, instead of
applying. Never applied; nor ever forgot. Would fain have engaged Collini to apply,especially when the
French Armies had got into Frankfurt,but Collini did not see his way. [Three Letters to Collini on the
subject (JanuaryMay, 1759), Collini, pp. 208211.]
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So that, except as consolatory scoldingstock for the rest of his life, Voltaire got nothing of his 76 pounds
10s., "with jewels and snuffbox," always lying ready in the Trunk for him. And it had, I suppose, at the long
last, to go by RIGHT OF WINDFALL to somebody or other:unless, perhaps, it still lie, overwhelmed
under dust and lumber, in the garrets of the old Rathhaus yonder, waiting for a legal owner? What became of
it, no man knows; but that no doit of it ever went Freytag's or King Friedrich's way, is abundantly evident. On
the whole, what an entertaining Narrative is that of Voltaire's; but what a pity he had ever written it!
This was the finishing Catastrophe, tragical exceedingly; which went loudsounding through the world, and
still goes,the more is the pity. Catastrophe due throughout to three causes: FIRST, That Fredersdorf, not
Eichel, wrote the Order; and introduced the indefinite phrase SKRIPTUREN, instead of sticking by the
OEUVRE DE POESIES, the one essential point. SECOND, That Freytag was of heavy pipeclay nature.
THIRD, That Voltaire was of impatient explosrve nature; and, in calamities, was wont, not to be silent and
consider, but to lift up his voice (having such a voice), and with passionate melody appeal to the Universe,
and do worse, by way of helping himself!
"The poor Voltaire, after all!" ejaculates Smelfungus. "Lean, of no health, but melodious extremely (in a
shallow sense); and truly very lonely, old and weak, in this world. What an end to Visit Fifth; began in
Olympus, terminates in the Lockup! His conduct, except in the Jew Case, has nothing of bad, at least of
unprovokedly bad. 'Lost my teeth,' said he, when things were at zenith. 'Thought I should never weep
again,'now when they are at nadir. A sore blow to one's Vanity, in presence of assembled mankind; and
made still more poignant by noises of one's own adding. France forbidden to him [by expressive signallings];
miraculous Goshen of Prussia shut: (these old eyes, which I thought would continue dry till they closed
forever, were streaming in tears;'" [Letter from "Mainz, 9th July," third day of rout or flight; To Niece Denis,
left behind ( OEuvres, lxxv. 220).]but soon brightened up again: Courage!
How Voltaire now wanders about for several years, doing his ANNALES, and other Works; now visiting
Lyon City (which is all in GAUDEAMUS round him, though Cardinal Tencin does decline him as
dinnerguest); now lodging with Dom Calmet in the Abbey of Senones (ultimately in one's own firstfloor,
in Colmar near by), digging, in Calmet's Benedictine Libraries, stuff for his ANNALES; wandering about
(chiefly in Elsass, latterly on the Swiss Border), till he find rest for the sole of his foot: [Purchased LES
DELICES (The Delights), as he named it, a glorious Summer Residence, on the Lake, near Geneva
(supplemented by a Winter ditto, MONRION, near Lausanne), "in Febrnary, 1755" ( OEuvres, xvii. 243
n.);then purchased FERNEY, not far off, "in October, 1758;" and continued there, still more glorious, for
almost twenty years thenceforth (ib. lxxvii. 398, xxxix. 307: thank the exact "Clog." for both these Notes).]
all this may be known to readers; and we must say nothing of it. Except only that, next year, in his tent, or
hired lodgings at Colmar, the Angels visited him (Abraham like, after a sort). Namely, that one evening
(late in October, 1754), a knock came to his door, "Her Serene Highness of Baireuth wishes to see you, at the
Inn over there!" "Inn, Baireuth, say you? Heavens, what?"Or, to take it in the prose form:
"January 26th, 1753, about eight P.M. [while Voltaire sat desolate in Francheville's, far away], the Palace at
Baireuth,Margraf with candle at an open window, and gauze curtains nearhad caught fire; inexorably
flamed up, and burnt itself to ashes, it and other fine edifices adjoining. [Holle, STADT BAYREUTH
(Bayreuth, 1833), p. 178.] Wilhelmina is always very ill in health; they are now rebuilding their Palace:
Margraf has suggested, 'Why not try Montpellier; let us have a winter there!' On that errand they are (end of
October, 1754) got the length of Colmar; and do the Voltaire miracle in passing. Very charming to the poor
man, in his rustication here.
"'Eight hours in a piece, with the Sister of the King of Prussia" writes he: think of that, my friends! 'She
loaded me with bounties; made me a most beautiful present. Insisted to see my Niece; would have me go with
them to Montpellier.' [Letters (in OEuvres, lxxv. 450, 452), "Colmar, 23d October, 1754."] Other interviews
and meetings they had, there and farther on: Voltaire tried for the Montpellier; but could not. [Wrote to
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Friedrich about it (one of his first Letters after the Explosion), applying to Friedrich "for a Passport" or Letter
of Protection; which Friedrich answers by De Prades, openly laughing at it ( OEuvres, xxiii. 6).] Wilhelmina
wintered at Montpellier, without Voltaire "Thank your stars!' writes Friedrich to her. The
FriedrichWilhelmina LETTERS are at their best during this Journey; here unfortunately very few).
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. iii. 248273 (September, 1754, and onwards).] Winter done, Wilhelmina went
still South, to Italy, to Naples, back by Venice:at Naples, undergoing the Grotto del Cane and
neighborhood, Wilhelmina plucked a Sprig of Laurel from Virgil's Grave, and sent it to her Brother in the
prettiest manner;is home at Baireuth, new Palace ready, August, 1755."
These points, hurriedly put down, careful readers will mark, and perhaps try to keep in mind. Wilhelmina's
Tourings are not without interest to her friends. Of her Voltaire acquaintanceship, especially, we shall hear
again. With Voltaire, Friedrich himself had no farther Correspondence, or as good as none, for four years and
more. What Voltaire writes to him (with Gifts of Books and the like, in the tenderest regretful pathetically
COOING tone, enough to mollify rocks), Friedrich usually answers by De Prades, if at all,in a quite
discouraging manner. In the end of 1757, on what hint we shall see, the Correspondence recommenced, and
did not cease again so long as they both lived.
Voltaire at Potsdam is a failure, then. Nothing to be made of that. Law is reformed; Embden has its Shipping
Companies; Industry flourishes: but as to the Trismegistus of the Muses coming to our Hearth! Some Eight
of Friedrich's years were filled by these Three grand Heads of Effort; perfect Peace in all his borders: and in
1753 we see how the celestial one of them has gone to wreck. "Understand at last, your Majesty, that there is
no Muses'Heaven possible on Telluric terms; and cast that notion out of your head!"
Friedrich does cast it out, more and more, henceforth,"ACH, MEIN LIEBER SULZER, what was your
knowledge, then, of that damned race?" Casts it out, we perceive,and in a handsome silently stoical way.
Cherishing no wrath in his heart against any poor devil; still, in some sort, loving this and the other of them;
Chasot, Algarotti, Voltaire even, who have gone from him, too weak for the place: "Too weak, alas, yes; and
I, was I wise to try them, then?" With a fine humanity, new hope inextinguishably welling up; really with a
loyalty, a modesty, a cheery brother manhood unexpected by readers.
Eight of the Eleven Peace Years are gone in these courses. The next three, still silent and smooth to the
outward eye, were defaced by subterranean mutterings, electric heralds of coming storm. "Meaning battle and
wrestle again?" thinks Friedrich, listening intent. A far other than welcome message to Friedrich. A message
ominous; thrice unwelcome, not to say terrible. Requires to be scanned with all one's faculty; to be
interpreted; to be obeyed, in spite of one's reluctances and lazinesses. To plunge again into the Mahlstrom,
into the clash of Chaos, and dive for one's Silesia, the third time;horrible to lazy human nature: but if the
facts are so) it must be done!
Chapter XIII. ROMISHKING QUESTION; ENGLISHPRIVATEER
QUESTION.
The public Events so called, which have been occupying mankind during this Voltaire Visit, require now
mainly to be forgotten; and may, for our purposes, be conveniently riddled down to Three. FIRST,
KingoftheRomans Question; SECOND, EnglishPrivateer Question; and then, hanging curiously related
to these Two, a THIRD, or "EnglishFrench Canada Question." Of some importance all of them; extremely
important to Friedrich, especially that Third and least expected of them.
Witty Hanbury Williams, the English Excellency at Berlin, busy intriguing little creature, became distasteful
there, long since; and they had to take him away: "recalled," say the Documents, "22d January, 1751." Upon
which, no doubt, he made a noise in Downing Street; and got, it appears, "recredentials to Berlin, 4th
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March, 1751;" [Manuscript LIST in StatePaper Office.] but I think did not much reside, nor intend to reside;
having all manner of wandering Continental duties to do; and a world of petty businesses and widespread
intrigues, Russian, German and other, on hand. Robinson, too, is now home; returned, 1748 (Treaty of Aix in
his pocket); and an Excellency Keith, more and more famous henceforth, has succeeded him in that Austrian
post. Busy people, these and others; now legationing in Foreign parts: able in their way; but whose work
proved to be that of spinning ropes from sand, and must not detain us at this time.
The errand of all these Britannic Excellencies is upon a notable scheme, which Royal George and his
Newcastle have devised, Of getting all made tight, and the Peace of Aix doubleriveted, so to speak, and
rendered secure against every contingency,by having Archduke Joseph at once elected "King of the
Romans." King of the Romans straightway; whereby he follows at once as Kaiser, should his Father die; and
is liable to no French or other intriguing; and we have taken a bond of Fate that the Balance cannot be canted
again. Excellent scheme, think both these heads; and are stirring Germany with all their might, purse in hand,
to cooperate, and do it. Inconceivable what trouble these prescient minds are at, on this uncertain matter. It
was Britannic Majesty's and Newcastle's main problem in this world, for perhaps four years (17491753):
"My own child," as a fond Noodle of Newcastle used to call it; though I rather think it was the other that
begot the wretched object, but had tired sooner of nursing it under difficulties.
Unhappily there needs unanimity of all the Nine Electors. The poorer you can buy; "Bavarian Subsidy," or
annual pension, is only 45,000 pounds, for this invaluable object; Koln is onlya mere trifle: [Debate on
"Bavarian Subsidy" (in Walpole, George the Second, i. 49): endless Correspondence between Newcastle and
his Brother (curious to read, though of the most longeared description on the Duke's part), in Coxe's
Pelham, ii, 338465 ("31st May, 17503d November, 1752"): precise Account (if anybody now wanted it),
in Adelung, vii. 146, 149, 154, et seq.] trifles all, in comparison of the sacred Balance, and dear Hanover kept
scathless. But unfortunately Friedrich, whom we must not think of buying, is not enthusiastic in the cause!
Far from it. The now Kaiser has never yet got him, according to bargain, a ReichsGuarantee for the Peace of
Dresden; and needs endless flagitating to do it. [Does it, at length, by way of furtherance to this
RomishKing Business, "23d January14th May, 1751" ( Adelung, vii. 217).] The chase of security and
aggrandizement to the House of Austria is by no means Friedrich's chief aim! This of King of the Romans
never could be managed by Britannic Majesty and his Newcastle.
It was very triumphant, and I think at its hopefulest, in 1750, soon after starting,when Excellency Hanbury
first appeared at Berlin on behalf of it. That was Excellency Hanbury's first journey on this errand; and he
made a great many more, no man readier; a stirring, intriguing creature (and always with such moneys to
distribute); had victorious hopes now and then,which one and all proved fatuous. ["June, 1750," Hanbury
for Berlin (Britannic Majesty much anxious Hanbury were there): Hanbury to Warsaw next (hiring Polish
Majesty there); at Dresden, does make victorious Treaty, September, 1751; at Vienna, 1753 (still on the aawe
quest). Coxe's Pelham, ii. 339, 196, 469.] In 1751 and 1752, the darling Project met cross tides, foul winds,
political whirlpools ("Such a set are those German Princes!")and swam, indomitable, though near
desperate, as Project seldom did; till happily, in 1753, it sank drowned:and left his Grace of Newcastle
asking, "Welladay! And is not England drowned too?" We hope not.
"Owing mainly to Friedrich's opposition!" exclaimed Noodle and the Political Circles. Which(though it
was not the fact; Friedrich's opposition, once that ReichsGuarantee of his own was got, being mostly
passive, "Push it through the stolid element, then, YOU stolid fellows, if you can!")awoke considerable
outcry in England. Lively suspicion there, of treasonous intentions to the Cause of Liberty, on his Prussian
Majesty's part; andcoupled with other causes that had risena great deal of illnature, in very dark
condition, against his Prussian Majesty. And it was not Friedrich's blame, chiefly or at all. If indeed Friedrich
would have forwarded the Enterprise:but he merely did not; and the element was viscous, stolid. Austria
itself had wished the thing; but with nothing like such enthusiasm as King George;to whom the refusal, by
Friedrich and Fate, was a bitter disappointment. Poor Britannic Majesty: Archduke Joseph came to be King
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of the Romans, in due course; right enough. And long before that event (almost before George had ended his
vain effort to hasten it), Austria turned on its pivot; and had clasped, not England to its bosom, but France
(thanks to that exquisite Kaunitz); and was in arms AGAINST England, dear Hanover, and the Cause of
Liberty! Vain to look too far ahead,especially with those fisheyes. Smelfungus has a Note on Kaunitz;
readable, though far too irreverent of that superlative Diplomatist, and unjust to the real human merits he had.
"The struggles of Britannic George to get a King of the Romans elected were many. Friedrich never would
bite at this salutary scheme for strengthening the House of Austria: 'A bad man, is not he?' And all the while,
the Court of Austria seemed indifferent, in comparison;and Graf von KaunitzRietberg, Ambassador at
Paris, was secretly busy, wheeling Austria round on its axis, France round on its; and bringing them to
embrace in political wedlock! Feat accomplished by his Excellency Kaunitz (Paris, 17521753);
accomplished, not consummated; left ready for consummating when he, Kaunitz, now home as Prime
Minister, or helmsman on the new tack, should give signal. Thought to be one of the cleverest feats ever done
by Diplomatic art.
"Admirable feat, for the Diplomatic art which it needed; not, that I can see, for any other property it had. Feat
which brought, as it was intended to do, a Third Silesian War; death of about a million fighting men, and
endless woes to France and Austria in particular. An exquisite Diplomatist this Kaunitz; came to be Prince,
almost to be GodBrahma in Austria, and to rule the Heavens and Earth (having skill with his Sovereign
Lady, too), in an exquisite and truly surprising manner. Sits there sublime, like a gilt crockery Idol, supreme
over the populations, for near forty years.
"One reads all Biographies and Histories of Kaunitz: [Hormayr's (in OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iv. 3tes,
231283); one catches evidence of his well knowing his Diplomatic element, and how to rule it and impose
on it. Traits there are of human cunning, shrewdness of eye;of the loftiest silent human pride, stoicism,
perseverance of determination,but not, to my remembrance, of any conspicuous human wisdom whatever,
One asks, Where is his wisdom? Enumerate, then, do me the pleasure of enumerating, What he contrived that
the Heavens answered Yes to, and not No to? All silent! A man to give one thoughts. Sits like a
GodBrahma, human idol of gilt crockery, with nothing in the belly of it (but a portion of boiled chicken
daily, very illdigested); and such a prostrate worship, from those around him, as was hardly seen elsewhere.
Grave, inwardly unhappy looking; but impenetrable, uncomplaining. Seems to have passed privately an Act
of Parliament: 'KaunitzRietberg here, as you see him, is the greatest now alive; he, I privately assure
you!'and, by continued private determination, to have got all men about him to ratify the same, and accept
it as valid. Much can be done in that way with stupidish populations; nor is Beau Brummel the only instance
of it, among ourselves, in the later epochs.
"Kaunitz is a man of long hollow face, nose naturally rather turned into the air, till artificially it got altogether
turned thither. Rode beautifully; but always under cover; day by day, under glass roof in the ridingschool, so
many hours or minutes, watch in hand. Hated, or dreaded, fresh air above everything: so that the Kaiserinn, a
noble lover of it, would always goodhumoredly hasten to shut her windows when he made her a visit.
Sumptuous suppers, soirees, he had; the pink of Nature assembling in his house; galaxy, domestic and
foreign, of all the Vienna Stars. Through which he would walk one turn; glancing stoically, over his nose, at
the circumambient whirlpool of nothings,happy the nothing to whom he would deign a word, and make
him something. O my friends!In short, it was he who turned Austria on its axis, and France on its, and
brought them to the kissing pitch. Pompadour and Maria Theresa kissing mutually, like Righteousness
andnot PEACE, at any rate! 'MA CHERE COUSINE,' could I have believed it, at one time?"
A SECOND PrussianEnglish cause of offence had arisen, years ago, and was not yet settled; nay is now
(Spring, 1753) at its height or crisis: Offence in regard to English Privateering.
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Friedrich, ever since OstFriesland was his, has a considerable Foreign Trade,not as formerly from Stettin
alone, into the Baltic Russian ports; but from Embden now, which looks out into the Atlantic and the general
waters of Europe and the World. About which he is abundantly careful, as we have seen. Anxious to go on
good grounds in this matter, and be accurately neutral, and observant of the Maritime Laws, he had, in 1744,
directly after coming to possession of OstFriesland, instructed Excellency Andrie, his Minister in London,
to apply at the fountainhead, and expressly ask of my Lord Carteret: "Are hemp, flax, timber contraband?"
"No," answered Carteret; Andrie reported, No. And on this basis they acted, satisfactorily, for above a year.
But, in October, 1745, the English began violently to take PLANKS for contraband; and went on so, and ever
worse, till the end of the War. [Adelung, vii. 334.] Excellency Andrie has gone home; and a Secretary of
Legation, Herr Michel, is now here in his stead:a good few dreary old Pamphlets of Michel's publishing
(official Declaration, official Arguments, Documents, in French and English, 4to and 8vo, on this extinct
subject), if you go deep into the dustbins, can be disinterred here to this day. Tread lightly, touching only
the chief summits. The Haggle stretches through five years, 17481753,and then at last ceases
HAGGLING:
"JANUARY 8th, 1748 [War still on foot, but near ending], Michel applies about injuries, about various
troubles and unjust seizures of ships; Secretary Chesterfield answers, 'We have an Admiralty Court; beyond
question, right shall be done.' 'Would it were soon, then!' hints Michel. Chesterfield, who is otherwise
politeness itself, confidently hopes so; but cannot push Judicial people.
"FEBRUARY, 1748. Admiralty being still silent, Michel applies by Memorial, in a specific case: 'Two
Stettin Ships, laden with wine from Bordeaux, and a third vessel,' of some other Prussian port, laden with
corn; taken in Ramsgate Roads, whither they had been driven by storm: 'Give me these Ships back!'
Memorial to his Grace of Newcastle, this. Upon which the Admiralty sits; with deliberation, decides (June,
1748), 'Yes!' And 'there is hope that a Treaty of Commerce will follow;' [ Gentleman's Magazine, xviii. (for
1748), pp. 64, 141.] which was far from being the issue just yet!
"On the contrary, his Prussian Majesty's Merchants, perhaps encouraged by this piece of British justice, came
forward with more and ever more complaints and instances. To winnow the strictly true out of which, from
the halftrue or not provable, his Prussian Majesty has appointed a 'Commission,'" fit people, and under strict
charges, I can believe, "Commission takes (to Friedrich's own knowledge) a great deal of pains;and it does
not want for clean corn, after all its winnowing. Plenty of facts, which can be insisted on as indisputable.
'Such and such Merchant Ships [Schedules of them given in, with every particular, time, name, cargo, value]
have been laid hold of on the Ocean Highway, and carried into English Ports;OUT of which his Prussian
Majesty has, in all Friendliness, to beg that they be now redelivered, and justice done.' 'Contraband of War,'
answer the English; 'sorry to have given your Majesty the least uneasiness; but they were carrying''No,
pardon me; nothing contraband discoverable in them;' and hands in his verified Schedules, with perfectly
polite, but more and more serious request, That the said ships be restored, and damages accounted for. 'Our
Prize Courts have sat on every ship of them,' eagerly shrieks Newcastle all along: 'what can we do!' 'Nay a
Special Commission shall now [1751, date not worth seeking farther]special Commission shall now sit, till
his Prussian Majesty get every satisfaction in the world!'
"English Special Commission, counterpart of that Prussian one (which is in vacation by this time), sits
accordingly: but is very slow; reports for a long while nothing, except, 'Oh, give us time!' and reports, in the
end, nothing in the least satisfactory. ["Have entirely omitted the essential points on which the matter turns;
and given such confused account, in consequence, that it is not well possible to gather from their Report any
clear and just idea of it at all." (Verdict of the PRUSSIAN Commission: which had been reassembled by
Friedrich, on this Report from the English one, and adjured to speak only "what they could answer to God, to
the King and to the whole world," concerning it: Seyfarth, ii. 183.)] 'Prize Courts? Special Commission?'
thinks Friedrich: 'I must have my ships back!' And, after a great many months, and a great many haggles,
Friedrich, weary of giving time, instructs Michel to signify, in proper form ('23d November, 1752'), 'That the
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Law's delay seemed to be considerable in England; that till the fulness of time did come, and right were done
his poor people, he, Friedrich himself, would hopefully wait; but now at last must, provisionally, pay his poor
people their damages;would accordingly, from the 23d day of April next, cease the usual payment to
English Bondholders on their Silesian Bonds; and would henceforth pay no portion farther of that Debt,
principal or interest [about 250,000 pounds now owing], but proceed to indemnify his own people from it, to
the just length,and deposit the remainder in Bank, till Britannic Majesty and Prussian could UNITE in
ordering payment of it; which one trusts may be soon!'" [Walpole, i. 295; Seyfarth, ii. 183, 157; Adelung, vii.
331338; Gentleman's Magazine;
"November 23d, 1752, resolved on by Friedrich;" "consummated April 23d, 1753:" these are the dates of this
decisive passage (Michel's biggest Pamphlet, French and English, issuing on the occasion). February 8th,
1753, no redress obtainable, poor Newcastle shrieks, "Can't, must n't; astonishing!" and "the people are in
great wrath about it. April 12th, Friedrich replies, in the kindest terms; but sticking to his point." [Adelung,
vii. 336338.] And punctually continued so, and did as he had said. With what rumor in the City,
commentaries in the Newspapers and flutter to his Grace of Newcastle, may be imagined. "What a Nephew
have I!" thinks Britannic Majesty: "Hah, and Embden, OstFriesland, is not his. Embden itself is mine!" A
great deal of illnature was generated, in England, by this one affair of the Privateers, had there been no
other: and in dark cellars of men's minds (empty and dark on this matter), there arose strange caricature
Portraitures of Friedrich: and very mad notionsof Friedrich's perversity, astucity, injustice, malign and
dangerous intentionsare more or less vocal in the Old Newspapers and Distinguished Correspondences of
those days. Of which, this one sample:
To what height the humor of the English ran against Friedrich is still curiously noticeable, in a small
Transaction of tragic ExJacobite nature, which then happened, and in the commentaries it awoke in their
imagination. Cameron of Lochiel, who forced his way through the NetherBow in Edinburgh, had been a
notable rebel; but got away to France, and was safe in some military post there. Dr. Archibald Cameron,
Lochiel's Brother, a studious contemplative gentleman, bred to Physic, but not practising except for charity,
had quitted his books, and attended the Rebel March in a medical capacity,"not from choice," as he
alleged, "but from compulsion of kindred;"and had been of help to various Loyalists as well; a foe of
Human Pain, and not of anything else whatever: in fact, as appears, a very mild form of Jacobite Rebel. He
too got, to France; but had left his Wife, Children and frugal Patrimonies behind him, and had to return in
proper concealment, more than once, to look after them. Two Visits, I think two, had been successfully
transacted, at intervals; but the third, in 1753, proved otherwise.
March 12th, 1753, wind of him being had, and the slothounds uncoupled and put on his trail, poor Cameron
was unearthed "at the Laird of Glenbucket's," and there laid hold of; locked in Edinburgh Castle,thence to
the Tower, and to Trial for High Treason. Which went against him; in spite of his fine pleadings, and manful
conciliatory appearances and manners. Executed 7th June, 1753. His poor Wife had twice squeezed her way
into the Royal Levee at Kensington, with Petition for mercy;fainted, the first time, owing to the press and
the agitation; but did, the second time, fall on her knees before Royal George, and supplicate,who had to
turn a deaf ear, royal gentleman; I hope, not without pain.
The truth is, poor Cameronthough, I believe, he had some vague Jacobite errands withalnever would
have harmed anybody in the rebel way; and might with all safety have been let live. But his Grace of
Newcastle, and the English generally, had got the strangest notion into their head. Those appointments of Earl
Marischal to Paris, of Tyrconnel to Berlin; Friedrich's nefarious spoiling of that salutary RomishKing
Project; and now simultaneous with that, his nefarious oonduct in our Privateer Business: all this, does it not
prove himas the Hanburys, Demon Newswriters and wellinformed persons have taught usto be one of
the worst men living, and a King bent upon our ruin? What is certain, though now wellnigh inconceivable, it
was then, in the upper Classes and Political Circles, universally believed, That this Dr. Cameron was properly
an "Emissary of the King of Prussia's;" that Cameron's errand here was to rally the Jacobite embers into new
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flame;and that, at the first clear sputter, Friedrich had 15,000 men, of his best PrussianSpartan troops,
ready to ferry over, and help Jacobitism to do the matter this time! [Walpole, George the Second, i. 333, 353;
and Letters to Horace Mann (Summer, 1753), for the belief held. Adelung, vii. 338341, for the poor
Cameron tragedy itself.]
About as likely as that the Cham of Tartary had interfered in the "Bangorian Controversy" (raging, I believe,
some time since,in Cremorne Gardens fist of all, which was Bishop Hoadly's Place,to the terror of
mitres and wigs); or that, the Emperor of China was concerned in Meux's PorterBrewery, with an eye to sale
of NUX VOMICA. Among all the Kings that then were, or that ever were, King Friedrich distinguished
himself by the grand human virtue (one of the most important for Kings and for men) of keeping well at
home, of always minding his own affairs. These were, in fact, the one thing he minded; and he did that
well. He was vigilant, observant all round, for weathersymptoms; thoroughly well informed of what his
neighbors had on hand; ready to interfere, generally in some judicious soft way, at any moment, if his own
Countries or their interests came to be concerned; certain, till then, to continue a speculative observer merely.
He had knowledge, to an extent of accuracy which often surprised his neighbors: but there is no instance in
which he meddled where he had no business;and few, I believe, in which he did not meddle, and to the
purpose, when he had.
Later in his Reign, in the time of the American War (1777), there is, on the English part, in regard to
Friedrich, an equally distracted notion of the same kind brought to light. Again, a conviction, namely, or
moralcertainty, that Friedrich is about assisting the American Insurgents against us;and a very strange
and indubitable step is ordered to be taken in consequence. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 394 (Friedrich to
Prince Henri, 29th June, 1777.)] As shall be noticed, if we have time. No enlightened Public, gazing for forty
or fifty years into an important Neighbor Gentleman, with intent for practical knowledge of him, could well,
though assisted by the cleverest Hanburys, and Demon and Angel Newswriters, have achieved less!
Question THIRD is But Question Third, so extremely important was it in the sequel, will deserve a
Chapter to itself.
Chapter XIV. THERE IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER WAR AHEAD.
Question Third, FrenchEnglish Canada Question, is no other than, under a new form, our old friend the
inexorable JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION; soul of all these Controversies, andexcept Silesia and
Friedrich's Questionthe one meaning they have! Huddled together it had been, at the Peace of
AixlaChapelle, and left for closed under "New Spanish Assiento Treaty," or I know not what:you
thought to close it by Diplomatic putty and varnish in that manner: and here, by law of Nature, it comes
welling up on you anew. For IT springs from the Centre, as we often say, and is the fountain and determining
element of very large Sections of Human History, still hidden in the unseen Time.
"Ocean Highway to be free; for the English and others who have business on it?" The English have a real and
weighty errand there. "English to trade and navigate, as the Law of Nature orders, on those Seas; and to
ponderate or preponderate there, according to the real amount of weight they and their errand have? OR,
English to have their ears torn off; and imperious FrenchSpanish Bourbons, grounding on extinct
Pope'smeridians, GLOIRE and other imaginary bases, to take command?" The incalculable Yankee Nations,
shall they be in effect YANGKEE ("English" with a difference), or FRANGCEE ("French" with a
difference)? A Question not to be closed by Diplomatic putty, try as you will!
By Treaty of Utrecht (1713), "all Nova Scotia [ACADIE as then called], with Newfoundland and the adjacent
Islands," was ceded to the English, and has ever since been possessed by them accordingly. Unluckily that
Treaty omitted to settle a Line of Boundary to landward, or westward, for their "NOVA SCOTIA;" or
generally, a Boundary from NORTH TO SOUTH between the British Colonies and the French in those parts.
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The Treaty of AixlaChapelle, eager to conclude itself, stipulated, with great distinctness, that Cape Breton,
all its guns and furnishings entire, should be restored at once (France extremely anxious on that point); but for
the rest had, being in such haste, flung itself altogether into the principle of STATUS QUOANTE, as the
short way for getting through. The boundary in America was vaguely defined, as "now to be what it had been
before the War." It had, for many years before the War, been a subject of constant altercation. ACADIE, for
instance, the NOVA SCOTIA of the English since Utrecht time, the French maintained to mean only "the
Peninsula", or Nook included between the Ocean Waters and the Bay of Fundy. And, more emphatic still, on
the "Isthmus" (or narrow space, at northwest, between said Bay and the Ocean or the Gulf of St. Lawrence)
they had built "Forts:" "Stockades," or I know not what, "on the Missaquish" (HODIE Missiquash), a
winding difficult river, northmost of the Bay of Fundy's rivers, which the French affirm to be the real limit in
that quarter. The sparse French Colonists of the interior, subjects of England, are not to be conciliated by
perfect toleration of religion and the like; but have an invincible proclivity to join their Countrymen outside,
and wish well to those Stockades on the Missiquash. It must be owned, too, the French Official People are far
from scrupulous or squeamish; show energy of management; and are very skilful with the Indians, who are an
important item. Canada is all French; has its Quebecs, Montreals, a St. Lawrence River occupied at all the
good military points, and serving at once as bulwark and highway.
Southward and westward, France, in its exuberant humor, claims for itself The whole Basin of the St.
Lawrence, and the whole Basin of the Mississippi as well: "Have not we Stockades, Castles, at the military
points; Fortified Places in Louisiana itself?" Yes;and how many Ploughed Fields bearing Crop have you?
It is to the good Plougher, not ultimately to the good Cannonier, that those portions of Creation will belong?
The exuberant intention of the French is, after getting back Cape Breton, "To restrict those aspiring English
Colonies," mere Ploughers and Traders, hardly numbering above one million, "to the Space eastward of the
Alleghany Mountains," over which they are beginning to climb, "and southward of that Missiquash, or, at
farthest, of the Penobscot and Kennebunk" (rivers HODIE in the State of Maine). [La Gallisonniere,
Governor of Canada's DESPATCH, "Quebec, 15th January, 1749" (cited in Bancroft, History of the United
States, Boston, 1839, et seq.). "The English Inhabitants are computed at 1,051,000; French (in Canada
45,000, in Louisiana 7,000), in all 52,000:" History of British Dominions in North America (London, 1773),
p. 13. Bancroft (i. 154) counts the English Colonists in "1754 about 1,200,000."] That will be a very pretty
Parallelogram for them and their ploughs and tradepacks: we, who are 50,000 odd, expert with the rifle far
beyond them, will occupy the rest of the world. Such is the French exuberant notion: and, October, 1745,
before signature at AixlaChapelle, much more before Delivery of Cape Breton, the Commandant at Detroit
(west end of Lake Erie) had received orders, "To oppose peremptorily every English Establishment not only
thereabouts, but on the Ohio or its tributaries; by monition first; and then by force, if monition do not serve."
Establishments of any solidity or regularity the English have not in those parts; beyond the Alleghanies all is
desert: "from the Canada Lakes to the Carolinas, mere huntingground of the Six Nations; dotted with here
and there an English tradinghouse, or adventurous Squatter's farm:"to whom now the French are to say:
"Home you, instantly; and leave the Desert alone!" The French have distinct Orders from Court, and
energetically obey the same; the English have indistinct Orders from Nature, and do not want energy, or mind
to obey these: confusions and collisions are manifold, ubiquitous, continual. Of which the history would be
tiresome to everybody; and need only be indicated here by a mark or two of the main passages.
In 1749, three things had occurred worth mention. FIRST, Captain Coram, a publicspirited halfpay
gentleman in London, originator of the Foundling Hospital there, had turned his attention to the fine
capabilities and questionable condition of NOVA SCOTIA, with few inhabitants, and those mostly
disaffected; and, by many efforts now forgotten, had got the Government persuaded to despatch (June, 1749)
a kind of Halfpay or Military Colony to those parts: "more than 1,400 persons disbanded officers, soldiers
and marines, under Colonel Edward Cornwallis," Brother of the since famous Lord Cornwallis. [Coxe's
Pelham, ii. 113.] Who landed, accordingly, on that rough shore; stockaded themselves in, hardily
endeavoring and enduring; and next year, built a Town for themselves; Town of HALIFAX (so named from
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the then Lord Halifax, President of the Board of Trade); which stands there, in more and more conspicuous
manner, at this day. Thanks to you, Captain Coram; though the ungrateful generations (except dimly in
CORAM Street, near your Hospital) have lost all memory of you, as their wont is. Blockheads; never mind
them.
The SECOND thing is, an "Ohio Company" has got together in Virginia; Governor there encouraging;
Britannic Majesty giving Charter (March, 1749), and what is still easier, "500,000 Acres of Land" in those
Ohio regions, since you are minded to colonize there in a fixed manner. Britannic Majesty thinks the Country
"between the Monongahela and the Kanahawy" (southern feeders of Ohio) will do best; but is not particular.
Ohio Company, we shall find, chose at last, as the eligible spot, the topmost fork or very Head of the
Ohio,where Monongahela River from south and Alleghany River from north unite to form "The Ohio;"
where stands, in our day, the big sooty Town of Pittsburg and its industries. Ohio Company was laudably
eager on this matter; LandSurveyor in it (nay, at length, "Colonel of a Regiment of 150 men raised by the
Ohio Company") was Mr. George Washington, whose Family had much promoted the Enterprise; and who
was indeed a steadygoing, considerate, close mouthed Young Gentleman; who came to great distinction in
the end.
French Governor (La Gallisonniere still the man), getting wind of this Ohio Company still in embryo,
anticipates the birth; sends a vigilant Commandant thitherward, "with 300 men, To trace and occupy the
Valleys of the Ohio and of the St. Lawrence, as far as Detroit." That officer "buries plates of lead," up and
down the Country, with inscriptions signifying that "from the farthest ridge, whence water trickled towards
the Ohio, the Country belonged to France; and nails the Bourbon Lilies to the foresttrees; forbidding the
Indians all trade with the English; expels the English traders from the towns of the Miamis; and writes to the
Governor of Pennsylvania, requesting him to prevent all farther intrusion." Vigilant Governors, these French,
and well supported from home. Duquesne, the vigilant successor of La Gallisonniere (who is now wanted at
home, for still more important purposes, as will appear), finding "the lead plates" little regarded, sends, by
and by, 500 new soldiers from Detroit into those Ohio parts (march of 100 miles or so);"the French
Government having, in this year 1750, shipped no fewer than 8,000 men for their American
Garrisons;"and where the Ohio Company venture on planting a Stockade, tears it tragically out, as will be
seen!
The THIRD thing worth notice, in 1749, and still more in the following year and years, had reference to Nova
Scotia again. One La Corne, "a recklessly sanguinary partisan" (military gentleman of the Trenck,
INDIGOTrenck species), nestles himself (winter, 174950) on that Missiquash River, head of the Bay of
Fundy; in the Village of Chignecto, which is admittedly English ground, though inhabited by French. La
Corne compels, or admits, the Inhabitants to swear allegiance to France again; and to make themselves useful
in fortifying, not to say in drilling,with an eye to military work. Hearing of which, Colonel Cornwallis and
incipient Halifax are much at a loss. They in vain seek aid from the Governor of Massachusetts ("Assembly
to be consulted first, to be convinced; Constitutional rights:Nothing possible just, at once");and can only
send a party of 400 men, to try and recover Chignecto at any rate. April 20th, 1750, the 400 arrive there;
order La Corne instantly to go. Bourbon Flag is waving on his dikes, this side the Missiquash: high time that
he and it were gone. "Village Priest [flamingly orthodox, as all these Priests are, all picked for the business],
with his own hands, sets fire to the Church in Chignecto; "inhabitants burn their houses, and escape across the
river,La Corne as rearguard. La Corne, across the Missiquash, declares, That, to a certainty, he is now on
French ground; that he will, at all hazards, defend the Territory here; and maintain every inch of it,"till
regular Commissioners [due ever since the Treaty of Aix, had not that ROMISHKING Business been so
pressing] have settled what the Boundary between the two Countries is."Chignecto being ashes, and the
neighboring population gone, Cornwallis and his Four Hundred had to return to Halifax.
It was not till Autumn following, that Chignecto could be solidly got hold of by the Halifax people; nor till a
long time after, that La Corne could be dislodged from his stockades, and sent packing. [ Gentleman's
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Magazine, xx. 539, 295.] September, 1750, a new Expedition on Chignecto found the place populous again,
Indians, French "Peasants" (seemingly Soldiers of a sort); who stood very fiercely behind their defences, and
needed a determined onrush, and "volley close into their noses," before disappearing. This was reckoned the
first military bloodshed (if this were really military on the French side). And in November following, some
small British Cruiser on those Coasts, falling in with a French Brigantine, from Quebec, evidently carrying
military stores and solacements for La Corne, seized the same; by force of battle, since not otherwise,three
men lost to the British, five to the French,and brought it to Halifax. "Lawful and necessary!" says the
Admiralty Court; "Sheer Piracy!" shriek the French; matters breaking out into actual flashes of flame, in
this manner.
British Commissions, two in number, names not worth mention, have, at last, in this Year 1750, gone to
Paris; and are holding manifold conferences with French ditto,to no "purpose, any of them. One reads the
dreary tattle of the Duke of Newcastle upon it, in the Years onward: "Just going to agree," the Duke hopes;
"some difficulties, but everybody, French and English, wanting mere justice; and our and their
Commissioners being in such a generous spirit, surely they will soon settle it." [His Letters, in Coxe's
Pelham, ii. 407 ("September, 1751"), They never did or could; and steadily it went on worsening.
That notable private assertion of the French, That Canada and Louisiana mean all America West of the
Alleghanies, had not yet oozed out to the English; but it is gradually oozing out, and that England will have to
content itself with the moderate Country lying east of that Blue range. "Not much above a million of you",
say the French; "and surely there is room enough East of the Alleghanies? We, with our couple of Colonies,
are the real America;counting, it is true, few settlers as yet; but there shall be innumerable; and, in the
mean while, there are ArmyDetachments, Blockhouses, fortified Posts, command of the Rivers, of the
Indian Nations, of the waterhighways and military keys (to you unintelligible); and we will make it good!"
The exact cipher of the French (guessed to be 50,000), and their precise relativevalue as tillers and subduers
of the soil, in these Two Colonies of theirs, as against the English Thirteen, would be interesting to know:
curious also their little bill, of trouble taken in creating the Continent of America, in discovering it, visiting,
surveying, planting, taming, making habitable for man:and what Rhadamanthus would have said of those
Two Documents! Enough, the French have taken some trouble, more or less, especially in sending soldiers
out, of late. The French, to certain thousands, languidly tilling, hunting and adventuring, and very skilful in
wheedling the Indian Nations, are actually there; and they, in the silence of Rhadamanthus, decide that merit
shall not miss its wages for want of asking. "Ours is America West of the Alleghanies," say the French,
openly before long.
"Yours? Yours, of all people's?" answer the English; and begin, with lethargic effort, to awake a little to that
stupid Foreign Question; important, though stupid and foreign, or lying far off. Who really owned all
America, probably few Englishmen had ever asked themselves, in their dreamiest humors, nor could they
now answer; but, that North America does not belong to the French, can be doubtful to no English creature.
Pitt, Chatham as we now call him, is perhaps the Englishman to whom, of all others, it is least doubtful. Pitt
is in Office at last,in some subaltern capacity, "Paymaster of the Forces" for some years past, in spite of
Majesty's dislike of the outspoken man;and has his eyes bent on America;which is perhaps (little as you
would guess it such) the main fact in that confused Controversy just now!
In 1753 (28th August of that Year), goes message from the Home Government, "Stand on your defence, over
there! Repel by force any Foreign encroachments on British Dominions." [Holderness, OR Robinson our old
friend.] And directly on the heel of this, November, 1753, the Virginia Governor,urged, I can believe, by
the Ohio Company, who are lying windbound so long,despatches Mr. George Washington to inquire
officially of the French Commandant in those parts, "What he means, then, by invading the British
Territories, while a solid Peace subsists?" Mr. George had a long ride up those desert ranges, and down again
on the other side; waters all out, ground in a swash with December rains, no help or direction but from
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wampums and wigwams: Mr. George got to Ohio Head (two big Rivers, Monongahela from South,
Alleghany from North, coalescing to form a doublebig Ohio for the Far West); and thought to himself,
"What an admirable threelegged place: might be Chief Post of those regions,nestegg of a diligent Ohio
Company.!" Mr. George, some way down the Ohio River, found a strongish French Fort, logbarracks, "200
riverboats, with more building," and a French Commandant, who cannot enter into questions of a diplomatic
nature about Peace and War: "My orders are, To keep this Fort and Territory against all comers; one must do
one's orders, Monsieur: Adieu!" And the steadfast Washington had to return; without result,except that of
the admirable Threelegged Place for dropping your Nestegg, in a commanding and defenceful way!
Ohio Company, painfully restrained so long in that operation, took the hint at once. Despatched, early in
1754, a Party of some Forty or Thirtythree stout fellows, with arms about them, as well as tools, "Go build
us, straightway, a Stockade in the place indicated; you are warranted to smite down, by shot or otherwise, any
gainsayer!" And furthermore, directly got on foot, and on the road thither, a "regiment of 150 men,"
Washington as Colonel to it, For perfecting said Stockade, and maintaining it against all comers.
Washington and his Hundredandfiftywagonage, provender and a piece or two of cannon, all well
attended tovigorously climbed the Mountains; got to the top 27th May, 1754; and there MET the
Thirtythree in retreat homewards! Stockade had been torn out, six weeks ago (17th April last); by
overwhelming French Force, from the Gentleman who said ADIEU, and had the riverboats, last Fall. And,
instead of our Stockade, they are now building a regular French Fort,FORT DUQUESNE, they call it, in
honor of their Governor Duquesne:against which, Washington and his regiment, what are they?
Washington, strictly surveying, girds himself up for the retreat; descends diligently homewards again, French
and Indians rather harassing his rear. Intrenches himself, 1st July, at what he calls "Fort Necessity," some
way down; and the second day after, 3d July, 1754, is attacked in vigorous military manner. Defends himself,
what he can, through nine hours of heavy rain; has lost thirty, the French only three;and is obliged to
capitulate: "Free Withdrawal" the terms given. This is the last I heard of the Ohio Company; not the last of
Washington, by any means. Ohio Company,its judicious Nestegg squelched in this manner, nay become a
fiery Cockatrice or "FORT DUQUESNE:"need not be mentioned farther.
By this time, surely high time now, serious military preparations were on foot; especially in the various
Colonies most exposed. But, as usual, it is a thing of most admired disorder; every Governor his own King or
ViceKing, horses are pulling different ways: small hope there, unless the Home Government (where too I
have known the horses a little discrepant, unskilful in harness!) will seriously take it in hand. The Home
Government is taking it in hand; horses willing, if a thought unskilful. Royal Highness of Cumberland has
selected General Braddock, and Two Regiments of the Line (the two that ran away at Prestonpans,ABSIT
OMEN). Royal Highness consults, concocts, industriously prepares, completes; modestly certain that here
now is the effectual remedy.
About Newyear's day, 1755, Braddock, with his Two Regiments and completed apparatus, got to sea.
Arrived, 20th February, at Williamsburg in Virginia ("at Hampden, near there," if anybody is particular);
found now that this was not the place to arrive at; that he would lose six weeks of marching, by not having
landed in Pennsylvania instead. Found that his Stores had been mispacked at Cork,that this had happened,
and also that;and, in short, that Chaos had been very considerably prevalent in this Adventure of his; and
did still, in all that now lay round it, much prevail. Poor man: very brave, they say; but without knowledge,
except of fielddrill; a heart of iron, but brain mostly of pipeclay quality. A man severe and rigorous in
regimental points; contemptuous of the Colonial Militias, that gathered to help him; thricecontemptuous of
the Indians, who were a vital point in the Enterprise ahead. Chaos is very strong,especially if within
oneself as well! Poor Braddock took the Colonial Militia Regiments, Colonel Washington as AidedeCamp;
took the Indians and Appendages, Colonial Chaos much presiding: and after infinite delays and confused
hagglings, got on march;2,000 regular, and of all sorts say 4,000 strong.
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Got on march; sprawled and haggled up the Alleghanies,such a Commissariat, such a wagonservice, as
was seldom seen before. Poor General and Army, he was like to be starved outright, at one time; had not a
certain Mr. Franklin come to him, with charitable oxen, with 500 poundsworth provisions live and dead,
subscribed for at Philadelphia,Mr Benjamin Franklin, since celebrated over all the world; who did not
much admire this irontempered General with the pipeclay brain. [Franklin's AUTOBIOGRAPHY;
Gentleman's Magazine, xxv. 378.] Thereupon, however, Braddock took the road again; sprawled and
staggered, at the long last, to the top; "at the top of the Alleghanies, 15th June;"and forward down upon
FORT DUQUESNE, "roads nearly perpendicular in some places," at the rate of "four miles" and even of "one
mile per day." Much wood all about,and the 400 Indians to rear, in a despised and disgusted condition,
instead of being vanward keeping their brightest outlook.
July 8th, Braddock crossed the Monongahela without hindrance. July 9th, was within ten miles of FORT
DUQUESNE; plodding along; marching through a wood, when,Ambuscade of French and Indians burst
out on him, French with defences in front and store of squatted Indians on each flank,who at once blew
him to destruction, him and his Enterprise both. His men behaved very ill; sensible perhaps that they were not
led very well. Wednesday, 9th July, 1755, about three in the afternoon. His two regiments gave one volley
and no more; utterly terrorstruck by the novelty, by the misguidance, as at Prestonpans before; shot, it was
whispered, several of their own Officers, who were furiously rallying them with word and sword: of the sixty
Officers, only five were not killed or wounded. Brave men clad in soldier's uniform, victims of military
Chaos, and miraculous Nescience, in themselves and in others: can there be a more distressing spectacle?
Imaginary workers are all tragical, in this world; and come to a bad end, sooner or later, they or their
representatives here: but the Imaginary Soldierhe is paid his wages (he and his poor Nation are) on the
very nail!
Braddock, refusing to fall back as advised, had five horses shot under him; was himself shot, in the arm, in
the breast; was carried off the field in a deathstupor,forward all that night, next day and next (to Fort
Cumberland, seventy miles to rear);and on the fourth day died. The Colonial Militias had stood their
ground, Colonel Washington now of some use again;who were ranked well to rearward; and able to
receive the ambuscade as an open fight. Stood striving, for about three hours. And would have saved the
retreat; had there been a retreat, instead of a panic rout, to save. The poor Generalebbing homewards, he
and his Enterprise, hour after hourroused himself twice only, for a moment, from his deathstupor: once,
the first night, to ejaculate mournfully, "Who would have thought it!" And again once, he was heard to say,
days after, in a tone of hope, "Another time we will do better!" which were his last words, "death following in
a few minutes." Weary, heavyladen soul; deep Sleep now descending on it,soft sweet cataracts of Sleep
and Rest; suggesting hope, and triumph over sorrow, after all:"Another time we will do better;" and in few
minutes was dead! [Manuscript JOURNAL OF GENERAL BRADDOCK'S EXPEDITION IN 1755 (British
Museum: King's Library, 271 e, King's Mss. 212): rawmaterial, this, of the Official Account ( London
Gazette, August 26th, 1755), where it is faithfully enough abridged. Will perhaps be printed by some
inquiring PITTSBURGHER, one day, after good study on the ground itself? It was not till 1758 that the
bones of the slain were got buried, and the infant Pittsburg (now so busy and smoky) rose from the ashes of
FORT DUQUESNE.]
The Colonial Populations, who had been thinking of Triumphal Arches for Braddock's return, are struck to
the nadir by this news. French and Indians break over the Mountains, harrying, burning, scalping; the Black
Settlers fly inward, with horror and despair: "And the Home Government, too, can prove a broken reed?
What is to become of us; whose is America to be?"And in fact, under such guidance from Home
Governments and Colonial, there is no saying how the matter might have gone. To men of good judgment,
and watching on the spot, it was, for years coming, an ominous dubiety,the chances rather for the French,
"who understand war, and are all under one head." [Governor Pownal's Memorial (of which INFRA), in
Thackeray's Life of Chatham. ] But there happens to be in England a Mr. Pitt, with royal eyes more and more
indignantly set on this Business; and in the womb of Time there lie combinations and conjunctures. If the
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Heavens have so decreed!
The English had, before this, despatched their Admiral Boscawen, to watch certain Warships, which they
had heard the French were fitting out for America; and to intercept the same, by capture if not otherwise.
Boscawen is on the outlook, accordingly; descries a French fleet, Coast of Newfoundland, first days of June;
loses it again in the fogs of the GulfStream; but has, June 9th (a month before that of Braddock), come up
with Two Frigates of it, and, after short broadsiding, made prizes of them. And now, on this Braddock
Disaster, orders went, "To seize and detain all French Ships whatsoever, till satisfaction were had." And,
before the end of this Year, about "800 French ships (value, say, 700,000 pounds)" were seized accordingly,
where seizable on their watery ways. Which the French ("our own conduct in America being so undeniably
proper") characterized as utter piracy and robbery;and getting no redress upon it, by demand in that style,
had to take it as no better than meaning Open War Declared. [Paris, December 21st, 1755, Minister Rouille's
Remonstrance, with menace "UNLESS:" London, January 13th, 1756, Secretary Fox's reply, "WELL
THEN, NO!" Due official "Declaration of War" followed: on the English part, "17th May, 1756;" "9th June,"
on the French part.]
Chapter XV. ANTIPRUSSIAN WARSYMPTOMS: FRIEDRICH VISIBLE
FOR A MOMENT.
The Burning of AKAKIA, and those foolish MaupertuisVoltaire Duellings (by syringe and pistol) had by no
means been Friedrich's one concern, at the time Voltaire went off. Precisely in those same months, Carnival
17521753, King Friedrich had, in a profoundly private manner, come upon certain extensive AntiPrussian
Symptoms, Austrian, Russian, Saxon, of a most dangerous, abstruse, but at length indubitable sort; and is,
ever since, prosecuting his investigation of them, as a thing of life and death to him! Symptoms that there
may well be a THIRD Silesian War ripening forward, inevitable, and of weightier and fiercer quality than
ever. So the Symptoms indicate to Friedrich, with a fatally increasing clearness. And, of late, he has to reflect
withal: "If these FrenchEnglish troubles bring War, our Symptoms will be ripe!" As, in fact, they proved to
be.
King Friedrich's investigations and decisions on this matter will be touched upon, farther on: but readers can
take, in the mean time, the following small Documentary Piece as Note of Preparation. The facts shadowed
forth are of these Years now current (17521755), though this judicial Deposition to the Facts is of ulterior
date (1757).
In the course of 1756, as will well appear farther on, it became manifest to the Saxon Court and to all the
world that somebody had been playing traitor in the Dresden Archives. Somebody, especially in the Foreign
Department; copying furtively, and imparting to Prussia, Despatches of the most secret, thricesecret and
thrice dangerous nature, which lie reposited there! Who can have done it? Guesses, researcher, were many:
at length suspicion fell on one Menzel, a KANZELLIST (Government Clerk), of good social repute, and
superior official ability; who is not himself in the Foreign Department at all; but whose way of living, or the
like sign, had perhaps seemed questionable. In 1757, Menzel, and the Saxon Court and its businesses, were
all at Warsaw; Menzel dreaming of no disturbance, but prosecuting his affairs as formerly,when, one day,
September 24th (the slothounds, long scenting and tracking, being now at the mark), Menzel and an
Associate of his were suddenly arrested. Confronted with their crimes, with the proofs in readiness; and next
day,made a clear Confession, finding the matter desperate otherwise, Copy of which, in Notarial form,
exact and indisputable, the reader shall now see. As this story, of Friedrich and the Saxon Archives, was very
famous in the world, and mythic circumstances are prevalent, let us glance into it with our own eyes, since
there is opportunity in brief compass.
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"EXTRACTUS PROTOCOLLORUM IN INQUISITIONSSACHEN,"THAT IS TO
SAY, EXTRACT OF PROTOCOLS IN INQUEST "CONTRA FRIEDRICH
WILHELM MENZEL AND JOHANN BENJAMIN ERFURTH."
"AT WARSAW, 25th SEPTEMBER, 1757: This day, in the King's Name, in presence of Legationsrath von
Saul, Hofrath Ferbers and Kriegsrath von Gotze the Undersigned: Examination of the KabinetsKanzellist
Menzel, arrested yesterday, and now brought from his place of arrest to the Royal Palace;who,
ADMONITUS DE DICENDA VERITATE, made answers, to the effect following:
"His name is Friedrich Wilhelm Menzel; age thirtyeight; is a son of the late Hofrath and Privyreferendary
Menzel, who formerly was in the King's service, and died a few years back. Has been seventeen years
Kanzellist at the GEHEIME CABINETSCANZLEI (Secret Archive); had taken the oath when he entered on
his office.
"Acknowledges some Slips of Paper (ZETTEL), now shown to him, to be his handwriting: they contained
news intended to be communicated to the Prussian Secretary Benoit, now residing here", at Dresden
formerly.
"Confesses that he has employed, here as well as previously in Dresden, his Brotherinlaw, the journeyman
goldsmith Erfurth (who was likewise arrested yesterday), to convey to the Prussian Secretaries, Plessmann
and Benoit, such pieces and despatches from the Secret Cabinet, especially the Foreign department, as he,
Menzel, wanted to communicate to said Prussian Secretaries.
"Confesses having received, by degrees, since the year 1752, from the Prussian Minister (ENVOYE) von
Mahlzahn, and the Secretaries Plessmann and Benoit, for such communications, the sum of 3,000 thalers (450
pounds) in all.
"Was led into these treasonable practices by the following circumstance: He owed at that time 100 thalers on
a Promissory Note, to a certain Rhenitz, who then lived (HIELT SICH AUF) at Dresden, and who pressed
him much for payment. As he pleaded inability to pay, Rhenitz hinted that he could put him into the way of
getting money; and accordingly, at last, took him to the then Prussian Secretary Hecht, at Dresden; by whom
he was at once carried to the Prussian Minister von Mahlzahn; who gave him 100 thalers (15 pounds), with
the request to communicate to him, now and then, news from the Archive of the Cabinet. For a length of time
Prisoner could not accomplish this; as the said Von Mahlzahn wanted Pieces from the Foreign Office, and
especially the Correspondence with the two Imperial Courts of Austria and Russia. These papers were locked
in presses, which Prisoner could not get at; moreover, the Court had, in the mean time, gone to Warsaw,
Prisoner remaining at Dresden. In that way, many months passed without his being able to communicate
anything; till, at last, about December, 1752, the Secretary Plessmann gave him a whole bunch of keys, which
were said to be sent by Privycounsellor Eichel of Potsdam [whom we know], to try whether any of them
would unlock the presses of the Foreign Department. But none of them would; and Prisoner returned the
keys; pointing out, however, what alterations were required to fit the keyhole.
"And, about three weeks after this, Plessmann provided Prisoner with another set of keys; among which one
did unlock said presses. With this key Prisoner now repeatedly opened the presses; and provided Plessmann,
whenever required,oftenest, with Petersburg Despatches. Had also, three years ago (1754), here in
Warsaw, communicated Vienna Despatches, three or four times, to Benoit; especially on Sundays and
Thursdays, which were slack days, nobody in the Office about noon.
"The actual first of these Communications did not take place till after EasterFair, 1753; Prisoner not having,
till said Fair, received the second bunch of keys from Plessmann. Now and then he had to communicate
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French Despatches. Whenever he gave original Despatches, he received them back shortly after, and replaced
them in the presses. During this present stay of the Court at Warsaw, has communicated little to Benoit
except from the CIRCULARS [Legation NEWSLETTERS], when he found anything noteworthy in them;
also, now and then, the Ponikau Despatches [Ponikau being at the Reich's Diet, in circumstances interesting
to us]. Has received, one time and another, several 100 thalers from Benoit, since the Court came hither
last."(And so EXIT Menzel.)
"Hereupon the Second Prisoner was brought in;who deposed as follows:
"He is named Johann Benjamin Erfurth; a goldsmith by trade; age thirtytwo; the Prisoner Menzel's
Brotherinlaw.
"Confesses that Menzel had made use of him, at Dresden, during one year: to deliver, several times, sealed
papers to the Prussian Secretary Plessmann, or rather mostly to Plessmann's servant. Also that, here in
Warsaw, he has had to carry Despatches to Benoit, and to deliver them into his own hands. Latterly he has
delivered the Despatches to certain Prussian peasants, who stopped at Benoit's, and who always relieved each
other; and every time, the one who went away directed Prisoner, in turn, to him that arrived.
"He received from Menzel, yesterday towards noon, a small sealed packet, which he was to convey to the
Prussian peasant who had made an appointment with him at the Prussian Office (HOF) here. But as he was
going to take it, and had just got outside of the Palace Court, a corporal took hold of him and arrested him.
Confesses having concealed the parcel in his trouserspocket, and to have denied that he had anything upon
him. ... ACTUM UT SUPRA."
Signed "GOTZE" (with titles).
"Next day, September 26th, Menzel reexamined; answers in effect following:
"Plessmann never himself came into the Archive Office at Dresden; except the one time [a time that will be
notable to us!] when the Prussians were there to take away the Papers by force; then Plessmann was with
them,"and we will remember the circumstance.
"Before leaving Dresden for Poland, last Year (1756), he, Menzel, had returned the said key to Plessmann;
who gave him others for use here. After his arrival here, he returned these keys to Benoit, in the presence of
Erfurth; saying, they were of no use to him, and that he could not get at the Despatches here. Prisoner farther
declares, that it was the Minister von Mahlzahn who, of his own accord, and quite at the beginning, made the
proposal concerning the keys; and when Plessmann brought the keys, he said expressly they were for the
Minister, along with fifty thalers, which he, Menzel, received at the same time. ACTUM UT SUPRA."
Signed as before. [ HeldenGeschichte, v. 677 (as BEYLAGE or Appendix to the KurSachsen "PRO
MEMORIA to the Reich's Diet;" of date, Regensburg, 31st January, 1758).]
We could give some of the stolen Pieces, too; but they are of abstruse tenor, and would be mere enigmas to
readers here. Enough that Friedrich understands them. To Friedrich's intense and longcontinued scrutiny,
they indicate, what is next to incredible, but is at length fatally undeniable, That the old TREATY, which we
called OF WARSAW, "Treaty for Partitioning Prussia," is still (in spite of all subsequent and superincumbent
Treaties to the contrary) vigorously alive underground; that Saxon Bruhl and her Hungarian Majesty, to
whom is now added Czarish Majesty, are fixed as ever on cutting down this afflictive, too aspiring King of
Prussia to the size of a Brandenburg Elector; busy (in these Menzel Documents) considering how it may be
done, especially how the bear skin may be SHARED;and that, in short, there lies ahead, inevitable
seemingly, and not far off, a Third Silesian War.
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Which punctually came true. The THIRD SILESIAN WARsince called SEVENYEARS WAR, that
proving to be the length of itis now near. Breaks out, has to break out, August, 1756. The heaviest and
direst struggle Friedrich ever had; the greatest of all his Prowesses, Achievements and Endurances in this
world. And, on the whole, the last that was very great, or that is likely to be memorable with Posterity. Upon
which, accordingly, we must try our utmost to leave some not untrue notion in this place: and that once
DONE Courage, reader!
FRIEDRICH IS VISIBLE, IN HOLLAND, TO THE NAKED EYE, FOR
SOME MINUTES (June 23d, 1755).
In 1755 it was that Voltaire wrote, not the first Letter, but the first very notable one, to his Royal Friend, after
their great quarrel: [Dated "The DELICES, near Geneva, 4th August, 1755" (in Rodenbeck, i. 287; in
OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 7; not given by any of the French Editors).] seductively repentant, and oh, so
true, so tender;Royal Friend still obstinate, who answers nothing, or answers only through De Prades:
"Yes, yes, we are aware!" And it was in the same Year that Friedrich first saw D'Alembert,Voltaire's
successor, in a sense. And farther on (1st November, 1755), that the Earthquake of Lisbon went, horribly
crashing, through the thoughts of all mortals, thoughts of King Friedrich, among others; whose reflections
on it, I apprehend, are stingy, snarlingly contemptuous, rather than valiant and pious, and need not detain us
here. One thing only we will mention, for an accidental reason: That Friedrich, this Year, made a short run to
Holland,and that actual momentary sight of him happens thereby to be still possible.
In Summer, 1755, after the WestCountry Reviews, and a short Journey into OstFriesland, whence to Wesel
on the Rhine,whither Friedrich had invited D'Alembert to meet him, whom he finds "UN
TRESAIMABLE GARCON," likely for the task in hand,Friedrich decided on a run into Holland: strictly
INCOGNITO, accompanied only by Balbi (Engineer, a Genoese) and one page. Bade his D'Alembert adieu;
and left Wesel thitherward June 19th. [Rodenbeck, i. 287.] At Amsterdam he viewed the Bramkamp
PictureGallery, the illustrious Countryhouse of Jew Pinto at TULPENBURG (Tulip borough!) ... "I saw
nothing but whimwhams (COLIFICHETS)," says he: "I gave myself out for a Musician of the King of
Poland;" wore a black wig moreover, "and was nowhere known:" [ OEuvres, xxvii. i. 268 ("Potsdam, 28th
June, 1755;" and ib. p. 270), to Wilhelmina, who is now on the return from her Italian Journey. UNCERTAIN
Anecdotes of adventures among the whimwhams, in Rodenbeck, for finis, got into the common
PassageBoat (TREKSCHUIT, no doubt) for Utrecht, that he might see the other fine Countryhouses along
the Vechte. Fine enough Countryhouses,not mud and sedges the main thing, as idle readers think. To
Arnheim up the Vechte in this manner; Wesel and his own Country just at hand again.
Now it happened that a young Swisspoor enough in purse, but not without talent and eyesight, assistant
Teacher in some Boarding school thereabouts; name of him De Catt, age twentyseven, "born at Morges
near Geneva 1728"had got holiday, or had got errand, poor good soul; had decided, on this same day (23d
June, 1755), to go to Utrecht, and so stept into the very boat where Friedrich was. He himself (in a Letter
written long after to Editor LAVEAUX) shall tell us the rest:
"As I could n't get into the ROEF (cabin) because it was all engaged, I stayed with the other passengers in the
Steerage (DANS LA BARQUE MEME), and the weather being fine, came up on deck. After some time,
there stept out of the Cabin a man in cinnamon colored coat with gold buttonHOLES; in black wig; face
and coat considerably dusted with Spanish snuff. He looked fixedly at me, for a while; and then said, without
farther preface, 'Who are you, Monsieur?' This cavalier tone from an unknown person, whose exterior
indicated nothing very important, did not please me; and I declined satisfying his curiosity. He was silent.
But, some time after, he took a more courteous tone, and said: 'Come in here to me, Monsieur! You will be
better here than in the Steerage, amid the tobaccosmoke.' This polite address put an end to all anger; and as
the singular manner of the man excited my curiosity, I took advantage of his invitation. We sat down, and
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began to speak confidentially with one another.
"Do you see the man in the garden yonder, sitting smoking his pipe?' said he to me: 'That man, you may
depend upon it, is not happy.''I know not,' answered I: 'but it seems to me, until one knows a man, and is
completely acquainted with his situation and his way of thought, one cannot possibly determine whether he is
happy or unhappy.'
"My gentleman admitted this [very goodnatured!]; and led the conversation on the Dutch Government. He
criticised it,probably to bring me to speak. I did speak; and gave him frankly to know that he was not
perfectly instructed in the thing he was criticising.'You are right,' answered he; 'one can only criticise what
one is thoroughly acquainted with.'He now began to speak of Religion; and with eloquent tongue to
recount what mischief Scholastic Philosophy had brought upon the world; then tried to prove 'That Creation
was impossible.' At this last point I stood out in opposition. 'But how can one create Something out of
Nothing?' said he. 'That is not the question,' answered I; 'the question is, Whether such a Being as God can or
cannot give existence to what has yet none.' He seemed embarrassed, and added, 'But the Universe is
eternal.''You are in a circle,' said I; 'how will you get out of it?''I skip over it" said he, laughing; and then
began to speak of other things.
"'What form of Government do you reckon the best?' inquired he, among other things. 'The monarchic, if the
King is just and enlightened.''Very well,' answered he; 'but where will you find Kings of that sort?' And
thereupon went into such a sally upon Kings, as could not in the least lead me to the supposition that he was
one. In the end he expressed pity for them, that they could not know the sweets of friendship; and cited on the
occasion these verses (his own, I suppose):
'Amitie, plaisir des grandes ames;
Amitie, que les Rois, ces illustres ingrats,
Sont assez malheureux de ne connaitre pas!'
'I have not the honor to be acquainted with Kings,' said I; 'but to judge by what one has read in History of
several of them, I should believe, Monsieur, that you, on the whole, are right.''AH, OUI, OUI, I am right; I
know the gentlemen!'
"We now got to speak of Literature. The stranger expressed himself with enthusiastic admiration of Racine. A
droll incident happened during our dialogue. My gentleman wanted to let down a little sashwindow, and
could n't manage it. 'You don't understand that,' said I; 'let me do that.' I tried to get it down; but succeeded no
better than he. 'Monsieur,' said he, 'allow me to remark, on my side, that you, upon my honor, understand as
little of it as I!' 'That is true; and I beg your pardon; I was too rash in accusing you of want of
expertness.''Were you ever in Germany?' he now asked me. 'No; but I should like to make that journey: I
am very curious to see the Prussian States, and their King, of whom one hears so much.' And now I began to
launch out on Friedrich's actions; but he interrupted me rapidly, with the words: 'Nothing more of Kings,
Monsieur! What have we to do with them? We will spend the rest of our voyage on more agreeable and
cheering objects.' And now he spoke of the best of all possible worlds; and maintained that, in our Planet
Earth, there was more Evil than Good. I maintained the contrary; and this dispute brought us to the end of our
voyage.
"On quitting me, he said, 'I hope, Monsieur, you will leave me your name: I am very glad to have made your
acquaintance; perhaps we shall see one another again.' I replied, as was fitting, to the compliment; and
begged him to excuse me for contradicting him a little. 'Ascribe this,' I concluded, 'to the illhumor which
various little journeys I had to make in these days have given me.' I then told him my name, and we parted."
[Laveaux, Histoire de Frederic (2d edition, Strasbourg, 1789, and blown now into SIX vols. instead of four;
dead all, except this fraction), vi. 365. Seyfarth, ii. 234, is right; ib. 170, wrong, and has led others wrong.]
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Parted to meet again; and live together for about twenty years.
Of this honest Henri de Catt, whom the King liked on this Interview, and sent for soon after, and at length got
as "LECTEUR DU ROI," we shall hear again. ["September, 1755," sent for (but De Catt was ill and
couldn't); "December, 1757" got (Rodenbeck, i. 285).] He did, from 1757 onwards, what De Prades now does
with more of noise, the old D'Arget functions; faithfully and well, for above twenty years;left a
NoteBook (not very Boswellian) about the King, which is latterly in the Royal Archives at Berlin; and
which might without harm, or even with advantage, be printed, but has never yet been. A very harmless De
Catt. And we are surely obliged to him for this view of the Travelling Gentleman "with the
cinnamoncolored coat, snuffy nose and black wig," and his manner of talking on light external subjects,
while the inner man of him has weights enough pressing on it. Age still under fiveandforty, but looks old
for his years.
"June 23d, 1755:" it is in the very days while poor Braddock is staggering down the Alleghanies; Braddock
fairly over the top;and the Fates waiting him, at a Fortnight's distance. Far away, on the other side of the
World. But it is notable enough how Pitt is watching the thing; and will at length get hand laid on it, and get
the kingship over it for above four years. Whereby the JENKINS'S EAR QUESTION will again, this time
on better terms, coalesce with the SILESIAN, or PARTITIONOFPRUSSIA QUESTION; and both these
long Controversies get definitely closed, as the Eternal Decrees had seen good.
BOOK XVII. THE SEVENYEARS WAR: FIRST CAMPAIGN. 17561757.
Chapter I. WHAT FRIEDRICH HAD READ IN THE MENZEL DOCUMENTS.
The illinformed world, entirely unaware of what Friedrich had been studying and ascertaining, to his bitter
sorrow, for four years past, was extremely astonished at the part he took in those French English troubles;
extremely provoked at his breaking out again into a Third Silesian War, greater than all the others, and
kindling all Europe in such a way. The illinformed world rang violently, then and long after, with a
Controversy, "Was it of his beginning, or Not of his beginning?" Controversy, which may in our day be
considered as settled by unanimous mankind; finished forever; and can now have no interest for any creature.
Omitting that, our problem is (were it possible in brief compass), To set forth, by what authentic traits there
are,not the "ambitious," "audacious," voracious and highly condemnable Friedrich of the Gazetteers,but
the thriceintricately situated Friedrich of Fact. What the Facts privately known to Friedrich were, in what
manner known; and how, in a more complex crisis than had yet been, Friedrich demeaned himself: upon
which latter point, and those cognate to it, readers ought not to be ignorant, if now fallen indifferent on so
many other points of the Affair. What a loudroaring, loose and empty matter is this tornado of vociferation
which men call "Public Opinion"! Tragically howling round a man; who has to stand silent the while; and
scan, wisely under pain of death, the altogether inarticulate, dumb and inexorable matter which the gods call
Fact! Friedrich did read his terrible Sphinxriddle; the Gazetteer tornado did pipe and blow. King Friedrich,
in contrast with his Environment at that time, will most likely never be portrayed to modern men in his real
proportions, real aspect and attitude then and there,which are silently not a little heroic and even pathetic,
when well seen into;and, for certain, he is not portrayable at present, on our side of the Sea. But what hints
and fractions of feature we authentically have, ought to be given with exactitude, especially with brevity, and
left to the ingenuous imagination of readers.
The secret sources of the Third Silesian War, since called "Seven Years War," go back to 1745; nay, we
may say, to the First Invasion of Silesia in 1740. For it was in Maria Theresa's incurable sorrow at loss of
Silesia, and her inextinguishable hope to reconquer it, that this and all Friedrich's other Wars had their origin.
Twice she had signed Peace with Friedrich, and solemnly ceded Silesia to him: but that too, with the Imperial
Lady, was by no means a finis to the business. Not that she meant to break her Treaties; far from her such a
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thought,in the conscious form. Though, alas, in the unconscious, again, it was always rather near!
practically, she reckoned to herself, these Treaties would come to be broken, as Treaties do not endure
forever; and then, at the good moment, she did purpose to be ready. "Silesia back to us; Pragmatic Sanction
complete in every point! Was not that our dear Father's will, monition of all our Fathers and their Patriotisms
and Traditionary Heroisms; and in fact, the behest of gods and men?" Ten years ago, this notion had been cut
down to apparent death, in a disastrous manner, for the second time. But it did not die in the least: it never
thinks of dying; starts always anew, passionate to produce itself again as action valid at last; and lives in the
Imperial Heart with a tenacity that is strange to observe. Still stranger, in the envious ValetHeart,in that
of Bruhl, who had far less cause!
The Peace of Dresden, Christmas, 1745, seemed to be an act of considerable magnanimity on Friedrich's part.
It was, at the first blush of it, "incredible" to Harrach, the Austrian Plenipotentiary; whose embarrassed,
astonished bow we remember on that occasion, with English Villiers shedding pious tears. But what is very
remarkable withal is a thing since discovered: [INFRA, next Note (p. 276).] That Harrach, magnanimous
signature hardly yet dry, did then straightway, by order of his Court, very privately inquire of Bruhl, "There is
Peace, you see; what they call Peace:but our TREATY OF WARSAW, for Partition of this magnanimous
man, stands all the same; does n't it?" To which, according to the Documents, Bruhl, hardly escaped from the
pangs of death, and still in a very paleyellow condition, had answered in effect, "Hah, say you so? One's
hatred is eternal;but that man's iron heel! Wait a little; get Russia to join in the scheme!"and hung back;
the willing mind, but the too terrified! And in this way, like a famishing dog in sight of a too dangerous leg of
mutton, Bruhl has ever since rather held back; would not reengage at all, for almost two years, even on the
Czarina's engaging; and then only in a cautious, conditional and hypothetic manner,though with famine
increasing day by day in sight of the desired viands. His hatred is fell; but he would fain escape with back
unbroken.
HOW FRIEDRICH DISCOVERED THE MYSTERY. CONCERNING MENZEL AND WEINGARTEN.
Friedrich has been aware of this mystery, at least wide awake to it and becoming ever more instructed, for
almost four years. Traitor Menzel the Saxon Kanzellistwe, who have prophetically read what he had to
confess when laid hold of, are aware, though as yet, and on to 1757, it is a dead secret to all mortals but
himself and "three others"has been busy for Prussia ever since "the end of 1752." Got admittance to the
Presses; sent his first Excerpt "about the time of EasterFair, 1753,"time of Voltaire's taking wing. And
has been at work ever since. Copying Despatches from the most secret Saxon Repositories; ready always on
Excellency Mahlzahn's indicating the Piece wanted; and of late, I should think, is busier than ever, as the
Saxon Mystery, which is also an Austrian and Russian one, gets more light thrown into it, and seems to be
fast ripening towards action of a perilous nature. The first Excerpts furnished by Menzel, readers can judge
how enigmatic they were. These Menzel Papers, copies mainly of Petersburg or Vienna DESPATCHES to
Bruhl, with Bruhl's ANSWERS,the principal of which were subsequently printed in their best arrangement
and liveliest point of vision [In Friedrich's Manifestoes, chiefly in MEMOIRE RAISONNE SUR LA
CONDUITE DES COURS DE VIENNE ET DE SAXE (compiled from the MENZEL ORIGINALS, so soon
as these were got hold of: Berlin, Autumn, 1756). A solid and able Paper; rapidly done, by one Count
Herzberg, who rose high in after times. Reprinted, with many other "Pieces" and "Passages," in Gesammelte
Nachrichten und Urkunden, which is a "Collection" of such (2 vols., 113 Nos. small 8vo, no Place, 1757,
my Copy of it).]are by no means a luminous set of Documents to readers at this day. Think what a study
they were at Potsdam in 1753, while still in the chaotic state; fished out, more or less at random, as Menzel
could lay hold of them, or be directed to them; the enigma clearing itself only by intense inspection, and
capability of seeing in the dark!
It appears,if you are curious on the anecdotic part,
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"Winterfeld was the first that got eye on this dangerous Saxon Mystery; some ExSaxon, about to settle in
Berlin, giving hint of it to Winterfeld; who needed only a hint. So soon as Winterfeld convinced himself that
there was weight in the affair, he imparted it to Friedrich: 'Scheme of partitioning, your Majesty, of picking
quarrel, then overwhelming and partitioning; most serious scheme, AustrianRussian as well as Saxon; going
on steadily for years past, and very lively at this time!' If true, Friedrich cannot but admit that this is serious
enough: important, thrice over, to discover whether it is true;and gives Winterfeld authority to prosecute it
to the bottom, in Dresden or wherever the secret may lie. Who thereupon charged Mahlzahn, the Prussian
Minister at Dresden, to find some proper Menzel, and bestir himself. How Mahlzahn has found his Menzel,
and has bestirred himself, we saw. Thiefkeys were made to pattern in Berlin; first set did not fit, second did;
and stealthy Menzel gains admittance to that Chamber of the Archives, can steal thither on shoes of felt when
occasion serves, and copy what you wish,for a consideration. Intermittently, since about EasterFair,
1753. Three persons are cognizant of it, Winterfeld, Mahlzahn, Friedrich; three, and no more. Probably the
abstrusest study; and the most intense, going on in the world at that epoch. [Rotzow, Charakteristik des
Siebenjahrigen Krieges (Berlin, 1802), i. 23.]
"At a very early stage of the Menzel Excerpts it became manifest that certain synchronous Austrian Ditto
would prove highly elucidative; that, in fact, it would be indispensable to get hold of these as well. Which
also Winterfeld has managed to do. A deep headed man, who has his eyes about him; and is very apt to
manage what he undertakes. One Weingarten Junior, a Secretary in the Austrian Embassy at Berlin
(Excellency Peubla's second Secretary), has his acquaintanceships in Berlin Society; and for one thing, as
Winterfeld discovers, is 'madly in love' with some Chambermaid or quasichambermaid (let us call her
Chambermaid), 'Daughter of the Castellan at Charlottenburg.' Winterfeld, through the due channels, applied
to this Chambermaid, 'Get me a small secret Copy of such and such Despatches, out of your Weingarten; it
will be well for you and him; otherwise perhaps not well!' Chambermaid, hope urging, or perhaps hope and
fear, did her best; Weingarten had to yield the required product and products, as required. By this
Weingarten, from some date not long after Menzel's first mysterious Dresden Excerpts, the necessary
Austrian glosses, so far as possible to Weingarten on the indications given him, have been regularly had, for
the two or three years past.
"Weingarten first came to be seriously suspected June, 1756 (Weingarten Junior, let us still say, for there was
a Senior of unstained fidelity); 'June 15th,' Excellency Peubla pointedly demands him from Friedrich and the
Berlin Police: 'Weingarten Junior, my SECOND Secretar, fugitive and traitor; hidden somewhere!'
["BERLIN, 22d JUNE: Every research making for Mr. Weingatten,in vain hitherto" ( Gentleman's
Magazine, xxvi., i. e. for 1756, p. 363).] Excellency Peubla is answered, 24th June: 'We would so fain catch
him, if we could! We have tried at Stendal,not there: tried his Motherinlaw; knows nothing: have
forborne laying up his poor Wife and Children; and hope her Imperial Majesty will have pity on that poor
creature, who is fallen so miserable.' [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 713.] So that Excellency Peubla had nothing
for it but to compose himself; to honor the unstainable fidelity of Weingarten Senior by a public piece of
promotion, which soon ensued; and let the Junior run. Weingarten Junior, on the first suspicion, had vanished
with due promptitude,was not to be unearthed again. We perceive he has married his Charlottenburg
Beauty, and there are helpless babies. It seems, he lived long years after, in the Altmark, as a Herr von
Weiss,'his reflections manifold, but unknown. [Retzow, i. 37.] What is much notabler, Cogniazzo, the
Austrian Veteran, heard Weingarten's MASTER, Graf von Peubla, talk of the 'GRAND MYSTERE,' soon
after, and how Friedrich had heard of it, not from Weingarten alone, but from GrossFurst PETER, Russian
HeirApparent! [Cogniazzo, i. 225.]
"As to Menzel, he did not get away. Menzel, as we saw, lasted in free activity till 1757; and was then put
under lock and key. Was not hanged; sat prisoner for twentyseven years after; overgrown with hair, legs and
arms chained together, heavy iron bar uniting both ankles; diet breadandwater;for the rest, healthy; and
died, not very miserable it is said, in 1784. Shocking traitors, Weingarten and he."
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Yes, a diabolical pair, they, sure enough:and the thing they betrayed against their Masters, was that a
celestial thing? Servants of the Devil do fall out; and Servants not of the Devil are fain, sometimes, to raise a
quarrel of that kind!
The then world, as we said, was one loud uproar of logic on the right reading and the wrong of those
Sibylline Documents: "Did your King of Prussia interpret them aright, or even try it? Did not he use them as
a cloak for highway robbery, and swallowing of a peaceable Saxony, bad man that he surely is?" For
Friedrich's demeanor, this time again, when it came to the acting point, was of eminent rapidity; almost a
swifter lionspring than ever; and it brought on him, in the aerial or vocal way, its usual result: huge clamor
of rage and logic from uninformed mankind. Clamorous rage and logic, which has now sunk irresuscitably
dead; nothing of it much worth mentioning to modern readers, scarcely even its HIC JACET (in Footnotes,
for the benefit of the curious!),and it is, at last, a thing not doubtful to anybody that Friedrich, in that
matter did read aright. So that now the loud uproar is reduced to one small question with us, What did he read
in those Menzel Documents? What Fact lying in them was it that Friedrich had to read? Here, smelted down
by repeated roastings, is succinct answer;for the ultimate fragment of incombustible here as elsewhere,
will go into a nutshell, once the continents of DiplomatistGazetteer logic and disorderly stablelitter,
threatening to heap themselves over the very stars, have been faithfully burnt away.
Readers heard of a "Union of Warsaw," early in 1745, concluded by the SeaPowers and the SaxonPolish
and Hungarian Majesties: very harmless UNION of Warsaw, public to all the world,but with a certain
thricesecret "TREATY of Warsaw" (between Polish and Hungarian Majesty themselves two, the
SeaPowers being horror struck by mention of it) which had followed thereupon, in an eager and wonderful
manner. Thricesecret Treaty, for Partitioning Friedrich, and settling the respective shares of his skin. Treaty
which, to denote its origin, we called of Warsaw; though it was not finished there (shares of skin so difficult
to settle), and "Treaty of LEIPZIG, 18th May, 1745," is its ALIAS in Books:of which Treaty, as the
SeaPowers had recoiled horrorstruck, there was no whisper farther, to them or to the rest of exoteric
mankind;though it has been one of the busiest Entities ever since. From the Menzel Documents, I know
not after what circuitous gropings and searchings, Friedrich first got notice of that Treaty: [Now printed in
OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 4042.] figure his look on discovering it!
We said it was the remarkablest bit of sheepskin in its Century. Readers have heard too, That it was proposed
to Bruhl, by a grateful Austria, directly on signing the Peace of Dresden: "Our PartitionTreaty stands all the
same, does it not?"and in what humor Bruhl answered: "Hah? Get Russia to join!" Both these facts, That
there is a Treaty of Warsaw and that this is the AustrianSaxon temper and intention towards him and it,
Friedrich learned from the Menzel Documents. And if the reader will possess himself of these two facts, and
understand that they are of a germinative, most vital quality, indestructible by the times and the chances; and
have been growing and developing themselves, day and night ever since, in a truly wonderful manner,the
reader knows in substance what Menzel had to reveal.
Russia was got to join;there are methods of operating on Russia, and kindling a poor fat Czarina into
strange suspicions and indignations. In May, 1746, within six months of the Peace of Dresden, a Treaty of
Petersburg, new version of the Warsaw one, was brought to parchment; Czarina and EmpressQueen
signing,Bruhl dying to sign, but not daring. How Russia has been got to join, and more and more
vigorously bear a hand; how Bruhl's rabidities of appetite, and terrors of heart, have continued ever since;
how Austria and Russia,Bruhl aiding with hysterical alacrity, haunted by terror (and at last mercifully
EXCUSED from signing), have, year after year, especially in this last year, 1755, brought the matter
nearer and nearer perfection; and the Two Imperial Majesties, with Bruhl to rear, wait only till they are fully
ready, and the world gives opportunity, to pick a quarrel with Friedrich, and overwhelm and partition him,
according to covenant: This, wandering through endless mazes of detail, is in sum what the Menzel
Documents disclose to Friedrich and us. How, in a space of ten years, the small seedgrain of a Treaty of
Warsaw, or Treaty of Petersburg, planted and nourished in that manner, in the Satan's Invisible World, has
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grown into a mighty Tree there,prophetic of Facts near at hand; which were extremely sanguinary to the
Human Race for the next Seven Years.
This is the sumtotal: but for Friedrich's sake, and to illustrate the situation, let us take a few glances more,
into the then Satan's Invisible World, which had become so ominously busy round Friedrich and others. The
Czarina, we say, was got to engage; 22d May, 1746, there came a Treaty of Petersburg duly valid, which is
that of Warsaw under a new name: and still Bruhl durst not, for above a year coming,not till August 15th,
1747; [MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in Gesammelte Nachrichten ), i. 459.] and then, only in a hypothetic
halfandhalf way, with fear and trembling, though with hunger unspeakable, in sight of the viands. A very
wretched Bruhl, as seen in these Menzel Documents. On poor Polish Majesty Bruhl has played the sorcerer,
this long while, and ridden him as he would an enchanted quadruped, in a shameful manner: but how, in turn
(as we study Menzel), is Bruhl himself hagridden, hunted by his own devils, and leads such a ghastly
phantasmal existence yonder, in the Valley of the Shadow of CLOTHES,mere Clothes, metaphorical and
literal! ["MONTREZMOI DES VERTUS, PAS DES CULOTTES (Have you no virtues then to show me;
nothing but pain of breeches)!" exclaimed an impatient French Traveller, led about in Bruhl's Palace one day:
Archenholtz, Geschichte des Siebenjahrigen Krieges, i. 63.] Wretched Bruhl, agitated with hatreds of a rather
infernal nature, and with terrors of a not celestial, comes out on our sympathies, as a dog almost
pitiable,were that possible, with twelve tailors sewing for him, and a Saxony getting shoved over the
precipices by him.
A famishing dog in the most singular situation. What he dare do, he does, and with such a will. But there is
almost only one thing safe to him: that of egging on the Czarina against Friedrich; of coining lies to kindle
Czarish Majesty; of wafting on every wind rumors to that end, and continually besieging with them the empty
Czarish mind. Bruhl has many Conduits, "the Sieur de Funck," "the Sieur Gross" plenty of Legationary
Sieurs and Conduits;which issue from all quarters on Petersburg, and which find there a Reservoir, and
due Russian SERVICEPIPES, prepared for them;and Bruhl is busy. "Commerce of Dantzig to be
ruined," suggests he, "that is plain: look at his Asiatic Companies, his Port of Embden. Poland is to be stirred
up;has not your Czarish Majesty heard of his intrigues there? Courland, which is almost become your
Majesty'scunningly snatched by your Majesty's address, like a valuable moribund whale adrift among the
shallows,this bad man will have it out to sea again, with the harpoons in it; fairly afloat amid the Polish
Anarchies again!" These are but specimens of Bruhl. Or we can give such in Bruhl's own words, if the reader
had rather. Here are Two, which have the advantage of brevity:
1. ... The Sieur de Funck, Saxon Minister at Petersburg, wrote to Count Bruhl, 9th July, 1755 (says an
inexorable Record),
"That the Sieur Gross [now Minister of Russia at Dresden, who vanished out of Berlin like an angry
skyrocket some years ago] would do a good service to the Common Cause, if he wrote to his Court, 'That
the King of Prussia had found a channel in Courland, by which he learned all the secrets of the Russian
Court;'" and Sieur Funck added, "that it was expected good use could be made of such a story with her
Czarish Majesty."To which Count Bruhl replies, 23d July, "That he has instructed the Sieur Gross, who
will not fail to act in consequence."
2. Sieur Prasse, same Funck's Secretary of Legation, at Petersburg, writes to Count Bruhl, 12th April, 1756:
"I am bidden signify to your Excellency that it is greatly wished, in order to favor certain views, you
would have the goodness to cause arrive in Petersburg, by different channels, the following intelligence: 'That
the King of Prussia, on pretext of Commerce, is sending officers and engineers into the Ukraine, to
reconnoitre the Country and excite a rebellion there.' And this advice, be pleased to observe, is not to come
direct from the Saxon Court, nor by the Envoy Gross, but by some third party,to the end there may be no
concert noticed;as they [L'ON, the "service pipes," and managing Excellencies, Russian and Austrian]
have given the same commission to other Ministers, so that the news shall come from more places than one.
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"They [the said managing Excellencies] have also required me to write to the Baron de Sack," our Saxon
Minister in Sweden, "upon it, which I will not fail to do; and they assured me that our Court's advantage was
not less concerned in it than that of their own; adding these words [comfortable to one's soul], 'The King of
Prussia [in 1745] gave Saxony a blow which it will feel for fifty years; but we will give him one which he
will feel for a hundred.'"
To which beautiful suggestion Excellency Bruhl answers, 2d June, 1756: "As to the Secret Commission of
conveying to Petersburg, by concealed channels, Intelligence of Prussian machinations in the Ukraine, we are
still busy finding out a right channel; and they [L'ON, the managing Excellencies] shall very soon, one way
or the other, see the effect of my personal inclination to second what is so good an intention, though a little
artful (UN PEU ARTIFICIEUSE," UN PEU, nothing to speak of)! [MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in
Gesammelte Nachrichten ), i. 424425; and ib. 472.]
Fancy a poor fat Czarina, of many appetites, of little judgment, continually beaten upon in this manner by
these SaxonAustrian artists and their Russian servicepipes. Bombarded with cunningly devised
fabrications, every wind freighted for her with phantasmal rumors, no ray of direct daylight visiting the poor
Sovereign Woman; who is lazy, not malignant if she could avoid it: mainly a mass of esurient oil, with alkali
on the back of alkali poured in, at this rate, for ten years past; till, by pouring and by stirring, they get her to
the state of SOAP and froth! Is it so wonderful that she does, by degrees, rise into eminent suspicion, anger,
fear, violence and vehemence against her bad neighbor? One at last begins to conceive those insane whirls,
continual mad suspicions, mad procedures, which have given Friedrich such vexation, surprise and
provocation in the years past.
Friedrich is always specially eager to avoid illwill from Russia; but it has come, in spite of all he could do
and try. And these procedures of the Czarish Majesty have been so capricious, unintelligible, perverse, and
his feeling is often enough irritation, temporary indignation,which we know makes Verses withal! I can
nowhere learn from those Prussian imbroglios of Books, what the Friedrich Sayings or Satirical Verses
properly were: Retzow speaks of a PRODUKT, one at least, known in interior Circles. [Retzow, i. 34.]
PRODUKT which decidedly requires publication, beyond anything Friedrich ever wrote;though one can
do without it too, and invoke Fancy in defect of Print. The sharpness of Friedrich's tongue we know; and the
diligence of birds of the air. To all her other griefs against the bad man, this has given the finish in the tender
Czarish bosom;and like an envenomed drop has set the saponaceous oils (already dosed with alkali, and
well in solution) foaming deliriously over the brim, in neverimagined deluges of a hatred that is
unappeasable;very costly to Friedrich and mankind. Rising ever higher, year by year; and now risen, to
what height judge by the following:
AT PETERSBURG, 14th15th MAY, 1753, "There was Meeting of the Russian Senate, with deliberation
held for these two days; and for issue this conclusion come to:
"That it should be, and hereby is, settled as a fundamental maxim of the Russia Empire, Not only to oppose
any farther aggrandizement of the King of Prussia, but to seize the first convenient opportunity for
overwhelming (ECRASER), by superior force, the House of Brandenburg [Hear, hear!], and reducing it to its
former state of mediocrity." [MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in Gesammelte Nachrichten ), i. 421.] Leg of mutton
to be actually gone into. With what an enthusiasm of "Hear, hear!" from Bruhl and kindred parties; especially
from Bruhl,who, however, dare not yet bite, except hypothetically, such his terrors and tremors. Or, look
again (same Senate,
AT PETERSBURG, OCTOBER, 1755): "To which Fundamental Maxim, articulately fixed ever since those
Maydays of 1753, the august Russian Sanhedrim, deliberating farther in October, 1755, adds this remarkable
extension,
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"That it is our resolution to attack the King of Prussia without farther discussion, whensoever the said King
shall attack any Ally of Russia's, or shall himself be attacked by any of them." Hailed by Bruhl, as natural,
with his liveliest approval. "A glorious Deliberation, that, indeed!" writes he: "It clears the way of action for
Russia's Allies in this matter; and for us too; though nobody can blame us, if we proceed with the extremest
caution,"and rather wait till the Bear is nearly killed. [MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in Gesammelte
Nachrichten ), i. 422.]
Many marvels Friedrich had deciphered out of this WeingartenMenzel Apocalypse of Satan's Invisible
World; and one often fancies Friedrich's tone of mind, in his intense inspecting of that fateful continent of
darkness, and his labyrinthic stepping by degrees to the oracular points, which have a light in them when
flung open. But in respect of practical interest, this of October, 1755 (which would get to Potsdam probably
in few weeks after) must have surpassed all the others. Marvels many, one after the other: [For example, or in
recapitulation: a Treaty of Warsaw or Leipzig, to partition him (18th May, 1745); Treaty of Petersburg (22d
May, 1746, new form of Warsaw Treaty, with Czarina superadded); tremulous QuasiAccession thereto of
his Polish Majesty (most tremulous, hypothetic QuasiAccession, "YesANDNo," 15th August, 1747, and
often afterwards); first Deliberation of the Russian Senate, 15th May, 1753; For example, or in recapitulation:
a Treaty of Warsaw or Leipzig, to partition him (18th May, 1745); Treaty of Petersburg (22d May, 1746, new
form of Warsaw Treaty, with Czarina superadded); tremulous QuasiAccession thereto of his Polish Majesty
(most tremulous, hypothetic QuasiAccession, "YesANDNo," 15th August, 1747, and often afterwards);
first Deliberation of the Russian Senate, 15th May, 1753; no doubt left, long since, of the constant
disposition, preparation and fixed intention to partition him. But here, in this last indication by the Russian
Senate,which kindles into dismal evidence so many other enigmatic tokens,there has an ulterior oracular
point disclosed itself to Friedrich; in vaguer condition, but not less indubitable, and much more perilous:
namely, That now, at last (end of 1755), the Two Imperial Majesties, very eager both, consider that the time
is come. And areas Friedrich looks abroad on the AustrianRussian marchings of troops, campings, and
unusual military symptoms and combinationsvisibly preparing to that end.
"They have agreed to attack me next Year (1756), if they can; and next again (1757), without IF:" so
Friedrich, putting written word and public occurrence together, gradually reads; and so, all readers will see,
the fact was,though Imperial Majesty at Schonbrunn, as we shall find, strove to deny it when applied to;
and scouted, as mere fiction and imagination, the notion of such an "Agreement." Which I infer, therefore,
NOT to have existed in parchment; not in parchment, but only in reality, and as a mutual Bond registered
inshall we say "in Heaven", as some are wont? registered, perhaps, in TWO Places, very separate
indeed! No truer "Agreement" ever did exist;though a devout Imperial Majesty denies it, who would
shudder at the lie direct.
Poor Imperial Majesty: who can tell her troubles and straits in this abstruse time! Heaven itself ordering her
to get back the Silesia of her Fathers, if she could;yet Heaven always looking dubious, surely, upon this
method of doing it. By solemn Public Treaties signed in sight of all mankind; and contrariwise, in the very
same moments, by Secret Treaties, of a fell nature, concocted underground, to destroy the life of these!
Imperial Majesty flatters herself it may be fair: "Treaty of Dresden, Treaty of AixlaChapelle; Treaties
wrung from me by force, the tyrannic SeaPowers screwing us; Kaunitz can tell! A consummate Kaunitz;
who has provided remedies. Treaties do get broken. Besides, I will not go to War, unless HE the Bad One of
Prussia do!"Alas, your noble Majesty, plain it at least is, your love of Silesia is very strong. And
consummate Kaunitz and it have led you into strange predicaments. The Pompadour, for instance: who was it
that answered, "JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS; I don't know her, I"? How gladly would the Imperial Maria
Theresa, soul of Propriety, have made that answer! But she did not; she had to answer differently. For
Kaunitz was imperative: "A kind little Note to the Pompadour; one, and then another and another; it is
indispensable, your Imperial Majesty!" And Imperial Majesty always had to do it. And there exist in writing,
at this hour, various flattering little Notes from Imperial Majesty to that Address; which begin, "MA
COUSINE," "PRINCESSE ET COUSINE," say many witnesses; nay "MADAME MA TRES CHERE
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SOEUR," says one good witness: [Hormayr (cited in Preuss, i. 433 n.,as are Duclos; Montgaillard;
MEMOIRES DE RICHELIEU; which ought to have been printed, before this, or given at least to the
Museums. "My Cousin," "Princess and Cousin," "Madame my dearest Sister:" Oh, high Imperial Soul, with
what strange bedfellows does Misery of various kinds bring us acquainted!
Friedrich was blamably imprudent in regard to Pompadour, thinks Valori: "A little complaisance might
have"what might it not have done!"But his Prussian Majesty would not. And while the Ministers of all
the other Powers" allied with France "went assiduously to pay their court to Madame, the Baron von
Knyphausen alone, by his Master's order, never once went ["Don't! JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS"], while
the EmpressQueen was writing her the most flattering letters. The Prince of Prussia, King's eldest Brother,
wished ardently to obtain her Portrait, and had applied to me for it; as had Prince Henri to my Predecessor.
The King, who has such gallant and seductive ways when he likes, could certainly have reconciled this
celebrated Lady",a highly important Improper Female to him and others. [Valori, i. 320.]
Yes; but he quite declined, not counting the costs. Costs may be immediate; profits are remote,remote, but
sure. Costs did indeed prove considerable, perhaps far beyond his expectation; though, I flatter myself, they
never awoke much remorse in him, on that score!
Friedrich's Enigma, towards the end of 1755 and onwards, is becoming frightfully stringent; and the solution,
"What practically will be the wise course for me?" does not lessen in abstruse intricacy, but the reverse, as it
grows more pressing. A very stormy and dubious Future, truly! Two circumstances in it will be highly
determinative: one of them evident to Friedrich; the other unknown to him, and to all mortals, except two or
three. FIRST,
That there will be an EnglishFrench War straightway; and that, as usual, the French, weaker at sea, will
probably attack Hanover; that is to say, bring the War home to one's own door, and ripen into fulfilment
those AustrianRussian Plots. This is the evident circumstance, fast coming on; visible to Friedrich and to
everybody. But that, in such event, Austria will join, not with England, but with France: this is a SECOND
circumstance, guessable by nobody; known only to Kaunitz and a select one or two; but which also will
greatly complicate Friedrich's position, and render his Enigma indeed astonishingly intricate, as well as
stringent for solution!
Chapter II. ENGLISH DIPLOMACIES ABROAD, IN PROSPECT OF A
FRENCH WAR.
Britannic Majesty, I know not at what date, but before the launching of that poor Braddock thunderbolt,
much more after the tragic explosion it made, had felt that French War was nearly inevitable, and also that the
French method would be, as heretofore, to attack Hanover, and wound him in that tender part. There goes on,
accordingly, a lively Foreign Diplomatizing, on his Majesty's part, at present,in defect, almost total, of
Domestic Preparation, military and other;Majesty and Ministers expecting salvation from abroad, as usual.
Military preparation does lag at a shameful rate: but, on the other hand, there is a great deal of pondering,
really industrious considering and contriving, about Foreign Allies, and their subsidies and engagements.
That step, for example, the questionable Seizure of the French Ships WITHOUT Declaration of War, was a
contrivance by diplomatic Heads (of bad quality): "Seize their ships," said some bad Head, after meditating;
"put their ships in SEQUESTRATION, till they do us justice. If they won't, and go to War,then THEY are
the Aggressors, not we; and our Allies have to send their auxiliary quotas, as per contract!" So the Ships were
seized; held in sequestration, "till many of the cargoes (being perishable goods, some even fish) rotted."
[Smollett's History of England; And in return, as will be seen, not one auxiliary came to hand: so that the
diplomatic Head had his rotted cargoes, and much public obloquy, for his pains. Not a fortunate stroke of
business, that!
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Britannic Majesty, on applying at Vienna (through Keith, Sir or Mr. Robert Keith, the FIRST Excellency of
that name, for there are two, a father and a son, both Vienna Excellencies), was astonished to learn That, in
such event of an Aggression, even on Hanover, there was no cooperation to be looked for here. Altogether
cold on that subject, her Imperial Majesty seems; regardless of Excellency Keith's remonstrances and
urgencies; and, in the end, is flatly negatory: "Cannot do it, your Excellency; times so perilous, bad King of
Prussia so minatory,"not to mention, SOTTO VOCE that we have turned on our axis, and the wind (thanks
to Kaunitz) no longer hits us on the same cheek as formerly!
"Cannot? Will not?" Britannic Majesty may well stare, wideeyed; remembering such gigantic Subsidizings
and Alcides Labors, Dettingens, Fontenoys, on the percontra side. But so stands the fact: "No help from an
ungrateful Vienna;quick, then, seek elsewhere!" And Hanbury and the Continental British Excellencies
have to bestir themselves as they never did. Especially Hanbury; who is directed upon Russia,whom alone
of these Excellencies it is worth while to follow for a moment. Russia, on fair subsidy, yielded us a 35,000
last War (willingly granted, most useful, though we had no fighting out of them, mere terror of them being
enough): beyond all things, let Hanbury do his best in Russia!
Hanbury, cheerfully confident, provides himself with the requisites, store of bribemoney as the chief;at
Warsaw withal, he picks up one Poniatowski (airy sentimental coxcomb, rather of dissolute habits,
handsomest and windiest of young Polacks): "Good for a Lover to the GrandDuchess, this one!" thinks
Hanbury. Which proved true, and had its uses for Hanbury;GrandDuchess and GrandDuke (Catherine
and Peter, whom we saw wedded twelve years ago, HeirsApparent of this Russian Chaos) being an
abstrusely situated pair of Spouses; well capable of something political, in private ways, in such a scene of
affairs; and Catherine, who is an extremely clever creature, being out of a lover just now. A fine scene for the
Diplomatist, this Russia at present. Nowhere in the world can you do so much with bribery; quite a standing
item, and financial necessaryoflife to Officials of the highest rank there, as Hanbury well knows. [His
Letters (in Raumer), PASSIM.] That of Poniatowski proved, otherwise too, a notable stroke of Hanbury's;
and shot the poor Polish Coxcomb aloft into tragic altitudes, on the sudden, as we all know!
Hanbury's immense dexterities, and incessant labors at Petersburg, shall lie hidden in the sloppails: it is
enough to say, his guineas, his dexterities and auxiliary Poniatowskis did prevail; and he triumphantly signed
his Treaty (Petersburg, 30th September) "SubsidyTreaty for 55,000 men, 15,000 of them cavalry," not to
speak of "40 to 50 galleys" and the like; "to attack whomsoever Britannic Majesty bids: annual cost a mere
500,OOO pounds while on service; 100,000 pounds while waiting." [In Adelung, vii. 609.] And, what is
more, and what our readers are to mark, the 55,000 begin on the instant to assemble,along the Livonian
Frontier or Lithuanian, looking direct into Preussen. Diligently rendezvousing there; 55,000 of them, nay
gradually 70,000; no stinginess in the Czarina to her Ally of England. A most triumphant thing, thinks
Hanbury: Could another of you have done it? Signed, ready for ratifying, 30th September, 1755 (bad
Braddock news not hindering);and before it is ratified (this also let readers mark), the actual Troops
getting on march.
Hanbury's masterpiece, surely; a glorious triumph in the circumstances, and a difficult, thinks Hanbury. Had
Hanbury seen the inside of the cards, as readers have, he would not have thought it so triumphant. For years
past,especially since that "Fundamental maxim, May 14th15th, 1753," which we heard of,the Czarina's
longings had been fixed. And here nowscattering money from both hands of it, and wooing us with
diplomatic finessingsis the Fulfilment come! "Opportunity" upon Preussen; behold it here.
The Russian Senate again holds deliberation; declares (on the heel of this Hanbury Treaty), "in October,
1755," what we read above, That its AntiPrussian intentions aretruculent indeed. And it is the common
talk in Petersburg society, through Winter, what a dose the ambitious King of Prussia has got brewed for him,
[MEMOIRE RAISONNE (in Gesammelte Nachrichten ), i. 429, out of Russian indignation and resources,
miraculously set afloat by English guineas. A triumphant Hanbury, for the time being,though a tragical
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enough by and by!
THE TRIUMPHANT HANBURY TREATY BECOMES, ITSELF, NOTHING OR LESS;BUT
PRODUCES A FRIEDRICH TREATY, FOLLOWED BY RESULTS WHICH SURPRISE EVERYBODY.
King Friedrich's outlooks, on this consummation, may well seem to him critical. The sore longing of an
infuriated Czarina is now let loose, and in a condition to fulfil itself! To Friedrich these Petersburg news are
no secret; nor to him are the Petersburg private intentions a thing that can be doubted. Apart from the
MenzelWeingarten revelations, as we noticed once, it appears the GrandDuke Peter (a great admirer of
Friedrich, poor confused soul) had himself thricesecretly warned Friedrich, That the mysterious
Combination, Russia in the van, would attack him next Spring;"not Weingarten that betrayed our GRAND
MYSTERE; from first hand, that was done!" said Excellency Peubla, on quitting Berlin not long after.
[Cogniazzo, Gestandnisse eines OEsterreichischen Veterans (as cited above), i. 225. "September 16th, 1756,"
Peubla left Berlin (Rodenbeck, i. 298),three months after Weingarten's disappearance.] The Grand Mystery
is not uncertain to Friedrich; and it may well be very formidable,coupled with those Braddock explosions,
Seizures of French ships, and EnglishFrench War imminent, and likely to become a general European one;
which are the closing prospects of 1755. The French King he reckons not to be well disposed to him; their old
Treaty of "twelve years" (since 1744) is just about running out. Not friendly, the French King, owing to little
rubs that have been; still less the Pompadour;though who could guess how implacable she was at "not
being known (NE LA CONNAIS PAS)"! At Vienna, he is well aware, the humor towards him is mere
cannibalism in refined forms. But most perilous of all, most immediately perilous, is the implacable Czarina,
set afloat upon English guineas!
With a hope, as is credibly surmised, that the English might soothe or muzzle this implacable Czarina,
Friedrich, directly after Hanbury's feat in Petersburg, applied at London, with an Offer which was very
tempting there: "Suppose your Britannic Majesty would make, with me, an express 'NEUTRALITY
CONVENTION;' mutual Covenant to keep the German Reich entirely free of this War now threatening to
break out? To attack jointly, and sweep home again with vigor, any and every Armed NonGerman setting
foot on the German soil!" An offer most welcome to the Heads of Opposition, the Pitts and others of that
Country; who wish dear Hanover safe enough (safe in DavyJones's locker, if that would do); but are tired of
subsidizing, and fighting and tumulting, all the world over, for that high end. So that Friedrich's Proposal is
grasped at; and after a little manipulation, the thing is actually concluded.
By no means much manipulation, both parties being willing. There was uncommonly rapid surgery of any
little difficulties and discrepancies; rapid closure, instant salutary stitching together of that long unhealable
Privateer Controversy, as the main item: "20,000 pounds allowed to Prussia for Prussian damages; and to
England, from the other side, the remainder of Silesiau Debt, painfully outstanding for two or three years
back, is to be paid off at once;"and in this way such "NEUTRALITY CONVENTION OF PRUSSIA
WITH ENGLAND" comes forth as a Practical Fact upon mankind. Done at Westminster, 16th January, 1756.
The steppingstone, as it proved, to a closer Treaty of the same date next Year; of which we shall hear a great
deal. The steppingstone, in fact, to many large things;and to the ruin of our late "RussianSubsidy
Treaty" (Hanbury's masterpiece), for one small thing. "That is a Treaty signed, sure enough," answer they of
St. James's; "and we will be handsome about it to her Czarish Majesty; but as to RATIFYING it, in its
present form,of course, never!"
What a clap of thunder to Excellency Hanbury; his masterpiece found suddenly a superfluity, an
incommodity! The Orthodox English course now is, "No foreign soldiers at all to be allowed in Germany;"
and there are the 55,000 tramping on with such alacrity. "We cannot ratify that Treaty, Excellency Hanbury,"
writes the Majesty's Ministry, in a tone not of gratitude: "you must turn it some other way!" A terrible blow to
Hanbury, who had been expecting gratitude without end. And now, try how he might, there was no turning it
another way; this, privately, and this only, being the Czarina's own way. A Czarina obstinate to a degree;
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would not consent, even when they made her the liberal offer, "Keep your 55,000 at home; don't attack the
King of Prussia with them; you shall have your Subsidy all the same!" "No, I won't!" answered she,to
Hanbury's amazement. Hanbury had not read the WeingartenMenzel Documents; what double double of
toil and trouble might Hanbury have saved himself and others, could he have read them!
Hanbury could not, still less could the Majesty's Ministry, surmise the Czarina's secret at all, now or for a
good while coming. And in fact, poor Hanbury, busy as a Diplomatic bee, never did more good in Russia, or
out of it. By direction of the Majesty's Ministry, Hanbury still tried industriously, cash in both hands; tried
various things: "Assuage the Czarina's mind; reconcile her to King Friedrich;"all in vain. "Unite Austria,
Russia and England, can't you, then?in a Treaty against the Designs of France:" how very vain! Then, at a
later stage, "Get us the Czarina to mediate between Prussia and Austria" (so very possible to sleek them down
into peace, thought Majesty's Ministry):and unwearied Hanbury, cunning eloquence on his lips, and
money in both hands, tries again, and ever again, for many months. And in the way of making ropes from
sand, it must be owned there never was such twisting and untwisting, as that appointed Hanbury. Who in fact
broke his heart by it;and died mad, by his own hand, before long. [Hanbury's "Life" (in Works, vol. iii.)
gives sad account.] Poor soul, after all!Here are some Russian Notices from him (and he has many curious,
not pertinent here), which are still worth gleaning.
PETERSBURG, 2d OCTOBER, 1755. ... "The health of the Empress [Czarina Elizabeth, CATIN DU NORD,
age now fortyfive] is bad. She is affected with spitting of blood, shortness of breath, constant coughing,
swelled legs and water on the chest; yet she danced a minuet with me," lucky Hanbury. "There is great
fermentation at Court. Peter [GrandDuke Peter] does not conceal his enmity to the Schuwalofs [paramours
of CATIN, old and new]; Catherine [GrandDuchess, who at length has an Heir, unbeautiful Czar Paul that
will be, and "miscarriages" not a few] is on good terms with Bestuchef" (corruptiblest brute of a Chancellor
ever known, friend to England by England's giving him 10,000 pounds, and the like trifles, pretty frequently;
Friedrich's enemy, chiefly from defect of that operation)she is "on good terms with Bestuchef. I think it my
duty to inform the King [great George, who will draw his prognostics from it] of my observations upon her;
which I can the better do, as I often have conversations with her for hours together, as at supper my rank
places me always next to her," twicelucky Hanbury.
"Since her coming to this Country, she has, by every method in her power, endeavored to gain the affections
of the Nation: she applied herself with diligence to study their language; and speaks it at present, as the
Russians tell me, in the greatest perfection. She has also succeeded in her other aim; for she is esteemed and
beloved here in a high degree. Her person is very advantageous, and her manners very captivating. She has
great knowledge of this Empire; and makes it her only study. She has parts; and Great Chancellor [brute
Bestuchef] tells me that nobody has more steadiness and resolution. She has, of late, openly declared herself
to me in respect of the King of Prussia;"hates him a good deal, "natural and formidable enemy of Russia;"
"heart certainly the worst in the world [and so on; but will see better by and by, having eyes of her
own]:she never mentions the King of England but with the utmost respect and highest regard; is
thoroughly sensible of the utility of the union between England and Russia; always calls his Majesty the
Empress's best and greatest Ally [so much of nourishment in him withal, as in a certain webfooted Chief of
Birds, reckoned chief by some]; and hopes he will also give his friendship and protection to the GrandDuke
and herself. As for the GrandDuke, he is weak and violent; but his confidence in the GrandDuchess is
so great, that sometimes he tells people, that though he does not understand things himself, his Wife
understands everything. Should the Empress, as I fear, soon die, the Government will quietly devolve on
them." [Hanbury's Despatch, "October 2d, 1755" (Raumer, pp. 223225); Subsidy Treaty still at its
floweriest.]
Catherine's age is twentysix gone; her Peter's twentyseven: one of the cleverest young Ladies in the world,
and of the stoutesthearted, clearesteyed;yoked to a young Gentleman much the reverse. Thank Hanbury
for this glimpse of them, most intricately situated Pair; who may concern us a little in the sequel.And, in
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justice to poor Hanover, the sad subjectmatter of Excellency Hanbury's Problems and Futilities in Russia
and elsewhere, let us save this other Fraction by a very different hand; and close that Hanbury scene:
"Friedrich himself was so dangerous," says the Constitutional Historian once: "Friedrich, in alliance with
France, how easy for him to catch Hanover by the throat at a week's notice, throw a deathnoose round the
throat of poor Hanover, and hand the same to France for tightening at discretion! Poor Hanover indeed; she
reaps little profit from her English honors: what has she had to do with these Transatlantic Colonies of
England? An unfortunate Country, if the English would but think; liable to be strangled at any time, for
England's quarrels: the Achilles'heel to invulnerable England; a sad function for Hanover, if it be a proud
one, and amazingly lucrative to some Hanoverians. The Country is very dear to his Britannic Majesty in one
sense, very dear to Britain in another! Nay Germany itself, through Hanover, is to be torn up by War for
Transatlantic interests,out of which she does not even get good Virginia tobacco, but grows bad of her
own. No more concern than the Ring of Saturn with these oversea quarrels; and can, through Hanover, be
torn to pieces by War about them. Such honor to give a King to the British Nation, in a strait for one; and
such profit coming of it:we hope all sides are grateful for the blessings received!"
THERE HAS BEEN A COUNTERTREATY GOING ON AT VERSAILLES IN THE INTERIM; WHICH
HEREUPON STARTS OUT, AND TUMBLES THE WHOLLY ASTONISHED EUROPEAN
DIPLOMACIES HEELSOVERHEAD.
To expectant mankind, especially to Vienna and Versailles, this BritannicPrussian Treaty was a great
surprise. And indeed it proved the signal of a general System of New Treaties all round. The first signal, in
fact,though by no means the first cause,of a total circumgyration, summerset, or tumble
heelsoverhead in the Political relations of Europe altogether, which ensued thereupon; miraculous, almost
as the Earthquake at Lisbon, to the Gazetteer, and Diplomatic mind, and incomprehensible for long years
after. First signal we say, by no means that it was the first cause, or indeed that it was a cause at all,the
thing being determined elsewhere long before; ever since 1753, when Kaunitz left it ready, waiting only its
time.
Kaiser Franz, they say, when (probably during those Keith urgencies) the joining with France and turning
against poor Britannic Majesty was proposed in Council at Vienna, opened his usually silent lips; and opined
with emphasis against such a course, no Kaunitz or creature able to persuade Kaiser Franz that good would
come of it;though, finding Sovereign Lady and everybody against him, he held his peace again. And
returned to his private banking operations, which were more extensive than ever, from the new troubles
rising. "Lent the EmpressQueen, always on solid securities," says Friedrich, "large sums, from time to time,
in those Wars; dealt in Commissariat stores to right and left; we ourselves had most of our meal from him this
year." [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 8.] Kaiser Franz was, and continued, of the old way of thinking; but
consummate Kaunitz, and the High Lady's fixed passion for her Schlesien, had changed everybody else. The
ulterior facts are as follows, abbreviated to the utmost.
September 22d, 1755, a few days before Hanbury's Subsidyfeat at Petersburg, which took such a whirl for
Hanbury, there had met for the first time at Versailles, more especially at Babiole, Pleasure House of the
Pompadour, a most Select Committee of Three Persons: Graf von Stahremberg, Austrian Ambassador;
Pompadour herself; and a certain infinitely elegant Count and Reverence de Bernis (beautiful
ClericoMundane Gentleman, without right Benefice hitherto, but much in esteem with the
Pompadour);for deepest practical consideration in regard to closure of a FrenchAustrian Alliance.
Reverend Count (subsequently Cardinal) de Bernis has sense in Diplomacy; has his experiences in Secular
Diplomatic matters; a softgoing cautious man, not yet official, but tending that way: whom the Pompadour
has brought with her as henchman, or unghostly counsellor, in this intricate Adventure.
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Stahremberg, instructed from home, has no hesitation; nor has Pompadour herself, remembering that insolent
"JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS," and the percontra "MA COUSINE," "PRINCESSE ET SOEUR:"but
Bernis, I suppose, looks into the practical difficulties; which are probably very considerable, to the Official
French eye, in the present state of Europe and of the public mind. From September 22d, or autumnal equinox,
1755, onward to this BritannicPrussian phenomenon of January, 1756, the Pompadour Conclave has been
sitting,difficulties, no doubt, considerable. I will give only the dates, having myself no interest in such a
Committee at Babiole; but the dates sufficiently betoken that there were intricacies, conflicts between the
new and the old. Hitherto the axiom always was, "Prussia the Adjunct and Satellite of France:" now to be
entirely reversed, you say?
JULY, 1755, that is two months before this Babiole Committee met, a Duc de Nivernois, respectable
intelligent dilettante French Nobleman, had been named as Ambassador to Friedrich, "Go, you respectable
wise Nivernois, Nobleman of Letters so called; try and retain Friedrich for us, as usual!" And now, on
meeting of the Babiole Committee, Nivernois does not go; lingers, saddled and bridled, till the very end of
the Year; arrives in Berlin January 12th, 1756. Has his First Audience January 14th; a man highly amiable to
Friedrich; but with proposals,wonderful indeed.
The French, this good while back, are in no doubt about War with England, a right hearty War; and have
always expected to retain Prussia as formerly,though rather on singular terms. Some time ago, for instance,
M. de Rouille, WarMinister, requested Knyphausen, Prussian Envoy at Paris: "Suggest to your King's
Majesty what plunder there is at Hanover. Perfectly at liberty to keep it all, if he will plunder Hanover for
us!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 29.] Pleasant message to the proud King; who answered with the due brevity,
to the purport, "Silence, Sir!"with didactic effects on the surprised Rouille. Who now mends his proposal;
though again in a remarkable way. Instructs Nivernois, namely, "To offer King Friedrich the Island of
Tobago, if he will renew Treaty, and take arms for us. Island of Tobago (a deserted, litigated, but pretty
Island, were it ever ours), will not that entice this King, intent on Commerce?" Friedrich, who likes Nivernois
and his polite ways, answers quizzingly: "Island of Tobago? Island of Barataria your Lordship must be
meaning; Island of which I cannot be the Sancho Panza!" [Ib. 31.] And Nivernois found he must not mention
Tobago again.
For the rest, Friedrich made no secret of his English Treaty; showed it with all frankness to Nivernois, in all
points: "Is there, can the most captious allege that there is, anything against France in it. My one wish and
aim, that of Peace for myself: judge!" Nivernois stayed till March; but seems to have had, of definite, only
Tobago and good words; so that nothing farther came of him, and there was no Renewal of Treaty then or
after. Thus, in his third month (March, 1756), practical Nivernois was recalled, without result;instead of
whom fat Valori was sent; privately intending "to do nothing but observe, in Berlin." From all which, we
infer that the Babiole Committee now saw land; and that Bernis himself had decided in the affirmative:
"Austria, not Prussia; yes, Madame!" To the joy of Madame and everybody. For, it is incredible, say all
witnesses, what indignation broke out in Paris when Friedrich made this new "defection," so they termed it;
revolt from his Liege Lord (who had been so exemplary to him on former occasions!), and would not bite at
Tobago when offered. So that the Babiole Committee went on, henceforth, with flowing sea; and by Mayday
(1st MAY, 1756) brought out its French Austrian Treaty in a completed state. "To stand by one another,"
like Castor and Pollux, in a manner; "24,000, reciprocally, to be ready on demand;" nay I think something of
"subsidies" withal,TO Austria, of course. But the particulars are not worth giving; the Performance, thanks
to a zealous Pompadour, having quite outrun the Stipulation, and left it practically out of sight, when the push
came. Our Constitutional Historian may shadow the rest:
"France and England going to War in these sad circumstances, and France and Austria being privately
prepared [by Kaunitz and others] to swear everlasting friendship on the occasion, instead of everlasting
enmity as heretofore; unexpected changes, miraculous to the Gazetteers, became inevitable;nothing less, in
short, than explosion or topsyturvying of the old DiplomaticPolitical Scheme of Europe. Old dance of the
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Constellations flung heelsoverhead on the sudden; and much pirouetting, jigging, setting, before they
could change partners, and continue their august dance again, whether in War or Peace. No end to the
industrious wonder of the Gazetteer mind, to the dark difficulties of the Diplomatic. What bafflings, agonistic
shufflings, impotent gazings into the dark; what seductive fiddling, and being fiddled to! A most sad function
of Humanity, if sometimes an inevitable one; which ought surely at all times to be got over as briefly as
possible. To be written of, especially, with a maximum of brevity; human nature being justly impatient of talk
about it, beyond the strictly needful."
Most true it is, and was most miraculous, though now quite forgotten again, Political Europe had to make a
complete whirl round on that occasion. And not in a day, and merely saying to itself, "Let me do
summerset!" as idle readers suppose,but with long months of agonistic shuffle and struggle in all places,
and such Diplomatic fiddling and being fiddled to, as seldom was before. Of which, these two instances, the
Bernis and the Hanbury, are to serve as specimen; two and no more: a universe of extinct fiddling
compressed into two nutshells, if readers have an ear.
Chapter III. FRENCHENGLISH WAR BREAKS OUT.
The French, in reality a good deal astonished at the Prussian Britannic Treaty, affected to take it easy:
"Treaty for Neutrality of Germany?" said they: "Very good indeed. Perhaps there are places nearer us, where
our troops can be employed to more advantage!" [Their "Declaration" on it (Adelung, vii. 613.]hinting
vocally, as henceforth their silent procedures, their diligence in the dockyards, moving of troops coastward
and the like, still more clearly did, That an Invasion of England itself was the thing next to be expected.
England and France are, by this time, alike fiercely determined on War; but their states of preparation are
very different. The French have Warships again, not to mention Armies which they always have; some
skilful Admirals withal,La Gallisonniere, our old Canada friend, is one, very busy at present;and mean
to try seriously the Question of SeaSupremacy once more. If an Invasion did chance to land, the state of
England would be found handy beyond hope! How many fighting regiments England has, I need not inquire,
nor with what strategic virtue they would go to work;enough to mention the singular fact (recently true,
and still, I perceive, too like the truth), That of all their regiments, "only Three are in this Country", or have
Colonels even nominated. Incredible; but certain. And the interesting point is, his Grace of Newcastle dare
not have Colonels, still less higher Officers nominated; because Royal Highness of Cumberland would have
the naming of them, and they would be enemies to his Grace. [Walpole, George the Second, ii. 19 (date,
"March 25th, 1755;" and how long after, is not said: but see Pitt's Speeches, ib., all through 1756, and
farther).] In such posture stands the Envy of surrounding Nations at this moment.
"Hire Hessians," cry they; "hire Hanoverians; if France land on us, we are undone!"and continue their
Parliamentary Eloquences in a most distressful manner. "Apply to the Dutch, at any rate, for their 6,000 as
per Treaty", cries everybody. Which is done. But the Dutch piteously wring their hands: "Dare not, your
Majesty; how dare we, for France and our neglected Barrier! Oh, generous Majesty, excuse us!"and the
generous Majesty has to do it; and leave the Dutch in peace, this time. Hessians, Hanoverians, after eloquence
enough, are at last got sent for, to guard us against this terrible Invasion: about 10,000 of each kind; and do
land, the native populations very sulky on them ("We won't billet you, not we; build huts, and be!"),
with much Parliamentary and Newspaper Commentary going on, of a distressful nature. "Saturday, 15th May,
1756, Hessians disembark at Southampton; obliged to pitch Camp in the neighborhood: Friday, 21st May, the
Hanoverians, at Chatham, who hut themselves Canterbury way;"and have (what is the sumtotal of their
achievements in this Country) a case of shoplifting, "pockethandkerchief, across the counter, in open day;"
one case (or what seemed to be one, but was not); ["At Maidstone, 13th Septemher, 1756;" Hanoverian
soldier, purchasing a handkerchief, imagines he has purchased two (not yet clipt asunder), haberdasher and he
having no language in common: Gentleman's Magazine, for 1756, pp. 259, 448, Walpole, SAEPIUS.] "and
the fellow not to be tried by us for it!" which enrages the constitutional heart. Alas, my heavyladen
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constitutional heart; but what can we do? These drilled louts will guard us, should this terrible Invasion land.
And indeed, about three weeks BEFORE these louts arrived, the terrible Invasion had declared itself to have
been altogether a feint; and had lifted anchor, quite in the opposite direction, on an errand we shall hear of
soon!
About the same date, I observe, "the first regiment of Footguards practising the Prussian drillexercise in
Hyde Park;" and hope his Grace of Newcastle and the Hero of Culloden (immortal Hero, and aiming high in
Politics at this time) will, at least, have fallen upon some method of getting Colonels nominated. But the
wide weltering chaos of platitudes, agitated by hysterical imbecilities, regulating England in this great crisis,
fills the constitutional mind with sorrow; and indeed is definable, once more, as amazing! England is a
stubborn Country; but it was not by procedures of the CumberlandNewcastle kind that England, and her
Colonies, and Sea andLand Kingdoms, was built together; nor by these, except miracle intervene, that she
can stand long against stress! Looking at the dismal matter from this distance, there is visible to me in the
foggy heart of it one lucent element, and pretty much one only; the individual named William Pitt, as I have
read him: if by miracle that royal soul could, even for a time, get to something of Kingship there? Courage;
miracles do happen, let us hope!This is whitherward the grand Invasion had gone:
TOULON, 10th APRIL, 1756. La Gallisonniere, our old Canadian friend, a crooked little man of great
faculty, who has been busy in the dockyards lately, weighs anchor from Toulon; "12 sail of the line, 5 frigates
and above 100 transportships;" with the grand InvasionofEngland Armament on board: 16,000 picked
troops, complete in all points, Marechal Duc de Richelieu commanding. [Adelung, viii. 70.] Weighs anchor;
and, singular to see, steers, not for England, and the HessianHanover Defenders (who would have been in
such excellent time); but direct for Minorca, as the surer thing! Will seize Minorca; a socalled inexpugnable
Possession of the English,Key of their Mediterranean Supremacies;really inexpugnable enough; but
which lies in the usual dilapidated state, though by chance with a courageous old Governor in it, who will not
surrender quite at once.
APRIL 18th, La Gallisonniere disembarks his Richelieu with a Sixteen Thousand, unopposed at PortMahon,
or Fort St. Philip, in Minorca; who instantly commences Siege there. To the astonishment of England and his
Grace of Newcastle who, except old Governor Blakeney, much in dilapidation ("wooden platforms rotten,"
"batteries out of repair," and so on), have nothing ready for Richelieu in that quarter. The story of Minorca;
and the furious humors and tragic consummations that arose on it, being still well known, we will give the
dates only.
FORT ST. PHILIP, APRIL 18thMAY 20th. For a month, Richelieu, skilful in tickling the French troops,
has been besieging, in a high and grandiose way; La Gallisonniere vigilantly cruising; old Blakeney, in spite
of the rotten platforms, vigorously holding out; whenMay 19th, La Gallisonniere descries an English fleet
in the distance; indisputably an English fleet; and clears his decks for a serious Affair just coming.
THURSDAY, 20th MAY, Admiral Byng accordingly (for it is he, son of that old seaworthy Byng, who once
"blew out" a minatory Spanish Fleet and "an absurd Flame of War" in the Straits of Messina, and was made
Lord Torrington in consequence,happily now dead)Admiral Byng does come on; and gains himself a
name badly memorable ever since. Attacks La Gallisonniere, in a widelying, languid, hovering, uncertain
manner:"Far too weak" he says; "much disprovided, destitute, by blame of Ministry and of everybody"
(though about the strength of La Gallisonniere, after all);is almost rather beaten by La Gallisonniere; does
not in the least, beat him to the right degree:and sheers off: in the nighttime, straight for Gibraltar again.
To La Gallisonniere's surprise, it is said; no doubt to old Blakeney and his poor Garrison's, left so, to their
rotten platforms and their own shifts.
Blakeney and Garrison stood to their guns in a manful manner, for above a month longer; day after day, week
after week, looking over the horizon for some Byng or some relief appearing, to no purpose! JUNE 14th,
there are three available breaches; the walls, however, are very sheer (a Fortress hewn in the rock): Richelieu
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scanning them dubiously, and battering his best, for about a fortnight more, is ineffectual on Blakeney.
JUNE 27th, Richelieu, taking his measures well, tickling French honor well, has determined on storm.
Richelieu, giving order of the day, "Whosoever of you is found drunk shall NOT be of the storm party"
(which produced such a teetotalism as nothing else had done),storms, that night, with extreme audacity.
The Place has to capitulate: glorious victory; honorable defence: and Minorca gone.
And England is risen to a mere smoky whirlwind, of rage, sorrow and darkness, against Byng and others.
Smoky darkness, getting streaked with dangerous fire. "Tried?" said his Grace of Newcastle to the City
Deputation: "Oh indeed he shall be tried immediately; he shall be hanged directly!"assure yourselves of
that. [Walpole, ii. 231: Details of the Siege, ib. 218225; in Gentleman's Magazine, xxvi. 256, 312313, 358;
in Adelung, vii.; And Byng's effigy was burnt all over England. And mobs attempt to burn his Seat and Park;
and satires and caricatures and firebrands are coming out: and the poor Constitutional Country is bent on
applying surgery, if it but know how. Surgery to such indisputable abominations was certainly desirable. The
new Relief Squadron, which had been despatched by Majesty's Ministry, was too late for Blakeney, but did
bring home a superseded Byng.
SPITHEAD, TUESDAY, 27th JULY, The superseded Byng arrives; is punctually arrested, on arriving: "Him
we will hang directly: is there anything else we can try [except, perhaps, it were hanging of ourselves, and
our fine methods of procedure], by way of remedying you?"War against France, now a pretty plain thing,
had been "declared," 17th May (French counterdeclaring, 9th June): and, under a Duke of Newcastle and a
Hero of Culloden, not even pulling one way, but two ways; and a TalkingApparatus full of discords at this
time, and pulling who shall say how many ways, the prospects of carrying on said War are none of the
best. Lord Loudon, a General without skill, and commanding, as Pitt declares, "a scroll of Paper hitherto" (a
good few thousands marked on it, and perhaps their Colonels even named), is about going for America; by no
means yet gone, a long way from gone: and, if the Laws of Nature be suspendedEnough of all that!
KING PRIEDRICH'S ENIGMA GETS MORE AND MORE STRINGENT.
Friedrich's situation, in those fatefully questionable months and for many past (especially from January 16th
to July),readers must imagine it, for there is no description possible. In many intricacies Friedrich has
been; but never, I reckon, in any equal to this. Himself certain what the Two Imperial Women have vowed
against him; self and Winterfeld certain of that sad truth; and all other mortals ready to deny it, and fly
delirious on hint of it, should he venture to act in consequence! Friedrich's situation is not unimaginable,
when (as can now be done by candid inquirers who will take trouble enough) the one or two internal facts of
it are disengaged from the roaring ocean of clamorous delusions which then enveloped them to everybody,
and are held steadily in view, said ocean being well run off to the home of it very deep underground. Lies do
fall silent; truth waits to be recognized, not always in vain. No reader ever will conceive the strangling
perplexity of that situation, now so remote and extinct to us. All I can do is, to set down what features of it
have become indisputable; and leave them as detached traceries, as fractions of an outline, to coalesce into
something of image where they can.
Winterfeld's opinion was, for some time past, distinct: "Attack them; since it is certain they only wait to
attack us!" But Friedrich would by no means listen to that. "We must not be the aggressor, my friend; that
would spoil all. Perhaps the English will pacify the Russian CATIN for me; tie her, with packthreads, bribes
and intrigues, from stirring? Wait, watch!" Fiery Winterfeld, who hates the French, who despises the
Austrians, and thinks the Prussian Army a considerable Fact in Politics, has great schemes: far too great for a
practical Friedrich. "Plunge into the Austrians with a will: Prussian Soldiery,can Austrians resist it? Ruin
them, since they are bent on ruining us. Stir up the Hungarian Protestants; try all things. Home upon our
implacable enemies, sword drawn, scabbard flung away! And the French,what are the French? Our King
should be Kaiser of Teutschland; and he can, and he may:the French would then be quieter!" These things
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Winterfeld carried in his head; and comrades have heard them from him over wine. [Retzow, i. 43, To all
which Friedrich, if any whisper of them ever got to Friedrich, would answer one can guess how.
It is evident, Friedrich had not given up his hope (indeed, for above a year more, he never did) that England
might, by profuse bribery,"such the power of bribery in that mad court!"assuage, overnet with
backstairs packthreads, or in some way compesce the Russian delirium for him. And England, his sole Ally in
the world, still tender of Austria, and unable to believe what the full intentions of Austria are; England
demands much wariness in his procedures towards Austria; reiterating always, "Wait, your Majesty! Oh,
beware!"
His own Army, we need not say, is in perfect preparation. The Army let us guess, 150,000 regular, or near
200,000 of all arms and kinds [Archenholtz (i, 8) counts vaguely "160,000" at this date.] never was so
perfect before or since. Old Captains in it, whom we used to know, are grayer and wiser; young, whom we
heard less of, are grown veterans of trust. Schwerin, much a Cincinnatus since we last saw him, has laid down
his plough again, a fervid "little Marlborough" of seventytwo;and will never see that beautiful
Schwerinsburg, and its thriving woods and farmfields, any more. Ugly Walrave is not now chief Engineer;
one Balbi, a much prettier man, is. Ugly Walrave (Winterfeld suspecting and watching him) was found out;
convicted of "falsified accounts," of "sending plans to the Enemy," of who knows all what;and sits in
Magdeburg (in a thricesafe prisoncell of his own contriving), prisoner for life. ["Arrested at Potsdam 12th
February, 1748, and after trial put into the STERN at Magdeburg; sat there till he died, 16th January, 1773"
( MilitalrLexikon, iv. 150151).] The Old Dessauer is away, long since; and not the Old alone. Dietrich of
Dessau is now "Guardian to his Nephew," who is a Child left Heir there. Death has been busy with the
Dessauers:but here is Prince Moritz, "the youngest, more like his Father than any of them." Duke
Ferdinand of Brunswick, Moritz of Dessau, Keith, Duke of BrunswickBevern: no one of these people has
been idle, in the ten years past. Least of all, has the Chief Captain of them,whose diligence and vigilance
in that sphere, latterly, were not likely to decline!
Friedrich's Army is in the perfection of order. Ready at the hour, for many months back; but the least motion
he makes with it is a subject of jealousy. Last year, on those Russian advancings and alacrities, he had
marched some Regiments into Pommern, within reach of Preussen, should the Russians actually try a stroke
there: "See!" cried all the world: "See!" cried the enlightened Russian Public. This year 1756, from June
onwards and earlier, there are still more fatal symptoms, on the Austrian side: great and evident
Warpreparations; Magazines forming; Camps in Bohemia, Moravia; Camp at Konigsgratz, Camp at
Prag,handy for the Silesian Border. Friedrich knows they have deliberated on their Pretext for a War, and
have fixed on what will do,some new small Prussian Mecklenburg brabble, which there has lately been;
paltry enough recruitingquarrel, such as often are (and has been settled mutually some time ago, this one,
but is capable of being ripped up again);and that, on this cobweb of a pretext, they mean to draw sword
when they like. Russia too has its Pretext ready. And if Friedrich hint of stirring, England whispers hoarse,
England and other friends, "Wait, your Majesty! Oh, beware!" To keep one's sword at its sharpest, and, with
an easy patient air, one's eyes vigilantly open: this is nearly all that Friedrich can do, in neighborhood of such
portentous imminencies. He has many critics, near and far;for instance:
BERLIN, 31st JULY, 1756, Excellency Valori writes to Versailles: ... "to give you account of a Conversation
I have had, a day or two ago, with the Prince of Prussia [August Wilhelm, HeirApparent], who honors me
with a particular confidence,"and who appears to be, privately, like some others, very strong in the
Opposition view. "He talked to me of the present condition of the King his Brother, of his Brother's
apprehensions, of his military arrangements, of the little trust placed in him by neighbors, of their hostile
humor towards him, and of many other things which this good Prince [little understanding them, as would
appear, or the dangerous secret that lay under them] did not approve of. The Prince then said,"listen to
what the Prince of Prussia said to Valori, one of the last days of July, 1756,
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"'There is an Anecdote which continually recurs to me, in the passes we are got to at present. Putting the case
we might be attacked by Russia, and perhaps by Austria, the late Rothenburg was sent [as readers know], on
the King's part, to Milord Tyrconnel, to know of him what, in such case, were the helps he might reckon on
from France. Milord enumerated the various helps; and then added [being a blusterous Irishman, sent hither
for his ill tongue]: "Helps enough, you observe, Monsieur; but, MORBLEU, if you deceive us, you will be
squelched (VOUS SEREZ ECRASES)!" The King my 'Brother was angry enough at hearing such a speech:
but, my dear Marquis,' and the Prince turned full upon me with a face of inquiry, 'Can the thing actually come
true? And do you think it can be the interest of your Master [and his Scarlet Woman] to abandon us to the
fury of our enemies? Ah, that cursed Convention [NeutralityConvention with England]! I would give a
finger from my hand that it had never been concluded. I never approved of it; ask the Duc de Nivernois, he
knows what we said of it together. But how return on our steps? Who would now trust us?'" This Prince
appeared "to be much affected by the King his Brother's situation [of which he understood as good as
nothing], and agreed that he," the King his Brother, "had well deserved it." [Valori, ii, 129131.]
This is not the first example, nor the last, of August Wilhelm's owning a heedless, goodnatured tongue;
considerably prone to take the Opposition side, on light grounds. For which if he found a kind of solacement
and fame in some circles, it was surely at a dear rate! To his Brother, that bad habit would, most likely, be
known; and his Brother, I suppose, did not speak of it at all; such his Brother's custom in cases of the
kind.Judicious Valori, by way of answer, dilated on the peculiar esteem of his Majesty Louis XV. for the
Prussian Majesty,"so as my Instructions direct me to do;" and we hear no more of the Prince of Prussia's
talk, at this time; but shall in future; and may conjecture a great deal about the atmosphere Friedrich had now
to live in. A Friedrich undergoing, privately, a great deal of criticism: "Mad tendency to war; lust of
conquest; contempt for his neighbors, for the opinion of the world;no end of irrational tendencies:" [Ib. ii.
124151 ("July 27thAugust 21st").] from persons to whom the secret of his Problem is deeply unknown.
One wise thing the English have done: sent an Excellency Mitchell, a man of loyalty, of sense and honesty, to
be their Resident at Berlin. This is the noteworthy, not yet much noted, Sir Andrew Mitchell; by far the best
Excellency England ever had in that Court. An Aberdeen Scotchman, creditable to his Country: hardheaded,
sagacious; sceptical of shows; but capable of recognizing substances withal, and of standing loyal to them,
stubbornly if needful; who grew to a great mutual regard with Friedrich, and well deserved to do so;
constantly about him, during the next seven years; and whose Letters are among the perennially valuable
Documents on Friedrich's History. [Happily secured in the British Museum; and now in the most perfect
order for consulting (thanks to Sir F. Madden "and three years' labor" well invested); should certainly, and
will one day, be read to the bottom, and cleared of their darknesses, extrinsic and intrinsic (which are
considerable) by somebody competent.]
Mitchell is in Berlin since June 10th. Mitchell, who is on the scene itself, and looking into Friedrich with his
own eyes, finds the reiterating of that "Beware, your Majesty!" which had been his chief task hitherto, a more
and more questionable thing; and suggests to him at last: "Plainly ask her Hungarian Majesty, What is your
meaning by those Bohemian Campings?" "Pshaw," answers Friedrich: "Nothing but some ambiguous answer,
perhaps with insult in it!"nevertheless thinks better; and determines to do so. [Mitchell Papers.]
Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH PUTS A QUESTION AT VIENNA, TWICE OVER.
July 18th, 1756, Friedrich despatches an Express to Graf von Klinggraf, his Resident at Vienna (an
experienced man, whom we have seen before in old Carteret, "ConferenceofHanau" times), To demand
audience of the Empress; and, in the fittest terms, friendly and courteous, brief and clear, to put that question
of Mitchell's suggesting. "Those unwonted Armaments, Camps in Bohmen, Camps in Mahren, and military
movements and preparations," Klinggraf is to say, "have caused anxiety in her Majesty's peaceable Neighbor
of Prussia; who desires always to continue in peace; and who requests hereby a word of assurance from her
Majesty, that these his anxieties are groundless." Friedrich himself hopes little or nothing from this; but he
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has done it to satisfy people about him, and put an end to all scruples in himself and others. The Answer may
be expected in ten or twelve days.
And, about the same time,likely enough, directly after, though there is no date given, to a fact which is
curious and authentic, Friedrich sent for two of his chief Generals, to Potsdam, for a secret Conference
with Winterfeld and him. The Generals are, old Schwerin and General Retzow Senior,MajorGeneral
Retzow, whom we used to hear of in the Silesian Wars,and whose Son reports on this occasion.
Conference is on this Imminency of War, and as to what shall be done in it. Friedrich explains in general
terms his dangers from Austria and Russia, his certainty that Austria will attack him; and asks, Were it, or
were it not, better to attack Austria, as is our Prussian principle in such case? Schwerin and
RetzowSchwerin first, as the eldest; and after him Retzow, "who privately has charge from the Prussian
Princes to do it"opine strongly: That indications are uncertain, that much seems inevitable which does not
come; that in a time of such tumultuous whirlings and unexpected changes, the true rule is, Watch well, and
wait.
After enough of this, with Winterfeld looking dissent but saying almost nothing, Friedrich gives sign to
Winterfeld;who spreads out, in their lucidest prearranged order, the principal Menzel Weingarten
Documents; and bids the two Military Gentlemen read. They read; with astonishment, are forced to believe;
stand gazing at one another;and do now take a changed tone. Schwerin, "after a silence of everybody for
some minutes,""bursts out like one inspired; 'If War is to be and must be, let us start tomorrow; seize
Saxony at once; and in that rich corny Country form Magazines for our Operations on Bohemia!'" [Retzow, i.
39.]
That is privately Friedrich's own full intention. Saxony, with its Elbe River as Highway, is his indispensable
preliminary for Bohemia: and he will not, a second time, as he did in 1744 with such results, leave it in an
unsecured condition. Adieu then, Messieurs; silent: AU REVOIR, which may be soon! Retzow Junior, a
rational, sincere, but rather pipeclayed man, who is wholly to be trusted on this Conference, with his Father
for authority, has some touches of commentary on it, which indicate (date being 1802) that till the end of his
life, or of Prince Henri his Patron's, there remained always in some heads a doubt as to Friedrich's wisdom in
regard to starting the SevenYears War, and to Schwerin's entire sincerity in that inspired speech. And still
more curious, that there was always, at Potsdam as elsewhere, a Majesty's Opposition Party; privately intent
to look at the wrong side; and doing it diligently,though with lips strictly closed for most part; without
words, except wellweighed and to the wise: which is an excellent arrangement, for a Majesty and Majesty's
Opposition, where feasible in the world!
From Retzow I learn farther, that Winterfeld, directly on the back of this Conference, took a Tour to the
Bohemian Baths, "To Karlsbad, or Toplitz, for one's health;" and wandered about a good deal in those
Frontier Mountains of Bohemia, taking notes, taking sketches (not with a picturesque view); and returned by
the Saxon Pirna Country, a strange stony labyrinth, which he guessed might possibly be interesting soon. The
Saxon Commandant of the Konigstein, lofty Fortress of those parts, strongest in Saxony, was of Winterfeld's
acquaintance: Winterfeld called on this Commandant; found his Konigstein too high for cannonading those
neighborhoods, but that there was at the base of it a new Work going on; and that the Saxons were, though
languidly, endeavoring to bestir themselves in matters military. Their entire Army at present is under 20,000;
but, in the course of next Winter, they expect to have it 40,000. Shall be of that force, against Season 1757.
No doubt Winterfeld's gatherings and communications had their uses at Potsdam, on his getting home from
this Tour to Toplitz.
Meanwhile, Klinggraf has had his Audience at Vienna; and has sped as ill as could have been expected. The
Answer given was of supercilious brevity; evasive, in effect null, and as good as answering, That there is no
answer. Two Accounts we have, as Friedrich successively had them, of this famed passage: FIRST,
Klinggraf's own, which is clear, rapid, and stands by the essential; SECOND, an account from the other side
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of the scenes, furnished by Menzel of Dresden, for Friedrich's behoof and ours; which curiously illustrates the
foregoing, and confirms the interpretation Friedrich at once made of it. This is Menzel's account; in other
words, the Saxon Envoy at Vienna's, stolen by Menzel.
July 26th, it appears, Klinggrafhaving applied to Kaunitz the day before, who noticed a certain flurry in
him, and had answered carelessly, "Audience? Yes, of course; nay I am this moment going to the Empress:
only you must tell me about what?"was admitted to the Imperial Presence, he first of many that were
waiting. Imperial Presence held in its hand a snip of Paper, carefully composed by Kaunitz from the data, and
read these words: "DIE BEDENKLICHEN UMSTANDE, The questionable circumstances of the Time have
moved me to consider as indispensably necessary those measures which, for my own security and for defence
of my Allies, I am taking, and which otherwise do not tend the least towards injury of anybody
whatsoever;"and adding no syllable more, gave a sign with her hand, intimating to Klinggraf that the
Interview was done. Klinggraf strode through the Antechamber, "visibly astonished," say onlookers, at such
an Answer had. Answer, in fact, "That there is no answer," and the door flung in your face! [ Helden
Geschichte, iii. 772. In Valori, ii. 128, Friedrich's little Paper of INSTRUCTIONS to Klinggraf; this Vienna
ANSWER to it, ib. 138:see ib. 138, 162; and Gesammelte Nachrichten, ii. 214221.]
Friedrich, on arrival of report from Klinggraf, and without waiting for the Menzel side of the scenes, sees that
the thing is settled. Writes again, however (August 2d, probably the day after, or the same day, Klinggraf's
Despatch reached him); instructing Klinggraf To request "a less oracular response;" and specially, "If her
Imperial Majesty (Austria and Russia being, as is understood, in active League against, him) will say, That
Austria will not attack him this year or the next?" Draw up memorial of that, Monsieur Klinggraf; and send
us the supercilious NoAnswer: till which arrive we do not cross the Frontier,but are already everywhere
on march to it, in an industrious, cunningly devised, evident and yet impenetrably mysterious manner.
Excellency Valori never saw such activity of military preparation: such Artillery, "2,000 big pieces in the
Park here;" Regiments, Wagontrains, getting under way everywhere, no man can guess whitherward;
"drawn up in the Square here, they know not by what Gate they are to march." By three different Gates, I
should think; mysteriously, in Three Directions, known only to King Friedrich and his AdjutantGeneral,
all these Regiments in Berlin and elsewhere are on march. Towards Halle (Leipzig way); towards Brietzen
(Wittenberg and Torgau way); towards Bautzen neighborhood,towards Three settled Points of the Saxon
Frontier; will step across the instant the supercilious NoAnswer comes to hand. Are to converge about
Dresden and the Saxon Switzerland; about 65,000 strong, equipped as no Army before or since has been;
and take what luck there may be.
Bruhl and Polish Majesty's Army, still only about 18,000, have their apprehensions of such visit: but what
can they do? The Saxon Army draws out into Camp, at sight of this mysterious marching; strong Camp "in
the angle of Elbe and Mulde Rivers;"then draws in again; being too weak for use. And is thinking, Menzel
informs us, to take post in the stony labyrinthic Pirna Country: such the advice an Excellency Broglio has
given;French Excellency, now in Dresden; Marechal de Broglio's Son, and of little less explosive nature
than his Father was. Bruhl and Polish Majesty, guessing that the hour is come, are infinitely interested.
Interested, not flurried. "AustrianRussian AntiPrussian Covenant!" say Bruhl and Majesty, rather
comfortably to themselves: "We never signed it. WE never would sign anything; what have we to do with it?
Courage; steady; To Pirna, if they come! Are not Excellency Broglio, and France, and Austria, and the whole
world at our back?"
It was full three weeks before Klinggraf's Message of Answer could arrive at Berlin. Of Friedrich in the
interim, launching such a worldadventure, himself silent, in the midst of a buzzing Berlin, take these
indications, which are luminous enough. Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick is to head one of the Three
"Columns." Duke Ferdinand, Governor of Magdeburg, is now collecting his Column in that neighborhood,
chiefly at Halle; whitherward, or on what errand, is profoundly unknown. Unknown even to Ferdinand,
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except that it is for actual Service in the Field. Here are two Friedrich Letters (ruggedly Official, the first of
them, and not quite peculiar to Ferdinand), which are worth reading:
THE KING TO DUKE FERDINAND OF BRUNSWICK.
"POTSDAM, 15th August, 1756.
"For time of FieldService I have made the arrangement, That for the Subaltern Officers of your regiment,
over and above their ordinary Equipagemoneys, there shall, to each Subaltern Officer, and once for all, be
Eight Thalers [twentyfour shillings sterling] advanced. That sum [eight thalers per subaltern] shall be paid
to the Captain of every Company; and besides this there shall, monthly, Two Thalers be deducted from the
Subaltern's Pay, and be likewise paid over to the Captain:in return for which, He is to furnish Free Table
for the Subalterns throughout the Campaign, and so long as the regiment is in the field.
"Of the Two Baggagecarts per Company, the regiment shall take only One, and leave the other at home. No
Officer, let him be who or of what title he will, Generals not excepted, shall take with him the least of Silver
Plate, not even a silver spoon. Whoever wants, therefore, to keep table, great or small (TAFEL ODER
TISCH), must manage the same with tin utensils;without exception, be he who he will.
"Each Captain shall take with him a little Cask of Vinegar; of which, as soon as the regiments get to Camp,
he must give me reckoning, and I will then have him repaid. This Vinegar shall solely and exclusively be
employed for this purpose, That in places where the water is bad, there be poured into it, for the soldiers, a
few drops of the vinegar, to correct the water, and thereby preserve them from illnesses.
"So soon as the regiment gets on march, the Women who have permission to follow are put under command
of the Profoss; that thereby all plunderings and disorders may the more be guarded against. If the Captains
and Officers take Grooms (JAGER) or the like Domestics, there can muskets be given to these, that use may
be had of them, in case of an attack in quarters, or on march, when a WAGENBURG (wagonfortress) is to
be formed. ... FRIEDRICH." [Preuss, ii. 6, 7.]
SAME TO SAME (Confidential, this one).
"POTSDAH, 24th August.
... "Make as if you were meaning to go into Camp at Halle. The reason why I stop you is, that the Courier
from Vienna has not yet come. We must therefore reassure the Saxon neighborhood. ... I have been expecting
answer from hour to hour; cannot suitably begin a WarExpedition till it come; do therefore apprise Your
Dilection, though under the deepest secrecy.
"And it is necessary, and my Will is, That, till farther order, you keep all the regiments and corps belonging
to your Column in the places where they are when this arrives. And shall, meanwhile, with your best skill
mask all this, both from the Town of Halle, and from the regiments themselves; making, in conformity with
what I said yesterday, as if you were a Corps of Observation come to encamp here, and were waiting the last
orders to go into camp.
FRIEDRICH." [Ib. ii. 7, 8.]
And in regard to the Vienna Courier, and Friedrich's attitude towards that Phenomenon, read only these Two
Notes:
1. FRIEDRICH TO THE PRINCE OF PRUSSIA AND THE PRINCESS AMELIA (at Berlin)
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POTSDAM, "25th August," 1756.
"MY DEAR BROTHER, MY DEAR SISTER,I write to you both at once, for want of time. I will follow
the advice you are so good as give me; and will take leave of the Queen [our dear Mamma] by Letter. And
that the reading of my Letter may not frighten her, I will send it by my Sister, to be presented in a favorable
moment.
"I have yet got no Answer from Vienna; by Klinggraf's account, I shall not receive it till tomorrow [came
this night], But I count myself surer of War than ever; as the Austrians have named Generals, and their Army
is ordered to march, from Kolin to Konigsgratz"Schlesien way. "So that, expecting nothing but a haughty
Answer, or a very uncertain one, on which there will be no reliance possible, I have arranged everything for
setting out on Saturday next. Tomorrow, so soon as the news comes, I will not fail to let you know.
Assuring you that I am, with a perfect affection, my dear Brother and my dear Sister,Yours,F."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 155.]
Answer comes from Klinggraf that same night. Once more, an Answer almost worse than could have been
expected. "The 'League with Russia against you' is nonextant, a thing of your imagination: Have not we
already answered?" [In Gesammelte Urkunden, i. 217: Klinggraf's second question (done by Letter this time),
"18th August;" Maria Theresa's Answer, "21st August,"] Whereupon,
2. FRIEDRICH TO THE PRINCE OF PRUSSIA.
POTSDAM, "26th August," 1756.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,I have already written to the Queen; softening things as much as I could [Letter
lost]. My Sister, to whom I address the Letter, will deliver it.
"You have seen the Paper I sent to Klinggraf. Their Answer is 'That they have not made an Offensive
Alliance with Russia against me.' The Answer is impertinent, high and contemptuous; and of the Assurance
that I required [as to This Year and next], not one word. So that the sword alone can cut this Gordian Knot. I
am innocent of this War; I have done what I could to avoid it; but whatever be one's love of peace, one
cannot and must not sacrifice to that, one's safety and one's honor. Such, I believe, will be your opinion too,
from the sentiments I know in you. At present, our one thought must be, To do War in such a way as may
cure our Enemies of their wish to break Peace again too soon. I embrace you with all my heart. I have had no
end of business (TERRIBLEMENT A FAIRE)."F. [ OEuvres, xxvi. 116.]
THE MARCH INTO SAXONY, IN THREE COLUMNS.
Ahead of that last Note, from an earlier hour of the same day, Thursday, 26th August, there is speeding forth,
to all Three Generals of Division, this Order (take Duke Ferdinand's copy}:
{not in original] ^ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"I hereby order that Your Dilection (EW. LIEBDEN), with all the regiments and corps in the Column
standing under your command, Shall now, without more delay, get on march, on the 29th inst.; and proceed,
according to the MarchTables and Instructions already given, to execute what Your Dilection has got in
charge."F.
The same Thursday, 26th, Excellency Mitchell, informed by Podewils of the King's wish to see him at
Potsdam, gets under way from Berlin; arrives "just time enough to speak with the King before he sat down to
supper." Very many things to be consulted of, and deliberatively touched upon, with Mitchell and England;
no end of things and considerations, for England and King Friedrich, in this that is now about to burst forth
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on an astonished world!Over in London, we observe, just in the hours when Mitchell was harnessing for
Potsdam, and so many Orders and Letters were speeding their swiftest in that quarter, there is going forward,
on TowerHill yonder, the following Operation:
"LONDON, THURSDAY, 26th AUGUST, 1756. About five in the afternoon, a noted Admiral [only in
Effigy as yet; but who has been held in miserable durance, and too actual question of death or life, ever since
his return: "Oh, yes indeed! Hang HIM at once",if that can be a remedy!] was, after having been privately
shown to many ladies and gentlemen, broughtin an open sedan, guarded by a number of young gentlemen
under arms, with drums beating, colors flyingto TowerHill, where a Gallows had been erected for him at
six the same morning. He was richly dressed, in a blue and gold coat, buff waistcoat, trimmed, in full
uniform. When brought under the Gallows, he stayed a small space, till his clergyman (a chimney sweeper)
had given him some admonitions: that done, he was drawn, by pulleys, to the top of the Gallows, which was
twenty feet high; every person expressing as much satisfaction as if it had been the real man.
"He remained there, guarded by the above volunteers, without any molestation, two hours; when, upon a
supposition of being obstructed by the Governor of the Tower, some sailors appeared, who wanted to pull
him down, in order to drag him along the streets. But a fire being kindled, which consisted of tarbarrels,
fagots, tables, tubs, he was consumed in about half an hour." [Old Newspapers ( Gentleman's Magazine, xxvi.
409).]
That is their employment on TowerHill, over yonder, while Mitchell is getting under way to see Friedrich.
Mitchell continued at Potsdam over Friday; and was still in eager consultation that night, when the King said
to him, with a certain expressiveness of glance: "BON SOIR, then;Tomorrow morning about four!" And
on the morrow, Saturday, 28th, Mitchell reports hurriedly:
"... Am just returned to Berlin, in time to write to your Lordship. This morning, between four and five, I took
leave of the King of Prussia. Hr went immediately upon the Parade; mounted on horseback; and, after a very
short exercise of his Troops, put himself at their head; and marched directly for Belitz [halfway to Brietzen,
TREUENbrietzen as they call it]; where, Tomorrow, he will enter the Saxon Territory,"as, at their
respective points, his two other Columns will;and begin, who shall say what terrible game; incalculable to
your Lordship and me, with such Operations afoot on TowerHill! [Mitchell Papers, vi. 804 ("To Lord
Holderness, 28th August, 1756").]
Seven Hussar Regiments of Duke Ferdinand's Column got the length of Leipzig that Sunday Evening, 29th;
and took possession of the place. [In HeldenGeschichte, iii. 731, his "Proclamation" there, 29th August,
1756.] Duke Ferdinand to right of the King, Duke of BrunswickBevern to left,the Three Columns cross
the Border, at points, say 80 miles from one another; occasionally, on the march, bending to rightwards and
leftwards, to take in the principal Towns, and make settlements there, the two might be above a hundred
miles from Friedrich on each hand. The length of march for each Column,Ferdinand "from Leipzig, by
Chemnitz, Freyberg, Dippoldiswalde, to the Village of Cotta" (Pirna neighborhood, south of Elbe); Bevern,
"through the Lausitz, by Bautzen, to Lohmen" (same neighborhood, north of Elbe); King Friedrich, to
Dresden, by the course of the Elbe itself, was not far from equal, and may be called about 150 miles. They
marched with diligence, not with hurry; had their pauses, restdays, when business required. They got to their
ground, with the simultaneousness appointed, on the eleventh or twelfth day.
The middle Column, under the King, where Marshal Keith is second in command, goes by Torgau (detaching
Moritz of Dessau to pick up Wittenberg, and ruin the slight works there); crosses the Elbe at Torgau,
September 2d; marches, cantoning itself day after day, along the southern bank of the River; leaves Meissen
to the left, I perceive, does not pass through Meissen; comes first at Wilsdruf on ground where we have
been,and portions of it, I doubt not, were billeted in Kesselsdorf; and would take a glance at the old Field,
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if they had time. There is strict discipline in all the Columns; the authorities complying on summons, and
arranging what is needful. Nobody resists; townguards at once ground arms, and there is no soldier visible;
soldiers all ebbing away, whitherward we guess. [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 732, 733; OEuvres de Frederic,
iv. 81.]
At Wilsdruf, Friedrich first learns for certain, that the Saxon Army, with King, with Bruhl and other chief
personages, are withdrawn to Pirna, to the inexpugnable Konigstein and Rock Country. The Saxon Army
had begun assembling there, September 1st, directly on the news that Friedrich was across the Border;
September 9th, on Friedrich's approach, the King and Dignitaries move off thither, from Dresden, out of his
way. Excellency Broglio has put them on that plan. Which may have its complexities for Friedrich, hopes
Broglio,though perhaps its still greater for some other parties concerned! For Bruhl and Polish Majesty, as
will appear by and by, nothing could have turned out worse.
Meanwhile Friedrich pushes on: "Forward, all the same." Polish Majesty, dating from Struppen, in the Pirna
Country, has begun a Correspondence with Friedrich, very polite on both hands; and his AdjutantGeneral,
the Chevalier Meagher ("Chevalier de MARRE," as Valori calls him,MA'AR, as he calls himself in Irish),
has just had, at Wilsdruf, an interview with Friedrich; but is far from having got settlement on the terms he
wished. Polish Majesty magnanimously assenting to "a Road through his Country for military purposes;"
offers "the strictest Neutrality, strictest friendship even; has done, and will do, no injury whatever to his
Prussian Majesty["Did we ever SIGN anything?" whisper comfortably Bruhl and he to one
another];expects, therefore, that his Prussian Majesty will march on, whither he is bound; and leave him
unmolested here." [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 774.]
That was Meagher's message; that is the purport of all his Polish Majesty's Eleven Letters to Friedrich, which
precede or follow, reiterating with a certain ovine obstinacy, insensible to time or change, That such is
Polish Majesty's fixed notion: "Strict neutrality, friendship even; and leave me unmolested here." [In OEuvres
de Frederic, iv. 235260 ("29th August10th September18th September," 1756), are collected now, the
Eleven Letters, with their Answers.] "Strict neutrality, yes: but disperse your Army, then," answers Friedrich;
send your Army back to its cantonments: I must myself have the keeping of my Highway, lest I lose it, as in
1744." This is Friedrich's answer; this at first, and for some time coming; though, as the aspects change, and
the dangerous elements heap themselves higher, Friedrich's answer will rise with them, and his terms, like the
Sibyl's, become worse and worse. This is the utmost that Meagher, at Wilsdruf, can make of it; and this, in
conceivable circumstances, will grow less and less.
Next day, September 9th, Friedrich, with some Battalions, entered Dresden, most of his Column taking Camp
near by; General Wylich had entered yesterday, and is already Commandant there. Friedrich sends, by
Feldmarschall Keith, highest Officer of his Column, his homages to her Polish Majesty:nothing given us
of Keith's Interview; except by a sidewind, "That Majesty complained of those Prussian Sentries walking
about in certain of her corridors" (with an eye to Something, it may be feared!)of which, doubtless, Keith
undertook to make report. Friedrich himself waits upon the Junior Princes, who are left here: is polite and
gracious as ever, though strict, and with business enough; lodges, for his own part, "in the GardenHouse of
Princess Moczinska;"and next morning leads off his Column, a short march eastward, to the Pirna
Country; where, on the right and on the left, Ferdinand at Cotta, Bevern at Lohmen (if readers will look on
their Map), he finds the other Two in their due positions. Headquarter is GrossSedlitz (westernmost skirt
of the Rockregion); and will have to continue so, much longer than had been expected.
The Diplomatic world in Dresden is in great emotion; more especially just at present. This morning, before
leaving, Friedrich had to do an exceedingly strict thing: secure the Originals of those Menzel Documents.
Originals indispensable to him, for justifying his new procedures upon Saxony. So that there has been, at the
Palace, a Scene this morning of a very high and dissonant nature,"Marshal Keith" in it, "Marshal Keith
making a second visit" (say some loose and false Accounts);the facts being strictly as follows.
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Far from removing those Prussian sentries complained of last night, here seems to be a double strength of
them this morning. And her Polish Majesty, a severe, hardfeatured old Lady, has been filled with indignant
amazement by a Prussian OfficerMajor von Wangenheim, I believe it isrequiring, in the King of
Prussia's name, the Keys of that Archiveroom; Prussian Majesty absolutely needing sight, for a little while,
of certain Papers there. "Enter that room? Archives of a crowned Head? Let me see the living mortal that will
dare to do it!"one fancies the indignant Polish Majesty's answer; and how, calling for materials, she
"openly sealed the door in question," in Wangenheim's presence. As this is a celebrated Passage, which has
been reported in several loose ways, let us take it from the primary source, Chancery style and all. Graf von
Sternberg, Austrian Excellency, writing from the spot and at the hour, informs his own Court, and through
that all Courts, in these solemnly Official terms:
"DRESDEN, 10th SEPTEMBER, 1756. The Queen's Majesty, this forenoon, has called to her all the Foreign
Ministers now at Dresden; and in Highest Own Person has signified to us, How, the Prussian intrusions and
hostilities being already known, Highest said Queen's Majesty would now simply state what had farther taken
place this morning:
"Highest said Queen's Majesty, to wit, had, in her own name, requested the King of Prussia, in conformity
with his assurances [by Keith, yesternight] of paying every regard for Her and the Royal Family, To remove
the Prussian Sentries pacing about in those Corridors,"Corridors which lead to the Secret Archives,
important to some of us!"Instead of which, the said King had not only doubled his Sentries there; but also,
by an Officer, demanded the Keys of the Archiveapartment [just alluded to]! And as the Queen's Majesty,
for security of all writings there, offered to seal the Door of it herself, and did so, there and then,the said
Officer had so little respect, that he clapped his own seal thereon too.
"Nor was he content therewith,"not by any means!"but the same Officer [having been with Wylich,
Commandant here] came back, a short time after, and made for opening of the Door himself. Which being
announced to the Queen's Majesty, she in her own person (HOCHSTDIESELBE, HighesttheSame) went
out again; and standing before the Door, informed him, 'How HighesttheSame had too much regard to his
Prussian Majesty's given assurance, to believe that such order could proceed from the King.' As the Officer,
however, replied, 'That he was sorry to have such an order to execute; but that the order was serious and
precise; and that he, by not executing it, would expose himself to the greatest responsibility," Her Majesty
continued standing before the Door; and said to the Officer, 'If he meant to use force, he might upon Her
make his beginning.'" There is for you, Herr Wangenheim!
"Upon which said Officer had gone away, to report anew to the King [I think, only to Wylich the
Commandant; King now a dozen miles off, not so easily reported to, and his mind known]; and in the mean
while Her Majesty had called to her the Prussian and English Ambassadors [Mahlzahn and Stormont; sorry
both of them, but how entirely resourceless,especially Mahlzahn!], and had represented and repeated to
them the above; beseeching that by their remonstrances and persuasions they would induce the King of
Prussia, conformably with his given assurance, to forbear. Instead, however, of any fruit from such
remonstrances and urgencies, final Order came, 'That, Queen's Majesty's own Highest Person
notwithstanding, force must be used.'
"Whereupon her Majesty, to avoid actual mistreatment, had been obliged to"to become passive, and, no
Keys being procurable from her, see a smith with his picklocks give these Prussians admission.
LegationSecretary Plessmann was there (Menzel one fancies sitting, rather pale, in an adjacent room [Supra,
p. 266.]); and they knew what to do. Their smith opens the required Box for them (one of several "all lying
packed for Warsaw," says Friedrich); from which soon taking what they needed, Wangenheim and Wylich
withdrew with their booty, and readers have the fruit of it to this day. "Which unheardof procedure, be
pleased, your Excellencies, to report to your respective Courts." [ Gesammelte Nachrichten, i. 222 (or "No.
26" of that Collection); OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 83.]
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Poor old Lady, what a situation! And I believe she never saw her poor old Husband again. The day he went to
Pirna (morning of yesterday, September 9th, Friedrich entering in the evening), these poor Spouses had, little
dreaming of it, taken leave of one another forevermore. Such profit lies in your Bruhl. Kings and Queens that
will be governed by a Jesuit Guarini, and a Bruhl of the Twelve Tailors, sometimes pay dear for it. They, or
their representatives, are sure to do so. Kings and Queens,yes, and if that were all: but their poor Countries
too? Their Countries;well, their Countries did not hate Beelzebub, in his various shapes, ENOUGH. Their
Countries should have been in watch against Beelzebub in the shape of Bruhls;watching, and also
"praying" in a heroic manner, now fallen obsolete in these impious times!
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH BLOCKADES THE SAXONS IN PIRNA COUNTRY.
Friedrich reckons himself to have 65,000 men in Saxony. Schwerin is issuing from Silesia, through the Glatz
Mountains, for Bohemia, at the head of 40,000. The Austrian force is inferior in quantity, and far from
ready:Two "Camps" in Bohemia they have; the chief one under Browne (looking, or intending, this Saxon
way), and a smaller under Piccolomini, in the KonigshofKolin region:if well run into from front and rear,
both Browne and Piccolomini might be beautifully handled; and a gash be cut in Austria, which might incline
her to be at peace again! Nothing hinders but this paltry Camp of the Saxons; itself only 18,000 strong, but in
a Country of such strength. And this does hinder, effectually while it continues: "How march to Bohemia, and
leave the road blocked in our rear?"
The Saxon Camp did continue,unmanageable by any method, for five weeks to come; the season of
waroperations gone, by that time: and Friedrich's First Campaign, rendered mostly fruitless in this
manner, will by no means check the Austrian truculencies, as by his velocity he hoped to do. No; but, on the
contrary, will rouse the Austrians, French and all Enemies, to a tenfold pitch of temper. And bring upon
himself, from an astonished and misunderstanding Public, such tempests and worldtornadoes of
loudroaring obloquy, as even he, Friedrich, had never endured before.
To readers of a touring habit this Saxon Country is perhaps well known. For the last halfcentury it has been
growing more and more famous, under the name of "Saxon Switzerland (SACHSISCHE SCHWEITZ),"
instead of "Misnian Highlands (MEISSNISCHE HOCHLAND)," which it used to be called. A beautiful
enough and extremely rugged Country; interesting to the picturesque mind. Begins rising, in soft Hills, on
both sides of the Elbe, a few miles east of Dresden, as you ascend the River; till it rises into Hills of wild
character, getting ever wilder, and riven into wondrous chasms and precipices. Extends, say almost twenty
miles up the River, to Tetschen and beyond, in this eastern direction; and with perhaps ten miles of breadth
on each side of the River: area of the Rock region, therefore, is perhaps some four hundred square miles.
The Falkenberg (what we should call HAWKSCRAG) northeastward in the Lausitz, the Schneeberg (SNOW
MOUNTAIN), southeastward on the Bohemian border, are about thirtyfive miles apart: these two are both
reckoned to be in it,its last outposts on that eastern side. But the limits of it are fixed by custom only, and
depend on no natural condition.
We might define it as the Sandstone NECK of the Metal Mountains: a rather lower block, of Sandstone,
intercalated into the Metal Mountain range, which otherwise, on both hands, is higher, and of harder rocks.
Southward (as SHOULDER to this sandstone NECK) lies, continuous, broad and high, the "MetalMountain
range" specially so called: northward and northeastward there rise, beyond that Falkenberg, many mountains,
solitary or in groups,"the Metal Mountains" fading out here into "the Lausitz Hills," still in fine
picturesque fashion, which are Northern Border to the great Bohemian "Basin of the Elba," after you emerge
from this Sandstone Country.
Saxon Switzerland is not very high anywhere; 2,000 feet is a notable degree of height: but it is torn and
tumbled into stone labyrinths, chasms and winding rockwalls, as few regions are. Grows pinewood, to the
topmost height; pinetrees far aloft look quietly down upon you, over sheer precipices, on your intricate path.
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On the slopes of the Hills is grass enough; in the intervals are Villages and husbandries, are corn and milk for
the laborious natives,who depend mainly on quarrying, and pineforest work: pines and freestone, rafts
of long slim pines, and big stone barges, are what one sees upon the River there. A Note, not very geological,
says of it:
"Elbe sweeps freely through this Country, for ages and aeons past; curling himself a little into snakefigure,
and with increased velocity, but silent mostly, and trim to the edge, a fine flint colored river;though in
aeons long anterior, it must have been a very different matter for torrents and waterpower. The Country is
one huge Block of Sandstone, so many square miles of that material; ribbed, channelled, torn and quarried, in
this manner, by the ever busy elements, for a million of Ages past! Chiefly by the Elbe himself, since he got
to be a River, and became cosmic and personal; ceasing to be a mere watery chaos of Lakes and Deluges
hereabouts. For the Sandstone was of various degrees of hardness; tenacious as marble some parts of it, soft
almost as sand other parts. And the primordial diluviums and worldold torrents, great and small, rushing
down from the Bohemian Highlands, from the Saxon Metal Mountains, with such storming, gurgling and
swashing, have swept away the soft parts, and left the hard standing in this chaotic manner, and bequeathed it
all to the Elbe, and the common frosts and rains of these human ages.
"Elbe has now a trim course; but Elbe too is busy quarrying and mining, where not artificially held in;and
you notice at every outlet of a Brook from the interior, north side and south side, how busy the Brook has
been. Boring, grinding, undermining; much helped by the frosts, by the rains. AEons ago, the Brook was a
lake, in the interior; but was every moment laboring to get out; till it has cut for itself that mountain gullet, or
sheerdown chasm, and brought out with it an Alluvium or Delta,on which, since Adam's time, human
creatures have built a Hamlet. That is the origin, or unwritten history, of most hamlets and cultivated spots
you fall in with here: they are the waste shavings of the Brook, working millions of years, for its own object
of getting into the Elbe in level circumstances. Ploughed fields, not without fertility, are in the interior, if you
ascend that Brook; the Hamlet, at the delta or mouth of it, is as if built upon its TONGUE and into its
GULLET: think how picturesque, in the November rains, for example!
"The road" one road, "from Dresden to Aussig, to Lobositz, Budin, Prag, runs up the riverbrink (south
brink); or, in our day, as PragDresden Railway, thunders through those solitudes; strangely awakening their
echoes; and inviting even the bewildered Tourist to reflect, if he could. The bewildered Tourist sees
rockwalls heavenhigh on both hands of him; River and he rushing on between, by law of gravitation, law
of ennui (which are laws of Nature both), with a narrow strip of sky in full gallop overhead; and has little
encouragement to reflect, except upon his own sorrows, and delirious circumstances, physical and moral.
'How much happier, were I lying in my bed!' thinks the bewildered Tourist;does strive withal to admire the
Picturesque, but with little success; notices the 'BASTEI (Bastion),' and other rigorously prescribed points of
the Sublime and Beautiful, which are to be 'done.' That you will have to DO, my friend: step out, you will
have to go on that Pinnacle, with indifferent Hotel attached; on that iron balcony, aloft among the clouds
yonder; and shudder to project over Elbeflood from such altitudes, admiring the Picturesque in prescribed
manner.
"This Country has for its permanent uses, timber, freestone, modicum of milk and haver, serviceable to the
generality;and to his Polish Majesty, at present, it is as the very Ark of Noah: priceless at this juncture;
being the strongest military country in the world. Excellent strength in it; express Fortresses; especially one
Fortress called the Konigstein, not far from Schandau, of a towering precipitous nature, with 'a well 900 feet
deep' in it, and pleasant Village outside at the base;Fortress which is still, in our day, reckoned a safe place
for the Saxon Archives and preciosities. Impregnable to gunpowder artillery; not to be had except by hunger.
And then, farther down the River, close by Pirna, presiding over Pirna, as that Konigstein in some sort does
over Schandau, is the Sonnenstein: Sonnenstein too was a Fortress in those days of Friedrich, but not
impregnable, if judged worth taking. The Austrians took it, a year or two hence; Friedrich retook it,
dismantled it: 'the Sonnenstein is now a Madhouse,' say the Guidebooks.
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"Sonnenstein stands close east or upstream of Pirna, which is a town of 5,000 souls, by much the largest in
those parts; Konigstein a little downstream of Schandau, which latter is on the opposite or north side of the
River. These are the two chief Towns, which do all the trade of this region; picturesque places both: the
Tourist remembers Pirna? Standing on its sleek table or stair step, by the River's edge; well above
floodmark; green, shaggy or fringy mountains looking down on it to rearward; in front, beyond the River,
nothing visible but milelong creamcolored rockwall, with bushes at bottom and top, wall quarried by
Elbe, as you can see. Pirna is near the beginning [properly END, but we start from Dresden] or western
extremity of Saxon Schweitz. Schandau, almost at the opposite or eastern extremity, is still more picturesque;
standing on the delta of a little Brook, with high rockcliffs, with gardenshrubberies, sanded walks, tufts of
forestumbrage; a brightpainted, almost OPERATIClooking place,with spawaters, if I recollect: "yes
truly, and the "Bath Season" making its packages in great haste, breaking up prematurely, this Year
(1756)!
Directly on arriving at GrossSedlitz, Friedrich takes ocular survey of this Country, which is already not
unknown to him. He finds that the Saxons have secured themselves within the Mountains; a rocky streamlet,
Brook of Gottleube, which issues into Elbe just between GrossSedlitz and them, "through a dell of eighty or
a hundred feet deep," serving as their first defence; well in front of the mere rocky Heights and precipices
behind it, which stretch continuously along to southward, six miles or more, from Pirna and the south brink
of Elbe. At LangenHennersdorf, which is the southernmost part, these Heights make an elbow inwards, by
Leopoldshayn, towards the Konigstein, which is but four miles off; here too the Saxons are defended by a
Brook (running straight towards Konigstein, this one) in front of their Heights; and stand defensive, in this
way, along a rockbulwark of ten miles long: the passes all secured by batteries, by abatis, palisades, mile
after mile, as Friedrich rides observant leftward: behind them, Elbe rushing swifter through his rockwalls
yonder, with chasms and intricate gorges; defending them inexpugnably to rear. Six miles long of natural
bulwark (six to Hennersdorf), where the gross of the Saxons lie; then to Konigstein four other miles,
sufficiently, if more sparsely, beset by them. "No stronger position in the world," Friedrich thinks; [ OEuvres
de Frederic, iv. 83, 84 (not a very distinct Account; and far from accurate in the details,which are left
without effectual correction even in the best Editions).]and that it is impossible to force this place, without
a loss of life disproportionate even to its importance at present. Not to say that the Saxons will make terms all
the easier, BEFORE bloodshed rise between us;and furthermore that Hunger (for we hear they have
provision only for two weeks) may itself soon do it. "Wedge them in, therefore; block every outgate, every
entrance; nothing to get in, except gradually Hunger. Hunger, and on our part rational Offers, will suffice."
That is Friedrich's plan; good in itself,though the ovine obstinacy, and other circumstances, retarded the
execution of it to an unexpected extent, lamentable to Friedrich and to some others.
The PrussianSaxon military operations for the next five weeks need not detain us. Their respective positions
on the Heights behind that Brook Gottleube, and on the plainer Country in front of it, How the Prussians
lie, first Division of them, from GrossSedlitz to Zehist, under the King; then second Division from Zehist to
Cotta, and onward by "the Rothschenke" (REDHOUSE Tavern), by Markersbach, and sparsely as far as
Hellendorf on the Prag Highway; in brief, where all the Divisions of them lie, and under whom; and where
the Prussians, watching Elbe itself, have Batteries and Posts on the north side of it: all this is marked on the
Map; to satisfy ingenuous curiosity, should it make tour in those parts. To which add only these straggles
of Note, as farther elucidative:
"The Saxons, between Elbe and their Lines, possess about thirty square miles of country. From Pirna or
Sonnenstein to Konigstein, as the crow flies, may be five miles east to west; but by Langen Hennersdorf,
and the elbow there, it will be ten: at Konigstein, moreover, Elbe makes an abrupt turn northward for a couple
of miles, instead of westward as heretofore, turning abruptly westward again after that: so that the Saxon
'Camp' or Occupancy here, is an irregular Trapezium, with Pirna and Konigstein for vertices, and with area
estimable as above,ploughable, a fair portion of it, and not without corn of its own. So that the 'two weeks'
provision' spun themselves out (short allowance aiding) to two months, before actual famine came.
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... "The Highroad from the Lausitz parts crosses Elbe at Pirna; falls into the DresdenPrag Highroad there;
and from Pirna towards Toplitz, for the first few miles, this latter runs through the Prussian Posts; but we may
guess it is not much travelled at present. North of Elbe, too, the Prussians have batteries on the fit points;
detachments of due force, from GrossSedlitz Bridgeof Pontoons all round to Schandau, or beyond; could
fire upon the Konigstein, across the River: they have plugged up the Saxon position everywhere. They have a
Battery especially, and strong post, to cannonade the Bridge at Pirna, should the Saxons think of trying there.
It is now the one Saxon or even HalfSaxon Bridge; Sonnenstein and Pirna command the Saxon end of it, a
strong battery the Prussian end: a Bridge lying mainly idle, like the general Highway to Toplitz at this time.
Beyond the Konigstein, again, at a place called WendischFahre (WENDS'FERRY), the Prussians have, by
means of boats swinging wide at anchor on the swift current, what is called a Flyingbridge, with which the
north side can communicate with the south. They have a post at NiederRaden (OBER Raden, railway station
in our time, is on the south side): Nether Raden is an interesting little Hamlet, mostly invisible to mankind
(built in the THROAT of the stone chasms there), from which you begin mounting to the BASTEI far aloft.
A Raden to be noted, by the Tourist and us."
Little, or even nothing, of fighting there is: why should there be? The military operations are a deadlock,
and require no word. Thirty thousand, half of the Prussian Force, lie, vigilant as lynxes, blockading here;
other half, 32,000, under Marshal Keith, have marched forward to Aussig, to Nollendorf on the Bohemian
frontier, to clear the ways, and look into any Austrian motion thereabouts,with whom, with some Pandour
detachment of whom, Duke Ferdinand, leading the vanguard, has had a little brush among the Hills; smiting
them home again, in his usual creditable way (September 13th); and taking Camp at Peterswalde, he and
others of the Force, that night. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 85; ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG, i. 19.] It is
with this Keith Army, with this if with any, that adventures are to be looked for at present.
Polish Majesty's Headquarters are at Struppen, well in the centre of the Saxon lines; "goes always to the
Konigstein to sleep." Polish Majesty's own table is, by Friedrich's permission for that special object, supplied
AD LIBITUM: but the common men were at once put on short allowance, which grows always the shorter.
Polish Majesty corresponds with Friedrich, as we saw; and above all, sends burning Messages to Austria, to
France, to every European Court, charged with mere shrieks: "Help me; a robber has me!" In which sense,
Excellencies of all kinds, especially one Lord Stormont, the English Excellency, daily running out from
Dresden to GrossSedlitz, are passionately industrious with Friedrich; who is eager enough to comply, were
there any safe means possible. But there are none. Unfortunately, too, it appears the Austrians are astir;
Feldmarschall Browne actually furbishing himself at Prag yonder with an eye hitherward, and extraordinary
haste and spirit shown: which obliges Friedrich to rise in his demands; ovine obstinacy, on the other side,
naturally increasing from the same cause.
"Polish Majesty, we say, has liberty to bring in proviant for self and suite, rigorously for no mortal more; and
he lives well, in the culinary sense,surely for most part 'in his dressinggown,' too, poor loose collapsed
soul! Bruhl and he have plenty of formal business: but their one real business is that of crying, by estafettes
and every conceivable method, to Austria, 'Get us out of this!' To which Austria has answered, 'Yes; only
patience, and be steady!'Friedrich's headquarters are at Sedlitz; and the negotiating and responding which
he has, transcends imagination. His first hope was, Polish Majesty might be persuaded to join with him;on
the back of that, certainty, gradually coming, that Polish Majesty never would; and that the Austrians would
endeavor a rescue, were they once ready. Starvation, or the Austrians, which will be first here? is the
question; and Friedrich studies to think it will be the former. At all events, having settled on the starvation
method, and seen that all his posts are right, we perceive he does not stick close by Sedlitz; but runs now
hither now thither; is at Torgau, where an important establishment, kind of New Government for Saxony, on
the Finance side, is organizing itself. What his work with Ambassadors was, and how delicate the handling
needed, think!"Here is another Clipping:
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... "Polish Majesty passes the day at Struppen, amid many vain noises of Soldiering, of Diplomatizing; the
night always at Konigstein, and finally both day and night,quite luxuriously accommodated, Bruhl and he,
to the very end of this Affair. Towards Struppen [this is weeks farther on, but we give it here], Comte de
Broglio [Old Broglio's elder Son, younger is in the Military line], who is Ambassador to his SaxonPolish
Majesty, sets out from Dresden for an interview with said Majesty. At the Prussian lines, he is informed,
'Yes, you can go; but, without our King's Order, you cannot return.' 'What? The Most Christian Majesty's
Ambassador, and treated in this way? I will go to where the Polish King is, and I will return to my own King,
so often as I find business: stop me at your peril!' and threatened and argued, and made a deal of blusterous
noise;far too much, thinks Valori; think the Prussian Officers, who are sorry, but inflexible. Margraf Karl,
Commandant of the place, in absence of King Friedrich (who is gone lately, on a Business we shall hear of),
earnestly dissuaded Excellency Broglio; but it was to no purpose. Next day Broglio appeared in his
statecarriage, formally demanding entrance, free thoroughfare: 'Do you dare refuse me?' 'Yes,' answered
Margraf Karl; 'we do and must.' Indignant Broglio reappeared, next day, on foot; LieutenantGeneral Prince
Friedrich Eugen of Wurtemberg the chief man in charge: 'Do you dare?' 'Indubitably, Yes;'and Broglio still
pushing on incredulous, Eugen actually raised his arm,elbow and forearm across the breast of Most
Christian Majesty's Ambassador,who recoiled, to Dresden, in mere whirlwinds of fire; and made the most
of it [unwisely, thinks Valori] in writing to Court. [Valori, ii. 349, 209, 353 ("Wednesday, 6th October," the
day of it, seemingly); ib. i. 312, Court, in high dudgeon, commanded Valori to quit Berlin without taking
leave. Valori, in his private capacity, wrote an Adieu; [Friedrich's kind Letter in answer to it, "2d November,
1756," in Valori, i. 313.] and in his public, as the fact stood, That he was gone without Adieu."
And the Dauphiness, daughter of those injured Polish Majesties, fell on her knees (Pompadour permitting and
encouraging) at the feet of Most Christian Majesty; on her knees, all in passion of tears; craved help and
protection to her loved old Mother, in the name of Nature and of all Kings: could any King resist? And his
Pompadour was busy: "Think of that noble Empress, who calls me COUSIN AND DEAR PRINCESS; think
of that insolent Prussian Robber: Ah, your Majesty:" and King Louis, though not a hating man, did privately
dislike Friedrich; and evil speeches of Friedrich's had been reported to him. And, in short, the upshot was:
King Louis, bound only to 24,000 for help of Austria, determined to send, and did send, above 100,000
across the Rhine, next Year, for that object; as will be seen. And all Frenchmenall except Belleisle, who is
oldare charmed with these new energetic measures, and beautiful new Austrian connections.
Certain it is, the Austrians are coming, her Imperial Majesty bent with all her might on relief of those Saxon
martyrs; which indeed is relief of herself, as she well perceives: "Courage, my friends; endure yet a little!"
Messengers smuggle themselves through the Mountain paths, and go and return, though with difficulty.
Since September 19th, the Correspondence with Polish Majesty has ceased: no persuading of the Polish
Majesty. Winterfeld went twice to him; conferred at large, Bruhl forbidden to be there, on the actual
stringencies and urgencies of Fact between the Two Countries; but it was with no result at all. Polish Majesty
has not the least intention that Saxony shall be even a Highway for Friedrich, if at any time Polish Majesty
can hinder it: "Neutrality," therefore, will not do for Friedrich; he demands Alliance, practical Partnership;
and to that his Polish Majesty is completely abhorrent. Diplomatizing may cease; nothing but wrestle of fight
will settle this matter.
Friedrich, able to get nothing from the Sovereign of Saxony, is reduced to grasp Saxony itself: and we can
observe him doing it; always the closer, always the more carefully, as the complicacy deepens, and the
obstinacy becomes more dangerous and provoking. What alternative is there? On first entering Saxony,
Friedrich had made no secret that he was not a mere bird of passage there. At Torgau, there was at once a
"FieldCommissariat" established, with Prussian Officials of eminence to administer, the Military Chest to be
deposited there, and Torgau to be put in a state of defence. Torgau, our Saxon Metropolis of WarFinance, is
becoming more and more the Metropolis of Saxon Finance in general. Saxon Officials were liable, from the
first, to be suspended, on Friedrich's order. Saxon FinanceOfficials, of all kinds, were from the first
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instructed, that till farther notice there must be no disbursements without King Friedrich's sanction. And, in
fact, King Friedrich fully intends that Saxony is to help him all it can; and that it either will or else shall, in
this dire pressure of perplexity, which is due in such a degree to the conduct of the Saxon Government for
twelve years past. Would Saxony go with him in any form of consent, how much more convenient to
Friedrich! But Saxony will not; Polish Majesty, not himself suffering hunger, is obstinate as the decrees of
Fate (or as sheep, when too much put upon), regardless of considerations;and, in fine, here is Browne
actually afoot; coming to relieve Polish Majesty!The Austrians had uncommonly bestirred themselves:
The activity, the zeal of all ranks, ever since this expedition into Saxony, and clutching of Saxony by the
throat, contemporary witnesses declare to have been extraordinary. "Horses for Piccolomini's Cavalry,they
had scarcely got their horses, not to speak of training them, not to speak of cannon and the heavier requisites,
when Schwerin began marching out of Glatz on Piccolomini. As to the cannon for Browne and him,
draughtcattle seem absolutely unprocurable. Whereupon Maria Theresa flings open her own Imperial Studs:
'There, yoke these to our cannon; let them go their swiftest;'which awoke such an enthusiasm, that
noblemen and peasants crowded forward with their coachhorses and their carthorses, to relay Browne, all
through Bohemia, at different stages; and the cannon and equipments move to their places at the gallop, in a
manner," [Archenholtz, i. 24.]and even Browne, at the base of the Metal Mountains, has got most of his
equipments. And is astir towards Pirna (Army of 60,000, rumor says), for relief of the Saxon martyrs.
Friedrich's complexities are getting day by day more stringent.
From the middle of September, Marshal Keith, as was observed, with Half of the Prussians, Duke Ferdinand
of Brunswick under him, has been on the Bohemian slope of the Metal Mountains; securing the roads, towns
and passes thereabouts, and looking out for the advance of Marshal Browne from the interior parts. Town of
Aussig, and the Riverroad (castle of Tetschen, on its high rock known to Tourists, which always needs to be
taken on such occasions), these Keith has secured. Lies encamped from Peterswalde to Aussig, the middle or
main strength of him being in the Hamlet of Johnsdorf (discoverable, if readers like): there lies Keith, fifteen
miles in length; like a strap, or bar, thrown across the back of that Metal Mountain Range,or part of its
back; for the range is very broad, and there is much inequality, and many troughs, big and little, partial and
general, in the crossing of it. A tract which my readers and I have crossed before now, by the "Pascopol" or
Post road and otherwise; and shall often have to cross!
Browne, vigorously astir in the interior (cannon and equipments coming by relays at such a pace), is daily
advancing, with his best speed: in the last days of September, Browne is encamped at Budin; may cross the
Eger River any day, and will then be within two marches of Keith. His intentions towards Pirna Country are
fixed and sure; but the plan or route he will take is unknown to everybody, and indeed to Browne himself, till
he see near at hand and consider. Browne's problem, he himself knows, is abundantly abstruse,bordering
on the impossible; but he will try his best. To get within reach of the Saxons is almost impossible to Browne,
even were there no Keith there. As good as impossible altogether, by any line of march, while Keith is afoot
in those parts. By Aussig, down the River, straight for the interior of their Camp, it is flatly impossible: by the
south or southeast corner of their Camp (Gottleube way), or by the northeast (by Schandau way, right bank of
Elbe), it is virtually so,at least without beating Keith. Could one beat Keith indeed;but that will not be
easy! And that, unluckily, is the preliminary to everything.
"By the HellendorfHennersdorf side, in the wastes where Gottleube Brook gathers itself, Browne might
have a chance. There, on that southeast corner of their Camp, were he once there to attack the Prussians from
without, while the Saxons burst up from within, there," thinks a good judge, "is much the favorablest
place. But unless Browne's Army had wings, how is it ever to get there? Across those MetalMountain
ranges, barred by Keith:by Aussig, with the rocks overhanging Elbe River and him, he cannot go in auy
case. Were there no Keith, indeed (but there always is, standing ready on the spring), one might hold to
leftward, and by stolen marches, swift, far round about!
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"By Schandau region, north side of the Elbe, is Browne's easiest, and indeed one feasible, point of
approach,no Prussians at present between him and that; the road open, though a far circuit northward for
Browne,were he to cross the Elbe in Leitmeritz circle, and march with velocity? That too will be
difficult, nearly impossible in sight of Keith. And were that even done, the egress for the Saxons, by
Schandau side, is through strait mountain gorges, intricate steep passes, crossings of the Elbe: what force of
Saxons or of Austrians will drive the Prussians from their redoubts and batteries there?" [ OEuvres de
Frederic, iv. 86, 93, 96.]
Browne's problem is none of the feasiblest: but his orders are strict, "Relieve the Saxons, at all risks." And
Browne, one of the ablest soldiers liviug ("Your Imperial Majesty's best general," said the dying
Khevenhuller long since), will do his utmost upon it. Friedrich does not think the enterprise very
dangerous, beating of Keith the indispensable preliminary to it; but will naturally himself go and look into
it.
Tuesday, September 28th, Friedrich quits Pirna Country by the Prag Highway; making due inspection of his
Posts as he goes along; and, the outmost of these once past, drives rapidly up the Mountains; gets, with small
escort, through Peterswalde on to Johnsdorf that night. Does not think this Keith position good; breaks up this
"Camp of Johnsdorf" bodily next morning; and marches down the Mountains, direct towards Browne; who,
we hear, is about crossing the Eger (his Pontoons now come at last), and will himself be on the advance.
From Turmitz, a poor mountain hamlet in the hollow of the Hills, which is headquarters that night, the
march proceeds again; Friedrich with the vanguard; Army, I think, on various countryroads, on both hands;
till all get upon the Great Road again,PragToplitzDresden Postroad; which is called, specially in this
part of it, and loosely in whole, "The Pascopol," and leads down direct to Budin and Browne.
"A 'Pascopol' famed in military annals," says our Tourist. "It is a road with many windings, many precipitous
sweeps of up and down; road precipitous in structure;offers views to the lover of wild Nature: huge
lonesome Hills scattered in the distance; waste expanses nearer hand, and futile attempts at moorish
agriculture; but little else that is comfortable. In times of Peace, you will meet, at long intervals, some
postvehicle struggling forward under melancholy circumstances; some cart, or dilapidated mongrel between
cart and basket, with a lean ox harnessed to it, and scarecrow driver, laden with pitcoal,which you wish
safe home, and that the scarecrow were getting warmed by it. But in Wartime the steep road is livelier; the
common Invasion road between Saxony and Bohemia; whole Armies sweeping over it, and their
thousandfold wagons and noises making clangor enough. ... One of those Hollows, on the Pascopol, is
Joachimsthal, with its old Silver Mines; yielding coins which were in request with traders, the silver being
fine. 'Let my ducat be a Joachimsthal one, then!' the old trader would say: 'a JOACHIMSTHALER;' or, for
brevity, a 'THALER;' whence THALER, and at last DOLLAR (almighty and otherwise),now going
round the world! [Busching, Erdbeschreibung, v. 178.] Pascopol finishes in Welmina Township. From the
last hamlet in Welmina, at the neck of the last Hill, step downward one mile, holding rather to the left, you
will come on the innocent Village of Lobositz, its poor cornmills and huckstershops all peaceably
unknown as yet, which is soon to become very famous."
The Countryroads where Friedrich's Army is on march, I should think, are mostly on the mounting hand.
For here, from Turmitz, is a trough again; though the last considerable one; and on the crest of that, we shall
look down upon the Bohemian Plains and the grand Basin of the Elbe,through various scrubby villages
which are not nameworthy; through one called Kletschen, which for a certain reason is. Crossing the shoulder
of Kletschenberg (HILL of this Kletschen), which abuts upon the Pascopol,yonder in bright sunshine is
your beautiful expansive Basin of the Elbe, and the green Bohemian Plains, revealed for a moment. Friedrich
snatches his glass, not with picturesque object: "See, yonder is Feldmarschall Browne, then! In camp yonder,
down by Lobositz, not ten miles from us,[it is most true; Browne marched this morning, long before the
Sun; crossed Eger, and pitched camp at noon] Good!" thinks Friedrich. And pushes down into the
Pascopol, into the hollows and minor troughs, which hide Browne henceforth, till we are quite near.
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Quite near, through Welmina and a certain final gap of the Hills, Friedrich with the vanguard does emerge,
"an hour before sunset;" overhanging Browne; not above a mile from the Camp of Browne. A very large
Camp, that of Browne's, flanked to right by the Elbe; goes from Sulowitz, through Lobositz, to Welhoten
close on Elbe; and has properties extremely well worth studying just now! "Friedrich" the Books say,
"bivouacs by a fire of sticks," short way down on the southern slope of the Hill; and till sunset and after, has
eyeglass, brain, and faculties and activities sufficiently occupied for the rest of the night;his Divisions
gradually taking post behind him, under arms; "not till midnight, the very rearmost of them." ["Tuesday, 28th
September, left the Camp at Sedlitz, with 8 battalions 20 squadrons, to Johnsdorf: 29th, to Turmitz,Browne
is to pass the Eger tomorrow. From the tops of the Pascopol (30th), SEE an Austrian Camp in the Plain of
Lobositz. Vanguard bivouacs in the 'neck' of the two Hills or a little beyond." PRUSSIAN ACCOUNT OF
CAMPAIGN 1756 (in Gesammelte Nachrichten, i. 844845, 840858); Anonymous of Hamburg;
Chapter VI. BATTLE OF LOBOSITZ.
Welmina,or ReschniAujest, last pertinent of Welmina (but we will take Friedrich's name for it), offers to
the scrutinizing eye nothing, in our day, but some bewildered memory of "Alte Fritz" clinging obstinately
even to the Peasant mind thereabouts. A sleepy littery place; some biggish haggard untrimmed trees, some
broken backed sleepylooking thatched houses, not in contact, and each as far as might be with its back
turned on the other, and cloaked in its own litter and privacy. Probably no human creature will be visible, as
you pass through. Much straw lying about, chiefly where the few gaunt trees look down on it (cattle glad of
any shelter): in fact, it is mainly an extinct tumult of straw; nothing alive, as you pass, but a few poor oxen
languidly sauntering up and down, finding much to trample, little to eat. The Czech Populations (were it not
for that "Question of the Nationalities") are not very beautiful!
Close south of this poor Hamlet is a big Hill, conspicuous with three peaks; quite at the other base of which, a
good way down, lies Lobositz, the main Village in those parts; a place now of assiduous cornmill and fruit
trade; and one of the stations on the DresdenPrag Railway. This Hill is what Lloyd calls the Lobosch;
[MajorGeneral Lloyd, History of the late War in Germany, 17561759 (3 vols. 4to, London, 1781), i.
211.] twin to which, only flatter, is Lloyd's "Homolka Hill" (Hill of RADOSTITZ in more modern Plans
and Books). Conspicuous Heights, and important to us here,though I did not find the Peasants much know
them under those names. By the southern shoulder of this Lobosch Hill runs the road from Welmina to
Lobositz, with branches towards many other villages. To your right or southern hand, short way southward,
rises the other Hill, which Lloyd calls Homolka Hill; the gap or interval between Homolka and Lobosch,
perhaps a furlong in extent, is essentially the PASS through those uplands. This pass, Friedrich, at the first
moment, made sure of; filling the same with battalions, there to bivouac. He likewise promptly laid hold of
the two Hills, high Lobosch to his left, and lower Homolka to right; which precautionary measure it is
reckoned a fault in Browne to have neglected, that night; fault for which he smarted on the morrow.
From this upland pass, or neck between the two Mountains, Friedrich's battalions would have had a fine view,
had the morning shone for them: Lobositz, Leitmeritz, Melnick; a great fertile Valley, or expanse of fruitful
country, many miles in breadth and length; Elbe, like a silver stripe, winding grandly through the finest of all
his countries, before ducking himself into the rock tumults of that Pirna district. The mountain gorges of
Prag and Moldau River, south of Melnick, lie hidden under the horizon, or visible only as peaks, thirty miles
and more to southeastward; a bright country intervening, sprinkled with steepled towns. To northwestward,
far away, are the Lausitz Mountains, ranked in loose order, but massive, making a kind of range: and as
outposts to them in their scattered state, Hills of good height and aspect are scattered all about, and break the
uniformity of the Plain. Nowhere in North Germany could the Prussian battalions have a finer view,if the
morning were fine, and if views were their object.
The morning, first in October, was not fine; and it was far other than scenery that the Prussian battalions had
in hand!Friday, 1st October, 1756, Day should have broken: but where is day? At seven in the morning
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(and on till eleven), thick mist lay over the plain; thin fog to the very hilltops; so that you cannot see a
hundred yards ahead. Lobositz is visible only as through a crape; farther on, nothing but gray sea; under
which, what the Austrians are doing, or whether there are any Austrians, who can say? Leftward on the
LoboschHill side, as we reconnoitre, some Pandours are noticeable, nestled in the vineyards there:that
sunward side of the Lobosch is all vineyards, belonging to the different Lobositzers: scrubby vineyards, all in
a brown plucked state at this season. Vineyards parted by low stone walls, say three or four feet high (parted
by hurdles, or by tiny trenches, in our day, and the stone walls mere stone facings): there are the Pandours
crouched, and give fire in a kneeling posture when you approach. Lower down, near Lobositz itself,
flickerings as of Horse squadrons, probably Hussar parties, twinkle dubious in the wavering mist. Problem
wrapt in mist; nothing to be seen; and all depends on judging it with accuracy! Seven by the clock: Deploy, at
any rate; let us cover our post; and be in readiness for events.
Friedrich's vanguard of itself nearly fills that neck, or space between the Lobosch and Homolka Hills. He
spreads his Infantry and "hundred fieldpieces," in part, rightwards along the Homolka Hill; but chiefly
leftwards along the Lobosch, where their nearest duty is to drive off those Pandours. Always as a new
battalion, pushing farther leftward, comes upon its ground, the Pandours give fire on it;and it on the
Pandours; till the Left Wing is complete, and all the Lobosch is, in this manner, a crackling of Pandour
musketry. and antimusketry. Right Wing, steady to its guns on the Homolka, has as yet nothing to do. Those
wings of Infantry are two lines deep; the Cavalry, in three lines, is between them in the centre; no room for
Cavalry elsewhere, except on the outskirts some fringing of light horse, to be ready for emergencies.
The Pandour firing, except for the noise of it, does not amount to much; they can take no aim, says Lloyd,
crouching behind their stone fences; and the Prussian Battalions, steadily pushing downwards, trample out
their sputtering, and clear the Lobosch of them to a safe distance. But the ground is intricate, so wrapt in mist
for the present. That crackling lasts for hours; decisive of nothing; and the mist also, and one's anxious
guessings and scrutinizings, lasts in a wavering fitful manner.
Once, for some time, in the wavering of the mist, there was seen, down in the plain opposite our centre, a
body of Cavalry. Horse for certain: say ten squadrons of them, or 1,500 Horse; continually manoeuvring,
changing shape; now in more ranks, now in fewer; sometimes "checkerwise," formed like a draughtboard;
shooting out wings: they career about, one sees not whither, or vanish again into the mist behind. "Browne's
rearguard this, that we are come upon," thinks Friedrich; "these squatted Pandours, backed by Horse, must
be his rearguard, that are amusing us: Browne and the Army are off; crossing the Elbe, hastening towards
the Schandau, the Pirna quarter, while we stand bickering and idly sputtering here!" Weary of such idle
business, Friedrich orders forward Twenty of his Squadrons from the centre station: "Charge me those
Austrian Horse, and let us finish this." The Twenty Squadrons, preceded by a pair of fieldpieces, move
down hill; storm in upon the Austrian party, storm it furiously into the mist; are furiously chasing it, when
unexpected cannonbatteries, destructive caseshot, awaken on their left flank (batteries from Lobositz, one
may guess); and force them to draw back. To draw back, with some loss; and rank again, in an indignantly
blown condition, at the foot of their Hill. Indignant; after brief breathing, they try it once more.
"Don't try it!" Friedrich had sent out to tell them: for the mist was clearing; and Friedrich, on the higher
ground, saw new important phenomena: but it was too late. For the Twenty Squadrons are again dashing
forward; sweeping down whatever is before them: in spite of cannonvolleys, they plunge deeper and deeper
into the mist; come upon "a ditch twelve feet broad" (big swampy drain, such as are still found there,
grassgreen in summertime); clear said ditch; forward still deeper into the mist: and after three hundred
yards, come upon a second far worse "ditch;" plainly impassable this one,"ditch" they call it, though it is in
fact a vile sedgy Brook, oozing along there (the MORELL BACH, considerable Brook, lazily wandering
towards Lobositz, where it disembogues in rather swifter fashion);and are saluted with cannon, from the
farther side; and see serried ranks under the gauze of mist: Browne's Army, in fact! The Twenty Squadrons
have to recoil out of shotrange, the faster, the better; with a loss of a good many men, in those two charges.
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Friedrich orders them up Hill again; much regretful of this second charge, which he wished to hinder; and
posts them to rearward,where they stand silent, the unconscious stoic philosophers in buff, and have little
farther service through the rest of the day.
It is now 11 o'clock; the mist all clearing off; and Friedrich, before that second charge, had a growing view of
the Plain and its condition. Beyond question, there is Browne; not in retreat, by any means; but in full array;
numerous, and his position very strong. Ranked, unattackable mostly, behind that oozy Brook, or BACH of
Morell; which has only two narrow Bridges, cannon plenty on both: one Bridge from the south parts to
Sulowitz (OUR road to Sulowitz and it would be by Radostitz and the Homolka); and then one other Bridge,
connecting Sulowitz with Lobositz,which latter is Browne's own Bridge, uniting right wing and left of
Browne, so to speak; and is still more unattackable, in the circumstances. What will Friedrich decide on
attempting?
That oozy Morell Brook issues on Browne's side of Lobositz, cutting Browne in two; but is otherwise all in
Browne's favor. Browne extends through Lobositz; and beyond it, curves up to Welhoten on the Riverbrink;
at Lobositz are visible considerable redoubts, cannonbatteries and much regular infantry. Browne will be
difficult to force yonder, in the Lobositz part; but yonder alone can he be tried. He is pushing up more
Infantry that way; conscious probably of that fact,and that the Lobosch Hill is not his, but another's. What
would not Browne now give for the Lobosch Hill! Yesternight he might have had it gratis, in a manner; and
indeed did try slightly, with his Pandour people (durst not at greater expense),who have now ceased
sputtering, and cower extinct in the lower vineyards there. Browne, at any rate, is rapidly strengthening his
right wing, which has hold of Lobositz; pushing forward in that quarter,where the Brook withal is of
firmer bottom and more wadable. Thither too is Friedrich bent. So that Lobositz is now the key of the Battle;
there will the tug of war now be.
Friedrich's cavalry is gone all to rearward. His right wing holds the Homolka Hill,that too would now be
valuable to Browne; and cannot be had gratis, as yesternight! Friedrich's left wing is on the Lobosch;
Pandours pretty well extinct before it, but now from Welhoten quarter new Regulars coming on thither,as
if Browne would still take the Lobosch? Which would be victory to him; but is not now possible to Browne.
Nor will long seem so;Friedrich having other work in view for him;meaning now to take Lobositz,
instead of losing the Lobosch to him! Friedrich pushes out his Left Wing still farther leftward, leftward and
downward withal, to clear those vineyardfences completely of their occupants, Pandour or Regular, old or
new. This is done; the vineyardfences swept;and the sweepings driven, in a more and more stormy
fashion, towards Welhoten and Lobositz; the Lobosch falling quite desperate for Browne.
Henceforth Friedrich directs all his industry to taking Lobositz; Browne, to the defending of it, which he does
with great vigor and fire; his batteries, redoubts, doing their uttermost, and his battalions rushing on, mass of
them after mass, at quick march, obstinate, fierce to a degree, in the height of temper; and showing such fight
as we never had of them before. Friedrich's Left Wing and Browne's Right now have it to decide between
them;any attempt Browne makes with his Left through Sulowitz (as he once did, and once only) is
instantly repressed by cannon from the Homolka Hill. And the rest of the Battle, or rather the Battle
itself,for all hitherto has been pickeering and groping in the mist,may be made conceivable in few
words.
Friedrich orders the second line of his Left Wing to march up and join with the first; Right Wing, shoving
ITS two lines into one, is now to cover the Lobosch as well. Left Wing, in condensed condition, shall fall
down on Lobositz, and do its best. They are now clear of the vineyardworks; the ground is leveller, though
still sloping,a three furlongs from the Village, and somewhat towards the Elbe, when Browne's battalions
first came extensively to close grips; fierce enough (as was said); the toughest wrestle yet had with those
Austrians,coming on with steady fury, under such force of cannon; with iron ramrods too, and improved
ways, like our own. But nothing could avail them; the counterfury being so great. They had to go at the
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Welhoten part, and even to run, plunging into Elbe, a good few of them, and drowning there, in the vain
hope to swim. "Never have my troops," says Friedrich, "done such miracles of valor, cavalry as well as
infantry, since I had the honor to command them. By this deadlift achievement (TOUR DE FORCE) I have
seen what they can do." [Letter to Schwerin, "Lobositz, 2d August, 1756" (Retzow, i. 64); RELATION DE
LA CAMPAGNE, 1756, that is, PRUSSIAN ACCOUNT (in Gesammelte Nachrichten), i. 848. Lloyd, UT
SUPRA, i. 211 (who has solid information at first hand, having been an actor in these Wars. A man of great
natural sagacity and insight; decidedly luminous and original, though of somewhat crabbed temper now and
then; a man well worth hearing on this and on whatever else he handles). Tempelhof, GESCHICHTE DES
SIEBENJAHRIGEN KRIEGES (which is at first a mere Translation of Lloyd, nothing new in it but certain
notes and criticisms on Lloyd; when Lloyd ends, Tempelhof, Prussian Major and Professor, a learned,
intelligent, but diffuse man, of far inferior talent to Lloyd, continues and completes on his own footing: six
very thin 4tos, Berlin, 1794), i. 38 (Battle, with FOOTNOTES), and ib. 51 (CRITICISM of Lloyd). Prussian
and Austrian Accounts in HeldenGeschichte, iii. 800 et seq. Many Narratives in FELDZUGE, and the
BEYLAGE to Seyfarth;
In fine, after some three hours more of desperate tugging and struggling, cannon on both sides going at a
great rate, and infinite musketry ("ninety cartridges a man on our Prussian side, and ammunition falling
done"), not without bayonetpushings, and smitings with the butt of your musket, the Austrians are driven
into Lobositz; are furiously pushed there, and, in spite of new battalions coming to the rescue, are fairly
pushed through. These Villagestreets are too narrow for new battalions from Browne; "much of the Village
should have been burnt beforehand," say cool judges. And now, sure enough, it does get burnt; Lobositz is
now all on fire, by Prussian industry. So that the Austrians have to quit it instantly; and rush off in great
disorder; key of the Battle, or Battle itself, quite lost to them.
The Prussian infantry, led by the Duke of BrunswickBevern ("Governor of Stettin," one of the
DukeFerdinand cousinry, frugal and valiant), gave the highest satisfaction; seldom was such firing, such
furious pushing; they had spent ninety cartridges a man; were at last quite out of cartridges; so that Bevern
had to say, "Strike in with bayonets, MEINE KINDER; buttends, or what we have; HERAN!" Our
Grenadiers were mainly they that burnt Lobositz. "How salutary now would it have been," says Epimetheus
Lloyd, "had Browne had a small battery on the other side of the Elbe;" whereby he might have taken them in
flank, and shorn them into the wind! Epimetheus marks this battery on his Plan; and is wise behindhand, at a
cheap rate.
Browne's Right Wing, and probably his Army with it, would have gone much to perdition, now that Lobositz
was become Prussian,had not Browne, in the nick of the moment, made a masterly movement: pushed
forward his Centre and Left Wing, numerous battalions still fresh, to interpose between the chasing Prussians
and those fugitives. The Prussians, infantry only, cannot chase on such terms; the Prussian cavalry, we know,
is far rearward on the high ground. Browne retires a mile or two,southward, Budinward,not chased;
and there halts, and rearranges himself; thinking what farther he will do. His aim in fighting had only been to
defend himself; and in that humble aim he has failed. Chase of the Prussians over that HomolkaLobosch
country, with the high grounds rearward and the Metal Mountains in their hands, he could in no event have
attempted.
The question now is: Will he go back to Budin; or will he try farther towards Schandau? Nature points to the
former course, in such circumstances; Friedrich, by way of assisting, does a thing much admired by
Lloyd;detaches Bevern with a strong party southward, out of Lobositz, which is now his, to lay hold of
Tschirskowitz, lying Budinward, but beyond the Budin Road. Which feat, when Browne hears of it, means
to him, "Going to cut me off from Budin, then? From my ammunitionstores, from my very
breadcupboard!" And he marches that same midnight, silently, in good order, back to Budin. He is not much
ruined; nay the Prussian loss is numerically greater: "3,308 killed and wounded, on the Prussian side; on the
Austrian, 2,984, with three cannon taken and two standards." Not ruined at all; but foiled, frustrated; and has
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to devise earnestly, "What next?" Once rearranged, he may still try.
The Battle lasted seven hours; the last four of it very hot, till Lobositz was won and lost. It was about 5 P.M.
when Browne fired his retreatcannon:cannon happened to be loaded (say the AnecdoteBooks,
mythically given now and then); Friedrich, wearied enough, had flung himself into his carriage for a
moment's rest, or thankful reflection; and of all places, the ball of the retreat cannon lighted THERE.
Between Friedrich's feet, as he lay reclining,say the AnecdoteBooks, whom nobody is bound to believe.
On the strength of those two Prussian charges, which had retired from caseshot on their flank, and had not
wings, for getting over sedge and ooze, Austria pretended to claim the victory. "Two charges repelled by our
gallant horse; Lobositz, indeed, was got on fire, and we had nothing for it but to withdraw; but we took a new
position, and only left that for want of water;"with the like excuses. "Essentially a clear victory," said the
Austrians; and sang TEDEUM about it;but profited nothing by that piece of melody. The fact,
considerable or not, was, from the first, too undeniable: Browne beaten from the field. And beaten from his
attempt too (the Saxons not relievable by this method); and lies quiet in Budin again,with his water sure to
him; but what other advantages gained?
Here are two Letters, brief both, which we may as well read:
1. FRIEDRICH TO WILHELMINA (at Baireuth).
"LOBOSITZ, 4th October, 1756.
"MY DEAR SISTER,Your will is accomplished. Tired out by these Saxon delays, I put myself at the head
of my Army of Bohemia [Keith's hitherto]; and marched from Aussig toa Name which seemed to me of
good augury, being yours,to the Village of Welmina [Battle was called OF WELMINA, by the Prussians
at first]. I found the Austrians here, near Lobositz; and, after a Fight of seven hours, forced them to run.
Nobody of your acquaintance is killed, except Generals Luderitz and OErzen [who are not of ours].
"I return you a thousand thanks for the tender part you take in my lot. Would to Heaven the valor of my
Army might procure us a stable Peace! That ought to be the aim of War. Adieu, my dear Sister; I embrace
you tenderly, assuring you of the lively affection with which I amF." [ OEuvres, xxvii. i. 291.]
2. PRINCE OF PRUSSIA TO VALORI (who is still at Berlin, but soon going as it proves,Broglio's
explosion at the Lines of GrossSedlitz being on hand, during the King's absence, in these very hours
["5th6th October" (Valori, ii. 353).]
"CAMP OF LOBOSITZ, 5th October, 1756.
"You will know the news of the day; and I am persuaded you take part in it. All you say to me betokens the
conspiracy there is for the destruction of our Country. If that is determined in the Book of Fate, we cannot
escape it.
"Had my advice been asked, a year ago, I should have voted to preserve the Alliance [with YOU] which we
had been used to for sixteen years [strictly for twelve, though in substance ever since 1740], and which was
by nature advantageous to us. But if my advice were asked just now, I should answer, That the said method
being now impossible, we are in the case of a ship's captain who defends himself the best he can, and when
all resources are exhausted, has, rather than surrender on shameful conditions, to fire the powder magazine,
and blow up his ship. You remember that of your Francois I."FORS L'HONNEUR; ah yes, very
well!"Perhaps it will be my poor Children who will be the victims of these past errors," for such I still
think them, I for my part.
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Chapter VI. BATTLE OF LOBOSITZ. 1086
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"The Gazettes enumerate the French troops that are to besiege Wesel, Geldern [Wesel they will get gratis,
poor Geldern will almost break their heart first], and take possession of Ost Friesland; the Russian
Declaration [Manifesto not worth reading] tells us Russia's intentions for the next year [most truculent
intentions]: we will defend ourselves to the last drop of our blood, and perish with honor. If you have any
counsel farther, I pray you give it me.
MAP GOES HERE BETWEEN P. 350 AND 351 Chap VII book 17
"Remain always my friend; and believe that in all situations I will remain yours; and trying to do what my
duty is, will not forfeit the sentiments on your part which have been so precious to me. Your servant,
GUILLAUME." [Valori, ii. 204206.]
"Pity this good Prince contemplating the downfall of his House," suggests Valori: "He deserved a better fate!
He would be in despair to think I had sent this Letter to your Excellency; but I thought perhaps you would
show it to the King,"and that it might do good one day. [Valori (to the French Minister, "12th October,
1756"), ii. 204.] The Prussians lay in their "Camp of Lobositz," posted up and down in that neighborhood, for
a couple of weeks more; waiting whether Rrowne would attempt anything farther in the fighting way; and, in
fine, whether the solution of the crisis would fall out hereabouts, or on the other side of the Hills.
Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS.
The disaster of October 1stfor which they were trying to sing TEDEUMS at Viennafell heavier on the
poor Saxons, in their cage at Pirna: "Alas, where is our deliverance now?" Friedrich's people, in their lines
here, gave them such a "joyfiring" for Lobositz as Retzow has seldom heard; huge volleyings, salvoings,
runningfires, starting out, artistically timed and stationed, thunderous, high; and borne by the echoes,
gloomily reverberative, into every dell and labyrinth of the Pirna Country;intended to strike a deeper damp
into them, thinks he. [Retzow, i. 67.] But Imperial Majesty was mindful, too; and straightway sent Browne
positive order, "Deliver me these poor Saxons at any price!" And in the course of not quite a week from
Lobositz, there arrives a confidential Messenger from Browne: "Courage still, ye caged Saxons; I will try it
another way! Only you must hold out till the 11th; on the 11th stand to your tools, and it shall be done."
Browne is to take a succinct Detachment, 8,000 picked men, horse and foot; to make a wider sweep with
these, well eastward by the foot of Lausitz Hills, and far enough from all Prussian parties and scouts; to
march, with all speed and silence, "through BohmLeipa, Kamnitz, Rumburg, Schluckenau; and come in
upon the Schandau region, quite from the northeast side; say, at Lichtenhayn; an eligible Village, which is but
seven miles or so from the Konigstein, with the chasmy country and the river intervening. Monday, October
llth, Browne will arrive at Lichtenhayn (sixty miles of circling march from Budin); privately post himself
near Lichtenhayn; Prussian posts, of no great strength, lying ahead of him there. You, indignant extenuated
Saxons, are to get yourselves across,near the Konigstein it will have to be, under cover of the Konigstein's
cannon,on the front or riverward side of those same Prussian posts: crossingplace (Browne's Messenger
settles) can be Thurmsdorf Hamlet, opposite the Lilienstein, opposite the Hamlets of Ebenheit and Halbstadt
there. Konigstein fire will cover your bridge and your building of it.
"Monday night next, I say, post yourselves there, with hearts resolute, with powder dry; there, about the
eastern roots of the Lilienstein [beautiful Show Mountain, with stairsteps cut on it for Tourist people, by
August the Strong], and avoid the Prussian battery and abatis which is on it just now! You at Ebenheit, I at
Lichtenhayn, trimmed and braced for action, through that Monday night. Tuesday morning, the Konigstein, at
your beckoning, shall fire two cannonshots; which shall mean, 'All ready here!' Then forward, you, on those
Prussian posts by the front; I will attack them by the rear. With right fury, both of us! I am told, they are but
weak in those posts; surely, by double impetus, and deadlift effort from us both, they CAN be forced? Only
force them,you are in the open field again; and you march away with me, colors flying; your hungercage
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Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS. 1087
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and all your tribulations left behind you!"
This is Browne's plan. The poor Saxons accept,what choice have they?though the question of crossing
and bridgebuilding has its intricacies; and that inevitable item of "postponement till the 11th" is a sore
clause to them; for not only are there short and ever shorter rations, but grim famine itself is advancing with
large strides. The "daily twenty ounces of meal" has sunk to half that quantity; the "ounce or so of
butcher'smeat once a week" has vanished, or become HORSE of extreme leanness. The cavalry horses have
not tasted oats, nothing but hay or straw (not even water always); the artillery horses had to live by grazing,
brown leaves their main diet latterly. Not horses any longer; but walking trestles, poor animals! And the
men,well, they are fallen pale; but they are resolute as ever. The nine cornmills, which they have in this
circuit of theirs, grind now night and day; and all the cavalry are set to thresh whatever grain can be found
about; no hind or husbandman shall retain one sheaf: in this way, they hope, utter hunger may be staved off,
and the great attempt made. [PRECIS DE LA RETRAITE DE L'ARMEE SAXONNE DE SON CAMP DE
PIRNA (in Gesammelte Nachrichten, i. 482494).]
Browne skilfully and perfectly did his part of the Adventure. Browne arrives punctually at Lichtenhayn,
evening of the 11th; bivouacs, hidden in the Woods thereabouts, in cold damp weather; stealthily reconnoitres
the Prussian Villages ahead, and trims himself for assault, at sound of the two cannons tomorrow. But there
came no cannonsignal on the morrow; far other signallings and messagings tomorrow, and next day, and
next, from the Konigstein and neighborhood! "Wait, Excellency Feldmarschall [writes Bruhl to him, Note
after Note, instead of signalling from the Konigstein]: do wait a very little! You run no risk in waiting; we,
even if we MUST yield, will make that our first stipulation!" "YOU will?" grumbles Browne; and waits,
naturally, with extreme impatience. But the truth is, the Adventure, on the Saxon side of it, has already
altogether misgone; and becomes, from this point onwards, a mere series of failures, futilities and disastrous
miseries, tragical to think of. Worth some record here, since there are Documents abundant;especially as
Feldmarschall Rutowski (who is GeneralinChief, an old, not esteemed, friend of ours) has produced, or
caused to be produced, a Narrative, which illuminates the Business from within as well. [PRECIS, (just
cited); compare TAGEBUCH DER EINSCHLIESSUNG DES SACHSISCHEN LAGERS BEY PIRNA
("Diary," which is the Prussian Account: in Seyfarth, BEYLAGEN), ii. 2248.] The latter is our main
Document here:
I know not how much of the blame was General Rutowski's: one could surmise some laxity of effort, and a
rather slovenlysurvey of facts, in that quarter. The Enterprise, from the first, was flatly impossible, say
judges; and it is certain, poor Rutowski's execution was not firstrate. "How get across the Elbe?" Rutowski
had said to himself, perhaps not quite with the due rigor of candor proportionate to the rigorous fact: "How
get across the Elbe? We have copper pontoons at Pirna; but they will be difficult to cart. Or we might have a
boatbridge; boats planked together two and two. At Pirna are plenty of boats; and by oar and trackrope, the
River itself might be a road for them? Boats or pontoons to Konigstein, by water or land, they must be got.
Eight miles of abysmal roads, our horses all extenuated? Impossible to cart these pontoons!" said Rutowski to
himself.Pity he had not tried it. He had a week to do those eight bad miles in; and 2,000 lean horses,
picking grass or brown leaves, while their riders threshed. "We will drag our pontoons by water, by the Elbe
towpath," thought Rutowski, "that will be easier;"and forthwith sets about preparing for it, secretly
collecting boats at Pirna, steersmen, towingmen, bridgetackle and what else will be necessary.
Rutowski made, at least, no delay. Browne's messenger, we find, had come to him, "Thursday, 7th:" and on
Friday night Rutowski has a squad of boatmen, steersmen and twoscore of towiug peasants ready; and
actually gets under way. They are escorted by the due battalions with fieldpieces;who are to fire upon the
Prussian batteries, and keep up such a blaze of musketry and heavier shot, as will screen the boats in passing.
Surely a ticklish operation, this;arguing a sanguine temper in General Rutowski! The south bank of the
River is ours; but there are various Prussian batteries, three of them very strong, along the north bank, which
will not fail to pelt us terribly as we pass. No help for it;we must trust in luck! Here is the sequel, with
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dates adjusted.
ELBE RIVER, NIGHT OF OCTOBER 8th9th. Friday night, accordingly, so soon as Darkness (unusually
dark this night) has dropt her veil on the business, Rutowski sets forth. The Prussian battery, or bridge head
(TETEDEPONT), at Pirna, has not noticed him, so silent was he. But, alas, the other batteries do not fail to
notice; to give fire; and, in fact, on being answered, and finding it a serious thing, to burst out into horrible
explosion; unanswerable by the Saxon fieldpieces; and surely perilous to human nature steering and towing
those big RiverBoats. "Loyal to our King, and full of pity for him; that are we;"but towing at a rate, say
of two shillings per head! Before long, the forty towing peasants fling down their ropes, first one, then more,
then all, in spite of efforts, promises, menaces; and vanish among the thickets, forfeiting the two shillings,
on view of imminent death. Soldiers take the towingropes; try to continue it a little; but now the steersmen
also manage to call halt: "We won't! Let us out, let us out! We will steer you aground on the Prussian shore if
you don't!" making night hideous. And the towing enterprise breaks down for that bout; double barges
mooring on the Saxon shore, I know not precisely at what point, nor is it material.
SATURDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 9th10th) New boatmen, forty new towmen have been hired at immense
increase of wages; say four shillings for the night: but have you much good probability, my General, that
even for that high guerdon imminence of death can be made indifferent to towmen? No, you have n't. The
matter goes this night precisely as it did last: towmen vanishing in the horrible cannon tumult; steersmen
shrieking, "We will ground you on the Prussian shore;" very soldiers obliged to give it up; and General
Rutowski himself obliged to wash his hands of it, as a thing that cannot be done. In fact, a thing which need
not have been tried, had Rutowski been rigorously candid with himself and his hopes, as the facts now prove
to be. "Twentyfour hours lost by this bad business" (says he; "thirtysix," as I count, or, to take it
rigorously, "forty eight" even): and now, Sunday morning instead of Friday, at what, in sad truth, is
metaphorically "the eleventh hour," Rutowski has to bethink him of his copper pontoons; and make the
impossible carting method possible in a day's time, or do worse.
SUNDAY, MONDAY, OCTOBER 10th11th, By unheardof exertions, all hands and all spenthorses now
at a deadlift effort night and day, Rutowski does get his pontoons carted out of the Pirna storehouse; lands
them at Thurmsdorf,opposite the Lilienstein,a mile or so short of Konigstein, where his Bridge shall be.
It is now the 11th, at night. And our pontoons are got to the ground, nothing more. Every man of us, at this
hour, should have been across, and trimming himself to climb, with bayonet fixed! Browne is ready,
expecting our signalshot to storm in on his side. And our bridge is not built, only the pontoons here. "All
things went perverse," adds Rutowski, for farther comfort: "we [Saxon HomeArmy] had with us, except
Officers, only Four Pontoniers, or trained Bridge builders; all the rest are at Warsaw:" sad thought, but too
late to think it!
TUESDAY, TILL WEDNESDAY EARLY (12th13th), Bridge, the Four Pontoniers, with Officers and
numb soldiers doing their best, is got built;Browne waiting for us, on thorns, all day; Prussians extensively
beginning to strengthen their posts, about the Lilienstein, about Lichtenhayn, or where risk is; and in fact
pouring across to that northern side, quite aware of Rutowski and Browne.
That same night, 12th13th, while the Bridge was struggling to complete itself,rain now falling, and
tempests broken out,the Saxon Army, from Pirna down to Hennersdorf, had lifted itself from its Lines, and
got under way towards Thurmsdorf, and the crossing place. Dark night, plunging rain; all the elements in
uproar. The worst roads in Nature; now champed doubly; "such roads as never any Army marched on
before." Most of their cannon are left standing; a few they had tried to yoke, broke down, "and choked up the
narrow road altogether; so that the cavalry had to dismount, and lead their horses by sidepaths,"figure
what sidepaths! Distance to Thurmsdorf, from any point of the Saxon Lines, cannot be above six miles: but
it takes them all that night and all next day. Such a march as might fill the heart with pity. Oh, ye Rutowskis,
Bruhls, though never so decorated by twelve tailors, what a sight ye are at the head of men! Dark night, wild
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Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS. 1089
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raging weather, labyrinthic roads worn kneedeep. It is broad daylight, Wednesday, 13th, and only the
vanguard is yet got across, trailing a couple of cannons; and splashes about, endeavoring to take rank there, in
spite of wet and hunger; rain still pouring, wind very high.
Nothing of Browne comes, this Wednesday; but from the opposite GrossSedlitz and Gottleube side, the
Prussians are coming. This morning, at daylight, struck by symptoms, "the Prussians mounted our empty
redoubts:" they are now in full chase of us, Ziethen with Hussars as vanguard. A difficult bit of marching,
even Ziethen and his light people find it; sprawling forward, at their cheeriest, with daylight to help, and in
chase, not chased, through such intricacies of rock and mud. Ziethen's company did not assist the Saxons!
They wheel round, show fight, and there is volleying and bickering all day; the Saxon march getting ever
more perturbed. Nearly all the baggage has to be left. Ziethen takes into the woods near Thurmsdorf; giving
fire as the poor wet Saxons, now much in a pellmell condition, pass to their Bridge. [PRUSSIAN
ACCOUNT (in Gesammelte Nachrichten), i. 852.] Heavier Prussians are striding on to rear; these, from some
final hilltop, do at last belch out two cannonshots: figure the confusion at that Bridge, the speed now
becoming delirious there! Towards evening, rain still violent, the Saxons, baggageless, and rushing quite
pellmell the latter part of them, are mostly across, still countable to 14,000 or so;upon which they cut
their Bridge adrift, and let the river take it. At Raden, a few miles lower, the Prussians fished it out; rebuilt it
more deliberately,and we shall find it there anon. This day Friedrich, hearing what is afoot, has returned in
person from the Lobositz Country; takes Struppen as his headquarter, which was lately the Polish Majesty's.
From Browne there has nothing come this Wednesday; but tomorrow morning at seven there comes a Letter
from him, written this night at ten; to the effect:
"HEADQUARTER, LICHTENHAYN, Wednesday, October 13th, 10 P.M. "EXCELLENZ,Have
[omitting the I] waited here at Lichtenhayn since Tuesday, expecting your signalcannon; hearing nothing of
it, conclude you have by misfortune not been able to get across; and that the Enterprise is up. My own
position being dangerous [Prussians of double my strength intrenched within few miles of me], I turn
homewards tomorrow at nine A.M.: ready for whatever occurs TILL then; and sorrowfully say adieu,"
[PRECIS (ut supra), p. 493; HeldenGeschichte, iii. 940;
Dreadful weather for Browne in his bivouac, and wearisome waiting, with Prussians and perils accumulating
on him! Browne was ill of lungs; coughing much; lodging, in these violent tempests, on the cold ground. A
right valiant soldier and man, as does appear; the flower of all the Irish Brownes (though they have quite
forgotten him in our time), and of all those Irish Exiles then tragically spending themselves in Austrian
quarrels! "You saw the great man," says one who seems to have been present, "how he sacrificed himself to
this Enterprise. What Austrian Fieldmarshal but himself would ever have lowered his loftiness to lead, in
person, so insignificant a Detachment, merely for the public good! I have seen staffofficers, distinguished
only by their sasheries and insignia, who would not have stirred to inspect a vedette without 250 men. Our
Fieldmarshal was of another turn. Sharing with his troops all the hardships, none excepted, of these critical
days; and in spite of a violent cough, which often brought the visible blood from his lungs, and had quite
worn him down; exposing himself, like the meanest of the Army, to the tempests of rainy weather. Think
what a sight it was, going to your very heart, and summoning you to endurance of every hardship,that
evening [not said which], when the Fieldmarshal, worn out with his fatigues and his disorder, sank out of
faintingfits into a sleep! The ground was his bed, and the storm of clouds his coverlid. In crowds his brave
warcomrades gathered round; stripped their cloaks, their coats, and strove in noble rivalry which of them
should have the happiness to screen the Father of the Army at their own cost of exposure, and by any device
keep the pelting of the weather from that loved head!" [Cogniazzo, Gestandnisse eines OEsterreichischen
Veterans, ii. 251.] There is a picture for you, in the heights of Lichtenhayn, as you steam past Schandau, in
contemplative mood; and perhaps think of "Justice to Ireland!" among other sad thoughts that rise.
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Page No 1099
From Thurmsdorf to the PontoonBridge there was a kind of road; down which the Saxons scrambled
yesterday; and, by painful degrees, got wriggled across. But, on the other shore, forward to the Hamlets of
Halbstadt and Ebenheit, there is nothing but a steep slippery footpath: figure what a problem for the 14,000 in
such weather! Then at Ebenheit, close behind, Brownewards, were Browne now there, rises the Lilienstein,
abrupt rocky mountain, its slopes on both hands washed by the River (River making its first elbow here,
closely girdling this Lilienstein): on both these slopes are Prussian batteries, each with its abatis; needing to
be stormed: that will be your first operation. Abatis and slopes of the Lilienstein once stormed, you fall
into a valley or hollow, raked again by Prussian batteries; and will have to mount, still storming, out of the
valley, skyhigh across the Ziegenruck (GOAT'SBACK) ridge: that is your second preliminary operation.
After which you come upon the work itself; namely, the Prussian redoubts at Lichtenhayn, and 12,000 men
on them by this time! A modern Tourist says, reminding or informing:
"From the Konigstein to Pirna, Elbe, if serpentine, is like a serpent rushing at full speed. Just past the
Konigstein, the Elbe, from westward, as its general course is, turns suddenly to northward; runs so for a mile
and a half; then, just before getting to the BASTEI at Raden, turns suddenly to westward again, and so
continues. Tourists know Raden,"where the Prussians have just fished out a Bridge for themselves,"with
the BASTEI high aloft to west of it. The Old Inn, hospitable though sleepless, stands pleasantly upon the
Riverbrink, overhung by high cliffs: close on its left side, or in the intricacies to rear of it, are huts and
houses, sprinkled about, as if burrowed in the sandstone; more comfortably than you could expect. The site is
a narrow dell, narrow chasm, with labyrinthic chasms branching off from it; narrow and gloomy as seen from
the River, but opening out even into cornfields as you advance inwards: work of a small Brook, which is still
industriously tinkling and gushing there, and has in Pre Adamite times been a lake, and we know not what.
NiederRaden, this, on the north side of the River; of OberRaden, on the south side, there is nothing visible
from your Inn windows,"nor have we anything to do with it farther. An older Guide of Tourists yields us
this second Fraction (capable of condensation):
... "To Halbstadt, thence to Ebenheit, your path is steeper and steeper; from Ebenheit to the Lilienstein you
take a guide. The Mountain is conical; coarse RED sandstone; steps cut for you where needed: August the
Strong's HuntingLodge (JAGDHUTTE) is here (August went thither in a grand way, 1708, with his Wife);
Lodge still extant, by the side of a wood;Lilienstein towering huge and sheer, solitary, grand, like some
colossal Pillar of the Cyclops, from this round Pediment of Country which you have been climbing; tops of
Lilienstein plumed everywhere with fir and birch, Pediment also very green and woody. August the Strong,
grandly visiting here, 1708, on finish of those stairsteps cut for you, set up an Ebenezer, or Column of
Memorial at this HuntingHut, with Inscription which can still be read, though now with difficulty in its
timeworn state:
"FRIEDERICUS AUGUSTUS, REX [of what? Dare not say of POLAND just now, for fear of Charles XII.],
ET ELECTOR SAX., UT FORTUNAEM VIRTUTE, ITA ASPERAM HANC RUPEM PRIMUS [PRIMUS
not of men, but of Saxon Electors] SUPERAVIT, ADITUMQUE FACILIOREM REDDI CURAVIT. ANNO
1708.""UT FORTUNAM VIRTUTE, As his fortune by valor, SO he conquered this rugged rock
by"Poor devil, only hear him:and think how good Nature is (for the time being) to poor devils and their
354 bastards! [M.(agister) Wilhelm Lebrecht Gotzinger, Schandau und seine Umgebungen, oder
Beschreibung der Sachsischen Schweitz (Dresden, 1812), pp. 145148. Gotzinger, who designates himself as
"Pastor at Neustadt near Stolpen" (northwest border of the Pirna Country), has made of this (which would
now be called a TOURIST'S GUIDE, and has something geological in it) a modest, good little Book, put
together with industry, clearness, brevity. Gives interesting Narrative of our present Business too, as gathered
from his "Father" and other good sources and testimonies.]
Bruhl and the Polish Majesty, safe enough they, and snug in the Konigstein, are clear for advancing: "Die like
soldiers, for your King and Country!" writes Polish Majesty, "Thursday, two in the morning:" that also
Rutowski reads; and I think still other Royal Autographs, sent as Postscripts to that. From the Konigstein they
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duly fire off the two Cannonshot, as signal that we are coming; signal which Browne, just in the act of
departing, never heard, owing to the piping of the winds and rattling of the rain. "Advance, my heroes!"
counsel they: "You cannot drag your ammunitions, say you; your poor couple of big guns? Here are his
Majesty's own royal horses for that service!"and, in effect, the royal stud is heroically flung open in this
pressure; and a splashing column of sleek quadrupeds, "150 royal draughthorses, early in the forenoon,"
[Gotzinger, p. 156.] swim across to Ebenheit accordingly, if that could encourage. And, "about noon, there is
strong cannonading from the Konigstein, as signal to Browne," who is off. Polish Majesty looking with his
spyglass in an astonished manner. In Vain! Rutowski and his Council of War sitting wet in a hut of
Ebenheit, with 14,000 starved men outside, who have stood seventytwo hours of rain, for one itemsee
nothing for it but "surrender on such terms as we can get."
"In fact," independently of weather and circumstances, "the Enterprise," says Friedrich, "was radically
impossible; nobody that had known the ground could have judged it other." Rutowski had not known it, then?
Browne never pretended to know it. Rutowski was not candid with the conditions; the conditions never
known nor candidly looked at; and THEY are now replying to him with candor enough. From the first his
Enterprise was a final flicker of false hope; going out, as here, by spasm, in the rigors of impossibility and flat
despair.
That column of royal horses sent splashing across the River,that was the utmost of selfsacrifice which I
find recorded of his Polish Majesty in this matter. He was very obstinate; his Bruhl and he were. But his
conduct was not very heroic. That royal Autograph, "General Rutowski, and ye true Saxons, attack these
Prussian lines, then; sell your lives like men" (not like Bruhl and me), must have fallen cold on the heart,
after seventytwo hours of rain! Rutowski's wet Council of War, in the hut at Ebenheit, rain still pouring,
answers unanimously, "That it were a leading of men to the butchery;" that there is nothing for it but
surrender. Bruhl and Majesty can only answer: "Welladay; it must be so, then!" Winterfeld, Prussian
Commander hereabouts, grants Armistice, grants liberal "wagonloads of bread" first of all; terms of
Capitulation to be settled at Struppen tomorrow.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15th, Rutowski goes across to Struppen, the late Saxon headquarter, now
Friedrich's;Friday gone a fortnight was the day of Lobositz. Winterfeld and he are the negotiators there;
Friedrich ratifying or refusing by marginal remarks. The terms granted are hard enough: but they must be
accepted. First preliminary of all terms has already been accepted: a gift of bread to these poor Saxons; their
haversacks are empty, their cartridgeboxes drowned; it has rained on them three days and nights. Last
upshot of all terms is still well known to everybody: That the 14,000 Saxons are compelled to become
Prussian, and "forced to volunteer"!
That had been Friedrich's determination, and reading of his rights in the matter, now that hard had come to
hard. "You refused all terms; you have resisted to death (or death'sDOOR); and are now at discretion!" Of
the question, What is to be done with those Saxons? Friedricb had thought a great deal, first and last; and had
found it very intricate,as readers too will, if they think of it. "Prisoners of War,to keep them locked up,
with trouble and expense, in that fashion? They can never be exchanged: Saxony has now nothing to
exchange them with; and Austria will not. Their obstinacy has had costs to me; who of us can count what
costs! In short, they shall volunteer!"
"Never did I, for my poor part, authorize such a thing," loudly asseverated Rutowski afterwards. And indeed
the Capitulation is not precise on that interesting point. A lengthy Document, and not worth the least perusal
otherwise; we condense it into three Articles, all grounding on this general Basis, not deniable by Rutowski:
"The Saxon Army, being at such a pass, ready to die of hunger, if we did NOT lift our finger, has, so to
speak, become our property; and we grant it the following terms:"
"1. Kettledrums, standards and the like insignia and matters of honor,carry these to the Konigstein,
with my regretful respects to his Polish Majesty. Konigstein to be a neutral Fortress during this War. Polish
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Majesty at perfect liberty to go to Warsaw [as he on the instant now did, and never returned].
"2. Officers to depart on giving their parole, Not to serve against us during this War [Parole given,
nothing like too well kept].
"3. Rest of the Army, with all its equipments, munitions, soul and body (so to speak), is to surrender
utterly, and be ours, as all Saxony shall for the present be." [In Helden Geschichte, iii. 920928, at full
lengthwith Briedrich's MARGINALIA noticeably brief.]
That is, in sum, the Capitulation of Struppen. Nothing articulate in it about the one now interesting
point,and in regard to that, I can only fancy Rutowski might interject, interrogatively, perhaps at some
length: "Our soldiers to be Prisoners of War, then?" "Prisoners; yes, clearly,unless they choose to
volunteer, and have a better fate! Prisoners can volunteer. They are at discretion; they would die, if we did
NOT lift our finger!" thus I suppose Winterfeld would rejoin, if necessary;and that, in the
WinterfeldRutowski Conferences, the thing had probably been kept in a kind of CHIAROSCURO by both
parties.
Very certain it is, Sunday, 17th October, 1756, Capitulation being signed the night before, Friedrich goes
across at NiederRaden (where the Pilgrim of the Picturesque now climbs to see the BASTEI; where the
Prussians have, by this time, a Bridge thrown together out of those Pontoons),goes across at
NiederRaden, up that chasmy Pass; rides to the Heights of Waltersdorf, in the opener country behind; and
pauses there, while the captive Saxon Army defiles past him, laying down its arms at his feet. Unarmed, and
now under Prussian word of command, these ExSaxon soldiers go on defiling; march through by that
Chasm of NiederRaden; cross to OberRaden; and, in the plainer country thereabouts, arein I know not
what length of hours, but in an incredibly short length, so swift is the managementchanged wholly into
Prussian soldiers: "obliged to volunteer," every one of them!
That is the fact; fact loudly censured; fact surely questionable, to what intrinsic degree I at this moment do
not know. Fact much blamable before the loose public of mankind; upon which I leave men to their verdict. It
is not a fact which invites imitation, as we shall see! Fact how accomplished; by what methods? that would
be the question with me; but even that is left dark. "The horse regiments, three of heavy horse, he broke; and
distributed about, a good few in his own GardeduCorps." Three other horse regiments were in Poland, the
sole Saxon Army now left,of whom, at least of one man among whom, we may happen to hear. "Ten foot
regiments [what was reckoned a fault] he left together; in Prussian uniform, with Prussian Officers. They
were scattered up and down; put in garrisons; not easy handling them: they deserted by whole companies at a
time in the course of this War." [Preuss, ii. 22, 135; in Stenzel (v. 1620) more precise details.] Not a
measure for imitation, as we said!How Friedrich defended such hard conduct to the Saxons? Reader, I
know only that Destiny and Necessity, urged on by Saxons and others, was hard as adamant upon Friedrich at
this time; and that Friedrich did not the least dream of making any defence;and will have to take your
verdict, such as it may be.
Moritz of Dessau had a terrible Winter of it, organizing and breaking in these Saxon people,got by
pressgang in this way. Polish Majesty, "with 500 of suite," had driven instantly for Warsaw; posthorses
most politely furnished him, and all the Prussian posts and soldiers well kept out of his road,road chosen
for him to that end. Poor soul, he never came back. For six years coming, he saw, from Warsaw in the
distance (amid anarchy and NIEPOZWALAM, which he never lacked there), the wide War raging, in
Saxony especially; and died soon after it was done. Nor did Bruhl return, except broken by that event, and to
die in few months after. Let us pity the poor fatgoose of a Majesty (not illnatured at all, only stupid and
idle): some pity even to the doomed phantasm Bruhl, if you can;and thank Heaven to have got done with
such a pair!
Friedrich's treatment of the Saxon Troops, Saxon Majesty and Country: who shall say that it was wise in all
points? It would be singular treatment, if it were! In all things, AFTER is so different from BEFORE and
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DURING. The truth is, Friedrich hoped long to have made some agreement with the Saxons. And readers
now, in the universal silence, have no notion of Friedrich's complexities from fact, and of the loud howl of
hostile rumor, which was piping through all journals, diplomacies and foreign human throats, against him at
that time.
"The essential passages of War and Peace," says a certain Commentator, "during those Five weeks of Pirna,
can be made intelligible in small compass. But how the world argued of them then and afterwards, and rang
with hot Gazetteer and Diplomatic logic from side to side, no reader will now ever know. A world tornado
extinct, gone:think of the sounds uttered from human windpipes, shrill with rage some of them, hoarse
others with ditto; of the vituperations, execrations, printed and vocal,grating harsh thunder upon Friedrich
and this new course of his. Huge melody of Discords, shrieking, droning, grinding on that topic, through the
afflicted Universe in general, for certain years. The very Pamphlets printed on it,cannot Dryasdust give me
the number of tons weight, then? Dead now every Pamphlet of them; a thing fallen horrible to human nature;
extinct forever, as is the wont in such cases."
I will give only this of Voltaire; a mild Epigram, done at The DELICES, in pleasant view of Ferney and good
things coming. A bolt shot into the stormtost Sea and its wreckages, by a Mariner now cheerily drying his
clothes on the shore there;in fact, an indifferent Epigram, on Kings Friedrich and George, which is now
flying about in select circles:
"Rivaux du Vainqueur de l'Euphrate,
L'Oncle et le Neveu, L'un fait la guerre en pirate,
L'autre en parti bleu. "
"Rivals of Alexander the Great, this Uncle and Nephew make war, the one as a Pirate [seizure of those
French ships], the other [Saxony stolen] as Captain of an Accidental Thievingsquad,"PARTI BLEU, as
the French soldiers call it. [Walpole's LETTERS, "To Sir Horace Mann, 8th December; 1756."]
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Pirna was no sooner done than Friedrich returned to the "Camp at Lobositz," where his victorious
KeithArmy has been lying all this while. The Camp of Lobositz, and all Camps Prussian and Austrian, are
about to strike their tents, and proceed to Winterquarters, to prepare against next Spring. Friedrich set off
thither October 18th (the very day after that of Waltersdorf); with intent to bring home Keith's Army, and see
if Browne meant anything farther (which Browne did not, or does only in the small Tolpatch way); also to
meet, Schwerin, whom he had summoned over from Silesia for a little conference there. Schwerin, after
eating Konigsgratz Country well, which was all he could do, as Piccolomini would not come out, and we
know how strong the ground is,had retired to Silesia again, in due season (snapping up, in a sharply
conclusive manner, any Tolpatcheries that attempted chase of him); taken Winter cantonments in Silesia,
headquarter Schweidnitz; and is now getting his Instructions, here personally, in the Metal Mountains, for a
day or two. [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 946, 948.]
Friedrich brought his KeithArmy home to GrossSedlitz, to join the other Force there; and distributed the
whole into their Winter quarters. Cantoned far and wide, spreading out from Pirna on both hands: on the left
or western hand, by Zwickau, Freyberg, Chemnitz, up to Leipzig, Torgau; and on the right or northeast hand,
by Zittau, Gorlitz, Bautzen, to protect the Lausitz against Austrian inroads,while a remote Detachment,
under Winterfeld, watches the Bober River with similar views. [In HeldenGeschichte, iii. 948 et seq., a
minute List by Place and Regiment.] All which done, or settled to be done, Friedrich quits GrossSedlitz,
November 14th; and takes up his abode at Dresden for this Winter.
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Chapter VIII. WINTER IN DRESDEN.
The Saxon Army is incorporated, then; its King gone under the horizon; the Saxon Country has a Prussian
Board set over it, to administer all things of Government, especially to draw taxes and recruits from Saxony.
Torgau, seat of this new Board, has got fortified; "1,500 inhabitants were requisitioned as spademen for that
end, at first with wages,"latterly, I almost fear, without!
The Saxon Ministers are getting drilled, cashiered if necessary; and on all hands, rigorous methods going
forward;till Saxony is completely under grasp; in which state it was held very tight indeed, for the six
years coming. There is no detailing of all that; details, were they even known to an Editor at such distance,
would weary every reader. Enough to understand that Friedrich has not on this occasion, as he did in 1744,
omitted to disarm Saxony, to hobble it in every limb, and have it, at discretion, tied as with ropes to his
interests and him. [ HeldenGeschichte, iii. 945956.] His management was never accounted cruel; and it
was studiously the reverse of violent or irregular: but it had to be rigorous as the facts were;nor was it the
worst, or reckoned the worst, of Saxony's miseries in this time.
Poor Country, suffering for its Bruhl! In the Country, except for its Bruhl, there was no sin against Prussia;
the reverse rather. The Saxon population, as Protestants, have no goodwill to Austria and its aims of
aggrandizement. In Austrian spyletters, now and afterwards, they are described to us as "GUT
PREUSSISCH;" "strong for Prussia, the most of them, even in Dresden itself."
Whether Friedrich could have had much real hope to end the War this Year, or scare it off from beginning,
may be a question. If he had, it is totally disappointed. The Saxon Government has brought ruin on itself and
Country, but it has been of great damage to Friedrich. Would Polish Majesty have consented to disband his
soldiers, and receive Friedrich with a BONAFIDE "Neutrality," Friedrich could have passed the Mountains
still in time for a heavy stroke on Bohemia, which was totally unprepared for such a visit, And he
mightfrom the Towers of Prag, for instancehave, far more persuasively, held out the olivebranch to an
astonished Empress Queen: "Leave me alone, Madam; will you, then! Security for that; I wanted and want
nothing more!" But Polish Majesty, taking on him the character of Austrian martyr, and flinging himself into
the gulf, has prevented all that; has turned all that the other way.
Austria, it appears, is quite ungrateful: "Was n't he bound?" thinks Austria,as its wont rather is. Forgetful
of the great deliverance wrought for it by poor Polish Majesty; whom it could not deliverexcept into
bottomless wreck! Austria, grateful or not, stands unscathed; has time to prepare its Armaments, its vocal
Arguments: Austria is in higher provocation than ever; and its very Arguments, highly vocal to the Reich and
the world, "Is not this man a robber, and enemy of mankind?" do Friedrich a great deal of ill. Friedrich's
sudden Campaign, instead of landing him in the heart of the Austrian States, there to propose Peace, has
kindled nearly all Europe into flames of rage against him,which will not consist in words merely! Never
was misunderstanding of a man at a higher pitch: "Such treatment of a peaceable Neighbor and Crowned
Head,witness it, ye Heavens and thou Earth!" Dauphiness falling on her knees to Most Christian Majesty;
"Princess and dearest Sister" to Most Christian Majesty's Pompadour; especially no end of Pleading to the
German Reich, in a furious, DelphicPythoness or quasiinspired tone: all this goes on.
From the time when Pirna was blockaded, Kaiser Franz, his high Consort and sense of duty urging him, has
been busy in the Reich's Hofrath (kind of PrivyCouncil or Supreme Court of the Reich, which sits at
Vienna); busy there, and in the Reich's Diet at Regensburg; busy everywhere, with utmost diligence over
Teutschland,forging Reich thunder. Manifestoes, HOFDECRETS, DEHORTATORIUMS,
EXCITATORIUMS; so goes it, exploding like Vesuvius, shock on the back of shock:20th September it
began; and lasts, CRESCENDO, through Winter and onwards, at an extraordinary rate. [In
HeldenGeschichte (iv. 163174; iii. 956; and indeed PASSIM through those Volumes), the Originals in
frightful superabundance.] Of all which, leaving readers to imagine it, we will say nothing,except that it
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points towards "Armed Interference by the Reich," "Reich's Execution Army;" nay towards "Ban of the
Reich" (total excommunication of this Enemy of Mankind, and giving of him up to Satan, by bell, book and
candle), which is a kind of thunderbolt not heard of for a good few ages past! Thunderbolt thought to be
gone mainly to rust by the judicious; which, however, the poor old Reich did grasp again, and attempt to
launch. As perhaps we shall have to notice by and by, among the miracles going.
France too, urged by the noblest concern, feels itself called upon. France magnanimously intimates to the
Reich's Diet, once and again, "That Most Christian Majesty is guarantee of the Treaty of Westphalia; Most
Christian Majesty cannot stand such procedures;" and then the second time, "That Most Christian Majesty
will interfere practically,"by 100,000 men and odd. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 340 ("26th March, 1757").]
In short, the sleeping worldwhirlwinds are awakened against this man. General Dance of the Furies; there
go they, in the dusky element, those Eumenides, "giantlimbed, serpenthaired, slowpacing, circling, torch
in hand" (according to Schiller), scattering terror and madness. At least, in the Diplomatic Circles of
mankind;if haply the Populations will follow suit!
Friedrich, abundantly contemptuous of Reich'sthunder in the rusted kind, and well able to distinguish sound
from substance in the Reich or elsewhere, recognizes in all this sufficiently portentous prophecies of fact
withal; and understands, none better, what a perilous position he has got into. But he cannot mend it;can
only, as usual, do his own utmost in it. As readers will believe he does; and that his vigilance and diligence
are very great. Continual, ubiquitous and at the top of his bent, one fancies his effort must have
been,though he makes no noise on the subject. Considerable work he has with Hanover, this Winter; with
the poor English Government, and their "Army of Observation," which is to appear in the Hanover parts,
VERSUS those 100,000 French, next Spring. To Hanover he has sent Schmettau (the Younger Schmettau,
Elder is now dead) in regard to said Army; has made a new and closer Treaty with England (impossible to be
fulfilled on poor England's part);and laments, as Mitchell often does, the tragically embroiled condition of
that Country, struggling so vehemently, to no purpose, to get out of bed, and not unlike strangling or
smothering itself in its own blankets, at present! With and in regard to Saxony, his work is of course
extremely considerable; and in regard to his own Army, and its coming Business, considerablest of all.
CounterManifesto work, to state his case in a distinct manner, and leave it with the Populations if the
Diplomacies are deaf: this too, is copiously proceeding; under Artists who probably do not require much
supervision. In fact, no King living has such servants, in the Civil or the Military part, to execute his will.
And no King so little wastes himself in noises; a King who has good command of himself, first of all; not to
be thrown off his balance by any terror, any provocation even, though his temper is very sharp.
Friedrich in person is mainly at Dresden, lodged in the Bruhl Palace;endless wardrobes and magnificences
there; three hundred and sixtyFOUR Pairs of Breeches hanging melancholy, in a widowed manner: C'EST
ASSEZ DE CULOTTES; MONTREZMOI DES VERTUS! Bruhl is far away, in Poland; Madam Bruhl has
still her Apartments in this Palace,a frugal King needs only the necessary spaces. Madam Bruhl is very
busy here; and not to good purpose, being well seen into. "She had a cask of wine sent her from Warsaw,"
says Friedrich; "orders were given to decant for her every drop of the wine, but to be sure and bring us the
cask." Cask was found to have two bottoms, intermediate space filled with spycorrespondence. Madam
Bruhl protests and pleads, Friedrich not unpolite in reply; his last Letter to her says, "Madam, it is better that
you go and join your Husband."
Another high Dame gets sausages from Bohemia;some of Friedrich's light troops have an appetite, beyond
strict law for sausages; break in, find Letters along with the other stuffing. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 108;
Mitchell, "27th March, 1757" (Raumer p. 321).] Friedrich has a good deal of watching and coercing to do in
that kind,some arresting, conveyance even to Custrin for a time, though nothing crueler proved needful. To
the poor Queen he keeps up civilities, but is obliged to be strict as Argus;she made him a Gift too, the
NIGHT of Correggio, admired NOTTE of Correggio; having heard that he sat before it silent for half an hour,
on entering that fine Gallery, which is due to our Sovereign Lord and his Bruhl, alas! On the other hand,
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Friedrich had to take from her Majesty's Royal Abode those Hundred Swiss of Bodyguard; to discharge the
same, and put Prussians in their stead. Nay, at one time, on loud outcry from her Majesty, and great private
cause of complaint against her, there was talk of sending the poor Royal lady to Warsaw, after her Husband;
but her objection being violent, nothing came of that: Winter following, her poor Majesty died, [27th
November, 1757.] and gave nobody any farther trouble.
Friedrich's outposts, especially in the Lausitz, are a good deal disturbed by Austrian Tolpatcheries; and do
feats, heroic in the small way, in smiting down that rabble. A valuable Officer or two is lost in such poor
service, poor but indispensable; [Funeral Discourses (of a very curious, ponderous and serious tone), in
Gesammelte Nachrichten, ii. 458, 464, and the troops have not always the repose which is intended them.
LieutenantColonel Loudon (Scotch by kindred, and famous enough before long) is the soul of these Croat
enterprises,and gets his Colonelcy by them, in a month or two; Browne recommending. Loudon had
arrived too late for Lobositz, but had been with Browne to Schandau; and, on the march homewards, did a
bright feat of the Croat kind:surprisal, very complete, of that HillCastle of Tetschen and considerable
Hussar Party there; done in a style which caught the eye of Browne; and was the beginning of great things to
poor Loudon, after his twenty years of painful eclipse under the Indigo Trencks, and miscellaneous
Doggeries, Austrian aud Russian. [LA VIE DU FELDMARECHAL BARON DE LOUDON (Translation of
one Pezzl's German: a Vienne et a Paris, 1792), i. 132.]
Tetschen, therefore, will again need capture by the Prussians, if they again intend that way. And in the mean
while, Friedrich, to counterpoise those mischievous Croat people, has bethought him of organizing a similar
Force of his own;Foot chiefly, for, on hint of former experience, he already has Hussars in quantity. And,
this Winter, there are accordingly, in different Saxon Towns, three Irregular Regiments getting ready for him;
three "Volunteer Colonels" busily enlisting each his "Free Corps," such the title chosen;chief Colonel of
them one Mayer, now in Zwickau neighborhood with 6 or 700 loose handy fellows round him, getting
formed into strict battalion there: [Pauli (our old diffuse friend), Leben grosser Helden des gegenwartigen
Krieges (9 vols., Halle, 17591764), iii. 159, ? Mayr.] of whom, and of whose soldiering, we shall hear
farther. For the plan was found to answer; and extended itself year after year; and the "Prussian Free Corps,"
one way and another, made considerable noise in the world.
Outwardly Friedrich's Life is quiet; busy, none can be more so; but to the onlooker, placid, polite especially.
He hears sermon once or twice in the KreuzKirche (Protestant High Church); then next day will hear good
music, devotional if you call it so, in the Catholic Church, where her Polish Majesty is. Daily at the old hour
he has his own Concert, now and then assisting with his own flute. Makes donations to the Poor, and such
like, due from Saxon Sovereignty while held by him; on the other hand, reduces salaries at a sad rate Guarini,
Queen's Confessor, from near 2,000 pounds to little more than 300 pounds, for one instance;cuts off about
25,000 pounds in all under this head. [ Helden Geschichte, iv. 306 ("December, 1756").] And is heavy with
billeting, as new Prussians arrive. Billets at length in the very Ambassadors' Hotels,and by way of apology
to the Excellencies, signifies to them in a body: "Sorry for the necessity, your Excellencies: but ought not you
to go to Warsaw rather? Your credentials are to his Polish Majesty. He is not here; nor coming hither, for
some time!" Which hint, I suppose, the Excellencies mostly took. From his own Forests there came by the
Elbe great rafts of firewood, to warm his soldiers in their quarters. Once or twice he makes excursions, of a
day of two days; to the Lausitz, to Leipzig (through Freyberg, where he has a post of importance);very
gracious to the University people: "Students be troubled with soldiering? Far from it ye learned Gentlemen,
servants of the Muses! Recruitment, a lamentable necessity, is to go on under your own Official people, and
wholly by the old methods." [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 303313; UNIVERSITATSANSCHLAG ZU
LEIPZIG, WEGEN DER WERBUNG ("UniversityPlacard about Enlisting:" in Gesammelte Nachrichten, i.
811).]
Once, and once only, he made a run to Berlin, January 4th18th, 1757: the last for six years and more. Came
with great despatch, Brother Henri with him, whole journey in one day; got, "to his Mother's about 11 at
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night." [Ib. iv. 308.] A joyful meeting, for the kindred: cheerful lightgleam in the dark time, so suddenly
eclipsed to them and others by those hurricanes that have risen. His Majesty seems to be in perfect health;
and wears no look of gloom. At Berlin is no Carnival this year; all are grave, sunk in sad contemplations of
the future. Of his businesses in this interval, which were many, I will say nothing; only of one little Act he
did, the day before his departure: the writing of this SECRET LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS to Graf Finck
von Finkenstein, his chief Home Minister, one of his old boycomrades, as readers may recollect. The Letter
was read by Count Finck with profound attention, 11th January, 1757, and conned over till he knew every
point of it; after which he sealed it up, inscribing on the Cover: "HOCHSTEIGENHANDIGE UND GANX
GEHEIME"that is, "Highest Autographic and altogether Secret Instructions, by the King, which, with the
Appendixes, were delivered to me, Graf von Finkenstein, the 12th of January, 1757." In this docketing it lay,
sealed for many years (none knows how many), then unsealed, still in strict keeping, in the Private Royal
Archives" [Preuss, i. 449.]till on Friedrich's Birthday, 24th January, 1854, it was, with some solemnity,
lithographed at Berlin, and distributed to a select public,as readers shall see.
"SECRET INSTRUCTION FOR THE GRAF VON FINCK.
"BERLIN, 10th January, 1757.
"In the critical situation our affairs are in, I ought to give you my orders, so that in all the disastrous cases
which are in the possibility of events, you be authorized for taking the necessary steps.
"1. If it chanced (which Heaven forbid) that one of my Armies in Saxony were totally beaten; or that the
French should drive the Hanoverians from their Country [which they failed not to do], and establish
themselves there, and threaten us with an invasion into the Altmark; or that the Russians should get through
by the Neumark,you are to save the Royal Family, the principal DICASTERIA [LandSchedules, Lists of
Taxdues], the Ministries and the Directorium [which is the central Ministry of all]. If it is in Saxony on the
Leipzig side that we are beaten, the fittest place for the removal of the Royal Family, and of the Treasure, is
to Custrin: in such case the Royal Family and all above named must go, escorted by the whole Garrison" of
Berlin, "to Custrin. If the Russians entered by the Neumark, or if a misfortune befell us in the Lausitz, it
would be to Magdeburg that all would have to go: in fine, the last refuge is Stettin,but you must not go till
the last extremity. The Garrison, the Royal Family and the Treasure are inseparable, and go always together:
to this must be added the Crown Diamonds, the Silver Plate in the Grand Apartments,which, in such case,
as well as the Gold Plate, must be at once coined into money.
"If it happened that I were killed, the Public Affairs must go on without the smallest alteration, or its being
noticeable that they are in other hands: and, in this case, you must hasten forward the Oaths and Homagings,
as well here as in Preussen; and, above all, in Silesia. If I should have the fatality to be taken prisoner by the
Enemy, I prohibit all of you from paying the least regard to my person, or taking the least heed of what I
might write from my place of detention. Should such misfortune happen me, I wish to sacrifice myself for the
State; and you must obey my Brother,who, as well as all my Ministers and Generals, shall answer to me
with their heads, Not to offer any Province or any Ransom for me, but to continue the War, pushing their
advantages, as if I never had existed in the world.
"I hope, and have ground to believe, that you, Count Finck, will not need to make use of this Instruction: but
in case of misfortune, I authorize you to employ it; and, as mark that it is, after a mature and sound
deliberation, my firm and constant will, I sign it with my Hand and confirm it with my Seal."
Or, in Friedrich's own spelling so far as our possibilities permit:
"INSTRUCTION SECRETE POUR LE CONTE DE FINE.
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
Chapter VIII. WINTER IN DRESDEN. 1098
Page No 1107
"BERLIN, ce 10 de Janv. 1757.
"Dans La Situation Critique ou se trouvent nos affaires je dois Vous donner mes Ordres pour que dans tout
Les Cas Malheureux qui sont dans la possibilite des Evenemens vous Soyez autorisse aux partis quil faut
prendre. 1)[Yes; but there follows no "2)" anywhere, such the haste!] Sil arivoit (de quoi le Ciel preserve)
qu'une de mes Armees en Saxse fut totallement battue, oubien que Les francais chassassent Les Hanovryeins
de Leur pais et si etablissent et nous menassassent d'un Invassion dans la Vieille Marche, ou que les Russes
penetrassent par La Nouvelle Marche, il faut Sauver la famille Royale, les principeaux Dicasteres les
Ministres et le Directoire. Si nous somes battus en Saxse du Cote de leipssic Le Lieu Le plus propre pour Le
transport de La famille et du Tressor est a Custrin, il faut en ce Cas que la famille Royalle et touts cidesus
nomez aillent esCortez de toute La Guarnisson a Custrin. Si les Russes entroient par la Nouvele Marche ou
quil nous arivat un Malheur en Lusace, il faudroit que tout Se transportat a Magdebourg, enfin Le
Dernirefuge est a Stetein, mais il ne hut y allrqu'a La Derniere exstremite La Guarnisson la famille Royalle et
le Tressort sent Inseparables et vont toujours ensemble il faut y ajouter les Diamans de la Couronne, et
L'argenterie des Grands Apartements qui en pareil cas ainsi que la Veselle d'or doit etre incontinant
Monoyee. Sil arivoit que je fus tue, il faut que Les affaires Continuent Leur train sans la Moindre allteration
et Sans qu'on s'apersoive qu'elles sont en d'autre Mains, et en ce Cas il faut hater Sermens et homages tant ici
qu'en prusse et surtout en Silesie. Si j'avois la fatalite d'etre pris prissonier par L'Enemy, je Defend qu'on Aye
le Moindre egard pour ma perssonne ni qu'on fasse La Moindre reflextion sur ce que je pourois ecrire de Ma
Detention, Si pareil Malheur m'arivoit je Veux me Sacriffier pour L'Etat et il faut qu'on obeisse a Mon frere
le quel ainsi que tout Mes Ministres et Generaux me reponderont de leur Tette qu'on offrira ni province ni
ransson pour moy et que lon Continuera la Guerre en poussant Ses avantages tout Come si je n'avais jamais
exsiste dans le Monde. J'espere et je dois Croire que Vous Conte finc n'aurez pas bessoin de faire usage de
Cette Instruction mais en cas de Malheur je Vous autorisse a L'Employer, et Marque que C'est apres Une
Mure et saine Deliberation Ma ferme et Constante Volonte je le Signe de Ma Main et la Muni de mon Cachet
"FEDERIC R." [Fac simile of Autograph (Berlin, 24th January, 1854), where is some indistinct History of
the Document. Printed also in OEuvres, xxv. 319323.]
These, privately made law in this manner, are Friedrich's fixed feelings and resolutions;how fixed is now
farther apparent by a fact which was then still more private, guessable long afterwards only by one or two,
and never clearly known so long as Friedrich lived: the fact that he had (now most probably, though the date
is not known) provided poison for himself, and constantly wore it about his person through this War. "Five or
six small pills, in a small glass tube, with a bit of ribbon to it:" that stern relic lay, in a worn condition, in
some drawer of Friedrich's, after Friedrich was gone. [Preuss, ii. 175, 315 n.] For the Facts are peremptory;
and a man that will deal with them must be equally so.
Two days after this Finck missive, Friday, 12th, Friedrich took farewell at Berlin, drove to Potsdam that night
with his Brother, to Dresden next day. Adieu, Madam; Adieu, O Mother! said the King, in royal terms, but
with a heart altogether human. "May God above bless you, my Son!" the old Lady would reply:and the
Two had seen one another for the last time; Mother and Son were to meet no more in this world.
BOOK XVIII. SEVENYEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 17571759.
Chapter I. THE CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Seldom was there seen such a combination against any man as this against Friedrich, after his Saxon
performances in 1756. The extent of his sin, which is now ascertained to have been what we saw, was at that
time considered to transcend all computation, and to mark him out for partition, for suppression and
enchainment, as the general enemy of mankind. "Partition him, cut him down," said the Great Powers to one
another; and are busy, as never before, in raising forces, inciting new alliances and calling out the general
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POSSE COMITATUS of mankind, for that salutary object. What tempestuous fulminations in the Reichstag,
and over all Europe, England alone excepted, against this man!
Latterly the Swedes, who at first had compunctions on the score of Protestantism, have agreed to join in the
Partitioning adventure: "It brings us his Pommern, all Pommern ours!" cry the Swedish Parliamentary
Eloquences (with French gold in their pocket): "At any rate," whisper they, "it spites the Queen his
Sister!"and drag the poor Swedish Nation into a series of disgraces and disastrous platitudes it was little
anticipating. This precious FrenchSwedish Bargain ("Swedes to invade with 25,000; France to give fair
subsidy," and bribe largely) was consummated in March; ["21st March, 1757" (Stenzel, v. 38; but did not
become known to Friedrich for some months later; nor was it of the importance he then thought it, in the first
moment of surprise and provocation. Not indeed of importance to anybody, except, in the reverse way, to
poor Sweden itself, and to the French, who had spent a great deal of pains and money on it, and continued to
spend, with as good as no result at all. For there never was such a War, before or since, not even by Sweden
in the Captainless state! And the one profit the copartners reaped from it, was some discountenance it gave to
the rumor which had risen, more extensively than we should now think, and even some nucleus of fact in it as
appears, That Austria, France and the Catholic part of the Reich were combining to put down Protestantism.
To which they could now answer, "See, Protestant Sweden is with us!"and so weaken a little what was
pretty much Friedrich's last hold on the public sympathies at this time.
As to France itself,to France, Austria, Russia,bound by such earthly Treaties, and the call of very
Heaven, shall they not, in united puissance and indignation, rise to the rescue? France, touched to the heart by
such treatment of a Saxon Kurfurst, and bound by Treaty of Westphalia to protect all members of the Reich
(which it has sometimes, to our own knowledge, so carefully done), is almost more ardent than Austria itself.
France, Austria, Russia; to these add Polish Majesty himself; and latterly the very Swedes, by French bribery
at Stockholm: these are the Partitioning Powers;and their shares (let us spare one line for their shares) are
as follows.
The Swedes are to have Pommern in whole; PolishSaxon Majesty gets Magdeburg, Halle, and opulent slices
thereabouts; Austria's share, we need not say, is that jewel of a Silesia. Czarish Majesty, on the extreme East,
takes Preussen, KonigsbergMemel Country in whole; adds Preussen to her as yet too narrow Territories.
WeselCleve Country, from the other or Western extremity, France will take that clipping, and make much
of it. These are quite serious businessengagements, engrossed on careful parchment, that Spring, 1757, and I
suppose not yet boiled down into glue, but still to be found in dusty corners, with the tape much faded. The
high heads, making preparation on the due scale, think them not only executable, but indubitable, and almost
as good as done. Push home upon him, as united Posse Comitatus of Mankind; in a sacred cause of Polish
Majesty and Public Justice, how can one malefactor resist? "AH, MA TRESCHERE" and "Oh, my dearest
Princess and Cousin," what a chance has turned up!
It is computed that there are arrayed against this one King, under their respective Kings, EmpressQueens,
Swedish Senates, Catins and Pompadours, populations to the amount of above 100 millions,in after stages,
I remember to have seen "150 millions" loosely given as the exaggerated cipher. Of armed soldiers actually
in the field against him (against Hanover and him), in 1757, there are, by strict count, 430,000. Friedrich's
own Dominions at this time contain about Five Millions of Population; of Revenue somewhat less than Two
Millions sterling. New taxes he cannot legally, and will not, lay on his People. His SCHATZ (readymoney
Treasure, or Hoard yearly accumulating for such end) is, I doubt not, well filled, express amount not
mentioned. Of drilled men he has, this Year, 150,000 for the field; portioned out thriftily,as well beseems,
against Four Invasions coming on him from different points. In the field, 150,000 soldiers, probably the best
that ever were; and in garrison, up and down (his Country being, by nature, the least defensible of all
Countries), near 40,000, which he reckons of inferior quality. So stands the account. [Stenzel, iv. 308, 306, v.
39; Ranke, iii. 415; Preuss, ii, 389, 43, 124; substantially true, I doubt not; but little or nothing of it so
definite and conclusively distinct as it ought, in all items, to have been by this time,had poor Dryasdust
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known what he was doing.] These are, arithmetically precise, his resources,PLUS only what may lie in his
own head and heart, or funded in the other heads and hearts, especially in those 150,000, which he and his
Fathers have been diligently disciplining, to good perfection, for four centuries come the time.
France, urged by Pompadour and the enthusiasms, was first in the field. The French Army, in superb
equipment, though privately in poorish state of discipline, took the road early in March; "March 26th and
27th," it crossed the German Border, Cleve Country and Koln Country; had been rumored of since January
and February last, as terrifically grand; and here it now actually is, above 100,000 strong,110,405, as the
ArmyLists, flaming through all the Newspapers, teach mankind. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 391; iii. 1073.]
Bent mainly upon Prussia, it would seem; such the will of Pompadour. Mainly upon Prussia; Marechal
d'Estrees, crossing at Koln, made offers even to his Britannic Majesty to be forgiven in comparison; "Yield us
a road through your Hanover, merely a road to those HalberstadtMagdeburg parts, your Hanover shall have
neutrality!" "Neutrality to Hanover?" sighed Britannic Majesty: "Alas, am not I pledged by Treaty? And, alas,
withal, how is it possible, with that America hanging over us?" and stood true. Nor is this all, on the part of
magnanimous France: there is a Soubise getting under way withal, Soubise and 30,000, who will reinforce
the Reich's Armament, were it on foot, and be heard of by and by! So high runs French enthusiasm at present.
A new sting of provocation to Most Christian Majesty, it seems, has been Friedrich's conduct in that Damiens
matter (miserable attempt, by a poor mad creature, to assassinate; or at least draw blood upon the Most
Christian Majesty ["Evening of 5th January, 1757" (exuberantly plentiful details of it, and of the horrible
Law procedures which followed on it: In Adelung, viii. 197220; Barbier, about which Friedrich, busy and
oblivious, had never, in common politeness, been at the pains to condole, compliment, or take any notice
whatever. And will now take the consequences, as due!
The WeselCleve Countries these French find abandoned: Friedrich's garrisons have had orders to bring off
the artillery and stores, blow up what of the works are suitable for blowing up; and join the "Britannic Army
of Observation" which is getting itself together in those regions. Considerable Army, Britannic wholly in the
money part: new Hanoverians so many, Brunswickers, Buckeburgers, Sachsen Gothaers so many; add those
precious HanoverianHessian 20,000, whom we have had in England guarding our liberties so long,who
are now shipped over in a lot; fair wind and full sea to them. Army of 60,000 on paper; of effective more than
50,000; Headquarters now at Bielefeld on the Weser;where, "April 16th," or a few days later, Royal
Highness of Cumberland comes to take command; likely to make a fine figure against Marechal d'Estrees and
his 100,000 French! But there was no helping it. Friedrich, through Winter, has had Schmettau earnestly
flagitating the Hanoverian Officialities: "The Weser is wadable in many places, you cannot defend the
Weser!" and counselling and pleading to all lengths,without the least effect. "Wants to save his own
Halberstadt lands, at our expense!" Which was the idea in London, too: "Don't we, by Apocalyptic
Newswriters and eyesight of our own, understand the man?" Pitt is by this time in Office, who perhaps might
have judged a little otherwise. But Pitt's seat is altogether temporary, insecure; the ruling deities Newcastle
and Royal Highness, who withal are in standing quarrel. So that Friedrich, Schmettau, Mitchell pleaded to the
deaf. Nothing but "Defend the Weser," and ignorant Fatuity ready for the Impossible, is to be made out there.
"Cannot help it, then," thinks Friedrich, often enough, in bad moments; "Army of Observation will have its
fate. Happily there are only 5,000 Prussians in it, Wesel and the other garrisons given up!"
Only 5,000 Prussians: by original Engagement, there should have been 25,000; and Friedrich's intention is
even 45,000 if he prosper otherwise. For in January, 1757 (Anniversary, or nearly so, of that NEUTRALITY
CONVENTION last year), there had beenencouraged by Pitt, as I could surmise, who always likes
Friedricha definite, much closer TREATY OF ALLIANCE, with "Subsidy of a million sterling,"
AntiRussian "Squadron of Observation in the Baltic," "25,000 Prussians," and other items, which I forget.
Forget the more readily, as, owing to the strange state of England (near suffocating in its Constitutional
bedclothes), the Treaty could not be kept at all, or serve as rule to poor England's exertions for Friedrich this
Year; exertions which were of the willingminded but futile kind, going forward pellmell, not by plan, and
could reach Friedrich only in the lump,had there been any "lump" of them to sum together. But Pitt had
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gone out;we shall see what, in Pitt's absence, there was! So that this Treaty 1757 fell quite into the
wastebasket (not to say, far deeper, by way of "pavement" we know where!),and is not mentioned in any
English Book; nor was known to exist, till some Collector of such things printed it, in comparatively recent
times. ["M. Koch in 1802," not very perfectly (Scholl, iii. 30 n.; who copies what Koch has given).] A Treaty
1757, which, except as emblem of the then quasienchanted condition of England, and as Foreshadow of
Pitt's new Treaty in January, 1758, and of three others that followed and were kept to the letter, is not of
moment farther.
REICH'S THUNDER, SLIGHT SURVEY OF IT; WITH QUESTION, WHITHERWARD, IF
ANYWHITHER.
The thunderous fulminations in the Reich'sDietan injured Saxony complaining, an insulted Kaiser, after
vain DEHORTATORIUMS, reporting and denouncing "Horrors such as these: What say you, O
Reich?"have been going on since September last; and amount to boundless masses of the liveliest
Parliamentary Eloquence, now fallen extinct to all creatures. [Given, to great lengths, in HeldenGeschichte,
iii. iv. (and other easily avoidable Books).] The Kaiser, otherwise a solid pacific gentleman, intent on
commercial operations (furnishes a good deal of our meal, says Friedrich), is Officially extremely violent in
behalf of injured Saxony,that is to say, in fact, of injured Austria, which is one's own. KurMainz,
Chairman of the Diet (we remember how he was got, and a Battle of Dettingen fought in consequence, long
since); KurMainz is admitted to have the most decided Austrian leanings: Britannic George, Austria being
now in the opposite scale, finds him an unhandy KurMainz, and what profit it was to introduce false weights
into the Reich's balance that time! Not for long generations before, had the poor old semiimaginary Reich's
Diet risen into such paroxysms; nor did it ever again after. Never again, in its terrestrial History, was there
such agonistic parliamentary struggle, and terrific noise of parliamentary palaver, witnessed in the poor
Reich'sDiet. Noise and struggle rising ever higher, peal after peal, from September, 1756, when it started,
till August, 1757, when it had reached its acme (as perhaps we shall see), though it was far from ending then,
or for years to come.
Contemporary bystanders remark, on the Austrian part, extraordinary rage and hatred against Prussia; which
is now the one point memorable. Austria is used to speak loud in the Diet, as we have ourselves seen: and it is
again (if you dive into those old AEolus'Caves, at your peril) unpleasantly notable to what pitch of fixed
rage, and hot sullen hatred Austria has now gone; and how the tone has in it a potency of worldwide
squealing and droning, such as you nowhere heard before. Omnipotence of droning, edged with shrieky
squealing, which fills the Universe, not at all in a melodious way. From the depths of the gamut to the shrieky
top again,a droning that has something of porcine or wildboar character. Figure assembled the wild boars
of the world, all or mostly all got together, and each with a knife just stuck into its side, by a felonious
individual too well known,you will have some notion of the sound of these things. Friedrich sometimes
remonstrates: "Cannot you spare such phraseology, unseemly to Kings? The quarrels of Kings have to be
decided by the sword; what profit in unseemly language, Madam?"but, for the first year and more, there
was no abatement on the Austrian part.
Friedrich's own Delegate at Regensburg, a Baron von Plotho, come of old Brandenburg kindred, is a resolute,
readytongued, very undaunted gentleman; learned in Diplomacies and Reich's Law; carries his head high,
and always has his story at hand. Argument, grounded on Reich's Law and the nature of the case, Plotho
never lacks, on spur of the hour: and is indeed a very commendable parliamentary mastiff; and honorable and
melodious in the bark of him, compared with those infuriated porcine specimens. He has KurHanover for
ally on common occasions, and generally from most Protestant members individually, or from the CORPUS
EVANGELICORUM in mass, some feeble whimper of support. Finds difficulty in getting his Reich's
Pleadings printed; dangerous, everywhere in those Southern Parts, to print anything whatever that is not
Austrian: so that Plotho, at length, gets printers to himself, and sets up a PrintingPress in his own house at
Regensburg. He did a great deal of sonorous pleading for Friedrich; proud, deepvoiced, ruggedly logical;
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fairly beyond the Austrian quality in many cases,and always far briefer, which is another high merit.
October coming, we purpose to look in upon Plotho for one minute; "October 14th, 1757;" which may be
reckoned essentially the acme or tumingpoint of these unpleasant thunderings. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv.
745749.]
What good he did to Friedrich, or could have done with the tongue of angels in such an audience, we do not
accurately know. Some good he would do even in the Reich'sDiet there; and out of doors, over a German
public, still more; and is worth his frugal wages,say 1,000 pounds a year, printing and all other expense
included! This is a mere guess of mine, Dryasdust having been incurious: but, to English readers it is
incredible for what sums Friedrich got his work done, no work ever better. Which is itself an appreciable
advantage, computable in pounds sterling; and is the parent of innumerable others which no Arithmetic or
Bookkeeping by Double Entry will take hold of, and which are indeed priceless for Nations and for persons.
But this poor old bedridden Reich, starting in agonistic spasm at such rate: is it not touching, in a Corpus
moribund for so many Centuries past! The Reich is something; though it is not much, nothing like so much as
even Kaiser Franz supposes it. Much or not so much, Kaiser Franz wishes to secure it for himself; Friedrich
to hinder him,and it must be a poor something, if not worth Plotho's wages on Friedrich's part.
It would insult the patience of every reader to go into these spasmodic tossings of the poor paralytic Reich; or
to mention the least item of them beyond what had some result, or fraction of result, on the world's real
affairs. We shall say only, therefore, that after tempests not a few of porcine squealing, answered always by
counterlatration on the vigilant Plotho's part;squealing, chiefly, from the Reich'sHofrath at Vienna, the
Head Tribunal of Imperial Majesty, which sits judging and denouncing there, touched to the soul, as if by a
knife driven into its side, by those unheardof treatments of Saxony and disregard to our
DEHORTATORIUMS, and which bursts out, peal after peal, filling the Universe, Plotho not
unvigilant;the poor old Reich'sDiet did at last get into an acting posture, and determine, by clear majority
of 99 against 60, that there should be a "Reich's Execution Army" got on foot. Reich's Execution Army to
coerce, by force of arms, this nefarious King of Prussia into making instant restitution to Saxony, with ample
damages on the nail; that right be done to Kurfursts of this Reich. To such height of vigor has the Reich's
Diet gone;and was voting it at Regensburg January 10th, 1757; [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 252, 302, 330;
Stenzel, v. 32.] that very day when nefarious Friedrich at Berlin, casehardened in iniquity to such a pitch,
sat writing his INSTRUCTION TO COUNT FINCK, which we read not long since. Simultaneous
movements, unknown to one another, in this big wrestle.
Reich'sDiet perfected its Vote; had it quite through, and sanctioned by the Kaiser's Majesty, January 29th:
"Arming to be a TRIPLUM" (triple contingent required of you this time); with Romishmonths
(ROMERMONATE) of cash contributions from all and sundry (rigorously gathered, I should hope, where
Austria has power), so many as will cover the expense. Army to be got on actual foot hastily, instantly if
possible: an "EILENDE REICHSEXECUTIONS ARMEE;" so it ran, but the word EILENDE (speedy) had
a mischance in printing, and was struck off into ELENDE (contemptibly wretched): so that on all
MarketSquares and Public Places of poor Teutschland, you read flaming Placards summoning out, not a
speedy or immediate, but "a MISERABLE Reich's Execution Army!" A word which, we need not say, was
laughed at by the unfeeling part of the public; and was often called to mind by the Reich's Execution Army's
performances, when said SPEEDY Army did at last take the field.
For the Reich performed its Vote; actually had a Reich's Execution Army; the last it ever had in this world,
not by any means the worst it ever had, for they used generally to be bad. Commanders, managers are named,
Romermonate are gathered in, or the sure prospect of them; and, through MayJune, 1757, there is busy stir,
of drumming, preparing and enlisting, all over the Reich. End of July, we shall see the Reich's Army in
Camp; end of August, actually in the field; and later on, a touch of its fighting withal. Many other things the
Reich tried against unfortunate Friedrich,gradual advance, in fact, to Ban of the Reich (or total anathema
and cuttingoff from fire and water): but in none of these, in Ban as little as any, did it come to practical
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result at all, or acquire the least title to be remembered at this day. Finis of Ban, some eight months hence,
has something of attractive as futility, the curious Death of a Futility. Finis of Ban (October 14th, already
indicated) we may for one moment look in upon, if there be one moment to spare; the restreaders may
fancy it; and read only of the actuality and fighting part, which will itself be enough for them on such a
matter.
FRIEDRICH SUDDENLY MARCHES ON PRAG.
Four Invasions, from their respective points of the compass, northeast, northwest, southeast and southwest:
here is a formidable outlook for the one man against whom they are all advancing open mouthed. The one
manwith nothing but a Duke of Cumberland and his Observation Army for backing in such duelhad
need to look to himself! Which, we well know, he does; wrapt in profoundly silent vigilance, with his plans
all laid. Of the Four Invasions, three, the Russian, French, Austrian, are very large; and the two latter,
especially the last, are abundantly formidable. The Swedish, of which there is rumoring, he hopes may come
to little, or not come at all. Nor is Russia, though talking big, and actually getting ready above 100,000 men,
so immediately alarming. Friedrich always hopes the English, with their guineas and their managements, will
do something for him in that quarter; and he knows, at worst, that the Russian Hundred Thousand will be a
very slowmoving entity. The Swedish Invasion Friedrich, for the present, leaves to chance: and against
Russia, he has sent old Marshal Lehwald into those Baltic parts; far eastward, towards the utmost Memel
Frontier, to put the Country upon its own defence, and make what he can of it with 30,000
men,WestPrussian militias a good few of them. This is all he can spare on the SwedishRussian side:
Austria and France are the perilous pair of entities; not to be managed except by intense concentration of
stroke; and by going on them in succession, if one have luck!
Friedrich's motions and procedures in cantonquarters, through Winter and in late months, have led to the
belief that he means to stand on the defensive; that the scene of the Campaign will probably be Saxony; and
that Austria, for recovering injured Saxony, for recovering dear Silesia, will have to take an invasive attitude.
And Austria is busy everywhere preparing with that view. Has Tolpatcheries, and advanced Brigades, still
harassing about in the Lausitz. A great Army assembling at Prag,Browne forward towards the Metal
Mountains securing posts, gathering magazines, for the crossing into Saxony there. There, it is thought, the
tug of war will probably be. Furious, and strenuous, it is not doubted, on this Friedrich's part: but against such
odds, what can he do? With Austrians in front, with Russians to left, with French to right and arear, not to
mention Swedes and appendages: surely here, if ever, is a lost King!
It is by no means Friedrich's intention that Saxony itself shall need to be invaded. Friedrich's habit is, as his
enemies might by this time be beginning to learn, not that of standing on the defensive, but that of GOING on
it, as the preferable method wherever possible. March 24th, Friedrich had quitted Dresden City; and for a
month after (headquarters Lockwitz, edge of the Pirna Country), he had been shifting, redistributing, his
cantoned Army, privately into the due Divisions, due readiness for march. Which done, on fixed days,
about the end of April, the whole Army, he himself from Lockwitz, April 20th,to the surprise of Austria
and the world, Friedrich in three grand Columns, Bevern out of the Lausitz, King himself over the Metal
Mountains, Schwerin out of Schlesien, is marching with extraordinary rapidity direct for Prag; in the notion
that a right plunge into the heart of Bohemia will be the best defence for Saxony and the other places under
menace.
This is a most unexpected movement; which greatly astonishes the worldtheatre, pit, boxes and gallery alike
(as Friedrich's sudden movements often do); and which is, above all, interesting on the stage itself, where the
actors had been counting on a quite opposite set of entries and activities! Feldmarschall Browne and General
Konigseck (not our old friend Konigseck, who used to dry nurse in the Netherlands, but his nephew and
heir) may cease gathering Magazines, in those Lausitz and MetalMountain parts: happy could they give
wings to those already gathered! Magazines, for Austrian service, are clearly not the things wanted there. One
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does not burn one's Magazines till the last extremity; but wings they have none; and such is the enigmatic
velocity of those Prussian movements, one seldom has time even to burn them, in the last crisis of
catastrophe! Considerable portions of that provender fell into the Prussian throat; as much as "three months'
provision for the whole Army," count they,adding to those Frontier sundries the really important Magazine
which they seized at JungBunzlau farther in. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 613; It is one among their many
greater advantages from this surprisal of the enemy, and sudden topsyturvying of his plans. Browne and
Konigseck have to retire on Prag at their swiftest; looking to more important results than Magazines.
It is Friedrich's old plan. Long since, in 1744, we saw a march of this kind, Three Columns rushing with
simultaneous rapidity on Prag; and need not repeat the particulars on this occasion. Here are some Notes on
the subject, which will sufficiently bring it home to readers: "The Three Columns were, for a part of the
way, Four; the King's being, at first, in two branches, till they united again, on the other side of the Hills. For
the King," what is to be noted, "had shot out, three weeks before, a small preliminary branch, under Moritz of
Dessau; who marched, well westward, by Eger (starting from Chemnitz in Saxony); and had some tussling
with our poor old friend Duke d'Ahremberg, Browne's subordinate in those parts. D'Ahremberg, having
20,000 under him, would not quit Eger for Moritz; but pushed out Croats upon him, and sat still. This, it was
afterwards surmised, had been a feint on Friedrich's part; to give the Austrians pleasant thoughts: 'Invading
us, is he? Would fain invade us, but cannot!' Moritz fell back from Eger; and was ready to join the King's
march, (at Linay, April 23d' (third day from Lockwitz, on the King's part). Onwards from which point the
Columns are specifically Three; in strength, and on routes, somewhat as follows:
1. "The FIRST Column, or King's,which is 60,000 after this junction, 45,000 foot, 15,000 horse,quitted
Lockwitz (head quarter for a month past), WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20TH. They go by the Pascopol and
other roads; through Pirna, for one place: through Karbitz, Aussig, are at Linay on the 23d; where Moritz
joins: 24th, in the united state, forward again (leave Lobositz two miles to left); to Trebnitz, 25th, and rest
there one day.
"At Aussig an unfortunate thing befell. Zastrow, respectable old General Zastrow, was to drive the Austrians
out of Aussig: Zastrow does it, April 22d23d, drives them well over the heights; April 25th, however,
marching forward towards Lobositz, Zastrow is shot through both temples (Pandour hid among the bushes
and cliffs, OTHER side of Elbe), and falls dead on the spot. Buried in GOTTLEUBE Kirk, 1st May."
In these Aussig affairs, especially in recapturing the Castle of Tetschen near by, Colonel Mayer, father of the
new "FreeCorps," did shining service;and was approved of, he and they. And, a day or two after, was
detached with a Fifteen Hundred of that kind, on more important business: First, to pick up one or two
Bohemian Magazines lying handy; after which, to pay a visit to the Reich and its bluster about
ExecutionArmy, and teach certain persons who it is they are thundering against in that awkwardly truculent
manner! Errand shiningly done by Mayer, as perhaps we may hear,and certainly as all the Newspapers
loudly heard,in the course of the next two months.
At crossing of the Eger, Friedrich's Column had some chasing of poor D'Ahremberg; attempting to cut him
off from his Bridges, Bridge of Koschlitz, Bridge of Budin; but he made good despatch, Browne and he; and,
except a few prisoners of Ziethen's gathering, and most of his Magazines unburnt, they did him no damage.
The chase was close enough; more than once, the Austrian head quarter of tonight was that of the
Prussians tomorrow. Monday, May 2d, Friedrich's Column was on the Weissenberg of Prag; Browne,
D'Ahremberg, and Prince Karl, who is now come up to take command, having hastily filed through the City,
leaving a fit garrison, the day before. Except his Magazines, nothing the least essential went wrong with
Browne; but Konigseck, who had not a Friedrich on his heels,Konigseck, trying more, as his opportunities
were more,was not quite so lucky.
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2. "Column SECOND, to the King's left, comes from the Lausitz under BrunswickBevern,18,000 foot,
5,000 horse. This is the Bevern who so distinguished himself at Lobositz last year; and he is now to
culminate into a still brighter exploit,the last of his very bright ones, as it proved. Bevern set out from
about Zittau (from Grottau, few miles south of Zittau), the same day with Friedrich, that is April 20th;and
had not well started till he came upon formidable obstacles. Came upon General Konigseck, namely: a
Konigseck manoeuvring ahead, in superior force; a Maguire, Irish subordinate of Konigseck's, coming from
the right to cut off our baggage (against whom Bevern has to detach); a Lacy, coming from the left;or
indeed, Konigseck and Lacy in concert, intending to offer battle. Battle of Reichenberg, which accordingly
ensued, April 21st,"of which, though it was very famous for so small a Battle, there can be no account
given here.
The short truth is, Konigseck falling back, Parthianlike, with a force of 30,000 or more, has in front of him
nothing but Bevern; who, as he issues from the Lausitz, and till he can unite with Schwerin farther southward,
is but some 20,000 odd: cannot Konigseck call halt, and bid Bevern return, or do worse? Konigseck, a
diligent enough soldier, determines to try; chooses an excellent position,at or round Reichenberg, which is
the first Bohemian Town, one march from Zittau in the Lausitz, and then one from Liebenau, which latter
would be Bevern's SECOND Bohemian stage on the Prag road, if he continued prosperous. Reichenberg,
standing nestled among hills in the Neisse Valley (one of those Four Neisses known to us, the Neisse where
Prince Karl got exploded, in that signal manner, Winter, 1745, by a certain King), offers fine capabilities;
which Konigseck has laid hold of. There is especially one excellent Hollow (on the left or western bank of
Neisse River, that is, ACROSS from Reichenberg), backed by woody hills, nothing but hills, brooks, woods
all round; Hollow scooped out as if for the purpose; and altogether of inviting character to Konigseck. There,
"Wednesday, April 20th," Konigseck posts himself, plants batteries, fells abatis; plenty of cannon, of horse
and foot, and, say all soldiers, one of the best positions possible.
So that Bevern, approaching Reichenberg at evening, evening of his first march, Wednesday, April 20th,
finds his way barred; and that the difficulties may be considerable. "Nothing to be made of it tonight,"
thinks Bevern; "but we must try tomorrow!" and has to take camp, "with a marshy brook in front of him,"
some way on the hither side of Reichenberg; and study overnight what method of unbarring there may be.
Thursday morning early, Bevern, having well reconnoitred and studied, was at work unbarring. Bevern
crossed his own marshy brook; courageously assaulted Konigseck's position, left wing of Konigseck; stormed
the abatis, the batteries, plunged in upon Konigseck, man to man, horse to horse, and after some fierce
enough but brief dispute, tumbled Konigseck out of the ground. Konigseck made some attempt to rally;
attempted twice, but in vain; had fairly to roll away, and at length to run, leaving 1,000 dead upon the field,
about 500 prisoners; one or two guns, and I forget how many standards, or whether any kettledrums. This
was thought to be a decidedly bright feat on Bevern's part (rather mismanaged latterly on Konigseck's);
[Tempelhof, i. 100; Helden Geschichte, iii. 1077 (Friedrich's own Account, "Linay in Bohmen, 24th April,
1757"); There is, in Busching's italic> Magazin (xvi. 139 et seq.), an intelligible sketch of this Action of
Reichenherg, with satirical criticisms, which have some basis, on Lacy, Maguire and others, by an
Anonymous Military Cynic,who gives many such in BUSCHING (that of Fontenoy, for example), not
without force of judgment, and signs of wide study and experience in his trade.]much approved by
Friedrich, as he hears of it, at Linay, on his own prosperous march Pragward. A comfortable omen, were
there nothing more.
Konigseck and Company, torn out of Reichenberg, and set running, could not fairly halt again and face about
till at Liebenau, twenty miles off, where they found some defile or difficult bit of ground fit for them; and this
too proved capable of yielding pause for a few hours only. For Schwerin, with his Silesian Column, was
coming up from the northeast, threatening Konigseck on flank and rear: Konigseck could only tighten his
straps a little at this Liebenau, and again get under way; and making vain attempts to hinder the junction of
Schwerin and Bevern, to defend the JungBunzlau Magazine, or do any good in those parts, except to detain
the SchwerinBevern people certain hours (I think, one day in all), had nothing for it but to gird himself
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together, and retreat on Prag and the Ziscaberg, where his friends now were.
The Austrian force at Reichenberg was 20,000; would have been 30 and odd thousands, had Maguire come
up (as he might have done, had not the appearances alarmed him too much); Bevern, minus the Detachment
sent against Maguire, was but 15,000 in fight; and he has quite burst the Austrians away, who had plugged
his road for him in such force: is it not a comfortable little victory, glorious in its sort; and a good omen for
the bigger things that are coming? Bevern marched composedly on, after this inspiriting tussle, through
Liebenau and what defiles there were; April 24th, at Turnau, he falls into the Schwerin Column; incorporates
himself therewith, and, as subordinate constituent part, accompanies Schwerin thenceforth.
3. "Column THIRD was Schwerin's, out of Schlesien; counted to be 32,000 foot, 12,000 horse. Schwerin,
gathering himself, from Glatz and the northerly country, at Landshut,very careless, he, of the pleasant
Hills, and fine scattered peaks of the Giant Mountains thereabouts,was completely gathered foremost of all
the Columns, having farthest to go. And on Monday, 18th April, started from Landshut, Winterfeld leading
one division. In our days, it is the finest of roads; high level Pass, of good width, across the Giant Range;
pleasant painted hamlets sprinkling it, fine mountain ridges and distant peaks looking on; Schneekoppe
(SNOWfell, its head brightwhite till July come) attends you, far to the right, all the way:probably Sprite
Rubezahl inhabits there; and no doubt River Elbe begins his long journey there, trickling down in little
threads over yonder, intending to float navies by and by: considerations infinitely indifferent to Schwerin.
'The road,' says my Tourist, (is not Alpine; it reminds you of DerbyshirePeak country; more like the road
from Castletown to Sheffield than any I could name;'we have been in it before, my reader and I, about
Schatzlar and other places. Trautenau, well down the Hills, with swift streams, more like torrents, bound
Elbewards, watering it, is a considerable Austrian Town, and the Bohemian end of the Pass, Sohr only a
few miles from it: heartily indifferent to Schwerin at this moment; who was home from the Army, in a kind
of disfavor, or mutual pet, at the time Sohr was done. Schwerin's March we shall not give; his junction with
Bevern (at Turnau, on the Iser, April 24th), then their capture of JungBunzlau Magazine, and crossing of the
Elbe at Melnick, these were the important points; and, in spite of Konigseck's tusslings, these all went well,
and nothing was lost except one day of time."
The Austrians, some days ago, as we observed, filed THROUGH Prag, Sunday, May 1st, not a pleasant
holidayspectacle to the populations;and are all encamped on the Ziscaberg high ground, on the other side
of the City. Had they been alert, now was the time to attack Friedrich, who is weaker than they, while nobody
has yet joined him. They did not think of it, under Prince Karl; and Browne and the Prince are said to be in
bad agreement.
Chapter II. BATTLE OF PRAG.
Monday morning, 2d May, 1757, the Vanguard, or advanced troops of Friedrich's Column, had appeared
upon the Weissenberg, northwest corner of Prag (ground known to them in 1744, and to the poor
WinterKing in 1620): Vanguard in the morning; followed shortly by Friedrich himself; and, hour after hour,
by all the others, marching in. So that, before sunset, the whole force lay posted there; and had the romantic
City of Prag full in view at their feet. A most romantic, highpiled, manytowered, most unlevel old City; its
skylights and gilt steeplecocks glittering in the western sun,Austrian Camp very visible close beyond it,
spread out miles in extent on the Ziscaberg Heights, or eastern side; Prag, no doubt, and the Austrian
Garrison of Prag, taking intense survey of this Prussian phenomenon, with commentaries, with emotions,
hidden now in eternal silence, as is fit enough. One thing we know, "Headquarter was in Welleslawin:"
there, in that small Hamlet, nearly to north, lodged Friedrich, the then busiest man of Europe; whom Posterity
is still striving for a view of, as something memorable.
Prince Karl, our old friend, is now in chief command yonder; Browne also is there, who was in chief
command; their scheme of Campaign gone all awry. And to Friedrich, last night, at his quarters "in the
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Monastery of Tuchomirsitz," where these two Gentlemen had lodged the night before, it was reported that
they had been heard in violent altercation; [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 11 (exact "Diary of the march" given
there).] both of them, naturally, in illhumor at the surprising turn things had taken; and Feldmarschall
Browne firing up, belike, at some platitude past or coming, at some advice of his rejected, some imputation
cast on him, or we know not what. Prince Karl is now chief; and indignant Browne, as may well be the case,
dissents a good deal,as he has often had to do. Patience, my friend, it is near ending now! Prince Karl
means to lie quiet on the Ziscaberg, and hold Prag; does not think of molesting Friedrich in his solitary state;
and will undertake nothing, "till Konigseck, from JungBunzlau, come in," victorious or not; or till perhaps
even Daun arrive (who is, rather slowly, gathering reinforcement in Maren): "What can the enemy attempt on
us, in a Post of this strength?" thinks Prince Karl. And Browne, whatever his insight or convictions be, has to
keep silence.
"Weissenberg," let readers be reminded, "is on the hither or western side of Prag: the Hradschin [pronounce
RadSHEEN, with accent on the last syllable, as in "SchwerIN" and other such cases], the Hradschin, which is
the topmost summit of the City and of the Fashionable Quarter,old Bohemian Palace, still occasionally
habitable as such, and in constant use as a DOWNING STREET,lies on the slope or shoulder of the
Weissenberg, a good way from the top; and has a web of streets rushing down from it, steepest streets in the
world; till they reach the Bridge, and broadflowing Moldau (broad as Thames at halfflood, but nothing like
so deep); after which the streets become level, and spread out in intricate plenty to right and to left, and ahead
eastward, across the River, till the Ziscaberg, with frowning precipitous brow, suddenly puts a stop to them in
that particular direction. From Ziscaberg top to Weissenberg top may be about five English miles; from the
Hradschin to the foot of Ziscaberg, northwest to southeast, will be half that distance, the greatest length of
Prag City. Which is rather rhomboidal in shape, its longer diagonal this that we mention. The shorter
diagonal, from northmost base of Ziscaberg to southmost of Hradschin, is perhaps a couple of miles. Prag
stands nestled in the lap of mountains; and is not in itself a strong place in war: but the country round it,
Moldau ploughing his rugged chasm of a passage through the piled tableland, is difficult to manoeuvre in.
"Moldau Valley comes straight from the south, crosses Prag; andmaking, on its outgate at the northern end
of Prag (end of 'shortest diagonal' just spoken of), one big loop, or bend and counterbend, of horseshoe
shape," which will be notable to us anon"again proceeds straight northward and Elbeward. It is narrow
everywhere, especially when once got fairly north of Prag; and runs along like a QuasiHighland Strath,
amid rocks and hills. Big Hillranges, not to be called barren, yet with rock enough on each hand, and fine
side valleys opening here and there: the bottom of your Strath, which is green and fertile, with pleasant busy
Villages (much intent on waterpower and cottonspinning in our time), is generally of few furlongs in
breadth. And so it lasts, this pleasant Moldau Valley, mile after mile, on the northern or Lower Moldau,
generally straight north, though with one big bend eastward just before ending; and not till near Melnick, or
the mouth of Moldau, do we emerge on that grand Elbe Valley,glanced at once already, from Pascopol or
other Height, in the Lobositz times."
Friedrich's first problem is the junction with Schwerin: junction not to be accomplished south of Ziscaberg in
the present circumstances; and which Friedrich knows to be a ticklish operation, with those Austrians looking
on from the high grounds there. Tuesday, 3d May, in the way of reconnoitring, and decisively on Wednesday,
4th, Friedrich is off northward, along the western heights of Lower Moldau, proper force following him, to
seek a fit place for the pontoons, and get across in that northern quarter. "How dangerous that Schwerin is a
day too late!" murmurs he; but hopes the Austrians will undertake nothing. Keith, with 30,000, he has left on
the Weissenberg, to straiten Prag and the Austrian Garrison on that side: our wagontrains arrive from
Leitmeritz on that side, Elbeboats bring them up to Leitmeritz; very indispensable to guard that side of Prag.
Friedrich's fixed purpose also is to beat the Austrians, on the other side of it, and send them packing; but for
that, there are steps needful!
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Up so far as Lissoley, the first day, Friedrich has found no fit place; but on the morrow, Thursday, 5th, farther
up, at a place called Seltz, Friedrich finds his side of the Strath to be "a little higher than the other,"proper,
therefore, for cannonading the other, if need be;and orders his pontoons to be built together there. He
knows accurately of the Schwerin Column, of the comfortable Bevern Victory at Reichenberg, and how they
have got the JungBunzlau Magazine, and are across the Elbe, their bridges all secured, though with delay of
one day; and do now wait only for the word,for the three cannonshot, in fact, which are to signify that
Friedrich is actually crossing to their side of Lower Moldau.
Friedrich's Bridge is speedily built (trained human hands can be no speedier), his batteries planted, his
precautions taken: the three cannonshot go off, audible to Schwerin; and Friedrich's troops stream speedily
across, hardly a Pandour to meddle with them. Nay, before the passage was completewhat lighthorse
squadrons are these? Hussars, seen to be Seidlitz's (missioned by Schwerin), appear on the outskirts: a
meeting worthy of three cheers, surely, after such a march on both sides! Friedrich lies on the eastern
Hilltops that night (Hamlet of Czimitz his Headquarter, discoverable if you wish it, scarcely three miles
north of Prag); and accurate appointment is made with Schwerin as to the meetingplace tomorrow
morning. Meetingplace is to be the environs of Prossik Village, southeastward over yonder, short way north
of the PragKonigsgratz Highway; and rather nearer Prag than we now are, in Czimitz here: time at Prossik
to be 6 A.M. by the clock; and Winterfeld and Schwerin to come in person and speak with his Majesty. This
is the program for Friday, May 6th, which proves to be so memorable a day.
Schwerin is on foot by the stroke of midnight; comes along, "over the heights of Chaber," by half a dozen, or
I know not how many roads; visible in due time to Friedrich's people, who are likewise punctually on the
advance: in a word, the junction is accomplished with all correctness. And, while the Columns are marching
up, Schwerin and Winterfeld ride about in personal conference with his Majesty; taking survey, through
spyglasses, of those Austrians encamped yonder on the broad back of their Zisca Hill, a couple of miles to
southward. "What a set of Austrians," exclaim military critics, "to permit such junction, without effort to
devour the one half or the other, in good time!" Friedrich himself, it is probable, might partly be of the same
opinion; but he knew his Austrians, and had made bold to venture. Friedrich, we can observe, always got to
know his man, after fighting him a month or two; and took liberties with him, or did not take, accordingly.
And, for most part,not quite always, as one signal exception will Show, he does it with perfect
accuracy; and often with vital profit to his measures. "If the Austrian cookingtents are asmoke before eight
in the morning," notes he, "you may calculate, in such case, the Austrians will march that day." [MILITARY
INSTRUCTIONS.] With a surprising vividness of eye and mind (beautiful to rival, if one could), he watches
the signs of the times, of the hours and the days and the places; and prophesies from them; reads men and
their procedures, as if they were mere handwriting, not too cramp for him.The Austrians have, by this
time, got their Konigseck home, very unvictorious, but still on foot, all but a thousand or two: they are
already stronger than the Prussians by count of heads; and till even Daun come up, what hurry in a Post like
this? The Austrians are viewing Friedrich, too, this morning; but in the blankest manner: their outposts fire a
cannonshot or two on his group of adjutants and him, without effect; and the Head people send their cavalry
out to forage, so little prophecy have they from signs seen.
Zisca Hill, where the Austrians now are, rises sheer up, of well nigh precipitous steepness, though there are
trees and grass on it, from the eastern side of Prag, say five or six hundred feet. A steep, picturesque, massive
green Hill; Moldau River, turning suddenly to right, strikes the northwest corner of it (has flowed well to
west of it, till then), and winds eastward round its northern base. As will be noticed presently. The ascent of
Ziscaberg, by roads, is steep and tedious: but once at the top, you find that it is precipitous on two sides only,
the City or westward side, and the Moldau or northward. Atop it spreads out, far and wide, into a waving
upland level; bare of hedges; ploughable all of it, studded with littery hamlets and farmsteadings; far and
wide, a kind of Plain, sloping with extreme gentleness, five or six miles to eastward, and as far to southward,
before the level perceptibly rise again.
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Another feature of the Ziscaberg, already hinted at, is very notable: that of the Moldau skirting its northern
base, and scarping the Hill, on that side too, into a precipitous, or very steep condition. Moldau having
arrived from southward, fairly past the end of Ziscaberg, had, so to speak, made up his mind to go right
eastward, quarrying his way through the lower uplands there, And he proceeds accordingly, hugging the
northern base of Ziscaberg, and making it steep enough; but finds, in the course of a mile or so, that he can no
more; upland being still rockbuilt, not underminable farther; and so is obliged to wind round again, to
northward, and finally straight westward, the way he came, or parallel to the way he came; and has effected
that great Horseshoe Hollow we heard of lately. An extremely pretty Hollow, and curious to look upon;
pretty villas, gardens, and a "Belvedere Park," laid out in the bottom part; with green mountainwalls rising
all round it, and a silver ring of river at the base of them: length of Horseshoe, from heel to toe, or from west
to east, is perhaps a mile; breadth, from heel to heel, perhaps half as much. Having arrived at his old distance
to west, Moldau, like a repentant prodigal, and as if ashamed of his frolic, just over against the old point he
swerved from, takes straight to northward again. Straight northward; and quarries out that fine narrow valley,
or QuasiHighland Strath, with its pleasant busy villages, where he turns the overshot machinery, and where
Friedrich and his men had their pontoons swimming yesterday.
It is here, on this broad back of the Ziscaberg, that the Austrians now lie; looking northward over to the King,
and trying cannon shots upon him. There they have been encamping, and diligently intrenching themselves
for four days past; diligent especially since yesterday, when they heard of Friedrich's crossing the River.
Their groups of tents, and batteries at all the good points, stretch from near the crown of Ziscaberg, eastward
to the Villages of Hlaupetin, Kyge, and their Lakes, near four miles; and rearward into the interior one knows
not how far;Prince Karl, hardly awake yet, lies at Nussel, near the Moldau, near the Wischerad or
southeastmost point of Prag; six good miles westbysouth of Kyge, at the other end of the diagonal line.
About the same distance, right east from Nussel, and a mile or more to south of Kyge, over yonder, is a littery
Farmstead named Sterbohol, which is not yet occupied by the Austrians, but will become very famous in
their WarAnnals, this day!
Where the Austrian Camp or various Tentgroups were, at the time Friedrich first cast eye on them, is no
great concern of his or ours; inasmuch as, in two or three hours hence, the Austrians were obliged, rather
suddenly, to take Order of Battle; and that, and not their camping, is the thing we are curious upon. Let us
step across, and take some survey of that Austrian ground, which Friedrich is now surveying from the
distance, fully intending that it shall be a battleground in few hours; and try to explain how the Austrians
drew up on it, when they noticed the Prussian symptoms to become serious more and more. By nine in the
morning,some two hours after Friedrich began his scanning, and the Austrian outposts their firing of stray
cannonshots on him,it is Battlelines, not empty Tents (which there was not time to strike), that salute
the eye over yonder.
From behind that verdant Horseshoe Chasm we spoke of, buttressed by the inaccessible steeps, and the
Moldau, doublefolded in the form of Horseshoe, all along the brow of that sloping expanse, stands (by 9
A.M. "foragers all suddenly called in") the Austrian front; the second line and the reserve, parallel to it, at
good distances behind. Ranked there; say 65,000 regulars (Prussian force little short of the same), on the
brow of Ziscaberg slope, some four miles long. Their right wing ends, in strong batteries, in intricate
marshes, knolls, lakelets, between Hlaupetin and Kyge: the extreme of their left wing looks over on that
Horseshoe Hollow, where Moldau tried to dig his way, but could not and had to turn back. They have
numerous redoubts, in front and in all the good places; and are busy with more, some of them just now
getting finished, treblequick, while the Prussians are seen under way. As many as sixty heavy cannon in
battery up and down: of field pieces they have a hundred and fifty. Excellent always with their Artillery,
these Austrians; plenty of it, wellplaced and well served: thanks to Prince Lichtenstein's fine labors within
these ten years past. [ OEuvres de Frederic, (in several places); see Hormayr, ? Lichtenstein.] The villages,
the farmsteads, are occupied; every rising ground especially has its battery,Homoly Berg, Tabor Berg,
"Mount of Tabor;" say KNOLL of Tabor (nothing like so high as Battersea Rise, hardly even as Constitution
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Chapter II. BATTLE OF PRAG. 1110
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Hill), though scriptural Zisca would make a Mount of it;these, and other BERGS of the like type.
That is the Austrian Battle Order (as it stood about 9, though it had still to change a little, as we shall see):
their first line, straight or nearly so, looking northward, stands on the brow of the Zisca Slope; their second
and their third, singularly like it, at the due distances behind;in the intervals, their tents, which stand
scattered, in groups wide apart, in the ample interior to southward. The cavalry is on both wings; left wing,
behind that Moldau Chasm, cannot attack nor be attacked,except it were on hippogriffs, and its enemy on
the like, capable of fighting in the air, overhead of these Belvedere Pleasuregrounds: perhaps Prince Karl
will remedy this oversight; fruit of close following of the orthodox practice? Prince Karl, supreme Chief,
commands on the left wing; Browne on the right, where he can attack or be attacked, NOT on hippogriffs. As
we shall see, and others will! Light horse, in any quantity, hang scattered on all outskirts. With foot, with
cannon batteries, with horse, light or heavy, they cover in long broad flood the whole of that Zisca Slope, to
near where it ceases, and the ground to eastward begins perceptibly to rise again.
In this latter quarter, Zisca Slope, now nearly ended, begins to get very swampy in parts; on the eastern
border of the Austrian Camp, at Kyge, Hostawitz, and beyond it southward, about Sterbohol and Michelup,
there are many little lakelets; artificial fish ponds, several of them, with their sluices, dams and apparatus: a
ragged broadish lacing of ponds and lakelets (all well dried in our day) straggles and zigzags along there,
connected by the miserablest Brook in nature, which takes to oozing and serpentizing forward thereabouts,
and does finally get emptied, now in a rather livelier condition, into the Moldau, about the TOEpart of that
Horseshoe or Belvedere region. It runs in sight of the King, I think, where he now is; this lower livelier part
of it: little does the King know how important the upper oozing portion of it will be to him this day. Near
Michelup are lakelets worth noticing; a little under Sterbohol, in the course of this miserable Brook, is a
string of fishponds, with their sluices open at this time, the water out, and the mud bottom sown with
herbprovender for the intended carps, which is coming on beautifully, green as leeks, and nearly ready for
the fish getting to it again.
Friedrich surveys diligently what he can of all this, from the northern verge. We will now return to Friedrich;
and will stay on his side through the terrible Action that is coming. Battle of Prag, one of the furious Battles
of the World; loud as Doomsday; the very Emblem of which, done on the Piano by females of energy,
scatters mankind to flight who love their ears! Of this great Action the Narratives old and modern are
innumerable; false some of them, unintelligible wellnigh all. There are three in Lloyd, known probably to
some of my readers. Tempelhof, with criticisms of these three, gives a fourth,perhaps the one Narrative
which human nature, after much study, can in some sort understand. Human readers, especially military, I
refer to that as their finale. [In Lloyd, i. 38 et seq. (the Three): in Tempelhof, i. 123 (the Fourth); ib. i. 144
(strength of each Army), 105149 (remarks of Tempelhof).The "HISTORY," or Series of Lectures on the
Battles of this War, "BY THE ROYAL STAFFOFFICERS"which, for the last thirty or forty years, is
used as TextBook, or Military EUCLID, in the Prussian CadetSchools,appears to possess the fit
professorial lucidity and amplitude; and, in regard to all Official details, enumerations and the like, is
received as of CANONICAL authority: it is not accessible to the general Public,though liberally enough
conceded in special cases; whereby, in effect, the main results of it are now become current in modern
Prussian Books. By favor in high quarters, I had once possession of a copy, for some months; but not, at that
time, the possibility of thoroughly reading any part of it.] Other interest than militaryscientific the Action
now has not much. The stormy fire of soul that blazed that day (higher in no ancient or modern Fight of men)
is extinct, hopeless of resuscitation for English readers. Approximately what the thing to human eyes might
be like; what Friedrich's procedure, humor and physiognomy of soul was in it: this, especially the latter head,
is what we search for,had lazy Dryasdust given us almost anything on this latter head! What little can be
gleaned from him on both heads let us faithfully give, and finish our sad part of the combat.
Friedrich, with his Schwerin and Winterfeld, surveying these things from the northern edge, admits that the
Austrian position is extremely strong; but he has no doubt that it must be, by some good method, attacked
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straightway, and the Austrians got beaten. Indisputably the enterprise is difficult. Unattackable clearly, the
Austrians, on that left wing of theirs; not in the centre well attackable, nor in the front at all, with that stiff
ground, and such redoubts and points of strength: but round on their right yonder; take them in
flank,cannot we? On as far as Kyge, the Three have ridden reconnoitring; and found no possibility upon
the front; nor at Kyge, where the front ends in batteries, pools and quagmires, is there any. "Difficult, not
undoable," persists the King: "and it must be straightway set about and got done." Winterfeld, always for
action, is of that opinion, too: and, examining farther down along their right flank, reports that there the thing
is feasible.
Feasible perhaps: "but straightway?" objects Schwerin. His men have been on foot since midnight, and on
forced marches for days past: were it not better to rest for this one day? "Rest:and Daun, coming on with
30,000 of reinforcement to them, might arrive this night? Never, my good Feldmarschall;"and as the
Feldmarschall was a man of stiff notions, and had a tongue of some emphasis, the Dialogue went on,
probably with increasing emphasis on Friedrich's side too, till old Schwerin, with a quite emphatic flash of
countenance, crushing the hat firm over his brow, exclaims: "Well, your Majesty: the fresher fish the better
fish (FRISCHE FISCHE, GUTE FISCHE): straightway, then!" and springs off on the gallop southward, he
too, seeking some likely point of attack. He too, conjointly or not with Winterfeld, I do not know:
Winterfeld himself does not say; whose own modest words on the subject readers shall see before we finish.
But both are mentioned in the Books as searching, at handgallop, in this way: and both, once well round to
south, by the Podschernitz ["Podschernitz" is pronounced PotSHERnitz (should we happen to mentionn it
again); "Kyge," KEEGA.] quarter, with the Austrian right flank full in view, were agreed that here the thing
was possible. "Infantry to push from this quarter towards Sterbohol yonder, and then plunge into their
redoubts and them! Cavalry may sweep still farther southward, if found convenient, and even take them in
rear." Both agree that it will do in this way: ground tolerably good, slightly downwards for us, then slightly
upwards again; tolerable for horse even:the intermediate lacing of dirty lakelets, the fishponds with their
sluices drawn, Schwerin and Winterfeld either did not notice at all, or thought them insiginificant,
interspersed with such beautiful "pastureground,"of unusual verdure at this early season of the year.
The deployment, or "marching up (AUFMARSCHIREN)" of the Prussians was wonderful; in their
squadrons, in their battalions, horse, foot, artillery, wheeling, closing, opening; strangely checkering a
countryside,in movements intricate, chaotic to all but the scientific eye. Conceive them, flowing along,
from the Heights of Chaber, behind Prossik Hamlet (right wing of infantry plants itself at Prossik, horse
westward of them); and ever onwards in broad manycheckered tidestream, eastward, eastward, then
southward ("our artillery went through Podschernitz, the foot and horse a little on this westward side of it"):
intricate, manyglancing tide of coming battle; which, swift, correct as clockwork, becomes two lines, from
Prossik to near Chwala ("baggage well behind at Gbell"); thence round by Podschernitz quarter; and
descends, steady, swift, tornadostorm so beautifully hidden in it, towards Sterbohol, there to grip to.
Gradually, in stirring up those old dead pedantic recordbooks, the fact rises on us: silent whirlwinds of old
PlattDeutsch fire, beautifully held down, dwell in those mute masses; better human stuff there is not than
that old Teutsch (Dutch, English, PlattDeutsch and other varieties); and so disciplined as here it never was
before or since. "In an hour and half," what military men may count almost incredible, they are fairly on their
ground, motionless the most of them by 9 A.M.; the rest wheeling rightward, as they successively arrive in
the ChwalaPodschernitz localities; and, descending diligently, Sterbohol way; and will be at their
harvestwork anon.
Meanwhile the Austrians, seeing, to their astonishment, these phenomena to the north, and that it is a quite
serious thing, do also rapidly bestir themselves; swarming like bees;bringing in their foraging Cavalry,
"No time to change your jacket for a coat:" rank, doublequick! Browne is on that right wing of theirs:
"Bring the left wing over hither," suggests Browne; "cavalry is useless yonder, unless they had
hippogriffs!"and (again Browne suggesting) the Austrians make a change in the position of their right
wing, both horse and foot: change which is of vital importance, though unnoted in many Narratives of this
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Battle. Seeing, namely, what the Prussians intend, they wheel their right wing (say the last furlong or two of
their long Line of Battle) half round to right; so that the last furlong or two stands at right angles ("EN
POTENCE," gallowswise, or joiner'ssquarewise to the rest); and, in this way, make front to the Prussian
onslaught,front now, not flank, as the Prussians are anticipating. This is an important wheel to right, and
formation in joiner'ssquare manner; and involves no end of interior wheeling, marching and deploying;
which Austrians cannot manage with Prussian velocity. "Swift with it, here about Sterbohol at least, my men!
For here are the Prussians within wind of us!" urges Browne. And here straightway the hurricane does break
loose.
Winterfeld, the van of Schwerin's infantry (Schwerin's own regiment, and some others, with him), is striding
rapidly on Sterbohol; Winterfeld catches it before Browne can. But near by, behind that important post, on
the Homely Hill (BERG or "Mountain," nothing like so high as Constitution Mountain), are cannon
batteries of devouring quality; which awaken on Winterfeld, as he rushes out doublequick on the advancing
Austrians; and are fatal to Winterfeld's attempt, and nearly to Winterfeld himself. Winterfeld, heavily
wounded, sank in swoon from his horse; and awakening again in a pool of blood, found his men all off,
rushing back upon the main Schwerin body; "Austrian grenadiers gazing on the thing, about eighty paces off,
not venturing to follow." Winterfeld, half dead, scrambled across to Schwerin, who has now come up with
the main body, his front line fronting the Austrians here. And there ensued, about Sterbohol and
neighborhood, led on by Schwerin, such a deathwrestle as was seldom seen in the Annals of War.
Winterfeld's miss of Sterbohol was the beginning of it: the exact course of sequel none can describe, though
the end is well known.
The Austrians now hold Sterbohol with firm grip, backed by those batteries from Homoly Hill. Redoubts,
cannonbatteries, as we said, stud all the field; the Austrian stock of artillery is very great; arrangement of it
cunning, practice excellent; does honor to Prince Lichtenstein, and indeed is the real force of the Austrians on
this occasion. Schwerin must have Sterbohol, in spite of batteries and ranked Austrians, and Winterfeld's
recoil tumbling round him:and rarely had the oldest veteran such a problem. Old Schwerin (fiery as ever,
at the age of 73) has been in many battles, from Blenheim onwards; and now has got to his hottest and his
last. "Vanguard could not do it; main body, we hope, kindling all the hotter, perhaps may!" A most willing
mind is in these Prussians of Schwerin's: fatigue of overmarching has tired the muscles of them; but their
hearts,all witnesses say, these (and through these, their very muscles, "always fresh again, after a few
minutes of breathingtime") were beyond comparison, this day!
Schwerin's Prussians, as they "march up" (that is, as they front and advance upon the Austrians), are
everywhere saluted by case shot, from Homoly Hill and the batteries northward of Homoly; but march on,
this main line of them, finely regardless of it or of Winterfeld's disaster by it. The general Prussian Order this
day is: "By push of bayonet; no firing, none, at any rate, till you see the whites of their eyes!" Swift, steady as
on the paradeground, swiftly making up their gaps again, the Prussians advance, on these terms; and are
now near those "fine sleek pasturegrounds, unusually green for the season." Figure the actual stepping upon
these "fine pasturegrounds:"mudtanks, verdant with mere "bearding oatcrop" sown there as
carpprovender! Figure the sinking of whole regiments to the knee; to the middle, some of them; the steady
march become a wild sprawl through viscous mud, mere caseshot singing round you, tearing you away at its
ease! Even on those terrible terms, the Prussians, by dams, by footpaths, sometimes one man abreast, sprawl
steadily forward, trailing their cannon with them; only a few regiments, in the footpath parts, cannot bring
their cannon. Forward; rank again, when the ground will carry; ever forward, the caseshot getting ever more
murderous! No human pen can describe the deadly chaos which ensued in that quarter. Which lasted, in
desperate fury, issue dubious, for above three hours; and was the crisis, or essential agony, of the Battle.
Footchargings, (once the mudtransit was accomplished), under storms of grapeshot from Homoly Hill; by
and by, Horsechargings, Prussian against Austrian, southward of Homoly and Sterbohol, still farther to the
Prussian left; huge whirlpool of tumultuous deathwrestle, every species of spasmodic effort, on the one side
and the other;King himself present there, as I dimly discover; Feldmarschall Browne eminent, in the last of
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his fields; and, as the old NIEBELUNGEN has it, "a murder grim and great" going on.
Schwerin's Prussians, in that preliminary struggle through the mud tanks (which Winterfeld, I think, had
happened to skirt, and avoid), were hard bested. This, so far as I can learn, was the worst of the chaos, this
preliminary part. Intolerable to human nature, this, or nearly so; even to human nature of the Platt Teutsch
type, improved by Prussian drill. Winterfeld's repulse we saw; Schwerin's own Regiment in it. Various
repulses, I perceive, there were,"fresh regiments from our Second Line" storming in thereupon; till the
poor repulsed people "took breath," repented, "and themselves stormed in again," say the Books. Fearful
tugging, swagging and swaying is conceivable, in this Sterbohol problem! And after long scanning, I rather
judge it was in the wake of that first repulse, and not of some other farther on, that the veteran Schwerin
himself got his death. No one times it for us; but the fact is unforgettable; and in the dim whirl of sequences,
dimly places itself there. Very certain it is, "at sight of his own regiment in retreat," Feldmarschall Schwerin
seized the colors,as did other Generals, who are not named, that day. Seizes the colors, fiery old man:
"HERAN, MEINE KINDER (This way, my sons)!" and rides ahead, along the straight dam again; his "sons"
all turning, and with hot repentance following. "On, my children, HERAN!" Five bits of grapeshot, deadly
each of them, at once hit the old man; dead he sinks there on his flag; and will never fight more. "HERAN!"
storm the others with hot tears; Adjutant von Platen takes the flag; Platen, too, is instantly shot; but another
takes it. "HERAN, On!" in wild storm of rage and grief:in a word, they manage to do the work at
Sterbohol, they and the rest. First line, Second line, Infantry, Cavalry (and even the very Horses, I suppose),
fighting inexpressibly; conquering one of the worst problems ever seen in War. For the Austrians too,
especially their grenadiers there, stood to it toughly, and fought like men;and "every grenadier that
survived of them," as I read afterwards, "got double pay for life."
Done, that Sterbohol work;those Footchargings, Horsechargings; that battery of Homoly Hill; and,
hanging upon that, all manner of redoubts and batteries to the rightward and rearward:but how it was done
no pen can describe, nor any intellect in clear sequence understand. An enormous MELEE there: new
Prussian battalions charging, and ever new, irrepressible by caseshot, as they successively get up; Marshal
Browne too sending for new battalions at doublequick from his left, disputing stiffly every inch of his
ground. Till at length (hour not given), a cannonshot tore away his foot; and he had to be carried into Prag,
mortally wounded. Which probably was a most important circumstance, or the most important of all.
Important too, I gradually see, was that of the Prussian Horse of the Left Wing. Prussian Horse of the extreme
left, as already noticed, had, in the mean while, fallen in, well southward, round by certain lakelets about
Michelup, on Browne's extreme right; furiously charging the Austrian Horse, which stood ranked there in
many lines; breaking it, then again half broken by it; but again rallying, charging it a second time, then a third
time, "both to front and flank, amid whirlwinds of dust" (Ziethen busy there, not to mention indignant
Warnery and others);and at length, driving it wholly to the winds: "beyond Nussel, towards the Sazawa
Country;" never seen again that day. Prince Karl (after Browne's deathwound, or before, I never know)
came galloping to rally that important Right Wing of horse. Prince Karl did his very utmost there; obtesting,
praying, raging, threatening:but to no purpose; the Zietheners and others so heavy on the rear of
them:and at last there came a cramp, or intolerable twinge of spasm, through Prince Karl's own person
(breast or heart), like to take the life of him: so that he too had to be carried into Prag to the doctors. And his
Cavalry fled at discretion; chased by Ziethen, on Friedrich's express order, and sent quite over the horizon.
Enough, "by about halfpast one," Sterbohol work is thoroughly done: and the Austrian Battle, both its
Commanders gone, has heeled fairly downwards, and is in an ominous way.
The whole of this Austrian Right Wing, horse and foot, batteries and redoubts, which was put EN
POTENCE, or squarewise, to the main battle, is become a ruin; gone to confusion; hovers in distracted
clouds, seeking roads to run away by, which it ultimately found. Done all this surely was; and poor Browne,
mortally wounded, is being carried off the ground; but in what sequence done, under what exact vicissitudes
of aspect, special steps of cause and effect, no man can say; and only imagination, guided by these few data,
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can paint to itself. Such a chaotic whirlwind of blood, dust, mud, artillerythunder, sulphurous rage, and
human death and victory, who shall pretend to describe it, or draw, except in the gross, the scientific plan
of it?
For, in the mean time,I think while the dispute at Sterbohol, on the extreme of the Austrian right wing "in
joiner'ssquare form," was past the hottest (but nobody will give the hour),there has occurred another
thing, much calculated to settle that. And, indeed, to settle everything;as it did. This was a volunteer
exploit, upon the very elbow or angle of said "joiner'ssquare;" in the wet grounds between Hlaupetin and
Kyge, a good way north of Sterbohol. Volunteer exploit; on the part of General Mannstein, our old Russian
friend; which Friedrich, a long way off from it, blames as a rash fault of Mannstein's, made good by Prince
Henri and Ferdinand of Brunswick running up to mend it; but which Winterfeld, and subsequent good judges,
admit to have been highly salutary, and to have finished everything. It went, if I read right, somewhat as
follows.
In the KygeHlaupetin quarter, at the corner of that Austrian right wing EN POTENCE, there had, much
contrary to Browne's intention, a perceptible gap occurred; the corner is open there; nothing in it but batteries
and swamps. The Austrian right wing, wheeling southward, there to form POTENCE; and scrambling and
marching, then and subsequently, through such ground at doublequick, had gone too far (had thinned and
lengthened itself, as is common, in such scrambling, and doublequick movement, thinks Tempelhof), and
left a little gap at elbow; which always rather widened as the stress at Sterbohol went on. Certain enough, a
gap there is, covered only by some halfmoon battery in advance: into this, General Mannstein has been
looking wistfully a long time: "Austrian Line fallen out at elbow yonder; clouted by some battery in
advance?"and at length cannot help dashing loose on it with his Division. A man liable to be rash, and
always too impetuous in battletime.
He would have fared ill, thinks Friedrich, had not Henri and Ferdinand, in pain for Mannstein (some think,
privately in preconcert with him), hastened in to help; and done it altogether in a shining way; surmounting
perilous difficulties not a few. Hard fighting in that corner, partly on the Sterbohol terms; batteries,
mudtanks; chargings, rechargings: "Comrades, you have got honor enough, KAMERADEN, IHR HABT
EHRE GENUG [the second man of you lying dead]; let us now try!" said a certain Regiment to a certain
other, in this business. [Archenholtz, i. 75; Tempelhof, Prince Henri shone especially, the gallant little
gentleman: coming upon one of those mudtanks with battery beyond, his men were spreading filewise, to
cross it on the dams; "BURSCHE, this way!" cried the Prince, and plunged in middledeep, right upon the
battery; and over it, and victoriously took possession of it. In a word, they all plunge forward, in a shining
manner; rush on those halfmoon batteries, regardless of results; rush over them, seize and secure them.
Rush, in a word, fairly into that Austrian hole atelbow, torrents more following them,and irretrievably
ruin both forearm and shoulderarm of the Austrians thereby.
Forearm (Austrian right wing, if still struggling and wriggling about Sterbohol) is taken in flank;
shoulderarm, or main line, the like; we have them both in flank; with their own batteries to scour them to
destruction here:the Austrian Line, throughout, is become a ruin. Has to hurl itself rapidly to rightwards, to
rearwards, says Tempelhof, behind what redoubts and strong points it may have in those parts; and then, by
sure stages (Tempelhof guesses three, or perhaps four), as one redoubt after another is torn from the loose
grasp of it, and the stand made becomes ever weaker, and the confusion worse,to roll pellmell into Prag,
and hastily close the door behind it. The Prussians, Sterbohol people, Mannstein Henri people, left wing and
right, are quite across the Zisca Back, on by Nussel (Prince Earl's headquarter that was), and at the Moldau
Brink again, when the thing ends. Ziethen's Hussars have been at Nussel, very busy plundering there, ever
since that final charge and chase from Sterbohol. Plundering; and, I am ashamed to say, mostly drunk: "Your
Majesty, I cannot rank a hundred sober," answered Ziethen (doubtless with a kind of blush), when the King
applied for them. The King himself has got to Branik, farther up stream. Part of the Austrian foot fled,
leftwards, southwards, as their right wing of horse had all done, up the Moldau. About 16,000 Austrians are
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distractedly on flight that way. Towards, the Sazawa Country; to unite with Daun, as the now advisable thing.
Near 40,000 of them are getting crammed into Prag; in spite of Prince Karl, now recovered of his cramp, and
risen to the frantic pitch; who vainly struggles at the Gate against such inrush, and had even got through the
Gate, conjuring and commauding, but was himself swum in again by those panic torrents of ebbtide.
Rallying within, he again attempted, twice over, at two different points, to get out, and up the Moldau, with
his broken people; but the Prussians, NusselBranik way, were awake to him: "No retreat up the Moldau for
you, Austrian gentlemen!" They tried by another Gate, on the other side of the River; but Keith was awake
too: "In again, ye Austrian gentlemen! Closed gates here too. What else?" Browne, from his bed of pain
(deathbed, as it proved), was for a much more determined outrush: "In the dead of night, rank, deliberately
adjust yourselves; storm out, one and all, and cut your way, night favoring!" That was Browne's last counsel;
but that also was not taken. A really noble Browne, say all judges; died here in about six weeks,and got
away from KriegsHofraths and Prince Karls, and the stupidity of neighbors, and the other ills that flesh is
heir to, altogether.
At Branik the victorious King had one great disappointment: Prince Moritz of Dessau, who should have been
here long hours ago, with Keith's right wing, a fresh 15,000, to fall upon the enemy's rear;no Moritz
visible; not even now, when the business is to chase! "How is this?" "Ill luck, your Majesty!" Moritz's
Pontoon Bridge would not reach across, when he tried it. That is certain: "just three poor pontoons wanting,"
Rumor says:three or more; spoiled, I am told, in some narrow road, some shortcut which Moritz had
commanded for them: and now they are not; and it is as if three hundred had been spoiled. Moritz, would he
die for it, cannot get his Bridge to reach: his fresh 15,000 stand futile there; not even Seidlitz with his light
horse could really swim across, though he tried hard, and is fabled to have done so. Beware of shortcuts, my
Prince: your Father that is gone, what would he say of you here! It was the worst mistake Prince Moritz ever
made. The Austrian Army might have been annihilated, say judges (of a sanguine temper), had Moritz been
ready, at his hour, to fall on from rearward;and where had their retreat been? As it is, the Austrian Army is
not annihilated; only bottled into Prag, and will need sieging. The brightest triumph has a bar of black in it,
and might always have been brighter. Here is a flying Note, which I will subjoin:
Friedrich's dispositions for the Battle, this day, are allowed to have been masterly; but there was one signal
fault, thinks Retzow: That he did not, as Schwerin counselled, wait till the morrow. Fault which brought
many in the train of it; that of his "tired soldiers," says Retzow, being only a first item, and small in
comparison. "Had he waited till the morrow, those fishponds of Sterbohol, examined in the interim, need
not have been mistaken for green meadows; Prince Moritz, with his 15,000, would have been a fact, instead
of a false hope; the King might have done his marching down upon Sterbohol in the nighttime, and been
ready for the Austrians, flank, or even rear, at daybreak: the King might" In reality, this fault seems to
have been considerable; to have made the victory far more costly to him, and far less complete. No doubt he
had his reasons for making haste: Daun, advancing Prag ward with 30,000, was within three marches of
him; General Beck, Daun's vanguard, with a 10,000 of irregulars, did a kind of feat at Brandeis, on the
Prussian post there (our Saxons deserting to him, in the heat of action), this very day, May 6th; and might, if
lucky, have taken part at Ziscaberg next day. And besides these solid reasons, there was perhaps another.
Retzow, who is secretly of the Oppositionparty, and well worth hearing, knows personally a curious thing.
He says:
"Being then [in March or April, weeks before we left Saxony] employed to translate the PLAN OF
OPERATIONS into French, for Marshal Keith's use, who did not understand German, I well know that it
contained the following three main objects: 1. 'All Regiments cantoning in Silesia as well as Saxony march
for Bohemia on one and the same day. 2. Whole Army arrives at Prag May 4th [Schwerin was a day later,
and got scolded in consequence]; if the Enemy stand, he is attacked May 6th, and beaten. 3. So soon as Prag
is got, Schwerin, with the gross of the Army, pushes into Mahren,' and the heart of Austria itself; 'King
hastens with 40,000 to help of the Allied Army,'"Royal Highness of Cumberland's; who will much need it
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by that time! [Retzow, i. 84 n.]
Here is a very curious fact and consideration. That the King had so prophesied and preordained: "May 4th,
Four Columns arrive at Prag; May 6th, attack the Austrians, beat them,"and now wished to keep his word!
This is an aerial reason, which I can suspect to have had its weight among others. There were twirls of that
kind in Friedrich; intricate weak places; knots in the sound straight fibred mind he had (as in whose mind
are they not?),which now and then cost him dear! The AnecdoteBooks say he was very ill of body, that
day, May 6th; and called for something of drug nature, and swallowed it (drug not named), after getting on
horseback. The Evening Anecdote is prettier: How, in the rushing about, Austrians now flying, he got eye on
Brother Henri (clayey to a degree); and sat down with him, in the blessed sunset, for a minute or two, and
bewailed his sad losses of Schwerin and others.
Certain it is, the victory was bought by hard fighting; and but for the quality of his troops, had not been there.
But the bravery of the Prussians was exemplary, and covered all mistakes that were made. Nobler fire, when
did it burn in any Army? More perfect soldiers I have not read of. PlattTeutsch firewhich I liken to
anthracite, in contradistinction to Gaelic blaze of kindled straw is thrice noble, when, by strict stern
discipline, you are above it withal; and wield your fireelement, as Jove his thunder, by rule! Otherwise it is
but halfadmirable: TurkJanissaries have it otherwise; and it comes to comparatively little.
This is the famed Battle of Prag; fought May 6th, 1757; which sounded through all the world,and used to
deafen us in drawingrooms within man's memory. Results of it were: On the Prussian side, killed, wounded
and missing, 12,500 men; on the Austrian, 13,000 (prisoners included), with many flags, cannon, tents, much
wargear gone the wrong road;and a very great humiliation and dispiritment; though they had fought well:
"No longer the old Austrians, by any means," as Friedrich sees; but have iron ramrods, all manner of Prussian
improvements, and are "learning to march," as he once says, with surprise not quite pleasant.
Friedrich gives the cipher of loss, on both sides, much higher: "This Battle," says he, "which began towards
nine in the morning, and lasted, chase included, till eight at night, was one of the bloodiest of the age. The
Enemy lost 24,000 men, of whom were 5,000 prisoners; the Prussian loss amounted to 18,000 fighting
men, without counting Marshal Schwerin, who alone was worth above 10,000." "This day saw the pillars
of the Prussian Infantry cut down," says he mournfully, seeming almost to think the "laurels of victory" were
purchased too dear. His account of the Battle, as if it had been a painful object, rather avoided in his
afterthoughts, is unusually indistinct;and helps us little in the extreme confusion that reigns otherwise,
both in the thing itself and in the reporters of the thing. Here is a word from Winterfeld, some private Letter,
two days after; which is well worth reading for those who would understand this Battle.
"The enemy had his Left Wing leaning on the City, close by the Moldau," at Nussel; "and stretched with his
Right Wing across the high Hill [of Zisca] to the village of Lieben [so he HAD stood, looking into Prag; but
faced about, on hearing that Friedrich was across the River]; having before him those terrible Defiles [DIE
TERRIBLEN DEFILEES, "Horseshoe of the Moldau," as we call it], and the village of Prossik, which was
crammed with Pandours. It was about halfpast six in the morning, when our Schwerin Army [myself part of
it, at this time] joined with the twenty battalions and twenty squadrons, which the King had brought across to
unite with us, and which formed our right wing of battle that day [our left wing were Schweriners, Sterbohol
and the fighting done by Schweriners after their long march]. The King was at once determined to attack the
Enemy; as also were Schwerin [say nothing of the arguing] and your humble servant (MEINE
WENIGKEIT): but the first thing was, to find a hole whereby to get at him.
"This too was selected, and decided on, my proposal being found good; and took effect in manner following:
We [Schweriners] had marched off leftwise, foremost; and we now, without halt, continued marching so
with the Left Wing" of horse, "which had the van (TETE); and moved on, keeping the road for Hlaupetin,
and ever thence onwards along for Kyge, round the Ponds of Unter Podschernitz, without needing to pass
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these, and so as to get them in our rear.
"The Enemy, who at first had expected nothing bad, and never supposed that we would attack him at once,
FLAGRANTE DELICTO, and least of all in this point; and did not believe it possible, as we should have to
wade, breastdeep in part, through the ditches, and drag our cannon,was at first quite tranquil. But as he
began to perceive our real design (in which, they say, Prince Karl was the first to open Marshal Browne's
eyes), he drew his whole Cavalry over towards us, as fast as it could be done, and stretched them out as Right
Wing; to complete which, his Grenadiers and Hungarian Regulars of Foot ranked themselves as they got up
[makes his POTENCE, HAKEN, or joiner'ssquare, outmost end of it Horse.]
"The Enemy's intention was to hold with the Right Wing of his infantry on the Farmstead which they call
Sterbaholy [Sterbohol, a very dirty Farmstead at this day]; I, however, had the good luck, plunging on, head
foremost, with six battalions of our Left Wing and two of the Flank, to get to it before him. Although our
Second Line was not yet come forward, yet, as the battalions of the First were tolerably well together, I
decided, with General Fouquet, who had charge of the Flank, to begin at once; and, that the Enemy might not
have time to post himself still better, I pushed forward, quick step, out of the Farmstead" of Sterbohol "to
meet him,so fast, that even our cannon had not time to follow. He did, accordingly, begin to waver; and I
could observe that his people here, on this Wing, were making rightabout.
"Meanwhile, his fire of caseshot opened [from Homoly Hill, on our left], and we were still pushing
on,might now be about two hundred steps from the Enemy's Line, when I had the misfortune, at the head
of Regiment Schwerin, to get wounded, and, swooning away (VOR TOD), fell from my horse to the ground.
Awakening after some minutes, and raising my head to look about, I found nobody of our people now here
beside or round me; but all were already behind, in full flood of retreat (HOCH ANSCHLAGEN). The
Enemy's Grenadiers were perhaps eighty paces from me; but had halted, and had not the confidence to follow
us. I struggled to my feet, as fast as, for weakness, I possibly could; and got up to our confused mass
[CONFUSEN KLUMPEN,exact place, where?]: but could not, by entreaties or by threats, persuade a
single man of them to turn his face on the Enemy, much less to halt and try again.
"In this embarrassment the deceased Feldmarschall found me, and noticed that the blood was flowing
streamwise from my neck. As I was on foot, and none of my people now near, he bade give me his led horse
which he still had [and sent me home for surgery? Winterfeld, handsomely effacing himself when no longer
good for anything, hurries on to the Catastrophe, leaving us to guess that he was NOT an eyewitness
farther]bade give me the led horse which he still had; AND [as if that had happened directly after, which
surely it did not? AND] snatched the flag from Captain Rohr, who had taken it up to make the Bursche turn,
and rode forward with it himself.' But before he could succeed in the attempt, this excellent man, almost in a
minute, was hit with five caseshot balls, and fell dead on the ground; as also his brave Adjutant von Platen
was so wounded that he died next day.
"During this confusion and repulse, by which, as already mentioned, the Enemy had not the heart to profit,
not only was our Second Line come on, but those of the First, who had not suffered, went vigorously
(FRISCH) at the Enemy,"and in course of time (perhaps two hours yet), and by dint of effort, we did
manage Sterbohol and its batteries:"Like as [still in one sentence, and without the least punctuation;
Winterfeld being little of a grammarian, and in haste for the close], Like as Prince Henri's Royal Highness
with our Right Wing," Mannstein and he, "without waiting for order, attacked so PROMPT and with such
FERMOTE," in that elbowhole far north of US, "that everywhere the Enemy's Line began to give way; and
instead of continuing as Line, sought corpswise to gain the Heights, and there post itself. And as, without
winning said Heights, we could not win the Battle, we had to storm them all, one after the other; and this it
was that cost us the best, most and bravest people.
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"The late Colonel von Goltz [if we glance back to Sterbohol itself], who, with the regiment Fouquet, was
advancing, righthand of Schwerin regiment" and your servant, "had likewise got quite close to the Enemy;
and had he not, at the very instant when he was levelling bayonets, been shot down, I think that he, with
myself and the Schwerin regiment, would have got in,"and perhaps have there done the job, special and
general, with much less expense, and sooner! [Preuss, ii. 4547 (in Winterfeld's hand; dated "Camp at Prag,
8th May, 1757:" addressed to one knows not whom; first printed by Preuss).]
This is what we get from Winterfeld; a rugged, not much grammatical man, but (as I can perceive) with
excellent eyes in his head, and interior talent for twenty grammatical people, had that been his line. These,
faithfully rendered here, without change but of pointing, are the only words I ever saw of his: to my regret,
which surely the Prussian Dryasdust might still amend a little?in respect of so distinguished a person, and
chosen Peer of Friedrich's. This his brief theory of Prag Battle, if intensely read, I find to be of a piece with
his practice there.
Schwerin was much lamented in the Army; and has been duly honored ever since. His body lies in
Schwerinsburg, at home, far away; his Monument, finale of a series of Monuments, stands, now under special
guardianship, near Sterbohol on the spot where he fell. A late Tourist says:
"At first there was a monument of wood [TREE planted, I will hope], which is now all gone; round this
Kaiser Joseph II. once, in the year 1776, holding some review there, made his grenadier battalions and
artilleries form circle, fronting the sky all round, and give three volleys of great arms and small, Kaiser in the
centre doffing hat at each volley, in honor of the hero. Which was thought a very pretty thing on the Kaiser's
part. In 1824, the tree, I suppose, being gone to a stump, certain subscribing Prussian Officers had it rooted
out, and a modest Pyramid of redveined marble built in its room. Which latter the then King of Prussia,
Friedrich Wilhelm III., determined to improve upon; and so, in 1839, built a second Pyramid close by, bigger,
finer, and of Prussian iron, this one; purchasing also, from the Austrian Government, a rood or two of
ground for site; and appointing some perpetual Peculium, or increase of Pension to an Austrian Veteran of
merit for taking charge there. All which, perfectly in order, is in its place at this day. The actual Austrian
Pensioner of merit is a loudvoiced, hardfaced, very limited, but honest little fellow; who has worked a little
polygon ditch and miniature hedge round the two Monuments; keeps his own cottage, little garden, and self,
respectably clean; and leads stoically a lone life,no company, I should think, but the Sterbohol hinds, who
probably are Czechs and cannot speak to him. He was once 'of the regiment Hohenlohe;' suffers somewhat
from cold, in the wintertime, in those upland parts (the 'cords of wood' allowed him being limited); but
complains of nothing else. Two English names were in his Album, a military two, and no more. 'EHRET
DEN HELD (Honor the Hero)!' we said to him, at parting. 'Don't I?' answered he; glancing at his muddy bare
legs and little spade, with which he had been working in the Polygon Ditch when we arrived. I could wish
him an additional 'KLAFTER HOLZ' (cord more of firewood) now and then, in the cold months!
"Sterbohol Farmstead has been new built, in man's memory, but is dirty as ever. Agriculture, all over this
tableland of the Ziscaberg, I should judge to be bad. Not so the prospect; which is cheerfully extensive,
picturesque in parts, and to the student of Friedrich offers good commentary. Roads, mansions, villages:
Prossik, Kyge, Podschernitz, from the Heights of Chaber round to Nussel and beyond: from any knoll, all
Friedrich's Villages, and many more, lie round you as on a map,their dirt all hidden, nothing wanting to the
landscape, were it better carpeted with green (green instead of russet), and shaded here and there with wood.
A small wild pink, brightred, and of the size of a star, grows extensively about; of which you are tempted to
pluck specimens, as memorial of a Field so famous in War." [Tourist's Note (September, 1858).]
Chapter III. PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE.
What Friedrich's emotions after the Battle of Prag were, we do not much know. They are not inconceivable, if
we read his situation well; but in the way of speech, there is, as usual, next to nothing. Here are two stray
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utterances, worth gathering from a man so uncommunicative in that form.
FRIEDRICH A MONTH BEFORE PRAG (From Lockwitz, 25th March, to Princess Amelia, at
Berlin)."My dearest Sister, I give you a thousand thanks for the hints you have got me from Dr. Eller on
the illness of our dear Mother. Thricewelcome this; and reassures me [alas, not on good basis!] against a
misfortune which I should have considered very great for me.
"As to us and our posture of affairs, political and military, place yourself, I conjure you, above every
event. Think of our Country and remember that one's first duty is to defend it. If you learn that a misfortune
happens to one of us, ask, 'Did he die fighting?' and if Yes, give thanks to God. Victory or else death, there is
nothing else for us; one or the other we must have. All the world here is of that temper. What! you would
everybody sacrifice his life for the State, and you would not have your Brothers give the example? Ah, my
dear Sister, at this crisis, there is no room for bargaining. Either at the summit of glorious success, or else
abolished altogether. This Campaign now coming is like that of Pharsalia for Rome, or that of Leuctra for the
Greeks,"a Campaign we verily shall have to win, or go to wreck upon! [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i.
391.]
FRIEDERICH SHORTLY AFTER PRAG (To his Mother, Letter still extant in Autograph, without
date)."My Brothers and I are still well. The whole Campaign runs risk of being lost to the Austrians; and I
find myself free, with 150,000 men. Add to this, that we are masters of a Kingdom [Bohemia here], which is
obliged to furnish us with troops and money. The Austrians are dispersed like straw before the wind. I will
send a part of my troops to compliment Messieurs the French; and am going [if I once had Prag!] to pursue
the Austrians with the rest of my Army." [Ib. xxvi. 75.]
Friedrich, who keeps his emotions generally to himself, does not, as will be seen, remain quite silent to us
throughout this great Year; but, by accident, has left us some rather impressive gleanings in that kind;and
certainly in no year could such accident have been luckier to us; this of 1757 being, in several respects, the
greatest of his Life. From nearly the topmost heights down to the lowest deeps, his fortunes oscillated this
year; and probably, of all the sons of Adam, nobody's outlooks and reflections had in them, successive and
simultaneous, more gigantic forms of fear and of hope. He is on a very high peak at this moment; suddenly
emerging from his thick cloud, into thunderous victory of that kind; and warning all Pythons what they get by
meddling with the Sungod! Loud enough, farclanging, is the sound of the silver bow; gazetteers and men
all on pause at such new Phoebus Apollo risen in his wrath;the Victory at Prag considered to be much
more annihilative than it really was. At London, Lord Holderness had his Towerguns in readiness, waiting
for something of the kind; and "the joy of the people was frantic." [ Mitchell Papers and Memoirs (i. e the
PRINTED Selection, 2 vols. London, 1850;which will be the oftenest cited by us, "Papers AND
MEMOIRS"), i. 249: "Holderness to Mitchell, 20th May, 1757." Mitchell is now attending Friedrich; his
Letter from Keith's Camp, during the thunder of "Friday, May 6th," is given, ib. i. 248.]
Very dominant, our "Protestant Champion" yonder, on his Ziscaberg; bidding the enormous
PompadourTheresa combinations, the French, Austrian, Swedish, Russian populations and dread
sovereigns, check their proud waves, and hold at midflood. It is thought, had he in effect, "annihilated" the
Austrian force at Prag, that day (Friday, 6th May, as he might have done by waiting till Saturday, 7th), he
could then, with the due rapidity, rapidity being indispensable in the affair, have become master of Prag,
which meant of Bohemia altogether; and have stormed forward, as his program bore, into the heart, of an
Austria still terrorstricken, unrallied;in which case, it is calculated, the French, the Russians, Swedes,
much more the Reich and such like, would all have drawn bridle; and Austria itself have condescended to
make Peace with a Neighbor of such quality, and consent to his really modest desire of being let alone!
Possible, all this,think Retzow and others. [See RETZOW, i. 100108; ] But the King had not waited till
tomorrow; no persuasion could make him wait: and it is idle speculating on the small turns which here, as
everywhere, can produce such deflections of course.
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Beyond question, Prag is not captured, and may, as now garrisoned, require a great deal of capturing:and
perhaps it is but a PEAK, this high dominancy of Friedrich's, not a solid tableland, till much more have been
done! Friedrich has nothing of the Gascon: but there may well be conceivable at this time a certain glow of
internal pride, like that of Phoebus amid the piled tempests,like that of the One Man prevailing, if but for a
short season, against the Devil and All Men: "I have made good my bit, of resolution so far: here are the
Austrians beaten at the set day, and Prag summoned to surrender, as per program!"
Intrinsically, Prag is not a strong City: we have seen it, taken in few days; in one night;and again, as in
Belleisle's time, we have seen it making tough defence for a series of weeks. It depends on the garrison, what
extent of garrison (the circuit of it being so immense), and what height of humor. There are now 46,000 men
caged in it, known to have considerable magazines; and Friedrich, aware that it will cost trouble, bends all his
strength upon it, and from his two camps, Ziscaberg, Weissenberg, due Bridges uniting, Keith and he batter
it, violently, aiming chiefly at the Magazines (which are not all bombproof); and hope they may succeed
before it is too late.
The Vienna people are in the depths of amazement and discouragement; almost of terror, had it not been for a
few, or especially for one high heart among them. Feldmarschall Daun, on the news of May 6th, hastily fell
back, joined by the wrecks of the right wing, which fled Sazawa way. BrunswickBevern, with a 20,000, is
detached to look after Daun; finds Daun still on the retreat; greedily collecting reinforcements from the
homeward quarter; and hanging back, though now double or so of Bevern's strength. Amazement and
discouragement are the general feeling among Friedrich's enemies. Notable to see how the whole hostile
world marching in upon him,French, Russians, much more the Reich, poor faltering entity,pauses, as
with its breath taken away, at news of Prag; and, arrested on the sudden, with lifted foot, ceases to stride
forward; and merely tramptramps on the same place (nay in part, in the Reich part, visibly tramps
backward), for above a month ensuing! Who knows whether, practically, any of them will come on; [See
CORRESPONDANCE DU COMTE DE SAINTGERMAIN, an Eyewitness, i. 108 (cited in Preuss, ii. 50);
and not leave Austria by itself to do the duel with Friedrich? If Prag were but got, and the 46,000 well locked
away, it would be very salutary for Friedrich's affairs!Week after week, the City holds out; and there
seems no hope of it, except by hunger, and burning their Magazines by redhot balls.
COLONEL MAYER WITH HIS "FREECORPS" PARTY MAKES A VISIT, OF DIDACTIC NATURE,
TO THE REICH.
Friedrich, as we saw, on entering Bohmen, had shot off a Light Detachment under Colonel Mayer,
southward, to seize any Austrian Magazines there were, especially one big Magazine at Pilsen:which
Mayer has handsomely done, May 2d (Pilsen "a bigger Magazine than JungBunzlau, even"); after which
Mayer is now off westward, into the OberPfalz, into the Nurnberg Countries; to teach the Reich a small
lesson, since they will not listen to Plotho. Prag Battle, as happens, had already much chilled the ardor of the
Reich! Mayer has two FreeCorps, his own and another; about 1,300 of foot; to which are added a 200 of
hussars. They have 5 cannon, carry otherwise a minimum of baggage; are swift wild fellows, sharp of stroke;
and do, for the time, prove didactic to the Reich; bringing home to its very bosom the late great lesson of the
Ziscaberg, in an applied form. Mayer made a pretty course of it, into the OberPfalz Countries; scattering the
poor Execution DrillSergeants and incipiencies of preparation, the deliberative County Meetings,
KREISConvents: ransoming Cities, Nurnberg for one city, whose cries went to Friedrich on the Ziscaberg,
and wide over the world. [In HeldenGeschichte, iv. 360367, the Nurnberg Letter and Response (3lst
May5th June, 1757): in Pauli, Leben grosser Helden (iii. 159 et seq.), Account of the Mayer Expedition;
also in MilitairLexikon, iii. 29 (quoting from Pauli).] Nurnberg would have been but too happy to "refuse its
contingent to the Reich's Army," as many others would have been (poor KurBaiern hurrying off a kind of
Embassy to Friedrich, great terror reigning among the wigs of Regensburg, and everybody drawing back that
could),had not Imperial menaces, and an Event that fell out by and by in Prag Country, forced compliance.
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Mayer's Expedition made a loud noise in the Newspapers; and was truly of a shining nature in its kind; very
perfectly managed on Mayer's part, and has traits in it which are amusing to read, had one time. Take one
small glance from Pauli:
"At Furth in Anspach, 1st June [after six days' screwing of Nurnberg from without, which we had no cannon
to take], a Gratuity for the Prussian troops [amount not stated] was demanded and given: at Schwabach,
farther up the Regnitz River, they took quarters; no exemption made, clergy and laity alike getting soldiers
billeted. Meat and drink had to be given them: as also 100 carolines [guineas and better], and twenty new
uniforms. Upon which, next day, they marched to Zirndorf, and the Reichsgraf Puckler's Mansion, the
Schloss of Farrenbach there. Mayer took quarter in the Schloss itself. Here the noble owners got up a ball for
Mayer's entertainment; and did all they could contrive to induce a light treatment from him." Figure it, the
neighboring nobility and gentry in gala; Mayer too in his best uniform, and smiling politely, with those
"bright little black eyes" of his! For he was a brilliant airy kind of fellow, and had much of the chevalier, as
well as of the partisan, when requisite!
"Out of Farrenbach, the Mayer people circulated upon all the neighboring Lordships; at Wilhelmsdorf, the
ReichsFurst von Hohenlohe [a too busy AntiPrussian] had the worst brunt to bear. The adjacent Baireuth
lands [dear Wilhelmina, fancy her too in such neighborhood!] were to the utmost spared all billeting, and
even all transit,"though wandering sergeants of the Reich's Force, "one sergeant with the Wurzburg Herr
Commissarius and eight common men, did get picked up on Baireuth ground: and this or the other Anspach
Official (Anspach being disaffected), too busy on the wrong side, found himself suddenly Prisoner of War;
but was given up, at Wilhelmina?s gracious request. On Bamberg he was sharp as flint; and had to be; the
Bambergers, reinforced at last by 'Circle Militias (KREISTRUPPEN)' in quantity, being called out in mass
against him; and at Vach an actual Passage of Fight had occurred."
Of the "Affair at Vach," pretty little DrawnBattle (mostly an affair of art), Mayer VERSUS "Kreistroops to
the amount of 6,000, with twelve cannon, or some say twentyfour" (which they couldn't handle); and how
Mayer cunningly took a position unassailable, "burnt Bridges of the Regnitz River," and, plying his five
cannon against these ardent awkward people, stood cheerful on the other side; and then at last, in good time,
whisked himself off to the Hill of Culmbach, with all his baggage, inexpugnable there for three days:of all
this, though it is set down at full length, we can say nothing. [Pauli, iii. 159, (who gives Mayer's own
LETTER, and others, upon Vach).] And will add only, that, having girt himself and made his packages,
Mayer left the Hill of Culmbach; and deliberately wended home, by Coburg and other Countries where he
had business, eating his way; and early in July was safe in the Metal Mountains again; having fluttered the
Volscians in their Frankenland Corioli to an unexpected extent. It is one of five or six such sallies Friedrich
made upon the Reich, sometimes upon the Austrians and Reich together, to tumble up their magazines and
preparations. Rapid unexpected inroads, year after year; done chiefly by the FreeCorps; and famous enough
to the then Gazetteers. Of which, or of their doers, as we can in time coming afford little or no notice, let us
add this small Note on the FreeCorps topic, which is a large one in the Books, but must not interrupt us
again:
"Before this War was done," say my Authorities, "there came gradually to be twentyone Prussian
FreeCorps,"foot almost all; there being already Hussars in quantity, ever since the first Silesian
experiences. "Notable Aggregates they were of loose wandering fellows, broken Saxons, Prussians, French;
'Hungarian Protestant' some of them, 'Deserters from all the Armies' not a few; attracted by the fame of
Friedrich,as the Colonels enlisting them had been; Mayer himself, for instance, was by birth a Vienna
man; and had been in many services and wars, from his fifteenth year and onwards. Most miscellaneous,
these Prussian FreeCorps; a swift faculty the indispensable thing, by no means a particular character: but
welldisciplined, wellcaptained; who generally managed their work well.
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"They were, by origin, of AntiTolpatch nature, got up on the diamondcutdiamond principle; they stole a
good deal, with order sometimes, and oftener without; but there was nothing of the old MentzelTrenck
atrocity permitted them, or ever imputed to them; and they did, usually with good military talent, sometimes
conspicuously good, what was required of them. Regular Generals, of a high merit, one or two of their
Captains came to be: Wunsch, for example; Werner, in some sort; and, but for his sudden death, this Mayer
himself. Others of them, as Von Hordt (Hard is his Swedish name); and 'Quintus Icilius' (by nature
GUICHARD, of whom we shall hear a great deal in the Friedrich circle by and by), are distinguished as
honorably intellectual and cultivated persons. [Count de Hordt's Memoirs (autobiographical, or in the first
person: English Translation, London, 1806; TWO French Originals, a worse in 1789, and a better now at
last), Preface, ixii. In HeldenGeschichte, v. 102104, 93, a detailed "List of the FreeCorps in 1758"
(twelve of foot, two of horse, at that time): see Preuss, ii. 372 n.; Pauli (ubi supra), Life of Mayer. ]
"Poor Mayer died within two years hence (5th January, 1759); of fever, caught by unheardof exertions and
over fatigues; after many exploits, and with the highest prospect, opening on him. A man of many adventures,
of many qualities; a wild dash of chivalry in him all along, and much military and other talent crossed in the
growing. In the dull old Books I read one other fact which is vivid to me, That Wilhelmina, as sequel of those
first Franconian exploits and procedures, 'had given him her Order of Knighthood, ORDER OF SINCERITY
AND FIDELITY,'"poor dear Princess, what an interest to Wilhelmina, this flash of her Brother's thunder
thrown into those Franconian parts, and across her own pungent anxieties and sorrowfully affectionate
thoughts, in these weeks!
Shortly after Mayer, about the time when Mayer was wending homeward, General von Oldenburg, a very
valiant punctual old General, was pushed out westward upon Erfurt, a City of Kur Mainz's, to give
KurMainz a similar monition. And did it handsomely, impressively upon the Gazetteer world at least and
the Erfurt populations,though we can afford it no room in this place. Oldenburg's force was but some
2,000; Pirna Saxons most of them: such a winter Oldenburg has had with these Saxons; bursting out into
actual musketry upon him once; Oldenburg, volcanically steady, summoning the Prussian part, "To me, true
Prussian Bursche!"and hanging nine of the mutinous Saxons. And has coerced and compesced them (all
that did not contrive to desert) into soldierly obedience; and, 20th June, appears at the Gate of Erfurt with
them, to do his delicate errand there. Sharply conclusive, though polite and punctual. "Send to KurMainz
say you? Well, as to your Citadel, and those 1,400 soldiers all moving peaceably off thither,Yes. As to
your City: within one hour, Gate open to us, or we open it!" [In HeldenGeschichte (v. 371384) copious
Account, with the Missives to and from, the ReichsPleadings that followed, the MilitairLexikon, ?
Oldenburg.] And Oldenburg marches in, as vicesovereign for the time:but, indeed, has soon to leave
again; owing to what Event in the distance will be seen!
If Prag Siege go well, these MayerOldenburg expeditions will have an effect on the Reich: but if it go ill,
what are they, against Austria with its force of steady pressure? All turns on the issue of Prag Siege:a fact
extremely evident to Friedrich too! But these are what in the interim can be done. One neglects no
opportunity, tries by every method.
OF THE SINGULAR QUASIBEWITCHED CONDITION OF ENGLAND; AND WHAT IS TO BE
HOPED FROM IT FOR THE COMMON CAUSE, IF PRAG GO AMISS.
On the Britannic side, too, the outlooks are not good;much need Friedrich were through his Prag affair,
and "hastening with forty thousand to help his Allies,"that is, Royal Highness of Cumberland and
Britannic Purse, his only allies at this moment. Royal Highness and Army of Observation (should have been
67,000, are 50 to 60,000, hired Germans; troops good enough, were they tolerably led) finds the Hanover
Program as bad as Schmettau and Friedrich ever represented it; and, already,unless Prag go well, wears,
to the understanding eye, a very contingent aspect. D'Estrees outnumbers him; D'Estrees, too, is something of
a soldier,a very considerable advantage in affairs of war.
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D'Estrees, since April, is in Wesel; gathering in the revenues, changing the Officialities: much out of
discipline, they say;"hanging" gradually "1,000 marauders;" in round numbers 1,000 this Year. [Stenzel, v.
65; Retzow, i. 173.] D'Estrees does not yet push forward, owing to Prag. If he do It is well known how
Royal Highness fared when he did, and what a Campaign Royal Highness made of it this Year 1757! How
the Weser did prove wadable, as Schmettau had said to no purpose; wadable, bridgable; and Royal Highness
had to wriggle back, ever back; no stand to be made, or far worse than none: back, ever back, till he got into
the Sea, for that matter, and to the END of more than one thing! Poor man, friends say he has an incurable
Hanover Ministry, a Program that is inexecutable. As yet he has not lost head, any head he ever had: but he is
wonderful, he;and his England is! We shall have to look at him once again; and happily once only. Here,
from my Constitutional Historian, are some Passages which we may as well read in the present interim of
expectation. I label, and try to arrange:
1. ENGLAND IN CRISIS. "England is indignant with its Hero of Culloden and his Campaign 1757; but
really has no business to complain. Royal Highness of Cumberland, wriggling helplessly in that manner, is a
fair representative of the England that now is. For years back, there has been, in regard to all things Foreign
or Domestic, in that Country, by way of National action, the miserablest haggling as to which of various
littlecompetent persons shall act for the Nation. A melancholy condition indeed!
"But the fact is, his Grace of Newcastle, ever since his poor Brother Pelham died (who was always a solid,
loyal kind of man, though a dull; and had always, with patient affection, furnished his Grace, much
UNsupplied otherwise, with Common sense hitherto), is quite insecure in Parliament, and knows not what
hand to turn to. Fox is contemptuous of him; Pitt entirely impatient of him; Duke of Cumberland (great in the
glory of Culloden) is aiming to oust him, and bear rule with his Young Nephew, the new Rising Sun, as the
poor Papa and Grandfather gets old. Even Carteret (Earl Granville as they now call him, a Carteret much
changed since those highsoaring WormsHanau times!) was applied to. But the answer waswhat could
the answer be? Highsoaring Carteret, scandalously overset and hurled out in that Hanau time, had already
tried once (long ago, and with such result!) to spring in again, and 'deliver his Majesty from factions;' and
actually had made a 'Granville Ministry;' Ministry which fell again in one day. ["11th February, 1746"
(Thackeray, Life of Chatham, i. 146).] To the complete disgust of CarteretGranville;who, ever since, sits
ponderously dormant (kind of Fixture in the Privy Council, this long while back); and is resigned, in a big
contemptuous way, to have had his really considerable career closed upon him by the smallest of mankind;
and, except occasional blurts of strong rugged speech which come from him, and a good deal of wine taken
into him, disdains making farther debate with the world and its elect Newcastles. Carteret, at this crisis, was
again applied to, 'Cannot you? In behalf of an afflicted old King?' But Carteret answered, No. [Ib. i. 464.]
"In short, it is admitted and bewailed by everybody, seldom was there seen such a Government of England
(and England has seen some strange Governments), as in these last Three Years. Chaotic Imbecility reigning
pretty supreme. Ruler's Work,policy, administration, governance, guidance, performance in any kind,
where is it to be found? For if even a Walpole, when his Talking Apparatus gets out of gear upon him, is
reduced to extremities, though the stoutest of men,fancy what it will be, in like case, and how the
ActingApparatuses and Affairs generally will go, with a poor hysterical Newcastle, now when his Common
Sense is fatally withdrawn! The poor man has no resource but to shuffle about in aimless perpetual fidget;
endeavoring vainly to say Yes and No to all questions, Foreign and Domestic, that may rise. Whereby, in the
Affairs of England, there has, as it were, universal St.Vitus's dance supervened, at an important crisis: and
the Preparations for America, and for a downright LifeandDeath Wrestle with France on the
JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION, are quite in a bad way. In an ominously bad. Why cannot we draw a veil
over these things!"
2. PITT, AND THE HOUR OF TIDE. "The fidgetings and shufflings, the subtleties, inane trickeries, and
futile hitherings and thitherings of Newcastle may be imagined: a man not incapable of trick; but anxious to
be well with everybody; and to answer Yes and No to almost everything,and not a little puzzled, poor soul,
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to get through, in that impossible way! Such a paralysis of wriggling imbecility fallen over England, in this
great crisis of its fortunes, as is still painful to contemplate: and indeed it has been mostly shaken out of mind
by the modern Englishman; who tries to laugh at it, instead of weeping and considering, which would better
beseem. Pitt speaks with a tragical vivacity, in all ingenious dialects, lively though serious; and with a depth
of sad conviction, which is apt to be slurred over and missed altogether by a modern reader. Speaks as if this
brave English Nation were about ended; little or no hope left for it; here a gleam of possibility, and there a
gleam, which soon vanishes again in the fatal murk of impotencies, donothingisms. Very sad to the heart of
Pitt. A once brave Nation arrived at its critical point, and doomed to higgle and puddle there till it drown in
the gutters: considerably tragical to Pitt; who is lively, ingenious, and, though not quitting the Parliamentary
tone for the Hebrew Prophetic, far more serious than the modern reader thinks.
"In Walpole's Book [ Memoirs of the Last Ten Years of George II. ] there is the liveliest Picture of this dismal
Parliamentary Hellbroth,such a Mother of Dead Dogs as one has seldom looked into! For the Hour is
great; and the Honorable Gentlemen, I must say, are small. The hour, little as you dream of it, my Honorable
Friends, is pregnant with questions that are immense. Wide Continents, long Epochs and AEons hang on this
poor jargoning of yours; the Eternal Destinies are asking their much favored Nation, 'Will you, can
you?'muchfavored Nation is answering in that manner. Astonished at its own stupidity, and taking refuge
in laughter. The Eternal Destinies are very patient with some Nations; and can disregard their follies, for a
long while; and have their Cromwell, have their Pitt, or what else is essential, ready for the poor Nation, in a
grandly silent way!
"Certain it is,though how could poor Newcastle know it at all! here is again the hour of tide for
England. Tide is full again; has been flowing long hundreds of years, and is full: certain, too, that time and
tide wait on no man or nation. In a dialect different from Cromwell's or Pitt's, but with a sense true to theirs, I
call it the Eternal Destinies knocking at England's door again: 'Are you ready for the crisis, birthpoint of
long Ages to you, which is now come?' Greater question had not been, for centuries past. None to be named
with it since that high Spiritual Question (truly a much higher, and which was in fact the PARENT of this and
of all of high and great that lay ahead), which England and Oliver Cromwell were there to answer: 'Will you
hold by Consecrated Formulas, then, you English, and expect salvation from traditions of the elders; or are
you for Divine Realities, as the one sacred and indispensable thing?' Which they did answer, in what way we
know. Truly the Highest Question; which if a Nation can answer WELL, it will grow in this world, and may
come to be considerable, and to have many high Questions to answer,this of Pitt's, for example. And the
Answers given do always extend through coming ages; and do always bear harvests, accursed or else blessed,
according as the Answers were. A thing awfully true, if you have eye for it;a thing to make Honorable
Gentlemen serious, even in the age of percussion caps! No, my friend, Newcastleisms, impious
Poltrooneries, in a Nation, do not die:neither (thank God) do Cromwellisms and pious Heroisms; but are
alive for the poor Nation, even in its somnambulancies, in its stupidest dreams. For Nations have their
somnambulancies; and, at any rate, the questions put to Nations, in different ages, vary much. Not in any age,
or turningpoint in History, had England answered the Destinies in such a dialect as now under its Newcastle
and National Palaver."
3. OF WALPOLE, AS RECORDING ANGEL. "Walpole's George the Second is a Book of far more worth
than is commonly ascribed to it; almost the one original English Book yet written on those times,which, by
the accident of Pitt, are still memorable to us. But for Walpole,burning like a small steady light there,
shining faithfully, if stingily, on the evil and the good,that sordid muddle of the Pelham Parliaments, which
chanced to be the element of things now recognizable enough as great, would be forever unintelligible. He is
unusually accurate, punctual, lucid; an irrefragable authority on English points. And if, in regard to Foreign,
he cannot be called an understanding witness, he has read the best Documents accessible, has conversed with
select Ambassadors (Mitchell and the like, as we can guess); and has informed himself to a degree far beyond
most of his contemporaries. In regard to Pitt's Speeches, in particular, his brief jottings, done rapidly while
the matter was still shining to him, are the only Reports that have the least human resemblance. We may
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thank Walpole that Pitt is not dumb to us, as well as dark. Very curious little scratchings and etchings, those
of Walpole; frugal, swift, but punctual and exact; hasty penandink outlines; at first view, all barren; bald as
an invoice, seemingly; but which yield you, after long study there and elsewhere, a conceivable notion of
what and how excellent these Pitt Speeches may have been. Airy, winged, like arrowflights of Phoebus
Apollo; very superlative Speeches indeed. Walpole's Book is carefully printed,few errors in it like that
'Chapeau' for CHASOT," which readers remember:"but, in respect to editing, may be characterized as still
wanting an Editor. A Book UNedited; little but lazy ignorance of a very hopeless type, thick contented
darkness, traceable throughout in the marginal part. No attempt at an Index, or at any of the natural helps to a
reader now at such distance from it. Nay, till you have at least marked, on the top of each page, what Month
and Year it actually is, the Book cannot be read at all,except by an idle creature, doing worse than nothing
under the name of reading!"
4. PITT'S SPEECHES, FORESHADOWING WHAT. "It is a kind of epoch in your studies of modern
English History when you get to understand of Pitt's Speeches, that they are not Parliamentary Eloquences,
but things which with his whole soul he means, and is intent to DO. This surprising circumstance, when at
last become undeniable, makes, on the sudden, an immense difference for the Speeches and you! Speeches
are not a thing of high moment to this Editor; it is the Thing spoken, and how far the speaker means to do it,
that this Editor inquires for. Too many Speeches there are, which he hears admired all round, and has
privately to entertain a very horrid notion of! Speeches, the finest in quality (were quality really 'fine'
conceivable in such case), which WANT a corresponding fineness of source and intention, corresponding
nobleness of purport, conviction, tendency; these, if we will reflect, are frightful instead of beautiful.
Yes;and always the frightfuler, the 'finer' they are; and the faster and farther they go, sowing themselves in
the dim vacancy of men's minds. For Speeches, like all human things, though the fact is now little
remembered, do always rank themselves as forever blessed, or as forever unblessed. Sheep or goats; on the
right hand of the Final Judge, or else on the left. There are Speeches which can be called true; and, again,
Speeches which are not true:Heavens, only think what these latter are! Sacked wind, which you are
intended to SOW,that you may reap the whirlwind! After long reading, I find Chatham's Speeches to be
what he pretends they are: true, and worth speaking then and there. Noble indeed, I can call them with you:
the highly noble Foreshadow, necessary preface and accompaniment of Actions which are still nobler. A very
singular phenomenon within those walls, or without!
"Pitt, though nobly eloquent, is a Man of Action, not of Speech; an authentically Royal kind of Man. And if
there were a Plutarch in these times, with a good deal of leisure on his hands, he might run a Parallel between
Friedrich and Chatham. Two radiant Kings: very shining Men of Action both; both of them hard bested, as
the case often is. For your born King will generally have, if not "all Europe against him," at least pretty much
all the Universe. Chatham's course to Kingship was not straight or smooth,as Friedrich, too, had his
wellnigh fatal difficulties on the road. Again, says the Plutarch, they are very brave men both; and of a
clearness and veracity peculiar among their contemporaries. In Chatham, too, there is something of the flash
of steel; a very sharpcutting, penetrative, rapid individual, he too; and shaped for action, first of all, though
he has to talk so much in the world. Fastidious, proud, no King could be prouder, though his element is that
of FreeSenate and Democracy. And he has a beautiful poetic delicacy, withal; great tenderness in him,
playfulness, grace; in all ways, an airy as well as a solid loftiness of mind. Not born a King,alas, no, not
officially so, only naturally so; has his kingdom to seek. The Conquering of Silesia, the Conquering of the
Pelham ParliamentsBut we will shut up the Plutarch with time on his hands.
"Pitt's Speeches, as I spell them from Walpole and the other faint tracings left, are full of genius in the vocal
kind, far beyond any Speeches delivered in Parliament: serious always, and the very truth, such as he has it;
but going in many dialects and modes; full of airy flashings, twinkles and coruscations. Sport, as of
sheetlightning glancing about, the bolt lying under the horizon; bolt HIDDEN, as is fit, under such a horizon
as he had. A singularly radiant man. Could have been a Poet, too, in some small measure, had he gone on that
line. There are many touches of genius, comic, tragic, lyric, something of humor even, to be read in those
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Shadows of Speeches taken down for us by Walpole. ...
"In one word, Pitt, shining like a gleam of sharp steel in that murk of contemptibilities, is carefully steering
his way towards Kingship over it. Tragical it is (especially in Pitt's case, first and last) to see a Royal Man, or
Born King, wading towards his throne in such an element. But, alas, the Born King (even when he tries,
which I take to be the rarer case) so seldom can arrive there at all;sinful Epochs there are, when Heaven's
curse has been spoken, and it is that awful Being, the Born ShamKing, that arrives! Pitt, however, does it.
Yes; and the more we study Pitt, the more we shall find he does it in a peculiarly high, manful and honorable
as well as dexterous manner; and that English History has a right to call him 'the acme and highest man of
Constitutional Parliaments; the like of whom was not in any Parliament called Constitutional, nor will again
be.'"
Well, probably enough; too probably! But what it more concerns us to remember here, is the fact, That in
these dismal shufflings which have been, Pittin spite of Royal dislikes and Newcastle peddlings and
chicanerieshas been actually in Office, in the due topmost place, the poor English Nation ardently
demanding him, in what ways it could. Been in Office;and is actually out again, in spite of the Nation.
Was without real power in the Royal Councils; though of noble promise, and planting himself down,
herolike, evidently bent on work, and on ending that unutterable "St.Vitus'sdance" that had gone so high
all round him. Without real power, we say; and has had no permanency. Came in llth19th November, 1756;
thrown out 5th April, 1757. After six months' trial, the St. Vitus finds that it cannot do with him; and will
prefer going on again. The last act his Royal Highness of Cumberland did in England was to displace Pitt:
"Down you, I am the man!" said Royal Highness; and went to the Weser Countries on those terms.
Would the reader wish to see, in summary, what Pitt's Offices have been, since he entered on this career
about thirty years ago? Here, from our Historian, is the List of them in order of time; STAGES OF PITT'S
COURSE, he calls it:
1. "DECEMBER, 1734, Comes into Parliament, age now twentysix; Cornet in the Blues as well; being poor,
and in absolute need of some career that will suit. APRIL, 1736, makes his First Speech: Prince Frederick
the subject,who was much used as batteringram by the Opposition; whom perhaps Pitt admired for his
madrigals, for his Literary patronizings, and favor to the WestWickham set. Speech, full of airy lightning,
was much admired. Followed by many, with the lightning getting denser and denser; always on the
Opposition side [once on the JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION, as we saw, when the Gazetteer Editor spelt him
Mr. Pitts]: so that Majesty was very angry, sulky Public much applausive; and Walpole was heard to say, 'We
must muzzle, in some way, that terrible Cornet of Horse!' but could not, on trial; this man's 'price,' as
would seem, being awfully high! AUGUSTOCTOBER, 1744, Sarah Duchess of Marlborough bequeathed
him 10,000 pounds as Commissariat equipment in this his Campaign against the Mudgods, [Thackeray, i.
138.]glory to the old Heroine for so doing! Which lifted Pitt out of the Cornetcy or Horseguards element,
I fancy; and was as the nailing of his Parliamentary colors to the mast.
2. "FEBRUARY 14th, 1746, ViceTreasurer for Ireland: on occasion of that PelhamGranville
'Asyouwere!' (Carteret Ministry, which lasted One Day), and the slight shufflings that were necessary.
Now first in Office,after such Ten Years of colliding and conflicting, and fine steering in difficult waters.
ViceTreasurer for Ireland: and 'soon after, on Lord Wilmington's death,' PAYMASTER OF THE FORCES.
Continued Paymaster about nine years. Rejects, quietly and totally, the big income derivable from Interest of
Government Moneys lying delayed in the Paymaster's hand ('Dishonest, I tell you!')and will none of it,
though poor. Not yet high, still low over the horizon, but shining brighter and brighter. Greatly contemptuous
of Newcastle and the Platitudes and Poltrooneries; and still a good deal in the Opposition strain, and NOT
always tempering the wind to the shorn lamb. For example, Pitt (still Paymaster) to Newcastle on King of the
Romans Question (1752 or so): 'You engage for Subsidies, not knowing their extent; for Treaties, not
knowing the terms!''What a bashaw!' moan Newcastle and the top Officials. 'Best way is, don't mind it,'
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said Mr. Stone [one of their terriers,a hardheaded fellow, whose brother became Primate of Ireland by
and by].
3. "NOVEMBER 20th, 1755, Thrown out:on Pelham's death, and the general hurlyburly in Official
regions, and change of partners with no little difficulty, which had then ensued! Sir Thomas Robinson," our
old friend, "made Secretary,not found to answer. Pitt sulkily looking on America, on Minorca; on things
German, on things in general; warily set on returning, as is thought; but How? FOX to Pitt: 'Will you join
ME?'PITT: 'No,'with such politeness, but in an unmistakable way! Ten months of consummate steering
on the part of Pitt; Chancellor Hardwicke coming as messenger, he among others; Pitt's answer to him
dexterous, modestly royal. Pitt's bearing, in this grand juncture and crisis, is royal, his speakings and also his
silences notably fine. OCTOBER 20th, 1756: to Newcastle face to face, 'I will accept no situation under your
Grace!'and, about that day month, comes IN, on his own footing. That is to say,
"NOVEMBER 19th, 1756, to England's great comfort, Sees himself Secretary of State (age now just
fortyeight). Has pretty much all England at his back; but has, in face of him, Fox, Newcastle and Company,
offering mere impediment and discouragement; Royal Highness of Cumberland looking deadly sour. Till
finally,
"APRIL 5th, 1757, King bids him resign; Royal Highness setting off for Germany the second day after. Pitt
had been IN rather more than Four months. England, at that time a silent Country in comparison, knew not
well what to do; took to offering him Freedoms of Corporations in very great quantity. Town after Town,
from all the four winds, sympathetically firing off, upon a misguided Sacred Majesty, its little Box, in this
oblique way, with extraordinary diligence. Whereby, after six months bombardment by Boxes, and also by
Events, JUNE 29th, 1757" We will expect June 29th. [Thackeray, i. 231, 264; Almon, Anecdotes of Pitt
(London, 1810), i. 151, 182, 218.]
In these sad circumstances, Preparations so called have been making for Hanover, for America;such
preparations as were never seen before. Take only one instance; let one be enough:
"By the London Gazette, well on in February, 1756, we learn that Lord Loudon, a military gentleman of
small faculty, but of good connections, has been nominated to command the Forces in America; and then,
more obscurely, some days after, that another has been nominated:one of them ought certainly to make
haste out, if he could; the French, by account, have 25,000 men in those countries, with real officers to lead
them! Haste out, however, is not what this Lord Loudon or his rival can make. In March, we learn that Lord
Loudon has been again nominated; in an improved manner, this time;and still does not look like going.
'Again nominated, why again?' Alas, reader, there have been hysterical fidgetings in a high quarter; internal
shiftings and shufflings, contradictions, new proposals, one knows not what. [ Gentleman's Magazine for
1756, pp. 92, 150, 359, 450.] One asks only: How is the business ever to be done, if you cannot even settle
what imbecile is to go and try it?
"Seldom had Country more need of a Commander than America now. America itself is of willing mind; and
surely has resources, in such a Cause; but is full of anarchies as well: the different States and sections of it,
with their discrepant Legislatures, their halfdrilled Militias, pulling each a different way, there is, as in the
poor Mother Country, little result except of the St.Vitus kind. In some Legislatures are anarchic Quakers,
who think it unpermissible to fight with those hectoring French, and their tail of scalping Indians; and that the
'method of love' ought to be tried with them. What is to become of those poor people, if not even a Lord
Loudon can get out?"
The result was, Lord Loudon had not in his own poor person come to hand in America till August, 1756,
Season now done; and could only write home, "All is St. Vitus out here! Must have reinforcement of 10,000
men!" "Yes," answers Pitt, who is now in Office: "you shall have them; and we will take Cape Breton, please
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Heaven!"but was thrown out; and by the wrigglings that ensued, nothing of the 10,000 reached Lord
Loudon till Season 1757 too was done. Nor did they then stead his Lordship much, then or afterwards; who
never took Cape Breton, nor was like doing it;but wriggled to and fro a good deal, and revolved on his
axis, according to pattern given. And set (what chiefly induces us to name him here) his not reverent enough
Subordinate, Lord Charles Hay, our old Fontenoy friend, into angry impatient quizzing of him;and by and
by into CourtMartial for such quizzing. [Peerage Books, ? Tweeddale.] CourtMartial, which was much
puzzled by the case; and could decide nothing, but only adjourn and adjourn;as we will now do, not
mentioning Lord Loudon farther, or the numerous other instances at all. ["1st May, 1760, MajorGeneral
Lord Charles Hay died" ( Gentleman's Magazine of Year); and his particular CourtMartial could adjourn for
the last time."I wrote something for Lord Charles," said the great Johnson once, many years afterwards;
"and I thought he had nothing to fear from a CourtMartial. I suffered a great loss when he died: he was a
mighty pleasing man in conversation, and a reading man" (Boswell's Life of Johnson: under date, "3d April,
1776").]
Pitt, we just saw, far from being confirmed and furthered, has been thrown out by Royal Highness of
Cumberland, the last thing before crossing to that exquisite Weser Problem. "Nothing now left at home to
hinder us and our Hanover and Weser Problem!" thinks Royal Highness. No, indeed: a comfortable pacific
Nogovernment, or Battle of the Four Elements, left yonder; the Anarch Old waggling his addle head over it;
ready to help everybody, and bring fire and water, and Yes and No, into holy matrimony, if he could!Let
us return to Prag. Only one remark more; upon "April 5th." That was the Day of Pitt's Dismissal at St.
James's: and I find, at Schonbrunn it is likewise the day when REICHSHOFRATH (Kaiser in Privy
Council) decides, in respect to Friedrich, that Ban of the Reich must be proceeded with, and recommends
Reich's Diet to get through with the same. [ HeldenGeschichte (ReichsProcedures, UBI SUPRA).] Official
England ordering its Pitt into private life, and Official Teutschland its Friedrich into outlawry ("Be quiet
henceforth, both of YOU!")are, by chance, synchronous phenomena.
PHENOMENA OF PRAG SIEGE:PRAG SIEGE IS INTERRUPTED.
Friedrich's Siege of Prag proved tedious beyond expectation. In four days he had done that exploit in 1744;
but now, to the world's disappointment, in as many weeks he cannot. Nothing was omitted on his part: he
seized all egresses from Prag, rapidly enough; had beset them with batteries, on the very night or morrow of
the Battle; every egress beset, cannon and ruin forbidding any issue there. On the 9th of May, cannonading
began; proper siege cannon and ammunition, coming up from Dresden, were completely come May 19th;
after which the place is industriously battered, bombarded with redhot balls; but except by hunger, it will
not do. Prag as a fortress is weak, but as a breastwork for 50,000 men it is strong. The Austrians tried sallies;
but these availed nothing, very illconducted, say some. The Prussians, more than once, had nearly got
into the place by surprisal; but, owing to mere luck of the Austrians, never could,say the same parties.
[Archenholtz, i. 85, 87.]
A DIARIUM of Prag Siege is still extant, Two DIARIUMS; punctual diurnal account, both Austrian and
Prussian: [In HeldenGeschichte, iv. 4256, Prussian DIARIUM; ib. 7386, Austrian.] which it is far from
our intention to inflict on readers, in this haste. Siege lasted six weeks; four weeks extremely hot,from
May 19th, when the proper artilleries, in complete state, got up from Dresden. Line of siegeworks, or
intermittent series of batteries, is some twelve miles long; from Branik southward to beyond the Belvedere
northward, on both sides of the Moldau. King's Camp is on the Ziscaberg; Keith's on the Lorenz Berg,
embracing and commanding the Weissenberg; there are two Bridges of communication, Branik and Podoli:
King lodges in the Parsonage of Michel,the busiest of all the sons of Adam; what a set of meditations in
that Parsonage! The Besieged, 46,000 by count, offer to surrender Prag on condition of "Free withdrawal:"
"No; you shall engage, such of you as won't enlist with us, not to serve against me for six years." Here are
some select Specimens; Prussian chiefly, in an abridged state:
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"MAY 19th, No sooner was our artillery come (all the grounds and beds for it had been ready beforehand),
than as evening fell, it began to play in terrific fashion."
"NIGHT OF THE 23d24th MAY, There broke out a furious sally; their first, and much their hottest, say the
Prussians: a very serious affair;which fell upon Keith's quarter, west side of the Moldau. Sally, say
something like 10,000 strong; picked men all, and strengthened with half a pound of horseflesh each"
(unluckily without salt): judge what the common diet must have been, when that was generous! "No salt to it;
but a fair supplement of brandy. Browne, from his bed of pain (died 26th June), had been strongly urgent.
Aim is, To force the Prussian lines, by determination and the help of darkness, in some weak point: the whole
Army, standing ranked on the walls, shall follow, if things go well; and storm itself through,away
Daunwards, across the River by Podoli Bridge.
"Sally broke out between 1 and 2 A.M.; but we had wind of it, and were on the alert. Sally tried on this place
and on that; very furious in places, but could not anywhere prevail. The tussling lasted for near six hours
(Prince Ferdinand" of Preussen, King's youngest Brother, "and others of us, getting hurts and doing
exploits),till, about 7 A.M., it was wholly swept in, with loss of 1,000 dead. Upon which, their whole
Army retired to its quarters, in a hopeless condition. Escape impossible. Near 50,000 of them; but in such a
posture. Provision of bread, the spies say, is not scarce, unless the Prussians can burn it, which they are
industriously trying (diligent to learn where the Magazines are, and to fire incessantly upon the same): plenty
of meal hitherto; but for butcher'smeat, only what we saw. Forage nearly done, and 12,000 horses standing
in the squares and marketplaces,not even stabling for them, not to speak of food or work,slaughtering
and salting [if one but had salt!] the one method. Horseflesh two kreutzers a pound; rises gradually to
double that value.
"MAY 29th, About sunset there came a furious burst of weather: raintorrents mixed with battering
hail;some flaw of waterspout among the Hills; for it lasted hour on hour, and Moldau came down roaring
doubledeep, above a hundred yards too wide each way; with cargoes of ruin, tornup trees, drowned horses;
which sorely tried our Bridge at Branik. Bridge, half of it, did break away (Friedrich's half, fortyfour
pontoons; Keith's people got their end of the Bridge doubled in and saved): the Austrians, in Prag, fished out
twentyfour of Friedrich's pontoons; the other twenty we caught at our Bridge of Podoli, farther down. A
most wild night for the Prussian Army in tents; and indeed for Prag itself, the low parts of which were all
under water; unfortunate individuals getting drowned in the cellars; and, still more important, a great deal of
Austrian meal, which had been carried thither, to be safe from the redhot balls.
"It was thought the Austrians, our Bridge being down, might try a sally again. To prevent which, hardly was
the rain done, when, on our part, a rocket flew aloft; and there began on the City, from all sides, a deluge of
bombs and red hot balls. So that the still dripping City was set fire to, in various parts: and we could hear
[what this Editor never can forget] the WEHKLAGEN (wail) of the Townsfolk as they tried to quench it,
and it always burst out again. The firedeluge lasted for six hours."Human WEHKLAGEN, through the
hollow of Night, audible to the Prussians and us: "Woe's me! waterdeluges, then firedeluges; death on
every hand!" According to the Austrian accounts, there perished, by bursting of bombshells, falling of walls,
by hunger and other misery and hurts, "above 9,000 Townsfolk in this Siege." Yes, my Imperial friends; War
is not a thing of streamering and ornamental trumpeting alone; War is an inexorable, dangerously
incalculable thing. Is it not a terrible question, at whose door lies the beginning of a War!
"JUNE 5th, 12,000 poor people of Prag were pushed out: 'Useless mouths, will you contrive to disappear
some way!' But, after haggling about all day, they had to be admitted in again, under penalty of being shot.
"JUNE 8th, City looking black and ruinous, whole of the Neustadt in ashes; few houses left in the Jew Town;
in the Altstadt the fire raged on (WUTHETE FORT). Nothing but ruin and confusion over there; population
hiding in cellars, getting killed by falling buildings. Burgermeister and Townsfolk besiege Prince Karl, 'For
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the Virgin's sake, have pity on us, Your Serenity!' Poor Prince Karl has to be deaf, whatever his feelings.
"He was diligent in attending mass, they say: he alone of the Princes, of whom there were several; two Saxon
Princes among others, Prince Xavier the elder of them, who will be heard of again. A profane set, these,
lodging in the CLEMENTINUM [vast Jesuit Edifice, which had been cleared out for them, and "the windows
filled with dung outside," against balls]: there, with wines of fine vintage, and cookeries plentiful and
exquisite, that know nothing of famine outside, they led an idle disorderly life, ran races in the long
corridors [not so bad a course], dressed themselves in Priests' vestures [which are abundant in such locality],
and made travesties and mummeries of Holy Religion; the wretched creatures, defying despair, as buccaneers
might when their ship is sinking. To surrender, everything forbids; of escape, there is no possibility.
[Archenholtz i. 86; Helden Geschichte, iv. 7384.]
"JUNE 9th, The bombardment abates; a LABORATORIUM of our own flew aloft by some spark or accident;
and killed tbirteen men.
"JUNE 15th, From the King's Camp a few bombs [King himself now gone] kindled the City in three
places:"but there is, by this time, new game afield; Prag Siege awaiting its decision not at Prag, but some
way off.
Friedrich has been doing his utmost; diligent, by all methods, to learn where the Austrian Magazines were,
that is, on what special edifices and localities shot might be expended with advantage; and has fired into these
"about 12,000 bombs." Here is a small thing still remembered:
"Spies being, above all, essential in this business, Friedrich had bethought him of one Kasebier, a supreme of
Housebreakers, whom he has, safe with a ball at his ankle, doing forced labor at Spandau [in Stettin, if it
mattered]. Kasebier was actually sent for, pardon promised him if he could do the State a service. Kasebier
smuggled himself twice, perhaps three times, into Prag; but the fourth time he did not come back." [Retzow,
i. 108. n.] Another Note says: "Kasebier was a Tailor, and Son of a Tailor, in Halle; and the expertest of
Thieves. Had been doing forced labor, in Stettin, since 1748; twice did get into Prag; third time, vanished. A
highly celebrated Prussian thief; still a myth among the People, like Dick Turpin or Cartouche, except that his
was always theft without violence." [Preuss, ii. 57 n.]
We learn vaguely that the price of horseflesh in Prag has risen to double; famine very sore: but still one
hears nothing of surrender. And again there is vague rumor that the City may be as it will; but that the
Garrison has meal, after all we have ruined, which will last till October. Such a Problem has this King:
soluble within the time; or not soluble? Such a question for the whole world, and for himself more than any.
MAP GOES IN HEREfACING PAGE 446, BOOK xviii
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KOLIN.
On and after June 9th, the bombardment at Prag abated, and never rose to briskness again; the place of trial
for decision of that Siege having flitted elsewhither, as we said. About that time, rumors came in, not so
favorable, from the Duke of Bevern; which Friedrich, strong in hope, strove visibly to disbelieve, but at last
could not. Bevern reports that Daun is actually coming on, far too strong for his resisting;in other terms,
that the Siege of Prag will not decide itself by bombardment, but otherwise and elsewhere. Of which we must
now give some account; brief as may be, especially in regard to the preliminary or marching part.
Daun, whose light troops plundered Brandeis (almost within wind of the Prussian Rear) on the day while
Prag Battle was fighting, had, on that fatal event, gradually drawn back to Czaslau, a place we used to know
fifteen years ago; and there, or in those neighborhoods, defensively manoeuvring, and hanging upon
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Kuttenberg, Kolin, especially upon his Magazine of Suchdol, Daun, always rather drawing back, with
BrunswickBevern vigilantly waiting on him, has continued ever since; diligently recruiting himself; ranking
the remains of the right wing defeated at Prag; drawing regiments out of Mahren, or whencesoever to be had.
Till, by these methods, he is grown 60,000 strong; nearly thrice superior to Bevern; though being a "Fabius
Cunctator" (so called by and by), he as yet attempts nothing. Forty thousand in Prag, with Sixty here in the
Czaslau Quarter, [Tempelhof, i. 196; Retzow (i. 107, 109) counts 46,000+66,000.] that makes 100,000; say
his Prussian Majesty has twothirds of the number: can the Fabius Cunctator attempt nothing, before Prag
utterly famish?
Order comes to him from Vienna: "Rescue Prag; straightway go upon it, cost what it like!" Daun does go
upon it; advances visibly towards Prag, Bevern obliged to fall back in front of him. Sunday, 12th June, Daun
despatches several Officers to Prince Karl at Prag, with notice that, "On the 20th, Monday come a week, he
will be in the neighborhood of Prag with this view:they, of course, to sally out, and help from rearward."
"Several Officers, under various disguises," go with that message, June 12th; but none of them could get into
the City; and some of them, I judge, must have fallen into the Prussian Hussar Parties:at any rate, the news
they carried did get into the Prussian circuit, and produced an instant resolution there. Early next morning,
Monday 13th, King Friedrich, with what disposable force is on the spot,10,000 capable of being spared
from siegework, and 4,000 more that will be capable of following, under Prince Moritz, in two days,sets
forth in all speed. Joins Bevern that same night; at Kaurzim, thirtyfive miles off, which is about midway
from Prag to Czaslau, and only three miles or so from Daun's quarters that night,had the King known it,
which he did not.
Daun must be instantly gone into; and shall,if he is there at all, and not fallen back at the first rumor of us,
as Friedrich rather supposes. In any case, there are preliminaries indispensable: the 4,000 of Prince Moritz
still to come up; secondly, bread to be had for us, which is baking at Nimburg, across the Elbe, twenty miles
off; lastly (or rather firstly, and most indispensable of all), Daun to be reconnoitred. Friedrich reconnoitres
Daun with all diligence; pushes on everything according to his wont; much obstructed in the reconnoitring by
Pandour clouds, under which Daun has veiled himself, which far outnumber our small Hussar force. Daun, as
usual,showing always great skill in regard to camps and positions,has planted himself in difficult
country: a little river with its boggy pools in front; behind and around, an intricate broken country of knolls
and swamps, one ridge in it which they even call a BERG or Hill, Kamhayek Berg; not much of a Hill after
all, but forming a long backbone to the locality, west end of it straight behind Daun's centre, at present.
Friedrich's position is from north to south; like Daun's, taking advantage of what heights and brooks there are;
and edging northward to be near his breadovens: right wing still holds by Kaurzim, left wing looking down
on Planian, a little Town on the High Road (KAISERSTRASSE) from Prag to Vienna. Little Town destined
to get up its name in a day or two,next little Town to which, twelve miles farther on, is Kolin, secretly
destined to become and continue still more famous among mankind. Kolin is close to the Elbe, left or south
bank; Elbe hereabouts strikes into his long northwestern course (to Wittenberg all the way; Pirna, say 150
miles off, is his halfway house in that direction);strikes off northward hereabouts, making for Nimburg,
among other places: Planian, right south of Nimburg, is already fifteen good miles from Elbe.
This is Friedrich's position, Wednesday, June 15th and the day following; somewhat nearer his ovens than
yesterday. Daun is yet parallel to him, has his centre behind Swoyschitz, an insignificant Village at the foot of
those Kamhayek Heights, which is, ever since, to be found in Maps. Friday, 17th, Friedrich's breadwagons
and 4,000 having come in, as doubtless the Pandours report in the proper place, Daun does not quite like his
strong position any more, but would prefer a stronger. Friday about sunset, "great clouds of dust" rise from
Daun: changing his position, the Prussians see, if for Pandours and gathering darkness they can at present see
little else. Daun, truly, observing the King to have in that manner edged up, towards Planian, is afraid of his
right wing from such a neighbor. So that the reader must take his Map again. Or, if he care not for such
things, let him skip, and leave me solitary to my sad function; till we can meet on easier ground, and report
the battle which ensued. Daun hustles his right wing back out of that dangerous proximity; wheels his whole
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right wing and centre ninety degrees round, so as to reach out now towards Kolin, and lie on the north slope
of the Kamhayek ridge; places his left wing EN POTENCE (gibbetwise), hanging round the western end of
said Kamhayek, its southern extremity at Swoyschitz, its northern at Hradenin, where (not a mile from
Planian) his right wing had formerly been;with other intricate movements not worth following, under my
questionable guidance, on a Map with unpronounceable names. Enough to say that Daun's right wing is now
far east at Krzeczhorz, well beyond Chotzemitz, whereabouts his centre now comes to stand (and most of his
horse THERE, both the wings being hilly and rough, unfit for horse);and that, this being nearly the last of
Daun's shiftings and hustlings for the present, or indeed in essential respects the very last, readers may as well
note the above main points in it.
Hustled into this still stronger place, with wheeling and shoving, which lasted to a late hour, Daun composes
himself for the night. He lies now, with centre and right looking northward, pretty much parallel to the
PlanianKolin or PragVienna Highway, and about a mile south of the same; extreme posts extending almost
to Kolin on that side; left wing well planted EN POTENCE; Kamhayek ridge, north face and west end of it,
completely his on both the exposed or AntiPrussian faces. Friedrich feels uncertain whether he has not gone
his ways altogether; but proposes to ascertain by break of day.
By break of day Friedrich starts, having cleared off certain Pandour swarms visible in places of difficulty,
who go on first notice, and without shot fired. [Lloyd, i. 61 et seq. (or Tempelhof's Translation, i. 151164);
Tempelhof's own Account is, i. 179196; Retzow's, i. 120149 (fewer errors of detail than usual); Kutzen,
Der Tag von Kolin (Breslau, 1857), a useful little compilation from many sources. Very incorrect most of the
common accounts are; Kausler's Schlachten, Jomini, and the like.] Marches through Planian in two columns,
along the Kolin Highway and to north of it; marches on, four or five miles farther, nothing visible but the
skirts of retiring Pandours,"Daun's rearguard probably?" Friedrich himself is with Ziethen, who has
the vanguard, as Friedrich's wont is, eagerly enough looking out; reaches a certain Inn on the wayside
(WIRTHSHAUS "of Slatislunz or GOLDENSUN," say the Modern Books,though I am driven to think it
Novomiesto, nearer Planian; but will not quarrel on the subject); Inn of good height for one thing; and there,
mounting to the topstory or perhaps the leads, descries Daun, stretching far and wide, leant against the
Kamhayek, in the summer morning. What a sight for Friedrich: "Big game SHALL be played, then; death
sure, this day, to thousands of men: and to me? Well!"
Friedrich calls halt: rest here a little; to consider, examine, settle how. A hot close morning; rest for an hour
or two, till our rear from Kaurzim come up: horses and men will be the better for it,horses can have a
mouthful of grass, mouthful of water; some of them "had no drink last night, so late in getting home." Poor
quadrupeds, they also have to get into a blaze of battlerage this day, and be blown to pieces a great many of
them,in a quarrel not of their seeking! Horse and rider are alike satisfied on that latter point; silently ready
for the task THEY have; and deaf on questions that are bottomless.
At this Hostelry of Novomiesto (not of Slatislunz or "GOLDENSUN" at all, which is a "Sun" fallen
dismally eclipsed in other ways ["The Inn of SlatiSlunz was burnt, about twenty years ago; nothing of it but
the stone walls now dates from Friedrich's time. It is a biggish solidlooking House of two stories (whether
ever of three, I could not learn); stands pleasantly, at the crown of a long rise from Kolin;and inwardly,
alas, in our day, offers little but bad smells and negative quantities! Only the ground floor is now inhabited.
From the front, your view northward, Nimburg way, across the Elbe Valley, is fertile, widewaving, pretty:
but rearward, upstairs,having with difficulty got permission,you find bare balks, tattered feathers,
several hundredweight of pigeon's dung, and no outlook at all, except into walls of officehouses and the
overhanging brow of Heights,fatal, clearly, to any view of Daun, even from a third story!" (TOURIST'S
NOTE, 1858.)Tempelhof (UBI SUPRA) seems to have known the right, place; not, Retzow, or almost
anybody since: and indeed the question, except for expressly Military people, is of no moment.]), Friedrich
halted for three hours and more; saw Daun developing himself into new Order of Battle, "every part of his
position visible;" considered with his whole might what was to be tried upon him;and about noon, having
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made up his mind, called his Generals, in sight of the phenomenon itself there, to give them their various
orders and injunctions in regard to the same. The Plan of Fight, which was thought then, and is still thought
by everybody, an excellent one,resting on the "oblique order of attack," Friedrich's favorite mode,was,
if the reader will take his Map, conceivable as follows.
Daun has by this time deployed himself; in three lines, or two lines and a reserve; on the highlying
Champaign south of the PlanianKolin Great Road; south, say a mile, and over the crests of the rising
ground, or Kamhayek ridge, so that from the Great Road you can see nothing of him. His line, swaying here
and there a little, to take advantage of its ground, extends nearly five miles, from east to west; pointing
towards Planian side, the left wing of it; from Planian, eastward, the way Friedrich has marched, Daun's left
wing may be four miles distant. On the other side, Daun's right wingmain line always pretty parallel to the
Highway, and pointing rather southward of Kolinreaches to the small Hamlet of Krzeczhorz, which is two
miles off Kolin. In front of his centre is a Village called Chotzemitz (from which for a while, in those months,
the Battle gets its name, "Battle of Chotzemitz," by Daun's christening): in front of him, to right or to left of
Chotzemitz, are some four or even six other Villages (dim rustic Hamlets, invisible from the High Road),
every Village of which Daun has well beset with batteries, with good infantry, not to speak of Croat parties
hovering about, or dismounted Pandours squatted in the corn. That easternmost Village of his is spelt
"Krzeczhorz" (unpronounceable to mankind), a dirty little place; in and round which the Battle had its hinge
or cardinal point: the others, as abstruse of spelling, all but equally impossible to the human organs, we will
forbear to name, except in case of necessity. Half a mile behind Krzeczhorz (let us write it Kreczor, for the
future: what can we do?), is a thin little Oakwood, bushes mainly, but with sparse trees too, which is now
quite stubbed out, though it was then important enough, and played a great part in the result of this day's
work. Radowesnitz, a pronounceable little Village, half a mile farther or southward of the Oakbush, is
beyond the extremity of Daun's position; low down on a marshy little Brook, which oozes through lakes and
swamps towards Kolin, in the northerly direction.
Most or all of these Villages are on little Brooks (natural thirst so leading them): always some little runlet of
water, not so swampy when there is any fall for it; in general lively when it gets over the ridge, and becomes
visible from this Highway. And it is curious to see what a considerable dell, or green ascending chasm, this
little thread of water, working at all moments for thousands of years, has hollowed out for itself in the sloping
ground; making a great military obstacle, if you are mounting to attack there. Poor Czech Hamlets all of
them, dirty, dark, malodorous, ignorant, abhorrent of German speech;in what nook those inarticulate
inhabitants, diving underground at a great rate this morning, have hidden themselves today, I know not. The
country consists of knolls and slopes, with swamps intermediate; rises higher on the Planian side; but except
the top of that Kamhayek ridge on the Planian side, and "Friedrich'sBerg" on the Kolin side, there is nothing
that you could think of calling a Hill, though many Books (and even Friedrich's Book) rashly say otherwise.
Friedrich'sBerg, now so called, is on the north side of the Highway: half a mile northeastward of Slatislunz,
the malodorous Inn. A conical height of perhaps a hundred and fifty feet; rises rather suddenly from the
stillsloping ground, checking the slope there; on which the Austrian populations have built some memorial
lately, notable to Tourists. Here Friedrich "stood during the Battle," say they; and the Prussians "had a battery
there." Which remains uncertain to me, at least the battery part of it: that Friedrich himself was there, now
and then, can be believed; but not that he kept "standing there" for long together. Friedrich'sBerg does
command some view of the Kreczor scene, which at times was cardinal, at others not: but Friedrich did not
stand anywhere: "oftenest in the thick of the fire," say those who saw.
Friedrich, from his Inn near Planian, seeing how Daun deploys himself, considers him impregnable on the left
wing; impregnable, too, in front: not so on the Kreczor side, right flank and rear; but capable of being rolled
together, if well struck at there. Thither therefore; that is his vulnerable point. March along his front: quietly
parallel in due Order of Battle, till we can bend round, and plunge in upon that. The Van, which consists of
Ziethen's Horse and Hulsen's Infantry; Van, having faced to right at the proper moment and so become Left
Wing, will attack Kreczor; probably carry it; each Division following will in like manner face to right when it
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arrives there, and fall on in regular succession in support of Hulsen (at Hulsen's right flank, if Hulsen be
found prospering): our Right Wing is to refuse itself, and be as a Reserve,no fighting on the road, you
others, but steady towards Hulsen, in continual succession, all you; no facing round, no fighting anywhere,
till we get thither:"March!"
The word is given about 2 P.M.; and all, on the instant, is in motion; rolls steadily eastward, in two columns,
which will become First Line and Second. One along the Highway, the second at due distance leftward on the
green ground, no hedge or other obstacle obstructing in that part of the world. Daun's batteries, on the right,
spit at them in passing, to no purpose; sputters of Pandour musketry, from coverts, there may be: Prussians
finely disregarding, pass along; flowing tidelike towards THEIR goal and place of choice. An impressive
phenomenon in the sunny afternoon; with Daun expectant of them, and the Czech populations well hidden
underground!
Ziethen, vanmost of all, finds Nadasti and his Austrian squadrons drawn across the Highway, hitherward of
the Kreczor latitude: Ziethen dashes on Nadasti; tumbles his squadrons and him away; clears the Road, and
Kreczor neighborhood, of Nadasti: drives him quite into the hollow of Radowesnitz, where he stood inactive
for the rest of the day. Hulsen now at the level of Kreczor (in the latitude of Kreczor, as we phrased it), halts,
faces to right; stiffly presses up, opens his cannonthunders, his bayonetcharges and platoonfires upon
Kreczor. Stiffly pressing up, in spite of the violent counterthunders, Hulsen does manage Kreczor without
very much delay, completely enough, and like a workman; takes the battery, two batteries; overturns the
Infantry;in a word, has seized Kreczor, and, as new tenant, swept the old, and their litter, quite out. Of all
which Ziethen has now the chase, and by no means will neglect that duty. Ziethen, driving the rout before
him, has driven it in some minutes past the little Oakwood above mentioned; and, or rather BUT,what is
much to be noted,is there taken in flank with cannonshot and musketry, Daun having put batteries and
Croat parties in the Oakwood; and is forced to draw bridle, and get out of range again.
Hulsen, advancing towards this little Oakwood, is surprised to discover, not the wood alone, but a strong
Austrian force, foot and horse, to rear of it;such had been Daun's and Nadasti's precaution, on view of
those Friedrich phenomena, flowing on from Planian, guessed to be hitherward. At sight of which Wood and
foot party, Hulsen, no new Battalion having yet arrived to second him, pauses, merely cannonading from the
distance, till new Battalions shall arrive. Unhappily they did not arrive, or not in due quantity at the set
time,for what reason, by what strange mistake? men still ask themselves. Probably by more mistakes than
one. Enough, Hulsen struggling here all day, with reinforcements never adequate, did take the Wood, and
then lose it; did take and lose this and that;but was unable to make more of it than keep his ground
thereabouts. A resolute man, says Retzow, but without invention of his own, or head to mend the mistakes of
others. In and about Kreczor, Hulsen did maintain himself with more and more tenacity, till the general
avalanche, fruit of sad mistakes swept HIM, quite spasmodically struggling at that period, off to the edge of
it, and all the others clean away! Mistakes have been to rightwards, one or even two, the fruit of which, small
at first, suffices to turn the balance, and ends in an avalanche, or precipitous descent of ruin on the Prussian
side
One mistake there was, miles westward on the right wing; due to Mannstein, our too impetuous Russian
friend, Mannstein well to right, while marching forward according to order, has Croat musketry spitting upon
him from amid the high corn, to an inconvenient extent: such was the common lot, which others had borne
and disregarded: perhaps it was beyond the average on Mannstein, or Mannstein's patience was less infinite;
any way it provoked Mannstein to boil over; and in an evil moment he said, "Extinguish me that Croat
canaille, then!" Regiment Bornstedt faced to right, accordingly; took to extinguishing the Croat canaille,
which of course fled at once, or squatted closer, but came back with reinforcements; drew Mannstein deeper
in, fatally delayed Bornstedt, and proved widely ruinous. For now he stopped the way to those following him:
regiments marching on to rear of Mannstein see Mannstein halted, volleying with the Austrians; ask
themselves "How? Is there new order come? Attack to be in this point?" And successively fall on to support
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Mannstein, as the one clear point in such dubiety. So that the whole right wing from Regiment Bornstedt
westward is storming up the difficult steeps, in hot conflict with the Austrians there, where success against
them had been judged impracticable;and there is now no reserve force anywhere to be applied to in
emergency, for Hulsen's behoof or another's; and the Plan of Battle from Mannstein westward has been
fatally overturned. Poor Mannstein, there is no doubt, committed this error, being too fiery a man. Surely to
him it was no luxury, and he paid the smart for it in skin and soul: "badly wounded in this business;" nay, in
direct sequel, not many weeks after, killed by it, as we shall see!
To Mannstein's mistake, Friedrich himself, in his account of Kolin, mainly imputes the disaster that followed;
and such, then and afterwards, was the universal judgment in military circles; loading the memory of too
impetuous Mannstein with the whole. [See Retzow, i. 135; Templehof, i. 214, 220.] Much talk there was in
Prussian military circles; but there must also have been an admirable silence on the part of some. To Three
Persons it was known that another strange incident had happened far ahead, far eastward, of Mannstein's
position: incident which did not by any means tend to alleviate, which could only strengthen and widen, the
evil results of Mannstein; and which might have lifted part of the load from Mannstein's memory! Not till the
present Century, after the lapse of almost fifty years, was this secret slowly dug out of silence, and submitted
to modern curiosity.
The incident is this;never whispered of for near fifty years (so silent were the three); and endlessly tossed
about since that; the sense of it not understood till almost now. [See Retzow, i. 126; Berenhorst; then
FINALLY Kutzen, pp. 99, 217.] The three parties were: King Friedrich; Moritz of Dessau, leading on the
centre here; Moritz's young Nephew Franz, Heir of Dessau, a brisk lad of seventeen, learning War here as
Aidedecamp to Moritz: the exact spot is not known to me,probably the ground near that Inn of
Slatislunz, or GoldenSun; between the foot of Friedrich'sBerg and that:fact indubitable, though kept
dark so long. Moritz is marching with the centre, or main battle, that way, intending to wheel and turn
hillwards, Kreczorwise, as per order, certain furlongs ahead; when Friedrich (having, so I can conceive it,
seen from his Hilltop, how Hulsen had done Kreczor, altogether prosperous there; and what endless
capability there was of prospering to all lengths and speeding the general winning, were Hulsen but supported
soon enough, were there any safe shortcut to Hulsen) dashed from his Hilltop in hot haste towards Prince
Moritz, General of the centre, intending to direct him upon such shortcut; and hastily said, with Olympian
brevity and fire, "Face to right HERE!" With Jovelike brevity, and in such blaze of Olympian fire as we
may imagine. Moritz himself is of brief, crabbed, fiery mind, brief in temper; and answers to the effect,
"Impossible to attack the enemy here, your Majesty; postured as they are; and we with such orders gone
abroad!""Face to right, I tell you!" said the King, still more Olympian, and too emphatic for explaining.
Moritz, I hope, paused, but rather think he did not, before remonstrating the second time; neither perhaps was
his voice so low as it should have been: it is certain Friedrich dashed quite up to Moritz at this second
remonstrance, flashed out his sword (the only time he ever drew his sword in battle); and now, gone all to
mere Olympian lightning and thundertone, asks in THIS attitude, "WILL ER (Will He) obey orders,
then?"Moritz, fallen silent of remonstrance, with gloomy rapidity obeys.
Prince Franz, the young Nephew of Moritz, alone witnessed this scene; scene to be locked in threefold
silence. In his old age, Franz had whispered it to Berenhorst, his bastard HalfUncle, a famed military
Critic,who is still in the highest repute that way (Berenhorst's KRIEGSKUNST, and other deep Books),
and is recognizable, to LAY readers, for an abstruse strong judgment; with equal strength of abstruse temper
hidden behind it, and very privately a deep grudge towards Friedrich, scarcely repressible on opportunity.
From Berenhorst it irrepressibly oozed out; ["Heinrich van Berenhorst [a natural son of the Old Dessauer's],
in his Betrachtungen uber die Kriegskunst, is the first that alludes to it in print. (Leipzig, 1797,page in
SECOND edition, 1798, is i. 219)."] much more to Friedrich's disadvantage than it now looks when wholly
seen into. Not change of plan, not ruinous caprice on Friedrich's part, as Berenhorst, Retzow and others
would have it; only excess of brevity towards Moritz, and accident of the Olympian fire breaking out.
Friedrich is chargeable with nothing, except perhaps (what Moritz knows the evil of) trying for a shortcut!
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Such is now the received interpretation. Prince Franz, to his last day, refused to speak again on the subject;
judiciously repentant, we can fancy, of having spoken at all, and brought such a matter into the streets and
their piepowder adjudications. [In KUTZEN, pp. 217237, a long dissertation on it.] For the present, he is
Adjutant to Moritz, busy obeying to the letter.
Friedrich, withdrawing to his Height again, and looking back on Moritz, finds that he is making right in upon
the Austrian line; which was by no means Friedrich's meaning, had not he been so brief. Friedrich, doubtless
with pain, remembers now that he had said only, "Face to right!" and had then got into Olympian tempest,
which left things dark to Moritz. "HALBLINKS, Half to left withal!" he despatches that new order to
Moritz, with the utmost speed: "Face to right; THEN, forward half to left." Had Moritz, at the first, got that
commentary to his order, there had probably been no remonstrance on Moritz's part, no Olympian scene to
keep silent; and Moritz, taking that diagonal direction from the first, had hit in at or below Kreczor, at the
very point where he was needed. Alas for overhaste; shortcuts, if they are to be good, ought at least to be
made clear! Moritz, on the new order reaching him, does instantly steer halfleft: but he arrives now above
Kreczor, strikes the Austrian line on this side of Kreczor; disjoined from Hulsen, where he can do no good to
Hulsen: in brief, Moritz, and now the whole line with him, have to do as Mannstein and sequel are doing,
attack in face, not in flank; and try what, in the proportion of one to two, uphill, and against batteries, they
can make of it in that fashion!
And so, from right wing to left, miles long, there is now universal storm of volleying, bayonetcharging,
thunder of artillery, case shot, cartridgeshot, and sulphurous devouring whirlwind; the wrestle very tough
and furious, especially on the assaulting side. Here, as at Prag, the Prussian troops were one and all in the
fire; each doing strenuously his utmost, no complaint to be made of their performance. More perfect soldiers,
I believe, were rarely or never seen on any field of war. But there is no reserve left: Mannstein and the rest,
who should have been reserve, and at a General's disposal, we see what they are doing! In vain, or nearly so,
is Friedrich's tactic or manoeuvring talent; what now is there to manoeuvre? All is now gone up into one
combustion. To fan the fire, to be here, there, fanning the fire where need shows: this is now Friedrich's
function; "everywhere in the hottest of the fight," that is all we at present know of him, invisible to us
otherwise. This deathwrestle lasted perhaps four hours; till seven or towards eight o'clock in the June
evening; the sun verging downwards; issue still uncertain.
And, in fact, at last the issue turned upon a hair;such the empire of Chance in War matters. Cautious Daun,
it is well known, did not like the aspect of the thing; cautious Daun thinks to himself, "If we get pushed back
into that Camp of yesternight, down the Kamhayek Heights, and right into the impassable swamps; the
reverse way, Heights now HIS, not ours, and impassable swamps waiting to swallow us? Wreck complete,
and surrender at discretion!" Daun writes in pencil: "The retreat is to Suchdol" (Kuttenberg way,
southward, where we have heights again and magazines); Daun's Aidedecamp is galloping everywhither
with that important Document; and Generals are preparing for retreat accordingly,one General on the right
wing has, visibly to Hulsen and us, his cannon out of battery, and under way rearwards; a welcome sight to
Hulsen, who, with imperfect reinforcement, is toughly maintaining himself there all day.
And now the Daun Aidedecamp, so Chance would have it, cannot find Nostitz the Saxon Commandant of
Horse in that quarter; finds a "Saxon LieutenantColonel B" ("Benkendorf" all Books now write him
plainly), who, by another little chance, had been still left there: "Can the Herr LieutenantColonel tell me
where General Nostitz is?" Benkendorf can tell;will himself take the message: but Benkendorf looks into
the important Pencil Document; thinks it premature, wasteful, and that the contrary is feasible! persuades
Nostitz so to think; persuades this regiment and that (Saxon, Austrian, horse and foot); though the cannon in
retreat go trundling past them: "Merely shifting their battery, don't you see:Steady!" And, in fine,
organizes, of Saxon and Austrian horse and foot in promising quantity (Saxons in great fury on the Pirna
score, not to say the Striegau, and other old grudges), a new unanimous assault on Hulsen.
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The assault was furious, and became ever more so; at length irresistible to Hulsen. Hulsen's horse, pressing
on as to victory, are at last hurled back; could not be rallied; [That of "RUCKER, WOLLT IHR EWIG
LEBEN, Rascals, would you live forever?" with the "Fritz, for eight groschen, this day there has been
enough!"is to be counted pure myth; not unsuccessful, in its withered kind.] fairly fled (some of them);
confusing Hulsen's foot,foot is broken, instantly ranks itself, as the manner of Prussians is; ranks itself in
impromptu squares, and stands fiercely defensive again, amid the slashing and careering: wrestle of extreme
fury, say the witnesses. "This for Striegau!" cried the Saxon dragoons, furiously sabring. [Archenholtz, i.
100.] Yes; and is there nothing to account of Pirna, and the later scores? Scores unliquidated, very many still;
but the end is, Hulsen is driven away; retreats, Parthianlike, downhill, some space; whose sad example has
to spread rightwards like a powdertrain, till all are in retreat,northward, towards Nimburg, is the
road;and the Battle of Kolin is finished.
Friedrich made vehement effort to rally the Horse, to rally this and that; but to no purpose: one account says
he did collect some small body, and marched forth at the head of it against a certain battery; but, in his rear,
man after man fell away, till LieutenantColonel Grant (not "Le Grand," as some call him, and indeed there
is an ACCENT of Scotch in him, still audible to us here) had to remark, "Your Majesty and I cannot take the
battery ourselves!" Upon which Friedrich turned round; and, finding nobody, looked at the Enemy through
his glass, and slowly rode away [Retzow, i. 139.]on a different errand.
Seeing the Battle irretrievably lost, he now called Bevern and Moritz to him; gave them charge of the
retreat"To Nimburg; cross Elbe there [fifteen good miles away]; and in the defiles of Planian have especial
care!" and himself rode off thitherward, his GardeduCorps escorting. Retzow says, "a swarm of fugitive
horse soldiers, baggagepeople, grooms and led horses gathered in the train of him: these latter, at one
point," Retzow has heard in Opposition circles, "rushed up, galloping: 'Enemy's hussars upon us!' and set the
whole party to the gallop for some time, till they found the alarm was false." [Ib. i. 140.] Of Friedrich we see
nothing, except as if by cloudy moonlight in an uncertain manner, through this and the other small Anecdote,
perhaps semimythical, and true only in the essence of it.
Daun gave no chase anywhere; on his extreme left he had, perhaps as preparative for chasing, ordered out the
cavalry; "General Stampach and cavalry from the centre," with cannon, with infantry and appliances, to clear
away the wrecks of Mannstein, and what still stands, to right of him, on the Planian Highway yonder. But
Stampach found "obstacles of ground," wet obstacles and also dry,Prussian posts, smaller and greater, who
would not stir a handbreadth: in fact, an altogether deadly storm of Negative, spontaneous on their part,
from the indignant regiments thereabouts, King's First Battalion, and two others; who blazed out on
Stampach in an extraordinary manner, tearing to shreds every attempt of his, themselves stiff as steel: "Die,
all of us, rather than stir!" And, in fact, the second man of these poor fellows did die there? [Kutzen, p. 138
(from the canonical, or "STAFFOFFICER'S" enumeration: see SUPRA, p. 403 n.).] So that Bevern,
Commander in that part, who was absent speaking with the King, found on his return a new battle broken out;
which he did not forbid but encourage; till Stampach had enough, and withdrew in rather torn condition. This,
if this were some preparative for chasing, was what Daun did of it, in the cavalry way; and this was all. The
infantry he strictly prohibited to stir from their position,"No saying, if we come into the level ground, with
such an enemy!"and passed the night under arms. Far on our left, or what was once our left, Ziethen with
all his squadrons, nay Hulsen with most of his battalions, continued steady on the ground; and marched away
at their leisure, as rearguard.
"It seemed," says Tempelhof, in splenetic tone, "as if Feldmarschall Daun, like a good Christian, would not
suffer the sun to go down on his wrath. This day, nearly the longest in the year, he allowed the Prussian
cavalry, which had beaten Nadasti, to stand quiet on the field till ten at night [till nine]; he did not send a
single hussar in chase of the infantry. He stood all night under arms; and next day returned to his old Camp,
as if he had been afraid the King would come back. Arriving there himself, he could see, about ten in the
morning, behind Kaurzim and Planian, the whole Prussian Baggage fallen into such a coil that the wagons
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were with difficulty got on way again; nevertheless he let it, under cover of the grenadier battalion
Manteuffel, go in peace." [Tempelhof, i. 195.] A man that for caution and slowness could make no use of his
victory!
The Austrian force in the Field this day is counted to have been 60,000; their losses in killed, wounded and
missing, 8,114. The Prussians, who began 34,000 in strength, lost 13,773; of whom prisoners (including all
the wounded), 5,380. Their baggage, we have seen, was not meddled with: they lost 45 cannon, 22 flags,a
loss not worth adding, in comparison to this sore havoc, for the second time, in the flower of the Prussian
Infantry. [Retzow, i. 141 (whose numbers are apt to be inaccurate); Kutzen, p. 144 (who depends on the
Canonical STAFFOFFICER Account).]
The news reached Prag Camp at two in the morning (Sunday, 19th): to the sorrowful amazement of the
Generals there; who "stood all silent; only the Prince of Prussia breaking out into loud lamentations and
accusations," which even Retzow thinks unseemly. Friedrich arrived that Sunday evening: and the Siege was
raised, next day; with next to no hindrance or injury. With none at all on the part of Daun; who was still
standing among the heights and swamps of Planian,busy singing, or shooting, universal TEDEUM, with
very great rolling fire and other pomp, that day while Friedrich gathered his Siegegoods and got on march.
THE MARIATHERESA ORDER, NEW KNIGHTHOOD FOR AUSTRIA.
No tongue can express the joy of the Austrians over this victory, vouchsafed them, in this manner, by
LieutenantColonel Benkendorf and the Powers above. Miraculously, behold, they are not upon the retreat to
Suchdol, at doublequick, and in ragged everlengthening line; but stand here, keeping rank all night, on the
PlanianKolin upland of the Kamhayek:behold, they have actually beaten Friedrich; for the first time, not
been beaten by him. Clearly beaten that Friedrich, by some means or other. With such a result, too; consider
it,drawn sword was at our throat; and marvellously now it is turned round upon his (if Daun be alert), and
welet us rejoice to all lengths, and sing TEDEUM and TEDAUNUM with one throat, till the Heavens
echo again.
There was quite a hurricane, or lengthened storm, of jubilation and tripudiation raised at Vienna on this
victory: New ORDER OF MARIA THERESA, in suitable Olympian fashion, with no end of regulating and
inaugurating,with Daun the first Chief of it; and "Pensions to Merit" a conspicuous part of the plan, we are
glad to see. It subsists to this day: the grandest Military Order the Austrians yet have. Which then deafened
the world, with its infinite solemnities, patentings, discoursings, trumpetings, for a good while. As was
natural, surely, to that high Imperial Lady with the magnanimous heart; to that loyal solid Austrian People
with its puddinghead. Daun is at the top of the Theresa Order, and of military renown in Vienna circles;of
LieutenantColonel Benkendorf I never heard that he got the least pension or recognition;continued
quietly a military lion to discerning men, for the rest of his days. ["Died at Dresden, General of Cavalry," 5th
May, 1801 (Rodenbeck, i. 338, 339).]
Nay once, on Dauu's TEDEUM day, he had a kind of recognition;and even, by good accident, can tell us
of it in his own words: [Kutzen (citing some BIOGRAPHY of Benkendorf), p. 143.]
"I was sent for to headquarters by a trumpeter,"Benkendorf was, "when all was ready for the
TEDEUM. Feldmarschall Daun was pleased to say at sight of me, 'That as I had had so much to do with the
victory, it was but right I should thank our Herr Gott along with him.' Having no change of clothes,as the
servant, who was to have a uniform and some linens ready for me, had galloped off during the Fight, and our
baggage was all gone to rearward, I tried to hustle out of sight among the crowd of Imperial Officers all in
gala: but the reigning Duke of Wurtemberg [Wilhelmina's Soninlaw, a perverse obstinate Herr, growing
ever more perverse; one of Wilhelmina's sad afflictions in these days] called me to him, and said, 'He would
give his whole wardrobe, could he wear that dusty coat with such honor as I!'"yes; and tried hard, in his
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perverse way, for some such thing; but never could, as we shall see.
How lucky that Polish Majesty had some remains of Cavalry still at Warsaw in the Pirna time; that they were
made into a Saxon Brigade, and taken into the Austrian service; Brigade of three Regiments, Nostitz for
Chief, and this Benkendorf a LieutenantColonel, among them;and that Polish Majesty, though himself
lost, has been the saving of Austria twice within one year!
Chapter V. FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES
COMING ON.
Of Friedrich's nightthoughts at Nimburg; how he slept, and what his dreams were, we have no account.
Seldom did a wearied heart sink down into oblivion on such terms. By narrow miss, the game gone; and with
such results ahead. It was a right valiant plunge this that he made, with all his strength and all his skill, home
upon the heart of his chief enemy. To quench his chief enemy before another came up: it was a valiant plan,
and valiantly executed; and it has failed. To dictate peace from the walls of Vienna: that lay on the cards for
him this morning; and at night? Kolin is lost, the fruit of Prag Victory too is lost; and Schwerin and new
tens of thousands, unreplaceable for worth in this world, are lost; much is lost! Courage, your Majesty, all is
not lost, you not, and honor not.
To the young Graf von Anhalt, on the road to Nimburg, he is recorded to have said, "Don't you know, then,
that every man must have his reverses (MAIS NE SAVEZVOUS DONC PAS QUE CHAQUE HOMME
DOIT AVOIR SES REVERS)? It appears I am to have mine." [Rodenbeck, i. 309.] And more vaguely, in the
AnecdoteBooks, is mention of some stanch ruggedly pious old Dragoon, who brought, in his steel cap, from
some fineflowing well he had discovered, a draught of pure water to the King; old Mother Earth's own gift,
through her rugged Dragoon, exquisite refection to the thirsty wearied soul; and spoke, in his Dragoon
dialect,"Never mind, your Majesty! DER ALLMACHTIGE and we; It shall be mended yet. 'The Kaiserin
may get a victory for once; but does that send us to the Devil (DAVON HOLT UNS DER
TEUFELNICHT)!'"words of rough comfort, which were well taken.
Next morning, several Books, and many Drawings and Sculptures of a dim unsuccessful nature, give us view
of him, at Kimburg; sitting silent "on a BRUNNENROHR" (Fountain Apparatus, wastepipe or
feedingpipe, too high for convenient sitting): he is stooping forward there, his eyes fixed on the ground, and
is scratching figures in the sand with his stick, as the broken troops reassemble round him. Archenholtz says:
"He surveyed with speechless feeling the small remnant of his Lifeguard of Foot, favorite First Battalion;
1,000 strong yesterday morning, hardly 400 now;"gone the others, in that furious AntiStampach outburst
which ended the day's work! "All soldiers of this chosen Battalion were personally known to him; their
names, their age, native place, their history [the pick of his Ruppin regiment was the basis of it]: in one day,
Death had mowed them down; they had fought like heroes, and it was for him that they had died. His eyes
were visibly wet, down his face rolled silent tears." [Archenholtz, i. 104, 101; Kutzen, pp. 259, 138; Retzow,
i. 142.]
In public I never saw other tears from this King,though in private I do not warrant him; his sensibilities,
little as you would think it, being very lively and intense. "To work, however!" This King can shake away
such things; and is not given overmuch to retrospection on the unalterable Past. "Like dewdrops from the
lion's mane" (as is figuratively said); the lion swiftly rampant again! There was manifold swift ordering,
considering and determining, at Nimburg, that day; and towards night Friedrich shot rapidly into
Headquarters at Prag, where, by order, there is, as the first thing of all, a very rapid business going on, well
forward by the time he arrives.
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To fold one's Siegegear and Army neatly together from those Two Hilltops, and march away with them
safe, in sight of so many enemies: this has to be the first and rapidest thing; if this be found possible, as one
calculates it may. After which, the world of enemies, held in the slip so long, will rush in from all the four
winds,unknown whitherward; one must wait to see whitherward and how.
Friedrich's History for the remaining six months of this Year falls, accordingly, into three Sections. Section
FIRST: Waiting how and towards what objects his enemies, the Austrians first of all, will advance;this
lasts for about a month; Friedrich waiting mainly at Leitmeritz, on guard there both of Saxony and of Silesia,
till this slowly declare itself. Slowly, perhaps almost stupidly, but by no means satisfactorily to Friedrich, as
will be seen! After which, Section SECOND of his History lasts above two months; Friedrich's enemies
being all got to the ground, and united in hope and resolution to overwhelm and abolish him; but their plans,
positions, operations so extremely various that, for a long time (end of August to beginning of November),
Friedrich cannot tell what to do with them; and has to scatter himself into thin threads, and roam about,
chiefly in Thuringen and the West of Saxony, seeking something to fight with, and finding nothing; getting
more and more impatient of such paltry misery; at times nigh desperate; and habitually drifting on
desperation as on a lee shore in the night, despite all his efforts. Till, in Section THIRD, which goes from
November 5th, through December 5th, and into the New Year, he does find what to do; and does it,in a
forever memorable way.
Three Sections; of which the reader shall successively have some idea, if he exert himself; though it is only in
snatches, suggestive to an active fancy, that we can promise to dwell on them, especially on the First Two,
which lie pretty much unsurveyable in those chaotic records, like a worldwide coil of thrums. Let us be
swift, in Friedrich's own manner; and try to disimprison the small portions of essential! Here, partly from
Eyewitnesses, are some Notes in regard to Section First: [Westphalen, Geschichte der Feldzuge des Herzogs
Ferdinand (and a Private Journal of W.'s there), ii. 1319; Retzow;
"SUNDAY, 19th JUNE, At 2 A.M., Major Grant arrives at Prag [must have started instantly after that of "We
two cannot take the battery, your Majesty!"]goes to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, interim Commander
on the Ziscaberg, with order To raise Siege. Consternation on the part of some; worse, on the Prince of
Prussia's part; the others kept silence at least,and set instantly to work. On both Hills, the cannons are
removed (across Moldau the ZiscaHill ones), batteries destroyed, Siegegear neatly gathered up, to go in
wagons to Leitmeritz, thence by boat to Dresden; all this lies ready done, the dangerous part of it done, when
Friedrich arrives.
"MONDAY, 20th, before sunrise, Siege raised. At three in the morning Friedrich marches from the
Ziscaberg; to eastward he, to AltBunzlau, thence to AhLissa,"Nimburg way, with what objects we shall
see. "Marshal Keith's fine performance. Keith, from the Weissenberg, does not march, such packing and
loading still; all the baggages and artilleries being with Keith. Not till four in the afternoon did Keith march;
but beautifully then; and folded himself away,rearguard under Schmettau 'retreating checkerwise,'
nothing but Tolpatcheries attempting on him,westward, Budinward, without loss of a linstock, not to
speak of guns. Very prettily done on the part of Keith. By Budin, to Leitmeritz, he; where the King will join
him shortly."
Friedrich's errand in AltLissa, eastward, while Keith went westward, was, To be within due arm'slength of
the MoritzBevern, or beaten Kolin Army, which is coming up that way; intending to take post, and do its
best, in those parts, with Zittau Magazine and the Lausitz to rear of it. One of our Eyewitnesses, a Herr
Westphalen, Ferdinand of Brunswick's Secretary,who, with his Chief, got into wider fields before
long,yields these additional particulars face to face:
"TUESDAY, 21st JUNE, 1757. King's Headquarters in Lissa or neighborhood till Friday next; which is
central for both these movements,Thursday, orders seven regiments of horse to reinforce Keith. No
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symptom yet of pursuit anywhere.
"FRIDAY, 24th. Prince Moritz with the Kolin Army made appearance, all safe, and is to command here;
King intending for Keith. After dinner, and the due interchange of battalions to that end, King sets off, with
Prince Henri, towards Keith; Headquarter in AltBunzlau again. SATURDAY NIGHT, at Melnick;
SUNDAY, Gastorf: MONDAY NIGHT, 27th JUNE, Leitmeritz; King lodges in the Cathedral Close, in sight
of Keith, who is on the opposite side of Elbe,but the town has a Bridge for tomorrow. 'Never was a
quieter march; not the shadow of a Pandour visible. The Duke [Ferdinand, my Chief, Chatham's jewel that is
to be, and precious to England] has suffered much from a'in fact, from a COURS DE VENTRE, temporary
bowelderangement, which was very troublesome, owing to the excessive heats by day, and coldness of the
nights.
"TUESDAY, 28th. Junction with Keith,Bridge rightly secured, due party of dragoons and foot left on the
right bank, to occupy a height which covers Leitmeritz. 'Clearing of the Pascopol' (that is, sweeping the
Pandours out of it) is the first business; Colonel Loudon with his Pandours, a most swift sharpcutting man,
being now here in those parts; doing a deal of mischief. Three days ago, Saturday, 25th, Keith had sent seven
battalions, with the proper steelbesoms, on that Pascopol affair; Tuesday, on junction, Majesty sends three
more: job done on Wednesday; reported 'done,' though I should not be surprised," says Westphalen, "if
some little highway robbery still went on among the Mountains up there."
No;and before quitting hold, what is this that Loudon (on the very day of the King's arrival, June 27th), on
the old Field of Lobositz over yonder, has managed to do! General Mannstein, wounded at Kolin, happened,
with others in like case, to be passing that way, towards Dresden and better surgery,when Loudon's Croats
set upon them, scattering their slight escort: "Quarter, on surrender! Prisoners?" "Never!" answered
Mannstein; "Never!" that too impetuous man, starting out from his carriage, and snatching a musket: and was
instantly cut down there. And so ends;a man of strong head, and of heart only too strong. [Preuss, ii. 58;
MilitairLexikon, iii. 10.]
From Prag onwards, here has been a delicate set of operations; perfectly executed,thanks to Friedrich's
rapidity of shift, and also to the cautious slowly puzzling mind of Daun. Had Daun used any diligence, had
Daun and Prince Karl been broad awake, together or even singly! But Friedrich guessed they seldom or never
were; that they would spend some days in puzzling; and that, with despatch, he would have time for
everything. Daun, we could observe, stood singing TEDEUM, greatly at leisure, in his old Camp, 20th June,
while Friedrich, from the first gray of morning, and diligently all day long, was withdrawing from the
trenches of Prag,Friedrich's people, self and goods getting folded out in the finest gradation, and with
perfect success; no Daun to hinder him, Daun leisurely doing TEDEUM, forty miles off, helping on the
WRONG side by that exertion! [Cogniazzo, ii. 367.]"Poor Browne, he is dead of his wounds, in Prag
yonder," writes Westphalen, in his Leitmeritz Journal, "news came to us July 1st: men said, 'Ah, that was why
they lay asleep.'"
Till June 26th, Daun and Karl had not united; nor, except sending out Loudon and Croats, done anything,
either of them. Sunday, June 26th, at Podschernitz on the old Field of Prag, a week and a day after Kolin,
they did get together; still seemingly a little puzzled, "Shall we follow the King? Shall we follow Moritz and
Bevern?"nothing clear for some time, except to send out Pandour parties upon both. Moritz, since parting
with the King in Alt Bunzlau neighborhood, has gone northward some marches, thirty miles or so, to
JUNGBunzlau,meeting of Iser and Elbe, surely a good position:Moritz, on receipt of these Pandour
allowances of his, writes to the King, "Shall we retreat on Zittau, then, your Majesty? Straight upon Zittau?"
Fancy Friedrich's astonishment; who well intends to eat the Country first, perhaps to fight if there be
chance, and at least to lie OUTSIDE the doors of Silesia and the Lausitz, as well as of Saxony here!and
answers, with his own hand, on the instant: "Your Dilection will not be so mad!" [In Preuss, ii. 58, the
pungent little Autograph in full.] And at once recalls Moritz, and appoints the Prince of Prussia to go and take
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command. Who directly went;a most important step for the King's interests and his own. Whose fortunes
in that business we shall see before long!
At Leitmeritz the King continues four weeks, with his Army parted in this way; waiting how the endless
hostile element, which begirdles his horizon all round, will shape itself into combinations, that he may set
upon the likeliest or the needfulest of these, when once it has disclosed itself. Horizon all round is black
enough: Austrians, French, Swedes, Russians, Reichs Army; closer upon him or not so close, all are rolling
in: Saxony, the Lausitz and Silesia, Brandenburg itself, it is uncertain which of these may soonest require his
active presence.
The very day after his arrival in Leitmeritz,Tuesday, 28th June, while that junction with Keith was going
on, and the troops were defiling along the Bridge for junction with Keith,a heavy sorrow had befallen him,
which he yet knew not of. An irreparable Domestic loss; sad complement to these Military and other Public
disasters. Queen Sophie Dorothee, about whose health he had been anxious, but had again been set quiet, died
at Berlin that day. [Monbijou, 28th June, 1757; born at Hanover, 27th March, 1687.] In her seventy first
year: of no definite violent disease; worn down with chagrins and apprehensions, in this black whirlpool of
Public troubles. So far as appears, the news came on Friedrich by surprise:"bad cough," we hear of, and of
his anxieties about it, in the Spring time; then again of "improvement, recovery, in the fine weather;" no
thought, just now, of such an event: and he took it with a depth of affliction, which my less informed readers
are far from expecting of him.
July 2d, the news came: King withdrew into privacy; to weep and bewail under this new pungency of grief,
superadded to so many others. Mitchell says: "For two days he had no levee; only the Princes dined with him
[Princes Henri and Ferdinand; Prince of Prussia is gone to JungBunzlau, would get the sad message there,
among his other troubles]: yesterday, July 3d, King sent for me in the afternoon,the first time he has seen
anybody since the news came:I had the honor to remain with him some hours in his closet. I must own to
your Lordship I was most sensibly afflicted to see him indulging his grief, and giving way to the warmest
filial affections; recalling to mind the many obligations he had to her late Majesty; all she had suffered, and
how nobly she bore it; the good she did to everybody; the one comfort he now had, to think of having tried to
make her last years more agreeable." [ Papers and Memoirs, i. 253; Despatch to Holderness, 4th July
(slightly abridged);see ib. i. 357359 (Private Journal). Westphalen, ii. 14. See OEuvres de Frederic, iv.
182.] In the thick of public business, this kind of mood to Mitchell seems to have lasted all the time of
Leitmeritz, which is about three weeks yet: Mitchell's Notebooks and Despatches, in that part, have a fine
Biographic interest; the wholly human Friedrich wholly visible to us there as he seldom is. Going over his
past Life to Mitchell; brief, candid, pious to both his Parents;inexpressibly sad; like moonlight on the grave
of one's Mother, silent that, while so much else is too noisy!
This Friedrich, upon whom the whole world has risen like a mad Sorcerer'sSabbath, how safe he once lay in
his cradle, like the rest of us, mother's love wrapping him soft:and now! These thoughts commingle in a
very tragic way with the avalanche of public disasters which is thundering down on all sides. Warm tears the
meed of this new sorrow; small in compass, but greater in poignancy than all the rest together. "My poor old
Mother, oh, my Mother, that so loved me always, and would have given her own life to shelter mine!"It
was at Leitmeritz, as I guess, that Mitchell first made decisive acquaintance, what we may almost call
intimacy, with the King: we already defined him as a sagacious, longheaded, loyalhearted diplomatic
gentleman, Scotch by birth and by turn of character; abundantly polite, vigilant, discreet, and with a fund of
general sense and rugged veracity of mind; whom Friedrich at once recognized for what he was, and much
took to, finding a hearty return withal; so that they were soon well with one another, and continued so.
Mitchell, as orders were, "attended the King's person" all through this War, sometimes in the blaze of battle
itself and nothing but cannonshot going, if it so chanced; and has preserved, in his multifarious Papers, a
great many traits of Friedrich not to be met with elsewhere.
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Mitchell's occasional society, conversation with a man of sense and manly character, which Friedrich always
much loved, was, no doubt, a resource to Friedrich in his lonely roamings and vicissitudes in those dark
years. No other British Ambassador ever had the luck to please him or be pleased by him,most of them, as
ExExchequer Legge and the like ExParliamentary people, he seems to have considered dull, obstinate,
wooden fellows, of fantastic, abrupt rather abstruse kind of character, not worth deciphering;some of them,
as Hanbury Williams, with the mischievous tic (more like galvanism or St.Vitus'dance) which he called
"wit," and the inconvenient turn for plotting and intriguing, Friedrich could not endure at all, but had them as
soon as possible recalled,of course, not without detestation on their part.
At Leitmeritz, it appears, he kept withdrawn to his closet a good deal; gave himself up to his sorrows and his
thoughts; would sit many hours drowned in tears, weeping bitterly like a child or a woman. This is strange to
some readers; but it is true,and ought to alter certain current notions. Friedrich, flashing like clear steel
upon evildoers and mendacious unjust persons and their works, is not by nature a cruel man, then, or an
unfeeling, as Rumor reports? Reader, no, far the reverse;and public Rumor, as you may have remarked, is
apt to be an extreme blockhead, full of fury and stupidity on such points, and had much better hold its tongue
till it know in some measure. Extreme sensibility is not sure to be a merit; though it is sure to be reckoned
one, by the greedy dim fellows looking idly on: but, in any case, the degree of it that dwelt (privately, for
most part) in Friedrich was great; and to himself it seemed a sad rather than joyful fact. Speaking of this
matter, long afterwards, to Garve, a Silesian Philosopher, with whom he used to converse at Breslau, he
says;or let dull Garve himself report it, in the literal thirdperson:
"And herein, I," the Herr Garve (venturing to dispute, or qualify, on one of his Majesty's favorite topics),
"believe, lies the real ground of 'happiness:' it is the capacity and opportunity to accomplish great things. This
the King would not allow; but said, That I did not sufficiently take into account the natural feelings, different
in different people, which, when painful, imbittered the life of the highest as of the lowest. That, in his own
life, he had experienced the deepest sufferings of this kind: 'And,' added he, with a touching tone of kindness
and familiarity, which never occurred again in his interviews with me, 'if you (ER) knew, for instance, what I
underwent on the death of my Mother, you would see that I have been as unhappy as any other, and
unhappier than others, because of the greater sensibility I had (WEIL ICH MEHR EMPFINDLICHKEIT
GEHABT HABE).'" [ Fragmente zur Schilderung des Geistes, des Charakters und der Regierung Friedrichs
des Zweiten, von Christian Garve (Breslau, 1798), i. 314316. An unexpectedly dull Book (Garve having
talent and reputation); kind of monotonous Preachment upon Friedrich's character: almost nothing but the
above fraction now derivable from it.]
There needed not this new calamity in Friedrich's lot just now! From all points of the compass, his enemies,
held in check so long, are floating on: the confluence of disasters and illtidings, at this time, very great.
From JungBunzlau, close by, his Brother's accounts are bad; and grow ever worse,as will be seen! On the
extreme West, "July 3d," while Friedrich at Leitmeritz sat weeping for his Mother, the French take Embden
from him; "July 5th," the Russians, Memel, on the utmost East. June 30th, six days before, the Russians, after
as many months of haggling, did cross the Border; 37,000 of them on this point; and set to bombarding
Memel from land and sea. Poor Memel (garrison only 700) answered very fiercely, "sank two of their
gunboats" and the like; but the end was as we see,Feldmarschall Lehwald able to give no relief. For there
were above 70,000 other Russians (Feldmarschall Apraxin with these latter, and Cossacks and Calmucks
more than enough) crossing elsewhere, south in Tilsit Country, upon old Lehwald. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv.
407413.] Lehwald, with 30,000, in such circumstanceswhat is to become of Preussen and him! Nearer
hand, the Austrians, the French, the very Reichs Army, do now seem intent on business.
The Reichs Execution Army, we saw how Mayer and the Battle of Prag had checked it in the birthpangs;
and given rise to pangs of another sort; the poor Reichs Circles generally exclaiming, "What! Bring the war
into our own borders? Bring the King of Prussia on our own throats!"and stopping short in their
enlistments and preparations; in vain for Austrian Officials to urge them. Watching there, with awestruck
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eye, while the 12,000 bombs flew into Prag.
The Battle of Kolin has reversed all that; and the poor old Reich is again bent on business in the Execution
way. Drumming, committeeing, projecting, and endeavoring, with all her might, in all quarters; and, from and
after the event of Kolin, holding visible Encampment, in the Nurnberg Country; fractions of actual troops
assembling there. "On the Plains of Furth, between Furth and Farrenbach, east side the River Regnitz, there
was the Camp pitched," says my Anonymous Friend; who gives me a cheerful Copperplate of the thing: red
pennons, blue, and bright mixed colors; generals, tents; orderofbattle, and respective rallying points: with
Bamberg Country in front, and the peaks of the Pine Mountains lying pleasantly behind: a sight for the
curious. [J.F.S. (whom I named ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG long since; who has boiled down, with
great diligence, the old Newspapers, and gives a great many dates, notes, without Index), i. 211, 224 (the
Copperplate).] It is the same ground where Mayer was careering lately; neighboring nobility and gentry glad
to come in gala, and dance with Mayer. Hither, all through July, come contingents straggling in, thicker and
thicker; "August 8th," things now about complete, the Bishop of Bamberg came to take survey of the Reichs
Heer (Bishop's remarks not given); August 10th, came the young reigning Duke of Hildburghausen (Duke's
granduncle is to be Commander), on like errand; August 11th) the ReichsHeer got on march. Westward
ho!readers will see towards what.
A truly ELENDE, or miserable, Reichs Execution Army (as the MISprinter had made it); but giving loud
voice in the Gazettes; and urged by every consideration to do something for itself. Prince of
Hildburghausena general of small merit, though he has risen in the Austrian service, and we have seen him
with Seckendorf in old Turk timeshas, for his Kaiser's sake, taken the command; sensible perhaps that
glory is not likely to be rife here; but willing to make himself useful. Kaiser and Austria urge, everywhere,
with all their might: Prince of HessenDarmstadt, who lay on the Weissenberg lately, one of Keith's
distinguished seconds there and a Prussian Officer of long standing, has, on Kaiser's order, quitted all that,
and become Hildburghausen's second here, in the Camp of Furth; thinking the path of duty lay that way,
though his Wife, one of the noble women of her age, thought very differently. [Her Letter to Friedrich,
"Berlin, 30th October, 1757," OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. ii. 135.] A similar Kaiser's order, backed by what
Lawthunder lay in the Reich, had gone out against Friedrich's own Brothers, and against every Reichs
Prince who was in Friedrich's service; but, except him of HessenDarmstadt, none of them had much
minded. [In Orlich, Furst Moritz von Anhalt Dessau (Berlin, 1842), pp. 74, 75, Prince Moritz's rather
mournful Letter on the subject, with Friedrich's sharp Answer.] I did not hear that his strategic talent was
momentous: but Prussia had taught him the routine of right soldiering, surely to small purpose; and Friedrich,
no doubt, glanced indignantly at this small thing, among the many big ones.
From about the end of June, the Reichs Army kept dribbling in: the most inferior Army in the world; no part
of it well drilled, most of it not drilled at all; and for variety in color, condition, method, and military and
pecuniary and other outfit, beggaring description. Hildburghausen does his utmost; Kaiser the like. The
number should have far exceeded 50,000; but was not, on the field, of above half that number: 25,000; add at
least 8,000 Austrian troops, two regiments of them cavalry; good these 8,000, the rest bad,that was the
Reichs Execution Army; most inferior among Armies; and considerable part of it, all the Protestant part,
privately wishing well to Friedrich, they say. Drills itself multifariously in that Camp between Furth and
Farrenbach, on the east side of Regnitz River. Fancy what a sight to Wilhelmina, if she ever drove that way;
which I think she hardly would. The Baireuth contingent itself is there; the Margraf would have held out stiff
on that point; but Friedrich himself advised compliance. Margraf of Anspachperverse tippling creature, ill
with his Wife, I doubthas joyfully sent his legal hundreds; will vote for the Reichs Ban against this worst
of Germans, whom he has for Brotherinlaw. Dark days in the heart of Wilhelmina, those of the Camp at
Furth. Days which grow ever darker, with strange flashings out of empyrean lightning from that shrill true
heart; no peace more, till the noble heroine die!
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This ELENDE ReichsHeer, miserable "Army of the Circles," is mockingly called "the Hoopers, Coopers
(TONNELIERS)," and gets quizzing enough, under that and other titles, from an Opposition Public. Far other
from the French and Austrians; who are bent that it should do feats in the world, and prove impressive on a
robber King. Thus too, "for Deliverance of Saxony," to cooperate with ReichsHeer in that sacred object,
thanks to the zeal of Pompadour, Prince de Soubise has got together, in Elsass, a supplementary 30,000
(40,330 said Theory, but Fact never quite so many): and is passing them across the Rhine, in Frankfurt
Country, all through July, while the drilling at Furth goes on. With these, Soubise, simultaneously getting
under way, will steer northeastward; join the ReichsHeer about Erfurt, before August end; andand we
shall see what becomes of the combined Soubise and Reichs Army after that!
It must be owned, the French, Pompadour and love of glory urging, are diligent since the event of Kolin. In
select Parisian circles, the Soubise Army, or even that of D'Estrees altogether,produced by the tears of a
filial Dauphiness,is regarded as a quasi sacred, or uncommonly noble thing; and is called by her name,
"L'ARMEE DE LA DAUPHINE;" or for shortness "LA DAUPHINE" without adjunct. Thus, like a kind of
chivalrous Bellona, vengeance in her right hand, tears and fire in her eyes, the DAUPHINESS advances; and
will join ReichsHeer at Erfurt before August end. Such the will of Pompadour; Richelieu encouraging, for
reasons of his own. Soubise, I understand, is privately in pique against poor D'Estrees; ["Reappeared
unexpectedly in Paris [from D'Estree's Army], 22d June" (four days after Kolin): got up this DAUPHINESS
ARMY, by aid of Pompadour, with Richelieu, BARBIER, iv. 227, 231. Richelieu "busy at Strasburg lately"
(29th July: Collini's VOLTAIRE, p. 191).] and intends to eclipse him by a higher style of diligence; though
D'Estrees too is doing his best.
July 3d, we saw the D'Estrees people taking Embden; D'Estrees, quiet so long in his Camp at Bielefeld, had at
once bestirred himself, Kolin being done;shot out a detachment leftwards, and Embden had capitulated
that day. Adieu to the Shipping Interests there, and to other pleasant things! "July 9th, after sunset," D'Estrees
himself got on march from Bielefeld; set forth, in the cool of night, 60,000 strong, and 10,000 more to join
him by the road (the rest are left as garrisons, reserves,1,000 marauders of them swing as monitory
pendulums, on their various trees, for one item),direct towards Hanover and Royal Highness of
Cumberland; who retreats, and has retreated, behind the Ems, the Weser, back, ever back; and, to appearance,
will make a bad finish yonder.
To Friedrich, waiting at Leitmeritz, all these things are gloomily known; but the most pressing of them is that
of the Austrians and JungBunzlau close by. Let us give some utterances of his to Wilhelmina, nearly all we
have of direct from him in that time; and then hasten to the Prince of Prussia there:
FRIEDRICH TO WILHELMINA (at Baireuth).
LEITMERITZ, 1st JULY, 1757. ... "Sensible as heart can be to the tender interest you deign to take in what
concerns me. Dear Sister, fear nothing on my score: men are always in the hand of what we call Fate"
("Predestination, GNADENWAHL,"Pardon us, Papa!"CE QU'ON NOMME LE DESTIN); accidents
will befall people, walking on the streets, sitting in their room, lying in their bed; and there are many who
escape the perils of war. ... I think, through Hessen will be the safest route for your Letters, till we see; and
not to write just now except on occasions of importance. Here is a piece in cipher; anonymous,"intended
for the Newspapers, or some such road.
JULY 5th. "By a Courier of Plotho's, returning to Regensburg [who passes near you], I write to apprise my
dear Sister of the new misery which overwhelms us. We have no longer a Mother. This loss puts the crown
on my sorrows. I am obliged to act; and have not time to give free course to my tears. Judge, I pray you, of
the situation of a feeling heart put to so cruel a trial. All losses in the world are capable of being remedied;
but those which Death causes are beyond the reach of hope."
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JULY 7th. "You are too good; I am ashamed to abuse your indulgence. But do, since you will, try to sound
the French, what conditions of Peace they would demand; one might judge as to their intentions. Send that
Mirabeau (CE M. DE MIRABEAU) to France. Willingly will I pay the expense. He may offer as much as
five million thalers [750,000 pounds] to the Favorite [yes, even to the Pompadour] for Peace alone. Of
course, his utmost discretion will be needed;" should the English get the least wind of it! But if they are
gone to St. Vitus, and fail in every point, what can one do? CE M. DE MIRABEAU, readers will be surprised
to learn, is an Uncle of the great Mirabeau's; who has fallen into roving courses, gone abroad insolvent; and
"directs the Opera at Baireuth," in these years!One Letter we will give in full:
"LEITMERITZ, 13th Jnly, 1757.
"MY DEAREST SISTER,Your Letter has arrived: I see in it your regrets for the irreparable loss we have
had of the best and worthiest Mother in this world. I am so struck down with all these blows from within and
without, that I feel myself in a sort of Stupefaction.
"The French have just laid hold of Friesland [seized Embden, July 3d]; are about to pass the Weser: they have
instigated the Swedes to declare War against me; the Swedes are sending 17,000 men [rather more if
anything; but they proved beautifully ineffectual] into Pommern,"will be burdensome to Stralsund and the
poor country people mainly; having no Captain over them but a hydra headed National Palaver at home, and
a Longpole with Cockedhat on it here at hand. "The Russians are besieging Memel [have taken it, ten days
ago]: Lehwald has them on his front and in his rear. The Troops of the Reich," from your Plains of Furth
yonder, "are also about to march. All this will force me to evacuate Bohemia, so soon as that crowd of
Enemies gets into motion.
"I am firmly resolved on the extremest efforts to save my Country. We shall see (QUITTE A VOIR) if
Fortune will take a new thought, or if she will entirely turn her back upon me. Happy the moment when I
took to training myself in philosophy! There is nothing else that can sustain the soul in a situation like mine. I
spread out to you, dear Sister, the detail of my sorrows: if these things regarded only myself, I could stand it
with composure; but I am bound Guardian of the safety and happiness of a People which has been put under
my charge. There lies the sting of it: and I shall have to reproach myself with every fault, if, by delay or by
overhaste, I occasion the smallest accident; all the more as, at present, any fault may be capital.
"What a business! Here is the liberty of Germany, and that Protestant Cause for which so much blood has
been shed; here are those Two great Interests again at stake; and the pinch of this huge game is such, that an
unlucky quarter of an hour may establish over Germany the tyrannous domination of the House of Austria
forever! I am in the case of a traveller who sees himself surrounded and ready to be assassinated by a troop of
cutthroats, who intend to share his spoils. Since the League of Cambrai [15081510, with a Pope in it and a
Kaiser and Most Christian King, iniquitously sworn against poor Venice;to no purpose, as happily
appears], there is no example of such a Conspiracy as that infamous Triumvirate [Austria, France, Russia]
now forms against me. Was it ever seen before, that three great Princes laid plot in concert to destroy a
Fourth, who had done nothing against them? I have not had the least quarrel either with France or with
Russia, still less with Sweden. If, in common life, three citizens took it into their heads to fall upon their
neighbor, and burn his house about him, they very certainly, by sentence of tribunal, would be broken on the
wheel. What! and will Sovereigns, who maintain these tribunals and these laws in their States, give such
example to their subjects? ... Happy, my dear Sister, is the obscure man, whose good sense from youth
upwards, has renounced all sorts of glory; who, in his safe low place, has none to envy him, and whose
fortune does not excite the cupidity of scoundrels!
"But these reflections are vain. We have to be what our birth, which decides, has made us in entering upon
this world. I reckoned that, being King, it beseemed me to think as a Sovereign; and I took for principle, that
the reputation of a Prince ought to be dearer to him than life. They have plotted against me; the Court of
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Vienna has given itself the liberty of trying to maltreat me; my honor commanded me not to suffer it. We
have come to War; a gang of robbers falls on me, pistol in hand: that is the adventure which has happened to
me. The remedy is difficult: in desperate diseases there are no methods but desperate ones.
"I beg a thousand pardons, dear Sister: in these three long pages I talk to you of nothing but my troubles and
affairs. A strange abuse it would be of any other person's friendship. But yours, my dear Sister, yours is
known to me; and I am persuaded you are not impatient when I open my heart to you:a heart which is
yours altogether; being filled with sentiments of the tenderest esteem, with which I am, my dearest Sister,
your [in truth, affectionate Brother at all times] F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 294, 295, 296298.]
PRINCE AUGUST WILHELM FINDS A BAD PROBLEM AT JUNGBUNZLAU; AND DOES IT
BADLY: FRIEDRICH THEREUPON HAS TO RISE FROM LEITMERITZ, AND TAKE THE FIELD
ELSEWHERE, IN BITTER HASTE AND IMPATIENCE, WITH OUTLOOKS WORSE THAN EVER.
The Prince of Prussia's Enterprise had its intricacies; but, by good management, was capable of being done.
At least, so Friedrich thought;though, in truth, it would have been better had Friedrich gone himself, since
the chief pressure happened to fall there! The Prince has to retire, Parthianlike, as slowly as possible, with
the late Kolin or MoritzBevern Army, towards the Lausitz, keeping his eye upon Silesia the while; of course
securing the passes and strong places in his passage, for defence of his own rear at lowest; especially securing
Zittau, a fine opulent Town, where his chief Magazine is, fed from Silesia now. The Army is in good strength
(guess 30,000), with every equipment complete, in discipline, in health and in heart, such as beseems a
Prussian Army,probably longing rather, if it venture to long or wish for anything not yet commanded, to
have a stroke at those Austrians again, and pay them something towards that late Kolin score.
The Prince arrived at JungBunzlau, June 30th; Winterfeld with him, and, at his own request, Schmettau. The
Austrians have not yet stirred: if they do, it may be upon the King, it may be upon the Prince: in three or even
in two marches, Prince and King can be together,the King only too happy, in the present oppressive coil of
doubts, to find the Austrians ready for a new passage of battle, and an immediate decision. The Austrians did,
in fact, break out, seemingly, at first, upon the King; but in reality upon the Prince, whom they judge safer
game; and the matter became much more critical upon him than had been expected.
The Prince was thought to have a good judgment (too much talk in it, we sometimes feared), and fair
knowledge in military matters. The King, not quite by the Prince's choice, has given him Winterfeld for
Mentor; Winterfeld, who has an excellent military head in such matters, and a heart firm as steel,almost
like a second self in the King's estimation. Excellent Winterfeld;but then there are also Schmettau, Bevern
and others, possibly in private not too well affected to this Winterfeld. In fact, there is rather a multitude of
Counsellers;and an ingenuous finespirited Prince, perhaps more capable of eloquence on the Opposition
side, than of condensing into real wisdom a multitude of counsels, when the crisis rises, and the affair
becomes really difficult. Crisis did rise: the victorious Austrians, after such delay, had finally made up their
minds to press this one a little, this one rather than the King, and hang upon his skirts; Daun and Prince Karl
set out after him, just about the time of his arrival, "70,000 strong," the Prince hears; including plenty of
Pandours. Certain it is, the poor Prince's mind did flounder a good deal; and his procedures succeeded
extremely ill on this occasion. Certain, too, that they were extremely illtaken at headquarters: and that he
even died soon after,chiefly of broken heart, said the censorious world. It is well known how Europe rang
with the matter for a long while; and Books were printed, and Documents, and COLLECTIONS BY A
MASTER'S HAND. [ Lettres Secretes touchant la Deniere Guerre; de Main de Maitre; divisees en deux
parties (Francfort et Amsterdam, 1772): this is the Prince's own Statement, Proof in hand. By far the clearest
Account is in Schmettau's Leben (by his Son), pp. 353384. See also Preuss, ii. 5761, and especially ii.
407.] We, who can spend but a page or two on it, must carefully stand by the essential part.
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"JUNE 30thJULY 3d, Prince at JungBunzlau, in chief command. Besides Winterfeld, the Generals under
him are Ziethen, Schmettau, Fouquet, Retzow, Goltz, and two others who need not be of our acquaintance.
Impossible to stay there, thinks the Prince, thinks everybody; and they shift to Neuschloss, westward thirty
miles. July 1st, Daun had crossed the Elbe (Daun let us say for brevity, though it is Daun and Karl, or even
Karl and Daun, Karl being chief, and capable of saying so at times, though Daun is very splendent since
Kolin),crossed the Elbe above Brandeis; Nadasti, with precursor Pandours, now within an hour's march of
JungBunzlau;and it was time to go.
"JULY 3d6th, At Neuschloss, which is thought a strong position, key of the localities there, and nearer
Friedrich too, the Prince stayed not quite four days; shifted to Bohm (BohmISCH) Leipa, JULY 7th,rather
off from Leitmeritz, but a march towards Zittau, where the provisions are. 'A bad change,' said the Prince's
friends afterwards; (change advised by Winterfeld,who never mentioned that circumstance to his Majesty,
many as he did mention, not in the best way!'Prince gets to Bohm Leipa July 7th; stays there, in
questionable circumstances, nine days.
"Bohm Leipa is still not above thirty miles northeastward of the King; and it is about the same distance
southwestward from Zittau, out of which fine Town, partly by crossroads, the Prince gets his provisions on
this march. From Zittau hitherward, as far as the little Town of Gabel, which lies about half way, there is
broad High Road, the great Southern KAISERSTRASSE: from Gabel, for Bohm Leipa, you have to cross
southwestward by country roads; the keys to which, especially Gabel, the Prince has not failed to secure by
proper garrison parties. And so, for about a week, not quite uncomfortably, he continues at Bohm Leipa;
getting in his convoys from Zittau. Diligently scanning the Pandour stragglings and sputterings round him,
which are clearly on the increasing hand. Diligently corresponding with the King, meanwhile; who much
discourages undue apprehension, or retreat movement till the last pinch. 'Edging backward, and again
backward, you come bounce upon Berlin one day, and will then have to halt!'which is not pleasant to the
Prince. But, indisputably, the Pandour spurts on him do become Pandour gushings, with regulars also
noticeable: it is certain the Austrians are out,pretending first to mean the King and Leitmeritz; but knowing
better, and meaning the Prince and Bohm Leipa all the while."By way of supplement, take Daun's
positions in the interim:
Daun and Karl were at Podschernitz 26th June; 1st July, cross the Elbe, above Brandeis (Nadasti now within
an hour's march of Jung Bunzlau); 7th July (day while the Prince is flitting to Bohm Leipa), Daun is through
JungBunzlau to Munchengratz; thence to Liebenau; 14th, to Niemes, not above four miles from the Prince's
rightmost outpost (rightmost or eastmost, which looks away from his Brother); while a couple of advanced
parties, Beck and Maguire, hover on his flank Zittauward, and Nadasti (if he knew it) is pushing on to rear.
"THURSDAY, 14th JULY, About six in the evening, at Bohm Leipa, distinct cannonthunder is heard from
northeast: 'Evidently Gabel getting cannonaded, and our wagon convoy [empty, going to Zittau for meal,
General Puttkammer escorting] is in a dangerous state!' And by and by hussar parties of ours come in, with
articulate news to that bad effect: 'Gabel under hot attack of regulars; Puttkammer with his 3,000 vigorously
defending, will expect to be relieved within not many hours!' Here has the crisis come. Crisis sure
enough;and the Prince, to meet it, summons that refuge of the irresolute, a Council of War.
"Winterfeld, who is just come home in these moments, did not attend;not, till three next morning.
Winterfeld had gone to bed; fairly 'tired dead,' with long marching and hurrying about. To the poor Prince
there are three courses visible. Course FIRST, That of joining the King at Leitmeritz. Gabel, Zittau lost in
that case; game given up;reception likely to be bad at Leitmeritz! Course SECOND,the course Friedrich
himself would at once have gone upon, and been already well ahead with,That of instantly taking measures
for the relief of Puttkammer. Dispute Gabel to the last; retreat, on loss of it, Parthianlike, to Zittau, by that
broad Highway, short and broad, whole distance hence only thirty miles. 'Thirty miles,' say the multitude of
Counsellors: 'Yes, but the first fifteen, TO Gabel, is crossroad, hilly, difficult; they have us in flank!' 'We are
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25,000,' urges the Prince; 'fifteen miles is not much!' The thing had its difficulties: the Prince himself, it
appears, faintly thought it feasible: '25,000 we; 20,000 they; only fifteen miles,' said he. But the variety of
Counsellors: 'Crossroads, defiles, flankmarch, dangerous,' said they. And so the third course, which was
incomparably the worst, found favor in Council of War: That of leaving Gabel and Puttkammer to their fate;
and of pushing off for Zittau leftwards through the safe Hills, by Kamnitz, Kreywitz, Rumburg;which, if
the reader look, is by a circuitous, nay quite parabolic course, twice or thrice as far:'In that manner let us
save Zittau and our Main Body!' said the Council of War. Yes, my friends: a cannonball, endeavoring to get
into Zittau from the townditch, would have to take a parabolic course;and the cannon ball would be
speedy upon it, and not have Hill roads to go by! This notable parabolic circuit of narrow steep roads may
have its difficulties for an Army and its baggages!" Enough, the poor Prince adopted that worst third course;
and even made no despatch in getting into it; and it proved ruinous to Zittau, and to much else, his own life
partly included.
"JULY 16th22d. Thursday night, or Friday 3 A.M., that third and incomparably worst course was adopted:
Gabel, Puttkammer with his wagons, ensigns, kettledrums, all this has to surrender in a day: High Road to
Zittau, for the Austrians, is a smooth march, when they like to gather fully there, and start. And in the Hills,
with their jolts and precipitous windings, infested too by Pandours, the poor Prussian Main Body, on its wide
parabolic circuit, has a time of it! Loses its pontoons, loses most of its baggage; obliged to set fire, not to the
Pandours, but to your own wagons, and necessaries of army life; encamps on bleak heights; no food, not even
water; road quite lost, road to be rediscovered or invented; Pandours sputtering on you out of every bush and
hollow, your peasant wagoners cutting traces and galloping off:such are the phenomena of that march by
circuit leftward, on the poor Prince's part. March began, soon after midnight, SATURDAY, 16th, Schmettau
as vanguard; and"
And, in fine, by FRIDAY, 22d, after not quite a week of it, the Prince, curving from northward (in parabolic
course, LESS speedy than the cannonball's would have been) into sight of Zittau, behold, there are the
Austrians far and wide to left of us, encamped impregnable behind the Neisse River there! They have got the
Eckart's Hill, which commands Zittau:and how to get into Zittau and our magazines, and how to subsist if
we were in? The poor Prince takes post on what Heights there are, on his own side of the Neisse; looks
wistfully down upon Zittau, asking How?
About stroke of noon the Austrians, from their Eckartsberg, do a thing which was much talked of. They open
battery of redhot balls upon Zittau; kindle the roofs of it, shingleroofs in dry July; set Zittau all on blaze,
the 10,000 innocent souls shrieking in vain to Heaven and Earth; and before sunset, Zittau is ashes and
redhot walls, not Zittau but a cinderheap,Prussian Garrison not hurt, nor Magazine as yet; Garrison busy
with buckets, I should guess, but beginning to find the air grow very hot. On the morrow morning, Zittau is a
smouldering cinderheap, hotter and hotter to the Prussian Garrison; and does not exist as a City.
One of the most inhuman actions ever heard of in War, shrieks universal Germany; asks itself what could
have set a chivalrous Karl upon this devillike procedure? "Protestants these poor Zittauers were; shone in
commerce; no such weaving, industrying, in all Teutschland elsewhere: Hah! An eyesorrow, they, with their
commerce, their weavings and industryings, to Austrian Papists, who cannot weave or trade?" that was finally
the guess of some persons;wide of the mark, we may well judge. Prince Xavier of Saxony, present in the
Camp too, made no remonstrance, said others. Alas, my friends, what could Xavier probably avail, the
foolish fellow, with only three regiments? Prince Karl, it was afterwards evident, could have got Zittau
unburnt; and could even have kept the Prussians out of Zittau altogether. Zittau surely would have been very
useful to Prince Karl. But overnight (let us try to fancy it so), not knowing the Prussian possibilities, Prince
Karl, screwed to the devilish point, had got his furnaces lighted, his redhot balls ready; and so, hurried on by
his Pride and by his other Devils, had,There are devilish things sometimes done in War. And whole cities
are made ashes by them. For certain, here is a strange way of commencing your "Deliverance of Saxony"!
And Prince Karl carries, truly, a brandmark from this conflagration, and will till all memory of him cease.
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As to Zittau, it rebuilt itself. Zittau is alive again; a strong stone city, in our day. On its newbuilt
Townhouse stands again "BENE FACERE ET MALE AUDIRE REGIUM EST, To do well, and be ill
spoken of, is the part of kings" [A saying of Alexander the Great's (Plutarch, in ALEXANDRE).] (amazingly
true of them,when they are not shams). What times for Herrnhuth; preparing for its Christian Sabbath,
under these omens near by!
The Prince of Prussia tells us, he "early next morning (Saturday, 23d July) had his tents pitched;" which was
but an unavailing procedure, with poor Zittau gone such a road. "Bring us bread out of that ruined Zittau,"
ordered the Prince: his Detachment returns ineffectual, "So hot, we cannot march in." And the Garrison
Colonel (one Dierecke and five battalions are garrison) sends out word: "So hot, we cannot stand it." "Stand it
yet a very little; and!" answers the Prince: but Dierecke and battalions cannot, or at least cannot long
enough; and set to marching out. In firm order, I have no doubt, and with some modicum of bread: but the
tumbling of certain burnt walls parted Colonel and men, in a sad way. Colonel himself, with the colors, with
the honors (none of his people, it seems, though they were scattered loose), was picked up by an Austrian
party, and made prisoner. A miserable business, this of Zittau!
Next, evening, Sunday, after dark, Prince of Prussia strikes his tents again; rolls off in a very unsuccinct
condition; happily unchased, for he admits that chase would have been ruinous. Off towards Lobau (what
nights for Zinzendorf and Herrnhuth, as such things tumble past them!); thence towards Bautzen; and arrives
in the most lugubrious torn condition any Prussian General ever stood in. Reaches Bautzen on those
terms;and is warned that his Brother will be there in a day or two.
One may fancy Friedrich's indignation, astonishment and grief, when he heard of that march towards Zittau
through the Hills by a parabolic course; the issue of which is too gnessable by Friedrich. He himself instantly
rises from Leitmeritz; starts, in fit divisions, by the Pascopol, by the Elbe passes, for Pirna; and, leaving
Moritz of Dessau with a 10,000 to secure the Passes about Pirna, and Keith to come on with the Magazines,
hastens across for Bautzen, to look into these advancing triumphant Austrians, these strange Prussian
proceedings. On first hearing of that sidemarch, his auguries had been bad enough; [Letter to Wilhelmina
"Linay, 22d July" (second day of the march from Leitmeritz); OEuvres, xxvii. i. 298.] but the event has far
surpassed them. Zittau gone; the Army hurrying home, as if in flight, in that wrecked condition; the door of
Saxony, door of Silesia left wide open,Daun has only to choose! Day by day, as Friedrich advanced to
repair that mischief, the news of it have grown worse on him. Days rife otherwise in mere bad news. The
Russians in Memel, Preussen at their feet; Soubise's French and the Reich's Army pushing on for Erfurt, to
"deliver Saxony," on that western side: and from the FrenchEnglish scene of operations In those same
bad days Royal Highness of Cumberland has been doing a feat worth notice in the above connection! Read
this, from an authentic source:
"HASTENBECK, 22d26th JULY, 1757. Royal Highness, hitching back and back, had got to Hameln, a
strong place of his on the safe side of the Weser; and did at last, Hanover itself being now nigh, call halt; and
resolve to make a stand. July 22d [very day while the Prince of Prussia came in sight of Zittau, with the
Austrians hanging over it], Royal Highness took post in that favorable vicinity of Hameln; at perfect leisure
to select his ground: and there sat waiting D'Estrees,swamps for our right wing, and the Weser not far off;
small Hamlet of Hastenbeck in front, and a woody knoll for our left;totally inactive for four days long;
attempting nothing upon D'Estrees and his intricate shufflings, but looking idly noonward to the courses of
the sun, till D'Estrees should come up. Royal Highness is much swollen into obesity, into flabby torpor; a
changed man since Fontenoy times; shockingly inactive, they say, in this post at Hastenbeck. D'Estrees, too,
is ridiculously cautious, 'has manoeuvred fifteen days in advancing about as many British miles.' D'Estrees
did at last come up (July 25th), nearly two to one of Royal Highness,72,000 some count him, but
considerably anarchic in parts, overwhelmed with Court Generals and Princes of the Blood, for one
item;and decides on attacking, next morning. D'Estrees duly went to reconnoitre, but unluckily 'had mist
suddenly falling.' 'Well; we must attack, all the same!'
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"And so, 26th JULY, Tuesday, there ensued a BATTLE OF HASTENBECK: the absurdest Battle in the
world; and which ought, in fairness, to have been lost by BOTH, though Royal Highness alone had the ill
luck. Both Captains behaved very poorly; and each of them had a subaltern who behaved well. D'Estrees,
with his 70,000 VERSUS 40,000 posted there, knows nothing of Royal Highness's position; sees only Royal
Highness's left wing on that woody Height; and after hours of preliminary cannonading, sends out General
Chevert upon that. Chevert, his subaltern [a bit of right soldier stuff, the Chevert whom we knew at Prag, in
old Belleisle times], goes upon it like fury; whom the Brunswick Grenadiers resist in like humor, hotter and
hotter. Some hard fighting there, on Royal Highness's left; Chevert very fiery, Grenadiers very obstinate; till,
on the centre, westward, in Royal Highness's chief battery there, some spark went the wrong way, and a
powderwagon shot itself aloft with hideous blaze and roar; and in the confusion, the French rushed in, and
the battery was lost. Which discouraged the Grenadiers; so that Chevert made some progress upon them, on
their woody Height, and began to have confident hope.
"Had Chevert known, or had D'Estrees known, there was, close behind said Height, a Hollow, through which
these Grenadiers might have been taken in rear. Dangerous Hollow, much neglected by Royal Highness, who
has only General Breitenbach with a weak party there. This Breitenbach, happening to have a head of his
own, and finding nothing to do in that Hollow or to rightward, bursts out, of his own accord, on Chevert's left
flank; cannonading, volleying, horse charging;the sound of which ('Hah, French there too!') struck a
damp through Royal Highness, who instantly ordered retreat, and took the road. What singular illluck that
sound of Breitenbach to Royal Highness! For observe, the EFFECT of Breitenbach,which was, to recover
the lost battery (gallant young Prince of Brunswick, 'Hereditary Prince,' or Duke that is to be, striking in upon
it with bayonetcharge at the right moment), made D'Estrees to order retreat! 'Battle lost,' thinks
D'Estrees;and with good cause, had Breitenbach been supported at all. But no subaltern durst; and Royal
Highness himself was not overtakable, so far on the road. Royal Highness wept on hearing; the Brunswick
Grenadiers too are said to have wept (for rage); and probably Breitenbach and the Hereditary Prince."
[Mauvillon, i. 228; Anonymous of Hamburg, i. 206 (who gives a Plan and all manner of details, if needed by
anybody); Kausler;
This is the last of Royal Highness's exploits in War. The retreat had been ordered "To Hanover;" but the
baggage by mistake took the road for Minden; and Royal Highness followed thither,much the same what
road he or it takes. Friedrich might still hope he would retreat on Magdeburg; 40,000 good soldiers might
find a Captain there, and be valuable against a D'Estrees and Soubise in those parts. But no; it was through
Bremen Country, to Stade, into the Sea, that Royal Highness, by ill luck, retreated! He has still one great
vexation to give Friedrich,to us almost a comfort, knowing what followed out of it;and will have to be
mentioned one other time in this History, and then go over our horizon altogether.
Whether Friedrich had heard of Hastenbeck the day his Brother and he met (July 29th, at Bautzen), I do not
know: but it is likely enough he may have got the news that very morning; which was not calculated to
increase one's good humor! His meeting with the Prince is royal, not fraternal, as all men have heard. Let us
give with brevity, from Schmettau Junior, the exact features of it; and leave the candid reader, who has
formed to himself some notion of kingship and its sorrows and stern conditions (having perhaps himself some
thing of kingly, in a small potential way), to interpret the matter, and make what he can of it:
"BAUTZEN, 29th JULY, 1757. The King with reinforcement is coming hither, from the Dresden side; to
take up the reins of this dishevelled Zittau Army; to speed with it against the Austrians, and, if humanly
possible, lock the doors of Silesia and Saxony again, and chase the intruders away. Prince of Prussia and the
other Generals have notice, the night before: 'At 4 A.M. tomorrow (29th), wait his Majesty.' Prince and
Generals wait accordingly, all there but Goltz and Winterfeld; they not, which is noted.
"For above an hour, no King; Prince and Generals ride forward: there is the King coming; Prince Henri,
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick and others in his train. King, noticing them, at about 300 paces distance, drew
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bridle; Prince of Prussia did the like, train and he saluting with their hats, as did the King's train in return.
King did not salute;on the contrary, he turned his horse round and dismounted, as did everybody else on
such signal. King lay down on the ground, as if waiting the arrival of his Vanguard; and bade Winterfeld and
Goltz sit by him." Poor Prince of Prussia, and battered heavyladen Generals! "After a minute or two, Goltz
came over and whispered to the Prince. 'Hither, MEINE HERREN, all of you; a message from his Majesty!'
cried the Prince. Whereupon, to Generals and Prince, Goltz delivered, in equable official tone, these affecting
words: 'His Majesty commands me to inform your Royal Highness, That he has cause to be greatly
discontented with you; that you deserve to have a Courtmartial held over you, which would sentence you
and all your Generals to death; but that his Majesty will not carry the matter so far, being unable to forget that
in the Chief General he has a Brother!'" [Schmettau, pp. 384, 385.]
The Prince answered, He wanted only a Courtmartial, and the like, in stiff tone. Here is the Letter he writes
next day to his Brother, with the Answer:
PRINCE OF PRUSSIA TO THE KING.
"BAUTERN, 30th July, 1757.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,The Letters you have written me, and the reception I yesterday met with, are
sufficient proof that, in your opinion, I have ruined my honor and reputation. This grieves, but it does not
crush me, as in my own mind I am not conscious of the least reproach. I am perfectly convinced that I did not
act by caprice: I did not follow the counsels of people incapable of giving good ones; I have done what I
thought to be suitablest for the Army. All your Generals will do me that justice.
"I reckon it useless to beg of you to have my conduct investigated: this would be a favor you would do me; so
I cannot expect it. My health has been weakened by these fatigues, still more by these chagrins. I have gone
to lodge in the Town, to recruit myself.
"I have requested the Duke of Bevern to present the Army Reports; he can give you explanation of
everything. Be assured, my dear Brother, that in spite of the misfortunes which overwhelm me, and which I
have not deserved, I shall never cease to be attached to the State; and as a faithful member of the same, my
joy will be perfect when I learn the happy issue of your Enterprises. I have the honor to be"
AUGUST WILHELM. Main de Maitre, p. 21.]
KING'S ANSWER, THE SAME DAY.
"CAMP NEAR BAUTZEN, 30th July, 1757. "MY DEAR BROTHER,Your bad guidance has greatly
deranged my affairs. It is not the Enemy, it is your illjudged measures that have done me all this mischief.
My Generals are inexcusable; either for advising you so ill, or in permitting you to follow resolutions so
unwise. Your ears are accustomed to listen to the talk of flatterers only. Daun has not flattered you;behold
the consequences. In this aad situation, nothing is left for me but trying the last extremity. I must go and give
battle; and if we cannot conquer, we must all of us have ourselves killed.
"I do not complain of your heart; but I do of your incapaciy, of your want of judgment in not choosing better
methods. A man who [like me; mark the phrase, from such a quarter!] has but a few days to live need not
dissemble. I wish you better fortune than mine has been: and that all the miseries and bad adventures you
have had may teach you to treat important things with more of care, more of sense, and more of resolution.
The greater part of the misfortunes which I now see to be near comes only from you. You and your Children
will be more overwhelmed by them than I. Be persuaded nevertheless that I have always loved you, and that
with these sentiments I shall die. FRIEDRICH." [MAIN DE MAITRE, p. 22.]
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As the King went off to the Heights of Weissenberg, Zittau way, to encamp there against the Austrians, that
same evening, the Prince did not answer this Letter,except by asking verbally through LieutenantColonel
Lentulus (a mute Swiss figure, much about the King, who often turns up in these Histories), "for leave to
return to Dresden by the first escort.""Depends on himself;an escort is going this night! answered
Friedrich. And the Prince went accordingly; and, by two stages, got into Dresden with his escort on the
morrow. And had, not yet conscious of it, quitted the Field of War altogether; and was soon about to quit the
world, and die, poor Prince. Died within a year, 12th June, 1758, at Oranienburg, beside his Family, where he
had latterly been. [Preuss, ii. 60 (ib. 78).]Winterfeld was already gone, six months before him; Goltz went,
not long after him; the other Zittau Generals all survived this War.
The poor Prince's fate, as natural, was much pitied; and Friedrich, to this day, is growled at for "inhuman
treatment" and so on. Into which question we do not enter, except to say that Friedrich too had his sorrows;
and that probably his concluding words, "with these sentiments I shall die," were perfectly true. MAIN DE
MAITRE went widely abroad over the world. The poor Prince's words and procedures were eagerly caught
up by a scrutinizing public,and some of the former were not too guarded. At Dresden, he said, one
morning, calling on a General Finck whom we shall hear of again: "Four such disagreeing, thinskinned,
highpacing (UNEINIGE, PIQUIRTE) Generals as Fouquet, Schmettau, Winterfeld and Goltz, about you,
what was to be done!" said the Prince to Finck. [Preuss, ii. 79 n.: see ib. 60, 78.]
His Wife, when at last he came to Oranienburg, nursed him fondly; that is one comfortable fact. Prince Henri,
to the last, had privately a grudge of peculiar intensity, on this score, against all the peccant parties, King not
excepted. As indeed he was apt to have, on various scores, the jealous, too vehement little man.
Friedrich's humor at this time I can guess to have been wellnigh desperate. He talks once of "a horse, on too
much provocation, getting the bit between its teeth; regardless thenceforth of chasms and precipices:" [Letter
to Wilhelmina, "Linay, 22d July" (cited above).]though he himself never carries it to that length; and
always has a watchful eye, when at his swiftest! From Weissenberg, that night, he drives in the Pandours on
Zittau and the Eckartsbergbut the Austrians don't come out. And, for three weeks in this fierce necessity of
being speedy, he cannot get one right stroke at the Austrians; who sit inexpugnable upon their Eckart's Hill,
bristling with cannon; and can in no way be manoeuvred down, or forced or enticed into Battle. A baffling,
bitterly impatient three weeks;two of them the worst two, he spends at Weissenberg itself, chasing
Pandours, and scuffling on the surface, till Keith and the Magazinetrain come up; even writing Verses
now and then, when the hours get unendurable otherwise!
The instant Keith and the Magazines are come he starts for Bernstadt; 56,000 strong after this junction:and
a Prussian Officer, dating "Bernstadtel [Bernstadt on the now Maps], 21st August, 1757," sends us this
account; which also is but of preliminary nature:
"AUGUST 15th, Majesty left Weissenberg, and marched hither, much to the enemy's astonishment, who had
lain perfectly quiet for a fortnight past, fancying they were a mastiff on the doorsill of Silesia: little thinking
to be trampled on in this unceremonious way! General Beck, when our hussars of the vanguard made
appearance, had to saddle and ride as for life, leaving every rag of baggage, and forty of his Pandours captive.
Our hussars stuck to him, chasing him into Ostritz, where they surprised General Nadasti at dinner; and did a
still better stroke of business: Nadasti himself could scarcely leap on horseback and get off; left all his field
equipage, coaches, horses, kitchenutensils, flunkies seventytwo in number,and, what was worst of all, a
secret box, in which were found certain Dresden Correspondences of a highly treasonous character, which
now the writers there may quake to think of;"if Friedrich, or we, could take much notiee of them, in this
press of hurries! [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 595599.]
Next day, August 16th, Friedrich detached five battalions to Gorlitz;Prince Karl (he calls it DAUN) still
camping on the Eckartsberg;and himself, about 4 P.M., with the main Army, marched up to those
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Austrians on their Hill, to see if they would fight. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 137.] No, they would n't: they
merely hustled themselves round so as to face him; face him, and even flank him with cannonbatteries if he
came too near. Steep ground, "precipitons front of rocks," in some places. "A hollow before their front;
Village of Wittgenau there, and three roads through it, ONE of them with width for wheels;" Daun sitting
inaccessible, in short. Next day, Winterfeld, with a detached Division, crossed the Neisse, tried Nadasti:
"Attack Nadasti, on his woody knoll at Hirschfeld yonder; they will have to rise and save him!" In vain, that
too; they let Nadasti take his own luck: for four days (16th20th August) everything was tried, in vain.
No Battle to be had from these Austrians. And it would have been so infinitely convenient to us: Reich's
Army and Soubise's French are now in the actual precincts of Erfurt (August 25th, Soubise took quarter
there); Royal Highness of Cumberland is staggering back into the Sea; Richelieu's French (not D'Estrees any
more, D'Estrees being superseded in this strange way) are aiming, it is thought, towards Magdeburg, had they
once done with Royal Highness; Swedes are getting hold of Pommern; Russians, in huge force, of Preussen:
how comfortable to have had our Austrians finished before going upon the others! For four days more
(August 20th24th), Friedrich arranges his Army for watching the Austrians, and guarding Silesia;Bevern
and Winterfeld to take command in his absence:and, August 25th, has to march; with a small Division,
which, at Dresden, he will increase by Moritz's, now needless in the Pirna Country; towards Thuringen; to
look into Soubise and the Reich's Army, as a thing that absolutely cannot wait. Arrives in Dresden, Monday,
August 29th; and Or let the old Newspaper report it, with the features of life:
"DRESDEN, 29th AUGUST, 1757, This day, about noon, his Majesty, with a part of his Army from the
Upper Lausitz, arrived at the Neustadt here. Though the kitchen had been appointed to be set up at what they
call The Barns (DIE SCHEUNEN), his Majesty was pleased to alight in Konigsbruck Street, at the new
House of Bruhl's Chamberlain, Haller; and there passed the night. Tuesday evening, 30th, his Majesty the
King, with his Lifeguards of Horse and of Foot, also with the Gensd'Armes and other Battalions, marched
through the City, about a mile out on the Freiberg road, and took quarter in Klein Hamberg. The 3lst, all the
Army followed,"a poor 23,000, Moritz and he, that was all! ["22,360" (Templehof, i. 228).]"the King's
fieldequipage, which had been taken from the Bruhl Palace and packed in twelve wagons, went with them."
[Rodenbeck, p. 316; Preuss, ii. 84 n; Mitchell's Interview ( Memoirs and Papers, i. 270).]
Chapter VI. DEATH OF WINTERFELD.
Before going upon this forlorn march of Friedrich's, one of the forlornest a son of Adam ever had, we must
speak of a thing which befell to rearward, while the march was only half done, and which greatly influenced
it and all that followed. It was the seventh day of Friedrich's march, not above eighty miles of it yet done,
when Winterfeld perished in fight. No Winterfeld now to occupy the Austrians in his absence; to stand
between Silesia and them, or assist him farther in his lonesome struggle against the world. Let us spend a
moment on the exit of that brave man: Bernstadt, Gorlitz Country, September 7th, 1757.
The Bevern Army, 36,000 strong, is still there in its place in the Lausitz, near Gorlitz; Prince Karl lies quiet
in his near Zittau, ever since he burnt that Town, and stood four days in arms unattackable by Friedrich with
prospect of advantage. The Court of Vienna cannot comprehend this state of inactivity: "Two to one, and a
mere Bevern against you, the King far away in Saxony upon his desperate AntiFrench mission there: why
not go in upon this Bevern? The French, whom we are by every courier passionately importuning to sweep
Saxony clear, what will they say of this strange mode of sweeping Silesia clear?" Maria Theresa and her
KriegsHofrath are much exercised with these thoughts, and with French and other remonstrances that come.
Maria Theresa and her KriegsHofrath at length despatch their supreme Kaunitz, Graf Kaunitz in person, to
stir up Prince Karl, and look into the matter with his own wise eyes and great heart: Prince Karl, by way of
treat to this high gentleman, determines on doing something striking upon Bevern.
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Bevern lies with his main body about Gorlitz, in and to westward of Gorlitz, a pleasant Town on the left bank
of the Neisse (readers know there are four Neisses, and which of them this is), with fine hilly country all
round, bulky solitary Heights and Mountains rising out of fruitful plains,two Hochkirchs (HIGHKIRKS),
for example, are in this region, one of which will become extremely notable next year:Bevern has a strong
camp leaning on the due Heights here, with Gorlitz in its lap; and beyond Gorlitz, on the right bank of the
Neisse, united to him by a Bridge, he has placed Winterfeld with 10,000, who lies with his back to Gorlitz,
proper brooks and fencible places flanking him, has a Dorf (THORP) called Moys in HIS lap; and, some
short furlong beyond Moys, a 2,000 of his grenadiers planted on the top of a Hill called the Moysberg, called
also the Holzberg (WOODHILL) and Jakelsberg, of which the reader is to take notice. Fine outpost, with
proper batteries atop, with hussar squadrons and hussar pickets sprinkled about; which commands a far
outlook towards Silesia, and in marching thither, or in continuing here, is useful to have in hand,were it not
a little too distant from the main body. It is this Jakelsberg, capable of being snatched if one is sudden
enough, that Prince Karl decides on: it may be good for much or for little to Prince Karl; and, if even for
nothing, it will be a brilliant affront upon Winterfeld and Bevern, and more or less charming to Kaunitz.
Winterfeld, the ardent enterprising man, King's other self, is thought to be the mainspring of affairs here
(small thanks to him privately from Bevern, add some): and is stationed in the extreme van, as we see;
Winterfeld is engaged in many things besides the care of this post; and indeed where a critical thing is to be
done, we can imagine Winterfeld goes upon it. "We must try to stay here till the King has finished in
Saxony!" says Winterfeld always. To which Bevern replies, "Excellent, truly; but how?" Bevern has his
provender at Dresden, sadly far off; has to hold Bautzen garrisoned, and gets much trouble with his convoys.
Better in Silesia, with our magazines at hand, thinks Bevern, less mindful of other considerations.
Tuesday, September 6th, Prince Karl sends Nadasti to the right bank of the River, forward upon Moys, to do
the Jakelsberg before day tomorrow: only some 2,000 grenadiers on it; Nadasti has with him 15,000, some
count 20,000 of all arms, artillery in plenty; surely sufficient for the Jakelsberg; and Daun advances, with the
main body, on the other side of the River, to be within reach, should Moys lead to more serious
consequences. Nadasti diligently marches all day; posts himself at night within few miles of Moys; gets his
cannon to the proper Hills (GALLOWS Hill and others), his Croats to the proper Woods; and, before daylight
on the morrow, means to begin upon the Moys Hill and its 2,000 grenadiers.
Wednesday morning, at the set hour, Nadasti, with artillery bursting out and quivering battlelines, is at work
accordingly; hurls up 1,000 Croats for one item, and regulars to the amount of "forty companies in three
lines." The grenadiers, somewhat astonished, for the morning was misty and their hussarposts had come
hastily in, stood upon their guard, like Prussian men; hurled back the 1,000 Croats fast enough; stubbornly
repulsed the regulars too, and tumbled them down hill with bulletstorm for accompaniment; gallantly foiling
this first attempt of Nadasti's. Of course Nadasti will make another, will make ever others; capture of the
Jakelsberg can hardly be doubtful to Nadasti.
Winterfeld was not at Moys, he was at Gorlitz, just got in from escorting an important mealconvoy hither
out of Bautzen; and was in conference with Bevern, when rumor of these Croat attacks came in at the gallop
from Moys. Winterfeld made little of the rumors: he had heard of some attack intended, but it was to have
been overnight, and has not been. "Mere foraging of Croat rabble, like yesterday's!" said Winterfeld, and
continued his present business. In few minutes the sound of heavy cannonading convinced him. "Haha, there
are my guests," said he; "we must see if we cannot entertain them right!" sprang to horseback, ordered on,
double quick, the three regiments nearest him, and was off at the gallop, too late; or, alas, too EARLY we
might rather say! Arriving at the gallop, Winterfeld found his grenadiers and their insufficient reinforcements
rolling back, the Hill lost; Winterfeld "sprang to a fresh horse," shot his lightning glances and energies, to his
hand and that; stormfully rallied the matter, recovered the Hill; and stormfully defended it, for, I should
guess, an hour or more; and might still have done one knows not what, had not a bullet struck him through
the breast, and suddenly ended all his doings in this world.
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Three other reasons the Prussians give for loss of their Hill, which are of no consequence to them or to us in
comparison. First, that Bevern; on message after message, sent no reinforcement; that Winterfeld was left to
his own 10,000, and what he and they could make of it. Bevern is jealous of Winterfeld, hint they, and
willing to see his impetuous audacity checked. Perhaps only cautious of getting into a general action for what
was intrinsically nothing? Second, that two regiments of Infantry, whom Winterfeld detached doublequick
to seize a couple of villages (Leopoldshayn, Hermsdorf) on his right, and therefrom fusillade Nadasti on
flank, found the villages already occupied by thousands of Croats, with regular foot and cannonbatteries,
and could in nowise seize them. This was a great reverse of advantage. Third, that an AidedeCamp made a
small misnomer, misreport of one word, which was terribly important: "Bring me hither Regiment
Manteuffel!" Winterfeld had ordered. The AidedeCamp reported it "Grenadiers Manteuffel:" upon which,
the grenadiers, who were posted in a walled garden, an important point to Winterfeld's right, came instantly
to order; and Austrians instantly rushed in to the vacant post, and galled Winterfeld's other flank by their fire.
[Abundant Accounts in Seyfarth, ii. ( Beylagen), 162163; HeldenGeschichte, iv. 615633; Retzow, i.
216221.]
Enough, Winterfeld lay bleeding to death, the Hill was lost, Prussians drawing off slowly and backforemost,
about two in the afternoon; upon which the Austrians also drew off, leaving only a small party on the Hill,
who voluntarily quitted it next morning. Next morning, likewise, Winterfeld had died. The Hill was, except
as bravado, and by way of comfort to Kaunitz, nothing for the Austrians; but the death of Winterfeld, which
had come by chance to them in the business, was probably a great thing. Better than two pitched battles
gained: who shall say? He was a shining figure, this Winterfeld; dangerous to the Austrians. The most
shining figure in the Prussian Army, except its Chief; and had great thoughts in his head. Prussia is not skilful
to celebrate her Heroes,the Prussian Muse of History, choked with dry military pipeclay, or with husky
cobwebbery and academic pedantry, how can she?but if Prussia can produce heroes worth celebrating, that
is the one important point. Apart from soldiership, and the outward features which are widely different, there
is traceable in Winterfeld some kinship in soul to English Chatham his contemporary; though he has not had
the fame of Chatham.
Winterfeld was by no means universally liked; as what brave man is or can be? Too susceptible to flattery;
too this, too that. He is, one feels always, except Friedrich only, the most shining figure in the Prussian Army:
and it was not unnatural he should be Friedrich's one friend,as seems to have been the case. Friedrich,
when this Job'smessage reached him (in Erfurt Country, eight days hence), was deeply affected by it. To
tears, or beyond tears, as we can fancy. "Against my multitude of enemies I may contrive resources," he was
heard to say; "but I shall find no Winterfeld again!" Adieu, my one friend, real Peer, sole companion to my
lonely pilgrimage in these perilous high regions.
"The Prince of Prussia, contrariwise," says a miserable little Note, which must not be withheld, "brightened
up at the news: 'I shall now die much more content, knowing that there is one so bad and dangerous man
fewer in the Army!' And, six months after, in his actual deathmoments, he exclaimed: 'I end my life, the last
period of which has cost me so much sorrow; but Winterfeld is he who shortened my days!'" [Preuss, ii. 75;
citing Retzow.]Very bitter Opposition humors circulating, in their fashion, there as elsewhere in this
world!
Bevern, the millstone of Winterfeld being off his neck, has become a more responsible, though he feels
himself a muchdelivered man. Had not liked Winterfeld, they say; or had even hated him, since those bad
Zittau times. Can now, at any rate, make for Schlesien and the mealmagazines, when he sees good. He will
find meal readier there; may he find other things corresponding! Nobody now to keep him painfully
manoeuvring in these parts; with the King's Army nearer to him, but meal not.
On the third day after (September l0th), Bevern, having finished packing, took the road for Schlesien; Daun
and Karl attending him; nothing left of Daun and Karl in those Saxon Countries,except, at Stolpen, out
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Dresdenwards, some ReservePost or Rearguard of 15,000, should we chance to hear of that again. And
from the end of September onwards, Bevern's star, once somewhat bright at Reichenberg, shot rapidly
downwards, under the horizon altogether; and there came, post after post, such news out of Schlesien, to
say nothing of that Stolpen Party,as Friedrich had never heard before.
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL
COME.
The SoubiseHildburghausen people had got rendezvoused at Erfurt about August 25th; 50,000 by account,
and no enemy within 200 miles of them; and in the Versailles circles it had been expected they would
proceed to the "Deliverance of Saxony" straightway. What is to hinder?Friedrich, haggling with the
Austrians at Bernstadt, could muster but a poor 23,000, when he did march towards Erfurt. In those same
neighborhoods, within reach of Soubise, is the Richelieu, late D'Estrees, Army; elated with Hastenbeck,
comfortably pushing Royal Highness of Cumberland, who makes no resistance, step by step, into the sea;
victoriously plundering, far and wide in those countries, Hanover itself the Headquarter. In the Versailles
circles, it is farther expected that Richelieu, "Conqueror of Minorca," will shortly besiege and conquer
Magdeburg, and so crown his glories. Why not; were the "Deliverance of Saxony" complete?
The whole of which turned out greatly otherwise, and to the sad disappointment of Versailles. The Conqueror
of Minorca is probably aware that the conquering of Magdeburg, against one whose platforms are not rotten,
and who does not "lie always in his bed," as poor old Blakeney did, will be a very different matter. And the
private truth is, Marrchal de Richelieu never turned his thoughts upon Magdeburg at all, nor upon any point
of war that had difficulties, but solely upon collecting plunder for himself in those Countries. One of the most
magnificent marauders on record; in no danger, he, of becoming monitory and a pendulum, like the 1,000 that
already swing in that capacity to rear of him! And he did manage, in this Campaign, which was the last of his
military services, so as to pay off at Paris "above 50,000 pounds of debts; and to build for himself a beautiful
Garden Mansion there, which the mocking populations called 'Hanover Pavilion (PAVILION
D'HANOVRE);'" a name still sticking to it, I believe. [Barbier, iii. 256, 271.] Of the Richelieu Campaign we
are happily delivered from saying almost anything: and the main interest for us turns now on that
SoubiseHildburghausen wing of it,which also is a sufficiently contemptible affair; not to be spoken of
beyond the strictly unavoidable.
Friedrich, with his 23,000 setting out from Dresden, August 30th, has a march of about 170 miles towards
Erfurt. He may expect to findcounting Richelieu, if Royal Highness of Cumberland persist in acting ZERO
as hithertoa confused mass of about 150,000 Enemies, of one sort and other, waiting him ahead; not to
think of those he has just left behind;and he cannot well be in a triumphant humor! Behind, before, around,
it is one gathering of Enemies: one point only certain, that he must beat them, or else die. Readers would fain
follow him in this forlorn march; him, the one point of interest now in it: and readers shall, if we can manage,
though it is extremely difficult. For, on getting to Erfurt, he finds his SoubiseHildburghausen Army off on
retreat among the inaccessible Hills still farther westward; and has to linger painfully there, and to detach,
and even to march personally against other Enemies; and then, these finished, to march back towards his
Erfurt ones, who are taking heart in the interim:and, in short, from September 1st to November 5th, there
are two months of confused manoeuvring and marching to and fro in that WestSaxon region, which are very
intricate to readers. November 5th is a day unforgettable: but anterior to that, what can we do? Here, dated,
are the Three grand Epochs of the thing; which readers had better fix in mind as a preliminary:
1. SEPTEMBER 13th, Friedrich has got to Erfurt neighborhood; but Soubise and Company are off
westward to the Hills of Eisenach, won't come down; Friedrich obliged to linger thereabouts, painfully
waiting almost a month, till
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2. OCTOBER 11th, hearing that "15,000 Austrians" (that Stolpen Party, left as rearguard at Stolpen;
Croats mainly, under a General Haddick) are on march for Berlin, he rises in haste thitherward, through
Leipzig, Torgau, say 100 miles; hears that Haddick HAS been in Berlin (16th17th October) for one day, and
that he is off again full speed with a ransom of 30,000 pounds, which they have had to pay him: upon which
Friedrich calls halt in the Torgau country;and would have been uncertain what to do, had not
3. Soubise and Company, extremely elated with this Haddick Feat, come out from their Hills, intent to
deliver Saxony after all. So that Friedrich has to turn back (October 26th30th) through Leipzig again;
towards,in fact towards ROSSBACH and NOVEMBER 5th, in his old Saale Country, which does not
prove so wearisome as formerly!
These are the cardinal dates; these let the reader recur to, if necessary, and keep steadily in mind: it will then
perhaps be possible to intercalate, in a manner intelligible to him, what other lucent phenomena there are; and
these dismal wanderings, and miserablest two months of Friedrich's life, will not be wholly a provoking
blotch of enigmatic darkness, but in some sort a thing with features in the twilight of the Past.
I. FRIEDRICH'S MARCH TO ERFURT FROM DRESDEN (31st August13th September, 1757).
The march to Erfurt was of twelve days, and without adventure to speak of. Mayer and FreeBattalion had
the vanguard, Friedrich there as usual; main body, under Keith with Ferdinand and Moritz, following in
several columns: straight towards their goal; with steady despatch; for twelve days;weather often very wet.
[Tempelhof, i. 229; Rodenbeck, i. 317 (not very correct): in Westphalen (ii. 20 a personal Diary of this
March, and of what followed on Duke Ferdinand's part.] Seidlitz, with cavalry, had gone ahead, in search of
one Turpin, a mighty hunter and Hussar among the French, who was threatening Leipzig, threatening Halle:
but Turpin made off at sound of him, without trying fight; so that Seidlitz had only to halt, and rejoin, hoping
better luck another time.
A march altogether of the common type,the stages of it not worth marking except for special
readers;and of memorable to us offers only this, if even this: at Rotha, in Leipzig Country, the eighth stage
from Dresden, Friedrich writes, willing to try for Peace if it be possible,
TO THE MARECHAL DUC DE RICHELIEU.
"ROTHA, 7th September, 1757.
"I feel, M. le Duc, that you have not been put in the post where you are for the purpose of Negotiating. I am
persuaded, however, that the Nephew of the great Cardinal Richelieu is made for signing treaties no less than
for gaining battles. I address myself to you from an effect of the esteem with which you inspire even those
who do not intimately know you.
"'T is a small matter, Monsieur (IL S'AGIT D'UNE BAGATELLE): only to make Peace, if people are
pleased to wish it! I know not what your Instructions are: but, in the supposition that the King your Master,
zow assured by your Successes, will have put it in your power to labor in the pacification of Germany, I
address to you the Sieur d'Elcheset" (Sieur Balbi is the real name of him, an Italian Engineer of mine, who
once served with you in the Fontenoy times, and some say he has privately a 15,000 pounds for your
Grace's acceptance,"the Sieur d'Elcheset), in whom you may place complete confidence.
"Though the events of this Year afford no hope that your Court still entertains a favorable disposition for my
interests, I cannot persuade myself that a union which has lasted between us for sixteen years may not have
left some trace in the mind. Perhaps I judge others by myself. But, however that may be, I, in short, prefer
putting my interests into the King your Master's hands rather thau into any other's. If you have not, Monsieur,
any Instructions as to the Proposal hereby made, I beg of you to ask such, and to inform me what the tenor of
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them is.
"He who has merited statues at Genoa [ten years ago, in those ANTI Austrian times, when Genoa burst up
in revolt, and the French and Richelieu beautifully intervened against the oppressors]; he who conquered
Minorca in spite of immense obstacles; he who is on the point of subjugating Lower Saxony,can do
nothing more glorious than to restore Peace to Europe. Of all your laurels, that will be the fairest. Work in
this Cause, with the activity which has secured you such rapid progress otherwise; and be persuaded that
nobody will feel more grateful to you than, Monsieur le Duc, Your faithful Friend, FREDERIC."
[Given in RODENBECK, i. 313 (doubtless from Memoires de Richelieu, Paris, 1793, ix. 175, the one
fountainhead in regard to this small affair): for "the 15,000 pounds" and other rumored particulars, sea
Retzow, i. 197; Preuss, ii. 84; OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 145.]
Richelieu, it appears by any evidence there is, went willingly into this scheme; and applied at Versailles, as
desired; with a peremptory negative for result. Nothing came of the Richelieu attempt there; nor of "CE M.
DE MIRABEAU," if he ever went; nor of any other on that errand. Needless to apply for Peace at Versailles
(and a mere waste of your "sum of 15,000 pounds," which one hopes is fabulous in the present scarcity of
money):or should we perhaps have mentioned the thing at all, except for the sake of Wilhelmina, whose
fond scheme it is in this extremity of fate; scheme which she tries in still other directions, as we shall see; her
Brother willing too, but probably with much less hope. If a civil Letter and a bribe of Money will do it, these
need not be spared.
This at Rotha is the day while Winterfeld, on Moys Hill, is meeting his death. Today at Pegau, in this
neighborhood, Seidlitz, who could not fall in with Turpin, has given the Hussars of Loudon a beautiful slap;
the first enemy we have seen on this march; and the last,nothing but Loudon and Hussars visibly about, the
rest of those SoubiseReichs people dormant, as would seem. "D'Elcheset," Balbi, or whoever he was, would
not find Richelieu at Hanover; but at a place called KlosterZeven, in Bremen Country, fifty or sixty miles
farther on. There, this day, are Richelieu with one Sporcken a Hanoverian, and one Lynar a Dane, rapidly
finishing a thing they were pleased to call "Convention of KlosterZeven;" which Friedrich regarded as
another huge misfortune fallen on him, though it proved to have been far the reverse a while after.
Concerning which take this brief Note; cannot be too brief on such a topic:
"Never was there a more futile Convention than that of Kloster Zeven; which filled all Europe with
lamentable noises, indignations and anxieties, during the remainder of that Year; and is now reduced, for
Europe and the Universe, to a silent mathematical point, or mere mark of position, requiring still to be
attended to in that character, though itself zero in any other. Here are the main particulars, in their sequence.
"August 3d, towards midnight, '11 P.M.' say the Books, Marechal de Richelieu arrives in the D'Estrees Camp
('Camp of Oldendorf,' still only one march west of Hastenbeck); to whom D'Estrees on the instant loftily
delivers up his Army; explains with loyalty, for a few days more, all things needful to the new Commander;
declines to be himself Second; and loftily withdraws to the Baths of Aachen 'for his health.'
"Royal Highness of Cumberland is, by this time, well on Elbeward, Oceanward. Till August 1st; for one
week, Royal Highness of Cumberland lay at Minden, some thirty odd miles from Hastenbeck; deploring that
sad mistake; but unpersuadable to stand, and try amendment of it: August lst, the French advancing on him
again, he moved off northward, seaward. By Nienburg, Verden, Rothenburg, Zeven, Bremenvorde,
Stade;arrived at Stade, on the tidal Waters of the Elbe, August 5th; and by necessity did halt there. From
Minden onwards, Richelieu, not D'Estrees, has had the chasing of Royal Highness: one of the simplest
functions; only that the country is getting muddy, difficult for artillerycarriage (thinks Richelieu), with an
Army so dilapidated, hungry, short of pay; and that Royal Highness, a very furious person to our former
knowledge, might turn on us like a boar at bay, endangering everything; and finally, that one's desire is not
for battle, but for a fair chance of plunder to pay one's debts.
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"Britannic Majesty, in this awful state of his Hanover Armaments, has been applying at the Danish Court;
Richelieu too sends off an application thither: 'Mediate between us, spare useless bloodshed!' [Valfons, p.
291.]Whereupon Danish Majesty (Britannic's sonin law) cheerfully undertakes it; bids one Lynar bestir
himself upon it. Count Lynar, an esteemed Official of his, who lives in those neighborhoods; Danish Viceroy
in Oldenburg,much concerned with the Scriptures, the Sacred Languages and other seraphic studies,
and a changed man since we saw him last in the Petersburg regions, making love to Mrs. Anton Ulrich long
ago! Lynar, feeling the axis of the world laid on his shoulder in this manner, loses not a moment; invokes the
Heavenly Powers; goes on it with an alacrity and a despatch beyond praise. Runs to the Duke of Cumberland
at Stade; thence to Richelieu at Zeven; back to the Duke, back to Zeven: 'Won't you; and won't YOU?' and in
four short days has the once worldfamed 'Convention of KlosterZeven' standing on parchment,signed,
ready for ratifying: 'Royal Highness's Army to go home to their countries again [routes, methods, times:
when, how, and what next, all left unsettled], and noise of War to cease in those parts.' Signed cheerfully on
both sides 9th September, 1757; and Lynar striking the stars with his sublime head. [Busching (who alone is
exact in the matter), Beitrage, iv. 167, 168, ? Lynar: see Scholl, iii. 49; Valfons, pp. 202, 203; OEuvres de
Frederic, iv. 143 (with correction of Preuss's Note there).]
"Unaccountable how Lynar had managed such a difficulty. He says seraphically, in a Letter to a friend, which
the Prussian hussars got hold of, 'The idea of it was inspired by the Holy Ghost:' at which the whole world
haha'd again. For it was a Convention vague, absurd, not capable of being executed; ratification of it refused
by both Courts, by the French Court first, if that was any matter:and the only thing now memorable of it is,
that IT was a total Futility; but, that there ensued from it a Fact still of importance; namely:
"That on the 5th of October following, Royal Highness quitted Stade, and his wrecked Army hanging
sorrowful there, like a flight of plucked cranes in midair;arrived at Kensington, October 12th; heard the
paternal Majesty say, that evening, 'Here is my son who has ruined me, and disgraced himself!'and
thereupon indignantly laid down his military offices, all and sundry; and ceased altogether to command
Armies, English or other, in this world. [In WALPOLE (iii. 5964) the amplest minuteness of detail.]
Whereby, in the then and now diagram of things, KlosterZeven, as a mathematical point, continues
memorable in History, though shrunk otherwise to zero!
"Pitt's magnanimity to Royal Highness was conspicuous. Royal Highness, it is said, had been very badly used
in this matter by his poor peddling Father and the Hanover Ministers; the matter being one puddle of
imbecilities from beginning to end. He was the soul of honor; brave as a Welf lion; but, of dim poor head;
and had not the faintest vestige [ALLERGERINGSTE says Mauvillon] of military skill: awful in the extreme
to see in command of British Armies! Adieu to him, forever and a day."
Ever since July 29th, three days after Hastenbeck, Pitt had been in Office again; such the bombardment by
CorporationBoxes and Events impinging on Britannic Majesty: but not till now, as I fancy, had Pitt's way, in
regard to those German matters, been clear to him. The question of a German Army, if you must, have a
NoGeneral at the top of it, might well be problematical to Pitt. To equip your strong fighting man, and send
him on your errand, regardless of expense; and, by way of preliminary, cut the head off him, before saying
"Goodspeed to you, strong man!" But with a General, Pitt sees that it can be different; that perhaps
"America can be conquered in Germany," and that, with a Britannic Majesty so disposed, there is no other
way of trying it. To this course Pitt stands henceforth, heedless of the gazetteer cackle, "Hah, our Pitt too
become German, after all his talking!"like a seventyfour under full sail, with sea, wind, pilot all of one
mind, and only certain waterfowl objecting. And is King of England for the next Four Years; the one King
poor England has had this long while;his hand felt shortly at the ends of the Earth. And proves such a
blessing to Friedrich, among others, as nothing else in this War; pretty much his one blessing, little as he
expected it. Before long, Excellency Mitchell begins consulting about a General, and Friedrich dimly sees
better things in the distance, and that KlosterZeven had not been the misfortune he imagined, but only "The
darkest hour," which, it is said, lies "nearest to the dawn."
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II. THE SOUBISE HILDBURGHAUSEN PEOPLE TAKE INTO THE HILLS; FRIEDRICH IN ERFURT
NEIGHBORHOOD, HANGING ON, WEEK AFTER WEEK, IN AN AGONY OF INACTION (13th
September10th October).
Friedrich's march has gone by Dobeln, Grimma, to Pegau and Rotha, Leipzig way, but, with Leipzig well to
right: it just brushes Weissenfels to rightward, next day after Rotha; crosses Saale River near Naumburg,
whence straight through Weimar Country, Weimar City on your left, to Erfurt on the northern side;and,
"ERFURT, TUESDAY 13th SEPTEMBER, 1757, About 10 in the morning [listen to a faithful Witness],
there appeared Hussars on the heights to northward:'Vanguard of his Prussian Majesty!' said Erfurt with
alarm, and our French guests with alarm. And scarcely were the words uttered, when said Vanguard, and
gradually the whole Prussian Army [only some 9,000, though we all thought it the whole], came to sight;
posting itself in halfmoon shape round us there; French and Reichs folk hurrying off what they could from
the Cyriaksberg and Petersberg, by the opposite gates,"towards Gotha, and the Hills of Eisenach.
"Think what a dilemma for Erfurt, jammed between two horns in this way, should one horn enter before the
other got out! Much parleying and supplicating on the part of Erfurt: Till at last, about 4 P.M., French being
all off, Erfurt flung its gates open; and the new Power did enter, with some due state: Prussian Majesty in
Person (who could have hoped it!) and Prince Henri beside him; Cavalry with drawn swords; Infantry with
fieldpieces, and the band playing"Prussian grenadier march, I should hope, or something equally
cheering. "The rest of the Vanguard, and, in succession, the Army altogether, had taken Camp outside,
looking down on the Northern Gate, over at Ilgertshofen, a village in the neighborhood, about two miles off."
[ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 636, 637.]
That is the first sight Friedrich has of "LA DAUPHINE," as the Versailles people call this Bellona, come to
"deliver Saxony;" and she is considerably coyer than had been expected. Many sad days, and ardent vain
vows of Friedrich, before he could see the skirt of her again! From Ilgertshofen, northwestward to Dittelstadt,
Gamstadt, and other poor specks of villages in Gotha Territory, is ten or fifteen miles; from Dittelstadt
eastward to Buttstadt and Buttelstadt, in Weimar Country, may be twentyfive: in this area, Friedrich,
shifting about, chiefly for convenience of quarters,headquarter Kirschleben for a while, Buttelstadt
finally and longest,had to wander impatiently to and fro for four weeks and more; no work procurable, or
none worth mentioning:in the humor of a man whose House is on fire, flaming out of every window, front
and rear; who has run up with quenching apparatus; and cannot, being spellbound, get the least bucket of it
applied. And is by nature the rapidest soul now alive. Figure his situation there, as it gradually becomes
manifest to him!
For the present, DAUPHINESS Bellona, hurrying to the Hills, has left some tagrag of remnant in Gotha.
Whereupon, the second day, here is an "Own Correspondent" again,not coming by electric telegraph, but
(what is a sensible advantage) credible in every point, when he does come:
"GOTHA, THURSDAY, 15th SEPTEMBER. GrandDuke and Duchess, like everybody else, have been
much occupied all morning with the fact, that the Prussian Army [Seidlitz and a regiment or two, nothing
more] is actually here; took possession of the TownGates and Main Guard this morning,certain
HungarianFrench hussar rabble, hateful to every one in Gotha, having made off in time, rapidly towards
Eisenach and the Hills.
"Towards noon, his Royal Majesty in highest person, with his Lord Brother the Prince Henri's Royal
Highness, arrived in Gotha; sent straightway, by one of his Officers, a compliment to the GrandDuke; and
'would have the pleasure to come and dine, if his Serene Highness permitted.' Serene Highness, self and
Household always cordially Friedrich's, was just about sitting down to dinner; and answered with exuberantly
glad surprise,or was answering, when Royal Majesty himself stept in with smiling face; and embracing the
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Duke, said: 'I timed myself to arrive at this moment, thinking your Durchlaucht would be at dinner, that I
might be received without ceremony, and dine like a neighbor among you.' Unexpected as this visit was, the
joy of Duke and Duchess," always fast friends to Friedrich, and the latter ever afterwards his correspondent,
"may be conceived, but not adequately expressed; as both the Serenities were touched, in the most affecting
manner, by the honor of so great a King's sudden presence among them.
"His Majesty requested that the Frau von Buchwald, our Most Gracious Duchess's HofDame, whose
qualities he much valued, might dine with them,"being always fond of sensible people, especially sensible
women. "The whole Highest and High company [Royal, that is, and Ducal] was, during table, uncommonly
merry. The King showed himself altogether content; and his bright clever talk and sprightly sallies,
awakening everybody to the like, left not the least trace visible of the weighty toils he was then engaged
in; as if the weightier these were, the less should they fetter the noble openness (FREYMUTHIGKEIT) of
this high soul, which is not to be cast down by the heaviest burden.
"His Majesty having taken leave of Duke and Duchess, and graciously permitted the chiefest persons of the
Gotha Court to pay their respects, withdrew to his Army." [Letter in Helden Geschichte, iv. 638, 639.]
Slept, I find elsewhere, "at Gamstadt, on the floor of a little Inn;" meaning to examine Posts in that part, next
morning.
Here has been a cheerful little scene for Friedrich; the last he has in these black weeks. A laborious
Predecessor, striving to elucidate, leaves me this Note:
"What a pity one knows nothing, nor can know, about this Duke and Duchess, though their names, especially
the latter's name, are much tossed to and fro in the Books! We heard of them, favorably, in Voltaire's time;
and may again, at least of the Lady, who is henceforth a Correspondent of Friedrich's. The above is a dim
direct view of them, probably our last as well as first. Duke's name is Friedrich III.; I do believe, a man of
solidity, honor and polite dignified sense, a highly respectable Duke of SachsenGotha, contented to be
obscure, and quietly do what was still doable in that enigmatic situation. He is Uncle to our George
III.;his Sister is the now PrincessDowager of Wales, with a Lord Bute, and I know not what questionable
figures and intrigues, or suspicions of intrigue, much about her. His Duchess, Louisa Dorothee, is a Princess
of distinguished qualities, literary tastes,Voltaire's Hostess, Friedrich's Correspondent: a bright and quietly
shining illumination to the circle she inhabits. Duke is now fiftyeight, Duchess fortyseven; and they lost
their eldest Son last year. There has been lately a considerable private brabble as to Tutorage of the Duke of
Weimar (Wilhelmina's maddish Duke, who is dead lately; and a Prince left, who soon died also, but left a
Son, who grew to be Goethe's friend); Tutorage claimed by various Cousins, has been adjudged to this one,
King Friedrich cooperating in such result.
"As to the famed GrandDuchess, she is a SachsenMeiningen Princess, come of Ernst the Pious, of Johann
the Magnanimous, as her Husband and all these Sachsens are: when Voltaire went precipitant, with such
velocity, from the Potsdam Heaven, she received him at Gotha; set him on writing his HISTORY OF THE
EMPIRE, and endeavored to break his fall. She was noble to Voltaire, and well honored by that uncertain
Spirit. There is a fine Library at Gotha; and the Lady bright loves Books, and those that can write them;a
friend of the Light, a Daughter of the Sun and the Empyrean, not of Darkness and the Stygian Fens."
[Michaelis, i. 517;
Friedrich's first Letter to her Highness was one of thanks, above a year ago, for an act of kindness, act of
justice withal, which she did to one of his Official people. Here, on the morrow of that dinner, is the second
Letter, much more aerial and cordial, in which style they all continue, now that he has seen the admired
Princess.
TO THE MOST SERENE GRANDDUCHESS OF SACHSENGOTHA.
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DITTELSTADT, "16th September, 1757.
"MADAM,Yesterday was a Day I shall never forget; which satisfied a just desire I have had, this long
while, to see and hear a Princess whom all Europe admires. I am not surprised, Madam, that you subdue
people's hearts; you are made to attract the esteem and the homage of all who have the happiness to know
you. But it is incomprehensible to me how you can have enemies; and how men representing Countries that
by no means wish to pass for barbarous, can have been so basely (INDIGNEMENT) wanting in the respect
they owe you, and in the consideration which is due to all sovereigns [French not famous for their refined
demeanor in Saxony this time]. Why could not I fly to prevent such disorders, such indecency! I can only
offer you a great deal of goodwill; but I feel well that, in present circumstances, the thing wanted is
effective results and reality. May I, Madam, be so happy as to render you some service! May your fortune be
equal to your virtues! I am with the highest consideration, Madam, your Highness's faithful Cousin, F."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xvii. 166.]
To Wilhelmina he says of it, next day, still gratified, though sad news have come in the interim;death of
Winterfeld, for one black item:
... "The day before yesterday I was in Gotha. It was a touching scene to see the partners of one's misfortunes,
with like griefs and like complaints. The Duchess is a woman of real merit, whose firmness puts many a man
to shame. Madam de Buchwald appears to me a very estimable person, and one who would suit you much:
intelligent, accomplished, without pretensions, and goodhumored. My Brother Henri is gone to see them
today. I am so oppressed with grief, that I would rather keep my sadness to myself. I have reason to
congratulate myself much on account of my Brother Henri; he has behaved like an angel, as a soldier, and
well towards me as a Brother. I cannot, unfortunately, say the same of the elder. He sulks at me (IL ME
BODE), and has sulkily retired to Torgau, from whence, I hear, he is gone to Wittenberg. I shall leave him to
his caprices and to his bad conduct; and I prophesy nothing good for the future, unless the younger guide
him." ["Kirschleben, near Erfurt, 17th September, 1757" ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 306).] ...
This is part of a long sad Letter to Wilhelmina; parts of which we may recur to, as otherwise illustrative. But
before going into that tragic budget of bad news, let us give the finale of Gotha, which occurred the next
day,tragicomic in part,and is the last bit of action in those dreary four weeks.
GOTHA, 18th SEPTEMBER. "Since Thursday 15th, MajorGeneral Seidlitz," youngest MajorGeneral of
the Army, but a rapidly rising man, "has been Commandant in Gotha, under flourishing circumstances;
popular and supreme, though only with a force of 1,500, dragoons and hussars. Monday morning early,
Seidlitz's scouts bring word that the SoubiseHildburghausen people are in motion hitherward; French
hussars and Austrian, Turpin's, Loudon's, all that are; grenadiers in mass;total, say, 8,000 horse and foot,
with abundance of artillery;have been on march all night, to retake Gotha; with all the Chief Generals and
Dignitaries of the Army following in their carriages, for some hours past, to see it done. Seidlitz, ascertaining
these things, has but one course left,that of clearing himself out, which he does with orderly velocity: and
at 9 A.M. the Dignitaries and their 8,000 find open gates, Seidlitz clean off; occupy the posts, with due
emphasis and flourish; and proceed to the Schloss in a grand triumphant way, where privately they are not
very welcome, though one puts the best face on it, and a dinner of importance is the first thing imperative to
be set in progress. A flurried Court, that of Gotha, and much swashing of French plumes through it, all this
morning, since Seidlitz had to flit.
"Seidlitz has not flitted very far. Seidlitz has ranked his small dragoonhussar force in a hollow, two miles
off; has got warning sent to a third regiment within reach of him, 'Come towards me, and in a certain defile,
visible from Gotha eastward, spread yourselves so and so!'and judges by the swashing he hears of up
yonder, that perhaps something may still be done. Dinner, up in the Schloss, is just being taken from the spit,
and the swashing at its height, when'Hah what is that, though?' and all plumes pause. For it is Seidlitz,
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artistically spread into single files, on the prominent points of vision; advancing again, more like 15,000 than
1,500: 'And in the Defile yonder, that regiment, do you mark it; the King's vanguard, I should say?To
horse!'
"That is Seidlitz's fine Bit of Painting, hung out yonder, hooked on the sky itself, as temporary background to
Gotha, to be judged of by the connoisseurs. For pictorial effect, breadth of touch, truth to Nature and real
power on the connoisseur, I have heard of nothing equal by any artist. The high Generalcy, Soubise,
Hildburghausen, Darmstadt, mount in the highest haste; everybody mounts, happy he who has anything to
mount; the grenadiers tumble out of the Schloss; dragoons, artillery tumble out; Dauphiness takes wholly to
her heels, at an extraordinary pace: so that Seidlitz's hussars could hardly get a stroke at her; caught sixty and
odd, nine of them Officers not of mark; did kill thirty; and had such a haul of equipages and valuable effects,
cosmetic a good few of them, habilatory, artistic, as caused the hussar heart to sing for joy. Among other
plunder, was Loudon's Commission of MajorGeneral, just on its road from Vienna [poor Mannstein's death
the suggesting cause, say some];undoubtedly a shining Loudon; to whom Friedrich, next day, forwarded
the Document with a polite Note." [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 640; Westphalen, ii. 37; OEuvres de Frederic,
iv, 147.]'
The day after this bright feat of Seidlitz's, which was a slight consolation to Friedrich, there came a Letter
from the Duchess, not of compliment only; the Letter itself had to be burnt on the spot, being, as would seem,
dangerous for the High Lady, who was much a friend of Friedrich's. Their Correspondence, very polite and
graceful, but for most part gone to the unintelligible state, and become vacant and spectral, figures
considerably in the Books, and was, no doubt, a considerable fact to Friedrich. His Answer on this occasion
may be given, since we have it,lest there should not elsewhere be opportunity for a second specimen.
FRIEDRICH TO THE GRANDDUCHESS OF SACHSENGOTHA.
"KIRSCHLEBEN, NEAB ERFURT, 20th September, 1757.
"MADAM,Nothing could happen more glorious to my troops than that of fighting, Madam, under your
eyes and for your defence. I wish their help could be useful to you; but I foresee the reverse. If I were
obstinately to insist on maintaining the post of Gotha with Infantry, I should ruin your City for you, Madam,
by attracting thither and fixing there the theatre of the War; whereas, by the present course, you will only
have to suffer little rubs (PASSADES), which will not last long.
"A thousand thanks that you could, in a day like yesterday, find the moment to think of your Friends, and to
employ yourself for them. [Seidlitz's attack was brisk, quite sudden, with an effect like Harlequin's sword in
Pantomimes; and Gotha in every corner, especially in the Schloss below and ahove stairs,dinner cooked
for A, and eaten by B, in that manner,must have been the most agitated of little Cities.] I will neglect
nothing of what you have the goodness to tell me; I shall profit by these notices. Heaven grant it might be for
the deliverance and the security of Germany!
"The most signal mark of obedience I can give you consists unquestionably in doing your bidding with this
Letter. [Burn it, so soon as read.] I should have kept it as a monument of your generosity and courage: but,
Madam, since you dispose of it otherwise, your orders shall be executed; persuaded that if one cannot serve
one's friends, one must at least avoid hurting them; that one may be less circumspect for one's own interest,
but that one must be prudent and even timid for theirs. I am, with the highest esteem and the most perfect
consideration, Madam, your Highness's most faithful and affectionate Cousin,F." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xvii. 167.]
From Erfurt, on the night of his arrival, finding the Dauphiness in such humor, Friedrich had ordered
Ferdinand of Brunswick with his Division and Prince Moritz with his, both of whom were still at Naumburg,
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to go on different errands,Ferdinand out Halberstadt Magdeburg way, whither Richelieu, vulturelike, if
not eaglelike, is on wing; Moritz to Torgau, to secure our magazine and be on the outlook there. Both of
them marched on the morrow (November 14th): and are sending him news,seldom comfortable news;
mainly that, in spite of all one can do (and it is not little on Ferdinand's part, the Richelieu vultures, 80,000 of
them, floating onward, leagues broad, are not to be kept out of Halberstadt, well if out of Magdeburg
itself;and that, in short, the general conflagration, in those parts too, is progressive. [In Orlich's First
Moritz, pp. 7189; and in Westphalen, ii. 23143 (about Ferdinand): interesting Documentary details,
Autographs of Friedrich, in regard to both these Expeditions.] Moritz, peaceable for some weeks in Torgau
Country, was to have an eye on Brandenburg withal, on Berlin itself; and before long Moritz will see
something noticeable there!
From Preussen, Friedrich hears of mere ravagings and horrid cruelties, CossackCalmuck atrocities, which
make human nature shudder: [In HeldenGeschichte, iv. 427437, the hideous details.] "Fight those
monsters; go into them at all hazards!" he writes to Lehwald peremptorily. Lehwald, 25,000 against 80,000,
does so; draws up, in front of Wehlau, not far east of Konigsberg, among woody swamps, AUGUST 30th, at
a Hamlet called GROSSJAGERSDORF, with his best skill; fights well, though not without mistakes; and is
beaten by cannon and numbers. [Tempelhof, i. 299; Retzow, i. 212; ("Russians lost about 9,000," by their
own tale 5,000; "the Prussians 3,000" and the Field).] Preussen now lies at Apraxin's discretion. This bit of
news too is on the road for Erfurt Country. Such a six weeks for the swift man, obliged to stand
spellbound,idle posterity never will conceive it; and description is useless.
Let us add here, that Apraxin did not advance on Konigsberg, or farther into Preussen at all; but, after some
loitering, turned, to everybody's surprise, and wended slowly home. "Could get no provision," said Apraxin
for himself. "Thought the Czarina was dying," said the world; "and that Peter her successor would take it
well!" Plodded slowly home, for certain; Lehwald following him, not too close, till over the border. Nothing
left of Apraxin, and his huge Expedition, but Memel alone; Memel, and a great many graves and ruins. So
that Lehwald could be recalled, to attend on the Swedes, before Winter came. And Friedrich's worst
forebodings did not take effect in this case;nor in some others, as we shall see!
LAMENTATIONPSALMS OF FRIEDRICH.
Meanwhile, is it not remarkable that Friedrich wrote more Verses, this Autumn, than almost in any other
three months of his life? Singular, yes; though perhaps not inexplicable. And if readers could fairly
understand that fact, instead of running away with the shell of it, and leaving the essence, it would throw a
great light on Friedrich. He is not a brooding inarticulate man, then; but a brightglancing, articulate; not to
be struck dumb by the face of Death itself. Flashes cleareyed into the physiognomy of Death, and Ruin, and
the Abysmal Horrors opening; and has a sharp word to say to them. The explanation of his large cargo of
Verses this Autumn is, That always, alternating with such fiery velocity, he had intolerable periods of waiting
till things were ready. And took to verses, by way of expectorating himself, and keeping down his devils. Not
a bad plan, in the circumstances,especially if you have so wonderful a turn for expectoration by speech.
"All bad as Poetry, those Verses?" asks the reader. Well, some of them are not of firstrate goodness. Should
have been burnt; or the time marked which they took up, and whether it was good time wasted (which I
suppose it almost never was), or bad time skilfully got over. Time, that is the great point; and the hearttruth
of them, or mere liptruth, another. We must give some specimens, at any rate.
Especially that notable Specimen from the Zittau Countries: the "Epistle to Wilhelmina (EPITRE A MA
SOEUR [ OEuvres de Frederic, xii. 3642.];" which is the keynote, as it were; the fountainhead of much
other verse, and of much prose withal, and Correspondencing not with Wilhelmina alone, of which also some
taste must be given. Primary EPITRE; written, I perceive, in that interval of waiting for Keith and the
magazines,though the final date is "Bernstadt, August 24th." Concerning which, Smelfungus takes,
overhastily, the liberty to say: "Strange, is it not, to be on the point of fighting for one's existence;
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overwhelmed with so many businesses; and disposed to go into verse in addition! CONCEIVE that form of
mind; it would illuminate something of Friedrich's character: I cannot yet rightly understand such an aspect of
structure, and know not what to say of it, except 'Strange!'"
Understand it or not, we do gather by means of it some indisputable glimpses, nearly all the direct insight
allowed us out of any source, into Friedrich's inner man; what his thoughts were, what his humor was in that
unique crisis; and to readers in quest of that, these Pieces, fallen obsolete and frosty to all other kinds of
readers, are well worth perusing, and again perusing. Most veracious Documents, we can observe; nothing
could be truer; Confessions they are, in the most emphatic sense; no truer ever made to a Priest in the name of
the Most High. Like a soliloquy of NightThoughts, accidentally becoming audible to us. Mahomet, I find,
wrote the Koran in this manner. From these poor Poems, which are voices DE PROFUNDIS, there might, by
proper care and selection, be constructed a Friedrich's Koran; and, with commentary and elucidation, it would
be pleasant to read. The Koran of Friedrich, or the LamentationPsalms of Friedrich! But it would need an
Editor,other than Dryasdust! Mahomet's Koran, treated by the Arab Dryasdust (merely turning up the
bottom of that Box of Shoulder blades, and printing them), has become dreadfully tough reading, on this
side of the Globe; and has given rise to the impossiblest notions about Mahomet! Indisputable it is, Heroes, in
their affliction, Mahomet and David, have solaced themselves by snatches of Psalms, by Suras, bursts of
Utterance rising into Song;and if Friedrich, on far other conditions, did the like, what has History to say of
blame to him?
Wilhelmina comes out very strong, in this season of trouble; almost the last we see of our excellent
Wilhelmina. Like a lioness; like a shrill mother when her children are in peril. A noble sisterly affection is in
Wilhelmina; shrill Pythian vehemence trying the impossible. That a Brother, and such a Brother, the most
heroic now breathing, brave and true, and the soul of honor in all things, should have the whole world rise
round him, like a delirious Sorcerer'sSabbath, intent to hurl the mountains on him, seems such a horror
and a madness to Wilhelmina. Like the brood hen flying in the face of wild dogs, and packs of hounds in
full trail! Most Christian Pompadour Kings, enraged Czarinas, implacable EmpressQueens; a whole world
in armed delirium rushes on, regardless of Wilhelmina. Never mind, my noble one; your Brother will perhaps
manage to come up with this leviathan or that among the heap of them, at a good time, and smite into the fifth
rib of him. Your Brother does not the least shape towards giving in; thank the Heavens, he will stand to
himself at least; his own poor strength will all be on his own side.
Wilhelmina's hopes of a Peace with France; mission of her Mirabeau, missions and schemes not a few, we
have heard of on Wilhelmina's part with this view; but the notablest is still to mention: that of stirring up, by
Voltaire's means, an importantlooking Cardinal de Tencin to labor in the business. Eminency Tencin lives in
Lyon, known to the Princess on her Italian Tour;shy of asking Voltaire to dinner on that fine
occasion,but, except Officially, is not otherwise than wellaffected to Voltaire. Was once Chief Minister
of France, and would fain again be; does not like these Bernis novelties and Austrian Alliances, had he now
any power to overset them. Let him correspond with Most Christian Majesty, at least; plead for a Peace with
Prussia, Prussia being so ready that way. Eminency Tencin, on Voltaire's suggestion, did so, perhaps is even
now doing so; till ordered to hold HIS peace on such subjects. This is certain and well known; but nothing
else is known, or to us knowable, about it; Voltaire, in vague form, being our one authority, through whom it
is vain to hunt, and again hunt. [ OEuvres (Memoires), ii. 92, 93; IB. i. 143; Preuss, ii. 84.] The Dates, much
more the features and circumstances, all lie buried from us, andtill perhaps the LamentationPsalms are
well editedmust continue lying. As a fact certain, but undeniably vague.
Voltaire's procedure, one can gather, is polite, but twofaced; not sublime on this occasion. In fact, is
intended to serve himself. To the high Princess he writes devotionally, ready to obey in all things; and then to
his Eminency Cardinal Tencin, it rather seems as if the tone were: "Pooh! yes, your Eminency; such are the
poor Lady's notions. But does your Eminency take notice how high my connections are; what service a poor
obscure creature might perhaps do the State some day?" Friedrich himself is, in these ways, brought into
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correspondence with Voltaire again; and occasionally writes to him in this War, and ever afterwards: Voltaire
responds with fine sympathy, always prettily, in the enthusiasm of the moment;and at other times he writes
a good deal about Friedrich, oftenest in rather a mischievous dialect. "The traitor!" exclaim some Prussian
writers, not many or important, in our time. In fact, there is a considerable touch of grinning malice (as of
Monkey VERSUS Cat, who had once burnt HIS paw, instead of getting his own burnt), in those utterances of
Voltaire; some of which the reader will grin over too, without much tragic feeling,the rather as they did
our Felis Leo no manner of ill, and show our incomparable SINGE with a sparkle of the TIGRE in him;
theoretic sparkle merely and for moments, which makes him all the more entertaining and interesting at the
domestic hearth.
Of Friedrich's LamentationPsalms we propose to give the First and the Last: these, with certain Prose
Pieces, intermediate and connecting, may perhaps be made intelligible to readers, and throw some light on
these tragic weeks of the King's History:
1. EPITRE A MA SOEUR (First of the LamentationPsalms).This is the famed "Epistle to Wilhelmina,"
already spoken of; which the King despatched from Bernstadt "August 24th," just while quitting those parts,
on the Erfurt Errand;though written before, in the tedium of waiting for Keith. The Piece is long,
vehement, altogether sincere; lyrically sings aloud, or declaims in rhyme, what one's indignant thought really
is on the surrounding woes and atrocities. We faithfully abridge, and condense into our briefest
Prose;readers can add water and the jingle of French rhymes AD LIBITUM. It starts thus:
"O sweet and dear hope of my remaining days; O Sister, whose friendship, so fertile in resources, shares all
my sorrows, and with a helpful arm assists me in the gulf! It is in vain that the Destinies have overwhelmed
me with disasters: if the crowd of Kings have sworn my ruin; if the Earth have opened to swallow me, you
still love me, noble and affectionate Sister: loved by you, what is there of misfortune? [Branches off into
some survey of it, nevertheless.]
"Huge continents of thundercloud, plots thickening against me [in those Menzel Documents], I watched
with terror; the sky getting blacker, no covert for me visible: on a sudden, from the deeps of Hell, starts forth
Discord [with capital letter], and the tempest broke.
Ce fut dans ton Senat, O fouqueuse Angleterre!
Ou ce monstre inhumain fit eclater la guerre:
It was from thy Senate, stormful England, that she first launched out War. In remote climates first; in
America, far away;between France and thee. Old Ocean shook with it; Neptune, in the depths of his caves
(SES GROTTES PROFONDES), saw the English subjecting his waves (SES ONDES): the wild Iroquois,
prize of these crimes (FORFAITS), bursts out; detesting the tyrants who disturb his Forests,"and scalping
Braddock's people, and the like.
"Discord, charmed to see such an America, and feeble mortals crossing the Ocean to exterminate one another,
addresses the European Kings: 'How long will you be slaves to what are called laws? Is it for you to bend
under wornout notions of justice, right? Mars is the one God: Might is Right. A King's business is to do
something famous in this world.'
"O daughter of the Caesars," Maria Theresa, "how, at these words, ambition, burning in thy soul, breaks out
uncontrollable! Probity, honor, treaties, duty: feeble considerations these, to a heart letting loose its flamy
passions; determining to rob the generous Germans of their liberties; to degrade thy equals; to extinguish
'Schism' (so called), and set up despotism on the wrecks of all."
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"Huge project""FIER TRIUMVIRAT,"what not: "From Roussillon and the sunny Pyrenees to frozen
Russia, all arm for Austria, and march at her bidding. They concert my downfall, trample on my rights.
"The Daughter of the Caesars, proudly certain of victory,'t is the way of the Great, whose commonplace
virtue, pusillanimous in reverses, overbearing in success, cannot bridle their cupidity, designates to the
Triumvirate what Kings are to be proscribed [Britannic George and me, Reich busy on us both even now],
and those ungrateful tyrants, by united crime, immolate to each other, without remorse, their dearest allies."
For instance:
"O jour digne d'oubli! Quelle atroce imprudence!
Therese, c'est l'Anglais que tu vends a la France:
Theresa! it is England thou art selling to France;"Yes, a thing worth noting. "Thy generous support in thy
first adversities; thy one friend then, when a world had risen to devour thee. Thou reignest now:but it was
England alone that saved thee anything to reign over!
Tu regnes, mats lui seul a sauve tes etats:
Les bienfaits chez les rois ne font que des ingrats.
"And thou, lazy Monarch,"stupid Louis, let us omit him: "Pompadour, selling her lover to the highest
bidder, makes France, in our day, Austria's slave!" We omit Kolin Battle, too, spoken of with a proud
modesty (Prag is not spoken of at all); and how the neighboring ravenous Powers, onlookers hitherto, have
opened their throats with one accord to swallow Prussia, thinking its downfall certain: "Poor mercenary
Sweden, once so famous under its soldier Kings, now debased by a venal Senate;"Sweden, "what say I?
my own kindred [foolish Anspach and others], driven by perverse motives, join in the plot of horrors, and
become satellites of the prospering Triumvirs.
"And thou, loved People [my own Prussians], whose happiness is my charge [notable how often he repeats
this] it is thy lamentable destiny, it is the danger which hangs over thee, that pierces my soul. The pomps of
my rank I could resign without regret. But to rescue thee, in this black crisis, I will spend my heart's blood.
Whose IS that blood but thine? With joy will I rally my warriors to avenge thy affront; defy death at the foot
of the ramparts [of Daun and his Eckartsberg, ahead yonder], and either conquer, or be buried under thy
ruins." Very well; but ah,
"Preparing with such purpose, ye Heavens, what mournful cries are those that reach us: 'Death haa laid low
thy Mother!'Hah, that was the last stroke, then, which angry Fate had reserved for me. O Mother, Death
flies my misfortunes, and spreads his livid horrors over thee! [Very tender, very sad, what he says of his
Mother; but must be omitted and imagined. General finale is:]
"Thus Destiny with a deluge of torments fills the poisoned remnant of my days. The present is hideous to me,
the future unknown: what, you say I am the creature of a BENEficent Being?
Quoi seraisfe forme par un Dieu bienfaisati?
Ah! s'il etait si bon, tendre pour son ouvrage"
Husht, my little Titan!
"And now, ye promoters of sacred lies, go on leading cowards by the nose, in the dark windings of your
labyrinth:to me the enchantment is ended, the charm disappears. I see that all men are but the sport of
Destiny. And that, if there do exist some Gloomy and Inexorable Being, who allows a despised herd of
creatures to go on multiplying here, he values them as nothing; looks down on a Phalaris crowned, on a
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Socrates in chains; on our virtues, our misdeeds, on the horrors of war, and all the cruel plagues which ravage
Earth, as a thing indifferent to him. Wherefore, my sole refuge and only haven, loved Sister, is in the arms of
Death:
Ainsi mon seul asile et mon unique port
Se trouve, chere soeur, dans les bras de la mort." [ OEuvres, xii. 3642; is sent off to Wilhelmina 24th
August.]
2. WILHELMINA TO VOLTAIRE, WITH SOMETHING OF ANSWER (First of certain intercalary Prose
Pieces).Wilhelmina has been writing to Voltaire before, and getting consolations since Kolin; but her
Letters are lost, till this the earliest that is left us:
BAIREUTH, 19th AUGUST, 1757 (TO VOLTAIRE)."One first knows one's friends when misfortunes
arrive. The Letter you have written does honor to your way of thinking. I cannot tell you how much I am
sensible to what you have done [set Cardinal Tencin astir, with result we will hope]. The King, my Brother, is
as much so as I. You will find a Note here, which he bids me transmit to you [Note lost]. That great man is
still the same. He supports his misfortunes with a courage and a firmness worthy of him. He could not get the
Note transcribed. It began by verses. Instead of throwing sand on it, he took the inkbottle; that is the reason
why it is cut in two."
This Note, we say, is lost to us;all but accidentally thus: Voltaire, 12th September, writes twice to
friends. Writing to his D'Argentals, he says: "The affairs of this King [Friedrich] go from bad to worse. I
know not if I told you of the Letter he wrote to me about three weeks ago [say August 17th18th: this same
Note through Wilhelmina, evidently]: 'I have learned,' says he, 'that you had interested yourself in my
successes and misfortunes. There remains to me nothing but to sell my life dear,' His Sister writes me one
much more lamentable;" the one we are now reading:
"I am in a frightful state; and will not survive the destruction of my House and Family. That is the one
consolation that remains to me. You will have fine subjects for making Tragedies of. O times! O manners!
You will, by the illusory representation, perhaps draw tears; while all contemplate with dry eyes the reality of
these miseries: the downfall of a whole House, against which, if the truth were known, there is no solid
complaint. I cannot write farther of it: my soul is so troubled that I know not what I am doing. But whatever
happen, be persuaded that I am more than ever your friend,WILHELMINA." [In OEuvres de Frederic,
lxxvii. 30.]
Friedrich, while Wilhelmina writes so, is at the foot of the Eckartsberg, eagerly manoeuvring with the
Austrians, in hopes of getting battle out of them,which he cannot. Friedrich, while he wrote that Note to
Voltaire, and instead of sandbox shook the inkbottle over it, was just going out on that errand.
VOLTAIRE, 12th SEPTEMBER (to a Lady whose Son is in the D'Estrees wars). [Ib. lxxii. 55. 56.]"Here
are mighty revolutions, Madame; and we are not at the end yet. They say there have 18,000 Hanoverians been
disposed of at Stade [Convention of Kloster Zeven]. That is no small matter. I can hope M. Richelieu [who
is "MON HEROS," when I write to himself] will adorn his head with the laurels they have stuck in his
pocket. I wish Monsieur your Son abundance of honor and glory without wounds, and to you, Madame,
unalterable health. The King of Prussia has written me a very touching Letter [one line of which we have
read]; but I have always Madame Denis's adventure on my heart," at Frankfurt yonder. "If I were well, I
would take a run to Frankfurt myself on the business," now that Soubise's reserves are in those parts, and
could give Freytag and Schmidt such a dusting for me, if they liked! Shall I write to Collini on it? Does write,
and again write, the second year hence, as still better chances rise. [Collini, pp. 208211 ("JanuaryMay,
1759").]
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3. WILHELMINA TO VOLTAIRE AGAIN, WITH ANSWER (Second of the Prose Pieces).Not a very
zealous friend of Friedrich's, after all, this Voltaire! Poor Wilhelmina, terrified by that EPITRE of her
Brother's, and his fixed purpose of seeking Death, has, in her despair (though her Letter is lost), been urging
Voltaire to write dissuading him;as Voltaire does. Of which presently. Her Letter to Voltaire on this
thriceimportant subject is lost. But in the very hours while Voltaire sat writing what we have just read,
"always with Madame Denis's adventure on my heart," Wilhelmina, at Baireuth, is again writing to him as
follows:
BAIREUTH, 12th SEPTEMBER, 1757 (TO VOLTAIRE)."Your Letter has sensibly touched me; that
which you addressed to me for the King [both Letters lost to us] has produced the same effect on him. I hope
you will be satisfied with his Answer as to what concerns yourself; but you will be as little so as I am with
the resolutions he has formed. I had flattered myself that your reflections would make some impression on his
mind. You will see the contrary by the Letter adjoined. "To me there remains nothing but to follow his
destiny if it is unfortunate. I have never piqued myself on being a philosopher; though I have made my efforts
to become so. The small progress I made did teach me to despise grandeurs and riches: but I could never find
in philosophy any cure for the wounds of the heart, except that of getting done with our miseries by ceasing
to live. The state I am in is worse than death. I see the greatest man of his age, my Brother, my friend,
reduced to the frightfulest extremity. I see my whole Family exposed to dangers and perhaps destruction; my
native Country torn by pitiless enemies; the Country where I am [Reichs Army, Anspach, what not] menaced
by perhaps similar misfortune. Would to Heaven I were alone loaded with all the miseries I have described to
you! I would suffer them, and with firmness.
"Pardon these details. You invite me, by the part you take in what regards me, to open my heart to you. Alas,
hope is wellnigh banished from it. Fortune, when she changes, is as constant in her persecutions as in her
favors. History is full of those examples: but I have found none equal to the one we now see; nor any War
as inhuman and as cruel among civilized nations. You would sigh if you knew the sad situation of Germany
and Preussen. The cruelties which the Russians commit in that latter Country make nature shudder. [Details,
horrible but authentic, in HeldenGeschichte, already cited.] How happy you in your Hermitage; where you
repose on your laurels, and can philosophize with a calm mind on the deliriums of men! I wish you all the
happiness imaginable. If Fortune ever favor us again, count on all my gratitude. I will never forget the marks
of attachment which you have given; my sensibility is your warrant; I am never halfand half a friend, and I
shall always be wholly so of Brother Voltaire.WILHELMINA.
"Many compliments to Madame Denis. Continue, I pray you, to write to the King." [In Voltaire, ii. 197199;
lxxvii. 57.]
VOLTAIRE TO WILHELMINA (Day uncertain: THE DELICES, SEPTEMBER, 1757)."Madam, my
heart is touched more than ever by the goodness and the confidence your Royal Highness deigns to show me.
How can I be but melted by emotion! I see that it is solely your nobleness of soul that renders you unhappy. I
feel myself born to be attached with idolatry to superior and sympathetic minds, who think like you. "You
know how much I have always, essentially and at heart, been attached to the King your Brother. The more
my old age is tranquil, and come to renounce everything, and make my retreat here a home and country, the
more am I devoted to that PhilosopherKing. I write nothing to him but what I think from the bottom of my
heart, nothing that I do not think most true; and if my Letter [dissuasive of seeking Death; wait, reader]
appears to your Royal Highness to be suitable, I beg you to protect it with him, as you have done the
foregoing." [In Voltaire, lxxvii. 37, 39.]
4. FRIEDRICH TO WILHELMINA, AND, BY ANTICIPATION, HER ANSWER (Third of the Prose
Pieces)."KIRSCHLEBEN, NEAR ERFURT, 17th SEPTEMBER, 1757.My dearest Sister, I find no
other consolation but in your precious Letters. May Heaven reward so much virtue and such heroic
sentiments!
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"Since I wrote last to you, my misfortunes have but gone on accumulating. It seems as though Destiny would
discharge all its wrath and fury upon the poor Country which I had to rule over. The Swedes have entered
Pommern. The French, after having concluded a Neutrality humiliating to the King of England and
themselves [KlosterZeven, which we know], are in full march upon Halberstadt and Magdeburg. From
Preussen I am in daily expectation of hearing of a battle having been fought: the proportion of combatants
being 25,000 against 80,000 [was fought, GrossJagersdorf, 30th August, and lost accordingly]. The
Austrians have marched into Silesia, whither the Prince of Bevern follows them. I have advanced this way to
fall upon the corps of the allied Army; which has run off, and intrenched itself, behind Eisenach, amongst
hills, whither to follow, still more to attack them, all rules of war forbid. The moment I retire towards
Saxony, this whole swarm will be upon my heels. Happen what may, I am determined, at all risks, to fall
upon whatever corps of the enemy approaches me nearest. I shall even bless Heaven for its mercy, if it grant
me the favor to die sword in hand.
"Should this hope fail me, you will allow that it would be too hard to crawl at the feet of a company of
traitors, to whom successful crimes have given the advantage to prescribe the law to me. How, my dear, my
incomparable Sister, how could I repress feelings of vengeance and of resentment against all my neighbors,
of whom there is not one who did not accelerate my downfall, and will not, share in our spoils? How can a
Prince survive his State, the glory of his Country, his own reputation? A Bavarian Elector, in his nonage [Son
of the late poor Kaiser, and left, shipwrecked in his seventeenth year], or rather in a sort of subjection to his
Ministers, and dull to the biddings of honor, may give himself up as a slave to the imperious domination of
the House of Austria, and kiss the hand which oppressed his Father: I pardon it to his youth and his
ineptitude. But is that the example for me to follow? No, dear Sister, you think too nobly to give me such
mean (LACHE) advice. Is Liberty, that precious prerogative, to be less dear to a Sovereign in the eighteenth
century than it was to Roman Patricians of old? And where is it said, that Brutus and Cato should carry
magnanimity farther than Princes and Kings? Firmness consists in resisting misfortune: but only cowards
submit to the yoke, bear patiently their chains, and support oppression tranquilly. Never, my dear Sister,
could I resolve upon such ignominy. ...
"If I had followed only my own inclinations, I should have ended it (JE ME SERAIS DEPECHE) at once,
after that unfortunate Battle which I lost. But I felt that this would be weakness, and that it behooved me to
repair the evil which had happened. My attachment to the State awoke; I said to myself, It is not in seasons of
prosperity that it is rare to find defenders, but in adversity. I made it a point of honor with myself to redress
all that had got out of square; in which I was not unsuccessful; not even in the Lausitz [after those Zittau
disasters] last of all. But no sooner had I hastened this way to face new enemies, than Winterfeld was beaten
and killed near Gorlitz, than the French entered the heart, of my States, than the Swedes blockaded Stettin.
Now there is nothing effective left for me to do: there are too many enemies. Were I even to succeed in
beating two armies, the third would crush me. The enclosed Note [in cipher] will show you what I am still
about to try: it is the last attempt.
"The gratitude, the tender affection, which I feel towards you, that friendship, true as the hills, constrains me
to deal openly with you. No, my divine Sister, I shall conceal nothing from you that I intend to do; all my
thoughts, all my resolutions shall be open and known to you in time. I will precipitate nothing: but also it will
be impossible for me to change my sentiments. ...
"As for you, my incomparable Sister, I have not the heart to turn you from your resolves. We think alike, and
I cannot condemn in you the sentiments which I daily entertain (EPROUVE). Life has been given to us as a
benefit: when it ceases to be such"! "I have nobody left in this world, to attach me to it, but you. My
friends, the relations I loved most, are in the grave; in short, I have lost, everything. If you take the resolution
which I have taken, we end together our misfortunes and our unhappiness; and it will be the turn of them who
remain in this world, to provide for the concerns falling to their charge, and to bear the weight, which has lain
on us so long. These, my adorable Sister, are sad reflections, but suitable to my present condition.
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"The day before yesterday I was at Gotha [yes, see above;and tomorrow, if I knew it, Seidlitz with
pictorial effects will be there]. ...
"But, it is time to end this long, dreary Letter; which treats almost of nothing but my own affairs. I have had
some leisure, and have used it to open on you a heart filled with admiration and gratitude towards you. Yes,
my adorable Sister, if Providence troubled itself about human affairs, you ought to be the happiest person in
the Universe. Your not being such, confirms me in the sentiments expressed at the end of my EPITRE. In
conclusion, believe that I adore you, and that I would give my life a thousand times to serve you. These are
the sentiments which will animate me to the last breath of my life; being, my beloved Sister, ever"
YourF. [ OEuvres, xxvii. i, 303307.]
WILHELMINA'S ANSWER,by anticipation, as we said: written "15th September," while Friedrich was
dining at Gotha, in quest of Soubise.
"BAIREUTH, 15th SEPTEMBER, 1757. My dearest Brother, your Letter and the one you wrote to Voltaire,
my dear Brother, have almost killed me. What fatal resolutions, great God! Ah, my dear Brother, you say you
love me; and you drive a dagger into my heart. Your EPITRE, which I did receive, made me shed rivers of
tears. I am now ashamed of such weakness. My misfortune would be so great" in the issue there alluded to,
"that I should find worthier resources than tears. Your lot shall be mine: I will not survive either your
misfortunes or those of the House I belong to. You may calculate that such is my firm resolution.
"But, after this avowal, allow me to entreat you to look back at what was the pitiable state of your Enemy
when you lay before Prag! It is the sudden whirl of Fortune for both parties. The like can occur again, when
one is least expecting it, Caesar was the slave of Pirates; and he became the master of the world. A great
genius like yours finds resources even when all is lost; and it is impossible this frenzy can continue. My heart
bleeds to think of the poor souls in Preussen [Apraxin and his Christian Cossacks there,who, it is noted, far
excel the Calmuck worshippers of the DalaiLama]. What horrid barbarity, the detail of cruelties that go on
there! I feel all that you feel on it, my dear Brother. I know your heart, and your sensibility for your subjects.
"I suffer a thousand times more than I can tell you; nevertheless hope does not abandon me. I received your
Letter of the 14th by W. [who W. is, no mortal knows]. What kindness to think of me, who have nothing to
give you but a useless affection, which is so richly repaid by yours! I am obliged to finish; but I shall never
cease to be, with the most profound respect (TRESPROFOND RESPECT," that, and something still
better, if my poor pen were not embarrassed), "your" WILHELMINA.
5. FRIEDRICH'S RESPONSE TO THE DISSUASIVES OF VOLTAIRE (Last of the LamentationPsalms:
"Buttstadt, October 9th").Voltaire's Dissuasive Letter is a poor Piece; [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxvii. 8085
(LES DELICES, early in September, 1757: no date given).] not worth giving here. Remarkable only by
Friedrich's quiet reception of it; which readers shall now see, as Finis to those LamentationPsalms. There is
another of them, widely known, which we will omit: the EPITRE TO D'ARGENS; [In OEuvres de Frederic,
xii. 5056 ("Erfurt, 23d September, 1757 ").] passionate enough, wandering wildly over human life, and
sincere almost to shrillness, in parts; which Voltaire has also got hold of. Omissible here; the fixity of
purpose being plain otherwise to Voltaire and us. Voltaire's counterarguments are weak, or worse: "That
Roman death is not now expected of the Philosopher; that your Majesty will, in the worst event, still have
considerable Dominions left, all that your GreatGrandfather had; still plenty of resources; that, in Paris
Society, an estimable minority even now thinks highly of you; that in Paris itself your Majesty [does not say
expressly, as dethroned and going on your travels] would have resources!" To which beautiful considerations
Friedrich answers, not with fire and brimstone, as one might have dreaded, but in this quiet manner
(REPONSE AU SIEUR VOLTAIRE):
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"Je suis homme, il suffit, et ne pour la souffrance;
Aux rigueurs du destin j'oppose ma constance. ["I am a man, and therefore born to suffer; to destiny's
rigors my steadfastness must correspond."Quotation from I know not whom.]
But with these sentiments, I am far from condemning Cato and Otho. The latter had no fine moment in his
life, except that of his death. [Breaks off into Verse:]
"Croyez que si j'etais Voltaire,
Et particulier comme lui,
Me contentant du necessaire,
Je verrais voltiger la fortune legere," Or,
to wring the water and the jingle out of it, and give the substance in Prose:
"Yes, if I were Voltaire and a private man, I could with much composure leave Fortune to her whirlings and
her plungings; to me, contented with the needful, her mad caprices and sudden topsy turvyings would be
amusing rather than tremendous.
"I know the ennui attending on honors, the burdensome duties, the jargon of grinning flatterers, those
pitiabilities of every kind, those details of littleness, with which you have to occupy yourself if set on high on
the stage of things. Foolish glory has no charm for me, though a Poet and King: when once Atropos has
ended me forever, what will the uncertain honor of living in the Temple of Memory avail? One moment of
practical happiness is worth a thousand years of imaginary in such Temple.Is the lot of high people so very
sweet, then? Pleasure, gentle ease, true and hearty mirth, have always fled from the great and their peculiar
pomps and labors.
"No, it is not fickle Fortune that has ever caused my sorrows; let her smile her blandest, let her frown her
fiercest on me, I should sleep every night, refusing her the least worship. But our respective conditions are
our law; we are bound and commanded to shape our temper to the employment we have undertaken. Voltaire
in his hermitage, in a Country where is honesty and safety, can devote himself in peace to the life of the
Philosopher, as Plato has described it. But as to me, threatened with shipwreck, I must consider how, looking
the tempest in the face, I can think, can live and can die as a King:
Pour moi, menace du naufrage,
Je dois, en affrontant l'orage,
Penser, vivre et mourir en roi." [ OEuvres, xxiii. 14.]
This is of October 9th; this ends, worthily, the Lamentation Psalms; work having now turned up, which is a
favorable change. Friedrich's notion of suicide, we perceive, is by no means that of puking up one's existence,
in the weak sick way of FELO DE SE; but, far different, that of dying, if he needs must, as seems too likely,
in uttermost spasm of battle for self and rights to the last. From which latter notion nobody can turn him. A
valiantly definite, lucid and shiningly practical soul,with such a power of always expectorating himself
into clearness again. If he do frankly wager his life in that manner, beware, ye Soubises, Karls and flaccid
trivial persons, of the stroke that may chance to lie in him!
III. RUMOR OF AN INROAD ON BERLIN SUDDENLY SETS FRIEDRICH ON MARCH THITHER:
INROAD TAKES EFECT,WITH IMPORTANT RESULTS, CHIEFLY IN A LEFTHAND FORM.
October llth, express arrived, important express from General Finck (who is in Dresden, convalescent from
Kolin, and is even Commandant there, of anything there is to command), "That the considerable Austrian
Brigade or Outpost, which was left at Stolpen when the others went for Silesia, is all on march for Berlin."
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Here is news! "The whole 15,000 of them," report adds;though it proved to be only a Detachment, picked
Tolpatches mostly, and of nothing like that strength; shot off, under a swift General Haddick, on this errand.
Between them and Berlin is not a vestige of force; and Berlin itself has nothing but palisades, and perhaps a
poor 4,000 of garrison. "March instantly, you Moritz, who lie nearest; cross Elbe at Torgau; I follow
instantly!" orders Friedrich; [His Message to Moritz, ORLICH, p. 73; Rodenbeck, p. 322 (dubious, or
wrong).]and that same night is on march, or has cavalry pushed ahead for reinforcement of Moritz.
Friedrich, not doubting but there would be captaincy and scheme among his Enemies, considered that the
Swedes, and perhaps the Richelieu French, were in concert with this Austrian movement, from east, from
north, from west, three Invasions coming on the core of his Dominions;and that here at last was work
ahead, and plenty of it! That was Friedrich's opinion, and most other people's, when the Austrian inroad was
first heard of: "mere triple ruin coming to this King," as the Gazetteers judged;great alarm prevailing
among the King's friends; in Berlin, very great. Friedrich, glad, at any rate, to have done with that dismal
lingering at Buttelstadt, hastens to arrange himself for the new contingencies; to post his Keiths, his
Ferdinands, with their handfuls of force, to best advantage; and push ahead after Moritz, by Leipzig, Torgau,
Berlinwards, with all his might. At Leipzig, in such press of business and interest,judge by the following
phenomenon, what a cleargoing soul this is, and how completely on a level with whatever it may be that he
is marching towards:
"LEIPZIG, 15th OCTOBER, 1757 (Interview with Gottsched).At 11 this morning, Majesty came
marching into Leipzig; multitudes of things to settle there; things ready, things not yet ready, in view of the
great events ahead. Seeing that he would have time after dinner, he at once sent for Professor Gottsched, a
gigantic gentleman, Reigning King of German Literature for the time being, to come to him at 3 P.M.
Reigning King at that time; since gone wholly to the Dustbins,'Popular Delusion,' as old Samuel defines it,
having since awakened to itself, with scornful hahas upon its poor Gottsched, and rushed into other roads
worse and better; its poor Gottsched become a name now signifying Pedantry, Stupidity, learned Inanity and
the Worship of Colored Water, to every German mind.
"At 3 precise, the portly old gentleman (towards sixty now, huge of stature, with a shrieky voice, and speaks
uncommonly fast) bowed himself in; and a Colloquy ensued, on Literature and so forth, of the kind we may
conceive. Colloquy which had great fame in the world; Gottsched himself havingsuch the inaccuracy of
rumor and Dutch Newspapers, on the matterpublished authentic Report of it; [Next Year, in a principal
Leipzig Magazine, with name signed: given in HeldenGeschichte, iv. 728739 (with multifarious
commentaries and flourishings, denoting an attentive world). Nicolai, Anekdoten, iii. 286290.] now one of
the dullest bits of reading, and worth no man's bit of time. Colloquy which lasted three hours, with the
greatest vivacity on both sides; King impugning, for one principal thing, the roughness of German speech;
Gottsched, in swift torrents (far too copious in such company), ready to defend. 'Those consonants of ours,'
said the King, 'they afflict one's ear: what Names we have; all in mere K's and P's: KNAP, KNIP, KLOP,
KROTZ, KROK; your own Name, for example!'"Yes, his own Name, unmusical GottSCHED, and
signifying God'sDamage (God'sSKAITH) withal. "Husht, don't take a Holy Name in vain; call the man
SCHED ('Damage' by itself), can't we!" said a wit once. [Nicolai, Anekdoten, iii. 287.]"'Five consonants
together, TTSCH, TTSCH, what a tone!' continued the King. 'Hear, in contrast, the music of this Stanza of
Rousseau's [Repeats a stanza]. Who could express that in German with such melody?' And so on; branching
through a great many provinces; King's knowledge of all Literature, new and ancient, 'perfectly astonishing to
me;' and I myself, the swiftspeaking Gottsched, rather copious than otherwise. Catastrophe, and summary of
the whole, was: Gottsched undertook to translate the Rousseau Stanza into German of moderate softness; and
by the aid of water did so, that very night; [Copied duly in HeldenGeschichte, iv. 726.] sent it next day, and
had 'within an hour' a gracious Royal Answer in verse; calling one, incidentally, 'Saxon Swan, CYGNE
SAXON,' though one is such a Goose! 'Majesty to march at 7 tomorrow morning,' said a Postscript,no
Interviewing more, at present.
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"About ten days after [not to let this thing interrupt us again], Friedrich, on his return to Leipzig, had another
Interview with Gottsched; of only one hour, this time;but with many topics: Reading of some Gottsched
Ode (ODE, very tedious, frothy, watery, of THANKS to Majesty for such goodness to the Saxon Swan;
reading, too, of 'some of Madam Gottsched's Pieces'). Majesty confessed afterwards, Every hour from the
very first had lowered his opinion of the Saxon Swan, till at length Goosehood became too apparent.
Friedrich sent him a gold snuffbox by and by, but had no farther dialoguing.
"A saying of Excellency Mitchell's to Gottschedfor Gottsched, on that second Leipzig opportunity, went
swashing about among the King's Suite as wellis still remembered. They were talking of Shakspeare:
'Genial, if you will,' said Gottsched, 'but the Laws of Aristotle; Five Acts, unities strict!''Aristotle? What is
to hinder a man from making his Tragedy in Ten acts, if it suit him better?' 'Impossible, your
Excellency!''Pooh,' said his Excellency; 'suppose Aristotle, and general Fashion too, had ordered that the
clothes of every man were to be cut from five ells of cloth: how would the Herr Professor like [with these
huge limbs of his] if he found there were no breeches for him, on Aristotle's account?' Adieu to Gottsched;
most voluminous of men;who wrote a Grammar of the German Language, which, they say, did good. I
remember always his poor Wife with some pathos; who was a fine, graceful, loyal creature, of ten times his
intelligence; and did no end of writing and translating and compiling (Addison's CATO, Addison's
SPECTATOR, thousands of things from all languages), on order of her Gottsched, till life itself sank in such
enterprises; never doubting, tragically faithful soul, but her Gottsched was an authentic Seneschal of Phoebus
and the Nine." [Her LETTERS, collected by a surviving LadyFriend, "BRIEFE DER FRAU LUISE
ADELGUNDE VIKTORIE GOTTSCHED, born KULMUS (Dresden, 17711772, 3 vols. 8vo)," are, I
should suppose, the only Gottsched Piece which anybody would now think of reading.]
Monday, 17th, at seven, his Majesty pushed off accordingly; cheery he in the prospect of work, whatever his
friends in the distance be. Here, from Eilenburg, his first stage Torgauway, are a Pair of Letters in notable
contrast.
WILHELMINA TO THE KING (on rumor of Haddick, swoln into a Triple Invasion, Austrian, Swedish,
French).
BAIREUTH, "15th October, 1757.
"MY DEAREST BROTHER,Death and a thousand torments could not equal the frightful state I am in.
There run reports that make me shudder. Some say you are wounded; others, dangerously ill. In vain have I
tormented myself to have news of you; I can get none. Oh, my dear Brother, come what may, I will not
survive you. If I am to continue in this frightful uncertainty, I cannot stand it; I shall sink under it, and then I
shall be happy. I have been on the point of sending you a courier; but [environed as we are] I durst not. In the
name of God, bid somebody write me one word.
"I know not what I have written; my heart is torn in pieces; I feel that by dint of disquietude and alarms I am
losing my wits. Oh, my dear, adorable Brother, have pity on me. Heaven grant I be mistaken, and that you
may scold me; but the least thing that concerns you pierces me to the heart, and alarms my affection too
much. Might I die a thousand times, provided you lived and were happy!
"I can say no more. Grief chokes me; and I can only repeat that your fate shall be mine; being, my dear
Brother, your
"WILHELMINA."
What a shrill penetrating tone, like the wildly weeping voice of Rachel; tragical, painful, gone quite to
falsetto and above pitch; but with a melody in its dissonance like the singing of the stars. My poor shrill
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Wilhelmina!
KING TO WILHELMINA (has not yet received the Above).
"EILENBURG, 17th October, 1757.
"MY DEAREST SISTER,What is the good of philosophy unless one employ it in the disagreeable
moments of life? It is then, my dear Sister, that courage and firmness avail us.
"I am now in motion; and having once got into that, you may calculate I shall not think of sitting down again,
except under improved omens. If outrage irritates even cowards, what will it do to hearts that have courage?
"I foresee I shall not be able to write again for perhaps six weeks: which fails not to be a sorrow to me: but I
entreat you to be calm during these turbulent affairs, and to wait with patience the month of December;
paying no regard to the Nurnberg Newspapers nor to those of the Reich, which are totally Austrian.
"I am tired as a dog (COMME UN CHIEN). I embrace you with my whole heart; being with the most perfect
affection (TENDRESSE), my dearest Sister, your" FRIEDRICH.
... (AT SOME OTHER HOUR, SAME PLACE AND DAY.) "'No possibility of Peace,' say your accounts
[Letter lost]; 'the French won't hear my name mentioned.' Well; from me they shall not farther. The way will
be, to speak to them by action, so that they may repent their impertinences and pride." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxvii. i. 308, 309, 310.]'
The Haddick affair, after all the rumor about it, proved to be a very small matter. No Swede or Richelieu had
dreamt of cooperating; Haddick, in the end, was scarce 4,000 with four cannon; General Rochow,
Commandant of Berlin, with his small garrison, had not Haddick skilfully slidden through woods, and been
so magnified by rumor, might have marched out, and beaten a couple of Haddicks. As it was, Haddick
skilfully emerging, at the Silesian Gate of Berlin, 16th October, about eleven in the morning, demanded
ransom of 300,000 thalers (45,000 pounds); was refused; began shooting on the poor palisades, on the poor
drawbridge there; "at the third shot brought down the drawbridge;" rushed into the suburb; and was not to be
pushed out again by the weak party Rochow sent to try it. Rochow, ignorant of Haddick's force, marched off
thereupon for Spandau with the Royal Family and effects; leaving Haddick master of the suburb, and Berlin
to make its own bargain with him. Haddick, his Croats not to be quite kept from mischief, remained master of
the suburb, minatory upon Berlin, for twelve hours or more: and after a good deal of bargaining,ransom of
45,000 pounds, of 90,000 pounds, finally of 27,000 pounds and "two dozen pair of gloves to the Empress
Queen,"made off about five in the morning; wind of Moritz's advance adding wings to the speed of
Haddick. [ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 715723 (Haddick's own Account, and the Berlin one).]
Moritz did arrive next evening (18th); but with his tired troops there was no catching of Haddick, now three
marches ahead. Royal Family and effects returned from Spandau the day following; but in a day or two more,
removed to Magdeburg till the Capital were safe from such affronts. Much grumbling against Rochow.
"What could I do? How could I know?" answered Rochow, whose eyesight indeed had been none of the best.
Berlin smarts to the length of 27,000 pounds and an alarm; but asserts (not quite mythically, thinks Retzow),
that "the two dozen pair of gloves were all gloves for the left hand,"Berlin having wit, and a touch of
ABSINTHE in it, capable of such things! Friedrich heard the news at Annaburg, a march beyond Torgau; and
there paused, again uncertain, for about a week coming; after which, he discovered that Leipzig would be the
place; and returned thither, appointing a general rendezvous and concentration there.
SCENE AT REGENSBURG IN THE INTERIM.
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Just while Haddick was sliding swiftly through the woods, Berlin now nigh, there occurred a thing at
Regensburg; tragic thing, but ending in farce,Finale of REICHSACHT, in short;about which all
Regensburg was loud, wailing or hahaing according to humor; while Berlin was paying its ransom and
lefthand gloves. One moment's pause upon this, though our haste is great.
"Reichs Diet had got its Ban of the Reich ready for Friedrich; CITATIO (solemn Summons) and all else
complete; nothing now wanted but to serve Citatio on him, or 'insinuate' it into him, as their phrase
is;which latter essential point occasions some shaking of wigs. Dangerous, serving Citatio in that quarter:
and by what art try to smuggle it into the hands of such a one? 'Insinuate it here into his, Plotho's, hand; that
is the method, and that will suffice!' say the wigs, and choose an unfortunate Reichs Notary, Dr. Aprill, to do
it; who, in ponderous Chancerystyle, gives the following affecting report,wonderful, but intelligible
(when abridged):
"Citatio" to come and receive your Ban,a very solemnsounding Document, commencing (or perhaps it is
Aprill himself that so commences, no matter which), "'In the Name of the Most High God, the Father, Son
and Holy Ghost, Amen,'was given, Wednesday, 12th October, in the Year after Christ our dear Lord and
Saviour's Birth, 1757 Years, To me Georgius Mathias Josephus Aprill, sworn Kaiserlich Notarius Publicus;
In my Lodging, firstfloor fronting south, in Jacob Virnrohr the Innkeeper's House here at Regensburg, called
the RedStar," for insinuation into Plotho:
With which solemn Piece, Aprill proceeded next day, Thursday, halfpast 2 P.M., to Plotho's dwellingplace,
described with equal irrefragability; and, continues Aprill, "did there, by a servant of the Herr Ambassador
von Plotho's, announce myself; adding that I had something to say to his Excellency, if he would please to
admit me. To which the Herr Ambassador by the same servant sent answer, that he was ill with a cold, and
that I might speak to his Secretarius what I had to say. But, as I replied that my message was to his Excellenz
in person, the same servant came back with intimation that I might call again tomorrow at noon."
Tomorrow, at the stroke of noon, Friday, 14th October, Aprill punctually appears again, with recapitulation
of the pledge given him yesterday; and is informed that he can walk upstairs. "I proceeded thereupon, the
servant going before, up one pair of stairs, or with the appurtenances (GEZEUGEN) rather more than one
pair, into the Herr Ambassador Freiherr von Plotho's Anteroom; who, just as we were entering, stept in
himself, through a side door; in his dressinggown, and with the words, 'Speak now what you have to say.'
"I thereupon slipt into his hand CITATIO FISCALIS, and said"said at first nothing, Plotho avers; merely
mumbled, looked like some poor caitiff, come with Lawpapers on a trifling Suit we happen to have in the
Courts here;and only by degrees said (let us abridge; SCENE, Aprill and Plotho, Anteroom in Regensburg,
firstfloor and rather higher):
APTILL. "'I have to give your Excellenz this Writing,[which privately, could your Excellenz guess it, is]
CITATIO FISCALIS from the Reichstag, summoning his Majesty to show cause why Ban of the Reich
should not pass upon him!' His Excellenz at first took the CITATIO and adjuncts from me; and looking into
them to see what they were, his Excellenz's face began to color, and soon after to color a little more; and on
his looking attentively at CITATIO FISCALIS, he broke into violent anger and rage, so that he could not
stand still any longer; but with burning face, and both arms held aloft, rushed close to me, CITATIO and
adjuncts in his right hand, and broke out in this form:
PLOTHO. "'What; insinuate (INSINUIEREN), you scoundrel!'
APRILL. "'It is my Notarial Office; I must do it.' In spite of which the Freiherr von Plotho fell on me with all
rage; grasped me by the front of the cloak, and said:
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PLOTHO. "'Take it back, wilt thou!' And as I resisted doing so, he stuck it in upon me, and shoved it down
with all violence between my coat and waistcoat; and, still holding me by the cloak, called to the two servants
who had been there, 'Fling him down stairs!' which they, being discreet fellows, and in no flurry, did not
quite, nor needed quite to do ('Must, sir, you see, unless!'), and so forced me out of the house; Excellenz
Plotho retiring through his Anteroom, and his Bodyservant, who at first had been on the stairs, likewise
disappearing as I got under way,"and have to report, in such manner, to the Universe and Reichs Diet, with
tears in my eyes. [Preuss, ii. 397401; in HeldenGeschichte, iv. 745749, Plotho's Account.]
What became of Reichs Ban after this, ask not. It fell dead by Friedrich's victories now at hand; rose again
into life on Friedrich's misfortunes (August, 1758), threatening to include George Second in it; upon which
the CORPUS EVANGELICORUM made some countermumblement;and, I have heard, the French
privately advised: "Better drop it; these two Kings are capable of walking out of you, and dangerously
kicking the table over as they go!" Whereby it again fell dead, positively for the last time, and, in short, is
worth no mention or remembrance more.
CORPUS EVANGELICORUM had always been against Reichs Ban: a few Dissentients, or
HalfDissentients excepted,as Mecklenburg wholly and with a will; foolish Anspach wholly; and the
Anhalts haggling some dissent, and retracting it (why, I never knew);for which Mecklenburg and the
Anhalts, lying within clutch of one, had to repent bitterly in the years coming! Enough of all that.
The Haddick invasion,,which had got its gloves, lefthand or not, and part of its roadexpenses, brought
another consequence much more important on the PERCONTRA side. The triumphing, TEDEUMing
and jubilation over it,"His Metropolis captured; Royal Family in flight!"raised the Dauphiness Army,
and especially Versailles, into such enthusiasm, that Dauphiness came bodily out (on order from Versailles);
spread over the Country, plundering and insulting beyond example; got herself reinforced by a 15,000 from
the Richelieu Army; crossed the Saale; determined on taking Leipzig, beating Friedrich, and I know not what.
Keith, in Leipzig with a small Party, had summons from Soubise's vanguard (October 24th): Keith answered,
He would burn the suburbs;upon which, said vanguard, hearing of Friedrich's advent withal, took itself
rapidly away. And Soubise and it would fain have recrossed Saale, I have understood, had not Versailles been
peremptory.
In a word, Friedrioh arrived at Leipzig October 26th; Ferdinand, Moritz and all the others coming or already
come: and there is something great just at hand. Friedrich's stay in Leipzig was only four days. Cheering
prospect of work now ahead here;add to this, assurance from Preussen that Apraxin is fairly going home,
and Lehwald coming to look after the Swedes. Were it not that there is bad news from Silesia, things
generally are beginning to look up. Of the hour spent on Gottsched, in these four days, we expressly take no
notice farther; but there was another visit much less conspicuous, and infinitely more important: that of a
certain Hanoverian Graf von Schulenburg, not in red or with plumes, like a MajorGeneral as he was, but "in
the black suit of a Country Parson,"coming, in that unnoticeable guise, to inform Friedrich officially, "That
the Hanoverians and Majesty of England have resolved to renounce the Convention of KlosterZeven; to
bring their poor Stade Army into the field again; and do now request him, King Friedrich, to grant them Duke
Ferdinand of Brunswick to he General of the same." [Mauvillon, i. 256; Westphalen, i. 315: indistinct both,
and with slight variations. Mitchell Papers (in British Museum), likewise indistinct: Additional MSS. 6815,
pp. 96 and 108 ("Lord Holderness to Mitchell," doubtless on Pitt's instigation, "10th October, 1757," is the
beginning of it,two days before Royal Highness got home from Stade); see ib. 6806, pp. 241252.]
Here is an unnoticeable message, of very high moment indeed. To which Friedrich, already prepared, gives
his cheerful consent; nominations and practicalities to follow, the instant these present hurries are over. Who
it was that had prepared all this, whose suggestion it first was, Friedrich's, Mitchell's, George's, Pitt's, I do not
know,I cannot help suspecting Pitt; Pitt and Friedrich together. And certainly of all living men,
Ferdinandrelated to the English and Prussian royalties, a soldier of approved excellence, and likewise a
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nobleminded, prudent, patient and invincibly valiant and steadfast manwas, beyond comparison, the
fittest for this office. Pitt is now fairly in power; and perceives,such Pitt's originality of view,that an
Army with a Captain to it may differ beautifully from one without. And in fact we may take this as the first
twitch at the reins, on Pitt's part; whose delicate strong hand, all England running to it with one heart, will be
felt at the ends of the earth before many months go. To the great and unexpected joy of Friedrich, for one.
"England has taken long to produce a great man," he said to Mitchell; "but here is one at last!"
BOOK XVIII (CONTINUED)
SEVENYEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT.
17571759.
Chapter VIII. BATTLE OF ROSSBACH.
Friedrich left Leipzig Sunday, October 30th; encamped, that night, on the famous Field of Lutzen, with the
vanguard, he (as usual, and Mayer with him, who did some brisk smiting home of what French there were);
Keith and Duke Ferdinand following, with main body and rear.
Movements on the SoubiseHildburghausen part are all retrograde again;can Dauphiness Bellona do
nothing, then, except shuttle forwards and then backwards according to Friedrich's absence or presence? The
SoubiseHildburghausen Army does immediately withdraw on this occasion, as on the former; and makes for
the safe side of the Saale again, rapidly retreating before Friedrich, who is not above one to two of
them,more like one to three, now that Broglio's Detachment is come to hand. Broglio got to Merseburg
October 26th,guess 15,000 strong;considerably out of repair, and glad to have done with such a march,
and be within reach of Soubise. This is the Second Son of our old Blusterous Friend; a man who came to
some mark, and to a great deal of trouble, in this War; and ended, readers know how, at the Siege of the
Bastille thirty two years afterwards!
So soon as rested, Broglio, by order, moves leftwards to Halle, to guard Saale Bridge there; Soubise himself
edging after him to Merseburg, on a similar errand; and leaving Hildburghausen to take charge of
Weissenfels and the Third Saale Bridge. That is Dauphiness's posture while Friedrich encamps at
Lutzen:let impatient human nature fix these three places for itself, and hasten to the catastrophe of
wretched Dauphiness. Soubise, it ought to be remembered, is not in the highest spirits; but his Officers in
overhigh, "Doing this PETIT MARQUIS DE BRANDEBOURG the honor to have a kind of War with him
(DE LUI FAIRE UNE ESPECE DE GUERRE)," as they term it. Being puffed up with general vanity, and
the newspaper rumor about Haddick's feat,which, like the gloves it got, is going all to lefthand in this
way. Hildburghausen and the others overrule Soubise; and indeed there is no remedy; "Provision almost
out;how retreat to our magazines and our fastnesses, with Friedrich once across Saale, and sticking to the
skirts of us?" Here, from eyewitnesses where possible, are the successive steps of Dauphiness towards her
doom, which is famous in the world ever since.
"Monday, 31st October, 1757," as the TownSyndic of Weissenfels records, "about eight in the morning,
[Muller, SCHLACHT BEI ROSSBACH ("a Centenary Piece," Berlin, 1857,containing several curious
Extracts), p. 44, HeldenGeschichte, iv. 643, 651668.] the King of Prussia, with his whole Army" (or what
seemed to us the whole, though it was but a half; Keith with the other half being within reach to northward,
marching Merseburg way), "came before this Town." Has been here before; as Keith has, as Soubise and
others have: a town much agitated lately by transit of troops. It was from the eastern, or high landward side,
where the socalled Castle is, that Friedrich came: Castle built originally on some "White Crag (WEISSE
FELS" not now conspicuous), from which the town and whilom Duchy take their name.
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"We have often heard of Weissenfels, while the poor old drunken Duke lived, who used to be a Suitor of
Wilhelmina's, liable to hard usage; and have marched through it, with the Salzburgers, in peaceable times. A
solid pleasantenough little place (6,000 souls or so); lies leant against high ground (White Crags, or
whatever it once was) on the eastern or right bank of the Saale; a Town in part flat, in part very steep; the
streets of it, or main street and secondaries, running off level enough from the River and Bridge; rising by
slow degrees, but at last rapidly against the high ground or cliffs, just mentioned; a stiff acclivity of streets,
till crowned by the socalled Castle, the 'Augustus Burg' in those days, the 'FriedrichWilhelm Barrack' in
ours. It was on this crown of the cliffs that his Prussian Majesty appeared.
"Saale is of good breadth here; has done perhaps two hundred miles, since he started, in the Fichtelgebirge
(PINE MOUNTAINS), on his long course Elbeward; received, only ten miles ago, his last big branch, the
widewandering Unstrut, coming in with much drainage from the northern parts:in breadth, Saale may be
compared to Thames, to Tay or Beauley; his depth not fordable, though nothing like so deep as Thames's;
main cargo visible is rafts of timber: banks green, definite, scant of wood; river of rather dark complexion,
mainly noiseless, but of useful pleasant qualities otherwise."
From this Castle or landward side come Friedrich and his Prussians, on Monday morning about eight. "The
garrison, some 4,000 Reichs folk and a French Battalion or two, shut the Gates, and assembled in the
Marketplace,"a big square, close at the foot of the Heights; "on the other hand, from the top of the
Heights [KLAMMERK the particular spot], the Prussians cannonaded Town and Gates; to speedy bursting
open of the same; and rushed in over the walls of the Castlecourt, and by other openings into the Town: so
that the garrison above said had to quit, and roll with all speed across the Saale Bridge, and set the same on
fire behind them." This was their remedy for all the Three Bridges, when attacked; but it succeeded nowhere
so well as here.
"The fire was of extreme rapidity; prepared beforehand:" Bridge all of dry wood coated with pitch;"fire
reinforced too, in view of such event, by all the suet, lard and oleaginous matter the Garrison could find in
Weissenfels; some hundredweights of tallow dips, for one item, going up on this occasion." Bridge, "worth
100,000 thalers," is instantly ablaze: some 400 finding the bridge so flamy, and the Prussians at their skirts,
were obliged to surrender;Feldmarschall Hildburghausen, sleeping about two miles off, gets himself
awakened in this unpleasant manner. Flying garrison halt on the other side of the River, where the rest of
their Army is; plant cannon there against quenching of the Bridge; and so keep firing, answered by the
Prussians, with much noise and no great mischief, till 3 P.M., when the Bridge is quite gone (Tollkeeper's
Lodge and all), and the enterprise of crossing there had plainly become impossible.
Friedrich quickly, about a mile farther down the River, has picked out another crossingplace, in the interim,
and founded some new adequate plank or raft bridge there; which, by diligence all night, will be crossable
tomorrow. So that, except for amusing the enemy, the cannonading may cease at Weissenfels. A certain Duc
de Crillon, in command at this Weissenfels Bridgeburning and cannonade, has a chivalrous Anecdote
(amounting nearly to zero when well examined) about saving or sparing Friedrich's life on this interesting
occasion: How, being now on the safe side of the River, he Crillon with his staff taking some refection of
breakfast after the furious flurry there had been; there came to him one of his Artillery Captains, stationed in
an Island in the River, asking, "Shall I shoot the King of Prussia, Monseigneur? He is down reconnoitring his
end of the Bridge: sha'n't I, then?" To whom Crillon gives a glass of wine and smilingly magnanimous
answer to a negative effect. [ "Memoires militaires de Louis Duc de Crillon (Paris, 1791), p. 166;"as cited
by Preuss, ii. 88.] Concerning which, one has to remark, Not only, FIRST, that the Artillery Captain's power
of seeing Friedrich (which is itself uncertain) would indeed mean the power of aiming at him, but differs
immensely from that of hitting him with shot; so that this "Shall I kill the King?" was mainly thrasonic wind
from Captain Bertin. But SECONDLY, that there is no "Island" in the River thereabouts, for Captain Bertin
to fire from! So that probably the whole story is wind or little more: dreamlike, or at best some idle
thrasonictheoretic question, on the part of Bertin; proper answer thereto (consisting mainly in a glass of
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wine) from Monseigneur: all which, on retrospection, Monseigneur feels, or would fain feel, to have been
not theoreticthrasonic but practical, and of a rather godlike nature. Zero mainly, as we said; Friedrich thanks
you for zero, Monseigneur.
"The Prussians were billeted in the Town that night," says our Syndic; "and in many a house there came to be
twenty men, and even thirty and above it, lodged. All was quiet through the night; the French and the Reichs
folk were drawn back upon the higher grounds, about Burgwerben and on to Tagwerben; and we saw their
watchfires burning." Friedrich's Bridge meanwhile, unmolested by the enemy, is getting ready.
Keith, looking across to Merseburg on the morrow morning (Tuesday, Nov. 1st), whither he had marched
direct with the other Half of the Army, finds Merseburg Bridge destroyed, or broken; and Soubise with
batteries on the farther side, intending to dispute the passage. Keith despatches Duke Ferdinand to Halle,
another twelve miles down, who finds Halle Bridge destroyed in like manner, and Broglio intending to
dispute; which, however, on second thoughts, neither of them I did. Friedrich's new Bridge at HerrenMuhle
(LORDSHIPS' MILL) is of course an important point to them; Friedrich's passage now past dispute! "Let us
fall back," say they, "and rank ourselves a little; we are 50 or 60,000 strong; ill off for provisions; but well
able to retreat; and have permission to fight on this side of the River."
The combined Army, "Dauphiness," or whatever we are to call it, does on Wednesday morning (November
2d) gather in its cannon and outskirts, and give up the Saale question; retire landwards to the higher grounds
some miles; and diligently get itself united, and into order of battle better or worse, near the Village of
Mucheln (which means Kirk MICHAEL, and is still written "SANCT MICHEL" by some on this occasion).
There Dauphiness takes post, leaning on the heights, not in a very scientific way; leaving Keith and
Ferdinand to rebuild their Bridges unmolested, and all Prussians to come across at discretion. Which they
have diligently done (2d3d November), by their respective Bridges; and on Thursday afternoon are all
across, encamped at Bedra, in close neighborhood to Mucheln; which Friedrich has been out reconnoitring
and finds that he can attack next morning very early.
Next morning, accordingly, "by 2 o'clock, with a bright moon shining," Friedrich is on horseback, his Army
following. But on examining by moonlight, the enemy have shifted their position; turned on their axis, more
or less, into new woodpatches, new batteries and bogs; which has greatly mended their affair. No good
attacking them so, thinks Friedrich; and returns to his Camp; slightly cannonaded, one wing of him, from
some battery of the enemy; and immoderately crowed over by them: "Dare not, you see! Tried, and was
defeated!" cry their newspapers and they,for one day. Friedrich lodges again in Bedra this night, others say
in Rossbach; shifts his own Camp a little; left wing of it now at Rossbach (HOMEBROOK, or BECK, soon
to be a worldfamous Hamlet): the effects of hunger on the Dauphiness, so far from her supplies, will, he
calculates, be stronger than on him, and will bring her to better terms shortly. Dauphiness needs bread; one
may have fine clipping at the skirts of her, if she try retreat. That Dauphiness would play the prank she did
next morning, Friedrich had not ventured to calculate.
CATASTROPHE OF DAUPHINESS (Saturday, 5th November, 1757).
Meandering Saale is on one of his big turns, as he passes Weissenfels; turning, pretty rapidly here, from
southeastward, which he was a dozen miles ago, round to northeastward again or northward altogether, which
he gets to be at Merseburg, a dozen farther down. Right across from Weissenfels, lapped in this crook of the
Saale, or washed by it on south side and on east, rises, with extreme laziness, a dull circular lump of country,
six or eight miles in diameter; with Rossbach and half a dozen other scraggy sleepy Hamlets scattered on
it;which, till the morning of Saturday, 5th November, 1757, had not been notable to any visitor. The
topmost point or points, for there are two (not discoverable except by tradition and guess), the country people
do call Hills, JANUSHUGEL, POLZENHUGELHill sensible to wagonhorses in those bad loose
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tracks of sandy mud, but unimpressive on the Tourist, who has to admit that there seldom was so flat a Hill.
Rising, let us guess, forty yards in the three or four miles it has had. Might be called a perceptibly potbellied
plain, with more propriety; flat country, slightly puffed up;in shape not steeper than the mould of an
immense teasaucer would be. Teasaucer 6 miles in diameter, 100 feet in depth, and of irregular contour,
which indeed will sufficiently represent it to the reader's mind.
Saale, at four or five miles distance, bounds this scraggy lump on the east and on the south. Westward and
northward, springing about Mucheln on each hand, and setting off to right and to left Saale ward, are what
we take to be two brooks; at least are two hollows: and behind these, the country rises higher; undulating still
on lazy terms, but now painted azure by the distance, not unpleasant to behold, with its litter all lapped out of
sight, and its poor brooks tinkling forward (as we judge) into the Saale, Merseburg way, or reversewise into
the Unstrut, the last big branch of Saale. Southward from our Janus Height, eight or nine miles off, may be
seen some vestige of Freiburg; steeple or gilt weathercock faintly visible, on the Unstrut yonder;which I
take to be Soubise's breadbasket at present. And farther off, and opposite the MOUTH of the Unstrut, well
across the Saale, lies another namable Town (visible in clear weather, as a smokecloud at certain hours,
about mealtime, when the kettles are on boil), the Town of Naumburg,one of several German
Naumburgs,the Naumburg of Gustaf Adolf; where his slain body lay, on the night of Lutzen Battle, with
his poor Queen and others weeping over it. Naumburg is on the other side of Saale, not of importance to
Soubise in such posture.
This is the circular block or lump of country, on the north or northwest side of which Friedrich now lies, and
which will become, he little thinks how memorable on the morrow. Over the heights, immediately eastward
of Friedrich, there is a kind of hollow, or scoopedout place; shallow valley of some extent, which deserves
notice against tomorrow: but in general the ground is lazily spherical, and without noticeable hollows or
valleys when fairly away from the River. A dull blunt lump of country; made of sand and mud,may have
been grassy once, with broom on it, in the pastoral times; is now under poor ploughhusbandry, arable or
scratchable in all parts, and looks rather miserable in wintertime. No vestige of hedge on it, of shrub or
bush; one tree, ugly but big, which may have been alive in Friedrich's time, stands not far from Rossbach
Hamlet; one, and no more, discoverable in these areas.
Various Hamlets lie sprinkled about: very sleepy, rusty, irregular little places; huts and cattlestalls huddled
down, as if shaken from a bag; much straw, thick thatch and crumbly mudbrick; but looking warm and
peaceable, for the Fourfooted and the Two footed; which latter, if you speak to them, are solid reasonable
people, with energetic German eyes and hearts, though so ill lodged. These Hamlets, needing shelter and
springwater, stand generally in some slight hollow, if well up the Height, as Rorschach is; sometimes, if
near the bottom, they are nestled in a sudden dell or gash,work of the primeval rains, accumulating from
above, and ploughing out their way. The rains, we can see, have been busy; but there is seldom the least
stream visible, bottom being too sandy and porous. On the western slope, there is in our time a kind of coal,
or coaldust, dug up; in the way of quarrying, not of mining; and one or two big chasms of this sort are
confusedly busy: the natives mix this valuable coaldust with water, mould it into bricks, and so use as fuel:
one of the features of these hamlets is the strange black bricks, standing on edge about the cottagedoors, to
drip, and dry in the sun. For this or for other reasons, the westward slope appears to be the best; and has a
major share of hamlets on it: Rossbach is high up, and looks over upon Mucheln, and its dim belfry and
appurtenances, which lie safe across the hollow, perhaps two miles off,safe from Friedrich, if there were
eatables and lodging to be had in such a place. Friedrich's left wing is in Rossbach. Bedra where Friedrich's
right wing is; Branderode where the Soubise right is; then Grost; Schevenroda, Zeuchfeld, Pettstadt,
Lunstadt,especially Reichartswerben, where Soubise's right will come to be: these the reader may take note
of in his Map. Several of them lie in ashes just then; plundered, replundered, and at last set fire to; so busy
have Soubise's hungry people been, of late, in the Country they came to "deliver." The Freiburg road, the
Naumburg road, both towards Merseburg, cross this Height; straight like the string, Saale by Weissenfels
being the bow.
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The HERRENHAUS (Squire's Mansion) still stands in Rossbach, with the littery Hamlet at its flank: a high,
pavilionroofed, and though dilapidated, pretentious kind of House; some kind of court round it, some kind
of hedge or screen of brushwood and brickwall: terribly in need of the besom, it and its environment
throughout. King, I suppose, did lodge there overnight: certain it is the Squire was absent; and the Squire's
Man, three days afterwards, reported to him as follows: ... "Saturday, the 5th, about 8 A.M., his Majesty
mounted to the roof of the Herrenhaus here, some tiles having been removed [for that end, or by accident, is
not said], and saw how the French and Reichs Army were getting in movement" wriggling out of their
Camp leftwards, evidently aiming towards Grost. "In about an hour, near half their Army was through Grost,
and had turned southward, rather southeastward, from Grost, out in the Rossbach and Almsdorf region, and
proceeding still towards Pettstadt,"towards Schevenroda more precisely, not towards Pettstadt yet. "His
Majesty looked always through the perspective: and to me was the grace done to be ever at his side, and to
name for him the roads the French and Reichs Army was marching." [Muller, p. 50; Rodenbeck, p. 326.]
The King had heard of this phenomenon hours before, and had sent out Hussars and scouts upon it; but now
sees it with his eyes: "Going for Freiburg, and their breadcupboard," thinks the King; who does not as yet
make much of the movement; but will watch it well, and calculates to have a stroke at the rear end of it, in
due season. With which view, the cavalry, Seidlitz and Mayer, are ordered to saddle; foot regiments, and all
else, to be in readiness. This FrenchReichs Dauphiness is not rapid in her field exercise; and has a great
deal of wriggling and unwinding before she can fairly pick herself out, and get forward towards Schevenroda
on the Freiburg road. In three or in two parallel columns, artillery between them, horse ahead, horse arear;
haggling along there;making for their breadbaskets, thinks the King. A body of French, horse chiefly,
under St. Germain, come out, in the SchortauAlmsdorf part, with some salvoing and prancing, as if
intending to attack about Rossbach, where our left wing is: but his Majesty sees it to be a pretence merely;
and St. Germain, motionless, and doing nothing but cannonade a little, seems to agree that it is so.
Dauphiness continues her slow movements; King, in this Squire's Mansion of Rossbach, sits down to dinner,
dinner with Officers at the usual hour of noon,little dreaming what the Dauphiness has in her head.
Truth is, the Dauphiness is in exultant spirits, this morning; intending great things against a certain "little
Marquis of Brandenburg," to whom one does so much honor. Generals looking down yesterday on the King
of Prussia's Camp, able to count every man in it (and half the men being invisible, owing to bends of the
ground), counted him to 10,000 or so; and had said, "Pshaw, are not we above 50,000; let us end it! Take him
on his left. Round yonder, till we get upon his left, and even upon his rear withal, St. Germain cooperating
on the other side of him: on left, on rear, on front, at the same moment, is not that a sure game?" A very
ticklish game, answers surly sagacious Lloyd: "No general will permit himself to be taken in flank with his
eyes open; and the King of Prussia is the unlikeliest you could try it with!"
Trying it meanwhile they are; marching along by the low grounds here, intending to sweep gradually
leftwards towards JanusHill quarter; there to sweep home upon him, coil him up, left and rear and front, in
their boaconstrictor folds, and end his trifle of an Army and him. "Why not, if we do our duty at all,
annihilate his trifle of an Army; take himself prisoner, and so end it?" Report says, Soubise had really, in
some moment of enthusiasm lately, warned the Versailles populations to expect such a thing; and that the
Duchess of Orleans, forgetful of poor King Louis's presence, had in HER enthusiasm, exclaimed: "TANT
MIEUX, I shall at last see a King, then!" But perhaps it is a mere French epigram, such as the winds often
generate there, and put down for fact. Friedrich's retreat to Weissenfels is cut off for Friedrich: an Austrian
party has been at the HerrenMuhle Bridge this morning, has torn it up and pitched it into the river; planks
far on to Merseburg by this time. And, in fact, unless Friedrich be nimble But that he usually is.
Friedrich's dinner had gone on with deliberation for about two hours, Friedrich's intentions not yet known to
any, but everybody, great and small, waiting eagerly for them, like greyhounds on the slip,when Adjutant
Gaudi, who had been on the Housetop the while, rushes into the Diningroom faster than he ought, and,
with some tremor in his voice and eyes, reports hastily: "At Schevenroda, at Pettstadt yonder! Enemy has
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turned to left. Clearly for the left.""Well, and if he do? No flurry needed, Captain!" answered
Friedrich,(NOT in these precise words; but rebuking Gaudi, with a look not of laughter wholly, and with a
certain question, as to the state of Gaudi's stomachic part, which is still known in traditionary circles, but is
not mentionable here);and went, with due gravity, himself to the roof, with his Officers. "To the left, sure
enough; meaning to attack us there:" the thing Friedrich had despaired of is voluntarily coming, then; and
it is a thing of stern qualities withal; a wager of life, with glorious possibilities behind.
Friedrich earnestly surveys the phenomenon for some minutes; in some minutes, Friedrich sees his way
through it, at least into it, and how he will do it. Off, eastward; march! Swift are his orders; almost still
swifter the fulfillment of them. Prussian Army is a nimble article in comparison with Dauphiness! In half an
hour's time, all is packed and to the road; and, except Mayer and certain FreeCorps or LightHorse, to
amuse St. Germain and his Almsdorf people, there is not a Prussian visible in these localities to French eyes.
"At halfpast two," says the Squire's Man,or let us take him a sentence earlier, to lose nothing of such a
Document: "At noon his Majesty took dinner; sat till about two o'clock; then again went to the roof; and
perceived that the Enemy's Army at Pettstadt were turning about the little Wood there northeastward, as if for
Lunstadt [into the Lunstadt road];such cannonading too," from those Almsdorf people, "that the balls flew
over our heads,"or I tremulously thought so. "At halfpast two, the word was given, March! And good
speed they made about it, in this Herrenhaus, and out of doors too, striking their tents, and cording up and
trimly shouldering everything with incredible brevity," as if machinery were doing it; "and at three, on the
Prussian part, all was packed and out into the court for being carried off; and, in fact, the Prussian Army was
on march at three." Seidlitz, with all his Horse, vanishing round the corner of the Height; speeding along,
invisible on his northern slope there, straight for the JanusPolzen Hill part; the Infantry following,
doublequick;well knowing, each, what he has got to do.
But at this interesting point, the Editorssmall thanks to them, authentic but thricestupid mortalscut
short our Eyewitness, not so much as telling us his name, some of them not even his date or whereabouts;
and so the curtain tumbles down (as if its string had been cut, or suddenly eaten by unwise animals), and we
are left to gray hubbub, and our own resources at secondhand. Except only that a French Officerone of
those cannonading from Almsdorf, no doubt declares that "it was like a change of scene in the Opera
(DECORATION D'OPERA)," [Letter in MULLER: p. 60. In WESTPHALEN (ii. 128133) is a much
superior French Letter, intercepted somewhere, and fallen to Duke Ferdinand; well worth reading, on
Rossbach and the previous Affairs.] so very rapid; and that "they all rolled off eastward at quick time." At
extremely quick time; and soon, in the slight hollow behind Janus Hugel, vanished from sight of these
Almsdorf French, and of the SoubiseHildburghausen Army in general. Which latter is agreeably surprised at
the phenomenon; and draws a highly flattering conclusion from it. "Gone, then; off at doublequick for
Merseburg; aha!" think the SoubiseHildburghausen people: "Doublequick you too, my pretty men, lest
they do whisk away, and we never get a stroke at them,!"
Seidlitz meanwhile, with his cavalry (thirtyeight squadrons, about 4,000 horse), is rapidly doing the order he
has had. Seidlitz at a sharp military trot, and the infantry at doublequick to keep up near him, which they
cannot quite do, are, as we have said, making right across for the PolzenHill and JanusHill quarter; their
route the string, French route the bow; and are invisible to the French, owing to the heights between. Seidlitz,
when he gets to the proper point eastward, will wheel about, front to southward, and be our left wing;
infantry, as centre and right, will appear in like manner; andwe shall see!
The exultant Dauphiness, or SoubiseHildburghausen Army (let us call it, for brevity's sake, Dauphiness or
French, which it mainly was), on that rapid disappearance of the Prussians, never doubted but the Prussians
were off on flight for Merseburg, to get across by the Bridge there. Whereat Dauphiness, doubly exultant,
mended her own pace, cavalry at a sharp trot, infantry doublequick, but unable to keep up,for the purpose
of capturing or intercepting the runaway Prussians. Speed, my friends,if you would do a stroke upon
Friedrich, and show the Versailles people a King at last! Thus they, hurrying on, in two parallel
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columns,infantry, long floods of it, coming doublequick but somewhat fallen behind; cavalry 7,000 or so,
as vanguard,faster and faster; sweeping forward on their southern side of the JanusandPolzen slope, and
now rather climbing the same.
Seidlitz has his hussar pickets on the top, to keep him informed as to their motions, and how far they are got.
Seidlitz, invisible on the south slope of the Polzen Hugel, finds about halfpast three P.M. that he is now
fairly ahead of Dauphiness; Seidlitz halts, wheels, comes to the top, "Got the flank of them, sure enough!"
and without waiting signal or farther orders, every instant being precious, rapidly forms himself; and plunges
down on these poor people. "Compact as a wall, and with an incredible velocity (D'UNE VITESSE
INCROYABLE)," says one of them. Figure the astonishment of Dauphiness; of poor Broglio, who
commands the horse here. Taken in flank, instead of taking other people; intercepted, not in the least needing
to intercept! Has no time to form, though he tried what he could. Only the two Austrian regiments got
completely formed; the rest very incompletely; and Seidlitz, in the blaze of rapid steel, is in upon them. The
two Austrian regiments, and two French that are named, made what debate was feasible;courage nowise
wanting, in such sad want of captaincy; nay Soubise in person galloped into it, if that could have helped. But
from the first, the matter was hopeless; Seidlitz slashing it at such a rate, and plunging through it and again
through it, thrice, some say four times: so that, in the space of half an hour, this luckless cavalry was all
tumbling off the ground; plunging down hill, in full flight, across its own infantry or whatever obstacle,
Seidlitz on the hips of it; and galloping madly over the horizon, towards Freiburg as it proved; and was not
again heard of that day.
In about half an hour that bit of work was over; and Seidlitz, with his ranks trimmed again, had drawn
himself southward a little, into the Hollow of Tageswerben, there to wait impending phenomena. For
Friedrich with the Infantry is now emerging over Janus Hill, in a highly thunderous manner,eighteen
pieces of artillery going, and "four big guns taken from the walls of Leipzig;" and there will be events anon.
It is said, Hildburghausen, at the first glimpse of Friedrich over the hilltop, whispered to Soubise, "We are
lost, Royal Highness!""Courage!" Soubise would answer; and both, let us hope, did their utmost in this
extremely bad predicament they had got into.
Friedrich's artillery goes at a murderous rate; had come in view, over the hilltop, before Seidlitz
ended,"nothing but, the muzzles of it visible" (and the firetorrents from it) to us poor French below.
Friedrich's lines; or rather his one line, mere tip of his left wing,only seven battalions in it, five of them
under Keith from the second or reserve line; whole centre and right wing standing "refused" in oblique rank,
invisible, BEHIND the Hill, Friedrich's line, we say, the artillery to its right, shoots out in mysterious
Prussian rhythm, in echelons, in potences, obliquely down the JanusHill side; straight, rigid, regular as iron
clock work; and strides towards us, silent, with the lightning sleeping in it:Friedrich has got the flank of
Dauphiness, and means to keep it. Once and again and a third time, poor Soubise, with his poor regiments
much in an imbroglio, here heaped on one another, there with wide gaps, halt being so sudden,attempts to
recover the flank, and pushes out this regiment and the other, rightward, to be even with Friedrich. But sees
with despair that it cannot be; that Friedrich with his echelons, potences and mysterious Prussian resources,
pulls himself out like the pieces of a prospectglass, piece after piece, hopelessly fast and seemingly no end
to them; and that the flank is lost, and thatUnhappy Generals of Dauphiness, what a phenomenon for them!
A terrible Friedrich, not fled to Merseburg at all; but mounted there on the Janus Hill, as on his saddlehorse,
with face quite the other way;and for holsterpistol, has plucked out twentytwo cannon. Clad verily in
fire; Chimeralike, RIDING the Janus Hill, in that manner; left leg (or wing) of him spurning us into the
abysses, right one ready to help at discretion!
Hildburghausen, I will hope, does his utmost; Soubise, Broglio, for certain do. The French line is in front,
next the Prussians: poor Generals of Dauphiness are panting to retrieve themselves. But with regiments
jammed in this astonishing way, and got collectively into the lion's throat, what can be done? Steady, rigid as
iron clockwork, the Prussian line strides forward; at forty paces' distance delivers its first shock of lightning,
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bursts into platoon fire; and so continues, steady at the rate of five shots a minute,hard to endure by poor
masses all in a coil. "The artillery tore down whole ranks of us," says the Wutenberg Dragoon; [His Letter in
MULLER, p. 83.] "the Prussian musketry did terrible execution."
Things began %o waver very soon, French reeling back from the Prussian fire, Reichs troops rocking very
uneasy, torn by such artillery; when, to crown the matter, Seidlitz, seeing all things rock to the due extent,
bursts out of Tageswerben Hollow, terribly compact and furious, upon the rear of them. Which sets all things
into inextricable tumble; and the Battle is become a rout and a riding into ruin, no Battle ever more. Lasted
twentyfive minutes, this second act of it, or till halfpast four: after which, the curtains rapidly descending
(Night's curtain, were there no other) cover the remainder; the only stagedirection, EXEUNT OMNES.
Which for a 50 or 60,000, ridden over by Seidlitz Horse, was not quite an easy matter! They left, of killed and
wounded, near 3,000; of prisoners, 5,000 (Generals among them 8, Officers 300): in sum, about 8,000; not to
mention cannon, 67 or 72; with standards, flags, kettledrums and meaner baggages AD LIBITUM in a
manner. The Prussian loss was, 165 killed, 376 wounded;between a sixteenth and a fifteenth part of theirs:
in number the Prussians had been little more than one to three; 22,000 of all arms,not above half of whom
ever came into the fire; Seidlitz and seven battalions doing all the fighting that was needed, St. Germain tried
to cover the retreat; but "got broken," he says,Mayer bursting in on him,and soon went to slush like the
others.
Seldom, almost never, not even at Crecy or Poictiers, was any Army better beaten. And truly, we must say,
seldom did any better deserve it, so far as the Chief Parties went. Yes, Messieurs, this is the PETIT
MARQUIS DE BRANDEBOURG; you will know this one, when you meet him again! The flight, the French
part of it, was towards Freiburg Bridge; in full gallop, long after the chase had ceased; crossing of the Unstrut
there, hoarse, manyvoiced, all night; burning of the Bridge; found burnt, when Friedrich arrived next
morning. He had encamped at Obschutz, short way from the field itself. French Army, Reichs Army, all was
gone to staves, to utter chaotic wreck. Hildburghausen went by Naumburg; crossed the Saale there; bent
homewards through the Weimar Country; one wild flood of ruin, swift as it could go; at Erfurt "only one
regiment was in rank, and marched through with drums beating." His Army, which had been disgustingly
unhappy from the first, and was now fallen fluid on these mad terms, flowed all away in different rills, each
by the course straightest home; and Hildburghausen arriving at Bamberg, with hardly the ghost or mutilated
skeleton of an Army, flung down his truncheon,"A murrain on your Reichs Armies and regimental
chaoses!"and went indignantly home. Reichs Army had to begin at the beginning again; and did not
reappear on the scene till late next Year, under a new Commander, and with slightly improved conditions.
Dauphiness Proper was in no better case; and would have flowed home in like manner, had not home been so
far, and the way unknown. Twelve thousand of them rushed straggling through the Eichsfeld; plundering and
harrying, like Cossacks or Calmucks: "Army blown asunder, over a circle of forty miles' radius," writes St.
Germain: "had the Enemy pursued us, after I got broken [burst in upon by Mayer and his FreeCorps people]
we had been annihilated. Never did Army behave worse; the first cannonsalvo decided our rout and our
shame." [St. Germain to Verney: different Excerpts of Letters in the two weeks after Rossbach and before
(given in Preuss, ii. 97).]
In two days' time (November 7th), the French had got to Langensalza, fiftyfive miles from the Battlefield
of Rossbach; plundering, running, SACREDIEUing; a wild deluge of molten wreck, filling the Eichsfeld
with its waste noises, making night hideous and day too;in the villages Placards were stuck up, appointing
Nordhausen and Heiligenstadt for rallying place. [Muller, p. 73.]
Soubise rode, with few attendants, all night towards Nordhausen, eighty miles off, foot of the Bracken
Country, where the Richelieu resources are;Soubise with few attendants, face set towards the Brocken;
himself, it is like, in a somewhat hagridden condition.
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"The joy of poor Teutschland at large," says one of my Notes, "and how all Germans, Prussian and
AntiPrussian alike, flung up their caps, with unanimous LEBEHOCH, at the news of Rossbach, has often
been remarked; and indeed is still almost touching to see. The perhaps bravest Nation in the world, though
the least braggart, very certainly EIN TAPFERES VOLK (as their Goethe calls them); so long insulted,
snubbed and trampled on, by a luckier, not a braver:has not your exultant Dauphiness got a beautiful little
dose administered her; and is gone off in foul shrieks, and pangs of the interior,let no man ask
whitherward! 'SI UN ALLEMAND PEUT AVOIR DE L'ESPRIT (Can a German possibly have sharpness of
wits)?' Well, yes, it would seem: here is one German graduate who understands his medicinechest, and the
quality of patients! Dauphiness got no pity anywhere; plenty of epigrams, and mostly nothing but laughter
even in Paris itself. Napoleon long after, who much admires Friedrich, finds that this Victory of Rossbach
was inevitable; 'but what fills me with astonishment and shame,' adds he, 'is that it was gained by six
battalions and thirty squadrons [seven properly, and thirtyeight] over such a multitude!' [Montholon,
MEMOIRES DE NAPOLEON (Napoleon's Precis des Guerres de Frrederic II., vii. 210).]It is well
known, Napoleon, after Jena, as if Jena had not been enough for him, tore down the first Monument of
Rossbach, some poor ashlar Pyramid or Pillar, raised by the neighborhood, with nothing more afflictive
inscribed on it than a date; and sent it off in carts for Paris (where no stone of it ever arrived, the Thuringen
carmen slinking off, and leaving it scattered in different places over the face of Thuringen in general); so that
they had the trouble of a new one lately." [Rodenbeck, Beitrage, i. 299; ib. p. 385, Lithograph of the poor
extinct Monument itself.]
From Friedrich the "Army of the Circles," that is, Dauphiness and Company,called HOOPERS or
"Coopers" (TONNELIERS), with a desperate attempt at wit by pun,get their Adieu in words withal. This
is the famed CONGE DE L'ARMEE DES CERCLES ET DES TONNELIERS; a short metrical Piece; called
by Editors the most profane, most indecent, most and printed with asterisk veils thrown over the worst
passages. Who shall dare, searching and rummaging for insight into Friedrich, and complaining that there is
none, to lift any portion of the veil; and say, "SeeFaugh!" The cynicism, truly, but also the irrepressible
honest exultation, has a kind of epic completeness, and fulness of sincerity; and, at bottom, the thing is
nothing like so wicked as careless commentators have given out. Dare to look a little:
"ADIEU, GRANDS ERASEURS DE ROIS," so it starts: "Adieu, grand crushers of Kings; arrogant
windbags, Turpin, Broglio, Soubise, Hildburghausen with the gray beard, foolish still as when your beard
was black in the TurkWar time:brisk journey to you all!" That is the first stanza; unexceptionable, had we
room. The second stanza is,with the veils partially lifted; with probably "MOISE" put into the first blank,
and into the third something of or belonging to "CESAR,"
"Je vows ai vu comme ...
Dans des ronces en certain lieu
Eut l'honneur de voir ...
Ou comme au gre de sa luxure
Le bon Nicomede a l'ecart
Aiguillonnait sa flamme impure
Des ..."
Enough to say, the Author, with a wild burst of spiritual enthusiasm, sings the charms of the rearward part of
certain men; and what a royal ecstatic felicity there sometimes is in indisputable survey of the same. He rises
to the heights of Anti Biblical profanity, quoting Moses on the Hill of Vision; sinks to the bottomless of
human or ultrahuman depravity, quoting King Nicomedes's experiences on Caesar (happily known only to
the learned); and, in brief, recognizes that there is, on occasion, considerable beauty in that quarter of the
human figure, when it turns on you opportunely. A most cynical profane affair: yet, we must say by way of
parenthesis, one which gives no countenance to Voltaire's atrocities of rumor about Friedrich himself in this
matter; the reverse rather, if well read; being altogether theoretic, scientific; sings with gusto the glow of
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beauty you find in that unexpected quarter,while KICKING it deservedly and with enthusiasm. "To see
the"what shall we call it: seat of honor, in fact, "of your enemy:" has it not an undeniable charm? "I own to
you in confidence, O Soubise and Company, this fine laurel I have got, and was so in need of, is nothing
more or other than the sight of your"FOUR ASTERISKS. "Oblige me, whenever clandestine Fate brings
us together, by showing me that"always that, if you would give me pleasure when we meet. "And oh," next
stanza says, "to think what our glory is founded on,"on view of that unmentionable object, I declare to
you!And through other stanzas, getting smutty enough (though in theory only), which we need not
prosecute farther. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xii. 7073 (WRITTEN at Freiburg, 6th November, when his
Majesty got thither, and found the Bridge burnt).] A certain heartiness and epic greatness of cynicism, life's
nakedness grown almost as if innocent again; an immense suppressed insuppressible Haha, on the part of this
King. Strange TEDEUM indeed. Coming from the very heart, truly, as few of them do; but not, in other
points, recommendable at all!Here, of the night before, is something better:
TO WILHELMINA.
"NEAR WEISSENFELS [OBSCHUTZ, in fact; does not know yet what the Battle will be CALLED], 5th
November, 1757.
"At last, my dear Sister, I can announce you a bit of good news. You were doubtless aware that the Coopers
with their circles had a mind to take Leipzig. I ran up, and hove them beyond Saale. The Duc de Richelieu
sent them a reinforcement of twenty battalions and fourteen squadrons [say 15,000 horse and foot]; they then
called themselves 63,000 strong. Yesterday I went to reconnoitre them; could not attack them in the post they
held. This had rendered them rash. Today they came out with the intention of attacking me; but I took the
start of them (LES AI PREVENU). It was a Battle EN DOUCEUR (soft to one's wish). Thanks to God I have
not a hundred men killed; the only General ill wounded is Meinecke. My Brother Henri and General Seidlitz
have slight hurts [gunshots, not so slight, that of Seidlitz] in the arm. We have all the Enemy's cannon, all
the ... I am in full march to drive them over the Unstrut [already driven, your Majesty; bridge burning].
"You, my dear Sister, my good, my divine and affectionate Sister [faithful to the bone, in good truth, poor
Wilhelmina], who deign to interest yourself in the fate of a Brother who adores you, deign also to share in my
joy. The instant I have time, I will tell you more. I embrace you with my whole heart; Adieu. F." [ OEuvres
de Frederic, xxvii. i. 310.]
ULTERIOR FATE OF DAUPHINESS; FLIES OVER THE RHINE IN BAD FASHION: DAUPHINESS'S
WAYS WITH THE SAXON POPULATION IN HER DELIVERANCEWORK.
Friedrich had no more fighting with the French. November 9th, at Merseburg, in all stillness, Duke Ferdinand
got his Britannic Commission, his full Powers, from Friedrich and the parties interested; in all stillness made
his arrangements, as if for Magdeburg and his Governorship there,Friedrich hastening off for Silesia the
while. Duke Ferdinand did stay six days in Magdeburg, inspecting or pretending to inspect; very pleasant
with his Sister and the Royalties that, are now there; but, at midnight of day sixth shot off silently on wider
errand. And, in sum, on Thursday, 24th November, 1757, appeared in Stade, on horseback at morning parade
there; intimating, to what joy of the poor Brunswick Grenadiers and others, That he was come to take
command; that KlosterZeven is abolished; that we are not an "Observation Army," rotting here in the parish
pound, any longer, but an "Allied Army" (such now our title), intending to strike for ourselves, and get out of
pound straightway!
"THURSDAY, 24th NOVEMBERTUESDAY, 29th. Duke Ferdinand did accordingly pick up the reins of
this distracted Affair; and, in a way wonderful to see, shot sanity into every fibre of it; and kept it sane and
roadworthy for the Five Years coming. With a silent velocity, an energy, an imperturbable steadfastness and
clear insight into cause and effect; which were creditable to the school he came from; and were a very joyful
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sight to Pitt and others concerned. So that from next Tuesday, 'November 29th, before daylight,' when
Ferdinand's batteries began playing upon Harburg (French Fortress nearest to Stade), the reign of the French
ceased in those Countries; and an astonished Richelieu and his French, lying scattered over all the West of
Germany, in readiness for nothing but plunder, had to fall more or less distracted in their turn; and do a
number of astonishing things. To try this and that, of futile, more or less frantic nature; be driven from post
after post; be driven across the Aller first of all;Richelieu to go home thereupon, and be succeeded by one
still more incompetent.
"DECEMBER 13th, a fortnight after Ferdinand's appearance, Richelieu had got to the safe side of the Aller
(burning of Zelle Bridge and Zelle Town there, his last act in Germany); Ferdinand's quarters now wide
enough; and vigorous speed of preparation going on for farther chase, were the weather mended.
FEBRUARY 17th, 1758, Ferdinand was on foot again; Prince de Clermont, the still more incompetent
successor of Richelieu, gazing wideeyed upon him, but doing nothing else: and for the next six weeks there
was seen a once triumphant RichelieuD'Estrees French Army, much in rags, much in disorder, in terror, and
here and there almost in despair, winging their way; like clouds of draggled poultry caught by a mastiff in
the corn. Across Weser, across Ems, finally across the Rhine itself, every feather of them,their longdrawn
cackle, of a shrieky type, filling all Nature in those months; the mastiff steadily following. [Mauvillon, i.
252284 ("9th November, 17571st April, 1758"); Westphalen, i. 316503 (abundantly explicit, authentic
and even entertaining,with the ample Correspondences, ib. ii. 147350); Schaper, Vie militaire du
Marechal Prince Ferdinand (2 tomes, 8vo, Magdebourg, 1796, 1799), i. 7100 (a careful Book; of an official
exactitude, like Westphalen's,and appears to be left incomplete like his).] To the astonishment of Pitt and
mankind. Can this be the same Army that Royal Highness led to the Sea and the Parish Pound? The same
identically, wasted to about twothirds by Royal Highness; not a drum in it changed otherwise, only One
Man different,and he is the important one!
"Pitt, when the news of Rossbach came, awakening the bonfires and steeplebells of England to such a pitch,
had resolved on an emphatic measure: that of sending English Troops to reinforce our Allied Army, and its
new General;such an Ally as that Rossbach one being rare in the eyes of Pitt. 'Postpone the meeting of
Parliament, yet a few days, your Majesty,' said Pitt, 'till I get the estimates ready!' [Thackeray, i. 310.] To
which Majesty assented, and all England with him: 'England's own Cause,' thinks Pitt, with confidence: 'our
way of Conquering America,and, in the circumstances, our one way!' English did land, accordingly; first
instalment of them, a 12,000 (in August next), increased gradually to 20,000; with no end of furnishings to
them and everybody; with results again satisfactory to Pitt; and very famous in the England that then was,
dim as they are now grown."
The effect of all which was, that Pitt, with his Ferdinands and reinforcements, found work for the French ever
onwards from Rossbach; French also turning as if exclusively upon perfidious Albion: and the thing became,
in Teutschland, as elsewhere, a duel of life and death between these natural enemies,Teutschland the
centre of it,Teutschland and the accessible French SeaTowns, but the circumference of it going round
from Manilla and Madras to Havana and Quebec again. Widespread furious duel; prize, America and life.
By land and sea; handsomely done by Pitt on both elements. Land part, we say, was always mainly in
Germany, under Ferdinand,in Hessen and the Westphalian Countries, as far west as Minden, as far east as
FrankfurtonMayn, generally well north of Rhine, well south of Elbe: that was, for five years coming, the
cockpit or place of deadly fence between France and England. Friedrich's arena lies eastward of that,
occasionally playing into it a little, and played into by it, and always in lively sympathy and consultation with
it: but, except the French subsidizings, diplomatizings. and great diligenae against him in foreign Courts,
Friedrich is, in practical respects, free of the French; and ever after Rossbach, Ferdinand and the English keep
them in full work, growing yearly too full. A heavy Business for England and Ferdinand; which is happily
kept extraneous to Friedrich thenceforth; to him and us; which is not on the stage of his affairs and ours, but
is to be conceived always as vigorously proceeding alongside of it, close beyond the scenes, and liable at any
time to make tragic entry on him again:of which we shall have to notice the louder occurrences and
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cardinal phases, but, for the future, nothing more.
Soubise, who had crept into the skirts of the Richelieu Army in Hanover or Hessen Country, had of course to
take wing in that general fright before the mastiff. Soubise did not cross the Rhine with it; Soubise made off
eastward; [Westphalen, i. 501 ("end of March, 1758"].]found new roost in HanauFrankfurt Country; and
had thoughts of joining the Austrians in Bohemia next Campaign; but got new order,such the pinches of a
winged Clermont with a mastiff Ferdinand at his poor draggled tail;and came back to the Ferdinand scene,
to help there; and never saw Friedrich again. Both Broglio and he had a good deal of fighting (mostly
beating) from Ferdinand; and a great deal of trouble and sorrow in the course of this War; but after Rossbach
it is not Friedrich or we, it is Ferdinand and the Destinies that have to do with them. Poor Soubise, except that
he was the creature of Generalissima Pompadour, which had something radically absurd in it, did not deserve
all the laughter he got: a man of some chivalry, some qualities. As for Broglio, I remember always, not
without human emotion, the two extreme points of his career as a soldier: Rossbach and the Fall of the
Bastille. He was towards forty, when Friedrich bestrode the Janus Hill in that fiery manner; he was turned of
seventy when, from the pavements of Paris, the Chimera of Democracy rose on him, in fire of a still more
horrible description.
DauphinessBellona, in her special and in her widest sense, has made exit, then. Gone, like clouds of
draggled poultry home across the Rhine. She was the most marauding Army lately seen, also the most
gasconading, and had the least capacity for fighting: three worse qualities no army could have. How she
fought, we have seen sufficiently. Before taking leave of her forever, readers, as she is a paragon in her kind,
would perhaps take a glance or two at her marauding qualities,by a good opportunity that offers. Plotho at
Regensburg, that a supreme Reichs Diet may know what a "deliverance of Saxony" this has been, submits
one day the following irrefragable Documents, "which have happened," not without good industry of my
own, "to fall into my [Plotho's] hands." They are Documents partly of epistolary, partly of a Petitionary form,
presented to Polish Majesty, out of that Saxon Country; and have an AFFIDAVIT quality about them, one
and all.
1. BIG DAUPHINESS (that is, D'Estrees) IN THE WESEL COUNTRIES, AT AN EARLY
STAGE,WHILE STILL ENDEAVORING WHAT SHE COULD TO BEHAVE WELL, HANGING 1,000
MARAUDERS AND THE LIKE (A private Letter):
"COUNTY MARK, 20th JUNE, 1757. The French troops are going on here in a way to utterly ruin us.
Schmidt, their President of Justice, whom they set up in Cleve, has got orders to change all the Magistracies
of the Country [Protestant by nature], so as that half the members shall be Catholic. Bielefeld was openly
plundered by the French for three hours long. You cannot by possibility represent to yourself what the actual
state of misery in these Countries is. A SCHEFFEL of rye costs three thalers sixteen groschen [who knows
how many times its natural price!]. And now we are to be forced to eat the spoiled meal those French troops
brought with them; which is gone to such a state no animal would have it. This poisoned meal we are to buy
from them, ready money, at the price they fix; and that famine may induce us, they are about to stop the mills,
and forcibly take away what little bread corn we have left. God have pity on us, and deliver us soon! Next
week we are to have a transit of 6,000 Pfalzers [KurPfalz, foolish idle fellow, and KurBaiern too, are both
in subsidy of France, as usual; 6,000 Pfalzers just due here]; these, I suppose, will sweep us clean bare."
[ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 399.]:
Wesel Fortress, Gate of the Rhine, could not be defended by Friedrich: and the Hanover Incapables, and
England still all in St. Vitus, would not hear of undertaking it; left it wide open for the French; never could
recover it, or get the RhineGate barred again, during the whole War. One hopes they repented;but
perhaps it was only Pitt and Duke Ferdinand that did so, instead! The Wesel Countries were at once occupied
by the French; "a conquest of her Imperial Majesty's;" continued to be administered in Imperial Majesty's
name,and are thriving as above.
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2. DAUPHINESS PROPER (that is, Soubise) IN THURINGEN, AT A LATE STAGE:
"LETTER FROM FREIBURG, SHORTLY AFTER ROSSBACH.It was on the 23d October, a Sunday,
that we of Freiburg had our first billeting of French; a body of Cavalry from different regiments [going to
take Leipzig, take Torgau, what not]: and from that day Freiburg never emptied of French, who kept
marching through it in extraordinary quantities. The marching lasted fourteen days, namely, till the 6th
November [day AFTER Rossbach; when they burnt our poor Bridge, and marched for the last time]; and
often the billeting was so heavy, that in a single house there were forty or fifty men. Who at all times had to
be lodged and dieted gratis; nay many householders, over and above the ordinary meal, were obliged to give
them money too; and many poor people, who can scarcely get their own bit of bread, had to run and bring at
once their sixteen or eighteen groschen [pence] worth of wine, not to speak of coffee and sugar. And a great
increase of the mischief it was always, that the soldiers and common people did not understand one another's
language."Heavy billeting; but what was that? ... "Vast, nearly impossible, quantities of forage and
provision," were wrung from us, as from all the other Towns and Villages about, "under continual threatening
to burn and raze us from the earth. Often did our French Colonel threaten, 'He would have the cannon opened
on Freiburg straightway.' Nay, had it stood by foraging, we might have reckoned ourselves lucky. But our
straits increased day by day; and sheer plundering became more and more excessive.
"The robbing and torturing of travellers, the plundering and burning of Saxon Villages ... Almost all the
Towns and Villages hereabouts are so plundered out, that many a one now has nothing but what he carries on
his body. Plundering was universal: and no sooner was one party away, than another came, and still another;
and often the same house was three or four times plundered. Branderode, a Village two leagues from this
[stands on the Field of Rossbach, if we look], is so ruined out, that nobody almost has anything left: Chief
Inspector Baron von Bose's Schloss there, with its splendid appointments, they ruined utterly; took all money,
victuals, valuables, furniture, clothes, linen and beds, all they could carry; what could not be carried away,
they cut, hewed and smashed to pieces; broke the winecasks; and even tore up the documents and letters
they found lying in the place. Branderode Dorf was twice set fire to by them; and was, at last, with Zeuchfeld,
which is an Amtsdorf,after both had been plundered,reduced to ashes. The Churches of Branderode and
Zeuchfeld, with several other Churches, were plundered; the altars broken, the altarcloths and other vestures
cut to pieces, and the sacred vessels and cups carried away,except [for we have a notarial exactness, and
will exaggerate nothing] that in the case of Branderode they sent the cup back. Of the pollution of the altars,
and of the blasphemous songs these people sang in the churches, one cannot think without horror.
"And it was merely our pretended Allies and Protectors that have desecrated our divine service, utterly
wasted our Country, reduced the inhabitants to want and desperation, and, in short, have so behaved that you
would not know this region again. Truly these troops have realized for us most of the infamies we heard
reported of the Cossacks, and their ravagings in Preussen lately.
"It is one of their smallest doings that they robbed a Saxon Clergyman [name and circumstances can be given
if required), three times over, on the public Highway; shot at him, tied him to a horse's tail and dragged him
along with them; so that he is now lying ill, in danger of his life. On the whole, it is our beloved Pastors,
Clergymen most of all, that have been plundered of everything they had.
"Balgart and Zschieplitz, both Villages half a league from this, have likewise been heavily plundered; they
have even left the Parson nothing but what he wore on his back. Grost," another Rossbach place, "which
belongs to the Kammerjunker Heldorf, has likewise" ... OHE, SATIS!"All this happened between the 23d
and 3lst October; consequently before the Battle. ... In many Villages you see the trees and fields sprinkled
with feathers from the beds that have been slit up.
"In several Villages belonging to the Royal Electoral privy Councillor von Bruhl [who is properly the
fountain of all this and of much other misery to us, if we knew it!] the plundering likewise had begun; and a
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quantity of about a hundred swine [so ho!] had been cut in pieces: but in the midst of their work, the Allies
heard that these were Bruhl estates, and ceased their havoc of them. These accordingly are the only lands in
all this region whose fate has been tolerable.
"The appellation, every moment renewed, of 'Heretic!' was the courteous address from these people to our
fellowChristians; 'heretic dogs (KETZERISCHE HUNDE)' was a PRADICAT always in their mouth.
"In Weischutz," a mile or two from us, up the Unstrut, "a French Colonel who wanted to ride out upon the
works, made the there Pastor, Magister Schren, stoop down by way of horseblock, and mounted into the
saddle from his back. [Messieurs, you will kindle the wrath of mankind some day, and get a terrible plucking,
with those high ways of yours!]
"Churches are all smashed; obscene songs were sung, in form of litany, from the pulpits and altars; what was
done with the communionvessels, when they were not worth stealing,"is hideous to the religious sense,
and shall not be mentioned in human speech.
3. THE BROGLIO REINFORCEMENT COMING ACROSS TO JOIN SOUBISE, AND
PERFORM AT ROSSBACH (Humble Petition from the Magistrates of
Sangerhausen, To the King of Poland's Majesty):
SANGERHAUSEN, 23d OCTOBER, 1757."Scarcely had we, with profound submission
(ALLERUNTERTHANIGST), under date of the 13th current, represented to your Royal Majesty and
Electoral Translucency how heavily we were pressed down by the forage requisitions and transits of troops,
and the consequent, expenditure in food, drinking, in oats and hay, which no one pays,when directly
thereafter, on the 14th of October, a new French party, of the Fischer Corps,"Fischer is a mighty Hussar,
scarcely inferior to Turpin;, and stands in astonishing authority with Richelieu, and an Army whose object is
plunder, [Ferdinand's Correspondente, SOEPIUS ( Westphalen, i. 40127); party of the Fischer Corps, of
some sixty men and horse, arrived in the Town; demanded meat, drink, oats aud hay, and all things
necessary; which they received from us;and not only paid not one farthing for all this, but furthermore
some of them, instead of thanks to their Landlord, Rossold, forcibly broke up his press, drank his brandy, and
carried off a TOUTE (gatherall) with money in it. From a Tanner, Lindauer by name, they bargained for a
buckskin; and having taken, would not pay it. In the RATHSKELLER (Town Publichouse) they drank
much wine, and gave nothing for it: nay on marching off,because no mounted guide (REITENDER
BOTE) was at hand, and though they had before expressly said none such would be needed,they rushed
about like distracted persons (WIE RASENDE LEUTE) in the marketplace and in the streets; beat the
people, tumbled them about, and lugged them along, in a violent manner; using abusive language to a
frightful extent, and threatening every misfortune.
"Hardly were we rid of this confusion and astonishment when, on October 21st, a whole swarm of horses,
men, women, children and wagons, which likewise all belonged to the Fischer Corps, and were commanded
by FirstLieutenant Schmidt, came into our Town. This troop consisted of 80 men, part infantry, part cavalry;
with some 80 workhorses, 10 baggagewagons, and about 100 persons, women, sick people and the like.
They stayed the whole night here; made meat, drink, corn, hay and whatever they needed be brought them;
and went off next day without paying anything.
"Our Inns were now almost quite exhausted of forage in corn or hay; and we knew not how we were to pay
what had been spent,when the thirty French Light Cavalry, of whom we, with profound submission, on the
13th HUJUS gave your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency account, renewed their visit upon us;
came, under the command of Rittmeister de Mocu, on the 22d of October [while the baggagewagons,
workhorses, women, sick, and so forth, were hardly gone], towards evening, into the Town; consumed in
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meat and drink, oats and hay, and the like, what they could lay hold of; and next morning early marched
away, paying, as their custom is, nothing.
"Not enough that,besides the great foragecontribution (LIEFERUNG), which we already, with profound
submission, notified to your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency as having been laid upon us; and that,
by order of the Duc de Broglio, a new requisition is now laid on us, and we have had to engage for sixty
four more sacks of wheat, and thirtytwo of rye (as is noted under head A, in the enclosed copy),there has
farther come on us, on the part of the Reichs Army, from KreisCommissarius Heldorf [whose Schloss of
Grost, we perceive, they have since burnt, by way of thanks to him [Supra, No. 2.]], the simultaneous Order
for instant delivery of Forage (as under head B, here enclosed)! Thus are we, at the appointed places, all at
once to furnish such quantities, more than we can raise; and know not when or where we shall, either for
what has been already furnished, or for what is still to be, receive one penny of money: nay, over and above,
we are to sustain the many marchings of troops, and provide to the same what meat, drink, oats, hay and so
on, they require, without the least return of payment!
"So unendurable, and, taken all together, so hard (SIC) begins the conduct of these troops, that profess being
come as friends and helpers, to appear to us. And Heaven alone knows how long, under a continuance of such
things, the subjects (whom the Hailstorm of last year had at any rate impoverished) shall be able to support
the same. We would, were a reasonable delivery of forage laid upon us even at a low price, and the board and
billet of the marching troops paid to us even in part, lay out our whole strength in helping to bear the burdens
of the Fatherland; but if such things go on, which will soon leave us only bare life and empty huts, we can
look forward to nothing but our ruin and destruction. But, as it is not your Royal Majesty's and Electoral
Translucency's most gracious will that we, your Most Supreme Self's most faithful subjects, should entirely
perish, therefore we repeat our former most submissive prayer once again with hot (SIC) sorrow of mind to
HighesttheSame; and sob most submissively for that help which your Most Supreme Self, through most
gracious mediation with the Duc de Richelieu, with the Reichs Army or wherever else, might perhaps most
graciously procure for us. Who, in deepest longing thitherwards, with the most deepest devotion, remain"
[ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 688691.] (NAMES, unfortunately, not given).
How many Saxons and Germans generallyalas, how many men universallycry towards celestial
luminaries of the governing kind with the most deepest devotion, in their extreme need, under their
unsufferable injuries; and are truly like dogs in the backyard barking at the Moon. The Moon won't come
down to them, and be eaten as green cheese; the Moon can't!
4. DAUPHINESS AFTER ROSSBACH. "ExciseInspector Neitsche, at Bebra, near Weissenfels [Bebra is
well ahead from Freiburg and the burnt Bridge, and a good twentyfive miles west of Weissenfels], writes
To the King of Poland's Majesty, 9th NOVEMBER, 1757:
"May it please your Royal Majesty and Electoral Translucency, out of your highest grace, to take knowledge,
from the accompanying Registers SUB SIGNO MARTIS [sign unknown to readers here], of the things
which, in the name of this Township of Bebra, the Burgermeister Johann Adam, with the Raths and others
concerned, have laid before the ExciseInspection here. As follows:
"It will be already well known to the ExciseInspection that on the 7th of November (A. C.) of the current
year [day before yesterday, in fact!], the French Army so handled this place as to have not only taken from
the inhabitants, by open force, all bread and articles of food, but likewise all clothes, beds, linens
(WASCHE), and other portable goods; that it has broken, split to pieces, and emptied out, all chests, boxes,
presses, drawers; has shot dead, in the backyards and on the thatchroofs, all manner of feathered stock, as
hens, geese, pigeons; also carried forth with it all swine, cow, sheep and horse cattle; laid violent hands on the
inhabitants, clapped guns, swords, pistols to their breast, and threatened to kill them unless they showed and
brought out whatever goods they had; or else has hunted them wholly out of their houses, shooting at them,
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Chapter VIII. BATTLE OF ROSSBACH. 1194
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cutting, sticking and at last driving them away, thereby to have the freer room to rob and plunder: flung out
hay and other harveststock from the barns into the mud and dung, and had it trampled to ruin under the
horses, feet; nay, in fact, has dealt with this place in so unpermitted a way as even to the most hardhearted
man must seem compassionable."Poor fellows: CETERA DESUNT; but that is enough! What can a Polish
Majesty and Electoral Translucency do? Here too is a sorrowful howling to the Moon. [ HeldenGeschichte,
iv. 692.]
... "For a hundred miles round," writes St. Germain, "the Country is plundered and harried as if fire from
Heaven had fallen on it; scarcely have our plunderers and marauders left the houses standing. ... I lead a band
of robbers, of assassins, fit for breaking on the wheel; they would turn tail at the first gunshot, and are always
ready to mutiny. If the Government (LA COUR," with its Pompadour presiding, very unlikely for such an
enterprise!) "cannot lay the knife to the root of all this, we may give up the notion of War." [St. Germain,
after Rossbach and before (in Preuss, UBI SUPRA).] ...
Such a pitch have French Armies sunk to. When was there seen such a Bellona as Dauphiness before? Nay, in
fact, she is the same devil serving Army that Marechal de Saxe commanded with such triumph, Marechal
de Saxe in better luck for opponents; Army then in a younger stage of its development. Foaming then as
sweet must, as new wine, in the hands of a skilful vintner, poisonous but brisk; not run, as now, to the vinegar
state, intolerable to all mortals. She can now announce from her camptheatres the reverse of the Roucoux
program, "Tomorrow, Messieurs, you are going to fight; our Manager foresees"you will be beaten; and
we cannot say what or where the next Piece will be! Impious, licentious, highflaring efflorescence of all the
Vices is not to be redeemed by the one QuasiVirtue of readiness to be shot;sweet of that kind, and sour of
this, are the same substance, if you only wait. How kind was the Devil to his Saxe; and flew away with him
in rosepink, while it was still time!
Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR SILESIA.
The fame of Friedrich is high enough again in the Gazetteer world; all people, and the French themselves,
laughing at their grandiloquent DauphinessBellona, and writing epigrams on Soubise. But Friedrich's
difficulties are still enormous. One enemy coming with open mouth, you plunge in upon, and ruin, on this
hand; and it only gives you room to attempt upon another bigger one on that. Soubise he has finished
handsomely, for this season; but now he must try conclusions with Prince Karl. Quick, towards Silesia, after
this glorious Victory which the Gazetteers are celebrating.
The news out of Silesia are ominously doubtful, bad at the best. Duke Bevern, once Winterfeld was gone,
had, as we observed, felt himself free to act; unchecked, but also unsupported, by counsel of the due heroism;
and had acted unwisely. Made direct for Silesia, namely, where are mealmagazines and strong places.
Prince Karl, they say, was also unwise; took no thought beforehand, or he might have gained marches,
disputed rivers, Bober, Queiss, with Bevern, and as good as hindered him from ever getting to Silesia. So say
critics, Retzow and others; perhaps looking too fixedly on one side of the question. Certain it is, Bevern
marched in peace to Silesia; found it by no means the better place it had promised to be.
Prince KarlDaun there as second, but Karl now the dominant hand was on the heels of Bevern, march
after march. Prince Karl cut athwart him by one cunning march, in Liegnitz Country; barring him from
Schweidnitz, the chief stronghold of Silesia, and to appearance from Breslau, the chief city, too. Bevern, who
did not want for soldiership, when reduced to his shifts, now made a beautiful manoeuvre, say the critics;
struck out leftwards, namely, and crossed the Oder, as if making for Glogau, quite beyond Prince Karl's
sphere of possibility,but turned to right, not to left, when across, and got in upon Breslau from the other or
east side of the River. Cunning manoeuvre, if you will, and followed by cunning manoeuvres: but the result
is, Prince Karl has got Schweidnitz to rear, stands between Breslau and it; can besiege Schweidnitz when he
likes, and no relief to it possible that will not cost a battle. A battle, thinks Friedrich, is what Bevern ought to
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have tried at first; a wellfought battle might have settled everything, and there was no other good likelihood
in such an expedition: but now, by detaching reinforcements to this garrison and that, he has weakened
himself beyond right power of fighting. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 141, 159.] Schweidnitz is liable to siege;
Breslau, with its poor walls and multitudinous population, can stand no siege worth mentioning; the Silesian
strong places, not to speak of mealmagazines, are like to go a bad road. Quite dominant, this Prince Karl;
placarding and proclaiming in all places, according to the new "Imperial Patent," [In HeldenGeschichte, (iv.
832, 833), Copy of it: "Absolved from all prior Treaties by Prussian Majesty's attack on us, We" ("21st Sept.
1757").] That Silesia is her Imperial Majesty's again! Which seems to be fast becoming the fact;unless
contradicted better. Quick!
Bevern has now, October 1st, no manoeuvre left but to draw out of Breslau; post himself on the southern side
of it, in a safe angle there, marshy Lohe in front, broad Oder to rear, Breslau at his righthand with bread;
and there intrenching himself by the best methods, wait slowly, in a sitting posture, events which are
extensively on the gallop at present. One fancies, Had Winterfeld been still there! It is as brave an Army,
30,000, or more, as ever wore steel. Surely something could have been done with it; something better than
sit watching the events on full gallop all round! Bevern was a loyal, considerably skilful and valiant man; in
the Battle of Lobositz, and elsewhere, we have seen him brave as a lion: but perhaps in the other kind of
bravery wanted here, he Well, his case was horribly difficult; full of intricacy. And he sat, no doubt in a
very wretched state, consulting the oracles, with events (which are themselves oracular) going at such a pace.
Schweidnitz was besieged October 26th. Nadasti, with 20,000, was set to do it; Prince Karl, with 60,000,
ready to protect him; Prince Bevern asking the oracles:what a bit of news for Friedrich; breaking suddenly
the effulgency of Rossbach with a bar of ominous black! Friedrich, still in the thick of pure Saxon business,
makes instant arrangement for Silesia as well: Prince Henri, with such and such corps, to maintain the Saale,
and guard Saxony; Marshal Keith, with such and such, to step over into Bohemia, and raise contributions at
least, and tread on the tail of the big Silesian snake: all this Friedrich settles within a week; takes certain corps
of his own, effective about 13,000; and on November 13th marches from Leipzig. Round by Torgau, by
Muhlberg, Grossenhayn; by Bautzen, Weissenberg, across the Queiss, across the Bober; and so, with long
marches, strides continually forward, all hearts willing, and all limbs, though in this sad winter weather,
towards relief of Schweidnitz.
At Grossenhayn, fifth day of the march, Friedrich learns that Schweidnitz is gone. November 12th14th,
Schweidnitz went by capitulation; contrary to everybody's hope or fear; certainly a very short defence for
such a fortress. Fault of the Commandant, was everybody's first thought. Not probably the best of
Commandants, said others gradually; but his garrison had Saxons in it;one day "180 of them in a lump
threw down their arms, in the trenches, and went over to the Enemy." Owing to whatsoever, the place is gone.
Such towers, such curtains, starramparts; such an opulence of cannons, stores, munitions, a 30,000 pounds
of hard cash, one item. All is gone, after a fortnight's siege. What a piece of news, as heard by Friedrich,
coming at his utmost towards the scene itself! As seen by Bevern, too, in his questioning mood, it was an
event of very oracular nature.
On Monday, 14th, Schweidnitz fell; Karl, with Nadasti reunited to him, was now 80,000 odd; and lost no
time. On Tuesday next, NOVEMBER 22d, 1757, "at three in the morning," long hours before daybreak, Karl,
with his 60,000, all learnedly arranged, comes rolling over upon hapless Bevern: with no end of cannonading
and storm of war: BATTLE OF BRESLAU, they call it; ruinous to Bevern. Of which we shall attempt no
description: except to say, that Karl had five bridges on the Lohe, came across the Lohe by five Bridges; and
that Bevern stood to his arms, steady as the rocks, to prevent his getting over, and to entertain him when over;
that there were five principal attacks, renewed and rerenewed as long as needful, with torrents of shot, of
death and tumult; over six or eight miles of country, for the space of fifteen hours. Battle comparable only to
Malplaquet, said the Austrians; such a hurricane of artillery, strongly intrenched enemy and loud doomsday
of war. Did not end till nine at night; Austrians victorious, more or less, in four of their attacks or separate
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enterprises: that is to say, masters of the Lohe, and of the outmost Prussian villages and posts in front of the
Prussian centre and right wing; victorious in that northern part;but plainly unvictorious in the southeast or
Prussian left wing,farthest off from Breslau, and under Ziethen's command, where they were driven
across the Lohe again, and lost prisoners and cannons, or a cannon. [In Seyfarth, Three Accounts; Beylagan,
ii. 198, 221, 234 et seq.]
Some of Bevern's people, grounding on this latter circumstance, and that they still held the Battlefield, or
most part of it, wrote themselves victorious;though in a dim brief manner, as if conscious of the contrary.
Which indeed was the fact. At the council of war, which he summoned that evening, there were proposals of
nightattack, and other fierce measures; but Bevern, rejecting the plan for a night attack on the Austrian
camp as too dubious, did, in the dark hours, through the silent streets of Breslau, withdraw himself across the
Oder, instead; leaving 80 cannon, and 5,000 killed and wounded; an evidently beaten man and Army. And
indeed did straightway disappear personally altogether, as no longer equal to events. Rode out, namely, to
reconnoitre in the gray of his second sad morning, on this new Bank of the Oder; saw little except gray mist;
but rode into a Croat outpost, only one poor groom attending him; and was there made prisoner:
intentionally, thought mankind; intentionally, thinks Friedrich, who was very angry with the poor man.
[Preuss, ii. 102. More exact in Kutzen, DER TAG VON LEUTHEN (Breslau, 1857,an excellent exact
little Compilation, from manifold sources well studied), pp. 166169, date "24th November."]
The poor man was carried to Vienna, if readers care to know; but being a near Cousin there (secondcousin,
no less, to the late EmpressMother), was by the high nowreigning EmpressQueen received in a
charmingly gracious manner, and sent home again without ransom. "To Stettin!" beckoned Friedrich sternly
from the distance, and would not see him at all: "To Stettin, I say, your official post in time of peace!
Command me the invalid Garrison there; you are fit for nothing better!"I will add one other thing, which
unhappily will seem strange to readers: that there came no whisper of complaint from Bevern; mere silence,
and loyal industry with his poor means, from Bevern; and that he proved heroically useful in Stettin two
years hence, against the Swedes, against the Russians in the SiegeofColberg time; and gained Friedrich's
favor again, with other good results. Which I observe was a common method with Prussian Generals and
soldiers, when, unjustly or justly, they fell into trouble of this kind; and a much better one than that of
complaining in the Newspapers, and demanding Commissions of Inquiry, presided over by Chaos and the
FourthEstate, now is.
Bevern being with the Croats, the Prussian Army falls to General Kyau, as next in rank; who (directly in the
teeth of fierce orders that are speeding hither for Bevern and him) marches away, leaving Breslau to its fate;
and making towards Glogau, as the one sure point in this wreck of things. And Prince Karl, that same day,
goes upon Breslau; which is in no case to resist and be bombarded: so that poor old General Lestwitz, the
Prussian Commandant,always thought to be a valiant old gentleman, but who had been wounded in the late
Action, and was blamably discouraged,took the terms offered, and surrendered without firing a gun.
Garrison and he to march out, in "Free Withdrawal;" these are the terms: Garrison was 4,000 and odd, mostly
Silesian recruits; but there marched hardly 500 out with poor Lestwitz; the Silesian recruitspersuaded by
conceivable methods, that they were to be prisoners of war, and that, in short, Austria was now come to be
King again, and might make inquiry into men's conductfound it safer to take service with Austria, to
vanish into holes in Breslau or where they could; and, for instance, one regiment (or battalion, let us hide the
name of it), on marching through the Gate, consisted only of nine chief officers and four men. [Muller,
SCHLACHT BEI LEUTHEN (Berlin, 1857,professedly a mere abridgment and shadow of Kutzen:
unindexed like it), p. 12 (with name and particulars).]
There were lost 98 pieces of cannon; endless magazines and stores of war. A Breslau scandalously gone;a
Breslau preaching day after next (27th, which was Sunday), in certain of its churches, especially Cardinal
Schaffgotsch in the Dom Insel doing it, Thanksgiving Sermons, as per order, with unction real or official,
"That our ancient sovereigns are restored to us:" which Sermons except in the Schaffgotsch case, Prince
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Karl and the high Catholic world all there in galawere "sparsely attended," say my authors. The Austrians
are at the top of their pride; and consider full surely that Silesia is theirs, though Friedrich were here twice
over. "What is Friedrich? We beat him at Kolin. His Prussians at Zittau, at Moys, at Breslau in the new
Malplaquet, were we beaten by them? Hnh!"and snort (in the Austrian messrooms), and snap their
fingers at Friedrich and his coming.
It was at Gorlitz (scene of poor Winterfeld's death) that Friedrich, "on November 23d, the tenth day of his
march," first got rumor of the Breslau Malplaquet: "endless cannonading heard thereabouts all yesterday!"
said rumor from the east,more and more steadily, as Friedrich hastened forward;and that it was "a
victory for Bevern." Till, at Naumburg on the Queiss, he gets the actual tidings: Bevern gone to the Croats,
Breslau going, Kyau marching vague; and what kind of victory it was.
Ever from Grossenhayn onwards there had been message on message, more and more rigorous, precise and
indignant, "Do this, do that; your Dilection shall answer it with your head!"not one message of which
reached his Dilection, till Dilection and Fate (such the gallop of events) had done the contrary: and now
Dilection and his head have made a finish of it. "No," answers Friedrich to himself; "not till we are all
finished!"and pushes on, he too, like a kind of Fate. "What does or can he mean, then?" say the Austrians,
with scornful astonishment, and think his head must be turning: "Will he beat us out of Silesia with his
Potsdam GuardParade then?" "POTSDAMSCHE WACHTPARADE:"so they denominate his small
Army; and are very mirthful in their messrooms. "I will attack them, if they stood on the Zobtenberg, if they
stood on the steeples of Breslau!" said Friedrich; and tramped diligently forward. Day after day, as the real
tidings arrive, his outlook in Silesia is becoming darker and darker: a sternly dark march this altogether.
Prince Karl has thrown a garrison into Liegnitz on Friedrich's road; Prince Karl lies encamped with Breslau at
his back; has above 80,000 when fully gathered; and reigns supreme in those parts. Darker march there
seldom was: all black save a light that burns in one heart, refusing to be quenched till death.
Friedrich sends orders that Kyau shall be put in arrest; that Ziethen shall be general of the Bevern wreck,
shall bring it round by Glogau, and rendezvous with Friedrich at a place and day, Parchwitz, 2d of
December coming;and be steady, my old Ziethen. Friedrich brushes past the Liegnitz Garrison, leaves
Liegnitz and it a trifle to the right; arrives at Parchwitz November 28th; and there rests, or at least his weary
troops do, till Ziethen come up; the King not very restful, with so many things to prearrange; a life or death
crisis now nigh. Well, it is but death; and death has been fronted before now! We who are after the event, on
the safe sunny side of it, can form small image of the horrors and the inward dubieties to him who is passing
through it;and how Hope is needed to shine heroically eternal in some hearts. Fire of Hope, that does not
issue in mere blazings, mad audacities and chaotic despair, but advances with its eyes open, measuredly,
counting its steps, to the wrestlingplace,this is a godlike thing; much available to mankind in all the
battles they have; battles with steel, or of whatever sort.
Friedrich, at Parchwitz, assembled his Captains, and spoke to them; it was the night after Ziethen came in,
night of December 3d, 1757; and Ziethen, no doubt, was there: for it is an authentic meeting, this at
Parchwitz, and the words were taken down.
FRIEDRICH'S SPEECH TO HIS GENERALS (Parchwitz, 3d December, 1757). [From RETZOW, i.
240242 (slightly abridged).]
"It is not unknown to you, MEINE HERREN, what disasters have befallen here, while we were busy with the
French and Reichs Army. Schweidnitz is gone; Duke of Bevern beaten; Breslau gone, and all our warstores
there; good part of Silesia gone: and, in fact, my embarrassments would be at the insuperable pitch, had not I
boundless trust in you, and your qualities, which have been so often manifested, as soldiers and sons of your
Country. Hardly one among you but has distinguished himself by some nobly memorable action: all these
services to the State and me I know well, and will never forget.
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"I flatter myself, therefore, that in this case too nothing will be wanting which the State has a right to expect
of your valor. The hour is at hand. I should think I had done nothing, if I left the Austrians in possession of
Silesia. Let me apprise you, then: I intend, in spite of the Rules of Art, to attack Prince Karl's Army, which is
nearly thrice our strength, wherever I find it. The question is not of his numbers, or the strength of his
position: all this, by courage, by the skill of our methods, we will try to make good. This step I must risk, or
everything is lost. We must beat the enemy, or perish all of us before his batteries. So I read the case; so I will
act in it.
"Make this my determination known to all Officers of the Army; prepare the men for what work is now to
ensue, and say that I hold myself entitled to demand exact fulfilment of orders. For you, when I reflect that
you are Prussians, can I think that you will act unworthily? But if there should be one or another who dreads
to share all dangers with me, he,"continued his Majesty, with an interrogative look, and then pausing for
answer,"can have his Discharge this evening, and shall not suffer the least reproach from me."Modest
strong bass murmur; meaning "No, by the Eternal!" if you looked into the eyes and faces of the group. Never
will Retzow Junior forget that scene, and how effulgently eloquent the veteran physiognomies were.
"Hah, I knew it," said the King, with his most radiant smile, "none of you would desert me! I depend on your
help, then; and on victory as sure."The speech winds up with a specific passage: "The Cavalry regiment
that does not on the instant, on order given, dash full plunge into the enemy, I will, directly after the Battle,
unhorse, and make it a Garrison regiment. The Infantry battalion which, meet with what it may, shows the
least sign of hesitating, loses its colors and its sabres, and I cut the trimmings from its uniform! Now
goodnight, Gentlemen: shortly we have either beaten the Enemy, or we never see one another again."
An excellent temper in this Army; a rough vein of heroism in it, steady to the death;and plenty of hope in it
too, hope in Vater Fritz. "Never mind," the soldiers used to say, in John Duke of Marlborough's time,
"Corporal John will get us through it!"That same evening Friedrich rode into the Camp, where the
regiments he had were now all gathered, out of their cantonments, to march on the morrow. First regiment he
came upon was the LifeGuard Cuirassiers: the men, in their accustomed way, gave him good evening,
which he cheerily returned. Some of the more veteran sort asked, ruggedly confidential, as well as loyal:
"What is thy news, then, so late?" "Good news, children (KINDER): tomorrow you will beat the Austrians
tightly!" "That we will, by!" answered they. "But think only where they stand yonder, and how they
have intrenched themselves?" said Friedrich. "And if they had the Devil in front and all round them, we will
knock them out; only thou lead us on!""Well, I will see what you can do: now lay you down, and sleep
sound; and good sleep to you!" "Goodnight, Fritz!" answer all; [Muller, p. 21 (from Kaltenhorn, of whom
INFRA); Preuss, as Fritz ambles on to the next regiment, to which, as to every one, he will have some word.
Was it the famous Pommern regiment, this that he next spoke to, who answered Loudon's summons to
them once (as shall be noticed by and by) in a way ineffable, though unforgettable? Manteuffel of Foot; yes,
no other! [Archenholtz, ii. 61; and Kutzen, p. 35.] They have their own opinion of their capacities against an
enemy, and do not want for a good conceit of themselves. "Well, children, how think you it will be
tomorrow? They are twice as strong as we." "Never thou mind that; there are no Pommerners among them;
thou knowest what the Pommerners can do!"FRIEDRICH: "Yea, truly, that do I; otherwise I durst not risk
the battle. Now good sleep to you! tomorrow, then, we shall either have beaten the Enemy or else be all
dead." "Yea," answered the whole regiment; "dead, or else the Enemy beaten:" and so went to deep sleep,
preface to a deeper for many of them,as beseems brave men. In this world it much beseems the brave man,
uncertain about so many things, to be certain of himself for one thing.
These snatches of Camp Dialogue, much more the Speech preserved to us by Retzow Junior, appear to be
true; though as to the dates, the circumstances, there has been debating. [Kutzen, pp. 175181.] Other
Anecdotes, dubious or more, still float about in quantity; of which let us give only one; that of the Deserter
(which has merit as a myth). "What made thee desert, then?" "Hm, alas, your Majesty, we were got so down
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in the world, and had such a time of it!""Well, try it one day more; and if we cannot mend matters, thou
and I will both desert."
A learned Doctor, one of the most recent on these matters, is astonished why the Histories of Friedrich should
be such dreary reading, and Friedrich himself so prosaic, barren an object; and lays the blame upon the Age,
insensible to real greatness; led away by claptrap Napoleonisms, regardless of expense. Upon which
Smelfungus takes him up, with a twitch:
"To my sad mind, Herr Doctor, it seems ascribable rather to the Dryasdust of these Ages, especially to the
Prussian Dryasdust, sitting comfortable in his Academies, waving sublimely his long ears as he tramples
human Heroisms into unintelligible pipeclay and dreary continents of sand and cinders, with the Doctors all
applauding.
"Had the sacred Poet, or man of real Human Genius, been at his work, for the thousand years last past,
instead of idly fiddling far away from his work,which surely is definable as being very mainly, That of
INTERPRETING human Heroisms; of painfully extricating, and extorting from the circumambient chaos of
muddy babble, rumor and mendacity, some not inconceivable human and divine Image of them, more and
more clear, complete and credible for mankind (poor mankind dumbly looking up to him for guidance, as to
what it shall think of God and of Men in this Scene of Things), I calculate, we should by this time have
had a different Friedrich of it; O Heavens, a different world of it, in so many respects!
"My esteemed Herr Doctor, it is too painful a subject. Godlike fabulous Achilles, and the old Greek Kings of
men, one perceives, after study, to be dim enough Grazier Sovereigns, 'living among infinite dung,' till their
sacred Poet extricated them. And our UNsacred alldesecrating Dryasdust,Herr Doctor, I must say, it fills
me with despair! Authentic human Heroisms, not fabulous a whit, but true to the bone, and by all appearance
very much nobler than those of godlike Achilles and pious AEneas ever could have been,left in this
manner, trodden under foot of man and beast; man and beast alike insensible that there is anything but
common mud under foot, and grateful to anybody that will assure them there is nothing. Oh, Doctor, oh,
Doctor! And the results of itYou need not go exclusively 'to France' to look at them. They are too visible in
the socalled 'Social Hierarchies,' and sublime gilt Doggeries, sltcred and secular, of all Modern Countries!
Let us be silent, my friend."
"Prussian Dryasdust," he says elsewhere, "does make a terrible job of it; especially when he attempts to weep
through his pipeclay, or rise with his long ears into the moral sublime. As to the German People, I find that
they dimly have not wanted sensibility to Friedrich; that their multitudes of Anecdotes, still circulating
among them in print and VIVA VOCE, are proof of this. Thereby they have at least made a MYTH of
Friedrich's History, and given some rhythmus, life and cheerful human substantiality to his work and him.
Accept these Anecdotes as the Epic THEY could not write of him, but were longing to hear from somebody
who could. Who has not yet appeared among mankind, nor will for some time. Alas, my friend, on piercing
through the bewildering nimbus of babble, malignity, mendacity, which veils sevenfold the Face of
Friedrich from us, and getting to see some glimpses of the Face itself, one is sorrowfully struck dumb once
more. What a suicidal set of creatures; commanding as with one voice, That there shall be no Heroism more
among them; that all shall be Doggery and Common place henceforth. 'ACH, MEIN LIEBER SULZER,
you don't know that damned brood!'Well, well. 'Solomon's Temple,' the Moslems say, 'had to be built
under the chirping of ten thousand Sparrows.' Ten thousand of them; committee of the whole house,
unanimously of the opposite view;and could not quite hinder it. That too is something!"
More to our immediate purpose is this other thing: That the Austrians have been in Council of War; and, on
deliberation, have decided to come out of their defences; to quit their strong Camp, which lies so eligibly,
ahead of Breslau and arear of Lissa and of Schweidnitz Water yonder; to cross Schweidnitz Water, leave
Lissa behind them; and meet this offensively aggressive Friedrich in pitched fight. Several had voted, No,
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why stir?Daun especially, and others with emphasis. "No need of fighting at all," said Daun: "we can
defend Schweidnitz Water; ruin him before he ever get across." "Defend? Be assaulted by an Army like his?"
urges Lucchesi, the other Chief General: "It is totally unworthy of us! We have gained the game; all the
honors ours; let us have done with it. Give him battle, since he fortunately wishes it; we finish him, and
gloriously finish the War too!" So argued Lucchesi, with vivacity, persistency,to his own ill luck, but
evidently with approval from Prince Karl. Everybody sees, this is the way to Prince Karl's favor at present.
"Have not I reconquered Silesia?" thinks Prince Karl to himself; and beams applause on the high course, not
the low prudent one. [Kutzen, pp. 4548.] In a word, the Austrians decide on stepping out to meet Friedrich
in open battle: it was the first time they ever did so; and it was likewise the last.
Sunday, December 4th, at four in the morning, Friedrich has marched from Parchwitz, straight towards the
Austrian Camp; [Muller, p. 26.] he hears, one can fancy with what pleasure, that the Austrians are advancing
towards him, and will not need to be forced in their strong position. His march is in four columns, Friedrich
in the vanguard; quarters to be Neumarkt, a little Town about fourteen miles off. Within some miles of
Neumarkt, early in the afternoon, he learns that there are a thousand Croats in the place, the Austrian Bakery
at work there, and engineer people marking out an Austrian Camp. "On the Height beyond Neumarkt, that
will be?" thinks Friedrich; for he knows this ground, having often done reviews here; to Breslau all the way
on both hands, not a rood of it but is familiar to him. Which was a singular advantage, say the critics; and a
point the Austrian Council of War should have taken more thought of.
Friedrich, before entering Neumarkt, sends a regiment to ride quietly round it on both sides, and to seize that
Height he knows of. Height once seized, or ready for seizing, he bursts the barrier of Neumarkt; dashes in
upon the thousand Croats; flings out the Croats in extreme hurry, musketry and sabre acting on them; they
find their Height beset, their retreat cut off, and that they must vanish. Of the 1,000 Croats, "569 were taken
prisoners, and 120 slain," in this unexpected sweeping out of Neumarkt. Better still, in Neumarkt is found the
Austrian Bakery, set up and in full work;delivers you 80,000 breadrations hotandhot, which little
expected to go such a road. On the Height, the Austrian stakes and engineertools were found sticking in the
ground; so hasty had the flight been.
How Prince Karl came to expose his Bakery, his staff of life so far ahead of him? Prince Karl, it is clear, was
a little puffed up with high thoughts at this time. The capture of Schweidnitz, the late "Malplaquet" (poorish
AntiBevern Malplaquet), capture of Breslau, and the low and lost condition of Friedrich's Silesian affairs,
had more or less turned everybody's head,everybody's except Feldmarschall Daun's alone:and witty
messtables, we already said, were in the daily habit of mocking at Friedrich's march towards them with
aggressive views, and called his insignificant little Army the "Potsdam GuardParade." [Cogniazzo, ii.
417422.] That was the common triumphant humor; naturally shared in by Prince Karl; the ready way to
flatter him being to sing in that tune. Nobody otherwise can explain, and nobody in any wise can justify,
Prince Karl's ignorance of Friedrich's advance, his almost voluntary losing of his staffoflife in that manner.
Prince Karl's soldiers have each (in the cold form) three days, provision in their haversacks: they have come
across the Weistritz River (more commonly called Schweidnitz Water), which was also the height of
contemptuous imprudence; and lie encamped, this night, in long line, not illchosen (once the River IS
behind), perpendicular to Friedrich's march, some ten miles ahead of him. Since crossing, they had learned
with surprise, How their Bakery and Croats had been snapt up; that Friedrich was not at a distance, but
near;and that arrangements could not be made too soon! Their position intersects the Great Road at right
angles, as we hint; and has villages, swamps, woody knolls; especially, on each wing, good defences. Their
right wing leans on Nypern and its impassable peatbogs, a Village two or three miles north from the Great
Road; their centre is close behind another Village called Leuthen, about as far south from it: length of their
bivouac is about five miles; which will become six or so, had Nadasti once taken post, who is to form the left
wing, and go down as far as Sagschutz, southward of Leuthen. Seven battalions are in this Village of
Leuthen, eight in Nypern, all the Villages secured; woods, scraggy abatis, redoubts, not forgotten: their
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cannon are numerous, though of light calibre. Friedrich has at least 71 heavy pieces; and 10 of them are
formidably heavy,brought from the walls of Glogau, with terrible labor to Ziethen; but with excellent
effect, on this occasion and henceforth. They got the name of "Boomers, Bellowers (DIE BRUMMER),"
those Ten. Friedrich was in great straits about artillery; and Retzow Senior recommended this hauling up of
the Ten Bellowers, which became celebrated in the years coming. And now we are on the Battleground, and
must look into the Battle itself, if we can.
Chapter X. BATTLE OF LEUTHEN.
From Neumarkt, on Monday, long before day, the Prussians, all but a small party left there to guard the
Bakery and Army Properties, are out again; in four columns; towards what may lie ahead. Friedrich, as usual
in such cases, for obvious reasons, rides with the vanguard. To Borne, the first Village on the Highway, is
some seven or eight miles. The air is damp, the dim incipiences of dawn struggling among haze; a little way
on this side Borne, we come on ranks of cavalry drawn across the Highway, stretching right and left into the
dim void: Austrian Army this, then? Push up to it; see what it is, at least.
It proves to be poor General Nostitz, with his three Saxon regiments of dragoons, famous since Kolinday,
and a couple of Hussar regiments, standing here as outpost;who ought to have been more alert; but they
could not see through the dark, and so, instead of catching, are caught. The Prussians fall upon them, front
and flank, tumble them into immediate wreck; drive the whole outpost at full gallop home, through Borne,
upon Nypern and the right wing,without news except of this symbolical sort. Saxon regiments are quite
ruined, "540 of them prisoners" (poor Nostitz himself not prisoner, but wounded to death [Died in Breslau,
the twelfth day after (Seyfarth, ii. 362).]); and the ground clear in this quarter.
Friedrich, on the farther side of Borne, calls halt, till the main body arrive; rides forward, himself and staff, to
the highest of a range or suite of knolls, some furlongs ahead; sees there in full view, far and wide, the
Austrians drawn up before him. From Nypern to Sagschuitz yonder; miles in length; and so distinct, while the
light mended and the hazes faded, "that you could have counted them [through your glasses], man by man."
A highly interesting sight to Friedrich; who continues there in the profoundest study, and calls up some horse
regiments of the vanguard to maintain this Height and the range of Heights running south from it. And there,
I think, the King is mainly to be found, looking now at the Austrians, now at his own people, for some three
hours to come. His plan of Battle is soon clear to him: Nypern, with its bogs and scrags, on the Austrian right
wing, is tortuous impossible ground, as he well remembers, no good prospect for us there: better ground for
us on their left yonder, at Leuthen, even at Sagschutz farther south, whither they are stretching themselves.
Attempt their left wing; try our "Oblique Order" upon that, with all the skill that is in us; perhaps we can do it
rightly this time, and prosper accordingly! That is Friedrich's plan of action. The four columns once got to
Borne shall fall into two; turn to the right, and go southward, ever southward:they are to become our two
Lines of Battle, were they once got to the right point southward. Well opposite Sagschutz, that will be the
point for facing to left, and marching up,in "Oblique Order," with the utmost faculty they have!
"The Oblique Order, SCHRAGE STELLUNG," let the hasty reader pause to understand, "is an old plan
practised by Epaminondas, and revived by Friedrich,who has tried it in almost all his Battles more or less,
from Hohenfriedberg forward to Prag, Kolin, Rossbach; but never could, in all points, get it rightly done till
now, at Leuthen, in the highest time of need. "It is a particular manoeuvre," says Archenholtz, rather
sergeantwise, "which indeed other troops are now [1793] in the habit of imitating; but which, up to this
present time, none but Prussian troops can execute with the precision and velocity indispensable to it. You
divide your line into many pieces; you can push these forward stairwise, so that they shall halt close to one
another," obliquely, to either hand; and so, on a minimum of ground, bring your mass of men to the required
point at the required angle. Friedrich invented this mode of getting into position; by its close ranking, by its
depth, and the manner of movement used, it had some resemblance to the "Macedonian Phalanx,"chiefly
in the latter point, I should guess; for when arrived at its place, it is no deeper than common. "Forming itself
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in this way, a mass of troops takes up in proportion very little ground; and it shows in the distance, by reason
of the mixed uniforms and standards, a totally chaotic mass of men heaped on one another," going in rapid
mazes this way and that. "But it needs only that the Commander lift his finger; instantly this living coil of
knotted intricacies develops itself in perfect order, and with a speed like that of mountain rivers when the ice
breaks,"is upon its Enemy. [Archenholtz, i. 209.]
"Your Enemy is ranked as here, in long line, three or two to one. You march towards him, but keep him
uncertain as to how you will attack; then do on a sudden march up, not parallel to him, but oblique, at an
angle of 45 degrees,swift, vehement, in overpowering numbers, on the wing you have chosen. Roll that
wing together, ruined, in upon its own line, you may roll the whole five miles of line into disorder and ruin,
and always be in overpowering number at the point of dispute. Provided, only, you are swift enough about it,
sharp enough! But extraordinary swiftness, sharpness, precision is the indispensable condition;by no
means try it otherwise; none but Prussians, drilled by an Old Dessauer, capable of doing it. This is the
SCHRAGE ORDNUNG, about which there has been such commentating and controversying among military
people: whether Friedrich invented it, whether Caesar did it, how Epaminondas, how Alexander at Arbela;
how"Which shall not in the least concern us on this occasion.
The four columns rustled themselves into two, and turned southward on the two sides of Borne;southward
henceforth, for about two hours; as if straight towards the Magic Mountain, the Zobtenberg, far off, which is
conspicuous over all that region. Their steadiness, their swiftness and exactitude were unsurpassable. "It was
a beautiful sight," says Tempelhof, an eye witness: "The heads of the columns were constantly on the same
level, and at the distance necessary for forming; all flowed on exact, as if in a review. And you could read in
the eyes of our brave troops the noble temper they were in." [Tempelhof, i. 288, 287.] I know not at what
point of their course, or for how long, but it was from the column nearest him, which is to be first line, that
the King heard, borne on the winds amid their fieldmusic, as they marched there, the sound of
Psalms,manyvoiced melody of a Church Hymn, well known to him; which had broken out, band
accompanying, among those otherwise silent men. The fact is very certain, very strange to me: details not
very precise, except that here, as specimen, is a verse of their Hymn:
"Grant that with zeal and skill, this day, I do
What me to do behooves, what thou command'st me to;
Grant that I do it sharp, at point of moment fit,
And when I do it, grant me good success in it."
"Gieb dass ich thu' mit Fleiss was mir zu thun gebuhret,
Wozu mich dein Befehl in meinem Stande fuhret,
Gieb dass ich's thue bald, zu der Zeit da ich's soll;
Und wenn ich's thu', so gieb dass es gerathe wohl." ["HYMNBOOK of Porst" (Prussian
Sternholdand Hopkins), "p. 689:" cited in Preuss, ii. 107.]
One has heard the voice of waters, one has paused in the mountains at the voice of faroff Covenanter
psalms; but a voice like this, breaking the commanded silences, one has not heard. "Shall we order that to
cease, your Majesty?" "By no means," said the King; whose hard heart seems to have been touched by it, as
might well be. Indeed there is in him, in those grim days, a tone as of trust in the Eternal, as of real religious
piety and faith, scarcely noticeable elsewhere in his History. His religion, and he had in withered forms a
good deal of it, if we will look well, beiug almost always in a strictly voiceless state,nay, ultravoiceless,
or voiced the wrong way, as is too well known. "By no means!" answered he: and a moment after, said to
some one, Ziethen probably: "With men like these, don't you think I shall have victory this day!"
The loss of their Saxon Forepost proved more important to the Austrians than it seemed;not computable in
prisoners, or killed and wounded. The Height named Scheuberg,"Borne Rise" (so we might call it, which
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has got its Pillar of memorial since, with gilt Victory atop [Not till 1854 (Kutzen, pp. 194, 195).];where
Friedrich now is and where the Austrians are not, is at once a screen and a point of vision to Friedrich. By
loss of their Nostitz Forepost, they had lost view of Friedrich, and never could recover view of him; could not
for hours learn distinctly what he was about; and when he did come in sight again, it was in a most
unexpected place! On the farther side of Borne, edge of the big expanse of open country there, Friedrich has
halted; ridden with his adjutants to the top of "the Scheuberg (ShyHILL)," as the Books call it, though it is
more properly a blunt Knoll or "Rise," the nearest of a Chain of Knolls, or swells in the ground, which
runs from north to south on that part.
Except the Zobtenberg, rising blue and massive, on the southern horizon (famous mythologic Mountain,
reminding you of an ARTHUR'S SEAT in shape too, only bigger and solitary), this Country, for many miles
round, has nothing that could be called a Hill; it is definable as a bare widewaving champaign, with slight
bumps on it, or slow heavings and sinkings. Country mostly under culture, though it is of sandy quality; one
or two sluggish brooks in it; and reedy meres or mires, drained in our day. It is dotted with Hamlets of the
usual kind; and has patches of scraggy fir. Your horizon, even where bare, is limited, owing to the wavy
heavings of the ground; windmills and churchbelfries are your only resource, and even these, from about
Leuthen and the Austrian position, leave the Borne quarter mostly invisible to you. Leuthen Belfry, the same
which may have stood a hundred years before this Battle, ends in a small tileroof, open only at the
gables:"Leuthen Belfry," says a recent Tourist, "is of small resource for a view. To south you can see some
distance, Sagschutz, Lobetintz and other Hamlets, amid scraggy firpatches, and meadows, once miry pools;
but to north you are soon shut in by a swell or slow rise, with two windmills upon it [important to readers at
present]; and to eastward [Breslau side and Lissa side], or to westward [Friedrich's side], one has no view,
except of the old warped rafters and their old mouldy tiles within few inches; or, if by audacious efforts at
each end, to the risk of your neck, you get a transient peep, it is stopt, far short of Borne, by the slow irregular
heavings, with or without fir about them." [Tourist's Note, PENES ME.]
In short, Friedrich keeps possession of that Borne ridge of Knolls, escorted by Cavalry in good numbers;
twinkling about in an enigmatic way:"Prussian right wing yonder," think the Austrians "whitherward, or
what can they mean?"and keeps his own columns and the Austrian lines in view; himself and his
movements invisible, or worse, to the Austrian Generals from any spyglass or conjecture they can employ.
The Austrian Generals are in windmills, on churchbelfries, here, there; diligently scanning the abstruse
phenomenon, of which so little can be seen. Daun, who had always been against this adventure, thinks it
probable the vanished Prussians are retiring southward: for Bohemia and our Magazines probably. "These
good people are smuggling off (DIE GUTEN LEUTE PASCHEN AB)," said he: "let them go in peace."
[Muller, p. 36.] Daun, that morning, in his reconnoitrings, had asked of a peasant, "What is that, then?"
(meaning the top of a Villagesteeple in the distance, but thought by the peasant to be meaning something
nearer hand). "That is the Hill our King chases the Austrians over, when he is reviewing here!" Which Daun
reported at headquarters with a grin. [Nicolai, Anekdoten, iv. 34.]
Lucchesi, on the other hand, scanning those Borne Hills, and the cavalry of Friedrich's escort twinkling hither
and thither on them, becomes convinced to a moral certainty, That yonder is the Prussian Vanguard, probable
extremity of left wing; and that he, Lucchesi, here at Nypern, is to be attacked. "Attacked, you?" said one
Montazet, French Agent or Emissary here: "unless they were snipes, it is impossible!" But Lucchesi saw it
too well.
He sends to say that such is the evident fact, and that he, Lucchesi, is not equal to it, but must have large
reinforcement of Horse to his right wing. "Tush!" answer Prince Karl and Daun; and return only argument,
verbal consolation, to distressed Lucchesi. Lucchesi sends a second message, more passionately pressing, to
the like effect; also with the like return. Upon which he sends a third message, quite passionate: "If Cavalry
do not come, I will not be responsible for the issue!" And now Daun does collect the required reinforcement;
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"all the reserve of Horse, and a great many from the left wing;"and, Daun himself heading them, goes off
at a swift trot; to look into Lucchesi and his distresses, three or four miles to right, five or six from where the
danger lies. Now is Friedrich's golden moment.
Wending always south, on their western or invisible side of those Knolls, Friedrich's people have got to about
the level, or LATITUDE as we might call it, of Nadasti's left. To Radaxdorf, namely, to Lobetintz, or still
farther south, and perhaps a mile to west of Nadasti. Friedrich has mounted to Lobetintz Windmill; and
judges that the time is come. Daun and Cavalry once got to support their right wing, and our south latitude
being now sufficient, Friedrich, swift as Prussian manoeuvring can do it, falls with all his strength upon their
left wing. Forms in oblique order,horse, foot, artillery, all perfect in their paces; and comes streaming over
the Knolls at Sagschutz, suddenly like a firedeluge on Nadasti, who had charge there, and was expecting no
such adventure! How Friedrich did the forming in oblique order was at that time a mystery known only to
Friedrich and his Prussians: but soldiers of all countries, gathering the secret from him, now understand it,
and can learnedly explain it to such as are curious. Will readers take a touch more of the
DRILLSERGEANT?
"You go stairwise (EN ECHELON)," says he: "first battalion starts, second stands immovable till the first
have done fifty steps; at the fiftyfirst, second battalion also steps along; third waiting for ITS fiftyfirst step.
First battalion [rightmost battalion or leftmost, as the case may be; rightmost in this Leuthen case] doing fifty
steps before the next stirs, and each battalion in succession punctually doing the same:" march along on these
terms,or halt at either end, while you advance at the other,it is evident you will swing yourself out of the
parallel position into any degree of obliquity. And furthermore, merely by halting and facing half round at the
due intervals, you shove yourself to right or to left as required (always to right in this Leuthen case): and
soprovided you CAN march as a pair of compasses wouldyou will, in the given number of minutes,
impinge upon your Enemy's extremity at the required angle, and overlap him to the required length:
whereupon, At him, in flank, in front, and rear, and see if he can stand it! "A beautiful manoeuvre" says
Captain Archenholtz; "devised by Friedrich," by Friedrich inheriting Epaminondas and the Old Dessauer;
"and which perhaps only Friedrich's men, to this day, could do with the requisite perfection."
Nadasti, a skilful WarCaptain, especially with Horse, was beautifully posted about Sagschutz; his extreme
left folded up EN POTENCE there (elbow of it at Sagschutz, forearm of it running to Gohlau eastward);
POTENCE ending in firwood Knolls with Croat musketeers, in ditches, ponds, difficult ground, especially
towards Gohlau. He has a strong battery, 14 pieces, on the Height to rear of him, at the angle or elbow of his
POTENCE; strong abatis, well manned in front to rightwards: upon this, and upon the Croats in the firwood,
the Prussians intend their attack. General Wedell is there, Prince Moritz as chief, with six battalions, and their
batteries, battery of 10 Brummers and another; Ziethen also and Horse: coming on, in swift fireflood, and at
an angle of forty five degrees. Most unexpected, strange to behold! From southwest yonder; about one
o'clock of the day.
Nadasti, though astonished at the Prussian firedeluge, stands to his arms; makes, in front, vigorous defence;
and even takes, in some sort, the initiative,that is, dashes out his Cavalry on Ziethen, before Ziethen has
charged. Ziethen's Horse, who are rightmost of the Prussians: and are bare to the right,ground offering no
bush, no brook there (though Ziethen, foreseeing such defect, has a clump of infantry near by to mend
it),reel back under this first shock, coming downhill upon them; and would have fared badly, had not the
clump of infantry instantly opened fire on the Nadasti visitors, and poured it in such floods upon them, that
they, in their turn, had to reel back. Back they, well out of range;and leave Ziethen free for a
counterattack shortly, on easier terms, which was successful to him. For, during that first tussle of his, the
Prussian Infantry, to left of Ziethen, has attacked the Sagschutz Firwood; clears that of Croats; attacks
Nadasti's line, breaks it, their Brummer battery potently assisting, and the rage of Wedell and everybody
being extreme. So that, in spite of the fine ground, Nadasti is in a bad way, on the extreme left or outmost
point of his POTENCE, or tactical KNEE. Round the kneepan or angle of his POTENCE, where is the
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abatis, he fares still worse. Abatis, beswept by those ten Brummers and other Batteries, till bullet and bayonet
can act on it, speedily gives way. "They were mere Wurtembergers, these; and could not stand!" cried the
Austrians apologetically, at a great rate, afterwards; as if anybody could well have stood.
Indisputably the Wurtembergers and the abatis are gone; and the Brandenburgers, storming after them, storm
Nadasti's interior battery of 14 pieces; and Nadasti's affairs are rapidly getting desperate in this quarter.
Figure Prince Karl's scouts, galloping madly to recall that Daun Cavalry! Austrian Battalions, plenty of them,
rush down to help Nadasti; but they are met by the crowding fugitives, the chasing Prussians; are themselves
thrown into disorder, and can do no good whatever. They arrive on the ground flurried, blown; have not the
least time to take breath and order: the fewest of them ever got fairly ranked, none of them ever stood above
one push: all goes rolling wildly back upon the centre about Leuthen. Chaos come on us;and all for mere
lack of time: could Nadasti but once stretch out one minute into twenty! But he cannot. Nadasti does not
himself lose head; skilfully covers the retreat, trying to rally once and again. Not for the first few furlongs, till
the ditches, till the firwood, quagmires are all done, could Ziethen, now on the open ground, fairly hew in;
"take whole battalions prisoners;" drive the crowd in an altogether stormy manner; and wholly confound the
matter in this part.
Prince Karl, his messengers flying madly, has struggled as man seldom did to put himself in some posture
about Leuthen, to get up some defences there. Leuthen itself, the churchyard of it especially, is on the
defensive. Men are bringing cannon to the windmills, to the swelling ground on the north side of Leuthen;
they dig ditches, build batteries,could they but make Time halt, and Friedrich with him, for one quarter of
an hour. But they cannot. By the extreme of diligence, the Austrians have in some measure swung themselves
into a new position, or imperfect Line round Leuthen as a centre,Lucchesi, voluntarily or by order,
swinging southwards on the one hand; Nadasti swinging northwards by compulsion;new Line at an angle
say of 75 degrees to the old one. And here, for an hour more, there was stiff fighting, the stiffest of the
day;of which, take one direct glimpse, from the Austrian side, furnished by a Young Gentleman famous
afterwards:
Leuthen, let us premise, is a long Hamlet of the usual littery sort; with two rows, in some parts three, of
farmhouses, barns, cattlestalls; with Church, or even with two Churches, a Protestant and a Catholic; goes
from east to west above a mile in length. With the wrecks of Nadasti tumbling into it pellmell from the
southeast, and Lucchesi desperately endeavoring to swing round from the northwest, not quite incoherently,
and the Prussian firestorm for accompaniment, Leuthen is probably the most chaotic place in the Planet
Earth during that hour or so (from halfpast two to halfpast three) while the agony lasted. At one o'clock
Nadasti was attacked; at two he is tumbling in midcareer towards Leuthen: I guess the date of this Excerpt,
or testimony by a Notable Eye witness, may be halfpast two; crisis of the agony just about to begin: and
before four it was all finished again. Eyewitness is the young Prince de Ligne, now Captain in an Austrian
Regiment of Foot; and standing here in this perilous posture, having been called in as part of the Reserve. He
says:
"Cry had risen for the Reserve," in which was my regiment, "and that it must come on as fast as
possible,"to Leuthen, west of us yonder. "We ran what we could run. Our LieutenantColonel fell killed
almost at the first; beyond this we lost our Major, and indeed all the Officers but three,three only, and
about eleven or twelve of the Voluuteer or Cadet kind. We had crossed two successive ditches, which lay in
an orchard to left of the first houses in Leuthen; and were beginning to form in front of the Village. But there
was no standing of it. Besides a general cannonade such as can hardly be imagined, there was a rain of case
shot upon this Battalion, of which I, as there was no Colonel left, had to take command; and a third Battalion
of the Royal Prussian Footguards, which had already made several of our regiments pass that kind of
muster, gave, at a distance of eighty paces, the liveliest fire on us. It stood as if on the paradeground, that
third Battalion, and waited for us, without stirring.
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"The Austrian regiment Andlau, at our right hand, could not get itself formed properly by reason of the
houses; it was standing thirty deep, and sometimes its shot hit us on the back. On my left the Austrian
regiment Merci ran its ways; and I was glad of that, in comparison. By no method or effort could I get the
dragoons of Bathyani, who stood fifty yards in rear of me, to cut in a little, and help me out,"no good
cutting hereabouts, think the dragoons of Bathyani. "My soldiers, who were still tired with running, and had
no cannon (these either from necessity or choice they had left behind), were got scattered, fewer in number,
and were fighting mainly out of sullenness. More our honor, than the notion of doing good in the affair,
prevented us from running off. An Ensign of the regiment Arberg helped me awhile to form, from his and my
own fragments, a kind of line; but he was shot down. Two Officers of the Grenadiers brought me what they
still had. Some Hungarians, too, were luckily got together. But at last, as, with all helps and the remnants of
my own brave Battalion, I had come down to at most 200, I drew back to the Height where the Windmill is,"
[Kutzen p. 103 (from "Prince de Ligne's DIARY, i. 63, German Translation").]where many have drawn
back, and are standing in sheltered places, a hundred deep, say our Books.
Stiff fighting at Leuthen; especially furious till Leuthen Churchyard, a place with high stone walls, was got.
Leuthen Village, we observe, was crammed with Austrians spitting fire from every coign of vantage; Church
and Churchyard especially are a citadel of death. Cannon playing from the Windmill Heights, too;
moments are inestimable. The Prussian Commander (name charitably hidden) at Leuthen Churchyard seems
to hesitate in the murderous firedeluge: Major Mollendorf, namable from that day forward, growling, "No
time this for study," dashes out himself, "EIN ANDRER MANN (Follow me, whoever is a man)!"smashes
in the ChurchGate of the place, nine muskets blazing on him through it; smashes, after a desperate struggle,
the Austrians clean out of it, and conquers the citadel. [Muller, p. 42.]
The Austrians, on confused terms, made stiff dispute in this second position for about an hour. The Prussian
Reserve was ordered up by Friedrich; the Prussian left wing, which had stood "refused," about Radaxdorf, till
now: at one time nearly all the Prussians were in fire. Friedrich is here, is there, wherever the press was
greatest; "Prince Ferdinand," whom we now and then find named, as a diligent little fellow, and ascertain to
be here in this and other Battles of Friedrich's,"Prince Ferdinand at one time pointed his cannon on the
Bush or FirClump of Radaxdorf;an aidedecamp came to him with message: "You are firing on the
King; the King is yonder!" At which Ferdinand [his dear little Brother] ERSCHRACK," or almost fainted
with terror. [Kutzen, p. 110.]
Stiff dispute; and had the Austrians possessed the Prussian dexterity in manoeuvring, and a Friedrich been
among them, perhaps? But on their own terms, there was from the first little hope in it. "Behind the
Windmills they are a hundred men deep;" by and by, your Windmills, riddled to pieces, have to be
abandoned; the Prussian left wing rushing on with bayonets, will not all of you have to go? Lucchesi, with his
abundant Cavalry, seeing this latter movement and the Prussian flank bare in that part, will do a stroke upon
them;and this proved properly the finale of the matter, finale to both Lucchesi and it.
The Prussian flank was to appearance bare in that leftward quarter; but only to appearance: Driesen with the
left wing of Horse is in a Hollow hard by; strictly charged by Friedrich to protect said flank, and take nothing
else in hand. Driesen lets Lucchesi gallop by, in this career of his; then emerges, ranked, and comes storming
in upon Lucchesi's back,entirely confounding his astonished Cavalry and their career. Astonished Cavalry,
bulletstorm on this side of them, edge of sword on that, take wing in all directions (or all except to west and
south) quite over the horizon; Lucchesi himself gets killed,crosses a still wider horizon, poor man. He
began the ruin, and he ends it. For now Driesen takes the bared Austrians in flank, in rear; and all goes
tumbling here too, and in few minutes is a general deluge rearward towards Saara and Lissa side.
At Saara the Austrians, sun just sinking, made a third attempt to stand; but it was hopelessly faint this time;
went all asunder at the first push; and flowed then, torrentwise, towards all its Bridges over the Schweidnitz
Water, towards Breslau by every method. There are four Bridges, Stabelwitz below Lissa; Goldschmieden,
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Hermannsdorf, above; and the main one at Lissa itself, a standing Bridge on the Highroad (also of wood); and
by this the chief torrent flows; Prussian horse pursuing vigorously; Prussian Infantry drawn up at Saara,
resting some minutes, after such a day's work. [Archenholtz, i. 209; Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 243252 (by an
eyewitness, intelligent succinct Account of the Battle and previous March; ib. 252272, of the Sieges
following); Preuss, ii. 112, Tempelhof, i. 276.]
Truly a memorable bit of work; no finer done for a hundred years, or for hundreds of years; and the results of
it manifold, immediate and remote. About 10,000 Austrians are left on the field, 3,000 of them slain;
prisoners already 12,000, in a short time 21,000; flags 51, cannon 116;"Conquest of Silesia" gone to water;
Prince Karl and Austria fallen from their high hopes in one day. The Prussians lost in killed 1,141, in
wounded 5,118; 85 had been taken prisoners about Sagschutz and Gohlau, in the first struggle there. [Kutzen,
pp. 118, 125.] There and at Leuthen Village had been the two tough passages; about an hour each; in three
hours the Battle was done. "MEINE HERREN," said Friedrich that night at parole, "after such a spell of
work, you deserve rest. This day will bring the renown of your name, and of the Nation's, to the latest
posterity."
High and low had shone this day; especially these four: Ziethen, Driesen, Retzow,and above all Moritz of
Dessau. Riding up the line, as night fell, Friedrich, in passing Moritz and the right wing, drew bridle for an
instant: "I congratulate you on the Victory, Herr Feldmarschall!" cried he cheerily, and with emphasis on the
last word. Moritz, still very busy, answered slightly; and Friedrich repeated louder, "Don't you hear that I
congratulate you, Herr FELDMARSCHALL!"a glad sound to Moritz, who ever since Kolin had stood
rather in the shadow. "You have helped me, and performed every order, as none ever did before in any
battle," added the grateful King.
Riding up the line, all now grown dusky, Friedrich asks, "Any battalion a mind to follow me to Lissa?" Three
battalions volunteering, follow him; three are plenty. At Saara, on the Great Road, things are fallen utterly
dark. "Landlord, bring a lantern, and escort." Landlord of the poor Tavern at Saara escorts obediently; lantern
in his right hand, left hand holding by the King's stirrupleather,King (Excellency or General, as the
Landlord thinks him) wishing to speak with the man. Will the reader consent to their Dialogue, which is
dullish, but singular to have in an authentic form, with Nicolai as voucher? [ Anekdoten, iii. 231235.] Like
some poor old horseshoe, ploughed up on the field. Two farthings worth of rusty old iron; now little other
than a curve of brown rust: but it galloped at the Battle of Leuthen; that is something!
KING. "Come near; catch me by the stirrupleather [Landlord with lantern does so]. We are on the Breslau
Great Road, that goes through Lissa, are n't we?" LANDLORD. "Yea, Excellenz." KING. "Who are you?"
LANDLORD. "Your Excellenz, I am the KRATSCHMER [Silesian for Landlord] at Saara." KING. "You
have had a great deal to suffer, I suppose." LANDLORD. "ACH, your Excellenz, had not I! For the last
eightand forty hours, since the Austrians came across Schweidnitz Water, my poor house has been
crammed to the door with them, so many servants they have; and such a bullying and tumbling:they have
driven me half mad; and I am clean plundered out." KING. "I am sorry indeed to hear that!Were there
Generals too in your house? What said they? Tell me, then." LANDLORD. "With pleasure, your Excellenz.
Well; yesterday noon, I had Prince Karl in my parlor, aud his Adjutants and people all crowding about. Such
a questioning aud bothering! Hundreds came dashing in, and other hundreds were sent out: in and out they
went all night; no sooner was one gone, than ten came. I had to keep a roaring fire in the kitchen all night; so
many Officers crowding to it to warm themselves. And they talked and babbled this and that. One would say,
That our King was coming on, then, 'with his Potsdam GuardParade.' Another answers, 'OACH, he dare n't
come! He will run for it; we will let him run.' But now my delight is, our King has paid them their fooleries
so prettily this afternoon!" KING. "When got you rid of your high guests?" LANDLORD. "About nine this
morning the Prince got to horse; and not long after three, he came past again, with a swarm of Officers; all
going full speed for Lissa. So full of bragging when they came; and now they were off, wrong side foremost!
I saw how it was. And ever after him, the flood of them ran, Highroad not broad enough,an hour and more
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before it ended. Such a pellmell, such a welter, cavalry and musketeers all jumbled: our King must have
given them a dreadful lathering. That is what they have got by their bragging and their lying,for, your
Excellenz, these people said too, 'Our King was forsaken by his own Generals, all his first people had gone
and left him:' what I never in this world will believe." KING (not liking even rumor of that kind). "There you
are right; never can such a thing be believed of my Army." LANDLORD (whom this "MY" has transfixed).
"MEIN GOTT, you are our GNADIGSTER KONIG (most gracious King) yourself! Pardon, pardon, if, in my
stupidity, I have" KING. "No, you are an honest man:probably a Protestant?" LANDLORD. "JOA,
JOA, IHR MAJESTAT, I am of your Majesty's creed!"
Crackcrack! At this point the Dialogue is cut short by sudden musketshots from the woody fields to right;
crackle of about twelve shots in all; which hurt nothing but some horse's feet,had been aimed at the light,
and too low. Instantly the light is blown out, and there is a hunting out of Croats; Lissa or environs not
evacuated yet, it seems; and the King's Entrance takes place under volleyings and cannonadings.
King rides directly to the Schloss, which is still a fine handsome house, off the one street of that poor
Village,north side of street; well railed off, and its old ditches aud defences now trimmed into
flowerplots. The Schloss is full of Austrian Officers, bustling about, intending to quarter, when the King
enters. They, and the force they still had in Lissa, could easily have taken him: but how could they know?
Friedrich was surprised; but had to put the best face on it. [In Kutzen (pp. 121, 209 et seq.) explanation of the
true circumstances, and source of the mistake.] "BON SOIR, MESSIEURS!" said he, with a gay tone,
stepping in: "Is there still room left, think you?" The Austrians, bowing to the dust, make way reverently to
the divinity that hedges a King of this sort; mutely escort him to the best room (such the popular account);
and for certain make off, they and theirs, towards the Bridge, which lies a little farther east, at the end of the
Village.
Weistritz or Schweidnitz Water is a biggish muddy stream in that part; gushing and eddying; not voiceless,
vexed by mills and their weirs. Some firing there was from Croats in the lower houses of the Village, and
they had a cannon at the farther bridgeend; but they were glad to get away, and vanish in the night; muddy
Weistritz singing hoarse adieu to their cannon and them. Prussian grenadiers plunged indignant into the
houses; made short work of the musketries there. In few minutes every Croat and Austrian was across, or
silenced otherwise too well; Prussian cannon now going in the rear of them, and continuing to go,such had
been the order, "till the powder you have is done." Fire of musketry and occasional cannon lasts all night,
from the Lissa or Prussian side of the River,"lest they burn this Bridge, or attempt some mischief." A thing
far from their thoughts, in present circumstances.
The Prussian host at Saara, hearing these noises, took to its arms again; and marched after the King. Thick
darkness; silence; tramp, tramp:a Prussian grenadier broke out, with solemn tenor voice again, into
ChurchMusic; a known ChurchHymn, of the homely TEDEUM kind; in which fiveandtwenty
thousand other voices, and all the regimental bands, soon join:
"Nun dunket alle Gott
Mit Herzen, Mund und Handen,
Der grosse Dinge thut
An uns und allen Enden." [Muller, p. 48.]
"Now thank God, one and all,
With heart, with voice, with handsa,
Who wonders great hath done
To us and to all landsa."
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And thus they advance; melodious, farsounding, through the hollow Night, once more in a highly
remarkable manner. A pious people, of right Teutsch stuff, tender though stout; and, except perhaps Oliver
Cromwell's handful of Ironsides, probably the most perfect soldiers ever seen hitherto. Arriving at the end of
Lissa, and finding all safe as it should be there, they make their bivouac, their parallelogram of two lines,
miles long across the fields, left wing resting on Lissa, right on Guckerwitz; andhaving, I should think, at
least tobacco to depend on, with abundant stick fires, and healthy joyful heartspass the night in a
thankful, comfortable manner.
Leuthen was the most complete of all Friedrich's victories; two hours more of daylight, as Friedrich himself
says, and it would have been the most decisive of this century. [ OEuvres de Frederic, iv. 167.] As it was, the
ruin of this big Army, 80,000 against 30,000, ["89,200 was the Austrian strength before the Battle" (deduct
the Garrisons of Schweidnitz and Liegnitz): Preuss, ii. 109 (from the STAFFOFFICERS).] was as good as
total; and a world of Austrian hopes suddenly collapsed; and all their Silesian Apparatus, making sure of
Silesia beyond an IF, was tumbled into wreck,by this one stroke it had got, smiting the cornerstone of it
as if with unexpected lightning. On the morrow after Leuthen, Friedrich laid siege to Breslau; Karl had left a
garrison of 17,000 in it, and a stout Captain, one Sprecher, determined on defence: such interests hung on
Breslau, such immensities of stores were in it, had there been nothing else. Friedrich, pushing with all his
strength, in spite of bad weather and of Sprecher's industrious defence, got it in twelve days. [7th19th
December: DIARIUM, of it in Helden Geschichte, iv. 955961.] Sprecher had posted placards on the
gallows and up and down, terrifically proclaiming that any man convicted of mentioning surrender should be
instantly hanged: but Friedrich's bombardment was strong, his assaults continual; and the ditches were
threatening to freeze. On the seventh day of the siege, a Laboratorium blew up; on the ninth, a
PowderMagazine, carrying a lump of the rampart away with it. Sprecher had to capitulate: Prisoners of War,
we 17,000; our cannons, ammunitions (most opulent, including what we took from Bevern lately); these, we
and Breslau altogether, alas, it is all yours again. Liegnitz Garrison, seeing no hope, consented to withdraw
on leave. [26th December: HeldenGeschichte, iv. 1016.] Schweidnitz cannot be besieged till Spring come:
except Schweidnitz, Maria Theresa, the high Kaiserinn, has no foot of ground in Silesia, which she thought to
be hers again. Gone utterly, Patents and all; Schweidnitz alone waiting till spring. To the lively joy of Silesia
in general; to the thrice lively sorrow and alarm of certain individuals, leading Catholic Ecclesiastics
mainly, who had misread the signs of the times in late months! There is one Schaffgotsch, Archbishop or
headman of them, especially, who is now in a bad way. Never was such royal favor; never such ingratitude,
say the Books at wearisome length. Schaffgotsch was a showy man of quality, nephew of the quondam
Austrian Governor, whom Friedrich, across a good deal of Papal and other opposition, got pushed into the
Catholic Primacy, and took some pains to make comfortable there,Order of the Black Eagle, guest at
Potsdam, and the like;having a kind of fancy for the airy Schaffgotsch, as well as judging him suitable for
this Silesian HighPriesthood, with his moderate ideas and quality ways,which I have heard were a little
dissolute withal. To the whole of which Schaffgotsch proved signally traitorous and ingrate; and had plucked
off the Black Eagle (say the Books, nearly breathless over such a sacrilege) on some public occasion, prior to
Leuthen, and trampled it under his feet, the unworthy fellow. Schaffgotsch's pathetic Letter to Friedrich, in
the new days posterior to Leuthen, and Friedrich's contemptuous inexorable answer, we could give, but do
not: why should we? O King, I know your difficulties, and what epoch it is. But, of a truth, your airy
dissolute Schaffgotsch, as a grateful "Archbishop and GrandVicar," is almost uglier to me than as a Traitor
ungrateful for it; and shall go to the Devil in his own way! They would not have him in Austria; he was not
well received at Rome; happily died before long. [Preuss, ii. 113, 114; Kutzen, pp. 12, 155160, for the real
particculars.] Friedrich was not cruel to Schaffgotsch or the others, contemptuously mild rather; but he knew
henceforth what to expect of them, and slightly changed this and that in his Silesian methods in consequence.
Of Prince Karl let us add a word. On the morrow after Leuthen, Captain Prince de Ligne and old Papa
D'Ahremberg could find little or no Army; they stept across to Grabschen, a village on the safe side of the
Lohe, and there found Karl and Daun: "rather silent, both; one of them looking, 'Who would have thought it!'
the other, 'Did n't I tell you?'"and knowing nothing, they either, where the Army was. Army was, in fact, as
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yet nowhere. "Croat fellows, in this Farmstead of ours," says De Ligne, "had fallen to shooting pigeons." The
night had been unusually dark; the Austrian Army had squatted into woods, into officehouses,
farmvillages, over a wide space of country; and only as the day rose, began to dribble in. By count, they are
still 50,000; but heartbroken, beaten as men seldom were. "What sound is that?" men asked yesterday at
Brieg, forty miles off; and nobody could say, except that it was some huge Battle, fateful of Silesia and the
world. Breslau had it louder; Breslau was still more anxious. "What IS all that?" asked somebody (might be
Deblin the Shoemaker, for anything I know) of an Austrian sentry there: "That? That is the Prussians giving
us such a beating as we never had." What news for Deblin the Shoemaker, if he is still above ground!
"Prince Karl, gathering his distracted fragments, put 17,000 into Breslau by way of ample garrison there; and
with the rest made off circuitously for Schweidnitz; thence for Landshut, and down the Mountains, home to
Konigsgratz,self and Army in the most wrecked condition. Chased by Ziethen; Ziethen (sticking always to
the hocks of them,' as Friedrich eagerly enjoins on him; or sometimes it is, 'sitting on the breeches of them:'
for about a fortnight to come. [Eleven Royal Autographs: in Blumenthal, Life of De Ziethen (ii. 94111), a
feeble incorrect Translation of them.] Ziethen took 2,000 prisoners; no end of baggages, of wagons left in the
difficult places: wild weather even for Ziethen, still more for Karl, among the SilesianBohemian Hillroads:
heavy rains, deep muds, then sudden glass, with cutting snow blasts: 'An Army not a little dilapidated,'
writes Prince Karl, almost with tears in his eyes; (Army without linens, without clothes; in condition truly sad
and pitiable; and has always, so close are the enemy, to encamp, though without tents.' [Kutzen, p. 134
("Prince Karl to the Kaiser, December 14th").]. Did not get to Konigsgratz, and safe shelter, for ten days
more. Counted, at Konigsgratz in the Christmas time, 37,000 rank and file,'22,000 of whom are gone to
hospital,' by the Doctor's report.
"Universal astonishment, indignation, even incredulity, is the humor at Vienna: the high Kaiserinn herself,
kept in the dark for some time, becomes dimly aware; and by Kaiser Franz's own advice she relieves Prince
Karl from his military employments, and appoints Daun instead. Prince Karl withdrew to his Government of
the Netherlands; and with the aid of generous liquors, and what natural magnanimity he had, spent a noiseless
life thenceforth; Sword laid entirely on the shelf; and immortal Glory, as of Alexander and the like, quite
making its exit from the scene, convivial or other. 'The first General in the world,' so he used to be ten years
ago, in Austria, in England, Holland, the thrice greatest of Generals: but now he has tried Friedrich in Five
pitched Battles (Czaslau, Hohenfriedberg, Sohr, then Prag, then Leuthen);been beaten every time, under
every form of circumstance; and now, at Leuthen, the fifth beating is such, no public, however ignorant, can
stand it farther. The ignorant public changes its longeared eulogies into contumeliously horrid shrieks of
condemnation; in which one is still farther from joining. 'That crossing of the Rhine,' says Friedrich, 'was a
BELLE CHOSE; but flatterers blew him into dangerous selfconceit; besides, he was illobeyed, as others of
us have been.' ["Prince de Ligne, Memoires snr Frederic (Berlin, 1789), p. 38 " (Preuss, ii. 112).] Adieu to
him, poor redfaced soul;and good liquor to him, at least if he can take it in moderation!"
The astonishment of all men, wise and simple, at this sudden oversetting of the scene of things, and turning of
the gazetteer diplomatic theatre bottom uppermost, was naturally extreme, especially in gazetteer and
diplomatic circles; and the admiration, willing or unwilling, of Friedrich, in some most essential points of
him, rose to a high pitch. Better soldier, it is clear, has not been heard of in the modern ages. Heroic
constancy, courage superior to fate: several clear features of a hero;pity he were such a liar withal, and
ignorant of common honesty; thought the simple sort, in a bewildered manner, endeavoring to forget the
latter features, or think them not irreconcilable. Military judges of most various quality, down to this day,
pronounce Leuthen to be essentially the finest Battle of the century; and indeed one of the prettiest feats ever
done by man in his Fighting Capacity. Napoleon, for instance, who had run over these Battles of Friedrich
(apparently somewhat in haste, but always with a word upon them which is worth gathering from such a
source), speaks thus of Leuthen: "This Battle is a masterpiece of movements, of manoeuvres, and of
resolution; enough to immortalize Friedrich, and rank him among the greatest Generals. Manifests, in the
highest degree, both his moral qualities and his military." [Montholon, Memoires de Napoleon, vii. 211. This
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Napoleon SUMMARY OF FRIEDRICH'S CAMPAIGNS, and these brief Bits of Criticism, are pleasant
reading, though the fruit evidently of slight study, and do credit to Napoleon perhaps still more than to
Friedrich.]
How the English Walpoles, in Parliament and out of it; how the Prussian Sulzers, D'Argenses, the Gazetteer
and vague public, may have spoken and written at that time, when the matter was fresh and on everybody's
tongue,judge still by two small symptoms which we have to show:
1. A LETTER OF FRIEDRICH'S TO D'ARGENS (Durgoy, near Breslau, 19th December, 1757)."Your
friendship seduces you, MON CHER; I am but a paltry knave (POLISSON) in comparison with 'Alexander,'
and not worthy to tie the shoelatchets of 'Caesar'! Necessity, who is the mother of industry, has made me
act, and have recourse to desperate remedies in evils of a like nature.
"We have got here [this day, by capitulation of Breslau] from fourteen to fifteen thousand prisoners: so that,
in all, I have above twentythree thousand of the Queen's troops in my hands, fifteen Generals, and above
seven hundred Officers. 'T is a plaster on my wounds, but it is far enough from healing them.
"I am now about marching to the Mountain region, to settle the chain of quarters there; and if you will come,
you will find the roads free and safe. I was sorry at the Abbe's treason,"paltry De Prades, of whom we
heard enough already. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 47.]
2. A POTTERYAPOTHEOSIS OF FRIEDRICH."There stands on this mantelpiece," says one of my
Correspondents, the amiable Smelfungus, in short, whom readers are acquainted with, "a small China Mug,
not of bad shape; declaring itself, in one obscure corner, to be made at Worcester, 'R. I., Worcester, 1757'
(late in the season, I presume, demand being brisk); which exhibits, all round it, a diligent
Potter'sApotheosis of Friedrich, hastily got up to meet the general enthusiasm of English mankind. Worth,
while it lasts unbroken, a moment's inspection from you in hurrying along.
"Front side, when you take our Mug by the handle for drinking from it, offers a poor wellmeant China
Portrait, labelled KING OF PRUSSIA: Copy of Friedrich's Portrait by Pesne, twenty years too young for the
time, smiling out nobly upon you; upon whom there descends with rapidity a small Genius (more like a
Cupid who had hastily forgotten his bow, and goes headforemost on another errand) to drop a wreath on this
deserving head;wreath far too small for ever getting on (owing to distance, let us hope), though the artless
Painter makes no sign; and indeed both Genius and wreath, as he gives them, look almost like a big insect,
which the King will be apt to treat harshly if he notice it. On the opposite side, again, separated from
Friedrich's back by the handle, is an enormous image of Fame, with wings filling half the Mug, with two
trumpets going at once (a bass, probably, and a treble), who flies with great ease; and between her eager face
end the unexpectant one of Friedrich (who is 180 degrees off, and knows nothing of it) stands a circular
Trophy, or Imbroglio of drums, pikes, muskets, cannons, fieldflags and the like; very slightly tied
together, the knot, if there is one, being hidden by some fantastic bit of scroll or escutcheon, with a Fame
and ONE trumpet scratched on it; and high out of the Imbroglio rise three standards inscribed with Names,
which we perceive are intended to be names of Friedrich's Victories; standards notable at this day, with
Names which I will punctually give you.
"Standard first, which flies to the westward or leftward, has 'Reisberg' (no such place on this distracted globe,
but meaning Bevern's REICHENBERG, perhaps),'Reisberg,' 'Prague,' 'Collin.' Middle standard curves
beautifully round its staff, and gives us to read, 'Welham' (nonextant, too; may mean WELMINA or
Lobositz), 'Rossbach' (very good), 'Breslau' (poor Bevern's, thought a VICTORY in Worcester at this time!).
Standard third, which flies to eastward or right hand, has 'Neumark' (that is, NEUMARKT and the Austrian
Breadovens, 4th December); 'Lissa' (not yet LEUTHEN in English nomenclature); and 'Breslau' again,
which means the capture of Breslau CITY this time, and is a real success, 7th19th December;giving us
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the approximate date, Christmas, 1757, to this hasty Mug. A Mug got up for temporary English enthusiasm,
and the accidental instruction of posterity. It is of tolerable China; holds a good pint, 'To the Protestant Hero,
with all the honors;' and offers, in little, a curious eyehole into the then England, with its then lights and
notions, which is now so deephidden from us, under volcanic ashes, French Revolutions, and the wrecks of
a Hundred very decadent Years."
Chapter XI. WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Friedrich, during those grand victories, is suffering sadly in health, "COLIQUE DEPUIS HUIT JOURS,
neither sleep nor appetite;" "eight months of mere anguishes and agitations do wear one down." He is tired
too, he says, of the mere businesstalk, coarse and rugged, which has been his allotment lately; longs for
some humanly roofed kind of lodging, and a little talk that shall have flavor in it. [Letters of his to Prince
Henri (December 26th, OEuvres, xxvi. 167, 169; Stenzel, v: 123).] The troops once all in their
Winterquarters, he sits down in Breslau as his own winteringplace: place of relaxation,of rest, or at least
of changed labor,no man needing it more. There for some three months he had a tolerable time; perhaps,
by contrast, almost a delightful. Readers must imagine it; we have no details allowed us, nor any time for
them even if we had.
There come various visitors, various gayeties,King's Birthday (January 24th); quality Balls, "at which
Royal Majesty sometimes deigned to show himself." A lively Breslau, in comparison. Sister Amelia paid a
beautiful visit of a fortnight or more: Sister Amelia, and along with her, two married Cousins (once
Margravines of Schwedt), whose Husbands, little Brother Ferdinand, and Eugen of Wurtemberg, are
wintering here. The Marquis d'Argens, how exquisitely treated we shall see, is a principal figure; Excellency
Mitchell, deep in very important business just now, is another. Reader de Catt (he who once, in a Dutch
RiverBoat, got into conversation with the snuffy gentleman in black wig) made his new appearance, this
Winter,needed now, since De Prades is off. "Should you have known me again?" asked Friedrich. "Hardly,
in that dress; besides, your Majesty looks thinner." "That I can believe, with the cursed life I have been
leading!" [Rodenbeck, i. 285.] There came also, day not given, a Captain Guichard ("Major Quintus Icilius"
that is to be) with his new Book on the Art Military of the Ancients, MEMOIRES MILITAIRES SUR LES
GRECS ET LES ROMAINS; [a La Haye, 2 tomes, 4to, 1757 (Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi. 134)] which cannot but
be welcome to Friedrich. A solid account of that matter, by the first man who ever understood both War and
Greek. Far preferable to Folard's, a man without Greek at all, and with military ideas not a little fantastic here
and there. Of Captain Guichard, were his Book once read, and himself a little known, there will be more to
say. For the present, fancy him retained as supernumerary:and in regard to Friedrich's Winter generally,
accept the following small hints, small but direct:
FRIEDRICH TO D'ARGENS (three different times).
1. ON THE ROAD TO LEUTHEN "(Torgau, 15th November 1757). ... I have been obliged to have the Abbe
arrested [De Prades, of whom enough, long since]; he has been playing the spy, and I have many evident
proofs of it. That is very infamous and very ungrateful.I have made a prodigious quantity of verses
(PRODIGIEUSEMENT DE VERS). If I live, I will show them you in Winterquarters: if I perish, they are
bequeathed to you, and I have ordered that they be put into your hand. ...
"Adieu, my dear Marquis. I fancy you to be in bed: don't rot there;and remember you have promised to
join me in Winterquarters;"on this latter point Friedrich is very urgent, amiably eager; prepared to wrap
the poor Marquis in cotton, and carry him and lodge him, like glass with care. [ OEuvres de Frederic, ] xix,
43.] For example:
2. WHILE SETTLING THE WINTERQUARTERS ("Striegau, 26th December, 1757:" Siege of Breslau
done ten days ago). ... "What a pleasure to hear you are coming! Your travelling you can do in your own way.
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I have chosen a party of Light Horse (JAGER), who will appear at Berlin to conduct you. You can make
short journeys: the first to Frankfurt, the second to Crossen, the third to Grunberg, fourth to Glogau, fifth to
Parchwitz, sixth to Breslau. I have directed that horses be ordered for you, that your rooms be warmed
everywhere, and good fowls ready on all roads. Your apartment in this House [Royal House in Breslau,
which the King has built for himself years ago] is carpeted, hermetically shut. You shall suffer nothing from
draughts or from noise." [Ib. xix. 48.]Lucky Marquis; what a Landlord! Came accordingly; stayed till deep
in April,waiting latterly for weather, I perceive; long after the King himself was off. Thus:
3. FRIEDRICH ON THE FIELD AGAIN FOR FIVE WEEKS PAST ("Munsterberg, 23d April, 1758").
"Adieu, dear Marquis; I fancy you are now in Berlin again. Go to Charlottenburg whenever and how you like;
take care of yourself; and be ready for the beginning of October next! As to me, MON CHER, I am off to
fight windmills and ostriches (AUTRUCHES), that is, Russians and Austrians (AUTRICHIENS). Adieu,
MON CHER." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 49.]
There circulated in the Newspapers, this Winter, something of what was called a LETTER from Friedrich to
Maria Theresa, formally proposing Peace, after these magnificent successes. And certainly, of all things in
the Earth, Friedrich would have best liked Peace, this year, last year, and for the next five years: "Go home,
then, good neighbors; don't break into my house, don't cut my poor throat, and we will be friends again!"
Friedrich, it appears, had actually, finding or making opportunity, sent some polite Letter, of pacific tenor, in
his light clever way, to that address;not without momentary hopes of perhaps getting good from it. [In
PREUSS, ii. 130 (Friedrich's Letter mostly given;bearer a Prince van Lobkowitz, prisoner at Leuthen, now
going home on handsome terms) Stenzel, v. 124 (for the PERCONTRA feeling).] And the Kaiserinn
herself, Austria's high Mother, did, they say, after such a Leuthen coming on the back of such a Rossbach,
feel discouraged; but the Pompadour (not France's Mother, whatever she might be to France) was of far other
mind: "Do not speak of it, MA REINE! Double or quits, that is our game: can we yield for a little illluck?
Never!"
France dismisses its D'Argenson, "What Armies are these of his; flying home on us, like draggled poultry,
across the Rhine!" summons the famed Belleisle to be WarMinister, and give things an eaglequality:
["26th February, 1758" (BARBIER, iv. 258).] France engages to pay its subsidies better (France now the
general paying party, Austria, Sweden, Russia itself, all looking to France,would she were as punctual as
England used to be!),in a word, engages to be magnanimous extremely, and will hear of nothing but
persistence. "Shall not we reap, then, where there is such a harvest standing white to us?" Kaunitz admits that
there never will again be such a chance.Peace, it is clear enough, will not be got of these people by any
Letter, or human device whatever, except simply by uttermost, more or less miraculous fighting for it.
Friedrich is profoundly aware of this fact;is busy completing his Army: 145,000 for the field, this Year,
53,000 the Silesian part, "a good many of them Austrian deserters;" [Stenzel, v. 155.] and is closing an
important Subsidy Treaty with England,of which more anon.
And if this is the mood in France and Austria, think what Russia's will be! The Czarina is not dead of dropsy,
as some had expected, but, on the contrary, alive, and fiercer than ever; furious against Apraxin, and
determined that Fermor, his successor, shall defy Winter, and begin work at once. She has indignantly
dismissed Apraxin (to be tried by CourtMartial, he); dismisses Bestuchef the Chancellor; appoints a new
General, Fermor by name; orders Fermor to go and lose not a moment, now in the depth of Winter since it
was not done in the crown of Summer, and take possession of East Preussen in her name.
Which Fermor does; 16th January, crosses the border again, 31,000 in all, without opposition except from the
frost; plants himself up and down,only two poor Prussian battalions there; who retire, with their effects,
especially "with seven wagons of money." January 22d, Fermor enters Konigsberg; publishes no end of
proclamations, manifestoes, rescripts, to inform the poor people, trembling at the Cossack atrocities of last
Year, "That his august Sovereign Elizabeth of All the Russias has now become Proprietress of East Preussen,
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which shall be perfectly protected and exquisitely wellgoverned henceforth; and that all men of official or
social position have, accordingly, to come and take the oath to her, with the due alacrity and punctuality, at
their peril."
No man is willing for the operation, most men shudder at it; but who can help them? Surely it was an
unblessed operation. Poor souls, one pities them; for at heart they were, and continued, loyal to their own
King; thoroughly abhorrent of becoming Russian, as Czarish Majesty has thoroughly resolved they shall.
Some few absconded, leaving their property as spoil; the rest swore, with mental reservation, with shifts, such
as they could devise:for example, some were observed to swear with gloves on; the right hand, which they
held up, was a mere right FIST with a stuffed glove at the end of it,SO help me Beelzebub (or whoever is
the recording Angel here)! [ HeldenGeschichte, v. 141149: Preuss, ii. 145, iii. 578, iv. 477, And thus does
Preussen, with astonishment, as by the spell of a Czarina Circe, find itself changed suddenly to Russian: and
does not recover the old human form till four years hence,when, again suddenly, as we shall see, the Circe
and her wand chance to get broken.
Friedrich could not mend or prevent this bad Business; but was so disgusted with it, he never set foot in East
Preussen again,never could bear to behold it, after such a transformation into temporary Russian shape. I
cannot say he abhorred this constrained Oath as I should have done: on the contrary, in the first spurt of
indignation, he not only protested aloud, but made reprisals, "Swear ME those Saxons, then!" said he; and
some poor magistrates of towns, and official people, had to make a figure of swearing (if not allegiance
altogether, allegiance for the time being), in the same sad fashion, till one's humor cooled again. [Preuss, ii.
163: Oath given in HeldenGeschichte, v. 631.] East Preussen, lost in this way, held by its King as before, or
more passionately now than ever; still loved Friedrich, say the Books; but it is Russia's for the present, and
the mischief is done. East Preussen itself, Circe Czarina cherishing it as her own, had a much peaceabler
time: in secret it even sent moneys, recruits, numerous young volunteers to Friedrich; much more, hopes and
prayers. But his disgust with the late transformation by enchantment was inexpiable.
It was May or June, as had been anticipated, before the Russian main Army made its practical appearance in
those parts. Fermor had, in the interim, seized Thorn, seized Elbing ("No offence, magnanimous Polacks, it is
only for a time!"),and would fain have had Dantzig too, but Dantzig would n't. Not till June 16th did the
unwieldy mass (on paper 104,000, and in effect, and exclusive of Cossack rabble, about 75,000) get on way;
and begin slowly staggering westward. Very slowly, and amid incendiary fire and horrid cruelty, as
heretofore;and in August coming we shall be sure to hear of it.
Lehwald was just finishing with the Swedes,had got them all bottled up in Stralsund again, about
NewYear's time, when these Russians crossed into Preussen. We said nothing of the Swedish socalled
Campaign of last Year;and indeed are bound to be nearly silent of that and of all the others. Five
Campaigns of them, or at least Four and a half; such Campaigns as were never made before or since. Of
Campaign 1757, the memorable feature is, that of the whole "Swedish Division," as the laughing Newspapers
called it, which was "put to flight by five Berlin Postilions;"substantially a truth, as follows:
"Night of September 12th13th, 1757, the Swedes, 22,000 strong, did at last begin business; crossed Peene
River, the boundary between their Pommern and ours; and, having nothing but some fractions of Militia to
oppose them, soon captured the Redoubts there; spread over Prussian Pommern, and on into the Uckermark;
diligently raising contributions, to a heavy amount. No less than 90,000 pounds in all for this poor Province;
though, by a strange accident, 60,000 pounds proved to be the actual sum.
"Towards the end of October they had got as much as 60,000 pounds from the northern parts of Uckermark,
Prentzlow being their head quarter during that operation; and they now sent out a Detachment of 200
grenadiers and 100 dragoons towards Zehdenick, another little Town, some forty miles farther south, there to
wring out the remaining sum. The Detachment marched by night, not courting notice; but people had heard of
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its coming; and five Prussian Postilions,shifty fellows, old hussars it may be, at any rate skilful on the
trumpet, and furnished with hussar jackets and an old pistol each, determined to do something for their
Country. The Swedish Detachment had not marched many miles, when,after or before some flourishes of
martial trumpeting,there verily fell on the Swedish flank, out of a clump of dark wood, five shots, and
wounded one man. To the astonishment and panic of the other two hundred and ninetynine; who made
instant retreat, under new shots and trumpettones, as if it were from five whole hussar regiments; retreat
doublequick, to Prentzlow; alarm waxing by the speed; alarm spreading at Prentzlow itself: so that the
whole Division got to its feet, recrossed the Peene; and Uckermark had nothing more to pay, for that bout!
This is not a fable, such as go in the Newspapers," adds my Authority, "but an accurate fact:"
[ HeldenGeschichte, iv. 764, 807; Archenholtz, i. 160.]probably, in our day, the alone memorable one of
that "Swedish War."
"The French," says another of my Notes, "who did the subsidying all round (who paid even the Russian
Subsidy, though in Austria's name), had always an idea that the Swedes22,000 stout men, this year, 4,000
of them cavalrymight be made to cooperate with the Russians; with them or with somebody; and do
something effective in the way of destroying Friedrich. And besides their subsidies and bribings, the French
took incredible pains with this view; incessantly contriving, correspondencing, and running to and fro
between the parties: [For example: M. le Marquis de Montalembert, CORRESPONDANCE AVEC ETANT
EMPLOYE PAR LE ROI DE FRANCE A L'ARMEE SUEDOISE, 17571761 ("with the Swedish Army,"
yes, and sometimes with the Russian,and sometimes on the French Coasts, ardently fortifying against Pitt
and his Descents there:a very intelligent, industrious, observant man; still amusing to read, if one were
idler), A LONDRES (evidently Paris), 1777, 3 vols. small 8vo. Then, likewise very intelligent, there is a
Montazet, a Mortaigne, a Caulaiucourt; a CAMPAGNE DES RUSSES EN 1757; in short, a great deal of
fine faculty employed there in spinning ropes from sand.] but had not, even from the Russians and Czarish
Majesty, much of a result, and from the Swedes had absolutely none at all. By French industry and
flagitation, the Swedish Army was generally kept up to about 20,000: the soldiers were expert with their
fightingtools, knew their fieldexercise well; had fine artillery, and were stout hardy fellows: but the
guidance of them was wonderful. 'They had no fieldcommissariat,' says one Observer, 'no fieldbakery, no
magazines, no pontoons, no light troops; and,' among the Higher Officers, 'no subordination.' [Archenholtz, i.
158.] Were, in short, commanded by nobody in particular. Commanded by Senator Committeemen in
Stockholm; and, on the field, by Generals anxious to avoid responsibility; who, instead of acting, held
continual Councils of War. The history of their Campaigns, year after year, is, in summary, this:
"Late in the season (always late, WarOffices at home, and Captaincies here, being in such a state), they
emerged from Stralsund, an impregnable place of their own,where the men, I observe, have had to live on
dried fishy substances, instead of natural boiled oatmeal; [Montalembert, i. 3237, 335. 394, (that of the
demand for Neise PORRIDGE, which interested me, I cannot find again).] and have died extensively in
consequence: they march from Stralsund, a forty or thirty miles, till they reach the SwedishPommern
boundary, Peene River; a muddy sullen stream, flowing through quagmire meadows, which are miles broad,
on each shore. River unfordable everywhere; only to be crossed in four or five places, where paved
causeways are. The Swedes, with deliberation, cross Peene; after some time, capture the bits of Redoubts, and
the one or two poor Prussian Towns upon it; Anklam Redoubt, PEENEMUNDE (Peenemouth) Redoubt;
and rove forward into Prussian Pommern, or over into the Uckermark, for fifty, for a hundred miles; exacting
contributions; foraging what they can; making the poor countrypeople very miserable, and themselves not
happy,their soldiers 'growing yearly more plunderous,' says Archenholtz, 'till at length they got, though
much shyer of murder, to resemble Cossacks,' in regard to other pleas of the crown.
"There is generally some fractional regiment or two of Prussian force, left under some select General
Manteuffel, Colonel Belling; who hangs diligently on the skirts of them, exploding by all opportunities.
There have been Country Militias voluntarily got on foot, for the occasion; five or six small regiments of
them; officered by Prussian Veterans of the Squirearchy in those parts; who do excellent service. The
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Governor of Stettin, Bevern, our old Silesian friend, strikes out now and then, always vigilant, prompt and
effective, on a chance offering. This, through Summer, is what opposition can be made: and the Swedes,
without magazines, scout service, or the like military appliances, but willing enough to fight [when they can
see], and living on their shifts, will rove inward, perhaps 100 miles; say southwestward, say southeastward
[towards Ruppin, which we used to know],they love to keep Mecklenburg usually on their flank, which is
a friendly Country. Small fights befall them, usually beatings; never anything considerable. That is their
success through Summer.
"Then, in Autumn, some remnant more of Prussian regulars arrive, disposable now for that service; upon
which the Swedes are driven over Peene again (quite sure to be driven, when the River with its quagmires
freezes); lose Anklam Redoubt, Peenemunde Redoubt; lose Demmin, Wollin; are followed into Swedish
Pommern, oftenest to the gates of Stralsund, and are locked up there, there and in Rugen adjoining, till a new
season arrive."This year (17571758), Lehwald, on turning the key of Stralsund, might have done a fine
feat; frost having come suddenly, and welded Rugen to mainland. "What is to hinder you from starving them
into surrender?" signifies Friedrich, hastily: "Besiege me Stralsund!" Which Lehwald did; but should have
been quicker about it; or the thaw came too soon, and admitted ships with provision again. Upon which
Lehwald resigned, to a General Graf von Dohna; and went home, as grown too old: and Dohna kept them
bottled there till the usual Russian Advent (deep in June); by which time, what with limited stockfish diet,
what with sore labor (breaking of the ice, whenever frost reappeared) and other hardship, more than half of
them had died. "Every new season there was a new General tried; but without the least improvement.
There was mockery enough, complaint enough; indignant laughter in Stockholm itself; and the Dalecarlians
thought of revolting: but the Senator Committeemen held firm, ballasted by French gold, for four years.
"The Prussian Militias are a fine trait of the matter; about fifteen regiments in different parts;about five in
Pommern, which set the example; which were suddenly raised last Autumn by the STANDE themselves,
drilled in Stettin continually, while the Swedes were under way, and which stood ready for some action,
under veterans of the squirearchy, when the Swedes arrived. They were kept up through the War. The
STANDE even raised a little fleet, [Archenholtz, i. 110.] river fleet and coast fleet, twelve gunboats, with a
powerful carronade in each, and effective men and captain; a great check on plundering and coast mischief,
till the Swedes, who are naval, at last made an effort and destroyed them all."
Friedrich was very sensible of these procedures on the part of his STANDE; and perhaps readers are not
prepared for such, or for others of the like, which we could produce elsewhere, in a Country without
Constitution to speak of. Friedrich raises no new taxes, except upon himself exclusively, and these to the
very blood: Friedrich gets no LifeandFortune Addresses of the vocal or printed sort, but only of the
acted. Very much the preferable kind, where possible, to all parties concerned. These poor militias and
flotillas one cheerfully puts on record; cheerfully nothing else, in regard to such a Swedish War;nor shall
we henceforth insult the human memory by another word upon it that is not indispensable.
OF THE ENGLISH SUBSIDY.
One of Friedrich's most important affairs, at present,vitally connected with his Army and its furnishings,
which is the all important,was his Subsidy Treaty with England. It is the third treaty he has signed with
England in regard to this War; the second in regard to subsidy for it; and it is the first that takes real practical
effect. It had cost difficulty in adjusting, not a little correspondence and management from Mitchell; for the
King is very shy about subsidy, though grim necessity prescribes it as inevitable; and his pride, and his
reflections on the last Subsidy Treaty, "One Million sterling, Army of Observation, and Fleet in the Baltic,"
instead of which came Zero and KlosterZeven, have made him very sensitive. However, all difficulties are
got over; Plenipotentiary Knyphausen, Pitt, Britannic Majesty and everybody striving to be rational and
practical; and at London, 11th April, 1758, Subsidy Treaty, admirably brief and to the point, is finished: [In
four short Articles; given in HeldenGeschichte, v. 16, 17.] "That Friedrich shall have Four Million Thalers,
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that is, 670,000 pounds; payable in London to his order, in October, this Year; which sum Friedrich engages
to spend wholly in maintenance and increase of his Army for behoof of the common object;neither party to
dream of making the least shadow of peace or truce without the other." Of Baltic Fleet, there is nothing said;
nor, in regard to that, was anything done, this year or afterwards; highly important as it would have been to
Friedrich, with the Navies so called of both Sweden and Russia doing their worst upon him. "Why not spare
me a small English squadron, and blow these away?" Nor was the why ever made clear to him; the private
why being, that Czarish Majesty had, last year, intimated to Britannic, "Any such step on your part will
annihilate the now old friendship of Russia and England, and be taken as a direct declaration of
War!"which Britannic Majesty, for commercial and miscellaneous reasons, hoped always might be
avoided. Be silent, therefore, on that of Baltic Fleet.
In all the spoken or covenanted points the Treaty was accurately kept: 670,000 pounds, twothirds of a
million very nearly, will, in punctual promptitude, come to Friedrich's hand, were October here. And in
regard to Ferdinand (a point left silent, this too), Friedrich's expectations were exceeded, not the contrary, so
long as Pitt endured. This is the Third EnglishPrussian Treaty of the SevenYears War, as we said above;
and it is the First that took practical effect: this was followed by three others, year after year, of precisely the
same tenor, which were likewise practical and punctually kept,the last of them, "12th December, 1760,"
had reference to Subsidy for 1761:and before another came, Pitt was out. So that, in all, Friedrich had Four
Subsidies; 670,000 pounds x4=2,680,000 pounds of English money altogether:and it is computed by some,
there was never as much good fighting otherwise had out of all the 800,000,000 pounds we have funded in
that peculiar line of enterprise. [First Treaty, 16th January, 1756 (is in HeldenGeschichte, iii. 681), "We will
oppose by arms any foreign Armament entering Germany;" Second Treaty, 11th January, 1757 (never
published till 1802), is in Scholl, iii. 3032: "one million subsidy, a Fleet (not KEPT at all); after which,
Third Treaty (the FIRST really issuing in subsidy and performance) is 11th April, 1758 (given in
HeldenGeschichte, v. 17); Fourth (really SECOND), 7th December, 1758 (Ib. v. 752); Fifth (THIRD), 9th
November, 1759; Sixth (FOURTH), 12th December, 1760. See PREUSS, ii. 124 n.]
Pitt had no difficulty with his Parliament, or with his Public, in regard to this Subsidy; the contrary rather.
Seldom, if ever, was England in such a heat of enthusiasm about any Foreign Man as about Friedrich in these
months since Rossbach and what had followed. Celebrating this "Protestant Hero," authentic new Champion
of Christendom; toasting him, with all the honors, out of its Worcester and other Mugs, very high indeed.
Take these Three Clippings from the old Newspapers, omitting all else; and rekindle these, by good
inspection and consideration, into feeble symbolic lamps of an old illumination, now fallen so extinct.
No. 1. REVEREND MR. WHITFIELD AND THE PROTESTANT HERO. "Monday, January 2d," 1758,
"was observed as a Day of Thanksgiving, at the Chapel in TottenhamCourt Road [brandnew Chapel, still
standing and acting, though now in a dingier manner], by Mr. Whitfield's people, for the signal Victories
gained by the King of Prussia over his Enemies. [ Gentleman's Magazine, xxviii. (for 1758), p. 41.]'Why
rage the Heathen; why do the people imagine a vain thing? Sinful beings we, perilously sunk in sin against
the Most High:but they, do they think that, by earthly propping and hoisting, their unblessed Chimera, with
his Three Hats, can sweep away the Eternal Stars!'"In this strain, I suppose: Protestant Hero and Heaven's
longsuffering Patiences and Mercies in raising up such a one for a backsliding generation; doubtless with
much unction by Mr. Whitfield.
No. 2. KING OF PRUSSIA'S BIRTHDAY (Tuesday, January 24th). "This being the Birthday of the King of
Prussia, who then entered into the fortyseventh year of his age, the same was observed with illuminations
and other demonstrations of joy;"throughout the Cities of London and Westminster, "great rejoicings and
illuminations," it appears, [ Gentleman's Magazine, xxviii. (for 1758), p. 43; and vol. xxix. p. 42, for next
year's birthday, and p. 81 for another kind of celebration.]now shining so feebly at a century's
distance!No. 3 is still more curious; and has deserved from us a little special inquiring into.
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No. 3. MISS BARBARA WYNDHAM'S SUBSIDY. "March 13th, 1758,"while Pitt and Knyphausen are
busy on the Subsidy Treaty, still not out with it, the Newspapers suddenly announce,
"Miss Bab. Wyndham, of Salisbury, sister of Henry Wyndham, Esq., of that City, a maiden lady of ample
fortune, has ordered her banker to prepare the sum of 1,000 pounds to be immediately remitted, in her own
name, as a present to the King of Prussia." [ London Chronicle, March 14th16th, 1758; Lloyd's Evening
Post; Doubtless to the King of Prussia's surprise, and that of London Society, which would not want for
commentaries on such a thing!
Before long, the Subsidy Treaty being now out, and the Wyndham topic new again, London Society reads, in
the same Newspaper, a Documentary Piece, calculated to help in its commentaries. There is good likelihood
of guess, though no certainty now attainable, that the "English Lady" referred to may be Miss Bab.
herself;of whose longvanished biography, and brisk, airy, nomadic ways, we catch hereby a faint
shadow, momentary, but conceivable, and sufficient for us:
"TO THE AUTHORS OF THE LONDON CHRONICLE. London Chronicle, of 13th15th April, 1758.
"The following Account, which is a real fact, will serve to show with what punctuality and exactness the
King of Prussia attends to the most minute affairs, and how open he is to applications from all persons.
"An English Lady being possessed of actions [shares] in the Embden Company, and having occasion to raise
money on them, repaired to Antwerp [some two years ago, as will be seen], and made application for that
purpose to a Director of the Company, established there by the King of Prussia for the managing all affairs
relative thereto. This person," Van Erthorn the name of him, "very willingly entered into treaty with her; but
the sum he offered to lend being far short of what the actions would bring, and he also insisting on forfeiture
of her right in them, if not redeemed in twelve months, she broke off with him, and had recourse to some
merchants at Antwerp, who were inclinable to treat with her on much more equitable terms. The proceeding
necessarily brought the parties before this Director for receiving his sanction, which was essential to the
solidity of the agreement; and he, finding he was like to lose the advantage he had flattered himself with,
disputed the authenticity of the actions, and thereby threw her into such discredit, as to render all attempts to
raise money on them ineffectual. Upon this the Lady wrote a Letter by the common post to his Majesty of
Prussia, accompanied with a Memorial complaining of the treatment she had received from the Director; and
she likewise enclosed the actions themselves in another letter to a friend at Berlin. By the return of the post,
his Majesty condescended to answer her Letter; and the actions were returned authenticated; which so
restored her credit, that in a few hours all difficulties were removed relating to the transaction she had in
hand; and it is more than probable the Director has felt his Majesty's resentment for his illbehavior.The
Lady's Letter was as follows:
"'ANTWERP, 19th February, 1756.
"'SIR,Having had the happiness to pay my court to your Majesty during a pretty long residence at Berlin
[say in Voltaire's time; Miss Barbara's "Embden Company," I observe, was the first of the two, date 1750;
that of 1753 is not hers], and to receive such marks of favor from their Majesties the Queens [a Barbara
capable of shining in the Royal soirees at Monbijou, of talking to, or of, your Voltaires and lions, and
investing moneys in the new Embden Company] as I shall ever retain a grateful sense of,I presume to
flatter myself that your Majesty will not be offended at the respectful liberty I have taken in laying before you
my complaints against one Van Erthorn, a Director of the Embden China Company, whose bad behavior to
me, as set forth in my Memorial, hath forced me to make a very long and expensive stay at this place; and, as
the considerable interest I have in that Company may farther subject me to his caprices, I cannot forbear
laying my grievances at the foot of your Majesty's throne; most respectfully supplicating your Majesty that
you would be graciously pleased to give orders that this Director shall not act towards me for the future as he
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hath done hitherto.
"'I hope for this favor from your Majesty's sovereign equity; and I shall never cease offering up my ardent
prayers for the prosperity of your glorious reign; having the honor to be, with the most respectful zeal, Sir,
your Majesty's most humble, most obedient, and most devoted servant, * * *'
"THE KING OF PRUSSIA'S ANSWER.
"'POTSDAM, 26th February, 1756.
"'MADAM,I received the Letter of the 19th instant, which you thought proper to write to me; and was not
a little displeased to hear of the bad behavior of one of the Directors of the Asiatic Company of Embden
towards you, of which you were forced to complain. I shall direct your grievances to be examined, and have
just now despatched my orders for that purpose to Lenz, my President of the Chamber of East Friesland,'
Chief Judge in those parts. [Seyfarth, ii. 139.] 'You may assure yourself the strictest justice shall be done you
that the case will admit. God keep you in his holy protection. FRIEDRICH.'"
Whether this refers to Miss Barbara or not, there is no affirming. But the interesting point is, Friedrich did
receive and accept Miss Barbara's 1,000 pounds. The Prussian account, which calls her "an English
JUNGFRAU, LADY SALISBURY, who actually sent a sum of money," [Preuss, ii. 124, whose reference is
merely "Gentleman's Magazine for 1758." Both in the ANNUAL REGISTER of that Year (i. 86),and in the
Gentleman's Magazine, pp. 142, 177, the above Paragraph and Letters are copied from the Newspapers, but
without the smallest commentary (there or elsewhere), or any mention of a "Lady Salisbury."] would not
itself be satisfactory: but, by good chance, there is still living, in Salisbury City, a very aged Gentleman, well
known for his worth, and intelligence on such matters, who, being inquired of, makes reply at once: That the
First Earl of Malmesbury (who was of his acquaintance, and had many anecdotes and reminiscences of
Friedrich, all noted down, it was understood, with diplomatic exactitude, but never yet published or become
accessible) did, as "I well remember, among other things, mention the King's telling him that he," the King,
"had received a Thousand Pounds from Miss Wyndham; with a part of which he had bought the Flute then in
his hand." [Letter from John Fowler, Esq., "Salisbury, 2d April, 1860," to a Friend of mine (PENES ME): of
Barbara's identity, or otherwise, with the Antwerp Embden Lady, Mr. F. can say nothing.] Which latter
circumstance, too, is curious. For, at all times, however straitened Friedrich's Exchequer might be, it was his
known habit, during this War, to have always, before the current year ended, the ways and means completely
settled and provided for the year coming; so that everything could be at once paid in money (good money or
bad,good still up to this date);And nothing was observed to fall short, so much as the customary
liberality of his gifts to those about him. I infer, therefore: Friedrich had decided to lay out this 1,000 pounds
in what he would call luxuries, chiefly gifts,and, among other things, had said to himself, "I will have a
new flute, too!" Probably one of his last; for I understand he had, by this time (Malmesbury's time, 1772),
ceased much playing, and ceased altogether not long after. [Preuss, i. 371373.]
James Harris, First Earl of Malmesbury, was Resident at Berlin, 1772: that is all the date we have for the
King's saying, "And with part of it I bought this Flute!" Date of Lord Malmesbury's mention of it at
Salisbury, we have none,likeliest there might be various dates; a thing mentioned more than once, and not
improvable by dating. The Wyndhams still live in the Close of Salisbury; a respected and wellknown
Family; record of them (none of Barbara there, or elsewhere except here) to be found in the County Histories.
[Britton's Beauties of England and Wales, xv. part ii. p. 118; Hoare's Salisbury (mistaken, p. 815); I only
know farther, Barbara died May, 1765, "aged and wealthy," and "with the bulk of her fortune endowed a
Charity, to be called 'Wyndham College,'" [ANNUAL REGISTER (for 1765), viii. 86.]which I hope still
flourishes. Enough on this small Wyndham matter; which is nearly altogether English, but in which Friedrich
too has his indefeasible property.
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FRIEDRICH, AS INDEED PITT'S PEOPLE AND OTHERS HAVE DONE, TAKES THE FIELD
UNCOMMONLY EARLY: FRIEDRICH GOES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ, SCHWEIDNITZ, AS THE
PREFACE TO WHATEVER HIS CAMPAIGN MAY BE.
While this Subsidy Treaty is getting settled in England, Duke Ferdinand has his French in full cackle of
universal flight; and before the signing of it (April 11th), every feather of them is over the Rhine; Duke
Ferdinand busy preparing to follow. Glorious news, day after day, coming in, for Pitt, for Miss Barbara and
for all English souls, Royal Highness of Cumberland hardly excepted! The "Descent on Rochefort," last
Autumn, had a good deal disappointed Pitt and England;an expensively elaborate Expedition, military and
naval; which could not "descend" at all, when it got to the point; but merely went groping about, on the
muddy shores of the Charente, holding councils of war yonder; "cannonaded the Isle of Aix for two hours;"
and returned home without result of any kind, Courtsmartial following on it, as too usual. This was an
unsuccessful firststroke for Pitt. Indeed, he never did much succeed in those Descents on the French Coast,
though never again so ill as this time. Those are a kind of things that require an exactitude as of clockwork, in
all their parts: and Pitt's Generalcies and WarOffices,we know whether they were of the Prussian type or
of the Swedish! A very grievous hindrance to Pitt;which he will not believe to be quite incurable. Against
which he, for his part, stands up, in grim earnest, and with his whole strength; and is now, and at all times,
doing what in him lies to abate or remedy it:successfully, to an unexpected degree, within the next four
years. From America, he has decided to recall Lord Loudon, as a cunctatory haggling mortal, the reverse of a
General; how very different from his Austrian Cousin! [Cousins certainly enough; their Progenitors were
Brothers, of that House, about 1568,when Matthew, the cadet, went "into Livonia," into foreign Soldiering
(Papa having fallen Prisoner "at the Battle of Langside," 1568, and the Family prospects being low); from this
Matthew comes, through a scrips of Livonian Soldiers, the famed Austrian Loudon. Douglas, Peerage of
Scotland, p. 425; VIE DE LOUDON (illinformed on that point and some others) says, the first Livonian
Loudon came from Ayrshire, "in the fourteenth century".] "Abercrombie may be better," hopes he;was
better, still not good. But already in the gloomy imbroglio over yonder, Pitt discerns that one Amherst (the
son of people unimportant at the hustings) has military talent: and in this puddle of a Rochefort Futility, he
has got his eye on a young Officer named Wolfe, who was Quartermaster of the Expedition; a young man
likewise destitute of Parliamentary connection, but who may be worth something. Both of whom will be
heard of! In a four years' determined effort of this kind, things do improve: and it was wonderful, to what
amount,out of these chaotic WarOffices little better than the Swedish, and ignorant Generalcies fully
worse than the Swedish,Pitt got heroic successes and work really done.
On Pitt, amid confused clouds, there is bright dawn rising; and Friedrich too, for the last month, in Breslau,
has a cheerful prospect on that Western side of his horizon. Here is one of his Postscripts, thrown off in
Autograph, which Duke Ferdinand will read with pleasure: "I congratulate you, MON CHER, with my whole
heart! May you FLEURDELYS every French skin of them; cutting out on their"what shall we say
(LEUR IMPRIMANT SUR LE CUE)!"the Initials of the Peace of Westphalia, and packing them across
the Rhine," tattooed in that latest extremity of fashion! [Friedrich to Duke Ferdinand, "Grussau, 19th March,
1758:" in Knesebeck, Herzog Ferdinand, i. 64. Herzog Ferdinand wahrend des 7jahrigen Krieges ("from
the English aud Prussian Archives") is the full Title of Knesebeck's Book: LETTERS altogether; not very
intelligently edited, but well worth reading by every student, military and civil: 2 vols. 8vo. Hannover, 1857.]
Friedrich, grounding partly on those Rhine aspects, has his own scheme laid for Campaign 1758. It is the old
scheme tried twice already: to go home upon your Enemy swiftly, with your utmost collective strength, and
try to strike into the heart of him before he is aware. Friedrich has twice tried this; the second time with
success, respectable though far short of complete. Weakened as now, but with Ferdinand likely to find the
French in employment, he means to try it again; and is busy preparing at Neisse and elsewhere, though
keeping it a dead secret for the time. There is, in fact, no other hopeful plan for him, if this prove feasible at
all. Double your velocity, you double your momentum. One's weight is given,weight growing less and
less;but not, or not in the same way and degree, one's velocity, one's rightness of aim. Weight given: it is
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only by doubling or trebling his velocity that a man can make his momentum double or treble, as needed!
Friedrich means to try it, readers will see how,were the Fort of Schweidnitz once had; for which object
Friedrich watches the weather like a very D'Argens, eager that the frost would go. Recapture of Schweidnitz,
the last speck of Austrianism wiped away there; that is evidently the preface to whatsoever day'swork may
be ahead.
March 15th, frost being now off, Friedrich quits Breslau and D'Argens,his Headquarter thenceforth
KlosterGrussau, near Landshut, troops all getting cantoned thereabout, to keep Bohemia quiet,and goes at
once upon Schweidnitz. With the top of the morning, so to speak; means to have Schweidnitz before
campaigning usually can begin, or common laborers take their tools in this trade. The Austrian Commandant
has been greatly strengthening the works; he had, at first, some 8,000 of garrison; but the three months'
blockade has been tight upon him and them; and it is hoped the thing can be done.
APRIL 1st2d,Siegematerial being got to the ground, and Siege Division and Covering Army all in their
places,in spite of the heavy rains, we open our first parallel, Austrian Commandant not noticing till it is
nearly done. April 8th, we have our batteries built; and burst out, at our best rate, into cannonade; aiming a
good deal at "Fort No. 1," called also "GALGEN or Gallows Fort," which we esteem the principal.
Cannonade continues day after day, prospers tolerably on Gallows Fort,"though the wet weather, and
hardship to the troops, are grievous circumstances, and make Friedrich doubly urgent. "Try it by storm!"
counsels Balbi, who is Engineer. Night of APRIL 15th16th storm takes place; with such vigor and such
cunning, that the Gallows Fort is got for almost nothing (loss of ten men);and few hours after, Austria beat
the chamade. [Tempelhof, ii. 2125; HeldenGeschichte, v. 109123: above all, Tielcke, Beytrage zur
KriegsKunst und zur Geschichte des Krieges von 1756 bis 1763 (6 vols. 4to, Freyberg, 17751786), iv.
4376. Volume iv. is wholly devoted to Schweidnitz and its successive Sieges.] Fiftyone new Austrian
guns, for one item, and about 7,000 pounds of money. Prisoners of War the Garrison, 8,000 gone to 4,900;
with such stores as we can guess, of ours and theirs added: Balbi was Prussian EngineerinChief, Treskau
Captain of the Siege;other particulars I spare the reader.
Unfortunate Schweidnitz underwent four Sieges, four captures or recaptures, in this War;upon all of which
we must be quite summary, only the results of them important to us. For the curious in sieges, especiaIly for
the scientifically curious, there is, by a Captain Tielcke, excellent account of all these Schweidnitz Sieges,
and of others;ArtilleryCaptain Tielcke, in the Saxon or SaxonRussian service; whom perhaps we shall
transiently fall in with, on a different field, in the course of this Year.
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF OLMUTZ.
Fouquet, on the first movement towards Schweidnitz, had been detached from Landshut to sweep certain
Croat Parties out of Glatz; Ziethen, with a similar view, into Troppau Country; both which errands were at
once perfectly done. Daun lies behind the Bohemian Frontier (betimes in the field he too, "arrived at
Konigsgratz, March 13th"); and is, with all diligence, perfecting his new levies; intrenching himself on all
points, as man seldom did; "felling whole forests," they say, building abatis within abatis; not doubting,
especially on these ZiethenFouquet symptoms, but Friedrich's Campaign is to be an Invasion of Bohemia
again. "Which he shall not do gratis!" hopes Daun; and, indeed, judges say the entrance would hardly have
been possible on that side, had Friedrich tried it; which he did not.
Schweidnitz being done, and Daun deep in the Bohemian problem, Friedrich, in an unintelligible manner,
breaks out from Grussau and the Landshut region (April 19th25th), not straight southward, as Daun had
been expecting, but straight southeastward through Neisse, Jagerndorf: all gone, or all but Ziethen and
Fouquet gone, that way;meaning who shall say what, when news of it comes to Daun? In two divisions,
from 30 to 40,000 strong; through Jagerndorf, ever onward through Troppau, and not till THEN turning
southward: indubitable march of that cunning Enemy; rapidly proceeding, his 40,000 and he, along those
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elevated upland countries, watershed of the Black Sea and the Baltic, bleakly illumined by the April sun; a
march into the mists of the future tense, which do not yet clear themselves to Daun. Seeing the march turn
southward at Troppau, a light breaks on Daun: "Ha! coming round upon Bohemia from the east, then?" That
is Daun's opinion, for some time yet; and he immediately starts that way, to save a fine magazine he has at
Leutomischl over there. Daun, from Skalitz near Konigsgratz where he is, has but some eighty miles to
march, for the King's hundred and fifty; and arrives in those parts few days after the King; posts himself at
Leutomischl, veiled in Pandours. Not for two weeks more does he ascertain it to have been a march upon the
Olmutz Country, and the intricate forks of the Morawa River; with a view to besieging Olmutz, by this wily
Enemy! Upon which Daun did strive to bestir himself thitherward, at last; and, though very slow and
hesitative, his measures otherwise were unexceptionable, and turned out luckier than had been expected by
some people.
Olmutz is an ancient pleasant little City, in the Plains of Mahren, romantic, indistinct to the English mind;
with Domes, with Steeples eminent beyond its size,population little above 10,000 souls; has its
PrinceArchbishop and ecclesiastic outfittings, with whom Friedrich has lodged in his time. City which
trades in leather, and Russian and Moldavian droves of oxen. Memorable to the Slavic populations for its
grand Czech Library, which was carried away by the Swedes, happily into thick night; [To Stralsund (1645),
"and has not since been heard of."] also for that poor little Wenzel of theirs (last heir of the Bohemian Czech
royalties, whom no reader has the least memory of) being killed on the streets here; uncertain, to this day,
by whom, though for whose benefit that daggerstroke ended is certain enough; [Supra, vol. v. p. 118.]
poor little Wenzel's dust lies under that highest Dome, of the old Cathedral yonder, if anybody thought of
such a thing in hot practical times. Poor Lafayette, too, lodged here in prison, when the Austrians seized him.
City trades in leather and live stock, we said; has much to do with artillery, much with ecclesiastry;and
Friedrich besieged it, for seven weeks, in the hot summer days of 1758, to no purpose. Friedrich has been in
Olmiitz more than once before; his Schwerin once took it in a single day, and it was his for months, in the old
MoravianForay time: but the place is changed now; become an arsenal or military storehouse of Austria;
strongly fortified, and with a Captain in it, who distinguishes himself by valiant skill and activity on this
occasion.
Friedrich's Olmutz Enterprise, the rather as it was unsuccessful, has not wanted critics. And certainly,
according to the ordinary rules of cautious prudence, could these have been Friedrich's in his present
situation, it was not to be called a prudent Enterprise. But had Friedrich's arrangements been punctually
fulfilled, and Olmutz been got in fair time, as was possible or probable, the thing might have been done very
well. Duke Ferdinand, in these early May days, is practically making preparations to follow the French across
the Rhine; no fear of French Armies interfering with us this year. Dohna has the Swedes locked in Stralsund
(capable of being starved, had not the thaw come); and in HinterPommern he has General Platen, with a
tolerable Detachment, watching Fermor and his Russians; Dohna, with Platen, may entertain the Russians for
a little, when they get on way,which we know will be at a slow pace, and late in the season. Prince Henri
commands in Saxony, say with 30,000;King's vicegerent and other self there, "Do YOUR wisest and
promptest; hold no councils of war!" Prince Henri, altogether on the aggressive as yet, is waiting what Reichs
Army there may be;has already had Mayer and Free Corps careering about in Franken Country once and
again, tearing up the incipiencies and preparations, with the usual emphasis; and is himself intending to
follow thither, in a still more impressive manner. Friedrich's calculation is, Prince Henri will have his hands
free for a good few weeks yet. Which proved true enough, so far as that went.
And now, supposing Olmutz ours, and Vienna itself open to our insults, does not, by rapid suction, every
armed Austrian flow thitherward; Germany all drained of them: in which case, what is to hinder Prince Henri
from stepping into Bohmen, by the Metal Mountains; capturing Prag; getting into junction with us here, and
tumbling Austria at a rate that will astonish her! Her, and her miscellaneous tagraggery of Confederates, one
and all. Konigsberg, Stralsund, Bamberg; Russians, Swedes, Reichsfolk, here, in Mahren, will be the
crown of the game for all these. Prosper in Mahren, all these are lamed; one right stroke at the heart, the
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limbs become manageable quantities! This was Friedrich's program; and had not imperfections of execution,
beyond what was looked for, and also a good deal of plain illluck, intervened, this bold stroke for Mahren
might have turned out far otherwise than it did.
The march thither (started from Neisse April 27th) was beautiful: Friedrich with vanguard and first division;
Keith with rearguard and second, always at a day's distance; split into proper columns, for convenience of
road and quarter in the hungry countries; threading those silent mountain villages, and upper streamlets of
Oder and Morawa: Ziethen waving intrusive Croateries far off; Fouquet, in thousands of wagons, shoving on
from Neisse, "in four sections," with the due intervals, under the due escorts, the immensity of stores and
siegefurniture, through Jagerndorf, through Troppau, and onwards; [Table of his routes and stages in
TEMPELHOF, ii. 46.]punctual everybody; besiegers and siege materials ready on their ground by the set
day. Daun too had made speed to save his Magazine. Daun was at Leutomischl, May 5th,a forty miles to
west of the Morawa,few days after Friedrich had arrived in those countries by the eastern or left bank, by
Troppau, Gibau, Littau, Aschmeritz, Prossnitz; and a week before Friedrich had finished his reconnoitrings,
campings, and taken position to his mind. Camps, four or more (shrank in the end to three), on both banks of
the River; a matter of abstruse study; so that it was May 12th before Friedrich first took view of Olmutz
itself, and could fairly begin his Problem,Daun, with his best Tolpatcheries, still unable to guess what it
was.
Of the Siege I propose to say little, though the accounts of it are ample, useful to the Artillerist and Engineer.
If the reader can be made to conceive it as a blazing loudsounding fact, on which, and on Friedrich in it, the
eyes of all Europe were fixed for some weeks, it may rest now in impressive indistinctness to us. Keith is
Captain of the Siege, whom all praise for his punctual firmness of progress; Balbi as before, is Engineer,
against whom goes the criticism, Keith's first of all, that he "opened his first parallel 800 yards too far
off,"which much increased the labor, and the expenditure of useless gunpowder, shot having no effect at
such a distance. There were various criticisms: some real, as this; some imaginary, as that Friedrich grudged
gunpowder, the fact being that he had it not, except after carriage from Neisse, say a hundred and twenty
miles off,Troppau, his last Silesian Town, or safe place (his for the moment), is eighty miles;and was
obliged to waste none of it.
Friedrich is not thought to shine in the sieging line as he does in the fighting; which has some truth in it,
though not very much. When Friedrich laid himself to engineering, I observe, he did it well: see Neisse,
Graudenz, Magdeburg. His Balbi went wrong with the parallels, on this occasion; many things went wrong:
but the truly grievous thing was his distance from Silesia and the supplies. A hundred and twenty miles of
hillcarriage, eighty of them disputable, for every shot of ammunition and for every loaf of bread; this was
hard to stand:and perhaps no Warapparatus but a Prussian, with a Friedrich for sole chiefmanager, could
have stood it so long. Friedrich did stand it, in a wonderfully tolerable manner; and was continuing to stand it,
and make fair progress; and it is not doubted he would have got Olmutz, had not there another fact come on
him, which proved to be of unmanageable nature. The actual loss, namely, of one Convoy, after so many had
come safe, and when, as appears, there was now only one wanted and no more!Let us attend to this a little.
Had Daun, at Olmutz, been as a Duke of Cumberland relieving Tournay, rushing into fight at Fontenoy, like a
Hanover White Horse, neck clothed with thunder, and head destitute of knowledge, how lucky had it
been for Friedrich! But Daun knows his trade better. Daun, though superior in strength, sits on his Magazine,
clear not to fight. By no art of manoeuvring, had Friedrich much tried it, or hoped it, this time, could Daun
have been brought to give battle. As Fabins Cunctator he is here in his right place; taking impregnable
positions, no man with better skill in that branch of business; pushing out parties on the Troppau road; and
patiently waiting till this dangerous Enemy, with such endless shifts in him, come in sight perhaps of his last
cartridge, or perhaps make some stumble on the way towards that consummation. Daun is aware of
Friedrich's surprising qualities. Bos against Leo, Daun feels these procedures to be altogether feline (FELIS
LEONINE); such stealthy glidings about, deceptive motions, appearances; then such a rapidity of spring upon
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you, and with such a set of claws,destructive to bovine or rhinoceros nature: in regard to all which, Bos, if
he will prosper, surely cannot be too cautious. It was remarked of Daun, that he was scrupulously careful;
never, in the most impregnable situations, neglecting the least precaution, but punctiliously fortifying himself
to the last item, even to a ridiculous extent, say Retzow and the critics. It was the one resource of Daun: truly
a solid stubborn patience is in the man; stubborn courage too, of bovinerhinoceros type; stupid, if you
will, but doing at all times honestly his best and his wisest without flurry; which character is often of
surprising value in War; capable of much mischief, now and then, to quicker people. Rhinoceros Daun did
play his Leo a bad prank more than once; and this of barring him out from Olmutz was one of them, perhaps
the worst after Kolin.
Daun's management of this Olmutz business is by no means reckoned brilliant, even in the Fabius line; but,
on the contrary, inert, dimminded, inconclusive; and in reality, till almost the very last, he had been of little
help to the besieged. For near three weeks (till May 23d) Daun sat at Leutomischl, immovable on his
breadbasket there, forty or more miles from Olmutz; and did not see that a Siege was meant. May
27th28th, Balbi opened his first parallel, in that mistaken way; four days before which, Daun does move
inwards a march or so, to Zwittau, to Gewitsch (still thirty miles to west of Olmutz); still thinking of
Bohemia, not of any siege; still hanging by the mountains and the breadbasket. And there,about
Gewitsch, siege or no siege, Daun sits down again; pretty much immovable, through the five weeks of
bombardment; and,except that Loudon and the Light Horse are very diligent to do a mischief, "attempting
our convoys, more than once, to no purpose, and alarming some of our outposts almost every night, but every
night beaten off,"does, in a manner, nothing; sits quiet, behind his impenetrable veil of Pandours, and lets
the bombardment take its course. Had not express Order come from Vienna on him, it is thought Daun would
have sat till Olmutz was taken; and would then have gone back to Leutomischl and impregnable posts in the
Hills. On express order, he But gather, first, these poor sparks in elucidation:
"The 'destructive sallies' and the like, at Olmutz, were principally an affair of the gazetteers and the
imagination: but it is certain, Olmutz this time was excellently well defended; the Commandant, a vigorous
skilful man, prompt to seize advantages; and Garrison and Townsfolk zealously helping: so that Friedrich's
progress was unusually slow. Friedrich's feelings, all this while, and Balbi's (who 'spent his first 1,220 shots
entirely in vain,' beginning so far off), may be judged of,the sound of him to Balbi sometimes stern
enough! As when (June 9th) he personally visits Balbi's parallels (top of the Tafelberg yonder); and inquires,
'When do you calculate to get done, then?' West side of Olmutz and of the River (east side lies mostly under
water), there is the bombarding; seventyone heavy guns; Keith, in his expertest manner, doing all the
captaincies: Keith has about 8,000 of foot and horse, busy and vigilant, with their faces to the east. In a ring
of four camps, or principally three (Prossnitz, Littau, and Neustadt, which is across the River), all looking
westward or northwestward, some, ten or twenty miles from Keith, Friedrich (headquarters oftenest
Prossnitz, the chief camp) stands facing Daun; who lies concentric to him, at the distance of another ten or
twenty miles, in good part still thirty or forty miles from Olmutz, veiled mostly under a cloud of Pandours.
"Of Friedrich's impatiences we hear little, though they must have been great. Prince Henri is ready for Prag;
many things are ready, were Olmutz but done! May 22d, Prince Henri had followed Mayer in person, with a
stronger corps, to root out the Reichsfolk,and is now in Bamberg City and Country. And is even in
Baireuth itself, where was lately the Camp of the new Reichs General, Serene Highness of Zweibruck, and
his nascent Reichs Army; who are off bodily to Bohemia, 'to Eger and the Circle of Saatz,' a week before.
[ HeldenGeschichte, v. 206209. Wilhelmina's pretty Letter to Friedrich ("Baireuth, 10th May"); Friedrich's
Answer ("Olmutz, June, 1758"); in OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 313315.] Fancy that visit of Henri's to a
poor Wilhelmina; the last sight she ever had of a Brother, or of the old Prussian uniforms, clearing her of
Zweibrucks and sorrowful guests! Our poor Wilhelmina, alas she is sunk in sickness this year more than ever;
journeying towards death, in fact; and is probably the most pungent, sacredly tragic, of Friedrich's sorrows,
now and onwards. June 12th, Friedrich's pouting Brother, the Prince of Prussia, died; this also he had to hear
in Camp at Olmutz. 'What did he die of?' said Friedrich to the Messenger, a Major Something. 'Of chagrin,'
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Chapter XII. SIEGE OF OLMUTZ. 1225
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said the Major, 'AUS GRAM.' Friedrich made no answer.
"On the last night of May, by beautiful management, military and other, Duke Ferdinand is across the Rhine;
again chasing the French before him; who, as they are far more numerous, cannot surely but make some
stand: so that a Battle there may be expected soon,let us hope, a Victory; as indeed it beautifully proved to
be, three weeks after. [Battle of Crefeld, 23d June.] On the other hand, Fermor and his Russians are astir;
continually wending towards Brandenburg, in their voluminous manner, since June 16th, though at a slow
rate. How desirable the Siege of Olmutz were done!"
On express from Vienna, Daun did bestir himself; cautiously got on foot again; detached, across the River, an
expert Hussar General ("Be busy all ye Loudons, St. Ignons, Ziskowitzes, doubly now!"), expert Hussar
General, one item of whose force is 1,100 chosen grenadiers;and himself cautiously stept southward and
eastward, nearer the Siege Lines. The Hussar General's meaning seemed to be some mischief on our Camp of
Neustadt and the outposts there; but in reality it was to throw his 1,100 into Olmutz (useful to the
Commandant); whichby ingenious manoeuvring, and guidance from the peasants "through bushy woods
aud bypaths" on that east side of the Riverthe expert Hussar General, though Ziethen was sent over to
handle him, did perfectly manage, and would not quit for Ziethen till he saw it finished. Which done, Daun
keeps stepping still farther southward, nearer the Siege Lines; and, at Prossnitz, morning of June 22d,
Friedrich, with his own eyes, sees Daun taking post on the opposite heights; says to somebody near him,
"VOILA LES AUTRICHIENS, ILS APPRENNENT A MARCHER, There are the Austrians; they are
learning to march, though!"getting on their feet, like infants in a certain stage ("MARCHER" having that
meaning too, though I know not that the King intended it);they have learned a great many things, since
your Majesty first met them. Friedrich took Daun to be, now at last, meaning Battle for Olmutz, and made
some slight arrangements accordingly; but that is not Daun's intention at all; as Friedrich will find to his cost,
in few days. That very day, Daun has vanished again, still in the southerly direction, again under veil of
Pandours.
Meanwhile, in spite of all things, the Siege makes progress; "June 22d, Balbi's sap had got to their glacis, and
was pushing forward there,"June 22d, day when Daun made momentary appearance, and the
reinforcement stole in:within a fortnight more, Balbi promises the thing shall be done. But supplies are
indispensable: one other convoy from Troppau, and let it be a big one, "between 3 and 4,000 wagons," meal,
money, iron, powder; Friedrich hopes this one, if he can get it home, will suffice. Colonel Mosel is to bring
this Convoy; a resolute expert Officer, with perhaps 7,000 foot and horse: surely sufficient escort: but, as
Daun is astir, and his Loudons, Ziskowitzes and light people are gliding about, Friedrich orders Ziethen to
meet this important Convoy, with some thousands of new force, and take charge of bringing it in. Mosel was
to leave Troppau June 26th; Ziethen pushes out to meet him from the Olmutz end, on the second day after;
and, one hopes, all is now safe on that head.
The driving of 3,000 fourhorse wagons, under escort, ninety miles of road, is such an enterprise as cannot
readily be conceived by sedentary pacific readers;much more the attack of such! Military science,
constraining chaos into the cosmic state, has nowhere such a problem. There are twelve thousand horses, for
one thing, to be shod, geared, kept roadworthy and regular; say six thousand country wagoners, thicksoled
peasants: then, hanging to the skirts of these, in miscellaneous crazy vehicles and weak teams, equine and
asinine, are one or two thousand sutler people, male and female, not of select quality, though on them, too,
we keep a sharp eye. The series covers many miles, as many as twenty English miles (says Tempelhof),
unless in favorable points you compress them into five, going four wagons abreast for defence's sake.
Defence, or escort, goes in three bulks or brigades; vanguard, middle, rearguard, with sparse pickets
intervening; wider than five miles, you cannot get the parts to support one another. An enemy breaking in
upon you, at some difficult point of road, woody hollow or the like, and opening cannon, musketry and
hussar exercise on such an object, must make a confused transaction of it! Some commanders, for the road
has hitherto been mainly pacific, divide their train into parts, say four parts; moving with their partial escorts,
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with an interval of one day between each two: this has its obvious advantages, but depends, of course, on the
road being little infested, so that your partial escort will suffice to repel attacks. Toiling forward, at their
diligent slow rate, I find these trains from Troppau take about six days (from Neisse to Olmutz they take
eleven, but the first five are peaceable [Tempelhof, ii. 48.]);can't be hurried beyond that pace, if you would
save your laggards, your irregulars, and prevent what we may call RAGGERY in your rearward parts; the
skirts of your procession get torn by the bushes if you go faster. This time Colonel Mosel will have to mend
his pace, however, and to go in the lump withal; the case being critical, as Mosel knows, and MORE than he
yet knows.
Daun, who has friends everywhere, and no lack of spies in this country, generally hears of the convoys. He
has heard, in particular, of this important one, in good time. Hitherto Daun had not attempted much upon
convoys, nor anything with success: King's posted corps and other precautions are of such a kind, not even
Loudon, when he tried his best, could do any good; and common wandering hussar parties are as likely to get
a mischief as to do one, on such service. Cautious Daun had been busy enough keeping his own Camp safe,
and flinging a word of news or encouragement, at the most a trifle of reinforcement, into Olmutz. when
possible. But now it becomes evident there must be one of two things: this convoy seized, or else a battle
risked;and that in defect of both these, the inevitable third thing is, Olmutz will straightway go.
MajorGeneral Loudon, the best partisan soldier extant, and ripening for better things, has usually a force of
perhaps 10,000 under him, four regiments of them regular grenadiers; and has been active on the convoys,
though hitherto unsuccessful. Let an active Loudon, with increased force, try this, their vitally important
convoy, from the west side of the River; an active Ziskowitz cooperating on the east side, where the road
itself is; and do their uttermost! That is Daun's plan,now in course of execution. Daun, instead of meaning
battle, that day when Friedrich saw him, was cautiously stealing past, intending to cross the River farther
down; and himself support the operation. Daun has crossed accordingly, and has doubled up northward again
to the fit point; Ziskowitz is in the fit point, in the due force, on this east side too. Loudon, on the west side,
goes by Muglitz, Hof; making a long deep bend far to westward and hillward of all the Prussian posted corps
and precautions, and altogether hidden from them; Loudon aims to be in Troppau neighborhood,
"Guntersdorf, near Bautsch," by the proper day, and pay Mosel an unexpected visit in the passage there.
Colonel Mosel, marshalling his endless Trains with every excellent precaution, and the cleverest dispositions
(say the Books), against the known and the unknown, had got upon the road, and creaked forward,
manywheeled, out of Troppau, Monday, 26th June. [Tempelhof, ii. 8994.] The roads, worn by the much
travelling and wet weather, were utterly bad; the pace was perhaps quicker than usual; the muchjolting
Train got greatly into a jumble:Mosel, to bring up the laggards, made the morrow a restday; did get about
twothirds of his laggards marshalled again; ordered the others to return, as impossible. They say, had it not
been for this restday, which seemed of no consequence, Loudon would not have been at Guntersdorf in
time, nor have attempted as he did at Guntersdorf and afterwards. At break of day (Wednesday, 28th), Mosel
is again on the road; heavily jumbling forward from his quarters in Bautsch. Few miles on, towards
Guntersdorf, he discovers Loudon posted ahead in the defiles. What a sight for Mosel, in his character of
Wagoner up with the dawn! But Mosel managed the defiles and Loudon this time; halted his train, dashed up
into the woody heights and difficult grounds; stormed Loudon's cannon from him, smote Loudon in a valiant
tempestuous manner; and sent him travelling again for the present.
Loudon, I conjecture, would have struggled farther, had not he known that there would be a better chance
again not very many miles ahead. London has studied this Convoy; knows of Ziethen coming to it with so
many; of Ziskowitz coming to him, Loudon, with so many; that Ziethen cannot send for more (roads being all
beset by our industry yesterday), that Ziskowitz can, should it be needful;and that at Domstadtl there is a
defile, or confused woody hollow, of unequalled quality! Mosel jumbles on all day with his Train, none
molesting; at night gets to his appointed quarters, Village of Neudorfl; [The L, or EL, is a diminutive in these
Names: (NEUDORFL) "NewThorpLET," (DOMSTADTL) "CathedralTownLET," and the like.] and there
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finds Ziethen: a glad meeting, we may fancy, but an anxious one, with Domstadtl ahead on the morrow.
Loudon concerts with Ziskowitz this day; calls in all reinforcements possible, and takes his measures.
Thursday morning, Ziethen finds the Train in such a state, hardly half of it come up, he has to spend the
whole day, Mosel and he, in rearranging it: Friday morning, June 30th, they get under way again;Friday,
the catastrophe is waiting them.
The Pass of Domstadtl, lapped in the dim Moravian distance, is not known to me or to my readers; nor indeed
could the human pen or intellect, aided by ocular inspection or whatever helps, give the least image of what
now took place there, rendering Domstadtl a memorable locality ever since. Understand that Ziethen and
Mosel, with their waste slow deluge of wagons, come jumbling in, with anxiety, with
precautions,precautions doubled, now that the woody intricacies about Domstadtl rise in sight. "Pooh, it is
as we thought: there go Austrian cannonsalvos, horsecharges, volleying musketries, as our first wagons
enter the Pass;and there will be a job!" Indecipherable to mankind far off, or even near. Of which only this
feature and that can be laid hold of, as discernible, by the most industrious man. Escort, in three main bodies,
vanguard, middle, rearguard, marches on each side; infantry on the left, cavalry on the right, as the ground
is leveller there. Length of the Train in statute miles, as it jumbles along at this point, is not given; but we
know it was many miles; that horses and wagoners were in panic hardly restrainable; and we dimly descry,
here especially, human drillsergeantcy doing the impossible to keep chaos plugged down. The poor
wagoner, cannon playing ahead, whirls homeward with his vehicle, if your eye quit him,still better, and
handier, cuts his traces, mounts in a good moment, and is off at heavyfooted gallop, leaving his wagon.
Seldom had human drill sergeantcy such a problem.
The Prussian Vanguard, one Krockow its commander, repulsed that first Austrian attack; swept the Bass clear
for some minutes; got their section of the carriages, or some part of it, 250 in all, hurried through; then halted
on the safe side, to wait what Ziethen would do with the remainder. Ziethen does his best and bravest, as
everybody does; keeps his wagonchaos plugged down; ranks it in square mass, as a wagon fortress
(WAGENBURG); ranks himself and everybody, his cannon, his platoon musketry, to the best advantage
round it; furiously shoots out in all manner of ways, against the furious Loudon on this flank, and the furious
Ziskowitz on that; takes hills, loses them; repels and is repelled (wagonchaos ever harder to keep plugged);
finally perceives himself to be beaten; that the wagonchaos has got unplugged (fancy it!)and that he,
Ziethen, must retreat; back foremost if possible. He did retreat, fighting all the way to Troppau; and the
Convoy is a ruin and a prey.
Krockow, with the 250, has got under way again; hearing the powder wagons start into the air (fired by the
enemy), and hearing the cannon and musketry take a northerly course, and die away in that ominous
direction. These 250 were all the carriages that came in: happily, by Ziethen's prudence, the money, a large
sum, had been lodged in the vanmost of these. The rest of the Convoy, ball, powder, bread, was of little value
to Loudon, but beyond value to Friedrich at this moment; and it has gone to annihilation and the belly of
Chaos and the Croats. Among the tragic wrecks of this Convoy there is one that still goes to our heart. A
longish, almost straight row of young Prussian recruits stretched among the slain, what are these? These were
700 recruits coming up from their cantons to the Wars; hardly yet six months in training: see how they have
fought to the death, poor lads, and have honorably, on the sudden, got manumitted from the toils of life.
Seven hundred of them stood to arms, this morning; some sixtyfive will get back to Troppau; that is the
invoice account. They lie there, with their blond young cheeks and light hair; beautiful in death;could not
have done better, though the sacred poet has said nothing of them hitherto,nor need, till times mend with
us and him. Adieu, my noble young Brothers; so brave, so modest, no Spartan nor no Roman more; may the
silence be blessed to you!
Contrary to some current notions, it is comfortably evident that there was a considerable fire of loyalty in the
Prussians towards their King, during this War; loyalty kept well under cover, not wasting itself in harangues
or noisy froth; but coming out, among all ranks of men, in practical attempts to be of help in this high
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struggle, which was their own as well as his. The STANDE, landed Gentry, of Pommern and other places, we
heard of their poor little Navy of twelve gunboats, which were all taken by the Swedes. Militia Regiments
too, which did good service at Colberg, as may transiently appear by and by:in the gentry or upper classes,
a respectable zeal for their King. Then, among the peasantry or lower classHere are Seven Hundred who
stood well where he planted them. And their Mothers Be Spartan also, ye Mothers! In peaceable times,
Tempelhof tells us the Prussian Mother is usually proud of having her son in this King's service: a country
wife will say to you: "I have three of them, all in the regiment," Billerbeck, Itzenplitz, or whatever be the
Canton regiment; "the eldest is ten inches [stands five feet ten], the second is eleven, the third eight, for
indeed he is yet young."
Daun, on the day of this Domstadtl business, and by way of masking it, feeling how vital it was, made
various extensive movements, across the River by several Bridges; then hither, thither, on the farther side of
Olmutz, mazing up and down: Friedrich observing him, till he should ripen to something definite, followed
his bombarding the while; perhaps having hopes of wager of battle ensuing. Of the disaster at Domstadtl
Friedrich could know nothing, Loudon having closed the roads. Daun by no means ripens into battle: news of
the disaster reached Friedrich next day (Saturday, July 1st),who "immediately assembled his Generals, and
spoke a few inspiring words to them," such as we may fancy. Friedrich perceives that Olmutz is over; that his
Third Campaign, third lunge upon the Enemy's heart, has prospered worse, thus far, than either of the others;
that he must straightway end this of Olmutz, without any success whatever, and try the remaining methods
and resources. No word of complaint, they say, is heard from Friedrich in such cases; face always hopeful,
tone cheery. A man in Friedrich's position needs a good deal of Stoicism, Greek or other.
That Saturday night the Prussian bombardment is quite uncommonly furious, long continuing; no night yet
like it:the Prussians are shooting off their superfluous ammunition this night; do not quite end till Sunday
is in. On Sunday itself, packings, preparations, all completed; and, "Keith, with above 4,000 wagons, safe on
the road since 2 A.M."the Prussians softly vanish in long smooth streams, with music playing, unmolested
by Daun; and leaving nothing, it is boasted, but five or three mortars, which kept playing to the last, and one
cannon, to which something had happened.
Of the retreat there could be much said, instructive to military men who were studious; extremely fine retreat,
say all judges;of which my readers crave only the outlines, the results. Daun, it was thought, should have
ruined Friedrich in this retreat; but he did nothing of harm to him. In fact, for a week he could not
comprehend the phenomenon at all, and did not stir from his place,which was on the other, or wrong, side
of the River. Daun had never doubted but the retreat would be to Silesia; and he had made his detachments,
and laid himself out for doing something upon it, in that direction: but, lo, what roads are these, what motions
whitherward? In about a week it becomes manifest that the retreat, which goes on various roads, sometimes
three at once, has converged on Leutomischl; straight for Bohemia instead of Silesia; and that Daun is fallen
seven days behind it; incapable now to do anything. Not even the Magazine at Leutomischl could be got
away, nor could even the whole of it be burnt.
Keith and the baggage once safe in Leutomischl (July 8th), all goes in deliberate long column; Friedrich
ahead to open the passages. July 14th, after five more marches, Friedrioh bursts up Konigsgratz; scattering
any opposition there is; and sits down there, in a position considered, he knows well how inexpugnable; to
live on the Country, and survey events. The 4,000 baggagewagons came in about entire. Fouquet had the
first division of them, and a secondary charge of the whole; an extremely strict, almost pedantic man, and of
very fiery temper: "HE, D'OU VENEZVOUS?" asked he sharply of Retzow senior, who had broken
through his order, one day, to avert great mischief: "How come you here, MON GENERAL?" "By the
Highway, your Excellency!" answered Retzow in a grave stiff tone. [Retzow, i. 302.]
Keith himself takes the rearguard, the most ticklish post of all, and manages it well, and with success, as his
wont is. Under sickness at the time, but with his usual vigilance, prudence, energy; qualities apt to be
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successful in War. Some brushes of Croat fighting he had from Loudon; but they did not amount to anything.
It was at Holitz, within a march of Konigsgratz, that Loudon made his chief attempt; a vehement,
wellintended thing; which looked well at one time. But Keith heard the cannonading ahead; hurried up with
new cavalry, new sagacity and fire of energy; dashed out horsecharges, seized hilltops, of a vital nature;
and quickly ended the affair. A man fiery enough, and prompt with his stroke when wanted, though
commonly so quiet. "Tell Monsieur,"some General who seemed too stupid or too languid on this
occasion,"Tell Monsieur from me," said Keith to his Aide decamp, "he may be a very pretty thing, but
he is not a man (QU'IL PEUT ETRE UNE BONNE CHOSE, MAIS QU'IL N'EST PAS UN HOMME)!"
[Varnhagen, Leben des Jakob von Keith, p. 227.] The excellent vernacular Keith;still a fine breadth of
accent in him, one perceives! He is now past sixty; troubled with asthma; and I doubt not may be,
occasionally, thinking it near time to end his campaigns. And in fact, he is about ending them; sooner than he
or anybody had expected.
Daun, picking his steps and positions, latterly with threefold precaution, got into Konigsgratz neighborhood,
a week after Friedrich; and looked down with enigmatic wonder upon Friedrich's new settlement there.
Forage abundant all round, and the corn harvest growing white;here, strange to say, has Friedrich got
planted in the inside of those innumerable Daun redoubts, and "woods of abatis;" and might make a very
pretty "Bohemian Campaign" of it, after all, were Daun the only adversary he had! Judges are of opinion, that
Daun, with all his superiority of number, could not have disrooted Friedrich this season. [Tempelhof, ii.
170176, 185;who, unluckily, in soldier fashion, here as too often elsewhere, does not give us the
Arithmetical Numbers of each, but counts by "Battalions" and " Squadrons," which, except in time of Peace,
are a totally uncertain quantity:guess vaguely, 75,000 against 30,000.] Daun did try him by the Pandour
methods, "1,000 Croats stealing in upon Konigsgratz at one in the morning," and the like; but these availed
nothing. By the one effectual method, that of beating him in battle, Daun never would have tried. What did
disroot Friedrich, then?Take the following dates, and small hints of phenomena in other parts of the big
Theatre of War. "Konitz" is a little Polish Town, midway between Dantzig and Friedrich's Dominions:
"KONITZ, 16th JUNE, 1758. This day Feldmarschall Fermor arrives in his principal Camp here. For many
weeks past he has been dribbling across the Weichsel hitherward, into various small camps, with Cossack
Parties flying about, under check of General Platen. But now, being all across, and reunited, Fermor shoots
out Cossack Parties of quite other weight and atrocity; and is ready to begin business,still a little uncertain
how. His Cossacks, under their Demikows, Romanzows; capable of no good fighting, but of endless
incendiary mischief in the neighborhood;shoot far ahead into Prussian territory: Platen, Hordt with his
FreeCorps, are beautifully sharp upon them; but many beatings avail little. 'They burn the town of Driesen
[Hordt having been hard upon them there]; town of Ratzebuhr, and nineteen villages around;'burn poor old
women and men, one poor old clergyman especially, wind him well in strawroping, then set fire, and leave
him;and are worse than fiends or hyenas. Not to be checked by Platen's best diligence; not, in the end, by
Platen and Dohna together. Dohna (18th June) has risen from Stralsund in check of them,leaving the
unfortunate Swedes to come out [shrunk to about 7,000, so unsalutary their stockfish diet there],these
hyenaCossacks being the far more pressing thing. Dohna is diligent, gives them many slaps and checks;
Dohna cannot cut the taproot of them in two; that is to say, fight Fermor and beat him: other effectual check
there can be none. [ HeldenGeschichte, v. 149 et seq.; Tempelhof, ii. 135
"TSCHOPAU (in Saxony), 21st JUNE. Prince Henri has quitted Bamberg Country; and is home again,
carefully posted, at Tschopau and up and down, on the southern side of Saxony; with his eye well on the
Passes of the Metal Mountains,where now, in the turn things at Olmutz have taken, his clear fate is to be
invaded, NOT to invade. The Reichs Army, fairly afoot in the Circle of Saatz, counts itself 35,000; add
15,000 Austrians of a solid quality, there is a Reichs Army of 50,000 in all, this Year. And will certainly
invade Saxony,though it is in no hurry; does not stir till August come, and will find Prince Henri
elaborately on his guard, and little to be made of him, though he is as one to two.
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"CREFELD (Rhine Country), 23d JUNE. Duke Ferdinand, after skilful shoving and advancing, some forty or
fifty miles, on his new or French side of the Rhine, finds the French drawn up at Crefeld (June 23d); 47,000
of them VERSUS 33,000: in altogether intricate ground; canalditches, osierthickets, farmvillages,
peatbogs. Ground defensible against the world, had the 47,000 had a Captain; but reasonably safe to attack,
with nothing but a Clermont acting that character. Ferdinand, I can perceive, knew his Clermont; and took
liberties with him. Divided himself into three attacks: one in front; one on Clermont's right flank, both of
which cannonaded, as if in earnest, but did not prevent Clermont going to dinner. One attack on front, one on
right flank; then there was a third, seemingly on left flank, but which winded itself round (perilously
imprudent, had there been a Captain, instead of a Clermont deepish in wine by this time), and burst in upon
Clermont's rear; jingling his wineglasses and decanters, think at what a rate;scattering his 47,000 and him
to the road again, with a loss of men, which was counted to 4,000 (4,000 against 1,700), and of
honorwhatever was still to lose!" [Mauvillon, i. 297309; Westphalen, i. 588604; Tempelhof;
Ferdinand, it was hoped, would now be able to maintain himself, and push forward, on this French side of the
Rhine: and had Wesel been his (as some of us know it is not!), perhaps. he might. At any rate, veteran
Belleisle took his measures:dismissal of Clermont Prince of the Blood, and appointment of Contades, a
man of some skill; recall of Soubise and his 24,000 from their Austrian intentions; these and other strenuous
measures,and prevented such consummation. A gallant young Comte de Gisors, only son of Belleisle,
perished in that disgraceful Crefeld:unfortunate old man, what a business that of "cutting Germany in four"
has been to you, first and last!
"LOUISBURG (North America), JULY 8th. Landing of General Amherst's people at Louisburg in Cape
Breton; with a view of besieging that important place. Which has now become extremely difficult; the
garrison, and their defences, military, naval, being in full readiness for such an event. Landing was done by
Brigadier Wolfe; under the eye of Amherst and Admiral Boscawen from rearward, and under abundant fire of
batteries and musketries playing on it ahead: in one of the surfiest seas (but we have waited four days, and it
hardly mends), tossing us about like corks;so that 'many of the boats were broken;' and Wolfe and people
'had to leap out, breastdeep,' and make fight for themselves, the faster the better, under very intricate
circumstances! Which was victoriously done, by Wolfe and his people; really in a rather handsome manner,
that morning. As were all the subsequent Siegeoperations, on land and on water, by them and the
others:till (August 8th) the Siege ended: in complete surrender,positively for the last time (Pitt fully
intends); no Austrian Netherlands now to put one on revoking it! [General Amherst's DIARY OF THE
SIEGE (in Gentleman's Magazine, xxviii. 384389).]
"These are pretty victories, cheering to Pitt and Friedrich; but the difficult point still is that of Fermor. Whose
Cossacks, and their devillike ravagings, are hideous to think of: unrestrainable by Dohna, unless he could
cut the root of them; which he cannot. JUNE 27th [while Colonel Mosel, with his 3,000 wagons, still only
one stage from Troppau, was so busy], slow Fermor rose from Konitz; began hitching southward, southward
gradually to Posen,a considerably stronger Polish Town; on the edge both of Brandenburg and of
Silesia;and has been sitting there, almost ever since our entrance into Bohemia; his Cossacks burning and
wasting to great distances in both Countries; no deciding which of them he meant to invade with his main
Army. Sits there almost a month, enigmatic to Dohna, enigmatic to Friedrich: till Friedrich decides at last that
he cannot be suffered longer, whichever of them he mean; and rises for Silesia (August 2d). Precisely about
which day Fermor had decided for Brandenburg, and rolled over thither, towards Custrin and the
FrankfurtonOder Country, heralded by fire and murder, as usual."
Friedrich's march to Landshut is, again, much admired. Daun had beset the three great roads, the two likeliest
especially, with abundant Pandours, and his best Loudons and St. Ignons: Friedrich, making himself
enigmatic to Daun, struck into the third road by Skalitz, Nachod; circuitous, steep, but lying Glatzward,
handy for support of various kinds. He was attempted, once or more, by Pandours, but used them badly; fell
in with Daun's old abatis (well winddried now), in different places, and burnt them in passing. And in five
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days was in KlosterGrussau, safe on his own side of the Mountains again. One point only we will note, in
these Pandour turmoilings. From Skalitz, the first stage of his march, he answers a Letter of Brother
Henri's:
TO PRINCE HENRI (at Tachopau in Saxony). "What you write to me of my Sister of Baireuth [that she has
been in extremity, cannot yet write, and must not be told of the Prince of Prussia's death lest it kill her] makes
me tremble! Next to our Mother, she is what I have the most tenderly loved in this world. She is a Sister who
has my heart and all my confidence; and whose character is of price beyond all the crowns in this universe.
From my tenderest years, I was brought up with her: you can conceive how there reigns between us that
indissoluble bond of mutual affection and attachment for life, which in all other cases, were it only from
disparity of ages, is impossible. Would to Heaven I might die before her;and that this terror itself don't
take away my life without my actually losing her!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 179, "Klenny, near Skalitz,
3d August, 1758;" Henri's Letter is dated "Camp of Tschopau, 28th July" (ib. 277).] ...
At Grussau (August 9th) he writes to his dear Wilhelmina herself: "O you, the dearest of my family, you
whom I have most at heart of all in this world,for the sake of whatever is most precious to you, preserve
yourself, and let me have at least the consolation of shedding my tears in your bosom! Fear nothing for US,
and" O King, she is dying, and I believe knows it, though you will hope to the last! There is something
piercingly tragical in those final Letters of Friedrich to his Wilhelmina, written from such scenes of wreck
and storm, and in Wilhelmina's beautiful everloving quiet Answers, dictated when she could no longer
write. ["July 18th" is the last by her hand, and "almost illegible;"still extant, it seems, though withheld
from us. Was received at Grussau here, and answered at some length ( OEuvres, xxvii. i. 316), according to
the specimen just given. Two more of hers follow, and four of the King's (ib. 317322). Nearly meaningless,
as printed there, without commentary for the unprepared reader.]
Friedrich had last left Grussau April 18th; he has returned to it August 8th: after sixteen weeks of a very
eventful absence. In Grussau he stayed two whole days;busy enough he, probably, though his people were
resting! August 10th he draws up, for Prince Henri, "under seal of the most absolute secrecy," and with
admirable businesslike strictness, brevity and clearness, forgetting nothing useful, remembering nothing
useless, a Paper of Directions in case of a certain event: "I march tomorrow against the Russians: as the
events of War may lead to all sorts of accidents, and it may easily happen to me to be killed, I have thought it
my duty to let you know what my plans were," and what you are to do in that event,"the rather as you are
Guardian of our Nephew [late Prince of Prussia's Son] with an unlimited authority." Oath from all the armies
the instant I am killed: rapid, active, as ever; the enemy not to notice that there is any change in the
command. I intend to "beat the Russians utterly [A PLATE COUTURE, splayseam], if it be possible;" then
to gives you his "itinerary," too, or probable address, till "the 25th" (notably enough); in short, forgets
nothing useful, nor remembers anything that is not, in spite of his hurry. ["DISPOSITION
TESTAMENTAIRE" (so they have labelled it); given in OEuvres, iv. (APPENDICE) 261, 262. Friedrich's
TESTAMENT proper is already made, and all in order, years ago ("11th January 1752"): of this there
followed Two new Redactions (new EDITIONS with slight improvements, "7th November, 1768," and "8th
January, 1769" the FINALLY valid one); and various Supplements, or summary Enforcements (as here), at
different times of crisis. see PREUSS, iv. 277, 401, and OEuvres de Frederic, vi. p. 13 (of Preface), for some
confused account of that matter.] For Mlnlster Finck also there went a Paper; seal lzot needing to be opened
for the moment.
With Margraf Karl, and Fouquet under him, who are to guard Silesia, he leaves in two Divisions about Half
the late Olmutz Army:added to the other force, this will make about 40,000 for that service. [Stenzel, v.
163.] Keith has the chief command here; but is ordered to Breslau, in the mean time, for a little rest and
recovery of health. Friday, 11th August, Friedrich himself, with the other Half, pushes off towards Fermor
and the Cossack demons; through Liegnitz, through Hohenfriedberg Country, straight for Frankfurt, with his
best speed.
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Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF ZORNDORF.
Sunday, 20th August, Friedrich, with his small Army, hardly above 15,000 I should guess, arrived at
FrankfurtonOder: "his Majesty," it seems, "lodged in the Lebus Suburb, in the house of a Clergyman's
Widow; and was observed to go often out of doors, and listen to the cannonading, which was going on at
Custrin." [Rodenbeck, i. 347.] From Landshut hither, he has come in nine days; the swiftest marching; a fiery
spur of indignation being upon all his men and him, for the last two days fierier than ever, longing all to
have a blow at those incendiary Russian gentlemen. Five days ago, the Russians, attempting blindly on the
Garrison of Custrin, had burnt,nothing of the Garrison at all,but the poor little Town altogether. Which
has filled everybody with lamentation and horror. And, listen yonder, they are still busy on the solitary
Garrison of Custrin;audible enough to Friedrich from his northern or Lebus Suburb, which lies nearest the
place, at a distance of some twenty miles.
Of Fermor's redhot savagery on Custrin, it is lamentably necessary we should say something: to say much
would he a waste of record; as the thing itself was a waste of powder. A thing hideous to think of; without the
least profit to Fermor, but with total ruin to all the inhabitants, and to the many strangers who had sought
refuge there. One interior circumstance is memorable and lucky to us. ArtilleryCaptain Tielcke happened to
be with these people; had come in the train of "two Saxon Princes, serving as volunteers;" and, with a
singular lucidity, and faithful good sense, not scientific alone, he illuminates these biack Russian matters for
such as have to do with them.
Tielcke's Book of Contributions to the Art of War [ Beytrage zur KriegeKunst und (ZUR) Geschichte des
Krieges von 1756 bis 1763 (six thin vols. 4to, with many Plates); cited above.] is still in repute with Soldiers,
especially in the Artillery line; and indeed shows a sound geometrical head, and contains bits of excellent
Historical reading interspersed among the scientific parts. This Tielcke, it appears, was a common
footsoldier, one of those Pirna 14,000 made Prussian against their will; but Tielcke had a milkmaid for
sweetheart in those regions, who, good soul, gave him her generous farewell, a suit of her clothes, perhaps a
pair of her pails; and in that guise he walked out of bondage. Clear away; to Warsaw, to favor with the King
and others (being of real merit, an excellent, studious, modest little man); and here he now reappears, in a
higher capacity; as articulate Eyewitness of the Custrin Business and the Zorndorf, among much other
Russian darkness, which shall remain comfortably blank to us.
Up to Custrin, the Journal of the Operations of the Russian Army, which I could give from day to day,
["TAGEBUCH BEYDER (Diary of both Armies from the beginning of the Campaign till Zorndorf"), in
Tielcke, ii. 175; Tempelhof, ii. 136, 216224; Helden Geschichte, v.; is of no interest except to the Nether
Powers of this Universe; the Russian Operations hitherto having consisted in slow marches, sluttish
cookeries, cantonings, bivouackings, with destruction of a poor innocent Country, and arson, theft and
murder done on the great scale by inhuman vagabonds, Cossacks so called, not tempered on this occasion by
the mercy of Calmucks. The regular Russian Army, it appears, participates in the common horror of mankind
against such a method of making war; but neither Feldmarschall Fermor, nor General Demikof (properly
THEMICOUD, a Swiss, deserving little thanks from us, who has taken in hand to command these
Missionaries of the Pit), can help the results above described. Which are justly characterized as abominable,
to gods and men; and not fit to be recorded in human Annals; execration, and, if it were possible, oblivion,
being the human resource with them., The Russian Officers, it seems, despise tbis Cossack rabble incredibly;
for their fighting qualities withal are close on zero, though their talent for arson and murder is so
considerable. And contrariwise, the Cossacks, for their part, have no objection to plunder, or even, if
obstreperous, to kill, any regular Officer they may meet unescorted in a good place. Their talent for arson is
great. They do uncountable damage to the Army itself; provoking all the Country people to destroy by fire
what could be eaten or used, the foraging, food and equipments of horse and man; so that horse and man have
to be fed by victual carted hundreds of miles out of Poland; and the Russian Army sticks, as it were, tethered
with a welter of broken porridgepots and rent mealbags hung to every foot it has.
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East Preussen is quiet from the storms of War; holds its tongue well, and hopes better days: but the Russians
themselves are little the better for it, a country so lately burned bare; they are merely flung so many scores of
miles forward, farther from home and their real resources, before they can begin work, They have no port on
the Baltic: poor blockheads, they are aware how desirable, for instance, Dantzig would be; to help feeding
them out of ships; but the Dantzigers won't. Colberg, a poor little place, with only 700 militia people in it,
would be of immense service to them as a seahaven: but even this they have not yet tried to get; and after
trying, they will find it a job. "Why not unite with the Swedes and take Stettin (the finest harbor in the
Baltic), which would bring Russia, by ships, to your very hand?" This is what Montalembert is urgent upon,
year after year, to the point of wearying everybody; but he can get no official soul to pay heed to him,the
difficulties are so considerable. "Swedes, what are they?" say the Russians: "Russians what?" say the Swedes.
"Sweden would be so handy for the Artilleries," urges Montalembert; "Russians for the Soldiery, or covering
and fighting part.""Can't be done!" Officiality shakes its head: and Montalembert is obliged to be silent.
The Russians have got into the Neumark of Brandenburg, on those bad terms; and are clearly aware that,
without some Fortress as a Place of Arms, they are an overgrown Incompetency and Monstrosity in the field
of War; doing much destruction, most of which proves self destructive before long. But how help it? If the
carrying of meal so far be difficult what will the carrying of siegefurniture be? A flat impossibility. Fermor,
aware of these facts, remembers what happened at Oczakow,long ago, in our presence, and Keith's and
Munnich's, if the reader have not quite forgot. Munnich, on that occasion, took Oczakow without any
siegefurniture whatever, by boldly marching up to it; nothing but audacity and good luck on his side.
Fermor determines to try Custrin in the like way,if peradventure Prussian soldiery be like Turk?
Fermor rose from Posen August 2d, almost three weeks ago; making daily for the Neumark and those
unfortunate Oder Countries; nobody but Dohna to oppose him,Dohna in the ratio of perhaps one against
four. Dohna naturally laid hold of Frankfurt and the Oder Bridge, so that Fermor could not cross there;
whereupon Fermor, as the next best thing, struck northward for the Warta (black Polish stream, last big
branch of Oder); crossed this, at his ease, by Landsberg Bridge, August 10th [Tempelhof, ii. 216.] and after a
day or two of readjustment in Landsberg, made for Custrin Country (his next headquarter is at Gross
Kamin); hoping in some accidental or miraculous way to cross Oder thereabouts, or even get hold of Custrin
as a Place of Arms. If peradventure he can take Custrin without proper siegeartillery, in the Oczakow or
AntiTurk way? Fermor has been busy upon Custrin since August 15th;in what fashion we partly heard,
and will now, from authentic sources, see a little for ourselves.
The Castle of Custrin, built by good Johann of Custrin, and "roofed with copper," in the Reformation
times,we know it from of old, and Friedrich has since had some knowledge of it. Custrin itself is a rugged
little Town, with some moorland traffic, and is still a place of great military strength, the garrison of those
parts. Its rough pavements, its heavy stone battlements and barriers, give it a guarled obstinate aspect,stern
enough place of exile for a CrownPrince fallen into such disfavor with Papa! A rugged, compact, by no
means handsome little Town, at the meeting of the Warta and the Oder; stands naturally among sedges,
willows and drained mire, except that human industry is pleasantly busy upon it, and has long been. So that
the neighborhood is populous beyond expectation; studded with rough cottages in whitewash; hamlets in a
paved condition; and comfortable signs of labor victoriously wrestling with the wilderness. Custrin, an
arsenal and garrison, begirt with two rivers, and with awful bulwarks, and bastions cased in stone,"perhaps
too high," say the learned,is likely to be impregnable to Russian engineering on those terms. Here, with
brevity, is the catastrophe of Custrin.
TUESDAY, 15th AUGUST, 1758. At two in the morning, several thousand Russians, grenadiers, under
Quartermaster General Stoffeln, whom the readers of Mannstein know from old Oczakow times, are astir;
pushing along from Gross Kamin, through the scraggy firwoods, and flat peat countries; intending a stroke on
Custrin, if perhaps they can get it: [Tempelhof, ii. 217; but Tielcke, ii. 69 et seq., the real source.]not the
slightest chance to get Custrin; Prussian soldiership and Turkish being two quite different things! The
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pickeering and manoeuvring of Stoffeln shall not detain us. Stoffeln came along by the Landsberg road
(course of the now KonigsbergCustrin Railway); and drove in the Prussian outparties, who at first took
him for Cossacks. Stoffeln set himself down on the north side of the place; planted cannon in certain
claypits thereabouts, and about nine o'clock began firing shells and incendiary grenadoes at a great rate.
Tielcke saw everything,and had the honor to take luncheon, that evening, with certain chief Officers,
sitting on the ground, after all was over, and only a few shots from the Garrison still dropping. [Tielcke, ii. 75
n.]
At the third grenade, which, it seems, fell into a straw magazine, Custrin took fire; could not be quenched
again, so much dry wood in it, so much disorder too, the very soldiers some of them disorderly (a bad
deserter set); so that it soon flamed aloft,from side to side one sea of flame: and man, woman and child,
every soul (except the Garrison, which sat enclosed in strong stone), had to fly across the River, under
penalty of death by fire. Of Custrin, by five in the evening, there was nothing left but the black ashes; the
Garrison standing unharmed, and the Church, Schoolhouse and some stone edifices in a charred skeleton
condition. "No life was lost, except that of one child in arms." All Neumark had lodged its valuables in this
place of strength; all are fled now in horror and terror across the Oder, by the Bridge, before it also
unquenchably takes fire, at the western or nonRussian end of the place. Such a day as was seldom seen in
human experience;Fermor responsible for it, happily not we.
Fermor, in the evening, said to his Artillery People: "Why have you ceased to fire grenadoes?" "Excellency,
the Town is out; nothing now but ashes and stone." "Never mind; give them the rest, one every quarter of an
hour. We shall not need the grenadoes again. The cannonballs we shall; them, therefore, do not waste." On
the morrow morning, after this performance on the Town, Fermor sends a Trumpeter: "Surrender or else!"
rather in the tremendous style. "Or else?" answers the Commandant, pointing to the ashes, to the black
inconsumable stones; and is deaf to this EXPOSTFACTO Trumpeter. The Russians say they sent one
yesterday morning, not EXPOSTFACTO, but he was killed in the pickeerings, and never heard of again. A
mile or so to rear of Custrin, on the westward or Berlin side of the River, lies Dohna for the last four days;
expecting that the Laws of Nature will hold good, and Custrin prove tenable against such sieging. So stands it
on Friedrich's arrival.
We left Friedrich in the Lebus Suburb of Frankfurt, Sunday, August 20th, listening to the distant cannonade.
Next morning, he is here himself; at Dohna's Camp of Gorgast, taking survey of affairs; came early, under
rapid small escort, leaving his Army to follow; scorn and contemptuous indignation the humor of him, they
say; resolution to be swiftly home upon that surprising Russian armament, and teach it new manners. The
black skeleton of Custrin stares hideously across the River; "Custrin Siege" so called still going on;had
better make despatch now, and take itself away! He greatly despises Russian soldiership: "Pooh, pooh," he
would answer, if Keith from experience said, "Your Majesty does not do it justice;"and Keith has been
known to hint, "If the trial ever come, your Majesty will alter that opinion." A day or two hence, amid these
hideous Russian firetraceries, the Hussars bring him a dozen of Cossacks they have made prisoners:
Friedrich looks at the dirty green vagabonds; says to one of his Staff: "And this is the kind of Doggery I have
to bother with!"The sight of the poor countrypeople, and their tears of joy and of sorrow on his
reappearance among them, much affected him. Taking inspection of Dohna, he finds Dohna wonderfully
clean, pipeclayed, complete: "You are very fine indeed, you;I bring you a set of fellows, rough as
GRASTEUFELN ["grassdevils," I never know whether insects or birds]; but they can bite,"hope you can!
Tuesday, August 32d, at five in the morning our Army has all arrived, the Frankfurt people just come in;
30,000 of us now in Camp at Gorgast. Friedrich orders straightway that a certain Russian Redoubt on the
other side of the River, at Schaumburg, a mile or two down stream, be well cannonaded into ruin,as if he
took it for some incipiency of a Russian Bridge, or were himself minded to cross here, under cover of
Custrin. Friedrich's intention very certainly is to cross,here or not just here;and that same night, after
some hours of rest to the Frankfurt people,night of TuesdayWednesday, Friedrich, having persuaded the
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Russians that his crossingplace will be their Redoubt at Schaumburg, marches ten or twelve miles down the
River, silently his 30,000 and he, till opposite the Village of Gustebiese; rapidly makes his Bridges there,
unmolested: Fermor, with his eye on the cannonaded Redoubt only, has expected no such matter; and is much
astonished when he hears of it, twenty hours after. Friedrich, across with the vanguard, at an early hour of
Wednesday, gets upon the knoll at Gustebiese for a view; and all Gustebiese, hearing of him, hurries out,
with lowvoiced tremulous blessings, irrepressible tears: "God reward your Majesty, that have come to
us!"and there is a hustling and a struggling, among the women especially, to kiss the skirts of his coat.
Poor souls: one could have stood tremendous cheers; but this is a thing I forgive Friedrich for being visibly
affected with.
Friedrich leaves his baggage on the other side of the Oder, and the Bridge guarded; our friend Hordt, with his
FreeCorps, doing it, Friedrich marches forward some ten miles that night; eastward, straight for Gross
Kamin, as if to take the Russians in rear; encamps at a place called Klossow, spreading himself obliquely
towards the Mutzel (black sluggish tributary of the Oder in those parts), meaning to reach Neu Damm on the
Mutzel tomorrow, there almost within wind of the Russians, and be ready for crossing on them. It was at
Klossow (23d August, evening), that the Hussars brought in their dozen or two of Cossacks, and he had his
first sight of Russian soldiery; by no means a favorable one, "Ugh, only look!"As we are now approaching
Zorndorf, and the monstrous tug of Battle which fell out there, readers will be glad of the following:
"From Damm on the Mutzel, where Friedrich intends crossing it tomorrow night, south to Gross Kamin, not
far from the Warta, where Fermor's headquarter lately was, may be about five miles. From Custrin, Kamin
lies northeast about eight or ten miles: Zorndorf, the most considerable Village in this tract, lieslittle
dreaming of the sad glory coming to itpretty much in the centre between big Warta and smaller Mutzel.
The Country is by nature a peat wilderness, far and wide; but it has been tamed extensively; grows crops,
green pastures; is elsewhere covered with wood (Scotch fir, scraggy in size, but evidently under forest
management); perhaps half the country is in Fir tracts, what they call HEIDEN (Heaths); the cultivated spaces
lying like lightgreen islands with blackgreen channels and expanses of circumambient Fir. The Drewitz
Heath, the Massin or Zither Heath, and others about Zorndorf, will become notable to us. The Country is now
much drier than in Friedrich's time; the human spade doing its duty everywhere: so that much of the
Battleground has become irrecognizable, when compared with the old marshy descriptions given of it.
Zorndorf, a rough substantial Hamlet, has nothing of boggy now visible near by; lies east to west, a firm
broad highway leading through: a sea of forest before it, to south; to north, good dry barleygrounds or
ryegrounds, sensibly rising for half a mile, then waving about in various slow slight changes of level
towards Quartschen, Zicher, forming an irregular cleared 'island,' altogether of perhaps four miles by three,
with unlimited circumambiencies of wood. It was here, on this island as we call it, that the Battle, which has
made Zorndorf famous, was fought.
"Zorndorf (or even the open ground half a mile to north of it, which will be more important to us) is probably
not 50 feet above the level of the Mutzel, nor 100 above Warta and Oder, six miles off; but it is the crown of
the Country;the ground dropping therefrom every way, in lazy dull waves or swells; towards Tamsel and
Gross Kamin on southeast; towards BirkenBusch, Quartschen, Darmutzel [DAR of the Mutzel, whatever
"DAR" may be.] on northwest; as well as towards Damm and its Bridge northeast, where Friedrich will soon
be, and towards Custrin southwest, where he lately was, each a five or six miles from Zorndorf.
"Such is the poor moorland tract of Country; Zorndorf the centre of it,where the battle is likely to
be:Zorndorf and environs a bare quasiisland among these woods; extensive bald crown of the landscape,
girt with a frizzle of firwoods all round. Boggy pools there are, especially on the western side (all drained in
our time). Mutzel, or north side, is of course the lowest in level: and accordingly," what is much to be marked
by readers here, "from the south, or Zorndorf side, at wide intervals, there saunter along, in a slow obscure
manner, Three miserable continuous Leakages, or oozy Threads of Water, all making for Quartschen, to north
or northwest, there to disembogue into the Mutzel. Each of these has its little Hollow; of which the
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westernmost, called Zabern Hollow (ZABERNGRUND), is the most considerable, and the most important to
us here: GALGENGRUND (GallowsHollow) is also worth naming in this Battle; the third Leakage, though
without importance, invites us to name it, HOSEBRUCH, quasi STOCKING quagmire,because you can
use no stockings there, except with manifest disadvantage."Take this other concluding trait:
... "Inexpressible fringe of marsh, two or three miles broad, mostly bottomless, woven with sluggish creeks
and stagnant pools, borders the Warta for many miles towards Landsberg; CustrinLandsberg Causeway the
alone sure footing in it; after which, the country rises insensibly, but most beneficially, and is mainly drier till
you get to the Mutzel again, and find the same fringe of mud lacework again, Zorndorf we called the crown
of it. Tamsel, Wilkersdorf, Klein Kamin, Gross Kamin, and other places known to us, lie on the dry turffuel
country, but looking over close upon the hem of that marshfringe, and no doubt getting peats, wild ducks,
pikefishes, eels, and snatches of summer pasture and cowhay out of it."
Thursday, August 24th, Friedrich is again speeding on; occupying Darmutzel and other crossingplaces of
the Mutzel; [Mitchell to Holderness, "DErmItzel, 24th August, 1758" (MEMOIRS AND PAPERS, i. 425; Ib.
ii. 4047, Mitchell's Private Journal).] by no means himself crossing there; on the contrary, carefully
breaking all the Bridges before he go ("No retreat for those Russian vagabonds, only death or surrender for
them!")himself not intending to cross till he be up at Damm, Neu Damm, well eastward of his Russians,
and have got them all pinfolded between Mutzel and Oder in that way. In the evening, he reaches Damm and
the Mill of Damm, some three or four miles higher up the Mutzel;and there pushes partly across at once.
That is to say, his vanguard at once, and takes a defensive position; his Artillery and other Divisions by
degrees, in the silent night hours; and, before daybreak tomorrow, every soul will be across, and the Bridge
broken again; and Fermor had better have his accounts settled.
Fermor's roving Cossack clouds seldom bring him in intelligence; but only return stained with charcoal grime
and red murder: up to late last night, he had not known where Friedrich was at all; had idly thought him busy
with the Schaumburg Redoubt, on the other side of Oder, fencing and precautioning: but now (night of the
23d), these Cossacks do come in with news, "Indisputable to our poor minds, the Prussians are at Klossow
yonder,captured a dozen green vagabonds of us, and have sent us galloping!"which news, with the night
closing in on him, was astonishing, thrice and four times important to Fermor.
Instantly he raises the siege of Custrin, any siege there was; gets his immense baggagetrain shoved off that
night to Klein Kamin, Landsberg way; summons the force from Landsberg to join him without loss of a
moment;and in the meanwhile pitches himself in long bivouac in the Drewitz Wood or FirHeath, with the
quaggy Zaberngrund in front. Quaggy Zaberngrund,do readers remember it; one of those "Three
continuous Leakages," very important, to Fermor and us at present? This is the safest place Fermor can find
for himself; scraggy firs around, good quagmires and Zabern Hollow in front; looking to the east, waiting
what a new day will bring. That was Fermor's posture, while Friedrich quitted Klossow in the dawn of the
24th. Be busy, ye Cossack doggeries; return with news, not with mere grime and marks of blood on your
mouths!
Evening of the 24th, Cossacks report that Friedrich has got to Damm Mill; has hold of the Bridge there; and
may be looked for, sure as the daylight, tomorrow. Fermor is 50,000 odd, his Landsberg forces all coming
in; one Detachment out Stettin way, which cannot come in; Fermor finds that his baggagetrain is fairly on
the road to Klein Kamin;and that he will have to quit this bosky bivouac, and fight for himself in the open
ground, or do worse.
THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR OVER AGAIN,THAT IS TO SAY, FRIEDRICH AT HANDGRIPS
WITH FERMOR AND HIS RUSSIANS (25TH AUGUST, 1758).
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Artless Fermor draws out to the open ground, north of Zorndorf, south of Quartschen; arranges himself in
huge quadrilateral mass, with his "staffbaggage" (lighter baggage) in the centre, and his front, so to speak,
everywhere. [Excellent Plan of him, or rather Plans, in his successive shapes, in Tielcke, ii. (PLATES 4, 5, 6,
7, 8).] Mass, say two miles long by one mile broad; but it is by no means regular, and has many zigzags
according to the ground, and narrows and droops southward on the eastern end: one of the most artless
arrangements; but known to Fermor, and the readiest on this pinch of time. Munnich devised this
quadrilateral mode; and found it good against the Turks, and their deluges of raging horse and foot: Fermor
could perhaps do better; but there is such a press of hurry. Fermor's western flank, or biggest breadth of
quadrilateral, leans on that Zabern Hollow, with its fine quagmires; his eastern, narrowest part, droops down
on certain mudpools and conveniences towards Zicher. Gallows Hollow, a slighter than the Zabern, runs
through the centre of him; and with his best people he fronts towards the Mutzel Bridges, especially towards
DammMill Bridge whence Friedrich will emerge, sure as the sunrise, one knows not with what issue.
Artless Fermor is nothing daunted; nor are his people; but stand patiently under arms, regardless of future and
present, to a degree not common in soldiering.
Friday, August 25th, by halfpast three in the morning, Friedrich is across the Mutzel; self and Infantry by
DammMutzel Bridge, cavalry by another Bridge (KERSTENBRUGGE, means "Christian Bridge," in the
dialect of Charlemagne's time, a very old arrangement of Successive Logs up there!) some furlongs higher
up. The Bridge at Damm is perhaps some three miles from the nearest Russians about Zicher; but Friedrich
has no thought of attacking Fermor there; he has a quite other program laid, and will attack Fermor precisely
on the side opposite to there. Friedrich's intention is to sweep quite round this monstrous Russian
quadrilateral; to break in upon it on the western flank, and hurl it back upon Mutzel and its quagmires. He has
broken his two bridges after passing, all bridges are gone there, and the country is bottomless: surrender at
discretion if once you are driven thither! And Friedrich's own retreat, if he fail, is short and open to Custrin.
"Admirable," say the Critics, "and altogether in Friedrich's style!"Friedrich, adds one Critic, was not aware
that the Russian HeavyBaggage Train, which is their powderflask and breadbasket and staff of life, lies at
Klein Kamin, within few miles on his left just now, Russians themselves on his right; that the Russians could
have been abolished from those countries without fighting at all! [Retzow, i. 305329.] This is very true.
Friedrich's haste is great, his humor hot; and he has not heard of this KleinKamin fact, which in common
times he would have done, and of which in a calmer mood he would, with a fine scientific gusto, have taken
his advantage.
Friedrich pours incessant southward; cavalry parallel to infantry and a certain distance beyond it, eastward of
it; and they have burnt the Bridges; which is a curious fact! Continually southward, as if for Tamsel:poor
old Tamsel, do readers recollect it at all, does Friedrich at all? No pleasant dinner, or lilyandrose
complexions, there for one today!Some distance short of Tamsel, Friedrich, emerging, turns
westward;intending what on earth? thinks Fermor. Friedrich has been mostly hidden by the woods all this
while, and enigmatic to Fermor. Fermor does now at last see the color of the facts;and that one's chief front
must change itself to southward, one's best leg and arm be foremost, or towards Zorndorf, not towards the
Mutzel as hitherto. Fermor stirs up his Quadrilateral, makes the required change, "You, best or northern line,
step across, and front southward; across to southward, I say; secondbest go northward in their stead:" and
so, with some other slight polishings, suggested by the ground and phenomena, we anew await this Prussian
Enigma with our best leg foremost. The march or circular sweep of these Prussian lines, from Damm Bridge
through the woods and champaign to their appointed place of action, is seven or eight miles; lines when
halted in battleorder will be two miles long or more.
Friedrich pours steadily along, horse and foot, by the rear cf Wilkersdorf, of Zorndorf,Russian Minotaur
scrutinizing him in that manner with dull bloodshot eyes, uncertain what he will do. It is eight in the morning,
hot August; wind a mere lull, but southernly if any. Small Hussar pickets ride to right of the main Army
March; to keep the Cossacks in check: who are roving about, all on wing; and pert enough, in spite of the
Hussar pickets, Desperado individuals of them gallop up to the Infantry ranks, and fire off their pistols
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there,without reply; reply or firing, till the word come, is strictly forbidden. Infantry pours along, like a
ploughman drawing his furrow, heedless of the circling crows. Crows or Cossacks, finding they are not
regarded, set fire to Zorndorf, and gallop off. Zorndorf goes up readily, mainly wood and straw; rolls in big
clouds of smoke far northward in upon the Russian Minotaur, making him still blinder in the important
moments now coming.
Friedrich rides up to view the Zabern Hollow: "Beyond expectation deep; very boggy too, with its foul
leakage or brook: no attacking of their western flank through this Zaberngrund;attack the corner of them,
then; here on the southwest!" That is Friedrich's rapid resource. The lines halt, accordingly; make ready.
Behind flaming Zorndorf stands his extreme left, which is to make the attack; infantry in front; horse to rear
and farther leftwards,and under the command of Seidlitz in this quarter, which is an important
circumstance. Right wing, reaching to behind Wilkersdorf, is to refuse itself; whole force of centre is to push
upon that Russian corner, to support the left in doing it;according to the Leuthen or LEUCTRA principle,
once more. May no mistakes occur in executing it this day!
The first division of the Prussian Infantry, or extreme Left, marches forward by the west end of flaming
Zorndorf; next division, which should stand close to right of it, or even behind it in action, and follow it close
into the Russian fire, has to march by the east end of Zorndorf; this is a farther road, owing to the flames; and
not a lucky one. Second division could never get into fair contact with that first division again: that was the
mistake: and it might have been fatal, but was not, as we shall see. First division has got clear of Zorndorf, in
advancing towards its Russian business;is striding forward, its left flank safe against the Zaberngrund;
steadily by fixed stages, against the fated Russian Corner, which is its point of attack. First division, second
division, are clear of Zorndorf, though with a wide gap between them; are steadily striding forward towards
the Russian Corner. Two strong batteries, wide apart, have planted themselves ahead; and are playing upon
the Russian Quadrilateral, their fires crossing at the due Corner yonder, with terrible effect; Russian artillery,
which are multitudinous and all gathered down to this southwestern corner, are responding, though with their
fire spread, and far less effectual. The Prussian line steps on, extreme left perhaps in too animated a manner;
their cannon batteries enfilade the thick mass of Russians at a frightful rate ("forty two men of a certain
regiment blown away by a single ball," in one instance [Tielcke.]), drive the interior baggagehorses to
despair: a very agitated Quadrilateral, under its grim canopy of cannon smoke, and of straw smoke, heaped
on it from the Zorndorf side here. Manteuffel, leader of that first or leftmost division, sees the internal
simmering; steps forward still more briskly, to firing distance; begins his platoon thunder, with the due steady
fury, had the second division but got up to support Manteuffel! The second division is in fire too; but not
close to Manteuffel, where it should be.
Fermor notices the gap, the wavering of Manteuffel unsupported; plunges out in immense torrent, horse and
foot, into the gap, into Manteuffel's flank and front; hurls Manteuffel back, who has no support at hand:
"ARAH, ARAH (Hurrah, Hurrah)! Victory, Victory!" shout the Russians, plunging wildly forward, sweeping
all before them, capturing twentysix pieces of cannon, for one item. What a moment for Friedrich; looking
on it from some knoll somewhere near Zorndorf, I suppose; hastily bidding Seidlitz strike in: "Seidlitz, now!"
The hurrahing Russians cannot keep rank at that rate of going. like a buffalo stampede; but fall into heaps and
gaps: Seidlitz, with a swiftness, with a dexterity beyond praise, has picked his way across that quaggy Zabern
Hollow; falls, with say 5,000 horse, on the flank of this big buffalo stampede; tumbles it into instant
ruin;which proves irretrievable, as the Prussian Infantry come on again, and back Seidlitz.
In fifteen minutes more (I guess it now to be ten o'clock), the Russian Minotaur, this end of it, on to the
Gallows Ground, is one wild mass. Seldom was there seen such a charge; issuiug in such deluges of wreck, of
chaotic flight, or chaotic refusal to fly. The Seidlitz cavalry went sabring till, for very fatigue, they gave it up,
and could no more. The Russian horse fled to Kutzdorf, Fermor with them, who saw no more of this Fight,
and did not get back till dark;had not the Bridges been burnt, and no crossing of the Mutzel possible,
Fermor never would have come back, and here had been the end of Zorndorf. Luckier if it had! But there is
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no crossing of the Mutzel, there is only drowning in the quagmires there:death any way; what can be done
but die?
The Russian infantry stand to be sabred, in the above manner, as if they had been dead oxen. More remote
from Seidlitz, they break open the sutlers' brandycasks, and in few minutes get roaring drunk. Their officers,
desperate, split the brandycasks; soldiers flap down to drink it from the puddles; furiously remonstrate with
their officers, and "kill a good many of them" (VIELE, says Tielcke), especially the foreign sort. "A frightful
bloodbath," by all the Accounts: bloodbath, brandybath, and chief Nucleus of Chaos then extant
aboveground. Fermor is swept away: this chaos, the very Prussians drawing back from it, wearied with
massacring, lasts till about one o'clock. Up to the Gallowsground the Minotaur is mere wreck and delirium:
but beyond the Gallowsground, the other half forms a new front to itself; becomes a new Minotaur, though
in reduced shape. This is Part First of the Battle of Zorndorf; Friedrichon the edge of great disaster at one
moment, but miraculously savedhas still the other half to do (unlucky that he left no Bridges on the
Mutzel), and must again change his program.
Half of the Minotaur is gone to shreds in this manner; but the attack upon it, too, is spent: what is to be done
with the other half of the monster, which is again alive; which still stands, and polypuslike has arranged a
new life for itself, a new front against the Galgengrund yonder? Friedrich brings his right wing into action.
Rapidly arranges right wing, centre, all of the left that is disposable, with batteries, with cavalry; for an attack
on the opposite or southeastern end of his monster. If your monster, polypuslike, come alive again in the
tailpart, you must fell that other head of him. Batteries, well in advance, begin work upon the new head of
the monster, which was once his tail; fresh troops, long lines of them, pushing forward to begin
platoonvolleying: time now, I should guess, about halfpast two. Our infantry has not yet got within
musketrange,when torrents of Russian Horse, Foot too following, plunge out; wideflowing, stormfully
swift; and dash against the coming attack. Dash against it; stagger it; actually tumble it back, in the centre
part; take one of the batteries, and a whole battalion prisoners. Here again is a moment! Friedrich, they say,
rushed personally into this vortex; rallied these broken battalions, again rallied and led them up; but it was to
no purpose: they could not be made to stand, these centre battalions; "some sudden panic in them, a thing
unaccountable," says Tempelhof; "they are Dohna's people, who fought perfectly at Jagersdorf, and often
elsewhere" (they were all in such a finely burnished state the other day; but have not biting talent, like the
grassdevils): enough, they fairly scour away, certain disgraceful battalions, and are not got ranked again till
below Wilkersdorf, above a mile off; though the grassdevils, on both hands of them, stand grimly steady,
left in this ominous manner.
What would have become of the affair one knows not, if it had not been that Seidlitz once more made his
appearance. On Friedrich's order, or on his own, I do not know; but sure it is, Seidlitz, with sixtyone
squadrons, arriving from some distance, breaks in like a DEUS EX MACHINA, swift as the stormwind,
upon this Russian Horse torrent; drives it again before him like a mere torrent of chaff, back, ever back, to
the shore of Acheron and the Stygian quagmires (of the Mutzel, namely); so that it did not return again; and
the Prussian infantry had free field for their platoon exercise. Their rage against the Russians was extreme;
and that of the Russians corresponded. Three of these grassdevil battalions, who stood nearest to Dohna's
runaways, were natives of this same burnt out Zorndorf Country; we may fancy the PlattTeutsch hearts of
them, and the sacred lightning, with a moisture to it, that was in their eyes. PlattTeutsch platooning,
bayonetcharging,on such terms no Russian or mortal Quadrilateral can stand it. The Russian Minotaur
goes all to shreds a second time; but will not run. "No quarter!""Well, then, none!"
"Shortly after four o'clock," say my Accounts, "the firing," regular firing, "altogether ceased; ammunition
nearly spent, on both sides; Prussians snatching cartridgeboxes of Russian dead;" and then began a tug of
deadly massacring and wrestling man to man, "with bayonets, with butts of muskets, with hands, even with
teeth [in some Russian instances], such as was never seen before." The Russians, beaten to fragments, would
not run: whither run? Behind is Mutzel and the bog of Acheron;on Mutzel is no bridge left; "the shore of
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Mutzel is thick with men and horses, who have tried to cross, and lie there swallowed in the ooze""like a
pavement," says Tielcke. The Russians,never was such VIS INERTIAE as theirs now. They stood like
sacks of clay, like oxen already dead; not even if you shot a bullet through them, would they fall at once, says
Archenholtz, but seem to be deliberate about it.
Complete disorder reigned on both sides; except that the Prussians could always form again when bidden, the
Russians not. This lasted till nightfall,Russians getting themselves shoved away on these horrid terms, and
obstinate to take no other. Towards dark, there appeared, on a distant knoll, something like a ranked body of
them again,some 2,000 foot and half as many horse; whom Themicoud (superlative Swiss Cossack,
usually written Demikof or Demikow) had picked up, and persuaded from the shore of Acheron, back to this
knoll of vantage, and some cannon with them. Friedrich orders these to be dispersed again: General Forcade,
with two battalions, taking the front of them, shall attack there; you, General Rauter, bring up those Dohna
fellows again, and take them in flank. Forcade pushes on, Rauter too,but at the first taste of cannon shot,
these poor Dohnapeople (such their now flurried, disgraced state of mind) take to flight again, worse than
before; rush quite through Wilkersdorf this time, into the woods, and can hardly be got together at all.
Scandalous to think of. No wonder Friedrich "looked always askance on those regiments that had been beaten
at Gross Jagersdorf, and to the end of his life gave them proofs of it:" [Retzow;and still more emphatically,
Briefe eines alten Preussischen Officiers (Hohenzollern, 1790), i. 34, ii. 52, very natural, if the rest were like
these!
Of poor General Rauter, Tempelhof and the others, that can help it, are politely silent; only Saxon Tielcke
tells us, that Friedrich dismissed him, "Go, you, to some other trade!"which, on Prussian evidence too,
expressed in veiled terms, I find to be the fact: MilitairLexikon, obliged to have an article on Rauter, is very
brief about it; hints nothing unkind; records his personal intrepidity; and says, "in 1758 he, on his request, had
leave to withdraw,"poor soul, leave and more!
Forcade, left to himself, kept cannonading Themicoud; Themicoud responding, would not go; stood on his
knoll of vantage, but gathered no strength: "Let him stand," said Friedrich, after some time; and Themicoud
melted in the shades of night, gradually towards the hither shore of Acheron,that is, of AcheronMutzel,
none now attempting to PAVE it farther, but simmering about at their sad leisure there. Feldmarschall Fermor
is now got to his people again, or his people to him; reunited in place and luck: such a chaos as Fermor never
saw before or after. No regiment or battalion now is; mere simmering monads, this fine Army; officers doing
their utmost to cobble it into something of rank, without regard to regiments or qualities. Darkness seldom
sank on such a scene.
Wild Cossack parties are scouring over all parts of the field; robbing the dead, murdering the wounded; doing
arson, too, wherever possible; and even snatching at the Prussian cannon left rearwards, so that the Hussars
have to go upon them again. One large mass of them plundering in the Hamlet of Zicher, the Hussars
surrounded: the Cossacks took to the outhouses; squatted, ran, called in the aid of fire, their constant friend:
above 400 of them were in some big barn, or range of straw houses; and set fire to it,but could not get out
for Hussars; the Hussars were at the outgate: Not a devil of you! said the Hussars; and the whole four
hundred perished there, choked, burnt, or slain by the Hussars,and this poor Planet was at length rid of
them. [ HeldenGeschichte, v. 166.]
Friedrich sends for his tentequipages; and the Army pitches its camp in two big lines, running north and
south, looking towards the Russian side of things; Friedrich's tent in front of the first line; a warrior King
among his people, who have had a day's work of it. The Russian loss turns out, when counted, to have been
21,529 killed, wounded and missing, 7,990 of them killed; the Prussian sumtotal is 11,390 (above the
Prussian third man), of whom 3,680 slain. And on the shores of Acheron northward yonder, there still is a
simmering. And far and wide the country is alight with incendiary fires,many devils still abroad.
Excellency Mitchell, about eight in the evening, is sent for by the King; finds various chief Generals, Seidlitz
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among them, on their various businesses there; congratulates "on the noble victory [not so conclusive
hitherto] which Heaven has granted your Majesty." "Had it not been for him," said Friedrich,"Had it not
been for him, things would have had a bad look by this time!" and turned his suneyes upon Seidlitz, with a
fine expression in them. [Preuss, ii. 153. Mitchell (ii. 432) mentions the Interview, nothing of Seidlitz.] To
which Seidlitz's reply, I find, was an embarrassed blush and of articulate only, "Hm, no, ha, it was your
Majesty's Cavalry that did their duty,but Wakenitz [my second] does deserve promotion!" which
Wakenitz, not in a too overflowing measure, got.
Fermor, during the nightwatches, having cobbled himself into some kind of ranks or rows, moves down
well westward of Zabern Hollow; to the Drewitz Heath, where he once before lay, and there makes his
bivouac in the wood, safe under the firtrees, with the Zabern ground to front of him. By the above
reckoning, 28 or 29,000 still hang to Fermor, or float vaporously round him; with Friedrich, in his two lines,
are some 18,000:in whole, 46,000 tired mortals sleeping thereabouts; near 12,000 others have fallen into a
deeper sleep, not liable to be disturbed;and of the wounded on the field, one shudders to imagine.
Next day, Saturday, 26th, Fermor, again brought into some kind of rank, and safe beyond the quaggy Zabern
ground, sent out a proposal, "That there be Truce of Three Days for burying the dead!"Dohna, who
happened to be General in command there, answers, "That it is customary for the Victor to take charge of
burying the slain; that such proposal is surprising, and quite inadmissible, in present circumstances." Fermor,
in the mean while, had drawn himself out, fronting his late battlefield and the morning sun; and began
cannonading across the Zabern ground; too far off for hitting, but as if still intending fight: to which the
Prussians replied with cannon, and drew out before their tents in fighting order. In both armies there was
question, or talk, of attacking anew; but in both "there was want of ammunition," want of real likelihood. On
Fermor's side, that of "attacking" could be talk only, and on Friedrich's, besides the scarcity of ammunition,
all creatures, foot and especially horse, were so worn out with yesterday's work, it was not judged practically
expedient. A while before noon, the Prussians retired to their Camp again; leaving only the artillery to
respond, so far as needful, and bowwow across the Zabern ground, till the Russians lay down again.
Friedrich's Hussars knew of the Russian WAGENBURG, or general baggage reservoirs, at Klein Kamin, by
this time. The Hussars had been in it, last night; rummaging extensively, at discretion for some time; and had
brought away much money and portable plunder. Why Friedrich, who lay direct between Fermor and his
Wagenburg, did not, this day, extinguish said Wagenburg, I do not know; but guess it may have been a fault
of omission, in the great welter this was now grown to be to the weary mind. Beyond question, if one had
blown up Fermor's remaining gunpowder, and carried off or burnt his mealsacks, he must have cowered
away all the faster towards Landsberg to seek more. Or perhaps Friedrich now judged it immaterial, and a
question only of hours?
About midnight of SaturdaySunday, there again rose bowwowing, bellowing of Russian cannon; not from
beyond the Zabern ground this time, nor stationary anywhere, but from the south some transient part of it, and
not far off;one ball struck a carriage near the King's tent, and shattered it. Thick mist mantles everything,
and it is difficult to know what the Russians have on hand in their sylvan seclusions. After a time, it becomes
manifest the Russians are on retreat; winding round, through the southern woods, behind Zorndorf and the
charred Villages, to Klein Kamin, Landsberg way. Friedrich, following now on the heel of them, finds all got
to Klein Kamin, to breakfast there in their Wagenburg refectory, sharply vigilant, many FLECHES (little
arrowshaped redoubts, so named) and much artillery round them. Nothing considerable to be done upon
them, now or afterwards, except pick up stragglers, and distress their rear a little. The King himself, in the
first movement, was thought to be in alarming peril, such a blaze of caseshot rose upon him, as he went
reconnoitring foremost of all. [Tempelhof, ii. 216238; Tielcke, ii. 79154; Archenholtz, i. 253264;
HeldenGeschichte, v. 156179 (with many LISTS, private LETTERS and the like details);
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And this was, at last, the end of Zorndorf Battle; on the third day this. Was there ever seen such a fight of
Theseus and the Minotaur! Theseus, rapid, dexterous, with Heaven's lightning in his eyes, seizing the
Minotaur; lassoing him by the hinder foot, then by the right horn; pouring steel and destruction into him, the
very dust darkening all the air. Minotaur refusing to die when killed; tumbling to and fro upon its Theseus;
the two lugging and tugging, flinging one another about, and describing figures of 8 round each other for
three days before it ended. Minotaur walking off on his own feet, after all. It was the bloodiest battle of the
SevenYears War; one of the most furious ever fought; such rage possessing the individual elements; rage
unusual in modern wars. Must have altered Friedrich's notion of the Russians, when he next comes to speak
with Keith. It was not till the fourth day hence (August 31st), so unattackably strong was this position at
Klein Kamin, that the Russian Minotaur would fairly get to its feet a second time, and slowly stagger off, in
real earnest, Landsberg way and Konigsberg way;Friedrich right glad to leave Dohna in attendance on it;
and hasten off (September 2d) towards Saxony and Prince Henri, where his presence is now become very
needful.
Fermor, walking off in this manner,not till the third day, nay not conclusively till the seventh day, after
Zorndorf,strove at first to consider himself victorious. "I passed the night on the field of battle [or NOT far
from it, for good reasons, Mutzel being bridgeless]: may not I, in the language of enthusiasm, be considered
conqueror? Here are 26 of their cannon, got when I cried 'Arah' prematurely. (Where the 103 pieces of my
own are, and my 27 flags, and my Armychest and sundries? Dropped somewhere; they will probably turn
up again!)" thinks Fermor,or strives to think, and says. So that, at Petersburg, at Paris and Vienna, in the
next three weeks, there were TEDEUMS, Ambrosian chantings, firesof joy; and considerable arguing
among the Gazetteers on both parts, till the dust settled, and facts appeared as they were. To the effect:
"TE DEUM non LAUDAMUS; alas no, we must retract; and it was good gunpowder thrown after bad!"
On always homewards, but at its own pace, waited on by Dohna, goes the Russian Monster: violently
caseshotting if you prick into its rearward parts. One Palmbach,under Romanzow, I think, who had not
taken part in the Battle, being out Stettin way, and unable to join till now,Palmbach, with a Detachment of
15,000, which was thought sufficient for the object, did try to make a dash on Colberg,how happy had we
any port on the Baltic, to feed us in this Country! But though Colberg is the paltriest crow'snest
(BICOQUE), according to all engineers, and is defended only by 700 militia (the Colonel of them, one
Heyde, a gray old Halfpay, not yet renowned in the soldier world, as he here came to be), Palmbach, with
his best diligence, could make nothing of it; but, after battering, bombarding, even scalading, and in all ways
blurting and blazing at a mighty rate for four weeks, and wasting a great deal of gunpowder and 2,000
Russian lives, withdrew on those remarkable terms. [In HeldenGeschichte, v. 349365 ("3d3lst October,
1758"), a complete and minute JOURNAL of this First Siege of Colberg, which is interesting to read of, as all
the Three of them are.] And did then, as tail of Fermor, what Fermor and the Russian Monster was
universally doing, make off at a good pace,having nothing to live upon farther,and vanish from those
Countries, to the relief of Dohna and mankind.
September 2d, Friedrich, leaving all that, had marched for Saxony; his presence urgently required there. Daun
ought to be far on with the conquest of that Country? Might have had it, say judges, if he had been as swift as
some.At Zorndorf, among the Russian Prisoners were certain Generals, Soltikof, Czernichef, Sulkowski
the Pole, proud people in their own eyes: no lodging for them but the cellars of Custrin. Russian Generals
complained, "Is this a lodging for FieldOfficers of rank!" Friedrich was not used to profane swearing, or
vituperative outbursts; but he answered to the effect: "Silence, ye incendiary individuals. Is there a choice left
of lodgings, and for you above others!" Upon which they lay silent for some days, till better suited; in fact,
till exchanged,and perhaps will soon turn up on us again.
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Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH.
So soon as Friedrich quitted Bohemia and Silesia for his Russian Enterprise, there rose high question at
Vienna, "To what shall our Daun now turn himself?" A Daun, a Reichs Army, free for new employment; in
Saxony not much to oppose them, in Silesia almost nothing in comparison. "Recapture of Silesia?" Yes truly;
that is the steady polestar at Vienna. But they have no Magazines in Silesia, no Siegefurnitures; and the
season is far spent. They decide that there shall be a stroke upon Dresden, and recovery of Saxony, in
Friedrich's absence. Nothing there at present but a Prince Henri, weak in numbers, say one to two of the
Reichs Army by itself. Let the Reichs Army rise now, and advance through the Metal Mountains from
southeast on Prince Henri; let Daun circle round on him, through the Lausitz from northeast: cannot they
extinguish Henri between them; snatch Dresden, a weak illfortified place, by sudden onslaught, and
recapture Saxony? That will be magnanimous to our august Allies;and that will be an excellent scaffolding
for recapture of Silesia next year. And cannot Daun leave a Force in the Silesian vicinities,Deville with so
many thousands, Harsch with so many,to besiege one of their Frontier Places; Neisse, for example?
Siegefurnitures to come from Mahren: Neisse is not farther from Olmutz than Olmutz was from it.
That was the scheme fallen upon; now getting executed while Friedrich is at Zorndorf well away. And that, if
readers fix it intelligently in their memory, will suffice to introduce to them the few words more that can be
allowed us here upon it. A very few words, compressed to the utmost,merely as preface to Hochkirch,
whither we must hasten; Hochkirch being the one incident which, except to studious soldiers, has now and
here any interest, out of the very many incidents which, then and there, were so intensely interesting to all
mankind. To readers who are curious, and will take with them any poorest authentic Outline of the Localities
concerned, the following condensed Note will not be unintelligible.
DAUN AND THE REICHS ARMY INVADE SAXONY, IN FRIEDRICH'S ABSENCE.
"Daun, pushing out with his best speed, along the BohemianSilesian border, had got to Zittau AUGUST
17th; which poor City is to be his basis and storehouse; the greatest activity and wagoning now visible
there,"among the burnt walls getting rebuilt. And in the same days, Zweibruck and his Reichs Army are
vigorously afoot; Zweibruck pushing across the Metal Mountains, the fastest he can; intending to plant
himself in Pirna Country. Not to mention General Dombale, Zweibruck's Austrian Second; who has the
Austrian 15,000 with him; and, by way of preface, has emerged to westward, in ZwickauTschopau Country;
calculating that Prince Henri will not be able to attend to him just now. And in effect Prince Henri, intent
upon Zweibruck and the Pirna Country, takes position in the old Prussian ground there ('headquarter Gross
Seidlitz,' as in 1756); and can only leave a Detachment in Tschopau Country to wait upon Dombale; who
does at least shoot out Croat parties, 'quite across Saxony, to Halle all the way,' and entertain the Gazetteers,
if he can do little real mischief.
"AUGUST 19th, from Zittau, Daun, after short pause, again pushes forward,nothing but Ziethen attending
him in the distance, till we see whitherward;Margraf Karl waiting impatient, at Grussau, till Ziethen see.
[Tempelhof, ii. 258, 260 et seq.] Daun, soon after Zittau, shoots out Loudon, Brandenburg way, as if
magnanimously intending 'cooperation with the Russians;' which would give Daun pleasure, could it be
done without cost. Loudon does despatch a 500 hussars to Frankfurt [Friedrich now gone for Custrin], who, I
think, carry a Letter for Fermor there; but lose it by the way,"for the benefit of readers, if they will wait.
"Loudon captures a poor little place in Brandenburg itself; bullies it into surrender, after a day (the very day
of Zorndorf Battle, 'August 25th'):place called Peitz, garrisoned by forty five invalids; who go on 'free
withdrawal,' poor old souls, and leave their exiguous stock of saltvictual and military furnitures to Loudon.
[In HeldenGeschichte, v. 229232, the "Capitulation" IN EXTENSO.] Upon which Loudon whirls back out
of those Countries; finding his skirts trodden on by Ziethen,who now sees what Daun and he are at; and
warns Margraf Karl [properly Keith, who has now joined again, as real president or chief] That HITHER is
the way. Margraf Karl, on the slip for some time past, starts from Grussau instantly (I should guess, not above
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25,000 of all arms); leaving Fouquet with perhaps 10,000 to do his utmost, when Generals Harsch and
Deville with their 20 or 30,000 come upon Silesia and him,as indeed they are already doing; already
blockading Neisse, more or less, with an eye to besieging it so soon as possible.
"Meanwhile, Serene Highness of Zweibruck, the Reichsfolk and some Austrians with him, prefaced by
Dombale more to westward, is wending into Pirna Country; and, in spite of what Prince Henri can do (Mayor
and the Free Corps shining diligent, and Henri one of the watchfulest of men), Zweibruck does get in; sets
Maguire with Austrians upon besieging Pirna, that is to say, the Sonnenstein of Pirna; 3d5th SEPTEMBER,
gets the Sonnenstein, a thought sooner than was counted on; [In HeldenGeschichte, v. 223228, account of
this poor Siege, and of the movements before and after.] and roots himself there,'headquarters in
Struppen' again, 'bridge at OberRaden' again, all as in 1756; which, if nothing else can well do it, may give
his Highness a momentary interest with some readers here. Prince Henri is at Gross Seidlitz, alive every fibre
of him: but with Daun circling round to northward on his left, intending evidently to take him in flank or rear;
with Dombale already to rear, in the above circumstances, on his right; and Zweibruck himself lying here in
front free to act, and impregnable if acted upon: what is Prince Henri to do? It is for Henri's rear, not his
flank, that Daun aims: AUGUST 26th, Daun, who had got to Gorlitz, a march or two from Zittau, started
again at his best step by the Bautzen Highway towards Meissen Bridge, a 70 or 80 miles down the Elbe: there
Daun intends to cross, and to double back upon Dresden and Prince Henri; who will thus find himself
enclosed between THREE fires,if two were not enough, or even if one (the Daun one itself, or the
Zweibruck itself, not to count the Dombale), in such strength as Prince Henri has!
"A lost Prince Henri,if there be not shift in him, if there be not help coming to him! Prince Henri, seeing
how it was, drew back from Gross Seidlitz; with beautiful suddenness, one night; unmolested: in the
morning, Zweibruch's hussars find him posted inexpugnable on the Heights of Gahmig,which is nearer
Dresden a good step; nearer Dombale; and not so ready to be enclosed by Daun, without enclosure of
Dresden too. Prince Henri's manoeuvring, in this difficult situation, is the admiration of military men: how he
stuck by Gahmig; but threw out, in the vital points, little camps, 'camp of Kesselsdorf' (a place
memorable), on the west of Dresden; and on the east, in the north suburb of Dresden itself across the River
(should we have to go across the River for Daun's sake), a 'strong abatis;' and neglected nothing; self and
everybody under him, lively as eagles to make themselves dangerous, Mayer in particular distinguishing
himself much. Prince Henri would have been a hard morsel for Daun. But beyond that, there is help on the
road."
FRIEDRICH INTERVENING, DAUN DRAWS BACK; INTRENCHES HIMSELF IN NEIGHBORHOOD
TO DRESDEN AND PIRNA; FRIEDRICH FOLLOWING HIM. FOUR ARMIES STANDING THERE, IN
DEADLOCK, FOR A MONTH; WITH ISSUE, A FLANKMARCH ON THE PART OF FRIEDRICH'S
ARMY, WHICH HALTS AT HOCHKIRCH (September 12thOctober 10th, 1758).
Daun, since August 26th, is striding towards Meissen Bridge; without rest, day after day, at the very top of
his speed,which I find is "nine miles a day;" [Tempelhof, ii. 261.] Bos being heavy of foot, at his best.
September 1st, Daun has got within ten miles of Meissen Bridge, whenHere is news, my friends; King of
Prussia has beaten our poor Russians; will soon be in full march this way! King of Prussia and Margraf Karl
both bending hitherward; at the rate, say, of "nineteen miles a day," instead of nine:Meissen Bridge is not
the thing we shall want! Daun instantly calls halt, at this news; waits, intrenches; and, in a day or two, finding
the news true, hurries to rearward all he can. From the Russian side too, Daun has heard of Zorndorf, and the
grand "Victory" of Fermor there; but knows well, by this sudden reemergence of the Anti Fermor, what
kind of Victory it is.
Was it here while waiting about Meissen, or where was it, that Daun got his Letter to Fermor answered in that
singular way? The Letter of two weeks ago,carried by Loudon's Hussars, or by whomsoever, for certain,
it was retorted or returned upon Daun; not as if from the DeadLetter Office, but with an Answer he little
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expected! Here is what record I have; very vague for a wellknown little fact of sparkling nature:
"A curious Letter fell into Friedrich's hands [Bearer, I always guess, the Loudon HussarCaptain with his
500, pretending to form junction with Fermor], Prussian Hussars picking it up somewhere, date, place,
circumstances, blurred into oblivion in those poor Books; Letter itself indisputable enough, and Answer
following on it; Letter and Answer substantially to this effect:
"DAUN TO FERMOR [Probably from Zittau, by Loudon's Hussars].
"Your Excellenz does not know that wily Enemy as I do. By no means get into battle with such a one.
Cautiously manoeuvre about; detain him there, till I have got my stroke in Saxony done: don't try fighting
him. DAUN."
"ANSWER AS FROM FERMOR (Zorndorf once done, Daun by the first
opportunity got his Answer, duly signed 'Fermor,' but
evidently in a certain King's handwriting):
"Your Excellenz was in the right to warn me against a cunning Enemy, whom you knew better than I. Here
have I tried fighting him, and got beaten. Your unfortunate "FERMOR." [Muller, Kurzgefasste Beschreibung
der drei Schlesischen Kriege (Berlin, 1755); in whom, alone of all the reporters, is the story given in an
intelligible form. This Muller's Book is a meritoriously brief Summary, incorrect in no essential particular,
and with all the BattlePlans on one copperplate: LIEUTENANT Muller, this one; not PROFESSOR Muller,
ALIAS Schottmuller by any means!]
September 9th, Friedrich and Margraf Karl, correct to their appointment, meet at Grossenhayn, some miles
north of Meissen and its Bridge; by which time Daun is clean gone again, back well above Dresden again,
strongly posted at Stolpen (a place we once heard of, in General Haddick's time, last Year), well in contact
with Daun's Pirna friends across the River, and out of dangerous neighborhoods. Friedrich and the Margraf
have followed Daun at quick step; but Daun would pause nowhere, till he got to Stolpen, among the bushy
gullets and chasms. September 12th, Friedrich had speech of Henri, and the pleasure of dining with him in
Dresden. Glad to meet again, under fortunate management on both parts; and with much to speak and consult
about.
A day or two before, there had lain (or is said to have lain) a grand scheme in Daun: Zweibruck to burst out
from Pirna by daybreak, and attack the Camp of Gahmig in front (35,000 against 20,000); Daun to cross the
River on pontoons, some hours before, under cloud of night, and be ready on rear and left flank of Gahmig
(with as many supplemental thousands as you like): what can save Prince Henri? Beautiful plan; on which
there were personal meetings and dinings together by Zweibruck and Daun; but nothing done. [Tempelhof, ii.
262265.] At the eleventh hour, say the Austrian accounts, Zweibruck sent word, "Impossible tomorrow;
cannot get in my OutParties in time!"and next day, here is Friedrich come, and a collapse of everything.
Or perhaps there never seriously was such a plan? Certain it is, Daun takes camp at Stolpen, a place known to
him, one of the strongest posts in Germany; intrenches himself to the teeth,good rearguard towards Zittau
and the Magazines; River and Pirna on our left flank; Loudon strong and busy on our right flank, barring the
road to Bautzen; and obstinately sits there, a very bad tooth in the jaw of a certain King; not to be extracted
by the best kinds of forceps and the skilfulest art, for nearly a month to come. Four Armies, Friedrich's,
Henri's, Daun's, Zweibruck's, all within swordstroke of each other,the universal Gazetteer world is on
tiptoe. But except Friedrich's eager shiftings and rubbings upon Stolpen (west side, north, and at length
northeast side), all is deadlock, and nothing comes of it.
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Friedrich has his food convenient from Dresden; but a road to Bautzen withal is what he cannot do
without;and there lies the sorrow, and the ACHING, as this tooth knows well, and this jaw well! Harsch
and Deville are busy upon Neisse, have Neisse under blockade, perhaps upon Kosel too, for some time past,
[Neisse "blockaded more and more" since August 4th (Kosel still earlier, but only by Pandour people); not
completely so till September 30th, or even till October 26th: HeldenGeschichte, v. 268270.] and are
carting the siegestock to begin bombardment: a road to Silesia, before very long, Friedrich must and will
have. Friedrich's operations on Daun in this post are patiently artful, and curious to look upon, but beyond
description here: enough to say, that in the second week he makes his people hut themselves (weather wet
and bad); and in the fourth week, finding that nothing contrivable would provoke Daun into fighting,he
loads at Dresden provisions for I think nine days; makes, from two or from three sides, a sudden spurt upon
Loudon, who is Daun's northern outpost; brushes Loudon hastily away; and himself takes the road for
Bautzen, by Daun's right flank, thrown bare in this manner. [Tempelhof, ii. 278.]
Road for Bautzen; which is the road for Zittau withal, for Daun's breadbasket, as well as for Neisse and
Harsch! Nine days' provision; that is our small outfit, that and our own righthands; and the waste world lies
all ahead. OCTOBER 1st, Retzow, as vanguard, sweeps out the few Croats from Bautzen, deposits his
mealwagons there; occupies Hochkirch, and the hilly environs to east; is to take possession of Weissenberg
especially, and of the Stromberg Hill and other strong points: which Retzow punctually does, forgetting
nothing,except perhaps the Stromberg, not quite remembered in time; a thing of small consequence in
Retzow's view, since all else had gone right.
Hearing of which, Daun, with astonishment, finds that he must quit those beautifully chasmy fastnesses of
Stolpen, and look to his bread; which is getting to lie under the enemy's feet, if Zittau road be left yonder as it
is. OCTOBER 5th, after councils of war and deliberation enough, Daun gets under way; [Ib. ii. 279.]
cautiously, favored by a night very dark and wet, glides through to right of Friedrich's people, softly along
between Bautzen and the Pirna Country; nobody molesting him, so dark and wet: and after one other march
in those bosky solitudes, sits down at Kittlitz,ahead or to east of Bautzen, of Hochkirch, of Retzow and all
Friedrich's people;and again sets to palisading and intrenching there. Kittlitz, near Lobau, there is Daun's
new headquarter; Lobau Water, with its intricate hollows, his line of defence: his posts going out a mile to
north and to south of Kittlitz. And so sits; once more blocking Zittau road, and quietly waiting what Friedrich
will do.
Friedrich is at Bautzen since the 7th; impatient enough to be forward, but must not till a second larger
provisionconvoy from Dresden come in. Convoy once in, Friedrich hastens off, Tuesday, 10th October,
towards Weissenberg Country, where Retzow is; some ten or twelve miles to eastward,Zittauward, if that
chance to suit us; Silesiaward, as is sure to suit. At the "Pass of Jenkowitz," short way from Bautzen,
Pandours attempt our baggage; need to be battered off, and again off: which apprises Friedrich that Daun's
whole Army is ahead in the neighborhood somewhere. Marching on, Friedrich, from the knoll of Hochkirch,
shoulder of the southern Hills, gets complete view of Daun,stretching north and south, at right angles to
the Zittau roads and to Friedrich, in the way we described;and is a little surprised, and I could guess
piqued, at seeing Daun in such a state of forwardness. "Encamp here, then!" he says,here, on this row of
Heights parallel to Daun, within a mile of Daun: just here, I tell you! under the very nose of Daun, who is
above two to one of us; and see what Daun will do. Marwitz, his favorite Adjutant, one of those freespoken
Marwitzes, loyal, skilful, but liable to stiff fits, takes the liberty to remonstrate, argue; says at length, He,
Marwitz, dare not be concerned in marking out such an encampment; not he, for his poor part! And is put
under arrest; and another Adjutant does it; cannon playing on his people and him while engaged in the
operation.
Friedrich's obstinate rashness, this Tuesday Evening, has not wanted its abundant meed of blame,rendered
so emphatic by what befell on Saturday morning next. His somewhat too authoritative fixity; a certain
radiancy of selfconfidence, dangerous to a man; his sovereign contempt of Daun, as an inert dark mass, who
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durst undertake nothing: all this is undeniable, and worth our recognition in estimating Friedrich. One
considerably extenuating circumstance does at last turn up,in the shape of a new piece of blame to the
erring Friedrich; his sudden anger, namely, against the meritorious General Retzow; his putting Retzow under
arrest that Tuesday Evening: "How, General Retzow? You have not taken hold of the Stromberg for me!"
That is the secret of Retzow: and on studying the ground you will find that the Stromberg, a blunt tabular
Hill, of good height, detached, and towering well up over all that region, might have rendered Friedrich's
position perfectly safe. "Seize me the Stromberg tomorrow morning, the first thing!" ordered Friedrich. And
a Detachment went accordingly; but found Daun's people already there,indisposed to go; nay determined
not to go, and getting reinforced to unlimited amounts. So that the Stromberg was left standing, and remained
Daun's; furnished with plenty of cannon by Daun. Retzow's arrest, Retzow being a steady favorite of
Friedrich's, was only of a few hours: "pardonable that oversight," thinks Friedrich, though it came to cost him
dear. For the rest, I find, Friedrich's keeping of this Camp, without the Stromberg, was intended to end, the
third day hence: "Saturday, 14th, then, since Friday proves impossible!" Friedrich had settled. And it did end
Saturday, 14th, though at an earlier HOUR, and with other results than had been expected. Keith said, "The
Austrians deserve to be hanged if they don't attack us here." "We must hope they are more afraid of us than
even of the gallows," answered Friedrich. A very dangerous Camp; untenable without the Stromberg. Let us
try to understand it, and Daun's position to it, in some slight degree.
"Hochkirch (HIGHkirk) is an old WendishSaxon Village, standing pleasantly on its Hilltop, conspicuous
for miles round on all sides, or on all but the south side, where it abuts upon other Heights, which gradually
rise into Hills a good deal higher than it. The Village hangs confusedly, a jumble of cottages and colegarths,
on the crown and north slope of the Height; thatched, in part tiled, and built mostly of rough stone blocks, in
our time,not of wood, as probably in Friedrich's. A solid, sluttishly comfortablelooking Village; with
pleasant hayfields, or long narrow haystripes (each villager has his stripe), reaching down to the northern
levels. The Church is near the top; Churchyard, and some little space farther, are nearly horizontal ground, till
the next Height begins sloping up again towards the woody Hills southward. The view from this little
esplanade atop, still better from the Church belfry, is wide and pretty. Free on all sides except the south:
pleasant Heights and Hollows, of arable, of wood, or pasture; well watered by rushing Brooks, all making
northward, direct for Spree (the Berlin Spree), or else into the Lobau Water, which is the first big branch of
Spree.
"The place is still partly of Wendish speech; the Parson has to preach one half of the Sunday in Wend, the
other in German. Among the Hills to south," well worth noting at present, "is one called CZARNABOG, or
'Devil's Hill;' where the Wendish Devil and his Witches (equal to any German on his Blocksberg, or
preternatural Bracken of the Harz) hold their annual WITCHES' SABBATH,a thing not to be
contemplated without a shudder by the Wendish mind. Thereabouts, and close from Hochkirch southward, all
is shadowy intricacy of thicket and wild wood. Northward too from Hochkirch, and all about, I perceive the
scene was woodier then than now;and must have looked picturesque enough (had anybody been in quest of
that), with the multifarious uniforms, and tented people sprinkled far and wide among the leafy
redandyellow of October, 1758." [Tourist's Note, September, 1858.]
In the Village of Wuischke, precisely at the northern base of that shaggy Czarnabog or Devil's Hill, stand
Loudon and 3,000 Croats and grenadiers, as the extreme left of Daun's position. Wuischke is nearly straight
south of Hochkirch; so far westward has Loudon pushed forward with his Croats, hidden among the Hills;
though Daun's general position lies a good mile to east of Friedrich's:irregularly north and south, both
Friedrich and Daun; the former ignorant what Croats and Loudonries, there may be among those Devil's Hills
to his right; the latter not ignorant. Friedrich's right wing, Keith in command of it, stretches to Hochkirch and
a little farther: beyond Hochkirch, it has Four flank Battalions in potence form, with proper vedettes and
pickets; and above all, with a strong Battery of Twenty Guns, which it maintains on the next Height
immediately adjoining Hochkirch, and perceptibly higher than Hochkirch. This is the finis of Keith on his
right; andexcept those vedettes, and pickets of Freecorps people, thrown out a little way ahead into the
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bushes, on that sideFriedrich's right wing knows nothing of the shaggy elevations horrent with wood,
which lie to southward; and merely intends to play its Twenty Cannon upon them, should they give birth to
anything. This is Friedrich's posture on his right or south wing.
From Hochkirch northward or nearly so, but sprinkled about in all the villages and points of strength, as far
up as Drehsa and beyond Drehsa, to near Kotitz, a less important village, Friedrich extends about four miles;
centre at Rodewitz, where his own headquarter is, above two miles north of Hochkirch. Not far from
Rodewitz, but a little to left and ahead, stands his second and best Battery, of Thirty Guns; ready to play upon
Lauska, a poor village, and its roadway, should the Austrians try anything there, or from their Stromberg
post, which is a good mile behind Lauska. His strength, in these lines, some count to be only 28,000, or less.
Four or five miles to northeast, in and behind Weissenberg (which we used to know last summer), lies
Retzow, with perhaps 10 or 12,000, which will bring him up to 40,000, were they properly joined with him as
a left wing. Daun's force counts 90,000; with Friedrich lying under his nose in this insolent manner.
Daun's headquarter, as we said, is Kittlitz; a Village some two miles short of Lobau, in the direction
southeast of Friedrich; perhaps five miles to southeast of Rodewitz, Friedrich's lodging. It is close upon the
BautzenZittau Highway; Zittau some twenty miles to south of it, Herrnhuth and the pacific Brethren about
halfway thither. Kittlitz lies more to south than Hochkirch itself; and Daun's outposts, as we saw, circle
quite round among those Devil's Hills, and envelop Friedrich's right flank. But Daun's main force lies chiefly
northward, and well to west, of Kittlitz; parallel to Friedrich, and eastward of him; with elaborate
intrenchments; every village, brook, bridge, height and bit of good ground, Stromberg to end with, punctually
secured. Obliquely over the Stromberg, holding the Stromberg and certain Villages to southeast and to
northwest of it, lies D'Ahremberg, as right wing: about 20,000 he, put into oblique potence; looking into
Kotitz, which is Friedrich's extreme left; and in a good measure dividing Friedrich from the Retzow 10,000.
And lastly, as reserve, in front of Reichenbach, eight or nine miles to east of all that, lies the Prince of
BadenDurlach, 25,000 or so; barring Retzow on that side, and all attempts on the Silesian Road there.
Daun's lines, not counting in the southern outposts or Devil'sHill parties, are considerably longer than
Friedrich's, and also considerably deeper. The two headquarters are about five miles apart: but the two
frontsdivided by a brook and good hollow running here (one of many such, making all for Lobau
Water)are not half a mile apart. Towards Hochkirch and the top of this brook, the opposing posts are quite
crammed close on one another; divided only by their hollow. Many brooks, each with a definite hollow, run
tinkling about here, swift but straitened to get out; especially Lobau Water, which receives them all, has to
take a quite meandering circling course (through Daun's quarters and beyond them) before it can disembogue
in Spree, and decidedly set out for Berlin under that new name. The Landscapeseen from Hochkirch
Village, still better from the Churchsteeple which lifts you high above it, and commands all round except to
the south, where Friedrich's batteryheight quite shuts you in, and hides even those Devil's Hills beyondis
cheerful and pretty. Village belfries, steeples and towers; airy green ridges of heights, and intricate greener
valleys: now rather barer than you like. The Tourist tells me, in Friedrich's time there must have been a great
deal more of wood than now.
WHAT ACTUALLY BEFELL AT HOCHKIRCH (Saturday, 14th October, 1758).
Friedrich, for some time,probably ever since Wednesday morning, when he found the Stromberg was not
to be his,had decided to be out of this bad post. In which, clearly enough, nothing was to be done, unless
Daun would attempt something else than more and more intrenching and palisading himself. Friedrich on the
second day (Thursday, 12th) rode across to Weissenberg, to give Retzow his directions, and take view of the
ground: "Saturday night, Herr Retzow, sooner it cannot be [Friedrich had aimed at Friday night, but finds the
Provisionconvoy cannot possibly be up]; Saturday night, in all silence, we sweep round out of this,we
and you;hurl BadenDurlach about his business; and are at Schops and Reichenbach, and the Silesian
Highway open, next morning, to us!" [Tempelhof, ii. 320.] Quietly everything is speeding on towards this
consummation, on Friedrich's part. But on Daun's part there isstarted, I should guess, on the very same
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Thursdayanother consummation getting ready, which is to fall out on Saturday MORNING, fifteen hours
before that other, and entirely supersede that other!
Keith's opinion, that the Austrians deserve to be hanged if they don't attack us here, is also Loudon's opinion
and Lacy's, and indeed everybody's,and at length Daun's own; who determines to try something here, if
never before or after. This plan, all judges admit, was elaborate and good; and was well executed too,Daun
himself presiding over the most critical part of the execution. A plan to have ruined almost any Army, except
this Prussian one and the Captain it chanced to have. A universal camisado, or surprisal of Friedrich in his
Camp, before daylight: everybody knows that it took effect (Hochkirch, Saturday, 14th October, 1758, 5
A.M. of a misty morning); nobody expects of an unassisted fellowcreature much light on so doubly dark a
thing. But the truth is, there are ample accounts, exact, though very chaotic; and the thing, steadily examined,
till its essential features extricate themselves from the unessential, proves to be not quite so unintelligible, and
nothing like so destructive, overwhelming and ruinous as was supposed.
Daun's plan is very elaborate, and includes a great many combinations; all his 90,000 to come into it,
simultaneously or in succession. But the first and grandly vital part, mainspring and father to all the rest, is
this: That Daun, in person, after nightfall of Friday, shall, with the pick of his force, say 30,000 horse and
foot, with all their artilleries and tools, silently quit his now position in front of Hochkirch, Friedrich's right
wing. Shall sweep off, silently to southward and leftward, by Wuischke; thence westward and northward, by
the northern base of those Devil Mountains, through the shaggy hollows and thick woods there, hitherto
inhabited by Croats only, and unknown to the Prussians: forward, ever forward, through the nightwatches
that way; till he has fairly got to the flank of Hochkirch and Friedrich: Daun to be standing there, all round
from the southern environs of Hochkirch, westward through the Woods, by Meschwitz, Steindorfel, and even
north to Waditz (if readers will consult their Map), silently enclosing Friedrich, as in the bag of a net, in this
manner;ready every man and gun by about four on Saturday morning. Are to wait for the stroke of five in
Hochkirch steeple; and there and then to begin business,there first; but, on success THERE, the whole
90,000 everywhere,and to draw the strings on Friedrich, and bag and strangle his astonished people and
him.
The difficulty has been to keep it perfectly secret from so vigilant a man as Friedrich: but Daun has
completely succeeded. Perhaps Friedrich's eyes have been a little dimmed by contempt of Daun: Daun, for
the last two days especially, has been more diligent than ever to palisade himself on every point; nothing,
seemingly, on hand but felling woods, building abatis, against some dangerous Lion'sspring. They say also,
he detected a traitor in his camp; traitor carrying Letters to Friedrich under pretence of fresh eggs,one of
the eggs blown, and a Note of Daun's Procedures substituted as yolk. "You are dead, sirrah," said Daun;
"hoisted to the highest gallows: Are not you? But put in a Note of my dictating, and your beggarly life is
saved." Retzow Junior, though there is no evidence except of the circumstantial kind, thinks this current story
may be true. [Retzow, i. 347.] Certain it is, neither Friedrich nor any of his people had the least suspicion of
Daun's project, till the moment it exploded on them, when the clock at Hochkirch struck five. Daun, in the
last two days, had been felling even more trees than they are aware of,thousands of trees in those Devil's
wildernesses to Friedrich's right; and has secretly hewn himself roads, passable by night for men and
ammunitionwagons there:and in front of Friedrich, especially Hochkirch way, Daun seems busier than
ever felling wood, this Friday night; numbers of people running about with axes, with lanterns over there, as
if in the push of hurry, and making a great deal of noise. "Intending retreat for Zittau tomorrow!" thinks
Friedrich, as the false eggyolk had taught him; or merely, "That poor precautionary fellow!" supposing the
false yolk a myth. In short, Daun has got through his nocturnal wildernesses with perfect success. And stands,
dreamt of by no enemy, in the places appointed for his 30,000 and him; and that poor old clock of Hochkirch,
unweariedly grunting forward to the stroke of five, will strike up something it is little expecting!
The Prussians have vedettes, pickets and small outposts of Free corps people scattered about within their
border of that Austrian Wood, the body of which, about Hochkirch as everywhere else, belongs wholly to
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Croats. Of course there are guardparties, sentries duly vigilant, in the big Battery to southeast of
Hochkirch,and along southwestward in that POTENCE, or forearm of Four Battalions, which are
stationed there. Four good Battalions looking southward there, with Cavalry to right; Ziethen's Cavalry,
whose horses stand saddled through the night, ready always for the nocturnal "Pandourade," which seldom
fails them. There, as elsewhere, are the due vigilances, watchmen, watchfires. The rest of the Prussian Army
is in its blankets, wholly asleep, while Daun stands waiting for the stroke of five.
That Daun, bursting in with his chosen 30,000, will trample down the sleeping Prussian POTENCE at
Hochkirch; capture its big Battery to left, its Village of Hochkirch to rear, and do extensive ruin on the whole
right wing of Friedrich; rendering Friedrich everywhere an easy conquest to the rest of Daun's people, who
stand, far and wide, duly posted and prepared, waiting only their signal from Hochkirch: much of this, all of it
that had regard to Hochkirch Battery and Village, and the Prussians stationed there, Daun did execute. And
readers, from the data they have got, must conceive the manner of it,human description of the next Two
Hours, about Hochkirch, in the thick darkness there, and stormful sudden inroad, and stormful resistance
made, being manifestly an impossible thing. Nobody was "massacred in his bed" as the sympathetic
gazetteers fancied; nobody was killed, that I hear of, without arms, in his hand: but plenty of people perished,
fierce of humor, on both sides; and from halfpast five till towards eight, there was a general blaze of fiery
chaos pushing out ever and anon, swallowed in the belly of Night again, such as was seldom seen in this
world. Instead of confused details, and wearisome enumeration of particulars, which nobody would listen to
or understand, we will give one intelligent young gentleman's experience, our friend Tempelhof's, who stood
in this part of the Prussian Line; experience distinct and indubitable to us; and which was pretty accurately
symbolical, I otherwise see, of what befell on all points thereabouts. Faithfully copied, and in the essential
parts not even abridged, here it is:
Tempelhof, at that time a subaltern of artillery, was stationed with a couple of 24pounders in attendance on
the Battalion Plothow, which with three others and some cavalry lay to the south side of Hochkirch, forming
a kind of forearm or POTENCE there to right of the big Battery, with their rear to Hochkirch; and keeping
vedettes and Freecorps parties spread out into the woods and Devil's Hills ahead. Tempelhof had risen about
three, as usual; had his guns and gunners ready; and was standing by the watchfire, "expecting the
customary Pandourade," and what form it would take this morning. "Close on five o'clock; and not a mouse
stirring! We are not to have our Pandourade, then?" On a sudden, noise bursts out; noise enough, sharp fire
among the Freecorps people; fire growing ever sharper, noisier, for the next halfhour, but nothing
whatever to be seen. "Battalion Plothow had soon got its clothes on, all to the spatterdashes; and took rank to
right and left of the FLECHE, and of my two guns, in front of its post: but on account of the thick fog
everything was totally dark. I fired off my cannons [shall we say straight southward?] to learn whether there
was anything in front of us. No answer: 'Nothing therePshaw, a mere crackery (GEKNACKER) of
Pandours and our Free corps people, after all!' But the noise grew louder, and came ever nearer; I turned my
guns towards it [southward, southeastward, or perhaps a gun each way?]and here we had a salvo in
response, from some battalions who seemed to be two hundred yards or so ahead. The Battalion Plothow
hereupon gave fire; I too plied my cannons what I could,and had perhaps delivered fifteen double shots
from them, when at once I tumbled to the ground, and lost all consciousness" for some minutes or moments.
Awakening with the blood running down his face, poor Tempelhof concluded it had been a musketshot in
the head; but on getting to his hands and knees, he found the place "full of Austrian grenadiers, who had crept
in through our tents to rear; and that it had been a knock with the butt of the musket from one of those
fellows, and not a bullet" that had struck him down. Battalion Plothow, assailed on all sides, resisted on all
sides; and Tempelhof saw from the ground,I suppose, by the embers of watchfires, and by rare flashes of
musketry, for they did not fire much, having no room, but smashed and stabbed and cut,"an infantry fight
which in murderous intensity surpasses imagination. I was taken prisoner at this turn; but soon after got
delivered by our cavalry again." [Tempelhof, ii. 324 n.]
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This latter circumstance, of being delivered by the Cavalry, I find to be of frequent occurrence in that first act
of the business there: the Prussian Battalion, surprised on front and rear, always makes murderous fight for
itself: is at last overwhelmed, obliged to retire, perhaps opening its way by bayonet charge;upon which our
Cavalry (Ziethen's, and others that gathered to him) cutting in upon the disordered surprisers, cut them into
flight, rescue the prisoners, and for a time reinstate matters. The Prussian battalions do not run (nobody runs);
but when repulsed by the endless odds, rally again. The big Battery is not to be had of them without fierce
and dogged struggle; and is retaken more than once or twice. Still fiercer, more dogged, was the struggle in
Hochkirch Village; especially in Hochkirch Church and Churchyard,whither the Battalion MargrafKarl
had flung themselves; the poor Village soon taking fire about them. Soon taking fire, and continuing to be a
scene of capture and recapture, by the flamelight; while Battalion MargrafKarl stood with invincible
stubbornness, pouring death from it; not to be compulsed by the raging tide of Austrian grenadiers; not by
"six Austrian battalions," by "eight," or by never so many. Stood at bay there; levelling whole masses of
them,till its cartridges were spent, all to one or two per man; and Major Lange, the heroic Captain of it,
said, "We shall have to go, then, my men; let us cut ourselves through!"and did so, in an honorably
invincible manner; some brave remnant actually getting through, with Lange himself wounded to death.
I think it was not till towards six o'clock that the right wing generally became aware what the case was:
"More than a Pandourade, yes;"though what it might be, in the thick fog which had fallen, blotting out all
vestiges of daylight, nobody could well say. Rallied Battalions, reinforced by this or the other Battalion
hurrying up from leftward, always charge in upon the enemy, in Hochkirch or wherever he is busy; generally
push him back into the Night; but are then fallen upon on both flanks by endless new strength, and obliged to
draw back in turn. And Ziethen's Horse, in the mean while, do execution; breaking in on the tumultuous
victors; new Cuirassiers, Gensd'Armes dashing up to help, so soon as saddled, and charging with a will: so
that, on the whole, the enemy, variously attempting, could make nothing of us on that western, or rearward
side,thanks mainly to Ziethen and the Horse. "Had we but waited till three or four of our Battalions had got
up!" say the Prussian narrators. But it is thick mist; few yards ahead you cannot see at all, unless it be flame;
and close at hand, all things and figures waver indistinct,hairy outlines of blacker shadows on a ground of
black.
It must have been while Lange was still fighting, perhaps before Lange took to the Church of Hochkirch,
scarcely later than half past six (but nobody thought of pulling out his watch in such a business!)about
six, or halfpast six, when Keith, who has charge of this wing, and lodges somewhere below or north of
Hochkirch, came to understand that his big Battery was taken; that here was such a Pandourade as had not
been before; and that, of a surety, said Battery must be retaken. Keith springs on horseback; hastily takes
"Battalion Kannacker" and several remnants of others; rushes upwards, "leaving Hochkirch a little to right;
direct upon the big Battery." Recaptures the big Battery. But is set upon by overwhelming multitudes, bent to
have it back;is passionate for new assistance in this vital point; but can get none: had been "DISARTED
by both his Aidedecamps," says poor John Tebay, a wandering English horsesoldier, who attends him as
mounted groom; "asked twenty times, and twenty more, 'Where are my Aidede camps!'" ["Captens
Cockcey and Goudy" he calls them(COCCEJI whose Father the Kanzler we have seen, and GAUDI whose
self),who both had, in succession, struck into Hochkirch as the less desperate place, according to Tebay:
see TEBAY'S LETTER to Mitchell, "Crossen, October 29th" (in MEMOIRS AND PAPERS, ii. 501505);
which is probably true every word, allowing for Tebay's temper; but is highly indecipherable, though not
entirely so after many readings and researehings.]but could get no response or reinforcement; and at
length, quite surrounded and overwhelmed, had to retire; opening his way by the bayonet; and before long,
suddenly stopping short,falling dead into Tebay's arms; shot through the heart. Two shots on the right side
he had not regarded; but this on the left side was final: Keith's fightings are suddenly all done. Tebay, in
distraction, tried much to bring away the body; but could by no present means; distractedly "rid for a coach;"
found, on return, that the Austrians had the ground, and the body of his master; Hochkirch, Church and all,
now undisputedly theirs.
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To appearance, it was this news of Keith's repulse (I know not whether of Keith's DEATH as yet) that first
roused Friedrich to a full sense of what was now going on, two miles to south of him. Friedrich, according to
his habits, must have been awake and afoot when the Business first broke out; though, for some considerable
time, treating it as nothing but a common crackery of Pandours. Already, finding the Pandourade louder than
usual, he had ordered out to it one battalion and the other that lay handy: but now he pushes forward several
battalions under Franz of Brunswick (his youngest Brotherinlaw), with Margraf Karl and Prince Moritz:
"Swift you, to Hochkirch yonder!"and himself springs on horseback to deal with the affair. Prince Franz of
Brunswick, poor young fellow, cheerily coming on, near Hochkirch had his head shorn off by a cannonball.
Moritz of Dessau, too, "riding within twenty yards of the Austrians," so dark was it, he so nearsighted, got
badly hit,and soon after, driving to Bautzen for surgery, was made prisoner by Pandours; [In
ARCHENHOLTZ (i. 289, 290) his dangerous adventures on the road to Bautzen, in this wounded condition.]
never fought again, "died next year of cancer in the lip." Nothing but triumphant Austrian shot and
cannonshot going yonder; these battalions too have to fall back with sore loss.
Friedrich himself, by this time, is forward in the thick of the tumult, with another body of battalions; storming
furiously along, has his horse shot under him; storms through, "successfully, by the other side of Hochkirch"
(Hochkirch to his left):but finds, as the mist gradually sinks, a ring of Austrians massed ahead, on the
Heights; as far as Steindorfel and farther, a general continent of Austrians enclosing all the south and
southwest; and, in fact, that here is now nothing to be done. That the question of his flank is settled; that the
question now is of his front, which the appointed Austrian parties are now upon attacking. Question
especially of the Heights of Drehsa, and of the Pass and Brook of Drehsa (rearward of his centre part), where
his one retreat will lie, Steindorfel being now lost. Part first of the Affair is ended; Part second of it begins.
Rapidly enough Friedrich takes his new measures. Seizes Drehsa Height, which will now be key of the field;
despatches Mollendorf thither (Mollendorf our courageous Leuthen friend); who vigorously bestirs himself;
gets hold of Drehsa Height before the enemy can; Ziethen cooperating on the Heights of Kumschutz, Canitz
and other points of vantage. And thus, in effect, Friedrich pulls up his torn right skirt (as he is doing all his
other skirts) into new compact front against the Austrians: so that, in that southwestern part especially; the
Austrians do not try it farther; but "retire at full gallop," on sight of this swift seizure of the Keys by
Mollendorf and Ziethen. Friedrich also despatches instant order to Retzow, to join him at his speediest.
Friedrich everywhere rearranges himself, hither, thither, with skilful rapidity, in new Line of Battle; still
hopeful to dispute what is left of the field;longing much that Retzow could come on wings.
By this time (towards eight, if I might guess) Day has got the upper hand; the Daun Austrians stand visible on
their Ring of Heights all round, behind Hochkirch and our late Battery, on to westward and northward, as far
as Steindorfel and Waditz; extremely busy rearranging themselves into something of line; there being
much confusion, much simmering about in clumps and gaps, after such a tussle. In front of us, to eastward,
the appointed Austrian parties are proceeding to attack: but in daylight, and with our eyes open, it is a thing
of difficulty, and does not prosper as Hochkirch did. Duke D'Ahremberg, on their extreme right, had in
charge to burst in upon our left, so soon as he saw Hochkirch done: D'Ahremberg does try; as do others in
their places, near Daun; but with comparatively little success. D'Ahremberg, meeting something of check or
hindrance where he tried, pauses, for a good while, till he see how others prosper. Their grand chance is their
superiority of number; and the fact that Friedrich can try nothing upon THEM, but must stand painfully on
the defensive till Retzow come. To Friedrich, Retzow seems hugely slow about it. But the truth is,
BadenDurlach, with his 20,000 of Reserve, has, as per order, made attack on Retzow, 20,000 against 12:
one of the feeblest attacks conceivable; but sufficient to detain Retzow till he get it repulsed. Retzow is
diligent as Time, and will be here.
Meanwhile, the Austrians on front do, in a sporadic way, attack and again attack our batteries and posts;
especially that big Battery of Thirty Guns, which we have to north of Rodewitz. The Austrians do take that
Battery at last; and are beginning again to be dangerous,the rather as D'Ahremberg seems again to be
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thinking of business. It is high time Retzow were here! Few sights could be gladder to Friedrich, than the first
glitter of Retzow's vanguard, horse, under Prince Eugen of Wurtemberg,beautifully wending down from
Weissenberg yonder; skilfully posting themselves, at Belgern and elsewhere, as thorns in the sides of
D'Ahremberg (sharp enough, on trial by D'Ahremberg). Followed, before long, by Retzow himself; serenely
crossing Lobau Water; and, with great celerity, and the best of skill, likewise posting himself,hopelessly to
D'Ahremberg, who tries nothing farther. The sun is now shining; it is now ten of the day. Had Retzow come
an hour sooner; efore we lost that big Battery and other things! But he could come no sooner; be thankful
he is here at last, in such an overawing manner.
Friedrich, judging that nothing now can be made of the affair, orders retreat. Retreat, which had been getting
schemed, I suppose, and planned in the gloom of the royal mind, ever since loss of that big Battery at
Rodewitz. Little to occupy him, in this interim; except indignant waiting, rigorously steady, and some languid
interchange of cannonshot between the parties. Retreat is to KleinBautzen neighborhood (new
headquarter Doberschutz, outposts Kreckwitz and Purschwitz); four miles or so to northwest. Rather a
shifting of your ground, which astonishes the military reader ever since, than a retreating such as the common
run of us expected. Done in the usual masterly manner; part after part mending off, Retzow standing minatory
here, Mollendorf minatory there, in the softest quasirhythmic sequence; Cavalry all drawn out between
Belgern and Kreckwitz, baggagewagons filing through the Pass of Drehsa;not an Austrian meddling with
it, less or more; Daun and his Austrians standing in their ring of five miles, gazing into it like stone statues;
their regiments being still in a confused state,and their Daun an extremely slow gentleman. [Tempelhof, ii.
319336; Seyfarth, Beylagen, i. 432453; HeldenGeschichte, v. 241257; Archenholtz,
And in this manner Friedrich, like a careless swimmer caught in the Mahlstrom, has not got swallowed in it;
but has made such a buffeting of it, he is here out of it again, without bone broken, not, we hope, without
instruction from the adventure. He has lost 101 pieces of cannon, most of his tents and campfurniture; and,
what is more irreparable, above 8,000 of his brave people, 5,381 of them and 119 Officers (Keith and Moritz
for two) either dead or captive. In men the Austrian loss, it seems, is not much lower, some say is rather a
shade higher; by their own account, 325 Officers, 5,614 rank and file, killed and wounded,not reckoning
1,000 prisoners they lost to us, and "at least 2,000" who took that chance of deserting in the intricate dark
woods. [Tempelhof, ii. 336; but see Kausler, p. 576.]
Friedrich, all say, took his punishment in a wonderfully cheerful manner. De Catt the Reader, entering to him
that evening as usual, the King advanced, in a tragic declamatory attitude; and gave him, with proper voice
and gesture, an appropriate passage of Racine:
"Enfin apres un an, tu me revois, Arbate,
Non plus comme autrefois cet heureux Mithridate,
Qui, de Rome toujours balancant le destin,
Tenait entre elle et moi l'univers incertain.
Je suis vaincu; Pompee a saisi l'avantage
D'une nuit qui laissait peu de place au courage;
Mes soldats presque nus, dans" ...
Not a little to De Catt's comfort. [Rodenbeck, i. 354.] During the retreat itself, Retzow Junior had come, as
Papa's AidedeCamp, with a message to the King; found him on the heights of Klein Bautzen, watching the
movements. Message done with, the King said, in a smiling tone, "Daun has played me a slippery trick
today!" "I have seen it," answered Retzow; "but it is only a scratch, which your Majesty will soon manage
to heal again.""GLAUBT ER DIES, Do you think so?" "Not only I, but the whole Army firmly believe it
of your Majesty.""You are quite right," added the King, in a confidentially candid way: "We will manage
Daun. What I lament is, the number of brave men that have died this morning." [Retzow, i. 359 n.] On the
morrow, he was heard to say publicly: "Daun has let us out of checkmate; the game is not lost yet. We will
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rest ourselves here, a few days; then go for Silesia, and deliver Neisse." The AnecdoteBooks (perhaps not
mythicalIy) add this: "Where are all your guns, though?" said the King to an Artilleryman, standing vacant on
parade, next day. "IHRO MAJESTAT, the Devil stole them all, last night!""Hm, well, we must have them
back from him." [Archenholtz, i. 299.]
Nothing immoderately depressive in Hochkirch, it appears;though, alas, on the fourth day after, there came
a message from Baireuth; which did strike one down: "My noble Wilhelmina dead; died in the very hours
while we were fighting here!" [On a common Business Letter to Prince Henri, "Doberschutz, 18th October,
1758," is this sudden bit of Autograph: "GRAND DIEU, MA SOEUR DE BAREITH!" (Schoning, Der
siebenjahrige Krieg, nach der Original Correspondens aus den StaatsArchiven: Potsdam, 1851: i. 287.)]
Readers must conceive it: coming unexpected more or less, black as sudden universal hurricane, on the heart
of the man; a sorrow sacred, yet immeasurable, irremediable to him; as if the sky too were falling on his head,
in aid of the mean earth and its ravenings:of all this there can nothing be said at present. Friedrich's one
relief seems to have been the necessity laid on him of perpetual battling with outward business;we may
fancy, in the rapid weeks following, how much was lying at all times in the background of his mind
suppressed into its caves.
Daun, it appears, was considerably elated; spent a great deal of his time, so precious just at present, in writing
despatches, in congratulating and being congratulated;did an elaborate TEDEUM, or Ambrosian Song, in
Artillery and VOX HUMANA,which with the adjuncts, say splenetic people, as at Kolin, sensibly assisted
Friedrich's affairs. Daun was by no means of braggart turn; but the recognition of his matchless achievement
by the gazetteer public, whether in exultation or in lamentation, was loud and universal; and the joy, in
Vienna and the cognate quarters, knew no bounds for the time being. Thus, among other tokens, the Holiness
of our Lord the Pope, blessing Heaven for such success against the Heretic, was pleased to send him "a
Consecrated Hat and Sword,"such as the old Popes were wont, very long ago, to bestow on distinguished
Champions against the Heathen,(much jeered at, and crowed over, by a profane Friedrich [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xv. 122, 124, 126, in PREUSS, ii. 196, compiete List of these poor Pieces; which are hearty, not
hypocritical, in their contemptuons hilarity, but have little other metit.]): "the effect of which miraculous
furnishings," says Tempelhof, "turned out to be that the Feldmarschall never gained any success more;" in
fact, except that small thing on Finck next Year, never any, as it chanced. Daun had withdrawn to his old
Camp, on the day of Hochkirch; leaving only a detachment on the field there: it was not for six or seven days
more that he stept out to the Kreckwitz and Purschwitz neighborhood; more within sight of his vanquished
enemy,but nothing like vigilant enough of what might still be in him, after such vanquishing!We must
spare this Note, for the sake of a heroic kind of man, who had not too much of reward in the world:
"Tebay could not recover Keith's body: Croats had the plundering of Keith; other Austrians, not of Croat
kind, carried the dead General into Hochkirch Church: Lacy's emotion on recognizing him there, like a
tragic gleam of his own youth suddenly brought back to him, as in starlight, piercing and sad, from twenty
years distance,is well known in Books. On the morrow, Sunday, October 15th, Keith had honorable
soldier'sburial there,'twelve cannon' salvoing thrice, and 'the whole Corps of Colloredo' with their
muskets thrice; Lacy as chief mourner, not without tears. Four months after, by royal order, Keith's body was
conveyed to Berlin; reinterred in Berlin, in a still more solemn public manner, with all the honors, all the
regrets; and Keith sleeps now in the GarnisonKirche:far from bonnie Inverugie; the hoarse seawinds
and caverns of Dunottar singing vague requiem to his honorable line and him, in the imaginations of some
few. 'My Brother leaves me a noble legacy,' said the old Lord Marischal: 'last year he had Bohemia under
ransom; and his personal estate is 70 ducats, (about 25 pounds). [Varnhagen, p. 261.]
"In Hochkirch Church there is still, not in the Churchyard as formerly, a fine, modestly impressive
Monument to Keith; modest Urn of black marble on a Pedestal of gray,and, in gold letters, an Inscription
not easily surpassable in the lapidary way: ... 'DUM IN PRAELIO NON PROCUL HINC INCLINATAM
SUORUM ACIEM MENTE MANU V0CE ET EXEMPLO RESTITUERAT PUGNANS UT HEROAS
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DECET OCCUBUIT. D. XIV. OCTOBRIS' These words go through you like the clang of steel. [In
RODENBECK, i. 149. Given also (very nearly correct) in CORRESPONDEENCE OF SIR ROBERT
MURRAY KEITH (London, 1849), i. 151. This is the junior of the two Diplomatic Roberts, genealogical
cousins of Keith; by this one (in 1771, not 1776 as German Guide books have it) the Hochkirch Monument
was set up. A very interesting Collection of LETTERS those of his;edited with the usual darkness, or
rather more.] Friedrich's sorrow over him ('tears,' high eulogies, 'LOUA EXTREMEMENT') is itself a
monument. Twenty years after, Keith had from his Master a Statue, in Berlin. One of Four; to the Four most
deserving: Schwerin (1771), Winterfeld (1777), Seidlitz (1779, Keith (when?), [Nicolai (Beschreibung der
Residenzstadte, i. 193, 194) gives these dates for the Three, and for Keith's no date.]which still stand in the
Wilhelm Platz there.
"Hochkirch Church has beeu rebuilt in late years: a spapious airy Church, with galleries, and requisites,
especially with free air, light and cleanliness. Capable perhaps of 1,500 sitters: half of them Wends. 'Above
700 skeletons, in one heap, were dug out, in cutting the new foundations. The strong outer Door of the old
Church, red oak, I should think, is still retained in that capacity; still shows perhaps half a dozen rough big
quasi KEYHOLES, torn through it in different parts, and daylight shining in, where the old bullets passed.
The Keith Monument, perhaps four feet high, is on the flagged floor, left side of the pulpit, close by the
wall,'the bench where Keith's body lay has had to be cased in new plank [zinc would be better] against the
knives of tourists.'"
Old Lord MarischalGeorge, "MARECHAL D'ECOSSE" as he always signs himselfwas by this time
seventytwo; King's Governor of Neufchatel, for a good while past and to come (17541763). In "James,"
the junior, but much the stronger and more solid, he has lost, as it were, a FATHER and younger brother at
once; father, uuder beautiful conditions; and the tears of the old man are natural and affecting. Ten years
older than his Brother; and survived him still twenty years. An excellent cheery old soul, he too; honest as the
sunlight, with a fine small vein of gayety, and "pleasant wit," in him: what a treasure to Friedrich at Potsdam,
in the coming years; and how much loved by him (almost as one BOY loves another), all readers would be
surprised to discover. Some hints of him will perhaps be allowed us farther on.
SEQUEL OF HOCHKIRCH; THE CAMPAIGN ENDS IN A WAY SURPRISING TO AN ATTENTIVE
PUBLIC (22d October20th November, 1758).
There followed upon Hochkirch five weeks of rapid events; such as nobody had been calculating on. To the
reader, so weary of marchings, manoeuvrings, surprisals, campings and details of war, not many words, we
hope, may render these results conceivable.
Friedrich stayed ten days, refitting himself, in that Camp of KleinBautzen, on one of the branches of the
Spree. Daun, who had retired to his old strong place, on the 14th, scarcely occupying Hochkirch Field at all,
came out in about a week; and took a strong post near Friedrich; not attempting anything upon him, but
watching him, now better within sight. Friedrich's fixed intention is, to march to Neisse all the same; what
probably Daun, under the shadow of his laurels and his new Papal Hat, may not have considered possible,
with the road to Neisse blocked by 80,000 men. Friedrich has refitted himself with the requisite new cannon
and furnitures, from Dresden; especially with Prince Henri and 6,000 foot and horse,led by Prince Henri in
person; so Prince Henri would have it, the capricious little man; and that Finck should be left in Saxony
instead of him. All which weakens Saxony not a little. But Friedrich hopes the Reichs Army is a feeble
article; ill off for provision in those parts, and not likely to attempt very much on the sudden. Accordingly:
FRIEDRICH MARCHES, ENIGMATICALLY, NOT ON GLOGAU, BUT ON REICHENBACH AND
GORLITZ; TO DAUN'S ASTONISHMENT.
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SUNDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 22d, Convoy of many wagons quit Bautzen (Bautzen Proper, not the
Village, but the Town), laden with all the wounded of Hochkirch; above 3,000 by count, to carry them to
Dresden for deliberate surgery. Keith's Tebay, I perceive, is in this Convoy; not ill hurt, but willing to lie in
Hospital a little, and consider. These poor fellows cannot get to Dresden: on the second day, a Daun
Detachment, hussaring about in those parts, is announced ahead; and (by new order from headquarters) the
Convoy turns northwards for Hoyerswerda,(to Tebay's disgust with the Commandant; "shied off," says
Tebay, "for twelve hussars!" [Second LETTER from Tebay, in Mitchell, ubi supra.])and, I think, in the
end, went on to Glogau instead of Dresden. Which was very fortunate for Tebay and the others. The poor
wounded being thus disposed of, Friedrich next night, at 10 o'clock, Monday, 23d, in the softest manner,
pushes off his Bakery and Army Stores a little way, northward down the Spree Valley, on the western fork of
the Spree (fork farthest from Daun); follows, himself, with the rest of the Army, next evening, down the
eastern fork, also northward. "Going for Glogau," thinks Daun, when the hussars report about it (late on
Tuesday night): "Let him go, if he fancy that a road TO Neisse! But, indeed, what other shift has he,"
considers Daun, "but to try rallying at Glogau yonder, safe under the guns?"and is not in the slightest haste
about this new matter. [Tempelhof, ii. 341347.]
United with his baggagecolumn, Friedrich proceeds northeastward; crosses Spree still northward or
northeastward; encamps there, in the dark hours of Tuesday; no Daun heeding him. Before daylight, however,
Friedrich is again on foot; in several columns now, for the bad countryroads ahead;and has struck straight
SOUTHeastward, if Daun were noting him. And, in the afternoon of Wednesday, Daun is astonished to learn
that this wily Enemy is arrived in Reichenbach vicinity; sweeping in our poor posts thereabouts; immovably
astride of the Silesian Highway, after all! An astonished Daun hastens out, what he can, to take survey of the
sudden Phenomenon. Tries it, next day and next, with his best Loudons and appliances; finds that this
Phenomenon can actually march to Neisse ahead of him, indifferent to Pandours, or giving them as good as
they bring;and that nothing but a battle and beating (could we rashly dream of such a thing, which we
cannot) will prevent it. "Very well, then!" Daun strives to say. And lets the Phenomenon march (FROM
Gorlitz, OCTOBER 30th); Loudon harassing the rear of it, for some days; not without counter harassment,
much waste of cannonading, and ruin to several poor Lausitz Villages by fire,"Prussians scandalously burn
them, when we attack!" says Loudon. Till, at last, finding this march impregnably arranged, "split into two
routes," and ready for all chances, Loudon also withdraws to more promising business. Poor General Retzow
Senior was of this march; absolutely could not be excused, though fallen ill of dysentery, like to die;and
did die, the day after he got to Schweidnitz, when the difficulties and excitement were over. [Retzow, i. 372.]
Of Friedrich's march, onward from Gorlitz, we shall say nothing farther, except that the very wind of it was
salvatory to his Silesian Fortresses and interests. That at Neisse, on and after November 1st,which is the
third or second day of Friedrich's march,General Treskow, Commandant of Neisse, found the
bombardment slacken more and more ("King of Prussia coming," said the Austrian deserters to us); and that,
on November 6th, Treskow, looking out from Neisse, found the Austrian trenches empty, Generals Harsch
and Deville hurrying over the Hills homewards, pickings to be had of them by Treskow,and Neisse
Siege a thing finished. [TAGEBUCH, ("Diary of the Siege of Neisse," 4th August, 26th October, 6th
November, 1758, "1 A.M. suddenly"), in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 468472: of Treskow's own writing; brief
and clear. HeldenGeschichte, v. 268270.] It had lasted, in the way of blockade and halfblockade, for
about three months; Deville, for near one month, halfblockading, then Harsch (since September 30th)
wholly blockading, with Deville under him, and an army of 20,000; though the actual cannonade, very fierce,
but of no effect, could not begin till little more than a week ago,so difficult the getting up of
siegematerial in those parts. Kosel, under Commandant Lattorf, whose praises, like Treskow's, were
great,had stood four months of Pandour blockading and assaulting, which also had to take itself away on
advent of Friedrich. Of Friedrich, on his returnjourney, we shall hear again before long; but in the mean
while must industriously follow Daun.
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FELDMARSCHALL DAUN AND THE REICHS ARMY TRY SOME SIEGE OF DRESDEN (9th16th
November).
OCTOBER 30th, Daun, seeing Neisse Siege as good as gone to water, decided with himself that he could still
do a far more important stroke: capture Dresden, get hold of Saxony in Friedrich's absence. Daun turned
round from Reichenbach, accordingly; and, at his slow footed pace, addressed himself to that new errand.
Had he made better despatch, or even been in better luck, it is very possible he might have done something
there. In Dresden, and in Governor Schmettau with his small garrison, there is no strength for a siege; in
Saxony is nothing but some poor remnant under Finck, much of it Freecorps and light people: capable of
being swallowed by the Reichs Army itself,were the Reichs Army enterprising, or in good circumstances
otherwise. It is true the Russians have quitted Colberg as impossible; and are flowing homewards dragged by
hunger: the little Dohna Army will, therefore, march for Saxony; the little AntiSwedish Army, under
Wedell, has likewise been mostly ordered thither; both at their quickest. For Daun, all turns on despatch;
loiter a little, and Friedrich himself will be here again!
Daun, I have no doubt, stirred his slow feet the fastest he could. NOVEMBER 7th, Daun was in the
neighborhood of Pirna Country again, had his Bridge at Pirna, for communication; urged the Reichs Army to
bestir itself, Now or never. Reichs Army did push out a little against Finck; made him leave that perpetual
Camp of Gahmig, take new camps, Kesselsdorf and elsewhere; and at length made him shoot across Elbe, to
the northwest, on a pontoon bridge below Dresden, with retreating room to northward, and shelter under the
guns of that City. Reichs Army has likewise made powerful detachments for capture of Leipzig and the
northwestern towns; capture of Torgau, the Magazine town, first of all: summon them, with force evidently
overpowering, "Free withdrawal, if you don't resist; and if you do!" At Torgau there was actual attempt
made (November 12th), rather elaborate and dangerous looking; under Haddick, with near 10,000 of the
"Austrianauxiliary" sort: to whom the old Commandant judging Wedell, the late AntiSwedish Wedell,
to be now near rushed out with "300 men and one big gun;" and made such a firing and gesticulation as
was quite extraordinary, as if Wedell were here already: till Wedell's self did come in sight; and the
overpowering Reichs Detachment made its best speed elsewhither. [Tempelhof, "Letter from a Prussian
Officer," in HeldenGeschichte, v. 286.] The other Sieges remained things of theory; the other Reichs
Detachments hurried home, I think, without summoning anybody.
Meanwhile, Daun, with the proper Artilleries at last ready, comes flowing forward (NOVEMBER 8th9th);
and takes post in the Great Garden, or south side of Dresden; minatory to Schmettau and that City. The walls,
or works, are weak; outside there is nothing but Mayer and the Free Corps to resist, who indeed has surpassed
himself this season, and been extraordinarily diligent upon that lazy Reichs Army. Commandant Schmettau
signifies to Daun, the day Daun came in sight, "If your Excellenz advance farther on me, the grim Rules of
War in besieged places will order That I burn the Suburbs, which are your defences in attacking me,"and
actually fills the fine houses on the Southern Suburb with combustible matter, making due announcements, to
Court and population, as well as to Dann. "Burn the Suburbs?" answers Daun: "In the name of civilized
humanity, you will never think of such thing!" "That will I, your Excellenz, of a surety, and do it!" answers
Schmettau. So that Dresden is full of pity, terror and speculation. The common rumor is, says Excellency
Mitchell, who is sojourning there for the present, "That Bruhl [nefarious Bruhl, born to be the death of us!]
has persuaded Polish Majesty to sanction this enterprise of Daun's,"very careless, Bruhl, what become of
Dresden or us, so the King of Prussia be well hurt or spited!
Certain enough, NOVEMBER 9th, Daun does come on, regardless of Schmettau's assurances; so that, "about
midnight:" Mayer, who "can hear the enemy busily building four big batteries" withal, has to report himself
driven to the edge of those high Houses (which are filled with combustibles), and that some Croats are got
into the upper windows. "Burn them, then!" answers Schmettasu (such the dire necessity of sieged places):
and, "at 3 A.M." (three hours' notice to the poor inmates), Mayer does so; hideous flames bursting out,
punctually at the stroke of 3: "whole Suburb seemed on blaze [about a sixth part of it actually so], nay you
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would have said the whole Town was environed in flames." Excellency Mitchell climbed a steeple: "will not
describe to your Lordship the horror, the terror and confusion of this night; wretched inhabitants running with
their furniture [what of it they had got flung out, between 12 o'clock and 3] towards the Great Garden; all
Dresden, to appearance, girt in flames, ruins and smoke." Such a night in Dresden, especially in the Pirna
Suburb, as was never seen before. [Mitchell, Memoirs and Papers, i. 459. In HeldenGeschichte, v.
295302, minute account (corresponding well with Mitchell's); ib. 303333, the certified details of the
damage done: "280 houses lost;" "4 human lives."] This was the sad beginning, or attempt at beginning, of
Dresden Siege; and this also was the end of it, on Daun's part at present. For four days more, he hung about
the place, minatory, hesitative; but attempted nothing feasible; and on the fifth day, "for a certain weighty
reason," as the Austrian Gazettes express it,he saw good to vanish into the Pirna RockCountry, and be
out of harm's way in the mean while!
The Truth is, Daun's was an intricate case just now; needing, above all things, swiftness of treatment; what, of
all things, it could not get from Daun. His denunciations on that burnt Suburb were again loud; but Schmettau
continues deaf to all that,means "to defend himself by the known rules of war and of honor;" declares, he
"will dispute from street to street, and only finish in the middle of Polish Majesty's Royal Palace."
Denunciation will do nothing! Daun had above 100,000 men in those parts. Rushing forward with sharp shot
and bayonet storm, instead of logical denunciation, it is probable Daun might have settled his Schmettau. But
the hour of tide was rigorous, withal;and such an ebb, if you missed it in hesitating! NOVEMBER 15th,
Daun withdrew; the ebbing come. That same day, Friedrich was at Lauban in the Lausitz, within a hundred
miles again; speeding hitherward; behind him a Silesia brushed clear, before him a Saxony to be brushed.
"Reason weighty" enough, think Daun and the Austrian Gazettes! But such, since you have missed the
tidehour, is the inexorable fact of ebb,going at that frightful rate. Daun never was the man to dispute
facts.
November 20th, Friedrich arrived in Dresden; heard, next day, that Daun had wheeled decisively homeward
from Pirna Country; that the Reichs Army and he are diligently climbing the Metal Mountains; and that there
is not in Saxony, more than in Silesia, an enemy left. What a Sequel to Hochkirch! "Neisse and Dresden
both!" we had hoped as sequel, if lucky: "Neisse OR Dresden" seemed infallible. And we are climbing the
Metal Mountains, under facts superior to us.
And Campaign Third has closed in this manner;leaving things much as it found them. Essentially a drawn
match; Contending Parties little altered in relative strength;both of them, it may be presumed, considerably
weaker. Friedrich is not triumphant, or shining in the light of bonfires, as last Year; but, in the mind of
judges, stands higher than ever (if that could help him much); and is not "annihilated" in the least, which is
the surprising circumstance.
Friedrich's marches, especially, have been wonderful, this Year. In the springtime, old Marechal de
Belleisle, French Minister of War, consulting officially about future operations, heard it objected once: "But
if the King of Prussia were to burst in upon us there?" "The King of Prussia is a great soldier," answered M.
de Belleisle; "but his Army is not a shuttle (NAVETTE),"to be shot about, in that way, from side to side of
the world! No surely; not altogether. But the King of Prussia has, among other arts, an art of marching
Armies, which by degrees astonishes the old Marechal. To "come upon us EN NAVETTE," suddenly "like a
shuttle" from the other side of the web, became an established phrase among the French concerned in these
unfortunate matters. [Archenholtz, i. 316; Montalembert, SAEPIUS, for the phrase "EN NAVETTE."]
"The PittandFerdinand Campaign of 1758," says a Note, which I would fain abridge, "is more palpably
victorious than Friedrich's, much more an affair of bonfires than his; though it too has had its rubs. Loss of
honor at Crefeld; loss of Louisburg and Codfishery: these are serious blows our enemy has had. But then, to
temper the joy over Louisburg, there was, at Ticonderoga, by Abercrombie, on the small scale (all the extent
of scale he had), a melancholy Platitude committed: that of walking into an enemy without the least
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reconnoitring of him, who proves to be chindeep in abatis and fieldworks; and kills, much at his ease,
about 2,000 brave fellows, brought 5,000 miles for that object. And obliges you to walk away on the instant,
and quit Ticonderoga, like asurely like a very tragic Dignitary in Cockedhat! To be cashiered, we will
hope; at least to be laid on the shelf, and replaced by some Wolfe or some Amherst, fitter for the business!
Nor were the Descents on the French Coast much to speak of: 'Great Guns got at Cherbourg,' these truly, as
exhibited in HydePark, were a comfortable sight, especially to the simpler sort: but on the other hand, at
Morlaix, on the part of poor old General Bligh and Company, there had been a Platitude equal or superior to
that of Abercrombie, though not so tragical in loss of men. 'What of that?' said an enthusiastic Public, striking
their balance, and joyfully illuminating. Here is a Clipping from Ohio Country, 'LETTER of an Officer
[distilled essence of Two Letters], dated, FORTDUQUESNE, 28th NOVEMBER, 1758:
"'Our small Corps under General Forbes, after much sore scrambling through the Wildernesses, and
contending with enemies wild and tame, is, since the last four days, in possession of Fort Duquesne
[PITTSBURG henceforth]: Friday, 24th, the French garrison, on our appearance, made off without fighting;
took to boats down the Ohio, and vanished out of those Countries,'forever and a day, we will hope. 'Their
LouisianaCanada communication is lost; and all that prodigious tract of rich country,'which Mr.
Washington fixed upon long ago, is ours again, if we can turn it to use. 'This day a detachment of us goes to
Braddock's field of battle [poor Braddock!], to bury the bones of our slaughtered countrymen; many of whom
the French butchered in cold blood, and, to their own eternal shame and infamy, have left lying above ground
ever since. As indeed they have done with all those slain round the Fort in late weeks;'calling themselves a
civilized Nation too!" [Old Newspapers (in Gentleman's Magazine for 1759, pp. 41, 39).]
LOWER RHINE, JULYNOVEMBER, 1758. "Ferdinand's manoeuvres, after Crefeld, on the Franceward
side of Rhine, were very pretty: but, without Wesel, and versus a Belleisle as WarMinister, and a Contades
who was something of a General, it would not do. Belleisle made uncommon exertions, diligent to get his
broken people drilled again; Contades was wary, and countermanoeuvred rather well. Finally, Soubise"
(readers recollect him and his 24 or 30,000, who stood in Frankfurt Country, on the hither or north side of
Rhine), famed Rossbach Soubise,"pushing out, at Belleisle's bidding, towards Hanover, in a region vacant
otherwise of troops, became dangerous to Ferdinand. 'Making for Hanover?' thought Ferdinand: 'Or
perhaps meaning to attack my 12,000 English that are just landed? Nay, perhaps my RhineBridge itself, and
the small Party left there?' Ferdinand found he would have to return, and look after Soubise. Crossed,
accordingly (August 8th), by his old Bridge at Rees,which he found safe, in spite of attempts there had
been; ["Fight of Meer" (Chevert, with 10,000, beaten off, and the Bridge saved, by Imhof, with 3,000;both
clever soldiers; Imhof in better luck, and favored by the ground: "5th August, 1758"): MAUVILLON, i.
315.]and never recrossed during this War. Judges even say his first crossing had never much solidity of
outlook in it; and though so delightful to the public, was his questionablest step.
"On the 12,000 English, Soubise had attempted nothing. Ferdinand joined his English at Soest (August 20th);
to their great joy and his; [Duke of Marlborough's heavyladen LETTER to Pitt, "Koesfeld, August 15th:"
"Nothing but rains and uncertainties;" "marching, latterly, up to our middles in water;" have come from
Embden, straight south towards Wesel Country, almost 150 miles (Soest still a good sixty miles to southeast
of us). CHATHAM CORRESPONDENCE (London, 1838), i. 334, 337. The poor Duke died in two months
hence; and the command devolved on Lord George Sackville, as is too well known.] 10 to 12,000 as a first
instalment:Grandlooking fellows, said the Germans. And did you ever see such horses, such splendor of
equipment, regardless of expense? Not to mention those BERGSCHOTTEN (Scotch Highlanders), with their
bagpipes, sporrans, kilts, and exotic costumes and ways; astonishing to the German mind. [Romantic view of
the BERGSCHOTTEN (2,000 of them, led by the Junior of the Robert Keiths above mentioned, who is a
soldier as yet), in ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 351353: IB. and in PREUSS, ii. 136, of the "uniforms with gold and
silver lace," of the superb horses, "one regiment all roan horses, another all black, another all" Out of all
whom (BERGSCHOTTEN included), Ferdinand, by management,and management was needed, got a
great deal of firstrate fighting, in the next Four Years.
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"Nor, in regard to Hanover, could Soubise make anything of it; though he did (owing to a couple of stupid
fellows, General Prince von Ysenburg and General Oberg, detached by Ferdinand on that service) escape the
lively treatment Ferdinand had prepared for him; and even gave a kind of Beating to each of those stupid
fellows, [1. "Fight of Sandershausen" (Broglio, as Soubise's vanguard, 12,000; VERSUS Ysenburg, 7,000,
who stupidly would not withdraw TILL beaten: "23d July, 1758," BEFORE Ferdinand had come across
again). 2. Fight of Lutternberg (Soubise, 30,000; VERSUS Oberg, about 18,000, who stupidly hung back till
Soubise was all gathered, and THEN still more stupidly: "10th October, 1758"). See MAUVILLON, i. 312
(or better, ARCHENHOLTZ, i. 345); and MAUVILLON, i. 327. Both Lutternberg and Sandershausen are in
the neighborhood of Cassel;as many of those Ferdinand fights were.]one of which, Oberg's one, might
have ruined Oberg and his Detachment altogether, had Soubise been alert, which he by no means was! 'Paris
made such jeering about Rossbach and the Prince de Soubise,' says Voltaire, [ Histoire de Louis XV. ] 'and
nobody said a word about these two Victories of his, next Year!' For which there might be two reasons: one,
according to Tempelhof, that 'the Victories were of the soso kind (SIC WAREN AUCH DARNACH);' and
another, that they were ascribed to Broglio, on both occasions,how justly, nobody will now argue!
"Contades had not failed, in the mean while, to follow with the main Army; and was now elaborately
manoeuvring about; intent to have Lippstadt, or some Fortress in those RhineWeser Countries. On the tail of
that second soso Victory by Soubise, Contades thought, Now would be the chance. And did try hard, but
without effect. Ferdinand was himself attending Contades; and mistakes were not likely. Ferdinand, in the
thick of the game (October 21st 30th), 'made a masterly movement'that is to say, cut Contades and his
Soubise irretrievably asunder: no junction now possible to them; the weaker of them liable to ruin,unless
Contades, the stronger, would give battle; which, though greatly outnumbering Ferdinand, he was cautious
not to do. A melancholic cautious man, apt to be overcautious,nicknamed 'L'APOTHECAIRE' by the
Parisians, from his down looks,but had good soldier qualities withal. Soubise and he haggled about, a short
while,not a long, in these dangerous circumstances; and then had to go home again, without result, each
the way he came; Contades himself repassing through Wesel, and wintering on his own side of the Rhine."
How Pitt is succeeding, and aiming to succeed, on the French Foreign Settlements: on the Guinea Coast, on
the High Seas everywhere; in the West Indies; still more in the East,where General Lally (that fiery
O'MulLALLY, famous since Fontenoy), missioned with "fullpowers," as they call them, is raging up and
down, about Madras and neighborhood, in a violent, impetuous, more and more bankrupt manner:Of all
this we can say nothing for the present, little at any time. Here are two facts of the financial sort, sufficiently
illuminative. The muchexpending, much subsidying Government of France cannot now borrow except at 7
per cent Interest; and the rate of Marine Insurance has risen to 70 per cent. [Retzow, ii. 5.] One way and
other, here is a Pitt clearly progressive; and a longpending JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION in a fair way to
be settled!
Friedrich stays in Saxony about a month, inspecting and adjusting; thence to Breslau, for Winterquarters.
His Winter is like to be a sad and silent one, this time; with none of the gayeties of last Year; the royal heart
heavy enough with many private sorrows, were there none of public at all! This is a word from him, two days
after finishing Daun for the season:
FRIEDRICH TO MYLORD MARISCHAL (at Colombier in Neufchatel).
"DRESDEN, 23d November, 1758.
"There is nothing left for us, MON CHER MYLORD, but to mingle and blend our weeping for the losses we
have had. If my head were a fountain of tears, it would not suffice for the grief I feel.
"Our Campaign is over; and there has nothing come of it, on one side or the other, but the loss of a great
many worthy people, the misery of a great many poor soldiers crippled forever, the ruin of some Provinces,
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the ravage, pillage and conflagration of some flourishing Towns. Exploits these which make humanity
shudder: sad fruits of the wickedness and ambition of certain People in Power, who sacrifice everything to
their unbridled passions! I wish you, MON CHER MYLORD, nothing that has the least resemblance to mv
destiny; and everything that is wanting to it. Your old friend, till death."F. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 273.]
BOOK XIX. FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED IN THE
SEVENYEARS WAR. 17591760.
Chapter I. PRELIMINARIES TO A FOURTH CAMPAIGN.
The posting of the Five Armies this WinterFive of them in Germany, not counting the Russians, who have
vanished to Cimmeria over the horizon, for their months of restis something wonderful, and strikes the
picturesque imagination. Such a Chain of Posts, for length, if for nothing else! From the centre of Bohemia
eastward, Daun's Austrians are spread all round the western Silesian Border and the southeastern Saxon;
waited on by Prussians, in more or less proximity. Next are the Reichsfolk; scattered over Thuringen and the
Franconian Countries; fronting partly into Hessen and Duke Ferdinand's outskirts:the main body of Duke
Ferdinand is far to westward, in Munster Country, vigilant upon Contades, with the Rhine between. Contades
and Soubise,adjoining on the Reichsfolk are these Two French Armies: Soubise's, some 25,000, in
Frankfurt Ems Country, between the Mayn and the Lahn, with its back to the Rhine; then Contades, onward
to Maes River and the Dutch Borders, with his face to the Rhine,and Duke Ferdinand observant of him on
the other side. That is the "CORDON of Posts" or winterquarters this Year. "From the Giant Mountains and
the Metal Mountains, to the Ocean;to the mouth of Rhine," may we not say; "and back again to the Swiss
Alps or springs of Rhine, that UpperRhine Country being all either French or Austrian, and a basis for
Soubise?" [Archenholtz, i. 306.] Not to speak of Ocean itself, and its winged WarFleets, lonesomely
hovering and patrolling; or of the Americas and Indies beyond!
"This is such a Chain of mutually vigilant Winterquarters," says Archenholtz, "as was never drawn in
Germany, or in Europe, before." Chain of about 300,000 fighting men, poured out in that lengthy manner.
Taking their winter siesta there, asleep with one eye open, till reinforced for new business of death and
destruction against Spring. Pathetic surely, as well as picturesque. "Three Campaigns there have already
been," sighs the peaceable observer: "Three Campaigns, surely furious enough; Eleven Battles in them,"
[Stenzel, v. 185. This, I suppose, would be his enumeration: LOBOSITZ (1756); PRAG, KOLIN,
Hastenbeck, GrossJagersdorf, ROSSBACH, Breslau, LEUTHEN, (1757); Crefeld, ZORNDORF,
HOCHKIRCH (1758): "eleven hitherto in all."] a Prag, a Kolin, Leuthen, Rossbach;must there still be
others, then, to the misery of poor mankind?" thus sigh many peaceful persons. Not considering what are, and
have been, the rages, the iniquities, the loud and silent deliriums, the mad blindnesses and sins of mankind;
and what amount, of CALCINING these may reasonably take. Not calcinable in three Campaigns at all, it
would appear! Four more Campaigns are needed: then there will be innocuous ashes in quantity; and a result
unexpected, and worth marking in WorldHistory.
It is notably one of Friedrich's fond hopes,of which he keeps up several, as bright cloudhangings in the
haggard inner world he now has,that Peace is just at hand; one right struggle more, and Peace must come!
And on the part of Britannic George and him, repeated attempts were made,one in the end of this Year
1759;but one and all of them proved futile, and, unless for accidental reasons, need not be mentioned here.
Many men, in all nations, long for Peace; but there are Three Women at the top of the world who do not; their
wrath, various in quality, is great in quantity, and disasters do the reverse of appeasing it.
The French people, as is natural, are weary of a War which yields them mere losses and disgraces; "War
carried on for Austrian whims, which likewise seem to be impracticable!" think they. And their Bernis
himself, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who began this sad FrenchAustrian Adventure, has already been
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remonstrating with Kaunitz, and grumbling anxiously, "Could not the Swedes, or somebody, be got to
mediate? Such a War is too ruinous!" Hearing which, the Pompadour is shocked at the favorite creature of
her hands; hastens to dismiss him ("Be Cardinal then, you ingrate of a Bernis; disappear under that Red
Hat!")and appoints, in his stead, one Choiseul (known hitherto as STAINVILLE, Comte de Stainville,
French Excellency at Vienna, but now made Duke on this promotion), Duc de Choiseul; [Minister of Foreign
Affairs, "11th November, 1758" (Barbier, iv. 294).] who is a Lorrainer, or Semi Austrian, by very birth; and
probably much fitter for the place. A swift, impetuous kind of man, this Choiseul, who is still rather young
than otherwise; plenty of proud spirit in him, of shifts, talent of the reckless sort; who proved very notable in
France for the next twenty years.
French trade being ruined withal, money is running dreadfully low: but they appoint a new
ControllerGeneral; a M. de Silhouette, who is thought to have an extraordinary creative genius in Finance.
Had he but a FortunatusPurse, how lucky were it! With Fortunatus Silhouette as purseholder, with a fiery
young Choiseul on this hand, and a fiery old Belleisle on that, Pompadour meditates great things this
Year,Invasions of England; stronger German Armies; better German Plans, and slashings home upon
Hanover itself, or the vital point;and flatters herself, and her poor Louis, that there is on the anvil, for
1759, such a French Campaign as will perhaps astonish Pitt and another insolent King. Very fixed, fell and
feminine is the Pompadour's humor in this matter. Nor is the Czarina's less so; but more, if possible;
unappeasable except by death. Imperial Maria Theresa has masculine reasons withal; great hopes, too, of late.
Of the War's ending till flat impossibility stop it, there is no likelihood.
To Pitt this Campaign 1759, in spite of bad omens at the outset, proved altogether splendid: but greatly the
reverse on Friedrich's side; to whom it was the most disastrous and unfortunate he had yet made, or did ever
make. Pitt at his zenith in public reputation; Friedrich never so low before, nothing seemingly but extinction
near ahead, when this Year ended. The truth is, apart from his specific pieces of illluck, there had now
begun for Friedrich a new rule of procedure, which much altered his appearance in the world. Thrice over had
he tried by the aggressive or invasive method; thrice over made a plunge at the enemy's heart, hoping so to
disarm or lame him: but that, with resources spent to such a degree, is what he cannot do a fourth time: he is
too weak henceforth to think of that.
Prussia has always its King, and his unrivalled talent; but that is pretty much the only fixed item: Prussia
VERSUS France, Austria, Russia, Sweden and the German Reich, what is it as a field of supplies for war!
Except its King, these are failing, year by year; and at a rate fatally SWIFT in comparison. Friedrich cannot
now do Leuthens, Rossbachs; farshining feats of victory, which astonish all the world. His fine Prussian
veterans have mostly perished; and have been replaced by new levies and recruits; who are inferior both in
discipline and native quality;though they have still, people say, a noteworthy taste of the old Prussian sort
in them; and do, in fact, fight well to the last. But "it is observable," says Retzow somewhere, and indeed it
follows from the nature of the case, "that while the Prussian Army presents always its best kind of soldiers at
the beginning of a war, Austria, such are its resources in population, always improves in that particular, and
its best troops appear in the last campaigns." In a word, Friedrich stands on the defensive henceforth;
disputing his ground inch by inch: and is reduced, more and more, to battle obscurely with a hydracoil of
enemies and impediments; and to do heroisms which make no noise in the Gazettes. And, alas, which cannot
figure in History either,what is more a sorrow to me here!
Friedrich, say all judges of soldiership and human character who have studied Friedrich sufficiently, "is
greater than ever," in these four Years now coming. [Berenhorst, in Kriegskunst; Retzow; And this, I have
found more and more to be a true thing; verifiable and demonstrable in time and place, though, unluckily
for us, hardly in this time or this place at all! A thing which cannot, by any method, be made manifest to the
general reader; who delights in shining summary feats, and is impatient of tedious preliminaries and
investigations,especially of MAPS, which are the indispensablest requisite of all. A thing, in short, that
belongs peculiarly to soldierstudents; who can undergo the dull preliminaries, most dull but most inexorably
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needed; and can follow out, with watchful intelligence, and with a patience not to be wearied, the
multifarious topographies, details of movements and manoeuvrings, year after year, on such a Theatre of
War. What is to be done with it here! If we could, by significant strokes, indicate, under features true so far as
they went, the great wide fireflood that was raging round the world; if we could, carefully omitting very
many things, omit of the things intelligible and decipherable that concern Friedrich himself, nothing that had
meaning: IF indeed! But it is idle preluding. Forward again, brave reader, under such conditions as there
are!
Friedrich's Winter in Breslau was of secluded, silent, sombre character, this time; nothing of stir in it but from
work only: in marked contrast with the last, and its kindly visitors and gayeties. A Friedrich given up to his
manifold businesses, to his silent sorrows. "I have passed my winter like a Carthusian monk," he writes to
D'Argens: "I dine alone; I spend my life in reading and writing; and I do not sup. When one is sad, it becomes
at last too burdensome to hide one's grief continually; and it is better to give way to it by oneself, than to
carry one's gloom into society. Nothing solaces me but the vigorous application required in steady and
continuous labor. This distraction does force one to put away painful ideas, while it lasts: but, alas, no sooner
is the work done, than these fatal companions present themselves again, as if livelier than ever. Maupertuis
was right: the sum of evil does certainly surpass that of good:but to me it is all one; I have almost nothing
more to lose; and my few remaining days, what matters it much of what complexion they be?" ["Breslau, 1st
March, 1759," To D'Argens ( OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 56).]
The loss of his Wilhelmina, had there been no other grief, has darkened all his life to Friedrich. Readers are
not prepared for the details of grief we could give, and the settled gloom of mind they indicate. A loss
irreparable and immeasurable; the light of life, the one loved heart that loved him, gone. His passionate
appeals to Voltaire to celebrate for him in verse his lost treasure, and at least make her virtues immortal, are
perhaps known to readers: [ODE SUR LA MORT DE S. A. S. MADAME LA PRINCESSE DE BAREITH
(in OEuvres de Voltaire, xviii. 7986): see Friedrich's Letter to him (6th November, 1758); with Voltaire's
VERSES in Answer (next month); Friedrich's new Letter (Breslau, 23d January 1759), demanding something
more, followed by the ODE just cited (Ib. lxxii. 402; lxxviii. 82, 92; or OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 2024:
alas, this is a very feeble kind of immortality, and Friedrich too well feels it such. All Winter he dwells
internally on the sad matter, though soon falling silent on it to others.
The War is ever more dark and dismal to him; a wearing, harassing, nearly disgusting task; on which,
however, depends life or death. This Year, he "expects to have 300,000 enemies upon him;" and "is, with his
utmost effort, getting up 150,000 to set against them." Of business, in its many kinds, there can be no lack! In
the intervals he also wrote considerably: one of his Pieces is a SERMON ON THE LAST JUDGMENT;
handed to Reader De Catt, one evening:to De Catt's surprise, and to ours; the Voiceless in a dark Friedrich
trying to give itself some voice in this way! [ OEuvres de Frederic, xv. 110 (see Preuss's PREFACE there;
Formey, SOUVENIRS, i. 37; Another Piece, altogether practical, and done with excellent insight, brevity,
modesty, is ON TACTICS; [REFLEXIONS SUR LA TACTIQUE: in OEuvres de Frederic, xxviii.
153166.] properly it might be called, "Serious very Private Thoughts," thrown on paper, and
communicated only to two or three, "On the new kind of Tactics necessary with those Austrians and their
Allies," who are in such overwhelming strength. "To whose continual sluggishness, and strange want of
concert, to whose incoherency of movements, languor of execution, and other enormous faults, we have
owed, with some excuse for our own faults, our escaping of destruction hitherto,"but had better NOT trust
that way any longer! Fouquet is one of the highly select, to whom he communicates this Piece; adding along
with it, in Fouquet's case, an affectionate little Note, and, in spite of poverty, some Newyear's Gift, as
usual,the "Widow's Mite [300 pounds, we find]; receive it with the same heart with which it was set apart
for you: a small help, which you may well have need of, in these calamitous times." ["Breslau, 23d
December, 1758;" with Fouquet's Answer, 2d January, 1759: in OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 114117.] Fouquet
much admires the new Tactical Suggestions;seems to think, however, that the certainly practicable one is,
in particular, the last, That of "improving our Artillery to some equality with theirs." For which, as may
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appear, the King has already been taking thought, in more ways than one.
Finance is naturally a heavy part of Friedrich's Problem; the part which looks especially impossible, from our
point of vision! In Friedrich's Country, the War Budget does not differ from the Peace one. Neither is any
borrowing possible; that sublime Art, of rolling over on you know not whom the expenditure, needful or
needless, of your heavyladen self, had not yetthough England is busy at itbeen invented among
Nations. Once, or perhaps twice, from the STANDE of some willing Province, Friedrich negotiated some
small Loan; which was punctually repaid when Peace came, and was always gratefully remembered. But
these are as nothing, in face of such expenses; and the thought how he did contrive on the Finance side, is and
was not a little wonderful. An ingenious Predecessor, whom I sometimes quote, has expressed himself in
these words:
"Such modicum of Subsidy [he is speaking of the English Subsidy in 1758], how useful will it prove in a
Country bred everywhere to Spartan thrift, accustomed to regard waste as sin, and which will lay out no
penny except to purpose! I guess the Prussian Exchequer is, by this time, much on the ebb; idle precious
metals tending everywhere towards the meltingpot. At what precise date the FriedrichWilhelm balustrades,
and enormous silver furnitures, were first gone into, Dryasdust has not informed me: but we know they all
went; as they well might. To me nothing is so wonderful as Friedrich's Budget during this War. One day it
will be carefully investigated, elucidated and made conceivable and certain to mankind: but that as yet is far
from being the case. We walk about in it with astonishment; almost, were it possible, with incredulity.
Expenditure on this side, work done on that: human nature, especially British human nature, refuses to
conceive it. Never in this world, before or since, was the like. The Friedrich miracles in War are great; but
those in Finance are almost greater. Let Dryasdust bethink him; and gird his flabby loins to this Enterprise;
which is very behooveful in these Californian times!"
The general Secret of Prussian Thrift, I do fear, is lost from the world. And how an Army of about 200,000,
in field and garrison, could be kept on foot, and in some ability to front combined Europe, on about Three
Million Sterling annually ("25 million THALERS"=3,150,000 pounds, that is the steady WarBudget of
those years), remains to us inconceivable enough;mournfully miraculous, as it were; and growing ever
more so in the Nuggetgenerations that now run. Meanwhile, here are what hints I could find, on the Origins
of that modest Sum, which also are a wonder: [Preuss, ii. 388392; Stenzel, v. 137141.]
"The hoarded Prussian Moneys, or 'TREASURES' [two of them, KLEINE SCHATZ, GROSSE SCHATZ,
which are rigidly saved in Peace years, for incidence of War], being nearly run out, there had come the
English Subsidy: this, with Saxony, and the Home revenues and remnants of SCHATZ had sufficed for 1758;
but will no longer suffice. Next to Saxony, the English Subsidy (670,000 pounds due the second time this
year) was always Friedrich's principal resource: and in the latter years of the War, I observe, it was nearly
twice the amount of what all his Prussian Countries together, in their ravaged and wornout state, could yield
him. In and after 1759, besides Home Income, which is gradually diminishing, and English Subsidy, which is
a steady quantity, Friedrich's sources of revenue are mainly Two:
"FIRST, there is that of wringing money from your Enemies, from those that have deserved ill of you,such
of them as you can come at. Enemies, open or secret, even Illwishers, we are not particular, provided only
they lie within arm'slength. Under this head fall principally three Countries (and their three poor
Populations, in lieu of their Governments): Saxony, Mecklenburg (or the main part of it,
MecklenburgSCHWERIN), and Anhalt; from these three there is a continual forced supply of money and
furnishings. Their demerits to Friedrich differ much in intensity; nor is his wringing of themwhich in the
cases of Mecklenburg and Saxony increases year by year to the nearly intolerable pitchquite in the simple
ratio of their demerits; but in a compound ratio of that and of his indignation and of his wants.
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"Saxony, as Prime Author of this War, was from the first laid hold of, collared tightly: 'Pay the shot, then,
what you can' (in the end it was almost what you cannot)! As to MecklenburgSchwerin, the grudge against
Prussia was of very old standing, some generations now; and the present Duke, not a very wise Sovereign
more than his Ancestors, had always been ill with Friedrich; willing to spite and hurt him when possible: in
Reichs Diet he, of all German Princes, was the first that voted for Friedrich's being put to Ban of the
Reich,he; and his poor People know since whether that was a wise step! The little Anhalt Princes, too, all
the Anhalts, Dessau, Bernburg, Cothen, Zerbst [perhaps the latter partially excepted, for a certain Russian
Lady's sake], had voted, or at least had ambiguously halfvoted, in favor of the Ban, and done other
unfriendly things; and had now to pay dear for their bits of enmities. Poor souls, they had but One Vote
among them all Four; and they only half gave it, tremulously pulling it back again. I should guess it was
their terrors mainly, and overreadiness to reckon Friedrich a sinking ship; and to leap from the deck of him,
with a spurn which he took for insolent! The AnhaltDessauers particularly, who were once of his very
Army, half Prussians for generations back, he reckoned to have used him scandalously ill.
"This Year the requisition on the Four Anhaltswhich they submit to patiently, as people who have leapt
into the wrong shipis, in precise tale: of money, 330,000 thalers (about 50,000 pounds); recruits, 2,200;
horses, 1,800. In Saxony, besides the fixed Taxes, strict confiscation of Meissen Potteries and every Royalty,
there were exacted heavy 'Contributions,' more and more heavy, from the few opulent Towns, chiefly from
Leipzig; which were wrung out, latterly, under great severities,'chief merchants of Leipzig all clapt in
prison, kept on breadandwater till they yielded,'AS great severities as would suffice, but NOT greater;
which also was noted. Unfortunate chief merchants of Leipzig,with Bruhl and Polish Majesty little likely
to indemnify them! Unfortunate Country altogether. An intelligent Saxon, who is vouched for as impartial,
bears witness as follows: 'And this I know, that the oppressions and plunderings of the Austrians and
Reichsfolk, in Saxony, turned all hearts away from them; and it was publicly said, We had rather bear the
steady burden of the Prussians than such help as these our pretended Deliverers bring.' [Stenzel (citing from
KRIEGSKANZLEI, which I have not), v. 137 n.] Whereby, on the whole, the poor Country got its back
broken, and could never look up in the world since. Resource FIRST was abundantly severe.
"Resource SECOND is strangest of all;and has given rise to criticism enough! It is no other than that of
issuing base money; mixing your gold and silver coin with copper,this, one grieves to say, is the Second
and extreme resource. (A rude methodwould we had a betterof suspending Cashpayments, and paying
by banknotes instead!' thinks Friedrich, I suppose. From his Prussian Mints, from his Saxon [which are his
for the present], and from the little AnhaltBernburg Mint [of which he expressly purchased the sad
privilege,for we are not a Coiner, we are a King reduced to suspend Cashpayments, for the time being],
Friedrich poured out over all Germany, in all manner of kinds, huge quantities of bad Coin. This, so long as it
would last, is more and more a copious fountain of supply. This, for the first time, has had to appear as an
item in WarBudget 1759: and it fails in no following, but expands more and more. It was done through
Ephraim, the not lovely Berlin Jew, whom we used to hear of in Voltaire's time;through Ephraim and two
others, Ephraim as President: in return for a net Sum, these shall have privilege to coin such and such
amounts, so and so alloyed; shall pay to General Tauentzien, Army Treasurer, at fixed terms, the Sums
specified: 'Go, and do it; our MintOfficers sharply watching you; MintOfficers, and General Tauentzien
[with a young Herr Lessing, as his Chief Clerk, of whom the King knows nothing]; Go, ye unlovely!' And
Ephraim and Company are making a great deal of money by the unlovely job. Ephraim is the pair of tongs,
the hand, and the unlovely job, are a royal man's. Alas, yes. And none of us knows better than King Friedrich,
perhaps few of us as well, how little lovely a job it was; how shockingly UNkingly it was,though a
practice not unknown to German Kings and Kinglets before his time, and since down almost to ours. [In
STENZEL (v. 141) enumeration of eight or nine unhappy Potentates, who were busy with it in those same
years.] In fact, these are all unkingly practices;and the English Subsidy itself is distasteful to a proud
Friedrich: but what, in those circumstances, can any Friedrich do?
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"The first coinages of Ephraim had, it seems, in them about 37ths of copper; something less than the half,
and more than the third," your gold sovereign grown to be worth 28s. 6d. "But yearly it grew worse; and in
1762 [English Subsidy having failed] matters had got inverted; and there was three times as much copper as
silver. Commerce, as was natural, went rocking and tossing, as on a sea under earthquakes; but there was
always ready money among Friedrich's soldiers, as among no other: nor did the common people, or retail
purchasers, suffer by it. 'Hah, an Ephraimite!' they would say, grinning not illhumoredly, at sight of one of
these pieces; some of which they had more specifically named 'BLUEGOWNS' [owing to a tint of blue
perceivable, in spite of the industrious plating in real silver, or at least "boiling in some solution" of it]; these
they would salute with this rhyme, then current:
"Von aussen schon, van innen schlimm;
Von aussen Friedrich, von innen Ephraim.
Outside noble, inside slim:
Outside Friedrich, inside Ephraim.
"By this time, whatever of money, from any source, can be scraped together in Friedrich's world, flows
wholly into the ArmyChest, as the real citadel of life. In these latter years of the War, beginning, I could
guess, from 1759, all Civil expenditures, and wages of Officials, cease to be paid in money; nobody of that
kind sees the color even of bad coin; but is paid only in 'Paper Assignments,' in Promises to Pay 'after the
Peace.' These Paper Documents made no pretence to the rank of Currency: such holders of them as had
money, or friends, and could wait, got punctual payment when the term did arrive; but those that could not,
suffered greatly; having to negotiate their debentures on ruinous terms, sometimes at an expense of
threefourths.I will add Friedrich's practical Schedule of Amounts from all these various Sources; and
what Friedrich's own view of the Sources was, when he could survey them from the safe distance.
"SCHEDULE OF AMOUNTS [say for 1761]. To make up the Twentyfive Million thalers, necessary for the
Army, there are:
"From our Prussian Countries, ruined, harried as THALERS
they have been, . . . . . . . . . . 4 millions only. From Saxony and the other Wringings, . . . . . 7 millions.
English Subsidy (4 of good gold; becoppered
into double), . . . . . . . . . . . 8 " From Ephraim and his Farm of the Mint
(MUNZPATENT), . . . . . . . . . . 7 "
In sum Twentysix Millions; leaving you one Million of margin, and always a plenty of cash in hand for
incidental sundries. [Preuss, ii. 388.]
"Friedrich's own view of these sad matters, as he closes his History of the SevenYears War [at "Berlin, 17th
December, 1763"], is in these words: 'May Heaven grant,if Heaven deign to look down on the paltry
concerns of men,that the unalterable and flourishing destiny of this Country preserve the Sovereigns who
shall govern it from the scourges and calamities which Prussia has suffered in these times of trouble and
subversion; that they may never again be forced to recur to the violent and fatal remedies which we (L'ON)
have been obliged to employ in maintenance of the State against the ambitious hatred of the Sovereigns of
Europe, who wished to annihilate the House of Brandenburg, and exterminate from the world whatever bore
the Prussian name!'" [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 234.]
OF THE SMALLWAR IN SPRING, 1759. THERE ARE FIVE DISRUPTIONS OF THAT GRAND
CORDON (FebruaryApril); AND FERDINAND OF BRUNSWICK FIGHTS HIS BATTLE OF BERGEN
(April 13th).
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Friedrich, being denied an aggressive course this Year, by no means sits idly expectant and defensive in the
interim; but, all the more vigorously, as is observable, from February onwards, strikes out from him on every
side: endeavoring to spoil the Enemy's Magazines, and cripple his operations in that way. So that there was,
all winter through, a good deal of SmallWar (some of it not Small), of more importance than
usual,chiefly of Friedrich's originating, with the above view, or of Ferdinand his Ally's, on a still more
pressing score. And, on the whole, that immense AustrianFrench Cordon, which goes from the Carpathians
to the Ocean, had by no means a quiet time; but was broken into, and violently hurled back, in different parts:
some four, or even five, attacks upon it in all; three of them by Prince Henri,in two of which Duke
Ferdinand's people cooperated; the business being for mutual behoof. These latter Three were famous in the
world, that Winter; and indeed are still recognizable as brilliant procedures of their kind; though, except dates
and results, we can afford almost nothing of them here. These Three, intended chiefly against Reichs people
and their Posts and Magazines, fell out on the western and middle part of the Cordon. Another attack was in
the extreme eastward, and was for Friedrich's own behoof; under Fouquet's management;intended against
the AustrianMoravian Magazines and Preparations, but had little success. Still another assault, or invasive
outroad, northward against the Russian Magazines, there also was; of which by and by. Besides all which,
and more memorable than all, Duke Ferdinand, for vital reasons of his own, fought a Battle this Spring,
considerable Battle, and did NOT gain it; which made great noise in the world.
It is not necessary the reader should load his memory with details of all these preliminary things; on the
contrary, it is necessary that he keep his memory clear for the far more important things that lie ahead of
these, and entertain these in a summary way, as a kind of foreground to what is coming. Perhaps the
following Fractions of Note, which put matters in something of Chronological or Synoptical form, will
suffice him, or more than suffice. He is to understand that the grand tug of War, this Year, gradually turns out
not to be hereabouts, nor with Daun and his adjacencies at all, but with the Russians, who arrive from the
opposite Northern quarter; and that all else will prove to be merely prefatory and nugatory in comparison.
JANUARY 2d, 1759: FRANKFURTONMAYN, THOUGH IT IS A REICHSTADT, FINDS ITSELF
SUDDENLY BECOME FRENCH. "Prince de Soubise lies between Mayn and Lahn, with his 25,000;
beautifully safe and convenient,though ill off for a placeofarms in those parts. Opulent Frankfurt, on his
right; how handy would that be, were not Reichs Law so express! Marburg, Giessen are outposts of his; on
which side one of Ferdinand's people, Prince von Ysenburg, watches him with an 8 or 10,000, capable of
mischief in that quarter.
"On the Eve of Newyear's day, or on the auspicious Day itself, Soubise requests, of the Frankfurt
Authorities, permission for a regiment of his to march through that Imperial City. To which, by law and
theory, the Imperial City can say Yes or No; but practically cannot, without grave inconvenience, say other
than Yes, though most Frankfurters wish it could. 'Yes,' answer the Frankfurt Magnates; Yes surely, under the
known conditions. Tuesday, January 2d, about 5 in the morning, while all is still dark in Frankfurt, regiment
Nassau appears, accordingly, at the Sachsenhausen Gate, Townguard people all ready to receive it and
escort it through; and is admitted as usual. Quite as usual: but instead of being escorted through, it orders, in
calm peremptory voice, the Townguard, To ground arms; with calm rapidity proceeds to admit ten other
regiments or battalions, six of them German; seizes the artillery on the Walls, seizes all the other
Gates:and poor Frankfurt finds itself tied hand and foot, almost before it is out of bed! Done with great
exactitude, with the minimum of confusion, and without a hurt skin to anybody. The Inhabitants stood silent,
gazing; the Townguard laid down their arms, and went home. Totally against Law; but cleverly done;
perhaps Soubise's chief exploit in the world; certainly the one real success the French have yet had.
"Soubise made haste to summon the Magistrates: 'Law of Necessity alone, most honored Sirs! Reichs Law is
clear against me. But all the more shall private liberties, religions, properties, in this Imperial FreeTown, be
sacred to us. Defence against any aggression: and the strictest discipline observed. Depend on me, I bid
you!'And kept his word to an honorable degree, they say; or in absence, made it be kept, during the Four
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Years that follow. Most Frankfurters are, at heart, AntiFrench: but Soubise's affability was perfect; and he
gave evening parties of a sublime character; the Magistrates all appearing there, in their square perukes and
long gowns, with a mournful joy." [Tempelhof, iii. 78; Stenzel, v. 198200.]
Soubise soon went home, to assist in important businesses, Invasion of England, no less; let England look
to itself this Summer!and Broglio succeeded him, as ArmyCaptain in the Frankfurt parts; with laurels
accruing, more or less. Soubise, like Broglio, began with Rossbach; Soubise ends with Frankfurt, for the
present; where Broglio also gains his chief laurels, as will shortly be seen. Frankfurt is a great gain to France,
though an illicit one. It puts a bar on Duke Ferdinand in that quarter; secures a startingpoint for attacks on
Hessen, Hanover; for cooperation with Contades and the Lower Rhine. It is the one success France has yet
had in this War, or pretty much that it ever had in it. Due to Prince de Soubise, in that illegal fashion. A
highly remarkable little Boy, now in his tenth year, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, has his wondering eyes on
these things: and, short while hence, meets daily, on the stairs and lobbies at home, a pleasant French Official
Gentlemen who is quartered there; between whom and Papa occur rubs,as readers may remember, and
shall hear in April coming.
GRAND CORDON DISRUPTED: ERFURT COUNTRY, 16th FEBRUARY2d MARCH. "About six
weeks after this Frankfurt achievement, certain Reichsfolk and Austrian Auxiliaries are observed to be
cutting down endless timber, '18,800 palisades, 6,000 trees of 60 feet,' and other huge furnishings, from the
poor Duke of Gotha's woods; evidently meaning to fortify themselves in Erfurt. Upon which Prince Henri
detaches a General Knobloch thitherward, Duke Ferdinand contributing 4,000 to meet him there; which
combined expedition, after some sharp knocking and shoving, entirely disrooted the Austrians and
Reichsfolk, and sent them packing. Had them quite torn out by the end of the month; and had planned to
'attack them on two sides at once' (March 2d), with a view of swallowing them whole,when they (these
Reichs Volscians, in such a state of flutter) privately hastened off, one and all of them, the day before."
[Narrative, in HeldenGeschichte, v. 1022 et seq.]
This was BREAKAGE FIRST of the Grand Cordon; an explosive hurling of it back out of those Erfurt parts.
Done by Prince Henri's people, in concert with Duke Ferdinand's,who were mutually interested in the
thing.
BREAKAGE SECOND: ERFURTFULDA COUNTRY, 31st MARCH8th APRIL. "About the end of
March, these intrusive Austrian Reichsfolk made some attempt to come back into those Countries; but again
got nothing but hard knocks; and gave up the Erfurt project. For, close following on this FIRST, there was a
SECOND still deeper and rougher Breakage, in those same regions; the Hereditary Prince of Brunswick
dashing through, on a special Errand of Ferdinand's own [of which presently], with an 8 or 10,000, in his
usual fiery manner; home into the very bowels of the Reich (April 3d, and for a week onward); and returning
with 'above 2,000 prisoners' in hand; especially with a Reich well frightened behind him;still in time for
Duke Ferdinand's Adventure [in fact, for his Battle of Bergen, of which we are to hear]. Had been well
assisted by Prince Henri, who 'made dnngerous demonstrations in the distance,' and was extremely
diligentthough the interest was chiefly Ferdinand's this time." [Tempelhof, iii. 1922.]Contemporary
with that FIRST Erfurt Business, there went on, 300 miles away from it, in the quite opposite direction,
another of the same;too curious to be omitted.
ACROSS THE POLISH FRONTIER: FEBRUARY, 24thMARCH 4th. "In the end of February, General
Wobersnow, an active man, was detached from Glogau, over into Poland, Posen way, To overturn the
Russian provision operations thereabouts; in particular, to look into a certain highflying Polack, a Prince
Sulkowski of those parts; who with all diligence is gathering food, in expectation of the Russian advent; and
indeed has formally 'declared War against the King of Prussia;' having the right, he says, as a Polish Magnate,
subject only to his own high thought in such affairs. The Russians and their wars are dear to Sulkowski. He
fell prisoner in their cause, at Zorndorf, last Autumn; was stuck, like all the others, Soltikoff himself among
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them, into the vaulted parts of Custrin Garrison: 'I am sorry I have no Siberia for you,' said Friedrich, looking,
not in a benign way, on the captive Dignitaries, that hot afternoon; 'go to Custrin, and see what you have
provided for yourselves!' Which they had to do; nothing, for certain days, but cellarage to lodge in; King
inexorable, deaf to remonstrance. Which possibly may have contributed to kindle Sulkowski into these
extremely high proceedings.
"At any rate, Wobersnow punctually looks in upon him: seizes his considerable stock of Russian proviants;
his belligerent force, his high person itself; and in one luckless hour snuffs him out from the list of potentates.
His belligerent force, about 1,000 Polacks, were all compelled, 'by the cudgel, say my authorities, to take
Prussian service [in garrison regiments, and well scattered about, I suppose]; his own high person found itself
sitting locked in Glogau, left to its reflections. Sat thus 'till the War ended,' say some; certainly till the
Sulkowski War had been sufficiently exploded by the laughter of mankind." Here are, succinctly, the dates of
this small memorability:
"End of February, Wobersnow gathers, at Glogau, a force of about 8,000 horse and foot. Marches, 24th
FEBRUARY, over Oder Bridge, straight into Poland; that same night, to the neighborhood of Lissa and
Reisen (Sulkowski's dominion), about thirty miles northeast of Glogau. Sulkowski done next day;part of
the capture is 'fifteen small guns.' Wobersnow goes, next, for Posen; arrives, 28th FEBRUARY; destroys
Russian Magazine, ransoms Jews. Shoots out other detachments on the Magazine Enterprise;detaches
Platen along the Warta, where are picked up various items, among others 'eighty tuns of brandy,'but
himself proceeds no farther than Posen. MARCH 4th, sets out again from Posen, homewards."
[NACHRICHT VON DER UNTERNEHMUNG DES GENERALMAJORS VON WOBERSNOW IN
POLEN, IM FEB. UND MARZ. 1759: in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 526529. HeldenGeschichte, v. 829.] We
shall hear again of Wobersnow, in a much more important way, before long.
To the Polish Republic so called, Friedrich explained politely, not apologetically: "Since you allow the
Russians to march through you in attack of me, it is evident to your just minds that the attacked party must
have similar privilege." "Truly!" answered they, in their just minds, generally; and I made no complaint about
Sulkowski (though Polish Majesty and Primate endeavored to be loud about "Invasion" and the like):and
indeed Polish Republic was lying, for a long while past, as if brokenbacked, on the public highway, a
Nation anarchic every fibre of it, and under the feet and hoofs of travelling Neighbors, especially of Russian
Neighbors; and is not now capable of saying much for itself in such cases, or of doing anything at all.
FRANKFURT COUNTRY, APRIL 13th: DUKE FERDINAND'S BATTLE OF BERGEN. "Duke Ferdinand,
fully aware what a stroke that seizure of Frankfurt was to him, resolved to risk a long march at this bad
season, and attempt to drive the French out. Contades was absent in Paris,no fear of an attack from
Contades's Army; Broglio's in Frankfurt, grown now to about 35,000, can perhaps be beaten if vigorously
attacked. Ferdinand appoints a rendezvous at Fulda, of various Corps, Prince Ysenburg's and others, that lie
nearest, Hessians many of them, Hanoverians others; proceeds, himself, to Fulda, with a few attendants [a
drive of about 200 miles];having left Lord George Sackville [mark the sad name of him!]Sackville,
head of the English, and General Sporken, a Hanoverian,to take charge in Munster Country, during his
absence. It was from Fulda that he shot out the Hereditary Prince on that important Errand we lately spoke of,
under the head of 'BREAKAGE SECOND,'namely, to clear his right flank, and scare the Reich well off
him, while he should be marching on Frankfurt. All which, Henri assisting from the distance, the Hereditary
Prince performed to perfection,and was back (APRIL 8th) in excellent time for the Battle.
"Ferdinand stayed hardly a day in Fulda, ranking himself and getting on the road. Did his long march of
above 100 miles without accident or loss of time;of course, scaring home the Broglio Outposts in haste
enough, and awakening Broglio's attention in a high degree;and arrives, Thursday, April 12th, at
Windecken, a Village about fifteen miles northeast of Frankfurt; where he passes the night under arms;
intending Battle on the morrow. Broglio is all assembled, 35,000 strong; his Assailant, with the Hereditary
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Prince come in, counts rather under 30,000. Broglio is posted in, and on both sides of, Bergen, a highlying
Village, directly on Ferdinand's road to Frankfurt. Windecken is about fifteen miles from Frankfurt; Bergen
about six:idle Tourists of our time, on their return from Homburg to that City, leave Bergen a little on their
left. The ground is mere hills, woody dales, marshy brooks; Broglio's position, with its Village, and Hill, and
ravines and advantages, is the choicest of the region; and Broglio's methods, procedures and arrangements in
it are applauded by all judges.
"FRIDAY, 13th APRIL, 1759, Ferdinand is astir by daybreak; comes on, along one of those woody balleys,
pickeering, reconnoitring; in the end, directly up the Hill of Bergen; straight upon the keypoint. It is
about 10 A.M., when the batteries and musketries awaken there; very loud indeed, for perhaps two hours or
more. Prince von Ysenburg is leader of Ferdinand's attacking party. Their attack is hot and fierce, and they
stick to it steadily; though gardenhedges, orchards and impediments are many, and Broglio, with, much
cannon helping, makes vigorous defence. These Ysenburgers fought till their cartridges were nearly spent,
and Ysenburg himself lay killed; but could not take Bergen. Nor could the Hereditary Prince; who, in aid of
them, tried it in flank, with his own usual impetuosity rekindling theirs, and at first with some success; but
was himself taken in flank by Broglio's Reserve, and obliged to desist. No getting of Bergen by that method.
"Military critics say coolly, 'You should have smashed it well with cannon, first [which Ferdinand had not in
stock here]; and especially have flung grenadoes into it, till it was well in flame: impossible otherwise!'
[Mauvillon, ii. 19.] The Ysenburgers and Hereditary Prince withdraw. No pursuit of them; or almost less than
none; for the one or two French regiments that tried it (against order), nearly got cut up. Broglio, like a very
Daun at Kolin, had strictly forbidden all such attempts: 'On no temptation quit your ground!'
"The Battle, after this, lay quiet all afternoon; Ferdinand still in sight; motioning much, to tempt French valor
into chasing of him. But all in vain: Broglio, though his subalterns kept urging, remonstrating, was
peremptory not to stir. Whereupon, towards evening, across certain woody Heights, perhaps still with some
hope of drawing him out, Ferdinand made some languid attempt on Broglio's wing, or wings;and this also
failing, had to give up the affair. He continued cannonading till deep in the night; withdrew to Windecken:
and about two next morning, marched for home,still with little or no pursuit: but without hope of Frankfurt
henceforth. And, in fact, has a painful Summer ahead.
"Ferdinand had lost 5 cannon, and of killed and wounded 2,500; the French counted their loss at about 1,900.
[Mauvillon, ii. 1019; Tempelhof, iii. 2631.] The joy of France over this immense victory was
extraordinary. Broglio was made Prince of the Reich, Marechal de France; would have been raised to the
stars, had one been able,for the time being. 'And your immense victory,' so sneered the bystanders,
'consists in not being beaten, under those excellent conditions;perhaps victory is a rarity just now!'"
This is the Battle which our BoyFriend Johann Wolfgang watched with such interest, from his
garretwindow, hour after hour; all Frankfurt simmering round him, in such a whirlpool of self
contradictory emotions; till towards evening, when, in long rows of carts, poor wounded Hessians and
Hanoverians came jolting in, and melted every heart into pity. into wailing sorrow, and eagerness to help. A
little later, Papa Goethe, stepping downstairs, came across the Official French Gentleman; who said radiantly:
"Doubtless you congratulate yourself and us on this victory to his Majesty's arms." "Not a whit
(KEINESWEGS)," answers Papa Goethe, a stiff kind of man, nowise in the mood of congratulating: "on the
contrary, I wish they had chased you to the Devil, though I had had to go too!" Which was a great relief to his
feelings, though a dangerous one in the circumstances. [Goethe's WERKE (Stuttgart und Tubingen, 1829),
xxiv. (DICHTUNG UND WAHRHEIT, i.), 153157.]
BREAKAGE THIRD: OVER THE METAL MOUNTAINS INTO BOHMEN (APRIL 14th20th).
"Ferdinand's Battle was hardly ending, when Prince Henri poured across the Mountains,in two columns,
Hulsen leading the inferior or rightmost one,into LeitmeritzEger Country; and made a most successful
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business of the Austrian Magazines he found there. Magazines all filled; Enemy all galloping for Prag:
Daun himself, who is sitting vigilant, far in the interior, at Jaromirtz this month past, was thrown into huge
flurry, for some days! Speedy Henri (almost on the one condition of BEING speedy) had his own will of the
Magazines: burnt, Hulsen and he, 'about 600,000 pounds worth' of Austrian provender in those parts, 'what
would have kept 50,000 men five months in bread' (not to mention hay at all); gave the Enemy sore slaps
(caught about 3,000 of him, NOT yet got on gallop for Prag); burnt his 200 boats on the Elbe: forced him
to begin anew at the beginning; and did, in effect, considerably lame and retard certain of his operations
through the Summer. Speedy Henri marched for home April 20th; and was all across the Mountains April
23d: a profitable swift nine days." [Tempelhof iii. 4753; HeldenGeschichte, v. 963966.]And on the
sixth day hence he will have something similar, and still more important, on foot. A swift man, when he
must!
BREAKAGE FOURTH: INTO MAHREN (APRIL 16th21st). "This is Fouquet's attempt, alluded to above;
of whichas every reader must be satisfied with SmallWarwe will give only the dates. Fouquet, ranking
at Leobschutz, in Neisse Country, did break through into Mahren, pushing the Austrians before him; but
found the Magazines either emptied, or too inaccessible for any worth they had;could do nothing on the
Magazines; and returned without result; home at Leobschutz again on the fifth day." [ HeldenGeschichte, v.
958963; Tcmpelhof, iii. 4447.] This, however, had a sequel for Fouquet; which, as it brought the King
himself into those neighborhoods, we shall have to mention, farther on.
BREAKAGE FIFTH: INTO FRANKEN (MAY 5thJUNE 1st). "This was Prince Henri's Invasion of the
BambergNurnberg Countries; a much sharper thing than in any former Year. Much the most famous, and,"
luckily for us, "the last of the SmallWar affairs for the present. Started,from Tschopau region, Bamberg
way,April 29thMay 5th. In Three Columns: Finck leftmost, and foremost (Finck had marched April 29th,
pretending to mean for Bohemia); after whom Knobloch; and (May 5th) the Prince himself. Who has an eye
to the Reichs Magazines and Preparations, as usual;nay, an eye to their Camp of Rendezvous, and to a
fight with their miscellaneous Selves and Auxiliaries, if they will stand fight. 'You will have to leave Saxony,
and help us with the Russians, soon: beat those Reichs people first!' urged the King; 'well beaten, they will
not trouble Saxony for a while.' If they will stand fight? But they would not at all. They struck their tents
everywhere; burnt their own Magazines, in some cases; and only went mazing hither and thither,
gravitating all upon Nurnberg, and an impregnable Camp which they have in that neighborhood. Supreme
Zweibruck was himself with them; many Croats, Austrians, led by Maguire and others; all marching,
whirling at a mighty rate; with a countenance sometimes of vigor, but always with Nurnberg Camp in rear.
There was swift marching, really beautiful manoeuvring here and there; sharp bits of fighting, too, almost in
the battleform:Maguire tried, or was for trying, a stroke with Finck; but made off hastily, glad to get
away. [Templehof, iii. 64.] May 11th, at Himmelskron in Baireuth, one Riedesel of theirs had fairly to ground
arms, self and 2,500, and become prisoners of war." Much of this manoeuvring and scuffling was in Baireuth
Territory. Twice, or even thrice, Prince Henri was in Baireuth Town: "marched through Baireuth," say the
careless Old Books. Through Baireuth:No Wilhelmina now there, with her tremulous melodies of
welcome! Wilhelminn's loves, and terrors for her loved, are now all still. Perhaps her poor Daughter of
Wurtemberg, wandering unjustly disgraced, is there; Papa, the Widower Margraf, is for marrying again:
[Married 20th September, 1759 (a Brunswick Princess, Sister'sdaughter of his late Wife); died within four
years.]march on, Prince Henri!
"In Bamberg," says a Note from Archenholtz, "the Reichs troops burnt their Magazine; and made for
Nurnberg, as usual; but left some thousand or two of Croats, who would not yet. Knobloch and his Prussians
appeared shortly after; summoned Bamberg, which agreed to receive them; and were for taking possession;
but found the Croats determined otherwise. Fight ensued; fight in the streets; which, in hideousness of noises,
if in nothing else, was beyond parallel. The inhabitants sat all quaking in their cellars; not an inhabitant was
to be seen: a City dead,and given up to the demons, in this manner. Not for some hours were the Croats got
entirely trampled out. Bamberg, as usual, became a Prussian placeofarms; was charged to pay ransom of
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40,000 pounds;'cannot possibly!' did pay some 14,000 pounds, and gave bills for the remainder."
[Archenholtz. i. 371373.] Which bills, let us mark withal, the Kaiser in Reichs Diet decreed to be invalid:
"Don't pay them!" A thing not forgotten by Friedrich;though it is understood the Bambergers, lest worse
might happen, privately paid their bills. "The Expedition lasted, in whole, not quite four weeks: June 1st,
Prince Henri was at the Saxon frontier again; the German world all ringing loud,in jubilation,
counterjubilation and a great variety of tones,with the noise of what he had done. A sharp swift man; and,
sure enough, has fluttered the Reichs Volscians in their Corioli to an unexpected degree." [Seyfarth,
Beylagen, ii. 537563; BERICHT VON DER UNTERNEHMUNG DES PRINZEN HEINRICH IN
FRANKEN, IM JAHR, 1759; Helden Geschichte, v. 10331039; Tempelhof, ????, et seq.]
A Colonel Wunsch (LieutenantColonel of the Free Corps WUNSCH) distinguished himself in this
Expedition; The beginning of notably great things to him in the few following months. Wunsch is a
Wurtemberger by birth; has been in many services, always in subaltern posts, and, this year, will testify
strangely how worthy he was of the higher. What a Year, this of 1759, to stout old Wunsch! In the Spring,
here has he just seen his poor son, Lieutenant Wunsch, perish in one of these scuffles; in Autumn, he will see
himself a General, shining suddenly bright, to his King and to all the world; before Winter, he will be
Prisoner to Austria, and eclipsed for the rest of this war!Kleist, of the GREEN HUSSARS, also made a
figure here; and onwards rapidly ever higher; to the top of renown in his business:fallen heir to Mayer's
place, as it were. A Note says: "Poor Mayer of the Free Corps does not ride with the Prince on this occasion.
Mayer, dangerously worn down with the hard services of last Year, and himself a man of too sleepless
temper, caught a fever in the Newyear time; and died within few days: burnt away before his time; much
regretted by his Brethren of the Army, and some few others. Gone in this way; with a high career just
opening on him at the long last! Mayer was of Austrian, of half Spanish birth; a musical, really melodious,
affectionate, but indignant, wildly stormful mortal; and had had adventures without end. Something of
pathos, of tragedy, in the wild Life of him. [Still worth reading: in Pauli (our old watery
BRANDENBURGHISTORY Friend). Leben grosser Helden (Halle, 17591764, 9 vols.), iii.
142188;much the best Piece in that still rather watery (or windy) Collection, which, however, is
authentic, and has some tolerable Portraits.] A man of considerable genius, military and other:genius in the
sleepless kind, which is not the best kind; sometimes a very bad kind. The fame of Friedrich invites such
people from all sides of the world; and this was no doubt a sensible help to him."But enough of all this.
Here, surely, is abundance of preliminary SmallWar, on the part of a Friedrich reduced to the
defensive!Fouquet's Sequel, hinted at above, was to this effect. On Fouquet's failing to get hold of the
Moravian Magazines, and returning to his Post at Leobschutz, a certain rash General Deville, who is Austrian
chief in those parts, hastily rushed through the Jagerndorf Hills, and invaded Fouquet. Only for a few days;
and had very bad success, in that bit of retaliation. The King, who is in Landshut, in the middle of his main
cantonments, hastened over to Leobschutz with reinforcement to Fouquet; in the thought that a
finishingstroke might be done on this Deville;and would have done it, had not the rash man plunged off
again (May 1st, or the night before); homewards, at full speed. So that Friedrich, likewise at full speed, could
catch nothing of him; but merely cannonade him in the Passes of Zuckmantel, and cut off his rearguard of
Croats. Poor forlorn of Croats, whom he had left in some bushy Chasm; to gain him a little time, and then to
perish if THEY must! as Tempelhof remarks. [Tempelhof, iii. 56.] Upon which Friedrich returned to
Landshut; and Fouquet had peace again.
It was from this Landshut region, where his main cantonments are, that Friedrich had witnessed all these
Inroads, or all except the very earliest of them; the first Erfurt one, and the Wobersnow Sulkowski. He had
quitted Breslau in the end of March, and gone to his cantonments; quickened thither, probably, by a stroke
that had befallen him at Griefenberg, on his Silesian side of the Cordon. At Griefenberg stood the Battalion
Duringshofen, with its Colonel of the same name,grenadier people of good quality, perhaps near 1,000 in
whole. Which Battalion, General Beck, after long preliminary study of it, from his Bohemian
side,marching stealthily on it, one night (March 2526th), by two or more roads, with 8,000 men, and
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much preliminary Croatwork,contrived to envelop wholly, and carry off with him, before help could
come up. This, I suppose, had quickened Friedrich's arrival. He has been in that region ever since,in
Landshut for the last week or two; and returns thither after the Deville affair.
And at Landshut,which is the main Pass into Bohemia or from it, and is the grand observatorypoint at
present,he will have to remain till the first days of July; almost three months. Watching, and waiting on the
tedious Daun, who has the lifting of the curtain this Year! Daun had come to Jaromirtz, to his cantonments,
"March 24th" (almost simultaneously with Friedrich to his); expecting Friedrich's Invasion, as usual. Long
days sat Daun, expecting the King in Bohemia:"There goes he, at last!" thought Daun, on Prince Henri's
late flamy appearance there (BREAKAGE THIRD we labelled it);and Daun had hastily pushed a Division
thitherward, doublequick, to secure Prag; but found it was only the Magazines. "Above four millions worth
[600,000 pounds, counting the THALERS into sterling], above four millions worth of bread and forage gone
to ashes, and the very boats burnt? Well; the poor Reichsfolk, or our poor Auxiliaries to them, will have
empty haversacks:but it is not Prag!" thinks Daun.
At what exact point of time Daun came to see that Friedrich was not intending Invasion, and would, on the
contrary, require to be invaded, I do not know. But it must have been an interesting discovery to Daun, if he
foreshadowed to himself what results it would have on him: "Taking the defensive, then? And what is to
become of one's Cunctatorship in that case!" Yes, truly. Cunctatorship is not now the trade needed; there is
nothing to be made of playing FabiusCunctator:and Daun's fame henceforth is a diminishing quantity.
The Books say he "wasted above five weeks in corresponding with the Russian Generals." In fact, he had
now weeks enough on hand; being articulately resolved (and even commanded by Kriegshofrath) to do
nothing till the Russians came up;and also (INarticulately and by command of Nature) to do as little as
possible after! This Year, and indeed all years following, the Russians are to be Daun's best card.
Waiting for three months here till the curtain rose, it was Friedrich that had to play Cunctator. A wearisome
task to him, we need not doubt. But he did it with anxious vigilance; ever thinking Daun would try
something, either on Prince Henri or on him, and that the Play would begin. But the Play did not. There was
endless scuffling and bickering of Outposts; much hitching and counter hitching, along that
BohemianSilesian Frontier,Daun gradually hitching up, leftwards, northwards, to be nearer his Russians;
Friedrich counterhitching, and, in the end, detaching against the Russians, as they approached in actuality.
The details of all which would break the toughest patience. Not till July came, had both parties got into the
Lausitz; Daun into an impregnable Camp near MarkLissa (in Gorlitz Country); Friedrich, opposite and
eastward of him, into another at Schmottseifen:still after which, as the Russians still were not come, the
hitching (if we could concern ourselves with it), the maze of strategic shuffling and counter dancing, as the
Russians get nearer, will become more intricate than ever.
Except that of General Beck on Battalion Duringshofen,if that was meant as retaliatory, and was not rather
an originality of Beck's, who is expert at such strokes,Daun, in return for all these injurious Assaults and
Breakages, tried little or no retaliation; and got absolutely none. Deville attempted once, as we saw; Loudon
once, as perhaps we shall see: but both proved futile. For the present absolutely none. Next Year indeed,
Loudon, on Fouquet at Landshut But let us not anticipate! Just before quitting Landshut for Schmottseifen,
Friedrich himself rode into Bohemia, to look more narrowly; and held Trautenau, at the bottom of the Pass,
for a day or twoBut the reader has had enough of SmallWar! Of the present Loudon attempt, Friedrich,
writing to Brother Henri, who is just home from his Franconian Invasion (BREAKAGE FIFTH), has a casual
word, which we will quote. "ReichHennersdorf" is below Landshut, farther down the Pass; "Liebau" still
farther down,and its "Gallows," doubtless, is on some knoll in the environs!
REICHHENNERSDORF, 9th JUNE. "My congratulations on the excellent success you have had [out in
Frankenland yonder]! Your prisoners, we hear, are 3,000; the desertion and confusion in the Reichs Army are
affirmed to be enormous:I give those Reichs fellows two good months [scarcely took so long] to be in a
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condition to show face again. As for ourselves, I can send you nothing but contemptibilities. We have never
yet had the beatific vision of Him with the Hat and Consecrated Sword [Papal Daun, that is]; they amuse us
with the Sieur Loudon instead;who, three days ago [7th July, two days] did us the honor of a visit, at the
Gallows of Liebau. He was conducted out again, with all the politeness imaginable, on to near Schatzlar,"
well over the Bohemian Border; "where we flung a score of cannon volleys into the"into the "DERRIERE
of him, and everybody returned home." [In SCHONING, ii. 65: "9th June, 1759."]
Perhaps the only points now noticeable in this tedious Landshut interim, are Two, hardly noticed then at all
by an expectant world. The first is: That in the King's little inroad down to Trautenau, just mentioned, four
cannon drawn by horses were part of the King's fighting gear,the first appearance of Horse Artillery in the
world. "A very great invention," says the military mind: "guns and carriages are light, and made of the best
material for strength; the gunners all mounted as postilions to them. Can scour along, over hill and dale,
wherever horse can; and burst out, on the sudden, where nobody was expecting artillery. Devised in 1758;
ready this Year, four light sixpounders; tried first in the King's raid down to Trautenau [June 29th30th].
Only four pieces as yet. But these did so well, there were yearly more. Imitated by the Austrians, and
gradually by all the world." [Seyfarth, ii. 543.]
The second fact is: That Herr Guichard (Author of that fine Book on the Warmethods of the Greeks and
Romans) is still about Friedrich, as he has been for above a year past, if readers remember; and, during those
tedious weeks, is admitted to a great deal of conversation with the King. Readers will consent to this Note on
Guichard; and this shall be our ultimatum on the wearisome Three Months at Landshut.
MAJOR QUINTUS ICILIUS. "Guichard is by birth a Magdeburger, age now thirtyfour; a solid staid man,
with a good deal of hard faculty in him, and of culture unusual for a soldier. A handy, sagacious, learned and
intelligent man; whom Friedrich, in the course of a year's experience, has grown to see willingly about him.
There is something of positive in Guichard, of stiff and, as it were, GRITTY, which might have offended a
weaker taste; but Friedrich likes the rugged sense of the man; his real knowledge on certain interesting heads;
and the precision with which the known and the not rightly known are divided from one another, in Guichard.
"Guichard's business about the King has been miscellaneous, not worth mention hitherto; but to appearance
was well done. Of talk they are beginning to have more and more; especially at Landshut here, in these days
of waiting; a great deal of talk on the Wars of the Ancients, Guichard's Book naturally leading to that subject.
One night, datable accidentally about the end of May, the topic happened to be Pharsalia, and the excellent
conduct of a certain Centurion of the Tenth Legion, who, seeing Pompey's people about to take him in flank,
suddenly flung himself into oblique order [SCHRAGE STELLUNG, as we did at Leutheu], thereby
outflanking Pompey's people, and ruining their manoeuvre and them. 'A dexterous man, that Quintus Icilius
the Centurion!' observed Friedrich. 'Ah, yes: but excuse me, your Majesty, his name was Quintus Caecilius,'
said Guichard. 'No, it was Icilius,' said the King, positive to his opinion on that small point; which Guichard
had not the art to let drop; though, except assertion and counterassertion, what could be made of it there? Or
of what use was it anywhere?
"Next day, Guichard came with the book [what "Book" nobody would ever yet tell me], and putting his finger
on the passage, 'See, your Majesty: Quintus CAEcilius!' extinguished his royal opponent. 'Hm,' answered
Friedrich: 'so?Well, you shall be Quintus Icilius, at any rate!' And straightway had him entered on the
Army Books 'as Major Quintus Icilius;' his Majorship is to be dated '10th April, 1758' (to give him seniority);
and from and after this '26th May, 1759,' he is to command the late Du Verger's FreeBattalion. All which
was done:the WarOffices somewhat astonished at such advent of an antique Roman among them; but
writing as bidden, the hand being plain, and the man an undeniable article. Onward from which time there is
always a 'Battalion Quintus' on their Books, instead of Battalion Du Verger; by degrees two Batallions
Quintus, and at length three, and Quintus become a Colonel:at which point the War ended; and the three
FreeBattalions Quintus, like all others of the same type, were discharged." This is the authentic origin of the
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new name Quintus, which Guichard got, to extinction of the old; substantially this, as derived from Quintus
himself, though in the precise details of it there are obscurities, never yet solved by the learned. Nicolai,
for example, though he had the story from Quintus in person, who was his familiar acquaintance, and often
came to see him at Berlin, does not, with his usual punctuality, say, nor even confess that he has forgotten,
what Book it was that Quintus brought with him to confute the King on their IciliusCaecilius controversy;
Nicolai only says, that he, for his part, in the fields of Roman Literature and History, knows only three
QuintusIciliuses, not one of whom is of the least likelihood; and in fact, in the above summary, I have had
to INVERT my Nicolai on one point, to make the story stick together. [Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi. 129145.]
"Quintus had been bred for the clerical profession; carefully, at various Universities, Leyden last of all; and
had even preached, as candidate for license,I hope with moderate orthodoxy;though he soon renounced
that career. Exchanged it for learned and vigorous general study, with an eye to some College Professorship
instead. He was still hardly twentythree, when, in 1747, the new Stadtholder," Prince of Orange, whom we
used to know, "who had his eye upon him as a youth of merit, graciously undertook to get him placed at
Utrecht, in a vacancy which had just occurred there, whither the Prince was just bound, on some
ceremonial visit of a high nature. The glad Quintus, at that time Guichard and little thinking of such an alias,
hastened to set off in the Prince's train; but could get no conveyance, such was the press of people all for
Utrecht. And did not arrive till next day,and found quarter, with difficulty, in the garret of some
overflowing Inn.
"In the lower stories of his Inn, solitary Guichard, when night fell, heard a specific GAUDEAMUS going on;
and inquired what it was. 'A company of Professors, handselling a newly appointed Professor;'appointed,
as the next question taught, to the very Chair poor Quintus had come for! Serene Highness could not help
himself; the Utrechters were so bent on the thing. Quintus lay awake, all night, in his trucklebed; and
gloomily resolved to have done with Professorships, and become a soldier. 'If your Serene Highness do still
favor me,' said Quintus next day, 'I solicit, as the one help for me, an ensign's commission!'And persisted
rigorously, in spite of all counsellings, promises and outlooks on the professorial side of things. So that
Serene Highness had to grant him his commission; and Quintus was a soldier thenceforth. Fought, more or
less, in the sad remainder of that CumberlandSaxe War; and after the Peace of 1748 continued in the Dutch
service. Where, loath to be idle, he got his learned Books out again, and took to studying thoroughly the
Ancient Art of War. After years of this, it had grown so hopeful that he proceeded to a Book upon it; and, by
degrees, determined that he must get to certain Libraries in England, before finishing. In 1754, on furlough,
graciously allowed and continued, he came to London accordingly; finished his manuscript there (printed at
the Hague 1757 [ Memoires Militaires sur les (a La Haye, 1757: 2 vols. 4to);was in the 5th edition when I
last heard of it.]): and new War having now begun, went over (probably with English introductions) as
volunteer to Duke Ferdinand. By Duke Ferdinand he was recommended to Friedrich, the goal of all his
efforts, as of every vagrant soldier's in those times:and here at last, as Quintus Icilius, he has found
permanent billet, a Battalion and gradually three Battalions, and will not need to roam any farther.
"They say, what is very credible, that Quintus proved an active, stout and effectual soldier, in his kind; and
perhaps we may hear of some of his smallwar adventures by and by: that he was a studious, hardheaded,
wellinformed man, and had written an excellent Book on his subject, is still abundantly clear. Readers may
look in the famous Gibbon's Autobiography, or still better in the Guichard Book itself, if they want evidence.
The famous Gibbon was drilling and wheeling, very peaceably indeed, in the Hampshire Militia, in those
wild years of European War. Hampshire Militia served as key, or glossary in a sort, to this new Book of
Guichard's, which Gibbon eagerly bought and studied; and it, was Guichard, ALIAS Quintus Icilius, who
taught Gibbon all he ever knew of Ancient War, at least all the teaching he ever had of it, for his renowned
DECLINE AND FALL." [See Gibbon's Works (4to, London, 1796: Memoirs of my Life and Writings ), i. 97;
and ( Extraits de mes Lectures ), ii. 5254, of dates May 14th26th, 1762,during which days Gibbon is
engaged in actual reading of the Memoires Militaires; and already knows the Author by his ALIAS of
Quintus Icilius, "a man of eminent sagacity and insight, who was in the Dutch, and is now, I believe, in the
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Prussian service."
It was in the last days of June that Daun, after many litchings, got into more decisive general movement
northward; and slowly but steadily planted himself at MarkLissa in the Lausitz: upon which, after some
survey of the phenomenon, Friedrich got to Schmottseifen, opposite him, July 10th. Friedrich, on noticing
such stir, had ridden down to Trautenau (June 29th30th), new Horse Artillery attending, to look closer into
Daun's affairs; and, seeing what they were, had thereupon followed. Above a month before this, Friedrich had
detached a considerable force against the Russians,General Dohna, of whom in next Chapter:and both
Daun and he again sit waiting, till they see farther. Rapid Friedrich is obliged to wait; watching Daun and the
Dohna Russian adventure: slow Daun will continue to wait and watch there, long weeks and months, after
that is settled, that and much else, fully to his mind! Each is in his impregnable Camp; and each, Daun
especially, has his Divisions and Detachments hovering round him, near or far, on different strategic errands;
each MainCamp like a planet with various moonsMarkLissa especially, a kind of sun with planets and
comets and planetary moons:of whose intricate motions and countermotions, mostly unimportant to us,
we promised to take no notice, in face of such a crisis just at hand.
By the 6th of July, slow Daun had got hitched into his Camp of MarkLissa; and four days after, Friedrich
attending him, was in Schmottseifen: where again was pause; and there passed nothing mentionable, even on
Friedrich's score; and till July was just ending, the curtain did not fairly rise. Panse of above two weeks on
Friedrich's part, and of almost three months on Daun's. MarkLissa, an impregnable Camp, is on the Lausitz
Border; with Saxony, Silesia, Bohemia all converging hereabouts, and Brandenburg itself in the
vicinity,there is not a better place for waiting on events. Here, accordingly, till well on in September, Daun
sat immovable; not even hitching now,only shooting out Detachments, planetary, cometary, at a great rate,
chiefly on his various Russian errands.
Daun, as we said, had been uncomfortably surprised to find, by degrees, that Invasion was not Friedrich's
plan this Year; that the dramatic parts are redistributed, and that the playing of Fabius Cunctator will not
now serve one's turn. Daun, who may well be loath to believe such a thing, clings to his old part, and seems
very lazy to rise and try another. In fact, he does not rise, properly speaking, or take up his new part at all.
This Year, and all the following, he waits carefully till the Russian Lion come; will then endeavor to
assist,or even do jackal, which will be safer still. The Russians he intends shall act lion; he himself
modestly playing the subaltern but much safer part! Diligent to flatter the lion; will provide him guidances,
and fractional sustenances, in view of the coming hunt; will eat the lion's leavings, once the prey is
slaughtered. This really was, in some sort, Daun's yearly game, so long as it would last!
July ending, and the curtain fairly risen, we shall have to look at Friedrich with our best eyesight. Preparatory
to which, there is, on Friedrich's part, ever since the middle of June, this Anti Russian Dohna adventure
going on:of which, at first, and till about the time of getting to Schmottseifen, he had great hopes; great,
though of late rapidly sinking again:into which we must first throw a glance, as properly the opening
scene.
Fouquet has been left at Landshut, should the Daun remnants still in Bohemia think of invading. Fouquet is
about rooting himself rather firmly into that important Post; fortifying various select Hills round Landshut,
with redoubts, curtains, communications; so as to keep ward there, inexpugnable to a much stronger force.
There for about a year, with occasional short sallies, on errands that arise, Fouquet sat successfully vigilant;
resisting the Devilles, Becks, Harsches; protecting Glatz and the Passes of Silesia: in about a year we shall
hear of his fortunes worsening, and of a great catastrophe to him in that Landshut Post.
Friedrich allowed the Reichsfolk "two good months," after all that flurrying and havoc done on them, "before
they could show face in Saxony." They did take about that time; and would have taken more, had not Prince
Henri been called away by other pressing occasions in Friedrich's own neighborhood; and Saxony, for a good
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while (end of June to beginning of September), been left almost bare of Prussian troops. Which encourages
the Reichs Army to hurry afield in very unprepared condition,still rather within the two months. End of
July, Light people of them push across to Halberstadt or Halle Country; and are raising Contributions, and
plundering diligently, if nothing else. Of which we can take no notice farther: if the reader can recollect it,
well; if not, also well. The poor Reichs Army nominally makes a figure this Year, but nominally only; the
effective part of it, now and henceforth, being Austrian Auxiliaries, and the Reichs part as flaccid and
insignificant as ever.
Prince Henri's call to quit Saxony was this. Daun, among the numerous Detachments he was making, of
which we can take no notice, had shot out Two (rather of COMETARY type, to use our old figure), which
every reader must try to keep in mind. Two Detachments, very considerable: Haddick (who grew at last to
20,000), and Loudon (16,000); who are hovering about mysteriously over the Lausitz; intending what?
Their intention, Friedrich thinks, especially Haddick's intention, may be towards Brandenburg, and even
Berlin: wherefore he has summoned Henri to look after it. Henri, resting in cantonments about Tschopau and
Dresden, after the late fatigues, and idle for the moment, hastens to obey; and is in Bautzen neighborhood,
from about the end of June and onward. Sufficiently attentive to Haddick and Loudon: who make no attempt
on Brandenburg; having indeed, as Friedrich gradually sees, and as all of us shall soon see, a very different
object in view!
Chapter II. GENERAL DOHNA; DICTATOR WEDELL: BATTLE OF
ZULLICHAU.
The Russian Lion, urged by Vienna and Versailles, made his entry, this Year, earlier than usual,coming
now within wind of Mark Lissa, as we see;and has stirred Daun into motion, Daun and everybody. From
the beginning of April, the Russians, hibernating in the interior parts of Poland, were awake, and getting
slowly under way. April 24th, the Vanguard of 10,000 quitted Thorn; June 1st, Vanguard is in Posen;
followed by a First Division and a Second, each of 30,000. They called it "Soltikof crossing the Weichsel
with 100,000 men;" but, exclusive of the Cossack swarms, there were not above 76,000 regulars: nor was
Soltikof their Captain just at first; our old friend Fermor was, and continued to be till Soltikof, in a private
capacity, reached Posen (June 29th), and produced his new commission. At Fermor's own request, as Fermor
pretended,who was skilled in Petersburg politics, and with a cheerful face served thenceforth as Soltikof's
second.
At Posen, as on the road thither, they find Sulkowski's and the other burnt provenders abundantly replaced: it
is evident they intend, in concert with Daun, to enclose Friedrich between two fires, and do something
considerable. Whether on Brandenburg or Silesia, is not yet known to Friedrich. Friedrich, since the time they
crossed Weichsel, has given them his best attention; and more than once has had schemes on their Magazines
and them,once a new and bigger Scheme actually afoot, under Wobersnow again, our Anti Sulkowski
friend; but was obliged to turn the force elsewhither, on alarms that rose. He himself cannot quit the centre of
the work; his task being to watch Daun, and especially, should Daun attempt nothing else, to prevent junction
of Soltikof and him.
Daun still lies torpid, or merely hitching about; but now when the Russians are approaching Posen, and the
case becomes pressing, Friedrich, as is usual to him, draws upon the AntiSwedish resource, upon the Force
he has in Pommern. That is to say, orders General Dohna, who has the Swedes well driven in at present, to
quit Stralsund Country, to leave the ineffectual Swedes with some very small attendance; and to
marchwith certain reinforcements that are arriving (Wobersnow already, Hulsen with 10,000 out of
Saxony in few days)direct against the Russians; and at once go in upon them. Try to burn their Magazines
again; or, equally good, to fall vigorously on some of their separate Divisions, and cut them off in the vagrant
state;above all, to be vigorous, be rapid, sharp, and do something effectual in that quarter. These were
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Dohna's Instructions. Dohna has 18,000; Hulsen, with his 10,000, is industriously striding forward, from the
farther side of Saxony; Wobersnow, with at least his own fine head, is already there. Friedrich, watching in
the AntiJunction position, ready for the least chance that may turn up.
Dohna marched accordingly; but was nothing like rapid enough: an old man, often in ill health too; and no
doubt plenty of impediments about him. He consumed some time rallying at Stargard; twelve days more at
Landsberg, on the Warta, settling his provision matters: in fine, did not get to Posen neighborhood till June
23d, three weeks after the Russian Vanguard of 10,000 had fixed itself there, and other Russian parties were
daily dropping in. Dohna was 15,000, a Wobersnow with him: had he gone at once on Posen, as Wobersnow
urged, it is thought he might perhaps have ruined this Vanguard and the Russian Magazine; which would
have been of signal service for the remaining Campaign. But he preferred waiting for Hulsen and the 10,000,
who did not arrive for seven or eight days more; by which time Soltikof and most of the Russian Divisions
had got in;and the work was become as good as hopeless, on those languid terms. Dohna did try upon the
Magazine, said to be ill guarded in some Suburb of Posen; crossed the Warta with that view, found no
Magazine; recrossed the Warta; and went manoeuvring about, unable to do the least good on Soltikof or his
Magazines or operations. Friedrich was still in Landshut region, just about quitting it,just starting on that
little Trautenau Expedition, with his Four Pieces of HorseArtillery (June 29th), when the first ill news of
Dohna came in; which greatly disappointed Friedrich, and were followed by worse, instead of better.
The end was, Soltikof, being now all ready, winded himself out of Posen one day, veiled by Cossacks; and, to
Dohna's horror, had got, or was in the act of getting, between Dohna and Brandenburg; which necessitated
new difficult manoeuvres from Dohna. Soltikof too can manoeuvre a little: Soltikof edges steadily forward;
making for CrossenonOder, where he expects to find Austrians (Haddick and Loudon, if Friedrich could
yet guess it), with 30,000 odd, especially with provision, which is wearing scarce with him. Twice or so there
was still a pretty opportunity for Dohna on him; but Dohna never could resolve about it in time. Back and
ever back goes Dohna; facing Soltikof; but always hitching back; latterly in Brandenburg ground, the
Russians and he;having no provision, he either. In fine, July 17th (one week after Friedrich had got to
Schmottseifen), Dohna finds himself at the little Town of Zullichau (barely in time to snatch it before
Soltikof could), within thirty miles of Crossen; and nothing but futility behind and before. [Tempelhof, iii,
7888; HeldenGeschichte, v. 835847.]
We can imagine Friedrich's daily survey of all this; his gloomy calculations what it will soon amount to if it
last. He has now no Winterfeld, Schwerin, no Keith, Retzow, Moritz:whom has he? His noblest Captains
are all gone; he must put up with the less noble. One Wedell, LieutenantGeneral, had lately recommended
himself to the royal mind by actions of a prompt daring. The royal mind, disgusted with these Dohna
hagglings, and in absolute necessity of finding somebody that had resolution, and at least ordinary Prussian
skill, hoped Wedell was the man. And determined, the crisis being so urgent, to send Wedell in the character
of ALTEREGO, or "with the powers of a Roman Dictator," as the Order expressed it. [Given in Preuss, ii.
207, 208; in Stenzel, v. 212, other particulars.] Dictator Wedell is to supersede Dohna; shall go, at his own
swift pace, fettered by nobody;and, at all hazards, shall attack Soltikof straightway, and try to beat him.
"You are grown too old for that intricate hard work; go home a little, and recover your health," the King
writes to Dohna. And to the Dohna Army, "Obey this man, all and sundry of you, as you would myself;" the
man's private Order being, "Go in upon Soltikof; attack him straightway; let us have done with this wriggling
and haggling." Date of this Order is "Camp at Schmottseifen, 20th July, 1759." The purpose of such
highflown Title, and solemnity of nomination, was mainly, it appears, to hush down any hesitation or
surprise among the Dohna Generals, which, as Wedell was "the youngest LieutenantGeneral of the Army,"
might otherwise have been possible.
Wedell, furnished with some small escort and these Documents, arrives in Camp Sunday Evening, 22d
July:poor Dohna has not the least word or look of criticism; and every General, suppressing whatever
thoughts there may be, prepares to yield loyal obedience to Dictator Wedell. "Wobersnow was the far better
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soldier of the two!" murmured the Opposition party, then and long afterwards, [Retzow, the more, as
Wobersnow's behavior under it was beautiful, and his end tragical, as will be seen. Wobersnow I perceive to
have been a valiant sharpstriking man, with multifarious resources in his head; who had faithfully helped in
these operations, and I believe been urgent to quicken them. But what I remember best of him is his hasty
admirable contrivance for fieldbakery in pressing circumstances,the substance of which shall not be
hidden from a mechanical age:
"You construct six slight square iron frames, each hinged to the other; each, say, two feet square, or the
breadth of two common tiles, and shaped on the edges so as to take in tiles;tiles are to be found on every
human cottage. This iron frame, when you hook it together, becomes the ghost of a cubic box, and by the
help of twelve tiles becomes a compact fieldoven; and you can bake with it, if you have flour and water, and
a few sticks. The succinctest oven ever heard of; for your operation done, and your tiles flung out again, it is
capable of all folding flat like a book." [Retzow, ii. 82 n.] Never till now had Wobersnow's oven been at
fault: but in these Polish Villages, all of mere thatched hovels, there was not a tile to be found; and the
Bakery, with astonishment, saw itself unable to proceed.
Wedell arrived Sunday evening, 22d July; had crossed Oder at Tschischerzig,some say by Crossen Bridge;
no matter which. Dohna's Camp is some thirty miles west of Crossen; in and near the small Town called
Zullichau, where his headquarter is. In those dull peaty Countries, on the right, which is thereabouts the
NORTHERN (not eastern), bank of Oder; between the Oder and the Warta; some seventy miles
southbyeast of Landsberg, and perhaps as far southwest of Posen: thither has Dohna now got with his
futile manoeuvrings. Soltikof, drawn up amid scrubby woods and sluggish intricate brooks, is about a mile to
east of him.
Poor Dohna demits at once; and, I could conjecture, vanishes that very night; glad to be out of such a thing.
Painfully has Dohna manoeuvred for weeks past; falling back daily; only anxious latterly that Soltikof, who
daily tries it, do not get to westward of him on the Frankfurt road, and so end this sad shuffle. Soltikof as yet
has not managed that ultimate fatality; Dohna, by shuffling back, does at least contrive to keep between
Frankfurt and him;will not try attacking him, much as Wobersnow urges it. Has agreed twice or oftener, on
Wobersnow's urgency: "Yes, yes; we have a chance," Dohna would answer; "only let us rest till tomorrow,
and be fresh!" by which time the opportunity was always gone again.
Wedell had arrived with a grenadier battalion and some horse for escort; had picked up 150 Russian prisoners
by the way. Retzow has understood he came in with a kind of state; and seemed more or less inflated;
conscious of representing the King's person, and being a Roman Dictator,though it is a perilously difficult
office too, and requires more than a Letter of Instructions to qualify you for it! This is not Leonidas Wedell,
whom readers once knew; poor Leonidas is dead long since, fell in the Battle of Sohr, soon after the heroic
feat of Ziethen's and his at ElbeTeinitz (Defence of Elbe against an Army); this is Leonidas's elder Brother.
Friedrich had observed his fiery ways on the day of Leuthen: "Hah, a new Winterfeld perhaps?" thought
Friedrich, "All the Winterfeld I now have!"which proved a fond hope. Wedell's Dictatorship began this
Sunday towards sunset; and lastedin practical fact, it lasted one day.
DICTATOR WEDELL FIGHTS HIS BATTLE (Monday, 23d July, 1759), WITHOUT SUCCESS.
Monday morning early, Wedell is on the heights, reconnoitring Soltikof; cannot see much of him, the ground
being so woody; does see what he takes to be Soltikof's left wing; and judges that Soltikof will lie quiet for
this day. Which was far from a right reading of Soltikof; the fact being that Soltikof, in long columns and
divisions, beginning with his right wing, was all on march since daybreak; what Wedell took for Soltikof's
"left wing" being Soltikof's rearguard and baggage, waiting till the roads cleared. Wedell, having settled
everything on the above footing, returns to Zullichau about 10 o'clock; and about 11, Soltikof, miles long,
disengaged from the bushy hollows, makes his appearance on the open grounds of Palzig: he, sure enough
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(though Wedell can hardly believe it),five or six miles to northeast yonder; tramping diligently along,
making for Crossen and the Oder Bridge; and is actually got ahead of us, at last!
This is what Wedell cannot suffer, cost what it may. Wedell's orders were, in such case, Attack the Russians.
Wedell instantly took his measures; not unskilfully, say judges, though the result proved disappointing;
and Wobersnow himself earnestly dissuaded: "Too questionable, I should doubt! Soltikof is 70,000, and has
no end of Artillery; we are 26,000, and know not if we can bring a single gun to where Soltikof is!"
[Tempelhof, iii. 132134.]
Wedell's people have already, of their own accord, got to arms again; stand waiting his orders on this new
emergency. No delay in Wedell or in them. "May not it be another Rossbach (if we are lucky)?" thinks
Wedell: "Cannot we burst in on their flank, as they march yonder, those awkward fellows; and tumble them
into heaps?" The differences were severalfold: First, that Friedrich and Seidlitz are not here. Many brave
men we have, and skilful; but not a master and man like these Two. Secondly, that there is no Janus Hill to
screen our intentions; but that the Russians have us in full view while we make ready. Thirdly, and still more
important, that we do not know the ground, and what hidden inaccessibilities lie ahead. This last is judged to
have been the killing circumstance. Between the Russians and us there is a paltry little Brook, or line of
quagmire; scarcely noticeable here, but passable nowhere except at the VillageMill of Kay, by one poor
Bridge there. And then, farther inwards, as shelter of the Russians, there is another quaggy Brook, branch of
the above, which is without bridge altogether. Hours will be required to get 26,000 people marched up there,
not to speak of heavy guns at all.
The 26,000 march with their usual mathematical despatch: Manteuffel and the Vanguard strike in with their
sharpest edge, foot and horse, direct on the Head of the Russian Column, Manteuffel leading on, so soon as
his few battalions and squadrons are across. Head means BRAIN (or life) to this Russian Column; and these
Manteuffel people go at it with extraordinary energy. The Russian Head gives way; infantry and
cavalry:their cavalry was driven quite to rear, and never came in sight again after this of Manteuffel. But
the Russians have abundance of Reserves; also of room to manoeuvre in,no lack of ground open, and
ground defensible (Palzig Village and Churchyard, for example);above all, they have abundance of heavy
guns.
Well in recoil from Manteuffel and his furies, the beaten Russians succeed in forming "a long Line behind
Palzig Village," with that Second, slighter or Branch Quagmire between them and us; they get the Village
beset, and have the Churchyard of it lined with batteries,say seventy guns. Manteuffel, unsupported, has to
fall back;unwillingly, and not chased or in disorder,towards Kay Mill again; where many are by this
time across. Hulsen, with the Centre, attacks now, as the Vanguard had done; with a will, he too:
Wobersnow, all manner of people attack; time after time, for about four hours coming: and it proves all in
vain, on that Churchyard and new Line. Without cannon, we are repulsed, torn away by those Russian
volcanobatteries; never enough of us at once!
Hulsen, Wobersnow, everybody in detail is repulsed, or finds his success unavailing. Poor Wobersnow did
wonders; but he fell, killed. Gone he; and has left so few of his like: a man that could ill be spared at
present!Day is sinking; we find we have lost, in killed, wounded and prisoners, some 6,000 men. "About
sunset," flaming July sun going down among the moorlands on such a scene, Wedell gives it up; retires
slowly towards Kay Bridge. Slowly; not chased, or molested; Soltikof too glad to be rid of him. Soltikof's one
aim is, and was, towards Crossen; towards Austrian Junction, and something to live upon. Soltikof's loss of
men is reckoned to be heavier even than Wedell's: but he could far better afford it. He has gained his point;
and the price is small in comparison. Next day he enters Crossen on triumphant terms.
Poor Wedell had returned over KayMill Bridge, in the nighttime after his Defeat. On the morrow
(Tuesday, 24th, day of Soltikof's glad entry), Wedell crosses Oder; at Tschischerzig, the old place of Sunday
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evening last,in how different a humor, this time!and in a day more, posts himself opposite to Crossen
Bridge, five or six miles south; and again sits watchful of Soltikof there. At Crossen, triumphant Soltikof has
found no Austrian Junction, nor anything additional to live upon. A very disappointing circumstance to
Soltikof; "Austrian Junction still a problem, then; a thing in the air? And perhaps the King of Prussia taking
charge of it now!" Soltikof, more and more impatient, after waiting some days, decided Not to cross Oder by
that Bridge;"shy of crossing anywhere [think the French Gentlemen, Montazet, Montalembert], to the
King of Prussia's side!" [Stenzel, iv. 215 (indistinct, and giving a WRONG citation of "Montalembert, ii.
87").] Which is not unlikely, though the King is above 100 miles off him, and has Daun on his hands. Certain
enough, keeping the River between him and any operations of the King, Soltikof set out for Frankfurt, forty
or fifty miles farther down. In the hope probably of finding something of human provender withal? July 30th,
one week after his Battle, the vanguard of him is there.
Thus, in two days, or even in one, has Wedell's Dictatorship ended. Easy to say scoffingly, "Would it had
never begun!" Friedrich knows that, and Wedell knows it;AFTER the event everybody knows it! Friedrich
said nothing of reproachful; the reverse rather, "I dreaded something of the kind; it is not your fault;" [TO
WEDELL, FROM THE KING, "Schmottseifen, July 24th. 1759" (in Schoning, ii. 118).]ordered Wedell to
watch diligently at Crossen Bridge, and be ready on farther signal. The Wedell Problem, in such ruined
condition, has now fallen to Friedrich himself.
This is the BATTLE OF ZULLICHAU (afternoon of 23d July, 1759); the beginning of immense disasters in
this Campaign. Battle called also of KAY and of PALZIG, those also being main localities in it. It was lost,
not by fault of Wedell's people, who spent themselves nobly upon it, nor perhaps by fault of Wedell himself,
but principally, if not solely, by those two paltry Brooks, or threads of Quagmire, one of which turns
KayMill; memorable Brooks in this Campaign, 1759. [Tempelhof, iii. 125131.]
Close in the same neighborhood, there is another equally contemptible Brook, making towards Oder, and
turning the socalled Krebsmuhle, which became still more famous to the whole European Public twenty
years hence. KREBSMUHLE (CrabMill), as yet quite undistinguished among Mills; belonging to a dusty
individual called Miller Arnold, with a dusty Son of his own for Miller's Lad: was it at work this day? Or had
the terrible sound from Palzig quenched its clacking?
Some three weeks ago (4th6th JULY), there occurred a sudden sharp thing at HavredeGrace on the
French Coast, worth a word from us in this place. The Montazets, Montalemberts, watching, messaging
about, in the AustrianRussian Courts and Camps, assiduously keeping their Soltikofs in tune, we can
observe how busy they are. Soubise with his Invasion of England, all the French are very busy; they have
conquered Hessen from Duke Ferdinand, and promise themselves a glorious Campaign, after that Seizure of
Frankfurt. Soubise, intent on his new Enterprise, is really making ardent preparations: at Vanues in the
Morbihan, such rendezvousing and equipping;especially at Havre, no end of flatbottomed boats getting
built; and much bluster and agitation among the weaker sorts in both Nations. Whereupon,
"JULY 1st [just in the days while Friedrich was first trying Horse Artillery], RearAdmiral Rodney sails
from Portsmouth with a few Frigates, and Six Bombketches [FIREDRAKE, BASILISK, BLAST, and such
nomenclatures [List of him, in Beatson, Naval and Military Memoirs (London, 1804), ii. 241; his Despatch
excellently brief, ib. ii. 323]]; and in the afternoon of Tuesday, 3d, arrives in the frith or bay of Havre. Steers
himself properly into 'the Channel of Honfleur' before dark; and therefrom, with his Firedrake, Basilisk and
Company, begins such a bombardment of Havre and the flatbottomed manufactories as was quite surprising.
Fiftytwo incessant hours of it, before he thought poor Havre had enough. Poor Havre had been on fire six
times; the flat manufactory (unquenchable) I know not how many; all the inhabitants off in despair; and the
Garrison building this battery to no purpose, then that; no salvation for them but in Rodney's 'mortars getting
too hot.' He had fired of shells 1,900, of carcasses, 1,150: from Wednesday about sunrise till Friday about 8
A.M.,about time now for breakfast; which I hope everybody had, after such a stretch of work. 'No damage
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to speak of,' said the French Gazetteers; 'we will soon refit everything!' But they never did; and nothing came
of Havre henceforth. Vannes was always, and is now still more, to be the main place; only that
Hawkemost unexpectedly, for one fancied all their ships employed in distant partsrides there with a
Channel Fleet of formidable nature; and the previous question always is: 'Cannot we beat Hawke? Can we!
Or will not he perhaps go, of himself, when the rough weather comes?'"
Chapter III. FRIEDRICH IN PERSON ATTEMPTS THE RUSSIAN
PROBLEM; NOT WITH SUCCESS.
Before Wedell's catastrophe, the Affair of those HaddickLoudon Detachments had become a little plainer to
Friedrich. The intention, he begins to suspect, is not for Berlin at all; but for junction with Soltikof,at
Crossen, or wherever it may be. This is in fact their real purpose; and this, beyond almost Berlin itself, it is in
the highest degree important to prevent! Important; and now as if become impossible!
Prince Henri had come to Bautzen with his Army, specially to look after Loudon and Haddick; and he has, all
this while, had Finck with some 10,000 diligently patrolling to westward of them, guarding Berlin; he himself
watching from the southern side, where, as on the western, there was no danger from them. Some time
before Wedell's affair, Friedrich had pushed out Eugen of Wurtemberg to watch these people on the eastern
side;suspicious that thitherward lay their real errand. Eugen had but 6,000; and, except in conjunction with
Finck and Henri, could do nothing, nor can, now when Friedrich's suspicion turns out to be fatally true.
Friedrich had always the angry feeling that Finck and Prince Henri were the blameworthy parties in what now
ensued; that they, who were near, ought to have divined these people's secret, and spoiled it in time; not have
left it to him who was far off, and so busy otherwise. To the last, that was his fixed private opinion; by no
means useful to utter,especially at present, while attempting the now very doubtful enterprise himself, and
needing all about him to be swift and zealous. This is one of Friedrich's famous labors, this of the
HaddickLoudon junction with Soltikof; strenuous short spasm of effort, of about a week's continuance; full
of fiery insight, velocity, energy; still admired by judges, though it was unsuccessful, or only had half
success. Difficult to bring home, in any measure, to the mind of modern readers, so remote from it.
Friedrich got the news of Zullichau next day, July 24th;and instantly made ready. The case is critical;
especially this HaddickLoudon part of it: add 30 or 36,000 Austrians to Soltikof, how is he then to be dealt
with? A case stringently pressing:and the resources for it few and scattered. For several days past,
Haddick, and Loudon under him, whose motions were long enigmatic, have been marching steadily eastward
through the Lausitz,with the evident purpose of joining Soltikof; unless Wedell could forbid. Wedell ahead
was the grand opposition;Finck, Henri, Wurtemberg, as good as useless;and Wedell being now struck
down, these Austrians will go, especially Loudon will, at a winged rate. They are understood to be
approaching Sagan Country; happily, as yet, well to westward of it, and from Sagan Town well
NORTHwestward;but all accounts of them are vague, dim: they are an obscure entity to Friedrich, but a
vitally important one. Sagan Town may be about 70 miles northward of where Friedrich now is: from Sagan,
were they once in the meridian of Sagan, their road is free eastward and northward;to Crossen is about 60
miles northbyeast from Sagan, to Frankfurt near 100 north. Sagan is on the Bober; Bober, in every event,
is between the Austrians and their aim.
Friedrich feels that, however dangerous to quit Daun's neighborhood, he must, he in person, go at once. And
who, in the interim, will watch Daun and his enterprises? Friedrich's reflections are: "Well, in the crisis of the
moment, Saxonythough there already are marauding Bodies of Reichsfolk in itmust still be left to itself
for a time; or cannot Finck and his 10,000 look to it? Henri, with his Army, now useless at Bautzen, shall
instantly rendezvous at Sagan; his Army to go with me, against the Russians and their HaddickLoudons;
Henri to Schmottseifen, instead of me, and attend to Daun; Henri, I have no other left! Finck and his 10,000
must take charge of Saxony, such charge as he can:how lucky those Spring Forays, which destroyed the
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Reichs Magazines! Whereby there is no Reichs Army yet got into Saxony (nothing but preliminary pulses
and splashings of it); none yet, nor like to be quite at once." That is Friedrich's swift plan.
Henri rose on the instant, as did everybody concerned: July 29th, Henri and Army were at Sagan; Army
waiting for the King; Henri so far on his road to Schmottseifen. He had come to Sagan "by almost the
rapidest marches ever heard of,"or ever till some others of Henri's own, which he made in that
neighborhood soon. Punctual, he, to his day; as are Eugen of Wurtemberg's people, and all Detachments and
Divisions: Friedrich himself arrives at Sagan that same 29th, "about midnight,"and finds plenty of work
waiting: no sleep these two nights past; and none coming just yet! A most swift rendezvous. The speed of
everybody has been, and needs still to be, intense.
This rendezvous at Saganintersection of Henri and Friedrich, bound different roads (the Brothers, I think,
did not personally meet, Henri having driven off for Schmottseifen by a shorter road) was SUNDAY,
JULY 29th. Following which, are six days of such a hunt for those Austrian reynards as seldom or never was!
Most vehement, breathless, baffling hunt; half of it spent in painfully beating cover, in mere finding and
losing. Not rightly successful, after all. So that, on the eighth day hence, AUGUST 6th, at Mullrose, near
Frankfurt, 80 miles from Sagan, there is a second rendezvous,rendezvous of Wedell and Friedrich, who do
not now "intersect," but meet after the hunt is done;and in the interim, there has been a wonderful
performance, though an unsuccessful. Friedrich never could rightly get hold of his Austrians. Once only, at
Sommerfeld, a long march northwest of Sagan, he came upon some outskirts of them. And in general, in
those latter eight days, especially in the first six of them, there is, in that KotbusSagan Country, such an
intersecting, checking, pushing and multifarious simmering of marches, on the part of half a dozen Strategic
Entities, Friedrich the centre of them, asas, I think, nobody but an express soldierstudent, well furnished
with admiration for this particular Soldier, would consent to have explained to him. One of the maziest, most
unintelligible whirls of marching; inextricable Sword Dance, or Dance of the Furies,five of them (that is
the correct number: Haddick, Loudon, Friedrich, Wurtemberg, Wedell);and it is flung down for us, all in a
huddle, in these inhuman Books (which have several errors of the press, too): let no man rashly insist with
himself on understanding it, unless he have need! Humanly pulled straight, not inhumanly flung down at
random, here the essentials of it are,in very brief state:
"SAGAN, MONDAY, 30th JULY. Friedrich is at Sagan, since midnight last, busier and busier;" beating
cover, as we termed it, and getting his hounds (his new HenriArmy) in leash; "endeavoring, especially, to
get tidings of those Austrian people; who are very enigmatic,Loudon a dexterous man,and have hung up
such a curtain of Pandours between Friedrich and them as is nearly impenetrable. In the course of this
Monday Friedrich ascertains that they are verily on the road; coming eastward, for Sommerfeld, 'thence for
Crossen!' he needs no ghost to tell him. Wherefore,
"TUESDAY, SAGAN TO NAUMBURG. Tuesday before daybreak Friedrich too is on the road:
northwestward; in full march towards Naumburg on Bober, meaning to catch the Bridge from them there.
March of the swiftest; he himself is ahead, as usual, with the Vanguard of Horse. He reaches Naumburg
(northward, a march of 20 miles); finds, not Haddick or Loudon, but a Detachment of theirs: which he at once
oversets with his cavalry, and chases,marking withal that 'westward is the way they run.' Westward; and
that we are still ahead, thank Heaven!
"Before his Infantry are all up, or are well rested in Naumburg, Friedrich ascertains, on more precise tidings,
that the Austrians are in Sommerfeld, to westward (again a 20 miles); and judges That, no doubt, they will
bear off more to leftward, by Guben probably, and try to avoid him,unless he can still catch them in
Sommerfeld. About nightfall he marches for Sommerfeld, at his swiftest; arrives Wednesday early;
findsalas!
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"SOMMERFELD, WEDNESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 1st, Friedrich finds that Loudon was there last
night,preterite tense, alas; the question now being, Where is he!" In fact, Loudon had written yesterday to
Daun (Letter still extant, "Sommerfeld, July 31st"), That "being swift and light," consisting of horse for most
part, "he may probably effect Junction this very night;"but has altered his mind very much, on sight of
these fugitives from Naumburg, since! And has borne off more to leftward. Straight north now, and at a very
brisk pace; being now all of horse;and has an important conference with Haddick at Guben, when they
arrive there. "Not in Sommerfeld?" thinks Friedrich (earnestly surveying, through this slit he has made in the
Pandour veil): "Gone to Guben most likely, bearing off from us to leftward?"Which was the fact; though
not the whole fact. And indeed the chase is now again fallen uncertain, and there has to be some beating of
covers. For one thing, he learns today (August 1st) that the Russians are gone to Frankfurt: "Follow them,
you Wedell,"orders Friedrich: them we shall have to go into,however this hunt end!
"To Markersdorf, Thursday, August 2d. Friedrich takes the road for Guben; reaches Markersdorf (twenty
miles' march, still seven or eight from Guben); falls uponWhat phenomenon is this? The Austrian heavy
Train; mealwagons not a few, and a regiment of foot in charge of it;but going the wrong way, not
TOWARDS the Russians, but from them! What on earth can this be? This is Haddick,if Friedrich could
yet clearly know it,Haddick and Train, who for his own part has given up the junction enterprise. At
Guben, some hours ago, he had conference with Loudon; and this was the conclusion arrived at: 'Impossible,
with that King so near! You, Herr Loudon, push on, without heavy baggage, and with the Cavalry altogether:
you can get in, almost 20,000 strong; I, with the Infantry, with the meal and heavy guns, will turn, and make
for the Lausitz again!'
"This mysterious Austrian Train, going the wrong way, Friedrich attacks, whatever it be (hoping, I suppose, it
might be the Austrians altogether); chases it vigorously; snatches all the meal wagons, and about 1,000
prisoners. Uncertain still what it is,if not the Austrians altogether? To his sorrow, he finds, on pushing
farther into it, that it is only Haddick and the Infantry; that Loudon, with the 20,000 Horse, will have gone off
for Frankfurt;irretrievably ahead, the swift Loudon,ever careering northward all this while, since that
afternoon at Sommerfeld, when the fugitives altered his opinion: a now unattainable Loudon. In the course of
Thursday night, Friedrich has satisfied himself that the Loudon junction is a thing as good as done;in
effect, Loudon did get to Frankfurt, morning of August 3d, and joined the Russians there; and about the same
time, or only a few hours sooner, Friedrich, by symptoms, has divined that his hunt has ended, in this rather
unsuccessful way; and that chasing of Haddick is not the road to go." [Tempelhof, iii. 135139.]
Not Haddick now; with or without their Austrians, it shall be the Russians now! Two days ago (Wednesday,
as was mentioned), before sight of those enigmatic mealwagons, Friedrich had learned that the Russians
were to be in Frankfurt again; and had ordered Wedell to march thitherward, at any rate. Which Wedell is
doing, all this Thursday and the four following days. As does likewise, from and after "FRIDAY, AUGUST
3d, 1 A.M." (hunt then over), Friedrich himself,renouncing Haddick and the hunt. Straight towards
Frankfurt thenceforth; headquarters Beeskow that night; next night, Mullrose, whither Wedell is appointed,
within twelve miles of Frankfurt. This is the end of Friedrich's sore Chase and March; burnt deeply into his
own weary brain, if ours still refuse it admittance! Here, of utterly fatigued tone, is a Note of his, chiefly on
business, to Minister Finkenstein. Indeed there are, within the next ten days, Three successive Notes to
Finkenstein, which will be worth reading in their due places. This is the First of them:
THE KING TO GRAF VON FINKENSTEIN (at Berlin).
"BEESKOW, 3d August,1759."
"I am just arrived here, after cruel and frightful marchings [CHECKS HIMSELF, HOWEVER]. There is
nothing desperate in all that; and I believe the noise and disquietude this hurlyburly has caused will be the
worst of it. Show this Letter to everybody, that it may be known the State is not undefended. I have made
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above 1,000 prisoners from Haddick. All his mealwagons have been taken. Finck, I believe, will keep an
eye on him," and secure Berlin from attempts of his. "This is all I can say.
"Tomorrow I march to within two leagues of Frankfurt [to Mullrose, namely]. Katte [the Minister who has
charge of such things] must send me instantly Two Hundred Wispels [say tons] of Meal, and Bakers One
Hundred, to Furstenwalde. I shall encamp at Wulkow. I am very tired. For six nights I have not closed an eye.
Farewell.F."
During the above intricate WarDance of Five,the day while Friedrich was at Sommerfeld, the day before
he came in sight of Haddick's mealwagons going the wrong road,there went on, at Minden, on the Weser,
three hundred miles away, a beautiful feat of War, in the highest degree salutary to Duke Ferdinand and
Britannic Majesty's Ministry; feat which requires a word from us here. A really splendid Victory, this of
Minden, August 1st: French driven headlong through the Passes there; their "Conquest of Hanover and Weser
Country" quite exploded and flung over the horizon; and Duke Ferdinand relieved from all his distresses, and
lord of the ascendant again in those parts. Highly interesting to Friedrich;especially to Prince Henri; whose
apprehensions about Ferdinand and the old Richelieu HastenbeckHalberstadt time returning on us, have
been very great; and who now, at Schmottseifen, fires FEUDEJOIE for it with all his heart. This is a Battle
still of some interest to English readers. But can English readers consent to halt in this hot pinch of the
Friedrich crisis; and read the briefest thing which is foreign to it? Alas, I fear they can;and will insert the
Note here:
BATTLE OF MINDEN: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1st, 1759."Ever since Bergen, things have gone
awry with Ferdinand, and in spite of skilful management, of hard struggles and bright sparkles of success, he
has had a bad Campaign of it. The French, it would seem, are really got into better fighting order; Belleisle's
exertions as WarMinister have been almost wonderful,in some respects, TOO wonderful, as we shall
hear!and Broglio and Contades, in comparison with Clermont and Soubise, have real soldier qualities.
Contades, across Rhine again, in those Weser Countries, who is skilful in his way, and is pricked on by
emulation of Broglio, has been spreading himself out steadily progressive there; while Broglio, pushing along
from Frankfurton Mayn, has conquered Hessen; is into Hanover; on the edge of conqueriug
Hanover,which how is Ferdinand to hinder? Ferdinand has got two, if not three Armies to deal with, and in
number is not mnch superior to one. If he run to save Hanover from Broglio, he loses Westphalia: Osnabruck
(his magazine)? Munster, Lippstadt,Contades, if left to himself, will take these, after short siege; and will
nestle himself there, and then advance, not like a transitory feverfit, but like visible death, on Hanover.
Ferdinand, rapid yet wary, manoeuvred his very best among those interests of his, on the left bank of Weser;
but after the surprisal of Minden from him (brilliantly done by Broglio, and the aid of a treacherous peasant),
especially after the capture of Osnabruck, his outlooks are gloomy to a degree: and at Versailles, and at
Minden where Contades has established himself, 'the Conquest of Hanover' (beautiful counterweight to all
one's losses in America or elsewhere) is regarded as a certainty of this Year.
"For the last ten days of July, about Minden, the manoeuvring, especially on Ferdinand's part, had been
intense; a great idea in the head of Ferdinand, more or less unintelligible to Contades. Contades, with some
30,000, which is the better half of his force, has taken one of the unassailablest positions. He lies looking
northward, his right wing on the Weser with posts to Minden (Minden perhaps a mile northeastward there),
on his left impassable peat bogs and quagmires; in front a quaggy River or impassable black Brook, called
the Bastau, coming from the westward, which disembogues at Minden: [Sketch of Plan, p. 238]there lies
Contades, as if in a rabbithole, say military men; for defence, if that were the sole object, no post can be
stronger. Contades has in person say 30,000; and round him, on both sides of the Weser, are Broglio with
20,000; besides other Divisions, I know not how many, besieging Munster, capturing Osnabruck (our hay
magazine), attempting Lippstadt by surprise (to no purpose), and diligently working forward, day by day, to
Ferdinand's ruin in those Minden regions. Three or four Divisions busy in that manner;and above all, we
say, he has Broglio with a 20,000 on the right or east bank of the Weser,who, if Ferdinand quit him even
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for a day, seems to have Hanover at discretion, and can march any day upon Hanover City, where his light
troops have already been more than once. Why does n't Ferdinand cross Weser, recross Weser; coerce
Broglio back; and save Hanover? cry the Gazetteers and a Public of weak judgment. Pitt's Public is inclined
to murmur about Ferdinand; Pitt himself never. Ferdinand persists in sticking by Minden
neighborhood,and, in a scarcely accountable way, manoeuvring there, shooting out therefrom what
mischief he can upon the various Contades people in their sieges and the like.
"On Contades himself he can pretend to do nothing,except hoodwink him, entice him out, and try to get a
chance on him. But for his own subsistence and otherwise, he is very lively;snatches, by a sudden stroke,
Bremen City: 'Yes truly, Bremen is a Reichstadt; nor shall YOU snatch it, as you did Frankfurt; but I will,
instead; and my English proviantships shall have a sure haven henceforth!' Snatches Bremen by one sudden
stroke; REsnatches Osnabruck by another ('our magazine considerably INCREASED since you have had it,
many thanks!'); does lose Munster, to his sorrow; but nevertheless sticks by his ground here;nay detaches
his swiftcutting Nephew, the Hereditary Prince, who is growing famous for such things, to cut out
Contades's strong post to southward (Gohfeld, ten miles up the Weser), which guards his mealwagons, after
their long journey from the south. That is Contades's one weak point, in this posture of things: his meal is at
Cassel, seventy miles off. Broglio and he see clearly, 'Till we can get a new magazine much nearer Hanover,
or at lowest, can clear out these people from infesting us here, there is no moving northward!' To both
Contades and Broglio that is an evident thing: the corollary to which is, They must fight Ferdinand; must
watch lynxlike till a chance turn up of beating him in fight. That is their outlook; and Ferdinand knows it
is,and manoeuvres accordingly. Military men admire much, not his movements only, but his clear insight
into Contades's and Broglio's temper of mind, and by what methods they were to be handled, they and his
own affairs together, and brought whither he wanted them. [In MAUVILLON (ii. 4144) minute account of
all that.]
"This attempt on Gohfeld was a serious mischief to Contades, if it succeeded. But the detaching of the Prince
of Brunswick on it, and weakening one's too weak Army, 'What a rashness, what an oversight!' thinks
Contades (as Ferdinand wished him to do): 'Is our skilful enemy, in this extreme embarrassment, losing head,
then? Look at his left wing yonder [General Wangenheim, sitting behind batteries, in his Village of
Todtenhausen, looking into Minden from the north]:Wangenheim's left leans on the Weser, yes; but
Wangenheim's right, observe, has no support within three miles of it: tear Wangenheim out, Ferdinand's flank
is bare!' These things seemed to Contades the very chance he had been waiting for; and brought him
triumphantly out of his rabbithole, into the Heath of Minden, as Ferdinand hoped they would do.
"And so, TUESDAY EVENING, JULY 31st, things being now all ripe, upwards of 50,000 French are
industriously in motion. Contades has nineteen bridges ready on the Bastau Brook, in front of him; TATTOO
this night, in Contades's Camp, is to mean GENERAL MARCH, 'March, all of you, across these nineteen
Bridges, to your stations on the Plain or Heath of Minden yonder,and be punctual, like the clock!' Broglio
crosses Weser by the town Bridge, ranks himself opposite Todtenhausen; and through the livelong night there
is, on the part of the 50,000 French, a very great marching and deploying. Contades and Broglio together are
51,400 foot and horse. Ferdinand's entire force will be near 46,000; but on the day of Battle he is only
36,000,having detached the Hereditary Prince on Gohfeld, in what view we know.The BATTLE OF
MINDEN, called also of TONHAUSEN (meaning TODTENhausen), which hereupon fell out, has still its
fame in the world; and, I perceive, is well worth study by the soldier mind: though nothing but the rough
outline of it is possible here.
"Ferdinand's posts extend from the Weser river and Todtenhausen round by Stemmern, Holzhausen, to
Hartum and the Bog of Bastau (the chief part of him towards Bastau),in various Villages, and woody
patches and favorable spots; all looking in upon Minden, from a distance of five or seven miles; forming a
kind of arc, with Minden for centre. He will march up in eight Columns; of course, with wide intervals
between them,wide, but continually narrowing as he advances; which will indeed be ruinous gaps, if
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Ferdinand wait to be attacked; but which will coalesce close enough, if he be speedy upon Contades. For
Contades's line is also of arclike or almost semicircular form, behind it Minden as centre; Minden, which is
at the intersection of Weser and the Brook; his right flank is on Weser, Broglio VERSUS Wangenheim the
extreme right; his left, with infantry and artillery, rests on that black Brook of Bastau with its nineteen
Bridges. As the ground on both wings is rough, not so fit for Cavalry, Contades puts his Cavalry wholly in
the centre: they are the flower of the French Army, about 10,000 horse in all; firm open ground ahead of them
there, with strong batteries, masses of infantry to support on each flank; batteries to ply with cross fire any
assailant that may come on. Broglio, we said, is right wing; strong in artillery and infantry. Broglio is to root
out Waugenheim: after which,or even before which, if Wangenheim is kept busy and we are
nimble,what becomes of Ferdinand's left flank, with a gap of three miles between Wangenheim and him,
and 10,000 chosen horse to take advantage of it! Had the French been of Prussian dexterity and nimbleness in
marching, it is very possible something might have come of this latter circumstance: but Ferdinand knows
they are not; and intends to take good care of his flank.
"Contades and his people were of willing mind; but had no skill in 'marchiug up:' and, once got across the
Bastau by their nineteen Bridges, they wasted many hours:'Too far, am I? not far enough? Too close? not
close enough?'and broiled about, in much hurry and confusion, all night. Fight was to have begun at 5 in
the morning. Broglio was in his place, silently looking into Wangenheim, by five o'clock; but unfortunately
did nothing upon Wangenheim ('Not ready you, I see!'), except cannonade a little;and indeed all through
did nothing ('Still not ready you others!'); which surely was questionable conduct, though not reckoned so at
Versailles, when the case came to be argued there. As to the Contades people, across those nineteen Bridges,
they had a baffling confused night; and were by no means correctly on their ground at sunrise, nor at 7
o'clock, nor at 8; and were still mending themselves when the shock came, and time was done.
"The morning is very misty; but Ferdinand has himself been out examining since the earliest daybreak: his
orders last night were, 'Cavalry be saddled at 1 in the morning,'having a guess that there would be work, as
he now finds there will. From 5 A.M. Ferdinand is issuing from his Camp, flowing down eastward,
beautifully concentric, closing on Contades; horse NOT in centre, but English Infantry in centre (Six
Battalions, or Six REGIMENTS by English reckoning); right opposite those 10,000 Horse of Contades's, the
sight of whom seems to be very animating to them. The English CavaIry stand on the right wing, at the
Village of Hartum: Lord George Sackville had not been very punctual in saddling at 1 o'clock; but he is there,
ranked on the ground, at 8, in what humor nobody knows; sulky and flabby, I should rather guess. English
Tourists, idle otherwise, may take a look at Hartum on the south side, as the spot where a very ugly thing
occurred that day.
"Soon after 8 the Fight begins: attack, by certain Hessians, on Hahlen and its batteries; attempt to drive the
French out of Hahlen, as the first thing,which does not succeed at once (indeed took three attacks in all);
and perhaps looks rather tedious to those Six English Battalions. Ferdinand's order to them was, 'You shall
march up to attack, you Six, on sound of drum;' but, it seems, they read it, 'BY sound of drum;' 'Beating our
own drums; yes, of course!'and, being weary of this Hahlen work, or fancying they had no concern with it,
strode on, doublequick, without waiting for Hahlen at all! To the horror of their Hanoverian comrades, who
nevertheless determined to follow as second line. 'The Contades crossfire of artillery, battery of 30 guns on
one flank, of 36 on the other, does its best upon this forwardminded Infantry, but they seem to heed it little;
walk right forward; and, to the astonishment of those French Horse and of all the world, entirely break and
ruin the charge made on them, and tramp forward in chase of the same. The 10,000 Horse feel astonished,
insulted; and rush out again, furiously charging; the English halt and serry themselves: 'No fire till they are
within forty paces;' and then such pouring torrents of it as no horse or man can endure. Rally after rally there
is, on the part of those 10,000; mass after mass of them indignantly plunges on,again, ever again, about six
charges in all;but do not break the English lines: one of them (regiment MestredeCamp, raised to a
paroxysm) does once get through, across the first line, but is blown back in dreadful circumstances by the
second. After which they give it up, as a thing that cannot be done. And rush rearward, hither, thither, the
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whole seventyfive squadrons of them; and 'between their two wings of infantry are seen boiling in complete
disorder.'
"This has lasted about an hour: this is essentially the soul of the Fight,though there wanted not other
activities, to right of it and to left, on both sides; artilleries going at a mighty rate on both wings; and
counterartilleries (superlative practice 'by Captain Phillips' on OUR right wing); Broglio cannonading
Wangenheim very loudly, but with little harm done or suffered, on their right wing. Wangenheim is watchful
of that gap between Ferdinand and him, till it close itself sufficiently. Their right wing Infantry did once
make some attempt there; but the Prussian Horse(always a small body of Prussians serve in this Allied
Army)shot out, and in a brilliant manner swept them home again.
Artillery and that pretty charge of Prussian Horse are all one remembers, except this of the English and
Hanover Foot in the centre: 'an unsurpassable thing,' says Tempelhof (though it so easily might have been a
fatal!)which has set Contades's centre boiling, and reduced Contades altogether to water, as it were.
Contades said bitterly: 'I have seen what I never thought to be possible,a single line of infantry break
through three lines of cavalry ranked in order of battle, and tumble them to ruin!' [Stenzel, v. 204.]
"This was the feat, this hour's work in the centre, the essential soul of the Fight:and had Lord George
Sackville, General of the Horse, come on when galloped for and bidden, here had been such a ruin, say all
judges, as seldom came upon an Army. Lord Georgeeverlasting disgrace and sorrow on the name of
himcould not see his way to coming on; delayed, haggled; would not even let Granby, his lieutenant,
come; not for a second Adjutant, not for a third; never came on at all; but rode to the Prince, asking, 'How am
I to come on?' Who, with a politeness I can never enough admire, did not instantly kill him, but answered, in
mild tone, 'Milord, the opportunity is now past!' Whereby Contades escaped ruin, and was only beaten. By
about 10 in the morning all was over. When a man's centre is gone to water, no part of him is far from the
fluid state. Contades retreated into his rabbithole by those nineteen bridges,well tormented, they say, by
Captain Phillips's artillery, till he got beyond the knolls again. Broglio, who had never been in musketfire at
all, but had merely barked on Wangenheim all morning, instead of biting, covered the retreat, and withdrew
into Minden. And we are a beaten Army,thanks to Lord George, not an annihilated one. Our loss being
only 7,086 (with heavy guns, colors, cavalry flags and the like); theirs being 2,822,full half of it falling on
those rash Six Battalions. [Mauvillon, ii. 4460; Tempelhof, iii. 154179, and Proceedings of a
CourtMartial, held at the Horse Guards, 7th24th March and 25th March5th April, 1760, in Trial of
Lord George Sackville (London, 1760). In Knesebeck, Ferdinand wahrend des siebenjahrigen Krieges (i.
395), Ferdinand's Letter to Friedrich of "July 31st;" and (i. 398418 and ii. 3336) many special details about
Sackville and "August 1st."
"And what is this one hears from Gohfeld in the evening? The Hereditary Prince, busy there on us during the
very hours of Minden, has blown our rearguard division to the winds there;and we must move southward,
one and all of us, without a moment's delay! Out of this rabbithole the retreat by rearward is through a
difficult country, the Westphalian Gates so called; fatal to Varus's Legions long ago. Contades got under way
that very night; lost most of his baggage, all his conquests, that shadowconquest of Hanover, and more than
all his glories (Versailles shrieking on him, 'Resign you; let Broglio be chief,);and, on the whole, jumbled
homeward hither and thither, gravitating towards the Rhine, nothing but Wesel to depend on in those parts, as
heretofore. Broglio retreated Frankfurtway, also as usual, though not quite so far; and at Versailles had
clearly the victory. Zealous Belleisle could not protect his Contades; it is not known whether he privately
blamed Contades or blamed Broglio for loss of Minden. Zealous old man, what a loss to himself withal had
Minden been! That shadowconquest of Hanover is quite vanished: and worse, in Ferdinand's spoil were
certain LETTERS from Belleisle to Contades, inculcating strange things;for example, 'IL FAUT FAIRE
UN DESERT DU PAYS [all Hessen, I think, lest Ferdinand advance on you] DEVANT L'ARMEE,' and the
like. Which Ferdinand saw good to publish, and which resounded rather hideously through the general mind."
[Were taken at Detmold (Tempelhof, iii. 223); Old Newspapers full of Excerpts from them, in the weeks
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following.]
Ignominious Sackville was tried by Courtmartial; cashiered, declared incapable of again serving his Majesty
"in any military capacity;"perhaps a mild way of signifying that he wanted the common courage of a
soldier? Zealous Majesty, always particular in soldier matters, proclaimed it officially to be "a sentence worse
than death;" and furthermore, with his own royal hand, taking the pen himself, struck out Sackville from the
List of Privy Councillors. Proper surely, and indispensable;and should have been persisted in, like Fate;
which, in a new Reign, it was not! For the rest, there was always, and is, something of enigma in Sackville's
palpably bad case. It is difficult to think that a Sackville wanted common courage. This Sackville fought
duels with propriety; in private life, he was a surly, domineering kind of fellow, and had no appearance of
wanting spirit. It is known, he did not love Duke Ferdinand; far from it! May not he have been of peculiarly
sour humor that morning, the luckless fool; sulky against Ferdinand, and his "saddling at one o'clock;" sulky
against himself, against the world and mankind; and flabbily disinclined to heroic practices for the moment?
And the moment came; and the man was not there, except in that foggy, flabby and forever ruinous
condition! Archenholtz, alone of Writers, judges that he expressly wanted to spoil the Battle of Minden and
Ferdinand's reputation, and to get appointed Commander in his stead. Wonderful; but may have some vestige
of basis, too! True, this Sackville was as fit to lead the courses of the stars as to lead armies. But such a
Sackville has ambition, and, what is fatally more peculiar to him, a chance for unfolding it;any blockhead
has an ambition capable, if you encourage it sufficiently, of running to the infinite. Enough of this particular
blockhead; and may it be long before we see his like again!
The English Cavalry was in a rage with Sackville. Of the English Infantry, Historians say, what is not now
much heard of in this Country, "That these unsurpassable Six [in industrious valor unsurpassable, though they
mistook orders, and might have fared badly!] are ever since called the Minden Regiments; that they are the
12th, 20th, 23d, 25th, 37th and 51st of the British Line; and carry 'Minden' on their colors," [Kausler,
Schlachter, p, 587.]with silent profit, I hope!
Fancy how Pitt's public, lately gloomy and dubious, blazed aloft into joyful certainty again! Pitt's outlooks
have been really gloomy all this season; nor are the difficulties yet ended, though we hope they will end. Let
us add this other bit of Synchronism, which is still of adverse aspect, over Seas; and will be pungently
interesting to Pitt and England, when they come to hear of it.
"BEFORE QUEBEC, JULY 31st, 1759. This same Evening, at Quebec, on the other side of the
Atlantic,evening at Quebec, 9 or 10 at night for Contades and his nineteen Bridges,there is a difficult
affair going on. Above and below the Falls of Montmorenci, and their outflow into the St. Lawrence: attempt
on General Wolfe's part to penetrate through upon the French, under Marquis de Montcalm, French
Commanderinchief, and to get a stroke at Quebec and him. From the south side of the St. Lawrence,
nothing can be done upon Quebec, such the distance over. From Isle d'Orleans and the north side, it is also
impossible hitherto. Easy enough to batter the Lower Town, from your ships and redoubts: but the High
Town towers aloft on its sheer pinnacles, inaccessible even to cannon; looks down on the skilfulest British
Admiral and Fleet as if with an air of indifference,trying him on dark nights with fireships, firerafts, the
cunningest kinds of pyrotechny, which he skilfully tows aside.
"A strenuous thing, this of Wolfe's; though an unsuccessful. Towards evening, the end of it; all Quebec
assembled on the southern ramparts, witnessing with intense interest; the sublime Falls of Montmorenci
gushing on, totally indifferent. For about a month past, General Wolfe, with the proper equipments, and about
10,000 men, naval and military, who was expressly selected by Pitt to besiege Quebec, and is dying to
succeed, has been trying every scheme to get into contact with it:to no purpose, so lofty, chasmy, rocky is
the ground, cut by mountainous precipices and torrent streams, branches of the grand St. Lawrence River; so
skilfully taken advantage of by Montcalm and his people, who are at home here, and in regulars nearly equal
Wolfe, not to speak of Savages and Canadians, Wolfe's plan of the 31st was not ill laid; and the execution has
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been zealous, seamen and landsmen alike of willing mind;but it met with accidents. Accidents in boating;
then a still worse accident on landing; the regiment of grenadiers, which crossed below the Falls, having, so
soon as landed, rushed off on the redoubt there on their own score, without waiting for the two brigades that
were to cross and cooperate ABOVE the Falls! Which cut Wolfe to the heart; and induced him, especially
as the tide was making again, to give up the enterprise altogether, and recall everybody, while it was yet time.
[ Gentleman's Magazine for 1759, pp. 470473; Thackeray, i. 488.] Wolfe is strict in discipline; loves the
willing mind, none more, and can kindle it among those about him; but he loves discipline withal, and knows
how fatal the too willing may be. For six weeks more there is toil on the back of toil everywhere for poor
Wolfe. He falls into fevers, into miseries, almost into broken heart; nothing sure to him but that of doing
his own poor utmost to the very death. After six weeks, we shall perhaps hear of him again. Gliding swiftly
towards death; but also towards victory and the goal of all his wishes."
And now, after this flight half round the world, it is time we return to Oder Country, and a Friedrich on the
edge of formidable things there. Next day after Beeskow, where we left him, he duly arrived at Mullrose; was
joined by Wedell there, August 6th; and is now at Wulkow,"encamped between Lebus and Wulkow," as
we hear elsewhere;quite in the environs of Frankfurt and of great events.
FRIEDRICH TO GRAF VON FINKENSTEIN (Second Note).
WULKOW, 8th August, 1759.
"If you hear of firing tomorrow, don't be surprised; it is our rejoicing for the Battle of Minden. I believe I
shall have to keep you in suspense some days yet. I have many arrangements to make; I find great difficulties
to surmount,and it is required to save our Country, not to lose it: I ought both to be more prudent and more
enterprising than ever. In a word, I will do and undertake whatever I find feasible and possible. With all that,
I see myself in the necessity of making haste, to check the designs Haddick may have on Berlin. Adieu, MON
CHER. In a little, you will have either a DE PROFUNDIS or a TE DEUM.F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxv.
305, 306.]
Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KUNERSDORF.
Sunday, July 29th, at FrankfurtonOder divine worship was broken in upon, and the poor City thrown into
consternation, by actual advent, or as good as advent, of the Russians: "On the Crossen road, close by;
coming, come!" And they did undeniably appear, next morning, in force; on the opposite, eastern or
Kunersdorf side of the River, on the top of the OderDam there; and demanded instant admission, under
penalty of general death by fire.
Within the Town stood Major Arnim, a Veteran of those parts, with 400 militia; these, with their muskets and
with two cannon, are the only defence of Frankfurt, The Town has Gates; but its walls, I doubt, are mainly
gardenwalls and housewalls. On the eastern side, the River, especially if you have cannon on the Bridge,
gives it somethiug of protection; but on the western and all other sides, it is overhung by heights. This
Frankfurt, like its bigger Namesake on the Mayn, is known as a busy trading place, its Fairs much frequented
in those Eastern parts; and is believed by the Russians to be far richer than it is. The reader, as there happens
to be ocular testimony extant, [Johann Zudwig Kriele, SCHLACHT BEI KUNERSDORF, MIT (Berlin,
1801). Kriele was subsequent Pastor in the Parish, an excellent intelligent man: has compiled in brief form,
with an elaborate Chart too, a clear account of everything, in the Battle and before and after it.] may like to
see a little how they behaved there.
"Arnim, taking survey of the Russian Party, values it, or what he can see of it, at 1,000 [they really were
6,000]; keeps his Drawbridge up; and answers stoutly enough, 'No.' Upon which, from the OderDam, there
flies off one fiery grenado; one and no more, which alighted in the house of 'Mrs. Thielicke, a Baker's
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Widow, who was standing at the door;'killed poor Mrs. Thielicke, blew the house considerably to wreck,
but did not set fire to it. Amim, all the Magistrates entreating him for the love of Heaven to leave them, is
secretly shoving off his two cannon to the Northern Gate; and in fact is making his packages with full speed:
'Push for Custrin,' thinks Arnim, and save selves and cannon, since no good is to be done here!'
"It was about 11 A.M. when the Thielicke grenado fell: obstinate Arnim would by no means go; only packed
all the faster. A second summons came: still, No. For the third and last time the Russians then summon:
'Grenadoes, a hundred more of them lie ready, unless!' 'We will, we will; O merciful servant of Czarish
Majesty!' passionately signify the Magistrates. But Arnim is still negative, still keeps the Bridge up. One of
the hundred does go, by way of foretaste: this lighted 'near the Ober Kirche, in the chimney of the Town
Musikus;' brought the chimney crashing down on him [fancy a man with some fineness of ear]; tore the house
a good deal to pieces, but again did not set it on fire. 'Your obstinate Town can be bombarded, then,cannot
it?' observed the Russian Messenger.'Give us Free Withdrawal!' proposes Amim. 'No; you to be Prisoners
of War; Town at Czarish Majesty's discretion.' 'Never,' answers Arnim (to the outward ear).'Go, oh, for the
love of Heaven, go!' cry all Official people.
"Arnim, deaf to clamor, but steadily diligent in getting ready, does at last go; through the Lebus Suburb,
quick march; steady, yet at his best step;taking the Townkeys in his pocket, and leaving the Drawbridge
up. One is sorry for poor Arnim and his 400 Militia; whose conduct was perfect, under difficulties and
alarms; but proved unsuccessful. The terrified Magistrates, finding their Keys gone, and the conflagrative
Russians at their gates, got blacksmiths on the instant; smote down, by chisel and mallet, the locked
Drawbridge, smote open the Gates: 'Enter, O gracious Sirs; and may Czarish Majesty have mercy on us!' So
that Arnim had small start for marchers on foot; and was overtaken about halfway. Would not yield still,
though the odds were overwhelming; drew himself out on the best ground discoverable; made hot resistance;
hot and skilful; but in vain. About six in the evening, Arnim and Party were brought back, Prisoners, to
Frankfurt again, self, surviving men, cannons and all (self in a wounded state); and 'were locked in
various Brewhouses;' little of careful surgery, I should fear. Poor Arnim; man could do no more; and he has
been unfortunate."
It is by no means our intention to describe the Iliad of miseries, the agitations, terrors and disquietudes, the
tribulation and utter harrowing to despair, which poor Frankfurt underwent, incessantly from that day
forward, for about five weeks to come. "The furnishings of victual [Russian stock quite out] were to an
inconceivable amount; surrender of arms, of linens, cloths, of everything useful to a hungry Army; above all
things, of horses, so that at last there were but four horses left in all Frankfurt; and"But we must not go
into details.
"On the second day, besides all this," what will be significant of it all, "there was exacted 'ransom of 600,000
thalers (90,000 pounds), or you shall be delivered to the Cossacks!' Frankfurt has not above 12,000
inhabitants within its bounds; here is a sudden polltax of 7 pounds 10s. per head. Frankfurt has not such a
sum; the most rigorous collection did not yield above the tenth part of it. And more than once those
sanguinary vagabonds were openly drawn out, pitchlink in hand: 'The 90,000 pounds or!' Civic
Presidency Office in Frankfurt was not a bed of roses. The poor Magistrates rushed distractedly about; wrung
out moneys to the last drop; moneys, and in the end plate from those that had it; went in tearful deputation to
General Soltikof,a severe proud kind of man, capable perhaps of being flattered,who usually locked
them up instead. Magistrates were locked in Russian ward, at one time, for almost a week; sat in the blazing
sun; if you try for the shade of a tree, the sentry handles arms upon you;and were like to die. To me,
Kriele, it is a miracle how the most of us lived; nay we never really wanted food, so kind was Providence, so
generous our poor neighbors out of all the Towns round. The utmost of money that could be raised was 6,000
pounds; nothing but some little of plate, and our Bill for the remainder. Soltikof, a high kind of gentleman,
saw at last how it stood; let the Magistrates out of ward; sent back the plate'Nothing of that!'nay,
Czarish Majesty was herself generous; and FORGAVE the Bill, on our petition, next Year. Cossacks, indeed,
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were a plunderous wild crew; but the Russians kept them mostly without the gates. The regular Russians
were civil and orderly, officers and men,greatly beyond the Austrians in behavior." [Kriele, Schlacht bei
Kunersdorf; pp. 115 (in compressed state).] By these few traits conceive Frankfurt: this, now forgotten in
most books, is a background on which things were transacted still memorable to everybody.
"Friday, August 3d, General Loudon came to hand: arrived early, in the Guben (or Western) Suburb, his
18,000 and he. In high spirits naturally, and somewhat exultant to have evaded Friedrich; but found a
reception that surprised him. The Russians had been living in the hope of junction; but still more vividly in
that of meal. 'Auxiliaries; humph,only 18,000 of them; how much welcomer had been as many
hundredweights of meal!' Loudon had pushed his baggage direct into Frankfurt; and likewise a requisition of
such and such proviants, weights of meal and the like, in exuberant amount, to be furnished straightway by
the City: neither of which procedures would the Russians hear of for a moment. 'Out with you!' said they
roughly to the baggagepeople: 'quarter in the Guben Suburb, or where you like; not here!' And with regard
to the requisition of proviant, they answered in a scornful angry key, 'Proviant? You too without it? You have
not brought us meal, according to covenant; instead of meal, you bring us 18,000 new eaters, most of them on
horseback,Satan thank you! From Frankfurt be very certain you can get no ounce of meal; Frankfurt is
our own poor mealbag, dreadfully scanty: stay outside, and feed where and how you can!'
"All this, Loudon, though of hot temper, easily capable of rising to the fierce point, had to endure in silence,
for the common interest. Loudon's own table is furnished from Frankfurt; no other Austrian man's: all others
have to shift how they can. Sad requisitioning needed, and sad plunder to supplement it: the Austrian
behavior was very bad, say the Frankfurters; 'in particular, they had burnt gradually all the cornmills in the
country; within many miles not one mill standing when they left us,'and four horses all the conveyance
power we had. Soltikof lodges in great pomp, much soldiery and cannon parading before his doors; not an
undignified man, or an inhuman or essentially foolish, but very high in his ways, and distasteful to Austrian
dignitaries."
The Russian Army lies mainly across Oder; encamped on the Judenberg, and eastward there, along the
Heights, near three miles, to Kunersdorf and beyond. They expect Friedrich at the gates of Frankfurt shortly;
know well that they cannot defend Frankfurt. They calculate that Friedrich will attack them in their Judenberg
Encampment, but hope they are nearly ready for him there. Loudon, from the Guben Suburb, will hasten
across, at any moment; welcome on such fighting occasion, though ill seen when the question is of eating!
The Russians have their Wagenburg on an Island southward, farther up the River; they have three Pontoon
Bridges leading thither, a free retreat should they be beaten. And in the mean while are intrenching
themselves, as only Daun would,cannon and redoubts all round those Heights;and except it be screwing
Frankfurt to do its impossible duty, and carting provender with all the horses except four, have not much
farther to do but wait till the King come. Which will be speedily, it is probable!
Wednesday, August 8th, Russian and Austrian Generals, a cheerful party of them, had rendezvoused at
FISCHERS MUHLE; a Mill not yet burnt, and a pleasant Tavern as well; in one of the prettiest valleys in the
Western Environs;intending to dine there, and have a pleasant day. But the Miller's Boy runs in upon
them, wideeyed, "HIMMEL UND ERDE, Prussian Hussars!" It was in verity Prussian Hussars; the King of
Prussia with them in person. He is come out reconnoitring,the day after his arrival in those parts. The
pleasuring Generals, Russian and Austrian, sprang to horseback at their swiftest,hope of dinner gone futile,
except to the intervening Prussian Hussars;and would have all been captured, but for that Miller's Boy;
whose Mill too was burnt before long. This gallop home of the undined Generals into Frankfurt was the first
news we poor Frankfurters had of the King's arrival.
The King has been punctual to his reckoning: he picked up Wedell at Mullrose,not too cordial to Wedell's
people: "None of you speak to those beaten wretches," ordered he; "till perhaps they wipe off their Zullichau
stain!" On the 7th, Friedrich advanced to Frankfurt neighborhood; took Camp between Wulkow and
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Lebus;and has just been out reconnoitring. And has raised, fancy what emotion in poor Frankfurt lying
under its nightmare! "Next day, August 9th, from WulkowLebus hand, we" of Frankfurt, "heard a great
firing; cannonsalvos, musketvolleys: 'Nothing of fight,' the Russian Officers told us; 'it is the King of
Prussia doing joyfire for Minden,' of which we till now knew nothing."
Friedrich, on survey of this RussianAustrian Army, some 90,000 in number, with such posts, artilleries,
advantages, judges that he, counting only 40,000, is not strong enough. And, indeed, had so anticipated, and
already judged; and, accordingly, has Finck on march hitherward again,Berlin must take its risk, Saxony
must shift for itself in the interim. Finck is due in two days,not here at Lebus precisely, but at another
place appointed; Finck will raise him to 50,000; and then business can begin! Contrary to Russian
expectation, Friedrich does not attack Frankfurt; seems quite quiet in his cantonments;he is quietly (if one
knew it) making preparations farther down the River. About Reitwein, between this and Custrin, there
arrangements are proceeding, by no means of a showy sort.
The RussianAustrian Army quits Frankfurt, leaving only some hundreds of garrison: Loudon moves across,
Soltikof across; to the OderDam and farther; and lie, powerfully intrenched, on those Kunersdorf Heights,
and sandy Moorlands, which go eastward at rightangles to OderDam. One of the strongest Camps
imaginable. All round there, to beyond Kunersdorf and back again, near three miles each way, they have a
ring of redoubts, and artillery without end. And lie there, in order of battle, or nearly so; ready for Friedrich,
when he shall attack, through Frankfurt or otherwise. They face to the North (Reitwein way, as it happens); to
their rear, and indeed to their front, only not so close, are woods and intricate wilds. Loudon has the left
flank; that is to say, Loudon's left hand is towards the OderDam and Frankfurt; he lies at the ROTHE
VORWERK ("Red Grange," a Farmstead much mentioned just now); rather to northwestward of the Jew Hill
and Jew Churchyard (JUDENBERG and JUDENKIRCHHOF, likewise much mentioned); and in advance of
the general Mass. Soltikof's headquarter, I rather understand, is on the right wing; probably in Kunersdorf
itself, or beyond that Village; there, at least, our highly important Russian right wing is; there, elaborately
fortified; and, half a mile farther, ends,on the edge of steep dells; the Russian brink of which is strongly
fringed with cannon, while beyond, on the farther brink, they have built an abatis; so making assurance
doubly sure. Looking to the northward all these 90,000; their left rather southward of Frankfurt Bridge, over
which Friedrich will probably arrive. Leftward, somewhat to rearward, they have bridges of their own; should
anything sinister befall; three bridges which lead into that Oder Island, and the Russian Wagenburg there.
August 10th, Finck, punctual to time, arrives in the neighborhood of Reitwein (which is some ten miles down
stream from Lebus, from Frankfurt perhaps fifteen); Friedrich, the same day, is there before him; eager to
complete the Bridges, and get to business. One Bridge is of pontoons; one of "Oderboats floated up from
Custrin." Bridges are not begun till nightfall, lest eyes be abroad; are ready in the minimum of time. And so,
during the same night of the 10th, all the Infantry, with their artilleries and battlefurnitures, pour over in two
columns; the Cavalry, at the due point of time, riding by a ford short way to the right. And at four, in the gray
of the August morning (Saturday, 11th August, 1759), all persons and things find themselves correctly
across; ranked there, in those barren, muchindented "Pasturegrounds of Goritz" or of OEtscher; intending
towards Kunersdorf; ready for unfolding into order of battle there. They leave their heavy baggage at Goritz,
Wunsch to guard the Bridges and it; and, in succinct condition, are all under way. At one in the afternoon we
are got to Leissow and Bischofsee; scrubby hamlets (as the rest all are), not above two miles from
Kunersdorf. The August day is windless, shiny, sultry; man and horse are weary with the labors, and with the
want of sleep: we decide to bivouac here, and rest on the scrubby surface, heather or whatever it is, till
tomorrow.
Finck is Vanguard, ahead short way, and with his left on a bit of lake or bog; the Army is in two lines, with
its right on Leissow, and has Cavalry in the kind of wood which there is to rear. Friedrich, having settled the
positions, rides out reconnoitring; hither, thither, over the Heights of Trettin. "The day being still hot, he
suffers considerably from thirst [it is our one Anecdote] in that arid tract: at last a Peasant does bring him,
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direct from the fountain, a jug of pure cold water; whom, lucky man, the King rewarded with a thaler; and not
only so, but, the man being intelligent of the localities, took with him to answer questions." Readers too may
desire to gain some knowledge of the important ground now under survey.
"Frankfurt, a very ancient Town, not a very beautiful," says my Note, "stands on an alluvium which has been
ground down from certain clay Hills on the left bank of Oder. It counted about 12,000 inhabitants in
Friedrich's time; has now perhaps about 20,000; not half the bulk of its namesake on the Mayn; but with
Three great Fairs annually, and much trade of the rough kind. On this left or west bank of Oder the country is
arable, moderately grassy and umbrageous, the prospect round you not unpleasant; but eastward, over the
River, nothing can be more in contrast. Oder is of swift current, of turbid color, as it rolls under Frankfurt
Bridge,Wooden Bridge, with Dam Suburb at the end;a River treeless, desolate, as you look up and
down; which has, evidently, often changed its course, since grinding down that alluvium as site for Frankfurt;
and which, though now holding mainly to northward, is still given to be erratic, and destructive on the eastern
low grounds,had not the Frankfurters built an 'OderDam' on that side; a broad strong Earthmound,
running for many miles, and confining its floods. Beyond the Dam there are traces of an 'Old Oder (ALTE
ODER);' and, in fact, Oder, in primeval and in recent time, has gone along, manystreamed; indenting,
quarrying, leaving lakelets, quagmires, miscellaneous sandy tumult, at a great rate, on that eastern shore.
Making of it one of the unloveliest scenes of chaotic desolation anywhere to be met with;fallen unlovelier
than ever in our own more recent times.
"What we call the Heights of Kunersdorf is a broad Chain of Knolls; coming out, at rightangles, or as a kind
of spur, from the eastern high grounds; direct towards Oder and Frankfurt. MillHill (MUHLBERG) is the
root or easternmost part of this spur. From the Muhlberg, over Kunersdorf, to OderDam, which is the whole
length of the spur, or Chain of Knolls, will be little short of four miles; the breadth of the Chain is nowhere
one mile,which is its grand defect as a Camp: 'too narrow for manoeuvring in.' Here, atop and on the three
sides of this Block of Knolls, was fought the furious Battle of Kunersdorf [to be fought tomorrow], one of
the most furious ever known. A Block of Knolls memorable ever since.
"To all appearance: it was once some big Island or chain of Islands in the Oder deluges: it is still cut with
sudden hollows,KUHGRUND (CowHollow), TIEFE WEG (Deep Way), and westernmost of all, and
most important for us here, HOHLE GRUND (Big Hollow, let us call it; 'LOUDON'S Hollow' people
subsequently called it);and is everywhere strangely tumbled up into knolls blunt or sharp, the work of
primeval Oder in his rages. In its highest knolls,of which let readers note specially the Spitzberg, the
Muhlberg, the Judenberg,it rises nowhere to 150 feet; perhaps the general height of it may be about 100.
On each side of it, especially on the north, the Country is of most intricate character: bushy, scraggy, with
brooklets or muddy oozings wandering about, especially with a thing called the HUNERFLIESS
(HenFloss), which springs in the eastern woods, and has inconceivable difficulty to get into Oder,if it get
at all! This was a sore Floss to Friedrich tomorrow. HenFloss struggles, painfully meandering and oozing,
along the northern side (sometimes close, sometimes not) of our Chain of Knolls: along the south side of it
(in our time, through the middle of it) goes the Highway to Reppen ["From that Highway will his attack
come!" thought the Russians, always till today]: on the north, to Leissow, to Trettin," where Friedrich is
now on survey, "go various wheeltracks, but no firm road. A most intricate unlovely Country. Withered
bentgrasses, heath, perhaps gorse, and on both sides a great deal of straggling Forestwood, reaching
eastward, and especially southward, for many miles.
"For the rest," to our illluck in this place, "the Battlefield of Kunersdorf has had a peculiar fate in the world;
that of being blown away by the winds! The then scene of things exists no longer; the descriptions in the Old
Books are gone hopelessly irrecognizable. In our time, there is not anywhere a tract more purely of tumbled
sand, than all this between Kunersdorf and Dam Vorstadt; and you judge, without aid of record or tradition,
that it is greatly altered for the worse since Friedrich's time,some rabbitcolony, or other the like
insignificancy, eating out the roots, till all vegetation died, and the wind got hold and set it dancing;and
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that, in 1759, when Russian human beings took it for a Camp, it must have been at least coherent, more or
less; covered, held together by some film of scrubby vegetation; not blowing about in every wind as now!
Kunersdorf stands with its northern end pushed into that KUHGRUND (CowHollow); which must then
have been a grassy place. Eastward of Kunersdorf the ground has still some skin of peat, and sticks together:
but westward, all that three miles, it is a mere tumult of sandhills, tumbled about in every direction (so
diligent have the conies been, and then the winds); no gullet, or definite cut or hollow, now traceable
anywhere, but only an endless imbroglio of twisted sandheaps and sandhollows, which continually alter in
the windstorms. Sand wholly, andexcept the strong paved Highway that now runs through it (to Reppen,
Meseritz and the Polish Frontier, and is strongly paved till it get through Kunersdorf)chaotic wholly; a
scene of heaped barrenness and horror, not to be matched but in Sahara; the features of the Battle quite blown
away, and indecipherable in our time.
"A hundred years ago, it would have some tattered skin,of peat, of heather and dwarf whins, with the sand
cropping out only here and there. So one has to figure it in Soltikof's day,before the conies ruined it.
Which was not till within the last sixty years, as appears. Kriele's Book (in 1801) still gives no hint of change:
the KUHGRUND, which now has nothing but dry sand for the most industrious ruminant, is still a place of
succulence and herbage in Kriele's time; 'Deep Way,' where 'at one point two carts could not pass,' was not
yet blown out of existence, but has still 'a Well in it' for Kriele; HOHLE GRUND (since called Loudon's
Hollow), with the Jew Hill and Jew Churchyard beyond, seem tolerable enough places to Kriele. Probably not
unlike what the surrounding Country still is. A Country of poor villages, and of wild ground, flat generally,
and but tolerably green; with lakelets, bushes, scrubs, and intricate meandering little runlets and oozelets; and
in general with more of Forest so called than now is:this is Kunersdorf Chain of Knolls; Soltikof's
Intrenched Camp at present; destined to become very famous in the world, after lying so long obscure under
Oder and its rages." [TOURIST'S NOTE (Autumnn, 1852).]
From the Knolls of Trettin, that Saturday afternoon, Friedrich takes view of the Russian Camp. All lying
bright enough there; from Muhlberg to Judenberg, convenient to our glass; between us and the evening Sun.
Batteries most abundant, difficulties great: Soltikof just ahead here, 72,000: Loudon at the Red Grange
yonder, on their extreme left, with 18,000 more. An uncommonly strong position for 90,000 against 50,000.
One thing strikes Friedrich: On front in this northern side, close by the base of the Russian Camp, runsfor
the present away FROM Oder, but intending to join it elsewhere a paltry little Brook, "HenFloss" so
called, with at least two successive Mills on it (KLEINE MUHLE, GROSSE MUHLE); and on the northern
shore of it, spilling itself out into a wet waste called ELSBRUCH (Alder Waste), which is especially notable
to Friedrich. ALDER Waste? Watery, scrubby; no passage there, thinks Friedrich; which his Peasant with the
waterjug confirms. "Tell me, however," inquires Friedrich, with strictness, "From the Red Grange yonder,
where General Loudon is, if you wished to get over to the HOHLE GRUND, or to the Judenberg, would you
cross that HenFloss?" "It is not crossable, your Majesty; one has to go round quite westward by the Dam." "
What, from Rothe Vorwerk to Big Hollow, no passage, say you; no crossing?" "None, your Majesty," insists
the Peasant;who is not aware that the Russians have made one of firm trestles and logs, and use it daily for
highway there; an error of some interest to Friedrich within the next twentyfour hours!
Friedrich himself does not know this bit of ground: but there is with him, besides the Peasant, a Major
Linden, whose Regiment used to lie in Frankfurt, of whom Friedrich makes minute questioning. Linden
answers confidently; has been over all this tract a hundred times; "but knows it only as a hunter," says
Tempelhof, [Tempelhof, iii. 186.] "not as a soldier," which he ought to have done. His answers are supposed
to have misled Friedrich on various points, and done him essential damage. Friedrich's view of the case, that
evening, is by no means so despondent as might be imagined: he regards the thing as difficult, not as
impossible, and one of his anxieties is, that he be not balked of trying it straightway. Retiring to his hut in
Bischofsee, he makes two Dispositions, of admirable clearness, brevity, and calculated for two contingencies:
[Given in Tempelhof, iii. 182, 183.] That of the enemy retaining his now posture; and That of the enemy
making off for Reppen;which latter does not at all concern us, as matters turned! Of the former the course
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will unfold itself to us, in practice, shortly. At 2 A.M. Friedrich will be on foot again, at 3 on march
again.The last phenomenon, at Bischofsee this night, is some sudden glare of disastrous light rising over
the woods: "Russians burning Kunersdorf!" as neighbors are sorry to hear. That is the finale of much
Russian rearranging and tumbling, this day; that barbarous burning of Kunersdorf, before going to bed.
Tomorrow various other poor Villages got burnt by them, which they had better have left standing.
The Russians, on hearing that Friedrich was across at Goritz, and coming on them from the north side, not
from Frankfurt by the Reppen Highway, were in great agitation. Not thrown into terror, but into manifold
haste, knowing what hasty adversary there was. Endless readjustments they have to make; a day of
tumultuous business with the Russians, this Saturday, llth, when the news reached them. "They inverted their
front [say all the Books but Friedrich's own]: Not coming by the Reppen Highway, then!" think they. And
thereupon changed rear to front, as at Zorndorf, but more elaborately;which I should not mention, were it
not that hereby their late "right wing on the Muhlberg" has, in strict speech, become their "left," and there is
ambiguity and discrepancy in some of the Books, should any poor reader take to studying them on this
matter. Changed their front; which involves much interior changing; readjusting of batteries and the like. That
of burning Kunersdorf was the barbaric winding up of all this: barbaric, and, in the military sense, absurd;
poor Kunersdorf could have been burnt at any moment, if needful; and to the Russians the keeping of it
standing was the profitable thing, as an impediment to Friedrich in his advance there. They have laid it flat
and permeable; ashes all of it,except the Church only, which is of stone; not so combustible, and may have
uses withal. Has perhaps served as temporary lockup, prison for the night, to some of those Frankfurt
Deputations and their troublesome wailings; and may serve as temporary hospital tomorrow, who knows?
Readjustments in the Russian Camp were manifold: but these are as nothing, in the tumultuous business of
the day. Carting of their baggage, every article of value, to that safe Wagenburg in the River; driving of
cattle,the very driving of cattle through Frankfurt, endless herds of them, gathered by the Cossacks from
far and wide, "lasted for fourandtwenty hours." Oxen in Frankfurt that day were at the rate of ten shillings
per head. Often enough you were offered a fullgrown young steer for a loaf of bread; nay the Cossacks,
when there was absolutely no bidder, would slaughter down the animal, leave its carcass in the streets, and
sell the hide for a TYMPF,fivepence (very bad silver at present). Never before or since was seen in
Frankfurt such a Saturday, for bellowing and braying, and raging and tumulting, all through the day and
through the night; ushering in such a Sunday too!
Sunday about 3 in the morning, Friedrich is on march again, Russians still in their place; and Disposition
FIRST, not SECOND at all, to be our rule of action! Friedrich, in Two Columns, marches off, eastward
through the woods, as if for Reppen quite away from the Russians and their Muhlberg; but intending to circle
round at the due point, and come down upon their right flank there (left flank, as he persists to call it), out of
the woods, and clasp it in his arms in an impressive, unexpected way. In Two Columns; which are meant, as
usual, to be the Two Lines of Battle: Seidlitz, with chosen Cavalry, is at the head of Column First, and will be
Left Wing, were we on the ground; Eugen of Wurtemberg, closing the rear of Column First, will, he, or Finck
and he together, be Right Wing. That is the order of march;order of BATTLE, we shall find, had to alter
itself somewhat, for reasons extremely valid!
Finck with his 12,000 is to keep his present ground; to have two good batteries got ready, each on its knoll
ahead, which shall wait silent in the interim: Finck to ride out reconnoitring, with many General Officers, and
to make motions and ostentations; in a word, to persuade the Russians that here is the Main Army coming on
from the north. All which Finck does; avoiding, as his orders were, any firing, or serious commencement of
business, till the King reappear out of the woods. The Russians give Finck and his General Officers a cannon
salvo, here and there, without effect, and get no answer. "The King does not see his way, then, after all?"
think the Russians. Their Cossacks go scouring about; on the southern side, "burn Schwetig and Reipzig,"
without the least advantage to themselves: most of the Cavalry, and a regiment or two of excellent Austrian
Grenadiers, are with Loudon, near the Red Grange, in front of the Russian extreme left;but will have stept
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over into Big Hollow at a moment of crisis!
The King's march, through the Forest of Reppen, was nothing like so expeditious as had been expected. There
are thickets, intricacies, runlets, boggy oozes; indifferent to one man well mounted, but vitally important to
30,000 with heavy cannon to bring on. Boggy oozings especially,there is one dirty stream or floss
(HUNERFLIESS, HenFloss) which wanders dismally through those recesses, issuing from the far south,
with dirty daughters dismally wandering into it, and others that cannot get into it (being of the lake kind):
these, in their weary, circling, recircling course towards Oder,FAULE LAACKE (Foul Lake,
LITHERMERE, as it were), Foul Bridge, Swine's Nook (SCHWEINEBUCKT), and many others,
occasion endless difficulty. Whether Major Linden was shot that day, or what became of him after, I do not
know: but it was pity he had not studied the ground with a soldier's eye instead of a hunter's! Plumping
suddenly, at last, upon HenFloss itself, Friedrich has to turn angularly; angularly, which occasions great
delay: the heavy cannon (wallguns brought from Custrin) have twelve horses each, and cannot turn among
the trees, but have to be unyoked, reyoked, turned round by hand:in short, it was eight in the morning
before Friedrich arrived at the edge of the wood, on the Klosterberg, Walckberg, and other woody BERGS or
knolls, within reach of Muhlberg, and behind the preliminary abatis there (abatis which was rather of service
to him than otherwise);and began privately building his batteries.
At eight o'clock he, with Column First, which is now becoming Line First (CENTRE of Line First, if we
reckon Finck as RIGHTWING), is there; busy in that manner: Column Second, which was to have been
Rear Line, is still a pretty way behind; and has many difficulties before it gets into Kunersdorf neighborhood,
or can (having wriggled itself into a kind of LEFTWING) cooperate on the Russian Position from the
south side. On the north side, Finck has been ready these five hours.Friedrich speeds the building of his
batteries: "Silent, too; the Russians have not yet noticed us!" By degrees the Russians do notice something;
shoot out Cossacks to reconnoitre. Cossacks in quantity; who are so insolent, and venture so very near, our
gunners on the north battery give them a blast of satisfactory grapeshot; one aud then another, four blasts in
all, satisfactory to the gunner mind,till the King's self, with a look, with a voice, came galloping: "Silence,
will you!" The Russians took no offence; still considering Finck to be the main thing and Friedrich some
scout party,till at last,
Halfpast eleven, everything being ready on the Walck Hill, Friedrich's batteries opened there, in a sudden
and volcanic way. Volcanically answered by the Russians, as soon as possible; who have 72 guns on this
Muhlberg, and are nothing loath. Upon whom Finck's battery is opening from the north, withal: Friedrich has
60 cannon hereabouts; on the Walckberg, on the LITTLE Spitzberg (called SEIDLITZ HILL ever since); all
playing diligently on the head and south shoulder of this Muhlberg: while Finck's battery opens on the north
shoulder (could he but get near enough). Volcanic to a degree all these; nor are the Russians wanting, though
they get more and more astonished: Tempelhof, who was in it, says he never, except at Torgau next Year,
heard a louder cannonade. Loud exceedingly; and more or less appalling to the Russian imagination: but not
destructive in proportion; the distance being too considerable,"1,950 paces at the nearest," as Tempelhof
has since ascertained by measuring. Friedrich's two batteries, however, as they took the Russians in the flank
or by enfilade, did good execution. "The Russian guns were illpointed; the Russian batteries wrongbuilt;
batteries so built as did not allow them sight of the Hollow they were meant to defend." [Tempelhof, iii. 186,
187.]
After above half an hour of this, Friedrich orders storm of the Muhlberg: Forward on it, with what of
enfilading it has had! Eight grenadier Battalions, a chosen vanguard appointed for the work (names of
Battalions all given, and deathless in the Prussian War Annals), tramp forth on this service: cross the abatis,
which the Russian grenadoes have mostly burnt; down into the Hollow. Steady as planets; "with a precision
and coherency," says Tempelhof, "which even on the paradeground would have deserved praises. Once well
in the Hollow, they suffer nothing; though the blind Russian fire, going all over their heads, rages threefold:"
suffered nothing in the Hollow; nor till they reached almost the brow of the Muhlberg, and were within a
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hundred steps of the Russian guns. These were the critical steps, these final ones; such torrents of grapeshot
and musketshot and sheer death bursting out, here at last, upon the Eight Battalions, as they come above
ground. Who advanced, unwavering, all the faster,speed one's only safety. They poured into the Russian
gunners and musketry battalions one volley of choicest quality, which had a shaking effect; then, with level
bayonets, plunge on the batteries: which are all empty before we can leap into them; artillerymen, musketeer
battalions, all on wing; general whirlpool spreading. And so, in ten minutes, the Muhlberg and its guns are
ours. Ever since Zorndorf, an idea had got abroad, says Tempelhof, that the Russians would die instead of
yielding; but it proved far otherwise here. Down as far as Kunersdorf, which may be about a mile westward,
the Russians are all in a whirl; at best hanging in tatters and clumps, their Officers struggling against the
flight; "mixed groups you would see huddled together a hundred men deep." The Russian Left Wing is
beaten: had we our cannon up here, our cavalry up here, the Russian Army were in a bad way!
This is a glorious beginning; completed, I think, as far almost as Kunersdorf by one o'clock: and could the
iron continue to be struck while it is at whiteheat as now, the result were as good as certain. That was
Friedrich's calculation: but circumstances which he had not counted on, some which he could not count on,
sadly retarded the matter. His Left Wing (Rear Line, which should now have been Left Wing) from
southward, his Right Wing from northward, and Finck farther west, were now on the instant to have
simultaneously closed upon the beaten Russians, and crushed them altogether. The Right Wing, conquerors
of the Muhlberg, are here: but neither Finck nor the Left can be simultaneous with them. Finck and his
artillery are much retarded with the Flosses and poor single Bridges; and of the Left Wing there are only
some Vanguard Regiments capable of helping ("who drove out the Russians from Kunersdorf Churchyard,"
as their first feat),no Main Body yet for a long while. Such impediments, such intricacies of bog and bush!
The entire Wing does at last get to the southeast of Kunersdorf, free of the wood; but finds (contrary to
Linden with his hunter eye) an intricate meshwork of meres and straggling lakes, two of them in the burnt
Village itself; no passing of these except on narrow isthmuses, which necessitate change of rank and
rechange; and our Left Wing cannot, with all its industry, "march up," that is, arrive at the enemy in fighting
line, without the painfulest delays.
And then the getting forward of our cannon! On the Muhlberg itself the seventytwo Russian guns, "owing to
difference of calibre," or artillerymen know what, cannot be used by us: a few light guns, Tempelhof to one
of them, a poor four in all, with perhaps 100 shot to each, did, by the King's order, hasten to the top of the
Muhlberg; and never did Tempelhof see a finer chance for artillery than there. Soft sloping ground, with
Russians simmering ahead of you, all the way down to Kunersdorf, a mile long: by horizontal pointing, you
had such reboundings (RICOCHETS); and carried beautiful execution! Tempelhof soon spent his hundred
shots: but it was not at once that any of our sixty heavy guns could be got up thither. Twelve horses to each:
fancy it, and what baffling delays here and elsewhere;and how the Russian whirlpool was settling more
and more, in the interim! And had, in part, settled; in part, got through to the rear, and been replaced by fresh
troops!
Friedrich's activities, and suppressed and insuppressible impatiences in this interval, are also conceivable,
though not on record for us. The swiftest of men; tied down, in this manner, with the blaze of perfect victory
ahead, were the moments NOT running out! Slower or faster, he thinks (I suppose), the victory is his; and
that he must possess his soul till things do arrive. It was in one and more of those embargoed intervals that he
wrote to Berlin [Preuss, ii. 212 n.] (which is waiting, as if for life or death, the issue of this scene, sixty miles
distant): "Russians beaten; rejoice with me!" Four successive couriers, I believe, with messages to that effect;
and at last a Fifth with dolefully contrary news!
In proportion as the cannon and other necessaries gradually got in, the Fight flamed up from its embers more
aud more: and there ensued,the Russians being now ranked again (fronting eastward now) "in many lines,"
and very fierce,a second still deadlier bout; Friedrich furiously diligent on their front and right flank;
Finck, from the Alder Waste, battering and charging (uphill, and under difficulties from those Flosses and
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single Bridges) on their left flank. This too, after long deadly efforts on the Prussian part, ended again clearly
in their favor; their enemies broken a second time, and driven not only out of Kunersdorf and the Kuhgrund,
but some say almost to the foot of the Judenberg,what can only be very partially true. Broken portions of
the Russian left flank,some of Finck's people, in their victorious wrath, may have chased these very far:
but it is certain the general Russian mass rallied again a long way short of the Judenberg;though, the
ground being all obliterated by the rabbits and the winds, nobody can now know with exactitude where.
And indeed the Battle, from this point onwards, becomes blurred and confused to us, only its grosser features
visible henceforth. Where the "Big Spitzberg" was (so terribly important soon), nobody can now tell me,
except from maps. London's motions too are obscure, though important. I believe his grenadiers had not yet
been in the fire; but am certain they are now come out of Big Hollow; fresh for the rescue; and have taken
front rank in this Second Rally that is made. Loudon's Cavalry Loudon himself has in hand, and waits with
them in a fit place. He has 18,000 fresh men; and an eye like few others on a field of war. Loudon's 18,000
are fresh: of the Prussians that can by no means be said. I should judge it must be 3 of the afternoon. The day
is windless, blazing; one of the hottest August days; and "nobody, for twelve hours past, could command a
drink of water:" very fresh the poor Prussians cannot be! They have done two bouts of excellent fighting;
tumbled the Russians well back, stormed many batteries; and taken in all 180 cannon.
At this stage, it appears, Finck and many Generals, Seidlitz among the others, were of opinion that, in present
circumstances, with troops so tired, and the enemy nearly certain to draw off, if permitted, here had been
enough for one day, and that there ought to be pause till tomorrow. Friedrich knew well the need of rest; but
Friedrich, impatient of things halfdone, especially of Russians halfbeaten, would not listen to this
proposal; which was reckoned upon him as a grave and tragic fault, all the rest of his life; though favorable
judges, who were on the ground, Tempelhof for one, [Tempelhof, iii. 194.] are williug to prove that pausing
hereat the point we had really got to, a little beyond the Kuhgrund, namely; and not a couple of miles
westward, at the foot of the Jew Hill, where vague rumor puts uswas not feasible or reasonable. Friedrich
considers with himself, "Our left wing has hardly yet been in fire!" calls out the entire left wing, foot and
horse: these are to emerge from their meshwork of Lakes about Kunersdorf, and bear a hand along with us on
the Russian front here,especially to sweep away that raging Battery they have on the Big Spitzberg, and
make us clear of it. The Big Spitzberg lies to south and ahead of the Russian right as now ranked; fatally
covers their right flank, and half ruins the attack in front. Big Spitzberg is blown irrecognizable in our time;
but it was then an allimportant thing.
The leftwing Infantry thread their lakelabyrinth, the soonest possible; have to rank again on the hither side,
under a tearing fire from that Spitzberg; can then at last, and do, storm onwards, upwards; but cannot, with
their best efforts, take the Spitzberg: and have to fall back under its floods of tearing caseshot, and retire out
of range. To Friedrich's blank disappointment: "Try it you, then, Seidlitz; you saved us at Zorndorf!" Seidlitz,
though it is an impossible problem to storm batteries with horse, does charge in for the Russian flank, in spite
of its covering battery: but the torrents of grapeshot are insufferable; the Seidlitz people, torn in gaps, recoil,
whirl round, and do not rank again till beyond the Lakes of Kunersdorf. Seidlitz himself has got wounded,
and has had to be carried away.
And, in brief, from this point onwards all goes aback with the Prussians more and more. Repeated attempts
on that Spitzberg battery prove vain; to advance without it is impossible. Friedrich's exertions are passionate,
almost desperate; rallying, animating, newordering; everywhere in the hottest of the fire. "Thrice he
personally led on the main attack." He has had two horses shot down under him; mounting a third, this too
gets a bullet in an artery of the neck, and is about falling, when two Adjutants save the King. In his
waistcoatpocket some small gold case (ETUI) has got smitten flat by a bullet, which would otherwise have
ended matters. The people about him remonstrate on such exposure of a life beyond value; he answers curtly,
"We must all of us try every method here, to win the Battle: I, like every other, must stand to my duty here!"
These, and a second brief word or two farther on, are all of articulate that we hear from him this day.
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Friedrich's wearied battalions here on the Heights, while the Spitzberg to left goes so ill, fight desperately;
but cannot prevail farther; and in spite of Friedrich's vehement rallyings and urgings, gradually lose
ground,back at last to Kunersdorf and the Kuhgrund again. The Loudon grenadiers, and exclaimed masses
of fresh Russians, are not to be broken, but advance and advance. Fancy the panting deathlabors, and
spasmodic toilings and bafflings, of those poor Prussians and their King! Nothing now succeeding; the
deathagony now come; all hearts growing hopeless; only one heart still seeing hope. The Spitzberg is
impossible; tried how often I know not. Finck, from the Alder Waste, with his Infantry, attacks, and again
attacks; without success: "Let the Cavalry go round, then, and try there. Seidlitz we have not; you Eugen of
Wurtemberg lead them!" Eugen leads them (cuirassiers, or we will forget what); round by the eastern end of
the Muhlberg; then westward, along the Alder Waste; finally southward, against the Russian flank, himself
foremost, and at the gallop for charging:Eugen, "looking round, finds his men all gone," and has to gallop
the other way, gets wounded to boot. Puttkammer, with Hussars, then tried it; Puttkammer was shot dead, and
his Hussars too could do nothing.
Back, slowly back, go the Prussians generally, nothing now succeeds with them. Back to the Kuhgrund again;
fairly over the steep brow there; the Russians serrying their ranks atop, rearranging their many guns. There,
once more, rose frightful struggle; desperate attempt by the fordone Prussians to retake that Height. "Lasted
fifteen minutes, line to line not fifty yards asunder;" such musketry,our last cartridges withal. Ardent
Prussian parties trying to storm up; few ever getting to the top, none ever standing there alive one minute.
This was the deathagony of the Battle. Loudon, waiting behind the Spitzberg, dashes forward now, towards
the Kuhgrund and our Left Flank. At sight of which a universal feeling shivers through the Prussian heart,
"Hope ended, then!" and their solid ranks rustle everywhere; and melt into one wild deluge, ebbing from
the place as fast as it can.
It is towards six o'clock; the sweltering Sun is now fallen low and veiled; gray evening sinking over those
wastes. "N'Y ATIL DONC PAS UN BOUGRE DE BOULET QUI PUISSE M'ATTEINDREE (Is there no
one b of a ball that can reach me, then)?" exclaimed Friedrich in despair. Such a day he had never thought
to see. The pillar of the State, the Prussian Army itself, gone to chaos in this manner. Friedrich still
passionately struggles, exhorts, commands, entreats even with tears, "Children, don't forsake me, in this pinch
(KINDER, VERLASSET HEUTE MICH, EUREN KONIG, EUREN VATER, NICHT)!" [Kriele, p.
169.]but all ears are deaf. On the Muhlberg one regiment still stood by their guns, covering the retreat. But
the retreat is more and more a flight; "no Prussian Army was ever seen in such a state." At the Bridges of that
HenFloss, there was such a crowding, all our guns got jammed; and had to be left, 165 of them of various
calibre, and the whole of the Russian 180 that were once in our hands. Had the chase been vigorous, this
Prussian Army had been heard of no more. But beyond the Muhlberg, there was little or no pursuit; through
the wood the Army, all in chaos, but without molestation otherwise, made for its Oder Bridges by the way it
had come. [Tempelhof, iii. 179200; Retzow, ii. 80115: in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 589598, Bericht von der
am 12 August, 1759 bey Kunersdorf vorgefallenen Schlacht (Official); and IB. 598603, Beschreibung der
(by a Private Hand): lucidly accurate both.]
Friedrich was among the last to quit the ground. He seemed stupefied by the excess of his emotions; in no
haste to go; uncertain whether he would go at all. His adjutants were about him, and a small party of Ziethen
Hussars under Captain Prittwitz. Wild swarms of Cossacks approached the place. "PRITTWITZ, ICH BIN
VERLOREN (Prittwitz, I am lost)!" remarked he. "NEIN, IHRO MAJESTAT!" answered Prittwitz with
enthusiasm; charged fiercely, he and his few, into the swarms of Cossacks; cut them about, held them at bay,
or sent them elsewhither, while the Adjutants seized Friedrich's bridle, and galloped off with him. At
OEtscher and the Bridges, Friedrich found of his late Army not quite 3,000 men. Even Wunsch is not there
till next morning. Wunsch with his Party had, early in the afternoon, laid hold of Frankfurt, as ordered; made
the garrison prisoners, blocked the Oder Bridge; poor Frankfurt tremulously thanking Heaven for him, and
for such an omen. In spite of their Wagenburg and these PontoonBridges, it appears, there would have been
no retreat for the Russians except into Wunsch's cannon: Wagenburg way, latish in the afternoon, there was
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such a scramble of runaways and retreating baggage, all was jammed into impassability; scarcely could a
single man get through. In case of defeat, the Russian Army would have had no chance but surrender or
extermination. [Tempelhof, iii. 194: in Retzow (ii. 110) is some dubious traditionary stuff on the matter.] At
dark, however, Wunsch had summons, so truculent in style, he knew what it meant; and answering in words
peremptorily, "No" with a like emphasis, privately got ready again, and at midnight disappeared. Got to
Reitwein without accident.
Friedrich found at OEtscher nothing but huts full of poor wounded men, and their miseries and
surgeries;he took shelter, himself, in a hut "which had been plundered by Cossacks" (in the past days), but
which had fewer wounded than others, and could be furnished with some bundles of dry straw. Kriele has a
pretty Anecdote, with names and particulars, of two poor Lieutenants, who were lying on the floor, as he
entered this hut. They had lain there for many hours; the Surgeons thinking them desperate; which Friedrich
did not. "ACH KINDER, Alas, children, you are badly wounded, then?" "JA, your Majesty: but how goes the
Battle?" (Answer, evasive on this point): "Are you bandaged, though? Have you been let blood?" "NEIN,
EUER MAJESTAT, KEIN TEUFEL WILL UNS VERBINDEN (Not a devil of them would bandage us)!"
Upon which there is a Surgeon instantly brought; reprimanded for neglect: "Desperate, say you? These are
young fellows; feel that hand, and that; no fever there: Nature in such cases does wonders!" Upon which the
leech had to perform his function; and the poor young fellows were saved,and did new fighting, and got
new wounds, and had Pensions when the War ended. [Kriele, pp. 169, 170; and in all the AnecdoteBooks.]
This appears to have been Friedrich's first work in that hut at OEtscher. Here next is a Third Autograph to
Finkenstein, written in that hut, probably the first of several Official things there:
THE KING TO GRAF VAN FINKENSTEIN (at Berlin): Third Note.
OETSCHER, "12th August," 1759.
"I attacked the Enemy this morning about eleven; we beat him back to the JUDENKIRCHHOF (Jew
Churchyard,"a mistake, but now of no moment), "near Frankfurt. All my troops came into action, and have
done wonders. I reassembled them three times; at length, I was myself nearly taken prisoner; and we had to
quit the Field. My coat is riddled with bullets, two horses were killed under me;my misfortune is, that I am
still alive. Our loss is very considerable. Of an Army of 48,000 men, I have, at this moment while I write, not
more than 3,000 together; and am no longer master of my forces. In Berlin you will do well to think of your
safety. It is a great calamity; and I will not survive it: the consequences of this Battle will be worse than the
Battle itself. I have no resources more; and, to confess the truth, I hold all for lost. I will not survive the
destruction of my Country. Farewell forever (ADIEU POUR JAMAIS).F." [In orig. "CE 12," no other date
( OEuvres de Frederic, xxv. 306).]
Another thing, of the same tragic character, is that of handing over this Army to Finck's charge. Order there is
to Finck of that tenor: and along with it the following notable Autograph,a Friedrich taking leave both of
Kingship and of life. The Autograph exists; but has no date,date of the Order would probably be still
OETSCHER, 12th AUGUST; date of the Autograph, REITWEIN (across the River), next day.
FRIEDRICH TO LIEUT.GENERAL FINCK (at OEtscher or Reitwein).
"General Finck gets a difficult commission; the unlucky Army which I give up to him is no longer in
condition to make head against the Russians. Haddick will now start for Berlin, perhaps Loudon too; if
General Finck go after these, the Russians will fall on his rear; if he continue on the Oder, he gets Haddick on
his flank (SO KRIGT ER DEN HADEK DISS SEIT):however, I believe, should Loudon go for Berlin, he
might attack Loudon, and try to beat him: this, if it succeeded, would be a stand against misfortune, and hold
matters up. Time gained is much, in these desperate circumstances. The news from Torgau and Dresden,
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Coper my Secretary (COPER MEIN SEGRETER," kind of lieutenant to Eichel [See Preuss, i. 349, iii. 442.])
"will send him. You (ER) must inform my Brother [Prince Henri] of everything; whom I have declared
Generalissimo of the Army. To repair this bad luck altogether is not possible: but what my Brother shall
command, must be done:the Army swears to my Nephew [King henceforth].
"This is all the advice, in these unhappy circumstances, I am in a condition to give. Had I still had resources, I
would have stayed by them (SO WEHRE ICH DARBEI GEBLIEBEN).
"FRIEDRICH" [Exact Copy, two exact copies, in PREUSS (i. 450, and again, ii. 215).]
All this done, the wearied Friedrich flung himself into his truss of dry straw; and was seen sound asleep there,
a single sentry at the door, by some high Generals that ventured to look in. On the morrow he crossed to
Reitwein; by tomorrow night, there had 23,000 of his fugitives come in to him;but this is now to be
Finck's affair, not his! That day, too (for the Paper seems to be misdated), he signed, and despatched to
Schmettau, Commandant in Dresden, a Missive, which proved more fatal than either of the others; and
brought, or helped to bring, very bitter fruits for him, before long:
TO LIEUTENANTGENERAL VON SCHMETTAU (at Dresden).
"REITWEIN, 14th [probably 13th] August, 1759.
"You will perhaps have heard of the Check [L'ECHEC, Kunersdorf to wit!] I have met with from the Russian
Army on the 13th [12th, if you have the Almanac at hand] of this month. Though at bottom our affairs in
regard to the Enemy here are not desperate, I find I shall not now be able to make any detachment for your
assistance. Should the Austrians attempt anything against Dresden, therefore, you will see if there are means
of maintaining yourself; failing which, it will behoove you to try and obtain a favorable Capitulation,to
wit, Liberty to withdraw, with the whole Garrison, Moneys, Magazines, Hospital and all that we have at
Dresden, either to Berlin or elsewhither, so as to join some Corps of my Troops.
"As a fit of illness [MALADIE, alas!] has come on me,which I do not think will have dangerous
results,I have for the present left the command of my Troops to LieutenantGeneral von Finck; whose
Orders you are to execute as if coming to you directly from myself. On this I pray God to have you in his
holy and worthy keeping.F." [Preuss, ii. Urkundenbuch, p. 43.]
At Berlin, on this 13th,with the Five Couriers coming in successively (and not in the order of their
despatch, but the fatal Fifth arriving some time AHEAD of the Fourth, who still spoke of progress and
victory),there was such a day as Sulzer (ACH MEIN LIEBER SULZER!) had never seen in the world.
"'Above 50,000 human beings on the Palace Esplanade and streets about;' swaying hither and thither, in
agony of expectation, in alternate paroxysm of joy and of terror and woe; often enough the opposite
paroxysms simultaneous in the different groups, and men crushed down in despair met by men leaping into
the air for very gladness:" Sulzer (whose sympathy is of very aesthetic type) "would not, for any
consideration, have missed such a scene." [ Briefe der Schweitzer Bodmer, Sulzer, Gessner; aus Gleim's
literarischen Nachlasse: herausgegeben von Wilhelm Korte (Zurich, 1804), pp. 316319.] The "scene" is
much obliged to you, MEIN LIEBER!
Practically we find, in Rodenbeck, or straggling elsewhere, this Note: "On the day after Kunersdorf, Queen
and Court fly to Magdeburg: this is their second flight. Their first was on Haddick's Visit, October, 1757; but
after Rossbach they soon returned, and Berlin and the Court were then extremely gay: different gentlemen,
French and others of every Nation, fallen prisoners, made the Queen's soirees the finest in the world for
splendor and variety, at that time." [Rodenbeck, i. 390;
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One other Note we save, for the sake of poor Major Kleist, "Poet of the Spring," as he was then called. A
valiant, punctual Soldier, and with a turn for Literature as well; who wrote really pleasant fine things, new at
that time and rapturously welcome, though too much in the sentimental vein for the times which have
followed. Major Kleist,there is a General Kleist, a Colonel Kleist of the Green Hussars (called GRUNE
Kleist, a terrible cutting fellow): this is not Grune Kleist; this is the Poet of THE SPRING; whose fate at
Kunersdorf made a tragic impression in all intelligent circles of Teutschland. Here is Kriele's Note
(abridged):
"Christian Ewald von Kleist, 'Poet of the Spring' [a Pommern gentleman, now in his fortyfourth year], was
of Finck's Division; had come on, after those Eight Battalions took the first Russian battery [that is,
Muhlberg]; and had been assisting, with zeal, at the taking of three other batteries, regardless of twelve
contusions, which he gradually got. At the third battery, he was farther badly hurt on the left arm and the
right. Took his Colonel's place nevertheless, whom he now saw fall; led the regiment MUTHIG forward on
the fourth battery. A caseshot smashed his right leg to pieces; he fell from his horse [hour not given, shall
we say 3 P.M.]; sank, exclaiming: 'KINDER, My children, don't forsake your King!' and fainted there. Was
carried to rear and leftward; laid down on some dry spot in the Elsbruch, not far from the Kuhgrund, and a
Surgeon brought. The Surgeon, while examining, was torn away by caseshot: Kleist lay bleeding without
help. A friend of his, Pfau [who told Kriele], one of Finck's Generals, came riding that way: Kleist called to
him; asked how the Battle went; uncommonly glad to hear we are still progressive. Pfau undertook, and tried
his utmost, for a carriage to Kleist; did send one of Finck's own carriages; but after such delays that the
Prussians were now yielding: poor Kleist's had become Russian ground, and the carriage could not get in.
"Kleist lay helpless; no luck worse than his. In the evening, Cossacks came round him; stript him
starknaked; threw him, face foremost, into the nearest swampy place, and went their way. One of these
devils had something so absurd and Tenierslike in the face of him, that Kleist, in his pains, could not help
laughing at remembrance of it. In the night some Russian Hussars, human and not Cossack, found Kleist in
this situation; took him to a dry place; put a cloak over him, kindled a watchfire for themselves, and gave
him water and bread. Towards morning they hastened away, throwing an 8GROSCHEN STUCK
[ninepenny piece, shilling, say halfcrown] on his cloak,with human farewell. But Cossacks again came;
again stript him naked and bare. Towards noon of the 13th, Kleist contrived to attract some Russian Cavalry
troop passing that way, and got speech of the Captain (one Fackelberg, a German); who at once set about
helping him;and had him actually sent into Frankfurt, in a carriage, that evening. To the House of a
Professor Nikolai; where was plenty of surgery and watchful affection. After near thirty hours of such a lair,
his wounds seemed still curable; there was hope for ten days. In the tenth night (22d23d August), the
shivered pieces of bone disunited themselves; cut an artery,which, after many trials, could not be tied.
August 24th, at two in the morning, he died.Great sorrow. August 26th, there was soldier's funeral; poor
Kleist's coffin borne by twelve Russian grenadiers; very many Russian Officers attending, who had come
from the Camp for that end; one Russian StaffOfficer of them unbuckling his own sword to lay on the bier,
as there was want of one. King Friedrich had Kleist's Portrait hung in the Garnison Kirche. Freemason Lodge,
in 1788, set up a monument to him," [Kriele, pp. 3943.]which still stands on the Frankfurt pavement, and
is now in sadly ruinous state.
The Prussian loss, in this Battle, was, besides all the cannon and fieldequipages: 6,000 killed, 13,000
wounded (of which latter, 2,000 badly, who fell to the Russians as prisoners); in all, about 19,000 men. Nor
was the Russian loss much lighter; of Russians and Austrians together, near 18,000, as Tempelhof counts:
"which will not surprise your Majesty," reports Soltikof to his Czarina; "who are aware that the King of
Prussia sells his defeats at a dear rate." And privately Soltikof was heard to say, "Let me fight but another
such Victory, and I may go to Petersburg with the news of it myself, with the staff in my hand." The joy at
Petersburg, striving not to be braggart or immodest, was solemn, steady and superlative: a great feat indeed
for Russia, this Victory over such a King,though a kind of grudge, that it was due to Loudon, dwelt, in
spite of Loudon's politic silence on that point, unpleasantly in the background. The chase they had shamefully
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neglected. It is said, certain Russian Officers, who had charge of that business stept into a peasant's cottage to
consult on it; contrived somehow to find tolerable liquor there; and sat drinking instead. [Preuss, ii. 217.]
Chapter V. SAXONY WITHOUT DEFENCE: SCHMETTAU SURRENDERS
DRESDEN.
Friedrich's despair did not last quite four days. On the fourth day,day after leaving Reitwein,there is this
little Document, which still exists, of more comfortable tenor: "My dear Major General von
Wunsch,Your Letter of the 16th to LieutenantGeneral von Finck punctually arrived here: and for the
future, as I am now recovered from my illness, you have to address your Reports directly to Myself.F."
["Madlitz," on the road to Furstenwalde, "17th August:" in Preuss, Friedrich der Grosse; eine historische
PortraitSkizze (kind of LECTURE, so let us call it, if again citing it; Lecture delivered, on Friedrich's
Birthday, to Majesty and StaffOfficers as Audience, Berlin, 24th January, 1855), p. 18.] Finding that, except
Tottleben warily reconnoitring with a few Cossacks, no Russians showed themselves at Reitwein; that the
Russians were encamping and intrenching on the WineHills south of Frankfurt, not meaning anything
immediate,he took heart again; ranked his 23,000; sent for General Kleist from Pommern with his
AntiSwedish handful (leave the Swedes alone, as usual in time of crisis); considered that artilleries and
furnishings could come to him from Berlin, which is but 60 miles; that there still lay possibility ahead, and
that, though only a miracle could save him, he would try it to the very last.
A great relief, this of coming to oneself again! "Till death, then;rage on, ye elements and black
savageries!" Friedrich's humor is not despondent, now or afterwards; though at this time it is very sad, very
angry, and, as it were, scorning even to hope: but he is at all times of beautifully practical turn; and has, in his
very despair, a sobriety of eyesight, and a fixed steadiness of holding to his purpose, which are of rare
quality. His utterances to D'Argens, about this time and onward,brief hints, spontaneous, almost
unconscious,give curious testimony of his glooms and moody humors. Of which the reader shall see
something. For the present, he is in deep indignation with his poor Troops, among other miseries. "Actual
running away!" he will have it to be; and takes no account of thirst, hunger, heat, utter weariness and physical
impossibility! This lasts for some weeks. But in general there is nothing of this injustice to those about him.
In general, nothing even of gloom is manifested; on the contrary, cheerfulness, brisk hope, a strangely
continual succession of hopes (mostly illusory); though, within, there is traceable very great sorrow,
weariness and misery. A fixed darkness, as of Erebus, is grown habitual to him; but is strictly shut up, little of
it shown to others, or even, in a sense, to himself. He is as a traveller overtaken by the Night and its tempests
and raindeluges, but refusing to pause; who is wetted to the bone, and does not care farther for rain. A
traveller grown familiar with the howling solitudes; aware that the Stormwinds do not pity, that Darkness is
the dead Earth's Shadow:a most lone soul of a man; but continually toiling forward, as if the brightest goal
and haven were near and in view.
Once more the world was certain of Friedrich's ruin;Friedrich himself we have seen certain of it, for some
few desperate hours: but the world and he, as had been repeatedly the world's case, were both
disappointed. Intrinsically there could be little doubt but Friedrich's enemies might now have ruined him, had
they been diligent about it. Now again, and now more than ever, they have the winningpost in sight. At
small distance is the goal and purpose of all these four years' battlings and marchings, and ten years'
subterranean plottings and intriguings. He himself says deliberately, "They had only to give him the finishing
stroke (COUPDEGRACE)." [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 20.] But they never gave him that stroke; could not
do it, though heartily desirous. Which was, and is, matter of surprise to an observant public.
The cause of failure may be considered to have been, in good part, Daun and his cunctations. Daun's zeal was
unquestionable; ardent and continual is Daun's desire to succeed: but to try it at his own risk was beyond his
power. He expected always to succeed by help of others: and to show them an example, and go vigorously to
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work himself, was what he never could resolve on. Could play only Fabius Cunctator, it would seem; and
never was that part less wanted than now! Under such a Chief Figure, the "incoherency of action," instead of
diminishing, as Friedrich had feared, rose daily towards its maximum; and latterly became extreme. The old
Lernean Hydra had many heads; but they belonged all to one body. The many heads of this AntiFriedrich
Hydra had withal each its own body, and separate set of notions and advantages. Friedrich was at least a
unity; his whole strength going one way, and at all moments, under his own sole command. The value of this
circumstance is incalculable; this is the savingclause of Pitt and his England (Pitt also a despotic sovereign,
though a temporary one); this, second only to Friedrich's great gifts from Nature, and the noble use he makes
of them, is above all others the circumstance that saved him in such a duel with the Hydras.
On the back of Kunersdorf, accordingly, there was not only no finishing stroke upon Friedrich, but for two
months no stroke or serious attempt whatever in those neighborhoods where Friedrich is. There are four
Armies hereabouts: The Grand Russian, hanging by Frankfurt; Friedrich at Furstenwalde (whitherward he
marched from Reitwein August 16th), at Furstenwalde or farther south, guarding Berlin;then, unhurt yet
by battle of any kind, there are the Grand Daunish or MarkLissa Army, and Prince Henri's of Schmottseifen.
Of which latter Two the hitchings and manoeuvrings from time to time become vivid, and never altogether
cease; but in no case come to anything. Above two months' scientific flourishing of weapons, strategic
counterdancing; but no stroke struck, or result achieved, except on Daun's part irreparable waste of time:
all readers would feel it inhuman to be burdened with any notice of such things. One march of Prince Henri's,
which was of a famous and decisive character, we will attend to, when it comes, that is, were the end of
September at hand; the rest must be imagined as a general strategic dance in those frontier parts,Silesia to
rearward on one side, the Lausitz and Frankfurt on the other,and must go on, silently for most part, in the
background of the reader's fancy. Indeed, Saxony is the scene of action; Friedrich, Henri, Soltikof, Daun,
comparatively inactive for the next six weeks and more.
Some days before Kunersdorf, Daun personally, with I will forget how many thousands, had made a move to
northward from MarkLissa, 60 miles or so, through Sagan Country; and lies about Priebus, waiting there
ever since. Priebus is some 40 miles north of Gorlitz, about 60 west of Glogau, south of Frankfurt 80. This is
where the MasterSmith, having various irons in the fire, may be handiest for clutching them out, and forging
at them, as they become successively hot. Daun, as MasterSmith, has at least three objects in view. The
FIRST is, as always, Reconquest of Silesia: this is obstructed by Prince Henri, who sits, watchful on the
threshold, at Schmottseifen yonder. The SECOND is, as last year, Capture of Dresden: which is much the
more feasible at present, there being, except the Garrisons, no Prussian force whatever in Saxony; and a
Reichs Army now actually there at last, after its long haggling about its Magazines; and above all, a Friedrich
with his hands full elsewhere. To keep Friedrich's hands full,in other words, to keep the Russians sticking
to him,that is the THIRD object: or indeed we may call it the first, second and third; for Daun is well
aware that unless Soltikof can manage to keep Friedrich busy, Silesia, Saxony and all else becomes
impossible.
Ever since the fortunate junction of Loudon with Soltikof, Daun has sat, and still sits, expectant; elaborately
calculative, gathering Magazines in different parts, planting outparties, this way, that way, with an eye to
these three objects, all or each,especially to the third object, which he discerns to be all AND each. Daun
was elaborately calculative with these views: but to try any military action, upon Prince Henri for example, or
bestir himself otherwise than in driving provender forward, and marching detachments hither and thither to
the potentially fit and fittest posts, was not in Daun's way,so much the worse for Daun, in his present
course of enterprise.
Prince Henri had lain quiet at Schmottseifen, waiting his Brother's adventure; did not hear the least tidings of
him till six days after Kunersdorf, and then only by rumor; hideous, and, though still dubious, too much of it
probable! On the very day of Kunersdorf, Henri had begun effecting some improvements on his right
flank,always a sharply strategic, most expert creature, and made a great many motions, which would be
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unintelligible here. [Detailed, every fibre of them (as is the soulconfusing custom there), in Tempelhof, iii.
228 et seq.] Henri feels now that upon him lies a world of duties; and foremost of all, the instant duty of
endeavoring to open communication with his Brother. Many marches, in consequence; much intricate
marching and manoeuvring between Daun and him: of which, when we come to Henri's great March (of 25th
September), there may be again some hint.
For the present, let readers take their Map, and endeavor to fix the following dates and localities in their
mind. Here, in summary, are the King's various Marches, and Two successive Encampments, two only,
during those Six Weeks of forced inaction, while he is obliged to stand watching the Russians, and to witness
so many complicacies and disasters in the distance; which he struggles much and fruitlessly to hinder or
help:
ENCAMPMENT 1st (Furstenwalde, August 18th30th). Friedrich left Reitwein AUGUST 16th; 17th, he is
at Madlitz [Note to Wunsch written there, which we read]; 18th, to Furstenwalde, and encamp. Furstenwalde
is on the Spree, straight between Frankfurt and Berlin; 25 miles from the former, 35 from the latter. Here for
near a fortnight. At first, much in alarm about the Russians and Berlin; but gradually ascertaining that the
Russians intend nothing.
"In effect, all this while Soltikof lay at Lossow, 10 miles south of Frankfurt, with his right on Oder; totally
motionless, inactive, except listening, often rather gloomily, to Daun's and Montalembert's suasive
eloquences and advices,and once, August 22d, in the little Town of Guben, holding Conference with Daun
[of which by and by]. In consequence of which, AUGUST 28th, Soltikof and his Russians and Austrians got
under way again; southward, but only a few marches: first to Mullrose, then to Lieberose:whom, the
instant he heard of their movements, Friedrich, August 30th, hastened to follow; but had not to follow very
far. Whereupon ensues
"ENCAMPMENT SECOND (Waldau, till September 15th). AUGUST 30th, Friedrich, we say, rose from
Furstenwalde; hastened to follow this Russian movement, and keep within wind of it: up the valley of the
Spree; first to Mullrose neighborhood [where the Russians, loitering some time, spoiled the canallocks of
the Friedrich Wilhelm Canal, if nothing more],thence to Lieberose neighborhood; Waldau, the King's
new place of encampment,Waldau, with Spree Forest to rear of it: silent both parties till September 15th,
when Soltikof did fairly march, not towards Berlin, but quite in the opposite direction."
By the middle of September, when the Russians did get on foot, and moved eastward; especially on and after
September 25th, when Henri made his famous March westward; then it will behoove us to return to Friedrich
and these localities. For the present we must turn to Saxony, where, and not here, the scene of action is. Take,
farther, only the following bits of Note, which will now be readable. First, these Utterances to D'Argens;
direct glimpses into the heavyladen, indeed hagridden and nearly desperate inner man of Friedrich, during
the first three weeks after his defeat at Kunersdorf:
THE KING TO MARQUIS D'ARGENS (at Berlin): Six Notes.
1. "MADLITZ [road from Reitwein to Furstenwalde], 16th AUGUST, 1759. We have been unfortunate, my
dear Marquis; but not, by my fault. The victory was ours, and would even have been a complete one, when
our infantry lost patience, and at the wrong moment abandoned the field of battle. The enemy today is on
march to Mullrose, to unite with Haddick [not to Mullrose for ten days yet; Haddick had already got united
with THEM]. The Russian infantry is almost totally destroyed. Of my own wrecks, all that I have been able
to assemble amounts to 32,000 men; with these I am pushing on to throw myself across the enemy's road, and
either perish or save the Capital. That is not what you [you Berliners] will call a deficiency of resolution.
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"For the event I cannot answer. If I had more lives than one, I would sacrifice them all to my Country. But if
this stroke fail, I think I am clearscores with her, and that it will be permissible to look a little to myself.
There are limits to everything. I support my misfortune; courage not abated by it: but I am well resolved, after
this stroke, if it fail, to open an outgate for myself [that small glass tube which never quits me], and no longer
be the sport of any chance."
2. Furstenwalde, 20th AUGUST. ... "Remain at Berlin, or retire to Potsdam; in a little while there will come
some catastrophe: it is not fit that you suffer by it. If things take a good turn, you can be back to Berlin [from
Potsdam] in four hours. If illluck still pursue us, go to Hanover or to Zelle, where you can provide for your
safety.
"I protest to you, that in this late Action I did what was humanly possible to conquer; but my people"Oh,
your Majesty!
3. FURSTENWALDE, 21st AUGUST. ... "The enemy is intrenching himself near Frankfurt; a sign he
intends no attempt. If you will do me the pleasure to come out hither, you can in all safety. Bring your bed
with you; bring my Cook Noel; and I will have you a little chamber ready. You will be my consolation and
my hope."
This day,let readers mark the circumstance,Friedrich, in better spirits, detaches Wunsch with some poor
6,000, to try if he can be of help in Saxony; where the Reichs Army, now arrived in force, and with nothing
whatever in the field against them, is taking all the Northward GarrisonTowns, and otherwise proceeding at
a high rate. Too possibly with an eye towards Dresden itself! Wunsch sets out August 21st. [Tempelhof, iii.
211.] And we shall hear of him in those Saxon Countries before long.
4. FURSTENWALDE, 22d AUGUST. "Yesterday I wrote to you to come; but today I forbid it. Daun is at
Kotbus; he is marching on Luben and Berlin [nothing like so rash!].Fly these unhappy Countries! This
news obliges me again to attack the Russians between here and Frankfurt. You may imagine if this is a
desperate resolution. It is the sole hope that remains to me, of not being cut off from Berlin on the one side or
the other. I will give the discouraged troops some brandy"alas!"but I promise myself nothing of success.
My one consolation is, that I shall die sword in hand."
5. SAME PLACE AND DAY (after a Letter FROM D'Argens). "You make the panegyric, MON CHER, of
an Army that does not deserve any. The soldiers had good limbs to run with, none to attack the enemy. [Alas,
your Majesty; after fifteen hours of such marching and fighting!]
"For certain I will fight; but don't flatter yourself about the event. A happy chance alone can help us. Go, in
God's name, to Tangermunde [since the Royal Family went, D'Argens and many Berliners are thinking of
flight], to Tangermunde, where you will be well; and wait there how Destiny shall have disposed of us. I will
go to reconnoitre the enemy tomorrow. Next day, if there is anything to do, we will try it. But if the enemy
still holds to the WineHills of Frankfurt, I shall never dare to attack him.
"No, the torment of Tantalus, the pains of Prometheus, the doom of Sisyphus, were nothing like what I suffer
for the last ten days [from Kunersdorf till now, when destruction has to be warded off again, and the force
wanting]. Death is sweet in comparison to such a life. Have compassion on me and it; and believe that I still
keep to myself a great many evil things, not wishing to afflict or disquiet anybody with them; and that I
would not counsel you to fly these unlucky Countries, if I had any ray of hope. Adieu, MON CHER."
Four days after, AUGUST 25th, from this same Furstenwalde, the Russians still continuing stagnant,
Friedrich despatches to Schmettau, Commandant of Dresden (by some industrious hand, for the roads are all
blocked), a Second Letter, "That Dresden is of the highest moment; that in case of Siege there, relief
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[Wunsch, namely, and perhaps more that may follow] is on the road; and that Schmettau must defend himself
to the utmost." Let us hope this Second Missive may counteract the too despondent First, which we read
above, should that have produced discouragement in Schmettau! [Second Letter is given in Schmettau's
Leben, pp. 436, 437.]D'Argens does run to Wolfenbuttel; stays there till September 9th. Nothing more
from Friedrich till 4th September, when matters are well cooled again.
6. WALDAU, 4th SEPTEMBER. "I think Berlin is now in safety; you may return thither. The Barbarians
[Russians] are in the Lausitz; I keep by the side of them, between them and Berlin, so that there is nothing to
fear for the Capital. The imminency of danger is past; but there will still be many bad moments to get
through, before reaching the end of the Campaign. These, however, only regard myself; never mind these.
My martyrdom will last two months yet; then the snows and the ices will end it." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix.
78, 82, 83, 85, 86.]
Thus at Furstenwalde, then at Waldau, keeping guard, forlorn but resolute, against the intrusive
RussianAustrian deluges, Friedrich stands painfully vigilant and expectant,still for about a fortnight
more. With bad news coming to him latterly, as we shall hear. He is in those old moorland Wusterhausen
Countries, once so well known under far other circumstances. Thirty years ago, in fine afternoons, we used to
gallop with poor Duhan de Jandun, after schooltasks done, towards Mittenwalde, Furstenwalde and the
furzy environs, far and wide; at home, our Sister and Mother waiting with many troubles and many loves, and
Papa sleeping, Panlike, under the shadow of his big tree:Thirty years ago, ah me, gone like a dream is all
that; and there is solitude and desolation and the RussianAustrian deathdeluges instead! These, I suppose,
were Friedrich's occasional remembrances; silent always, in this locality and time. The Sorrows of WERTER,
of the GIAOUR, of the Dyspeptic Tailor in multifarious forms, are recorded in a copious heartrending
manner, and have had their meed of weeping from a sympathetic Public: but there are still a good few
Sorrows which lie wrapt in silence, and have never applied there for an idle tear!Let us look now into
Daun's side of things.
DAUM, AFTER NEGOTIATION, HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH SOLTIKOF (at Guben, August
22d)."Daun, who had moved to Priebus, with a view to be nearer Soltikof, had scarcely got his tent pitched
there {August 13th), when a breathless horseman rode in, with a Note from Loudon, dated the night before:
'King of Prussia beaten, to the very bone, beyond mistake this time,utterly ruined, if one may judge!' What
a vision of the Promised Land! Delighted Daun moves forward, one march, to Triebel on the morrow; to be
one march nearer the scene of glory, and endeavor to forge this biggest of the hot irons to advantage.
"At Triebel Soltikof's own account, elucidated by oral messengers, eyewitnesses, and, in short, complete
conspectus of this ever memorable Victory, await the delighted Daun. Who despatches messengers, one and
another; Lacy, the first, not succeeding quite: To congratulate with enthusiasm the most illustrious of
Generals; who has beaten King Friedrich as none else ever did or could; beaten to the edge of
extinction;especially to urge him upon trampling out this nearly extinct King, before he gleam up again.
Soltikof understands the congratulations very well; but as to that of trampling out, snorts an indignant
negative: 'Nay, you, why don't you try it? Surely it is more your business than my Imperial Mistress's or
mine. We have wrenched two victories from him this season. Kay and Kunersdorf have killed near the half of
us: go you in, and wrench something!' This is Soltikof's logic; which no messenger of Daun's, Lacy or
another, aided by never such melodies and suasions from Montalembert and Loudon, who are permanently
diligent that way, can shake.
"And truly it is irrefragable. How can Daun, if himself merely speculative, calculative, hope that Soltikof will
continue acting? Men who have come to help you in a heavy job of work need example. If you wish me to
weep, be grieved yourself first of all. Soltikof angrily wipes his countenance at this point, and insists on a few
tears from Daun. Without metaphor, Soltikof has shot away all his present ammunition, his staff of bread is
quite precarious in these parts; and Soltikof thinks always, 'Is it my business, then, or is it yours?'
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"Soltikof has intrenched himself on the WineHills at Lossow, comfortably out of Friedrich's way, and
contiguous to Oder and the provisionroutes; sits there, angrily deaf to the voice of the charmer; nothing to
be charmed out of him, but gusts of indignation, instead of consent. A proud, highgoing, indignant kind of
man, with a will of his own. And sees well enough what is what, in all this symphony of the Lacys, the
Montalemberts and surrounding adorers. Montalembert, who is here this season, our French best man
(unprofitable Swedes must put up with an inferior hand), is extremely persuasive, tries all the arts of French
rhetoric, but effects nothing. 'To let the Austrians come in for the finishing stroke,Excellence, it will be to
let them gain, in History, a glory which is of your earning. Daun and Austria, not Soltikof and Russia, will be
said to have extinguished this pestilent King; whom History will have to remember!' [Choiseul's Letter (not
DUC de Choiseul, but COMTE, now Minister at Vienna) to Montalembert, "Vienna, 16th August;" and
Montalembert's Answer, "Lieberhausen [means LIEBEROSE], 31st August, 1759:" in Montalembert,
Correspondance, ii. 5865.] 'With all my heart,' answers Soltikof; 'I make the Austrians and History perfectly
welcome! Monsieur, my ammunition is in Posen; my bread is fallen scarce; in Frankfurt can you find me one
horse more?' Indignant Soltikof is not to be taken by chaff; growls now and then, if you stir him to the
bottom: 'Why should we, who are volunteer assistants, take all the burden of the work? I will fall back to
Posen, and home to Poland and East Preussen, if this last much longer.'
"Austria has a good deal disgusted these Soltikofs and Russian Chief Officers;who are not so stupid as
Austria supposes. Austria's steady wish is, 'Let them do their function of cat'spaw for us; we are here to eat
the chestnuts; not, if we can help it, to burn our own poor fingers for them!' After every Campaign hitherto,
Austria has been in use to raise eager accusations at Petersburg; and get the Apraxins, Fermors into trouble:
this is not the way to conciliate Russian General Officers. Austria, taught probably by Daun, now tries the
other tack: heaps Soltikof with eulogies, flatteries, magnificent presents. All which Soltikof accepts, but with
a full sense of what they mean. An unmanageable Soltikof; his answer always,'Your turn now to fight a
victory! I will go my ways to Posen again, if you don't.' And, in these current weeks, in Soltikof's
audienceroom, if anybody were curious about it, we could present a very lively solicitation going on, with
answers very gruff and negatory. No suasion of Montalembert, Lacy, and Daun Embassies, backed by
diamondhilted swords, and splendor of gifts from Vienna itself, able to prevail on the barbarous people.
"Daun at length resolves to go in person; solicits an Interview with the distinguished Russian Conqueror; gets
it, meets Soltikof at Guben, halfway house between Frankfurt and Triebel; select suite attending both
Excellencies (August 22d); and exerts whatever rhetoric is in him on the barbarous man.
The barbarous man is stiff as brass; but Daun comes into all his conditions: 'Saxony, Silesia,Excellenz, we
have them both within clutch; such our exquisite angling and manoeuvring, in concert with your immortal
victory, which truly gives the lifebreath to everything. Oh, suffer us to clutch them: keep that King away
from us; and see if they are not ours, Saxony first, Silesia next! Provisions of meal? I will myself undertake to
furnish bread for you [though I have to cart it from Bohemia all the way, and am myself terribly off; but fixed
to do the impossible]; ration of bread shall fail no Russian man, while you escort us as protective friend.
Towards Saxony first, where the Reichs Army is, and not a Prussian in the field; the very Garrisons mostly
gone by this time. Dresden is to be besieged, within a week; Dresden itself is ours, if only YOU please! Come
into the Lausitz with us, Magazines are there, loaves in abundance: Saxony done, Dresden ours, cannot we
turn to Silesia together; besiege Glogau together (I am myself about trying Neisse, by Harsch again); capture
Glogau as well as Neisse; and crown the successfulest campaign that ever was? Oh, Excellenz!'"
In a word, Excellenz, strictly fixing that condition of the loaves, consents. Will get ready to leave those
Frankfurt WineHills in about a week. "But the loaves, you recollect: no Bread, no Russian!" Daun returns to
Triebel a victorious man,though with an onerous condition incumbent. Tempelhof, minutely computing,
finds that to cart from Bohemia such a cipher of human rations daily into these parts, will surpass all the
vehiculatory power of Daun. [Tempelhof, iii. 225.]'
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THE "REICHS ARMY" 80 CALLED HAS ENTERED SAXONY, UNDER FINE OMENS; DOES SOME
FEATS OF SIEGING (August 7th23d), WITH AN EYE ON DRESDEN AS THE CROWNING ONE.
The Reichs Army, though it had been so tumbled about, in Spring, with such havoc on its magazines and
preparations, could not wait to refit itself, except superficially; and showed face over the Mountains almost
earlier than usual. The chance was so unique: a Saxony left to its mere Garrisons,as it continued to be, for
near two months this Year. On such golden opportunity the Reichs Armyfirst, in light mischievous
precursor parties, who roamed as far as Halle or even as Halberstadt; then the Army itself, well or ill
appointed, under Generalissimo the Prince von Zweibruck,did come on, winding through Thuringen
towards the Northwestern Towns; various Austrian AuxiliaryCorps making appearance on the Dresden side.
Eight Austrian regiments, as a permanency, are in the Reichs Army itself. Commander, or part Commander,
of the eight is (what alone I find noteworthy in them) "Herr General Thomas von Blonquet:" Irish by nation,
says a footnote; [Seyfarth, ii. 831 n.]sure enough some adventurous "Thomas PLUNKET," visible this
once, soldiering, in those circumstances; never heard of by a sympathetic reader before or after. It was while
the King was hunting the HaddickLoudon people in Sagan Country in such vehement fashion, that
Zweibruck came trumpeting into Saxony,King, Prince Henri and everybody, well occupied otherwise, far
away!
The Reichs Army has a camp at Naumburg (Rossbach neighborhood): and has light troops out in Halle
neighborhood; which have seized Halle; are very severe upon Halle, and other places thereabouts, till chased
away. August 7th, the Reichs Army begirt Leipzig; summoned the weak garrison there. It is a Town capable
of ruin, but not of defence: "Freewithdrawal," proposes the Reichs Army,and upon these terms gets hold
of Leipzig, for the time being. Leipzig, Torgau, Wittenberg; in a fortnight or less, all the Prussian posts in
those parts fall to the Reichs Army. Its marchings and siegings, among those Northwestern places, not one of
them capable of standing above a few days' siege, are worth no mention, except to Parish History: enough
that, by little after the middle of August, Zweibruck had got all these places, "Free withdrawal" the terms for
all; and that, except it be the following feature in their Siege of Torgau, feature mainly Biographic, and
belonging to a certain Colonel Wolfersdorf concerned, there is not one of those Sieges now worth a moment's
attention from almost any mortal. This is the Torgau feature,feature of human nature, soldiering under
difficulties:
COLONEL VON WOLFERSDORF BEAUTIFULLY DEFENDS HIMSELF IN TORGAU (August
9th14th). Two days after Leipzig was had, there appeared at Torgau a Body of Pandours, 2,000 and more;
who attempted some kind of scalade on Torgau and its small Garrison (of 700 or so), where are a
Magazine, a Hospital and other properties: not capable, by any garrison, of standing regular siege; but
important to defend till you have proper terms offered. The multitudinous Pandours, if I remember, made a
rush into the Suburbs, in their usual vociferous way; but were met by the 700 silent Prussians,silent except
through their firearms and fieldpieces,in so eloquent a style as soon convinced the Pandour mind, and
sent it travelling again. And in the evening of the same day (August 9th), Colonel Wolfersdorf arrives, as new
Commandant, and with reinforcements, small though considerable in the circumstances.
Wolfersdorf, one dimly gathers, had marched from Wittenberg on this errand; the whole force in Torgau is
now of about 3,000, still with only fieldcannon, but with a Captain over them;who, as is evident, sets
himself in a very earnest manner to do his utmost in defence of the place. Next morning Reichs General
Kleefeld ("Cloverfield"), with 6 or 8,000 Pandour and Regular, summons Wolfersdorf: "Surrender instantly;
or!" "We will expect you!" answers Wolfersdorf. Whereupon, same morning (August 10th), general storm;
storm No. 1: beautifully handled by Wolfersdorf; who takes it in rear (to its astonishment), as well as in front;
and sends it off in haste. On the morrow, Saturday, a second followed; and on Sunday a third; both likewise
beautifully handled. This third storm, readers see, was "Sunday, August 12th:" a very busy stormful day at
Torgau here,and also, for some others of us, during the heats of Kunersdorf, over the horizon far away!
Wolfersdorf tumbles back all storms; furthermore makes mischievous sallies: a destructive, skilled person;
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altogether prompt, fertile in expedients; and evidently is not to be managed by Kleefeld. So that Prince von
Stolberg, Second to supreme Zweibruck himself, has to take it in hand. And,
MONDAY, 13th, at break of day, Stolberg arrives with a train of battering guns and 6,000 new people;
summons Wolfersdorf: "No," as before. Storms him, a fourth time; likewise "No," as before: attacks,
thereupon, his Elbe Bridge, and his Redoubt across the River; finds a Wolfersdorf party rush destructive]y
into his rear there. And has to withdraw, and try battering from behind the Elbe Dam. Continues this,
violently for about two hours; till again Wolfersdorf, whose poor fieldpieces, the only artillery he has,
"cannot reach so far with leaden balls" (the iron balls are done, and the powder itself is almost done),
manages, by a flank attack, to quench this also. Which produces entire silence, and considerable private
reflection, on the part of indignant Stolberg. Stolberg offers him the favorablest terms devisable: "Withdraw
freely, with all your honors, all your properties; only withdraw!" Which Wolfersdorf, his powder and ball
being in such a state of ebb, and no relief possible, agrees to; with stipulations very strict as to every
particular. [In Anonymous of Hamburg (iii. 350) the Capitulation, "August 14th." given IN EXTENSO.]
COLONEL VON WOLFERSDORF WITHDRAWS, ALSO BEAUTIFULLY (August 15th). Accordingly,
Wednesday, August 15th, at eight in the morning, Wolfersdorf by the Elbe Gate moves out; across Elbe
Bridge, and the Redoubt which is on the farther shore yonder. Near this Redoubt, Stolberg and many of his
General Officers are waiting to see him go. He goes in state; flags flying, music playing. Battalion
HessenCassel, followed by all our Packages, Hospital convalescents, King's Artillery, and whatever is the
King's or ours, marches first. Next comes, as rearguard to all this, Battalion Grollmann;along with which
is Wolfersdorf himself, knowing Grollmann for a ticklish article (Saxons mainly); followed on the heel by
Battalion Hofmann, and lastly by Battalion Salmuth, trusty Prussians both of these.
Battalion HessenCassel and the Baggages are through the Redoubt, Prince of Stolberg handsomely saluting
as saluted. But now, on Battalion Grollmann's coming up, Stolberg's Adjutant cries out with a loud voice of
proclamation, many Officers repeating and enforcing: "Whoever is a brave Saxon, whoever is true to his
Kaiser, or was of the Reichs Army, let him step out: Durchlaucht will give him protection!" At sound of
which Grollmann quivers as if struck by electricity; and instantly begins dissolving;dissolves, in effect,
nearly all, and is in the act of vanishing like a dream! Wolfersdorf is a prompt man; and needs to be so.
Wolfersdorf, in Olympian rage, instantly stops short; draws pistol: "I will shoot dead every man that quits
rank!" vociferates he; and does, with his pistol, make instant example of one; inviting every true Prussian to
do the like: "Jagers, Hussars, a ducat for every traitor you shoot down!" continues Wolfersdorf (and
punctually paid it afterwards): unable to prevent an almost total dissolution of Grollmann. For some minutes,
there is a scene indescribable: storm of vociferation, menace, musketshot, pistol shot; Grollmann
disappearing on every side,"behind the Redoubt, under the Bridge, into Elbe Boats, under the cloaks of the
Croats;" in spite of Wolfersdorf's Olympian rages and efforts.
At sight of the shooting, Prince Stolberg, a hot man, had said indignantly, "Herr, that will be dangerous for
you (DAS WIRD NICHT GUT GEHN)!" Wolfersdorf not regarding him a whit; regarding only Grollmann,
and his own hot business of coercing it at a ducat per head. Grollmann gone, and Battalion Hofmann in due
sequence come up, Wolfersdorfwho has sent an Adjutant, with order, "Hessen Cassel, HALT"gives
Battalion Hofmann these three words of command: "Whole Battalion, halt!Front!Make ready!" (with
due simultaneous click of every firelock, on utterance of that last); and turning to Prince Stolberg, with a
brow, with a tone of voice: "Durchlaucht, Article 9 of the Capitulation is express on this point; 'ALL
DESERTION STRICTLY PROHIBITED; NO DESERTER TO BE RECEIVED EITHER ON THE
IMPERIAL OR ON THE PRUSSIAN SIDE!' [Durchlaucht silently gives, we suppose, some faint sniff.]
Since your Durchlaucht does not keep the Capitulation, neither will I regard it farther. I will now take you
and your Suite prisoners, return into the Town, and again begin defending myself. Be so good as ride directly
into that Redoubt, or I will present, and give fire!"
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A dangerous moment for the Durchlaucht of Stolberg; Battalion Salmuth actually taking possession of the
wall again; Hofmann here with its poised firelock on the cock, "ready" for that fourth word, as above
indicated. A General Lusinsky of Stolberg's train, master of those Croats, and an Austrian of figure, remarks
very seriously: "Every point of the Capitulation must be kept!" Upon which Durchlaucht has to renounce and
repent; eagerly assists in recovering Grollmann, restores it (little the worse, little the FEWER); will give
Wolfersdorf "COMMAND of the Austrian Escort you are to have", and every satisfaction and
assurance;wishful only to get rid of Wolfersdorf. Who thereupon marches to Wittenberg, with colors
flying again, and a name mentionable ever since. [Templehof, iii. 201204; Seyfarth, ii. 562 n., and
Beylagen, ii. 587; MilitairLexikon, iv. 283.]
This Wolfersdorf was himself a Pirna Saxon; serving Polish Majesty, as Major, in that Pirna time; perhaps no
admirer of "Feldmarschall Bruhl" and Company?at any rate, he took Prussian service, as then offered him;
and this is his style of keeping it. A decidedly clever soldier, and comes out, henceforth, more and more as
such, unhappily not for long. Was taken at Maxen, he too, as will be seen. Rose, in after times, to be
LieutenantGeneral, and a man famous in the Prussian military circles; but given always, they say, to take the
straight line (or shortest distance between self and object), in regard to military matters, to recruiting and the
like, and thus getting himself into trouble with the Civil Officials.
Wolfersdorf, at Wittenberg or farther on, had a flattering word from the King; applauding his effective
procedures at Torgau; and ordering him, should Wittenberg fall (as it did, August 23d), to join Wunsch, who
is coming with a small Party to try and help in those destitute localities. Wunsch the King had detached (21st
August), as we heard already. Finck the King finds, farther, that he can detach (from Waldau Country,
September 7th); [Tempelhof, iii. 211, 237.] Russians being so languid, and Saxony fallen into such a perilous
predicament.
"Few days after Kunersdorf," says a Note, which should be inserted here, "there had fallen out a small Naval
matter, which will be consolatory to Friedrich, and go to the other side of the account, when he hears of it:
Kunersdorf was Sunday, August 12th; this was Saturday and Sunday following. Besides their Grand Brest
Fleet, with new Flatbottoms, and worldfamous landpreparations going on at Vannes, for Invasion of
proud Albion, all which are at present under Hawke's strict keeping, the French have, ever since Spring last, a
fine subsidiary Fleet at Toulon, of very exultant hopes at one time; which now come to finis.
"SEAFIGHT (PROPERLY SEAHUNT OF 200 MILES), IN THE CADIZ WATERS, AUGUST
18th19th. The fine Toulon Fleet, which expected at one time, Pitt's ships being so scattered over the world,
to be 'mistress of the Mediterranean,' has found itself, on the contrary (such were Pitt's resources and
promptitudes); cooped in harbor all Summer; Boscawen watching it in the usual strict way. No egress
possible; till, in the sultry weather (8th July4th August), Boscawen's need of fresh provisions, fresh water
and of making some repairs, took him to Gibraltar, and gave the Toulon Fleet a transient opportunity, which
it made use of.
"August 17th, at 8 in the evening, Boscawen, at Gibraltar (some of his ships still in deshabille or under
repair), was hastily apprised by one of his Frigates, That the Toulon Fleet had sailed; been seen visibly at
Ceuta Point so many hours ago. 'Meaning,' as Boscawen guesses, 'to be through the Straits this very night!'
By power of despatch, the deshabille ships were rapidly got buttoned together (in about two hours); and by 10
P.M. all were under sail. And soon were in hot chase; the game, being now in view,going at its utmost
through the Straits, as anticipated. At 7 next morning (Saturday, August 18th) Boscawen got clutch of the
Toulon Fleet; still well east of Cadiz, somewhere in the Trafalgar waters, I should guess. Here Boscawen
fought and chased the Toulon Fleet for 24 hours coming; drove it finally ashore, at Lagos on the coast of
Portugal, with five of its big ships burnt or taken, its crews and other ships flying by land and water, its poor
Admiral mortally wounded; and the Toulon Fleet a ruined article. The wind had been capricious, here fresh,
there calm; now favoring the hunters, now the hunted; both Fleets had dropped in two. De la Clue, the French
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Admiral, complained bitterly how his Captains lagged, or shore off and forsook him. Boscawen himself, who
for his own share had gone at it eaglelike, was heard grumbling, about want of speed in some people; and
said: 'It is well; but it might have been better!' [Beatson, ii. 313319; ib. iii. 237238, De la Clue, the French
Admiral's Despatch;Boscawen's Despatch, in Gentleman's Magazine, xxix. 434.]
"De la Cluefallen long ago from all notions of 'dominating the Mediterranean'had modestly intended to
get through, on any terms, into the Ocean; might then, if possible, have joined the Grand 'Invasion Squadron,'
now lying at Brest, till Vannes and the furnishings are ready, or have tried to be troublesome in the rear of
Hawke, who is blockading all that. A modest outlook in comparison;and this is what it also has come to.
As for the Grand Invasion Squadron, Admiral Conflans, commanding it, still holds np his head in Brest
Harbor, and talks big. Makes little of Rodney's havoc on the Flatbottoms at Havre, 'Will soon have
Flatbottoms again: and you shall see!'if only Hawke, and wind and weather and Fortune, will permit."
AUSTRIAN REICHS ARMY DOES ITS CROWNING FEAT (August 26thSeptember 4th): DIARY OF
WHAT IS CALLED THE "SIEGE" OF DRESDEN.
Since the first weeks of, August there have been Austrian detachments, Wehla's Corps, Brentano's Corps,
entering Saxony from the northeast or Daunward side, and posting themselves in the strong points looking
towards Dresden; waiting there till the Reichs Army should capture its Leipzigs, Torgaus, Wittenbergs, and
roll forward from northwest. To all which it is easy to fancy what an impetus was given by Kunersdorf and
August 12th; the business, after that, going on doublequick, and pointing to immediate practical industry on
Dresden. The Reichs Army hastens to settle its northwestern Towns, puts due garrison in each, leaves a 10 or
12,000 movable for general protection, in those parts; and, August 23d, marches for Dresden. There are only
some 15,000 left of it now; almost half the Reichs Army drunk up in that manner; were not Daun now
speeding forth his Maguire with a fresh 12,000; who is to command the Wehlas and Brentanos as well. And,
in effect, to be Austrian Chief, and as regards practical matters, Manager of this important
Enterprise,allimportant to Daun just now. Schmettau in Dresden sees clearly what mischief is at hand.
To Daun this Siege of Dresden is the alpha to whatever omegas there may be: he and his Soltikof are to sit
waiting this; and can attempt nothing but eating of provender, till this be achieved. As the Siege was really
important, though not quite the alpha to all omegas, and has in it curious points aud physiognomic traits, we
will invite readers to some transient inspection of it,the rather as there exist ample contemporary
Narratives, DIARIUMS and authentic records, to render that possible and easy. [In TEMPELHOF (iii.
210216222) complete and careful Narrative; in ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG (iii. 371377) express
"DAYBOOK" by some Eyewitness in Dresden.]'
"Ever since the rumor of Kunersdorf," says one Diarium, compiled out of many, "in the last two weeks of
August, Schmettau's need of vigilance and diligence has been on the increase, his outlooks becoming
grimmer and grimmer. He has a poorish Garrison for number (3,700 in all [Schmettau's LEBEN (by his Son),
p. 408.]), and not of the best quality; deserters a good few of them: willing enough for strokes; fighting
fellows all, and of adventurous turn, but uncertain as to loyalty in a case of pinch. He has endless stores in the
place; for one item, almost a million sterling of ready money. Poor Schmettau, if he knew it, has suddenly
become the Leonidas of this campaign, Dresden its Thermopylae; and"But readers can conceive the
situation.
"AUGUST 20th, Schmettau quits the Neustadt, or northern part of Dresden, which lies beyond the River:
unimportant that, and indefensible with garrison not adequate; Schmettau will strengthen the Riverbank,
blow up the Stone Bridge if necessary, and restrict himself to Dresden Proper. The Court is here; Schmettau
does not hope that the Court can avert a Siege from him; but he fails not to try, in that way too, and may at
least gain time.
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"AUGUST 25th, He has a Mine put under the main arch of the Bridge: 'mine illmade, uncertain of effect,'
reports the Officer whom he sent to inspect it. But it was never tried, the mere rumor of it kept off attacks on
that side. Same day, August 25th, Schmettau receives that unfortunate Royal Missive [Tempelhof, iii. 208;
Schmettau's LEBEN (p. 421) has "August 27th."] written in the dark days of Reitwein, morrow of Kunersdorf
(14th or 13th August)," which we read above. "That there is another Letter on the road for him, indicating
'Relief shall be tried,' is unknown to Schmettau, and fatally continues unknown. While Schmettau is reading
this (August 25th), General Wunsch has been on the road four days: Wunsch and Wolfersdorf with about
8,000, at their quickest pace, and in a fine winged frame of mind withal, are speeding on: will cross Elbe at
Meissen tomorrow night,did Schmettau only know. People say he did, in the way of rumor, understand
that Kunersdorf had not been the fatal thing it was thought; and that efforts would be made by a King like his.
In his place one might have, at least, shot out a spy or two? But he did not, then or afterwards.
"Already, ever since the arrival of Wehla and Brentano in those parts, he has been laboring under many
uncertainties; too many for a Leonidas! Hanging between Yes and No, even about that of quitting the
Neustadt, for example: carrying over portions of his goods, but never heartily the whole; unable to resolve;
now lifting visibly the Bridge pavement, then again visibly restoring it;and, I think, though the contrary is
asserted, he had at last to leave in the Neustadt a great deal of stores, horseprovender and other, not needful
to him at present, or impossible to carry, when dubiety got ended. He has put a mine under the Bridge; but
knows it will not go off.
"Schmettau has been in many wars, but this is a case that tries his soldier qualities as none other has ever
done. A case of endless intricacy,if he be quite equal to it; which perhaps he was not altogether. Nobody
ever doubted Schmettau's high qualities as a man and captain; but here are requisite the very highest, and
these Schmettau has not. The result was very tragical; I suppose, a pain to Friedrich all his life after; and
certainly to Schmettau all his. This is Saturday night, 25th August: before Tuesday week (September 4th)
there will have sad things arrived, irremediable to Schmettau. Had Schmettau decided to defend himself,
Dresden had not been taken. What a pity Schmettau had not been spared this Missive, calculated to produce
mere doubt! Whether he could not, and should not, after a ten days of inquiry and new discernment, have
been able to read the King's true meaning, as well as the King's momentary humor, in this fatal Document,
there is no deciding. Sure enough, he did not read the King's true meaning in it, but only the King's
momentary humor; did not frankly set about defending himself to the death,or 'seeing' in that way 'whether
he could not defend himself,'with a good capitulation lying in the rear, after he had.
"SUNDAY, AUGUST 26th, Trumpet at the gates. Messenger from Zweibruck is introduced blindfold; brings
formal Summons to Schmettau. Summons duly truculent: 'Resistance vain; the more you resist, the worse it
will be,and there is a worst [that of being delivered to the Croats, and massacred every man], of which why
should I speak? Especially if in anything you fail of your duty to the KurPrinz [Electoral Prince and
HeirApparent, poor crook backed young Gentleman, who has an excellent sprightly Wife, a friend of
Friedrich's and daughter of the late Kaiser Karl VII., whom we used so beautifully], imagine what your fate
will be!'To which Schmettau answers: 'Can Durchlaucht think us ignorant of the common rules of behavior
to Persons of that Rank? For the rest, Durchlaucht knows what our duties here are, and would despise us if
we did NOT do them;'and, in short, our answer again is, in polite forms, 'Pooh, pooh; you may go your
way!' Upon which the Messenger is blindfolded again; and Schmettau sets himself in hot earnest to clearing
out his goods from the Neustadt; building with huge intertwisted crossbeams and stone and earthmasses a
Battery at his own end of the Bridge, batteries on each side of it, below and above;locks the Gates; and is
passionately busy all Sunday, though divine service goes on as usual.
"Hardly were the Prussian guns got away, when Croat people in quantity came in, and began building a
Battery at their end of the Bridge, the main defencework being old Prussian mealbarrels, handily filled
with earth. 'If you fire one cannonball across on us,' said Schmettau, 'I will bombard the Neustadt into flame
in few minutes [I have only to aim at our Hay Magazine yonder]: be warned! 'Nor did they once fire from
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that side; Electoral Highness withal and Royal Palace being quite contiguous behind the Prussian Bridge
Battery. Electoral Highness and Household are politely treated, make polite answer to everything; intend
going down into the 'APOTHEKE' (Kitchen suite), or vaulted part of the Palace, and will lodge there when
the cannonade begins.
"This same SUNDAY, AUGUST 26th, Maguire arrived; and set instantly to building his bridge at Pillnitz, a
little way above Dresden: at Uebigau, a little below Dresden, the Reichsfolk have another. Reichsfolk,
Zweibruck in person, come all in on Wednesday; post themselves there, to north and west of the City. What
is more important, the siegeguns, a superb stock, are steadily floating, through the Pirna regions, hitherward;
get to hand on Friday next, the fifth day hence. [Tempelhof, p. 210.] Korbitz (halfway out to Kesselsdorf) is
Durchlaucht's headquarter:Chief General is Durchlaucht, conspicuously he, at least in theory, and shall
have all the glory; though Maguire, glancing on these cannon, were it nothing more, has probably a good deal
to say. Maguire too, I observe, takes post on that north or Kesselsdorf side; contiguous for the Head General.
Wehla and Brentano post themselves on the south or upstream side; it is they that hand in the siege guns:
batteries are already everywhere marked out, 13 cannon batteries and 5 howitzer. In short, from the morrow
of that truculent Summons, Monday morning to Thursday, there is hot stir of multifarious preparation on
Schmettau's part; and continual pouring in of the hostile force, who are also preparing at the utmost.
Thursday, the Siege, if it can be called a Siege, begins. Gradually, and as follows:
"THURSDAY MORNING (August 30th), Schmettau, who is, night and day, 'palisading the River,' and much
else,discloses (that is, Break of Day discloses on his part) to the Dresden public a huge Gallows, black,
huge, of impressive aspect; labelled 'For Plunderers, Mutineers and their Helpers.' [ANONYMOUS OF
HAMBURG, iii. 373.] The Austrian heavy guns are not yet in battery; but multitudes of loose Croat people
go swarming about everywhere, and there is plentiful firing from such artilleries as they have. This same
Thursday morning, two or three battalions of them rush into the Pirna Suburb; attack the Prussian
Guardparties there. Schmettau instantly despatches Captain Kollas and a Trumpet: 'Durchlaucht, have the
goodness to recall these Croat Parties; otherwise the Suburb goes into flame! And directly on arrival of this
Messenger, may it please Durchlaucht. For we have computed the time; and will not wait beyond what is
reasonable for his return!' Zweibruck is mere indignation and astonishment; 'will burn Halle,' burn
Quedlinburg, Berlin itself, and utterly ruin the King of Prussia's Dominion in general:the rejoinder to
which is, burning of Pirna Suburb, as predicted; seventy houses of it, this evening, at six o'clock.
"Onward from which time there is on both sides, especially on Schmettau's, diligent artillery practice;
cannonade kept up wherever Schmettau can see the enemy busy; enemy responding with what artillery he
has:not much damage done, I should think, though a great deal of noise; and for one day (Saturday,
September 1st), our Diarist notes, 'Not safe to walk the streets this day.' But, in effect, the Siege, as they call
it,which fell dead on the fifth day, and was never well aliveconsists mainly of menace and
countermenace, in the way of bargainmaking and negotiation;and, so far as I can gather, that superb
Park of Austrian Artillery, though built into batteries, and talked about in a bullying manner, was not fired
from at all.
"Schmettau affects towards the enemy (and towards himself, I dare say) an air of iron firmness; but internally
has no such feeling, 'Calls a Council of War,' and the like. Council of War, on sight of that King's Missive,
confirms him with one voice: 'Surely, surely, Excellenz; no defence possible!' Which is a prophecy and a
fulfilment, both in one. Why Schmettau did not shoot forth a spy or two, to ascertain for him What, or
whether Nothing whatever, was passing outside Dresden? I never understand! Beyond his own Walls, the
world is a vacancy and blank to Schmettau, and he seems content it should be so.
"SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 2d. Though Schmettau's cannonade was very loud, and had been so all night,
divine service was held as usual, streets safe again,Austrians, I suppose, not firing with cannon. About 4
P.M., after a great deal of powder spent, General Maguire, stepping out on Elbe Bridge, blows or beats
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Appeal, three times; 'wishes a moment's conversation with his Excellency.' Granted at once; witnesses
attending on both sides. 'Defence is impossible; in the name of humanity, consider!' urges Maguire. 'Defence
to the last man of us is certain,' answers Schmettau, from the teeth outwards;but, in the end, engages to put
on paper, in case he, by extremity of illluck, have at any time to acoept terms, what his terms will inflexibly
be. Upon which there is 'Armistice till Tomorrow:' and Maguire, I doubt not, reports joyfully on this feeling
of the enemy's pulse. Zweibruck and Maguire are very well aware of what is passing in these neighborhoods
(General Wunsch back at Wittenberg by forced marches; blew it open in an hour); and are growing highly
anxious that Dresden on any terms were theirs.
"MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 3d, The deathday of the Siege; an uncommonly busy day,though Armistice
lasted perfect till 3 P.M., and soon came back more perfect than ever. A Siege not killed by cannon, but by
medical industry. Let us note with brevity the successive symptoms and appliances. About seven in the
morning Maguire had his Messenger in Dresden, 'Your Excellency's Paper ready?' 'Nearly ready,' answers
Schmettau; 'we will send it by a Messenger of our own.' And about eleven of the day Maguire does get
it;the same Captain Kollas (whose name we recollect) handing it in; and statuelike waiting Answer.
'Pshaw, this will never do,' ejaculates Maguire; 'terms irrationally high!' Captain Kollas 'knows nothing of
what is IN the Paper; and is charged only to bring a Written Answer from Excellenz.' Excellenz, before
writing, 'will have to consult with Durchlaucht;' can, however, as if confidentially and from feelings of
friendship, can assure you, Sir, on my honor, That the Garrison will be delivered to the Croats, and every man
of it put to the sword. 'The Garrison will expect that (WIRD DAS ERWARTEN),' said Kollas, statuelike;
and withdrew, with the proper bow. [Tempelhof, iii. 211.] Something interesting to us in these Military
diplomatic passages, with their squareelbowed fashions, and politeness stiff as iron! "Not till three of the
afternoon does the Written Answer reach Schmettau: 'Such Terms never could be accepted.''Good,'
answers Schmettau: 'To our last breath no others will be offered.' And commences cannonading again, not
very violently, but with the order, 'Go on, then, night and day!'
"About 10 at night, General Guasco, a truculent kind of man, whom I have met with up and down, but not
admitted to memory, beats Appeal on the Bridge: 'Inform the Commandant that there will now straightway
13 batteries of cannon, and 5 ditto of howitzers open on him, unless he bethinks himself!' Which dreadful
message is taken to Schmettau. 'Wish the gentleman goodevening,' orders Schmettau; 'and say we will
answer with 100 guns.' Upon which Guasco vanishes;but returns in not many minutes, milder in tone;
requests 'a sight of that Written Paper of Terms again.' 'There it still is,' answers Schmettau, 'not altered, nor
ever shall be.' And there is Armistice again:and the Siege, as turns out, has fired its last shot; and is
painfully expiring in paroxysms of negotiation, which continue a good many hours. Schmettau strives to
understand clearly that his terms (of the King's own suggesting, as Schmettau flatters himself) are accepted:
nor does Durchlaucht take upon him to refuse in any point; but he is strangely slow to sign, still hoping to
mend matters.
"Much hithering and thithering there was, till 4 next morning (Durchlaucht has important news from Torgau,
at that moment); till 11 next day; till 4 in the afternoon and later,Guasco and others coming with message
after message, hasty and conciliatory: (Durchlaucht at such a distance, his signature not yet come; but be
patient; all is right, upon my honor!' Very great hurry evident on the part of Guasco and Company; but,
nothing suspected by Schmettau. Till, dusk or darkness threatening now to supervene, Maguire and
Schmettau with respective suites have a Conference on the Bridge,'rain falling very heavy.' Durchlaucht's
signature, Maguire is astonished to say, has not yet come; hut Maguire pledges his honor 'that all shall be
kept without chicane;' and adds 'what to some of us seemed not superfluous afterwards), 'I am incapable of
acting falsely or with chicane.' In fact, till 9 in the evening there was no signature by Durchlaucht; but about
6, on such pledge by Maguire of his hand and his honor, the Siege entirely gave up the ghost; and Dresden
belonged to Austria. Tuesday Evening, 4th September, 1759; Sun just setting, could anybody see him for the
rain.
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"Schmettau had been overhasty; what need had Schmettau of haste? The terms had not yet got signature,
perfection of settlement on every point; nor were they at all well kept, when they did! Considerable flurry,
temporary blindness, needless hurry, and neglect of symptoms and precautions, must be imputed to poor
Schmettau; whose troubles began from this moment, and went on increasing. The Austrians are already
besetting Elbe Bridge, rooting up the herringbone balks; and approaching our Block house,sooner than
was expected. But that is nothing. On opening the Pirna Gate to share it with the Austrians, Friedrich's Spy
(sooner had not been possible to the man) was waiting; who handed Schmettau that Second Letter of
Friedrich's, 'Courage; there is relief on the road!' Poor Schmettau!"
What Captain Kollas and the Prussian Garrison thought of all this, THEY were perhaps shy of saying, and we
at such distance are not informed,except by one symptom: that, of Colonel Hoffman, Schmettau's Second,
whose indignation does become tragically evident. Hoffman, a rugged Prussian veteran, is indignant at the
Capitulation itself; doubly and trebly indignant to find the Austrians on Elbe Bridge, busy raising our Balks
and Battery: "How is this Sir?" inquires he of Captain Sydow, who is on guard at the Prussian end; "How
dared you make this change, without acquainting the Second in Command? Order out your men, and come
along with me to clear the Bridge again!" Sydow hesitates, haggles; indignant Hoffman, growing loud as
thunder, pulls out a pistol, fatallooking to disobedient Sydow; who calls to his men, or whose men spring
out uncalled; and shoot Hoffman down,send two balls through him, so that he died at 8 that night. With
noise enough, then and afterwards. Was drunk, said Schmettau's people. Friedrich answered, on report of it:
"I think as Hoffman did. If he was 'drunk,' it is pity the Governor and all the Garrison had not been so, to
have come to the same judgment, as he." [P.S. in Autograph of Letter to Schmettau, "Waldau, 11th
September, 1759" (Preuss, ii.; Urkundenbuch, p. 45).] Friedrich's unbearable feelings, of grief and
indignation, in regard to all this Dresden matter,which are not expressed except coldly in business
form,can be fancied by all readers. One of the most tragical bits of illluck that ever befell him. A very
sore stroke, in his present condition; a signal loss and affront. And most of all, unbearable to think how
narrowly it has missed being a signal triumph;missed actually by a single hair's breadth, which is as good
as by a mile, or by a thousand miles!
Soon after 9 o'olock that evening, Durchlaucht in person came rolling through our battery and the
herringbone balks, to visit Electoral Highness,which was not quite the legal time either, Durchlaucht had
not been half an hour with Electoral Highness, when a breathless Courier came in: "General Wunsch within
ten miles [took Torgau in no time, as Durchlaucht well knows, for a week past]; and will be here before we
sleep!" Durchlaucht plunged out, over the herringbone balks again (which many carpenters are busy lifting);
and the Electoral Highnesses, in like manner, hurry off to Toplitz that same night, about an hour after. What a
Tuesday Night! Poor Hoffman is dead at 8 o'clock; the Saxon Royalties, since 11, are galloping for Pirna, for
Toplitz; Durchlaucht of Zweibruck we saw hurry off an hour before them,Capitulation signature not yet
dry, and terms of it beginning to be broken; and Wunsch reported to be within ten miles!
The Wunsch report is perfectly correct. Wunsch is at Grossenhayn this evening; all in a fiery mood of
swiftness, his people and he; and indeed it is, by chance, one of Wolfersdorf's impetuosities that has sent
the news so fast. Wunsch had been as swift with Torgau as he was with Wittenberg: he blew out the poor
Reichs Garrison there by instant storm, and packed it off to Leipzig, under charge of "an Officer and
Trumpet:"he had, greatly against his will, to rest two days there for a few indispensable cannon from
Magdeburg. Cannon once come, Wunsch, burning for deliverance of Dresden, had again started at his
swiftest, "Monday, 3d September [death day of the Siege], very early."
"He is under 8,000; but he is determined to do it;and would have done it, think judges, half thinks
Zweibruck himself: such a fire in that Wunsch and his Corps as is very dangerous indeed. At 4 this morning,
Zweibruck heard of his being on march: 'numbers uncertain' (numbers seemingly not the important
point,blows any number of us about our business!)and since that moment Zweibruck has driven the
capitulation at such a pace; though the flurried Schmettau suspected nothing.
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"Afternoon of TUESDAY, 4th, Wunsch, approaching Grossenhayn, had detached Wolfersdorf with 100 light
horse rightwards to Grodel, a boating Village on Elbe shore, To seek news of Dresden; also to see if boats are
procurable for carrying our artillery up thither. At Grodel, Wolfersdorf finds no boats that will avail: but
certain boatpeople, new from Dresden, report that no capitulation had been published when they left, but
that it was understood to be going on. New spur to Wolfersdorf and Wunsch. Wolfersdorf hears farther in this
Village, That there are some thirty Austrian horse in Grossenhayn:'Possible these may escape General
Wunsch!' thinks Wolfersdorf; and decides to have them. Takes thirty men of his own; orders the other
seventy to hold rightward, gather what intelligence is going, and follow more leisurely; and breaks off for the
GrossenhaynDresden Highway, to intercept those fellows.
"Getting to the highway, Wolfersdorf does see the fellows; sees also,with what degree of horror I do not
know,that there are at least 100 of them against his 30! Horror will do nothing for Wolfersdorf, nor are his
other 70 now within reach. Putting a bold face on the matter, he commands, Stentorlike, as if it were all a
fact: 'Grenadiers, march; Dragoons, to right forwards, WHEEL; Hussars, FORWARD: MARCH!'and does
terrifically dash forward with the thirty Hussars, or last item of the invoice; leaving the others to follow. The
Austrians draw bridle with amazement; fire off their carbines; take to their heels, and do not stop for more.
Wolfersdorf captures 68 of them, for behoof of Grossenhayn; and sends the remaining 32 galloping home.
[Tempelhof, iii. 214.] Who bring the above news to Durchlaucht of Zweibruck: '12,000 of them, may it
please your Durchlaucht; such the accounts we had!' Fancy poor Schmettau's feelings!
"On the morrow Dresden was roused from its sleep by loud firing and battle, audible on the north side of the
River: 'before daybreak, and all day.' It is Wunsch impetuously busy in the woody countries there.
Durchlaucht had shot out Generals and Divisions, Brentano, Wehla, this General and then that, to intercept
Wunsch: these the fiery Wunschalmost as if they had been combustible material coming to quench
firerepels and dashes back, in a wonderful manner, General after General of them. And is lord of the field
all day:but cannot hear the least word from Dresden; which is a surprising circumstance.
"In the afternoon Wunsch summons Maguire in the Neustadt: 'Will answer you in two hours,' said Maguire.
Wunsch thereupon is for attacking their two Pontoon ElbeBridges; still resolute for Dresden,and orders
Wolfersdorf on one of them, the Uebigau Bridge, who finds the enemy lifting it at any rate, and makes them
do it faster. But night is now sinking; from Schmettau not a word or sign. 'Silence over there, all day; not a
single cannon to or from,' say Wunsch and Wolfersdorf to one another. 'Schmettau must have capitulated!'
conclude they, and withdraw in the nighttime, still thunderous if molested; bivouac at Grossenhayn, after
twenty four hours of continual march and battle, not time even for a snatch of food. [BERICHT VON DER
ACTION DES GENERALMAJORS VON WUNSCH, BEY REICHENBERG, DEN 5 SEPEMBER, 1759
in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 606608.]
"Resting at Grossenhayn, express reaches Wunsch from his Commandant at Torgau: 'Kleefeld is come on me
from Leipzig with 14,000; I cannot long hold out, unless relieved.' Wunsch takes the road again; two
marches, each of twenty miles. Reaches Torgau late; takes post in the ruins of the North Suburb, finds he
must fight Kleefeld. Refreshes his men 'with a keg of wine per Company,' surely a judicious step; and sends
to Wolfersdorf, who has the rearguard, 'Be here with me tomorrow at 10.' Wolfersdorf starts at 4, is here at
10: and Wunsch, having scanned Kleefeld and his Position [a Position strong IF you are dexterous to
manoeuvre in it; capable of being ruinous if you are not,part of the Position of a bigger BATTLE OF
TORGAU, which is coming],flies at Kleefeld and his 14,000 like a cato'mountain; takes him on the left
flank:Kleefeld and such overplus of thousands are standing a little to westandsouth of Torgau, with the
ENTEFANG [a desolate big reedy mere, or PLACE OF DUCKS, still offering the idle Torgauer a
melancholy sport there] as a protection to their right; but with no evolutiontalent, or none in comparison to
Wunsch's;and accordingly are cut to pieces by Wunsch, and blown to the winds, as their fellows have all
been." [HOFBERCHT VON DER AM 8 SEPTEMBER, 1759, BEY TORGAU, VORGEFALLENEN
ACTION: in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 609, 610. Tempelhof, iii. 219222.]
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Wunsch, absolute Fate forbidding, could not save Dresden: but he is here lord of the Northern regions
again,nothing but Leipzig now in the enemy's hand;and can await Finck, who is on march with a
stronger party to begin business here. It is reckoned, there are few more brilliant little bits of Soldiering than
this of Wunsch's. All the more, as his men, for most part, were not Prussian, but miscellaneous Foreign spirits
of uncertain fealty: roving fellows, of a fighting turn, attracted by Friedrich's fame, and under a Captain who
had the art of keeping them in tune. Wunsch has been soldiering, in a diligent though dim miscellaneous way,
these five andtwenty years; fought in the old Turk Wars, under disastrous Seckendorf,Wunsch a poor
young Wurtemberg ensign, visibiy busy there (17371739)) as was this same Schmettau, in the character of
staffofficer, far enough apart from Wunsch at that time!fought afterwards, in the Bavarian service, in the
Dutch, at Roucoux, at Lauffeld, again under disastrous people. Could never, under such, find anything but
subaltern work all this while; was glad to serve, under the eye of Friedrich, as Colonel of a Free Corps; which
he has done with much diligence and growing distinction: till now, at the long last, his chance does come;
and he shows himself as a real General. Possibly a high career lying ahead;a man that may be very
valuable to Friedrich, who has now so few such left? Fate had again decided otherwise for Wunsch; in what
way will be seen before this Campaign ends: "an infernal Campaign," according to Friedrich, "CETTE
CAMPAGNE INFERNALE."
Finck, whom Friedrich had just detached from Waldau (September 6th) with a new 8 or 6,000, to command
in chief in those parts, and, along with Wunsch, put Dresden out of risk, as it were,Finck does at least join
Wunsch, as we shall mention in a little. And these Two, with such Wolfersdorfs and people under them, did
prove capable of making front against Reichsfolk in great overplus of number. Nor are farther SIEGES of
those Northern Garrisons, but recaptures of them, the news one hears from Saxony henceforth; only that
Dresden is fatally gone. Irrecoverably, as turned out, and in that unbearable manner. Here is the concluding
scene:
DRESDEN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th; EXIT SCHMETTAU. "A thousand times over, Schmettau
must have asked himself, 'Why was I in such a hurry? Without cause for it I, only Maguire having
cause!'The Capitulation had been ended in a huddle, without signature: an unwise Capitulation; and it was
scandalously ill kept. Schmettau was not to have marched till Monday, 10th,six clear days for packing and
preparing;but, practically, he has to make three serve him; and to go halfpacked, or not packed at all.
Endless chicanes do arise, 'upon my honor!'not even the 800 wagons are ready for us; 'Can't your baggages
go in boats, then?' 'No, nor shall!' answers Schmettau, with blazing eyes, and heart ready to burst; a
Schmettau living all this while as in Purgatory, or worse. Such bullyings from truculent Guasco, who is now
without muzzle. Capitulation, most imperfect in itself, is avowedly infringed: King's Artillery,which we
had haggled for, and ended by 'hoping for,' to Maguire that rainy evening: why were we in such a hurry, too,
and blind to Maguire's hurry!King's Artillery, according to Durchlaucht of Zweibruck, when he actually
signed within the walls, is 'NICHT ACCORDIRT (Not granted), except the Field part.' King's regimental
furnishings, all and sundry, were 'ACCORDIRT, and without visitation,'but on second thoughts, the
Austrian Officials are of opinion there must really be visitation, must be inspection. 'May not some of them
belong to Polish Majesty?' In which sad process of inspection there was incredible waste, Schmettau
protesting; and above half of the new uniforms were lost to us. Our 80 pontoons, which were expressly
bargained for, are brazenly denied us: '20 of them are Saxon,' cry the Austrians: 'who knows if they are not
almost all Saxon,'upon my honor! At this rate, only wait a day or two, and fewer wagons than 800 will be
needed! thinks Schmettau; and consents to 18 river boats; Boats in part, then; and let us march at once.
Accordingly,
"SATURDAY, 8th, at 5 in the morning, Schmettau, with goods and people, does at last file out: across Elbe
Bridge through the Neustadt; Prussians five deep; a double rank of Austrians, ranged on each side, in
'espalier' they call it,espalier with gaps in it every here and there, to what purpose is soon evident. The
march was so disposed (likewise for a purpose) that, all along, there were one or two Companies of Prussian
Foot; and then in the interval, carriages, cannon, cavalry and hussars. Schmettau's carriage is with the
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rearguard, Madam Schmettau's well in the van:in two other carriages are two Prussian WarandDomain
Ministers. [ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG, III. 376.] 'Managers of Saxon Finance,' these Two;who will
have to manage elsewhere than in Dresden henceforth. Zinnow, Borck, they sit veritably there, with their
multiform Account Papers: of whom I know absolutely nothing, except (if anybody cared) that Zinnow,
who 'died of apoplexy in June following,' is probably of pursy rednosed type; and that Borck, for certain,
has a very fine face and figure; delicacy, cheerful dignity, perfect gentlemanhood in short, written on every
feature of him; as painted by Pesne, and engraved by Schmidt, for my accidental behoof. [ Fredericus
Wilhelmus Borck (Pesne pinxit, 1732; Schmidt, sculptur Regis, sculpsit, Berolini, 1764): an excellent Print
and Portrait.] Curious to think of that elaborate courtcoat and flowing periwig, with this specific Borck, 'old
as the Devil' (whom I have had much trouble to identify), forming visible part of this dismal Procession: the
bright eye of Borck not smiling as usual, but clouded, though impassive! But that of Borck or his Limners is
not the point.
"The Prussians have been divided into small sections, with a mass of baggagewagons and cavalry between
every two. And no sooner is the mass got in movement, than there rises from the Austrian part, and continues
all the way, loud invitation, 'Whosoever is a brave Saxon, a brave Austrian, Reichsman, come to us! Gaps in
the espalier, don't you see!' And Schmettau, in the rear, with baggage and cavalry intervening,nobody can
reach Schmettau. Here is a way of keeping your bargain! The Prussian Officers struggle stoutly: but are
bellowed at, struck at, menaced by bayonet and bullet, none of them shot, I think, but a good several of
them cut and wounded;the Austrian Officers themselves in passionate points behaving shamefully, 'Yes,
shoot them down, the (were it nothing else) heretic dogs;' and being throughout evidently in a hot shivery
frame of mind, forgetful of the laws. Seldom was such a Procession; spite, rage and lawless revenge blazing
out more and more. On the whole, there deserted, through those gaps of the espalier, about half of the whole
Garrison. On Madam Schmettau's hammercloth there sat, in the Schmettau livery, a hardfeatured man,
recognizable by keen eyes as lately a Nailer, of the Nailer Guild here; who had been a spy for Schmettau, and
brought many persons into trouble: him they tear down, and trample hither and thither,at last, into some
Guardhouse near by." [The Schmettau DIARIUM in ANONYMOUS OF HAMBURG, iii. 364376
(corrected chiefly from TEMPELHOF): Protest, and Correspondence in consequence, is in Seyfarth,
Beylagen, ii. 611621; in HeldenGeschichte,
Schmettau's protest against all this is vehement, solemnly circumstantial: but, except in regard to the trampled
Nailer (Zweibruck on that point "heartily sorry for the insult to your Excellency's livery; and here the man is,
with a thousand apologies"), Schmettau got no redress. Nor had Friedrich any, now or henceforth. Friedrich
did at once, more to testify his disgust than for any benefit, order Schmettau: "Halt at Wittenberg, not at
Magdeburg as was pretended to be bargained. Dismiss your Escort of Austrians there; bid them home at once,
and out of your sight." Schmettau himself he ordered to Berlin, to idle waiting. Never again employed
Schmettau: for sixteen years that they lived together, never saw his face more.
Schmettau's illfortune was much pitied, as surely it deserved to be, by all men. About Friedrich's severity
there was, and still occasionally is, controversy held. Into which we shall not enter for Yes or for No. "You
are like the rest of them!" writes Friedrich to him; "when the moment comes for showing firmness, you fail in
it." ["Waldau, 10th September, 1759:" in Preuss, ii. URKUNDEN. p. 44.] Friedrich expects of others what all
Soldiers profess,and what is in fact the soul of all nobleness in their trade,but what only Friedrich
himself, and a select few, are in the habit of actually performing. Tried by the standard of common practice,
Schmettau is clearly absolvable; a broken veteran, deserving almost tears. But that is not the standard which it
will be safe for a King of men to go by. Friedrich, I should say, would be ordered by his Office, if Nature
herself did not order him, to pitch his ideal very high; and to be rather Rhadamanthine in judging about it.
Friedrich was never accused of overgenerosity to the unfortunate among his Captains.
After the War, Schmettau, his conduct still a theme of argument, was reduced to the Invalid List: age now
sixtyseven, but health and heart still very fresh, as he pleaded; complaining that he could not live on his
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retiring Pension of 300 pounds a year. "Be thankful you have not had your head struck off by sentence of
CourtMartial," answered Friedrich. Schmettau, after some farther troubles from Court quarters, retired to
Brandenburg, and there lived silent, poor but honorable, for his remaining fifteen years. Madam Schmettau
came out very beautiful in those bad circumstances: cheery, thrifty, full of loyal patience; a constant sunshine
to her poor man, whom she had preceded out of Dresden in the way we saw. Schmettau was very quiet, still
studious of War matters; [See Leben (by his Son, "Captain Schmettau;" a modest intelligent Book), pp.
440447.] "sent the King" once,in 1772, while Polish Prussia, and How it could be fortified, were the
interesting subject,"a JOURNAL," which he had elaborated for himself, "OF THE MARCHES OF KARL
TWELFTH IN WEST PREUSSEN;" which was well received: "Apparently the King not angry with me
farther?" thought Schmettau. A completely retired old man; studious, social, the best men of the Army still
his friends and familiars:nor, in his own mind, any mutiny against his Chief; this also has its beauty in a
human life, my friend. So long as Madam Schmettau lived, it was well; after her death, not well, dark rather,
and growing darker: and in about three years Schmettau followed (27th October, 1775), whither that good
soul had gone. The elder Brother who was a distinguished Academician, as well as Feldmarschall and
Negotiatorhad died at Berlin, in Voltaire's time, 1751. Each of those Schmettaus had a Son, in the Prussian
Army, who wrote Books, or each a short Book, still worth reading. [ Bavarian War of 1778, by the
Feldmarschall's Son; ad this Leben we have just been citing, by the Lieutenant General's.] But we must
return.
On the very morrow, September 5th, Daun heard of the glorious success at Dresden; had not expected it till
about the 10th at soonest. From Triebel he sends the news at gallop to Lieberose and Soltikof: "Rejoice with
us, Excellenz: did not I predict it? Silesia and Saxony both are ours; fruits chiefly of your noble successes.
Oh, continue them a very little!" "Umph!" answers Soltikof, not with much enthusiasm: "Send us meal
steadily; and gain you, Excellenz's self, some noble success!" Friedrich did not hear of it for almost a week
later; not till Monday, 10th,as a certain small Anecdote would of itself indicate.
Sunday Evening, 9th September, General Finck, with his new 6,000, hastening on to join Wunsch for relief of
Dresden, had got to Grossenhayn; and was putting up his tents, when the Outposts brought him in an Austrian
Officer, who had come with a Trumpeter inquiring for the General. The Austrian Officer "is in quest of
proper lodgings for General Schmettau and Garrison [fancy Finck's sudden stare!];last night they lodged at
GrossDobritz, tolerably to their mind: but the question for the Escort is, Where to lodge this night, if your
Excellency could advise me?" "Herr, I will advise you to go back to GrossDobritz on the instant," answers
Finck grimly; "I shall be obliged to make you and your Trumpet prisoners, otherwise!" Exit Austrian Officer.
That same evening, too, Captain Kollas, carrying Schmettau's sad news to the King, calls on Finck in passing;
gives dismal details of the Capitulation and the Austrian way of keeping it; filling Finck's mind with
sorrowful indignation. [Tempelhof, iii. 237.]
Fincklet us add here, though in date it belongs a little elsewherepushes on, not the less, to join Wunsch
at Torgau; joins Wunsch, straightway recaptures Leipzig, garrison prisoners (September 13th): recaptures all
those northwestern garrisons, multitudinous Reichsfolk trying, once, to fight him, in an amazingly loud,
but otherwise helpless way ("ACTION OF KORBITZ" they call it); cannonading far and wide all day, and
manoeuvring about, here bitten in upon, there trying to bite, over many leagues of Country; principally under
Haddick's leading; [HOFBERICHT VON DER AM 21 SEPTEMBER BEY KORBITZ (in Meissen Country,
south of Elbe; Krogis too is a Village in this widespread "Action") VORGEFALLENEN ACTION
(Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 621630). Tempelhof, iii. 248, 258.] who saw good to draw off Dresdenward next
day, and leave Finck master in those regions. To Daun's sad astonishment,in a moment of crisis,as we
shall hear farther on! So that Saxony is not yet conquered to Daun; Saxony, no, nor indeed will be:but
Dresden is. Friedrich never could recover Dresden; though he hoped, and at intervals tried hard, for a long
while to come.
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Chapter VI. PRINCE HENRI MAKES A MARCH OF FIFTY HOURS; THE
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The eyes of all had been bent on Dresden latterly; and there had occurred a great deal of detaching
thitherward, and of marching there and thence, as we have partly seen. And the end is, Dresden, and to
appearance Saxony along with it, is Daun's. Has not Daun good reason now to be proud of the cunctatory
method? Never did his game stand better; and all has been gained at other people's expense. Daun has not
played one trump card; it is those obliging Russians that have played all the trumps, and reduced the Enemy
to nothing. Only continue that wise course,and cart meal, with your whole strength, for the Russians!
Safe behind the pools of Lieberose, Friedrich between them and Berlin, lie those dear Russians; extending,
Daun and they, like an impassable military dike, with spurs of Outposts and cunningly devised Detachments,
far and wide,from beyond Bober or utmost Crossen on the east, to Hoyerswerda in Elbe Country on the
west; dike of eighty miles long, and in some eastern parts of almost eighty broad; so elaborate is Daun's
detaching quality, in cases of moment. "The King's broken Army on one side of us," calculates Daun; "Prince
Henri's on the other; incommunicative they; reduced to isolation, powerless either or both of them against
such odds. They shall wait there, please Heaven, till Saxony be quite finished. Zweibruck, and our
Detachments and Maguires, let them finish Saxony, while Soltikof keeps the King busy. Saxony finished,
how will either Prince or King attempt to recover it! After which, Silesia for us;and we shall then be near
our Magazines withal, and this severe stress of carting will abate or cease." In fact, these seem sound
calculations: Friedrich is 24,000; Henri 38,000; the military dike is, of Austrians 75,000, of Russians and
Austrians together 120,000. Daun may fairly calculate on succeeding beautifully this Year: Saxony his
altogether; and in Silesia some Glogau or strong Town taken, and Russians and Austrians wintering together
in that Country.
If only Daun do not TOO much spare his trump cards! But there is such a thing as excess on that side too: and
perhaps it is even the more ruinous kind,and is certainly the more despised by good judges, though the
multitude of bad may notice it less. Daun is unwearied in his vigilantes, in his infinite cartings of provision
for himself and Soltikof,long chains of Magazines, big and little, at Guben, at Gorlitz, at Bautzen, Zittau,
Friedland; and does, aided by French Montalembert, all that man can to keep those dear stupid Russians in
tune.
Daun's problem of carting provisions, and guarding his multifarious posts, and sources of meal and defence,
is not without its difficulties. Especially with a Prince Henri opposite; who has a superlative manoeuvring
talent of his own, and an industry not inferior to Daun's in that way. Accordingly, ever since August
11th13th, when Daun moved northward to Triebel, and Henri shot out detachments parallel to him, "to
secure the Bober and our right flank, and try to regain communication with the King,"still more, ever since
August 22d, when Daun undertook that onerous cartage of meal for Soltikof as well as self, the manoeuvring
and mutual fencing and parrying, between Henri and him, has been getting livelier and livelier. Fain would
Daun secure his numerous Roads and Magazines; assiduously does Henri threaten him in these points, and try
all means to regain communication with his Brother. Daun has Magazines and interests everywhere; Henri is
everywhere diligent to act on them.
Daun in person, ever since Kunersdorf time, has been at Triebel; Henri moved to Sagan after him, but has left
a lieutenant at Schmottseifen, as Daun has at MarkLissa:here are still new planets, and secondary ditto,
with revolving moons. In short, it is two interpenetrating solar systems, gyrating, osculatiug and colliding,
over a space of several thousand square miles,with an intricacy, with an embroiled abstruseness Ptolemean
or more! Which indeed the soldier who would know his business(and not knowing it, is not he of all
solecisms in this world the most flagrant?)ought to study, out of Tempelhof and the Books; but which,
except in its results, no other reader could endure. The result we will make a point of gathering: carefully
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riddled down, there are withal in the details five or six little passages which have some shadow of interest to
us; these let us note, and carefully omit the rest:
OF FOUQUET AT LANDSHUT. "Fouquet was twice attacked at Landshut; but made a lucky figure both
times. Attack first was by Deville: attack second by Harsch. Early in July, not long after Friedrich had left for
Schmottseifen, rash Deville (a rash creature, and then again a laggard, swift where he should be slow, and
VICE VERSA) again made trial on Landshut and Fouquet; but was beautifully dealt with; taken in rear, in
flank, or I forget how taken, but sent galloping through the Passes again, with a loss of many Prisoners, most
of his furnitures, and all his presence of mind: whom Daun thereupon summoned out of those parts,
'Hitherward to MarkLissa with your Corps; leave Fouquet alone!' [HOFBERICHT VON DEN
UNTERNEHMUNGEN DES FOUQUETSCHEN CORPS, IM JULIUS 1759: in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii.
582586.]
"After which, Fouquet, things being altogether quiet round him, was summoned, with most part of his force,
to Schmottseifen; left General Goltz (a man we have met before) to guard Landshut; and was in fair hopes of
proving helpful to Prince Henri,when Harsch [Harsch by himself this time, not Harsch and Deville as
usual] thought here was his opportunity; and came with a great apparatus, as if to swallow Landshut whole.
So that Fouquet had to hurry off reinforcements thither; and at length to go himself, leaving Stutterheim in
his stead at Schmottseifen. Goltz, however, with his small handful, stood well to his work. And there fell out
sharp fencings at Landshut:especially one violent attack on our outposts; the Austrians quite triumphant;
till 'a couple of cannon open on them from the next Hill,'till some violent Werner or other charge in upon
them with Prussian Hussars;a desperate tussle, that special one of Werner's; not only sabres flashing
furiously on both sides, but butts of pistols and blows on the face: [Tempelhof, iii. 233: 31st August.] till, in
short, Harsch finds he can make nothing of it, and has taken himself away, before Fouquet come." This Goltz,
here playing AntiHarsch, is the Goltz who, with Winterfeld, Schmettau and others, was in that melancholy
Zittau march, of the Prince of Prussia's, in 1757: it was Goltz by whom the King sent his finishing
compliment, "You deserve, all of you, to be tried by CourtMartial, and to lose your heads!" Goltz is mainly
concerned with Fouquet and Silesia, in late times; and we shall hear of him once again. Fouquet did not
return to Schmottseifen; nor was molested again in Landshut this year, though he soon had to detach, for the
King's use, part of his Landshut force, and had other Silesian business which fell to him.
FORTRESS OF PEITZ. The poor Fortress of Peitz was taken again;do readers remember it, "on the day of
Zorndorf," last year? "This year, a fortnight after Kunersdorf, the same old Halfpay Gentleman with his
Fiveandforty Invalids have again been set adrift, 'with the honors of war,' poor old creatures; lest by
possibility they afflict the dear Russians and our mealcarts up yonder. [Tempelhof, iii. 231: 27th August.] I
will forget who took Peitz: perhaps Haddick, of whom we have lately heard so much? He was captor of
Berlin in 1757, did the Inroad on Berlin that year,and produced Rossbach shortly after. Peitz, if he did
Peitz, was Haddick's last success in the world. Haddick has been most industrious, 'guarding the Russian
flank,'standing between the King and it, during that Soltikof march to Mullrose, to Lieberose; but that once
done, and the King settled at Waldau, Haddick was ordered to Saxony, against Wunsch and Finck:and
readers know already what he made of these Two in the 'Action at Korbitz, September 21st,'and shall hear
soon what befell Haddick himself in consequence."
COLONEL HORDT IS CAPTURED. "It was in that final marching of Soltikof to Lieberose that a
distinguished ExSwede, Colonel Hordt, of the Free Corps HORDT, was taken prisoner. At Trebatsch;
hanging on Soltikof's right flank on that occasion. It was not Haddick, it was a swarm of Cossacks who laid
Hordt fast; his horse having gone to the girths in a bog. [ Memoires du Comte de Hordt (a Berlin, 1789), ii.
5358 (not dated or intelligible there): in Tempelhof (iii. 235, 236) clear account, "Trebatsch, September
4th."] Hordt, an ExSwede of distinction,a Royalist Exile, on whose head the Swedes have set a price (had
gone into 'Brahe's Plot,' years since, Plot on behalf of the poor Swedish King, which cost Brahe his
life),Hordt now might have fared ill, had not Friedrich been emphatic, 'Touch a hair of him, retaliation
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follows on the instant!' He was carried to Petersburg; 'lay twentysix months and three days' in solitary
durance there; and we may hear a word from him again."
ZIETHEN ALMOST CAPTURED. "Prince Henri, in the last days of August, marched to Sagan in person;
[Tempelhof, iii. 231: 29th August.] Ziethen along with him; multifariously manoeuvring 'to regain
communication with the King.' Of course, with no want of counter manoeuvring, of vigilant outposts,
cunningly devised detachments and assiduous small measures on the part of Daun. Who, one day, had
determined on a more considerable thing; that of cutting out Ziethen from the Sagan neighborhood. And
would have done it, they say,had not he been too cunctatory. September 2d, Ziethen, who is posted in the
little town of Sorau, had very nearly been cut off. In Sorau, westward, Daunward, of Sagan a short day?s
march: there sat Ziethen, conscious of nothing particular,with Daun secretly marching on him; Daun in
person, from the west, and two others from the north and from the south, who are to be simultaneous on
Sorau and the Zietheners. A welllaid scheme; likely to have finished Ziethen satisfactorily, who sat there
aware of nothing. But it all miswent: Daun, on the road, noticed some trifling phenomenon (Prussian party of
horse, or the like), which convinced his cautious mind that all was found out; that probably a whole Prussian
Army, instead of a Ziethen only, was waiting at Sorau; upon which Daun turned home again, sorry that he
could not turn the other two as well. The other two were stronger than Ziethen, could they have come upon
him by surprise; or have caught him before he got through a certain Pass, or bit of bad ground, with his
baggage. But Ziethen, by some accident, or by his own patrols, got notice; loaded his baggage instantly; and
was through the Pass, or half through it, and in a condition to give stroke for stroke with interest, when his
enemies came up. Nothing could be done upon Ziethen; who marched on, he and all his properties, safe to
Sagan that night,owing to Daun's overcaution, and to Ziethen's own activity and luck." [Tempelhof, iii.
233.]
All this was prior to the loss of Dresden. During the crisis of that, when everybody was bestirring himself,
Prince Henri made extraordinary exertions: "Much depends on me; all on me!" sighed Henri. A cautious little
man; but not incapable of risking, in the crisis of a game for life and death. Friedrich and he are wedged
asunder by that dike of Russians and Austrians, which goes from Bober river eastward, post after post, to
Hoyerswerda westward, eighty miles along the LausitzBrandenburg Frontier, rooting itself through the
Lausitz into Bohemia, and the sources of its meal. Friedrich and he cannot communicate except by spies ("the
first JAGER," or regular express "from the King, arrived September 13th" [Ib. iii. 207.]): but both are of one
mind; both are on one problem, "What is to be done with that impassable dike?"and cooperate
sympathetically without communicating. What follows bears date AFTER the loss of Dresden, but while
Henri still knew only of the siege,that JAGER of the 13th first brought him news of the loss.
"A day or two after Ziethen's adventure, Henri quits Sagan, to move southward for a stroke at the
BohemianLausitz magazines; a stroke, and series of strokes. SEPTEMBER 8th, Ziethen and (in Fouquet's
absence at Landshut) Stutterheim are pushed forward into the Zittau Country; first of all upon
Friedland,the Zittau Friedland, for there are Friedlands many! SEPTEMBER 9th, Stutterheim summons
Friedland, gets it; gets the bit of magazine there; and next day hastens on to Zittau. Is refused surrender of
Zittau; learns, however, that the magazine has been mostly set on wheels again, and is a stage forward on the
road to Bohemia; whitherward Stutterheim, quitting Zittau as too tedious, hastens after it, and next day
catches it, or the unburnt remains of it. A successful Stutterheim. Nor is Ziethen idle in the mean while;
Ziethen and others; whom no Deville or Austrian Party thinks itself strong enough to meddle with, Prince
Henri being so near.
"Here is a pretty tempest in the heart of our Bohemian meal conduit! Continue that, and what becomes of
Soltikof and me? Daun is off from Triebel Country to this dangerous scene; indignantly cashiers Deville,
'Why did not you attack these Ziethen people? Had not you 10,000, Sir?' Cashiers poor Deville for not
attacking; does not himself attack: but carts away the important Gorlitz magazine, to Bautzen, which is the
still more important one; sits down on the lid of that (according to wont); shoots out O'Donnell (an Irish
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gentleman, Deville's successor), and takes every precaution. Prince Henri, in presence of O'Donnell,
coalesces again; walks into Gorlitz; encamps there, on the Landskron and other Heights (Moys Hill one of
them, poor Winterfeld's Hill!), and watches a little how matters will turn, and whether Daun, severely
vigilant from Bautzen, seated on the lid of his magazine, will not perhaps rise."
First and last, Daun in this business has tried several things; but there was pretty much always, and
emphatically there now is, only one thing that could be effectual: To attack Prince Henri, and abolish him
from those countries;as surely might have been possible, with twice his strength at your disposal?This,
though sometimes he seemed to be thinking of such a thing, Daun never would try: for which the subsequent
FACTS, and all good judges, were and are inexorably severe on Daun. Certain it is, no rashness could have
better spilt Daun's game than did this extreme caution.
DAUN, SOLTIKOF AND COMPANY AGAIN HAVE A COLLOQUY (Bautzen, September 15th); AFTER
WHICH EVERYBODY STARTS ON HIS SPECIAL COURSE OF ACTION.
Soltikof's disgust at this new movement of Daun's was great and indignant. "Instead of going at the King, and
getting some victory for himself, he has gone to Bautzen, and sat down on his mealbags! Meal? Is it to be a
mere fighting for meal? I will march tomorrow for Poland, for Preussen, and find plenty of meal!" And
would have gone, they say, had not Mercury, in the shape of Montalembert with his most zealous rhetoric,
intervened; and prevailed with difficulty. "One hour of personal interview with Excellency Daun," urges
Montalembert; "one more!" "No," answers Soltikof."Alas, then, send your messenger!" To which last
expedient Soltikof does assent, and despatches Romanzof on the errand.
SEPTEMBER 15th, at Bautzen, at an early hour, there is meeting accordingly; not Romanzof, Soltikof's
messenger, alone, but Zweibruck in person, Daun in person; and most earnest council is held. "A noble
Russian gentleman sees how my hands are bound," pleads Daun. "Will not Excellency Soltikof, who disdains
idleness, go himself upon Silesia, upon Glogau for instance, and grant me a few days?" "No," answers
Romanzof; "Excellency Soltikof by himself will not. Let Austria furnish SiegeArtillery; daily meal I need
not speak of; 10,000 fresh Auxiliaries beyond those we have: on these terms Excellency Soltikof will perhaps
try it; on lower terms, positively not." "Well then, yes!" answers Daun, not without qualms of mind. Daun has
a horror at weakening himself to that extent; but what can he do? "General Campitelli, with the 10,000, let
him march this night, then; join with General Loudon where you please to order: Excellency Soltikof shall
see that in every point I conform." [Tempelhof, iii. 247249.]An important meeting to us, this at Bautzen;
and breaks up the deadlock into three or more divergent courses of activity; which it will now behoove us to
follow, with the best brevity attainable. "Bautzen, Saturday, 15th September, early in the morning," that is the
date of the important Colloquy. And precisely eightandforty hours before, "on Thursday, 13th, about 10
A.M.", in the western Environs of Quebec, there has fallen out an Event, quite otherwise important in the
History of Mankind! Of which readers shall have some notice at a time more convenient.
Romanzof returning with such answer, Soltikof straightway gathers himself, September 15th16th, and gets
on march. To Friedrich's joy; who hopes it may be homeward; waits two days at Waldau, for the Yes or No.
On the second day, alas, it is No: "Going for Silesia, I perceive; thither, by a wide sweep northward, which
they think will be safer!" Upon which Friedrich also rises; follows, with another kind of speed than Soltikof's;
and, by one of his swift clutchings, lays hold of Sagan, which he, if Soltikof has not, sees to be a keypoint in
this operation. Easy for Soltikof to have seized this keypoint, key of the real road to Glogau; easy for
Loudon and the new 10,000 to have rendezvoused there: but nobody has thought of doing it. A few Croats
were in the place, who could make no debate.
From Sagan Friedrich and Henri are at length in free communication; Sagan to the Landskron at Gorlitz is
some fifty miles of country, now fallen vacant. From Henri, from Fouquet (the dangers of Landshut being
over), Friedrich is getting what reinforcement they can spare (September 20th24th); will then push forward
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again, industriously sticking to the flanks of Soltikof, thrusting out stumblingblocks, making his march very
uncomfortable.
Strange to say, from Sagan, while waiting two days for these reinforcements, there starts suddenly to view,
suddenly for Friedrich and us, an incipient Negotiation about Peace! Actual Proposal that way (or as good as
actual, so Voltaire thinks it), on the part of Choiseul and France; but as yet in Voltaire's name only, by a sure
though a backstairs channel, of his discovering. Of which, and of the much farther corresponding that did
actually follow on it, we purpose to say something elsewhere, at a better time. Meanwhile Voltaire's
announcement of it to the King has just come in, through a fair and high Hand: how Friedrich receives it,
what Friedrich's inner feeling is, and has been for a fortnight pastHere are some private utterances of his,
throwing a straggle of light on those points:
FOUR LETTERS OF FRIEDRICH'S (10th24th September).
No. 1. TO PRINCE FERDINAND (at Berlin). Poor little Ferdinand, the King's Brother, fallen into bad
health, has retired from the Wars, and gone to Berlin; much an object of anxiety to the King, who diligently
corresponds with the dear little man,giving earnest medical advices, and getting Berlin news in return.
"WALDAU, 10th September, 1759.
"Since my last Letter, Dresden has capitulated,the very day while Wunsch was beating Maguire at The
Barns [north side of Dresden, September 5th) day AFTER the capitulation]. Wunsch went back to Torgau,
which St. Andre, with 14,000 Reichspeople under him, was for retaking; him too Wunsch beat, took all his
tents, kettles, haversacks and utensils, 300 prisoners, six cannon and some standards. Finck is uniting with
Wunsch; they will march on the Prince of Zweibruck, and retake Dresden [hopes always, for a year and more,
to have Dresden back very soon]. I trust before long to get all these people gathered round Dresden, and our
own Country rid of them: that, I take it, will be the end of the Campaign.
"Many compliments to the Prince of Wurtemberg [wounded at Kunersdorf], and to all our wounded Generals:
I hope Seidlitz is now out of danger: that bleeding fit (EBULLITION DE SANG) will cure him of the cramp
in his jaw, and of his colics; and as he is in bed, he won't take cold. I hope the viperbroth will do you infinite
good; be assiduous in patching your constitution, while there is yet some fine weather left: I dread the winter
for you; take a great deal of care against cold. I have still a couple of cruel months ahead of me before ending
this Campaign. Within that time, there will be, God knows what upshot." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi.
544.]This is "September 10th:" the day of Captain Kollas's arrival with his bad Dresden news; Daun and
Soltikof profoundly quiet for three days more.
No. 2. TO THE DUCHESS OF SACHSENGOTHA (at Gotha). Voltaire has enclosed his PeaceProposal to
that Serene Lady, always a friend of Friedrich's and his; to whom Friedrich, directly on receipt of it, makes
answer:
"SAGAN, 22d September, 1759.
"MADAM,I receive on all occasions proofs of your goodness, to which I am as sensible as a chivalrous
man can be. Certainly it is not through your hands, Madam, that my Correspondence with V. [with Voltaire,
if one durst write it in full] ought to be made to pass! Nevertheless, in present circumstances, I will presume
to beg that you would forward to him the Answer here enclosed, on which I put no Address. The difficulty of
transmitting Letters has made me choose my Brother," Ferdinand, at Berlin, "to have this conveyed to your
hand.
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"If I gave bridle to my feelings, now would be the moment for developing them; but in these critical times I
judge it better not; and will restrict myself to simple assurances of" F.
No. 3. TO VOLTAIRE, at the Delices (so her Serene Highness will address it). Here is part of the Enclosure
to "V." Friedrich is all for Peace; but keeps on his guard with such an Ambassador, and writes in a proud,
light, only halfbelieving style:
"SAGAN, 22d September, 1759.
"The Duchess of SachsenGotha sends me your Letter. I never received your packet of the 29th:
communications all interrupted here; with much trouble I get this passed on to you, if it is happy enough to
pass.
"My position is not so desperate as my enemies give out. I expect to finish my Campaign tolerably; my
courage is not sunk:it appears, however, there is talk of Peace. All I can say of positive on this article is,
That I have honor for ten; and that, whatever misfortune befall me, I feel myself incapable of doing anything
to wound, the least in the world, this principle,which is so sensitive and delicate for one who thinks like a
gentleman (PENSE EN PREUX CHEVALIER); and so little regarded by rascally politicians, who think like
tradesmen.
"I know nothing of what you have been telling me about [your backstairs channels, your Duc de Choiseul and
his humors]: but for making Peace there are two conditions which I never will depart from: 1. To make it
conjointly with my faithful Allies [Hessen and England; I have no other]; 2. To make it honorable and
glorious. Observe you, I have still honor remaining; I will preserve that, at the price of my blood.
"If your people want Peace, let them propose nothing to me which contradicts the delicacy of my sentiments.
I am in the convulsions of military operations; I do as the gamblers who are in illluck, and obstinately set
themselves against Fortune. I have forced her to return to me, more than once, like a fickle mistress, when she
had run away. My opponents are such foolish people, in the end I bid fair to catch some advantage over them:
but, happen whatsoever his Sacred Majesty Chance may please, I don't disturb myself about it. Up to this
point, I have a clear conscience in regard to the misfortunes that have come to me. As to you, the Battle of
Minden, that of Cadiz" (Boscawen VERSUS De la Clue; Toulon Fleet running out, and caught by the
English, as we saw), these things perhaps, "and the loss of Canada, are arguments capable of restoring reason
to the French, who had got confused by the Austrian hellebore.
"This is my way of thinking. You do not find me made of rosewater: but Henri Quatre, Louis
Quatorze,my present enemies even, whom I could cite [Maria Theresa, twenty years ago, when your
Belleisle set out to cut her in Four],were of no softer temper either. Had I been born a private man, I would
yield everything for the love of Peace; but one has to take the tone of one's position. This is all I can tell you
at present. In three or four weeks the ways of correspondence will be freer.F." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxiii. 60, 61.]
No. 4. TO PRINCE FERDINAND. Two days later: has got on foot again, end of his first march upon
Soltikof again:
"BAUNAU, 24th September, 1759.
"Thank you for the news you send of the wounded Officers," Wurtemberg, Seidlitz and the others. "You may
well suppose that in the pass things are at, I am not without cares, inquietudes, anxieties; it is the frightfulest
crisis I have had in my life. This is the moment for dying unless one conquer. Daun and my Brother Henri are
marching side by side [not exactly!]. It is possible enough all these Armies may assemble hereabouts, and
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that a general Battle may decide our fortune and the Peace. Take care of your health, dear Brother.F."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 545.]
Baunau is on Silesian ground, as indeed Sagan itself is; at Baunau Friedrich already, just on arriving, has
done a fine move on Soltikof, and surprisingly flung the tollgate in Soltikof's face. As we shall see by and
by;and likewise that Prince Henri, who emerges tomorrow morning (September 25th), has not been
"marching side by side with Daun," but at a pretty distance from that gentleman!
Soltikof is a man of his word; otherwise one suspects he already saw his Siege of Glogau to be impossible.
Russians are not very skilful at the Warminuet: fancy what it will be dancing to such a partner! Friedrich,
finding they are for Glogau, whisks across the Oder, gets there before them: "No Glogau for you!" They
stand agape for some time; then think "Well then Breslau!" Friedrich again whisks across from them, farther
up, and is again ahead of them when they cross: "No Breslau either!" In effect, it is hopeless; and we may
leave the two manoeuvring in those waste parts, astride of Oder, or on the eastern bank of it, till a fitter
opportunity; and attend to Henri, who is now the article in risk.
Zweibruck's report of himself, on that day of the general Colloquy, was not in the way of complaint, like that
of the Russians, though there did remain difficulties. "Dresden gloriously ours; Maguire Governor there, and
everything secure; upon my honor. But in the northwest part, those Fincks and Wunsches, Excellenz?"
And the actual truth is, Wunsch has taken Leipzig, day before yesterday (September 13th), as Daun
sorrowfully knows, by news come in overnight. And six days hence (September 21st), Finck and Wunsch
together will do their "ACTION OF KORBITZ," and be sending Haddick a bad road! These things
Zweibruck knows only in part; but past experience gives him ominous presentiment, as it may well do; and
he thinks decidedly: "Excellenz, more Austrian troops are indispensable there; in fact, your Excellenz's self,
were that possible; which one feels it is not, in the presence of these Russians!"
Russians and Reichsfolk, these are a pair of thumbscrews on both thumbs of Daun; screwing the cunctation
out of him; painfully intimating: "Get rid of this Prince Henri; you must, you must!" And, in the course of the
next eight days Daun has actually girt himself to this great enterprise. Goaded on, I could guess, by the
"Action of Korbitz " (done on Friday, thirty hours ago); the news of which, and that Haddick, instead of
extinguishing Finck, is retreating from him upon Dresden,what a piece of news! thinks Daun: "You,
Zweibruck, Haddick, Maguire and Company, you are 36,000 in Saxony; Finck has not 12,000 in the field:
How is this?"and indignantly dismisses Haddick altogether: "Go, Sir, and attend to your health!"
[Tempelhof, iii. 276, 258261.] News poignantly astonishing to Daun, as would seem;like an oxgoad in
the lazy rear of Daun. Certain it is, Daun had marched out to Gorlitz in collected form; and, on Saturday
afternoon, SEPTEMBER 22d is personally on the Heights (not Moys Hill, I should judge, but other points of
vision), taking earnest survey of Prince Henri's position on the Landskron there. "Tomorrow morning we
attack that Camp," thinks Daun; "storm Prince Henri and it: be rid of him, at any price!" [Ib. iii. 253256 (for
the March now ensuing): iii. 228234, 241247 (for Henri's anterior movements).]
"Tomorrow morning," yes:but this afternoon, and earlier, Prince Henri has formed a great resolution, his
plans all laid, everything in readiness; and it is not here you will find Prince Henri tomorrow. This is his
famous March of Fifty Hours, this that we are now come to; which deserves all our attention,and all
Daun's much more! Prince Henri was habitually a man cautious in War; not aggressive, like his Brother, but
defensive, frugal of risks, and averse to the lionsprings usual with some people; though capable of them,
too, in the hour of need. Military men are full of wonder at the bold scheme he now fell upon; and at his style
of executing it. Hardly was Daun gone home to his meditations on the storm of the Landskron tomorrow,
and tattoo beaten in Prince Henri's Camp there, when, at 8 that Saturday evening, issuing softly, with a
minimum of noise, in the proper marching columns, baggagecolumns, Henri altogether quitted this Camp;
and vanished like a dream. Into the Night; men and goods, every item:who shall say whitherward? Leaving
only a few light people to keep up the watchfires and sentrycries, for behoof of Daun! Let readers here,
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who are in the secret, watch him a little from afar.
Straight northward goes Prince Henri, down Neisse Valley, 20 miles or so, to Rothenburg; in columns
severalfold, with much delicate arranging, which was punctually followed: and in the course of tomorrow
Prince Henri is bivouacked, for a short rest of three hours,hidden in unknown space, 20 miles from Daun,
when Daun comes marching up to storm him on the Landskron! Gone veritably; but whitherward Daun
cannot form the least guess. Daun can only keep his men under arms there, all day; while his scouts gallop far
and wide,bringing in this false guess and the other; and at length returning with the eminently false one,
misled by some of Henri's baggagecolumns, which have to go many routes, That the Prince is on march for
Glogau:"Gone northeast; that way went his wagons; these we saw with our eyes." "Northeast? Yes, to
Glogau possibly enough," thinks Daun: "Or may not he, cunning as he is and full of feints, intend a stroke on
Bautzen, in my absence?"and hastens thither again, and sits down on the Magazinelid, glad to find
nothing wrong there.
This is all that Daun hears of Henri for the next four days. Plenty of bad news from Saxony in these four
days: the Finck Haddick Action of Korbitz, a dismal certainty before one started, and Haddick on his
road to some Watering Place by this time! But no trace of Henri farther; since that of the wagons wending
northeast. "Gone to Glogau, to his Brother: no use in pushing him, or trying to molest him there!" thinks
Daun; and waits, in stagnant humor, chewing the cud of bitter enough thoughts, till confirmation of that guess
arrive:as it never will in this world! Read an important Note:
"To northward of Bautzen forty miles, and to westward forty miles, the country is all Daun's; only towards
Glogau, with the Russians and Friedrich thereabouts, does it become disputable, or offer Prince Henri any
chance. Nevertheless it is not to Glogau, it is far the reverse, that the nimble Henri has gone. Resting himself
at Rothenburg 'three hours' (speed is of all things the vitalest), Prince Henri starts again, SUNDAY afternoon,
straight westward this time. Marches, with his best swiftness, with his best arrangements, through many
sleeping Villages, to Klitten, not a wakeful one: a march of 18 miles from Rothenburg;direct for the Saxon
side of things, instead of the Silesian, as Daun had made sure.
"At Klitten, MONDAY morning, bivouac again, for a few hours,'has no Camp, only waits three hours,' is
Archenholtz's phrase: but I suppose the meaning is, Waits till the several Columns, by their calculated routes,
have all got together; and till the latest in arriving has had 'three hours' of rest,the earliest having perhaps
gone on march again, in the interim? There are 20 miles farther, still straight west, to Hoyerswerda, where the
outmost Austrian Division is: 'Forward towards that; let us astonish General Wehla and his 3,000, and our
March is over!' All this too Prince Henri manages; never anything more consummate, more astonishing to
Wehla and his Master.
"Wehla and Brentano, readers perhaps remember them busy, from the Pirna side, at the late Siege of Dresden.
Siege gloriously done, Wehla was ordered to Hoyerswerda, on the northwest frontier; Brentano to a different
point in that neighborhood; where Brentano escaped ruin, and shall not be mentioned; but Wehla suddenly
found it, and will require a word. Wehla, of all people on the War theatre, had been the least expecting
disturbance. He is on the remotest western flank; to westward of him nothing but Torgau and the
FinckWunsch people, from whom is small likelihood of danger: from the eastern what danger can there be?
A Letter of Dauns, some days ago, had expressly informed him that, to all appearance, there was none.
"And now suddenly, on the Tuesday morning, What is this? Prussians reported to be visible in the Woods!
'Impossible!' answered Wehla;did get ready, however, what he could; Croat Regiments, pieces of Artillery
behind the Elster River and on good points; laboring more and more diligently, as the news proved true. But
all his efforts were to no purpose. General Lentulus with his Prussians (the mute Swiss Lentulus, whom we
sometimes meet), who has the Vanguard this day, comes streaming out of the woods across the obstacles;
cannonades Wehla both in front and rear; entirely swallows Wehla and Corps: 600 killed; the General
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himself, with 28 FieldOfficers, and of subalterns and privates 1,785, falling prisoners to us; and the
remainder scattered on the winds, galloping each his own road towards covert and a new form of life. Wehla
is eaten, in this manner, Tuesday, September 25th: metaphorically speaking, the March of Fifty Hours
ends in a comfortable twofold meal (militarycannibal, as well as of common culinary meat), and in
welldeserved rest." [Tempelhof, iii. 255, 256; Seyfarth, Beylagen;
The turningpoint of the Campaign is reckoned to be this March of Henri's; one of the most extraordinary on
record. Prince Henri had a very fast March INTO these SilesianLausitz Countries, early in July, [Seyfarth,
ii. 545.] and another very fast, from Bautzen, to intersect with Schmottseifen, in the end of July: but these
were as nothing compared with the present. Tempelhof, the excellent solid man,but who puts all things,
big and little, on the same level of detail, and has unparalleled methods of arranging (what he reckons to be
"arranging"), and no vestige of index,is distressingly obscure on this grand Incident; but at length, on
compulsion, does yield clear account. [Tempelhof, iii. 253258.] In Archenholtz it is not DATED at all; who
merely says as follows: "Most extraordinary march ever made; went through 50 miles of Country wholly in
the Enemy's possession; lasted 56 hours, in which long period there was no camp pitched, and only twice a
rest of three hours allowed the troops. During the other fifty hours the march, day and night, continually
proceeded. Ended (NO date) in surprise of General Wehla at Hoyerswerda, cutting up 600 of his soldiers, and
taking 1,800 prisoners. Kalkreuth, since so famous," in the AntiNapoleon Wars, "was the Prince's Adjutant."
[Archenholtz, i. 426.]
This is probably Prince Henri's cleverest feat,though he did a great many of clever; and his Brother used to
say, glancing towards him, "There is but one of us that never committed a mistake." A highly ingenious
dexterous little man in affairs of War, sharp as needles, vehement but cautious; though of abstruse temper,
thin skinned, capricious, and giving his Brother a great deal of trouble with his jealousies and shrewish
whims. By this last consummate little operation he has astonished Daun as much as anybody ever did; shorn
his elaborate tissue of cunctations into ruin and collapse at one stroke; and in effect, as turns out, wrecked his
campaign for this Year.
Daun finds there is now no hope of Saxony, unless he himself at once proceed thither. At once thither;and
leave Glogau and the Russians to their luck,which in such case, what is it like to be? Probably, to Daun's
own view, ominous enough; but he has no alternative. To this pass has the March of Fifty Hours brought us.
There is such a thing as being too cunctatory, is not there, your Excellency? Every mortal, and more
especially every Feldmarschall, ought to strike the iron while it is hot. The remainder of this Campaign, we
will hope, can be made intelligible in a more summary manner.
FRIEDRICH MANAGES (September 24thOctober 24th) TO GET THE RUSSIANS SENT HOME; AND
HIMSELF FALLS LAMED WITH GOUT.
Friedrich's manoeuvres against Soltikof,every reader is prepared to hear that Soltikof was rendered futile
by them: and none but military readers could take delight in the details. Two beautiful shortcuts he made
upon Soltikof; pulled him up both times in mid career, as with hard checkbit. The first time was at
Zobelwitz: September 24th, Friedrich cut across from Sagan, which is string to bow of the Russian march;
posted himself on the Heights of Zobelwitz, of Baunau, Milkau (at Baunau Friedrich will write a LETTER
this night, if readers bethink themselves; Milkau is a place he may remember for raindeluges, in the First
Silesian War [Supra, p. 323; ib. vol. vii. p. 311.]): "Let the Russians, if they now dare, try the Pass of
Neustadtel here!" A fortunate hour, when he got upon this ground. QuartermasterGeneral Stoffel, our old
Custrin acquaintance, is found marking out a Camp with a view to that Pass of Neustadtel; [Tempelhof, iii.
293; Retzow, ii. 163.] is, greatly astonished to find the Prussian Army emerge on him there; and at once
vanishes, with his HussarCossack retinues. "September 24th," it is while Prince Henri was on the last
moiety of his March of Fifty Hours. This severe twitch flung Soltikof quite out from Glogau,was like to
fling him home altogether, had it not been for Montalembert's eloquence;did fling him across the Oder.
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Where, again thanks to Montalembert, he was circling on with an eye to Breslau, when Friedrich, by the
diameter, suddenly laid bridges, crossed at Koben, and again brought Soltikof to halt, as by turnpike suddenly
shut: "Must pay first; must beat us first!"
These things had raised Friedrich's spirits not a little. Getting on the Heights of Zobelwitz, he was heard to
exclaim, "This is a lucky day; worth more to me than a battle with victory." [Retzow, ii. 163.] Astonishing
how he blazed out again, quite into his old pride and effulgence, after this, says Retzow. Had been so meek,
so humbled, and even condescended to ask advice or opinion from some about him. Especially "from two
Captains," says the Opposition Retzow, whose heads were nearly turned by this sunburst from on high.
Captain Marquart and another,I believe, he did employ them about Routes and marking of Camps, which
Retzow calls consulting: a King fallen tragically scarce of persons to consult; all his Winterfelds, Schwerins,
Keiths and Council of Peers now vanished, and nothing but some intelligentlooking Captain Marquart, or
the like, to consult:of which Retzow, in his splenetic Opposition humor, does not see the tragedy, but
rather the comedy: how the poor Captains found their favor to be temporary, conditional, and had to collapse
again. One of them wrote an "ESSAY on the COUPD'OEIL MILITAIRE," over which Retzow pretends to
weep. This was Friedrich's marginal Note upon the MS., when submitted to his gracious perusal: "You (ER)
will do better to acquire the Art of marking Camps than to write upon the Military Stroke of Eye." Beautifully
written too, says Retzow; but what, in the eyes of this King, is beautiful writing, to knowing your business
well? No friend he to writing, unless you have got something really special, and urgent to be written.
Friedrich crassed the Oder twice. Took Soltikof on both sides of the Oder, cut him out of this fond
expectation, then of that; led him, we perceive, a bad life. Latterly the scene was on the right bank;
Sophienthal, Koben, Herrnstadt and other poor places, on that big eastern elbow, where Oder takes his
final bend, or farewell of Poland. Ground, naturally, of some interest to Friedrich: ground to us unknown; but
known to Friedrich as the ground where Karl XII. gave Schulenburg his beating, ["Near Guhrau" (while
chasing August the Strong and him out of Poland), "12th October, 1704:" vague account of it, dateless, and as
good as placeless, in Voltaire ( Charles Douse, liv. iii.), OEuvres, xxx. 142145.] which produced the
"beautiful retreat" of Schulenburg. The old Feldmarschall Schulenburg whom we used to hear of
once,whose Nephew, a pipeclayed little gentleman, was well known to Friedrich and us.
For the rest, I do not think he feels this outmanoeuvring of the Russians very hard work. Already, from
Zobelwitz Country, 25th September, day of Henri at Hoyerswerda, Friedrich had written to Fouquet: "With
21,000 your beaten and maltreated Servant has hindered an Army of 50,000 from attacking him, and
compelled them to retire on Neusatz!" Evidently much risen in hope; and Henri's fine news not yet come to
hand. By degrees, Soltikof, rendered futile, got very angry; especially when Daun had to go for Saxony.
"Meal was becoming impossible, at any rate," whimpers Daun: "O Excellency, do but consider, with the
nobleness natural to you! Our Court will cheerfully furnish money, instead of meal.""Money? My people
cannot eat money!" growled Soltikof, getting more and more angry; threatening daily to march for Posen and
his own meal stores. What a time of it has Montalembert, has the melancholy Loudon, with temper so hot!
At Sophienthal, October 10th, Friedrich falls ill of gout; absolutely lamed; for three weeks cannot stir from
his room. Happily the outer problem is becoming easier and easier; almost bringing its own solution. At
Sophienthal the lame Friedrich takes to writing about CHARLES XII. AND HIS MILITARY
CHARACTER, not a very illuminative Piece, on the first perusal, but I intend to read it again;
[REFLEXIONS SUR LES TALENS MILITAIRES ET SUR LE CARACTERE DE CHARLES XII.
( OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 6988).]which at least helps him to pass the time. Soltikof, more and more
straitened, meal itself running low, gets angrier and angrier. His treatment of the Country, Montalembert
rather encouraging, is described as "horrible." One day he takes the whim, whim or little more, of seizing
Herrnstadt; a small Town, between the Two Armies, where the Prussians have a Free Battalion. The Prussian
Battalion resists; drives Soltikof's people back. "Never mind," think they: "a place of no importance to us;
and Excellency Soltikof has ridden elsewhither." By illluck, in the afternoon, Excellency Soltikof
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happened to mention the place again. Hearing that the Prussians still have it, Soltikof mounts into a rage;
summons the place, with answer still No; thereupon orders instant bombardment of it, fiery storms of
grenadoes for it; and has the satisfaction of utterly burning poor Herrnstadt; the Prussian FreeCorps still
continuing obstinate. It was Soltikof's last act in those parts, and betokens a sulphurous state of humor.
Next morning (October 24th), he took the road for Posen, and marched bodily home. [Tempelhof, iii. 299,
291300 (general account, abundantly minute).] Home verily, in spite of Montalembert and all men. "And for
me, what orders has Excellency?" Loudon had anxiously inquired, on the eve of that event. "None whatever!"
answered Excellency: "Do your own pleasure; go whithersoever seems good to you." And Loudon had to
take a wide sweep round, by Kalish, through the western parts of Poland; and get home to the Troppau
Teschen Country as he best could.
By Kalish, by Czenstochow, Cracow, poor Loudon had to go: a dismal march of 300 miles or more,waited
on latterly by Fouquet, with Werner, Goltz and others, on the Silesian Border; whom Friedrich had ordered
thither for such end. Whom Loudon skilfully avoided to fight; having already, by desertion and by hardships,
lost half his men on the road. Glad enough to get home and under roof, with his 20,000 gone to 10,000; and
to make bargain with Fouquet: "Truce, then, through Winter; neither of us to meddle with the other, unless
after a fortnight's warning given." [Tempelhof, iii. 328331.] NOVEMBER 1st, a month before this, the
King, carried on a litter by his soldiers, had quitted Sophienthal; and, crossing the River by Koben, got to
Glogau. [Rodenbeck, i. 396.] The greater part of his force, 13,000 under Hulsen, he had immediately sent on
for Saxony; he himself intending to wait recovery in Glogau, with this Silesian wing of the business happily
brought to finis for the present.
On the Saxon side, too, affairs are in such a course that the King can be patient at Glogau till he get well.
Everything is prosperous in Saxony since that March on Hoyerswerda; Henri, with his Fincks and Wunsches,
beautifully posted in the MeissenTorgau region; no dislodging of him, let Daun, with his big mass of forces,
try as he may. Daun, through the month of October, is in various Camps, in Schilda last of all: Henri
successively in two; in Strehla for some ten days; then in Torgau for about three weeks, carefully intrenched,
[Tempelhof. iii. 276, 281, 284 (Henri in Strehla, October 4th17th; thence to Torgau: 22d October, Daun
"quits his Camp of Belgern" for that of Schilda, which was his last in those parts).]where traces of him will
turn up (not too opportunely) next year. Daun, from whatever Camp, goes laboring on this side and on that;
on every side the deft Henri is as sharp as needles; nothing to be made of him by the cunning movements and
contrivances of Daun. Very fine manoeuvring it was, especially on Henri's part; a charm to the soldier
mind;given minutely in Tempelhof, and capable of being followed (if you have Maps and Patience) into
the last details. Instructive really to the soldier;but must be, almost all, omitted here. One beautiful slap to
Duke d'Ahremberg (a poor old friend of Daun's and ours) we will remember: "Action of Pretsch" they call it;
defeat, almost capture of poor D'Ahremberg; who had been sent to dislodge the Prince, by threatening his
supplies, and had wheeled, accordingly, eastward, wide away; but, to his astonishment, found, after a march
or two, Three select Prussian Corps emerging on him, by front, by rear, by flank, with Horseartillery
(quasimiraculous) bursting out on hilltops, too, and, in short, nothing for it but to retreat, or indeed to
run, in a considerably ruinous style: poor D'Ahremberg! [Seyfarth ( Beylagen, ii. 634637), "HOFBERICHT
VON DER AM 29 OCTOBER, 1759, BEY MEURO [chiefly BEY PRETSCH] VORGEFALLENEN
ACTION;" ib. ii. 543 n.] On the whole, Daun is reduced to a panting condition; and knows not what to do.
His plans were intrinsically bad, says Tempelhof; without beating Henri in battle, which he cannot bring
himself to attempt, he, in all probability, will, were it only for difficulties of the commissariat kind, have to
fall back Dresdenward, and altogether take himself away. [Tempelhof, iii. 287289.]
After this sad slap at Pretsch, Daun paused for consideration; took to palisading himself to an extraordinary
degree, slashing the Schilda Forests almost into ruin for this end; and otherwise sat absolutely quiet. Little to
be done but take care of oneself. Daun knows withal of Hulsen's impending advent with the Silesian
13,000;November 2d, Hulsen is actually at Muskau, and his 13,000 magnified by rumor to 20,000.
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Hearing of which, Daun takes the road (November 4th); quits his gloriously palisaded Camp of Schilda; feels
that retreat on Dresden, or even home to Bohemia altogether, is the one course left.
And now, the important Bautzen Colloquy of SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th, having here brought its
three or more Courses of Activity to a pause,we will glance at the far more important THURSDAY, 13th,
other side the Ocean:
ABOVE QUEBEC, NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER 12th13th, In profound silence, on the stream of the St.
Lawrence far away, a notable adventure is going on. Wolfe, from two points well above Quebec ("As a last
shift, we will try that way"), with about 5,000 men, is silently descending in boats; with purpose to climb the
Heights somewhere on this side the City, and be in upon it, if Fate will. An enterprise of almost sublime
nature; very great, if it can succeed. The cliffs all beset to his left hand, Montcalm in person guarding Quebec
with his main strength.
Wolfe silently descends; mind made up; thoughts hushed quiet into one great thought; in the ripple of the
perpetual waters, under the grim cliffs and the eternal stars. Conversing with his people, he was heard to
recite some passages of Gray's ELEGY, lately come out to those parts; of which, says an earwitness, he
expressed his admiration to an enthusiastic degree: "Ah, these are tones of the Eternal Melodies, are not they?
A man might thank Heaven had he such a gift; almost as WE might for succeeding here, Gentlemen!"
[Professor Robison, then a Naval Junior, in the boat along with Wolfe, afterwards a wellknown Professor of
Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh, was often heard, by persons whom I have heard again, to repeat this
Anecdote. See Playfair, BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF PROFESSOR ROBISON,in Transactions of
Royal Society of Edinburgh, vii. 495 et seq.] Next morning (Thursday, 13th September, 1759), Wolfe, with
his 5,000, is found to have scrambled up by some woody Neck in the heights, which was not quite
precipitous; has trailed one cannon with him, the seamen busy bringiug up another; and by 10 of the clock
stands ranked (really somewhat in the Friedrich way, though on a small scale); ready at all poiuts for
Montcalm, but refusing to be overready.
Montcalm, on first hearing of him, had made haste: "OUI, JE LES VOIS OU ILS NE DOIVENT PAS ETRE;
JE VAIS LES E'CRASER (to smash them)!" said he, by way of keeping his people in heart. And marches up,
beautifully skilful, neglecting none of his advantages. Has numerous Canadian sharpshooters, preliminary
Indians in the bushes, with a provoking fire: "Steady!" orders Wolfe; "from you not one shot till they are
within thirty yards." And Montcalm, volleying and advancing, can get no response, more than from Druidic
stones; till at thirty yards the stones become vocal,and continue so at a dreadful rate; and, in a space of
seventeen minutes, have blown Montcalm's regulars, and the gallant Montcalm himself, and their second in
command, and their third, into ruin and destruction. In about seven minutes more the agony was done;
"English falling on with the bayonet, Highlanders with the claymore;" fierce pursuit, rout total:and Quebec
and Canada as good as finished. The thing is yet well known to every Englishman; [The military details of it
seem to be very ill known (witness Colonel Beatson's otherwise rather careful Pamphlet, THE PLAINS OF
ABRAHAM, written quite lately, which we are soon to cite farther); and they would well deserve describing
in the SEYFARTHBEYLAGEN, or even in the TEMPELHOF way,could an English Officer, on the spot
as this Colonel was, be found to do it!Details are in Beatson (quite another "Beatson"), Naval and Military
History, ii. 300308; in Gentleman's Magazine for 1759, the Despatches and particulars: see also Walpole,
George the Second, iii. 217222.] and how Wolfe himself died in it, his beautiful death.
Truly a bit of right soldierhood, this Wolfe. Manages his small resources in a consummate manner; invents,
contrives, attempts and reattempts, irrepressible by difficulty or discouragement, How could a Friedrich
himself have managed this Quebec in a more artistic way? The small Battle itself, 5,000 to a side, and such
odds of Savagery and Canadians, reminds you of one of Friedrich's: wise arrangements; exact foresight,
preparation corresponding; caution with audacity; inflexible discipline, silent till its time come, and then
blazing out as we see. The prettiest soldiering I have heard of among the English for several generations.
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Amherst, Commanderinchief, is diligently noosing, and tying up, the French military settlements, Niagara,
Ticonderoga; Canada all round: but this is the heart or windpipe of it; keep this firm, and, in the
circumstances, Canada is yours.
Colonel Reatson, in his recent Pamphlet, THE PLAINS OF ABRAHAM,which, especially on the military
side, is distressingly ignorant and shallow, though NOT intentionally incorrect anywhere,gives Extracts
from a Letter of Montcalm's ("Quebec, 24th August, 1759"), which is highly worth reading, had we room. It
predicts to a hair'sbreadth, not only the way "M. Wolfe, if he understands his trade, will take to beat and
ruin me if we meet in fight;" but also,with a sagacity singular to look at, in the years 17751777, and
perhaps still more in the years 18601863,what will be the consequences to those unruly English, Colonial
and other. "If he beat me here, France has lost America utterly," thinks Montcalm: "Yes;and one's only
consolation is, In ten years farther, America will be in revolt against England!" Montcalm's style of writing is
not exemplary; but his power of faithful observation, his sagacity, and talent of prophecy are so considerable,
we are tempted to give the IPSISSIMA VERBA of his long Letter in regard to those two points,the rather
as it seems to have fallen much out of sight in our day:
MONTCALM TO A COUSIN IN FRANCE.
"CAMP BEFORE QUEBEC, 24th August, 1759.
"MONSIEUR ET CHER COUSIN,Here I am, for more than three months past, at handgrips with M.
Wolfe; who ceases not day or night to bombard Quebec, with a fury which is almost unexampled in the Siege
of a Place one intends to retain after taking it." ... Will never take it in that way, however, by attacking from
the River or south shore; only ruins us, but does not enrich himself. Not an inch nearer his object than he was
three months ago; and in one month more the equinoctial storms will blow his Fleet and him away.
Quebec, then, and the preservation of the Colony, you think, must be as good as safe?" Alas, the fact is far
otherwise. The capture of Quebec depends on what we call a strokeofhand[But let us take to the
Original now, for Prediction First]:
"La prise de Quebec depend d'un coup de main. Les Anglais sont maitres de la riviere: ils n'ont qu'a effectuer
une descente sur la rive ou cette Ville, sans fortifications et sans defense, est situee. Les voila en etat de me
presenter la bataille; que je ne pourrais plus refuser, et que je ne devrais pas gagner. M. Wolfe, en effet, s'il
entend son metier, n'a qu'a essuyer le premier feu, venir ensuite a grands pas sur mon armee, faire a bout
portant sa decharge; mes Canadiens, sans discipline, sourds a la voix du tambour et des instrumens militaires,
deranges pa cette escarre, ne sauront plus reprendre leurs rangs. Ils sont d'ailleurs sans baionettes pour
repondre a celles de l'ennemi: il ne leur reste qu'a fuir,et me voila battu sans ressource. [This is a curiously
exact Prediction! I won't survive, however; defeat here, in this stage of our affairs, means loss of America
altogether:] il est des situations ou il ne reste plus a un General que de perir avec honneur. ... Mes sentimens
sont francais, et ils le seront jusque dans le tombeau, si dans le tombeau on est encore quelque chose.
"Je me consolerai du moins de ma defaite, et de la perte de la Colonie, par l'intime persuasion ou je suis
[Prediction Second, which is still more curious], que cette defaite vaudra, un jour, a ma Patrie plus qu'une
victoire; et que le vainqueur, en s'agrandissant, trouvera un tombeau dans son agrandissement meme.
"Ce que j'avance ici, mon cher Cousin, vous paraitra un paradoxe: mais un moment de reflexion politique, un
coup d'oeil sur la situation des choses en Amerique, et la verite de mon opinion brillera dans tout son jour.
[Nobody will obey, unless necessity compel him: VOILA LES HOMMES; GENE of any kind a nuisance to
them; and of all men in the world LES ANGLAIS are the most impatient of obeying anybody.] Mais si ce
sontla les Anglais de l'Europe, c'est encore plus les Anglais d'Amerique. Une grande partie de ces Colons
sont les enfans de ces hommes qui s'expatrierent dans ces temps de trouble ou l'ancienne Angleterre, en proie
aux divisions, etait attaquee dans ses privileges et droits; et allerent chercher en Amerique une terre ou ils
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pussent vivre et mourir libres et presque independants:et ces enfans n'ont pas degenere des sentimens
republicains de leurs peres. D'autres sont des hommes ennemis de tout frein, de tout assujetissement, que le
gouvernement y a transportes pour leurs crimes, D'autres, enfin, sont un ramas de differentes nations de
l'Europe, qui tiennent trespeu a l'ancienne Angleterre par le coeur et le sentiment; tous, en general, ne ce
soucient gueres du Roi ni du Parlement d'Angleterre.
"Je les connais bien,non sur des rapports etrangers, mais sur des correspondances et des informations
secretes, que j'ai moimeme menagees; et dont, un jour, si Dieu me prete vie, je pourrai faire usage a
l'avantage de ma Patrie. Pour surcroit de bonheur pour eux, tous ces Colons sont parvenues, dans un etat
tresflorissant; ils sont nombreux et riches:ils recueillent dans le sein de leur patrie toutes les necessites de
la vie. L'ancienne Angleterre a ete assez sotte, et assez dupe, pour leur laisser etablir chez eux les arts, les
metiers, les manufactures:c'est a dire, qu'elle leur a laisse briser la chaine de besoins qui les liait, qui les
attachait a elle, et qui les fait dependants. Aussi toutes ces Colonies Anglaises auraientelles depuis
longtemps secoue le joug, chaque province aurait forme une petite republique independante, si la crainte de
voir les Francais a leur Porte n'avait ete un frein qui les avait retenu. Maitres pour maitres, ils ont pefere leurs
compatriotes aux etrangers; prenant cependant pour maxime de n'obeir que le moins qu'ils pourraient. Mais
que le Canada vint a etre conquis, et que les Canadiens et ces Colons ne fussent plus qu'une seul peuple,et
la premiere occasion ou l'ancienne Angleterre semblerait toucher a leurs interets, croyezvous, mon cher
Cousin, que ces Colons obeiront? Et qu'auraientils a craindre en se revoltant? ... Je suis si sur de ce que
j'ecris, que je ne donnerais pas dix ans apres la conquete du Canada pour en voir l'accomplissement.
"Voila ce que, comme Francais, me console aujourd'hui du danger imminent, que court ma Patrie, de voir
cette Colonie perdue pour elle." [In Beatson, LieutenantColonel R.E., The Plains of Abraham; Notes
original and selected (Gibraltar, Garrison Library Press, 1858), pp. 38 et seq.: Extract from "Lettres de M. le
Marquis de Montcalm a MM. De Berryer et De la Mole: 17571759 (Londres, 1777),"which is not in the
BritishMuseum Library, on applying; and seems to be a forgotten Book. (NOTE OF FIRST EDITION,
1865.)
"A Copy is in the BOSTON ATHENAEUM LIBRARY, NewEngland: it is a Pamphlet rather than a Book;
contains Two Letters to Berryer MINISTRE DE LA MARINE, besides this to Mole the Cousin: Publisher is
the noted J. Almon,in French and English." (From Boston Sunday Courier, of 19th April, 1868, where this
Letter is reproduced.)
In the Temple Library, London, I have since found a Copy: and, on strict survey, am obliged to pronounce the
whole Pamphlet a FORGERY,especially the Two Letters to "Berryer MINISTER OF MARINE;" who was
not yet Minister of anything, nor thought of as likely to be, for many months after the date of these Letters
addressed to him as such! Internal evidence too, were such at all wanted, is abundant in these BERRYER
Letters; which are of gross and almost stupid structure in comparison to the MOLE one. As this latter has
already got into various Books, and been argued of in Parliaments and high places (Lord Shelburne asserting
it to be spurious, Lord Mansfield to be genuine: REPORT OF PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES in
Gentleman's Magazine for NOVEMBER and for DECEMBER, 1777, pp. 515, 560),it may be allowed to
continue here in the CONDEMNED state. Forger, probably, some ExCanadian, or other American
ROYALIST, anxious to do the Insurgent Party and their British Apologists an ill turn, in that critical
year;had shot off his Pamphlet to voracious Almon; who prints without preface or criticism, and even
without correcting the press. (NOTE OF JULY, 1868.)]
Montcalm had been in the Belleisle RETREAT FROM PRAG (December, 1742); in the terrible EXILLES
Business (July, 1747), where the Chevalier de Belleisle and 4 or 5,000 lost their lives in about an hour.
Captain Cook was at Quebec, Master in the Royal Navy; "sounding the River, and putting down buoys."
Bougainville, another famous Navigator, was AidedeCamp of Montcalm. There have been farsounding
Epics built together on less basis than lies ready here, in this CAPTURE OF QUEBEC;which itself, as the
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Decision that America is to be English and not French, is surely an Epoch in WorldHistory! Montcalm was
48 when he perished; Wolfe 33. Montcalm's skull is in the Ursulines Convent at Quebec,shown to the idly
curious to this day. [LieutenantColonel Beatson, pp. 28, 15.]
It was on October 17th,while Friedrich lay at Sophienthal, lamed of gout, and Soltikof had privately fixed
for home (went that day week),that this glorious bit of news reached England. It was only three days after
that other, bad and almost hopeless news, from the same quarter; news of poor Wolfe's Repulse, on the other
or eastern side of Quebec, July 31st, known to us already, not known in England till October 14th.
Heightened by such contrast, the news filled all men with a strange mixture of emotions. "The incidents of
Dramatic Fiction," says one who was sharer in it, "could not have been conducted with more address to lead
an audience from despondency to sudden exultation, than Accident had here prepared to excite the passions
of a whole People. They despaired; they triumphed; and they wept,for Wolfe had fallen in the hour of
victory! Joy, grief, curiosity, astonishment, were painted in every countenance: the more they inquired, the
higher their admiration rose. Not an incident but was heroic and affecting." [Walpole, iii. 219.] America ours;
but the noble Wolfe now not!
What Pitt himself said of these things, we do not much hear. On the meeting of his Parliament, about a month
hence, his Speech, somebody having risen to congratulate and eulogize him, is still recognizably of royal
quality, if we evoke it from the Walpole Notes. Very modest, very noble, true; and with fine pieties and
magnanimities delicately audible in it: "Not a week all Summer but has been a crisis, in which I have not
known whether I should not be torn to pieces, instead of being commended, as now by the Honorable
Member. The hand of Divine Providence; the more a man is versed in business, the more he everywhere
traces that! ... Success has given us unanimity, not unanimity success. For my own poor share, I could not
have dared as I have done, except in these times. Other Ministers have hoped as well, but have not been so
circumstanced to dare so much. ... I think the stone almost rolled to the top of the hill; but let us have a care;
it may rebound, and hideously drag us down with it again." [Ib. iii. 225; Thackeray, i. 446.]
The essential truth, moreover, is, Pitt has become King of England; so lucky has poor England, in its hour of
crisis, again been. And the difference between an England guided by some kind of Friedrich (temporary
Friedrich, absolute, though of insecure tenure), and by a Newcastle and the Clack of Tongues, is very great!
But for Pitt, there had been no Wolfe, no Amherst; Duke Ferdinand had been the Royal Highness of
Cumberland,and all things going round him in St. Vitus, at their old rate. This man is a King, for the time
being,King really of the Friedrich type; and rules, Friedrich himself not more despotically, where need
is. Pitt's WarOffices, Admiralties, were not of themselves quickgoing entities; but Pitt made them go.
Slowpaced Lords in Office have remonstrated, on more than one occasion: "Impossible, Sir; these things
cannot be got ready at the time you order!" "My Lord, they indispensably must," Pitt would answer (a man
always reverent of coming facts, knowing how inexorable they are); and if the Negative continued obstinate
in argument, he has been known to add: "My Lord, to the King's service, it is a fixed necessity of time.
Unless the time is kept, I will impeach your Lordship!" Your Lordship's head will come to lie at your
Lordship's feet! Figure a poor Duke of Newcastle, listening to such a thing;and knowing that Pitt will do it;
and that he can, such is his favor with universal England;and trembling and obeying. Warrequisites for
land and for sea are got ready with a Prussian punctuality, at what multiple of the Prussian expense, is a
smaller question for Pitt.
It is about eighteen months ago that Pownal, Governor of New England, a kind of halfmilitary person, not
without sound sense, though sadly intricate of utterance,of whom Pitt, just entering on Office, has, I
suppose, asked an opinion on America, as men do of Learned Counsel on an impending Lawsuit of
magnitude,had answered, in his longwinded, intertwisted, nearly inextricable way, to the effect, "Sir, I
incline to fear, on the whole, that the Action will NOT lie,that, on the whole, the French will eat America
from us in spite of our teeth." [In THACKERAY, ii. 421452, Pownal's intricate REPORT (his
"DISCOURSE," or whatever he calls it, "ON THE DEFENCE OF THE INLAND FRONTIERS," his of date
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"15th January, 1758."] January 15th, 1758, that is the Pownal OpinionofCounsel;and on September
13th, 1759, this is what we have practically come to. And on September 7th, 1760: within twelve months
more,Amherst, descending the Rapids from Ticonderoga side, and two other little Armies, ascending from
Quebec and Louisburg, to meet him at Montreal, have proved punctual almost to an hour; and are in
condition to extinguish, by triple pressure (or what we call noosing), the French GovernorGeneral in
Montreal, a Monsieur de Vaudreuil, and his Montreal and his Canada altogether; and send the French bodily
home out of those Continents. [Capitulation between Amherst and Vaudreuil ("Montreal, 8th September,
1760"), in 55 Articles: in BEATSON, iii. 274283.] Which may dispense us from speaking farther on the
subject.
From the Madras region, too, from India and outrageous Lally, the news are good. Early in Spring last, poor
Lally,a man of endless talent and courage, but of dreadfully emphatic loose tongue, in fact of a blazing
ungoverned Irish turn of mind,had instantly, on sight of some small Succors from Pitt, to raise his siege of
Madras, retire to Pondicherry; and, in fact, go plunging and tumbling downhill, he and his India with him, at
an everfaster rate, till they also had got to the Abyss. "My policy is in these five words, NO ENGLISHMAN
IN THIS PENINSULA," wrote he, a year ago, on landing in India; and now it is to be No FRENCHMAN,
and there is one word in the five to be altered!Of poor Lally, zealous and furious overmuch, and nearly
the most unfortunate and worstused "man of genius" I ever read of, whose lionlike struggles against
French Official people, and against Pitt's Captains and their sea fights and siegings, would deserve a volume
to themselves, we have said, and can here say, as good as nothing,except that they all ended, for Lally and
French India, in total surrender, 16th January, 1761; and that Lally, some years afterwards, for toils
undergone and for services done, got, when accounts came to be liquidated, death on the scaffold. Dates I
give below. [28th April, 1758, Lands at Pondicherry; instantly proceeds upon Fort St. David. 2d June, 1758,
Takes it: meant to have gone now on Madras; but finds he has no money;goes extorting money from Black
Potentates about, Rajah of Travancore, in a violent and extraordinary style; and can get little. Nevertheless,
14th December, 1758, Lays Siege to Madras.
16th February, 1759, Is obliged to quit trenches at Madras, and retire dismally upon Pondicherry,to mere
indigence, mutiny ("ten mutinies"), Official conspiracy, and chaos come again.
22d January, 1760, Makes outrush on Wandewash, and the English posted there; is beaten, driven back into
Pondicherry. April, 1760, Is besieged in Pondicherry. 16th January, 1761, Is taken, Pondicherry, French India
and he;to Madras he, lest the French Official party kill him, as they attempt to do.
23d September, 1761, arrives, prisoner, in England: thence, on parole, to France and Paris, 21st October.
November, 1762, To Bastille; waits trial nineteen months; trial lasts two years. 6th May, 1766, To be
BEHEADED,9th May was. See BEATSON, ii. 369372, 96110, Voltaire (FRAGMENTS SUR L'INDE)
in OEuvres, xxix. 183253; BIOGRAPHIC UNIVERSELLE, Lally.]
"Gained Fontenoy for us," said many persons;undoubtedly gained various things for us, fought for us
Berserkirlike on all occasions; hoped, in the end, to be Marechal de France, and undertook a Championship
of India, which issues in this way! America and India, it is written, are both to be Pitt's. Let both, if possible,
remain silent to us henceforth.
As to the InvasionofEngland Scheme, Pitt says he does not expect the French will invade us; but if they
do, he is ready. [Speech, 4th November, supra.]
Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH REAPPEARS ON THE FIELD, AND IN SEVEN
DAYS AFTER COMES THE CATASTROPHE OF MAXEN.
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November 6th8th, Daun had gone to Meissen Country: fairly ebbing homeward; Henri following, with
Hulsen joined,not vehemently attacking the rhinoceros, but judiciously pricking him forward. Daun goes at
his slowest step: in many divisions, covering a wide circuit; sticking to all the strong posts, till his own time
for quitting them: slow, sullenly cautious; like a man descending dangerous precipices back foremost, and
will not be hurried. So it had lasted about a week; Daun for the last four days sitting restive, obstinate, but
Henri pricking into him more and more, till the rhinoceros seemed actually about lifting himself,when
Friedrich in person arrived in his Brother's Camp. [Tempelhof, iii. 301305.]
At the Schloss of Herschstein, a mile or two behind Lommatsch, which is Henri's headquarter (still to
westward of Meissen; Daun hanging on, seven or eight miles to southeastward ahead; loath to go, but actually
obliged),it was there, Tuesday, November 13th, that the King met his Brother again. A King free of his
gout; in joyful spirits; and high of humor,like a man risen indignant, once more got to his feet, after three
months' oppressions and miseries from the unworthy. "Too high," mourns Retzow, in a gloomy tone, as
others do in perhaps a more indulgent one. Beyond doubt, Friedrich's farther procedures in this grave and
weighty Daun business were more or less imprudent; of a too rapid and rash nature; and turned out bitterly
unlucky to him. "Had he left the management to Henri!" sighed everybody, after the unlucky event.
Friedrich had not arrived above fourandtwenty hours, when news came in: "The Austrians in movement
again; actually rolling off Dresdenward again." "Haha, do they smell me already!" laughed he: "Well, I will
send Daun to the Devil,"not adding, "if I can." And instantly ordered sharp pursuit,and sheer stabbing
with the oxgoad, not soft and delicate pricking, as Henri's lately. [Retzow, ii. 168; Tempelhof, iii. 306.]
Friedrich, in fact; was in a fiery condition against Daun: "You trampled on me, you heavy buffalo, these three
months; but that is over now!"and took personally the vanguard in this pursuit. And had a bit of hot
fighting in the Village of Korbitz (scene of that FinckHaddick "Action," 21st September last, and of poor
Haddick's ruin, and retirement to the Waters);where the Austrians now prove very fierce and obstinate; and
will not go, till well slashed into, and torn out by sheer beating:which was visibly a kind of comfort to the
King's humor. "Our Prussians do still fight, then, much as formerly! And it was all a hideous Nightmare, all
that, and Daylight and Fact are come, and Friedrich is himself again!"
They say Prince Henri took the liberty of counselling him, even of entreating him: "Leave well alone; why
run risks?" said Henri. Daun, it was pretty apparent, had no outlook at the present but that of sauntering home
to Bohmen; leaving Dresden to be an easy prey again, and his whole Campaign to fall futile, as the last had.
Under Henri's gentle driving he would have gone slower; but how salutary, if he only went! These were
Henri's views: but Friedrich was not in the slow humor; impatient to be in Dresden; "will be quartered there
in a week," writes he, "and more at leisure than now." ["Wilsdruf, 17th November, 1759," and still more
"19th November," Friedrich to Voltaire. in high spirits that way ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 66).] He is
thinking of Leuthen, of Rossbach, of Campaign 1757, so gloriously restored after ruin; and, in the fire of his
soul, is hoping to do something similar a second time. That is Retzow's notion: who knows but there may be
truth in it? A proud Friedrich, got on his feet again after such usage;nay, who knows whether it was quite
so unwise to be impressive on the slow rhinoceros, and try to fix some thorn in his snout, or say
(figuratively), to hobble his hindfeet; which, I am told, would have been beautifully ruinous; and, though
riskish, was not impossible? [Tempelhof, iii. 311, Ill it indisputably turned out; and we have, with brevity, to
say how, and leave readers to their judgment of it.
It was in the Village of Krogis, about six miles forward, on the MeissenFreyberg road, a mile or two on
from Korbitz, and directly after the fierce little tussle in that Village,that Friedrich, his blood still up, gave
the Order for Maxen, which proved so unlucky to him. Wunsch had been shot off in pursuit of the beaten
Austrians; but they ran too fast; and Wunsch came back without farther result, still early in the day. Back as
far as Krogis, where the next headquarter is to be;and finds the King still in a fulminant condition; none
the milder, it is likely, by Wunsch's returning without result. "Go straight to General Finck; bid him march at
once!" orders the King; and rapidly gives Wunsch the instructions Finck is to follow. Finck and his Corps are
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near Nossen, some ten miles ahead of Krogis, some twenty west from Dresden. There, since yesterday, stands
Finck, infesting the left or western flank of the Austrians,what was their left, and will be again, when they
call halt and face round on us:Let Finck now march at once, quite round that western flank; by Freyberg,
Dippoldiswalde, thence east to Maxen; plant himself at Maxen (a dozen miles south of Dresden, among the
rocky hills), and stick diligently in the rear of those Austrians, cutting off, or threatening to cut off, their
communications with Bohemia, and block the Pirna Country for them.
Friedrich calculates that, if Daun is for retreating by Pirna Country, this will, at lowest, be a method to
quicken him in that movement; or perhaps it may prove a method to cut off such retreat altogether, and force
Daun to go circling by the Lausitz Hills and Wildernesses, exposed to tribulations which may go nigh to ruin
him. That is Friedrich's proud thought: "an unfortunate Campaign; winding up, nevertheless, as 1757 did, in
blazes of success!" And truly, if Friedrich could have made himself into Two; and, while flashing and
charging in Daun's front, have been in command at Maxen in Daun's rear,Friedrich could have made a
pretty thing of this waxen Enterprise; and might in good part have realized his proud program. But there is no
getting two Friedrichs. Finck, a General of approved quality, he is the nearest approach we can make to a
second Friedrich;and he, illluck too superadding itself, proves tragically inadequate. And sets all the
world, and Opposition Retzow, exclaiming, "See: Pride goes before a fall!"
At 3 in the afternoon, Friedrich, intensely surveying from the heights of Krogis the new Austrian movements
and positions, is astonished, not agreeably ("What, still only here, Herr General!"), by a personal visit from
Finck. Finck finds the Maxen business intricate, precarious; wishes farther instructions, brings forward this
objection and that. Friedrich at last answers, impatiently: "You know I can't stand making of difficulties (ER
WEISS DASS ICH DIE DIFFICULTATEN NICHT LEIDEN KANN; MACHE DASS ER FORT KOMMT);
contrive to get it done!" With which poor comfort Finck has to ride back to Nossen; and scheme out his
dispositions overnight.
Next morning, Thursday, 15th, Finck gets on march; drives the Reichsfolk out of Freyberg; reaches
Dippoldiswalde:"Freyberg is to be my Magazine," considers Finck; "Dippoldiswalde my halfway house;
Four Battalions of my poor Eighteen shall stand there, and secure the mealcarts." Friday, 16th, Finck has his
Vanguard, Wunsch leading it, in possession of Maxen and the Heights; and on Saturday gets there himself,
with all his people and equipments. I should think about 12,000 men: in a most intersected, intertwisted Hill
Country; full of gullets, dells and winding brooks;it is forecourt of the Pirna rocks, our celebrated Camp of
Gahmig lies visible to north, Dohna and the Rothwasser bounding us to east;in grim November weather,
some snow falling, or snow powder, alternating with sleet and glazing frosts: by no means a beautiful
enterprise to Finck. Nor one of his own choosing, had one a choice in such cases.
To Daun nothing could be more unwelcome than this news of Finck, embattled there at Maxen in the
inextricable Hill Country, direct on the road of Daun's mealcarts and Bohemian communications. And truly
withal,what Daun does not yet hear, but can guess, there is gone, in supplement or as auxiliary to Finck,
a fierce Hussar party, under GRUNE Kleist, their fiercest Hussar since Mayer died; who this very day, at
Aussig, burns Daun's first considerable Magazine; and has others in view for the same fate. [Friedrich's
second Letter to Voltaire, Wilsdruf, "19th November, 1759."] An evident thing to Daun, that Finck being
there, meal has ceased.
On the instant, Daun falls back on Dresden; Saturday, 17th, takes post in the Dell of Plauen (PLAUEN'SCHE
GRUND); an impassable Chasm, with sheer steeps on both sides, stretching southward from Dresden in front
of the Hill Country: thither Daun marches, there to consider what is to be done with Finck. Amply safe this
position is; none better in the world: a Village, Plauen, and a Brook, Weistritz, in the bottom of this exquisite
Chasm; sheer rockwalls on each side,high especially on the Daun, or south side;head quarters can be
in Dresden itself; room for your cavalry on the plain ground between Dresden and the Chasm. A post both
safe and comfortable; only you must not loiter in making up your mind as to Finck; for Friedrich has
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followed on the instant. Friedrich's head quarter is already Wilsdruf, which an hour or two ago was Daun's:
at Kesselsdorf vigilant Ziethen is vanguard. So that Friedrich looks over on you from the northern brow of
your Chasm; delays are not good near such a neighbor.
Daunurged on by Lacy, they sayis not long in deciding that, in this strait, the short way out will be to
attack Finck in the Hills. Daun is in the Hills, as well as Finck (this Plauen Chasm is the boundaryditch of
the Hills): Daun with 27,000 horse and foot, moving on from this western part; 3,000 light people (one
Sincere the leader of them) moving simultaneously from Dresden itself, that is, from northward or
northwestward; 12,000 Reichsfolk, horse and foot, part of them already to southeastward of Finck, other part
stealing on by the Elbe bank thitherward: here, from three different points of the compass, are 42,000. These
simultaneously dashing in, from west, north, south, upon Finck, may surely give account of his 12,000 and
him! If only we can keep Friedrich dark upon it; which surely our Pandours will contrive to do.
Finck, directly on arriving at Maxen, had reported himself to the King; and got answer before next morning:
"Very well; but draw in those Four Battalions you have left in Dippoldiswalde; hit with the whole of your
strength, when a chance offers." Which order Finck, literally and not too willingly, obeys; leaves only some
light remnant in Dippoldiswalde, and reinforcement to linger within reach, till a certain Breadconvoy come
to him, which will be due next morning (Monday, 19th); and which does then safely get home, though under
annoyances from cannonading in the distance.
SUNDAY, 18th, Finck fails not to reconnoitre from the highest Hill top; to inquire by every method: he
finds, for certain, that the enemy are coming in upon him. With his own eyes he sees Reichsfolk marching, in
quantity, southeastward by the Elbe shore: "Intending towards Dohna, as is like?"and despatched Wunsch,
who, accordingly, drove them out of Dohna. Of all this Finck, at once, sent word to Friedrich. Who probably
enough received the message; but who would get no new knowledge from it,vigilant Ziethen having, by
Austrian deserters and otherwise, discovered this of the Reichsfolk; and furthermore that Sincere with 3,000
was in motion, from the north, upon Finck. Sunday evening, Friedrich despatches Ziethen's Report; which
punctually came to Finck's hand; but was the last thing he received from Friedrich, or Friedrich from him.
The intervening Pandours picked up all the rest. The Ziethen REPORT, of two or three lines, most succinct
but sufficient, like a cutting of hard iron, is to be read in many Books: we may as well give the Letter and
it:
FRIEDRICH'S LETTER (WILSDRUF, 18th NOVEMBER, 1759). "My dear GeneralLieutenant von
Finck,I send you the enclosed Report from General Ziethen, showing what is the lie of matters as seen
from this side; and leave the whole to your disposition and necessary measures. I am your wellaffectioned
King,F." The Enclosure is as follows:
GENERAL ZIETHEN'S REPORT (KESSELSDORF, 18th NOVEMBER, 1759). "To your Royal Majesty,
send [no pronoun "I" allowed] herewith a Corporal, who has deserted from the Austrians. He says, Sincere
with the Reserve did march with the Reichs Army; but a league behind it, and turned towards
Dippoldiswalde. General Brentano [Wehla's old comrade, luckier than Wehla], as this Deserter heard last
night in Daun's headquarter,which is in the southern Suburb of Dresden, in the Countess Moschinska's
Garden,was yesterday to have been in Dohlen [looking into our outposts from the hither side of their
Plauen Dell], but was not there any longer," as our Deserter passed, "and it was said that he had gone to
Maxen at three in the afternoon." [Tempelhof, iii. 309.]
Thus curtly is Finck authorized to judge for himself in the new circumstances. Marginally is added, in
Friedrich's own hand: "ER WIRD ENTWEDER MIT DEN REICHERN ODER MIT SICEREN EINEN
GANG HABEN,Either with the Reichers or with Sincere you will have a bout, I suppose."
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Finck, from his own Hilltop, on Sunday and Monday, sees all this of Ziethen, and much more. Sees the
vanguard of Daun himself approaching Dippoldiswalde, cannonading his mealcarts as they issue there; on
all sides his enemies encompassing him like bees; and has a sphinxriddle on his mind, such as soldier
seldom had. Shall he manoeuvre himself out, and march away, breadcarts, baggages and all entire? There is
still time, and perfect possibility, by Dippoldiswalde there, or by other routes and methods. But again, did not
his Majesty expect, do not these words "a bout" still seem to expect, a bit of fighting with somebody or other?
Finck was an able soldier, and his skill and courage well known; but probably another kind of courage was
wanted this day, of which Finck had not enough. Finck was not king of this matter; Finck was under a King
who perhaps misjudged the matter. If Finck saw no method of doing other than hurt and bad service to his
King by staying here, Finck should have had the courage to come away, and front the King's unreasonable
anger, expecting redress one day, or never any redress. That was Finck's duty: but everybody sees how hard it
was for flesh and blood.
Finck, truer to the letter than to the spirit, determined to remain. Did, all that Monday, his best to prepare
himself; called in his outposts ("Was not I ordered?" thinks Finck, too literally); and sees his multitudes of
enemies settle round him;Daun alone has 27,000 men, who take camp at Dippoldiswalde; and in sumtotal
they are as 4 to 1 of Finck:a Finck still resolute of face, though internally his thoughts may be haggard
enough. Doubtless he hopes, too, that Friedrich will do something:unaware that none of his messages
reach Friedrich. As for Daun, having seen his people safely encamped here, he returns to Dresden for the
night, to see that Friedrich is quiet. Friedrich is quiet enough: Daun, at seven next morning (TUESDAY,
20th), appeared on the ground again; and from all sides Finck is assaulted,from Daun's side nearest and
soonest, with Daun's best vigor.
Dippoldiswalde is some seven miles from Maxen. Difficult hillroad all the way: but the steepest, straitest
and worst place is at Reinhartsgrimma, the very first Hamlet after you are out of Dippoldiswalde. There is a
narrow gullet there, overhung with heights all round. The roads are slippery, glazed with sleet and frost;
Cavalry, unroughened, make sad sliding and sprawling; hardly the Infantry are secure on their feet: a terrible
business getting masses of artillerywagons, horse and man, through such a Pass! It is thought, had Finck
garnished this Pass of Reinhartsgrimma, with the proper batteries, the proper musketries, Daun never would
have got through. Finck had not a gun or a man in it: "Had not I order?" said he,again too literally. As it
was, Daun, sliding and sprawling in the narrow steeps, had difficulties almost too great; and, they say, would
have given it up, had it not been that a certain Major urged, "Can be done, Excellenz, and shall!" and that the
temper of his soldiers was everywhere excellent. Unfortunate Finck had no artillery to bear on Daun's transit
through the Pass. Nothing but some weak body of hussars and infantry stood looking into it, from the Hill of
Hausdorf: even these might have given him some slight hindrance; but these were played upon by endless
Pandours, "issuing from a wood near by," with musketries, and at length with cannon batteries, one and
another;and had to fall back, or to be called back, to Maxen Hill, where the main force is.
In the course of yesterday, by continual reconnoitring, by Austrian deserters, and intense comparison of
symptoms, Finck had completely ascertained where the Enemy's Three Attacks were to be,"on Maxen,
from Dippoldiswalde, Trohnitz, Dohna, simultaneously three attacks," it appears;and had with all his skill
arranged himself on the Maxen summits to meet these. He stands now elaborately divided into Three groups
against those Three simultaneities; forming (sadly wide apart, one would say, for such a force as Finck's) a
very obtuseangled triangle:the obtuse vertex of which (if readers care to look on their Map) is Trohnitz,
the road Brentano and Sincere are coming. On the baseangles, Maxen and Dohna, Finck expects Daun and
the Reich. From Trohnitz to Maxen is near two miles; from Maxen to Dohna above four. At Dohna stands
Wunsch against the Reich; Finck himself at Maxen, expecting Daun, as the pith of the whole affair. In this
triangular way stands Finck at the topmost heights of the country,"Maxen highest, but Hausdorf only a
little lower,"and has not thought of disputing the climb upwards. Too literal an eye to his orders: alas, he
was not himself king, but only king's deputy!
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The result is, about 11 A.M., as I obscurely gather, Daun has conquered the climb; Daun's musketries begin
to glitter on the top of Hausdorf; and 26 or 32 heavy cannon open their throats there; and the Three Attacks
break loose. Finck's Maxen batteries (scarcely higher than Daun's, and far inferior in weight) respond with all
diligence, the poor regimental fieldpieces helping what they can. Mutual cannonade, very loud for an hour
and half; terrific, but doing little mischief; after which Daun's musketries (the ground now sufficiently clear
to Daun), which are the practical thing, begin opening, first from one point, then from another: and there
ensues, for five hours coming, at Maxen and at the other two points of Finck's triangle, such a series of
explosive chargings, wheelings, worryings and intricate death wrestlings, as it would provoke every reader
to attempt describing to him. Except indeed he were a soldier, bound to know the defence of posts; in which
case I could fairly promise him that there are means of understanding the affair, and that he might find benefit
in it. [Tempelhof, iii. 307317. JOURNAL UND NACHRICHT VON DER GEFANGENNEHMUNG DES
FINCK'SCHEN CORPS BEY MAXEN, IM JAHRE 1759 (Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 637654).]
Daun's Grenadiers, and Infantry generally, are in triumphant spirits; confident of victory, as they may
reasonably be. Finck's people, too, behave well, some of them conspicuously well, though in gloomier mood;
and make stubborn fight, successful here and there, but, as a whole, not capable of succeeding. By 3 in the
afternoon, the Austrians have forced the Maxen Post; they "enter Maxen with great shoutings;" extrude the
obstinate Prussian remnants; and, before long, have the poor Village "on fire in every part." Finck retreating
northward to Schmorsdorf, towards the obtuse angle of his triangle, if haply there may be help in that quarter
for him. Daun does not push him much; has Maxen safely burning in every part.
From Schmorsdorf Finck pushes out a Cavalry charge on Brentano. "Could we but repulse Brentano yonder,"
thinks he, "I might have those Four Battalions to hand, and try again!" But Brentano makes such
cannonading, the Cavalry swerve to a Hollow on their right; then find they have not ground, and retire quite
fruitless. Finck's Cavalry, and the Cavalry generally, with their horses all sliding on the frosty
mountaingnarls, appear to be good for little this day. Brentano, victorious over the Cavalry, comes on with
such storm, he sweeps through the obtuse angle, home upon Finck; and sweeps him out of Schmorsdorf
Village to Schmorsdorf Hill, there to take refuge, as the night sinks,and to see himself, if his wild heart
will permit him to be candid, a ruined man. Of the Three Attacks, Two have completely succeeded on him;
only Wunsch, at Dohna, stands victorious; he has held back the Reich all day, and even chased it home to its
posts on the Rothwasser (RED WATER), multitudinous as it was.
Finck's mood, as the November shadows gathered on him,the equal heart may at least pity poor Finck! His
resolution is fixed: "Cut ourselves through, this night: Dohna is ours: other side that Red Water there are
roads;perish or get through!" And the Generals (who are rallied now "on the Heights of Falkenhain and
Bloschwitz," midway between Maxen and Dohna) get that Order from him. And proceed to arrange for
executing it,though with outlook more and more desperate, as their scouts report that every pass and post
on the Red Water is beset by Reichsfolk. "Wunsch, with the Cavalry, he at least may thread his way out,
under cloud of night, by the opposite or Daun side," calculates Finck. And Wunsch sets out accordingly: a
very questionable, winding, subterranean march; difficult in the extreme,the wearied SLIPshod horses
going at a snail's pace; and, in the difficult passes, needing to be dragged through with bridle and even to be
left altogether:in which, withal, it will prove of no use for Wunsch to succeed! Finck's Generals
endeavoring to rank and rearrange through the night, find that their very cartridges are nearly spent, and that
of men, such wounding, such deserting has there been, they have, at this time, by precise count, 2,836 rank
and file. Evidently desperate.
At daylight, Daun's cannon beginning again from the Maxen side, Finck sends to capitulate. "Absolute
surrender," answers Daun: "prisoners of war, and you shall keep your private baggage. General Wunsch with
the Cavalry, he too must turn back and surrender!" Finck pleaded hard, on this last score: "General Wunsch,
as head of the Cavalry, is not under me; is himself chief in that department." But it was of no use: Wunsch
had to return (not quite got through Daun's Lines, after such a night), and to surrender, like everybody else.
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Like Eight other Generals; like Wolfersdorf of Torgau, and many a brave Officer and man. Wednesday
morning, 21st November, 1769: it is Finck's fourth day on Maxen; his last in the Prussian Service.
That same Wednesday Afternoon there were ranked in the GROSSE GARTEN at Dresden, of dejected
Prussian Prisoners from Maxen, what exact number was never known: the Austrians said 15,000; but nobody
well believed them; their last certain instalment being only, in correct numbers, 2,836. Besides the killed,
wounded and already captured, many had deserted, many had glided clear off. It is judged that Friedrich lost,
by all these causes, about 12,000 men. Gone wholly,with their equipments and appurtenances wholly,
which are not worth counting in comparison. Finck and the other Generals, 8 of them, and 529
Officers,Finck, Wunsch, Wolfersdorf, Mosel (of the Olmutz Convoy), not to mention others of known
worth, this is itself a sore loss to Friedrich, and in present circumstances an irreparable. [Seyfarth, ii. 576; in
HeldenGeschichte, (v. 1115), the Vienna Account.]
The outburst and paroxysm of Gazetteer rumor, which arose in Europe over this, must be left to the
imagination; still more the whirlwind of astonishment, grief, remorse and indignation that raged in the heart
of Friedrich on first hearing of it. "The Caudine Forks;" "Scene of Pirna over again, in reverse form;" "Is not
your King at last over with it?" said and sang multifariously the Gazetteers. As counterchorus to which, in a
certain Royal Heart: "That miserable purblind Finck, unequal to his task;that overhasty I, who drove him
upon it! This disgrace, loss nigh ruinous; in fine, this infernal Campaign (CETTE CAMPAGNE
INFEMALE)!" The AnecdoteBooks abound in details of Friedrich's behavior at Wilsdruf that day; mythical
all, or in good part, but symbolizing a case that is conceivable to everybody. Or would readers care to glance
into the very fact with their own eyes? As happens to be possible.
1. BEFORE MAXEN: FRIEDRICH TO D'ARGENS AND OTHERS.
TO D'ARGENS (Krogis, 15th November, order for Maxen just given). "Yesterday I joined the Army [day
before yesterday, but took the field yesterday], and Daun decamped. I have followed him thus far, and will
continue it to the frontiers of Bohemia. Our measures are so taken [Finck, to wit], that he will not get out of
Saxony without considerable losses. Yesterday cost him 500 men taken at Korgis here. Every movement he
makes will cost him as many." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 101.]
TO VOLTAIRE (Wilsdruf, 17th November). "We are verging on the end of our Campaign: and I will write to
you in eight days from Dresden, with more composure and coherency than now." [Ib. xxiii. 66.]
TO THE SAME (Wilsdruf, 19th November). "The Austrians are packing off to Bohemia,where, in reprisal
for the incendiary operations they have done in my countries, I have burnt them two big magazines. I render
the beatified Hero's retreat as difficult as possible; and I hope he will come upon some bad adventures within
a few days." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 66.]
SAME DAY AND PLACE, TO D'ARGENS. A volley of most roughpaced offhand Rhyming, direct from
the heart; "Ode [as he afterwards terms it, or irrepressible extempore LILT] TO FORTUNE:"
"MARQUIS, QUEL CHANGEMENT, what a change! I, a poor heretic creature, never blessed by the Holy
Father; indeed, little frequenting Church, nor serving either Baal or the God of Israel; held down these many
months, and reported by more than one shaven scoundrel [priestpamphleteer at Vienna] to be quite extinct,
and gone vagabond over the world,see how capricious Fortune, after all her hundred preferences of my
rivals, lifts me with helpful hand from the deep, and packs this Hero of the Hat and Sword,whom Popes
have blessed what they could, and who has walked in Pilgrimage before now [to Marienzell once, I believe,
publicly at Vienna],out of Saxony; panting, harassed goes he, like a stranger dog from some kitchen where
the cook had flogged him out!" [Ib. xix. 103106.] ... (A very exultant Lilt, and with a good deal more of the
chanticleer in it than we are used to in this King!)
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2. AFTER MAXEN.
TO D'ARGENS (Wilsdruf, 22d November). "Do with that [some small piece of business] whatever you like,
my dear Marquis. I am so stupefied (E'TOURDI) with the misfortune which has befallen General Finck, that
I cannot recover from my astonishment. It deranges all my measures; it cuts me to the quick. Illluck, which
persecutes my old age, has followed me from the Mark [Kunersdorf, in the Mark of Brandenburg] to Saxony.
I will still strive what I can. The little ODE I sent you, addressed TO FORTUNE, had been written too soon!
One should not sing victory till the battle is over. I am so crushed down by these incessant reverses and
disasters, that I wish a thousand times I were dead; and from day to day I grow wearier of dwelling in a body
worn out and condemned to suffer. I am writing to you in the first moment of my grief. Astonishment,
sorrow, indignation, scorn, all blended together, lacerate my soul. Let us get to the end, then, of this execrable
Campaign; I will then write to you what is to become of me; and we will arrange the rest. Pity me;ad make
no noise about me; bad news go fast enough of themselves. Adieu, dear Marquis." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xix. 107.]
All this, of course, under such pressing call of actualities, had very soon to transform itself into silence; into
new resolution, and determinate despatch of business. But the King retained a bitter memory of it all his days.
To Finck he was inexorable: ordered him, the first thing on his return from Austrian Captivity, Trial by
CourtMartial; which (Ziethen presiding, June, 1763) censured Finck in various points, and gave him, in
supplement to the Austrian detention, a Year's Imprisonment in Spandau. No ray of pity visible for him, then
or afterwards, in the Royal mind. So that the poor man had to beg his dismissal; get it, and go to Denmark for
new promotion and appreciation."Far too severe!" grumbled the Opposition voices, with secret
counterseverity. And truly it would have been more beautiful to everybody, for the moment, to have made
matters soft to poor Finck,had Friedrich ever gone on that score with his Generals and Delegates; which,
though the reverse of a cruel man, he never did. And truly, as we often observe, the Laws of Fact are still
severer than Friedrich was:so that, in the longrun, perhaps it is beautifulest of all for a King, who is just,
to be rhadamanthine in important cases.
Exulting Daun, instead of Bohemia for winterquarters, pushes out now for the prize of Saxony itself. Daun
orders Beck to attack suddenly another Outpost of Friedrich's, which stands rearward of him at Meissen,
under a General Dierecke,the same whom, as Colonel Dierecke, we saw march out of flamy Zittau,
summer gone two years. Beck goes in accordingly, 3d December; attacks Dierecke, not by surprise, but with
overwhelming superiority; no reinforcement possible: Dierecke is on the wrong side of the Elbe, no retreat or
reinforcement for him; has to fight fiercely all day, Meissen Bridge being in a broken state; then, at night, to
ship his people across in Elbe boats, which are much delayed by the floating ice, so that daylight found 1,500
of them still on that northern side; all of whom, with General Dierecke himself, were made prisoners by
Beck. [Tempelhof, iii. 321: "3d4th December, 1759."] A comfortable supplement to Maxen, though not of
the same magnificence.
After which, Daun himself issued minatory from the Plauen Chasm; expecting, as all the world did, that
Friedrich, who is 36,000 of Unfortunate against, say, 72,000 of Triumphant, will, under penalty, take himself
away. But it proved otherwise. "If you beat us, Excellency Feldmarschall, yes; but till then!" Friedrich
draws out in battalia; Leo in wild ragged state and temper, VERSUS Bos in the reverse: "Come on; then!"
Rhinoceros Bos, though in a high frame of mind, dare not, on cool survey; but retires behind the Plauen
Chasm again. Will at least protect Dresden from recapture; and wait here, in the interim; carting his provision
out of Bohemia,which is a rough business, with Elbe frozen, and the passes in such a choked wintry state.
Upon whom Friedrich, too, has to wait under arms, in grim neighborhood, for six weeks to come: such a time
as poor young Archenholtz never had before or after. [Archenholtz, ii. 1113.] It was well beyond
Newyear's day before Friedrich could report of himself, and then only in a sense, as will be seen: "We
retired to this poor cottage [cottage still standing, in the little Town of Freyberg]; Daun did the like; and this
unfortunate Campaign, as all things do, came actually to an end."
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Daun holds Dresden and the Dell of Plauen; but Saxony, to the world's amazement, he is as far as ever from
holding. "Daun's front is a small arc of a circle, bending round from Dresden to Dippoldiswalde; Friedrich is
at Freyberg in a bigger concave arc, concentric to Daun, well overlapping Daun on that southward or
landward side, and ready for him, should he stir out; Kesselsdorf is his nearest post to Daun; and the Plauen
Chasm for boundary, which was not overpassed by either." In Dresden, and the patch of hillcountry to the
southeastward of it by Elbe side, which is instep or glacis of the Pirna rockcountry, seventy square miles or
so, there rules Daun; and thiswith its heights of Gahmig, valuable as a defence for Dresden against Austria,
but not otherwise of considerable valuewas all that Daun this year, or pretty much in any coming year,
could realize of conquest in Saxony.
Fabius Cunctator has not succeeded, as the public expected. In fact, ever since that of Hochkirch and the
Papal Hat, he has been a waning man, more and more questionable to the undiscerning public. Maxen was his
last gleam upwards; a round of applause rose again on Maxen, feeble in comparison with Hochkirch, but still
arguing hope,which, after this, more and more died out; so that in two years more, poor Madam Daun,
going to Imperial Levee, "had her statecarriage half filled with nightcaps, thrown into it by the Vienna
people, in token of her husband's great talent for sleep." [Archenholtz (Anno 1762, "last Siege of
Schweidnitz").]
Chapter VIII. MISCELLANEA IN WINTERQUARTERS, 17591760.
Friedrich was very loath to quit the field this Winter. In spite of Maxen and illluck and the unfavorablest
weather, it still was, for about two months, his fixed purpose to recapture Dresden first, and drive Daun
home. "Had I but a 12,000 of Auxiliaries to guard my right flank, while trying it!" said he. Ferdinand
magnanimously sent him the Hereditary Prince with 12,000, who stayed above two months; ["Till February
15th;" List of the Regiments (German all), in SEYFARTH, ii. 578 n.] and Friedrich did march about,
attempting that way, [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 32. Old Newspaper rumors: in Gentleman's Magazine, xxix.
605, "29th December," forward to Maguire and Dippoldiswalde, looked passionately into Maguire on all
sides; but found him, in those frozen chasms, and rocklabyrinths choked with snow, plainly unattackable;
him and everybody, in such frost element;and renounced the passionate hope.
It was not till the middle of January that Friedrich put his troops into partial cantonments, Headquarter
Freyberg; troops still mainly in the Villages from Wilsdruf and southward, close by their old Camp there.
Camp still left standing, guarded by Six Battalions; six after six, alternating week about: one of the grimmest
camps in Nature; the canvas roofs grown mere iceplates, the tents mere sanctuaries of frost:never did
poor young Archenholtz see such industry in dragging woodfuel, such boiling of biscuits in broken ice, such
crowding round the embers to roast one side of you, while the other was freezing. [Archenholtz (UT
SUPRA), ii. 1115.] But Daun's people, on the opposite side of Plauen Dell, did the like; their tents also were
left standing in the frozen state, guarded by alternating battalions, no better off than their Prussian neighbors.
This of the Tents, and Six frost bitten Battalions guarding them, lasted till April. An extraordinary obstinacy
on the part both of Daun and of Friedrich; alike jealous of even seeming to yield one inch more of ground.
The Hereditary Prince, with his 12,000, marched home again in February; indeed, ever after the going into
cantonments, all use of the Prince and his Force here visibly ceased; and, on the whole, no result whatever
followed those strenuous antagonisms, and frozen tents left standing for three months; and things remained
practically what they were. So that, as the grand "Peace Negotiations" also came to nothing, we might omit
this of Winter quarters altogether; and go forward to the opening of Campaign Fifth;were it not that
characteristic features do otherwise occur in it, curious little unveilings of the secret hopes and industries of
Friedrich:besides which, there have minor private events fallen out, not without interest to human readers.
For whose behoof mainly a loose intercalary Chapter may be thrown together here.
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SERENE HIGHNESS OF WURTEMBERG, AT FULDA (November 30th, 1759), IS JUST ABOUT
"FIRING VICTORIA," AND GIVING A BALL TO BEAUTY AND FASHION, IN HONOR OF A
CERTAIN EVENT;BUT IS UNPLEASANTLY INTERRUPTED.
November 21st, the very day while Finck was capitulating in the Hills of Maxen, Duke Ferdinand, busy ever
since his Victory at Minden, did, after a difficult Siege of Munster, Siege by Imhof, with Ferdinand
protecting him, get Munster into hand again, which was reckoned a fine success to him. Very busy has the
Duke been: industriously reaping the fruits of his Victory at Minden; and this, the conclusive rooting out of
the French from that Westphalian region, is a very joyful thing; and puts Ferdinand in hopes of driving them
over the Mayn altogether. Which some think he would have done; had not he, with magnanimous oblivion of
self and wishes, agreed to send the Hereditary Prince and those 12,000 to assist in Friedrich's affairs, looking
upon that as the vital point in these Allied Interests. Friedrich's attempts, we have said, turned out impossible;
nor would the Hereditary Prince and his 12,000, though a good deal talked about in England and elsewhere,
[Walpole, George Second, iii. 248 (in a sour Opposition tone); require more than mention; were it not that on
the road thither, at Fulda ("Fulda is halfway house to Saxony," thinks Ferdinand, "should Pitt and Britannic
Majesty be pleased to consent, as I dare presume they will"), the Hereditary Prince had, in his swift way,
done a thing useful for Ferdinand himself, and which caused a great emotion, chiefly of laughter, over the
world, in those weeks.
"No Enemy of Friedrich's," says my Note, "is of feller humor than the Serenity of Wurtemberg, Karl Eugen,
Reigning Duke of that unfortunate Country; for whom, in past days, Friedrich had been so fatherly, and really
took such pains. 'Fatherly? STEPfatherly, you mean; and for his own vile uses!' growled the Serenity of
Wurtemberg:always an ominous streak of gloom in that poor man; streak which is spread now to whole
skies of boiling darkness, owing to deliriums there have been! Enough, Karl Eugen, after divorcing his poor
Wife, had distinguished himself by a zeal without knowledge, beyond almost all the enemies of
Friedrich;and still continues in that bad line of industry. His poor Wife he has made miserable in some
measure; also himself; and, in a degree, his poor soldiers and subjects, who are with him by compulsion in
this Enterprise. The Wurtembergers are Protestants of old type; and want no fighting against 'the Protestant
Hero,' but much the reverse! Serene Karl had to shoot a good few of these poor people, before they would
march at all; and his procedures were indeed, and continued to be, of a very crying nature, though his poor
Populations took them silently. Always something of perverse in this Serene Highness; has it, I think, by
kind.
"Besides his quota to the Reich, Karl Eugen has 12,000 more on foot,and it is of them we are treating at
present. In 1757 he had lent these troops to the Empress Queen, for a consideration; it was they that stood on
the Austrian left, at Leuthen; and were the first that got beaten, and had to cease standing,as the Austrians
were abundantly loud in proclaiming. To the disgust of Serene Highness: 'Which of you did stand, then? Was
it their blame, led as they were?' argued he. And next year, 1758, after Crefeld, he took his 12,000 to the
French ('subsidy,' or consideration, 'to be paid in SALT,' it appears [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 10.]); with
whom they marched about, and did nothing considerable. The Serenity had pleaded, 'I must command them
myself!' 'You?' said Belleisle, and would not hear of it. Next year again, however, that is 1759, the Duke was
positive, 'I must;' Belleisle not less so, 'You cannot;'till Minden fell out; and then, in the wreck of
Contades, Belleisle had to consent. Serenity of Wurtemberg, at that late season, took the field accordingly;
and Broglio now has him at Fulda, 'To cut off Ferdinand from Cassel;' to threaten Ferdinand's left flank and
his provisioncarts in that quarter. May really become unpleasant there to Ferdinand;and ought to be cut
out by the Hereditary Prince. 'To Fulda, then, and cut him out!'
"FULDA, FRIDAY, 30th NOVEMBER, 1759. Serene Highness is lying here for a week past; abundantly
strong for the task on hand,has his own 12,000, supplemented by 1,000 French Light Horse;but is
widely scattered withal, posted in a kind of triangular form; his main posts being Fulda itself, and a couple of
others, each thirty miles from Fulda, and five miles from one another,with 'patrols to connect them,' better
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or worse. Abundantly strong for the task, and in perfect security; and indeed intends this day to 'fire
VICTORIA' for the Catastrophe at Maxen, and in the evening will give a Ball in farther honor of so salutary
an event:when, about 9 A.M., news arrives at the gallop, 'Brunswickers in full march; are within an hour of
the TownBridge!' Figure to what flurry of Serene Highness; of the victoriashooting apparatus; of busy
manmilliner people, and the Beauty and Fashion of Fulda in general!
"The night before, a rumor of the French Post being driven in by somebody had reached Serene Highness;
who gave some vague order, not thinking it of consequence. Here, however, is the Fact come to hand in a
most urgent and undeniable manner! Serene Highness gets on horseback; but what can that help? One cannon
(has nothing but light cannon) he does plant on the Bridge; but see, here come premonitory bombshells one
and another, terrifying to the mind; and a single Hessian dragoon, plunging forward on the one unready
cannon, and in the air making horrid circles,the gunners leave said cannon to him, take to their heels; and
the Bridge is open. The rest of the affair can be imagined. Retreat at our swiftest, 'running fight,' we would
fain call it, by various roads; lost two flags, two cannon; prisoners were above 1,200, many of them Officers.
'A merciful Providence saved the Duke's Serene Person from hurt,' say the Stuttgard Gazetteers: which was
true,Serene Highness having been inspired to gallop instantly to rearward and landward, leaving an order
to somebody, 'Do the best you can!'
"So that the Ball is up; dresspumps and millineries getting all locked into their drawers again,with
abundance of teheeing (I hope, mostly in a light vein) from the fair creatures disappointed of their dance
for this time. Next day Serene Highness drew farther back, and next day again farther,towards Frankenland
and home, as the surest place;and was no more heard of in those localities." [Buchholz, ii. 332; Mauvillon,
ii. 80; HeldenGeschichte, v. 11841193; Old Newspapers, in Gentleman's Magazine, xxix. 603.]
Making his first exit, not yet quite his final, from the War Theatre, amid such tempests of hahaing and
teheeing. With what thoughts in his own lofty opaque mind;like a crowned mule, of such pace and
carriage, who had unexpectedly stepped upon galvanic wires!
As to those poor Wurtembergers, and their notion of the "Protestant Hero," I remark farther, that there is a
something of real truth in it. Friedrich's Creed, or Theory of the Universe, differed extremely, in many
important points, from that of Dr. Martin Luther: but in the vital allessential point, what we may call the
heart's core of all Creeds which are human, human and not simious or diabolic, the King and the Doctor were
with their whole heart at one: That it is not allowable, that it is dangerous and abominable, to attempt
believing what is not true. In that sense, Friedrich, by nature and position, was a Protestant, and even the
chief Protestant in the world. What kind of "Hero," in this big War of his, we are gradually learning;in
which too, if you investigate, there is not wanting something of "PROTESTANT Heroism," even in the
narrow sense. For it does appear,Maria Theresa having a real fear of God, and poor Louis a real fear of the
Devil, whom he may well feel to be getting dangerous purchase over him,some hopegleams of acting
upon Schism, and so meriting Heaven, did mingle with their high terrestrial combinations, on this unique
opportunity, more than are now supposed in careless HistoryBooks.
WHAT IS PERPETUAL PRESIDENT MAUPERTUIS DOING, ALL THIS WHILE? IS HE STILL IN
BERLIN; OR WHERE IN THE UNIVERSE IS HE? ALAS, POOR MAUPERTUIS!
In the heat of this Campaign, "July 27th," some four days after the Battle of Zullichau, just while Friedrich
was hurrying off for that Intersection at Sagan, and breathless Hunt of Loudon and Haddick,poor
Maupertuis had quitted this world. July 27th, 1759; at Basel, on the Swiss Borders, in his friend Bernouilli's
house, after long months of sickness painfully spent there. And our poor Perpetual President, at rest now from
all his Akakia burns, and pains and labors in flattening the Earth and otherwise, is gone.
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Many beautifuler men have gone within the Year, of whom we can say nothing. But this is one whose
grandly silent, and then occasionally fulminant procedures, Akakia controversies, Olympian solemnities and
flamy pirouettings under the contradiction of sinners, we once saw; and think with a kind of human pathos
that we shall see no more. From his goose of an adorer, La Beaumelle, I have riddled out the following
particulars, chiefly chronological, and offer them to susceptible readers. La Beaumelle is, in a sort, to be
considered the speaker; or La Beaumelle and this Editor in concert.
FINAL PILGRIMAGE OF THE PERPETUAL PRESIDENT. "Maupertuis had quitted Berlin soon after
Voltaire. That threat of visiting Voltaire with pistols,to be met by 'my syringe and vessel of dishonor' on
Voltaire's part,was his last memorability in Berlin. His last at that time; or indeed altogether, for he saw
little of Berlin farther.
"End of April, 1753, he got leave of absence; set out homewards, for recovery of health. Was at Paris through
summer and autumn: very taciturn in society; 'preferred pretty women to any man of science;' would
sententiously say a strong thing now and then, 'bitter but not without BONHOMIE,' shaking slightly his
yellow wig. Disdainful, to how high a degree, of AKAKIA brabbles, and Voltaire gossip for or against! In
winter went to St. Malo; found his good Father gone; but a loving Sister still there.
"June, 1754, the King wrote to him, 'VENEZ VITE, Come quickly:' July, 1754, he came accordingly,
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 49.] saw Berlin again; did nothing noticeable there, except get worse in health;
and after eleven months, June, 1756, withdrew again on leave,never to return this time, though he well
intended otherwise. But at St. Malo, when, after a month or two of Paris, he got thither (Autumn, 1756), and
still more, next summer, 1757, when he thought of leaving St. Malo,what wars, and rumors of war, all over
the world!
"June, 1757, he went to Bordeaux, intending to take ship for Hamburg, and return; but the sea was full of
English cruisers [Pitt's Descents lying in store for St. Malo itself]. No getting to Berlin by the Hamburg or sea
route! 'Never mind, then,' wrote the King: 'Improve your health; go to Italy, if you can.'
"Summer, 1757, Maupertuis made for Italy; got as far as Toulouse; stayed there till May following; sad,
tragically stoical; saying, sparingly, and rather to women than men, strong things, admired by the worthier
sort. Renounced thoughts of Italy: 'Europe bleeding, and especially France and Prussia, how go idly touring?'
"May, 1758, Maupertuis left Toulouse: turned towards Berlin; slow, sad, circuitous;never to arrive. Saw
Narbonne, Montpellier, Nimes; with what meditations! At Lyons, under honors skyhigh, health getting
worse, stays two months; vomits clots of blood there. Thence, July 24th, to Neufchatel and the Lord
Marischal; happy there for three months. Hears there of Professor Konig's death (AKAKIA Konig): 'One
scoundrel less in the world,' ejaculated he; 'but what is one!'October 16th, to the road again, to Basel; stays
perforce, in Bernouilli's house there, all Winter; health falling lower and lower.
"April, 1759, one day he has his carriage at the door ('Homeward, at all rates!'): but takes violent spasms in
the carriage; can't; can no farther in this world. Lingers here, under kind care, for above three months more:
dying slowly, most painfully. With much real stoicism; not without a stiffjointed algebraic kind of piety,
almost pathetic in its sort. 'Two Capuchins from a neighboring Convent daily gave him consolations,' not
entirely satisfactory; for daily withal, 'unknown to the Capuchins, he made his Valet, who was a Protestant,
read to him from the Geneva Bible;'and finds many things hard to the human mind. July 27th, 1759, he
died." [La Beaumelle, Vie de Maupertuis, pp. 196216.]
Poor Maupertuis; a man of rugged stalwart type; honest; of an ardor, an intelligence, not to be forgotten for
La Beaumelle's pulings over them. A man of good and even of high talent; unlucky in mistaking it for the
highest! His poor Wife, a born Borck,hastening from Berlin, but again and again delayed by industry of
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kind friends, and at last driving on in spite of everything,met, in the last miles, his Hearse and Funeral
Company. Adieu, a pitying adieu to him forever,and even to his adoring La Beaumelle, who is rather less a
blockhead than he generally seems.
This of the Two Capuchins, the last consummation of collapse in man, is what Voltaire cannot forget, but
crows over with his shrillest mockery; and seldom mentions Maupertuis without that last touch to his
lifedrama.
GRAND FRENCH INVASIONSCHEME COMES ENTIRELY TO WRECK (Quiberon Bay, 20th
November, 1759): OF CONTROLLERGENERAL SILHOUETTE, AND THE OUTLOOKS OF FRANCE,
FINANCIAL AND OTHER.
On the very day of Maxen, Tuesday, November 20th, the grand French Invasion found its terminus,not on
the shores of Britain, but of Brittany, to its surprise. We saw Rodney burn the Flatbottom manufactory at
Havre; Boscawen chase the Toulon Squadron, till it ended on the rocks of Lagos. From January onwards, as
was then mentioned, Hawke had been keeping watch, off Brest Harbor, on Admiral Conflans, who presides
there over multifarious preparations, with the last Fleet France now has. At Vannes, where Hawke likewise
has ships watching, are multifarious preparations; new Flatbottoms, 18,000 troops,could Conflans and
they only get to sea. At the long last, they did get;in manner following:
"November 9th, a wild gale of wind had blown Hawke out of sight; away home to Torbay, for the moment.
'Now is the time!' thought Conflans, and put to sea (November 14th); met by Hawke, who had weighed from
Torbay to his duty; and who, of course, crowded every sail, after hearing that Conflans was out. At break of
day, November 20th [in the very hours when poor Finck was embattling himself round Maxen, and Daun
sprawling up upon him through the Passes], Hawke had had signal, 'A Fleet in sight;' and soon after,
'Conflans in sight,'and the day of trial come.
"Conflans is about the strength of Hawke, and France expects much of him; but he is not expecting Hawke.
Conflans is busy, at this moment, in the mouth of Quiberon Bay, opening the road for Vannes and the
18,000;in hot chase, at the moment, of a Commodore Duff and his small Squadron, who have been
keeping watch there, and are now running all they can. On a sudden, to the astonishment of Conflans, this
little Squadron whirls round, every ship of it (with a skyrending cheer, could he hear it), and commences
chasing! Conflans, taking survey, sees that it is Hawke; he, sure enough, coming down from windward
yonder at his highest speed; and that chasing will not now be one's business!
"About 11 A.M. Hawke is here; eight of his vanward ships are sweeping on for action. Conflans, at first, had
determined to fight Hawke; and drew up accordingly, and did try a little: but gradually thought better of it;
and decided to take shelter in the shoaly coasts and nooks thereabouts, which were unknown to Hawke, and
might ruin him if he should pursue, the day being short, and the weather extremely bad. Weather itself almost
to be called a storm. 'Shoreward, then; eastward, every ship!' became, ultimately, Conflans's plan. On the
whole, it was 2 in the afternoon hefore Hawke, with those vanward Eight, could get clutch of Conflans. And
truly he did then strike his claws into him in a thunderously fervid manner, he and all hands, in spite of the
roaring weather: a man of falcon, or accipitral, nature as well as name.
"Conflans himself fought well; as did certain of the others,all, more or less, so long as their plan continued
steady:thunderous miscellany of cannon and tempest; Conflans with his plan steady, or Conflans with his
plan wavering, VERSUS those vanward Eight, for two hours or more. But the scene was too dreadful; this
ship sinking, that obliged to strike; things all going awry for Conflans. Hawke, in his own Flagship, bore
down specially on Conflans in his,who did wait, and exchange a couple of broadsides; but then sheered
off, finding it so heavy. French Vice Admiral next likewise gave Hawke a broadside; one only, and sheered
off, satisfied with the return. Some Four others, in succession, did the like; 'One blast, as we hurry by'
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(making for the shore, mostly)! So that Hawke seemed swallowed in volcanoes (though, indeed, their firing
was very bad, such a flurry among them), and his Blue Flag was invisible for some time, and various ships
were hastening to help him,till a Fifth French ship coming up with her broadside, Hawke answered her in
particular (LA SUPERBE, a Seventy four) with all his guns together; which sent the poor ship to the
bottom, in a hideously sudden manner. One other (the THESEE) had already sunk in fighting; two (the
SOLEIL and the HEROS) were already running for it,the HEROS in a very unheroic manner! But on this
terrible plungehome of the SUPERBE, the rest all made for the shore;and escaped into the rocky
intricacies and the darkness. Four of Conflans's ships were already gone,struck, sunk, or otherwise
extinct,when darkness fell, and veiled Conflans and his distresses. 'Country people, to the number of
10,000,' crowded on the shore, had been seen watching the Battle; and, 'as sad witnesses of the White Flag's
disgrace,' disappeared into the interior." [Beatson, ii. 327345: and Ib. iii. 244250. In Gentleman's
Magazine, (xxix. 557), "A Chaplain's Letter,"
It was such a night as men never witnessed before. Walpole says: "The roaring of the elements was redoubled
by the thunder from our ships; and both concurred in that scene of horror to put a period to the Navy and
hopes of France. Seven ships of the line got into the River Vilaine [lay there fourteen months, under strict
watching, till their backs were broken, "thumping against the shallow bottom every tide," and only "three,
with three frigates," ever got out again]; eight more escaped to different ports," into the River Charente
ultimately. "Conflans's own ship and another were run on shore, and burnt. One we took." Two, with their
crews, had gone to the bottom; one under Hawke's cannon; one partly by its own mismanagement. "Two of
ours were lost in the storm [chasing that SOLEIL and HEROS], but the crews saved. Lord Howe, who
attacked LA FORMIDABLE, bore down on her with such violence, that her prow forced in his lower tier of
guns. Captain Digby, in the DUNKIRK, received the fire of twelve of the enemy's ships, and lost not a man.
Keppel's was full of water, and he thought it sinking: a sudden squall emptied his ship; but he was informed
all his powder was wet; 'Then,' said he, 'I am sorry I am safe.' They came and told him a small quantity was
undamaged; 'Very well,' said he; 'then attack again.' Not above eight of our ships were engaged in obtaining
that decisive victory. The Invasion was heard of no more." [Walpole, George Second, iii. 232. Here is the
List, accurately riddled out: 1. FORMIDABLE, struck (about 4 P.M.): 2. THESEE, sunk (by a tumble it
made, while in action, under an unskilful Captain): 3. SUPERBE, sunk: 4. HEROS, struck; could not he
boarded, such weather; and recommenced next day, but had to run and strand itself, and be burnt by the
English;as did (5.) the SOLEIL ROYAL (Conflans's Flagship), Conflans and crew (like those of the
HEROS) getting out in time.]
Invasion had been fully intended, and even, in these final days, considerably expected. In the old London
Newspapers we read this notice: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19th: "Today there came Three
Expresses,"Three Expresses, with what haste in their eyes, testifying successively of Conflans's
whereabouts. But it was believed that Hawke would still manage. And, at any rate, Pitt wore such a
look,and had, in fact, made such preparation on the coasts, even in failure of Hawke,there was no alarm
anywhere. Indignation rather;and naturally, when the news did come, what an outburst of Illumination in
the windows and the hearts of men!
"Hawke continued watching the mouths of the Vilaine and Charente Rivers for a good while after, and
without interruption henceforth, till the storms of Winter had plainly closed them for one season. Supplies
of fresh provisions had come to him from England all Summer; but were stopped latterly by the wild weather.
Upon which, in the Fleet, arose this gravely pathetic Stave of SeaPoetry, with a wrinkle of briny humor
grinning in it:
Till Hawke did bang Monsieur Conflans [CONGFLANG],
You sent us beef and beer;
Now Monsieur's beat, we've nought to eat,
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Since you have nought to fear." [Beatson, ii. 342 n.]
The French mode of taking this catastrophe was rather peculiar. Hear Barbier, an Eyewitness; dating
PARIS, DECEMBER, 1759: "Since the first days of December, there has been cried, and sold in the streets, a
Printed Detail of all that concerns the GRAND INVASION projected this long while: to wit, the number of
Ships of the Line, of Frigates, Galiots,among others 500 Flatbottomed Boats, which are to carry over, and
land in England, more than 54,000 men;with list of the Regiments, and number of the King's Guards, that
are also to go: there are announced for Generalsin Chief, M. le Prince de Conti [do readers remember him
since the BroglioMaillebois time, and how King Louis prophesied in autograph that he would be "the Grand
Conti" one day?]Prince de Conti, Prince de Soubise [left his Conquest of Frankfurt for this greater
Enterprise], and Milord Thomont [Irish Jacobite, whom I don't know]. As sequel to this Detail, there is a
lengthy Song on the DISEMBARKMENT IN ENGLAND, and the fear the English must have of it!"
Calculated to astonish the practical forensic mind.
"It is inconceivable", continues he, "how they have permitted such a Piece to be printed; still more to be
cried, and sold price one halfpenny (DEUX LIARDS). This Song is indecent, in the circumstances of the
actual news from our Fleet at Brest (20th of last month);in regard to which bad adventure M. le Marquis de
Conflans has come to Versailles, to justify himself, and throw the blame on M. le Marquis de Beauffremont
[his RearAdmiral, now safe in the Charente, with eight of our poor ships]. Such things are the more out of
place, as we are in a bad enough position,no Flat bottoms stirring from the ports, no Troops of the
MAISON DU ROI setting out; and have reason to believe that we are now to make no such attempt."
[Barbier, iv. 336.]
Silhouette, the ControllerGeneral, was thought to have a creative genius in finance: but in the eighth month
of his gestation, what phenomena are these? October 26th, there came out Four Decrees of Council, setting
forth, That, "as the expenses of the War exceed not only the King's ordinary revenues, but the extraordinaries
he has had to lay on his people, there is nothing for it but," in fact, Suspension of Payment; actual Temporary
Bankruptcy:"Cannot pay you; part of you not for a year, others of you not till the War end; will give you 5
per cent interest instead." Coupled with which, by the same creative genius, is a Declaration in the King's
name, "That the King compels nobody, but does invite all and sundry of loyal mind to send their Plate (on
loan, of course, and with due receipt for it) to the Mint to be coined, lest Majesty come to have otherwise no
money,"his very valets, as is privately known, having had no wages from him for ten months past.
Whereupon the rich Princes of the Blood, Due d'Orleans foremost, and Official persons, Pompadour,
Belleisle, Choiseul, do make an effort; and everybody that has Plate feels uneasily that he cannot use it, and
that he ought to send it. And, November 5th, the King's own Plate, packed ostentatiously in carts, went to the
Mint;the Dauphiness, noble Saxon Lady, had already volunteered with a silver toilettable of hers,
brandnew and of exquisite costly pattern; but the King forbade her. On such examples, everybody had to
make an effort, or uneasily try to make one. King Friedrich, eight days after Maxen, is somewhat amused at
these proceedings in the distance:
"The kettles and spoons of the French seem to me a pleasant resource, for carrying on War!" writes he to
D'Argens. ["Wilsdruf, 28th November, 1759," OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 108.] "A bit of mummery to act on
the public feeling, I suppose. The result of it will be small: but as the Belleisle LETTERS [taken in
Contades's baggage, after Minden, and printed by Duke Ferdinand for public edification] make always such
an outcry about poverty, those people are trying to impose on their enemies, and persuade them that the
carved and chiselled silver of the Kingdom will suffice for making a vigorous Campaign. I see nothing else
that can have set them on imagining the farce they are now at. There is Munster taken from them by the
EnglishHanoverian people; it is affirmed that the French, on the 25th, quitted Giessen, to march on
Friedberg and repass the Rhine [might possibly have done so;but the Hereditary Prince and his 12,000
come to be needed elsewhere!]Poor we are opposite our enemies here, cantoned in the Villages about; the
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last truss of straw, the last loaf of bread will decide which of us is to remain in Saxony. And as the Austrians
are extremely squeezed together, and can get nothing out of Bohmen,"one hopes it will not be they!
All through November, this sending of Plate, I never knew with what netresult of moneys coinable, goes on
in Paris; till, at the highest tables, there is nothing of silver dishes left; and a new crockery kind (rather
clumsy; "CULS NOIRS," as we derisively call them, pigment of BOTTOM part being BLACK) has had to be
contrived instead. Under what astonishments abroad and at home, and in the latter region under what
execrations on Silhouette, may be imagined. "TOUT LE MONDE JURE BEAUCOUP CONTRE M. DE
SILHOUETTE, All the world swears much against him," says Barbier;but I believe probably he was much
to be pitied: "A creative genius, you; and this is what you come to?"
November 22d, the poor man got dismissed; France swearing at him, I know not to what depth; but howling
and hissing, evidently, with all its might. The very tailors and milliners took him up, trousers without
pockets, dresses without flounce or fold, which they called A LA SILHOUETTE:and, to this day, in
France and Continental Countries, the oldfashioned ShadowProfile (mere outline, and vacant black) is
practically called a SILHOUETTE. So that the very Dictionaries have him; and, like bad Count Reinhart, or
REYNARD, of earlier date, he has become a Noun Appellative, and is immortalized in that way. The first of
that considerable Series of Creative Financiers, Abbe Terray and the rest,brought in successively with
blessings, and dismissed with cursings and hissings,who end in Calonne, Lomenie de Brienne, and what
Mirabeau Pere called "the General Overturn (CULBUTE GENERALE)." Thitherward, privately, straight
towards the General Overturn, is France bound;and will arrive in about thirty years.
FRIEDRICH, STRANGE TO SAY, PUBLISHES (MarchJune, 1760) AN EDITION OF HIS POEMS.
QUESTION, "WHO WROTE Matinees du Roi de Prusse?"FOR THE SECOND, AND POSITIVELY
THE LAST TIME.
In this avalanche of impending destructions, what can be more surprising than to hear of the Editing of Poems
on his Majesty's part! Actual publication of that OEuvre de Poesie, for which Voltaire, poor gentleman,
suffered such tribulation seven years ago. Now coming out from choice: Reprint of it, not now to the extent
of twelve copies for highly special friends, but in copious thousands, for behoof of mankind at large! The
thing cost Friedrich very little meditating, and had become necessary,and to be done with speed.
Readers recollect the OEUVRE DE POESIE, and satirical hits said to be in it. At Paris, about Newyear's
time 1760, some helpful Hand had contrived to bring out, under the pretended date "Potsdam," a cheap
edition of that interesting Work. [ "OEuvres du Philosophe de SansSouci:" 1 vol. 12 mo, "Potsdam [PARIS,
in truth], 1760."] Merely in the way of theft, as appeared to cursory readers, to D'Argens, for example: [His
Letter to the King, OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 138.] but, in deeper fact, for the purpose of apprising certain
Crowned Heads, friendly and hostile,Czarish Majesty and George II. of England the main two,what this
poetizing King was pleased to think of them in his private moments. D'Argens declares himself glad of this
theft, so exquisitely clever is the Book. But Friedrich knows better: "March 17th, when a Copy of it came to
him," Friedrich sees well what is meant,and what he himself has to do in it. He instantly sets about making
a few suppressions, changes of phrase; sends the thing to D'Argens: "Publish at once, with a little prefatory
word." And, at the top of his speed, D'Argens has, in three weeks' time, the suitable AVANTPROPOS, or
AVIS AU LIBRAIRE, "circulating in great quantities, especially in London and Petersburg" ("Thief Editor
has omitted; and, what is far more, has malignantly interpolated: here is the poor idle Work itself, not a
Counterfeit of it, if anybody care to read it"), and an Orthodox Edition ready. [Came out April 9th [see
MITCHELL, ii. 153], and a second finer Edition in June:" in OEuvres de Frederic, x. p. x, xix. 137 n., 138;
especially in PREUSS, i. 467, 468 (if you will compare him with HIMSELF on these different occasions, and
patiently wind out his bit of meaning), all manner of minutest details.] The diligent Pirate Booksellers, at
Amsterdam, at London, copiously reproduced this authorized Berlin Edition too,or added excerpts from it
to their reprints of the Paris one, by way of variousreadings. And everybody read and compared, what
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nobody will now do; theme, and treatment of theme, being both now so heartily indifferent to us.
Who the Perpetrator of this Parisian maleficence was, remained dark;and would not be worth inquiring
into at all, except for two reasons intrinsically trifling, but not quite without interest to readers of our time.
First, that Voltaire, whom some suspected (some, never much Friedrich, that I hear of), appears to have been
perfectly innocent;and indeed had been incapacitated for guilt, by Schmidt and Freytag, and their dreadful
Frankfurt procedures! This is reason FIRST; poor Voltaire mutely asking us, Not to load him with more sins
than his own. Reason SECOND is, that, by a singular opportunity, there has, in these very months, [Spring,
1863.] a glimmering of light risen on it to this Editor; illustrating two other points as well, which readers here
are acquainted with, some time ago, as riddles of the insignificant sort. The DEMON NEWSWRITER, with
his "IDEA" of Friedrich, and the "MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE:" readers recollect both those
Productions; both enigmatic as to authorship;but both now become riddles which can more or less be read.
For the surprising circumstance (though in certain periods, when the realm of very Chaos reemerges,
fitfully, into upper sunshine now and then, nothing ought to surprise one as happening there) is, That, only a
few months ago, the incomparable MATINEES (known to my readers five years since) has found a new
Editor and reviver. Editor illuminated "by the Secretary of the Great Napoleon," "by discovery of
manuscripts," "by the Duc de Rovigo," and I know not what; animated also, it is said, by religious views.
And, in short, the MATINEES is again abroad upon the world,"your London Edition twice reprinted in
Germany, by the Jesuit party since" (much good may it do the Jesuit party!)a MATINEES again in
comfortable circumstances, as would seem. Probably the longesteared Platitude now walking the Earth,
though there are a good many with ears long. Unconscious, seemingly, that it has been killed thrice and four
times already; and that indeed, except in the realm of Nightmare, it never was alive, or needed any killing;
belief in it, doubt upon it (I must grieve to inform the Duc de Rovigo and honorable persons concerned),
being evidence conclusive that you have not yet the faintest preliminary shadow of correct knowledge about
Friedrich or his habits or affairs, and that you ought first to try and acquire some.
To me argument on this subject would have been too unendurable. But argument there was on it, by persons
capable and willing, more than one: and in result this surprising brandnew London mooncalf of a
MATINEES was smitten through, and slit in pieces, for the fifth time,as if that could have hurt it much!
"MIT DER DUMMHEIT," sings Schiller; "Human Stupidity is stronger than the very Gods." However, in the
course of these new inspections into matters long since obsolete, there didwhat may truly be considered as
a kind of profit by this Resuscitating of the moon calf MATINEES upon afflicted mankind, and is a net
outcome from it, real, though very smallsome light rise as to the origin and genesis of MATINEES; some
twinkles of light, and, in the utterly dark element, did disclose other monstrous extinct shapes looming to
right and left of said monster: and, in a word, the Authorship of MATINEES, and not of MATINEES only,
becomes now at last faintly visible or guessable. To one of those industrious Matadors, as we may call them,
Slayers of this mooncalf for the fourth or fifth time, I owe the following Note; which, on verifying, I can
declare to be trustworthy:
"The Author of MATINEES, it is nearly certain", says my Correspondent, "is actually a 'M. de
Bonneville,'contrary to what you wrote five years ago. [A.D. 1858 (SUPRA, v. 165, 166).] Not indeed the
Bonneville who is found in Dictionaries, who is visibly impossible; but a Bonneville of the preceding
generation, who was Marechal de Saxe's Adjutant or Secretary, old enough to have been the Uncle or the
Father of that revolutionary Bonneville. Marechal de Saxe died November 30th, 1750; this senior Bonneville,
still a young man, had been with him to Potsdam on visit there. Bonneville, conscious of genius, and now out
of employment, naturally went thither again; lived a good deal there, or went between France and there: and
authentic History knows of him, by direct evidence, and by reflex, the following Three Facts (the SECOND
of them itself threefold), of which I will distinguish the indubitable from the inferentially credible or as good
as certain:
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"1. Indubitable, That Bonneville sold to Friedrich certain Papers, military Plans, or the like, of the late
Marechal and was paid for them; but by no means met the recognition his genius saw itself to merit. These
things are certain, though not dated, or datable except as of the year 1750 or 1751. After which, for above
twenty years, Bonneville entered upon a series of adventures, caliginous, underground, for most part;
'soldiering in America,' 'writing anonymous Pamphlets or Books,' roaming wide over the world; and led a
busy but obscure and uncertain life, hanging by Berlin as a kind of centre, or by Paris and Berlin as his two
centres; and had a miscellaneous series of adventures, subterranean many of them, unluminous all of them,
not courting the light; which lie now in naturally a very dark condition. Dimly discernible, however, in the
general dusk of Bonneville, dim and vague of outline, but definitely steady beyond what could have been
expected, it does appear farther,what alone entitles Bonneville to the least memory here, or anywhere in
Nature now or henceforth,
"2. Inferentially credible, That, shortly after that first rebuff in Potsdam, he, not another, in 1752, was your
'DEMON NEWSWRITER,' whom we gazed at, some time since, devoutly crossing ourselves, for a little
while!
"Likewise that, in 17591760, after or before his American wanderings, he, the same Bonneville, as was
suspected at the time, ["Nicolai, Ueber Zimmermanns Fragmente, i. 181, 182, ii. 253, 254. Sketch of what is
authentically known about Bonneville: 'suspected both of MATINEES and of the Stolen EDITION.'"] stole
and edited this surreptitious mischiefmaking OEuvres du Philosophe de SansSouci (Paris or Lyon,
pretending to be 'Potsdam,' January, 1760)," which we are now considering! "Encouraged, probably enough,
by Choiseul himself, who, in any case, is now known to have been the promoter of this fine bit of mischief,
[Choiseul's own Note, "To M. de Malesherbes, DIRECTEUR DE LA LIBRAIRE, 10th December, 1759: 'By
every method screen the King's Government from being suspected;and get the Edition out at once.'"
(Published in the Constitutionnel, 2d December, 1850, by M. SainteBeuve; copied in Preuss, OEuvres de
Frederic, xix. 168 n.)] and who may thereupon [or may as probably, NOT "thereupon," if it were of the
least consequence to gods or men] have opened to Bonneville a new military career in America? Career
which led to as good as nothing; French soldiering in America being done for, in the course of 1760. Upon
which Bonneville would return to his old haunts, to his old subterranean industries in Paris and Berlin.
"And that, finally, in 1765, he, as was again suspected at the time, ["Nicolai, Ueber Zimmermanns
Fragmente, i. 181, 182, ii. 253, 254. Sketch of what is authentically known about Bonneville: 'suspected both
of MATINEES and of the Stolen EDITION.'"] he and no other, did write those MATINEES, which appeared
next year in print (1766), and many times since; and have just been reprinted, as a surprising new discovery,
at London, in Spring, 1863.
"3. Again indubitable, That either after or before those Editorial exploits, Bonneville had sold the Marechal
de Saxe's Plans and Papers, which were already the King's, to some second person, and been a second time
paid for them. And was, in regard to this Swindling exploit, found out; and by reason of that sale, or for what
reason is not known, was put into Spandau, and, one hopes, ended his life there." ["Nicolai, UBI
SUPRA;and besides him, only the two following references, out of half a cartload: 1. Bachaumont,
MEMOIRES SECRETES, '7th February, 1765' (see Barbier, Dictionnaire des Anonymes, § Matinees), who
calls MATINEES 'a development of the IDEE DE LA PERSONNE,' (that is, of your 'DEMON
NEWSWRITER;' already known to Bachaumont, this 'IDEE,' it seems, as well as the MATINEES in
Manuscript). 2. LETTER of Grimm to Duchess of SachsenGotha [OUR Duchess], dated 'Paris, 15th April,
1765:' not in printed Correspondance de Grimm, but still in the Archives of Gotha, in company with a MS. of
MATINEES, probably the oldest extant (see,in the GRENZBOTEN Periodical, Leipzig, 1863, pp.
473484, 500519,K. SAMWER, who is Chief MALLEUS of this new London mooncalf, and will
inform the curious of every particular)."
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MATINEES was first printed 1766 (no place), and seven or eight times since, in different Countries; twice or
thrice over, as "an interesting new discovery:"very wearisome to this Editor; who read MATINEES (in
poor LONDON print, that too) many years ago, with complete satisfaction as to Matinees, and sincere
wish not to touch it again even with a pair of tongs;and has since had three "priceless MSS. of it" offered
him, at low rates, as a guerdon to merit.]
Fact No. 2, which alone concerns us here,and which, in its three successive stages, does curiously cohere
with itself and with other things,comes, therefore, not by direct light, which indeed, by the nature of the
case, would be impossible. Not by direct light, but by various reflex lights, and convergence of probabilities
old and new, which become the stronger the better they are examined; and may be considered as amounting
to what is called a moral certainty,"certain" enough for an inquiry of that significance. To a kind of moral
certainty: kind of moral consolation too; only One individual of Adam's Posterity, not Three or more, having
been needed in these multifarious acts of scoundrelism; and that One receiving payment, or part payment, so
prompt and appropriate, in the shape of a permanent cannonball at his ankle.
This is the one profit my readers or I have yet derived from the late miraculous Resuscitation of MATINEES
ROYALES; the other items of profit in that Enterprise shall belong, not to us in the least measure, but to
Bonneville, and to his well or ill disposed Coadjutors and Copartners in the Adventure. Adieu to it, aud to
him and to them, forever and a day!
PEACENEGOTIATIONS HOPEFUL TO FRIEDRICH ALL THROUGH WINTER; BUT THE FRENCH
WON'T. VOLTAIRE, AND HIS STYLE OF CORRESPONDING.
This Winter there was talk of Peace, more specifically than ever. November 15th, at the Hague, as a neutral
place, there had been, by the two Majesties, Britannic and Prussian, official DECLARATION, "We, for our
part, deeply lament these horrors, and are ready to treat of Peace." This Declaration was presented November
15th, 1759, by Prince Ludwig of Brunswick (Head General of the Dutch, and a Brother of Prince Ferdinand
our General's, suitable for such case), to the AustrianFrench Excellencies at the Hague. By whom it had
been received with the due politeness, "Will give it our profoundest consideration;" [DECLARATION (by
the two Majesties) that they are ready to treat of Peace, 15th November, 1759, presented by, (as above);
ANSWER from France, in stingy terms, and not till 3d April, 1760: are in London Gazette; in Gentleman's
Magazine, xxix. 603, xxx. 188; in indeed the French, for some time, privately did; though the Austrians
privately had no need to do so, being already fixed for a negative response to the proposal. But hereby rose
actual talk of a "Congress;" and wagging of Diplomatic wigs as to where it shall be. "In Breda," said some;
"Breda a place used to Congresses." "Why not in Nanci here?" said poor old ExPolish Stanislaus, alive to
the calls of benevolence, poor old Titular soul. Others said "Leipzig;" others "Augsburg;" and indeed in
Augsburg, according to the Gazetteers, at one time, there were "upholsterers busy getting ready the
apartments." So that, with such rumor in the Diplomatic circles, the Gazetteer and outer world was full of
speculation upon Peace; and Friedrich had lively hopes of it, and had been hoping three months before, as we
transiently saw, though again it came to nothing. All to nothing; and is not, in itself, worth the least attention
from us here,a poor extinct fact, loud in those months and filling the whole world, now silent and extinct to
everybody,except, indeed, that it offers physiognomic traits here and there of a certain King, and of those
about him. For which reason we will dwell on it a few minutes longer.
Nobody, in that Winter 17591760, could guess where, or from whom, this big worldinteresting
PeaceNegotiation had its birth; as everybody now can, when nobody now is curious on the question! At
Sagan, in September last, we all saw the small private source of it, its first outspurt into daylight; and read
Friedrich's ANSWERS to Voltaire and the noble Duchess on it:for the sake of which Two private
Correspondents, and of Friedrich's relation to them, possibly a few more Excerpts may still have a kind of
interest, now when the thing corresponded on has ceased to have any. To the Duchess, a nobleminded Lady,
beautifully zealous to help if she could, by whose hand these multifarious PeacePapers have to pass, this is
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always Friedrich's fine style in transmitting them. Out of many specimens, following that of Sagan which we
gave, here are the Next Three:
FRIEDRICH TO THE DUCHESS OF SACHSENGOTHA (Three other Letters on the "Peace").
1. "WILSDRUF, 21st November, 1759 [day after Maxen, SURRENDER was THIS morningof which he
has not heard].
"MADAM,Nothing but your generosities and your indulgence could justify my incongruity
[INCONGRUITE, in troubling you with the Enclosed]. You will have it, Madam, that I shall still farther
abuse those bounties, which are so precious to me: at least remember that it is by your order, if I forward
through your hand this Letter, which does not merit such honor.
"Chance, which so insolently mocks the projects of men, and delights to build up and then pull down, has led
us about, thus far,to the end of the Campaign [not quite ended yet, if we knew]. The Austrians are girt in
by the Elbe on this side; I have had two important Magazines of theirs in Bohemia destroyed [Kleist's doing].
There have been some bits of fighting (AFFAIRES), that have turned entirely to our advantage:so that I
am in hopes of forcing M. Daun to repass the Elbe, to abandon Dresden, and to take the road for Zittau and
Bohemia.
"I talk to you, Madam, of what I am surrounded with; of what, being in your neighborhood, may perhaps
have gained your attention. I could go to much greater length, if my heart dared to explain itself on the
sentiments of admiration, gratitude and esteem, with which I am,Madam my Cousin,Your most faithful
Cousin, Friend and Servant,F."
2.
"FREYBERG, 18th December, 1759.
"MADAM,You spoil me so by your indulgence, you so accustom me to have obligations to you, that I
reproach myself a hundred times with this presumption. Certainly I should not continue to enclose these
Letters to your care, had not I the hope that perhaps the Correspondence may be of some use to England, and
even to Europe, for without doubt Peace is the desirable, the natural and happy state for all Nations. It is to
accelerate Peace, Madam, that I abuse your generosities. This motive excuses me to myself for the
incongruity of my procedures.
"The goodness you have to take interest in my situation obliges me to give you some account of it. We have
undergone all sorts of misfortune here [Maxen, what not], at the moment we were least expecting them.
Nevertheless, there remains to us courage and hope; here are Auxiliaries [Hereditary Prince and 12,000] on
the point of arriving; there is reason to think that the end of our Campaign will be less frightful than seemed
likely three weeks ago. May you, Madam, enjoy all the happiness that I wish you. May all the world become
acquainted with your virtues, imitate them, and admire you as I do. May you be persuaded that ...F."
3.
"FREYBERG, 16th February, 1760.
"MADAM,It is to my great regret that I importune Your Highness so often with my Letters. Your
bounties, Madam, have spoiled me;it will teach you to be more chary of them to others. I regard you as an
estimable Friend, to whose friendship I have recourse in straits. The question is still Peace, Madam; and were
not the object of my importunities so beautiful, Madam, I should be inexcusable."Goes then into practical
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considerations, about "Cocceji" (King's AidedeCamp, once Keith's, who carries this Letter), about a "Herr
von Edelsheim," a "Bailli de Froulay", and the possible "Conditions of Peace,"not of consequence to us
just now. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 174, 173, 172. Correspondence on this subject lasts from 22d
September, 1759, to 8th May, 1760: IB. pp. 170186. In that final Letter of 8th May is the phrase, hardly
worth restoring to its real ownership, though the context considerably redeems it there,"the prejudice I
can't get rid of, that, in war, DIEU EST POUR LES GROS ESCADRONS."]
As to Voltaire again, and the new FriedrichVoltaire Style of Correspondence, something more of detail will
be requisite. Ever since the black days of 1757, when poor Wilhelmina, with Rossbach and Leuthen still
hidden from her in a future gloomy as death, desperately brought Voltaire to bear upon Cardinal Tencin in
this matter, without success, there has been a kind of regular corresponding between Voltaire and Friedrich;
characteristic on both sides. A pair of Lovers hopelessly estranged and divorced; and yet, in a sense, unique
and priceless to one another. The Past, full of heavenly radiances, which issued, alas, in flames and sooty
conflagrations as of Erebus,let us forget it, and be taught by it! The Past is painful, and has been too
didactic to some of us: but here still is the Present with its Future; better than blank nothing. Pleasant to hear
the sound of that divine voice of my loved one, were it only in commonplace remarks on the weather,
perhaps intermixed with secret gibings on myself:let us hear it while we can, amid those worldwide
crashing discords and piping whirlwinds of war.
Friedrich sends his new Verses or light Proses, which he is ever and anon throwing off; Voltaire sends his,
mostly in print, and of more elaborate turn: they talk on matters that are passing round them, round this King,
the centre of them,Friedrich usually in a rather swaggering way (lest his Correspondent think of blabbing),
and always with something of banter audible in him;as has Voltaire too, but in a finer TREBLE tone, being
always female in this pretty duet of parted lovers. It rarely comes to any scolding between them; but there is
or can be nothing of cordiality. Nothing, except in the mutual admiration, which one perceives to be sincere
on both sides; and also, in the mutual practical estrangement: "Nothing more of you,especially of YOU,
Madam,as a practical domestic article!"
After long reading, with Historical views, in this final section of the FriedrichVoltaire Correspondence, at
first so barren otherwise and of little entertainment, one finds that this too, when once you CAN "read" it
(that is to say, when the scene and its details are visible to you), becomes highly dramatic,
Shakspeareancomic or more, for this is Nature's self, who far excels even Shakspeare; and that the
inextricably dark condition of these Letters is a real loss to the ingenuous reader, and especially to the student
of Friedrich. Among the frequently recurring topics, one that oftenest turns up on Voltaire's side is that of
Peace: Oh, if your Majesty would but make Peace! Does it depend on me? thinks Friedrich always; and is, at
last, once provoked to say so:
FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE.
"REICHHENNERSDORF, 2d July, 1759, [shortly before Schmottseifen, while waiting Daun's slow
movements].
"Asking ME for Peace: there is a bitter joke![In verse, this; flings off a handful of crackers on the
BIENAIME, whose Chamberlain you are, on the HONGROISE QUI'IL ADORE, on the Russian QUE
J'ABHORRE;then continues in prose]:
"It is to him," the Wellbeloved Louis, "that you must address yourself, or to his Amboise in Petticoats [his
Pompadour, acting the CardinalPremier on this occasion]. But these people have their heads filled with
ambitious projects: these people are the difficulty; they wish to be the sovereign arbiters of sovereigns; and
that is what persons of my way of thinking will by no means put up with. I love Peace quite as much as you
could wish; but I want it good, solid and honorable. Socrates or Plato would have thought as I do on this
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subject, had they found themselves placed in the accursed position which is now mine in the world.
"Think you there is any pleasure in leading this dog of a life [CHIENNE, shedog]? In seeing and causing the
butchery of people you know nothing of; in losing daily those you do know and love; in seeing perpetually
your reputation exposed to the caprices of chance; in passing year after year in disquietudes and
apprehensions; in risking, without end, your life and your fortune?
"I know right well the value of tranquillity, the sweets of society, the charms of life; and I love to be happy,
as much as anybody whatever. But much as I desire these blessings, I will not purchase them by basenesses
and infamies. Philosophy enjoins us to do our duty; faithfully to serve our Country, at the price of our blood,
of our repose, and of every sacrifice that can be required of us. The illustrious ZADIG went through a good
many adventures which were not to his taste, CANDIDE the like; and nevertheless took their misfortune in
patience. What finer example to follow than that of those heroes?
"Take my word, our 'curt jackets,' as you call them [HABITS ECOURTES, peculiar to the Prussian soldier at
that time], are as good as your red heels, as the Hungarian pelisses, and the green frocks of the Roxelans
[Russians]. We are actually on the heels of the latter [at least poor Dohna is, and poor Dictator Wedell will
be, not with the effect anticipated!]who by their stupidities give us fine chance. You will see I shall get out
of the scrape this Year too, and deliver myself both from the Greens and the DirtyWhites [Austrian color of
coat]. My neighbor of the Sacred Hat,I think, in spite of Holy Father's benediction, the Holy Ghost must
have inspired him the reverse way; he seems to have a great deal of lead in his bottom. ... F." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xxiii. 53.]
VOLTAIRE IN ANSWER.
"THE DELICES," guessed to be some time in "August, 1759."
"In whatever state you are, it is very certain that you are a great man. It is not to weary your Majesty that I
now write; it is to confess myself,on condition you will give me absolution! I have betrayed you; that is the
fact"(really guilty this time, and HAVE shown something of your writing; as your Majesty, oh how
unjustly, is often suspecting that I do, and with mischievous intention, instead of good, ah, Sire!)In fact, I
have received that fine "MARCUSAURELIUS" Letter (Letter we have just read); exquisite Piece, though
with biting "JUVENAL" qualities in it too; and have shown it, keeping back the biting parts, to a beautiful
gillflirt of the Court, MINAUDIERE (who seems to be a Mistress of Choiseul's), who is here attending Tissot
for her health: MINAUDIERE charmed with it; insists on my sending to Choiseul, "He admires the King of
Prussia, as he does all nobleness and genius; send it!" And I did so;and look here, what an Answer from
Choiseul (Answer lost): and may it not have a fine effect, and perhaps bring PeaceOh, forgive me, Sire.
But read that Note of the great man. "Try if you can decipher his writing. One may have very honest
sentiments, and a great deal of ESPRIT, and yet write like a cat. ...
"Sire, there was once a lion and a mouse (RAT); the mouse fell in love with the lion, and went to pay him
court. The lion, tired of it, gave him a little scrape with his paw. The mouse withdrew into his mousehole
(SOURICIERE); but he still loved the lion; and seeing one day a net they were spreading out to catch the lion
and kill him, he gnawed asunder one mesh of it. Sire, the mouse kisses very humbly your beautiful claws, in
all submissiveness:he will never die between two Capuchins, as, at Bale, the mastiff (DOGUE) of St. Malo
has done [27th July last]. He would have wished to die beside his lion. Believe that the mouse was more
attached than the mastiff."V. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 59, 60.]
To which we saw the Answer, pair of Answers, at Sagan, in September last. This Note from Choiseul,
conveyed by Voltaire, appears to have been the trifling wellspring from which all those widespread waters
of Negotiation flowed. Pitt, when applied to, on the strength of Friedrich's hopes from this small Document of
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Choiseul's, was of course ready, "How welcome every chance of a just Peace!" and agreed to the Joint
Declaration at the Hague; and took what farther trouble I know not,probably less sanguine of success than
Friedrich. Friedrich was ardently industrious in the affair; had a great deal of devising and directing on it, a
great deal of corresponding with Voltaire and the Duchess, only small fractions of which are now left. He
searched out, or the Duchess of SachsenGotha did it for him, a proper Secret Messenger for Paris: Secret
Messenger, one Baron von Edelsheim, properly veiled, was to consult a certain Bailli de Froulay, a friend of
Friedrich's in Paris;which loyalhearted Bailli did accordingly endeavor there; but made out nothing. Only
much vague talking; part of it, or most of it, subdolous on Choiseul's side. Pitt would hear of no Peace which
did not include Prussia as well as England: some said this was the cause of failure;the real cause was that
Choiseul never had any serious intention of succeeding. Light Choiseul, a clever man, but an unwise, of the
sort called "dashing," had entertained the matter merely in the optative form, and when it came nearer,
wished to use it for making mischief between Pitt and Friedrich, and for worming out Edelsheim's secrets, if
he had any,for which reason he finally threw Edelsheim into the Bastille for a few days. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, v. 3841, detailed account of the Affair.]
About the end of March I guess it to have been that Choiseul, by way of worming out poor Edelsheim's
secrets, flung him into the Bastille for a day or two. Already in December foregoing, we have seen Choiseul's
BlackArtist busy upon the Stolen EDITION of Friedrich's Verses. A Choiseul full of intrigues; adroit
enough, ambitious enough; restlessly industrious in making mischief, if there were nothing else to be made;
who greatly disgusted Friedrich, now and afterwards.
And this was what the grand Voltaire Pacification came to, though it filled the world with temporary noise,
and was so interesting to Voltaire and another. What a heartaffecting generosity, humility and dulcet pathos
in that of the poor Mouse gnawing asunder a mesh of the Lion's net! There is a good deal of that throughout,
on the Voltaire side,that is to say, while writing to Friedrich. But while writing of him, to third parties,
sometimes almost simultaneously, the contrast of styles is not a little startling; and the beautiful affectionately
chirping Mouse is seen suddenly to be an injured Wildcat with its fur up. All readers of Voltaire are aware
of this; and how Voltaire handles his "LUC" (mysterious nickname for KING FRIEDRICH ), when Luc's
back is turned. For alas, there is no man or thing but has its wrong side too; least of all, a Voltaire,doing
TREBLE voice withal, if you consider it, in such a Duet of estranged Lovers! Suppose we give these few
Specimens, treble mostly, and a few of bass as well,to illustrate the nature of this Duet, and of the
noises that went on round it, in a war convulsed world? And first of all, concerning the enigma "What is
Luc?"
What the LUC in Voltaire is? Shocking explanations have been hit upon: but Wagniere (WAGNER, an
intelligent Swiss man), Voltaire's old Secretary, gives this plain reading of the riddle: "M. de Voltaire had, at
The Delices [near by Ferney, till the Chateau got built], a big Ape, of excessively mischievous turn; who used
to throw stones at the passersby, and sometimes would attack with its teeth friend or foe alike. One day it
thrice over bit M. de Voltaire's own leg. He had called it LUC (Luke); and in conversation with select friends,
as also in Letters to such, he sometimes designated the King of Prussia by that nickname: 'HE is like my Luc
here; bites whoever caresses him!'In 1756 M. de Voltaire, having still on his heart the Frankfurt Outrage,
wrote curious MEMOIRES [ah, yes, VIE PRIVEE]; and afterwards wished to burn them; but a Copy had
been stolen from him in 1768,"and they still afflict the poor world.
To the same effect speaks Johannes von Muller: "Voltaire had an Ape called Luc; and the spiteful man, in
thus naming the King, meant to stigmatize him as the mere APE of greater men; as one without any greatness
of his own."No; LUC was mischievous, flung stones after passengers; had, according to Clogenson, "bitten
Voltaire himself, while being caressed by him;" that was the analogy in Voltaire's mind. Preuss says, this
Nickname first occurs "12th December, 1757." Suppose 11th December to have been the day of getting one's
leg bitten thrice over; and that, in bed next morning,stiff, smarting, fretful against the sad apetricks and
offences of this life,before getting up to one's Works and Correspondences, the angry similitude had shot,
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slightly fulgurous and consolatory, athwart the gloom of one's mood? [Longchamp et Wagniere Memoires, i.
34; Johannes von Muller, Works (12mo, Stuttgard, 1821), xxxi. 140 (LETTERS TO HIS BROTHER, No,
218, "July, 1796"); Clogenson's Note, in OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxvii. 103; Preuss, ii. 71.] That will account
for Luc.
Many of the VoltaireFriedrich LETTERS are lost; and the remainder lie in sad disorder in all the Editions,
their sequence unintelligible without lengthy explanation. So that the following Snatches cannot well be
arranged here in the way of Choral Strophe and Antistrophe, as would have been desirable. We shall have to
group them loosely under heads; with less respect to date than to subjectmatter, and to the reader's
convenience for understanding them.
VOLTAIRE ON FRIEDRICH, TO DIFFERENT THIRDPARTIES, DURING THIS WAR.
TO D'ARGENTAL (Has not yet heard of LEUTHEN, which happened five days before). ... "I have tasted the
vengeance of consoling the King of Prussia, and that is enough for me. He goes beating on the one side, and
getting beaten on the other: except for another miracle [like Rossbach], he will be ruined. Better have really
been a philosopher, as he pretended to be." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxvii. 139 ("The Delices, 10th December,
1757").]
TO THE REVEREND COMTE DE BERNIS (outwardly still our flourishing PrimeMinister, by grace of
Pompadour, but soon to be extinguished under a Red Hat. Date is six days before ZORNDORF). ... "I cannot
imagine how some people have gone into suspecting that my heart might have the weakness to lean a little
towards WHOM you know, towards my Ingrate that was! One is bound to have politeness; but one has
memory as well;and one is attached, as warmly as superfluously, to the Good Cause, which it belongs only
to you to defend. Certain it is, poor I am not like the threefourths of the Germans in these days [since
ROSSBACH, above all]! I have everywhere seen Ladies'fans with the Prussian Eagle painted on them,
eating the FLEURDELIS; the Hanover Horse giving a kick to M. de Richelieu's bottom; a Courier
carrying a bottle of Queenof Hungary Water to Madame de Pompadour. My Nieces shall certainly not
have that fashion of Fans, at my poor little DELICES, whither I am just returning." [Ib. lxxvii. 35 ("Soleure,
19th August, 1758").]
TO MADAME D'ARGENTAL (on occasion of MINDEN: Kunersdorf three days ago, but not yet heard of).
... "Truly, Madame, when M. de Contades leads to the butchery all the descendants of our ancient chevaliers,
and sets them to attack eighty pieces of cannon [not in the least, if you knew it; the reverse, if you knew
it],as Don Quixote did the windmills! This horrible day pierces my soul. I am French to excess, especially
since those new favors [not worth mentioning here], which I owe to my divine Angels and to M. le Duc de
Choiseul.
"Lucyou know who Luc is [as do we]is probably giving Battle to the Austrians and Russians
[KUNERSDORF, 12th; three days ago, did it, and was beaten to your mind], at the moment while I have the
honor of writing to you; at least, he told me such was his Royal intention. If they beat him, as may happen,
what a shame for us to have been beaten by the Duke of Brunswick! I wish you knew this Duke [as I have
done; a Duke of no ESPRIT, no gift of tongue, in fact no talent at all that I could discern], you would be
much astonished; and would say, 'The people whom he beats must be great blockheads.' The truth of the fact
is, that all these troops are better disciplined than ours:" [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxviii, 186, 187 ("Delices,
15th August, 1759").]Yes indeed, my esteemed Voltaire; and also, perhaps, that ESPRIT, or gift of tongue,
is not the sole gift for Battles and Campaigns?
TO D'ARGENTAL (seventh day after KUNERSDORF: "mouse upon lion's net" nearly contemporaneous).
"At last, then, I think my Russians must be near Great Glogau [might have been, one thinks, after such a
Kunersdorf; did not start for a month yet; never could get very near at all]. Who would have thought that
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Barberina [Mackenzie's Dancer once; sent to Glogau, Cocceji and she, when their marriage became public}
was going to be besieged by the Russians, and in Glogau: O Destiny!
"I don't love Luc, far from it: I never will pardon him his infamous procedure with my Niece [at Frankfurt
that time]; nor the face he has to write me flattering things twice a month; without having ever repaired his
wrongs. I desire much his entire humiliation, the chastisement of the sinner; whether his eternal damnation. I
don't quite know." [Ib. lxxviii. 195 ("19th August, 1759").] (Hear, hear!)
TO THE SAME (a month after MAXEN: "Peace" Negotiation very lively). ... "Meanwhile, if Luc could be
punished before this happy Peace! If, by this last stroke of General Beck [tussle with Dierecke at Meissen,
4th December, capture of Dierecke and 1,500; stroke not of an overwhelming nature, but let us be thankful
for our mercies], which has opened the road from the Lausitz to Berlin [alas, not in the least], some Haddick
could pay Berlin a visit again! You see, in Tragedy I wish always to have crime punished.
"There is talk of a great Battle fought the 6th [not a word of truth in it] between Luc and him of the
Consecrated Hat: said to have been very murderous. I interest myself very much in this Piece" now playing
under the Sun. "Whenever the Austrians have any advantage, Kaunitz says to Madame de Bentinck [litigant
wandering Lady, known to me at Berlin and elsewhere], 'Write that to our Friend Voltaire.' Whenever Luc
has the least success, he tells me, 'I have battered the oppressors of mankind. Dear Angel, in these horrors I
am the only one that has room to laugh:and yet I don't laugh either; owing to the CULSNOIRS [base
crockery; one's Dinner Plate all vanished [Supra, p. 374.]], to the Annuities, Lotteries, and to
Pondicherry,for I am always afraid about that latter!" (Going, that, for certain; going, gone, and your East
Indies along with it!) [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxviii. 346 ("22d December, 1759").]
TO PERPETUAL SECRETARY FORMEY (in forwarding a "Letter left with me"). "Health and peace,
Monsieur; and be SECRETAIRE ETERNEL. Your King is always a man unique, astonishing, inimitable. He
makes charming verses, in times when another could not write a line of prose; he deserves to be happy: but
will he be so? And if not, what becomes of you? For my own part, I will not die between two Capuchins.
Hardly worth while, exalting one's soul for such a future as that. What a stupid and detestable farce this world
is!" [Ib. lxxviii. 348 (from SOUVENIRS D'UN CITOYEN, i. 302), "11th January 1760."]
TO D'ARGENTAL ("Peace" Negotiations still at their briskest), ... "But, my dear Angel, you will see on
Tuesday the great man who has turned my head (DONT JE SUIS FOU), M. le Duc de Choiseul. The Letters
he honors me with enchant me. God will bless him, don't doubt it,"after all! "We have at Pondicherry a
Lally, a devil of an Irish spirit,who will cost me, sooner or later, above 20,000 livres annually [have rents
in our INDIA COMPANY, say 1,000 pounds a year, as my Angels know], which used to be the readiest item
of my Pittance. But M. le Duc de Choiseul will triumph over Luc in one way or other; then what joy! I
suppose he shows you my impertinent reveries. Do you know, Luc is so mad, that I don't despair of bringing
him to reason [persuading him to give up Cleve, and knuckle as he should, in this Peace Affair]. That were
what I should call the true Comedy! I should like to have your advices on the conduct of that Dramatic
Piece." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxviii. 375 ("Delices, 15th February, 1760").]
The late "mouse" gnawing its mesh of net, what a subtle and mighty hunter has it grown! This of Cleve,
however, and of knuckling, would not do. Hear the stiff Answer that comes: "'Conditions of Peace,' do you
call them? The people that propose such can have no wish to see Peace. What a logic theirs! 'I might yield the
Country of Cleve, because the inhabitants are stupid'! What would your Ministers say if one required the
Province of Champagne from them, because the Proverb says, Ninetynine sheep and one Champagner make
a Hundred head of cattle?" [Friedrich to Voltaire, "Freyberg, 3d April, 1760:" OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 73,
74.]
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AGAIN TO D'ARGENTAL (three or four months after; Luc having proved obstinate, and still unsuccessful).
... "I conjure you make use of all your eloquence to tell him [the supreme Duc de Choiseul], that if Luc
misgo, it will be no misfortune to France. That Brandenburg will always remain an Electorate; that it is good
there be no Elector in it strong enough to do without the protection of our King; and that all the Princes of the
Empire will always have recourse to that august protection (Most Christian Majesty's] CONTRA L'AQUILA
GRIFAGNA,were the Prussian Kingship but abolished. Nota bene, if Luc were discomfited this Year, we
should have Peace next Winter." [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxix. 110 ("July, 1760").]
TO SUPREME CHOISEUL (a year later). ... "He has been a bad man, this Luc; and now, if one were to
bet,by the law of probability it would be 3 to 1 that Lnc will go to pot (SERA PERDU), with his rhymings
and his banterings, and his injustices and politics, all as bad as himself." [Ib. lxxx. 313 ("Chateau de Ferney,
13th July, 1761").]
VOLTAIRE ON SURROUNDING OBJECTS, CHIEFLY ON MAUPERTUIS, AND THE BATTLES.
TO D'ALEMBERT (in the RossbachLeuthen interval: on the Battle of BRESLAU, 22d November, 1757;
called by the Austrians "a Malplaquet," and believed by Voltaire to be a Malplaquet and more). ... "The
Austrians do avenge us, and humble us [us, and our miserable Rossbachs], in a terrible manner. Thirteen
attacks on the Prussian intrenchments, lasted six hours; never was Victory bloodier, or more horribly
beautiful [in the brain of certain men]. We pretty French fellows, we are more expeditious, our job is done in
five minutes. The King of Prussia is always writing me Verses, now like a desperado, now like a hero; and as
for me, I try to live like a philosopher in my hermitage. He has obtained what he always wished: to beat the
French, to be admired by them, to mock them; but the Austrians are mocking him in a very serious way. Our
shame of November 5th has given him glory; and with such glory, which is but transient and dearly bought,
he must content himself. He will lose his own Countries, with those he has seized, unless the French again
discover [which they will] the secret of losing all their Armies, as they did in 1741." [Ib. Lxxvii. 133, 134
("Delices, 6th December, 1757," day after Leuthen).]
TO CLAIRAUT, THE MATHEMATICIAN (Maupertuis lately dead). An excellent Treatise, this you have
sent me, Monsieur! "Your war with the Geometers on the subject of this Comet appears to me like a war of
the gods in Olympus, while on Earth there is going on a fight of dogs and cats. ... Would to Heaven our friend
MoreauMaupertuis had cultivated his art like you! That he had predicted comets, instead of exalting his soul
to predict the future; of dissecting the brains of giants to know the nature of the soul; of japanning people
with pitch to cure them of every malady; of persecuting Konig; and of dying between Two Capuchins" (dead
three weeks ago, on those terms, poor soul)! [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxviii. 191 ("Delices, 19th August,
1759").]
TO D'ALEMBERT (a week later). ... "What say you of Maupertuis dying between Two Capuchins! He was
ill, this long while, of a repletion of pride; but I had not reckoned him either a hypocrite or an imbecile. I
don't advise you ever to go and fill his place at Berlin; you would repent that. I am Astolpho warning Roger
(Ruggiero) not to trust himself to the Enchantress Alcina; but Roger was unadvisable." [Ib. lxxviii. 197
("Delices, 25th August, 1759").]
TO THE SAME (two years later: Luc, on certain grounds, may as well be saved). "With regard to Luc,
though I have my just causes of anger against him, I own to you, in my quality of Frenchman and thinking
being, I am glad that a certain most Orthodox House has not swallowed Germany, and that the Jesuits are not
confessing in Berlin. Over towards the Danube superstition is very powerful. ... The INFAMEYou are well
aware that I speak of superstition only; for as to the Christian religion, I respect and love it, like you.
Courage, Brethren! Preach with force, and write with address: God will bless you.Protect, you my Brother,
the Widow Calas all you can! She is a poor weakminded Huguenot, but her Husband was the victim of the
WHITE PENITENTS. It is the concern of Human Nature that the Fanatics of Toulouse be confounded." (The
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case of Calas, SECOND act of it, getting on the scene: a case still memorable to everybody. Stupendous bit
of French judicature; and Voltaire's noblest outburst, into mere transcendent blaze of pity, virtuous wrath, and
determination to bring rescue and help against the whole world.) [ OEuvres de Voltaire, lxxviii. 52, 53
("Ferney, 28th November, 1762").]
FRIEDRICH TO VOLTAIRE, BEFORE AND DURING THESE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
AT SCHMOTTSEIFEN, FIVE DAYS BEFORE ZULLICHAU, TEN DAYS BEFORE THAT HUNT OF
LOUDON AND HADDICK (Voltaire, under rebuke for indiscretion, has been whimpering a little. My
discreet Niece burnt those LAST verses, Sire; no danger there, at least! Truculent Bishop SomethingAC
tried to attack your Majesty; but was done for by a certain person). Friedrich answers: "In truth, you are a
singular creature. When I think of scolding you, you say two words, and the reproach expires. Impossible to
scold you, even when you deserve it. ...
"As to your Niece, let her burn me or roast me, I care little. Nor are you to think me so sensitive to what your
Bishops in IC or in AC may say of me. I have the lot of all actors who play in public; applauded by some,
despised by others. One must prepare oneself for satires, for calumnies, for a multitude of lies, which will be
sent abroad into currency against one: but need that trouble my tranquillity? I go my road; I do nothing
against the interior voice of my conscience; and I concern myself very little in what way my actions paint
themselves in the brain of beings, not always very thinking, with two legs and without feathers."
["Schmottseifen, 18th July, 1759;" OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 55, 56.]
AT WILSDRUF, JUST BEFORE MAXEN (an exultant exuberant curious Letter; too long for
insertion,part of it given above). ... "For your Tragedy of SOCRATE, thanks. At Paris they are going to
burn it, the wretched fools,not aware that absurd fanaticism is their dominant vice. Better burn the dose of
medicine, however, than the useful Doctor. I, can I join myself to that set? If I bite you, as you complain, it is
without my knowledge. But I am surrounded with enemies, one hitting me, another pricking me, another
daubing me with mud;patience at last yields, and one flies abroad into a general rage, too indiscriminate
perhaps."
You talk of my Verses on Rossbach (my ADIEU TO THE HOOPERS on finding their Bridge burnt [Supra,
p. 21.]). "This Campaign I have had no beatific vision, in the style of Moses. The barbarous Cossacks and
Tartars, infamous to look at on any side, have burnt and ravaged countries, and committed atrocious
inhumanities. This is all I saw of THEM. Such melancholy spectacles don't tend to raise one's spirits. [Breaks
off into metre:] LA FORTUNE INCONSTANTE ET FIERE, Fortune inconstant and proud. Does not treat
her suitors Always in an equal manner. Those fools called heroes, who run the country,
Ces fous nommes heros, et qui courent les champs,
Couverts de sang et de poussiere,
Voltaire, n'ont pas tous les ans
La faceur de voir le derriere
De leurs ennemis insolents.
Can't expect that pleasure every year"! ...
Maupertuis, say you? "Don't trouble the ashes of the dead; let the grave at least put an end to your unjust
hatreds. Reflect that even Kings make peace after long battling; cannot you ever make it? I think you would
be capable, like Orpheus, of descending to Hell, not to soften Pluto and bring back your beautiful Emilie, but
to pursue into that Abode of Woe an enemy whom your wrath has only too much persecuted in the world: for
shame!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 6165 ("Wilsdruf, 17th November, 1759").]and rebukes him, more
than once elsewhere, in very serious terms.
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IN WINTERQUARTERS, ON PEACE AND THE STOLEN EDITION. (Starts in verse, which we
abridge:) With how many laurels you have covered yourself in all the fields of Literature! One laurel yet is
wanting to the brow of Voltaire. If, as the crown of so many perfect works, he could by a skilful manoeuvre
bring back Peace, I, and Europe with me, would think that his masterpiece! [Takes to prose:]
"This is my thought and all Europe's. Virgil made as fine Verses as you; but he never made a Peace. It will be
a distinction you will have over all your brethren of Parnassus, if you succeed.
"I know not who has betrayed me, and thought of printing [the EDITION;not you, surely!] a pack of
rhapsodies which were good enough to amuse myself, but were never meant for publication. After all, I am so
used to treacheries and bad manoeuvres,"what matters this insignificant one?
"I know not who the Bredow is [whom you speak of having met]; but he has told you true. The sword and
death have made frightful ravages among us. And the worst is, we are not yet at the end of the tragedy. You
may judge what effect these cruel shocks made on me. I wrap myself in my stoicism, the best I can. Flesh and
blood revolt against such tyrannous command; but it must be followed. If you saw me, you would scarcely
know me again: I am old, broken, grayheaded, wrinkled; I am losing my teeth and my gayety: if this go on,
there will be nothing of me left, but the mania of making verses, and an inviolable attachment to my duties
and to the few virtuous men whom I know." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 69 ("Freyberg, 24th Feb. 1760").]
IN WINTERQUARTERS, A MONTH LATER (comes still on "Peace" again). ... "I will have you paid that
bit of debt [perhaps of postage or the like], that Louis of the Mill (Louis du Moulin," at Fontenoy, who got
upon a Windmill with his Dauphin, and caught that nickname from the common men) "may have
wherewithal to make war on me. Add tenthpenny tax to your tax of twentiethpenny; impose new
capitations, make titular offices to get money; do, in a word, whatever you like. In spite of all your efforts,
you will not get a Peace signed by my hands, except on conditions honorable to my Nation. Your people,
blown up with selfconceit and folly, may depend on these words. Adieu, live happy; and while you make all
your efforts to destroy Prussia, think that nobody has less deserved it than I, either of you or of your French."
[Ib. xxiii. 72 ("Freyberg, 20th March, 1760").]
STILL IN WINTERQUARTERS (on "Peace" still; but begins with "Maupertuis," which is all we will give).
"What rage animates you against Maupertuis? You accuse HIM of having published that Furtive EDITION.
Know that his Copy, well sealed by him, arrived here after his death, and that he was incapable of such an
indiscretion. [Breaks into verse:]
Leave in peace the cold ashes of Maupertuis:
Truth can defend him, and will.
His soul was faithful and noble:
He pardoned you that scandalous Akakia (CE VIL LIBELLE
QUE VOTRE FUREUR CRIMINELLE
PRIT SOIN CHEZ MOI DE GRIFFONER); he did:
And you? Shame on such delirium as Voltaire's!
What, this beautiful, what, this grand genius,
Whom I admired with transport,
Soils himself with calumny, and is ferocious on the dead?
Flocking together, in the air uttering cries of joy,
Vile ravens pounce down upon sepulchres,
And make their prey of corpses:"
Blush, repent, alas!
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These Specimens will suffice. "The King of Prussia?" Voltaire would sometimes say: "He is as potent and as
malignant as the Devil; but he is also as unhappy, not knowing friendship,"having such a chance, too, with
some of us!
FRIEDRICH HAS SENT LORD MARISCHAL TO SPAIN: OTHER FOND HOPES OF FRIEDRICH'S.
In the beginning of this Year, 1759, Earl Marischal had been called out of his Neufchatel stagnancy, and
launched into the Diplomatic field again; sent on mission into Spain, namely. The case was this: Ferdinand
VI. of Spain (he who would not pay Friedrich the old Spanish debt, but sent him merino rams, and a jar of
QueenDowager snuff) had fallen into one of his gloomy fits, and was thought to be dying;did, in fact, die,
in a state nearly mad, on the 10th August following. By Treaty of AixlaChapelle, and by all manner of
Treaties, Carlos of Naples, his HalfBrother (Termagant's Baby Carlos, whom we all knew), was to succeed
him in Spain; Don Philip, the next Brother, now of Parma and Piacenza, was to follow as King in
Naples,ceding those two litigious Duchies to Austria, after all. Friedrich, vividly awake to every chance,
foresaw, in case of such disjunctures in Italy, good likelihood of quarrel there. And has despatched the
experienced old Marischal to be on the ground, and have his eyes open. Marischal knows Spain very well;
and has often said, "He left a dear old friend there, the Sun." Marischal was under way, about Newyear's
time; but lingered by the road, waiting how Ferdinand would turn,and having withal an important business
of his own, as he sauntered on. Did not arrive, I think, till Summer was at hand, and his dear Old Friend
coming out in vigor.
August 10th, 1759, Ferdinand died; and the same day Carlos became King of Spain. But, instead of giving
Naples to Don Philip, Carlos gave it to a junior Son of his own; and left poor Philip to content himself with
Parma and Piacenza, as heretofore. Clear against the rights of Austria; Treaty of AixlaChapelle is perfectly
explicit on that point! Will not Austria vindicate its claim? Politicians say, Austria might have recovered not
only Parma and Piacenza, but the kingdom of Naples itself,no France at present able to hinder it, no Spain
ever able. But Austria, contrary to expectation, would not: a Country tenacious enough of its rights, real and
imaginary; greedy enough of Italy, but of Silesia much more! The matter was deliberated in Council at
Vienna; but the result was magnanimously, No. "Finish this Friedrich first; finish this Silesia. Nothing else
till that!"
The Marischal's legationary function, therefore, proved a sinecure; no Carlos needing AntiAustrian
assistance from Friedrich or another; Austria magnanimously having let him alone. Doubtless a considerable
disappointment to Friedrich. Industrious Friedrich had tried, on the other side of this affair, Whether the King
of Sardinia, once an adventurous fighting kind of man, could not be stirred up, having interests involved? But
no; he too, grown old, devotional, apprehensive, held by his rosaries, and answered, No. Here is again a hope
reasonable to look at, but which proves fallacious.
Marischal continued in Spain, corresponding, sending news (the Prussian Archives alone know what), for
nearly a couple of years. [Returned "April, 1762" (Friedrich's Letter to him, "10th April, 1762:" in OEuvres
de Frederic, xx. 285).] His Embassy had one effect, which is of interest to us here. On his way out, he had
gone by London, with a view of getting legal absolution for his Jacobitism,so far, at least, as to be able to
inherit the Earldom of Kintore, which is likely to fall vacant soon. By blood it is his, were the Jacobite
incapacities withdrawn. Kintore is a cadet branch of the Keiths; "John, younger Son of William Sixth Lord
Marischal," was the first Kintore. William Sixth's younger Son, yes;and William's Father, a man always
venerable to me, had (A.D. 1593) founded Marischal College, Aberdeen,where, for a few, in those stern
granite Countries, the Diviner Pursuits are still possible (thank God and this Keith) on frugal oatmeal.
MARISCHALCOLLEGE Keith, or FIFTH Lord Marischal, was grandfather's grandfather of our Potsdam
Friend, who is tenth and last. [Douglas's Scotch Peerage, pp. 448 et seq., 387 et seq.] Honor to the brave and
noble, now fallen silent under foot NOT of the nobler! In a word, the fourth Kintore was about dying
childless; and Marischal had come by London on that heritage business.
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He carried, naturally, the best recommendations. Britannic Majesty, Pitt and everybody met him with
welcome and furtherance; what he wished was done, and in such a style of promptness and cordiality, Pitt
pushing it through, as quite gained the heart of old Marischal. And it is not doubted, though particulars have
not been published, That he sent important Spanish notices to Pitt, in these years;and especially informed
him that King Carlos and the French Bourbon had signed a FAMILY COMPACT (15th August, 1761), or
solemn covenant, to stand by one another as brothers. Which was thenceforth, to Pitt privately, an important
fact, as perhaps we shall see; though to other men it was still only a painful rumor and dubiety. Whether the
old Marischal informed him, That King Carlos hated the English; that he never had, in his royal mind,
forgiven that insult of Commodore Martin's (watch laid on the table, in the Bay of Naples, long ago), I do not
know; but that also was a fact. A diligent, indignant kind of man, this Carlos, I am told; by no means an
undeserving King of Spain, though his Portraits declare him an ugly: we will leave him in the discreet
Marischal's hands, with the dear Old Friend shining equally on both.
Singular to see how, in so veracious an intellect as Friedrich's, so many fallacies of hope are constantly
entertained. War in Italy, on quarrel with King Carlos; Peace with France and the Pompadour, by help of
Edelsheim and the Bailli de Froulay; Peace with Russia and the INFAME CATIN, by help of English
briberies (Friedrich sent an agent this winter with plenty of English guineas, but he got no farther than the
Frontier, not allowed even to try): sometimes, as again this winter, it is hope of Denmark joining him (in
alarm against the Russian views on Holstein; but that, too, comes to nothing); above all, there is perennially,
budding out yearly, the brighter after every disappointment, a hope in the Grand Turk and his adherencies.
Grand Turk, or failing him, the Cham of Tartary, for certain, some of these will be got to fasten on the
heels of Austria, of Russia; and create a favorable diversion? Friedrich took an immense deal of trouble about
this latter hope. It is almost pathetic to see with what a fond tenacity he clings to it; and hopes it over again,
every new Spring and Summer. [Preuss, ii. 121 et seq., 292 Schoning, ii. iii. PASSIM.]
The hope that an INFAME CATIN might die some day (for she is now deep in chaotic ailments, deepish
even in brandy) seems never to have struck him; at least there is nowhere any articulate hint of it,the
eagleflight of one's imagination soaring far above such a pettiness! Hope is very beautiful; and even
fallacious hope, in such a Friedrich. The one hope that did not deceive him, was hope in his own best exertion
to the very death; and no fallacy ever for a moment slackened him in that. Stand to thyself: in the wide
domain of Imagination, there is no other certainty of help. No other certainty;and yet who knows through
what pettinesses Heaven may send help!
Chapter IX. PRELIMINARIES TO A FIFTH CAMPAIGN.
It was April 25th before Friedrich quitted Freyberg, and took Camp; not till the middle of June that anything
of serious Movement came. Much discouragement prevails in his Army, we hear: and indeed, it must be
owned, the horoscope of these Campaigns grows yearly darker. Only Friedrich himself must not be
discouraged! Nor is; though there seldom lay ahead of any man a more dangerouslooking Year than this
that is now dimly shaping itself to Friedrich. His fortune seems to have quitted him; his enemies are more
confident than ever.
This Year, it seems, they have bethought them of a new device against him. "We have 90 million
Population," count they; "he has hardly 5; in the end, he must run out of men! Let us cease exchanging
prisoners with him." At Jagerndorf, in April, 1758 (just before our march to Olmutz), there had been
exchange; not without haggles; but this was the last on Austria's part. Cartel of the usual kind, values
punctually settled: a Fieldmarshal is worth 3,000 common men, or 1,500 pounds; Colonel worth 130 men,
or 65 pounds; common man is worth 10s. sterling, not a high figure. [Archenholtz, ii. 53.] The Russians
haggled still more, no keeping of them to their word; but they tried it a second time, last year (October,
1759); and by careful urging and guiding, were got dragged through it, and the prisoners on both sides sent to
their colors again. After which, it was a settled line of policy, "No more exchanging or cartelling; we will
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starve him out in that article!" And had Friedrich had nothing but his own 5 millions to go upon, though these
contributed liberally, he had in truth been starved out. Nor could Saxony, with Mecklenburg, Anhalt, Erfurt,
and their 10,000 men a year, have supplied him,"had not there," says Archenholtz (a man rather fond of
superlatives),
"Had not there risen a Recruiting system," or Crimping system, "the like of which for kind and degree was
never seen in the Earth before. Prisoners, captive soldiers, if at all likely fellows, were by every means
persuaded, and even compelled, to take Prussian service. Compelled, cudgel in hand," says Archenholtz (who
is too indiscriminating, I can see,for there were Pfalzers, Wurtembergers, Reichsfolk, who had FIRST
been compelled the other way): "not asked if they wished to serve, but dragged to the Prussian colors, obliged
to swear there, and fight against, their countrymen." Say at least, against their countrymen's Governors,
contumacious Serene Highnesses of Wurtemberg, Mecklenburg and the like. Wurtemberg, we mentioned
lately, had to shoot a good few of his first levy against the Protestant Champion, before they would march at
all!I am sorry for these poor men; and wish the Reich had been what it once was, a Veracity and Practical
Reality, not an Imaginary Entity and hideously contemptible Wiggery, as it now is! Contemptible, and
hideous as well;setting itself up on that, fundamental mendacity; which is eternally tragical, though little
regarded in these days, and which entails mendacities without end on parties concerned!But, apart from all
this, certain it is,
"The whole German Reich was deluged with secret Prussian Enlisters. The greater part of these were not
actual Officers at all, but hungry Adventurers, who had been bargained with, and who, for their own profit,
allowed themselves every imaginable art to pick up men. Head and centre of them was the Prussian Colonel
Colignon," one of the FreeCorps people; "a man formed by nature for this business [what a beautiful
man!]who gave all the others their directions, and taught them by his own example. Colignon himself," in
winter time, "travelled about in all manner of costumes and characters; persuading hundreds of people into
the Prussian service. He not only promised Commissions, but gave such,nominating loose young fellows
(LAFFEN), students, merchants' clerks and the like, to Lieutenancies and Captaincies in the Prussian Army
[about as likely as in the Seraphim and Cherubim, had they known it]: in the Infantry, in the Cuirassiers, in
the Hussars,it is all one, you have only to choose. The renown of the Prussian arms was so universal, and
combined with the notion of rich booty, that Colignon's Commissionmanufactory was continually busy. No
need to provide marchingmoney, handmoney [shillings for earnest]; Colignon's recruits travelled mostly of
will and at their own charge. In Franken, in Schwaben, in the Rhine Countries, a dissolute son would rob his
father,as shopmen their masters' tills, and managers their cashboxes,and hie off to those magnanimous
Prussian Officials, who gave away companies like kreutzers, and had a value for young fellows of spirit.
They hastened to Magdeburg with their Commissions; where they were received as common recruits, and put
by force into the regiments suitable. No use in resisting: the cudgel and the drillsergeant," who doubts
it?"till complete submission. By this and other methods Colignon and his helpers are reckoned to have
raised for the King, in the course of this War, about 60,000 recruits." [Archenholtz, ii. 53.]
This Year, Daun, though his reputation is on the decline lately, is to have the chief command, as usual; the
Grand Army, with Saxony for field of conquest, and the Reichsfolk to assist, is to be Daun's. But, what is
reckoned an important improvement, Loudon is to have a separate command, and Army of his own. Loudon,
hot of temper, melancholic, shy, is not a man to recommend himself to Kriegshofrath people; but no doubt
Imperial Majesty has had her own wise eye on him. His merits are so undeniable; the need of some
Commander NOT of the Cunctator type is become so very pressing. "Army of Silesia, 50,000;" that is to be
Loudon's, with 40,000 Russians to cooperate and unite themselves with Loudon; and try actually for
conquest of Silesia, this Year; while Daun, conquering Saxony, keeps the King busy.
At Petersburg, Versailles, Vienna, much planning there has been, and arduous consulting: first at Petersburg,
in time and in importance, where Montalembert has again been very urgent in regard to those poor Swedish
people, and the getting of them turned to some kind of use: "Stettin in conjunction with the Swedes; oh, listen
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to reason, and take Stettin!" "Would not Dantzig by ourselves be the advisable thing?" answers Soltikof:
"Dantzig is an important Town, and the grand Baltic Haven; and would be so convenient for our Preussen,
since we have determined to maintain that fine Conquest." So thinks Czarish Majesty, as well as Soltikof,
privately, though there are difficulties as to Dantzig; and, in fine, except Colberg over again, there can be
nothing attempted of sieging thereabouts. A Siege of Colberg, however, there is actually to be: Second
Siege,if perhaps it will prove luckier than the First was, two years since? Naval Armament
SwedishRussian, specific Land Armament wholly Russian, are to do this Second Siege, at a favorable time;
except by wishes, Soltikof will not be concerned in it; nor, it is to be hoped, shall we,in such pressure of
haste as is probably ahead for us.
"Silesia would be the place for sieges!" say the Vienna people always; and Imperial Majesty is very urgent;
and tries all methods, eloquence, flatteries, bribes,to bring Petersburg to that view. Which is at last
adopted; heartily by Czarish Majesty, ever ready for revenge on Friedrich, the more fatal and the more direct,
the better. Heartily by her; not so heartily by Soltikof and her Army people, who know the Austriau habits;
and privately decide on NOT picking chestnuts from the fire, while the other party's paws keep idle, and only
his jaws are ready.
Of SmallWar there is nothing or little to be said; indeed there occurs almost none. Roving CossackParties,
under one Tottleben, whom we shall hear of otherwise, infest Pommern, bickering with the Prussian posts
there; not ravaging as formerly, Tottleben being a civilized kind of man. One of these called at the Castle of
Schwedt, one day; found Prince Eugen of Wurtemberg there (nearly recovered of his Kunersdorf wounds),
who is a Soninlaw of the House, married to a Daughter of Schwedt;ancestor of the now Russian Czars
too, had anybody then known it. Him these Cossacks carried off with them, a march or two; then, taking his
bond for a certain ransom, let him go. Bond and bondholder being soon after captured by the Prussians,
Eugen paid no ransom; so that to us his adventure is without moment, though it then made some noise among
the Gazetteers.
Two other little passages, and only two, we will mention; which have in themselves a kind of memorability.
First, that of General Czetteritz and the MANUSCRIPT he lost. Of posts across the Elbe I find none
mentionable here, and believe there is none, except only Czetteritz's; who stands at Cosdorf, well up towards
Torgau Country, as sentry over Torgau and the Towns there. On Czetteritz there was, in February, an attempt
made by the active General Beck, whom Daun had detached for that object. Extremely successful, according
to the Austrian Gazetteers; but in reality amounting to as good as nothing:Surprisal of Czetteritz's first
vedette, in the dawn of a misty February morning (February 21st, 1760); nonsurprisal of his second, which
did give fire and alarm, whereupon debate; and Czetteritz springing into his saddle; retreat of his people to
rearward, with loss of 7 Officers and 200 prisoners;but ending in readvance, with fresh force, a few hours
after; [Seyfarth, ii. 655.]in repulse of Beck, in recovery of Cosdorf, and a general state of
ASYOUWERE in that part. A sputter of PostWar, not now worth mentioning at all,except only for one
small circumstance: That in the careering and swift ordering, such as there was, on the rearguard especially,
MajorGeneral Czetteritz's horse happened to fall; whereby not only was the General taken prisoner, but his
quarters got plundered, and in his luggage,what is the notable circumstance,there was found a small
Manuscript, MILITAIRISCHE INSTRUKZION FUR DIE GENERALE, such as every Prussian General has,
and is bound to keep religiously secret.[Stands now in OEuvres de Frederic, xxviii. 3 et. seq.; was finished
(the revisal of it was), hy the King, "2d April, 1748:" see PREUSS, i. 478480; and ( OEuvres de Frederic,
xxviii. PREFACE, for endless indistinct details about the translations and editions of it. London Edition,
1818, calls itself the FIFTH.] This, carried to Daun's headquarters, was duly prized, copied; and in the
course of a year came to print, in many shapes and places; was translated into English, under the Title,
MILITARY INSTRUCTIONS BY THE KING OF PRUSSIA, in 1762 (and again, hardly so WELL, in
1797); and still languidly circulates among the studious of our soldiers. Not a little admired by some of them;
and unfortunately nearly all they seem to know of this greatest of modern Soldiers. [See, for example, in Life
of General Sir Charles Napier, by his Brother (London, 1857), iii. 365 and elsewhere,one of the best
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judges in the world expressing his joy and admiration on discovery of Friedrich; discovery, if you read well,
which amounts to these INSTRUCTIONS, and no more.]
Next, about a month after, we have something to report of Loudon from Silesia, or rather of the Enemies he
meets there; for it is not a victorious thing. But it means a starting of the Campaign by an Austrian invasion
of Silesia; long before sieging time, while all these MontalembertSoltikof pleadings and counterpleadings
hang dubious at Petersburg, and Loudon's "Silesian Army" is still only in a nascent or theoretic state, and
only Loudon himself is in a practical one.
Friedrich has always Fouquet at Landshut, in charge of the Silesian Frontier; whose outposts, under Goltz as
head of these, stretch, by Neisse, far eastward, through the Hills to utmost Mahren; Fouquet's own
headquarter being generally Landshut, the main gate of the Country. Fouquet, long since, rooted himself
rather firmly into that important post; has a beautiful ring of fortified Hills around Landshut; battery crossing
battery, girdling it with sure destruction, under an expert Fouquet,but would require 30,000 men to keep it,
instead of 13,000, which is Fouquet's allotment. Upon whom Loudon is fully intending a stroke this Year.
Fouquet, as we know, has strenuously managed to keep ward there for a twelvemonth past; in spite, often
enough, of new violent invadings and attemptings (violent, miscellaneous, but intermittent) by the Devilles
and others;and always under many difficulties of his own, and vicissitudes in his employment: a Fouquet
coming and going, waxing and waning, according to the King's necessities, and to the intermittency or
constancy of pressures on Landshut. Under Loudon, this Year, Fouquet will have harder times than ever;
in the end, too hard! But will resist, judge how by the following small sample:
"Besides Fouquet and his 13,000," says my Note, "the Silesian Garrisons are all vigilant, are or ought to be;
and there are far eastward of him, for guarding of the JagerndorfTroppau Border, some 4 or 6,000, scattered
about, under LieutenantGeneral Goltz, in various Hill Posts,the chief Post of which, Goltz's own, is the
little Town of Neustadt, northward of Jagerndorf [where we have billeted in the old SileSian Wars]: Goltz's
Neustadt is the chief; and Leobschutz, southwestward of it, under 'General Le Grand' [once the Major
GRANT of Kolin Battle, if readers remember him, "Your Majesty and I cannot take the Battery ourselves!"]
is probably the second in importance. Loudon, cantoned along the Moravian side of the Border, perceives that
he can assemble 32,000 foot and horse; that the Prussians are 13,000 PLUS 6,000; that Silesia can be invaded
with advantage, were the weather come. And that, in any kind of weather, Goltz and his straggle of posts
might be swept into the interior, perhaps picked up and pocketed altogether, if Loudon were sharp enough.
Swept into the interior Goltz was; by no means pocketed altogether, as he ought to have been!
"MARCH 13th, 1760, Loudon orders general muster hereabouts for the 15th, everybody to have two days,
bread and forage; and warns Goltz, as bound in honor: 'Excellenz, tomorrow is March 14th; tomorrow our
pleasant time of Truce is out,the more the pity for both of us!' 'Yea, my esteemed neighbor Excellenz!'
answers Goltz, with the proper compliments; but judges that his esteemed neighbor is intending mischief
almost immediately. Goltz instantly sends orders to all his posts: 'You, Herr General Grant, you at
Leobschutz, and all the rest of you, make your packages; march without delay; rendezvous at Steinau and
Upper Glogau [far different from GREATGlogau], Neisseward; swift!' And would have himself gone on
the 14th, but could not,his poor little Bakery not being here, nor wagons for his baggages quite to be
collected in a moment,and it was Saturday, 15th, 5 A.M., that Goltz appointed himself to march.
"The last time we saw General Goltz was on the Green of Bautzen, above two years ago,when he delivered
that hard message to the King's Brother and his party, 'You deserve to be tried by Court martial, and have
your heads cut off!' He was of that sad Zittau business of the late Prince of Prussia's,Goltz, Winterfeld,
Ziethen, Schmettau and others? Winterfeld and the Prince are both dead; Schmettau is fallen into disaster;
Goltz is still in good esteem with the King. A stalwart, swift, flinty kind of man, to judge by the Portraits of
him; considerable obstinacy, of a tacitly intelligent kind, in that steady eye, in that droop of the eyebrows
towards the strong cheekbones; plenty of sleeping fire in LieutenantGeneral Goltz.
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"His principal force, on this occasion, is one Infantry Regiment; REGIMENT MANTEUFFEL:readers
perhaps recollect that stout Pommern Regiment, Manteuffel of Foot, and the little Dialogue it had with the
King himself, on the eve of Leuthen: 'Goodnight, then, Fritz! Tomorrow all dead, or else the Enemy
beaten.' Their conduct, I have heard, was very shining at Leuthen, where everybody shone; and since then
they have been plunging about through the death element in their old rugged way,and reemerge here
into definite view again, under LieutenantGeneral Goltz, issuing from the north end of Neustadt, in the dim
dawn of a cold spring morning, March 15th, 5 A.M.; weather latterly very wet, as I learn. They intend
Neisseway, with their considerable stock of baggagewagons; a company of Dragoons is to help in
escorting: party perhaps about 2,000 in all. Goltz will have his difficulties this day; and has calculated on
them. And, indeed, at the first issuing, here they already are.
"Loudon, with about 5,000 horse,four Regiments drawn up here, and by and by with a fifth (happily not
with the grenadiers, as he had calculated, who are detained by broken bridges, waters all in flood from the
rain),is waiting for him, at the very environs of Neustadt. Loudon, by a trumpet, politely invites him to
surrender, being so outnumbered; Goltz, politely thanking, disregards it, and marches on: Loudon escorting,
in an ominous way; till, at Buchelsdorf, the fifth Regiment (best in the Austrian service) is seen drawn out
across the highway, plainly intimating, No thoroughfare to Goltz and Pommern. Loudon sends a second
trumpet: 'Surrender prisoners; honorablest terms; keep all your baggage: refuse, and you are cut down every
man.' 'You shall yourself hear the answer,' said Goltz. Goltz leads this second trumpet to the front; and, in
Pommern dialect, makes known what General Loudon's proposal is. The Pommerners answer, as one man, a
No of such emphasis as I have never heard; in terms which are intensely vernacular, it seems, and which do at
this day astonish the foreign mind: 'We will for him something, WIR WOLLEN IHM WAS' But the
powers of translation and even of typography fail; and feeble paraphrase must give it: 'We will for him
SOMETHING INEFFABLE CONCOCT,' of a surprisingly contrary kind! 'WIR WOLLEN IHM WAS' (with
ineffable dissyllabic verb governing it)! growled one indignant Pommerner; 'and it ran like filefire along the
ranks,' says Archenholtz; everybody growling it, and bellowing it, in fierce bass chorus, as the indubitable
vote of Pommern in those circumstances.
"Loudon's trumpet withdrew. Pommern formed square round its baggage; Loudon's 5,000 came thundering
in, fit to break adamant; but met such a storm of bullets from Pommern, they stopped about ten paces short,
in considerable amazement, and wheeled back. Tried it again, still more amazement; the like a third time;
every time in vain. After which, Pommern took the road again, with vanguard, rearguard; and had peace for
certain miles,Loudon gloomily following, for a new chance. How many times Loudon tried again, and
ever again, at good places, I forget,say six times in all. Between Siebenhufen and Steinau, in a dirty defile,
the jewel of the road for Loudon, who tried his very best there, one of our wagons broke down; the few to
rear of it, eighteen wagons and some country carts, had to be left standing. Nothing more of Pommern was
left there or anywhere. Near Steinau there, Loudon gave it up as desperate, and went his way. His loss, they
say, was 300 killed, 500 wounded; Pommern's was 35 killed, and above 100 left wounded or prisoners. One
of the stiffest day's works I have known: some twelve miles of march, in every two an attack. Pommern has
really concocted something surprising, and kept its promise to Loudon! 'Thou knowest what the Pommerners
can do,' said they once to their own King. An obstinate, strongboned, heavybrowed people; not so stupid
as you think. More or less of Jutish or Anglish type; highly deficient in the graces of speech, and, I should
judge, with little call to Parliamentary Eloquence." [Preuss, ii. 241 (incorrect in some small points);
Archenholtz, ii. 61; Seyfarth, ii. 640, and Beylagen, ii. 657660; Tempelhof, iv. 810; in ANONYMOUS OF
HAMBURG (iv. 68) the Austrian account.]
Friedrich is, this Year, considered by the generality of mankind, to be ruined: "Lost 60,000 men last
Campaign; was beaten twice; his luck is done; what is to become of him?" say his enemies, and even the
impartial Gazetteer, with joy or sorrow. Among his own people there is gloom or censure; hard commentaries
on Maxen: "So self willed, high, and deaf to counsel from Prince Henri!" Henri himself, they say, is sullen;
threatening, as he often does, to resign "for want of health;" and as he quite did, for a while, in the end of this
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Campaign, or interval between this and next.
Friedrich has, with incredible diligence, got together his finance (copper in larger dose than ever, Jew
Ephraim presiding as usual); and, as if by artmagic, has on their feet 100,000 men against his enemy's
280,000. Some higher Officers are secretly in bad spirits; but the men know nothing of discouragement.
Friedrich proclaims to them at marching, "For every cannon you capture, 100 ducats; for every flag, 50; for
every standard (cavalry flag), 40;"which sums, as they fell due, were accordingly paid thenceforth.
[Stenzel, v. 236, 237; ib. 243.] But Friedrich, too, is abundantly gloomy, if that could help him; which he
knows well it cannot, and strictly hides it from all but a few;or all but D'Argens almost alone, to whom it
can do no harm. Read carefully by the light of contemporary occurrences, not vaguely in the vacant haze, as
the Editors give it, his correspondence with D'Argens becomes interesting almost to a painful degree: an
unaffected picture of one of the bravest human souls weighed down with dispiriting labors and chagrins, such
as were seldom laid on any man; almost beyond bearing, but incurable, and demanding to be borne.
Wilhelmina is away, away; to D'Argens alone of mortals does he whisper of these things; and to him not
wearisomely, or with the least prolixity, but in short sharp gusts, seldom now with any indignation, oftenest
with a touch of humor in them, not soliciting any sympathy, nor expecting nearly as much as he will get from
the faithful D'Argens.
"I am unfortunate and old, dear Marquis; that is why they persecute me: God knows what my future is to be
this Year! I grieve to resemble Cassandra with my prophecies; but how augur well of the desperate situation
we are in, and which goes on growing worse? I am so gloomy today, I will cut short. ... Write to me when
you have nothing better to do; and don't forget a poor Philosopher who, perhaps to expiate his incredulity, is
doomed to find his Purgatory in THIS world." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 138, 139 ("Freyberg, 20th March,
1760").] ... To another Friend, in the way of speech, he more deliberately says: "The difficulties I had, last
Campaign, were almost infinite: such a multitude of enemies acting against me; Pommern, Brandenburg,
Saxony, Frontiers of Silesia, alike in danger, often enough all at one time. If I escaped absolute destructiou, I
must impute it chiefly to the misconduct of my enemies; who gained such advantages, but had not the sense
to follow them up. Experience often corrects people of their blunders: I cannot expect to profit by anything of
that kind; on their part, in the course of this Campaign:" judge if it will be a light one, MON CHER. [To
Mitchell, one evening, "Camp of Schlettau, May 23d" (Mitchell, ii. 159).]
The symptoms we decipher in these Letters, and otherwise, are those of a man drenched in misery; but used
to his black element, unaffectedly defiant of it, or not at the pains to defy it; occupied only to do his very
utmost in it, with or without success, till the end come. Prometheus, chained on the Oceancliffs, with the
New RulingPowers in the upper hand, and their vultures gradually eating him; dumb Time and dumb Space
looking on, apparently with small sympathy: Prometheus and other Titans, now and then, have touched the
soul of some AEschylus, and drawn tones of melodious sympathy, far heard among mankind. But with this
new Titan it is not so: nor, upon the whole, with the proper Titan, in this world, is it usually so; the world
being awhat shall we say?a poorish kind of world, and its melodies and dissonances, its loves and its
hatreds worth comparatively little in the long run. Friedrich does wonderfully without sympathy from
almost anybody; and the indifference with which he walks along, under such a cloud of sulky stupidities, of
mendacities and misconceptions from the herd of mankind, is decidedly admirable to me.
But let us look into the Campaign itself. Perhapscontrary to the world's opinion, and to Friedrich's own
when, in ultralucid moments, he gazes into it in the light of cold arithmetic, and finds the aspect of it
"frightful"this Campaign will be a little luckier to him than the last? Unluckier it cannot well be:or if so,
it will at least be final to him!
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BOOK XX. FRIEDRICH IS NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED: THE
SEVENYEARS WAR GRADUALLY ENDS. 25th April, 176015th
February, 1763.
Chapter I. FIFTH CAMPAIGN OPENS.
There were yet, to the world's surprise and regret, Three Campaigns of this War; but the Campaign 1760,
which we are now upon, was what produced or rendered possible the other two;was the crisis of them, and
is now the only one that can require much narrative from us here. Illluck, which, Friedrich complains, had
followed him like his shadow, in a strange and fateful manner, from the day of Kunersdorf and earlier, does
not yet cease its sad company; but, on the contrary, for long months to come, is more constant than ever,
baffling every effort of his own, and from the distance sending him news of mere disaster and discomfiture. It
is in this Campaign, though not till far on in it, that the long lane does prove to have a turning, and the
Fortune of War recovers its old impartial form. After which, things visibly languish: and the hope of ruining
such a Friedrich becomes problematic, the effort to do it slackens also; the very will abating, on the Austrian
part, year by year, as of course the strength of their resources is still more steadily doing. To the last,
Friedrich, the weaker in material resources, needs all his talent,all his luck too. But, as the strength, on
both sides, is fast abating,hard to say on which side faster (Friedrich's talent being always a FIXED
quantity, while all else is fluctuating and vanishing),what remains of the once terrible Affair, through
Campaigns Sixth and Seventh, is like a race between spent horses, little to be said of it in comparison.
Campaign 1760 is the last of any outward eminence or greatness of event. Let us diligently follow that, and
be compendious with the remainder.
Friedrich was always famed for his Marches; but, this Year, they exceeded all calculation and example; and
are still the admiration of military men. Can there by no method be some distant notion afforded of them to
the general reader? They were the one resource Friedrich had left, against such overwhelming superiority in
numbers; and they came out like surprises in a theatre, unpleasantly surprising to Daun. Done with such
dexterity, rapidity and inexhaustible contrivance and ingenuity, as overset the schemes of his enemies again
and again, and made his one army equivalent in effect to their three.
Evening of April 25th, Friedrich rose from his Freyberg cantonments; moved back, that is, northward, a good
march; then encamped himself between Elbe and the HillCountry; with freer prospect and more
elbowroom for work coming. His left is on Meissen and the Elbe; his right at a Village called the
Katzenhauser, an uncommonly strong camp, of which one often hears afterwards; his centre camp is at
Schlettau, which also is strong, though not to such a degree. This line extends from Meissen southward about
10 miles, commanding the Reichward Passes of the Metal Mountains, and is defensive of Leipzig, Torgau
and the Towns thereabouts. [Tempelhof, iv. 16 et seq.] Katzenhauser is but a mile or two from Krogisthat
unfortunate Village where Finck got his Maxen Order: "ER WEISS,You know I can't stand having
difficulties raised; manage to do it!"
Friedrich's task, this Year, is to defend Saxony; Prince Henri having undertaken the Russians,Prince Henri
and Fouquet, the Russians and Silesia. Clearly on very uphill terms, both of them: so that Friedrich finds he
will have a great many things to assist in, besides defending Saxony. He lies here expectant till the middle of
June, above seven weeks; Daun also, for the last two weeks, having taken the field in a sort. In a sort;but
comes no nearer; merely posting himself astride of the Elbe, half in Dresden, half on the opposite or northern
bank of the River, with Lacy thrown out ahead in good force on that vacant side; and so waiting the course of
other people's enterprises.
Well to eastward and rearward of Daun, where we have seen Loudon about to be very busy, Prince Henri and
Fouquet have spun themselves out into a long chain of posts, in length 300 miles or more, "from Landshut,
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along the Bober, along the Queiss and Oder, through the Neumark, abutting on Stettin and Colberg, to the
Baltic Sea." [Tempelhof, iv. 2124.] On that side, in aid of Loudon or otherwise, Daun can attempt nothing;
still less on the KatzenhauserSchlettau side can he dream of an attempt: only towards Brandenburg and
Berlinthe Country on that side, 50 or 60 miles of it, to eastward of Meissen, being vacant of troops is
Daun's road open, were he enterprising, as Friedrich hopes he is not. For some two weeks, Friedrichnot
ready otherwise, it being difficult to cross the River, if Lacy with his 30,000 should think of
interferencehad to leave the cunctatory Feldmarschall this chance or unlikely possibility. At the end of the
second week ("June 14th," as we shall mark by and by), the chance was withdrawn.
Daun and his Lacy are but one, and that by no means the most harassing, of the many cares and anxieties
which Friedrich has upon him in those Seven Weeks, while waiting at Schlettau, reading the omens. Never
hitherto was the augury of any Campaign more indecipherable to him, or so continually fluctuating with wild
hopes, which proved visionary, and with huge practical fears, of what he knew to be the real likelihood.
"Peace coming?" It is strange how long Friedrich clings to that fond hope: "My Edelsheim is in the Bastille,
or packed home in disgrace: but will not the English and Choiseul make Peace? It is Choiseul's one rational
course; bankrupt as he is, and reduced to spoons and kettles. In which case, what a beautiful effect might
Duke Ferdinand produce, if he marched to Eger, say to Eger, with his 50,000 Germans (Britannic Majesty
and Pitt so gracious), and twitched Daun by the skirt, whirling Daun home to Bohemia in a hurry!" Then the
Turks; the Danes,"Might not the Danes send us a trifle of Fleet to Colberg (since the English never will),
and keep our Russians at bay?""At lowest these hopes are consolatory," says he once, suspecting them all
(as, no doubt, he often enough does), "and give us courage to look calmly for the opening of this Campaign,
the very idea of which has made me shudder!" ["To Prince Henri:" in Schoning, ii. 246 (3d April, 1760): ib.
263 (of the DANISH outlook);
Meanwhile, by the end of May, the Russians are come across the Weichsel again, lie in four camps on the
hither side; start about June 1st;Henri waiting for them, in Sagan Country his head quarter; and on both
hands of that, Fouquet and he spread out, since the middle of May, in their long thin Chain of Posts, from
Landshut to Colberg again, like a thin wall of 300 miles. To Friedrich the Russian movements are, and have
been, full of enigma: "Going upon Colberg? Going upon Glogau; upon Breslau?" That is a heavyfooted
certainty, audibly tramping forward on us, amid these fond visions of the air! Certain too, and visible to a
duller eye than Friedrich's; Loudon in Silesia is meditating mischief. "The inevitable Russians, the inevitable
Loudon; and nothing but Fouquet and Henri on guard there, with their long thin chain of posts, infinitely too
thin to do any execution!" thinks the King. To whom their modes of operating are but little satisfactory, as
seen at Schlettau from the distance. "Condense yourself," urges he always on Henri; "go forward on the
Russians; attack sharply this Corps, that Corps, while they are still separate and on march!" Henri did
condense himself, "took post between Sagan and Sprottau; post at Frankfurt,"poor Frankfurt, is it to have a
Kunersdorf or Zorndorf every year, then? No; the cautious Henri never could see his way into these
adventures; and did not attack any Corps of the Russians. Took post at Landsberg ultimately,the Russians,
as usual, having Posen as placeofarms,and vigilantly watched the Russians, without coming to strokes
at all. A spectacle growing gradually intolerable to the King, though he tries to veil his feelings.
Neither was Fouquet's plan of procedure well seen by Friedrich in the distance. Ever since that of Regiment
Manteuffel, which was a bit of disappointment, Loudon has been quietly industrious on a bigger scale.
Privately he cherishes the hope, being a swift vehement enterprising kind of man, to oust Fouquet; and
perhaps to have Glatz Fortress taken, before his Russians come! In the very end of May, Loudon, privately
aiming for Glatz, breaks in upon Silesia again,a long way to eastward of Fouquet, and as if regardless of
Glatz. Upon which, Fouquet, in dread for Schweidnitz and perhaps Breslau itself, hastened down into the
Plain Country, to manoeuvre upon Loudon; but found no Loudon moving that way; and, in a day or two,
learned that Landshut, so weakly guarded, had been picked up by a big corps of Austrians; and in another day
or two, that Loudon (June 7th) had blocked Glatz,Loudon's real intention now clear to Fouquet. As it was
to Friedrich from the first; whose anger and astonishment at this loss of Landshut were great, when he heard
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of it in his Camp of Schlettau. "Back to Landshut," orders he (11th June, three days before leaving Schlettau);
"neither Schweidnitz nor Breslau are in danger: it is Glatz the Austrians mean [as Fouquet and all the world
now see they do!]; watch Glatz; retake me Landshut instantly!"
The tone of Friedrich, which is usually all friendliness to Fouquet, had on this occasion something in it which
offended the punctual and rather peremptory Spartan mind. Fouquet would not have neglected Glatz; pity he
had not been left to his own methods with Landshut and it. Deeply hurt, he read this Order (16th June); and
vowing to obey it, and nothing but it, used these words, which were remembered afterwards, to his assembled
Generals: "MEINE HERREN, it appears, then, we must take Landshut again. Loudon, as the next thing, will
come on us there with his mass of force; and we must then, like Prussians, hold out as long as possible, think
of no surrender on open field, but if even beaten, defend ourselves to the last man. In case of a retreat, I will
be one of the last that leaves the field: and should I have the misfortune to survive such a day, I give you my
word of honor never to draw a Prussian sword more." [Stenzel, v. 239.] This speech of Fouquet's (June 16th)
was two days after Friedrich got on march from Schlettau. June 17th, Fouquet got to Landshut; drove out the
Austrians more easily than he had calculated, and set diligently, next day, to repair his works, writing to
Friedrich: "Your Majesty's Order shall be executed here, while a man of us lives." Fouquet, in the old
CrownPrince time, used to be called Bayard by his Royal friend. His Royal friend, now darker of face and
scathed by much illweather, has just quitted Schlettau, three days before this recovery of Landshut; and will
not have gone far till he again hear news of Fouquet.
NIGHT OF JUNE 14th15th, Friedrich, "between Zehren and Zabel," several miles down stream,his
bridges now all ready, out of Lacy's cognizance,has suddenly crossed Elbe; and next afternoon pitches
camp at Broschwitz, which is straight towards Lacy again. To Lacy's astonishment; who is posted at
Moritzburg, with head quarter in that beautiful Countryseat of Polish Majesty,only 10 miles to
eastward, should Friedrich take that road. Broschwitz is short way north of Meissen, and lies on the road
either to Grossenhayn or to Radeburg (Radeburg only four miles northward of Lacy), as Friedrich shall see
fit, on the morrow. For the Meissen north road forks off there, in those two directions: straight northward is
for Grossenhayn, right hand is for Badeburg. Most interesting to Lacy, which of these forks, what is quite
optional, Friedrich will take! Lacy is an alert man; looks well to himself; warns Daun; and will not be caught
if he can help it. Daun himself is encamped at Reichenberg, within two miles of him, inexpugnably
intrenched as usual; and the danger surely is not great: nevertheless both these Generals, wise by experience,
keep their eyes open.
The FIRST great Feat of Marching now follows, On Friedrich's part; with little or no result to Friedrich; but
worth remembering, so strenuous, so fruitless was it,so barred by ill news from without! Both this and the
Second stand recorded for us, in brief intelligent terms by Mitchell, who was present in both; and who is
perfectly exact on every point, and intelligible throughout,if you will read him with a Map; and divine for
yourself what the real names are, out of the inhuman blotchings made of them, not by Mitchell's blame at all.
[Mitchell, Memoirs and Papers, ii. 160 et seq.]
TUESDAY, JUNE 17th, second day of Friedrich's stay at Broschwitz, Mitchell, in a very confidential
Dialogue they had together, learned from him, under seal of secrecy, That it was his purpose to march for
Radeburg tomorrow morning, and attack Lacy and his 30,000, who lie encamped at Moritzburg out yonder;
for which step his Majesty was pleased farther to show Mitchell a little what the various inducements were:
"One Russian Corps is aiming as if for Berlin; the Austrians are about besieging Glatz,pressing need that
Fouquet were reinforced in his Silesian post of difficulty. Then here are the Reichspeople close by; can be
in Dresden three days hence, joined to Daun: 80,000 odd there will then be of Enemies in this part: I must
beat Lacy, if possible, while time still is!"and ended by saying: "Succeed here, and all may yet be saved;
be beaten here, I know the consequences: but what can I do? The risk must be run; and it is now smaller than
it will ever again be."
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Mitchell, whose account is a fortnight later than the Dialogue itself, does confess, "My Lord, these reasons,
though unhappily the thing seems to have failed, 'appear to me to be solid and unanswerable.'" Much more do
they to Tempelhof, who sees deeper into the bottom of them than Mitchell did; and finds that the failure is
only superficial. [Mitchell, Memoirs and Papers, ii. 160 (Despatch, "June 30th, 1760"); Tempelhof, iv. 44.]
The real success, thinks Tempelhof, would be, Could the King manoeuvre himself into Silesia, and entice a
cunctatory Daun away with him thither. A cunctatory Daun to preside over matters THERE, in his
superstitiously cautious way; leaving Saxony free to the Reichsfolk,whom a Hulsen, left with his small
remnant in Schlettau, might easily take charge of, till Silesia were settled? "The plan was bold, was new, and
completely worthy of Friedrich," votes Tempelhof; "and it required the most consummate delicacy of
execution. To lure Daun on, always with the prospect open to him of knocking you on the head, and always
by your rapidity and ingenuity to take care that he never got it done." This is Tempelhof's notion: and this,
sure enough, was actually Friedrich's mode of management in the weeks following; though whether already
altogether planned in his head, or only gradually planning itself, as is more likely, nobody can say. We will
look a very little into the execution, concerning which there is no dubiety:
WEDNESDAY, 18th JUNE, "Friedrich," as predicted to Mitchell, the night before, "did start punctually, in
three columns, at 3 A.M. [Sun just rising]; and, after a hot march, got encamped on the southward side of
Radeburg: ready to cross the Rodern Stream there tomorrow, as if intending for the Lausitz [should that
prove needful for alluring Lacy],and in the mean while very inquisitive where Lacy might be. One of
Lacy's outposts, those Saxon light horse, was fallen in with; was chased home, and Lacy's camp discovered,
that night. At Bernsdorf, not three miles to southward or right of us; Daun only another three to south of him.
Let us attack Lacy tomorrow morning; wind round to get between Daun and him, [Tempelhof, iv.
4749.]with fit arrangements; rapid as light! In the King's tent, accordingly, his Generals are assembled to
take their Orders; brief, distinct, and to be done with brevity. And all are on the move for Bernsdorf at 4 next
morning; when, behold,
"THURSDAY, 19th, At Bernsdorf there is no Lacy to be found. Cautions Dorn has ordered him in,and not
for Lacy's sake, as appears, but for his own: 'Hitherward, you alert Lacy; to cover my right flank here, my
Hill of Reichenberg,lest it be not impregnable enough against that feline enemy!' And there they have
taken post, say 60,000 against 30,000; and are palisading to a quite extraordinary degree. No fight possible
with Lacy or Daun."
This is what Mitchell counts the failure of Friedrich's enterprise: and certainly it grieved Friedrich a good
deal. Who, on riding out to reconnoitre Reichenberg (Quintus Icilius and Battalion QUINTUS part of his
escort, if that be an interesting circumstance], finds Reichenberg a plainly unattackable post; finds, by Daun's
rate of palisading, that there will be no attack from Daun either. No attack from Daun;and, therefore, that
Hulsen's people may be sent home to Schlettau again; and that he, Friedrich, will take post close by, and
wearisomely be content to wait for some new opportunity.
Which he does for a week to come; Daun sitting impregnable, intrenched and palisaded to the teeth,rather
wishing to be attacked, you would say; or hopeful sometimes of doing something of the Hochkirch sort again
(for the country is woody, and the enemy audacious);at all events, very clear not to attack. A man erring,
sometimes to a notable degree, by overcaution. "Could hardly have failed to overwhelm Friedrich's small
force, had he at once, on Friedrich's crossing the Elbe, joined Lacy, and gone out against him," thinks
Tempelhof, pointing out the form of operation too. [Tempelhof, iv. 42, 48.] Caution is excellent; but not quite
by itself. Would caution alone do it, an Army all of Druidic whinstones, or innocent claysacks, incapable of
taking hurt, would be the proper one!Daun stood there; Friedrich looking daily into him,visibly in ill
humor, says Mitchell; and no wonder; gloomy and surly words coming out of him, to the distress of his
Generals: "Which I took the liberty of hinting, one evening, to his Majesty;" hint graciously received, and of
effect perceptible, at least to my imagining.
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25th, After nearly a week of this, there rose, towards sunset, all over the Reichenberg,
and far and wide, an exuberant joyfiring: "For what in the world?" thinks Friedrich. Alas, your
Majesty,since your own messenger has not arrived, nor indeed ever will, being picked up by
Pandours,here, gathered from the Austrian outposts or deserters, are news for you, fatal enough! Landshut
is done; Fouquet and his valiant 13,000 are trodden out there. Indignant Fouquet has obeyed you, not wisely
but too well. He has kept Landshut six nights and five days. On the morning of the sixth day, here is what
befell:
"LANDSHUT, MONDAY, 23d JUNE, About a quarter to two in the morning, Loudon, who had gathered
31,000 horse and foot for the business, and taken his measures, fired aloft, by way of signal, four howitzers
into the gray of the summer morning; and burst loose upon Fouquet, in various columns, on his southward
front, on both flanks, ultimately in his rear too: columns all in the height of fighting humor, confident as three
to one,and having brandy in them, it is likewise said. Fouquet and his people stood to arms, in the temper
Fouquet had vowed they would: defended their Hills with an energy, with a steady skill, which Loudon
himself admired; but their Hillworks would have needed thrice the number;Fouquet, by detaching and
otherwise, has in arms only 10,680 men. Toughly as they strove, after partial successes, they began to lose
one Hill, and then another; and in the course of hours, nearly all their Hills. Landshut Town Loudon had
taken from them, Landshut and its roads: in the end, the Prussian position is becoming permeable, plainly
untenable;Austrian force is moving to their rearward to block the retreat.
"Seeing which latter fact, Fouquet throws out all his Cavalry, a poor 1,500, to secure the Passes of the Bober;
himself formed square with the wrecks of his Infantry; and, at a steady step, cuts way for himself with
bayonet and bullet. With singular success for some time, in spite of the odds. And is clear across the Bober;
when lo, among the knolls ahead, masses of Austrian Cavalry are seen waiting him, besetting every passage!
Even these do not break him; but these, with infantry and cannon coming up to help them, do. Here, for some
time, was the fiercest tug of all,till a bullet having killed Fouquet's horse, and carried the General himself
to the ground, the spasm ended. The Lichnowski Dragoons, a famed Austrian regiment, who had charged and
again charged with nothing but repulse on repulse, now broke in, all in a foam of rage; cut furiously upon
Fouquet himself; wounded Fouquet thrice; would have killed him, had it not been for the heroism of poor
Trautschke, his Groom [let us name the gallant fellow, even if unpronounceable], who flung himself on the
body of his Master, and took the bloody strokes instead of him; shrieking his loudest, 'Will you murder the
Commanding General, then!' Which brought up the Colonel of Lichnowski; a Gentleman and Ritter,
abhorrent of such practices. To him Fouquet gave his sword;kept his vow never to draw it again.
"The wrecks of Fouquet's Infantry were, many of them, massacred, no quarter given; such the unchivalrous
fury that had risen. His Cavalry, with the loss of about 500, cut their way through. They and some stragglers
of Foot, in whole about 1,500 of both kinds, were what remained of those 10,680 after this bloody morning's
work. There had been about six hours of it; 'all over by 8 o'clock.'" [ Hofbericht von der am 23 Junius, 1760,
bey Landshuth vorgefallenen Action (in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 669671); HeldenGeschichte, vi. 258284;
Tempelhof, iv. 2641; Stenzel, v. 241 (who, by oversight,this Volume being posthumous to poor Stenzel,
protracts the Action to "halfpast 7 in the evening").]
Fouquet has obeyed to the letter: "Did not my King wrong me?" Fouquet may say to himself. Truly, Herr
General, your King's Order was a little unwise; as you (who were on the ground, and your King not) knew it
to be. An unwise Order;perhaps not inexcusable in the sudden circumstances. And perhaps a still more
perfect Bayard would have preferred obeying such a King in spirit, rather than in letter, and thereby doing
him vital service AGAINST his temporary will? It is not doubted but Fouquet, left to himself and his 13,000,
with the Fortresses and Garrisons about him, would have maintained himself in Silesia till help came. The
issue is, Fouquet has probably lost this fine King his Silesia, for the time being; and beyond any question,
has lost him 10,000 Prussian Spartan fighters, and a fine General whom he could ill spare!In a word, the
Gate of Silesia is burst open; and Loudon has every prospect of taking Glatz, which will keep it so.
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What a thunderbolt for Friedrich! One of the last pillars struck away from his tottering affairs. "Inevitable,
then? We are over with it, then?" One may fancy Friedrich's reflections. But he showed nothing of them to
anybody; in a few hours, had his mind composed, and new plans on the anvil. On the morrow of that Austrian
JoyFiring,morrow, or some day close on it (ought to have been dated, but is not),there went from him,
to Magdeburg, the Order: "Have me such and such quantities of SiegeArtillery in a state of readiness."
[Tempelhof, iv. 51.] Already meaning, it is thought, or contemplating as possible a certain Siege, which
surprised everybody before long! A most inventive, enterprising being; no end to his contrivances and
unexpected outbreaks; especially when you have him jammed into a corner, and fancy it is all over with him!
"To no other General," says Tempelhof, "would such a notion of besieging Dresden have occurred; or if it
had suggested itself, the hideous difficulties would at once have banished it again, or left it only as a pious
wish. But it is strokes of this kind that characterize the great man. Often enough they have succeeded, been
decisive of great campaigns and wars, and become splendid in the eyes of all mankind; sometimes, as in this
case, they have only deserved to succeed, and to be splendid in the eyes of judges. How get these masses of
enemies lured away, so that you could try such a thing? There lay the difficulty; insuperable altogether,
except by the most fine and appropriate treatment. Of a truth, it required a connected series of the wisest
measures and most secret artifices of war;and withal, that you should throw over them such a veil as would
lead your enemy to see in them precisely the reverse of what they meant. How all this was to be set in action,
and how the Enemy's own plans, intentions and moods of mind were to be used as raw material for
attainment of your object,studious readers will best see in the manoeuvres of the King in his now more
than critical condition; which do certainly exhibit the completest masterpiece in the Art of leading Armies
that Europe has ever seen."
Tempelhof is well enough aware, as readers should continue to be, that, primarily, and onward for three
weeks more, not Dresden, but the getting to Silesia on good terms, is Friedrich's main enterprise: Dresden
only a supplement or substitute, a second string to his bow, till the first fail. But, in effect, the two enterprises
or strings coincide, or are one, till the first of them fail; and Tempelhof's eulogy will apply to either. The
initiatory step to either is a Second Feat of Marching;still notabler than the former, which has had this poor
issue. Soldiers of the studious or scientific sort, if there are yet any such among us, will naturally go to
Tempelhof, and fearlessly encounter the ruggedest Documents and Books, if Tempelhof leave them dubious
on any point (which he hardly will): to ingenuous readers of other sorts, who will take a little pains for
understanding the thing, perhaps the following intermittent faroff glimpses may suffice. [Mitchell, ii. 162 et
seq.; and Tempelhof (iv. 5053 et seq.), as a scientific check on Mitchell, or unconscious fellowwitness
with him, agreeing beautifully almost always.]
On ascertaining the Landshut disaster, Friedrich falls back a little; northward to GrossDobritz: "Possibly
Daun will think us cowed by what has happened; and may try something on us?" Daun is by no means sure of
this COWED phenomenon, or of the retreat it has made; and tries nothing on it; only rides up daily to it, to
ascertain that it is there; and diligently sends out parties to watch the Northeastward parts, where run the
Silesian Roads. After about a week of this, and some disappointments, Friedrich decides to march in earnest.
There had, one day, come report of Lacy's being detached, Lacy with a strong Division, to block the Silesian
roads; but that, on trial, proved to be false. "Pshaw, nothing for us but to go ourselves!" concludes
Friedrich, and, JULY 1st, sends off his Bakery and Heavy Baggage; indicating to Mitchell, "Tomorrow
morning at 3!"Here is Mitchell's own account; accurate in every particular, as we find: [Mitchell, ii. 164;
Tempelhof, iv. 54.]
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2d. "From GrossDobritz to Quosdorf [to Quosdorf, a poor Hamlet there, not
QuoLsdorf, as many write, which is a Town far enough from there]the Army marched accordingly. In two
columns; baggage, bakery and artillery in a third; through a country extremely covered with wood. Were
attacked by some Uhlans and Hussars; whom a few cannonshot sent to the road again. March lasted from 3
in the morning to 3 in the afternoon;" twelve long hours. "Went northeastward a space of 20 miles, leaving
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Radeburg, much more leaving Reichenberg, Moritzburg and the Daun quarters well to the right, and at last
quite to rearward; crossed the Roder, crossed the Pulsnitz," small tributaries or sub tributaries of the Elbe in
those parts; "crossed the latter (which divides Meissen from the Lausitz) partly by the Bridge of Krakau, first
Village in the Lausitz. Headquarter was the poor Hamlet of Quosdorf, a mile farther on. 'This march had
been carefully kept secret,' says Mitchell; 'and it was the opinion of the most experienced Officers, that, had
the Enemy discovered the King of Prussia's design, they might, by placing their light troops in the roads with
proper supports, have rendered it extremely difficult, if not impracticable.'"
Daun very early got to know of Friedrich's departure, and whitherward; which was extremely interesting to
Daun: "Aims to be in Silesia before me; will cut out Loudon from his fine prospects on Glatz?"and had
instantly reinforced, perhaps to 20,000, Lacy's Division; and ordered Lacy, who is the nearest to Friedrich's
March, to start instantly on the skirts of said March, and endeavor diligently to trample on the same. For the
purpose of harassing said March, Lacy is to do whatever he with safety can (which we see is not much: "a
few Uhlans and Hussars"); at lowest, is to keep it constantly in sight; and always encamp as near it as he dare;
[Tempelhof, iv. 54.]Daun himself girding up his loins; and preparing, by a shortcut, to get ahead of it in a
day or two. Lacy was alert enough, but could not do much with safety: a few Uhlans and Hussars, that was
all; and he is now encamped somewhere to rearward, as near as he dare.
THURSDAY, 3d JULY. "A restday; Army resting about Krakau, after such a spell through the woody
moors. The King, with small escort, rides out reconnoitring, hither, thither, on the southern side or Lacy
quarter: to the top of the Keulenberg (BLUDGEON HILL), at last,which is ten or a dozen miles from
Krakau and Quosdorf, but commands an extensive view. Towns, villagebelfries, courses of streams; a
country of mossy woods and wild agricultures, of bogs, of shaggy moor. Southward 10 miles is Radeberg
[not RadebUrg, observe]; yonder is the town of Pulsnitz on our stream of Pulsnitz; to southeast, and twice as
far, is Bischofswerda, chasmy Stolpen (too well known to us before this): behind us, Konigsbruck, Kamenz
and the road from Grossenhayn to Bautzen: these and many other places memorable to this King are
discoverable from Bludgeon Hill. But the discovery of discoveries to him is Lacy's Camp,not very far off,
about a mile behind Pulsnitz; clearly visible, at Lichtenberg yonder. Which we at once determine to attack;
which, and the roads to which, are the one object of interest just now, nothing else visible, as it were, on
the top of the Keulenberg here, or as we ride homeward, meditating it with a practical view. 'March at
midnight,' that is the practical result arrived at, on reaching home."
FRIDAY, JULY 4th. "Since the stroke of midnight we are all on march again; nothing but the baggages and
bakeries left [with Quintus to watch them, which I see is his common function in these marches]; King
himself in the Vanguard,who hopes to give Lacy a salutation. [Tempelhof, iv. 56.] 'The march was full of
defiles,' says Mitchell: and Mitchell, in his carriage, knew little what a region it was, with boggy intricacies,
lakelets, tangly thickets, stocks and stumps; or what a business to pass with heavy cannon, baggage wagons
and columns of men! Such a march; and again not far from twenty miles of it: very hot, as the morning broke,
in the breathless woods. Had Lacy known what kind of ground we had to march in, and been enterprising!
thinks Tempelhof. The march being so retarded, Lacy got notice of it, and vanished quite away, to
Bischofswerda, I believe, and the protecting neighborhood of Daun. Nothing of him left when we emerge,
simultaneously from this hand and from that, on his front and on his rear, to take him as in a vice, as in the
sudden snap of a foxtrap;fox quite gone. Hardly a few hussars of him to be picked up; and no chase
possible, after such a march."
Friedrich had done everything to keep himself secret: but Lacy has endless Pandours prowling about; and, I
suppose, the Countrypeople (in the Lausitz here, who ought to have loyalty) are on the Lacy side. Friedrich
has to take his disappointment. He encamps here, on the Heights, headquarter Pulsnitz,till Quintus come
up with the baggage, which he does punctually, but not till nightfall, not till midnight the last of him.
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SATURDAY, JULY 5th. "To the road again at 3 A.M. Again to northward, to Kloster (CLOISTER)
Marienstern, a 15 miles or so, headquarter in the Cloister itself. Daun had set off for Bautzen, with his 50
or 60,000, in the extremest push of haste, and is at Bautzen this night; ahead of Friedrich, with Lacy as
rearguard of him, who is also ahead of Friedrich, and safe at Bischofswerda. A Daun hastening as never
before. This news of a Daun already at Bautzen awakened Friedrich's utmost speed: 'Never do, that Daun be
in Silesia before us! Indispensable to get ahead of Bautzen and him, or to be waiting on the flank of his next
march!' Accordingly,
"SUNDAY, JULY 6th, Friedrich, at 3 A.M., is again in motion; in three columns, streaming forward all day:
straight eastward, Daunward. Intends to cross the Spree, leaving Bautzen to the right; and take post
somewhere to northeast of Bautzen, and on the flank of Daun. The windless day grows hotter and hotter; the
roads are of loose sand, full of jungles and impediments. This was such a march for heat and difficulty as the
King never had before. In front of each Column went wagons with a few pontoons; there being many brooks
and little streams to cross. The soldier, for his own health's sake, is strictly forbidden to drink; but as the
burning day rose higher, in the sweltering close march, thirst grew irresistible. Crossing any of these Brooks,
the soldiers pounce down, irrepressible, whole ranks of them; lift water, clean or dirty; drink it greedily from
the brim of the hat. Sergeants may wag their tongues and their cudgels at discretion: 'showers of
cudgelstrokes,' says Archenholtz; Sergeants going like threshers on the poor men;'though the upper
Officers had a touch of mercy, and affected not to see this disobedience to the Sergeants and their cudgels,'
which was punishable with death. War is not an overfond Mother, but a sufficiently Spartan one, to her
Sons. There dropt down, in the march that day, 105 Prussian men, who never rose again. And as to
intercepting Daun by such velocity, Daun too is on march; gone to Gorlitz, at almost a faster pace, if at a
far heavier,like a carthorse on gallop; faring still worse in the heat: '200 of Daun's men died on the road
this day, and 300 more were invalided for life.' [Tempelhof, iv. 58; Archenholtz, ii. 68; Mitchell, ii. 166.]
"Before reaching the Spree, Friedrich, who is in the Vanguard, hears of this Gorlitz March, and that the bird
is flown. For which he has, therefore, to devise straightway a new expedient: 'Wheel to the right; cross Spree
farther down, holding towards Bautzen itself,' orders Friedrich. And settles within two miles of Bautzen; his
left being at Doberschutz,on the strong ground he held after Hochkirch, while Daun, two years ago, sat
watching so quiescent. Daun knows what kind of march these Prussians, blocked out from relief of Neisse,
stole on him THEN, and saved their Silesia, in spite of his watching and blocking;and has plunged off, in
the manner of a carthorse scared into galloping, to avoid the like." What a Sabbathday's journey, on both
sides, for those Sons of War! Nothing in the Roman times, though they had less baggage, comes up to such
modern marching: nor is this the fastest of Friedrich's, though of Daun's it unspeakably is. "Friedrich, having
missed Daun, is thinking now to whirl round, and go into Lacy,which will certainly bring Daun back, even
better.
"This evening, accordingly, Ziethen occupies Bautzen; sweeps out certain Lacy precursors, cavalry in some
strength, who are there. Lacy has come on as far as Bischofswerda: and his Horsepeople seem to be wide
ahead; provokingly pert upon Friedrich's outposts, who determines to chastise them the first thing
tomorrow. Tomorrow, as is very needful, is to be a restday otherwise. For Friedrich's wearied people a
restday; not at all for Daun's, who continues his heavyfooted galloping yet another day and another, till he
get across the Queiss, and actually reach Silesia."
MONDAY, JULY 7th. "Restday accordingly, in Bautzen neighborhood; nothing passing but a curious
Skirmish of Horse,in which Friedrich, who had gone westward reconnoitring, seeking Lacy, had the main
share, and was notably situated for some time. Godau, a small town or village, six miles west of Bautzen, was
the scene of this notable passage: actors in it were Friedrich himself, on the Prussian part; and, on the
Austrian, by degrees Lacy's Cavalry almost in whole. Lacy's Cavalry, what Friedrich does not know, are all
in those neighborhoods: and no sooner is Godau swept clear of them, than they return in greater numbers,
needing to be again swept; and, in fact, they gradually gather in upon him, in a singular and dangerous
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manner, after his first successes on them, and before his Infantry have time to get up and support.
"Friedrich was too impatient in this provoking little haggle, arresting him here. He had ordered on the
suitable Battalion with cannon; but hardly considers that the Battalion itself is six miles off,not to speak of
the Order, which is galloping on horseback, not going by electricity:the impatient Friedrich had slashed in
at once upon Godau, taken above 100 prisoners; but is astonished to see the slashed people return, with
SaxonDragoon regiments, all manner of regiments, reinforcing them. And has some really dangerous
fencing there;issuing in dangerous and curious pause of both parties; who stand drawn up, scarcely beyond
pistolshot, and gazing into one another, for I know not how many minutes; neither of them daring to move
off, lest, on the instant of turning, it be charged and overwhelmed. As the impatient Friedrich, at last, almost
was,had not his Infantry just then got in, and given their cannonsalvo. He lost about 200, the Lacy people
hardly so many; and is now out of a considerable personal jeopardy, which is still celebrated in the
AnecdoteBooks, perhaps to a mythical extent. 'Two Uhlans [SaxonPolish LightHorse], with their
truculent pikes, are just plunging in,' say the AnecdoteBooks: Friedrich's Page, who had got unhorsed,
sprang to his feet, bellowed in Polish to them: 'What are you doing here, fellows?' 'Excellenz [for the Page is
not in Prussian uniform, or in uniform at all, only welldressed], Excellenz, our horses ran away with us,'
answer the poor fellows; and whirl back rapidly." The story, says Retzow, is true. [Retzow, ii. 215.]
This is the one event of July 7th,and of July 8th withal; which day also, on news of Daun that come,
Friedrich rests. Up to July 8th, it is clear Friedrich is shooting with what we called the first string of his
bow,intent, namely, on Silesia. Nor, on hearing that Daun is forward again, now hopelessly ahead, does he
quit that enterprise; but, on the contrasy, tomorrow morning, July 9th, tries it by a new method, as we shall
see: method cunningly devised to suit the second string as well. "How lucky that we have a second string, in
case of failure!"
TUESDAY, 8th JULY. "News that Daun reached Gorlitz yesternight; and is due tonight at Lauban, fifty
miles ahead of us:no hope now of reaching Daun. Perhaps a sudden clutch at Lacy, in the opposite
direction, might be the method of recalling Daun, and reaching him? That is the method fallen upon.
"Sun being set, the drums in Bautzen sound TATTOO,audible to listening Croats in the Environs;beat
TATTOO, and, later in the night, other passages of drummusic, also for Croat behoof
(GENERALMARCH I think it is); indicating That we have started again, in pursuit of Daun. And in short,
every precaution being taken to soothe the mind of Lacy and the Croats, Friedrich silently issues, with his
best speed, in Three columns, by Three roads, towards Lacy's quarters, which go from that village of Godau
westward, in a loose way, several miles. In three columns, by three routes, all to converge, with punctuality,
on Lacy. Of the columns, two are of Infantry, the leftmost and the rightmost, on each hand, hidden as much
as possible; one is of Cavalry in the middle. Coming on in this mannerlike a pair of triplepincers, which
are to grip simultaneously on Lacy, and astonish him, if he keep quiet. But Lacy is vigilant, and is cautious
almost in excess. Learning by his Pandours that the King seems to be coming this way, Lacy gathers himself
on the instant; quits Godau, by one in the morning; and retreats bodily, at his fastest step, to Bischofswerda
again; nor by any means stops there." [Tempelhof, iv. 6163.]
For the third time! "Three is lucky," Friedrich may have thought: and there has no precaution, of
drummusic, of secrecy or persuasive finesse, been neglected on Lacy. But Lacy has ears that hear the grass
grow: our elaborately accurate triplepincers, closing simultaneously on Bischofswerda, after eighteen miles
of sweep, find Lacy flown again; nothing to be caught of him but some 80 hussars. All this day and all next
night Lacy is scouring through the western parts at an extraordinary rate; halting for a camp, twice over, at
different places,Durre Fuchs (THIRSTY FOX), Durre Buhle (THIRSTY SWEETHEART), or wherever it
was; then again taking wing, on sound of Prussian parties to rear; in short, hurrying towards Dresden and the
Reichsfolk, as if for life.
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Lacy's retreat, I hear, was ingeniously done, with a minimum of disorder in the circumstances: but certainly it
was with a velocity as if his head had been on fire; and, indeed, they say he escaped annihilation by being off
in time. He put up finally, not at Thirsty Sweetheart, still less at Thirsty Fox, successive Hamlets and Public
Houses in the sandy Wilderness which lies to north of Elbe, and is called DRESDEN HEATH; but farther on,
in the same Tract, at Weisse Hirsch (WHITE HART); which looks close over upon Dresden, within two
miles or so; and is a kind of Height, and military post of advantage. Next morning, July 10th, he crosses
Dresden Bridge, comes streaming through the City; and takes shelter with the Reichsfolk near
there:towards Plauen Chasm; the strongest ground in the world; hardly strong enough, it appears, in the
present emergency.
Friedrich's first string, therefore, has snapt in two; but, on the instant, he has a second fitted on:may that
prove luckier!
Chapter II. FRIEDRICH BESIEGES DRESDEN.
From and after the Evening of Wednesday, July 9th, it is upon a Siege of Dresden that Friedrich
goes;turning the whole war theatre topsyturvy; throwing Daun, Loudon, Lacy, everybody OUT, in this
strange and sudden manner. One of the finest military feats ever done, thinks Tempelhof. Undoubtedly a
notable result so far, and notably done; as the impartial reader (if Tempelhof be a little inconsistent) sees for
himself. These truly are a wonderful series of marches, opulent in continual promptitudes, audacities,
contrivances;done with shining talent, certainly; and also with result shining, for the moment. And in a
Fabulous Epic I think Dresden would certainly have fallen to Friedrich, and his crowd of enemies been left in
a tumbled condition.
But the Epic of Reality cares nothing for such considerations; and the time allowable for capture of Dresden
is very brief. Had Daun, on getting warning, been as prompt to return as he was to go, frankly fronting at
once the chances of the road, he might have been at Dresden again perhaps within a week,no Siege
possible for Friedrich, hardly the big guns got up from Magdeburg. But Friedrich calculated there would be
very considerable fettling and haggling on Daun's part; say a good Fortnight of Siege allowed;and that, by
deadlift effort of all hands, the thing was feasible within that limit. On Friedrich's part, as we can fancy,
there was no want of effort; nor on his people's part,in spite of his complainings, say Retzow and the
Opposition party; who insinuate their own private belief of impossibility from the first. Which is not
confirmed by impartial judgments,that of Archenholtz, and others better. The truth is, Friedrich was within
an inch of taking Dresden by the first assault,they say he actually could have taken it by storm the first
day; but shuddered at the thought of exposing poor Dresden to sack and plunder; and hoped to get it by
capitulation.
One of the rapidest and most furious Sieges anywhere on record. Filled Europe with astonishment,
expectancy, admiration, horror: must be very briefly recited here. The main chronological epochs, salient
points of crisis and successive phases of occurrence, will sufficiently indicate it to the reader's fancy.
"It was Thursday Evening, 10th July, when Lacy got to his Reichsfolk, and took breath behind Plauen
Chasm. Maguire is Governor of Dresden. The consternation of garrison and population was extreme. To Lacy
himself it did not seem conceivable that Friedrich could mean a Siege of Dresden. Friedrich, that night, is
beyond the River, in Daun's old impregnability of Reichenberg: 'He has no siegeartillery,' thinks Lacy; 'no
means, no time.'
"Nevertheless, Saturday, next day after tomorrow,behold, there is Hulsen, come from Schlettau to our
neighborhood, on our Austrian side of the River. And at Kaditz yonder, a mile below Dresden, are not the
King's people building their Pontoons; in march since 2 in the morning, evidently coming across, if not to
besiege Dresden, then to attack us; which is perhaps worse! We outnumber them,but as to trying fight in
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any form? Zweibruck leaves Maguire an additional 10,000;every help and encouragement to Maguire;
whose garrison is now 14,000: 'Be of courage, Excellenz Maguire! Nobody is better skilled in siegematters.
Feldmarschall and relief will be here with despatch!'and withdraws, Lacy and he, to the edge of the Pirna
Country, there to be well out of harm's way. Lacy and he, it is thought, would perhaps have got beaten, trying
to save Dresden from its misery. Lacy's orders were, Not, on any terms, to get into fighting with Friedrich,
but only to cover Dresden. Dresden, without fighting, has proved impossible to cover, and Lacy leaves it
bare." [Tempelhof, iv. 65.]
"At Kaditz," says Mitchell, "where the second bridge of boats took a great deal of time, I was standing by his
Majesty, when news to the above effect came across from General Hulsen. The King was highly pleased;
and, turning to me, said: 'Just what I wished! They have saved me a very long march [round by
Dippoldiswalde or so, in upon the rear of them] by going of will.' And immediately the King got on
horseback; ordering the Army to follow as fast as it could." [Mitchell, ii. 168.] "Through Preisnitz,
Plauenward, goes the Army; circling round the Western and the Southern side of Dresden; [a dread
spectacle from the walls]; across Weistritz Brook and the Plauen Chasm [comfortably left vacant]; and
encamps on the Southeastern side of Dresden, at Gruna, behind the GREAT GARDEN; ready to begin
business on the morrow. Gruna, about a mile to southeast of Dresden Walls, is headquarter during this
Siege.
"Through the night, the Prussians proceed to build batteries, the best they can;there is no right
siegeartillery yet; a few accidental howitzers and 25pounders, the rest mere fieldguns; but tomorrow
morning, be as it may, business shall begin. Prince von Holstein [nephew of the Holstein Beck, or "Holstein
SILVERPLATE," whom we lost long ago], from beyond the River, encamped at the White Hart yonder, is
to play upon the Neustadt simultaneously.
MONDAY 14th, "At 6 A.M., cannonade began; diligent on Holstein's part and ours; but of inconsiderable
effect. Maguire has been summoned: 'Will [with such a garrison, in spite of such trepidations from the Court
and others] defend himself to the last man.' FreeCorps people [not Quintus's, who is on the other side of the
River], [Tempelhof, v. 67.] with regulars to rear, advance on the Pirna Gate; hurl in Maguire's Outparties;
and had near got in along with them,might have done so, they and their supports, it is thought by some,
had storm seemed the recommendable method.
"For four days there is livelier and livelier cannonading; new batteries getting opened in the Moschinska
Garden and other points; on the Prussian part, great longing that the Magdeburg artillery were here. The
Prussians are making diligently ready for it, in the mean while (refitting the old Trenches, 'old Envelope' dug
by Maguire himself in the AntiSchmettau time; these will do well enough):the Prussians reinforce
Holstein at the Weisse, Hirsch, throw a new bridge across to him; and are busy day and night. Maguire, too,
is most industrious, resisting and preparing: Thursday shuts up the Weistritz Brook (a dam being ready this
long while back, needing only to be closed), and lays the whole South side of Dresden under water. Many
rumors about Daun: coming, not coming;must for certain come, but will possibly be slowish."
FRIDAY 18th. "Joy to every Prussian soul: here are the heavy guns from Magdeburg. These, at any rate, are
come; beds for them all ready; and now the cannonading can begin in right earnest. As it does with a
vengeance. To Mitchell, and perhaps others, 'the King of Prussia says He will now be master of the Town in a
few days. And the disposition he has made of his troops on the other side of the River is intended not only to
attack Dresden on that side [and defend himself from Daun], but also to prevent the Garrison from retiring. ...
This morning, Friday, 18th, the Suburb of Pirna, the one street left of it, was set fire to, by Maguire; and burnt
out of the way, as the others had been. Many of the wretched inhabitants had fled to our camp: "Let them
lodge in Plauen, no fighting there, quiet artificial water expanses there instead." Many think the Town will
not be taken; or that, if it should, it will cost very dear,so determined seems Maguire. [Mitchell, iii. 170,
171.] And, in effect, from this day onwards, the Siege became altogether fierce, and not only so, but fiery as
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well; and, though lasting in that violent form only four, or at the very utmost seven, days more, had near
ruined Dresden from the face of the world."
SATURDAY, 19th, "Maguire, touched to the quick by these new artilleries of the Prussians this morning,
found good to mount a gun or two on the leads of the KreuzKirche [Protestant High Church, where, before
now, we have noticed Friedrich attending quasidivine service more than once];that is to say, on the crown
of Dresden; from which there is view into the bottom of Friedrich's trenches and operations. Others say, it
was only two or three old Saxon cannon, which stand there, for firing on galadays; and that they hardly fired
on Friedrich more than once. For certain, this is one of the desirablest batterystations,if only Friedrich
will leave it alone. Which he will not for a moment; but brings terrific howitzers to bear on it; cannonballs,
grenadoes; tears it to destruction, and the poor KreuzKirche along with it. Kirche speedily all in flames,
street after street blazing up round it, again and again for eightandforty hours coming; hapless Dresden,
during two days and nights, a mere volcano henceforth." "By mistake all that, and without order of mine,"
says Friedrich once;meaning, I think, all that of the KreuzKirche: and perhaps wishing he could mean the
bombardment altogether, [Schoning, ii. 361 "To Prince Henri, at Giessen [Frankfurt Country], 23d July,
1760."]who nevertheless got, and gets, most of the credit of the thing from a shocked outside world.
"This morning," same Saturday, 19th, "Daun is reported to have arrived; vanguard of him said to be at
Schonfeld, over in THIRSTY SWEETHEART Country yonder which Friedrich, going to reconnoitre, finds
tragically indisputable: 'There, for certain; only five miles from Holstein's post at the WHITE HART, and no
River between;as the crow flies, hardly five from our own Camp. Perhaps it will be some days yet before
he do anything?' So that Friedrich persists in his bombardment, only the more: 'By firetorture, then! Let the
bombarded Royalties assail Maguire, and Maguire give in;it is our one chance left; and succeed we will
and must!' Cruel, say you? Ah, yes, cruel enough, not merciful at all. The soul of Friedrich, I perceive, is
not in a bright mood at this time, but in a black and wrathful, worn almost desperate against the slings and
arrows of unjust Fate: 'Ahead, I say! If everybody will do miracles, cannot we perhaps still manage it, in spite
of Fate?'" Mitchell is very sorry; but will forget and forgive those inexorable passages of war.
"I cannot think of the bombardment of Dresden without horror," says he; "nor of many other things I have
seen. Misfortunes naturally sour men's temper [even royal men's]; and long continued, without interval, at last
extinguish humanity." "We are now in a most critical and dangerous situation, which cannot long last: one
lucky event, approaching to a miracle, may still save all: but the extreme caution and circumspection of
Marshal Daun!" [Mitchell, ii. 184, 185.]
If Daun could be swift, and end the miseries of Dresden, surely Dresden would be much obliged to him. It
was ten days yet, after that of the KreuzKirche, before Dresden quite got rid of its Siege: Daun never was a
sudden man. By a kind of accident, he got Holstein hustled across the River that first night (July 19th), not
annihilated, as was very feasible, but pushed home, out of his way. Whereby the North side of Dresden is
now open; and Daun has free communication with Maguire.
Maguire rose thereupon to a fine pitch of spirits; tried several things, and wished Daun to try; but with next to
no result. For two days after Holstein's departure, Daun sat still, on his safe Northern shore; stirring nothing
but his own cunctations and investigations, leaving the bombardment, or cannonade, to take its own course.
One attempt he did make in concert with Maguire (night of Monday 21st), and one attempt only, of a serious
nature; which, like the rest, was unsuccessful. And would not be worth mentioning,except for the poor
Regiment BERNBURG'S sake; Bernburg having got into strange case in consequence of it.
"This Attempt [night of 21st22d July] was a combined sally and assaultSally by Maguire's people, a
General Nugent heading them, from the South or Plauen side of Dresden, and Assault by 4,000 of Daun's
from the North sideupon Friedrich's Trenches. Which are to be burst in upon in this double way, and swept
well clear, as may be expected. Friedrich, however, was aware of the symptoms, and had people ready
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waiting,especially, had Regiment BERNBURG, Battalions 1st and 2d; a Regiment hitherto without stain.
"Bernburg accordingly, on General Nugent's entering their trenches from the south side, falls altogether
heartily on General Nugent; tumbles him back, takes 200 prisoners, Nudent himself one of them [who is
considered to have been the eye of the enterprise, worth many hundreds this night] all this Bernburg, in its
usually creditable manner, does, as expected of it. But after, or during all this, when the Dann people from the
north come streaming in, say four to one, both south and north, Bernburg looked round for support; and
seeing none, had, after more or less of struggle, to retire as a defeated Bernburg,Austrians taking the
battery, and ruling supreme there for some time. Till Wedell, or somebody with fresh Battalions, came up;
and, rallying Bernburg to him, retook their Battery, and drove out the Austrians, with a heavy loss of
prisoners. [Tempelhof, iv. 79.]
"I did not hear that Bernburg's conduct was liable to the least fair censure. But Friedrich's soul is severe at
this time; demanding miracles from everybody: 'You runaway Bernburg, shame on you!'and actually takes
the swords from them, and cuts off their Hattresses: 'There!' Which excited such an astonishment in the
Prussian Army as was seldom seen before. And affected Bernburg to the length almost of despair, and
breaking of heart,in a way that is not ridiculous to me at all, but beautiful and pathetic. Of which there is
much talk, now and long afterwards, in military circles. 'The sorrows of these poor Bernburgers, their
desperate efforts to wash out this stigma, their actual washing of it out, not many weeks hence, and their
magnificent joy on the occasion, these are the one distinguishing point in Daun's relief of Dresden, which
was otherwise quite a cunctatory, sedentary matter."
Daun built three Bridges,he had a broad stone one already,but did little or nothing with them; and never
himself came across at all. Merely shot out nocturnal Pandour Parties, and ordered up Lacy and the
Reichsfolk to do the like, and break the night's rest of his Enemy. He made minatory movements, one at least,
down the River, by his own shore, on Friedrich's AmmunitionBoats from Torgau, and actually intercepted
certain of them, which was something; but, except this, and vague flourishings of the Pandour kind, left
Friedrich to his own course.
Friedrich bombarded for a day or two farther; cannonaded, out of more or fewer batteries, for eight, or I think
ten days more. Attacks from Daun there were to be, now on this side, now on that; many rumors of attack,
but, except once only (midnight Pandours attempting the King's lodging, "a Farmhouse near Gruna," but to
their astonishment rousing the whole Prussian Army "in the course of three minutes" [Archenholtz, ii. 81
(who is very vivid, but does not date); Rodenbeck, ii. 24 (quotes similar account by another Eyewitness, and
guesses it to be "night of July 22d23d").]), rumor was mainly all. For guarding his siegelines, Friedrich has
to alter his position; to shift slightly, now fronting this way, now the other way; is "called always at midnight"
(against these nocturnal disturbances), and "never has his clothes off." Nevertheless, continues his
bombardment, and then his cannonading, till his own good time, which I think is till the 26th. His
"ricochetbattery," which is good against Maguire's people, innocent to Dresden, he continued for three days
more;while gathering his furnitures about Plauen Country, making his arrangements at Meissen;did not
march till the night of June 29th. Altogether calmly; no Daun or Austrian molesting him in the least; his very
sentries walking their rounds in the trenches till daylight; after which they also marched, unmolested,
Meissenward.
Unfortunate Friedrich has made nothing of Dresden, then. After such a June and July of it, since he left the
Meissen Country; after all these intricate manoeuvrings, hot fierce marchings and superhuman exertions, here
is he returning to Meissen Country poorer than if he had stayed. Fouquet lost, Glatz unrelievedNay, just
before marching off, what is this new phenomenon? Is this by way of "Happy journey to you!" Towards
sunset of the 29th, exuberant joyfiring rises far and wide from the usually quiet Austrian lines,"Meaning
what, once more?" Meaning that Glatz is lost, your Majesty; that, instead of a siege of many weeks (as might
have been expected with Fouquet for Commandant), it has held out, under Fouquet's Second, only a few
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hours; and is gone without remedy! Certain, though incredible. Imbecile Commandant, treacherous Garrison
(Austrian deserters mainly), with stealthy Jesuits acting on them: no use asking what. Here is the sad
Narrative, in succinct form.
CAPTURE OF GLATZ (26th July, 1760).
"Loudon is a swift man, when he can get bridle; but the curbhand of Daun is often heavy on him. Loudon
has had Glatz blockaded since June 7th; since June 23d he has had Fouquet rooted away, and the ground clear
for a Siege of Glatz. But had to abstain altogether, in the mean time; to take camp at Landshut, to march and
manoeuvre about, in support of Daun, and that heavyfooted gallop of Daun's which then followed: on the
whole, it was not till Friedrich went for Dresden that the SiegeArtillery, from Olmutz, could be ordered
forward upon Glatz; not for a fortnight more that the Artillery could come; and, in spite of Loudon's utmost
despatch, not till break of day, July 26th, that the batteries could open. After which, such was Loudon's speed
and fortune,and so diligent had the Jesuits been in those seven weeks,the 'Siege,' as they call it, was
over in less than seven hours.
"One Colonel D'O [Piedmontese by nation, an incompetent person, known to loud Trenck during his
detention here] was Commandant of Glatz, and had the principal Fortress,for there are two, one on each
side the Neisse River;his Second was a Colonel Quadt, by birth Prussian, seemingly not very competent he
either, who had command of the Old Fortress, round which lies the Town of Glatz: a little Town, abounding
in Jesuits;to whose Virgin, if readers remember, Friedrich once gave a new gown; with small effect on her,
as would appear. The QuadtD'O garrison was 2,400,and, if tales are true, it had been well bejesuited
during those seven weeks. [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 55.] At four in the morning, July 26th) the battering
began on Quadt; Quadt, I will believe, responding what he could,especially from a certain Arrowhead
Redoubt (or FLECHE) he has, which ought to have been important to him. After four or five hours of this,
there was mutual pause,as if both parties had decided upon breakfast before going farther.
"Quadt's Fortress is very strong, mostly hewn in the rock; and he has that important outwork of a FLECHE;
which is excellent for enfilading, as it extends well beyond the glacis; and, being of rock like the rest, is also
abundantly defensible. Loudon's people, looking over into this FLECHE, find it negligently guarded; Quadt
at breakfast, as would seem:and directly send for Harsch, Captain of the Siege, and even for Loudon, the
GeneralinChief. Negligently guarded, sure enough; nothing in the FLECHE but a few sentries, and these in
the horizontal position, taking their unlawful rest there, after such a morning's work. 'Seize me that,' eagerly
orders Loudon; 'hold that with firm grip!' Which is done; only to step in softly, two battalions of you, and lay
hard hold. Incompetent Quadt, figure in what a flurry, rushing out to recapture his FLECHE,explodes
instead into mere anarchy, whole Companies of him flinging down their arms at their Officers' feet, and the
like. So that Quadt is totally driven in again, Austrians along with him; and is obliged to beat
chamade;D'O following the example, about an hour after, without even a capitulation. Was there ever seen
such a defence! Major Unruh, one of a small minority, was Prussian, and stanch; here is Unruh's personal
experience,testimony on D'O's Trial, I suppose,and now pretty much the one thing worth reading on this
subject.
"MAJOR ULZRUH TESTIFIES: 'At four in the morning, 26th July, 1760,
the Enemy began to cannonade the Old Fortress [that of Quadt]; and about nine, I was ordered with 150 men
to clear the Envelope from Austrians. Just when I had got to the DammGate, halt was called. I asked the
Commandant, who was behind me, which way I should march; to the Crownwork or to the Envelope?
Being answered, To the Envelope, I found on coming out at the FieldGate nothing but an Austrian
Lieutenantcolonel and some men. He called to me, "There had been chamade beaten, and I was not to run
into destruction (MICH UNGLUCKLICH MACHEN)!" I offered him Quarter; and took him in effect
prisoner, with 20 of his best men; and sent him to the Commandant, with request that he would keep my rear
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free, or send me reinforcement. I shot the Enemy a great many people here; chased him from the FieldGate,
and out of both the Envelope and the Redoubt called the Crane [that is the FLECHE itself, only that the
Austrians are mostly not now there, but gone THROUGH into the interior there!]Returning to the
FieldGate, I found that the Commandant had beaten chamade a second time; there were marching in, by this
FieldGate, two battalions of the Austrian Regiment ANDLAU; I had to yield myself prisoner, and was taken
to General Loudon. He asked me, "Don't you know the rules of war, then; that you fire after chamade is
beaten?" I answered in my heat, "I knew of no chamade; what poltroonery or what treachery had been going
on, I knew not!" Loudon answered, "You might deserve to have your head laid at your feet, Sir! Am I here to
inquire which of you shows bravery, which poltroonery?"' [Seyfarth, ii. 652.] A blazing Loudon, when the
fire is up!"
After the Peace, D'O had CourtMartial, which sentenced him to death, Friedrich making it perpetual
imprisonment: "Perhaps not a traitor, only a blockhead!" thought Friedrich. He had been recommended to his
post by Fouquet. What Trenck writes of him is, otherwise, mostly lies.
Thus is the southern Key of Silesia (one of the two southern Keys, Neisse being the other) lost to Friedrich,
for the first time; and Loudon is like to drive a trade there; "Will absolutely nothing prosper with us, then?"
Nothing, seemingly, your Majesty! Heavier news Friedrich scarcely ever had. But there is no help. This too
he has to carry with him as he can into the Meissen Country. Unsuccessful altogether; beaten on every hand.
Human talent, diligence, endeavor, is it but as lightning smiting the Serbonian Bog? Smite to the last, your
Majesty, at any rate; let that be certain. As it is, and has been. That is always something, that is always a great
thing.
Friedrich intends no pause in those Meissen Countries. JULY 30th, on his march northward, he detaches
Hulsen with the old 10,000 to take Camp at Schlettau as before, and do his best for defence of Saxony against
the Reichsfolk, numerous, but incompetent; he himself, next day, passes on, leaving Meissen a little on his
right, to Schieritz, some miles farther down,intending there to cross Elbe, and make for Silesia without loss
of an hour. Need enough of speed thither; more need than even Friedrich supposes! Yesterday, July 30th,
Loudon's Vanguard came blockading Breslau, and this day Loudon himself;though Friedrich heard
nothing, anticipated nothing, of that dangerous fact, for a week hence or more.
Soltikof's and Loudon's united intentions on Silesia he has well known this long while; and has been
perpetually dunning Prince Henri on the subject, to no purpose,only hoping always there would probably
be no great rapidity on the part of these discordant Allies. Friedrich's feelings, now that the contrary is
visible, and indeed all through the Summer in regard to the SoltikofLoudon Business, and the
FouquetHenri method of dealing with it, have been painful enough, and are growing ever more so. Cautious
Henri never would make the smallest attack on Soltikof, but merely keep observing him;the end of which,
what can the end of it be? urges Friedrich always: "Condense yourselves; go in upon the Russians, while they
are in separate corps;"and is very illsatisfied with the languor of procedures there. As is the Prince with
such reproaches, or implied reproaches, on said languor. Nor is his humor cheered, when the King's bad
predictions prove true. What has it come to? These Letters of King and Prince are worth reading,if indeed
you can, in the confusion of Schoning (a somewhat exuberant man, loud rather than luminous);so curious
is the Private Dialogue going on there at all times, in the background of the stage, between the Brothers. One
short specimen, extending through the June and July just over,specimen distilled faithfully out of that huge
jumbling sea of Schaning, and rendered legible,the reader will consent to.
DIALOGUE OF FRIEDRICH AND HENRI (from their Private Correspondence: June 7thJuly 29th, 1760).
FRIEDRICH (June 7th; before his first crossing Elbe: Henri at Sagan; he at Schlettau, scanning the waste of
fatal possibilities). ... Embarrassing? Not a doubt, of that! "I own, the circumstances both of us are in are like
to turn my head, three or four times a day." Loudon aiming for Neisse, don't you think? Fouquet all in the
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wrong."One has nothing for it but to watch where the likelihood of the biggest misfortune is, and to run
thither with one's whole strength."
henri ... "I confess I am in great apprehension for Colberg:" shall one make thither; think you? Russians,
8,000 as the first instalment of them, have ARRIVED; got to Posen under Fermor, June 1st:so the
Commandant of Glogau writes me (see enclosed).
FRIEDRICH (June 9th). Commandant of Glogau writes impossibilities: Russians are not on march yet, nor
will be for above a week.
"I cross Elbe, the 15th. I am compelled to undertake something of decisive nature, and leave the rest to
chance. For desperate disorders desperate remedies. My bed is not one of roses. Heaven aid us: for human
prudence finds itself fall short in situations so cruel and desperate as ours." [Schoning, ii. 313 ("Meissen
Camp, 7th June, 1760"); ib. ii. 317 ("9th June").]
HENRI. Hm, hm, ha (Nothing but carefully collected rumors, and wiredrawn auguries from them, on the
part of Henri; very intense inspection of the chickenbowels,hardly ever without a shake of the head).
FRIEDRICH (June 26th; has heard of the Fouquet disaster). ... "Yesterday my heart was torn to pieces [news
of Landshut, Fouquet's downfall there], and I felt too sad to be in a state for writing you a sensible Letter; but
today, when I have come to myself a little again, I will send you my reflections. After what has happened to
Fouquet, it is certain Loudon can have no other design but on Breslau [he designs Glatz first of all]: it will be
the grand point, therefore, especially if the Russians too are bending thither, to save that Capital of Silesia.
Surely the Turks must be in motion:if so, we are saved; if not so, we are lost! Today I have taken this
Camp of Dobritz, in order to be more collected, and in condition to fight well, should occasion rise,and in
case all this that is said and written to me about the Turks is TRUE [which nothing of it was], to be able to
profit by it when the time comes." [Schoning, ii. 341 ("GrossDobritz, 26th June, 1760").]
HENRI (simultaneously, June 26th: Henri is forward from Sagan, through Frankfurt, and got settled at
Landsberg, where he remains through the rest of the Dialogue). ... Tottleben, with his Cossacks, scouring
about, got a check from us,nothing like enough. "By all my accounts, Soltikof, with the gross of the
Russians, is marching for Posen. The other rumors and symptoms agree in indicating a separate Corps, under
Fermor, who is to join Tottleben, and besiege Colberg: if both these Corps, the Colberg and the Posen one,
act, in concert, my embarrassment will be extreme. ... I have just had news of what has befallen General
Fouquet. Before this stroke, your affairs were desperate enough; now I see but too well what we have to look
for." [Ib. ii. 339 ("Landsberg, 26th June, 1760").] (How comforting!)
FRIEDRICH. "Would to God your prayers for the swift capture of Dresden had been heard; but unfortunately
I must tell you, this stroke has failed me. ... Dresden has been reduced to ashes, third part of the Altstadt lying
burnt;contrary to my intentions: my orders were, To spare the City, and play the Artillery against the
works. My Minister Graf von Finck will have told you what occasioned its being set on fire." [Schoning, ii.
361 ("2d3d July").]
HENRI (July 26th; Dresden Siege gone awry). ... "I am to keep the Russians from Frankfurt, to cover Glogau,
and prevent a besieging of Breslau! All that forms an overwhelming problem;which I, with my whole
heart, will give up to somebody abler for it than I am." [Ib. ii. 369371 ("Landsherg, 26th July").]
FRIEDRICH (29th July; quits the Trenches of Dresden this night). ... "I have seen with pain that you
represent everything to yourself on the black side. I beg you, in the name of God, my dearest Brother, don't
take things up in their blackest and worst shape:it is this that throws your mind into such an indecision,
which is so lamentable. Adopt a resolution rather, what resolution you like, but stand by it, and execute it
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with your whole strength. I conjure you, take a fixed resolution; better a bad than none at all. ... What is
possible to man, I will do; neither care nor consideration nor effort shall be spared, to secure the result of my
plans. The rest depends on circumstances. Amid such a number of enemies, one cannot always do what one
will, but must let them prescribe." [Ib. ii. 370372 ("Leubnitz, before Dresden, 29th July, 1760").]
An uncomfortable little Gentleman; but full of faculty, if one can manage to get good of it! Here, what might
have preceded all the above, and been preface to it, is a pretty passage from him; a glimpse he has had of
SansSouci, before setting out on those gloomy marchings and cunctatory hagglings. Henri writes (at
Torgau, April 26th, just back from Berlin and farewell of friends):
"I mean to march the day after tomorrow. I took arrangements with General Fouquet [about that long
finespun Chain of Posts, where we are to do such service?]the Black Hussars cannot be here till
tomorrow, otherwise I should have marched a day sooner. My Brother [poor little invalid Ferdinand]
charged me to lay him at your feet. I found him weak and thin, more so than formerly. Returning hither, the
day before yesterday, I passed through Potsdam; I went to SansSouci [April 24th, 1760]:all is green
there; the Garden embellished, and seemed to me excellently kept. Though these details cannot occupy you at
present, I thought it would give you pleasure to hear of them for a moment." [Schoning, ii. 233 ("Torgau,
26th April, 1760").] Ah, yes; all is so green and blessedly silent there: sight of the lost Paradise, actually IT,
visible for a moment yonder, far away, while one goes whirling in this manner on the illimitable wracking
winds!
Here finally, from a distant part of the WarTheatre, is another Note; which we will read while Friedrich is at
Schieritz. At no other place so properly; the very date of it, chief date (July 31st), being by accident
synchronous with Schieritz:
DUKE FERDINAND'S BATTLE OF WARBURG (31st July, 1760).
Duke Ferdinand has opened his difficult Campaign; and especially just while that Siege of Dresden blazed
and endedhas had three sharp Fights, which were then very loud in the Gazettes, along with it. Three once
famous Actions; which unexpectedly had little or no result, and are very much forgotten now. So that bare
enumeration of them is nearly all we are permitted here. Pitt has furnished 7,000 new English, this
Campaign,there are now 20,000 English in all, and a Duke Ferdinand raised to 70,000 men. Surely, under
good omens, thinks Pitt; and still more think the Gazetteers, judging by appearances. Yes: but if Broglio have
130,000, what will it come to? Broglio is two to one; and has, before this, proved himself a considerable
Captain.
Fight FIRST is that of KORBACH (July 10th): of Broglio, namely, who has got across the River Ohm in
Hessen (to Ferdinand's great disgust with the General Imhof in command there), and is streaming on to seize
the Diemel River, and menace Hanover; of Broglio, in successive sections, at a certain "Pass of Korbach,"
VERSUS the Hereditary Prince (ERBPRINZ of Brunswick), who is waiting for him there in one good
section,and who beautifully hurls back one and another of the Broglio sections; but cannot hurl back the
whole Broglio Army, all marching by sections that way; and has to retire, back foremost, fencing sharply,
still in a diligently handsome manner, though with loss. [Mauvillon, ii. 105.] That is the Battle of Korbach,
fought July 10th,while Lacy streamed through Dresden, panting to be at Plauen Chasm, safe at last.
Fight SECOND (July 16th) was a kind of revenge on the Erbprinz's part: Affair of EMSDORF, six days after,
in the same neighborhood; beautiful too, said the Gazetteers; but of result still more insignificant. Hearing of
a considerable French Brigade posted not far off, at that Village of Emsdorf, to guard Broglio's mealcarts
there, the indignant Erbprinz shoots off for that; light of foot,English horse mainly, and Hill Scots
(BERGSCHOTTEN so called, who have a fine free stride, in summer weather);dashes in upon said
Brigade (Dragoons of Bauffremont and other picked men), who stood firmly on the defensive; but were cut
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up, in an amazing manner, root and branch, after a fierce struggle, and as it were brought home in one's
pocket. To the admiration of military circles,especially of messrooms and the junior sort. "Elliot's light
horse [part of the new 7,000], what a regiment! Unparalleled for willingness, and audacity of fence; lost 125
killed,"in fact, the loss chiefly fell on Elliot. [Ib. ii. 109 (Prisoners got "were 2,661, including General and
Officers 179," with all their furnitures whatsoever, "400 horses, 8 cannon," The BERG SCHOTTEN too,I
think it was here that these kilted fellows, who had marched with such a stride, "came home mostly riding:"
poor Beauffremont Dragoons being entirely cut up, or pocketed as prisoners, and their horses ridden in this
unexpected manner! But we must not linger,hardly even on WARBURG, which was the THIRD and
greatest; and has still points of memorability, though now so obliterated.
"Warburg," says my Note on this latter, "is a pleasant little Hessian Town, some twentyfive miles west of
Cassel, standing on the north or left bank of the Diemel, among fruitful knolls and hollows. The famous
'BATTLE OF WARBURG,'if you try to inquire in the Town itself, from your brief railwaystation, it is
much if some intelligent inhabitant, at last, remembers to have heard of it! The thing went thus: Chevalier du
Muy, who is Broglio's Rear guard or Reserve, 30,000 foot and horse, with his back to the Diemel, and eight
bridges across it in case of accident, has his right flank leaning on Warburg, and his left on a Village of
Ossendorf, some two miles to northwest of that. Broglio, Prince Xavier of Saxony, especially Duke
Ferdinand, are all vehemently and mysteriously moving about, since that Fight of Korbach; Broglio intent to
have Cassel besieged, Du Muy keeping the Diemel for him; Ferdinand eager to have the Diemel back from
Du Muy and him.
"Two days ago (July 29th), the Erbprinz crossed over into these neighborhoods, with a strong Vanguard,
nearly equal to Du Muy; and, after studious reconnoitring and survey had, means, this morning (July 31st), to
knock him over the Diemel again, if he can. No time to be lost; Broglio near and in such force. Duke
Ferdinand too, quitting Broglio for a moment, is on march this way; crossed the Diemel, about midnight,
some ten miles farther down, or eastward; will thence bend southward, at his best speed, to support the
Erbprinz, if necessary, and beset the Diemel when got; Erbprinz not, however, in any wise, to wait for
him; such the pressure from Broglio and others. A most busy swiftgoing scene that morning;hardly worth
such describing at this date of time.
"The Erbprinz, who is still rather to northeastward, that is to rightward, not directly frontward, of Du Muy's
lines; and whose plan of attack is still dark to Du Muy, commences [about 8 A.M., I should guess] by
launching his British Legion so called,which is a composite body, of FreeCorps nature, British some of it
('Colonel Beckwith's people,' for example), not British by much the most of it, but an aggregate of wild
strikers, given to plunder too:by launching his British Legion upon Warburg Town, there to take charge of
Du Muy's right wing. Which Legion, 'with great rapidity, not only pitched the French all out, but clean
plundered the poor Town;' and is a sad sore on Du Muy's right, who cannot get it attended to, in the ominous
aspects elsewhere visible. For the Erbprinz, who is a strategic creature, comes on, in the style of Friedrich,
not straight towards Du Muy, but sweeps out in two columns round northward; privately intending upon Du
Muy's left wing and frontleft wing, right wing, (by British Legion), and front, all three;and is well aided
by a mist which now fell, and which hung on the higher ground, and covered his march, for an hour or more.
This mist had not begun when he saw, on the knolltops, far off on the right, but indisputable as he flattered
himself, something of Ferdinand emerging! Saw this; and pours along, we can suppose, with still better
step and temper. And bursts, pretty simultaneously, upon Du Muy's right wing and left wing, coercing his
front the while; squelches both these wings furiously together; forces the coerced centre, mostly horse, to
plunge back into the Diemel, and swim. Horse could swim; but many of the Foot, who tried, got drowned.
And, on the whole, Du Muy is a good deal wrecked [1,600 killed, 2,000 prisoners, not to speak of cannon and
flags], and, but for his eight bridges, would have been totally ruined.
"The fight was uncommonly furious, especially on Du Muy's left; 'Maxwell's Brigade' going at it, with the
finest bayonetpractice, musketry, artillerypractice; obstinate as bears. On Du Muy's right, the British
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Legion, left wing, British too by name, had a much easier job. But the fight generally was of hot and stubborn
kind, for hours, perhaps two or more;and some say, would not have ended so triumphantly, had it not been
for Duke Ferdinand's Vanguard, Lord Granby and the English Horse; who, warned by the noise ahead,
pushed on at the top of their speed, and got in before the death. Granby and the Blues had gone at the high
trot, for above five miles; and, I doubt not, were in keen humor when they rose to the gallop and slashed in.
Mauvillon says, 'It was in this attack that Lord Granby, at the head of the Blues, his own regiment, had his hat
blown off; a big bald circle in his head rendering the loss more conspicuous. But he never minded; stormed
still on,' bare bald head among the helmets and sabres; 'and made it very evident that had he, instead of
Sackville, led at Minden, there had been a different story to tell. The English, by their valor,' adds he, 'greatly
distinguished themselves this day. And accordingly they suffered by far the most; their loss amounting to 590
men:' or, as others count,out of 1,200 killed and wounded, 800 were English." [Mauvillon, ii. 114. Or
better, in all these three cases, as elsewhere, Tempelhof's specific Chapter on Ferdinand (Tempelhof, iv.
101122). Ferdinand's Despatch (to King George), in Knesebeck, ii. 9698;or in the Old Newspapers
( Gentleman's Magazine, xxx. 386, 387), where also is Lord Granby's Despatch.]
This of Granby and the bald head is mainly what now renders Warburg memorable. For, in a year or two, the
excellent Reynolds did a Portrait of Granby; and by no means forgot this incident; but gives him
bareheaded, bare and bald; the oblivious British connoisseur not now knowing why, as perhaps he ought.
The portrait, I suppose, may be in Belvoir Castle; the artistic Why of the baldness is this BATTLE OF
WARBURG, as above. An Affair otherwise of no moment. Ferdinand had soon to quit the Diemel, or to find
it useless for him, and to try other methods,fencing gallantly, but too weak for Broglio; and, on the whole,
had a difficult Campaign of it, against that considerable Soldier with forces so superior.
Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ.
Friedrich stayed hardly one day in Neissen Country; Silesia, in the jaws of destruction, requiring such speed
from him. His new Series of Marches thitherward, for the next two weeks especially, with Daun and Lacy,
and at last with Loudon too, for escort, are still more singular than the foregoing; a fortnight of Soldier
History such as is hardly to be paralleled elsewhere. Of his inward gloom one hears nothing. But the Problem
itself approaches to the desperate; needing daily new invention, new audacity, with imminent destruction
overhanging it throughout. A March distinguished in Military Annals;but of which it is not for us to
pretend treating. Military readers will find it in TEMPELHOF, and the supplementary Books from time to
time cited here. And, for our own share, we can only say, that Friedrich's labors strike us as abundantly
Herculean; more Alcideslike than ever,the rather as hopes of any success have sunk lower than ever. A
modern Alcides, appointed to confront Tartarus itself, and be victorious over the Threeheaded Dog. Daun,
Lacy, Loudon coming on you simultaneously, openmouthed, are a considerable Tartarean Dog! Soldiers
judge that the King's resources of genius were extremely conspicuous on this occasion; and to all men it is in
evidence that seldom in the Arena of this Universe, looked on by the idle Populaces and by the eternal Gods
and Antigods (called Devils), did a Son of Adam fence better for himself, now and throughout.
This, his Third march to Silesia in 1760, is judged to be the most forlorn and ominous Friedrich ever made
thither; real peril, and ruin to Silesia and him, more imminent than even in the old Leuthen days. Difficulties,
complicacies very many, Friedrich can foresee: a Daun's Army and a Lacy's for escort to us; and such a
Silesia when we do arrive. And there is one complicacy more which he does not yet know of; that of Loudon
waiting ahead to welcome him, on crossing the Frontier, and increase his escort thenceforth!Or rather, let
us say, Friedrich, thanks to the despondent Henri and others, has escaped a great Silesian Calamity;of
which he will hear, with mixed emotions, on arriving at Bunzlau on the Silesian Frontier, six days after
setting out. Since the loss of Glatz (July 26th), Friedrich has no news of Loudon; supposes him to be trying
something upon Neisse, to be adjusting with his slow Russians; and, in short, to be out of the dismal
accountcurrent just at present. That is not the fact in regard to Loudon; that is far from the fact.
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LOUDON IS TRYING A STROKEOFHAND ON BRESLAU, IN THE GLATZ FASHION, IN THE
INTERIM (July 30thAugust 3d).
Hardly above six hours after taking Glatz, swift Loudon, no Daun now tethering him (Daun standing, or
sitting, "in relief of Dresden" far off), was on march for BreslauVanguard of him "marched that same
evening (July 26th):" in the liveliest hope of capturing Breslau; especially if Soltikof, to whom this of Glatz
ought to be a fine symbol and pledge, make speed to cooperate. Soltikof is in no violent enthusiasm about
Glatz; anxious rather about his own Magazine at Posen, and how to get it carted out of Henri's way, in case of
our advancing towards some Silesian Siege. "If we were not ruined last year, it was n't Daun's fault!" growls
he often; and Montalembert has need of all his suasive virtues (which are wonderful to look at, if anybody
cared to look at them, all flung into the sea in this manner) for keeping the barbarous man in any approach to
harmony. The barbarous man had, after haggle enough, adjusted himself for besieging Glogau; and is surly to
hear, on the sudden (order from Petersburg reinforcing Loudon), that it is Breslau instead. "Excellenz, it is
not Cunctator Daun this time, it is fiery Loudon." "Well, Breslau, then!" answers Soltikof at last, after much
suasion. And marches thither; [Tempelhof, iv. 8789 ("Rose from Posen, July 26th").] faster than usual,
quickened by new temporary hopes, of Montalembert's raising or one's own: "What a placeofarms, and
place of victual, would Breslau be for us, after all!"
And really mends his pace, mends it ever more, as matters grow stringent; and advances upon Breslau at his
swiftest: "To rendezvous with Loudon under the walls there,within the walls very soon, and ourselves
chief proprietor!"as may be hoped. Breslau has a garrison of 4,000, only 1,000 of them stanch; and there
are, among other bad items, 9,000 Austrian Prisoners in it. A big City with weak walls: another place to
defend than rock hewn little Glatz,if there be no better than a D'O for Commandant in it! But perhaps
there is.
"WEDNESDAY, 30th JULY, Loudon's Vanguard arrived at Breslau; next day Loudon himself;and
besieged Breslau very violently, according to his means, till the Sunday following. Troops he has plenty,
40,000 odd, which he gives out for 50 or even 60,000; not to speak of Soltikof, 'with 75,000' (read 45,000),
striding on in a fierce and dreadful manner to meet him here. 'Better surrender to Christian Austrians, had not
you?' Loudon's Artillery is not come up, it is only struggling on from Glatz; Soltikof of his own has no
SiegeArtillery; and Loudon judges that heavyfooted Soltikof, waited on by an alert Prince Henri, is a
problematic quantity in this enterprise. 'Speedy oneself; speedy and fiery!' thinks Loudon: 'by violence of
speed, of bullying and bombardment, perhaps we can still do it!' And Loudon tried all these things to a high
stretch; but found in Tauentzien the wrong man.
"THURSDAY, 3lst, Loudon, who has two bridges over Oder, and the Town begirt all round, summons
Tauentzien in an awful sounding tone: 'Consider, Sir: no defence possible; a trading Town, you ought not to
attempt defence of it: surrender on fair terms, or I shall, which God forbid, be obliged to burn you and it from
the face of the world!' 'Pooh, pooh,' answers Tauentzien, in brief polite terms; 'you yourselves had no doubt it
was a Garrison, when we besieged you here, on the heel of Leuthen; had you? Go to!' Fiery Loudon cannot
try storm, the Town having Oder and a wet ditch round it. He gets his bombarding batteries forward, as the
one chance he has, aided by bullying. And tomorrow,
"FRIDAY, AUGUST 1st, sends, half officially, half in the friendly way, dreadful messages again: a warning
to the Mayor of Breslau (which was not signed by Loudon), 'Death and destruction, Sir, unless'!warning
to the Mayor; and, by the same private half official messenger, a new summons to Tauentzien:
'Bombardment infallible; universal massacre by Croats; I will not spare the child in its mother's womb.' 'I am
not with child,' said Tauentzien, 'nor are my soldiers! What is the use of such talk?' And about 10 that night,
Loudon does accordingly break out into all the fire of bombardment he is master of. Kindles the Town in
various places, which were quenched again by Tauentzien's arrangements; kindles especially the King's fine
Dwellinghouse (Palace they call it), and adjacent streets, not quenchable till Palace and they are much
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ruined. Will this make no impression? Far too little.
"Next morning Loudon sends a private messenger of conciliatory tone: 'Any terms your Excellency likes to
name. Only spare me the general massacre, and child in the mother's womb!' From all which Tauentzien
infers that you are probably short of ammunition; and that his outlooks are improving. That day he gets guns
brought to bear on General Loudon's own quarter; blazes into Loudon's sittingroom, so that Loudon has to
shift elsewhither. No bombardment ensues that night; nor next day anything but desultory cannonading, and
much noise and motion;and at night, SUNDAY, 3d, everything falls quiet, and, to the glad amazement of
everybody, Loudon has vanished." [Tempelhof, iv. 90100; Archenholtz, ii. 8994; HOFBERICHT VON
DER BELAGERUNG VON BRESLAU IM AUGUST 1760 (in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 688698); also in
HeldenGeschichte, vi. 299309: in Anonymous of Hamburg (iv. 115124), that is, in the OLD
NEWSPAPERS, extremely particular account, How "not only the finest Horse in Breslau, and the finest
House [King's Palace], but the handsomest Man, and, alas, also the prettiest Girl [poor Jungfer Muller,
shattered by a bombshell on the streets], were destroyed in this short Siege,"worldfamous for the
moment. Preuss, ii. 246.]
Loudon had no other shift left. This Sunday his Russians are still five days distant; alert Henri, on the
contrary, is, in a sense, come to hand. Crossed the Katzbach River this day, the Vanguard of him did, at
Parchwitz; and fell upon our Bakery; which has had to take the road. "Guard the Bakery, all hands there,"
orders Loudon; "off to Striegau and the Hills with it;"and is himself gone thither after it, leaving Breslau,
Henri and the Russians to what fate may be in store for them. Henri has again made one of his winged
marches, the deft creature, though the despondent; "march of 90 miles in three days [in the last three, from
Glogau, 90; in the whole, from Landsberg, above 200], and has saved the State," says Retzow. "Made no
camping, merely bivouacked; halting for a rest four or five hours here and there;" [Retzow, ii. 230 (very
vague); in Tempelhof (iv. 89, 90, 9597) clear and specific account.] and on August 5th is at Lissa (this side
the Field of Leuthen); making Breslau one of the gladdest of cities.
So that Soltikof, on arriving (village of Hundsfeld, August 8th), by the other side of the River, finds Henri's
advanced guards intrenched over there, in Old Oder; no Russian able to get within five miles of
Breslau,nor able to do more than cannonade in the distance, and ask with indignation, "Where are the
siegeguns, then; where is General Loudon? Instead of Breslau capturable, and a sure Magazine for us, here
is Henri, and nothing but steel to eat!" And the Soltikof risen into Russian rages, and the Montalembert sunk
in difficulties: readers can imagine these. Indignant Soltikof, deaf to suasion, with this dangerous Henri in
attendance, is gradually edging back; always rather back, with an eye to his provisions, and to certain bogs
and woods he knows of. But we will leave the SoltikofHenri end of the line, for the opposite end, which is
more interesting.To Friedrich, till he got to Silesia itself, these events are totally unknown. His cunctatory
Henri, by this winged march, when the moment came, what a service has he done!
Tauentzien's behavior, also, has been superlative at Breslau; and was never forgotten by the King. A very
brave man, testifies Lessing of him; true to the death: "Had there come but three, to rally with the King under
a bush of the forest, Tauentzien would have been one." Tauentzien was on the ramparts once, in this Breslau
pinch, giving orders; a bomb burst beside him, did not injure him. "Mark that place," said Tauentzien; and
clapt his hat on it, continuing his orders, till a more permanent mark were put. In that spot, as intended
through the next thirty years, he now lies buried. [ MilitairLexikon, iv. 7275; Lessing's Werke;
FRIEDRICH ON MARCH, FOR THE THIRD TIME, TO RESCUE SILESIA (August 1st15th).
AUGUST 1st, Friedrich crossed the Elbe at Zehren, in the Schieritz vicinity, as near Meissen as he could; but
it had to be some six miles farther down, such the liabilities to Austrian disturbance. All are across that
morning by 5 o'clock (began at 2); whence we double back eastward, and camp that night at Dallwitz,are
quietly asleep there, while Loudon's bombardment bursts out on Breslau, far away! At Dallwitz we rest next
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day, wait for our Bakeries and Baggages; and SUNDAY, AUGUST 3d, at 2 in the morning, set forth on the
forlornest adventure in the world.
The arrangements of the March, foreseen and settled beforehand to the last item, are of a perfection beyond
praise;as is still visible in the General Order, or summary of directions given out; which, to this day, one
reads with a kind of satisfaction like that derivable from the Fortyseventh of Euclid: clear to the meanest
capacity, not a word wanting in it, not a word superfluous, solid as geometry. "The Army marches always in
Three Columns, left Column foremost: our First Line of Battle [in case we have fighting] is this foremost
Column; Second Line is the Second Column; Reserve is the Third. All Generals' chaises, moneywagons,
and regimental Surgeons' wagons remain with their respective Battalions; as do the Heavy Batteries with the
Brigades to which they belong. When the march is through woody country, the Cavalry regiments go in
between the Battalions [to be ready against Pandour operations and accidents].
"With the First Column, the Ziethen Hussars and FreeBattalion Courbiere have always the vanguard;
Mohring Hussars and Free Battalion Quintus [speed to you, learned friend!] the rearguard. With the
Second Column always the Dragoon regiments Normann and Krockow have the vanguard; Regiment
Czetteritz [Dragoons, poor Czetteritz himself, with his lost MANUSCRIPT, is captive since February last],
the rearguard. With the Third Column always the Dragoon regiment Holstein as head, and the ditto
Finkenstein to close the Column.During every march, however, there are to be of the Second Column 2
Battalions joined with Column Third; so that the Third Column consists of 10 Battalions, the Second of 6,
while on march.
"Ahead of each Column go three Pontoon Wagons; and daily are 50 workpeople allowed them, who are
immediately to lay Bridge, where it is necessary. The rearguard of each Column takes up these Bridges
again; brings them on, and returns them to the head of the Column, when the Army has got to camp. In the
Second Column are to be 500 wagons, and also in the Third 500, so shared that each battalion gets an equal
number. The battalions" [In TEMPELHOF (iv. 125, 126) the entire Piece.] ... This may serve as specimen.
The March proceeded through the old Country; a little to left of the track in June past: Roder Water, Pulsnitz
Water; Kamenz neighborhood, Bautzen neighborhood,Bunzlau on Silesian ground. Daun, at
Bischofswerda, had foreseen this March; and, by his Light people, had spoiled the Road all he could; broken
all the Bridges, HALFfelled the Woods (to render them impassable). Daun, the instant he heard of the actual
March, rose from Bischofswerda: forward, forward always, to be ahead of it, however rapid; Lacy, hanging
on the rear of it, willing to give trouble with his Pandour harpies, but studious above all that it should not
whirl round anywhere and get upon his, Lacy's, own throat. One of the strangest marches ever seen. "An
onlooker, who had observed the march of these different Armies," says Friedrich, "would have thought that
they all belonged to one leader. Feldmarschall Daun's he would have taken for the Vanguard, the King's for
the main Army, and General Lacy's for the Rearguard." [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 56.] Tempelhof says: "It
is given only to a Friedrich to march on those terms; between Two hostile Armies, his equals in strength, and
a Third [Loudon's, in Striegau Country] waiting ahead."
The March passed without accident of moment; had not, from Lacy or Daun, any accident whatever. On the
second day, an AidedeCamp of Daun's was picked up, with Letters from Lacy (back of the cards visible to
Friedrich). Once,it is the third day of the March (August 6th, village of Rothwasser to be quarter for the
night), on coming toward Neisse River, some careless Officer, trusting to peasants, instead of examining
for himself and building a bridge, drove his Artillerywagons into the socalled ford of Neisse; which nearly
swallowed the foremost of them in quicksands. Nearly, but not completely; and caused a loss of five or six
hours to that Second Column. So that darkness came on Column Second in the woody intricacies; and several
hundreds of the deserter kind took the opportunity of disappearing altogether. An unlucky, evidently too
languid Officer; though Friedrich did not annihilate the poor fellow, perhaps did not rebuke him at all, but
merely marked it in elucidation of his qualities for time coming." This miserable village of Rothwasser"
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(headquarters after the dangerous fording of Neisse), says Mitchell, "stands in the middle of a wood, almost
as wild and impenetrable as those in North America. There was hardly ground enough cleared about it for the
encampment of the troops." [Mitchell, ii. 190; Tempelhof, iv. 131.] THURSDAY, AUGUST 7th,
Friedrichtraversing the whole Country, but more direct, by Konigsbruck and Kamenz this timeis at
Bunzlau altogether. "Bunzlau on the Bober;" the SILESIAN Bunzlau, not the Bohemian or any of the others.
It is some 30 miles west of Liegnitz, which again lies some 40 northwest of Schweidnitz and the Strong
Places. Friedrich has now done 100 miles of excellent marching; and he has still a good spell more to
do,dragging "2,000 heavy wagons" with him, and across such impediments within and without. Readers
that care to study him, especially for the next few days, will find it worth their while.
Tempelhof gives, as usual, a most clear Account, minute to a degree; which, supplemented by Mitchell and a
Reimann Map, enables us as it were to accompany, and to witness with our eyes. Hitherto a March toilsome
in the extreme, in spite of everything done to help it; starting at 3 or at 2 in the morning; resting to breakfast
in some shady place, while the sun is high, frugally cooking under the shady woods,"BURSCHEN
ABZUKOCHEN here," as the Order pleasantly bears. All encamped now, at Bunzlau in Silesia, on Thursday
evening, with a very eminent week's work behind them. "In the last five days, above 100 miles of road, and
such road; five considerable rivers in it"Bober, Queiss, Neisse, Spree, Elbe; and with such a wagontrain
of 2,000 teams. [Tempelhof, iv. 123150.]
Proper that we rest a day here; in view of the still swifter marchings and sudden dashings about, which lie
ahead. It will be by extremely nimble use of all the limbs we have,hands as well as feet,if any good is to
come of us now! Friedrich is aware that Daun already holds Striegau "as an outpost [Loudon thereabouts,
unknown to Friedrich], these several days;" and that Daun personally is at Schmottseifen, in our own old
Camp there, twenty or thirty miles to south of us, and has his Lacy to leftward of him, partly even to
rearward: rather in advance of US, both of them,if we were for Landshut; which we are not. "Be swift
enough, may not we cut through to Jauer, and get ahead of Daun?" counts Friedrich: "To Jauer, southeast of
us, from Bunzlau here, is 40 miles; and to Jauer it is above 30 east for Daun: possible to be there before
Daun! Jauer ours, thence to the Heights of Striegau and Hohenfriedberg Country, within wind of
Schweidnitz, of Breslau: magazines, union with Prince Henri, all secure thereby?" So reckons the sanguine
Friedrich; unaware that Loudon, with his corps of 35,000, has been summoned hitherward; which will make
important differences! Loudon, Beck with a smaller Satellite Corps, both these, unknown to Friedrich, lie
ready on the east of him: Loudon's Army on the east; Daun's, Lacy's on the south and west; three big Armies,
with their Satellites, gathering in upon this King: here is a Threeheaded Dog, in the Tartarus of a world he
now has! On the fourth side of him is Oder, and the Russians, who are also perhaps building Bridges, by way
of a supplementary or fourth head.
AUGUST 9th (BUNZLAU TO GOLDBERG), Friedrich, with his Three Columns and perfect arrangements,
makes a long march: from Bunzlau at 3 in the morning; and at 5 afternoon arrives in sight of the Katzbach
Valley, with the little Town of Goldberg some miles to right. Katzbach River is here; and Jauer, for
tomorrow, still fifteen miles ahead. But on reconnoitring here, all is locked and bolted: Lacy strong on the
Hills of Goldberg; Daun visible across the Katzbach; Daun, and behind him Loudon, inexpugnably posted:
Jauer an impossibility! We have bread only for eight days; our Magazines are at Schweidnitz and Breslau:
what is to be done? Get through, one way or other, we needs must! Friedrich encamps for the night; expecting
an attack. If not attacked, he will make for Liegnitz leftward; cross the Katzbach there, or farther down at
Parchwitz:Parchwitz, Neumarkt, LEUTHEN, we have been in that country before now:Courage!
AUGUST 10th11th (TO LIEGNITZ AND BACK). At 5 A.M., Sunday, August 10th, Friedrich, nothing of
attack having come, got on march again: down his own left bank of the Katzbach, straight for Liegnitz;
unopposed altogether; not even a Pandour having attacked him overnight. But no sooner is he under way,
than Daun too rises; Daun, Loudon, close by, on the other side of Katzbach, and keep step with us, on our
right; Lacy's light people hovering on our rear:three truculent fellows in buckram; fancy the feelings of the
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wayworn solitary fourth, whom they are gloomily dogging in this way! The solitary fourth does his fifteen
miles to Liegnitz, unmolested by them; encamps on the Heights which look down on Liegnitz over the south;
finds, however, that the LoudonDaun people have likewise been diligent; that they now lie stretched out on
their right bank, three or four miles upstream or to rearward, and what is far worse, seven miles downwards,
or ahead: that, in fact, they are a march nearer Parchwitz than he;and that there is again no possibility.
"Perhaps by Jauer, then, still? Out of this, and at lowest, into some vicinity of bread, it does behoove us to
be!" At 11 that night Friedrich gets on march again; returns the way he came. And,
AUGUST 11th, At daybreak, is back to his old ground; nothing now to oppose him but Lacy, who is gone
across from Goldberg, to linger as rear of the DaunLoudon march. Friedrich steps across on Lacy, thirsting
to have a stroke at Lacy; who vanishes fast enough, leaving the ground clear. Could but our baggage have
come as fast as we! But our baggage, Quintus guarding and urging, has to groan on for five hours yet; and
without it, there is no stirring. Five mortal hours;by which time, Daun, Lacy, Loudon are all up again;
between us and Jauer, between us and everything helpful; and Friedrich has to encamp in Seichau,"a
very poor Village in the Mountains," writes Mitchell, who was painfully present there, "surrounded on all
sides by Heights; on several of which, in the evening, the Austrians took camp, separated from us by a deep
ravine only." [Mitchell, ii. 194.]
Outlooks are growing very questionable to Mitchell and everybody. "Only four days' provisions" (in reality
six), whisper the Prussian Generals gloomily to Mitchell and to one another: "Shall we have to make for
Glogau, then, and leave Breslau to its fate? Or perhaps it will be a second Maxen to his Majesty and us, who
was so indignant with poor Finck?" My friends, no; a Maxen like Finck's it will never be: a very different
Maxen, if any! But we hope better things.
Friedrich's situation, grasped in the Threelipped Pincers in this manner, is conceivable to readers. Soltikof,
on the other side of Oder, as supplementary or fourth lip, is very impatient with these three. "Why all this
dodging, and fidgeting to and fro? You are above three to one of your enemy. Why don't you close on him at
once, if you mean it at all? The end is, He will be across Oder; and it is I that shall have the brunt to bear:
Henri and he will enclose me between two fires!" And in fact, Henri, as we know, though Friedrich does not
or only half does, has gone across Oder, to watch Soltikof, and guard Breslau from any attempts of his,
which are far from HIS thoughts at this moment;a Soltikof fuming violently at the thought of such
cunctations, and of being made cat'spaw again. "Know, however, that I understand you," violently fumes
Soltikof, "and that I won't. I fall back into the Trebnitz BogCountry, on my own right bank here, and look
out for my own safety.""Patience, your noble Excellenz," answer they always; "oh, patience yet a little!
Only yesterday (Sunday, 10th) the day after his arrival in this region), we had decided to attack and crush
him; Sunday very early: [Tempelhof, iv. 137, 148150.] but he skipped away to Liegnitz. Oh, be patient yet a
day or two: he skips about at such a rate!" Montalembert has to be suasive as the Muses and the Sirens.
Soltikof gloomily consents to another day or two. And even, such his anxiety lest this swift King skip over
upon HIM, pushes out a considerable Russian Division, 24,000 ultimately, under Czernichef, towards the
King's side of things, towards Auras on Oder, namely,there to watch for oneself these interesting Royal
movements; or even to join with Loudon out there, if that seem the safer course, against them. Of Czernichef
at Auras we shall hear farther on,were these Royal movements once got completed a little.
MORNING OF AUGUST 12th, Friedrich has, in his bad lodging at Seichau, laid a new plan of route:
"Towards Schweidnitz let it be; round by Pombsen and the southeast, by the Hillroads, make a sweep
flankward of the enemy!"and has people out reconnoitring the Hillroads. Hears, however, about 8
o'clock, That Austrians in strength are coming between us and Goldberg! "Intending to enclose us in this bad
pot of a Seichau; no crossing of the Katzbach, or other retreat to be left us at all?" Friedrich strikes his tents;
ranks himself; is speedily in readiness for dispute of such extremity;sends out new patrols, however, to
ascertain. "Austrians in strength" there are NOT on the side indicated; whereupon he draws in again. But,
on the other hand, the Hillroads are reported absolutely impassable for baggage; Pombsen an impossibility,
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as the other places have been. So Friedrich sits down again in Seichau to consider; does not stir all day. To
Mitchell's horror, who, "with great labor," burns all the legationary ciphers and papers ("impossible to save
the baggage if we be attacked in this hollow pot of a camp"), and feels much relieved on finishing. [Mitchell,
ii. 144; Tempelhof, iv. 144.]
Towards sunset, General Bulow, with the Second Line (second column of march), is sent out Goldbergway,
to take hold of the passage of the Katzbach: and at 8 that night we all march, recrossing there about 1 in the
morning; thence down our left bank to Liegnitz for the second time,sixteen hours of it in all, or till noon of
the 13th. Mitchell had been put with the Cavalry part; and "cannot but observe to your Lordship what a chief
comfort it was in this long, dangerous and painful March," to have burnt one's ciphers and dread secrets quite
out of the way.
And thus, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13th, about noon, we are in our old Camp; Headquarter in the
southern suburb of Liegnitz (a wretched little Tavern, which they still show there, on mythical terms): main
part of the Camp, I should think, is on that range of Heights, which reaches two miles southward, and is now
called "SIEGESBERG (Victory Hill)," from a modern Monument built on it, after nearly 100 years. Here
Friedrich stays one day,more exactly, 30 hours; and his shifting, next time, is extremely memorable.
BATTLE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF LIEGNITZ, DOES ENSUE (Friday morning, 15th August,
1760).
Daun, Lacy and Loudon, the Threelipped Pincers, have of course followed, and are again agape for
Friedrich, all in scientific postures: Daun in the Jauer region, seven or eight miles south; Lacy about
Goldberg, as far to southwest; Loudon "between Jeschkendorf and Koischwitz," northeastward, somewhat
closer on Friedrich, with the Katzbach intervening. That Czernichef, with an additional 24,000, to rear of
Loudon, is actually crossing Oder at Auras, with an eye to junction, Friedrich does not hear till tomorrow.
[Tempelhof, iv. 148151; Mitchell, ii. 197.]
The scene is rather pretty, if one admired scenes. Liegnitz, a square, handsome, brickbuilt Town, of old
standing, in good repair (population then, say 7,000), with fine old castellated edifices and aspects: pleasant
meeting, in level circumstances, of the Katzbach valley with the Schwartzwasser (BLACKWATER) ditto,
which forms the north rim of Liegnitz; pleasant mixture of green poplars and brick towers,as seen from
that "Victory Hill" (more likely to be "ImmediateRuin Hill!") where the King now is. Beyond Liegnitz and
the Schwartzwasser, northwestward, right opposite to the King's, rise other Heights called of Pfaffendorf,
which guard the two streams AFTER their uniting. Kloster Wahlstatt, a famed place, lies visible to southeast,
few miles off. Readers recollect one Blucher "Prince of Wahlstatt," so named from one of his Anti
Napoleon victories gained there? Wahlstatt was the scene of an older Fight, almost six centuries older, [April
9th, 1241 (Kohler, REICHSHISTORIE).]a then Prince of Liegnitz VERSUS hideous Tartar multitudes,
who rather beat him; and has been a CLOISTER Wahlstatt ever since. Till Thursday, 14th, about 8 in the
evening, Friedrich continued in his Camp of Liegnitz. We are now within reach of a notable Passage of War.
Friedrich's Camp extends from the Village of Schimmelwitz, fronting the Katzbach for about two miles,
northeastward, to his Head quarter in Liegnitz Suburb: Daun is on his right and rearward, now come within
four or five miles; Loudon to his left and frontward, four or five, the Katzbach separating Friedrich and him;
Lacy lies from Goldberg northeastward, to within perhaps a like distance rearward: that is the position on
Thursday, 14th. Provisions being all but run out; and three Armies, 90,000 (not to count Czernichef and his
24,000 as a fourth) watching round our 30,000, within a few miles; there is no staying here, beyond this day.
If even this day it be allowed us? This day, Friedrich had to draw out, and stand to arms for some hours;
while the Austrians appeared extensively on the Heights about, apparently intending an attack; till it proved
to be nothing: only an elaborate reconnoitring by Daun; and we returned to our tents again.
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Friedrich understands well enough that Daun, with the facts now before him, will gradually form his plan,
and also, from the lie of matters, what his plan will be: many are the times Daun has elaborately reconnoitred,
elaborately laid his plan; but found, on coming to execute, that his Friedrich was off in the interim, and the
plan gone to air. Friedrich has about 2,000 wagons to drag with him in these swift marches: Glogau
Magazine, his one resource, should Breslau and Schweidnitz prove unattainable, is fortyfive long miles
northwestward. "Let us lean upon Glogau withal," thinks Friedrich; "and let us be out of this straightway!
March tonight; towards Parchwitz, which is towards Glogau too. Army rest till daybreak on the Heights of
Pfaffendorf yonder, to examine, to wait its luck: let the empty mealwagons jingle on to Glogau; load
themselves there, and jingle back to us in Parchwitz neighborhood, should Parchwitz not have proved
impossible to our manoeuvrings,let us hope it may not!"Daun and the Austrians having ceased
reconnoitring, and gone home, Friedrich rides with his Generals, through Liegnitz, across the
Schwartzwasser, to the Pfaffendorf Heights. "Here, Messieurs, is our first haltingplace to be: here we shall
halt till daybreak, while the mealwagons jingle on!" And explains to them orally where each is to take post,
and how to behave. Which done, he too returns home, no doubt a wearied individual; and at 4 of the
afternoon lies down to try for an hour or two of sleep, while all hands are busy packing, according to the
Orders given.
It is a fact recorded by Friedrich himself, and by many other people, That, at this interesting juncture, there
appeared at the King's Gate, King hardly yet asleep, a staggering Austrian Officer, Irish by nation, who had
suddenly found good to desert the Austrian Service for the Prussian("Sorrow on them: a pack of"what
shall I say?)Irish gentleman, bursting with intelligence of some kind, but evidently deep in liquor withal.
"Impossible; the King is asleep," said the Adjutant on duty; but produced only louder insistence from the
drunk Irish gentleman. "As much as all your heads are worth; the King's own safety, and not a moment to
lose!" What is to be done? They awaken the King: "The man is drunk, but dreadfully in earnest, your
Majesty." "Give him quantities of weak tea [Tempelhof calls it tea, but Friedrich merely warm water]; then
examine him, and report if it is anything." Something it was: "Your Majesty to be attacked, for certain, this
night!" what his Majesty already guessed:something, most likely little; but nobody to this day knows.
Visible only, that his Majesty, before sunset, rode out reconnoitring with this questionable Irish gentleman,
now in a very flaccid state; and altered nothing whatever in prior arrangements;and that the flaccid Irish
gentleman staggers out of sight, into dusk, into rest and darkness, after this one appearance on the stage of
history. [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 63; Tempelhof, iv. 154.]
From about 8 in the evening, Friedrich's people got on march, in their several columns, and fared punctually
on; one column through the streets of Liegnitz, others to left and to right of that; to left mainly, as remoter
from the Austrians and their listening outposts from beyond the Katzbach River;where the campfires are
burning extremely distinct tonight. The Prussian campfires, they too are all burning uncommonly vivid;
country people employed to feed them; and a few hussar sentries and drummers to make the customary
sounds for Daun's instruction, till a certain hour. Friedrich's people are clearing the North Suburb of Liegnitz,
crossing the Schwartzwasser: artillery and heavy wagons all go by the StoneBridge at Topferberg
(POTTERHILL) there; the lighter people by a few pontoons farther down that stream, in the Pfaffendorf
vicinity. About one in the morning, all, even the right wing from Schimmelwitz, are safely across.
Schwartzwasser, a River of many tails (boggy most of them, Sohnelle or SWIFT Deichsel hardly an
exception), gathering itself from the southward for twenty or more miles, attains its maximum of north at a
place called Waldau, not far northwest of Topferberg. Towards this Waldau, Lacy is aiming all night; thence
to pounce on our "left wing,"which he will find to consist of those empty watch fires merely. Down from
Waldau, past Topferberg and Pfaffendorf (PRIESTtown, or as we should call it, "Preston"), which are all on
its northern or left bank, Schwartzwasser's course is in the form of an irregular horseshoe; high ground to its
northern side, Liegnitz and hollows to its southern; till in an angular way it do join Katzbach, and go with
that, northward for Oder the rest of its course. On the brow of these horseshoe Heights,which run parallel
to Schwartzwasser one part of them, and nearly parallel to Katzbach another (though above a mile distant,
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these latter, from IT),Friedrich plants himself: in Order of Battle; slightly altering some points of the
afternoon's program, and correcting his Generals, "Front rather so and so; see where their fires are, yonder!"
Daun's fires, Loudon's fires; vividly visible both:and, singular to say, there is nothing yonder either but a
few sentries and deceptive drums! All empty yonder too, even as our own Camp is; all gone forth, even as we
are; we resting here, and our mealwagons jingling on Glogau way!
Excellency Mitchell, under horseescort, among the lighter baggage, is on Kuchelberg Heath, in scrubby
country, but well north behind Friedrich's centre: has had a dreadful march; one comfort only, that his ciphers
are all burnt. The rest of us lie down on the grass;among others, young Herr von Archenholtz, ensign or
lieutenant in Regiment FORCADE: who testifies that it is one of the beautifulest nights, the lamps of Heaven
shining down in an uncommonly tranquil manner; and that almost nobody slept. The soldierranks all lay
horizontal, musket under arm; chatting pleasantly in an undertone, or each in silence revolving such thoughts
as he had. The Generals amble like observant spirits, hoarsely imperative. [Archenholtz, ii. 100111.]
Friedrich's line, we observed, is in the horseshoe shape (or PARABOLIC, straighter than horseshoe),
fronting the waters. Ziethen commands in that smaller Schwartzwasser part of the line, Friedrich in the
Katzbach part, which is more in risk. And now, things being moderately in order, Friedrich has himself sat
downI think, towards the middle or convex part of his linesby a watchfire he has found there; and,
wrapt in his cloak, his many thoughts melting into haze, has sunk ito a kind of sleep. Seated on a drum, some
say; half asleep by the watchfire, time halfpast 2,when a Hussar Major, who has been out by the
Bienowitz, the Pohlschildern way, northward, reconnoitring, comes dashing up full speed: "The King? where
is the King?" "What is it, then?" answers the King for himself. "Your Majesty, the Enemy in force, from
Bienowitz, from Pohlschildern, coming on our Left Wing yonder; has flung back all my vedettes: is within
500 yards by this time!"
Friedrich springs to horse; has already an Order speeding forth, "General Schenkendorf and his Battalion,
their cannon, to the crown of the Wolfsberg, on our left yonder; swift!" How excellent that every battalion (as
by Order that we read) "has its own share of the heavy cannon always at hand!" ejaculate the military critics.
Schenkendorf, being nimble, was able to astonish the Enemy with volumes of caseshot from the Wolfsberg,
which were very deadly at that close distance. Other arrangements, too minute for recital here, are rapidly
done; and our Left Wing is in condition to receive its early visitors,Loudon or whoever they may be. It is
still dubious to the HistoryBooks whether Friedrich was in clear expectation of Loudon here; though of
course he would now guess it was Loudon. But there is no doubt Loudon had not the least expectation of
Friedrich; and his surprise must have been intense, when, instead of vacant darkness (and some chance of
Prussian baggage, which he had heard of), Prussian musketries and caseshot opened on him.
Loudon had, as per order, quitted his Camp at Jeschkendorf, about the time Friedrich did his at
Schimmelwitz; and, leaving the lights all burning, had set forward on his errand; which was (also identical
with Friedrich's), to seize the Heights of Pfaffendorf, and be ready there when day broke. scouts having
informed him that the Prussian Baggage was certainly gone through to Topferberg, more his scouts did not
know, nor could Loudon guess,"We will snatch that Baggage!" thought Loudon; and with such view has
been speeding all he could; no vanguard ahead, lest he alarm the Baggage escort: Loudon in person, with the
Infantry of the Reserve, striding on ahead, to devour any Baggageescort there may be. Friedrich's
reconnoitring Hussar parties had confirmed this belief: "Yes, yes!" thought Loudon. And now suddenly,
instead of Baggage to capture, here, out of the vacant darkness, is Friedrich in person, on the brow of the
Heights where we intended to form!
Loudon's behavior, on being hurled back with his Reserve in this manner, everybody says, was magnificent.
Judging at once what the business was, and that retreat would be impossible without ruin, he hastened
instantly to form himself, on such ground as he had, highly unfavorable ground, uphill in part, and room in
it only for Five Battalions (5,000) of front;and came on again, with a great deal of impetuosity and good
skill; again and ever again, three times in all. Had partial successes; edged always to the right to get the flank
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of Friedrich; but could not, Friedrich edging conformably. From his righthand, or northeast part, Loudon
poured in, once and again, very furious charges of Cavalry; on every repulse, drew out new Battalions from
his left and centre, and again stormed forward: but found it always impossible. Had his subordinates all been
Loudons, it is said, there was once a fine chance for him. By this edging always to the northeastward on his
part and Friedrich's, there had at last a considerable gap in Friedrich's Line established itself,not only
Ziethen's Line and Friedrich's Line now fairly fallen asunder, but, at the Village of Panten, in Friedrich's own
Line, a gap where anybody might get in. One of the Austrian Columns was just entering Panten when the
Fight began: in Panten that Column has stood cogitative ever since; well to left of Loudon and his struggles;
but does not, till the eleventh hour, resolve to push through. At the eleventh hour;and lo, in the nick of
time, Mollendorf (our LeuthenandHochkirch friend) got his eye on it; rushed up with infantry and cavalry;
set Panten on fire, and blocked out that possibility and the too cogitative Column.
Loudon had no other real chance: his furious horsecharges and attempts were met everywhere by
corresponding counterfury. Bernburg, poor Regiment Bernburg, see what a figure it is making! Left almost
alone, at one time, among those horsecharges; spending its blood like water, bayonetcharging, platooning
as never before; and on the whole, stemming invincibly that horse torrent,not unseen by Majesty, it may
be hoped; who is here where the hottest pinch is. On the third repulse, which was worse than any before,
Loudon found he had enough; and tried it no farther. Rolled over the Katzbach, better or worse; Prussians
catching 6,000 of him, but not following farther: threw up a tine battery at Bienowitz, which sheltered his
retreat from horse:and went his ways, sorely but not dishonorably beaten, after an hour and half of
uncommonly stiff fighting, which had been very murderous to Loudon. Loss of 10,000 to him: 4,000 killed
and wounded; prisoners 6,000; 82 cannon, 28 flags, and other items; the Prussian loss being 1,800 in whole.
[Tempelhof, iv. 159.] By 5 o'clock, the Battle, this Loudon part of it, was quite over; Loudon (35,000)
wrecking himself against Friedrich's Left Wing (say half of his Army, some 15,000) in such conclusive
manner. Friedrich's Left Wing alone has been engaged hitherto. And now it will be Ziethen's turn, if Daun
and Lacy still come on.
By 11 last night, Daun's Pandours, creeping stealthily on, across the Katzbach, about Schimmelwitz, had
discerned with amazement that Friedrich's Camp appeared to consist only of watchfires; and had shot off
their speediest rider to Daun, accordingly; but it was one in the morning before Daun, busy marching and
marshalling, to be ready at the Katzbach by daylight, heard of this strange news; which probably he could not
entirely believe till seen with his own eyes. What a spectacle! One's beautiful Plan exploded into mere
imbroglio of distraction; become one knows not what! Daun's watch fires too had all been left burning;
universal stratagem, on both sides, going on; producingtragically for some of usa TRAGEDY of Errors,
or the Mistakes of a Night! Daun sallied out again, in his collapsed, upset condition, as soon as possible:
pushed on, in the track of Friedrich; warning Lacy to push on. Daun, though within five miles all the while,
had heard nothing of the furious Fight and cannonade; "southwest wind having risen," so Daun said, and is
believed by candid persons,not by the angry Vienna people, who counted it impossible: "Nonsense; you
were not deaf; but you loitered and haggled, in your usual way; perhaps not sorry that, the brilliant Loudon
should get a rebuff!"
Emerging out of Liegnitz, Daun did see, to northeastward, a vast pillar or mass of smoke, silently mounting,
but could do nothing with it. "Cannonsmoke, no doubt; but fallen entirely silent, and not wending
hitherward at all. Poor Loudon, alas, must have got beaten!" Upon which Daun really did try, at least upon
Ziethen; but could do nothing. Poured cavalry across the Stonebridge at the Topferberg: who drove in
Ziethen's picket there; but were torn to pieces by Ziethen's cannon. Ziethen across the Schwartzwasser is alert
enough. How form in order of battle here, with Ziethen's batteries shearing your columns longitudinally, as
they march up? Daun recognizes the impossibility; wends back through Liegnitz to his Camp again, the way
he had come. Tidehour missed again; ebb going uncommonly rapid! Lacy had been about Waldau, to try
farther up the Schwartzwasser on Ziethen's right: but the Schwartzwasser proved amazingly boggy; not
accessible on any point to heavy people,"owing to bogs on the bank," with perhaps poor prospect on the
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other side too!
And, in fact, nothing of Lacy more than of Daun, could manage to get across: nothing except two poor
Hussar regiments; who, winding up far to the left, attempted a snatch on the Baggage about
Hummeln,Hummeln, or Kuchel of the Scrubs. And gave a new alarm to Mitchell, the last of several during
this horrid night; who has sat painfully blocked in his carriage, with such a Devil's tumult, going on to
eastward, and no sight, share or knowledge to be had of it. Repeated hussar attacks there were on the
Baggage here, Loudon's hussars also trying: but Mitchell's Captain was miraculously equal to the occasion;
and had beaten them all off. Mitchell, by magnanimous choice of his own, has been in many Fights by the
side of Friedrich; but this is the last he will ever be in or near;this miraculous one of Liegnitz, 3 to 4.30
A.M., Friday, August 15th, 1760.
Never did such a luck befall Friedrich before or after. He was clinging on the edge of slippery abysses, his
path hardly a foot's breadth, mere enemies and avalanches hanging round on every side: ruin likelier at no
moment, of his life;and here is precisely the quasimiracle which was needed to save him. Partly by
accident too; the best of management crowned by the luckiest of accidents. [Tempelhof, iv. 151171;
Archenholtz, ubi supra; HO BERICHT VON DER SCHLACHT SO AM 15 AUGUST, 1760, BEY
LIEGNITZ, VORGEFALLEN (Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 696703);
Friedrich rested four hours on the Battlefield,if that could be called rest, which was a new kind of
diligence highly wonderful. Diligence of gathering up accurately the results of the Battle; packing them into
portable shape; and marching off with them in one's pocket, so to speak. MajorGeneral Saldern had charge
of this, a man of many talents; and did it consummately. The wounded, Austrian as well as Prussian, are
placed in the empty mealwagons; the more slightly wounded are set on horseback, double in possible cases:
only the dead are left lying: 100 or more mealwagons are left, their teams needed for drawing our 82 new
cannon;the wagons we split up, no Austrians to have them; usable only as firewood for the poor
Countryfolk. The 4 or 5,000 good muskets lying on the field, shall not we take them also? Each cavalry
soldier slings one of them across his back, each baggage driver one: and the muskets too are taken care of.
About 9 A.M., Friedrich, with his 6,000 prisoners, new cannonteams, sickwagon teams, trophies,
properties, is afoot again. One of the succinctest of Kings.
I should have mentioned the joy of poor Regiment Bernburg; which rather affected me. Loudon gone, the
miracle of Battle done, and this miraculous packing going on,Friedrich riding about among his people,
passed along the front of Bernburg, the eye of him perhaps intimating, "I saw you, BURSCHE;" but no word
coming from him. The Bernburg Officers, tragically tressless in their hats, stand also silent, grim as
blackened stones (all Bernburg black with gunpowder): "In us also is no word; unless our actions perhaps
speak?" But a certain Sergeant, Fugleman, or chief Corporal, stept out, saluting reverentially: "Regiment
Bernburg, IHRO MAJESTAT?" "Hm; well, you did handsomely. Yes, you shall have your sidearms
back; all shall be forgotten and washed out!" "And you are again our Gracious King, then?" says the
Sergeant, with tears in his eyes."GEWISS, Yea, surely!" [Tempelhof, iv. 162164.] Upon which, fancy
what a peal of sound from the ecstatic throat and heart of this poor Regiment. Which I have often thought of;
hearing mutinous blockheads,"glorious Sons of Freedom" to their own thinking, ask their natural
commanding Officer, "Are not we as good as thou? Are not all men equal?" Not a whit of it, you mutinous
blockheads; very far from it indeed!
This was the breaking of Friedrich's imprisonment in the deadly rocklabyrinths; this success at Liegnitz
delivered him into free field once more. For twentyfour hours more, indeed, the chance was still full of
anxiety to him; for twentyfour hours Daun, could he have been rapid, still had the possibilities in
hand;but only Daun's Antagonist was usually rapid. About 9 in the morning, all roadready, this latter
Gentleman "gave three Salvos, as Joyfire, on the field of Liegnitz;" and, in the above succinct shape,
leaving Ziethen to come on, "with the prisoners, the sickwagons and captured cannon," in the
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afternoon,marched rapidly away. For Parchwitz, with our best speed: Parchwitz is the road to Breslau, also
to Glogau,to Breslau, if it be humanly possible! Friedrich has but two days' bread left; on the Breslau road,
at Auras, there is Czernichef with 24,000; there are, or there may be, the Loudon Remnants rallied again, the
Lacy Corps untouched, all Daun's Force, had Daun made any despatch at all. Which Daun seldom did. A man
slow to resolve, and seeking his luck in leisure.
All judges say, Daun ought now to have marched, on this enterprise of still intercepting Friedrich, without
loss of a moment. But he calculated Friedrich would probably spend the day in TEDEUMing on the Field
(as is the manner of some); and that, by tomorrow, things would be clearer to one's own mind. Daun was in
no haste; gave no orders,did not so much as send Czernichef a Letter. Czernichef got one, however.
Friedrich sent him one; that is to say, sent him one TO INTERCEPT. Friedrich, namely, writes a Note
addressed to his Brother Henri: "Austrians totally beaten this day; now for the Russians, dear Brother; and
swift, do what we have agreed on!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 67.] Friedrich hands this to a Peasant, with
instructions to let himself be taken by the Russians, and give it up to save his life. Czernichef, it is thought,
got this Letter; and perhaps rumor itself, and the delays of Daun, would, at any rate, have sent him across.
Across he at once went, with his 24,000, and burnt his Bridge. A vanished Czernichef;though Friedrich is
not yet sure of it: and as for the wandering Austrian Divisions, the Loudons, Lacys, all is dark to him.
So that, at Parchwitz, next morning (August 16th), the question, "To Glogau? To Breslau?" must have been a
kind of sphinxenigma to Friedrich; dark as that, and, in case of error, fatal. After some brief paroxysm of
consideration, Friedrich's reading was, "To Breslau, then!" And, for hours, as the march went on, he was
noticed "riding much about," his anxieties visibly great. Till at Neumarkt (not far from the Field of
LEUTHEN), getting on the Heights there,towards noon, I will guess,what a sight! Before this, he had
come upon Austrian Outparties, Beck's or somebody's, who did not wait his attack: he saw, at one point,
"the whole Austrian Army on march (the tops of its columns visible among the knolls, three miles off,
impossible to say whitherward);" and fared on all the faster, I suppose, such a bet depending;and, in fine,
galloped to the Heights of Neumarkt for a view: "Dare we believe it? Not an Austrian there!" And might be,
for the moment, the gladdest of Kings. Secure now of Breslau, of junction with Henri: fairly winner of the
bet;and can at last pause, and take breath, very needful to his poor Army, if not to himself, after such a
mortal spasm of sixteen days! Daun had taken the Liegnitz accident without remark; usually a stoical man,
especially in other people's misfortunes; but could not conceal his painful astonishment on this new
occasion,astonishment at unjust fortune, or at his own sluggardly cunctations, is not said.
Next day (August 17th), Friedrich encamps at Hermannsdorf, head quarter the Schloss of Hermannsdorf,
within seven miles of Breslau; continues a fortnight there, resting his wearied people, himself not resting
much, watching the dismal miscellany of entanglements that yet remain, how these will settle into
groups,especially what Daun and his Soltikof will decide on. In about a fortnight, Daun's decision did
become visible; Soltikof's not in a fortnight, nor ever clearly at all. Unless it were To keep a whole skin, and
gradually edge home to his victuals. As essentially it was, and continued to be; creating endless negotiations,
and futile overtures and messagings from Daun to his barbarous Friend, endless suasions and troubles from
poor Montalembert,of which it would weary every reader to hear mention, except of the result only.
Friedrich, for his own part, is little elated with these bits of successes at Liegnitz or since; and does not
deceive himself as to the difficulties, almost the impossibilities, that still lie ahead. In answer to D'Argens,
who has written ("at midnight," starting out of bed "the instant the news came"), in zealous congratulation on
Liegnitz, here is a Letter of Friedrich's: well worth reading, though it has been oftener read than almost any
other of his. A Letter which D'Argens never saw in the original form; which was captured by the Austrians or
Cossacks; [See OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 198 (D'Argens himself, "19th October" following), and ib. 191 n.;
Rodenbeck, ii. 31, 36;mention of it in Voltaire, Montalembert, which got copied everywhere, soon stole
into print, and is ever since extensively known.
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Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ. 1402
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FRIEDRICH TO MARQUIS D'ARGENS (at Berlin).
"HERMANNSDORF, near Breslau, 27th August, 1760.
"In other times, my dear Marquis, the Affair of the 15th would have settled the Campaign; at present it is but
a scratch. There will be needed a great Battle to decide our fate: such, by all appearance, we shall soon have;
and then you may rejoice, if the event is favorable to us. Thank you, meanwhile, for all your sympathy. It has
cost a deal of scheming, striving and much address to bring matters to this point. Don't speak to me of
dangers; the last Action costs me only a Coat [torn, useless, only one skirt left, by some rebounding
cannonball?] and a Horse [shot under me]: that is not paying dear for a victory.
"In my life, I was never in so bad a posture as in this Campaign. Believe me, miracles are still needed if I am
to overcome all the difficulties which I still see ahead. And one is growing weak withal. 'Herculean' labors to
accomplish at an age when my powers are forsaking me, my weaknesses increasing, and, to speak candidly,
even hope, the one comfort of the unhappy, begins to be wanting. You are not enough acquainted with the
posture of things, to know all the dangers that threaten the State: I know them, and conceal them; I keep all
the fears to myself, and communicate to the Public only the hopes, and the trifle of good news I may now and
then have. If the stroke I am meditating succeed [stroke on Daun's Anti Schweidnitz strategies, of which
anon], then, my dear Marquis, it will be time to expand one's joy; but till then let us not flatter ourselves, lest
some unexpected bit of bad news depress us too much.
"I live here [Schloss of Hermannsdorf, a seven miles west of Breslau] like a Military Monk of La Trappe:
endless businesses, and these done, a little consolation from my Books. I know not if I shall outlive this War:
but should it so happen, I am firmly resolved to pass the remainder of my life in solitude, in the bosom of
Philosophy and Friendship. When the roads are surer, perhaps you will write me oftener. I know not where
our winterquarters this time are to be! My House in Breslau is burnt down in the Bombardment [Loudon's,
three weeks ago]. Our enemies grudge us everything, even daylight, and air to breathe: some nook, however,
they must leave us; and if it be a safe one, it will be a true pleasure to have you again with me.
"Well, my dear Marquis, what has become of the Peace with France [English Peace]! Your Nation, you see,
is blinder than you thought: those fools will lose their Canada and Pondicherry, to please the Queen of
Hungary and the Czarina. Heaven grant Prince Ferdinand may pay them for their zeal! And it will be the
innocent that suffer, the poor officers and soldiers, not the Choiseuls and... But here is business come on
me. Adieu, dear Marquis; I embrace you.F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 191.]
Two Events, of opposite complexion, a Russian and a Saxon, Friedrich had heard of while at Hermannsdorf,
before writing as above. The Saxon Event is the pleasant one, and comes first.
HULSEN ON THE DURRENBERG, AUGUST 20th. "August 20th, at Strehla, in that SchlettauMeissen
Country, the Reichsfolk and Austrians made attack on Hulsen's Posts, principal Post of them the Durrenberg
(DRYHILL) there,in a most extensive manner; filling the whole region with vague artillerythunder, and
endless charges, here, there, of foot and horse; which all issued in zero and minus quantities; Hulsen standing
beautifully to his work, and Hussar Kleist especially, at one point, cutting in with masterly execution, which
proved general overthrow to the Reichs Project; and left Hulsen master of the field and of his Durrenberg,
PLUS 1,217 prisoners and one Prince among them, and one cannon: a Hulsen who has actually given a kind
of beating to the Reichsfolk and Austrians, though they were 30,000 to his 10,000, and had counted on
making a new Maxen of it." [Archenholts, ii. 114; BERICHT VON DER OM 20 AUGUST 1780 BEY
STREHLA VORGEFALLONEN ACTION (Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 703719).] Friedrich writes a glad
laudatory Letter to Hulsen: "Right, so; give them more of that when they apply next!" [Letter in SCHONING,
ii. 396, "Hermsdorf" (Hermannsdorf), "27th August, 1760."]
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Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ. 1403
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This is a bit of sunshine to the Royal mind, dark enough otherwise. Had Friedrich got done here, right fast
would he fly to the relief of Hulsen, and recovery of Saxony. Hope, in good moments, says, "Hulsen will be
able to hold out till then!" Fear answers, "No, he cannot, unless you get done here extremely soon!"The
Russian Event, full of painful anxiety to Friedrich, was a new Siege of Colberg. That is the sad fact; which,
since the middle of August, has been becoming visibly certain.
SECOND SIEGE OF COLBERG, AUGUST 26th. "Under siege again, that poor Place; and this time the
Russians seem to have made a vow that take it they will. Siege by land and by sea; landtroops direct from
Petersburg, 15,000 in all (8,000 of them came by ship), with endless artillery; and near 40 Russian and
Swedish shipsofwar, big and little, blackening the waters of poor Colberg. August 26th [the day before
Friedrich's writing as above], they have got all things adjusted,the landtroops covered by redoubts to
rearward, ships moored in their batteringplaces;and begin such a bombardment and firing of redhot
balls upon Colberg as was rarely seen. To which, one can only hope old Heyde will set a face of graysteel
character, as usual; and prove a difficult article to deal with, till one get some relief contrived for him.
[Archenholtz, ii. 116: in HeldenGeschichte, (vi.7383), "TAGEBUCH of Siege, 26th August18th
September," and other details.]
Chapter IV. DAUN IN WRESTLE WITH FRIEDRICH IN THE SILESIAN
HILLS.
In spite of Friedrich's forebodings, an extraordinary recoil, in all AntiFriedrich affairs, ensued upon
Liegnitz; everything taking the backward course, from which it hardly recovered, or indeed did not recover at
all, during the rest of this Campaign. Details on the subsequent DaunFriedrich movementswhich went all
aback for Daun, Daun driven into the Hills again, Friedrich hopeful to cut off his bread, and drive him quite
through the Hills, and home againare not permitted us. No human intellect in our day could busy itself
with understanding these thousandfold marchings, manoeuvrings, assaults, surprisals, sudden facingsabout
(retreat changed to advance); nor could the powerfulest human memory, not exclusively devoted to study the
Art Military under Friedrich, remember them when understood. For soldiers, desirous not to be
shamsoldiers, they are a recommendable exercise; for them I do advise Tempelhof and the excellent
German Narratives and Records. But in regard to others A sample has been given: multiply that by the ten,
by the threescore and ten; let the ingenuous imagination get from it what will suffice. Our first duty here to
poor readers, is to elicit from that sea of small things the fractions which are cardinal, or which give human
physiognomy and memorability to it; and carefully suppress all the rest.
Understand, then, that there is a general goingback on the Austrian and Russian part. Czernichef we already
saw at once retire over the Oder. Soltikof bodily, the second day after, deaf to Montalembert, lifts himself to
rearward; takes post behind bogs and bushy grounds more and more inaccessible; ["August 18th, to Trebnitz,
on the road to Militsch" (Tempelhof, iv. 167).] followed by Prince Henri with his best impressiveness for a
week longer, till he seem sufficiently remote and peaceably minded: "Making home for Poland, he," thinks
the sanguine King; "leave Goltz with 12,000 to watch him. The rest of the Army over hither!" Which is done,
August 27th; General Forcade taking charge, instead of Henri,who is gone, that day or next, to Breslau, for
his health's sake. "Prince Henri really ill," say some; "Not so ill, but in the sulks," say others:partly true,
both theories, it is now thought; impossible to settle in what degree true. Evident it is, Henri sat quiescent in
Breslau, following regimen, in more or less pathetic humor, for two or three months to come; went afterwards
to Glogau, and had private theatricals; and was no more heard of in this Campaign. Greatly to his Brother's
loss and regret; who is often longing for "your recovery" (and return hither), to no purpose.
Soltikof does, in his heart, intend for Poland; but has to see the Siege of Colberg finish first; and, in decency
even to the Austrians, would linger a little: "Willing I always, if only YOU prove feasible!" Which occasions
such negotiating, and messaging across the Oder, for the next six weeks, asas shall be omitted in this place.
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By intense suasion of Montalembert, Soltikof even consents to undertake some sham movement on Glogau,
thereby to alleviate his Austrians across the River; and staggers gradually forward a little in that
direction:sham merely; for he has not a siegegun, nor the least possibility on Glogau; and Goltz with the
12,000 will sufficiently take care of him in that quarter.
Friedrich, on junction with Forcade, has risen to perhaps 50,000; and is now in some condition against the
DaunLoudonLacy Armies, which cannot be double his number. These still hang about, in the
BreslauParchwitz region; gloomy of humor; and seem to be aiming at Schweidnitz,if that could still
prove possible with a Friedrich present. Which it by no means does; though they try it by their best
combinations;by "a powerful Chain of Armyposts, isolating Schweidnitz, and uniting Daun and Loudon;"
by "a Camp on the Zobtenberg, as crown of the same;"and put Friedrich on his mettle. Who, after survey
of said Chain, executes (night of August 30th) a series of beautiful manoeuvres on it, which unexpectedly
conclude its existence:"with unaccountable hardihood," as Archenholtz has it, physiognomically TRUE to
Friedrich's general style just now, if a little incorrect as to the case in hand, "sees good to march direct, once
for all, athwart said Chain; right across its explosive cannonadings and it,counter cannonading, and
marching rapidly on; such a march for insolence, say the Austrians!" [Archenholtz (ii. 115116); who is in a
hurry, dateless, and rather confuses a subsequent DAY (September 18th) with this "night of August 30th."
See RETZOW, ii. 26; and still better, TEMPELHOF, iv. 203.] Till, in this way, the insolent King has
Schweidnitz under his protective hand again; and forces the Chain to coil itself wholly together, and roll into
the Hills for a safe lodging. Whither he again follows it: with continual changes of position, vying in
inaccessibility with your own; threatening your mealwagons; trampling on your skirts in this or the other
dangerous manner; marching insolently up to your very nose, more than once ("Dittmannsdorf, September
18th," for a chief instance), and confusing your best schemes. [Tempelhof, iv. 193231; in Anonymous of
Hamburg, iv. 222235, "Diary of the AUSTRIAN Army" (38th September).]
This "insolent" style of management, says Archenholtz, was practised by Julius Caesar on the Gauls; and
since his time by nobody,till Friedrich, his studious scholar and admirer, revived it "against another
enemy." "It is of excellent efficacy," adds Tempelhof; "it disheartens your adversary, and especially his
common people, and has the reverse effect on your own; confuses him in endless apprehensions, and details
of selfdefence; so that he can form no plan of his own, and his overpowering resources become useless to
him." Excellent efficacy,only you must be equal to doing it; not unequal, which might be very fatal to you!
For about five weeks, Friedrich, eminently practising this style, has a most complex multifarious Briarean
wrestle with big Daun and his LacyLoudon Satellites; who have a troublesome time, running hither, thither,
under danger of slaps, and finding nowhere an available mistake made. The scene is that intricate
HillCountry between Schweidnitz and Glatz (kind of GLACIS from Schweidnitz to the Glatz Mountains):
Daun, generally speaking, has his back on Glatz, Friedrich on Schweidnitz; and we hear of encampings at
Kunzendorf, at BUNZELWITZ, at BURKERSDORFplaces which will be more famous in a coming Year.
Daun makes no complaint of his Lacy Loudon or other satellite people; who are diligently circumambient
all of them, as bidden; but are unable, like Daun himself, to do the least good; and have perpetually, Daun
and they, a bad life of it beside this Neighbor. The outer world, especially the Vienna outer world, is naturally
a little surprised: "How is this, Feldmarschall Daun? Can you do absolutely nothing with him, then; but sit
pinned in the Hills, eating sour herbs!"
In the Russians appears no help. Soltikof on Glogau, we know what that amounts to! Soltikof is evidently
intending home, and nothing else. To all Austrian proposals,and they have been manifold, as poor
Montalembert knows too well,the answer of Soltikof was and is: "Above 90,000 of you circling about,
helping one another to do Nothing. Happy were you, not a doubt of it, could WE be wiled across to you, to
get worried in your stead!" Daun begins to be extremely illoff; provisions scarce, are far away in Bohemia;
and the roads daily more insecure, Friedrich aiming evidently to get command of them altogether. Think of
such an issue to our once flourishing Campaign 1760! Daun is vigilance itself against such fatality; and will
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do anything, except risk a Fight. Here, however, is the fatal posture: Since September 18th, Daun sees
himself considerably cut off from Glatz, his provisionroad more and more insecure;and for fourteen days
onward, the King and he have got into a deadlock, and sit looking into one another's faces; Daun in a more
and more distressed mood, his provender becoming so uncertain, and the Winter season drawing nigh. The
sentries are in mutual view: each Camp could cannonade the other; but what good were it? By a tacit
understanding they don't. The sentries, outposts and vedettes forbear musketry; on the contrary, exchange
tobaccoes sometimes, and have a snatch of conversation. Daun is growing more and more unhappy. To which
of the gods, if not to Soltikof again, can he apply?
Friedrich himself, successful so far, is abundantly dissatisfied with such a kind of success;and indeed
seems to be less thankful to his stars than in present circumstances he ought. Profoundly wearied we find
him, worn down into utter disgust in the Small War of Posts: "Here we still are, nose to nose," exclaims he
(see Letters TO HENRI), "both of us in unattackable camps. This Campaign appears to me more
unsupportable than any of the foregoing. Take what trouble and care I like, I can't advance a step in regard to
great interests; I succeed only in trifles. ... Oh for good news of your health: I am without all assistance here;
the Army must divide again before long, and I have none to intrust it to." [Schoning, ii. 416.]
And TO D'ARGENS, in the same bad days: "Yes, yes, I escaped a great danger there [at Liegnitz]. In a
common War it would have signified something; but in this it is a mere skirmish; my position little improved
by it. I will not sing Jeremiads to you; nor speak of my fears and anxieties, but can assure you they are great.
The crisis I am in has taken another shape; but as yet nothing decides it, nor can the development of it be
foreseen. I am getting consumed by slow fever; I am like a living body losing limb after limb. Heaven stand
by us: we need it much. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 193 ("Dittmannsdorf, 18th September," day after, or day
of finishing, that cannonade).] ... You talk always of my person, of my dangers. Need I tell you, it is not
necessary that I live; but it is that I do my duty, and fight for my Country to save it if possible. In many
LITTLE things I have had luck: I think of taking for my motto, MAXIMUS IN MINIMIS, ET MINIMUS IN
MAXIMIS. A worse Campaign than any of the others: I know not sometimes what will become of it. But
why weary you with such details of my labors and my sorrows? My spirits have forsaken me. All gayety is
buried with the Loved Noble Ones whom my heart was bound to. Adieu."
Or, again, TO HENRI: Berlin? Yes; I am trying something in bar of that. Have a bad time of it, in the
interim." Our means, my dear Brother, are so eaten away; far too short for opposing the prodigious number of
our enemies set against us:if we must fall, let us date our destruction from the infamous Day of Maxen!"
Is in such health, too, all the while: "Am a little better, thank you; yet have still the"what shall we say
(dreadful biliary affair)?"HEMORRHOIDES AVEUGLES: nothing that, were it not for the disquietudes I
feel: but all ends in this world, and so will these. ... I flatter myself your health is recovering. For these three
days in continuance I have had so terrible a cramp, I thought it would choke me;it is now a little gone. No
wonder the chagrins and continual disquietudes I live in should undermine and at length overturn the
robustest constitution." [Schoning, ii. 419: "2d October." Ib. ii. 410: "16th September." Ib. ii. 408.]
Friedrich, we observe, has heard of certain RussianAustrian intentions on Berlin; but, after intense
consideration, resolves that it will behoove him to continue here, and try to dislodge Daun, or help Hunger to
dislodge him; which will be the remedy for Berlin and all things else. There are news from Colberg of
welcome tenor: could Daun be sent packing, Soltikof, it is probable, will not be in much alacrity for
Berlin!September 18th, at Dittmannsdorf, was the first day of Daun's deadlock: ever since, he has had to
sit, more and more hampered, pinned to the Hills, eating sour herbs; nothing but Hunger ahead, and a retreat
(battle we will not dream of), likely to be very ruinous, with a Friedrich sticking to the wings of it. Here is the
Note on Colberg:
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SEPTEMBER 18th, COLHERG SIEGE RAISED. "The same September 18th, what a day at Colberg too! it
is the twentyfourth day of the continual bombardment there. Colberg is black ashes, most of its houses
ruins, not a house in it uninjured. But Heyde and his poor Garrison, busy day and night, walk about in it as if
fireproof; with a great deal of battle still left in them. The King, I know not whether Heyde is aware, has
contrived something of relief; General Werner coming:the fittest of men, if there be possibility. When, see,
September 18th, uneasy motion in the Russian intrenchments (for the Russians too are intrenched against
attack): Something that has surprised the Russians yonder. Climb, some of you, to the highest surviving
steeple, highest chimneytop if no steeple survive:Yonder IS Werner come to our relief, O God the
Merciful!"
"Werner, with 5,000, was detached from Glogau (September 5th), from Goltz's small Corps there; has come
as on wings, 200 miles in thirteen days. And attacks now, as with wings, the astonished Russian 15,000, who
were looking for nothing like him,with wings, with claws, and with beak; and in a highly aquiline manner,
fierce, swift, skilful, storms these intrenched Russians straightway, scatters them to pieces,and next day is
in Colberg, the Siege raising itself with great precipitation; leaving all its artilleries and furnitures, rushing on
shipboard all of it that can get,the very shipsofwar, says Archenholtz, hurrying dangerously out to sea,
as if the Prussian Hussars might possibly take THEM. A glorious Werner! A beautiful defence, and ditto
rescue; which has drawn the world's attention." [Seyfarth, ii. 634; Archenholtz, ii. 116: in
HeldenGeschichte, (vi. 7383), TAGEBUCH of Siege.]
Heyde's defence of Colberg, Werner's swift rescue of it, are very celebrated this Autumn. Medals were struck
in honor of them at Berlin, not at Friedrich's expense, but under Friedrich's patronage; who purchased silver
or gold copies, and gave them about. Veteran Heyde had a Letter from his Majesty, and one of these gold
Medals;what an honor! I do not hear that Heyde got any other reward, or that he needed any. A beautiful
old Hero, voiceless in History; though very visible in that remote sphere, if you care to look.
That is the news from Colberg; comfortable to Friedrich; not likely to inspire Soltikof with new alacrity in
behalf of Daun. It remains to us only to add, that Friedrich, with a view to quicken Daun, shot out (September
24th, after nightfall, and with due mystery) a Detachment towards Neisse,4,000 or so, who call themselves
15,000, and affect to be for Mahren ultimately. "For Mahren, and my bit of daily bread!" Daun may well
think; and did for some time think, or partly did. Pushed off one small detachment really thither, to look after
Mahren; and (September 29th) pushed off another bigger; Lacy namely, with 15,000, pretending to be
thither,but who, the instant they were out of Friedrich's sight, have whirled, at a rapid pace, quite into the
opposite direction: as will shortly be seen! Daun has now other irons in the fire. Daun, ever since this fatal
Deadlock in the Hills, has been shrieking hoarsely to the Russians, day and night; who at last take pity on
him,or find something feasible in his proposals.
THE RUSSIANS MAKE A RAID ON BERLIN, FOR RELIEF OF DAUN AND THEIR OWN BEHOOF
(October 3d12th, 1760).
Powerful entreaties, influences are exercised at Petersburg, and here in the Russian Camp: "Noble Russian
Excellencies, for the love of Heaven, take this man off my windpipe! A sally into Brandenburg: oh, could not
you? Lacy shall accompany; seizure of Berlin, were it only for one day!" Soltikof has falleu sick,and,
indeed, practically vanishes from our affairs at this point;Fermor, who has command in the interim, finally
consents: "Our poor siege of Colberg, what an end is come to it! What an end is the whole Campaign like to
have! Let us at least try this of Berlin, since our hands are empty." The joy of Daun, of Montalembert, and of
everybody in Austrian Court and Camp may be conceived.
Russians to the amount of 20,000, Czernichef Commander; Tottleben Second in command, a clever soldier,
who knows Berlin: these are to start from Sagan Country, on this fine Expedition, and to push on at the very
top of their speed. September 20th, Tottleben, with 3,000 of them as Vanguard, does accordingly cross Oder,
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at Beuthen in Sagan Country; and strides forward direct upon Berlin: Lacy, with 15,000, has started from
Silesia, we saw how, above a week later (September 29th), but at a still more furious rate of speed.
Soltikof,theoretically Soltikof, but practically Fermor, should the dim German Books be ambiguous to any
studious creature, with the Main Army (which by itself is still a 20,000 odd), moves to Frankfurt, to
support the swift Expedition, and be within two marches of it. Here surely is a feasibility! Berlin, for defence,
has nothing but weak palisades; and of effective garrison 1,200 men.
And feasible, in a sort, this thing did prove; indisputably delivering Daun from strangulation in the Silesian
Mountains; filling the Gazetteer mind with loud emotion of an empty nature; and very much affecting many
poor people in Berlin and neighborhood. Making a big Chapter in Berlin Local History; though compressible
to small bulk for strangers, who have no specific sympathies in that locality.
"FRIDAY, 3d OCTOBER, 1760, Tottleben, with his hasty Vanguard of 3,000, preceded by hastier rumor,
comes circling round Berlin environs; takes post at the Halle Gate [West side of the City]; summons Rochow
[the same old Commandant of Haddick's time]; requires instant admittance; ransom of Four million
Thalers, and other impossible things. Berlin has been putting itself in some posture; repairing its palisades,
throwing up bits of redoubts in front of the gates, and, though sounding with alarms and uncertainties, shows
a fine spirit of readiness for the emergency. Rochow is still Commandant, the same old Rochow who shrunk
so questionably in Haddick's time: but Rochow has no Court to tremble for at present; Queen and Royal
Family, Archives, Principal Ministries, Directorium in a body, went all to Magdeburg again, on the
Kunersdorf Disaster last year, and are safe from such insults. The spirit of the population, it appears, even of
the rich classes, some of whom are very rich, is extraordinary. Besides Rochow, moreover, there are, by
accident, certain Generals in Berlin: Seidlitz and two others, recovering from their Kunersdorf hurts, who
step into the breach with heart admirably willing, if with limbs still lame. Then there is old Fieldmarshal
Lehwald [Anti Russian at Gross Jagersdorf, but dismissed as too old], who is official Governor of Berlin,
who succeeded poor Keith in that honorable office: all these were strong for defence;and do not now
grudge, great men as they are, to take each his Gate of Berlin, his small redoubt thrown up there, and pass the
night and the day in doing his utmost with it.
"Rochow refuses the surrender, and the Four Millions pure specie; and Tottleben, about 3 P.M. in an
intermittent way, and about 5 in a constant, begins bombardinggrenadoes, redhot balls, what he
can;and continues the still 3 next morning. Without result to speak of; Seidlitz and Consorts making good
counterplay; the poor old 1,200 of Garrison growing almost young again with energy, under their Seidlitzes;
and the population zealously cooperating, especially quenching all fires that rose. What greatly contributed
withal was the arrival of Prince Eugen overnight. Eugen of Wurtemberg [cadet of that bad Duke] had been
engaged driving home the Swedes, but instantly quitted that with a 5,000 he had; and has marched this
day,his Vanguard has, mostly Horse, whom the Foot will follow tomorrow,a distance of forty miles,
on this fine errand. Delicate manoeuvring, by these wearied horsemen, to enter Berlin amid uncertain
jostlings, under the shine of Russian bombardment; ecstatic welcome to them, when they did get in, instant
subscription for fat oxen to them; a just abundance of beef to them, of generous beer I hope not more than an
abundance: phenomena which, with others of the like, could be dwelt on, had we room. [Tempelhof, iv.
266290; Archenholtz, ii. 122148; HeldenGeschichte, vi. 103149, 350352;
"Tottleben, under these omens, found it would not do; wended off towards his Czernichef next morning;
eastward again as far as Copenik, Prince Eugen attending him in a minatory manner: and, in Berlin for the
moment, the bad ten hours were over. For four days more, the fate of things hung dubious; hope soon fading
again, but not quite going out till the fifth day. And this, in fact, was mainly all of bombardment that the City
had to suffer; though its fate of capture was not to be averted. Is not Tottleben gone? Yes; but Lacy, marching
at a rate he never did before (except from Bischofswerda), is arrived in the environs this same evening,
cautious but furious. The King is far away; what are Eugen's 5,000 against these?
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"On the other hand, Hulsen, leaving his Saxon affairs to their chance,which, alas, are about extinct, at any
rate; except Wittenberg, all Saxony gone from us!Hulsen is on winged march hitherward with about 9,000.
'How would the King come on wings, like an eagle from the Blue, if he were but aware!' thought everybody,
and said. Hulsen did arrive on the 8th; so that there are now 14,000 of us. Hulsen did;but no King could;
the King is just starting (October 4th, the King, on these bad rumors about Saxony, about Berlin, quitted the
attempt on Daun; October 7th, got on march hitherward; has finished his first march hitherward,Daun
gradually preparing to attend him in the distance),when Hulsen arrives. And here are all their Lacys,
Czernichefs fairly assembled; five to two of us,35,000 of them against our 14,000.
"Hulsen and Eugen, drawn out in their skilfulest way, manoeuvred about, all this Wednesday, 8th; attempted,
did not attempt; found on candid examination, That 14,000 VERSUS 35,000 ran a great risk of being
worsted; that, in such case, the fate of the City might be still more frightful; and that, on the whole, their one
course was that of withdrawing to Spandau, and leaving poor Berlin to capitulate as it could. Capitulation
starts again with Tottleben that same night; Gotzkowsky, a magnanimous Citizen and Merchant Prince,
stepping forth with beautiful courageous furtherances of every kind; and it ends better than one could have
hoped: Ransom not of Four Millions pure specie (which would have been 600,000 pounds): 'Gracious Sir,
it is beyond our utmost possibility!'but of One and a Half Million in modern Ephraim coin; with a 30,000
pounds of douceurmoney to the common man, Russian and Austrian, for his forbearance;'for the rest, we
are at your Excellency's mercy, in a manner!' And so,
"THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9th, about 7 in the morning, Tottleben marches in; exactly six days since he first
came circling to the Halle Gate and began bombarding. Tottleben, knowing Friedrich, knew the value of
despatch; and, they say, was privately no enemy to Berlin, remembering old grateful days here. For Tottleben
has himself been in difficulties; indeed, was never long out of them, during the long stormy life he had. Not a
Russian at all; though I suppose Father of the now Russian Tottlebens whom one hears of: this one was a
poor Saxon Gentleman, Page once to poor old drunken Weissenfels, whom, for a certain fair soul's sake, we
sigh to remember! Weissenfels dying, Tottleben became a soldier of Polish Majesty's;acceptable soldier,
but disagreed with Bruhl, for which nobody will like him worse. Disagreed with Bruhl; went into the Dutch
service (may have been in Fontenoy for what I know); was there till AixlaChapelle, till after
AixlaChapelle; kindly treated, and promoted in the Dutch Army; but with outlooks, I can fancy, rather
dull. Outlooks probably dull in such an element,when, being a handsome fellow in epaulettes (Major
General, in fact, though poor), he, diligently endeavoring, caught the eye of a Dutch WestIndian Heiress;
soft creature with no end of money; whom he privately wedded, and ran away with. To the horror of her
appointed Dutch Lover and Friends; who prosecuted the poor MajorGeneral with the utmost rigor, not of
Law only. And were like to be the ruin of his fair WestIndian and him; when Friedrich, about 1754 as I
guess, gave him shelter in Berlin; finding no insupportable objection in what the man had done. The rather, as
his Heiress and he were rich. Tottleben gained general favor in Berlin society; wished, in 1756, to take
service with Friedrich on the breaking out of this War. 'A Colonel with me, yes,' said Friedrich. But Tottleben
had been MajorGeneral among the Dutch, and could not consent to sink; had to go among the Russians for a
MajorGeneralcy; and there and elsewhere, for many years coming, had many adventures, mostly
troublesome, which shall not be memorable to us here. [Sketch of Tottleben's Life; in RODENBECK, ii.
6972.]
"Lacy, who, after hovering about in these vicinities for four days, had now actually come up, so soon as
Eugen and Hulsen withdrew, was deeply disgusted at the Terms of Capitulation; angry to find that
Tottleben had concluded without him; and, in fact, flew into open rage at the arrangements Tottleben had
made for himself and for others. 'No admittance, except on order from his Excellency!' said the Russian
Sentry to Lacy's Austrians: upon which, Lacy forced the Gate, and violently marched in. Took lodging, to his
own mind, in the Friedrichstadt quarter; and was fearfully truculent upon person and property, during his
short stay. A scandal to be seen, how his Croats and loose hordes went openly ravening about, bent on mere
housebreaking, streetrobbery and insolent violence. So that Tottleben had fairly to fire upon the vagabonds
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once or twice; and force on the unwilling Lacy some coercion of them within limits. For the three days of his
continuance,it was but three days in all,Lacy was as the evil genius of Berlin; Tottleben and his
Russians the good. Their discipline was so excellent; all Cossacks and loose rabble strictly kept out beyond
the Walls. To Bachmann, Russian Commandant, the Berliners, on his departure, had gratefully got ready a
moneygift of handsome amount: 'By no means,' answered Bachmann: 'your treatment was according to the
mildness of our Sovereign Czarina. For myself, if I have served you in anything, the fact that for three days I
have been Commandant of the Great Friedrich's Capital is more than a reward to me.'
"Tottleben and Lacy, during those three days of Russian and Austrian joint dominion, had a stormy time of it
together. 'Destroy the LAGERHAUS,' said Lacy: LagerHaus, where they manufacture their soldiers'
uniforms; it is the parent of all clothmanufacturing in Prussia; set up by Friedrich Wilhelm,not on
freetrade principles. 'The LagerHaus, say you? I doubt, it is now private property; screened by our
Capitulation;'which it proves to be. 'You shall blow up the Arsenal!' said Lacy, with vehemence and
truculence. A noble edifice, as travellers yet know: fancy its fragments flying about among the populous
streets, plunging through the roofs of Palaces, and great houses all round. Lacy was inexorable; Tottleben had
to send a Russian Party (one wishes they had been Croats) on this sad errand. They proceeded to the
PowderMagazine for explosive material, as preliminary; they were rash in handling the gunpowder there,
which blew up in their hands; sent itself and all of them into the air; and saved the poor Arsenal: 'Not powder
enough now left for our own artillery uses,' urged Tottleben.
"Saxon and Austrian Parties were in the Palaces about,at Potsdam, at Charlottenburg, Schonhausen (the
Queen's), at Friedrichsfeld (the Margraf Karl's), some of whom behaved well, some horribly ill. In
Charlottenburg, certain Saxon BruhlDragoons, who by their conduct might have been Dragoons of Attila,
smashed the furnitures, the doors, cutting the Pictures, much maltreating the poor people; and, what was
reckoned still more tragical, overset the poor Polignac Collection of Antiques and Classicalities; not only
knocking off noses and arms, but beating them small, lest reparation by cement should be possible. Their
Officers, Pirna people, looking quietly on. A scandalous proceeding, thought everybody, friend or
foe,especially thought Friedrich; whose indignation at this ruin of Charlottenburg came out in way of
reprisal by and by. At Potsdam, on the other hand, Prince Esterhazy, with perhaps Hungarians among his
people, behaved like a very Prince; received from the Castellan an Attestation that he had scrupulously
respected everything; and took, as souvenir, only one Picture of little value; Prince de Ligne, who was under
him, carrying off, still more daintily, one goosequill, immortal by having been a pen of the Great Friedrich's.
"Tottleben, with no feeling other than Official tempered by Human, was in great contrast with Lacy, and very
beneficent to Berlin during the three days it lay under the TRIBULA, or harrow of War. But the Tutelary
Angel of Berlin, then and afterwards for weeks and months, till all scores got settled, was the Gotzkowsky
mentioned above." Whom we shall see again helpful at Leipzig; a man worth marking in these tumults. "If
Tottleben was the temporal Armed King, this Gotzkowsky was the Spiritual King, PAPA or Universal Father,
armed only with charities, pieties, prayers, ever shiningly attended by selfsacrifices on Gotzkowsky's part;
which averted woes innumerable (LagerHaus only one of a long list); and which 'surpassed all belief,' write
the Berlin Magistracy, as if in tears over such heroism. Truly a Prince of Merchants, this Gotzkowsky, not for
his vast enterprises, and the mere 1,500 workmen he employs, but for the still greater heart that dwells in him.
Had begun as a travelling Pedler; used to call at Reinsberg, with female haberdasheries exquisitely chosen
('GALLANTERIE wares' the Germans call them), for the then Princess Royal; not unnoticed by Friedrich,
who recognized the broad sense, solidity and great thoughts of the man. Of all which Friedrich has known far
more since then, in various branches of Prussian commerce improved by Gotzkowsky's managements. A
truly notable Gotzkowsky; became bankrupt at last, one is sorry to hear; and died in affliction and
neglect,short of the humblest wages for so much good work done in the world! [Preuss, ii. 257,
GESCHICHTE EINES PATRIOTISCHEN KAUFMANNS (Berlin, 1769, by Gotzkowsky himself).]
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"Gotzkowsky's House was like a general storeroom for everybody's preciosities; his time, means, self were
the refuge of all the needy. In Zorndorf time, when this Czernichef [if readers can remember], who is now so
supreme,Czernichef, Soltikof and others,had nothing for it but to lodge in the cellars of burnt Custrin,
Gotzkowsky, with ready money, with advice, with assuagement, had been their DEUS EX MACHINA: and
now Czernichef remembers it; and Gotzkowsky, as Papa, has to go with continual prayers, negotiations,
counsellings, expedients, and be the refuge of all unjustly suffering men Berlin has immensities of trade in
warfurnitures: the capitals circulating are astonishing to Archenholtz; million on the back of million; no
such city in Germany for trade. The desire of the Threedays Lacy Government is towards any LagerHaus;
any mass of wealth, which can be construed as Royal or connected with Royalty. Ephraim and Itzig, mint
masters of that coppercoinage; rolling in foul wealth by the ruin of their neighbors; ought not these to bleed?
Well, yes,if anybody; and copiously if you like! I should have said so: but the generous Gotzkowsky said
in his heart, 'No;' and again pleaded and prevailed. Ephraim and Itzig, foul swollen creatures, were not
broached at all; and their gratitude was, That, at a future day, Gotzkowsky's day of bankruptcy, they were
hardest of any on Gotzkowsky.
"Archenholtz and the Books are enthusiastically copious upon Gotzkowsky and his procedures; but we must
be silent. This Anecdote only, in regard to Freedom of the Press,to the socalled 'air we breathe, not
having which we die!' Would modern Friends of Progress believe it? Because, in former stages of this War,
the Berlin Newspapers have had offensive expressions (scarcely noticeable to the microscope in our day, and
below calculation for smallness) upon the Russian and Austrian Sovereigns or Peoples,the Able Editors
(there are only Two) shall now in person, here in the marketplace of Berlin, actually run the gantlet for
it,'run the rods (GASSENLAUFEN'), as the fashion now is; which is worse than GANTLET, not to speak
of the ignominy. That is the barbaric Russian notion: 'who are you, illformed insolent persons, that give a
loose to your tongue in that manner? Strip to the waistband, swift! Here is the true career opened for you: on
each hand, one hundred sharp rods ranked waiting you; run your courses there,no hurry more than you
like!' The alternative of death, I suppose, was open to these Editors; Roman death at least, and martyrdom for
a new Faith (Faith in the Loose Tongue), very sacred to the Democratic Ages now at hand. But nobody seems
to have thought of it; Editors and Public took the thing as a 'sorrow incident to this dangerous Profession of
the Tongue Loose (or looser than usual); which nobody yet knew to be divine. The Editors made passionate
enough lamentation, in the stript state; one of then, with loud weeping, pulled off his wig, showed icegray
hair; 'I am in my 68th year!' But it seems nothing would have steaded them, had not Gotzkowsky been busy
interceding. By virtue of whom there was pardon privately in readiness: to the icegray Editor complete
pardon; to the junior quasicomplete; only a few switches to assert the principle, and dismissal with
admonition." [ Helden Geschichte, vi. 103148; Rodenbeck, ii. 4154; Archenholtz, ii. 130147; Preuss,
UBI SUPRA:
The pleasant part of the fact is, that Gotzkowsky's powerful intercessions were thenceforth no farther needed.
The same day, Saturday, October 11th, a few hours after this of the GASSEN LAUFEN, news arrived full
gallop: "The King is coming!" After which it was beautiful to see how all things got to the gallop; and in a
notime Berlin was itself again. That same evening, Saturday, Lacy took the road, with extraordinary
velocity, towards Torgau Country, where the Reichsfolk, in Hulsen's absence, are supreme; and, the second
evening after, was got 60 miles thitherward. His joint dominion had been of Two days. On the morning of
Sunday, 12th, went Tottleben, who had businesses, settlements of ransom and the like, before marching.
Tottleben, too, made uncommon despatch; marched, as did all these invasive Russians, at the rate of thirty
miles a day; their Main Army likewise moving off from Frankfurt to a safer distance. Friedrich was still five
marches off; but there seemed not a moment to lose.
The Russian spoilings during the retreat were more horrible than ever: "The gallows gaping for us; and only
this one opportunity, if even this!" thought the agitated Cossack to himself. Our poor friend Nissler had a sad
tale to tell of them; [In Busching, Beitrage, i. 400, 401, account of their sacking of Nussler's pleasant home
and estate, "Weissensee, near Berlin."] as who had not? Terror and murder, incendiary fire and other worse
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unnamable abominations of the Pit. One old Halfpay gentleman, whom I somewhat respect, desperately
barricaded himself, amid his domestics and tenantries, Wife and Daughters assisting: "Human Russian
Officers can enter here; Cossacks no, but shall kill us first. Not a Cossack till all of us are lying dead!"
[Archenholtz, ii. 150.] And kept his word; the human Russians owning it to be proper.
In Guben Country, "at GrossMuckro, October 15th," the day after passing Guben, Friedrich first heard for
certain, That the Russians had been in Berlin, and also that they were gone, and that all was over. He made
two marches farther,not now direct for Berlin, but direct for Saxony AND it;to Lubben, 50 or 60 miles
straight south of Berlin; and halted there some days, to adjust himself for a new sequel. "These are the
things," exclaims he, sorrowfully, to D'Argens, "which I have been in dread of since Winter last; this is what
gave the dismal tone to my Letters to you. It has required not less than all my philosophy to endure the
reverses, the provocations, the outrages, and the whole scene of atrocious things that have come to pass."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 199; "22d October."] Friedrich's grief about Berlin we need not paint; though
there were murmurs afterwards, "Why did not he start sooner?" which he could not, in strict reason, though
aware that these savageries were on march. He had hoped the Eugen Hulsen appliances, even should all else
fail, might keep them at bay. And indeed, in regard to these latter, it turned only on a hair. Montalembert
calculating, vows, on his oath, "Can assure you, M. l'Ambassadeur, PUIS BIEN VOUS ASSURER COMME
SI J,ETAIS DEVANT DIEU, as if I stood before God," [Montalembert, ii. 108.] that, from first to last, it was
my doing; that but for me, at the very last, the Russians, on sight of Hulsen and Eugen, and no Lacy come,
would have marched away!
Friedrich's orderings and adjustings, dated Lubben, where his Army rested after this news from Berlin, were
manifold; and a good deal still of wrecks from the Berlin Business fell to his share. For instance, one thing he
had at once ordered: "Your Bill of a Millionandhalf to the Russians, don't pay it, or any part of it! When
Bamberg was ransomed, Spring gone a year,Reich and Kaiser, did they respect our Bill we had on
Bamberg? Did not they cancel it, and flatly refuse?" Friedrich is positive on the point, "Reprisal our clear
remedy!" But Berlin itself was in alarm, for perhaps another Russian visit; Berlin and Gotzkowsky were
humbly positive the other way. Upon which a visit of Gotskowsky to the Royal Camp: "Merchants' Bills are a
sacred thing, your Majesty!" urged Gotzkowsky. Who, in his zeal for the matter, undertook dangerous visits
to the Russian Quarters, and a great deal of trouble, peril and expense, during the weeks following.
Magnanimous Gotzkowsky, "in mere bribes to the Russian Officials, spent about 6,000 pounds of his own,"
for one item. But he had at length convinced his Majesty that Merchants' Bills were a sacred thing, in spite of
Bamberg and desecrative individualities; and that this Millionandhalf must be paid. Friedrich was struck
with Gotzkowsky and his view of the facts. Friedrich, from his own distressed funds, handed to Gotzkowsky
the necessary Millionand half, commanding only profound silence about it; and to Gotzkowsky himself a
present of 150,000 thalers (20,000 pounds odd); [Archenholtz, ii. 146.] and so the matter did at last end.
It had been a costly business to Berlin, and to the King, and to the poor harried Country. To Berlin,
bombardment of ten hours; alarm of discursive siegework in the environs for five days; foreign yoke for
three days; lost money to the amounts above stated; what loss in wounds to body or to peace of mind, or
whether any loss that way, nobody has counted. The Berlin people rose to a more than Roman height of
temper, testifies D'Argens; [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 195199: "D'Argens to the King: Berlin, 19th
October, 1760,"an interesting Letter of details.] so that perhaps it was a gain. The King's Magazines and
Warfurnitures about Berlin are wasted utterly,Arsenal itself not blown up, we well know why;and
much Hunnish ruin in Charlottenburg, with damage to Antiques,for which latter clause there shall, in a few
months, be reprisal: if it please the Powers!
Of all this Montalembert declares, "Before God, that he, Montalembert, is and was the mainspring." And
indeed, Tempelhof, without censure of Montalembert and his vocation, but accurately computing time and
circumstance, comes to the same conclusion;as thus: "OCTOBER 8th, seeing no Lacy come, Czernichef,
had it not been for Montalembert's eloquence, had fixed for returning to Copenik: whom cautious Lacy would
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have been obliged to imitate. Suppose Czernichef had, OCTOBER 9th, got to Copenik,Eugen and Hulsen
remain at Berlin; Czernichef could not have got back thither before the 11th; on the 11th was news of
Friedrich's coming; which set all on gallop to the right about." [Tempelhof, iv. 277.] So that really, before
God, it seems Montalembert must have the merit of this fine achievement:the one fruit, so far as I can
discover, of his really excellent reasonings, eloquences, patiences, sown broadcast, four or five long years, on
such a field as fine human talent never had before. I declare to you, M. l'Ambassadeur, this excellent
vultureswoop on Berlin, and burning or reburning of the Peasantry of the Mark, is due solely to one poor
zealous gentleman!
What was next to follow out of THIS,in Torgau neighborhood, where Daun now stands expectant,poor
M. de Montalembert was far from anticipating; and will be in no haste to claim the merit of before God or
man.
Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU.
After Hulsen's fine explosion on the Durrenberg, August 20th, on the incompetent Reichs Generals, there had
followed nothing eminent; new futilities, attemptings and desistings, advancings and recoilings, on the part of
the Reich; Hulsen solidly maintaining himself, in defence of his Torgau Magazine and Saxon interests in
those regions, against such overwhelming odds, till relief and reinforcement for them and him should arrive;
and gaining time, which was all he could aim at in such circumstances. Had the Torgau Magazine been
bigger, perhaps Hulsen might have sat there to the end. But having solidly eaten out said Magazine, what
could Hulsen do but again move rearward? [ Hogbericht von dem Ruckzug des GeneralLieutenants von
Hulsen aus dem Lager bey Torgau (in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 755784).] Above all, on the alarm from Berlin,
which called him off doublequick, things had to go their old road in that quarter. Weak Torgau was taken,
weak Wittenberg besieged. Leipzig, Torgau, Wittenberg, all that Country, by the time the Russians left
Berlin, was again the Reich's. Eugen and Hulsen, hastening for relief of Wittenberg, the instant Berlin was
free, found Wittenberg a heap of ruins, out of which the Prussian garrison, very hunger urging, had issued the
day before, as prisoners of war. Nothing more to be done by Eugen, but take post, within reach of Magdeburg
and victual, and wait new Order from the King.
The King is very unquestionably coming on; leaves Lubben thitherward October 20th. [Rodenbeck, ii. 35: in
Anonymous of Hamburg (iv. 241245) Friedrich's Two Marches, towards and from Berlin (7th17th
October, to Lubben; thence, 20th October3d November, to Torgau).] With full fixity of purpose as usual;
but with as gloomy an outlook as ever before. Daun, we said, is now arrived in those parts: Daun and the
Reich together are near 100,000; Daun some 60,000,Loudon having stayed behind, and gone southward,
for a stroke on Kosel (if Goltz will permit, which he won't at all!),and the Reich 35,000. Saxony is all
theirs; cannot they maintain Saxony? Not a Town or a Magazine now belongs to Friedrich there, and he is in
number as 1 to 2. "Maintain Saxony; indisputably you can!" that is the express Vienna Order, as Friedrich
happens to know. The Russians themselves have taken Camp again, and wait visibly, about Landsberg and
the Warta Country, till they see Daun certain of executing said Order; upon which they intend, they also, to
winter in those ElbePrussian parts, and conjointly to crush Friedrich into great confinement indeed.
Friedrich is aware of this Vienna Order; which is a kind of comfort in the circumstances. The intentions of
the hungry Russians, too, are legible to Friedrich; and he is much resolved that said Order shall be impossible
to Daun. "Were it to be possible, we are landless. Where are our recruits, our magazines, our resources for a
new Campaign? We may as well die, as suffer that to be possible!" Such is Friedrich's fixed view. He says to
D'Argens:
"You, as a follower of Epicurus, put a value on life; as for me, I regard death from the Stoic point of view.
Never shall I see the moment that forces me to make a disadvantageous Peace; no persuasion, no eloquence,
shall ever induce me to sign my dishonor. Either I will bury myself under the ruins of my Country, or if that
consolation appears too sweet to the Destiny that persecutes me, I shall know how to put an end to my
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1413
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misfortunes when it is impossible to bear them any longer. I have acted, and continue to act, according to that
interior voice of conscience and of honor which directs all my steps: my conduct shall be, in every time,
conformable to those principles. After having sacrificed my youth to my Father, my ripe years to my
Country, I think I have acquired the right to dispose of my old age. I have told you, and I repeat it, Never
shall my hand sign a humiliating Peace. Finish this Campaign I certainly will, resolved to dare all, and to try
the most desperate things either to succeed or to find a glorious end (FIN GLORIEUSE)." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xix. 202 ("Kemberg, 28th October, 1760," a week and a day before Torgau).]
Friedrich had marched from Lubben, after three days, settling of affairs, OCTOBER 20th; arrived at Jessen,
on the Elbe, within wind of Wittenberg, in two days more. "He formed a small magazine at Duben," says
Archenholtz; "and was of a velocity, a sharpness," like lightning, in a manner! Friedrich is uncommonly
dangerous when crushed into a corner, in this way; and Daun knows that he is. Friedrich's manoeuvrings
upon Daunall readers can anticipate the general type of them. The studious military reader, if England
boasts any such, will find punctual detail of them in TEMPELHOF and the German Books. For our poor
objects, here is a Summary which may suffice:
From Lubben, having winded up these bad businesses,and reinforced Goltz, at Glogau, to a 20,000 for
Silesia's sake, to look towards Kosel and Loudon's attempts there,Friedrich gathered himself into proper
concentration; and with all the strength now left to him pushed forward (20th October) towards Wittenberg,
and recovery of those lost Saxon Countries. To Wittenberg from Lubben is some 60 miles;can be done,
nearly, in a couple of days. With the King, after Goltz is furnished, there are about 30,000; Eugen and
Hulsen, not idle for their own part, wait in those far Western or Ultra Wittenberg regions (in and beyond
Dessau Country), to join him with their 14,000, when they get signal. Joined with these, he will be 44,000; he
will then cross Elbe somewhere, probably not where Daun and the Reich imagine, and be in contact with his
Problem; with what a pitch of willingness nobody need be told! Daun, in Torgau Country, has one of the best
positions; nor is Daun a man for getting flurried.
The poor Reichs Army, though it once flattered itself with intending to dispute Friedrich's passage of the
Elbe, and did make some detachings and manoeuvrings that way, on his approach to Wittenberg (October
22d23d),took a safer view, on his actual arrival there, on his reseizure of that ruined place, and
dangerous attitude on the right bank below and above. Safer view, on salutary second thoughts;and fell
back Leipzigway, southward to Duben, 30 or 40 miles. Whence rapidly to Leipzig itself, 30 or 40 more, on
his actually putting down his bridges over Elbe. Friedrich's crossingplace was Schanzhaus, in Dessau
Country, between Roslau and Klikau, 12 or 15 miles below Wittenberg; about midway between Wittenberg
and the inflow of the Mulda into Elbe. He crossed OCTOBER 26th, no enemy within wind at all; Daun at
Torgau in his inexpugnable Camp, Reichsfolk at Duben, making towards Leipzig at their best pace. And is
now wholly between Elbe and Mulda; nothing but Mulda and the Anhall Countries and the Halle Country
now to rear of him.
At Jonitz, next march southward, he finds the EugenHulsen people ready. We said they had not been idle
while waiting signal: of which here is one pretty instance. Eugen's Brother, supreme Reigning Duke of
Wurtemberg,whom we parted with at Fulda, last Winter, on sore terms; but who again, zealous creature,
heads his own little Army in FrenchAustrian service, in still more eclipsed circumstances ("No subsidy at
all, this Year, say your august Majesties? Well, I must do without: a volunteer; and shall need only what I can
make by forced contributions!" which of course he is diligent to levy wherever possible),has latterly taken
Halle Country in hand, very busy raising contributions there: and Eugen hears, not without interest, that
certain regiments or detachments of his, pushed out, are lying here, there, superintending that salutary
work,within clutch, perhaps, of Kleist the Hussar! Eugen despatches Kleist upon him; who pounces with
his usual fierce felicity upon these people. To such alarm of his poor Serenity and poor Army, that Serenity
flies off homeward at once, and out of these Wars altogether; where he never had other than the reverse of
business to be, and where he has played such a farcetragedy for four years back. Eugen has been heard to
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1414
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speak,theoretically, and in excited moments,of "running such a fellow through the body, were one near
him:: but it is actually Eugen in person that sends him home from these Wars: which may be counted a not
unfraternal or unpatriotic procedure; being of indisputable benefit to the poor Sovereign man himself, and to
everybody concerned with him.
Hearing that Friedrich was across, Daun came westward that same day (October 26th), and planted himself at
Eilenburg; concluding that the Reichsfolk would now be in jeopardy first of all. Which was partly the fact;
and indeed this Daun movement rather accelerated the completion of it. Without this the Reichs Army might
have lived another day. It had quitted Duben, and gone in all haste for Leipzig, at 1 in the morning (not by
Eilenburg, of which or of Daun's arrival there it knows nothing),"at 1 in the morning of the 27th," or in
fact, so soon as news could reach it at the gallop, That Friedrich was across. And now Friedrich, seeing Daun
out in this manner, judged that a junction was contemplated; and that one could not be too swift in preventing
it. October 29th, with one diligent march, Friedrich posted himself at Duben; there, in a sort now between
Daun and the Reichsfolk, detached Hulsen with a considerable force to visit these latter in Leipzig itself; and
began with all diligence forming "a small Magazine in Duben," Magdeburg and the current of the Elbe being
hitherto his only resource in that kind. By the time of Hulsen's return, this little operation will be well
forward, and Daun will have declared himself a little.
Hulsen, evening of October 30th, found Leipzig in considerable emotion, the Reichsfolk taking refuge in it:
not the least inclined to stand a push, when Hulsen presented himself. Night of 30th31st, there was
summoning and menacing; Reich endeavoring to answer in firm style; but all the while industriously packing
up to go. By 5 in the morning, things had come to extremity;morning, happily for some of us, was dark
mist. But about 5 o'clock, Hulsen (or Hulsen's Second) coming on with menace of fire and sword upon these
poor Reichspeople, found the Reichspeople wholly vanished in the mist. Gone bodily; in full march for the
spurs of the Metal Mountain Range again;concluding, for the fourth time, an extremely contemptible
Campaign. Daun, with the King ahead of him, made not the least attempt to help them in their Leipzig
difficulty; but retired to his strong Camp at Torgau; feels his work to lie THERE,as Friedrich perceives of
him, with some interest.
Hulsen left a little garrison in Leipzig (friend Quintus a part of it); [Tempelhof, iv. 290.] and returned to the
King; whose small Magazine at Duben, and other small affairs there,Magdeburg with boats, and the King
with wagons, having been so diligent in carrying grain thither,are now about completed. From Daun's
returning to Torgau, Friedrich infers that the cautious man has got Order from Court to maintain Torgau at all
costs,to risk a battle rather than go. "Good: he shall have one!" thinks Friedrich. And, NOVEMBER 2d, in
four columns, marches towards Torgau; to Schilda, that night, which is some seven miles on the southward
side of Torgau. The King, himself in the vanguard as usual, has watched with eager questioning eye the
courses of Daun's advanced parties, and by what routes they retreat; discerns for certain that Daun has no
views upon Duben or our little Magazine; and that the tug of wrestle for Torgau, which is to crown this
Campaign into conquest of Saxony, or shatter it into zero like its foregoers on the Austrian part, and will be
of deathorlife nature on the Prussian part, ought to ensue tomorrow. Forward, then!
This Camp of Torgau is not a new place to Daun. It was Prince Henri's Camp last Autumn; where Daun tried
all his efforts to no purpose; and though hugely outnumbering the Prince, could make absolutely nothing of
it. Nothing, or less; and was flowing back to Dresden and the Bohemian Frontier, uncheered by anything, till
that comfortable Maxen Incident turned up. Daun well knows the strength of this position. Torgau and the
Block of Hill to West, called Hill of Siptitz:Hulsen, too, stood here this Summer; not to mention Finck and
Wunsch, and their beating the Reichspeople here. A Hill and Post of great strength; not unfamiliar to many
Prussians, nor to Friedrich's studious considerations, though his knowledge of it was not personal on all
points;as Tomorrow taught him, somewhat to his cost.
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1415
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"Tourists, from Weimar and the Thuringian Countries," says a Note book, sometimes useful to us, "have
most likely omitted Rossbach in their screaming railway flight eastward; and done little in Leipzig but
endeavor to eat dinner, and, still more vainly, to snatch a little sleep in the inhuman dormitories of the
Country. Next morning, screaming Dresdenward, they might, especially if military, pause at Oschatz, a
stage or two before Meissen, where again are objects of interest. You can look at Hubertsburg, if given that
way,a Royal Schloss, memorable on several grounds;at Hubertsburg, and at other features, in the
neighborhood of Oschatz. This done, or this left not done, you strike off leftward, that is northward, in some
open vehicle, for survey of Torgau and its vicinities and environs. Not above fifteen miles for you; a drive
singular and pleasant; time enough to return and be in Dresden for dinner.
"Torgau is a fine solid old Town; Prussian military now abundant in it. In ancient Heathen times, I suppose, it
meant the GAU, or District, of THOR; Capital of that Gau,part of which, now under Christian or
quasiChristian circumstances, you have just been traversing, with Elbe on your right hand. Innocent rural
aspects of Humanity, Boor's life, Gentry's life, all the way, not in any holiday equipment; on the contrary,
somewhat unkempt and scraggy, but all the more honest and inoffensive. There is sky, earth, air, and freedom
for your own reflections: a really agreeable kind of Gau; pleasant, though in part ugly. Large tracts of it are
pine wood, with pleasant Villages and fine arable expanses interspersed. Schilda and many Villages you
leave to right and left. Oldfashioned Villages, with their village industries visible around; laboring each in
its kind,not too fast; probably with extinct tobaccopipe hanging over its chin (KALTRAUCHEND,
'smoking COLD,' as they phrase it).
"Schilda has an absurd celebrity among the Germans: it is the Gotham of Teutschland; a fountain of old
broadgrins and homely and hearty rustic banter; welling up from the serious extinct Ages to our own day;
'SCHILTburger' (Inhabitant of SCHILDA) meaning still, among all the Teutsch populations, a man of calmly
obstinate whims and delusions, of notions altogether contrary to fact, and agreeable to himself only;
resolutely pushing his way through life on those terms: amid horselaughter, naturally, and general wagging
of beards from surrounding mankind. Extinct mirth, not to be growled at or despised, in Ages running to the
shallow, which have lost their mirth, and become all one snigger of mockmirth. For it is observable, the
more solemn is your background of DARK, the brighter is the play of all human genialities and coruscations
on it,of genial mirth especially, in the hour for mirth. Who the DOCTOR BORDEL of Schilda was, I do
not know: but they have had their Bordel, as Gotham had;probably various Bordels; industrious to pick up
those Spiritual fruits of the earth. For the records are still abundant and current; fully more alive than those of
Gotham here are.And yonder, then, is actually Schilda of the absurd fame. A small, cheerfullooking
human Village, in its Island among the Woods; you see it lying to the right:a clean brick slate congeries,
with faint smokecanopy hanging over it, indicating frugal dinnerkettles on the simmer;and you
remember kindly those good old grinnings, over good SCHILTBURGER, good WISE MEN OF GOTHAM,
and their learned Chroniclers, and unlearned Peasant Producers, who have contributed a wrinkle of human
Fun to the earnest face of Life.
"After Schilda, and before, you traverse long tracts of Pine Forest, all under forest management; with long
straight stretches of sandy road (one of which is your own), straight like red tape strings, intersecting the
wide solitudes: dangerous to your topographies,for the fingerposts are not always there, and human
advice you can get none. Nothing but the stripe of blue sky overhead, and the brown one of tape (or sand)
under your feet: the trees poor and mean for most part, but so innumerable, and all so silent, watching you all
like mute witnesses, mutely whispering together; no voice but their combined whisper or big forest SOUGH
audible to you in the world:on the whole, your solitary ride there proves, unexpectedly, a singular
deliverance from the mad railway, and its iron bedlamisms and shrieking discords and precipitances; and is
soothing, and pensively welcome, though sad enough, and in outward features ugly enough. No wild boars
are now in these woods, no chance of a wolf:"what concerns us more is, that Friedrich's columns, on the
3d of November, had to march up through these long lanes, or tapestripes of the Torgau Forest; and that one
important column, one or more, took the wrong turn at some point, and was dangerously wanting at the
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1416
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expected moment!
"Torgau itself stands near Elbe; on the shoulder, eastern or Elbe ward shoulder, of a big mass of Knoll, or
broad Height, called of Siptitz, the main Eminence of the Gau. Shoulder, I called it, of this Height of Siptitz;
but more properly it is on a continuation, or lower ulterior height dipping into Elbe itself, that Torgau stands.
Siptitz Height, nearly a mile from Elbe, drops down into a straggle of ponds; after which, on a second or final
rise, comes Torgau dipping into Elbe. Not a shoulder strictly, but rather a CHEEK, with NECK
intervening;neck GOITRY for that matter, or quaggy with ponds! The old Town stands high enough, but is
enlaced on the western and southern side by a set of lakes and quagmires, some of which are still extensive
and undrained. The course of the waters hereabouts; and of Elbe itself, has had its intricacies: close to
northwest, Torgau is bordered, in a straggling way, by what they call OLD ELBE; which is not now a fluent
entity, but a stagnant congeries of dirty waters and morasses. The Hill of Siptitz abuts in that aqueous or
quaggy manner; its forefeet being, as it were, at or in Elbe River, and its sides, to the South and to the North
for some distance each way, considerably enveloped in ponds and boggy difficulties.
"Plenty of water all about, but I suppose mostly of bad quality; at least Torgau has declined drinking it, and
been at the trouble to lay a pipe, or ROHRGRABEN, several miles long, to bring its culinary water from the
western neighborhoods of Siptitz Height. Along the southern side of Siptitz Height goes leisurely an
uncomfortable kind of Brook, called the 'ROHRGRABEN (PipeDitch);' the meaning of which unexpected
name you find to be, That there is a SERVICEPIPE laid cunningly at the bottom of this Brook; lifting the
Brook at its pure upper springs, and sending it along, in secret tubular quasibottled condition; leaving the
fouler drippings from the neighborhood to make what 'brook' they still can, over its head, and keep it out of
harm's way till Torgau get it. This is called the ROHRGRABEN, this which comes running through Siptitz
Village, all along by the southern base of Siptitz Hill; to the idle eye, a dirtyish Brook, ending in certain
notable Ponds eastward: but to the eye of the inquiring mind, which has pierced deeper, a Tube of rational
Water, running into the throats of Torgau, while the socalled Brook disembogues at discretion into the
ENTEFANG (Ducktrap), and what Ponds or reedy Puddles there are,"of which, in poor Wunsch's fine bit
of fighting, last Year, we heard mention. Let readers keep mind of them.
The Hill Siptitz, with this ROHRGRABEN at the southern basis of it, makes a very main figure in the Battle
now imminent. Siptitz Height is, in fact, Daun's Camp; where he stands intrenched to the utmost, repeatedly
changing his position, the better to sustain Friedrich's expected attacks. It is a blunt broadbacked Elevation,
mostly in vineyard, perhaps on the average 200 feet above the general level, and of five or six square miles in
area: length, east to west, from Grosswig neighborhood to the environs of Torgau, may be about three miles;
breadth, south to north, from the Siptitz to the Zinna neighborhoods, above half that distance. The Height is
steepish on the southern side, all along to the southwest angle (which was Daun's left flank in the great
Action coming), but swells up with easier ascent on the west, earth and other sides. Let the reader try for
some conception of its environment and it, as the floor or arena of a great transaction this day.
Daun stands fronting southward along these Siptitz Heights, looking towards Schilda and his dangerous
neighbor; heights, woods, ponds and inaccessibilities environing his Position and him. One of the strongest
positions imaginable; which, under Prince Henri, proved inexpugnable enough to some of us. A position not
to be attacked on that southern front, nor on either of its flanks:where can it be attacked? Impregnable,
under Prince Henri in far inferior force: how will you take it from Daun in decidedly superior? A position not
to be attacked at all, most military men would say;though One military man, in his extreme necessity, must
and will find a way into it.
One fault, the unique military man, intensely pondering, discovers that it has: it is too small for Daun; not
area enough for manoeuvring 65,000 men in it; who will get into confusion if properly dealt with. A most
comfortable lightflash, the EUREKA of this terrible problem. "We will attack it on rear and on front
simultaneously; that is the way to handle it!" Yes; simultaneously, though that is difficult, say military
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judges; perhaps to Prussians it may be possible. It is the opinion of military judges who have studied the
matter, that Friedrich's plan, could it have been perfectly executed, might have got not only victory from
Daun, but was capable to fling his big Army and him pellmell upon the Elbe Bridge, that is to say, in such
circumstances, into Elbe River, and swallow him bodily at a frightful rate! That fate was spared poor Daun.
MONDAY, 3d NOVEMBER, 1760, at halfpast 6 in the morning Friedrich is on march for this great
enterprise. The march goes northward, in Three Columns, with a Fourth of Baggage; through the woods, on
four different roads; roads, or combinations of those intricate sandy avenues already noticed. Northward all of
it at first; but at a certain point ahead (at crossing of the EilenburgTorgau Road, namely), the March is to
divide itself in two. Half of the force is to strike off rightward there with Ziethen, and to issue on the south
side of Siptitz Hill; other half, under Friedrich himself, to continue northward, long miles farther, and then at
last bending round, issuesimultaneously with Ziethen, if possibleupon Siptitz Hill from the north side.
We are about 44,000 strong, against Daun, who is 65,000.
Simultaneously with Ziethen, so far as humanly possible: that is the essential point! Friedrich has taken every
pains that it shall be correct, in this and all points; and to take double assurance of hiding it from Daun, he
yesternight, in dictating his Orders on the other heads of method, kept entirely to himself this most important
Ziethen portion of the Business. And now, at starting, he has taken Ziethen in his carriage with him a few
miles, to explain the thing by word of mouth. At the Eilenburg road, or before it, Ziethen thinks he is clear as
to everything; dismounts; takes in hand the mass intrusted to him; and strikes off by that rightward course:
"Rightward, Herr Ziethen; rightward till you get to Klitschen, your first considerable island in this sea of
wood; at Klitschen strike to the left into the woods again, your road is called the Butter Strasse
(BUTTERSTREET); goes by the northwest side of Siptitz Height; reach Siptitz by the ButterStreet, and
then do your endeavor!"
With the other Half of his Army, specially with the First Column of it, Friedrich proceeds northward on his
own part of the adventure. Three Columns he has, besides the Baggage one: in number about equal to
Ziethen's; if perhaps otherwise, rather the chosen Half; about 8,000 grenadier and footguard people, with
Kleist's Hussars, are Friedrich's own Column. Friedrich's Column marches nearest the Daun positions; the
Baggagecolumn farthest; and that latter is to halt, under escort, quite away to left or westward of the
disturbance coming; the other Two Columns, Hulsen's of foot, Holstein's mostly of horse, go through
intermediate tracks of wood, by roads more or less parallel; and are all, Friedrich's own Column, still more
the others, to leave Siptitz several miles to right, and to end, not AT Siptitz Height, but several miles past it,
and then wheeling round, begin business from the northward or rearward side of Daun, while Ziethen attacks
or menaces his front, simultaneously, if possible. Friedrich's march, hidden all by woods, is more than
twice as far as Ziethen's,some 14 or 15 miles in all; going straight northward 10 miles; thence bending
eastward, then southward through woods; to emerge about Neiden, there to cross a Brook (Striebach), and
strike home on the north side of Daun. The track of march is in the shape somewhat of a shepherd's crook; the
long HANDLE of it, well away from Siptitz, reaches up to Neiden, this is the straight or wooden part of said
crook; after which comes the bent, catching, or iron part,intended for Daun and his fierce flock. Ziethen
has hardly above six miles; and ought to be deliberate in his woodlands, till the King's party have time to get
round.
The morning, I find, is wet; fourteen miles of march: fancy such a Promenade through the dripping Woods;
heavy, toilsome, and with such errand ahead! The delays were considerable; some of them accidental.
Vigilant Daun has Detachments watching in these Woods: a General Ried, who fires cannon and gets off:
then a General St. Ignon and the St. Ignon Regiment of Dragoons; who, being BETWEEN Column First and
Column Second, cannot get away; but, after some industry by Kleist and those of Column Two, are caught
and pocketed, St. Ignon himself prisoner among the rest. This delay may perhaps be considered profitable:
but there were other delays absolutely without profit. For example, that of having difficulties with your
artillerywagons in the wet miry lanes; that of missing your road, at some turn in the solitary woods; which
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latter was the sad chance of Column Third, fatally delaying it for many hours.
Daun, learning by those returned parties from the Woods what the Royal intentions on him are, hastily whirls
himself round, so as to front north, and there receive Friedrich: best line northward for Friedrich's behoof;
rear line or secondbest will now receive Ziethen or what may come. Daun's arrangements are admitted to be
prompt and excellent. Lacy, with his 20,000,who lay, while Friedrich's attack was expected from south, at
Loswig, as advanced guard, east side of the GROSSE TEICH (supreme pond of all, which is a continuation
of the Ducktrap, ENTEFANG, and hangs like a chief goitre on the goitry neck of Torgau),Lacy is now to
draw himself north and westward, and looking into the Entefang over his left shoulder (so to speak), be
rearguard against any Ziethen or Prussian party that may come. Daun's baggage is all across the Elbe, all in
wagons since yesterday; three Bridges hanging for Daun and it, in case of adverse accident. Daun likewise
brings all or nearly all his cannon to the new front, for Friedrich's behoof: 200 new pieces hither; Archenholtz
says 400 in whole; certainly such a weight of artillery as never appeared in Battle before. Unless Friedrich's
arrangements prove punctual, and his stroke be emphatic, Friedrich may happen to fare badly. On the latter
point, of emphasis, there is no dubiety for Friedrich: but on the former,things are already past doubt, the
wrong way! For the last hour or so of Friedrich's march there has been continual storm of cannonade and
musketry audible from Ziethen's side:"Ziethen engaged!" thinks everybody; and quickens step here, under
this marching music from the distance. Which is but a wrong reading or mistake, nothing more; the real
phenomenon being as follows: Ziethen punctually got to Klitschen at the due hour; struck into the
BUTTERSTRASSE, calculating his paces; but, on the edge of the Wood found a small Austrian party, like
those in Friedrich's route; and, pushing into it, the Austrian party replied with cannon before running.
Whereupon Ziethen, not knowing how inconsiderable it was, drew out in battleorder; gave it a salvo or two;
drove it back on Lacy, in the Ducktrap direction,a long way east of ButterStreet, and Ziethen's real
place;unlucky that he followed it so far! Ziethen followed it; and got into some languid dispute with Lacy:
dispute quite distant, languid, on both sides, and consisting mainly of cannon; but lasting in this way many
precious hours. This is the phenomenon which friends, in the distance read to be, "Ziethen engaged!"
Engaged, yes, and alas with what? What Ziethen's degree of blame was, I do not know. Friedrich thought it
considerable:"Stupid, stupid, MEIN LIEBER!" which Ziethen never would admit;and, beyond question,
it was of high detriment to Friedrich this day. Such accidents, say military men, are inherent, not to be
avoided, in that double form of attack: which may be true, only that Friedrich had no choice left of forms just
now.
About noon Friedrich's Vanguard (Kleist and Hussars), about 1 o'clock Friedrich himself, 7 or 8,000
Grenadiers, emerged from the Woods about Neiden. This Column, which consists of choice troops, is to be
Frontline of the Attack. But there is yet no Second Column under Hulsen, still less any Third under
Holstein, come in sight: and Ziethen's cannonade is but too audible. Friedrich halts; sends Adjutants to hurry
on these Columns;and rides out reconnoitring, questioning peasants; earnestly surveying Daun's ground
and his own. Daun's now right wing well eastward about Zinna had been Friedrich's intended point of attack;
but the ground, out there, proves broken by boggy brooks and remnant stagnancies of the Old Elbe: Friedrich
finds he must return into the Wood again; and attack Daun's left. Daun's left is carefully drawn down EN
POTENCE, or gallowsshape there; and has, within the Wood, carefully built by Prince Henri last year, an
extensive Abatis, or complete western wall,only the north part of which is perhaps now passable, the
Austrians having in the cold time used a good deal of it as firewood lately. There, on the northwest corner of
Daun, across that weak part of the Abatis, must Friedrich's attack lie. But Friedrich's Columns are still fatally
behind,Holstein, with all the Cavalry we have, so precious at present, is wandering by wrong paths; took
the wrong turn at some point, and the Adjutant can hardly find him at all, with his precept of "Haste, Haste!"
We may figure Friedrich's humor under these ill omens. Ziethen's cannonade becomes louder and louder;
which Friedrich naturally fancies to be death or life to him,not to mean almost nothing, as it did. "MEIN
GOTT, Ziethen is in action, and I have not my Infantry up!" [Tempelhof, iv. 303.] cried he. And at length
decided to attack as he was: Grenadiers in front, the chosen of his Infantry; Ramin's Brigade for second line;
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and, except about 800 of Kleist, no Cavalry at all. His battalions march out from Neiden hand, through
difficult brooks, Striebach and the like, by bridges of Austrian build, which the Austrians are obliged to quit
in hurry. The Prussians are as yet perpendicular to Daun, but will wheel rightward, into the Domitsch Wood
again; and then form, parallel to Daun's northwest shoulder; and to Prince Henri's Abatis, which will be
their first obstacle in charging. Their obstacles in forming were many and intricate; ground so difficult, for
artillery especially: seldom was seen such expertness, such willingness of mind. And seldom lay ahead of
men such obstacles AFTER forming! Think only of one fact: Daun, on sight of their intention, has opened
400 pieces of Artillery on them, and these go raging and thundering into the hem of the Wood, and to
whatever issues from it, now and for hours to come, at a rate of deafening uproar and of sheer deadliness,
which no observer can find words for.
Archenholtz, a very young officer of fifteen, who came into it perhaps an hour hence, describes it as a thing
surpassable only by Doomsday: clangorous rage of noise risen to the infinite; the boughs of the trees raining
down on you, with horrid crash; the Forest, with its echoes, bellowing far and near, and reverberating in
universal deathpeal; comparable to the Trump of Doom. Friedrich himself, who is an old hand, said to those
about him: "What an infernal fire (HOLLISCHES FEUER)! Did you ever hear such a cannonade before? I
never." [Tempelhof, iv. 304; Archenholtz, ii. 164.] Friedrich is between the Two Lines of his Grenadiers,
which is his place during the attack: the first Line of Grenadiers, behind Prince Henri's Abatis, is within 800
yards of Daun; Ramin's Brigade is to rear of the Second Line, as a Reserve. Horse they have none, except the
800 Kleist Hussars; who stand to the left, outside the Wood, fronted by Austrian Horse in hopeless multitude.
Artillery they have, in effect, none: their Batteries, hardly to be got across these last woody difficulties of
trees growing and trees felled, did rank outside the Wood, on their left; but could do absolutely nothing
(guncarriages and gunners, officers and men, being alike blown away); and when Tempelhof saw them
afterwards, they never had been fired at all. The Grenadiers have their muskets, and their hearts and their
righthands.
With amazing intrepidity, they, being at length all ready in rank within 800 yards, rush into the throat of this
Firevolcano; in the way commanded,which is the alone way: such a problem as human bravery seldom
had. The Grenadiers plunge forward upon the throat of Daun; but it is into the throat of his iron engines and
his tearing billows of cannonshot that most of them go. Shorn down by the company, by the regiment, in
those terrible 800 yards,then and afterwards. Regiment STUTTERHEIM was nearly all killed and
wounded, say the Books. You would fancy it was the fewest of them that ever got to the length of selling
their lives to Daun, instead of giving them away to his 400 cannon. But it is not so. The Grenadiers, both
Lines of them, still in quantity, did get into contact with Daun. And sold him their lives, hand to hand, at a
rate beyond example in such circumstances;Daun having to hurry up new force in streams upon them;
resolute to purchase, though the price, for a long while, rose higher and higher.
At last the 6,000 Grenadiers, being now reduced to the tenth man, had to fall back. Upon which certain
Austrian Battalions rushed dawn in chase, counting it Victory come: but were severely admonished of that
mistake; and driven back by Ramin's people, who accompanied them into their ranks and again gave Daun a
great deal of trouble before he could overpower them. This is Attack First, issuing in failure first: one of the
stiffest bits of fighting ever known. Began about 2 in the afternoon; ended, I should guess, rather after 3.
Daun, by this time, is in considerable disorder of line; though his 400 firethroats continue belching ruin, and
deafening the world, without abatement. Daun himself had got wounded in the foot or leg during this Attack,
but had no time to mind it: a most busy, strong and resolute Daun; doing his very best. Friedrich, too, was
wounded,nobody will tell me in which of these attacks;but I think not now, at least will not speak of it
now. What his feelings were, as this Grenadier Attack went on,a struggle so unequal, but not to be helped,
from the delays that had risen,nobody, himself least of all, records for us: only by this little symptom: Two
Grandsons of the Old Dessauer's are Adjutants of his Majesty, and well loved by him; one of them now at his
hand, the other heading his regiment in this charge of Grenadiers. Word comes to Friedrich that this latter one
is shot dead. On which Friedrich, turning to the Brother, and not hiding his emotion, as was usual in such
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1420
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moments, said: "All goes ill today; my friends are quitting me. I have just heard that your Brother is killed
(TOUT VA MAL AUJOURD'HUI; MES AMIS ME QUITTENT. ON VIENT DE M'ANNONCER LA
MORT DE VOTRE FRERE)!" [Preuss, ii. 226.] Words which the Anhalt kindred, and the Prussian military
public, treasured up with a reverence strange to us. Of Anhalt perhaps some word by and by, at a fitter
season.
Shortly after 3, as I reckon the time, Hulsen's Column did arrive: choice troops these too, the Pomeranian
MANTEUFFEL, one regiment of them;young Archenholtz of FORCADE (first Battalion here, second and
third are with Ziethen, making vain noise) was in this Column; came, with the others, winding to the Wood's
edge, in such circuits, poor young soul; rain pouring, if that had been worth notice; cannonballs plunging,
boughs crashing, such a TODES POSAUNE, or DoomsdayThunder, broken loose:they did emerge
steadily, nevertheless, he says, "like seabillows or flow of tide, under the smoky hurricane." Pretty men are
here too, Manteuffel Pommerners; no hearts stouter. With these, and the indignant Remnants which waited
for them, a new assault upon Daun is set about. And bursts out, on that same northwest corner of him; say
about halfpast 3. The rain is now done, "blown away by the tremendous artillery," thinks Archenholtz, if
that were any matter.
The Attack, supported by a few more Horse (though Column Three still fatally lingers), and, I should hope,
by some practicable weight of Fieldbatteries, is spurred by a grimmer kind of indignation, and is of fiercer
spirit than ever. Think how Manteuffel of Foot will blaze out; and what is the humor of those once
overwhelmed Remnants, now getting air again! Daun's line is actually broken in this point, his artillery
surmounted and become useless; Daun's potence and north front are reeling backwards, Prussians in
possession of their ground. "The field to be ours!" thinks Friedrich, for some time. If indeed Ziethen had been
seriously busy on the southern side of things, instead of vaguely cannonading in that manner! But resolute
Daun, with promptitude, calls in his Reserve from Grosswig, calls in whatsoever of disposable force he can
gather; Daun rallies, rushes again on the Prussians in overpowering number; and, in spite of their most
desperate resistance, drives them back, ever back; and recovers his ground.
A very desperate bout, this Second one; probably the toughest of the Battle: but the result again is Daun's; the
Prussians palpably obliged to draw back. Friedrich himself got wounded here;poor young Archenholtz too,
ONLY wounded, not killed, as so many were: Friedrich's wound was a contusion on the breast; came of
some spent bit of caseshot, deadened farther by a famed pelisse he wore, "which saved my life," he said
afterwards to Henri. The King himself little regarded it (mentioning it only to Brother Henri, on inquiry and
solicitation), during the few weeks it still hung about him. The Books intimate that it struck him to the earth,
void of consciousness for some time, to the terror of those about him; and that he started up, disregarding it
altogether in this press of business, and almost as if ashamed of himself, which imposed silence on people's
tongues. In military circles there is still, on this latter point, an Anecdote; which I cannot confirm or deny, but
will give for the sake of Berenhorst and his famed Book on the ART OF WAR. Berenhorsta natural son of
the Old Dessauer's, and evidently enough a chip of the old block, only gone into the articulatespeaking or
intellectual formwas, for the present, an Adjutant or Aidedecamp of Friedrich's; and at this juncture was
seen bending over the swooned Friedrich, perhaps with an over pathos or elaborate something in his
expression of countenance: when Friedrich reopened his indignant eyes: "WAS MACHT ER HIER?" cried
Friedrich: "ER SAMMLE FUYARDS! What have you to do here? Go and gather runaways" (be of some real
use, can't you)!which unkind cut struck deep into Berenhorst, they say; and could never after be eradicated
from his gloomy heart. It is certain he became Prince Henri's Adjutant soon after, and that in his
KRIEGSKUNST, amidst the clearest orthodox admiration, he manifests, by little touches up and down, a
feeling of very fell and pallid quality against the King; and belongs, in a peculiarly virulent though taciturn
way, to the Opposition Party. H1s Book, next to English Lloyd's (or perhaps superior, for Berenhorst is of
much the more cultivated intellect, highly condensed too, though so discursive and farread, were it not for
the vice of perverse diabolic temper), seemed, to a humble outsider like myself, greatly the strongestheaded,
most penetrating and humanly illuminative I had had to study on that subject. Who the weakestheaded was
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1421
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(perhaps JOMINI, among the widely circulating kind?), I will not attempt to decide, so great is the crush in
that bad direction. To return.
This Second Attack is again a repulse to the indignant Friedrich; though he still persists in fierce effort to
recover himself: and indeed Daun's interior, too, it appears, is all in a whirl of confusion; his losses too
having been enormous:when, see, here at length, about halfpast 4, Sun now down, is the tardy Holstein,
with his Cavalry, emerging from the Woods. Comes wending on yonder, half a mile to north of us; straight
eastward or Elbeward (according to the order of last night), leaving us and our death struggles unregarded,
as a thing that is not on his tablets, and is no concern of Holstein's. Friedrich halts him, not quite too late;
organizes a new and third Attack. Simultaneous universal effort of foot and horse upon Daun's Front;
Holstein himself, who is almost at Zinna by this time, to go upon Daun's right wing. This is Attack Third; and
is of sporadic intermittent nature, in the thickening dusk and darkness: part of it successful, none of it beaten,
but nowhere the success complete. Thus, in the extreme west or leftmost of Friedrich's attack, SPAEN
Dragoons,one of the last Horse Regiments of Holstein's Column,SPAEN Dragoons, under their
LieutenantColonel Dalwig (a beautiful manoeuvrer, who has stormed through many fields, from Mollwitz
onwards), cut in, with an admired impetuosity, with an audacious skill, upon, the Austrian Infantry
Regiments there; broke them to pieces, took two of them in the lump prisoners; bearded whole torrents of
Austrian cavalry rushing up to the rescue,and brought off their mass of prisoner regiments and six
cannon;the Austrian rescuers being charged by some new Prussian party, and hunted home again.
[Tempelhof, iv. 305.] "Had these Prussian Horse been on their ground at 2 o'clock, and done as now, it is
very evident," says Tempelhof, "what the Battle of Torgau had by this time been!"
Near by, too, farther rightwards, if in the bewildering indistinctness I might guess where (but the where is not
so important to us), Baireuth Dragoons, they of the 67 standards at Striegau long since, plunged into the
Austrian Battalions at an unsurpassable rate; tumbled four regiments of them (Regiment KAISER, Regiment
NEIPPERG,nobody now cares which four) heels over head, and in few minutes took the most of them
prisoners; bringing them home too, like Dalwig, through crowds of rescuers. Eastward, again, or Elbeward,
Holstein has found such intricacies of ground, such boggy depths and rough steeps, his Cavalry could come
to no decisive sabring with the Austrian; but stood exchanging shot;nothing to be done on that right wing
of Daun.
Daun's left flank, however, does appear, after Three such Attacks, to be at last pretty well ruined: Tempelhof
says, "Daun's whole Front Line was tumbled to pieces; disorder had, sympathetically, gone rearward, even in
those eastern parts; and on the western and northwestern the Prussian Horse Regiments were now standing in
its place." But, indeed, such charging and recharging, pulsing and repulsing, has there been hereabouts for
hours past, the rival Hosts have got completely interpenetrated; Austrian parties, or whole regiments, are to
rear of those Prussians who stand ranked here, and in victorious posture, as the Night sinks. Night is now
sinking on this murderous day: "Nothing more to be made of it; try it again tomorrow!" thinks the King;
gives Hulsen charge of bivouacking and rearranging these scattered people; and rides with escort
northwestward to Elsnig, north of Neiden, well to rear of this bloody arena,in a mood of mind which may
be figured as gloomy enough.
Daun, too, is home to Torgau,1 think, a little earlier,to have his wound dressed, now that the day seems
to him secure. Buccow, Daun's second, is killed; Daun's third is an Irish Graf O'Donnell, memorable only on
this one occasion; to this O'Donnell, and to Lacy, who is firm on his ground yonder, untouched all day, the
charge of matters is left. Which cannot be a difficult one, hopes Daun. Daun, while his wound is dressing,
speeds off a courier to Vienna. Courier did enter duly there, with glorious trumpeting postilions, and
universal Hephephurrah; kindling that ardently loyal City into infinite triumph and illumination,for the
space of certain hours following.
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Hulsen meanwhile has been doing his best to get into proper bivouac for the morrow; has drawn back those
eastward horse regiments, drawn forward the infantry battalions; forward, I think, and well rightward, where,
in the daytime, Daun's left flank was. On the whole, it is northwestward that the general Prussian Bivouac for
this night is; the extremest SOUTHwesternmost portion of it is Infantry, under General Lestwitz; a gallant
useful man, who little dreams of becoming famous this dreary uncertain night.
It is 6 o'clock. Damp dusk has thickened down into utter darkness, on these terms:when, lo, cannonade and
musketade from the south, audible in the LestwitzHulsen quarters: seriously loud; red glow of conflagration
visible withal,some unfortunate Village going up ("Village of Siptitz, think you?"); and need of Hulsen at
his fastest! Hulsen, with some readiest Foot Regiments, circling round, makes thitherward; Lestwitz in the
van. Let us precede him thither, and explain a little what it was.
Ziethen, who had stood all day making idle noises,of what a fatal quality we know, if Ziethen did
not,waiting for the King's appearance, must have been considerably displeased with himself at nightfall,
when the King's fire gradually died out farther and farther north, giving rise to the saddest surmises. Ziethen's
Generals, Saldern and the Leuthen Mollendorf, are full of gloomy impatience, urgent on him to try
something. "Push westward, nearer the King? Some stroke at the enemy on their south or southwestern side,
where we have not molested them all day? No getting across the Rohrgraben on them, says your Excellenz?
Siptitz Village, and their Battery there, is on our side of the Rohrgraben:UM GOTTES WILLEN,
something, Herr General!" Ziethen does finally assent: draws leftward, westward; unbuckles Saldern's people
upon Siptitz; who go like sharp hounds from the slip; fasten on Siptitz and the Austrians there, with a will;
wrench these out, force them to abandon their Battery, and to set Siptitz on fire, while they run out of it.
Comfortable bit of success, so far,were not Siptitz burning, so that we cannot get through. "Through, no:
and were we through, is not there the Rohrgraben?" thinks Ziethen, not seeing his way.
How lucky that, at this moment, Mollendorf comes in, with a discovery to westward; discovery of our old
friend "the Butter Street,"it is nothing more,where Ziethen should have marched this morning: there
would he have found a solid road across the Rohrgraben, free passage by a bridge between two bits of ponds,
at the SCHAFEREI (SheepFarm) of Siptitz yonder. "There still," reports Mollendorf, "the solid road is;
unbeset hitherto, except by me Mollendorf!" Thitherward all do now hasten, Austrians, Prussians: but the
Prussians are beforehand; Mollendorf is master of the Pass, deploying himself on the other side of it, and
Ziethen and everybody hastening through to support him there, and the Austrians making fierce fight in vain.
The sound of which has reached Hulsen, and set Lestwitz and him in motion thither.
For the thing is vital, if we knew it. Close ahead of Mollendorf, when he is through this Pass, close on
Mollendorf's left, as he wheels round on the attacking Austrians, is the southwest corner of Siptitz Height.
Southwest corner, highest point of it; summit and key of all that Battle area; rules it all, if you get cannon
thither. It hangs steepish on the southern side, over the Rohrgraben, where this MollendorfAustrian fight
begins; but it is beautifully accessible, if you bear round to the west side,a fine saddleshaped bit of clear
ground there, in shape like the outside or seat of a saddle; Domitsch Wood the crupper part; summit of this
Height the pommel, only nothing like so steep:it is here (on tho southern saddleflap, so to speak),
gradually mounting westward to the crupperandpommel part, that the agony now is.
And here, in utter darkness, illuminated only by the musketry and cannon blazes, there ensued two hours of
stiff wrestling in its kind: not the fiercest spasm of all, but the final which decided all. Lestwitz, Hulsen, come
sweeping on, led by the sound and the fire; "beating the Prussian march, they," sharply on all their
drums,Prussian march, rattattan, sharply through the gloom of Chaos in that manner; and join
themselves, with no mistake made, to Mollendorf's, to Ziethen's left and the saddleflap there, and fall on.
The night is pitchdark, says Archenholtz; you cannot see your hand before you. Old Hulsen's bridlehorses
were all shot away, when he heard this alarm, far off: no horse left; and he is old, and has his own bruises. He
seated himself on a cannon; and so rides, and arrives; right welcome the sight of him, doubt not! And the
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1423
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fight rages still for an hour or more.
To an observant Mollendorf, watching about all day, the importance and allimportance of Siptitz Summit, if
it can be got, is probably known; to Daun it is alarmingly well known, when he hears of it. Daun is zealously
urgent on Lacy, on O'Donnell; who do try what they can; send reinforcements, and the like; but nothing that
proves useful. O'Donnell is not the man for such a crisis: Lacy, too, it is remarked, has always been more
expert in ducking out of Friedrich's way than in fighting anybody. [Archenholtz's sour remark.] In fine, such
is the total darkness, the difficulty, the uncertainty, most or all of the reinforcements sent halted short, in the
belly of the Night, uncertain where; and their poor friends got altogether beaten and driven away.
About 9 at night, all the Austrians are rolling off, eastward, eastward. Prussians goading them forward what
they could (firing not quite done till 10); and that allimportant pommel of the saddle is indisputably won.
The Austrians settled themselves, in a kind of halfmoon shape, close on the suburbs of Torgau; the
Prussians in a parallel halfmoon posture, some furlongs behind them. The Austrians sat but a short time; not
a moment longer than was indispensable. Daun perceives that the key of his ground is gone from him; that he
will have to send a second Courier to Vienna. And, above all things, that he must forthwith get across the
Elbe and away. Lucky for him that he has Three Bridges (or Four, including the Town Bridge), and that his
Baggage is already all across and standing on wheels. With excellent despatch and order Daun winds himself
across,all of him that is still coherent; and indeed, in the distant parts of the Battlefield, wandering
Austrian parties were admonished hitherward by the River's voice in the great darkness,and Daun's loss in
prisoners, though great, was less than could have been expected: 8,000 in all.
Till towards one in the morning, the Prussians, in their halfmoon, had not learned what he was doing. About
one they pushed into Torgau, and across the Town Bridge; found 26 pontoons,all the rest packed off
except these 26;and did not follow farther. Lacy retreated by the other or left bank of the River, to guard
against attempts from that side. Next day there was pursuit of Lacy; some prisoners and furnitures got from
him, but nothing of moment: Daun and Lacy joined at Dresden; took post, as usual, behind their inaccessible
Plauen Chasms. Sat there, in view of the chasing Prussians, without farther loss than this of Torgau, and of a
Campaign gone to water again. What an issue, for the third time! [Tempelhof, iv. 291318,; Archenholtz, ii.
159174; Retzow, ii. 299 et seq.; UMSTANDLICHE BESCHREIBUNG DES (in Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii.
823848): in HeldenGeschichte, or in Anonymous of Hamburg (iv. 245300), the Daun DESPATCHES,
the Lists,
On Torgaufield, behind that final Prussian halfmoon, there reigned, all night, a confusion which no tongue
can express. Poor wounded men by the hundred and the thousand, weltering in their blood, on the cold wet
ground; not surgeons or nurses, but merciless predatory sutlers, equal to murder if necessary, waiting on them
and on the happier that were dead. "Unutterable!" says Archenholtz; who, though wounded, had crawled or
got carried to some village near. The living wandered about in gloom and uncertainty; lucky he whose
haversack was still his, and a crust of bread in it: water was a priceless luxury, almost nowhere discoverable.
Prussian Generals roved about with their Staff Officers, seeking to reform their Battalions; to little
purpose. They had grown indignant, in some instances, and were vociferously imperative and minatory; but
in tbe dark who needed mind them? they went raving elsewhere, and, for the first time, Prussian word
ofcommand saw itself futile. Pitch darkness, bitter cold, ground trampled into mire. On Siptitz Hill there is
nothing that will burn: farther back, in the Domitsch Woods, are numerous fine fires, to which Austrians and
Prussians alike gather: "Peace and truce between us; tomorrow morning we will see which are prisoners,
which are captors." So pass the wild hours, all hearts longing for the dawn, and what decision it will bring.
Friedrich, at Elsnig, found every hut full of wounded, and their surgeries, and miseries silent or loud. He
himself took shelter in the little Church; passed the night there. Busy about many things; "using the altar,"
it seems, "by way of writingtable [self or secretaries kneeling, shall we fancy, on those new terms?], and the
stairs of it as seat." Of the final ZiethenLestwitz effort he would scarcely hear the musketry or cannonade,
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being so far away from it. At what hour, or from whom first, he learned that the Battle of Torgau had become
Victory in the nighttime, I know not: the AnecdoteBooks send him out in his cloak, wandering up and
down before daybreak; standing by the soldiers' fires; and at length, among the Woods, in the faint incipiency
of dawn, meeting a Shadow which proves to be Ziethen himself in the body, with embraces and
congratulations:evidently mythical, though dramatic. Reach him the news soon did; and surely none could
be welcomer. Headquarters change from the altarsteps in Elsnig Church to secular rooms in Torgau.
Ziethen has already sped forth on the skirts of Lacy; whole Army follows next day; and, on the War theatre
it is, on the sudden, a total change of scene. Conceivable to readers without the details.
Hopes there were of getting back Dresden itself; but that, on closer view, proved unattemptable. Daun kept
his Plauen Chasm, his few square miles of ground beyond; the rest of Saxony was Friedrich's, as heretofore.
Loudon had tried hard on Kosel for a week; storming once, and a second time, very fiercely, Goltz being now
near; but could make nothing of it; and, on wind of Goltz, went his way. [HOFBERICHT VON DER
BELAGERUNG VON KOSEL, IM OCTOBER 1760 (Seyfarth, Beylagen, ii. 798804): began "October
21st;" ended "at daybreak, October 27th."] The Russians, on sound of Torgau, shouldered arms, and made for
Poland. Daun, for his own share, went to Vienna this Winter; in need of surgery, and other things. The
population there is rather disposed to be grumbly on its once heroic Fabius; wishes the Fabius were a little
less cunctatory. But Imperial Majesty herself, one is proud to relate, drove out, in Old Roman spirit, some
miles, to meet him, her defeated everhonored Daun, and to inquire graciously about his health, which is so
important to the State. [Archenholtz, ii. 179.]
Torgau was Daun's last Battle: Daun's last battle; and, what is more to the joy of readers and their Editor here,
was Friedrich's last,so that the remaining Two Campaigns may fairly be condensed to an extreme degree;
and a few Chapters more will deliver us altogether from this painful element!
Daun lost at Torgau, by his own account, "about 11,000 men," should have said, according to Tempelhof,
and even to neutral persons, "above 12,000 killed and wounded, PLUS 8,000 prisoners, 45 cannon, 29 flags,
1 standard (or horseflag)," [Tempelhof, iv. 213; Kausler, p. 726.] which brings him to at least 20,000
minus; the Prussian loss, heavy enough too, being, by Tempelhof's admission, "between 13 and 14,000, of
whom 4,000 prisoners." The sore loss, not so computable in arithmetic,but less sore to Daun, perhaps, than
to most people,is that of being beaten, and having one's Campaign reduced to water again. No Conquest of
Saxony, any more than of Silesia, possible to Daun, this Year. In Silesia, thanks to Loudon, small thanks to
Loudon's Chief, they have got Glatz: Kosel they could not get; fiery Loudon himself stormed and blazed to
no purpose there, and had to hurry home on sight of Goltz and relief. Glatz is the net sumtotal. Daun knows
all this; but in a stoical arithmetical manner, and refuses to be flurried by it.
Friedrich, as we said, had hoped something might be done in Saxony on the defeated Daun;perhaps
Dresden itself be got back from him, and his Army altogether sent to winter in Bohemia again? But it proved
otherwise. Daun showed not the least disposition to quit his Plauen Chasm, or fall into discouragement: and
after some weeks of diligent trial, on Friedrich's part, and much running about in those central and Hillward
parts, Friedrich found he would have to be content with his former allotment of Saxon territory, and to leave
the Austrians quiet in theirs. Took winterquarters accordingly, and let the Enemy take. Cantoned himself, in
that MeissenFreyberg Country, in front of the Austrians and their impassable Plauens and Chasms:pretty
much as in the past Year, only that the Two Armies lay at a greater distance, and were more peaceable, as if
by mutual consent.
Headquarter of the King is Leipzig; where the King did not arrive till December 8th,such adjusting and
arranging has he had, and incessant running to and fro. He lived in the "Apel House, NEW Neumarkt, No.
16;" [Rodenbeck, ii. 65.] the same he had occupied in 1757, in the Rossbach time. "ACH! how lean your
Majesty has grown!" said the Mistress of it, at sight of him again (mythically, I should fancy, though it is in
the AnecdoteBooks). "Lean, JA WOHL," answered he: "and what wonder, with Three Women [Theresa,
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Czarina, Pompadour] hanging on the throat of me all this while!" But we propose to look in upon him
ourselves, in this Apel House, on more authentic terms, by and by. Read, meanwhile, these Two bits of
Autograph, thrown off incidentally, at different places, in the previous busy journeyings over
MeissenFreyberg country:
1. FRIEDRICH TO MARQUIS D'ARGENS (at Berlin).
"MEISSEN, 10th November, 1760.
... "I drove the enemy to the Gates of Dresden; they occupy their Camp of last Year; all my skill is not
enough to dislodge them," [Chasm of Plauen, "a place impregnable, were it garrisoned by
chimneysweeps," says the King once]. "We have saved our reputation by the Day of Torgau: but don't
imagine our enemies are so disheartened as to desire Peace. Duke Ferdinand's affairs are not in a good way
[missed Wesel, of which presently;and, alas also, George II. died, this day gone a fortnight, which is far
worse for us, if we knew it!]I fear the French will preserve through Winter the advantages they gained
during the Campaign.
"In a word, I see all black, as if I were at the bottom of a tomb. Have some compassion on the situation I am
in; conceive that I disguise nothing from you, and yet that I do not detail to you all my embarrassments, my
apprehensions and troubles. Adieu, dear Marquis; write to me sometimes,don't forget a poor devil, who
curses ten times a day his fatal existence, and could wish he already were in those Silent Countries from
which nobody returns with news." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 204, 205.]
2. The Second, of different complexion, is a still more interesting little Autograph, date elsewhere, farther on,
in those wanderings. Madam Camas, Widow of the Colonel Camas whom we knew twenty years ago, is
"Queen's OBERHOFMEISTERINN (Lady in Chief),"to whom the King's Letters are always pretty:
FREIDRICH TO MADAM CAMAS (at Magdeburg, with the Queen's Majesty.
"NEUSTADT, 18th November, 1760.
"I am exact in answering, and eager to satisfy you [in that matter of the porcelain: you shall have a
breakfastset, my good Mamma; six coffeecups, very pretty, well diapered, and tricked out with all the little
embellishments which increase their value. On account of some pieces which they are adding to the set, you
will have to wait a few days; but I flatter myself this delay will contribute to your satisfaction, and produce
for you a toy that will give you pleasure, and make you remember your old Adorer. It is curious how old
people's habits agree. For four years past I have given up suppers, as incompatible with the Trade I am
obliged to follow; and in marching days, my dinner consists of a cup of chocolate.
"We hurried off, like fools, quite inflated with our Victory, to try if we could not chase the Austrians out of
Dresden: they made a mockery of us from the tops of their mountains. So I have withdrawn, like a bad little
boy, to conceal myself, out of spite, in one of the wretchedest villages in Saxony. And here the first thing will
be to drive the Circle gentlemen, [Reichs Army] out of Freyberg into Chemnitz, and get ourselves room to
quarter and something to live upon. It is, I swear to you, a dog of a life [or even a shedog, CHIENNE DE
VIE], the like of which nobody but Don Quixote ever led before me. All this tumbling and toiling, and bother
and confusion that never ceases, has made me so old, that you would scarcely know me again. On the right
side of my head the hair is all gray; my teeth break and fall out; I have got my face wrinkled like the falbalas
of a petticoat; my back bent like a fiddlebow; and spirit sad and downcast like a monk of La Trappe. I
forewarn you of all this, lest, in case we should meet again in flesh and bone, you might feel yourself too
violently shocked by my appearance. There remains to me nothing but the heart,which has undergone no
change, and which will preserve, so long as I breathe, its feelings of esteem and of tender friendship for my
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1426
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good Mamma. Adieu." [ OEuvres de Frederic, XVIII. 144.] To which add only this on Duke Ferdinand,
"whose affairs," we just heard, "are not in a good way:"
FIGHT OF KLOSTER KAMPEN (Night of October 15th16th); WESEL NOT TO BE HAD BY DUKE
FERDINAND.
After WARBURG (July 31st, while Friedrich was on the eve of crossing Elbe on new adventures, Dresden
Siege having failed him), Duke Ferdinand made no figure to the Gazetteers; fought no Battle farther; and has
had a Campaign, which is honorable only to judges of a higher than the Gazetteer sort.
By Warburg Ferdinand had got the Diemel; on the north bank of which he spread himself out, impassable to
Broglio, who lay trying on the opposite bank:"No Hanover by this road." Broglio thereupon drew back a
little; pushed out circuitously from his right wing, which reaches far eastward of Ferdinand, a considerable
Brigade, circuitously, round by the WeserFulda Country, and beyond the embouchure of Diemel,to try
it by that method. Got actually a few miles into Hanoverian territory, by that method; laid hold of Gottingen,
also of Munden, which secures a road thither: and at Gottingen there, "ever since August 4th," Broglio has
been throwing up works, and shooting out hussarparties to a good distance; intending, it would seem, to
maintain himself, and to be mischievous, in that post. Would, in fact, fain entice Ferdinand across the Weser,
to help Gottingen. "Across Weser, yes;and so leave Broglio free to take Lippstadt from me, as he might
after a short siege," thinks Ferdinand always; "which would beautifully shorten Broglio's communication
[quite direct then, and without interruption, all the way to Wesel], and make Hanover itself, Hanover and
Brunswick, the central Seat of War!" Which Ferdinand, grieved as he is for Gottingen, will by no means
consent to.
Ferdinand, strong only as one to two, cannot hinder Broglio, though he tries variously; and is much at a loss,
seeing Broglio irrepressibly busy this way, all through August and on into September;has heard, however,
from Wesel, through secret partisans there, that Wesel, considered altogether out of risk, is left in a very weak
condition; weak in garrison, weak even in gunners. Reflecting upon which, in his difficulties, Ferdinand asks
himself, "A sudden stroke at Wesel, 200 miles away, might it not astonish Broglio, who is so busy on us just
here?"and, September 22d, despatches the Hereditary Prince on that errand. A man likely for it, if there be
one in the world:unable to do it, however, as the issue told. Here is what I find noted.
"SEPTEMBER 22d, the Erbprinz, with a chosen Corps of 15,000, mostly English, left these Diemel regions
towards Wesel, at his speediest. September 29th, Erbprinz and vanguard, Corps rapidly following, are got to
Dorsten, within 20 miles of Wesel. A most swift Erbprinz; likely for such work. And it is thought by judges,
Had he had either siegeartillery or scaling apparatus, he might really have attacked Wesel with good chance
upon it. But he has not even a ladder ready, much less a siegegun. Siegeguns are at Bielefeld [come from
Bremen, I suppose, by English boating, up the Weser so far]; but that is six score miles of wheelcarriage;
roads bad, and threatening to be worse, as it is equinoctial weather. There is nothing for it but to wait for
those guns.
"The Erbprinz, hopefully waiting, does his endeavor in the interim; throws a bridge over the Rhine, pounces
upon Cleve garrison (prisoners, with their furnitures), pounces upon this and that; 'spreads terror' on the
French thereabouts 'up to Dusseldorf and Koln,and on Broglio himself, so far off, the due astonishment.
'Wesel to be snatched,ye Heavens! Our Netherlands road cut off: Dusseldorf, Koln, our Rhine Magazines,
all and sundry, fallen to the hawks,who, the lighterwinged of them, might pay visits in France itself!'
Broglio has to suspend his Gottingen operations, and detach Marquis de Castries with (say ultimately, for
Castries is to grow and gather by the road) 35,000, to relieve Wesel. Castries marches doublequick; weather
very rainy;arrives in those parts OCTOBER 13th;hardly a gun from Bielefeld come to hand yet,
Erbprinz merely filling men with terror. And so,
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1427
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"OCTOBER 14th, after two weeks and a day, the Hereditary Prince sees, not guns from Bielefeld, but
Castries pushing into Wesel a 7,000 of additional garrison,and the Enterprise on Wesel grown impossible.
Impossible, and probably far more; Castries in a condition to devour us, if he prove sharp. It behooves the
Hereditary Prince to be himself sharp;which he undoubtedly was, in this sharp crisis. Next day, our
Erbprinz, taking survey of Castries in his strong ground of Kloster Kampen, decides, like a gallant fellow, to
attack HIM;and straightway does it. Breaks, that same night (October 15th16th, 1760), stealthily, through
woods and with precautions, into Castries's Post; intending surprisal, and mere ruin to Castries. And there
ensued, not the SURPRISAL as it turned out, but the BATTLE OF KLOSTER KAMPEN; which again
proved unsuccessful, or only halfsuccessful, to the Hereditary Prince. A manywinged, intricate
NightBattle; to be read of in Books. This is where the Chevalier d'Assas, he or Somebody, gave the alarm to
the Castries people at the expense of his life. 'A MOI, AUVERGNE, Ho, Auvergne!' shouted D'Assas (if it
was D'Assas at all), when the stealthy English came upon him; who was at once cut down. [Preuss (ii. 270 n.)
asserts it to be proved, in "Miscellen aus den neuesten auslandischen Litteratur (1824, No. 3, p. 409)," a
Book which none of us ever saw, "That the real hero [equal to a Roman Decius or more] was not Captain
d'Assas, of the Regiment Auvergne, but a poor Private Soldier of it, called Dubois"!Is not this a strange
turn, after such bePENSIONING, bepainting, singing and celebrating, as rose upon poor D'Assas, or the
Family of D'Assas, twenty years afterwards (17771790)!Both Dubois and D'Assas, I conclude, lay
among the slain at Kloster Kampen, silent they forever:and a painful doubt does rise, As to the miraculous
operation of Posthumous Rumor and Wonder; and Whether there was any "miracle of heroism," or other
miracle at all, and not rather a poor nocturnal accident,poor sentry in the edge of the wood, shrieking out,
on apparition of the stealthy English, "Ho, Auvergne, help!" probably firing withal; and getting killed in
consequence? NON NOSTRUM EST.] It is certain, Auvergne gave fire; awoke Castries bodily; and saved
him from what was otherwise inevitable. Surprise now there was none farther; but a complex Fight, managed
in the darkness with uncommon obstinacy; ending in withdrawal of the Erbprinz, as from a thing that could
not be done. His loss in killed, wounded and prisoners, was 1,638; that of Castries, by his own counting,
2,036: but Kloster Kampen, in the wideawake state, could not be won.
"During the Fight, the Erbprinz's RhineBridge had burst in two: his ammunition was running short;and, it
would seem, there is no retreat, either! The Erbprinz put a bold face on the matter, stood to Castries in a
threatening attitude; mamoeuvred skilfully for two days longer, face still to Castries, till the Bridge was got
mended; then, night of October 18th19th, crossed to his own side; gathered up his goods; and at a deliberate
pace marched home, on those terms;doing some useful fighting by the road." [Mauvillon, ii. 120129:
Tempelhof, ii. 325332.]
Had lost nothing, say his admirers, "but one cannon, which burst." One burst cannon left on the field of
Kloster Kampen;but also, as we see, his errand along with it; and 1,600 good fighters lost aud burst: which
was more important! Criticisms there were on it in England, perhaps of the unwise sort generally; sorrow in
the highest quarter. "An unaccountable expedition," Walpole calls it, "on which Prince Ferdinand suddenly
despatched his Nephew, at the head of a considerable force, towards the frontiers of Holland," merely to
see the country there?"which occasioned much solicitude in England, as the Main Army, already unequal
to that of France, was thus rendered much weaker. King George felt it with much anxiety." [Walpole's
George Second, iii. 299.] An unaccountable Enterprise, my poor Gazetteer friends, very evidently an
unsuccessful one, so far as Wesel went. Many English fallen in it, too: "the English showed here again a
GANZ AUSNEHMENDE TAPFERKEIT," says Mauvillon; and probably their share of the loss was
proportionate.
Clearly enough there is no Wesel to be had. Neither could Broglio, though disturbed in his Gottingen
fortifyings and operations, be ejected out of Gottingen. Ferdinand, on failure of Wesel, himself marched to
Gottingen, and tried for some days; but found he could not, in such weather, tear out that firmly rooted
French Post, but must be content to "mask it," for the present; and, this done, withdrew (December 13th) to
his winterquarters near by, as did Broglio to his,about the time Friedrich and Daun had finally settled in
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Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. 1428
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theirs.
Ferdinand's Campaigns henceforth, which turn all on the defence of Hanover, are highly recommended to
professional readers; but to the laic sort do not prove interesting in proportion to the trouble. In fact, the huge
War henceforth begins everywhere, or everywhere except in Pitt's department of it, to burn lower, like a lamp
with the oil getting done; and has less of brilliancy than formerly. "Let us try for Hanover," the Belleisles,
Choiseuls and wise French heads had said to themselves: "Canada, India, everything is lost; but were dear
Hanover well in our clutch, Hanover would be a remedy for many things!" Through the remaining
Campaigns, as in this now done, that is their fixed plan. Ferdinand, by unwearied effort, succeeded in
defending Hanover,nothing of it but that inconsiderable slice or skirt round Gottingen, which they kept
long, could ever be got by the French. Ferdinand defended Hanover; and wore out annually the big French
Armies which were missioned thither, as in the spasm of an expiring last effort by this poor hagridden
France,at an expense to her, say, of 50,000 men per year. Which was good service on Ferdinand's part; but
done less and less in the shining or universally notable way.
So that with him too we are henceforth, thank Heaven, permitted and even bound to be brief. Hardly above
two Battles more from him, if even two:and mostly the wearied Reader's imagination left to conceive for
itself those intricate strategies, and endless manoeuvrings on the Diemel and the Dill, on the Ohm River and
the Schwalm and the Lippe, or wherever they may be, with small help from a wearied Editor!
Chapter VI. WINTERQUARTERS 17601761.
A melancholy little event, which afterwards proved unexpectedly unfortunate for Friedrich, had happened in
England ten days before the Battle of Torgau. Saturday, 25th October, 1760, George II., poor old gentleman,
suddenly died. He was in his 77th year; feeble, but not feebler than usual,unless, perhaps, the
unaccountable news from Kloster Kampen may have been too agitating to the dim old mind? On the Monday
of this week he had, "from a tent in Hyde Park," presided at a Review of Dragoons; and on Thursday, as his
Coldstream Guards were on march for Portsmouth and foreign service, "was in his Portico at Kensington to
see them pass;"full of zeal always in regard to military matters, and to this War in particular. Saturday, by
sunrise he was on foot; took his cup of chocolate; inquired about the wind, and the chances of mails arriving;
opened his window, said he would have a turn in the Gardens, the morning being so fine. It was now between
7 and 8. The valet then withdrew with the chocolate apparatus; but had hardly shut the door, when he heard a
deep sigh, and fall of something,"billet of wood from the fire?" thought he;upon which, hurrying back,
he found it was the King, who had dropt from his seat, "as if in attempting to ring the bell." King said faintly,
"Call Amelia," and instantly died. Poor deaf Amelia (Friedrich's old love, now grown old and deaf) listened
wildly for some faint sound from those lips now mute forever. George Second was no more; his grandson
George Third was now King. [Old Newspapers (in Gentleman's Magazine, xxx. 486488).]
Intrinsically taken, this seemed no very great event for Friedrich, for Pitt, for England or mankind: but it
proved otherwise. The merit of this poor King deceased, who had led his Nation stumbling among the
chimneypots at such a rate in these mad German Wars for Twenty Years past, was, That he did now stand
loyal to the Enterprise, now when it had become sane indeed; now when the Nation was broad awake, and a
Captain had risen to guide it out of that perilous posture, into neverexpected victory and triumph! Poor old
George had stood by his Pitt, by his Ferdinand, with a perfect loyalty at all turns; and been devoted, heart and
soul and breechespocket, to completely beating Bourbon's oppressive ideas out of Bourbon's head. A little
fact, but how important, then and there! Under the Successor, all this may be different:ghastly beings, Old
Tutors, Favorites, Mother'sFavorites, flit, as yet invisible, on the new backstairs:should Bute and
Company get into the foreground, people will then know how important it was. Walpole says:
"The Yorkes [ExChancellor Hardwicke people] had long distasted this War:" yes, and been painfully
obliged to hold their tongues: "but now," within a month or so of the old King's death, "there was published,
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under Lord Hardwicke's countenance, a Tract setting forth the burden and ill policy of our German measures.
It was called CONSIDERATIONS ON THE GERMAN WAR; was ably written, and changed many men's
minds." This is the famous "Mauduit Pamphlet:" first of those small stones, from the sling of Opposition not
obliged to be dormant, which are now beginning to rattle on Pitt's Olympian Dwellingplace,high really as
Olympus, in comparison with others of the kind, but which unluckily is made of GLASS like the rest of
them! The slinger of this first resounding little missile, Walpole informs us, was "one Mauduit, formerly a
Dissenting Teacher,"son of a Dissenting Minister in Bermondsey, I hear, and perhaps himself once a
Preacher, but at present concerned with Factorage of Wool on the great scale; got soon afterwards promoted
to be Head of the Customhouse in Southampton, so lovely did he seem to Bute and Company. "How
agreeable his politics were to the interior of the Court, soon appeared by a place [Southampton
Customhouse] being bestowed on him by Lord Bute." A fortunate Mauduit, yet a stupidly tragical; had such
a destiny in English History! Hear Walpole a little farther, on Mauduit, and on other things then resonant to
Arlington Street in a way of their own. "TO SIR HORACE MANN [at Florence]:
"NOVEMBER 14th, 1760 [tenth night after Torgau]. ... We are all in guns and bonfires for an unexpected
victory of the King of Prussia over Daun; but as no particulars are yet arrived, there are doubters."
"DECEMBER 5th, 1760. I have received the samples of brocadella. ... I shall send you a curious Pamphlet,
the only work I almost ever knew that changed the opinions of many. It is called CONSIDERATIONS ON
THE PRESENT GERMAN WAR, ["London: Printed for John Wilkie, at the Bible, in St. Paul's Churchyard,
1761," adds my poor Copy (a frugal 12mo, of pp. 144), not adding of what edition.] and is written by a
wholesale WoollenDraper [connected with Wool, in some way; "Factor at Blackwell Hall," if that mean
Draper:and a growing man ever after; came to be "Agent for Massachusetts," on the BostonTEA
occasion, and again did Tracts; was "President of the"in short, was a conspicuous VicePresident, so let us
define him, of The general AntiPenalty or LifemadeSoft Association, with Cause of civil and religious
Liberty all over the World, and such like; and a Mauduit comfortably resonant in that way till he died
[Chalmers, BIOG. DICTIONARY; Nichols, LITERARY ANECDOTES; but the materials are supposed to
be furnished by the faction of the Yorkes. The confirmation of the King of Prussia's victory near Torgau does
not prevent the disciples of the Pamphlet from thinking that the best thing which could happen for us would
be to have that Monarch's head shot off. [Hear, hear!]
"There are Letters from the Hague [what foolish Letters do fly about, my friend!], that say Daun is dead of
his wounds. If he is, I shall begin to believe that the King of Prussia will end successfully at last. [Oh!] It has
been the fashion to cry down Daun; but, as much as the King of Prussia may admire himself [does
immensely, according to our Selwyn informations], I dare say he would have been glad to be matched with
one much more like himself than one so opposite as the Marshal."
"JANUARY 2d, i761. The German War is not so popular as you imagine, either in the Closet or in the
Nation." [Walpole, Letters to Sir Horace Mann (Lond. 1843), i. 6, 7.] (Enough, enough.)
The Mauduit Pamphlet, which then produced such an effect, is still to be met in old Collections and on
Bookstalls; but produces little save weariness to a modern reader. "Hanover not in real danger," argues he; "if
the French had it, would not they, all Europe ordering them, have to give it up again?" Give it up,GRATIS,
or in return for Canada and Pondicherry, Mauduit's does not say. Which is an important omission! But
Mauduit's grand argument is that of expense; frightful outlay of money, aggravated by ditto mismanagement
of same.
A War highly expensive, he says(and the truth is, Pitt was never stingy of money: "Nearly the one thing
we have in any plenty; be frank in use of that, in an Enterprise so illprovided otherwise, and involving life
and death!" thinks Pitt); "dreadfully expensive," urges Mauduit, and gives some instances of Commissariat
moneys signally wasted,not by Pitt, but by the stupidity of Pitt's War Offices, Commissariat Offices,
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Offices of all kinds; not to be cured at once by any Pitt:How magazines of hay were shipped and
reshipped, carried hither, thither, up this river, down that (nobody knowing where the warhorses would be
that were to eat it); till at length, when it had reached almost the value of bohea tea, the right place of it was
found to be Embden (nearest to Britain from the first, had one but known), and not a horse would now taste
it, so spoiled was the article; all horses snorted at it, as they would have done at bohea, never so expensive.
[Mauduit (towards the end) has a story of that tenor,particulars not worth verifying.] These things are
incident to British warfare; also to Swedish, and to all warfares that have their War Offices in an imaginary
state,state much to be abhorred by every sane creature; but not to be mended all at once by the noblest of
men, into whose hands they are suddenly thrust for saving his Nation. Conflagration to be quenched; and
your buckets all in hideous leakage, like buckets of the Danaides:your one course is, ply them, pour with
them, such as they are.
Mauduit points out farther the enormous fortunes realized by a swindling set of ArmyFurnishers, Hebrews
mainly, and unbeautiful to look on. Alas, yes; this too is a thing incident to the case; and in a degree to all
such cases, and situations of sudden crisis; have not we seen Jew Ephraim growing rich by the copper
money even of a Friedrich? Christian Protestants there are, withal, playing the same game on a larger scale.
Herr Schimmelmann ("MOULDYman") the Dane, for instance,Dane or Holsteiner,is coining false
money for a Duke of HolsteinPlon, who has not a SevenYears War on his hands. Diligently coining, this
Mouldy Individual; still more successfully, is trading in Friedrich's Meissen China (bought in the cheapest
market, sold in the dearest); has at Hamburg his "Auction of Meissen Porcelain," steadily going on, as a new
commercial institution of that City;and, in short, by assiduously laboring in such harvestfields, gathers a
colossal fortune, 100,000 pounds, 300,000 pounds, or I will not remember what. Gets "ennobled,"
furthermore, by a Danish Government prompt to recognize human merit: Elephant Order, Dannebrog Order;
no Order good enough for this Mouldyman of merit; [Preuss, ii. 391, 282, is, so far as I know, begetting
"Nobles," that is to say, ViceKings and monitory Exemplars, for the Danish People, to this day. Let us shut
down the iron lid on all that.
Mauduit's Pamphlet, if it raised in the abhorrent unthinking English mind some vague notion, as probably it
did, that Pitt was responsible for these things, or was in a sort the cause or author of them, might produce
some effect against him. "What a splash is this you are making, you Great Commoner; wetting everybody's
feet, as our Mauduit proves;while the Conflagration seems to be going out, if you let it alone!" For the
heads of men resemble My friend, I will not tell you what they, in multitudinous instances, resemble.
But thus has woollen Mauduit, from his private camp ("Clement's Lane, Lombard Street," say the
Dictionaries), shot, at a very high object, what pigeon'segg or small pebble he had; the first of many such
that took that aim; with weak though loudsounding impact, but with resultsresults on King Friedrich in
particular, which were stronger than the Cannonade of Torgau! As will be seen. For within year and
day,Mauduit and Company making their noises from without, and the Butes and Hardwickes working
incessantly with such rare power of leverage and screwage in the interior parts,a certain QuasiOlympian
House, made of glass, will lie in sherds, and the ablest and noblest man in England see himself forbidden to
do England any service farther: "Not needed more, Sir! Go you,and look at US for the remainder of your
life!"
KING FRIEDRICH IN THE APEL HOUSE AT LEIPZIG (8th December, 176017th March, 1761).
Friedrich's Winter in the Apel House at Leipzig is of cheerfuler character than we might imagine. Endless
sore business he doubtless has, of recruiting, financiering, watching and providing, which grows more
difficult year by year; but he has subordinates that work to his signal, and an organized machinery for
business such as no other man. And solacements there are withal: his Books he has about him; welcomer than
ever in such seasons: Friends too,he is not solitary; nor neglectful of resources. Faithful D'Argens came at
once (stayed till the middle of March): [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 212, 213. Sends a Courier to conduct
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D'Argens "FOR December 8th;" "21st March," D'Argens is back at Berlin.] D'Argens, Quintus Icilius,
English Mitchell; these three almost daily bore him company. Till the middle of January, also, he had his two
Nephews with him (Sons of his poor deceased Brother, the late tragic Prince of Prussia),the elder of
whom, Friedrich Wilhelm, became King afterwards; the second, Henri by name, died suddenly of smallpox
within about seven years hence, to the King's deep and sore grief, who liked him the better of the two. Their
ages respectively are now about 16 and 14. [Henri, born 30th December, 1747, died 26th May,
1767;Friedrich Wilhelm, afterwards Friedrich Wilhelm II. (sometimes called DER DICKE, The Big), born
25th December, 1744; King, 17th August, 1786; died 16th November, 1797.] Their appetite for dancing, and
their gay young ways, are pleasant now and afterwards to the old Uncle in his grim element. [Letters, in
SCHONING.]
Music, too, he had; daily evening Concert, though from himself there is no fluting now. One of his Berlin
Concert people who had been sent for was Fasch, a virtuoso on I know not what instrument, but a man
given to take note of things about him. Fasch was painfully surprised to see his King so altered in the interim
past: "bent now, sunk into himself, grown old; to whom these five years of wartumult and anxiety, of
sorrow and hard toil, had given a dash of gloomy seriousness and melancholy, which was in strong contrast
with his former vividly bright expression, and was not natural to his years." [Zelter's Life of Fasch (cited in
PREUSS, ii. 278).]
From D'Argens there is one authentic Anecdote, worth giving. One evening D'Argens came to him; entering
his Apartment, found him in a situation very unexpected; which has been memorable ever since. "One
evening [there is no date to it, except vaguely, as above, December, 1760March, 1761], D'Argens, entering
the King's Apartment, found him sitting on the ground with a big platter of fried meat, from which he was
feeding his dogs. He had a little rod, with which he kept order among them, and shoved the best bits to his
favorites. The Marquis, in astonishment, recoiled a step, struck his hands together, and exclaimed: 'The Five
Great Powers of Europe, who have sworn alliance, and conspired to undo the Marquis de Brandebourg, how
might they puzzle their heads to guess what he is now doing! Scheming some dangerous plan for the next
Campaign, think they; collecting funds to have money for it; studying about magazines for man and horse; or
he is deep in negotiations to divide his enemies, and get new allies for himself? Not a bit of all that. He is
sitting peaceably in his room, and feeding his dogs!'" [Preuss, ii. 282.]
INTERVIEW WITH HERR PROFESSOR GELLERT (Thursday, 18th December, 1760).
Still more celebrated is the Interview with Gellert; though I cannot say it is now more entertaining to the
ingenuous mind. One of Friedrich's many Interviews, this Winter, with the Learned of Leipzig University; for
he is a born friend of the Muses so called, and never neglects an opportunity. Wonderful to see how, in such
an environment, in the depths of mere toil and tribulation, with a whole breaking world lying on his
shoulders, as it were,he always shows such appetite for a snatch of talk with anybody presumably of sense,
and knowledge on something!
This Winter, say the Books, "he had, in vacant intervals, a great deal of communing with the famed of
Leipzig University;" this or the other famed Professor,Winkler, Ernesti, Gottsched again, and others,
coming to give account, each for himself, of what he professed to be teaching in the world: "on the Natural
Sciences, more especially the Moral; on Libraries, on Rare Books. Gottsched was able to satisfy the King on
one point; namely, That the celebrated passage of St. John's Gospel"THERE ARE THREE THAT BEAR
RECORDwas NOT in the famous Manuscript of the Vienna Library; Gottsched having himself examined
that important CODEX, and found in the text nothing of said Passage, but merely, written on the margin, a
legible intercalation of it, in Melanchthon's hand. Luther, in his Version, never had it at all."
[ HeldenGeschichte, vi. 596.] A Gottsched inclined to the Socinian view? Not the least consequence to
Friedrich or us! Our business is exclusively with Gellert here.
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Readers have heard of Gellert; there are, or there were, English Writings about him, LIVES, or I forget what:
and in his native Protestant Saxony, among all classes, especially the higher, he had, in those years and
onwards to his death, such a popularity and real splendor of authority as no man before or since. Had risen,
against his will in some sort, to be a real Pope, a practical Oracle in those parts. In his modest bachelor
lodging (age of him fiveandforty gone) he has sheaves of Letters daily,about affairs of the conscience,
of the household, of the heart: from some evangelical young lady, for example, Shall I marry HIM, think you,
O my Father?" and perhaps from her Papa, "Shall SHE, think you, O my ditto?"Sheaves of Letters: and of
oral consulters such crowds, that the poor Oracle was obliged to appoint special hours for that branch of his
business. His classroom (he lectures on MORALS, some THEORY OF MORAL SENTIMENT, or such
like) is crowded with "blue uniforms" (ingenuous Prussian Officers eager to hear a Gellert) in these Winters.
Rugged Hulsen, this very season, who commands in Freyberg Country, alleviates the poor village of
Hainichen from certain official inflictions, and bids the poor people say "It is because Gellert was born
among you!" Plainly the Trismegistus of mankind at that date:who is now, as usual, become a surprising
Trismegistus to the new generations!
He had written certain thin Books, all of a thin languid nature; but rational, clear; especially a Book of
FABLES IN VERSE, which are watery, but not wholly water, and have still a languid flavor in them for
readers. His Book on LETTERWRITING was of use to the rising generation, in its time. Clearly an
amiable, ingenious, correct, altogether good man; of pious mind,and, what was more, of strictly orthodox,
according to the then Saxon standard in the best circles. This was the figure of his Life for the last fifteen
years of it; and he was now about the middle of that culminating period. A modest, despondent kind of man,
given to indigestions, dietetics, hypochondria: "of neat figure and dress; nose hooked, but not too much; eyes
mournfully blue and beautiful, fine open brow;"a fine countenance, and fine soul of its sort, poor Gellert:
"punctual like the churchclock at divine service, in all weathers." [Jordens, Lexikon Deutscher Dichter und
Prosaisten (Leipzig, 1807), ii. 5468 (§ Gellert).]
A man of some real intellect and melody; some, by no means much; who was of amiable meek demeanor;
studious to offend nobody, and to do whatever good he could by the established methods;and who, what
was the great secret of his success, was of orthodoxy perfect and eminent. Whom, accordingly, the whole
world, polite Saxon orthodox world, hailed as its Evangelist and Trismegistus. Essentially a commonplace
man; but who employed himself in beautifying and illuminating the commonplace of his clay and
generation:infinitely to the satisfaction of said generation. "How charming that you should make thinkable
to us, make vocal, musical and comfortably certain, what we were all inclined to think; you creature plainly
divine!" And the homages to Gellert were unlimited and continual, not pleasant all of them to an idlish man
in weak health.
Mitchell and Quintus Icilius, who are often urging on the King that a new German Literature is springing up,
of far more importance than the King thinks, have spoken much to him of Gellert the Trismegistus;and at
length, in the course of a ten days from Friedrich's arrival here, actual Interview ensues. The DIALOGUE,
though it is but dull and watery to a modern palate, shall be given entire, for the sake of one of the
Interlocutors. The Report of it, gleaned gradually from Gellert himself, and printed, not long afterwards, from
his manuscripts or those of others, is to be taken as perfectly faithful. Gellert, writing to his inquiring Friend
Rabener (a then celebrated Berlin Wit), describes, from Leipzig, "29th January, 1760," or about six weeks
after the event: "How, one day about the middle of December, Quintus Icilius suddenly came to my poor
lodging here, to carry me to the King." Am too ill to go. Quintus will excuse me today; but will return
tomorrow, when no excuse shall avail. Did go accordingly next day, Thursday, 18th December, 4 o'clock of
the afternoon; and continued till a quarter to 6. "Had nothing of fear in speaking to the King. Recited my
MALER ZU ATHEN." King said, at parting, he would send for me again. "The English Ambassador
[Mitchell], an excellent man, was probably the cause of the King's wish to see me. ... The King spoke
sometimes German, sometimes French; I mostly German." [ Gellert's Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius,
herausgegeben von F. A. Ebert (Leipzig, 1823), pp. 629, 631.] As follows:
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RING. "Are you (ER) the Professor Gellert?"
GELLERT. "Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT."
KING. "The English Ambassador has spoken highly of you to me. Where do you come from?"
GELLERT. "From Hainichen, near Freyberg."
KING. "Have not you a brother at Freyberg?"
GELLERT. "Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT."
KING. "Tell me why we have no good German Authors."
MAJOR QUINTUS ICILIUS (puts in a word). "Your Majesty, you see here one before you;one whom the
French themselves have translated, calling him the German La Fontaine!"
KING. "That is much. Have you read La Fontaine?"
GELLERT. "Yes, your Majesty; but have not imitated: I am original (ICH BIN EIN ORIGINAL)."
KING. "Well, this is one good Author among the Germans; but why have not we more?"
GELLERT. "Your Majesty has a prejudice against the Germans."
KING. "No; I can't say that (Nein; das kann ich nicht sagen)."
GELLERT. "At least, against German writers."
KING. "Well, perhaps. Why have we no good Historians? Why does no one undertake a Translation of
Tacitus?"
GELLERT. "Tacitus is difficult to translate; and the Frenoh themselves have but bad translations of him."
KING. "That is true (DA HAT ER RECHT)."
GELLERT. "And, on the whole, various reasons may be given why the Germans have not yet distinguished
themselves in every kind of writing. While Arts and Sciences were in their flower among the Greeks, the
Romans were still busy in War. Perhaps this is the Warlike Era of the Germans:perhaps also they have yet
wanted Augustuses and LouisFourteenths!"
KING. "How, would you wish one Augustus,then, for all Germany?"
GELLERT. "Not altogether that; I could wish only that every Sovereign encouraged men of genius in his
own country."
KING (starting a new subject). "Have you never been out of Saxony?"
GELLERT. "I have been in Berlin."
KING. "You should travel."
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GELLERT. "IHRO MAJESTAT, for that I need two things,health and means."
KING. "What is your complaint? Is it DIE GELEHRTE KRANKHEIT (Disease of the Learned," Dyspepsia
so called)? "I have myself suffered from that. I will prescribe for you. You must ride daily, and take a dose of
rhubarb every week."
GELLERT. "ACH, IHRO MAJESTAT: if the horse were as weak as I am, he would be of no use to me; if he
were stronger, I should be too weak to manage him." (Mark this of the Horse, however; a tale hangs by it.)
KING. "Then you must drive out."
GELLERT. "For that I am deficient in the means."
KING. "Yes, that is true; that is what Authors (GELEHRTE) in Deutschland are always deficient in. I
suppose these are bad times, are not they?"
GELLERT. "JA WOHL; and if your Majesty would grant us Peace (DEN FRIEDEN GEBEN
WOLLTEN)"
KING. "How can I? Have not you heard, then? There are three of them against me (ES SIND JA DREI
WIDER MICH)!"
GELLERT. "I have more to do with the Ancients and their History than with the Moderns."
KING (changing the topic). "What do you think, is Homer or Virgil the finer as an Epic Poet?"
GELLERT. "Homer, as the more original."
KING. "But Virgil is much more polished (VIEL POLIRTER)."
GELLERT. "We are too far removed from Homer's times to judge of his language. I trust to Quintilian in that
respect, who prefers Homer."
KING. "But one should not be a slave to the opinion of the Ancients."
GELLERT. "Nor am I that. I follow them only in cases where, owing to the distance, I cannot judge for
myself."
MAJOR ICILIUS (again giving a slight fillip or suggestion). "He," the Herr Professor here, "has also treated
of GERMAN LETTER WRITING, and has published specimens."
KING. "So? But have you written against the CHANCERY STYLE, then" (the painfully solemn style, of
ceremonial and circumlocution; Letters written so as to be mainly wig and buckram)?
GELLERT. "ACH JA, that have I, IHRO MAJESTAT!"
KING. "But why doesn't it change? The Devil must be in it (ES IST ETWAS VERTEUFELTES). They bring
me whole sheets of that stuff, and I can make nothing of it!"
GELLERT. "If your Majesty cannot alter it, still less can I. I can only recommend, where you command."
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KING. "Can you repeat any of your Fables?"
GELLERT. "I doubt it; my memory is very treacherous."
KING. "Bethink you a little; I will walk about [Gellert bethinks him, brow puckered. King, seeing the brow
unpucker itself]. Well, have you one?"
GELLERT. "Yes, your Majesty: THE PAINTER." Gellert recites (voice plaintive and hollow; somewhat
PREACHY, I should doubt, but not cracked or shrieky);we condense him into prose abridgment for
English readers; German can look at the bottom of the page: [(Gellert's WERKE: Leipzig, 1840; i. 135.)]
"'A prudent Painter in Athens, more intent on excellence than on money, had done a God of War; and sent for
a real Critic to give him his opinion of it. On survey, the Critic shook his head: "Too much Art visible; won't
do, my friend!" The Painter strove to think otherwise; and was still arguing, when a young Coxcomb [GECK,
Gawk] stept in: "Gods, what a masterpiece!" cried he at the first glance: "Ah, that foot, those exquisitely
wrought toenails; helm, shield, mail, what opulence of Art!" The sorrowful Painter looked penitentially at the
real Critic, looked at his brush; and the instant this GECK was gone, struck out his God of War.'"
KING. "And the Moral?"
GELLERT (still reciting):
"'When the Critic does not like thy Bit of Writing, it is a bad sign for thee; but when the Fool admires, it is
time thou at once strike it out.'"
"Ein kluger Maler in Athen, Der minder, weil man ihn bezhalte, Als weil er Ehre suchte, malte, Liess einen
Kenner einst den Mars im Bilde sehn, Und bat sich seine Meinung aus. Der Kenner sagt ihm fiei heraus,
Dass ihm das Bild nicht ganz gefallen wollte, Und dass es, um recht schon zu sein, Weit minder Kunst
verrathen sollte. Der Maler wandte vieles ein; Der Kenner stritt mit ihm aus Grunden, Und konnt ihn doch
nicht uberwinden. Gleich trat ein junger Geck herein, Und nahm das Bild in Augenschein. 'O,' rief er, 'bei
dem ersten Blicke, Ihr Gotter, welch ein Meisterstucke! Ach, welcher Fuss! O, wie geschickt Sind nicht die
Nagel ausgedruckt! Mars lebt durchaus in diesem Bilde. Wie viele Kunst, wie viele Pracht Ist in dem Helm
und in dem Schilde, Und in der Rustung angebracht!' Der Maler ward beschamt geruhret, Und sah den
Kenner klaglich an. 'Nun,' sprach er, 'bin ich uberfuhret! Ihr habt mir nicht zu viel gethan.' Der junge Geck
war kaum hinaus, So strich er seinen Kriegsgott aus."
MORAL.
"Wenn deine Schrift dem Kenner nicht gefallt, So ist es schon ein boses Zeichen; Doch, wenn sie gar des
Narren Lob erhalt, So ist es Zeit, sie auszustreichen."
KING. "That is excellent; very fine indeed. You have a something of soft and flowing in your verses; them I
understand altogether. But there was Gottsched, one day, reading me his Translation of IPHIGENIE; I had
the French Copy in my hand, and could not understand a word of him [a Swan of Saxony, laboring in vain
that day]! They recommended me another Poet, one Peitsch [Herr Peitsch of Konigsberg, Hofrath, Doctor
and Professor there, Gottsched's Master in Art; edited by Gottsched thirty years ago; now become a dumb
idol, though at one time a god confessed]; him I flung away."
GELLERT. "IHRO MAJESTAT, him I also fling away."
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KING. "Well, if I continue here, you must come again often; bring your FABLES with you, and read me
something."
GELLERT. "I know not if I can read well; I have the singing kind of tone, native to the Hill Country."
KING. "JA, like the Silesians. No, you must read me the FABLES yourself; they lose a great deal otherwise.
Come back soon." [ Gellert's Briefwechsel mit Demoiselle Lucius (already cited), pp. 632 et seq.] (EXIT
GELLERT.)
KING (to Icilius, as we learn from a different Record). "That is quite another man than Gottsched!"
(EXUENT OMNES.)
The modest Gellert says he "remembered Jesus Sirach's advice, PRESS NOT THYSELF ON KINGS,and
never came back;" nor was specially sent for, in the hurries succeeding; though the King never quite forgot
him. Next day, at dinner, the King said, "He is the reasonablest man of all the German Literary People,
C'EST LE PLUS RAISONNABLE DE TOUS LES SAVANS ALLEMANDS." And to Garve, at Breslau,
years afterwards: "Gellert is the only German that will reach posterity; his department is small, but he has
worked in it with real felicity." And indeed the King had, before that, as practical result of the Gellert
Dialogue, managed to set some Berlin Bookseller upon printing of these eligible FABLES, "for the use of our
Prussian Schools;" in which and other capacities the FABLES still serve with acceptance there and
elsewhere. [Preuss, ii. 274.]
In regard to Gellert's Horseexercise, I had still to remember that Gellert, not long after, did get a Horse; two
successive Horses; both highly remarkable. The first especially; which was Prince Henri's gift: "The Horse
Prince Henri had ridden at the Battle of Freyberg" (Battle to be mentioned hereafter);quadruped that must
have been astonished at itself! But a pretty enough gift from the warlike admiring Prince to his dyspeptic
Great Man. This Horse having yielded to Time, the very Kurfurst (grandson of Polish Majesty that now is)
sent Gellert another, housing and furniture complete; mounted on which, Gellert and it were among the sights
of Leipzig;well enough known here to young Goethe, in his College days, who used to meet the great man
and princely horse, and do salutation, with perhaps some twinkle of scepticism in the corner of his eye.
[DICHTUNG UND WAHRHEIT, Theil ii. Buch 6 (in Goethe's WERKE, xxv. 51 et seq).] Poor Gellert fell
seriously ill in December, 1769; to the fear and grief of all the world: "estafettes from the Kurfurst himself
galloped daily, or oftener, from Dresden for the sick bulletin;" but poor Gellert died, all the same (13th of that
month); and we have (really with pathetic thoughts, even we) to bid his amiable existence in this world, his
bits of glories and him, adieu forever.
DIALOGUE WITH GENERAL SALDERN (in the Apel House, Leipzig, 21st January, 1761).
Four or five weeks after this of Gellert, Friedrich had another Dialogue, which also is partly on record, and is
of more importance to us here: Dialogue with MajorGeneral Saldern; on a certain business, delicate, yet
profitable to the doer,nobody so fit for it as Saldern, thinks the King. Saldern is he who did that
extraordinary feat of packing the wrecks of battle on the Field of Liegnitz; a fine, clearflowing, silent kind
of man, rapid and steady; with a great deal of methodic and other good faculty in him,more, perhaps, than
he himself yet knows of. Him the King has sent for, this morning; and it is on the business of Polish Majesty's
Royal HuntingSchloss at Hubertsburg,which is a thing otherwise worth some notice from us.
For three months long the King had been representing, in the proper quarters, what plunderings, and riotous
and even disgusting savageries, the Saxons had perpetrated at Charlottenburg, Schonhausen, Friedrichsfeld,
in October last, while masters there for a few days: but neither in Reichs Diet, where Plotho was eloquent,
nor elsewhere by the Diplomatic method, could he get the least redress, or one civil word of regret. From
Polish Majesty himself, to whom Friedrich remonstrated the matter, through the English Resident at Warsaw,
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Friedrich had expected regret; but he got none. Some think he had hoped that Polish Majesty, touched by
these horrors of war, and by the reciprocities evidently liable to follow, might be induced to try something
towards mediating a General Peace: but Polish Majesty did not; Polish Majesty answered simply nothing at
all, nor would get into any correspondence: upon which Friedrich, possibly a little piqued withal, had at
length determined on retaliation.
Within our cantonments, reflects Friedrich, here is Hubertsburg Schloss, with such a hunting apparatus in and
around it; Polish Majesty's HERTZBLATT ("lid of the HEART," as they call it; breastbone, at least, and pit
of his STOMACH, which inclines to nothing but hunting): let his Hubertsburg become as our Charlottenburg
is; perhaps that will touch his feelings! Friedrich had formed this resolution; and, Wednesday, January 21st,
sends for Saldern, one of the most exact, deftgoing and punctiliously honorable of all his Generals, to
execute it. Enter Saldern accordingly,royal Audienceroom "in the APEL'SCHE HAUS, New Neumarkt,
No. 16," as above;to whom (one Kuster, a reliable creature, reporting for us on Saldern's behalf) the King
says, in the distinct slowish tone of a King giving orders:
KING. "Saldern, tomorrow morning you go [ER, He goes) with a detachment of Infantry and Cavalry, in all
silence, to Hubertsburg; beset the Schloss, get all the furnitures carefully packed up and invoiced. I want
nothing with them; the money they bring I mean to bestow on our Field Hospitals, and will not forget YOU
in disposing of it."
Saldern, usually so prompt with his "JA" on any Order from the King, looks embarrassed, stands silent,to
the King's great surprise;and after a moment or two says:
SALDERN. "Forgive me, your Majesty: but this is contrary to my honor and my oath."
KING (still in a calm tone). "You would be right to think so if I did not intend this desperate method for a
good object. Listen to me: great Lords don't feel it in their scalp, when their subjects are torn by the hair; one
has to grip their own locks, as the only way to give them pain." (These last words the King said in a sharper
tone; he again made his apology for the resolution he had formed; and renewed his Order. With the modesty
usual to him, but also with manliness, Saldern replied:)
SALDERN. "Order me, your Majesty, to attack the enemy and his batteries, I will on the instant cheerfully
obey: but against honor, oath and duty, I cannot, I dare not!"
The King, with voice gradually rising, I suppose, repeated his demonstration that the thing was proper,
necessary in the circumstances; but Saldern, true to the inward voice, answered steadily:
SALDERN. "For this commission your Majesty will easily find another person in my stead."
KING (whirling hastily round, with an angry countenance, but, I should say, an admirable preservation of his
dignity in such extreme case). "SALDERN, ER WILL NICHT REICH WERDEN,Saldern, you refuse to
become rich." And EXIT, leaving Saldern to his own stiff courses. [Kuster, Charakterzuge des
GeneralLieutenant v. Saldern (Berlin, 1793), pp. 3944.]
Nothing remained for Saldern but to fall ill, and retire from the Service; which he did: a man honorably
ruined, thought everybody; which did not prove to be the case, by and by.
This surely is a remarkable Dialogue; far beyond any of the Gellert kind. An absolute King and
CommanderinChief, and of such a type in both characters, getting flat refusal once in his life (this once
only, so far as I know), and how he takes it:one wishes Kuster, or somebody, had been able to go into
more details! Details on the QuintusIcilius procedure, which followed next day, would also have been
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rather welcome, had Kuster seen good. It is well known, Quintus Icilius and his Battalion, on order now
given, went cheerfully, next day, in Saldern's stead. And sacked Hubertsburg Castle, to the due extent or
farther: 100,000 thalers (15,000 pounds) were to be raised from it for the FieldHospital behoof; the rest was
to be Quintus's own; who, it was thought, made an excellent thing of it for himself. And in hauling out the
furnitures, especially in selling them, Quintus having an enterprising sharp head in trade affairs, "it is
certain," says Kuster, as says everybody, "various SCHANDLICHKEITEN (scandals) occurred, which were
contrary to the King's intention, and would not have happened under Saldern." What the scandals particularly
were, is not specified to me anywhere, though I have searched up and down; much less the net amount of
money realized by Quintus. I know only, poor Quintus was bantered about it, all his life after, by this
merciless King; and at Potsdam, in years coming, had ample time and admonition for what penitence was
needful.
"The case was much canvassed in the Army," says poor Kuster; "it was the topic in every tent among Officers
and common Men. And among us ArmyChaplains too," poor honest souls, "the question of conflicting
duties arose: Your King ordering one thing, and your own Conscience another, what ought a man to do?
What ought an Army Chaplain to preach or advise? And considerable mutual light in regard to it we struck
out from one another, and saw how a prudent ArmyChaplain might steer his way. Our general conclusion
was, That neither the King nor Saldern could well be called wrong. Saldern listening to the inner voice; right
he, for certain. But withal the King, in his place, might judge such a thing expedient and fit; perhaps Saldern
himself would, had Saldern been King of Prussia there in January, 1761."
Saldern's behavior in his retirement was beautiful; and after the Peace, he was recalled, and made more use of
than ever: being indeed a model for Army arrangements and procedures, and reckoned the completest
General of Infantry now left, far and near. The outcries made about Hubertsburg, which still linger in Books,
are so considerable, one fancies the poor Schloss must have been quite ruined, and left standing as naked
walls. Such, however, we by no means find to be the case; but, on the contrary, shall ourselves see that
everything was got refitted there, and put into perfect order again, before long.
THERE ARE SOME WARMOVEMENTS DURING WINTER; GENERAL FINANCIERING
DIFFICULTIES. CHOISEUL PROPOSES PEACE.
February 15th, there fell out, at Langensalza, on the Unstrut, in Gotha Country, a bit of sharp fighting; done
by Friedrich's people and Duke Ferdinand's in concert; which, and still more what followed on it, made some
noise in the quiet months. Not a great thing, this of Langensalza, but a sudden, and successfully done; costing
Broglio some 2,000 prisoners; and the ruin of a considerable Post of his, which he had lately pushed out
thither, "to seize the Unstrut," as he hoped. A Broglio grasping at more than he could hold, in those
Thuringen parts, as elsewhere! And, indeed, the Fight of Langensalza was only the beginning of a series of
such; Duke Ferdinand being now upon one of his grand WinterAdventures: that of suddenly surprising and
exploding Broglio's Winterquarters altogether, and rolling him back to Frankfurt for a lodging. So that,
since the first days of February, especially since Langensalza day, there rose suddenly a great deal of rushing
about, in those regions, with hard bits of fighting, at least of severe campaigning;which lasted two
wholemonths; filling the whole world with noise that Winter; and requiring extreme brevity from us here.
It was specially Duke Ferdinand's Adventure; Friedrich going on it, as per bargain, to the Langensalza
enterprise, but no farther; after which it did not much concern Friedrich, nor indeed come to much result for
anybody.
"Strenuous Ferdinand, very impatient of the Gottingen business and provoked to see Broglio's quarters extend
into Hessen, so near hand, for the first time, silently determines to dislodge him. Broglio's chain of quarters,
which goes from Frankfurt north as far as Marburg, then turns east to Ziegenhayn; thence north again to
Cassel, to Munden with its Defiles; and again east, or southeast, to Langensalza even: this chain has above
150 miles of weak length; and various other grave faults to the eye of Ferdinand,especially this, that it is in
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the form, not of an elbow only, or joiner's square, which is entirely to be disapproved, but even of two
elbows; in fact, of the PROFILE OF A CHAIR [if readers had a Map at hand]. FOOT of the chair is
Frankfurt; SEAT part is from Marburg to Ziegenhayn; BACK part, near where Ferdinand lies in chief force,
is the Cassel region, on to Munden, which is TOP of the back,still backwards from which, there is a kind
of proud CURL or overlapping, down to Langensalza in Gotha Country, which greedy Broglio has likewise
grasped at! Broglio's friends say he himself knew the faultiness of this zigzag form, but had been overruled.
Ferdinand certainly knows it, and proceeds to act upon it.
"In profound silence, namely, ranks himself (FEBRUARY lst12th) in three Divisions, wide enough asunder;
bursts up sudden as lightning, at Langensalza and elsewhere; kicks to pieces Broglio's ChairProfile, kicks
out especially the bottom part which ruins both foot and back, these being disjointed thereby, and each
exposed to be taken in rear;and of course astonishes Broglio not a little; but does not steal his presence of
mind.
"So that, in effect, Broglio had instantly to quit Cassel and warm lodging, and take the field in person; to burn
his Magazines; and, at the swiftest rate permissible, condense himself, at first partially about Fulda (well
down the leg of his chair), and then gradually all into one mass near Frankfurt itself;with considerable
losses, loss especially of all his Magazines, full or half full. And has now, except Marburg, Ziegenhayn and
Cassel, no post between Gottingen and him. Ferdinand, with his Three Divisions, went storming along in the
wild weather, Granby as vanguard; pricking into the skirts of Broglio. Captured this and that of Corps, of
Magazines that had not been got burnt; laid siege to Tassel, siege to Ziegenhayn; blocked Marburg, not
having guns ready: and, for some three or four weeks, was by the Gazetteer world and general public thought
to have done a very considerable feat;though to himself, such were the distances, difficulties of the season,
of the long roads, it probably seemed very questionable whether, in the end, any feat at all.
"Cassel he could not take, after a month's siege under the best of SiegeCaptains; Ziegenhayn still less under
one of the worst. Provisions, ammunitions, were not to be had by force of wagonry: scant food for soldiers,
doubly scant the food of Sieges;""the road from Beverungen [where the Weserboats have to stop, which
is 30 miles from Cassel, perhaps 60 from Ziegenhayn, and perhaps 100 from the outmost or southernmost of
Ferdinand's parties] is paved with dead horses," nor has even Cassel nearly enough of ammunition:in a
word, Broglio, finding the time come, bursts up from his Frankfurt Position (March 14th21st) in a sharp and
determined manner; drives Ferdinand's people back, beats the Erbprinz himself one day (by surprisal, 'My
compliment for Langensalza'), and sets his people running. Ferdinand sees the affair to be over; and
deliberately retires; lucky, perhaps, that he still can deliberately: and matters return to their old posture.
Broglio resumes his quarters, somewhat altered in shape, and not quite so grasping as formerly; and beyond
his halffilled Magazines, has lost nothing considerable, or more considerable than has Ferdinand himself."
[Tempelhof, v. 1545; Mauvillon, ii. 135148.]
The vital element in Ferdinand's Adventure was the Siege of Cassel; all had to fail, when this, by defect of
means, under the best of management, declared itself a failure. Siege Captain was a Graf von
LippeBuckeburg, Ferdinand's OrdnanceMaster, who is supposed to be "the best Artillery Officer in the
world,"and is a man of great mark in military and other circles. He is Son and Successor of that fantastic
LippeBuckeburg, by whom Friedrich was introduced to FreeMasonry long since. He has himself a good
deal of the fantast again, but with a better basis of solidity beneath it. A man of excellent knowledge and
faculty in various departments; strict as steel, in regard to discipline, to practice and conduct of all kinds; a
most punctilious, silently supercilious gentleman, of polite but privately irrefragable turn of mind. A tall,
lean, dusky figure; much seen to by neighbors, as he stalks loftily through this puddle of a world, on terms of
his own. Concerning whom there circulates in military circles this Anecdote, among many others; which is
set down as a fact; and may be, whether quite believable or not, a symbol of all the rest, and of a man not
unimportant in these Wars. "Two years ago, on King Friedrich's birthday, 24th January, 1759, the Count had
a select dinnerparty in his tent in Ferdinand's Camp, in honor of the occasion. Dinner was well over, and
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wine handsomely flowing, when somebody at last thought of asking, 'What is it, then, Herr Graf, that
whistling kind of noise we hear every now and then overhead?' 'That is nothing,' said the Graf, in his calm,
dusky way: 'that is only my Artillerypeople practising; I have bidden them hit the pole of our tent if they
can: unhappily there is not the slightest danger. Push the bottles on.'" [Archenholtz, ii. 356; Zimmermann,
Einsamkeit, iii. 461; LippeBuckeburg was SiegeCaptain at Cassel; Commandant besieged was Comte de
Broglio, the Marshal's younger Brother, formerly in the Diplomatic line;whom we saw once, five years
ago, at the Pirna Barrier, fly into fine frenzy, and kick vainly against the pricks. Friedrich says once, to
D'Argens or somebody: "I hope we shall soon have Cassel, and M. le Comte de Broglio prisoner" (deserves it
for his fine frenzies, at Pirna and since);but that comfort was denied us.
Some careless Books say, Friedrich had at first good hopes of this Enterprise; and "had himself lent 7,000
men to it:" which is the fact, but not the whole fact. Friedrich had approved, and even advised this plan of
Ferdinand's, and had agreed to send 7,000 men to cooperate at Langensalza,which, so far out in
Thuringen, and pointing as if to the Reichsfolk, is itself an eyesorrow to Friedrich. The issue we have seen.
His 7,000 went accordingly, under a General Syburg; met the Ferdinand people (General Sporken head of
these, and Walpole's "Conway" one of them); found the Unstrut in flood, but crossed nevertheless; dashed in
upon the French and Saxons there, and made a brilliant thing of it at Langensalza. [ Bericht von der bey
Langensalza am 15 Februar 1761 vorgefallenen Action in Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 75; Tempelhof, v. 2227.]
Which done, Syburg instantly withdrew, leaving Sporken and his Conways to complete the Adventure; and,
for his part, set himself with his whole might "to raising contributions, recruits, horses, proviants, over
Thuringen;" "which," says Tempelhof, "had been his grand errand there, and in which he succeeded
wonderfully."
Towards the end of Ferdinand's Affair, Cassel Siege now evidently like to fail, Friedrich organized a small
Expedition for his own behoof: expedition into Voigtland, or Frankenland, against the intrusive
Reichspeople, who have not now a Broglio or Langensalza to look across to, but are mischievous upon our
outposts on the edge of the Voigtland yonder. The expedition lasted only ten days (APRIL 1st it left quarters;
APRIL 11th was home again); a sharp, swift and very pretty expedition; [Tempelhof, v. 4857.] of which we
can here say only that it was beautifully impressive on the Reichs gentlemen, and sent their Croateries and
them home again, to Bamberg, to Eger, quite over the horizon, in a considerably flurried state. After which
there was no SmallWar farther, and everybody rested in cantonment, making ready till the Great should
come.
The Prussian wounded are all in Leipzig this Winter; a crowded stirring Town; young Archenholtz, among
many others, going about in convalescent state,not attending Gellert's course, that I hear of,but noticing
vividly to right and left. Much difficulty about the contributions, Archenholtz observes;of course an ever
increasing difficulty, here as everywhere, in regard to finance! From Archenholtz chiefly, I present the
following particulars; which, though in loose form, and without date, except the general one of Winter
17601761, to any of them, are to be held substantially correct.
... "'It is impossible to pay that Contribution,' exclaim the Leipzigers: 'you said, long since, it was to be
75,000 pounds on us by the year; and this year you rise to 160,000 pounds; more than double!''Perhaps that
is because you favored the Reichsfolk while here?' answer the Prussians, if they answer anything: 'It is the
King's order. Pay it you must.''Cannot; simply impossible.' 'Possible, we tell you, and also certain; we will
burn your Leipzig if you don't!' And they actually, these Collector fellows, a stony hearted set, who had a
percentage of their own on the sums levied, got soldiers drawn out more than once pitchlink in hand, as if
for immediate burning: hut the Leipzigers thought to themselves, 'King Friedrich is not a Soltikof!' and
openly laughed at those pitch links. Whereupon about a hundred of their Chief Merchants were thrown into
prison,one hundred or so, riddled down in a day or two to Seventeen; which latter Seventeen, as they stood
out, were detained a good many days, how many is not said, but only that they were amazingly firm.
Blackhole for lodging, breadandwater for diet, straw for bed: nothing would avail on the Seventeen:
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'Impossible,' they answered always; each unit of them, in sight of the other sixteen, was upon his honor, and
could not think of flinching. 'You shall go for soldiers, then;possibly you will prefer that, you fine
powdered velvet gentlemen? Up then, and march; here are your firelocks, your seventeen knapsacks: to the
road with us; to Magdeburg, there to get on drill!' Upon which the Seventeen, horrorstruck at such
quasiACTUAL possibility, gave in.
"Magnanimous Gotzkowsky, who had come to Leipzig on business at the time [which will give us a date for
this by and by], and been solemnly applied to by Deputation of the Rath, pleaded with his usual zealous
fidelity on their behalf; got various alleviations, abatements; gave bills:'Never was seen such
magnanimity!' said the Leipzig TownCouncil solemnly, as that of Berlin, in October last, had done."
[Archenholtz, ii. 187192.]
Of course the difficulties, financial and other, are increasing every Winter;not on Friedrich's side only.
Here, for instance, from the Duchy of Gottingen, are some items in the French Account current, this Winter,
which are also furnished by Archenholtz:
"For bedticking, 13,000 webs; of shirts readymade, 18,000; shoes," I forget in what quantity; but "from the
poor little Town of Duderstadt 600 pairs,liability to instant flogging if they are not honest shoes; flogging,
and the whole shoemaker guild summoned out to see it." Hardy women the same Duderstadt has had to
produce: 300 of them, "each with basket on back, who are carrying cannon balls from the foundry at
Lauterberg to Gottingen, the road being bad." [Archenholtz, ii. 237.] "These French are in such necessity,"
continues Archenholtz, "they spare neither friend nor foe. The Frankish Circle, for example, pleads piteously
in Reichs Diet that it has already smarted by this War to the length of 2,230,000 pounds, and entreats the
Kaiser to bid Most Christian Majesty cease HIS exactions,but without the least result." Result! If Most
Christian Majesty and his Pompadour will continue this War, is it he, or is it you, that can furnish the
Magazines? "Magazinefurnishings, over all Hessen and this part of Hanover, are enormous. Recruits too,
native Hessian, native Hanoverian, you shall furnish,and 'We will hang them, and do, if caught deserting'
[to their own side]!"
I add only one other item from Archenholtz: "Mice being busy in these Hanover Magazines, it is decided to
have cats, and a requisition goes out accordingly [cipher not given]: cats do execution for a time, but cannot
stand the confinement," are averse to the solitary system, and object (think with what vocality!): "upon which
Hanover has to send foxes and weasels." [Ib. ii. 240] These guardian animals, and the 300 women laden with
cannonballs from the forge, are the most peculiar items in the French Account current, and the last I will
mention.
Difficulty, quasiimpossibility, on the French side, there evidently is, perhaps more than on any other. But
Choiseul has many arts;and his Official existence, were there nothing more, demands that he do the
impossible now if ever. This Spring (26th March, 1761), to the surprise and joy of mankind, there came
formal Proposal, issuing from Choiseul, to which Maria Theresa and the Czarina had to put their signatures;
regretting that the British Prussian Proposal of last Year had, by ill accident, fallen to the ground, and now
repeating it themselves (real "Congress at Augsburg," and all things fair and handsome) to Britannic and
Prussian Majesties. Who answered (April 3d) as before, "Nothing with more willingness, we!" [The
"Declaration" (of France with the Answer or "CounterDeclaration," in Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 1216.]
And there actually did ensue, at Paris, a vivid Negotiating all Summer; which ended, not quite in nothing, but
in less, if we might say so. Considerably less, for some of us. We shall have to look what end it had, and
Mauduit will look!Most people, Pitt probably among the others, came to think that Choiseul, though his
France is in beggary, had no real view from the first, except to throw powder in the eyes of France and
mankind, to ascertain for himself on what terms those English would make Peace, and to get Spain drawn
into his quarrel. A Choiseul with many arts. But we will leave him and his PeaceProposals, and the other
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rumors and futilities of this Year. They are part of the sound and smoke which fill all Years; and which
vanish into next to nothing, oftenest into pure nothing, when the Years have waited a little. Friedrich's
finances, copper and other, were got completed; his Armies too were once more put on a passable
footing;and this Year will have its realities withal.
Gotzkowsky, in regard to those Leipzig Finance difficulties, yields me a date, which is supplementary to
some of the Archenholtz details. I find it was "January 20th, 1761,"precisely while the Saldern Interview,
and subsequent wreck of Hubertsburg, went on, that "Gotzkowsky arrived in Leipzig," [Rodenbeck, ii. 77.]
and got those unfortunate Seventeen out of ward, and the contributions settled.
And withal, at Paris, in the same hours, there went on a thing worth noting. That January day, while Icilius
was busy on the Schloss of Hubertsburg, poor old Marechal de Belleisle,mark him, reader!"in the Rue
de Lille at Paris," lay sunk in putrid fever; and on the fourth day after, "January 26th, 1761," the last of the
grand old Frenchmen died. "He had been reported dead three days before," says Barbier: "the public wished it
so; they laid the blame on him of this apparent" (let a cautious man write it, "apparent) derangement in our
affairs,"instead of thanking him for all he had done and suffered (loss of so much, including reputation and
an only Son) to repair and stay the same. "He was in his 77th year. Many people say, 'We must wait three
months, to see if we shall not regret him,'"even him! [Barbier, iv. 373; i. 154.] So generous are Nations.
Marechal Duc de Belleisle was very wealthy: in Vernon Country, Normandy, he had estates and chateaux to
the value of about 24,000 pounds annually. All these, having first accurately settled for his own debts, he, in
his grand old way, childless, forlorn, but loftily polite to the last, bequeathed to the King. His splendid Paris
Mansion he expressly left "to serve in perpetuity as a residence for the Secretary of State in the Department
of War:" a magnificent TownHouse it is, "HOTEL MAGNIFIQUE, at the end of the PontRoyal,"which,
I notice farther, is in our time called "Hotel de CHOISEULPRASLIN,"a house latterly become horrible
in men's memory, if my guess is right.
And thus vanishes, in sour dark clouds, the once great Belleisle. Grandiose, something almost of great in him,
of sublime,alas, yes, of too sublime; and of unfortunate beyond proportion, paying the debt of many
foregoers! He too is a notability gone out, the last of his kind. Twenty years ago, he crossed the
OEildeBoeuf with Papers, just setting out to cut Teutschland in Four; and in the Rue de Lille, No. 54, with
that grandiose Enterprise drawing to its issue in universal defeat, disgrace, discontent and preparation for the
General Overturn (CULBUTE GENERALE of 1789)) he closes his weary old eyes. Choiseul. succeeds him
as WarMinister; WarMinister and PrimeMinister both in one;and by many arts of legerdemain, and
another real spasm of effort upon Hanover to do the impossible there, is leading France with winged steps the
same road.
Since March 17th, Friedrich was no longer in Leipzig. He left at that time, for Meissen Country, and the Hill
Cantonments, organized there his little Expedition into Voigtland, for behoof of the Reichsfolk;and did
not return. Continued, mostly in Meissen Country, as the fittest for his many businesses, Armyregulatings
and other. Till the Campaign come, we will remember of him nothing, but this little Note, and pleasant little
Gift, to his CHERE MAMAN, the day after his arrival in those parts:
TO MADAM CAMAS (at Magdeburg, with the Queen).
"MEISSEN, 20th March, 1761.
"I send you, my dear Mamma, a little Trifle, by way of keepsake and memento [Snuffbox of Meissen
Porcelain, with the figure of a Dog on the lid]. You may use the Box for your rouge, for your patches, or you
may put snuff in it, or BONBONS or pills: but whatever use you turn it to, think always, when you see this
Dog, the Symbol of Fidelity, that he who sends it outstrips, in respect of fidelity and attachment to MAMAN,
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all the dogs in the world; and that his devotion to you has nothing whatever in common with the fragility of
the material which is manufactured hereabouts.
"I have ordered Porcelain here for all the world, for Schonhausen [for your Mistress, my poor uncomplaining
Wife], for my Sistersin law; in fact, I am rich in this brittle material only. And I hope the receivers will
accept it as current money: for, the truth is, we are poor as can be, good Mamma; I have nothing left but
honor, my coat, my sword, and porcelain.
"Farewell, my beloved Mamma. If Heaven will, I shall one day see you again face to face; and repeat to you,
by word of mouth, what I have already said and written; but, turn it and return it as I may, I shall never,
except very incompletely, express what the feelings of my heart to you are.F." [Given in Rodenbeck, ii.
79; omitted, for I know not what reason, in OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 145: cited partly in Preuss, ii. 282.]
It was during this Winter, if ever it was, that Friedrich received the following Letter from an aspiring Young
Lady, just coming out, age seventeen,in a remote sphere of things. In "Sleepy Hollow" namely, or the
Court of Mirow in MecklenburgStrelitz, where we once visited with Friedrich almost thirty years ago. The
poor collapsed Duke has ceased making dressinggowns there; and this is his Niece, Princess Charlotte,
Sister to the now reigning Duke.
This Letter, in the translated form, and the glorious results it had for some of us, are familiar to all English
readers for the last hundred years. Of Friedrich's Answer to it, if he sent one, we have no trace whatever.
Which is a pity, more or less;though, in truth, the Answer could only have been some polite formality; the
Letter itself being a mere breath of sentimental wind, absolutely without significance to Friedrich or anybody
else,except always to the Young Lady herself, to whom it brought a Royal Husband and Queenship of
England, within a year. Signature, presumably, this Letter once had; date of place, of day, year, or even
century (except by implication), there never was any: but judicious persons, scanning on the spot, have found
that the "Victory" spoken of can only have meant Torgau; and that the aspiring Young Lady, hitherto a
School Girl, not so much as "confirmed" till a month or two ago, age seventeen in May last, can only have I
written it, at Mirow, in the Winter subsequent. [Ludwig Giesebrecht,DER FURSTENHOF IN MIROW
WUHREND DER JAHRE 17081761, in Programm des vereinigten Koniglichen und StadtGymnasiums
for 1863 (Stettin, 1863), pp. 2629,enters into a minute criticism.] Certain it is, in September NEXT,
September, 1761, directly after George III.'s Wedding, there appeared in the English Newspapers, what
doubtless had been much handed about in society before, the following "TRANSLATION OF A LETTER,
SAID TO HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY PRINCESS CHARLOTTE OF MECKLENBERG TO THE KING
OF PRUSSIA, ON ONE OF HIS VICTORIES,"without farther commentary or remark of any kind;
everybody then understanding, as everybody still. So notable a Document ought to be given in the Original as
well (or in what passes for such), and with some approach to the necessary preliminaries of time and place:
[From Gentleman's Magazine (for October, 1761, xxxi. 447) we take, verbatim, the TRANSLATION; from
PREUSS (ii. 186) the "ORIGINAL," who does not say where he got it,whether from an old German
Newspaper or not.]
[TO HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF PRUSSIA (in Leipzig, or Somewhere. or Somewhere).
MIROW IN MECHLENBURGSTRELITZ, Winter of 17601761.]
"Sire!Ich weiss nicht, ob ich uber Ewr. Majestat letzteren Sieg frohlich odor traurig sein soll, weil eben der
gluckliche Sieg, der neue Lorbeern um Dero Scheitel geflochten hat, uber mein Vaterland Jammer und Elend
verbreitet. Ich weiss, Sire, in diesem unserm lasterhaft verfeinerten Zeitalter werde ich verlacht werden, dass
mein Herz uber das Ungluck des Landes trauert, dass ich die Drangsale des Krieges beweine, und von ganzer
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Seele die Ruckkehr des Friedens wunsche. Selbst Sie, Sire, werden vielleicht denken, es schicke sich besser
fur mich, mich in der Kunst zu gefallen zu uben, oder mich nur um hausliche Angelegenheiten zu
bekummern. Allein dem seye wie ihm wolle, so fuhlt mein Herz zu sehr fur diese Unglucklichen, um eine
dringende Furbitte fur dieselben zuruck zu halten.
"Seit wenigen Jahren hatte dieses Land die angenehmste Gestalt gewonnen. Man traf keine verodete Stellen
an. Alles war angebaut. Das Landvolk sah vergnugt aus, und in den Stadten herrschte Wohlstand und Freude.
Aber welch' eine Veranderung gegen eine so angenehme Scene! Ich bin in partheischen Beschreibungen nicht
erfahren, noch weniger kann ich die Grauel der Verwilstung mit erdichteten Schilderungen schrecklicher
darstellen. Allein gewiss selbst Krieger, welche ein edles Herz und Gefuhl besitzen, wurden durch den
Anblick dieser Scenen zu Thranen bewegt werden. Das ganze Land, mein werthes Vaterland, liegt da gleich
einer Wuste. Der Ackerbau und die Viehzucht haben aufgehort. Der Bauer und der Hirt sind Soldaten
worden, und in den Stadten sieht man nur Greise, Weiber, und Kinder, vielleicht noch hie und da einen
jungen Mann, der aber durch empfangene Wunden ein Kruppel ist und den ihn umgebenden kleinen Knaben
die Geschichte einer jeden Wunde mit einem so pathetischen Heldenton erzahlt, dassihr Herz schon der
Trommel folgt, ehe sie recht gehen konnen. Was aber das Elend auf den hochsten Gipfel bringt, sind die
immer abwechselnden Vorruckungen und Zuruckziehungen beider Armeen, da selbst die, so sich unsre
Freunde nennen, beim Abzuge alles mitnehmen und verheeren, und wenn sie wieder kommen, gleich viel
wieder herbei geschafft haben wollen. Von Dero Gerechtigkeit, Sire, hoffen wir Hulfe in dieser aussersten
Noth. An Sie, Sire, mogen auch Frauen, ja selbst Kinder ihre Klagen bringen. Sie, die sich auch zur
niedrigsten Klasse gutigst herablassen, und dadurch, wenn es moglich ist, noch grosser werden, als selbst
durch ihre Siege, werden die meinigen nicht unerhort lassen und, zur Ehre Dero eigenen Ruhmes,
Bedruckungen und Drangsalen abhelfen, welche wider alle Menschenliebe und wider alle gute Kriegszucht
streiten. Ich bin
"MAY IT PLEASE YOUR MAJESTY, "I am at a loss whether I shall congratulate or condole with you on
your late victory; since the same success that has covered you with laurels has overspread the Couutry of
MecklenburgH with desolation. I know, Sire, that it seems unbecoming my sex, in this age of vicious
refinement, to feel for one's Country, to lament the horrors of war, or wish for the return of peace. I know you
may think it more properly my province to study the art of pleasing, or to turn my thoughts to subjects of a
more domestic nature: but, however unbecoming it may be in me, I can't resist the desire of interceding for
this unhappy people.
"It was but a very few years ago that this territory wore the most pleasing appearance. The Country was
cultivated, the peasant looked cheerful, and the towns abounded with riches and festivity. What an alteration
at present from such a charming scene! I am not expert at description, nor can my fancy add any horrors to
the picture; but sure even conquerors themselves would weep at the hideous prospect now before me. The
whole Country, my dear Country, lies one frightful waste, presenting only objects to excite terror, pity and
despair. The business of the husbandman and the shepherd are quite discontinued; the husbandman and the
shepherd are become soldiers themselves, and help to ravage the soil they formerly occupied. The towns are
inhabited only by old men, women and children; perhaps here and there a warrior, by wounds and loss of
limbs rendered unfit for service, left at his door; his little children hang round him, ask a history of every
wound, and grow themselves soldiers before they find strength for the field. But this were nothing, did we not
feel the alternate insolence of either army, as it happens to advance or retreat. It is impossible to express the
confusion, even those who call themselves our friends create. Even those from whom we might expect
redress, oppress us with new calamities. From your justice, therefore, it is that we hope relief; to you even
children and women may complain, whose humanity stoops to the meanest petition, and whose power is
capable of repressing the greatest injustice.
"I am, Sire,
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It is remarked that this Young Lady, so amiably melodious in tone, though she might address to King
Friedrich, seems to be writing to the wind; and that she gives nothing of fact or picture in regard to
Mecklenburg, especially to MecklenburgSTRELITZ, but what is taken from her own beautiful young brain.
All operatic, vague, imaginary,some of it expressly untrue. [In MecklenburgSCHWERIN, which had
always to smart sore for its Duke and the line he took, the Swedes, this year, as usual (but, TILL Torgau, with
more hope than usual), had been trying for winterquarters: and had by the Prussians, as usual, been hunted
out,Eugen of Wurtemberg speeding thither, directly after Torgau; Rostock his winterquarters;who,
doubtless with all rigor, is levying contributions for Prussian behoof. But as to MecklenburgStrelitz,see,
for example, in SCHONING, iii. 30 an indirect but altogether conclusive proof of the perfectly amicable
footing now and always subsisting there; Friedrich reluctant to intrude even with a small request or
solicitation, on Eugen's behalf, at this time.] So that latterly there have been doubts as to its authenticity
altogether. ["Boll, Geschichte Mecklenburgs mit besonderer Berucksichtigung der Culturgeschichte
(Neubrandenburg, 1856), ii. 303305;"cited by Giesebrecht, who himself takes the opposite view.] And in
fact the Piece has a good deal the air of some SchoolExercise, Model of Letterwriting, Patriotic Aspiration
or the like;thrown off, shall we say, by the young Parson of Mirow (Charlotte's late Tutor), with Charlotte
there to SIGN; or by some Patriotic Schoolmaster elsewhere, anywhere, in a moment of enthusiasm, and
without any Charlotte but a hypothetic one? Certainly it is difficult to fancy how a modest, rational, practical
young person like Charlotte can have thought of so airy a feat of archery into the blue! Charlotte herself never
disavowed it, that I heard of; and to Colonel Grahame the ExJacobite, hunting about among potential
Queens of England, for behoof of Bute and of a certain Young King and King's Mother, the Letter did seem
abundantly unquestionable and adorable. Perhaps authentic, after all;and certainly small matter whether or
not.
Chapter VII. SIXTH CAMPAIGN OPENS: CAMP OF BUNZELWITZ.
To the outward observer Friedrich stands well at present, and seems again in formidable posture. After two
such Victories, and such almost miraculous recovery of himself, who shall say what resistance he will not yet
make? In comparison with 1759 and its failures and disasters, what a Year has 1760 been! Liegnitz and
Torgau, instead of Kunersdorf and Maxen, here are unexpected phenomena; here is a King risen from the
deeps again,more incalculable than ever to contemporary mankind. "How these things will end?" Fancy of
what a palpitating interest THEN, while everybody watched the huge game as it went on; though it is so little
interesting now to anybody, looking at it all finished! Finished; no mystery of chance, of worldhope or of
worldterror now remaining in it; all is fallen stagnant, dull, distant;and it will behoove us to be brief upon
it.
Contemporaries, and Posterity that will make study, must alike admit that, among the sons of men, few in any
Age have made a stiffer fight than Friedrich has done and continues to do. But to Friedrich himself it is
dismally evident, that year by year his resources are melting away; that a year must come when he will have
no resource more. Ebbing very fast, his resources;fast too, no doubt, those of his Enemies, but not SO fast.
They are mighty Nations, he is one small Nation. His thoughts, we perceive, have always, in the background
of them, a hue of settled black. Easy to say, "Resist till we die;" but to go about, year after year, practically
doing it, under cloudy omens, no end of it visible ahead, is not easy. Many men, Kings and other, have had to
take that stern posture;few on sterner terms than those of Friedrich at present; and none that I know of with
a more truly stoical and manful figure of demeanor. He is long used to it! Wet to the bone, you do not regard
new showers; the one thing is, reach the bridge before IT be swum away.
The usual hopes, about Turks, about Peace, and the like, have not been wanting to Friedrich this Winter;
mentionable as a trait of Friedrich's character, not otherwise worth mention. Hope of aid from the Turks, it is
very strange to see how he nurses this fond shadow, which never came to anything! Happily, it does not
prevent, it rather encourages, the utmost urgency of preparation: "The readier we are, the likelier are Turks
and everything!" Peace, at least, between France and England, after such a Proposal on Choiseul's part, and
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such a pass as France has really got to, was a reasonable probability. But indeed, from the first year of this
War, as we remarked, Peace has seemed possible to Friedrich every year; especially from 1759 onward, there
is always every winter a lively hope of Peace:"No slackening of preparation; the reverse, rather; but surely
the Campaign of next Summer will be cut short, and we shall all get home only half expended!" [Schoning
(IN LOCIS).]
Practically, Friedrich has been raising new FreeCorps people, been recruiting, refitting and equipping, with
more diligence than ever; and, in spite of the almost impossibilities, has two Armies on foot, some 96,000
men in all, for defence of Saxony and of Silesia,Henri to undertake Saxony, VERSUS Daun; Silesia, with
Loudon and the Russians, to be Friedrich's heavier share. The Campaign, of which, by the one party and the
other, very great things had been hoped and feared, seemed once as if it would begin two months earlier than
usual; but was staved off, a long time, by Friedrich's dexterities, and otherwise; and in effect did not begin,
what we can call beginning, till two months later than usual. Essentially it fell, almost all, to Friedrich's share;
and turned out as little decisive on him as any of its foregoers. The one memorable part of it now is,
Friedrich's Encampment at Bunzelwitz; which did not occur till four months after Friedrich's appearance on
the Field. And from the end of April, when Loudon made his first attempt, till the end of August, when
Friedrich took that Camp, there was nothing but a series of attempts, all ineffectual, of demonstrations,
marchings, manoeuvrings and small events; which, in the name of every reader, demand condensation to the
utmost. If readers will be diligent, here, so far as needful, are the prefatory steps.
Since Fouquet's disaster, Goltz generally has Silesia in charge; and does it better than expected. He was never
thought to have Fouquet's talent in him; but he shows a rugged loyalty of mind, less egoistic than the fiery
Fouquet's; and honestly flings himself upon his task, in a way pleasant to look at: pleasant to the King
especially, who recognizes in Goltz a useful, brave, frank soul; and has given him, this Spring, the
ORDER OF MERIT, which was a high encouragement to Goltz. In Silesia, after Kosel last Year, there had
been truce between Goltz and Loudon; which should have produced repose to both; but did not altogether,
owing to mistakes that rose. And at any rate, in the end of April, Loudon, bursting suddenly into Silesia with
great increase to the forces already there, gave notice, as per bargain, That "in 96 hours" the Truce would
expire. And waiting punctiliously till the last of said hours was run out, Loudon fell upon Goltz (APRIL 25th,
in the SchweidnitzLandshut Country) with his usual vehemence;meaning to get hold of the Silesian
Passes, and extinguish Goltz (only 10 or 12,000 against 30,000), as he had done Fouquet last Year.
But Goltz took his measures better; seized "the GallowsHill of Hohenfriedberg," seized this and that; and
stood in so forcible an attitude, that Loudon, carefully considering, durst not risk an assault; and the only
result was: Friedrich hastened to relief of Goltz (rose from Meissen Country MAY 3d), and appeared in
Silesia six weeks earlier than he had intended. But again took Cantonments there (Schweidnitz and
neighborhood);Loudon retiring wholly, on first tidings of him, home to Bohemia again. Home in Bohemia;
at Braunau, on the western edge of the Glatz Mountains,there sits Loudon thenceforth, silent for a long
time; silently collecting an Army of 72,000, with strict orders from Vienna to avoid fighting till the Russians
come. Loudon has very high intentions this Year. Intends to finish Silesia altogether;cannot he, after such
a beginning upon Glatz last Year? That is the firm notion at Vienna among men of understanding:
everactive Loudon the favorite there, against a Cunctator who has been too cunctatory many times. Liegnitz
itself, was not that (as many opine) a disaster due to cunctation, not of Loudon's?
Loudon is to be joined by 60,000 Russians, under a Feldmarschall Butturlin, not under sulky Soltikof, this
Year; junction to be in Upper Silesia, in Neisse neighborhood. We take that Fortress," say the Vienna people;
"it is next on the file after Glatz. Neisse taken; thence northward, cleaning the Country as we go; Brieg,
Schweidnitz, Glogau, probably Breslau itself in some good interim: there are but Four Fortresses to do; and
the thing is finished. Let the King, one to three, and Loudon in command against him, try if he can hinder it!"
This is the Program in Vienna and in Petersburg. And, accordingly, the Russians have got on march about the
end of May; plodding on ever since, due hereabouts before June end: "junction to be as near Neisse as you
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can: and no fighting of the King, on any terms, till the Russians come." Never were the Vienna people so
certain before. Daun is to do nothing "rash" in Saxony (a Daun not given that way, they can calculate), but is
to guard Loudon's game; carefully to reinforce, comfort and protect the brave Loudon and his Russians till
they win;after which Saxony as rash as you like. This is the Program of the Season: readers feel what an
immensity of preliminary higglings, hitchings and manoeuvrings will now demand to be suppressed by us!
Read these essential Fractions, chiefly chronological;and then, at once, To Bunzelwitz, and the time of
close grips in Silesia here.
"Last Year," says a loose Note, which we may as well take with us, "Tottleben did not go home with the rest,
but kept hovering about, in eastern Pommern, with a 10,000, all Winter; attempting several kinds of mischief
in those Countries, especially attempting to do something on Colberg; which the Russians mean to besiege
next Summer, with more intensity than ever, for the Third, and, if possible, the last time. 'Storm their outposts
there,' thinks Tottleben, 'especially Belgard, the chief outpost; girdle tighter and tighter the obstinate little
crow'snest of a Colberg, and have it ready for besieging in good time.' Tottleben did try upon the outposts,
especially Belgard the chief one (January 18th, 1761), but without the least success at Belgard; with a severe
reproof instead, Werner's people being broad awake: [Account of itt, HeldenGeschichte, vi. 670.] upon
which Tottleben and they made a truce, 'Peaceable till May 12th;' till June 1st, it proved, about which time
[which time, or afterwards, as the Silesian crisis may admit!] we will look in on them again."
MAY 3d, as above intimated, Friedrich hastened off for Silesia, quitted Meissen that day, with an Army of
some 50,000; pressingly intent to relieve Goltz from his dangerous predicament there. This is one of
Friedrich's famed marches, done in a minimum of time and with a maximum of ingenuity; concerning which
I will remember only that, one night, "he lodged again at Rodewitz, near Hochklrch, in the same house as on
that Occasion [what a thirty months to look back upon, as you sink to sleep!]and that no accident
anywhere befell the March, though Daun's people, all through Saxony and the Lausitz, were hovering on the
flank, apprehensive chiefly lest it might mean a plunge INTO BOHEMIA, for relief of Goltz, instead of
what it did." For six weeks after that hard March, the King's people got Cantonments again, and rested.
Prince Henri is left in Saxony, with Daun in huge force against him, Daun and the Reich; between whom and
Henri,Seidlitz being in the field again with Henri, Seidlitz and others of mark,there fell out a great deal
of exquisite manoeuvring, rapid detaching and occasional sharp cutting on the small scale; but nothing of
moment to detain us here or afterwards, We shall say only that Henri, to a wonderful extent, maintained
himself against the heavy overwhelming Daun and his Austrian and Reichs masses; and that Napoleon, I
know not after what degree of study, pronounced this Campaign of 1761 to be the masterpiece of Henri, and
really a considerable thing, "La campagne de 1761 est celle ou ce Prince a vraiment montre des talents
superieurs; the Battle of Freyberg [wait till next Year] nothing in comparison." [Montholon, Memoires de
Napoleon, vii. 324.] Which may well detain soldierpeople upon it; but must not us, in any measure. The
result of Henri being what we said,a drawn game, or nearly so,we will, without interference from him,
follow Friedrich and Goltz.
Friedrich and Goltz,or, alas, it is very soon Friedrich alone; the valiant Goltz soon perishing from his hand!
After brief junction in Schweidnitz Country, Friedrich detached Goltz to his old fortified Camp at Glogau,
there to be on watch. Goltz watching there, lynxeyed, skilful, volunteered a Proposal (June 22d): "Reinforce
me to 20,000, your Majesty; I will attack so and so of those advancing Russians!" Which his Majesty
straightway approved of, and set going. [Goltz's Letter to the King, "Glogau, 22d June, 1761," is in
Tempelhof (v. 8890), who thinks the plan good.] Goltz thereupon tasked all his energies, perhaps overmuch;
and it was thought might at last really have done something for the King, in this matter of the Russians still in
separate Divisions,a thing feasible if you have energy and velocity; always unfeasible otherwise. But, alas,
poor Goltz, just when ready to march, was taken with sudden violent fever, the fruit probably of overwork;
and, in that sad flame, blazed away his valiant existence in three or four days:gone forever, June 30th, 1761;
to the regret of Friedrich and of many.
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Old Ziethen was at once pushed on, from Glogau over the frontier, to replace Goltz; but, I doubt, had not now
the requisite velocity: Ziethen merely manoeuvred about, and came home "attending the Russians," as Henri,
Dohna and others had done. The Russians entered Silesia, from the northeast or Polish side, without
difficulty; and (July 15th20th) were within reach of Breslau and of an open road to southward, and to
junction with Loudon, who is astir for them there. About Breslau they linger and higgle, at their leisure, for
three weeks longer: and if their junction with the Austrians "in Neisse neighborhood" is to be prevented or
impeded, it is Friedrich, not Ziethen, that will have to do it.
Junction in Neisse neighborhood (Oppeln, where it should have been, which is some 35 miles from Neisse),
Friedrich did, by velocity and dexterity, contrive to prevent; but junction somewhere he probably knows to be
inevitable. These are among Friedrich's famed marches and manoeuvrings, these against the swift Loudon
and his slow Russians; but we will not dwell on them. My readers know the King's manner in such cases;
have already been on two Marches with him, and even in these same routes and countries. We will say only,
that the Russians were and had been very dilatory; Loudon much the reverse; and their and Loudon's
Adversary still more. That, for five days, the Russians, at length close to Breslau (August 6th11th), kept
vaguely cannonading and belching noise and apprehension upon the poor City, but without real damage to it,
and as if merely to pass the time; and had gradually pushed out fore posts, as far as Oppeln, towards
Loudon, up their safe right bank of Oder. That Loudon, on the first glimpse of these, had made his best speed
Neisseward; and did a march or two with good hope; but at Munsterberg (July 22d), on the morning of the
third or fourth day's march, was astonished to see Friedrich ahead of him, nearer Neisse than he; and that in
Neisse Country there was nothing to be done, no Russian junction possible there.
"Try it in Schweidnitz Country, then!" said Loudon. The Russians leave off cannonading Breslau; cross Oder,
about Auras or Leubus (August 11th12th); and Loudon, after some finessing, marches back
Schweidnitzway, cautiously, skilfully; followed by Friedrich, anxious to prevent a junction here too or at
lowest to do some stroke before it occur. A great deal of cunning marching, shifting and manoeuvring there
is, for days round Schweidnitz on all sides; encampings by Friedrich, now Liegnitz headquarter, now
Wahlstadt, now Schonbrunn, Striegau;without the least essential harm to Loudon or likelihood increasing
that the junction can be hindered. No offer of battle either; Loudon is not so easy to beat as some. The
Russians come on at a snail's pace, so Loudon thinks it, who is extremely impatient; but makes no mistakes in
consequence, keeps himself safe (Kunzendorf, on the edge of the Glatz Hills, his main post), and the roads
open for his heavyfooted friends.
In Nicolstadt, a march from Wahlstadt, 16th August, there are 60,000 Russians in front of Friedrich, 72,000
Austrians in rear: what can he, with at the very utmost 57,000, do against them? Now was the time to have
fallen upon the King, and have consumed him between two fires, as it is thought might have been possible,
had they been simultaneous, and both of them done it with a will. But simultaneity was difficult, and the will
itself was wanting, or existed only on Loudon's side. Nothing of the kind was attempted on the confederate
part, still less on Friedrich's,who stands on his guard, and, from the Heights about, has at last, to witness
what he cannot hinder. Sees both Armies on march; Austrians from the southeast or KunzendorfFreyberg
side, Russians from the northeast or Kleinerwitz side, wending in many columns by the back of Jauer and the
back of Liegnitz respectively; till (August 18th) they "join hands," as it is termed, or touch mutually by their
light troops; and on the 19th (Friedrich now off on another scheme, and not witnessing), fall into one
another's arms, ranked all in one line of posts. [Tempelhof, v. 58150.] "Can the Reichshofrath say our
junction is not complete?" And so ends what we call the Prefatory part; and the time of Close Grips seems to
be come! Friedrich has now nothing for it but to try if he cannot possibly get hold of Kunzendorf (readers
may look in their Map), and cut off Loudon's staff of bread; Loudon's, and Butturlin's as well; for the whole
130,000 are now to be fed by Loudon, and no slight task he will find it. By rushing direct on Kunzendorf with
such a velocity as Friedrich is capable of, it is thought he might have managed Kunzendorf; but he had to
mask his design, and march by the rear or east side of Schweidnitz, not by the west side: "They will think I
am making off in despair, intending for the strong post of Pilzen there, with Schweidnitz to shelter me in
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front!" hoped Friedrich (morning of the 19th), as he marched off on that errand. But on approaching in that
manner, by the bow, he found that Loudon had been quite sceptical of such despair, and at any rate had, by
the string, made sure of Kunzendorf and the foodsources. August 20th, at break of day, scouts report the
Kunzendorf ground thoroughly beset again, and Loudon in his place there. No use marching thitherward
farther:whither now, therefore?
Friedrich knows Pilzen, what an admirable post it really is; except only that Schweidnitz will be between the
enemy and him, and liable to be besieged by them; which will never do! Friedrich, on the moment of that
news from Kunzendorf, gets on march, not by the east side (as intended till the scouts came in), but by the
west or exposed side of Schweidnitz:he stood waiting, ready for either route, and lost not a moment on his
scouts coming in. All upon the road by 3 A.M. August 20th; and encamps, still at an early hour, midway
between Schweidnitz and Striegau: right wing of him at Zedlitz (if the reader look on his Map), left wing at
Jauernik; headquarters, Bunzelwitz, a poor Village, celebrated ever since in Warannals. And begins (that
same evening, the earlier or RESTED part of him begins) digging and trenching at a most extraordinary rate,
according to plan formed; no enemy taking heed of him, or giving the least molestation. This is the
worldfamous Camp of Bunzelwitz, upon which it is worth while to dwell for a little.
To common eyes the ground hereabouts has no peculiar military strength: a wavy champaign, with nothing of
abrupt or high, much of it actual plain, excellent for cavalry and their work;this latter, too, is an advantage,
which Friedrich has well marked, and turns to use in his scheme. The area he takes in is perhaps some seven
or eight miles long, by as many broad. On the west side runs the stillyoung Striegau Water, defensive more
or less; and on the farther bank of it green little Hills, their steepest side stream ward. Inexpugnable
Schweidnitz, with its stores of every kind, especially with its store of cannon and of bread, is on the left or
east part of the circuit; in the intervening space are peaceable farmvillages, spots of bog; knolls, some of
them with wood. Not a village, bog, knoll, but Friedrich has caught up, and is busy profiting by. "Swift,
BURSCHE, dig ourselves in here, and be ready for any quotity and quantity of them, if they dare attack!"
And 25,000 spades and picks are at work, under such a Field Engineer as there is not in the world when he
takes to that employment. At all hours, night and day, 25,000 of them: half the Army asleep, other half
digging, wheeling, shovelling; plying their utmost, and constant as Time himself: these, in three days, will do
a great deal of spadework. Batteries, redoubts, big and little; spare not for digging. Here is ground for
Cavalry, too; post them here, there, to bivouac in readiness, should our Batteries be unfortunate. Long
Trenches there are, and also short; Batteries commanding every ingate, and under them are Mines: "We will
blow you and our Batteries both into the air, in case of capture!" think the Prussians, the common men at
least, if Friedrich do not. "Mines, and that of being blown into the air," says Tempelhof, "are always very
terrible to the common man." In places there are "Trenches 16 feet broad, by 16 deep," says an admiring
Archenholtz, who was in it: "and we have two of those FLATTERMINEN (scattermines," blowingup
apparatuses) "to each battery." [Archenholtz, ii. 262
"Bunzelwitz, Jauernik, Tschechen and Peterwitz, all fortified," continues Archenholtz; "Wurben, in the
centre, is like a citadel, looking down upon Striegau Water. Heavy cannon, plenty of them, we have brought
from Schweidnitz: we have 460 pieces of cannon in all and 182 mines. Wurben, our citadel and centre, is
about five miles from Schweidnitz. Our intrenchments"You already heard what gulfs some of them were!
"Before the lines are palisades, stormposts, the things we call Spanish Horse
(CHEVAUXDEFRISE);woods we have in abundance in our Circuit, and axes busy for carpentries of
that kind. There are four intrenched knolls; 24 big batteries, capable of playing beautifully, all like pieces in a
concert." Four knolls elaborately intrenched, clothed with cannon; founded upon FLATTER mines: try
where you will to enter, such torrents of deathshot will converge on you, and a concert of 24 big batteries
begin their music!
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On the third day, Loudon, looking into this thing, which he has not minded hitherto, finds it such a thing as
he never dreamt of before. A thing strong as Gibraltar, in a manner;which it will be terribly difficult to
attack with success! For eight days more Friedrich did not rest from his spadework; made many changes and
improvements, till he had artificially made a very Stolpen of it, a Plauen, or more. Cogniazzo, the
AUSTRIAN VETERAN, says: "Plauen, and Daun's often ridiculed precautions there, were nothing to it. Not
as if Bunzelwitz had been so inaccessible as our sheer rocks there; but because it is a masterpiece of Art, in
which the principles of tactics are combined with those of field fortification, as never before." Tielke grows
quite eloquent on it: "A masterpiece of judgment in ground," says he; "and the treatment of it a model of
sound, true and consummate fieldengineering." [Tielke, iii. § BUNZELWITZ (which is praised as an
attractive Piece); OESTERREICHISCHER VETERAN, iv. 79: cited in PREUSS, ii. 285.]
Ziethen, appointed to that function, watches on the Heights of Wurben, the citadel of the place: keeps a sharp
eye to the southwest. All round, in huge halfmoon on the edge of the Hills over there, six or more miles
from Ziethen, lie the angry Enemies; Austrians south and nearest, about Kunzendorf and Freyberg. Russians
are on the top of Striegau Hills, which are well known to some of us; Russian headquarter is
Hohenfriedberg,who would have thought it, Herr General von Ziethen? Sixteen years ago, we have seen
these Heights in other tenancy: Austrian fieldmusic and displayed banners coming down; a thousand and a
thousand Austrian watchfires blazing out yonder, in the silent June night, eve of such a Day! Baireuth
Dragoons and their No. 67;you will find the Baireuth Dragoons still here in a sense, but also in a sense not.
Their fencing Chasot is gone to Lubeck long since; will perhaps pay Friedrich a visit by and by: their fiery
Gessler is gone much farther, and will never visit anybody more! Many were the reapers then, and they are
mostly gone to rest. Here is a new harvest; the old SICKLES are still here; but the hands that wielded
them! "Steady!" answers the Herr General; profoundly aware of all that, but averse to words upon it.
Fancy Loudon's astonishment, on the third day: "While we have sat consulting how to attack him, there is
he,unattackable, shall we say?" Unattackable, Loudon will not consent to think him, though Butturlin has
quite consented. "Difficult, murderous," thinks Loudon; "but possible, certain, could Butturlin but be
persuaded!" And tries all his rhetoric on Butturlin: "Shame on us!" urges the ardent Loudon: "Imperial and
Czarish Majesties; Kriegshofrath, Russian Senate; Vienna, Petersburg, Versailles and all the world, what
are they expecting of us? To ourselves it seemed certain, and here we sit helplessly gazing!" Loudon is very
diligent upon Butturlin: "Do but believe that it is possible. A plan can be made; many plans: the problem is
solved, if only your Excellency will believe." Which Butturlin never quite will.
Nobody knows better than Friedrich in what perilous crisis he now stands: beaten here, what army or
resource has he left? Silesia is gone from him; by every likelihood, the game is gone. This of Bunzelwitz is
his last card; this is now his one stronghold in the world:we need not say if he is vigilant in regard to this.
From about the fourth day, when his engineering was only complete in outline, he particularly expects to be
attacked. On the fifth night he concludes it will be; knowing Loudon's way. Towards sunset, that evening
(August 25th), all the tents are struck: tents, cookeries, every article of baggage, his own among the rest, are
sent to Wurben Heights (to Schweidnitz, Archenholtz says; but has misremembered): the ground cleared for
action. And horse and foot, every man marches out, and stands ready under arms.
Contrary to everybody's expectation, not a shot was heard, that night. Nor the next night, nor the next: but the
practice of vigilance was continued. Punctual as mathematics: at a given hour of the afternoon, tents are all
struck; tents and furnitures, field swept clear; and the 50,000 in their places wait under arms. Next morning,
nothing having fallen out, the tents come back; the Army (half of it at once, or almost the whole of it,
according to aspects) rests, goes to sleep if it can. By night there is vigilance, is work, and no sleep. It is felt
to be a hard life, but a necessary.
Nor in these labors of detail is the King wanting; far from it; the King is there, as ear and eye of the whole.
For the King alone there is, near the chief Battery, "on the Pfarrberg, namely, in the clump of trees there," a
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small Tent, and a bundle of straw where he can lie down, if satisfied to do so. If all is safe, he will do so; but
perhaps even still he soon awakens again; and strolls about among his guardparties, or warms himself by
their fires. One evening, among the orders, is heard this item: "And remember, a lock of straw, will
you,that I may not have to sleep on the ground, as last night!" [Seyfarth, ii. 16 n.] Many anecdotes are
current to this day, about his pleasant homely ways and affabilities with the sentry people, and the rugged
hospitalities they would show him at their watchfires. "Good evening, children." "The same to thee, Fritz."
"What is that you are cooking?"and would try a spoonful of it, in such company; while the rough fellows
would forbid smoking, "Don't you know he dislikes it?" "No, smoke away!" the King would insist.
Mythical mainly, these stories; but the dialect of them true; and very strange to us. Like that of an Arab Sheik
among his tribesmen; like that of a man whose authority needs no keeping up, but is a Law of Nature to
himself and everybody. He permits a little bantering even; a rough joke against himself, if it spring sincerely
from the complexion of the fact. The poor men are terribly tired of this work: such bivouacking, packing,
unpacking; and continual waiting for the tug of battle, which never comes. Biscuits, meal are abundant
enough; but fleshmeat wearing low; above all, no right sleep to be had. Friedrich's own table, I should think,
is very sparingly beset ("A cup of chocolate is my dinner on marchingdays," wrote he once, this Season);
certainly his Lodging,damp ground, and the straw sometimes forgotten,is none of the best. And thus it
has to last, night after night and day after day. On September 8th, General Bulow went out for a little
butcher'smeat; did bring home "200 head of neat cattle [I fear, not very fat] and 300 sheep." [Tempelhof, v.
172.]
Loudon, all this while, is laboring, as man seldom did, to bring Butturlin to the striking place; who continues
flaccid, Loudon screwing and rescrewing, altogether in vain. Loudon does not deny the difficulty; but insists
on the possibility, the necessity: Councils of War are bid, remonstrances, encouragements. "We will lend you
a Corps," answers Butturlin; "but as to our Army cooperating,except in that faroff way, it is too
dangerous!" Meanwhile provisions are running low; the time presses. A formal Plan, presented by the ardent
Loudon ,Loudon himself to take the deadlier part,"Mark it, noble Russian gentlemen; and you to have
the easier!"surely that is loyal, and not in the old cat'spaw way? But in that, too, there is an offence.
Butturlin and the Russians grumble to themselves: "And you to take all the credit, as you did at Kunersdorf?
A mere adjunct, or auxiliary, we: and we are a Feldmarschall; and you, what is your rank and seniority?" In
short, they will not do it; and in the end coldly answer: "A Corps, if you like; but the whole Army, positively
no." Upon which Loudon goes home half mad; and has a colic for eightandforty hours. This was
September 2d; the final sour refusal;nearly heart breaking to Loudon. Provisions are run so low withal:
the Campaign season all but done; result, nothing: not even an attempt at a result.
No Prussian, from Friedrich downwards, had doubted but the attack would be: the grand upshot and fiery
consummation of these dark continual hardships and nocturnal watchings. Thrice over, on different nights,
the Prussians imagined Loudon to have drawn out, intending actual business; and thrice over to have drawn
in again, instead of once only, as was the fact, and then taken colic. [Tempelhof, v. 170.] Friedrich's own
notion, that "over dinner, glass in hand," the two Generals had, in the enthusiasm of such a moment, agreed to
do it, but on sober inspection found it too dubious, [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 125.] appears to be ungrounded.
Whether they could in reality have stormed him, had they all been willing, is still a question; and must
continue one. Wednesday evening, 9th September, there was much movement noticeable in the Russian
camp; also among the Austrian, there are regiments, foot and horse, coming down hitherward . "Meaning to
try it then?" thought Friedrich, and got at once under arms. Suppositions were various; but about 10 at night,
the whole Russian Camp went up in flame; and, next morning, the Russians were not there.
Russian main Army clean gone; already got to Jauer, as we hear; and Beck with a Division to see them safe
across the Oder;only Czernichef and 20,000 being left, as a Corps of Loudon's. Who, with all Austrians,
are quiet in their Heights of Kunzendorf again. And thus, on the twentieth morning, September 10th, this
strange Business terminated. Shot of those batteries is drawn again; powder of those mines lifted out again:
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no firing of your heavy Artillery at all, nor even of your light, after such elaborate charging and shoving of it
hither and thither for the last three weeks. The Prussians cease their bivouacking, nightly striking of tents; and
encamp henceforth in a merely human manner; their "Spanish Riders" (FRISIAN Horse,
CHEVAUXDEFRISE, others of us call them), their Stormpales and elaborate wooden Engineerings, they
gradually burn as fuel in the cold nights; finding Loudon absolutely quiescent, and that the thing is over, for
the present. One huge peril handsomely staved away, though so many others impend.
By way of accelerating Butturlin, Friedrich, next day, September 11th, despatched General Platen with some
8,000 (so I will guess them from Tempelhof's enumeration by battalions), to get round the flank of Butturlin,
and burn his Magazines. Platen, a valiant skilful person, did this business, as he was apt to do, in a shining
style; shot dexterously forward by the skirts of Butturlin; heard of a big WAGENBURG or Travelling
Magazine of his, at Gostyn over the Polish Frontier; in fact, his travelling breadbasket, arranged as
"Wagonfortress" in and round some Convent there, with trenches, brick walls, cannon and defence
considered strong enough for so important a necessary of the road. September 15th, Platen, before
cockcrow, burst out suddenly on this Wagonfortress, with its cannons, trenches, brick walls and defensive
Russians; stormed into it with extraordinary fury: "Fixed bayonets," ordered he at the main point of their
defence, "not a shot till they are tumbled out!"tumbled them out accordingly, into flight and ruin; took of
prisoners 1,845, seven cannon, and burnt the 5,000 provender wagons, which was the soul of the adventure;
and directly got upon the road again. [Tempelhof, v. 281293; HeldenGeschichte, vi. 643649.]
Detachments of him then fell on Posen, on Posen and other small Russian repositories in those
parts,haymagazines, biscuitstores soldiers' uniforms; distributed or burnt the same;completely
destroying the travelling haversack or general roadbag of Butturlin; a Butturlin that will have to hasten
forward or starve.
Which done, Platen (not waiting the King's new orders, but anticipating them, to the King's great
contentment) marched instantly, with his best speed and skilfulest contrivance of routes and methods, not
back to the King, but onward towards Colberg, (which he knows, as readers shall anon, to be much in need
of him at present);and without injury, though begirt all the way by a hurricane of Cossacks and light
people doing their utmost upon him, arrived there September 25th; victoriously cutting in across the
Besieging Party: and will again be visible enough when we arrive there. Indignant Butturlin chased violently,
eager to punish Platen; but could get no hold: found Platen was clear off, to Pommern,on what errand
Butturlin knew well, if not so well what to do in consequence. "Reinforce our poor Besiegers there, and again
reinforce [to enormous amounts, 40,000 of them in the end]; get bread from them withal:and, before
long, flow bodily thitherward, for bread to ourselves and for their poor sake!" That, on the whole, was what
Butturlin did.
Friedrich stayed at Bunzelwitz above a fortnight after Butturlin. "Why did not Friedrich stay altogether, and
wait here?" said some, triumphantly soon after. That was not well possible. His Schweidnitz Magazine is
worn low; not above a month's provision now left for so many of us. The rate of sickness, too, gets heavier
and heavier in this Bunzelwitz Circuit. In fine, it is greatly desirable that Loudon, who has nothing but
Bohemia for outlook, should be got to start thither as soon as possible, and be quickened homeward.
September 25th26th, Friedrich will be under way again.
And, in the mean while, may not we employ this fortnight of quiescence in noting certain other things of
interest to him and us which have occurred, or are occurring, in other parts of the Field of War? Of Henri in
Saxony we undertook to say nothing; and indeed hitherto,big Daun with his Lacys and Reichsfolk, lying so
quiescent, tethered by considerations (Daun continually detaching, watching, for support of his Loudon and
Russians and their thrice important operation, which has just had such a finish),there could almost
nothing be said. Nothing hitherto, or even henceforth, as it proves, except mutual vigilances, multifarious
bickerings, manoeuvrings, affairs of posts: sharp bits of cutting (Seidlitz, Green Kleist and other sharp people
there); which must not detain us in such speed. But there are two points, the BritannicFrench Campaign, and
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the Third Siege of Colberg; which in no rate of speed could be quite omitted.
OF FERDINAND'S BATTLE OF VELLINGHAUSEN (15th16th July); AND THE CAMPAIGN 1761.
Vellinghausen is a poor little moory Hamlet in Paderborn Country, near the south or left bank of the Lippe
River; lies to the north of Soest,some 15 miles to your lefthand there, as you go by rail from Aachen to
Paderborn;but nobody now has ever heard of it at Soest or elsewhere, famous as it once became a hundred
years ago. Ferdinand had taken a singular position there, in the early days of July, 1761. Here is brief Notice
of that Affair, and of some results, or adjuncts, still more important, which it had:
"This Year, Ferdinand's Campaign is more difficult than ever; Choiseul having made a quite spasmodic effort
towards Hanover, while negotiating for Peace. Two Armies, counting together 160,000 men, in great
completeness of equipment, Choiseul has got on foot, against Ferdinand's of 95,000. Had a fine dashing plan,
too; devised by himself (something of a Soldier he too, and full of what the messrooms call 'dash');not
so bad a Plan of the dashing kind, say judges. But it was marred sadly in one point: That Broglio, on issuing
from his Hessian Winterquarters, is not to be sole General; that Soubise, from the LowerRhine Country, is
to be CoGeneral;such the inexorable will of Pompadour. This clause of the business Ferdinand, at an
early stage, appears to have guessed or discerned might, for him, be the saving clause.
"Now, as formerly, Ferdinand's first grand business is to guard Lippstadt,guard it now from these two
Generals:and, singular to see, instead of opposing the junction of them, he has submitted cheerfully to let
them join. And in the course of a week or two after taking the field, is found to be on the western or outmost
flank of Soubise, crushing him up towards Broglio, not otherwise! And has, partly by accident, taken a
position at Vellinghausen which infinitely puzzles Broglio and Soubise, when they rush into junction at Soest
(July 6th)) and study the thing, with their own eyes, for eight whole days, in concert.' What continual
reconnoitring, galloping about of highplumed gentlemen together or apart; what MEMOIRing, mutual
consulting, beating of brains, to little purpose, during those eight days!
"Ferdinand stands in moory difficult ground, length of him about eight miles, looking eastward; with his left
at Vellinghausen and the Lippe; centre of him is astride of the Ahse (centre partly, and right wing wholly, are
on the south side of Ahse), which is a branch of Lippe; and in front, he has various little Hamlets,
KirchDenkern [KIRCHDenkern, for there are three or four other Denkerns thereabouts], Scheidingen,
Wambeln and others; and his right wing is covered farther by a quaggy brook, which runs into the
abovesaid Ahse, and is a SUBbranch of Lippe. At most of these Villages Ferdinand has thrown up
something of earthworks: there are bogs, rough places, woods; all are turned to advantage. Ferdinand is in a
strongish, but yet a dangerous position; and will give difficulties, and does give endless dubieties, to these
high plumed gentlemen galloping about with their spyglasses for eight days. One possibility they pretty
soon discern in him: His left flank rests on Lippe, yes; but his right flank is in the air, has nothing to rest
on;here surely is some possibility for us? A strong Position, that of his; but if driven out of it by any
method, he has no retreat; is tumbled back into the ANGLE where Ahse and Lippe meet, and into the little
Town of Hamm there, where his Magazine is. What a fate for him, if we succeed!
"Ferdinand, by the incessant reconnoitring and other symptoms, judges what is coming; concludes he will be
attacked in this posture of his; and on the whole, what critics now reckon very wise and very courageous of
him, determines to stand his chance in it. The consultations of Broglio and Soubise are a thing unique to look
upon; spread over volumes of Official Record, and about a volume and a half even of BOURCET, where it is
still almost amusing to read; [ Memoires Historiques (that is to say, for most part, Selection of Official
Papers) sur la Guerre que les Francais ont soutenue en Allemagne depuis 1757 jusqu'au 1762: par M. de
Bourcet, LieutenantGeneral des Armees du Roi (3 tomes, Paris, 1792);worthily done; but occupied,
twothirds of it, with this Vellinghausen and the paltry "Campaign of 1761"!] and ending in helpless
downbreak on both parts. Of strategic faculty nobody supposes they had much, and nearly all of it is in
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Broglio; Soubise being strong in Courtfavor only. Exquisitely polite they both strive to be; and under the
exquisite politeness, what infirmities of temper, splenetic suspicions, and in fact mutual hatred lay hidden,
could never be accurately known. 'Attack him, Sunday next; on the 13th!' so, at the long last, both of them
had said. And then, on more reflection, Broglio afterwards: 'Or not till the 15th, M. le Prince; till I reconnoitre
yet again, and drive in his outposts?' 'M. le Marechal's will is always mine: Tuesday, 15th, reconnoitre him,
drive him in; be it so, then!' answers Soubise, with extreme politeness,but thinking in his own mind (or
thought to be thinking), 'Wants to do it himself, or to get the credit of doing it, as in former cases; and bring
me into disgrace!' Not quite an insane notion either, on Soubise's part, say some who have looked into the
BroglioSoubise Controversy; which far be it from any of us, at this or at any time, to do. Here are the
facts that ensued.
"TUESDAY, JULY 15th, 1761, Broglio reconnoitred with intensity all day, drove in all Ferdinand's outposts;
and about six in the evening, seeing hope of surprise, or spurred by some notion of doing the feat by himself,
suddenly burst into onslaught on Ferdinand's Position: 'Vellinghausen yonder, and the woody strengths
about,could not we get hold of that; it would be so convenient tomorrow morning!' Granby and the
English are in camp about Vellinghausen; and are taken quite on the sudden: but they drew out rapidly, in a
state of bottled indignation, and fought, all of them,Pembroke's Brigade of Horse, Cavendish's of Foot,
BERGSCHOTTEN, Maxwell's Brigade and the others, in a highly satisfactory way,'MIT
UNBESCHREIBLICHER TAPFERKEIT,' says Mauvillon on this occasion again. Broglio truly has burst out
into enormous cannonade, musketade and cavalrywork, in this part; and struggles at it, almost four
hours,a furious, and especially a very noisy business, charging, recharging through the woods there;but,
met in this manner, finds he can make nothing of it; and about 10 at night, leaves off till a new morning.
"Next morning, about 4, Broglio, having diligently warned Soubise overnight, recommenced; again very
fiercely, and with loud cannonading; but with result worse than before. Ferdinand overnight, while Broglio
was warning Soubise, had considerably strengthened his left wing here,by detachments from the right or
AntiSoubise wing; judging, with good foresight, how Soubise would act. And accordingly, while poor
Broglio kept storming forward with his best ability, and got always hurled back again, Soubise took matters
easy; 'had understood the hour of attack to be' soandso, 'had understood' this and that; and on the whole,
except summoning or threatening, in the most languid way, one outlying redoubt ('redoubt of Scheidingen')
on Ferdinand's right wing, did nothing, or next to nothing, for behoof of his Broglio. Who, hour after hour,
finds himself ever worse bested; those Granby people proving 'indescribable' once more [their Wutgenau
also with his Hanoverians NOT being absent, as they rather were last night];and about 10 in the morning
gives up the bad job; and sets about retiring. If retiring be now permissible; which it is not altogether.
Ferdinand, watching intently through his glass the now silent Broglio, discerns 'Some confusion in the
Marechal yonder!'and orders a general charge of the left wing upon Broglio; which considerably
quickened his retreat; and broke it into flight, and distressful wreck and capture, in some parts, Regiment
ROUGE, for one item, falling wholly, men, cannon, flags and furniture, to that Maxwell and his Brigade.
"Ferdinand lost, by the indistinct accounts, 'from 1,500 to 2,000:' Broglio's loss was 'above 5,000; 2,000 of
them prisoners.' Soubise, for his share, 'had of killed 24,'O you laggard of a Soubise! [Mauvillon, ii.
171189; Tempelhof, v. 207221; Bourcet, ii. 75 et seq. In HeldenGeschichte (vi. 770782792) the
French Account, and the English (or Allied), with LISTS, and the like. Slight LETTER from Sir Robert
Murray Keith to his Excellency Papa, now at Petersburg, "Excellency first," as we used to define him, stands
in the miserably edited Memoirs and Correspondence (London, 1849), i. 104105; and may tempt you to a
reading; but alters nothing, adds little or nothing. Sir R. fights here as a Colonel of Highlanders, but
afterwards became "Excellency second" of his name.] And it is a Battle lost to Choiseul's grand Pair of
Armies; a Campaign checked in mid volley; and nothing but recriminations, courtsmartial, shrieky
jargonings,and plain incompatibility between the two Marechaux de France; so that they had to part
company, and go each his own road henceforth. Choiseul remonstrates with them, urges, eucourages; writes
the 'admirablest Despatches;' to no purpose. 'How ridiculous and humiliating would it be for us, if, with Two
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Armies of such strength, we accomplished nothing, and the whole Campaign were lost!' writes he once to
them.
"Which was in fact the result arrived at; the two Generals parting company for this Campaign (and indeed for
all others); and each, in his own way, proving futile. Soubise, with some 30,000, went gasconading about, in
the Westphalian, or extreme western parts; taking Embden (from two Companies of Chelsea Pensioners; to
whom he broke his word, poor old souls;to whom, and much more to the Populations there [LETTER
FROM A FRENCH PROTESTANT GENTLEMAN AT GRONINGEN; followed by confirmatory LETTER
FROM (copied into Gentleman's Magazine for 1761), give special details of the altogether ULTRASoltikof
atrocities perpetrated by Soubise's people (doubtless against his will) on the recalcitrant or disaffected
Peasants, on the Embden, not taking Bremen; and in fact doing nothing, except keep the Gazetteers in vain
noise: a Soubise not in force, by himself, to shake Ferdinand; and who, it is remarked, now and formerly,
always prefers to be at a good distance from that Gentleman. Broglio, on the other hand, keeps violently
pulsing out, round Ferdinand's flanks; taking Wolfenbuttel (Broglio's for two days), besieging Brunswick (for
one day);and, in short, leaving, he too, the matter as he had found it. A man of difficult, litigious temper, I
should judge; but clearly has something of generalship: 'does understand tactic, if strategy NOT,' said
everybody; 'while Soubise, in both capacities, is plain zero!' [Excellency Stanley (see INFRA) to Pitt, "Paris,
30th July, 1761:" in THACKERAY, ii. 561562.] The end, however, was: next Winter, Broglio got
dismissed, in favor of Soubise;rest from shrieky jargon having its value to some of us; and 'hold of
Hanover' being now plainly a matter hopeless to France and us."
In this Battle a fine young Prince of Brunswick got killed; Erbprinz's second Brother;leading on a
Regiment of BERGSCHOTTEN, say the accounts. [ "The Life of Prince Albert Henry [had lived only 19
years, poor youth, not much of a "Life"!but the account of his Education is worth reading, from a
respectable Eyewitness] of BrunswickLuneburg, Brother to the Hereditary Prince; who so eminently at
Fellinghausen (London, Printed for 1763). Written originally in German by the Rev. Mr. Hierusalem" (Father
of the "Young Jerusalem" who killed himself afterwards, and became, in a sense, Goethe's WERTHER and
SORROWS). Price, probably, Twopence).] BergSchotten, and English generally, Pembroke's Horse,
Cavendish's Brigade,we have mentioned their behavior; and how Maxwell's Brigade took one whole
regiment prisoners, in that final charge on Broglio. "What a glorious set of fellows!" said the English people
over their beer at home. Beer let us fancy it; at the sign of THE MARQUIS OF GRANBY, which is now
everywhere prevalent and splendent;the beer, we will hope, good. And as this is a thing still said, both over
beer and higher liquors, and perhaps is liable to be too much insisted on, I will give, from a caudid
Bystander, who knows the matter well, what probably is a more solid and circumstantially correct opinion.
Speaking of Ferdinand's skill of management, and of how very composite a kind his Army was, Major
Mauvillon has these words:
"The first in rank," of Ferdinand's Force, "were the English; about a fourth part of the whole Army. Braver
troops, when on the field of battle and under arms against the enemy, you will nowhere find in the world: that
is a truth;and with that the sum of their military merits ends. In the first place, their Infantry consists of
such an unselected handoverhead miscellany of people, that it is highly difficult to preserve among them
even a shadow of good discipline,"of MANNSZUCHT, in regard to plunder, drinking and the like; does
not mean KRIEGSZUCHT, or drill. "Their Cavalry indeed is not so constituted; but a foolish love for their
horses makes them astonishingly plunderous of forage; and thus they exhaust a district far faster in that
respect than do the Germans.
"Officers' Commissions among them are all had by purchase: from which it follows that their Officers do not
trouble their heads about the service; and understand of it, very VERY few excepted, absolutely nothing
whatever [what a charming set of "Officers"!]and this goes from the Ensign up to the General. Their
homecustoms incline them to the indulgences of life; and, nearly without exception, they all expect to have
ample and comfortable means of sleep. [Hear, hear!] This leads them often into military negligences, which
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would sound incredible, were they narrated to a soldier. To all this is added a quiet natural arrogance
(UEBERMUTH),"very quiet, mostly unconscious, and as if inborn and coming by discernment of mere
facts,"which tempts them to despise the enemy as well as the danger; and as they very seldom think of
making any surprisal themselves, they generally take it for granted that the enemy will as little.
"This arrogance, however, had furthermore a very bad consequence for their relation to the rest of the Army.
It is well known how much these people despise all Foreigners. This of itself renders their cooperating with
Troops of other Nations very difficult. But in this case there was the circumstance that, as the Army was in
English pay, they felt a strong tendency to regard their fellow soldiers and copartners as a sort of
subordinate warvalets, who must be ready to put up with anything:which was far indeed from being the
opinion of the others concerned! The others had not the smallest notion of consenting to any kind of inferior
treatment or consideration in respect of them. To the Hanoverians especially, from known political feelings,
they were at heart, for most part, specially indisposed; and this mode of thinking was capable of leading to
very dangerous outbreaks. The Hanoverians, a dull steady people, brave as need be, but too slow for anything
but foot service, considered silently this War to be their War, and that all the rest, English as well, were here
on their [and Britannic Majesty's] account.
"Think what difficulties Ferdinand's were, and what his merit in quietly subduing them; while to the cursory
observer they were invisible, and nobody noticed them but himself!" [Mauvillon, ii. 270272.]
Yes, doubtless. He needed to know his kinds of men; to regard intensely the chemic affinities and natural
properties, to keep his phosphorescents his nitres and charcoals well apart; to get out of these English what
they were capable of giving him, namely, heavy strokes,and never ask them for what they had not: them or
the others; but treat each according to his kind. Just, candid, consummately polite: an excellent manager of
men, as well as of warmovements, though Voltaire found him shockingly defective in ESPRIT. The
English, I think, he generally quartered by themselves; employed them oftenest under the Hereditary
Prince,a man of swift execution and prone to strokes like themselves. "Oftenest under the Erbprinz," says
Mauvillon: "till, after the Fight of Kloster Kampen, it began to be noticed that there was a change in that
respect; and the messrooms whispered, 'By accident or not?'" which shall remain mysterious to me. In
Battle after Battle he got the most unexceptionable sabring and charging from Lord Granby and the difficult
English element; and never was the least discord heard in his Camp;nor could even Sackville at Minden
tempt him into a loud word.
But enough of English soldiering, and battling with the French. For about two months prior to this of
Vellinghausen, and for more than two months after, there is going on, by special Envoys between Pitt and
Choiseul, a lively PeaceNegotiation, which is of more concernment to us than any Battle. "Congress at
Augsburg" split upon formalities, preliminaries, and never even tried to meet: but France and England are
actually busy. Each Country has sent its Envoy: the Sieur de Bussy, a tricky gentleman, known here of old, is
Choiseul's, whom Pitt is on his guard against; "Mr. Hans Stanley," a lively, clearsighted person, of whom I
could never hear elsewhere, is Pitt's at Paris: and it is in that City between Choiseul and Stanley, with Pitt
warily and loftily presiding in the distance, that the main stress of the Negotiation lies. Pitt is lofty, haughty,
but very fine and noble; no King or Kaiser could be more. Sincere, severe, though most softshining; high,
earnest, steady, like the stars. Artful Choiseul, again, flashes out in a cheerily exuberant way; and Stanley's
Despatches about Choiseul ("CE FOU PLEIN D'ESPRIT," as Friedrich once christens him), about Choiseul
and the France then round him, and the effects of Vellinghausen in society and the like,are the liveliest
reading one almost anywhere meets with in that kind. [In THACKERAY, i. 505579, and especially ii.
520626, is the StanleyandPitt Correspondence: Stanley went "23d May;" returned (got his passports for
returning) "September 20th."] Choiseul frankly admits that he has come to the worst: ready for concessions,
but the question is, What? Canada is gone, for instance; of Canada you will allow us nothing: but our poor
Fisherpeople, toiling in the Newfoundland waters, cannot they have a rock to dry their fish on; "Isle of
Miquelon, or the like?" "Not the breadth of a blanket,"that is Pitt's private expression, I believe; and for
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certain, that, in polite official language, is his inexorable determination. "You shall go home out of those
Countries, Messieurs; America is to be English or YANkee, not FRANGcee: that has turned out to be the
Decree of Heaven; and we will stand by that."
So that Choiseul soon satisfies himself it will be a hard bargain, this with Pitt; and turns the more assiduously
to the Majesty of Spain (Baby Carlos, our old friend, who has sore grudges of his own against the English,
standing grievance of Campeachy Logwood, of bitter Naples reminiscences, and enough else), turns to Baby
Carlos, time after time, with his pathetic "See, your Most Catholic Majesty!" And by rapid degrees induces
Most Catholic Majesty to go wholly into the adventure with Most Christian Ditto;and to say, at length, or
to let Choiseul say for him, by way of cautious firststep (15th July, a date worth remembering, if the reader
please): "Might not Most Catholic Majesty be allowed perhaps to mediate a little in this Business?" "Most
Catholic Majesty!" answers Pitt, with a flash as if from the empyrean: "Who sent for Most Catholic
Majesty?"and the matter catches fire, totally explodes, and Spain too declares War; in what way is
generally known.
Details are not permitted us. The Catastrophe we shall give afterwards, and can here say only: FIRST, That
old Earl Marischal, Friedrich's Spanish Envoy, is a good deal in England, coming and going, at this
time,on that interesting business of the Kintore Inheritance, doubtless,and has been beautifully treated.
Been pardoned, disattainted, permitted to inherit,by the King on the instant, by the Parliament so soon as
possible; [King's Patent is of "30th April, 1760 [DATED 29th May, 1759], Act of Parliament to follow
shortly;" "August 16th, 1760, Act having passed, is Marischal's public Presentation to his Majesty (late
Majesty);" Old GAZETTES in Gentleman's Magazine (for 1760), xxx. 201, 392.]and is of a naturally
grateful turn. SECONDLY, That in the profoundest secrecy, penetrable only to eyes near at hand and that see
in the dark, a celebrated Bourbon Family Compact was signed (August 15th, 1761, ten days before the
digging at Bunzelwitz began), of which the first news to the Olympian man (conveyed by Marischal, as is
thought) was likelike news of dead Pythons pretending to revive upon him. And THIRDLY, That,
postponing the Catastrophe, and recommending the above two dates, 15th JULY, 15th AUGUST, to careful
readers, we must hasten to Colberg for the present.
THIRD SIEGE OF COLBERG.
Readers had, some while ago, a flying Note, which we promised to take up again; about Tottleben's
procedures, and a Third Siege of Colberg coming. Siege, we have chanced to see, there accordingly is, and a
Platen gone to help against it. Siege, after infinite delays and haggles, has at length come,uncommonly
vivid during the final days of Bunzelwitz;and is, and has been, and continues to be, much in the King's
thoughts. Probably a matter of more concernment to him, before, during and after Bunzelwitz (though the Pitt
Catastrophe, going on simultaneously, is still more important, if he knew it), than anything else befalling in
the distance. Let us now give a few farther indications on that matter.
Truce between Werner and Tottleben expired May 12th; but for five weeks more nothing practical followed;
except diligent reinforcing, revictualling and extraordinary fortifying of Colberg and its environs, on the
Prussian part,Eugen of Wurtemberg, direct from Restock and his AntiSwede business, Eugen 12,000
strong, with a Werner and other such among them, taking head charge outside the walls; old Heyde again as
Commandant within: while on the Russian part, under General Romanzow, there is a most tortoiselike
advance,except that the tortoise carries all his resources with him, and Romanzow's, multifarious and
enormous, are scattered over seas and lands, and need endless waiting for, in the intervals of crawling.
This is the Romanzow who failed at Colherg once already (on the heel of Zorndorf in 1758, if readers
recollect); and is the more bound to be successful now. From sea and from land, for five weeks, there is
rumor of a Romanzow in overwhelming force, and with intentions very furious upon Colberg,upon the
outposts, under Werner, as first point. Five weeks went, before anything of Romanzow was visible even to
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Werner (22d June, at Coslin, forty miles to eastward); after which his advance (such waiting for the ships, for
the artilleries, the this and the that) was slower than ever; and for about eight weeks more, he haggles along
through Coslin, through Corlin, Belgard again, flowing slowly forward upon Werner's outposts, like a
summer glacier with its rubbishes; or like a slow lavatide,a great deal of smoke on each side of him
(owing to the Cossacks), as usual. Romanzow's progress is of the slowest; and it is not till August 19th that he
practically gets possession of Corlin, Belgard and those outposts on the Persante River, and comes within
sight of Colberg and his problem. By which time, he finds Eugen of Wurtemberg encamped and intrenched
still ahead of him, still nearer Colberg, and likely to give him what they call "DE LA TABLATURE," or
extremely difficult music to play.
"It was on AUGUST 19th [very eve of Friedrich's going into Bunzelwitz] that Romanzow,Werner, for the
sake of those poor Towns he holds, generally retiring without bombardment or utter conflagration,had got
hold of Corlin and of the River Persante [with "Quetzin and Degow," if anybody knew them, as his main
posts there]: and was actually now within sight of Colberg,only 7 or 8 miles west of him, and a river more
or less in his way:when, singular to see, Eugen of Wurtemberg has rooted himself into the ground farther
inward, environing Colberg with a fortified Camp as with a second wall; and it will be a difficult problem
indeed!
"But Sea Armaments, SwedishRussian, with endless siegematerial and redhot balls, are finally at hand;
and this pitiful Colberg must be done, were it only by falling flat, on it, and smothering it by weight of
numbers and of redhot iron. The day before yesterday, August 17th, after such rumoring and such
manoeuvring as there has been, six Russian shipsofwar showed themselves in Colberg Roads, and three of
them tried some shooting on Heyde's workpeople, busy at a redoubt on the beach; but hit nothing, and went
away till Romanzow himself should come. Romanzow come, there is utmost despatch; and within the eight
days following, the Russian ships, and then the Swedish as well, have all got to their moorings,12 sail of
the line, with 42 more of the frigate and gunboat kind, 54 ships in all;and from August 24th, especially
from August 28th, bombardment to the very uttermost is going on. [Tempelhof, v. 311.] Bombardment by
every method, from sea and from land, continues diligent for the next fortnight,with little or no result; so
diligent are Eugen and veteran Heyde.
"SEPTEMBER 4th. The SwedishRussian gunboats have been much shot down by Heyde's batteries on the
beach; no success had, owing to Heyde and Eugen: paltry little Colberg as impossible as Bunzelwitz, it
seems? 'Double our diligence, therefore!' That is Romanzow's and everybody's sentiment here. Romanzow
comes closer in, September 4th; besieges in form, since not Colberg, Eugen's CAMP, or brazen wall of
Colberg; and there rises in and round this poor little Colberg (a 2,000 balls daily, redhot and other) such a
volcano as attracts the eyes of all the world thither.
"SEPTEMBER 12th. News yesterday of reinforcement, men and provender, coming from Stettin; is to be at
Treptow on the 13th. Werner, night of the 11th, stealthily sets out to meet it, IT in the first place; then, joined
with it, to take by rearward a certain inconvenient battery, which Romanzow is building to westward of us,
out that way; to demolish said battery, and be generally distressful to the rear of Romanzow. At Treptow,
after his difficult night's march, Werner is resting, secure now of the adventure;too contemptuous of his
slow Russians, as appeared! Who, for once, surprise HIM; and, at and round Treptow, next morning, Werner
finds himself suddenly in a most awkward predicament. Werner, one of the rapidest and stormiest of skilful
men, plunged valiantly into the affair; would still have managed it, they say, had not, in some sudden
swoop,charge, or something of critical or vital nature,rapid Werner's horse got shot, and fallen with
him; whereby not only the charge failed, but Werner himself was taken prisoner. A loss of very great
importance, and grievous to everybody: though, I believe, the reinforcement and supply, for this time, got
mostly through, and the dangerous battery was got demolished by other means. [Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 238;
Tempelhof, v. 314.] This is Romanzow's first item of success, this of getting such a Werner snatched out of
the game [and sent to Petersburg instead as we shall hear]; and other items fell to Romanzow thenceforth by
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the aid of time and hunger.
"In the way of storming, battering or otherwise capturing Eugen's Camp, not to speak of Heyde's town,
Romanzow finds, on trial after trial, that he can do as good as nothing; and his unwieldy sea comrades
(equinoctial gales coming on them, too) are equally worthless. September 19th [a week after this of Werner,
tenth day after Bunzelwitz had ended], Romanzow made his fiercest attempt that way; fiercest and last:
furious extremely, from 2 in the morning onwards; had for some time hold of the important 'Green Redoubt;'
but was still more furiously battered and bayoneted out again, with the loss of above 3,000 men; and tried
that no farther. Impossible by that method. But he can stand between the EugenHeyde people and supplies;
and by obstinacy hunger them out: this, added to the fruitless bombardment, is now his more or less fruitful
industry.
"In the end of September, the effects of Bunzelwitz are felt: Platen, after burning the Butturlin Magazine at
Gostyn, has hastened hither; in what style we know. Blaten arrives 25th September; cuts his way through
Romanzow into Eugen's Camp, raises Eugen to about 15,000; [Tempelhof, v. 350.] renders Eugen, not to
speak of Heyde, more impossible than ever. Butturlin did truly send reinforcements, a 10,000, a 12,000, 'As
many as you like, my Romanzow!' And, in the beginning of October, came rolling thitherward bodily;
hoping, they say, to make a Maxen of it upon those Eugens and Platens: but after a fortnight's survey of them,
found there was not the least feasibility;and that he himself must go home, on the score of hunger. Which
he did, November 2d; leaving Romanzow reinforced at discretion [40,000, but with him too provisions are
fallen low], and the advice, 'Cut off their supplies: time and famine are our sole chances here!' Butturlin's new
Russians, endless thousands of them, under Fermor and others, infesting the roads from Stettin, are a great
comfort to Romanzow. Nor could any Eugenwith his Platens, Thaddens, and utmost expenditure of skill
and of valor and endurance, which are still memorable in soldierannals, [ Tagebuch der Unternehmungen
des Platenschen Corps vom September bis November 1761 (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 3276). Bericht von der
Unternehmungen des Thaddenschen Corps vom Jenner bis zum December 1761 (ibid. 77147).]suffice to
convey provisions through that disastrous Wilderness of distances and difficulties.
"From Stettin, which lies southwest, through Treptow Gollnow and other wild little Prussian Towns is about
100 miles; from Landsberg south, 150: Friedrich himself is wellnigh 300 miles away; in Stettin alone is
succor, could we hold the intervening Country. But it is overrun with Russians, more and ever more. A
Country of swamps and moors, winter darkness stealing over it,illuminated by such a volcano as we see: a
very gloomy waste scene; and traits of stubborn human valor and military virtue plentiful in it with utter
hardship as a constant quantity; details not permissible here only the main features and epochs, if they could
be indicated.
"The King is greatly interested for Colberg; sends orders to collect from every quarter supplies at Stettin, and
strain every nerve for the relief of that important little Haven. Which is done by the diligent Bevern, the
collecting part; could only the conveying be accomplished. But endless Russians are afield, Fermor with a
15,000 of them waylaying; the conveyance is the difficulty." [ Bericht von den Unternehmungen der
Wurtembergischen Corps in Pommern, vom May 1761 bis December 1761 (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii.
147258). Tempelhof, v. 313326. HeldenGeschichte, vi. 669708.]
But now we must return to Bunzelwitz, and September 25th, in Head quarters there.
Chapter VIII. LOUDON POUNCES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ ONE NIGHT
(LAST OF SEPTEMBER, 1761).
It was September 25th, more properly 26th, [Tempelhof, v. 327.] when Friedrich quitted Bunzelwitz; we
heard on what errand. Early that morning he marches with all his goods, first to Pilzen (that fine post on the
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east side of Schweidnitz); and from that, straightway,southwestward, two marches farther,to Neisse
neighborhood (GrossNossen the name of the place); Loudon making little dispute or none. In Neisse are
abundant Magazines: living upon these, Friedrich intends to alarm Loudon's rearward country, and draw him
towards Bohemia. As must have gradually followed; and would at once,had Loudon been given to alarms,
which he was not. Loudon, very privately, has quite different game afield. Loudon merely detaches this and
the other small Corps to look after Friedrich's operations, which probably he believes to be only a
feint:and, before a week passes, Friedrich will have news he little expects!
Friedrich, pausing at GrossNossen, and perhaps a little surprised to find no Loudon meddling with him,
pushes out, first one party and then another,Dalwig, Bulow, towards Landshut HillCountry, to threaten
Loudon's Bohemian roads;who, singular to say, do not hear the least word of Loudon thereabouts. A
Loudon strangely indifferent to this new Enterprise of ours. On the third day of GrossNossen (Friday,
October 2d), Friedrich detaches General Lentulus to rearward, or the way we came, for news of Loudon.
Rearward too, Lentulus sees nothing whatever of Loudon: but, from the rumor of the country, and from two
Prussian garrisonsoldiers, whom he found wandering about,he hears, with horror and amazement, That
Loudon, by a sudden pantherspring, the night before last, has got hold of Schweidnitz: now his wholly,
since 5 A.M. of yesterday; and a strong Austrian garrison in it by this time! That was the news Lentulus
brought home to his King; the sorest Job'spost of all this War.
Truly, a surprising enterprise this of Loudon's; and is allowed by everybody to have been admirably
managed. Loudon has had it in his head for some time;ever since that colic of fortyeight hours, I should
guess; upon the wrecks of which it might well rise as a new daystar. He kept it strictly in his own head;
nobody but Daun and the Kaiser had hint of it, both of whom assented, and agreed to keep silence.
"On Friedrich's removal towards Neisse and threatening of Bohemia," says my Note on this subject,
"Loudon's time had come. Friedrich had disappeared to southwestward, Saturday, September 26th: 'Gone to
Pilzen,' reported Loudon's scouts; 'rests there over Sunday. Gone to Sigeroth, 28th; gone to GrossNossen,
Tuesday, September 29th.' [Tempelhof, v. 330.] That will do, thinks Loudon; who has sat immovable at
Kunzendorf all this while;and, WEDNESDAY, 30th, instantly proceeds to business.
"Draws out, about 10 A.M. of Wednesday, all round Schweidnitz at some miles distance, a ring, or complete
girdle, of CroatCossack people; blocking up every path and road: 'Nobody to pass, this day, towards
Schweidnitz, much less into it, on any pretext.' That is the duty of the Croat people. To another active Officer
he intrusts the task of collecting from the neighboring Villages (outside the Croat girdle) as many ladders,
planks and the like, as will be requisite; which also is punctually done. For the Attack itself, which is to be
Fourfold, our picked Officers are chosen, with the 20 best Battalions in the Army: Czernichef is apprised;
who warmly assents, and offers every help:'800 of your Grenadiers,' answers Loudon; 'no more needed.'
Loudon's arrangements for management of the ladders, for punctuality about the routes, the times, the
simultaneity, are those of a perfect artist; no Friedrich could have done better.
"About 4 in the afternoon, all the Captains and Battalions, with their ladders and furnitures, everybody with
Instruction very pointed and complete, are assembled at Kunzendorf: Loudon addresses the Troops in a few
fiery words; assures himself of victory by them; promises them 10,060 pounds in lieu of plunder, which he
strictly prohibits. Officers had better make themselves acquainted with the Four Routes they are to take in the
dark: proper also to set all your watches by the chief General's, that there be no mistake as to time. [In
TEMPELHOF (v. 332349) and ARCHENHOLTZ (ii. 272280) all these details.] At 9, all being now dark,
and the Croat girdle having gathered itself closer round the place since nightfall, the Four Divisions march to
their respective starting places; will wait there, silent; and about 2 in the morning, each at its appointed
minute, step forward on their business. With fixed bayonets all of them; no musketry permitted till the works
are won. Loudon will wait at the Village of Schonbrunn [not WARKOTSCH'S Schonbrunn, of which by and
by, and which also is not far [See ARCHENHOLTZ, ii. 287; and correct his mistake of the two places.]] at
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Schonbrunn, within short distance; give Loudon notice when you are within 600 yards;there shall, if
desirable, be reinforcements, farther orders. Loudon knows Schweidnitz like his own bedroom. He was
personally there, in Leuthen time, improving the Works. By nocturnal Croat parties, in the latter part of
Bunzelwitz time; and since then, by deserters and otherwise,he knows the condition of the Garrison, of the
Commandant, and of every essential point. Has calculated that the Garrison is hardly third part of what it
ought to be,3,800 in whole, and many of them loose deserter fellows; special artillerymen, instead of
about 400, only 191;most important of all, that Commandant Zastrow is no wizard in his trade; and, on the
whole, that the Enterprise is likely to succeed.
"Zastrow has been getting married lately; and has many things to think of, besides Schweidnitz. Some
accounts say this was his weddingnight,which is not true, but only that he had meant to give a Ball this
last night of September; and perhaps did give it, dancing over BEFORE 2, let us hope! Something of a
jolterhead seemingly, though solid and honest. I observe he is a kind of butt, or laughingstock, of
Friedrich's, and has yielded some gleams of momentary fun, he and this marriage of his, between Prince
Henri and the King, in the tragic gloom all round. [Schoning, ii. SOEPIUS.] Nothing so surprises me in
Friedrich as his habitual inattention to the state of his Garrisons. He has the best of Commandants and also
the worst: Tauentzien in Breslau, Heyde in Colberg, unsurpassable in the world; in Glatz a D'O, in
Schweidnitz a Zastrow, both of whom cost him dear. Opposition sneers secretly, 'It is as they happen to have
come to hand.' Which has not much truth, though some. Tauentzien he chose; D'O was Fouquet's choice, not
his; Zastrow he did choose; Heyde he had by accident; of Heyde he had never heard till the defence of
Colberg began to be a world's wonder. And in regard to his Garrisons, it is indisputable they were often left
palpably defective in quantity and quality; and, more than once, fatally gave way at the wrong moment. We
can only say that Friedrich was bitterly in want of men for the field; that 'a GarrisonRegiment' was always
reckoned an inferior article; and that Friedrich, in the press of his straits, had often had to say: 'Well, these
[plainly Helots, not Spartans], these will have to do!' For which he severely suffered: and perhaps
repented, who knows?
"Zastrow, in spite of Loudon's precautionary Girdle of Croats, and the cares of a coming Ball, had got
sufficient inkling of something being in the wind. And was much on the Walls all day, he and his Officers;
scanning with their glasses and their guesses the surrounding phenomena, to little purpose. At night he sent
out patrols; kept sputtering with musketry and an occasional cannon into the vacant darkness ('We are alert,
you see, Herr Loudon!'). In a word, took what measures he could, poor man;very stupid measures, thinks
Tempelhof, and almost worse than none, especially this of sputtering with musketry;and hoped always
there would be no Attack, or none to speak of. Till, in fine, between 2 and 3 in the morning, his patrols gallop
in, 'Austrians on march!' and Zastrow, throwing out a rocket or two, descries in momentary illumination that
the Fact is verily here.
"His defence (four of the Five several Forts attacked at once) was of a confused character; but better than
could have been expected. Loudon's Columns came on with extraordinary vigor and condensed impetuosity;
stormed the Outworks everywhere, and almost at once got into the shelter of the Coveredway: but on the
Main Wall, or in the scaling part of their business, were repulsed, in some places twice or thrice; and had a
murderous struggle, of very chaotic nature, in the dark element. No picture of it in the least possible or
needful here. In one place, a PowderMagazine blew up with about 400 of them,blown (said rumor, with
no certainty) by an indignant Prussian artilleryman to whom they had refused quarter: in another place, the
800 Russian Grenadiers came unexpectedly upon a chasm or bridgeless interstice between two ramparts; and
had to halt suddenly,till (says rumor again, with still less certainty) their Officers insisting with the
rearward part, 'Forward, forward!' enough of front men were tumbled in to make a roadway! This was the
story current; [Archenholtz, ii. 275.] greatly exaggerated, I have no doubt. What we know is, That these
Russians did scramble through, punctually perform their part of the work;and furthermore, that, having got
upon the TownWall, which was finis to everything, they punctually sat down there; and, reflectively leaning
on their muskets, witnessed with the gravity and dignity of antique sages, superior to money or money's
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worth, the general plunder which went on in spite of Loudon's orders.
"For, in fine, between 5 and 6, that is in about three hours and a half, Loudon was everywhere victorious;
Zastrow, Schweidnitz Fortress, and all that it held, were Loudon's at discretion; Loudon's one care now was
to stop the pillage of the poor Townsfolk, as the most pressing thing. Which was not done without difficulty,
nor completely till after hours of exertion by cavalry regiments sent in. The captors had fought valiantly; but
it was whispered there had been a preliminary of brandy in them; certainly, except those poor Russians,
nobody's behavior was unexceptionable."
The capture of Schweidnitz cost Loudon about 1,400 men; he found in Schweidnitz, besides the Garrison all
prisoners or killed, some 240 pieces of artillery,"211 heavy guns, 135 handmortars," say the Austrian
Accounts, "with stores and munitions" in such quantities; "89,760 musketcartridges, 1,300,000 flints," [In
Helden Geschichte, (vi. 651665) the Austrian Account, with LISTS for two items:and all this was a
trifle compared to the shock it has brought on Friedrich's Silesian affairs. For, in present circumstances, it
amounts to the actual conquest of a large portion of Silesia; and, for the first time, to a real prospect of
finishing the remainder next Year. It is judged to have been the hardest stroke Friedrich had in the course of
this War. "Our strenuous Campaign on a sudden rendered wind, and of no worth! The Enemy to winter in
Silesia, after all; Silesia to go inevitably,and life along with it!" What Friedrich's black meditations were,
"In the following weeks [not close following, but poor Kuster does not date], the King fell ill of gout, saw
almost nobody, never came out; and, it was whispered, the inflexible heart of him was at last breaking; that is
to say, the very axis of this Prussian world giving way. And for certain, there never was in his camp and over
his dominions such a gloom as in this October, 1761; till at length he appeared on horseback again, with a
cheerful face; and everybody thought to himself, 'Ha, the world will still roll, then!'" [Kuster,
LebensRettungen Friedrichs des Zweyten (Berlin, 1797), p. 59 It is the same innocent reliable Kuster whom
we cited, in SALDERN'S case, already.]
This is what Loudon had done, without any Russians, except Russians to give him eightandforty hours
colic, and put him on his own shifts. And the way in which the Kriegshofrath, and her Imperial Majesty the
Kaiserinn, received it, is perhaps still worth a word. The Kaiser, who had alone known of Loudon's scheme,
and for good reason (absolute secrecy being the very soul of it) had whispered nothing of it farther to any
mortal, was naturally overjoyed. But the Olympian brow of Maria Theresa, when the Kaiser went radiant to
her with this news, did not radiate in response; but gloomed indignantly: "No order from Kriegshofrath, or
me!" Indignant Kriegshofrath called it a CROATENSTREICH (Croat'strick); and Loudon, like Prince
Eugen long since, was with difficulty excused this act of disobedience. Great is Authority; and ought to be
divinely rigorous, if (as by no means always happens) it is otherwise of divine quality!
Friedrich's treatment of Zastrow was in strong contrast of style. Here is his Letter to that unlucky Gentleman,
who is himself clear that he deserves no blame: "My dear MajorGeneral von Zastrow, The misfortune
that has befallen me is very grievous; but what consoles me in it is, to see by your Letter that you have
behaved like a brave Officer, and that neither you nor the Garrison have brought disgrace or reproach on
yourselves. I am your well affectioned King,FRIEDRICH." And in Autograph this Postscript: "You may,
in this occurrence, say what Francis I., after the Battle of Pavia, wrote to his Mother: 'All is lost except
honor.' As I do not yet completely understand the affair, I forbear to judge of it; for it is altogether
extraordinary.F." [ MilitairLexikon, iv. 305, 306 (Letter undated there; date probably, "GrossNossen,
October 3d").]
And never meddled farther with Zastrow; only left him well alone for the future. "Grant me a CourtMartial,
then!" said Zastrow, finding himself fallen so neglected, after the Peace. "No use," answered Friedrich: "I
impute nothing of crime to you; but after such a mishap, it would be dangerous to trust you with any post or
command;"and in 1766, granted him, on demand, his demission instead. The poor man then retired to
Cassel, where he lived twenty years longer, and was no more heard of. He was halfbrother of the General
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Zastrow who got killed by a Pandour of long range (bullet through both temples, from brushwood, across the
Elbe), in the first year of this War.
Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH.
Friedrich's Army was to have cantoned itself round Neisse, October 3d: but on the instant of this fatal
Schweidnitz news proceeded (3d6th October) towards Strehlen instead,Friedrich personally on the
5th;and took quarters there and in the villages round. General cantonment at Strehlen, in guard of Breslau
and of Neisse both; Loudon, still immovable at Kunzendorf, attempting nothing on either of those places, and
carefully declining the risk of a Battle, which would have been Friedrich's game: all this continued till the
beginning of December, when both parties took Winter quarters; [Tempelhof, v. 349.] cantoned themselves
in the neighboring localities,Czernichef, with his Russians, in Glatz Country; Friedrich in Breslau as
headquarter;and the Campaign had ended. Ended in this part, without farther event of the least
notability;except the following only, which a poor man of the name of Kappel has recorded for us. Of
which, and the astounding Sequel to which, we must now say something.
Kappel is a Gentleman's Groom of those Strehlen parts; and shall, in his own words, bring us face to face
with Friedrich in that neighborhood, directly after Schweidnitz was lost. It is October 5th, day, or rather night
of the day, of Friedrich's arrival thereabouts; most of his Army ahead of him, and the remainder all under
way. Friedrich and the rearward part of his Army are filing about, in that new Strehlenward movement of
theirs, under cloud of night, in the intricate HillandDale Country; to post themselves to the best advantage
for their double object, of covering Breslau and Neisse both; Kappel LOQUITUR; abridged by Kuster, whom
we abridge:
"MONDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 5th, 1761, The King, with two or three attendants, still ahead of his Army,
appeared at Schonbrunn, a Schloss and Village, five or six miles south from Strehlen; [THIS is the Warkotsch
Schonbrunn; not the other near Schweidnitz, as Archenholtz believes: see ARCHENHOLTZ, ii. 287, and the
bit of myth he has gone into in consequence.] and did the owner, Baron von Warkotsch, an acquaintance of
his, the honor of lodging there. Before bedtime,if indeed the King intended bed at all, meaning to be off in
four hours hence,Friedrich inquired of Warkotsch for 'a trusty man, well acquainted with the roads in this
Country.' Warkotsch mentioned Kappel, his own Groom; one who undoubtedly knew every road of the
Country; and who had always behaved as a trusty fellow in the seven years he had been with him. 'Let me see
him,' said the King. Kappel was sent up, about midnight, King still dressed; sitting on a sofa, by the fire;
Kappel's look was satisfactory; Kappel knows several roads to Strehlen, in the darkest night. 'It is the footpath
which goes soandso that I want' (for Friedrich knows this Country intimately: readers remember his
worldfamous Camp of Strehlen, with all the diplomacies of Europe gathered there, through summer, in the
train of Mollwitz). 'JA, IHRO MAJESTAT, I know it!' 'Be ready, then, at 4.'
"Before the stroke of 4, Kappel was at the door, on Master's best horse; the King's Groom too, and led horse,
a nimble little gray, were waiting. As 4 struck, Friedrich came down, Warkotsch with him. 'Unspeakable the
honor you have done my poor house!' Besides the King's Groom, there were a Chamberlain, an Adjutant and
two mounted Chasers (REITENDE JAGER), which latter had each a lighted lantern: in all seven persons,
including Kappel and the King. (Go before us on foot with your lanterns,' said the King. Very dark it was.
And overnight the Army had arrived all about; some of them just coming in, on different roads and paths. The
King walked above two miles, and looked how the Regiments were, without speaking a word. At last, as the
cannons came up, and were still in full motion, the King said: 'Sharp, sharp, BURSCHE; it will be MARCH
directly.' 'March? The Devil it will: we are just coming into Camp!' said a cannonier, not knowing it was the
King.
"The King said nothing. Walked on still a little while; then ordered, 'Blow out the lanterns; to horseback
now!' and mounted, as we all did. Me he bade keep five steps ahead, five and not more, that he might see me;
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for it was very dark. Not far from the Lordship Casserey, where there is a Watermill, the King asked me,
'Have n't you missed the Bridge here?' (a King that does not forget roads and topographies which may come
to concern him!)and bade us ride with the utmost silence, and make no jingle. As day broke, we were in
sight of Strehlen, near by the Farm of Treppendorf. 'And do you know where the Kallenberg lies?' said the
King: 'It must be to left of the Town, near the Hills; bring us thither!'
"When we got on the Kallenberg, it was not quite day; and we had to halt for more light. After some time the
King said to his Groom, 'Give me my perspective!' looked slowly all round for a good while, and then said, 'I
see no Austrians!'(ground all at our choice, then; we know where to choose!) The King then asked me if I
knew the road to"in fact, to several places, which, in a Parish History of those parts, would be abundantly
interesting; but must be entirely omitted here. ... "The King called his Chamberlain; gave some sign, which
meant 'Beermoney to Kappel!'and I got four eightgroschen pieces [three shillings odd; a rich reward in
those days]; and was bid tell my Master, 'That the King thanked him for the good quarters, and assured him
of his favor.'
"Riding back across country, Kappel, some four or five miles homeward, came upon the 'whole Prussian
Army,' struggling forward in their various Columns. Two Generals,one of them Krusemark, King's
Adjutant [Colonel Krusemark, not General, as Kappel thinks, who came to know him some weeks
after],had him brought up: to whom he gave account of himself, how he had been escorting the King, and
where he had left his Majesty. 'Behind Strehlen, say you? Breslau road? Devil knows whither we shall all
have to go yet!' observed Krusemark, and left Kappel free." [Kuster, LebensRettungen, pp. 6676.]
In those weeks, Colberg Siege, Pitt's Catastrophe and high things are impending, or completed, elsewhere:
but this is the one thing noticeable hereabouts. In regard to Strehlen, and Friedrich's history there, what we
have to say turns all upon this Kappel and Warkotsch: and,after mentioning only that Friedrich's lodging is
not in Strehlen proper, but in Woiselwitz, a village or suburb almost half a mile off, and very negligently
guarded,we have to record an Adventure which then made a great deal of noise in the world.
Warkotsch is a rich lord; Schonbrunn only one of five or six different Estates which he has in those parts;
though, not many years ago, being younger brother, he was a Captain in the Austrian service (Regiment
BOTTA, if you are particular); and lay in Olmutz,with very dull oulooks; not improved, I should judge, by
the fact that Silesia and the Warkotsch connections were become Prussian since this junior entered the
Austrian Army. The junior had sown his wild oats, and was already getting gray in the beard, in that dull
manner, when, about seven years ago, his Elder Brother, to whom Friedrich had always been kind, fell
unwell; and, in the end of 1755, died: whereupon the junior saw himself Heir; and entered on a new phase of
things. Quitted his Captaincy, quitted his allegiance; and was settled here peaceably under his new King in
1756, a little while before this War broke out. And, at Schonbrunn, October 5th, 1761, has had his Majesty
himself for guest.
Warkotsch was not long in riding over to Strehlen to pay his court, as in duty bound, for the honor of such a
Visit; and from that time, Kappel, every day or two, had to attend him thither. The King had always had a
favor for Warkotsch's late Brother, as an excellent Silesian Landlord and Manager, whose fine Domains were
in an exemplary condition; as, under the new Warkotsch too, they have continued to be. Always a gracious
Majesty to this Warkotsch as well; who is an old soldier withal, and man of sense and ingenuity; acceptable
to Friedrich, and growing more and more familiar among Friedrich's circle of Officers now at Strehlen.
To Strehlen is Warkotsch's favorite ride; in the solitary country, quite a charming adjunct to your usual dull
errand out for air and exercise. Kappel, too, remarks about this time that he (Kappel) gets once and again, and
ever more frequently, a Letter to carry over to Siebenhuben, a Village three or four miles off; the Letter
always to one Schmidt, who is Catholic Curate there; Letter under envelope, well sealed,and consisting of
two pieces, if you finger it judiciously. And, what is curious, the Letter never has any address; Master merely
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orders, "Punctual; for Curatus Schmidt, you know!" What can this be? thinks Kappel. Some secret, doubtless;
perhaps some intrigue, which Madam must not know of,"ACH, HERR BARON; and at your age,fifty, I
am sure!" Kappel, a solid fellow, concerned for groombusiness alone, punctually carries his Letters; takes
charge of the Responses too, which never have any Address; and does not too much trouble himself with
curiosities of an impertinent nature.
To these external phenomena I will at present only add this internal one: That an old Brother Officer of
Warkotsch's, a Colonel Wallis, with Hussars, is now lying at Heinrichau,say, 10 miles from Strehlen, and
about 10 from Schonbrunn too, or a mile more if you take the Siebenhuben way; and that all these missives,
through Curatus Schmidt, are for Wallis the Hussar Colonel, and must be a secret not from Madam alone!
How a Baron, hitherto of honor, could all at once become TURPISSIMUS, the Superlative of Scoundrels?
This is even the reason,the prize is so superlative.
"MONDAY NIGHT, NOVEMBER 30th, 1761 [night bitter cold], Kappel finds himself sitting mounted, and
holding Master's horse, in Strehlen, more exactly in Woiselwitz, a suburb of Strehlen, near the King's
door,Majesty's travellingcoach drawn out there, symbol that Strehlen is ending, general departure
towards Breslau now nigh. Not to Kappel's sorrow perhaps, waiting in the cold there. Kappel waits, hour after
hour; Master taking his ease with the King's people, regardless of the horses and me, in this shivery
weather;and one must not walk about either, for disturbing the King's sleep! Not till midnight does Master
emerge, and the freezing Kappel and quadrupeds get under way. Under way, Master breaks out into singular
talk about the King's lodging: Was ever anything so careless; nothing but two sentries in the King's anteroom;
thirteen all the soldiers that are in Woiselwitz; Strehlen not available in less than twenty minutes: nothing but
woods, haggly glens and hills, all on to Heinrichau: How easy to snatch off his Majesty! "UM GOTTES
WILLEN, my Lord, don't speak so: think if a patrolling Prussian were to hear it, in the dark!" Pooh, pooh,
answers the Herr Baron.
"At Schonbrunn, in the short hours, Kappel finds Frau Kappel in state of unappeasable curiosity: 'What can it
be? Curatus Schmidt was here all afternoon; much in haste to see Master; had to go at last,for the
Churchservice, this St. Andrew's Eve. And only think, though he sat with My Lady hours and hours, he left
this Letter with ME: "Give it to your Husband, for my Lord, the instant they come; and say I must have an
Answer tomorrow morning at 7." Left it with me, not with My Lady;My Lady not to know of it!' 'Tush,
woman!' But Frau Kappel has been, herself, unappeasably running about, ever since she got this Letter; has
applied to two fellowservants, one after the other, who can read writing, 'Break it up, will you!' But they
would not. Practical Kappel takes the Letter up to Master's room; delivers it, with the Message. 'What,
Curatus Schmidt!' interrupts My Lady, who was sitting there: 'Herr Goodman, what is that?' 'That is a Letter
to me,' answers the Goodman: 'What have you to do with it?' Upon which My Lady flounces out in a huff,
and the Herr Baron sets about writing his Answer, whatever it may be.
"Kappel and Frau are gone to bed, Frau still eloquent upon the mystery of Curatus Schmidt, when his
Lordship taps at their door; enters in the dark: 'This is for the Curatus, at 7 o'clock tomorrow; I leave it on
the table here: be in time, like a good Kappel!' Kappel promises his Unappeasable that he will actually open
this Piece before delivery of it; upon which she appeases herself, and they both fall asleep. Kappel is on foot
betimes next morning. Kappel quietly pockets his Letter; still more quietly, from a neighboring room, pockets
his Master's big Seal (PETSCHAFT), with a view to resealing: he then steps out; giving his BURSCH
[Apprentice or UnderGroom] order to be ready in so many minutes, 'You and these two horses' (specific for
speed); and, in the interim, walks over, with Letter and PETSCHAFT, to the Reverend Herr Gerlach's, for
some preliminary business. Kappel is Catholic; Warkotsch, Protestant; Herr Gerlach is Protestant preacher in
the Village of Schonbrunn,much hated by Warkotsch, whose standing order is: 'Don't go near that insolent
fellow;' but known by Kappel to be a just man, faithful in difficulties of the weak against the strong. Gerlach,
not yet out of bed, listens to the awful story: reads the horrid missive; Warkotsch to Colonel Wallis: 'You can
seize the King, living or dead, this night!'hesitates about copying it (as Kappel wishes, for a good
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purpose]; but is encouraged by his Wife, and soon writes a Copy. This Copy Kappel sticks into the old cover,
seals as usual; and, with the Original safe in his own pocket, returns to the stables now. His Bursch and he
mount; after a little, he orders his Bursch: 'Bursch, ride you to Siebenhuben and Curatus Schmidt, with this
sealed Letter; YOU, and say nothing. I was to have gone myself, but cannot; be speedy, be discreet!' And the
Bursch dashes off for Siebenhuben with the sealed Copy, for Schmidt, Warkotsch, Wallis and Company's
behoof; Kappel riding, at a still better pace, to Strehlen with the Original, for behoof of the King's Majesty.
"At Strehlen, King's Majesty not yet visible, Kappel has great difficulties in the anteroom among the sentry
people. But he persists, insists: 'Read my Letter, then!' which they dare not do; which only Colonel
Krusemark, the Adjutant, perhaps dare. They take him to Krusemark. Krusemark reads, all aghast; locks up
Kappel; runs to the King; returns, muffles Kappel in soldier's cloak and cap, and leads him in. The King,
looking into Kappel's face, into Kappel's clear story and the Warkotsch handwriting, needed only a few
questions; and the fit orders, as to Warkotsch and Company, were soon given: dangerous engineers now
fallen harmless, blown up by their own petard. One of the King's first questions was: 'But how have I
offended Warkotsch?' Kappel does not know; Master is of strict wilful turn;Master would grumble and
growl sometimes about the peasant people, and how a nobleman has now no power over them, in
comparison. 'Are you a Protestant?' 'No, your Majesty, Catholic.' 'See, IHR HERREN,' said the King to those
about him; 'Warkotsch is a Protestant; his Curatus Schmidt is a Catholic; and this man is a Catholic: there are
villains and honest people in every creed!'
"At noon, that day, Warkotsch had sat down to dinner, comfortably in his dressinggown, nobody but the
good Baroness there; when Rittmeister Rabenau suddenly descended on the Schloss and diningroom with
dragoons: 'In arrest, Herr Baron; I am sorry you must go with me to Brieg!' Warkotsch, a strategic fellow,
kept countenance to Wife and Rittmeister, in this sudden fall of the thunderbolt: 'Yes, Herr Rittmeister; it is
that mass of Corn I was to furnish [showing him an actual order of that kind], and I am behind my time with
it! Nobody can help his luck. Take a bit of dinner with us, anyway!' Rittmeister refused; but the Baroness too
pressed him; he at length sat down. Warkotsch went 'to dress;' first of all, to give orders about his best horse;
but was shocked to find that the dragoons were a hundred, and that every outgate was beset. Returning
halfdressed, with an air of baffled hospitality: 'Herr Rittmeister, our Schloss must not be disgraced; here are
your brave fellows waiting, and nothing of refreshment ready for them. I have given order at the Tavern in
the Village; send them down; there they shall drink better luck to me, and have a bit of bread and cheese.'
Stupid Rabenau again consents:and in few minutes more, Warkotsch is in the Woods, galloping like
Epsom, towards Wallis; and Rabenau can only arrest Madam (who knows nothing), and return in a baffled
state.
"Schmidt too got away. The party sent after Schmidt found him in the little Town of Nimptsch, halfway
home again from his Wallis errand; comfortably dining with some innocent hospitable people there. Schmidt
could not conceal his confusion; but pleading piteously a necessity of nature, was with difficulty admitted to
theto the ABTRITT so called; and there, by some long pole or rakehandle, vanished wholly through a
neverimagined aperture, and was no more heard of in the upper world. The Prussian soldiery does not seem
expert in thieftaking.
"Warkotsch came back about midnight that same Tuesday, 500 Wallis Hussars escorting him; and took away
his ready moneys, near 5,000 pounds in gold, reports Frau Kappel, who witnessed the ghastly operation
(Hussars in great terror, in haste, and unconscionably greedy as to sharing);after which our next news of
him, the last of any clear authenticity, is this Note to his poor Wife, which was read in the Law Procedures on
him six months hence: 'My Child (MEIN KIND),The accursed thought I took up against my King has
overwhelmed me in boundless misery. From the top of the highest hill I cannot see the limits of it. Farewell; I
am in the farthest border of Turkey.WARKOTSCH.'" [Kuster, LebensRettungen, p. 88: Kuster, pp.
65188 (for the general Narrative); Tempelhof, v. 346,
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Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH. 1467
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Schmidt and he, after patient trial, were both of them beheaded and quartered,in pasteboard effigy,in the
Salt Ring (Great Square) of Breslau, May, 1762:in pasteboard, Friedrich liked it better than the other way.
"MEINETWEGEN," wrote he, sanctioning the execution, "For aught I care; the Portraits will likely be as
worthless as the Originals." Rittmeister Rabenau had got off with a few days' arrest, and the remark, "ER IST
EIN DUMMER TEUFEL (You are a stupid devil)!" Warkotsch's Estates, all and sundry, deducting the
Baroness's jointure, which was punctually paid her, were confiscated to the King,and by him were made
over to the Schools of Breslau and Glogau, which, I doubt not, enjoy them to this day. Reverend Gerlach in
Schonbrunn, Kappel and Kappel's Bursch, were all attended to, and properly rewarded, though there are
rumors to the contrary. HussarColonel Wallis got no public promotion, though it is not doubted the Head
People had been well cognizant of his ingenious intentions. Official Vienna, like mankind in general,
shuddered to own him; the great Counts Wallis at Vienna published in the Newspapers, "Our House has no
connection with that gentleman;"and, in fact, he was of Irish breed, it seems, the name of him WallISCH
(or Walsh), if one cared. Warkotsch died at Raab (THIS side the farthest corner of Turkey), in 1769: his poor
Baroness had vanished from Silesia five years before, probably to join him. He had some pension or aliment
from the Austrian Court; small or not so small is a disputed point.
And this is, more minutely than need have been, in authentic form only too diffuse, the once worldfamous
Warkotsch Tragedy or WellnighTragic Melodrama; which is still interesting and a matter of study, of pathos
and minute controversy, to the patriot and antiquary in Prussian Countries, though here we might have been
briefer about it. It would, indeed, have "finished the War at once;" and on terms delightful to Austria and its
Generals near by. But so would any unit of the million balls and bullets which have whistled round that same
Royal Head, and have, every unit of them, missed like Warkotsch! Particular Heads, royal and other, meant
for use in the scheme of things, are not to be hit on any terms till the use is had.
Friedrich settled in Breslau for the Winter, December 9th. From Colberg bad news meet him in Breslau; bad
and ever worse: Colberg, not Warkotsch, is the interesting matter there, for a fortnight coming,till Colberg
end, it also irremediable. The Russian hope on Colberg is, long since, limited to that of famine. We said the
conveyance of Supplies, across such a Hundred Miles of wilderness, from Stettin thither, with Russians and
the Winter gainsaying, was the difficulty. Our short Note continues:
"In fact, it is the impossibility: trial after trial goes on, in a strenuous manner, but without success. October
13th, Green Kleist tries; October 22d, Knobloch and even Platen try. For the next two months there is trial on
trial made (Hussar Kleist, Knobloch, Thadden, Platen), not without furious fencing, struggling; but with no
success. There are, in wait at the proper places, 15,000 Russians waylaying. Winter comes early, and
unusually severe: such marchings, such endeavorings and endurances,without success! For darkness, cold,
grim difficulty, fierce resistance to it, one reads few things like this of Colberg. 'The snow lies elldeep,' says
Archenholtz; 'snowtempests, sleet, frost: a country wasted and hungered out; wants fuelwood; has not even
salt. The soldier's bread is a block of ice; impracticable to human teeth till you thaw it,which is only
possible by night.' The Russian ships disappear (17th October); November 2d, Butturlin, leaving
reinforcements without stint, vanishes towards Poland. The day before Butturlin went, there had been solemn
summons upon Eugen, 'Surrender honorably, we once more bid you; never will we leave this ground, till
Colberg is ours!' 'Vain to propose it!' answers Eugen, as before. The Russians too are clearly in great misery
of want; though with better roads open for them; and Romanzow's obstinacy is extreme.
"Night of November 14th15th, Eugen, his horsefodder being entirely done, and Heyde's magazines worn
almost out, is obliged to glide mysteriously, circuitously from his Camp, and go to try the task himself. The
most difficult of marches, gloriously executed; which avails to deliver Eugen, and lightens the pressure on
Heyde's small store. Eugen, in a way Tempelhof cannot enough admire, gets clear away. Joins with Platen,
collects Provision; tries to send Provision in, but without effect. By the King's order, is to try it himself in a
collective form. Had Heyde food, he would care little.
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Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH. 1468
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"Romanzow, who is now in Eugen's old Camp, summons the Veteran; they say, it is 'for the twentyfifth
time,'not yet quite the last. Heyde consults his people: 'KAMERADEN, what think you should I do?'
'THUN SIE'S DURCHAUS NICHT, HERR OBRIST, Do not a whit of it, Herr Colonel: we will defend
ourselves as long as we have bread and powder.' [Seyfarth, iii. 28; Archenholtz, ii. 304.] It is grim frost;
Heyde pours water on his walls. Romanzow tries storm; the walls are glass; the garrison has powder, though
on half rations as to bread: storm is of no effect. By the King's order, Eugen tries again. December 6th, starts;
has again a march of the most consummate kind; December 12th, gets to the Russian intrenchment; storms a
Russian redoubt, and fights inexpressibly; hut it will not do. Withdraws; leaves Colberg to its fate. Next
morning, Heyde gets his twentysixth summons; reflects on it two days; and then (December 16th), his
biscuit done, decides to 'march out, with music playing, arms shouldered and the honors of war."'
[Tempelhof, v. 351377; Archenholtz, ii. 294307; especially the Seyfarth Beylagen above cited.] Adieu to
the old Hero; who, we hope, will not stay long in Russian prison.
"What a Place of Arms for us!" thinks Romanzow;"though, indeed, for Campaign 1762, at this late time of
year, it will not so much avail us." No;and for 1763, who knows if you will need it then!
Six weeks ago, Prince Henri and Daun had finished their Saxon Campaign in a much more harmless manner.
NOVEMBER 5th, Daun, after infinite rallying, marshalling, rearranging, and counselling with Loudon, who
has sat so long quiescent on the Heights at Kunzendorf, ready to aid and reinforce, did at length (nothing of
"rashness" chargeable on Daun) make "a general attack on Prince Henri's outposts", in the Meissen or
MuldaElbe Country, "from Rosswein all across to Siebeneichen;" simultaneous attack, 15 miles wide, or I
know not how wide, but done with vigor; and, after a stiff struggle in the small way, drove them all in;in,
all of them, more or less;and then did nothing farther whatever. Henri had to contract his quarters, and
stand alertly on his guard: but nothing came. "Shall have to winter in straiter quarters, behind the Mulda, not
astride of it as formerly; that is all." And so the Campaign in Saxony had ended, "without, in the whole
course of it", say the Books, "either party gaining any essential advantage over the other." [Seyfarth, iii. 54;
Tempelhof, v. 275 et seq. (ibid. pp. 263280 for the Campaign at large, in all breadth of detail).]
Chapter X. FRIEDRICH IN BRESLAU; HAS NEWS FROM PETERSBURG.
Since December 9th, Friedrich is in Breslau, in some remainder of his ruined Palace there; and is represented
to us, in Books, as sitting amid ruins; no prospect ahead of him but ruin. Withdrawn from Society; looking
fixedly on the gloomiest future. Sees hardly anybody; speaks, except it be on business, nothing. "One day," I
have read somewhere, "General Lentulus dined with him; and there was not a word uttered at all." The
AnecdoteBooks have Dialogues with Ziethen; Ziethen still trusting in Divine Providence; King trusting only
in the iron Destinies, and the stern refuge of Death with honor: Dialogues evidently symbolical only. In fact,
this is not, or is not altogether, the King's common humor. He has his two Nephews with him (the elder, old
enough to learn soldiering, is to be of next Campaign under him); he is not without society when he
likes,never without employment whether he like or not; and, in the blackest murk of despondencies, has
his Turk and other Illusions, which seem to be brighter this Year than ever. [LETTERS to Henri: in
SCHONING, iii. (SOEPIUS).]
For certain, the King is making all preparation, as if victory might still crown him: though of practical hope
he, doubtless often enough, has little or none. England seems about deserting him; a most sad and unexpected
change has befallen there: great Pitt thrown out; perverse small Butes come in, whose notions and procedures
differ far from Pitt's! At home here, the Russians are in Pommern and the Neumark; Austrians have Saxony,
all but a poor strip beyond the Mulda; Silesia, all but a fraction on the Oder: Friedrich has with himself
30,000; with Prince Henri, 25,000; under Eugen of Wurtemberg, against the Swedes, 5,000; in all his
Dominions, 60,000 fighting men. To make head against so many enemies, he calculates that 60,000 more
must be raised this Winter. And where are these to come from; England and its help having also fallen into
such dubiety? Next Year, it is calculated by everybody, Friedrich himself hardly excepted (in bad moments),
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must be the finis of this long agonistic tragedy. On the other hand, Austria herself is in sore difficulties as to
cash; discharges 20,000 men, trusting she may have enough besides to finish Friedrich. France is bankrupt,
starving, passionate for Peace; English Bute nothing like so ill to treat with as Pitt: to Austria no more
subsidies from France. The War is waxing feeble, not on Friedrich's side only, like a flame short of fuel. This
Year it must go out; Austria will have to kill Friedrich this Year, if at all.
Whether Austria's and the world's prophecy would have been fulfilled? Nobody can say what miraculous
sudden shifts, and outbursts of fiery enterprise, may still lie in this man. Friedrich is difficult to kill, grows
terribly elastic when you compress him into a corner. Or Destiny, perhaps, may have tried him sufficiently;
and be satisfied? Destiny does send him a wonderful starofday, bursting out on the sudden, as will be
seen! Meanwhile here is the English calamity; worse than any Schweidnitz, Colberg or other that has
befallen in this blackest, of the night.
THE PITT CATASTROPHE: HOW THE PEACENEGOTIATION WENT OFF BY EXPLOSION; HOW
PITT WITHDREW (3d October, 1761), AND THERE CAME A SPANISH WAR NEVERTHELESS.
In St. James's Street, "in the Duke of Cumberland's late lodgings," on the 2d of October, 1761, there was held
one of the most remarkable CabinetCouncils known in English History: it is the last of Pitt's
CabinetCouncils for a long time,might as well have been his last of all;and is of the highest
importance to Friedrich through Pitt. We spoke of the Choiseul PeaceNegotiation; of an offer indirectly
from King Carlos, "Could not I mediate a little?"offer which exploded said Negotiation, and produced the
Bourbon Family Compact and an additional War instead. Let us now look, slightly for a few moments, into
that matter and its sequences.
It was JULY 15th, when Bussy, along with something in his own French sphere, presented this beautiful
Spanish Appendix, "apprehensive that War may break out again with Spain, when we Two have got
settled." By the same opportunity came a Note from him, which was reckoned important too: "That the
Empress Queen would and did, whatever might become of the Congress of Augsburg, approve of this
Separate Peace between France and England,England merely undertaking to leave the King of Prussia
altogether to himself in future with her Imperial Majesty and her Allies." "Never, Sir!" answered Pitt, with
emphasis, to this latter Proposition; and to the former about Spain's interfering, or whispering of interference,
he answeredby at once returning the Paper, as a thing nonextant, or which it was charitable to consider
so. "Totally inadmissible, Sir; mention it no more!"and at once called upon the Spanish Ambassador to
disavow such impertineuce imputed to his Master. Fancy the colloquies, the agitated consultations thereupon,
between Bussy and this Don, in view suddenly of breakers ahead!
In about a week (July 23d), Bussy had an Interview with Pitt himself on this high Spanish matter; and got
some utterances out of him which are memorable to Bussy and us. "It is my duty to declare to you, Sir, in the
name of his Majesty," said Pitt, "that his Majesty will not suffer the disputes with Spain to be blended, in any
manner whatever, in the Negotiation of Peace between the Two Crowns. To which I must add, that it will be
considered as an affront to his Majesty's dignity, and as a thing incompatible with the sincerity of the
Negotiation, to make farther mention of such a circumstance." [In THACKERAY, ii. 554;Pitt next day
putting it in writing, "word for word," at Bussy's request.] Bussy did not go at once, after this deliverance; but
was unable, by his arguments and pleadings, by all his oil and fire joined together, to produce the least
improvement on it: "Time enough to treat of all that, Sir, when the Tower of London is taken sword in hand!"
[Beatson, ii. 434. Archenholtz (ii. 245) has heard of this expression, in a slightly incorrect way.] was Pitt's
last word. An expression which went over the world; and went especially to King Carlos, as fast as it could
fly, or as his Choiseul could speed it: and, in about three weeks: producedit and what had gone before it,
by the united industry of Choiseul and Carlos, finally producedthe famed BOURBON FAMILY
COMPACT (August 15th, 1761), and a variety of other weighty results, which lay in embryo therein.
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Pitt, in the interim, had been intensely prosecuting, in Spain and everywhere, his inquiry into the Bussy
phenomenon of July 15th; which he, from the first glimpse of it, took to mean a mystery of treachery in the
pretended PeaceNegotiation, on the part of Choiseul and Catholic Majesty;though other long heads, and
Pitt's Ambassador at Madrid investigating on the spot, considered it an inadvertence mainly, and of no
practical meaning. On getting knowledge of the Bourbon Family Compact, Pitt perceived that his suspicion
was a certainty;and likewise that the one clear course was, To declare War on the Spanish Bourbon too,
and go into him at once: "We are ready; fleets, soldiers, in the East, in the West; he not ready anywhere.
Since he wants War, let him have it, without loss of a moment!" That is Pitt's clear view of the case; but it is
by no means Bute and Company's,who discern in it, rather, a means of finishing another operation they
have long been secretly busy upon, by their Mauduits and otherwise; and are clear against getting into a new
War with Spain or anybody: "Have not we enough of Wars? " say they.
Since September 18th, there had been three CabinetCouncils held on this great Spanish question: "Mystery
of treachery, meaning War from Spain? Or awkward Inadvertence only, practically meaning little or
nothing?" Pitt, surer of his course every time, every time meets the same contradiction. Council of October 2d
was the third of the series, and proved to be the last.
"Twelve Seventyfours sent instantly to Cadiz", had been Pitt's proposal, on the first emergence of the Bussy
phenomenon. Here are his words, October 2d, when it is about to get consummated: "This is now the time for
humbling the whole House of Bourbon: and if this opportunity is let slip, we shall never find another! Their
united power, if suffered to gather strength, will baffle our most vigorous efforts, and possibly plunge us in
the gulf of ruin. We must not allow them a moment to breathe. Selfpreservation bids us crush them before
they can combine or recollect themselves." "No evidence that Spain means war; too many wars on our
hands; let us at least wait!" urge all the others,all but one, or one and A HALF, of whom presently.
Whereupon Pitt: "If these views are to be followed, this is the last time I can sit at this Board. I was called to
the Administration of Affairs by the voice of the People: to them I have always considered myself as
accountable for my conduct; and therefore cannot remain in a situation which makes me responsible for
measures I am no longer allowed to guide." [Beatson, ii. 438.]
Carteret Granville, President of said Council for ten years past, [Came in "17th June, 1751",died "2d
January, 1763."] now an old rednosed man of seventytwo, snappishly took him up,it is the last public
thing poor Carteret did in this world,in the following terms: "I find the Gentleman is determined to leave
us; nor can I say I am sorry for it, since otherwise he would have certainly compelled us to leave him [Has
ruled us, may not I say, with a rod of iron!] But if he be resolved to assume the office of exclusively advising
his Majesty and directing the operations of the War, to what purpose are we called to this Council? When he
talks of being responsible to the People, he talks the language of the House of Commons; forgets that, at this
Board, he is only responsible to the King. However, though he may possibly have convinced himself of his
infallibility, still it remains that we should be equally convinced, before we can resign our understandings to
his direction, or join with him in the measure he proposes." [BIOG. BRITANNICA (Kippis's; London, 1784),
iii. 278. See Thackeray, i. 589592.]
Who, besides Temple (Pitt's Brotherinlaw) confirmatory of Pitt, Bute negatory, and Newcastle SILENT,
the other beautiful gentlemen were, I will not ask; but poor old Carteret,the wine perhaps sour on his
stomach (old age too, with German memories of his own, "A biggish Life once mine, all futile for want of
this same Kingship like Pitt's!")I am sorry old Carteret should have ended so! He made the above Answer;
and Pitt resigned next day. [Thackeray, i. 592 n. "October 5th" (ACCEPTANCE of the resignation, I
suppose?) is the date commonly given.] "The Nation was thunderstruck, alarmed and indignant," says
Walpole: [ Memoirs of the Reign of George the Third, i. 82 et seq.] yes, no wonder;but, except a great deal
of noisy jargoning in Parliament and out of it, the Nation gained nothing for itself by its indignant,
thunderstricken and other feelings. Its Pitt is irrecoverable; and it may long look for another such. These
beautiful recalcitrants of the CabinetCouncil had, themselves, within three months (think under what noises
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and hootings from a nonadmiring Nation), to declare War on Spain, ["2d January, 1762," the English; "18th
January," the Spaniard (ANNUAL REGISTER for 1762, p. 50; or better, Beatson, ii. 443).] NOT on better
terms than when Pitt advised; and, except for the "readiness" in which Pitt had left all things, might have
fared indifferently in it.
To Spain and France the results of the Family Compact (we may as well give them at once, though they
extend over the whole next year and farther, and concern Friedrich very little) were: a War on England
(chiefly on poor Portugal for England's sake); with a War BY England in return, which cost Spain its Havana
and its Philippine Islands.
"From 1760 and before, the Spanish Carlos, his orthodox mind perhaps shocked at Pombal and the
AntiJesuit procedures, had forbidden trade with Portugal; had been drawing out dangerous 'militia forces on
the Frontier;' and afflicting and frightening the poor Country. But on the actual arrival of War with England,
Choiseul and he, as the first feasibility discernible, make Demand (three times over, 16th March18th April,
1762, each time more stringently) on poor Portuguese Majesty: 'Give up your objectionable Heretic Ally, and
join with us against him; will you, or will you not?' To which the Portuguese Majesty, whose very title is
Most Faithful, answered always: 'You surprise me! I cannot; how can I? He is my Ally, and has always kept
faith with me! For certain, No!' [ London Gazette, 5th May, 1762, (in Gentleman's Magazine for 1762, xxxii.
205, 321, 411).] So that there is English reinforcement got ready, men, money; an English General, Lord
Tyrawley, General and Ambassador; with a 5 or 6,000 horse and foot, and many volunteer officers besides,
for the Portuguese behoof. [List of all this in Beatson, ii. 491, iii. 323;"did not get to sea till 12th May,
1762" ( Gentleman's Magazine for 1762, p. 239).] In short, every encouragement to poor Portugal: 'Pull, and
we will help you by tracing.'
"The poor Portuguese pulled very badly: were disgusting to Tyrawley, he to them; and cried passionately,
'Get us another General;'upon which, by some wise person's counsel, that singular Artillery Gentleman, the
Graf von der Lippe Buckeburg, who gave the dinner in his Tent with cannon firing at the pole of it, was
appointed; and Tyrawley came home in a huff. [Varnhagen van Ense, GRAF WILHELM ZUR LIPPE
(Berlin, 1845), in Vermischte Schriften, i. 1118: pp. 3354, his Portuguese operations.] Which was probably
a favorable circumstance. Buckeburg understands War, whether Tyrawley do or not. Duke Ferdinand has
agreed to dispense with his OrdnanceMaster; nay I have heard the OrdnanceMaster, a man of sharp speeoh
on occasion, was as good as idle; and had gone home to Buckeburg, this Winter: indignant at the many
imperfections he saw, and perhaps too frankly expressing that feeling now and then. What he thought of the
Portuguese Army in comparison is not on record; but, may be judged of by this circumstance, That on dining
with the chief Portuguese military man, he found his Portuguese captains and lieutenants waiting as valets
behind the chairs. [VARNHAGEN (gives no date anywhere).]
"The improvements he made are said to have been many;and Portuguese Majesty, in bidding farewell,
gave him a park of Miniature Gold Cannon by way of gracious symbol. But, so far as the facts show, he
seems to have got from his Portuguese Army next to no service whatever: and, but for the English and the ill
weather, would have fared badly against his French and Spaniards,42,000 of them, advancing in Three
Divisions, by the Douro and the Tagus, against Oporto and Lisbon.
"His War has only these three dates of event. 1. May 9th, The northmost of the Three Divisions [ANNUAL
REGISTER for 1762, p. 30.] crosses the Portuguese Frontier on the Douro; summons Miranda, a chief Town
of theirs; takes it, before their first battery is built; takes Braganza, takes Monte Corvo; and within a week is
master of the Douro, in that part, 'Will be at Oporto directly!' shriek all the Wine people (no resistance
anywhere, except by peasants organized by English Officers in some parts); upon which Seventyfours were
sent.
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"2. Division Second of the 42,000 came by Beira Country, between Tagus and Douro, by TrasosMontes;
and laid siege to a place called Almeida [northwest some 20 odd miles from CUIDAD RODRIGO, a name
once known to veterans of us still living], which Buckeburg had tried to repair into strength, and furnish with
a garrison. Garrison defended itself well; but could not be relieved;had to surrender, August 25th: whereby
it seems the Tagus is now theirs! All the more, as Division Three is likewise got across from Estremadura,
invading Alemtejo: what is to keep these Two from falling on Lisbon together?
"3. Against this, Buckeburg does find a recipe. Despatches Brigadier Burgoyne with an English party upon a
Town called Valencia d'Alcantara [not Alcantara Proper, but Valencia of ditto, not very far from Badajoz],
where the vanguard of this Third Division is, and their principal Magazine. Burgoyne and his English did
perfectly: broke into the place, stormed it sword in hand (August 27th); kept the Magazine and it, though 'the
sixteen Portuguese Battalions' could not possibly get up in time. In manner following (say the Old
Newspapers):
"'The garrison of Almeida, before which place the whole Spanish Army had been assembled, surrendered to
the Spaniards on the 25th [August 25th, as we have just heard], having capitulated on condition of not serving
against Spain for six months.
"'As a counterbalance to this advantage, the Count de Lippe caused Valencia d'Alcantara to be attacked,
sword in hand, by the British troops; who carried it, after an obstinate resistance. The loss of the British
troops, who had the principal share in this affair, is luckily but inconsiderable: and consists in Lieutenant
Burk of Colonel Frederick's, one sergeant and three privates killed; two sergeants, one drummer, 18 privates
wounded; 10 horses killed and 2 wounded [loss not at all considerable, in a War of such dimensions!]. The
British troops behaved upon this occasion with as much generosity as courage; and it deserves admiration,
that, in an affair of this kind, the town and the inhabitants suffered very little; which is owing to the good
order Brigadier Burgoyne kept up even in the heat of the action. This success would probably have been
attended with more, if circumstances, that could not well be expected, had not retarded the march of sixteen
Portuguese battalions, and three regiments of cavalry.' [Old Newspapers (in Gentleman's Magazine for 1762,
p, 443).]
"Upon whichupon which, in fact, the War had to end. Rainy weather came, deluges of rain; Burgoyne,
with or without the sixteen battalions of Portuguese, kept the grip he had. Valencia d'Alcantara and its
Magazine a settled business, roads round gone all to mire,this Third Division, and with it the 42,000 in
general, finding they had nothing to live upon, went their ways again." NOTE, The Burgoyne, who begins in
this pretty way at Valencia d'Alcantara, is the same who ended so dismally at Saratoga, within twenty
years:perhaps, with other WarOffices, and training himself in something suitabler than Parliamentary
Eloquence, he might have become a kind of General, and have ended far otherwise than there?
"Such was the credit account on Carlos's side: By gratuitous assault on Portugal, which had done him no
offence; result zero, and pay your expenses. On the English, or PER CONTRA side, again, there were these
three items, two of them specifically on Carlos: FIRST, Martinique captured from the French this Spring
(finished 4th February, 1762): [ Gentleman's Magazine for 1762, p. 127.]was to have been done in any
case, Guadaloupe and it being both on Pitt's books for some time, and only Guadaloupe yet got.
SECONDLY, King Carlos, for Family Compact and fruitless attempt at burglary on an unoffending neighbor,
Debtor: 1. To Loss of the Havana (6th June13th August, 1762), [Ib. pp. 408459, which might easily have
issued in loss of all his West Indies together, and total abolition of the Pope's meridian in that Western
Hemisphere; and 2. To Loss of Manilla, with his Philippine Islands (23d September6th October, 1762),
[ Gentleman's Magazine for 1762, xxxiii. 171177.] which was abolition of it in the Eastern. After which,
happily for Carlos, Peace came,Peace, and no Pitt to be severe upon his Indies and him. Carlos's War of
ten months had stood him uncommonly high."
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All these things the English Public, considerably sullen about the CabinetCouncil event of October 3d,
ascribed to the real owner of them. The Public said: "These are, all of them, Pitt's bolts, not
yours,launched, or lying ready for launching, from that Olympian battery which, in the East and in the
West, had already smitten down all Lallys and Montcalms; and had force already massed there, rendering
your Havanas and Manillas easy for you. For which, indeed, you do not seem to care much; rather seem to be
embarrassed with them, in your eagerness for Peace and a lazy life!"Manilla was a beautiful work; [A
JOURNAL OF THE PROCEEDINGS QF HIS MAJESTY'S FORCES IN THE EXPEDITION TO
MANILLA ( London Gazette, April 19th, 1763; Gentleman's Magazine, xxxiii. 171 et seq.). Written by
Colonel or BrigadiecGeneral Draper (suggester, contriver and performer of the Enterprise; an excellent
Indian Officer, of great merit with his pen as well,Bully JUNIUS'S Correspondent afterwards).] but the
Manilla Ransom; a million sterling, half of it in bills,which the Spaniards, on no pretext at all but the
disagreeableness, refused to pay! Havana, though victorious, cost a good many men: was thought to be but
badly managed. "What to do with it?" said Bute, at the Peace: "Give us Florida in lieu of it",which proved
of little benefit to Bute. Enough, enough of Bute and his performances.
Pitt being gone, Friedrich's English Subsidy lags: this time Friedrich concludes it is cut off;silent on the
subject; no words will express one's thoughts on it. Not till April 9th has poor Mitchell the sad errand of
announcing formally That such are our pressures, Portuguese War and other, we cannot afford it farther.
Answered by I know not what kind of glance from Friedrich; answered, I find, by words few or none from
the forsaken King: "Good; that too was wanting," thought the proud soul: "Keep your coin, since you so need
it; I have still copper, and my sword!" The alloy this Year became as 3 to 1:what other remedy?
From the same cause, I doubt not, this Year, for the first time in human memory, came that complete
abeyance of the Giftmoneys (DOUCEURGELDER), which are become a standing expectation, quasi
right, and necessary item of support to every Prussian Officer, from a Lieutenant upwards: not a word, in the
least official, said of them this Year; still less a penny of them actually forthcoming to a wornout expectant
Army. One of the greatest sins charged upon Friedrich by Prussian or PrussianMilitary public opinion: not
to be excused at all;PrussianMilitary and even PrussianCivil opinion having a strange persuasion that
this King has boundless supply of money, and only out of perversity refuses it for objects of moment. In the
Army as elsewhere much ha8 gone awry; [See Mollendorf's two or three LETTERS (Preuss, iv. 407411).]
many rivets loose after such a climbing of the Alps as there has been, through dense and rare.
It will surprise everybody that Friedrich, with his copper and other resources, actually raised his additional
60,000; and has for himself 70,000 to recover Schweidnitz, and bring Silesia to its old state; 40,000 for Prince
Henri and Saxony, with a 10,000 of margin for Sweden and accidental sundries. This is strange, but it is true.
[Stenzel, v. 297, 286; Tempelhof, vi. 2, 10, 63.] And has not been done without strivings and contrivings,
hard requisitions on the places liable; and has involved not a little of severity and difficulty,especially a
great deal of haggling with the collecting parties, or at least with Prince Henri, who presides in Saxony, and is
apt to complain and mourn over the undoable, rather than proceed to do it. The King's Correspondence with
Henri, this Winter, is curious enough; like a Dialogue between Hope on its feet, and Despair taking to its bed.
"You know there are Two Doctors in MOLIERE," says Friedrich to him once; "a Doctor TANTMIEUX (So
much the Better) and a Doctor TANTPIS (So much the Worse): these two cannot be expected to
agree!"Instead of infinite arithmetical details, here is part of a Letter of Friedrich's to D'Argens; and a
Passage, one of many, with Prince Henri;which command a view into the interior that concerns us.
THE KING TO D'ARGENS (at Berlin).
"BRESLAU, 18th January, 1762.
... "You have lifted the political veil which covered horrors and perfidies meditated and ready to burst out
[Bute's dismal procedures, I believe; who is ravenous for Peace, and would fain force Friedrich along with
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him on terms altogether disgraceful and inadmissible [See D'Argens's Letter (to which this is Answer),
OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 281, 282.]]: you judge correctly of the whole situation I am in, of the abysses
which surround me; and, as I see by what you say, of the kind of hope that still remains to me. It will not be
till the month of February [Turks, probably, and Tartar Khan; great things coming then!] that we can speak of
that; and that is the term I contemplate for deciding whether I shall hold to CATO [Cato,and the little
Glass Tube I have!] or to CAESAR'S COMMENTARIES," and the best fight one can make.
"The School of patience I am at is hard, longcontinued, cruel, nay barbarous. I have not been able to escape
my lot: all that human foresight could suggest has been employed, and nothing has succeeded. If Fortune
continues to pursue me, doubtless I shall sink; it is only she that can extricate me from the situation I am in. I
escape out of it by looking at the Universe on the great scale, like an observer from some distant Planet; all
then seems to me so infinitely small, and I could almost pity my enemies for giving themselves such trouble
about so very little. What would become of us without philosophy, without this reasonable contempt of things
frivolous, transient and fugitive, about which the greedy and ambitious make such a pother, fancying them to
be solid! This is to become wise by stripes, you will tell me; well, if one do become wise, what matters it
how?I read a great deal; I devour my Books, and that brings me useful alleviation. But for my Books, I
think hypochondria would have had me in bedlam before now. In fine, dear Marquis, we live in troublous
times and in desperate situations:I have all the properties of a StageHero; always in danger, always on the
point of perishing. One must hope the conclusion will come; and if the end of the piece be lucky, we will
forget the rest. Patience then, MON CHER, till February 20th [By which time, what far other veritable
starofday will have risen on me!]. ADIEU, MON CHER.F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 282, 283.]
TIFF OF QUARREL BETWEEN KING AND HENRI (MarchApril, 1762).
In the Spring months Prince Henri is at Hof in Voigtland, on the extreme right of his long line of "Quarters
behind the Mulda;" busy enough, watching the Austrians and Reich; levying the severe contributions;
speeding all he can the manifold preparatives; conscious to himself of the greatest vigilance and diligence,
but wrapt in despondency and black acidulent humors; a "Doctor SO MUCH THE WORSE," who is not a
comforting Correspondent. From Hof, towards the middle of March, he becomes specially gloomy and
acidulous; sends a series of Complaints; also of News, not important, but all rather in YOUR favor, my
dearest Brother, than in mine, if you will please to observe! As thus:
HENRI (at Hof, 10th13th March). ... "Sadly off here, my dearest Brother.! Of our '1,284 head of
commissariat horses,' only 180 are come in; of our '287 drivers,' not one. Will be impossible to open
Campaign at that rate.""Grenadier Battalions ROTHENBURG and GRANT demand to have picked men
to complete them [of CANTONIST, or sure Prussian sort]. ... I find [NOTA BENE, Reader!] there are eight
Austrian regiments going to Silesia [off my hands, and upon YOURS, in a sense], eight instead of four that I
spoke of: intending, probably, for Glatz, to replace Czernichef [a Czernichef off for home lately, in a most
miraculous way; as readers shall hear!]to replace Czernichef, and the blank he has left there? Eight of
them: Your Majesty can have no difficulty; but I will detach Platen or somebody, if you order it; though I am
myself perilously ill off here, so scattered into parts, not capable of speedy junction like your Majesty."
FRIEDRICH (14th16th March). "Commissariat horses, drivers? I arranged and provided where everything
was to be got. But if my orders are not executed, nor the requisitions brought in, of course there is failure. I
am despatching Adjutant von Anhalt to Saxony a second time, to enforce matters. If I could be for three
weeks in Saxony, myself, I believe I could put all on its right footing; but, as I must not stir two steps from
here, I will send you Anhalt, with orders to the Generals, to compel them to their duty." [Schoning, iii. 301,
302.] "As to Grenadier Battalions GRANT and ROTHENBURG, it is absurd." (Henri falls silent for about a
week, brooding his gloom;not aware that still worse is coming.) King continues:
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KING (22d March). "Eight regiments, you said? Here, by enclosed List, are seventeen of them, names and
particulars all given", which is rather a different view of the account against Silesia! Seventeen of them,
going, not for Glatz, I should say, but to strengthen our Enemies hereabouts.
HENRI. "Hm, hah [answers only in German; dry military reports, official merely;thinks of writing to
ChiefClerk Eichel, who is factotum in these spheres]. ... Artillery recruits are scarce in the extreme; demand
bounty: five thalers, shall we say?"
KING. "Seventeen regiments of them, beyond question, instead of eight, coming on us: strange that you did
n't warn me better. I have therefore ordered your MajorGeneral Schmettau hitherward at once. As he has not
done raising the contributions in the Lausitz, you must send another to do it, and have them ready when
General Platen passes that way hither.""'Five thalers bounty for artillery men" say you? It is not to be
thought of. Artillery men can be had by conscription where you are." Henri (in silence, still more indignant)
sends military reports exclusively. March 26th, Henri's gloom reaches the igniting point; he writes to Chief
Clerk Eichel:
"Monsieur, you are aware that Adjutant von Anhalt is on the way hither. To judge by his orders, if they
correspond to the Letters I have had from the King, Adjutant von Anhalt's appearance here will produce an
embarrassment, from which I am resolved to extricate myself by a voluntary retirement from office. My
totally ruined (ABIMEE) health, the vexations I have had, the fatigues and troubles of war, leave in me little
regret to quit the employment. I solicit only, from your attentions and skill of management, that my retreat be
permitted to take place with the decency observed towards those who have served the State. I have not a high
opinion of my services; but perhaps I am not mistaken in supposing that it would be more a shame to the
King than to me if he should make me endure all manner of chagrins during my retirement." [Schoning, iii.
307.]
Eichel sinks into profound reflection; says nothing. How is this fire to be got under? Where is the place to
trample on it, before opening door or window, or saying a word to the King or anybody?
HENRI (same day, 26th March). "My dearest Brother,In the List you send me of those seventeen Austrian
regiments, several, I am informed, are still in Saxony; and by all the news that I get, there are only eight gone
towards Silesia.""From Leipzig my accounts are, the Reichs Army is to make a movement in advance, and
Prince Xavier with the Saxons was expected at Naumburg the 20th ult. I know not if you have arranged with
Duke Ferdinand for a proportionate succor, in case his French also should try to penetrate into Saxony upon
me? I am, with the profoundest attachment, your faithful and devoted servant and Brother."
KING (30th March). "Seventeen of them, you may depend; I am too well informed to be allowed to doubt in
any way. What you report of the Reichsfolk and Saxons moving hither, thither; that seems to me a bit of
game on their part. They will try to cut one post from you, then another, unless you assemble a corps and go
in upon them. Till you decide for this resolution, you have nothing but chicanes and provocations to expect
there. As to Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, I don't imagine that his Orders [from England] would permit him
what you propose [for relief of yourself]: at any rate, you will have to write at least thrice to him,that is to
say, waste three weeks, before he will answer No or Yes. You yourself are in force enough for those fellows:
but so long as you keep on the defensive alone, the enemy gains time, and things will always go a bad road."
Henri's patience is already out; this same day he is writing to the King.
HENRI (30th March). ... "You have hitherto received proofs enough of my ways of thinking and acting to
know that if in reality I was mistaken about those eight regiments, it can only have been a piece of ignorance
on the part of my spy: meanwhile you are pleased to make me responsible for what misfortune may come of
it. I think I have my hands full with the task laid on me of guarding 4,000 square miles of country with fewer
troops than you have, and of being opposite an enemy whose posts touch upon ours, and who is superior in
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force. Your preceding Letters [from March 16th hitherto], on which I have wished to be silent, and this last
proof of want of affection, show me too clearly to what fortune I have sacrificed these Six Years of
Campaigning."
KING (3d April: Official Orders given in Teutsch; at the tail of which). "Spare your wrath and indignation at
your servant, Monseigneur! You, who preach indulgence, have a little of it for persons who have no intention
of offending you, or of failing in respect for you; and deign to receive with more benignity the humble
representations which the conjunctures sometimes force from me. F."Which relieves Eichel of his
difficulties, and quenches this sputter. [Plucked up from the waste imbroglios of SCHONING (iii. 296311),
by arranging and omitting.]
Prince Henri, for all his complaining, did beautifully this Season again (though to us it must be silent, being
smallwar merely); and in particular, MAY 12th) early in the morning, simultaneously in many different
parts, burst across the Mulda, ten or twenty miles long (or BROAD rather, from his right hand to his left),
sudden as lightning, upon the supine Serbelloni and his Austrians and Reichsfolk. And hurled them back, one
and all, almost to the Plauen Chasm and their old haunts; widening his quarters notably. [ Bericht von dem
Uebergang uber die Mulde, den der Prinz Heinrich den 12ten May 1762 glucklich ausgefuhrt (in Seyfarth,
Beylagen, iii, 280291).] A really brilliant thing, testifies everybody, though not to be dwelt on here. Seidlitz
was of it (much fine cutting and careering, from the Seidlitz and others, we have to omit in these two Saxon
Campaigns!) Seidlitz was of it; he and another still more special acquaintance of ours, the learned Quintus
Icilius; who also did his best in it, but lost his "AMUSETTE" (small bit of cannon, "Plaything," so called by
Marechal de Saxe, inventor of the article), and did not shine like Seidlitz.
Henri's quarters being notably widened in this way, and nothing but torpid Serbellonis and Prince Stollbergs
on the opposite part, Henri "drew himself out thirtyfive miles long;" and stood there, almost looking into
Plauen region as formerly. And with his fiery Seidlitzes, Kleists, made a handsome Summer of it. And beat
the Austrians and Reichsfolk at Freyberg (OCTOBER 29th) a fine Battle, and his sole one),on the Horse
which afterwards carried Gellert, as is pleasantly known.
But we are omitting the news from Petersburg,which came the very day after that gloomy LETTER TO
D'ARGENS; months before the TIFF OF QUARREL with Henri, and the brilliant better destinies of that
Gentleman in his Campaign.
BRIGHT NEWS FROM PETERSBURG (certain, Jan. 19th); WHICH GROW EVER BRIGHTER; AND
BECOME A STAROFDAY FOR FRIEDRICH.
To Friedrich, long before all this of Henri, indeed almost on the very day while he was writing so
despondently to D'Argens, a new phasis had arisen. Hardly had he been five weeks at Breslau, in those
gloomy circumstances, when,about the middle of January, 1762 (day not given, though it is forever
notable),there arrive rumors, arrive news,news from Petersburg; such as this King never had before!
"Among the thousand ill strokes of Fortune, does there at length come one preeminently good? The
unspeakable Sovereign Woman, is she verily dead, then, and become peaceable to me forevermore?" We
promised Friedrich a wonderful starofday; and this is it,though it is long before he dare quite regard it as
such. Peter, the Successor, he knows to be secretly his friend and admirer; if only, in the new Czarish
capacity and its chaotic environments and conditions, Peter dare and can assert these feelings? What a hope
to Friedrich, from this time onward! Russia may be counted as the bigger half of all he had to strive with; the
bigger, or at least the far uglier, more ruinous and incendiary;and if this were at once taken away, think
what a daybreak when the night was at the blackest!
Pious people say, The darkest hour is often nearest the dawn. And a dawn this proved to be for Friedrich. And
the fact grew always the longer the brighter;and before Campaign time, had ripened into real daylight and
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sunrise. The dates should have been precise; but are not to be had so: here is the nearest we could come.
January 14th, writing to Henri, the King has a mysterious word about "possibilities of an uncommon
sort,"rumors from Petersburg, I could conjecture; though perhaps they are only Turk or Tartar Khan
affairs, which are higher this year than ever, and as futile as ever. But, on JANUARY 19th, he has heard
plainly,with what hopes (if one durst indulge them)!that the implacable Imperial Woman, INFAME
CATIN DU NORD, is verily dead. Dead; and does not hate me any more. Deliverance, Peace and Victory lie
in the word! Catin had long been failing, but they kept it religiously secret within the Court walls: even at
Petersburg nobody knew till the Prayers of the Church were required: Prayers as zealous as you can,the
Doctors having plainly intimated that she is desperate, and that the thing is over. On CHRISTMASDAY,
1761, by Russian Style, 5th JANUARY, 1762, by European, the poor Imperial Catin lay dead;a death still
more important than that of George II. to this King.
Peter III., who succeeded has lang been privately a sworn friend and admirer of the King; and hastens, not too
SLOWLY as the King had feared, but far the reverse, to make that known to all mankind. That, and much
else,in a far too headlong manner, poor soul! Like an ardent, violent, totally inexperienced person
(enfranchised SCHOOLBOY, come to the age of thirtyfour), who has sat hitherto in darkness, in
intolerable compression; as if buried alive! He is now Czar Peter, Autocrat, not of Himself only, but of All
the Russias;and has, besides the complete regeneration of Russia, two great thoughts: FIRST, That of
avenging native Holstein, and his poor martyr of a Father now with God, against the Danes;and,
SECOND, what is scarcely second in importance to the first, and indeed is practically a kind of preliminary
to it, That of delivering the Prussian Pattern of Heroes from such a pattern of foul combinations, and bringing
Peace to Europe, while he settles the HolsteinDanish business. Peter is Russian by the Mother's side; his
Mother was Sister of the late Catin, a Daughter, like her, of Czar Peter called the Great, and of the little
brown Catharine whom we saw transiently long ago. His Holstein Business shall concern us little; but that
with Friedrich, during the brief Six Months allowed him for it,for it, and for all his remaining businesses in
this world,is of the highest importance to Friedrich and us.
Peter is one of the wildest men; his fate, which was tragical, is now to most readers rather of a ghastly
grotesque than of a lamentable and pitiable character. Few know, or have ever considered, in how wild an
element poor Peter was born and nursed; what a time he has had, since his fifteenth year especially, when
Cousin of Zerbst and he were married. Perhaps the wildest and maddest any human soul had, during that
Century. I find in him, starting out from the Lethean quagmires where he had to grow, a certain rash
greatness of idea; traces of veritable conviction, just resolution; veritable and just, though rash. That of
admiration for King Friedrich was not intrinsically foolish, in the solitary thoughts of the poor young fellow;
nay it was the reverse; though it was highly inopportune in the place where he stood. Nor was the Holstein
notion bad; it was generous rather, noble and natural, though, again, somewhat impracticable in the
circumstances.
The summary of the FriedrichPeter business is perhaps already known to most readers, and can be very
briefly given; nor is Peter's tragical Six Months of Czarship (5th JANUARY9th JULY, 1762) a thing for us
to dwell on beyond need. But it is wildly tragical; strokes of deep pathos in it, blended with the ghastly and
grotesque: it is part of Friedrich's strange element and environment: and though the outer incidents are public
enough, it is essentially little known. Had there been an AEschylus, had there been a Shakspeare!But poor
Peter's shocking Six Months of History has been treated by a far different set of hands, themselves almost
shocking to see: and, to the seriously inquiring mind, it lies, and will long lie, in a very waste, chaotic,
enigmatic condition. Here, out of considerable bundles now burnt, are some rough jottings, Excerpts of Notes
and Studies,which, I still doubt rather, ought to have gone in AUTO DA FE along with the others. AUTO
DA FE I called it; Act of FAITH, not SpanishInquisitional, but essentially Celestial many times, if you
reflect well on the poisonous consequences, on the sinfulness and deadly criminality, of Human Babble,as
nobody does nowadays! I label the different Pieces, and try to make legible;hasty readers have the
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privilege of skipping, if they like. The first Two are of preliminary or prefatory nature,perhaps still more
skippable than those that will by and by follow.
1. GENEALOGY OF PETER. "His grandfather was Friedrich IV., Duke of HolsteinGottorp and Schleswig,
Karl XII.'s brotherinlaw; on whose score it was (Denmark finding the time opportune for a stroke of
robbery there) that Karl XII., a young lad hardly eighteen, first took arms; and began the career of fighting
that astonished Denmark and certain other Neighbors who had been too covetous on a young King. This his
young Brotherinlaw, Friedrich of HolsteinGottorp (young he too, though Karl's senior by ten years), had
been reinstated in his Territory, and the Danes sternly forbidden farther burglary there, by the victorious Karl;
but went with Karl in his farther expeditions. Always Karl's intimate, and at his right hand for the next two
years: fell in the Battle of Clissow, 19th July, 1702; age not yet thirtyone.
"He left as Heir a poor young Boy, at this time only two years old. His young Widow Hedwig survived him
six years. [Michaelis, ii. 618629.] Her poor child grew to manhood; and had tragic fortunes in this world;
Danes again burglarious in that part, again robbing this poor Boy at discretion, so soon as Karl XII. became
unfortunate; and refusing to restore (have not restored Schleswig at all [A.D. 1864, HAVE at last had to do it,
under unexpected circumstances!]):a grimly sad story to the now Peter, his only Child! This poor Duke at
last died, 18th June, 1739, age thirty nine; the now Peter then about 11,who well remembers tragic Papa;
tragic Mamma not, who died above ten years before. [Michaelis, ii. 617; Hubner, tt. 227, 229.]
"Czar Peter called the Great had evidently a pity for this unfortunate Duke, a hope in his just hopes; and
pleaded, as did various others, and endeavored with the unjust Danes, mostly without effect. Did, however,
give him one of his Daughters to wife;the result of whom is this new Czar Peter, called the Third: a Czar
who is Sovereign of Holstein, and has claims of Sovereignty in Sweden, right of heirship in Schleswig, and
of damages against Denmark, which are in litigation to this day. The Czarina CATIN, tenderly remembering
her Sister, would hear of no Heir to Russia but this Peter. Peter, in virtue of his paternal affinities, was elected
King of Sweden about the same time; but preferred Russia, with an eye to his Danes, some think. For
certain, did adopt the Russian Expectancy, the Greek religion so called; and was," in the way we saw long
years ago, "married (or to all appearance married) to Catharina Alexiewna of AnhaltZerbst, born in Stettin;
[Herr Preuss knows the house: "Now Dr. Lehmann's [at that time the Governor of Stettin's], in which also
Czar Paul's second Spouse [Eugen of Wurtemberg a NEW Governor's Daughter], who is Mother of the Czars
that follow, was born:" Preuss, ii. 310, 311. Catharine, during her reign, was pious in a small way to the place
of her cradle; sent her successive MEDALS to Stettin, which still has them to show.] a Lady who became
worldfamous as Czarina of the Russias.
"Peter is an abstruse creature; has lived, all this while, with his Catharine an abstruse life, which would have
gone altogether mad except for Catharine's superior sense. An awkward, ardent, but helpless kind of Peter,
with vehement desires, with a dash of wild magnanimity even: but in such an inextricable element, amid such
darkness, such provocations of unmanageable opulence, such impediments, imaginary and real,dreadfully
real to poor Peter, as made him the unique of mankind in his time. He 'used to drill cats,' it is said, and to
do the maddestlooking things (in his late buriedalive condition);and fell partly, never quite, which was
wonderful, into drinking, as the solution of his inextricabilities. Poor Peter: always, and now more than ever,
the cynosure of vulturous vulpine neighbors, withal; which infinitely aggravated his otherwise bad case!
"For seven or eight years, there came no progeny, nor could come; about the eighth or ninth, there could, and
did: the marvellous Czar Paul that was to be. Concerning whose exact paternity there are still calumnious
assertions widely current; to this individual Editor much a matter of indifference, though on examining, his
verdict is: 'Calumnies, to all appearance; mysteries which decent or decorous society refuses to speak of, and
which indecent is pretty sure to make calumnies out of.' Czar Paul may be considered genealogically genuine,
if that is much an object to him. Poor Paul, does not he father himself, were there nothing more? Only that
Peter and this Cathariue could have begotten such a Paul. Genealogically genuine enough, my poor
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Czar,that needed to be garroted so very soon!
2. OF CATHARINE AND THE BOOKS UPON PETER AND HER. "Catharine too had an intricate time of
it under the Catin; which was consoled to her only by a tolerably rapid succession of lovers, the best the
ground yielded. In which department it is well known what a Thrice Greatest she became: superior to any
Charles II.; equal almost to an August the Strong! Of her loves now and henceforth, which are heartily
uninteresting to me, I propose to say nothing farther; merely this, That in extent they probably rivalled the
highest male sovereign figures (and are to be put in the same category with these, and damned as deep, or a
little deeper);and cost her, in gifts, in magnificent pensions to the EMERITI (for she did things always in a
grandiose manner, quietly and yet inexorably dismissing the EMERITUS with stores of gold), the
considerable sum of 20 millions sterling, in the course of her long reign. One, or at most two, were off on
pension, when Hanbury Williams brought Poniatowski for her, as we transiently saw. Poniatowski will be
King of Poland in the course of events. ...
"Russia is not a publishing country; the Books about Catharine are few, and of little worth. TOOKE, an
English Chaplain; CASTERA, an unknown French Hangeron, who copies from Tooke, or Tooke from him:
these are to be read, as the badbest, and will yield little satisfactory insight; Castera, in particular, a great
deal of dubious backstairs gossip and street rumor, which are not delightful to a reader of sense. In fine, there
has been published, in these very years, a FRAGMENT of early AUTOBIOGRAPHY by Catharine
herself,a credible and highly remarkable little Piece: worth all the others, if it is knowledge of Catharine
you are seeking. [ Memoires de l'Imperatrice Catharine II., ecrits par elle meme (A. Herzen editing;
London, 1859);which we already cited, on occasion of Catharine's marriage.
Anonymous (Castera), Vie de Catharine II., Imperatrice de Russie (a Paris, 1797; or reprinted, most of it,
enough of it, A VARSOVIE, 1798) 2 tomes, 8vo. Tooke, Life of Catharine II. (4th edition, London, 1800), 3
vols. 8vo; View of the Russian Empire during (London, 1799), 3 vols. 8vo. Hermann, Geschichte des
Russischen Staats (Hamburg, 1853 ET ANTEA), v. 241308 et seq.; is by much the most solid Book, though
a dull and heavy. Stenzel cites, as does Hermann, a Biographie Peters des IIIten; which no doubt exists, in
perhaps 3 volumes; but where, when, by whom, or of what quality, they do not tell me.] A most placid, solid,
substantial young Lady comes to light there; dropped into such an element as might have driven most people
mad. But it did not her; it only made her wiser and wiser in her generation. Element black, hideous, dirty, as
Lapland Sorcery;in which the first clear duty is, to hold one's tongue well, and keep one's eyes open.
Stars,not very heavenly, but of fixed nature, and heavenly to Catharine,a star or two, shine through the
abominable murk: Steady, patient; steer silently, in all weathers, towards these!
"Young Catharine's immovable equanimity in this distracted environment strikes us very much. Peter is
careering, tumbling about, on all manner of absurd broomsticks, driven too surely by the Devil;
terrificabsurd big Lapland Witch, surrounded by multitudes smaller, and some of them less ugly. Will be
Czar of Russia, however;and is one's socalled Husband. These are prospects for an observant, immovably
steadygoing young Woman! The reigning Czarina, old CATIN herself, is silently the Olympian Jove to
Catharine, who reveres her very much. Though articulately stupid as ever, in this Book of Catharine's, she
comes out with a dumb weight, of silence, of obstinacy, of intricate abrupt rigor, whichwho knows but it
may savor of dumb unconscious wisdom in the fat old blockhead? The Book says little of her, and in the way
of criticism, of praise or of blame, nothing whatever; but one gains the notion of some dark human female
object, bigger than one had fancied it before.
"Catharine steered towards her stars. Lovers were vouchsafed her, of a kind (her small stars, as we may call
them); and, at length, through perilous intricacies, the big star, Autocracy of All the Russias,through what
horrors of intricacy, that last! She had hoped always it would be by Husband Peter that she, with the deeper
steady head, would be Autocrat: but the intricacies kept increasing, grew at last to the strangling pitch; and it
came to be, between Peter and her, 'Either you to Siberia (perhaps FARTHER), or else I!' And it was Peter
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that had to go;in what hideous way is well enough known; no Siberia, no Holstein thought to be far enough
for Peter:and Catharine, merely weeping a little for him, mounted to the Autocracy herself. And then, the
big star of stars being once hers, she had, not in the lover kind alone, but in all uncelestial kinds, whole
nebulae and milkyways of small stars. A very Semiramis, the LouisQuatorze of those Northern Parts.
'Second Creatress of Russia,' second Peter the Great in a sense. To me none of the loveliest objects; yet there
are uglier, how infinitely uglier: object grandiose, if not great." We return to Friedrich and the Death of
Catin.
Colonel Hordt, I believe, was the first who credibly apprised Friedrich of the great Russian Event. Colonel
Hordt, late of the FreeCorps HORDT, but captive since soon after the Kunersdorf time; and whose doleful
quasiinfernal "twentyfive months and three days" in the Citadel of Petersburg have changed in one hour
into celestial glories in the Court of that City;as readers shall themselves see anon. By Hordt or by
whomsoever, the instant Friedrich heard, by an authentic source, of the new Czar's Accession, Friedrich
hastened to turn round upon him with the friendliest attitude, with arms as if ready to open; dismissing all his
Russian Prisoners; and testifying, in every polite and royal way, how gladly he would advance if permitted.
To which the Czar, by Hordt and by other channels, imperially responded; rushing forward, he, as if with
arms flung wide.
January 31st is Order from the King, [In SCHONING, iii. 275 ("Breslau, 31st January, 1762").] That our
Russian Prisoners, one and all, shod, clad and dieted, be forthwith set under way from Stettin: in return for
which generosity the Prussians, from Siberia or wherever they were buried, are, soon after, hastening home in
like manner. Gudowitsh, Peter's favorite Adjutant, who had been sent to congratulate at Zerbst, comes round
by Breslau (February 20th), and has joyfully benign audience next day; directly on the heel of whom,
Adjutant Colonel von Goltz, who KAMMERHERR as well as Colonel, and understands things of business,
goes to Petersburg. February 23d, Czarish Majesty, to the horror of Vienna and glad astonishment of
mankind, emits Declaration (Note to all the Foreign Excellencies in Petersburg), "That there ought to be
Peace with this King of Prussia; that Czarish Majesty, for his own part, is resolved on the thing; gives up East
Preussen and the socalled conquests made; Russian participation in such a War has ceased." And practically
orders Czernichef, who is wintering with his 20,000 in Glatz, to quit Glatz and these Austrian Combinations,
and march homeward with his 20,000. Which Czernichef, so soon as arrangements of proviant and the like
are made, hastens to do;and does, as far as Thorn; but no farther, for a reason that will be seen. On the last
day of March, Czernichefoff about a week ago from Glatz, and now got into the Breslau latitudecame
across, with a select Suite of Four, to pay his court there; and had the honor to dine with his Majesty, and to
be, personally too, a Czernichef agreeable to his Majesty.
The vehemency of Austrian Diplomacies at Petersburg; and the horror of Kaiserinn and Kriegshofrath in
Vienna,who have just discharged 20,000 of their own people, counting on this Czernichef, and being
dreadfully tight for money,may be fancied. But all avails nothing. The ardent Czar advances towards
Friedrich with arms flung wide. Goltz and Gudowitsh are engaged on Treaty of Peace; Czar frankly gives up
East Preussen, "Yours again; what use has Russia for it, Royal Friend?" Treaty of Peace goes forward like the
drawing of a Marriagesettlement (concluded MAY 5th); and, in a month more, has changed into Treaty of
Alliance;Czernichef ordered to stop short at Thorn; to turn back, and join himself to this heroic King,
instead of fighting against him. Which again Czernichef, himself an admirer of this King, joyfully does;
though, unhappily, not with all the advantage he expected to the King.
Swedish Peace, Queen Ulrique and the AntiFrench Party now getting the upper hand, had been hastening
forward in the interim (finished, at Hamburg, MAY 2d): a most small matter in comparison to the Russian;
but welcome enough to Friedrich;though he said slightingly of it, when first mentioned: "Peace? I know
not hardly of any War there has been with Sweden;ask Colonel Belling about it!" Colonel Belling, a most
shining swift Hussar Colonel, who, with a 2,000 sharp fellows, hanging always on the Swedish flanks, sharp
as lightning, "nowhere and yet everywhere," as was said of him, has mainly, for the last year or two, had the
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management of this extraordinary "War." Peace over all the North, Peace and more, is now Friedrich's.
Strangling imbroglio, wide as the world, has ebbed to man's height; dawn of day has ripened into sunrise for
Friedrich; the way out is now a thing credible and visible to him. Peter's friendliness is boundless; almost too
boundless! Peter begs a Prussian Regiment,dresses himself in its uniform, Colonel of ITZENPLITZ;
Friedrich begs a Russian Regiment, Colonel of SCHUWALOF: and all is joyful, hopeful; marriagebells
instead of dirge ditto and gallows ditto,unhappily not for very long.
In regard to Friedrich's feelings while all this went on, take the following small utterances of his, before going
farther. JANUARY 27th, 1762 (To Madam Camas,eight days after the Russian Event): "I rejoice, my good
Mamma, to find you have such courage; I exhort you to redouble it! All ends in this world; so we may hope
this accursed War will not be the only thing eternal there. Since death has trussed up a certain CATIN of the
Hyperborean Countries, our situation has advantageously changed, and becomes more supportable than it
was. We must hope that some other events [favor of the new Czar mainly] will happen; by which we may
profit to arrive at a good Peace."
JANUARY 31st (To Minister Finkenstein) "Behold the first gleam of light that rises;Heaven be praised for
it! We must hope good weather will succeed these storms. God grant it!" [Preuss, ii. 312.]
END OF MARCH (To D'Argens): ... "All that [at Paris; about the Pompadourisms, the EXILE of Broglio and
Brother, and your other news] is very miserable; as well as that discrepancy between King's Council and
Parlement for and against the Jesuits! But, MON CHER MARQUIS, my head is so ill, I can tell you nothing
more, except that the Czar of Russia is a divine man; to whom I ought to erect altars." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xix. 301.]
MAY 25th (To the same,Russian PEACE three weeks ago): "It is very pleasant to me, dear Marquis, that
SansSouci could afford you an agreeable retreat during the beautiful Spring days. If it depended only on me,
how soon should I be there beside you! But to the Six Campaigns there is a Seventh to be added, and will
soon open; either because the Number 7 had once mystic qualities, or because in the Book of Fate from all
eternity the" ... "Jesuits banished from France? Ah, yes:hearing of that, I made my bit of plan for them
[mean to have my pick of them as schoolmasters in Silesia here]; and am waiting only till I get Silesia cleared
of Austrians as the first thing. You see we must not mow the corn till it is ripe." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix.
p. 321.]
MAY 28th (To the same): ... Tartar Khan actually astir, 10,000 men of his in Hungary (I am told); Turk
potentially ditto, with 200,000 (futile both, as ever): "All things show me the sure prospect of Peace by the
end of this Year; and, in the background of it, Sans Souci and my dear Marquis! A sweet calm springs up
again in my soul; and a feeling of hope, to which for six years I had got unused, consoles me for all I have
come through. Think only what a coil I shall be in, before a month hence [Campaign opened by that time,
horrid Game begun again]; and what a pass we had come to, in December last: Country at its last gasp
(AGONISAIT), as if waiting for extreme unction: and now!" [Ib. xix. 323.] ...
JUNE 8th (To Madame Camas,Russian ALLIANCE now come): "I know well, my good Mamma, the
sincere part you take in the lucky events that befall us. The mischief is, we are got so low, that we want at
present all manner of fortunate events to raise us again; and Two grand conclusions of Peace [the Russian, the
Swedish], which might reestablish Peace throughout, are at this moment only a step towards finishing the
War less unfortunately." [Ib. xviii. 146, 147.]*
Same day, JUNE 8th (To D'Argens): "Czernichef is on march to join us. Our Campaign will not open till
towards the end of this month [did open July 1st]; but think then what a pretty noise in this poor Silesia
again! In fine, my dear Marquis, the job ahead of me is hard and difficult; and nobody can say positively how
it will all go. Pray for us; and don't forget a poor devil who kicks about strangely in his harness, who leads the
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life of one damned; and who nevertheless loves you sincerely.Adieu." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xix. 327.]
D'Argens (May 24th) has heard, by Letters from very wellinformed persons in Vienna, that "Imperial
Majesty, for some time past, spends half of her time in praying to the Virgin, and the other half in weeping."
"I wish her," adds the ungallant D'Argens, "as punishment for the mischiefs her ambition has cost mankind
these seven years past, the fate of Phaethon's Sisters, and that she melt altogether into water!" [Ib. xix. 320
("24th May, 1762").]Take one other little utterance; and then to Colonel Hordt and the Petersburg side of
things.
JUNE 19th (still to D'Argens); "What is now going on in Russia no Count Kaunitz could foresee: what has
come to pass in England,of which the hatefulest part [Bute's altogether extraordinary attempts, in the
Kaunitz, in the Czar Peter direction, to FORCE a Peace upon me] is not yet known to you,I had no notion
of, in forming my plans! The Governor of a State, in troublous times, never can be sure. This is what disgusts
me with the business, in comparison. A Man of Letters operates on something certain; a Politician can have
almost no data of that kind." [Ib. xix. p. 329.] (How easy everybody's trade but one's own!)
Readers know what a tragedy poor Peter's was. His Czernichef did join the King; but with far less advantage
than Czernichef or anybody had anticipated!It is none of our intention to go into the chaotic Russian
element, or that wildly blazing sanguinary CatharineandPeter business; of which, at any rate, there are
plentiful accounts in common circulation, more or less accurate, especially M. Rulhiere's, [Histoire ou
Anecdotes sur la Revolution de Russie en l'annes 1762 (written 1768; first printed Paris, 1797: English
Translation, London, 1797).] the most succinct, lucid and least unsatisfactory, in the accessible languages.
Only so far as Friedrich was concerned are we. But readers saw this Couple married, under Friedrich's
auspices,a Marriage which he thought important twenty years ago; and sure enough the Dissolution of it
did prove important to him, and is a necessary item here!
Readers, even those that know RULHIERE, will doubtless consent to a little supplementing from Two other
Eyewitnesses of credit. The first and principal is a respectable ExSwedish Gentleman, whom readers used
to hear of; the Colonel Hordt above mentioned, once of the FreeCorps HORDT, but fallen Prisoner
latterly;whose experiences and reports are all the more interesting to us, as Friedrich himself had specially
to depend on them at present; and doubtless, in times long afterwards, now and then heard speech of them
from Hordt. Our second Eyewitness is the Reverend Herr Doctor Busching (of the ERDBESCHREIBUNG,
of the BEITRAGE, and many other Works, an invaluable friend to us all along); who, in his wandering time,
had come to be "Pastor of the GERMAN CHURCH AT PETERSBURG," some years back.
WHAT COLONEL HORDT AND THE OTHERS SAW AT PETERSBURG (JanuaryJuly, 1762).
Autumn, 1759, in the sequel to KUNERSDORF,when the Russians and Daun lay so long torpid, uncertain
what to do except keep Friedrich and Prince Henri well separate, and Friedrich had such watchings, campings
and marchings about on the hither skirt of them (skirt always veiled in Cossacks, and producing skirmishes as
you marched past),we did mention Hordt's capture; [Supra, vol. x. p. 315.] not much hoping that readers
could remember it in such a press of things more memorable. It was in, or as prelude to, one of those
skirmishes (one of the earliest, and a rather sharp one, "at Trebatsch," in FrankfurtLieberose Country, "4th
September, 1759"), that Hordt had his misfortune: he had been out reconnoitring, with an Orderly or two,
before the skirmish began, was suddenly "surrounded by 200 Cossacks," and after desperate plunging into
bogs, desperate firing of pistols and the like, was taken prisoner. Was carted miserably to Petersburg,such
a journey for dead ennui as Hordt never knew; and was then tumbled out into solitary confinement in the
Citadel, a place like the Spanish Inquisition; not the least notice taken of his request for a few Books, for
leave to answer his poor Wife's Letter, merely by the words, "Dear one, I am alive;"and was left there, to
the company of his own reflections, and a life as if in vacant Hades, for twentyfive months and three days.
After the lapse of that period, he has something to say to us again, and we transiently look in upon him there.
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The Book we excerpt from is Memoires du Comte de Hordt (second edition, 2 volumes 12mo, Berlin, 1789).
This is Bookseller Pitra's redaction of the Hordt Autobiography (Berlin, 1788, was Pitra's first edition):
several years after, how many is not said, nor whether Hordt (who had become a dignitary in Berlin society
before Pitra's feat) was still living or not, a "M. Borelly, Professor in the Military School," undertook a
second considerably enlarged and improved redaction;of which latter there is an English Translation; easy
enough to read; but nearly without meaning, I should fear, to readers unacquainted with the scene and
subject. [ Memoirs of the Count de Hordt: London, 1806: 2 vols. 12mo,only the FIRST volume of which
(unavailable here) is in my possession.] Hordt was reckoned a perfectly veracious, intelligent kind of man:
but he seldom gives the least date, specification or precise detail; and his Book reads, not like the Testimony
of an Eyewitness, which it is, and valuable when you understand it; but more like some vague Forgery,
compiled by a destitute inventive individual, regardless of the Ten Commandments (sparingly consulting
even his file of Old Newspapers), and writing a Book which would deserve the treadmill, were there any
Police in his trade!
WEDNESDAY, 6th JANUARY, 1762, Hordt's vacant Hades of an existence in the Citadel of Petersburg was
broken by a loud sound: three minuteguns went off from different sides, close by; and then whole salvos,
peal after peal: "Czarina gone overnight, Peter III. Czar in her stead!" said the Officer, rushing in to tell
Hordt; to whom it was as news of resurrection from the dead. "Evening of same day, an AidedeCamp of
the new Czar came to announce my liberty; equipage waiting to take me at once to his Russian Majesty.
Asked him to defer it till the following dayso agitated was I." And indeed the Czar, busy taking
acclamations, oaths of fealty, riding about among his Troops by torchlight, could have made little of me that
evening. [Hermann, Geschichte des Russischen Staats, v. 241.] "Ultimately, my presentation was deferred till
Sunday" January 10th, "that it might be done with proper splendor, all the Nobility being then usually
assembled about his Majesty."
"JANUARY 10th, Waited, amid crowds of Nobility, in the Gallery, accordingly. Was presented in the
Gallery, through which the Czar, followed by Czarina and all the Court, were passing on their way to Chapel.
Czar made a short kind speech ('Delighted to do you an act of justice, Monsieur, and return a valuable servant
to the King I esteem'); gave me his hand to kiss: Czarina did the same. General Korf," an excellent friend, so
kind to me at Konigsberg, while I was getting carted hither, and a General now in high office here, "who had
been my introducer, led me into Chapel, to the Court's place (TRIBUNE DE LA COUR). Czar came across
repeatedly [while public worship was going on; a Czar perhaps too regardless that way!] to talk to me; dwelt
much on his attachment to the King. On coming out, the Head Chamberlain whispered me, 'You dine with the
Court.'" Which, of course, I did.
"Table was of sixty covers; splendid as the Arabian Tales. Czar and Czarina sat side by side; Korf and I had
the honor to be placed opposite them. Hardly were we seated when the Czar addressed me: 'You have had no
Prussian news this long while. I am glad to tell you that the King is well, though he has had such fighting to
right and left;but I hope there will soon be an end to all that.' Words which everybody listened to like
prophecy! [Peter is nothing of a Politician.] 'How long have you been in prison?' continued the Czar.
'Twentyfive months and three days, your Majesty.' 'Were you well treated?' Hordt hesitated, knew not what
to say; but, the Czar urging him, confessed, 'He had been always rather badly used; not even allowed to buy a
few books to read.' At which the Czarina was evidently shocked: 'CELA EST BIEN BARBARE!' she
exclaimed aloud.I wished much to return home at once; and petitioned the Czar on that subject, during
coffee, in the withdrawing rooms; but he answered, 'No, you must not,not till an express Prussian Envoy
arrive!' I had to stay, therefore; and was thenceforth almost daily at Court",but unluckily a little vague, and
altogether DATELESS as to what I saw there!
BIEREN AND MUNNICH, BOTH OF THEM JUST HOME FROM SIBERIA, ARE TO DRINK
TOGETHER (No date: Palace of Petersburg, Spring, 1762). Peter had begun in a great way: all for
liberalism, enlightenment, abolition of abuses, general magnanimity on his own and everybody's part.
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Rulhiere did not see the following scene; but it seems to be well enough vouched for, and Rulhiere heard it
talked of in society. "As many as 20,000 persons, it is counted, have come home from Siberian Exile:" the
L'Estocs, the Munnichs, Bierens, all manner of internecine figures, as if risen from the dead. "Since the night
when Munnich arrested Bieren [readers possibly remember it, and Mannstein's account of it [Supra, vol. vii.
p. 363.]], the first time these two met was in the gay and tumultuous crowd which surrounded the new Czar.
'Come, bygones be bygones,' said Peter, noticing them; 'let us three all drink together, like friends!'and
ordered three glasses of wine. Peter was beginning his glass to show the others an example, when somebody
came with a message to him, which was delivered in a low tone; Peter listening drank out his wine, set down
the glass, and hastened off; so that Bieren and Munnich, the two old enemies, were left standing, glass in
hand, each with his eyes on the Czar's glass;at length, as the Czar did not return, they flashed each his eyes
into the other's face; and after a moment's survey, set down their glasses untasted, and walked off in opposite
directions." [Rulhiere, p. 33.] Won't coalesce, it seems, in spite of the Czar's high wishes. An emblem of
much that befell the poor Czar in his present high course of good intentions and headlong
magnanimities!We return to Hordt:
THE CZAR WEARS A PORTRAIT OF FRIEDRICH ON HIS FINGER. "Czar Peter never disguised his
Prussian predilections. One evening he said, 'Propose to your friend Keith [English Excellency here, whom
we know] to give me a supper at his house tomorrow night. The other Foreign Ministers will perhaps be
jealous; but I don't care!' Supper at the English Embassy took place. Only ten or twelve persons, of the Czar's
choosing, were present. Czar very gay and in fine spirits. Talked much of the King of Prussia. Showed me a
signetring on his finger, with Friedrich's Portrait in it; ring was handed round the table." [Hordt, ii. 118, 124,
129.] This is a signetring famous at Court in these months. One day Peter had lost it (mislaid somewhere),
and got into furious explosion till it was found for him again. [Hermann, v. 258.] Let us now hear Busching,
our Geographical Friend, for a moment:
HERR PASTOR BUSCHING DOES THE HOMAGING FOR SELF AND PEOPLE. ... "In most Countries,
it is Official or Military People that administer the Oath of Homage, on a change of Sovereigns. But in
Petersburg, among the German population, it is the Pastors of their respective Churches. At the accession of
Peter III., I, for the first time [being still a young hand rather than an old], took the Oath from several
thousands in my Church,"and handed it over, with my own, in the proper quarter.
"As to the Congratulatory Addresses, the new Czar received the Congratulations of all classes, and also of the
Pastors of the Foreign Churches, in the following manner. He came walking slowly through a suite of rooms,
in each of which a body of Congratulators were assembled. Courtofficials preceded, Stateofficials
followed him. Then came the Czarina, attended in a similar way. And always on entering a new room they
received a new Congratulation from the spokesman of the party there. The spokesman of us Protestant
Pastors was my colleague, Senior Trefurt; but the GeneralinChief and HeadofPolice, Baron von Korf
[Hordt's friend, known to us above, German, we perceive, by creed and name], thinking it was I that had to
make the speech, and intending to present me at the same time to the Czar, motioned to me from his place
behind the Czar to advance. But I did not push forward; thinking it inopportune and of no importance to
me.""Neither did I share the great expectations which Baron von Korf and everybody entertained of this
new reign. All people now promised themselves better times, without reflecting [as they should have done!]
that the better men necessary to produce these were nowhere forthcoming!" [Busching's Beitrage, vi.
("Author's own Biography") 462 et seq.]
For the first two or three months, Peter was the idol of all the world: such generosities and magnanimities;
Such zeal and diligence, one magnanimous improvement following another! He had at once abolished
Torture in his LawCourts: resolved to have a regular Code of Laws,and Judges to be depended on for
doing justice. He "destroyed monopolies;" "lowered the price of salt." To the joy of everybody, he had
hastened (January 18th, second week of reign) to abolish the SECRET CHANCERY,a horrid Spanish
Inquisition engine of domestic politics. His Nobility he had determined should be noble: January 28th (third
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week of reign just beginning), he absolved the Nobility from all servile duties to him: "You can travel when
and where you please; you are not obliged to serve in my Armies; you may serve in anybody's not at war with
me!" under plaudits loud and universal from that Order of men. And was petitioned by a grateful Petersburg
world: "Permit us, magnanimous Czar, to raise a statue of your Majesty in solid Gold!" "Don't at all!"
answered Peter: "Ah, if by good governing I could raise a memorial in my People's hearts; that would be the
Statue for me!" [Hermann, v. 248.] Poor headlong Peter!It was a less lucky step that of informing the
Clergy (date not given), That in the Czarship lay Spiritual Sovereignty as well as Temporal, and that HE
would henceforth administer their rich Abbey Lands and the like:this gave a sad shock to the upper strata
of Priesthood, extending gradually to the lower, and ultimately raising an ominous general thought (perhaps
worse than a general cry) of "Church in Danger! Alas, is our Czar regardless of Holy Religion, then? Perhaps,
at heart still Lutheran, and has no Religion?" This, and his too headlong Prussian tendencies, are counted to
have done him infinite mischief.
HERR BUSCHING SEES THE CZAR ON HORSEBACK. "When the Czar's own Regiment of Cuirassiers
came to Petersburg, the Czar, dressed in the uniform of the regiment, rode out to meet it; and returning at its
head, rode repeatedly through certain quarters of the Town. His helmet was buckled tight with leather straps
under the chin; he sat his horse as upright and stiff as a wooden image; held his sabre in equally stiff manner;
turned fixedly his eyes to the right; and never by a hair'sbreadth changed that posture. In such attitude he
twice passed my house with his regiment, without changing a feature at sight of the many persons who
crowded the windows. To me [in my privately austere judgment] he seemed so KLEINGEISTISCH, so
smallminded a person, that I"in fact, knew not what to think of it. [Busching, Beitrage, vi. 464.]
HORDT SEES THE DECEASED CZARINA LYING IN STATE. "One day, after dining at Court, General
Korf proposed that we should go and see the LIT DE PARADE" (Paradebed) of the late Czarina, which is in
another Palace, not far off. "Count Schuwalof [NOT her old lover, who has DIED since her, poor old
creature; but his Son, a cultivated man, afterwards Voltaire's friend] accompanied us; and, his rooms being
contiguous to those of the dead Lady, he asked us to take coffee with him afterwards. The Imperial Bier stood
in the Grand Saloon, which was hung all round with black, festooned and garlanded with clothofsilver; the
glare of waxlights quite blinding. Bier, covered with clothofgold trimmed with silver lace, was raised
upon steps. A rich Crown was on the head of the dead Czarina. Beside the bier stood Four Ladies, two on
each hand, in grand mourning; immense crape training on the ground behind them. Two Officers of the
LifeGuard occupied the lowest steps: on the topmost, at the foot of the bier, was an Archimandrite (superior
kind of ABBOT), who had a Bible before him, from which he read aloud,continuously till relieved by
another. This went on day and night without interruption. All round the bier, on stools (TABOURETS), were
placed different Crowns, and the insignia of various Orders,those of Prussia, among others. It being
established usage, I had, to my great repugnance, to kiss the hand of the corpse! We then talked a little to the
Ladies in attendance (with their crape trains), joking about the article of hand kissing; finally we adjourned
for coffee to Count Schuwalof's apartments, which were of an incredible magnificence." That same evening,
farther on,
"I supped with the Czar in his PETIT APPARTEMENT, Private Rooms [a fine freeandeasy nook of
space!]. The company there consisted of the Countess Woronzow, a creature without any graces, bodily or
mental, whom the Czar had chosen for his Mistress [snubnosed, pockmarked, fat, and with a pert tongue at
times], whom I liked the less, as there were one or two other very handsome women there. Some Courtiers
too; and no Foreigners but the English Envoy and myself. The supper was very gay, and was prolonged late
into the night. These late orgies, however, did not prevent his Majesty from attending to business in good
time next morning. He would appear unexpectedly, at an early hour, at the Senate, at the Synod [Head
CONSISTORY], making them stand to their duties,"or pretend to do it. His Majesty is not understood to
have got much real work out of either of these Governing Bodies; the former, the Senate, or SECULAR one,
which had fallen very torpid latterly, was, not long after this, suffered to die out altogether. Peter himself was
a violently pushing man, and never shrank from labor; always in a plunge of hurries, and of irregular hours.
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In his final time, people whispered, "The Czar is killing himself; sits smoking, tippling, talking till 2 in the
morning; and is overhead in business again by 7!"
CZARINA ELIZABETH'S FUNERAL, AS SEEN BY HORDT (much abridged). "At 10 in the morning all
the bells in Petersburg broke out; and tolled incessantly [day or month not hinted at,nor worth seeking;
grim darkness of universal frost perceptible enough; clangor of bells; and procession seemingly of miles
long,on this extremely high errand!]Minuteguns were fired from the moment the procession set out
from the Castle till it arrived at the Citadel, a distance of two English miles and a half. Planks were laid all
the way; forming a sort of bridge through the streets, and over the ice of the Neva. All the soldiers of the
Garrison were ranked in espalier on each side. Three hundred grenadiers opened the march; after them, three
hundred priests, in sacerdotal costume; walking twoandtwo, singing hymns. All the Crowns and Orders,
above mentioned by me, were carried by high Dignitaries of the Court, walking in single file, each a
chamberlain behind him. Hearse was followed by the Czar, skirt of his black cloak held up by Twelve
Chamberlains, each a lighted taper in the OTHER hand. Prince George of Holstein [Czar's Uncle] came next,
then Holstein Beck [Czar's Cousin]. Czarina Catharine followed, also on foot, with a lighted taper; her cloak
borne by all her Ladies. Three hundred grenadiers closed the procession. Bells tolling, minuteguns firing,
seas of people crowding."Thus the Russians buried their Czarina. Day and its dusky frostcurtains sank;
and Bootes, looking down from the starry deeps, found one Telluric Anomaly forever hidden from him. She
had left of unworn Dresses, the richest procurable in Nature (five a day her usual allowance, and never or
seldom worn twice), "15,000 and some hundreds." [Hermann, v. 176.]
HORDT IS OF THE NEW CZARINA CATHARINE'S EVENING PARTIES. "The Czarina received
company every morning. She received everybody with great affability and grace. But notwithstanding her
efforts to appear gay, one could perceive a deep background of sadness in her. She knew better than anybody
the violent (ARDENTE) character of her husband; and perhaps she then already foresaw what would come.
She also had her circle every evening, and always asked the company to stay supper. One evening, when I
was of her party, a confidential Equerry of the Czar came in, and whispered me That I had been searched for
all over Town, to come to supper at the COUNTESS'S (that was the usual designation of the Sultana,"DAS
FRAULEIN, spelt in Russian ways, is the more usual). "I begged to be excused for this time, being engaged
to sup with the Czarina, to whom I could not well state the reason for which I was to leave. The Equerry had
not gone long, when suddenly a great noise was heard, the two wings of the door were flung open, and the
Czar entered. He saluted politely the Czarina and her circle; called me with that smiling and gracious air
which he always had; took me by the arm, and said to the Czarina: 'Excuse me, Madam, if tonight I carry off
one of your guests; it is this Prussian I had searched for all over the Town.' The Czarina laughed; I made her a
deep bow, and went away with my conductor. Next morning I went to the Czarina; who, without mentioning
what had passed last night, said smiling, 'Come and sup with me always when there is nothing to prevent it.'"
FEBRUARY 21st, HORDT AT ZARSKOEZELOE. "On occasion of the Czar's birthday [which gives us a
date, for once], [Michaelis, ii. 627: "Peter born, 21st February, 1728."] there were great festivities, lasting a
week. It began with a grand TE DEUM, at which the Czar was present, but not the Czarina. She had, that
morning, in obedience to her husband's will, decorated 'the Countess' with the cordon of the Order of St.
Catharine. She was now detained in her Apartment 'by indisposition;' and did not leave it during the eight
days the festivities lasted." This happened at the Country Palace, ZarskoeZeloe; and is a turningpoint in
poor Peter's History. [Hermann, p. 253.] From that day, his Czarina saw that, by the medium of her Peter, it
was not she that would ever come to be Autocrat; not she, but a pockmarked, unbeautiful Person, with
Cordon of the Order of St. Catharine,blessings on it! From that day the Czarina sat brooding her wrongs
and her perils,wrongs DOUE, very many, and now wrongs to be SUFFERED, who can say how many!
She perceives clearly that the Czar is gone from her, fixedly sullen at her (not without cause);and that
Siberia, or worse, is possible by and by. The Czarina was helplessly wretched for some time; and by degrees
entered on a Plot;assisted by Princess Dashkof (Sister of the Snubnosed), by Panin (our Son's Tutor, "a
genuine Son, I will swear, whatever the Papa may think in his wild moments!"), by Gregory Orlof (one's
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present Lover), and others of less mark;and it ripened exquisitely within the next four months!
HORDT HEARS THE PRAISES OF HIS KING. "Next day [nobody can guess what DAY] I dined at Court.
I sat opposite the Czar, who talked of nothing but of his 'good friend the King of Prussia.' He knew all the
smallest details of his Campaigns; all his military arrangements; the dress and strength of all his Regiments;
and he declared aloud that he would shortly put all his troops upon the same footing [which he did shortly, to
the great disgust of his troops].Rising from table, the Czar himself did me the honor to say, 'Come
tomorrow; dine with me EN PETIT APPARTEMENT [on the SNUG, where we often play highjinks, and
go to great lengths in liquor and tobacco]; I will show you something curious, which you will like.' I went at
the accustomed hour; I foundLieutenant General Werner [hidden since his accident at Colberg last
winter, whom a beneficent Czar has summoned again into the light of noon]! I made a great friendship with
this distinguished General, who was a charming man; and went constantly about with him, till he left me
here,"Czarish kindness letting Werner home, and detaining me, to my regret. [HORDT, i. 133145, 151.]
The Prussian Treaties, first of Peace (May 5th), with all our Conquests flung back, and then of Alliance, with
yourself and ourselves, as it were, flung into the bargain,were by no means so popular in Petersburg as in
Berlin! From May 5th onwards, we can suppose Peter to be, perhaps rather rapidly, on the declining hand.
Add the fatal element, "Church in Danger" (a Czar privately Apostate); his very Guardsmen indignant at their
tightfitting Prussian uniforms, and at their no less tight Prussian DRILL (which the Czar is uncommonly
urgent with); and a Czarina Plot silently spreading on all sides, like subterranean mines filled with
gunpowder!
HERR BUSCHING SEES THE CATASTROPHE (Friday, 9th July, 1762). "This being the day before
PeterandPaul, which is a great Holiday in Petersburg, I drove out, between 9 and 10 in the morning, to
visit the sick. On my way from the first house where I had called, I heard a distant noise like that of a rising
thunderstorm, and asked my people what it was. They did not know; but it appeared to them like the
Shouting of a Mob (VOLKSGESCHREI), and there were all sorts of rumors afloat. Some said, 'The Czar had
suddenly resolved to get himself crowned at Petersburg, before setting out for the War on Denmark.' Others
said, 'He had named the Czarina to be Regent during his absence, and that she was to be crowned for this
purpose.' These rumors were too silly: meanwhile the noise perceptibly drew nearer; and I ordered my
coachman to proceed no farther, but to turn home.
"On getting home, I called my Wife; and told her, That something extraordinary was then going on, but that I
could not learn what; that it appeared to me like some popular Tumult, which was coming nearer to us every
moment. We hurried to the corner room of our house; threw open the window, which looks to the Church of
St. Mary of Casan [where an Act of Thanksgiving has just been consummated, of a very peculiar
kind!]and we then saw, near this Church, an innumerable crowd of people; dressed and halfdressed
soldiers of the footregiments of the Guards mixed with the populace. We perceived that the crowd pressed
round a common twoseated Hackney Coach drawn by two horses; in which, after a few minutes, a Lady
dressed in black, and wearing the Order of St. Catharine, coming out of the church, took a seat. Whereupon
the churchbells began ringing, and the priests, with their assistants carrying crosses, got into procession, and
walked before the Coach. We now recognized that it was the Czarina Catharine saluting the multitude to right
and left, as she fared along." [ Beitrage, vi. 465: compare RULHIERE, p. 95; HERMANN, v. 287.]
Yes, Doctor, that Lady in black is the Czarina; and has come a drive of twenty miles this morning; and done a
great deal of business in Town,one day before the set time. In her remote Apartment at Peterhof, this
morning, between 2 and 3, she awoke to see Alexei Orlof, called oftener SCARRED Orlof (Lover
GREGORY'S Brother), kneeling at her bedside, with the words, "Madam, you must come: there is not a
moment to lose!"who, seeing her awake, vanished to get the vehicles ready. About 7, she, with the Scarred
and her maid and a valet or two, arrived at the Guards' Barracks here,Gregory Orlof, and others concerned,
waiting to receive her, in the fit temper for playing at sharps. She has spoken a little, wept a little, to the
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Guards (still only halfdressed, many of them): "Holy religion, Russian Empire thrown at the feet of Prussia;
my poor Son to be disinherited: Alack, ohoo!" Whereupon the Guards (their Officers already gained by
Orlof) have indignantly blazed up into the fit Hurrahurraing:and here, since about 9 A.M., we have just
been in the "Church of St. Mary of Casan" ("Oh, my friends, Orthodox Religion, first of all!") doing
TEDEUMS and the other Divine Offices, for the thricehappy Revolution and Deliverance now vouchsafed
us and you! And the Herr Doctor, under outburst of the chimes of St. Mary, and of the jubilant Soldieries and
Populations, sees the Czarina saluting to right and left; and Priests, with their assistants and crucifixes
("Behold them, ye Orthodox; is there anything equal to true Religion?"), walking before her Hackney Coach.
"On the one step of her Coach," continues the Herr Doctor, "stood Grigorei Grigorjewitsh Orlow," so he
spells him, "and in front of it, with drawn sword, rode the Fieldmarshal and Hetman Count Kirila
Grigorjewitsh Rasomowski, Colonel of the Ismailow Guard. LieutenantGeneral (soon to be
GeneralOrdnanceMaster) Villebois came galloping up; leapt from his horse under our windows, and
placed himself on the other step of the Coach. The procession passed before our house; going first to the New
stone Palace, then to the Old wooden Winter Palace. Common Russians shouted mockingly up to us, 'Your
god [meaning the Czar] is dead!' And others, 'He is gone; we will have no more of him!'"
About this hour of the day, at Oranienbaum (ORANGETREE, some twenty miles from here, and from
Peterhof guess ten or twelve), Czar Peter is drilling zealously his brave Holsteiners (2,000 or more, "the
flower of all my troops"); and has not, for hours after, the least inkling of all this. Catharine had been across
to visit him on Wednesday, no farther back; and had kindled Oranienbaum into opera, into illumination and
what not. Thursday (yesterday), Czar and Czarina met at some Grandee's festivity, who lives between their
two Residences. This day the Czar is appointed for Peterhof; tomorrow, July 10th (PeterandPaul's grand
Holiday), Czar, Czarina and united Court were to have done the Festivities together there,with Czarina's
powdermine of Plot laid under them; which latter has exploded one day sooner, in the present happy
manner! The poor Czar, this day, on getting to Peterhof, and finding Czarina vanished, understood too well;
he saw "big smoke clouds rise suddenly over Petersburg region," withal,"Ha, she has cannon going for
her yonder; salvoing and homaging!"and rushed back to Oranienbaum half mad. Old Munnich undertook
to save him, by one, by two or even three different methods, "Only order me, and stand up to it with sword
bare!"but Peter's wits were all flying miscellaneously about, and he could resolve on nothing.
Peter and his Czarina never met more. Saturday (tomorrow), he abdicates; drives over to Peterhof,
expecting, as per bargain, interview with his Wife; freedom to retire to Holstein, and "every sort of kindness
compatible with his situation:" but is met there instead, on the staircase, by brutal people, who tear the orders
off his coat, at length the very clothes off his back,and pack him away to Ropscha, a quiet Villa some
miles off, to sit silent there till Orlof and Company have considered. Consideration is: "To Holstein? He has
an AntiDanish Russian Army just now in that neighborhood; he will not be safe in Holstein;where will he
be safe?" Saturday, 17th, Peter's seventh day in Ropscha, the Orlofs (Scarred Orlof and Four other
miscreants, one of them a Prince, one a Playactor) came over, and murdered poor Peter, in a treacherous,
and even bungling and disgusting, and altogether hideous manner. "A glass of burgundy [poisoned
burgundy], your Highness?" said they, at dinner with his poor Highness. On the back of which, the burgundy
having failed and been found out, came grappling and hauling, trampling, shrieking, and at last strangulation.
Surely the Devil will reward such a Five of his Elect? But we detain Herr Busching: it is still only Friday
morning, 9th of the month; and the Czarina's Hackney Coach, in the manner of a comet and tail, has just gone
into other streets:
"After this terrible uproar had left our quarter, I hastened to the Danish Ambassador, Count Haxthausen, who
lived near me, to bring him the important news that the Czar was said to be dead. The Count was just about to
burn a mass of Papers, fearing the mob would plunder his house; but he did not proceed with it now, and
thanked Heaven for saving his Country. His Secretary of Legation, my friend Schumacher, gave me all the
money he had in his pockets, to distribute amongst the poor; and I returned home. Directly after, there passed
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our house, at a rate as if the horses were running away, a common twohorse coach, in which sat HeadTutor
(OBER HOFMEISTER) von Panin with the Grand Duke [famous Czar Paul that is to be], who was still in
his nightgown," poor frightened little boy!
"Not long after, I saw some of the Footguards, in the public street near the Winter Palace, selling, at rates
dogcheap, their new uniforms after the Prussian cut, which they had stript off; whilst others, singing
merrily, carried about, stuck on the top of their muskets, or on their bayonets, their new grenadier caps of
Prussian fashion. [See in HERMANN (v. 291) the Saxon Ambassador's Report.] I saw several soldiers,, out
on errand or otherwise, seizing the coaches they met in the streets, and driving on in them. Others
appropriated the eatables which hucksters carried about in baskets. But in all this wild tumult, nobody was
killed; and only at Oranienbaum a few Holstein soldiers got wounded by some low Russians, in their
wantonness.
"July 11th, the disorder amongst the soldiers was at its height; yet still much less than might have been
expected. Many of them entered the houses of Foreigners, and demanded money. Seeing a number of them
come into my house, I hastily put a quantity of roubles and halfroubles in my pocket, and went out with a
servant, especially with a cheerful face, to meet them,"and no harm was done.
"SATURDAY, JULY 17th, was the day of the Czar's death; on the same 17th, the Empress was informed of
it; and next day, his body was brought from Ropscha to the Convent of St. Alexander Newski, near
Petersburg. Here it lay in state three days; nay, an Imperial Manifesto even ordered that the last honors and
duty be paid to it. July 20th, I drove thither with my Wife; and to be able to view the body more minutely, we
passed twice through the room where it lay. [An uncommonly broad neckcloth on it, did you observe?]
Owing to the rapid dissolution, it had to be interred on the following day: and it was a touching
circumstance, that this happened to be the very day on which the Czar had fixed to start from Petersburg on
his Campaign against Denmark." [Busching, vi. 464467.]
Catharine, one must own with a shudder, has not attained the Autocracy of All the Russias gratis. Let us hope
she would once till driven upon a dire alternativehave herself shuddered to purchase at such a price. A
kind of horror haunts one's notion of her redhanded brazenfaced Orlofs and her, which all the cosmetics of
the world will never quite cover. And yet, on the spot, in Petersburg at the moment! Read this Clipping
from Smelfungus, on a collateral topic:
"In BUSCHING'S MAGAZINE are some Loveletters from the old Marshal Munnich to Catharine just after
this event, which are psychologically curious. Loveletters, for they partake of that character; though the man
is 82, and has had such breakages and vicissitudes in this Earth. Alive yet, it would seem; and full of
ambitions. Unspeakably beautiful is this young Woman to him; radiant as oxeyed Juno, as Diana of the
silver bow,such a power in her to gratify the avarices, ambitions, cupidities of an insatiable old fellow: O
divine young Empress, Aurora of bright Summer epochs, rosyfingered daughter of the Sun,grant me the
governing of This, the administering of That: and see what a thing I will make of it (I, an inventive old
gentleman), for your Majesty's honor and glory, and my own advantage! [Busching, Magazin fur die neue
Historie und Geographie (Halle, Year 1782), xvi. 413477 (22 LETTERS, and only thrice or so a word of
RESPONSE from "MA DIVINITE:" dates, "Narva, 4th August, 1762" ... "Petersburg, 3d October,
1762").]Innumerable persons of less note than Munnich have their Biographies, and are known to the
reading public and in all barbers'shops, if that were an advantage to them. Very considerable, this Munnich,
as a soldier, for one thing. And surely had very strange adventures; an original German character
withal:about the stature of Belleisle, for example; and not quite unlike Belleisle in some of his ways?
Came originally from the swamps of Oldenburg, or Lower Weser Country,son of a DEICHGRAFE
(DitchSuperintendent) there. REQUIESCANT in oblivious silence, Belleisle and he; it is better than being
lied of, and maundered of, and blotched and blundered of.
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"Biographies were once rhythmic, earnest as death or as life, earnest as transcendent human Insight risen to
the Singing pitch; some Homer, nay some Psalmist or Evangelist, spokesman of reverent Populations, was
the Biographer. Rhythmic, WITH exactitude, investigation to the very marrow; this, or else oblivion,
Biography should now, and at all times, be; but is not,by any manner of means. With what results is visible
enough, if you will look! Human Stupor, fallen into the dishonest, lazy and UNflogged condition, is truly an
awful thing."
Catharine did not persist in her AntiPrussian determination. July 9th, the Manifesto had been indignantly
emphatic on Prussia; July 22d, in a Note to Goltz from the Czarina, it was all withdrawn again. [Rodenbeck,
ii. 171.] Looking into the deceased Czar's Papers, she found that Friedrich's Letters to him had contained
nothing of wrong or offensive; always excellent advices, on the contrary,advice, among others, To be
conciliatory to his clever witted Wife, and to make her his ally, not his opponent, in living and reigning. In
Konigsberg (July 16th, seven days after July 9th), the Russian Governor, just on the point of quitting, emitted
Proclamation, to everybody's horror: "No; altered, all that; under pain of death, your Oath to Russia still
valid!" Which for the next ten days, or till his new proclamation, made such a Konigsberg of it as may be
imagined. The sight of those Letters is understood to have turned the scale; which had hung wavering till July
22d in the Czarina's mind. "Can it be good," she might privately think withal, "to begin our reign by kindling
a foolish War again?" How Friedrich received the news of July 9th, and into what a crisis it threw him, we
shall soon see. His Campaign had begun July 1st; and has been summoning us home, into ITS horizon, for
some time.
Chapter XI. SEVENTH CAMPAIGN OPENS.
Freidrich's plan of Campaign is settled long since: Recapture Schweidnitz; clear Silesia of the enemy; Silesia
and all our own Dominions clear, we can then stand fencible against the Austrian perseverances. Peace, one
day, they must grant us. The general tide of European things is changed by these occurrences in Petersburg
and London. Peace is evidently near. France and England are again beginning to negotiate; no Pitt now to be
rigorous. The tide of War has been wavering at its summit for two years past; and now, with this of Russia,
and this of Bute instead of Pitt, there is ebb everywhere, and all Europe determining for peace. Steady at the
helm, as heretofore, a Friedrich, with the worldcurrent in his favor, may hope to get home after all.
Austrian Headquarters had been at Waldenburg, under Loudon or his Lieutenants, all Winter. Loudon
returned thither from Vienna April 7th; but is not to command in chief, this Year,Schweidnitz still sticking
in some people's throats: "Dangerous; a man with such rash practices, rapidities and Pandour tendencies!"
Daun is to command in Silesia; Loudon, under him, obscure to us henceforth, and inoffensive to Official
people. Reichs Army shall take charge of Saxony; nominally a Reichs Army, though there are 35,000
Austrians in it, as the soul of it, under some Serbelloni, some Stollberg as Chief(the fact, I believe, is:
Serbelloni got angrily displaced on that "crossing of the Mulda by Prince Henri, May 13th;" Prince of
Zweibruck had angrily abdicated a year before; and a Prince von Stollberg is now Generalissimo of Reich
and Allies: but it is no kind of matter),some Stollberg, with Serbelloni, Haddick, Maguire and such like in
subaltern places. Cunctator Daun, in spite of his late sleepy ways, is to be Headman again: this surely is a
cheering circumstance to Friedrich; Loudon, not Daun, being the only man he ever got much ill of hitherto.
Daun arrives in Waldenburg, May 9th; and to show that he is not cunctatory, steps out within a week after.
May 15th, he has descended from his Mountains; has swept round by the back and by the front of
Schweidnitz, far and wide, into the Plain Country, and encamped himself crescentwise, many miles in
length, Headquarter near the Zobtenberg. Bent fondly round Schweidnitz; meaning, as is evident, to defend
Schweidnitz against all comers,his very position symbolically intimating: "I will fight for it, Prussian
Majesty, if you like!"
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Prussian Majesty, however, seemed to take no notice of him; and, what was very surprising, kept his old
quarters: "a Cantonment, or Chain of Posts, ten miles long; Schweidnitz Water on his right flank, Oder on his
left;" perfectly safe, as he perceives, being able to assemble in four hours, if Daun try anything. [Tempelhof,
vi. 66.] And, in fact, sat there, and did not come into the Field at all for five weeks or more;waiting till
Czernichef's 20,000 arrive, who are on march from Thorn since June 2d. Mere smallwar goes on in the
interim; world getting all greener and flowerier; the Glatz Highlands, to one's left yonder (OwlMountains,
EULENGEBIRGE so called), lying magically blue and mysterious:on the Plain in front of them, ten miles
from the final peaks of them, is Schweidnitz Fortress, lying full in view, with a picked Garrison of 12,000
under a picked Captain, and all else of defence or impregnability; and Friedrich privately determined to take
it, though by methods of his own choosing, and which cannot commence till Czernichef come. Daun, with his
right wing, has hold of those Highland Regions, and cautiously guards them; can, when he pleases, wend
back to Waldenburg Country; and at once, with his superior numbers, block all passages, and sit there
impregnable. The methods of dislodging him are obscure to Friedrich himself; but methods there must be,
dislodged he must be, and sent packing. Without that, all siege of Schweidnitz is flatly impossible.
June 27th, Friedrich's Headquarter is Tintz, Czernichef now nigh: [Tempelhof, vi. 76.] two days ago (June
25th), Czernichef's Cossacks "crossed the Oder at Auras,"with how different objects from those they used
to have! JULY 1st, Czernichef himself is here, in full tale and equipment. Had encamped, a day ago, on the
Field of Lissa; where Majesty reviewed him, inspected and manoeuvred him, with great mutual satisfaction.
"Field of Lissa;" it is where our poor Prussian people encamped on the night of Leuthen, with their "NUN
DANKET ALLE GOTT," five years ago, in memorable circumstances: to what various uses are Earth's
Fields liable!
Friedrich, by degrees, has considerably changed his opinion, and bent towards the late Keith's, about Russian
Soldiery: a Soldiery of most various kinds; from predatory Cossacks and Calmucks to those noble
Grenadiers, whom we saw sit down on the Walls of Schweidnitz when their work was done. A perfectly
steady obedience is in these men; at any and all times obedient, to the death if needful, and with a silence,
with a steadfastness as of rocks and gravitation. Which is a superlative quality in soldiers. Good in Nations
too, within limits; and much a distinction in the Russian Nation: rare, or almost unique, in these unruly
Times. The Russians have privately had their admirations of Friedrich, all this while; and called him by I
forget what unpronounceable vernacular epithet, signifying "Son of Lightning," or some such thing.
[Buchholz, Neueste PreussischBrandenburgische Geschichte (1775), vol ii. (page irrecoverable).] No doubt
they are proud to have a stroke of service under such a one, since Father Peter Feodorowitsh graciously
orders it: the very Cossacks show an alertness, a vivacity; and see cheery possibilities ahead, in Countries not
yet plundered out. They stayed with Friedrich only Three Weeks,Russia being an uncertain Country. As
we have seen above; though Friedrich, who is vitally concerned, has not yet seen! But their junction with
him, and review by him in the Field of Lissa, had its uses by and by; and may be counted an epoch in Russian
History, if nothing more. The poor Russian Nation, most pitiable of loyal Nations,struggling patiently
ahead, on those bad terms, under such CATINS and foul Nightmares,has it, shall we say, quite gone
without conquest in this mad War? Perhaps, not quite. It has at least shown Europe that it possesses fighting
qualities: a changed Nation, since Karl XII. beat them easily, at Narva, 8,000 to 80,000, in the snowy
morning, long since!
Czernichef once come, and in his place in the Camp of Tintz, business instantly begins,business, and a
press of it, in right earnest;upon the hitherto idle Daun. July 1st, there is general complex Advance
everywhere on Friedrich's part; general attempt towards the Mountains. Upon which Daun, well awake, at
once rolls universally thitherward again; takes post in front of the Mountains,on the Heights of
Kunzendorf, to wit (Loudon's old post in Bunzelwitz time);and elaborately spreads himself out in defence
there. "Take him multifariously by the left flank, get between him and his Magazine at Braunau!" thinks
Friedrich. Discovering which, Daun straightway hitches back into the Mountains altogether, leaving
Kunzendorf to Friedrich's use as main camp. His outmost Austrians, on the edge of the Mountain Country,
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Chapter XI. SEVENTH CAMPAIGN OPENS. 1492
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and back as far as suitable, Daun elaborately posts; and intrenches himself behind them in all the
commanding points,Schweidnitz still well in sight; and Braunau and the roads to it well capable of being
guarded. Daun's Headquarter is Tannhausen; Burkersdorf, Ludwigsdorf, if readers can remember them, are
frontward posts:in his old imperturbable way Daun sits there waiting events.
And for near three weeks there ensues a very multiplex series of rapid movements, and alarming
demonstrations, on Daun's front, on Daun's right flank; with serious extensive effort (masked in that way) to
turn Daun's left flank, and push round by Landshut Country upon Bohemia and Braunau. Effort very serious
indeed on that Landshut side: conducted at first by Friedrich in person, with General Wied (called also
NEUwied, a man of mark since Liegnitz time) as second under him; latterly by Wied himself, as Friedrich
found it growing dubious or hopeless. That was Friedrich's first notion of the Daun problem. There are rapid
marches here, there, round that western or left flank of Daun; sudden spurts of fierce fighting, oftenest with a
stiff climb as preliminary: but not the least real success on Daun. Daun perfectly comprehends what is on
foot; refuses to take shine for substance; stands massed, or grouped, at his own skilful judgment, in the proper
points for Braunau, still more for Schweidnitz; and is very vigilant and imperturbable.
Kunzendorf Heights, which are not of the Hills, but in front of them, with a strip of flat still
intervening;these, we said, Daun had at once quitted: and these are now Friedrich's;but yield him a very
complex prospect at present. A line of opposing Heights, Burkersdorf, Ludwigsdorf, Leuthmannsdorf,
bristling with abundant cannon; behind is the multiplex sea of Hills, rising higher and higher, to the ridge of
the Eulenberg in Glatz Country 10 or 12 miles southward: Daun, with forces much superior, calmly lord of
all that; infinitely needing to be ousted, could one but say how! Friedrich begins to perceive that Braunau will
not do; that he must contrive some other plan. General Wied he still leaves to prosecute the Braunau scheme:
perhaps there is still some chance in it; at lowest it will keep Daun's attention thitherward. And Wied
perseveres upon Braunau; and Braunau proving impossible, pushes past it deeper into Bohemia, Daun loftily
regardless of him. Wied's marches and attempts were of approved quality; though unsuccessful in the way of
stirring Daun. Wied's Light troops went scouring almost as far as Prag,especially a 500 Cossacks that were
with him, following their old fashion, in a new Country. To the horror of Austria; who shrieked loudly,
feeling them in her own bowels; though so quiet while they were in other people's on her score. This of the
500 Cossacks under Wied, if this were anything, was all of actual work that Friedrich had from his
Czernichef Allies;nothing more of real or actual while they stayed, though something of imaginary or
ostensible which had its importance, as we shall see.
Friedrich, in the third week, recalls Wied: "Braunau clearly impossible; only let us still keep up
appearances!" July 18th, Wied is in Kunzendorf Country again; on an important new enterprise, or method
with the Daun Problem, in which Wied is to bear a principal hand. That is to say, The discomfiture and
overturn of Daun's right wing, if we can,since his left has proved impossible. This was the STORMING
OF BURKERSDORF HEIGHTS; Friedrich's new plan. Which did prove successful, and is still famous in the
Annals of War: reckoned by all judges a beautiful plan, beautifully executed, and once more a wonderful
achieving of what seemed the impossible, when it had become the indispensable. One of Friedrich's prettiest
feats; and the last of his notable performances in this War. Readers ought not to be left without some
shadowy authentic notion of it; though the real portraiture or image (which is achievable too, after long
study) is for the professional soldier only,for whom TEMPELHOF, good maps and plenty of patience are
the recipe.
"The scene is the Wall of Heights, running east and west, parallel to Friedrich's Position at Kunzendorf;
which form the Face, or decisive beginning, of that Mountain Glacis spreading up ten miles farther, towards
Glatz Country. They, these Heights called of Burkersdorf, are in effect Daun's right wing; vitally precious to
Daun, who has taken every pains about them. Burkersdorf Height (or Heights, for there are two, divided by
the Brook Weistritz; but we shall neglect the eastern or lower, which is ruled by the other, and stands or falls
along with it), Burkersdorf Height is the principal: a Hill of some magnitude (short way south of the Village
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of Burkersdorf, which also is Daun's); Hill falling rather steep down, on two of its sides, namely on the north
side, which is towards Friedrich and Kunzendorf, and on the east side, where Weistritz Water, as yet only a
Brook, gushes out from the Mountains,hastening towards Schweidnitz or Schweidnitz Water; towards
Lissa and Leuthen Country, where we have seen it on an important night. Weistritz, at this part, has scarped
the eastern flank of Burkersdorf Height; and made for itself a pleasant little Valley there: this is the one Pass
into the Mountains. A Valley of level bottom; where Daun has a terrific trench and sunk battery level with the
ground, capable of sweeping to destruction whoever enters there without leave.
"East from Burkersdorf Lesser Height (which we neglect for the present), and a little farther inwards or south,
are Two other Heights: Ludwigsdorf and Leuthmannsdorf; which also need capture, as adjuncts of
Burkersdorf, or second line to Burkersdorf; and are abundantly difficult, though not so steep as Burkersdorf.
"The Enterprise, therefore, divides itself into two. Wied is to do the LudwigsdorfLeuthmannsdorf part;
Mollendorf, the Burkersdorf. The strength of guns in these places, especially on Burkersdorf, we know
Daun's habit in that particular; and need say nothing. Mandevouring batteries, abatis; battalions palisaded to
the teeth, 'the pales strong as masts, and room only for a musketbarrel between;' nay, they are 'furnished
with a lath or crossstrap all along, for resting your gunbarrel on and taking aim:'so careful is Daun. The
ground itself is intricate, in parts impracticably steep; everywhere full of bushes, gnarls and impediments.
Seldom was there such a problem altogether! Friedrich's position, as we say, is Kunzendorf Heights, with
Schweidnitz and his old ground of Bunzelwitz to rear, Czernichef and others lying there, and Wurben and the
old Villages and Heights again occupied as posts:what a tale of Egyptian bricks has one to bake, your
Majesty, on certain fields of this world; and with such insufficiency of rawmaterial sometimes!"
By the 16th of July, Friedrich's plans are complete. Contrived, I must say, with a veracity and opulent
potency of intellect, flashing clear into the matter, and yet careful of the smallest practical detail. FRIDAY,
17th, Mollendorf, with men and furnitures complete, circles off northwestward by Wurben (for the benefit of
certain onlookers), but will have circled round to Burkersdorf neighborhood two days hence; by which time
also Wied will be quietly in his place thereabouts, with a view to business on the 20th and 21st. Mollendorf,
Wied and everything, are prosperously under way in this manner,when, on the afternoon of that same
Friday, 17th, [Compare Tempelhof, vi. 99, and Rodenbeck, ii. 164.] Czernichef steps over, most privately, to
headquarters: with what a bit of news! "A Revolution in Petersburg [JULY 9th, as we saw above, or as Herr
Busching saw]; Czar Peter,your Majesty's adorer, is dethroned, perhaps murdered; your Majesty's enemies,
in the name of Czarina Catharine, order me instantly homeward with my 20,000!" This is true news, this of
Czernichef. A most unexpected, overwhelming Revolution in those Northern Parts;not needing to be
farther touched upon in this place.
What here concerns us is, Friedrich's feelings on hearing of it; which no reader can now imagine. Horror,
amazement, pity, very poignant; grief for one's hapless friend Peter, for one's still more hapless self! "The
Sisyphus stone, which we had got dragged to the top, the chains all beautifully slack these three months past,
has it leapt away again? And on the eve of Burkersdorf, and our grand Daun problem!" Truly, the
Destinies have been quite dramatic with this King, and have contrived the moment of hitting him to the heart.
He passionately entreats Czernichef to be helpful to him, which Czernichef would fain be, only how can
he? To be helpful; at least to keep the matter absolutely secret yet for some hours: this the obliging
Czernichef will do. And Friedrich remains, Czernichef having promised this, in the throes of desperate
consideration and uncertainty, hour after hour,how many hours I do not know. It is confidently said,
[Retzow, ii. 415.] Friedrich had the thought of forcibly disarming Czernichef and his 20,000: in which case
he must have given up the Daun Enterprise; for without Czernichef as a positive quantity, much more with
Czernichef as a negative, it is impossible. But, at any rate, most luckily for himself, he came upon a milder
thought: "Stay with us yet three days, merely in the semblance of Allies, no service required of you, but
keeping the matter a dead secret;on the fourth day go, with my eternal thanks!" This is his milder proposal;
urged with his best efforts upon the obliging Czernichef: who is in huge difficulty, and sees it to be at peril of
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his head, but generously consents. It is the same Czernichef who got lodged in Custrin cellars, on one
occasion: know, O King,the King, before this, does begin to know,that Russians too can have
something of heroic, and can recognize a hero when they see him! In this fine way does Friedrich get the
frightful chasm, or sudden gap of the ground under him, bridged over for the moment; and proceeds upon
Burkersdorf all the same.
Of the Attack itself we propose to say almost nothing. It consists of Two Parts, Wied and Mollendorf, which
are intensely Real; and of a great many more which are Scenic chiefly,some of them Scenic to the degree
of DruryLane itself, as we perceive;all cunningly devised, and beautifully playing into one another, both
the real and the scenic. EVENING OF THE 20th, Friedrich is on his ground, according to Program.
Friedrichwho has now his Mollendorf and Wied beside him again, near this Village of Burkersdorf; and
has his completely scenic Czernichef, and partly scenic Ziethen and others, all in their places behind
himquietly crushes Daun's people out of Burkersdorf Village; and furthermore, so soon as Night has fallen,
bursts up, for his own uses, Burkersdorf old Castle, and its obstinate handful of defenders, which was a
noisier process. Which done, he diligently sets to trenching, building batteries in that part; will have forty
formidable guns, howitzers a good few of them, ready before sunrise. And so,
WEDNESDAY, 21st JULY, 1762, All Prussians are in motion, far and wide; especially Mollendorf and Wied
(VERSUS O'Kelly and Prince de Ligne),which Pair of Prussians may be defined rather as near and close;
these Two being, in fact, the soul of the matter, and all else garniture and semblance. About 4 in the morning,
Friedrich's Battery of 40 has begun raging; the howitzers diligent upon O'Kelly and his Burkersdorf
Height,not much hurting O'Kelly or his Height, so high was it, but making a prodigious noise upon
O'Kelly; others of the cannon shearing home on those palisades and elaborations, in the Weistritz Valley in
particular, and quite tearing up a Cavalry Regiment which was drawn out there; so that O'Kelly had instantly
to call it home, in a very wrecked condition. Why O'Kelly ever put it thereexcept that he saw no place for
it in his rugged localities, or no use for it anywhereis still a mystery to the intelligent mind. [Tempelhof, vi.
107.] The howitzers, their shells bursting mostly in the air, did O'Kelly little hurt, nor for hours yet was there
any real attack on Burkersdorf or him; but the noise, the horrid deathblaze was prodigious, and kept
O'Kelly, like some others, in an agitated, occupied condition till their own turn came.
For it had been ordered that Wied and Mollendorf were not to attack together: not together, but
successively,for the following reasons. TOGETHER; suppose Mollendorf to prosper on O'Kelly (whom he
is to storm, not by the steep front part as O'Kelly fancies, but to go round by the western flank and take him
in rear); suppose Mollendorf to be near prospering on Burkersdorf Height,unless Wied too have prospered,
Ludwigsdorf batteries and forces will have Mollendorf by the right flank, and between two fires he will be
ruined; he and everything! On the other hand, let Wied try first: if Wied can manage Ludwigsdorf, well: if
Wied cannot, he comes home again with small damage; and the whole Enterprise is off for the present. That
was Friedrich's wise arrangement, and the reason why he so bombards O'Kelly with thunder, blank mostly.
And indeed, from 4 this morning and till 4 in the afternoon, there is such an outburst and blazing series of
Scenic Effect, and thunder mostly blank, going on far and near all over that District of Country: General This
ostentatiously speeding off, as if for attack on some important place; General That, for attack on some other;
all hands busy,the 20,000 Russians not yet speeding, but seemingly just about to do it,and blank thunder
so mixed with not blank, and scenic effect with bitter reality, [Tempelhof, vi. 105111.]as was seldom
seen before. And no wisest Daun, not to speak of his O'Kellys and lieutenants, can, for the life of him, say
where the real attack is to be, or on what hand to turn himself. Daun in person, I believe, is still at
Tannhausen, near the centre of this astonishing scene; five or six miles from any practical part of it. And does
order forward, hither, thither, masses of force to support the De Ligne, the O'Kelly, among others,but who
can tell what to support? Daun's lieutenants were alert some of them, others less: General Guasco, for
instance, who is in Schweidnitz, an alert Commandant, with 12,000 picked men, was drawing out, of his own
will, with certain regiments to try Friedrich's rear: but a check was put on him (some dangerous shake of the
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fist from afar), when he had to draw in again. In general the O'Kelly supports sat gazing dubiously, and did
nothing for O'Kelly but roll back along with him, when the time came. But let us first attend to Wied, and the
LudwigsdorfLeuthmannsdorf part.
Wied, divided into Three, is diligently pushing up on Ludwigsdorf by the slacker eastern ascents; meets firm
enough battalions, potent, dangerous and resolute in their strong posts; but endeavors firmly to be more
dangerous than they. Dislodges everything, on his right, on his left; comes in sight of the batteries and ranked
masses atop, which seem to him difficult indeed; flatly impossible, if tried on front; but always some Colonel
Lottum, or quickeyed man, finds some little valley, little hollow; gets at the Enemy sidewise and
rearwise; rushes on with fixed bayonets, double quick, to cooperate with the front: and, on the whole,
there are the best news from Wied, and we perceive he sees his way through the affair.
Upon which, Mollendorf gets in motion, upon his specific errand. Mollendorf has been surveying his ground
a little, during the leisure hour; especially examining what mode of passage there may be, and looking for
some road up those slacker western parts: has found no road, but a kind of sheep track, which he thinks will
do. Mollendorf, with all energy, surmounting many difficulties, pushes up accordingly; gets into his
sheeptrack; finds, in the steeper part of this track, that horses cannot draw his cannon; sets his men to do it;
pulls and pushes, he and they, with a right will;sees over his left shoulder, at a certain point, the ranked
Austrians waiting for him behind their cannon (which must have been an interesting glimpse of scenery for
some moments); tugs along, till he is at a point for planting his cannon; and then, under help of these, rushes
forward,in two parts, perhaps in three, but with one impetus in all,to seize the Austrian fruit set before
him. Surely, if a precious, a very prickly Pomegranate, to clutch hold of on different sides, after such a climb!
The Austrians make stiff fight; have abatis, multiplex defences; and Mollendorf has a furious wrestle with
this last remnant, holding out wonderfully, till at length the abatis itself catches fire, in the musketry, and
they have to surrender. This must be about noon, as I collect: and Feldmarschall Daun himself now orders
everybody to fall back. And the tug of fight is over;though Friedrich's scenic effects did not cease; and in
particular his big battery raged till 5 in the afternoon, the more to confirm Daun's rearward resolutions and
quicken his motions. On fall of night, Daun, everybody having had his orders, and been making his
preparations for six hours past, ebbed totally away; in perfect order, bag and baggage. Well away to
southward; and left Friedrich quit of him. [Tempelhof. vi. 100115: compare Bericht von der bey
Leutmannsdorf den 21sten Julius 1762 vorgefallenen Action (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 302308); Anderweiter
Bericht von der (ib. 308314); Archenholtz,
Quit of Daun forevermore, as it turned out. Plainly free, at any rate, to begin upon Schweidnitz, whenever he
sees good. Of the behavior of Wied, Mollendorf, and their people, indeed of the Prussians one and all, what
can be said, but that it was worthy of their Captain and of the Plannings he had made? Which is saying a great
deal. "We got above 14 big guns," report they; "above 1,000 prisoners, and perhaps twice as many that
deserted to us in the days following." Czernichef was full of admiration at the day's work: he marched early
next morning,I trust with lasting gratitude on the part of an obliged Friedrich.
Some three weeks before this of Burkersdorf, Duke Ferdinand, near a place called Wilhelmsthal, in the
neighborhood of Cassel, in woody broken country of Hill and Dale, favorable for strategic contrivances, had
organized a beautiful movement from many sides, hoping to overwhelm the too careless or too ignorant
French, and gain a signal victory over them: BATTLE, so called, OF WILHELMSTHAL, JUNE 24th, 1762,
being the result. Mauvillon never can forgive a certain stupid Hanoverian, who mistook his orders; and on
getting to his Hilltop, which was the centre of all the rest,formed himself with his BACK to the point of
attack; and began shooting cannon at next to nothing, as if to warn the French, that they had better instantly
make off! Which they instantly set about, with a will; and mainly succeeded in; nothing all day but mazes of
intricate marching on both sides, with spurts of fight here and there,ending in a truly stiff bout between
Granby and a Comte de Stainville, who covered the retreat, and who could not be beaten without a great deal
of trouble. The result a kind of victory to Ferdinand; but nothing like what he expected. [Mauvillon, ii.
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227236; Tempelhof, vi.
Soubise leads the French this final Year; but he has a D'Estrees with him (our old D'Estrees of
HASTENBECK), who much helps the account current; and though generally on the declining hand (obliged
to give up Gottingen, to edge away farther and farther out of Hessen itself, to give up the Weser, and see no
shift but the farther side of Fulda, with Frankfurt to rear),is not often caught napping as here at
Wilhelmsthal. There ensued about the banks of the Fulda, and the question, Shall we be driven across it
sooner or not so soon? a great deal of fighting and pushing (Battle called of LUTTERNBERG, Battle of
JOHANNISBERG, and others): but all readers will look forward rather to the CANNONADE OF
AMONEBURG, more precisely Cannonade of the BRUCKENMUHLE (September 2lst), which finishes
these wearisome deathwrestlings. Peace is coming; all the world can now count on that!
Bute is ravenous for Peace; has been privately taking the most unheardof steps:wrote to Kaunitz, "Peace
at once and we will vote for your HAVING Silesia;" to which Kaunitz, suspecting trickery in artless Bute,
answered, haughtily sneering, "No help needed from your Lordship in that matter!" After which repulse, or
before it, Bute had applied to the Czar's Minister in London: "Czarish Majesty to have East Preussen
guaranteed to him, if he will insist that the King of Prussia DISPENSE with Silesia;" which the indignant
Czar rejected with scorn, and at once made his Royal Friend aware of; with what emotion on the Royal
Friend's part we have transiently seen. "Horrors and perfidies!" ejaculated he, in our hearing lately; and
regarded Bute, from that time, as a knave and an imbecile both in one; nor ever quite forgave Bute's Nation
either, which was far from being Bute's accomplice in this unheardof procedure. "No more Alliances with
England!" counted he: "What Alliance can there be with that everfluctuating People? Today they have a
thricenoble Pitt; tomorrow a thricepaltry Bute, and all goes heelsoverhead on the sudden!" [Preuss, ii.
308; Mitchell, ii. 286.]
Bute, at this rate of going, will manage to get hold of Peace before long. To Friedrich himself, a Siege of
Schweidnitz is now free; Schweidnitz his, the Austrians will have to quit Silesia. "Their cash is out: except
prayer to the Virgin, what but Peace can they attempt farther? In Saxony things will have gone ill, if there be
not enough left us to offer them in return for Glatz. And Peace and ASYOUWERE must ensue!"
Let us go upon Schweidnitz, therefore; pausing on none of these subsidiary things; and be brief upon
Schweidnitz too.
Chapter XII. SIEGE OF SCHWEIDNITZ: SEVENTH CAMPAIGN ENDS.
Daun being now cleared away, Friedrich instantly proceeds upon Schweidnitz. Orders the necessary Siege
Materials to get under way from Neisse; posts his Army in the proper places, between Daun and the
Fortress,King's headquarter Dittmannsdorf, Army spread in fine large crescentshape, to southwest of
Schweidnitz some ten miles, and as far between Daun and it;orders home to him his UpperSilesia
Detachments, "Home, all of you, by Neisse Country, to make up for Czernichef's departure; from Neisse
onwards you can guard the SiegeAmmunition wagons!" Naturally he has blockaded Schweidnitz, from the
first; he names Tauentzien SiegeCaptain, with a 10 or 12,000 to do the Siege: "Ahead, all of you!"and in
short, AUGUST 7th, with the due adroitness and precautions, opens his first parallel; suffering little or
nothing hitherto by a resistance which is rather vehement. [Tempelhof, vi. 126.] He expects to have the place
in a couple of weeks"one week (HUIT JOUR)" he sometimes counts it, but was far out in his reckoning as
to time.
The Siege of Schweidnitz occupied two most laborious, tedious months;and would be wearisome to every
reader now, as it was to Friedricb then, did we venture on more than the briefest outline. The resistance is
vehement, very skilful:Commandant is Guasco (the same who was so truculent to Schmettau in the
Dresden time); his Garrison is near 12,000, picked from all regiments of the Austrian Army; his provisions,
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ammunitions, are of the amplest; and he has under him as chief Engineer a M. Gribeauval, who understands
"countermining" like no other. After about a fortnight of trial, and one Event in the neighborhood which
shall be mentioned, this of Mining and Counterminingthough the External Sap went restlessly forward
too, and the cannonading was incessant on both sidescame to be regarded more and more as the real
method, and for six or seven weeks longer was persisted in, with wonderful tenacity of attempt and
resistance. Friedrich's chief Mining Engineer is also a Frenchman, one Lefebvre; who is personally the rival
of Gribeauval (his old classfellow at College, I almost think); but is not his equal in subterranean work,or
perhaps rather has the harder task of it, that of Mining, instead of COUNTERmining, or SPOILING Mines.
Tempelhof's account of these two people, and their underground wrestle here, is really curious
reading;clear as daylight to those that will study, but of endless expansion (as usual in Tempelhof), and fit
only to be indicated here. [Tempelhof, vi. 122219; Bericht und Tagebuch von der Belagerung von
Schweidnitz vom 7ten August bis 9 October, 1762 (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 376479); Archenholtz, Retzow,
The external Event I promised to mention is an attempt on Daun's part (August 16th) to break in upon
Friedrich's position, and interrupt the Siege, or render it still impossible. Event called the BATTLE OF
REICHENBACH, though there was not much of battle in it;in which our old friend the Duke of
BrunswickBevern (whom we have seen in abeyance, and merely a Garrison Commandant, for years back,
till the Russians left Stettin to itself) again played a shining part.
Daunat Tannhausen, 10 miles to southwest of Friedrich, and spread out among the Hills, with Loudons,
Lacys, Becks, as lieutenants, and in plenty of force, could he resolve on using ithas at last, after a month's
meditation, hit upon a plan. Plan of flowing round by the southern skirt of Friedrich, and seizing certain
Heights to the southeastern or open side of Schweidnitz,Koltschen Height the key one; from which he may
spread up at will, Height after Height, to the very Zobtenberg on that eastern side, and render Schweidnitz an
impossibility. The plan, people say, was good; but required rapidity of execution,a thing Daun is not strong
in.
Bevern's behavior, too, upon whom the edge of the matter fell, was very good. Bevern, coming on from
Neisse and Upper Silesia, had been much manoeuvred upon for various days by Beck; Beck, a dangerous,
alert man, doing his utmost to seize post after post, and bar Bevern's way,meaning especially, as ultimate
thing, to get hold of a Height called Fischerberg, which lies near Reichenbach (in the southern Schweidnitz
vicinities), and is preface to Koltschen Height and to the whole Enterprise of Daun. In most of which
attempts, especially in this last, Bevern, with great merit, not of dexterity alone (for the King's Orders had
often to be DISobeyed in the letter, and only the spirit of them held in view), contrived to outmanoeuvre
Beck; and be found (August 13th) already firm on the Fischerberg, when Beck, in full confidence, came
marching towards it. "The Fischerberg lost to us!" Beck had to report, in disappointment. "Must be recovered,
and my grand Enterprise no longer put off!" thinks Daun to himself, in still more disappointment ("Laggard
that I am!").And on the third day following, the BATTLE OF REICHENBACH ensued. Lacy, as chief,
with abundant force, and Beck and Brentano under him: these are to march, "Recover me that Fischerberg; it
is the preface to Koltschen and all else!" [Tempelhof, vi. 144.]
MONDAY, AUGUST 16th, pretty early in the day, Lacy, with his Becks and Brentanos, appeared in great
force on the western side of Fischerberg; planted themselves there, about the three Villages of Peilau (Upper,
Nether and Middle Peilau, a little way to south of Reichenbach), within cannonshot of Bevern; their purpose
abundantly clear. Behind them, in the gorges of the Mountains, what is not so clear, lay Daun and most of his
Army; intending to push through at once upon Koltschen and seize the key, were this of Fischerberg had.
Lacy, after reconnoitring a little, spreads his tents (which it is observable Beck does not); and all Austrians
proceed to cooking their dinner. "Nothing coming of them till tomorrow!" said Friedrich, who was here; and
went his way home, on this symptom of the Austrian procedures;hardly consenting to regard them farther,
even when he heard their cannonade begin.
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Lacy, the general composure being thus established, and dinner well done, suddenly drew out about five in
the evening, in long strong line, before these Hamlets of Peilau, on the western side of the Fischerberg; Beck
privately pushing round by woods to take it on the eastern side: and there ensued abundant cannonading on
the part of Lacy and Brentano, and some idle flourishing about of horse, responded to by Bevern; and, on the
part of Lacy and Brentano, nothing else whatever. More like a theatre fight than a real one, says Tempelhof.
Beck, however, is in earnest; has a most difficult march through the tangled pathless woods; does arrive at
length, and begin real fighting, very sharp for some time; which might have been productive, had Lacy given
the least help to it, as he did NOT. [Tempelhof, vi. 146151.] Beck did his fieriest; but got repulsed
everywhere. Beck tries in various places; finds swamps, impediments, fierce resistance from the Bevern
people;finds, at length, that the King is awake, and that reinforcements, horse, foot, ridingartillery, are
coming in at the gallop; and that he, Beck, cannot too soon get away.
None of the King's Foot people could get in for a stroke, though they came mostly running (distance five
miles); but the Horse charges were beautifully impressive on Lacy's theatrical performers, as was the
HorseArtillery to a still more surprising degree; and produced an immediate EXEUNT OMNES on the Lacy
part. All off; about 7 P.M.,Sun just going down in the autumn sky;and the Battle of Reichenbach a thing
finished. Seeing which, Daun also immediately withdrew, through the gorges of the Mountains again. And
for seven weeks thenceforth sat contemplative, without the least farther attempt at relief of Schweidnitz. It
was during those seven weeks, some time after this, that poor Madam Daun, going to a Levee at Schonbrunn
one day, had her carriage half filled with symbolical nightcaps, successively flung in upon her by the Vienna
people;symbolical; in lieu of Slashing Articles, and Newspapers the best Instructors, which they as yet
have not.
Next day the Joyfire of the Prussians taught Guasco what disaster had happened; and on the fifth day
afterwards (August 22d), hearing nothing farther of Daun, Guasco offered to surrender, on the principle of
Free Withdrawal. "No, never," answered Tauentzien, by the King's order: "As Prisoners of War it must be!"
Upon which Guasco stood to his defences again; and maintained himself, Gribeauval and he did,with an
admirable obstinacy: the details of which would be very wearisome to readers. Gribeauval and he, I said; for
from this time, Engineer Lefebvre, though he tried (with bad skill, thinks Tempelhof) some bits of assault
above ground, took mainly to mining, and a grand underground invention called GLOBES DE
COMPRESSION; which he reckoned to be the real sovereign method,unlucky that he was! I may at least
explain what GLOBE DE COMPRESSION is; for it becomes famous on this occasion, and no name could be
less descriptive of the thing. Not a GLOBE at all, for that matter, nor intended to "compress," but to EXpress,
and shatter to pieces in a transcendent degree: it is, in fact, a huge cubical minechamber, filled by a wooden
box (till Friedrich, in his hurry, taught Lefebvre that a sack would do as well), loaded with, say, five
thousandweight of powder. Sufficient to blow any hornwork, bastion, bulwark, into the air,provided
you plant it in the right place; which poor Lefebre never can. He tried, with immense labor, successively
some four or almost five of these "PRESS BALLS" so called (or Volcanoes in Little); mining on, many
yards, 15 or 20 feet underground (tormented by Gribeauval all the way); then at last, exploding his five
thousandweight,would produce a "Funnel," or crater, of perhaps "30 yards in diameter," but, alas, "150
yards OFF any bastion." Funnel of no use to him; mere sign to him that he must go down into it, and begin
there again; with better aim, if possible. And then Gribeauval's tormentings; never were the like! Gribeauval
has, all round under the Glacis, minegalleries, or mainroads for Countermining, ready to his hand
(minegalleries built by Friedrich while lately proprietor); there Gribeauval is hearkening the beat of
Lefebvre's picks: "Ten yards from us, think you? Six yards? Get a 30 hundredweight of chamber ready for
him!" And will, at the right moment, blow Lefebvre's gallery about his ears;sometimes bursts in upon him
bodily with pistol and cutlass, or still worse, with explosive sulphurballs, chokepots and infinitudes of
malodor instantaneously developed on Lefebvre,which mean withal, "You will have to begin again,
Monsieur!" Enough to drive a Lefebvre out of his wits. Twice, or oftener, Lefebvre, a zealous creature but a
thinskinned, flew out into open paroxysm; wept, invoked the gods, threatened suicide: so that Friedrich had
to console him, "Courage, you will manage it; make chicanes on Gribeauval, as he does on you,"and
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suggested that powderSACK instead of dealbox, which we just mentioned.
Friedrich's patience seems to have been great; but in the end he began to think the time long. He was in three
successive head quarters, Dittmannsdorf, Peterswaldau, Bogendorf, nearer and nearer; at length quite near
(Bogendorf within a couple of miles); and wondering Gazetteers reported him on horseback, examining
minutely the parallels and siegeworks,with a singular indifference to the cannonballs flying about ("Not
easy to hit a small object with cannon!"), and intent only on giving Tauentzien suggestions, admonitions and
new orders. Here, prior to Bogendorf, are three snatches of writing, which successively have indications for
us. KING TO PRINCE HENRI:
PETERSWALDAU, AUGUST 13th, 1762 (King has just shifted hither, August 10th, on the
BevernREICHENBACH score; continues here till September 23d). ... "You are right to say, 'We ourselves
are our best Allies.' I am of the same opinion; nevertheless, it is a clear duty and call of prudence to try and
alleviate the burden as much as possible: and I own to you, that if, after all I have written, the thing fails this
time [as it does], I shall be obliged to grant that there is nothing to be made of those Turks.""We are now
in the press of our crisis as to Schweidnitz. The Siege advances beautifully: but Beck is come hereabouts,
Lacy masked behind him; and I cannot yet tell you [not till REICHENBACH and the 16th] whether the
Enemy intends some big adventure for disengaging Schweidnitz, or will content himself with disturbing and
annoying us."
PETERSWALDAU, 9th SEPTEMBER. Springs, waterthreads coming into our mines delay us a little: "by
the 12th [in 3 days' time, little thinking it would be 30 days!] I still hope to despatch you a courier with the
news, All is over! Your Nephew [Prince of Prussia] is out today assisting in a forage; he begins to kindle
into fine action. We are nothing but pygmies in comparison to him [in point of physical stature]; imagine to
yourself Prince Franz [of Brunswick; killed, poor fellow, at Hochkirch], only taller still: this is the figure of
him at present."
PETERSWALDAU, SEPTEMBER 19th. ... "Our Siege wearies all the world; people persecute me to know
the end of it; I never get a Berlin Letter without something on that head;and I have no resource myself but
patience. We do all we can: but I cannot hinder the enemy from defending himself, and Gribeauval from
being a clever fellow:soon, however, surely soon, soon, we shall see the end. Our weather here is like
December; the Seasons are as mad as the Politics of Europe. Finally, my dear Brother, one must shove Time
on; day follows day, and at last we shall catch the one that ends our labors. Adieu; JE VOUS EMBRASSE."
[Schoning, iii. 403, 430, 446.]Here farther, from the Siegeground itself, are some traceries, scratchings by
a sure hand, which yield us something of image. Date is still only "BEFORE Schweidnitz," far on in the
eighth week:
SEPTEMBER 23d. "This morning, before 9, the King [direct from Peterswaldau, where he has been lodging
hitherto,must have breakfasted rather early] came into the Lines here:his quarter is now to be at
Bogendorf near hand, in a Farm house there. The Prince of Prussia was riding with him, and
LieutenantColonel von Anhalt [the Adjutant whom we have heard of]: he looked at the Battery" lately
ordered by him; "looked at many things; rode along, a good 100 yards inside of the vedettes; so that the
Enemy noticed him, and fired violently,"King decidedly ignoring. "To Captain Beauvrye [Captain of the
Miners] he paid a gracious compliment; Major Lefebvre he rallied a little for losing heart, for bungling his
business; but was not angry with him, consoled him rather; bantered him on the shabbiness of his
equipments, and made him a gift of 400 thalers (60 pounds), to improve them. Lefebvre, Tauentzien and"
another General "dined with him at Bogendorf today." ["Captain Gotz's NOTEbook" (a conspicuous
Captain here, Notebook still in manuscript, I think): cited in SCHONING, iii. 453 et seq.]
SEPTEMBER 24th, EARLY. "The King on horseback viewed the trenches, rode close behind the first
parallel, along the midmost communicationline: the Enemy cannonaded at us horribly
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(ERSCHRECKLICH); a ball struck down the Page von Pirch's horse [Pirch lay writhing, making
moan,plainly overmuch, thought the King]: on Pirch's accident, too, the Prince of Prussia's horse made a
wild plunge, and pitched its rider aloft out of the saddle; people thought the Prince was shot, and everybody
was in horror: great was the commotion; only the King was heard calling with a clear voice, 'PIRCH,
VERGISS ER SEINEN SATTEL NICHT,Pirch, bring your saddle with you!'"
This of Pirch and the saddle is an Anecdote in wide circulation; taken sometimes as a proof of Royal thrift;
but is mainly the Royal mode of rebuking Pirch for his weak behavior in the accident that had befallen. Pirch,
an ingenious handy kind of fellow, famed for his pranks and trickeries in those Pagedays, had many
adventures in the world;was, for one while, something of a notability among the French; will "teach you
the Prussian mode of drill," and actually got leave to try it "on the German Regiments in our service:"
[Voltaire's wondering Report of him ("Ferney, 7th December, 1774"), and Friedrich's quiet Answer ("Berlin,
28th Dec. 1774"): in OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 297, 301. Rodenbeck (ii. 198200) haa a slight
"BIOGRAPHY" of Pirch.] died, finally, as Colonel of one of these, at the Siege of Gibraltar, in 1783.
SEPTEMBER 25th. "Morning and noon, each time two hours, the King was in his new batteries; and, with
great satisfaction, watched the working of them. This day there dined with him the Prince of Bernburg
[General of Brigade here], Tauentzien, Lefebvre and Dieskau" (head of the Artillery).
The King is always riding about; has now, virtually, taken charge of the Siege himself. "In Bogendorf, the
first night, he dismissed the Guard sent for him; would have nothing there but six chasers (JAGER):" an
alarming case! "After a night or two, there came always, without his knowledge, a dragoon party of 30 horse;
took post behind Bogendorf Church, patrolled towards Kunzendorf, Giesdorf, and had three pickets."
SEPTEMBER 28th. "Gribeauval has sprung a mine last night;" totally blown up Lefebvre again!
"EngineerLieutenants Gerhard and Von Kleist were wounded by our own people; Captain Guyon was shot:"
things all going wrong,weather, I suspect also, bad. "The King was in dreadful humor (SEHR
UNGNADIG); rated and rebuked to right and left: 'If it should last till January, the Attack must go on.
Nobody seems to be able for his business; Lefebvre a blockhead (DUMMER TEUFEL), who knows nothing
of mining: the Generals, too, where are they? Every General henceforth is to take his place in the third
parallel, at the head of his CoveringParty [most exposed place of all], and stay his whole twentyfour hours
there [Prince of AnhaltBernburg is CoveringParty today; I hope, in his post during this thunder!]: Taken
the Place can and must be! We have the misfortune, That a stupid Engineer who knows nothing of his art has
the direction; and a General without sense in Sieging has the command. Everybody is at a NON PLUS, it
appears! Not all our Artillery can silence that Frontfire; not in a single place can Thirty stupid Miners get
into the Fort.' Today and yesterday the King spoke neither to General Tauentzien nor to Major Lefebvre;
LieutenantColonel von Anhalt had to give all the Orders." An electric kind of day!
The weather is becoming wet. In fact, there ensue whole weeks of rain,the trenches swimming, service
very hard. Guasco's guns are many of them dismounted; no Daun to be heard of. Guasco again and again
proposes modified capitulations; answer always, "Prisoners of War on the common terms." Guasco is
wearing low: OCTOBER 7th (Lefebvre sweating and puffing at his last Globe of Expression, hoping to hit
the mark this last time), an accidental grenade from Tauentzien, above ground, rolled into one of Guasco's
powder vaults; blew it, and a good space of Wall along with it, into wreck; two days after which, Guasco
had finished his Capitulating; and we get done with this wearisome affair. [Tempelhof, vi. 122220;
Tagebuch von der Belagerung von Schweidnitz vom 7ten August bis 9ten October, 1762 (Seyfarth, Beylagen,
iii. 376497); Tielke, Guasco was invited to dine with the King; praised for his excellent defence. Prisoners
of War his Garrison and he; about 9,000 of them still on their feet; their entire loss had been 3,552 killed and
wounded; that of the Prussians 3,033. Poor Guasco died, in Konigsberg, still prisoner, before the Peace came.
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Of Austrian fighting in Silesia, this proved to be the last, in the present Controversy which has endured so
long. No thought of fighting is in Daun; far the reverse. Daun is getting ill off for horseforage in his
Mountains; the weather is bad upon him; we hear "he has had, for some time past, 12,000 laborers"
palisading and fortifying at the Passes of Bohemia: "Truce for the Winter" is what he proposes. To which the
King answers, "No; unless you retire wholly within Bohemia and Glatz Country:" this at present Daun
grudged to do; but was forced to it, some weeks afterwards, by the sleets and the snows, had there been no
other pressure. In about three weeks hence, Friedrich, leaving Bevern in command here, and a Silesia more or
less adjusted, made for Saxony; whither important reinforcements had preceded him,reinforcements under
General Wied, the instant it was possible. Saxony he had long regarded as the grand point, were Schweidnitz
over: "Recapture Dresden, and they will have to give us Peace this very Winter!" Daun, also with
reinforcements, followed him to Saxony, as usual; but never quite arrived, or else found matters settled on
arriving;and will not require farther mention in this History. He died some three years hence, age 60; ["5th
February, 1766;" "born 24th September, 1705" (Hormayr OEsterreichischer Plutarch, ii. 80111).] an
honorable, imperturbable, eupeptic kind of man, sufficiently known to readers by this time.
Friedrich did not recapture Dresden; far enough from that,though Peace came all the same. Hardly a week
after our recovery of Schweidnitz, Stollberg and his Reichsfolk, especially his Austrians, became
unexpectedly pert upon Henri; pressed forward (October 15th), in overpowering force, into his Posts about
Freyberg, Pretschendorf and that southwestern Reichward part: "No more invadings of Bohemia from you,
Monseigneur; no more tormentings of the Reich; here is other work for you, my Prince!" and in spite of all
Prince Henri could do, drove him back, clear out of Freyberg; northwestward, towards Hulsen and his
reserves. [ Bericht von dem Angriff so am 15ten October, 1762, van der ReichsArmee auf die
KongilichPreussischen unter dem Prinzen Heinrich geschehen (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 362364).
Ausfuhrlicher Bericht von der den 15ten October, 1762, bey Brand vorgefallenen Action (Ib. iii. 350362).
Tempelhof, vi. 238.] Giving him, in this manner, what soldiers call a slap; slap which might have been more
considerable, had those Stollberg people followed it up with emphasis. But they did not; so alert was Henri.
Henri at once rallied beautifully from his slap (King's reinforcements coming too, as we have said); and, in
ten days' time, without any reinforcement, paid Stollberg and Company by a stunning blow: BATTLE OF
FREYBERG (October 29th),which must not go without mention, were it only as Prince Henri's sole
Battle, and the last of this War. Preparatory to which and its sequel, let us glance again at Duke Ferdinand
and the EnglishFrench posture,also for the last time.
CANNONADE AT AMONEBURG (2lst September, 1762). "The controversies about right or left bank of
the Fulda have been settled long since in Ferdinand's favor; who proceeded next to blockade the various
French strongholds in Hessen; Marburg, Ziegenhayn, especially Cassel; with an eye to besieging the same,
and rooting the French permanently out. To prevent or delay which, what can Soubise and D'Estrees do but
send for their secondary smaller Army, which is in the LowerRhine Country under a Prince de Conde,
mostly idle at present, to come and join them in the critical regions here. Whereupon new Controversy
shifting westward to the Mayn and Nidda Lahn Country, to achieve said Junction and to hinder it. Junction
was not to be hindered. The D'EstreesSoubise people and young Conde made good manoeuvring, handsome
fight on occasion; so that in spite of all the Erbprinz could do, they got hands joined; far too strong for the
Erbprinz thenceforth; and on the last night of August were all fairly together, headquarter Friedberg in
Frankfurt Country (a thirty miles north of Frankfurt); and were earnestly considering the now not hopeless
question, 'How, or by what routes and methods, push to northwestward, get through to those blockaded
Hessian Strongplaces, Cassel especially; and hinder Ferdinand's besieging them, and quite outrooting us
there?'
"This is a difficult question, but a vital. 'Sweep rapidly past Ferdinand,cannot we? Well frontward or
eastward of him, dexterously across the Lahn and its Branches (our light people are to rear of him, on this
side of the Fulda, between the Fulda and him): once joined with those light people by such methods, we have
Cassel ahead, Ferdinand to rear, and will make short work with the blockades,the blockades will have to
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rise in a hurry!' This was the plan devised by D'Estrees; and rapidly set about; but it was seen into, at the first
step, by Ferdinand, who proved still more rapid upon it. Campings, countercampings, crossings of the Lahn
by D'Estrees people, then recrossings of it, ensued for above a fortnight; which are not for mention here: in
fine, about the middle of September, the D'Estrees Enterprise had plainly become impossible, unless it could
get across the Ohm,an eastern, or widecircling northeastern Branch of the Lahn,where, on the right or
eastern bank of which, as better for him than the Lahn itself in this part, Ferdinand now is. 'Across the Ohm:
and that, how can that be done, the provident Ferdinand having laid hold of Ohm, and secured every pass of
it, several days ago! Perhaps by a Surprisal; by extreme despatch?'
"Amoneburg is a pleasant little Town, about thirty miles east of Marburg,in which latter we have been, in
very old times; looking after St. Elizabeth, Teutsch Ritters, Philip the Magnanimous and other objects.
Amoneburg stands on the left or western bank of the Ohm, with an old Schloss in it, and a Bridge near by;
both of which, Ferdinand, the left or southmost wing of whose Position on the other bank of Ohm is
hereabouts, has made due seizure of. Seizure of the Bridge, first of all,Bridge with a Mill at it (which, in
consequence, is called BRUCKENMUHLE, BridgeMill),at the eastern end of this there is a strong
Redoubt, with the Bridge way blocked and rammed ahead of it; there Ferdinand has put 200 men; 500 more
are across in Amoneburg and its old Castle. Unless by surprisal and extreme despateh, there is clearly no
hope! Ferdinand's headquarter is seven or eight miles to northwest of this his BruckenMuhle and extreme
left; next to BruckenMuhle is Zastrow's Division; next, again, is Granby's; several Divisions between
Ferdinand and it; 'Do it by surprisal, by utmost force of vehemency!' say the French. And accordingly,
"SEPTEMBER 21st [day of the Equinox, 1762], An hour before sunrise, there began, quite on the sudden, a
vivid attack on the Brucken Muhle and on Amoneburg, by cannon, by musketry, by all methods; and, in
spite of the alert and completely obstinate resistance, would not cease; but, on the contrary, seemed to be on
the increasing hand, new cannon, new musketries; and went on, hour after hour, ever the more vivid. So that,
about 8 in the morning, after three hours of this, Zastrow, with his Division, had to intervene: to range
himself on the Hilltop behind this Brucken Muhle; replace the afflicted 200 (many of them hurt, not a few
killed) by a fresh 200 of his own; who again needed to be relieved before long. For the French, whom
Zastrow had to imitate in that respect, kept bringing up more cannon, ever more, as if they would bring up all
the cannon of their Army: and there rose between Zastrow and them such a cannonade, for length and
loudness together, as had not been heard in this War. Most furious cannonading, musketading; and seemingly
no end to it. Ferdinand himself came over to ascertain; found it a hot thing indeed. Zastrow had to relieve his
200 every hour: 'Don't go down in rank, you new ones,' ordered he'slide, leap, descend the hill face in
scattered form: rank at the bottom!'and generally about half of the old 200 were left dead or lamed by their
hour's work. 'They intend to have this Bridge from us at any cost,' thinks Ferdinand; 'and at any cost they
shall not!' And, in the end, orders Granby forward in room of Zastrow, who has had some eight hours of it
now; and rides home to look after his main quarters.
"It was about 4 in the afternoon when Granby and his English came into the fire; and I rather think the French
onslaught was, if anything, more furious than ever:Despair striding visibly forward on it, or something too
like Despair. Amoneburg they had battered to pieces, Wall and Schloss, so that the 500 had to ground arms:
but not an inch of way had they made upon the Bridge, nor were like to make. Granby continued on the old
plan, plying all his diligences and artilleries; needing them all. Fierce work to a degree: '200 of you go down
on wings' (in an hour about 100 will come back)! In English Families you will still hear some vague memory
of Amoneburg, How we had built walls of the dead, and fired from behind them,French more and more
furious, we more and more obstinate. Granby had still four hours of it; sunset, twilight, dusk; about 8, the
French, in what spirits I can guess, ceased, and went their ways. Bridge impossible; game up. They had lost,
by their own account, 1,100 killed and wounded; Ferdinand probably not fewer." [Mauvillon, ii. 251;
HeldenGeschichte, vii. 432439.]
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And in this loud peal, what none could yet know, the FrenchEnglish part of the SevenYears War had
ended. The French attempted nothing farther; hutted themselves where they were, and waited in the pouring
rains: Ferdinand also hutted himself, in guard of the Ohm; while his people plied their Siegebatteries on
Cassel, on Ziegenhayn, cannonading their best in the bad weather;took Cassel, did not quite take
Ziegenhayn, had it been of moment;and for above six weeks coming (till November 7th14th
[Preliminaries of Peace SIGNED, "Paris, November 3d;" known to French Generals "November 7th;" not,
OFFICIALLY, to Ferdinand till "November 14th" (Mauvillon, ii. 257).]), nothing more but skirmishings and
small scuffles, not worth a word from us, fell out between the Two Parties there. That Cannonade of the
BruckenMuhle had been finis.
For supreme Bute, careless of the good news coming in on him from West and from East, or even rather
embarrassed by them, had some time ago started decisively upon the Peace Negotiation. "September 5th,"
three weeks before that of Amoneburg, "the Duke of Bedford, Bute's Plenipotentiary, set out towards
Paris, considerably hissed on the street here by a sulky population," it would seem;"but sure of success
in Paris. Bute shared in none of the national triumphs of this Year. The transports of rejoicing which burst out
on the news of Havana" were a sorrow and distress to him. [Walpole's George the Third, ii. 191.] "Havana,
what shall we do with it?" thought he; and for his own share answered stiffly, "Nothing with it; fling it back
to them!"till some consort of his persuaded him Florida would look better. [Thackeray, ii. 11.] Of Manilla
and the Philippines he did not even hear till Peace was concluded; had made the Most Catholic Carlos a
present of that Colony,who would not even pay our soldiers their Manilla Ransom, as too disagreeable.
Such is the Bute, such and no other, whom the satirical Fates have appointed to crown and finish off the
heroic Day'swork of such a Pitt. Let us, if we can help it, speak no more of him! Friedrich writes before
leaving for Saxony: "The Peace between the English and the French is much farther off than was
thought;so many oppositions do the Spaniards raise, or rather do the French,busy duping this buzzard of
an English Minister, who has not common sense." [Schoning, iii. 480 (To Henri: "Peterswaldau, 17th
October, 1762").] Never fear, your Majesty: a man with Havanas and Manillas of that kind to fling about at
random, is certain to bring Peace, if resolved on it!
We said, Prince Henri rallied beautifully from his little slap and loss of Freyberg (October 15th), and that the
King was sending Wied with reinforcements to him. In fact, Prince Henri of himself was all alertness, and
instantly appeared on the Heights again; seemingly quite in sanguinary humor, and courting Battle, much
more than was yet really the case. Which cowed Stollberg from meddling with him farther, as he might have
done. Not for some ten days had Henri finished his arrangements; and then, under cloud of night (28th29th
OCTOBER, 1762), he did break forward on those Spittelwalds and Michael's Mounts, and multiplex
impregnabilities about Freyberg, in what was thought a very shining manner. The BATTLE OF FREYBERG,
I think, is five or six miles long, all on the west, and finally on the southwest side of Freyberg (north and
northwest sides, with so many batteries and fortified villages, are judged unattackable); and the main stress,
very heavy for some time, lay in the abatis of the Spittelwald (where Seidlitz was sublime), and about the
roots of St. Michael's Mount (the TOP of it Stollberg, or some foolish General of Stollberg's, had left empty;
nobody there when we reached the top),down from which, Freyberg now lying free ahead of us, and the
Spittelwald on our left now also ours, we take Stollberg in rear, and turn him inside out. The Battle lasted
only three hours, till Stollberg and his Maguires, Campitellis and Austrians (especially his Reichsfolk, who
did no work at all, except at last running), were all under way; and the hopes of some Saxon Victory to
balance one's disgraces in Silesia had altogether vanished. [ Beschreibung der am 29sten October, 1762, bey
Freyberg vorgefallenen Schlacht (Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 365376). Tempelhof, vi. 235258;
HeldenGeschichte, vii. 177181.]
Of Austrians and Reichsfolk together I dimly count about 40,000 in this Action; Prince Henri seems to have
been well under 30,000. ["29 battalions, 60 squadrons," VERSUS "49 battalions, 68 squadrons" (Schoning,
iii. 499).] I will give Prince Henri's DESPATCH to his Brother (a most modest Piece); and cannot afford to
say more of the matter,except that "Wegfurth," where Henri gets on march the night before, lies 8 or more
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miles westbynorth of Freyberg and the Spittelwald, and is about as far straight south from Hainichen,
Gellert's birthplace, who afterwards got the War horse now coming into action,I sometimes think, with
what surprise to that quadruped!
PRINCE HENRI TO THE KING (Battle just done; King on the road from Silesia hither, Letter meets him at
Lowenberg).
"FREYBERG, 29th October, 1762.
"MY DEAREST BROTHER,It is a happiness for me to send you the agreeable news, That your Army has
this day gained a considerable advantage over the combined Austrian and Reichs Army. I marched
yesternight; I had got on through Wegfurth, leaving Spittelwald [Tempelhof, p. 237.] to my left, with intent to
seize [storm, if necessary] the Height of St. Michael,when I came upon the Enemy's Army. I made two
true attacks, and two false: the Enemy resisted obstinately; but the sustained valor of your troops prevailed:
and, after three hours in fire, the Enemy was obliged to yield everywhere. I don't yet know the number of
Prisoners; but there must be above 4,000:the Reichs Army has lost next to nothing; the stress of effort fell
to the Austrian share. We have got quantities of Cannon and Flags; LieutenantGeneral Roth of the Reichs
Army is among our Prisoners. I reckon we have lost from 2 to 3,000 men; among them no Officer of mark.
LieutenantGeneral von Seidlitz rendered me the highest services; in a place where the Cavalry could not act
[border of the Spittelwald, and its impassable entanglements and obstinacies], he put himself at the head of
the Infantry, and did signal services [his Battle mainly, scheming and all, say some illnatured private
accounts]; Generals Belling and Kleist [renowned Colonels known to us, now become MajorGenerals] did
their very best. All the Infantry was admirable; not one battalion yielded ground. My AidedeCamp
[Kalkreuth, a famous man in the Napoleon times long after], who brings you this, had charge of assisting to
conduct the attack through the Spittelwald [and did it well, we can suppose]: if, on that ground, you pleased
to have the goodness to advance him, I should have my humble thanks to give you. There are a good many
Officers who have distinguished themselves and behaved with courage, for whom I shall present similar
requests. You will permit me to pay those who have taken cannons and flags (100 ducats per cannon, 50 per
flag, or whatever the tariff was:"By all manner of means!" his Majesty would answer].
"The Enemy is retiring towards Dresden and Dippoldiswalde. I am sending at his heels this night, and shall
hear the result. My AidedeCamp is acquainted with all, and will be able to render you account of
everything you may wish to know in regard to our present circumstances. General Wied, I believe, will cross
Elbe tomorrow [General Wied, with 10,000 to help us,for whom it was too dangerous to wait, or perhaps
there was a spur on one's own mind?]; his arrival would be [not "would have been:" CELA VIENDRAIT, not
even VIENDRA] very opportune for me. I am, with all attachment, my dearest Brother,your most devoted
Servant and Brother,HENRI." [Schoning, iii. 491, 492.]
Tomorrow, in cipher, goes the following Despatch:
"FREYBERG, 30th October, 1762.
"General Wied [not yet come to hand, or even got across Elbe] informs me, That Prince Albert of Saxony
[pushing hither with reinforcement, sent by Daun] must have crossed Elbe yesterday at Pirna [did not show
face here, with his large reinforcements to them, or what would have become of us!];and that for this
reason he, Wied, must himself cross; which he will tomorrow. The same day I am to be joined by some
battalions from General Hulsen; and the day after tomorrow, when General Wied [coming by Meissen
Bridge, it appears] shall have reached the Katzenhauser, the whole of General Hulsen's troops will join me.
Directly thereupon I shall" [Schoning, p. 493.] Or no more of that second Despatch; Friedrich's LETTER
IN RESPONSE is better worth giving:
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"LOWENBERG, 2d November, 1762.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,The arrival of Kalkreuter [so he persists in calling him], and of your Letter, my
dear Brother, has made me twenty [not to say forty] years younger: yesterday I was sixty, today hardly
eighteen. I bless Heaven for preserving you in health (BONNE SANTE," so we term escape of lesion in
fight); "and that things have passed so happily! You took the good step of attacking those who meant to
attack you; and, by your good and solid measures (DISPOSITIONS), you have overcome all the difficulties
of a strong Post and a vigorous resistance. It is a service so important rendered by you to the State, that I
cannot enough express my gratitude, and will wait to do it in person.
"Kalkreuter will explain what motions I ... If Fortune favor our views on Dresden [which it cannot in the
least, at this late season], we shall indubitably have Peace this Winter or next Spring,and get honorably out
of a difficult and perilous conjuncture, where we have often seen ourselves within two steps of total
destruction. And, by this which you have now done, to you alone will belong the honor of having given the
final stroke to Austrian Obstinacy, and laid the foundations of the Public Happiness, which will be the
consequence of Peace.F." [Ib. iii. 495, 496.]
Two days after this, November 4th, Friedrich is in Meissen; November 9th, he comes across to Freyberg; has
pleasant day, pleasant survey of the Battlefield, Henri and Seidlitz escorting as guides. Henri, in
furtherance of the Dresden project, has Kleist out on the Bohemian Magazines,"That is the one way to
clear Dresden neighborhood of Enemies!" thinks Henri always. Kleist burns the considerable magazine of
Saatz; finds the grand one of Leitmeritz too well guarded for him:upon which, in such snowdrifts and
sleety deluges, is not Dresden plainly impossible, your Majesty? Impossible, Friedrich admits,the rather as
he now sees Peace to be coming without that. Freyberg has at last broken the back of Austrian Obstinacy.
"Go in upon the Reich," Friedrich now orders Kleist, the instant Kleist is home from his Bohemian inroad:
"In upon the Reich, with 6,000, in your old style! That will dispose the Reichs Principalities to Peace."
Kleist marched November 3d; kept the Reich in paroxysm till December 13th;Plotho, meanwhile,
proclaiming in the Reichs Diet: "Such Reichs Princes as wish for Peace with my King can have it; those that
prefer War, they too can have it!" Kleist, dividing himself in the due artistic way, flew over the Voigtland, on
to Bamberg, on to Nurnberg itself (which he took, by sounding rams' horns, as it were, having no gun
heavier than a carbine, and held for a week); [ HeldenGeschichte, vii. 186194.]fluttering the Reichs
Diet not a little, and disposing everybody for Peace. The Austrians saw it with pleasure, "We solemnly
engaged to save these poor people harmless, on their joining us;and, behold, it has become thrice and four
times impossible. Let them fall off into Peace, like ripe pears, of themselves; we can then turn round and say,
'Save you harmless? Yes; if you had n't fallen off!'"
NOVEMBER 24th, all Austrians make truce with Friedrich, Truce till March 1st;all Austrians, and what is
singular, with no mention of the Reich whatever. The Reich is defenceless, at the feet of Kleist and his 6,000.
Stollberg is still in Prussian neighborhood; and may be picked up any day! Stollberg hastens off to defend the
Reich; finds the Reich quite empty of enemies before his arrival;and at least saves his own skin. A month
or two more, and Stollberg will lay down his Command, and the last ReichsExecution Army, playing
FarceTragedy so long, make its exit from the Theatre of this World.
Chapter XIII. PEACE OF HUBERTSBURG.
The Prussian troops took Winterquarters in the MeissenFreyberg region, the old Saxon ground, familiar to
them for the last three years: room enough this Winter, "from Plauen and Zwickau, round by Langensalza
again;" Truce with everybody, and nothing of disturbance till March 1st at soonest. The usual recruiting went
on, or was preparing to go on,a part of which took immediate effect, as we shall see. Recruiting, refitting,
"Be ready for a new Campaign, in any case: the readier we are, the less our chance of having one!"
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Page No 1515
Friedrich's headquarter is Leipzig; but till December 5th he does not get thither. "More business on me than
ever!" complains he. At Leipzig he had his Nephews, his D'Argens; for a week or two his Brother Henri;
finally, his Berlin Ministers, especially Herzberg, when actual Peace came to be the matter in hand. Henri,
before that, had gone home: "Peace being now the likelihood;Home; and recruit one's poor health, at
Berlin, among friends!"
Before getting to Leipzig, the King paid a flying Visit at Gotha; probably now the one fraction of these
manifold Winter movements and employments, in which readers could take interest. Of this, as there happens
to be some record left of it, here is what will suffice. From Meissen, Friedrich writes to his bright Grand
Duchess, always a bright, high and noble creature in his eyes: "Authorized by your approval [has politely
inquired beforehand], I shall have the infinite satisfaction of paying my duties on December 3d [four days
hence], and of reiterating to you, Madam, my liveliest and sincerest assurances of esteem and friendship. ...
Some of my Commissariat people have been misbehaving? Strict inquiry shall be had," [To the
GrandDuchess, "Meissen, 29th November" ( OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 199).]and we soon find WAS.
But the Visit is our first thing.
The Visit took place accordingly; Seidlitz, a man known in Gotha ever since his fine scenicmilitary
procedures there in 1757, accompanied the King. Of the lucent individualities invited to meet him, all are
now lost to me, except one Putter, a really learned Gottingen Professor (deep in REICHSHISTORY and the
like), whom the Duchess has summoned over. By the dim lucency of Putter, faint to most of us as a rushlight
in the act of going out, the available part of our imagination must try to figure, in a kind of
ObliteratedRembrandt way, this glorious Evening; for there was but one,December 3d4th,Friedrich
having to leave early on the 4th. Here is Putter's record, given in the third person:
"During dinner, Putter, honorably present among the spectators of this high business, was beckoned by the
Duchess to step near the King [right hand or left, Putter does not say]; but the King graciously turned round,
and conversed with Putter." The King said:
KING. "In German History much is still buried; many important Documents lie hidden in Monasteries."
Putter answered "schicklich fitly;" that is all we know of Putter's answer.
KING (thereupon). "Of Books on ReichsHistory I know only the PERE BARRI." [ Barri de Beaumarchais,
10 vols. 4to, Paris, 1748: I believe, an extremely feeble Pillar of Willo'Wisps by Night;as I can
expressly testify Pfeffel to be (Pfeffel, Abrege Chronologique de l'Histoire d'Allemagne, 2 vols. 4to, Paris,
1776), who has succeeded Barri as Patent Guide through that vast SYLVA SYLVARUM aud its pathless
intricacies, for the inquiring French and English.]
PUTTER. ... "Foreigners have for most part known only, in regard to our History, a Latin work written by
Struve at Jena." [Burkhard Gotthelf Struve, Syntagma Historiae Germanicus (1730, 2 vols. folio).]
KING. "Struv, Struvius; him I don't know."
PUTTER. "It is a pity Barri had not known German."
KING. "Barri was a Lorrainer; Barri must have known German!"Then turning to the Duchess, on this hint
about the German Language, he told her, "in a ringing merry tone, How, at Leipzig once, he had talked with
Gottsched [talk known to us] on that subject, and had said to him, That the French had many advantages;
among others, that a word could often be used in a complex signification, for which you had in German to
scrape together several different expressions. Upon which Gottsched had said, 'We will have that mended
(DAS WOLLEN WIR NOCH MACHEN)!' These words the King repeated twice or thrice, with such a tone
that you could well see how the man's conceit had struck him;"and in short, as we know already, what a
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gigantic entity, consisting of wind mainly, he took this elevated Gottsched to be.
Upon which, Putter retires into the honorary ranks again; silent, at least to us, and invisible; as the rest of this
Royal Evening at Gotha is. ["Putter's Selbstbiographie (Autobiography), p. 406:" cited in Preuss, ii. 277 n.]
Here, however, is the Letter following on it two days after:
FRIEDRICH TO THE DUCHESS OF SACHSENGOTHA.
"LEIPZIG, 6th December, 1762.
"MADAM,I should never have done, my adorable Duchess, if I rendered you account of all the
impressions which the friendship you lavished on me has made on my heart. I could wish to answer it by
entering into everything that can be agreeable to you [conduct of my Recruiters or Commissariat people first
of all]. I take the liberty of forwarding the ANSWERS which have come in to the Two MEMOIRES you sent
me. I am mortified, Madam, if I have not been able to fulfil completely your desires: but if you knew the
situation I am in, I flatter myself you would have some consideration for it.
"I have found myself here [in Leipzig, as elsewhere] overwhelmed with business, and even to a degree I had
not expected. Meanwhile, if I ever can manage again to run over and pay you in person the homage of a heart
which is more attached to you than that of your near relations, assuredly I will not neglect the first
opportunity that shall present itself.
"Messieurs the English [Bute, Bedford and Company, with their Preliminaries signed, and all my
Westphalian Provinces left in a condition we shall hear of] continue to betray. Poor M. Mitchell has had a
stroke of apoplexy on hearing it. It is a hideous thing (CHOSE AFFREUSE); but I will speak of it no more.
May you, Madam, enjoy all the prosperities that I wish for you, and not forget a Friend, who will be till his
death, with sentiments of the highest esteem and the most perfect consideration,Madam, your Highness's
most faithful Cousin and Servant, FRIEDRICH." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xzvii. 201.]
For a fortnight past, Friedrich has had no doubt that general Peace is now actually at hand. November 25th,
ten days before this visit, a Saxon PrivyCouncillor, Baron von Fritsch, who, by Order from his Court, had
privately been at Vienna on the errand, came privately next, with all speed, to Friedrich (Meissen, November
25th): [Rodenbeck, ii. 193.] "Austria willing for Treaty; is your Majesty willing?" "Thricewilling, I; my
terms well known!" Friedrich would answer,gladdest of mankind to see general Pacification coming to this
vexed Earth again. The Dance of the Furies, waltzing itself off, HOME out of this upper sunlight: the mad
Bellona steeds plunging down, down, towards their Abysses again, for a season!
This was a result which Friedrich had foreseen as nearly certain ever since the French and English signed
their Preliminaries. And there was only one thing which gave him anxiety; that of his Rhine Provinces and
Strong Places, especially Wesel, which have been in French hands for six years past, ever since Spring, 1757.
Bute stipulates That those places and countries shall be evacuated by his Choiseul, as soon as weather and
possibility permit; but Bute, astonishing to say, has not made the least stipulation as to whom they are to be
delivered to,allies or enemies, it is all one to Bute. Truly rather a shameful omission, Pitt might indignantly
think,and call the whole business steadily, as he persisted to do, "a shameful Peace," had there been no
other article in it but this;as Friedrich, with at least equal emphasis thought and felt. And, in fact, it had
thrown him into very great embarrassment, on the first emergence of it.
For her Imperial Majesty began straightway to draw troops into those neighborhoods: "WE will take delivery,
our Allies playing into our hand!" And Friedrich, who had no disposable troops, had to devise some rapid
expedient; and did. Set his FreeCorps agents and recruiters in motion: "Enlist me those Light people of
Duke Ferdinand's, who are all getting discharged; especially that BRITANNIC LEGION so called. All to be
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discharged; reenlist them, you; Ferdinand will keep them till you do it. Be swift!" And it is done;a small
bit of actual enlistment among the many prospective that were going on, as we noticed above. Precise date of
it not given; must have been soon after November 3d. There were from 5 to 6,000 of them; and it was
promptly done. Divided into various regiments; chief command of them given to a Colonel Bauer, under
whom a Colonel Beckwith whose name we have heard: these, to the surprise of Imperial Majesty, and alarm
of a pacific Versailles, suddenly appeared in the Cleve Countries, handy for Wesel, for Geldern; in such
posts, and in such force and condition as intimated, "It shall be we, under favor, that take delivery!" Snatch
Wesel from them, some night, sword in hand: that had been Bauer's notion; but nothing of that kind was
found necessary; mere demonstration proved sufficient. To the French Garrisons the one thing needful was to
get away in peace; Bauer with his brows gloomy is a dangerous neighbor. Perhaps the French Officers
themselves rather favored Friedrich than his enemies. Enough, a private agreement, or mutual understanding
on word of honor, was come to: and, very publicly, at length, on the 11th and 12th days of March, 1763
(Peace now settled everywhere), Wesel, in great gala, full of fieldmusic, military salutations and mutual
dining, saw the French all filing out, aud Bauer and people filing in, to the joy of that poor Town. [Preuss, ii.
342.]
Soon after which, painful to relate, such the inexorable pressure of finance, Bauer and people were all paid
off, flung loose again: ruthlessly paid off by a necessitous King! There were about 6,000 of those poor
fellows,specimens of the bastard heroic, under difficulties, from every country in the world; Beckwith and
I know not what other English specimens of the lawless heroic; who were all cashiered, officer and man, on
getting to Berlin. As were the earlier FreeCorps, and indeed the subsequent, all and sundry, "except seven,"
whose names will not be interesting to you. Paid off, with or without remorse, such the exhaustion of finance;
Kleist, Icilius, Count Hordt and others vainly repugning and remonstrating; the King himself inexorable as
Arithmetic. "Can maintain 138,000 of regular, 12,000 of other sorts; not a man more!" Zealous Icilius applied
for some consideration to his Officers: "partial repayment of the money they have spent from their own
pocket in enlistment of their people now discharged!" Not a doit. The King's answer is in autograph, still
extant; not in good spelling, but with sense clear as light: "SEINE OFFICIERS HABEN WIE DIE RABEN
GESTOLLEN SIE KRIGEN NICHTS, Your Officers stole like ravens;they get Nothing." [Preuss, ii. 320.]
Lessing's fine play of MINNA VON BARNHELM testifies to considerable public sympathy for these
impoverished ExMilitary people. Pathetic truly, in a degree; but such things will happen. Irregular
gentlemen, to whom the world 's their oyster,said oyster does suddenly snap to on them, by a chance. And
they have to try it on the other side, and say little!But we are forgetting the PeaceTreaty itself, which still
demands a few words.
Kleist's raid into the Reich had a fine effect on the Potentates there; and Plotho's Offer was greedily complied
with; the Kaiser, such his generosity, giving "free permission." We spoke of Privy Councillor von Fritsch,
and his private little word with Friedrich at Meissen, on November 25th. The ElectoralPrince of Saxony, it
seems, was author of that fine stroke; the history of it this. Since November 3d, the French and English have
had their preliminaries signed; and all Nations are longing for the like. "Let us have a German Treaty for
general Peace," said the Kurprinz of Saxony, that amiable HeirApparent whom we have seen sometimes,
who is rather crooked of back, but has a sprightly Wife. "By all means," answered Polish Majesty: "and as I
am in the distance, do you in every way further it, my Son!" Whereupon despatch of Fritsch to Vienna, and
thence to Meissen; with "Yes" to him from both parties. Plenipotentiaries are named: "Fritsch shall be ours:
they shall have my Schloss of Hubertsburg for Place of Congress," said the Prince. And on Thursday,
December 30th, 1762, the Three Dignitaries met at Hubertsburg, and began business.
This is the Schloss in Torgau Country which Quintus Icilius's people, Saldern having refused the job,
willingly undertook spoiling; and, as is well known, did it, January 22d, 1761; a thing Quintus never heard
the end of. What the amount of profit, or the degree of spoil and mischief, Quintus's people made of it, I
could not learn; but infer from this new event that the wreck had not been so considerable as the noise was; at
any rate, that the Schloss had soon been restored to its pristine state of brilliancy. The Plenipotentiaries,for
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Saxony, Fritsch; for Austria, a Von Collenbach, unknown to us; for Prussia, one Hertzberg, a man
experienced beyond his years, who is of great name in Prussian History subsequently,sat here till February
15th, 1763, that is for six weeks and five days. Leaving their Protocols to better judges, who report them
good, we will much prefer a word or two from Friedrich himself, while waiting the result they come to.
FRIEDRICH TO PRINCE HENRI (home at Berlin).
"LEIPZIG, 14th JANUARY, 1763. ... Am not surprised you find Berlin changed for the worse: such a train of
calamities must, in the end, make itself felt in a poor and naturally barren Country, where continual industry
is needed to second its fecundity and keep up production. However, I will do what I can to remedy this dearth
(LA DISETTE), at least as far as my small means permit. ...
"No fear of Geldern and Wesel; all that has been cared for by Bauer and the new FreeCorps. By the end of
February Peace will be signed; at the beginning of April everybody will find himself at home, as in 1756.
"The Circles are going to separate: indifferent to me, or nearly so; but it is good to be plucking out tiresome
burning sticks, stick after stick. I hope you amuse yourself at Berlin: at Leipzig nothing but balls and redouts;
my Nephews diverting themselves amazingly. Madam Friedrich, lately Gardenmaid at Seidlitz [Village in
the Neumark, with this Beauty plucking weeds in it,little prescient of such a fortune], now Wife to an
Officer of the Free Hussars, is the principal heroine of these Festivities." [Schoning, iii. 528.]
LEIPZIG, 25th JANUARY, 1763. "Thanks for your care about my existence. I am becoming very old, dear
Brother; in a little while I shall be useless to the world and a burden to myself: it is the lot of all creatures to
wear down with age, but one is not, for all that, to abuse one's privilege of falling into dotage.
"You still speak without full confidence of our Negotiation business [going on at Hubertsburg yonder]. Most
certainly the chapter of accidents is inexhaustible; and it is still certain there may happen quantities of things
which the limited mind of man cannot foresee: but, judging by the ordinary course, and such degrees of
probability as human creatures found their hopes on, I believe, before the month of February entirely end, our
Peace will be completed. In a permanent Arrangement, many things need settling, which are easier to settle
now than they ever will be again. Patience; haste without speed is a thriftless method." [Ib. iii. 529.]
February 5th, the trio at Hubertsburg got their Preliminaries signed. On the tenth day thereafter, the Treaty
itself was signed and sealed. All other Treaties on the same subject had been guided towards a contemporary
finis: England and France, ready since the 3d of November last, signed and ended February 10th. February
11th, the Reich signed and ended; February 15th, Prussia, Austria, Saxony; and the THIRD SILESIAN or
SEVENYEARS WAR was completely finished. [Copy of the treaty in HeldenGeschichte, vii. 624 et seq.;
in Seyfarth, Beylagen, iii. 479495; in ROUSSET, in WENCK, in
It had cost, in loss of human lives first of all, nobody can say what: according to Friedrich's computation,
there had perished of actual fighters, on the various fields, of all the nations, 853,000; of which above the
fifth part, or 180,000, is his own share: and, by misery and ravage, the general Population of Prussia finds
itself 500,000 fewer; nearly the ninth man missing. This is the expenditure of Life. Other items are not worth
enumerating, in comparison; if statistically given, you can find the most approved guesses at them by the
same Head, who ought to be an authority. [ OEuvres de Frederic, v. 230234; Preuss, iii. 349351.] It was a
War distinguished byArchenholtz will tell you, with melodious emphasis, what a distinguished, great and
thricegreatest War it was. There have since been other far bigger Wars,if size were a measure of
greatness; which it by no means is! I believe there was excellent Heroism shown in this War, by persons I
could name; by one person, Heroism really to be called superior, or, in its kind, almost of the rank of
supreme;and that in regard to the Military Arts and Virtues, it has as yet, for faculty and for performance,
had no rival; nor is likely soon to have. The Prussians, as we once mentioned, still use it as their
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schoolmodel in those respects. And we O readers, do not at least you and I thank God to have now done
with it!
Of the PeaceTreaties at Hubertsburg, Paris and other places, it is not necessary that we say almost anything.
They are to be found in innumerable Books, dreary to the mind; and of the 158 Articles to be counted there,
not one could be interesting at present. The substance of the whole lies now in Three Points, not mentioned or
contemplated at all in those Documents, though repeatedly alluded to and intimated by us here.
The issue, as between Austria and Prussia, strives to be, in all points, simply ASYOUWERE; and, in all
outward or tangible points, strictly is so. After such a tornado of strife as the civilized world had not
witnessed since the ThirtyYears War. Tornado springing doubtless from the regions called Infernal; and
darkening the upper world from south to north, and from east to west for Seven Years long;issuing in
general ASYOUWERE! Yes truly, the tornado was Infernal; but Heaven too had silently its purposes in it.
Nor is the mere expenditure of men's diabolic rages, in mutual clash as of opposite electricities, with
reduction to equipoise, and restoration of zero and repose again after seven years, the one or the principal
result arrived at. Inarticulately, little dreamt of at the time by any bystander, the results, on survey from this
distance, are visible as Threefold. Let us name them one other time:
1. There is no taking of Silesia from this man; no clipping of him down to the orthodox old limits; he and his
Country have palpably outgrown these. Austria gives up the Problem: "We have lost Silesia!" Yes; and, what
you hardly yet know,and what, I perceive, Friedrich himself still less knows,Teutschland has found
Prussia. Prussia, it seems, cannot be conquered by the whole world trying to do it; Prussia has gone through
its FireBaptism, to the satisfaction of gods and men; and is a Nation henceforth. In and of poor dislocated
Teutschland, there is one of the Great Powers of the World henceforth; an actual Nation. And a Nation not
grounding itself on extinct Traditions, Wiggeries, Papistries, Immaculate Conceptions; no, but on living
Facts,Facts of Arithmetic, Geometry, Gravitation, Martin Luther's Reformation, and what it really can
believe in:to the infinite advantage of said Nation and of poor Teutschland henceforth. To be a Nation; and
to believe as you are convinced, instead of pretending to believe as you are bribed or bullied by the devils
about you; what an advantage to parties concerned! If Prussia follow its star As it really tries to do, in spite
of stumbling! For the sake of Germany, one hopes always Prussia will; and that it may get through its various
ChildDiseases, without death: though it has had sad plunges and crises,and is perhaps just now in one of
its worst Influenzas, the ParliamentaryEloquence or BallotBox Influenza! One of the most dangerous
Diseases of National Adolescence; extremely prevalent over the world at this time,indeed unavoidable, for
reasons obvious enough. "SIC ITUR AD ASTRA;" all Nations certain that the way to Heaven is By voting,
by eloquently wagging the tongue "within those walls"! Diseases, real or imaginary, await Nations like
individuals; aud are not to be resisted, but must be submitted to, and got through the best you can. Measles
and mumps; you cannot prevent them in Nations either. Nay fashions even; fashion of Crinoline, for instance
(how infinitely more, that of BallotBox and FourthEstate!),are you able to prevent even that? You have
to be patient under it, and keep hoping!
2. In regard to England. Her JENKINS'SEAR CONTROVERSY is at last settled. Not only liberty of the
Seas, but, if she were not wiser, dominion of them; guardianship of liberty for all others whatsoever:
Dominion of the Seas for that wise object. America is to be English, not French; what a result is that, were
there no other! Really a considerable Fact in the History of the World. Fact principally due to Pitt, as I
believe, according to my best conjecture, and comparison of probabilities and circumstances. For which, after
all, is not everybody thankful, less or more? O my English brothers, O my Yankee halfbrothers, how
oblivious are we of those that have done us benefit!
These are the results for England. And in the rear of these, had these and the other elements once ripened for
her, the poor Country is to get into such merchandisings, colonizings, foreignsettlings, goldnuggetings, as
lay beyond the drunkenest dreams of Jenkins (supposing Jenkins addicted to liquor);and, in fact, to enter
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on a universal uproar of Machineries, Eldorados, "Unexampled Prosperities," which make a great noise for
themselves in the very days now come. Prosperities evidently not of a sublime type: which, in the mean
while, seem to be covering the at one time creditably clean and comely face of England with mudblotches,
sootblotches, miscellaneous squalors and horrors; to be preaching into her amazed heart, which once knew
better, the omnipotence of
SHODDY; filling her ears and soul with shriekery and metallic clangor, mad noises, mad hurries mostly
nowhither;and are awakening, I suppose, in such of her sons as still go into reflection at all, a deeper and
more ominous set of Questions than have ever risen in England's History before. As in the foregoing case, we
have to be patient and keep hoping.
3. In regard to France. It appears, noble old Teutschland, with such pieties and unconquerable silent valors,
such opulences human and divine, amid its wreck of new and old confusions, is not to be cut in Four, and
made to dance to the piping of Versailles or another. Far the contrary! To Versailles itself there has gone
forth, Versailles may read it or not, the writing on the wall: "Thou art weighed in the balance, and found
wanting" (at last even "FOUND wanting")! France, beaten, stript, humiliated; sinful, unrepentant, governed
by mere sinners and, at best, clever fools (FOUS PLEINS D'ESPRIT),collapses, like a creature whose
limbs fail it; sinks into bankrupt quiescence, into nameless fermentation, generally into DRYROT. Rotting,
none guesses whitherward;rotting towards that thriceextraordinary SpontaneousCombustion, which
blazed out in 1789. And has kindled, over the whole world, gradually or by explosion, this unexpected
Outburst of all the chained Devilries (among other chained things), this roaring Conflagration of the
Anarchies; under which it is the lot of these poor generations to live,for I know not what length of
Centuries yet. "Go into Combustion, my pretty child!" the Destinies had said to this BELLE FRANCE, who
is always so fond of shining and outshining: "SelfCombustion;in that way, won't you shine, as none of
them yet could?" Shine; yes, truly,till you are got to CAPUT MORTUUM, my pretty child (unless you
gain new wisdom!) But not to wander farther:
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16th, Friedrich, all Saxon things being now settled,among the rest, "eight Saxon
Schoolmasters" to be a model in Prussia,quitted Leipzig, with the SevenYears War safe in his pocket, as
it were. Drove to Moritzburg, to dinner with the amiable Kurprinz and still more amiable Wife: "It was to
your Highness that we owe this Treaty!" A dinner which readers may hear of again. At Moritzburg; where,
with the Lacys, there was once such rattling and battling. After which, rapidly on to Silesia, and an eight days
of adjusting and inspecting there.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30th, Friedrich arrives in FrankfurtonOder, on the way homeward from Silesia:
"takes view of the Field of Kunersdorf" (reflections to be fancied); early in the afternoon speeds forward
again; at one of the stages (place called Tassdorf) has a Dialogue, which we shall hear of; and between 8 and
9 in the evening, not through the solemn receptions and crowded streets, drives to the Schloss of Berlin.
"Goes straight to the Queen's Apartment," Queen, Princesses and Court all home triumphantly some time
ago; sups there with the Queen's Majesty and these bright creatures,beautiful supper, had it consisted only
of cresses and salt; and, behind it, sound sleep to us under our own rooftree once more. [Rodenbeck, ii. 211,
212; Preuss, ii. 345, 346; Next day, "the King made gifts to," as it were, to everybody; "to the Queen about
5,000 pounds, to the Princess Amelia 1,000 pounds," and so on; and saw true hearts all merry round him,
merrier, perhaps, than his own was.
BOOK XXI. AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF FRIEDRICH'S LIFE.
17631786.
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Page No 1521
Chapter I. PREFATORY.
The Twelve Herculeslabors of this King have ended here; what was required of him in WorldHistory is
accomplished. There remain to Friedrich Twentythree Years more of Life, which to Prussian History are as
full of importance as ever; but do not essentially concern European History, Europe having gone the road we
now see it in. On the grand WorldTheatre the curtain has fallen for a New Act; Friedrich's part, like
everybody's for the present, is played out. In fact, there is, during the rest of his Reign, nothing of
WorldHistory to be dwelt on anywhere. America, it has been decided, shall be English; Prussia be a Nation.
The French, as finis of their attempt to cut Germany in Four, find themselves sunk into torpor, abeyance and
dryrot; fermenting towards they know not what. Towards Spontaneous Combustion in the year 1789, and
for long years onwards!
There, readers, there is the next milestone for you, in the History of Mankind! That universal Burningup, as
in hellfire, of Human Shams. The oath of Twentyfive Million men, which has since become that of all men
whatsoever, "Rather than live longer under lies, we will die!"that is the New Act in WorldHistory. New
Act,or, we may call it New PART; Drama of WorldHistory, Part Third. If Part SECOND was 1,800 years
ago, this I reckon will be Part THIRD. This is the truly celestialinfernal Event: the strangest we have seen
for a thousand years. Celestial in one part; in the other, infernal. For it is withal the breaking out of universal
mankind into Anarchy, into the faith and practice of NOGovernment,that is to say (if you will be candid),
into unappeasable Revolt against ShamGovernors and ShamTeachers,which I do charitably define to be
a Search, most unconscious, yet in deadly earnest, for true Governors and Teachers. That is the one fact of
WorldHistory worth dwelling on at this day; and Friedrich cannot be said to have had much hand farther in
that.
Nor is the progress of a French or European world, all silently ripening and rotting towards such issue, a thing
one wishes to dwell on. Only when the Spontaneous Combustion breaks out; and, manycolored, with loud
noises, envelops the whole world in anarchic flame for long hundreds of years: then has the Event come;
there is the thing for all men to mark, and to study and scrutinize as the strangest thing they ever saw.
Centuries of it yet lying ahead of us; several sad Centuries, sordidly tumultuous, and good for little! Say Two
Centuries yet,say even Ten of such a process: before the Old is completely burnt out, and the New in any
state of sightliness? Millennium of Anarchies;abridge it, spend your heart'sblood upon abridging it, ye
Heroic Wise that are to come! For it is the consummation of All the Anarchies that are and were; which I
do trust always means the death (temporary death) of them! Death of the Anarchies: or a world once more
built wholly on Fact better or worse; and the lying jargoning professor of Sham Fact, whose name is Legion,
who as yet (oftenest little conscious of himself) goes tumulting and swarming from shore to shore, become a
species extinct, and well known to be gone down to Tophet!
There were bits of Anarchies before, little and greater: but till that of France in 1789, there was none long
memorable; all were pygmies in comparison, and not worth mentioning separately. In 1772 the Anarchy of
Poland, which had been a considerable Anarchy for about three hundred years, got itself extinguished,
what we may call extinguished;decisive surgery being then first exercised upon it: an Anarchy put in the
sure way of extinction. In 1775, again, there began, over seas, another Anarchy much more
considerable,little dreaming that IT could be called an Anarchy; on the contrary, calling itself Liberty,
Rights of Man; and singing boundless IoPaeans to itself, as is common in such cases; an Anarchy which has
been challenging the Universe to show the like ever since. And which has, at last, flamed up as an
independent Phenomenon, unexampled in the hideously SUICIDAL way;and does need much to get burnt
out, that matters may begin anew on truer conditions. But neither the PARTITION OF POLAND nor the
AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE have much general importance, or, except as precursors of 1789,
are worth dwelling on in History. From us here, so far as Friedrich is concerned with them, they may deserve
some transient mention, more or less: but WorldHistory, eager to be at the general Funeralpile and ultimate
Burningup of Shams in this poor World, will have less and less to say of small tragedies and premonitory
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Chapter I. PREFATORY. 1513
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symptoms.
Curious how the busy and continually watchful and speculating Friedrich, busied about his dangers from
Austrian encroachments, from RussianTurk Wars, Bavarian Successions, and other troubles and anarchies
close by, saw nothing to dread in France; nothing to remark there, except carelessly, from time to time, its
beggarly decaying condition, so strangely sunk in arts, in arms, in finance; oftenest an object of pity to him,
for he still has a love for France;and reads not the least sign of that immeasurable, all engulfing FRENCH
REVOLUTION which was in the wind! Neither Voltaire nor he have the least anticipation of such a thing.
Voltaire and he see, to their contentment, Superstition visibly declining: Friedrich rather disapproves the heat
of Voltaire's procedures on the INFAME. "Why be in such heat? Other nonsense, quite equal to it, will be
almost sure to follow. Take care of your own skin!" Voltaire and he are deeply alive, especially Voltaire is, to
the horrors and miseries which have issued on mankind from a Fanatic Popish Superstition, or Creed of
Incredibilities,which (except from the throat outwards, from the bewildered tongue outwards) the orthodox
themselves cannot believe, but only pretend and struggle to believe. This Voltaire calls "THE INFAMOUS;"
and thiswhat name can any of us give it? The man who believes in falsities is very miserable. The man
who cannot believe them, but only struggles and pretends to believe; and yet, being armed with the power of
the sword, industriously keeps menacing and slashing all round, to compel every neighbor to do like him:
what is to be done with such a man? Human Nature calls him a Social Nuisance; needing to be handcuffed,
gagged and abated. Human Nature, if it be in a terrified and imperilled state, with the sword of this fellow
swashing round it, calls him "Infamous," and a Monster of Chaos. He is indeed the select Monster of that
region; the Patriarch of all the Monsters, little as he dreams of being such. An Angel of Heaven the poor
caitiff dreams himself rather, and in cheery moments is conscious of being:Bedlam holds in it no madder
article. And I often think he will again need to be tied up (feeble as he now is in comparison, disinclined
though men are to manacling and tying); so many helpless infirm souls are wandering about, not knowing
their right hand from their left, who fall a prey to him. "L'INFAME" I also name him,knowing well
enough how little he, in his poor muddled, drugged and stupefied mind, is conscious of deserving that name.
More signal enemy to God, and friend of the Other Party, walks not the Earth in our day.
Anarchy in the shape of religious slavery was what Voltaire and Friedrich saw all round them. Anarchy in the
shape of Revolt against Authorities was what Friedrich and Voltaire had never dreamed of as possible, and
had not in their minds the least idea of. In one, or perhaps two places you may find in Voltaire a grim and
rather glad forethought, not given out as prophecy, but felt as interior assurance in a moment of hope, How
these Priestly Sham Hierarchies will be pulled to pieces, probably on the sudden, once people are awake to
them. Yes, my muchsuffering M. de Voltaire, be pulled to pieces; or go aloft, like the awakening of
Vesuvius, one day,Vesuvius awakening after ten centuries of slumber, when his crater is all grown grassy,
bushy, copiously "tenanted by wolves" I am told; which, after premonitory grumblings, heeded by no wolf or
bush, he will hurl bodily aloft, ten acres at a time, in a very tremendous manner! [First modern Eruption of
Vesuvius, A.D. 1631, after long interval of rest.] A thought like this, about the Priestly ShamHierarchies, I
have found somewhere in Voltaire: but of the Social and Civic ShamHierarchies (which are likewise
accursed, if they knew it, and indeed are junior copartners of the Priestly; and, in a sense, sons and products
of them, and cannot escape being partakers of their plagues), there is no hint, in Voltaire, though Voltaire
stood at last only fifteen years from the Fact (17781793); nor in Friedrich, though he lived almost to see the
Fact beginning.
Friedrich's History being henceforth that of a Prussian King, is interesting to Prussia chiefly, and to us little
otherwise than as the Biography of a distinguished fellowman, Friedrich's Biography, his Physiognomy as
he grows old, quietly on his own harvestfield, among his own People: this has still an interest, and for any
feature of this we shall be eager enough; but this withal is the most of what we now want. And not very much
even of this; Friedrich the unique King not having as a man any such depth and singularity, tragic, humorous,
devotionally pious, or other, as to authorize much painting in that aspect. Extreme brevity beseems us in these
circumstances: and indeed there are,as has already happened in different parts of this Enterprise (Nature
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Chapter I. PREFATORY. 1514
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herself, in her silent way, being always something of an Artist in such things),other circumstances, which
leave us no choice as to that of detail. Available details, if we wished to give them, of Friedrich's later Life,
are not forthcoming: masses of incondite marinestores, tumbled out on you, dry rubbish shot with
uncommon diligence for a hundred years, till, for RubbishPelion piled on RubbishOssa, you lose sight of
the stars and azimuths; whole mountain continents, seemingly all of cinders and sweepings (though
fragments and remnants do lie hidden, could you find them again):these are not details that will be
available! Anecdotes there are in quantity; but of uncertain quality; of doubtful authenticity, above all. One
recollects hardly any Anecdote whatever that seems completely credible, or renders to us the Physiognomy of
Friedrich in a convincing manner. So remiss a creature has the Prussian Clio been,employed on all kinds
of loose errands over the Earth and the Air; and as good as altogether negligent of this most pressing errand
in her own House. Peace be with her, poor slut; why should we say one other hard word on taking leave of
her to all eternity!
The Practical fact is, what we have henceforth to produce is more of the nature of a loose Appendix of
Papers, than of a finished Narrative. Loose Papers,which, we will hope, the reader can, by industry, be
made to understand and tolerate: more we cannot do for him. No continuous Narrative is henceforth possible
to us. For the sake of Friedrich's closing Epoch, we will visit, for the last time, that dreary imbroglio under
which the memory of Friedrich, which ought to have been, in all the epochs of it, bright and legible, lies
buried; and will try to gather, as heretofore, and put under labels. What dwells with oneself as human may
have some chance to be humanly interesting. In the wildest chaos of marine stores and editorial
shortcomings (provided only the editors speak truth, as these poor fellows do) THIS can be done. Part the
living from the dead; pick out what has some meaning, leave carefully what has none; you will in some small
measure pluck up the memory of a hero, like drowned honor by the locks, and rescue it, into visibility.
That Friedrich, on reaching home, made haste to get out, of the bustle of joyances and exclamations on the
streets; proceeded straight to his musicchapel in Charlottenburg, summoning the Artists, or having them
already summoned; and had there, all alone, sitting invisible wrapt in his cloak, Graun's or somebody's grand
TEDEUM pealed out to him, in seas of melody,soothing and salutary to the altered soul, revolving many
things,is a popular myth, of pretty and appropriate character; but a myth only, with no real foundation,
though it has some loose and apparent. [In PREUSS, ii. 46, all the details of it.] No doubt, Friedrich had his
own thoughts on entering Berlin again, after such a voyage through the deeps; himself, his Country still here,
though solitary and in a world of wild shipwrecks. He was not without piety; but it did not take the devotional
form, and his habits had nothing of the clerical.
What is perfectly known, and much better worth knowing, is the instantaneous practical alacrity with which
he set about repairing that immense miscellany of ruin; and the surprising success he had in dealing with it.
His methods, his rapid inventions and procedures, in this matter, are still memorable to Prussia; and perhaps
might with advantage be better known than they are in some other Countries. To us, what is all we can do
with them here, they will indicate that this is still the old Friedrich, with his old activities and promptitudes;
which indeed continue unabated, lively in Peace as in War, to the end of his life and reign.
The speed with which Prussia recovered was extraordinary. Within little more than a year (June 1st, 1764),
the Coin was all in order again; in 1765, the King had rebuilt, not to mention other things, "in Silesia 8,000
Houses, in Pommern 6,500." [Rodenbeck, ii. 234, 261.] Prussia has been a meritorious Nation; and, however
cut and ruined, is and was in a healthy state, capable of recovering soon. Prussia has defended itself against
overwhelming odds,brave Prussia; but the real soul of its merit was that of having merited such a King to
command it. Without this King, all its valors, disciplines, resources of war, would have availed Prussia little.
No wonder Prussia has still a loyalty to its great Friedrich, to its Hohenzollern Sovereigns generally. Without
these Hohenzollerns, Prussia had been, what we long ago saw it, the unluckiest of German Provinces; and
could never have had the pretension to exist as a Nation at all. Without this particular Hohenzollern, it had
been trampled out again, after apparently succeeding. To have achieved a Friedrich the Second for King over
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it, was Prussia's grand merit.
An accidental merit, thinks the reader? No, reader, you may believe me, it is by no means altogether such.
Nay, I rather think, could we look into the AccountBooks of the Recording Angel for a course of centuries,
no part of it is such! There are Nations in which a Friedrich is, or can be, possible; and again there are
Nations in which he is not and cannot. To be practically reverent of Human Worth to the due extent, and
abhorrent of Human Want of Worth in the like proportion, do you understand that art at all? I fear, not,or
that you are much forgetting it again! Human Merit, do you really love it enough, think you;human
Scoundrelism (brought to the dock for you, and branded as scoundrel), do you even abhor it enough? Without
that reverence and its corresponding oppositepole of abhorrence, there is simply no possibility left. That, my
friend, is the outcome and summary of all virtues in this world, for a man or for a Nation of men. It is the
supreme strength and glory of a Nation;without which, indeed, all other strengths, and enormities of
bullion and arsenals and warehouses, are no strength. None, I should say;and are oftenest even the
REVERSE.
Nations who have lost this quality, or who never had it, what Friedrich can they hope to be possible among
them? Age after age they grind down their Friedrichs contentedly under the hoofs of cattle on their highways;
and even find it an excellent practice, and pride themselves on Liberty and Equality. Most certain it is, there
will no Friedrich come to rule there; by and by, there will none be born there. Such Nations cannot have a
King to command them; can only have this or the other scandalous swindling Copper Captain, constitutional
Gilt Mountebank, or other the like unsalutary entity by way of King; and the sins of the fathers are visited
upon the children in a frightful and tragical manner, little noticed in the Penny Newspapers and Periodical
Literatures of this generation. Oh, my friends! But there is plain Business waiting us at hand.
Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA.
That of Friedrich's sitting wrapt in a cloud of reflections OlympianAbysmal, in the musicchapel at
Charlottenburg, while he had the Ambrosian Song executed for him there, as the preliminary step, was a
loose myth; but the fact lying under it is abundantly certain. Few Sons of Adam had more reason for a
piously thankful feeling towards the Past, a piously valiant towards the Future. What king or man had seen
himself delivered from such strangling imbroglios of destruction, such devouring rages of a hostile world?
And the ruin worked by them lay monstrous and appalling all round. Friedrich is now Fiftyone gone;
unusually old for his age; feels himself an old man, broken with years and toils; and here lies his Kingdom in
haggard slashed condition, worn to skin and bone: How is the King, resourceless, to remedy it? That is now
the seemingly impossible problem. "Begin it,thereby alone will it ever cease to be impossible!" Friedrich
begins, we may say, on the first morrow morning. Labors at his problem, as he did in the march to Leuthen;
finds it to become more possible, day after day, month after month, the farther he strives with it.
"Why not leave it to Nature?" think many, with the Dismal Science at their elbow. Well; that was the easiest
plan, but it was not Friedrich's. His remaining moneys, 25 million thalers ready for a Campaign which has not
come, he distributes to the most necessitous: "all his artilleryhorses" are parted into plough teams, and
given to those who can otherwise get none: think what a fine figure of rye and barley, instead of mere
windlestraws, beggary and desolation, was realized by that act alone. Nature is ready to do much; will of
herself cover, with some veil of grass and lichen, the nakedness of ruin: but her victorious act, when she can
accomplish it, is that of getting YOU to go with her handsomely, and change disaster itself into new wealth.
Into new wisdom and valor, which are wealth in all kinds; California mere zero to them, zero, or even a
frightful MINUS quantity! Friedrich's procedures in this matter I believe to be little less didactic than those
other, which are so celebrated in War: but no Dryasdust, not even a Dryasdust of the Dismal Science, has
gone into them, rendered men familiar with them in their details and results. His Silesian LandBank
(jointstock Moneys, lent on security of Land) was of itself, had I room to explain it, an immense
furtherance. [Preuss, iii. 75; OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 84.] Friedrich, many tell us, was as great in Peace as in
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War: and truly, in the economic and material provinces, my own impression, gathered painfully in darkness,
and contradiction of the DismalScience Doctors, is much to that effect. A firstrate Husbandman (as his
Father had been); who not only defended his Nation, but made it rich beyond what seemed possible; and
diligently sowed annuals into it, and perennials which flourish aloft at this day.
Mirabeau's Monarchie Prussienne, in 8 thick Volumes 8vo,composed, or hastily cobbled together, some
Twenty years after this period,contains the best tabular view one anywhere gets of Friedrich's economics,
military and other practical methods and resources:solid exact Tables these are, and intelligent intelligible
descriptions, done by Mauvillon FILS, the same punctual Major Mauvillon who used to attend us in Duke
Ferdinand's War;and so far as Mirabeau is concerned, the Work consists farther of a certain small Essay
done in big type, shoved into the belly of each Volume, and eloquently recommending, with respectful
censures and regrets over Friedrich, the Gospel of Free Trade, dear to Papa Mirabeau. The Son is himself a
convert; far above lying, even to please Papa: but one can see, the thought of Papa gives him new fire of
expression. They are eloquent, ruggedly strong Essays, those of Mirabeau Junior upon Free Trade: they
contain, in condensed shape, everything we were privileged to hear, seventy years later, from all organs,
coachhorns, jews harps and scrannelpipes, PRO and CONTRA, on the same sublime subject: "God is
great, and Plugson of Undershot is his Prophet. Thus saith the Lord, Buy in the cheapest market, sell in the
dearest!" To which the afflicted human mind listens what it can; and after seventy years, mournfully asks
itself and Mirabeau, "M. le Comte, would there have been in Prussia, for example, any Trade at all, any
Nation at all, had it always been left 'Free'? There would have been mere sand and quagmire, and a
community of wolves and bisons, M. le Comte. Have the goodness to terminate that Litany, and take up
another!"
We said, Friedrich began his problem on the first morrow morning; and that is literally true, that or even
MORE. Here is how Friedrich takes his stand amid the wreck, speedy enough to begin: this view of our old
friend Nussler and him is one of the Pieces we can give,thanks to Herr Busching and his Beitrage for the
last time! Nussler is now something of a Country Gentleman, so to speak; has a pleasant place out to east of
Berlin; is LANDRATH (County Chairman) there, "Landrath of NetherBarnim Circle;" where we heard of
the Cossacks spoiling him: he, as who not, has suffered dreadfully in these tumults. Here is Busching's
welcome Account.
LANDRATH NUSSLER AND THE KING (30th March3d April, 1763).
"MARCH 30th, 1763, Friedrich, on his return to Berlin, came by the route of Tassdorf,"Tassdorf, in
NetherBarnim Circle (40 odd miles from Frankfurt, and above 15 from Berlin);"and changed horses
there. During this little pause, among a crowd assembled to see him, he was addressed by Nussler, Landrath
of the Circle, who had a very piteous story to tell. Nussler wished the King joy of his noble victories, and of
the glorious Peace at last achieved: 'May your Majesty reign in health and happiness over us many years, to
the blessing of us all!'and recommended to his gracious care the extremely ruined, and, especially by the
Russians, uncommonly devastated Circle, for which," continues Busching "this industrious Landrath had not
hitherto been able to extract any effective help." Generally for the Provinces wasted by the Russians there had
already some poor 300,000 thalers (45,000 pounds) been allowed by a helpful Majesty, not overrich himself
at the moment; and of this, NetherBarnim no doubt gets its share: but what is this to such ruin as there is? A
mere preliminary drop, instead of the bucket and buckets we need!Busching, a dull, though solid accurate
kind of man, heavyfooted, and yet always in a hurry, always slipshod, has nothing of dramatic here; far
from it; but the facts themselves fall naturally into that form,in Three Scenes:
I. TASSDORF (still two hours from Berlin), KING, NUSSLER AND A CROWD OF PEOPLE, Nussler
ALONE DARING TO SPEAK.
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KING (from his Carriage, ostlers making despatch). "What is your Circle most short of?"
LANDRATH NUSSLER. "Of horses for ploughing the seedfields of rye to sow them, and of bread till the
crops come."
KING. "Rye for bread, and to sow with, I will give; with horses I cannot assist."
NUSSLER. "On representation of PrivyCouncillor van Brenkenhof [the Minister concerned with such
things], your Majesty has been pleased to give the Neumark and Pommern an allowance of Artillery and
Commissariat Horses: but poor NetherBarnim, nobody will speak for it; and unless your Majesty's gracious
self please to take pity on it, NetherBarnim is lost!" (A great many things more he said, in presence of a
large crowd of men who had gathered round the King's Carriage as the horses were being changed; and spoke
with such force and frankness that the King was surprised, and asked:)
KING. "Who are you?" (has forgotten the longserviceable man!)
NUSSLER. "I am the Nussler who was lucky enough to manage the Fixing of the Silesian Boundaries for
your Majesty!"
KING. "JA, JA, now I know you again! Bring me all the Landraths of the Kurmark [Mark of Brandenburg
Proper, ELECTORAL Mark] in a body; I will speak with them."
NUSSLER. "All of them but two are in Berlin already."
KING. "Send off estafettes for those two to come at once to Berlin; and on Thursday," day after tomorrow,
"come yourself, with all the others, to the Schloss to me: I will then have some closer conversation, and say
what I can and will do for helping of the country," (King's Carriage rolls away, with low bows and blessings
from Nussler and everybody).
II. THURSDAY, APRIL 1st, NUSSLER AND ASSEMBLED LANDRATHS AT THE SCHLOSS OF
BERLIN. To them, enter KING. ...
NUSSLER (whom they have appointed spokesman). ... "Your Majesty has given us Peace; you will also give
us Wellbeing in the Land again: we leave it to HighesttheSame's gracious judgment [no limit to
HighesttheSame's POWER, it would seem] what you will vouchsafe to us as indemnification for the
Russian plunderings."
KING. "Be you quiet; let me speak. Have you got a pencil (HAT ER CRAYON)? Yes! Well then, write, and
these Gentlemen shall dictate to you:
"'How much rye for bread; How much for seed; How many Horses, Oxen, Cows, their Circles do in an
entirely pressing way require?'
"Consider all that to the bottom; and come to me again the day after tomorrow. But see that you fix
everything with the utmost exactitude, for I cannot give much." (EXIT King.)
NUSSLER (to the Landraths). "MEINE HERREN, have the goodness to accompany me to our Landschaft
House [we have a kind of County Hall, it seems]; there we will consider everything."
And Nussler, guiding the deliberations, which are glad to follow him on every point, and writing as
PROTEMPORE Secretary, has all things brought to luminous Protocol in the course of this day and next.
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1518
Page No 1527
III. SATURDAY, APRIL 3d, IN THE SCHLOSS AGAIN: NUSSLER AND LANDRATHS. To them, the
KING.
Nussler. "We deliver to your Majesty the written Specification you were graciously pleased to command of
us. It contains only the indispensablest things that the Circles are in need of. Moreover, it regards only the
STANDE [richer Nobility], who pay contribution; the Gentry [ADEL], and other poor people, who have been
utterly plundered out by the Russians, are not included in it:the Gentry too have suffered very much by the
War and the Plundering."
KING. "What EDELLEUTE that are members of STANDE have you [ER] got in your Circle?"
NUSSLER (names them; and, as finis of the list, adds): ... "I myself, too, your Majesty, I have suffered more
than anybody: I absolutely could not furnish those 4,000 bushels of meal ordered of me by the Russians;
upon which they"
KING. "I cannot give to all: but if you have poor Nobles in your Circle, who can in no way help themselves, I
will give them something."
NUSSLER (has not any in NetherBarnim who are altogether in that extreme predicament; but knows
several in Lebus Circle, names them to the King;and turning to the Landrath of Lebus, and to another who
is mute): "Herr, you can name some more in Lebus; and you, in Teltow Circle, Herr Landrath, since his
Majesty permits." ... In a word, the King having informed himself and declared his intention, Nussler leads
the Landraths to their old County Hall, and brings to Protocol what had taken place.
Next day, the Kammer President (Exchequer President), Van der Groben, had Nussler, with other Landraths,
to dinner. During dinner, there came from Head Secretary Eichel (Majesty's unwearied Clerk of the PELLS,
Sheepskins, or PAPERS) an earnest request to Von der Groben for help,Eichel not being able to
remember, with the requisite precision, everything his Majesty had bid him put down on this matter. "You
will go, Herr von Nussler; be so kind, won't you?" And Nussler went, and fully illuminated Eichel. ...
To the poorest of the Nobility, Busching tells us, what is otherwise well known, the King gave considerable
sums: to one Circle 12,000 pounds, to another 9,000 pounds, 6,000 pounds, and so on. By help of which
bounties, and of Nussler laboring incessantly with all his strength, NiederBarnim Circle got on its feet
again, no subject having been entirely ruined, but all proving able to recover. [Busching, Beitrage (º Nussler),
i. 401405.]
This Busching Fragment is not in the style of the Elder Dramatists, or for the Bankside Theatre; but this
represents a Fact which befell in God's Creation, and may have an interest of its own to the Practical Soul,
especially in anarchic Countries, far advanced in the "Goldnugget and Nothing to Buy with it" Career of
unexampled Prosperities.
On these same errands the King is soon going on an Inspection Journey, where we mean to accompany. But
first, one word, and one will suffice, on the debased Coin. The Peace was no sooner signed, than Friedrich
proceeded on the Coin. The third week after his arrival home, there came out a salutary Edict on it, April
21st; King eager to do it without loss of time, yet with the deliberation requisite. Not at one big leap, which
might shake, to danger of oversetting, much commercial arrangement; but at two leaps, with a halfway station
intervening. Halfway station, with a new coinage ready, much purer of alloy (and marked HOW much, for
the benefit of parties with accounts to settle), is to commence on TRINITATIS (Whitsunday) instant; from
and after Whitsunday the improved new coin to be sole legal tender, till farther notice. Farther notice comes
accordingly, within a year, March 29th, 1764: "Pure money of the standard of 1750 [honest silver coinage:
readers may remember Linsenbarth, the CANDIDATUS THEOLOGIAE, and his sack of Batzen, confiscated
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1519
Page No 1528
at the Paekhof] shall be ready on the 1st of June instant;" [Rodenbeck, ii. 214, 234.]from and after which
day we hear no more of that sad matter. Finished off in about fourteen months. Here, meanwhile, is the
Inspection Journey.
KRIEGSRATH RODEN AND THE KING (6th13th June, 1763).
JUNE 2d, 1763, Friedrich left Potsdam for Westphalia; got as far as Magdeburg that day. Intends seeing into
matters with his own eyes in that region, as in others, after so long and sad an absence. There are with him
Friedrich Wilhelm Prince of Prussia, a tall young fellow of nineteen; GeneralAdjutant von Anhalt; and one
or two Prussian military people. From Magdeburg and onwards the great Duke Ferdinand
accompanies,who is now again Governor of Magdeburg, and a quiet Prussian Officer as heretofore, though
with excellent Pensions from England, and glory from all the world.
The Royal Party goes by Halberstadt, which suffered greatly in the War; thence by MINDEN (June 4th); and
the first thing next day, Friedrich takes view of the BATTLEFIELD there,under Ferdinand's own
guidance, doubtless; and an interesting thing to both Friedrich and him, though left silent to us. This done,
they start for Lippstadt, are received there under joyous clangorous outburst of all the bells and all the honors,
that same afternoon; and towards sunset, Hamm being the Nightquarter ahead, are crossing
VELLINGHAUSEN BATTLEGROUND,where doubtless Ferdinand again, like a dutiful apprentice, will
explain matters to his old master, so far as needful or permissible. The conversation, I suppose, may have
been lively and miscellaneous: Ferdinand mentions a clever businessperson of the name of Roden, whom he
has known in these parts; "Roden?" the King carefully makes note;and, in fact, we shall see Roden
presently; and his bit of DIALOGUE with the King (recorded by his own hand) is our chief errand on this
Journey. From Hamm, next morning (June 6th), they get to Wesel by 11 A.M. (only sixty miles); Wesel all in
gala, as Lippstadt was, or still more than Lippstadt; and for four days farther, they continue there very busy.
As Roden is our chief errand, let us attend to Roden.
WESEL, MONDAY, JUNE 6th, "Dinner being done," says an authentic ThirdParty, [Rodenbeck, ii. 217.]
"the King had KammerDirector Meyen summoned to him with his RegisterBooks, Schedules and Reports
[what they call ETATS]; and was but indifferently contented with Meyen and them." And in short, "ordering
Meyen to remodel these into a more distinct condition,"we may now introduce the Herr Kriegsrath Roden,
a subaltern, in rank, but who has perhaps a better head than Meyen, to judge of these ETATS. Roden himself
shall now report. This is the Royal Dialogue with Roden; accurately preserved for us by him;I wish it had
been better worth the reader's trouble; but its perfect credibility in every point will be some recommendation
to it.
"MONDAY, 6th JUNE, 1763, about 11 A.M., his Majesty arrived in Wesel," says Roden (confirming to us
the authentic ThirdParty); "I waited on AdjutantGeneral Colonel von Anhalt to announce myself; who
referred me to Kriegsrath Coper ["MEIN SEGRETER KOPER" is a name we have heard before], who told
me to be ready so soon as Dinner should be over. Dinner was no sooner over [2 P.M. or so], than the Herr
KammerDirector Meyen with his ETATS was called in. His Majesty was not content with these, Herr
Meyen was told; and they were to be remodelled into a more distinct condition. The instant Herr Meyen stept
out, I was called in. His Majesty was standing with his back to the fire; and said:
KING. "'Come nearer [Roden comes nearer]. Prince Ferdinand [of Brunswick, whom we generally call
DUKE and great, to distinguish him from a little Prussian Prince Ferdinand] has told me much good of you:
where do you come from?'
RODEN. "'From Soest' [venerable "stoneold" little Town, in Vellinghausen region].
KING. "'Did you get my Letter?'
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1520
Page No 1529
RODEN. "'Yea, IHRO MAJESTAT.'
KING. "'I will give you some employment. Have you got a pencil?'
RODEN. "'Yea' [and took out his Notebook and tools, which he had "bought in a shop a quarter of an hour
before"].
KING. "'Listen. By the War many Houses have got ruined: I mean that they shall be put in order again; for
which end,to those that cannot themselves help, particularly to Soest, Hamm, Lunen and in part Wesel, as
places that have suffered most,I intend to give the moneys. Now you must make me an exact List of what
is to be done in those places. Thus [King, lifting his finger, let us fancy, dictates; Roden, with brandnew
pencil and tablets, writes:]
"'1. In each of those Towns, how many ruined Houses there are which the proprietors themselves can manage
to rebuild. 2. How many which the proprietors cannot. 3. The vacant grounds or steadings of such proprietors
as are perhaps dead, or gone elsewhither, must be given to others that are willing to build: but in regard to
this, Law also must do its part, and the absent and the heirs must be cited to say, Whether they will
themselves build? and in case they won't, the steadings can then be given to others.'" Roden having
written,
KING. "'In the course of six days you must be ready [what an expeditious King! Is to be at Cleve the sixth
day hence: Meet me there, then],longer I cannot give you.'
RODEN (considering a moment). "'If your Majesty will permit me to use ESTAFETTES [express
messengers] for the Towns farthest off,as I cannot myself, within the time, travel over all the Towns,I
hope to be ready.'
KING. "'That I permit; and will repay you the ESTAFETTE moneys. Tell me, How comes the decrease of
population in these parts? Recruits I got none.'
RODEN. "'Under favor of your Majesty, Regiment Schenkendorf got, every year, for recompletion, what
recruits were wanted, from its Canton in the Grafschaft Mark here.'
KING. "'There you may be right: but from Cleve Country we had no recruits; not we, though the Austrians
had, [with a slight sarcasm of tone].
RODEN. "'Out of Cleve, so far as I know, there were no recruits delivered to the Austrians.'
KING. "'You could not know; you were with the Allied Army' [Duke Ferdinand's, commissariating and the
like, where Duke Ferdinand recognized you to have a head].
RODEN. "'There have been many epidemic diseases too; especially in Soest;after the Battle of
Vellinghausen all the wounded were brought thither, and the hospitals were established there.'
KING. "'Epidemic diseases they might have got without a Battle [dislikes hearing ill of the soldier trade]. I
will have Order sent to the Cleve Kammer, Not to lay hindrance in your way, but the contrary. Now God
keep you (GOTT BEWAHRE IHN).'"EXIT Roden; "DARAUF RETIRIRTE MICH," says he; but
will reappear shortly.
Sunday, 12th June, is the sixth day hence; later than the end of Sunday is not permissible to swift Roden; nor
does he need it.
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Friday, 10th, Friedrich left Wesel; crossed the Rhine, intending for Cleve; went by CREFELD,at Crefeld
had view of another BATTLE FIELD, under good ciceroneship; remarks or circumstances otherwise not
given:and, next day, Saturday, 11th, picked up D'Alembert, who, by appointment, is proceeding towards
Potsdam, at a more leisurely rate. That same Saturday, after much business done, the King was at Kempen,
thence at Geldern; speeding for Cleve itself, due there that night. At Geldern, we say, he picked up
D'Alembert; concerning whom, more by and by. And finally, "on Saturday night, about halfpast 8, the
King entered Cleve," amid joyances extraordinary, hut did not alight; drove direct through by the Nassau
Gate, and took quarter "in the neighboring Countryhouse of Bellevue, with the Dutch General von Spaen
there,"an obliging acquaintance once, while LIEUTENANT Spaen, in our old CrownPrince times of
trouble! Had his year in Spandau for us there, while poor Katte lost his head! To whom, I have heard, the
King talked charmingly on this occasion, but was silent as to old Potsdam matters. [Supra, vii. 165.]
By his set day, Roden is also in Cleve, punctual man, finished or just finishing; and ready for summons by his
Majesty. And accordingly:
"CLEVE, MONDAY, JUNE 13th, At 9 in the morning," records he, "I had audience of the King's Majesty.
[In Spaen's Villa of Bellevue, shall we still suppose? Duke Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia and the rest, have
bestowed themselves in other fit houses; D'Alembert too,who is to make direct for Potsdam henceforth, by
his own route; and will meet us on arriving.]I handed him my Report, with the Tabular Schedule. His
Majesty read it carefully through, in my presence; and examined all of it with strictness. Was pleased to
signify his satisfaction with my work. Resolved to allow 250,000 thalers (37,500 pounds) for this business of
Rebuilding; gave out the due Orders to his Kammer, in consequence, and commanded me to arrange with the
Kammer what was necessary. This done, his Majesty said:
KING. "'What you were described to me, I find you to be. You are a diligent laborious man; I must have you
nearer to me;in the Berlin Hammer you ought to be. You shall have a good, a right good Salary; your
Patent I will give you gratis; also a VORSPANNPASS [Standing Order available at all Prussian
PostStations] for two carriages [rapid Program of the thing, though yet distant, rising in the Royal fancy!].
Now serve on as faithfully as you have hitherto done.'
RODEN. "'That is the object of all my endeavors.'" (EXIT:I did not hear specially whitherward just now;
but he comes to be supreme KammerPresident in those parts by and by.)
"The Herr Kriegsrath Coper was present, and noted all the Orders to he expedited." [Preuss, ii. 442;
Rodenbeck, ii. 217, 218: in regard to D'Alembert, see OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 190.]
These snatches of notice at firsthand, and what the reader's fancy may make of these, are all we can bestow
on this Section of Friedrich's Labors; which is naturally more interesting to Prussian readers than to English.
He has himself given lucid and eloquent account of it,Two ample Chapters, "DES FINANCES;" "DU
MILITAIRE," [ OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 7390, 91109.]altogether pleasant reading, should there still
be curiosity upon it. There is something of flowingly eloquent in Friedrich's account of this Battle waged
against the inanimate Chaos; something of exultant and triumphant, not noticeable of him in regard to his
other Victories. On the Leuthens, Rossbachs, he is always cold as water, and nobody could gather that he had
the least pleasure in recording them. Not so here. And indeed here he is as beautiful as anywhere; and the
reader, as a general son of Adam, proud to see human intellect and heroism slaying that kind of lions, and
doing what in certain sad epochs is unanimously voted to be impossible and unattemptable,exults along
with him; and perhaps whispers to his own poor heart, nearly choked by the immeasurable imbroglio of
Bluebooks and Parliamentary Eloquences which for the present encumber Heaven and Earth, "MELIORA
SPERO." To Mirabeau, the following details, from firsthand, but already of twentythree years distance,
were not known, [Appeared first in Tome v. of "OEuvres Posthumes de Frederic II." (are in Tome vi. of
Preuss's Edition of OEUVRES), "Berlin, 1788;"above a year after Mirabeau had left.] while he sat penning
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those robust Essays on the Duty of LEAVEALONE.
"To form an idea of the general subversion," says the King, in regard to 1763, "and how great were the
desolation and discouragement, you must represent to yourself Countries entirely ravaged, the very traces of
the old habitations hardly discoverable; Towns, some ruined from top to bottom, others half destroyed by
fire;13,000 Houses, of which the very vestiges were gone. No field in seed; no grain for the food of the
inhabitants; 60,000 horses needed, if there was to be ploughing carried on: in the Provinces generally Half a
Million Population (500,000) less than in 1756,that is to say, upon only Four Millions and a Half, the ninth
man was wanting. Noble and Peasant had been pillaged, ransomed, foraged, eaten out by so many different
Armies; nothing now left them but life and miserable rags.
"There was no credit, by trading people, even for the daily necessaries of life." And furthermore, what we
were not prepared for, "No police in the Towns: to habits of equity and order had succeeded a vile greed of
gain and an anarchic disorder. The Colleges of Justice and of Finance had, by these frequent invasions of so
many enemies, been reduced to inaction:" no Judge, in many places not even a Taxgatherer: the silence of
the Laws had produced in the people a taste for license; boundless appetite for gain was their main rule of
action: the noble, the merchant, the farmer, the laborer, raising emulously each the price of his commodity,
seemed to endeavor only for their mutual ruin. Such, when the War ended, was the fatal spectacle over these
Provinces, which had once been so flourishing: however pathetic the description may be, it will never
approach the touching and sorrowful impression which the sight of it produced."
Friedrich found that it would never do to trust to the mere aid of Time in such circumstances: at the end of the
ThirtyYears War, "Time" had, owing to absolute want of money, been the one recipe of the Great Elector in
a similar case; and Time was then found to mean "about a hundred Years." Friedrich found that he must at
once step in with active remedies, and on all hands strive to make the impossible possible. Luckily he had in
readiness, as usual, the funds for an Eighth Campaign, had such been needed. Out of these moneys he
proceeded to rebuild the Towns and Villages; "from the CornStores (GRANARIES D'ABONDANCE,"
Government establishments gathered from plentiful harvests against scarce, according to old rule) "were
taken the supplies for food of the people and sowing of the ground: the horses intended for the artillery,
baggage and commissariat," 60,000 horses we have heard, "were distributed among those who had none, to
be employed in tillage of the land. Silesia was discharged from all taxes for six months; Pommern and the
Neumark for two years. A sum of about Three Million sterling [in THALERS 20,389,000] was given for
relief of the Provinces, and as acquittance of the impositions the Enemy had wrung from them.
"Great as was this expense, it was necessary and indispensable. The condition of these Provinces after the
Peace of Hubertsburg recalled what we know of them when the Peace of Munster closed the famous
ThirtyYears War. On that occasion the State failed of help from want of means; which put it, out, of the
Great Elector's power to assist his people: and what happened? That a whole century elapsed before his
Successors could restore the Towns and Champaigns to what they were. This impressive example was
admonitory to the King: that to repair the Public Calamities, assistance must be prompt and effective.
Repeated gifts (LARGESSES) restored courage to the poor Husbandmen, who began to despair of their lot;
by the helps given, hope in all classes sprang up anew: encouragement of labor produced activity; love of
Country rose again with fresh life: in a word [within the second year in a markedly hopeful manner, and
within seven years altogether], the fields were cultivated again, manufacturers had resumed their work; and
the Police, once more in vigor, corrected by degrees the vices that had taken root during the time of anarchy."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 74, 75.]
To Friedrich's difficulties, which were not inconsiderable, mark only this last additament: "During this War,
the elder of the Councillors, and all the Ministers of the Grand Directorium [centre of Prussian
Administration], had successively died: and in such time of trouble it had been impossible to replace them.
The embarrassment was, To find persons capable of filling these different employments [some would have
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very soon done it, your Majesty; but their haste would not have tended to speed!]We searched the
Provinces (ON FOUILLA, sifted), where good heads were found as rare as in the Capital: at length five Chief
Ministers were pitched upon,"who prove to be tolerable, and even good. Three of them were, the VONS
Blumenthal, Massow, Hagen, unknown to readers here: fourth and fifth were, the Von Wedell as War
Minister, once Dictator at Zullichan; and a Von der Horst, who had what we might partially call the Home
Department, and who may by accident once or so be namable again.
Nor was War all, says the King: "accidental Fires in different places," while we struggled to repair the
ravagings of War, "were of unexampled frequency, and did immense farther damage. From 1765 to 1769,
here is the list of places burnt: In East Preussen, the City of Konigsberg twice over; in Silesia, the Towns of
Freystadt, OberGlogau [do readers recollect Manteuffel of Foot and "WIR WOLLEN IHM WAS"!],
Parchwitz, NaumburgonQueiss, and Goldberg; in the Mark, Nauen; in the Neumark, Calies and a part of
Lansberg; in Pommern, Belgard and Tempelburg. These accidents required incessantly new expenditures to
repair them."
Friedrich was not the least of a Free Trader, except where it suited him: and his continual subventions and
donations, guidances, encouragements, commandings and prohibitions, wise supervision and impulsion,are
a thing I should like to hear an intelligent Mirabeau (Junior or Senior) discourse upon, after he had well
studied them! For example: "ON RENDIT LES PRETRES UTILES, The Priests, Catholic Priests, were
turned to use by obliging all the rich Abbeys to establish manufactures: here it was weavers making damasks
and tablecloths; there oilmills [oil from linseed]; or workers in copper, wiredrawers; as suited the
localities and the natural products,the flaxes and the metals, with waterpower, markets, and so on." What
a charming resuscitation of the rich Abbeys from their dormant condition!
I should like still better to explain how, in Lower Silesia, "we (ON) managed to increase the number of
Husbandmen by 4,000 families. You will be surprised how it was possible to multiply to this extent the
people living by Agriculture in a Country where already not a field was waste. The reason was this. Many
Lords of Land, to increase their Domain, had imperceptibly appropriated to themselves the holdings
(TERRES) of their vassals. Had this abuse been suffered to go on, in time a great" But the commentary
needed would be too lengthy; we will give only the result: "In the longrun, every Village would have had its
Lord, but there would have been no taxpaying Farmers left." The Landlord, ruler of these Landless, might
himself (as Majesty well knows) have been made to PAY, had that been all; but it was not. "To possess
something; that is what makes the citizen attached to his Country; those who have no property, and have
nothing to lose, what tie have they?" A weak one, in comparison! "All these things being represented to the
Landlord Class, their own advantage made them consent to replace their Peasants on the old footing." ...
"To make head against so many extraordinary demands," adds the King (looking over to a new Chapter, that
of the MILITARY, which Department, to his eyes, was not less shockingly dilapidated than the CIVIL, and
equally or more needed instant repair), "new resources had to be devised. For, besides what was needed for
reestablishment of the Provinces, new Fortifications were necessary; and all our Cannon, E'VASES (worn
too wide in the bore), needed to be refounded; which occasioned considerable new expense. This led us to
improvement of the Excises,"concerning which there will have to be a Section by itself.
OF FRIEDRICH'S NEW EXCISE SYSTEM.
In his late InspectionJourney to Cleve Country, D'Alembert, from Paris, by appointment waited for the
King; [In ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 377380 (D'Alembert's fine bits of Letters in prospect of Potsdam,
"Paris, 7th March29th April, 1763;" and two small Notes while there, "SansSouci, 6th July15th August,
1763").]picked up at Geldern (June 11th), as we saw above. D'Alembert got to Potsdam June 22d; stayed
till middle of August. He had met the King once before, in 1755; who found him "a BON GARCON," as we
then saw. D'Alembert was always, since that time, an agreeable, estimable little man to Friedrich. Age now
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about fortysix; has lately refused the fine Russian post of "Tutor to the Czarowitsh" (Czarowitsh Paul, poor
little Boy of eight or nine, whom we, or Herr Busching for us, saw galloping about, not long since, "in his
dressinggown," under Panin's Tutorage); refuses now, in a delicate gradual manner, the fine Prussian post of
Perpetual President, or Successor to Maupertuis;definitely preferring his frugal pensions at Paris, and
garret all his own there. Continues, especially after this two months' visit of 1763, one of the King's chief
correspondents for the next twenty years. ["29th October, 1783," D'Alembert died: "born 16th November,
1717;" a Foundling, as is well known; "Mother a Sister of Cardinal Tencin's; Father," accidental, "an
Officer in the Artillery."] A man of much clear intellect; a thought SHRIEKY in his ways sometimes; but
always prudent, rational, polite, and loyally recognizing Friedrich as a precious article in this world. Here is a
word of D'Alembert's to Madame du Deffand, at Paris, some ten or twelve days after the Cleve meeting, and
the third day after his arrival here:
"POTSDAM, 25th JUNE, 1763. MADAME, ... I will not go into the praises of this Prince," King
Friedrich, my now Host; "in my mouth it might be suspicious: I will merely send you two traits of him, which
will indicate his way of thinking and feeling. When I spoke to him [at Geldern, probably, on our first
meeting] of the glory he had acquired, he answered, with the greatest simplicity, That there was a furious
discount to be deducted from said glory; that chance came in for almost the whole of it; and that he would far
rather have done Ratine's ATHALIE than all this War:ATHALIE is the work he likes, and rereads
oftenest; I believe you won't disapprove his taste there. The other trait I have to give you is, That on the day
[15th February last] of concluding this Peace, which is so glorious to him, some one saying, 'It is the finest
day of your Majesty's life:' 'The finest day of life,' answered he, 'is the day on which one quits it.' ...Adieu,
Madame." [ "OEuvres Posthumes de D'Alembert (Paris, 1799). i. 197:" cited in PREUSS, ii. 348.]
The meeting in Cleve Country was, no doubt, a very pretty passage, with Two pretty Months
following;and if it be true that HELVETIUS was a consequence, the 11th of June, 1763, may almost claim
to be a kind of epoch in Friedrich's later history. The opulent and ingenious M. Helvetius, who wrote DE
L'ESPRIT, and has got banished for that feat (lost in the gloom of London in those months), had been a
mighty Taxgatherer as well; D'Alembert, as brother Philosophe, was familiar with Helvetius. It is certain,
also, King Friedrich, at this time, found he would require annually two million thalers more;where to get
them, seemed the impossibility. A General Krockow, who had long been in French Service, and is much
about the King, was often recommending the French Excise system; he is the Krockow of DOMSTADTL,
and that SIEGE OF OLMUTZ, memorable to some of us:"A wonderful Excise system," Krockow is often
saying, in this time of straits. "Who completely understands it?" the King might ask. "Helvetius, against the
world!" D'Alembert could justly answer. "Invite Helvetius to leave his London exile, and accept an asylum
here, where he may be of vital use to me!" concludes Friedrich.
Helvetius came in March, 1765; stayed till June, 1766: [Rodenbeck, ii. 254; Preuss, iii. 11.]within which
time a French Excise system, which he had been devising and putting together, had just got in gear, and been
in action for a month, to Helvetius's satisfaction. Who thereupon went his way, and never returned; taking
with him, as man and taxgatherer, the King's lasting gratitude; but by no means that of the Prussian Nation,
in his tax gathering capacity! All Prussia, or all of it that fell under this Helvetius Excise system, united to
condemn it, in all manner of dialects, louder and louder: here, for instance, is the utterance of Herr Hamann,
himself a kind of Customhouse Clerk (at Konigsberg, in East Preussen), and on modest terms a Literary
man of real merit and originality, who may be supposed to understand this subject: "And so," says Hamann,
"the State has declared its own subjects incapable of managing its Finance system; and in this way has
intrusted its heart, that is the purse of its subjects, to a company of Foreign Scoundrels, ignorant of everything
relating to it!" ["Hamann to Jacobi" (see Preuss, iii. 135), "Konigsberg, 18th January, 1786."]
This lasted all Friedrich's lifetime; and gave rise to not a little buzzing, especially in its primary or incipient
stages. It seems to have been one of the unsuccessfulest Finance adventures Friedrich ever engaged in. It cost
his subjects infinite small trouble; awakened very great complaining; and, for the first time, real
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discontent,skindeep but sincere and universal,against the misguided Vater Fritz. Much noisy absurdity
there was upon it, at home, and especially abroad: "Griping miser," "greedy tyrant," and so forth! Deducting
all which, everybody now admits that Friedrich's aim was excellent and proper; but nobody denies withal that
the means were inconsiderate, of no profit in proportion to the trouble they gave, and improper to adopt
unless the necessity compelled.
Friedrich is forbidden, or forbids himself, as we have often mentioned, to impose new taxes: and nevertheless
now, on calculations deep, minute and no doubt exact, he judges That for meeting new attacks of War (or
being ready to meet, which will oftenest mean averting them),a thing which, as he has just seen, may
concern the very existence of the State,it is necessary that there should be on foot such and such quotities
and kinds of Soldiery and Warfurniture, visible to all neighbors; and privately in the Treasury never less
than such and such a sum. To which end Arithmetic declares that there is required about Two Million thalers
more of yearly revenue than we now have. And where, in these circumstances, are the means of raising such
a sum?
Friedrich imposes no new taxes; but there may be stricter methods of levying the old;there may, and in fact
there must, be means found! Friedrich has consulted his Finance Ministers; put the question SERIATIM to
these wise heads: they answer with one voice, "There are no means." [Rodenbeck, ii. 256.] Friedrich,
therefore, has recourse to Helvetius; who, on due consideration, and after survey of much documentary and
tabulary rawmaterial, is of opinion, That the Prussian Excises would, if levied with the punctuality,
precision and vigilant exactitude of French methods, actually yield the required overplus. "Organize me the
methods, then; get them put in action here; under French hands, if that be indispensable." Helvetius bethought
him of what fittest French hands there were to his knowledge,in France there are a great many hands flung
idle in the present downbreak of finance there: Helvetius appears to have selected, arranged and contrived
in this matter with his best diligence. De Launay, the Headengineer of the thing, was admitted by all
Prussia, after Twentytwo years unfriendly experience of him, to have been a suitable and estimable person;
a man of judicious ways, of no small intelligence, prudence, and of very great skill in administering business.
Headengineer De Launay, one may guess, would be consulted by Helvetius in choice of the subaltern
Officials, the stokers and steerers in this new SteamMachinery, which had all to be manned from France.
There were Four heads of departments immediately under De Launay, or scarcely under him, junior brothers
rather:who chose these I did not hear; but these latter, it is evident, were not a superior quality of people.
Of these Four,all at very high salaries, from De Launay downwards; "higher than a Prussian Minister of
State!" murmured the public,two, within the first year, got into quarrel; fought a duel, fatal to one of them;
so that there were now only Three left. "Three, with De Launay, will do," opined Friedrich; and divided the
vacant salary among the survivors: in which form they had at least no more duelling.
As to the subaltern workingparties, the VISITATEURS, CONTROLLEURS, JAUGEURS (Gaugers),
PLOMBEURS (Leadstampers), or the strangest kind of all, called "CellarRats (COMMIS
RATSDECAVE), "they were so detested and exclaimed against, by a Public impatient of the work itself,
there is no knowing what their degree of scoundrelism was, nor even, within amazingly wide limits, what the
arithmetical number of them was. About 500 in the whole of Prussia, says a quiet Prussian, who has made
some inquiry; ["Beguelin, ACCISE UND ZOLL VERFASSUNG, s. 138" (Preuss, iii, 18).] 1,500 says
Mirabeau; 3,000 say other exaggerative persons, or even 5,000; De Launay's account is, Not at any time
above 200. But we can all imagine how vexatious they and their business were. Nobody now is privileged
with exemption: from one and all of you, Nobles, Clergy, People, strict account is required, about your beers
and liquors; your coffee, salt; your consumptions and your purchases of all excisable articles:nay, I think
in coffee and salt, in salt for certain, what you will require, according to your station and domestic numbers,
is computed for you, to save trouble; such and such quantities you will please to buy in our presence, or to
pay duty for, whether you buy them or not. Into all houses, at any hour of the day or of the night, these
cellarrats had liberty,(on warrant from some higher rat of their own type, I know not how much higher;
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and no sure appeal for you, except to the King; tolerably sure there, if you be INNOCENT, but evidently
perilous if you be only NOTCONVICTED!)had liberty, I say, to search for contraband; all your presses,
drawers, repositories, you must open to these beautiful creatures; watch in nightcap, and candle in hand,
while your things get all tumbled hither and thither, in the search for what perhaps is not there; nay, it was
said and suspected, but I never knew it for certain, that these poisonous French are capable of slipping in
something contraband, on purpose to have you fined whether or not.
Readers can conceive, though apparently Friedrich did not, what a world of vexation all this occasioned; and
how, in the continual annoyance to all mankind, the irritation, provocation and querulous eloquence spread
among high and low. Of which the King knew something; but far from the whole. His object was one of vital
importance; and his plan once fixed, he went on with it, according to his custom, regardless of little rubs. The
Anecdote Books are full of details, comic mostly, on this subject: How the French rats pounced down upon
good harmless people, innocent frugal parsonages, farmhouses; and were comically flung prostrate by
native ready wit, or by direct appeal to the King. Details, never so authentic, could not be advisable in this
place. Perhaps there are not more than Two authentic Passages, known to me, which can now have the least
interest, even of a momentary sort, to English readers. The first is, Of King Friedrich caricatured as a Miser
grinding Coffee. I give it, without essential alteration of any kind, in Herr Preuss's words, copied from those
of one who saw it:the second, which relates to a Princess or ExPrincess of the Royal House, I must
reserve for a little while. Herr Preuss says:
"Once during the time of the 'Regie' [which lasted from 1766 to 1786 and the King's death: no other date
assignable, though 1768, or so, may be imaginable for our purpose], as the King came riding along the Jager
Strasse, there was visible near what is called the Furstenhaus," kind of Berlin Somerset House, [Nicolai, i.
155.] "a great crowd of people. 'See what it is!' the King sent his one attendant, a heiduc or groom, into it, to
learn what it was. 'They have something posted up about your Majesty,' reported the groom; and Friedrich,
who by this time had ridden forward, took a look at the thing; which was a Caricature figure of himself: King
in very melancholy guise, seated on a Stool, a Coffeemill between his knees; diligently grinding with the
one hand, and with the other picking up any bean that might have fallen. 'Hang it lower,' said the King,
beckoning his groom with a wave of the finger: 'Lower, that they may not have to hurt their necks about it!'
No sooner were the words spoken, which spread instantly, than there rose from the whole crowd one
universal huzza of joy. They tore the Caricature into a thousand pieces, and rolled after the King with loud
(LEBE HOCH, Our Friedrich forever!' as he rode slowly away." [Preuss, iii. 275 ("from BERLIN
CONVERSUTIONSBLATT of 1827, No. 253").] That is their Friedrich's method with the Caricature
Department. Heffner, Kapellmeister in Upsala, reports this bit of memorability; he was then of the King's
MusicChapel in Berlin, and saw this with his eyes.
The King's tendency at all times, and his practice generally, when we hear of it, was to take the people's side;
so that gradually these French procedures were a great deal mitigated; and DIE REGIE so they called this
hateful newfangled system of Excise machinerybecame much more supportable, "the sorrows of it
nothing but a tradition to the younger sort," reports Dohm, who is extremely ample on this subject. [Christian
Wilhelm von Dohm, Denkwurdigkeiten meiner Zeit (Lemgo und Hanover, 1819), iv. 500 et seq.] De Launay
was honorably dismissed, and the whole Regie abolished, a month or two after Friedrich's death.
With a splenetic satisfaction authentic Dohm, who sufficiently condemns the REGIE, adds that it was not
even successful; and shows by evidence, and computation to the uttermost farthing, that instead of two
million thalers annually, it yielded on the average rather less than one. The desired overplus of two millions,
and a good deal more did indeed come in, says he: but it was owing to the great prosperity of Prussia at large,
after the SevenYears War; to the manifold industries awakening, which have gone on progressive ever
since. Dohm declares farther, that the very object was in a sort fanciful, nugatory; arguing that nobody did
attack Friedrich;but omitting to prove that nobody would have done so, had Friedrich NOT stood ready to
receive him. We will remark only, what is very indisputable, that Friedrich, owing to the Regie, or to other
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causes, did get the humble overplus necessary for him; and did stand ready for any war which might have
come (and which did in a sort come); that he more and more relaxed the Regie, as it became less
indispensable to him; and was willing, if he found the Caricatures and Opposition Placards too high posted,
to save the poor reading people any trouble that was possible.
A French eyewitness testifies: "They had no talent, these Regie fellows, but that of writing and ciphering;
extremely conceited too, and were capable of the most ridiculous follies. Once, for instance, they condemned
a common soldier, who had hidden some pounds of tobacco, to a fine of 200 thalers. The King, on reviewing
it for confirmation, wrote on the margin: 'Before confirming this sentence, I should wish to know where the
Soldier, who gets 8 groschen [ninepence halfpenny] in the 5 days, will find the 200 crowns for paying this
Fine!'" [Laveaux (2d edition), iii. 228.] Innumerable instances of a constant disposition that way, on the
King's part, stand on record. "A crown a head on the import of fat cattle, Tax on butcher'smeat?" writes he
once to De Launay: "No, that would fall on the poorer classes: to that I must say No. I am, by office,
Procurator of the Poor (L'AVOCAT DU PAUVRE)." Elsewhere it is "AVOCAT DEC PAUVRE ET DU
SOLDAT (of the workingman and of the soldier); and have to plead their cause." [Preuss, iii. 20.]
We will now give our Second Anecdote; which has less of memorability to us strangers at present, though
doubtless it was then, in Berlin society, the more celebrated of the two; relating, as it did, to a high
CourtLady, almost the highest, and who was herself only too celebrated in those years. The heroine is
Princess Elizabeth of Brunswick, King's own Niece and a pretty woman; who for four years (14th July,
176518th April, 1769) of her long life was Princess Royal of Prussia,Wife of that tall young Gentleman
whom we used to see dancing about, whom we last saw at Schweidnitz getting flung from his horse, on the
day of Pirch's saddle there:his Wife for four years, but in the fourth year ceased to be so [Rodenbeck, ii.
241, 257.] (for excellent reasons, on both sides), and lived thenceforth in a divorced eclipsed state at Stettin,
where is laid the scene of our Anecdote. I understand it to be perfectly true; but cannot ascertain from any of
the witnesses in what year the thing happened; or whether it was at Stettin or Berlin,though my author has
guessed, "Stettin, in the Lady's divorced state," as appears.
"This Princess had commissioned, direct from Lyon, a very beautiful dress; which arrived duly, addressed to
her at Stettin. As this kind of stuffs is charged with very heavy dues, the DOUANIER, head Customhouse
Personage of the Town, had the impertinence to detain the dress till payment were made. The Princess, in a
lofty indignation, sent word to this person, To bring the dress instantly, and she would pay the dues on it. He
obeyed: but,"mark the result,"scarcely had the Princess got eye on him, when she seized her Lyon
Dress; and, giving the Douanier a couple of good slaps on the face, ordered him out of her apartment and
house.
"The Douanier, thinking himself one and somewhat, withdrew in high choler; had a long
PROCESVERBAL of the thing drawn out; and sent it to the King with eloquent complaint, 'That he had
been dishonored in doing the function appointed him.' Friedrich replied as follows: TO THE DOUANIER AT
STETTIN: 'The loss of the Excise dues shall fall to my score; the Dress shall remain with the Princess; the
slaps to him who has received them. As to the pretended Dishonor, I entirely relieve the complainant from
that: never can the appliance of a beautiful hand dishonor the face of an Officer of Customs.F.'" [Laveaux
(abridged), iii. 229.]
Northern Tourists, Wraxall and others, passing that way, speak of this Princess, down to recent times, as a
phenomenon of the place. Apparently a high and peremptory kind of Lady, disdaining to be bowed too low
by her disgraces. She survived all her generation, and the next and the next, and indeed into our own. Died
18th February, 1840: at the age of ninetysix. Threescore and eleven years of that eclipsed Stettin Existence;
this of the Lyon gown, and caitiff of a Customhouser slapped on the face, her one adventure put on record
for us!
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She was signally blamable in that of the Divorce; but not she alone, nor first of the Two. Her CrownPrince,
Friedrich Wilhelm, called afterwards, as King, "DER DICKE (the Fat, or the Big)," and held in little esteem
by Posterity,a headlong, rather dark and physical kind of creature, though not illmeaning or dishonest,
was himself a dreadful sinner in that department of things; and had BEGUN the bad game against his poor
Cousin and Spouse! Readers of discursive turn are perhaps acquainted with a certain "Grafin von Lichtenau,"
and her MEMOIRS so called:not willingly, but driven, I fish up one specimen, and one only, from that
record of human puddles and perversities:
"From the first year of our attachment," says this precious Grafin, "I was already the confidant of his," the
Prince of Prussia's, "most secret thoughts. One day [in 1767, second year of his married life, I then fifteen,
slim Daughter of a Player on the French Horn, in his Majesty's pay], the Prince happened to be very serious;
and was owning to me with frankness that he had some wrongs towards my sex to reproach himself
with,"alas, yes, some few:"and he swore that he would never forsake ME; and that if Heaven disposed
of my life before his, none but he should close my eyes. He was fingering with a penknife at the time; he
struck the point of it into the palm of his left hand, and wrote with his blood [the unclean creature], on a little
bit of paper, the Oath which his lips had just pronounced in so solemn a tone. Vainly should I undertake to
paint my emotion on this action of his! The Prince saw what I felt; and took advantage of it to beg that I
would follow his example. I hastened to satisfy him; and traced, as he had done, with my blood, the promise
to remain his friend to the tomb, and never to forsake him. This Promise must have been found among his
Papers after his death [still in the Archives? we will hope not!] Both of us stood faithful to this Oath. The
tie of love, it is true, we broke: but that was by mutual consent, and the better to fix ourselves in the bonds of
an inviolable friendship. Other mistresses reigned over his senses; but I"ACH GOTT, no more of that.
[ Memoires de la Comtesse de Lichtenau (a Londres, chez Colburn Libraire, Conduitstreet, Bond street, 2
tomes, small 8vo, 1809), i. 129.]
The King's own account of the affair is sufficiently explicit. His words are: "Not long ago [about two years
before this of the penknife] we mentioned the Prince of Prussia's marriage with Elizabeth of Brunswick [his
Cousin twice over, her Mother, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, being his Father's Sister and mine, and her
Father HIS Mother's Brother,if you like to count it]. This engagement, from which everybody had
expected happy consequences, did not correspond to the wishes of the Royal House." Only one Princess
could be realized (subsequently Wife to the late Duke of York),she came this same year of the
penknife,and bad outlooks for more. "The Husband, young and dissolute (SANS MOEURS), given up to a
crapulous life, from which his relatives could not correct him, was continually committing infidelities to his
Wife. The Princess, who was in the flower of her beauty, felt outraged by such neglect of her charms; her
vivacity, and the good opinion she had of herself, brought her upon the thought of avenging her wrongs by
retaliation. Speedily she gave in to excesses, scarcely inferior to those of her Husband. Family quarrels broke
out, and were soon publicly known. The antipathy that ensued took away all hope of succession [had it been
desirable in these sad circumstances!]. Prince Henri [JUNIOR, this hopeful Prince of Prussia's Brother], who
was gifted with all the qualities to be wished in a young man [witness my tears for him], had been carried off
by smallpox. ["26th May, 1767," age 19 gone; ELOGE of him by Friedrich ("MS. still stained with tears"),
in OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 37 et seq.] The King's Brothers, Princes Henri and Ferdinand, avowed frankly
that they would never consent to have, by some accidental bastard, their rights of succession to the crown
carried off. In the end, there was nothing for it but proceeding to a divorce." [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 23.]
Divorce was done in a beautiful private manner; case tried with strictly shut doors; all the five judges under
oath to carry into the grave whatever they came to know of it: [Preuss, iv. 180186.] divorce completed 18th
April, 1769; and, within three months, a new marriage was accomplished, Princess Frederika Luisa of
Hessen Darmstadt the happy woman. By means of whom there was duly realized a Friedrich Wilhelm, who
became "King Friedrich Wilhelm III." (a muchenduring, excellent, though inarticulate man), as well as
various other Princes and Princesses, in spite of interruptions from the Lichtenau Sisterhood. Highsouled
Elizabeth was relegated to Stettin; her amount of Pension is not mentioned; her Family, after the unhappy
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proofs communicated to them, had given their consent and sanction;and she stayed there, idle, or her own
mistress of work, for the next seventyone years.Enough of HER Lyon Dress, surely, and of the Excise
system altogether!
THE NEUE PALAIS, IN SANSSOUCI NEIGHBORHOOD, IS FOUNDED AND FINISHED
(17631770).
If D'Alembert's Visit was the germ of the Excise system, it will be curious to note,and indeed whether or
not, it will be chronologically serviceable to us here, and worth noting,that there went on a small
synchronous affair, still visible to everybody: namely, That in the very hours while Friedrich and D'Alembert
were saluting mutually at Geldern (11th June, 1763), there was laid the foundation of what they call the
NEUE PALAIS; New Palace of SansSouci: [Rodenbeck, ii. 219.] a sumptuous Edifice, in the curious
LOUISQUINZE or what is called "Rococo" style of the time; Palace never much inhabited by Friedrich or
his successors, which still stands in those ornamental Potsdam regions. Why built, especially in the then
downpressed financial circumstances, some have had their difficulties to imagine. It appears, this New
Palace had been determined on before the War broke out; and Friedrich said to himself: "We will build it
now, to help the mechanical classes in Berlin,perhaps also, in part [think some, and why should not they, a
little?] to show mankind that we have still ready money; and are nothing like so ruined as they fancy."
"This NEUE PALAIS," says one recent Tourist, "is a pleasant quaint object, nowadays, to the stranger. It has
the air DEGAGE POCOCURANTE; pleasantly fine in aspect and in posture;spacious expanses round it,
not in a waste, but still less in a strict condition; and (in its deserted state) has a silence, especially a total
absence of needless flunkies and of gaping fellowloungers, which is charming. Stands mute there, in its
solitude, in its stately silence and negligence, like some Tadmor of the Wilderness in small. The big square of
Stables, Coachhouses, near by, was locked up,probably one sleeping groom in it. The very CUSTOS of
the grand Edifice (such the rarity of fees to him) I could not awaken without difficulty. In the gray autumn
zephyrs, no sound whatever about this New Palace of King Friedrich's, except the rustle of the crisp brown
leaves, and of any faded or fading memories you may have.
"I should say," continues he, "it somehow reminds you of the City of Bath. It has the cut of a battered Beau of
old date; Beau still extant, though in strangely other circumstances; something in him of pathetic dignity in
that kind. It shows excellent sound masonries; which have an overtendency to jerk themselves into
pinnacles, curvatures and graciosities; many statues atop,three there are, in a kind of grouped or
partnership attitude; 'These,' said diligent scandal, 'note them; these mean Maria Theresa, Pompadour and
CATIN DU NORD' (mere Muses, I believe, or of the Nymph or Hamadryad kind, nothing of harm in them).
In short, you may call it the stone Apotheosis of an old French Beau. Considerably weatherbeaten (the
brown of lichens spreading visibly here and there, the firmset ashlar telling you, 'I have stood a hundred
years');Beau old and weatherbeaten, with his cockedhat not in the fresh condition, all his goldlaces
tarnished; and generally looking strange, and in a sort tragical, to find himself, fleeting creature, become a
denizen of the Architectural Fixities and earnest Eternities!"
From Potsdam Palace to the New Palace of SansSouci may be a mile distance; flat ground, parallel to the
foot of Hills; all through arbors, parterres, waterworks, and ornamental gardenings and cottagings or
villaings,CottageVilla for Lord Marischal is one of them. This mile of distance, taking the COTTAGE
Royal of Sans Souci on its hilltop as vertex, will be the base of an isosceles or nearly isosceles triangle,
flatter than equilateral. To the Cottage Royal of SansSouci may be about threequarters of a mile northeast
from this New Palace, and from Potsdam Palace to it rather less. And the whole squaremile or so of space is
continuously a Garden, not in the English sense, though it has its own beauties of the more artificial kind;
and, at any rate, has memories for you, and footsteps of persons still unforgotten by mankind.Here is a
Notice of Lord Marischal; which readers will not grudge; the chronology of the worthy man, in these his later
epochs, being in so hazy a state:
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1530
Page No 1539
Lord Marischal, we know well and Pitt knows, was in England in 1761,ostensibly on the Kintore Heritage;
and in part, perhaps, really on that errand. But he went and came, at dates now uncertain; was back in Spain
after that, had difficult voyagings about; [King's Letters to him, in OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 282285.]and
did not get to rest again, in his Government of Neufchatel, till April, 1762. There is a Letter of the King's,
which at least fixes that point:
"BRESLAU, 10th APRIL, 1762. My nose is the most impertinent nose in the universe, MON CHER
MYLORD [QueenDowager snuff, SPANIOL from the fountainhead, of Marischal's providing; quality
exquisite, but difficult to get transmitted in the Storms of War]; I am ashamed of the trouble it costs you! I
beg many pardons;and should be quite abashed, did I not know how you compassionate the weak points of
your friends, and that, for a long time past, you have a singular indulgence for my nose. I am very glad to
know you happily returned to your Government, safe at Colombier (DOVECOTE) in Neufchatel again."
This is 10th April, 1762. There, as I gather, quiet in his Dovecote, Marischal continued, though rather weary
of the business, for about a year more; or till the King got home,who delights in companionship, and is
willing to let an old man demit for good.
It was in Summer, 1762 (about three months after the above Letter from the King), that Rousseau made his
celebrated exodus into Neufchatel Country, and found the old Governor so good to him, glad to be allowed
to shelter the poor skinless creature. And, mark as curious, it must have been on two of those mornings,
towards the end of the Siege of Schweidnitz, when things were getting so intolerable, and at times breaking
out into electricity, into "rebuke all round," that Friedrich received that singular pair of Laconic Notes from
Rousseau in Neufchatel: forwarded, successively, by Lord Marischal; NOTE FIRST, of date,
"MotierTravers, Neufchatel, September," nobody can guess what day, "1762:" "I have said much ill of you,
and don't repent it. Now everybody has banished me; and it is on your threshold that I sit down. Kill me, if
you have a mind!" And then (after, not death, but the gift of 100 crowns), NOTE SECOND, "October, 1762:"
... "Take out of my sight that sword, which dazzles and pains me; IT has only too well done its duty, while
the sceptre is abandoned:" Make Peace, can't you! [ OEuvres completes de Rousseau (a Geneve, 17821789),
xxxiii. 64, 65.]What curious reading for a King in such posture, among the miscellaneous arrivals
overnight! Above six weeks before either of these NOTES, Friedrich, hearing of him from Lord Marischal,
had answered: "An asylum? Yes, by all means: the unlucky cynic!" It is on September 1st, that he sends, by
the same channel, 100 crowns for his use, with advice to "give them in NATURA, lest he refuse otherwise;"
as Friedrich knows to be possible. In words, the Rousseau Notes got nothing of Answer. "A GARCON
SINGULIER," says Friedrich: odd fellow, yes indeed, your Majesty;and has such a pungency of flattery in
him too, presented in the way of snarl! His Majesty might take him, I suppose, with a kind of relish, like
QueenDowager snuff.
There was still another shift of place, shift which proved temporary, in old Marischal's life: Home to native
Aberdeenshire. The two childless Brothers, Earls of Kintore, had died successively, the last of them
November 22d, 1761: title and heritage, not considerable the latter, fell duly, by what preparatives we know,
to old Marischal; but his Keith kinsfolk, furthermore, would have him personally among them,nay, after
that, would have him to wed and produce new Keiths. At the age of 78; decidedly an inconvenient thing! Old
Marischal left Potsdam "August, 1763," [Letter of his to the King ("LONDRES, 14 AOUT, 1763"), in
OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 293.In Letters of Eminent Persons to David Hume (Edinburgh, 1849), pp.
5771, are some Nine from the Old Marischal; in curiously mixed dialect, cheerful, but indistinct; the two
chief dates of which are: "Touch" (guttural TuCH, in Aberdeenshire), "28 October, 1763," and "Potsdam, 20
February, 1765."]NEWPALACE scaffoldings and big stone blocks conspicuous in those localities;
pleasant D'Alembert now just about leaving, in the other direction; much to Friedrich's regret, the old
Marischal especially, as is still finely evident.
FRIEDRICH TO LORD MARISCHAL (in Scotland for the last six months).
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1531
Page No 1540
"SANSSOUCI, 16th February, 1764.
"I am not surprised that the Scotch fight to have you among them; and wish to have progeny of yours, and to
preserve your bones. You have in your lifetime the lot of Homer after death: Cities arguing which is your
birthplace;I myself would dispute it with Edinburgh to possess you. If I had ships, I would make a descent
on Scotland, to steal off my CHER MYLORD, and bring him hither. Alas, our Elbe Boats can't do it. But you
give me hopes;which I seize with avidity! I was your late Brother's friend, and had obligations to him; I
am yours with heart and soul. These are my titles, these are my rights:you sha'n't be forced in the matter of
progeny here (FAIRE L'ETALON ICI), neither priests nor attorneys shall meddle with you; you shall live
here in the bosom of friendship, liberty and philosophy." Come to me! ...F. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xx.
295.]
Old Marischal did come; and before long. I know not the precise month: but "his VillaCottage was built for
him," the Books say, "in 1764." He had left D'Alembert just going; next year he will find Helvetius coming.
He lived here, a great treasure to Friedrich, till his death, 25th May, 1778, age 92.
The New Palace was not finished till 1770;in which year, also, Friedrich reckons that the general Problem
of Repairing Prussia was victoriously over. New Palace, growing or complete, looks down on all these
operations and occurrences. In its cradle, it sees D'Alembert go, Lord Marischal go; Helvetius come, Lord
Marischal come; in its boyhood or maturity, the Excise, and French RATSDE CAVE, spring up;
CrownPrince Friedrich Wilhelm prick his hand for a fit kind of ink; Friedrich Wilhelm's Divorced Wife give
her Douanier two slaps in the face, by way of payment. Nay, the same Friedrich Wilhelm, become "Friedrich
Wilhelm II., or DER DICKE," died in it,his Lichtenau AND his second Wife, jewel of women, nursing
him in his last sickness there. ["Died 16th November, 1797."]
The violent stress of effort for repairing Prussia, Friedrich intimates, was mostly over in 1766: till which date
specifically, and in a looser sense till 1770, that may be considered as his main business. But it was not at any
time his sole business; nor latterly at all equal in interest to some others that had risen on him, as the next
Chapter will now show. Here, first, is a little Fraction of NECROLOGY, which may be worth taking with us.
Readers can spread these fateful specialties over the Period in question; and know that each of them came
with a kind of knell upon Friedrich's heart, whatever he might be employed about. Hour striking after hour on
the Horologe of Time; intimating how the Afternoon wore, and that Night was coming. Various meanings
there would be to Friedrich in these footfalls of departing guests, the dear, the less dear, and the indifferent or
hostile; but each of them would mean: "Gone, then, gone; thus we all go!"
"OBITUARY IN FRIEDRICH'S CIRCLE TILL 1771."
Of Polish Majesty's death (5th October, 1763), and then (2d December following) of his Kurprinz or
Successor's, with whom we dined at Moritzburg so recently, there will be mention by and by. November
28th, 1763, in the interval between these two, the wretched Bruhl had died. April 14th, 1764, died the
wretched Pompadour;"To us not known, JE NE LA CONNAIS PAS:"hapless Butterfly, she had been
twenty years in the winged condition; age now fortyfour: dull Louis, they say, looked out of window as her
hearse departed, "FROIDEMENT," without emotion of any visible kind. These little concern Friedrich or us;
we will restrict ourselves to Friends.
"DIED IN 1764. At Pisa, Algarotti (23d May, 1764, age fiftytwo); with whom Friedrich has always had
some correspondence hitherto (to himself interesting, though not to us), and will never henceforth have more.
Friedrich raised a Monument to him; Monument still to be seen in the CampoSanto of Pisa: 'HIC JACET
OVIDII AEMULUS ET NEUTONI DISCIPULUS;' friends have added 'FREDERICUS MAGNUS PONI
FECIT;' and on another part of the Monument, 'ALGAROTTUS NON OMNIS.' [Preuss, iv. 188.]
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Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. 1532
Page No 1541
"IN 1765. At the age of eighty, November 18th, Grafin Camas, 'MA BONNE MAMAN' (widow since
1741); excellent old Lady,once brilliantly young, German by birth, her name Brandt;to whom the King's
LETTERS used to be so pretty." This same year, too, Kaiser Franz died; but him we will reserve, as not
belonging to this Select List.
"IN 1766. At Nanci, 23d February, age eightysix, King Stanislaus Leczinsky: 'his clothes caught fire'
(accidental spark or sputter on some damask dressinggown or the like); and the muchenduring innocent
old soul ended painfully his Titular career.
"DIED IN 1767. October 22d, the GrandDuchess of SachsenGotha, age fiftyseven; a sad stroke this also,
among one's narrowing List of Friends.I doubt if Friedrich ever saw this high Lady after the Visit we lately
witnessed. His LETTERS to her are still in the Archives of Gotha: not hers to him; all lost, these latter, but an
accidental Two, which are still beautiful in their kind. [Given in OEuvres de Frederic, xviii. 165, 256.]
"IN 1770. Bielfeld, the fantastic individual of old days. Had long been out of Friedrich's circle,in
Altenburg Country, I think;without importance to Friedrich or us: the year of him will do, without search
for day or month.
"IN 1771. Two heavy deaths come this year. January 28th, 1771, at Berlin, dies our valuable old friend
Excellency Mitchell,still here on the part of England, in cordial esteem as a man and companion; though as
Minister, I suppose, with function more and more imaginary. This painfully ushers in the year. To usher it
out, there is still worse: faithful D'Argens dies, 26th December, 1771, on a visit in his native
Provence,leaving, as is still visible, [Friedrich's two Letters to the Widow (Ib. xix. 427429).] a big and
sad blank behind him at Potsdam." But we need not continue; at least not at present.
Long before all these, Friedrich had lost friends; with a sad but quiet emotion he often alludes to this tragic
fact, that all the souls he loved most are gone. His Winterfelds, his Keiths, many loved faces, the War has
snatched: at Monbijou, at Baireuth, it was not War; but they too are gone. Is the world becoming all a
Mausoleum, then; nothing of divine in it but the Tombs of vanished loved ones? Friedrich makes no noise on
such subjects: loved and unloved alike must go.
We have still to mark Kaiser Franz's sudden death; a thing politically interesting, if not otherwise. August,
1765, at Innspruck, during the Marriagefestivities of his Second Son, Leopold (Duke of Florence, who
afterwards, on Joseph's death, was Kaiser),Kaiser Franz, sauntering about in the evening gala, "18th
August, about 9 P.M.," suddenly tottered, staggered as falling; fell into Son Joseph's arms; and was dead.
Above a year before, this same Joseph, his Eldest Son, had been made King of the Romans: "elected 26th
March; crowned 3d April, 1764;"Friedrich furthering it, wishful to be friendly with his late enemies.
[Rodenbeck, ii. 234.]
On this Innspruck Tragedy, Joseph naturally became Kaiser,Part Kaiser; his DowagerMother, on whom
alone it depends, having decided that way. The poor Lady was at first quite overwhelmed with her grief. She
had the deathroom of her Husband made into a Chapel; she founded furthermore a Monastery in Innspruck,
"Twelve Canonesses to pray there for the repose of Franz;" was herself about to become Abbess there, and
quit the secular world; but in the end was got persuaded to continue, and take Son Joseph as Coadjutor.
[Hormayr, OESTERREICHISCHER PLUTARCH (º Maria Theresa), iv. (2tes Bandchen) 6124; MARIA
THERESIENS LEBEN, p. 30.] In which capacity we shall meet the young man again.
Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND.
April 11th, 1764, one year after his SevenYears labor of Hercules, Friedrich made Treaty of Alliance with
the new Czarina Catharine. England had deserted him; France was his enemy, especially Pompadour and
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Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. 1533
Page No 1542
Choiseul, and refused reconcilement, though privately solicited: he was without an Ally anywhere. The
Russians had done him frightful damage in the last War, and were most of all to be dreaded in the case of any
new one. The Treaty was a matter of necessity as well as choice. Agreement for mutual good neighborhood
and friendly offices; guarantee of each other against intrusive third parties: should either get engaged in war
with any neighbor, practical aid to the length of 12,000 men, or else money in lieu. Treaty was for eight years
from day of date.
As Friedrich did not get into war, and Catharine did, with the Turks and certain loose Polacks, the burden of
fulfilment happened to fall wholly on Friedrich; and he was extremely punctual in performance,eager now,
and all his life after, to keep well with such a Country under such a Czarina. Which proved to be the whole
rule of his policy on that Russian side. "Good that Country cannot bring me by any quarrel with it; evil it can,
to a frightful extent, in case of my quarrelling with others! Be wary, be punctual, magnanimously polite, with
that grandiose Czarina and her huge territories and notions:" this was Friedrich's constant rule in public and in
private. Nor is it thought his CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EMPRESS CATHARINE, when future
generations see it in print, will disclose the least ground of offence to that highflying Female Potentate of
the North. Nor will it ever be known what the silently observant Friedrich thought of her, except indeed what
we already know, or as good as know, That he, if anybody did, saw her clearly enough for what she was; and
found good to repress into absolute zero whatever had no bearing upon business, and might by possibility
give offence in that quarter. For we are an old King, and have learned by bitter experiences! No more
nicknames, biting verses, or words which a bird of the air could carry; though this poor Lady too has her
liabilities, were not we old and prudent; and is entirely as weak on certain points (deducting the devotions
and the brandyandwater) as some others were! The Treaty was renewed when necessary; and continued
valid and vital in every particular, so long as Friedrich ruled.
By the end of the first eight years, by strictly following this passive rule, Friedrich, in counterbalance of his
losses, unexpectedly found himself invested with a very singular bit of gain,"unjust gain!" cried all men,
making it of the nature of gain and loss to him,which is still practically his, and which has made, and
makes to this day, an immense noise in the world. Everybody knows we mean WestPreussen; Partition of
Poland; bloodiest picture in the Book of Time, Sarmatia's fall unwept without a crime;and that we have
come upon a very intricate part of our poor History.
No prudent manespecially if to himself, as is my own poor case in regard to it, the subject have long been
altogether dead and indifferentwould wish to write of the Polish Question. For almost a hundred years the
Polish Question has been very loud in the world; and ever and anon rises again into vocality among Able
Editors, as a thing pretending not to be dead and buried, but capable of rising again, and setting itself right, by
good effort at home and abroad. Not advisable, beyond the strict limits of compulsion, to write of it at
present! The rather as the History of it, any History we have, is not an intelligible series of events, but a series
of vociferous execrations, filling all Nature, with nothing left to the reader but darkness, and such remedies
against despair as he himself can summon or contrive.
"Rulhiere's on that subject," says a Note which I may cite, "is the only articulatespeaking Book to which
mankind as yet can apply; [Cl. Rulhiere, Histoire de l'Anarchie de Pologne (Paris, 1807), 4 vols. 12mo.] and
they will by no means find that a sufficient one. Rulhiere's Book has its considerable merits; but it absolutely
wants those of a History; and can be recognized by no mind as an intelligible cosmic Portraiture of that
chaotic Mass of Occurrences: chronology, topography, precision of detail by time and place; scene, and
actors on scene, remain unintelligible. Rulhiere himself knew Poland, at least had looked on it from Warsaw
outwards, year after year, and knew of it what an inquiring Secretary of Legation could pick up on those
terms, which perhaps, after all, is not very much. His Narrative is drowned in beautiful seas of description
and reflection; has neither dates nor references; and advances at an intolerable rate of slowness; in fact, rather
turns on its axis than advances; produces on you the effect of a melodious Sonata, not of a lucid and
comfortably instructive History.
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"I forget for how long Rulhiere had been in Poland, as Ambassador's Assistant: but the Country, the King and
leading Personages were personally known to him, more or less; Events with all details of them were known:
'Why not write a History of the Anarchy and Wreck they fell into?' said the Official people to him, on his
return home: 'For behoof of the Dauphin [who is to be Louis XVI. shortly]; may not he perhaps draw profit
from it? At the top of the Universe, experience is sometimes wanted. Here are the Archives, here is Salary,
here are what appliances you like to name: Write!' It is well known he was appointed, on a Pension of 250
pounds a year, with access to all archives, documents and appliances in possession of the French
Government, and express charge to delineate this subject for benefit of the Dauphin's young mind. Nor can I
wonder, considering everything, that the process on Rulhiere's part, being so full of difficulties, was
extremely deliberate; that this Book did not grow so steadily or fast as the Dauphin did; and that in fact the
poor Dauphin never got the least benefit from it,being guillotined, he, in 1793, and the Book intended for
him never coming to light for fourteen years afterwards, it too in a posthumous and still unfinished condition.
"Rulhiere has heard the voices of rumor, knows an infinitude of events that were talked of; but has not
discriminated which were the vital, which were the insignificant; treats the vital and the insignificant alike;
seldom with satisfactory precision; mournfully seldom giving any date, and by no chance any voucher or
authority;and instead of practical terrestrial scene of action, with distances, milestones, definite sequence
of occurrences, and of causes and effects, paints us a rosy cloudland, which if true at all, as he well intends it
to be, is little more than symbolically or allegorically so; and can satisfy no clearheaded Dauphin or man.
Rulhiere strives to be authentic, too; gives you no suspicion of his fairness. There is really fine highcolored
painting in Rulhiere! and you hope always he will let you into the secret of the matter: but the sad fact is, he
never does. He merely loses himself in picturesque details, philosophic eloquences, elegancies; takes you to a
Castle of Choczim, a Monastery of Czenstochow, a Bay of Tschesme, and lets off extensive fireworks that
contain little or no shot; leads you on trackless marches, inroads or outroads, through the Lithuanian
Peatbogs, on daring adventures and hair breadth escapes of mere Pulawski, Potocki and the like;had not
got to understand the matter himself, you perceive: how hopeless to make you understand it!"
English readers, however, have no other shift; the rest of the Books I have seen, Histoire des Revolutions
de Pologne; [1778 (A WARSOVIE, ET SE TROUVE A PARIS), 2 vols. 8vo.] Histoire des Trois
Demembremens de la Pologne; [Anonymous (by one FERRAND, otherwise unknown to me), Paris, 1820, 3
vols. 8vo.] Letters on Poland; [Anonymous (by a "Reverend Mr. Lindsey," it would seem), LETTERS
CONCERNING THE PRESENT STATE OF POLAND, TOGETHER WITH (London, 1773; 1 vol. 8vo): of
these LETTERS, or at least of Reverend Lindsey, Author of them, "Tutor to King Stanislaus's Nephew," and
a man of painfully loud loose tongue, there may perhaps be mention afterwards.] and many more,are not
worth mentioning at all. Comfortable in the mad dance of these is Hermann's recent dull volume; [Hermann,
Geschichte des Russischen Staats, vol. v. (already cited in regard to the PeterCatharine tragedy); seems to
be compiled mainly from the Saxon Archives, from DESPATCHES written on the spot and at the
time.]commonplace, dull, but steady and faithful; yielding us at least dates, and an immunity from noise.
By help of Hermann and the others, distilled to CAPUT MORTUUM, a few dated facts (cardinal we dare not
call them) may be extracted;dimly out of these, to the meditating mind, some outline of the phenomenon
may begin to become conceivable. King of Poland dies; and there ensue huge Anarchies in that Country.
KING OF POLAND DIES; AND THERE ENSUE HUGE ANARCHIES IN THAT COUNTRY.
The poor old King of Polandwhom we saw, on that fall of the curtain at Pirna seven years ago, rush off for
Warsaw with his Bruhl, with expressive speed and expressive silence, and who has been waiting there ever
since, sublimely confident that his powerful terrestrial friends, Austria, Russia, France, not to speak of
Heaven's justice at all, would exact due penalty, of signal and tremendous nature, on the Prussian
Aggressorhas again been disappointed. The poor old Gentleman got no compensation for his manifold
losses and woes at Pirna or elsewhere; not the least mention of such a thing, on the final windingup of that
War of Seven Years, in which his share had been so tragical; no alleviation was provided for him in this
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world. His sorrows in Poland have been manifold; nothing but anarchies, confusions and contradictions had
been his Royal portion there: in about Forty different Diets he had tried to get some business done,no use
asking what; for the Diets, one and all, exploded in NIE POZWALAM; and could do no business, good, bad
or indifferent, for him or anybody. An unwise, most idle Country; following as chief employment perpetual
discrepancy with its idle unwise King and self; Russia the virtual head of it this long while, so far as it has
any head.
FEBRUARYAUGUST, 1763, just while the Treaty of Hubertsburg was blessing everybody with the return
of Peace, and for long months after Peace had returned to everybody, Polish Majesty was in sore trouble.
Trouble in regard to Courland, to his poor Son Karl, who fancied himself elected, under favor and permission
of the late Czarina our gracious Protectress and Ally, to the difficult post of Duke in Courland; and had
proceeded, three or four years ago, to take possession,but was now interrupted by Russian encroachments
and violences. Not at all well disposed to him, these new Peters, new Catharines. They have recalled their
Bieren from Siberia; declare that old Bieren is again Duke, or at least that young Bieren is, and not Saxon
Karl at all; and have proceeded, Czarina Catharine has, to install him forcibly with Russian soldiers. Karl
declares, "You shall kill ME before you or he get into this Palace of Mietau!"and by Domestics merely,
and armed private Gentlemen, he does maintain himself in said Palatial Mansion; valiantly indignant, for
about six months; the Russian Battalions girdling him on all sides, minatory more and more, but loath to
begin actual bloodshed. [Rulhiere, ii. (livre v.) 81 et antea; Hermann, v. 348 et seq.] A transaction very famed
in those parts, and still giving loud voice in the Polish Books, which indeed get ever noisier from this point
onward, till they end in inarticulate shrieks, as we shall too well hear.
Empress Catharine, after the lapse of six months, sends an Ambassador to Warsaw (Kayserling by name),
who declares, in tone altogether imperative, that Czarish Majesty feels herself weary of such contumacy,
weary generally of Polish Majesty's and Polish Republic's multifarious contumacies; and, in fine, cruelest of
all, that she has troops on the frontier; that Courland is not the only place where she has troops. What a stab
to the poor old man! "Contumacies?" Has not he been Russia's patient steppingstone, all along; his anarchic
Poland and he accordant in that, if in nothing else? "Let us to Saxony," decides he passionately, "and leave all
this." In Saxony his poor old Queen is dead long since; much is dead: Saxony and Life generally, what a
Golgotha! He immediately sends word to Karl, "Give up Courland; I am going home!"and did hastily
make his packages, and bid adieu to Warsaw, and, in a few weeks after to this anarchic world altogether.
Died at Dresden, 5th October, 1763.
Polish Majesty had been elected 5th October, 1733; died, you observe, 5th October, 1763;was King of
Poland ("King," save the mark!) for 30 years to a day. Was electeddo readers still remember how? Leaves
a ruined Saxony lying round him; a ruined life mutely asking him, "Couldst thou have done no better, then?"
Wretched Bruhl followed him in four or five weeks. Nay, in about two months, his Son and Successor,
"Friedrich Christian" (with whom we dined at Moritzburg), had followed him; [Prince died 17th December
(Bruhl, 18th November), 1763.] leaving a small Boy, age 13, as new Kurfurst, "Friedrich August" the name
of him, with guardians to manage the Minority; especially with his Mother as chief guardian,of whom, for
two reasons, we are now to say something. Reason FIRST is, That she is really a rather brilliant,
distinguished creature, distinguished more especially in Friedrich's world; whose LETTERS to her are
numerous, and, in their kind, among the notablest he wrote;of which we would gladly give some specimen,
better or worse; and reason SECOND, That in so doing, we may contrive to look, for a moment or two, into
the preliminary Polish Anarchies at firsthand; and, transiently and far off, see something of them as if with
our own eyes.
MarieAntoine, or MarieAntoinette, Electress of Saxony, is still a bright Lady, and among the busiest
living; now in her 40th year: "born 17th July, 1724; second child of Kaiser Karl VII.;"a living memento to
us of those old times of trouble. Papa, when she came to him, was in his 27th year; this was his second
daughter; three years afterwards he had a son (born 1727; died 1777), who made the "Peace of Fussen," to
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Friedrich's disgust, in 1745, if readers recollect;and who, dying childless, will give rise to another War (the
"Potato War" so called), for Friedrich's behoof and ours. This little creature would be in her teens during that
fatal Kaisership (17421745, her age then 1821),during those triumphs, flights and furnishedlodging
intricacies. Her Mamma, whom we have seen, a little fat bullet given to devotion, was four years younger
than Papa. Mamma died "11th December, 1756," Germany all blazing out in War again; she had been a
Widow eleven years.
MarieAntoine was wedded to Friedrich Christian, Saxon Kurprinz, "20th June, 1747;" her age 23, his
25:Chronology itself is something, if one will attend to it, in the absence of all else! The young pair were
Cousins, their Mothers being Sisters; Polish Majesty one's Uncle, age now 51,who was very fond of us,
poor indolent soul, and glad of our company on an afternoon, "being always in his dressinggown by 2
o'clock." Concerning which the tongue of Court scandal was not entirely idle,Hanbury chronicling, as we
once noticed. All which I believe to be mere lying wind. The young Princess was beautiful; extremely clever,
graceful and lively, we can still see for ourselves: no wonder poor Polish Majesty, always in his
dressinggown by 2, was charmed to have her company,the rather as I hope she permitted him a little
smoking withal.
Her husband was crookbacked; and, except those slight, always perfectly polite little passages, in
Schmettau's Siege (1759), in the Hubertsburg Treaty affair, in the dinner at Moritzburg, I never heard much
history of him. He became Elector 5th October, 1763; but enjoyed the dignity little more than two months.
Our Princess had borne him seven children,three boys, four girls,the eldest about 13, a Boy, who
succeeded; the youngest a girl, hardly 3. The Boy is he who sent Gellert the caparisoned Horse, and had
estafettes on the road while Gellert lay dying. This Boy lived to be 77, and saw strange things in the world;
had seen Napoleon and the French Revolution; was the first "King of Saxony" so called; saw Jena, retreat of
Moscow; saw the "Battle of the Nations" (Leipzig, 15th18th October, 1813), and his great Napoleon
terminate in bankruptcy. He left no Son. A Brother, age 72, succeeded him as King for a few years; whom
again a Brother would have succeeded, had not he (this third Brother, age now 66) renounced, in favor of HIS
Son, the present King of Saxony. Enough, enough!
August 28th, 1763, while afflicted Polish Majesty is making his packages at Warsaw, far
away,MarieAntoinette, in Dresden, had sent Friedrich an Opera of her composing, just brought out by her
on her Courttheatre there. Here is Friedrich's Answer,to what kind of OPERA I know not, but to a Letter
accompanying it which is extremely pretty.
FRIEDRICH TO THE ELECTORAL PRINCESS (at Dresden).
"POTSDAM, 5th September, 1763.
"MADAM MY SISTER,The remembrance your Royal Highness sends is the more flattering to me, as I
regret infinitely not to have been spectator and hearer of the fine things [Opera THALESTRIS, words and
music entirely lost to us] which I have admired for myself in the silent state.
"I wish I could send you things as pleasant out of these parts: but, Madam, I am obliged to give you a hint,
which may be useful if you can have it followed. In Saxony, however, my Letters get opened;which
obliges me to send this by a special Messenger; and him, that he may cause no suspicion, I have charged with
fruits from my garden. You will have the goodness to say [if anybody is eavesdropping] that you asked them
of me at Moritzburg, when I was happy enough to see you there [six months ago, coming home from the
SevenYears War]. The hint I had to give was this:
"In Petersburg people's minds are getting angry at the stubbornness your friends show in refusing to
recognize Duke Bieren [home from Siberia, again Duke of Courland, by Russian appointment, as if Russia
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Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. 1537
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had that right; Polish Majesty and his Prince Karl resisting to the uttermost]. I counsel you to induce the
powerful in your circle to have this condescension [they have had it, been obliged to have it, though Friedrich
does not yet know]; for it will turn out ill to them, if they persist in being obstinately stiff. It begins already to
be said That there are more than a million Russian subjects at this time refugees in Poland; whom, by I forget
what cartel, the Republic was bound to deliver up. Orders have been given to Detachments of Military to
enter certain places, and bring away these Russians by force. In a word, you will ruin your affairs forever,
unless you find means to produce a change of conduct on the part of him they complain of. Take, Madam,
what I now say as a mark of the esteem and profound regard with which"F. [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxiv. 46.]
This hint, if the King knew, had been given, in a less kind shape, by Necessity itself; and had sent Polish
Majesty, and his Bruhls and "powerful people," bodily home, and out of that Polish Russian welter, in a
headlong and tragically passionate condition. Electoral Princess, next time she writes, is become Electress all
at once.
ELECTRESS MARIEANTOINE TO FRIEDRICH.
"DRESDEN, 5th October, 1763.
"SIRE,Your Majesty has given me such assurance of your goodness and your friendship, that I will now
appeal to that promise. You have assured us, too, that you would with pleasure contribute to secure Poland
for us. The moment is come for accomplishing that promise. The King is dead [died this very day; see if _I_
lose time in sentimental lamentations!]with him these grievances of Russia [our stiffness on Courland and
the like] must be extinct; the rather as we [the now reigning] will lend ourselves willingly to everything that
can be required of us for perfect reconcilement with that Power.
"You can do all, if you will it; you can contribute to this reconcilement. You can render it favorable to us.
You will, give me that proof of the flattering sentiments I have been so proud of hitherto,"won't you, now?
"Russia cannot disapprove the mediation you might deign to offer on that behalf;our intentions being so
honestly amicable, and all ground of controversy having died with the late King. Russia reconciled, our views
on the Polish Crown might at once be declared (ECLATER)." Oh, do it, your Majesty;"my gratitude shall
only end with life!M. A." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 47.]
Friedrich, who is busy negotiating his Treaty with Russia (perfected 11th April next), and understands that
they will mean not to have a Saxon, but to have a Piast, and perhaps dimly even what Piast (Stanislaus
Poniatowski, the EMERITUS Lover), who will be their own, and not Saxony's at all,must have been a
little embarrassed by such an appeal from his fair friend at this moment. "Wait a little; don't answer yet,"
would have occurred to the common mind. But that was not Friedrich's resource: he answers by return of
post, as always in such cases;and in the following adroit manner brushes off, without hurt to it, with kisses
to it rather, the beautiful hand that has him by the button:
TO THE ELECTRESS MARIEANTOINE (at Dresden).
"BERLIN, 8th October, 1763.
"MADAM MY SISTER,I begin by making my condolences and my congratulations to your Electoral
Highness on the death of the King your Fatherinlaw, and on your Accession to the Electorate.
"Your Electoral Highness will remember what I wrote, not long since, on the affairs of Poland. I am afraid,
Madam, that Russia will be more contrary to you than you think. M. de Woronzow [famous
GrandChancellor of Russia; saved himself dexterously in the late PeterCatharine overturn; has since fallen
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Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. 1538
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into disfavor for his notions about our Gregory Orlof, and is now on his way to Italy, "for health's sake," in
consequence], who is just arrived here, ["Had his audience 7th October" (yesterday): Rodenbeck, ii. 224.]
told me, too, of some things which raise an ill augury of this affair. If you do not disapprove of my speaking
frankly to you, it seems to me that it would be suitable in you to send some discreet Diplomatist to that Court
to notify the King's death; and you would learn by him what you have to expect from her Czarish Majesty
[the Empress, he always calls her, knowing she prefers that title]. It seems to me, Madam, that it would be
precipitate procedure should I wish to engage you in an Enterprise, which appears to myself absolutely
dubious (HASARDEE), unless approved by that Princess. As to me, Madam, I have not the ascendant there
which you suppose: I act under rule of all the delicacies and discretions with a Court which separated itself
from my Enemies when all Europe wished to crush me: but I am far from being able to regulate the Empress's
way of thinking.
"It is the same with the quarrels about the Duke of Courland; one cannot attempt mediation except by consent
of both parties. I believe I am not mistaken in supposing that the Court of Russia does not mean to terminate
that business by foreign mediation. What I have heard about it (what, however, is founded only on vague
news) is, That the Empress might prevail upon herself (POURRAIT SE RESOUDRE) to purchase from
Bruhl the Principality of Zips [Zips, on the edge of Hungary; let readers take note of that Principality, at
present in the hand of Bruhl,who has much disgusted Poland by his voracity for Lands; and is disgorging
them all again, poor soul!], to give it to Prince Karl in compensation: but that would lead to a negotiation
with the Court of Vienna, which might involve the affair in other contentions.
"I conjure you, Madam, I repeat it, Be not precipitate in anything; lest, as my fear is, you replunge Europe
into the troubles it has only just escaped from! As to me, I have found, since the Peace, so much to do within
my own borders, that I have not, I assure you, had time, Madam, to think of going abroad. I confine myself to
forming a thousand wishes for the prosperity of your Electoral Highness, assuring you of the high esteem
with which I am,F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 48.]
After some farther Letters, of eloquently pressing solicitation on the part of the Lady, and earnest advising, as
well as polite fencing, on the part of Friedrich, the latter writes:
FRIEDRICH TO ELECTRESS.
"MADAM MY SISTER,At this moment I receive a Letter from the
Empress of Russia, the contents of which do not appear to me favorable, Madam, to your hopes. She requires
(EXIGE) that I should instruct my Minister in Poland to act entirely in concert with the Count Kayserling;
and she adds these very words: 'I expect, from the friendship of your Majesty, that you will not allow a
passage through your territory, nor the entry into Poland, to Saxon troops, who are to be regarded there
absolutely as strangers.'
"Unless your Letters, Madam [Madam had said that she had written to the Empress, assuring her change the
sentiments of the Empress, I do not see in what way the Elector could arrive at the throne of Poland; and
consequently, whether I deferred to the wishes of the Empress in this point, or refused to do so, you would
not the more become Queen; and I might commit myself against a Power which I ought to keep well with
(MENAGER). I am persuaded, Madam, that your Electoral Highness enters into my embarrassment; and that,
unless you find yourself successful in changing the Empress's own ideas on this matter, you will not require
of me that I should embroil myself fruitlessly with a neighbor who deserves the greatest consideration from
me.
"All this is one consequence of the course which Count Bruhl induced his late Polish Majesty to take with
regard to the interests of Prince Karl in Courland; and your Electoral Highness will remember, that I often
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Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. 1539
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represented to you the injury which would arise to him from it.
"I will wish, Madam, that other opportunities may occur, where it may be in my power to prove to your
Electoral Highness the profound esteem and consideration with which I am"F. [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxiv. 52.]
ELECTRESS TO FRIEDRICH.
"DRESDEN, 11th November, 1763.
"SIRE,I am not yet disheartened. I love to flatter myself with your friendship, Sire, and I will not easily
renounce the hope that you will give me a real mark of it in an affair which interests me so strongly. Nobody
has greater ascendency over the mind of the Empress of Russia than your Majesty; use it, Sire, to incline it to
our favor. Our obligation will be infinite. ... Why should she be absolutely against us? What has she to fear
from us? The Courland business, if that sticks with her, could be terminated in a suitable manner."Troops
into Poland, Sire? "My Husband so little thinks of sending troops thither, that he has given orders for the
return of those already there. He does not wish the Crown except from the free suffrages of the Nation: if the
Empress absolutely refuse to help him with her good offices, let her, at least, not be against him. Do try,
Sire." [Ib. xxiv. 53.]Friedrich answers, after four days, or by return of postBut we will give the rest in
the form of Dialogue.
FRIEDRICH (after four days). ... "If, Madam, I had Crowns to give away, I would place the first on your
head, as most worthy to bear it. But I am far from such a position. I have just got out of a horrible War, which
my enemies made upon me with a rage almost beyond example; I endeavor to cultivate friendship with all my
neighbors, and to get embroiled with nobody. With regard to the affairs of Poland, an Empress whom I ought
to be well with, and to whom I owe great obligations, requires me to enter into her measures; you, Madam,
whom I would fain please if I could, you want me to change the sentiments of this Empress. Do but enter into
my embarrassment! ... According to all I hear from Russia, it appears to me that every resolution is taken
there; and that the Empress is resolved even to sustain the party of her partisans in Poland with the forces she
has all in readiness at the borders. As for me, Madam, I wish, if possible, not to meddle at all with this
business, which hitherto is not complicated, but which may, any day, become so by the neighbors of Poland
taking a too lively part in it. Ready, otherwise, on all occasions, to give to your Electoral Highness proofs of
my" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv, 54: "Potsdam, 16th November, 1763."]
Electress (after ten days). ... "Why should the Empress be so much against us? We have not deserved her
hatred. On the contrary, we seek her friendship. She declares, however, that she will uphold the freedom of
the Poles in the election of their King. You, Sire" [Ib. xxiv. 55: "Dresden, 26th November, 1763."] But we
must cut short, though it lasts long months after this. Great is the Electress's persistence,"My poor
Husband being dead, cannot our poor Boy, cannot his uncle Prince Xavier try? O Sire!" Our last word shall
be this of Friedrich's; actual Electiontime now drawing nigh:
FRIEDRICH. "I am doing like the dogs who have fought bitterly till they are worn down: I sit licking my
wounds. I notice most European Powers doing the same; too happy if, whilst Kings are being manufactured
to right and left, public tranquillity is not disturbed thereby, and if every one may continue to dwell in peace
beside his hearth and his household gods." ["SansSouci, 26th June, 1764" (Ib. p. 69).] Adieu, bright Madam.
No reader who has made acquaintance with Polish History can well doubt but Poland was now dead or
moribund, and had well deserved to die. Anarchies are not permitted in this world. Under fine names, they
are grateful to the Populaces, and to the Editors of Newspapers; but to the Maker of this Universe they are
eternally abhorrent; and from the beginning have been forbidden to be. They go their course, applauded or
not applauded by self and neighbors,for what lengths of time none of us can know; for a long term
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Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. 1540
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sometimes, but always for a fixed term; and at last their day comes. Poland had got to great lengths, two
centuries ago, when poor John Casimir abdicated his Crown of Poland, after a trial of twenty years, and took
leave of the Republic in that remarkable SPEECH to the Diet of 1667.
This John is "Casimir V.," last Scion of the Swedish House of Vasa,with whom, in the Great Elector's
time, we had some slight acquaintance; and saw at least the three days' beating he got (Warsaw, 28th30th
July, 1656) from Karl Gustav of Sweden and the Great Elector, [Supra, v. 284286.] ancestors respectively
of Karl XII. and of our present Friedrich. He is not "Casimir the Great" of Polish Kings; but he is, in our day,
Casimir the alone Remarkable. It seems to me I once had IN EXTENSO this Valedictory Speech of his; but it
has lapsed again into the general Mother of Dead Dogs, and I will not spend a week in fishing for it. The gist
of the Speech, innumerable Books and Dead Dogs tell you, [HISTOIRE DES TROIS DEMEMBREMENS
does, and many others do;copied in Biographie Universelle, vii. 278 (? Casimir).] is "lamentation over the
Polish Anarchies" and "a Prophecy," which is very easily remembered. The poor old Gentleman had no doubt
eaten his peck of dirt among those Polacks, and swallowed chagrins till he felt his stomach could no more,
and determined to have done with it. To one's fancy, in abridged form, the Valediction must have run
essentially as follows:
"Magnanimous Polack Gentlemen, you are a glorious Republic, and have NIE POZWALAM, and strange
methods of business, and of behavior to your Kings and others. We have often fought together, been beaten
together, by our enemies and by ourselves; and at last I, for my share, have enough of it. I intend for Paris;
religious literary pursuits, and the society of Ninon de l'Enclos. I wished to say before going, That according
to all record, ancient and modern, of the ways of God Almighty in this world, there was not heretofore, nor
do I expect there can henceforth be, a Human Society that would stick together on those terms. Believe me,
ye Polish Chivalries, without superior except in Heaven, if your glorious Republic continue to be managed in
such manner, not good will come of it, but evil. The day will arrive [this is the Prophecy, almost IN
IPSISSIMIS VERBIS], the day perhaps is not so far off, when this glorious Republic will get torn into
shreds, hither, thither; be stuffed into the pockets of covetous neighbors, Brandenburg; Muscovy, Austria;
and find itself reduced to zero, and abolished from the face of the world.
"I speak these words in sorrow of soul; words which probably you will not believe. Which only Fate can
compel you to believe, one day, if they are true words:you think, probably, they are not? Me at least, or
interest of mine, they do not regard. I speak them from the fulness of my heart, and on behest of friendship
and conviction alone; having the honor at this moment to bid you and your Republic a very long farewell.
Goodmorning, for the last time!" and so EXIT: to Rome (had been Cardinal once); to Paris and the society
of Ninon's Circle for the few years left him of life. ["Died 16th December, 1672, age 63."]
This poor John had had his bitter experiences: think only of one instance. In 1662, the incredible Law of
LIBERUM VETO had been introduced, in spite of John and his endeavors. LIBERUM VETO; the power of
one man to stop the proceedings of Polish Parliament by pronouncing audibly "NIE POZWALAM, I don't
permit!"never before or since among mortals was so incredible a Law. Law standing indisputable,
nevertheless, on the Polish StatuteBook for above two hundred years: like an everflowing fountain of
Anarchy, joyful to the Polish Nation. How they got any business done at all, under such a Law? Truly they
did but little; and for the last thirty years as good as none. But if Polish Parliament was universally in earnest
to do some business, and Veto came upon it, Honorable Members, I observe, gathered passionately round the
vetoing Brother; conjured, obtested, menaced, wept, prayed; and, if the case was too urgent and insoluble
otherwise, the NIE POZWALAM Gentleman still obstinate, they plunged their swords through him, and in
that way brought consent. The commoner course was to dissolve and go home again, in a tempest of shrieks
and curses.
The Right of Confederation, too, is very curious: do readers know it? A free Polack gentleman, aggrieved by
anything that has occurred or been enacted in his Nation, has the right of swearing, whether absolutely by
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himself I know not, but certainly with two or three others of like mind, that he will not accept said occurrence
or enactment, and is hereby got into arms against its abettors and it. The brightest jewel in the cestus of Polish
Liberty is this right of confederating; and it has been, till of late, and will be now again practised to all
lengths: right of every Polish, gentleman to confederate with every other against, or for, whatsoever to them
two may seem good; and to assert their particular view of the case by fighting for it against all comers, King
and Diet included. It must be owned, there never was in Nature such a Form of Government before; such a
mode of social existence, rendering "government" impossible for some generations past.
On the strength of Saxony and its resources and connections, the two Augusts had contrived to exist with the
name of Kings; with the name, but with little or nothing more. Under this last August, as we heard, there have
been about forty Diets, and in not one of them the least thing of business done; all the forty, after trying their
best, have stumbled on NIE POZWALAM, and been obliged to vanish in shrieks and curses. [Buchholz
( PreussischBrandenburgische Geschichte, ii. 133, 134, gives various samples, and this enumeration.] As to
August the Physically Strong, such treatment had he met with,poor August, if readers remember, had made
up his mind to partition Poland; to give away large sections of it in purchase of the consent of neighbors, and
plant himself hereditarily in the central part;and would have done so, had not Grumkow and he drunk so
deep, and death by inflammation of the foot suddenly come upon the poor man. Some Partition of Poland has
been more than once thought of by practical people concerned. Poland, as "a house chronically smoking
through the slates," which usually brings a new European War every time it changes King, does require to be
taken charge of by its neighbors.
Latterly, as we observed, there has been little of confederating; indeed, for the last thirty years, as Rulhiere
copiously informs us, there has been no Government, consequently no mutiny needed; little or no National
business of any kind,the Forty Diets having all gone the road we saw. Electing of the Judges,that, says
Rulhiere, and wearisomely teaches by example again and ever again, has always been an interesting act, in
the various Provinces of Poland; not with the hope of getting fair or upright Judges, but Judges that will lean
in the desirable direction. In a country overrun with endless lawsuits, debts, credits, feudal intricacies, claims,
liabilities, how important to get Judges with the proper bias! And these once got, or lost till next term,what
is there to hope or to fear? Russia does our Politics, fights her SevenYears War across us; and we, happy
we, have no fighting;never till this of Courland was there the least illnature from Russia! We are become
latterly the peaceable steppingstone of Russia into Europe and out of it;what may be called the doormat
of Russia, useful to her feet, when she is about paying visits or receiving them! That is not a glorious fact, if
it be a safe and "lucky" one; nor do the Polish Notabilities at all phrase it in that manner. But a fact it is;
which has shown itself complete in the late Czarina's and late August's time, and which had been on the
growing hand ever since Peter the Great gained his Battle of Pultawa, and rose to the ascendency, instead of
Karl and Sweden.
The Poles put fine colors on all this; and are much contented with themselves. The Russians they regard as
intrinsically an inferior barbarous people; and to this day you will hear indignant Polack Gentlemen bursting
out in the same strain: "Still barbarian, sir; no culture, no literature,"inferior because they do not make
verses equal to ours! How it may be with the verses, I will not decide: but the Russians are inconceivably
superior in respect that they have, to a singular degree among Nations, the gift of obeying, of being
commanded. Polack Chivalry sniffs at the mention of such a gift. Polack Chivalry got sore stripes for wanting
this gift. And in the end, got striped to death, and flung out of the world, for continuing blind to the want of it,
and never acquiring it.
Beyond all the verses in Nature, it is essential to every Chivalry and Nation and Man. "Polite Polish Society
for the last thirty years has felt itself to be in a most halcyon condition," says Rulhiere: [Rulhiere, i. 216 (a
noteworthy passage).] "given up to the agreeable, and to that only;" charming eveningparties, and a great
deal of flirting; full of the benevolences, the philanthropies, the new ideas,given up especially to the
pleasing idea of "LAISSEZFAIRE, and everything will come right of itself." "What a discovery!" said every
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liberal Polish mind: "for thousands of years, how people did torment themselves trying to steer the ship;
never knowing that the plan was, To let go the helm, and honestly sit down to your mutual amusements and
powers of pleasing!"
To this condition of beautifully phosphorescent rotheap has Poland ripened, in the helpless reigns of those
poor Augusts;the fulness of time not now far off, one would say? It would complete the picture, could I go
into the state of what is called "Religion" in Poland. Dissenterism, of various poor types, is extensive; and,
over against it, is such a type of Jesuit Fanaticism as has no fellow in that day. Of which there have been truly
savage and sanguinary outbreaks, from time to time; especially one at Thorn, forty years ago, which shocked
Friedrich Wilhelm and the whole Protestant world. [See supra, vi. 64 (and many old Pamphlets on it).] Polish
Orthodoxy, in that time, and perhaps still in ours, is a thing worth noting. A late Tourist informs me, he saw
on the streets of Stettin, not long since, a drunk human creature staggering about, who seemed to be a Baltic
Sailor, just arrived; the dirtiest, or among the dirtiest, of mankind; who, as he reeled along, kept slapping his
hands upon his breast, and shouting, in exultant soliloquy, "Polack, Catholik!" _I_ am a Pole and Orthodox,
ye inferior twolegged entities!.In regard to the Jesuit Fanaticisms, at Thorn and elsewhere, no blame can
attach to the poor Augusts, who always leant the other way, what they durst or could. Nor is specialty of
blame due to them on any score; it was "like People, like King," all along;and they, such their luck, have
lived to bring in the fulness of time.
The Saxon Electors are again aspirants for this enviable Throne. We have seen the beautiful Electress
zealously soliciting Friedrich for help in that project; Friedrich, in a dexterously graceful manner, altogether
declining. Hereditary Saxons are not to be the expedient this time, it would seem; a grandiose Czarina has
decided otherwise. Why should not she? She and all the world are well aware, Russia has been virtual lord of
Poland this long time. Credible enough that Russia intends to continue so; and also that it will be able,
without very much expenditure of new contrivance for that object.
So far as can be guessed and assiduously deduced from RULHIERE, with your best attention, Russian
Catharine's interference seems first of all to have been grounded on the grandiose philanthropic principle.
Astonishing to the liberal mind; yet to appearance true. Rulhiere nowhere says so; but that is gradually one's
own perception of the matter; no other refuge for you out of flat inconceivability. Philanthropic principle, we
say, which the Voltaires and Sages of that Epoch are prescribing as one's duty and one's glory: "O ye Kings,
why won't you do good to mankind, then?" Catharine, a kind of SheLouis Quatorze, was equal to such a
thing. To put one's cast Lover into a throne,poor soul, console him in that manner;and reduce the
longdissentient Country to blessed composure under him: what a thing! Foolish Poniatowski, an empty,
windy creature, redolent of macassar and the finer sensibilities of the heart: him she did make King of
Poland; but to reduce the longdissentient Country to composure,that was what she could not do.
Countries in that predicament are sometimes very difficult to compose. The Czarina took, for above five
years, a great deal of trouble, without losing patience. The Czarina, after every new effort, perceived with
astonishment that she was farther from success than ever. With astonishment; and gradually with irritation,
thickening and mounting towards indignation.
There is no reason to believe that the grandiose Woman handled, or designed to handle, a doomed Poland in
the merciless feline diabolic way set forth with wearisome loud reiteration in those distracted Books;
playing with the poor Country as cat does with mouse; now lifting her fell paw, letting the poor mouse go
loose in floods of celestial joy and hope without limit; and always clutching the hapless creature back into the
blackness of death, before eating and ending it. Reason first is, that the Czarina, as we see her elsewhere,
never was in the least a Cat or a Devil, but a mere Woman; already virtual proprietress of Poland, and
needing little contrivance to keep it virtually hers. Reason second is, that she had not the gift of prophecy, and
could not foreknow the Polish events of the next ten years, much less shape them out beforehand, and preside
over them, like a Devil or otherwise, in the way supposed.
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My own private conjecture, I confess, has rather grown to be, on much reading of those RULHIERES and
distracted Books, that the Czarina,who was a grandiose creature, with considerable magnanimities, natural
and acquired; with many ostentations, some really great qualities and talents; in effect, a kind of SheLouis
Quatorze (if the reader will reflect on that Royal Gentleman, and put him into petticoats in Russia, and
change his improper females for improper males),that the Czarina, very clearly resolute to keep Poland
hers, had determined with herself to do something very handsome in regard to Poland; and to gain glory, both
with the enlightened Philosophe classes and with her own proud heart, by her treatment of that intricate
matter. "On the one hand," thinks she, or let us fancy she thinks, "here is Poland; a Country fallen bedrid
amid Anarchies, curable or incurable; much tormented with religious intolerance at this time, hateful to the
philosophic mind; a hateful fanaticism growing upon it for forty years past [though it is quite against Polish
Law]; and the cries of oppressed Dissidents [Dissenters, chiefly of the Protestant and of the Greek
persuasion] becoming more and more distressing to hear. And, on the other hand, here is Poniatowski who,
who!"
Readers have not forgotten the handsome, otherwise extremely paltry, young Polack, Stanislaus Poniatowski,
whom Excellency Williams took with him 8 or 9 years ago, ostensibly as "Secretary of Legation,"
unostensibly as something very different? Handsome Stanislaus did duly become Lover of the
GrandDuchess; and has duly, in the course of Nature, some time ago (date uncertain to me), become
discarded Lover; the question rising, What is to be done with that elegant inane creature, and his vaporous
sentimentalisms and sublime sorrows and disappointments? "Let us make him King of Poland!" said the
Czarina, who was always much the gentleman with her discarded Lovers (more so, I should say, than Louis
Quatorze with his;and indeed it is computed they cost her in direct moneys about twenty millions
sterling,being numerous and greedy; but never the least tiff of scolding or ill language): [Castera ( Vie de
Catharine II. ) has an elaborate Appendix on this part of his subject.]"King of Poland, with furnishings,
and set him handsomely up in the world! We will close the Dissident Business for him, cure many a curable
Anarchy of Poland, to the satisfaction of Voltaire and all leading spirits of mankind. He shall have outfit of
Russian troops, poor creature; and be able to put down Anarchies, and show himself a useful and grateful
Viceroy for us there. Outfit of 10,000 troops, a wise Russian Manager: and the Question of the Dissidents to
be settled as the first glory of his reign!"
Ingenuous readers are invited to try, in their diffuse vague RULHIERES, and unintelligible shrieky Polish
Histories, whether this notion does not rise on them as a possible human explanation, more credible than the
felinediabolic one, which needs withal such a foreknowledge, UNattainable by cat or devil? Poland must
not rise to be too strong a Country, and turn its back on Russia. No, truly; nor, except by miraculous
suspension of the Laws of Nature, is there danger of that. But neither need Poland lie utterly lame and
prostrate, useless to Russia; and be tortured on its sickbed with Dissident Questions and Anarchies, curable
by a strong Sovereign, of whom much is expected by Voltaire and the leading spirits of mankind.
What we shall have to say with perfect certainty, and what alone concerns us in our own affair, is, FIRST,
that Catharine did proceed by this method, of crowning, fitting out and otherwise setting up Stanislaus; did
attempt settlement (and at one time thought she had settled) the Dissident Question and some curable
Anarchies,but stirred up such legions of incurable, waxing on her hands, day after day, year after year, as
were abundantly provoking and astonishing:and that within the next eight years she had arrived, with
Poland and her cargo of anarchies, at results which struck the whole world dumb. Dumb with astonishment,
for some time; and then into tempests of vociferation more or less delirious, which have never yet quite
ended, though sinking gradually to lower and lower stages of human vocality. Fact FIRST is abundantly
manifest. Nor is fact SECOND any longer doubtful, That King Friedrich, in regard to all this, till a real crisis
elsewhere had risen, took little or no visible interest whatever; had one unvarying course of conduct, that of
punctually following Czarish Majesty in every respect; instructing his Minister at Warsaw always to second
and reinforce the Russian one, as his one rule of policy in that Country,whose distracted procedures,
imbecilities and anarchies, are, beyond this point of keeping well with a grandiose Czarina concerned in it, of
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no apparent practical interest to Prussia or its King.
Friedrich, for a long time, passed with the Public for contriver of the Catastrophe of Poland,"felonious
mortal," "monster of maleficence," and what not, in consequence. Rulhiere, whose notion of him is none of
the friendliest nor correctest, acquits him of this atrocity; declares him, till the very end, mainly or altogether
passive in it. Which I think is a little more than the truth,and only a little, as perhaps may appear by and
by. Beyond dispute, these Polish events did at last grow interesting enough to Prussia and its King;and it
will be our task, sufficient in this place, to extricate and riddle out what few of these had any cardinal or
notable quality, and put them down (dated, if possible, and in intelligible form), as pertinent to throwing light
on this distressing matter, with careful exclusion of the immense mass which can throw only darkness.
EXLOVER PONIATOWSKI BECOMES KING OF POLAND (7th Sept. 1764), AND IS CROWNED
WITHOUT LOSS OF HIS HAIR.
WARSAW, 7th SEPTEMBER 1764, Stanislaus Poniatowski, by what management of an Imperial Catharine
upon an anarchic Nation readers shall imagine AD LIBITUM, was elected, what they call elected, King of
Poland. Of course there had been preliminary Diets of Convocation, much dieting, demonstrating and
electing of imaginary members of Diet,only "ten persons massacred" in the business. There was a Saxon
Party; but no countercandidate of that or any other nation. King Friedrich, solicited by a charming
Electress Dowager, decides to remain accurately passive. Polish emissaries came entreating him. A certain
Mockranowski, who had been a soldier under him (never of much mark in that capacity, though now a
flamingly conspicuous "General" and Politician, in the new scene he has got into), came passionately
entreating (Potsdam, Summer of 1764, is all the date), "DONNEZ NOUS LE PRINCE HENRI, Give us
Prince Henri for a King!" the sound of which almost made Friedrich turn pale: "Have you spoken or hinted of
this to the Prince?" "No, your Majesty." "Home, then, instantly; and not a whisper of it again to any mortal!"
[Rulhiere, ii. 268; Hermann, vi. 355364.] which, they say, greatly irritated Prince Henri, and left a
permanent soreplace in his mind, when he came to hear of it long after.
"A question rises here," says one of my Notes, which perhaps I had better have burnt: "At or about what dates
did this glorious Poniatowski become Lover of the GrandDuchess, and then become ExLover? Nobody
will say; or perhaps can? [Preuss (iv. 12) seems to try, but does not succeed.] Would have been a small
satisfaction to us, and it is denied! 'Ritter Williams' (that is, Hanbury) must have produced him at Petersburg
some time in 1756; '11th January, 1757,' finding it would suit, Poniatowski appeared there on his own footing
as 'Ambassador from Warsaw,'"(easy to get that kind of credential from a devoted Warsaw, if you are
succeeding at the Court of Petersburg; "Warsaw watchfully makes that the rule of distributing its honors; and,
from freezingpoint upwards, is the most delicate thermometer," says Hermann somewhere). And this, is our
one date, "Poniatowski in business, SPRING, 1757;" of "Poniatowski fallen bankrupt," date is totally
wanting.
"Poniatowski's age is 32 gone;how long out of Russia, readers have to guess. Made his first public
appearance on the streets of Warsaw, in the late Election time, as a Captain of Patriot
Volunteers,'Independence of Poland! Shall Poland be dictated to!" cried Stanislaus and an indignant Public
at one stage of the affair. His Uncles Czartoryski were piloting him in; and in that mad element, the cries, and
shiftings of tack, had to be many. [In HERMANN, v. 362380 (still more in RULHIERE, ii. 119289),
wearisome account of every particular.] He is Nephew, by his mother, of these Czartoryskis; but is not by the
father of very high family. 'Ought he to be King of Poland?' argued some Polish Emissary at Petersburg: 'His
Grandfather was Landsteward to the Sapiehas.' 'And if he himself had been it!' said the Empress, inflexible,
though with a blush.It seems the family was really good, though fallen poor; and, since that Landsteward
phasis, had bloomed well out again. His Father was conspicuous as a busy, shifting kind of man, in the
CharlesTwelfth and other troubles; had died two years ago, as 'Castellan of Cracow;' always a dear friend of
Stanislaus Leczinski, who gets his death two years hence [in 1766, as we have seen].
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"King Stanislaus Poniatowski had five Brothers: two of them dead long before this time; a third, still alive,
was Bishop of Something, Abbot of Something; ate his revenues in peace, and demands silence from us. The
other two, Casimir and Andreas, are better worth naming,especially the Son of one of them is. Casimir, the
eldest, is 'Grand CrownChamberlain' in the days now coming, is also 'Starost of Zips [a Country you may
note the name of!]and has a Son,' who is NOT the remarkable one. Andreas, the second Brother (died
1773), was in the Austrian Service, 'Ordnance Master,' and a man of parts and weight;who has been here
at Warsaw, ardently helping, in the late Election time. He too had a Son (at this time a child in arms),who
is really the remarkable 'Nephew of King Stanislaus,' and still deserves a word from us.
"This Nephew, bred as an Austrian soldier, like his Father, is the JOSEPH PONIATOWSKI, who was very
famous in the Newspapers fifty years ago. By all appearance, a man of some real patriotism, energy and
worth. He had tried to believe (though, I think, never rightly able) what his omnipotent Napoleon had
promised him, that extinct Poland should be resuscitated; and he fought and strove very fiercely, his Poles
and he, in that faith or halffaith. And perished, fiercely fighting for Napoleon, fiercely covering Napoleon's
retreat when his game was lost: horse and man plunged into the Elster River (Leipzig Country, October 19th,
1813, evening of the 'Battle of the Nations' there), and sank forever;and the last gleam of Poland along
with him. [ Biographie Universelle (º Poniatowski, Joseph), xxxv. 349359.] Not even a momentary gleam of
hope for her, in the sane or half sane kind, since that,though she now and then still tries it in the insane:
the more to my regret, for her and others!
"Besides these three Brothers, King Stanislaus had two Sisters still living: one of them Wife of a very high
Zamoiski; the other of a ditto Branicki (pronounce BraniTZki)him whom our German Books call
KRONGROSSFELDHERR; (Grand CrownGeneral,' if the Crown have any soldiers at all; the sublime,
debauched old Branicki, of whom Rulhiere is continually talking, and never reports anything but futilities in a
futile manner. So much is futile, and not worth reporting, in this Polish element!King Stanislaus himself
was born 17th January, 1732; played King of shreds and patches till 1790,or even farther (not till 1795 did
Catharine pluck the paper tabard quite off him); he died in Petersburg, February 11th or 12th) 1798." After
such a life!
Stanislaus was crowned 25th November, 1764. He needs, as preliminary, to be anointed, on the bare scalp of
him, with holy oil before crowning; ought to have his head closeshaved with that view. Stanislaus, having
an uncommonly fine head of hair, shuddered at the barbarous idea; absolutely would not: whereupon delay,
consultation; and at length some artificial scalp, or second skull, of pasteboard or dyed leather, was contrived
for the poor man, which comfortably took the oiling in a vicarious way, with the ambrosial locks well packed
out of sight under it, and capable of flowing out again next day, as if nothing had happened. [Rulhiere.] Not a
sublime specimen of Ornamental Human Nature, this poor Stanislaus! Ornamental wholly: the body of him,
and the mind of him, got up for representation; and terribly plucked to pieces on the stage of the world. You
may try to drop a tear over him, but will find mostly that you cannot.
FOR SEVERAL YEARS THE DISSIDENT QUESTION CANNOT BE GOT SETTLED;
CONFEDERATION OF RADOM (23d June, 17675th March, 1768) PUSHES IT INTO SETTLEMENT.
For several years after this feat of the false scalp, through long volumes, wearisome even in RULHIERE,
there turns up nothing which can now be called memorable. The settling of the Dissident Question proves
extremely tedious to an impatient Czarina; as to curing of the other curable Anarchies, there is absolutely
nothing but a knitting up by A, with a ravellingout again by B, and no progress discernible whatever.
Impatient Czarina ardently pushes on some Dissident settlement,seconded by King Friedrich and the chief
Protestant Courts, London included, and by the European leading spirits everywhere,through endless
difficulties: finds native Orthodoxy an unexpectedly stiff matter; Bishops generally having a fanaticism
which is wonderful to think of, and which keeps mounting higher and higher. Till at length there will Images
of the Virgin take to weeping,as they generally do in such cases, when in the vicinity of brewhouses and
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conveniences; [Nicolai, in his TRAVELS OVER GERMANY, doggedly undertook to overhaul one of those
weeping Virgins (somewhere in Austria, I think); and found her, he says, to depend on subterranean
percolation of steam from a Brewery not far off.]a Carmelite Monk go about the country working
miracles; and, in short, an extremely ugly phasis of religious human nature disclose itself to the afflicted
reader. King Friedrich thinks, had it not been for this Dissident Question, things would have taken their old
Saxon complexion, and Poland might have rotted on as heretofore, perhaps a good while longer.
As to the knittingup and ravellingout again, which is called curing of the other anarchies, no reader can or
need say anything: it seems to be a most painful knittingup, by the Czartoryskis chiefly, then an instant
ravelling out by malign Opposition parties of various indistinct complexion; the knitting, the ravelling, and
the malign Opposition parties, alike indistinct and without interest to mankind. A certain drunken, rather
brutal Phantasm of a Prince Radzivil, who hates the Czartoryskis, and is dreadfully given to drink, to wasteful
ambitions and debaucheries, figures much in these businesses; is got banished and confiscated, by some
Confederation formed; then, by new Confederations, is recalled and reinstated,worse if possible than ever.
The thing is reality; but it reads like a Phantasmagory produced by Lapland Witches, under presidency of
Diabolus (very certainly the Devil presiding, as you see at all turns),and is not worth understanding, were
it even easy.
Much semiintelligible, wholly forgettable stuff about King Stanislaus and his difficulties, and his duplicities
and treacherous imbecilities, [Hermann, v. 400, Rulhiere PASSIM.] now of interest to no mortal. Stanislaus
is at one time out with the uncles Czartoryski, at another in with these worthy gentlemen: a man not likely to
cure Anarchies, unless wishing would do it. On the Dissident Question itself he needs spurring: a King of
liberal ideas, yes; but with such flames of fanaticism under the nose of him. In regard to the Dissident and all
other curative processes he is languid, evasive, for moments recalcitrant to Russian suggestions; a lost
imbecile,forget him, with or without a tear. He has still a good deal of socalled gallantry on his hands;
flies to his harem when outside things go contradictory. [Hermann, v. 402, Think of malign Journalists
printing this bit of Letter at one time, to do him ill in a certain quarter: "Oh, come to me, my Princess! Dearer
than all Empresses:imperial charms, what were they to thine for a heart that has" with more of the like
stuff, for a Czarina's behoof.
WINTER OF 1766, Imperial Majesty, whether after or before that miraculous Carmelite Monk, I do not
remember, became impatient of these tedious languors and tortuosities about the Dissident Question, and
gave express order, "Settle it straightway!" To which end, Confederations and the other machinery were set
agoing: Confederations among the Protestants and Dissidents themselves, about Thorn and such places (got
up by Russian engineering), and much more extensively in the Lithuanian parts; Confederations of great
extent, imperative, minatory; ostensibly for reinstating these poor people in their rights (which, by old Polish
Law, they quite expressly were, if that were any matter), but in reality for bringing back drunken Radzivil,
who has covenanted to carry that measure. And so,
JUNE 23d, 1767, These multiplex PolishLithuanian Confederations, twentyfour of them in all, with their
sublime marshals and officials, and above 80,000 noblemen in them, meet by deputies at Radom, a
convenient little Town within wind of Warsaw (lies 60 miles to south of Warsaw); and there coalesce into
one general "Confederation of Radom," [Hermann, v. 420.] with drunken Radzivil atop, who, glad to be
reinstated in his ample Domains and Wine cellars, and willing at any rate to spite the Czartoryskis and
others, has pledged himself to carry that great measure in Diet, and quash any NIE POZWALAMS and
difficulties there may be. This is the once worldfamous, now dimly discoverable, CONFEDERATION OF
RADOM, whichby preparatory declaring, under its hand and seal, That the Law of the Land must again
become valid, and "Free Polacks of Dissident opinions concerning Religion (NOS DISSIDENTES DE
RELIGIONE)," as the old Law phrases it, "shall have equal rights of citizenship"was beautifully
instrumental in achieving that bit of Human Progress, and pushing it through the Diet, and its difficulties
shortly ensuing.
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Not that the Diet did not need other vigorous treatment as well, the flame of fanaticism being frightfully
ardent; many of the poor Bishops having run nearly frantic at this open spoliation of Mother Church, and
snatching of the sword from Peter. So that Imperial Majesty had to decide on picking out a dozen, or baker's
dozen, of the hottest Bishops; and carrying them quietly into Russia under lock and key, till the thing were
done. Done it was, surely to the infinite relief of mankind;I cannot say precisely on what day: October
13th14th (locking up of the dozen Bishops), was one vital epoch of it; November 19th, 1767 (report of
Committee on it, under Radzivil's and Russia's coercion), was another: first and last it took about five months
baking in Diet. Diet met Oct. 4th, 1767, Radzivil controlling as GrandMarshal, and Russia as minatory
Phantom controlling Radzivil; Diet, after adjournments, after one long adjournment, disappeared 5th March,
1768; and of work mentionable it had done this of the Dissidents only. That of contributing to "the sovereign
contempt with which King Stanislaus is regarded by all ranks of men," is hardly to be called peculiar work or
peculiarly mentionable.
At this point, to relieve the reader's mind, and, at any rate, as the date is fully come, we will introduce a small
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE from a very high hand, little guessed till long afterwards as the writer,namely,
from King Friedrich's own. It does not touch on the Dissident Question, or the Polish troubles; but does, in a
backhanded way, on Prussian Rumors rising about them; and may obliquely show more of the King's
feeling on that subject than we quite suppose. It seems the King had heard that the Berlin people were talking
and rumoring of "a War being just at hand;" whereupon"MARCH 5th, 1767, IN THE VOSSISCHE
ZEITUNG (Voss's Chronicle), No. 28," an inquisitive Berlin public read as follows:
"We are advised from Potsdam, that, on the 27th of February, towards evening, the sky began to get overcast;
black clouds, presaging a tempest of unexampled fury, covered all the horizon: the thunder, with its
lightnings, forked bolts of amazing brilliancy, burst out; and, under its redoubled peals, there descended such
a torrent of hail as within man's memory had not been seen. Of two bullocks yoked in their plough, with
which a peasant was hastening home, one was struck on the head by a piece of it, and killed outright. Many
of the common people were wounded in the streets; a brewer had his arm broken. Roofs are destroyed by the
weight of this hail; all the windows that looked windward while it fell were broken. In the streets, hailstones
were found of the size of pumpkins (CITROUILLES), which had not quite melted two hours after the storm
ceased. This singular phenomenon has made a very great impression. Scientific people say, the air had not
buoyancy enough to support these solid masses when congealed to ice; that the small hailstones in these
clouds getting so lashed about in the impetuosity of the winds, had united the more the farther they fell, and
had not acquired that enormous magnitude till comparatively near the earth. Whatever way it may have
happened, it is certain that occurrences of that kind are rare, and almost without example." [VOSSISCHE
ZEITUNG, ubi supra: OEuvres de Frederic, xv. 204.]
Another singularity is, "Professor Johann Daniel Titius of Wittenberg," who teaches NATURAL
PHILOSOPHY in that famous University, one may judge with what effect, wrote a Monograph on this
unusual Phenomenon! [Rodenbeck (ii. 285) gives the Title of it, "CONSIDERATIONS ON THE POTSDAM
HAIL OF LAST YEAR (Wittenberg, 1768)."]
CONFEDERATION OF BAR ENSUES, ON THE PERCONTRA SIDE (March 28th, 1768); AND, AS
FIRST RESULT OF ITS ACHIEVEMENTS (October 6th, 1768), A TURKRUSSIAN WAR.
The Confederation of Radom, and its victorious Diet, had hardly begun their Song of Triumph, when there
ensued on the percontra side a flaming CONFEDERATION OF BAR;which, by successive stages, does
at last burn out the Anarchies of Poland, and reduce them to ashes. Confederation of Bar; and then, as
progeny of that, for and against, such a brood of Confederations, orthodox, heterodox, big, little, shortlived,
longlived, of all complexions and degrees of noisy fury, potent, at any rate, each of them for murder and
arson, within a certain radius, as the Earth never saw before. Now was the time of those inextricable
marchings (as inroads and outroads) through the Lithuanian Bogs, of those deathdefiant, unparalleled
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exploits, skirmishings, scaladings, riding by the edge of precipices, of Pulawski, Potocki and others,in
which Rulhiere loses himself and turns on his axis, amid impatient readers.
For the Russian troops (summoned by a trembling Stanislaus and his Senate, in terms of Treaty 1764), and in
more languid manner, the Stanislaus soldiery, as per law of the case, proceeded to strike in,generally, my
impression was, with an eye to maintain the King's Peace and keep down murder and arson:and sure
enough, the small bodies of drilled Russians blew an infuriated orthodox Polack chivalry to right and left at a
short notice; but as to the Constable's Peace or King's, made no improvement upon that, far the reverse. It is
certain the Confederate chivalry were driven about, at a terrible rate,over the Turk frontier for shelter;
began to appeal to the Grand Turk, in desperate terms: "Brother of the Sun and Moon, saw you ever such a
chance for finishing Russia? Polack chivalry is Orthodox Catholic, but also it is AntiRussian!" The Turk
beginning to give ear to it, made the matter pressing and serious. Here, more specifically, are some features
and successive phases,unless the reader prefer to skip.
"BAR, MARCH, 1768. The Confederation of Radom, as efficient preliminary, and chief agent in that Diet of
emancipation to the Dissident human mind, might long have been famous over Poland and the world; but
there instantly followed as corollary to it a CONFEDERATION OF BAR, which quite dimmed the fame of
Radom, and indeed of all Confederations prior or posterior! As the Confederation of Bar and its Doings, or
rather sufferings and tragical misdoings and undoings, still hang like fitful spectralities, or historical shadows,
of a vague ghastly complexion, in the human memory, one asks at least: Since they were on this Planet, tell
us where? Bar is in the Waiwodship Podol (what we call Podolia), some 400 miles southeast of Warsaw; not
far from the Dniester River:not far very from that mystery of the Dniester, the Zaporavian
Cossacks,from those rapids or cataracts (quasicataracts of the Dniester, with Islands in them, where those
Cossack robbers live unassailable):across the Dniester lies Turkey, and its famed Fortress of Choczim.
This is a commodious station for Polish Gentlemen intending mutiny by law.
"MARCH 8th, 1768, Three short days after the Diet of Radom had done its fine feat, and retired to privacy,
news came to Warsaw, That Podolia and the Southern parts are all up, confederating with the highest
animation; in hot rage against such decision of a Diet, contrary to Holy Religion and to much else; and that
the said decision will have to fight for itself, now that it has done voting. This interesting news is true; and
goes on intensifying and enlarging itself, one dreadful Confederation springing up, and then another and ever
another, day after day; till at last we hear that on the 27th of the month, MARCH 27th, 1768, at Bar, a little
Town on the Southern or Turkish Frontier, all these more or less dreadful Confederations have met by
delegates, and coalesced into one 'Confederatiou of Bar,'which did surely prove dreadful enough, to itself
especially, in the months now ensuing!"
No history of Bar Confederation shall we dream of; far be such an attempt from us. It consists of many
Confederations, and out of each, PRO and CONTRA, spring many. Like the Lernean Hydra, or even Hydras
in a plural condition. A manyheaded dog: and how many whelps it had,I cannot give even the cipher of
them, or I would! One whelp Confederation, that of Cracow, is distinguished by having frequently or
generally been "drunk;" and of course its procedures had often a vinous character. [In HERMANN (v.
431448); and especially in RULHIERE (ii. livre 8 et seq.), details in superabundance.] I fancy to have read
somewhere that the number of them was one hundred and twentyfive. The rumor and the furious barking of
Bar and its whelps goes into all lands: such rabid loud baying at mankind and the moon; and then, under
Russia's treatment, such shrill yelping and shrieking, was not heard in the world before, though perhaps it has
since.
Poor BAR'S exploits in the fighting way were highly inconsiderable; all on the same scale; and spread over
such a surface of country, mostly unknown, as renders it impossible to give them headroom, were you never
so unfurnished. They can be read in eloquent Rulhiere; but by no mortal held in memory. Anarchy is not a
thing to be written of; a Lernean Hydra, several Lernean Hydras, in chaotic genesis, getting their heads
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lopped off, and at the same time sprouting new ones in such ratio, where is the Zoologist that will give
account of it? There was not anything considerable of fighting; but of bullying, plundering, murdering and
being murdered, a frightful amount. There are seizures of castles, convents, defensible houses; marches at a
rate like that of antelopes, through the Lithuanian parts, boggy, hungry, boundless, opening to the fancy the
Infinitude of Peat, in the solid and the fluid state. This, perhaps, is the finest species of feats, though they
never lead to anything. There are heroes famed for these marches.
The Pulawskis, for example,four of them, Lawyer people,showed much activity, and a talent for
impromptu soldiering, in that kind. The Magnates of the Confederation, I was surprised to learn, had all
quitted it, the instant it came to strokes: "You Lawyer people, with your priests and orthodox peasantries, you
do the fighting part; ours is the consulting!" And except Potocki (and he worse than none), there is presently
not a Magnate of them left in Poland,the rest all gone across the Austrian Border, to Teschen, to Bilitz, a
handy little town and domain in that Duchy of Teschen;and sit there as "Committee of Government:"
much at their ease in comparison, could they but agree among themselves, which they cannot. Bilitz is one of
the many domains of Magnate Sulkowski:do readers recollect the Sulkowski who at one time "declared
War" on King Friedrich; and was picked up, both War and he, so compendiously by General Goltz, and
locked in Glogau to cool? This is the same Sulkowski; much concerned now in these matters; a rich Magnate,
glad to see his friends about him as Governing Committee; but gets, and gives, a great deal of vexation in it,
the element proving again too hot!
I said there were four famed Pulawskis; [Hermann, v. 465.] a father, once Advocate in Warsaw, with three
sons and a nephew; who, though extremely active people, could do no good whatever. The father Pulawski
had the fine idea of introducing the British Constitution; clothing Poland wholly in British tailorage, and so
making it a new Poland: but he never could get it done. This poor gentleman died in Turkish prison, flung
into jail at Constantinople, on calumnious accusation and contrivance by a rival countryman; his sons and
nephew, poor fellows, all had their fame, more or less, in the Cause of Freedom so called; but no other profit
in this world, that I could hear of. Casimir, the eldest son, went to America; died there, still in the Cause of
Freedom so called; Fort Pulawski, in the harbor of Charleston (which is at present, on very singular terms,
REengaged in the same socalled Cause!), was named in memory of this Casimir. He had defended
Czenstochow (if anybody knew what Czenstochow was, or could find it in the Polish map); and it was also he
that contrived that wonderful plan of suddenly snapping up King Stanislaus from the streets of Warsaw one
night, ["3d November, 1771."] and of locking him away (by no means killing him), as the source of all our
woes. O my Pulawskis, men not without manhood, what a bedlam of a Time have you and I fallen into, and
what Causes of Freedom it has got in hand!
Bar, a poor place, with no defences but a dry ditch and some miserable earthworks, the Confederates had not
the least chance to maintain; Kaminiec, the only fortress of the Province, they never even got into, finding
some fraction of royal soldiery who stood for King Stanislaus there, and who fired on the Confederates when
applied to. Bar a small Russian division, with certain Stanislaus soldieries conjoined, took by capitulation;
and (date not given) entered in a victorious manner. The WarEpic of the Confederates, which Rulhiere sings
at such length, is blank of meaning.
Of "Cloister Czenstochow," a famed feat of Pulawski's, also without result, I could not from my Rulhiere
discover (what was altogether an illuminative fact to me!) that the date of Czenstochow was not till 1771. A
feat of "Cloister BERDICZOW," almost an exact facsimile by the same Pulawski, also resultless, I did, under
Hermann's guidance, at once find;and hope the reader will be satisfied to accept it instead: Cloister
Berdiczow, which lies in the Palatinate of Kiow; and which has a miraculous Holy Virgin, not less venerated
far and wide in those eastern parts, than she of Cloister Czenstochow in the western: THIS Cloister
Berdiczow and its salutary Virgin, Pulawski (the Casimir, now of Charleston Harbor) did defend, with about
1,000 men, in a really obstinate way, The Monastery itself had in it gifts of the faithful, accumulated for ages;
and all the richest people in those Provinces, Confederate or not, had lodged their preciosities there, as in an
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impregnable and sure place, in those times of trouble. Intensely desirous, accordingly, the Russians were to
take it, but had no cannon; desperately resolute Pulawski and his 1,000 to defend. Pulawski and his 1,000
fired intensely, till their cannon balls were quite done; then took to firing with ironwork, and hard
miscellanies of every sort, especially glad when they could get a haul of glass to load with;and absolutely
would not yield till famine came; though the terms offered were good,had they been kept.
So that Pulawski, it would appear, did Two Cloister Defences? Two, each with a miraculous Holy Virgin; an
eastern, and then a westerly. This of Berdiczow, not dated to me farther, is for certain of the year 1768; and
Pulawski, owing to famine, did yield here. In 1771, at miraculous Cloister Czenstochow, in the western parts,
Pulawski did an external feat, or consented to see it done, that of trying to snuff out poor King Stanislaus
on the streets (3d November, 10 P.M., "miraculously" in vain, as most readers know),which brought its
obloquies and troubles on the Defender of Czenstochow. Obloquies and troubles: but as to surrendering
Czenstochow on call of obloquy, or of famine itself, Pulawski would not, not he for his own part; but
solemnly left his men to do it, and walked away by circuitous uncertain paths, which end in Charleston
Harbor, as we have seen. [At Savannah, in a stricter sense. "Perished at the Siege [futile attempt to storm, by
the French, which they called a Siege] of Savannah, 9th October, 1779."] Defence of Czenstochow in 1771
shall not concern us farther. Truly these two small defences of monasteries by Pulawski are almost all, I do
not say of glorious, but even of creditable or human, that reward the poor wanderer in that Polish Valley of
Jehoshaphat, much of it peatcountry; wherefore I have, as before, marked the approximate localities,
approximate dates, for behoof of ingenuous readers.
The Russians, ever since 1764, from the beginnings of those Stanislaus times, are pledged to maintain peace
in Poland; and it is they that have to deal with this affair,they especially, or almost wholly, poor Stanislaus
having scarcely any power, military or other, and perhaps being loath withal. There was more of investigating
and parleying, bargaining and intriguing, than of fighting, on Stanislaus's part. "June 11th, 1768," says a
Saxon Note from Warsaw, "Mokranowski, Stanislaus's General [the same that was with Friedrich], has been
sent down to Bar to look into those Confederates. Mokranowski does not think there are above 8,000 of them;
about 3,000 have got their death from Russian castigation. The 8,000 might be treated with, only Russians are
so dreadfully severe, especially so intent on wringing money from them. Confederates have been
complaining to the Turk; Turk ambiguous; gives them no definite ground of hope. 'What then, is your hope?'
I inquired. 'Little or none, except in Heaven,' several answered: 'it is for our religion and our liberty:' religion
cut to pieces by this Dissident Tolerationblasphemy; liberty ditto by the Russian guarantee of peace among
us: 'what can we do but trust in God and our own despair?'" ["Essen's Report, 11th June, 1768" (in
HERMANN, v. 441).] "Prave worts, Ancient Pistol,"but much destitute of sense, and not to be realized in
present circumstances. Here is something much more critical:
JUNEJULY, 1768. "The peasants in the Southern regions, Palatinates Podol, Kiow, Braclaw, called
UKRAINE or BorderCountry by the Poles, are mostly of Greek and other schismatic creeds. Their Lords
are of an orthodox religion, and not distinguished by mild treatment of such Peasantry, upon whom civil war
and plunder have been latterly a sore visitation. To complete the matter, the Confederates in certain quarters,
blown upon by fanatical priests, set about converting these poor peasants, or forcing them, at the point of the
bayonet, to swear that they adopt the 'Greek united rite,' which I suppose to be a kind of halfway house
towards perfect orthodoxy. In one Village, which was getting converted in this manner, the military party
seemed to be small; the Village boiled over upon it; trampled orthodoxy and military both under foot, in a
violent and sanguinary manner; and was extremely frightened when it had done. Extremely frightened, not
the Village only, but the schismatic mind generally in those parts, dreading vengeance for such a paroxysm.
But the atrocious Russians whispered them, 'We are here to protect you in your religions and rights, in your
poor consciences and skins.' Upon which hint of the atrocious Russians, the schismatic mind and population
one and all rose; and, 'with the cannibal's ferocity, gave way to their appetite for plunder!' ...
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"Nay, the Russian Government [certain Russian Officials hard pressed] had invited the Zaporavian Cossacks
to step over from their Islands in the Dniester, and assist in defending their Religion [true Greek, of course];
who at once did so; and not only extinguished the last glimmer of Confederation there, but overwhelmed the
Country, thousands on thousands of them, attended by revolted peasants,say a 20,000 of peasants under
command of these Zaporavians,who went about plundering and burning. That they plundered the Jew
pothouses of their brandy, and drank it, was a small matter. Very furious upon Jews, upon Noblemen,
Landlords, upon Catholic Priests. 'On one tree [tree should have been noted] was found hanged a specimen of
each of those classes, with a Dog adjoined, as fit company.' In one little Town, Town of HUMAN [so called
in that foreign dialect], getting some provocation or other, they set to massacring; and if brandy were
plentiful, we can suppose they made short work. By the lowest computation the number of slain Jews and
Catholics amounted to 10,000 odd [Hermann, v. 444; Rulhiere, iii. 93.]Rulhiere says '50,000, by some
accounts 200,000.'" This I guess to have been at its height about the end of June; this leads direct to the
Catastrophe, as will presently be seen.
Foreign States don't seem to pay much attention,indeed, what sane person would like to interfere, or hope
to do it with profit? France, Austria, both wish well to Poland, at least ill to Russia; Choiseul has no finance,
can do nothing but intrigue, and stir up trouble everywhere: a devout Kaiserinn goes with Holy Church, and
disapproves of these Dissident Tolerations: it is remarked that all through 1768 the Confederates of Bar are
permitted to retire over the Austrian Frontier into Austrian Silesia, and find themselves there in safety.
Permitted to buy arms, to make preparations, issue orders: at Sulkowski's Bilitz, in the Duchy of Teschen,
supreme Managing Committee sits there; no Kaunitz or Official person meddling with it. About the
beginning of next year (1769), it is, ostensibly, a little discountenanced; and obliged to go to Eperjes, on the
Hungarian Frontier [See Busching: for Eperjes, ii. 1427; for Bilitz, viii. 885.] (as a more decent or less
conspicuous place),such trouble now rising; a Turk War having broken out, momentous not to the
Confederation alone. March, 1769, the ever intriguing Choiseulfancy with what rapturous effecthad
sent some kind of Agent or Visitor to Teschen; Vergennes in Turkey, from the beginning of these things, has
been plying night and day his diplomatic bellows upon every livecoal ("I who myself kindled this
TurkWar!" brags he afterwards);not till next year (1770) did Choiseul send his Dumouriez to the Bilitz
neighborhoods; not till next again, when Choiseul was himself out, [Thrown out "2d December, 1770,"by
Louis's NEW Pompadour.] did his Viomenil come: [Hermann, v. 469471; in RULHIERE (iv. 241289)
account of Dumouries and his fencings and spyings, still more of Viomenil, who had "French Volunteers,"
and did some bits of real fighting on the small scale.] neither of whom, by their own head alone, without
funds, without troops, could do other than with fine effort make bad worse.
It is needless continuing such a subject. Here is one glimpse two years later, and it shall be our last: "NEAR
LUBLIN, 25th SEPTEMBER, 1770. It is frightful, all this that is passing in these parts,about the Town of
Labun, for example. The dead bodies remain without burial; they are devoured by the dogs and the pigs. ...
Everywhere reigns Pestilence; nor do we fear contagion so much as famine. Offer 100 ducats for a fowl or for
a bit of bread, I swear you won't get it. General von Essen [Russian, we will hope] has had to escape from
Laticzew, then from" some other place, "Pestilence chasing him everywhere."
To apply to the Turks,afflicted Polish Patriots prostrating themselves with the hope of despair, "Save us,
your sublime Clemency; throw a ray of pity on us, Brother of the Sun and Moon: oh, chastise our diabolic
oppressors!"this was one of the first resources of the Bar Confederates. The Turks did give ear; not
inattentive, though pretending to be rather deaf. M. de Vergennes,of whose "diplomatic bellows" we just
heard (in fact, for diligence in this Turk element, in this young time, the like of him was seldom seen; we
knew him long afterwards as a diligent old gentleman, in FrenchRevolution days),M. de Vergennes
zealously supports; zealous to let loose the Turk upon AntiFrench parties. The Turks seem to wag their
heads, for some time; and their responses are ambiguous. For some time, not for long. Here, fast enough,
comes, in disguised shape, the Catastrophe itself, ye poor plaintive Poles!
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JULYOCTOBER, 1768. Those Zaporavian and other Cossacks, with 20,000 peasants plundering about on
both sides of the Dniester, had set fire to the little Town of Balta, which is on the south side, and belongs to
the Turks: a very grave accident, think all political people, think especially the Foreign Excellencies at
Warsaw, when news of it arrives. Burning of Balta, not to be quenched by the amplest Russian apologies,
proved a livecoal at Constantinople; and Vergennes says, he set population and Divan on fire by it: a proof
that the population and Divan had already been in a very inflammable state. Not a wise Divan, though a
zealous. Plenty of fury in these people; but a sad deficiency of every other faculty. They made haste, in their
hot humor, to declare War (6th October, 1768); [Hermann, v. 608611.] not considering much how they
would carry it on. Declared themselves in late Autumn,as if to give the Russians ample time for preparing;
those poor Turks themselves being as yet ready with nothing, and even the season for fieldoperations being
over.
King Friedrich, who has still a Minister at the Porte, endeavored to dissuade his old Turk friends, in this rash
crisis; but to no purpose; they would listen to nothing but Vergennes and their own fury. Friedrich finds this
War a very mad one on the part of his old Turk friends; their promptitude to go into it (he has known them
backward enough when their chances were better!), and their way of carrying it on, are alike surprising to
him. He says: "Catharine's Generals were unacquainted with the first elements of Castrametation and Tactic;
but the Generals of the Sultan had a still more prodigious depth of ignorance; so that to form a correct idea of
this War, you must figure a set of purblind people, who, by constantly beating a set of altogether blind, end
by gaining over them a complete mastery." [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 23, 24.] This, as Friedrich knows, is
what Austria cannot suffer; this is what will involve Austria and Russia, and Friedrich along with them, in
Friedrich, as the matter gradually unfolds itself, shudders to think what. The beginnings of this War were
perhaps almost comical to the old SoldierKing; but as it gradually developed itself into complete shattering
to pieces of the stupid Blind by the ambitious Purblind, he grew abundantly serious upon it.
It is but six months since Polish Patriotism, so effulgent to its own eyes in Orthodoxy, in Love of glorious
Liberty, confederated at Bar, and got into that extraordinary whirlpool, or cesspool, of miseries and deliriums
we have been looking at; and now it has issued on a broad highway of progress,broad and
precipitous,and will rapidly arrive at the goal set before it. All was so rapid, on the Polish and on the
Turkish part. The blind Turks, out of mere fanaticism and heat of humor, have rushed into this
adventure;and go rushing forward into a series of chaotic platitudes on the huge scale, and mere tragical
disasters, year after year, which would have been comical, had they not been so hideous and sanguinary:
constant and enormous blunders on the Turk part, issuing in disasters of like magnitude; which in the course
of Two Campaigns had quite finished off their Polish friends, in a very unexpected way; and had like to have
finished themselves off, had not drowned Poland served as a steppingstone.
Not till March 26th, 1769, six months after declaring in such haste, did the blind Turks "display their Banner
of Mahomet," that is, begin in earnest to assemble and make ready. Nor were the Russians shiningly strategic,
though sooner in the field,a Prince Galitzin commanding them (an extremely purblind person); till
replaced by Romanzow, our old Colberg acquaintance, who saw considerably better. Galitzin, early in the
season, made a rush on Choczim (ChoTzim), the first Turk Fort beyond the Dniester; and altogether
failed,not by Turk prowess, but by his own purblind malarrangements (want of ammunition, want of
bread, or I will forget what);which occasioned mighty grumblings in Russia: till in a month or two, by
favor of Fortune and blindness of the Turk, matters had come well round again; and Galitzin, walking up to
Choczim the second time, found there was not a Turk in the place, and that Choczim was now his on those
uncommonly easy terms!
Instead of farther details on such a War,the shadow or reflex of which, as mirrored in the Austrian mind,
has an importance to Friedrich and us; but the self or substance of which has otherwise little or none,we
will close here with a bit of Russian satire on it, which is still worth reading. The date is evidently Spring,
1769; the scene what we are now treating of: Galitzin obliged to fall back from Choczim; great
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rumor"What a Galitzin; what a Turk War his, in contrast to the last we had!" [Turk War of 17361739,
under Munnich (supra, vii. 81126).]no Romanzow yet appointed in his room. And here is a small
Manuscript, which was then circulating fresh and new in Russian Society; and has since gone over all the
world (though mostly in an uncertain condition, in old JestBooks and the like), as a genuine bit of
CAVIARE from those Northern parts:
MANUSCRIPT CIRCULATING IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY. Galitzin, much grieved about Choczim, could
not sleep; and, wandering about in his tent, overheard, one night, a common soldier recounting his dream to
the sentry outside the door.
"A curious dream," said the soldier: "I dreamt I was in a battle; that I got my head cut off; that I died; and, of
course, went to Heaven. I knocked at the door: Peter came with a bunch of Keys; and made such rattling that
he awoke God; who started up in haste, asking, 'What is the matter?' 'Why,' says Peter, 'there is a great War
on earth between the Russians and the Turks.' 'And who commands my Russians?' said the Supreme Being.
'Count Munnich,' answered Peter. 'Very well; I may go to sleep again!'But this was not the end of my
dream," continued the soldier; "I fell asleep and dreamt again, the very same as before, except that the War
was not Count Munnich's, but the one we are now in. Accordingly, when God asked, 'Who commands my
Russians?' Peter answered, 'Prince Galitzin.' 'Galitzin? Then get me my boots!' said the [Russian] Supreme
Being." [W. Richardson (then at Petersburg, Tutor to Excellency Cathcart's Children; afterwards Professor at
Glasgow, and a man of Some reputation in his old age), Anecdotes of the Russian Empire, in a Series of
Letters written a few years ago from St. Petersburg (London, 1784), p. 110: date of this Letter is "17th
October, 1769."]
Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND.
These Polish phenomena were beginning to awaken a good deal of attention, not all of it pleasant, on the part
of Friedrich. From the first he had, as usual, been a most cleareyed observer of everything; and found the
business, as appears, not of tragical nature, but of expensivefarcical, capable to shake the diaphragm rather
than touch the heart of a reflective onlooker. He has a considerable Poem on it,WAR OF THE
CONFEDERATES by title (in the old style of the PALLADION, imitating an unattainable JEANNE
D'ARC),considerable Poem, now forming itself at leisure in his thoughts, ["LA GUERRE DES
CONFEDERES [ OEuvres, xiv. 183 et seq.], finished in November, 1771."] which decidedly takes that turn;
and laughs quite loud at the rabid fanaticisms, blusterous inanities and imbecilities of these noisy unfortunate
neighbors:old unpleasant style of the PALLADION and PUCELLE; but much better worth reading;
having a great deal of sharp sense in its laughing guise, and more of real Historical Discernment than you will
find in any other Book on that delirious subject.
Much a laughingstock to this King hitherto, such a "War of the Confederates,"consisting of the noisiest,
emptiest bedlam tumults, seasoned by a proportion of homicide, and a great deal of battery and arson. But
now, with a RussianTurk War springing from it, or already sprung, there are quite serious aspects rising
amid the laughable. By Treaty, this War is to cost the King either a 12,000 of Auxiliaries to the Czarina, or a
72,000 pounds (480,000 thalers) annually; [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 13.]which latter he prefers to pay
her, as the alternative: not an agreeable feature at all; but by no means the worst feature. Suppose it lead to
Russian conquests on the Turk, to Austrian complicacies, to one knows not what, and kindle the world round
one again! In short, we can believe Friedrich was very willing to stand well with nextdoor neighbors at
present, and be civil to Austria and its young Kaiser's civilities.
FIRST INTERVIEW BETWEEN FRIEDRICH AND KAISER JOSEPH (Neisse, 25th28th August, 1769).
In 1766, the young Kaiser, who has charge of the Military Department, and of little else in the Government,
and is already a great traveller, and enthusiastic soldier, made a pilgrimage over the Bohemian and Saxon
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Battlefields of the SevenYears War. On some of them, whether on all I do not know, he set up memorial
stones; one of which you still see on the field of Lobositz;of another on Prag field, and of reverent
salutation by Artillery to the memory of Schwerin there, we heard long ago. Coming to Torgau on this errand,
the Kaiser, through his Berlin Minister, had signified his "particular desire to make acquaintance with the
King in returning;" to which the King was ready with the readiest; only that Kaunitz and the Kaiserinn, in
the interim, judged it improper, and stopped it. "The reported Interview is not to take place," Friedrich warns
the Newspapers; "having been given up, though only from courtesy, on some points of ceremonial."
["FRIEDRICH TO ONE OF HIS FOREIGN AMBASSADORS" (the common way of announcing in
Newspapers): Preuss, iv. 22 n.]
The young Kaiser felt a little huffed; and signified to Friedrich that he would find a time to make good this
bit of uncivility, which his pedagogues had forced upon him. And now, after three years, August, 1769, on
occasion of the Silesian Reviews, the Kaiser is to come across from his Bohemian businesses, and actually
visit him: Interview to be at Neisse, 25th August, 1769, for three days. Of course the King was punctual,
everybody was punctual, glad and cordial after a sort,no ceremony, the Kaiser, officially incognito, is a
mere Graf von Falkenstein, come to see his Majesty's Reviews. There came with him four or five Generals,
Loudon one of them; Lacy had preceded: Friedrich is in the palace of the place, ready and expectant. With
Friedrich are: Prince Henri; Prince of Prussia; Margraf of Anspach: Friedrich's Nephew (Lady Craven's
Margraf, the one remnant now left there); and some Generals and Military functionaries, Seidlitz the
notablest figure of these. And so, FRIDAY, AUGUST 25th, shortly after noon But the following Two
Letters, by an Eyewitness, will be preferable; and indeed are the only real Narrative that can be given:
No. 1. ENGINEER LEFEBVRE TO PERPETUAL SECRETARY FORMEY (at Berlin).
"NEISSE, 26th [partly 25th] August, 1769.
"MY MOST WORTHY FRIEND,I make haste to inform you of the Kaiser's arrival here at Neisse, this day,
25th August, 1769, at one in the afternoon. The King had spent the morning in a proof Manoeuvre, making
rehearsal of the Manoeuvre that was to be. When the Kaiser was reported just coming, the King went to the
window of the grand Episcopal Saloon, and seeing him alight from his carriage, turned round and said, 'JE
L'AI VU (I have seen him).' His Majesty then went to receive him on the grand staircase [had hardly
descended three or four steps], where they embraced; and then his Majesty led by the hand his august Guest
into the Apartments designed for him, which were all standing open and ready,"which, however, the
august Guest will not occupy except with a grateful imagination, being for the present incognito, mere Graf
von Falkenstein, and judging that THE THREEKINGS Inn will be suitabler.
"Arrived in the Apartments, they embraced anew; and sat talking together for an hour and half.
[The talk, unknown to Lefebvre, began in this strain. KAISER: "Now are my wishes fulfilled, since I
have the honor to embrace the greatest of Kings and Soldiers." KING: "I look upon this day as the fairest of
my life; for it will become the epoch of uniting Two Houses which have been enemies too long, and whose
mutual interests require that they should strengthen, not weaken one another." KAISER: "For Austria there is
no Silesia farther." [Preuss, v. 23; OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 25, 26.] Talk, it appears, lasted an hour and half.]
"The Kaiser [continues our Engineer] had brought with him the Prince of SachsenTeschen [his
august Brotherinlaw, Duke of Teschen, son of the late Polish Majesty of famous memory]: afterwards
there came Feldmarschall Lacy, Graf von Dietrichstein, General von Loudon," and three others of no account
to us. "At the King's table were the Kaiser, the Prince of Prussia [dissolute young HeirApparent, of the
polygamous tendency], Prince Henri, the Margraf of Anspach [King's Nephew, unfortunate Lady Craven
Margraf, ultimately of Hammersmith vicinity]; the above Generals of the Austrian suite, and Generals
Seidlitz and Tauentzien. The rest of the Court was at two other tables." Of the dinner itself an Outside
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Individual will say nothing.
"The Kaiser, having expressly requested the King to let him lodge in an Inn (THREE KINGS), under the
name of Graf von Falkenstein, would not go into the carriage which had stood expressly ready to conduct him
thither. He preferred walking on foot [the loftily scornful Incognito] in spite of the rain; it was like a
lieutenant of infantry stepping out of his quarters. Some moments after, the King went to visit him; and they
remained together from 5 in the evening till 8. It was thought they would be present (ASSISTER) at a Comic
Opera which was to be played: but after waiting till 7 o'clock, the people received orders to go on with the
Piece;"both Majesties did afterwards look in; but finding it bad, soon went their way again. (MAJOR
LEFEBVRE STOPS WRITING FOR THE NIGHT.)
"This morning, 26th, the Manoeuvre [rehearsed yesterday] has been performed before both their Majesties;
the troops, by way of finish, filing past them in the highest order. The Kaiser accompanied the King to his
abode; after which he returned to his own. This is all the news I have today: the sequel by next Post
[apparently a week hence). I am, and shall ever be,your true Friend, LEFEBVRE."
No. 2. SAME TO SAME.
"NEISSE, 2d September, 1769.
"MONSIEUR AND DEAREST FRIEND,We had, as you heard, our first Manoeuvre on Saturday, 26th, in
presence of the Kaiser and the King, and of the whole Court of each. That evening there was Opera; which
their Majesties honored by attending. Sunday was our Second Manoeuvre; OPERETTE in the evening.
Monday, 28th, was our last Manoeuvre; at the end of which the two Majesties, without alighting from
horseback, embraced each other; and parted, protesting mutually the most constant and inviolable friendship.
One took the road for Breslau; the other that of Konigsgratz. All the time the Kaiser was here, they have been
continually talking together, and exhibiting the tenderest friendship,from which I cannot but think there
will benefit result.
"I am almost in the mind of coming to pass this Winter at Berlin; that I may have the pleasure of embracing
you,perhaps as cordially as King and Kaiser here. I am, and shall always be, with all my heart,your very
good Friend, "LEFEBVRE." [Formey, Souvenirs d'un Citoyen, ii. 145148.]
The Lefebvre that writes here is the same who was set to manage the last Siege of Schweidnitz, by Globes of
Compression and other fine inventions; and almost went out of his wits because he could not do it. An expert
ingenious creature; skilful as an engineer; had been brought into Friedrich's service by the late Balbi, during
Balbi's ascendency (which ended at Olmutz long ago). At Schweidnitz, and often elsewhere, Friedrich, who
had an esteem for poor Lefebvre, was good to him; and treated his excitabilities with a soft hand, not a rough.
Once at Neisse (1771, second year after these Letters), on looking round at the works done since last review,
in sight of all the Garrison he embraced Lefebvre, while commending his excellent performance; which filled
the poor soul with a now unimaginable joy.
"HELAS," says Formey, "the poor Gentleman wrote to me of his endless satisfaction; and how he hoped to
get through his building, and retire on halfpay this very season, thenceforth to belong to the Academy and
me; he had been Member for twenty years past." With this view, thinks Formey, he most likely hastened on
his buildings too fast: certain it is, a barrack he was building tumbled suddenly, and some workmen perished
in the ruins. "Enemies at Court suggested," or the accident itself suggested without any enemy, "Has not he
been playing false, using cheap bad materials?"and Friedrich ordered him arrest in his own Apartments, till
the question were investigated. Excitable Lefebvre was like to lose his wits, almost to leap out of his skin.
"One evening at supper, he managed to smuggle away a knife; and, in the course of the night, gave himself
sixteen stabs with it; which at length sufficed. The King said, 'He has used himself worse than I should have
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done;' and was very sorry." Of Lefebvre's scientific structures, globes of compression and the rest, I know not
whether anything is left; the above Two Notes, thrown off to Formey, were accidentally a hit, and, in the
great blank, may last a long while.
The King found this young Kaiser a very pretty man; and could have liked him considerably, had their mutual
positions permitted. "He had a frankness of manner which seemed natural to him," says the King; "in his
amiable character, gayety and great vivacity were prominent features." By accidental chinks, however, one
saw "an ambition beyond measure" burning in the interior of this young man, [ OEuvres de Frederic, (in
Memoires de 1763 jusqu'a 1775, a Chapter which yields the briefest, and the one completely intelligible
account we yet have of those affairs), vi. 25.]let an old King be wary. A three days, clearly, to be marked
in chalk; radiant outwardly to both; to a certain depth, sincere; and uncommonly pleasant for the time. King
and Kaiser were seen walking about arm in arm. At one of the Reviews a Note was brought to Friedrich: he
read it, a Note from her Imperial Majesty; and handing it to Kaiser Joseph, kissed it first. At parting, he had
given Joseph, by way of keepsake, a copy of Marechal de Saxe's REVERIES (a strange Military Farrago,
dictated, I should think, under opium ["MES REVERIES; OUVRAGE POSTHUME, par" (2 vols. 4to:
Amsterdam et Leipzig, 1757).]): this Book lay continually thereafter on the Kaiser's nighttable; and was
found there at his death, Twentyone years hence,not a page of it read, the leaves all sticking together
under their bright gilding. [Preuss, iv. 24 n.]
It was long believed, by persons capable of seeing into millstones, that, under cover of this Neisse Interview,
there were important Political negotiations and consultings carried on;that here, and in a Second Interview
or ReturnVisit, of which presently, lay the real foundation of the Polish Catastrophe. What of Political
passed at the Second Interview readers shall see for themselves, from an excellent Authority. As to what
passed at the present ("mutual wordofhonor: should England and France quarrel, we will stand neutral"
[ OEuvres de Frederic, ubi supra.]), it is too insignificant for being shown to readers. Dialogues there were,
delicately holding wide of the mark, and at length coming close enough; but, at neither the one Interview nor
the other, was Poland at all a party concerned,though, beyond doubt, the Turk War was; silently this first
time, and with clear vocality on the second occasion.
In spite of Galitzin's blunders, the Turk War is going on at a fine rate in these months; Turks, by the hundred
thousand, getting scattered in panic rout:but we will say nothing of it just yet. Polish
Confederationhorrorstruck, as may be imagined, at its auxiliary Brother of the Sun and Moon and his
performancesis weltering in violently impotent spasms into deeper and ever deeper wretchedness,
Friedrich sometimes thinking of a Burlesque Poem on the subject;though the Russian successes, and the
Austrian grudgings and gloomings, are rising on him as a very serious consideration. "Is there no method,
then, of allowing Russia to prosecute its Turk War in spite of Austria and its umbrages?" thinks Friedrich
sometimes, in his anxieties about Peace in Europe:"If the Ukraine, and its meal for the Armies, were but
Russia's! At present, Austria can strike in there, cut off the provisions, and at once put a spoke in Russia's
wheel." Friedrich tells us, "he (ON," the King himself, what I do not find in any other Book) "sent to
Petersburg, under the name of Count Lynar, the seraphic Danish Gentleman, who, in 1757, had brought about
the Convention of KlosterZeven, a Project, or Sketch of Plan, for Partitioning certain Provinces of Poland,
in that view;" the Lynar opining, so far as I can see, somewhat as follows: "Russia to lay hold of the
essential bit of Polish Territory for provisioning itself against the Turk, and allow to Austria and Prussia
certain other bits; which would content everybody, and enable Russia and Christendom to extrude and
suppress AD LIBITUM that abominable mass of Mahometan Sensualism, Darkness and Fanaticism from the
fairest part of God's Creation." An excellent Project, though not successful! "To which Petersburg,
intoxicated with its own outlooks on Turkey, paid not the least attention," says the King. [ OEuvres de
Frederic, vi. 26.] He gives no date to this curious statement; nor does anybody else mention it at all; but we
may fancy it to have been of Winter, 17691770,and leave it with the curious, or the idly curious, since
nothing came of it now or afterwards.
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POTSDAM, 20th29th OCTOBER, 1769. Only two months after Neisse, what kindles Potsdam into sudden
splendor, Electress MarieAntoine makes a Visit of nine days to the King. "In July last," says a certain Note
of ours, "the Electress was invited to Berlin, to a Wedding; 'would have been delighted to come, but letter of
invitation arrived too late. Will, however, not give up the plan of seeing the great Friedrich.' Comes to
Potsdam 20th29th October. Stays nine days; much delighted, both, with the visit. 'Magnificent palaces,
pleasant gardens, ravishing concerts, charming Princes and Princesses: the pleasantest nine days I ever had in
my life,' says the Electress. Friedrich grants, to her intercession, pardon for some culprit. 'DIVA ANTONIA'
he calls her henceforth for some time; she him, 'PLUS GRAND DES MORTELS,' 'SALOMON DU NORD,'
and the like names." [ OEuvres de Frederic, (CORRESPONDANCE AVEC L'ELECTRICE MARIE
ANTOINE), xxiv. 179186.] Next year too (September 26thOctober 5th, 1770), the bright Lady made a
second visit; [Rodenbeck, iii. 24.] no third,the times growing too political, perhaps; the times not suiting.
The Correspondence continues to the end; and is really pretty. And would be instructive withal, were it well
edited. For example,if we might look backwards, and shoot a momentary spark into the vacant darkness of
the Past,Friedrich wrote (the year before this):
POTSDAM, 3d MAY, 1768. ... "Jesuits have got all cut adrift: A dim rumor spreads that his Holiness will not
rest with that first anathema, but that a fulminating Bull is coming out against the Most Christian, the Most
Catholic and the Most Faithful. If that be so, my notion is, Madam, that the Holy Father, to fill his table, will
admit the Defender of the Faith [poor George III.] and your Servant; for it does not suit a Pope to sit solitary.
...
"A pity for the human race, Madam, that men cannot be tranquil, but they never and nowhere can! Not
even the little Town of Neufchatel but has had its troubles; your Royal Highness will be astonished to learn
how. A Parson there [this was above seven years ago, in old Marischal's reign [See Letters to Marischal,
"Leipzig, 9th March, 1761," "Breslau, 14th May, 1762:" in OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 282, 287.]] had set forth
in a sermon, That considering the immense mercy of God, the pains of Hell could not last forever. The Synod
shouted murder at such scandal; and has been struggling, ever since, to get the Parson exterminated. The
affair was of my jurisdiction; for your Royal Highness must know that I am Pope in that Country;here is
my decision: Let the parsons, who make for themselves a cruel and barbarous God, be eternally damned, as
they desire, and deserve; and let those parsons, who conceive God gentle and merciful, enjoy the plenitude of
his mercy! However, Madam, my sentence has failed to calm men's minds; the schism continues; and the
number of the damnatory theologians prevails over the others." ["April 2d, 1768" (a month before this Letter
to Madam), there is "riot at Neufchatel; and Avocat Gardot [heterodox Parson's ADVOCATE] killed in it"
(Rodenbeck, ii. 303).]Or again:
POTSDAM, 1st DECEMBER, 1766. "At present I have with me my Niece [Sister's Daughter, of Schwedt],
the Duchess of Wurtemberg; who remembers with pleasure to have had the happiness of seeing your Royal
Highness in former times. She is very unhappy and much to be pitied; her Husband [Eugen of Wurtemberg,
whom we heard much of, and last at Colberg] gives her a deal of trouble: he is a violent man, from whom she
has everything to fear; who gives her chagrins, and makes her no allowances. I try my best to bring him to
reason;"but am little successful. Three years after this, "May 3d, 1769," we find Eugen, who once talked of
running his august Reigning Brother through the body, has ended by returning to Stuttgard and him; where,
or at Mumpelgard, his Apanage, he continued thenceforth. And was Reigning Duke himself, long afterwards,
for two years, at the very end of his life. ["Succeeded," on his Brother Karl's death, "20th May, 1795; died
23d December, 1797, age 75."] At this date of 1766, "my poor Niece and he" have been married thirteen
years, and have half a score of children;the eldest of them Czar Paul's Second Wife that is to be, and
Mother of the now Czars.
DECEMBER 17th, 1765. ... "I have had 12,360 houses and barns to rebuild, and am nearly through with that.
But how many other wounds remain yet to be healed!"
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Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. 1558
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JULY 22d, 1766. ... "Wedding festivities of Prince of Prussia. Duchess of Kingston tipsy on the
occasion!"But we must not be tempted farther. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 90155.]
NEXT YEAR THERE IS A SECOND INTERVIEW; FRIEDRICH MAKING A
RETURNVISIT DURING THE KAISER'S MORAVIAN REVIEWS (Camp of
MahrischNeustadt, 3d7th September, 1770).
The RussianTurk especially in Second Campaign of it, "Liberation of Greece," or, failing that, total
destruction of the Turk Fleet in Greek waters; conquest of Wallachia, as of Moldavia; in a word, imminency
of total ruin to the Turk by land and sea,all this is blazing aloft at such a pitch, in Summer, 1770, that a
new Interview upon it may well, to neighbors so much interested, seem more desirable than ever. Interview
accordingly there is to be: 3d September, and for four days following.
Kaunitz himself attends, this time; something of real business privately probable to Kaunitz. Prince Henri is
not there; Prince Henri is gone to Sweden; on visit to his Sister, whom he has not seen since boyhood: of
which Visit there will be farther mention. Present with the King were: [Rodenbeck, iii. 21.] the Prince of
Prussia (luckier somewhat in his second wedlock, little redcolored Son and Heir born to him just a month
ago); [Friedrich Wilhelm III., "born 3d August, 1770."] Prince Ferdinand; two Brunswick Nephews,
ERBPRINZ whom we used to hear of, and Leopold a junior, of whom we shall once or so. No Seidlitz this
time. Except Lentulus, no General to name. But better for us than all Generals, in the Kaiser's suite, besides
Kaunitz, was Prince de Ligne,who holds a PEN, as will appear.
"Liberation of the Greeks" had kindled many people, Voltaire among the number, who is still intermittently
in correspondence with Friedrich: "A magnificent Czarina about to revivify that true Temple of Mankind, or
at least to sweep the blockhead Turks out of it; what a prospect!" Friedrich is quite cool on Greece; not too
hot on any part of this subject, though intensely concerned about it. Besides his ingenious CountLynar
Project, and many other businesses, Friedrich has just been confuting Baron d'Holbach's Systeme de la
Nature; ["EXAMEN CRITIQUE DU SYSTEME DE LA NATURE [in OEuvres de Frederic, ix. 153 et seq.],
finished July, 1770."]writing to Voltaire, POTSDAM, 18th AUGUST, 1770, on this subject among others,
he adds: "I am going for Silesia, on the Reviews. I am to see the Kaiser, who has invited me to his Camp in
Mahren. That is an amiable and meritorious Prince; he values your Works, reads them as diligently as he can;
is anything but superstitious: in brief, a Kaiser such as Germany has not for a great while had. Neither he nor
I have any love for the blockhead and barbaric sort;but that is no reason for extirpating them: if it were,
your Turks [oppressors of Greece] would not be the only victims!" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 165, 166.]
In a lengthy Letter, written by request, TO STANISLAUS, KING OF POLAND, 1735, or at a distance of
fifteen years from this Interview at Neustadt, Prince de Ligne, who was present there, has left us some record
or loose lively reminiscence of it; [Prince de Ligne, Memoires et Melanges Historiques (Par. 1827), i.
321.]sputtering, effervescing, epigrammatic creature, had he confined himself to a faithful description,
and burnt off for us, not like a pretty firework, but like an innocent candle, or thing for seeing by! But we
must take what we have, and endeavor to be thankful. By great luck, the one topic he insists on is Friedrich
and his aspect and behavior on the occasion: which is what, of all else in it, we are most concerned with.
"You have ordered me, Sire [this was written for him in 1785], to speak to you of one of the greatest men of
this Age. You admire him, though his neighborhood has done you mischief enough; and, placing yourself at
the impartial distance of History, feel a noble curiosity on all that belongs to this extraordinary genius. I will,
therefore, give you an exact account of the smallest words that I myself heard the great Friedrich speak. ...
The I (LE JE) is odious to me; but nothing is indifferent when"Well, your account, then, your account,
without farther preambling, and in a more exact way than you are wont!
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"By a singular chance, in 1770 [3d7th September, if you would but date], the Kaiser was [for the second
time] enabled to deliver himself to the personal admiration which he had conceived for the King of Prussia;
and these Two great Sovereigns were so well together, that they could pay visits. The Kaiser permitted me to
accompany; and introduced me to the King: it was at Neustadt in Moravia [MAHRISCHNEUSTADT, short
way from AUSTERLITZ, which is since become a celebrated place]. I can't recollect if I had, or had
assumed, an air of embarrassment; but what I do well remember is, that the Kaiser, who noticed my look, said
to the King, 'He has a timid expression, which I never observed in him before; he will recover presently.' This
he said in a graceful merry way; and the two went out, to go, I believe, to the Play. On the way thither, the
King for an instant quitting his Imperial Friend, asked me if my LETTER TO JEAN JACQUES [now an
entirely forgotten Piece], which had been printed in the Papers, was really by me? I answered, 'Sire, I am not
famous enough to have my name forged' [as a certain Other name has been, on this same unproductive topic].
He felt what I meant. It is known that Horace Walpole took the King's name to write his famous LETTRE A
JEAN JACQUES [impossible to attend to the like of it at present], which contributed the most to drive mad
that eloquent and unreasonable man of genius.
"Coming out of the Play, the Kaiser said to the King of Prussia: 'There is Noverre, the famous Composer of
Ballets; he has been in Berlin, I believe.' Noverre made thereupon a beautiful dancing master bow. 'Ah, I
know him,' said the King: 'we saw him at Berlin; he was very droll; mimicked all the world, especially our
chief Dancing Women, to make you split with laughing.' Noverre, ill content with this way of remembering
him, made another beautiful thirdposition bow; and hoped possibly the King would say something farther,
and offer him the opportunity of a small revenge. 'Your Ballets are beautiful,' said the King to him; 'your
Dancing Girls have grace; but it is grace in a squattish form (DE LA GRACE ENGONCEE). I think you
make them raise their shoulders and their arms too much. For, Monsieur Noverre, if you remember, our
principal Dancing Girl at Berlin wasn't so.' 'That is why she was at Berlin, Sire,' replied Noverre [satirically,
all he could].
"I was every day asked to sup with the King; too often the conversation addressed itself to me. In spite of my
attachment to the Kaiser, whose General I like to be, but not whose D'Argens or Algarotti, I had not beyond
reason abandoned myself to that feeling. When urged by the King's often speaking to me, I had to answer,
and go on talking. Besides, the Kaiser took a main share in the conversation; and was perhaps more at his
ease with the King than the King with him. One day, they got talking of what one would wish to be in this
world; and they asked my opinion. I said, I should like to be 'a Pretty Woman till thirty; then, till sixty, a
fortunate and skilful General;'and not knowing what more to say, but for the sake of adding something,
whatever it might be, 'a Cardinal till eighty.' The King, who likes to banter the Sacred College, made himself
merry on this; and the Kaiser gave him a cheap bargain of Rome and its upholders (SUPPOTS). That supper
was one of the gayest and pleasantest I have ever seen. The Two Sovereigns were without pretension and
without reserve; what did not always happen on other days; and the amiability of two men so superior, and
often so astonished to see themselves together, was the agreeablest thing you can imagine. The King bade me
come and see him the first time he and I should have three or four hours to ourselves.
"A storm such as there never was, a deluge compared with which that of Deucalion was a summer shower,
covered our Hills with water [cannot say WHICH day of the four], and almost drowned our Army while
attempting to manoeuvre. The morrow was a restday for that reason. At nine in the morning, I went to the
King, and stayed till one. He spoke to me of our Generals; I let him say, of his own accord, the things I think
of Marshals Lacy and Loudon; and I hinted that, as to the others, it was better to speak of the dead than of the
living; and that one never can well judge of a General who has not in his lifetime actually played high parts in
War. He spoke to me of Feldmarschall Daun: I said, 'that against the French I believed he might have proved
a great man; but that against him [you], he had never quite been all he was; seeing always his opponent as a
Jupiter, thunderbolt in hand, ready to pulverize his Army.' That appeared to give the King pleasure: he
signified to me a feeling of esteem for Daun; he spoke favorably of General Brentano [one of the Maxen
gentlemen]. I asked his reason for the praises I knew he had given to General Beck. 'Why (MAIS), I thought
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him a man of merit,' said the King. 'I do not think so, Sire; he didn't do you much mischief.' 'He sometimes
took Magazines from me.' 'And sometimes let your Generals escape.' (Bevern at REICHENBACH, for
instance, do you reckon that his blame?)'I have never beaten him,' said the King. 'He never came near
enough for that: and I always thought your Majesty was only appearing to respect him, in order that we might
have more confidence in him, and that you might give him the better slap some day, with interest for all
arrears.'
KING. "'Do you know who taught me the little I know? It was your old Marshal Traun: that was a man, that
one.You spoke of the French: do they make progress?'
EGO. "'They are capable of everything in time of war, Sire: but in Peace,their chiefs want them to be what
they are not, what they are not capable of being.'
KING. "'How, then; disciplined? They were so in the time of M. de Turenne.' EGO. "'Oh, it isn't that. They
were not so in the time of M. de Vendome, and they went on gaining battles. But it is now wished that they
become your Apes and ours; and that does n't suit them.'
KING. "'Perhaps so: I have said of their busy people (FAISEURS,' St. Germains and ArmyReformers), 'that
they would fain sing without knowing music.'
EGO. "'Oh, that is true! But leave them their natural notes; profit by their bravery, their alertness
(LEGERETE), by their very faults,I believe their confusion might confuse their enemies sometimes.'
KING. "'Well, yes, doubtless, if you have something to support them with.'
EGO. "'Just so, Sire,some Swiss and Germans.'
KING. "''T is a brave and amiable nation, the French; one can't help loving them:but, MON DIEU, what
have they made of their Men of Letters; and what a tone has now come up among them! Voltaire, for
example, had an excellent tone. D'Alembert, whom I esteem in many respects, is too noisy, and insists too
much on producing effect in society:was it the Men of Letters that gave the Court of Louis XIV. its grace,
or did they themselves acquire it from the many amiable persons they found there? He was the Patriarch of
Kings, that one [in a certain sense, your Majesty!]. In his lifetime a little too much good was said of him; but
a great deal too much ill after his death.'
EGO. "'A King of France, Sire, is always the Patriarch of Clever People (PATRIARCHE DES GENS
D'ESPRIT:' You do not much mean this, Monsieur? You merely grin it from the teeth outward?)
KING. "'That is the bad Number to draw: they are n't worth a doit (NE VALENT PAS LE DIABLE, these
GENS D'ESPRIT) at Governing. Better be Patriarch of the Greek Church, like my sister the Empress of
Russia! That brings her, and will bring, advantages. There's a religion for you; comprehending many
Countries and different Nations! As to our poor Lutherans, they are so few, it is not worth while being their
Patriarch.'
EGO. "'Nevertheless, Sire, if one join to them the Calvinists, and all the little bastard Sects, it would not be so
bad a post. [The King appeared to kindle at this; his eyes were full of animation. But it did not last when I
said:] If the Kaiser were Patriarch of the Catholics, that too wouldn't be a bad place.'
KING. "'There, there: Europe divided into Three Patriarchates. I was wrong to begin; you see where that
leads us: Messieurs, our dreams are not those of the just, as M. le Regent used to say. If Louis XIV. were
alive, he would thank us.'
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"All these patriarchal ideas, possible and impossible to realize, made him, for an instant, look thoughtful,
almost moody.
KING. "'Louis XIV., possessing more judgment than cleverness (ESPRIT), looked out more for the former
quality than for the latter. It was men of genius that he wanted, and found. It could not be said that Corneille,
Bossuet, Racine and Conde were people of the clever sort (DES HOMMES D'ESPRIT).'
EGO. "'On the whole, there is that in the Country which really deserves to be happy, It is asserted that your
Majesty has said, If one would have a fine dream, one must'
KING. "'Yes, it is true,be King of France.'
EGO. "'If Francis I. and Henri IV. had come into the world after your Majesty, they would have said, "be
King of Prussia."'
KING. "'Tell me, pray, is there no citable Writer left in France?'
"This made me laugh; the King asked the reason. I told him, He reminded me of the RUSSE A PARIS, that
charming little piece of verse of M. de Voltaire's; and we remembered charming things out of it, which made
us both laugh. He said,
KING. "'I have sometimes heard the Prince de Conti spoken of: what sort of man is he?'
EGO. "'He is a man composed of twenty or thirty men. He is proud, he is affable,'"he is fiddle, he is diddle
(in the seesaw epigrammatic way, for a page or more); and is not worth pen and ink from us, since the time
old Marshal Traun got us rid of him,home across the Rhine, full speed, with Croats sticking on his skirts.
[Supra, viii. 475.]
"This portrait seemed to amuse the King. One had to captivate him by some piquant detail; without that, he
would escape you, give you no time to speak. The success generally began by the first words, no matter how
vague, of any conversation; these he found means to make interesting; and what, generally, is mere talk about
the weather became at once sublime; and one never heard anything vulgar from him. He ennobled everything;
and the examples of Greeks and Romans, or of modern Generals, soon dissipated everything of what, with
others, would have remained trivial and commonplace.
"'Have you ever,' said he, 'seen such a rain as yesterday's? Your orthodox Catholics will say, "That comes of
having a man without religion among us: what are we to do with this cursed (MAUDIT) King; a Protestant at
lowest?" for I really think I brought you bad luck. Your soldiers would be saying, "Peace we have; and still is
this devil of a man to trouble us!"'
EGO. "'Certainly, if your Majesty was the cause, it is very bad. Such a thing is only permitted to Jupiter, who
has always good reasons for everything; and it would have been in his fashion, after destroying the one set by
fire, to set about destroying the others by water. However, the fire is at an end; and I did not expect to revert
to it.'
KING. "'I ask your pardon for having plagued you so often with that; I regret it for the sake of all mankind.
But what a fine Apprenticeship of War! I have committed errors enough to teach you young people, all of
you, to do better. MON DIEU, how I love your grenadiers! How well they defiled in my presence! If the god
Mars were raising a bodyguard for himself, I should advise him to take them hand over head. Do you know
I was well pleased (BIEN CONTENT) with the Kaiser last night at supper? Did you hear what he said to me
about Liberty of the Press, and the Troubling of Consciences (LA GENE DES CONSCIENCES)? There will
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be bits of difference between his worthy Ancestors and him, on some points!'
EGO. "'I am persuaded, he will entertain no prejudices on anything; and that your Majesty will be a great
Book of Instruction to him.'
KING. "'How adroitly he disapproved, without appearing to mean anything, the ridiculous Vienna
Censorship; and the too great fondness of his Mother (without naming her) for certain things which only
make hypocrites. By the by, she must detest you, that High Lady?'
EGO. "'Well, then, not at all. She has sometimes lectured me about my strayings, but very maternally: she is
sorry for me, and quite sure that I shall return to the right path. She said to me, some time ago, "I don't know
how you do, you are the intimate friend of Father Griffet; the Bishop of Neustadt has always spoken well of
you; likewise the Archbishop of Malines; and the Cardinal [name Sinzendorf, or else not known to me,
dignity and red hat sufficiently visible] loves you much."'
"Why cannot I remember the hundred luminous things which escaped the King in this conversation! It lasted
till the trumpet at Head quarters announced dinner. The King went to take his place; and I think it was on
this occasion that, some one having asked why M. de Loudon had not come yet, he said, 'That is not his
custom: formerly he often arrived before me. Please let him take this place next me; I would rather have him
at my side than opposite.'"
That is very pretty. And a better authority gives it, The King said to Loudon himself, on Loudon's entering,
"Mettezvous aupres de moi, M. de Loudon; j'aime mieux vous avoir a cote de moi que visavis." He was
very kind to Loudon; "constantly called him M. LE FELDMARECHAL [delicate hint of what should have
been, but WAS not for seven years yet]; and, at parting, gave him [as he did to Lacy also] two superb horses,
magnificently equipped." [Pezzl, Vie de Loudon, ii. 29.]
"Another day," continues Prince de Ligne, "the Manoeuvres being over in good time, there was a Concert at
the Kaiser's. Notwithstanding the King's taste for music, he was pleased to give me the preference; and came
where I was, to enchant me with the magic of his conversation, and the brilliant traits, gay and bold, which
characterize him. He asked me to name the general and particular Officers who were present, and to tell him
those who had served under Marshal Traun: 'For, ENFIN,' he said, 'as I think I have told you already, he is
my Master; he corrected me in the Schooling I was at.'
EGO. "'Your Majesty was very ungrateful, then; you never paid him his lessons. If it was as your Majesty
says, you should at least have allowed him to beat you; and I do not remember that you ever did.'
KING. "'I did not get beaten, because I did not fight.'
EGO. "'It is in this manner that the greatest Generals have often conducted their wars against each other. One
has only to look at the two Campaigns of M. de Montecuculi and M. de Turenne, in the Valley of the Rench
[Strasburg Country, 1674 and 1675, two celebrated Campaigns, Turenne killed by a cannonshot in the last].
KING. "'Between Traun and the former there is not much difference; but what a difference, BON DIEU,
between the latter and me!'
"I named to him the Count d'Althan, who had been AdjutantGeneral, and the Count de Pellegrini. He asked
me twice which was which, from the distance we were at; and said, He was so shortsighted, I must excuse
him.
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EGO. "'Nevertheless, Sire, in the war your sight was good enough; and, if I remember right, it reached very
far!'
KING. "'It was not I; it was my glass.'
EGO. "'Ha, I should have liked to find that glass;but, I fear it would have suited my eyes as little as
Scanderbeg's sword my arm.'
"I forget how the conversation changed; but I know it grew so free that, seeing somebody coming to join in it,
the King warned him to take care; that it was n't safe to converse with a man doomed by the theologians to
Everlasting Fire. I felt as if he somewhat overdid this of his 'being doomed,' and that he boasted too much of
it. Not to hint at the dishonesty of these freethinking gentlemen (MESSIEURS LES ESPRITS FORTS),
who very often are thoroughly afraid of the Devil, it is, at least, bad taste to make display of such things: and
it was with the people of bad taste whom he has had about him, such as a Jordan, a D'Argens, Maupertuis, La
Beaumelle, La Mettrie, Abbe de Prades, and some dull sceptics of his own Academy, that he had acquired the
habit of mocking at Religion; and of talking (DE PARLER) Dogma, Spinoism, Court of Rome and the like.
In the end, I did n't always answer when he touched upon it. I now seized a moment's interval, while he was
using his handkerchief, to speak to him about some business, in connection with the Circle of Westphalia,
and a little COMTE IMMEDIAT [County holding direct, of the Reich] which I have there. The King
answered me: 'I, for my part, will do anything you wish; but what thinks the other Director, my comrade, the
Elector of Cologne, about it?'
EGO. "'I was not aware, Sire, that you were an Ecclesiastical Elector.'
KING. "'I am so; at least on my Protestant account.'
EGO. "'That is not to OUR account's advantage! Those good people of mine believe your Majesty to be their
protector.'
"He continued asking me the names of persons he saw. I was telling him those of a number of young Princes
who had lately entered the Service, and some of whom gave hopes. 'That may be,' said he; 'but I think the
breed of the governing races ought to be crossed. I like the children of love: look at the Marechal de Saxe,
and my own Anhalt [severe Adjutant von Anhalt, a bastard of Prinz Gustav, the Old Dessauer's
HeirApparent, who begot a good many bastards, but died before inheriting: bastards were brought up, all of
them to soldiering, by their Uncles,this one by Uncle Moritz; was thrown from his horse eight years
HENCE, to the great joy of many]; though I am afraid that SINCE [mark this SINCE, alas!] his fall on his
head, that latter is not so good as formerly. I should be grieved at it, [Not for eight years yet, MON PRINCE,
I am sorry to say! Adjutant von Anhalt did, in reality, get this fall, and damaging hurt on the head, in the
"Bavarian War" (nicknamed KARTOFFELKRIEG, "PotatoWar"), 17781779. Militair Lexikon, i. 69:
see Preuss, ii. 356, iv. 578; both for his sake and for mine; he is a man full of talents.'
"I am glad to remember this; for I have heard it said by silly slanderous people (SOTS DENIGRANTS), who
accuse the King of Prussia of insensibility, that he was not touched by the accident which happened to the
man he seemed to love most. Too happy if one had only said that of him! He was supposed to be jealous of
the merit of Schwerin and of Keith, and delighted to have got them killed. It is thus that mediocre people seek
to lower great men, to diminish the immense space that lies between themselves and such.
"Out of politeness, the King, and his Suite as well, had put on white [Austrian] Uniforms, not to bring back
on us that blue which we had so often seen in war. He looked as though he belonged to our Army and to the
Kaiser's suite. There was, in this Visit, I believe, on both sides, a little personality, some distrust, and perhaps
a beginning of bitterness;as always happens, says Philippe de Comines, when Sovereigns meet. The King
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took Spanish snuff, and brushing it off with his hand from his coat as well as he could, he said, 'I am not
clean enough for you, Messieurs; I am not worthy to wear your colors.' The air with which he said this, made
me think he would yet soil them with powder, if the opportunity arose.
"I forgot a little Incident which gave me an opportunity of setting off (FAIRE VALOIR) the two Monarchs to
each other [Incident about the King's high opinion of the Kaiser's drillsergeantry in this day's manoeuvres,
and how I was the happy cause of the Kaiser's hearing it himself: Incident omissible; as the whole Sequel is,
except a sentence or two].
... "On this Neustadt occasion, the King was sometimes too ceremonious; which annoyed the Kaiser. For
instance,I know not whether meaning to show himself a disciplined Elector of the Reich, but so it
was,whenever the Kaiser put his foot in stirrup, the King was sure to take his Majesty's horse by the bridle,
stand respectfully waiting the Kaiser's right foot, and fit it into ITS stirrup: and so with everything else. The
Kaiser had the more sincere appearance, in testifying his great respect; like that of a young Prince to an aged
King, and of a young Soldier to the greatest of Captains. ...
"Sometimes there were appearances of cordiality between the two Sovereigns. One saw that Friedrich II.
loved Joseph II., but that the preponderance of the Empire, and the contact of Bohemia and Silesia, a good
deal barred the sentiments of King and Kaiser. You remember, Sire [ExSire of Poland], their LETTERS
[readers shall see them, in 1778,or rather REFUSE to see them!'] on the subject of Bavaria; their
compliments, the explanations they had with regard to their intentions; all carried on with such politeness;
and that from politeness to politeness, the King ended by invading Bohemia."
Well, here is legible record, with something really of portraiture in it, valuable so far as it goes; record unique
on this subject; and substantially true, though inexact enough in details. Thus, even in regard to that of
Anhalt's HEAD, which is so impossible in this First Dialogue, Friedrich did most probably say something of
the kind, in a Second which there is, of date 1780; of which latter De Ligne is here giving account as
well,though we have to postpone it till its time come.
At this Neustadt Interview there did something of Political occur; and readers ought to be shown exactly
what. Kaunitz had come with the Kaiser; and this something was intended as the real business among the
gayeties and galas at Neustadt. Poland, or its Farce Tragedy now playing, was not once mentioned that I
hear of; though perhaps, as FLEBILE LUDIBRIUM, it might turn up for moments in dinnerconversation or
the like: but the astonishing Russian Turk War, which has sprung out of Poland, and has already filled
Stamboul and its Divans and Muftis with mere horror and amazement; and, in fact, has brought the Grand
Turk to the giddy rim of the Abyss; nothing but ruin and destruction visible to him: this, beyond all other
things whatever, is occupying these high heads at present;and indeed the two latest bits of RussianTurk
news have been of such a blazing character as to occupy all the world more or less. Readers, some glances
into the Turk War, I grieve to say, are become inevitable to us!
RUSSIANTURK WAR, FIRST TWO CAMPAIGNS.
"OCTOBER 6th, 1768, Turks declare War; Russian Ambassador thrown into the Seven Towers as a
preliminary, where he sat till Peace came to be needed. MARCH 23d, 1769, Display their Banner of
Mahomet, all in paroxysm of Fanaticism risen to the burning point: 'Under pain of death, No Giaour of you
appear on the streets, nor even look out, of window, this day!' Austrian Ambassador's Wife, a beautiful
gossamer creature, venturing to transgress on that point, was torn from her carriage by the Populace, and with
difficulty saved from destruction: Brother of the Sun and Moon, apologizing afterwards down to the very
shoetie, is forgiven."
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FIRST CAMPAIGN; 1769. "APRIL 26th30th, Galitzin VERSUS Choczim; can't, having no provender or
powder. Falls back over Dniester again,overhears that extraordinary DREAM, as above recited,
betokening great rumor in Russian Society against such Purblind CommandersinChief. Purblind VERSUS
Blind is fine play, nevertheless; wait, only wait:
"JULY 2d, Galitzin slowly gets on the advance again: 150,000 Turks, still slower, are at last across the Donau
(sharp enough French Officers among them, agents of Choiseul; but a mass incurably chaotic);furiously
intending towards Poland and extermination of the Giaour. Do not reach Dniester River till September, and
look across on Poland,for the first time, and also for the last, in this War. SEPTEMBER 17th: Weather has
been rainy; Dniester, were Galitzin nothing, is very difficult for Turks; who try in two places, but cannot.
[Hermann, v. 611613.] In a third place (name not given, perhaps has no name), about 12,000 of them are
across; when Dniester, raging into flood, carries away their one Bridge, and leaves the 12,000 isolated there.
Purblind Galitzin, on express order, does attack these 12,000 (night of September 17th18th): 'Hurrah' of
the devouring Russians about midnight, hoarse shriek of the doomed 12,000, wail of their brethren on the
southern shore, who cannot, help:night of horrors 'from midnight till 2 A.M.;' and the 12,000 massacred or
captive, every man of them; Russian loss 600 killed and wounded. Whereupon the Turk Army bursts into
unanimous insanity; and flows home in deliquium of ruin. Choczim is got on the terms already mentioned (15
sick men and women lying in it, and 184 bronze cannon, when we boat across); Turk Army can by no effort
be brought to halt anywhere; flows across the Donau, disappears into Chaos:and the whole of Moldavia is
conquered in this cheap manner. What, perhaps is still better, Galitzin (28th September) is thrown out;
Romanzow, hitherto Commander of a second smaller Army, kind of covering wing to Galitzin, is Chief for
Second Campaign.
"In the Humber, this Winter, to the surprise of incredulous mankind, a Russian Fleet drops anchor for a few
days: actual Russian Fleet intending for the Greek waters, for Montenegro and intermediate errands, to
conclude with 'Liberation of Greece next Spring,'so grandiose is this Czarina." [Hermann, v. 617.]
SECOND CAMPAIGN; 1770. "This is the flower of AntiTurk Campaigns, victorious, to a blazing pitch,
both by land and sea. Romanzow, master of Moldavia, goes upon Wallachia, and the new or rehabilitated
Turk Army; and has an almost gratis bargain of both. Romanzow has some good Officers under him
('Brigadier Stoffeln,' much more 'General Tottlenen,' 'General Bauer,' once Colonel Bauer of the Wesel
FreeCorps,many of the Superior Officers seem to be German, others have Swedish or Danish
names);better Officers; and knows better how to use them than Galitzin did. August 1st, Romanzow has a
Battle, called of Kaghul, in Pruth Country. That is his one 'Battle' this Summer; and brings him Ismail,
Akkerman, all Wallachey, and no Turks left in those parts. But first let us attend to seamatters, and the
Liberation of Greece, which precede in time and importance.
"'Liberation of Greece:' an actual Fleet, steering from Cronstadt to the Dardanelles to liberate Greece! The
sound of it kindles all the warm heads in Europe; especially Voltaire's, which, though covered with the snow
of age, is still warm internally on such points. As to liberating Greece, Voltaire's hopes were utterly balked;
but the Fleet from Cronstadt did amazing service otherwise in those waters. FEBRUARY 28th, 1770, first
squadron of the Russian Fleet anchors at Passawa,not far from Calamata, in the Gulf of Coron, on the
antique Peloponnesian coast; Sparta on your right hand, Arcadia on your left, and so many excellent Ghosts
of Heroes looking on:Russian squadron has four big ships, three frigates, more soon to follow: on board
there are arms and munitions of war; but unhappily only 500 soldiers. Admiralin Chief (not yet come up)
is Alexei Orlof, a brother of Lover Gregory's, an extremely worthless seaman and man. Has under him 'many
Danes, a good few English too,'especially Three English Officers, whom we shall hear of, when Alexei
and they come up. Meanwhile, on the Peloponnesian coast are modern Spartans, to the number of 15,000, all
sitting ready, expecting the Russian advent: these rose duly; got Russian muskets, cartridges,only two
Russian Officers:and attacked the Turks with considerable fury or voracity, but with no success of the least
solidity. Were foiled here, driven out there; in fine, were utterly beaten, Russians and they: lost Tripolizza, by
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surprise; whereupon (April 19th) the Russians withdrew to their Fleet; and the Affair of Greece was at an
end. [Hermann, v. 621.] It had lasted (28th February19th April) seven weeks and a day. The Russians
retired to their Fleet, with little loss; and rode at their ease again, in Navarino Bay. But the 15,000 modern
Spartans had nothing to retire to,these had to retire into extinction, expulsion and the throat of Moslem
vengeance, which was frightfully bloody and inexorable on them.
"Greece having failed, the Russian Fleet, now in complete tale, made for Turkey, for Constantinople itself.
'Into the very Dardanelles' they say they will go; an Englishman among them Captain Elphinstone, a
dashing seaman, if perhaps rather noisy, whom Rulhiere is not blind tohas been heard to declare, at least in
his cups: 'Dardanelles impossible? Pshaw, I will do it, as easily as drink this glass of wine!' Alexei Orlof is a
Sham Admiral; but under him are real SeaOfficers, one or two.
"In the Turkish Fleet, it seems, there is an ExAlgerine, Hassan Bey, of some capacity in seamatters; but he
is not in chief command, only in second; and can accomplish nothing. The Turkish Fleet, numerous but
rotten, retires daily,through the famed Cyclades, and Isles of Greece, Paros, Naxos, apocalyptic Patmos, on
to Scio (old Chios of the wines); and on July 5th takes refuge behind Scio, between Scio and the Coast of
Smyrna, in Tchesme Bay. 'Safe here!' thinks the chief Turk Admiral. 'Very far from safe!' remonstrates
Hassan; though to no purpose. And privately puts the question to himself, 'Have these Giaours a real Admiral
among them, or, like us, only a sham one?'"
TCHESME BAY, 7th JULY, 1770. "Nothing can be more imaginary than Alexei Orlof as an Admiral: but he
has a Captain Elphinstone, a Captain Gregg, a Lieutenant Dugdale; and these determine to burn poor Hassan
and his whole Fleet in Tchesme here:and do it totally, night of July 7th; with one single fireship; Dugdale
steering it; Gregg behind him, to support with broadsides; Elphinstone ruling and contriving, still farther to
rear; helpless Turk Fleet able to make no debate whatever. Such a blaze of conflagration on the helpless
Turks as shone over all the world one of Rulhiere's finest fireworks, with little shot;the light of which
was still dazzling mankind while the Interview at Neustadt took place. Turk Fleet, fifteen ships, nine frigates
and above 8,000 men, gone to gases and to black cinders,Hassan hardly escaping with I forget how many
score of wounds and bruises. [Hermann, v. 623.]
"'Now for the Dardanelles,' said Elphinstone: (bombard Constantinople, starve it,to death, or to what terms
you will!' 'Cannot be done; too dangerous; impossible!' answered the sham Admiral, quite in a tremor, they
say;which at length filled the measure of Elphinstone's disgusts with such a Fleet and Admiral. Indignant
Elphinstone withdrew to his own ship, 'Adieu, Sham Admiral!'sailed with his own ship, through the
impossible Dardanelles (Turk batteries firing one huge block of granite at him, which missed; then needing
about forty minutes to load again); feat as easy to Elphinstone as this glass of wine. In sight of
Constantinople, Elphinstone, furthermore, called for his tea; took his tea on deck, under flourishing of all his
drums and all his trumpets: tea done, sailed out again scathless; instantly threw up his command,and at
Petersburg, soon after, in taking leave of the Czarina, signified to her, in language perhaps too plain, or
perhaps only too painfully true, some Naval facts which were not welcome in that high quarter." [Rulhiere,
iii. 476509.] This remarkable Elphinstone I take to be some junior or irregular Balmerino scion; but could
never much hear of him except in RULHIERE, where, on vague, somewhat theatrical terms, he figures as
above.
"AUGUST 1st, Romanzow has a 'Battle of Kaghul,' so they call it; though it is a 'Slaughtery' or
SCHLACHTEREI, rather than a 'Slaught' or SCHLACHT, say my German friends. Kaghul is not a specific
place, but a longish river, a branch of the Pruth; under screen of which the Grand Turk Army, 100,000 strong,
with 100,000 Tartars as second line, has finally taken position, and fortified itself with earthworks and
abundant cannon. AUGUST 1st, 1770, Romanzow, after study and advising, feels prepared for this Grand
Army and its earthworks: with a select 20,000, under select captains, Romanzow, after nightfall, bursts in
upon it, simultaneously on three different points; and gains, gratis or nearly so, such a victory as was never
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heard of before. The Turks, on their earthworks, had 140 cannons; these the Turk gunners fired off two times,
and fled, leaving them for Romanzow's uses. The Turk cavalry then tried if they could not make some
attempt at charging; found they could not; whirled back upon their infantry; set it also whirling: and in a
word, the whole 200,000 whirled, without blow struck; and it was a universal panic rout, and delirious
stampede of flight, which never paused (the very garrisons emptying themselves, and joining in it) till it got
across the Donau again, and drew breath there, not to rally or stand, but to run rather slower. And had left
Wallachia, Bessarabia, Dniester river, Donau river, swept clear of Turks; all Romanzow's henceforth. To
such astonishment of an invincible Grand Turk, and of his Moslem Populations, fallen on such a set of
Giaours ["ALLAH KERIM, And cannot we abolish them, then?" Not we THEM, it would appear!],as
every reader can imagine." Which shall suffice every reader here in regard to the Turk War, and what concern
he has in the extremely brutish phenomenon.
Tchesme fell out July 7th; Elphinstone has hardly done his tea in the Dardanelles, when (August 1st) this of
Kaghul follows: both would be fresh news blazing in every head while the Dialogues between Friedrich and
Kaunitz were going on. For they "had many dialogues," Friedrich says; "and one of the days" (probably
September 6th) was mainly devoted to Politics, to deep private Colloquy with Kaunitz. Of which, and of the
great things that followed out of it, I will now give, from Friedrich's own hand, the one entirely credible
account I have anywhere met with in writing.
Friedrich's account of Kaunitz himself is altogether lifelike: a solemn, arrogant, mouthing, browbeating kind
of man,embarrassed at present by the necessity not to browbeat, and by the consciousness that "King
Friedrich is the only man who refuses to acknowledge my claims to distinction:" [Rulhiere (somewhere) has
heard this, as an utterance of Kaunitz's in some plaintive moment.] a Kaunitz whose arrogances, qualities
and claims this King is not here to notice, except as they concern business on hand. He says, "Kaunitz had a
clear intellect, greatly twisted by perversities of temper (UN SENS DROIT, L'ESPRIT REMPLI DE
TRAVERS), especially by a selfconceit and arrogance which were boundless. He did not talk, but preach.
At the smallest interruption, he would stop short in indignant surprise: it has happened that, at the
CouncilBoard in Schonbrunn, when Imperial Majesty herself asked some explanation of a word or thing not
understood by her, Kaunitz made his bow (LUI TIRA SA REVERENCE), and quitted the room." Good to
know the nature of the beast. Listen to him, then, on those terms, since it is necessary. The Kaunitz Sermon
was of great length, imbedded in circumlocutions, innuendoes and diplomatic cautions; but the gist of it we
gather to have been (abridged into dialogue form) essentially as follows:
KAUNITZ. "Dangerous to the repose of Europe, those Russian encroachments on the Turk. Never will
Imperial Majesty consent that Russia possess Moldavia or Wallachia; War sooner,all things sooner! These
views of Russia are infinitely dangerous to everybody. To your Majesty as well, if I may say so; and no
remedy conceivable against them,to me none conceivable,but this only, That Prussia and Austria join
frankly in protest and absolute prohibition of them."
FRIEDRICH. "I have nothing more at heart than to stand well with Austria; and always to be her ally, never
her enemy. But your Highness sees how I am situated: bound by express Treaty with Czarish Majesty; must
go with Russia in any War! What can I do? I can, and will with all industry, labor to conciliate Czarish
Majesty and Imperial; to produce at Petersburg such a Peace with the Turks as may meet the wishes of
Vienna. Let us hope it can be done. By faithful endeavoring, on my part and on yours, I persuade myself it
can. Meanwhile, steadfastly together, we two! All our little rubs, customhouse squabbles on the Frontier,
and such like, why not settle them here, and now? [and does so with his Highness.] That there be nothing but
amity, helpfulness and mutual effort towards an object so momentous to us both, and to all mankind!"
KAUNITZ. "Good so far. And may a not intolerable TurkRussian Peace prove possible, without our
fighting for it! Meanwhile, Imperial Majesty [as she has been visibly doing for some time] must continue
massing troops and requisites on the Hungarian Frontier, lest the contrary happen!"
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This was the result arrived at. Of which Friedrich "judged it but polite to inform the young Kaiser; who
appeared to be grateful for this mark of attention, being much held down by Kaunitz in his present state of
tutelage." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 30.]
And by a singular chance, on the very morrow there arrived from the Divan (dated August 12th) an Express
to Friedrich: "Mediate a Peace for us with Russia; not you alone, as we have often asked, but Austria AND
you!" For the Kaghul Slaughtery has come on us; Giaour Elphinstone has taken tea in the Dardanelles; and
we know not to what hand to turn!"The young Kaiser did not hide his joy at this Overture, as Kaunitz did
his, which was perhaps still greater:" the Kaiser warmly expressed his thanks to Friedrich as the Author of it;
Kaunitz, with a lofty indifference (MORGUE), and nose in air as over a small matter, "merely signified his
approval of this step which the Turks had taken."
"Never was mediation undertaken with greater pleasure," adds the King. And both did proceed upon it with
all zeal; but only the King as real "mediator," or MIDDLEman; Kaunitz from the first planting himself
immovably upon the Turk side of things, which is likewise the Austrian; and playing in secret (as Friedrich
probably expected he would) the strangest tricks with his assumed function.
So that Friedrich had to take the burden of mediating altogether on himself; and month after month, year after
year, it is evident he prosecutes the same with all the industry and faculty that are in him,in intense desire,
and in hope often nearly desperate, to keep his two neighbors' houses, and his own and the whole world along
with them, from taking fire. Apart from their conflicting interests, the two Empresses have privately a rooted
aversion to one another. What with Russian exorbitancy (a Czarina naturally uplifted with her Tchesmes and
Kaghuls); what with Austrian cupidity, pride, mulishness, and private trickery of Kaunitz; the adroit and
heartily zealous Friedrich never had such a bit of diplomacy to do. For many months hence, in spite of his
intensest efforts and cunningest appliances, no way of egress visible: "The imbroglio MUST catch fire!" At
last a way opens, "Ha, at last a way!"then, for above a twelvemonth longer, such a guiding of the purblind
quadrupeds and obstinate Austrian mules into said way: and for years more such an urging of them, in
pigdriver fashion, along the same, till Peace did come!
And here, without knowing it, we have insensibly got to the topmost summit of our Polish Business; one
small step more, and we shall be on the brow of the precipitous inclinedplane, down which Poland and its
business go careering thenceforth, down, down,and will need but few words more from us. Actual
discovery of "a way out" stands for next Section.
First, however, we will notice, as prefatory, a curious occurrence in the Country of Zips, contiguous to the
Hungarian Frontier. Zips, a pretty enough District, of no great extent, had from time immemorial belonged to
Hungary; till, above 300 years ago, it was by Sigismund SUPER GRAMMATICAM, a man always in
want of money (whom we last saw, in flaming color, investing Friedrich's Ancestor with Brandenburg instead
of payment for a debt of money)pledged to the Crown of Poland for a round sum to help in Sigismund's
pressing occasions. Redemption by payment never followed; attempt at redemption there had never been, by
Sigismund or any of his successors. Nay, one successor, in a Treaty still extant, [Preuss, iv. 32 (date 1589;
pawning had beep 1412).] expressly gave up the right of redeeming: Pledge forfeited: a Zips belonging to
Polish Crown and Republic by every law.
Well; Imperial Majesty, as we have transiently seen, is assembling troops on the Hungarian Frontier, for a
special purpose. Poor Poland is, by this time (1770), as we also saw, sunk in Pestilence,pigs and dogs
devouring the dead bodies: not a loaf to be had for a hundred ducats, and the rage of Pestilence itself a mild
thing to that of Hunger, not to mention other rages. So that both Austria and Prussia, in order to keep out
Pestilence at least, if they cannot the other rages, have had to draw CORDONS, or lines of troops along the
Frontiers. "The Prussian cordon," I am informed, "goes from Crossen, by Frankfurt northward, to the
Weichsel River and border of Warsaw Country:" and "is under the command of General Belling," our famous
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AntiSwede Hussar of former years. The Austrian cordon looks over upon Zips and other Starosties, on the
Hungarian Border: where, independently of Pestilence, an alarmed and indignant EmpressQueen has been
and is assembling masses of troops, with what object we know. Looking over into Zips in these
circumstances, indignant Kaunitz and Imperial Majesty, especially HIS Imperial Majesty, a youth always
passionate for territory, say to themselves, "Zips was ours, and in a sense is!"and (precise date refused us,
but after Neustadt, and before Winter has quite come) push troops across into Zips Starosty: seize the whole
Thirteen Townships of Zips, and not only these, but by degrees tract after tract of the adjacencies: "Must have
a Frontier to our mind in those parts: indefensible otherwise!" And quietly set up boundarypillars, with the
Austrian doubleeagle stamped on them, and intimation to Zips and neighborhood, That it is now become
Austrian, and shall have no part farther in these Polish Confederatings, Pestilences, rages of men, and pigs
devouring dead bodies, but shall live quiet under the doubleeagle as others do. Which to Zips, for the
moment, might be a blessed change, welcome or otherwise; but which awoke considerable amazement in the
outer world,very considerable in King Stanislaus (to whom, on applying, Kaunitz would give no
explanation the least articulate);and awoke, in the Russian Court especially, a rather intense surprise and
provocation.
PRINCE HENRI HAS BEEN TO SWEDEN; IS SEEN AT PETERSBURG IN MASQUERADE (on or about
Newyear's Day, 1771); AND DOES GET HOME, WITH RESULTS THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
Prince Henri, as we noticed, was not of this Second KingandKaiser Interview; Henri had gone in the
opposite direction,to Sweden, on a visit to his Sister Ulrique,off for West and North, just in the same
days while the King was leaving Potsdam for Silesia and his other errand in the Southeast parts. Henri got to
Drottingholm, his Sister's country Palace near Stockholm, by the "end of August;" and was there with Queen
Ulrique and Husband during these Neustadt manoeuvres. A changed Queen Ulrique, since he last saw her
"beautiful as Love," whirling off in the dead of night for those remote Countries and destinies. [Supra, viii.
309.] She is now fifty, or on the edge of it, her old man sixty,old man dies within few months. They have
had many chagrins, especially she, as the prouder, has had, from their contumacious People,contumacious
Senators at least (strong always both in POCKETMONEY French or Russian, and in tendency to insolence
and folly),who once, I remember, demanded sight and count of the CrownJewels from Queen Ulrique:
"There, VOILA, there are they!" said the proud Queen; "view them, count them,lock them up: never more
will I wear one of them!" But she has pretty Sons grown to manhood, one pretty Daughter, a patient good old
Husband; and Time, in Sweden too, brings its roses; and life is life, in spite of contumacious bribed Senators
and doggeries that do rather abound. Henri stayed with her six or seven weeks; leaves Sweden, middle of
October, 1770,not by the straight course homewards: "No, verily, and well knew why!" shrieks the
indignant Polish world on us ever since.
It is not true that Friedrich had schemed to send Henri round by Petersburg. On the contrary, it was the
Czarina, on ground of old acquaintanceship, who invited him, and asked his Brother's leave to do it. And if
Poland got its fate from the circumstance, it was by accident, and by the fact that Poland's fate was dropripe,
ready to fall by a touch.Before going farther, here is ocular view of the shrillminded, serious and
ingenious Henri, little conscious of being so fateful a man:
PRINCE HENRI IN WHITE DOMINO. "Prince Henri of Prussia," says Richardson, the useful Eyewitness
cited already, "is one of the most celebrated Generals of the present age. So great are his military talents, that
his Brother, who is not apt to pay compliments, says of him,That, in commanding an army, he was never
known to commit a fault. This, however, is but a negative kind of praise. He [the King] reserves to himself
the glory of superior genius, which, though capable of brilliant achievements, is yet liable to unwary
mistakes: and allows him no other than the praise of correctness.
"To judge of Prince Henri by his appearance, I should form no high estimate of his abilities. But the Scythian
Ambassadors judged in the same manner of Alexander the Great. He is under the middle size; very thin; he
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walks firmly enough, or rather struts, as if he wanted to walk firmly; and has little dignity in his air or
gesture. He is darkcomplexioned; and he wears his hair, which is remarkably thick, clubbed, and dressed
with a high toupee. His forehead is high; his eyes large and blue, with a little squint; and when he smiles, his
upper lip is drawn up a little in the middle. His look expresses sagacity and observation, but nothing very
amiable; and his manner is grave and stiff rather than affable. He was dressed, when I first saw him, in a
lightblue frock with silver frogs; and wore a red waistcoat and blue breeches. He is not very popular among
the Russians; and accordingly their wits are disposed to amuse themselves with his appearance, and
particularly with his toupee. They say he resembles Samson; that all his strength lies in his hair; and that,
conscious of this, and recollecting the fate of the son of Manoah, he suffers not the nigh approaches of any
deceitful Delilah. They say he is like the Comet, which, about fifteen months ago, appeared so formidable in
the Russian hemisphere; and which, exhibiting a small watery body, but a most enormous train, dismayed the
Northern and Eastern Potentates with 'fear of change.'
"I saw him a few nights ago [on or about Newyear's Day, 1771; come back to us, from his Tour to Moscow,
three weeks before; and nothing but galas ever since] at a Masquerade in the Palace, said to be the most
magnificent thing of the kind ever seen at the Russian Court. Fourteen large rooms and galleries were opened
for the accommodation of the masks; and I was informed that there were present several thousand people. A
great part of the company wore dominos, or capuchin dresses; though, besides these, some fanciful
appearances afforded a good deal of amusement. A very tall Cossack appeared completely arrayed in the
'hauberk's twisted mail.' He was indeed very grim and martial. Persons in emblematical dresses, representing
Apollo and the Seasons, addressed the Empress in speeches suited to their characters. The Empress herself, at
the time I saw her Majesty, wore a Grecian habit; though I was afterwards told that she varied her dress two
or three times during the masquerade. Prince Henri of Prussia wore a white domino. Several persons
appeared in the dresses of different nations, Chinese, Turks, Persians and Armenians. The most humorous
and fantastical figure was a Frenchman, who, with wonderful nimbleness and dexterity, represented an
overgrown but very beautiful Parrot. He chattered with a great deal of spirit; and his shoulders, covered with
green feathers, performed admirably the part of wings. He drew the attention of the Empress; a ring was
formed; he was quite happy; fluttered his plumage; made fine speeches in Russ, French and tolerable English;
the ladies were exceedingly diverted; everybody laughed except Prince Henri, who stood beside the Empress,
and was so grave and so solemn, that he would have performed his part most admirably in the shape of an
owl. The Parrot observed him; was determined to have revenge; and having said as many good things as he
could to her Majesty, he was hopping away; but just as he was going out of the circle, seeming to recollect
himself, he stopped, looked over his shoulder at the formal Prince, and quite in the parrot tone and French
accent, he addressed him most emphatically with 'HENRI! HENRI! HENRI!' and then, diving into the crowd,
disappeared. His Royal Highness was disconcerted; he was forced to smile in his own defence, and the
company were not a little amused.
"At midnight, a spacious hall, of a circular form, capable of containing a vast number of people, and
illuminated in the most magnificent manner, was suddenly opened. Twelve tables were placed in alcoves
around the sides of the room, where the Empress, Prince Henri, and a hundred and fifty of the chief nobility
and foreign ministers sat down to supper. The rest of the company went up, by stairs on the outside of the
room, into the lofty galleries placed all around on the inside. Such a row of masked visages, many of them
with grotesque features and bushy beards, nodding from the side of the wall, appeared very ludicrous to those
below. The entertainment was enlivened with a concert of music: and at different intervals persons in various
habits entered the hall, and exhibited Cossack, Chinese, Polish, Swedish and Tartar dances. The whole was so
gorgeous, and at the same time so fantastic, that I could not help thinking myself present at some of the
magnificent festivals described in the oldfashioned romantes:
'The marshal'd feast
Served up in hall with sewers and seneschals.'
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The rest of the company, on returning to the rooms adjoining, found prepared for them also a sumptuous
banquet. The masquerade began at 6 in the evening, and continued till 5 next morning.
"Besides the masquerade, and other festivities, in honor of, and to divert Prince Henri, we had lately a most
magnificent show of fire works. They were exhibited in a wide apace before the Winter Palace; and, in
truth, 'beggared description.' They displayed, by a variety of emblematical figures, the reduction of Moldavia,
Wallachia, Bessarabia, and the various conquests and victories achieved since the commencement of the
present War. The various colors, the bright green and the snowy white, exhibited in these fireworks, were
truly astonishing. For the space of twenty minutes, a tree, adorned with the loveliest and most verdant foliage,
seemed to be waving as with a gentle breeze. It was entirely of fire; and during the whole of this stupendous
scene, an arch of fire, by the continued throwing of rockets and fireballs in one direction, formed as it were
a suitable canopy.
"On this occasion a prodigious multitude of people were assembled; and the Empress, it was surmised,
seemed uneasy. She was afraid, it was apprehended, lest any accident, like what happened at Paris at the
marriage of the Dauphin, should befall her beloved people. I hope I have amused you; and ever am"[W.
Richardson, Anecdotes of the Russian Empire, pp. 325331: "Petersburg, 4th January, 1771."]
The masquerades and galas in honor of Prince Henri, from a grandiose Hostess, who had played with him in
childhood, were many; but it is not with these that we have to do. One day, the Czarina, talking to him of the
Austrian procedures at Zips, said with pique, "It seems, in Poland you have only to stoop, and pick up what
you like of it. If the Court of Vienna have the notion to dismember that Kingdom, its neighbors will have
right to do as much." [Rulhiere, iv. 210; Trois Demembremens, i. 142; above all, Henri himself, in OEuvres
de Frederic, xxvi. 345, "Petersburg, 8th January, 1771."] This is supposed, in all Books, to be the
PUNCTUM SALIENS, or first mention, of the astonishing Partition, which was settled, agreed upon, within
about a year hence, and has made so much noise ever since. And in effect it was so; the idea rising practically
in that high head was the real beginning. But this was not the first head it had been in; far from that. Above a
year ago, as Friedrich himself informed us, it had been in Friedrich's own head,though at the time it went
for absolutely nothing, nobody even bestowing a sneer on it (as Friedrich intimates), and disappeared through
the HornGate of Dreams.
Friedrich himself appears to have quite forgotten the CountLynar idea; and, on Henri's report from Russia,
was totally incredulous; and even suspected that there might be trickery and danger in this Russian proposal.
Not till Henri's return (FEBRUARY 18th, 1771) could he entirely believe that the Czarina was serious;and
then, sure enough, he did, with his whole heart, go into it: the EUREKA out of all these difficulties, which
had so long seemed insuperable. Prince Henri "had an Interview with the Austrian Minister next day"
(February 19th), who immediately communicated with his Kaunitz,and got discouraging response from
Kaunitz; discouraging, or almost negatory; which did not discourage Friedrich. "A way out," thinks Friedrich:
"the one way to save my Prussia and the world from incalculable conflagration." And entered on it without
loss of a moment. And labored at it with such continual industry, rapidity and faculty for guiding and
pushing, as all readers have known in him, on dangerous emergencies: at no moment lifting his hand from it
till it was complete.
His difficulties were enormous: what a team to drive; and on such a road, untrodden before by hoof or wheel!
Two Empresses that cordially hate one another, and that disagree on this very subject. Kaunitz and his
Empress are extremely skittish in the matter, and as if quite refuse it at first: "Zips will be better," thinks
Kaunitz to himself; "Cannot we have, all to ourselves, a beautiful little cutting out of Poland in that part; and
then perhaps, in league with the Turk, who has money, beat the Russians home altogether, and rule Poland in
their stead, or 'share it with the Sultan,' as ReisEffendi suggests?" And the dismal truth is, though it was not
known for years afterward, Kaunitz does about this time, in profoundest secret, actually make Treaty of
Alliance with the Turk ("so many million Piastres to us, ready money, year by year, and you shall, if not by
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our mediating, then by our fighting, be a contented Turk"); and all along at the different RussianTurk
"PeaceCongresses," Kaunitz, while pretending to sit and mediate along with Prussia, sat on that far other
basis, privately thwarting everything; and span out the Turk pacification in a wretched manner for years
coming. ["Peace of Kainardschi," not till "21st July, 1774,"after four or five abortive attempts, two of them
"Congresses," Kaunitz so industrious (Hermann, v. 664 et antea).] A dangerous, hardmouthed,
highstalking, illgiven old coachhorse of a Kaunitz: fancy what the driving of him might be, on a road he
did not like! But he had a driver too, who, in delicate adroitness, in patience and in sharpness of whip, was
consummate: "You shall know it is your one road, my illgiven friend!" (I ostentatiously increase my
Cavalry by 8,000; meaning, "A new SevenYears War, if you force me, and Russia by my side this time!")
So that Kaunitz had to quit his Turk courses (never paid the Piastres back), and go into what really was the
one way out.
But Friedrich's difficulties on this course are not the thing that can interest readers; and all readers know his
faculty for overcoming difficulties. Readers ask rather: "And had Friedrich no feeling about Poland itself,
then, and this atrocious Partitioning of the poor Country?" Apparently none whatever;unless it might be,
that Deliverance from Anarchy, Pestilence, Famine, and Pigs eating your dead bodies, would be a manifest
advantage for Poland, while it was the one way of saving Europe from War. Nobody seems more contented
in conscience, or radiant with heartfelt satisfaction, and certainty of thanks from all wise and impartial men,
than the King of Prussia, now and afterwards, in regard to this Polish atrocity! A psychological fact, which
readers can notice. Scrupulous regard to Polish considerations, magnanimity to Poland, or the least respect or
pity for her as a dying Anarchy, is what nobody will claim for him; consummate talent in executing the
Partition of Poland (inevitable some day, as he may have thought, but is nowhere at the pains to say),great
talent, great patience too, and meritorious selfdenial and endurance, in executing that Partition, and in
saving IT from catching fire instead of being the means to quench fire, no wellinformed person will deny
him. Of his difficulties in the operation (which truly are unspeakable) I will say nothing more; readers are
prepared to believe that he, beyond others, should conquer difficulties when the object is vital to him. I will
mark only the successive dates of his progress, and have done with this wearisome subject:
June 14th, 1771. Within four months of the arrival of Prince Henri and that first certainty from Russia,
diligent Friedrich, upon whom the whole burden had been laid of drawing up a Plan, and bringing Austria to
consent, is able to report to Petersburg, That Austria has dubieties, reluctances, which it is to be foreseen she
will gradually get over; and that here meanwhile (June 14th, 1771) is my Plan of Partition,the simplest
conceivable: "That each choose (subject to future adjustments) what will best suit him; I, for my own part,
will say, WestPreussen;what Province will Czarish Majesty please to say?" Czarish Majesty, in answer,
is exorbitantly liberal to herself; claims, not a Province, but four or five; will have Friedrich, if the Austrians
attack her in consequence, to assist by declaring War on Austria; Czarish Majesty, in the reciprocal case, not
to assist Friedrich at all, till her Turk War is done! "Impossible," thinks Friedrich; "surprisingly so, high
Madam! But, to the delicate bridlehand, you are a manageable entity."
It was with Kaunitz that Friedrich's real difficulties lay. Privately, in the course of this Summer, Kaunitz, by
way of preparation for "mediating a TurkRussian Peace," had concluded his "subsidy Treaty" with the Turk,
["6th July, 1771" (Preuss, iv. 31; Hermann; never ratified, but the Piastres duly paid;Treaty rendering
Peace impossible, so long as Kaunitz had to do with mediating it. And indeed Kaunitz's tricks in that function
of mediator, and also after it, were of the kind which Friedrich has some reason to call "infamous." "Your
Majesty, as comediator, will join us, should the Russians make War?" said Kaunitz's Ambassador, one day,
to Friedrich. "For certain, no!" answered Friedrich; and, on the contrary, remounted his Cavalry, to signify, "I
will fight the other way, if needed!" which did at once bring Kaunitz to give up his mysterious Turk projects,
and come into the Polish. After which, his exorbitant greed of territory there; his attempts to get Russia into a
partitioning of Turkey as well, ("A slice of Turkey too, your Czarish Majesty and we?" hints he more than
once),gave Friedrich no end of trouble; and are singular to look at by the light there now is. Not for about a
twelvemonth did Friedrich get his hardmouthed Kaunitz brought into step at all; and to the last, perpetual
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vigilance and, by whip and bit, the adroitest charioteering was needed on him.
FEBRUARY 17th, 1772, Russia and Prussia, for their own part, Friedrich, in the circumstances,
submitting to many things from his Czarina,get their particular "Convention" (Bargain in regard to Poland)
completed in all parts, "will take possession 4th June instant:" sign said Convention (February 17th);and
invite Austria to join, and state her claims. Which, in three weeks after, MARCH 4th, Austria
does;exorbitant abundantly; and NOT to be got very much reduced, though we try, for a series of months.
Till at last:
AUGUST 5th, 1772, Final Agreement between the Three Partitioning Powers: "These are our respective
shares; we take possession on the 1st OF SEPTEMBER instant:"and actual possession for Friedrich's share
did, on the 13th of that month, ensue. A right glad Friedrich, as everybody, friend or enemy, may imagine
him! Glad to have done with such a business,had there been no other profit in it; which was far from being
the case. One's clear belief, on studying these Books, is of two things: FIRST, that, as everybody admits,
Friedrich had no real hand in starting the notion of Partitioning Poland;but that he grasped at it with
eagerness, as the one way of saving Europe from War: SECOND, what has been much less noticed, that,
under any other hand, it would have led Europe to War;and that to Friedrich is due the fact, that it got
effected without such accompaniment. Friedrich's share of Territory is counted to be in all 9,465 English
square miles; Austria's, 62,500; Russia's, 87,500, [Preuss, iv. 45.] between nine and ten times the amount of
Friedrich's,which latter, however, as an anciently Teutonic Country, and as filling up the always dangerous
gap between his OstPreussen and him, has, under Prussian administration, proved much the most valuable
of the Three; and, next to Silesia, is Friedrich's most important acquisition. SEPTEMBER 13th, 1772, it was
at last entered upon,through such wasteweltering confusions, and on terms never yet unquestionable.
Consent of Polish Diet was not had for a year more; but that is worth little record. Diet, for that object, got
together 19th APRIL, 1773; recalcitrant enough, had not Russia understood the methods: "a common fund
was raised [ON SE COTISA, says Friedrich] for bribing;" the Three Powers had each a representative
General in Warsaw (Lentulus the Prussian personage), all three with forces to rear: Diet came down by
degrees, and, in the course of five months (SEPTEMBER 18th, 1773), acquiesced in everything.
And so the matter is ended; and various men will long have various opinions upon it. I add only this one
small Document from Maria Theresa's hand, which all hearts, and I suppose even Friedrich's had he ever read
it, will pronounce to be very beautiful; homely, faithful, wholesome, wellbecoming in a high and true
Sovereign Woman.
THE EMPRESSQUEEN TO PRINCE KAUNITZ (Undated: date must be Vienna, February, 1772).
"When all my lands were invaded, and I knew not where in the world I should find a place to be brought to
bed in, I relied on my good right and the help of God. But in this thing, where not only public law cries to
Heaven against us, but also all natural justice and sound reason, I must confess never in my life to have been
in such trouble, and am ashamed to show my face. Let the Prince [Kaunitz] consider what an example we are
giving to all the world, if, for a miserable piece of Poland, or of Moldavia or Wallachia, we throw our honor
and reputation to the winds. I see well that I am alone, and no more in vigor; therefore I must, though to my
very great sorrow, let things take their course." [ "Als alle meine lander angefochten wurden und gar nit mehr
wusste wo ruhig niederkommen sollte, steiffete ich mich auf mein gutes Recht und den Beystand Gottes. Aber
in dieser Sach, wo nit allein das offenbare Recht himmelschreyent wider Uns, sondern auch alle Billigkeit
und die gesunde Vernunft wider Uns ist, muess bekhennen dass zeitlebens nit so beangstigt mich befunten
und mich sehen zu lassen schame. Bedenkh der Furst, was wir aller Welt fur ein Exempel geben, wenn wir
um ein ellendes stuk von Pohlen oder von der Moldau und Wallachey unser ehr und REPUTATION in die
schanz schlagen. Ich merkh wohl dass ich allein bin und nit mehr EN VIGEUR, darum lasse ich die sachen,
jedoch nit ohne meinen grossten Gram, ihren Weg gehen." (From "Hormayr, Taschenbuch, 1831, s. 66:"
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cited in PREUSS, iv. 38.)]
And, some days afterwards, here is her Majesty's Official Assent: "PLACET, since so many great and learned
men will have it so: but long after I am dead, it will be known what this violating of all that was hitherto held
sacred and just will give rise to." [From "Zietgenossen [a Biographical Periodical], lxxi. 29:" cited in
PREUSS, iv. 39.] (Hear her Majesty!)
Friedrich has none of these compunctious visitings; but his account too, when he does happen to speak on the
subject, is worth hearing, and credible every word. Writing to Voltaire, a good while after (POTSDAM, 9th
OCTOBER, 1773)) this, in the swiftflowing, miscellaneous Letter, is one passage: ... "To return to your
King of Poland. I am aware that Europe pretty generally believes the late Partition made (QU'ON A FAIT) of
Poland to be a result of the Political trickeries (MANIGANCES) which are attributed to me; nevertheless,
nothing is more untrue. After in vain proposing different arrangements and expedients, there was no
alternative left but either that same Partition, or else Europe kindled into a general War. Appearances are
deceitful; and the Public judges only by these. What I tell you is as true as the Fortyseventh of Euclid."
[OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 257.]
WHAT FRIEDRICH DID WITH HIS NEW ACQUISITION.
Considerable obloquy still rests on Friedrich, in many liberal circles, for the Partition of Poland. Two things,
however, seem by this time tolerably clear, though not yet known in liberal circles: first, that the Partition of
Poland was an event inevitable in Polish History; an operation of Almighty Providence and of the Eternal
Laws of Nature, as well as of the poor earthly Sovereigns concerned there; and secondly, that Friedrich had
nothing special to do with it, and, in the way of originating or causing it, nothing whatever.
It is certain the demands of Eternal Justice must be fulfilled: in earthly instruments, concerned with fulfilling
them, there may be all degrees of demerit and also of merit,from that of a world ruffian Attila the
Scourge of God, conscious of his own ferocities and cupidities alone, to that of a heroic Cromwell, sacredly
aware that he is, at his soul's peril, doing God's Judgments on the enemies of God, in Tredah and other severe
scenes. If the Laws and Judgments are verily those of God, there can be no clearer merit than that of pushing
them forward, regardless of the barkings of Gazetteers and wayside dogs, and getting them, at the earliest
term possible, made valid among recalcitrant mortals! Friedrich, in regard to Poland, I cannot find to have
had anything considerable either of merit or of demerit, in the moral point of view; but simply to have
accepted, and put in his pocket without criticism, what Providence sent. He himself evidently views it in that
light; and is at no pains to conceal his great sense of the value of West Preussen to him. We praised his
Narrative as eminently true, and the only one completely intelligible in every point: in his Preface to it,
written some years later, he is still more candid. Speaking there in the first person, this once and never before
or after,he says:
"These new pretensions [of the Czarina, to assuage the religious putridfever of the Poles by word of
command] raised all Poland [into Confederation of Bar, and WAR OF THE CONFEDERATES, sung by
Friedrich]; the Grandees of the Kingdom implored the assistance of the Turks: straightway War flamed out;
in which the Russian Armies had only to show themselves to beat the Turks in every rencounter." His
Majesty continues: "This War changed the whole Political System of Europe [general Diplomatic Dance of
Europe, suddenly brought to a whirl by such changes of the music]; a new arena (CARRIERE) came to open
itself,and one must have been either without address, or else buried in stupid somnolence
(ENGOURDISSEMENT), not to profit by an opportunity so advantageous. I had read Bojardo's fine
Allegory: [Signifies only, "seize opportunity;" but here is the passage itself: "Quante volte le disse: 'O
bella dama, Conosci l'ora de la tua ventura, Dapoi che un tal Baron piu the che se t'ama, Che non ha il Ciel
piu vaga creatura. Forse anco avrai di questo tempo brama, Che'l felice destin sempre non dura; Prendi
diletto, mentre sei su 'l verde, Che l'avuto piacer mai non si perde. Questa eta giovenil, ch' e si gioiosa, Tutta
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Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. 1575
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in diletto consumar si deve, Perche quasi in un punto ci e nas cosa: Como dissolve 'l sol la bianca neve,
Como in un giorno la vermiglia rosa Perde il vago color in tempo breve, Cosi fugge l' eta com' un baleno, E
non si puo tener, che non ha freno.'" (Bojardo, Orlando Innamorato, lib. i. cant. 2.)] I seized by the forelock
this unexpected opportunity; and, by dint of negotiating and intriguing [candid King] I succeeded in
indemnifying our Monarchy for its past losses, by incorporating Polish Prussia with my Old Provinces."
[ OEuvres de Frederic, (Preface to MEMOIRS DEPUIS 1763 JUSQU'A 1774), vi. 6, 7: "MEMOIRES
[Chapter FIRST, including all the Polish part] were finished in 1775; Preface is of 1779."]
Here is a Historian King who uses no rougepot in his Narratives, whose word, which is all we shall say of
it at present, you find to be perfectly trustworthy, and a representation of the fact as it stood before himself!
What follows needs no vouching for: "This acquisition was one of the most important we could make,
because it joined Pommern to East Prussia [ours for ages past], and because, rendering us masters of the
Weichsel River, we gained the double advantage of being able to defend that Kingdom [Ost Preussen], and
to draw considerable tolls from the Weichsel, as all the trade of Poland goes by that River."
Yes truly! Our interests are very visible: and the interests and wishes and claims of Poland,are they
nowhere worthy of one word from you, O King? Nowhere that I have noticed: not any mention of them, or
allusion to them; though the world is still so convinced that perhaps they were something, and not nothing!
Which is very curious. In the whole course of my reading I have met with no Autobiographer more careless
to defend himself upon points in dispute among his Audience, and marked as criminal against him by many
of them. Shadow of Apology on such points you search for in vain. In rapid bare summary he sets down the
sequel of facts, as if assured beforehand of your favorable judgment, or with the profoundest indifference to
how you shall judge them; drops his actions, as an Ostrich does its young, to shift for themselves in the
wilderness, and hurries on his way. This style of his, noticeable of old in regard to Silesia too, has
considerably hurt him with the common kind of readers; who, in their preconceived suspicions of the man,
are all the more disgusted at tracing in him, not the least anxiety to stand well with any reader, more than to
stand ill, AS ill as any reader likes!
Third parties, it would seem, have small temptation to become his advocates; he himself being so totally
unprovided with thanks for you! But, on another score, and for the sake of a better kind of readers, there is
one third party bound to remark: 1. That hardly any Sovereign known to us did, in his general practice, if you
will examine it, more perfectly respect the boundaries of his neighbors; and go on the road that was his own,
anxious to tread on no man's toes if he could avoid it: a Sovereign who, at all times, strictly and beneficently
confined himself to what belonged to his real business and him. 2. That apparently, therefore, he must have
considered Poland to be an exceptional case, unique in his experience: case of a moribund Anarchy, fallen
down as carrion on the common highways of the world; belonging to nobody in particular; liable to be cut
into (nay, for sanitary reasons requiring it, if one were a Rhadamanthus Errant, which one is not!)liable to
be cut into, on a great and critically stringent occasion; no question to be asked of IT; your only question the
consent of bystanders, and the moderate certainty that nobody got a glaringly disproportionate share! That
must have been, on the part of an equitable Friedrich, or even of a Friedrich accurate in Bookkeeping by
Double Entry, the notion silently formed about Poland.
Whether his notion was scientifically right, and conformable to actual fact, is a question I have no thought of
entering on; still less, whether Friedrich was morally right, or whether there was not a higher rectitude,
granting even the fact, in putting it in practice. These are questions on which an Editor may have his opinion,
partly complete for a long time past, partly not complete, or, in human language, completable or
pronounceable at all; and may carefully forbear to obtrude it on his readers; and only advise them to look
with their own best eyesight, to be deaf to the multiplex noises which are evidently blind, and to think what
they find thinkablest on such a subject. For, were it never so just, proper and needful, this is by nature a case
of LYNCH LAW; upon which, in the way of approval or apology, no spoken word is permissible. Lynch
being so dangerous a Lawgiver, even when an indispensable one!
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For, granting that the Nation of Poland was for centuries past an Anarchy doomed by the Eternal Laws of
Heaven to die, and then of course to get gradually buried, or eaten by neighbors, were it only for sanitary
reasons,it will by no means suit, to declare openly on behalf of terrestrial neighbors who have taken up
such an idea (granting it were even a just one, and a true reading of the silent but inexorably certain purposes
of Heaven), That they, those volunteer terrestrial neighbors, are justified in breaking in upon the poor dying
or dead carcass, and flaying and burying it, with amicable sharing of skin and shoes! If it even were certain
that the wretched Polish Nation, for the last forty years hastening with especial speed towards death, did in
present circumstances, with such a howling canaille of Turk Janissaries and vultures of creation busy round
it, actually require prompt surgery, in the usual method, by neighbors,the neighbors shall and must do that
function at their own risk. If Heaven did appoint them to it, Heaven, for certain, will at last justify them; and
in the mean while, for a generation or two, the same Heaven (I can believe) has appointed that Earth shall
pretty unanimously condemn them. The shrieks, the foamlipped curses of mistaken mankind, in such case,
are mankind's one security against overpromptitude (which is so dreadfully possible) on the part of surgical
neighbors.
Alas, yes, my articulatespeaking friends; here, as so often elsewhere, the solution of the riddle is not Logic,
but Silence. When a dark human Individual has filled the measure of his wicked blockheadisms, sins and
brutal nuisancings, there are Gibbets provided, there are Laws provided; and you can, in an articulate regular
manner, hang him and finish him, to general satisfaction. Nations too, you may depend on it as certain, do
require the same process, and do infallibly get it withal; Heaven's Justice, with written Laws or without, being
the most indispensable and the inevitablest thing I know of in this Universe. No doing without it; and it is
sure to come:and the Judges and Executioners, we observe, are NOT, in that latter case, escorted in and out
by the Sheriffs of Counties and general ringing of bells; not so, in that latter case, but far otherwise!
And now, leaving that vexed question, we will throw one glance only one is permittedinto the far more
profitable question, which probably will one day be the sole one on this matter, What became of poor
WestPreussen under Friedrich? Had it to sit, weeping unconsolably, or not? Herr Dr. Freytag, a man of good
repute in Literature, has, in one of his late Books of Popular History, [G. Freytag, Neue Bilder aus dem Leben
des deutschen Volkes (Leipzig, 1862).] gone into this subject, in a serious way, and certainly with
opportunities far beyond mine for informing himself upon it:from him these Passages have been excerpted,
labelled and translated by a good hand:
ACQUISITION OF POLISH PRUSSIA. "During several Centuries, the much divided Germans had
habitually been pressed upon, and straitened and injured, by greedy conquering neighbors; Friedrich was the
first Conqueror who once more pushed forward the German Frontier towards the East; reminding the
Germans again, that it was their task to carry Law, Culture, Liberty and Industry into the East of Europe. All
Friedrich's Lands, with the exception only of some Old Saxon territory, had, by force and colonization, been
painfully gained from the Sclave. At no time since the migrations of the Middle Ages, had this struggle for
possession of the wide Plains to the east of Oder ceased. When arms were at rest, politicians carried on the
struggle."
PERSECUTION OF GERMAN PROTESTANTS IN POLAND. "In the very 'Century of Enlightenment' the
persecution of the Germans became fanatical in those Countries: one Protestant Church after the other got
confiscated; pulled down; if built of wood, set on fire: its Church once burnt, the Village had lost the
privilege of having one. Ministers and schoolmasters were driven away, cruelly maltreated. 'VEXA
LUTHERANURN, DABIT THALERUM (Wring the Lutheran, you will find money in him),' became the
current Proverb of the Poles in regard to Germans. A Protestant Starost of Gnesen, a Herr von UNRUH of the
House of Birnbaum, one of the largest proprietors of the country, was condemned to die, and first to have his
tongue pulled out and his hands cut off,for the crime of having copied into his Notebook some strong
passages against the Jesuits, extracted from German Books. Patriotic 'Confederates of Bar,' joined by all the
plunderous vagabonds around, went roaming and ravaging through the country, falling upon small towns and
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Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. 1577
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German villages. The Polish Nobleman, Roskowski [a celebrated "symbolical" Nobleman, this], put on one
red boot and one black, symbolizing FIRE and DEATH; and in this guise rode about, murdering and burning,
from places to place; finally, at Jastrow, he cut off the hands, feet, and lastly the head of the Protestant Pastor,
Willich by name, and threw the limbs into a swamp. This happened in 1768."
IN WHAT STATE FRIEDRICH FOUND THE POLISH PROVINCES. "Some few only of the larger
German Towns, which were secured by walls, and some protected Districts inhabited exclusively by
Germans,as the NIEDERUNG near Dantzig, the Villages under the mild rule of the Cistercians of Oliva,
and the opulent German towns of the Catholic Ermeland,were in tolerable circumstances. The other Towns
lay in ruins; so also most of the Hamlets (HOFE) of the open Country. Bromberg, the city of German
Colonists, the Prussians found in heaps and ruins: to this hour it has not been possible to ascertain clearly
how the Town came into this condition. [ "Neue Preussische Provinzialblotter, Year 1854, No. 4, p. 259."]
No historian, no document, tells of the destruction and slaughter that had been going on, in the whole District
of the NETZE there, during the last ten years before the arrival of the Prussians, The Town of Culm had
preserved its strong old walls and stately churches; but in the streets, the necks of the cellars stood out above
the rotten timber and brick heaps of the tumbled houses: whole streets consisted merely of such cellars, in
which wretched people were still trying to live. Of the forty houses in the large Marketplace of Culm,
twentyeight had no doors, no roofs, no windows, and no owners. Other Towns were in similar condition,"
"The Country people hardly knew such a thing as bread; many had never in their life tasted such a delicacy;
few Villages possessed an oven. A weavingloom was rare, the spinningwheel unknown. The main article
of furniture, in this bare scene of squalor, was the Crucifix and vessel of HolyWater under it [and
"POLACK! CATHOLIK!" if a drop of gin be added].The PeasantNoble [unvoting, inferior kind] was
hardly different from the common Peasant: he himself guided his Hook Plough (HACKENPFLUG), and
clattered with his wooden slippers upon the plankless floor of his hut. ... It was a desolate land, without
discipline, without law, without a master. On 9,000 English square miles lived 500,000 souls: not 55 to the
square mile."
SETS TO WORK. "The very rottenness of the Country became an attraction for Friedrich; and henceforth
WestPreussen was, what hitherto Silesia had been, his favorite child; which, with infinite care, like that of
an anxious loving mother, he washed, brushed, newdressed, and forced to go to school and into orderly
habits, and kept ever in his eye. The diplomatic squabbles about this 'acquisition' were still going on, when he
had already sent [so early as June 4th, 1772, and still more on September 13th of that Year [See his new
DIALOGUE with Roden, our Wesel acquaintance, who was a principal Captain in this business (in PREUSS,
iv. 57, 58: date of the Dialogue is "11th May, 1772;"Roden was on the ground 4th June next; but, owing to
Austrian delays, did not begin till September 13th).]] a body of his best Official People into this
wastehowling scene, to set about organizing it. The Landschaften (COUNTIES) were divided into small
Circles; in a minimum of time, the land was valued, and an equal tax put upon it; every Circle received its
LANDRATH, LawCourt, Postoffice and Sanitary Police. New Parishes, each with its Church and Parson,
were called into existence as by miracle; a company of 187 Schoolmasterspartly selected and trained by
the excellent Semler [famous over Germany, in Halle University and SEMINARIUM, not yet in England]
were sent into the Country: multitudes of German Mechanics too, from brick makers up to
machinebuilders. Everywhere there began a digging, a hammering, a building; Cities were peopled anew;
street after street rose out of the heaps of ruins; new Villages of Colonists were laid out, new modes of
agriculture ordered. In the first Year after taking possession, the great Canal [of Bromberg] was dug; which,
in a length of fifteen miles, connects, by the Netze River, the Weichsel with the Oder and the Elbe: within
one year after giving the order, the King saw loaded vessels from the Oder, 120 feet in length of keel," and of
forty tons burden, "enter the Weichsel. The vast breadths of land, gained from the state of swamp by drainage
into this Canal, were immediately peopled by German Colonists.
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Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. 1578
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"As his SevenYears Struggle of War may be called superhuman, so was there also in his present Labor of
Peace something enormous; which appeared to his contemporaries [unless my fancy mislead me] almost
preternatural, at times inhuman. It was grand, but also terrible, that the success of the whole was to him, at all
moments, the one thing to be striven after; the comfort of the individual of no concern at all. When, in the
Marshland of the Wetze, he counted more the strokes of the 10,000 spades, than the sufferings of the
workers, sick with the marshfever in the hospitals which he had built for them; [Compare PREUSS, iv.
6071.] when, restless, his demands outran the quickest performance,there united itself to the deepest
reverence and devotedness, in his People, a feeling of awe, as for one whose limbs are not moved by earthly
life [fanciful, considerably!]. And when Goethe, himself become an old man, finished his last Drama [Second
Part of FAUST], the figure of the old King again rose on him, and stept into his Poem; and his Faust got
transformed into an unresting, creating, pitilessly exacting Master, forcing on his salutiferous drains and
fruitful canals through the morasses of the Weichsel." [G. Freytag, Neue Bilder aus dem Leben des deutschen
Volkes (Leipzig, 1862), pp. 397408.]
These statements and pencillings of Freytag, apart from here and there a flourish of poetic sentiment, I
believe my readers can accept as essentially true, and a correct portrait of the fact. And therewith, CON LA
BOCCA DOLCE, we will rise from this Supper of Horrors. That Friedrich fortified the Country, that he built
an impregnable Graudentz, and two other Fortresses, rendering the Country, and himself on that Eastern side,
impregnable henceforth, all readers can believe. Friedrich has been building various Fortresses in this interim,
though we have taken no notice of them; building and repairing many things;trimming up his Military
quite to the old pitch, as the most particular thing of all. He has his new Silesian Fortress of Silberberg,big
Fortress, looking into certain dangerous Bohemian Doors (in Tobias Stusche's Country, if readers recollect an
old adventure now mythical);his new Silesian Silberberg, his newer Polish Graudentz, and many others,
and flatters himself he is not now pregnable on any side.
A Friedrich working, all along, in Poland especially, amid what circumambient deluges of maledictory
outcries, and mendacious shriekeries from an illinformed Public, is not now worth mentioning. Mere
distracted rumors of the Pamphleteer and Newspaper kind: which, after hunting them a long time, through
dense and rare, end mostly in zero, and angry darkness of some poor human brain,or even testify in favor
of this HeadWorker, and of the sense he shows, especially of the patience. For example: that of the "Polish
Towns and Villages, ordered" by this Tyrant "to deliver, each of them, so many marriageable girls; each girl
to bring with her as dowry, furnished by her parents, 1 featherbed, 4 pillows, 1 cow, 3 swine and 3
ducats,"in which desirable condition this tyrannous King "sent her into the Brandenburg States to be
wedded and promote population." [Lindsey, LETTERS ON POLAND (Letter 2d). p. 61: Peyssonnel (in
some. French Book of his, "solemnly presented to Louis XVI. and the Constituent Assembly;" cited in
PREUSS, iv. 85); Featherbeds, swine and ducats had their value in Brandenburg; but were marriageable
girls such a scarcity there? Most extraordinary new RAPE OF THE SABINES; for which Herr Preuss can
find no basis or source,nor can I; except in the brain of Reverend Lindsey and his loud LETTERS ON
POLAND above mentioned.
Dantzig too, and the Harbordues, what a case! Dantzig Harbor, that is to say, Netze River, belongs mainly
to Friedrich, Dantzig City not,such the Czarina's lofty whim, in the late Partition Treatyings; not good to
contradict, in the then circumstances; still less afterwards, though it brought chicanings more than enough.
"And she was not illpleased to keep this thorn in the King's foot for her own conveniences," thinks the King;
though, mainly, he perceives that it is the English acting on her grandiose mind: English, who were
apprehensive for their Baltic trade under this new Proprietor, and who egged on an ambitious Czarina to
protect Human Liberty, and an inflated Dantzig Burgermeister to stand up for ditto; and made a dismal
shriekery in the Newspapers, and got into dreadful illhumor with said Proprietor of Dantzig Harbor, and
have never quite recovered from it to this day. Lindsey's POLISH LETTERS are very loud again on this
occasion, aided by his SEVEN DIALOGUES ON POLAND; concerning which, partly for extinct Lindsey's
sake, let us cite one small passage, and so wind up.
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Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. 1579
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MARCH 2d, 1775, in answer to Voltaire, Friedrich writes: ... "The POLISH DIALOGUES you speak of are
not known to me. I think of such Satires, with Epictetus: 'If they tell any truth of thee, correct thyself; if they
are lies, laugh at them.' I have learned, with years, to become a steady coachhorse; I do my stage, like a
diligent roadster, and pay no heed to the little dogs that will bark by the way." And then, three weeks after:
"I have at length got the SEVEN DIALOGUES ON POLAND; and the whole history of them as well. The
Author is an Englishman named Lindsey, Parson by profession, and Tutor to the young Prince Poniatowski,
the King of Poland's Nephew,"Nephew Joseph, Andreas's Son, NOT the undistinguished Nephew: so we
will believe for poor loud Lindsey's sake! "It was at the instigation of the Czartoryskis, Uncles of the King,
that Lindsey composed this Satire,in English first of all. Satire ready, they perceived that nobody in Poland
would understand it, unless it were translated into French; which accordingly was done. But as their translator
was unskilful, they sent the DIALOGUES to a certain Gerard at Dantzig, who at that time was French Consul
there, and who is at present a Clerk in your Foreign Office under M. de Vergennes. This Gerard, who does
not want for wit, but who does me the honor to hate me cordially, retouched these DIALOGUES, and put
them into the condition they were published in. I have laughed a good deal at them: here and there occur
coarse things (GROSSIERETES), and platitudes of the insipid kind: but there are traits of good pleasantry. I
shall not go fencing with goosequills against this sycophant. As Mazarin said, 'Let the French keep singing,
provided they let us keep doing.'" [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 319321: "Potsdam, 2d March, 1775," and
"25th March" following. See PREUSS, iii. 275, iv. 85.]
Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES.
After Neustadt, Kaiser Joseph and the King had no more Interviews. Kaunitz's procedures in the subsequent
Pacification and Partition business had completely estranged the two Sovereigns: to friendly visiting, a very
different state of mutual feeling had succeeded; which went on, such "the immeasurable ambition" visible in
some of us, deepening and worsening itself, instead of improving or abating. Friedrich had Joseph's Portrait
hung in conspicuous position in the rooms where he lived; somebody noticing the fact, Friedrich answered:
"Ah, yes, I am obliged to keep that young Gentleman in my eye." And, in effect, the rest of Friedrich's
Political Activity, from this time onwards, may be defined as an evervigilant defence of himself, and of the
German Reich, against Austrian Encroachment: which, to him, in the years then running, was the grand
impending peril; and which to us in the new times has become so inexpressibly uninteresting, and will bear
no narrative, Austrian Encroachment did not prove to be the deathperil that had overhung the world in
Friedrich's last years!
These, accordingly, are years in which the Historical interest goes on diminishing; and only the Biographical,
were anything of Biography attainable, is left. Friedrich's industrial, economic and other Royal activities are
as beautiful as ever; but cannot to our readers, in our limits, be described with advantage. Events of
worldinterest, after the Partition of Poland, do not fall out, or Friedrich is not concerned in them. It is a dim
element; its significance chiefly German or Prussian, not European. What of humanly interesting is
discoverable in it,at least, while the Austrian Grudge continues in a chronic state, and has no acute fit,I
will here present in the shape of detached Fragments, suitably arranged and rendered legible, in hopes these
may still have some lucency for readers, and render more conceivable the surrounding masses that have to be
left dark. Our first Piece is of Winter, or late Autumn, 1771,while the solution of the Polish Business is
still in its inchoative stages; perfectly complete in the Artist's own mind; Russia too adhering; but Kaunitz so
refractory and contradictory.
HERR DOCTOR ZIMMERMANN, THE FAMOUS AUTHOR OF THE BOOK "ON SOLITUDE,"
WALKS REVERENTIALLY BEFORE FRIEDRICH'S DOOR IN THE DUSK OF AN OCTOBER
EVENING: AND HAS A ROYAL INTERVIEW NEXT DAY.
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Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES. 1580
Page No 1589
Friday Evening, 25th October, 1771, is the date of Zimmermann's walk of contemplation,among the pale
Statues and deciduous Gardenings of SansSouci Cottage (better than any Rialto, at its best),the eternal
stars coming out overhead, and the transitory candlelight of a King Friedrich close by.
"At SansSouci," says he, in his famed Book, "where that old God of War (KRIEGSGOTT) forges his
thunderbolts, and writes Works of Intellect for Posterity; where he governs his People as the best father
would his house; where, during one half of the day, he accepts and reads the petitions and complaints of the
meanest citizen or peasant; comes to help of his Countries on all sides with astonishing sums of money,
expecting no payment, nor seeking anything but the Common Weal; and where, during the other half, he is a
Poet and Philosopher:at SansSouci, I say, there reigns all round a silence, in which you can hear the
faintest breath of every soft wind. I mounted this Hill for the first time in Winter [late Autumn, 25th October,
1771, edge of Winter], in the dusk. When I beheld the small DwellingHouse of this Convulser of the World
close by me, and was near his very chamber, I saw indeed a light inside, but no sentry or watchman at the
Hero's door; no soul to ask me, Who I was, or What I wanted. I saw nothing; and walked about as I pleased
before this small and silent House." [Preuss, i. 387 ("from EINSAMKEIT," Zimmermann's SOLITUDE, "i.
110; Edition of Leipzig, 1784").]
Yes, Doctor, this is your Kriegsgott; throned in a freeandeasy fashion. In regard to that of Sentries, I
believe there do come up from Potsdam nightly a corporal and six rankandfile; but perhaps it is at a later
hour; perhaps they sit within doors, silent, not to make noises. Another gentleman, of sauntering nocturnal
habits, testifies to having, one night, seen the King actually asleep in bed, the doors being left ajar. [Ib. i.
388.]As Zimmermann had a DIALOGUE next day with his Majesty, which we propose to give; still more,
as he made such noise in the world by other Dialogues with Friedrich, and by a strange Book about them,
which are still ahead,readers may desire to know a little who or what the Zimmermann is, and be willing
for a rough brief Note upon him, which certainly is not readier than it is rough:
Johann Georg Zimmermann: born 1728, at Brugg in the Canton of Bern, where his Father seems to have had
some little property and no employment, "a RATHSHERR (TownCouncillor), who was much respected."
Of brothers or sisters, no mention. The Mother being from the French part of the Canton, he learned to speak
both languages. Went to Bern for his Latin and highschooling; then to Gottingen, where he studied
Medicine, under the once great Haller and other now dimmed celebrities. Haller, himself from Bern, had
taken Zimmermann to board, and became much attached to him: Haller, in 1752, came on a summer visit to
native Bern: Zimmermann, who had in the mean time been "for a few months" in France, in Italy and
England, now returned and joined him there; but the great man, feeling very poorly and very old, decided that
he would like to stay in Bern, and not move any more;Zimmermann, accordingly, was sent to Gottingen to
bring Mrs. Haller, with her Daughters, bandboxes and effects, home to Bern. Which he did;and not only
them, but a soft, ingenious, ingenuous and rather pretty young Gottingen Lady along with them, as his own
Wife withal. With her he settled as STADTPHYSICUS (TownDoctor) in native Brugg; where his beloved
Hallers were within reach; and practice in abundance, and honors, all that the place yielded, were in readiness
for him.
Here he continued some sixteen years; very busy, very successful in medicine and literature; but "tormented
with hypochondria;"having indeed an immense conceit of himself, and generally too thin a skin for this
world. Here he first wrote his Book on SOLITUDE, a Book famed over all the world in my young days (and
perhaps still famed); he wrote it a second time, MUCH ENLARGED, about thirty years after:
[ Betrachtungen uber die Einsamkeit, von Doctor J. G. Zimmermann, Stadtphysicus in Brugg (Zurich,
1756),as yet only "1 vol. 8vo, price 6d." (5 groschen); but it grew with years; and (Leipzig, 1784) came out
remodelled into 4 vols.;was translated into French, "with many omissions," by Mercier (Paris, 1790); into
English from Mercier (London, 1791). "Zurich, 17631764:" by and by, one "Dobson did it into English."] I
read it (in the curtailed EnglishMercier form, no Scene in it like the above), in early boyhood,and thank it
for nothing, or nearly so. Zimmermann lived much alone, at Brugg and elsewhere; all his days
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"Hypochondria" was the main company he had:and it was natural, but UNprofitable, that he should say, to
himself and others, the best he could for that bad arrangement: poor soul! He wrote also on MEDICAL
EXPERIENCE, a famed Book in its day;" also on NATIONAL PRIDE; and became famed through the
Universe, and was Member of infinite Learned Societies.
All which rendered dull dead Brugg still duller and more dead; unfit utterly for a man of such sublime
accomplishments. Plenty of Counts Stadion, Kings of Poland even, offered him engagements; eager to
possess such a man, and deliver him from dull dead Brugg; but he had hypochondria, and always feared their
deliverance might be into something duller. At length,in his fortieth year, 1768, the place of
CourtPhysician (HOFMEDICUS) at Hanover was offered him by George the Third of pious memory, and
this he resolved to accept; and did lift anchor, and accept and occupy accordingly.
Alas, at the Gate of Hanover, "his carriage overset;" broke his poor old Motherinlaw's leg (who had been
rejoicing doubtless to get home into her own Country), and was the end of herpoor old soul;and the
beginning of misfortunes continual and too tedious to mention. Spleen, envy, malice and calumny, from the
Hanover Medical world; treatment, "by the old buckram Hofdames who had drunk coffee with George II.,"
"which was fitter for a laquaisde place" than for a medical gentleman of eminence: unworthy treatment, in
fact, in many or most quarters;followed by hypochondria, by dreadful bodily disorder (kind not given or
discoverable), "so that I suffered the pains of Hell," sat weeping, sat gnashing my teeth, and could n't write a
Note after dinner; followed finally by the sickness, and then by the death, of my poor Wife, "after five
months of torment." Upon which, in 1771, Zimmermann's friendsfor he had many friends, being, in fact, a
person of fine graceful intellect, high proud feelings and tender sensibilities, gone all to this sad staterallied
themselves; set his Hanover house in order for him (governess for his children, what not); and sent him off to
Berlin, there to be dealt with by one Meckel, an incomparable Surgeon, and be healed of his dreadful disorder
("LEIBESSCHADE, of which the first traces had appeared in Brugg"),though to most people it seemed
rather he would die; "and one Medical Eminency in Hanover said to myself [Zimmermann] one day: 'Dr.
Soandso is to have your Pension, I am told; now, by all right, it should belong to me, don't you think so?'"
What, "I" thought of the matter, seeing the greedy gentleman thus "parting my skin," may be conjectured!
The famed Meckel received his famed patient with a nobleness worthy of the heroic ages. Dodged him in his
own house, in softest beds and appliances; spoke comfort to him, hope to him,the gallant
Meckel;rallied, in fact, the due medical staff one morning; came up to Zimmermann, who "stripped," with
the heart of a lamb and lion conjoined, and trusting in God, "flung himself on his bed" (on his face, or on his
back, we never know), and there, by the hands of Meckel and staff, "received above 2,000 (TWO
THOUSAND) cuts in the space of an hour and half, without uttering one word or sound." A frightful
operation, gallantly endured, and skilfully done; whereby the "bodily disorder" (LEIBESSCHADE),
whatever it might be, was effectually and forever sent about its business by the noble Meckel.
Hospitalities and soft, hushed kindnesses and soothing ministrations, by Meckel and by everybody, were now
doubled and trebled: wise kind Madam Meckel, young kind Mamsell Meckel and the Son (who "now, in
1788, lectures in Gottingen"); not these only, nor Schmucker Head ArmySurgeon, and the evermemorable
HERR GENERALCHIRURGUS Madan, who had both been in the operation; not these only, but by degrees
all that was distinguished in the Berlin world, Ramler, Busching, Sulzer, Prime Minister Herzberg, Queen's
and King's Equerries, and honorable men and women,bore him "on angelwings" towards complete
recovery. Talked to him, sang and danced to him (at least, the "Muses" and the female Meckels danced and
sang), and all lapped him against eating cares, till, after twelve weeks, he was fairly on his feet again, and
able to make jaunts in the neighborhood with his "life's savior," and enjoy the pleasant Autumn weather to his
farther profit.All this, though described in ridiculous superlative by Zimmermann, is really touching,
beautiful and human: perhaps never in his life was he so happy, or a thousandth part so helped by man, as
while under the roof of this thriceuseful Meckel,more power to Meckel!
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Head ArmySurgeon Schmucker had gone through all the SevenYears War; Zimmermann, an ardent
Heroworshipper, was never weary questioning him, listening to him in full career of narrative, on this great
subject,only eight years old at that time. Among their country drives, Meckel took him to Potsdam, twenty
English miles off; in the end of October, there to stay a night. This was the evermemorable Friday, when we
first ascended the Hill of Sans Souci, and had our evening walk of contemplation:to be followed by a
morrow which was ten times more memorable: as readers shall now see. [Jordens, Lexikon (§ Zimmermann),
v. 632658 (exact and even eloquent account, as these of Jordens, unexpectedly, often are); Zimmermann
himself, UNTERREDUNGEN MIT FRIEDRICH DEM GROSSEN (ubi infra); Tissot, Vie de M.
Zimmermann (Lausanne, 1797):
NEXT DAY, ZIMMERMANN HAS A DIALOGUE. Schmucker had his apartments in "LITTLE
SANSSOUCI," where the King now lived (Big SansSouci, or "SansSouci" by itself, means in those days,
not in ours at all, "New Palace, NEUE PALAIS," now in all its splendor of fresh finish). De Catt, Friedrich's
Reader, whom we know well, was a Genevese, and knew Zimmermann from of old. Schmucker and De Catt
were privately twitching up Friedrich's curiosity,to whom also Zimmermann's name, and perhaps his late
surgical operation, might be known: "Can he speak French?""Native to him, your Majesty." Friedrich had
some notion to see Zimmermann; and judicious De Catt, on this fortunate Saturday, "26th October, 1771,"
morrow after Zimmermann's arrival at Potsdam, "came to our inn about, 1 P.M. [King's dinner just done]; and
asked me to come and look at the beauties of SansSouci [Big SansSouci] for a little." Zimmermann
willingly went: Catt, left him in good hands to see the beauties; slipt off, for his own part, to "LITTLE
SansSouci;" came back, took Zimmermann thither; left, him with Schmucker, all trembling, thinking
perhaps the King might call him. "I trembled sometimes, then again I felt exceeding happiness:" I was in
Schmucker's room, sitting by the fire, mostly alone for a good while, "the room that had once been Marquis
d'Argens's" (who is now dead, and buried far away, good old soul);when, at last, about halfpast 4, Catt
came jumping in, breathless with joy; snatched me up: "His Majesty wants to speak with you this very
moment!" Zimmermann's self shall say the rest.
"I hurried, handinhand with Catt, along a row of Chambers. 'Here,' said Catt, 'we are now at the King's
room!'My heart thumped, like to spring out of my body. Catt went in; but next moment the door again
opened, and Catt bade me enter.
"In the middle of the room stood an iron campbed without curtains. There, on a worn mattress, lay King
Friedrich, the terror of Europe, without coverlet, in an old blue roquelaure. He had a big cockedhat, with a
white feather [hat aged, worn soft as duffel, equal to most caps; "feather" is not perpendicular, but horizontal,
round the inside of the brim], on his head.
"The King took off his hat very graciously, when I was perhaps ten steps from him; and said in French (our
whole Dialogue proceeded in French): 'Come nearer, M. Zimmermann.'
"I advanced to within two steps of the King; he said in the mean while to Catt: 'Call Schmucker in, too.' Herr
Schmucker came; placed himself behind the King, his back to the wall; and Catt stood behind me. Now the
Colloquy began.
KING. "'I hear you have found your health again in Berlin; I wish you joy of that.'
EGO. "'I have found my life again in Berlin; but at this moment, Sire, I find here a still greater happiness!'
[ACH!]
KING. "'You have stood a cruel operation: you must have suffered horribly?'
EGO. "'Sire, it was well worth while.'
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KING. "'Did, you let them bind you before the operation?'
EGO. "'No: I resolved to keep my freedom.'
KING (laughing in a very kind manner). "'Oh, you behaved like a brave Switzer! But are you quite recovered,
though?'
EGO. "'Sire, I have seen all the wonders of your creation in Sans Souci, and feel well in looking at them.'
KING. "'I am glad of that. But you must have a care, and especially not get on horseback.'
EGO. "'It will be pleasant and easy for me to follow the counsels of your Majesty.'
KING. "'From what Town in the Canton of Bern are you originally?'
EGO. "'From Brugg.'
KING. "'I don't know that Town.' [No wonder, thought I!]
KING. "'Where did you study?'
EGO. "'At Gottingen: Haller was my teacher.'
KING. "'What is M. Haller doing now?'
EGO. "'He is concluding his literary career with a romance.' [USONG had just come out;no mortal now
reads a word of it; and the great Haller is dreadfully forgotten already!]
KING. "'Ah, that is pretty!On what system do you treat your patients?'
EGO. "'Not on any system.'
KING. "'But there are some Physicians whose methods you prefer to those of others?'
EGO. "'I especially like Tissot's methods, who is a familiar friend of mine.'
KING. "'I know M. Tissot. I have read his writings, and value them very much. On the whole, I love the Art
of Medicine. My Father wished me to get some knowledge in it. He often sent me into the Hospitals; and
even into those for venereal patients, with a view of warning by example.'
EGO. "'And by terrible example!Sire, Medicine is a very difficult Art. But your Majesty is used to bring
all Arts under subjection to the force of your genius, and to conquer all that is difficult.'
KING. "'Alas, no: I cannot conquer all that is difficult!' [Hardmouthed Kaunitz, for example; stockstill,
with his right ear turned on Turkey: how get Kaunitz into step!]Here the King became reflective; was
silent for a little moment, and then asked me, with a most bright smile: 'How many churchyards have you
filled?' [A common question of his to Members of the Faculty.]
EGO. "'Perhaps, in my youth, I have done a little that way! But now it goes better; for I am timid rather than
bold.'
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KING. "'Very good, very good.'
"Our Dialogue now became extremely brisk. The King quickened into extraordinary vivacity; and examined
me now in the character of Doctor, with such a stringency as, in the year 1751, at Gottingen, when I stood for
my Degree, the learned Professors Haller, Richter, Segner and Brendel (for which Heaven recompense them!)
never dreamed of! All inflammatory fevers, and the most important of the slow diseases, the King mustered
with me, in their order. He asked me, How and whereby I recognized each of these diseases; how and
whereby distinguished them from the approximate maladies; what my procedure was in simple and in
complicated cases; and how I cured all those disorders? On the varieties, the accidents, the mode of
treatment, of smallpox especially, the King inquired with peculiar strictness;and spoke, with much
emotion, of that young Prince of his House who was carried off, some years ago, by that disorder
[suddenly arrested by it, while on march with his regiment, "near Ruppin, 26th May, 1767." This is the Prince
Henri, junior Brother of the subsequent King, Friedrich Wilhelm II., who, among other fooleries, invaded
France, in 1792, with such success. Both Henri and he, as boys, used to be familiar to us in the final winters
of the late War. Poor Henri had died at the age of nineteen,as yet all brightness, amiability and nothing
else: Friedrich sent an ELOGE of him to his ACADEMIE, [In OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 37 et seq.] which is
touchingly and strangely filled with authentic sorrow for this young Nephew of his, but otherwise empty,a
mere bottle of sighs and tears]. Then he came upon Inoculation; went along over an incredible multitude of
other medical subjects. Into all he threw masterly glances; spoke of all with the soundest [all in superlative]
knowledge of the matter, and with no less penetration than liveliness and sense.
"With heartfelt satisfaction, and with the freest soul, I made my answers to his Majesty. It is true, he potently
supported and encouraged me. Ever and anon his Majesty was saying to me: 'That is very good;that is
excellently thought and expressed;your mode of proceeding, altogether, pleases me very well;I rejoice
to see how much our ways of thinking correspond.' Often, too, he had the graciousness to add: 'But, I weary
you with my many questions!' His scientific questions I answered with simplicity, clearness and brevity; and
could not forbear sometimes expressing my astonishment at the deep and conclusive (TIEFEN UND
FRAPPANTEN) medical insights and judgments of the King.
"His Majesty came now upon the history of his own maladies. He told me them over, in their series; and
asked my opinion and advice about each. On the HAEMORRHOIDS, which he greatly complained of, I said
something that struck him. Instantly he started up in his bed; turned his head round towards the wall, and
said: 'Schmucker, write me that down!' I started in fright at this word; and not without reason! Then our
Colloquy proceeded:
KING. "'The Gout likes to take up his quarters with me; he knows I am a Prince, and thinks I shall feed him
well. But I feed him ill; I live very meagrely.'
EGO. "'May Gout, thereby get disgusted, and forbear ever calling on your Majesty!'
KING. "'I am grown old. Diseases will no longer have pity on me.'
EGO. "'Europe feels that your Majesty is not old; and your Majesty's look (PHYSIOGNOMIE) shows that
you have still the same force as in your thirtieth year.'
KING (laughing and shaking his head). "'Well, well, well!'
"In this way, for an hour and quarter, with uninterrupted vivacity, the Dialogue went on. At last the King
gave me the sign to go; lifting his hat very kindly, and saying: 'Adieu, my dear M. Zimmermann; I am very
glad to have seen you.'"
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Towards 6 P.M. now, and Friedrich must sign his Despatches; have his Concert, have his reading; then to
supper (as spectator only),with Quintus Icilius and old Lord Marischal, tonight, or whom? [Of Icilius,
and a quarrel and estrangement there had lately been, now happily reconciled, see Nicolai, Anekdoten, vi.
140142.]
"Herr von Catt accompanied me into the anteroom, and Schmucker followed. I could not stir from the spot;
could not speak, was so charmed and so touched, that I broke into a stream of tears [being very weak of
nerves at the time!]. Herr von Catt said: 'I am now going back to the King; go you into the room where I took
you up; about eight I will conduct you home.' I pressed my excellent countryman's hand, I""Schmucker
said, I had stood too near his Majesty; I had spoken too frankly, with too much vivacity; nay, what was
unheard of in the world, I had 'gesticulated' before his Majesty! 'In presence of a King,' said Herr Schmucker,
'one must stand stiff and not stir.' De Catt came back to us at eight; and, in Schmucker's presence [let him
chew the cud of that!], reported the following little Dialogue with the King:
KING. "'What says Zimmermann?'
DE CATT. "'Zimmermann, at the door of your Majesty's room, burst into a stream of tears.'
KING. "'I love those tender affectionate hearts; I love right well those brave Swiss people!'
"Next morning the King was heard to say: 'I have found Zimmermann quite what you described him.'Catt
assured me furthermore, 'Since the SevenYears War there had thousands of strangers, persons of rank, come
to Potsdam, wishing to speak with the King, and had not attained that favor; and of those who had, there
could not one individual boast that his Majesty had talked with him an hour and quarter at once.' [Fourteen
years hence, he dismissed Mirabeau in half an hour; which was itself a good allowance.]
"Sunday 27th, I left Potsdam, with my kind Meckels, in an enthusiasm of admiration, astonishment, love and
gratitude; wrote to the King from Berlin, sent him a Tissot's Book (marked on the margins for Majesty's use),
which he acknowledged by some word to Catt: whereupon I"In short, I got home to Hanover, in a more or
less seraphic condition,"with indescribable, unspeakable," what not,early in November; and, as a healed
man, never more troubled with that disorder, though still troubled with many and many, endeavored to get a
little work out of myself again. [Zimmermann, Meine Unterredungen (Dialogues) with Friedrich the Great
(8vo, Leipzig, 1788), pp. 305326.]
"Zimmermann was tall, handsome of shape; his exterior was distinguished and imposing," says Jordens. [Ubi
supra, p. 643.] "He had a firm and light step; stood gracefully; presented himself well. He had a fine head; his
voice was agreeable; and intellect sparkled in his eyes:"had it not been for those dreadful hypochondrias,
and confused disasters, a very pretty man. At the time of this first visit to Friedrich he is 43 years of age, and
Friedrich is on the borders of 60. Zimmermann, with still more famous DIALOGUES, will reappear on us
from Hanover, on a sad occasion! Meanwhile, few weeks after him, here is a Visit of far more joyful kind.
SISTER ULRIQUE, QUEENDOWAGER OF SWEDEN, REVISITS HER NATIVE PLACE (December,
1771August, 1772).
Prince Henri was hardly home from Petersburg and the Swedish Visit, when poor Adolf Friedrich, King of
Sweden, died. [12th February, 1771.] A very great and sad event to his Queen, who had loved her old man;
and is now left solitary, eclipsed, in circumstances greatly altered on the sudden. In regard to settlements,
Accession of the new Prince, dowager revenues and the like, all went right enough; which was some
alleviation, though an inconsiderable, to the sorrowing Widow. Her two Princes were absent, touring over
Europe, when their Father died, and the elder of them, Karl Gustav, suddenly saw himself King. They were in
no breathless haste to return; visited their Uncle, their Prussian kindred, on the way, and had an interesting
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week at Potsdam and Berlin; [April 22d 29th: Rodenbeck, iii. 45.] Karl Gustav flying diligently about, still
incognito, as "Graf von Gothland,"a spirited young fellow, perhaps too spirited;and did not reach home
till Mayday was come, and the outburst of the Swedish Summer at hand.
Some think the young King had already something dangerous and serious in view, and wished his Mother out
of the way for a time. Certain it is she decided on a visit to her native Country in December following:
arrived accordingly, December 2d, 1771; and till the middle of August next was a shining phenomenon in the
Royal House and upper ranks of Berlin Society, and a touching and interesting one to the busy Friedrich
himself, as may be supposed. She had her own Apartments and Household at Berlin, in the Palace there, I
think; but went much visiting about, and receiving many visits,fond especially of literary people.
Friedrich's notices of her are frequent in his Letters of the time, all affectionate, natural and reasonable. Here
are the first two I meet with: TO THE ELECTRESS OF SAXONY (three weeks after Ulrique's arrival); "A
thousand excuses, Madam, for not answering sooner! What will plead for me with a Princess who so well
knows the duties of friendship, is, that I have been occupied with the reception of a Sister, who has come to
seek consolation in the bosom of her kindred for the loss of a loved Husband, the remembrance of whom
saddens and afflicts her." And again, two months later: "... Your Royal Highness deigns to take so obliging an
interest in the visit I have had [and still have] from the Queen of Sweden. I beheld her as if raised from the
dead to me; for an absence of eightand twenty years, in the short space of our duration, is almost
equivalent to death. She arrived among us, still in great affliction for the loss she had had of the King; and I
tried to distract her sad thoughts by all the dissipations possible. It is only by dint of such that one compels
the mind to shift away from the fatal idea where grief has fixed it: this is not the work of a day, but of time,
which in the end succeeds in everything. I congratulate your Royal Highness on your Journey to Bavaria [on
a somewhat similar errand, we may politely say]; where you will find yourself in the bosom of a Family that
adores you:" after which, and the sight of old scenes, how pleasant to go on to Italy, as you propose!
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 230, 235. "24th December 1771," "February, 1772." See also, "Eptire a la Reine
Douairiere de Suede" (Poem on the Troubles she has had: OEuvres de Frederic, xiii. 74, "written in
December, 1770"), and "Vers a la Reine de Suede," "January, 1771" (ib. 79).]
Queen Ulriquea solid and ingenuous character (in childhood a favorite of her Father's, so rational, truthful
and of silent staid ways)appears to have been popular in the Berlin circles; pleasant and pleased, during
these eight months. Formey, especially Thiebault, are copious on this Visit of hers; and give a number of
insipid Anecdotes; How there was solemn Session of the Academy made for her, a Paper of the King's to be
read there, ["DISCOURS DE L'UTILITE DES SCIENCES ET DES ARTS DAM UN ETAT" (in OEuvres de
Frederic, ix. 169 et seq.): read "27th January, 1772." Formey, ii. 16, beautifully done by me, Thiebault (one
of my main functions, this of reading the King's Academy Papers, and my dates of THEM always correct);
how Thiebault was invited to dinner in consequence, and again invited; how Formey dined with her Majesty
"twentyfive times;" and "preached to her in the Palace, August 19th" (should be August 9th): insipid
wholly, vapid and stupid; descriptive of nothing, except of the vapidities and vanities of certain persons.
Leaving these, we will take an Excerpt, probably our last, from authentic Busching, which is at least to be
depended on for perfect accuracy, and has a feature or two of portraiture.
Busching, for the last five or six years, is home from Russia; comfortably established here as
Consistorialrath, much concerned with SchoolSuperintendence; still more with GEOGRAPHY, with
copious rugged Literature of the undigested kind: a man well seen in society; has "six families of rank which
invite him to dinner;" all the dining he is equal to, with so much undigested writing on his hands. Busching,
in his final Section, headed BERLIN LIFE, Section more incondite even than its foregoers, has this
passage:
"On the QueenDowager of Sweden, Louise Ulrique's, coming to Berlin, I felt not a little embarrassed. The
case was this: Most part of the SIXTH VOLUME of my MAGAZINE [meritorious curious Book, sometimes
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quoted by us here, not yet known in English Libraries] was printed; and in it, in the printed part, were various
things that concerned the deceased Sovereign, King Adolf Friedrich, and his Spouse [now come to visit
us],and among these were Articles which the then ruling party in Sweden could certainly not like. And
now I was afraid these people would come upon the false notion, that it was from the QueenDowager I had
got the Articles in question;notion altogether false, as they had been furnished me by Baron Korf [well
known to Hordt and others of us, at Petersburg, in the CzarPeter time], now Russian Minister at
Copenhagen. However, when Duke Friedrich of Brunswick [one of the juniors, soldiering here with his
Uncle, as they almost all are] wrote to me, one day, That his Lady Aunt the Queen of Sweden invited me to
dine with her tomorrow, and that he, the Duke, would introduce me,I at once decided to lay my
embarrassment before the Queen herself.
"Next day, when I was presented to her Majesty, she took me by the hand, and led me to a window [as was
her custom with guests whom she judged to be worth questioning and talking to], and so placed herself in a
corner there that I came to stand close before her; when she did me the honor to ask a great many questions
about Russia, the Imperial Court especially, and most of all the Grand Duke [Czar Paul that is to be,a
kind of kinsman he, his poor Father was my late Husband's Cousingerman, as perhaps you know]. A great
deal of time was spent in this way; so that the Princes and Princesses, punctual to invitation, had to wait
above half an hour long; and the Queen was more than once informed that dinner was on the table and getting
cold. I could get nothing of my own mentioned here; all I could do was to draw back, in a polite way, so soon
as the Queen would permit: and afterwards, at table, to explain with brevity my concern about what was
printed in the MAGAZINE; and request the Queen to permit me to send it her to read for herself. She had it,
accordingly, that same afternoon.
"A few days after, she invited me again; again spoke with me a long while in the window embrasure, in a low
tone of voice: confirmed to me all that she had read,and in particular, minutely explained that LETTER OF
THE KING [one of my Pieces] in which he relates what passed between him and Count Tessin [Son's Tutor]
in the Queen's Apartment. At table, she very soon took occasion to say: 'I cannot imagine to myself how the
Herr Consistorialrath [Busching, to wit] has come upon that Letter of my deceased Lord the King of
Sweden's; which his Majesty did write, and which is now printed in your MAGAZINE. For certain, the King
showed it to nobody.' Whereupon BUSCHING: 'Certainly; nor is that to be imagined, your Majesty. But the
person it was addressed to must have shown it; and so a copy of it has come to my hands.' Queen still
expresses her wonder; whereupon again, Busching, with a courageous candor: 'Your Majesty, most
graciously permit me to say, that hitherto all Swedish secrets of Court or State have been procurable for
money and good words!' The Queen, to whom I sat directly opposite, cast down her eyes at these words and
smiled;and the Reichsrath Graf von Schwerin [a Swedish Gentleman of hers], who sat at my left, seized
me by the hand, and said: 'Alas, that is true!'"Here is a difficulty got over; Magazine Number can come out
when it will. As it did, "next EasterFair," with proper indications and tacit proofs that the Swedish part of it
lay printed several months before the Queen's arrival in our neighborhood.
Busching dined with her Majesty several times,"eating nothing," he is careful to mention and was careful
to show her Majesty, "except, very gradually, a small bit of bread soaked in a glass of wine!"meaning
thereby, "Note, ye great ones, it is not for your dainties; in fact, it is out of loyal politeness mainly!" the
gloomily humble man.
"One time, the Queen asked me, in presence of various Princes and Princesses of the Royal House: 'Do you
think it advisable to enlighten the Lower Classes by education?' To which I answered: 'Considering only
under what heavy loads a man of the Lower Classes, especially of the Peasant sort, has to struggle through his
life, one would think it was better neither to increase his knowledge nor refine his sensibility. But when one
reflects that he, as well as those of the Higher Classes, is to last through Eternity; and withal that good
instruction may [or might, IF it be not BAD] increase his practical intelligence, and help him to methods of
alleviating himself in this world, it must be thought advisable to give him useful enlightenment.' The Queen
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accorded with this view of the matter.
"Twice I dined with her Majesty at her Sister, Princess Amelia, the Abbess of Quedlinburg's:and the
second time [must have been Summer, 1772], Professor Sulzer, who was also a guest, caught his death there.
When I entered the receptionroom, Sulzer was standing in the middle of a thoroughdraught, which they
had managed to have there, on account of the great heat; and he had just arrived, all in a perspiration, from
the Thiergarten: I called him out of the draught, but it was too late." [Busching: Beitrage, vi. 578582.] ACH,
MEIN LIEBER SULZER,Alas, dear Sulzer: seriously this time!
Busching has a great deal to say about Schools, about the "School Commission 1765," the subjects taught, the
methods of teaching devised by Busching and others, and the King's continual exertions, under deficient
funds, in this province of his affairs. Busching had unheardof difficulty to rebuild the old Gymnasium at
Berlin into a new. Tried everybody; tried the King thrice over, but nobody would. "One of the persons I
applied to was Lieutenant General von Ramin, Governor of Berlin [surliest of mankind, of whose truculent
incivility there go many anecdotes]; to Ramin I wrote, entreating that he would take a good opportunity and
suggest a new Town Schoolhouse to his Majesty: 'Excellenz, it will render you immortal in the annals of
Berlin!' To which Ramin made answer: 'That is an immortality I must renounce the hope of, and leave to the
TownSyndics and yourself. I, for my own part, will by no means risk such a proposal to his Majesty; which
he would, in all likelihood, answer in the negative, and receive ill at anybody's hands.'" [Ib. vi. 568.] By
subscriptions, by bequests, donations and the private piety of individuals, Busching aiding and stirring, the
thing was at last got done. Here is another glance into School life: not from Busching:
JUNE 9th, 1771. "This Year the Stande of the Kurmark find they have an overplus of 100,000 thalers (15,000
pounds); which sum they do themselves the pleasure of presenting to the King for his Majesty's uses." King
cannot accept it for his own uses. "This money," answers he (9th June), "comes from the Province, wherefore
I feel bound to lay it out again for advantage of the Province. Could not it become a means of getting English
husbandry [TURNIPS in particular, whether shorthorns or not, I do not know] introduced among us? In the
Towns that follow Farming chiefly, or in Villages belonging to unmoneyed Nobles, we will lend out this
15,000 pounds, at 4 per cent, in convenient sums for that object: hereby will turnipculture and rotation be
vouchsafed us; interest at 4 per cent brings us in 600 pounds annually; and this we will lay out in establishing
new Schoolmasters in the Kurmark, and having the youth better educated." What a pretty idea; neat and
beautiful, killing two important birds with one most small stone! I have known enormous cannonballs and
granite blocks, torrent after torrent, shot out under other kinds of Financegunnery, that were not only less
respectable, but that were abominable to me in comparison.
Unluckily, no Nobles were found inclined; English Husbandry ["TURNIPSE" and the rest of it] had to wait
their time. The King again writes: "No Nobles to be found, say you? Well; put the 15,000 pounds to interest
in the common way,that the Schoolmasters at least may have solacement: I will add 120 thalers (18
pounds) apiece, that we may have a chance of getting better Schoolmasters; send me List of the Places
where the worst are." List was sent; is still extant; and on the margin of it, in Royal Autograph, this
remark:
"The Places are well selected. The bad Schoolmasters are mostly Tailors; and you must see whether they
cannot be got removed to little Towns, and set to tailoring again, or otherwise disposed of, that our Schools
might the sooner rise into good condition, which is an interesting thing." "Eager always our Master is to have
the Schooling of his People improved and everywhere diffused," writes, some years afterwards, the excellent
Zedlitz, officially "Minister of Public Justice," but much and meritoriously concerned with School matters as
well. The King's ideas were of the best, and Zedlitz sometimes had fine hopes; but the want of funds was
always great.
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"In 1779," says Preuss, "there came a sad blow to Zedlitz's hopes: Minister von Brenkenhof [deep in
WestPreussen canaldiggings and expenditures] having suggested, That instead of getting Pensions, the Old
Soldiers should be put to keeping School." Do but fancy it; poor old fellows, little versed in scholastics
hitherto! "Friedrich, in his pinch, grasped at the small help; wrote to the WarDepartment: 'Send me a List of
Invalids who are fit [or at least fittest] to be Schoolmasters.' And got thereupon a list of 74, and afterwards 5
more [79 Invalids in all]; WarDepartment adding, That besides these scholastic sort, there were 741 serving
as BUDNER [Turnpikekeepers, in a sort], as Forestwatchers and the like; and 3,443 UNVERSORGT"
(shifting for themselves, no provision made for them at all),such the check, by cold arithmetic and
inexorable finance, upon the genial current of the soul!
The TURNIPS, I believe, got gradually in; and Brandenburg, in our day, is a more and more beautifully
farmed Country. Nor were the Schoolmasters unsuccessful at all points; though I cannot report a complete
educational triumph on those extremely limited terms. [Preuss, iii. 115, 113,
Queen Ulrique left, I think, on the 9th of August, 1772; there is sad farewell in Friedrich's Letter next day to
Princess Sophie Albertine, the Queen's Daughter, subsequently Abbess of Quedlinburg: he is just setting out
on his Silesian Reviews; "shall, too likely, never see your good Mamma again." ["Potsdam, 10th August,
1772:" OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. ii. 93.] Poor King; Berlin City is sound asleep, while he rushes through it
on this errand,"past the Princess Amelia's window," in the dead of night; and takes to humming tender
strophes to her too; which gain a new meaning by their date. ["A MA SOEUR AMELIE, EN PASSANT, LA
NUIT, SOUS SA FENETRE, POUR ALLER EN SILESIE (AOUT 1772):" OEuvres de Frederic, xiii. 77.]
Ten days afterwards (19th August, 1772),Queen Ulrique not yet home,her Son, the spirited King Gustav
III., at Stockholm had made what in our day is called a "stroke of state,"put a thorn in the snout of his
monster of a Senate, namely: "Less of palaver, venality and insolence, from you, Sirs; we 'restore the
Constitution of 1680,' and are something of a King again!" Done with considerable dexterity and spirit; not
one person killed or hurt. And surely it was the muzzlingup of a great deal of folly on their side,provided
only there came wisdom enough from Gustav himself instead. But, alas, there did not, there hardly could. His
Uncle was alarmed, and not a little angry for the moment: "You had two Parties to reconcile; a work of time,
of patient endeavor, continual and quiet; no good possible till then. And instead of that!" Gustav, a shining
kind of man, showed no want of spirit, now or afterwards: but he leant too much on France and broken
reeds;and, in the end, got shot in the back by one of those beautiful "Nobles" of his, and came to a bad
conclusion, they and he. ["16th29th March, 1792," death of Gustav III. by that assassination: "13th March,
1809," his Son Gustav IV, has to go on his travels; "Karl XIII.," a childless Uncle, succeeds for a few years:
after whom Scandinavian Politics, thank Heaven, are none of our business.
Queen Ulrique was spared all these catastrophes. She had alarmed her Brother by a dangerous illness, sudden
and dangerous, in 1775; who writes with great anxiety about it, to Another still more anxious: [See
"Correspondence with Gustav III." (in OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. ii. 84, of this she got well again; but it did
not last very long. July 16th, 1782, she died;and the sad Friedrich had to say, Adieu. Alas, "must the eldest
of us mourn, then, by the grave of those younger!"
WILHELMINA'S DAUGHTER, ELIZABETH FREDERIKE SOPHIE, DUCHESS OF WURTEMBERG,
APPEARS AT FERNEY (September, 1773).
Of our dear Wilhelmina's high and unfortunate Daughter there should be some Biography; and there will
surely, if a man of sympathy and faculty pass that way; but there is not hitherto. Nothing hitherto but a few
bare dates; bare and sternly significant, as on a Tombstone; indicating that she had a History, and that it was a
tragic one. Welcome to all of us, in this state of matters, is the following one clear emergence of her into the
light of day, and in company so interesting too! Seven years before her death she had gone to Lausanne (July,
1773) to consult Tissot, a renowned Physician of those days. From Lausanne, after two months, she visited
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Voltaire at Ferney. Read this Letter of Voltaire's:
TO ELIZABETH FREDERIKE SOPHIE, DUCHESS OF WURTEMBERG (at Lausanne).
"FEENEY, 10th July, 1773.
"MADAM,I am informed that your most Serene Highness has deigned to remember that I was in the
world. It is very sad to be there, without paying you my court. I never felt so cruelly the sad state to which old
age and maladies have reduced me.
"I never saw you except as a child [1743, her age then 10]: but you were certainly the beautifulest child in
Europe. May you be the happiest Princess [alas!], as you deserve to be! I was attached to Madam the
Margravine [your dear Mother] with equal devotedness and respect; and I had the honor to be pretty deep in
her confidence, for some time before this world, which was not worthy of her, had lost that adorable Princess.
You resemble her;but don't resemble her infeebleness of health! You are in the flower of your age
[coming forty, I should fear]: let such bright flower lose nothing of its splendor; may your happiness be able
to equal [PUISSO EGALER] your beauty; may all your days be serene, and the sweets of friendship add a
new charm to them! These are my wishes; they are as lively as my regrets at not being at your feet. What a
consolation it would be for me to speak of your loving Mother, and of all your august relatives! Why must
Destiny send you to Lausanne [consulting Dr. Tissot there], and hinder me from flying thither! Let your
most Serene Highness deign to accept the profound respect of the old moribund Philosopher of Ferney.V."
[ OEuvres de Voltaire, xcii. 331.]
The Answer of the Princess, or farther Correspondence on the matter, is not given; evident only that by and
by, as Voltaire himself will inform us, she did appear at Ferney;and a certain Swedish tourist, one
Bjornstahl, who met her there, enables us even to give the date. He reports this anecdote:
"At supper, on the evening of 7th September, 1773, the Princess sat next to Voltaire, who always addressed
her 'VOTRE ALTESSE.' At last the Duchess said to him, 'TU ES ANON PAPA, JE SUIS TA FILLE, ET JE
VOUZ ETRE APPELEE TA FILLE.' Voltaire took a pencil from his pocket, asked for a card, and wrote
upon it:
'Ah, le beau titre que voila!
Vous me donnez la premiere des places;
Quelle famille j'aurais la!
Je serais le pere des Graces' [ OEuvres de Voltaire, xviii. 342.]
He gave the card to the Princess, who embraced and kissed him for it." [Vehse, Geschichte der Deutschen
Hofe (Hamburg, 1853), xxv. 252, 253.]
VOLTAIRE TO FRIEDRICH (a fortnight after).
"FERNEY, 22d September, 1773.
"I must tell you that I have felt, in these late days, in spite of all my past caprices, how much I am attached to
your Majesty and to your House. Madam the Duchess of Wurtemberg having had, like so many others, the
weakness to believe that health is to be found at Lausanne, and that Dr. Tissot gives it if one pay him, has, as
you know, made the journey to Lausanne; and I, who am more veritably ill than she, and than all the
Princesses who have taken Tissot for an AEsculapius, had not the strength to leave my home. Madam of
Wurtemberg, apprised of all the feelings that still live in me for the memory of Madam the Margravine of
Baireuth her Mother, has deigned to visit my hermitage, and pass two days with us. I should have recognized
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her, even without warning; she has the turn of her Mother's face with your eyes.
"You Heropeople who govern the world don't allow yourselves to be subdued by feelings; you have them all
the same as we, but you maintain your decorum. We other petty mortals yield to all our impressions: I set
myself to cry, in speaking to her of you and of Madam the Princess her Mother; and she too, though she is
Niece of the first Captain in Europe, could not restrain her tears. It appears to me, that she has the talent
(ESPRIT) and the graces of your House; and that especially she is more attached to you than to her Husband
[I should think so!]. She returns, I believe, to Baireuth,
[No Mother, no Father there now: foolish Uncle of Anspath died long ago, "3d August, 1757:" Aunt
Dowager of Anspach gone to Erlangen, I hope, to Feuchtwang, Schwabach or Schwaningen, or some
Widow'sMansion "WITTWENSITZ" of her own; [Lived, finally at Schwaningen, in sight of such
vicissitudes and follies round her, till "4th February, 1784" (Rodenbeck, iii. 304).] reigning Son, with his
FrenchActress equipments, being of questionable figure],
"returns, I believe, to Baireuth; where she will find another Princess of a different sort; I mean
Mademoiselle Clairon, who cultivates Natural History, and is Lady Philosopher to Monseigneur the
Margraf,"highrouged TragedyQueen, rather tyrannous upon him, they say: a young man destined to
adorn Hammersmith by and by, and not go a good road.
... "I renounce my beautiful hopes of seeing the Mahometans driven out of Europe, and Athens become again
the Seat of the Muses. Neither you nor the Kaiser are"are inclined in the Crusading way at all. ... "The old
sick man of Ferney is always at the feet of your Majesty; he feels very sorry that he cannot talk of you farther
with Madam the Duchess of Wurtemberg, who adores you. LE VIEUX MALADE." [ OEuvres de
Voltaire, xcii. 390.]
To which Friedrich makes answer: "If it is forevermore forbidden me to see you again, I am not the less glad
that the Duchess of Wurtemberg has seen you. I should certainly have mixed my tears with yours, had I been
present at that touching scene! Be it weakness, be it excess of regard, I have built for her lost Mother, what
Cicero projected for his Tullia, a TEMPLE OF FRIENDSHIP: her Statue occupies the background, and on
each pillar stands a mask (MASCARON) containing the Bust of some Hero in Friendship: I send you the
drawing of it." ["Potsdam, 24th October, 1773:" OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 259:"Temple" was built in
1768 (Ib. p. 259 n.).] Which again sets Voltaire weeping, and will the Duchess when she sees it. [Voltaire's
next Letter: OEuvres de Voltaire, xcii. 434.]
We said there hitherto was nearly nothing anywhere discoverable as History of this high Lady but the dates
only; these we now give. She was "born 30th August, 1732,"her Mother's and Father's one Child;four
years older than her Anspach Cousin, who inherited Baireuth too, and finished off that genealogy. She was
"wedded 26th September, 1748;" her age then about 16; her gloomy Duke of Wurtemberg, age 20, all
sunshine and goodness to her then: she was "divorced in 1757:" "died 6th April, 1780,"Tradition says, "in
great poverty [great for her rank, I suppose, proud as she might be, and above complaining],at
NeustadtontheAisch" (in the Nurnberg region), whither she had retired, I know not how long after her
Papa's death and Cousin's accession. She is bound for her Cousin's Court, we observe, just now; and,
considering her Cousin's ways and her own turn of mind, it is easy to fancy she had not a pleasant time there.
Tradition tells us, credibly enough, "She was very like her Mother: beautiful, much the lady (VON FEINEM
TON), and of energetic character;" and adds, probably on slight foundation, "but very cold and proud towards
the people." [Vehse, xxv. 251.] Many Books will inform you how, "On first entering Stuttgard, when the
reigning Duke and she were met by a party of congratulatory peasant women dressed in their national
costume, she said to her Duke," being then only sixteen, poor young soul, and on her marriagejourney,
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"'WAS WILL DAS GESCHMEISS (Why does that rabble bore us)!'" This is probably the main foundation.
That "her Ladies, on approaching her, had always to kiss the hem of her gown," lay in the nature of the case,
being then the rule to people of her rank. Beautiful Unfortunate, adieu:and be Voltaire thanked, too!
It is long since we have seen Voltaire before:a prosperous Lord at Ferney these dozen years ("the only man
in France that lives like a GRAND SEIGNEUR," says Cardinal Bernis to him once [Their
CORRESPONDENCE, really pretty of its kind, used to circulate as a separate Volume in the years then
subsequent.]); doing great things for the Pays de Gex and for France, and for Europe; delivering the Calases,
the Sirvens and the Oppressed of various kinds; especially ardent upon the INFAME, as the real business
Heaven has assigned him in his Day, the sunset of which, and Night wherein no man can work, he feels to be
hastening on. "Couldn't we, the few Faithful, go to Cleve in a body?" thinks he at one time: "To Cleve; and
there, as from a safe place, under the Philosopher King, shoot out our fiery artilleries with effect?" The
Philosopher King is perfectly willing, "provided you don't involve me in Wars with my neighbors." Willing
enough he; but they the Faithfulalas, the Patriarch finds that they have none of his own heroic ardor, and
that the thing cannot be done. Upon which, "struck with sorrow," say his Biographers, "he writes nothing to
Friedrich for two years." ["Nov. 1769," recommences ( OEuvres de Frederic, xxiii. 140. 139).]
The truth is, he is growing very old; and though a piercing radiance, as of stars, bursts occasionally from the
central part of him, the outworks are getting decayed and dim; obstruction more and more accumulating, and
the immeasurable Night drawing nigh. Well does Voltaire himself, at all moments, know this; and his bearing
under it, one must say, is rather beautiful. There is a tenderness, a sadness, in these his later Letters to
Friedrich; instead of emphasis or strength, a beautiful shrill melody, as of a woman, as of a child; he grieves
unappeasably to have lost Friedrich; never will forgive Maupertuis:poor old man! Friedrich answers in a
much livelier, more robust tone: friendly, encouraging, communicative on small matters;full of
praises,in fact, sincerely glad to have such a transcendent genius still alive with him in this world. Praises
to the most liberal pitch everything of Voltaire's,except only the Article on WAR, which occasionally (as
below) he quizzes a little, to the Patriarch or his Disciple.
As we have room for nothing of all this, and perhaps shall not see Voltaire again,there are Two actual
Interviews with him, which, being withal by Englishmen, though otherwise not good for much, we intend for
readers here. In these last twenty years D'Alembert is Friedrich's chief Correspondent. Of D'Alembert to the
King, it may be or may not, some opportunity will rise for a specimen; meanwhile here is a short Letter of the
King's to D'Alembert, through which there pass so many threads of contemporaneous flying events (swift
shuttles on the loudsounding Loom of Time), that we are tempted to give this, before the two Interviews in
question.
Date of the Letter is two months after that apparition of the Duchess of Wurtemberg at Ferney. Of "Crillon,"
an ingenious enough young Soldier, rushing ardently about the world in his holiday time, we have nothing to
say, except that he is Son of that Rossbach Crillon, who always fancies to himself that once he perhaps spared
Friedrich's life (by a glass of wine judiciously given) long since, while the Bridge of Weissenfels was on fire,
and Rossbach close ahead. [Supra, x. 6.] Colonel "Guibert" is another Soldier, still young, but of much
superior type; greatly an admirer of Friedrich, and subsequently a Writer upon him. [Of Guibert's visit to
Friedrich (June, 1773), see Preuss, iv. 214; Rodenbeck, iii. 80.]
In regard to the "Landgravine of Darmstadt," notice these points. First, that her eldest Daughter is Wife,
second Wife, to the dissolute CrownPrince of Prussia; and then, that she has Three other Daughters,one
of whom has just been disposed of in an important way; wedded to the Czarowitsh Paul of Russia, namely.
By Friedrich's means and management, as Friedrich informs us. [ OEuvres de Frederic, (MEMOIRES DE
1763 JUSQU'A 1775), vi. 57.] The Czarina, he says, had sent out a confidential Gentleman, one Asseburg,
who was Prussian by birth, to seek a fit Wife for her Son: Friedrich, hearing of this, suggested to Asseburg,
"The Landgravine of Darmstadt, the most distinguished and accomplished of German Princesses, has three
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marriageable Daughters; her eldest, married to our CrownPrince, will be Queen of Prussia in time
coming;suppose now, one of the others were to be Czarina of Russia withal? Think, might it not be useful
both to your native Country and to your adopted?" Asseburg took the hint; reported at Petersburg, That of all
marriageable Princesses in Germany, the Three of Darmstadt, one or the other of them, would, in his humble
opinion, be the eligiblest. "Could not we persuade you to come to Petersburg, Madam Landgravine?" wrote
the Czarina thereupon: "Do us the honor of a visit, your three Princesses and you!" The Landgravine and
Daughters, with decent celerity, got under way; [Passed through Berlin 16th19th May, 1773: Rodenbeck, iii.
78.] Czarowitsh Paul took interesting survey, on their arrival; and about two months ago wedded the middle
one of the three:and here is the victorious Landgravine bringing home the other two. Czarowitsh's fair one
did not live long, nor behave well: died of her first child; and Czarowitsh, in 1776, had to apply to us again
for a Wife, whom this time we fitted better. Happily, the poor victorious Landgravine was gone before
anything of this; she died suddenly five months hence; [30th March, 1774.] nothing doubting of her Russian
Adventure. She was an admired Princess of her time, DIE GROSSE LANDGRAFIN, as Goethe somewhere
calls her; much in Friedrich's esteem,FEMINA SEXU, INGENIO VIR, as the Monument he raised to her
at Darmstadt still bears. [ OEuvres de Frederic, xx. 183 n. His CORRESPONDENCE with her is Ib. xxvii ii.
135153; and goes from 1757 to 1774.]
FRIEDRICH TO D'ALEMBERT.
"POTSDAM, 16th December, 1773.
"M. de Crillon delivered me your CRILLONADE [lengthy Letter of introduction]; which has completed me
in the History of all the Crillons of the County of Avignon. He does n't stop here; he is soon to be off for
Russia; so that I will take him on your word, and believe him the wisest of all the Crillons: assuring myself
that you have measured and computed all his curves, and angles of incidence. He will find Diderot and
Grimm in Russia [famous visit of Diderot], all occupied with the Czarina's beautiful reception of them, and
with the many things worthy of admiration which they have seen there. Some say Grimm will possibly fix
himself in that Country [chose better],which will be the asylum at once of your fanatic CHAUMEIXES
and of the ENCYCLOPEDISTES, whom he used to denounce. [This poor Chaumeix did, after such feats,
"die peaceably at Moscow, as a Schoolmaster."]
"M. de Guibert has gone by Ferney; where it is said Voltaire has converted him, that is, has made him
renounce the errors of ambition, abjure the frightful trade of hired manslayer, with intent to become either
Capuchin or Philosophe; so that I suppose by this time he will have published a 'Declaration' like Gresset,
informing the public That, having had the misfortune to write a Work on Tactics, he repented it from the
bottom of his soul, and hereby assured mankind that never more in his life would he give rules for butcheries,
assassinations, feints, stratagems or the like abominations. As to me, my conversion not being yet in an
advanced stage, I pray you to give me details about Guibert's, to soften my heart and penetrate my bowels.
"We have the Landgravine of Darmstadt here: [Rodenbeck, iii. 89, 90.] no end to the Landgravine's praises of
a magnificent Czarina, and of all the beautiful and grand things she has founded in that Country. As to us,
who live like mice in their holes, news come to us only from mouth to mouth, and the sense of hearing is
nothing like that of sight. I cherish my wishes, in the mean while, for the sage Anaxagoras [my D'Alembert
himself]; and I say to Urania, 'It is for thee to sustain thy foremost Apostle, to maintain one light, without
which a great Kingdom [France] would sink into darkness;' and I say to the Supreme Demiurgus: 'Have
always the good D'Alembert in thy holy and worthy keeping.'F." [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxiv. 614.]
THE BOSTON TEA (same day). Curious to remark, while Friedrich is writing this Letter, "THURSDAY,
DECEMBER 16th, 1773," what a commotion is going on, far over seas, at Boston, New England,in the
"Old South Meetinghouse" there; in regard to three English Tea Ships that are lying embargoed in Griffin's
Wharf for above a fortnight past. The case is well known, and still memorable to mankind. British
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Parliament, after nine years of the saddest haggling and baffling to and fro, under Constitutional stress of
weather, and such eastwinds and westwinds of Parliamentary eloquence as seldom were, has made up its
mind, That America shall pay duty on these Teas before infusing them: and America, Boston more especially,
is tacitly determined that it will not; and that, to avoid mistakes, these Teas shall never be landed at all. Such
is Boston's private intention, more or less fixed;to say nothing of the Philadelphias, Charlestons, New
Yorks, who are watching Boston, and will follow suit of it.
"Sunday, November 26th,that is, nineteen days ago,the first of these Tea Ships, the DARTMOUTH,
Captain Hall, moored itself in Griffin's Wharf: Owner and Consignee is a broadbrimmed Boston gentleman
called Rotch, more attentive to profits of trade than to the groans of Boston:but already on that Sunday,
much more on the Monday following, there had a meeting of Citizens run together, (on Monday, Faneuil
Hall won't hold them, and they adjourn to the Old South Meetinghouse),who make it apparent to Rotch
that it will much behoove him, for the sake both of tea and skin, not to 'enter' (or officially announce) this
Ship DARTMOUTH at the Custom house in any wise; but to pledge his broadbrimmed word, equivalent
to his oath, that she shall lie dormant there in Griffin's Wharf, till we see. Which, accordingly, she has been
doing ever since; she and two others that arrived some days later; dormant all three of them, side by side,
three crews totally idle; a 'Committee of Ten' supervising Rotch's procedures; and the Boston world much
expectant. Thursday, December 16th: this is the 20th day since Rotch's DARTMOUTH arrived here; if not
'entered' at Customhouse in the course of this day, Customhouse cannot give her a 'clearance' either (a
leave to depart),she becomes a smuggler, an outlaw, and her fate is mysterious to Rotch and us.
"This Thursday accordingly, by 10 in the morning, in the Old South Meetinghouse, Boston is assembled,
and countrypeople to the number of 2,000;and Rotch never was in such a company of human Friends
before. They are not uncivil to him (cautious people, heedful of the verge of the Law); but they are
peremptory, to the extent ofRotch may shudder to think what. "I went to the Custom house yesterday,'
said Rotch, 'your Committee of Ten can bear me witness; and demanded clearance and leave to depart; but
they would not; were forbidden, they said!' 'Go, then, sir; get you to the Governor himself; a clearance, and
out of harbor this day: had n't you better?' Rotch is well aware that he had; hastens off to the Governor (who
has vanished to his Countryhouse, on purpose); Old South Meetinghouse adjourning till 3 P.M., for
Rotch's return with clearance.
"At 3 no Rotch, nor at 4, nor at 5; miscellaneous plangent intermittent speech instead, mostly plangent, in
tone sorrowful rather than indignant:at a quarter to 6, here at length is Rotch; sun is long since set,has
Rotch a clearance or not? Rotch reports at large, willing to be questioned and crossquestioned: 'Governor
absolutely would not! My Christian friends, what could I or can I do?' There are by this time about 7,000
people in Old South Meetinghouse, very few tallowlights in comparison,almost no lights for the mind
either,and it is difficult to answer. Rotch's report done, the Chairman [one Adams, "American Cato,"
subsequently so called] dissolves the sorrowful 7,000, with these words: 'This Meeting declares that it can do
nothing more to save the Country.' Will merely go home, then, and weep. Hark, however: almost on the
instant, in front of Old South Meetinghouse, (a terrific Warwhoop; and about fifty Mohawk
Indians,'with whom Adams seems to be acquainted; and speaks without Interpreter: Aha?
"And, sure enough, before the stroke of 7, these fifty painted Mohawks are forward, without noise, to
Griffin's Wharf; have put sentries all round there; and, in a great silence of the neighborhood, are busy, in
three gangs, upon the dormant Tea Ships; opening their chests, and punctually shaking them out into the sea.
'Listening from the distance, you could hear distinctly the ripping open of the chests, and no other sound.'
About 10 P.M. all was finished: 342 chests of tea flung out to infuse in the Atlantic; the fifty Mohawks gone
like a dream; and Boston sleeping more silently even than usual." ["Summary of the Advices from America"
(in Gentleman's Magazine for 1774, pp. 26, 27); Bancroft, iii. 536 et seq.]
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"Seven in the evening:" this, I calculate, allowing for the Earth's rotation, will be about the time when
Friedrich, well tired with the day's business, is getting to bed; by 10 on the Boston clocks, when the process
finishes there, Friedrich will have had the best of his sleep over. Here is Montcalm's Prophecy coming to
fulfilment;and a curious intersection of a flying Event through one's poor LETTER TO D'ALEMBERT.
We will now give the two English Interviews with Voltaire; one of which is of three years past, another of
three years ahead.
No. 1. DR BURNEY HAS SIGHT OF VOLTAIRE (July, 1770).
In the years 17701771, Burney, then a famous DOCTOR OF MUSIC, made his TOUR through France and
Italy, on Musical errands and researches: [Charles Burney's Present State of Music in France and Italy, being
the Journal of a Tour through those Countries to collect Materials for a General History of Music (London,
1773). The History of Music followed duly, in Four 4tos (London, 17761789).] with these we have no
concern, but only with one most small exceptional offshoot or episode which grew out of these. Enough for
us to know that Burney, a comfortable, welldisposed, rather dull though vivacious Doctor, age near 45, had
left London for Paris "in June, 1770;" that he was on to Geneva, intending for Turin, "early in July;" and that
his "M. Fritz," mentioned below, is a veteran Brother in Music, settled at Geneva for the last thirty years, who
has been helpful and agreeable to Burney while here. Our Excerpt therefore dates itself, "one of the early
days of July, 1770,"Burney hovering between two plans (as we shall dimly perceive), and not exactly
executing either:
.... "My going to M. Fritz broke [was about breaking, but did not quite] into a plan which I had formed of
visiting M. de Voltaire, at the same hour, along with some other strangers, who were then going to Ferney.
But, to say the truth, besides the visit to M. Fritz being more MY BUSINESS, I did not much like going with
these people, who had only a Geneva Bookseller to introduce them; and I had heard that some English had
lately met with a rebuff from M. de Voltaire, by going without any letter of recommendation, or anything to
recommend themselves. He asked them What they wanted? Upon their replying That they wished only to see
so extraordinary a man, he said: 'Well, gentlemen, you now see me: did you take me for a wild beast or
monster, that was fit only to be stared at as a show?' This story very much frightened me; for, not having,
when I left London, or even Paris, any intention of going to Geneva, I was quite unprovided with a
recommendation. However, I was determined to see the place of his residence, which I took to be [still LES
DELICES],
CETTE MAISON D'ARISTIPPE, CES JARDINS D'PICURE,
to which he retired in 1755; but was mistaken [not The DELICES now at all, but Ferney, for nine or ten years
back].
"I drove to Ferney alone, after I had left M. Fritz. This House is three or four miles from Geneva, but near the
Lake. I approached it with reverence, and a curiosity of the most minute kind. I inquired WHEN I first trod
on his domain; I had an intelligent and talkative postilion, who answered all my questions very satisfactorily.
M. de Voltaire's estate is very large here, and he is building pretty farmhouses upon it. He has erected on the
Geneva side a quadrangular JUSTICE, or Gallows, to show that he is the SEIGNEUR. One of his farms, or
rather manufacturing houses,for he is establishing a manufacture upon his estate,was so handsome that I
thought it was his chateau.
"We drove to Ferney, through a charming country, covered with corn and vines, in view of the Lake, and
Mountains of Gex, Switzerland and Savoy. On the left hand, approaching the House, is a neat Chapel with
this inscription:
'DEO EREXIT VOLTAIRE MDCCLXI.'
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I sent to inquire, Whether a stranger might be allowed to see the House and Gardens; and was answered in the
affirmative. A servant soon came, and conducted me into the cabinet or closet where his Master had just been
writing: this is never shown when he is at home; but having walked out, I was allowed that privilege. From
thence I passed to the Library, which is not a very large one, but well filled. Here I found a wholelength
Figure in marble of himself, recumbent, in one of the windows; and many curiosities in another room; a Bust
of himself, made not two years since; his Mother's picture; that of his Niece, Madam Denis; his Brother, M.
Dupuis; the Calas Family; and others. It is a very neat and elegant House; not large, nor affectedly decorated.
"I should first have remarked, that close to the Chapel, between that and the house, is the Theatre, which he
built some years ago; where he treated his friends with some of his own Tragedies: it is now only used as a
receptacle for wood and lumber, there having been no play acted in it these four years. The servant told me
his Master was 78 [76 gone], but very well. 'IL TRAVAILLE,' said he, 'PENDANT DIX HEURES
CHAQUE JOUR, He studies ten hours every day; writes constantly without spectacles, and walks out with
only a domestic, often a mile or twoET LE VOILA, LA BAS, And see, yonder he is!'
"He was going to his workmen. My heart leaped at the sight of so extraordinary a man. He had just then
quitted his Garden, and was crossing the court before his House. Seeing my chaise, and me on the point of
mounting it, he made a sign to his servant who had been my CICERONE, to go to him; in order, I suppose, to
inquire who I was. After they had exchanged a few words together, he," M. de Voltaire, "approached the
place where I was standing motionless, in order to contemplate his person as much as I could while his eyes
were turned from me; but on seeiug him move towards me, I found myself drawn by some irresistible power
towards him; and, without knowing what I did, I insensibly met him halfway.
"It is not easy to conceive it possible for life to subsist in a form so nearly composed of mere skin and bone as
that of M. de Voltaire." Extremely lean old Gentleman! "He complained of decrepitude, and said, He
supposed I was anxious to form an idea of the figure of one walking after death. However, his eyes and whole
countenance are still full of fire; and though so emaciated, a more lively expression cannot be imagined.
"He inquired after English news; and observed that Poetical squabbles had given way to Political ones; but
seemed to think the spirit of opposition as necessary in poetry as in politics. 'Les querelles d'auteurs sont
pour le bien de la litterature, comme dans un gouvernement libre les querelles des grands, et les clameurs
des petits, sont necessaires a la liberte.' And added, 'When critics are silent, it does not so much prove the
Age to be correct, as dull.' He inquired what Poets we had now; I told him we had Mason and Gray. 'They
write but little,' said he: 'and you seem to have no one who lords it over the rest, like Dryden, Pope and Swift.'
I told him that it was one of the inconveniences of Periodical Journals, however well executed, that they often
silenced modest men of genius, while impudent blockheads were impenetrable, and unable to feel the critic's
scourge: that Mr. Gray and Mr. Mason had both been illiberally treated by mechanical critics, even in
newspapers; and added, that modesty and love of quiet seemed in these gentlemen to have got the better even
of their love of fame.
"During this conversation, we approached the buildings that he was constructing near the road to his Chateau.
'These,' said he, pointing to them, 'are the most innocent, and perhaps the most useful, of all my works.' I
observed that he had other works, which were of far more extensive use, and would be much more durable,
than those. He was so obliging as to show me several farmhouses that he had built, and the plans of others:
after which I took my leave." [Burney's Present State of Music (London, 1773), pp. 5562.
NO. 2. A REVEREND MR. SHERLOCK SEES VOLTAIRE, AND EVEN DINES WITH HIM (April,
1776).
Sherlock's Book of TRAVELS, though he wrote it in two languages, and it once had its vogue, is now little
other than a Dance of Willo'wisps to us. A Book tawdry, incoherent, indistinct, at once flashy and opaque,
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full of idle excrescences and exuberances;as is the poor man himself. He was "Chaplain to the Earl of
Bristol, Bishop of Derry;" gyrating about as ecclesiastical Moon to that famed Solar Luminary, what could
you expect! [Title of his Book is, Letters from an English Traveller; translated from the French Original
(London, 1780). Ditto, Letters from an English Trader; written originally in French; by the Rev. Martin
Sherlock, A.M., Chaplain to the Earl of Bristol, (a new Edition, 2 vols., London, 1802).] Poor Sherlock is
nowhere intentionally fabulous; nor intrinsically altogether so foolish as he seems: let that suffice us. In his
Dance of Willo'wisps, which in this point happily is dated,26th27th April, 1776,he had come to
Ferney, with proper introduction to Voltaire; and here (after severe excision of the flabby parts, but without
other change) is credible account of what he saw and heard. In Three Scenes; with this Prologue,as to
Costume, which is worth reading twice:
VOLTAIRE'S DRESS. "On the two days I saw him, he wore white cloth shoes, white woollen stockings, red
breeches, with a nightgown and waistcoat of blue linen, flowered, and lined with yellow. He had on a grizzle
wig with three ties, and over it a silk nightcap embroidered with gold and silver."
SCENE I. THE ENTRANCEHALL OF FERNEY (Friday, 26th April, 1776): EXUBERANT SHERLOCK
ENTERING, LETTER OF INTRODUCTION HAVING PRECEDED.
"He met in the hall; his Nephew M. d'Hornoi" (Grandnephew; Abbe Mignot, famous for BURYING
Voltaire, and Madame Denis, whom we know, were D'Hornoi's Uncle and Aunt)Grandnephew,
"Counsellor in the Parlement of Paris, held him by the arm. He said to me, with a very weak voice: 'You see a
very old man, who makes a great effort to have the honor of seeing you. Will you take a walk in my Garden?
It will please you, for it is in the English taste:it was I who introduced that taste into France, and it is
become universal. But the French parody your Gardens: they put your thirty acres into three.'
"From his Gardens you see the Alps, the Lake, the City of Geneva and its environs, which are very pleasant.
He said:
VOLTAIRE. "'It is a beautiful prospect.' He pronounced these words tolerably well.
SHERLOCK. "'How long is it since you were in England?'
VOLTAIRE. "'Fifty years, at least.' [Not quite; in 1728 left; in 1726 had come.] [Supra, vii. 47.]
D'HORNOI. "'It was at the time when you printed the First Edition of your HENRIADE.'
"We then talked of Literature; and from that moment he forgot his age and infirmities, and spoke with the
warmth of a man of thirty. He said some shocking things against Moses and against Shakspeare. [Like
enough!] ... We then talked of Spain.
VOLTAIRE. "'It is a Country of which we know no more than of the most savage parts of Africa; and it is
not worth the trouble of being known. If a man would travel there, he must carry his bed, On arriving in a
Town, he must go into one street to buy a bottle of wine; a piece of a mule [by way of beef] in another; he
finds a table in a third,and he sups. A French Nobleman was passing through Pampeluna: he sent out for a
spit; there was only one in the Town, and that was lent away for a wedding.'
D'HORNOI. "'There, Monsieur, is a Village which M. de Voltaire has built!'
VOLTAIRE. "'Yes, we have our freedoms here. Cut off a little corner, and we are out of France. I asked
some privileges for my Children here, and the King has granted me all that I asked, and has declared this
Pays de Gex exempt from all Taxes of the Farmers General; so that salt, which formerly sold for ten sous a
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pound, now sells for four. I have nothing more to ask, except to live.' We went into the Library" (had made
the round of the Gardens, I suppose).
SCENE II. IN THE LIBRARY.
VOLTAIRE. "'There you find several of your countrymen [he had Shakspeare, Milton, Congreve, Rochester,
Shaftesbury, Bolingbroke, Robertson, Hume and others]. Robertson is your Livy; his CHARLES FIFTH is
written with truth. Hume wrote his History to be applauded, Rapin to instruct; and both obtained their ends.'
SHERLOCK. "'Lord Bolingbroke and you agreed that we have not one good Tragedy.'
VOLTAIRE. "'We did think so. CATO is incomparably well written: Addison had a great deal of taste;but
the abyss between taste and genius is immense! Shakspeare had an amazing genius, but no taste: he has
spoiled the taste of the Nation. He has been their taste for two hundred years; and what is the taste of a Nation
for two hundred years will be so for two thousand. This kind of taste becomes a religion; there are, in your
Country, a great many Fanatics for Shakspeare.'
SHERLOCK. "'Were you personally acquainted with Lord Bolingbroke?'
VOLTAIRE. "'Yes. His face was imposing, and so was his voice; in his WORKS there are many leaves and
little fruit; distorted expressions, and periods intolerably long. [TAKING DOWN A BOOK.] There, you see
the KORAN, which is well read, at least. [It was marked throughout with bits of paper.] There are
HISTORIC DOUBTS, by Horace Walpole [which had also several marks]; here is the portrait of Richard III.;
you see he was a handsome youth.'
SHERLOCK (making an abrupt transition). "'You have built a Church?'
VOLTAIRE. "'True; and it is the only one in the Universe in honor of God [DEO EREXIT VOLTAIRE, as
we read above]: you have plenty of Churches built to St. Paul, to St. Genevieve, but not one to God.'" EXIT
Sherlock (to his Inn; makes jotting as above;is to dine at Ferney tomorrow).
SCENE III. DINNERTABLE OF VOLTAIRE.
"The next day, as we sat down to Dinner," our Host in the above shining costume, "he said, in English
tolerably pronounced:
VOLTAIRE. "'We are here for liberty and property! [parody of some old Speech in Parliament, let us
guess,liberty and property, my Lords!] This Gentlemanwhom let me present to Monsieur Sherlock is
a Jesuit [old Pere Adam, whom I keep for playing Chess, in his old, unsheltered days]; he wears his hat: I am
a poor invalid, I wear my nightcap.' ...
"I do not now recollect why he quoted these verses, also in English, by Rochester, on CHARLES
SECOND:
'Here lies the muttoneating King,
Who never said a foolish thing,
Nor ever did a wise one.'
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But speaking of Racine, he quoted this Couplet (of Roscomman's ESSAY ON TRANSLATED VERSE):
'The weighty bullion of one sterling line
Drawn to French wire would through whole pages shine.
SHERLOCK. "'The English prefer Corneille to Racine.'
VOLTAIRE. "'That is because the English are not sufficiently acquainted with the French tongue to feel the
beauties of Racine's style, or the harmony of his versification. Corneille ought to please them more because
he is more striking; but Racine pleases the French because he has more softness and tenderness.'
SHERLOCK. "'How did you find [LIKE] the English fare (LA CHERE ANGLAISE?'which Voltaire
mischievously takes for 'the dear Englishwoman').
VOLTAIRE. "'I found her very fresh and white,'truly! [It should be remembered, that when he made this
pun upon Women he was in his eightythird year.]
SHERLOCK. "'Their language?'
VOLTAIRE. "'Energetic, precise and barbarous; they are the only Nation that pronounce their A as E. ...
[And some time afterwards] Though I cannot perfectly pronounce English, my ear is sensible of the harmony
of your language and of your versification. Pope and Dryden have the most harmony in Poetry; Addison in
Prose.' [Takes now the interrogating side.]
VOLTAIRE. "'How have you liked (AVEXVOUS TROUVE) the French?'
SHERLOCK. "'Amiable and witty. I only find one fault with them: they imitate the English too much.'
VOLTAIRE. "'How! Do you think us worthy to be originals ourselves?'
SHERLOCK. "'Yes, Sir.'
VOLTAIRE. "'So do I too:but it is of your Government that we are envious.'
SHERLOCK. "'I have found the French freer than I expected.'
VOLTAIRE. "'Yes, as to walking, or eating whatever he pleases, or lolling in his elbowchair, a Frenchman
is free enough; but as to taxesAh, Monsieur, you are a lucky Nation; you can do what you like; poor we
are born in slavery: we cannot even die as we will; we must have a Priest [can't get buried otherwise; am
often thinking of that!] ... Well, if the English do sell themselves, it is a proof that they are worth something:
we French don't sell ourselves, probably because we are worth nothing.'
SHERLOCK. "'What is your opinion of the ELOISE' [Rousseau's immortal Work]?
VOLTAIRE. "'That it will not be read twenty years hence.'
SHERLOCK. "'Mademoiselle de l’Enclos wrote some good LETTERS?'
VOLTAIRE. "'She never wrote one; they were by the wretched Crebillon' [my beggarly old "Rival" in the
Pompadour epoch]! ...
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VOLTAIRE. "'The Italians are a Nation of brokers. Italy is an Old Clothes shop; in which there are many
Old Dresses of exquisite taste. ... But we are still to know, Whether the subjects of the Pope or of the Grand
Turk are the more abject.' [We have now gone to the Drawingroom, I think, though it is not jotted.]
"He talked of England and of Shakspeare; and explained to Madame Denis part of a Scene in Henry Fifth,
where the King makes love to Queen Catherine in bad French; and of another in which that Queen takes a
lesson in English from her Waitingwoman, and where there are several very gross doubleentendres"but,
I hope, did not long dwell on these. ...
VOLTAIRE. "'When I see an Englishman subtle and fond of lawsuits, I say, "There is a Norman, who came
in with William the Conqueror." When I see a man goodnatured and polite, "That is one who came with the
Plantagenets;" a brutal character, "That is a Dane:"for your Nation, Monsieur, as well as your Language, is
a medley of many others.'
"After dinner, passing through a little Parlor where there was a head of Locke, another of the Countess of
Coventry, and several more, he took me by the arm and stopped me: 'Do you know this Bust [bust of Sir
Isaac Newton]? It is the greatest genius that ever existed: if all the geniuses of the Universe were assembled,
he should lead the band.'
"It was of Newton, and of his own Works, that M. de Voltaire always spoke with the greatest warmth."
[Sherlock, LETTERS (London, 1802), i. 98106.] (EXIT Sherlock, to jot down the above, and thence into
Infinite Space.)
GENERAL OR FIELDMARSHAL CONWAY, DIRECT FROM THE LONDON CIRCLES, ATTENDS
ONE OF FRIEDRICH'S REVIEWS (AugustSeptember, 1774).
Now that Friedrich's Military Department is got completely into trim again, which he reckons to have been
about 1770, his annual Reviews are becoming very famous over Europe; and intelligent Officers of all
Countries are eager to be present, and instruct themselves there. The Review is beautiful as a Spectacle; but
that is in no sort the intention of it. Rigorous business, as in the strictest of Universities examining for
Degrees, would be nearer the definition. Sometimes, when a new manoeuvre or tactical invention of
importance is to be tried by experiment, you will find for many miles the environs of Potsdam, which is
usually the scene of such experiments, carefully shut in; sentries on every road, no unfriendly eye admitted;
the thing done as with closed doors. Nor at any time can you attend without leave asked; though to Foreign
Officers, and persons that have really business there, there appears to be liberality enough in granting it. The
concourse of military strangers seems to keep increasing every year, till Friedrich's death. [Rodenbeck, iii. IN
LOCIS.] French, more and more in quantity, present themselves; multifarious German names; generally a
few English too,Burgoyne (of Saratoga finally), Cornwallis, Duke of York, Marshal Conway,of which
last we have something farther to say at present.
In Summer, 1774, Conwaythe Marshal Conway, of whom Walpole is continually talking as of a
considerable Soldier and Politician, though he was not in either character considerable, but was Walpole's
friend, and an honest modest manhad made up his mind, perhaps partly on domestic grounds (for I have
noticed glimpses of a "Lady C." much out of humor), to make a Tour in Germany, and see the Reviews, both
Austrian and Prussian, Prussian especially. Two immense LETTERS of his on that subject have come into
my hands, [Kindly presented me by Charles Knight, Esq., the wellknown Author and Publisher (who
possesses a Collection by the same hand): these Two run to fourteen large pages in my Copy!] and elsewhere
incidentally there is printed record of the Tour; [In Keith (Sir Robert Murray), Memoirs and Correspondence,
ii. 21 et, seq.] unimportant as possible, both Tour and Letters, but capable, if squeezed into compass, of still
being read without disadvantage here.
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Sir Robert Murray Keiththat is, the younger Excellency Keith, now Minister at Dresden, whom we have
sometimes heard ofaccompanies Conway on this Tour, or flies alongside of him, with frequent
intersections at the principal points; and there is printed record by Sir Robert, but still less interesting than
this of Conway, and perfectly conformable to it:so that, except for some words about the Lord Marischal,
which shall be given, Keith must remain silent, while the diffuse Conway strives to become intelligible.
Indeed, neither Conway nor Keith tell us the least thing that is not abundantly, and even wearisomely known
from German sources; but to readers here, a pair of English eyes looking on the matter (put straight in places
by the help there is), may give it a certain freshness of meaning. Here are Conway's Two Letters, with the
nine parts of water charitably squeezed out of them, by a skilful friend of mine and his.
CONWAY TO HIS BROTHER, MARQUIS OF HERTFORD (in London).
"BERLIN, July 17th, 1774.
"DEAR BROTHER,In the hurry I live in... Leaving Brunswick, where, in absence of most of the Court,
who are visiting at Potsdam, my old Commander," Duke Ferdinand, now estranged from Potsdam, [Had a
kind of quarrel with Friedrich in 1766 (rough treatment by Adjutant von Anhalt, not tolerable to a Captain
now become so eminent), and quietly withdrew,still on speaking terms with the King, but never his Officer
more.] and living here among works of Art, and speculations on Free Masonry, "was very kind to me, I went
to Celle, in Hanover, to pay my respects to the Queen of Denmark [unfortunate divorced Matilda, saved by
my friend Keith, innocent, I will hope!] ... She is grown extremely fat. ... At Magdeburg, the Prussian
Frontier on this side, one is not allowed, without a permit, even to walk on the ramparts,such the strictness
of Prussian rule. ... Driving through Potsdam, on my way to Berlin, I was stopped by a servant of the good
old Lord Marischal, who had spied me as I passed under his window. He came out in his nightgown, and
insisted upon our staying to dine with him[worthy old man; a word of him, were this Letter done]. We
ended, on consultation about times and movements of the King, by staying three days at Potsdam, mostly
with this excellent old Lord.
"On the third day [yesterday evening, in fact], I went, by appointment, to the New Palace, to wait upon the
King of Prussia. There was some delay: his Majesty had gone, in the interim, to a private Concert, which he
was giving to the Princesses [Duchess of Brunswick and other high guests [Rodenbeck (IN DIE) iii. 98.]]; but
the moment he was told I was there, he came out from his company, and gave me a most flattering gracious
audience of more than half an hour; talking on a great variety of things, with an ease and freedom the very
reverse of what I had been made to expect. ... I asked, and received permission, to visit the Silesian Camps
next month, his Majesty most graciously telling me the particular days they would begin and end [27th
August3d September, Schmelwitz near Breslau, are time and place [Ib. iii. 101.]]. This considerably
deranges my Austrian movements, and will hurry my return out of those parts: but who could resist such a
temptation! I saw the FootGuards exercise, especially the splendid 'First Battalion;' I could have
conceived nothing so perfect and so exact as all I saw:so well dressed, such men, and so punctual in all
they did.
"The New Palace at Potsdam is extremely noble. Not so perfect, perhaps, in point of taste, but better than I
had been led to expect. The King dislikes living there; never does, except when there is high Company about
him; for seven or eight months in the year, he prefers Little SansSouci, and freedom among his intimates
and some of his Generals. ... His Music still takes up a great share of the King's time. On a table in his
Cabinet there, I saw, I believe, twenty boxes with a German flute in each; in his Bed chamber, twice as
many boxes of Spanish snuff; and, alike in Cabinet and in Bedchamber, three armchairs in a row for three
favorite dogs, each with a little stool by way of step, that the getting up might be easy. ...
"The Town of Potsdam is a most extraordinary and, in its appearance, beautiful Town; all the streets perfectly
straight, all at right angles to each other; and all the houses built with handsome, generally elegant fronts. ...
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He builds for everybody who has a bad or a small house, even the lowest mechanic. He has done the same at
Berlin." Altogether, his Majesty's building operations are astonishing. And "from whence does this money
come, after a long expensive War? It is all fairyland and enchantment,"MAGNUM VECTIGAL
PARSIMONIA, in fact! ... "At Berlin here, I saw the Porcelain Manufacture today, which is greatly
improved. I leave presently. Adieu, dear Brother; excuse my endless Letter [since you cannot squeeze the
water out of it, as some will!] Yours most sincerely,
"HENRY SEYMOUR CONWAY."
Keith is now Minister at Dresden for some years back; and has, among other topics, much to say of our
brilliant friend the Electress there: but his grand Diplomatic feat was at Copenhagen, on a sudden sally out
thither (in 1771): [In KEITH, i. 152 nothing of intelligible Narrative given, hardly the date discoverable.] the
saving of Queen Matilda, youngest Sister of George Third, from a hard doom. Unfortunate Queen Matilda;
one never knows how guilty, or whether guilty at all, but she was very unfortunate, poor young Lady! What
with a mad Husband collapsed by debaucheries into stupor of insanity; what with a Doctor, gradually a Prime
Minister, Struensee, wretched scarecrow to look upon, but wiser than most Danes about; and finally, with a
lynxeyed Stepsister, whose Son, should Matilda mistake, will inherit,unfortunate Matilda had fallen into
the awfulest troubles; got divorced, imprisoned, would have lost her head along with scarecrow Struensee had
not her Brother George III. emphatically intervened,Excellency Keith, with Seventyfours in the distance,
coming out very strong on the occasion,and got her loose. Loose from Danish axe and jail, at any rate;
delivered into safety and solitude at Celle in Hanover, where she now is,and soon after suddenly dies of
fever, so closing a very sad short history.
Excellency Keith, famed in the Diplomatic circles ever since, is at present ahead of Conway on their joint
road to the Austrian Reviews. Before giving Conway's Second Letter, let us hear Keith a little on his kinsman
the Old Marischal, whom he saw at Berlin years ago, and still occasionally corresponds with, and mentions in
his Correspondence. Keith LOQUITUR; date is Dresden, February, 1770:
HAS VISITED THE OLD MARISCHAL AT POTSDAM LATELY. ... "My stay of three days with Lord
Marischal. ... He is the most innocent of God's creatures; and his heart is much warmer than his head. The
place of his abode," I must say, "is the very Temple of Dulness; and his Female Companion [a poor Turk
foundling, a perishing infant flung into his late Brother's hands at the Fall of Oczakow, [Supra, vii.
82.]whom the Marischal has carefully brought up, and who refuses to marry away from him,rather
stupid, not very pretty by the Portraits; must now be twoandthirty gone] is perfectly calculated to be the
Priestess of it! Yet he dawdles away his day in a manner not unpleasant to him; and I really am persuaded he
has a conscience that would gild the inside of a dungeon. The feats of our barelegged warriors in the late
War [BERGSCHOTTEN, among whom I was a Colonel], accompanied by a PIBRACH [elegiac bagpipe
droning MORE SUO] in his outer room, have an effect on the old Don, which would delight you." [Keith, i.
129; "Dresden, 25th February, 1770:" to his Sister in Scotland.]
AND THEN SEEN HIM IN BERLIN, ON THE SAME OCCASION. ... "Lord Marischal came to meet me at
Sir Andrew's [Mitchell's, in Berlin, the last year of the brave Mitchell's life], where we passed five days
together. My visit to his country residence," as you already know, "was of three days; and I had reason to be
convinced that it gave the old Don great pleasure. He talked to me with the greatest openness and confidence
of all the material incidents of his life; and hinted often that the honor of the Clan was now to be supported by
our family, for all of whom he had the greatest esteem. His taste, his ideas, and his manner of living, are a
mixture of Aberdeenshire and the Kingdom of Valencia; and as he seeks to make no new friends, he seems to
retain a strong, though silent, attachment for his old ones. As to his political principles, I believe him the most
sincere of converts" to Whiggery and Orthodoxy. ... "Since I began this, I have had a most inimitable Letter
from Lord Marischal. I had mentioned Dr. Bailies to him [noted English Doctor at Dresden, bent on
inoculating and the like], and begged he would send me a state of his case and infirmities, that the Doctor
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might prescribe for him. This is a part of his answer:
"'I thank you for your advice of consulting the English Doctor to repair my old carcass. I have lately done so
by my old coach, and it is now almost as good as new. Please, therefore, to tell the Doctor, that from him I
expect a good repair, and shall state the case. First, he must know that the machine is the worse for wear,
being nearly eighty years old. The reparation I propose he shall begin with is: One pair of new eyes, one pair
of new ears, some improvement on the memory. When this is done, we shall ask new legs, and some change
in the stomach. For the present, this first reparation will be sufficient; and we must not trouble the Doctor too
much at once.'You see by this how easy his Lordship's infirmities sit upon him; and it is really so as he
says. Your friend Sir Andrew is, I am afraid, less gay; but I have not heard from him these three months."
[Keith, i. 132, 133; "Dresden, 13th March, 1770:" to his Father.]
CONWAY TO KEITH, ON THE LATE THREE DAYS AT POTSDAM. [Date, "Dresden, 21st July, 1774:"
in KEITH, ii. 15.] "I stayed three days at Potsdam, with much entertainment, for good part of which I am
obliged to your Excellency's old friend Lord Marischal, who showed me all the kindness and civility possible.
He stopped me as I passed, and not only made me dine with him that day, but in a manner live with him. He
is not at all blind, as you imagined; so much otherwise, that I saw him read, without spectacles, a difficult
hand I could not easily decipher. ... Stayed but a day at Berlin;" am rushing after you:Here is my Second
Letter:
CONWAY'S SECOND LETTER (to his Brother, as before).
"SCHMELWITZ [near Breslau] HEADQUARTERS,
August 31st, 1774.
"DEAR BROTHER ... I left that Camp [Austrian Camp, and Reviews in Hungary, where the Kaiser and
everybody had been very gracious to me] with much regret." Parted regretfully with Keith;had played, at
Presburg, in sight of him and fourteen other Englishmen, a game with the Chess Automaton [brandnew
miracle, just out]; [Account of it, and of this game, in KEITH too (ii. 18; "View, 3d September, 1774:" Keith
to his Father).]came on through Vienna hitherward, as fast as posthorses could carry us; travelling night
and day, without stopping, being rather behind time. "Arrived at Breslau near dark, last night; where I learnt
that the Camp was twenty miles off; that the King was gone there, and that the Manoeuvres would begin at
four or five this morning. I therefore ordered my chaise at twelve at night, and set out, in darkness and rain, to
be presented to the King of Prussia next morning at five, at the head of his troops. ... When I arrived, before
five, at the place called 'Headquarters,' I found myself in the middle of a miserable Village [this Schmelwitz
here]; no creature alive or stirring, nor a sentinel, or any Military object to be seen. ... As soon as anything
alive was to be found, we asked, If the King was lodged in that Village? 'Yes,' they said, 'in that House'
(pointing to a clay Hovel). But General Lentulus soon appeared; and
"His Majesty has been very gracious; asked me many questions about my tour to Hungary. I saw all the
Troops pass him as they arrived in Camp. They made a very fine appearance really, though it rained hard the
whole time we were out; and as his Majesty [age 62] did not cloak, we were all heartily wet. And, what was
worse, went from the field to Orders [giving out of Parole, and the like] at his Quarters, there to make our
bow;where we stayed in our wet clothes an hour and half [towards 10 A.M. by this time]. ... How different
at the Emperor's, when his Imperial Majesty and everybody was cloaked! [Got no hurt by the wet, strange to
say.] ... These are our news to this day. And now, having sat up five nights out of the last six, and been in rain
and dirt almost all day, I wish you sincerely goodnight.H. S. C.
"P.S. Breslau, 4th September. ... My Prussian Campaign is finished, and as much to my satisfaction as
possible. The beauty and order of the Troops, their great discipline, their" "almost pass all belief. ...
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Yesterday we were on horseback early, at four o'clock. The movement was conducted with a spirit and order,
on both sides, that was astonishing, and struck the more delightful (SIC) by the variety, as in the course of the
Action the Enemy, conducted by General Anhalt [head all right as yet], took three different positions before
his final retreat.
"The moment it was over [nine o'clock or so], his Majesty got a fresh horse, and set out for Potsdam, after
receiving the compliments of those present, or rather holding a kind of short Levee in the field. I can't say
how much, in my particular, I am obliged to his Majesty for his extraordinary reception, and distinction
shown me throughout. Each day after the Manoeuvre, and giving the Orders of the day, he held a little Levee
at the door, or in the court; at which, I can assure you, it is not an exaggeration of vanity to say, that he not
only talked to me, but literally to nobody else at all. It was a good deal each time, and as soon as finished he
made his bow, and retired, though all, or most, of the other Foreigners were standing by, as well as his own
Generals. He also called me up, and spoke to me several times on horseback, when we were out, which he
seldom did to anybody.
"The Prince Royal also showed me much civility. The second day, he asked me to come and drink a dish of
tea with him after dinner, and kept me an hour and half. He told me, among other things, that the King of
Prussia had a high opinion of me, and that it came chiefly from the favorable manner in which Duke
Ferdinand and the Hereditary Prince [of Brunswick] had spoken of me. ... Pray let Horace Walpole know my
address, that I may have all the chance I can of hearing from him. But if he comes to Paris, I forgive him.
H. S. C."
Friedrich's Reviews, though fine to look upon, or indeed the finest in the world, were by no means of
spectacular nature; but of altogether serious and practical, almost of solemn and terrible, to the parties
interested. Like the strictest College Examination for Degrees, as we said; like a Royal Assize or Doomsday
of the Year; to Military people, and over the upper classes of Berlin Society, nothing could be more serious,
Major Kaltenborn, an ExPrussian Officer, presumably of overtalkative habits, who sounds on us like a
very messroom of the time all gathered under one hat,describes in an almost awful manner the kind of
terror with which all people awaited these Annual Assizes for trial of military merit.
"What a sight," says he, "and awakening what thoughts, that of a body of from 18,000 to 20,000 soldiers, in
solemn silence and in deepest reverence, awaiting their fate from one man! A Review, in Friedrich's time,
was an important moment for almost the whole Country. The fortune of whole families often depended on it:
from wives, mothers, children and friends, during those terrible three days, there arose fervent wishes to
Heaven, that misfortune might not, as was too frequently the case, befall their husbands, fathers, sons and
friends, in the course of them. Here the King, as it were, weighed the merits of his Officers, and distributed,
according as he found them light or heavy, praise or blame, rebukes or favors; and often, too often,
punishments, to be felt through life. One single unhappy moment [especially if it were the last of a long series
of such!] often deprived the bravest Officer of his bread, painfully earned in peace and war, and of his
reputation and honor, at least in the eyes of most men, who judge of everything only by its issue. The higher
you had risen, the easier and deeper your fall might be at an unlucky Review. The Heads and Commanders of
regiments were always in danger of being sent about their business (WEGGEJAGT)."
The fact is, I Kaltenborn quitted the Prussian Service, and took Hessian,being (presumably) of
exaggerative, overtalkative nature, and strongly gravitating Opposition way!Kaltenborn admits that the
King delighted in nothing so much as to see people's faces cheerful about him; provided the price for it were
not too high. Here is another passage from him:
"At latest by 9 in the morning the day's Manoeuvre had finished, and everything was already in its place
again. Straight from the ground all Heads of regiments, the MajorsDEJOUR, all Aidesde Camp, and
from every battalion one Officer, proceed to Head quarters. It was impossible to speak more beautifully, or
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instructively, than the King did on such occasions, if he were not in bad humor. It was then a very delight to
hear him deliver a Military Lecture, as it were. He knew exactly who had failed, what caused the fault, and
how it might and should have been retrieved. His voice was soft and persuasive (HINREISSEND); he looked
kindly, and appeared rather bent upon giving good advice than commands.
"Thus, for instance, he once said to General van Lossow, Head of the Black Hussars: 'Your (SEINE) Attack
would have gone very well, had not your own squadron pressed forward too much (VORGEPRELLT). The
brave fellows wanted to show me how they can ride. But don't I know that well enough;and also that you
[covetous Lossow] always choose the best horses from the whole remount for your own squadron! There
was, therefore, no need at all for that. Tell your people not to do so tomorrow, and you will see it will go
much better; all will remain closer in their places, and the left wing be able to keep better in line, in coming
on.'Another time, having observed, in a certain Footregiment, that the soldiers were too long in getting
out their cartridges, he said to the Commandant: 'Do you know the cause of this, my dear Colonel? Look, the
cartouche, in the cartridgebox, has 32 holes; into these the fellow sticks his eight cartridges, without caring
how: and so the poor devil fumbles and gropes about, and cannot get hold of any. But now, if the Officers
would look to it that he place them all well together in the middle of the cartouche, he would never make a
false grasp, and the loading would go as quick again. Only tell your Officers that I had made this observation,
and I am sure they will gladly attend to it.'" [Anonymous (Kaltenborn), Briefe eines alten Preussischen
Officiers (Hohenzollern, 1790), ii. 2426.]
Of humane consolatory Anecdotes, in this kind, our Opposition Kaltenborn gives several; of the
rhadamanthine desolating or destructive kind, though such also could not be wanting, if your Assize is to be
good for anything, he gives us none. And so far as I can learn, the effective punishments, dismissals and the
like, were of the due rarity and propriety; though the flashes of unjust rebuke, fulminant severity, lightnings
from the gloom of one's own sorrows and illhumor, were much more frequent, but were seldomI do not
know if everpersisted in to the length of practical result. This is a Rhadamanthus much interested not to be
unjust, and to discriminate good from bad! Of Ziethen there are two famous Review Anecdotes, omitted and
omissible by Kaltenborn, so well known are they: one of each kind. At a certain Review, year not
ascertainable,long since, prior to the SevenYears War,the King's humor was of the grimmest, nothing
but faults all round; to Ziethen himself, and the Ziethen Hussars, he said various hard things, and at length
this hardest: "Out of my sight with you!" [Madame de Blumenthal, Life of Ziethen, i. 265.] Upon which
Ziethena stratum of redhot kindling in Ziethen too, as was easily possibleturns to his Hussars, "Right
about, RECHTS UM: march!" and on the instant did as bidden. Disappeared, doublequick; and at the same
high pace, in a high frame of mind, rattled on to Berlin, home to his quarters, and there first drew bridle.
"Turn; for Heaven's sake, bethink you!" said more than one friend whom he met on the road: but it was of no
use. Everybody said, "Ziethen is ruined;" but Ziethen never heard of the thing more.
Anecdote Second is not properly of a Review, but of an incidental Parade of the Guard, at Berlin (25th
December, 1784), by the King in person: Parade, or rather giving out of the Parole after it, in the King's
Apartments; which is always a kind of Military Levee as well;and which, in this instance, was long famous
among the Berlin people. King is just arrived for Carnival season; old Ziethen will not fail to pay his duty,
though climbing of the stairs is heavy to a man of 85 gone. This is Madam Blumenthal's Narrative (corrected,
as it needs, in certain points):
"SATURDAY, 25th DECEMBER, 1784, Ziethen, in spite of the burden of eightysix years, went to the
Palace, at the end of the Parade, to pay his Sovereign this last tribute of respect, and to have the pleasure of
seeing him after six months' absence. The Parole was given out, the orders imparted to the Generals, and the
King had turned towards the Princes of the Blood,when he perceived Ziethen on the other side of the Hall,
between his Son and his two Aides deCamp. Surprised in a very agreeable manner at this unexpected
sight, he broke out into an exclamation of joy; and directly making up to him,'What, my good old Ziethen,
are you there!' said his Majesty: 'How sorry am I that you have had the trouble of walking up the staircase! I
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should have called upon you myself. How have you been of late?' 'Sire,' answered Ziethen, (my health is not
amiss, my appetite is good; but my strength! my strength!' 'This account,' replied the King, 'makes me happy
by halves only: but you must be tired;I shall have a chair for you.' [Thing unexampled in the annals of
Royalty!] A chair," on order to Ziethen's AidesdeCamp, "was quickly brought. Ziethen, however, declared
that he was not at all fatigued: the King maintained that he was. 'Sit down, good Father (MEIN LIEBER
ALTER PAPA ZIETHEN, SETZE ER SICH DOCH)!' continued his Majesty: 'I will have it so; otherwise I
must instantly leave the room; for I cannot allow you to be incommoded under my own roof.' The old
General obeyed, and Friedrich the Great remained standing before him, in the midst of a brilliant circle that
had thronged round them. After asking him many questions respecting his hearing, his memory and the
general state of his health, he at length took leave of him in these words: 'Adieu, my dear Ziethen [it was his
last adieu!]take care not to catch cold; nurse yourself well, and live as long as you can, that I may often
have the pleasure of seeing you.' After having said this, the King, instead of speaking to the other Generals,
and walking through the saloons, as usual, retired abruptly, and shut himself up in his closet." [Blumenthal, ii.
341; MilitairLexikon, iv. 318. Chodowiecki has made an Engraving of this Scene; useful to look at for its
military Portraits, if of little esteem otherwise. Strangely enough, both in BLUMENTHAL and in
Chodowiecki's ENGRAVING the year is given as 1785 (plainly impossible); MilitairLexikon misprints the
month; and, one way or other, only Rodenbeck (iii. 316) is right in both day and year.]
Following in date these small Conway Phenomena, if these, so extraneous and insignificant, can have any
glimmer of memorability to readers, are two other occurrences, especially one other, which come in at this
part of the series, and greatly more require to be disengaged from the dustheaps, and presented for
remembrance.
In 1775, the King had a fit of illness; which long occupied certain Gazetteers and others. That is the first
occurrence of the two, and far the more important. He himself says of it, in his HISTORY, all that is essential
to us here:
"Towards the end of 1775, the King was attacked by several strong consecutive fits of gout. Van Swieten, a
famous Doctor's Son, and Minister of the Imperial Court at Berlin, took it into his head that this gout was a
declared dropsy; and, glad to announce to his Court the approaching death of an enemy that had been
dangerous to it, boldly informed his Kaiser that the King was drawing to his end, and would not last out the
year. At this news the soul of Joseph flames into enthusiasm; all the Austrian troops are got on march, their
Rendezvous marked in Bohemia; and the Kaiser waits, full of impatience, at Vienna, till the expected event
arrives; ready then to penetrate at once into Saxony, and thence to the Frontiers of Brandenburg, and there
propose to the King's Successor the alternative of either surrendering Silesia straightway to the House of
Austria, or seeing himself overwhelmed by Austrian troops before he could get his own assembled. All these
things, which were openly done, got noised abroad everywhere; and did not, as is easy to believe, cement the
friendship of the Two Courts. To the Public this scene appeared the more ridiculous, as the King of Prussia,
having only had a common gout in larger dose than common, was already well of it again, before the
Austrian Army had got to their Rendezvous. The Kaiser made all these troops return to their old quarters; and
the Court of Vienna had nothing but mockery for its imprudent conduct." [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 124.]
The first of these goutattacks seems to have come in the end of September, and to have lasted about a
month; after which the illness abated, and everybody thought it was gone. The Kaiser Joseph evolution must
have been in October, and have got its mockery in the next months. Friedrich, writing to VOLTAIRE,
October 22d, has these words: ... "A pair of charming Letters from Ferney; to which, had they been from the
great Demiurgus himself, I could not have dictated Answer. Gout held me tied and garroted for four
weeks;gout in both feet and in both hands; and, such its extreme liberality, in both elbows too: at present
the pains and the fever have abated, and I feel only a very great exhaustion." [Ib. xxv. 44.] "Four consecutive
attacks; hope they are now all over;" but we read, within the Spring following, that there have been in all
twelve of them; and in May, 1776, the Newspapers count eighteen quasiconsecutive. So that in reality the
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King's strength was sadly reduced; and his health, which did not recover its old average till about 1780,
continued, for several years after this bad fit, to be a constant theme of curiosity to the Gazetteer species, and
a matter of solicitude to his friends and to his enemies.
Of the Kaiser's immense ambition there can be no question. He is stretching himself out on every side;
"seriously wishing," thinks Friedrich, "that he could 'revivify the German Reich,'"new Barbarossa in
improved FIXED form; how noble! Certainly, to King Friedrich's sad conviction, "the Austrian Court is
aiming to swallow all manner of dominions that may fall within its grasp." Wants Bosnia and Servia in the
East; longs to seize certain Venetian Territories, which would unite Trieste and the Milanese to the Tyrol. Is
throwing out hooks on Modena, on the Ferrarese, on this and on that. Looking with eager eyes on
Bavaria,the situation of which is peculiar; the present KurBaiern being elderly, childless; and his Heir the
like, who withal is already KurPfalz, and will unite the Two Electorates under one head; a thing which
Austria regards with marked dislike. [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 123.] These are anxious considerations to a
King in Friedrich's sick state. In his private circle, too, there are sorrows: death of Fouquet, death of Quintus
Icilius, of Seidlitz, Quantz (good old Quantz, with his fine Flutings these fifty years, and the still finer
memories he awoke! [Friedrich's Teacher of the Flute; procured for him by his Mother (supra vi.
144).]),latterly an unusual number of deaths. The ruggedly intelligent Quintus, a daily companion, and
guest at the suppertable, died few months before this fit of gout; and must have been greatly missed by
Friedrich. Fouquet, at Brandenburg, died last year: his benefactor in the early Custrin distresses, his
"Bayard," and chosen friend ever since; how conspicuously dear to Friedrich to the last is still evident. A
Friedrich getting lonely enough, and the lights of his life going out around him;has but one sure
consolation, which comes to him as compulsion withal, and is not neglected, that of standing steadfast to his
work, whatever the mood and posture be.
The Event of 1776 is Czarowitsh Paul's arrival in Berlin, and Betrothal to a second Wife there; his first
having died in childbirth lately. The first had been of Friedrich's choosing, but had behaved ill,seduced by
SpanishFrench Diplomacies, by this and that, poor young creature:the second also was of Friedrich's
choosing, and a still nearer connection: figure what a triumphant event! Event now fallen dead to every one
of us; and hardly admitting the smallest Note,except for chronology's sake, which it is always satisfactory
to keep clear:
"Czarowitsh Paul's first Wife, the HessenDarmstadt Princess of Three, died of her first child April 26th,
1776: everybody whispered, 'It is none of Paul's!' who, nevertheless, was inconsolable, the wild heart of him
like to break on the occurrence. By good luck, Prince Henri had set out, by invitation, on a second visit to
Petersburg; and arrived there also on April 26th, [Rodenbeck, iii. 139146.] the very day of the fatality.
Prince Henri soothed, consoled the poor Czarowitsh; gradually brought him round; agreed with his Czarina
Mother, that he must have a new Wife; and dexterously fixed her choice on a 'Niece of the King's and
Henri's.' Eldest Daughter of Eugen of Wurtemberg, of whom, as an excellent General, though also as a surly
Husband, readers have some memory; now living withdrawn at Mumpelgard, the Wurtemberg Apanage
[Montbeillard, as the French call it], in these piping times of Peace:she is the Princess. To King Friedrich's
great surprise and joy. The Mumpelgard Principalities, and fortunate Princess, are summoned to Berlin.
Czarowitsh Paul, under Henri's escort, and under gala and festivities from the Frontier onward, arrived in
Berlin 21st July, 1776; was betrothed to his Wurtemberg Princess straightway; and after about a fortnight of
festivities still more transcendent, went home with her to Petersburg; and was there wedded, 18th October
following;Czar and Czarina, she and he, twenty years after, and their posterity reigning ever since.
[ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 120122.]
"At Vienna," says the King, "everybody was persuaded the Czarowitsh would never come to Berlin. Prince
Kaunitz had been,"been at his old tricks again, playing his sharpest, in the Court of Petersburg again: what
tricks (about Poland and otherwise) let us not report, for it is now interesting to nobody. Of the Czarowitsh
Visit itself I will remark only,what seems to be its one chance of dating itself in any of our
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memories,that it fell out shortly after the Sherlock dinner with Voltaire (in 1776, April 27th the one event,
July 21st the other);and that here is, by pure accident, the exuberant erratic Sherlock, once more, and once
only, emerging on us for a few moments!
EXUBERANT SHERLOCK AND ELEVEN OTHER ENGLISH ARE PRESENTED TO FRIEDRICH ON
A COURT OCCASION (8th October, 1777); AND TWO OF THEM GET SPOKEN TO, AND SPEAK
EACH A WORD. EXCELLENCY HUGH ELLIOT IS THEIR INTRODUCER.
Harris, afterwards Earl of Malmesbury, succeeded Mitchell at Berlin; "Polish troubles" (heartily indifferent to
England), "Dantzig squabbles" (miraculously important there),nothing worth the least mention now.
Excellency Harris quitted Berlin in Autumn, 1776; gave place to an Excellency Hugh Elliot (one of the Minto
Elliots, Brother of the first Earl of Minto, and himself considerably noted in the world), of whom we have a
few words to say.
Elliot has been here since April, 1777; stays some five years in this post;with not much Diplomatic
employment, I should think, but with a style of general bearing and social physiognomy, which, with some
procedures partly incidental as well, are still remembered in Berlin. Something of spying, too, doubtless there
was; bribing of menials, opening of Letters: I believe a great deal of that went on; impossible to prevent
under the carefulest of Kings. [An ingenious young Friend of mine, connected with Legationary Business,
found lately, at the Hague, a consecutive Series, complete for four or five years (I think, from 1780 onwards),
of Friedrich's LETTERS to his MINISTER IN LONDON,Copies punctually filched as they went through
the Postoffice there: specimens of which I saw; and the whole of which I might have seen, had it been
worth the effort necessary. But Friedrich's London Minister, in this case, was a person of no significance or
intimacy; and the King's Letters, though strangely exact, clear and even elucidative on English CourtPolitics
and vicissitudes, seemed to be nearly barren as to Prussian.] Hitherto, with one exception to be mentioned
presently, his main business seems to have been that of introducing, on different CourtDays, a great number
of Travelling English, who want to see the King, and whom the King little wants, but quietly submits to.
Incoherent Sherlock, whom we discover to have been of the number, has, in his tawdry disjointed Book, this
Passage:
"The last time of my seeing him [this HeroKing of my heart] was at Berlin [not a hint of the time when]. He
came thither to receive the adieus of the Baron de Swieten, Minister from their Imperial Majesties [thank
you; that means 8th October, 1777 [Rodenbeck, iii. 172.]], and to give audience to the new Minister, the
Count Cobenzl. The Foreign Ministers, the persons who were to be presented [we, for instance], and the
Military, were all that were at Court. We were ten English [thirteen by tale]: the King spoke to the first and
the last; not on account of their situation, but because their names struck him. The first was Major Dalrymple.
To him the King said: 'You have been presented to me before?' 'I ask your Majesty's pardon; it was my Uncle'
(Lord Dalrymple, of whom presently). Mr. Pitt [unknown to me which Pitt, subsequent Lord Camelford or
another] was the last. THE KING: 'Are you a relation of Lord Chatham's?' 'Yes, Sire.''He is a man whom I
highly esteem' [read "esteemed"].
"He then went to the Foreign Ministers; and talked more to Prince Dolgorucki, the Russian Ambassador, than
to any other. In the midst of his conversation with this Prince, he turned abruptly to Mr. Elliot, the English
Minister, and asked: 'What is the Duchess of Kingston's family name?' This transition was less Pindaric than
it appears; he had just been speaking of the Court of Petersburg, and that Lady was then there." [Sherlock, ii.
27.] Whereupon Sherlock hops his ways again; leaving us considerably uncertain. But, by a curious accident,
here, at firsthand, is confirmation of the flighty creature;a Letter from Excellency Elliot himself having
come our way:
TO WILLIAM EDEN, ESQUIRE (of the Foreign Office, London; Elliot's Brotherinlaw; afterwards
LORD AUCKLAND).
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"BERLIN, 12th October, 1777.
"MY DEAR EDEN,If you are waiting upon the pinnacle of all impatience to give me news from the
Howes [out on their then famous "Seizure of Philadelphia," which came to what we know!], I am waiting
with no less impatience to receive it, and think every other subject too little interesting to be mentioned. I
must, however, tell you, the King has been here; ["Came to Berlin 8th October," on the VanSwieten errand;
"saw Princess Amelia twice; and on the 9th returned to Potsdam" (Rodenbeck, iii. 172).] to the astonishment
of all croakers, hearty and in high spirits. He was very civil to all of us. I was attended by one dozen English,
which nearly completes my halfhundred this season. Pitt made one of the twelve, and was particularly
distinguished. KING: "Monsieur estil parent de Mylord Chatham?' PITT: 'Oui, Sire.' KING: 'C'est un
homme que j'ai beaucoup estime.'
"You have no idea of the joy the people expressed to see the King on Horseback,all the Grubstreet
nonsense of 'a Country groaning under the weight of its burdens,' of 'a Nation governed with a rod of iron,'
vanished before the sincere acclamations of all ranks, who joined in testifying their enthusiasm for their great
Monarch. I long for Harris and Company [Excellency Harris; making for Russia, I believe]; they are to pig
together in my house; so that I flatter myself with having a near view, if not a taste, of connubial joys. My
love to E and _e_ [your big _E_leanor and your LITTLE, a baby in arms, who are my Sister and
Niece;pretty, this!]. Your most affectionate, H. E.
"P.S. I quite forgot to tell you, I sent out a servant some time ago to England to bring a couple of Horses. He
will deliver some Packets to you; which I beg you will send, with Lord Marischal's compliments, to their
respective Addresses. There is also a china cup for Mr. Macnamara, Lawyer, in the Temple or Lincoln's Inn,
from the same person [lively old gentleman, age 91 gone; did die next year]. What does Eleanor mean about
my Congratulatory Letter to Lord Suffolk [our Foreign Secretary, on his marriage lately]? I wished his
Lordship, most sincerely, every happiness in his new state, as soon as I knew of it. I beg, however, Eleanor
will do the like;and although it is not my system to 'congratulate' anybody upon marriage, yet I never fail
to wish them what, I think, it is always two to one they do not obtain." [EDENHOUSE
CORRESPONDENCE (part of which, not this, has been published in late years).]
As to the Dalrymple of SHERLOCK, read this (FRIEDRICH TO D'ALEMBERT, two years before
[ OEuvres de Frederic, xxv. 21: 5th August, 1775.]): ... "A Mylord of wonderful name [Lord Dalrymple, if I
could remember it], of amiable genius (AU NOM BAROQUE, A L'ESPRIT AIMABLE), gave me a Letter
on your part. 'Ah, how goes the Prince of Philosophers, then? Is he gay; is he busy; did you see him often?'
To which the Mylord: 'I? No; I am straight from London!'""QUOI DONC?" In short, knowing my
Anaxagoras, this Mylord preferred to be introduced by him; and was right: "One of the amiablest Englishmen
I have seen; I except only the name, which I shall never remember [but do, on this new occasion]: Why
doesn't he get himself unchristened of it, and take that of Stair, which equally belongs to him?" (Earl of Stair
by and by; Nephew, or GrandNephew, of the great Earl of Stair, once so well known to some of us.
Becomes English Minister here in 1785, if we much cared.)
That word of reminiscence about Pitt is worth more attention. Not spoken lightly, but with meaning and
sincerity; something almost pathetic in it, after the sixteen years separation: "A man whom I much
esteemed,"and had good reason to do so! Pitt's subsequent sad and bright fortunes, from the end of the
SevenYears War and triumphant summing up of the JENKINS'SEAR QUESTION, are known to readers.
His BurtonPynsent meed of honor (Estate of 3,000 pounds a year bequeathed him by an aged Patriot, "Let
THIS bit of England go a noble road!"); his lofty silences, in the World Political; his vehement attempts in it,
when again asked to attempt, all futile,with great pain to him, and great disdain from him:his passionate
impatiences on minor matters, "laborers [ornamenting BurtonPynsent Park, in Somersetshire] planting trees
by torchlight;" "kitchen people [at Hayes in North Kent, House still to be seen] roasting a series of chickens,
chicken after chicken all day, that at any hour, within ten minutes, my Lord may dine!"these things dwell
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in the memory of every worthy reader. Here, saved from my poor friend Smelfungus (nobody knows how
much of him I suppress), is a brief jotting, in the form of rough MEMORANDA, if it be permissible:
"Pitt four years King; lost in quicksands after that; off to Bath, from gout, from semiinsanity; 'India should
pay, but how?' Lost in GeneralWarrants, in Wilkes Controversies, American Revolts, generally, in
shallow quicksands;dies at his post, but his post had become a delirious one.
"A delicate, proud, noble man; pure as refined gold. Something sensitive, almost feminine in him; yet with an
edge, a fire, a steadiness; liker Friedrich, in some fine principal points, than any of his Contemporaries. The
one King England has had, this King of Four Years, since the Constitutional system set in. Oliver Cromwell,
yes indeed,but he died, and there was nothing for it but to hang his body on the gallows. Dutch William,
too, might have been considerable,but he was Dutch, and to us proved to be nothing. Then again, so long
as Sarah Jennings held the Queen's Majesty in bondage, some gleams of Kinghood for us under
Marlborough:after whom Noodleism and Somnambulism, zero on the back of zero, and all our Affairs,
temporal, spiritual and eternal, jumbling at random, which we call the Career of Freedom, till Pitt stretched
out his hand upon them. For four years; never again, he; never again one resembling him,nor indeed can
ever be.
"Never, I should think. Pitts are not born often; this Pitt's ideas could occur in the History of Mankind once
only. Stranger theory of society, completely believed in by a clear, sharp and altogether human head,
incapable of falsity, was seldom heard of in the world. For King: open your mouth, let the first gentleman that
falls into it (a mass of Hanover stolidity, stupidity, foreign to you, heedless of you) be King: Supreme
Majesty he, with hypothetical decorations, dignities, solemn appliances, high as the stars (the whole, except
the money, a mendacity, and sin against Heaven): him you declare SentofGod, supreme Captain of your
England; and having done so,tie him up (according to Pitt) with Constitutional straps, so that he cannot stir
hand or foot, for fear of accidents: in which state he is fully cooked; throw me at his Majesty's feet, and let
me bless Heaven for such a Pillar of Cloud by day.
"Pitt, closely as I could scrutinize, seems never to have doubted in his noble heart but he had some reverence
for George II. 'Reverenced his Office,' says a simple reader? Alas, no, my friend, man does not 'reverence
Office,' but only shamreverences it. I defy him to reverence anything but a Man filling an Office (with or
without salary) nobly. Filling a noble office ignobly; doing a celestial task in a quietly infernal manner? It
were kinder perhaps to run your sword through him (or through yourself) than to take to revering him! If
inconvenient to slay him or to slay yourself (as is oftenest likely),keep well to windward of him; be not,
without necessity, partaker of his adventures in this extremely earnest Universe! ...
"No; Nature does not produce many Pitts:nor will any Pitt ever again apply in Parliament for a career.
'Your voices, your most sweet voices; ye melodious torrents of Gadarenes Swine, galloping rapidly down
steep places, I, for one; know whither I'" ... Enough.
About four months before this time, Elliot had done a feat, not in the Diplomatic line at all, or by his own
choice at all, which had considerably astonished the Diplomatic world at Berlin, and was doubtless well in
the King's thoughts during this introduction of the Dozen. The American War is raging and blundering
along,a delectable Lord George Germaine (ALIAS Sackville, no other than our old Minden friend)
managing as WarMinister, others equally skilful presiding at the Parliamentary helm; all becoming worse
and worse off, as the matter proceeds. The revolted Colonies have their Franklins, Lees, busy in European
Courts: "Help us in our noble struggle, ye European Courts;, now is your chance on tyrannous England!" To
which France at least does appear to be lending ear. Lee, turned out from Vienna, is at work in Berlin, this
while past; making what progress is uncertain to some people.
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I know not whether it was by my Lord Suffolk's instigation, or what had put the Britannic Cabinet on such an
idea,perhaps the stolen Letters of Friedrich, which show so exact a knowledge of the current of events in
America as well as England ("knows every step of it, as if he were there himself, the ArchEnemy of honest
neighbors in a time of stress!")but it does appear they had got it into their sagacious heads that the bad
neighbor at Berlin was, in effect, the ArchEnemy, probably mainspring of the whole matter; and that it
would be in the highest degree interesting to see clearly what Lee and he had on hand. Order thereupon to
Elliot: "Do it, at any price;" and finally, as mere price will not answer, "Do it by any method,STEAL Lee's
DespatchBox for us!"
Perhaps few Excellencies living had less appetite for such a job than Elliot; but his Orders were peremptory,
"Lee is a rebel, quasioutlaw; and you must!" Elliot thereupon took accurate survey of the matter; and rapidly
enough, and with perfect skill, though still a novice in Berlin affairs, managed to do it. Privily hired, or made
his servant hire, the chief Housebreaker or Pickpocket in the City: "Lee lodges in such and such a Hostelry;
bring us his RedBox for a thirty hours; it shall be well worth your while!" And in brief space the RedBox
arrives, accordingly; a score or two of readywriters waiting for it, who copy all day, all night, at the top of
their speed, till they have enough: which done, the Lee RedBox is left on the stairs of the Lee Tavern; Box
locked again, and complete; only the FriedrichLee Secrets completely pumped out of it, and now rushing
day and night towards England, to illuminate the Supreme CouncilBoard there.
This astonishing mass of papers is still extant in England; [In the EDENHOUSE ARCHIVES; where a
natural delicacy (unaware that the questionable Legationary FACT stands in print for so many years past) is
properly averse to any promulgation of them.]the outside of them I have seen, by no means the inside, had
I wished it;but am able to say from other sources, which are open to all the world, that seldom had a
Supreme CouncilBoard procured for itself, by improper or proper ways, a Discovery of less value!
Discovery that Lee has indeed been urgent at Berlin; and has raised in Friedrich the question, "Have you got
to such a condition that I can, with safety and advantage, make a Treaty of Commerce with you?"That his
Minister Schulenburg has, by Order, been investigating Lee on that head; and has reported, "No, your
Majesty, Lee and People are not in such a condition;" that his Majesty has replied, "Well, let him wait till
they are;" and that Lee is waiting accordingly. In general, That his Majesty is not less concerned in guidance
or encouragement of the American War than he is in ditto of the Atlantic Tides or of the EastWind (though
he does keep barometers and meteorological apparatus by him); and that we of the Council Board are
awhat shall I say! Not since the case of poor Dr. Cameron, in 1753, when Friedrich was to have joined the
Highlanders with 15,000 chosen Prussians for Jacobite purposes,and the Cham of Tartary to have taken
part in the Bangorian Controversy,was there a more perfect platitude, or a deeper depth of ignorance as to
adjacent objects on the part of Governing Men. For shame, my friends!
This surprising bit of Burglary, so far as I can gather from the Prussian Books, must have been done on
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25th, 1777; Box (with essence pumped out) restored to staircase night of
Thursday,Police already busy, Governor Ramin and Justice President Philippi already apprised, and
suspicion falling on the English Minister,whose Servant ("Arrest him we cannot without a King's Warrant,
only procurable at Potsdam!") vanishes bodily. Friday, 27th, Ramin and Philippi make report; King answers,
"greatly astonished:" a "GARSTIGE SACHE (ugly Business), which will do the English no honor:" "Servant
fled, say you? Trace it to the bottom; swift!" Excellency Elliot, seeing how matters lay, owned honestly to the
Official People, That it was his Servant (Servant safe gone, Chief Pickpocket not mentioned at all);
SUNDAY EVENING, 29th, King orders thereupon, "Let the matter drop." These Official Pieces, signed by
the King, by Hertzberg, Ramin and others, we do not give: here is Friedrich's own notice of it to his Brother
Henri:
"POTSDAM, 29th JUNE, 1777. ... There has just occurred a strange thing at Berlin. Three days ago, in
absence of the Sieur Lee, Envoy of the American Colonies, the Envoy of England went [sent!] to the Inn
where Lee lodged, and carried off his Portfolio; it seems he was in fear, however, and threw it down, without
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Page No 1621
opening it, on the stairs [alas, no, your Majesty, not till after pumping the essence out]. All Berlin is talking
of it. If one were to act with rigor, it would be necessary to forbid this man the Court, since he has committed
a public theft: but, not to make a noise, I suppress the thing. Sha'n't fail, however, to write to England about
it, and indicate that there was another way of dealing with such a matter, for they are impertinent" (say,
ignorant, blind as moles, your Majesty; that is the charitable reading!). [ OEuvres de Frederic, xxvi. 394. In
PREUSS, v. (he calls it "iv." or "URKUNDENBUCH to vol. iv.," but it is really and practically vol. v.) 278,
279, are the various Official Reports.]
This was not Excellency Elliot's Burglary, as readers see,among all the Excellencies going, I know not that
there is one with less natural appetite for such a job; but sometimes what can a necessitous Excellency do?
Elliot is still remembered in Berlin society, not for this only, but for emphatic things of a better complexion
which he did; a man more justly estimated there, than generally here in our time. Here his chief fame rests on
a witty Anecdote, evidently apocryphal, and manufactured in the London Clubs: "Who is this HyderAli,"
said the old King to him, one day (according to the London Clubs). "Hm," answered Elliot, with exquisite
promptitude, politeness and solidity of information, "C'EST UN VIEUX VOLEUR QUI COMMENCE A
RADOTER (An old robber, now falling into his dotage),"let his dotard Majesty take that.
Alas, my friends!Ignorance by herself is an awkward lumpish wench; not yet fallen into vicious courses,
nor to be uncharitably treated: but Ignorance and Insolence,these are, for certain, an unlovely Mother and
Bastard! Yes;and they may depend upon it, the grim Parishbeadles of this Universe are out on the track
of them, and oakum and the correctionhouse are infallible sooner or later! The clever Elliot, who knew a
hawk from a hernshaw, never floundered into that platitude. This, however, is a joke of his, better or worse (I
think, on his quitting Berlin in 1782, without visible resource or outlook): "I am far from having a
SansSouci," writes he to the Edens; "and I think I am coming to be SANS SIXSOUS."Here still are two
small Fractions, which I must insert; and then rigorously close. Kaiser Joseph, in these months, is travelling
through France to instruct his Imperial mind. The following is five weeks anterior to that of Lee's
RedBox:
1. A BIT OF DIALOGUE AT PARIS (Saturday, 17th May, 1777). After solemn Session of the ACADEMIE
FRANCAISE, held in honor of an illustrious COMTE DE FALKENSTEIN (privately, Kaiser Joseph II.),
who has come to look at France, [Minute and rather entertaining Account of his procedures there, and
especially of his two Visits to the Academy (first was May 10th), in Mayer, Reisen Josephs II. (Leipzig,
1778), pp. 112132, 147 et seq.]Comte de Falkenstein was graciously pleased to step up to D'Alembert,
who is Perpetual Secretary here; and this little Dialogue ensued:
FALKENSTEIN. "I have heard you are for Germany this season; some say you intend to become German
altogether?"
D'ALEMBERT. "I did promise myself the high honor of a visit to his Prussian Majesty, who has deigned to
invite me, with all the kindness possible: but, alas, for such hopes! The bad state of my health"
FALKENSTEIN. "It seems to me you have already been to see the King of Prussia?"
D'ALEMBERT. "Two times; once in 1756 [1755, 17th19th June,if you will be exact], at Wesel, when I
remained only a few days; and again in 1763, when I had the honor to pass three or four months with him.
Since that time I have always longed to have the honor of seeing his Majesty again; but circumstances
hindered me. I, above all, regretted not to have been able to pay my court to him that year he saw the
Emperor at Neisse,but at this moment there is nothing more to be wished on that head" (Don't bow: the
Gentleman is INCOGNITO).
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FALKENSTEIN. "It was very natural that the Emperor, young, and desiring to instruct himself, should wish
to see such a Prince as the King of Prussia; so great a Captain, a Monarch of such reputation, and who has
played so great a part. It was a Scholar going to see his Master" (these are his very words, your Majesty).
D'ALEMBERT. "I wish M. le Comte de Falkenstein could see the Letters which the King of Prussia did me
the honor to write after that Interview: it would then appear how this Prince judged of the Emperor, as all the
world has since done." ["D'Alembert to Friedrich [in OEuvres de Frederic, xxv. 75], 23d May, 1777." Ib.
xxv. 82; "13th August, 1777."]
KING TO D'ALEMBERT (three months after. Kaiser is home; passed Ferney, early in August; and did not
call on Voltaire, as is well known). ... "I hear the Comte de Falkenstein has been seeing harbors, arsenals,
ships, manufactures, and has n't seen Voltaire. Had I been in the Emperor's place, I would not have passed
Ferney without a glance at the old Patriarch, were it only to say that I had seen and heard him. Arsenals,
ships, manufactures, these you can see anywhere; but it requires ages to produce a Voltaire. By the rumors I
hear, it will have been a certain great Lady Theresa, very Orthodox and little Philosophical, who forbade her
Son to visit the Apostle of Tolerance."
D'ALEMBERT (in answer): "No doubt your Majesty's guess is right. It must have been the Lady Mother.
Nobody here believes that the advice came from his Sister [Queen Marie Antoinette], who, they say, is full of
esteem for the Patriarch, and has more than once let him know it by third parties." [ OEuvres de Frederic,
xxv. 84.]
According to Friedrich, Joseph's reflections in France were very gloomy: "This is all one Country;
strenuously kneaded into perfect union and incorporation by the Old Kings: my discordant Romish Reich is
of many Countries,and should be of one, if Sovereigns were wise and strenuous!" [ OEuvres de Frederic,
vi. 125.]
2. A CABINETORDER AND ACTUAL (facsimile) SIGNATURE OF FRIEDRICH'S.After unknown
travels over the world, this poor brown Bit of Paper, with a Signature of Friedrich's to it, has wandered hither;
and I have had it copied, worthy or not. A Royal Cabinet Order on the smallest of subjects; but perhaps all
the more significant on that account; and a Signature which readers may like to see.
Fordan, or Fordon, is in the Bromberg Department in West Preussen, Bromberg no longer a heap of ruins;
but a lively, newbuilt, paved, CANALLED and industrious trading Town. At Fordan is a Grain Magazine:
Bein ("Leg," DER BEIN, as they slightingly call him) is ProviantMaster there; and must consider his
ways,the King's eye being on him. Readers can now look and understand:
AN DEN OBERPROVIANTMEISTER BEIN, zu Fordan.
"POTSDAM, den 9ten April, 1777.
"Seiner Koniglicher Majestat von Preussen, Unser allergnadigster Herr, lassen dem OberProviantmeister
Bein hiebey die GetraidePreistabelle des Brombergschen Departments zufertigen; Woraus derselbe
ersiehet wie niedrig solche an einigen Orthen sind, und dass zu Inovraclaw und Strezeltnow der Scheffel
Roggen um 12 Groschen kostet: da solches nun hier so wohlfeil ist, somuss ja der Preis in Pohlen noch wohl
geringer, und ist daher nicht abzusehen warum die Pohlen auf so hohe Preise bestehen; der Bein muss sich
daher nun rechte Muhe gebem, und den Einkauf so wohlfeil als nur immer moglich zu machen suchen."
"His Royal Majesty of Preussen, Our most allgracious Lord, lets herewith, to the Head ProviantMaster
Bein, the GrainPrices Table of the Bromberg Department be despatched; Wherefrom Bein perceives how
low in some places these are, and that, at Inovraclaw and Strezeltnow the Bushel of Rye costs about 14
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Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES. 1614
Page No 1623
Pence: now, as it is so cheap there, the price in Poland must be still smaller; and therefore it is not to be
conceived why the Poles demand such high prices," as the said Bein reports: "Bein therefore is charged to
take especial pains, and try not to make the purchase dearer than is indispensable."
Original kindly furnished me by Mr. W. H. Doeg, Barlow Moor, Manchester: whose it now is,purchased in
London, A.D. 1863. The FRH of German CURSIVSCHRIFT (current hand), which the woodcutter has
appended, shut off by a square, will show English readers what the King means: an "Frh" done as by a
flourish of one's stick, in the most compendious and really ingenious manner,suitable for an economic
King, who has to repeat it scores of times every day of his life!
Chapter VI. THE BAVARIAN WAR.
At the very beginning of 1778, the chronic quarrel with Austria passed, by an accident just fallen out, into the
acute state; rose gradually, and, in spite of negotiating, issued in a thing called BavarianSuccession War,
which did not end till Spring of the following year. The accident was this. At Munchen, December 30th,
1777, Max Joseph Kurfurst of Baiern, only Brother of our lively friend the ElectressDowager of Saxony,
died; suddenly, of smallpox unskilfully treated. He was in his fiftysecond year; childless, the last of that
Bavarian branch. His Heir is Karl Theodor, KurPfalz (Elector Palatine), who is now to unite the Two
Electorates,unless Austria can bargain with him otherwise. Austria's desire to get hold of Baiern is of very
old standing; and we have heard lately how much it was an object with Kaunitz and his young Kaiser. With
Karl Theodor they did bargain,in fact, had beforehand as good as bargained,and were greatly
astonished, when King Friedrich, alone of all Teutschland or the world, mildly, but peremptorily, interfered,
and said No,with effect, as is well known.
Something, not much, must be said of this BavarianSuccession War; which occupied, at a pitch of tension
and anxiety foreign to him for a long time, fifteen months of Friedrich's old age (January, 1778March,
1779); and filled all Europe round him and it, in an extraordinary manner. Something; by no means much,
now that we have seen the issue of such mountains all in travail. Nobody could then say but it bade fair to
become a Fourth AustrianPrussian War, as sanguinary as the SevenYears had been; for in effect there
stood once more the Two Nations ranked against each other, as if for mortal duel, near half a million men in
whole; parleying indeed, but brandishing their swords, and ever and anon giving mutual clash of fence, as if
the work had begun, though there always intervened new parleying first.
And now everybody sees that the work never did begin; that parleying, enforced by brandishing, turned out to
be all the work there was: and everybody has forgotten it, and, except for specific purposes, demands not to
be put in mind of it. Mountains in labor were not so frequent then as now, when the Penny Newspaper has got
charge of them; though then as now to practical people they were a nuisance. Mountains all in terrific travail
throes, threatening to overset the solar system, have always a charm, especially for the more foolish classes:
but when once the birth has taken place, and the wretched mouse ducks past you, or even nothing at all can be
seen to duck past, who is there but impatiently turns on his heel?
Those Territories, which adjoin on its own dominions, would have been extremely commodious to
Austria;as Austria itself has long known; and by repeatedly attempting them on any chance given (as in
17411745, to go no farther back), has shown how well it knows. Indeed, the whole of Bavaria fairly
incorporated and made Austrian, what an infinite convenience would it be!
"Do but look on the Map [this Note is not by Busching, but by somebody of Austrian tendencies]: you would
say, Austria without Bavaria is like a Human Figure with its belly belonging to somebody else. Bavaria is the
trunk or belly of the Austrian Dominions, shutting off all the limbs of them each from the other; making for
central part a huge chasm.
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Chapter VI. THE BAVARIAN WAR. 1615
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"OberPfalz,which used to be KurPfalz's, which is Bavaria's since we took it from the WinterKing and
bestowed it in that way, OberPfalz, the country of Amberg, where Maillebois once pleased to make
invasion of us;does not it adjoin on the Bohemian Forest? The RIBS there, Bohemian all, up to the
shoulder, are ours: but the shoulderblade and left arm, whose are they! Austria Proper and Hungary, these
may be taken as sittingpart and lower limbs, ample and fleshy; but see, just above the pelvis, on the south
side, how Bavaria and its Tyrol sticks itself in upon Austria, who fancied she also had a Tyrol, and far the
more important one. Our Tyrol, our Styria, Carniola, Carinthia,Bavaria blocks these in. Then the Swabian
Austria,Breisach, and those UpperRhine Countries, from which we invade France,we cannot reach
them except through Bavarian ground. Swabian Austria should be our right arm, fingers of it reaching into
Switzerland; OberPfalz our left:and as to the broad breast between these two; left arm and broad breast
are Bavaria's, not ours. Of the Netherlands, which might be called geographically the head of Austria, alas,
the long neck, Lorraine, was once ours; but whose is it? Irrecoverable for the present, perhaps may not
always be so!"
These are Kaunitz's ideas; and the young Kaiser has eagerly adopted them as the loadstar of his life. "Make
the Reich a reality again," thinks the Kaiser (good, if only possible, think we too); "make Austria great;
Austria is the Reich, how else can the Reich be real?"
In practical politics these are rather wild ideas; but they are really Kaunitz's and his Kaiser's; and were
persisted in long after this Bavarian matter got its check: and as a whole, they got repeated checks; being
impossible all, and far from the meaning of a Time big with French Revolution, and with quite other things
than worldgreatness to Austria, and rejuvenescence on such or on any terms to the poor old Holy Roman
Reich, which had been a wiggery so long. Nobody could guess of what it was that France or the world might
be with child: nobody, till the birth in 1789, and even for a generation afterwards. France is weakly and
unwieldy, has strange enough longings for chalky, inky, visionary, foolish substances, and may be in the
familyway for aught we know.
To Kaunitz it is pretty clear that France will not stand in his path in this fine little Bavarian business; which is
all he cares for at present. England in war with its Colonies; Russia attentive to its Turk; foreign Nations,
what can they do but talk; remonstrate more or less, as they did in the case of Poland; and permit the thing
with protest? Only from one Sovereign Person, and from him I should guess not much, does Kaunitz expect
serious opposition: from Friedrich of Prussia; to whom no enlargement of Austria can be matter of
indifference. "But cannot we perhaps make it worth his while?" thinks Kaunitz: "Tush, he is old and broken;
thought to be dying; has an absolute horror of war. He too will sit quiet; or we must make it worth his while."
In this calculation Kaunitz deceived himself; we are now shortly to see how.
Kaunitz's Case, when he brings it before the Reich, and general Public of mankind and its Gazetteers, will by
no means prove to be a strong one. His Law "TITLE" is this:
"Archduke Albert V., of Austria, subsequently Kaiser Albert II., had married Elizabeth, only Daughter of
Kaiser Sigismund SUPER GRAMMATICAM: Albert is he who got three crowns in one year, Hungary,
Bohemia, Romish Reich; and 'we hope a fourth,' say the Old Historians, 'which was a heavenly and eternal
one,'died, in short (1439, age forty). From him come the now Kaisers.
"In 1426, thirteen years before this event of the Crowns, Sigismund GRAMMATICAM had infeoffed him in
a thing still of shadowy nature, the Expectancy of a Straubingen Princedom; pleasant extensive District,
only not yet fallen, or like falling vacant: 'You shall inherit, you and yours (who are also my own), so soon as
this present line of Wittelsbachers die!' said Kaiser Sigismund, solemnly, in two solemn sheepskins. 'Not a
whit of it,' would the Wittelsbachers have answered, had they known of the affair. 'When we die out, there is
another Line of Wittelsbachers, plenty of other lines; and Housetreaties many and old, settling all that,
without help of you and Albert of the Three Crowns!' And accordingly there had never come the least fruit, or
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attempt at fruit, from these two Sigismund Sheepskins; which were still lying in the Vienna Archives, where
they had lain since the creation of them, known to an Antiquary or two, but not even by them thought worthy
of mention in this busy world. This was literally all the claim that Austria had; and every bystander admitted
it to be, in itself, not worth a rush."
"In itself perhaps not," thought Kaunitz; "but the free consent of Karl Theodor the Heir, will not that be a
Title in full? One would hope so; in the present state of Europe: France, England, Russia, every Nation
weltering overhead in its own troubles and affairs, little at leisure for ours!" And it is with Karl Theodor, to
make out a full Title for himself there, that Kaunitz has been secretly busy this long time back, especially in
the late critical days of poor Kurfurst Max.
Karl Theodor of the Pfalz, now fallen Heir to Baiern, is a poor idle creature, of purely egoistic, ornamental,
dilettante nature; sunk in theatricals, bastard children and the like; much praised by Voltaire, who sometimes
used to visit him; and by Collini, to whom he is a kind master. Karl Theodor cares little for the integrity of
Baiern, much for that of his own skin. Very long ago, in 1742, in poor Kaiser Karl's Coronation time, we saw
him wedded, him and another, to two fair Sister Sulzbach Princesses, [Supra, viii. 119.] Granddaughters of
old Karl Philip, the then KurPfalz, whom he has inherited. It was the last act of that neverresting old Karl
Philip, of whom we used to hear so much: "Karl Theodor to have one of my inestimable Granddaughters;
Duke Clement, younger Brother of our blessed new Kaiser, to have another; thereby we unite the kindred
branches of the PfalzBaiern Families, and make the assurance of the Heritages doubly sure!" said old Karl
Philip; and died happy, or the happiest he could.
Readers no doubt have forgotten this circumstance; and, in their total lack of interest in Karl Theodor and his
paltry affairs, may as well be reminded of it;and furthermore, that these brilliant young Wives, "Duchess
Clement" especially, called on Wilhelmina during the Frankfurt Gayeties, and were a charm to Kaiser Karl
Albert, striving to look forward across clouds into a glittering future for his House. Theodor's Princess
brought him no children; she and her Sister are both still living; a lone woman the latter (Duke Clement dead
these seven years),a still more lone the former, with such a Husband yet living! Lone women both, well
forward in the fifties; active souls, I should guess, at least to judge by Duchess Clement, who being a
Dowager, and mistress of her movements, is emphatic in denouncing such disaster and disgrace; and plays a
great part, at Munchen, in the agitating scenes now on hand. Comes out "like a noble Amazon," say the
admiring by standers, on this occasion; stirs whatever faculty she has, especially her tongue; and goes on
urging, pushing and contriving all she can, regardless of risks in such an imminency.
Karl Theodor finds his Heritages indisputable; but he has no Legitimate Son to leave them to; and has many
Illegitimate, whom Austria can provide for,and richly will. His Heir is a Nephew, Karl August Christian,
of Zweibruck; whom perhaps it would not be painful to him to disappoint a little of his high expectations. On
the whole, Peace; plentiful provision, titular and other, for his Illegitimates; and a comfortable sum of ready
money over, to enliven the Theatricals, Dusseldorf PictureGalleries and Dilettante operations and
Collections,how much welcomer to Theodor than a Baiern never so religiously saved entire at the expense
of quarrel, which cannot but be tedious, troublesome and dangerous! Honor, indeedbut what, to an old
stager in the dilettante line, is honor? Old stagers there are who will own to you, like Balzac's Englishman in
a case of conflagration, when honor called on all men to take their buckets, "MAIS JE N'AI POINT
D'HONNEUR!" To whom, unluckily, you cannot answer as in that case, "C'EST EGAL, 'T is all one; do as if
you had some!" Karl Theodor scandalously left Baiern to its fate.
Karl Theodor's Heir, poor August Christian of Zweibruck, had of course his own gloomy thoughts on this
parcelling of his Bavarian reversion: but what power has he? None, he thinks, but to take the inevitable
patiently. Nor generally in the Princes of the Reich, though one would have thought them personally
concerned, were it only for danger of a like mistreatment, was there any emotion publicly expressed, or the
least hope of help. "Perhaps Prussia will quarrel about it?" think they: "Austria, Prussia, in any of their
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quarrels we get only crushed; better to keep out of it. We well out of it, the more they quarrel and fight, the
better for us!" England, in the shape of Hanover, would perhaps have made some effort to interfere, provided
France did: on either side, I incline to think,that is to say, on the side opposite to France. But poor England
is engaged with its melancholy American War; France on the point of breaking out into Alliance with the
Insurrection there. Neither France nor England did interfere. France is sinking into bankruptcy; intent to have
a Navy before most things; to assist the Cause of Human Liberty over seas withal, and become a sublime
spectacle, and a ruin to England,not as in the PittChoiseul time, but by that improved method. Russia,
again involved in Turk business, looks on, with now and then a big word thrown out on the one side and the
other.Munchen, in the interval, we can fancy what an agitated City! One Note says:
"Kurfurst Max Joseph being dead (30th December, 1777), Privy Councillor Johann Euchar von Obermayr,
favorite and factotum Minister of the Deceased, opened the Chatoulle [Princely Safe, or Case of Preciosities];
took from it the Act, which already lay prepared, for Homaging and solemn Instalment of Karl Theodor
KurPfalz, as heir of Baiern; with immediate intent to execute the same. Euchar orders strict closure of the
Towngates; the Soldiery to draw out, and beset all streets,especially that street where Imperial Majesty's
Ambassador lives: 'Rank close with your backs to that House,' orders Euchar; 'and the instant anybody stirs to
come out, sound your drums, and, at the same instant, let the rearmost rank of you, without looking round
[for one would not give offence, unless imperative] smite the butts of their muskets to the ground' (ready for
firing, IF imperative). Nobody, I think, stirred out from that Austrian Excellency's House; in any case,
Obermayr completed his Act without the least protest or trouble from anybody; and Karl Theodor, almost to
his terror [for he meant to sell, and satisfy Austria, by no means to resist or fight, the paltry old creature,
careful of self and skin only], saw himself solemnly secured by all forms of law in all the Lands of the
Deceased. [Fischer, Geschichte Friedrichs des Zweiten (Halle, 1787), ii. 358.]
"Kaiser Joseph, in a fume at this, shot off an express to Bohemia: 'Such and such regiments, ten or twelve of
you, with your artillery and tools, march instantly into Straubingen, and occupy that Town and District.' At
Vienna, to the KarlTheodor Ambassador, the Kaunitz Officials were altogether loudvoiced, minatory:
'What is this, Herr Excellenz? Bargain already made; lying ready for mere signature; and at Munchen such
doings. Sign this Bargain, or there cross your frontier 60,000 Austrian men, and seize both Baiern and the
OberPfalz; bethink you, Herr!' The poor Herr bethought him, what could he do? signed the Bargain, Karl
Theodor sanctioning, 3d January, 1778,the fourth day after Obermayr's Homaging feat;and completes
the first act of this bad business. The Bargain, on Theodor's side, was of the most liberal kind: All and sundry
the Lands and Circles of Duke Johann of Straubingen, Lordship of Mindelheim [Marlborough's old Place]
superadded, and I know not what else; Sovereignty of the Fiefs in OberPfalz to lapse to the Crown of
Bohmen on my decease." Half Bavaria, or better; some reckon it as good as twothirds.
The figure of Duchess Clement, Amazon in hairpowder, driviug incessantly about among the officialities
and aristocratic circles; this and the order of "Rattle your muskets on the ground;" let these two features
represent to us the Munchen of those months. Munchen, Regensburg, Vienna are loud with pleading,
protocolling; but it is not there that the crisis of the game will be found to lie.
Friedrich has, for some time back, especially since the late Kur Baiern's illness, understood that Austria,
always eager for a clutch at Baiern, had something of that kind in view; but his first positive news of it was a
Letter from Duchess Clement (date, JANUARY 3d), which, by the detail of facts, unveiled to his quick eye
the true outline, extent and nature of this Enterprise of Austria's; Enterprise which, he could not but agree
with Duchess Clement, was one of great concernment not to Baiern alone. "Must be withstood; prevented, at
whatever risk," thought Friedrich on the instant: "The new Elector, Karl Theodor, he probably is dead to the
matter; but one ought to ask him. If he answer, Dead; then ask his Heir, Have you no life to it?" Heir is a
gallant enough young gentleman, of endless pedigree, but small possessions, "Karl August Christian [Karl II.
in Official style], Duke of ZweibruckBirkenfeld," Karl Theodor's eldest Nephew; Friedrich judges that he
probably will have haggled to sign any Austrian convention for dismembering Baiern, and that he will start
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into life upon it so soon as he sees hope.
"A messenger to him, to Karl Theodor and him," thinks Friedrich: "a messenger instantly; and who?" For that
clearly is the first thing. And a delicate thing it is; requiring to be done in profoundest secrecy, by hint and
innuendo rather than speech; by somebody in a cloak of darkness, who is of adroit quality, and was never
heard of in diplomatic circles before, not to be suspected of having business of mine on hand. Friedrich
bethinks him that in a late visit to Weimar, he had noticed, for his fine qualities, a young gentleman named
Gortz; Eustace von Gortz, [Preuss, iv. 92 n. late Tutor to the young Duke (Karl August, whom readers know
as Goethe's friend): a wise, firm, adroitlooking young gentleman; who was farther interesting as Brother to
LieutenantGeneral von Gortz, a respectable soldier of Friedrich's. ExTutor at Weimar, we say, and idle for
the moment; hanging about Court there, till he should find a new function.
Of this ExTutor Friedrich bethinks him; and in the course of that same day,for there is no
delay,Friedrich, who is at Berlin, beckons General Gortz to come over to him from Potsdam instantly.
"Hither this evening; and in all privacy meet me in the Palace at such an hour" (hour of midnight or thereby);
which of course Gortz, duly invisible to mankind, does. Friedrich explains: An errand to Munchen; perfectly
secret, for the moment, and requiring great delicacy and address; perhaps not without risk, a timorous man
might say: will your Brother go for me, think you? Gortz thinks he will. "Here is his Instruction, if so," adds
the King, handing him an Autograph of the necessary outline of procedure,not signed, nor with any
credential, or even specific address, lest accident happen. "Adieu then, Herr GeneralLieutenant; rule is,
shoes of swiftness, cloak of darkness: adieu!" And Gortz Senior is off on the instant, careering towards
Weimar, where he finds Gortz Junior, and makes known his errand. Gortz Junior stares in the natural
astonishment; but, after some intense brief deliberation, becomes affirmative, and in a minimum of time is
ready and on the road.
Gortz Junior proved to have been an excellent choice on the King's part; and came to good promotion
afterwards by his conduct in this affair. Gortz Junior started for Munchen on the instant, masked utterly, or
his business masked, from profane eyes; saw this person, saw that, and glided swiftly about, swiftly and with
sure aim; and speedily kindled the matter, and had smoke rising in various points. And before January was
out, saw the ReichsDiet at Regensburg, much more the general Gazetteerage everywhere, seized of this
affair, and thrown into paroxysms at the size and complexion of it: saw, in fact, a world getting into flame,
kindled by whom or what nobody could guess, for a long time to come. Gortz had great running about in his
cloak of darkness, and showed abundant talent of the kind needed. A pushing, cleareyed, stouthearted
man; much cleverness and sureness in what he did and forbore to do. His adventures were manifold; he had
much travelling about: was at Regensburg, at Mannheim; saw many persons whom he had to judge of on the
instant, and speak frankly to, or speak darkly, or speak nothing; and he made no mistake. One of his best
counsellors, I gather, was Duchess Clement: of course it was not long till Duchess Clement heard some
inkling of him; till, in some of his goings and comings, he saw Duchess Clement, who hailed him as an angel
of light. In one journey more mysterious than ever, "he was three days invisible in Duchess Clement's
Gardenhouse." "AH, MADAME, QUE N'ETIEZVOUS ELECTEUR, Why were not you Elector!" writes
Friedrich to her once: "We should not have seen those shameful events, which every good German must
blush for, to the bottom of his heart (DONT TOUT BON ALLEMAND DOIT ROUGIR JUSQU'AU FOND
DU COEUR)!" [Preuss, iv. 94.]
We cannot afford the least narrative of Gortz and his courses: imagination, from a few traits, will sufficiently
conceive them. He had gone first to Karl Theodor's Minister: "Dead to it, I fear; has already signed?" Alas,
yes. Upon which to Zweibruck the Heir's Minister; whom his Master had distinctly ordered to sign, but who,
at his own peril, gallant man, delayed, remonstrated, had not yet done it; and was able to answer: "Alive to it,
he? Yes, with a witness, were there hope in the world!"which threw Gortz upon instant gallop towards
Zweibruck Schloss, in search of said Heir, the young Duke August Christian; who, however, had left in the
interim (summoned by his Uncle, on Austrian urgency, to consent along with him); but whom Gortz, by
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dexterity and intuition of symptoms, caught up by the road, with what a mutual joy! As had been expected,
August Christian, on sight of Gortz, with an armed Friedrich looming in the distance, took at once into new
courses and activities. From him, no consent now; far other: Treaty with Friedrich; flat refusal ever to
consent: application to the Reich, application even to France, and whatever a gallant young fellow could do.
It was by Friedrich's order that he applied to France; his younger Brother, Max Joseph, was a soldier there,
and strove to back him in Official and other circles,who were all friendly, even zealous for him; and gave
good words, but had nothing more. This French department of the business was long a delay to Friedrich's
operations: and in result, poor Max's industry there, do what he could, proved rather a minus quantity than
otherwise. A good young man, they say; but not the man to kindle into action horses that are dead,of which
he had experience more than once in time coming. He is the same that, 30 years after, having survived his
childless elder Brother, became King Max, first King of Baiern; begot Ludwig, second King,who, for his
part, has begotten Otho King of Greece, and done other feats still less worth mentioning. August Christian's
behavior is praised as excellent,passively firm and polite; the grand requisite, persistence on your ground
of "No:"but his luck, to find such a Friedrich, and also to find such a Gortz, was the saving clause for him.
Friedrich was in very weak health in these months; still considered by the Gazetteers to be dying. But it
appears he is not yet too weak for taking, on the instant necessary, a worldimportant resolution; and of being
on the road with it, to this issue or to that, at full speed before the day closed. "Desist, good neighbor, I
beseech you. You must desist, and even you shall:" this resolution was entirely his own; as were the equally
prompt arrangements he contrived for executing it, should hard come to hard, and Austria prefer war to doing
justice. "Excellent methods," say the most unfriendly judges, "which must at once have throttled Austria into
compliance, had he been as prompt in executing them; which he by no means was. And there lies his error
and failure; very lamentable, excusable only by decrepitude of body producing weakness and decay of mind."
This is emphatically and wearisomely Schmettau's opinion, [F. W. C. Graf van Schmettau (this is the ELDER
Schmettau's Son, not the DRESDENER'S whom we used to quote), FELDZUG DER PREUSSISCHEN
ARMEE IN BOHMEN IM JAHRE 1778 (Berlin, 1789,simultaneously in French too, with Plans): with
whichas the completest Account by an eager Witness and Participator compare always Friedrich's own
(MEMOIRES DE LA GUERRE DE 1778), in OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 135208. Schoning (vol. iv.), besides
his own loose Narrative, or Summary, has given all the CORRESPONDENCE between Henri and the
King:sufficient to quench the sharpest appetite on this subject.] who looks at it only as a military Adjutant,
intent on honor and rapid feats of war, with how much reason, readers not Prussian or military shall judge
as we go on.
Saxony, we ought to mention, was also aggrieved. The Dowager Electress Maria Antoinette, our sprightly
friend, had, as sole surviving Sister of the late Kurfurst Max, the undoubted heirship of Kurfurst Max's
"allodial properties and territories:" territories, I think, mainly in the OberPfalz (which are NOT Bavaria
Proper, but were acquired in the ThirtyYears War), which are important in value, and which Austria,
regardless of our lively friend, has laid hold of as lapsed fiefs of Bohemia. Clearly Bohemian, says Austria;
and keeps hold. Our lively friend hereupon makes over all her rights in that matter to her Son, the reigning
Elector; with the counsel, if counsel were needed, "Ask protection of King Friedrich; go wholly with King
Friedrich." Mecklenburg too has an interest. Among the lapsed fiefs is one to a Duchy called of
Leuchtenberg;in regard to which, says Mecklenburg, as loud as it can, "That Duchy is not lapsed at all;
that is now mine, witness this Document" (of a valid testamentary nature)! Other claims were put in; but
these three: Zweibruck endlessly important; Saxony important too, though not in such degree; Mecklenburg
unimportant, but just,were alone recognized in impartial quarters as authentic and worthy of notice.
Of the pleadings and procedures in the Reichs Diet no reader would permit me to speak, were I inclined.
Enough to understand that they went on in the usual voluminous dulldroning way, crescendo always; and
deserve, what at present they are sure of, oblivion from all creatures. The important thing was, not those
pleadings in the Reichs Diet, nor the Austrian proposals there or elsewhere; but the brandishing of arms in
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emitting and also in successively answering the same. Answer always No by Friedrich, and some new flash
of handled arms,the physiognomy of which was the one significant point, Austria, which is far from ready
with arms, though at each fresh pleading or proposal it tries to give a kind of brandish, says mainly three
things, in essence somewhat thus. AUSTRIA: "Cannot two States of the Reich come to a mutual
understanding, as Austria and Bavaria have done? And what have third parties to say to it?" FRIEDRICH:
"Much! Parties of the Reich have much to say to it!" (This several times with variations.) AUSTRIA: "Our
rights seem to us valid: Zweibruck, Saxony, Mecklenburg, if aggrieved, can try in the Reichs LawCourts."
FRIEDRICH: "LawCourts!" with a new brandish; that is, sets more regiments on march, from Pommern to
Wesel all on march, to Berlin, to Silesia, towards the Bohemian Frontier. AUSTRIA, by the voice of Kaunitz:
"We will not give up our rights without sentence of Law. We cannot recognize the King of Prussia as
LawJudge in this matter." FRIEDRICH: "The King of Prussia is of the Jury!"
Pulse after pulse, this is something like the course things had, crescendo till, in about three months, they got
to a height which was evidently serious. Nay, in the course of the pleadings it became manifest that on the
Austrian grounds of claim, not Maria Theresa could be heir to Straubingen, but Friedrich himself: "I descend
from ThreeCrown Albert's Daughter," said Maria Theresa. "And I from an elder Daughter of his, and do not
claim!" Friedrich could have answered, but did not; treating such claim all along as merely colorable and
chimerical, not worth attention in serious affairs of fact. Till, at length, after about three months, there comes
a really serious brandish.
SUNDAY, APRIL 5th, 1778, at Berlin, Friedrich holds review of his Army, all assembled, equipped and in
readiness; and (in that upper ParoleRoom of the Schloss) makes this Speech, which, not without extraneous
intention, was printed in the Newspapers:
FRIEDRICH'S SPEECH TO HIS GENERALS. "Gentlemen, I have assembled you here for a public object.
Most of you, like myself, have often been in arms along with one another, and are grown gray in the service
of our Country: to all of us is well known in what dangers, toils and renown we have been fellowsharers. I
doubt not in the least that all of you, as myself, have a horror of bloodshed: but the danger which now
threatens our Countries, not only renders it a duty, but puts us in the absolute necessity, to adopt the quickest
and most effectual means for dissipating at the right time the storm which threatens to break out on us.
"I depend with complete confidence on your soldierly and patriotic zeal, which is already well and gloriously
known to me, and which, while I live, I will acknowledge with the heartiest satisfaction. Before all things, I
recommend to you, and prescribe as your most sacred duty, That, in every situation, you exercise humanity
on unarmed enemies; and be continually attentive that, in this respect too, there be the strictest discipline
(MANNSZUCHT) kept among those under you.
"To travel with the pomp of a King is not among my wishes: and all of you are aware that I have no pleasure
in rich fieldfurniture: but my increasing age, and the weakness it brings, render me incapable of riding as I
did in my youth. I shall, therefore, be obliged to make use of a postchaise in times of marching; and all of
you have liberty to do the same. But on the day of battle you shall see me on horseback; and there, also, I
hope my Generals will follow that example."
VOLTAIRE SMOTHERED UNDER ROSES. King's Speech was on Sunday, April 5th, Evening of last
Monday (March 30th), at the Theatre Francais in Paris, poor Voltaire had that worldfamous apotheosis of
his; and got "smothered under roses," as he termed it. He had left Ferney (such the urgency of Niece Denis
and her unappeasable desire for a sight of Paris again) February 5th; arrived in Paris February 10th; ventured
out to see his poor last Tragedy, not till the sixth night of it, March 30th; was beshouted, crowned, raised to
the immortal gods by a repentant Paris world: "Greatest of men,You were not a miscreant and malefactor,
then: on the contrary, you were a spiritual Hercules, a heroic Son of Light; Slayer of the Nightmare Monsters,
and foul Dragons and Devils that were preying on us: to you shall not we now say, Long life, with all our
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throats and all our hearts,"and so quench you at last! Which they managed to do, poor repentant souls. The
tottering wayworn Voltaire, over agitated in this way, took to bed; never rose again; and on that day two
months was dead. [In DUVERNET, and still better in LONGCHAMP ET WAGNIERE, ample account of
these interesting occurrences.] His light all done; to King Friedrich, or to any of us, no flash of radiancy from
him any more forever.
APRIL 6th, Friedrich gets on marchperhaps about 100,000 strong for Schonwalde, in the
NeisseSchweidnitz neighborhood; and there, in the course of the week, has cantoned himself, and sits
completing his magazines and appliances for actual work of war. This is a considerable brandish; and a good
deal astonishes Kaunitz and the Vienna people, who have not 10,000 at present on those Frontiers, and
nothing whatever in a state of readiness. "Dangerous really!" Kaunitz admits; and sets new regiments on
march from Hungary, from the Netherlands, from all ends of the Earth where they are. Tempers his own
insolent talk, too; but strives to persuade himself that it is "Menace merely. He won't; he abhors war."
Kaunitz had hardly exaggerated Friedrich's abhorrence of war; though it turned out there were things which
Friedrich abhorred still more.
Schonwalde, headquarter of this alarming Prussian cantonment, is close on the new Fortress of Silberberg, a
beautiful new impregnability, looking into those valleys of the Warta, of the young Neisse, which are the
road to Bohemia or from it,where the Pandour torrents used to issue into the first Silesian Wars; where
Friedrich himself was once to have been snapped up, but was not quite,and only sang Mass as Extempore
Abbot, with Tobias Stusche, in the Monastery of Camenz, according to the myth which readers may
remember. No more can Pandours issue that way; only Prussians can enter in. Friedrich's windows in the
Schloss of Schonwalde,which are on the left hand, if you be touring in those parts,look out, direct upon
Silberberg, and have its battlements between them and the 3o'clock Sun. [Schoning, iv. (Introductory Part).]
In the Town of Silberberg, Friedrich has withal a modest little lodging,lodging still known,where he can
alight for an hour or a night, in the multifarious businesses that lead him to and fro. "A beautiful place," says
Schoning; "where the King stayed twelve weeks" or more; waiting till the BavarianAustrian case should
ripen better. At Schonwalde, what was important in his private circle, he heard of Lord Marischal's death,
then of Voltaire's; not to mention that of English Pitt, and perhaps others interesting to him. [Voltaire died
May 30th; Marischal, May 25th; Pitt, May 11th;and May 4th, in the Cantonment here, died General von
Rentzel, the same who, as Lieutenant Rentzel, sixty years ago, had taught the little CrownPrince his drill
(Rodenbeck, iii. 187).]
"Now was the time," cry Schmettau and the unfavorable, "when he might have walked across into Eastern
Bohemia, into Mahren, whither you like; to Vienna itself, and taken Austria by the throat at discretion: 'Do
justice, then, will you! Let go Bavaria, or!' In his young years, would not he have done so? His Plan, long
since laid down, was grand: To march into Mahren, leaving Silesia guarded; nay leaving Bohemia to be
invaded,for Prince Henri, and the Saxons, who are a willing handful, and will complete Henri likewise to
100,000, were to do that, feat the while;March into Mahren, on to Vienna if he chose; laying all flat.
Infallible," say the Schmettau people. "He had the fire of head to contrive it all; but worn down and grown
old, he could not execute his great thoughts." Which is obviously absurd, Friedrich's object not being to lay
Austria flat, or drive animosities to the sanguinary point, and kindle all Europe into war; but merely to
extract, with the minimum of violence, something like justice from Austria on this Bavarian matter. For
which end, he may justly consider slow pressure preferable to the cutting method. His problem is most
ticklish, not allowed for by Schmettau.
The encampment round Schonwalde, especially as there was nothing ready thereabouts on the Austrian side,
produced a visible and great effect on the negotiations; and notably altered the high Kaunitz tone towards
Friedrich. "Must two great Courts quarrel, then, for the sake of a small one?" murmured Kaunitz, plaintively
now, to himself and to the King,to the King not in a very distinct manner, though to himself the principle
is long since clear as an axiom in Politics: "Great Courts should understand one another; then the small would
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be less troublesome." For a quarter of a century this has been the Kaunitz faith. In 1753, when he
miraculously screwed round the French into union with the Austrians to put down an upstart Prussia, this was
his grand fulcrum, the immovable rock in which the great Engineer fixed down his political capstans, and
levered and screwed. He did triumphantly wind matters round,though whether they much profited him
when round, may be a question.
But the same grand principle, in the later instance of partitioning Poland, has it not proved eminently
triumphant, successful in all points? And, doubtless, this King of Prussia recognizes it, if made worth his
while, thinks Kaunitz. In a word, Kaunitz's next utterance is wonderfully changed. The great Engineer speaks
almost like a Bishop on this new text. "Let the Two Courts," says he, "put themselves each in the other's
place; each think what it would want;" and in fact each, in a Christian manner, try to do as it would be done
by! How touching in the mouth of a Kaunitz, with something of pathos, of plaintiveness, almost of unction in
it! "There is no other method of agreeing," urges he: "War is a terrible method, disliked by both of us. Austria
wishes this of Bavaria; but his Prussian Majesty's turn will come, perhaps now is (let him say and determine);
we will make it worth his while." This is of APRIL 24th; notable change since the cantoning round
Schonwalde.
Germany at large, though it lay so silent, in its bedrid condition, was in great anxiety. Never had the Holy
Romish Reich such a shock before: "Meaning to partition us like Poland?" thought the Reich, with a shudder.
"They can, by degrees, if they think good; these Two Great Sovereigns!" Courage, your Durchlauchts: one of
the Two great ones has not that in his thoughts; has, and will have, the reverse of that; which will be your
anchorages in the storms of fate for a long time to come! Nor was itas will shortly appear to
readersKaunitz's immediate intention at all: enough if poor we can begin it, set it fairly under way; let
some unborn happier Kaunitz, the last of a series, complete such blessed consummation; in a happier time, far
over the practical horizon at present. This we do gather to have been Kaunitz's real view; and it throws a light
on the vexed PartitionofPoland question, and gives weight to Dohm's assertion, That Kaunitz was the
actual beginner there.
Weeks before Friedrich heard of this remarkable Memorial, and ten days before it was brought to paper, there
came to Friedrich another unexpected remarkable Document: a LETTER from Kaiser Joseph himself, who is
personally running about in these parts, over in Bohemia, endeavoring to bring Army matters to a footing;
and is no doubt shocked to find them still in such backwardness, with a Friedrich at hand. The Kaiser's Letter,
we perceive, is pilot balloon to the Kaunitz episcopal Document, and to an actual meeting of Prussian and
Austrian Ministers on the Bavarian point; and had been seen to be a salutary measure by an Austria in alarm.
It asks, as the Kaunitz Memorial will, though in another style, "Must there be war, then? Is there no
possibility left in negotiation and mutual concession? I am your Majesty's friend and admirer; let us try." This
was an unexpected and doubtless a welcome thing to Friedrich; who answers eagerly, and in a noble style
both of courtesy and of business sense: upon which there followed two other Imperial Letters with their two
Royal answers; [In OEuvres de Frederic, (vi. 183193), Three successive Letters from the Kaiser (of dates,
"Olmutz," "Litau," "Konigsgratz," 13th19th April, 1778), with King's Answers ("Schonwalde," all of them,
and 14th20th April),totally without interest to the general reader.] and directly afterwards the small
Austrian Prussian Congress we spoke of, Finkenstein and Hertzberg on the Prussian part, Cobenzl on the
Austrian (Congress sitting at Berlin), which tried to agree, but could not; and to which Kaunitz's Memorial of
April 24th was meant as some helpful sprinkling of presidential quasiepiscopal oil.
Oil merely: for it turned out, Kaunitz had no thought at present of partitioning the German Reich with
Friedrich; but intended merely to keep his own seized portion of Baiern, and in return for Friedrich's assent
intended to recompense Friedrich within fact, with Austria's consent, That if Anspach and Baireuth lapsed
home to Prussia (as it was possible they might, the present Margraf, Friedrich's Nephew, the LadyCraven
Margraf, having a childless Wife), Prussia should freely open the door to them! A thing which Friedrich
naturally maintained to be in need of nobody's consent, and to lie totally apart from this question; but which
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Austria always considered a very generous thing, and always returned to, with new touches of improvement,
as their grand recipe in this matter. So that, unhappily, the HertzbergCobenzl treatyings, Kaiser's Letters and
Kaunitz's episcopal oil, were without effect, except to gain for the Austrians, who infinitely needed it,
delay of above two months. The Letters are without general interest: but, for Friedrich's sake, perhaps readers
will consent to a specimen? Here are parts of his First Letter: people meaning to be Kings (which I doubt
none of my readers are) could not do better than read it, and again read it, and acquire that style, first of
knowing thoroughly the object in hand, and then of speaking on it and of being silent on it, in a true and
noble manner:
FRIEDRICH TO HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY (at Olmutz).
"SCHONWALDE, 14th April, 1778.
"SIRE MY BROTHER,I have received, with all the satisfaction possible, the Letter which your Imperial
Majesty has had the goodness to write to me. I have neither Minister nor Clerk (SCRIBE) about me; therefore
your Imperial Majesty will be pleased to put up with such Answer as an Old Soldier can give, who writes to
you with probity and frankness, on one of the most important subjects which have risen in Politics for a long
time.
"Nobody wishes more than I to maintain peace and harmony between the Powers of Europe: but there are
limits to everything; and cases so intricate (EPINEUX) arise that goodwill alone will not suffice to maintain
things in repose and tranquillity. Permit me, Sire, to state distinctly what the question seems to me to be. It is
to determine if an Emperor can dispose at his will of the Fiefs of the Empire. Answer in the affirmative, and,
all these Fiefs become TIMARS [in the Turk way], which are for life only; and which the Sultan disposes of
again, on the possessor's death. Now, this is contrary to the Laws, to the Customs and Constitutions of the
German Empire.""I, as member of the Empire, and as having, by the Treaty of Hubertsburg, resanctioned
the Peace of Westphalia, find myself formally engaged to support the immunities, the liberties and rights of
the Germanic Body.
"This, Sire, is the veritable state of things. Personal interest I have none: but I am persuaded your Majesty's
self would regard me as a paltry man, unworthy of your esteem, should I basely sacrifice the rights,
immunities and privileges, which the Electors and I have received from our Ancestors.
"I continue to speak to your Majesty with the same frankness. I love and honor your person. It will certainly
be hard for me to fight against a Prince gifted with excellent qualities, and whom I personally esteem. But"
And is there no remedy? Anspach and Baireuth stand in no need of sanction. I consent to the Congress
proposed:being with the [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 187.]
The sittings of this little Congress at Berlin lasted all through May and June; to the disgust of Schmettau and
the ardent Prussian messrooms, "lying ready here, and forbidden to act." For the Austrians all the while
were at their busiest, improving the moments, marching continually hitherward from Hungary, from
Limburg, from all ends of the earth. Both negotiating parties had shown a manifest wish to terminate without
war; and both made various attempts or proposals that way; Friedrich offering, in the name of European
peace, to yield the Austrians some small rim or paring of Bavaria from the edge adjoining them; the Austrians
offering AnspachBaireuth with some improvements;always offering Friedrich his own
BaireuthAnspach with some new sauce (as that he might exchange those Territories with Saxony for a fine
equivalent in the Lausitz, contiguous to him, which was a real improvement and increase):but as neither
party would in the least give up in essentials, or quit the ground it had taken, the result was nothing. Week
after week; so many weeks are being lost to Friedrich; gained to Austria: Schmettau getting more and more
disgusted.
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Friedrich still waited; not in all points quite ready yet, he said, nor the futile diplomacies quite
complete;evidently in the highest degree unwilling to come to the cutting point, and begin a War which
nobody could see the end of. Many things he tried; Peace so precious to him, try and again try. All through
June too, this went on; the result always zero,obviously certain to be so. As even Friedrich had at last to
own to himself; and likewise that the Campaign season was ebbing away; and that if his grand Moravian
scheme was to be tried on Austria, there was not now a moment to lose.
Friedrich's ultimate proposal, new modification of what all his proposals had been, "To you some thin rim of
Baiern; to Saxony and Mecklenburg some ETCETERA of indemnity, money chiefly (money always to be
paid by Karl Theodor, who has left Baiern open to the spoiler in this scandalous manner)," was of June 13th;
Austrians for ten days meditating on it, and especially getting forward their Army matters, answer, June 24th
"No we won't." Upon which Friedrichto the joy of Schmettau and every Prussianactually rises. Emits
his WarManifesto (JULY 3d): "Declaration to our Brethren (MITSTANDE) of the Reich," that Austria will
listen to nothing but War; [Fischer, ii 388; Dohm, Denkwurdigkeiten, i. 110; OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 145.]
and, on and from that day, goes flowing forward in perfect columns and arrangements, 100,000 strong;
through the picturesque Glatz Country, straight towards the Bohemian Border, hour by hour. Flows over the
Bohemian Border by Nachod Town; his vanguard bursting into fieldmusic and flourishes of trumpeting at
that grand moment (July 5th); flowed bodily over; and encamped that night on Bohemian ground, with
Nachod to rear; thence towards Kwalkowitz, and on the second day to Jaromirtz ("Camp of Jaromirtz"), a
little Town which we have heard of before, but which became more famous than ever during the next ten
weeks.
Jaromirtz, Kwalkowitz, Konigsgratz: this is the old hillanddale labyrinth of an UpperElbe Country; only
too well known to his Majesty and us, for almost forty years past: here again are the Austrians waiting the
King; watching diligently this new Invasion of his out of Glatz and the East! In the same days, Prince Henri,
who is also near 100,000, starts from Dresden to invade them from the West. Loudon, facing westward, is in
watch of Henri; Lacy, or indeed the Kaiser himself, backtoback of Loudon, stands in this
KonigsgratzJaromirtz part; said to be embattled in a very elaborate manner, to a length of fifty miles on this
fine ground, and in number somewhat superior to the King;the Austrians in all counting about 250,000; of
whom Lacy has considerably the larger share. The terror at Vienna, nevertheless, is very great: "A day of
terror," says one who was there; "I will not trust myself to describe the sensation which this news, 'Friedrich
in Bohemia again!' produced among all ranks of people." [Cogniazzo, iv. 316, 320, 321; Preuss, iv. 101,
Maria Theresa, with her fine motherly heart, in alarm for her Country, and trembling "for my two Sons
[Joseph and Leopold] and dear SoninLaw [of Sachsen Teschen], who are in the Army," overcomes all
scruples of pride; instantly despatches an Autograph to the King ("Bearer of this, Baron von Thugut, with
Full Powers"); and on her own strength starts a new Negotiation,which, as will be seen, ended no better
than the others. [Her Letters, four in all, with their Appendixes, and the King's Answers, in OEuvres de
Frederic, vi. 196200.]
Schmettau says, "Friedrich, cheated of his Mahren schemes, was still in time; the Austrian position being
indeed strong, but not being even yet quite ready." Friedrich himself, however, on reconnoitring, thought
differently. A position such as one never saw before, thinks he; contrived by Lacy; masterly use of the
ground, of the rivers, of the rocks, woods, swamps; Elbe and his branches, and the intricate shoulders of the
Giant Mountains: no man could have done it better than Lacy here, who, they say, is the contriver and
practical hand. [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi. 147.] From Konigsgratz, northward, by Konigshof, by Arnau, up to
Hohenelbe, all heights are crowned, all passes bristling with cannon. Rivers Aupa, Elbe beset with redoubts,
with dams in favorable places, and are become inundations, difficult to tap. There are "ditches 8 feet deep by
16 broad." Behind or on the right bank of Elbe, it is mere intrenchment for fiveandtwenty miles. With
bogs, with thickets full of Croats; and such an amount of artillery,I believe they have in battery no fewer
than 1,500 cannon. A position very considerable indeed:must have taken time to deliberate, delve and
invest; but it is done. Near fifty miles of it: here, clear to your glass, has the head of Lacy visibly emerged on
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us, as if for survey of phenomena:head of Lacy sure enough (body of him lying invisible in the heights,
passes and points of vantage); and its NECK of fifty miles, like the neck of a warhorse clothed with thunder.
On which (thinks Schmettau privately) you may, too late, make your reflections!
Schmettau asserts that the position, though strong, was nothing like so infinitely strong; and that Friedrich in
his younger days would very soon have assaulted it, and turned Lacy inside out: but Friedrich, we know, had
his reasons against hurry. He reconnoitred diligently; rode out reconnoitring "fifteen miles the first day" (July
6th), ditto the second and following; and was nearly shot by Croats,by one specific Croat, says Prussian
Mythology, supported by Engraving. An old Engraving, which I have never seen; represents Friedrich
reconnoitring those fiveandtwenty miles of Elbe, which have so many redoubts on their side of it, and
swarm with Croat parties on both sides: this is all the truth that is in the Engraving. [Rodenbeck, p. 188.] Fact
says: Friedrich ("on the 8th," if that were all the variation) "was a mark for the Austrian sharpshooters for half
an hour." Myth says, and engraves it, with the date of "July 7th:" Friedrich, skirting some thicket, suddenly
came upon a single Croat with musket levelled at him, wild creature's finger just on the trigger;and quietly
admonishing, Friedrich lifts his finger with a "DU, DU (Ah you!);" upon which, such the divinity that hedges
one, the wild creature instantly flings down his murderweapon, and, kneeling, embraces the King's
boot,with kisses, for anything I know. It is certain, Friedrich, about six times over in this paltry War or
Quasi NoWar, set his attendants on the tremble; was namely, from Croateries and Artilleries, in imminent
peril of life; so careless was he, and dangerous to speak to in his sour humor. Humor very sour, they say, for
most part; being in reality altogether backward and loath for grand enterprise; and yet striving to think he was
not; ashamed that any War of his should be a NoWar. Schmettau says:
"On the day of getting into Jaromirtz [July 8th], the King, tired of riding about while the Columns were
slowly getting in, lay down on the ground with his Adjutants about him. A young Officer came riding past;
whom the King beckoned to him;wrote something with pencil (an Order, not of the least importance), and
said: 'Here; that Order to General Lossow, and tell him he is not to take it ill that I trouble him, as I have none
in my Suite that can do anything.'" Let the Suite take it as they can! A most pungent, severe old King; quite
perverse at times, thinks Schmettau. Thus again, more than once.:
"On arriving with his Column where the Officer, a perfectly skilful man, had marked out the Camp, the King
would lift his spyglass; gaze to right and left, riding round the place at perhaps a hundred yards' distance;
and begin: 'SIEHT ER, HERR, But look, Herr, what a botching you have made of it again (WAS ER DA
WIEDER FUR DUMM ZEUG GEMACHT HAT)!' and grumbling and blaming, would alter the Camp, till it
was all out of rule; and then say, 'See there, that is the way to mark out Camps.'" [Schmettau, xxv. 30, 24.]
In a week's time, July 13th, came another fine excuse for inaction; Plenipotentiary Thugut, namely, and the
Kaiserinn's Letter, which we spoke of. Autograph from Maria Theresa herself, inspired by the terror of
Vienna and of her beautiful motherly heart. Negotiation to be private utterly: "My Son, the Kaiser, knows
nothing of it; I beg the most absolute secrecy;" which was accordingly kept, while Thugut, with Finkenstein
and Hertzberg again, held "Congress of Braunau" in those neighborhoods,with as little effect as ever.
Thugut's Name, it seems, was originally TUNICOTTO (TyroleseItalian); which the ignorant Vienna people
changed into "THUNICHTGUT (Donogood)," till Maria Theresa, in very charity, struck out the
negative, and made him "Dogood." Dogood and his Congress held Friedrich till August 10th: five more
weeks gone; and nothing but reconnoitring,with of course foraging, and diligently eating the Country,
which is a daily employment, and produces fencing and skirmishing enough.
Henri, in the interim, has invaded from the West; seen Leitmeritz, Lobositz;Prag Nobility all running, and
I suppose Prayers to St. Titus going again,and Loudon in alarm. Loudon, however, saved Prag "by two
masterly positions" (not mentionable here); upon which Henri took camp at Niemes; Loudon, the weaker in
this part, seizing the Iser as a bulwark, and ranking himself behind it, backtoback of Lacy. Here for about
five weeks sat Henri, nothing on hand but to eat the Country. Over the heads of Loudon and Lacy, as the
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crow flies, Henri's Camp may be about 70 miles from Jaromirtz, where the King is. Hussar Belling, our old
AntiSwede friend, a brilliant cutting man, broke over the Iser once, perhaps twice; and there was pretty
fencing by him and the like of him: "but Prince Henri did nothing," says the King, [ OEuvres de Frederic, vi.
154]was, in fact, helping the King to do nothing. By the 10th of September, as Henri has computed, this
Country will be eaten; "Forage, I find, will be quite done here on September 10th," writes Henri, after a week
or two's experience.
There was always talk of Henri and the King, who are 100,000 each, joining hands by the post of Arnau, or
some weak point of Lacy's well north of Konigsgratz; thus of cutting off the mealcarts of that backtoback
copartnery, and so of tumbling it off the ground (which was perfectly possible, says Schmettau); and small
detachments and expeditious were pushed out, General Dahlwig, General Anhalt, partly for that object: but
not the least of it ever took effect. "Futile, lost by loitering, as all else was," groans Schmettau. Prince Henri
was averse to attempt, intimates the King,as indeed (though refusing to own it) was I. "September 10th,
my forage will be out, your Majesty," says Henri, always a punctual calculating man.
The Austrians, on their side, were equally stagnant; and, except the continual skirmishing with the Prussian
foragers, undertook nothing. "Shamefully illclone our foraging, too," exclaims Schmettau again and again:
"Had we done it with neatness, with regularity, the Country would have lasted us twice as long. Doing it
headlong, wastefully and by the ruleofthumb, the Country was a desert, all its inhabitants fled, all its
edibles consumed, before six weeks were over. Friedrich is not now himself at all; in great things or in little;
what a changed Friedrich!" exclaims Schmettau, with wearisome iteration.
From about August 6th, or especially August 10th, when the Maria Theresa Correspondence, or "Congress
of Braunau," ended likewise in zero, Friedrich became impatient for actual junction with Prince Henri, actual
push of business; and began to hint of an excellent plan he had: "Burst through on their left flank; blow up
their post of Hohenelbe yonder: thence is but one march to Iser river; junction with Prince Henri there; and a
Lacy and a Loudon tumbled to the winds." "A plan perfectly feasible," says Schmettau; "which solaced the
King's humor, but which he never really intended to execute." Possibly not; otherwise, according to old wont,
he would have forborne to speak of it beforehand. At all events, August 15th, in the feeling that one ought
really to do something, the rather as forage hereabouts was almost or altogether running out, he actually set
about this grand scheme.
Got on march to rightward, namely, up the Aupa river, through the gloomy chasms of KingdomWood,
memorable in old days: had his bakery shifted to Trautenau; his heavy cannon getting tugged through the
mire and the rains, which by this time were abundant, towards Hohenelbe, for the great enterprise: and sat
encamped on and about the Battleground of Sohr for a week or so, waiting till all were forward; eating Sohr
Country, which was painfully easy to do. The Austrians did next to nothing on him; but the rains, the mud
and scarcity were doing much. Getting on to Hohenelbe region, after a week's wet waiting, he, on ocular
survey of the ground about, was heard to say, "This cannot be done, then!" "Had never meant to do it," sneers
Schmettau, "and only wanted some excuse." Which is very likely. Schmettau gives an Anecdote of him here:
In regard to a certain Hill, the Key of the Austrian position, which the King was continually reconnoitring,
and lamenting the enormous height of, "Impossible, so high!" One of the Adjutants took his theodolite,
ascertained the height, and, by way of comforting his Majesty, reported the exact number of feet above their
present level. "How do YOU know, Herr?" said the King angrily. "Measured it by Trigonometry, your
Majesty." "Trigonometry! SCHER' ER SICH ZUM TEUFEL (Off with you, Sir, to the Devil, your
Trigonometry and you!)"no believer in mathematics, this King.
He was loath to go; and laid the blame on many things. "Were Prince Henri now but across the Iser. Had that
stupid Anhalt, when he was upon it [galloping about, to the ruin of his head], only seized Arnau, Arnau and
its ElbeBridge; and had it in hand for junction with Prince Henri!" In fine, just as the last batch of heavy
cannontwenty or thirty hungered horses to a gun, at the rate of five miles a day in roads
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unspeakablewere getting in, he ordered them all to be dragged back, back to the Trautenau road; whither
we must now all go. And, SEPTEMBER 8th, in perfect order, for the Austrians little molested him, and got a
bad bargain when they did, the great Friedrich with his whole Army got on march homeward, after such a
Campaign as we see. Climbed the TrautenauLandshut Pass, with nothing of effective loss except from the
rainy elements, the steep miry ways and the starved horses; draughthorses especially starved,whom, poor
creatures, "you would see spring at the ropes [draughtharness], thirty of them to a gun, when started and
geeho'd to; tug violently with no effect, and fall down in whole rows."
Prince Henri, forage done, started punctually September 10th, two days after his Brother; and with little or no
pursuit, from the Austrians, and with horses unstarved, got home in comparatively tolerable circumstances.
Cantoned himself in Dresden neighborhood, and sat waiting: he had never approved this War; and now, I
suppose, would not want for reflections. Friedrich's cantonments were round Landshut, and spread out to
right and to left, from Glatz Country and the UpperSilesian Hills, to Silberberg and Schweidnitz;his own
quarter is the same region, where he lay so long in Summer, 1759, talking on learned subjects with the late
Quintus Icilius, if readers remember, and wearily waiting till Cunctator Daun (likewise now deceased) took
his stand, or his seat, at Mark Lissa, and the King could follow him to Schmottseifen. Friedrich himself on
this present occasion stayed at Schatzlar as rearguard, to see whether the Austrians would not perhaps try to
make some Winter Campaign of it, and if so, whether they would attempt on Prince Henri or on him. The
Austrians did not attempt on either; showed no such intention,though mischievous enough in other small
ways. Friedrich wrote the ELOGE of Voltaire [ OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 50 et seq. ("finished Nov. 26th,
1778").] while he waited here at Schatzlar, among the rainy Mountains. Later on, as prospects altered, he was
much at Breslau, or running about on civic errands with Breslau as centre: at Breslau he had many Dialogues
with Professor Garve,in whose good, but oppressively solemn, little Book, more a dull droning
Preachment than a Narrative, no reader need look for them or for him.
As to the EULOGY OF VOLTAIRE, we may say that it is generous, ingenious, succinct; and of dialect now
obsolete to us. There was (and is, though suppressed) another EULOGY, brandnew, by a Contemporary of
our own,from which I know not if readers will permit me a sentence or two, in this pause among the rainy
Mountains?
... "A wonderful talent lay in this man[in Voltaire, to wit; "such an intellect, the sharpest, swiftest of the
world," thinks our Contemporary; "fathoming you the deepest subject, to a depth far beyond most men's
soundings, and coming up with victory and something wise and logically speakable to say on it, sooner than
any other man,never doubting but he has been at the bottom, which is from three to ten miles lower!"]
wonderful talent; but observe always, if you look closely, it was in essence a mere talent for Speech; which
talent Bavius and Maevius and the Jew Apella may admire without looking behind it, but this Eulogist by no
means will. Speech, my friend? If your sublime talent of speech consists only in making ignorance appear to
be knowledge, and little wisdom appear to be much, I will thank you to walk on with it, and apply at some
other shop. The QUANTITY of shops where you can apply with thricegolden advantage, from the Morning
Newspapers to the National Senate, is tremendous at this epoch of the poor world's history;go, I request
you! And while his foot is on the stairs, descending from my garret, I think: O unfortunate fellowcreature in
an unfortunate world, why is not there a Friedrich Wilhelm to 'elect' you, as he did Gundling, to his
TOBACCO Parliament, and there set Fassmann upon you with the pans of burning peat? It were better even
for yourself; wholesomely didactic to your poor self, I cannot doubt; and for the poor multitudes to whom
you are now to be sacred VATES, speaking and singing YOUR dismal GUNDLINGIANA as if inspired by
Heaven, how infinitely better!Courage, courage! I discern, across these hideous jargons, the reign of
greater silence approaching upon repentant men; reign of greater silence, I say; or else that of annihilation,
which will be the most silent of all. ...
"Voltaire, if not a great man, is a remarkably peculiar one; and did such a work in these Ages as will render
him long memorable, more or less. He kindled the infinite dry dungheap of things; set it blazing
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heavenhigh;and we all thought, in the French Revolution time, it would burn out rapidly into ashes, and
then there would a clear Upper Firmament, if over a blackened Earth, be once more vouchsafed us. The flame
is now done, as I once said; and only the dull dungheap, smokily burning, but not now blazing,
remains,for it was very damp, EXCEPT on the surface, and is by nature slow of combustion:who knows
but it may have to burn for centuries yet, poisoning by its villanous malodors the life atmosphere of all
men? Eternal Author of this Universe, whose throne is Truth, to whom all the True are Sons, wilt thou not
look down upon us, then!Till this sad process is complete? Voltaire is like to be very memorable." ...
To Friedrich the Winter was in general tranquil; a Friedrich busy preparing all things for his grand Mahren
Enterprise, and for "real work next year." By and by there came to be real Peaceprospects instead.
Meanwhile, the Austrians do try a little, in the small Pandour way, to dislodge him from the UpperSilesian
or Teschen regions, where the Erbprinz of Brunswick is in command; a man not to be pricked into gratis by
Pandours. Erbprinz, accordingly, provoked by their Pandourings, broke out at last; and about Zuckmantel
instantly scourged them home, and had peace after. Foiled here, they next tried upon Glatz; "Get into his
Glatz Country, then;a snatch of that will balance the account" (which was one of Newspaper glory only):
and a certain Wurmser of theirs, expert in such things, did burn the Town of Habelschwert one morning;
["18th January, 1779" (Rodenbeck, iii. 195; Schmettau, and tried farther, not wisely this time, a surprisal of
Glatz Fortress itself; but got smitten home by our old friend General Wunsch, without profit there. This was
the same Wurmser who came to bad issues in the Napoleon time afterwards; a rising man then; not a dim
OldNewspaper ghost as now.
Most shameful this burning of Habelschwert by way of mere bravura, thinks Friedrich, in a time of actual
Treaty for Peace, when our Congress of Teschen was just struggling to get together! It was the chief stroke
done by the Austrians in this War; glorious or shameful, we will not think of inquiring. Nor in fact of adding
one word more on such a War,except, what everybody longs for, That, NOVEMBER 27th, 1778, Czarina
Catharine, by her Prince Galitzin at Vienna, intervened in the matter, in a lofty way; and ended it. Czarina
Catharine,small thanks to her, it seems, for it was Friedrich that by his industries and worlddiplomacies,
French and other, had got her Turks, who had been giving trouble again, compesced into peace for her; and
indeed, to Friedrich or his interests, though bound by Treaty, she had small regard in taking this step, but
wished merely to appear in German Politics as a SheJove,Czarina Catharine signified, in high and
peremptory though polite Diplomatic terms, at Vienna, "Imperial Madam, how long is such a War to last? Be
at Peace, both of you; or! I shall, however, mediate, if you like, being the hearty friend of both." [Copy of
Galitzin's "Declaration," in FISCHER, ii. 406411.]
"Do," answers Maria Theresa, whose finance is quite out, whose motherly heart is almost broken, though a
young Kaiser still prances violently, and kicks against the pricks: "Do, your noble Czarish Majesty; France
too is interfering: France and you will decide what is just, and we will end." "Congress of Teschen" met
accordingly, MARCH 10th, 1779: Teschen, in Austrian Silesia, where we have been;Repnin as Russian,
Breteuil the Frenchman, Cobentzl and Hertzberg as Austrian and Prussian;and, MAY 13th (in two months'
time, not in two weeks', as had been expected, for there rose unexpected haggles), did close everything, firm
as Diplomacy could do it, into equitable, or approximately equitable finis: "Go home, you Austria; quit your
stolen Bavaria (all but a rim or paring, Circle of Burghausen, since you must have something!): Saxony,
Mecklenburg, these must be satisfied to moderate length; and therewith general ASYOUWERE."
Russia and France were agreed on the case; and Friedrich, bitterly longing to have done with it, had said to
himself, "In two weeks or so:" but it proved far otherwise. Never were such hagglings, provocations and
unreasonable confusions as now rose. The burning of Habelschwert was but a type of them. Haggles on the
part of worthless Karl Theodor, kindled by Joseph and his Kaunitz, kicking against the pricks. Haggles on
Saxony's part: "I claimed 7,000,000 pounds sterling, and you allow me 600,000 pounds." "Better that than
nothing," answered Friedrich. Haggles with Mecklenburg: "Instead of my Leuchtenberg, I get an
improvement in my LawCourts, right of Judging without Appeal; what is that!" Haggles with the once
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grateful Duke of Zweibruck: "Can't part with my Burghausen." "Suppose you had had to part with your
Bavaria altogether?" In short, Friedrich, who had gained nothing for himself, but such infinity of outlay in all
kinds, never saw such a coil of human follies and cupidities before; and had to exhaust his utmost patience,
submit to new losses of his own, and try all his dexterities in pigdriving: overjoyed, at last, to get out of it on
any terms. Outlay of Friedrich is about Two Millions sterling, and above 10,000 men's lives (his own
narrowly not included), with censures, criticisms, provocations and botherations without end. In return for
which, he has, truly, put a spoke in Austria's proud wheel for this time, and managed to see fair play in the
Reich; which had seemed to him, and seems, a considerable thing. By way of codicil, Austria agrees not to
chicane him in regard to Anspach Baireuth,how generous of Austria, after this experience!
In reality, the War was an Imaginary War; deserving on its own score little record anywhere; to readers here
requiring almost less than it has got. Schmettau, Schoning and others have been abundantly minute upon it;
but even to soldiers there is little either of interest or instruction; to us, all it yields is certain Anecdotes of
Friedrich's temper and ways in that difficult predicament; which, as coming at firsthand, gathered for us by
punctual authentic Schmettau, who was constantly about him, with eyes open and notebook ready, have a
kind of worth in the Biographic point of view.
The Prussian Soldiery, of whom we see a type in Schmettau, were disgusted with this War, and called it, in
allusion to the foraging, A scramble for potatoes, "DER KARTOFFELKRIEG, The Potato War;" which is
its common designation to this day. The Austrians, in a like humor, called it "ZWETSCHKENRUMMEL"
(say "THREEBUTTON Loo"); a game not worth playing; especially not at such cost. Combined cost
counted to have been in sumtotal 4,350,000 pounds and 20,000 men. [Preuss, iv. 115.] "The Prussian Army
was full of ardor, never abler for fight" (insists Schmettau), which indeed seems to have been the fact on
every small occasion;"but fatally forbidden to try." Not so fatally perhaps, had Schmettau looked beyond
his epaulettes: was not the thing, by that slow method, got done? By the swifter method, awakening a new
SevenYears business, how infinitely costlier might it have been!
Schmettau's NARRATIVE, deducting the endless lamentings, especially the extensive didactic digressions, is
very clear, ocular, exact; and, in contrast with Friedrich's own, is really amusing to read. A Schmettau giving
us, in his haggard light and oblique point of vision, the naked truth, NAKED and all in a shiver; a Friedrich
striving to drape it a little, and make it comfortable to himself. Those bits of Anecdotes in SCHMETTAU,
clear, credible, as if we had seen them, are so many crevices through which it is curiously worth while to
look.
Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT.
About the Second LawReform, after reading and again reading much dreary detail, I can say next to
nothing, except that it is dated as beginning in 1776, near thirty years after Cocceji's; ["In 1748" Cocceji's
was completed; "in 17741775," on occasion of the Silesian Reviews, Von Carmer, Chancellor of Silesia,
knowing of the King's impatience at the state of Law, presented successively Two MEMORIALS on the
subject; the Second of which began "4th January, 1776" to have visible fruit.] that evidently, by what causes
is not stated, but may be readily enough conjectured (in the absence of Cocceji by death, and of a Friedrich
by affairs of War), the abuses of Law had again become more or less unendurable to this King; that said
abuses did again get some reform (again temporary, such the Law of Nature, which bids you sweep
vigorously your kitchen, though it will next moment recommence the gathering of dirt upon it); and that, in
fine, after some reluctance in the Law circles, and debating PRO and CONTRA, oral some of it, and done in
the King's presence, who is so intent to be convinced and see his practical way in it, [At Potsdam, "4th
January, 1776," Debate, by solemn appointment, in the King's presence (King very unwell), between
SilesianChancellor von Carmer and GrandChancellor von Furst, as to the feasibility of Carmer's ideas; old
Furst strong in the negative;King, after reflection, determining to go on nevertheless. (Rodenbeck, iii. 131,
133.)]there was, as supplement to the mere Project or Theory of a CODEX FREDERICIANUS in
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Cocceji's time, an actual PRUSSIAN CODE set about; Von Carmer, the Silesian Chancellor, the chief agent:
and a First Folio, or a First and partly a Second of it, were brought out in Friedrich's lifetime, the remainder
following in that of his Successor; which Code is ever since the Law of the Prussian Nation to this day. [Not
finished and promulgated till "5th February, 1794;" First Volume (containing PROZESSORDNUNG, Form
of Procedure, in all its important details) had come out "26th April, 1784" (Preuss, iii. 418422).] Of its
worth as a Code I have heard favorable opinions, comparatively favorable; but can myself say nothing: famed
Savigny finds it superior in intelligence and lawknowledge to the CODE NAPOLEON,upon which
indeed, and upon all Codes possible to poor hagridden and wigridden generations like ours, Savigny feels
rather desperate. Unfortunate mortals do want to have their bits of lawsuits settled, nevertheless; and have, on
trial, found even the ignorant CODE NAPOLEON a mighty benefit in comparison to none!
Readers all see how this Second Prussian LawReform was a thing important to Prussia, of liveliest interest
to the then King of Prussia; and were my knowledge of it greater than it is, this is all I could hope to say of it
that would be suitable or profitable at present. Let welldisposed readers take it up in their imaginations, as a
fact and mass of facts, very serious there and then; and color with it in some degree those five or six last years
of this King's life.
Connected with this Second Law Reform, and indeed partially a source of it, or provocation to go on with it,
mending your speed, there is one little Lawsuit, called the MILLER ARNOLD CASE, which made an
immense noise in the world, and is still known by rumor to many persons, who would probably be thankful,
as certainly I myself should, for some intelligible word on it. In regard to which, and to which alone, in this
place, we will permit ourselves a little more detail.
In the sandy moors towards the Silesian border of the Neumark, southwest of Zullichau,where we once
were, with Dictator Wedell, fighting the Russians in a tragic way,there is, as was casually then indicated,
on one of the poor Brooks trickling into Oder, a Mill called KREBSMUHLE (Crabmill); Millers of which are
a line of dusty Arnolds, laboriously for long generations grinding into meal the ryes, pulses, barleys of that
dim region; who, and whose Crabmill, in the year 17791780, burst into a notoriety they little dreamt of, and
became famous in the fashionable circles of this Universe, where an indistinct rumor of them lives to this
day. We indicated Arnold and his Mill in Wedell's time; Wedell's scene being so remote and empty to
readers: in fact, nobody knows on what paltriest of moors a memorable thing will not happen;here, for
instance, is withal the Birthplace of that Rhyming miracle, Frau Karsch (Karschin, KarchESS as they call
her), the Berlin literary Prodigy, to whom Friedrich was not so flush of help as had been expected. The child
of utterly poor Peasants there; whose poverty, shining out as thrift, unweariable industry and stoical valor, is
beautiful to me, still more their poor little girl's bits of fortunes, "tending three cows" in the solitudes there,
and gazing wistfully into Earth and Heaven with her ingenuous little soul, desiring mainly one thing, that
she could get Books, any Book whatever; having halfaccidentally picked up the art of reading, and finding
hereabouts absolutely nothing to read. Frau Karsch, I have no doubt, knows the Crabmill right well; and can,
to all permissible lengths, inform the Berlin Circles on this point. [See JORDENS (º Karschin), ii. 607640.
An excellent Silesian Nobleman lifted her miraculously from the sloughs of misery, landed her from his
travellingcarriage in the upper world of Berlin, "January, 1761" (age then thirtynine, husband Karsch a
wretched drunken Tailor at Glogau, who thereupon enlisted, and happily got shot or finished): Berlin's
enthusiasm was, and continued to be, considerable;Karschin's head, I fear, proved weakish, though her
rhyming faculty was great. Friedrich saw her once, October, 1763, spoke kindly to her (DIALOGUE reported
by herself, with a Chodowiecki ENGRAVING to help, in the MUSENALMANACHS ensuing); and gave
her a 10 pounds, but never much more:"somebody had done me ill with him," thinks the Karschin (not
thinking, "Or perhaps nobody but my poor self, and my weakness of head"). She continued rhyming and
livingcertain Principalities and High People still standing truetill "12th October, 1791."
Crabmill is in Pommerzig Township, not far from Kay:Zullichau, Kay, Palzig, Crossen, all come to speech
again, in this Narrative; fancy how they turned up in Berlin dinnercircles, to Dictator Wedell, gray old
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gentleman, who is now these many years War Minister, peaceable, and well accepted, but remembers the
flamy youth he had. Landlord of these Arnolds and their Mill is Major Graf von Schmettau (no connection of
our Schmettaus),to what insignificantly small amount of rent, I could not learn on searching; 10 pounds
annually is a too liberal guess. Innumerable things, of no pertinency to us, are wearisomely told, and ever
again told, while the pertinent are often missed out, in that dreary cartload of Arnold LawPapers, barely
readable, barely intelligible, to the most patient intellect: with despatch let us fish up the small cardinal
particles of it, and arrange in some chronological or human order, that readers may form to themselves an
outline of the thing. In 1759, we mentioned that this Mill was going; Miller of it an old Arnold, Miller's Lad a
young. Here is the subsequent succession of occurrences that concern us.
In 1762, Young Arnold, as I dimly gather, had got married, apparently a Wife with portion; bought the Mill
from his Father, he and Wife copossessors thenceforth;"Rosine his Spouse" figuring jointly in all these
LawPapers; and the Spouse especially as a most shifty litigant. There they continue totally silent to mankind
for about eight years. Happy the Nation, much more may we say the Household, "whose Public History is
blank." But in the eighth year,
In 1770, Freyherr Baron von Gersdorf in Kay, who lies farther up the stream, bethinks him of
Fishhusbandry; makes a Fishpond to himself, and for part supply thereof, lays some beam or weir across
the poor Brook, and deducts a part of Arnold's water.
In 1773, the Arnolds fall into arrear of rent: "Want of water; Fishpond spoils our water," plead they to Major
Graf von Schmettau. "Prosecute Von Gersdorf, then," says Schmettau: "I must have my rent! You shall have
time, lengthened terms; but pay THEN, or else!" For four years the Arnolds tried more or less to pay, but
never could, or never did completely: during which period Major von Schmettau had them up in his Court of
Pommerzig,manorial or feudal kind of Court; I think it is more or less his, though he does not sit there; and
an Advocate, not of his appointing, though probably of his accepting, dispenses justice there. Schlecker is the
Advocate's name; acquitted by all Official people of doing anything wrong. No appearance that the Herr Graf
von Schmettau put hand to the balances of justice in this Court; with his eye, however, who knows but he
might act on them more or less! And, at any rate, be suspected by distressed Arnolds, especially by a
distressed Frau Arnold, of doing so. The Frau Arnold had a strong suspicion that way; and seems to have
risen occasionally upon Schlecker, who did once order the poor woman to be locked up for contempt of
Court: "Only two hours!" asseverates Schlecker afterwards; after which she came out cool and respectful to
Court.
Not the least account survives of those procedures in Schlecker's Court; but by accident, after many readings,
you light upon a little fact which does shed a transient ray over them. Namely, that already in 1775, four
years before the Case became audible in Official circles, much more in general society, Frau Arnold had
seized an opportunity, Majesty being at Crossen in those neighborhoods, and presented a Petition: "Oh, just
King, appoint a MILITARY COMMISSION to investigate our business; impartial Officers will speedily find
out the facts, and decide what is just!" [Preuss, iii. 382.] Which denotes an irritating experience in Schlecker's
Court. Certain it is, Schlecker's Court did, in this tedious harassing way, decide against Frau Arnold in every
point. "Pay Herr Graf von Schmettau, or else disappear; prosecute Von Gersdorf, if you like!" And, in fine, as
the Arnolds could not pay up, nor see any daylight through prosecuting Baron von Gersdorf, the big
gentleman in Kay,Schlecker, after some five years of this, decreed Sale of the Mill:and sold it was. In
Zullichau, September 7th, 1778, there is Auction of the Mill; Herr Landeinnehmer (CESSCOLLECTOR)
Kuppisch bought it; knocked down to him for the moderate sum of 600 thalers, or 90 pounds sterling, and the
Arnolds are an ousted family. "September 7th,"PotatoWar just closing its sad Campaign; tomorrow,
march for Trautenau, thirty horses to a gun.
The Arnolds did make various attempts and appeals to the Neumark REGIERUNG (College of Judges); but it
was without the least result. "Schlecker right in every point; Gersdorf right," answered the College: "go, will
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you!" A Mill forfeited by every Law, and fallen to the highest bidder. CessCollector Kuppisch, it was soon
known, had sold his purchase to Von Gersdorf: " Hah!" said the rural public, smelling something bad. Certain
it is, Von Gersdorf is become proprietor both of Pond and Mill; and it is not to the ruined Arnolds that
Schlecker law can seem an admirable sample. And truly, reading over those barrowloads of pleadings and
RELATIONES, one has to admit that, taken as a reason for seeing oneself ruined, and one's Mill become the
big gentleman's who fancies carp, they do seem considerably insufficient. The Law Pleadings are duly
voluminous. Barrowloads of them, dreariest reading in Creation, remain; going into all manner of questions,
proving, from Grotius and others, that landlords have rights upon private rivers, and another sort upon public
ditto; that Von Gersdorf, by Law of 1566, had verily the right to put down his Fishpond,whether
Schmettau the duty to indemnify Arnold for the same? that is not touched upon: nor, singular to say, is it
anywhere made out, or attempted to be made out, How much of water Arnold lost by the Pond, much less
what degree of real impediment, by loss of his own time, by loss of his customers (tired of such waiting on a
mill), Arnold suffered by the Pond. This, which you would have thought the soul of the matter, is absolutely
left out; altogether unsettled,after, I think, four, or at least three, express Commissions had sat on it, at
successive times, with the most esteemed hydraulic sages opining and examining;and remains, like the part
of Hamlet, omitted by particular desire. No wonder Frau Arnold begged for a Military Commission; that is to
say, a decision from rational human creatures, instead of juridical wigs proceeding at this rate.
It was some time in 1775 that Rosine (what we reckoned a very elucidative point!) had given in her Petition
to the King at Crossen, showing how ill Schlecker was using them. She now, "about Mayday, 1779," in a new
Petition, referred to that, and again begged a Commission of Soldierpeople to settle it. May 4th, 1779,
King not yet home, but coming, ["Arrived at Berlin May 27th" (Rodenbeck, iii. 201).]King's Cabinet,
on Order, "SENDS this to JusticeDepartment;" nothing SAID on it, the existence of the Petition sufficiently
SAYING. JusticeDepartment thereupon demands the LawRecords, documentary Narrative of RES Arnold,
from Custrin; finds all right: "Peace, ye Arnolds; what would you have?" [Preuss, iii. 382.]
Same year, 1779 (no express date), GrandChancellor von Furst, being at Custrin, officially examining the
condition of Law matters, Frau Arnold failed not to try there also with a Petition: "See, great
Lawgentleman come to reform abuses, can that possibly be Law; or if so, is it not Injustice as well?"
"Tush!" answered Furst;for I believe Lawpeople, ever since this new stringency of Royal vigilance upon
them, are plagued with such complaints from Dorfships and dark greedy Peasant people; "Tush!" and flung it
promptly into his wastebasket.
Is there no hope at all, then? Arnold remembers that a Brother of his is a Prussian soldier; and that he has for
Colonel, Prince Leopold of Brunswick, a Prince always kind to the poor. The Leopold Regiment lies at
Frankfurt: try Prince Leopold by that channel. Prince Leopold listened;the Soldier Arnold probably known
to him as rational and respectable. Prince Leopold now likewise applies to Furst: "A defect, not of Law, Herr
Kanzler, but of Equity, there does seem. Schmettau had a right to his rent; Von Gersdorf, by Deed of 1566, to
his Pond: but the Arnolds had not water and have lost their Mill. Could not there," suggests Leopold, "be
appointed, without noise of any kind, a Commission of neutral people, strangers to the Neumark, to search
this matter to the actual root of it, and let Equity ensue?" To whom also Furst answers, though in a politer
shape, "Tush, Durchlaucht! Every man to his trade!"
So that Prince Leopold himself, the King's own Nephew, proves futile? Some think Leopold did, this very
Autumn, casually, or as if casually, mention the matter to the King,whose mind is uneasily awake to all
such cases, knowing what a buckram set his Lawyers are. "At the Reviews," as these people say, Leopold
could not have done it; there being, this Year, no Reviews, merely return of King and Army from the
Bavarian War. But during August, and on into September this Year, it is very evident, there was a Visit of the
Brunswick Family at Potsdam, [Rodenbeck, iii. 206 et seq.] Leopold's Mamma and certain of his
Brothers,of which, Colonel Prince Leopold, though not expressly mentioned in the Books, may very
possibly have been permitted, for a day or two, to form part, for Mamma's behoof and his own; and may have
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made his casual observation, at some wellchosen moment, with the effect intended. In which case, Leopold
was by no means futile, but proved, after all, to be the saving clause for the Arnolds.
Gallant young fellow, one loves to believe it of him; and to add it to the one other fact now known of him,
which was also beautiful, though tragic. Six years after, Spring, 1785, Oder River, swollen by rains, was in
wild deluge; houses in the suburbs like to be washed away. Leopold, looking on it from the Bridge or shore,
perhaps partly with an Official eye, saw the inhabitants of some houses like to be drowned; looked wildly for
assistance, but found none; and did, himself, in uncontrollable pity, dash off in a little boat, through the
wildeddying surges; and got his own death there, himself drowned in struggling to save others. Which
occasioned loud lamentation in the world; in his poor Mother's heart what unnamable voiceless lamentation!
[Friedrich's Letter to her: OEuvres de Frederic, xxvii. i. 351 ("12th May, 1785").] He had founded a Garrison
School at Frankfurt; spared no expenditure of pains or of money. A man adored in Frankfurt. "His Brother
Friedrich, in memory of him, presented, next year, the Uniform in which Leopold was drowned, to the
Freemason Lodge of Berlin, of which he had been member." [ MilitairLexikon, i. 24.] SUNT LACRYMAE
RERUM.
But to return to the Arnolds, and have done with them: for we are now, by Leopold's help or otherwise, got to
the last act of that tedious business.
August 21st, 1779 (these high Brunswickers still at Potsdam, if that had any influence), the Arnolds again
make Petition to the King: "Alas, no justice yet, your Majesty!" "Shall we never see the end of this, then?"
thinks the King: "some Soldier, with human eyes, let him, attended by one of their Lawwigs, go upon the
ground; and search it!" And, next day, having taken Protocol of the Arnold Complaint, issues CabinetOrder,
or King's Message to the Custrin Lawwigs: "Colonel Heucking [whose regiment lies in Zullichau district, a
punctual enough man], he shall be the Soldier; to whom do YOU adjoin what member of your Court you
think the fittest: and let, at last, justice be done. And swift, if you please!"
The Custrin Regierung, without delay, name REGIERUNGSRATH Neumann; who is swiftly ready, as is
Colonel Heucking swiftly,and they two set out together up the Pommerzig Brook, over that moor Country;
investigating, pondering, hearing witnesses, and no doubt consulting, and diligently endeavoring to get to the
bottom of this poor Arnold question. For how many September days, I know not: everybody knows, however,
that they could not agree; in other words, that they saw TWO bottoms to it,the Law gentleman one bottom,
the Soldier another. "True bottom is already there," argued the Law gentleman: "confirm Decision of Court in
every point." "No; Arnold has lost water, has suffered wrong," thinks Heucking; "that is the true bottom."
And so they part, each with his own opinion. Neumann affirmed afterwards, that the Colonel came with a
predetermination that way, and even that he said, once or oftener, in his eagerness to persuade: "His Majesty
has got it into his thought; there will be nothing but trouble if you persist in that notion." To which virtuous
Neumann was deaf. Neumann also says, The Colonel, acquainted with Austrian enemies, but not with Law,
had brought with him his Regiment'sAuditor, one Bech, formerly a Lawpractitioner in Crossen (readers
know Crossen, and ExDictator Wedell does),Lawpractitioner in Crossen; who had been in strife with
the Custrin Regierung, under rebuke from them (too importunate for some of his pauper clients, belike); was
a cunning fellow too, and had the said Regierung in illwill. An adroit fellow Bech might be, or must have
been; but his now office of Regiment'sAuditor is certificate of honesty,good, at least, against Neumann.
Neumann's Court was silent about these Neumann surmises; but said afterwards, "Heucking had not gone to
the bottom of the thing." This was in a subsequent report, some five or six weeks subsequent. Their present
report they redacted to the effect, "All correct as it stood," without once mentioning Heucking. Gave it in,
27th September; by which time Heucking's also was in, and had made a strong impression on his Majesty.
Presumably an honest, intelligible report; though, by illluck for the curious, it is now lost; among the
barrowloads of vague wigged stuff, this one Piece, probably human, is not to be discovered.
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Friedrich's indignation at the Custrin report, "Perfectly correct as it stood," and no mention of Heucking or his
dissent, was considerable: already, 27th September,that is, on the very day while those Custrin people
were signing their provoking report, Friedrich, confident in Heucking, had transmitted to his Supreme
Board of Justice (KAMMERGERICHT) the impartial Heucking's account of the affair, with order, "See
there, an impartial human account, clear and circumstantial (DEUTLICHES UND GANZ
UMSTANDLICHES), going down to the true roots of the business: swift, get me justice for these Arnolds!"
[Preuss, iii. 480.] Scarcely was this gone, when, September 29th, the Custrin impertinence, "Perfectly right as
it stood," came to hand; kindling the King into hot provocation; "extreme displeasure, AUSSERSTES
MISFALLEN," as his Answer bore: "Rectify me all that straightway, and relieve these Arnolds of their
injuries!" You Pettifogging Pedant Knaves, bring that Arnold matter to order, will you; you had better!
The Custrin Knaves, with what feelings I know not, proceed accordingly; appoint a new Commission, one or
more Lawyers in it, and at least one Hydraulic Gentleman in it, Schade the name of him; who are to go upon
the ground, hear witnesses and the like. Who went accordingly; and managed, not too fast, Hydraulic Schade
rather disagreeing from the Legal Gentlemen, to produce a Report, reported UPON by the Custrin Court, 28th
October: "That there is one error found: 6 pounds 12s. as value of corn LEFT, clearly Arnold's that, when his
Mill was sold; that, with this improvement, all is NOW correct to the uttermost; and that Heucking had not
investigated things to the bottom." By some accident, this Report did not come at once to Friedrich, or had
escaped his attention; so that
November 21st, matters hanging fire in this way, Frau Arnold applies again, by Petition to his Majesty; upon
which is new Royal 0rder, [Ib. iii. 490.] far more patient than might have been expected: "In God's name,
rectify me that Arnold matter, and let us at last see the end of it!" To which the Custriners answer: "All is
rectified, your Majesty. Frau Arnold, in her Petition, has not mentioned that she gained 6 pounds
12s.;"important item that; 6 pounds 12s. for CORN left (clearly Arnold's that, when his Mill was sold)!
"Our sentence we cannot alter; a Court's sentence is alterable only by appeal; your Majesty decides where the
appeal is to lie!" Friedrich's patience is now wearing out; but he does not yet give way: "Berlin
Kammergericht be your Appeal Court," decides he, 28th November: and will admit of no delay on the
Kammergericht's part either. "Papers all at Custrin, say you? Send for them by express; they will come in one
day: be swift, I say!"
Chancellor Furst is not a willing horse in this case; but he is obliged to go. December 7th, Kammergericht sits
on the Arnold Appeal; Kammergericht's view is: "Custrin papers all here, not the least delay permitted; you,
Judge Rannsleben, take these Papers to you; down upon them: let us, if humanly possible, have a Report by
tomorrow." Rannsleben takes the Papers in hand December 7th; works upon them all day, and all night
following, at a rate of energy memorable among Legal gentlemen; and December 8th attends with lucid
Report upon them, or couple of Reports; one on Arnold VERSUS Schmettau, in six folios; one on Arnold
VERSUS Gersdorf, in two ditto; draws these two Documents from his pocket December 8th; reads them in
assembled Court (six of the Judges present [Preuss, iii. 496.],which, with marked thankfulness to the swift
Rannsleben, at once adopts his Report, and pronounces upon the Custrin Raths, "Right in every particular."
Witness our hands: every one affixing his signature, as to a matter happily got done with.
It was Friday, 10th December, 1779, before Friedrich got this fine bit of news; Saturday 11th, before he
authentically saw their Sentence. He is lying miserably ill of gout in the Schloss of Berlin; and I suppose,
since his Father, of blessed memory, took cudgel to certain Judges and knocked out teeth from them, and
broke the judicial crowns, nobody in that Schloss has been in such humor against men of Law. "Attend me
here at 2 P.M. with the Three Raths who signed in Arnold's Case:" Saturday, about 11 A.M., Chancellor Furst
receives this command; gets Rannsleben, and two others, Friedel, Graun,and there occurred such a
sceneBut it will be better to let Rannsleben himself tell the story; who has left an AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
punctually correct, to all appearance, but except this alone notable passage of it, still unpublished, and like to
continue so:
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Page No 1644
"BERLIN, TUESDAY, 7th DECEMBER, 1779," says Rannsleben (let him tell it again in his own words),
"the ACTA, which had arrived from Custrin IN RE Miller Arnold and his Wife VERSUS Landrath von
Gersdorf, as also those, in the same matter, VERSUS Count von Schmettau, were assigned to me, to be
reported on QUAM PRIMUM;our President von Rebeur," President of the Supreme KAMMERGERICHT
(King'sChamber Tribunal, say Exchequer High Court, or COLLEGIUM), whereof I have the honor to be
one of the Seven Judges, or RATHS, "our President von Rebeur enjoining me to make such utmost
despatch that my Report on both these sets of Papers might be read to the assembled Court next day; whereby
said Court might then and there be enabled to pronounce judgment on the same, I at once set to work; went
on with it all night; and on the morrow I brought both my Reports (RELATIONES),"one referring to the
Gersdorf, the other to the Schmettau part of the suit,"one of six sheets, the other of two sheets, to the
Kammergericht; where both RELATIONES were read. There were present, besides me, the following six
members of the COLLEGIUM: President von Rebeur, Raths Uhl, Friedel, Kircheisen, Graun, Gassler.
"Appellant," as we all know, "was Miller Arnold; and along with the ACTA were various severe
CabinetOrders, in which the King, who had taken quite particular notice of the Case, positively enjoined,
That Miller Arnold should have justice done him. The King had not, however, given formally any
authoritative Decision of his own (KEINEN EIGENTLICHEN MACHTSPRUCH GETHAN)," which might
have given us pause, though not fullstop by any means: "but, in his Order to the Kammergericht, had merely
said, we were to decide with the utmost despatch, and then at once inform his Majesty how." With the speed
of light or of thought, Rannsleben hardly done reading, this Kammergericht decided,it is well known how:
"In the King's name; right in every particular, you Custrin Gentlemen;which be so good as publish to
parties concerned!"
Report of Kammergericht's Judgment to this effect, for behoof of Custrin, was at once got under way; and
Kammergericht, in regard to his Majesty, agreed merely to announce the fact in that quarter: "Judgment
arrived at, please your Majesty;Judgment already under way for Custrin:"you, Rannsleben, without
saying what the Judgment is, you again write for us. And Rannsleben does so; writes the above little Message
to his Majesty, "which got to the King's hand, Friday, December 10th. And the same day," continues
Rannsleben, "the King despatched a very severe CabinetOrder to Minister von Dornberg,"head of the
Department to which the Kammergericht belongs,"demanding a Copy of the Judgment. Which order was
at once obeyed.
"Hereupon, on Saturday, about 11 A.M., there came to Grand Chancellor von Furst," sublime head of us and
of all Lawyers, "a CabinetOrder, 'Appear before me here, this day, at 2 o'clock; and bring with you your
Three Kammergericht Raths who drew up (MINUTIRT) the Judgment in the Arnold Case.'" Message bodeful
to Furst and the three Raths.
"NOTA," says Rannsleben here, "the King is under the impression that, in judging a Case, Three Raths are
always employed, and therefore demands Three of us. But, properly, all the abovenamed Six MEMBRA
COLLEGII , besides myself, ought to have gone to the Palace, or else I alone." On some points an
illinformed King. Rannsleben continues:
"President von Rebeur came to me in his carriage, at a quarter to 12; told me of the King's Order; and said, as
the King demanded only Three Raths, there was nothing for it but to name me and Raths Friedel and
Kircheisen, my usual partners in Judgment business. Finding, however, on looking into the Sentence itself,
that Kircheisen was not amongst the signers of it, he [Rebeur] named, instead of him, Rath Graun, who was.
For the Herr President apprehended the King might demand to see our Sentence IN ORIGINALI, and would
then be angry that a person had been sent to him who had not signed the same. President von Rebeur
instructed me farther, That I, as Reporter in the Case, was to be spokesman at the Palace; and should explain
to his Majesty the reasons which had weighed with the Kammergericht in coming to such decision.
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Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. 1636
Page No 1645
"To my dear Wife I," as beseemed a good husband, "said nothing of all this; confiding it only to my
Fatherinlaw, who tried to cheer me. Nor, indeed, did I feel any fear within me, being persuaded in my
conscience that, in this decision of the Arnold Case, I had proceeded according to the best of my knowledge
and conviction.
"At 1 o'clock I drove to the GrandChancellor's, where I found the Raths Friedel and Graun already arrived.
The Chancellor," old Furst, "instructed us as to what we had to do when we came before the King. And then,
towards 2 o'clock, he took us in his carriage to the Palace. We entered the room immediately at the end of the
Great Hall. Here we found a heyduc [tall porter], by whom the Chancellor announced to the King that we
were here. Heyduc soon came back to inquire, Whether the CABINETSRATH Stellter," a Secretary or
Shorthand writer of his Majesty's, "had arrived yet; and whether we [WE, what a doubt!] were Privy
Councillors. We were then shortly after shown in to the King. We passed through three rooms, the second of
which was that in which stands the CONFIDENZ TAFEL [Table that goes by pulleys through the floor, and
comes up refurnished, when you wish to be specially private with your friends]. In the fourth, a small room
with one window, was the King. The Chancellor walked first; I followed him close; behind me came the Rath
Friedel, and then Graun. Some way within, opposite the door, stood a screen; with our backs to this," the
Kingward side of this, "we ranged ourselves,"in respectful row of Four, Furst at the inward end of us (right
or left is no matter). "The King sat in the middle of the room, so that he could look pointblank at us; he sat
with his back to the chimney, in which there was a fire burning. He had on a worn hat, of the clerical shape
[oldmilitary in fact, not a shovel at all]; CASSAQUIN," short dressinggown, "of redbrown (MORDORE)
velvet; black breeches, and boots which came quite up over the knee. His hair was not dressed. Three little
benchlets or stools, covered with green cloth, stood before him, on which he had his feet lying [terribly ill of
gout]. In his lap he had a sort of muff, with one of his hands in it, which seemed to be giving him great pain.
In the other hand he held our Sentence on the Arnold Case. He lay reclining (LAG) in an easychair; at his
left stood a table, with various papers on it,and two gold snuffboxes, richly set with brilliants, from which
he kept taking snuff now and then.
"Besides us, there was present in the room the CabinetsRath Stellter [of the shorthand], who stood at a
desk, and was getting ready for writing. The King looked at us, saying, 'Come nearer!' Whereupon we
advanced another step, and were now within less than two steps of him. He addressed himself to us three
Raths, taking no notice at all of the GrandChancellor:
KING. "'Is it you who drew up the judgment in the Arnold case?'
WE (especially I, with a bow). "'Yea.'
"The King then turned to the Rath Friedel [to Friedel, as the central figure of the Three, perhaps as the
portliest, though poor Friedel, except signing, had little cognizance of the thing, in which not he but
Rannsleben was to have been spokesman], and addressed to Friedel those questions, of which, with their
answers, there is Protocol published, under Royal authority, in the Berlin newspapers of December 14th,
1779;" [VON SEINER KONIGLICHEN MAJESTAT HOCHSTSELBAT ANGEHALTENES
PROTOCOLL: "Protocol [Minute of Proceedings] held by Royal Majesty's Highestself, on the 11th
December, 1779, concerning the three KammergerichtsRaths, Friedel, Graun and Rannsleben:" in PREUSS,
iii. 495.] Shorthand Stellter taking down what was said,quite accurately, testifies Rannsleben. From
Stellter (that is to say from the "Protocol" just mentioned), or from Stellter and Rannsleben together, we
continue the Dialogue:
KING to Friedel [in the tone of a Rhadamanthus suffering from gout]. "'To give sentence against a Peasant
from whom you have taken wagon, plough and everything that enables him to get his living, and to pay his
rent and taxes: is that a thing that can be done?'
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Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. 1637
Page No 1646
FRIEDEL (and the two Mutes, bowing). "'No.'
KING. "'May a Miller who has no water, and consequently cannot grind, and, therefore, not earn anything,
have his mill taken from him, on account of his not having paid his rent: is that just?'
FRIEDEL (and Mutes as aforesaid). "'No.'
KING. "'But here now is a Nobleman, wishing to make a Fishpond: to get more water for his Pond, he has a
ditch dug, to draw into it the water from a small stream which drives a watermill. Thereby the Miller loses
his water, and cannot grind; or, at most, can only grind in the spring for the space of a fortnight, and late in
the autumn, perhaps another fortnight. Yet, in spite of all this, it is pretended that the Miller shall pay his rent
quite the same as at the time when he had full water for his mill. Of course, he cannot pay his rent; his
incomings are gone! And what does the Custrin Court of Justice do? It orders the mill to be sold, that the
Nobleman may have his rent. And the Berlin Tribunal'" Chancellor Furst, standing painfully mute,
unspoken to, unnoticed hitherto, more like a broomstick than a Chancellor, ventures to strike in with a
syllable of emendation, a small correction, of these words "Berlin Tribunal"
FURST (suggestively). "'Kammergericht [mildly suggestive, and perhaps with something in his tone which
means, "I am not a broomstick!"]: Kammergericht!'
KING (to shorthand Stellter). "'KammergerichtsTribunal:[then to Furst] Go you, Sir, about your
business, on the instant! Your Successor is appointed; with you I have nothing more to do.
Disappear!'""Ordered," says Official Rannsleben, "ordered the GrandChancellor, in very severe terms, To
be gone! telling him that his Successor was already appointed. Which order Herr von Furst, without saying a
word, hastily obeyed, passing in front of us three, with the utmost speed." In front,screen, I suppose, not
having room behind it,and altogether vanishes from Friedrich's History; all but some GHOST of him (so
we may term it), which reappears for an instant once, as will be noticed.
KING (continues to Friedel, not in a lower tone probably):"'the KammergerichtsTribunal confirms the
same. That is highly unjust; and such Sentence is altogether contrary to his Majesty's landsfatherly
intentions:my name [you give it, "In the King's Name," forsooth] cruelly abused!'"
So far is set forth in the "Royal Protocol printed next Tuesday," as well as in Rannsleben. But from this point,
the Dialogueif it can be called Dialogue, being merely a rebuke and expectoration of Royal wrath against
Friedel and his Two, who are all mute, so far as I can learn, and stand like criminals in the dock, feeling
themselves unjustly condemnedgets more and more into conflagration, and cannot be distinctly reported.
"MY name to such a thing! When was I found to oppress a poor man for love of a rich? To follow wiggeries
and forms with solemn attention, careless what became of the internal fact? Act of 1566, allowing Gersdorf to
make his Pond? Like enough;and Arnold's loss of water, that is not worth the ascertaining; you know not
yet what it was, some of you even say it was nothing; care not whether it was anything. Could Arnold grind,
or not, as formerly? What is Act of 1566, or any or all Acts, in comparison? Wretched mortals, had you wigs
a fathom long, and Lawbooks on your back, and Acts of 1566 by the hundredweight, what could it help, if
the right of a poor man were left by you trampled under foot? What is the meaning of your sitting there as
Judges? Dispensers of Right in God's Name and mine? I will make an example of you which shall be
remembered! Out of my sight!" Whereupon EXEUNT in haste, all Three,though not far, not home, as
will be seen.
Only the essential sense of all this, not the exact terms, could (or should) any Stellter take in shorthand; and
in the Protocol it is decorously omitted altogether. Rannsleben merely says: "The King farther made use of
very strong expressions against us,"too strong to be repeated,"and, at last, dismissed us without saying
what he intended to do with us. We had hardly left the room, when he followed us, ordering us to wait. The
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Page No 1647
King, during the interview with us, held the Sentence, of my composition, in his hand; and seemed
particularly irritated about the circumstance of the judgment being pronounced in his name, as is the usual
form. He struck the paper again and again with his other hand,"heat of indignation quite extinguishing
gout, for the moment,"exclaiming at the same time repeatedly, 'Cruelly abused my name (MEINEN
NAMEN CRUEL MISSBRAUCHT)!'" [Preuss, iii. 495498.]We will now give the remaining part of the
Protocol (what directly follows the above CATECHETICAL or DIALOGUE part before that caught
fire),as taken down by Stellter, and read in all the Newspapers next Tuesday:
"PROTOCOL [of December 11th, Title already given; [Supra,
p. 439 n.] Docketing adds], WHICH IS TO BE PRINTED."
... (CATECHETICS AS ABOVE,AND THEN): "The King's desire always is and was, That everybody, be
he high or low, rich or poor, get prompt justice; and that, without regard of person or rank, no subject of his
fail at any time of impartial right and protection from his Courts of Law.
"Wherefore, with respect to this most unjust Sentence against the Miller Arnold of the Pommerzig Crabmill,
pronounced in the Neumark, and confirmed here in Berlin, his Majesty will establish an emphatic example
(EIN NACHDRUCKLICHES EXEMPEL STATUIREN); to the end that all Courts of Justice, in all the
King's Provinces, may take warning thereby, and not commit the like glaring unjust acts. For, let them bear in
mind, That the least peasant, yea, what is still more, that even a beggar, is, no less than his Majesty, a human
being, and one to whom due justice must be meted out. All men being equal before the Law, if it is a prince
complaining against a peasant, or VICE VERSA, the prince is the same as the peasant before the Law; and,
on such occasions, pure justice must have its course, without regard of person: Let the LawCourts, in all the
Provinces, take this for their rule. And whenever they do not carry out justice in a straightforward manner,
without any regard of person and rank, but put aside natural fairness,then they shall have to answer his
Majesty for it (SOLLEN SIC ES MIT SEINER KONIGLICHEN MAJESTAT ZU THUN KRIEGEN). For a
Court of Law doing injustice is more dangerous and pernicious than a band of thieves: against these one can
protect oneself; but against rogues who make use of the cloak of justice to accomplish their evil passions,
against such no man can guard himself. These are worse than the greatest knaves the world contains, and
deserve double punishment.
"For the rest, be it also known to the various Courts of Justice, That his Majesty has appointed a new
GrandChancellor." Furst dismissed. "Yet his Majesty will not the less look sharply with his own eyes after
the Lawproceedings in all the Provinces; and he commands you"that is, all the Lawcourts"urgently
herewith: FIRSTLY,"which is also lastly,"To proceed to deal equally with all people seeking justice, be
it prince or peasant; for, there, all must be alike. However, if his Majesty, at any time hereafter, come upon a
fault committed in this regard, the guilty Courts can now imagine beforehand how they will be punished with
rigor, President as well as Raths, who shall have delivered a judgment so wicked and openly opposed to
justice. Which all Colleges of Justice in all his Majesty's Provinces are particularly to take notice of."
"MEM. By his Majesty's special command, measures are taken that this Protocol be inserted in all the Berlin
Journals." [In Berlin'sche Nachrichten von Staats und Gelehrten Sachen, No. 149, "Tuesday, 14th December,
1779." Preuss, iii. 494.]
The remainder of Rannsleben's Narrative is beautifully brief and significant."We had hardly left the room,"
said he SUPRA, "when the King followed us," lame as he was, with a fulminant "Wait there!" Rannsleben
continues: "Shortly after came an AidedeCamp, who took us in a carriage to the common Townprison,
the Kalandshof; here two Corporals and two Privates were set to guard us. On the 13th December, 1779,"
third day of our arrest, "a CabinetOrder was published to us, by which the King had appointed a
Commission of Inquiry; but had, at the same time, commanded beforehand that the Sentence should not be
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Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. 1639
Page No 1648
less than a year's confinement in a fortress, dismissal from office, and payment of compensation to the
Arnold people for the losses they had sustained." Which certainly was a bad outlook for us.
Precisely the same has befallen our Brethren of Custrin; all suddenly packed into Prison, just while reading
our Approval of them;there they sit, their Sentence to be like ours. "Our arrest in the Kalandshof lasted
from 11th December, 1779, till 5th January, 1780," three weeks and three days,when (with Two
Exceptions, to be noted presently) we were all, Kammergerichters and Custriners alike, transferred to
Spandau.
I spoke of what might be called a ghost of Kanzler Furst once revisiting the glimpses of the Moon, or Sun if
there were any in the dismal December days. This is it, witness one who saw it: "On the morning of
December 12th, the day after the Grand Chancellor's dismissal, the Street in which he lived was thronged
with the carriages of callers, who came to testify their sympathy, and to offer their condolence to the fallen
Chancellor. The crowd of carriages could be seen from the windows of the King's Palace." The same young
Legal Gentleman, by and by a very old one, who, himself one of the callers at the ExChancellor's house that
day, saw this, and related it in his old age to Herr Preuss, [Preuss, iii. 499, 500.] remembers and relates also
this other significant fact:
"During the days that followed" the above event and Publication of the Royal Protocol, "I often crossed, in
the forenoon, the Esplanade in front of the Palace (SCHLOSSPLATZ), at that side where the King's
apartments were; the same which his Royal Highness the CrownPrince now [1833] occupies. I remember
that here, on that part of the Esplanade which was directly under Friedrich's windows, there stood constantly
numbers of Peasants, not ten or twelve, but as many as a hundred at a time; all with Petitions in their hands,
which they were holding up towards the window; shouting, 'Please his Majesty to look at these; we have been
still worse treated than the Arnolds!' And indeed, I have understood the LawCourts, for some time after,
found great difficulty to assert their authority: the parties against whom judgment went, taking refuge in the
Arnold precedent, and appealing direct to the King."
Far graver than this Spectre of Furst, Minister Zedlitz hesitates, finally refuses, to pronounce such a Sentence
as the King orders on these men of Law! Estimable, able, conscientious Zedlitz; zealous on Education
matters, too;whom I always like for contriving to attend a Course of Kant's Lectures, while 500 miles
away from him (actual Course in Konigsberg University, by the illustrious Kant; every Lecture punctually
taken in shorthand, and transmitted to Berlin, post after post, for the busy man). [Kuno Fischer, Kant's
Leben (Mannheim, 1860), pp. 34, 35.] Here is now some painful Correspondence between the King and
him,painful, yet pleasant:
KING TO MINISTER VON ZEDLITZ, WHO HAS ALARMING DOUBTS (Berlin, 28th December,
1779)."Your Report of the 20th instant in regard to Judgment on the arrested Raths has been received. But
do you think I don't understand your Advocate fellows and their quirks; or how they can polish up a bad
cause, and by their hyperboles exaggerate or extenuate as they find fit? The Goosequill class
(FEDERZEUG) can't look at facts. When Soldiers set to investigate anything, on an order given, they go the
straight way to the kernel of the matter; upon which, plenty of objections from the Goosequill people!But
you may assure yourself I give more belief to an honest Officer, who has honor in the heart of him, than to all
your Advocates and sentences. I perceive well they are themselves afraid, and don't want to see any of their
fellows punished. "If, therefore, you will not obey my Order, I shall take another in your place who will; for
depart from it I will not. You may tell them that. And know, for your part, that such miserable jargon
(MISERABEL STYL) makes not the smallest impression on me. Hereby, then, you are to guide yourself; and
merely say whether you will follow my Order or not; for I will in no wise fall away from it. I am your
wellaffectioned King,FRIEDRICH."
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Page No 1649
MARGINALE (in Autograph)."My Gentleman [you, Herr von Zedlitz, with your dubitatings] won't make
me believe black is white. I know the Advocate sleightofhand, and won't be taken in. An example has
become necessary here, those Scoundrels (CANAILLEN) having so enormously misused my name, to
practise arbitrary and unheardof injustices. A Judge that goes upon chicaning is to be punished more
severely than a highway Robber. For you have trusted to the one; you are on your guard against the other."
ZEDLITZ TO THE KING (Berlin, 31st December, 1779)."I have at all times had your Royal Majesty's
favor before my eyes as the supreme happiness of my life, and have most zealously endeavored to merit the
same: but I should recognize myself unworthy of it, were I capable of an undertaking contrary to my
conviction. From the reasons indicated by myself, as well as by the CriminalSenate [Paper of reasons
fortunately lost], your Majesty will deign to consider that I am unable to draw up a condemnatory Sentence
against your Majesty's ServantsofJustice now under arrest on account of the Arnold Affair. Your Majesty's
till death, VON ZEDLITZ."
KING TO ZEDLITZ (Berlin, 1st January, 1780)."My dear State's Minister Freiherr von Zedlitz,It
much surprises me to see, from your Note of yesterday, that yon refuse to pronounce a judgment on those
ServantsofJustice arrested for their conduct in the Arnold Case, according to my Order. If you, therefore,
will not, I will; and do it as follows:
"1. The Custrin RegierungsRath Scheibler, who, it appears in evidence, was of an opposite opinion to his
Colleagues, and voted That the man upstream had not a right to cut off the water from the man
downstream; and that the point, as to Arnold's wanting water, should be more closely and strictly inquired
into,he, Scheibler, shall be set free from his arrest, and go back to his post at Custrin. And in like manner,
KammergerichtsRath Rannslebenwho has evidently given himself faithful trouble about the cause, and
has brought forward with a quite visible impartiality all the considerations and dubieties, especially about the
condition of the water and the alleged hurtfulness of the Pond is absolved from arrest.
"2. As for the other arrested ServantsofJustice, they are one and all dismissed from office (CASSIRT), and
condemned to one year's FortressArrest. Furthermore, they shall pay to Arnold the value of his Mill, and
make good to him, out of their own pocket, all the loss and damage he has suffered in this business; the
Neumark KAMMER (RevenueBoard) to tax and estimate the same. [Damage came to 1,358 thalers, 11
groschen, 1 pfennig,that is, 203 pounds 14s. and some pence and farthings; the last farthing of which was
punctually paid to Arnold, within the next eight months;] [Preuss, iii. 409.]so that
"3. The Miller Arnold shall be completely put as he was (IN INTEGRUM RESTITUIRT).
"And in such way must the matter, in all branches of it, be immediately proceeded with, got ready, and
handed in for my Completion (VOLLZIEHUNG) by Signature. Which you, therefore, will take charge of,
without delay. For the rest, I will tell you farther, that I am not ill pleased to know you on the side you show
on this occasion [as a man that will not go against his conscience], and shall see, by and by, what I can farther
do with you. [Left him where he was, as the best thing.] Whereafter you are accordingly to guide yourself.
And I remain otherwise your well affectioned King, FRIEDRICH." [Ib. iii. 519, 520; see ib. 405 n.]
This, then, is an impartial account of the celebrated passage between Friedrich and the Lawyers known by the
name of "the MILLER ARNOLD CASE;" which attracted the notice of all Europe,just while the
decennium of the French Revolution was beginning. In Russia, the Czarina Catharine, the friend of
Philosophers, sent to her Senate a copy of Friedrich's PROTOCOL OF DECEMBER 11th, as a noteworthy
instance of Royal supreme judicature. In France, Prints in celebration of it,"one Print by Vangelisti,
entitled BALANCE DE FREDERIC,"were exhibited in shopwindows, expounded in newspapers, and
discoursed of in drawingrooms. The Case brought into talk again an old Miller Case of Friedrich's, which
had been famous above thirty years ago, when SansSouci was getting built. Readers know it: Potsdam
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Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. 1641
Page No 1650
Miller, and his obstinate Windmill, which still grinds on its knoll in those localities, and would not, at any
price, become part of the King's Gardens. "Not at any price?" said the King's agent: "Cannot the King take it
from you for nothing, if he chose?" "Have n't we the Kammergericht at Berlin!" answered the Miller. To
Friedrich's great delight, as appears; which might render the Windmill itself a kind of ornament to his
Gardens thenceforth. The French admiration over these two Miller Cases continued to be very great.
[Dieulafoi, LE MEUNIER DE SANSSOUCI (Comedy or farce, of I know not what year); Andrieux, LE
MOULIN DE SANSSOUCI ("Poem," at INSTITUT NATIONAL 15 GERMINAL, AN 5), Preuss, iii. 412,
413.]
As to Miller Arnold and his Cause, the united voice of Prussian Society condemned Friedrich's procedure:
Such harshness to Grand Chancellor Furst and respectable old Official Gentlemen, amounting to the
barbarous and tyrannous, according to Prussian Society. To support which feeling, and testify it openly, they
drove in crowds to Furst's (some have told me to the Prisondoors too, but that seems hypothetic); and left
cards for old Furst and Company. In sight of Friedrich, who inquired, "What is this stir on the streets,
then?"and, on learning, made not the least audible remark; but continued his salutary cashierment of the
wigged Gentlemen, and imprisonment till their full term ran.
My impression has been that, in Berlin Society, there was more sympathy for mere respectability of wig than
in Friedrich. To Friedrich respectability of wig that issues in solemnly failing to do justice, is a mere
enormity, greater than the most wigless condition could be. Wigless, the thing were to be endured, a thing
one is born to, more or less: but in wig,out upon it! And the wig which screens, and would strive to
disguise and even to embellish such a thing: To the gutters with such wig!
In support of their feeling for Furst and Company, Berlin Society was farther obliged to pronounce the claim
of Miller Arnold a nullity, and that no injustice whatever had been done him. Mere pretences on his part,
subterfuges for his idle conduct, for his inability to pay due rent, said Berlin Society. And that impartial
Soldierperson, whom Friedrich sent to examine by the light of nature, and report? "Corrupted he!" answer
they: "had intrigues with" I forget whom; somebody of the womankind (perhaps Arnold's old
hardfeatured Wife, if you are driven into a corner!)"and was not to be depended on at all!" In which
condemned state, Berlin Society almost wholly disapproving it, the Arnold Process was found at Friedrich's
death (restoration of honors to old Furst and Company, one of the first acts of the New Reign, sure of
immediate popularity); and, I think, pretty much continues so still, few or none in Berlin Society admitting
Miller Arnold's claim to redress, much less defending that onslaught on Furst and the wigs. [Herr Preuss
himself inclines that way, rather condemnatory of Friedrich; but his Account, as usual, is exact and
authentic,though distressingly confused, and scattered about into different corners (Preuss, iii. 381413;
then again, ibid. 520 On the other hand, there is one Segebusch, too, a learned Doctor, of Altona, who takes
the King's side,and really is rather stupid, argumentative merely, and unilluminative, if you read him:
Segebusch, Historischrechtliche Wurdigung der Einmischung Friedrich's des Grossen in die bekannte
Rechtssache des Mullers Arnold, auch fur NichtJuristen (Altona, 1829).]
Who, from the remote distance, would venture to contradict? Once more, my own poor impression was,
which I keep silent except to friends, that Berlin Society was wrong; that Miller Arnold had of a truth lost
portions of his damwater, and was entitled to abatement; and that in such case, Friedrich's horror at the
Furst andCompany Phenomenon (horror aggravated by gout) had its highly respectable side withal.
When, after Friedrich's death, on Von Gersdorf's urgent reclamations, the case was reopened, and allowed to
be carried "into the Secret Tribunal, as the competent Court of Appeal in third instance," the said Tribunal
found, That the lawmaxim depended upon by the Lower Courts, as to "the absolute right of owners of
private streams," did NOT apply in the present case; but that the Deed of 1566 did; and also that "the facts as
to pretended damage [PRETENCE merely] from loss of water, were satisfactorily proved against Arnold:"
Gersdorf, therefore, may have his Pond; and Arnold must refund the money paid to him for "damages" by the
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condemned Judges; and also the purchasemoney of his Mill, if he means to keep the latter. All which
moneys, however, his Majesty Friedrich Wilhelm II., Friedrich's Successor, to have done with the matter,
handsomely paid out of his own pocket: the handsome way of ending it.
In his last journey to WestPreussen, June, 1784, Friedrich said to the new RegierungsPresident (Chief
Judge) there: "I am Head Commissary of Justice; and have a heavy responsibility lying on me,"as will you
in this new Office. Friedrich at no moment neglected this part of his functions; and his procedure in it
throughout, one cannot but admit to have been faithful, beautiful, human. Very impatient indeed when he
comes upon Imbecility and Pedantry threatening to extinguish Essence and Fact, among his Law People! This
is one MARGINALE of his, among many such, some of them still more stinging, which are comfortable to
every reader. The Case is that of a murderer,murder indisputable; "but may not insanity be suspected, your
Majesty, such the absence of motive, such the?" Majesty answers: "That is nothing but inanity and stupid
pleading against right. The fellow put a child to death; if he were a soldier, you would execute him without
priest; and because this CANAILLE is a citizen, you make him 'melancholic' to get him off. Beautiful
justice!" [Preuss, iii. 375.]
Friedrich has to sign all DeathSentences; and he does it, wherever I have noticed, rigorously well. For the
rest, his Criminal Calendar seems to be lighter than any other of his time; "in a population of 5,200,000," says
he once, "14 to 15 are annually condemned to death."
Chapter VIII. THE FURSTENBUND: FRIEDRICH'S LAST YEARS.
At Vienna, on November 29th, 1780, the noble Kaiserinn Maria Theresa, after a short illness, died. Her end
was beautiful and exemplary, as her course had been. The disease, which seemed at first only a bad cold,
proved to have been induration of the lungs; the chief symptom throughout, a more and more suffocating
difficulty to breathe. On the edge of death, the Kaiserinn, sitting in a chair (bed impossible in such struggle
for breath), leant her head back as if inclined to sleep. One of her women arranged the cushions, asked in a
whisper, "Will your Majesty sleep, then?" "No," answered the dying Kaiserinn; "I could sleep, but I must not;
Death is too near. He must not steal upon me. These fifteen years I have been making ready for him; I will
meet him awake." Fifteen years ago her beloved Franz was snatched from her, in such sudden manner: and
ever since, she has gone in Widow's dress; and has looked upon herself as one who had done with the world.
The 18th of every month has been for her a day of solitary prayer; 18th of every August (Franz's deathday)
she has gone down punctually to the vaults in the StephansKirche, and sat by his coffin there;last August,
something broke in the apparatus as she descended; and it has ever since been an omen to her. [Hormayr,
OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iv. (2tes) 94; Keith, ii. 114.] Omen now fulfilled.
On her death, Joseph and Kaunitz, now become supreme, launched abroad in their ambitious adventures with
loose rein. Schemes of all kinds; including Bavaria still, in spite of the late check; for which latter, and for
vast prospects in Turkey as well, the young Kaiser is now upon a cunning method, full of promise to him,
that of ingratiating himself with the Czarina, and cutting out Friedrich in that quarter. Summer, 1780,
while the Kaiserinn still lived, Joseph made his famous First Visit to the Czarina (May August, 1780),
[Hermann, vi. 132135.]not yet for some years his thricefamous Second Visit (thricefamous
Cleopatravoyage with her down the Dnieper; dramaturgic cities and populations keeping pace with them on
the banks, such the scenic faculty of Russian Officials, with Potemkin as stagemanager):in the course of
which First Visit, still more in the Second, it is well known the Czarina and Joseph came to an understanding.
Little articulated of it as yet; but the meaning already clear to both. "A frank partnership, high Madam: to
you, full scope in your glorious notion of a Greek Capital and Empire, Turk quite trampled away,
Constantinople a Christian metropolis once more [and your next Grandson a CONSTANTINE,to be in
readiness]: why not, if I may share too, in the Donau Countries, that lie handy? To you, I say, an Eastern
Empire; to me, a Western: Revival of the poor old Romish Reich, so far as may be; and no hindrance upon
Bavaria, next time. Have not we had enough of that old Friedrich, who stands perpetually upon STATUS
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QUO, and to both of us is a mere stoppage of the way?"
Czarina Catharine took the hint; christened her next Grandson "Constantine" (to be in readiness); [This is the
Constantine who renounced, in favor of the late Czar Nicholas; and proved a failure in regard to "New Greek
Empire," and otherwise.] and from that time stiffly refused renewing her Treaty with Friedrich;to
Friedrich's great grief, seeing her, on the contrary, industrious to forward every German scheme of Joseph's,
Bavarian or other, and foreshadowing to himself dismal issues for Prussia when this present term of Treaty
should expire. As to Joseph, he was busy night and day,really perilous to Friedrich and the independence
of the German Reich. His young Brother, Maximilian, he contrives, Czarina helping, to get elected
Coadjutor of Koln; Successor of our Lanky Friend there, to be KurKoln in due season, and make the
Electorate of Koln a bit of Austria henceforth. [Lengthy and minute account of that Transaction, in all the
steps of it, in DOHM, i. 29539.] Then there came "PANISBRIEFE," [PANIS (Bread) BRIEF is a Letter
with which, in ancient centuries, the Kaiser used to furnish an old wornout Servant, addressed to some
Monastery, some Abbot or Prior in easy circumstances: "Be so good as provide this old Gentleman with
Panis (Bread, or Board and Lodging) while he lives." Very pretty in Barbarossa's time;but now!]who
knows what? usurpations, graspings and pretensions without end:finally, an open pretension to
incorporate Bavaria, after all. Bavaria, not in part now, but in whole: "You, Karl Theodor, injured man,
cannot we give you Territory in the Netherlands; a King there you shall be, and have your vote as KurPfalz
still; only think! In return for which, Bavaria ours in feesimple, and so finish that?" Karl Theodor is
perfectly willing,only perhaps some others are not. Then and there, these threatening complexities, now
gone like a dream of the night, were really lifeperils for the Kingdom of Prussia; never to be lost sight of by
a veteran Shepherd of the People. They kept a vigilant King Friedrich continually on the stretch, and were a
standing lifeproblem to him in those final Years. Problem nearly insoluble to human contrivance; the
Russian card having palpably gone into the other hand. Problem solved, nevertheless; it is still remembered
how.
On the development of that pretty Bavarian Project, the thing became pressing; and it is well known by what
a stroke of genius Friedrich checkmated it; and produced instead a "FURSTENBUND," or general
"Confederation of German Princes," Prussia atop, to forbid peremptorily that the Laws of the Reich be
infringed. FURSTENBUND: this is the victorious summit of Friedrich's Public History, towards which all his
efforts tended, during these five years: Friedrich's last feat in the world. Feat, how obsolete now,fallen
silent everywhere, except in German ParishHistory, and to the students of Friedrich's character in old age!
Had no result whatever in European History; so unexpected was the turn things took. A FURSTENBUND
which was swallowed bodily within few years, in that WorldExplosion of Democracy, and War of the
Giants; andunless Napoleon's "Confederation of the Rhine" were perhaps some transitory ghost of
it?left not even a ghost behind. A FURSTENBUND of which we must say something, when its Year
comes; but obviously not much.
Nor are the Domesticities, as set forth by our Prussian authorities, an opulent topic for us. Friedrich's Old Age
is not unamiable; on the contrary, I think it would have made a pretty Picture, had there been a Limner to take
it, with the least felicity or physiognomic coherency;as there was not. His Letters, and all the symptoms we
have, denote a soundhearted brave old man; continually subduing to himself many ugly troubles; and, like
the stars, always steady at his work. To sit grieving or desponding is, at all times, far from him: "Why
despond? Won't it be all done presently; is it of much moment while it lasts?" A fine, unaffectedly vigorous,
simple and manful old age;rather serene than otherwise; in spite of electric outbursts and cloudy weather
that could not be wanting.
Of all which there is not, in this place, much more to be said. Friedrich's element is itself wearing dim,
sombre of hue; and the records of it, too, seem to grow dimmer, more and more intermittent. Old friends, of
the intellectual kind, are almost all dead; the new are of little moment to us,not worth naming in
comparison, The chief, perhaps, is a certain young Marchese Lucchesini, who comes about this time,
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["Chamberlain [titular, with Pension, 9th May, 1780, age then 28" (Preuss, iv. 211);arrived when or how is
not said.] and continues in more and more favor both with Friedrich and his Successor,employed even in
Diplomatics by the latter. An accomplished young Gentleman, from Lucca; of fine intelligence, and, what
was no less essential to him here, a perfect propriety in breeding and carriage. One makes no acquaintance
with him in these straggling records, nor desires to make any. It was he that brought the inane, ever scribbling
Denina hither, if that can be reckoned a merit. Inane Denina came as Academician, October, 1782; saw
Friedrich, [Rodenbeck, iii. 285, 286.] at least once ("Academician, Pension; yes, yes!")and I know not
whether any second time.
Friedrich, on loss of friends, does not take refuge in solitude; he tries always for something of substitute; sees
his man once or twice,in several instances once only, and leaves him to his pension in sinecure
thenceforth. Cornelius de Pauw, the rich Canon of Xanten (Uncle of Anacharsis Klootz, the afterwards
renowned), came on those principles; hung on for six months, not liked, not liking; and was then permitted to
go home for good, his pension with him. Another, a Frenchman, whose name I forget, sat gloomily in
Potsdam, after his rejection; silent (not knowing German), unclipt, unkempt, rough as Nebuchadnezzar, till he
died. De Catt is still a resource; steady till almost the end, when somebody's tongue, it is thought, did him ill
with the King.
Alone, or almost alone, of the ancient set is Bastiani; a tall, blackbrowed man, with uncommonly bright
eyes, now himself old, and a comfortable Abbot in Silesia; who comes from time to time, awakening the
King into his pristine topics and altitudes. Bastiani's history is something curious: as a tall Venetian Monk
(son of a tailor in Venice), he had been crimped by Friedrich Wilhelm's people; Friedrich found him serving
as a Potsdam Giant, but discerned far other faculties in the brightlooking man, far other knowledges; and
gradually made him what we see. Banters him sometimes that he will rise to be Pope one day, so cunning and
clever is he: "What will you say to me, a Heretic, when you get to be Pope; tell me now; out with it, I insist!"
Bastiani parried, pleaded, but unable to get off, made what some call his one piece of wit: "I will say: O
Royal Eagle, screen me with thy wings, but spare me with thy sharp beak!" This is Bastiani's one recorded
piece of wit; for he was tacit rather, and practically watchful, and did not waste his fine intellect in that way.
Foreign Visitors there are in plenty; now and then something brilliant going. But the old Generals seem to be
mainly what the King has for company. Dinner always his bright hour; from ten to seven guests daily.
Seidlitz, never of intelligence on any point but Soldiering, is long since dead; Ziethen comes rarely, and falls
asleep when he does; General Gortz (brother of the WeimarMunchen Gortz); Buddenbrock (the King's
comrade in youth, in the Reinsberg times), who has good faculty; Prittwitz (who saved him at Kunersdorf,
and is lively, though stupid); General and HeadEquerry Schwerin, of headlong tongue, not witty, but the
cause of wit; Major Graf von Pinto, a magniloquent ExAustrian ditto ditto: these are among his chief
dinnerguests. If fine speculation do not suit, old pranks of youth, old tales of war, become the staple
conversation; always plenty of banter on the old King's part;who sits very snuffy (says the privately
illhumored Busching) and does not sufficiently abhor grease on his fingers, or keep his nails quite clean.
Occasionally laughs at the Clergy, too; and has little of the reverence seemly in an old King. The truth is,
Doctor, he has had his sufferings from Human Stupidity; and was always fond of hitting objects on the raw.
For the rest, as you may see, heartily an old Stoic, and takes matters in the rough; avoiding useless
despondency above all; and intent to have a cheerful hour at dinner if he can.
Visits from his Kindred are still pretty frequent; never except on invitation. For the rest, completely an old
Bachelor, an old Military Abbot; with business for every hour. Princess Amelia takes care of his linen, not
very well, the dear old Lady, who is herself a cripple, suffering, and voiceless, speaking only in hoarse
whisper. I think I have heard there were but twelve shirts, not in firstrate order, when the King died. A King
supremely indifferent to small concerns; especially to that of shirts and tailorages not essential. Holds to
Literature, almost more than ever; occasionally still writes; [For one instance: The famous Pamphlet, DE LA
LITTERATURE ALLEMANDE (containing his onslaught on Shakspeare, and his first salutation, with the
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reverse of welcome, to Goethe's GOTZ VON BERLICHINGEN);printed, under stupid Thiebault's care,
Berlin, 1780. Stands now in OEuvres de Frederic, vii. 89122. The last Pieces of all are chiefly MILITARY
INSTRUCTIONS of a practical or official nature.] has his daily Readings, Concerts, Correspondences as
usual: readers can conceive the dim Household Picture, dimly reported withal. The following Anecdotes
may be added as completion of it, or at least of all I have to say on it:
YOU GO ON WEDNESDAY, THEN?"Loss of time was one of the losses Friedrich could least stand. In
visits even from his Brothers and Sisters, which were always by his own express invitation, he would say
some morning (call it Tuesday morning): 'You are going on Wednesday, I am sorry to hear' (what YOU never
heard before)! 'Alas, your Majesty, we must!' 'Well, I am sorry: but I will lay no constraint on you.
Pleasant moments cannot last forever!' And sometimes, after this had been agreed to; he would say: 'But
cannot you stay till Thursday, then? Come, one other day of it!''Well, since your Majesty does graciously
press!' And on Thursday, not Wednesday, on those curious terms, the visit would terminate. This trait is in
the AnecdoteBooks: but its authenticity does not rest on that uncertain basis; singularly enough, it comes to
me, individually, by two clear stages, from Friedrich's Sister the Duchess of Brunswick, who, if anybody,
would know it well!" [My informant is Sir George Sinclair, Baronet, of Thurso; his was the distinguished
Countess of Finlater, still remembered for her graces of mind and person, who had been MaidofHonor to
the Duchess.]
DINNER WITH THE QUEEN.The Queen, a prudent, simpleminded, worthy person, of perfect behavior
in a difficult position, seems to have been much respected in Berlin Society and the Court Circles. Nor was
the King wanting in the same feeling towards her; of which there are still many proofs: but as to personal
intercourse,what a figure has that gradually taken! Preuss says, citing those who saw: "When the King,
after the SevenYears War, now and then, in Carnival season, dined with the Queen in her Apartments, he
usually said not a word to her. He merely, on entering, on sitting down at table and on leaving it, made the
customary bow; and sat opposite to her. Once, in the Seventies [years 1770, years now past], the Queen was
ill of gout; table was in her Apartments; but she herself was not there, she sat in an easychair in the
drawingroom. On this occasion the King stepped up to the Queen, and inquired about her health. The
circumstance occasioned, among the company present, and all over Town as the news spread, great wonder
and sympathy (VERWUNDERUNG UND THEILNAHME). This is probably the last time he ever spoke to
her." [Preuss, iv. 187.]
THE TWO GRANDNEPHEWS."The King was fond of children; liked to have his GrandNephews
about him. One day, while the King sat at work in his Cabinet, the younger of the two, a boy of eight or nine
[who died soon after twenty], was playing ball about the room; and knocked it once and again into the King's
writing operation; who twice or oftener flung it back to him, but next time put it in his pocket, and went on.
'Please your Majesty, give it me back!' begged the Boy; and again begged: Majesty took no notice; continued
writing. Till at length came, in the tone of indignation, 'Will your Majesty give me my ball, then?' The King
looked up; found the little Hohenzollern planted firm, hands on haunches, and wearing quite a peremptory
air. 'Thou art a brave little fellow; they won't get Silesia out of thee!' cried he laughing, and flinging him his
ball." [Fischer, ii. 445 ("year 1780").]
Of the elder Prince, afterwards Friedrich Wilhelm III. (Father of the now King), there is a much more
interesting Anecdote, and of his own reporting too, though the precise terms are irrecoverable: "How the
King, questioning him about his bits of French studies, brought down a LA FONTAINE from the shelves,
and said, 'Translate me this Fable;' which the Boy did, with such readiness and correctness as obtained the
King's praises: praises to an extent that was embarrassing, and made the honest little creature confess, 'I did it
with my Tutor, a few days since!' To the King's much greater delight; who led him out to walk in the
Gardens, and, in a mood of deeper and deeper seriousness, discoursed and exhorted him on the supreme law
of truth and probity that lies on all men, and on all Kings still more; one of his expressions being, 'Look at
this high thing [the Obelisk they were passing in the Gardens], its UPRIGHTness is its strength (SA
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DROITURE FAIT SA FORCE);' and his final words, 'Remember this evening, my good Fritz; perhaps thou
wilt think of it, long after, when I am gone.' As the good Friedrich Wilhelm III. declares piously he often did,
in the storms of fate that overtook him." [R. F. Eylert, Charakterzuge und historische Fragmente aus dem
Leben des Konigs von Preussen Friedrich Wilhelm III. (Magdeburg, 1843), i. 450456. This is a "King's
Chaplain and Bishop Eylert:" undoubtedly he heard this Anecdote from his Master, and was heard repeating
it; but the dialect his Editors have put it into is altogether tawdry, modern, and impossible to take for that of
Friedrich, or even, I suppose, of Friedrich Wilhelm III.]
Industrial matters, that of Colonies especially, of drainages, embankments, and reclaiming of waste lands, are
a large item in the King's business,readers would not guess how large, or how incessant. Under this head
there is on record, and even lies at my hand translated into English, what might be called a Colonial DAY
WITH FRIEDRICH (Day of July 23d, 1779; which Friedrich, just come home from the Bavarian War, spent
wholly, from 5 in the morning onward, in driving about, in earnest survey of his Colonies and
LandImprovements in the PotsdamRuppin Country); curious enough Record, by a certain Bailiff or
Overseer, who rode at his chariotside, of all the questions, criticisms and remarks of Friedrich on persons and
objects, till he landed at Ruppin for the night. Taken down, with forensic, almost with religious exactitude, by
the Bailiff in question; a Nephew of the Poet Gleim,by whom it was published, the year after Friedrich's
death; [Is in Anekdoten und Karakterzuge, No. 8 (Berlin, 1787), pp. 1579.] and by many others since. It is
curiously authentic, characteristic in parts, though in its bald forensic style rather heavy reading. Luckier, for
most readers, that inexorable want of room has excluded it, on the present occasion! [Printed now (in Edition
1868, for the first time), as APPENDIX to this Volume.]
No reader adequately fancies, or could by any single Document be made to do so, the continual assiduity of
Friedrich in regard to these interests of his. The strictest Husbandman is not busier with his Farm, than
Friedrich with his Kingdom throughout;which is indeed a FARM leased him by the Heavens; in which not
a gatebar can be broken, nor a stone or sod roll into the smallest ditch, but it is to his the Husbandman's
damage, and must be instantly looked after. There are Meetings with the Silesian manufacturers (in Review
time), Dialogues ensuing, several of which have been preserved; strange to read, however dull. There are
many scattered evidences;and only slowly does, not the thing indeed, but the degree of the thing, become
fully credible. Not communicable, on the terms prescribed us at present; and must be left to the languid fancy,
like so much else.
Here is an Ocular View, here are several such, which we yet happily have, of the actual Friedrich as he
looked and lived. These, at a cheap rate, throw transiently some flare of illumination over his Affairs and
him: these let me now give; and these shall be all.
PRINCE DE LIGNE, AFTER TEN YEARS, SEES FRIEDRICH A SECOND TIME; TIME; AND
REPORTS WHAT WAS SAID.
In Summer, 1780, as we mentioned, Kaiser Joseph was on his first Visit to the Czarina. They met at Mohilow
on the Dnieper, towards the end of May; have been roving about, as if in mere galas and amusements (though
with a great deal of business incidentally thrown in), for above a month since, when Prince de Ligne is
summoned to join them at Petersburg. He goes by Berlin, stays at Potsdam with Friedrich for about a week;
and reports to Polish Majesty these new Dialogues of 1780, the year after sending him those of
MahrischNeustadt of 1770, which we read above. Those were written down from memory, in 1785; these in
1786,and "towards the end of it," as is internally evident. Let these also be welcome to us on such terms as
there are.
"Since your Majesty [QuasiMajesty, of Poland] is willing to lose another quarter of an hour of that time,
which you employ so well in gaining the love of all to whom you deign to make yourself known, here is my
Second Interview. It can be of interest only to you, Sire, who have known the King, and who discover traits
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of character in what to another are but simple words. One finds in few others that confidence, or at least that
kindliness (BONHOMIE), which characterizes your Majesty. With you, one can indulge in rest; but with the
King of Prussia, one had always to be under arms, prepared to parry and to thrust, and to keep the due middle
between a small attack and a grand defence. I proceed to the matter in hand, and shall speak to you of him for
the last time.
"He had made me promise to come to Berlin. I hastened thither directly after that little War [PotatoWar],
which he called 'an action where he had come as bailiff to perform an execution.' The result for him, as is
known, was a great expense of men, of horses and money; some appearance of good faith and
disinterestedness; little honor in the War; a little honesty in Policy, and much bitterness against us Austrians.
The King began, without knowing why, to prohibit Austrian Officers from entering his Territories without an
express order, signed by his own hand. Similar prohibition, on the part of our Court, against Prussian Officers
and mutual constraint, without profit or reason. I, for my own part, am of confident humor; I thought I should
need no permission, and I think still I could have done without one. But the desire of having a Letter from the
great Friedrich, rather than the fear of being illreceived, made me write to him. My Letter was all on fire
with my enthusiasm, my admiration, and the fervor of my sentiment for that sublime and extraordinary being;
and it brought me three charming Answers from him. He gave me, in detail, almost what I had given him in
the gross; and what he could not return me in admiration,for I do not remember to have gained a
battle,he accorded me in friendship. For fear of missing, he had written to me from Potsdam, to Vienna, to
Dresden, and to Berlin. [In fine, at Potsdam I was, SATURDAY, 9th JULY, 1780, waiting ready;stayed
there about a week.] ["9th (or 10th) July, 1780" (Rodenbeck, iii. 233): "Stayed till 16th."]
"While waiting for the hour of 12, with my Son Charles and M. de Lille [Abbe de Lille, prosewriter of
something now forgotten; by no means lyrical DE LISLE, of LES JARDINS], to be presented to the King, I
went to look at the Parade;and, on its breaking up, was surrounded, and escorted to the Palace, by Austrian
deserters, and particularly from my own regiment, who almost caressed me, and asked my pardon for having
left me.
"The hour of presentation struck. The King received me with an unspeakable charm. The military coldness of
a General's Head quarters changed into a soft and kindly welcome. He said to me, 'He did not think I had so
big a Son.'
EGO. "'He is even married, Sire; has been so these twelve months.'
KING. "'May I (OSERAISJE) ask you to whom?' He often used this expression, 'OSERAISJE;' and also
this: 'If you permit me to have the honor to tell you, SI VOUS ME PERMETTES D'AVOIR L'HONNEUR
DE VOUS DIRE.'
EGO. "'To a PolishLady, a Massalska.'
KING (to my Son). "'What, a Massalska? Do you know what her Grandmother did?'
"'No, Sire,' said Charles.
KING. "'She put the match to the cannon at the Siege of Dantzig with her own hand; [February, 1734, in poor
Stanislaus Leczinski's SECOND fit of Royalty: supra vi. 465.] she fired, and made others fire, and defended
herself, when her party, who had lost head, thought only of surrendering.'
EGO. "'Women are indeed undefinable; strong and weak by turns, indiscreet, dissembling, they are capable
of anything.' 'Without doubt,' said M. de Lille, distressed that nothing had yet been said to him, and with a
familiarity which was not likely to succeed; 'Without doubt. Look' said he. The King interrupted him. I
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cited some traits in support of my opinion,as that of the woman Hachette at the Siege of Beauvais. [A.D.
1472; Burgundians storming the wall had their flag planted; flag and flagbearer are hurled into the ditch by
Hachette and other inspired women,with the finest results.] The King made a little excursion to Rome and
to Sparta: he liked to promenade there. After half a second of silence, to please De Lille, I told the King that
M. de Voltaire died in De Lille's arms. That caused the King to address some questions to him; he answered
in rather too longdrawn a manner, and went away. Charles and I stayed dinner." This is day first in Potsdam.
"Here, for five hours daily, the King's encyclopedical conversation enchanted me completely. Fine arts, war,
medicine, literature and religion, philosophy, ethics, history and legislation, in turns passed in review. The
fine centuries of Augustus and of Louis XIV.; good society among the Romans, among the Greeks, among
the French; the chivalry of Francois I.; the frankness and valor of Henri IV.; the newbirth
(RENAISSANCE) of Letters and their revolution since Leo X.; anecdotes about the clever men of other
times, and the trouble they give; M. de Voltaire's slips; susceptibilities of M. de Maupertuis; Algarotti's
agreeable ways; fine wit of Jordan; D'Argens's hypochondria, whom the King would send to bed for four
andtwenty hours by simply telling him that he looked ill;and, in fine, what not? Everything, the most
varied and piquant that could be said, came from him,in a most soft tone of voice; rather low than
otherwise, and no less agreeable than were the movements of his lips, which had an inexpressible grace.
"It was this, I believe, which prevented one's observing that he was, in fact, like Homer's heroes, somewhat of
a talker (UN PEU BABILLARD), though a sublime one. It is to their voices, their noise and gestures, that
talkers often owe their reputation as such; for certainly one could not find a greater talker than the King; but
one was delighted at his being so. Accustomed to talk to Marquis Lucchesini, in the presence of only four or
five Generals who did not understand French, he compensated in this way for his hours of labor, of study, of
meditation and solitude. At least, said I to myself, I must get in a word. He had just mentioned Virgil. I
said:
EGO. "'What a great Poet, Sire; but what a bad gardener!'
KING. "'Ah, to whom do you tell that! Have not I tried to plant, sow, till, dig, with the GEORGICS in my
hand? "But, Monsieur," said my man, "you are a fool (BETE), and your Book no less; it is not in that way
one goes to work." Ah, MON DIEU, what a climate! Would you believe it, Heaven, or the Sun, refuse me
everything? Look at my poor orangetrees, my olivetrees, lemontrees: they are all starving.'
EGO. "'It would appear, then, nothing but laurels flourish with you, Sire.' (The King gave me a charming
look; and to cover an inane observation by an absurd one, I added quickly:) 'Besides, Sire, there are too many
GRENADIERS [means, in French, POMEGRANATES as well as GRENADIERS,peg of one's little joke!]
in this Country; they eat up everything!' The King burst out laughing; for it is only absurdities that cause
laughter.
"One day I had turned a plate to see of what, porcelain it was. 'Where do you think it comes from?' asked the
King.
EGO. "'I thought it was Saxon; but, instead of two swords [the Saxon mark], I see only one, which is well
worth both of them.'
KING. "'It is a sceptre.'
EGO. "'I beg your Majesty's pardon; but it is so much like a sword, that one could easily mistake it for one.'
And such was really the case. This, it, is known, is the mark of the Berlin china. As the King sometimes
PLAYED KING, and thought himself, sometimes, extremely magnificent while taking up a walkingstick or
snuffbox with a few wretched little diamonds running after one another on it, I don't quite know whether he
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was infinitely pleased with my little allegory.
"One day, as I entered his room, he came towards me, saying, 'I tremble to announce bad news to you. I have
just heard that Prince Karl of Lorraine is dying.' [Is already dead, "at Brussels, July 4th;" Duke of
SachsenTeschen and Wife Christine succeeded him as JointGovernors in those parts.] He looked at me to
see the effect this would have; and observing some tears escaping from my eyes, he, by gentlest transitions,
changed the conversation; talked of war, and of the Marechal de Lacy. He asked me news about Lacy; and
said, 'That is a man of the greatest merit. In former time, Count Mercy among yourselves [killed, while
commanding in chief, at the Battle of Parma in 1733], Puysegur among the French, had some notions of
marches and encampments; one sees from Hyginus's Book [ancient Book] ON CASTRAMETATION, that
the Greeks also were much occupied with the subject: but your Marechal surpasses the Ancients, the Moderns
and all the most famous men who have meddled with it. Thus, whenever he was your
QuartermasterGeneral, if you will permit me to make the remark to you, I did not gain the least advantage.
Recollect the two Campaigns of 1758 and 1759; you succeeded in everything. I often said to myself, 'Shall I
never get rid of that man, then?' You yourselves got me rid of him; and[some liberal or even profuse
eulogy of Lacy, who is De Ligne's friend; which we can omit].
"Next day the King, as soon as he saw me, came up; saying with the most penetrated air: 'If you are to learn
the loss of a man who loved you, and who did honor to mankind, it will be better that it be from some one
who feels it as deeply as I do. Poor Prince Karl is no more. Others, perhaps, are made to replace him in your
heart; but few Princes will replace him with regard to the beauty of his soul and to all his virtues.' In saying
this, his emotion became extreme. I said: 'Your Majesty's regrets are a consolation; and you did not wait for
his death to speak well of him. There are fine verses with reference to him in the Poem, SUR L'ART DE LA
GUERRE.' My emotion troubled me against my will; however, I repeated them to him. [ "Soutien de mes
rivaux, digne appui de ta reine,
Charles, d'un ennemi sourd aux cris de la haine
Recois l'eloge" ... (for crossing the Rhine in 1744): ten rather noble lines, still worth reading; as indeed
the whole Poem well is, especially to soldier students (L'ART DE LA GUERRE, Chant vi.: OEuvres de
Frederic, x. 273).] The Man of Letters seemed to appreciate my knowing them by heart.
KING. "'His passage of the Rhine was a very fine thing;but the poor Prince depended upon so many
people! I never depended upon anybody but myself; sometimes too much so for my luck. He was badly
served, not too well obeyed: neither the one nor the other ever was the case with me.Your General Nadasti
appeared to me a great General of Cavalry?' Not sharing the King's opinion on this point, I contented myself
with saying, that Nadasti was very brilliant, very fine at musketry, and that he could have led his hussars to
the world's end and farther (DANS L'ENFER), so well did he know how to animate them.
KING. "'What has become of a brave Colonel who played the devil at Rossbach? Ah, it was the Marquis de
Voghera, I think?Yes, that's it; for I asked his name after the Battle.'
EGO. "'He is General of Cavalry.'
KING. "'PERDI! It needed a considerable stomach for fight, to charge like your Two Regiments of
Cuirassiers there, and, I believe, your Hussars also: for the Battle was lost before it began.'
EGO. "'Apropos of M. de Voghera, is your Majesty aware of a little thing he did before charging? He is a
boiling, restless, evereager kind of man; and has something of the good old Chivalry style. Seeing that his
Regiment would not arrive quick enough, he galloped ahead of it; and coming up to the Commander of the
Prussian Regiment of Cavalry which he meant to attack, he saluted him as on parade; the other returned the
salute; and then, Have at each other like madmen.'
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KING. "'A very good style it is! I should like to know that man; I would thank him for it.Your General von
Ried, then, had got the devil in him, that time at Eilenburg [spurt of fight there, in the Meissen regions, I
think in Year 1758, when the D'Ahremberg Dragoons got so cut up], to let those brave Dragoons, who so
long bore your Name with glory, advance between Three of my Columns?' He had asked me the same
question at the Camp of Neustadt ten years since; and in vain had I told him that it was not M. de Ried; that
Ried did not command them at all; and that the fault was Marechal Daun's, who ought not to have sent them
into that Wood of Eilenburg, still less ordered them to halt there without even sending a patrol forward. The
King could not bear our General von Ried, who had much displeased him as Minister at Berlin; and it was his
way to put down everything to the account of people he disliked.
KING. "'When I think of those devils of Saxon Camps [Summer, 1760],they were unattackable citadels! If,
at Torgau, M. de Lacy had still been QuartermasterGeneral, I should not have attempted to attack him. But
there I saw at once the Camp was ill chosen.'
EGO. "'The superior reputation of Camps sometimes causes a desire to attempt them. For instance, I ask your
Majesty's pardon, but I have always thought you would at last have attempted that of Plauen, had the War
continued.'
KING. "'Oh, no, indeed! There was no way of taking that one.'
EGO. "'Does n't your Majesty think: With a good battery on the heights of Dolschen, which commanded us;
with some battalions, ranked behind each other in the Ravine, attacking a quarter of an hour before daybreak
[and so forth, at some length,excellent for soldier readers who know the Plauen Chasm], you could have
flung us out of that almost impregnable Place of Refuge?'
KING. "'And your battery on the Windberg, which would have scourged my poor battalions, all the while, in
your Ravine?'
EGO. "'But, Sire, the night?'
KING. "'Oh, you could not miss us even by grope. That big hollow that goes from Burg, and even from
Potschappel,it would have poured like a waterspout [or firespout] over us. You see, I am not so brave as
you think.'
"The Kaiser had set out for his Interview [First Interview, and indeed it is now more than half done, a good
six weeks of it gone] with the Czarina of Russia. That Interview the King did not like [no wonder]:and, to
undo the good it had done us, he directly, and very unskilfully, sent the Prince Royal to Petersburg [who had
not the least success there, loutish fellow, and was openly snubbed by a Czarina gone into new courses]. His
Majesty already doubted that the Court of Russia was about to escape him:and I was dying of fear lest, in
the middle of all his kindnesses, he should remember that I was an Austrian. 'What,' said I to myself, 'not a
single epigram on us, or on our Master? What a change!'
"One day, at dinner, babbling Pinto said to the person sitting next him, 'This Kaiser is a great traveller; there
never was one who went so far.' 'I ask your pardon, Monsieur,' said the King; 'Charles Fifth went to Africa;
he gained the Battle of Oran.' And, turning towards me,who couldn't guess whether it was banter or only
history,'This time,' said he, 'the Kaiser is more fortunate than Charles Twelfth; like Charles, he entered
Russia by Mohilow; but it appears to me he will arrive at Moscow.'
"The same Pinto, one day, understanding the King was at a loss whom to send as Foreign Minister
somewhither, said to him: 'Why does not your Majesty think of sending Lucchesini, who is a man of much
brilliancy (HOMME D'ESPRIT)?' 'It is for that very reason,' answered the King, 'that I want to keep him. I
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had rather send you than him, or a dull fellow like Monsieur' I forget whom, but believe it is one whom he
did appoint Minister somewhere.
"M. de Lucchesini, by the charm of his conversation, brought out that of the King's. He knew what topics
were agreeable to the King; and then, he knew how to listen; which is not so easy as one thinks, and which no
stupid man was ever capable of. He was as agreeable to everybody as to his Majesty, by his seductive
manners and by the graces of his mind. Pinto, who had nothing to risk, permitted himself everything. Says he:
'Ask the Austrian General, Sire, all he saw me do when in the service of the Kaiser.'
EGO. "'A firework at my Wedding, was n't that it, my dear Pinto?'
KING (interrupting). "'Do me the honor to say whether it was successful?'
EGO. "'No, Sire; it even alarmed all my relations, who thought it a bad omen. Monsieur the Major here had
struck out the idea of joining Two flaming Hearts, a very novel image of a married couple. But the groove
they were to slide on, and meet, gave way: my Wife's heart went, and mine remained.'
KING. "'You see, Pinto, you were not good for much to those people, any more than to me.'
EGO. "'Oh, Sire, your Majesty, since then, owes him some compensation for the sabrecuts he had on his
head.'
KING. "'He gets but too much compensation. Pinto, did n't I send you yesterday some of my good Preussen
honey?'
PINTO. "'Oh, surely;it was to make the thing known. If your Majesty could bring that into vogue, and sell
it all, you would be the greatest King in the world. For your Kingdom produces only that; but of that there is
plenty.'
"'Do you know,' said the King, one day, to me,'Do you know that the first soldiering I did was for the
House of Austria? MON DIEU, how the time passes!'He had a way of slowly bringing his hands together,
in ejaculating these MONDIEUS, which gave him quite a goodnatured and extremely mild air.(Do you
know that I saw the glittering of the last rays of Prince Eugen's genius?'
EGO. "'Perhaps it was at these rays that your Majesty's genius lit itself.'
KING. "'EH, MON DIEU! who could equal the Prince Eugen?'
EGO. "'He who excels him;for instance, he who could win Twelve Battles!'He put on his modest air. I
have always said, it is easy to be modest, if you are in funds. He seemed as though he had not understood me,
and said:
KING. "'When the cabal which, during forty years, the Prince had always had to struggle with in his Army,
were plotting mischief on him, they used to take advantage of the evening time, when his spirits, brisk
enough in the morning, were jaded by the fatigues of the day. It was thus they persuaded him to undertake his
bad March on Mainz' [March not known to me].
EGO. "'Regarding yourself, Sire, and the Rhine Campaign, you teach me nothing. I know everything your
Majesty did, and even what you said. I could relate to you your Journeys to Strasburg, to Holland, and what
passed in a certain Boat. Apropos of this Rhine Campaign, one of our old Generals, whom I often set talking,
as one reads an old Manuscript, has told me how astonished he was to see a young Prussian Officer, whom he
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did not know, answering a General of the late King, who had given out the order, Not to go aforaging: "And
I, Sir, I order you to go; our Army needs it; in short, I will have it so (JE LE VEUX)!"'
KING. "'You look at me too much from the favorable side! Ask these Gentlemen about my humors and my
caprices; they will tell you fine things of me.'
"We got talking of some Anecdotes which are consigned to, or concealed in, certain obscure Books. 'I have
been much amused, said I to the King, (with the big cargo of Books, true or false, written by French
Refugees, which perhaps are unknown in France itself.' [Discourses a little on this subject.]
KING. "'Where did you pick up all these fine old Pieces? These would amuse me on an evening; better than
the conversation of my Doctor of the Sorbonne [one Peyrau, a wandering creature, not otherwise of the least
interest to us], [Nicolai, Anekdoten, ii. 133 n.] whom I have here, and whom I am trying to convert.'
EGO. "'I found them all in a Bohemian Library, where I sat diverting myself for two Winters.'
KING. "'How, then? Two Winters in Bohemia? What the devil were you doing there! Is it long since?'
EGO. "'No, Sire; only a year or two [PotatoWar time]! I had retired thither to read at my ease.'He smiled,
and seemed to appreciate my not mentioning the little War of 1778, and saving him any speech about it. He
saw well enough that my Winterquarters had been in Bohemia on that occasion; and was satisfied with my
reticence. Being an old sorcerer, who guessed everything, and whose tact was the finest ever known, he
discovered that I did not wish to tell him I found Berlin changed since I had last been there. I took care not to
remind him that I was at the capturing of it in 1760, under M. de Lacy's orders [M. de Lacy's indeed!].It
was for having spoken of the first capture of Berlin, by Marshal Haddick [highly temporary as it was, and
followed by Rossbach], that the King had taken a dislike to M. de Ried.
"Apropos of the Doctor of the Sorbonne [uninteresting Peyrau] with whom he daily disputed, the King said to
me once, 'Get me a Bishopric for him.' 'I don't think,' answered I, (that my recommendation, or that of your
Majesty, could be useful to him with us.' 'Ah, truly no!' said the King: 'Well, I will write to the Czarina of
Russia for this poor devil; he does begin to bore me. He holds out as Jansenist, forsooth. MON DIEU, what
blockheads the present Jansenists are! But France should not have extinguished that nursery (FOYER) of
their genius, that Port Royal, extravagant as it was. Indeed, one ought to destroy nothing! Why have they
destroyed, too, the Depositaries of the graces of Rome and of Athens, those excellent Professors of the
Humanities, and perhaps of Humanity, the ExJesuit Fathers? Education will be the loser by it. But as my
Brothers the Kings, most Catholic, most Christian, most Faithful and Apostolic, have tumbled them out, I,
most Heretical, pick up as many as I can; and perhaps, one day, I shall be courted for the sake of them by
those who want some. I preserve the breed: I said, counting my stock the other day, "A Rector like you, my
Father, I could easily sell for 300 thalers; you, Reverend Father Provincial, for 600; and so the rest, in
proportion." When one is not rich, one makes speculations.'
"From want of memory, and of opportunities to see oftener and longer the Greatest Man that ever existed
[Oh, MON PRINCE!], I am obliged to stop. There is not a word in all this but was his own; and those who
have seen him will recognize his manner. All I want is, to make him known to those who have not had the
happiness to see him. His eyes are too hard in the Portraits: by work in the Cabinet, and the hardships of War,
they had become intense, and of piercing quality; but they softened finely in hearing, or telling, some trait of
nobleness or sensibility. Till his death, and but quite shortly before it,notwithstanding many levities which
he knew I had allowed myself, both in speaking and writing, and which he surely attributed only to my duty
as opposed to my interest,he deigned to honor me with marks of his remembrance; and has often
commissioned his Ministers, at Paris and at Vienna, to assure me of his goodwill.
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"I no longer believe in earthquakes and eclipses at Caesar's death, since there has been nothing of such at that
of Friedrich the Great. I know not, Sire, whether great phenomena of Nature will announce the day when you
shall cease to reign [great phenomena must be very idle if they do, your Highness!]but it is a phenomenon
in the world, that of a King who rules a Republic by making himself obeyed and respected for his own sake,
as much as by his rights" (Hear, hear). [Prince de Ligne, Memoires et Melanges, i. 2240.]
Prince de Ligne thereupon hurries off for Petersburg, and the final Section of his Kaiser's Visit. An errand of
his own, too, the Prince had,about his new Daughterinlaw Massalska, and claims of extensive Polish
Properties belonging to her. He was the charm of Petersburg and the Czarina; but of the Massalska Properties
could retrieve nothing whatever. The munificent Czarina gave him "a beautiful Territory in the Crim,"
instead; and invited him to come and see it with her, on his Kaiser's next Visit (1787, the aquatic Visit and the
highly scenic). Which it is well known the Prince did; and has put on record, in his pleasant, not untrue,
though vague, highcolored and fantastic way,if it or he at all concerned us farther.
HOW GENERAL VON DER MARWITZ, IN EARLY BOYHOOD, SAW FRIEDRICH THE GREAT
THREE TIMES (17821785).
General von der Marwitz, who died not many years ago, is of the old Marwitz kindred, several of whom we
have known for their rugged honesties, genialities and peculiar ways. This General, it appears, had left a kind
of Autobiography; which friends of his thought might be useful to the Prussian Public, after those Radical
distractions which burst out in 1848 and onwards; and a first Volume of the MARWITZ POSTHUMOUS
PAPERS was printed accordingly, [NACHLASS DES GENERAL VON DER MARWITZ (Berlin, 1852), 1
vol. 8vo.] whether any more I have not heard; though I found this first Volume an excellent substantial bit
of reading; and the Author a fine old Prussian Gentleman, very analogous in his structure to the fine old
English ditto; who showed me the PERCONTRA side of this and the other muchcelebrated modern
Prussian person and thing, Prince Hardenberg, Johannes von Muller and the like;and yielded more
especially the following Three Reminiscences of Friedrich, beautiful little Pictures, bathed in morning light,
and evidently true to the life:
1. JUNE, 1782 OR 1783. "The first time I saw him was in 1782 (or it might be 1783, in my sixth year),"
middle of June, whichever year, "as he was returning from his Annual Review in Preussen [WEST
Preussen, never revisits the Konigsberg region], and stopped to change horses at Dolgelin." Dolgelin is in
Mullrose Country, westward of FrankfurtonOder; our Marwitz Schloss not far from it. "I had been sent
with Mamsell Benezet," my French Governess; "and, along with the Clergyman of Dolgelin, we waited for
the King.
"The King, on his journeys, generally preferred, whether at midday or for the night, to halt in some Country
place, and at the Parsonages most of all; probably because he was quieter there than in the Towns. To the
Clergyman this was always a piece of luck; not only because, if he pleased the King, he might chance to get
promoted; but because he was sure of profitable payment, at any rate; the King always ordering 50 thalers
[say 10 guineas] for his noon halt, and for his night's lodging 100. The little that the King ate was paid for
over and above. It is true, his Suite expected to be well treated; but this consisted only of one or two
individuals. Now, the King had been wont almost always, on these journeys homewards, to pass the last night
of his expedition with the Clergyman of Dolgelin; and had done so last year, with this present one who was
then just installed; with him, as with his predecessor, the King had talked kindly, and the 100 thalers were
duly remembered. Our good Parson flattered himself, therefore, that this time too the same would happen;
and he had made all preparations accordingly.
"So we waited there, and a crowd of people with us. The team of horses stood all ready (peasants' horses,
poor little cats of things, but the best that could be picked, for there were then no posthorses THAT COULD
RUN FAST);the countryfellows that were to ride postilion all decked, and ten head of horses for the
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King's coach: wheelers, four, which the coachman drove from his box; then two successive pairs before, on
each pair a postilionpeasant; and upon the third pair, foremost of all, the King's outriders were to go.
"And now, at last, came the FELDJAGER [Chacer, Huntinggroom], with his big whip, on a peasant's, horse,
a peasant with him as attendant. All blazing with heat, he dismounted; said, The King would be here in five
minutes; looked at the relays, and the fellows with the waterbuckets, who were to splash the wheels; gulped
down a quart of beer; and so, his saddle in the interim having been fixed on another horse, sprang up again,
and off at a gallop. The King, then, was NOT to stay in Dolgelin! Soon came the Page, mounted in like style;
a youth of 17 or 18; utterly exhausted; had to be lifted down from his horse, and again helped upon the fresh
one, being scarcely able to stand;and close on the rear of him arrived the King. He was sitting alone in an
oldfashioned glasscoach, what they call a VISAVIS (a narrow carriage, two seats fore and aft, and on
each of them room for only one person). The coach was very long, like all the old carriages of that time;
between the driver's box and the body of the coach was a space of at least four feet; the body itself was of
pearshape, peaked below and bellied out above; hung on straps, with rolled knuckles [WINDEN], did not
rest on springs; two beams, connecting fore wheels and hind, ran not UNDER the body of the coach, but
along the sides of it, the hindwheels following with a goodly interval.
"The carriage drew up; and the King said to his coachman [the far famed Pfund]: 'Is this Dolgelin?' 'Yes,
your Majesty!''I stay here.' 'No,' said Pfund; 'The sun is not down yet. We can get on very well to
Muncheberg tonight [ten miles ahead, and a Town too, perfidious Pfund!]and then tomorrow we are
much earlier in Potsdam.' 'NA, HM,well, if it must be so!'
"And therewith they set to changing horses. The peasants who were standing far off, quite silent, with
reverently bared heads, came softly nearer, and looked eagerly at the King. An old Gingerbread woman
(SOMMELFRAU) of Lebbenichen [always knew her afterwards] took me in her arm, and held me aloft close
to the coachwindow. I was now at farthest an ell from the King; and I felt as if I were looking in the face of
God Almighty (ES WAR MIR ALS OB ICH DEN LIEBEN GOTT ANSAHE). He was gazing steadily out
before him," into the glowing West, "through the front window. He had on an old threecornered regimental
hat, and had put the hindward straight flap of it foremost, undoing the loop, so that this flap hung down in
front, and screened him from the sun. The hatstrings (HUT CORDONS," trimmings of silver or gold cord)
"had got torn loose, and were fluttering about on this downhanging front flap; the white feather in the hat
was tattered and dirty; the plain blue uniform, with red cuffs, red collar and gold shoulderbands [epaulettes
WITHOUT bush at the end], was old and dusty, the yellow waistcoat covered with snuff;for the rest, he
had blackvelvet breeches [and, of course, the perpetual BOOTS, of which he would allow no polishing or
blacking, still less any change for new ones while they would hang together]. I thought always he would
speak to me. The old woman could not long hold me up; and so she set me down again. Then the King looked
at the Clergyman, beckoned him near, and asked, Whose child it was? (Herr von Marwitz of
Friedersdorf's.''Is that the General?' 'No, the Chamberlain.' The King made no answer: he could not bear
Chamberlains, whom he considered as idle fellows. The new horses were yoked; away they went. All day the
peasants had been talking of the King, how he would bring this and that into order, and pull everybody over
the coals who was not agreeable to them.
"Afterwards it turned out that all Clergymen were in the habit of giving 10 thalers to the coachman Pfund,
when the King lodged with them: the former Clergyman of Dolgelin had regularly done it; but the new one,
knowing nothing of the custom, had omitted it last year;and that was the reason why the fellow had so
pushed along all day that he could pass Dolgelin before sunset, and get his 10 thalers in Muncheberg from the
Burgermeister there."
2. JANUARY, 1785. "The second time I saw the King was at the Carnival of Berlin in 1785. I had gone with
my Tutor to a Cousin of mine who was a Hofdame (DAME DE COUR) to the Princess Henri, and lived
accordingly in the PrinceHenri Palace,which is now, in our days, become the University;her
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Apartments were in the third story, and looked out into the garden. As we were ascending the great stairs,
there came dashing past us a little old man with staring eyes, jumping down three steps at a time. My Tutor
said, in astonishment, 'That is Prince Henri!' We now stept into a window of the first story, and looked out to
see what the little man had meant by those swift boundings of his. And lo, there came the King in his carriage
to visit him.
"Friedrich the Second NEVER drove in Potsdam, except when on journeys, but constantly rode. He seemed
to think it a disgrace, and unworthy of a Soldier, to go in a carriage: thus, when in the last Autumn of his life
(this very 1785) he was so unwell in the windy SansSouci (where there were no stoves, but only hearth
fires), that it became necessary to remove to the Schloss in Potsdam, he could not determine to DRIVE
thither, but kept hoping from day to day for so much improvement as might allow him to ride. As no
improvement came, and the weather grew ever colder, he at length decided to go over under cloud of
darkness, in a sedan chair, that nobody might notice him.So likewise during the Reviews at Berlin or
Charlottenburg he appeared always on horseback: but during the Carnival in Berlin, where he usually stayed
four weeks, he DROVE, and this always in Royal pomp,thus:
"Ahead went eight runners with their staves, plumed caps and runneraprons [LAUFERSCHURZE,
whatever these are], in two rows. As these runners were never used for anything except this show, the office
was a kind of post for Invalids of the Lifeguard. A consequence of which was, that the King always had to
go at a slow pace. His courses, however, were no other than from the Schloss to the Opera twice a week; and
during his whole residence, one or two times to Prince Henri and the Princess Amelia [once always, too, to
dine with his Wife, to whom he did not speak one word, but merely bowed at beginning and ending!]. After
this the runners rested again for a year. Behind them came the Royal Carriage, with a team of eight; eight
windows round it; the horses with oldfashioned harness, and plumes on their heads. Coachman and
outriders all in the then Royal livery,blue; the collar, cuffs, pockets, and all seams, trimmed with a stripe of
red cloth, and this bound on both sides with small goldcord; the general effect of which was very good. In
the four boots (NEBENTRITTEN) of the coach stood four Pages, red with gold, in silk stockings, feather
hats (crown all covered with feathers), but not having plumes;the valet's boot behind, empty; and to the
rear of it, down below, where one mounts to the valet's boot [BEDIENTENTRITT, what is now become
FOOTBOARD], stood a groom (STALLKNECHT). Thus came the King, moving slowly along; and entered
through the portal of the Palace. We looked down from the window in the stairs. Prince Henri stood at the
carriagedoor; the pages opened it, the King stepped out, saluted his Brother, took him by the hand, walked
upstairs with him, and thus the two passed near us (we retiring upstairs to the second story), and went into the
Apartment, where now Students run leaping about."
3. MAY 23d, 1785. "The third time I saw him was that same year, at Berlin still, as he returned home from
the Review. ["May 21st 23d" (Rodenbeck, iii. 327).] My Tutor had gone with me for that end to the Halle
Gate, for we already knew that on that day he always visited his Sister, Princess Amelia. He came riding on a
big white horse,no doubt old CONDE, who, twenty years after this, still got his FREEBOARD in the
ECOLE VETERINAIRE; for since the Bavarian War (1778), Friedrich hardly ever rode any other horse. His
dress was the same as formerly at Dolgelin, on the journey; only that the hat was in a little better condition,
properly looped up, and with the peak (but not with the LONG peak, as is now the fashion) set in front, in due
military style. Behind him were a guard of Generals, then the Adjutants, and finally the grooms of the party.
The whole 'Rondeel' (now BelleAlliance Platz) and the WilhelmsStrasse were crammed full of people; all
windows crowded, all heads bare, everywhere the deepest silence; and on all countenances an expression of
reverence and confidence, as towards the just steersman of all our destinies. The King rode quite alone in
front, and saluted people, CONTINUALLY taking off his hat. In doing which he observed a very marked
gradation, according as the onlookers bowing to him from the windows seemed to deserve. At one time he
lifted the hat a very little; at another he took it from his head, and held it an instant beside the same; at
another he sunk it as far as the elbow. But these motions lasted continually; and no sooner had he put on his
hat, than he saw other people, and again took it off. From the Halle Gate to the KochStrasse he certainly
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took off his hat 200 times.
"Through this reverent silence there sounded only the trampling of the horses, and the shouting of the Berlin
streetboys, who went jumping before him, capering with joy, and flung up their hats into the air, or skipped
along close by him, wiping the dust from his boots. I and my Tutor had gained so much room that we could
run alongside of him, hat in hand, among the boys.You see the difference between then and now. Who was
it that then made the noise? Who maintained a dignified demeanor?Who is it that bawls and bellows now?
[Nobilities ought to be noble, thinks this old Marwitz, in their reverence to Nobleness. If Nobilities
themselves become Washed Populaces in a manner, what are we to say?] And what value can you put on
such bellowing?
"Arrived at the Princess Amelia's Palace (which, lying in the WilhelmsStrasse, fronts also into the
KochStrasse), the crowd grew still denser, for they expected him there: the forecourt was jammed full; yet
in the middle, without the presence of any police, there was open space left for him and his attendants. He
turned into the Court; the gateleaves went back; and the aged lame Princess, leaning on two Ladies, the
OBERHOFMEISTERINN (Chief Lady) behind her, came hitching down the flat steps to meet him. So soon
as he perceived her, he put his horse to the gallop, pulled up, sprang rapidly down, took off his hat (which he
now, however, held quite low at the full length of his arm), embraced her, gave her his arm, and again led her
up the steps. The gateleaves went to; all had vanished, and the multitude still stood, with bared head, in
silence, all eyes turned to the spot where he had disappeared; and so it lasted a while, till each gathered
himself and peacefully went his way.
"And yet there had nothing happened! No pomp, no fireworks, no cannonshot, no drumming and fifing, no
music, no event that had occurred! No, nothing but an old man of 73, illdressed, all dusty, was returning
from his day's work. But everybody knew that this old man was toiling also for him; that he had set his whole
life on that labor, and for fiveandforty years had not given it the slip one day! Every one saw, moreover,
the fruits of this old man's labor, near and far, and everywhere around; and to look on the old man himself
awakened reverence, admiration, pride, confidence,in short all the nobler feelings of man." [ Nachlass des
General von der Marwitz, i. 1520.]
This was May 21st, 1785; I think, the last time Berlin saw its King in that public manner, riding through the
streets. The FURSTENBUND Affair is now, secretly, in a very lively state, at Berlin and over Germany at
large; and comes to completion in a couple of months hence,as shall be noticed farther on.
GENERAL BOUILLE, HOME FROM HIS WESTINDIAN EXPLOITS, VISITS FRIEDRICH (August
5th11th, 1784).
In these last years of his life Friedrich had many French of distinction visiting him. In 1782, the Abbe Raynal
(whom, except for his power of face, he admired little); [Rodenbeck, iii. 277 n.] in 1786, Mirabeau (whose
personal qualities seem to have pleased him);but chiefly, in the interval between these two, various
Military Frenchmen, now home with their laurels from the American War, coming about his Reviews: eager
to see the Great Man, and be seen by him. Lafayette, Segur and many others came; of whom the one
interesting to us is Marquis de Bouille: already known for his swift sharp operation on the English Leeward
Islands; and memorable afterwards to all the world for his presidency in the FLIGHT TO VARENNES of
poor Louis XVI. and his Queen, in 1791; which was by no means so successful. "The brave Bouille," as we
called him long since, when writing of that latter operation, elsewhere. Bouille left MEMOIRES of his own:
which speak of Friedrich: in the Vie de Bouille, published recently by friendly hands: [Rene de Bouille,
ESSAI SUR LA VIE DU MARQUIS DE BOUILLE (Paris, 1853) there is Summary given of all that his
Papers say on Friedrich; this, in still briefer shape, but unchanged otherwise, readers shall now see.
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"In July, 1784, Marquis de Bouille (lately returned from a visit to England), desirous to see the Prussian
Army, and to approach the great Friedrich while it was yet time, travelled by way of Holland to Berlin,
through Potsdam [no date; got to Berlin "August 6th;" [Rodenbeck, iii. 309.] so that we can guess "August
5th" for his Potsdam day]. Saw, at SansSouci, in the vestibule, a bronze Bust of Charles XII.; in the
diningroom, among other pictures, a portrait of the Chateauroux, Louis XV.'s first Mistress. In the King's
bedroom, simple campbed, coverlet of crimson taffetas, rather dirty, as well as the other furniture, on
account of the dogs. Many books lying about: Cicero, Tacitus, Titus Livius [in French Translations]. On a
chair, Portrait of Kaiser Joseph II.; same in King's Apartments in Berlin Schloss, also in the Potsdam New
Palace: 'C'EST UN JEUNE HOMME QUE JE NE DOIS PAS PERDRE DE VUE.'
"King entering, took off his hat, saluting the Marquis, whom a Chamberlain called Gortz presented [no
Chamberlain; a Lieutenant General, and much about the King; his Brother, the Weimar Gortz, is gone as
Prussian Minister to Petersburg some time ago]. King talked about the War DES ISLES [my WestIndia
War], and about England. 'They [the English] are like sick people who have had a fever; and don't know how
ill they have been, till the fit is over.' Fox he treated as a noisy fellow (DE BROUILLON); but expressed
admiration of young Pitt. 'The coolness with which he can stand being not only contradicted, but ridiculed
and insulted, CELA PARAIT AUDESSUS DE LA PATIENCE HUMAINE.' King closed the conversation
by saying he would be glad to see me in Silesia, whither he was just about to go for Reviews [will go in ten
days, August 15th].
"Friedrich was 72," last January 24th. "His physiognomy, dress, appearance, are much what the numerous
wellknown Portraits represent him. At Court, and on great Ceremonies, he appears sometimes in
blackcolored stockings rolled over the knee, and rosecolored or skyblue coat (BLEU CELESTE). He is
fond of these colors, as his furniture too shows. The Marquis dined with the Prince of Prussia, without
previous presentation; so simple are the manners of this Soldier Court. The Heir Presumptive lodges at a
brewer's house, and in a very mean way; is not allowed to sleep from home without permission from the
King."
Bouille set out for Silesia 11th August; was at Neisse in good time. "Went, at 5 A.M. [date is August 19th,
Review lasts till 24th], [Rodenbeck, iii. 310.] to see the King mount. All the Generals, Prince of Prussia
among them, waited in the street; outside of a very simple House, where the King lodged. After waiting half
an hour, his Majesty appeared; saluted very graciously, without uttering a word. This was one of his special
Reviews [that was it!]. He rode (MARCHAIT) generally alone, in utter silence; it was then that he had his
REGARD TERRIBLE, and his features took the impress of severity, to say no more. [Is displeased with the
Review, I doubt, though Bouille saw nothing amiss;and merely tells us farther:] At the Reviews the King
inspects strictly one regiment after another: it is he that selects the very Corporals and Sergeants, much more
the Upper Officers; nominating for vacancies what Cadets are to fill them,all of whom are Nobles." Yes,
with rare exceptions, all. Friedrich, democratic as his temper was, is very strict on this point; "because," says
he repeatedly, "Nobles have honor; a Noble that misbehaves, or flinches in the moment of crisis, can find no
refuge in his own class; whereas a man of lower birth always can in his." [ OEuvres de Frederic, (more than
once).] Bouille continues:
"After Review, dined with his Majesty. Just before dinner he gave to the assembled Generals the 'Order' for
tomorrow's Manoeuvres [as we saw in Conway's case, ten years ago]. This lasted about a quarter of an hour;
King then saluted everybody, taking off TRES AFFECTUEUSEMENT his hat, which he immediately put
on again. Had now his affable mien, and was most polite to the strangers present. At dinner, conversation
turned on the Wars of Louis XIV.; then on EnglishAmerican War,King always blaming the English,
whom he does not like. Dinner lasted three hours. His Majesty said more than once to me [in ill humor, I
should almost guess, and wishful to hide it]: 'Complete freedom here, as if we were in our Tavern, Sir (ICI,
TOUTE LIBERTE, MONSIEUR, COMME SI NOUS ETIONS AU CABARET)!' On the morrow," August
20th, "dined again. King talked of France; of Cardinal Richelieu, whose principles of administration he
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praised. Repeated several times, that 'he did not think the French Nation fit for Free Government.' At the
Reviews, Friedrich did not himself command; but prescribed, and followed the movements; criticised,
reprimanded and so forth. On horseback six hours together, without seeming fatigued.
"King left for Breslau 25th August [24th, if it were of moment]. Bouille followed thither; dined again.
Besides Officers, there were present several Polish Princes, the Bishop of the Diocese, and the Abbot
Bastiani. King made pleasantries about religion [pity, that]; Bastiani not slow with repartees", of a defensive
kind. "King told me, on one occasion, 'Would you believe it? I have just been putting my poor Jesuits'
finances into order. They understand nothing of such things, CES BONS HOMMES. They are useful to me in
forming my Catholic Clergy. I have arranged it with his Holiness the Pope, who is a friend of mine, and
behaves very well to me.' Pointing from the window to the Convent of Capuchins, 'Those fellows trouble me
a little with their bellringings. They offered to stop it at night, for my sake: but I declined. One must leave
everybody to his trade; theirs is to pray, and I should have been sorry to deprive them of their chimes
(CARILLON).'
"The 20,000 troops, assembled at Breslau, did not gain the King's approval,"far from it, alas, as we shall
all see! "To some Chiefs of Corps he said, 'VOUS RESSEMBLEZ PLUS A DES TAILLEURS QU'A DES
MILITAIRES (You are more like tailors than soldiers)!' He cashiered several, and even sent one
MajorGeneral to prison for six weeks." That of the tailors, and MajorGeneral Erlach clapt in prison, is too
true;nor is that the saddest part of the Affair to us. "Bouille was bound now on an excursion to Prag, to a
Camp of the Kaiser's there. 'Mind,' said the King, alluding to Bouille's BLUE uniform,'mind, in the
Country you are going to, they don't like the blue coats; and your Queen has even preserved the family
repugnance, for she does not like them either.' [ESSAI SUR LA VIE DU MARQUIS DE BOUILLE, pp.
l34149.]
"September 5th, 1784, Bouille arrived at Prag. Austrian Manoeuvres are very different; troops, though more
splendidly dressed, contrast unfavorably with Prussians;"unfavorably, though the strict King was so
dissatisfied. "Kaiser Joseph, speaking of Friedrich, always admiringly calls him 'LE ROI.' Joseph a great
questioner, and answers his own questions. His tone BRUSQUE ET DECIDE. Dinner lasted one hour.
"Returned to Potsdam to assist at the Autumn Reviews", 21st23d September, 1784. [Rodenbeck, iii. 313.]
"Dinner very splendid, magnificently served; twelve handsome Pages, in blue or rose colored velvet, waited
on the Guests,these being forty old rude Warriors booted and spurred. King spoke of the French,
approvingly: 'But,' added he, 'the Court spoils everything. Those Courtfellows, with their red heels and
delicate nerves, make very bad soldiers. Saxe often told me, In his Flanders Campaigns the Courtiers gave
him more trouble than did Cumberland.' Talked of Marechal Richelieu; of Louis XIV., whose apology he
skilfully made. Blamed, however, the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Great attachment of the 'Protestant
Refugees' to France and its King. 'Would you believe it?' said he: 'Under Louis XIV. they and their families
used to assemble on the day of St. Louis, to celebrate the FETE of the King who persecuted them!' Expressed
pity for Louis XV., and praised his goodnature.
"Friedrich, in his conversation, showed a modesty which seemed a little affected. 'S'IL M'EST PERMIS
D'AVOIR UNE OPINION,' a common expression of his;said 'opinion' on most things, on Medicine among
others, being always excellent. Thinks French Literature surpasses that of the Ancients. Small opinion of
English Literature: turned Shakspeare into ridicule; and made also bitter fun of German Letters,their
Language barbarous, their Authors without genius. ...
"I asked, and received permission from the King, to bring my Son to be admitted in his ACADEMIE DES
GENTILSHOMMES; an exceptional favor. On parting, the King said to me: 'I hope you will return to me
Marechal de France; it is what I should like; and your Nation could n't do better, nobody being in a state to
render it greater services.'"
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Bouille will reappear for an instant next year. Meanwhile he returns to France, "first days of October, 1784,"
where he finds Prince Henri; who is on Visit there for three months past. ["2d July, 1784," Prince Henri had
gone (Rodenbeck, iii. 309).] A shining event in Prince Henri's Life; and a profitable; poor King Louiswhat
was very welcome in Henri's state of financehaving, in a delicate kingly way, insinuated into him a "Gift
of 400,000 francs" (16,000 pounds): [Anonymous (De la RocheAymon), Vie privee, politique et militaire du
Prince Henri, Frere de Frederic II. (a poor, vague and uninstructive, though authentic little Book: Paris,
1809), pp. 219239.]partly by way of retainingfee for France; "may turn to excellent account," think
some, "when a certain Nephew comes to reign yonder, as he soon must."
What Bouille heard about the Silesian Reviews is perfectly true; and only a part of the truth. Here, to the
person chiefly responsible, is an indignant Letter of the King's: to a notable degree, full of settled wrath
against one who is otherwise a dear old Friend:
FRIEDRICH TO LIEUTENANTGENERAL TAUENTZIEN INFANTRY INSPECTORGENERAL OF
SILESIA.
"POTSDAM, 7th September, 1784.
"MY DEAR GENERAL VON TAUENTZIEN,While in Silesia I mentioned to you, and will now repeat in
writing, That my Army in Silesia was at no time so bad as at present. Were I to make Shoemakers or Tailors
into Generals, the Regiments could not be worse. Regiment THADDEN is not fit to be the most insignificant
militia battalion of a Prussian Army; ROTHKIRCH and SCHWARTZ"bad as possible all of them"of
ERLACH, the men are so spoiled by smuggling [sad industry, instead of drilling], they have no resemblance
to Soldiers; KELLER is like a heap of undrilled boors; HAGER has a miserable Commander; and your own
Regiment is very mediocre. Only with Graf von Anhalt [in spite of his head], with WENDESSEN and
MARGRAF HEINRICH, could I be content. See you, that is the state I found the Regiments in, one after one.
I will now speak of their Manoeuvring [in our Mimic Battles on the late occasion]:
"Schwartz; at Neisse, made the unpardonable mistake of not sufficiently besetting the Height on the Left
Wing; had it been serious, the Battle had been lost. At Breslau, Erlach [who is a MajorGeneral, forsooth!],
instead of covering the Army by seizing the Heights, marched off with his Division straight as a row of
cabbages into that Defile; whereby, had it been earnest, the enemy's Cavalry would have cut down our
Infantry, and the Fight was gone.
"It is not my purpose to lose Battles by the base conduct (LACHETE) of my Generals: wherefore I hereby
appoint, That you, next year, if I be alive, assemble the Army between Breslau and Ohlau; and for four days
before I arrive in your Camp, carefully manoeuvre with the ignorant Generals, and teach them what their duty
is. Regiment VON ARNIM and GarrisonRegiment VON KANITZ are to act the Enemy: and whoever does
not then fulfil his duty shall go to Court Martial,for I should think it shame of any Country (JEDEN
PUISSANCE) to keep such people, who trouble themselves so little about their business. Erlach sits four
weeks longer in arrest [to have six weeks of it in full]. And you have to make known this my present
Declared Will to your whole Inspection.F." [Rodenbeck, iii. 311.]
What a peppering is the excellent old Tauentzien getting! Here is a case for Kaltenborn, and the sympathies
of Opposition people. But, alas, this King knows that Armies are not to be kept at the working point on
cheaper terms,though some have tried it, by grog, by sweetmeats, sweetspeeches, and found it in the end
come horribly dearer! One thing is certain: the Silesian Reviews, next Year, if this King be alive, will be a
terrible matter; and Military Gentlemen had better look to themselves in time! Kaltenborn's sympathy will
help little; nothing but knowing one's duty, and visibly and indisputably doing it, will the least avail.
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Just in the days when Bouille left him for France, Friedrich ("October, 1784") had conceived the notion of
some general Confederation, or Combination in the Reich, to resist, the continual Encroachments of Austria;
which of late are becoming more rampant than ever. Thus, in the last year, especially within the last six
months, a poor Bishop of Passau, quasiBavarian, or in theory Sovereign Bishop of the Reich, is getting
himself pulled to pieces (Diocese torn asunder, and masses of it forcibly sewed on to their new "Bishopric of
Vienna"), in the most tragic manner, in spite of express Treaties, and of all the outcries the poor man and the
Holy Father himself can make against it. [Dohm (DENKWURDIGKEITEN, iii. 46,GESCHICHTE DER
LETZTEN PERIODE FRIEDRICHS DES ZWEITEN) gives ample particulars. Dohm's first 3 volumes call
themselves "History of Friedrich's last Period, 17781786;" and are full of Bavarian War, 3d vol. mostly of
FURSTENBUND;all in a candid, authentic, but watery and rather wearisome way.] To this of Passau, and
to the much of PANISBRIEFE and the like which had preceded, Friedrich, though studiously saying almost
nothing, had been paying the utmost of attention: part of Prince Henri's errand to France is thought to have
been, to take soundings on those matters (on which France proves altogether willing, if able); and now, in the
general emotion about Passau, Friedrich jots down in a Note to Hertzberg the above idea; with order to put it
into form a little, and consult about it in the Reich with parties interested. Hertzberg took the thing up with
zeal; instructed the Prussian Envoys to inquire, cautiously, everywhere; fancied he did find willingness in the
Courts of the Reich, in Hanover especially: in a word, got his various irons into the fire;and had not
proceeded far, when there rose another case of Austrian Encroachment, which eclipsed all the preceding; and
speedily brought Hertzberg's irons to the weldingpoint. Too brief we cannot be in this matter; here are the
dates, mostly from Dohm:
NEWYEAR'S DAY, 1785, on or about that day, Romanzow, Son of our old Colberg and AntiTurk friend,
who is Russian "Minister in the OberRheinish Circle," appears at the little Court of Zweibruck, with a most
sudden and astounding message to the Duke there:
"Important bargain agreed upon between your Kaiser and his Highness of the Pfalz and Baiern; am
commanded by my Sovereign Lady, on behalf of her friend the Kaiser, to make it known to you. Baiern all
and whole made over to Austria; in return for which the now KurBaiern gets the Austrian Netherlands
(Citadels of Limburg and Luxemburg alone excepted); and is a King henceforth, 'King of Burgundy' to be the
Title, he and his fortunate Successors for all time coming. To your fortunate self, in acknowledgment of your
immediate consent, Austria offers the freegift of 100,000 pounds, and to your Brother Max of 50,000
pounds; KurBaiern, for his loyal conduct, is to have 150,000 pounds; and to all of you, if handsome, Austria
will be handsome generally. For the rest, the thing is already settled; and your refusal will not hinder it from
going forward. I request to know, within eight days, what your Highness's determination is!"
His poor Highness, thunderstruck as may be imagined, asks: "But but What would your Excellency
advise me?" "Have n't the least advice," answers his Excellency: "will wait at FrankfurtonMayn, for eight
days, what your Highness's resolution is; hoping it may be a wise one;and have the honor at present to say
Goodmorning." Sudden, like a thunderbolt in winter, the whole phenomenon. This, or JANUARY 3d,
when Friedrich, by Express from Zweibruck, first heard of this, may be considered as birthday of a
Furstenbund now no longer hypothetic, but certain to become actual.
Zweibruck naturally shot off expresses: to Petersburg (no answer ever); to Berlin (with answer on the
instant);and in less than eight days, poor Zweibruck, such the intelligence from Berlin, was in a condition
to write to Frankfurt: "Excellency; No; I do not consent, nor ever will." For King Friedrich is broadawake
again; and Hertzberg's smithyfires, we may conceive how the winds rose upon these, and brought matters
to a welding heat!
The Czarina,on Friedrich's urgent remonstrance, "What is this, great Madam? To your old Ally, and from
the Guaranty and Author of the Peace of Teschen!"had speedily answered: "Far from my thoughts to
violate the Peace of Teschen; very far: I fancied this was an advantageous exchange, advantageous to
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Zweibruck especially; but since Zweibruck thinks otherwise, of course there is an end." "Of
course;"though my Romanzow did talk differently; and the forgefires of a certain person are getting
blown at a mighty rate! Hertzberg's operation was conducted at first with the greatest secrecy; but his Envoys
were busy in all likely places, his Proposal finding singular consideration; acceptance, here, there, "A very
mild and safelooking Project, most mild in tone surely!" and it soon came to Kaunitz's ear; most
unwelcome to the new Kingdom of Burgundy and him!
Thrice over, in the months ensuing (April 13th, May 11th, June 23d), in the shape of a "Circular to all
Austrian Ambassadors", [Dohm, iii. 64, 68.] Kaunitz lifted up his voice in severe dehortation, the tone of him
waxing more and more indignant, and at last snuffling almost tremulous quite into alt, "against the calumnies
and malices of some persons, misinterpreters of a most just Kaiser and his actions." But as the Czarina,
meanwhile, declared to the Reich at large, that she held, and would ever hold, the Peace of Teschen a thing
sacred, and this or any Kingdom of Burgundy, or change of the Reichs Laws, impossible,the Kaunitz
clangors availed nothing; and Furstenbund privately, but at a mighty pace, went forward. And, JUNE 29th,
1785, after much labor, secret but effective, on the part of Dohm and others, Three Plenipotentiaries, the
Prussian, the Saxon, the Hanoverian ("excellent method to have only the principal Three!" ) met, still very
privately, at Berlin; and laboring their best, had, in about four weeks, a Furstenbund Covenant complete;
signed, JULY 23d, by these Three,to whom all others that approved append themselves. As an effective
respectable number, Brunswick, Hessen, Mainz and others, did, [List of them in Dohm.]had not, indeed,
the first Three themselves, especially as Hanover meant England withal, been themselves moderately
sufficient.Here, before the date quite pass, are two Clippings which may be worth their room:
1. BOUILLE'S SECOND VISIT (Spring, 1785). May 10th, 1785,just while FURSTENBUND, so
privately, was in the birththroes,"Marquis de Bouille had again come to Berlin, to place his eldest Son in
the ACADEMIE DES GENTILSHOMMES; where the young man stayed two years. Was at Potsdam" May
13th16th; [Rodenbeck, iii. 325.] "well received; dined at SansSouci. Informed the King of the Duc de
Choiseul's death [Paris, May 8th). King, shaking his head, 'IL N'Y A PAS GRAND MAL.' Seems piqued at
the Queen of France, who had not shown much attention to Prince Henri. Spoke of Peter the Great, 'whose
many high qualities were darkened by singular cruelty.' When at Berlin, going on foot, as his custom was,
unattended, to call on King Friedrich Wilhelm, the people in the streets crowded much about him. 'Brother,'
said he to the King, 'your subjects are deficient in respect; order one or two of them to be hanged; it will
restrain the others!' During the same visit, one day, at Charlottenburg; the Czar, after dinner, stepped out on a
balcony which looked into the Gardens. Seeing many people assembled below, he gnashed his teeth
(GRINCA DES DENTS), and began giving signs of frenzy. Shifty little Catharine, who was with him,
requested that a certain person down among the crowd, who had a yellow wig, should be at once put away, or
something bad would happen. This done, the Czar became quiet again. The Czarina added, he was subject to
such attacks of frenzy; and that, when she saw it, she would scratch his head, which moderated him. 'VOILA
MONSIEUR,' concluded the King, addressing me: 'VOILA LES GRANDS HOMMES!'
"Bouille spent a fortnight at Reinsberg, with Prince Henri; who represents his Brother as impatient, restless,
envious, suspicious, even timid; of an illregulated imagination",nothing like so wise as some of us! "Is
too apprehensive of war; which may very likely bring it on. On the least alarm, he assembles troops at the
frontier; Joseph does the like; and so"A notably splenetic little Henri; head of an Opposition Party which
has had to hold its tongue. Cherishes in the silent depths of him an almost ghastly indignation against his
Brother on some points. "Bouille returned to Paris June, 1785." [ESSAI SUR LA VIE DE BOUILLE (ubi
supra).]
2. COMTE DE SEGUR (on the road to Petersburg as French Minister) HAS SEEN FRIEDRICH: January
29th, 1785. Segur says: "With lively curiosity I gazed at this man; there as he stood, great in genius, small in
stature; stooping, and as it were bent down under the weight of his laurels and of his long toils. His blue coat,
old and worn like his body; his long boots coming up above the knee; his waistcoat covered with snuff,
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formed an odd but imposing whole. By the fire of his eyes, you recognized that in essentials he had not
grown old. Though bearing himself like an invalid, you felt that he could strike like a young soldier; in his
small figure, you discerned a spirit greater than any other man's. ...
"If used at all to intercourse with the great world, and possessed of any elevation of mind, you have no
embarrassment in speaking to a King; but to a Great Man you present yourself not without fear. Friedrich, in
his private sphere, was of sufficiently unequal humor; wayward, wilful; open to prejudices; indulged in
mockery, often enough epigrammatic upon the French;agreeable in a high degree to strangers whom he
pleased to favor; but bitterly piquant for those he was prepossessed against, or who, without knowing it, had
illchosen the hour of approaching him. To me, luck was kind in all these points;" my Interview delightful,
but not to be reported farther. [ "Memoires par M. le Comte de Segur (Paris, 1826), ii. 133, 120:" cited in
PREUSS, iv. 218. For date, see Rodenbeck, iii. 322, 323.]
Except Mirabeau, about a year after this, Segur is the last distinguished French visitor. French
Correspondence the King has now little or none. October gone a year, his D'Alembert, the last intellectual
Frenchman he had a real esteem for, died. Paris and France seem to be sinking into strange depths; less and
less worth hearing of. Now and then a straggling Note from Condorcet, Grimm or the like, are all he gets
there.
That of the Furstenbund put a final check on Joseph's notions of making the Reich a reality; his reforms and
ambitions had thenceforth to take other directions, and leave the poor old Reich at peace. A mighty reformer
he had been, the greatest of his day. Broke violently in upon quiescent Austrian routine, on every side:
monkeries, schoolpedantries, trademonopolies, serfages,all things, military and civil, spiritual and
temporal, he had resolved to make perfect in a minimum of time. Austria gazed on him, its admiration not
unmixed with terror. He rushed incessantly about; hardy as a Charles Twelfth; slept on his bearskin on the
floor of any inn or hut;flew at the throat of every Absurdity, however broadbased or dangerously armed,
"Disappear, I say!" Will hurl you an Official of Rank, where need is, into the Pillory; sets him, in one actual
instance, to permanent sweeping of the streets in Vienna. A most prompt, severe, and yet beneficent and
charitable kind of man. Immensely ambitious, that must be said withal. A great admirer of Friedrich; bent to
imitate him with profit. "Very clever indeed," says Friedrich; "but has the fault [a terribly grave one!] of
generally taking the second step without having taken the first."
A troublesome neighbor he proved to everybody, not by his reforms alone;and ended, pretty much as here
in the FURSTENBUND, by having, in all matters, to give in and desist. In none of his foreign Ambitions
could he succeed; in none of his domestic Reforms. In regard to these latter, somebody remarks: "No
Austrian man or thing articulately contradicted his fine efforts that way; but, inarticulately, the whole weight
of Austrian VIS INERTIAE bore day and night against him;whereby, as we now see, he bearing the other
way with the force of a steamram, a hundred tons to the square inch, the one result was, To dislocate every
joint in the Austrian Edifice, and have it ready for the Napoleonic Earthquakes that ensued." In regard to
ambitions abroad it was no better. The Dutch fired upon his Scheld Frigate: "War, if you will, you most
aggressive Kaiser; but this Toll is ours!" His Netherlands revolted against him, "Can holy religion, and old
useandwont be tumbled about at this rate?" His Grand Russian Copartneries and Turk War went to water
and disaster. His reforms, one and all, had to be revoked for the present. Poor Joseph, brokenhearted (for his
private griefs were many, too), lay down to die. "You may put for epitaph," said he with a tone which is
tragical and pathetic to us, "Here lies Joseph," the grandly attempting Joseph, "who could succeed in
nothing." [Died, at Vienna, 20th February, 1790, still under fifty;born there 13th March, 1741. Hormayr,
OEsterreichischer Plutarch, iv. (2tes) 125223 (and five or six recent LIVES of Joseph, none of which, that I
have seen, was worth reading, in comparison).] A man of very high qualities, and much too conscious of
them. A man of an ambition without bounds. One of those fatal men, fatal to themselves first of all, who
mistake halfgenius for whole; and rush on the second step without having made the first. Cannot trouble the
old King or us any more.
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Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.
To the present class of readers, Furstenbund is become a Nothing; to all of us the grand Something now is,
strangely enough, that incidental item which directly followed, of Reviewing the Silesian soldieries, who had
so angered his Majesty last year. "If I be alive next year!" said the King to Tauentzien. The King kept his
promise; and the Fates had appointed that, in doing so, he was to find his But let us not yet pronounce the
word.
AUGUST 16th, 1785, some three weeks after finishing the Furstenbund, Friedrich set out for Silesia: towards
Strehlen long known to him and us all;at GrossTinz, a Village in that neighborhood, the Camp and
Review are to be. He goes by Crossen, Glogau; in a circling direction: Glogau, Schweidnitz, Silberberg,
Glatz, all his Fortresses are to be inspected as well, and there is much miscellaneous business by the road. At
Hirschberg, not on the military side, we have sight of him; the account of which is strange to read:
"THURSDAY, AUGUST 18th," says a private Letter from that little Town, [Given IN EXTENSO,
Rodenbeck, iii. 331333.] "he passed through here: concourse of many thousands, from all the Country
about, had been waiting for him several hours. Outriders came at last; then he himself, the Unique; and, with
the liveliest expression of reverence and love, all eyes were directed on one point. I cannot describe to you
my feelings, which of course were those of everybody, to see him, the aged King; in his weak hand the hat; in
those grand eyes such a fatherly benignity of look over the vast crowd that encircled his Carriage, and rolled
tidelike, accompanying it. Looking round when he was past, I saw in various eyes a tear trembling. ["Alas,
we sha'n't have him long!"]
"His affability, his kindliness, to whoever had the honor of speech with this great King, who shall describe it!
After talking a good while with the MerchantsDeputation from the Hill Country, he said, 'Is there anything
more, then, from anybody?' Upon which, the President (KAUFMANNSALTESTE," Merchants'Eldest)
"Lachmann, from Greiffenberg," which had been burnt lately, and helped by the King to rebuild itself,
"stepped forward, and said, 'The burntout Inhabitants of Greiffenberg had charged him to express once more
their most submissive gratitude for the gracious help in rebuilding; their word of thanks, truly, was of no
importance, but they daily prayed God to reward such Royal beneficence.' The King was visibly affected, and
said, 'You don't need to thank me; when my subjects fall into misfortune, it is my duty to help them up again;
for that reason am I here.'" ...
Saturday 20th, he arrived at Tinz; had a small Cavalry Manoeuvre, next day; and on Monday the Review
Proper began. Lasted four days, 22d25th August, Monday to Thursday, both inclusive. "Headquarter
was in the DORFSCHULZE'S (Village Mayor's) house; and there were many Strangers of distinction
quartered in the Country Mansions round." GrossTinz is about 12 miles straight north from Strehlen, and as
far straight east from the Zobtenberg: GrossTinz, and its Review of August, 1785, ought to be long
memorable.
How the Review turned out as to proficiency recovered, I have not heard; and only infer, by symptoms, that it
was not unsatisfactory. The sure fact, and the forever memorable, is, That on Wednesday, the third day of it,
from 4 in the morning, when the Manoeuvres began, till well after 10, when they ended, there was a rain like
Noah's; rain falling as from buckets and waterspouts; and that Friedrich (and perhaps most others too), so
intent upon his business, paid not the least regard to it; but rode about, intensely inspecting, in lynxeyed
watchfulness of everything, as if no rain had been there. Was not at the pains even to put on his cloak. Six
hours of such downpour; and a weakly old man of 73 past. Of course he was wetted to the bone. On
returning to head quarters, his boots were found full of water; "when pulled off, it came pouring from them
like a pair of pails."
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He got into dry clothes; presided in his usual way at dinner, which soon followed; had many Generals and
guests,Lafayette, Lord Cornwallis, Duke of York;and, as might be expected, felt unusually feverish
afterwards. Hot, chill, quite poorly all afternoon; glad to get to bed:where he fell into deep sleep, into
profuse perspiration, as his wont was; and awoke, next morning, greatly recovered; altogether well again, as
he supposed. Well enough to finish his Review comfortably; and start for home. Wentround by Neisse,
inspection not to be omitted there, though it doubles the distanceto Brieg that day; a drive of 80 miles,
inspectionwork included. Thence, at Breslan for three days more: with dinners of state, balls, illuminations,
in honor of the Duke of York,our as yet last Duke of York, then a brisk young fellow of twentytwo; to
whom, by accident, among his other distinctions, may belong this of having (most involuntarily) helped to
kill Friedrich the Great!
Back to Potsdam, Friedrich pushed on with business; and complained of nothing. Was at Berlin in about ten
days (September 9th), for an Artillery Review; saw his Sister Amelia; saw various public works in a state of
progress,but what perhaps is medically significant, went in the afternoon to a kind of Spa Well they have
at Berlin; and slept, not at the Palace, but at this Spa, in the hostelry or lodginghouse attached. [Rodenbeck,
IN DIE.] Next day (September 10th), the Artillery Manoeuvre was done; and the King left Berlin, little
guessing he had seen Berlin for the last time.
The truth is, his health, unknown to him (though that of taking a Night at the Spa Well probably denotes
some guess or feeling of the kind on his part), must have been in a dangerous or almost ruinous state.
Accordingly, soon afterwards, September 18th19th, in the nighttime, he was suddenly aroused by a Fit of
Suffocation (what they call STICKFLUSS); and, for some hours, till relief was got, everybody feared he
would perish. Next day, there came gout; which perhaps he regarded almost as a friend: but it did not prove
such; it proved the captain of a chaotic company of enemies; and Friedrich's end, I suppose, was already
inexorably near. At the Grand Potsdam Review [22d23d September), chief Review of all, and with such an
affluence of Strangers to it this Autumn, he was quite unable to appear; prescribed the Manoeuvres and
Procedures, and sorrowfully kept his room. [This of 23d September, 1785, is what PrintCollectors know
loosely as "FRIEDRICH'S LAST REVIEW;"one Cunningham, an English Painter (son of a Jacobite ditto,
and himself of wandering habitat), and Clemens, a Prussian Engraver, having done a very large and highly
superior Print of it, by way of speculation in Military Portraits (Berlin, 1787); in which, among many others,
there figures the crediblest Likeness known to me of FRIEDRICH IN OLD AGE, though Friedrich himself
was not there. (See PREUSS, iv. 242; especially see RODENBECK, iii. 337 n.)As CrownPrince,
Friedrich had SAT to Pesne: never afterwards to any Artist.]
Friedrich was always something of a Doctor himself: he had little faith in professional Doctors, though he
liked to speak with the intelligent sort, and was curious about their science, And it is agreed he really had
good notions in regard to it; in particular, that he very well understood his own constitution of body; knew the
effects of causes there, at any rate, and the fit regimens and methods:as an old man of sense will usually
do. The complaint is, that he was not always faithful to regimen; that, in his old days at least, he loved strong
soups, hot spicy meats;finding, I suppose, a kind of stimulant in them, as others do in wine; a sudden
renewal of strength, which might be very tempting to him. There has been a great deal of unwise babble on
this subject, which I find no reason to believe, except as just said: In the fall of this year, as usual, perhaps
rather later than usual,not till November 8th (for what reason so delaying, Marwitz told us already),he
withdrew from SansSouci, his SummerCottage; shut himself up in Potsdam Palace (Old Palace) for the
winter. It was known he was very ailing; and that he never stirred out, but this was not quite unusual in late
winters; and the rumors about his health were vague and various. Now, as always, he himself, except to his
Doctors, was silent on that subject. Various military Doctors, Theden, Frese and others of eminence, were
within reach; but it is not known to me that he consulted any of them.
Not till January, 1786, when symptoms worse than ever, of asthma, of dropsy, began to manifest themselves,
did he call in Selle, the chief Berlin Doctor, and a man of real sagacity, as is still evident; who from the first
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concluded the disease to be desperate; but of course began some alleviatory treatment, the skilfulest possible
to him. [Christian Gottlieb Selle, KRANKHEITSGESCHICHTE DES HOCHSTSEELIGEN KONIGS VAN
PREUSSEN FRIEDRICHS DES ZWEYTEN MAJESTAT (Berlin, 1786); a very small Pamphlet, now very
rare; giving in the most distinct, intelligent, modest and conclusive way, an account of everything
pertinent, and rigorously of nothing else.] Selle, when questioned, kept his worst fears carefully to himself:
but the King noticed Selle's real opinion,which, probably, was the King's own too;and finding little
actual alleviation, a good deal of trouble, and no possibility of a victorious result by this warfare on the
outworks, began to be weary of Selle; and to turn his hopeswhat hopes he yet hadon the fine weather
soon due. He had a continual short small cough, which much troubled him; there was fear of new
SuffocationFit; the breathing always difficult.
But Spring came, unusually mild; the King sat on the southern balconies in the genial sun and air, looking
over the bright sky and earth, and new birth of things: "Were I at SansSouci, amid the Gardens!" thought he.
APRIL 17th, he shifted thither: not in a sedan, as Marwitz told us of the former journey; but "in his carriage,
very early in the morning, making a long roundabout through various Villages, with new relays,"probably
with the motive Marwitz assigns. Here are two contemporaneous Excerpts:
1. MIRABEAU AT SANSSOUCI. "This same day," April 17th, it appears, [Preuss: in OEuvres de
Frederic, xxv. 328 n.] "the King saw Mirabeau, for the second and last time. Mirabeau had come to Berlin
19th January last; his errand not very precise, except that he infinitely wanted employment, and that at
Paris the ControllerGeneral Calonne, since so famous among mankind, had evidently none to offer him
there. He seems to have intended Russia, and employment with the Czarina,after viewing Berlin a little,
with the great flashy eyesight he had. He first saw Friedrich January 25th. There pass in all, between
Friedrich and him, seven Letters or Notes, two of them by the King; and on poor Mirabeau's side, it must be
owned, there is a massively respectful, truthful and manly physiognomy, which probably has mended
Friedrich's first opinion of him. [... "Is coming to me today; one of those loosetongued fellows, I suppose,
who write for and against all the world." (Friedrich to Prince Henri, "25 January, 1786:" OEuvres de
Frederic, xxvi. 522.)] This day, April 17th, 1786, he is at Potsdam; so far on the road to France
again,Mirabeau Senior being reported dangerously ill. 'My Dialogue with the King,' say the Mirabeau
Papers, 'was very lively; but the King was in such suffering, and so straitened for breath, I was myself
anxious to shorten it: that same evening I travelled on.'
"Mirabeau Senior did not die at this time: and ControllerGeneral Calonne, now again eager to shake off an
importunate and far too clearsighted Mirabeau Junior, said to the latter: 'Back to Berlin, could n't you? Their
King is dying, a new King coming; highly important to us!'and poor Mirabeau went. Left Paris again, in
May; with money furnished, but, no other outfit, and more in the character of Newspaper Vulture than of
Diplomatic Envoy," [Rodenbeck, iii. 343. Fils Adoptif, Memoires de Mirabeau (Paris, 1834), iv. 288292,
296.] as perhaps we may transiently see.
2. MARIE ANTOINETTE AT VERSAILLES; TO HER SISTER CHRISTINE AT BRUSSELS (Husband
and she, Duke and Duchess of SachsenTeschen, are Governors of the Netherlands):
MARCH 20th, 1786. ... "There has been arrested at Geneva one Villette, who played a great part in that
abominable Affair [of the Diamond Necklace, now emerging on an astonished Queen and world]. [Carlyle's
Miscellanies (Library Edition), v. 396, ? DIAMOND NECKLACE. The wretched Cardinal de Rohan was
arrested at Versailles, and put in the Bastille, "August 15th, 1785," the day before Friedrich set out for his
Silesian Review; ever since which, the arrestments and judicial investigations have continued,continue till
"May 10th, 1786," when Sentence was given.] M. Target", Advocate of the enchanted Cardinal, "is coming
out with his MEMOIR: he does his function; and God knows what are the lies he will produce upon us. There
is a MEMOIR by that Quack of a Cagliostro, too: these are at this moment the theme of all talk."
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APRIL 6th. "The MEMOIRS, the lies, succeed each other; and the Business grows darker, not clearer. Such a
Cardinal of the Church! He brazenly maintains his distracted story about the Bosquet [Interview with me in
person, in that Hornbeam Arbor at Versailles; to me inconceivable, not yet knowing of a Demoiselle d'0liva
from the streets, who had acted my part there], and my Assent [to purchase the Necklace for me]. His
impudence and his audacity surpass belief. O Sister, I need all my strength to support such cruel assaults. ...
The King of Prussia's condition much engages attention (PREOCCUPE) here, and must do at Vienna too: his
death is considered imminent. I am sure you have your eyes open on that side." ...
APRIL 17th (just while the Mirabeau Interview at Potsdam is going on). ... "King of Prussia thought to be
dying: I am weary of the political discussions on this subject, as to what effects his death must produce. He is
better at this moment; but so weak he cannot resist long. Physique is gone; but his force and energy of soul,
they say, have often supported him, and in desperate crises have even seemed to increase. Liking to him I
never had: his ostentatious immorality (IMMORALITE AFFICHEE," ah, Madame!) "has much hurt public
virtue [public orthodoxy, I mean], and there have been related to me [by mendacious or illinformed persons]
barbarities which excite horror. He has done us all a great deal of ill. He has been a King for his own
Country; but a Troublefeast for those about him;setting up to be the arbiter of Europe; always
undertaking on his neighbors, and making them pay the expense. As Daughters of Maria Theresa, it is
impossible we can regret him, nor is it the Court of France that will make his funeral oration." [Comte de
Hunolstein, Correspondance inedite de Marie Antoinette (Paris, 1864), pp. 136, 137, 149.Hunolstein's
Book, I since find, is mainly or wholly a Forgery! (NOTE of 1868.)]
From SansSouci the King did appear again on horseback; rode out several times ("Conde," a fine English
horse, one of his favorites, carrying him,the Conde who had many years of sinecure afterwards, and was
well known to Touring people): the rides were short; once to the New Palace to look at some new Vinery
there, thence to the Gate of Potsdam, which he was for entering; but finding masons at work, and the street
encumbered, did not, and rode home instead: this, of not above two miles, was his longest ride of all. Selle's
attendance, less and less in esteem with the King, and less and less followed by him, did not quite cease till
June 4th; that day the King had said to Selle, or to himself, "It is enough." That longest of his rides was in the
third week after; June 22d, MidsummerDay. July 4th, he rode again; and it was for the last time. About two
weeks after, Conde was again brought out; but it would not do: Adieu, my Conde; not possible, as things
are!
During all this while, and to the very end, Friedrich's Affairs, great and small, were, in every branch and item,
guided on by him, with a perfection not surpassed in his palmiest days: he saw his Ministers, saw all who had
business with him, many who had little; and in the sore coil of bodily miseries, as Hertzberg observed with
wonder, never was the King's intellect clearer, or his judgment more just and decisive. Of his disease, except
to the Doctors, he spoke no word to anybody. The body of Friedrich is a ruin, but his soul is still here; and
receives his friends and his tasks as formerly. Asthma, dropsy, erysipelas, continual want of sleep; for many
months past he has not been in bed, but sits day and night in an easychair, unable to get breath except in that
posture. He said one morning, to somebody entering, "If you happened to want a nightwatcher, I could suit
you well."
His multifarious Military businesses come first; then his three Clerks, with the Civil and Political. These three
he latterly, instead of calling about 6 or 7 o'clock, has had to appoint for 4 each morning: "My situation forces
me," his message said, "to give them this trouble, which they will not have to suffer long. My life is on the
decline; the time which I still have I must employ. It belongs not to me, but to the State." [Preuss, iv. 257 n.]
About 11, business, followed by short surgical details or dressings (sadly insisted on in those Books, and in
themselves sufficiently sad), being all done,his friends or daily company are admitted: five chiefly, or
(NOT counting Minister Hertzberg) four, Lucchesini, Schwerin, Pinto, Gortz; who sit with him about one
hour now, and two hours in the evening again:dreary company to our minds, perhaps not quite so dreary to
the King's; but they are all he has left. And he talks cheerfully with them "on Literature, History, on the topics
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of the day, or whatever topic rises, as if there were no sickness here." A man adjusted to his hard
circumstances; and bearing himself manlike and kinglike among them.
He well knew himself to be dying; but some think, expected that the end might be a little farther off. There is
a grand simplicity of stoicism in him; coming as if by nature, or by long SECONDnature; finely
unconscious of itself, and finding nothing of peculiar in this new trial laid on it. From of old, Life has been
infinitely contemptible to him. In death, I think, he has neither fear nor hope. Atheism, truly, he never could
abide: to him, as to all of us, it was flatly inconceivable that intellect, moral emotion, could have been put
into HIM by an Entity that had none of its own. But there, pretty much, his Theism seems to have stopped.
Instinctively, too, he believed, no man more firmly, that Right alone has ultimately any strength in this world:
ultimately, yes; but for him and his poor brief interests, what good was it? Hope for himself in Divine
Justice, in Divine Providence, I think he had not practically any; that the unfathomable Demiurgus should
concern himself with such a set of paltry illgiven animalcules as oneself and mankind are, this also, as we
have often noticed, is in the main incredible to him.
A sad Creed, this of the King's;he had to do his duty without fee or reward. Yes, reader;and what is well
worth your attention, you will have difficulty to find, in the annals of any Creed, a King or man who stood
more faithfully to his duty; and, till the last hour, alone concerned himself with doing that. To poor Friedrich
that was all the Law and all the Prophets: and I much recommend you to surpass him, if you, by good luck,
have a better Copy of those inestimable Documents!Inarticulate notions, fancies, transient aspirations, he
might have, in the background of his mind. One day, sitting for a while out of doors, gazing into the Sun, he
was heard to murmur, "Perhaps I shall be nearer thee soon:"and indeed nobody knows what his thoughts
were in these final months. There is traceable only a complete superiority to Fear and Hope; in parts, too, are
halfglimpses of a great motionless interior lake of Sorrow, sadder than any tears or complainings, which are
altogether wanting to it.
Friedrich's dismissal of Selle, June 4th, by no means meant that he had given up hope from medicine; on
the contrary, two days after, he had a Letter on the road for Zimmermann at Hanover; whom he always
remembers favorably since that DIALOGUE we read fifteen years ago. His first Note to Zimmermann is of
June 6th, "Would you consent to come for a fortnight, and try upon me?" Zimmermann's overjoyed Answer,
"Yes, thrice surely yes," is of June 10th; Friedrich's second is of June 16th, "Come, then!" And Zimmermann
came accordingly,as is still too well known. Arrived 23d June; stayed till 10th July; had Thirtythree
Interviews or DIALOGUES with him; one visit the last day; two, morning and evening, every preceding
day;and published a Book about them, which made immense noise in the world, and is still read, with little
profit or none, by inquirers into Friedrich. [Ritter von Zimmermann, Uber Friedrich den Grossen und meine
Unterredungen mit Ihm kurz von seinem Tode (1 vol. 8vo: Leipzig, 1788);followed by Fragmente uber
Friedrich den Grossen (3 vols. 12mo: Leipzig, 1790); and by Thirtythree Dialogues, throwing no new light
on Friedrich, none of them equal in interest to the old specimen known to us.
In fact, the Book turns rather on Zimmermann himself than on his Royal Patient; and might be entitled, as it
was by a Satirist, DIALOGUES OF ZIMMERMANN I. AND FRIEDRICH II. An unwise Book; abounding
in exaggeration; breaking out continually into extraneous sallies and extravagancies,the source of which is
too plainly an immense conceit of oneself. Zimmermann is fifteen years older since we last saw him; a man
now verging towards sixty; but has not grown wiser in proportion. In Hanover, though miraculously healed of
that LEIBESSCHADE, and full of high hopes, he has had his new tribulations, new compensations,both of
an agitating character. "There arose," he says, in reference to some medical Reviewarticle he wrote, "a
WEIBEREPIDEMIK, a universal shrieking combination of all the Women against me:"a frightful
accident while it lasted! Then his little Daughter died on his hands; his Son had disorders, nervous
imbecilities,did not die, but did worse; went into hopeless idiotcy, and so lived for many years.
Zimmermann, being dreadfully miserable, hypochondriac, what not, "his friends," he himself passive, it
would seem, "managed to get a young Wife for him;" thirty years younger than he,whose performances,
however, in this difficult post, are praised.
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Lastly, not many months ago (Leipzig, 1785), the big FINAL edition of "SOLITUDE" (four volumes) has
come out; to the joy and enthusiasm of all philanthropicphilosophic and other circulating library
creatures:a Copy of which came, by course of nature, not by Zimmermann's help, into the hands of
Catharine of Russia. Sublime imperial Letter thereupon, with 'valuable diamond ring;' invitation to come to
Petersburg, with charges borne (declined, on account of health); to be imperial Physician (likewise
declined); in fine, continued Correspondence with Catharine (trying enough for a vain head), and
Knighthood of the Order of St. Wladimir,so that, at least, Doctor Zimmermann is RITTER Zimmermann
henceforth. And now, here has come his new Visit to Friedrich the Great; which, with the issues it had,
and the tempestuous cloud of tumid speculations and chaotic writings it involved him in, quite upset the poor
Ritter Doctor; so that, hypochondrias deepening to the abysmal, his fine intellect sank altogether,and only
Death, which happily followed soon, could disimprison him. At this moment, there is in Zimmermann a
worse "Dropsy" of the spiritual kind, than this of the physical, which he has come in relief of!
Excerpts of those Zimmermann DIALOGUES lie copiously round me, ready long ago,nay, I understand
there is, or was, an English TRANSLATION of the whole of them, better or worse, for behoof of the
curious:but on serious consideration now, I have to decide, That they are but as a Scene of clowns in the
Elder Dramatists; which, even were it NOT overdone as it is, cannot be admitted in this place, and is plainly
impertinent in the Tragedy that is being acted here. Something of Farce will often enough, in this irreverent
world, intrude itself on the most solemn Tragedy; but, in pity even to the Farce, there ought at least to be
closed doors kept between them.
Enough for us to say, That Ritter Zimmermannwho is a Physician and a Man of Literary Genius, and
should not have become a Tragic Zanydid, with unspeakable emotions, terrors, prayers to Heaven, and
paroxysms of his own ridiculous kind, prescribe "Syrup of Dandelion" to the King; talked to him soothingly,
musically, successfully; found the King a most pleasant Talker, but a very wilful perverse kind of Patient;
whose errors in point of diet especially were enormous to a degree. Truth is, the King's appetite for food did
still survive:and this might have been, you would think, the one hopeful basis of Zimmermann's whole
treatment, if there were still any hope: but no; Zimmermann merely, with uncommon emphasis, lyrically
recognizes such amazing appetite in an old man overwhelmed by diseases,trumpets it abroad, for ignorant
persons to regard as a crime, or perhaps as a type generally of the man's past life, and makes no other attempt
upon it;stands by his "Extract of Dandelion boiled to the consistency of honey;" and on the seventeenth
day, July 10th, voiceless from emotion, heart just breaking, takes himself away, and ceases. One of our Notes
says:
"Zimmermann went by Dessau and Brunswick; at Brunswick, if he made speed thither, Zimmermann might
perhaps find Mirabeau, who is still there, and just leaving for Berlin to be in at the death:but if the Doctor
and he missed each other, it was luckier, as they had their controversies afterwards. Mirabeau arrived at
Berlin, July 21st: [Mirabeau, HISTOIRE SECRETE DE LA COUR DE BERLIN, tome iii. of OEuvres de
Mirabeau: Paris, 1821, LETTRE v. p. 37.] vastly diligent in picking up news, opinions, judgments of men
and events, for his Calonne;and amazingly accurate, one finds; such a flash of insight has he, in whatever
element, foul or fair.
"JULY 9th, the day before Zimmerman's departure, Hertzberg had come out to Potsdam in permanence.
Hertzberg is privately thenceforth in communication with the Successor; altogether privately, though no
doubt Friedrich knew it well enough, and saw it to be right. Of course, all manner of poor creatures are
diligent about their own bits of interests; and saying to themselves, 'A New Reign is evidently nigh!' Yes, my
friends;and a precious Reign it will prove in comparison: sensualities, unctuous religiosities, ostentations,
imbecilities; culminating in Jena twenty years hence."
Zimmermann haggles to tell us what his report was at Brunswick; says, he "set the Duke [ERBPRINZ, who is
now Duke these six years past] sobbing and weeping;" though towards the Widow Duchess there must have
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been some hope held out, as we shall now see. The Duchess's Letter or Letters to her Brother are lost; but this
is his Answer:
FRIEDRICH TO THE DUCHESSDOWAGER OF BRUNSWICK.
"SANSSOUCI, 10th August, 1786.
"MY ADORABLE SISTER,The Hanover Doctor has wished to make himself important with you, my good
Sister; but the truth is, he has been of no use to me (M'A ETE INUTILE). The old must give place to the
young, that each generation may find room clear for it: and Life, if we examine strictly what its course is,
consists in seeing one's fellowcreatures die and be born. In the mean while, I have felt myself a little easier
for the last day or two. My heart remains inviolably attached to you, my good Sister. With the highest
consideration, My adorable Sister,Your faithful Brother and Servant, "FRIEDRICH." [ OEuvres de
Frederic, xxvii. i. 352.]
This is Friedrich's last Letter;his last to a friend. There is one to his Queen, which Preuss's Index seems to
regard as later, though without apparent likelihood; there being no date whatever, and only these words:
"Madam,I am much obliged by the wishes you deign to form: but a heavy fever I have taken (GROSSE
FIEVRE QUE J'AI PRISE) hinders me from answering you." [Ib. xxvi. 62.]
On common current matters of business, and even on uncommon, there continue yet for four days to be
Letters expressly dictated by Friedrich; some about military matters (vacancies to be filled, new FreeCorps
to be levied). Two or three of them are on so small a subject as the purchase of new Books by his Librarians
at Berlin. One, and it has been preceded by examining, is, Order to the Potsdam Magistrates to grant "the
Baker Schroder, in terms of his petition, a FreePass out of Preussen hither, for 100 bushels of rye and 50 of
wheat, though Schroder will not find the prices much cheaper there than here." His last, of August 14th, is to
De Launay, Head of the Excise: "Your Account of Receipts and Expenditures came to hand yesterday, 13th;
but is too much in small: I require one more detailed,"and explains, with brief clearness, on what points
and how. Neglects nothing, great or small, while life yet is.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15th, 1786, Contrary to all wont, the King did not awaken till 11 o'clock. On first
looking up, he seemed in a confused state, but soon recovered himself; called in his Generals and Secretaries,
who had been in waiting so long, and gave, with his old precision, the Orders wanted,one to Rohdich,
Commandant of Potsdam, about a Review of the troops there next day; Order minutely perfect, in knowledge
of the ground, in foresight of what and how the evolutions were to be; which was accordingly performed on
the morrow. The Cabinet work he went through with the like possession of himself, giving, on every point,
his Three Clerks their directions, in a weak voice, yet with the old power of spirit,dictated to one of them,
among other things, an "Instruction" for some Ambassador just leaving; "four quarto pages, which," says
Hertzberg, "would have done honor to the most experienced Minister;" and, in the evening, he signed his
Missives as usual. This evening still,butno evening more. We are now at the last scene of all, which
ends this strange eventful History.
Wednesday morning, GeneralAdjutants, Secretaries, Commandant, were there at their old hours; but word
came out, "Secretaries are to wait:" King is in a kind of sleep, of stertorous ominous character, as if it were
the deathsleep; seems not to recollect himself, when he does at intervals open his eyes. After hours of this,
[Selle (ut sup.); Anonymous (Kletschke), LETZTE STUNDEN UND LEICHENBEGANGNISS
FRIEDRICHS DES ZWEYTEN, (Potsdam, 1786); Preuss, iv. 264 et seq.; Rodenbeck, iii. 363366.] on a ray
of consciousness, the King bethought him of Rohdich, the Commandant; tried to give Rohdich the Parole as
usual; tried twice, perhaps three times; but found he could not speak;and with a glance of sorrow, which
seemed to say, "It is impossible, then!" turned his head, and sank back into the corner of his chair. Rohdich
burst into tears: the King again lay slumberous;the rattle of death beginning soon after, which lasted at
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intervals all day. Selle, in Berlin, was sent for by express; he arrived about three of the afternoon: King
seemed a little more conscious, knew those about him, "his face red rather than pale, in his eyes still
something of their old fire." Towards evening the feverishness abated (to Selle, I suppose, a fatal symptom);
the King fell into a soft sleep, with warm perspiration; but, on awakening, complained of cold, repeatedly of
cold, demanding wrappage after wrappage ("KISSEN," soft QUILT of the old fashion); and on examining
feet and legs, one of the Doctors made signs that they were in fact cold, up nearly to the knee. "What said he
of the feet?" murmured the King some time afterwards, the Doctor having now stepped out of sight. "Much
the same as before," answered some attendant. The King shook his head, incredulous.
He drank once, grasping the goblet with both hands, a draught of fennelwater, his customary drink; and
seemed relieved by it;his last refection in this world. Towards nine in the evening, there had come on a
continual short cough, and a rattling in the breast, breath more and more difficult. Why continue? Friedrich is
making exit, on the common terms; you may HEAR the curtain rustling down. For most part he was
unconscious, never more than half conscious. As the wallclock above his head struck 11, he asked: "What
o'clock?" "Eleven," answered they. "At 4" murmured he, "I will rise." One of his dogs sat on its Stool near
him; about midnight he noticed it shivering for cold: "Throw a quilt over it," said or beckoned he; that, I
think, was his last completely conscious utterance. Afterwards, in a severe choking fit, getting at last rid of
the phlegm, he said, "LA MONTAGNE EST PASSEE, NOUS IRONS MIEUX, We are over the hill, we
shall go better now."
Attendants, Hertzberg, Selle and one or two others, were in the outer room; none in Friedrich's but Strutzki,
his Kammerhussar, one of Three who are his sole valets and nurses; a faithful ingenious man, as they all seem
to be, and excellently chosen for the object. Strutzki, to save the King from hustling down, as he always did,
into the corner of his chair, where, with neck and chest bent forward, breathing was impossible,at last took
the King on his knee; kneeling on the ground with his other knee for the purpose, King's right arm round
Strutzki's neck, Strutzki's left arm round the King's back, and supporting his other shoulder; in which posture
the faithful creature, for above two hours, sat motionless, till the end came. Within doors, all is silence,
except this breathing; around it the dark earth silent, above it the silent stars. At 20 minutes past 2, the
breathing paused,wavered; ceased. Friedrich's Lifebattle is fought out; instead of suffering and sore labor,
here is now rest. Thursday morning, 17th August, 1786, at the dark hour just named. On the 31st of May last,
this King had reigned 46 years. "He has lived," counts Rodenbeck, "74 years, 6 months and 24 days."
His death seems very stern and lonely;a man of such affectionate feelings, too; "a man with more
sensibility than other men!" But so had his whole life been, stern and lonely; such the severe law laid on him.
Nor was it inappropriate that he found his death in that poor Silesian Review; punctually doing, as usual, the
work that had come in hand. Nor that he died now, rather than a few years later. In these final days of his, we
have transiently noticed Arch Cardinal de Rohan, ArchQuack Cagliostro, and a most select Company of
Persons and of Actions, like an Elixir of the Nether World, miraculously emerging into daylight; and all
Paris, and by degrees all Europe, getting loud with the DIAMONDNECKLACE History. And to eyes of
deeper speculation,WorldPoet Goethe's, for instance,it is becoming evident that Chaos is again big. As
has not she proved to be, and is still proving, in the most teeming way! Better for a Royal Hero, fallen old
and feeble, to be hidden from such things.
"Yesterday, Wednesday, August 16th," says a Note which now strikes us as curious, "Mirabeau, smelling
eagerly for news, had ridden out towards Potsdam; met the Page riding furiously for Selle ('one horse already
broken down,' say the Peasants about); and with beak, powerful beyond any other vulture's, Mirabeau
perceived that here the end now was. And thereupon rushed off, to make arrangements for a courier, for
flying pigeons, and the other requisites. And appeared that night at the Queen's Soiree in Schonhausen
[Queen has Apartment that evening, dreaming of nothing], 'where,' says he, 'I eagerly whispered the French
Minister,' and less eagerly 'MON AMI Mylord Dalrymple,' the English one;neither of whom would believe
me. Nor, in short, what Calonne will regret, but nobody else, could the pigeons be let loose, owing to want of
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Page No 1680
funds.'" [Mirabeau, HISTOIRE SECRETE, (LETTRE xiv.), pp. 5863.] Enough, enough.
Friedrich was not buried at SansSouci, in the Tomb which he had built for himself; why not, nobody clearly
says. By his own express will, there was no embalming. Two Regimentsurgeons washed the Corpse,
decently prepared it for interment: "At 8 that same evening, Friedrich's Body, dressed in the uniform of the
First Battalion of Guards, and laid in its coffin, was borne to Potsdam, in a hearse of eight horses, twelve
Noncommissioned Officers of the Guard escorting. All Potsdam was in the streets; the Soldiers, of their
own accord, formed rank, and followed the hearse; many a rugged face unable to restrain tears: for the rest,
universal silence as of midnight, nothing audible among the people but here and there a sob, and the murmur,
'ACH, DER GUTE KONIG!'
"All next day, the Body lay in state in the Palace; thousands crowding, from Berlin and the other environs, to
see that face for the last time. Wasted, worn; but beautiful in death, with the thin gray hair parted into locks,
and slightly powdered. And at 8 in the evening [Friday, 18th], he was borne to the Garnison Kirche of
Potsdam; and laid beside his Father, in the vault behind the Pulpit there," [Rodenbeck, iii. 365 (Public
Funeral was not till September 9th).] where the two Coffins are still to be seen.
I define him to myself as hitherto the Last of the Kings;when the Next will be, is a very long question! But
it seems to me as if Nations, probably all Nations, by and by, in their despair, blinded, swallowed like
Jonah, in such a whale'sbelly of things brutish, waste, abominable (for is not Anarchy, or the Rule of what is
Baser over what is Nobler, the one life's misery worth complaining of, and, in fact, the abomination of
abominations, springing from and producing all others whatsoever?)as if the Nations universally, and
England too if it hold on, may more and more bethink themselves of such a Man and his Function and
Performance, with feelings far other than are possible at present. Meanwhile, all I had to say of him is
finished: that too, it seems, was a bit of work appointed to be done. Adieu, good readers; bad also, adieu.
APPENDIX.
This Piece, it would seem, was translated sixteen years ago; some four or five years before any part of the
present HISTORY OF FRIEDRICH got to paper. The intercalated bits of Commentary were, as is evident, all
or mostly written at the same time:these also, though they are now become, in parts, SUPERFLUOUS to a
reader that has been diligent, I have not thought of changing, where not compelled. Here and there, especially
in the Introductory Part, some slight additions have crept in;which the above kind of reader will possibly
enough detect; and may even have, for friendly reasons, some vestige of interest in assigning to their new
date and comparing with the old. (NOTE OF 1868.)
A DAY WITH FRIEDRICH. (23d July, 1779.)
"OBERAMTMANN (HeadManager) Fromme" was a sister's son of Poet, Gleim,Gleim Canon of
Halberstadt, who wrote Prussian "grenadier songs" in, or in reference to, the SevenYears War, songs still
printed, but worth little; who begged once, after Friedrich's death, an OLD HAT of his, and took it with him
to Halberstadt (where I hope it still is); who had a "TempleofHonor," or little Gardenhouse so named,
with Portraits of his Friends hung in it; who put Jean Paul VERY SOON there, with a great explosion of
praises; and who, in short, seems to have been a very good effervescent creature, at last rather wealthy too,
and able to effervesce with some comfort;Oberamtmann Fromme, I say, was this Gleim's Nephew; and
stood as a kind of Royal LandBailiff under Frederick the Great, in a tract of country called the
RHYNLUCH (a dreadfully moory country of sands and quagmires, all green and fertile now, some twenty
or thirty miles northwest of Berlin); busy there in 1779, and had been for some years past. He had originally
been an Officer of the Artillery; but obtained his discharge in 1769, and got, before long, into this
employment. A man of excellent disposition and temper; with a solid and heavy stroke of work in him,
whatever he might be set to; and who in this OBERAMTMANNSHIP "became highly esteemed." He died in
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APPENDIX. 1672
Page No 1681
1798; and has left sons (now perhaps grandsons or greatgrandsons), who continue estimable in like
situations under the Prussian Government.
One of Fromme's useful gifts, the usefulest of all for us at present, was "his wonderful talent of exact
memory." He could remember to a singular extent; and, we will hope, on this occasion, was unusually
conscientious to do it. For it so happened, in July, 1779 (23d July), Friedrich, just home from his troublesome
Bavarian War, [Had arrived at Berlin May 27th (Rodenbeck, iii. 201).] and again looking into everything
with his own eyes, determined to have a personal view of those Moor Regions of Fromme's; to take a day's
driving through that RHYNLUCH which had cost him so much effort and outlay; and he ordered Fromme
to attend him in the expedition. Which took effect accordingly; Fromme riding swiftly at the left wheel of
Friedrich's carriage, and loudly answering questions of his, all day.Directly on getting home, Fromme
consulted his excellent memory, and wrote down everything; a considerable Paper, of which you shall now
have an exact Translation, if it be worth anything. Fromme gave the Paper to Uncle Gleim; who, in his
enthusiasm, showed it extensively about, and so soon as there was liberty, had it "printed, at his own expense,
for the benefit of poor soldiers' children." ["Gleim's edition, brought out in 1786, the year of Friedrich's death,
is now quite gone,the Book undiscoverable. But the Paper was reprinted in an ANEKDOTEN
SAMMLUNG (Collection of Anecdotes, Berlin, 1787, 8tes STUCK, where I discover it yesterday (17th July,
1852) in a copy of mine, much to my surprise; having before met with it in one Hildebrandt's
ANEKDOTENSAMMLUNG (Halberstadt, 1830, 4tes STUCK, a rather slovenly Book), where it is given
out as one of the rarest of all rarities, and as having been specially 'furnished by a Dr. W. Korte,' being
unattainable otherwise! The two copies differ slightly here and there,not always to Dr. Korte's advantage,
or rather hardly ever. I keep them both before me in translating" (MARGINALE OF 1852).
"The RHYN" or Rhin, is a little river, which, near its higher clearer sources, we were all once well acquainted
with: considerable little moorland river, with several branches coming down from Ruppin Country, and
certain lakes and plashes there, in a southwest direction, towards the Elbe valley, towards the Havel Stream;
into which latter, through another plash or lake called GULPER SEE, and a few miles farther, into the Elbe
itself, it conveys, after a course of say 50 English miles circuitously southwest, the black drainings of those
dreary and intricate PeatbogandSand countries. "LUCH," it appears, signifies LOCH (or Hole, Hollow);
and "RhynLuch" will mean, to Prussian ears, the Peatbog Quagmire drained by the RHYN.New Ruppin,
where this beautiful black Stream first becomes considerable, and of steadily black complexion, lies between
40 and 50 miles northwest of Berlin. Ten or twelve miles farther north is REINSBERG (properly
RHYNSBERG), where Friedrich as CrownPrince lived his happiest few years. The details of which were
familiar to us long ago,and no doubt dwell clear and soft, in their appropriate "pale moonlight," in
Friedrich's memory on this occasion. Some time after his Accession, he gave the place to Prince Henri, who
lived there till 1802. It is now fallen all dim; and there is nothing at New Ruppin but a remembrance.
To the hither edge of this RhynLuoh, from Berlin, I guess there may be fiveandtwenty miles, in a
northwest direction; from Potsdam, whence Friedrich starts today, about, the same distance northbywest;
"at Seelenhorst," where Fromme waits him, Friedrich has already had 30 miles of driving,rate 10 miles an
hour, as we chance to observe. Notable things, besides the Spade husbandries he is intent on, solicit his
remembrance in this region. Of Freisack and "HeavyPeg" with her didactic batterings there, I suppose he, in
those fixed times, knows nothing, probably has never heard: Freisack is on a branch of this same Rhyn, and
he might see it, to left a mile or two, if he cared.
But Fehrbellin ("Ferry of BellEEN"), distinguished by the shining victory which "the Great Elector,"
Friedrich's GreatGrandfather, gained there, over the Swedes, in 1675, stands on the Rhyn itself, about
midway; and Friedrich will pass through it on this occasion. General Ziethen, too, lives near it at Wusterau
(as will be seen): "Old Ziethen," a little stumpy man, with hanging brows and thick pouting lips; unbeautiful
to look upon, but pious, wise, silent, and with a terrible blaze of fightingtalent in him; full of obedience, of
endurance, and yet of unsubduable "silent rage" (which has brooked even the vocal rage of Friedrich, on
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APPENDIX. 1673
Page No 1682
occasion); a really curious old Hussar General. He is now a kind of mythical or demigod personage among
the Prussians; and was then (1779), and ever after the SevenYears War, regarded popularly as their Ajax
(with a dash of the Ulysses superadded),Seidlitz, another Horse General, being the Achilles of that service.
The date of this drive through the moors being "23d July, 1779," we perceive it is just about two months
since Friedrich got home from the Bavarian War (what they now call "POTATO WAR," so barren was it in
fighting, so ripe in foraging); victorious in a sort;and that in his private thought, among the big troubles of
the world on both sides of the Atlantic, the infinitesimally small business of the MILLER ARNOLD'S
LAWSUIT is beginning to rise now and then. [Supra 415, 429. Preuss, i. 362;
Friedrich is now 67 years old; has reigned 39: the SevenYears War is 16 years behind us; ever since which
time Friedrich has been an "old man,"having returned home from it with his cheeks all wrinkled, his
temples white, and other marks of decay, at the age of 51. The "wounds of that terrible business," as they say,
"are now all healed," perhaps above 100,000 burnt houses and huts rebuilt, for one thing; and the "ALTE
FRITZ," still brisk and wiry, has been and is an unweariedly busy man in that affair, among others. What
bogs he has tapped and dried, what canals he has dug, and stubborn strata he has bored through,assisted by
his Prussian Brindley (one Brenkenhof, once a Stableboy at Dessau);and ever planting "Colonies" on the
reclaimed land, and watching how they get on! As we shall see on this occasion,to which let us hasten (as
to a feast not of dainties, but of honest SAUERKRAUT and wholesome herbs), without farther parley.
Oberamtmann Fromme (whom I mark "Ich") LOQUITUR: "MajorGeneral Graf von Gortz," whom Fromme
keeps strictly mute all day, is a distinguished man, of many military and other experiences; much about
Friedrich in this time and onwards. [Supra, 399.] Introduces strangers, Bouille took him for "Head
Chamberlain," four or five years after this. He is ten years the King's junior; a Hessian gentleman;eldest
Brother of the Envoy Gortz who in his cloak of darkness did such diplomacies in the Bavarian matter,
January gone a year, and who is a rising man in that line ever since. But let Fromme begin: [ Anekdoten
und Karakterzuge aus dem Leben Friedrich des Zweyten (Berlin, bei Johann Friedrich Unger, 1787), 8te
Sammlung, ss. 1579.]
"On the 23d of July, 1779, it pleased his Majesty the King to undertake a journey to inspect those" mud
"Colonies in the Rhyn Luch about NeustadtontheDosse, which his Majesty, at his own cost, had settled;
thereby reclaiming a tract of waste moor (EINEN ODEN BRUCH URBAR MACHEN) into arability, where
now 308 families have their living.
"His Majesty set off from Potsdam about 5 in the morning," in an open carriage, General von Gortz along
with him, and horses from his own poststations; "travelled over Ferlaudt, Tirotz, Wustermark, Nauen,
Konigshorst, Seelenhorst, Dechau, Fehrbellin," [See Reimann's KREISKARTEN, Nos. 74,73.] and twelve
other small peat villages, looking all their brightest in the morning sun, "to the hills at Stollen, where his
Majesty, because a view of all the Colonies could be had from those hills, was pleased to get out for a little,"
as will afterwards be seen."Therefrom the journey went by HohenNauen to Rathenau:" a civilized place,
"where his Majesty arrived about 3 in the afternoon; and there dined, and passed the night. Next morning,
about 6, his Majesty continued his drive into the Magdeburg region; inspected various reclaimed moors
(BRUCHE), which in part are already made arable, and in part are being made so; came, in the afternoon,
about 4, over Ziesar and Brandenburg, back to Potsdam,and did not dine till about 4, when he arrived
there, and had finished the Journey." His usual dinner hour is 12; the STATE hour, on gala days when
company has been invited, is 1 P.M.,and he always likes his dinner; and has it of a hot peppery quality!
"Till Seelenhorst, the Amtsrath Sach of Konigshorst had ridden before his Majesty; but here," at the border of
my Fehrbellin district, where with one of his forestmen I was in waiting by appointment, "the turn came for
me. About 8 o'clock A.M. his Majesty arrived in Seelenhorst; had the Herr General Graf von Gortz in the
carriage with him," Gortz, we need n't say, sitting back foremost:here I, Fromme, with my woodman was
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APPENDIX. 1674
Page No 1683
respectfully in readiness. "While the horses were changing, his Majesty spoke with some of the Ziethen
HussarOfficers, who were upon grazing service in the adjoining villages [all Friedrich's cavalry went out to
GRASS during certain months of the year; and it was a LANDTAX on every district to keep its quota of
armyhorses in this manner, AUF GRASUNG]; and of me his Majesty as yet took no notice. As the
DAMME," Dams or Raised Roads through the Peatbog, "are too narrow hereabouts, I could not, ride beside
him," and so went before? or BEHIND, with woodman before? GOTT WEISS! "In Dechau his Majesty got
sight of Rittmeister von Ziethen," old Ajax Ziethen's son, "to whom Dechau belongs; and took him into the
carriage along with him, till the point where the Dechau boundary is. Here there was again change of horses.
Captain von Rathenow, an old favorite of the King's, to whom the property of Karvesee in part belongs,
happened to be here with his family; he now went forward to the carriage:
CAPTAIN VON RATHENOW. "'Humblest servant, your Majesty!' [UNTERTHANIGSTER KNECHT,
different from the form of ending letters, but really of the same import].
KING. "'Who are you?'
CAPTAIN. "'I am Captain von Rathenow from Karvesee.'
KING (clapping his hands together). "'Mein Gott, dear Rathenow, are you still alive! ["LEBT ER NOCH, is
HE still alive?"way of speaking to one palpably your inferior, scarcely now in use even to servants; which
Friedrich uses ALWAYS in speaking to the highest uncrowned persons: it gives a strange dash of comic
emphasis often in his German talk:] I thought you were long since dead. How goes it with you 7 Are you
whole and well?"
CAPTAIN. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Mein Gott, how fat He has (you are) grown!'
CAPTAIN. "'Ja, your Majesty, I can still eat and drink; only the feet get lazy' [won't go so well, WOLLEN
NICHT FORT].
KING. "'Ja! that is so with me too. Are you married?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yea, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Is your wife among the ladies yonder?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yea, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Bring her to me, then!' [TO HER, TAKING OFF HIS HAT] 'I find in your Herr Husband a good old
friend.'
FRAU VON RATHENOW. "'Much grace and honor for my husband!'
KING. "'What were YOU by birth?' ["WAS SIND SIE," the respectful word, "FUR EINE GEBORNE?"]
FRAU. "'A Fraulein von Krocher.'
KING. "'Haha! A daughter of General von Krocher's?'
FRAU. "'JA, IHRO MAJESTAT.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1675
Page No 1684
KING. "'Oh, I knew him very well.'[TO RATHENOW] 'Have you children too, Rathenow?'
CAPTAIN. "'Yes, your Majesty. My sons are in the service,' soldiering; 'and these are my daughters.'
KING. "'Well, I am glad of that (NUN, DAS FREUT MICH). Fare HE well. Fare He well.'
"The road now went upon Fehrbellin; and Forster," Forester, "Brand, as woodkeeper for the King in these
parts, rode along with us. When we came upon the patch of Sandknolls which lie near Fehrbellin, his
Majesty cried:
"'Forester, why aren't these sandknolls sown?'
FORESTER. "'Your Majesty, they don't belong to the Royal Forest; they belong to the farmground. In part
the people do sow them with all manner of crops. Here, on the right hand, they have sown fircones
(KIENAPFEL)'.
KING. "'Who sowed them?'
FORESTER. "'The Oberamtmann [Fromme] here.'
THE KING (TO ME). "'Na! Tell my GeheimerRath Michaelis that the sandpatches must be sown.'[TO
THE FORESTER] 'But do you know how fircones (KIENAPFEL) should be sown?'
FORESTER. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Na! [a frequent interjection of Friedrich's and his Father's], how are they sown, then? From east to
west, or from north to south?' ["VAN MORGEN GEGEN ABEND, ODER VAN ABEND GEGEN
MORGEN?" so in ORIG. (p. 22);but, surely, except as above, it has no sense? From north to south, there
is but one firseed sown against the wind; from east to west, there is a whole row.]
FORESTER. "'From east to west.'
KING. "'That is right. But why?'
FORESTER. "'Because the most wind comes from the west.'
KING. "'That's right.'
"Now his Majesty arrived at Fehrbellin; spoke there with Lieutenant Probst of the Ziethen Hussar regiment,
[Probst is the leftmost figure in that Chodowiecki Engraving of the famous Ziethenand Friedrich
CHAIRscene, five years after this. (Supra. 374 n.)] and with the Fehrbellin Postmeister, Captain von Mosch.
So soon as the horses were to, we continued our travel; and as his Majesty was driving close by my Big
Ditches," GRABEN, trenches, maindrains, "which have been made in the Fehrbellin LUCH at the King's
expense, I rode up to the carriage, and said:
ICH. "'Your Majesty, these now are the two new Drains, which by your Majesty's favor we have got here;
and which keep the Luch dry for us.'
KING. "'So, so; that I am glad of!Who is He (are you)?'
FROMME. "'Your Majesty, I am the Beamte here of Fehrbellin.'
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APPENDIX. 1676
Page No 1685
KING. "'What 's your name?'
ICH. "'Fromme.'
KING. "'Ha, ha! you are a son of the Landrath Fromme's.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty's pardon. My father was Amtsrath in the AMT Luhnin.'
KING. "'Amtsrath? Amtsrath? That isn't true! Your father was Landrath. I knew him very well.But tell me
now (SAGT MIR EINMAL) has the draining of the Luch been of much use to you here?'
ICH. "'O ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Do you keep more cattle than your predecessor?'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty. On this farm I keep 40 more; on all the farms together 70 more.'
KING. "'That is right. The murrain (VIEHSEUCHE) is not here in this quarter?'
ICH. "'No, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Have you had it here?'
ICH. "'Ja.'
KING. "'Do but diligently use rocksalt, you won't have the murrain again.'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty, I do use it too; but kitchen salt has very nearly the same effect.'
KING. "'No, don't fancy that! You must n't pound the rocksalt small, but give it to the cattle so that they can
lick it.'
ICH. "'Yes, it shall be done.'
KING. "'Are there still improvements needed here?'
ICH. "'O ja, your Majesty. Here lies the Kemmensee [Kemmenlake]: if that were drained out, your Majesty
would gain some 1,800 acres [MORGEN, threefifths English acre] of pastureland, where colonists could
be settled; and then the whole country would have navigation too, which would help the village of Fehrbellin
and the town of Ruppin to an uncommon degree.'
KING. "'I suppose so! Be a great help to you, won't it; and many will be ruined by the job, especially the
proprietors of the ground NICHT WAHR?' [Ha?]
ICH. "'Your Majesty's gracious pardon [EW. MAJESTAT HALTEN ZU GNADEN,hold me to grace]: the
ground belongs to the Royal Forest, and there grows nothing but birches on it.'
KING. "'Oh, if birchwood is all it produces, then we may see! But you must not make your reckoning
without your host either, that the cost may not outrun the use.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1677
Page No 1686
ICH. "'The cost will certainly not outrun the use. For, first, your Majesty may securely reckon that eighteen
hundred acres will be won from the water; that will be sixandthirty colonists, allowing each 50 acres. And
now if there were a small light toll put upon the rafttimber and the ships that will frequent the new canal,
there would be ample interest for the outlay.'
KING. "'Na, tell my GeheimerRath Michaelis of it. The man understands that kind of matters; and I will
advise you to apply to the man in every particular of such things, and wherever you know that colonists can
be settled. I don't want whole colonies at once; but wherever there are two or three families of them, I say
apply to that man about it.'
ICH. "'It shall he done, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Can't I see Wusterau,' where old Ajax Ziethen lives, 'from here?'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty; there to the right, that is it.' It BELONGS to General von Ziethen; and terrible
BUILDING he has had here,almost all his life!
KING. "'Is the General at home?'
ICH. "'Ja.'
KING. "'How do you know?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, the Rittmeister von Lestock lies in my village on GRAZING service; and last night the
Herr General sent a letter over to him by a groom. In that way I know it.'
KING. "'Did General von Ziethen gain, among others, by the draining of the Luch?'
ICH. "'O ja; the Farmstead there to the right he built in consequence, and has made a dairy there, which he
could not have done, had not the Luch been drained.'
KING. "'That I am glad of!What is the Beamte's name in Alt Ruppin?' [Old Ruppin, I suppose, or part of
its endless "RUPPIN or RHYN MERE," catches the King's eye.]
ICH. "'Honig.'
KING. "'How long has he been there?'
ICH. "'Since Trinityterm.'
KING. "'Since Trinityterm! What was he before?'
ICH. "'Kanonious' [a canon].
KING. "'Kanonicus? Kanonicus? How the Devil comes a Kanonicus to be a Beamte?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, he is a young man who has money, and wanted to have the honor of being a Beamte of
your Majesty.'
KING. "'Why did n't the old one stay?'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1678
Page No 1687
ICH. "'Is dead.'
KING. "'Well, the widow might have kept his AMT, then!'
ICH. "'Is fallen into poverty.'
KING. "'By woman husbandry!'
ICH. "'Your Majesty's pardon! She cultivated well, but a heap of mischances brought her down: those may
happen to the best husbandman. I myself, two years ago, lost so many cattle by the murrain, and got no
remission: since that, I never can get on again either.'
KING. "'My son, today I have some disorder in my left ear, and cannot hear rightly on that side of my head'
(!).
ICH. "'It is a pity that GeheimerRath Michaelis has got the very same disorder!'I now retired a little back
from the carriage; I fancied his Majesty might take this answer ill.
KING. "'Na, Amtmann, forward! Stay by the carriage; but TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, THAT YOU
DON'T GET HURT. SPEAK LOUD, I UNDERSTAND VERY WELL.' These words marked in Italics
[capitals] his Majesty repeated at least ten times in the course of the journey. 'Tell me now, what is that
village over on the right yonder?'
ICH. "'Langen.'
KING. "'To whom does it belong?'
ICH. "'A third part of it to your Majesty, under the AMT of Alt Ruppin; a third to Herr von Hagen; and then
the High Church (DOHM) of Berlin has also tenants in it.'
KING. "'You are mistaken, the High Church of Magdeburg.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty's gracious pardon, the High Church of Berlin.'
KING. "'But it is not so; the High Church of Berlin has no tenants!'
ICH. "'Your Majesty's gracious pardon, the High Church of Berlin has three tenants in the village Karvesen
in my own AMT.'
KING. "'You mistake, it is the High Church of Magdeburg.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, I must be a bad Beamte, if I did not know what tenants and what lordships there are in
my own AMT.'
KING. "'Ja, then you are in the right!Tell me now: here on the right there must be an estate, I can't think of
the name; name me the estates that lie here on the right.'
ICH. "'Buschow, Rodenslieben, Sommerfeld, Beetz, Karbe.'
KING. "'That's it, Karbe! To whom belongs that?'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1679
Page No 1688
ICH. "'To Herr von Knesebeck.'
KING. "'Was he in the service?'
ICH. "'Yes, Lieutenant or Ensign in the Guards.'
KING. "'In the Guards? [COUNTING ON HIS FINGERS.] You are right: he was Lieutenant in the Guards. I
am very glad the Estate is still in the hands of the Knesebecks.Na, tell me though, the road that mounts up
here goes to Ruppin, and here to the left is the grand road for Hamburg?'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Do you know how long it is since I was here last?'
ICH. "'No.'
KING. "'It is threeandforty years. Cannot I see Ruppin somewhere here?'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty: the steeple rising there over the firs, that is Ruppin.'
KING (leaning out of the carriage with his prospectglass). "'Ja, ja, that is it, I know it yet. Can I see
Drammitz hereabouts?'
ICH. "'No, your Majesty: Drammitz lies too far to the left, close on Kiritz.'
KING. "'Sha'n't we see it, when we come closer?'
ICH. "'Maybe, about Neustadt; but I am not sure.'
KING. "'Pity, that. Can I see Pechlin?'
ICH. "'Not just now, your Majesty; it lies too much in the hollow. Who knows whether your Majesty will see
it at all!'
KING. "'Na, keep an eye; and if you see it, tell me. Where is the Beamte of AltRuppin?'
ICH. "'In Protzen, where we change horses, he will be.'
KING. "'Can't we yet see Pechlin?'
ICH. "'No, your Majesty.'
KING. "'To whom belongs it now?'
ICH. "'To a certain Schonermark.'
KING. "'Is he of the Nobility?'
ICH. "'No.'
KING. "'Who had it before him?'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1680
Page No 1689
ICH. "'The Courier (FELDJAGER) Ahrens; he got it by inheritance from his father. The property has always
been in commoners' (BURGERLICHEN) hands.
KING. "'That I am aware of. How call we the village here before us?'
ICH. "'Walcho.'
KING. "'To whom belongs it?'
ICH. "'To you, your Majesty, under the Amt AltRuppin.'
KING. "'What is the village here before us?'
ICH. "'Protzen.'
KING. "'Whose is it?'
ICH. "'Herr von Kleist's.'
KING. "'What Kleist is that?'
ICH. "'A son of General Kleist's.'
KING. "'Of what General Kleist's.'
ICH. "'His brother was FLUGELADJUTANT [WINGadjutant, whatever that may be] with your Majesty;
and is now at Magdeburg, Lieutenant Colonel in the Regiment Kalkstein.'
KING. "'Ha, ha, that one! I know the Kleists very well. Has this Kleist been in the service too?'
ICH. "'Yea, your Majesty; he was ensign in the regiment Prinz Ferdinand.'
KING. "'Why did the man seek his discharge?'
ICH. "'That I do not know.'
KING. "'You may tell me, I have no view in asking: why did the man take his discharge?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, I really cannot say.'
"We had now got on to Protzen. I perceived old General van Ziethen standing before the Manorhouse in
Protzen,"rugged brave old soul; with his hanging brows, and strange dimfiery pious old thoughts!"I
rode forward to the carriage and said:
ICH. "'Your Majesty, the Herr General von Ziethen is [are, SIND] also here.'
KING. "'Where? where? Oh, ride forward, and tell the people to draw up; they must halt, I'll get out.'
"And now his Majesty got out; and was exceedingly delighted at the sight of Herr General von Ziethen;
talked with him and Herr von Kleist of many things: Whether the draining of the Luch had done him good;
Whether the murrain had been there among their cattle? and recommended rocksalt against the murrain.
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1681
Page No 1690
Suddenly his Majesty stept aside, turned towards me, and called: 'Amtmann! [THEN CLOSE INTO MY
EAR] Who is the fat man there with the white coat?'
ICH (ALSO CLOSE INTO HIS MAJESTY'S EAR). "'Your Majesty, that is the Landrath Quast, of the
Ruppin Circle.'
KING. "'Very well.'
"Now his Majesty went back to General von Ziethen and Herr von Kleist, and spoke of different things. Herr
von Kleist presented some very fine fruit to his Majesty; all at once his Majesty turned round, and said:
'Serviteur, Herr Landrath!'As the Landrath ["fat man there with the white coat"] was stepping towards his
Majesty, said his Majesty: 'Stay he there where he is; I know him. He is the Landrath von Quast!'["Very good
indeed, old Vater Fritz; let him stand there in his white coat, a fat, sufficiently honored man! Chodowiecki
has an engraving of this incident;I saw IT at the British Museum once, where they have only seven others
on Friedrich altogether, all in one poor GOTHA ALMANAC; very small, very coarse, but very good: this
Quast (Anglice 'Tassel') was one of them" (MARGINALE OF 1862).]
"They had now yoked the horses. His Majesty took a very tender leave of old General von Ziethen, waved an
adieu to those about, and drove on. Although his Majesty at Protzen would not take any fruit, yet when once
we were out of the village, his Majesty took a luncheon from the carriagepocket for himself and the Herr
General Graf von Gortz, and, all along, during the drive, ate apricots (IMMER PFIRSCHE).
At starting, his Majesty had fancied I was to stop here, and called out of the carriage: 'Amtmann, come along
with us!'
KING. "'Where is the Beamte of AltRuppin?'
ICH. "'Apparently he must be unwell; otherwise he would have been in Protzen at the change of horses there'
["at the VORSPANN:" Yes; and Manorhouse, EDELHOF, where old Ziethen waited, was lower down
the street, and SOONER than the Posthouse?]
KING. "'Na, tell me now, don't you really know why that Kleist at Protzen took his discharge?' [VOILA!]
ICH. "'No, your Majesty, I really do not.'
KING. "'What village is this before us?'
ICH. "'Manker.'
KING. "'And whose?'
ICH. "'Yours, your Majesty, in the AMT AltRuppin.'
KING (looking round on the harvestfields). "'Here you, now: how are you content with the harvest?'
ICH. "'Very well, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Very well? And to me they said, Very ill!'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, the wintercrop was somewhat frostnipt; but the summercrop in return is so
abundant it will richly make up for the wintercrop.' His Majesty now looked round upon the fields, shock
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1682
Page No 1691
standing upon shock.
KING. "'It is a good harvest, you are right; shock stands close by shock here!'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty; and the people here make STEIGS (mounts) of them too.'
KING. "'Steigs, what is that?'
ICH. "'That is 20 sheaves piled all together.'
KING. "'Oh, it is indisputably a good harvest. But tell me, though, why did Kleist of Protzen take his
discharge?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, I do not know. I suppose he was obliged to take his father's estates in hand: no other
cause do I know of.'
KING. "'What's the name of this village we are coming to?'
ICH. "'Garz.'
KING. "'To whom belongs it?'
ICH. "'To the Kriegsrath von Quast.'
KING. "'To WHOM belongs it?'
ICH. "'To Kriegsrath von Quast.'
KING. "'EY WAS [pooh, pooh]! I know nothing of Kriegsraths!To whom does the Estate belong?'
ICH. "'To Herr von Quast.' Friedrich had the greatest contempt for Kriegsraths, and indeed for most other
RATHS or titular shams, labelled boxes with nothing in the inside: on a horrible winter morning (sleet,
thunder, marching off hours before sunrise, he has been heard to say, 'Would one were a Kriegsrath!
KING. "'Na, that is the right answer.'
"His Majesty now arrived at Garz. The changing of the horses was managed by Herr von Luderitz of
Nackeln, as first Deputy of the Ruppin Circle. He had his hat on, and a white feather in it. When the yoking
was completed, our journey proceeded again.
KING. "'To whom belongs this estate on the left here?'
ICH. "'To Herr van Luderitz; it is called Nackeln.'
KING. "'What Luderitz is that?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, he that was in Garz while the horses were changing.'
KING. "'Ha, ha, the Herr with the white feather!Do you sow wheat too?'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1683
Page No 1692
KING. "'How much have you sown?'
ICH. "'Three WISPELS 12 SCHEFFELS,' unknown measures!
KING. "'How much did your predecessor use to sow?'
ICH. "'Four scheffels.'
KING. "'How has it come that you sow so much more than he?'
ICH. "'As I have already had the honor to tell your Majesty that I keep seventy head of cows more than he, I
have of course more manure for my ground, and so put it in a better case for bearing wheat.'
KING. "'But why do you grow no hemp?'
ICH. "'It would not answer here. In a cold climate it would answer better. Our sailors can buy Russian hemp
in Lubeck cheaper, and of better quality than I could grow here.'
KING. "'What do you sow, then, where you used to have hemp?'
ICH. "'Wheat!'
KING. "'Why do you sow no Farbekraut, ["DYEHERB:" commonly called "FARBERROTHE;" yields a
coarse RED, on decoction of the twigs and branches; from its roots the finer red called "KRAPP" (in French
GARANCE) is got.] no Krapp?'
ICH. "'It will not prosper; the ground is n't good enough.'
KING. "'That is people's talk: you should have made the trial.'
ICH. "'I did make the trial; but it failed; and as Beamte I cannot make many trials; for, let them fail or not,
the rent must be paid.'
KING. "'What do you sow, then, where you would have put Farbekraut?'
ICH. "'Wheat.'
KING. "'Na! Then stand by wheat!Your tenants are in good case, I suppose?'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty. I can show by the Register of Hypothecks (HYPOTHEKENBUCH) that they have
about 50 thousand thalers of capital among them.'
KING. "'That is good.'
ICH. "'Three years ago a tenant died who had 11,000 thalers,' say 2,000 pounds, 'in the Bank.'
KING. "'How much?'
ICH. "'Eleven thousand thalers.'
KING. "'Keep them so always!'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1684
Page No 1693
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty, it is very good that the tenant have money; but he becomes mutinous too, as the
tenants hereabouts do, who have seven times over complained to your Majesty against me, to get rid of the
HOFDIENST,' stated work due from them.
KING. "'They will have had some cause too!'
ICH. "'Your Majesty will graciously pardon: there was an investigation gone into, and it was found that I had
not oppressed the tenants, but had always gone upon my right, and merely held them to do their duty.
Nevertheless the matter stood as it was: the tenants are not punished; your Majesty puts always the tenants in
the right, the poor Beamte is always in the wrong!'
KING. "'Ja: that you, my son, will contrive to get justice, you, I cannot but believe! You will send your
Departmentsrath [Judge of these affairs] such pretty gifts of butter, capons, poults!'
ICH. "'No, your Majesty, we cannot. Corn brings no price: if one did not turn a penny with other things, how
could one raise the rent at all?'
KING. "'Where do you send your butter, capons and poults (PUTER) for sale?'
ICH. "'To Berlin.'
KING. "'Why not to Ruppin?'
ICH. "'Most of the Ruppin people keep cows, as many as are needed for their own uses. The soldier eats
nothing but old [salt] butter, he cannot buy fresh.'
KING. "'What do you get for your butter in Berlin?'
ICH. "'Four groschen the pound; now the soldier at Ruppin buys his salt butter at two.'
KING. "'But your capons and poults, you could bring these to Ruppin?'
ICH. "'In the regiment there are just four StaffOfficers; they can use but little: the burghers don't live
delicately; they thank God when they can get a bit of pork or bacon.'
KING. "'Yes, there you are in the right! The Berliners, again, like to eat some dainty article.Na! do what
you will with the tenants [UNTERTHANEN, not quite ADSCRIPTS at that time on the Royal Demesnes, but
tied to many services, and by many shackles, from which Friedrich all his days was gradually delivering
them]; only don't oppress them.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, that would never be my notion, nor any reasonable Beamte's.'
KING. "'Tell me, then, where does Stollen lie?'
ICH. "'Stollen your Majesty cannot see just here. Those big hills there on the left are the hills at Stollen; there
your Majesty will have a view of all the Colonies.'
KING. "'So? That is well. Then ride you with us thither.'
"Now his Majesty came upon a quantity of peasants who were mowing rye; they had formed themselves into
two rows, were wiping their scythes, and so let his Majesty drive through them.
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1685
Page No 1694
KING. "'What the Devil, these people will be wanting money from me, I suppose?'
ICH. "'Oh no, your Majesty! They are full of joy that you are so gracious as to visit this district.'
KING. "'I'll give them nothing, though.What village is that, there ahead of us?'
ICH. "'Barsekow.'
KING. "'To whom belongs it?'
ICH. "'To Herr von Mitschepfal.'
KING. "'What Mitschepfal is that?'
ICH. "'He was Major in the regiment which your Majesty had when CrownPrince.' [Supra, vii. 403.]
KING. "'Mein Gott! Is he still alive?'
ICH. "'No, HE is dead; his daughter has the estate.'
"We now came into the village of Barsekow, where the Manorhouse is in ruins.
KING. "'Hear! Is that the manorhouse (EDELHOF)?'
ICH. "'Ja.'
KING. "'That does look miserable.' Here Mitschepfal's daughter, who has married a baronial Herr von
Kriegsheim from Mecklenburg, came forward while the horses were changing. Kriegsheim came on account
of her into this country: the King has given them a Colony of 200 MORGEN (acres). Coming to the carriage,
Frau von Kriegsheim handed some fruit to his Majesty. His Majesty declined with thanks; asked, who her
father was, when he died, On a sudden, she presented her husband; began to thank for the 200 MORGEN;
mounted on the coachstep; wished to kiss, if not his Majesty's hand, at least his coat. His Majesty shifted
quite to the other side of the carriage, and cried"good old Fritz!"'Let be, my daughter, let be! It is all
well!Amtmann, let us get along (MACHT DASS WIR FORTKOMMEN)!'
KING. "'Hear now: these people are not prospering here?'
ICH. "'Far from it, your Majesty; they are in the greatest poverty.'
KING. "'That is bad.Tell me though; there lived a Landrath here before: he had a quantity of children:
can't you recollect his name?'
ICH. "'That will have been the Landrath von Gorgas of Genser.'
KING. "'Ja, ja, that was he. Is he dead now?'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty. He died in 1771: and it was very singular; in one fortnight he, his wife and four sons
all died. The other four that were left had all the same sickness too, which was a hot fever; and though the
sons, being in the Army, were in different garrisons, and no brother had visited the other, they all got the
same illness, and came out of it with merely their life left.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1686
Page No 1695
KING. "'That was a desperate affair (VERZWEIFELTER UMSTAND GEWESEN)! Where are the four sons
that are still in life?'
ICH. "'One is in the Ziethen Hussars, one in the Gensd'Armes, another was in the regiment Prinz
Ferdinand, and lives on the Estate Dersau. The fourth is soninlaw of Herr General von Ziethen. He was
lieutenant in the Ziethen Regiment; but in the last war (POTATOWAR, 1778), on account of his ill health,
your Majesty gave him his discharge; and he now lives in Genser.'
KING. "'So? That is one of the Gorgases, then!Are you still making experiments with the foreign kinds of
corn?'
ICH. "'O ja; this year I have sown Spanish barley. But it will not rightly take hold; I must give it up again.
However, the Holstein STOOLingrye (STAUDENROGGEN) has answered very well.'
KING. "'What kind of rye is that?'
ICH. "'It grows in Holstein in the Low Grounds (NIEDERUNG). Never below the 10th grain [10 reaped for
1 sown] have I yet had it.'
KING. "'Nu, nu [Ho, ho], surely not the 10th grain all at once!'
ICH. "'That is not much. Please your Majesty to ask the Herr General von Gortz [who has not spoken a
syllable all day]; he knows this is not reckoned much in Holstein:'(the General Graf von Gortz I first had
the honor to make acquaintance with in Holstein).
"They now talked, for a while, of the rye, in the carriage together. Presently his Majesty called to me from the
carriage, 'Na, stand by the Holstein STAUDENrye, then; and give some to the tenants too.'
ICH. "'Yes, your Majesty.'
KING. "'But give me some idea: what kind of appearance had the Luch before it was drained?'
ICH. "'It was mere high rough masses of hillocks (HULLEN); between them the water settled, and had no
flow. In the driest years we couldn't cart the hay out, but had to put it up in big ricks. Only in winter, when
the frost was sharp, could we get it home. But now we have cut away the hillocks; and the trenches that your
Majesty got made for us take the water off. And now the Luch is as dry as your Majesty sees, and we can
carry out our hay when we please.'
KING. "'That is well. Have your tenants, too, more cattle than formerly?'
ICH. "'Ja!'
KING. "'How many more?'
ICH. "'Many have one cow, many two, according as their means admit.'
KING. "'But how many more have they in all? About how many, that is?'
ICH. "'About 150 head.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1687
Page No 1696
"His Majesty must lately have asked the Herr General von Gortz, how I came to know him,as I told his
Majesty to ask General von Gortz about the Holstein rye;and presumably the Herr General must have
answered, what was the fact, That he had first known me in Holstein, where I dealt in horses, and that I had
been at Potsdam with horses. Suddenly his Majesty said: 'Hear! I know you are fond of horses. But give up
that, and prefer cows; you will find your account better there.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, I no longer deal in horses. I merely rear a few foals every year.'
KING. "'Rear calves instead; that will be better.'
ICH. "'Oh, your Majesty, if one takes pains with it, there is no loss in breeding horses. I know a man who
got, two years ago, 1,000 thalers for a stallion of his raising.'
KING. "'He must have been a fool that gave it.'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, he was a Mecklenburg nobleman.'
KING. "'But nevertheless a fool.'
"We now came upon the territory of the Amt Neustadt; and here the Amtsrath Klausius, who has the Amt in
farm, was in waiting on the boundary, and let his Majesty drive past. But as I began to get tired of the
speaking, and his Majesty went on always asking about villages, which stand hereabouts in great quantity,
and I had always to name the owner, and say what sons he had in the Army,I brought up Herr Amtsrath
Klausius to the carriage, and said:
ICH. "'Your Majesty, this is the Amtsrath Klausius, of the Amt Neustadt, in whose jurisdiction the Colonies
are.'
KING. "'So, so! that is very good (DAS IST MIR LIEB). Bring him up.'
KING. "'What's your name?' (from this point the King spoke mostly with Amtsrath Klausius, and I only
wrote down what I heard).
KL. "'Klausius.'
KING. "'Klausius. Na, have you many cattle here on the Colonies?'
KL. "'1,887 head of cows, your Majesty. There would have been above 3,000, had it not been for the murrain
that was here.'
KING. "'Do the people too increase well? Are there jolly children?'
KL. "'O ja, your Majesty; there are now 1,576 souls upon the Colonies.'
KING. "'Are you married too?'
KL. "'Ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'And have you children?'
KL. "'Stepchildren, your Majesty.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1688
Page No 1697
KING. "'Why not of your own?'
KL. "'Don't know that, your Majesty; as it happens.'
KING. "'Hear: Is it far to the Mecklenburg border, here where we are?'
KL. "'Only a short mile [5 miles English]. But there are some villages scattered still within the boundary
which belong to Brandenburg. There are Stetzebart, Rosso and so on.'
KING. "'Ja, ja, I know them. But I should not have thought we were so near upon the Mecklenburg country.'
[TO THE HERR AMTSRATH KLAUSIUS] 'Where were you born?'
KL. "'At Neustadt on the Dosse.'
KING. "'What was your father?'
KL. "'Clergyman.'
KING. "'Are they good people, these Colonists? The first generation of them is n't usually good for much.'
KL. "'They are getting on, better or worse.'
KING. "'Do they manage their husbandry well?'
KL. "'O ja, your Majesty. His Excellency the Minister von Derschau, too, has given me a Colony of 75 acres,
to show the other Colonists a good example in management.'
KING (smiling). "'Ha, ha! good example! But tell me, I see no wood here: where do the Colonists get their
timber?'
KL. "'From the Ruppin district.'
KING. "'How far is that?'
KL. "'3 miles' [15 English].
KING. "'Well, that's a great way . It should have been contrived that they could have it nearer hand.' [TO
ME] 'What man is that to the right there?'
ICH. "'Bauinspector [BuildingsInspector] Menzelius, who has charge of the buildings in these parts.'
KING. "'Am I in Rome? They are mere Latin names!Why is that hedged in so high?'
ICH. "'That is the mulestud.'
KING. "'What is the name of this Colony?'
ICH. "'Klausiushof.'
KL. "'Your Majesty, it should be called Klaushof.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1689
Page No 1698
KING. "'Its name is Klausiushof. What is the other Colony called?'
ICH. "'Brenkenhof.'
KING. "'That is not its name.'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty, I know it by no other!'
KING. "'Its name is Brenkenhosiushof!Are these the Stollen hills that lie before us?'
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Have I to drive through the village?'
ICH. "'It is not indispensable; but the change of horses is there. If your Majesty give order, I will ride
forward, send the fresh horses out of the village, and have them stationed to wait at the foot of the hills.'
KING. "'O ja, do so! Take one of my pages with you.'
"I now took measures about the new team of horses, but so arranged it, that when his Majesty got upon the
hills I was there too. At dismounting from his carriage on the hilltop, his Majesty demanded a
prospectglass; looked round the whole region, and then said: 'Well, in truth, that is beyond my expectation!
That is beautiful! I must say this to you, all of you that have worked in this business, you have behaved like
honorable people!'[TO ME] 'Tell me now, is the Elbe far from here?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, it is 2 miles off [10 miles]. Yonder is Wurben in the Altmark; it lies upon the Elbe.'
KING. "'That cannot be! Give me the glass again.Ja, ja, it is true, though. But what other steeple is that?'
ICH. "'Your Majesty, that is Havelberg.'
KING. "'Na, come here, all of you!' (THERE WERE AMTSRATH KLAUSIUS, BAUINSPECTOR
MENZELIUS AND I.) 'Hear now, the tract of moor here to the left must also be reclaimed; and what is to the
right too, so far as the moor extends. What kind of wood is there on it?'
ICH. "'Alders (ELSEN) and oaks, your Majesty.'
KING. "'Na! the alders you may root out; and the oaks may continue standing; the people may sell these, or
use them otherwise. When once the ground is arable, I reckon upon 300 families for it, and 500 head of
cows,ha?'Nobody answered; at last I began, and said:
ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty, perhaps!'
KING. "'Hear now, you may answer me with confidence. There will be more or fewer families. I know well
enough one cannot, all at once, exactly say. I was never there, don't know the ground; otherwise I could
understand equally with you how many families could be put upon it.'
THE BAUINSPECTOR. "'Your Majesty, the LUCH is still subject to rights of common from a great many
hands.'
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1690
Page No 1699
KING. "'No matter for that. You must make exchanges, give them an equivalent, according as will answer
best in the case. I want nothing from anybody except at its value.' [TO AMTSRATH KLAUSIUS] 'Na, hear
now, you can write to my Kammer [BOARD, BoardofWorks that does NOT sit idle!], what it is that I
want reclaimed to the plough; the money for it I will give.' [TO ME] 'And you, you go to Berlin, and explain
to my GeheimerRath Michaelis, by word of mouth, what it is I want reclaimed.'
"His Majesty now stept into his carriage again [was Gortz sitting all the while, still in silence? Or had he
perhaps got out at the bottom of the hill, and sat down to a contemplative pipe of tobacco, the smoke of
which, heartcheering to Gortz, was always disagreeable to Friedrich? Nobody knows!]and drove down
the hill; there the horses were changed. And now, as his Majesty's order was that I should 'attend him to the
Stollen hills,' I went up to the carriage, and asked:
ICH. "'Does your Majesty command that I should yet accompany farther' ["BEFEHLEN, command," in the
plural is polite, "your Majesty, that I yet farther shall WITH"]?
KING. "'No, my son; ride, in God's name, home.'
"The Herr Amtsrath [Klausius] then accompanied his Majesty to Rathenow, where he [THEY: His
Majesty is plural] lodged in the Posthouse. At Rathenow, during dinner, his Majesty was uncommonly
cheerful: he dined with Herr LieutenantColonel von Backhof of the Carabineers, and the Herr
LieutenantColonel von Backhof himself has related that his Majesty said:
"'My good Von Backhof (MEIN LIEBER VON BACKHOF): if He [you] have not for a long time been in the
Fehrbellin neighborhood, go there.'" Fehrbellin, the Prussian BANNOCKBURN; where the Great Elector cut
the hitherto invincible Swedes IN TWO, among the DAMS and intricate moory quagmires, with a vastly
inferior force, nearly all of cavalry (led by one DERFLINGER, who in his apprentice time had been a
TAILOR); beat one end of them all to rags, then galloped off and beat the other into ditto; quite taking the
conceit out of the Swedes, or at least clearing Prussia of them forever and a day: a feat much admired by
Friedrich: "'Go there,' he says. 'That region is uncommonly improved [as I saw today]! I have not for a long
time had such a pleasant drive. I decided on this journey because I had no REVIEW on hand; and it has given
me such pleasure that I shall certainly have another by and by.'
"'Tell me now: how did you get on in the last War [KARTOFFEL KRIEG, no fighting, only a scramble for
proviant and "potatoes"]? Most likely ill! You in Saxony too could make nothing out. The reason was, we
had not men to fight against, but cannons! I might have done a thing or two; but I should have sacrificed
more than the half of my Army, and shed innocent human blood. In that case I should have deserved to be
taken to the Guardhouse door, and to have got a sixscore there (EINEN OFFFENTLICHEN PRODUKT)!
Wars are becoming frightful to carry on.'
"'This was surely touching to hear from the mouth of a great Monarch,' said Herr LieutenantColonel von
Backhof to me, and tears came into that old soldier's eyes." Afterwards his Majesty had said:
"Of the Battle of Fehrbellin I know everything, almost as if I myself had been there! While I was
CrownPrince, and lay in Ruppin, there was an old townsman, the man was even then very old: he could
describe the whole Battle, and knew the scene of it extremely well. Once I got into a carriage, took my old
genius with me, who showed me all over the ground, and described everything so distinctly, I was much
contented with him. As we were coming back, I thought: Come, let me have a little fun with the old
blade;so I asked him: 'Father, don't you know, then, why the two Sovereigns came to quarrel with one
another?''O ja, your Royal HighnessES [from this point we have PlattDeutsch, PRUSSIAN dialect, for
the old man's speech; barely intelligible, as Scotch is to an ingenious Englishman], DAT WILL ICK SE
WOHL SEGGEN, I can easily tell you that. When our Chorforste [Kurfursts, Great Elector] was young, he
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1691
Page No 1700
studied in Utrecht; and there the King of Sweden happened to be too. And now the two young lords picked
some quarrel, got to pulling caps [fell into one another's hair], AND DIT IS NU DE PICKE DAVON, and
this now was the upshot of it.'His Majesty spoke this in PlattDeutsch, as here given;but grew at table
so weary that he (they) fell asleep." So far Backhof;and now again Fromme by way of finish:
"Of his Majesty's journey I can give no farther description. For though his Majesty spoke and asked many
things else; it would be difficult to bring them all to paper." And so ends the DAY WITH FRIEDRICH THE
GREAT; very flat, but I dare say very TRUE: a Daguerrotype of one of his Days.
History of Friedrich II of Prussia
APPENDIX. 1692
Bookmarks
1. Table of Contents, page = 3
2. History of Friedrich II of Prussia, page = 10
3. Thomas Carlyle, page = 10
4. Book I. BIRTH AND PARENTAGE. 1712., page = 15
5. Chapter I. PROEM: FRIEDRICH'S HISTORY FROM THE DISTANCE WE ARE AT. , page = 15
6. Chapter II. FRIEDRICH'S BIRTH. , page = 24
7. Chapter III. FATHER AND MOTHER: THE HANOVERIAN CONNECTION. , page = 25
8. Chapter IV. FATHER'S MOTHER. , page = 30
9. Chapter V. KING FRIEDRICH I. , page = 34
10. BOOK II. OF BRANDENBURG AND THE HOHENZOLLERNS. 928-1417. , page = 38
11. Chapter I. BRANNIBOR: HENRY THE FOWLER. , page = 39
12. Chapter II. PREUSSEN: SAINT ADALBERT. , page = 42
13. Chapter III. MARKGRAVES OF BRANDENBURG. , page = 45
14. Chapter IV. ALBERT THE BEAR. , page = 47
15. Chapter V. CONRAD OF HOHENZOLLERN; AND KAISER BARBAROSSA. , page = 50
16. Chapter VI. THE TEUTSCH RITTERS OR TEUTONIC ORDER. , page = 54
17. Chapter VII. MARGRAVIATE OF CULMBACH: BAIREUTH, ANSPACH. , page = 60
18. Chapter VIII. ASCANIER MARKGRAVES IN BRANDENBURG. , page = 64
19. Chapter IX. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH IV. , page = 67
20. Chapter X. BRANDENBURG LAPSES TO THE KAISER. , page = 71
21. Chapter XI. BAYARIAN KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG. , page = 73
22. Chapter XII. BRANDENBURG IN KAISER KARL'S TIME; END OF THE BAVARIAN KURFURSTS. , page = 76
23. Chapter XIII. LUXEMBURG KURFURSTS IN BRANDENBURG. , page = 78
24. Chapter XIV. BURGGRAF FRIEDRICH VI. , page = 80
25. BOOK III. THE HOHENZOLLERNS IN BRANDENBURG. 1412-1718 , page = 86
26. CHAPTER I. KURFURST FRIEDRICH I. , page = 86
27. Chapter II. MATINEES DU ROI DE PRUSSE. , page = 88
28. Chapter III. KURFURST FRIEDRICH II. , page = 91
29. Chapter IV. KURFURST ALBERT ACHILLES, AND HIS SUCCESSOR. , page = 94
30. Chapter V. OF THE BAIREUTH-ANSPACH BRANCH. , page = 98
31. Chapter VI. HOCHMEISTER ALBERT, THIRD NOTABLE SON OF FRIEDRICH. , page = 105
32. Chapter VII. ALBERT ALCIBIADES. , page = 109
33. Chapter VIII. HISTORICAL MEANING OF THE REFORMATION. , page = 112
34. Chapter IX. KURFURST JOACHIM I. , page = 114
35. Chapter X. KURFURST JOACHIM II. , page = 116
36. Chapter XI. SEVENTH KURFURST, JOHANN GEORGE. , page = 122
37. Chapter XII. OF ALBERT FRIEDRICH, THE SECOND DUKE OF PREUSSEN. , page = 123
38. Chapter XIII. NINTH KURFURST, JOHANN SIGISMUND. , page = 126
39. Chapter XIV. SYMPTOMS OF A GREAT WAR COMING. , page = 129
40. Chapter XV. TENTH KURFURST, GEORGE WILHELM. , page = 135
41. Chapter XVI. THIRTY-YEARS WAR. , page = 136
42. Chapter XVII. DUCHY OF JAGERNDORF. , page = 140
43. Chapter XVIII. FRIEDRICH WILHELM, THE GREAT KURFURST, ELEVENTH OF THE SERIES. , page = 141
44. Chapter XIX. KING FRIEDRICH I. AGAIN. , page = 149
45. Chapter XX. DEATH OF KING FRIEDRICH I. , page = 152
46. BOOK IV. FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP, FIRST STAGE. 1713-1728. , page = 157
47. CHAPTER I. CHILDHOOD: DOUBLE EDUCATIONAL ELEMENT. , page = 158
48. Chapter II. THE GERMAN ELEMENT. , page = 161
49. Chapter III. FRIEDRICH WILHELM IS KING. , page = 164
50. Chapter IV. HIS MAJESTY'S WAYS. , page = 170
51. Chapter V. FRIEDRICH WILHELM'S ONE WAR. , page = 173
52. Chapter VI. THE LITTLE DRUMMER. , page = 180
53. Chapter VII. TRANSIT OF CZAR PETER. , page = 182
54. Chapter VIII. THE CROWN-PRINCE IS PUT TO HIS SCHOOLING. , page = 186
55. Chapter IX. WUSTERHAUSEN. , page = 193
56. Chapter X. THE HEIDELBERG PROTESTANTS. , page = 196
57. Chapter XI. ON THE CROWN-PRINCE'S PROGRESS IN HIS SCHOOLING. , page = 202
58. Chapter XII. CROWN-PRINCE FALLS INTO DISFAVOR WITH PAPA. , page = 206
59. Chapter XIII. RESULTS OF THE CROWN-PRINCE'S SCHOOLING. , page = 207
60. BOOK V. DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, AND WHAT ELEMENT IT FELL INTO. 1723-1726. , page = 209
61. Chapter I. DOUBLE-MARRIAGE IS DECIDED ON. , page = 209
62. Chapter II. A KAISER HUNTING SHADOWS. , page = 217
63. Chapter III. THE SEVEN CRISES OR EUROPEAN TRAVAIL-THROES. , page = 222
64. Chapter IV. DOUBLE-MARRIAGE TREATY CANNOT BE SIGNED. , page = 228
65. Chapter V. CROWN-PRINCE GOES INTO THE POTSDAM GUARDS. , page = 229
66. Chapter VI. ORDNANCE-MASTER SECKENDORF CROSSES THE PALACE ESPLANADE. , page = 236
67. Chapter VII. TOBACCO-PARLIAMENT. , page = 241
68. Chapter VIII. SECKENDORF'S RETORT TO HER MAJESTY. , page = 250
69. BOOK VI. GOING ADRIFT UNDER THE STORM-WINDS. 1727-1730. , page = 252
70. Chapter I. FIFTH CRISIS IN THE KAISER'S SPECTRE-HUNT. , page = 252
71. Chapter II. DEATH OF GEORGE I. , page = 254
72. Chapter III. VISIT TO DRESDEN. , page = 259
73. Chapter IV. DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT IS NOT DEAD. , page = 267
74. Chapter V. CONGRESS OF SOISSONS, SIXTH CRISIS IN THE SPECTRE-HUNT. , page = 272
75. Chapter VI. IMMINENCY OF WAR OR DUEL BETWEEN THE BRITANNIC AND PRUSSIAN MAJESTIES. , page = 279
76. Chapter VII. A MARRIAGE: NOT THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE: CROWN-PRINCE DEEP IN TROUBLE. , page = 292
77. Chapter VIII. CROWN-PRINCE GETTING BEYOND HIS DEPTH IN TROUBLE. , page = 295
78. Chapter IX. DOUBLE-MARRIAGE SHALL BE OR SHALL NOT BE. , page = 297
79. BOOK VII. FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT. February-November, 1730. , page = 304
80. Chapter I. ENGLAND SENDS THE EXCELLENCY HOTHAM TO BERLIN. , page = 304
81. Chapter II. LANGUAGE OF BIRDS: EXCELLENCY HOTHAM PROVES UNAVAILING. , page = 308
82. Chapter III. CAMP OF RADEWITZ. , page = 322
83. Chapter IV. EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE. , page = 329
84. Chapter V. JOURNEY TO THE REICH. , page = 335
85. Chapter VI. JOURNEY HOMEWARDS FROM THE REICH; CATASTROPHE ON JOURNEY HOMEWARDS , page = 342
86. Chapter VII. CATASTROPHE, AND MAJESTY, ARRIVE IN BERLIN. , page = 354
87. Chapter VIII. SEQUEL TO CROWN-PRINCE AND FRIENDS. , page = 359
88. Chapter IX. COURT-MARTIAL ON CROWN-PRINCE AND CONSORTS. , page = 361
89. BOOK VIII. CROWN-PRINCE RETRIEVED: LIFE AT CUSTRIN. November, 1730-February, 1732. , page = 366
90. Chapter I. CHAPLAIN MULLER WAITS ON THE CROWN-PRINCE. , page = 366
91. Chapter II. CROWN-PRINCE TO REPENT AND NOT PERISH. , page = 368
92. Chapter III. WILHELMINA IS TO WED THE PRINCE OF BAIREUTH. , page = 371
93. Chapter IV. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN PREUSSEN AND ELSEWHERE. , page = 374
94. Chapter V. INTERVIEW OF MAJESTY AND CROWN-PRINCE AT CUSTRIN. , page = 379
95. Chapter VI. WILHELMINA'S WEDDING. , page = 393
96. BOOK IX. LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICH'S APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN RUPPIN. 1732-1736. , page = 398
97. Chapter I. PRINCESS ELIZABETH CHRISTINA OF BRUNSWICK-BEVERN. , page = 398
98. Chapter II. SMALL INCIDENTS AT RUPPIN. , page = 410
99. Chapter III. THE SALZBURGERS. , page = 413
100. Chapter IV. PRUSSIAN MAJESTY VISITS THE KAISER. , page = 421
101. Chapter V. GHOST OF THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE RISES; TO NO PURPOSE. , page = 431
102. Chapter VI. KING AUGUST MEDITATING GREAT THINGS FOR POLAND. , page = 434
103. Chapter VII. CROWN-PRINCE'S MARRIAGE. , page = 436
104. Chapter VIII. KING AUGUST DIES; AND POLAND TAKES FIRE. , page = 440
105. Chapter IX. KAISER'S SHADOW-HUNT HAS CAUGHT FIRE. , page = 445
106. Chapter X. CROWN-PRINCE GOES TO THE RHINE CAMPAIGN, , page = 449
107. Chapter XI. IN PAPA'S SICK-ROOM; PRUSSIAN INSPECTIONS: END OF WAR. , page = 466
108. BOOK X. AT REINSBERG. 1736-1740. , page = 474
109. Chapter I. MANSION OF REINSBERG. , page = 474
110. Chapter II. OF VOLTAIRE AND THE LITERARY CORRESPONDENCES. , page = 481
111. Chapter III. CROWN-PRINCE MAKES A MORNING CALL. , page = 496
112. Chapter IV. NEWS OF THE DAY. , page = 501
113. Chapter V. VISIT AT LOO. , page = 506
114. Chapter VI. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG; JOURNEY TO PREUSSEN. , page = 512
115. Chapter VII. LAST YEAR OF REINSBERG: TRANSIT OF BALTIMORE AND OTHER PERSONS AND THINGS. , page = 519
116. Chapter VIII. DEATH OF FRIEDRICH WILHELM. , page = 525
117. BOOK XI. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE REINS IN HAND. June-December, 1740. , page = 531
118. Chapter I. PHENOMENA OF FRIEDRICH'S ACCESSION. , page = 532
119. Chapter II. THE HOMAGINGS. , page = 546
120. Chapter III. FRIEDRICH MAKES AN EXCURSION, NOT OF DIRECT SORT INTO THE CLEVE COUNTRIES. , page = 552
121. Chapter IV. VOLTAIRE'S FIRST INTERVIEW WITH FRIEDRICH. , page = 564
122. Chapter V. AFFAIR OF HERSTAL. , page = 572
123. Chapter VI. RETURNS BY HANOVER; DOES NOT CALL ON HIS ROYAL UNCLE THERE. , page = 579
124. Chapter VII. WITHDRAWS TO REINSBERG, HOPING A PEACEABLE WINTER. , page = 582
125. Chapter VIII. THE KAISER'S DEATH. , page = 586
126. Chapter IX. RESOLUTION FORMED AT REINSBERG IN CONSEQUENCE. , page = 589
127. BOOK XII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, AWAKENING A GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE, BEGINS. December, 1740-May, 1741. , page = 598
128. Chapter I. OF SCHLESIEN, OR SILESIA. , page = 598
129. Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES ON GLOGAU. , page = 601
130. Chapter III. PROBLEM OF GLOGAU. , page = 610
131. Chapter IV. BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE. , page = 616
132. Chapter V. FRIEDRICH PUSHES FORWARD TOWARDS BRIEG AND NEISSE. , page = 619
133. Chapter VI. NEISSE IS BOMBARDED. , page = 623
134. Chapter VII. AT VERSAILLES, THE MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY CHANGES HIS SHIRT, AND BELLEISLE IS SEEN WITH PAPERS. , page = 627
135. Chapter VIII. PHENOMENA IN PETERSBURG. , page = 633
136. Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH RETURNS TO SILESIA. , page = 638
137. Chapter X. BATTLE OF MOLLWITZ. , page = 653
138. Chapter XI. THE BURSTING FORTH OF BEDLAMS: BELLEISLE AND THE BREAKERS OF PRAGMATIC SANCTION. , page = 665
139. Chapter XII. SORROWS OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY. , page = 680
140. Chapter XIII. SMALL-WAR: FIRST EMERGENCE OF ZIETHEN THE HUSSAR GENERAL INTO NOTICE. , page = 691
141. BOOK XIII. FIRST SILESIAN WAR, LEAVING THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE ABLAZE ALL ROUND, GETS ENDED. May, 1741-July, 1742. , page = 693
142. Chapter I. BRITANNIC MAJESTY AS PALADIN OF THE PRAGMATIC. , page = 693
143. Chapter II. CAMP OF STREHLEN. , page = 698
144. Chapter III. GRAND REVIEW AT STREHLEN: NEIPPERG TAKES AIM AT BRESLAU, BUT ANOTHER HITS IT. , page = 713
145. Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH TAKES THE FIELD AGAIN, INTENT ON HAVING NEISSE. , page = 715
146. Chapter V. KLEIN-SCHNELLENDORF: FRIEDRICH GETS NEISSE, IN A FASHION. , page = 722
147. Chapter VI. NEW MAYOR OF LANDSHUT MAKES AN INSTALLATION SPEECH. , page = 731
148. Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH PURPOSES TO MEND THE KLEIN-SCHNELLENDORF FAILURE: FORTUNES OF THE BELLEISLE ARMAMENT. , page = 734
149. Chapter VIII. FRIEDRICH STARTS FOR MORAVIA, ON A NEW SCHEME HE HAS. , page = 741
150. Chapter IX. WILHELMINA GOES TO SEE THE GAYETIES AT FRANKFURT. , page = 744
151. Chapter X. FRIEDRICH DOES HIS MORAVIAN EXPEDITION WHICH PROVES A MERE MORAVIAN FORAY. , page = 751
152. Chapter XI. NUSSLER IN NEISSE, WITH THE OLD DESSAUER AND WALRAVE. , page = 759
153. Chapter XII. PRINCE KARL DOES COME ON. , page = 761
154. Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF CHOTUSITZ. , page = 763
155. Chapter XIV. PEACE OF BRESLAU. , page = 769
156. BOOK XIV. THE SURROUNDING EUROPEAN WAR DOES NOT END. August, 1742-July, 1744. , page = 772
157. Chapter I. FRIEDRICH RESUMES HIS PEACEABLE PURSUITS. , page = 772
158. Chapter II. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS ARE ON THE MOUNTING HAND. , page = 778
159. Chapter III. CARNIVAL PHENOMENA IN WAR-TIME. , page = 794
160. Chapter IV. AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS MOUNT TO A DANGEROUS HEIGHT. , page = 800
161. Chapter V. BRITANNIC MAJESTY FIGHTS HIS BATTLE OF DETTINGEN; AND BECOMES SUPREME JOVE OF GERMANY, IN A MANNER. , page = 806
162. Chapter VI. VOLTAIRE VISITS FRIEDRICH FOR THE FOURTH TIME. , page = 820
163. Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH MAKES TREATY WITH FRANCE; AND SILENTLY GETS READY. , page = 829
164. Chapter VIII. PERFECT PEACE AT BERLIN, WAR ALL ROUND. , page = 833
165. BOOK XV. SECOND SILESIAN WAR, IMPORTANT EPISODE IN THE GENERAL EUROPEAN ONE. 15th Aug. 1744-25th Dec. 1745. , page = 846
166. Chapter I. PRELIMINARY: HOW THE MOMENT ARRIVED. , page = 846
167. Chapter II. FRIEDRICH MARCHES UPON PRAG, CAPTURES PRAG. , page = 851
168. Chapter III. FRIEDRICH, DILIGENT IN HIS BOHEMIAN CONQUESTS, UNEXPECTEDLY COMES UPON PRINCE KARL, WITH NO FRENCH ATTENDING HIM. , page = 856
169. Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH REDUCED TO STRAlTS; CANNOT MAINTAIN HIS MOLDAU CONQUESTS AGAINST PRICE KARL. , page = 862
170. Chapter V. FRIEDRICH, UNDER DIFFICULTIES, PREPARES FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN. , page = 870
171. Chapter VI. VALORI GOES ON AN ELECTIONEERING MISSION TO DRESDEN. , page = 881
172. Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN SILESIA; UNUSUALLY BUSY. , page = 887
173. Chapter VIII. THE MARTIAL BOY AND HIS ENGLISH VERSUS THE LAWS OF NATURE. , page = 892
174. Chapter IX. THE AUSTRIAN-SAXON ARMY INVADES SILESIA, ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS. , page = 899
175. Chapter X. BATTLE OF HOHENFRIEDBERG. , page = 906
176. Chapter XI. CAMP OF CHLUM: FRIEDRICH CANNOT ACHIEVE PEACE. , page = 909
177. Chapter XII. BATTLE OF SOHR. , page = 918
178. Chapter XIII. SAXONY AND AUSTRIA MAKE A SURPRISING LAST ATTEMPT. , page = 924
179. Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF KESSELSDORF. , page = 931
180. Chapter XV. PEACE OF DRESDEN: FRIEDRICH DOES MARCH HOME. , page = 936
181. BOOK XVI. THE TEN YEARS OF PEACE. 1746-1756. , page = 941
182. Chapter I. SANS-SOUCI. , page = 941
183. Chapter II. PEEP AT VOLTAIRE AND HIS DIVINE EMILIE (BY CANDLELIGHT) IN THE TIDE OF EVENTS. , page = 947
184. Chapter III. EUROPEAN WAR FALLS DONE: TREATY OF AIX-LA-CHAPELLE. , page = 959
185. Chapter IV. COCCEJI FINISHES THE LAW-REFORM; FRIEDRICH IS PRINTING HIS POESIES. , page = 965
186. Chapter V. STRANGERS OF NOTE COME TO BERLIN, IN 1750. , page = 967
187. Chapter VI. BERLIN CARROUSEL, AND VOLTAIRE VISIBLE THERE. , page = 978
188. Chapter VII. M. DE VOLTAIRE HAS A PAINFUL JEW-LAWSUIT. , page = 987
189. Chapter VIII. OST-FRIESLAND AND THE SHIPPING INTERESTS. , page = 1000
190. Chapter IX. SECOND ACT 0F TEE VOLTAIRE VISIT. , page = 1005
191. Chapter X. DEMON NEWSWRITER, OF 1752. , page = 1019
192. Chapter XI. THIRD ACT AND CATASTROPHE OF THE VOLTAIRE VISIT. , page = 1026
193. Chapter XII. OF THE AFTERPIECE, WHICH PROVED STILL MORE TRAGICAL. , page = 1035
194. Chapter XIII. ROMISH-KING QUESTION; ENGLISH-PRIVATEER QUESTION. , page = 1043
195. Chapter XIV. THERE IS LIKE TO BE ANOTHER WAR AHEAD. , page = 1048
196. Chapter XV. ANTI-PRUSSIAN WAR-SYMPTOMS: FRIEDRICH VISIBLE FOR A MOMENT. , page = 1054
197. BOOK XVII. THE SEVEN-YEARS WAR: FIRST CAMPAIGN. 1756-1757. , page = 1059
198. Chapter I. WHAT FRIEDRICH HAD READ IN THE MENZEL DOCUMENTS. , page = 1059
199. Chapter II. ENGLISH DIPLOMACIES ABROAD, IN PROSPECT OF A FRENCH WAR. , page = 1066
200. Chapter III. FRENCH-ENGLISH WAR BREAKS OUT. , page = 1072
201. Chapter IV. FRIEDRICH PUTS A QUESTION AT VIENNA, TWICE OVER. , page = 1076
202. Chapter V. FRIEDRICH BLOCKADES THE SAXONS IN PIRNA COUNTRY. , page = 1084
203. Chapter VI. BATTLE OF LOBOSITZ. , page = 1091
204. Chapter VII. THE SAXONS GET OUT OF PIRNA ON DISMAL TERMS. , page = 1096
205. Chapter VIII. WINTER IN DRESDEN. , page = 1104
206. BOOK XVIII. SEVEN-YEARS WAR RISES TO A HEIGHT. 1757-1759. , page = 1108
207. Chapter I. THE CAMPAIGN OPENS. , page = 1108
208. Chapter II. BATTLE OF PRAG. , page = 1116
209. Chapter III. PRAG CANNOT BE GOT AT ONCE. , page = 1128
210. Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KOLIN. , page = 1140
211. Chapter V. FRIEDRICH AT LEITMERITZ, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES COMING ON. , page = 1149
212. Chapter VI. DEATH OF WINTERFELD. , page = 1164
213. Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH IN THURINGEN, HIS WORLD OF ENEMIES ALL COME. , page = 1167
214. Chapter VIII. BATTLE OF ROSSBACH. , page = 1189
215. Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH MARCHES FOR SILESIA. , page = 1204
216. Chapter X. BATTLE OF LEUTHEN. , page = 1211
217. Chapter XI. WINTER IN BRESLAU: THIRD CAMPAIGN OPENS. , page = 1222
218. Chapter XII. SIEGE OF OLMUTZ. , page = 1231
219. Chapter XIII. BATTLE OF ZORNDORF. , page = 1242
220. Chapter XIV. BATTLE OF HOCHKIRCH. , page = 1253
221. BOOK XIX. FRIEDRICH LIKE TO BE OVERWHELMED IN THE SEVEN-YEARS WAR. 1759-1760. , page = 1271
222. Chapter I. PRELIMINARIES TO A FOURTH CAMPAIGN. , page = 1271
223. Chapter II. GENERAL DOHNA; DICTATOR WEDELL: BATTLE OF ZULLICHAU. , page = 1287
224. Chapter III. FRIEDRICH IN PERSON ATTEMPTS THE RUSSIAN PROBLEM; NOT WITH SUCCESS. , page = 1292
225. Chapter IV. BATTLE OF KUNERSDORF. , page = 1300
226. Chapter V. SAXONY WITHOUT DEFENCE: SCHMETTAU SURRENDERS DRESDEN. , page = 1314
227. Chapter VI. PRINCE HENRI MAKES A MARCH OF FIFTY HOURS; THE RUSSIANS CANNOT FIND LODGING IN SILESIA. , page = 1332
228. Chapter VII. FRIEDRICH REAPPEARS ON THE FIELD, AND IN SEVEN DAYS AFTER COMES THE CATASTROPHE OF MAXEN. , page = 1347
229. Chapter VIII. MISCELLANEA IN WINTER-QUARTERS, 1759-1760. , page = 1355
230. Chapter IX. PRELIMINARIES TO A FIFTH CAMPAIGN. , page = 1376
231. BOOK XX. FRIEDRICH IS NOT TO BE OVERWHELMED: THE SEVEN-YEARS WAR GRADUALLY ENDS. 25th April, 1760-15th February, 1763. , page = 1382
232. Chapter I. FIFTH CAMPAIGN OPENS. , page = 1382
233. Chapter II. FRIEDRICH BESIEGES DRESDEN. , page = 1391
234. Chapter III. BATTLE OF LIEGNITZ. , page = 1400
235. Chapter IV. DAUN IN WRESTLE WITH FRIEDRICH IN THE SILESIAN HILLS. , page = 1413
236. Chapter V. BATTLE OF TORGAU. , page = 1422
237. Chapter VI. WINTER-QUARTERS 1760-1761. , page = 1438
238. Chapter VII. SIXTH CAMPAIGN OPENS: CAMP OF BUNZELWITZ. , page = 1455
239. Chapter VIII. LOUDON POUNCES UPON SCHWEIDNITZ ONE NIGHT (LAST OF SEPTEMBER, 1761). , page = 1469
240. Chapter IX. TRAITOR WARKOTSCH. , page = 1473
241. Chapter X. FRIEDRICH IN BRESLAU; HAS NEWS FROM PETERSBURG. , page = 1478
242. Chapter XI. SEVENTH CAMPAIGN OPENS. , page = 1500
243. Chapter XII. SIEGE OF SCHWEIDNITZ: SEVENTH CAMPAIGN ENDS. , page = 1506
244. Chapter XIII. PEACE OF HUBERTSBURG. , page = 1515
245. BOOK XXI. AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF FRIEDRICH'S LIFE. 1763-1786. , page = 1521
246. Chapter I. PREFATORY. , page = 1522
247. Chapter II. REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA. , page = 1525
248. Chapter III. TROUBLES IN POLAND. , page = 1542
249. Chapter IV. PARTITION OF POLAND. , page = 1563
250. Chapter V. A CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES. , page = 1589
251. Chapter VI. THE BAVARIAN WAR. , page = 1624
252. Chapter VII. MILLER ARNOLD'S LAWSUIT. , page = 1639
253. Chapter VIII. THE FURSTENBUND: FRIEDRICH'S LAST YEARS. , page = 1652
254. Chapter IX. FRIEDRICH'S LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. , page = 1673
255. APPENDIX. , page = 1681